So I am now officially half-way through my half marathon training program. Six weeks down and six more to go. I am very pleased to announce that the woman who once could barely run around the block can now run six and half MILES!!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen....miles. I am so excited by the new found energy and body this training has brought me that I'm even considering running a second half marathon at the end of November.
In the six weeks of my training I have lost almost 10 pounds and I've dropped 2 pant sizes. I am constantly restraining myself from going on a bender at the mall buying new cute clothes. I have however, dropped a surprising amount of money on 'running gear.' I have a GPS watch that tracks my pace/distance. There are now two pairs of running shoes in my closet. Four pairs of running capris and two running skirts are in my bureau. An undisclosed number of wicking shirts have been added into my rotation. And a portable hydration system joins me on my long runs.
All of this makes me wonder 'what did people do before modern day training?' I guess in caveman days, you only needed to be faster than the slowest person to avoid being eaten by animals. And in pioneering times, you worked for 16 hours on the homestead. After a day like that, one didn't need to run for recreational purposes.
So this morning I was all geared up and out the door bright and early for my weekly long run. While my endurance has improved dramatically, I am still by no means a fast (or graceful) runner. So it came as no huge surprise the encounter I had on today's run. I'm about 4 miles into my run at a blazing 11:25/mile pace. I live in a very rural area and so there is basically not much except forests and farms along my route.
All of a sudden I hear panting coming from behind me and the sound nearly made me jump out of my skin. From the corner of my eye I see this very slender woman racing up to me. "Hello there," she says. "I've been chasing you for the past 1/4 mile. Catching you has been my challenge." I looked at her and said "Catching me is no body's challenge." She barely looks like she has broken a sweat and says to me "I am just recovering from knee surgery, catching you after my 15 mile run is my challenge." Is this woman for real? She then tells me to have a good day and that she's off to meet back up with her running partner.
After she trotted away from me a thought crosses my mind. If she and I were living back in prehistoric times, I was so the one getting eaten by the Saber Tooth Tiger.
[Caffeine consumed during the making of this blog: 1 Diet Dr. Pepper]
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Musings on Motherhood
I started this list shortly after my son was born. Periodically I've added to it. Just thoughts I've had during the amazing journey of motherhood.
1. The worst 10 minutes of my life was the span of time between when the doctor said "you are having an emergency c-section now" and when I heard my son's cry for the first time.
2. You may drive the same road home a million times, without any incident, but the day you drive your newborn home from the hospital, on the very same road, you will swear that meteors are going to shoot out of the sky and hit your car.
3. I never felt unconditional love until I held my son for the first time.
4. Suddenly your entire life revolves around another person's bodily functions. You will have entire conversations (over dinner) about the number of poopie diapers, the color, consistency and smell of said poop.
5. My favorite time of day is during one of those 3 a.m. feedings when the world is quiet and peaceful and no other people exist except for you and your child.
6. I never understood what people meant by "time flies" until I started packing away my son's infant clothes as he kept outgrowing them.
7. No book could ever come close to describing the feeling of your unborn child moving inside of you.
8. Becoming a mother has made me appreciate my friends (and all of their wisdom) more than words can say.
9. The funniest moment of my life was when my son discovered he could make raspberry sounds on MY belly.
10. I have discovered that a baby monitor can also be used as a public address system to summon my husband when I find my son covered in either poop or puke in his crib.
11. It takes a village to raise a child....and an allergist, dermatologist, ENT, gastroenterologist, orthopedic surgeon, and an oncologist.
12. Bad meltdowns can happen to good kids (and good mommies), that is why God created red wine.
13. Your child will never puke on you while you are wearing a raincoat. Once you take off the raincoat, you are on your own sister.
14. You will cry the day you take down your child's crib.
15. Potty training a toddler is the beginning of the end of your own personal bathroom experiences. From now on, you have an audience.
16. I now laugh at the fact that I was once nervous about having a boy because I didn't know what they like. Today I have an honorary PhD in making car/truck/airplane sounds and can spot a track hoe from a 1/4 mile away.
17. There is no stopping the uncontrollable flow of tears when you hear your child tell you "I don't love you mommy." (Even if they are only joking.)
18. Nothing can prepare you for the moment your child calls a perfect stranger a 'troll' in public.
19. After a year of soul searching, I can now see the irony of taking birth control for a decade 'to wait until I was ready to have a child' and the fact that now that I'm ready to expand my family my body is telling me it 'is not ready to have another child.'
20. Even though I love animals, I have a hard time keeping my composure when someone compares their pet to my child. The moment you walk out the front door and leave your pet alone when you go to work makes your pet different than my child. Sorry.
21. It takes becoming a mom to realize that Mother's Day is more than just a day to buy a card for your own mom.
22. You will wish that you had the Wonder Woman invisible jet to secretly fly in and out of daycare when your child becomes the 'class biter/pusher/hitter' in order to avoid all eye contact with the other parents.
23. During a time of crisis, you will miraculously summon the strength of 100 mommies to protect and care for your child.
24. 'Catholic Guilt' has nothing on 'Working Mommy Guilt'.
25. I used to laugh at the working parents that had their children's 'art' plastered all over their desk at work. I am hard pressed to find one official business communication mixed in among my son's gallery show currently on display at my place of employment. (My son is currently going through a Jackson Pollock phase.)
This list will probably be updated over time. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments below.
[Caffeine consumed during the making of this blog: one Coke Zero (LOVE this stuff)]
1. The worst 10 minutes of my life was the span of time between when the doctor said "you are having an emergency c-section now" and when I heard my son's cry for the first time.
2. You may drive the same road home a million times, without any incident, but the day you drive your newborn home from the hospital, on the very same road, you will swear that meteors are going to shoot out of the sky and hit your car.
3. I never felt unconditional love until I held my son for the first time.
4. Suddenly your entire life revolves around another person's bodily functions. You will have entire conversations (over dinner) about the number of poopie diapers, the color, consistency and smell of said poop.
5. My favorite time of day is during one of those 3 a.m. feedings when the world is quiet and peaceful and no other people exist except for you and your child.
6. I never understood what people meant by "time flies" until I started packing away my son's infant clothes as he kept outgrowing them.
7. No book could ever come close to describing the feeling of your unborn child moving inside of you.
8. Becoming a mother has made me appreciate my friends (and all of their wisdom) more than words can say.
9. The funniest moment of my life was when my son discovered he could make raspberry sounds on MY belly.
10. I have discovered that a baby monitor can also be used as a public address system to summon my husband when I find my son covered in either poop or puke in his crib.
11. It takes a village to raise a child....and an allergist, dermatologist, ENT, gastroenterologist, orthopedic surgeon, and an oncologist.
12. Bad meltdowns can happen to good kids (and good mommies), that is why God created red wine.
13. Your child will never puke on you while you are wearing a raincoat. Once you take off the raincoat, you are on your own sister.
14. You will cry the day you take down your child's crib.
15. Potty training a toddler is the beginning of the end of your own personal bathroom experiences. From now on, you have an audience.
16. I now laugh at the fact that I was once nervous about having a boy because I didn't know what they like. Today I have an honorary PhD in making car/truck/airplane sounds and can spot a track hoe from a 1/4 mile away.
17. There is no stopping the uncontrollable flow of tears when you hear your child tell you "I don't love you mommy." (Even if they are only joking.)
18. Nothing can prepare you for the moment your child calls a perfect stranger a 'troll' in public.
19. After a year of soul searching, I can now see the irony of taking birth control for a decade 'to wait until I was ready to have a child' and the fact that now that I'm ready to expand my family my body is telling me it 'is not ready to have another child.'
20. Even though I love animals, I have a hard time keeping my composure when someone compares their pet to my child. The moment you walk out the front door and leave your pet alone when you go to work makes your pet different than my child. Sorry.
21. It takes becoming a mom to realize that Mother's Day is more than just a day to buy a card for your own mom.
22. You will wish that you had the Wonder Woman invisible jet to secretly fly in and out of daycare when your child becomes the 'class biter/pusher/hitter' in order to avoid all eye contact with the other parents.
23. During a time of crisis, you will miraculously summon the strength of 100 mommies to protect and care for your child.
24. 'Catholic Guilt' has nothing on 'Working Mommy Guilt'.
25. I used to laugh at the working parents that had their children's 'art' plastered all over their desk at work. I am hard pressed to find one official business communication mixed in among my son's gallery show currently on display at my place of employment. (My son is currently going through a Jackson Pollock phase.)
This list will probably be updated over time. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments below.
[Caffeine consumed during the making of this blog: one Coke Zero (LOVE this stuff)]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
