Package Tracking = Stalking

Does anyone else do that?? I ordered several super awesome headbands that I desperately want to arrive before I leave for my race.... so naturally, ever-since (is that a word? I just had a really hard time trying to figure out how to write that phrase...every since? ever since?) I got the email saying 'Your package has been shipped!' I have been clicking on that little blue...okay LONG blue number.... probably at least once every hour. I think it worked :) I just checked and they've already left Tampa this morning - about 2 hours away! Please USPS, please bring them tomorrow before noon-ish...

I ABSOLUTELY love Hippie Runner headbands - I bought 2 back when I did the Disney Princess 5k b/c they were at the Expo - and I use those headbands for pretty much every run and they work! They stay in place, they keep my hair out of my face and help keep my flood of sweat in check. 2 yrs later, I'm still using them, but one has a giant coffee stain and the other has red capri-sun juice stains, so I decided (last minute of course) that if I was going to wear a headband in my race on Sunday that I needed new ones. I was disappointed that they weren't going to be at the Space Coast Expo, but they said they would try to rush my order through for me :) (*imagine me squealing & doing a little dance when I read their email*)

I will include more details later - now I've gotta go brave the Walmart lines to try to get a new phone..... we'll see how this goes! eek!

Thankful for...Over-eating??

     Yes. I over-ate yesterday. And, Yes. I'm glad I did. Whaaaaaat? You may be thinking..... but here's why....(it still may not make sense after I explain.....)
     I felt absolutely terrible when I woke up this morning!! I'm so glad I got that fit of gluttony out of the way AND had enough consequences that hopefully I'll remember how I feel right now and NOT be too indulgent on Thursday.
    Normally I'm not too terribly conscious of what/how much of anything I consume (I do really need to get better in that department), but this week is crucial because....Sunday, December 1st - yes, that's right, the Sunday after Thanksgiving - I run my first half marathon!!! :)
   I've worked really hard, overcoming injury, balancing home, work and running so that I could do this, so now....let's do this!! :) It isn't going to be at my original goal pace, due to injury set-backs mid-summer, but I am going to do it.
   My 'A' Goal is under a 10 minute/mile pace. M 'B' goal is a 2:30 finish time.


(((Psst...hey... you wanna know why I over-ate yesterday?? We had a Thanksgiving Feast at our church, followed by a birthday party for one of my four-year-old son's friends where there was home-made Indian food!!! Yum!! and also a HUGE part of why my over-eating felt a little more painful than your average 'oh I ate too much last night' feeling)))

Also - another major goal get a new camera b/c mine bit the dust - just in time for the holiday season! Boooo!

How do you manage your eating during the holidays?

What's your favorite holiday food? Mine is sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top....mmmm...definitely had 2 servings yesterday at the church 'feast' & when our 5th graders had a feast at school last week...I did the same thing - 2 servings please & thank you! :) (Hopefully I've gotten it out of my system so that I can eat like a normal, rational person for the rest of the week... ok, maybe normal and rational was a little too far.... eat like a carb-loading runner... not sugar-fiend!)

One Week 'Off'

I haven't been at work since LAST Thursday.... Whoa! CraaAazY!! I have always been a bit of a workaholic, but I think that has been leading me down a very dangerous, burn-out-early road, so I'm trying to back off a bit. Plus, my 4 year old had chicken pox, which then spread to my 7 year old... so this was not a voluntary hiatus....

I have realized that my current daily routine/schedule has almost completely eliminated my chance at...having a life!
Sample Day:
4:45 - Finally get up after hitting snooze since 4:15
4:45-5:30 - Breakfast, Read, Pray (not enough time for all of those things!)
5:30-5:45 - Try to get ready before I wake up the boys (again, not enough time to get that done!)
5:45-6:30 - Finish getting ready, dress both boys, make lunch for Cameron (7) and try to get out the door (again, not enough time.... see a pattern emerging??)
6:50-7:00 - Get to Josh's daycare and get him unloaded
7:10 - Finally get to my/Cameron's school
7:15 - Finally get to my classroom
7:25-1:55 - Teach my heart out (with a million-mile long state-mandated list of everything we're supposed to be doing)
1:55-2:05 - dismissal duty
2:05-4:00 - Grade papers, enter grades, work on lesson plans, prepare room for the next day, copy papers for upcoming activities (Our official day is supposed to end at 3:00 - but I can rarely ever get everything done in that amount of time & on some days, we have staff meetings from 2:10-3:00)
4:00 - Pick up J from the daycare (Yes, that means 9 hours at daycare!!!!!!)
4:15-5:30ish - Running at the local Y (which means Cameron & Joshua are hanging out in 'Child Watch')
5:30 - Hopefully heading home (or to Walmart if we need something)
6:00 - FINALLY get home........The boys' bedtime is 8:30 - so we have a whole 2.5 hrs of 'family time' - which really is more like a crazy mess of trying to cook dinner, get everyone showered and try to put the house back together before we all crash

Something has GOT to give!! The only time that I feel like I can do something about, is that 2:00-4:00 window. If I can figure out how to get out of the school at 3:00, I can pick up Josh and hang out with the boys between 3:00-4:00 and feel better about the world.

Balance is something that has always been very important to me, maybe because it has always been so elusive!
Please share - how do you stay balanced?!?

Oh. My. Goodness!

I watched the NYC Marathon this morning. It was...... AWESOME!!! I think I'm going to plan ALL of our future family vacations around races....Boston....Big Sur..... Chicago... sounds like a fantastic idea - don't you think?

I'm also super-excited b/c I'm going to be volunteering at a 1/2 in nearby (ok, like, an hour away) Lakeland on Saturday. :) I was really torn between running it for 'practice' and just volunteering since I'm technically NOT up to 13.1 miles in my training yet.... I kind of liked the idea of my trip to Cocoa not being my first ever half, but at the same time, Lakeland is really hilly AND my training run for next weekend is only supposed to be 12 miles....but what's an extra 1.1 miles right? ....That was the inner-conversation conflict I'd been having all week.

This was part of the course description:
"The southern portion of the course offers rolling hills through some of Lakeland’s scenic neighborhoods."

The hills are what finally made the decision for me. I wouldn't have been so concerned about throwing an extra 1.1 miles onto my training plan if it hadn't been for the fact that those HILLS! I am NOT in the mood for 'rolling hills' - if you've ever been through this part of Lakeland, these hills are everywhere!! The 'southern portion' would be the majority of the race!

I think I made the smarter choice since I've invested a lot of time, pain, and $ into the race in Cocoa. I've already dealt with injuries that delayed my training and changed my plan for the race as it is. I definitely don't want to risk making it worse!!!!!

This is the race I'm running December 1st!

So, I'm volunteering at a race for the first time ever! :) I won't be handing out water - I'll be working at the results table. I'm very, VERY glad I won't be having the responsibility of passing out water/gatorade!

Now, I think I need to find a second job to support my running habit......
   

This is how ridiculously happy the thought of running these races makes me! I can't wait!

Have you run any of these races?

Do you have any PLANS to run any of these races?

How do you support your running habit? :) 

Chicken Pox. Cool Weather and Darkness at 7:00 AM

Those are all things that I was unprepared for, but happened to me recently!

1) Chicken Pox: I didn't even know that was a 'thing' any more! I though there was something wrong with Joshua's mosquito bites when the seemed to double over night - He's practically allergic, but that doesn't mean they multiply by themselves! So, I took him to the doctor yesterday and BAM! Chicken pox - I was totally NOT expecting that! Poor baby is pink thanks to the Calamine Lotion, but at least it seems to have stopped the itching. He's asleep right now, but after his morning oatmeal bath and re-application of the lotion I will definitely share a picture!! Oh... and I missed Friday at work to take him to the doctor and now I'll have to miss Monday and Tuesday since he can't go back to the daycare.... honestly, as much as I don't want to get behind in my classroom, I'm kind of looking forward to a break....

This is how I like my 'chicken' - NOT in 'pox' form!!

2) 'Cool Weather' - I say 'cool', but I was COLD! When I went for my long run last Saturday, I was FREEZING! I had capris, but I have not purchased any long-sleeve running shirts! (Since then, it was warmed back up - oh, Florida....:/) I ended up wearing a regular cotton (*gasp* I know right?) shirt that I had drenched in sweat before even half-way through. I got to a bridge where I promptly ditched the long sleeves (I had a "real" running shirt on underneath - don't worry ;). Which meant I had to drive back to the bridge to pick it up after I was done! :) Hopefully, by the next 'cold snap' - I'll have bought something... but my race is December 1st in North Florida, where it actually gets cold. And I have NO IDEA what I should wear!!

In true Floridian form, this is me at ANY temp below 70....heck, even at 70!

3) Darkness @ 7:00 - Over the summer, I was out on the road and running well before 7:00 and I could see where I was going and who or what might be coming my way. Now that it's winter, and time is changing tonight, I'm not going to be able to start my runs until about 8:00! That just feels so late!! Not so much when I start, but it's so late when I finish - I liked feeling like I got my run done before the day really got started. Now it's going to be almost lunch time when I get home!


How do you deal with lower temps?
Have you ever had the chicken pox?