Run: The morning blues

So I'm done taking it easy.  I'm almost done with my new marathon training schedule, officially on paper, and I'm planning on doing just 30-minute easy runs every day for the next week to get myself back in shape real quick (I only took about a week off). So last night I set my alarm for 6:10--something I have done every day for the past four days. And I sleep like a baby all night long, minus the few fits of leg scratching that wake me up in the middle of the night due to the apparent spiders living in my bed. And then the alarm goes off, and I barely hear it--snooze. And the cell phone alarm goes off, and I get up nearly dead and bring it to my bed and hit snooze. And for the next hour I unconsciously hit snooze in my sleep.

Near the 45-minute mark, I start to realize whats going on. I tell myself, Kelsey you must get up. Seize the day! Whats there to keep sleeping about? 6:15 isn't even that early. Why are you being such a drama queen? Just get up it's not a big deal! ...And yet I still sleep. And then 7:15 rolls around, and I think okay, I can do it now. I think I'm ready, but god it feels hot in here. I pick up my phone and click on my weather application: 7:15 AM and it's 100 freaking degrees. I guess I won't be running this morning. 

This is the part of summer where it starts to feel like your trapped. No matter where you go and no matter what time, it's above 95. It seems so endless... and not in a let's surf these epic waves for the rest of our lives, kind of way. It's the part of summer where you realize you still have 2 months more to go (it doesn't cool down until Halloween, seriously).

How am I going to train in this? I'm considering a gym membership. God I wish I had a treadmill. Somebody buy me a treadmill. Thanks.

Rest: Is running your outlet?

Don't ask me why, but I love that pic. So, the weekend was by definition, good.  Had a video shoot that went well, Mr. Wonderful came in town and my roomies (a couple), Mr. Wonderful and I had a DECADENT Mexican dinner (I just love me some Los Dos Molinos) and ended the night at a popular bar. Mr. Wonderful and I went thrifting the next day, and I'd say all around it was a pleasant weekend. So why then, did I wake up the next morning feeling perfectly blasé?

I think this lady may be onto something ---> New Dress A Day

If you read her About Me, she will explain how she was feeling creatively stunted and bored and therefore started a shopping/sewing adventure in which she buys a new dress everyday from a garage sale or thrift store, sews and crafts it up, and then rocks it. Not only is her blog pretty dang cool (thank you Jhen for pointing it out on Facebook), but she seems to be at least momentarily healed from the creativity void she was once so troubled by.

I think I feel a bit the same way. As you all know, I'm very excited about the new job, and training for the marathon and all that jazz. Life is a-okay. But I can't help but feeling like I just haven''t been myself lately.  I'm an extremely emotionally driven person, so when I'm not happy with myself it quickly trickles down into every aspect of my life. Bottom line? I haven't been indulging in my creative passions enough. I've been dressing to be more successful, trying to become wittier to be more social, and writing for advertisements, web pages or businesses. I've been making lists and cleaning my house. I've been making plans every night to appease my friends and coworkers. I've been reading books and articles that I think will make me either more successful or more adept in social conversations.  I haven't been doing anything for myself. Even this blog-- I often manipulate my content into what I think my readers want to read.

I actually love the weirdo, irrational, passionate, impulsive other half of me. I'm not sure how, but I must quickly reconcile my two different worlds. Or maybe, like usual, I'm being overly introspective. Maybe many of you find that running is that emotional outlet; that soothing, relaxing part of your life that makes you feel sane. I love running, I really do. But it's just one compartment of my life. It doesn't have a huge impact on who I am. Am I the only one that feels that way?

Toodles!

Rate: 4 Things I have learned through running, work and then some

I realize that I am in a pivotal point in my life, even though it doesn't feel like it; I'm starting my first job/hopefully-career-- and that's pretty dang cool. I'm going to look back on this year(s) and laugh at my naivety, idealism and enthusiasm. Maybe I'll look back and miss the uncertainty and excitement of it all. Or maybe I won't. Either way, whether your my age, older or younger, you might appreciate hearing a few of the life lessons I've been learning. These lessons apply to both running, work and a social life. So here are a few of my thoughts, spoken from myself, to myself:

1. Dress the part. Always. In a perfect world no one would care what you wear, but this world is far from perfect. Not to mention, it will make you feel more comfortable in the given environment.

2. Never forget this: You really are capable of what you set my mind to. Whether it's 26.2 miles, financial stability or a change in a personal flaw, it takes hard work and persistence, but it's doable.

3. Get tough skin- you need it in order to succeed. But make sure you've got a soft layer directly under the rough. Always be prepared to do a skin change in any situation.
 
4. Surround yourself with people you respect-- people that you respect for different reasons. There's nothing worse that a close group made up of 15 of the same person. Surround yourself with those who have individuality, enthusiasm and integrity.
 

Ya know, after I write them down, they sound a bit basic. But I guess, basic isn't a bad thing. In fact, if you can't get the basics right, you're not going to get very far with the harder stuff.

Run: 6 Pre-marathon training thoughts

The Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon is on January 16th, 2011. Therefore, I don't have to start really training until mid-September. I've been running for about a year now. I've met most of my goals (except for the whole race a 5K thing, working on that), and most importantly I've somehow convinced myself that I am a runner. I am in shape(ish) and I no longer gasp and the idea of an 8-mile run. So that's all fabulous, right?

But... now what? I have almost an entire month to kill, and I'm feeling a bit clueless. Here are my pre-marathon training thoughts (in no specific order):

1. 16-weeks of training and a marathon is going to be hard on my body. My knees are prone to injury. So, until training, I don't want to over do it and end up injuring myself.

2. I want my body to feel well-rested before training. I don't want to be sore or burned out before I even begin.

3. I don't want to get out of shape while waiting to train for my marathon.

4. I'm trying to work on my diet and develop a healthier lifestyle before I start training because I know I'll be famished once the training commences, and when I'm famished I make really bad decisions.

5. It's still, um, REALLY FREAKING HOT OUT.

6. I may get fat and flabby if I don't increase the intensity pretty darn soon.  


Maybe I'm just making excuses. Either way, I'm having a hard time deciding what I should do for a pre-marathon training, training plan. Shucks.

Rest: Skyping in the City

How exciting, I think I may be entering into that part of your twenties that is supposed to be fun. My nights are getting mellow and yet still indulgent with good wine and good food. My friends and I no longer worry about social scenes and men, but rather enjoy each other's company and discuss our passions, dreams, jobs and hobbies. My dog even seems happier. I feel like Sex in the City... except I'm not rich, sub NYC with the Wild West and, ugh, my outfits aren't nearly as amazing.

On the running front (which I know is what most of you care about... thanks for humoring me with the other stuff), I've been taking it easy since I don't need to start really training until mid September (will explain more in next post). I don't want to over do it prematurely. So instead, I've been focusing on the simple pleasures in life... besides running.
 

On Friday, we got a new couch! Do you love?

I'm feeling better and better about my new job everyday. It took me a while to admit this, but... I... am working on a website company for models. Like, I actually am trying to help models and will be working with them often. And at first I was kind of embarrassed, but now, I'm downright proud and excited! It's been so fun to give my input on all the creative aspects, and I think it will be a really cool project. So I'm telling my English Major nerdy other half to calm down and enjoy it. 

Skype is amazing! It's not as good as the real thing, but it kind of feels like I get to hang out with Mr. Wonderful whenever I want. I don't know what long-distance couples did before Skype. Screen shot!

So overall, I think life is going to be pretty good once I get used to all the changes. 

Change is usually a good thing.

I promise more Run posts to come. Resting ain't easy.

Toodles!

Rest: Life tornado

GAH! Where to start? I've gone through so much change in the last two weeks, I now find solace in the fact that my favorite TV shows are still on reruns, my dog still howls at vacuum cleaners and my car still makes that lovely crackling sound when I drive over 45 MPH. Ahhhhh, the consistencies in life; those things we can depend on for better or worse-- oh how I take them for granted. Ayways, here's the weekend run-down:
 

Friday: After living in my new house for a total of five days, my wonderful roommate and I decided to throw a housewarming/going-away party for Mr. Wonderful. Did you hear that? I said new house, party and Mr. Wonderful moving away all in ONE SENTENCE. That's pretty intense if you ask me.

Although our new home was void of many comfort necessities, we got it to look pretty dang decent. The cement flooring, brick fireplace and 50's style charm didn't hurt. My new boss, who is awesome, lent me some tables, lighting and drink barrels and I bought a keg of Coors Light to really get things rolling. My fabulous roommate (I need a good nick name for her.... coming soon!), made cake, cupcakes and cookies. Holy deliciousness.
 

To sum it up: I'd say between 45-60 people showed up throughout the night. Not only was the food delish, but everyone actually seemed to have a great time. The keg, however, was NOT Coors Light. It was in fact some gross summer/wheat/white/sweet beer that tasted more like a wine cooler than hoppy deliciousness. Bummer. Overall, it was a great night; a lot of close friends came and it ended up feeling more like a family reunion than a gathering of acquaintances.
 

Saturday: Headed to Tucson to help get Mr. Wonderful comfortable in the new home (he's going to law school there, in case I hadn't mentioned...). Apparently, those Tucsonians have been hiding the fact that Tucson is a whopping ten degrees cooler than Phoenix. It was seriously refreshing We met another couple (also in a semi-long distance situation) and played darts at an eclectic sports/game bar. Sadly, I have no luck when it comes to darts.
 

Sunday: Had an amazing run with my new Tucsonian friend. She played softball in college so she's ubelievable athletic. Very pleasant person to run with. I've also learned that Tucson is a great place to run in comparison to Phoenix. It's hilly, cooler and the air is clearer. My asthma didn't bug me at all, even though I was running at a fairly fast (moderate) pace up and down rolling hills. It was quite relieving to have a run like that without having trouble breathing. It's been a while since I had an asthma-free run. And at night? The amazing Loft Theater!!!
 

The Loft is an old, non-profit movie theater that looks identical to how I assume it did in its heyday. The campy movie posters, concession stand stocked with wine and beer, cheesy manikins dressed as movie stars and red velvet seating made this our new favorite spot. The theater has special showings of old classics every evening, themed nights showing certain genres of old films and a great selection of indy/foreign/awesome films. We saw Winter's Bone, and it was awesome. Go see it.
 

Monday: Worked a half day and headed home, only to have a wonderful dinner with Mr. Wonderful's sister and brother-in-law. It was a great end to a great weekend.

I feel like I'm caught in a life tornado, but I think it's a good thing. Everything has been tossed around and moved, but once the dust settles and the damage heals, all will be stronger and refined. Clearly, the change has left me a bit pensive-- forgive me.

Hopefully things will become more settled my mid-September, when I start training for the RNR!! Ya, I'm pretty excited.

Toodles!

Life With no Internet!?

 

I haven't been able to post this week because I don't have an internet connection at home (posting from a coffee shop now). GAH, stupid Cox Cable!!! But stay tuned, because next week I"ll be connected to the world once again and I'll tell you all about my new home, new job, throwing a party and running in a new neighborhood (I live right by a track and canals!). Thanks for your patience!