Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing

So after a humbling experience racing last year I unintentionally decided to take some time off of running.

What that means is I was tired from training for that big ass race and I was kinda disappointed in my finish and I was lazy didn't run for a while.

And when you are 30+ and have a pesky running injury and you choose to let your body go to hell in a hand basket you end up right where you started before all that expensive and time consuming physical therapy.

And instead of signing up for that expensive and time consuming physical therapy so I could run again I tried to convince myself that I really don't need to run.

I can bike.
I can do yoga.
I can zumba...?
I can bash my head up against the wall and cry "sweet Mother Mary and Joseph".

I start physical therapy again on Monday.

Turns out I do actually need to run.  Hopefully I've been sufficiently humbled.  Hopefully I've learned what a gift my body is and how priceless it is for it to function properly.

Gifts #250-259

250-streetlights shining through icicles at night
251-Bubba's messy hair in the morning
252-how apologies come in all different shapes and sizes
253-sharing
254-a new week and a new round of laundry {I am allowed another round of life}
255-anticipation of company
256-Hubby setting up the new TV so we can watch Sesame Street
257-clean sinks
258-Pizza and chocolate cake
259-the sound of my heart beating

Gifts #247-249

It's amazing to me: the relationship of my level of anxiety to the length of my list of gifts.  I think the longer the list, the less anxiety.  I'm going to pay more attention and move slower this week.  My list will be longer and my heart will be calmer.

#247-Big, fluffy snowflakes
#248-Snow that looks like glitter falling from heaven
#249-Hearing my son say "I LOVE YOU DAD!" before he goes to bed

Gifts #228-246

#228-Watching my daughter discover the laws of physics
#229-Seeing my son care for his stuffed animals like babies
#230-Helping my daughter put together her first school Valentines
#231-The way my daughter says magazine "mangazine"
#232-Snow
#233-My son saying his first sentence "I want shoot mellow up there"
#234-My daughter's preschool
#235-A sister teaching a brother how to play charades
#236-An extra set of hands in the kitchen
#237-Snowball fights
#238-Fog on Paradise Ridge
#239-My Mother in Law
#240-A little white church
#241-Perspective
#242-Open hearts, minds and arms
#243-Moments of peace
#244-Empathy
#245-Desire for change
#246-Bubbles floating down the street in the sunshine

Gifts 220-227

220-the ease at which my son has potty trained.
221-how much I like to do our family's grocery shopping.
222-the taste of tangerines.
223-learning to cook fried chicken and collard greens.
224-nights when Hubby works late.
225-my new book "Organized Simplicity".
226-patience, learning to be more patient.
227-how babysitting a little baby makes me slow down.

Gifts # 202-216

# 202 Tax Time
#203 Sunshine
#204 Photography
#205 NPR News
#206 Conservative talk radio
#207 My son asking "how do dat, Mom? how do dat?"
#208 One pink and one blue toothbrush in my bathroom
#209 All those families whose blue toothbrushes will be apart from the pink ones
#210 Fog
#211 Early morning snuggles
#212 Little kid morning breath
#213 Playing marching band
#214 Hubby taking care of the taxes
#215 My daughter's constant rhyming
#216 Pulling dinner out of the freezer that Hubby made two weeks ago

Gifts #197-201

# 197. Childhood pretend weddings.
#198. Penguin "weddings" (explaining to a five year old which animals mate for life and which don't.
# 199. Love
#200. Sunday's message at church.
# 201. Coffee brewed in a french press.

Gratitude

179.  Facebook.
180.  My daughter's joy at eating a pear.
181.  My daughter learning to butter toast.
182.  My son playing with Buzz Light Year and making the swishing noise that a super hero makes when he flies.
183.  Crappy times that bind us together.

Another week of gratitude.

#156.  Seeing another friend's own "1000 gifts" list.

#157.  Talking to a dear friend on the other side of the world. 

#158.  Camaraderie and shared life experiences with my sisters.

#159.  Our nice, big shower head.

#160.  Watching my kids working together, as a team; even if it was to terrorize the family pet.

Gratitude

146.  Crossing off every task I had on my to do list today.
147.  Fixing the computer.
148.  Meeting a nice person
149.  Errands went smoothly.
150.  Clean carpets.

Rough around the edges...

My running is so "rough around the edges".  I do good to get a run in, let alone a "quality" run.

It's a far cry from where I was two months ago with my 2-4 hour long runs and tempo workouts, etc.

This was my run today

Two 2 year olds (one dog, one human) a five year old and plenty of stops for peeing/pooping (dog), apple picking (five year old) and swerving to avoid traffic/potholes.  Twenty minutes out and twenty minutes back.

And you know what, I feel pretty good about myself.

These days I'm embracing the "rough around the edges" way of life.

Update-7 months later

It's been over seven months since I wrote on this blog.  Why?  Well, I did move thousands of miles.  I did go on some great summer vacations.  Colorado, Montana, South Dakota (twice).  I did receive a shipment of household goods that were covered in mold.

But the real reason  haven't been writing...I met someone.  Yeah, he's a doctor in Washington.

More specifically a Physical Therapist that gave me back my one, true source of stress release.

I haven't been writing because I've been running.  A LOT.  I signed up for the Imogene Pass Run in June.  I didn't bite off more than I can chew, but I did bite off A LOT.  A big, honking piece of three hour long runs-in the rain-over boulders and mud-with rolled ankles.  And I LOVE it.

So, I'm racing in 23 days and 10 hours (that's what the website tells me).  And I'm so very excited and I'm so glad that I can share this with you.

I just can't freaking run.

Hubby was working half days during the holidays.  This meant that I had the freedom to go to the gym and ride the stationary bike or go to the pool and swim to my heart's content.

He's back to full days now, and by full days I mean 12 hours...no lunch...I kiss him as he leaves for the day and when he comes home.

Running's pretty much outta the question.  I have every intention of getting in to be seen by a doctor, but that might take a while.   I can walk, bike, swim, do yoga, Stairmaster and elliptical.  I just can't freaking run.

So, here's my plea to you.  Any ideas on how to workout effectively whilst taking two kids, weather and this bum leg into account?  Remember, there are no bad ideas when you are brainstorming.  I thank you in advance for any input you may have!

Mundane and Tasteless

In my effort to lose weight and eat more vegetables, I've started to eat a salad for lunch most days.  Now I'm sure you're saying "Uugg, that sounds mundane and tasteless", but hear me out.

How many days a week do you eat a sandwich or a hamburger for lunch?  That's pretty boring.

bread

ham

cheese

mayo

or

bread

turkey

cheese

mayo

or

bread

hamburger

cheese

ketchup

ooohhh, ahhh, now that is exciting!

Salads don't have to be boring and tasteless.  Here's a few tips for throwing a salad together that will be colorful, flavorful and satisfying.

All my salads have five elements.  Pick one element from each category and you'll have nutrition and taste covered.

Start with any bagged salad.
Pre-cut and pre-washed means pre-tty easy.

Category One: Additional Vegetable

(adds some texture and more nutrients)

Snow Peas

Baby Carrots

Bell Pepper

Edamame (soy beans)

Radishes

Category Two: Cheese

(adds protein and just enough saturated fat to satisfy)

Diced Cheddar

Pre-Shredded 4 cheese mix

Finely grated Parmesan

Strips of Munster sandwich cheese

Diced fresh Mozzarella

Category Three: Nuts

(adds protein and heart healthy unsaturated fats)

Slivered almonds

Sliced Pecans

Chopped Walnuts

Pine nuts

Soy nuts

Category Four: Fruit

(just enough sweetness)

Mandarin oranges

Dried Cranberries

Golden Raisins

Diced Pear

Sliced Strawberries

Category Five: Protein

Chicken nuggets

Boiled Egg

Diced Turkey

Diced Ham

Veggie Burger (try it before you say "Eewww!")

Now for the dressing.  Check the label of your favorite salad dressing.  Hmmm, not so good for you I bet.  Even the low fat versions are high in sugar (read: high fructose corn syrup).  So why not make your own?  Too hard you say?
Nonsense!  Keep reading.

All vinaigrettes are made up of two ingredients: Oil and Acid.  So pick one from each category.

Oil category

Olive oil (my fave and the one I use the most)

Sesame oil

Canola oil

Peanut oil

Acid Category

Lemon juice

Lime juice

Balsamic vinegar

Rice wine vinegar

Apple cider vinegar

There are so many options,
these are just the ones I use most often.

Now combine 1 tablespoon acid with two tablespoons oil.  Taaadaa!!!  Homemade dressing.  Now, you can use that or you can add some pizzazz to it...salt, pepper, pressed garlic, chopped onion, sesame seeds, a dash of maple syrup, etc.  And if you want it to be a little more creamy you can add a teaspoon of dijon mustard which will emulsify the dressing (read: get the oil and acid to stick together better).

I have several actual recipes for some delicious dressings that I'll be posting in the coming weeks so look out for those.

Get yourself I pretty plate and
a tall glass of sparkling water and enjoy!

How do I NOT qualify?

If you've ever thumbed through an issue of Runner's World

you've probably come across an advertisement for

Pearl Izumi running shoes.  The premise of their ad campaign

is based upon separating

the "real runners" from the rest of the "pack".

One of their advertisements is about how to tell if you are

a runner or a jogger.  The long litany of examples of

"non-runners" includes this description:

"...if your workout is conducted at the helm of

some tricked out baby jogger..."

Um, excuse me?

Now, don't get me wrong,  I don't consider myself some super athlete.

I admire Ryan Hall and Denna Kastor.

I know I could never even think of making a living running.

But would someone please explain to me how

pushing my double running stroller

up a 9% grade

in the pouring rain

whilst maintaining a respectable 7:45/mile pace

somehow disqualifies me from the ranks of being

"a runner"?

"Hilly-er"

Hills are so much "hilly-er" when...

when you're pushin' 55 pounds worth of kids.

I took this picture on a run the day before my

30th birthday.  Not a bad place to be at this

point in my life.  I wouldn't change a thing.

So right

I mentioned yesterday that I was having some pain in my left leg.

I did what I said I'd do and I stretched.

And Oh My Gosh.

Yep, my left side is a little tight.

When I did the stretch illustrated above

called pigeon pose, it was very evident.

On my right side I could easily extend the pose fully.

On my left side, well let's just say I could hardly get into the pose.

So thanks to Erin I'm going to take the time to stretch regularly.  I think I've averted an injury.

A personal trainer

Just a reminder...to you and me...stretch.

For a week now, I've been having some pain in my left leg; my hip, my knee, my ankle.

I mentioned it in passing to my sister-in-law tonight.
Erin is a personal trainer who knows the name of every muscle, tendon, ligament and bone in the body.
She's also run a 120 mile race, twice.  She's my "go to" on all things running.

Erin says: stretch your hamstrings.
They may not feel tight, but chances are one leg is tighter than the other and it's causing one leg to work harder than the other.

So I swam today and I'm gonna ride the stationary bike tomorrow and I'm gonna stretch.  Hopefully I'll be feelin' much better, very soon.

Simple Mom — Live simply, stay sane. Life hacks for home managers.

We won't have the joy of spending time with either of our extended families this Christmas.  But this article still rings true to me.  It has good ideas, whatever the time of year.

Simple Mom — Live simply, stay sane. Life hacks for home managers.

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Some of my favorite recipes on the web

French Dip Sandwiches
I usually use this with leftover pot roast that I've sliced really thin with a mandolin.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
My favorite BBQ sauce to use with this (besides homemade) is Bull's Eye Sweet and Tangy.

Honey Roasted Chicken
This is great because you can make the marinade the night before and then let the bird sit in it a while.

Biscuts and Gravy
I love the Household 6 Diva!

Southern Biscuts
And these go really well with the Diva's sausage gravy.

Skiers' French Toast
Perfect for breakfast for dinner.