Tag Archives: running

What is hidden here safe in my chest

Posted on by
1

Happy New Year, chickadees! As you may or may not, I love New Year’s. I love a fresh start, I love a list of goals, I love moving into a new year and a new space. I love the reset button.

First up, here’s a review of last year’s goals:

  • read 52 books – I read 23 books this year…this was a lofty one that I knew I probably wouldn’t make.
  • find more free time for walking, wandering, laughing, sunshine, giggling, and Scrabble – I’d like to think that I did this…and continue to do this.
  • run 300 miles – The summer was hella hot. We moved. I ran 230 miles. I consider this a win since it’s more than 2014.
  • do an unassisted headstand – check, check!
  • move CHECK OMG GOOD GOING US.
  • reevaluate my recipe wheelhouse – Did this, but also traveled a LOT and relied on old standbys. Will work on this again in 2016.

So what are we doing this year, you ask? Here are some of my goals:

  • Read 25 books – Obviously I didn’t make my 52 goal, and I want to be realistic. Here’s to reading more this year now that we have a house and are not looking every weekend!
  • Free time/relaxation/etc – Always, always working on this one.
  • Run 300 miles – Now that I have a half under my belt, running a couple miles three or four times a week is a piece of cake – so let’s get to 300!
  • Do an unassisted handstand – This will be hard, but I want to get there. I am working on this already, starting today, and I have a lot of good work ahead, so I am excited about this one!
  • New recipes, always, forever. – My kitchen is no longer baby sized. I have a dishwasher. I want to get at it this year. Suggestions, please!
  • Write on this blog once a week. – Keeping up GMS is a lot of work, but I want to write more about what’s going on in my life, even if it’s just for me. This is where I journal most, and I want to update more often on what I’m feeling and not just what I am cooking.

Hope you’re having a good new year, and that you’re setting goals for yourself that you want to reach – or you’re committing to not setting goals! Love you kiddos!

how lucky we are to be alive right now

Posted on by
1

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?

it is the only thing that makes us feel alive

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday I headed back into the yoga studio after six weeks away because of my wrist. If we’re being honest, spraining my wrist was the first injury I’ve ever had that really made me feel like I was never going to physically be the same, and that scared the daylights out of me. As the weeks went on and my wrist didn’t just snap back, I felt like maybe my age was showing and I should be more careful with myself.

Well, after a stressful week of work and life and dogsitting and 90 degree weather and too much on my plate, I felt my shoulders scrunching right up and I wasn’t sleeping, waking up with a racing mind and fretful heart. I knew it was time to get back. I was supposed to run for my half-training, but I knew I wasn’t going to push myself to run 5 miles in 90 degrees and full sun in the name of…what?

Wasn’t this half supposed to be something that I’m doing for the results, not the end? I’m in it to build strength, endurance, muscle, and clarity in my runs. Not to run a half marathon that’ll impress…who? Running is one of those things I wish I was better at, but often dread. I was sick of dreading my workouts.

So I went to the yoga studio down the street. And I flowed for an hour. And I bought a 30 day pass at a steal (the price of two classes, it’s already paid itself off) and I felt really, really, really happy. The way exercise is meant to make you feel, and if we’re being honest, everything. Isn’t it? Everything should make you happy. With the right beats, even cleaning is fun.

Speaking of which, yesterday I also spent a fair amount of time packing with the girls. (Thanks T, A, and M, you’re amazing.) We danced to Whitney (god bless) and we packed and moved boxes and took out the trash, and A patched the holes in my walls. M wrapped my valuables, and T dusted every frame that was on our walls (that’s a lot.) My heart was just so full.

We’re moving, in case you didn’t gather, or know, and it’s in a week, and Jeff’s been in the canyon since last Saturday, and yesterday was literally a perfect day of friends and love and happiness that made me feel really, really lucky to be who I am.

Today, I got up and went to yoga again and flowed, and I was careful with my still-a-little-achy wrist (backing off every vinyasa, not pushing myself to crow, still feeling sweaty and worked and stretched.) I got home and made blueberry scones. I am drinking iced coffee. Jeff is due back soon, and this day is perfect day number two. Correlation to yoga? Perhaps.

The heat’s going to break this week. I am praying and intention-ing that this is the last heat wave, and we can roll into 80s and then 70s and I can run and finish my half and do yoga and be happy, healthy, and full.

That’s where my head’s at this Sunday. Namaste, bitches. Hope you’re happy, healthy, full. xo

empty the skies out/bringing me one step closer to you

Posted on by
1

Hi chickens. I have been away, and for that I apologize. There have been a lot of things going on here that I am not quite ready to talk about yet, but they are all good and happy, albeit busy.

In the meantime, days of this summer have been hot and long, and in the throes of the dog days Jeff and I both started new jobs and laid low, seeking air conditioning and relaxation. Through it all I have tried to keep up the blog at GMS, our house, friendships, etc., and also keep up on my running schedule.

We are running a half marathon in December, and though that’s now in only three months, I can say I don’t feel overwhelmed like I did when I agreed to do it. Be warned: I feel overwhelmed, for sure, but less so. I have been running, putting one foot in front of the other, all summer, taking off only when I had to for travel (or a sprained wrist) and when it just didn’t feel quite right. I’ve been trying to listen to my body, and I think that’s serving me well.

I’m headed out tonight for my first official half-marathon training run, and I am feeling tired of running at night already. I don’t know what the solution is (OK I do it’s run before work but I just don’t know if I can get organized to do that in the next few weeks) but for now that means 10 pm runs and eating light dinners so I can go out and pound pavement.

I miss this space, and I want to be around more to let you guys know what’s going on, and probably will be ramping up my posts now that I crave an outlet for running talk (especially since I haven’t done a ton of yoga since I injured my wrist!) so in advance, sorry/notsorry about all the running talk.

In the meantime – can you guys send me jams? I am SEVERELY lacking in tunes I love, and I have been listening to podcasts when I run, which is fine for long runs, but sometimes I need some serious motivation. I also need to really connect with a song to find it motivational, so this is sometimes exhausting.

Favorite running songs? Titanium, by Sia/David Guetta; Gone, by Kelly Clarkson; Maybe They’re On To Us, by Needtobreathe; Want to Want Me by Jason Derulo – if you can find the theme in these, and come up with a playlist for me, I swear to the earth I will make you dinner for a month.

In the meantime, I’m off to bang out three miles. Sleep well, chicks.

come build me up // come shed your light

Posted on by
Reply

I love new year’s. I love a new start. I love a new planner. I love a chance to start fresh, keeping in mind everything that happened last year and beyond. I love organizing things and organizing life into months and years is just so convenient, don’t you think?

Last year I made some new year’s resolutions, and some I kept and some I didn’t. I’m reupping several, therefore, to hope to make them this year, and adding some new ones for good measure. I like the idea of vague goals for some things (more free time) and concrete goals for others (300 miles to run). So without further ado, here are my goals.

  • read 52 books (I read 26 last year, half of my goal, but double the year before)
  • find more free time for walking, wandering, laughing, sunshine, giggling, and Scrabble (guys, I am the queen of overbooking, in case you didn’t know)
  • run 300 miles (I ran 107 and 2014. Let’s hope this summer isn’t hella hot and I can actually run outside from May to September, or find a gym to join I like)
  • do an unassisted headstand (which goes hand and hand with more yoga and killer arms and shoulders, please thank you)
  • move (we have been trying to move for literally four years, and I can feel in my bones 2015 is the year of the house)
  • reevaluate my recipe wheelhouse (the thing about having a food blog is you tend to make things either once or over and over and over again. If I feed Corelyn chicken quesadillas one more time I think she’s going to leave me, so we’d better find some new fun things Jeff will eat that are also healthy – and quick!)

Here’s to 2015. Here’s to adventuring and friends’ weddings and camping and sunshine and running and laughing and playing and fun. Happy New Year, lovelies – may your first weekend of the year be as cleansing as mine.

xo