Busy busy busy!

OK, I guess I haven't posted in a bit.  This is likely due to the fact that I've been pretty busy lately and the blog has fallen by the wayside.  Sorry! 

I'm a little stressed out at work, but hopefully that is going to improve soon.  Just had a bunch of stuff rain down on me all at once...with no relief in sight.

Don't you hate it when a co-worker makes a mistake (a big one) and yet YOU'RE the one who has to overhaul the process and identify risks, areas of improvement, etc.?  It's like there is no longer accountability when you make a mistake.  Grrr! 

And...I'm running a marathon this weekend.  My 10th!  I'm really looking forward to a weekend away and visiting with friends.  And, of course, doing some shopping for things I don't need, but really really want. 

I don't have a time goal for this marathon, especially considering this nagging injury.  I'm just hoping to finish and not be in too much pain.  And, then I'll have to make the drive home...four and a half hours.  It's going to be a long day...but hopefully a lot of food will be consumed somewhere in there! 

Wish me luck!   

 

Breathe and Realize

So, I ran a half marathon this weekend.  And, I was fairly nervous about it. 

Now, I'm no elite runner, so it's not like my nerves had to do with trying to win prize money.  But, I do have a marathon in a little over a month...and I had just taken the entire week OFF from running. 

Why, you might ask?  Well, I've got an injury.  It's super annoying, painful, and annoying - yes, I know I said that twice.  I'm going to physical therapy for it and also doing the stretches/exercises he recommends.  But, the whole thing is just frustrating, when all I want to do is run. 

So, when I woke up the morning of the race, I just thought, "Nope, I don't feel like doing this today.  Nuh uh.  Not gonna go well."  But, I got my butt out of bed and headed to the race anyway.  I did a very short warmup jog and decided that that would have to do. 

And honestly, I really thought the race would be a train wreck, with me finishing 40+ minutes slower than my normal times.  And that is fine...really.  But, I just didn't WANT to be out there that long and in pain, struggling to finish. 

So, after my warmup, I said a little prayer.  And it went something like this:

Dear God, please let me run smart today.  Let me know when I need to stop/quit, if necessary, and when I need to slow down and take it easy.  Let me run how I feel.  Let me remember that my ability to run is a GIFT.  That this injury is TEMPORARY, and not permanent like so many others face every day of their lives.  Let me remember that I can run - even with this injury, which is fortunate.  Let me enjoy the day and utilize this run as a stress reliever and a reminder of how blessed I am with good health. 

With that prayer, I felt more relaxed and the anxiety level took a dive.  The race started and I turned on my pop tunes.  I felt good.  I felt strong.  And I just ran however my body was telling me to run.  The first half was fairly fast.  I slowed down a bit for the second half, but still felt pretty good. 

I finished about 4 minutes slower than my previous PR.  And I'm pleased.  I had taken a week off from running, I have an injury, and I even snuck in a few short walk breaks.  So, I'm happy with how it went.

The biggest takeaway is that prayer.  It centered me and it truly reminded me about how I'm fortunate to even be able to do this.  To run.  So what if a race doesn't go well...or I have a minor injury (that will eventually heal)?  I'm healthy.  And there are so many who don't have that luxury. 

Always good to remember the positives in our lives...even if there's sucky stuff going on.     

A new prospect...

You'll never believe what happened to me this weekend! OK, it's not that exciting...but still.

On Saturday, I ran a local race that a friend of mine won. I had to rush off to another commitment, but she stayed back to socialize. Anyway, she talked up the male winner and somehow invited him (a total stranger) to the Halloween party we were attending that night. (He is from out of state.)

Side note: Love my friend, but think it's totally weird she invited him to someone else's party and she barely knew him. But, I digress...

So, he ended up coming to the party and we chatted/hit it off. Numbers were exchanged...plans were made to get together on Sunday. Well...we had a coffee date...then a run that afternoon, and then dinner/movie last night.

Yes, yes, I know it's a lot in one day. But he's only here a few days and we enjoy each other's company. He's very attractive...let's just start there. Very. And, we have many similar views/interests, and conversation (so far) has flowed pretty easily. I suspect he's younger than me...by 5ish+ years. Not sure if that's an issue or not?

Anyway, so far, so good. Who knows if it's just a casual hanging out thing while he's here, or if it's potentially something else? He referred to last night as our first date...so that tells me he might be thinking in that direction. But whatever, I'm just taking it one bit at a time...no pressure on myself.

On the other hand...the friend who (sort of) arranged this is driving me batty! Constant texts, asking about every detail and if I'm SO excited, and what we're doing, and if I like him, and blah blah blah. She's suffocating me!

I know it comes from a good place, but it just adds pressure to a situation that doesn't need it. And really, we don't know what (if anything) this is...so how about we take it down a notch, shall we?

I'm going to need to tell her to back off a bit, because I don't plan to report my every single thought about him/us to her, or anyone else, for that matter.

On the fun side...while watching the movie, he totally grabbed my hand and it was really sweet. It didn't feel forced or awkward, which is how I have felt in the past with a guy that maybe I wasn't really in to.

So, no matter what, it was an unexpected thing - and if nothing comes from it - I had some fun with him and good conversation!

More bad luck and ewwwww...

Well, just when I thought my luck couldn't get worse, it did.

I went for a run on the local trail yesterday. I had already run on it twice this week, with no issues. I should also note that I've run this trail hundreds of times and not once had an incident.

Cut to yesterday afternoon...

I took off and was enjoying my run. About a mile and a half into my run, I came to an underpass, where I saw a guy hanging out there. My gut instinct told me he was suspicious, but he wasn't doing anything at that time. Heck, even after I passed him, I said (to myself), "I hope he's not a rapist." Then I felt pretty stupid and continued on my way.

I turned around after 3 miles and headed back. By this time, I'd pretty much forgotten about suspicious guy. Well, I rounded a bridge, and was running a straightaway, toward the previously mentioned underpass.

When I got there, the SAME guy was sitting in the same spot, only he was completely exposed on his lower half and he was jacking off (for lack of a better word). He was smiling right at me. I did a double take, as I was completely shocked. Once he knew I saw what he was doing, and after I passed him, he got up.

I thought he got up to chase after me and I was scared out of my mind. I kept looking behind me for the rest of my run, pretty freaked out.

As I was on my way back, I saw several kids on bikes, headed in that guy's direction. Ugh.

I called the non-emergency police when I was done. They immediately dispatched officers to the location and sent a sergeant over to speak with me. Based on my description, they think they know who it is, so that is good.

Needless to say, that pretty much wrecked what was left of my afternoon/evening. I've heard of things like this happening, but never experienced it. It was awful. It was scary. It was disgusting.

It's unfortunate that we live in a world where people do things like this, for no apparent reason.

By the way, the sergeant said that mine was the FIRST report of indecent exposure (in our area) this year! Um, I'm honored? No!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fitness

So, it's now been 10 weeks since my minor surgery, which took me out of running/exercise for 4 weeks. I've been back to exercising for about 5 of the last 6 weeks (since I was given the go ahead).

Overall, the transition back into it was fine. Of course, you have to ease back in and you can't expect to be exactly where you were before. I have a lot of races (all distances) on my calendar in the next few months, so I'm trying to get in shape so I feel like I can truly race them.

Last week, I went for broke and ran 10 miles. It felt great, no issues! That was the farthest I'd run since mid-February. I ran 11 this past weekend, also felt great. Then, I ran a 5K on Sunday, just hoping to run an ok race. I ended up setting a PR for myself. What a pleasant surprise!

For the most part, I feel like I'm "back," and can resume whatever I'd have done before. It's a great feeling, as working out is part of my routine. It keeps me sane...and also keeps me from being the gigantic cow I'd otherwise be (with the food I eat).

The point I'm trying to make is this - fitness is such a gift. I'm not always perfect at it, but it really has been a constant in my life, for the bulk of my life. The fact that I took 4 weeks off, which I would never willingly do, and I'm able to step right back into it, is proof. If you are fit or consistent about working out, your body will repay you with a speedy recovery and easy re-entry.

I'm thankful I have a healthy body that CAN work out, specifically RUN (since I do love it, most days). And I'm thankful my body is letting me get back to it.