[half] Marathon Monday - New Year's Edition

Remember last year when I said I don't do New Year's resolutions? I might have suggested it's "the time to set a lofty goal that will never be realized." The truth is, that's exactly what I said.

So, about setting ridiculous expectations for myself in the new year - I decided to take it up. Well, technically Sadie decided, so you can send your comment cards to her if I lose my mind in 2013. You remember her, the one that convinced me to run a half marathon at a point in my life when I could barely handle a mile. As much as I hate to admit it, I think we all need Sadies in our lives to set us up for things we never would have done on our own free will.

I know you're just bursting with excitement to hear what craziness we're up to this year so I'll just come out with it: 13 miles 13 times in 2013. That's right, we're going to run a half marathon each month of 2013 and figure out how to squeeze one more in on top of it. However, don't expect to see pictures of us with 13 medals and official race results. That would be awesome, but it would also be a crazy financial commitment. But you can expect to hear all about it, so stay tuned!

Here's a re-cap of last year's half marathons:

LIVESTRONG Austin Half Marathon, Angie's Half Crazy, AthHalf

if it looks like a fox and sounds like a whale

It must be a Shiba Inu?

If we could have had the dynamic duo Bear and Kitsune for a while before naming them, I probably would have lobbied for Radar and Sonar. Don't get me wrong, they have great names. I mean, what's better than calling one animal by another's name? (For the record: Kitsune means fox in Japanese.) Even though I don't actually intend to re-name them, sometimes I like to think about what their personalities suggest they should be called.

It doesn't taking knowing bear and his super-awesome, super-huge ears for very long before you're tempted to call him radar.

Kitsune has a unique way of communicating when she wants something, which is usually one of three things - food, space on the couch, or outside time. This morning when she was complaining at chatting with me, I thought, "she's the sonar to his radar!" This seems to be a Shiba Inu thing, so I found a video (not of Kitsune) to give you the general idea. She's not quite this vocal, but it's pretty darn close!

 

Solemn Sunday

Today is a grey, rainy day that matches the mood.

This week has been extremely difficult for a lot of people. Between a mall shooting and a school shooting, most of us are dazed, unfocused, and just plain devastated. I've been reading a lot about friends that cry at the sight of children (both their own and others), absentmindedly leave their homes without stopping to check if they're properly dressed, and are made to address extremely difficult topics with their families.

I have found myself thinking about the victims' families first thing when I wake up in the morning - hoping their loved ones were able to sleep and feel rested when they first open their eyes. My heart breaks knowing they will have to remind themselves that it was not a dream, especially in the beginning. She's not in her bed down the hall, he's not going in to work on Monday, we're a family of 4 and not 5. I pray they have as many of those peaceful moments as possible and that crashing back to the ground one day turns into a controlled landing.

Unanswered Prayers

A wise man once said:

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Ok, so maybe it was Garth Brooks.

Just because he doesn't answer, doesn't mean he don't caaaaare! 

Precicely.

Every once in a while you learn that your master plan isn't working out as you plotted it, and you have to come to terms with the fact that you might not have the whole picture. Casey and I were just talking about the valuable experience of learning to look back on frustrating moments and closed doors as blessings that made way for something better. That doesn't mean that you stop looking or stop trying, only that you accept what happens and use it to keep moving forward.

Swimming in cream, churning it into butter.
(if that didn't make any sense to you, take a peek at this)

La Pega

In most of the Spanish speaking world, la pega refers to an obstacle, problem or something else equally as encouraging. In Chile, it is most commonly used to refer to your job. The phrase is used with about the same amount of warm and fuzzy sentiment as calling your wife the old lady.

I've been spending a lot of time at work lately, but on my way home today I realized that, despite my exhaustion, my work is not pega. This week, my (extremely long) days have primarily consisted of updating, proof-reading, and editing short biographies of 116 scholarship recipients. Aside from the fact that my eyes hurt and I am just plain tired, I am emotionally spent. 

These students are exceptional in every way possible. They live in exceptionally difficult circumstances with exceptionally low access to education. They are exceptionally intelligent with a drive to succeed that is far beyond exceptional. They accomplish exceptional feats and have exceptionally high hopes for the future of their families, their community, and their country despite all signs indicating otherwise. They are my heroes. 

This is a friendly reminder that work does not have to be pega. I am definitely guilty of forgetting this and focusing on the negative, taxing aspects of my work at times. I love remembering that it's possible to dedicate your career to something that matters; something that you really care about. Quite honestly, I'm not sure that I could do it any other way. It makes all of the work (the pega work) worth while.

Today I am feeling very fortunate for the opportunity to take part in the exceptional lives and accomplishments of these students.

On Chilling Out

A wise man once said, "Perfectionism is likely to be helpful in moderation but increasingly problematic when taken to extremes."

I can't even begin to explain how perfectly this image represents my life. And yes, even in my childhood. I love order; when everything is planned, organized, and in its place. I can think clearly, feel rested, and start enjoying other things.

But sometimes you can't control things. Sometimes they pour out all over you in a cripplingly overwhelming sort of way and there's nothing that you can do about it except spend that last bit of energy not freaking out. Kind of like when you put things on Kitsune.

I get that this sounds simple, but it's such a hard thing to do! I have to imagine it's difficult even for the more laid back souls out there. It might be obvious by now that I'm currently in a struggle of freaking out vs. chilling out and at some point I thought that telling the internet about this problem would help. The moral of the story is that we can only control some things and we can't stress out over the other stuff we can't control. You do the best you can (and trust that it's pretty darn good, seeing that you are a perfectionist after all) and put it away - really away - when you can't anymore.

Kitten Quirks

All pets (and people, for that matter) have funny quirks that make them who they are. One thing that makes Bear and Kitsune so uniquely different is that he's a classic dog through-and-through and she is generally like a cat. She even loves yarn, which we discovered with my recent adventures with crocheting.

My new-found hobby also served as a reminder of one of Kitsune's most amusing idiosyncrasies - if you put anything on her, she is rendered completely powerless and cannot move.

We first learned this when Casey put a rope toy on her back just for kicks. She immediately laid down and stayed put until the crushingly oppressive object was removed. This happens to be one of my practice crochet pieces, which the dogs actually like to play with. Turns out you can crochet dog toys, so that may be in my crafting future (because Lord knows doggie toys are expensive!)

I may have to create some puppy photo projects: 

Things on Kitsune and Sleeping Bear

What We Don't Naturally Do

As uncomfortable as it may be, it's often productive to do the things that don't come naturally to us. That's how we get good at them, right?! No one is inherently good at all of the things they do. Well, maybe Shaun White; but the rest of us need to practice awkward processes before becoming pros.

My recent adventures in crocheting definitely fall in this category. After many online tutorials (and the discovery of Lucille) I finally found a stitch that I can comprehend and reproduce... which unfortunately results in the tightest, curliest piece of "fabric" that I can imagine. Despite my current domestic woes, I have faith that practice makes progress and I will eventually create something soft, snuggly, and pleasant. But cross your fingers for me, just in case!

I started thinking about this topic during my run today, which had me doing exactly the opposite of what my body does on its own. To be honest, I didn't even notice my routine until I tried to do something different. The short of it is: with the help of a friend, I have a new running plan. The goal is to get faster because I'm slow. Today's planned run was simple, 2 miles at an easy pace (believe it or not, slower than I usually run), followed by 3 miles at a faster than usual pace, then one last easy mile.

I already knew that my fastest miles are usually at the beginning and end of a run, but I had no idea how much I slowed down in the middle until I kept track of each mile. I came in a minute faster per mile than I was supposed to in the first two miles but it was still an easy pace so I'm thinking, "I'm so ahead of the game!" Then I thought I picked it up for mile 3. Let me tell you, so. much. slower. Mile 4 was even slower than 3! I was working harder and still going slower.

All of this is to say that I had forgotten how helpful it is to throw a wrench in your own routine, take a look at what happened and then move forward from there. Sometimes it's nice to get un-stuck in your ways.

The Skinny Syndrome

Many people in our country are focused on health, weight, and overall physical image. I think we would all agree that this can be a good thing or a bad thing. I firmly believe that myself and my fellow Americans need to pay more attention to how we treat our bodies and what we put into them. We generally don't take care of ourselves the way we should and we often sell ourselves short when it comes to what we're physically capable of.

On the other hand, many of us are far too obsessed with what that means in terms of clothing size or how gross/weird/strange our [insert obsession here] looks in a dressing room. We are all supposed to be different  in shape, size, and proportion. What we need to be focused on is our health. You might be "fluffier" than you'd like to be, but I think the important measures are whether you are healthy, strong, and can physically sustain (or excel at) both what you need to do and what you like to do.

Much of my time spent studying mass media in college involved the unrealistic physical expectations of women, and unfortunately that is the reality of our situation. However, I thought I knew who to expect this from: fashion magazines, celebrity "news" shows, the usual suspects. Who I did not expect to glorify this image are the "normal people" retailers gearing up for the holiday season. I've even surprised myself with how worked up I've gotten over this kohl's commercial:

A quick scan of Kohl's facebook page tells me that I'm not the only one who's upset. In my opinion, the kudos goes to companies like Marshalls that pull off a commercial (complete with runway theme) that happens to include real women with real body parts:

Half Marathon Monday

Oops, I did it again?!

That's right. I ran another half marathon. This one was the AthHalf in Athens, Georgia - and Sadie made me do it!

Post race in front of an ambulance we did not need!

So maybe she didn't make me do it, but she might have been the one to suggest another half marathon. This one took us around and up and down town on a really beautiful run. Good thing it was so scenic because the up and down bit was quite a departure from the oh-so-flat city of Houston.



Just before this run I was convincing myself that maybe 10k was more my distance, but there's something addicting about goals that are just out of comfortable reach.

Trying to stay warm before the start

I'm still not so fast (although Sadie is a speed demon these days) but just doing it comes with a serious sense of accomplishment. I still maintain that if I can run a half marathon, anybody can. I saw participants of this race who were easily twice my size or three times my age. There were runners, walkers and people in wheelchairs. Looking around and taking in all of the different types of people who subject themselves to half marathons is quite inspiring.

And now we all share our prizes of a pretty comfy t-shirt, a small medal and bragging rights. AthHalf unfortunately doesn't win any sort of swag award.


Be on the lookout for us again early next year because we're going back to Austin in February. The crazy train is going full steam ahead!

Meet Kitsune

Hi! I'm Kitsune. I look like
a dog, but I'm really a cat.

One month ago, our family of 3 became 4. The newest addition is a Shiba Inu named Kitsune. Her name means fox in Japanese, which is quite appropriate because she's a Japanese dog that looks like a fox!

You may recognize this little one from photos of play dates or vacations, but now she's for keeps. Some friends from Portland (turned friends from Houston) were unable to keep her. Fortunately, we met her along the way!

Really what happened is Kitsune and Bear met and, at first sight, fell madly in love. They played, they snuggled, they could never be separated again. They had to part for a while, but they worked through the distance and will now live happily ever after. For ever and ever amen.


I'm sure we're still just getting acquainted, but here's what we know so far:

Things Kitsune likes:

• Running
• Snuggling
• Crawling under things
• Tug of war
• Bearsicle
• Smelling everything thoroughly
• Blankets
• Sleeping
• Car rides
• The dog park
• Dead things
• Being like a cat

Things Kitsune does not like:

• Baths
• Sleeping alone
• Being in trouble
• Anything unfamiliar
• Dog park maintenance guy
• Being forced to do something
• Practicing anything
• Excessive speed
• Revealing that she's a big softie

Rest assured this is just the beginning of our adventure, and there will be many stories to come. I've heard people say that with kids, 1 is like 1 and 2 is like 20. I've found dogs are like that, but with cuteness. 1 is really cute, but two is like having the world's cutest baby animal calendar and YouTube videos at your disposal in your living room.

... unless they're eating something they're not supposed to.

Until next time, I leave you with some more photos!

10 Miles

Once upon a time, I ran 10-ish miles. It was hard, and it hurt, and it was really more like 11. That was about two weeks before my very first half marathon, and today, three weeks before my third half marathon I ran not walked 10 miles... without stopping. I wasn't terribly fast (it took me 1 hour and 57 minutes to do it) but it was the longest distance I've ever gone without stopping to walk! Milestone.

They say that the long runs are about covering the distance, and not the time that it takes you to do it. But I can't help but thinking, "why the heck am I so slow?!" I crunched the numbers, and today evened out to be slightly faster than a 12 minute mile. ...I'm pretty sure some people can walk that fast. Yes, I know it's faster than if I were at home in bed or sitting on my sofa, but it's slower than I was before running my first half marathon. But it felt better - a lot better.

Instead of getting frustrated and fixating on the things that aren't going quite how I'd like, I'm trying to recognize what's going well. Today, I didn't have to contemplate whether or not I could make it up the stairs on my own or ice my knees right away because they felt like they were being held together with old rubber bands. My hands and feet didn't swell, threatening to explode - and that's a serious improvement. Maybe one day I'll start running half marathons for time, but for now I'll be proud of the fact that in the past year I've gone from being a non-runner (who was terrified of just one mile) to running 10 miles at a time.

Here's to the impossible.

All That Vajiggle Jaggle

... is not beautimous.

I can already tell that spell check is going to be really unhappy with me on this one. So, I usually write about running or my dogs (yes, that's plural now!) and I thought I'd mix it up a bit - Honey Boo Boo style.

If you don't know who this little gem is, do yourself a favor and google her.

Here's the basic idea:
Alana "Honey Boo Boo Child" Thompson is a tiny, overcaffeinated pageant queen from TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras. Her crazy antics on the show have earned her and her (even crazier) family their own show: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The whole thing is horrifyingly awesome.


Ok. Technically, should I feel unethical for giving ratings to a show that exploits a young girl and her family for being self-proclaimed rednecks doing ridiculous things? Probably. But they make me giggle just enough that I can't stop watching it!

HoneyBooBooSay on Twitter
Honey Boo Boo Redneckipedia 
Honey Boo Boo and the GoGo Juice

Attitude is Everything

It really is. I know I've been writing about this quite a bit lately, but I write about the revelations as they come.

How do you get a plane full of sleepy (and most likely grumpy) airplane passengers to pep up and play nice at 5am? Pull yourself out of your own 5am funk and make people laugh. The security announcements on the first leg of my flight this morning included phrases like:

• If Atlanta is not part of your travel plans today, it's too late. It is now.
• Please be sure your seat belt is secured tightly, low across your hips... like J-Lo's pants
• The pilot has promised to fly the plane like he stole it, which should get us there on time. It may also result in losing some exterior paint, but that should help in our transition to Southwest Airlines.
• If the cabin loses pressure, once you have finished screaming, place the mask over your face... [may not inflate... put your mask on first before assisting others... etc] If you are travelling with more than one child, you may have to pick your favorite.

This seems a little silly now, but let me tell you, if you've been up since 3am it's pretty hysterical. One of the flight attendants on round two was cracking jokes also. The moral of the story is - you can choose to shake off the funk if you really want to. If you make the choice to give up the grumps in a situation where it's easy to just give in, it's truly infectious and brightens everyone's day!

It's Possible

At least that's what Cesar Chavez tells me. So maybe he wasn't talking to me but it's still advice worth taking. There are always things in life that we think are physically, mentally, or genetically impossible - a lost cause. I'm sure some people are more prone to this thought pattern than others, and I'll admit I've been known to say I can't do something more than once. Sometimes I just insist that I choose not to do something (let's say, run) because what I'm really afraid of is not being able do it.

What I'm learning is that we don't have to stick to those boundaries we (or others) set, no matter how crazy they seem. As it turns out, I can run. Even if I am slow at achieving the final "impossible" goal, or don't quite make it there, at least I have made progress toward it.

I see the same woman walking around the trail Memorial Park lately. She would be classified as morbidly obese and limps a little bit as she walks while her face shows her discomfort too. This loop is 3 miles long and I've gone on long enough runs while we're both there to know that she goes all of the way around. She just keeps going one small step at a time. Every time we pass I think about how courageous she is to do this despite how hard it is. If my run went awry, I would always have the option to finish by walking without too much difficulty. She doesn't have that safety net. She puts herself out there and focuses on herself with hundreds of the city's fittest people running circles around her. As I pass all of them, she's the one I admire most. I contemplate stopping to tell her this sometimes, but my own fear that she'll think I'm strange or even be offended stops me.

Let this be a reminder that you most likely can do whatever it is that you think you can't. You just have to decide how badly you want it and give it a try.

Don't Ever Quit

I'm not going to say that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but I didn't jump out of it will all of the energy, enthusiasm, and rested feelings that I'd hoped I would have. I've signed up to run another half marathon in October, and I'm determined to actually run this one. So, I've been following a training schedule suggested by Runner's World (albeit for first-timers) to help get my mileage back up.

This week it feels like my body's been wearing down. I've been demanding a lot of myself physically and also have a lot on my mind. I started my morning a little too late and believing that this wasn't going to be the best or easiest run. For the record, I do not suggest setting yourself up for defeat (or mediocrity, for that matter) before you even start. But I made it out of the door: the first step.

I have also decided that, in the summer, I prefer to run before the sun comes up to cook me. Today, I just couldn't make it out in time. Although 8am seems early, 6am is ideal. My opinion is that no one in their right mind is still running after 8 or 9am on a Texas summer day.

My mission was 6 miles; twice around a 3 mile loop. As I came toward the end of the first loop, and old thought pattern crept up on me: I'm beat! And this is a respectable enough distance... right? I was SO tempted to stop at 3 miles and call it a day. I haven't been feeling well anyway. And if it's not 90 degrees yet, the heat index is already there. For those who don't believe in signs - these are the moments you believe. In the last 100 feet or so, I came up on a man who was wearing a red shirt with the words "Don't Ever Quit" on the back. Now you tell me how I'm supposed to stop half-way through my goal after that. I no longer have an option. What I did instead was tell him that I appreciated his shirt. I pointed toward my car and told him that I am supposed to run 6 miles today and I was seriously considering stopping here, at the end of my first lap, until I read his shirt. We saw each other once more and he smiled and waved with both hands, happy to see me still going, and I smiled and waved back. I might not have been very fast, but I made it through all six of those miles and I can't be disappointed in that.

Momentum: All or Nothing

Why is it that, in order to be productive, I need to already be getting something done? If there's a list of things to do at home, I can't miss a beat after work - I'm good as long as I just keep going. But if I sit down just for a bit it will most likely be all evening. It's either 90 miles an hour or no miles an hour at all.

I know I'm not the only person this happens to. An object in motion stays in motion, right? (and we all know this philosophy applies to workouts too) I would just love a little bit of balance - the motivation to get a nice,  happy-medium amount of things done with some time to relax.

Part of me is inclined to go overboard and plan it. I know there are some obsessive planners out there, but scheduling all parts of my seems a little overkill. Le sigh.

You Can Do It - Put the Phone Down

I might be a bit more old-fashioned than the average person when it comes to cell phones in general. First, I must admit that I don't have a smart phone. Yes, still. I do understand that new phone technology is amazing and entertaining, but I'm still surprised to see two (or sometimes more) people at the same table in a restaurant on their cell phones - neither one interacting with each other, but instead, the invisible person at their fingertips. Granted, it's probably easier for most to stay connected than it would be for me on my stone-age cell that might as well have a rotary dial compared to all of the things Siri can do.

I may think it's strange, but ultimately, it's your own choice if you want to sit in a room full of people and talk to someone else. But there's one phone offense that I'm becoming more fed up with by the minute: using it while you drive. It doesn't matter if you're texting, talking or checking your email, I am of the opinion that it's not safe. I'll admit I'm guiltily of talking and driving on long stretches home, but I've come to the conclusion that (at least in my place of residence) both hands are required. So, if you call or text me and I'm in my car... be prepared to wait. You'll have to wait until I get to wherever I'm going or until a nice, long stop light.

When I tried to look up statistics on phone use while driving, I was actually surprised that the vast majority of sites and articles are directed at teens. It makes sense, I guess. Teenagers are notorious for texting in general, and many of them are also learning to drive. It's important to establish safe driving habits from the beginning; I get that. My surprise comes from the fact that, when I get cut off by someone in traffic and then pass that person, they are almost always on the phone and almost never a teenager. They are adults. Commuting to or from work, taking their families to games, meetings, appointments. They look like they're texting, but if I had to guess, I would say it's email. Either way, I think they should know better.

There are lots of websites offering facts and figures on how texting and driving isn't safe. It slows your reaction times, it makes you less aware, it's even compared to drunk driving. I understand that most of these sites are biased - dedicated to keeping people from talking or texting while driving (someone should really address the email issue...) but no one could convince me that it's safe. I still can't believe it's not illegal in more places. Right now in Texas, the only place you can't text and drive is in a school zone. I could be wrong, but I'd guess kids are more likely to be vulnerable to cars playing in their own neighborhoods, where texting and driving is just fine according to the law.

Next time you think about picking up your phone while you're cruising down the freeway, ask your self this question: Have I ever chosen to avoid someone on the road because I saw they were on their phone? I sure have. If I need to get into another freeway lane, and I see the person that would be behind me is texting, am I going to get in front of them? Not a chance. So what makes you any safer under those conditions?

Birthday Bear

salty & sweet: b-day ice cream and bacon treat!

Today is Bear's second birthday! Well, at least that's what Casey and I decided. Granted, we can't be sure how old he is, but we took the estimate from the dog rescue, vet, and our own experiences and just took a stab. Originally, we gave him a birthday at the time we adopted him, but reassigned it for (what we see as) the necessary adjustments. Plus, we kinda wanted to celebrate it too. As you can tell, it was a big deal.


So, how do you determine a Bear's birthday? Use your Secret Language of Birthdays book of course! 


July 20th is for those that are adventuresome, active and practical, but also restless and dissatisfied - a little bit moody, but mostly awesome. Play all day at the park with new friends, know how to get your treat when you get home (sit for mom and 'be a bear' for dad), and throw a melodramatic tantrum when your people don't go to bed on time - you're so tired! Why won't they sleep?!

What does a birthday pup do on their special day? Enjoy a little ice cream treat flaunting a designer hat. Play with your new squeaky ball, and go to the park! Seems like a good day to me - pup or person.

Yes, I know we're a bit silly for our dog, but how can you not get a little carried away for this handsome fellow?

I'm glad we're the ones that got to adopt him and give him a home. And I really hope we are right that he's just turning two, because that means many more action packed, silly, melodramatic years are ahead!

Birthdays are so exhausting!

Evening Runs

My body just doesn't seem to agree with running at the end of the day. I know theoretically I should be able to run at anytime with equal misery, but 9 times out of 10, evening and night time runs go awry long before they're over.

I will admit that a handful of my best runs have happened right after work or class, but those experiences have been few and far between. Usually when this happens I feel an immense sense of accomplishment that I fueled my body just right before running - the perfect balance between not enough and too much in my tummy. And what's there has to count; no junk allowed. I can do all kinds of other exercise at the end of the day, even an hour or so after eating, but somehow running plays out a little differently for me. Well, it almost always ends the same way: with some sort of horrendous gurgling in my gut.

Even today, when I couldn't drag myself out of bed in the morning to run, I resolved to run in the evening (because let's face it, this time of year the only other option is insanity). I was careful about what I ate all day, and even had a pretty light dinner. I probably should have had more water throughout the day, but that was my biggest fault. A little less than a mile into my run came a fierce combination of heartburn and the burps. WTF stomach?! I took myself a little further, just past a mile, and then determined it was no longer worth the risk - there was too far left to go and too much that could go wrong. There would be walking. There would also be a little more running not walking, but it would be mostly walking.

So, about half of tonight's run turned into speed-walking. If I was going to walk, I was at least going to get a workout. I'm not out here to pick up shirtless jocks (but if you're in need of one, I suggest Memorial Park). There was also extra motivation in the form of mosquitoes. I don't have to be faster than the mosquito, just faster than the next tasty guy/gal. I'd like to think another benefit is working muscles differently, but I'll have a much better idea of that in the morning.

I'm tempted to schedule in evening runs once or twice a week just to force myself to clean up my diet. Maybe it will even make me like the morning runs more. But I also know the "best" time to work out is when you'll actually do it.

And now to end with a visual representation of what my night time runs feel like:

See more!
You MUST do it.

No Bitches Allowed

Okay, I believe the first order of business is to explain myself. For this I turn to Urban Dictionary.

Bitch: 1) the act of whining excessively; 2) someone who refuses to fight or is scared to fight.

This story begins at 5:30 this morning when my alarm went off for my first run since my last half marathon on April 1st. It's been a while. In all honesty, I wasn't awake for the beginning of the story - I came to around 10 minutes later after hitting snooze in my sleep a couple of times. I crawled out of bed and into running clothes... and then into another set of running clothes. (I just don't know what to do with this thousand degree weather or how to run in it!) After some Gatorade, half a banana and putting my contacts in for the first time in months, I was off!

Getting back into running is always difficult for me and I tend to struggle with pushing myself. It's so easy to just to ease back into it, convincing yourself you've lost more ground than you really have. Before you know it, weeks have passed with little progress and the "warm up" never really ends. The more I run, the more I learn what my body can handle, so I try to set my goals accordingly. There were a couple of times in my run this morning where I wanted to stop and walk for a bit, not because I needed to, but because I was tired... and it was my first day back, after all. This is when a divine iPod intervention took place and the rap gods arranged a song to keep me going. What both of those songs had in common today was not being a bitch. People survive much more significant hardships all of the time; I could suck it up and fight my way through the uncomfortable parts of my run. So that's what I did.

In the words of Jay-Z: I got 99 problems but being a bitch ain't one

On Gratitude

Sometimes we let life get in the way of our own happiness. Things get busy, we get stressed and we spend so much time working toward something greater that we forget to appreciate blessings in the moment. I am especially guilty of this over the past few weeks. I felt myself focusing on all of the frustrating, stressful parts of life and it ends up feeling like a sort of infection of negativity.

I decided (with Oprah's encouragement) to start keeping a gratitude journal. The basic idea is to write at least 5 thinks you're grateful for each day, big or small. I found that it helped spark an attitude adjustment in my cranky self so I thought I would share my results from last week! Here is what I am grateful for these days:

Monday
having enough
a good night's sleep
Bear
free coffee at work
good wine

Tuesday
supportive, encouraging work environment
friends you can tell anything to
machines that wash our stuff
Casey's hugs
work laptops

Wednesday
a paycheck
Diablo 3 (no I don't play. really.)
Casey and his mad skills
lots of daylight in the summer
wearing over-sized pajama pants

Thursday
Ray LaMontagne - you are the best thing
Otis Redding - sittin' on the dock of the bay
John Legend - stay with you
Florence & the Machine - dog days are over
Eric Huchinson - ok, it's alright with me
The Script - breakeven
Maroon5 - the way you look tonight
Gavin DeGraw - more than anyone

Friday
the practical uses of rice
teamwork!
fridays - they just feel better
coming home from work puppy loves
runner's glide

Tales from the Dog Park

Outside of work, the dog park accounts for a good portion of my human interaction these days. This may already be apparent by my most recent posts which are almost completely dog related (I'll work on some other topics). This is yet another observation of the interesting people behavior that takes place at the dog park.

The phenomenon that I've been noticing lately are the people who are snobs about their dog's playmates. Like little puppy socialites, they're only allowed to interact with a select few (if any) appropriately cute and calm canines. Yet these people are in a dog park at peak hours. Yes, I am confused too.

Not too long ago, there was one poor, unfortunate soul at the Boneyard (awesome dog park + bar) named Melo, which I can only assume was named after the Anthony, despite being a fluffy poodle or maltese. Melo's person was very diligent about keeping tabs on his whereabouts and was a little more vocal than the other Boneyard patrons quietly chatting amongst themselves. "Melo! Mel-o!" She'd yell from across the park, sounding a lot like Pablo Francisco impersonating woman. Although annoying, we all put up with it, pretending we didn't notice except for the sideways glances to each other. She blabbed about how her pets are her children and she's so protective of them; she doesn't like her dog being bothered by other dogs and would prefer that he didn't interact with them at all. Then things got a bit more intense. Melo is a male dog acting like a male dog. He sniffs other dogs and sticks his face in places people might find embarrassing... because he's a dog. Well, Melo's person was horrified by his actions. She ran across the park and pulled the dogs apart, declaring Melo's virginity. She insisted that due to his upstanding character, "he doesn't do things like that."

Whoa, lady. Melo's a dog, not a born again Christian. So sorry.

There were more antics and ridiculous statements, probably fueled by the cans of Keystone Light that the staff would later discover in the parking lot. I am proud to say that I kept my cool and didn't say a word, not one word... until she started it. 

Melo came over to Casey and I, where there also happened to be two large, vicious dogs (one a black lab) playing gently with maiming each other. They set their sights on the white, fluffy morsel just as Melo's person came to the rescue. "Hey, get away from him!" Pushing and shooing the face-licking, tail-wagging monsters away from her precious pup. "Um, excuse me. Make your dogs stop!" 

I'm pretty sure not even the first word came out of my mouth at a reasonable volume. It escalated to a full-on arm waiving, screaming match with a total stranger that ended something like: 

"Then leave if you can't handle it!" 

"I am!"

"Well, you're not moving; get out!"

"I'm going!"

Some of you might not even believe I would do this, and I want to note that I hadn't consumed a drop of alcohol during this visit (that might have helped the situation and kept me quiet a bit longer). Slightly embarrassed that staff came outside to assess the situation, I started to process what had just happened. Maybe I over reacted... but the people left and the bar staff seemed to think I was the least crazy of the two of us. This was good news. 

I still occasionally encounter and am stumped by the person who will bring their dog to the park only to obsess over preventing interactions with other dogs and people. Why?!

Maybe Will Smith was right, parents just don't understand.

If My Dog Can't Eat It...

Oddly enough, having a dog has made me take a closer look at the foods we eat. For the most part Bear doesn't get much "people food." But we do let him try a variety of what we would call "real food," you know, the stuff that comes right out of the ground or off trees and bushes. If he's eyeballing a certain fruit or vegetable that he's never had or particularly likes, we'll give him a little. This has resulted in the surprising realization that the Bearmeister likes quinoa. He's quite refined.

On a few occasions, I've caught myself not allowing him to have something and it makes me question why I'm even eating it. "No Bear, you can't have that Dorito - it's bad for you." Wait a minute...

If I won't allow my dog (who eats all kinds of ridiculous things around the house and survives) to eat something because it's bad for him, wouldn't that mean it's bad for me too? I'm pretty sure it does. Although I'm not committing to ban Doritos from our lives, I think I should spend more time asking myself, "would I give this to Bear?" If the answer is no, I need to seriously consider why I'm willing to put it into my body (with the exception of chocolate, of course).

The funny things he makes me think about.

Dog Park Etiquette

If you've spent any time in a dog park, or a public space with dogs for that matter, you're probably familiar with this scene. A small dog (often with an unfortunate name like Princess or Mr. Pickles) who doesn't stray far from their owner and meets other dogs with complete hostility. When you think of dog park etiquette, you'd think these disgruntled little Napoleons would be the ultimate offenders; but more often than not, they aren't. It's their crazy owners that create the problem.

I'm not trying to judge my fellow pet lovers, and I am definitely not claiming to be perfect, but there are just some things that you shouldn't do if you want a sociable, well-adjusted dog. For example, don't bring a baggie full of dog treats to a park with 30 other dogs, give them to your pup and then wonder why it acts aggressively when other curious noses appear. When said dog acts aggressively don't correct reward him by luring him over to a secluded corner of the park with yet another treat, ball, or toy. This is a positive outcome for unfortunate behavior (that you created, by the way) and your pet doesn't understand your full sentence explanations about why "it's not nice to growl and bite at other doggies like that. You can't make friends by being mean, so don't do that anymore, ok? Be nice." Your dog will respond with some variation of:  *blink* *blink* Is that a treat?

And God forbid you actually start feeding other people's dogs. I'm astounded that we see people bringing food into the park for their pets, but when they start feeding other people's dogs that's crossing a strange sort of line that I didn't even know existed until it happened. I never expected to have such a strong reaction to this, but the small handful of people who I've seen do it have really irritated me. We have a friendly pup and his sniffer's pretty darn good, so it usually doesn't take him long to figure out who is sneaking treats to their dog every minute and a half. He's also generally smart, so he'll hang out in this person's vicinity just in case they should lose a treat. Some people act irritated that he's hanging around expecting to get some of their dog's treats (the nerve!) and others find him endearing and share the wealth. How am I supposed to teach my dog not to harass or jump on you when you keep giving him treats? I also have no idea what that treat is and you don't know what I feed my dog on a regular basis. What happens when he gets rawhide as a treat and not doggie cookies, and those 8 biscuits you just gave my 17 pound dog means I have to deal with the runs for two days? 

Today's treat giver was a special kind of irritating. Not only did this family bring a ton of treats for their overly aggressive "in-tact" dog, they also brought some toys. At one point in time this lovely gentleman was taunting another woman's dog with the toy, pretending like he was going to throw it for him. When her dog remained glued to his side, barking at him, she naturally tried to get him to stop. But I think we all knew there's little you can do (other than confuse the hell out of your dog) when the other person is actively working against you. The solution, in this case, was to call it a day. Their tummies and our blood pressure didn't need any more of that nonsense.

All too often, the dogs that get a bad reputation for behavior that's not entirely their fault. Yes some dogs naturally have more agressive temperaments than others, but they are ultimately a product of their environment. I still like to think that these cardinal rule breakers really do have the best of intentions and don't understand that they are often a source of tension for both people and pets.

(For the record, Bear has never gotten sick from other people at the park - yet.)

Here's some more official Dog Park Etiquette, based on things other than my personal opinion.

For more amazingly ridiculous photos: www.ihasahotdog.com 

Writing Bug

This morning I woke up with a writing bug like I've never experienced before. I'm not sure if it was there when I opened my eyes or if I created it by starting one of my 27 in 27 items - writing down my dreams for 30 days. I always have the best recollection of my dreams when I first wake up, and this morning I remembered more than usual. So I pulled out a notebook that hasn't been filled with class notes yet and started day 1 by scribbling down what I remembered. By the time I was done with the first dream, I couldn't recall very much of the others, but that's to be expected. I've heard once you start doing this, you tend to remember more and more. I wrote for a good 15 minutes, and then had to start getting ready for class. I left a quick note for Casey to find when he woke up and then hopped in the shower.

As the morning went on, my thoughts wouldn't quiet down and the urge to write became more intense. I'm not sure if it was the subject that needed to come out (which may turn into another blog for another time) or if I just needed to write - about anything. Many writers will say they do it because they need to. Until this morning, I don't think I've ever understood the need to write, to dump out all of the contents of my head. It genuinely felt like my sanity was on the line. I started to get irritated that I didn't have the time to get my thoughts out in the way they were coming to me in those moments, and I considered foregoing the morning routine to do it. Rest assured, I managed to convince myself to shower, brush my teeth, and clothe myself. But the entire time I kept thinking things like, "Why am I putting on mascara right now? I need to be writing! This is ridiculous."

I wasn't able to sit down and write again before I had to go to class, so I just let my thoughts flow as if I was writing (but really I was brushing my teeth). It definitely wasn't the release I was looking for, but eventually the urge subsided and I got over the fact that it didn't fit into my schedule today. I find it funny that I'm having a hard time writing this blog right now when not so long ago it felt like if I could just sit down at my computer for 30 minutes the feeling would be so fantastic that it just might solve world hunger. I will be interested to see if the writing bug bites again as I continue to jot down my dreams in the morning. I don't think I will ever feel the need to write as a profession, but I'm finding that I really enjoy doing it for fun. Now, if I could only convince this bug to take on my final papers, I'd be set.

Berlin Bear?

One thing Berlin is famous for is bears. They love their bears - and selling bear souvenirs to tourists, which of course I fell for. You can find buddy bears all over the city with their arms stretched to the sky. Coincidentally, this is also a pose our little Bear can often be found doing, which somehow I don't have a photo of (distressing)! Today, we made a discovery that our very own Bear just might be German too.

Bear makes all kinds of friends at the dog park, both pets and people, the latter always asking, "what kind of dog is he?" This is the standard dog park convo, like going into work on Monday and asking, "How was your weekend?" We always respond with some variation of, "standard pound puppy breed: terrier mix" which is exactly what we were told. The organization we adopted him from also said he's likely part dachshund and upon telling people this, the response is largely skeptical with a wide variety of rationals (my favorite being, "oh I don't think so; he's too smart").  Bear has even met another pup just like him who was also a rescue and her person had even fewer guesses than we did. We think rescue mutt is an honorable breed in its own right and have no problem offering our ambiguous answer, although we've always been curious.

Today, Casey met someone who disagreed with said ambiguous answer and told him he didn't think he was a mutt at all, rather a specific terrier breed from Germany - the Jagdterrer (Yack-Terrier) or German Hunting Terrier. So, naturally, we went home and googled Jagdterrier until we ran out of youtube videos (not involving dead animals) and got sick of reading technical breed specifications. However the conclusion is: knowledgeable stranger was totally right! Minus a few 'flaws' like pricked ears and non-docked tail, he matches the photos and descriptions pretty well.

Take a look for yourself:

Image of a Jagdterrier snagged from the interwebs.

What little Bear probably looked like. So cute!

Does this look familiar?!

We also read a lot that reinforced our observations of his personality and gives us insight on how to keep him happy and healthy. These are definitely working dogs that are happiest when they have a job to do and get quite a bit of exercise on a regular basis. Good thing I've started taking him on my morning runs in addition to the dog park trips! Should we become unBearably curious (I crack myself up), apparently most vets can run a relatively inexpensive DNA test to help you figure out your pet's makeup. Until that time comes, I think we're pretty convinced that this is it. Awesome unexpected discovery!

Half Crazy

Most people in my life know that I am an ambitious person prone to taking on crazy ventures. Today's "she would do that" is Angie's Half Crazy half marathon. 

Tiffany, Laila and I after finishing!

I must admit that half marathon number two was definitely more difficult than the first. I can't blame it on the course (which was virtually as flat as possible), and I can try to blame it on the weather (so sunny and hot!), but my real downfall was almost a complete lack of preparation. Yes, this obsessive planner and over-preparer was not ready for what today had in store. 

Last month was a little more eventful than anticipated; and so I spent less time running than I hoped  I would (twice since the last half in mid-February, to be exact) when I signed up for this half marathon. The good news is that you don't have to be fully prepared to succeed at something. Sure, I wasn't as fast as I had hoped I would be, but I took it one mile at a time and eventually crossed the finish line! I also learned it takes courage to be slow at something that is really difficult... so slow that your friends send a search party to find you.

As I write this, I keep thinking about the lyrics to a Carrie Underwood song that was on my playlist today:

Here's to you long shots

You dark horse runners

Hairbrush singers, and dashboard drummers

Here's to you wild magnolias

Just waiting to bloom

There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you

Thank God even crazy dreams come true

Word.

March Madness

This March has easily been one of the crazier months of my life - thus the lack of posts recently. March started with a continuation of my running recovery, which mostly consists of not running. Did I mention I ran a half marathon?!

Brandenburg Gate. Berlin, Germany

I got the chance to go to Berlin and Budapest on a travel grant that I applied for through my work and I'm already trying to plan a backpacking trip through central and eastern Europe. Living in the states you forget how old things are in, oh, almost any other part of the world. Although I spent the majority of my time attending a conference or working, I did spend any free waking minute pounding the pavement to see (or eat) as many new things as possible. Leave it to me to fill a work and vacation trip with all work. It was completely exhausting but mostly amazing and I'm so inspired to go back and see more!

Hungarian Parliament Building. Budapest, Hungary

About two hours after my [nearly] two week trip to Europe was over, family started arriving in Houston for spring break! I thought I would be in an alarming physical and mental state when they landed, but Casey graciously came to the airport to pick me up, drove me home to take a shower (which literally changed my life) and then turned around and drove with me back to pick the first round of cousins up. I think everyone, including myself, was surprised as to how well I held up. It's amazing how far a shower, tasty BBQ, and good company will take you.

We went to NASA, where the theme was: "hurry up and wait!" We stood in lots of lines. The good news was that waiting in line resulted in some really cool things like seeing mission control and Saturn V. Other times it ended in puking children and a cramped place to take a photo. You win some and you lose some, but overall it was super fun!

We also had a bit of an eventful spring break due to a couple of lovely Houston drivers and their interpretation of driving best practices. In short, semi trucks can go wherever they want whenever they see fit and you do not need to accelerate [at all] before getting on to the freeway. Need to enter from the shoulder of the road at 15mph? No problem! These two unfortunate circumstances combined forces and lead to the death of the Volvo, but thankfully not our husbands. In all seriousness, it was pretty traumatizing, but we were so fortunate that no one was seriously hurt. We're still in the process of finding another car and going to the grocery store without an adrenaline rush.

The final element of crazy has been that somehow both midterm exams and final projects have managed to make an appearance in March. I can't say I'll miss being a student and a professional at the same time, but I will totally miss the people it has brought me to. We'll just have to do more fun things with each other and replace class with happy hour!

And somehow, I'm still getting things done. Here are some of the tasty new dishes I tried in Germany:

Pakistani

Turkish

Look-Alikes

Since we adopted Bear, we've been spending some time at the local bark park. We go because Bear loves it so much, but it always ends up being entertaining for Casey and I too. Spending so much time around other dogs and their owners, I have been reminded that more often than not, pets are like their owners in some way. Whether they reflect their physical looks or personality, it almost always makes sense when the pup to person relationships become clear.

So far, we've mostly experienced new faces, but there are a few regulars. One of whom is a very thin, nearly frail female with a male, medium-sized chunky nugget of a dog. As far as the physical aspect is concerned, these two are not even close. Person does not like to socialize much, and spends the entire time on her smart phone while looking generally distraught. Nugget pup is the dog version of an aggressive, grumpy old man. He will go up and greet other dogs but the endeavor always ends up in humping, barking, growling or all three.

Spending time watching people and their mini-me doggies has left me borderline obsessed with the question: What does Bear say about us?

Check out some people/pet look-alikes!

[half] Marathon Monday

So, yesterday was the day. I completed a half marathon!

Sadie & I after the run.

It's amazing that a few short months ago I could barely run a mile and yesterday I ran 13.1 of them!

Sadie and I were getting a post-run pedicure today and her pedicurist started asking us questions about how often and how far we run. She said she's been thinking about running but needed to start walking first. I briefly told her about my progression from non-runner up until the half marathon yesterday, and she seemed pretty enthusiastic about giving it a try. I hope to see her on the memorial trail loop soon! Let me tell you - if I can do it, you can do it!

We woke up bright dark and early (waaay to early in Sadie's usual time zone) and started getting ready for the run. Even then, I don't think I had fully processed what I was in for that day. Some of you may know that I have heard many horror stories about running in Austin. "I ran a 5k there once and almost died!" avid runners would tell me. It was a little intimidating, but luckily I would soon find out that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated.

Crossing Lady Bird Lake at mile 8.5

We ran throughout Austin and surprisingly stayed with the marathoners until nearly the very end of the half marathon course where we (thankfully) broke off to stop running. There were local bands playing along the route and tons of people holding signs and cheering everyone on. Casey made some signs too, my favorites of which were, "run like you stole something" and "your feet hurt because you're kicking so much butt!" A huge Team Livestrong group (the team I registered with) was offering some much needed encouragement and high-five time at about mile 9.

Tip of the day: If you live in a town with some sort of running event, go down and cheer the runners on for a bit. They will really appreciate it. The more ridiculous you are, the more appreciated you will be. If you actually live along the course and decide to sit and watch, please make a sign, play some music or do something.

In front of the Capitol on our way to the starting line.

It definitely wasn't easy. Familiar pains struck and new ones appeared, but  I did it with Sadie's encouragement and the support of my friends and family. We crossed the finish line 2 hours and 37 minutes after we started running. I raised $775 for the Livestrong foundation and might have started a new habit. Believe it or not, half marathon number two is on April 1st. (whaat?!)

So stay tuned folks - There are more half marathon Mondays to come! And a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has made generous donations, encouraged and supported me along the way!

Huffin' for Hooters! Many of the people we dedicated
our run to have battled breast cancer.

We ran with just a few other people...

Casey & his awesome signs!