Five Reasons Why Life Is Good...

1. I made it through my run today, and more importantly, I actually got my arse to the gym to get on the treadmill after teaching all day (no running outside today because it was a Code Red day). It was a struggle; I was exhausted, and I'm a little sore from yoga. Hmmm... I took yoga with the thought that it would be better to stretch and relax after my long run. Looks like I got more of a workout than I thought, which is always a good thing, I guess. :)

2. I just won a giveaway from Barefoot Angie Bee (check out her blog. She's awesome and super hard core)! I'm so excited; I've never won anything, but I guess I had good karma entering it since I entered it with the hopes of winning the prize to give to my hubby. Good Karma! I'm going to keep reminding myself to earn more good karma this week.

3. I do love my job. It's exhausting me this week, but I've already had a few good laughs with my students and with my friends (there's nothing like kids to give you a good laugh). Tomorrow I start teaching one of my favorite books, Fahrenheit 451. I can't wait to hear what my students have to say about it!

4. My son ate meat for the third day in a row. I used to be a vegetarian by choice for years and was beginning to think my almost 3 year old was making that choice himself (is it even possible to make a choice like that at 3? LOL). We've had difficulty getting him to eat any protein (and he can't eat tofu or soy products because he's allergic to them... go figure. A wanna be vegetarian who can't eat soy). Sunday he ate bacon (in fact, he loves bacon now! But who doesn't love bacon. Honestly, it's the greatest thing on the planet!). Monday he ate a few meatballs, and tonight he ate some more meatballs. Okay, it's not life shattering or amazing, but I'm pretty excited about it.

5. I found yet another reason to love my hubby: He just booked a weekend getaway for our anniversary in October. We're going to stay the weekend at a Bed and Breakfast in Annapolis. It's not too far from our house, but this allows us to get away and be close to home just in case Dill has some weird reaction to food, pollen, or let's face it, air. The kid is allergic to everything! It'll be the weekend after the Baltimore Half Marathon, too, so even more reason to celebrate.

There's certainly more I could add, but five is a nice number (and a magic number in mythology...). I hope you found something today that reminds you how good life really is.

Keeping it Short Sunday

I accidentally went close to 8 miles this morning on my run. I'm not sure what happened exactly. When I mapped it out, it was a little under 7 which would have been perfect. I guess I took a wrong turn somewhere... (anyone who knows me knows of my horrible sense of direction, especially when I actually have the directions to get to a place). I was fizzling out a little before 6 miles, and knew I was in trouble since I was nowhere near home.

I changed up my running strategy today. The last half marathon I ran I used a modified Jeff Galloway training program. I'd run for 7 minutes and walk for 2. Today I decided to try running for a full mile and then take a two minute walk break. It seemed to do the job just fine (with the exception of about mile 6. I think I'll adjust eventually). And even though I was beat after the extra mile, I still had some gas in the tank (or I just wanted to get home) because I ran the last half mile at a 9:30 pace, which is pretty fast for me, especially after running 7 miles already.

I arrived home to a brunch of an omlette and a BLT sandwich with a side of peaches prepared by my lovely and supportive hubby. Yumm!

Shortly after that, I passed out for a long nap on the couch with the little Dill Pickle. That's a nice way to spend my last day before all the kids come back to school.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend. :)

The Possibilities

I've decided to go into this school year with a runner's outlook. For those of you who aren't runners, let me explain (and anyone who knows me, knows that I have to tell a story first).

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:45 am to go for a run. Most people who don't run think that's insane. And whenever I tell someone I got up early to get a run in, I inevitably get one of two questions: why or how do you do that? Both questions have the same answer.

Sometimes when I wake up, I have this overwhelming desire to get out there and tear up the pavement. I have the feeling that I can run a 7 minute mile (and the fastest I have gone is a 9:30), or that I can run forever without stopping just because I want to. On those mornings when I run, I always start out strong, ready to accomplish whatever running fantasy I dreamt up in my morning haze. Eventually I have to laugh at myself mid run because reality hits me and I realize that I may not be able to accomplish the goal without being in a dream state (or without drastically changing my training schedule). Even so, I push myself a little harder on those days because runners believe in the possibilities. The possibility of being fast, the possibility of the mind being stronger than the body, the possibility that a body can sustain peak performance mile after mile, the possibility that the legs can carry the rest of the body for at least one more mile when the lungs feel like collapsing. And for runners, possibilities become reality.

Last winter I thought it might be possible for me to finish a half marathon. I wasn't fast and I certainly didn't run the entire 13.1 miles, but I finished. And from a girl who two years ago couldn't even run a mile without collapsing, that was amazing to me. I used to think running a half marathon would be impossible, but it's not. And I'm beginning to wonder, what else is there that I've always thought was impossible really is possible? Now I've become almost addicted to going to races, and for me running a race isn't just about challenging myself anymore.

Being surrounded by other runners before the start of a race is inspiring; almost everyone is in a fantastic mood. I've never met someone rude or nasty at a race. Even the elite (okay, I only know 1 elite runner and she's my trainer, but still...) and amazingly fast runners have been kind enough to offer me advice and to help me settle my nerves before the start. They all understand each runner is on his or her own path and they don't judge the slower runners (which would be me!). Everyone seems happy just to be there and in the moment. And everyone starts with the hopes of attaining a personal record. Because runners are eternal optimists.

So back to my original point: why and how do I get up so early to run (or why does any runner for that matter)? Not only do I feel the rush of adrenaline after a run, but I also feel the possibility of the future. And even when it's rainy or still dark, I have a sunnier outlook on my day.

So that's the way I want to start my teaching year. A sunny outlook. I don't want to think about what bad things might happen. Just like running, anything could happen. I might get hurt-- I could fall and sprain my ankle, or I could pull a hamstring-- but I'm not going to stop running for fear of what could happen. Instead, I will think about the amazing possibilities of this year. Something great could happen. I just have to wake up and get out there each morning.

Pulling Myself Out of a Funk...

Well, today was the very last chance I could have possibly have been pregnant. No deal. So now we'll need to wait until February at the earliest to start trying again. I'll admit that even with all the list making and talking I've been doing lately about being cool with this, I wasn't. I was beyond bummed.

Last night, we had Chinese and my fortune cookie told me the results of an upcoming test would make me happier. Initially I didn't even think about a pregnancy test; I thought more along the lines of "Awesome. I'm going to improve my half marathon time". But then my mind went to other places... babies. Damn! I was doing so well faking being positive! :)

So when I got the big negative test today, I let myself wallow in my gloom for a bit, but now I need to pull myself up by my running shoe laces and get over it. Time to run. Time to get a hotter body before a baby bump makes it, well, not so hot after pregnancy (because I firmly believe pregnant women are hot!). Time to think positive. Time to kill this half marathon.

One last thing:

Warning to all pregnant women in my life and possibly in my line of sight: Unfortunately, I might be like one of those women in grocery store lines that lose their minds and want to rub your belly like a jeanie lamp and look at you like I might try to put you in my shopping cart and run off with you. And for those who are closer to me than an absolute stranger, I will want to hug you a lot, especially when your belly gets all round and adorable (I know... some of you aren't huggers. But you are going to hug me!). I will live vicariously through your cute little pregnant selves. :)

Yeah... I'm feeling just a little better already. (Just a little...)

Good Advice...

Last weekend, my best friend Marianne, who has known me since middle school, gave me some good advice. Sometimes advice from her is hard to swallow; it is typically served straight to the point with a side of blunt, but that's one of the things I love about her-- I always get an honest and loving opinion from her, and I know she's always thinking of what's best for me. I almost always hate the advice when I first hear it because it's never what I want to hear. But after a few days, I usually realize she's on the right track (thus the reason it's taken me a few days to come to this realization :) ).

During our long drive to and from Long Island, we had lots of time to catch up and after mentioning my desire to get pregnant (for probably the 40th time in the past month or two), she told me I should just enjoy how good my life is right now, to live in the moment rather than planning and envisioning how good my life might be in the future if everything goes exactly as I plan it. She mentioned that I was setting myself up for disappointment, especially with my plans that I must be pregnant by a certain month in order for life to go well. I never thought of this, but as Marianne told me, I'm an overachiever and I expect getting pregnant to be easy or something I can "get an A on" if I work really hard. And she's totally right.

I hate to admit this, but I secretly turn everything with friends into a competition , including getting pregnant (my Aries nature, I suppose). No one knows they're in a contest with me, of course, but the race is to see who gets pregnant first. And when they get pregnant first, I feel like they win, and I lose. This is the first time I've ever made a confession of my silly race to the preggo finish line (and yay to all my friends out there who are pregnant. You won 1st place!)

So, yeah Mare, you were totally right. I'm going to make a real effort to enjoy my life just as it is right now. Not how I wish it would be or expect it to be in 2 or 3 or 9 months. Because as Mare said, once things change (especially in regards to having more children), they really change. So here's a list (I guess I'm really into lists lately) of what I'm really going to enjoy about my life right now.

I will enjoy:

1. Sleeping throughout the night without interruption... mostly.

2. Copious amounts of goat cheese, brie, and raw cheeses (click here for my favorite goat cheese. It's insanely good.). I can't get enough of them.

3. Running however I want without regards to overdoing it or pushing myself beyond my comfort level which I know might not be possible some day in the future

4. 1/2 Marathon training, mostly long runs on crisp, cool days.

5. Did I mention sleeping throughout the night?

6. My hot momma boots (as I like to call them) that I can start wearing once it's cooler again. If my legs were all swollen with water weight I wouldn't be able to wear them.

7. The idea of losing 5-10 more lbs. during training instead of gaining 20 (or 30... or 40). Realize I said idea.

8. Baking with Dill Pickle without worrying about time. Today we made oatmeal raisin cookies and he ate dry oatmeal and said, "Wow, Mommy! It's delicious! Good job"! After two handfuls he asked for more. Too funny!

9.Getting a babysitter. As my friend Ursula with three kids has said, people are a lot less willing to babysit for you the more kids you have.

10. Running in the dark. I'm much faster in the dark because of two great fears: getting kidnapped off the side of the road by a man/men in a beat-up white van with no windows and spiders hanging from trees... I run faster so they don't bother me. (I know, I know... I shouldn't be running alone at night, but I'm really careful-- and like I said, fast (at night, at least).

11. Having some alone time with my hubby after Dill falls asleep, even if it's the ten minutes before we both pass out from exhaustion.

12.. Belgian beers. Enough said there.

13. Wine and mimosas. Ditto.

14. My sweet hubby giving me a "Mother's Day" (I sit on the couch or lay in bed and he serves me my favorite meal--REAL French toast with REAL maple syrup, eggs, bacon and the best part, mimosas garnished with strawberries. The mimosas continue throughout the day) this Sunday just so I don't hate Monday and the first day of having to go back to work so much.

15. I think the previous reason counts for two.

I'd say those are some good reasons to be happy with my current status. :)

Happy Thursday, everyone.

Top 10 Reasons to Love Fall (in an attempt to brainwash myself)

I woke up this morning a little sad. Why? Because for me, summer is almost over. I know most parents out there run through the streets in imaginary celebratory parades this time of year because it means back to school for their kids. But I want to cry. Because it's back to school for me.

I'm a teacher and my summer is almost over. I've been preparing myself for the past month. As soon as I saw the first Back to School commercial, I reminded myself that it would soon be time. But no matter how much I prepare myself, and no matter how long I've been doing this, back to school time always comes with some measure of shock and denial. NO! It's too soon. I'm not ready. I didn't get all my projects and to-do lists finished. Surely there must be some mistake; it can't be the end of August already. And I feel like I have to dig my fingernails into the door jam to hold on to the very last bits of summer. If someone wants me to go back to work, they are going to have to pry my fingernails out of the door and drag me. I refuse to go willingly (okay, I'm going to go no matter what. But I just want to sound hard right now).

This is the time when we teachers feel a collective sadness for the inevitable return of fall. It seems no matter how many prayers we send to the heavens, how many spells we try to cast, or how many ways we try to stop the Earth from rotating around the sun, fall always finds it's way to us. We grieve for the death of summer and all the freedom it brings us (with the exception of those really weird teachers who really want the first day of school to come... I have to say that while I envy their optimism and exuberance, I kind of hate them for a few days...).

My mornings of sleeping in past 5 a.m. and sitting in my pajamas until 8 or 9 (or sometimes on really lazy days right until my husband gets home from work) with my son are over until next June. No more cuddling into late morning with the little Dill Pickle. June seems like a lifetime away...

To help me brainwash myself (is that even possible?), I decided to make a list of the reasons I should be happy fall is almost here.

1. Fall means great running weather. No more running in 90+ degree weather.

2. I get a new outfit for the first day of school. I know it's a cliche stereotype about women, but shopping really does make me happy.

3. I'll get to use my jogging stroller more; Dill loves our running time together.

4. As much as I don't want to go back to work, I will get to see some of my best and closest friends every day if I do (kind of the same feeling that you probably had way back in high school). The first day is a lot of fun (okay, it's not fun at all because we're in staff meetings all day. But we make it as fun as possible by passing notes, exchanging looks/funny faces, etc. Again, it's high school all over again.)

5. I'll have more awesome stories to tell. One thing is for sure... teenagers can be really funny and teaching allows me to always have a funny story to tell at a party. And man, have I got some good stories to tell from the past 10 years of teaching.

6. I get to teach some of my favorite books and make kids love them (or else!).

7. Fall means I'll get paid again on a regular basis. Teachers don't get paid during the summer, and by August, the bank account is always a bit light.

8. It will be fall, my favorite season (I know this seems to contradict how I feel about the beginning of the school year). I love how the air smells, I love the crunch of the leaves, I love the soft breezes, and I love being able to hang outside in jeans and a light sweater. I also love that the mosquitoes are gone. :)

9. Fall means it's time for Pumpkin Cookies. My grandmother gave me her famous Pumpkin Cookie recipe. They are so good, I can only make them a few times a year because I eat about 12 in one sitting. If you leave a comment and/or become a follower of my blog, I'm willing to share it with you. This is prize enough. I have selfishly hid this recipe from everyone in my family, including my father who has asked for it several times. I am willing to sacrifice my secret recipe so I don't feel so unpopular in the blogging world (yeah, it's high school again...).

10. ????

I'm fresh out of ideas. I need some help with one more reason...

Tunes Tuesday

Yesterday I ended with my mantra being from a Kanye West song, "Stronger". So I thought today I'd go through the songs that get me the most pumped up to run (especially when I don't feel like it).

1. Walking On the Moon- The Police (perfect warm-up because it's exactly 5 minutes)

2. Pump It- Black Eyed Peas

3. Electric Worry- Clutch (My son is obsessed with this song. If it plays while he's in the jogging stroller, he yells for me to go faster.)

4. Fast As You Can- Fionna Apple

5. Stronger- Kanye West

6. Work It Out- Beyonce

7. This Fire- Franz Ferdinand

8. Bad Romance- Lady Gaga

9. Used Up Has Been- Brickfoot (This is my friends' band. It is such a great song for about halfway through a run. It always makes me push harder.)

10. Disturbia- Rhianna (4:21)

11. I Got a Feeling- Black Eyed Peas

12. Blood Sugar Sex Magik- Red Hot Chili Peppers

13. The Distance- Cake

14. Psycho Killer- Talking Heads

15. Rocky Theme- Rocky Soundtrack (I know... it's kind of lame, but it makes me laugh at the end of a run while I push myself to the finish)

This gives you about 1 hour and 3 minutes of running time.

I'm in need of some new songs to keep my moving on my playlist.

What is (are) your top song(s)?