Things that are making me happy today:
1. "My" running girls- seriously these ladies are such a blessing to me and my running! They are there every morning with smiles and good conversation that make the miles fly by. Even if it IS at o'dark thirty.
2. A quiet day at work- My boss was a training and meetings all day and my co-worker was off sick, so I was able to get lots of things done.
3. Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks- I love fall, it's my very favorite season, and pumpkin returning signals the offical beginning of the fall season to me! Never mind the little fact that it's supposed to be 87 on Saturday!
4. Football!! Ohio State Football to be exact, as a proud alumni I love all things Buckeye, and I love all things college football! The season starts Saturday- GO BUCKS!!
5. Hawaii 5-0- Discovered this show this summer and can we say addicted! I love it!, which brings us to the last one..
6. My DVR- it is critical for those early morning runs, I can DVR and watch later. And without commericals, seriously how did I live without this.
Okay off to bed now for the aferormentioned o'dark thirty run!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Happy Monday
I want to start off by say a HUGE Congratulations to all my friends who finished the Ironman Kentucky race yesterday! Each and every one of them is an inspiration!
My Sunday was good- I saw "The Help" with my best friend, it was great!! I really enjoyed it, now I just have to finish the book.
Today has been good- it started out with a run with the girls- awesome to have all of us together again-it's been over a week since our runs got cancelled twice last week due to storms. And then Stacy was out of town over the weekend.
And work was work, but I got lots of things checked off my to-do list.
Ahh Monday it comes every week, so I've decided that Monday will be my thankful day!
Today I'm thankful most of all for my wonderful friends! I'm so blessed to have them!
My Sunday was good- I saw "The Help" with my best friend, it was great!! I really enjoyed it, now I just have to finish the book.
Today has been good- it started out with a run with the girls- awesome to have all of us together again-it's been over a week since our runs got cancelled twice last week due to storms. And then Stacy was out of town over the weekend.
And work was work, but I got lots of things checked off my to-do list.
Ahh Monday it comes every week, so I've decided that Monday will be my thankful day!
Today I'm thankful most of all for my wonderful friends! I'm so blessed to have them!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
16 Miles and Ironman Day!
Sorry I missed my post yesterday- I was so tired from a fun, but long day!
It started off with a 16 mile run with my MIT friends. We had a great run! I was tired by the end, but that's a normal feeling after running 16 miles. And I came home and took my first ever ice bath. Not as horrible as I had feared and it did help my legs feel less sore today.
After the ice bath it was off to the Movies with my best friend, and her children. We had a great time. :) And I refueled with far too much movie popcorn. Yummy!
Today is Ironman Day!! Lots of my friends are competing in the Ironman Kentucky. It is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a marathon! Each one of them inspires me! Go Ann, David, Kristen, Susan, Rocco and Kathy! I am tracking on-line and hope to see a few of them cross the finish line later tonight!
It started off with a 16 mile run with my MIT friends. We had a great run! I was tired by the end, but that's a normal feeling after running 16 miles. And I came home and took my first ever ice bath. Not as horrible as I had feared and it did help my legs feel less sore today.
After the ice bath it was off to the Movies with my best friend, and her children. We had a great time. :) And I refueled with far too much movie popcorn. Yummy!
Today is Ironman Day!! Lots of my friends are competing in the Ironman Kentucky. It is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a marathon! Each one of them inspires me! Go Ann, David, Kristen, Susan, Rocco and Kathy! I am tracking on-line and hope to see a few of them cross the finish line later tonight!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Reflections on a Friday
Day 2 of my blogging challenge:
This week has been filled with ups and downs and has caused me to do some reflecting and praying.
The ups were definitly the runs with "the girls". Especially the hot and difficult run Amy and I shared on Wed night. It was so hard that I doubted at times we would make it,but you know what we did! Those hard runs make the easy ones so much sweeter when they come. Last night I had a "reset run" on my own. I used my phone for the first time for music since my long neglected i-pod wasn't charged. It was just me with my thoughts, music and prayers. No pace agenda, just a run. And it was perfection! Just what my heart and my mind needed.
The one big down this week was/is a work issue I've been dealing with for quite a while. No, I'm not losing my job or anything nearly that dramatic. Just some office stuff that is no fun. I had a long talk with my supervisors and my Senior Manager yesterday on some ways to make things better, so that was a good thing.
But I have been thinking/feeling for a bit that my current job might not be the best fit for me anymore. So I've been keeping ears and eyes open for an opportunity that might fit me better. And this week I found a job that looks good! I am currently working on my application and resume to get it all ready to submit early next week. For a girl who hates change (always have), this is a big step. I'm praying about it, and if it is in God's timing (not my own, must remember this) this will work out. And if not my situation will encourage me to grow in new ways.
The other down this week (although not for me personally), is that Legendar y Women's Basketball Coach Pat Summit, told the world that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia. I know all too well what this diagnosis will mean. My Maternal Grandmother died of dementia when I was in 8th grade. It is vicious disease who seems the hardest (especially at the end) on the family and not the person themselves.
I have followed her carreer for well over 20 years now, and to me she is the a true class act. Always just as gracious in defeat as she was in victory. It is sad that she may have to give up her passion, far sooner than she planned.
Also of course I am keeping everyone in the path of Hurricane Irene in my thoughts and prayers.
Run on Friends,
Heather
"We don't run because it's easy, we run because it's real." Kristen Armstrong
This week has been filled with ups and downs and has caused me to do some reflecting and praying.
The ups were definitly the runs with "the girls". Especially the hot and difficult run Amy and I shared on Wed night. It was so hard that I doubted at times we would make it,but you know what we did! Those hard runs make the easy ones so much sweeter when they come. Last night I had a "reset run" on my own. I used my phone for the first time for music since my long neglected i-pod wasn't charged. It was just me with my thoughts, music and prayers. No pace agenda, just a run. And it was perfection! Just what my heart and my mind needed.
The one big down this week was/is a work issue I've been dealing with for quite a while. No, I'm not losing my job or anything nearly that dramatic. Just some office stuff that is no fun. I had a long talk with my supervisors and my Senior Manager yesterday on some ways to make things better, so that was a good thing.
But I have been thinking/feeling for a bit that my current job might not be the best fit for me anymore. So I've been keeping ears and eyes open for an opportunity that might fit me better. And this week I found a job that looks good! I am currently working on my application and resume to get it all ready to submit early next week. For a girl who hates change (always have), this is a big step. I'm praying about it, and if it is in God's timing (not my own, must remember this) this will work out. And if not my situation will encourage me to grow in new ways.
The other down this week (although not for me personally), is that Legendar y Women's Basketball Coach Pat Summit, told the world that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia. I know all too well what this diagnosis will mean. My Maternal Grandmother died of dementia when I was in 8th grade. It is vicious disease who seems the hardest (especially at the end) on the family and not the person themselves.
I have followed her carreer for well over 20 years now, and to me she is the a true class act. Always just as gracious in defeat as she was in victory. It is sad that she may have to give up her passion, far sooner than she planned.
Also of course I am keeping everyone in the path of Hurricane Irene in my thoughts and prayers.
Run on Friends,
Heather
"We don't run because it's easy, we run because it's real." Kristen Armstrong
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Shared Joy
Okay so my friend Amy, has challenged herself to blog every day for 21 days, and since my blog is a little neglected I decided to do that too. So starting today I will blog every day for 21 days, not sure about what just yet but getting there.
Shared Joy, anyone who knows me well, knows how much I enjoy/love/thrive on my friends. I love time by myself too, but my soul feels best when I’m with my friends either one on one or in a group. Either one makes my heart happy. I especially love being able to share in my friends’ joy!
This past weekend I got to have so much shared joy I thought my heart was going to burst. First on Saturday morning I met with my MIT group for a 10 mile run! Our friend Amy had 16 to do however, so she had decided to run 6 prior to the group run and then run 10 with us. Well when we arrived at MIT Amy had run 5 instead of 6 and I quickly said I would add a mile to my run to finish out her 16 with her. We had a great run, it actually felt quite easy ( I definitely wasn’t signing that tune last night however!), and the last mile was simply awesome! I got to be there as a friend I’ve come to love and treasure got a new Personal Distance Record! The smile on her face was priceless and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world. I took great joy in taking her picture, in sharing in her happiness of her achieving something awesome! I can hardly wait to share the same milestone with Dana and Stacy this week and next.
I’m getting to experience the joy, excitement and the challenges of a first marathon all over again through my friends. It’s an awesome experience! I encourage any of you out there who have run a distance (5K 10K half or full marathon) to find a friend who has not and share their training with them.
The second part of my day brought me to sharing the joy of my friend Christi’s marriage. Christi is another friend who MIT brought into my life. We trained for and ran our first marathons together (holy cow 3 years ago now) and then we shared a hotel room in Chicago last year. She was speed demon but waited for me at the finish line! Along with our other roomies.
She looked simply radiant and her joy was evident! I’m so glad I was able to attend and get to share in another joyous occasion with a dear and precious friend.
In addition to the wedding joy, I got to spend time with running friends. These are my friends who have been with me through many, many miles and many laughs and tears. I’m so blessed to have them to love and be loved by.
So sharing joy- it’s privilege I treasure.
Run on Friends,
Heather
"Who says you can't run away from your problems?" Joan Beniot Samuleson
Shared Joy, anyone who knows me well, knows how much I enjoy/love/thrive on my friends. I love time by myself too, but my soul feels best when I’m with my friends either one on one or in a group. Either one makes my heart happy. I especially love being able to share in my friends’ joy!
This past weekend I got to have so much shared joy I thought my heart was going to burst. First on Saturday morning I met with my MIT group for a 10 mile run! Our friend Amy had 16 to do however, so she had decided to run 6 prior to the group run and then run 10 with us. Well when we arrived at MIT Amy had run 5 instead of 6 and I quickly said I would add a mile to my run to finish out her 16 with her. We had a great run, it actually felt quite easy ( I definitely wasn’t signing that tune last night however!), and the last mile was simply awesome! I got to be there as a friend I’ve come to love and treasure got a new Personal Distance Record! The smile on her face was priceless and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world. I took great joy in taking her picture, in sharing in her happiness of her achieving something awesome! I can hardly wait to share the same milestone with Dana and Stacy this week and next.
I’m getting to experience the joy, excitement and the challenges of a first marathon all over again through my friends. It’s an awesome experience! I encourage any of you out there who have run a distance (5K 10K half or full marathon) to find a friend who has not and share their training with them.
The second part of my day brought me to sharing the joy of my friend Christi’s marriage. Christi is another friend who MIT brought into my life. We trained for and ran our first marathons together (holy cow 3 years ago now) and then we shared a hotel room in Chicago last year. She was speed demon but waited for me at the finish line! Along with our other roomies.
She looked simply radiant and her joy was evident! I’m so glad I was able to attend and get to share in another joyous occasion with a dear and precious friend.
In addition to the wedding joy, I got to spend time with running friends. These are my friends who have been with me through many, many miles and many laughs and tears. I’m so blessed to have them to love and be loved by.
So sharing joy- it’s privilege I treasure.
Run on Friends,
Heather
"Who says you can't run away from your problems?" Joan Beniot Samuleson
Friday, August 5, 2011
Married to the Marathon
“You can’t flirt with the Marathon, you have to marry it.” Kristen Armstrong
I was using this quote last weekend and everyone seemed to enjoy it and have a good chuckle over it, myself included. But then I really started thinking about it, and as I am in the midst of training for my fourth marathon, I gave some serious consideration to what “Married to the Marathon” means to me
1. It means being serious about my training, and fully committed to it, no matter what. My training schedule is my training schedule and as much as possible I try to stick with it, and do it as written. Especially long runs on Saturdays -those are non-negotiable in my schedule. Even on vacation as proved in July in Virginia, 8 miles on my own, in the heat, on 1.75 mile loop that seemed endless at times, but I got out there and got it done. Of course if my body says rest, I do that too.
2. It means eating well, to quote my dear friend Katia “Food is Fuel, it is not your friend” and this is no more true than in marathon training. Fruits, vegetables, and whole foods need to be more of my diet than processed junk. I try to go with a 90/10 ratio myself. 90% great stuff, 10% a little less great.
3. It means taking rest just a seriously as training, so on non-running days on the schedule, I do not run! And I take 1-2 full days off of any activity at all. Friday nights you will find me in my PJs by about 8:30 pm and definitely in bed no later than 10 if I can help it. Yes party animal right here!
4. It means long runs are long runs and not a race! My theory on long runs is any way I can get them! (The miles that is the miles). So on Saturday mornings at MIT you will find me, happily running along in my group (I adore you all) and not worrying too much about my pace, as long as it is with reason. Thinking that every single Saturday I’m going to go out and run just the same, is not going to happen. Weather, how I feel, etc, will always affect me to some degree.
5. It means having fun on this crazy ride called marathon training! I love running (most days), and I love seeing people achieve what they thought not possible. So coffee after Saturday morning runs is a treat I treasure, my friends are blessings I adore, knowing I can do something only 1% of the population has ever done is exhilarating!
I am happily married to the marathon! At least most days I am, and on those days I’m not, well my friends can remind me!
Run on Friends,
Heather
I was using this quote last weekend and everyone seemed to enjoy it and have a good chuckle over it, myself included. But then I really started thinking about it, and as I am in the midst of training for my fourth marathon, I gave some serious consideration to what “Married to the Marathon” means to me
1. It means being serious about my training, and fully committed to it, no matter what. My training schedule is my training schedule and as much as possible I try to stick with it, and do it as written. Especially long runs on Saturdays -those are non-negotiable in my schedule. Even on vacation as proved in July in Virginia, 8 miles on my own, in the heat, on 1.75 mile loop that seemed endless at times, but I got out there and got it done. Of course if my body says rest, I do that too.
2. It means eating well, to quote my dear friend Katia “Food is Fuel, it is not your friend” and this is no more true than in marathon training. Fruits, vegetables, and whole foods need to be more of my diet than processed junk. I try to go with a 90/10 ratio myself. 90% great stuff, 10% a little less great.
3. It means taking rest just a seriously as training, so on non-running days on the schedule, I do not run! And I take 1-2 full days off of any activity at all. Friday nights you will find me in my PJs by about 8:30 pm and definitely in bed no later than 10 if I can help it. Yes party animal right here!
4. It means long runs are long runs and not a race! My theory on long runs is any way I can get them! (The miles that is the miles). So on Saturday mornings at MIT you will find me, happily running along in my group (I adore you all) and not worrying too much about my pace, as long as it is with reason. Thinking that every single Saturday I’m going to go out and run just the same, is not going to happen. Weather, how I feel, etc, will always affect me to some degree.
5. It means having fun on this crazy ride called marathon training! I love running (most days), and I love seeing people achieve what they thought not possible. So coffee after Saturday morning runs is a treat I treasure, my friends are blessings I adore, knowing I can do something only 1% of the population has ever done is exhilarating!
I am happily married to the marathon! At least most days I am, and on those days I’m not, well my friends can remind me!
Run on Friends,
Heather
Friday, July 29, 2011
Long Overdue Update
Well my poor neglected blog.. I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last wrote. I need to get better about that.
So I had a pretty eventful July- filled with running, family vacation and a wedding. Here are the brief highlights:
The Month started out awesome as my friend Dana and I PRed (Personal Record) our 5K on July 4th. It was a hot day too, so proud of us! We rocked it! It was my first official run/walk race too, so that was especially great.
Then the next week it was off to Virginia for my family vacation to visit my sister, nephew and brother-in-law who moved there for my Brother-in-law’s job. It was so much fun! My brother and sister-in-law and other two nephews joined us as well. The boys enjoyed playing with each other, having two sleepovers at my sister’s apartment and seeing the ocean for the very first time. I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to experience the first time at the ocean with all 3 of my nephews! Pretty special and they loved it!
The next big event was Amy (fellow MITers) and Scott’s wedding on July 23. It was a great time! I love anytime I get to hang out with my running friends outside of running. It was a full day since I had run 8 miles that morning, but I got a nap before the festivities began. I’m blessed with all the wonderful friends I have from running! They make my life rich and my heart full.
In other running news I have fallen back in love (or at least strong like) with morning running! I used to do it two summers ago and I liked it then. But I will say the only reason I love it so much is the group of ladies I get to share the early (5:30 am) morning runs with! Dana, Amy, Stacy and I meet Monday- Thursday in Dana and Amy’s neighborhood for a run! It’s always great conversation (well once we get woke up it is) and great running too. And we have a new friend who has joined in recently as well Colleen. It is so nice to have my run DONE for the day before I get to work, and then I have the whole evening to do what I want. (Which usually involves an early bed time), but hey meet someone for dinner- you bet, go to a friends, no problem, laundry or whatever seems so much easier at 5 pm when I arrive home than trying to fit in a run and then all that other stuff after work! Loving it! Thanks ladies for your awesome company run after run!
Looking forward to an awesome August- how about you?
Run on Friends,
Heather
So I had a pretty eventful July- filled with running, family vacation and a wedding. Here are the brief highlights:
The Month started out awesome as my friend Dana and I PRed (Personal Record) our 5K on July 4th. It was a hot day too, so proud of us! We rocked it! It was my first official run/walk race too, so that was especially great.
Then the next week it was off to Virginia for my family vacation to visit my sister, nephew and brother-in-law who moved there for my Brother-in-law’s job. It was so much fun! My brother and sister-in-law and other two nephews joined us as well. The boys enjoyed playing with each other, having two sleepovers at my sister’s apartment and seeing the ocean for the very first time. I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to experience the first time at the ocean with all 3 of my nephews! Pretty special and they loved it!
The next big event was Amy (fellow MITers) and Scott’s wedding on July 23. It was a great time! I love anytime I get to hang out with my running friends outside of running. It was a full day since I had run 8 miles that morning, but I got a nap before the festivities began. I’m blessed with all the wonderful friends I have from running! They make my life rich and my heart full.
In other running news I have fallen back in love (or at least strong like) with morning running! I used to do it two summers ago and I liked it then. But I will say the only reason I love it so much is the group of ladies I get to share the early (5:30 am) morning runs with! Dana, Amy, Stacy and I meet Monday- Thursday in Dana and Amy’s neighborhood for a run! It’s always great conversation (well once we get woke up it is) and great running too. And we have a new friend who has joined in recently as well Colleen. It is so nice to have my run DONE for the day before I get to work, and then I have the whole evening to do what I want. (Which usually involves an early bed time), but hey meet someone for dinner- you bet, go to a friends, no problem, laundry or whatever seems so much easier at 5 pm when I arrive home than trying to fit in a run and then all that other stuff after work! Loving it! Thanks ladies for your awesome company run after run!
Looking forward to an awesome August- how about you?
Run on Friends,
Heather
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