Monday Motivation: TRX

There are really only two requirements

when it comes to exercise.  

One is that you do it.  

The other is that 

you continue to do it. 

 ~The New Glucose Revolution for Diabetes by Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Stephen Colagiuri, Alan W. Barclay

Ok so I have had a problem exercising and I have had a problem doing it consistently. I am officially 7 weeks away from the Nike Women's Marathon SF. Ask me how far my long run has been in the last month? Go ahead, ask. I ran 5 miles 15 days ago. F-I-V-E. I am supposed to run 26.2 in 7 weeks. Yikes! So what is my plan. Well 3 weeks ago when I thought I had 10 weeks left, I had the big idea that I would return to swimming, really start making an effort to attend Tri Club workouts and on and on. Shocker: I am almost 4 months into this new job and while my schedule should be predictable, there is still a learning curve and I have not prioritized working out.

So here I am three weeks later, revising my training schedule for the 3rd time and now realize the only way I can cross the finish line injury free is by actually taking that first step, so I did it. I saw on Facebook that my old personal trainer is having a TRX Bootcamp special promotion for the month of September and so I signed up. Just so I didn't have to wait until Thursday for the special, I paid the drop in fee and worked out today. If you are not familiar with TRX you can check out this video HERE.

Before I got started I was sent out on a short run to warm up. I just mapped that run and it turns out it was .75 miles. Pretty decent I think for a warm up, but it felt kinda hard. I remember thinking to myself how can I possibly do 26.2 miles. Then I flashed back to the Nike course and when I mentally break it up, the hard part was really just the last 4-6 miles. I love that the marathon is more mental than physical. Sure I have to be able to complete the distance, but having done the course last year, I feel like I have some good and bad by-products. The good: I feel like I can do it, I can even visualize almost every step of the 26.2 miles. The bad: I let myself get over confident about the distance and have slacked off. 

My "respect the distance" response is this current lack of effort is to bridge my training gap with solid core strength and cross training fitness. I honestly believe that a focused effort for 7 weeks can adequately prepare me to cross the finish line, upright. When I reworked my training schedule, I had to check the website for the official cutoff time, that is how scared I was that I might have to drop the race completely. In case you are wondering, they lovely folks at Nike have decided that 6.5 hours is the official cutoff for the pretty Tiffany's necklace. I would rather give it my best and DNF that not toe the line race morning. 

The next thing on my list is to re-connect with my morning master's swim group. They meet at 5:30AM MWF and becoming a morning person again has been tough stuff. I would like to take a moment to give thanks to my Keurig for helping me survive the last couple week. You ROCK!

Why I kick A$$: I tried TRX for the first time and survived...but just barely.

Thankful Three

1. For my Supportive Husband
2. For relaxing in the backyard with my wacky kids
3. For 8 hours of sleep last night

 

Saturday Sampler: I'm a Ho Ho

Tell me what you eat, 

I'll tell you who you are.  

~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Yes, folks I rediscovered Ho-Ho's. To keep in line with a recent post about doing a self assessment. Today I will tell you why I am like a Hostess Ho-Ho and will not talk about running.

• I have been told I have a hard exterior, like the chocolate covered Ho Ho.
• When you take a bite of a Ho Ho's hard exterior, you are surprised with a soft and sweet inside.
• I am a little crazy, just like the swirl of cake rolled with creme filling.
• I am a complicated person, like the construction of a Ho Ho. It is not just a cake filled with creme like a Twinkie. No, the Ho Ho is much more complex. First it is rich and made with chocolate cake. Then there is a perfectly equal layer of creme to balance it out. The it is gently rolled and covered by a protective layer of sweet chocolate.
• The Ho Ho is a treat and should be enjoyed slowly. I myself do not like to be rushed and think I am a treat to have in someone's life.
• As sweet as I can be, like the Ho Ho I am rolled up, or better said wound tight.

Why I Kick A$$: I am feeling more with it at work. Yay for Saturday overtime to catch up!

Thankful Three

1. For Ho-Ho's
2. For Losing weight while eating Ho-Ho's
3. For a lovely evening with the in laws

Tuesday Tidbit: Aspiring to Average

The successful man is the average man, 

focused.

~anonymous

I am totally stealing this from P HERE who borrowed if from Darlene HERE. The question on their blogs was "Am I Average," after reading the information, I am definitely aspiring to average. Point of Reference is Running USA if you are interested. My responses are below and I hope you'll repost so that I can learn more about how "average" you are.

Average Age: 38.5 – Alas, I still have a 6.5 years to go
63.2% Married  - Blissfully
78.2% College educated -  Yes, Double majored as an undergrad: Spanish and Ethnic Studies with an emphasis in Chicano Studies (Wow, that was a mouthful) and I have my Master's in Public Administration (much easier to say)
70.3% Earn a household income of $75,000+ – Yes and truly blessed with this economy
Running History:
Average number of years running: 9.9 years  - Hoping to get there March marked 6 years for me.
Average number of running events participated in during the last 12 months: 7.2 events  - I am at 7 now and have plenty of time left for more51.8% have completed 1 marathon or more in their lifetime – Will hopefully mark off #3 in October
Running Routine:
70.4% Run 4+ hours each week – Not consistently, depends on where I am with my training schedule
77.7% run 12 months a year -  Definitely
Average number of days run per week: 4.0 – I shoot for 4 and feel pretty successful with 2-3 days per week. I feel like I only need 2 on weekdays and a long run on the weekend
Average number of miles run per week: 21.9 – Usually shy of 20 unless I am in marathon training
66.1% describe themselves as ‘Frequent/Fitness Runners’ – Definitely!
Running Preferences:Favorite race distance is the Half-Marathon (39.0%)  - 10Ks are a great distance for me, but not many are offered so I think I have run more halves. I am not fast enough to love 5Ks and am only now getting into wanting to do a marathon a year (assuming injury free training)
Interested in entering next year: –
    Half-Marathon (77.0%) Definitely!
    5K (57.3%) Maybe
    10K (56.0%) Hopefully
    Marathon (43.3%) Maybe
Motivation:
Primary motivation to start running:
    For Exercise (25.0%) – Friends
     Weight Concerns (14.5%) – Kind of
     Needed a New Challenge (9.3%) – Definitely!
Motivation to continue to run: Mine was really to have a continued feeling of accomplishment, I was a former athlete and needed this integrated back into my life
    Staying in Shape (76.8%) - Yes
    Staying Healthy (74.2%)  - Yes
    Relieving Stress (64.4%)  - Yes
   
Product Preferences:Average number of running shoes purchased in last 12 months: 2.9 pairs  -  Two for me – I aspire to needing more than that
Last running shoes purchased:
        ASICS (26.4%)  - Nope
        Brooks (16.6%)  - Nope
        Saucony (14.2%) –Had a great trail pair once, but haven't gone back
65.3% spent $90+ on their running shoes –Yes
47.9% purchased their running shoes at a specialty running store – Yes. FleetFeet
Favorite brands of running apparel: 
    Nike (64.8%) – I have a few things, shorts and my purple capri's I have worn in both my marathons
    Under Armour (45.7%) – Nope
    Champion (34.3%) – I have several C9 by Champion things from Target 
    Adidas (30.7%) – Nope
80.4% spent $100+ on running apparel in the last 12 months – Goodness, just the sports bras crush this amount. Damn boobies.
59.6% purchased running apparel at a specialty running store – Yes
Health:
Average Weight: 137.6 lbs – Yeah right, unfortunately above average in this categoryAverage Height: 65.01 inches – 71.5, Woo Hoo, above average
Average Body Mass Index (BMI): 22.9 - More, I hate the BMI now, I actually have fallen in love with Body Fat Percentage, Check out my post HERE
40.9% are content with their weight – I’m not excited about my weight, but I am not miserable either
42.3% are content with their fitness level – Not thrilled, I am truly a slacker, but feel like I have so much potential for a great fitness level if I could just stay consistent.

How average are you?

Why I Kick A$$: I copy cool people, thanks for the idea P!

Thankful Three:

1. For Average
2. For Focus
3. For a fun post idea 

Sunday Summary: San Francisco

"San Francisco has only one drawback. 

''Tis hard to leave"

Rudyard Kipling

Last night was a fun night. I was invited to my BFF's for a Mary Kay party she offered to host for a friend of hers. I just switched to Mary Kay recently for my face wash, face lotion and foundation. Having used it for a couple months I decided I wanted the face powder too. I am not really a make-up kind of girl, but my job almost requires that I look a little more polished than my preferred au natural. I am not sure the product is so wonderful that I have had less break outs or the fact that I am just plain old washing my face more consistently that is contributing to less teenage like skin so not full on endorsements from me yet.

Any how, since my BFF lives half way between my place at San Francisco, I stayed the night so we could get a head start today for the city. Our objective? Down time with lots of dim sum on the menu. We arrived at the Powell St. BART station, walked to China town, did a little window shopping and also got our kiddos a little present.

I got a lovely bracelet then we headed to Pacific St. to New Asia for some delicious dim sum. My pictures don't do it justice, but we got Chinese broccoli, chow fun, shumai and shrimp balls. Yeah, don't know a nicer term to describe that one. All this was only $24 and we couldn't even finish.

Then is was off to Little Italy. I had hoped for some more binge eating, but my friend was still completely stuffed so no tiramisu and cappuccinos at an outdoor cafe. Bummer. We walked around North Beach Park then headed straight up hill to Coit tower since neither of us had ever been. Then we made our way back through Little Italy to Union Square where we window shopped at Victoria Secret, Merrill, Macy's and then got some shoes at DSW before browsing through Marshall's. I probably could have been a trooper to hit GAP, but we both had some tired achy feet and decided to stop at the Westfield Mall for some sweets before heading home.

Picture is 1 of the 6 mini Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies I got, a peanut butter cookie half dipped in chocolate, chocolate covered bacon, fleur d'sel caramel, chocolate covered honeycomb and a pecan cluster. I also had a black licorice not pictured and a slice of pizza for the road.

Why I Kick A$$: Because I was dubbed by my BFF's 3 year old to be princess for having purple nail polish.

Thankful Three

1. Friends
2. Chocolate
3. Dim Sum

Friday Five: Guilty Relaxation

The mark of a successful man is 

one that has spent an entire day 

on the bank of a river 

without feeling guilty about it.  

~Author Unknown

OMG I have been so busy that I have not posted for a week yet again! I feel like I have a better excuse this time, I was out of town for work for a few days, but it appears I am living up to my slacker name. I have the best of intentions to write (ambitious). Friday 5 here goes:

1. Sunday I wanted to do a post. I was super focused on my fantastic Saturday of working out and watching the John Wooden PBS special I DVR'd a few weeks back, that I decided I would work on a post about coaching, mentoring and John Wooden. Yeah, well I am still working on it so it hasn't been posted yet.
2. I had to go out of town for work Tuesday and got back last night. I didn't post in between, but I did reconnect with how much I love writing. When one loves writing they spend time on it, I have spent time on it, but not time to post anything. What have I been writing? Poems, a self assessment, letters to friends and a list of ideas for great writing prompts. Someday those things will make their way onto this blog, but I haven't figured out how just yet. While this blog is about everything, I also know that I mostly post about workouts, running, triathlon etc. I have to figure out my post balance. I totally dig structure so I may try to add some of these writing efforts to my Tuesday Tidbit, Thoughtful Thursday or Saturday Sampler posts.
3. I reconnected with a colleague Wednesday night, one who had been going by a diminutive of his given name. His name means leader or something close and by shortening it he was taking away from who he was meant to be. He said this was part of creating his "brand." This made me think about who I am, as I often do. Who am I? What is my brand? What do I want to project? On Thursday our training brought in one of the highest agency executives in our Region. What was her topic? Self Assessments and leadership. H-E-L-L-O! Do you think the universe is trying to send me a message here? She talked about giving ourselves a self assessment. What we think our strengths and weaknesses are as leaders? What we think people think of us, perceptions? What do we want people to think and know about us? So in addition to my coaching, mentoring, John Wooden post coming soon, you will likely see me progress through a self assessment and try the idea of creating a "brand" for myself. Do you have a brand for your self? Are you constantly doing self assessments?
4. My son is fake sick today. By fake sick, he had a little reflux at school from his breakfast and tossed his cookies. Our school has a rule that if he tosses 'em, we take him. So I took my smiling, skipping, happy dance kid home today. We are hanging in the TV room eating bagels and oatmeal watching Bee Movie. He is totally fine and I got an excuse to take a few hours off from work to relax with my Duder. The babysitter will be here before noon and then it is back to the office for me. I have a ton to do since I was out of the office most of the week for an out of town training or I would have taken the rest of the day off.
5. I am so looking forward to Sunday. My BFF needs a break and so do I. We plan to eat our way through San Francisco for the day. We are pretending we might run, but we probably won't. My office was supposed to move locations next weekend, but as it usually goes with construction, it's been delayed. I was originally booked for mandatory overtime that weekend and now I am home. My husband has jumped on the opportunity for a backpacking trip since he is no longer on full time kid duty that weekend. He is also heading to Montana for a fly-fishing trip in September. As the quote says above, my hubby is successful. He doesn't feel guilty taking these trips because he works hard at work and even harder at home. I on the other hand, while I don't feel guilty about my one day in SF this coming Sunday (yet), I do feel guilty generally about being away from home. Away for work, away for workouts and definitely away for any type of vacation or me time alone. Are you guilt ridden on "me" trips? Being away for workouts?  

Why I Kick A$$: This week's training is going fantastically. I even did some spontaneous speed work last night and nailed a 9 minute mile. Yes that is fast for me. Actually the last quarter mile was at 7:15. I think I may rework my training plan again to incorporate some speed work.
Thankful Three:

1. For a few hours with my Duder
2. For a BFF
3. For pen and paper   

Friday Five: 9.5 weeks to Nike Women's Marathon

Planning is bring the future into the present 

so that you can do something about it now.

~Alan Lakein

1. I am struggling with time management for exercise and this week struggling with time management at work. Contributing factors? There are two. The first is my Stupid Outlook eMail box which was possessed by the devil, duplicated my inbox and relocated it permanently to my personal folders and created a new secondary inbox and I had two mailboxes. I lost an assignment in the first inbox which will heretofore be referred to as the abyss. I never lose track of assignments. NEVER. The second thing that happened was I decided to take a week off from work. I came back to 400+ new emails. Literally 400+. By the time I got through them all I was already behind on those emails and even further behind on the new incoming. ugh. I think I my head is back above water in that arena.
2. I go to bed too late. When I go to bed late I can't get up early and I am currently not willing to sacrifice family time in the evenings to do it. I could decide to workout after the kids bed time since I am up so late, but to that I will admit I am just too lazy to pack up and go to the gym and running at night alone is no longer safe. When I say "no longer safe," it probably never was.
3. I haven't caught up on all the GBBPX reads, but I am working on it. I have found lots of new blogs that totally speak to me. I will "follow soon," just hard since I have been doing most of my reading on my iPhone while I wait in the Starbucks drive-thru or during break at work.
4. Nike Women's Marathon is 9.5 weeks away. I have honestly thought about bailing, but I think that admitting to that today would crush my self esteem. So the other day I reworked my training plan and have something I can live with. It'll get me across the finish line, but I won't be breaking any records. It'll only get me one 18 mile run at it's peak which honestly is longer than my longest training run for last years Nike Marathon. I'll need to cross train A LOT to ensure I stay injury free and strong enough to endure the distance with good form.
5. I think I am in need of a cupcake day. I really love one or two cupcakes, but I am a total box mix girl so I end up making way too many. How am I gonna lose weight eating cupcakes you ask? Well don't ask, LOL. Actually in all my inconsistency my weight hasn't really fluctuated, but my fitness level is not great and my clothes feel snug. What was I saying? Oh yeah, I am making cupcakes this weekend.

Why I Kick A$$: I raise kids to know who they are and to be proud of themselves and their identities. Remember folks, they are 3 and 1.5--#BeamingWithPride

Thankful Three:

1. For my family
2. For having a job
3. For my health

Sunday Summary: Why I love California

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded 

to stay out till sundown, for going out, 

I found, was really going in. 

~John Muir

Today is my last day of vacation. I am home, on my couch, blogging and watching Spanglish in the background. I slept in, had breakfast out with my family, then visited my friend who just recently had a baby and now here I am. We left on a Friday night so we had 2 weekend days, a full week, and this weekend. It's been 4 years since I have taken 9 days away like this and it has been amazing. Between having kids and the two different maternity leave sessions that went along with them, there just hasn't been a right opportunity. During this vacation we Accomplished Two Major Parent Things:

1. A different way to cope with my 3 year old's tantrums. We had so much fun each day that when it was time to "stop" having fun and go back to the condo or hotel for dinner and bed time, we experienced melt downs like no other. First we tried being patient. Fail. Then we tried having a parent trantrum. Needless to say, FAIL. Then we tried lots and lots of love and identifying with Duder by saying it was a bummer for us too, but food and sleep are necessary to have a good time again the next day and doesn't everyone want to have a good time tommorrow? This one was starting to work! It worked for about 4 days and we got an EPIC melt down yesterday leaving the beach. It last about 6 minutes and ended with him passed out in his carseat 2 minutes after pulling away from the beach. I am guessing someone needed a nap.
2. We told my almost 2 year that her "Pon" was Yucky. Pon short for Chupon which means pacifier in Spanish (didn't know you were getting a language lesson here did ya?). Yup, it was that easy. She was teething and got the customary snotty nose, which with a pacifier made for a not so cute rash around her mouth. I told her is was yucky and we were not going to have a Pon for "mimis" anymore. "Mimis" is how we say bed time. That's all it took and she was done!

Ok, so you are reading this to learn why I love California, not necessarily my parenting accomplishments, but these accomplishments are a result of our fantastic vacation in California! We live in Central California which means when I headed to Lake Tahoe for my birthday trip, it only took 2 hours to get there. So for this vacation we thought we'd head to the mountains again. On Friday July 29th we drove through Yosemite, over Tioga Pass to Mammoth Lakes California. About 4+ hours, TOTALLY worth it. If you want to see some pictures of our trip you can check out my post HERE. Did you know there is a Tioga Pass Run every September. It is 12.4 miles and the catch phrase on the poster is "Only 1 hill!" The elevation gain on the way up is over 3000 ft! Crazy! If you are wondering why Mammoth Lakes rings a bell, it might be because that is where Deena Kastor, Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi train there amongst other elite athletes. Checkout out the Run Mammoth Club site HERE, or if you are really into it, try looking up staying at Deena Kastor's place when visiting Mammoth by checking out Kastor's VBRO site HERE...a little out of our price range. While there are several well maintianed paths and trails in the mammoth area AND there are several routes mapped at the Run Mammoth web page, I decided to take my own running route home from a park on Old Mammoth Road to our condo. It would have been a great time to have had my Garmin, but alas, I didn't pack it for our trip. My two-mile route home turned into 5.8 with a 1000 ft elevation gain on the way up 7800 ft to 8800 ft after mapping on the Runner's World route program. I'll be honest and tell you I was really just hiking a lot there in the middle because I am not in hill running shape. Not this kind of hill shape at least and not at this elevation either. I hadn't run in two weeks before I went to mammoth and I ran half the number of days we were there which was refreshing. We drove home Thursday August 4th.


Friday August 5th we loaded up the car again for a "Duder Vacation" a vacation with just our 3 yr old Duder and our Bug (almost 2) at the in laws for the weekend. I want more children, my hubby doesn't, but I can see how difficult it is to give everyone there own special time and special attention with just two. I cried Thursday night thinking of leaving my daughter, but once we were on the coast I realized we could not have given the Duder this special trip with her in tow. On the flip side our Bug was getting very special treatment at the grandparents and enjoyed being the center of attention for a couple days too. Sorry no pix. We drove to Santa Cruz about 2.5 hours and had a great time eating junk food, riding rides at the BOARDWALK, playing in the ocean, getting a T-Rex tattoo and swimming in the hotel pool at 10:00PM, almost 2 hours after bed time! 

Saturday we drove to Monterey to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we ran into some friends and had a great time wondering around together, having a yummy lunch and wrapping things up by playing at the beach before driving home. This is a picture after Duder's epic 6 minute melt down on the beach and through the parking lot. So why do I love California? Because living where we live puts us in a privileged position to travel relatively easily to some pretty terrific and scenic destination spots in the beautiful outdoors. The best part? Where I live 100 degree weather is common. Hot August nights is a complete understatement, but today our high is 85 degrees and just to be extra wonderful, our high this coming week is only supposed to be 91 degrees. It's pretty dreamy.

Why I Kick A$$: I had an amazing vacation despite some hiccups that would normally derail me. Looks like I am on my way to being a glass half full kind of gal.

Thankful Three

1. Quality Time with my boys
2. Great Friends
3. Grandparents

GBBPX Guest Post

Lucky me, I get a day off and wonderful Guest Post from Jen at Running with The Girls . Love'n the new bloggy buddy system. Thanks P at Adventures of An Average Athlete for putting on such a great exchange!

Maine Biggest Road RaceŠ

And I¹m going to run it!  The Beach to Beacon is Maine¹s largest road race this year the field is limited to 7200 runners and it fills up fast. Registration for this race actually happens in waves.

1st ­ Cape Elizabeth residents (600 runners)
2nd - online registration opens for the next 4000 runners (those with quick
fingers and fast internet)
3rd - lottery system for those who try to get in on the online registration
but don¹t quite make it (1750 runners)

This is going to be my 3rd year running this event and I am super pumped. The race takes place in Cape Elizabeth, a super cute coastal town in Southern Maine.  The streets are lined with spectators cheering on all the runners and the energy level is high.  I love running through the sprinklers people put at the end of their driveways and listening to the music blaring from the speaker systems.  It is such a rush to run this race.

However, I must say, the absolute best part about this race is where it ends.  The race ends at Fort Williams Park, which is home to Portland Head Light. 

Portland Head Light was one of my mom¹s favorite spots on the coast of Maine.  She loved lighthouses and visiting them. This past time kept her busy because Maine sure does have a lot of lighthouses.  Sadly, my mom passed away nearly 5 years ago as a result of lung cancer. Her birthday is August 7 and the B2B is always held during the weekend of her birthday or close to it. Last year the race date was actually held on her birthday.  The past two years, I have become quite emotional (with lots of tears) as I rounded the final corner and caught views of Portland Head Light knowing my mom was there with me.  I run this race in honor of my mom, the woman I admire most in this world.

Link for Fort Williams

Portland Head Light Link

Wow, sounds like a beautiful place to run and recall memories of your mother. I love the picture of you and your mom, so sweet. Thanks for the post!

The Turn Around: Almost Wordless Wednesday

If you come home as happy as you leave, 

you have had a happy vacation.

~unknown

Wednesday Hump Day sounds funny, but like an out and back run it marks the turn around to the work week....expect I am not working this week! Yay! My wordless Wednesday is better named speechless. I am blissfully happy this very moment.

Why I Kick A$$: My 2 miles "easy" with a missed turn, turned into 5.8 miles of Mammoth sized hills (pun intended). Did I mention I did it in my little black Golite dress?

Thankful Three

1. My dreamy, amazingly sexy husband
2. My Golite little black dress
3. Free Wifi

Tuesday Tibit: Inconsistency

There are those who would misteach us that 

to stick in a rut is consistency--

and a virture; 

and that to climb out of a rut is inconsistency-- 

and a vice.

~Mark Twain

My blogging, like my running seems to be pretty inconsistent these days. I wonder what the corrleations might be. That if I don't have time to run, I obviously don't have time to blog? Or maybe I blog only when I have had a chance to run? I am guessing it is a combination. There are days when I know I have time to blog at night, but I am so tired I don't. There are times I give in to being tired because I haven't run and I am too ashamed to blog about it. Do you do this? Come on, admit it, you judge just a little don't you? If you don't, I love how genuinely nice you are. If you do? Well, I forgive you, I can't help myself sometimes either.

The blog world is such a great place to share experiences, but what if you aren't experiencing anything "blog worthy?" Well I think my inconsistency is blog worthy. I am know I am not alone when it comes to trying to find balance. I scour my blog roll, and the recommendations of the people I read most frequently, to find bloggers like you figuring it out. Some days it seems we all have it covered and others, I find solace in someone elses struggles. It sounds a little awful to say it that way, but really when one finds another who is having a challenging time that feeling of being alone disappears and suddenly it's us slackers against the world! At least for the moment. I wish "figuring it out" was a permanent state.

I haven't blogged in a week. A week exactly today. I have wanted to, but Wednesday was busy, Thursday was busy and Fri-today I have not had total internet access. Maybe a little 3G on my iPhone here and there...enough for Hanging with Friends, but not blog worthy connection for my lap top. Like I mentioned above, sometimes it is easier to blog when I have been running, the confidence is up and that slackertastic feeling subsides enough to put words to work. Not that I have run today yet, but I have run 2 out of the last 3 days and I haven't totally written today off yet. Today is a me day and that may or may not include a run. Having run, even just a few miles over the last few days has made a world of difference in my attitude about writing, I even bought a new notepad yesterday for some real pen to paper writing. Right now I am at a lovely cafe, with my white wine sangria, cheese and salumi plate and baguette with EVOO and balsamic. It is beautiful out on the patio with the sun shinning and a light breeze blowing. I am not rich. I actually dream far too frequently about winning the lottery, but today I feel rich. The materialistic, money havingd, doing nothing on a week day because I can, RICH! Now rich in love and family? Shoot, I feel that everyday and wouldn't trade it for Mega Millions jackpot.

I have no idea where this post is going other that to say hey, sorry I'm a slacker...well sometimes. I hope this Tuesday finds you well and I hope your life is in balance and your efforts are consistent. Cheers!

Why I Kick A$$: Whenever I fall off the wagon, jumping back on is never as hard as it seems. Proud to be back on the running wagon after a couples week hiatus vacation.

Thankful Three:

1. Nap Time so hubby could stay with the kids while I enjoy the cafe
2. White wine sangria, not my usual choice, but delightful on this beautiful summer day
3. Embarrassing moments, no I will not share, but it was definitely one for the books!