Category Archives: Bouncing about.

how lucky we are to be alive right now

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Well guys, we did it. On Sunday, Ellen, Jeff, and I ran our half marathon! This was Ellen’s third half marathon, and Jeff’s first half (except he’s already run a marathon, so it counts but only kind of ;)) and it was my first one.

Half Marathon | Santa to the Sea

I have been training for this half marathon since the end of June, because I was worried I wasn’t going to be ready. I ran 160 miles to prep for this marathon (which is many less than I technically was supposed to run.) I slept countless extra hours to get over my various illness including bronchitis.

I didn’t make plans with friends here and there so I could run miles after work through our neighborhoods through hot and cold weather, through Santa Ana winds and even through rain (I know, shocking.) We even moved our holiday party to the weekend after Thanksgiving (thanks friends!) and to a Sunday night in order to plan for this half marathon.

The Thursday before the half, I went to my weekly soccer game and I pulled my right quad muscle kicking a ball. Never had I pulled a muscle like that simply kicking a ball (or honestly doing anything else) but I suspect it had something to do with the hard ball to my leg I took the previous week (seriously, there is still a soccer imprint on my leg.) So I spent Friday icing my leg once an hour, and spent time heating it Friday night. I went to bed early that night and hoped that the icing, the anti-inflammatory, the heating, and rest would do the trick…

Sunday came and my leg was OK. Miles 1-3 were tough, and I was sure with every step I wouldn’t be able to finish. But I warmed up around Mile 4, and by Mile 7 I was numb. When “Alexander Hamilton” came on right after Mile 4.5, I knew I was going to finish.

An hour after Jeff and at least thirty minutes after Ellen, I crossed that finish line still jogging, still smiling, and not in too much pain. A little over three hours of running and then suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly) it was over. Of course, now two days later I am sore all over, but I did it you guys!

Thanks to my friends and family who let me use the last six months to accomplish such a goal – I couldn’t have done it without the constant support of my team, from those who suggested music, who helped me heal, who understood when I cancelled plans or didn’t return their calls/emails/texts on time because I was out running. I’m so glad I have y’all in my life, and I’m so glad to say I’ve run a half marathon.

And now, rest…right?

bones on bones

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Running back and forth to the airport and constantly looking at weather here and there and wherever I go next has been my life since the beginning of April. It was a whirlwind month of LA –> Vegas –> LA –> Montreal –> LA –> Oxnard –> LA –> Palm Springs –> LA.

It was gorgeous seeing everything I saw, but I am glad to be home (for two weeks…) and I am glad to see everyone. I haven’t seen many folks as a result of my traveling, and I feel like I’m a million miles away in a vortex.

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Kate was in town so we had adventures about Santa Monica and had really good coffee.

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Montreal – old town. It was beautiful and made me heartsick for Boston.

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I went to Oxnard and picked avocados from the trees. It was magical.

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I popped up to SF for the day for work, and loved every second of the mild weather.

11192757_661240380675863_74038115_nPalm Springs pool. 100+ degrees, but the pool stayed cool.

Now that I am back, after a few days of going to bed too late and getting up too early, I am headed into a weekend staying in LA (well, mostly, minus a tiny trip to Malibu) and excited to hang with friends and smush their faces (if they’ll let me.)

Last night I got back on the exercise train, too, and did yoga to find space. I hadn’t been sleeping great this weekend, and I just needed some stretching (hip flexors be damned) so I can get back into both yoga (serious headstands to come, y’all) and into running. During my class, the teacher said something about alignment and making sure I was standing up straight, “bones on bones.” And that’s all we really are, isn’t it? Bones on bones. Trying to make something out of this life.

Happy Friday, folks.

the sky it was gold, it was rose

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I spent this past weekend hiking and climbing with my longest bff, and then of course got home and busy and back into the swing of work and barely have though about it again.

Except, I should, because I had a great time in Red Rocks Canyon and that deserves to be mulled and thought about and acknowledged.

Lauren is one of those friends that knows me deeply, and supports me even when I am unsure of myself. There were a couple moments this weekend of “I cannot do this” when Lauren said, “You can.” (Spoiler: turns out I absolutely could.) It was nice to have someone that supports me more than I support myself, and understands who I am and who I want to be without saying any of that.

I loved being in nature and having no service and no responsibilities other than sitting and walking and eating and sucking in the sunshine and living. Laughing, and smiling, and doing things that terrified me a little that weren’t even that hard. I loved being windswept and having no mirror and just loving life without thinking about everything before and after, but just being in the moment. I loved earning my dinner by climbing up and over terrains that look as alien as Mars.

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It was a great return to the wild. It was an adventure meeting new friends, trying something I haven’t done a lot, and being still. It recharged my batteries as I rush into another week and weekend and month of being so busy I can’t see straight, crashing to bed after a full day and waking up with a list to attend to. It was necessary. It was right.

Thanks, L, for keeping me on track. Thanks for pushing me when I needed to be pushed and letting me open my arms to the sun and just be. Love you. xo

put some face into it.

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This past Monday, I went to a hip-hop dance class with T, C, and Cor. It’s the second time I’ve headed to dance with these ladies, this time a different studio than the last, but both times equally fun.

I am a terrible dancer, having stopped taking dance in my youth in favor of soccer. I never quite got the hang of shifting my weight in a way that could make it look like I was light on my feet. But I love dancing. I love dancing around my kitchen, in my car, at any bar/party/house/grocery store. So when T and C invited us to go, of course my answer was yes.

At class, our teacher was showing us how to pop and lock, how to do some fancy footwork, and generally how to move like we knew what we were doing – which we most certainly did not. But he said something that really applies to all life – “put some face into it.” He meant to put a smile on – act like you know what you’re doing, like what you’re doing is what you MEAN to be doing. Add your own flair to what you’re doing, too, because your own touches make it seem even more right. Fake it til you make it – and smile all the while.

Well, I might have barely learned 16 counts of dance moves to a Bruno Mars song, but I had an hour of fun, I put some face into it, and I got some exercise in on the way. The teacher told me I did great at the end, and that stuck with me, too – because a) I am pretty sure I didn’t but I appreciated the support and b) because I really did smile and laugh the whole time because I was having a good time (remind anyone of going to yoga with me?)

I think I’ll be back with T and C to shake it til I make it, face included.

Happy hump day, chickens!

to be her is surely blinding

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Well friends, I did it! Today was my second 10K and, true to my previous post, I finished. And I PR’d (1:18:36, off a little more than 4 minutes from my last 10k, or about 42 second a mile)! No one stopped me for directions. And, I did get brunch afterwards, and Dunkin Donuts, and also a turkey sandwich for lunch later from our favorite Santa Monica sandwich spot.

Overall the race wasn’t too bad – the weather was beyond, my playlist was out of this world (Thanks Cor and Lauren!) and I was feeling it with all the running and yoga prep I did. Plus, being surrounded by other runners and supporters doesn’t hurt!

BIG thanks to Mike, who not only LET ME BORROW HIS SUNGLASSES FOR THE RACE (which is like, a really big deal here in the bright + beautiful LA) but also waited for us to finish, stood around while we got drinks/water, and also took a million photos for us!

More photos to come, but here are a few:

 

10k

dunkin