Well, and a cat too, but we don't count her in the party guest number. It is just me and fuzzy buttkins this weekend. The boy is off on his semi-annual DC trip leaving the two of us to party down in Casa de Ross.
I started out this day by running 10 miles. I'd like to say it felt great, but it didn't. My stupid IT/knee issue is not fun at all. I got a new strap for my leg and with the help of Jeff Galloway and his 30 second walk breaks I finished the full 10. But to say it was wonderful and I could do more or go faster would be a total fabrication! I'll take it though. I still feel good that I finished it.
After a trip to the school carnival and a lovely dinner at Big River with Mom, I'm back home, sprawled on the couch and covered with frozen vegetables from the knee down. '
Oh yes, partying is art form in this house.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Get me an Asprin and my GPS-Stat!
Last year I got stuck on Space Mountain. Well, not stuck in the way that you think of normally where you are trapped on the top of the steepest hill out in the middle of the ride. This was was much less dramatic. It was actually a problem with the release bar. It was stuck in the down position and they couldn't get us out of the cart. So we got to stay on and ride it again. Or maybe it happened for two rounds, I can't really remember. It's all a blur to me. Literally a blur.
See, I get vertigo. Normally I do ok on roller coasters, especially if I can see what is coming. But on Space Mountain you are in the dark, so you never really get oriented to where you are. Then just about the time you figure you are ok, the strobe lights start. That's when it happened. I started spinning. Now I'm pretty sure there are no spins in Space Mountain but it didn't matter, my brain was spinning. Then we get to the spot where at least I'm prepared for what is coming next...I'm getting off the ride and wham, the bar is stuck and I can't get out and it starts all over again.
That's what my life has felt like lately, especially this week. I can't seem to get oriented to where I am and I'm not sure what is going to come at me. The obvious area this is happening in this week is the weather. Wednesday night I ran in 37 degree rain at the track. Cold and painful. Not my favorite. Thursday I woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland at my house only to learn from the TV that I had to go to work. We already know how that went.
Thursday night I get a flash alert that my district is closed on Friday due to ice and possible snow. Friday I awake to the most beautiful sunny winter day ever. I had a lovely day with my sister so that was worth it but jeez, I just can't figure out what is coming.
Today I log into my online grad class to learn that the final has been pushed up and is now due in one week. Crap, one week? Are you kidding me? I also woke up to 19 degree weather so Sean, Sarah and I decided not to participate in the 10K race we were supposed to do as our long run so boom, another plan thwarted this weekend. I'm running tomorrow with a fellow training program friend, but it is still off plan.
And then there is the whole running experience. For a while it was feeling great. Now weird things are cropping up again. Is it an IT issue or the knee? Why is it in the hip on one side and the lateral knee on the other? Are those my shins again? What the heck? Do I use my inserts or not? I just can't seem to figure out what is coming and depending on the day it changes. How am I ever supposed to get better if I can never really figure out what works and what doesn't? Why can't this just be easy?
Sometimes I wish I could figure out who holds this playbook of life. I'd like to steal it just long enough to get a glimpse through the plans. If I could just get some sort of a tiny sense of what is coming.....maybe I could get oriented again. I'd like to feel like I'm on solid ground, and once again headed in the right direction.
See, I get vertigo. Normally I do ok on roller coasters, especially if I can see what is coming. But on Space Mountain you are in the dark, so you never really get oriented to where you are. Then just about the time you figure you are ok, the strobe lights start. That's when it happened. I started spinning. Now I'm pretty sure there are no spins in Space Mountain but it didn't matter, my brain was spinning. Then we get to the spot where at least I'm prepared for what is coming next...I'm getting off the ride and wham, the bar is stuck and I can't get out and it starts all over again.
That's what my life has felt like lately, especially this week. I can't seem to get oriented to where I am and I'm not sure what is going to come at me. The obvious area this is happening in this week is the weather. Wednesday night I ran in 37 degree rain at the track. Cold and painful. Not my favorite. Thursday I woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland at my house only to learn from the TV that I had to go to work. We already know how that went.
Thursday night I get a flash alert that my district is closed on Friday due to ice and possible snow. Friday I awake to the most beautiful sunny winter day ever. I had a lovely day with my sister so that was worth it but jeez, I just can't figure out what is coming.
Today I log into my online grad class to learn that the final has been pushed up and is now due in one week. Crap, one week? Are you kidding me? I also woke up to 19 degree weather so Sean, Sarah and I decided not to participate in the 10K race we were supposed to do as our long run so boom, another plan thwarted this weekend. I'm running tomorrow with a fellow training program friend, but it is still off plan.
And then there is the whole running experience. For a while it was feeling great. Now weird things are cropping up again. Is it an IT issue or the knee? Why is it in the hip on one side and the lateral knee on the other? Are those my shins again? What the heck? Do I use my inserts or not? I just can't seem to figure out what is coming and depending on the day it changes. How am I ever supposed to get better if I can never really figure out what works and what doesn't? Why can't this just be easy?
Sometimes I wish I could figure out who holds this playbook of life. I'd like to steal it just long enough to get a glimpse through the plans. If I could just get some sort of a tiny sense of what is coming.....maybe I could get oriented again. I'd like to feel like I'm on solid ground, and once again headed in the right direction.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Pump the Brakes!
Damn it Jim, I'm a teacher not a snow plow driver!
Of course you wouldn't have guessed it today as I careened through an intersection, directly across two lanes of traffic and narrowly avoided coming to a rest in the ditch across the street. I plowed a big old pile of snow in front of my car along the way. No my ABS on my AWD Subaru did not kick in at all. As Sean has explained to me, my car did not have any idea it wasn't stopped already. My 4 wheels were locked up solid in the slide of death towards the impending intersection. Luckily I had an audience of little kids waiting for their very late bus. If only they had score cards. Once I came to a stop inches from the ditch and facing on-coming traffic, I put the old Subie in reverse and like Sean had also pointed out, they "go" just fine, it's the stopping that's the problem. Much to the relief of the mini-van coming my way in it's own lane of traffic, I backed up and got headed in the proper lane towards work. I did another slide into the parking lot and finally made it into a spot and out of the car. An hour and 30 minutes after I left for my 25 minute commute to Albany on this snowy winter drive.
Oh did I mention the 40 minutes I spent sitting on I-5? I was at a standstill while the overturned semi blocked all lanes of traffic? Did I mention the fact that every school district in a 50 mile radius around us was closed for the day? Did I mention that Albany had a snow day back in November for about 4 flakes of snow on the ground? But today as inches and inches piled up and accidents were happening everywhere, my district deems that it is a safe day to go to work/school for all involved.
Oh hells ya we are smart in Albany. Good thing I made it to work in one piece so that I could teach the 14 children that actually showed up today.
I can hardly wait to see what happens tomorrow.
Of course you wouldn't have guessed it today as I careened through an intersection, directly across two lanes of traffic and narrowly avoided coming to a rest in the ditch across the street. I plowed a big old pile of snow in front of my car along the way. No my ABS on my AWD Subaru did not kick in at all. As Sean has explained to me, my car did not have any idea it wasn't stopped already. My 4 wheels were locked up solid in the slide of death towards the impending intersection. Luckily I had an audience of little kids waiting for their very late bus. If only they had score cards. Once I came to a stop inches from the ditch and facing on-coming traffic, I put the old Subie in reverse and like Sean had also pointed out, they "go" just fine, it's the stopping that's the problem. Much to the relief of the mini-van coming my way in it's own lane of traffic, I backed up and got headed in the proper lane towards work. I did another slide into the parking lot and finally made it into a spot and out of the car. An hour and 30 minutes after I left for my 25 minute commute to Albany on this snowy winter drive.
Oh did I mention the 40 minutes I spent sitting on I-5? I was at a standstill while the overturned semi blocked all lanes of traffic? Did I mention the fact that every school district in a 50 mile radius around us was closed for the day? Did I mention that Albany had a snow day back in November for about 4 flakes of snow on the ground? But today as inches and inches piled up and accidents were happening everywhere, my district deems that it is a safe day to go to work/school for all involved.
Oh hells ya we are smart in Albany. Good thing I made it to work in one piece so that I could teach the 14 children that actually showed up today.
I can hardly wait to see what happens tomorrow.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
No apologies!
I am having a blast with my half-marathon training. Is it hard? Am I feeling pain? Hell yes and hell yes. But I am done apologizing for the fun that I am having. I refuse to accept that there is no fun in improvement. I refuse to accept that if you can talk you aren't working hard enough. I refuse to accept that if you are smiling and having a jolly good time then you just aren't doing what you should be or that you could work harder. That is simply not true.
See, I've been down the other path. The path of tears, pain and loneliness. I've pushed so hard that I've taken myself out of the game. I've run the silent miles where the minutes just tick away. That didn't work out for me. So this time, much like my favorite 90210 girl Kelly Taylor, I choose me. I choose fun over speed. I chose laughter over silence. I chose irreverence and sarcasm, over decreased minutes running. As it is the time flies by and I don't think I'd want less time having this much fun! I am 42 years old with a bad knee running on borrowed time. I'm going to make the most of the time I have left in the running community and I'm going to have fun with it.
No more will "I'm sorry" escape from my mouth. I will not apologize for the life I have lead that has placed me where I am. I am in the middle to the back of the pack. If you must know, it's the damn finest place to be. We have fun back here. Will we win any races from this vantage point? Hell no, but I could push myself to the breaking point and maybe shave of 30 seconds or more, but would it put me in a better place? Hell no? I'm never going to win so I may as well have a rocking good time. And the truth of the matter is the view is pretty damn fine from here. I'm proud of where I'm at. Truth be told I never thought I'd make it this far.
And so I announce to the world that I will make no more apologies for where I am. I accept it, I embrace it, and quite frankly at this stage of the game I can think of no where else I'd rather be.
See, I've been down the other path. The path of tears, pain and loneliness. I've pushed so hard that I've taken myself out of the game. I've run the silent miles where the minutes just tick away. That didn't work out for me. So this time, much like my favorite 90210 girl Kelly Taylor, I choose me. I choose fun over speed. I chose laughter over silence. I chose irreverence and sarcasm, over decreased minutes running. As it is the time flies by and I don't think I'd want less time having this much fun! I am 42 years old with a bad knee running on borrowed time. I'm going to make the most of the time I have left in the running community and I'm going to have fun with it.
No more will "I'm sorry" escape from my mouth. I will not apologize for the life I have lead that has placed me where I am. I am in the middle to the back of the pack. If you must know, it's the damn finest place to be. We have fun back here. Will we win any races from this vantage point? Hell no, but I could push myself to the breaking point and maybe shave of 30 seconds or more, but would it put me in a better place? Hell no? I'm never going to win so I may as well have a rocking good time. And the truth of the matter is the view is pretty damn fine from here. I'm proud of where I'm at. Truth be told I never thought I'd make it this far.
And so I announce to the world that I will make no more apologies for where I am. I accept it, I embrace it, and quite frankly at this stage of the game I can think of no where else I'd rather be.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Babies and Puppies!
All this cuteness can only mean one thing! Spring must be around the corner. Well, not really because it is freaking cold outside right now and I can see snow in the foothills. But today I spent my time admiring a young recently adopted shelter dog and holding a one week old real baby.
A big congrats to Erin and Luis for the successful reproductive endeavor of one Mateo Sebastian Puga. That is a damn fine little guy. I love his expressive, hostile little face. I have no idea what he could be so angry about in his short lived existence, but the expressions and scowls he makes are priceless. It is going to be extra fun watching him grow up. He gets huge bonus points from me for allowing me to hold him for nearly an hour without screaming once. Seriously, that has never happened before. Usually babies sense my terror and scream immediately. Kudos Tao for being brave or angry enough to let me hold you!
The puppy I saw was also adorable. A recent transplant from CA to our local shelter (see even dogs want the Oregon relocation program), he was adopted to an older lady who was told he was between 18 months and 2. She had big news today though when the vet informed her that he was only 8 months at the most. She was carrying him with her everywhere because she said she's never had a puppy before and doesn't trust him left alone. Good plan having had personal experience of leaving a puppy alone in my early dog owning days! He was full of pep and cuteness as was she. I think they will be an excellent match.
Now I'm home on my forced (ouch, quit twisting) day off. I'm loving this cut day, although my paycheck won't love it especially as tax day approaches. My dog while not as cute at that tiny guy won't let me out of his sight either. He walks me from room to room, settling himself down even if we are only there for a minute or two.
There is something to be said for the total love of someone who depends on you. Be it a baby or a pooch, I like that someone notices I'm here and is excited to see me. Now, if I could only train him to unload the dishwasher.
A big congrats to Erin and Luis for the successful reproductive endeavor of one Mateo Sebastian Puga. That is a damn fine little guy. I love his expressive, hostile little face. I have no idea what he could be so angry about in his short lived existence, but the expressions and scowls he makes are priceless. It is going to be extra fun watching him grow up. He gets huge bonus points from me for allowing me to hold him for nearly an hour without screaming once. Seriously, that has never happened before. Usually babies sense my terror and scream immediately. Kudos Tao for being brave or angry enough to let me hold you!
The puppy I saw was also adorable. A recent transplant from CA to our local shelter (see even dogs want the Oregon relocation program), he was adopted to an older lady who was told he was between 18 months and 2. She had big news today though when the vet informed her that he was only 8 months at the most. She was carrying him with her everywhere because she said she's never had a puppy before and doesn't trust him left alone. Good plan having had personal experience of leaving a puppy alone in my early dog owning days! He was full of pep and cuteness as was she. I think they will be an excellent match.
Now I'm home on my forced (ouch, quit twisting) day off. I'm loving this cut day, although my paycheck won't love it especially as tax day approaches. My dog while not as cute at that tiny guy won't let me out of his sight either. He walks me from room to room, settling himself down even if we are only there for a minute or two.
There is something to be said for the total love of someone who depends on you. Be it a baby or a pooch, I like that someone notices I'm here and is excited to see me. Now, if I could only train him to unload the dishwasher.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Ooo la la!
Oh yeah, I got some pretty little things for Valentines Day! We are talking jet black with some smokin' red accents. Short and tight in all the right places. Show a little leg and make them beg for more. Oh heck yes I'll proudly wear this around town. True love isn't afraid to make such a purchase because it knows it all comes back in the end.
Oh yes, I got what I wanted on this amazing day dedicated to lovers!
New capri running tights!
What the heck did you think I was talking about?
Oh yes, I got what I wanted on this amazing day dedicated to lovers!
New capri running tights!
What the heck did you think I was talking about?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Move over Eminem
8 Miles! Now when I hear that I am no longer besieged with images of Eminem in a grey hooded sweatshirt. No more bad semi-biographical movie references. Rather I shall remember a beautiful run on a warmer than average February morning. Yesterday I ran 8 miles with my pace group in my on-going training program for the Corvallis Half.
We started out with a cool little talk at the local tri shop about fuel on the run. It is interesting to shift your mindset from using exercise to burn calories and to wrap my head around taking in calories to fuel my performance. When my only thoughts for starting runs in the first place was to lose weight, this is a big thinking shift. But I get it and I will follow it. After an exceptional amount of loving from the shop's mini-aussie to help with my motivation, I found my group and headed out.
It felt good from the start. As the miles passed, I began to wonder why I had spent so much time worrying about the 8 all week. Two more than the previous week had intimidated me. It shouldn't have. While I was getting pretty tired by the end, the group dynamics kept the energy up and I got to talk to several people I hadn't talked to before. It is nice to have that energy source when your reserves start to deplete.
I heard a rumor that next week might be 10. Am I scared about that? Hells yeah. My achy knee this morning is a not so gentle reminder that these are pavement miles and they are a lot less forgiving than the trail miles of last summer. But I will stretch well this week and prep well. If it gets tough I know that my group will pull me through. There is something to be said for being a social creature!
We started out with a cool little talk at the local tri shop about fuel on the run. It is interesting to shift your mindset from using exercise to burn calories and to wrap my head around taking in calories to fuel my performance. When my only thoughts for starting runs in the first place was to lose weight, this is a big thinking shift. But I get it and I will follow it. After an exceptional amount of loving from the shop's mini-aussie to help with my motivation, I found my group and headed out.
It felt good from the start. As the miles passed, I began to wonder why I had spent so much time worrying about the 8 all week. Two more than the previous week had intimidated me. It shouldn't have. While I was getting pretty tired by the end, the group dynamics kept the energy up and I got to talk to several people I hadn't talked to before. It is nice to have that energy source when your reserves start to deplete.
I heard a rumor that next week might be 10. Am I scared about that? Hells yeah. My achy knee this morning is a not so gentle reminder that these are pavement miles and they are a lot less forgiving than the trail miles of last summer. But I will stretch well this week and prep well. If it gets tough I know that my group will pull me through. There is something to be said for being a social creature!
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