Playing catch up

It's finals week. I don't have many exams, mostly papers. I haven't found much time to be on here. So, today I plan to fully catch up. I'm camped out on the couch watching Grey's from last night, sipping some mint tea under the blanket and reading blogs. Ahhh to have a day off.

I also wanted to add that I ran on Tuesday. Only on the treadmill, but I ran never the less. I ran 1.1 miles. I was pain free, no ITBand irritation, so I stopped. I followed that run with some heavy squats, walking lunges, and kickbacks. Success.

Wednesday I spent an hour on the arc trainer and did some upperbody stuff at home.

Thursday I ran 1.7miles pain free.

Lord, please continue to heal me.

Saturday morning is the Jingle Bell 5K. I don't even care about a PR, I just want to be able to finish pain free.


It felt sooo good to run. I was happy and I felt such a rush. I miss that feeling and I'll be stoked to have it back.

So long for now.

Quick like!

I'm rushing around trying to finish up my 15pg paper for tomorrow. Yes, this is sort of unlike me but I've been a little busy lately.

Maybe it's lame, but I'm listening to my Elton John album's while working. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI5xme5k5AQ
He really is a classic, wouldn't you say?

I've been getting to the gym as much as I can but my gym is 45minutes away so I've been doing some stuff at home, as well. I'm used to lifting heavy at the gym but have been trying to just do something [ANYTHING!]. So, other than yoga, I've resorted to some of my favorites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcxINni0-q0
http://www.youtube.com/user/charliejames1975#p/u/23/t8bjSZ2Y8p8

Go ahead, indulge.

Yes, you can say that she is ultra sexualized and it's just jack-off material for dudes. But you can not deny that the chick has a rockin' bod. And do the workouts and tell me she didn't earn it. I'm just sayin'.



Here are some pictures from the Holidays.


This was at a friend's birthday two days prior to Thanksgiving.



And my favorite cousin on Thanksgiving.




And my little guys...at least I tried.

Why I Love My Blog

Okay, to be fair, I've been sort of [completely] MIA from my blog. *But, not MIA from all of your blogs, just so you know! I've got a week and a half left of school so I've been studying away an writing papers along with finishing up my PhD application, etc. etc. We all have excuses.

Anyway-

When I started blogging/journaling I thought my favorite thing would be documentation; all of my mundane events and feelings would be documented in one, organized place for me to revisit. While that's always an option, I don't do it that often. My favorite thing about blogging is that it allows [forces] instant reflection. It's hard to be melodramatic, unrealistic, or unreasonable about things when you write them out. Quite often, I start writing my blog with some feeling driving the post [being mad about an injury, whining about school, whatever] but as I type it out, I instantly put things into perspective. I'm able to analyze what I wrote and judge whether or not these thoughts/feelings are reasonable once uttered. Sometimes, quite frankly, they're not. Sometimes, I have no business being all up on my high horse.

And just when I think I'm floating away into my own fantasy land where I'm always right and the world is out to get me and everything else woe is me, my blog snatches me up and body slams my ass, keeping me in constant check.

I love that.

Gobble Gobbble

Okay. I've been behaving over here. For the past 3 [count it, 1, 2, 3] days I have foam rolled twice a day, stretched for three sets of 30seconds twice a day, an iced for 20on/10off/heating pad for 20on/10off- repeat for hours along with my regular strength routine. I WILL be coming back strong.

In other news, Thanksgiving is coming up. I'm not much of a holiday person but I LOVE any excuse to spend time with my extended family. No, no sarcasm here. I just adore my family and love when I get to be around them, I am very blessed in that regard.

So you may wonder. At the tender age of 22, what could I have to offer in the arena of chow? [Note: Since moving in with my boyfriend I've actually turned into a pretty fantastic and daring cook].

http://www.kitchendaily.com/2010/09/10/turkey-cupcakes/

If they are anything like the eagles I made for the 4th of July, these babies are going to require a lot of patience.




But come on, how cute are all of those!?

I'm psyched to bring these. Everyone loved the bald eagles showing up.

Shucks

I went to the gym today. Well, I work at the gym, so I had to go, but after 'working', I did my 'working out'. I spent a little while doing some upperbody stuff; bench press, one-armed rows, shoulder press, chin ups, and db cleans. Then, I did some ab work and stretching before making my way to the cardio section.

...I tried running, again.

My knee started hurting at exactly .3miles in. I kept going for a bit to try to better pinpoint the sensation. I'm considering going to a sports doc to get a second opinion. I'm not an expert [believe me!] but all of the signs pointed to ITBStuff, but, for being just an overuse injury this thing would be hanging around a seriously long time. I'd like to rule out the possibility of anything worse. You can call me a sissy pants, I don't care much.

Keeping my positivity high.

I've been finishing up my PhD application. It's mostly complete but I'm stuck on what piece of work to submit for a writing sample. The requirements "independently constructed for a scholarly audience" are just so vague!

In other news- tomorrow is our first day of ice skating for the season. Bring on the holiday festivities.


I hope life finds each of you well today.

I am more...

Okay. I love running. Running challenges me, and I can never fully kick its ass. I can always go f u r t h e r, faster, on different terrain, etc... I love the way I feel knowing it's just me against the world, outside on my own submersed in the elements.

I love races and all of the feelings that accompany race day; the butterflies, the high, the anticipation, feeling like you share this special bond with all of these other runners, crossing the finish line, everything.

I love running and all that it offers me. But I realized something recently, running is a HUGE part of my life and I choose to use a lot of my time doing so, but running does not define me. It's not my whole life. It's not all of who I am.

I've had this terrible ITB thing that hasn't gone away and hasn't gotten better. Am I bummed to be sidelined by such a silly injury? Yes. But I've just been wallowing like running is all I've got.

It's not.

Running, I love you. Heck, I even lust for you. But you're not the only man in my life.

I haven't been able to run and I let it effect my pscyhe. I'm not happy with myself or these serious moments [millenniums] of weakness I've been having.

I [we] canceled our trip to Florida. I can't run balls out right now and that's a fact. I know I don't have to justify my decision, but I do anyway.

Florida would cost a lot of money, I would miss a couple of weeks of GradSchool, work, etc. And to be completely and totally honest with you, I was DISGUSTED with the thought of going there and seeing how the race went and just playing it by ear and running as much as I could, walking the rest... HECK NO! That is just not me. I can struggle with moderation [flaws, much?] and I don't want to run a race I can't commit to 100%.

So, since I made that decision I sort of fell off the face of the earth and did nothing. I felt worthless and defeated. I know it seems silly, its just a race...right? But I put so much hard work into it and I felt like not being able to go and kill it meant I was less of a person.

And then, I picked myself up by the boot straps.

I've been hitting the gym four days a week which I love and have missed. I'm lifting heavy and often and I feel good. I love being sore in a different way. I've been doing a lot of arc training while I'm there and some cycling, too. Trying to get in as much cardio as I can.

I've gone back to doing yoga several times a week for about an hour most nights. It feels good to be long, lean, and limber.

I'm applying to a PhD program. Gulp.

I'm cooking new things.

Anyways, the moral of the story is: I love running but running is not my entire makeup. There's so much more to me and I can find serenity in a lot of other places.


So- I've schedule a few 5 and 10Ks for the winter to get my head back into the game and then I'm heading to Cali in Feb for a couple of weeks for a NASP convention and to visit my brother and to run my first half marathon...

The way I see it my half just got postponed...not canceled.

Let me live my life of delusion.

Where have I been?

Sort of sulking.

My ITBand didn't clear up... I went running a couple of days ago and felt some pretty righteous pain about a mile in.

I'm a little disappointed because I took two solid weeks off- no running just some cycling, yoga, and a bit of arc training. Really, knee? My very first half marathon is in two and a half weeks? Can't you cut a sister a break, here?!

So, now what?

I guess I go back to more foam rolling, more icing, more resting, and more stretching.

Here's my lame plane- I'm going to try to go balls out on some other endurance machines (spinning, arc training) to try to keep some element of endurance up. Try running again in a week. Go from there.

Either way, I'll be spending a month in Florida so I suppose it is not all that bad but boy would I like to go balls out on my half...

If you're the rosary type, say a few for me...