Spent... and a Happy Birthday!

I had to describe the last week in one word, I choose the word spent. Last week's mileage increase + over-booking myself last week + a couple of bad nights of sleep caught up with me - big time. I actually ended up having to go home sick from work on Tuesday. I really did not want to go home sick as I hate wasting vacation days, but I was seriously deliriously exhausted. I was sort of like an over tired toddler - on the verge of tears and/or a breakdown for no reason whatsoever.

So I put myself in a drug induced coma on Tuesday and caught up on sleep. I'm starting to feel like my normal self again but I still feel pretty drained. I learned my lesson, though. 6 hours (or less) of sleep each night for mulitple nights in a row is not enough for me.

So this weekend, my goal is to get 8-9 hours of sleep each night. This will mean turning in early as I have to run 7 miles on Saturday morning & 15 on Sunday morning, so sleeping in past 7 is not going to be an option if I want to beat the heat....

Switching gears, I'd like to wish my nephew James a very happy Birthday. He turns 6 today and I am bummed that I don't get to spend his birthday with him! He is quite the little comedian. I have more than a few stories about James. A recent favorite happened last weekend. Us adults were asking the kids what they wanted to be when they 'grew up' and then we asked what they thought we did for a living. They had no idea what my older sister did (she's a teacher), but when I asked them what they thought I did, James turned to me and said with complete certainty, "You run." We all got a good laugh out of that. Yep, running has become such a big part of my life an obsession, it's all my nephews think I do....

Here are a couple of photos

Holding James just days after he was born. I can't believe how tiny he was!

Fishing on the dock a couple of weeks ago. James loves to fish - when you help him cast his rod, he asks: "Did you get it in the honey hole?"

I hope you all have a wonderful, restful weekend! Hopefully I will come back on Monday feeling rested and back to 100%. How many hours of sleep do you need each night?

Book Review: The Last War

"The Last War" by Ana Menendez is another book that I reviewed for TLC Book Tours. For those of you who are interested in how it works - they send me a lists of books that are available to be reviewed, I tell them which books I am interested in reading, and they send me the book. Pretty sweet set up, isn't it? When I reviewed the list of books back in May, I knew I definitely wanted to read "The Last War." Between the book cover, the title, and the synopsis, I knew it would be a great book to read. It's about a husband and wife who travel the world, covering wars. Brando, the husband, is a writer, and his wife, referred to by her nickname, Flash, is the photographer. In the beginning of the book, Brando travels to Iraq to cover the war but Flash remains in Istanbul, waiting for her papers to come so she can join her husband. While in Istanbul, she receives a letter from an anonymous source, revealing that her husband has been cheating on her.

Receiving this letter really shakes Flash up and makes her re-examine her relationship with Brando. This excerpt sums up how the letter impacted her:

"I had not been sleeping well since the letter. My mind had wrinkled onto itself... Nothing made sense. One moment, you think you own your days, and the next, all the capriciousness and cruelty that you've kept in a box, that you've regarded from a distance, behind a lens, gets inside of you." (p. 34-35)

Receiving this letter forced Flash look back over the years of her marriage and determine if she was ever really happy with Brando. The book then flashes back and forth between her time in Istanbul and the time Brando and Flash had spent in Afghanistan, covering the war. By reviewing her past, Flash tries to identify a time when their relationship began to fall apart.

This element of flashing back on their time together, looking for the first sign of trouble, is what drew me to this book. I find it so interesting how many relationships that are doomed to fail seem to have a moment of clarity where one person in the relationship realizes that the relationship can't last. In this case, that moment of clarity occurred when Flash received the letter. But there were signs along the way - signs that Flash and Brando ignored and didn't work through.

I know I am drawn to books like this, but I don't know what I think I can gain by reading them. I know that hind sight is 20/20 - it's easier to look back in the rear view mirror and identify the moments when the cracks in a relationship developed. Cracks that would eventually grow and become canyons. I know a person can't constantly analyze their relationship, but as I get older, I am trying to be more critical in the moment. I don't want to get to the end of another relationship and ask myself, "Why was I ok with that?"

Again, this is another darker book. While it captivated me, I don't know that I would recommend it. I really wish I could have seen the relationship from Brando's perspective.

Nonetheless, it was a fast, interesting read. And it makes me really want to go to Istanbul where much of the book was set!

Ten on Tuesday

1. How do you take your coffee on an average day? How do you like your coffee if you’re splurging?
I rarely drink coffee anymore since I have had acid reflux issues lately... when I do treat myself at a coffee shop, I order a "Non-fat Vanilla Latte." At home I drink it very strong with a little bit of French Vanilla cream.

2. What is your genre of books to read?
I love fiction... no chick lit though...

3. Where do you want to retire, if you could go anywhere?
I'd love to be able to own a cabin on the lake near my parents place!

4. The 17-year-old you is told to write a 10-minute speech. What topic would you have picked?
At 17, I probably would have given a speech on eating disorders. I found them very fascinating so wrote my junior high term paper on them...

5. What word describes you best?
Passionate

6. What is the next “event” that you are looking forward to? (ex.: vacation, moving, date, job change, etc)
The marathon in October - it's all I think about these days!!

7. Do you like to discuss controversial topics or do you prefer to avoid those types of conversations?
It depends on who I am with. In general, I would say I prefer to avoid controversial topics because those debates usually make me uncomfortable. But there are certain people that I can talk to about controversial topics and the debate is respectful and enjoyable.

8. Would you rather add 4 free hours to each day, or add 1 extra day to the week?
An extra day, please. Dear God, I could use an 8 day week. I am so busy at work, and my life is busy between running and social engagements. I am so worn down, I really need an extra day!

9. If you created a sports team; what would your colors and mascot be?
Um, I am going to be a party pooper and I will say I would NEVER create a sports team. Because sports are just not my thing...

10. If you had to be a teacher, what subject would you teach?
Definitely English!

Marathon Madness Monday: Week 8

Happy Monday! Another week of training has come and gone. I must say - the last week of training beat me up a bit! My runs all went well, but fitting them in was a bit of a challenge!

Finding time for running is probably the biggest challenge. Last week, I had evening engagements on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, a late night at work on Tuesday, and then left for the cabin on Friday afternoon. So that meant getting up at 5 every day to get my runs in. I ended up missing my Thursday morning run since it was pouring rain. I can handle running in a light sprinkle, but running in a down pour when it wasn't quite light out just wasn't happening.

Since my mid-week run is now at least 7 miles going forward, I have adjusted my work hours - now I come in at 9 on Wednesdays so I can do that long run before going to work. It was just getting to hard to do it in the evening hours. Luckily I have a super flexible boss who doesn't mind that I will come in a little later one day a week.

My Sunday long run was 14 miles and my mom & I had to head back to the cities at 10 yesterday morning so that meant getting up at 5:30.

But the good news is that the runs all went really good. My ankle has completely healed and I felt pretty darn good after my 14 miles run (albeit a bit famished for the rest of the day...)

But I am a bit on the exhausted side, so I am relieved that this is a quieter week for me with far fewer social engagements. And I am staying home this weekend instead of going to the cabin. So I am sure I'll be feeling much more refreshed when I write this post next week!

When do you fit in your work outs? Do you prefer to work out in the morning or the evening? Given the choice, I prefer evening runs during the week and morning runs on the weekend.


*************
Training Tally:
Miles ran last week: 32
Training-to-date mileage: 178

On Singing Another Melody

Life inside a music box ain't easy

The mallets hit

The gears are always turning

And everyone inside the mechanism

is yearning to get out

and sing another melody completely

so different from the one they're always singing

I close my eyes and think that I found me

but then I feel mortality surround me

I want to sing another melody

so different from the one I always sing

~ excerpt from The Music Box by Regina Spektor

On my 12 mile run a couple of weeks ago, Music Box by Regina Spektor came on. I really listened to the lyrics for the first time and I nearly stopped in my tracks. I thought to myself - yes - that perfectly describes how I feel.

But I am getting a bit ahead of myself here. Let's flash back a couple more weeks to a dinner with two girlfriends. My best friend was talking about the signatures from their guest book and how much life has changed since they were married in the fall of 2006. People have gotten married. Some have had one or even two children. Some are no longer dating the people they attended the wedding with. The central theme was that so much has changed in the lives of their guests.

I sat there listening to this and said:

"Well, maybe for others, but not for me. I am still signing with the same last name, with no plus one. I am living in the same condo. I am working for the same company. I have a different position, but work with many of the same people. Fundamentally, nothing has truly changed in my life."

Now, I do not want to turn this into a 'woe is me' post... although I was definitely having a 'woe is me' moment that night. I realize that I have so much to be thankful for and have been blessed thus far in life. I have earned my MBA. I have been through career challenges that really tested me and helped me grown as an individual. But nothing has fundamentally changed.

I always try to be honest in this blog - and I must say that as I approach my 30th birthday, my life is very different from how I imagined it looking. I never thought I would buy my first home on my own. I never thought I would turn 30 as a single person. My younger self honestly thought I would have at least one child by now.

But I don't - and that is ok. I am better for all the experiences I have had in my 20s. But at the same time, I sometimes feel like that ballerina - trapped in a music box, singing the same song, spinning in circles.

So I decided that instead of resenting the fact that my life is shaping up far differently than I imagined - I am trying to sing a different melody. I decided to do something that would celebrate the fact that I can go where I want, when I want, for however long I want. I realize that this is a freedom that I need to appreciate and embrace.

So this coming February, I will be spending 8 days in Paris - a city that absolutely captured my heart when I was there in 2008. There is just something magical about that city and I can't think of a better place to go to celebrate my birthday.

I am so excited for this trip and can't wait to return to Paris. This time around I am renting a flat in the Marais area which was my favorite area of Paris. It's actually WAY cheaper than staying in a hotel and I think I will have a more authentic experience.

Here are a couple of pictures of the apartment I am renting! It's so beautiful, I might not want to come back!! Mom, I promise I will... Unless I get swept off my feet by a handsome Parisian - then I can make no promises. ;)

I can't wait to bundle up in my wool coat and scarf and wander the streets of Paris. I can't wait to sip Cafe Creme in a quiet cafe while reading a great book. I can't wait to go ice skating on a rink by Hotel de Ville. I can't wait to discover new areas of Paris that I didn't have an opportunity to explore on my last trip.

So yes - my life is different than I imagined.

But a planning a trip like this makes me realize that maybe it's even better than the life I imagined.

What do you think, dear readers? So far, has your life turned out like you had imagined?

Blog Swap: The Good, the Bad, the downright UGLY of Marathon Training

Hello readers! Please welcome my training partner, Amber, from Girl With The Red Hair! Today we are swapping blogs to share our marathon training thus far. I hope you enjoy hearing about it from her perspective! Don't forget to stop by her blog and read my thoughts about the good, the bad, and the ugly of marathon training!

Hi guys!

When I asked Lisa if she wanted to do a blog swap last week re: our marathon training she said yes and that was the last we really talked about it.

On my run Tuesday morning I was racking my brain as to what I could blog about, and I decided to do a ‘Good, Bad and Ugly’ post about my training cycle so far. Imagine my surprise when a “Good, Bad and Ugly” post arrives from Lisa in my inbox Tuesday night.

Isn’t that funny? I guess between our daily BBM’s and emails our minds are starting to sync or something!

To say this training cycle has been a learning experience would be an understatement, I’ve already switched up my training plan once and spent more money than I’d care to admit on running gear and GU’s in the past 6 weeks. And there’s still 11 weeks to go!

OK, here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly of Marathon Training thus far.

The Good:

1. My legs look hot. Seriously. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I can’t help but check out my toned, lean quads and calves whenever I walk past a mirror. My legs have quickly become my favourite body part thanks to marathon training!

2. I have made an awesome new friend. Obviously, Lisa and I were friends before, but I really don’t know what I’d do without our daily BBM’s and emails. I mean, who else would I frantically BBM when my Garmin won’t turn on, when I’m having shin pain, when a run goes really well or really crappy, when I feel the need to tell someone how sweaty I am after a run, when I don’t like the taste of the sports drink that will be served at the marathon or when I need to tell someone how I’m SO FREAKING HUNGRY I COULD EAT A HORSE and the list goes on.

The Bad:

1. I am having some recurring shin pain and despite foam rolling, icing and wearing Zensah compression sleeves it doesn’t seem to be completely going away. I had x-rays so I know it’s nothing serious like a stress fracture, but I just wish the pain (it’s actually more like a twinge) would go away for good!

2. Tan lines. Oh, the horrible tan lines. I have a farmers tan on my legs from running in shorts all the time. And I have so many different straps/t-shirts tan lines on my shoulders/chest that I think it’s a lost cause to ever even it out this training cycle.

The Downright Ugly:

1. Beat-up feet: Broken toenails and dead skin on the ends of my toes and more blisters than I can count Now Lisa was kind, and didn’t share photos of her beat-up feet, but I will be doing no such thing. You have to see the nastiness to realize just how *Downright Ugly* it truly is. (And painful too!)


And that’s the extent of my marathon training observations for now. Running and training for this marathon has basically consumed my life and my thoughts lately. But, so far, I love it!

Have you ever trained for/ran a marathon or a similar distance event? If so, any advice for me as a first-time marathoner? If not, would you ever consider it?

5 Years Ago Yesterday...

Yesterday I celebrated 5 years of home ownership. It's pretty hard to believe that I bought my little condo 5 years ago. I mean, I was 24 years old. It kind of blows my mind to think that I had my act together enough at that age to buy something on my own! I remember feeling very proud of the fact that I could buy this condo all by myself - no co-signors, no co-borrowers, just me!

Now this has certainly not been my best purchase. Yes, it has been wonderful to have a place to call home - and I do not miss moving once a year... nor do my parents, I am sure. They schlepped my stuff around a few too many times and my dad did grumble a bit and recommended I invest in a library card instead of amassing books like I have in my 20s. So yes, there have been some perks to owning a home.

But I definitely feel like my home owns me instead of vice versa. I unfortunately bought at a terrible time so the value of my little condo has nose dived. I try not to think about it because it is out of my control. When I do get frustrated, I remind myself that I am in good company - there were plenty other older and wiser people who also invested in real estate and are stuck in their homes, waiting for the market to rebound a bit.

All that aside, I do really like my little condo. I love that I have a wood burning fireplace. I love the wood floors that my cousin put in for me a couple of years ago. I love that I have underground, heated parking. I love the winding, tree lined road that my condo is located on.

Right now, I do not have the option of moving out of my small condo, so I am trying to embrace it and focus on the positive aspects of my living situation.

To give you an idea of where I live, here's a snapshot of my living room area. I have a desk in my bedroom, but I never use it. Instead, all of my blog posts are written from the comfort of that small love seat!! I also read in that over-sized reading chair on lazy afternoons.

I'd love to hear where you live! Do you rent or own? Are you happy with your current residence?