{Life} Chaos, Running & My 800th Blog Post

Today I googled "how to blog when life sucks". I'm not even kidding. I've been pretty absent here on my blog personally for a while now (although I've continued to post client previews....there's quite a few sessions that have never made it here). I have wanted to blog...but just not sure what to say and how to share the pain that is my current life. I so desperately just want to tell you every painstaking detail...but my life is not my own anymore. And I really just can't handle the potential for any added criticism or judgement for what I might share.

I haven't taken any personal photos in a long time. My camera was stolen back in December in the midst of a personal crisis...and I'm still kinda recovering from it all. I recently came across an awesome mom blog that describes life as brutiful. In her words, "Life is brutal. But it’s also beautiful. Brutiful, I call it. Life’s brutal and beautiful are woven together so tightly that they can’t be separated." I have never found a time in my life for this to be more true.

I have found so much joy sharing my life with you and documenting Brooklyn growing up....I really want to continue to do that. But I'm still kinda pulling myself up by my boot straps and trying to redefine this life of mine. I hope to be back sharing it all SOON with you. Maybe tomorrow, or next week, or in a month. I'm not sure. But please come back to see what's new soon. In the meantime, I'll continue to share client sessions.

In the midst of this chaos, I have found therapy in running. In fact, I just ran the Surf City Half Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday. I'm still kind of in shock that I did it and I did it ALONE. It was a major personal victory. There were moments during the race that made me emotional that I was doing it (back in September I could not even run a full mile). I've learned some important lessons in the power of positive thinking. And I'm so impressed that this 37-year old body can still run and do it 11-minutes faster than I did my last half five years ago.

This was my mantra for my long runs, and it totally worked...

I've been bitten by the race bug. I'm hoping to run the OC Half Marathon in May and then the LB Half in October. And I'm totally convinced that both you and I can accomplish whatever we want...if we just believe it and dedicate ourselves. This shall be the start of a new chapter...

AND HOLY COW...have I really written 800 blog posts? Wowzers.

{Half Marathon} 13 weeks to train for Seattle Rock & Roll Race

 

If you know me, you know I'm goal orientated. I'm driven by challenges and goals. So, I've commited to training for my 2nd half marathon in hopes to getting me back in shape. 13 weeks and counting! That is until the Seattle Rock & Roll Marathon on June 26th. I'm registered! Yikes! I have been seriously slacking in the fitness department since even before having Brooklyn. I easily have 20 pounds to lose and needed some serious motivation. In the past, training for triathlons and my first half-marathon have been my best and most motivating option. So here we go again! I'm excited that I will be running this race with my sister Jeanene and four of my friends (Cora, Lora, Rachel, & Sarah). I had already planned to be on vacation in Washington during this time, so it's a perfect fit. I'll be tracking my progress here on the blog and hopefully that will be one more piece of accountability for me. As you might imagine, finding the time to run is my biggest challenge. It wouldn't be so bad, but Brooklyn is not a fan of the stroller these days. So I have been leaving her at daycare for one extra hour and going to run afterschool.

I've started training using the Couch to 5K app on my iPhone for my midweek runs. I really love this app and how it eases you back into running. It starts with interval training, running for 60 seconds and then walking for 90 for week one (increasing time with each run), and a voice even interrupts your music to tell you when to walk/run. I fast forwarded to Week 6 yesterday and ran for 5 minutes, walked 3, ran 8, walked 3, & attempted to finish with 5 (but was more like 3). Needless to say, I'm SORE today! I'll be using RunKeeper for my longer runs to track my pace and mileage. Wish me luck!

I like how both of these apps interface with your music. Music is a must when I run! That is also why the Rock&Roll race series is so fun. They have bands throughout the course. It's like a running concert!

 

My thoughts on running (after a baby, that is). Can I be honest? It sucks! Since having a baby I have to wear two sports bras. I'm a little discouraged by the fact that I practically pee my pants when I run now. And go figure, I didn't even have B naturally. And holy cow, I got some junk in the trunk...because my booty practically smacks my back when I run. I'm not kidding. It's not funny. It's actually a bit disturbing. But, hey...I'm working on it.

Give me 12 weeks and I'll show you a new ME!