It’s that time again

Time for another episode of Getting Real. I struggled with this one. Shoot…what am I not struggling with these days?

I don’t like admitting failure, but I guess if I were perfect, I wouldn’t need things like goals, accountability, or this blog for that matter. Did you see that? I admitted I wasn’t perfect. I thought about editing that part out at least 5,000 times already today. Nope. Going to leave it. This is about Getting Real, right? And perfect? I’m far from it.

So what happened? Well it’s the last day of February, and unless I ran a 50K today, there’s no way I’m going to hit my mileage goal for the month.

Excuses:
I was sick.
And tired.
And sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Truth is, it doesn’t really matter. I failed.

The good news is I was pretty close to another milestone…100mi…and I decided that would be just fine with me. After my 30min scheduled trainer ride, I knocked out a 5K on the treadmill. That brought me within 5 miles of my new goal. And I had a feeling the girls would be headed to “Turtle Thursday.” I know it sounds slow, but with these girls, it never is. They were planning 5 miles…perfect!

Now, sitting here after yet another excellent Northstar burger, a hot shower, kids tucked safely in bed, and a call from my favorite guy, I’m content with my 100 miles.
Not content.

Happy.

And none of that fake-it-’till-you-make-it “I chose to be happy” garbage.

Really happy. Smiling. And tired.

Good night!

Wordless Wednesday

Burnt Out

Yup. Burnt out. That about describes it.
What am I doing? Well, nothing really. And that’s the tricky part.
What am I burnt out from exactly?

Training? I feel like I’ve fallen off the wagon here, but not really. I haven’t missed anything. I just haven’t been keeping track as closely as I normally do. I’ve given up almost entirely on Daily Mile. I just don’t have the energy. When I do wear my Garmin, it faithfully uploads it’s data to my GarminConnect account, though I haven’t logged in to edit anything lately. My calendar is full of workouts ready to be manually entered. I’m just not motivated to do it.

Family? My kids have been my focus since I’ve returned from Houston. So while they are in my care, which is typically 24/7, I’m spending time with them. That should be refreshing, but it’s just not. It’s exhausting. Parenting wasn’t meant to be a one-person job. I’m tired of being mom and dad. I long for adult conversation.

Career? I have so many rods in the fire right now, and I can’t seem to get a grasp on any of them. I spend too much time on the ones I’m passionate about…typically those that don’t put food on the table…and too little on those that pay the bills. I have so much to do, and too much time on my hands. I feel stagnant. And struggling. And hungry.

Friends? Most of them are keeping their distance, and I don’t blame them. I would. I’m not making it easy either. I’m not reaching out. I’m not asking for help. I’m lucky any of them are talking to me at all.

So what do I do? Only one thing to do…

Here’s hoping the next mile is a downhill one.
Or a pretty trail near a river.
These hill repeats are never-ending.
And I’m spent.

Getting Real

If you follow my personal account on Twitter…you really should can if you’d like (there should be “follow” button on the right sidebar), you may have seen some posts today that were a little different than my norm. Yeah…once in a while I’ll post something about parenting or get on a soap box about some pet peeve, but mostly I’m talking about health, fitness, and the like. I believe in those things, and plan on that remaining my focus. But today that didn’t happen.

You see, it all started with this cold. Actually…no. It all started with the Goofy Challenge. Or training for Goofy. Heck, it started long before that.

Truth is, I’m tired. Period.

The last 6 months have brought one challenge after another into my life. I’m beat down…or up…whatever. And not just physically. Mentally. Emotionally.
It’s hard for me to keep any kind of schedule. The days all run together.
Wake up. Make coffee. Drink coffee. Breakfast. Kindergarten lessons. Lunch. Nap. Run. Knit. Write. Distract myself online. Clean. Dinner. Baths. Bed.
Sure, there’s plenty of stuff in between. Things like “worry about money” and “look for a job.” Did I mention “worry about money?”
Depressing, right? Tell me about it. Actually…don’t tell me. I already know.
This winter has been especially hard. The weather has been ridiculous. I’m pretty sure it has snowed every day since Christmas…ok…most of them anyway….except for those random 50F days thrown in just to make the whole state sick. (Thanks again Mother Nature. Put down the drugs lady!)
The cold doesn’t work for me. My fingers and toes are frozen. And that’s while I’m inside my house! I’m clumsy enough on stable ground, so running on the ice is NOT an option, and my dreadmill has gotten quite the workout…on the good days!
We’re not even going to talk about the bad days. Not today anyway.

Alright. It’s not ALL bad. The last 6 months have also brought me the most wonderful people. If you’re reading this, I’m talking about you! I done a little traveling, and had some of the most memorable days of…dare I say…my life! And the best is yet to come. I know it.

So here’s the deal: on Thursdays, I’m going to “get real.” On Twitter. On Facebook. On this blog. If you don’t want to see that, and I understand that not everyone can handle it, I suggest you avoid my feed that day. I need it. I need to be vulnerable so I can be stronger.

Wordless Wednesday aka Down with the sickness

One at a Time

I’ve been trying to come up with a way to share all the great ideas I discovered and people I met while I was in Texas. And there’s only one way to do it…one at a time.

So let’s start at the beginning.

Last week I traveled to Houston, Texas for the Galloway Program Directors’ annual meeting. 60+ directors made the trip for an opportunity to meet each other, exchange ideas, and of course, meet up with Jeff Galloway and Chris Twiggs. The Woodlands Galloway group hosted this year’s meeting, and did a fantastic job. The area was great, with restaurants within walking distance of our hotel, and plenty of places to run. On Saturday, we ran right past the bike transition area for IRONMAN Texas! I could go on and on.

We had a variety of speakers on Saturday during our meeting, and I’d like to take a little time each day to highlight some of my favorites.

I met Andy Voggenthaler on Saturday, and was immediately inspired by his presentation. An athlete himself, Andy founded Race Guards as a way to give back to the running/ cycling/ triathlete community.

From their website:

“Race Guards was established in March 2012 in San Diego, California to provide in-race first aid for athletic events throughout the country with a focus on running and cycling races, triathlons and endurance events. Race Guards is comprised of volunteers trained in CPR, AED and First Aid who are committed to assisting race participants with any medical or physical support need in a race. Race Guards work in concert with the medical director and medical support team at the events to provide medical support from start to finish.”

Here’s how it works: Once you’ve completed the safety training, you volunteer to provide support at events. You wear their jersey and carry a first aid kit. You offer motivation and basic first aid if necessary. Although some Race Guards are EMTs and medical professionals, you don’t have to be. You just have to have a heart for people and a willingness to give back to your running/ cycling community.

The goal of Race Guards is to provide this service to Race Directors free-of-charge. The funds required to run the company come from sponsors, not from buying this service. Race Guards are all volunteers! How can you argue with that?

Race Guards started in California, but they want to build teams local to races across the country. As more people volunteer in different cities and states, Race Guards can cover more races in your community.

You can find out more information about Race Guards and Volunteer for the team on their website! And don’t forget to like their Facebook Page and follow them on Twitter.

Attention Ohioans: I volunteered this week to be a Race Guard. I would love to build a team in our community to cover races like the Capital City Half Marathon, the Flying Pig Marathon, the Cleveland Marathon, the Columbus Marathon, and more! Would you consider volunteering your time to help someone else?

Wordless Wednesday

Step away from the interwebs

I haven’t turned my computer on for a week. I didn’t answer any email, except for a few critical ones. I stayed (mostly) away from Facebook and Twitter.
I have to say it’s been the most freeing week I’ve had in a long time. I took time for me, and a few special people I don’t spend enough time with.
I still have a lot to talk about. I want to tell you all about my week in Houston, about my experience meeting Galloway Program Directors from all over the country, and I want to get back to training. I have so many ideas and plans rolling around in my brain that it’s hard to get anything done.

Right now I just want to sit.
And stop worrying.
And breathe.

So tonight I’m going to play games with the kids and run. Then I’ll knit and have a glass of wine.
The interwebs will be still be there tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday

😦

Too much to do…too little time

Here’s the thing…I’m busy.
I’m a single, full-time mom.
I homeschool a kindergartener.
I run, bike, and workout most days…sometimes all three.
I manage a training group in Columbus, Ohio.
I have 3, yes 3, blogs. Lucky for you, you’ll only have to read this one as the other two are currently hibernating.
I have brand ambassador responsibilities.
I knit (and keep my fingers crossed that I get paid).

I have no life.

I wish I could read more and knit for myself or my kids.
I want to hang out with adults more. If you’ve ever tried to have a conversation with a 4 and 6-year-old, this should be self-explanatory.
And I have a ton of things to say.

I’m struggling to get all that finished, and still have time and energy to write exciting moderately entertaining legible posts. Maybe if the day had a few more hours in it. I certainly could sleep less, but you don’t want to see me on less than 6 hours of sleep.

Yesterday, my son suggested I build a time machine. That way I could go back and do all the things I want to do that I don’t have time to do. That sounds great! If you have ideas on how to start that project, please send them my way.

I don’t think a Delorian is going to work.

I have to set a new guideline going forward so I’m not stressed about blogging. This is supposed to be fun and cathartic, right?

No posting on the weekend. Unless something miraculous happens, you won’t hear from me on Saturday or Sunday. Those days are about my family, and although I love all of you, I need that time to myself.

You can count on my posts Monday through Friday, and that’s plenty of time to know more than anyone should care to know about my life. I’ll try to use Monday’s to recap the weekend’s excitement, provided there was something to write about.

This past weekend? Nothing. And it was glorious.

I’m prepping for a big week though. Traveling to Houston this week to meet up with the big man, Jeff Galloway himself. And I have a little fun planned while I’m there. Needless to say, I hope to come back from that trip refreshed, in more ways than one.

God knows I need it.

What are you doing this week? Any big plans?

Tomorrow’s news: A Turkish What-Up?