Namaste, Ya'll

I haven't been faithful to my yoga practice since before my bunionectomy in December.  I miss it, I really do.  In fact, I miss it so much, when I laid eyes on this cute green guy caught in the middle of his serious yoga practice, I couldn't help but bring him home with me.  He makes his home in my kitchen on the window sill right above my sink.  I look at him everyday, at least once a day while I wash our never-ending dirty dishes.  He makes me want to head back to a Bikram yoga class right away. 

Rose is off to her first sleep-over.  She has had a sleep-over at our home, but until today, she has not been to stay the night with any of her girlfriends.  Marigold took her to her friend's house for a birthday party/sleep-over, as he wants to launch a thorough inspection to make sure the home is up to his requirements.  I told her that she should not feel pressure to spend the night, if she decides it doesn't feel right or if she simply gets scared, she should feel comfortable to call, Marigold or I will gladly come get her.  I just hope she doesn't wait until I get into my jammies!  My baby is growing up so fast!  What happened to the six pound bundle I brought home from the hospital, ten short years ago?

Have you been faithful to your yoga/running/biking/walking/Zumba/Jazzercise/Curves practice?  If not, today is a great day to get back to it. 

Peace & Blessings to you...

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Gratitude Journal
1. Family and friends
2. Daisy's offer to bring me crabs tomorrow
3. A night with only one child
4. Coloring in a new coloring book with Chrysanthemum and having fun

Wonderful Weekend

There's not much in life that a weekend in Ocean City can't cure.  Not in my world, anyway. 

Marigold, the Flowers and I, Daisy and our cousins, aunts and uncle spent a weekend laughing and talking the weekend away.  We ate too much junk food, shopped 'til we dropped in the outlets in Dover, DE and spent time on the beach playing in the sand (fully dressed). 

I took leave on Friday and we left for Ocean City just after lunchtime.  It was quite chilly and windy upon our arrival on Friday afternoon and remained windy on Saturday, but we were tough and braved the beach anyway. Here are Daisy, Rose and Chrysanthemum enjoying each other at the beach:

I maintained my momentum and training for my half marathon by waking early on Saturday and hitting Coastal Avenue for a solid three mile run.  It was windy as all get-out, but I warmed up quickly once I started my run.  I was in good company with several other dedicated souls pounding the pavement.  Later Saturday morning, we made our way down to the waterfront to admire the tremendous beach waves.  The sand and salty air gave us the emotional boost we all needed.  There's something special about sitting on the beach watching the water even when it's too cold to venture into the water. 

Marigold treated himself to nine holes of golf while we treated ourselves to great deals in the outlet stores, then we met up for dinner. After dinner, we all drank too much wine and managed to watch a few $0.99 Red Box movie rentals before I called it a night well after Midnight.

I'm still very excited about my decision to prepare myself for a half marathon this December.  I feel happy and inspired whenever I think about it and I feel good about my decision to tackle this tremendous goal this year.  I revel in telling my friends and family about why I see no point in postponing this until next year.  I'm just going to do it!!!  I'm continuining to read everything I can about staying healthy and making my training efficient.   Today I'm feeling confident and unshakable in my abilities to run this race and do it in a healthy and focused way.  I hope I continue to remain confident. 

How about you - what are you feeling good about today?

Keep on runnin' yall!

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 Gratitude Journal
1. A weekend away with family
2. Feeling rested and knowing that I've successfully reset my zero
3. Commitment to oneself
4. Knowing that God means for me to be where I am and being happy in this place

It's my Birthday And I'll RUN If I Want To...

Yup, but only three miles. I decided that I'd run today, despite (or more like in honor of?) the fact that it's my birthday. You see, running has truly become a passion for me. When I don't do it, I feel cruddy. After I run, I feel elated, but sometimes a bit sore. The soreness is like a drug for me; instead of being repelled by it, I want more of it! Although, I'll admit, this pain in my left butt cheek has become just that: a pain in the ass. When I mentioned it to Daisy, she wondered if it could be sciatic nerve pain, but I don't think so. It feels entirely muscular. And it's only in my left cheek. And it always strikes up after I've been seated for at least 30 minutes. Perhaps more stretching is in order post-runs. I've been dealing with the pain in the cheek for about four weeks now. I'll be honest, when I first felt it, I liked it. It was almost sensual. Now it's just plum irritating. Maybe my butt muscles are building up and I'll have a pretty perky rear-end one day? That'd be quite nice.

Today, when walking back to my cubicle from the gym (obviously, hence my big blue gym bag), a colleague stopped me and asked, "Working out on your BIRTHDAY?" with a look of mock surprise on her face. "Of course!" I replied. I'm with it for LIFE, didn't I tell ya? This lifestyle change takes no notice of the days on the calendar. Last year I squeaked out three miles on Thanksgiving day (while running up and down the sidewalks of a major highway, might I proudly add) so I see no reason to skip my birthday. It is a great day for me, but it is after all, just another day!

Besides, all the adult beverages, fried chicken (Um hum, yes I did), cupcakes (not all that out of character for me), chips and salsa, and assorted other crappy foods I ingested last week and weekend, I kinda needed to run my big ass on the treadmill today!

Today is my birthday. It was a great birthday. Yeah, I was on my grind, but my lovely colleagues made it a nice day for me by decorating my cubicle, and chair and phone, taking me out to lunch at Nordstrom Cafe (I had one of the best salads EVER!), shoving chocolate cake down my throat (as if!), and singing happy birthday to me, it wasn't all that terrible. In addition, I worked on a project that I truly enjoy, so the day went by in a blink.

Along with me, I celebrate my birthday with my youngest Flower, Chrysanthemum. Yup, six years ago today after celebrating my own birthday with a cook-out, I gave birth to my own birthday buddy. Chrysanthemum is six today. Here we are just before we head out to Chuck E. Cheese (why is she crying and refusing to smile? Because she's SIX, remember???)

An ode to Chrysanthemum:

You are cute as the day is long. You can make even the meanest old man smile with your wit and humor. You can throw a look that can kill; you can smile like the best of all flirts. Your sense of style is creative and clever. You know what you want and never settle for less. When I carried you in my womb, I sensed you would be a force to be reckoned with. Never one to disappoint, you are true to your innate self: strong and sassy. Your sense of who you are astounds me, makes me proud and fills me with adoration and admiration. No matter who's around or watching, you are you. Always yourself. Always in bloom. You will always be loved. Happy birthday to my forever birthday buddy.

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Gratitude Journal:
1. Colleagues that make a Monday birthday at work bearable
2. Chocolate birthday cake
3. Chrysanthemum - my forever Birthday Buddy
4. Running and knowing that one day, I'll get faster
5. Salads with strawberries and candied pecans

Keep on runnin' yall.

Ocean City and My Second 5K

My Mother, the ever so lovely Daisy, treated us to a week at Ocean City, MD. As a gift of one less week of summer camp to pay for, she kept Rose and Chrysanthemum for the week. I was only able to manage two days off, but boy were they wonderful! This year we stayed in a fabulous townhouse right on the beach. It. Was. Awesome. We had such a wonderful time. My two days there were delicious. And I don't mean in only the foody way. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a minute know exactly how much I love the beach. Pretty much any beach, but Ocean City is my favorite. Something about the boardwalk and let me be honest, the french fries from Thrasher's don't hurt.

I took my beloved Brooks running shoes and I woke up at 7:00 both mornings and ran up and down Atlantic Highway. Not to worry, I ran mostly on the sidewalk so I wouldn't get pummeled by a bus or hungover vacationer. From the house we stayed at on 35th Street, each morning I ran to 70th Street and back. I clocked it on my car's odomoter, and it's a good two miles in each direction. That's four miles each day! Woohoo!

The beach was as I've always remembered it with nice crashing waves and a good assortment of shells to collect. Here are Tulip, Daisy, Rose and Chrysanthemum enjoying the sand and surf:



And here's Chrysanthemum completely buried in the sand:


And me, on the balcony overlooking the beach:

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My second 5K run
I completed my second 5K yesterday. It was so much fun. It was an all women's run, sponsored by the Reston YMCA. On Friday night before the run, I went there to pick up my runner's packet, including my first bib. Number 70. My new favorite number!! The packet included a free pair of running socks, and a bathrobe. Not bad at all for the $25.00 entry fee.

There were well over 200 runners and it was held on beautiful scenery that included the W&OD and Sugarland trails. We spotted a deer hightailing it out of our path at an amazing breakneck speed. All along our route were posters printed with affirmations and ideas to keep us motivated, such as: "Pain is temporary but quitting is forever."

And get this: the hills? They were my favorite part! I suspect it's because my legs are so long, but there's something very satisfying about running up a hill and making it to the top, lungs on fire and chest heaving. Call me crazy, but I find it exhaustingly fun.

There were lots of supporters cheering us on througout the run, and it was an amazing thing to hear people calling out to me "Go on 70!" And "keep it up" or "Do your thang number 70!"

I broke my PR by 31 seconds, finishing at 38:31 (I finished the 5K Fun Run at the Flower's school in May in 39:00). I'm still quite the tortoise, but I'm enjoying getting stronger. Someone told me that I should enjoy the process, and not just the results, so that's what I'm focusing on doing. I have no pictures at this time, but I'm pretty sure they snapped several pictures of me along the way, so if I manage to get my hands on them, I'll post them here.

I've registered myself to run a 5 Miler on this coming Saturday, 4th of July. That means I must spend much of this week preparing my mind and body. I plan to run outdoors on Monday and Wednesday evenings, while sweating it out on the elliptical on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday I'll reserve as a rest day, perhaps I'll do a bit of light yoga to lengthen my muscles some. Five miles will be a personal record for me, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how I do. I'm positive I'll be able to finish the run, but will I run the entire thing? We shall see.

Keep on running ya'll...