Learning Curve

I am so excited, because I just learned how to edit an embedded frame for my school website.

Boo-ya!

You want to see, don't you?

I thought so.

Okay.

Pretty rad, right? I am SO EXCITED. And I wanted to share it with the 18 of you that read this blog. Thanks for being there.

Oh -- and about that whole running thing?

I ran yesterday for 1.75 miles in the COLD, and I feel pretty good today. My foot barely hurts at all! But I am really certain that my current cold weather gear is NOT going to cut it. I was REALLY cold on the entire run. I did stop to walk for a little bit in the middle, and I know that I chilled significantly during that time and then never really warmed back up. But the air didn't really bother my lungs, which is fabulous. I was worried about that!

I just learned from one of my SparkPeople friends about an AMAZING event coming up next week.

It is a FREE teleconference put on by the International Association of Women Runners (IAWR), and JEFF GALLOWAY is the keynote speaker. There are so many different speakers/sessions, and most of them are scheduled during lunch breaks (12 PM EST) or in the evening, and if you can't listen LIVE, then you can listen to the mp3 recordings that will be available after the event.

I am so excited about this event!

Go check out the link and sign up!!!

UGH.

I am so disappointed.

I ran yesterday. It was great! It was slow, and I needed to take breaks fairly often, because WOW it hardly takes any time at all to lose your endurance and strength -- especially for a newbie runner like me! It felt so great to be running again!

BUT----- as soon as I got out of the car to pick up the boys from daycare (35 minutes post run) I realized that all of the stretching that I did immediately after did not prevent the plantar fasciitis from acting up. My specific pain is NOT my heel -- it is the end of my arch, on the padded part on the inside of my heel. OUCH. It still hurts today, even after wearing the brace for a bit last night.

So I am walking as much as I can throughout the day, and just trying to become acclimated to the pain. I am seething with frustration.

Running Headbands, Running in General

A person that over analyzes things to begin with being forced to rest to recover is never a good thing. I find myself worrying about getting re-injured if I try to run again too soon. Then I find myself worrying about how well I will be able to run -- or *if* I will be able to run at all. I fought so hard through the Couch to 5K program this summer so to be sidelined with plantar fasciitis, a cold, and now a knee thing, and a second cold. It is so frustrating. I tried to exercise -- doing my favorite 30 Day Shred video, and it destroyed my left knee. It has taken days to get it feeling back to normal. :(

Today I really want to try to get out there, but my cold has descended into my chest. Argh.

Ok.

Now I want to talk about a very controversial topic. Okay. It isn't controversial at all. I was joking.

But, in all SERIOUSness, I was over the moon excited to see sweatybands represented at the vendor expo at my last 5K. Seriously. I spotted the familiar font from across the field, and RAN (maybe even SKIPPED) over there. I picked out a gorgeous headband, and then was convinced to try a different one, because it was "new." That doesn't matter. What does matter is that..... I can't make it look good on me. :( I don't like how it looks with my hair DOWN, I don't like how it looks when I wear my hair UP. I am so disappointed. And it definitely doesn't work like I had hoped in the "sweat soaking" department. So for $18, it has definitely been the MOST expensive piece of running gear (besides my shoes and Nike+), and the LEAST EFFECTIVE. I guess I am going to stay away from the wide headbands, and I am going to support T of Racing with Babes and her etsy shop. Her headbands are absolutely adorable, and more than HALF the price of the sweatybands. We just don't have ANY extra money right now, or I seriously would already own about seven of them. (Especially the pink and lavender one... it is so beautiful.)

And just an update on the home-front--

Soccer Boy (age 4) is snuggled next to me on the couch, and Cuddle Bug (almost 8 months!!!) is rolling around on the floor trying to find anything other than the dozen toys around him to play with. I adore my family!!!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 13, 14, 15 and 16

Oh my word.

I had such grand hopes when I started this project! "I will become a daily blogger," I said to myself. Yeah. Right. That's worked out well, hasn't it?

Which brings me to things I am thankful for number 13. Humor. I love dry, almost sarcastic, but not quite, humor. I love picking up on jokes that the people who are not paying as close attention miss. If you ever watched Gilmore Girls, then you know what I like. The one-liners -- the obscure hilarious reference. Yup. I love it.

Number 14 -

New adventures. Seriously. Something crazy huge is happening in our little family. (No, I am not pregnant.) It is really exciting, and we are sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting and watching to see how it all unfolds.

Number 15 -

My husband, whose birthday was yesterday. Happy birthday, sweetie! I can't believe that I didn't even write on your WALL on facebook yesterday.... facebook and I spend even less time together than my blog and I have!!

Number 16 -

New books to read!! Yay!!!!!! I love when the UPS truck shows up with a delivery from CBD! It turns out that the bargain books were kind of a... um... not what I had in mind. At least they were only a dollar or two, right? But, the other books are already making me happy!

Recommitted

"Im not telling you it is going to be easy- I'm telling you its going to be worth it." -Art Williams

My eating has been out of control. Combine that with the fact that my plantar fasciitis has not gone away completely, and now it seems like it is resulting in KNEE pain as well, I have not exactly been active, either.

I am definitely an emotional/boredom eater. Hunger is RARELY the reason that I eat. I eat because it is lunch time. I eat because there is food that I like in the house. I eat because there ISN'T food that I like in the house.

So for me, counting calories can be useful, but it doesn't get at the real problem. The REAL problem for me is WHY I am eating. And the fact that if I am eating when I am not hungry, then..... um.... why the heck am I eating in the first place? There are more implications of a spiritual nature as well. (If I do share, because this is MY blog, it is because this is my own journey. I would never force my beliefs down your throat. Just sayin'. ) So, because I had experienced success a few years ago doing an online study at Setting Captives Free, and I knew that the structure, and grounded theology and accountability were exactly what I needed at this point, I signed up to take the course again. I already feel more optimistic, excited and happy.

The study itself is all about how to have an appropriate relationship with food. Food = fool. So -- yes, it is intuitive eating, but with a spiritual element included.

The hardest thing for me is definitely going to be to wait for hunger -- especially since my classes are right back to back on top of each other, and I usually have to scarf food down quickly or miss my chance entirely to get lunch from the cafe in the teachers room. Today, however, I brought stuff for lunch, so I am prepared whenever I get stomach rumbles. When I actually commit to waiting for hunger, I don't GET HUNGRY. When I am not thinking of it, I feel ravenous around 10:30, which means that it is most likely BOREDOM or ROUTINE.

Interesting.

And... since I am once again BEHIND on my days of thanks posts, there will be a massive thankful post coming up later today.

Ciao!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 9, 10, 11 and 12

OH My-lanta have I gotten behind on this!

Here we go.

Day 9 -- Thankful for being the director of the community band in the town that I teach in. Even though it means that Tuesday nights are .... a region below Earth that is full of fiery brimstone and bad things. Seriously. I leave school, drive home, pick up the boys from daycare, feed them dinner, drive BACK to school. (35 minutes each way!!) However, the people in this group are just SO much fun! They are the breath of fresh air that I need when I am tired of children that talk over me and don't pay attention when I am giving them instruction.

Day 10 -- NetFlix Instant.

Day 11 -- Paid Holidays! For the first time in our marriage, my husband has a job that he has benefits AND paid Holidays! And not just the two or three big ones.... he gets all of them, because he is also working for a school. Yesterday was super awesome because we were together the whole day! Yay! It is so nice to have holidays off together.

Day 12 -- It's FRIDAY!! It has, of course, felt like Monday all day because we had the day off yesterday. So every time I remember that it is Friday, I get a little THRILL! :) Please remember from Day 1 that I truly, truly do love my job. But... I love my family more. Weekends and Holidays mean FAMILY TIME!!! So happy!