I have failed you

As of late, I have failed you as a blogger. I haven’t posted about my trip or the fact that I am back at square 0 in my training because after my 10k I decided not to run anymore for two weeks then I went to Costa Rica and opted not to run there either. Thanks to my bosses and coworkers, I now see daylight! I got my hours adjusted at work so I could run in daylight!

As far as coming home from costa rica… it was bitter sweet. My dog was happy to see my husband and I. I was happy to see him and my condo. I missed my home. I missed people and things that come w being close to a city and work and toilets I was allowed to flush toilet paper down…

But. I knew I would miss the laid back atmosphere of Costa Rica. And the beauty. Ah well. Bitter sweet.

Will post pics and a proper update soon. Just thought I should let y’all know I’m back. And sorry for the radio silence.

Race pics, jumbled thoughts, frustrations and some positivity thrown in there somewhere

Well let’s start with the race pics!

Before the race, being crazy

My buddy, Aaron, rocking the geek run!

My friend, Sheena, working hard!

Me, running my ass off. Funny faces in their greatest glory!

Sheena and I finishing strong!

Sheena and I after the race

Overall a good time! Happy I am signed up for approx three more races. Hope to get a ten miler in there in addition to the 10k, half marathon and triathlon!

I have had a ton of random thoughts lately. Everything from I am not where I want to be at the age of almost 30. I am really proud of my latest work. You can view it here. It is a flash piece on the 50th anniversary of Wally Schirra’s Mercury flight. I liked doing it because it is COMPLETELY different from what I have been doing for the past 8 years (since I got out of school). I have been moving towards different for a while, I think.

Totally random and unrelated, kinda awesome, kinda sucky. I have 7 NEW books on my kindle/kindle app on ipad! (awesome) I have no time to read any of them right now (sucky!)…. sad. Hopefully after my midterm, things will die down a little. I am eagerly awaiting the email to tell me whether I made the cut to be an Oiselle ambassador of sorts. I am hoping for the best and we will not discuss the worst. But whatever happens, happens and if not today, then it will all happen for me another day. Anywho. waiting….
I have never had a pumpkin spice latte. I am off to get one now. Fattyness be damned! I ran for a solid 75 minutes in my soccer game last night! hehehe. Catch y’all on the flip side. Sorry for lack of info right now. Waiting for things to firm up.

Official Registration, Tri Tri Tri and Compression that Impression?

I must have writer’s block. Every day I get things I want to add to this post and when I sit down in front of the post that I have saved each day since Saturday, I go blank. What is wrong with me?

I GOT ACCEPTED TO BE A SWEAT PINK AMBASSADOR!!! you may have (or may not… but you should have) noticed the new badge/button on my right hand sidebar! BOOM! It’s cause I am awesome! Totally stoked. So stoked and impressed with the community after a short week of acceptance that I told my friend, Michelle, about the program and that she should sign up!

I am officially registered for like a whole bangload of amaze-ah-balls in the next nine months! I am registered for the 8k Run! Geek! Run! on Sept 15 (saturday!!!!), the Marine Corps Marathon 10K (10/28), the Disney Princess Half marathon (feb 2013) and the Rocketman Triathlon at KSC in Cape Canaveral FL!!!

I am pretty jazzed. I can’t believe I have actually registered for both a half marathon and a triathlon! I never imagined I would ever ever EVER try a triathlon. I haven’t swam in since I was approx 13… but my friends are gonna unite together, force me to go to a pool and then teach me/make sure I swim in an efficient manner. The reason I was convinced to even sign up for this tri is because it is at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The bike portion goes around both launchpads! It is going to be super awesome! Can’t wait to see that! (super space nerd alert!)

As far as the half marathon goes, I cannot wait! In theory, I am running it with a couple of buddies. I am hoping they come with but either way, I am signed up and raring to go! I just have to sort out a costume. I am thinking Snow White or Mulan or Mrs. Incredible! There are a variety of options i have found all over the web, and quite a few on this site alone!

Just a couple of samples. Havent seen a Mulan one.

 

on another note, i have  been wearing compression socks when I run these days. Helps with my shins, but by mile 5 my knees are screaming because I have bad knees which normally dont act up until mile 7 without compression socks… but with, the tightness right below my knees… it just has some kind of weird effect.

also, if any of you have recommendations on half marathon programs that are worth the money, please let me know. I have been looking at the $24.99 Runner’s World one…

Happy Tuesday!

fitfluential, attempts at athleticism and possible running costumes

fitfluential is a site i stumbled across, first while on fit2flex.com and then again while on thewannabeathlete.com — and this was pretty neat so I thought I would check it out which caused me to sign up for their blogging dealy. They seem to have some pretty good tips. And I am not one to turn down tips on running and improving and doing things better. I like doing things better.

I am a natural athlete as far as contact sports go. Soccer, field hockey, rugby, etc… but my body is not what you would call “built for running” nor is it built for doing it well. My torso is longer than my legs. I carry a fair amount of weight on me, some muscle, some fat — this by no means is me calling myself fat, but it is just a fact I have to face. I cannot get my index, or even my middle finger and thumb to wrap around and meet at my wrist, I have thick soccer player legs and what some might call canckles, but the muscular kind… if that makes sense.

The day Jerid proposed to me in front of my favorite memorial, the Lincoln memorial, also one of the only full length pics I have

See? Soccer player legs. Not fat, just got the muscle.

So with running a lot more than ever before, my joints that have caused me problems before (like my right knee and ankle) have been causing me some problems in addition to the lower back, shooting pain down my leg issue which will hopefully get somewhat helped today during my ortho appt.  My knee starts hurting on the longer runs, after I have been pounding pavement for some time. <shrugs> not sure why yet, but I have some speculation. Anywho. neither here nor there. I have made many attempts to improve on my running athleticism and I am guessing that this will come with a lot more practice.  I have been working on this. I was running shorter distances every day for weeks, but then switched to a combo of shorter and longer distances and I think this psyched my shins out cause I started getting the beginning of shin splints, so i had to cut back to every other day, which is a little frustrating but I am thinking that once I get insoles for my arches, things will get better (speculation). I think things will get better either way. Cause this isnt gonna get me down! IN IT TO WIN IT!

I have been thinking a lot about possible running costumes for the Disney Princess half marathon. Then in the bathroom this morning, it all popped back into my head, dunno why it happened when I was in the bathroom and it certainly sounded very weird when I told Leah, one of my buddies who is going to be running with me, that I was thinking about the half marathon and her while in the bathroom……. yes, it did sound that awkward. haha. sweet. So yea, I started discussing possibilities and then asked if Mulan counted as a Disney Princess. My friend said hell yes. I have to say, I think Mulan is seriously underrated and often times forgotten as a disney princess. Other than her, I would consider tink or Mrs. Incredible (even though she might not count as a Disney Princess) or some others… still pondering. Saw some great possibilities online. Also, saw a neat one for the evil witch in snow white. THAT one was pretty awesome.

Also, IT’S OFFICIAL! I HAVE REGISTERED FOR MY VERY FIRST RACE (since my epic fail in high school as part of the cross country team)!!! I brought many a-person onto the high school cross country team, including my brother Ben and my best friend Rachel. I also SUCKED at cross country, avoided the races at all costs. made up excuses for everything… wasn’t really into it for running but more for soccer and didn’t care to race at all. Didn’t like not being the best at something. Didn’t like failing at something as my life always felt like a constant competition between my brother and I, even though my folks were never comparing. It took 27 years, many trials and tribulations, one failed attempt at grad school and a heart felt surprise letter from my dad to tell me that my parents (and specifically, my father) were not comparing my brother and I and that I had made them proud. Weird how life works, huh?

Anyway, so I have registered for my first official race! An 8K along the Potomac on September 15th called Run! Geek! Run! I am pretty nervous and excited. A little afraid… mostly because I know how I used to think of races and I know how things used to be and how I used to feel on the CC team… BUT things are different now! I am doing this for me! FOR NO ONE ELSE! This is my statement, my run, my race. I don’t expect to win, but crossing the finish line will be trophy enough. To finish and know that I did it… defeating my own fear. I tried to convince some buddies to run the race too because I am terrified, but some had prior engagements. One friend is still a maybe. Anyway, either way… I can do this!

Here’s to trying and NOT failing at something. Only took me a decade to get there, but at least I got there.

I RAN MY FARTHEST THIS MORNING!

I ran my farthest this morning! 5.4 miles in 1 hour and two minutes!!!! BOOM! i win!

Pesky back problem? NO PROBLEM! It ain’t gonna get me down!

 

I got an A- in my intense 6 week class!!! YAY! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

nothing else to report. weekend was AWESOME! I have amazing friends! and family!

 

Fabulous Friday, Runspiration and YOUR FACE!

TODAY IS FRIDAY!!!!

NASA/NERD Style of Friday:

*** This video is a parody of this terrible song here… definite improvement….

I only mention that this is Friday, specifically because this is also the end (technically it ends Sunday night) of my 6 week hell class. YAY! During this class, I had to read approx 200 pages a week , 3 hours of class (1.5 hours tues and 1.5 hours thurs), a quiz every week AND three group projects, plus lots of forum participation and such. HELLACIOUS! 12 weeks crammed into 6 weeks! But we are down to proofreading one final project (due tomorrow) and one final quiz! WOOOOOOOOOOOO! STOKED! so while this may be a little preemptive, this is also amazingly celebratory!

With that being said, I have to take note of my husband who was incredibly patient with me as I went through this class. He cooked dinner and encouraged me and took care of aldy when I needed to work or study. He was great! Also, my friends were very understanding and accommodating. They worked around my schedule and it was awesome! Very appreciated!

Ok, moving on. Runspiration, cause I def need it… I have been feeling the beginning of shin splints (it could be a number of factors…. found this article here and have been looking into possibilities of causes). I am also getting kinda down on myself for failing at making my desired splits, so I have been collecting blogs and pics to inspire me. Here is some of what I found.

Truest of all true statements above….

Anywho, Hope if you need runspiration that these helped you like they helped me.

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND here is the YOUR FACE portion:

 

and here is the terrible song these are parodies of…

Thoughtful Thursday, Running Update and No News being Good News

You ever get that feeling where you have a lot you want to say and then you sit down to write it all out and all of your thoughts disappear and you forgot completely what you were going to say? I seem to be having that right now…. so I present you with this until I remember:

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy

but here’s my number, so call me maybe…”

hahahahaha ok, so that song might be my current guilty/dirty pleasure. Today, while on facebook, I saw a post by my awesome coworker AND outside of work buddy, Lauren. She had made a post about what she has done in the past year and how amazing it is. I saw that and thought to myself something very similar. A year ago, I didn’t know I would be living again in DC, working at NASA, married, owning a condo and semi-training for a half marathon. My life is ridiculously different from where it was in August of 2011.

On updated things, my friend Michelle arrived on Tuesday night and she is training for the NYC marathon in November. She is in week 3 of her training program and the past two days she has gotten up at 5am to run with me. She has pushed me to run almost a mile longer than I was in close to the same amount of time. My high school cross country coach would be proud… it only took me a decade and a half to get motivated to run and attempt some sort of success/pride with it. Anyway, this morning on our run, Michelle and I got to talking about the Disney Princess Half Marathon. She said she would do it with me…. shortly after that, on gchat, I was talking to my good friend Leah (she has truly made my return to DC from Oklahoma much easier than if she hadnt been around–while she wasn’t the only one, she was one of the primaries 🙂  ), who is a runner also and who put the Disney Princess half marathon idea in my head. I told her Michelle had agreed to go with me in Feb and that I was terrified. I told Leah she should come, and she said “I’m in.”  — This literally made my day. Two of my close friends, both experienced runners, were going to embark on a journey with me to race the Disney Princess half marathon. Stunned, all I could type was you just made my day.

For inspiration, read this: http://marathontrainingacademy.com/runners-you-should-know

Following this up, I will say, I feel truly blessed. I have a lot of unique and amazing friends who support me and care about me, who get me through good and bad times… not just at home, but at the office as well. I am truly blessed.

not even gonna lie to you, it was freakin GOOD. And just remember. whatever you do, no news is good news.

magical moments

magical moments often happen when you least expect it. they can come and go in mere seconds and pass you by if you arent paying attention. I am fortunate enough, at this point in my life, to be aware and able to experience such magical moments.

   

Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is seen from Top of the Town in Arlington, Virginia as it flies near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Chris Gunn)

This is one of many magical moments that we, as DC peeps, got to see this morning. NASA’s Discovery shuttle flew it’s final flight, over the DC metro area today to come to it’s final resting place in Dulles, VA at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum; part of the Smithsonian and a national treasure, this piece of history will live out its days in an airplane hanger.  The cool thing about this, is while it may represent the true end of the shuttle program, it represents a much bigger piece to the future of human exploration and space flight…. deep space will be tackled. I am personally rooting for us to go to mars in the Orion capsule. Here’s hoping.

Enough about NASA, my point with this post is broader than just seeing the shuttle piggy backed through DC, although, this post was inspired by the event; this post is about how you can catch magical moments every other minute if you just open your eyes. One of many magical moments to happen in my life, was when my husband moved to the DC area to be with me. The run from the car to me to embrace in a hug. Another magical moment, realizing that my friends from years ago, are still my friends today. My good friends. I realized this a while ago but it really hit home a couple of months back when I was initially interviewing for the job here at NASA and I was only in town for literally a day and a half. They dropped everything to meet up and have dinner with me. I was reminded of this fact when Rachel and I stood in the parking lot last night at our game talking about life for a while and then again when I was gmail chatting with Leah and Earl this morning. Life is magical and I am finally able to see it, soak it in, and enjoy every minute. Between friends, amazing family (husband, folks, brother — side note: my pop is doin great! he is home again and resting up.) and our nation’s capital, I dont think I will ever be devoid of awesomeness.

Look around. Maybe you can see it too.

people: past, present, and future

throughout the entire period of our lives, we will meet thousands of people…. and this quote seems totally applicable: “some people are meant to stay in your life while others are just meant to make an appearance.”

here is the situation. often times, i find myself losing touch with good people, good contacts, and good friends because i move, they move, jobs change, people change, circles of friends change… and it sucks. also, i am lazy and it takes a large amount of want to get me on the phone for any kind of conversation…. but as of late, i have found myself reaching out to a select few people who i feel i should still be interacting with — people who should still be in my life. people i shared 10 hour car rides with; people who were there when i really needed them; people i was able to be around to help. and i get why some of these people aren’t around anymore. in my darkest hours, some of these people tried to help me and reached out to me despite personal danger to themselves, their jobs, their property – and i didn’t care then. some people just bailed because my dark times, were too dark for them (and that is respectable and i hold no grudges, not sure i woulda stuck around when shit went down). in the past couple of years, i have been working to right the wrongs that i committed and get these people back in my life – the ones whose appearances in my life are NOT over (damnit!). some, i have not been successful in reviving, while others, i have.

i mean don’t think this is a pity party kind of thing. it isn’t. i just know that there are about some truly exceptional people that i met and pushed away, that i have not been able to reconnect with. i think what happened is they got tired of trying and now that i am, they aren’t sure if it’s for real, if they wanna even open the can of worms again, etc. and it just sucks. i mean like i said, no pity party here, no balloons, no streamers, nothin’ — i do get it, i wronged every single person in my life, including my family. it took two years for me to right wrongs with some of these people. i guess it is just going to take longer to right the near decade of wrongs i committed. anyway, i am ready to be the friend i was supposed to be. i have been able to show some, i guess i will just have to show others how committed i am to there… weekly phone calls and emails and such. oh well. let the games begin. 🙂

sorry for the seriousness today, just got to thinkin about the people i really want to reconnect with… kinda realized they weren’t really lettin’ me. these people were my best friends through college and during the tragic jon years and the awkward years… those times when i was the lowly 17 year old college freshman who couldn’t do anything that most freshman could…

hurts a little, but if i wasn’t a strong person, i wouldn’t be here today. and besides, those dog days are over. left em behind. so i will just be persistent. i mean, TEN HOUR CAR RIDES PEOPLE! hours spent on the phone at night, these people cared. anyway, you know who you are, and you have seen my texts, emails, facebook messages, or voicemails. consider this my public call. embarrassing myself to save the friendship i had and reconnect with these amazing people i once knew, who once knew me.

to all the people still in my life, mad love. thanks for bein there. to the haters who just made passing appearances, better the past than the present because yknow what — i wouldn’t put up with half the shit today that you used to give me then. and to all the future friends, hello! how ya doin?

once again, this is a place for funny times and good comics and such, sorry for the seriousness. i prolly didn’t express these words and ideas as well as i could have, but at least i expressed em and hopefully got the point across.

for now, you do you and imma do me.

mad love to all of my homies: past, present, and future – all of you had an impact and shaped me to who i am today whether we are still friends or not. thanks. i’m out.