tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48724970865752118842024-02-20T09:02:53.768-08:00This Grrrl RunsIt's YOUR Life.<br>
Live it.<br>
RUN it.CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-17860030236104208052016-11-15T10:45:00.000-08:002016-11-15T10:45:02.998-08:00Inspiration: the Simple Act of Showing Up<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent much of last week feeling dejected, disheartened, disillusioned,
and distraught. I went to work and home
again feeling lost and confused. I was
withdrawn and pretty much wanted to stay that way for a while. I had a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FearlessBloNo/" target="_blank">261 Fearless Meet Run</a> scheduled for
Saturday and made no attempt to promote it or encourage anyone to attend. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On Friday, still feeling like I wanted to hide in my
<a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Hobbit-hole" target="_blank">Hobbit-Hole</a> forever, I had these thoughts:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>I don’t want to run tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I don’t have it in me to lead a group of women.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I can’t PRETEND to feel inspired.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I hope no one is coming. Then I
can just take a walk by myself.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I wish we had another coach who could step in.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Yes, THOSE thoughts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I checked <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/FearlessBloNo/events/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">our Facebook Events page</a> (shameless plug) and
found that, even without any promotion whatsoever, four women said they were
coming. four more were keeping it on their
calendars by saying they were “interested.”
<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is a pretty good response rate for our little start-up
club. Normally, I’d be elated by this
news.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was not.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I really wanted to Hobbit-Hole all weekend. I resigned myself to “leading” a run in the
morning and went on with my Friday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday morning, I tried to muster some excitement. Some weeks I have a theme that I build our
workouts around, and I decided this week we would frame our meet run with Unity. Without making it about politics, I built
a workout around being Better Together, coming together as strong women and
remembering that <a href="http://www.261fearless.org/" target="_blank">the mission of our Club</a> is to bring women together to Hold Each
Other Up. I came up with team drills,
some exercises we can do simultaneously, even a couple where we lock arms and
literally hold each other together to be more in sync.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have to thank those women who joined me this past
Saturday. You made me Better by being
there for me. Just by Showing Up. I didn't have to PRETEND to be inspired. You Inspired Me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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261 Fearless is NOT a political organization. But the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ani-difranco-ott-0401-20160328-story.html" target="_blank">Personal</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_personal_is_political" target="_blank">Political</a> are
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/anidifranco/photos/a.10150407935650226.626317.69843430225/10157870529725226/?type=3&pnref=story" target="_blank">inextricable</a> sometimes and for THIS 261 Fearless Club Leader and Coach, this
week was politically charged and you, ladies, helped me find a path out of the
muck I was stuck in and into the light. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My reasons for wanting to Hobbit-Hole remain. I remain scared for the future of our community and our country. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCPAGrrrl%2Fposts%2F10211347286586670&width=500%22%20width=%22500%22%20height=%22642%22%20style=%22border:none;overflow:hidden%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowTransparency=%22true%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank">I remain resolved</a> to do whatever I can as an individual to fight Racism, Misogyny, Xenophobia and Homophobia in my community. But you lifted my spirits. </div>
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You helped me remember that these fights are not fought alone. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;">We fight TOGETHER.</span></b></h2>
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<br />CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-42099149273317997242016-08-29T10:04:00.000-07:002016-08-29T10:04:22.554-07:00Today Wasn't The Day. Is Tomorrow The Day?I've talked before about how I think in the long run, I'd like to become someone who works out in the morning. There are so many advantages, and really few obstacles, but the obstacles are tough ones for me. That's why "Hit the gym in the MORNING before work" made <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2016/08/inspired-by-thegoal30.html" target="_blank">No. 13 on the list</a>. Keeping the bar low and doing What I Can When I Can, I aim for just one time. Then maybe I can try once a month or once a week. And we'll see how it goes. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihu0Oky8Zo98T9BQIHhVWD7v6Mg8b6z2eDPDwkryyKfghmmwIfgSfUCdxFvHSS1dmmz3yhOfs0UXoQDelglpVdnOVMOXLHnLskxikctnh8ESnSdFXp8Z0OuSWJ_ywkyopMbDvhqlNJ9UU/s1600/CK+flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihu0Oky8Zo98T9BQIHhVWD7v6Mg8b6z2eDPDwkryyKfghmmwIfgSfUCdxFvHSS1dmmz3yhOfs0UXoQDelglpVdnOVMOXLHnLskxikctnh8ESnSdFXp8Z0OuSWJ_ywkyopMbDvhqlNJ9UU/s320/CK+flying.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A morning workout in Des Moines with the 261 Fearless leaders!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In an attempt to conquer this goal, I set my alarm earlier than usual this morning. The idea was to get to the gym, do SOMETHING for half an hour - maybe use the rowing machine, maybe some strength training - there's a strength routine in my car, in sheet protectors even, along with a pen to record what I actually do, weights/reps. So I had options. Not <i>A Plan,</i> but Options.<br />
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I had workout clothes laid out as well as work clothes, so that once I got moving I could get dressed quickly and spare myself the torture of trying to pull together an outfit in a rush once I'd returned from the gym and gotten cleaned up. (I mean, really, let's just assume I'll be running late and plan for it, right?)<br />
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And I started the "going to bed" routine at 9:55pm - SUPER early. By the time all the before-bed crap got done (including laying out all those clothes and determining what I would bring for lunch today), it was 10:30pm, which is still doing pretty good in my book. And CRAZY early according to The Hubs.<br />
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The real trick is remembering the plan, once the alarm goes off. My sleepy-brain really doesn't grasp the concept of getting out of bed. On auto-pilot, I hit the Snooze button. And when it went off again, I vaguely grasped why it was going off so early. Auto-pilot won out again, however, and I screwed around with my phone for about 10 minutes more. Then I REALLY remembered, <i>"I WANT to go to the gym! Work is CRAZY! I work LATE this time of year and then I don't work OUT after! This is something I WANT to DO!"</i> And I hopped out of bed. <br />
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By this time, it was really too late to make the gym happen. But I didn't let that stop me. I put those workout clothes on and took the dogs out for a surprise morning walk. 20 minutes of light exercise is still better than 25 minutes of more sleep, on a day when I've gotten plenty of sleep.<br />
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So, failure on completing number 13 this morning. But a WIN just the same. Perhaps I'll use those extra morning steps to tackle No. 2 - a BIG and for me quite challenging goal of 10,000 steps on a workday. And perhaps tomorrow will be the day for successfully hitting the gym before work. One day, one challenge at a time. Today wasn't the day.<br />
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In an effort to make the next effort a success, let's break this down, shall we? I gotta figure out how to:<br />
<ol>
<li>Get to bed earlier so I'm not just sacrificing sleep for a workout. <i>("easy" fix = go to bed earlier [harder than it sounds, of course.])</i></li>
<li>Get out of bed when the damn alarm goes off instead of hitting Snooze eleventy times. <i>(I'm open to suggestions on the "easy" fix for this one. This is a lifelong habit I've never successfully circumvented. I'm convinced the key is remembering why the alarm is going off [and that it's important to me and not just work].)</i></li>
<li>Get out of the house more quickly once 1) and 2) are accomplished. <i>Seems there's always something between me and the door - dogs need to pee, I can't find a sock, I stub my toe in the dark, something.</i></li>
<li>Get in and out of the gym quickly. <i>When I workout in the evenings, it's all part of my wind-down after work, so I'm pretty leisurely about changing my clothes in the locker room, meandering to the treadmill, reading through my workout plan and methodically going from weight bench to cables to whatever. A morning workout needs to be much more efficient. (And I wonder, more effective?)</i></li>
<li>Still get to work <strike>(Basically)</strike> on time. <i> (No more late than usual.)</i></li>
</ol>
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I'll keep working at it. Right now, because it's on THE LIST. I hope, later, because it's What I Do. It's enough to be working on it because I've issued myself a challenge and I intend to meet it. I'll find a way to make it work this week, and then challenge myself to do it again. Today wasn't the day. </div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Tomorrow?</span></div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-22588229369852195962016-08-22T16:43:00.000-07:002016-08-31T14:19:53.827-07:00Inspired by #TheGoal30Well I have two unfinished blog posts that I'm having trouble writing, but I just read about <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/thegoal30/" target="_blank">#TheGoal30 </a>"challenge" and I'm feeling inspired. The challenge, in a nutshell, is to create 30 small achievable goals and, in whatever order works for you, go about achieving them in the next month. Things you WANT to do, but have NOT been doing. That's it. Reading through<a href="http://roninoone.com/oneblog/thegoal30-join-us/" target="_blank"> other people's lists</a> was quite inspiring and I ended up making one of my own. I have already decided there's no 30-day deadline on this for me. (<a href="http://wycwyc.com/about/" target="_blank">#wycwyc</a>)<br />
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Here, in no particular order, are my mini-goals:<br />
<ol>
<li>Bring lunch to work (AND EAT IT) every day for a week.</li>
<li><strike><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJybCDPg4eh/?taken-by=cpagrrrl" target="_blank">Log > 10,000 steps ON A WEEKDAY.</a></strike></li>
<li>Go to a group fitness class.</li>
<li>Go for a solo bike ride (The Hubs doesn't really want to go anyway and that's OK).</li>
<li>Log all meals for a day. CONSCIOUSLY. MINDFULLY.</li>
<li><strike><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJiMA1JhEUtDUWM4bbP29v3gzu-gP6VTwn7e0s0/?taken-by=cpagrrrl" target="_blank">Finish one day with total carbs intake within goal. </a></strike> </li>
<li>Make a green smoothie.</li>
<li>Go one full week without fast-food breakfast. (yes, this is a thing.)</li>
<li>Blog about the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FearlessBloNo/photos" target="_blank">261 Fearless</a> Coach training / Club leader retreat - it was AMAZING and so worth sharing!</li>
<li>Hang things to replace the holes mom left on the living room and hallway walls.</li>
<li>Use those dumbbells while watching TV.</li>
<li>Make a healthy choice while eating out.</li>
<li>Hit the gym in the MORNING before work.</li>
<li>Write letters to each of the kids (nieces / nephews).</li>
<li>Get out of bed without hitting SNOOZE.</li>
<li><strike><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJd-loRgGNik-E5xPFWsKdETHcSa7qrFHzF1_o0/?taken-by=cpagrrrl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Drink 8 cups of H2O at work.</a></strike></li>
<li>Use those little sword-thingys and floss on the drive home from work.</li>
<li>Meet the Garmin step goal 3 days IN A ROW.</li>
<li>Write thank you notes to dog-sitters.</li>
<li>Use the Zombies, Run! app that you downloaded 2 months ago. It seems like fun.</li>
<li>Meal prep something on Sunday to use during the week (and then USE IT).</li>
<li><strike><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJhEUIZhyQJB3UHjWXUrB6aIafVmcPx6Fdqrag0/?taken-by=cpagrrrl" target="_blank">Schedule a walk date.</a></strike></li>
<li>Finish the blog post about Esprit de SHE. It was fantastic! I am a Triathlete!</li>
<li>Use the rowing machine at the gym. Row a 5k? I do not know if this is a lofty goal.</li>
<li>Shut down phones at 8pm one evening. (this I DO know: it IS a lofty goal.)</li>
<li>Call my brother.</li>
<li>Hit the gym in the morning on a weekend.</li>
<li>Go rock climbing!</li>
<li>Take the dogs to the dog park. Little Dude needs socialization before he starts getting weird.</li>
<li>Log > 15,000 steps in a day.</li>
<li>Revamp my Workout playlist.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJx2LMBgEQ8/?taken-by=cpagrrrl" target="_blank"><strike>Meet the Garmin step goal 4 days in one week.</strike></a></li>
<li><strike><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJlyYmGgcXk/?taken-by=cpagrrrl&hl=en" target="_blank">Make that "Singalong Song" playlist you've been thinking about.</a></strike></li>
<li>Spend 10 minutes training Little Dude.</li>
<li>Call my other brother.</li>
<li>Try a new, carb-conscious recipe.</li>
<li>Write a "random act of kindness" thank you note - to someone who made me feel special for ANY reason.</li>
<li>"Close the Kitchen" on a weeknight (dishes done, everything away, counters clean, coffee ready for the morning).</li>
<li>Hit the gym for a strength training workout twice in the same week.</li>
<li>Read for 10 minutes before bed.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJrG19AAn67/?taken-by=cpagrrrl&hl=en" target="_blank"><strike>Play Mario on the Wii for a whole hour and just enjoy it.</strike></a></li>
<li>Get a manicure.</li>
<li>Do physical therapy exercises for my neck and hips.</li>
<li><strike><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter/photos/a.579740232147803.1073741837.334239013364594/984760818312407/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Feeling FRUSTRATED? Take a walk!</a></strike></li>
</ol>
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Yes, that's right, I was OVER-inspired and ended up with a list of over 40 mini-goals for the #TheGoal30 "Challenge". (Are you really surprised??) Again, I'm not holding myself to the 30 days limit. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not the first time I've tackled that phone thing.</td></tr>
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I won't <b>promise</b> to update the list here, but I <i>will</i> try to. Updates more likely to be found on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cpagrrrl/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and / or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and / or <a href="https://twitter.com/CPAGrrrl" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Let me know there, how your own challenge is going!</div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-31186346312358698832016-06-15T11:40:00.000-07:002016-06-15T11:40:10.880-07:00Carla Continues to Inspire Blog PostsI just read <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/2016/06/15/how-do-you-make-introductions/#comment-253701" target="_blank">this great post</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/carla_birnberg" target="_blank">Carla </a>and had to respond. (Am I the <a href="http://www.amc.com/shows/talking-dead" target="_blank">Chris Hardwick</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%40wycwyc&src=typd" target="_blank">#wycwyc</a> blogs? Join us next week for Talking WickWick..."<br />
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Initially, I wanted to "introduce" a few of my favorite people. I commented:<br />
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I have often introduced my BFF as "This is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-lo-mba-pmp-six-sigma-greenbelt-33102b4" target="_blank">Rob Lo</a> (no not <a href="https://www.instagram.com/robloweofficial/?hl=en" target="_blank">THAT Rob Lowe</a>, it's spelled differently). We've known each other since the 6th grade and he knows where ALL the bodies are buried. He helped me bury some of them so don't let him hear you've crossed me because he's always got my back." It's a joke, goes over great at cocktail parties. But to borrow a phrase, it's more Truth Said In Jest. </blockquote>
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My friend <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04BkQZl86Kw" target="_blank">Jill </a>is simply The Best Person That I Know. </blockquote>
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Any my friend Heather: "she used to be my husband's best friend, but I borrowed her and never gave her back. She is The Calm in ANY Sea of Chaos."</blockquote>
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Then I began to think of how I introduce <i>myself</i>. I was asked recently to write "a short bio" of myself for the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23261fearless" target="_blank">#261Fearless</a> Train the Trainer conference (coming up THIS WEEKEND!). This was laughable - if you ever read this blog, you know I don't really DO "short" in my writing. In person I can manage it, but hand me a blank page and tell me to write something, I'm going to go all Super Accountant and use precision language where possible and elaborate to provide as much clarity as I can to eliminate possibility of misunderstanding.<br />
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Here is the "short bio" I ended up with:<br />
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<b>First off, the name: It’s “Kinnear” – we take credit for ALL the
consonants in this family.</b> </blockquote>
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<b>Here’s what you <i>REALLY</i> need to know about me:<br /> </b>I am an accountant, controller, former CPA, wife, step-mom,
birth-mom, rescue-mom, enthusiastic volunteer, feminist, runner, walker, (swimmer?
biker? triathlon-er?) blogger, #wycwyc-er (pronounced “wick-wicker”), baker and
generally an awful cook. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>My Philosophy: </b>I
believe in the Power of Positive Peer Pressure.
I believe that once I identify something as a FEAR of mine, I am
required to challenge it. That’s how I
ended up running 4 half-marathons in a year, and how I ended up registered for
my first triathlon this year. My
application to become a #261Fearless Ambassador got me thinking and brought me
to writing a Fitness Manifesto of sorts:
“It’s YOUR Life. Live it. Run it.” </blockquote>
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<b>As for running:</b>My dogs are the best possible training buddies, but the grrrlz
in my running club are a close second. I
have been running, racing, and walking for fun and exercise since about
2008. I am not fast but I am
ENTHUSIASTIC! Until this year, I
generally participated in at least one race each month, mostly 5ks but some 4-5
mile distances and some 10ks. In
2013/2014, I ran 4 half-marathons in 13 months, still my longest-ever run. This year, I signed up for my first triathlon
(and by the time we get to our training, I should have finished it), and
reduced my racing schedule to accommodate more well-rounded training. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Also:</b> I am over-the-moon excited to be part of the
#261Fearless family and starting a club in our area!<br />
(And I don’t know what “short” means when you ask for a
“short bio”. So I’m going to stop
writing now, and you can use all or some of this, whatever parts you need!)</blockquote>
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I guess that really covers what is important to me, what I'm passionate about, and what I want others to care about, about me.</div>
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And YES, I DID complete that triathlon last weekend! Special Preview of my next post:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUcQFhypM6H9rDd0CBIEJ-D7tmo_g9PR3eEUoVCGfLbbR2LA1PxDu-bw1fPZb3vle10q1Skk7-ZA2Rh1sPYTbQu0TBApCxe3j7oQcRq3Ur01H8x-ThoVDW58OhzmjTLu2BsP0b11OqB77/s1600/Esprit+de+SHE+All+Start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUcQFhypM6H9rDd0CBIEJ-D7tmo_g9PR3eEUoVCGfLbbR2LA1PxDu-bw1fPZb3vle10q1Skk7-ZA2Rh1sPYTbQu0TBApCxe3j7oQcRq3Ur01H8x-ThoVDW58OhzmjTLu2BsP0b11OqB77/s640/Esprit+de+SHE+All+Start.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm somewhere in there in a green swim cap.</td></tr>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-67352221065331809112016-05-13T06:49:00.003-07:002016-05-13T06:49:39.798-07:00Just a Little Ditty<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">Another long absence. Things brewing that I don't feel comfortable blogging about. BUT!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>The Hubs gave me a shot of inspiration today and I want to share it. </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">He was up early for no reason, and <i>decided to take the dogs for a walk</i> – this is unheard of! I'm the exercise fanatic around here who's likely to go for a walk just because I'm bored or because I've decided to start streaking... and he's the one who... accepts this about me, and sometimes comes along for the ride. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">This bit of action woke me enough to realize I wasn’t going back to sleep, and I immediately remembered the dishes that I’d meant to do last night. We’ve both been fighting a cold this week and last night I wanted to do the dishes but didn't feel motivated and basically I used The Cold as an excuse not to clean that sh!t up. So at 5:45am, I plodded into the kitchen and got it done. Took like 30 minutes, and I was just finished when The Hubs came back with Coty and Ziggy. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">Dogs walked, dishes done, and I was still on time to work? MORE, PLEASE…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Oh, and I guess this happened during my recent hiatus:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">We adopted this amazing little trouble-maker in late March. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWulexcd-1Z0MaG9A5Hhts7U4tWAPX30Q-tuakCJOP7lgdBdoKYzRHrBDBYej0EduUPEp9jG_QwvrSPrDXruyqH4-gczjgC8DOh7R8_-I0Ox696yZT7ixHeOVOUebeL4L8oyR1IqFYXDp/s1600/Ziggy+couch.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWulexcd-1Z0MaG9A5Hhts7U4tWAPX30Q-tuakCJOP7lgdBdoKYzRHrBDBYej0EduUPEp9jG_QwvrSPrDXruyqH4-gczjgC8DOh7R8_-I0Ox696yZT7ixHeOVOUebeL4L8oyR1IqFYXDp/s640/Ziggy+couch.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">After seeing <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WishBoneCanineRescue/videos/541078259386750/" target="_blank">this video,</a> I couldn't help myself. He was already our dog, he just didn't know it yet. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">He's adorably lopsided in every way, nothing symmetrical about him at all. And we named him after the late, great David Bowie... With all that all-natural eye makeup, how could we NOT name him <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiOldmBl9fMAhVExoMKHQmYBT0QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.musiclipse.com%2Fmisc%2Fthe-10-best-david-bowie-albums&psig=AFQjCNGwrwDABzENuajU_5sarZsoyzHL5A&ust=1463233305662363" target="_blank">Ziggy Stardust</a>?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg828xAbppwJG94BQ-xc6fpXxo9WdBUS6sjPZEKsN6nAWhLBoLDLrS6b3qXrNLnbNC22Bi4HwppfFhFz7qc6cNh-tLXsglnCOuwQmlQKcuYz4GvwZcMyYF00BWq7A85gruAb0cU07373THp/s1600/Ziggy+cuteness.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg828xAbppwJG94BQ-xc6fpXxo9WdBUS6sjPZEKsN6nAWhLBoLDLrS6b3qXrNLnbNC22Bi4HwppfFhFz7qc6cNh-tLXsglnCOuwQmlQKcuYz4GvwZcMyYF00BWq7A85gruAb0cU07373THp/s400/Ziggy+cuteness.jpeg" width="283" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY-jigsGB0bNfIUS0AHCIHb5WxlibX0_FRJKZtt0rL47QAbpzHg6OmZO2qzWHWymud_0GwzTzq9kBdN2A5fPKXJYx2k4UwV85zkDaB0c1DFUaQ2BdxhrtQKQkC_W-qUazliONGMJz41R7/s1600/Ziggy+Sunlight.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY-jigsGB0bNfIUS0AHCIHb5WxlibX0_FRJKZtt0rL47QAbpzHg6OmZO2qzWHWymud_0GwzTzq9kBdN2A5fPKXJYx2k4UwV85zkDaB0c1DFUaQ2BdxhrtQKQkC_W-qUazliONGMJz41R7/s640/Ziggy+Sunlight.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #686868; font-family: 'Open Sans Condensed', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span>CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-25406310052088367082016-03-21T12:56:00.003-07:002017-01-19T16:45:28.205-08:00The Story of Me, The Little Folksinger, and a Boy Called Patrick<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This month, the folks at <a href="http://www.261fearless.org/" target="_blank">#261Fearless</a> asked the Ambassadors to write, blog, and post about the women who inspire us, in honor of Women's History Month. I am inspired by so many women in my life - <a href="http://ronisweigh.com/2009/08/core-hurt-eating-those-that-overeat.html" target="_blank">bloggers I love</a>, my grandmother's bottomless well of kindness, my mother's inventive problem-solving, my girlfriends' amazing athletic and child-rearing feats. Then there are the women I have learned about - scientists, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_beheading_Holofernes" target="_blank">biblical characters</a>, writers, teachers, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McOPVkeDlJ8" target="_blank">athletes</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Harris_Jones" target="_blank">activists</a>, entrepreneurs and even <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimee_Semple_McPherson" target="_blank">celebrity evangelists</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I thought about this assignment, I kept coming back to something I wrote on my personal Facebook page years ago. It shares a bit of my own personal history as well as my connection to an artist who has been influencing and inspiring me since I was really still a teenager. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I've written here is, I suppose, a lot more about me than about her. But she has shaped my life, helped me become <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/live-it-run-it-manifesto-of-sorts.html" target="_blank">who I am</a>. Her writing continues to help me see the world through a wider lens, one with a sharp focus on equity, MAtriarchy, and empathy. I love that I have an opportunity to share this connection publicly. And perhaps some day I'll have an opportunity to thank her personally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wrote this post in June 2011. I've added some links and changed a few names, but left it otherwise unedited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My recent trip to Buffalo, NY for work allowed me a long-awaited opportunity to visit the headquarters of <a href="http://www.righteousbabe.com/" target="_blank">Righteous Babe Records</a>, the historic building known simply as “<a href="http://www.babevillebuffalo.com/" target="_blank">The Church</a>” which <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anidifranco/" target="_blank">Ani DiFranco</a> and the RBRrrmy have renovated into business offices, merchandising space, an art gallery and performance venues. I was graciously offered a tour of the whole facility and the opportunity to thank a couple of the women who work to support an organization that has had a profound influence on my life and my little world. The trip provided a moment of closure, a long-delayed end to a complicated chapter of my life that started almost 18 years ago. I wanted to write something to mark the occasion; to say goodbye and let it… go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first time I heard Ani’s voice, it was her poem “My I.Q.” on the <em>Puddle Dive</em> album (<a href="http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/puddledive/l_myiq.asp" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/puddledive/l_myiq.asp</a>). It was Fall of 1993. Nearly 20 years later, I can recite that poem verbatim, <em>right now</em>. I won’t repeat it here. Too many of you have been forced to listen to it in the wee hours of the morning or in the ladies’ room at weddings or in my car, or… well, you get the idea. The poem struck a chord in me and woke me up in a way that made me wonder if I had ever really been awake, and certain I had been asleep far too long. Three minutes later, I heard “Blood in the Boardroom” from the same album (listen at <a href="http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/puddledive/index.asp" target="_blank">http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/puddledive/index.asp</a>). I’d never heard anything before that could be described as both “feminist” and “whimsical” at the same time – it was like being struck by lightning! In a word, I was hooked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was about two months later I learned I was pregnant. When my son Patrick was born and placed with his new family in the summer of 1994, the grief I experienced was infinitely more profound than I expected. I was utterly unprepared and I didn’t have the tools to deal with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I credit MANY things and people in my life for helping me learn to live with my decision. The Hubs and The Brother-In-Law caught the lion’s share of the burden. They taught me it was OK to laugh and have fun, even when I was feeling sad or angry. They gave me permission to have joy in my life. They provided me a “free space” where I could be as bat-shit crazy as was necessary. <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/happy-safe-and-warm.html" target="_blank">They made me feel <em>safe</em></a>. <em>Always</em>. The Hubs's Best Friend, too, put up with my need for a <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/2016/03/21/parenting-inside-the-bubble/" target="_blank">free space</a> – for a while (and he was right to suggest a limit to it). I owe these men a debt I cannot repay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #141823;">I was battling the urge to self-destruct, learning to cope, fighting my way back to myself and this process took <em>years</em>. During this time I learned this: </span><span style="color: blue;"><b>the knowledge you made the right choice, that you did the best you could under the circumstances, is not the same as having peace with that choice.</b></span><span style="color: #141823;"> It was sometimes cold comfort in the face of the consequences of my decision. I believe some wounds never heal. But with the right help, you might get them to scab over and maybe even stop the itch. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the midst of this turmoil, I had my family – including my amazing mom whom I cannot begin to discuss here – my friends, my ambition, my own naked determination to move forward… and when none of these were enough and I felt myself beginning to drown in my own sorrow, I had Ani’s music. Her records were a life ring in a sea of grief. They provided a focal point outside myself and I grasped hold of that circle of hope and it allowed me to rest, check out of my life for a while, return to fight when my strength was restored.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the past 17 years, my relationship with <em>all</em> those who were there for me during that difficult time has deepened and solidified. Ani, being only a few years older than me, has matured and continued to write songs that closely correlate with my own experiences, opinions and politics. I believe my perspective has been shaped by her music as much as by anything else in these years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My son turns 17 years old today. By all accounts he is healthy, smart, and well-rounded. He was raised in the same community his whole life. He has friends he’s known all his life. His parents were able to provide opportunities and a level of stability I could only dream about in 1994. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am reminded again today that I made a decision I can be proud of.</span></div>
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<span class="photo " style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px;"></span>CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-90581271297862041562016-03-07T04:19:00.001-08:002016-03-08T15:00:53.840-08:00A Weekend Full of FirstsI got to see three Firsts this weekend. I met a Woman Saturday before the Miller Park Zoo Stampede 5K. We chatted over cold-weather running gear and #RunnerDog, and I learned she was running her very first race. She had been training for months, working woth a personal trainer to adapt a Couch To 5K program and strength training schedule. She was excited and nervous and so happy to be completing this First of many.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHZbfM37OJhvECc_4UCQmvXXBhyphenhyphenMGZCYevF0KnpXrKtQLvSSc1zwkJP880ZxIG00vv2820YXbZmzmGEMjjxK_4uGre2qw0yeqf8mDup93Xdw_ehRs5JSIsN9J5MWkuRIMHXN8iiMR86sJ/s640/blogger-image-952825796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHZbfM37OJhvECc_4UCQmvXXBhyphenhyphenMGZCYevF0KnpXrKtQLvSSc1zwkJP880ZxIG00vv2820YXbZmzmGEMjjxK_4uGre2qw0yeqf8mDup93Xdw_ehRs5JSIsN9J5MWkuRIMHXN8iiMR86sJ/s640/blogger-image-952825796.jpg" /></a></div>
Pre-Race on Saturday</div>
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Sunday night at the pool, a woman taking her first strokes after a long hiatus from her sport. I talked with her just as she began. She seemed excited and nervous too. When I saw her afterword, she blurted out, "I didn't last very long." I couldn't help but stick around long enough to tell her, "Don't be down on yourself! You lasted as long as you needed to for your first day back. You just did something AMAZING and I hope that you are celebrating."</div>
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And this morning at 5 AM, your CPAGrrrl was up before dawn so that she could work out before a long work day. I found out yesterday that one of my staff (for lack of a better term) went into laborover the weekend, a month before her planned maternity leave. Everyone is fine, the baby's beautiful, but it occurs to me that this may mean a heavier-than-usual workload in the short-term. </div>
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So I did what I do best: I made a plan. </div>
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And here I am at the gym, 33 minutes into my long bike ride for the week, dictating a blog post. It is 6:10 AM. On a Monday, no less. </div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-9818759237272828682016-03-01T10:03:00.000-08:002016-03-01T10:03:01.425-08:00One Impulsive DecisionSaturday afternoon I had an errand to run. A small thing I wanted to do to <a href="http://www.theultimatetan.com/pricing.html" target="_blank">indulge my vanity</a> (because I probably don't do that enough, ha ha).<br />
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As I headed out the door, it suddenly occurred to me, "I could ride my bike. The weather is beautiful - it's like a spring <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKPQW7Xx9vA" target="_blank">freakshow </a>out there it's so nice! And after I do my errand I could ride my bike <b>some more!</b>"<br />
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My ride with Raegan the previous weekend inspired me to reconsider my transportation options. I shouted <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/2015/05/04/tomorrow-is-the-official-day/" target="_blank">"WICK-WICK!!"</a> and 11.5 miles later, I couldn't have been happier about it. </div>
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Man, I tell you what, I can NOT wait for spring to arrive! </div>
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But for now, here's a pic of roughly what it looks like in our front yard today:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLhtyGdEQYRcGM2-zVDPPrwkRcUsOrDOdhMmVjYybePEivluqGYip4hh9jZSj2Ti31i9dLUI7YU3DztR0vPZB70a2T_Oz0fSLaKZ7raSu1W_3wWc3Z9Rw2NdOeogqP4CiQfl0ecVXO7Ju/s1600/Coty+Catching+a+Snowball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLhtyGdEQYRcGM2-zVDPPrwkRcUsOrDOdhMmVjYybePEivluqGYip4hh9jZSj2Ti31i9dLUI7YU3DztR0vPZB70a2T_Oz0fSLaKZ7raSu1W_3wWc3Z9Rw2NdOeogqP4CiQfl0ecVXO7Ju/s640/Coty+Catching+a+Snowball.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic is from last week, but it's snowing again today. Coty catching a snowball!</td></tr>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-54994015791707471482016-02-29T13:40:00.000-08:002016-02-29T13:40:00.007-08:00Status Update<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Hello everyone!</div>
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An update on what's up with your friendly neighborhood CPAGrrrl... </div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>WORK = CRAZY MID-JANUARY TO END OF FEBRUARY</b></span></div>
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I'm an accountant. Other accountants need stuff from ME so they can start THEIR "busy season". <span style="color: red;">[Not to belabor the point, but I wrote this on Thursday and I'm finally editing, adding pix and links and publishing on Monday.]</span> 'Nuff Said. </div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>RUNNING:</b></span></div>
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I have been in the habit of doing walk/run intervals for quite some time. I have begun to feel the walking breaks are more of a limitation I place on myself rather than a useful training tool.</div>
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One of my personal goals as part of training for my first triathlon, was to "step up my running game" a bit and use fewer breaks, get back to running at least 2-3 mile stretches without a break. Last night I had my longest stretch in quite some time, a 27-minute run!</div>
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More proof that my body does what my brain chooses to tell it to do!</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">[Bad blogger: no smiling post-run selfie!]</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>SPEAKING OF TRIATHLON TRAINING:</b></span></div>
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It's been going GREAT! Here's a pic of my training schedule. Yellow Highlights = completed planned workouts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvir3APTkUzzzQqGebE_DTG_4oo0SZInEKUHVIDeBwe-6hX48SOTzNwdg7LD420MFwG_8RQelsCHa912u6rn-ZRlOzf81x5y5Z2d1BMTjU8UsIjkLH8ky6nmqEAHQOclPzcG5H2SlKvBr/s1600/Training+Plan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvir3APTkUzzzQqGebE_DTG_4oo0SZInEKUHVIDeBwe-6hX48SOTzNwdg7LD420MFwG_8RQelsCHa912u6rn-ZRlOzf81x5y5Z2d1BMTjU8UsIjkLH8ky6nmqEAHQOclPzcG5H2SlKvBr/s640/Training+Plan.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I'm into Week 5 of the 20-week plan and feeling great. My shoulder was a little tweaky this week during my short swim. I took it REAL easy and I'll see how it feels for my long swim workout this weekend. If it still feels "off," I'll make an appointment with my PT to figure out what's up, but the swimming feels awesome, I feel so strong in the water! (My form is atrocious and my efficiency is low but I feel terrific.)<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>MILEAGE:</b></span></div>
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When I set my mileage goals for 2016, I had no idea there was a triathlon in my future! I'm getting WAY more bike miles than I anticipated for the early months of the year (it's still WAY too cold here for outdoor biking), so I'm already anticipating blowing that 225-mile goal right out the water. I'll need to reassess and revise the total mileage goal and the bike-specific goal. And the # swims goal. The plan was for 30 swims! At this rate i should hit that by the end of April.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>ONE AWESOME BIKE RIDE:</b></span></div>
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We had this ONE amazing day of spring weather last Saturday. It was over 60 (SIXTY!) degrees, no wind, mind-blowingly awesome outdoor weather. I had planned to do some laundry, take Coty for a LONG dog-walk and then do my long swim (as per my lovely Training Plan, sticking to that Plan, my friends, the Plan is my lifeline!) But when <a href="https://raeganrinchiuso.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">my awesome friend Raegan</a> called and suggested a bike ride, I threw it all out the window. I ditched the laundry, gave Coty a Quickie, dug out my bike helmet, and rode to her house. From there, we went downtown for lunch, rode to the bike shop where I learned out what sort of bike I have (an "upright") and what sort of bike rack I could get if I was so inclined (the Really Expensive Kind), and Raegan gave me some pointers on tri suits, tri shorts, and the whole world of multi-sport gear! Then we rode to the south end of The Trail, back up to the crossroads and east to the end of the Trail, then back to Raegan's again, where another gear lesson followed and I got to see her IMPRESSIVE bling collection. (We did talk about all sorts of things over the course of our 3-hour adventure, not just tri-stuff...) All in, I got about a 20-mile bike ride for the day AND got to spend some quality time with one of those people I always want to spend more time with.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>A DAY OF HIKING:</b></span></div>
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The nice weather held on Sunday too, and The Hubs and I decided to make a trip to <a href="http://www.starvedrockstatepark.org/activity/hiking-trails/" target="_blank">Starved Rock State Park</a>. I took about a billion pictures but won't bore you with those. What I love best is that Coty got to join us for this adventure. "Hiking" is something of a misnomer for what we did here, as the park is mainly accessed via man-made pathways - wooden paths, stairs (SO many stairs!) dominate, but I get why: where there weren't pathways, it was MUDDY! We had a blast and got about a 3-mile hike with the dog. A VERY successful, ACTIVE weekend, I'm so glad I was flexible and chose to ditch my Training Plan for 2 days. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wycwyc" target="_blank">#wycwyc</a>!!</div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">I still have some other blog posts floating around in my head that I hope to get written up in the next week or so. Things have cooled off at bit around the office so I'm thinking I'll be able to carve out some writing time in-between workouts over the next few weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">I'll leave you with some pics from our day of hiking:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SUPER HAPPY #RUNNERDOG, EVEN AFTER THE HOUR-PLUS CAR RIDE.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hLcJgUkKgQETWnBYQHSrSQQnwOzXwUpzxIGh278aqwZSCKfsDF9lP_HiWEhrwhbynfZoOHb4TiLZ0g60oeafhUwpbzr2MLO8zsNjOgSLtTTRr7Gborc9NL5WfKGDLtF_JoaAy3ZUvNG3/s1600/Starved+Waterfall1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hLcJgUkKgQETWnBYQHSrSQQnwOzXwUpzxIGh278aqwZSCKfsDF9lP_HiWEhrwhbynfZoOHb4TiLZ0g60oeafhUwpbzr2MLO8zsNjOgSLtTTRr7Gborc9NL5WfKGDLtF_JoaAy3ZUvNG3/s640/Starved+Waterfall1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-89431192266474001862016-01-12T11:43:00.000-08:002016-01-12T11:43:04.763-08:00The Deck is Stacked<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
I swear sometimes the "healthy living" cards are just stacked against you...</div>
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I brought <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/healthy?source=feed_text&story_id=840965126025311" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">healthy</span></a> leftovers to work last Friday but the boss took us to lunch, so today I came in planning to eat those. Sadly, they'd gone bad. OK, so I tells myself, "SELF: you're still going to eat reasonably well today!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEherUowfmrAT1lyVAa7cnJjd5NeD_tRNhcPpJvfuDYQytfg8pfcMJop3NlzuP13gP1-E7MwTEIvV6m6y2-fbS5Kh_EJ4XEpRXmCGZgUX6R7azuhbb7riqrobU8-MVESXGxg_XFb68OGTEV0/s1600/Wycwyc+Win+the+Little+Battles.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEherUowfmrAT1lyVAa7cnJjd5NeD_tRNhcPpJvfuDYQytfg8pfcMJop3NlzuP13gP1-E7MwTEIvV6m6y2-fbS5Kh_EJ4XEpRXmCGZgUX6R7azuhbb7riqrobU8-MVESXGxg_XFb68OGTEV0/s320/Wycwyc+Win+the+Little+Battles.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yGIIyxkoBxUeyV7OtBfT3moyN7chLHNx6dPKPG4RwUf7zjwpBRJC0oCWYrT5UKWwUfB1jZpPZPEYbcJk17JKFr6HMAyn9wnA8LSonxZ7V-Sl0AyUdmR0J8qmxvaQjJnlMelSXlMwNVXO/s1600/NPH+Sigh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yGIIyxkoBxUeyV7OtBfT3moyN7chLHNx6dPKPG4RwUf7zjwpBRJC0oCWYrT5UKWwUfB1jZpPZPEYbcJk17JKFr6HMAyn9wnA8LSonxZ7V-Sl0AyUdmR0J8qmxvaQjJnlMelSXlMwNVXO/s320/NPH+Sigh.jpg" width="320" /></a>and I go online (consciously saving myself the pressure of ordering in person, caving and getting a greasy burger or other sandwich) and order a lovely salad<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"> to pick up. I resist the urge to mindlessly order a delicious cookie to eat with said salad. I freaking love those cookies. I click "SUBMIT ORDER" and I go to pick up my delicious salad. SANS cookie.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">When I get there, I end up having to wait a while despite ordering ahead (and despite the fact the place was virtually empty, no customers ahead of me). No prob, I'm cool as a cucumber. I pay.</span></div>
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Cashier says, "Sorry for your wait. I hope you don't mind; I put a cookie in the bag to make it up to you. Have a great day!"</div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-31813296846051469242016-01-11T06:46:00.002-08:002016-01-11T06:46:21.840-08:00A New Year Starts with... Dieting with The HubsThe Hubs determined he'd like to lose some weight in the new year. Furthermore, he was adamant that he wanted to do this through diet changes alone ("I go up and down stairs all day at work I get plenty of exercise!"). So, although I don't really care for "dieting," I am going on a Diet with him. Because we support each other. He puts up with a VERY messy house while I go on long runs while training for half-mary's; the least I can do is join him in a little crash dieting. Hell, we all know I'd like to lose a few pounds too, and if we don't do a CRASH crash diet, what's the harm?<br />
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The Hubs' idea was not SO radical... no "shake for breakfast, shake for lunch, etc," although he did briefly entertain eating nothing but protein bars for breakfast and lunch. I told him I just couldn't get behind that plan. Think of the cost, for starters! (That got him.) <br />
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He felt the best approach was to make nothing but CHICKEN BREASTS, RICE, and BROCCOLI for dinner every night for a month. This basically means nothing but CHICKEN BREASTS, RICE and BROCCOLI for lunch as well, since that's kind of how we roll in our household. After several days of discussion prior to the New Year, we agreed to be a bit more flexible. it's CHICKEN BREASTS, RICE (white or brown, dealer's choice), and ALL THE VEGGIES YOU CAN HANDLE, COOKED ANY WAY YOU CAN THINK OF for dinner every night. And the rice will be MEASURED - one cup per meal, and if you still feel hungry, more protein and veg. <br />
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He's eased up on the 30-Days thing. We're going to follow this routine, I think, until he JUST CAIN'T STAND IT NO MO'.<br />
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So Sunday became a Food Prep Day, including preparation of what is a bit of standard for me at this point (but the boys don't exactly go gaga for it) - Roasted Root Vegetables. This batch included onion, turnip, parsnip, carrots, rutabaga, radishes and fresh, already-cut-in-half Brussels sprouts that I found in the Buy This Quick Before It Goes Bad section of my favorite produce department. (AKA the Rotting Fruit Area) I've been adding these veg to bulk up my lunches and / or serve as a side dish with whatever The Hubs makes all week long.<br />
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As you might imagine, this quickly turned into a Creative Cooking Challenge. We're 4 days in, and I've already decided I need Yummly on my side. I found a recipe yesterday that I tried out. CHICKEN BREASTS, White RICE (we are low on brown, not enough to make a meal... <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23groceryshoppingfail&src=typd" target="_blank">#GroceryShoppingFail</a>), a TON of mushrooms, and, in fact, roasted BROCCOLI and cauliflower. It made a great sauce by basically creating your own home-made version of the condensed mushroom soup you might otherwise use, and I really liked it. The Hubs didn't love it but it was OK. The Kid thought it was GREAT. (Big Mushroom fan, that one.) I tweaked it based on what I had on hand (added onion and actually steamed, then pureed, a half a Rutabaga and put that in the sauce too) but <a href="http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Chicken-and-Roasted-Broccoli-with-Mushroom-Sauce-534884?columns=5&position=1%2F1" target="_blank">here is the recipe I used</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I made this!</span></div>
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One day this week I made CHICKEN BREASTS Fajitas, except I added a half a turnip to the fajita vegetables (leftover from Roasted Root Vegetables I'd made on Sunday, didn't want it to go bad... thought maybe no one would notice.) And of course, we served it over RICE, not on a tortilla.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I've been encouraging The Kid to snack healthier, too. Or at least keep the fresh produce from going bad. With limited success. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">These apples are still here, and if you have any suggestions for what do with them... I'm listening.</span></div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-79774427084376308652016-01-08T05:40:00.000-08:002016-01-08T05:43:35.736-08:00Wait, I signed up for WHAT?<div class="tr_bq">
So I just registered for a new race. In the registration process, they asked to get to know me better. Here is what I wrote (partially copied from my Twitter profile):</div>
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<blockquote>
I'm Chris. My occasional blog posts can be found at CPAGrrrlStrongerFasterBetter.blogspot.com. </blockquote>
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I run, I eat, I occasionally swim, I struggle with my weight.<br />
I #wycwyc (pronounced "wick-wick!"),<br />
I am a #261FearlessAmbassador and<br />
I #StandwithPP. </blockquote>
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My crazy runner friends talked me into doing my first Triathlon and I'm writing this before starting any training at all, and quite frankly I am scared out of my wits. So things are just as they should be. </blockquote>
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LET'S DO THIS!</blockquote>
So there you have it. I'm registered for <a href="http://www.espritdeshe.com/events/triathlon/naperville/" target="_blank">my first Triathlon</a>. <br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">HOLY CRAP.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyou5j6g7B0Q9MNwjFUYmzelFJvlbdVlznwDY8CPPlLYSGTd-P3w26_NKnrILuRf6sKcjjLJOQ8IJM6q5ABWzXYPp77nyLDl789O2wfCnLB1mOACk3beUSqQTiVSI30oaRMM1qDYyhcRaO/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyou5j6g7B0Q9MNwjFUYmzelFJvlbdVlznwDY8CPPlLYSGTd-P3w26_NKnrILuRf6sKcjjLJOQ8IJM6q5ABWzXYPp77nyLDl789O2wfCnLB1mOACk3beUSqQTiVSI30oaRMM1qDYyhcRaO/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">How in HELL did this happen?</span></div>
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Oh right, my awesome <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/lakerunclub/" target="_blank">crazy runner friends</a> provided a TON of Positive Peer Pressure, and after several days of researching and looking up training plans and debating whether my relaxed approach to training could actually get me ready for such a thing, I decided to DIVE IN. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The course is described as:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 30px;">The Gildan Esprit de She Naperville Triathlon is a sprint distance triathlon in and around Centennial Beach. The swim course takes place in the Centennial Beach Reservoir, guided by lane markers and swim buoys and supervised by a large team of lifeguards. Our “Swim Angels” will also be available as a measure of encouragement and added safety. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 30px;">The bike course is two laps on paved roadways throughout the Naperville area and the run traverses paved roads and paths through Riverwalk Park. </span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They add:</span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 30px;">
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please note: there will be a a two hour cut-off time to complete both the swim and bike portions of the race (from the last wave). In addition, there will be a three hour cut-off time to complete the entire race (from the last wave).</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-size: 15px; line-height: 30px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">.75-kilometer (.5-mile) swim | 21.4-kilometer (13.3-mile) bike | 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run</span></blockquote>
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The swim is, of course, the scary part. I <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter/photos/a.409349785853516.1073741835.334239013364594/559406584181168/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">learned how to swim better</a> about 18 months ago, and have been practicing occasionally since, using the indoor pool at my gym. I was VERY pleased to find that "Centennial Beach" is really a POOL and not a lake environment, since I have a real problem with lakes. <i>[They kinda gross me out. They're just like big stagnant pools of water, who wants to swim in that? Yuck. This California Grrrl says give me an ocean or a pool, please.] </i>But I digress. Back to my weak swimming skills. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YAY! It's a pool! Image courtesy <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Centennial+Beach,+Naperville,+IL+60540/@41.7712257,-88.1565327,144m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x880e57c47d9cffe5:0xfb3b1d7c7c959f5e" target="_blank">Google Earth</a></td></tr>
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Swimming a 1/2 mile is scaring the crap out of me. I can barely swim 2 laps without a break now. Speed will be of NO concern in this race; only finishing the swim. A 13-mile bike ride will take me a little over an hour, and a 5k after all that might take as much as 45 minutes (!) but it all sounds like a cake-walk once the swim is done. Based on the cutoff time, I will have to finish the swim in under 45 minutes or get serious about going faster on my bike. Hmmm. I think a test-swim is in order, and quickly. <br />
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I've gotten my hands on a <a href="http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-list.asp" target="_blank">free training plan that looks like it will suit my needs</a> (and has a long enough timeline that I can build in all the flexibility I'll need to make that work). And I guess I'm going to baby-step my way to participating in my first Tri. <br />
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I'll be <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23wycwyc&src=typd" target="_blank">#wycwyc</a>-ing the HELL out of this. <br />
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I repeat: HOLY CRAP! Can't look much into the future on this one; one step in front of the other. Step 1: go for a swim this weekend.<br />
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CPAGrrrl, OUT.CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-37595317796473808122016-01-04T19:33:00.001-08:002016-01-04T19:33:59.634-08:00To the Gym Rats of the World<div>An Open Letter to the Gym Rats of the World (Whom I Would Very Much Like to Emulate):</div><div><br></div><div>I joined the throngs of new and returning gym goers tonight after work. Love that my gym was still not overcrowded. </div><div><br></div><div>I read somewhere that only like 8% of them (us) stay consistent throughout the rest of the year. I once again strive to be part of that 8%.</div><div><br></div><div>I had a challenging bike ride and 30 minutes of strength training (back, biceps, core) and The Hubs made a super healthy dinner for us. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLArdfgJGXwcVm2LHEbU9zMxesmHlp127VZ5LjXToSkfzGS66qXVjbhMIFVDm6rtCCEJvdHO5xN5fTzNWRWCcvBMNfYfZ3RzqS-KU3W-dYY-42BhIzr3fWFa1Y-IrmnegkAxM0XQ9PEra/s640/blogger-image--1494920771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLArdfgJGXwcVm2LHEbU9zMxesmHlp127VZ5LjXToSkfzGS66qXVjbhMIFVDm6rtCCEJvdHO5xN5fTzNWRWCcvBMNfYfZ3RzqS-KU3W-dYY-42BhIzr3fWFa1Y-IrmnegkAxM0XQ9PEra/s640/blogger-image--1494920771.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>So, gym rats of the world, relax! You'll have your space back soon. Meanwhile, throw some encouraging words at the newbies and (me) those who are recommitting, and hope to attain Gym Rat status by this time next year. </div>CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-30346500997036243922015-12-31T10:23:00.004-08:002015-12-31T10:23:53.043-08:002016 Goals: Gym VisitsWith the new year approaching, I have of course been contemplating fitness goals for 2016. I think we're all aware that I tend to be loquacious and I thought as a favor to us all, I'd break this up into a couple of shorter posts. See <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-goals-mileage.html" target="_blank">GOALS, part 1 here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2-hRHuoHWzM4tfBkf0WHj7kUHATtI1DCUIe5O7EBezGmYd20QJHpXU9A5XcwGPo0kCyA5WEp5G6DWxi_W4GH_MBuLfD39ZrBI2fwvKNEO6HH1b-mkI2nF51KtwirXpWhwxMM-G8bj6_o/s1600/Courtesy+of+Jawbone.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2-hRHuoHWzM4tfBkf0WHj7kUHATtI1DCUIe5O7EBezGmYd20QJHpXU9A5XcwGPo0kCyA5WEp5G6DWxi_W4GH_MBuLfD39ZrBI2fwvKNEO6HH1b-mkI2nF51KtwirXpWhwxMM-G8bj6_o/s320/Courtesy+of+Jawbone.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source: <a href="http://view.emails.jawbone.com/?j=fec216747060037a&m=fe9c13727464077e76&ls=fe5b1d7170640c7d701c&l=ff65167576&s=fe5c16787765037d731d&jb=ff60137471&ju=fe5c157177630078721c&r=0" target="_blank">Jawbone Email</a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">2016 GOALS, part 2 -</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: blue;">Total Number of GYM VISITS: </span></b><br />
<br />
I wanted to make this an explicit goal for the year. Something that I actually measure and track in my daily running log, which by the way, I am still using this year, all the way at the end of the year. (That's a major accomplishment - never made it past summer months before.) But I wasn't sure exactly what the goal should be, so here's my thought process:<br />
<br />
52 *should * be easy... 150 is clearly too hard. Wait, how many times / how often did I get in there THIS year? Fun Fact: I can check that using my LAFitness app...<br />
<br />
Check out this pattern:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoPzfAYNsBWbti34kvxgp5mRpDJ5G5gVZ8iEGy25aXw8Y51QJxjRE1qqESfBbJs5-Dder-ZH8sbOcRYtWDGXmY5g61doAUU3xsFvjygEy_FdSE4cWf50xRlaM84k-jFQBI9Sn_I92G0J7/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoPzfAYNsBWbti34kvxgp5mRpDJ5G5gVZ8iEGy25aXw8Y51QJxjRE1qqESfBbJs5-Dder-ZH8sbOcRYtWDGXmY5g61doAUU3xsFvjygEy_FdSE4cWf50xRlaM84k-jFQBI9Sn_I92G0J7/s640/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
So it turns out, yes, averaging once a week SHOULD be easy, since it's what I'm already doing.<br />
<br />
<i>Tripling </i>that to 3 times a week just strikes me as impossible, setting myself up for failure. So that's out. <br />
<br />
<i>Doubling </i>it, though? Seems daunting but if I'm committed to increasing my gym visits (translation: actually DOING strength training and swimming more often), then making the habit stick should be tough but doable for the first 6 weeks, then easier, until I hit my Really Busy last-three-months of the year. And by then, all I have to do is remember that Gym Time is My ME Time, and hit it on the days when I've had a bad day and I'm feeling maybe a little bit stabby. <br />
<br />
And, on the advise of The Hubs, amp that goal up by 10%, because if it sounds "doable", it's probably just a little too easy. So then, 51 * 2 * 110% = 112.2. Let's call it 110.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>OTHER GOALS:</b></span><br />
<br />
Remaining goals for the year are basically tangential... and should be achieved as part of these two larger Mileage and Gym Visits goals. But for the record,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am setting a goal of <span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">30 swim sessions</span> (counts as a gym visit)</div>
<br />
I would like to incorporate some additional speed work into my running training programs. The point of the speed work is to get back to running comfortably at an 11:30 pace. To that end,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am setting a goal of a <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">S</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">ub-35-minute 5k</span>.</span> </div>
<br />
The last time I set a similar goal, I hit it at the St. Patrick's Day race, so on the off-chance that happens again, I'm upping the ante already to a sub-34 5k. My PR is 34:32 at an 11:07 pace. (Let's hope I need to refer back to this in 2016 to remember what I said.)<br />
<br />
And yes,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I am setting a weight-loss goal for the year: <span style="color: blue;"><strike>25</strike> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">30 pounds</span>.</span> </span></div>
<br />
I am reticent about declaring this goal. This may be worthy of a blog post of its own, but it's a post I'd rather not write so I'll keep it short. My current weight is about 202 and has been steady within a couple of pounds of that number for most of the past year, despite all my activity. Some of that was beyond my control, but <b>that's over now</b>. <br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">I'm owning it.</span></b> I'm clinically obese and losing 25 pounds doesn't get me out of that classification. But I'm over 40 and weight loss has proven MUCH more difficult since reaching that milestone. I'm shooting for realistic, attainable goals.<br />
<br />
But, again applying The Hubs's "amp it up" rule... let's make it 30 lbs. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html" target="_blank">According to the CDC</a>, that gets me into the "overweight" category at 172. I'm going to have to make some diet changes to get there, but I'm gonna <a href="http://wycwyc.com/" target="_blank">#wycwyc</a> the hell out of it. That's all I have to say about that.<br />
<br />
I'm ready to make next week the start of 365 days of Owning It. As the tag-line says... It's MY life. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm going to <span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>LIVE it</b></span>. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm going to <span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>RUN it</b></span>.</div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNC9E-zeb4Y1FMFvVid2s64Sfhq_vJXUf9JGCmlBxnn0jObQHNe_Qx4yNGvlLcJbAQje2rYX9C3jl7U3NZwhMS_wKfn2jYLfL5RVBavZSdsnaTWP-xXeMthSb3XzhukH_DPs1dxA5zKxWd/s1600/keep-calm-and-own-it-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNC9E-zeb4Y1FMFvVid2s64Sfhq_vJXUf9JGCmlBxnn0jObQHNe_Qx4yNGvlLcJbAQje2rYX9C3jl7U3NZwhMS_wKfn2jYLfL5RVBavZSdsnaTWP-xXeMthSb3XzhukH_DPs1dxA5zKxWd/s320/keep-calm-and-own-it-2.png" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sheblogs.xyz%2Funcategorized%2Fowning-your-grade%2F&psig=AFQjCNHLr3X1CEVbRM9sJuvdF-nrS9OmDg&ust=1451672214286105" target="_blank">SheBlogs</a></td></tr>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-51219136423656290032015-12-30T13:02:00.000-08:002015-12-30T15:14:41.317-08:002016 Goals - MileageI don't LOVE the concept of <a href="https://jawbone.com/blog/new-years-resolutions-fail/?utm_source=Lifecycle&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Learn%20More&utm_content=&utm_campaign=NYE%20No%20Resolutions&j=245477&e=christal@alumni.ilstu.edu&l=253_HTML&u=11274569&mid=7210333&jb=744" target="_blank">New Year's Resolutions</a>, but I am a big proponent of GOALS. With the new year approaching, I have of course been contemplating fitness goals for 2016. I think we're all aware that I tend to be loquacious and I thought as a favor to us all, I'd break this up into a couple of shorter posts. I need to do work after all...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lc2xYgXeG_wpd0vBy4bzjiKwjmi9BjrG6n8_Cc8wnzNaHz3BHIEDCLxKXbMl6iHTaJxo3eN82r9zCjfnBBwZ2ZVFD9IDXmV6X1jCr6OZkYuK6O73j8BnJV0nOVxknv1L923kY3-8AVlT/s1600/SetAndReachGoals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lc2xYgXeG_wpd0vBy4bzjiKwjmi9BjrG6n8_Cc8wnzNaHz3BHIEDCLxKXbMl6iHTaJxo3eN82r9zCjfnBBwZ2ZVFD9IDXmV6X1jCr6OZkYuK6O73j8BnJV0nOVxknv1L923kY3-8AVlT/s320/SetAndReachGoals.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://sgct63du2awknxkp167gwzzb.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SetAndReachGoals.jpg" target="_blank">Google Image Search</a></td></tr>
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</div>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">2016 GOALS, first up -</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: blue;">TOTAL MILEAGE: </span></b><br />
<br />
My 2015 goal was 750 miles, a big jump from 2014's goal of 500 (running-only). I made that larger goal because I wanted to focus on riding my bike more often and the only way I could get that kind of mileage would be from getting on the stationary bike at the gym or on my actual real-life bicycle and hitting the trail. This would help me in both riding the bike more, and (BONUS!) encourage more gym visits when the weather or my schedule made outdoor biking undesirable. <br />
<br />
It worked! I made big strides in my biking mileage - about 180 miles that I wouldn't otherwise have gotten. I want the goal for next year to be challenging, require more biking, <b>and </b>get my running game back on track. Last year I also committed to running only shorter races with the goal of getting faster. That <i>did </i>happen, <i>and </i>it didn't. I did run only shorter races - nothing longer than 10K and I did three 10Ks - but my pacing has not been improving. My workouts have been sporadic and unfocused. I haven't followed a dedicated training plan or done regular speed-work. In all honesty, walking both dogs at the same time, while convenient and time-saving, really didn't move my toward that goal of getting back to pre-half-marathons pacing. All that said, the mileage goal needs to incorporate MORE running, more <i>consistent </i>running, more <i>focused</i> workouts, yadda-yadda-yadda. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">More of THIS:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRoXubz0HKvC8LGTK2PbZNSVHGy48W4yvN1MR2d_xW9moMNoAJmZahhhQnalY2w-EzfaBu3ouxm5z2Sv9Ssx_qj6eExrS3LYTkIz7PxGU74fZyvv1kA_E46pfD4ZLZi_HrEB7HZK5q-5S/s1600/Gridley+Bike+Ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRoXubz0HKvC8LGTK2PbZNSVHGy48W4yvN1MR2d_xW9moMNoAJmZahhhQnalY2w-EzfaBu3ouxm5z2Sv9Ssx_qj6eExrS3LYTkIz7PxGU74fZyvv1kA_E46pfD4ZLZi_HrEB7HZK5q-5S/s320/Gridley+Bike+Ride.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here's what I'm thinking: a 20% increase in biking mileage gets me to around 220 bike miles. Add in a 10% increase in running / walking mileage and I get to something like 880. That sounds doable. And, on the advice of The Hubs, amp that goal up by 5-10%, because if it sounds "doable", it's probably just a little too easy. So then, let's call it an even<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>930 Miles.</b></span></div>
<br />
I like 930 because it's also my dream pace of 9:30. (You may not recall, but I do: my <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2013/01/surprise-surprise.html" target="_blank">best-ever one-mile pace</a> is 9:50.)<br />
<br />
Next up: a new parameter to measure in 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-8116598734857756902015-12-21T11:31:00.002-08:002015-12-21T11:31:37.726-08:00Lies, Damn Lies, No 4Well <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/" target="_blank">Carla </a>has done it again. I read her post this morning on <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/2015/12/21/mama-im-so-strong/#comment-251726" target="_blank">how she endeavors to instill confidence in her daughter</a> and she asked for comments, saying "<em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 29.25px;">what do you believe is one thing adults can do to help preserve girls’ self-esteem?"</em><br />
<br />
I've been meaning to write a blog post. My last post isn't what I really want on my home page. This new post was going to be about some small changes I've implemented in my routine recently. I've also been noodling on a post about 2016 goals (what with the new year looming, who isn't?)<br />
<br />
So clearly it was time for a new post. My attempt at a short comment in response to Carla's question, turned into THIS:<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.openbiblemessage.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Grit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.openbiblemessage.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Grit.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I once tried out for little league baseball. My brothers were both super athletic and loved it, and one summer I thought maybe I'd give it a shot. At tryouts (I didn't know then but I do now... there's no being "cut" from the team, you just get put in different leagues or on different teams based on your ability.)(As an adult, I have the language for this - it wasn't "tryouts"; it was a "skills assessment".) <br />
<br />
But anyway, at tryouts, the first exercise was fielding the ball. Kids lined up and one at a time, you went onto the field and some adult (a "coach"? was this The Coach?) hit 10 balls in your general direction for you to catch. I was terrified of being hit in the face and didn't catch anything that came at me in the air. Not the pop-ups, sure as hell not the line drive. I think I actually just squeezed my eyes shut and held out my glove. Balls 10; CPAGrrrl zero.<br />
<br />
Next, he hit 10 ground balls in my general direction. This I thought I had a chance at. <br />
But I missed all of them. <br />
Every. Single. One. <br />
All. TEN. <br />
<ul>
<li>They went around me, </li>
<li>They came at me faster than I expected, </li>
<li>They went straight between my legs while I flailed with that glove in one hand and reached with my other, bare, hand in desperation. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>I failed. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Like, really, <i>REALLY </i>failed. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And in front of our entire neighborhood.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In front of my father and both my brothers. </div>
<br />
The whole process probably took less than 5 minutes but it seemed to go on for hours. I don't think I'd ever been THAT bad at ANYthing before. I was beyond embarrassed. More than that - I had a <b>great</b> vocabulary - I could list TEN different words for how I felt.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was mortified.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was crushed.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was humiliated.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was ashamed.</div>
<br />
I tried to hold my head up as I got back in line for the next round, our turn to hit. The kid in front of me - I can't recall his name but I knew him from the neighborhood (and we were <b>not </b>friends) - he said something, berating me for not even being able to pick up a ground ball. <br />
<br />
That was it. I burst into tears as my father walked up. I imagine he was saying something cheerful and encouraging. I also imagine he had no idea what to do with a crying potential-ballplayer. I imagine how confounded he must have felt. (Basing this primarily on my own utter confusion any time someone begins crying in a situation where it's the last thing I'd expect.) I don't know if he asked me if I wanted to leave, or if I said I wanted to or what. But that's what happened next; I went home. Baseball tryouts: OVER. <br />
<br />
I've learned to enjoy watching baseball. But I've never been part of a team sport. I was on a youth football cheer squad. But my mom was the coach. I'm not sure I ever really gave myself credit for that. (Perhaps I should <strike>have</strike>. Perhaps I should <strike>still</strike>. Perhaps I should.) In high school, I started tryouts for the volleyball team, but quit before the first cut. I have never joined in a company softball game. The physical activities I participate in now are all individual - running, walking, biking, swimming. I rarely even join a class at my gym. This stuff isn't "my dad's fault." Hell, I wouldn't say any of this stuff is even a negative outcome. But I believe this stuff was <b>influenced </b>by the outcome of that day. I wish <b>my </b>future choices had been influenced by a moment where I <b>stayed in that line</b>, even though I didn't want to. I might have found out I was better at hitting the ball. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrG2gWfCcf-CZfcR4e1m9VFO6pNgEIUusmzLKIT4lgU6EE0G61AdrysfkdC_7Vwhof-poR9Gjo9QmtRCdYHxgk8-CnaU7yhsuG_jGRBnptin40UASiJ5-stVO5EnQv0l9oxxdVq2NlTBN/s1600/Chris+Cheerleader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrG2gWfCcf-CZfcR4e1m9VFO6pNgEIUusmzLKIT4lgU6EE0G61AdrysfkdC_7Vwhof-poR9Gjo9QmtRCdYHxgk8-CnaU7yhsuG_jGRBnptin40UASiJ5-stVO5EnQv0l9oxxdVq2NlTBN/s320/Chris+Cheerleader.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CPAGrrrl Cheerleader</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Maybe I <b>wouldn't </b>have learned to be better at going after a literal ground ball. Maybe I am simply Not Good At That. But maybe I would have learned sooner how to go after a metaphorical one. My father accidentally taught me that day, that it was OK to quit when something was a physical challenge. And I believe NOW, that was a lesson I would have been better off without. </div>
<br />
I learned at an early age that my brain was a powerful <strike>tool</strike> muscle, that there are very few academic challenges I can't overcome with some effort. And those lessons have stuck with me and gotten me through countless struggles. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="322" src="https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/v/t1.0-9/225705_2032744947023_8184158_n.jpg?oh=0b378a7cc1c3d998ca152c2311c086a0&oe=56DA70C7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I learned early to value what my MIND was capable of.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Sometimes you need more time, </li>
<li>Sometimes you need to ask the right person for help, </li>
<li>but sooner or later, </li>
<li>ALL problems have an appropriate solution. (correct? maybe, sometimes there are more than one of those) (and sometimes there are <i>none</i>.)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLqIBi8mQTguUdktN6e_wOEqgpdC4cq2tRpGZnjAFxxGEJdjaRRvWrqZvCe8VpoHLqDly2gvt43lkhldXIeoV38kFBAh9xldg2rzCBnV4CEraZXU-r2OU_NVb25Dr8Gqdw1eyxg5salms/s1600/Chris+Jaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLqIBi8mQTguUdktN6e_wOEqgpdC4cq2tRpGZnjAFxxGEJdjaRRvWrqZvCe8VpoHLqDly2gvt43lkhldXIeoV38kFBAh9xldg2rzCBnV4CEraZXU-r2OU_NVb25Dr8Gqdw1eyxg5salms/s640/Chris+Jaws.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This GRRRL ENJOYED using her brain for fun and learning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
At the same time, I have walked away from countless physical challenges, saying: <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"I'd never be able to do that." (says fucking who?) </li>
<li>"I have no upper-body strength." (True, but why was that viewed as a <b>permanent </b>condition?) </li>
<li>"I am not very coordinated." (I imagine that can be remedied or at least improved upon with some practice.) </li>
<li>"I fall down a lot." (OK frankly that's just truth. I fell down LAST Friday and was limping for 2 days.)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnbcugn0ca-R-P71tH5tT_u9A1FoJe9AcsXLgOnQKaBbGOrh2eFS7Ivx8DO2DnirB8Pu1LRD9q-XYNqIXdpssP3D4XQ-I-SDa4-XOVDyT59w0GYemWJFiDaXwuB5bMOZvwMvbfT3pFy5S/s1600/Chris+Practicing+Piano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnbcugn0ca-R-P71tH5tT_u9A1FoJe9AcsXLgOnQKaBbGOrh2eFS7Ivx8DO2DnirB8Pu1LRD9q-XYNqIXdpssP3D4XQ-I-SDa4-XOVDyT59w0GYemWJFiDaXwuB5bMOZvwMvbfT3pFy5S/s320/Chris+Practicing+Piano.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This GRRRL knew the value of long hours practicing, working to learn a new skill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I think the concept I'm after here is "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit_(personality_trait)" target="_blank">GRIT</a>."[Thank you, Wikipedia.] <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit?language=en" target="_blank">GRIT </a>[thank you, amazing Ted Talk.] can be taught, and I eventually found it in my own way. I just didn't have it yet, not when it came to "sports-y" things. I believe GRIT to be the most important thing I can teach my child, the most important thing I learned from my parents, from my upbringing.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="229" src="https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/250201_2276991893044_2633228_n.jpg?oh=e24332834fe1a184784608a2a15a3c0a&oe=57095E61" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It took GRIT to keep going back to school after every obstacle that interrupted forward progress. I was never ashamed that it took 12 years to finish that degree. I worked my ass off EVERY MINUTE of those 12 years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are moments as a parent when you blow it. Sometimes you KNOW you blew it - that time you snapped at your son for something small but really it was because your boss made you feel like shit at work that day and you hadn't had a chance to decompress before picking up the kids from school - you know you blew it <b>that minute</b>. You do what you do - maybe apologize, maybe not, maybe you try to make up for it some way, <b>definitely you try not to DO that again... </b>(Parental GRIT in action.)<br />
<br />
But sometimes - and as a parent these are the things that scare the crap out of me -<i> sometimes you don't know you blew it</i>. My father blew it that day. I'm sure he didn't realize it. Certainly at the time, I had no idea anyone <b><strike>besides me</strike></b> was blowing it. And it's not that he did anything <i>wrong</i>. But looking back with the clarity of a 40-year-old woman who wishes she'd had more appreciation for what her BODY was capable of, as well as her MIND, I sure wish he'd found a way to make sure I stayed to the end of tryouts. <br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">LIES I TELL MYSELF</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">(and proof they're not real)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">No. 4</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;" />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
"I CAN'T DO [<u>this thing</u>]"</div>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;" />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">LIE.</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;" />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Here's the truth:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I don't know how to do [<u>that thing</u>]. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-25904809777420003852015-12-01T12:47:00.001-08:002015-12-01T12:47:16.430-08:00A Walk Without a Dog<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I took a walk.
I went somewhere I’ve never been before, and walked around for a
half-hour or so. In a new place, one I’ve
never visited with The Hubs, or with one or both of the dogs for an adventure,
or even on my own or with a girlfriend, I walked. The path was steep, so I climbed and climbed,
slowly and slowly. I watched my footing,
as one does when navigating unfamiliar terrain.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not think about my deep sadness. I did not ponder grief. I did not recall watching my dear bully
struggle, in pain, and labor for breath.
I did not think about how useless and stupid I felt, watching him in his
last moments, unable even to help him die with dignity. I didn’t brood about how deeply affected my
family has been by our big strong dog’s sudden but still somehow drawn-out
passing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn’t mull over how much work I had waiting back at the
office, or consider what I should do first upon my return. I did not make a mental list of tasks and priorities. I did not plan what’s for dinner or what I’ll
do this weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn’t even avoiding meditating on all these things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 15.6933px;">I just watched my footing.</span><span style="line-height: 15.6933px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 15.6933px;">And I walked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IMXP_T0BWYoDWVUYTHIUtdo3PD9_EFZ2HNZ7AazUqw13pC5rQqqBIqJXtSFROxQDjCJmt_XJTbRYPQvP0TehN1FagyzSCrdrWlCDD675Fa1RSwDcHcmVpJ-rT1s9HlvyY8gsGnccDX2T/s1600/Open+relaxed+Louie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IMXP_T0BWYoDWVUYTHIUtdo3PD9_EFZ2HNZ7AazUqw13pC5rQqqBIqJXtSFROxQDjCJmt_XJTbRYPQvP0TehN1FagyzSCrdrWlCDD675Fa1RSwDcHcmVpJ-rT1s9HlvyY8gsGnccDX2T/s640/Open+relaxed+Louie.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-85180196734434090452015-10-31T09:04:00.000-07:002015-10-31T09:04:57.189-07:00What I Did Last Summer (or Late Fall)I am surprised that my <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/live-it-run-it-manifesto-of-sorts.html" target="_blank">Manifesto Post</a> was a full 2 months ago - I have been blogging in my head all along but haven't given myself the time to write it all down! Life certainly hasn't slowed down, and neither have I... so here's a rundown of what I was up to the past couple of months, largely in pictorial form:<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>I did that <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/100-days-100-days.html" target="_blank">bike ride</a> I've been talking about! 22 Miles from home to my brothers-in-law's house and it was just as much fun as I'd suspected. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRoXubz0HKvC8LGTK2PbZNSVHGy48W4yvN1MR2d_xW9moMNoAJmZahhhQnalY2w-EzfaBu3ouxm5z2Sv9Ssx_qj6eExrS3LYTkIz7PxGU74fZyvv1kA_E46pfD4ZLZi_HrEB7HZK5q-5S/s1600/Gridley+Bike+Ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRoXubz0HKvC8LGTK2PbZNSVHGy48W4yvN1MR2d_xW9moMNoAJmZahhhQnalY2w-EzfaBu3ouxm5z2Sv9Ssx_qj6eExrS3LYTkIz7PxGU74fZyvv1kA_E46pfD4ZLZi_HrEB7HZK5q-5S/s320/Gridley+Bike+Ride.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDRTVnwhIOvmSAcdRf82GWIkc_hN3z4q7lG1tWCOzxxGJXm5bHGeupDjplZGJ9InQLbXjPhOnWDqyI0TFX8HRM5-_cNAY05ESdWc51Dyb-VM-51waNe841RdZ3R6TuSuiL-i5qGryj2bx/s1600/Gridley+Bike+on+Bike+Ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDRTVnwhIOvmSAcdRf82GWIkc_hN3z4q7lG1tWCOzxxGJXm5bHGeupDjplZGJ9InQLbXjPhOnWDqyI0TFX8HRM5-_cNAY05ESdWc51Dyb-VM-51waNe841RdZ3R6TuSuiL-i5qGryj2bx/s320/Gridley+Bike+on+Bike+Ride.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Sadly, my <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23milestreak&src=typd" target="_blank">#milestreak</a> is broken, but I<a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/100-days-100-days.html" target="_blank"> restarted it</a>. My mid-day walks have become part of my routine now. I don't know how this might play out as the weather turns nasty, but I'm enjoying them, so I'll keep it up as long as I can.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUopfkGdnNgo5K-5SY_TqJI5Y6Jv_ghIVMrz3XcLej_c7BA1Fxq3JXSAFIx-dvvZvA_rzImefb1-bwtFEvXuku6vLHG0LWmZDSE4nYWCWzz_t60si0fHxcsxMacLKiH2Ud8Up1FrI1e0I/s400/blogger-image-1973144506.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>Ran a few races</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAW1ChZl3w3MTc5Zf3JIsB2hb0ht-BUPotQm31IJm8dKCtzo-5NH2Z8TBcReDk2DNYsXaCQlQH9d8gOnVkalw7rQAH8zWEfw4Z4KCZ7-JLRByvlcDfBZUoBBGvZvQVZiUDv6EBJApZIb2M/s1600/We+Care+10K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAW1ChZl3w3MTc5Zf3JIsB2hb0ht-BUPotQm31IJm8dKCtzo-5NH2Z8TBcReDk2DNYsXaCQlQH9d8gOnVkalw7rQAH8zWEfw4Z4KCZ7-JLRByvlcDfBZUoBBGvZvQVZiUDv6EBJApZIb2M/s320/We+Care+10K.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wecaretwincitiesmarathon.org/" target="_blank">We Care Twin Cities</a> 5K and 10K Challenge, check</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbg_5iharC3n-trJU4J2wuQ3sOq4up9EjtB0-NlSw9r-OvSzvVgYCPF7fuy0_zQhs_aJTIRPduIdjvLputdSyrynNQTvm8hYmYtnmKfCSk9OYkqzqysvtFGLNCAfzBsOwft4LoRJsF0uL/s1600/Wishbone+5K-9+with+Coty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbg_5iharC3n-trJU4J2wuQ3sOq4up9EjtB0-NlSw9r-OvSzvVgYCPF7fuy0_zQhs_aJTIRPduIdjvLputdSyrynNQTvm8hYmYtnmKfCSk9OYkqzqysvtFGLNCAfzBsOwft4LoRJsF0uL/s320/Wishbone+5K-9+with+Coty.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wishbonecaninerescue.org/" target="_blank">Wishbone 5K-9</a> Run with Coty the #RunnerDog!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Celebrated Number Eleven with The Hubs!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMO8syw3WY6UPy5LDexEfDU30aVIJ7wTABIEun-CiWayRz7fGDPrmqUPZr_hMunS4eUc40gQ7vrSGrMgxhkxD94xdVyeFdZgHhMtojujyPXEK69tenpp6wVyd35Dyew65EAEH8kbjIgRP/s1600/Celebrating+No+Eleven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMO8syw3WY6UPy5LDexEfDU30aVIJ7wTABIEun-CiWayRz7fGDPrmqUPZr_hMunS4eUc40gQ7vrSGrMgxhkxD94xdVyeFdZgHhMtojujyPXEK69tenpp6wVyd35Dyew65EAEH8kbjIgRP/s320/Celebrating+No+Eleven.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>I am now a #<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23261fearlessambassador&src=typd" target="_blank">261FearlessAmbassador</a>! Check out <a href="http://www.261fearless.org/" target="_blank">the web site </a>for this newly organized non-profit organization and see if there might be a 261 Fearless running group starting near you! Our mission is to bring active women together through a global supportive community – allowing fearless women to pass strength gained from running and walking onto women who are facing challenges and hence sparking a revolution of empowerment. POWERFUL STUFF and RIGHT up my alley. I will be incorporating their message into my social media posts and occasionally here as well. I couldn't be happier to be part of this amazing group of women!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQwea-8AEJMoWVmdO8PTtM32CE_kGMz56lxZP-gWyLjafEXdkUuF3Aokfe8ZBbA5Mf7i2RO5-1ie3qio7pDBrhC641vKm68rR6A5YPLvwTVgBCm9m29tOkkZGGdU5zcBkkvNkLE6_7G3c/s1600/Chris+and+Raegan+261+Fearless+Ambassadors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQwea-8AEJMoWVmdO8PTtM32CE_kGMz56lxZP-gWyLjafEXdkUuF3Aokfe8ZBbA5Mf7i2RO5-1ie3qio7pDBrhC641vKm68rR6A5YPLvwTVgBCm9m29tOkkZGGdU5zcBkkvNkLE6_7G3c/s320/Chris+and+Raegan+261+Fearless+Ambassadors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>I've been volunteering for some of my favorite organizations - answering the phones during the pledge drive for <a href="http://wglt.org/#stream/0" target="_blank">my local public radio station</a>, and organizing next week's #YWCATrivia Night in support of the YWCA's <a href="http://www.ywcamclean.org/site/c.bsIMI3NHKfK4F/b.8525683/k.AD76/Stepping_Stones.htm" target="_blank">Stepping Stones</a> program - they do great work - check out their web site, and hey, <a href="http://ywcamclean.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1142608&lis=1&kntae1142608=BF8F55727B714FAEAA8169A40B1E1DA3&supId=425715442" target="_blank">click here to donate to my team</a>!</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMo_bxnP-DpV6wCn2_Pta_2S062YcE6G2Zbv-0uyrkWN8PzPHJOk8WDHMybwp7rSgXc4NrqrXWTfeYtZz7h9VKty5j4WwjGTH98xOdC0YXcJLLsMt2pjPc4c-IneNpSEX_rQj7VioaD6m-/s1600/Volunteering+for+GLT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMo_bxnP-DpV6wCn2_Pta_2S062YcE6G2Zbv-0uyrkWN8PzPHJOk8WDHMybwp7rSgXc4NrqrXWTfeYtZz7h9VKty5j4WwjGTH98xOdC0YXcJLLsMt2pjPc4c-IneNpSEX_rQj7VioaD6m-/s320/Volunteering+for+GLT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>The Cubs blew it. Again. We had some fun watching, but I remember it being a lot more fun the last time around - 12 years ago we had a blast, right up until we lost it.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRadnXXnLhPiWViZIwZXo52ARklw_skE6DRfDwc6G7EFCUvBge6-YJb3To1J5lzWonHzOaAKyCn5oPlQ8seK0uPEsPXivGWH5v_CZmtIxAIsuM6br3UHvzLLvc1tmoCJ8N_O37ExdkSk4/s1600/From+a+happier+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRadnXXnLhPiWViZIwZXo52ARklw_skE6DRfDwc6G7EFCUvBge6-YJb3To1J5lzWonHzOaAKyCn5oPlQ8seK0uPEsPXivGWH5v_CZmtIxAIsuM6br3UHvzLLvc1tmoCJ8N_O37ExdkSk4/s320/From+a+happier+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wrigley Field on <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-recap-2013-race-to-wrigley.html" target="_blank">a happier day.</a></td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>I read <a href="http://ronisweigh.com/2015/10/my-daily-bookends.html" target="_blank">this post</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/RoniNoone" target="_blank">@RoniNoone</a> and started implementing some different strategies. These small changes have really made a positive difference in my life recently. I'm going to write separately about this one... in LESS than 2 months.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>And I've worked. A LOT. Turns out, I have found myself yet another job where September and October are freaking INSANE busy and stressful. But I'm managing, and doing my best to stay consistent.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHq9AARD9nbfzgZPTiAzSzmpvbiefaFnVdu_hFgy_grlUr4LaaI-5-T2XENmZfs6fobKe5aIqYGYPs0xAMfi-52t-Tq-n8wigmxZghd1CwQLI2DAk9sLaajEuSIGAswJweK0k69TzifCn/s1600/Worked+A+Lot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHq9AARD9nbfzgZPTiAzSzmpvbiefaFnVdu_hFgy_grlUr4LaaI-5-T2XENmZfs6fobKe5aIqYGYPs0xAMfi-52t-Tq-n8wigmxZghd1CwQLI2DAk9sLaajEuSIGAswJweK0k69TzifCn/s320/Worked+A+Lot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working from home, Louie likes to help.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>But these are still my best friends.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mqF-V43ivh4XdO5Sr1Y1Gfq8wGsY-exUywY3X9-bKYTh6StsTor-uWkq0YZ9YTxfN9qQ0k5nyztcX2JDNkbgEh0jVMuhD2L3c6AeiUUgmQuMtdGiuyNLEHSCZ3pI0c3q1vS7uJw42NB3/s1600/Still+my+Best+Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mqF-V43ivh4XdO5Sr1Y1Gfq8wGsY-exUywY3X9-bKYTh6StsTor-uWkq0YZ9YTxfN9qQ0k5nyztcX2JDNkbgEh0jVMuhD2L3c6AeiUUgmQuMtdGiuyNLEHSCZ3pI0c3q1vS7uJw42NB3/s320/Still+my+Best+Friends.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">It was a pretty good "summer." </span></div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-82316536924424161052015-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:002015-08-30T12:56:00.094-07:00Live it. Run it. A Manifesto of Sorts?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am applying for the 261 Fearless Ambassador program.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the questions is this:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24.5px;">If you could give advice to other women who are trying to incorporate running into their life, what advice do you want to share with them? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24.5px;">This question sparked some passion in me that I could barely control. I had to edit it down to the space allotted</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24.5px;"> for responses. So I thought I'd share it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is my answer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I started running, I did everything I could to do it in private. I didn't want anyone to see me trying to run, trying to teach myself how to run. I had led a very sedentary life and in my late 20s I was trying to completely change how I viewed myself, the type of activities I spent my time on, and what I wanted to do with my life outside of work. </span></div>
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I was afraid other runners would ridicule me, I was afraid that drivers on the street would honk and make fun of me, yell things from their car windows and embarrass me. I was fat and I felt old and clumsy and I was terrified of being seen in public trying to change that. </div>
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Eventually I gained the confidence to join a group of beginner runners. Essentially it was a Couch to 5k-type of program and it COMPLETELY CHANGED MY WORLD. My outlook on this activity was radically changed by the time I'd finished the 10-week program. </div>
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I learned that the running community is not a group of high school jocks who are going to make fun of me for being slower or for struggling. It’s a group of SUPPORTERS who have my back! </div>
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The “intimidation” and "fear" I experienced was really more about fear within myself. Fear of failing, fear of succeeding, or maybe just fear of trying something new. </div>
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Don’t let THAT stop you! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NEVER LET FEAR STOP YOU FROM DOING WHAT YOU WANT! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go out in the street! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Run and walk on the trails locally! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you really need an excuse or to take attention from yourself, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GET A RUNNING PARTNER - GET A DOG! ANYTHING. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just don't ever let fear control your actions. </span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It's YOUR life.</i> </div>
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<b>Live it. </b></div>
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<b>Run it.</b></div>
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Actually, now that I've written that last bit, I like it so much I think I'll make it my new tag line. Because this blog isn't really about faster times and weight loss these days; it's about how I'm <b>living </b>my life, and the ways I'm <b>changing </b>how I live my life. I like it!</div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-81986247186298364282015-08-28T08:46:00.004-07:002015-08-28T08:47:26.409-07:00100 Days! 100 Days! A few months ago, <a href="https://twitter.com/RoniNoone" target="_blank">@RoniNoone</a> offered a <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23milestreak&src=typd" target="_blank">#milestreak</a> challenge and I proclaimed, "I'm IN!" <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ronisweigh.com/2015/05/mile-streak-anyone.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" #Milestreak" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsxOPz6rIwzmHR4gQwH5oSOun_IrrrW4Lhfu66tOFsfYqEZzjTdcGXowf9u56Y8Swu91LylTYPTcgYInuZTTqgvHhN92gOscNczNj9_EfqmSgV_dZrBSvnVBU8pplzqjKGL63vU-Xsvo7/s400/runstreak.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today is a big milestone for me: I have <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23wycwyc&src=typd" target="_blank">#wycwyc</a>-ed my way to DAY #100! One Hundred Days of walking and / or running at least one mile a day. I would like to RUN more, but right now, my life is structured in a way that makes a RUN-streak a "guaranteed failure" situation. I loved that this challenge allowed for "Run, Walk, Skip or Crawl" - just find a way to get it done.<br />
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This challenge has required some creativity (<i>turns out there's a 1/4-mile loop if you walk the perimeter around my office building/parking lot</i>), some commitment on days when I was swamped (<i>aka "needed it the most"</i>) and days when I wasn't feeling it (<i>aka, "needed it the most"</i>), and some decision-making about what "counts" as walking a mile (<i>"DOES hunting for a bottle of wine count?" - "What about unpacking the car last weekend for the Race for the Cure registration event - back and forth back and forth?" I wore my GPS out of curiosity and it turned out to be about 0.5 mile - should that count for the day? It was a long and tiring day... but I decided in that case, Nope, it doesn't count.</i>)<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I haven't walked today's mile yet, but </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today is NOT the day I break my streak. </span></div>
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I have really enjoyed this challenge. It has reminded me that it's really not all that hard and definitely not all that time-consuming to get a mile in, even in the middle of the work day, and once in a while, the dogs can get a two-a-day, even if someone else already took them for their Daily Adventure. <br />
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Maybe this is an odd way to celebrate, but because I'm working today and won't have a lot of time for extra exercise, I plan to walk at lunch and / or after work today, and celebrate with a 15-mile bike ride over the weekend. (Yeah, bike miles don't count for my streak, but I have this other goal in mind:)<br />
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See, a few months ago, my brothers-in-law bought their first home. Instead of living in an apartment a few blocks away, they now live in a very small town about 20 miles away on country roads. We see them only slightly less than before - <i>it's not THAT far</i>. But ever since they moved, I've had this idea about some day biking to their house, having The Boys meet me there with the truck, and then we can eat, drink & generally Be Us, and drive home in the truck with the bike in back. (I would also have to pack a change of clothes in the truck and probably hit the showers when I arrive, but we're all close like that, it's cool.) <br />
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I don't ride my bike all that much, and 20 miles is an awfully long way for a leisurely rider like myself with a beat up cruiser of a bike, not really made for serious road mileage.<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">But I'm ambitious like that. </span></div>
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I've been making a point to ride each weekend, anywhere from 5 to 10 miles. This weekend I'm upping the ante. I figure if I can get 15 miles on Constitution Trail and the country roads north of here, and get home via a route that DOESN'T go up that one big hill near my house (trying to top that hill at the end of a long ride is how I hurt myself back in May), then I think I can probably handle 20 a couple of weeks after that. The roads are mostly flat and if I can physically do it, the only other concern is safety - and I should be able to select a route that keeps me off of the busiest of the country roads to the house.<br />
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So, a 15-mile bike ride is on tap for this weekend, in celebration of<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">100 Days (and MORE!) of Streaking.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/1/30/1422588325141/662bf007-a7d9-4a5a-a5c2-d706df5b19ea-2060x1236.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=83f9e0f88f3400814897b4a3d224fe88" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbg6vaGEkWJZJHB_D2Ltv3ehxRijcbf_luqlYVwpa9grP12pXecjKZVcZagDaJ13riY6mefaD3kgPi45kvI1jhR1phbMMuOwuo6O2u95gER9g5QqSV4A_PwgRFepG1rg34ftRm9bORTROi/s320/Keep+Streaking.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/1/30/1422588325141/662bf007-a7d9-4a5a-a5c2-d706df5b19ea-2060x1236.jpeg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=83f9e0f88f3400814897b4a3d224fe88" target="_blank">Keep Streaking, My Friends</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWtoR4pkbR48Vuafwu50P5twwIMyQ0QweFqz56_fOpnG0PZYs-_J9Ke4zKhybOgjkllD0VOkYH052sgcEUMfLBnkb92oyTSZLf8EH5Wsl4RcDnahyBZQfEivmw9SKAncXLBCoR9Ebtq77/s1600/q7m5x+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWtoR4pkbR48Vuafwu50P5twwIMyQ0QweFqz56_fOpnG0PZYs-_J9Ke4zKhybOgjkllD0VOkYH052sgcEUMfLBnkb92oyTSZLf8EH5Wsl4RcDnahyBZQfEivmw9SKAncXLBCoR9Ebtq77/s640/q7m5x+%25281%2529.jpg" width="508" /></a></div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-86867449673054760012015-08-14T06:22:00.000-07:002015-08-14T07:03:57.252-07:00Happy, Safe and Warm<div>
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This post first appeared as a "Guest Post" on www.carlabirnberg.com. Carla is amazing - check her out!<br />
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The Hubs and I rescued <a href="http://cpagrrrlstrongerfasterbetter.blogspot.com/2013/07/ive-been-bad-blogger-lately.html" target="_blank">this pitbull</a> two years ago. He's anxious, sometimes unpredictable, and early on, there were moments when he was downright scary. <br />
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We didn't know his history. His behaviour and responses were like nothing we'd encountered in previous pets. We wondered how to train him. We worried if we didn't <strike>fix him</strike> address the behaviours, he'd do something <i>really </i>bad and end up euthanized. <a href="http://righteousbabe.com/pages/sekou-sundiata" target="_blank">Longstoryshort</a>, we brought in <a href="http://www.pawstrans.com/" target="_blank">a professional</a> who taught us how to teach this dog. How to read him, how to redirect him. How to remind him that he doesn't have to be in charge all the time. And slowly, he learned to trust that we could keep him safe. <br />
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He still gets agitated sometimes, and when he does, one way I calm him is to make him sit (<i>this is essential - he can't "hear" me if he's too agitated to sit</i>), and I kneel (<i>get down on his level</i>), hold him steady with my face right by his (<i>but not blocking his view of The Scary Thing That's Got Him Upset</i>) and whisper as calmly as possible: <br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The world is a happy, safe and warm place.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No one and nothing can hurt you here.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm506HymFtQz0AWrQs_ujzM7k_VdWZDsFM46PVbd_IW5woa7GlbK-XIUbInBTtv-M6ZIsX8fOCp7WWPt9-Fe26YMUiU96PzVZonw4pJN6-xd_piOvBNouhJNv0kriRc1FPsIH8J9teTYbr/s1600/Happy+Relaxed+Louie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm506HymFtQz0AWrQs_ujzM7k_VdWZDsFM46PVbd_IW5woa7GlbK-XIUbInBTtv-M6ZIsX8fOCp7WWPt9-Fe26YMUiU96PzVZonw4pJN6-xd_piOvBNouhJNv0kriRc1FPsIH8J9teTYbr/s320/Happy+Relaxed+Louie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy, Relaxed Louie</td></tr>
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Until Louie bounded into our lives, I don't think I ever gave much voice to my own feelings on whether the world is truly a happy, safe and warm place. Certainly people and things <i>can </i>hurt me (and have, of course). From my early teenage years until I was... well into my 20's I guess, I can't quite say... I didn't really find the world to be all that happy, safe and warm. For a variety of reasons that I won't go into, there was a great deal of instability in my life that carried on even once I had the ability to control such things (<i>which one cannot do as a teen, but somewhere between 14 and 25 that responsibility shifts and it's on you, right?</i>) During that time, I would not have used any of those words, Happy-Safe-Warm to describe my experience of life in general.<br />
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I can identify the moment when that began to shift. It wasn't a switch that was flipped (<i>I don't feel safe </i>did not overnight become <i>I Feel Safe</i>), but the day I met The Hubs, my world view began to change. It was not "love at first sight" but within a matter of weeks, I found myself gravitating to wherever he was. I wanted to <i><b>cocoon </b></i>myself in his apartment and never leave. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfCciw17_Wx0SWKZJuVI_vd9aWBo22FUlZfGNdRicClNJNqSbLcQuyWOl-Sn6LFkjcb-AuNAnEqU3GxjCNL90xw5vbict_G3vaw9Kmid39i2zN4XlahAL6lPJH_JoYyZSabdoFa2Psmd_/s1600/Louie+Cocoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfCciw17_Wx0SWKZJuVI_vd9aWBo22FUlZfGNdRicClNJNqSbLcQuyWOl-Sn6LFkjcb-AuNAnEqU3GxjCNL90xw5vbict_G3vaw9Kmid39i2zN4XlahAL6lPJH_JoYyZSabdoFa2Psmd_/s320/Louie+Cocoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louie is a fan of the Cocoon Lifestyle</td></tr>
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I wouldn't have used these words at the time, but looking back,<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I felt that as long as I was there, </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was cloaked in something that made me feel </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy, Safe, and Warm. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I felt that no one and nothing could hurt me, as long as I stayed inside of that bubble</span></div>
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And why would anyone leave such a bubble? Ever?<br />
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The Hubs is a talker. When he's happy, he's talking. When he's angry, he's talking (<i>but louder</i>). When he's reminiscing, he's talking (<i>storytelling, more slowly</i>). When he's tipsy, he's talking (<i>animatedly</i>). When he's agitated, he's talking (<i>faster and about anything and everything BUT the thing that has him agitated</i>). He was willing and able to do all the talking, and he didn't need me to say much. No pressure to talk about my feelings (<i>yech</i>) or my history (<i>oh dear god no I don't want to get into that</i>) or my plans for the future (<i>at that point there were none to speak of</i>) or my worries or my fears or any other damn thing. I could sit with my feelings and listen to him and when (if) I wanted to talk, he'd listen. Meantime, he would carry our conversations.<br />
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I wasn't SILENT, mind you. I just didn't want to talk about anything REAL. Not then. I wanted to stay in the bubble, and I didn't want to acknowledge that anything else existed. And these days, The Hubs is one of maybe three people I really want to "get real" with. (<i>Yes, I know. Louie isn't the only one around here with Trust Issues.</i>) (<i><span style="color: purple;">Or maybe not? Maybe all anyone really needs is those three people.</span></i>)<br />
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I read two posts from <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/" target="_blank">Carla Birnberg</a> recently that sort of rattled my brain, kept bouncing around and wouldn't leave me. The first, about the concept of having a <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/2015/06/11/who-is-your-safe-person/" target="_blank">Safe Person</a>, brought all this history to mind. It reminded me how unstable, unsafe I felt in the Bad Old Days of my early 20's. It reminded me what a blessing I have in The Hubs. He has been my Safe Person. We didn't call it that, though. We just said "You're my favorite thing to do."<br />
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The second was <a href="http://carlabirnberg.com/2015/07/20/her-voice-is-part-of-the-silence/" target="_blank">this post</a> about... well, to be honest, her words prompted me to talk to others about it, and I have had trouble explaining what this post is about! I guess the way I read it, it's about the definition of "listening." It touched me and reminded me of a specific conversation. Her post resonated with me so much that I commented:<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
I worry often that The Hubs thinks i’m never listening. He’s a “yammerer” too and in the earlier days of our relationship when we’d snuggle into the wee hours I would often fall asleep, ear to his chest, listening to his voice.<br />I asked him if it hurt his feelings when I’d fall asleep while he was mid-sentence. He brushed it off – I think it DID, at least a little, hurt his feelings. Until I explained:<br /><span style="color: purple;">“Your voice calms me like a lullaby. It makes me feel happy, safe and warm. I never want you to stop talking and I never want to interrupt.”</span></h4>
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We don't really snuggle late into the night these days like we used to. (<i>When did that stop? And WHY? I resolve to incorporate more snuggling.</i>) <br />
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<span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He is STILL my Safe Person, my favorite thing to do. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He still makes me feel Happy, Safe, and Warm. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Day.</span> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpiyfqj14OY6UU6Bi92B-fn2hWbsLmxyedlxhQ-FEPHlEwPhsMW2kMzZLwfYM3EXrqrAT-WbaEenphprxeg6XXSvX2_5BWakaDsAUiKxkBbh5g9dC3QNnsFDYRM_tiJaMLoyyYvRTQHAq/s1600/When+we+met.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpiyfqj14OY6UU6Bi92B-fn2hWbsLmxyedlxhQ-FEPHlEwPhsMW2kMzZLwfYM3EXrqrAT-WbaEenphprxeg6XXSvX2_5BWakaDsAUiKxkBbh5g9dC3QNnsFDYRM_tiJaMLoyyYvRTQHAq/s320/When+we+met.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we met</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6IzxbuPgwbWK_yUnpDhyphenhyphentE8YRSijxySyZ884sqhxyAK1m2Zl7NZbojTjz4NVa-GnWRfokR-CafnLvO3rDyAHjf5Uy_h-9Cg0h1ApTXCdkhDX0aGW7GMiX40BYjWBXRCIj6y6RlclLdYX/s1600/20+Years+Later.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6IzxbuPgwbWK_yUnpDhyphenhyphentE8YRSijxySyZ884sqhxyAK1m2Zl7NZbojTjz4NVa-GnWRfokR-CafnLvO3rDyAHjf5Uy_h-9Cg0h1ApTXCdkhDX0aGW7GMiX40BYjWBXRCIj6y6RlclLdYX/s320/20+Years+Later.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 years later</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifidILKrVSwHhXXjQmWAloLS9yriG0hlV5MRSfE1Y3kzCx4uAXCgrOmWKx7abiufQd9aQtWWEM9GBG47OqI73cCkbVZGZBddcrbtPE-eH-eKX5ZnlYlNcI0qS4hFrvoAzmjmzTOu5DzRFS/s1600/Pool+Party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifidILKrVSwHhXXjQmWAloLS9yriG0hlV5MRSfE1Y3kzCx4uAXCgrOmWKx7abiufQd9aQtWWEM9GBG47OqI73cCkbVZGZBddcrbtPE-eH-eKX5ZnlYlNcI0qS4hFrvoAzmjmzTOu5DzRFS/s320/Pool+Party.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last weekend - Snuggling RETURNS!</td></tr>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-33081572785739039372015-08-11T11:13:00.002-07:002015-08-11T11:13:19.510-07:00What Day Is It?Last night was the last night of the 2015 Heat Wave women-only running group. I sure do love that program. I was a volunteer leader again this year - which is funny, because I'm not SUCH a strong runner... I'm just very enthusiastic. Even as "leader" for the "back-of-the-packers" I sometimes struggle to keep up. Last week was awful - my calf muscles were tight and wanting to cramp and they just never let up, the whole run I was just in pain. Until about 40 minutes in. That's right, you heard me. FORTY minutes. I had a miserable night and as a "Group Leader" felt like a failure. But I guess I can say I was providing an example of how even experienced runners have a SHITTY RUN now and then. Suck it up, buttercup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKLSi18ApbXBiD2vUmAjpzhgIwlkKe5l24n8BJYa4v0MuQmUo3j_He150ZQRzOSWM4YfA-aDlWuz3Gb2ss1JUzeje8w7hyphenhyphenAZvq7QIOsjCWT5brnaKfRkD8PO5oBr3QGBvWgqMt0FwpILp/s1600/Bad+Run+Better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKLSi18ApbXBiD2vUmAjpzhgIwlkKe5l24n8BJYa4v0MuQmUo3j_He150ZQRzOSWM4YfA-aDlWuz3Gb2ss1JUzeje8w7hyphenhyphenAZvq7QIOsjCWT5brnaKfRkD8PO5oBr3QGBvWgqMt0FwpILp/s320/Bad+Run+Better.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
During THIS week's run; however, got into a great discussion of "Balance." Shifting focus from "weight loss" goals to "fitness" and "attitude" orientation, and how that can affect things both positive and negative. This past year, my goals had to make that shift, which required a great deal of soul-searching and conscious effort to reward myself for different behaviours, set different weekly / monthly goals, and begin looking at the number on the scale in a whole new light. That gave me some space (mentally), taught me to be kinder to myself, and ease up on the pressure to Always Be Losing. (When losing becomes impossible, that pressure is a recipe for self-hate, not self-love.)<br />
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My goal was to stay active, enjoy the "Active Lifestyle" I have constructed over the past six to eight years, and get comfortable maintaining that level of activity in the body that I HAVE, rather than waiting to start enjoying activities when I have the body I'm "supposed to obtain." The part of that shift that was hardest for me was learning to tell the difference between "being kind to myself" vs. "being lazy" or "being complacent." It's still not second-nature, but when I take the time to think through my decision-making process, it's always really easy to decipher.<br />
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Sometimes, "just showing up" is a win. And I'm all about rewarding, celebrating, and acknowledging those days and giving props to myself when I Just Show Up. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxmzQIc1jWJk2a0U9Pudu2oXrtUOW3Q4I-tJdYPvQJx_CR8ZrrMprJJZYg92B6NTk0arWZlCGrfbIx-YH8sTEYVNUA78z7LvuEeS1584yu37NPYBJ6SdfTmvme6NUq4ysqZlcfd-GP9jv/s1600/Showing+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxmzQIc1jWJk2a0U9Pudu2oXrtUOW3Q4I-tJdYPvQJx_CR8ZrrMprJJZYg92B6NTk0arWZlCGrfbIx-YH8sTEYVNUA78z7LvuEeS1584yu37NPYBJ6SdfTmvme6NUq4ysqZlcfd-GP9jv/s320/Showing+Up.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofanaspiringmaintainer?fref=ts" target="_blank">Michelle's Facebook Page</a> - I saved as a great reminder for myself.</span></td></tr>
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But other days... I can do better than Just Show Up. Some days, I could kick the crap out of my workout and still come back for more.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The trick is knowing what day it is, and pushing myself appropriately.</b></span></div>
CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-8999006738199325482015-08-05T11:45:00.005-07:002015-08-05T11:45:56.242-07:00Smoothie Adventures, Horned Melon<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Here's what today's breakfast looked like as it was being assembled:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-C91rF4q76ttCxxS1zS5kNUCCGz3ukeMLOEoGyAy7VgHZlRLB6FfkajT6CvdVQWM4pge4Hm_FjTQA7TlkCEW5QhOIBBkhteiJzp_E83AS66-f-dvTt2dZraZhwVBrtC05Q7QpaCG5y4rJ/s640/blogger-image-1047071150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-C91rF4q76ttCxxS1zS5kNUCCGz3ukeMLOEoGyAy7VgHZlRLB6FfkajT6CvdVQWM4pge4Hm_FjTQA7TlkCEW5QhOIBBkhteiJzp_E83AS66-f-dvTt2dZraZhwVBrtC05Q7QpaCG5y4rJ/s640/blogger-image-1047071150.jpg" /></a></div>
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Horned melon: SCARY FRUIT! It looks obscene and rather frightening when you slice into it. Here's a close-up:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29CtVMpR1DLsJcWOS3IAFOUl1cQ1e-Ox1Hqu1HlQYiDyoWRZebLKA6xatNC9puHI2RbeER73UHrHVay2yNWdyLnnbpF2G2LEZ8SCsDFxareX0gR_WuUyFwWjIVmAUbTKr1Lak_BRGndxL/s640/blogger-image-2100672591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29CtVMpR1DLsJcWOS3IAFOUl1cQ1e-Ox1Hqu1HlQYiDyoWRZebLKA6xatNC9puHI2RbeER73UHrHVay2yNWdyLnnbpF2G2LEZ8SCsDFxareX0gR_WuUyFwWjIVmAUbTKr1Lak_BRGndxL/s640/blogger-image-2100672591.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was also very concerned when I saw all of the seeds. And even more so when the smell hit me. If you LOVE cucumber, you'd love the smell of this fruit. Me, I hate cucumber. I'm using the word "Hate" here. I REALLY don't like the stuff. The smell makes me a little nauseous, the texture makes me feel like vomiting. And the taste... I do not find it pleasing. (<i>I love pickles and zucchini though...</i>)</div>
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This thing smells strongly of cucumber. I gamely pressed on, though (<i>and decided if I just couldn't ingest the end result, I'd hit a drive-thru on my way out of town</i>). <span style="color: purple; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Yes, I had a backup plan, and it was a drive-thru.)</i></span></div>
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At this point, I'm fairly certain this is going to be an unmitigated disaster, so I Googled a "real" recipe for a Horned Melon Smoothie (<i>really this is so I have someone to blame when this is inedible and I put it down the garbage disposal</i>). Google says those seeds are edible, so I squeezed one half of the melon until all the jelly-like stuff and most of the seeds had come out. </div>
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Every recipe I found had basically the same ingredients: pineapple (<i>there's a little in the mixed fruit bag we have on hand... oh crap I'm out</i>), blueberries (<i>check</i>), and mango (<i>check</i>). So I throw in half a frozen banana, half a mango, a couple handfuls of my frozen blueberries, and a crapload of frozen grapes in various colors, laid the cup on its side in the freezer (<i>so the liquidy melon stuff wouldn't just be stuck by morning</i>), crossed my fingers and went to bed.</div>
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This morning I added protein powder and as much water as it took to fill the cup to the "max fill" line, took a deep breath, and hit "Blend."</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This. Was. Edible.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNV9xPTMgeT-14i0aDYLFQaLhxJfcsPV0Z_ryxyQcYcCTtj-MeR0HYaZd21y_2GdqCFVK7aB4xrr5Q82wpz4JTLvm3PwNwOHnhfid3otV6MiWdMvyWcd6I16J90aW5S9bb8C8zvSYMQurz/s640/blogger-image-80786782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNV9xPTMgeT-14i0aDYLFQaLhxJfcsPV0Z_ryxyQcYcCTtj-MeR0HYaZd21y_2GdqCFVK7aB4xrr5Q82wpz4JTLvm3PwNwOHnhfid3otV6MiWdMvyWcd6I16J90aW5S9bb8C8zvSYMQurz/s400/blogger-image-80786782.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I liked it. It was not actually all that different in taste from the other recipes I've been making. </div>
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Though, with the skin from all those grapes and blueberries, and of course those seeds (which were broken up pretty well, but could maybe have gone another 20 seconds in the blender), the texture was kind of gritty. After a while I learned to just swallow and stop trying to chew that stuff.</div>
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And it was so filling (<i>think of all those seeds...</i>) I was only able to drink about half.</div>
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I did NOT leave a sample for The Hubs. He wanted nothing to do with this mess!</div>
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I'm a little curious how all those seeds (<i>think "extra fiber"</i>) are going to affect my digestive system. But it's 2pm and I'm alright so far, for what that's worth. (<i>Too much?</i>)</div>
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All in all, I say it was a successful experiment. I'm still up for trying new things.</div>
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What about you? Have you tried something new recently? What is an unmitigated disaster, or were you pleasantly surprised?</div>
<br />CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-24758064836309621382015-08-04T12:58:00.003-07:002015-08-04T13:02:46.998-07:00Smoothie Love and a Weigh-InThe Hubs came home from a Sam's Club trip with a new toy a few weeks ago: a <a href="http://www.ninjakitchen.com/nutri-ninja-auto-iq/BL682" target="_blank">NutriNinja(r) </a>blender, food processor, smoothie maker and all-around most amazing tool in my kitchen right now.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxpkV4RVzZcwlwaYlhW9thFASJKpncRdmHvFU4NwA0G0jy9sg59FFhSZhRNMckeEc-hJZBJvpjtAF6LUoTKkhgP7giKMytaKIb3A8zH5YCHXc_zT5LjFnRDV0CDcvYEr228ZxODjXGMUV/s1600/NutriNinja+setup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZxpkV4RVzZcwlwaYlhW9thFASJKpncRdmHvFU4NwA0G0jy9sg59FFhSZhRNMckeEc-hJZBJvpjtAF6LUoTKkhgP7giKMytaKIb3A8zH5YCHXc_zT5LjFnRDV0CDcvYEr228ZxODjXGMUV/s320/NutriNinja+setup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ninja with accessories</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Having this thing right there on the counter has quickly altered the way we have been cooking: fresh salsa last night made from roasted poblano peppers - this was a last-minute decision and was considered, decided upon, and done, all in about 5 minutes. Pureeing fresh produce to add flavor to whatever we're making for dinner just became a no-brainer. And breakfast... well, if you follow me on Twitter, you know my whole breakfast routine has changed overnight.<br />
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I've gone a little nutty with smoothies lately. Partly it's the design of the NutriNinja... it came with three cups, <b>which have to-go lids</b> (hello, morning commute, how are ya?). Total. Game. Changer. What I've been doing is prepping the cup with fruit the night before (basically about 1 1/2 cups of frozen fruit plus 1/2- to 1 banana), putting the sippy-cup-lid on and sticking the whole thing back in the freezer. While I'm at it, I get my vitamins ready and set up the coffee as well. Now I'm good to go in the morning. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2B4p8OBcPzJtYO6JAMYM5d_nfbwib375vUyC68xuv5mNOFV_OscP97SLkkMAwylzWj6GGN_yxC0o2D8kfnuyYWFnZbwppzcQ97dDCEVv9KvyKhTFENLKzddGXZTsJds_LmYH66TEmKDeh/s1600/Breakfast+before+and+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2B4p8OBcPzJtYO6JAMYM5d_nfbwib375vUyC68xuv5mNOFV_OscP97SLkkMAwylzWj6GGN_yxC0o2D8kfnuyYWFnZbwppzcQ97dDCEVv9KvyKhTFENLKzddGXZTsJds_LmYH66TEmKDeh/s320/Breakfast+before+and+After.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast, Before and After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All I have to do is turn the coffee pot on on my way to the basement to do my hair and makeup, then come upstairs to kiss The Hubs goodbye, pull the cup from the freezer and add liquids (yogurt, juice, milk, water - some combination) and <a href="http://www.pureprotein.com/products/natural-whey-french-vanilla-16lbs/" target="_blank">protein powder</a>, screw on the blade and hit GO, and the IQ thingamabob does the rest. The machine really seems to know whether or not the fruit has been blended enough to drink. I don't have to babysit and pulse and shake it up so get fruit to fall down into the blade. I hit that GO button and get my coffee ready and by the time that's ready, breakfast is ready too. Put that sippy-cup-lid back on and out the door I go.<br />
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My consumption of fruits and vegetables (okay, fruits, mostly) and plain Greek yogurt has gone through the roof. I've been practically hanging out in my <a href="https://www.meijer.com/t4/grocery/produce/fruit/tropical-and-exotic/t1/t1-865/t2/t2-9971/t3/t3-175/T4-1696.uts" target="_blank">favorite produce section</a> every Sunday perusing whatever weird tropical items they have on hand (that I would normally ignore because I don't really know what to do with them). They are ALL good in smoothie-form!<br />
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Some of the ingredients I've been using (obviously not all at once... usually 2-3 at a time):<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KdxMNpenZTUJNv1P-ulp47-Usqs6JEv99tKrm2_dlgM2ANSprw0fS_QoJvSAV62BX2fJXcRrSLzeLUEegUY9y74dFbuDv8SEIk1VAa4cWn_jIO-uhASB0IxWYAacSAY6QhByZ1Skw2DE/s1600/Freezing+grapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KdxMNpenZTUJNv1P-ulp47-Usqs6JEv99tKrm2_dlgM2ANSprw0fS_QoJvSAV62BX2fJXcRrSLzeLUEegUY9y74dFbuDv8SEIk1VAa4cWn_jIO-uhASB0IxWYAacSAY6QhByZ1Skw2DE/s320/Freezing+grapes.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for freezing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dole.com/Products/Frozen-Fruits/Wildly-Nutritious-Mixed-Fruit" target="_blank">Dole mixed frozen fruits</a> - a Sam's Club item that I'm burning through lately.</li>
<li>Frozen blueberries, something we've always kept on hand but ran out of very quickly last week.</li>
<li>Bananas were on sale recently at Aldi for like 12 cents a pound so we bought... well, ALL of them. I just waited for them to get really over-ripe and then packaged in sandwich-sized sip-top baggies and lay flat in the freezer.</li>
<li>Fresh blueberries - they go bad fast but I just rinse and layer on a paper towel in a baking sheet and put it in the freezer. In this case it was much cheaper than the frozen.</li>
<li>Grapes - see what I did to fresh blueberries. Again, these were on sale SUPER cheap recently so I bought them all. I've never heard of grapes in a smoothie but it works marvelously. Also, they're fun to eat when they're frozen.</li>
<li>Mango? Yes - a little goes a long way because it's so flavorful and you can freeze it once you bust into it.</li>
<li>Dragon Fruit? Oh yeah. It looks like cookies & cream but has a super mild flavor that really gets lost if you're not careful.</li>
<li>Papaya? Getting used to it. a little goes a VERY long way for me. Taste is weirdly spicy, smells like a vegetable - a little like a red bell pepper, maybe? - but the texture is very much like a melon - cantaloupe or pumpkin maybe. It's weird but a nice flavor to keep the daily breakfast smoothie from getting boring.</li>
<li>Horned Melon? I bought one last Sunday but haven't yet had the nerve to cut it open. I guess that's tomorrow's fruit experiment.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yNCenwP3YFwSvDtE8e0FPfG1KNj5E8uq3InUp_M59reKgCTjAkf6WsczF7ZwuO8k2NhCH25FJIoroDl-CkOGXrnRA7upK14r0HvRpeCBssDRX_9-I2Jettufzgo8IlIld6W17MUFiBM8/s1600/Giane+Papaya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yNCenwP3YFwSvDtE8e0FPfG1KNj5E8uq3InUp_M59reKgCTjAkf6WsczF7ZwuO8k2NhCH25FJIoroDl-CkOGXrnRA7upK14r0HvRpeCBssDRX_9-I2Jettufzgo8IlIld6W17MUFiBM8/s320/Giane+Papaya.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Papaya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I love that I can "eat" breakfast in the car, no muss no fuss, and NO DRIVE-THRU. This is working really well with my lifestyle right now.<br />
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For the record, nobody's paying me to write this. I am just in love with the product. but if you're interested, I believe The Hubs picked this beauty up at Sam's Club. I've been giving out some @NutriNinja love on Twitter for a couple weeks now. They shared some recipes and helpful tips as well! <br />
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This morning I was getting ready to leave, I went into the bedroom to kiss my sleeping husband goodbye and tell him "I love you, have a great day" as I do most Mondays and Tuesdays. He rolls over, and still sleeping... grunts, "Oh God it's Smoothie Time again. Close the door!"<br />
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So there's a little peep-hole into my world.<br />
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On a more serious note... I have for no obvious reason, dropped 4 pounds from my previous week's weight. I'm skeptical, holding excitement at bay until next week's weigh-in. I can't take the disappointment when this happens and all or nearly all of the weight reappears the following Sunday. My goal right now is maintenance and getting fitter / healthier by eating healthier foods and moving more. I really don't want to get caught up in obsessing over my weight right now. <br />
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But hey, I'm gonna stick to the smoothie thing for now - <b>because I'm enjoying it </b>- and if it happens to be putting pressure on the scale to move that direction, so be it.CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4872497086575211884.post-39383823511353620632015-07-24T06:54:00.001-07:002015-07-24T06:55:05.244-07:00Lies, Damn Lies, No 3<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">LIES I TELL MYSELF</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">(and proof they're not real)</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">No. 3</span></div>
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"<span style="text-align: start;">Sh*t it's too late to go to the gym.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: start;">- I don't care. It doesn't matter.</span>"</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">LIES.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Here's the truth:</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I do care. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It does matter. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I say these things, it's because: </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I feel frustrated. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I feel powerless. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And maybe I really DON'T have time now that I've worked late. So maybe today isn't going to be a Gym Day after all. Too bad, life is tough. Plans fall apart, they change. Deal with it. #SuckItUpButtercup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But to say "I don't care" and "It doesn't matter" devalues my efforts. It's one of the worst ways I can sabotage myself with negative self-talk. Here's why:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3125px;">If It Doesn't Matter, then why go to the gym at all? Why plan on it in the first place? If I Don't Care, then what's for dinner? Deep-dish pizza? Pasta with extra Alfredo sauce? Just dive right into a vat of ice cream? </span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3125px;">That's the next step in that line of thinking. If I Don't Care, there's no reason to eat mindfully, make goal-oriented food choices... because if I Don't Care, there's NO GOAL to work toward. Convince myself that It Doesn't Matter and not only is the battle lost, there's no battle left to fight.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm pretty sure at some point I read a post from <a href="http://www.diaryofanaspiringloser.com/" target="_blank">Michelle</a> that I would really love to reference here... but I can't seem to find it. She's been blogging pretty regularly since like the dawn of time, and she's very insightful, so I'm sure it's there somewhere... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what one article has to say on the topic: <a href="http://blogs.psychcentral.com/nlp/2013/04/negative-self-talk/" target="_blank">Top 10 Things NOT to Say to Yourself</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #007799; line-height: 22.3125px;">There’s no use. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 22.3125px;">Telling yourself there is no use steals your personal power and leaves you with no motivation." </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 22.3125px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; line-height: 22.3125px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the suggestions in this article is to clearly identify when you have such thoughts. This is actually something I do often. Because when I HEAR these thoughts out loud, they sound RIDICULOUS - which, of course, is exactly what they are. RIDICULOUS. Calling it ludicrous puts me in the position of devaluing the THOUGHT, rather than the other way around. I can reclaim my value, confidence and esteem just by segregating my negative thoughts into their own little Shame Box.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the author's suggestion: “<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">Use the following formula:</strong> “I just had the thought…” (repeat the negative thought here). If you caught yourself saying, “I am not worth it,” for example, then you would pause and say, “I just had the thought, ‘I am not worth it.’” Using this formula securely labels the thought as a <em style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">mere thought</em>. If you do not realize that what you said was just a thought, you run a higher risk of taking it personally and allowing it to ruin your day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's another good article on the subject (I found while looking for that mystery post on Michelle's blog!) <a href="http://psychcentral.com/lib/challenging-negative-self-talk/" target="_blank">Challenging Negative Self-Talk</a> - this one provides questions we can ask ourselves to help challenge those lies we tell ourselves. For example: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Are there any other ways that I could look at this situation?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Is this situation as bad as I am making out to be?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Are my thoughts factual, or are they just my interpretations?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Am I jumping to negative conclusions?</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't really have any wrap-it-up conclusions for this post. I'm writing here about a concept that continues to challenge me. I'm working on it. And I'm going to keep at it, try to catch those I Don't Care and It Doesn't Matter thoughts as they happen, call them out, and keep acting like I DO care; it DOES matter. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because it matters. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To ME.</span></b></div>
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CPAGrrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16823284019729771083noreply@blogger.com1