One

I had a random encounter at my running group today that seemed to tie together so many crazy thoughts I’ve had recently. With the help of quite a bit of wine, and without wine since, my roommate has noticed that her life is pretty much stress free at the moment. Her biggest worry was getting her super long hair cut, and that finally happened Thursday. Now? Well, the power and internet have been sketchy today thanks to storms, but we’re safe and sound, so in the big picture, her life is super blissful. She’s gorgeous, healthy, gainfully employed, and has wonderful friends and family.

There are times when I am stupidly intimidated by this, given the lack of permanent job (but huzzah for gainful summer employment OUTSIDE!!!), the last $3 in my checking account before payday this week, and, oh yeah, the molar I chipped about 1 hour after all my insurance-covered dentists were closed for the next 67 hours on Friday afternoon. The tension built up to a physical manifestation in me last night and carried through to this morning. I even woke up before my alarm, thanks to the overactive mind.

In this state, I went off to running this morning. By doing training for obstacle course 5Ks with a group, I’ve gotten to talking to more and more mentors during the pre-run times. One guy, let’s call him Tim, and his wife are both mentors and in the obstacle course prep group. Tim’s wife is off to a cruise, so I naturally ribbed him about watching his wife go on a tropical vacay without him, which is when he told me how they can’t afford a trip, so she was actually filling in for someone who had to drop out last minute and didn’t have to pay for it. We started swapping stories about how we earn a paycheck. I realized just how I look up to elite runners. I think of them as machines- if they can train their body efficiently, push through the pain I hit when I go too fast with KR, then I just presume that they’re college educated, run as their distraction from the corporate world.

I don’t know quite what I’m trying to say, but running, for as individual of a sport as it is, has drawn me in to more and more people. “I’m a runner” is such a conversation starter, a sort of secret handshake, but we’re all human. The simplest form of transportation and exercise unites the Olympian, flailing grad student, equestrian, interior decorator, project manager and unfulfilled produce man. I get why people who run are drawn to each other, because even thought it might just be something you do for 30 minutes, 3 times a week, it takes heart, soul, strength, discipline to go pound pavement in the calm of the morning, rush hour sidewalk, or hidden trail.

As my right IT band makes my right knee creak (it’s a Powerstroke diesel to the left knee’s 2mph Prius), I remember why I run and long for a run that feels good inside and outside, that feeds my soul and recharges the endorphins. If I wasn’t a mentor for this running group, I would definitely take Dr. KR’s recommendation and just take off 2 weeks from running completely, but I just do intervals on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. The people are catching up to me as they get better and I fade, much to my chagrin. I hide it cleverly with funny stories, energy during the walking intervals, and the sly smile that asks if they want to run it in when we can see the finish line, but I can feel the “blegh” settling in. Am I still a runner if I’m injured and fading?

I get to see my mom and Charleston, SC next week. Maybe a change of settings with the mom who is just awesome will clear my head and heal me- inside and out.

Here’s to the next TV timeout

-Syd

Running makes you...

Take more pictures

Look forward to both the downhill AND uphill because while the downhill is easier, you have to contain your movements, and the uphill gives you this sense of "wahahaha! look what i have conquered!!!"

Appreciate your Saturday afternoons after a morning run

Pick up random bugs when you run under trees

Get tan lines in early April :)

Keep your watch on you at all times so you can be a good running mentor and time your run/walk intervals, because not having them makes you depend on one of the random people in your group, but its okay, because you have really happy nice people in your group who just thank you for being there and more excited than Kelly Ripa at 8am on a Saturday morning :)

Go for more walks

Bake more

Have a blast "playing" your guitar as your friend rocks out on her ukulele

Happier!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

1+2=3 for 4

Writing the title made me think of this song, and now it's in my head!!!

The No Boundaries run last night was a solid 1 mile, still doing 1 minute run, 2 minutes walk. Needless to say, that was sort of easy. Thankfully, there were 3 other women who wanted to do more, and, ta-da, at my pace!!! 

So off we went for 2 more miles, making 3 miles for the 4 of us :) A nice 5.6mph clip, while talking, made for a nice evening run.

Its literally taken me hours to write this, my brain is dead, and oh the thoughts rumbling through there. Let's just say, Gladiator training might just kick my butt...

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

LOL OMG

In honor of the newest words in the Oxford English Dictionary, I had a total "LOL OMG" run today :) I'm helping mentor (ha! yes, I know, my thoughts exactly! Since when am I a potential poster child for running?! But I am!) a running program called "No Boundaries" through Fleet Feet here in Raleigh. Its an awesome store, and yes, I'm biased because I bought my awesome shoes from there and a good friend of mine works there. The program has groups for people who just want to talk and who want to improve their sub-11 min mile time, all aiming for the June 11th Race for the Cure in Raleigh.

Our first run was Wednesday with lots of just getting used to what was going on, nothin' fancy! I'm a mentor for the walk to run group, which is lots of fun. I'm hanging out towards the back with some awesome women that are trying to step up their games, literally! And yes, there are men, but not so many. Explain this one to me!!!

We're doing intervals of running and walking, so right now its just 1 min of running, 2 min walking, but its a good time. I like being in shape enough to be able to talk a lot during the running parts. You know me, able to talk about prettty much anything with pretttty much anyone :) Wednesday's run was a mile, today was 1.5 and then, knowing I might actually be a runner, I came home and did another 1.4 on my own. I started out a bit too fast so when I went up the half mile hill, there was some definite soul searching and gut wrenching "come on! you can do THIS!" After telling it to others, its weird to say it to yourself.

So that's my running! I've been doing more weights/yoga/pilates recently, so we'll see if that helps with the increase in running. I love HAVING to run at least 2 times a week! 

Who am I and what aliens have abducted me?!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

PS- Gratuitous Lucy picture! She's showing off her "best" side ;)

Tweak

Have you ever found a great recipe, be it for bread or stir fry or a casserole? What happened when you tried to make it better or easier? I've done this hundreds of times in my cooking career and while my narrow scope of knowledge (if savory? add more garlic! if sweet, add vanilla!) usually keeps me in the know-how, sometimes I end up with yellow cupcakes that taste like cornbread...true story :( 

Anyway, with my new "summer slaying" plan mapped out, I set out to do 3 miles today. I totally shouldn't have hit snooze on my 5:45 alarm. I was actually sort of awake, but it was dark outside :( Boo hiss time shifts! By the time I actually woke up and got moving, work was calling my name. Yes, the evil mosquitoes needed me. THEY WANTED MY BLOOD! But no bites today :D why do I suddenly fear the onslaught tomorrow?! No wearing black tomorrow...

So with a morning/day run out of the question, I wanted to see what the gym was like at 10pm since its open until 11. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is where the "tweaking" starts. Instead of caramel apple bread, however, I ended up with cornmeal cupcakes. The place was still crowded, I am easily distracted by people with... unusual?... form on machines, no basketball/sitcom/drama/news can really hold my attention, treadmills give you too much feedback and I hate having sooo many people to compare myself to! 

The final total was 2.5 miles in about 29 minutes. I took some walk breaks, switched between the NCAA tourney (was rooting for Clemson in their "play-in" game... for a 12 seed?!), and realized something truly profound: If it works, keep at it! I have good routes that are outside, and maybe it means I bring a 2pm snack to work so I won't want to attack the kitchen when I leave work at 5, instead opting for a nice run. I could always just switch around work hours, go in later and wait for the sun to come up enough to get in my miles. Finally, I'll adjust the schedule so that long runs try to fall on Saturdays when I have the time and daylight to do what I need to do :) Plus, I am so much happier when I run in the mornings. By 9am, I'm showered and have this huge "to-do" checked off my list!

Oh, and the bright side to tonight, besides the epiphany? I came home to this cutie, minus the devil-eyes, I swear! Blame the dark living room and camera flashes!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

How dare you try to look at me in the eyes, you peon!

Red Rock

Hi!

I did 2 runs this week and halfway through the run tonight, I realized I hadn't blogged about my enh-run on Sunday... and why that was my last run in Vegas!

But, I ran tonight :) It was dark, sort of cold, and it attempted to rain during the last mile. With as much as I heat up, the moisture was nice and cooling, so I didn't mind. The first 2 miles were with my friend Elliot, but when I could feel my hair coming undone, I took a minute to secure it again, and she went off on her crazy good pace. She's recovering from an injury and the only thing that *doesn't* hurt for her now is running up hills- perfect for this out-and-back route that was down, then back up! Running with her for 2 miles, though, was a nice challenge since we were talking the entire time. I'm way too much of a Midwesterner, that I suck at asking questions but have awesome stories to tell. Maybe running with other people will force me to shut up and listen more?!

But, my last run in Vegas was on Sunday night. I could've done another run on Monday morning, but lolling around with Fred was just so much more tempting! Plus, Sunday's run was not an encouraging one. We had just come back from grilling out at the park where I'd chased around some nieces and nephews, so when I got a cramp only 1/2 mile in, I knew I was in for a cruddy run. I kept powering through, but then even my knee started to fail!

I gave myself some credit because just a few hours earlier, I'd gone up "trails" like this:

To get to views like this:

With my big brother!

We have the same eyes when we smile!

Anyway, I have this awesome master plan to get me running more often. The weather is changing, the clocks will change, I miss my awesomely fit/toned running body, I will need something other than sweets to relieve my stress since I'm giving them up for Lent and yes, I realize this somewhat conflicts with my "more yoga/strength-training, less running" of a few weeks ago. Life life, make mistakes, make adjustments!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Vacay Post

I'm on a vacation that's half Fred/half Family- my favorite kind :)

Can you guess where I am?

My niece took a "sick" day to come running with me after bragging about her 5k that she did in under 24 minutes. But after mile 1, I had time to snap these while I danced along to reaaallly good Disney Pandora.

"Crap, Aunt Sydney, you can kick my butt!" she told me at the end ;) She knows nothing of the hills in North Carolina, so the mild ascent I had to do was no big. I stopped after about a mile and a half to hang with her, then ran back the last 1/2 mile of the loop around the golf course. When I was running, I was comfortable at a 6.2mph pace.

This weekend is going to be craziness, but I can't wait to come back and run this on Monday, and possibly even Tuesday, morning before I fly back to my real life!

Off to get pedicures and brunch in Boulder City!

Here's to the next TV timeout!


-Syd