Here Comes the Sun

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Can you feel it? Can you feel the days getting longer? Is it just me and my wishful thinking?

It’s not something that happens drastically or all at once or even in increments that are noticeable. There’s a feeling in the air though.

There’s heading out for a run after getting home and realizing that there is an extra 10 minutes where I can stay out before it gets too dark.

There’s the sun popping up behind me, behind the Arch as I’m driving west to work every morning rather than slugging through the hazy dawn.

The thing is, I know that winter is not over. It’s not even Groundhog’s Day! I am well aware that St Louis has a bad habit of screwing with your plans all Spring. Just last year during the final weekend of March, I spent my whole day unpacking in my brand new apartment with GCB as it BLIZZARDED outside. It was weird and stupid, and I’m ready for Spring.

And yet, yesterday at lunch, snow came blowing through town. It’s supposed to be 18F/-8C and snowing on Tuesday (so much for those hill repeats on my schedule, I suppose). Winter’s not going anywhere.

Guys, I miss warm weather. I miss Spring and long days and sunglasses/cold drinks on a back patio and running in fewer than six layers and washing my hands for a normal amount of time instead of keeping them under the warm water longer just because it feels good.

I know it’s got a while until it warms up for good, but the days ARE getting longer. Today that’s enough for me.

Over and Over

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Two months ago I said I wanted to write more. And here we are. Hashtag goal fail. Hashtag silent blog.

Oops.

I had this whole post somewhat written about running and failure and training and not having motivation, but you’ve heard that story before. Actually, over the last year, I’ve told that story far too many times.

You know what’s motivating?

I get to to this again.

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In just a few short months I’ll be heading back up to Madison and embarking on another round of Ragnar Chicago.

It’s kind of difficult to put into words the full range of emotions I have about Ragnar. Rereading what I wrote about the last round, I can still remember how nauseating the heat was, how the dehydration hit like a mack truck two days after the race, how I limped more than walked normally in the week following. However, I also remember the sense of accomplishment and of teamwork. I remember how twelve people came together, most of us knowing only one or two others in the team (which is exactly how this year will be….I know two of the guys on the team, and that’s it), and spent the time laughing and having fun like we’d known each other for ages.

I love Ragnar. I would do one every year if I could. I am SO excited to have this to look forward to.

But first comes Disney. First comes the Glass Slipper Challenge, and the already-had conversation about taking our time goal down a notch as training over the winter, for a myriad of reasons, has gone, well, let’s just say it hasn’t gone so well.

More races are coming. More miles and blisters and sweat drops (or sheets) and tan lines. And I couldn’t be happier about that.

 

Unrelated, good luck getting this song out of your head:

My Thoughts on “Healthy Living”

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My wonderful friend Angela very beautifully articulated why sometimes it is so frustrating to look through Pinterest or to follow Healthy Living Bloggers. Give her post a read!!

Ange's avatarCowgirl Runs

I do have a Treat Yourself Tuesday post written, unfortunately it’s in the drafts folder of my laptop, and I’m at work, so I’m posting tomorrow’s post today and my Tuesday post on Wednesday. Long weekends mess with my brain.

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This is a post that’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a while. I’ve resisted actually putting my thoughts down for a few reasons 1) I’m not even sure if this will make sense, 2) I don’t want to come across as ranty, and this might, and 3) I don’t like it when people are upset with me.

But, I’m over it now. After continually seeing articles about how people are doing it wrong or not being healthy enough I’m about to lose my ever-loving mind.

The headline that put me over the top?

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Disclaimer: I didn’t read the article because I was too scared my…

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She’s Going the Distance

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The thing about birthdays, as I’ve said before, is that they give you bench marks on life. For example, twenty-two was a wonderful year, full of graduating and getting a job and buying a car and moving to St Louis.

Other years have had some absolute highs, 27 coming in very close to the top of the list. But nothing will compare to 29.

This year is going to be a phenomenal year.

A couple of weeks ago at work, I submitted the goals that I am working towards for this fiscal year. This was right around the time that Angela was posting her October goals wrap-up and listing her November goals (let’s be honest, we aren’t the Type A A-Team in our Disney races for nothing). In our emails surrounding both of her posts, we talked a lot about goals. Running goals, life goals, wedding goals (on my part), etc.

I’m not one to set New Year’s Resolutions. It seems to me that if you want to improve yourself, the time to start is now, not in a few months at some arbitrary point in the winter. Yet somehow, my birthday benchmarks always make me take note of some goals I’d made without consciously considering them.

I suppose this year is a combination of goals and a “pre-30 Bucket List.” And what better way to hold yourself accountable than writing them out for the entire interwebs to see.

So. My goals for 29 years old/pre-30 bucket list.

1. Get through the wedding under budget. Wedding world is expensive. When we first started talking budget, we had a figure in mind that was almost immediately blown out of the water when we started looking at what we WANTED to do. When we found a place that would do everything and more that we were looking for, we bumped our budget up a little bit more. And then we sat down and had probably the most intense, down-to-the-penny type conversation I’ve ever had with another person. That figure (which is honestly nearly double what we originally set) is what I’d like to spend less than. Really. Granted, after going almost $300 over budget on my dress this past Saturday, it probably won’t be easy, but I think we can do it.

2. Find a pair of jeans that actually fits me. It’s interesting, this whole taking measurements for dresses thing. The size chart made me both chuckle and sigh, as my bust and waist size had me between two sizes, yet my hips had me between two different sizes that were a couple sizes bigger than the bust/waist sizes. Yay for being pear shaped. Later that day, I did actually find a pair of skinny jeans that mostly fit, yet I still spent part of the evening pulling them up. I want a pair of jeans that fits, that doesn’t have the gap in the back, that I won’t spend a full day pulling back up to where they belong.

3. Run a half marathon in under two hours. Over the last year or so, my focus has shifted away from running (clearly). I want to put it back. It is invigorating to run. I have missed it. And setting this goal (that is entirely doable, by the way) gives me something to focus on. Once the marathon was over, any and all focus on timed events went straight out the window. See: Tough Mudder, where the goal was to just finish the damn thing. Yesterday Danielle at T-Rex Runner posted about her absolutely incredible PR. I don’t even know her and was damn near cheering in my seat reading about it. A PR is satisfying on levels that are hard to describe. I never started running to race people. I actually hate racing people. But racing against my past self? That’s something I can get behind. I will cheer on ANYONE who’s going for  PR, and I’m still cheering for Danielle. My goal is to be able to cheer for myself come February, and as a pipe dream, again in April.

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4. Run. In races and new events. For fun. For health. Just run. I feel like I’m well on my way here, as I’ve already scheduled a few new races coming up. I’ve got a 10k on Thanksgiving, a 15k in December, obviously my Glass Slipper Challenge in February, and I’ve signed up for a half marathon in April as well. And then? Then I shall do Ragnar Chicago again. I lovelovelove Ragnar, and reading Janae’s updates on Ragnar Vegas gave me some SERIOUS running jealousy. I suppose it was just really good timing then that last week I got an email about joining another Ragnar Chicago team. I am so excited!!

5. Be healthier. I was going to go into more detail here, but I won’t for a whole lot of reasons. Suffice it to say, I have health and fitness related goals that I’ll be working on this year, I just won’t be listing them out for the whole wide world.

6. Write more. This is one that I won’t put many specifications around. However, I do know that I like writing. I would like to do more of it. Whether or not it’s in this space remains to be seen.

7. Stay happy. The last year has been the happiest of my life. Things are in such a remarkably good place, and I would like to keep it that way. There are some big things and some not so big things to look forward to, but every single day I want to be happy. I want to take a few minutes every day to appreciate the things around me and what I’ve been blessed to have. I want to remember that though there could be rough times ahead that life is awesome.

8. Win a fantasy football championship. We’ll just have to see how this one goes.

Hi, My Name Is

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Hi, my name is Ann, and today I:

…had the first laser treatment to remove the tattoo on my right shoulder blade. You know, the one that means “friendship” but I tell people means “youthful indiscretion.”

…wore my marathon shirt.

…cursed, yet again, that the MLB All-Star Game determined World Series home field advantage. And the DH rule.

…realized that though I’m not yet into the middle of training, I still get runger pains.

…spent far too much time refreshing ebay pages in order to just go ahead and miss the winning bid on Game 4 tickets.

…figured that it might be a little crazy, but I do really like the new Eminem song.

…spent the first inning paying more attention to fixing my suffering fantasy football team (16-team, 16-roster spot keeper league) than I did to the WS.

…bought a friend a birthday present that I am VERY excited to see him get.

…decided to look at my fantasy hockey teams to find that I’ve got multiple people in my starting lineups who are on injured reserve. Maybe I should look at these more often.

…took the big tervis of coffee to work.

…determined that the straw that came with a cup is only to be used for fruit juice and root beer floats.

…should have done pushups…..and didn’t.

Like the Ceiling Can’t Hold Us

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Sometimes bad habits are really hard to break. Case in point, my bad habit of not training for races then going ahead and running them anyway. See: Disney Marathon, Tough Mudder.

I could sit here and tell you that I didn’t train for the marathon because I was burnt out and had been since Ragnar. I could tell you that I avoided running before the Tough Mudder because this summer was so damn hot I felt like I was melting just being outside.

I could tell you all of those things and more, but they’d all be excuses. Pathetic ones, at that. My tolerance for my own excuses is officially gone. My tolerance for where I’ve watched my body fall to is WAY gone.

A while ago I found a list of 100 reasons to work out. I honestly do love this list, but as should be expected, some of these stand out to me more than others.

2. Because it helps you get stronger. I know I’m stronger when I’m working out. That makes sense. And I know I’ve fallen off quite a bit from where I was, where I know I could and should be right now. Finishing Tough Mudder did help me to realize that maybe I’m not quite as far gone as I’ve been feeling, but it did remind me that I’ve got quite a ways I could go. I want to be stronger. I want to feel better physically.

A while back my dear friend Angela posted (either on her blog or her twitter, I don’t remember which) an article about strength exercises for runners. I have seen the benefits of nearly all of these exercises and yet haven’t incorporated enough of them into my workout routine in quite some time. Not going to Body Pump in the last six months has depleted the rest of them out of my regimen. So in order to keep getting stronger, I am adding this to every running day. I have learned that I like schedules and routines, and I would very much like to find myself in the routine of going running and then doing these exercises.

31. Because it helps you de-stress/32. Because it’s cheaper than therapy. Right now, emotionally, I am in an incredibly solid place. Even wedding planning isn’t stressful. However, I am not naive enough to think that there won’t be rough times. I am not inexperienced to the point of thinking that running doesn’t help me. On particularly stressful days, there is not much better than running out frustration and stress. I miss that.

33. Because you want a strong core. The reason I mention this one is because starting October 1, I am starting the Mean Abs Challenge all over again. Finishing the two minute plank on that final day was probably the most rewarding fitness thing I’ve done that didn’t result in a medal or a bright orange head band. So I’m doing it again.

52. Because you want to live longer. I know there are no guarantees in life, but if I can stick around here a little longer just because I ran rather than didn’t, I will do that. I want to be around for the people I care about, for the children I hope to have. Earlier this morning Janae at Hungry Runner Girl wrote about dedicating each mile of upcoming races. I have 19.3 miles worth of Disney races coming up in February. Actually, five months from today I’ll be flying home from that weekend. I have already started compiling a list of people to dedicate my miles to. I’m excited to write about those people in the coming months.

57. Because you want to shave time off your running pace. My half marathon PR is 2:01.59 (run October 23, 2011). In February, I will be running the Disney Princess Half Marathon with Angela…..whose PR is 1:58.20. Goal for February? 1:55. That averages out to an 8:46min/mile (5.45min/km). Guess it’s time to add more speed-work.

91. Because it improves your cholesterol. This goes back a little bit to wanting to live longer. Coming up in November I’ve got a fitness screen where I’ll actually get my cholesterol checked for the first time ever. I would like it to be in a good place. Working out helps that. So back to working out for me.

98. Because you want to be stronger than your excuses. Because I am stronger than my excuses. Because it’s fall, and the heat has finally broken. Because I’m not burnt out. Because I have goals I want to achieve, levels of accomplishment I’ve set for myself that I will meet. Because nothing can stop me.

Because I can run and move and improve and enjoy life like the ceiling can’t hold me.

Because I will.

run

Don’t Stop, Get It, Get It

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So this happened.

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Saturday my team, Barry Jive and the Uptown Five, finished this course at Tough Mudder St Louis.

Today I hurt. All over. Abs, hips, quads. Even my triceps, which I learned when I brushed my teeth.

And? It was all so very worth it.

As much as I’d been worried about this race, given that it was an entirely unknown entity, PLUS the fact that I hadn’t really trained for it, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I’d expected. Our whole team finished. Our whole team completed every obstacle.

There were some injuries, lots of scrapes, more bruises than we’re able to count, and mud in probably every single spot and more it could get.

This was awesome.

Our wave started at 1020am.

Such clean shoes!

Such clean shoes!

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No quit in here

We had to get ourselves over a wall just to get to the starting line.

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The first obstacle we got to was called the Kiss of Mud.

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We were the lucky ones who DIDN’T have a fire hose on us during this obstacle. Apparently later in the day they added water, since the mud was drying out, while Mudders were in there. Bullet dodged.

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This is my aunt Melissa. She’s awesome.

Our next obstacle was a mystery obstacle, which involved climbing over a mud hill and jumping over fire into a pit, and then pulling ourselves out with a cargo net.

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Once we were all nice and soaked, they sent us to the Glory Blades, where we had to get over two slanted walls to get over and the slide down the other side. Hey, teamwork, you come in handy!!

And then. Arctic Enema. I swear Tough Mudder was trying to mess with our heads as we ran for probably a mile with the side of the truck screaming “ARCTIC ENEMA” at us. We knew what was coming, and seriously, the anticipation didn’t help.

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Blissful ignorance

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The many facial expressions in this one make me laugh

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Couldn’t really feel my face here

We ran around a quick corner and were quickly introduced to the Mud Mile.

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Going head first

Will cause this

Will cause this

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Then it was off to the Lumberjacked obstacle. It’s surprisingly uneasy to get over giant logs when covered in water and mud.

Stuck. Couldn't swing my legs up to pull myself over.

Stuck. Couldn’t swing my legs up to pull myself over.

Then they sent us off to the King of the Hill, which was a tower of giant haystacks we had to get over. I think we can safely attribute most of the tiny scrapes on our legs from the hay.

Running up to the next obstacle, the Electric Eel, was more intimidating than going to the Arctic Enema. From about 100 meters away, all we could really hear were these screams of (what sounded like) sheer agony. Once we got there, we were accosted by the nearly continuous *pops* of electricity zapping the people in the event.

Right as I got into the beginning of the obstacle, they started pouring more water into it. Directly into my face, which successfully made me jump straight into the wires. I got hit a couple more times, once directly on my head which made me clench my teeth really hard. It was an entirely disorienting, and completely unlikable experience.357363

Apparently my way "looked safer"

Apparently my way “looked safer”

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Following that, we ran a bunch and completed four more obstacles. I wish we had photographic evidence of my friend Kyle trying to carry GCB during the Warrior Carry.

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

Carry Your Wood

Carry Your Wood

Walk the Plank

Walk the Plank

We got stopped for a while before we hit Mud Mile #2, but it was pretty worth it. This mud was awesome.

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Over the Funky Monkey and through the Cage Crawl took us to the Berlin Walls.

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Then? Everest.

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This is my second try. First try I just missed.

Climbing down from Everest we were looking straight down the chute to Electroshock Therapy. As of now, I don’t have pictures for it. All I know is that I was stupidly lucky to miss every single wire. My teammates weren’t as lucky, and some ended up nearly face-planting in the mud.

All that was left to do was get our head bands and our beers and breathe a sigh of relief.

mud

500

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The end.

That’s What I Love About Sunday

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I’m convinced that some days are just meant to remind you that things are good. Life is good. Today is very much one of those days.

As I’m sitting here at the computer, sipping coffee and listening to my fiance snore in our bedroom, I am happy.

Here are some other things that make me happy:

–Almond Joy Creamer

–Setting a date for our wedding (September 26, 2014) and signing the contract/turning in the deposit for our venue!

–The picture of my baby sister in her (newly found) wedding dress

–The waffles I’ll be making once the fiance wakes up

–My imminent return to the Breaking Bad marathon I’ve had going this weekend

–Being invited into a third fantasy football league this year

–Adam’s niece’s reaction to being asked to be a flower girl (pensive look, sip from her Capri Sun, and a big fat “Nope!”). She has since rescinded her no. 🙂

–Knowing that my aunt Melissa and my dear friend Sarah will be in STL in just four short weeks!! (we’ll discuss the fact that there’s been very little training for the Tough Mudder they’ll be here for later)

–That even though my engagement ring is off being re-sized, I have the ring I received on my birthday as an adequate substitute for my left hand

–The Sunday Night Dinner on the agenda for tonight, complete with incredible friends and a cheddar/bacon cheeseburger slated to go straight into my face hole

–The weather we’ve been having lately!! Mid-August, mid-70s to 80s? I’ll take it.

–Hugs

–Love–friends falling in new love, friends still being in love after many years, friends who get giddy and breathless talking about marrying their fiance, and my own love, who is still asleep but who I want to be awake so we can have waffles. I love love!

happy