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In the sunshine. Day 2 after putting it on…
Indoor lighting, with top coat. This was day 4.
I bought this color back in the fall of 2011, and it has been a staple through each fall and winter since that time! It actually also reminds me quite a bit of mischievous by seche.
Now for some random Friday Facts:
1. On Sunday morning, I had an interesting situation occur. I had spent the night at Melissa’s house, and had gotten up early to shower and drive home to go to church. I got out of the shower and was putting on my jeans when all of a sudden, I heard a tearing noise. My jeans had torn about 2 inches, which meant that I obviously couldn’t wear them in public. I had to choose between my tight compression running pants or very baggy Air Force sweatpants (the only other pants I had with me) to wear to church. So, I showed up at church wearing a full running outfit, and had multiple friends ask if I had run to church that morning. Nothing like wearing skin tight pants to church, right? At least it was clear it was, in fact, running gear.
2. I just got an email on Wednesday saying that my latest journal article had been approved for publication. I don’t have the publication yet, but it will be in an international journal, and I’m really excited about it! It’s a relief to have that off my plate as well.
3. I’m listening to “Divergent” on CD right now, and I’m REALLY enjoying it. I sort of watched the movie this past spring (I watched parts of it on two separate days, while doing other things, so I didn’t remember much about it). I’m one disk away from the end, and can’t wait to immediately start the next one!
4. This past weekend I finally cleaned off all the pots of flowers from my porch. It was sad to let them go (and really admit that summer and most of fall are over), but I’m glad I still have my indoor plant! I bought this plant back at the end of January or beginning of February, and I haven’t killed it yet!
5. I ended up buying my official race pictures from Indy Monumental. These pictures are 1 second apart, and have vastly different emotions. I feel like both are usually pretty present for me when crossing the finish line of a big race:
Smiling and then crying. I just really like both of these pictures
6. I’ve had a nagging cough over the last week. I guess we have really hit winter weather 🙁
Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me one random fact from the week? Have you ever purchased official race photos?
I’m thankful for a really productive Sunday. This past Sunday I got TONS of things checked off my list, and it helped me feel a little lighter this entire week! After going to church, I did my grocery shopping and meal prep for the week (plus I made pumpkin bars as a “little thing” treat for myself!). I finally got all my pots of flowers (which just died less than 2 weeks ago) cleaned up and the plants themselves thrown away (so sad- my porch looks sad already), hung up my outdoor Christmas lights, unpacked, cleaned, washed a bunch of dishes, went biking, wrote my blog posts for the week, and even had a few hours at the end of the night to relax! I’m thankful for getting things accomplished!
I’m thankful for the beautiful plants I got to appreciate for almost 6 months. While I’m sad to get rid of the plants I spent all summer caring for, I’m also thankful for the almost 6 months that I got to enjoy them and care for them. I find a therapeutic effect in watering, fertilizing, and deadheading plants, so to be able to do that for so many months was really nice. I’m thankful for the bright greens and cheerful colors that the pots brought to my life, both while I was outside, and while sitting in my living room.
I’m thankful for fresh air. The last 6 months I’ve kept my windows open every day, and I’ve started to appreciate fresh air far more than ever before. Now that it’s getting chilly, I still find myself pausing for an extra moment or two while outside to take a few extra deep breaths of the air. Life really is about the little things, isn’t it?
I’m thankful I have a bike trainer. Every time I recognize that I’m complaining about not being able to bike outside, I remind myself that I’m lucky that I have a bike trainer. I can bike whenever I want, and can watch TV, a movie, read a book or magazine, or talk on the phone while biking on it, which is fantastic! I’m thankful I can still bike all winter.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to listen to lectures from great speakers. Whether it’s via a video, documentary, TED talk, podcast, or in person, we have access to so much information! I’m thankful that I’ve learned how to take advantage of so many of these outlets and opportunities for learning!
Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today? What’s your favorite means to listen to great lectures?
It’s easy for friends and family of those who have a chronic illness to forget about it. When people look at me, I look like a very healthy and upbeat woman. While I am upbeat, people don’t see the aches I feel daily (bad enough it feels like I have the flu almost constantly), the migraines, the rapidly changing blood pressure, the stomach pains, or the dizziness I feel when I stand too long in one place (and by “too long”, I mean more than about 3-4 minutes). I do things constantly throughout the day to help manage my POTS, and that’s exhausting. So, whether I do or do not “look sick” in any given hour or day, I do, in fact, have a chronic illness that I deal with daily.
I am a face of chronic illness.
(Celebrating as I cross the line of my latest half marathon, setting a new PR of 2:30! Most people would never know I have a chronic illness)
For those of you who have ended up here because you also have POTS or another chronic illness, let me join with you and say “I understand”. I understand how frustrating it is when people say “but you don’t look sick” or invalidate your experiences or your illness. For those of you who have landed here because you’re trying to better understand life with a chronic illness, please know that the statement “but you don’t look sick” isn’t helpful. Everyone responds differently, but most people are frustrated with the statement. Instead- validate our internal experiences. Ask questions as you seek to understand. Regardless, know that there are many faces to illnesses. You don’t have to “look sick” to be sick.
To learn more about POTS and my life with chronic illness, check out my POTS page.
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick
Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die. ~G.K. Chesterton
Today is Veteran’s Day, and I couldn’t let the day go by without posting about it. Growing up my parents talked often of the sacrifice of the military. Both grandpas were in the military (I have all the Letters from War from one of them), my Uncle put in a full 20 years, and most importantly my little brother is now in the military. I was raised to understand the sacrifice that they and their families gave. I have to say that when my brother left for basic training, I definitely cried. I was So. Proud. of him, but as my baby brother, I was scared for him and my family. I realized that in many ways we were giving him up to something bigger than our family. It’s unpredictable, scary, and involves great sacrifice from those men and women and their families. It’s easy to take these men and women for granted when we don’t see them putting their lives on hold or on the line. So on this day especially, I challenge you to think about the great sacrifice that thousands of men and women have made for you throughout the years. I challenge you to pray for them and their families. I challenge you to be thankful for their service.
Here are a few ways to show you care:
- Send a USO Care Package to a solider
- Find a way to volunteer with USO
- Adopt a military family for Christmas
- Volunteer with The Soldiers Project to help provide free counseling services to soldiers and their loved ones
- Volunteer at a local VA
- When you see a soldier, say a simple “thank you for your service” and smile
- Give support and encouragement to the families of deployed soldiers
- If you are at a restaurant or gas station, offer to pay for the soldier’s food or gas as a way of saying thank you for their service
- Download the Charity Miles App to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.
And, from the bottom of my heart, to all soldiers and their loved ones- thank you for your courage and sacrifice. I know that a thank you doesn’t make it easier or bring your solider home. But please know that their/your sacrifice is deeply appreciated. Freedom isn’t free…
Now it’s your turn to share! I know I only mentioned a few of the many ways to help soldiers and their families! If you have any ideas or personal experiences, please share them! How have you said “thanks” to those in the military?
November is the month of gratitude here in the U.S., and while I’m happy that we do have a time set aside in the year to really reflect on the things we’re thankful for, I also think it’s important to have gratitude regularly be part of life. In the spirit of the month of gratitude, though, I thought I’d do a post about that!
When I think about events that I’m thankful for in my life, I tend to go straight to the memories that are happy- race PRs, awesome bike rides, traveling, great moments with family and friends, etc… Those are fantastic, and I’m thankful for so many of them. I also think about the really hard and deeply painful events in life. I’m not necessarily glad for the actual situation (i.e. a friend dying or POTS), I recognize that it is through pain and suffering that we so very often grow, change, and become more than we were before. So, there are events which are deeply painful, but I’m thankful for the lessons that they taught me as well.
Here’s my journal prompt for you: Think back over the last 12 months- what are the top events or situations that you’re thankful for (think of events that are both positive and negative). What makes you thankful for them? What lessons did you learn as a result?
If you want to share an event here for which you’re thankful, please do!
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a bike, and that’s pretty close”
Well, in my case I didn’t even buy a bike, I just got it second hand, but… you get the point 🙂 Biking has been such a wonderful source of happiness, peace, and grounding in my life this summer and fall, and I’m sad that that season of biking is over. I now have my bike trainer tire on, which means that I’m stuck biking in my living room until April or May (depending on the weather this spring). So, as one season is closing out, I thought I would do a summary of fall riding.
While I did bike last year in the fall (my first fall to actually bike), I stayed exclusively on the roads near my house, which meant that I didn’t really get to experience fall biking on the trails. So many things about this fall felt different! While I missed the beauty of summer biking, I loved watching the changing scenery.
The biggest thing I had to adjust to was the shifting weather patterns. Some days were still warm, while other days were rainy or windy. I didn’t bike in the rain, but I went out on a few rides that were far too windy. Once, I went out 2.5 miles that felt fast, and then turned around and was immediately getting knocked around…badly. I was inching along, getting tossed sideways, and I was terrified I was going to get hit by a car. I got home right as I hit mile 5, and I was actually shaking. Yikes!
I also had to get used to the increase in bugs. I’m used to bugs hitting me while biking, but there was a big increase in the quantity once the cooler weather hit. On the trails, there were crickets that kept hitting my legs, which took some getting used to on my rides!
I also had to figure out what to actually wear as it was getting colder. Last year I never biked in anything warmer than my jersey, biking jacket, and biking shorts. This year I biked outside long enough that I needed pants, multiple layers on top, and gloves! There was a bit of trial and error needed to figure everything out! My ride in the middle of October was the coldest ride I had.
I’m glad I was able to extend my road biking season a few more weeks this year than last. I finally caved and put on my bike trainer due to a mix of reasons, but mostly due to shorter daylight hours and worse weather. I’m sad to be leaving my road biking behind (it’s hard to think about going a couple hundred miles all in one place over the next few months), but I’m really pleased with my 2014 season of biking, and I’m glad to have gotten to struggle a bit through some of the challenges of fall biking.
I love it! As much as I’m really seasonal with my nailpolish colors, this is something that I think fits all year. With the dark pink and the yellow/orange color from the glitter, it especially fits into the color scheme of fall though, right? I’m such a fan!
Now for some random Friday Facts:
1. On Wednesday I went to our office refrigerator to get out my lunch to eat, and it wasn’t there. I checked in my office to see if I had accidently put it in there in my tired state, and it wasn’t there. Then it slowly dawned on me that I hadn’t grabbed it from the kitchen counter that morning. I bought a salad for lunch (I keep cheese sticks in the refrigerator, and I try to keep fruit on my desk throughout each week), and came home 12 hours later to find my lunch still sitting on the counter. I felt sad throwing out that Chobani!
2. Yesterday I finally caved and put my trainer tire back on my bike. That means that I’m stuck biking indoors again until spring (this past year I put my road tire back on in the middle of May). I’m trying not to feel too sad about giving up all the fantastic hours I’ve had outside this year, and instead trying to focus on all the hours of TV and movies I now get to watch while biking (multi-tasking for the win!). Either way, I hope to maintain my fitness level on the bike, and keep a good base for next year!
3. I downloaded the Timehop app a little over a month ago, and I’m enjoying it. However, I very rarely find things I don’t remember happening (or tweeting, etc…). This app is just serving to confirm what a weird and intense memory I actually have.
4. I still haven’t closed my windows completely yet, and it’s solidly into November now. I just can’t give up the fresh air! I really should do an entire post on all the things behind this choice though.
5. I’m still obsessed with last weekend, and living on my post race high after my totally unexpected PR! Really, though, I’m just so full of gratitude.
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one random fact from your week? Do you use the Timehop app?
I’m thankful for a fantastic race weekend! From Friday morning watching Spirit of the Marathon, to that afternoon working at the expo, to a sleepover with friends that night, to everything with race day, and Sunday watching the NYC Marathon and getting a post-race massage, I really, truly, had a fantastic weekend! It’ll be one that I remember for a LONG time.
I’m thankful that I set a new PR after all my hard work. This summer I decided that I would PR at Monumental… and then I got shin splints and thought I’d lose that goal. It was truly unexpected, but I’m so thankful that all the work I put in paid off, and I set a beautiful PR on Saturday morning!
I’m thankful for my sweet friends. I loved having Meg there along the course to cheer me on, I loved starting my race with Melissa and screaming for her at the finish, and I loved having Caitlin next to me every step of the way. I’m thankful that each of these girls not only played a role in my race on Saturday, but I’m thankful we were able to create so many fun memories.
I’m thankful that I can run. I try to constantly remind myself that it’s really a miracle that I am running and getting stronger. With POTS, nothing is a given, so I try to take each day at a time and truly enjoy the runs that I have as I get them. I’m thankful that, even with a rough start and a VERY very slow build up, that I can run.
I’m thankful for the post-race massage that I got. My body felt extra torn up after this race because of the fast splits I ran at the end, so, for the very first time, I scheduled a massage on race weekend. It hurt BADLY, especially in my quads and IT band area, but it was definitely helpful to start getting out some of the knots and get me loosened up.
I’m thankful for unlimited water. I went into this race well hydrated, and hydrated well throughout the race, but I’ve been SO so thirsty since the race. I’m thankful that I have easy access to an unlimited amount of water. I definitely am trying to not take that for granted.
Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today?
I’m a huge fan of easy, delicious, and mostly healthy meals, and am always on the hunt for new ideas. This meal isn’t that unique or exceptional in any specific way, but it is delicious and different than what I normally make, so I love it. I also enjoy seeing what others put with meals, so I thought I’d show the whole meal. This is something that Melissa and I both make it often, and we love it!
Here’s what you need:
- 1 jar or bottle of caribbean jerk marinade (in the picture below I used Lowry’s Carribean Jerk 30 minute marinade)
- Pasta
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Green Beans
- Beef (You can buy the pre-cut chunks of beef or cut your own)
This is so easy! I put the marinade and beef into a pan and let it sit for a bit (because you use the marinade as a sauce, you don’t need to let it sit for 30 minutes here).
While the beef is marinating, I cut the ends off the green beans.
The green beans go in a frying pan on the stove, along with some olive oil. At this time, also start cooking the pasta. Once they’ve cooked for a bit, add garlic powder and salt or garlic salt (or other spices if you desire). Once the beans are cooking, I start the beef in another pan. Cook the beef until it’s done to your preference.
So easy, right? I spoon some of the extra marinade onto my plate as well, so that I can use it on my noodles as well. I’ve also made this with rice and quinoa before, and it’s equally delicious with that! This is a meal that holds up really well for left overs as well!
For more recipes, check out my recipe page.
Now it’s your turn to share! What is one of your favorite marinades?
Friday morning (that was Halloween), Melissa and I headed off to Starbucks, and then settled in to watch Spirit of the Marathon. This is not only a pre-race tradition for me (even though I run half marathons, not the full!), but I was hoping that she’d get a little more excited about her own race!
After lunch (I, of course, had my typical pre-race lunch of cranberry sweet potato quinoa salad, banana, and yogurt!), we headed down to the expo to get our race bibs and work at the team in training booth. We picked up our bibs and walked around the expo for about an hour. I bought a pull over from the expo that had the Monument on it, and I think it’s adorable! Monumental is a lucky course for me, where some of my most fantastic race memories were made!
State farm also had shirts that you could make for free at the expo, so we both did that. I chose the phrase “better sore than sorry”, and decided to sport the shirt the next day as I walked hobbled around the house. I definitely was sore that day, and definitely had nothing to be sorry about in terms of my performance! My legs did feel pretty trashed though with the splits I ran the last few miles!
The greatest part of the expo came as I was walking around a line of people, and immediately squealed “ooooooh- that’s Jeff Galloway” and jumped straight back in line! It was fun to get to meet him briefly. I had him sign my bib, and I think that gave me a little extra luck on race day 🙂
With Jeff
A little extra luck on my bib for race day!
Melissa and I spent two hours working at the team in training booth, and we both had a great time chatting with runners who were interested in running with the team next season! Being at the expo for so many hours definitely helped to really get me in the mood to run the next day!
GO TEAM!
Melissa and I hurried home (the rain had started- the sleet/snow mix would come later that night) because Meg and Caitlin had arrived! We ate dinner, and like I mentioned in my race recap, we had a dance party! I realized at that point that I was getting a migraine, so I made sure to take some time to roll out my back, take medicine, and use a tennis ball to dig at a few of the knots in my shoulders. It definitely helped, and we enjoyed a few episodes of America’s Next Top Model before bed!
These girls definitely helped to make this weekend truly fantastic!! Meg and Caitlin are SO thoughtful, and they both brought “good luck” presents for the race!
Seriously- how well do they know me? Meg got me those cute cat socks for after the race, along with an adorable coffee mug, which just happened to have my race day colors on it! Cait got me that adorable notebook that says “Are you kitten me?” on it, along with 6 beautiful prints to frame. I LOVE it all! 🙂
After the race, I was expecting to receive a typical “space blanket” like I’ve gotten in previous years. For some strange reason, this year they had these bizarre jackets that were made out of a material that made my skin crawl. I didn’t even put it on, but I did take a picture of it for your viewing pleasure. I have no idea what the race organizers were thinking!
There are so many things that I could say about this race weekend. I still get a little teary eyed while thinking about it. I felt so much love from so many people in my life, and I put out a performance that I am nothing but proud of!
Now it’s your turn to share! What makes a great “race weekend” for you? What’s one of the weirdest things you’ve ever gotten after a race?
