Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year! Last night was lots of fun with my friend Sue. :) We went to see a comedy show, then to Friday's and then to her house to watch the ball drop.  It was calm but a great way to ring in the New Year!  The comedy show was pretty good but the 4th and last comedian was really raunchy and not very funny.  The funniest part was how many people he offended who left before his act was over.  I think that's when Sue and I laughed the hardest! It was like a mass exodus! LOL. Thanks to all who texted to wish me a Happy New Year!  :)

As far as the day goes today, I got a good start on some of my New Years Resolutions. :)  I woke up a little late and was slow moving to begin so I missed my intended Winter Series Run.  I probably could have made it but it would have been cutting it very close.  I decided that rather than try to run to the start and risk missing it altogether that I would just run on my own instead.  I ended up running 2.25 miles on the Niskayuna bike path. It was at a slow pace; about 12:30 mile, but it felt good to get out there. My goal is to just get out there consistently 3-5 days a week for the next few weeks and not worry about pace.  If I can do 2 miles a night for the next two weeks, I'd be happy. As the weeks progress, sunset times will also get later so it works well with my mileage increase.  :)

I also got rid of some boxes by bringing them to my friend Sandy's house.  She will go through and take what she can use and then donate the rest. :)  I took out the garbage too! Both of these things help with my organization goal. I've been making lunch and dinner for my mom and using up leftovers as I go along. This helps with finances and with taking better care of my mom.  :)  I was able to get my room together and moved my bed into my new "bedroom" and was therefore able to sleep in my bed for the first time in quite a while. That's a whole different story.  Let's just say it's progress! :)  I read a few pages in my Chi Running book.  I decided I would read a few pages a day to help with my running and hopefully gain strategies for avoiding future injury. I placed my "positive or happy" event of today in my 2013 jar. Finally, I made my lunch for tomorrow and got the coffee maker all set up! Should make the morning easier!!

Now it's late and I'm tired so I'm going to cut it off here! Oh, and I blogged today! Let's hope I do it again tomorrow! Night!

                                               Before the run in the bitter cold!!

                                               The path I just ran!!

                                           2.25 miles done! First run since my injury!
                                           

Reflection

Good Morning to the few of you that may read my blog.  :) With 2012 coming to an end, it's now a time for me to reflect on the year that has gone by and think about my goals for the upcoming year.  I have heard people say, "I don't make resolutions" or have heard people talk about the silliness of resolutions.  I personally don't think that there is anything wrong with it.  For me, it gives me hopes and plans for the future and it gives me some sort of road map to help me to be better and do better. It's not an end all to be all, just a guide. :)  I'm going to make my list here on line to help me to be more accountable.  Granted, not many people read this blog and I do it more for myself anyway, but once I publish it, it will be out there in cyber world. LOL

Resolutions for 2013 (I reserve the right to modify or add to this in the upcoming days)

1) Organize my finances (This one is huge and requires many steps. Ugh!)
     - Call Consumer Credit Counseling Agency
2) Make running a habit again. :)
3) Complete a marathon for Maddie, Ila-Jean, and many other child angels.
4) Organize the Fall Festival/Pumpkin Carving Contest
5) Eat healthier
    - Pack lunches for work
    - Make smoothies in the morning
6) Invite friends of mine and my mom's over for dinner once or twice a month
7) Invite Robin, Kevin, and Erin & Garrett to something at least monthly for a year to try to establish a family relationship
8) Cross-training activity once per week
9) Learn to play guitar
10) Take an actual vacation - preferably somewhere with a beach!
11) Continue once a month book club
12) Write down a positive thought each day and put it in my New Year's Jar
13) Organize and keep rooms organized
14) Complete foster care process
15) Participate in at least one fun/out-of-the ordinary activity a month (i.e. Painting class, cooking class, hike)
16) Blog more frequently
17) Have more patience and take better care of my mom

OK - I will stop my list for now, but I'm sure there is more. If I think of anything, I will add it as I go along.

P.S. I forgot the reflection part, which is the title of this entry so I will take a moment to do so now. :)

This past year has been difficult for many families locally and throughout the world with so many children dying senseless deaths.  I have been overwhelmed by the strength and the courage I have seen from local families that I have come to know who have done such positive things to remember these angels.  In February, Matt and Erin Musto lost their beautiful 5-year old daughter to a rare-inoperable brain tumor.  While they grieve, they have also done so much through their organization Maddie's Mark to help other children as well as the community.  I never had the privilege of knowing Maddie in person, but her spirit lives on through the memories of her.  Another family, the Rathbone's lost their daughter Ila Jean in April after a long fight with Neuroblastoma.  I went to elementary school with Ila Jean's mom Jennifer.  I followed her story through Jen's facebook and caringbridge posts and was constantly amazed by her strength and faith in God.  Online videos of Ila Jean showed her spunk and spirit and although I did not meet her either, I was able to see what an amazing child she was.  Finally, just before Christmas, Devon LaPrade lost his 19-month battle with the same type of tumor that took Maddie Musto just 5-days after her diagnosis.  This was another warrior that I never got to meet but I followed his story and prayed for him and his family as I did for all the others.  I don't think I ever actually knew his mom Michelle personally, but my friend Sandy was friends with her throughout high school and told me some wonderful things about her.  Even though I hadn't known Devon, I could see through everything that Michelle was an amazing mom, as were all of these other parents dealing with such tragedies.  Michelle was there for her son Devon every step of the way as he fought this horrendous battle.  Each one of these parents has taken tragedy and used it to help others.  Even though Michelle is grieving, I see that she often takes time out to think of others in her facebook posts and she is so thankful for the support of the community.

In 2013, I hope to focus on the positives and become a better person.  All of the families I have described above have been faced with unthinkable tragedies but have chosen to do something positive in the face of those tragedies. Let's hope for good things for all of us in 2013!

Prayers to the families in Newtown, CT as well as they are facing a difficult road ahead. And prayers to the family and friends of the teens that were killed or injured in Clifton Park.  I am thankful for all that I have!

If I don't get a chance to write before next year, Happy New Year!! :)

Marine Corp Marathon - NOT :(

Just realized that I have not posted since I had to miss my Wineglass Half-Marathon.  I also had to miss the Hudson-Mohawk Half marathon locally because I have a stress fracture.  So, I have been on crutches since October 1st.  I haven't stopped doing any of my regular activities but obviously no running. :(  And I am much slower as you can imagine.

I am writing today because today I was supposed to be in Washington, D.C. to run the Marine Corp Marathon in memory and in honor of Ila Jean Rathbone and Maddie Musto.  This, unfortunately was unable to happen because of my stress fracture.  I will, however pick another marathon to run for these beautiful angels just as soon as I find out the game plan from the doctor. My hip feels okay and it's more of a nagging pain from time to time but nothing unbearable.  My concern is whether or not it's healing as it should.  I don't want all of this time on crutches to be for nothing. I use them regularly during work hours and when I go anywhere that I need to walk any distance. The time that I "cheat" is when I am in my house. It is just difficult to navigate through a house with crutches. I try to be very careful and not put weight on my right side but my days are often so busy and I am constantly moving throughout the day. I just wonder if all of that makes a difference in the healing process.  I suppose I will find out.

My doctor's appointment is on November 14th and I am hoping that I will have more answers when I go to that appointment in regards to when I can run again. I know it won't be right away because the doctor informed me that I will start walking and gradually build up to running. I'm also hoping to be able to meet with someone in regard to technique so that this doesn't happen again because crutches really suck!  The good news is that if all goes well, I should be off crutches before my birthday! It's the big 4-0!  While I was initially dreading the big 4-0, I'm thinking now that my 40's have got to be better than my 30's.  Maybe I will finally meet the man of my dreams! Ha ha! Don't worry - I'm not counting on it! Just thought I would add some humor in there.  My track record with men has been horrible! Especially the last 5 years!  That is a subject for an entirely different blog!

Let's hope that I will be healthy and on track for starting my training soon!  Next goal, healthy eating since I have gotten off-track with that as well. Ugh! I need to get busy!

Update

I know it's been a while since I updated. This will be somewhat quick, but I figured I should get back into the habit of writing.

I was doing pretty well with my training and despite not running all 5 days, I was doing 3-4 days.  Then my leg/hip started bothering me and I took a little break after an 8-mile run that ended with some pain. I took about 2-weeks off and rested it, which seemed to help a bit although I still had a little pain when I went back to running and did a 5:30 am 4-mile run. That was this past Tuesday (9/18).  I was going to run at 5:30 on Thursday morning but my running partner had to cancel and I didn't get out there on my own (bad girl). I did a short 3-mile run on Saturday, which was a bit painful and I wasn't sure I would be able to complete my half-marathon the following day (9/23), but I still planned on it.  I woke up on Sunday with a little bit of pain, popped some ibuprofen when I woke up and it seemed a little better. I took a few more ibuprofen before the half-marathon and it felt pretty good.  I completed the half in around 2 hours 50 minutes, which was not a PR but not my worst either.  Unfortunately, when I finished, I was in a lot of pain and continued to be in a lot of pain throughout the night. :(

I woke up this morning and continued to limp on my right side and it hurt to bend my leg and it also hurt to put weight on it so I finally called the orthopedic doctor. Funny thing is that by the time I got there, the pain had somewhat subsided. It could have been the ibuprofen I took this morning. Anyway, they took x-rays and didn't really find anything except something about the ball joint in my hip socket that was a little off (I didn't really understand it completely).  He rotated my leg to determine if there was any pain and didn't think that the problem he described was causing my pain.  Anyway, the doctor is sending me for an MRI on Wednesday to determine if it is a stress fracture or not. Until then, no running for me. :( Boo!  Actually, I have an appointment next Wednesday to discuss the results of the MRI so I really have to wait until then to do anything.

The disappointing part of the whole thing is that the Wineglass Half-Marathon is this coming weekend and I have wanted to do that run for a really long time.  Instead, I will visit some wineries and cheer on my fellow runners and I will hope for the chance to run again next year!

Beyond that, if it is a stress fracture, that means no Marine Corp Marathon either, which I have been looking forward to even longer and it is the marathon I have been planning on dedicating to Ila Jean Rathbone and Maddie Musto. I will not let this get me down! If I am derailed at this attempt, I will find another marathon to dedicate to these two beautiful angels!

I guess that wasn't as short as I had planned! LOL! But there it is! I will try to post more soon! :)

In the spirit of Maddie's Mark Foundation, May you have the "best day ever!"

Update and This Weeks "Schedule"

I really should change this to my fitness blog, since that is all I have been blogging about lately. Anyway, last week was back to work after having two weeks off and I must confess that during the week, i was quite the slacker. I didn't run at all during the week! Fortunately, I did run on the weekend and pretty much followed the weekend schedule for running (Not that it excuses my laziness during the week). Here's the rundown of the schedule and actual running that I completed last week.

Schedule:                                                               Actual:

Monday (7/9) - Cross training--------------------------- Nothing
Tuesday (7/10) - 3 Miles----------------------------------Nothing
Wednesday (7/11) - 6 Miles------------------------------Nothing
Thursday (7/12) - 3 Miles---------------------------------Nothing
Friday (7/13) - Rest-------------------------------------Rest (LOL! Needed a rest from doing "nothing") 
Saturday (7/14) - 6 Mile pace-----------------------------5 Miles
Sunday (7/15) - 11 Miles----------------------------------11 Miles

Although I did nothing during the week, I did a 5-Mile Trail run in Lake George followed by a Tubing trip, which was awesome! :)  Then, on Sunday despite being tired after mile 3, I completed 11 Miles through a combination of running/jogging and walking (On the Nisky Bike trail). It was a seriously slow 11 miles but I did it. Tonight I will be attending a workshop on Nutrition for Runners so maybe I will have something to write about for the "Food" portion of my blog. :) Oh, Almost Forgot, Here is my Hal Higdon schedule for the week:

Monday (7/16) Cross Training

Tuesday (7/17) - 3 Miles

Wednesday (7/18) - 6 Miles

Thursday (7/19) - 3 Miles

Friday (7/20) - Rest

Saturday (7/21) - 6 Miles

Sunday (7/22) - 12 Miles

That's it for now! Until next time........

Hopefully I will have some pics to post for my next entry. :)

The effort continues...

Well, let me start by wrapping up week 2. I am sorry to say that I didn't really keep up the momentum of training.  The Buffalo half-marathon was cancelled and then it was back on again (thrown together in a hurry by the tourism department) and then due to being able to find a reasonable hotel room, I did not end up going.  Instead I went to the Norman Rockwell Museum with my free museum passes, which was lots of fun! :)  I didn't end up running on Thursday or Friday either. :(  Then I began my descent south on Saturday and also drove on Sunday so I missed those days running as well. I did, however visit a few wineries on Sunday in North Carolina! :) If nothing else, it was fun!

Week 3 of training began and ended O.K. but the middle of the week was a bit sketchy. LOL.  I began by running 3 miles on a fairly shaded trail in the woods on Monday. On Tuesday, I only ran about 2.5 miles because it was so hot. On Wednesday, I packed up my things and drove North to MD and no running that day. On Thursday I went to the beach so no running. :( On Friday I was a bum! On Saturday I drove home so no running again. Finally on Sunday I ran 15K at the Boilermaker and knocked about 12 minutes off my time from last year! Wahoo! Now we are entering week 3.

I didn't run yesterday, but have plans to run today after work. :)

Here's the schedule for the week.

Monday (7/9) - Cross training
Tuesday (7/10) - 3 Miles
Wednesday (7/11) - 6 Miles
Thursday (7/12) - 3 Miles
Friday (7/13) - Rest
Saturday (7/14) - 6 Mile pace
Sunday (7/15) - 11 Miles

I have been averaging about 3 days per week.  Lets hope I can step it up! :)

Week 2 of Training/Week 1 of Vacation :)

Let me start by saying I have had a very busy week! Beginning on Thursday, June 21st, which was my first day of my 2 Week plus 2 Day vacation from work, I have been busy doing so many things AND keeping up with my exercise schedule. So far, I have done something every day. Yay! I will provide a synopsis at the end of the week as well but I will tell you that on Monday I ran/walked 4 miles on the SCCC bike path, on Tuesday I did a hike in the Mohonk preserve which was a little under 5 miles (We will call this the cross-training day), and today (Wed), I ran/walked 6 miles! Tomorrow morning I posted a run on my running website for 4 miles. :) I will rest on Friday and then on Saturday I will run a half-marathon in Buffalo.

Stopping to admire the view at Mohonk Preserve

That's it for today. Just wanted to type up a brief synopsis of my progress so far so I don't forget! Ha ha!