A Wedding…Wait… What?

So in a few weeks Skip and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary. When we got married we said that for our 5 year…hoping we would make it that far after only knowing each other for a couple months before hand…that we would go to Ireland to celebrate. Something about that place calls to both of our hearts…which is odd because neither him nor I have it in our blood…but it is in our hearts. Well 5 years rolled around and as usual…life gets in the way. We had a very young daughter and it just wasn’t the time. So then we said…’10 for sure…that’s when we will go.’ And then we never really put away for it…and so that wasn’t going to happen either. We kicked around going back to California for a hot minute…but we’d been there. Blah blah blah…what about Tennessee? Close enough to drive…Claire doesn’t have to get on a plane…we’d never been there. So we book this great little cabin with a hot tub and plenty of privacy down near Gatlinburg. And what do you know? Gatlinburg is full of little Vegas style, but not as lame, wedding chapels…which is what Skip and I were going to do the first time around.


So this time…I proposed…and he said yes. I booked a little chapel next to a creek and we’re getting married again…on our 10 year anniversary….and I am completely excited. Tonight…I even started looking around…half heartedly…for a dress. I’ve never really been a dress girl. We got married in jeans the first time…but for some reason…I want a dress..and flowers…and dinner….and this man…for at least another 10 years…times 3…possibly.

Running

My running is going well. I consider myself to be rebuilding after taking so much time off with my foot. And I mean time OFF. I usually run over 1200 miles a year…in 2012 I logged 500 miles. That's right….less than half. And most of that was logged in the beginning of the year when I was training with Dom for his half. So I feel like I am almost where I started. I have built back up to 5 miles 3 times a week and that is where I will stay until I feel strong doing that. I really want to run a decent 10 mile at Lighthouse this year…but I am listening to my body for a change…and if I can’t get there healthy and strong…then I just wont get there…regardless of how much I want it. Oddly enough…I don’t feel desperate to get back into the heavy mileage. Maybe I’m growing up…wouldn’t that be something.

Other stuff

I am in phase 3 of Jillian Michaels Body Revolution….and it is badass…and hard. I am a P90x grad so I can speak with some authority on hard. My plan is to finish this…take a month off…and then move on to Insanity. I want to have completed all three programs in a year. See what I do when I can’t run people? I am ridiculous. But I am a strong ridiculous. Today I piggy backed workout 9 with the cardio DVD for the month. I have been substituting running where the plan calls for cardio…so this is the first time I’ve done that one. And I’ll tell you what….I felt better after finishing my marathon then I did after finishing those two workouts today. Holy shit…talk about sore.

So that’s it for now. What do other people do when they can’t run I wonder? Do they punish themselves with other pain? Or just try stuff that they didn’t have time for when they ran all the time? Am I really growing up? Or is my affair with running on it’s last legs? I guess we shall see.

A NotSo Review of 2012

I am not really going to try and attempt to update…there just isn’t enough damn time. Looking back I realize that I never even did a race recap of Dominic’s half. He finished…and aside from an 8 minute crapping incident on the side of the road…had a wonderful time. So pleased with himself and happy…it was a good day.
I finished as well…and that race started 6 months of trying to fix what did in fact end up being Plantar Fasciitis. It was horrible. I basically took the summer off….started and finished P90X in the process…and finally in November had my own blood injected into my foot…spent a week in a boot. Knocked out some PT and am finally back to running 5 miles and am completely pain free. Crazy right? But I love the idea of healing me with ME. I had pretty much lost hope that I would ever be able to run distance again…but this shit worked….when NOTHING else did.

This year has brought many many things…and taken a few as well. My godmother…whom Tate is named after HER daughter…passed away this year. It broke my heart and reminded me yet again…to do what you have been thinking about doing….or been meaning to do….because shit happens EVERY day and poof….that opportunity is gone gone gone. I hadn’t seen her in months….and I still kick myself. My father was also diagnosed with liver cancer this year….and although it hasn’t taken him…and I don’t think it will…it made me realize that I’m not ready for that…not that you ever really are. But YEARS ago…I made a deal with God……and that was if he let my dad be around long enough that my kids would be old enough to REALLY remember him….then I would be cool with whatever happened. Well my kids are all old enough to really remember my dad if he died tomorrow….but try as I might….I am not cool with whatever happens…even though I am trying to be. The week before Christmas he came down with pneumonia….and ended up in the hospital till Christmas Eve….and I was stricken the whole time….ugg…what a freakin year.

There were plenty of good things though…I keep my mind on those. Both the boys are working now….so proud of them. They work together at a lovely restaurant up the road from us. Tate is beautiful and amazing. We had a wonderful family vacation at Keyes Lake in northern Wisconsin again this year. My step-son, his wife…and their amazing friend Ty moved up here from Virginia and are blessing our life by becoming a part of it. So in the bad there is so much good. Ty and I ran trails this morning at Pets….it was 8 degrees…..that’s how we kick off the New Year Wisconsin style. Skip is good as well…dipping his foot in the triathlon pool and makes me glow with pride. When I couldn’t run…he tried to do it for me…now THAT is love folks…that is love.

And wrapping up this post….I will try and probably fail to be a better little blogger girl. Happy New Year…and even though I kind of shudder to think what 2013 will bring…..I face it head on, bells on….and running shoes on.

The Training of Dom

Whew..been awhile.


Dominic is finishing his first month of half training. I am amazed..he is hitting every workout with a ball bat and as I said before we started…is giving me a run for my money. I will tentatively put this here…I am thinking we will probably beat my half PR in this race…at least it wouldn’t surprise me if we did. And I am also putting this here where I know he won’t see….if he is still strong by mile 11….I’m going to let him go and see what he can do. He ran a 5 miler Tuesday night by himself…his last mile he ran a 9:08….and came home feeling fine. I think he is surprising himself with speed he had no idea was there. Today we have an easy 4 miler and this Saturday we have our next long run of 8 miles…he likes the long ones because he gets to eat..my boy…lol.


On a not so side note….I’ve been off running for the last week. Today will be my first day back after a week of cross training and ultrasound and ice on my left heel. Literally the first night of training…when we got home..I noticed something weird feeling in the pad of my left heel extending into my arch. It didn’t hurt when I ran…but by Friday of last week after a pretty intense speed session Thursday night I could barely walk on it. On Friday I called my newest favorite person *she was my newest favorite person before this too* and asked her to fix me. It didn’t present as planter fasciitis in any clinical tests so we think it was or is just a deep strain or bruise. Either way…we’ve spent the last week with ultrasound, low dose ibuprofen around the clock, icings every day several times a day and NOT running. Just trying to give it a chance to heal. As of right this second…there is only minimal pain if I push on the area pretty hard. We will see what today brings and after my long run on Saturday I should have a pretty good idea of whether or not this race is going to happen for me. And if I have to choose between running this half with Dom…or beating the shit out of Lighthouse as planned…..it will be this race with Dom..hands down.


So that’s all the news to date. Actually…that’s not even close to all the news to date…but it’s all I have time for today. Hope everyone is well and we’ll see if I can take a stab at more regular blogging for a change.

4 Years Post Gastric Bypass, 9 Years of Marriage and a Job

Whenever we go anywhere…besides around here…I imagine living there. But it’s funny..the one and only time I moved away I always came home. It was the demise of my first marriage I think.

There’s a job opening that Skip wants to try for. We had tabled the thoughts of moving away a few years ago when it became obvious that for whatever reason…God wanted us to stay put. But here comes an opportunity that is the perfect stepping stone for Skips career…and I’ve given my blessing for him to go for it. The way I see it…since I have no interest in making money..I can’t really tell him not to try and make more. He busts his ass and I work 3.5 days a week pretending it’s work. And this place is only 3 hours away so it’s not like I couldn’t get home pretty quick if I had to. We haven’t told anyone and don’t plan to. Not even the kids..although it appears that they are gypsies like their mama…always game for a new gig.


Running-


Is going very well. I’ve managed to push my mileage up into the 20’s for the last couple weeks and am tolerating it well. Dom is getting ready to finish basketball and our training starts the first week of March. I’m excited..I just know he’s going to astonish himself with what he can do!


Shoes-

Even though this winter has been far from cold…an ideal winter for running I’d say..there has been days where my New Balance Minimus just don’t offer enough warmth. So after not much research…I purchased the Brooks PureFlow. They are ugly, look like I stuck my foot in Grimace and there they were….but I completely love them! They offer tons more cushion than the Minimus but in turn…more warmth. Brooks nailed it with this one and I’ve found my go to shoe.


4 Years Post-Gastric Bypass

I finally had my follow-up with my surgeon. Four years for me was actually this past October but well..life just kind of gets in the way of things doesn’t it? So it ended up being more like 4.5 years. I have maintained a 90 pound loss out of 100 pounds. But the real kicker? My body fat was down almost 9 percent from what it was last year! How bout that? He couldn’t believe it. I know I owe that to Jillian…because nothing but 30 thousand dollars worth of surgery has changed my body like she has. I continue to do her workouts 4 days a week in the mornings. By doing her workouts first I am teaching myself to run on very tired legs…which in turn is making my running easier. I’m not any faster…but I’m hoping that will come in time.

9 Years of Marriage

February 11th marked me tying myself to Skip for the 9 years. We had a wonderful anniversary at a lumbar yard, a grocery store, and IHOP. The day we got married was kind of a hodgepodge. I had to have my car serviced down in Illinois where I bought it and the wait to get married down there is only a day. So although we planned to get married in Vegas that April, I was like ‘dude…do you want to just get married on Tuesday?’ He did…and we did.


That night…after telling my parents and the kids…we took the then 6 and 5 year old boys to IHOP for dinner. Romantic I know. So that’s where we went on our anniversary. We walked in and they had the section where we sat closed down for the night. I told the kid that it was our 9 year anniversary…and that 9 years previous we had come in here and sat in that booth over there and ate dinner. And he opened the section…cute. We’ve gone back there probably 5 years out of the 9..the Nutella crepes were awesome people…just awesome.


So here’s what I know today.


After 9 years of marriage I realize that it doesn’t have to be a ton of work. That if you like someone as much as you love them…marriage is pretty easy. I like Skip. I respect him. He is my best friend and he cracks me the hell up more often than not. And if I want to be with someone forever..it better be him because otherwise it just won’t work.


After 4.5 years of having my guts re-routed it is still a struggle. I will always be way too interested in food and will never be able to eat with abandon. But I don’t want to. Surgery is not a quick fix or a cure all. It’s a tool…but there still has to be someone attached to that tool that is willing to use it properly. I still sometimes eat the wrong things and end up puking my guts out. I still can gain weight…pretty damn easily. But if you commit to changing your life…swinging that hammer…and don’t expect something to DO it for you….it WILL work.


Kind of like life…don’t you think?

Ripped In 30 Final Results

So I went into this one almost directly after the Shred. On the 30 Day Shred I lost no weight but 14 inches off of my body. I didn’t really know what to expect this time but I did include diet modification to the tune of around 1500 calories a day give or take.

These workouts are much more intense than the Shred. It also has four levels as opposed to three. You are supposed to do each level four or five times a week before moving on. I did it five times a week and I continued my lower mileage running and some yoga.


This morning I completed my fifth session on level four…stripped…and did a weigh in and measurements.


Total inches lost were an additional 6.5. Weight lost…4 pounds.


So that makes a grand total for the Shred and Ripped in 30…


20.5 inches lost


4 freakin pounds…HA!


What can I saw? The bitch delivers. This was an easy program to fit in…it’s 30 minutes 4 to 5 times a week. I’m sold that not only does she know what she’s talking about…it’s one of the few programs that delivers like it SAYS it will. And for the 10 bucks I spent on it it’s a steal. Go Jillian…I still don’t like you.

Sugar and Spice

When Skip and I got married….I told him I didn’t want to have any more children and he was fine with that. Six months later after seeing how incredible he was with my boys I told him if he wanted…we could try and have one. The next 9 months were full of me specifically trying to conceive a boy as I didn’t have a clue what to do with girls. Finally…after 9 months of negative test I said screw it and we just tried to get pregnant without thought to what kind of baby we were making. That was the month that Tate was conceived.

I didn’t sail through this pregnancy as I had with my boys. It was more uncomfortable, I gained WAY more weight. I had it all set in my mind that we had in fact conceived a boy. At the ultrasound…I was shocked at the little frog legs we saw with nothing in-between. The girl was coming…ready or not. I cried for three days and Skip was ecstatic! I eventually got sort of used to the idea but my way of coping was to be determined that I would NEVER had a girly girl. No pink was allowed at the baby showers and we struggled to find a name that was both for a girl…but strong as well. President Regan died while I was pregnant…and for awhile..we thought that would be her name….but somewhere along the line…we put the kibosh on that. Her middle name had been decided when I was maybe 12 years old. My godmother had a daughter that had died of crib death many years ago. We would have been around the same age and I always told her that if I ever had a daughter, that I would honor my godmother with her daughters beautiful name….Irli..pronounced EARLEE.

Another thing that consumed me during this pregnancy was that she NOT have a popular name. Didn’t want to see it on the top 100 list even. Eventually we found her name…the prefect name that had been meant for her. Tate it was…and yesterday she turned seven.

Things changed when we brought her home. She turned this family upside down with her sweetness with equal amounts of raving lunatic thrown in. She’s as loving as she is bitchy and we are so happy she’s here.


Happy Birthday Sweet baby girl….you know where I keep you when you’re not with me? In my heart….that’s where.

Ripped In 30 updates and Uncle Michael

So is there anything weird about running in a cemetery when it’s 6 degrees with a negative wind-chill? I didn’t think so. Tack onto that that I was running with my 14 year old son and my ex-brother-in-law. These things made this an epic run though it was neither long nor really very pleasant. What made it cool…no pun intended…was running with a man that was my brother. When I met Michael I was 16 years old and he was in the army….so I never really had the time to get to know him the way I wanted to. It’s funny really…Adams family always said that Michael and I were much more alike than Adam and I. Michael…is a dirty little punk rocker at heart…that’s what I love about him…even if he’s a freakin doctor now.



I don’t know how this run really came about. But Dominic had his school conference yesterday afternoon and somehow it turned into Michael going to the conference with me and then the three of us heading out for a run. Michael is a new/old runner getting back into the sport and is delighted that Dom is training. Dominics home room teacher didn’t know quite what to make of Michael and when Dom introduced him as his uncle I could clearly see the questions since he was so obviously not my blood brother. It was good though..Michael liked the school and it was nice for him to come. Dominics school is different…special and one of a kind in a hippy love fest sort of way. They do wonderful things for the community…did I mention this place is in the hood and on crack row? But their scores rank among the highest in the state and although they’re really heavy hitters academically…the electives are a joke…as in…Clay, Origami, Sudoku and Adopt a Beach to name a few. Regardless….he is happy…pulling down the big boy grades…and was crazy thrilled to run with his uncle. Michael is in town for another week I think and I really hope we can do it again…maybe above 10 degrees this time.


I am just finishing week three of the Ripped In 30 series and I must say that this one is a killer. One more day and I am on to week four. My body is so much smaller but even with the diet modification I am down about 3 pounds. I know that my body fat percentage is where the numbers are really going down but I’m a girl…I want to see the numbers on the scale…shoot me.


Anyways…winter running has hit full force in Wisconsin. Five to eight inches of snow today into tomorrow…this weekends runs should be interesting. Hope everyone’s having a great week!