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10 Bullet Points, 5 Updates, 2 Marathons

1. I already wrote most of my very first Bellingham Bay Marathon Training: Week 1 post! Since I’m still in the middle of week 1, I have a few more workouts to do, but I’m so excited that I actually couldn’t wait to blog about it. This has never once happened in the history of this blog. I’m in full-on can’t stop staring at my training plan mode, and I have to say – it’s nice to be back.

2. On Monday I went to my first Refine class since February. This is because of my asshole neck injury. I’m finally doing better and I can take Refine as long as Brynn (the founder) is right there making sure I’m not doing anything that seems dumb. I know some things not to do – anything overhead, pick up a kettlebell – but she can spot the others. She stopped me from climbing planks (which I was about to stop on my own, I think. It didn’t feel right) and sprinting in place, because my neck was like ‘HA bitch!’

3. The thing about not going to Refine for 3+ months after going consistently for 3+ years is this: I lost all my thigh muscles so at first my clothes fit better and I was all “YEAH I’M HOT I DON’T NEED TO WORK OUT” but then a month later my middle area got soft and all spread out and not only did I not like the way I looked, but my clothes started getting tight again. Just in a new way. A worse way. Also, I probably should have been wearing a full size bigger in the first place considering how much better the jeans felt when I lost the muscles. TL;DR: I’m out of shape and now that I am not so injured, I will get back into shape.

4. I’m trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.  I was on an awesome track and after two companies in a row got bought out by other companies, I found myself on a broken track. And that was four years ago. It’s time to get back on the awesome track once again, if only I can figure out what exactly that is. On that note, how the hell has it been 10 YEARS since I graduated college?! I still feel like I am in high school.

dale

In memory of my Aunt Dale (far right)

5. One month after my goal marathon, I am running the NYC Marathon with Team AOL to raise money for the American Cancer Society DetermiNation. This is my fundraising page – know everyone asks for money, but I really appreciate ANY donation at any amount. Deciding to do this was tough – I agonized for weeks. In the end, I decided to sign up for the $3,400 fundraising commitment for the following reasons:

  • I am running in memory of my Aunt Dale. My aunt died in August 2012 after a long battle with kidney cancer. My grandma and cousin also had kidney cancer, by the way, so this really hits close to home. My Aunt Dale fought so hard and remained positive the entire time. Her positivity during her ordeal is inspires me and motivates me to raise money for ACS, and I will be proud to wear her name on my shirt on race day.
  • I have some unfinished business with NYCM! I didn’t realize how much I wanted to not only finish what I started in 2011, but actually experience the miles I was too sick to remember at the time. I’d like to get the real NYCM experience. I’m not running with any goal time – this is purely to enjoy the experience and have fun while keeping it meaningful and close to my heart.
  • The main reason I didn’t want to do NYCM again – waiting in the cold for hours before the start – is not an issue when you raise money for charity because you get to hang out in the heated VIP tent.
  • Networking/making friends – Not only do I want to meet more people at AOL to network with and become friendly with, but I’ll be meeting a lot more people who are also on the ACS DetermiNation team at team runs and events.
  • Team support – There are group runs twice a week, and additional events. While I likely won’t make it to most of the Tuesday night runs because my weekday runs are generally interval-focused, I will go to the weekend long runs. I like the idea of a built-in network of people to run with, including a coach, and getting to know people as the miles fly by.

I’m working on some fundraising ideas both on and off the blog. If anyone works at/has connections to brands that would be willing to help by donating an item for an auction or raffle, please let me know! I’m excited to get started – I welcome your advice on fundraising ideas and of course any donations.

 

Updates: Work, Marathon, Injury, Life

After my last blog post, I went silent. For a month. This is the longest I have gone without writing since I started blogging back in November, 2007.

There are a few reasons for this hiatus.

1. Thanks to the recurrence of my neck injury, I haven’t been exercising. Since fitness is my topic of choice and my favorite hobbies (aside from reading but I’d rather read books than discuss them) are running and Refine, not being able to do either means I don’t have much to say to the internetters reading here.

I am glad to say that after a very long six weeks, a number of physical therapy sessions (with the best PT ever in the history of this world, I am obsessed) things seem to be finally getting better with my neck. I ran outside yesterday — the only spring-like day we’ve had so far — for 2 miles. This is a huge milestone actually, because up until then my limit was 1.5 before my neck would act up. I smiled the entire time like a jackass and I felt amazing.

2. I’ve been mourning not running the Eugene Marathon. I mean, I didn’t officially make the decision not to move forward with this race, but that’s only because of my stubborn denial. Given that the race is now four months away and I only just ran 2 miles when I should be in the first weeks of official training, I think it’s obvious.

I’m really upset. I wanted so much to train this spring and not deal with the annoying parts of a fall marathon (namely, beginning training in the most humid time of year when I am slow). I also wanted to get my marathon over with and have my summer weekends free (long runs take a huge toll on me). And I really wanted to visit Eugene, stay in a cute rental house with my adorable baby nephew (plus brother and sister in law) and run an awesome marathon on a weekend devoted to running.

At the same time, I lost so much strength from not going to Refine that I am eager to work on getting that back first. But overall, I’ve been really sad about this. Better the neck thing came back now than after I started training and bought my $600+ plane ticket (kinda relieved I don’t have to deal with that…) but still. Ugh.

3. I was so miserable at work I had nothing left in me to blog. Anyone who’s ever been deeply unhappy at work will understand this one. It wasn’t something I could write about while I was working there, but I was miserable for a very long time. Like, sick to my stomach unhappy. Cry in the morning because I can’t imagine another day, another week, another month at that place unhappy. I would barely even talk to my husband in the evenings or weekend; I was mostly silent. I couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel and as hard as I tried, it didn’t seem like my situation would change anytime soon. Going to a place that causes you to feel this way, day in and day out, is draining. I was exhausted. I had no room in my life to blog; I was too busy being unhappy. When I was at home, I was lethargic. I watched TV and that’s about it. Of course, it didn’t help that my main outlet — working out — hasn’t been available to me.

Even though I had already given notice for about half the time I haven’t been blogging (and unhappy with the quality of my posts before that), I still needed to be out of there to understand that it is good on the other side.

I have a new job now and it’s a much better situation. I’m very, very busy — busier than I’ve ever been in my life — but also much happier. I’m enjoying my work and feeling much more fulfilled, but I am also a little overwhelmed in these beginning stages.

I will have less time to blog but I hope to write a little on weekends when I can. And when I am working out again, I’ll write about my return post-injury. If and when I can train for another marathon (I am devoted to my sub-4 goal) I will once again share my weekly training updates. I absolutely loved doing that last time around, and it will be fun to compare training cycles.

And there you have it.

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