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In celebration of my post from yesterday, and for general awesomeness everywhere. White, pink and green. This just makes me happy.
What is feeling scrapworthy in your world today?
SUPPLIES: Adobe Photoshop CS4 • Avenir and Trade Gothic fonts • and nothing else.
Last week, I hit a personal milestone in my running. I ran 5 miles without stopping.
5.03 miles, to be more specific, in fairly humid conditions, with cloud cover and a temperature of around 70 degrees.
I set out to do 2.5 that morning. But when I hit that mark and found that nothing hurt and I was breathing within acceptable limits, I just kept chugging along.
I was testing out a new running mix during this run. I wonder if the novelty of it also contributed to my decision to keep going? I know that "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters made me run faster, and that "Root Down" by the Beastie Boys made me grin through the sweat, and that "Anyway You Want It/Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" by the Glee cast made me feel as though the run was just beginning, as opposed to hitting Mile 4.
I just kept winding through my St. Paul neighborhood waiting for the Nike+ disembodied voice lady to tell me I'd hit that magical 5 mile mark.
And after 55 minutes, she did.
Go me.
I'd like to be very clear about my running.
Number one—I am not fast. You will not mistake me for a former high school track athlete who's rediscovering her love of running. Occasionally, I manage to run under 11 minute miles, but that's according to Nike+ and not some high tech Garmin watch (and yes, I am secretly coveting one for accuracy's sake). There are no flames erupting in my wake. Dan can speed walk and keep up with my clip, if that tells you anything.
Number two—I don't really look like a runner. I know this, because there is a church I run by during most of my runs. It has big glass doors, and at the risk of sounding vain, I always watch myself as I run past it because I'm trying to work on my form. It's only good for about 4 or 5 strides and every single time I catch my reflection I'm floored at how bubbly my butt is. Even though I feel like I'm gliding, it's really more of a forward-leaning lope while dragging a large butt-shaped duffel bag at the base of my lower back effect.
Number three—#1 and #2 don't really matter. Why? Because I absolutely love how this is making me feel (minus the foot pain, which I'm fairly certain is the start of plantar fasciitis, and yes, I am taking precautions). I love that I am doing something that I never thought I would do, or even would want to do. I am sweating and smiling and rocking out and wearing cute hats and covering myself in sun screen and blowing my nose on tissues I stash in the lining of my jog bra. And I'm out there doing it.
Yes, there is a part of me that feels a little less than at times, wishing I was one of those fast girls clipping around the lake. It's that wanna be athlete in me that wants to hang with the real runners.
Yes, there is a part of me that is really afraid of both injury and taking too many days of rest, lest I lose this strange desire to lace up and head out.
Yes, I am able to do other things besides run, but they just aren't quite as sweaty or euphoric.
For now, I'm just going to remember how I felt all day that day: pretty much invincible and amazing.
Who'd of thought that when I set out to drop some pounds I'd get that as a by product?
And the winner is:
Hey Katie, congrats! Both on winning and the 10-miler! Email me at czdesign@comcast.net and I'll get you set up to take Claudine's class!
The one and only Claudine Hellmuth is teaching a 12-week online workshop this summer at BigPictureScrapbooking.com and I have a seat to giveaway to one of my blog readers.
I was fortunate enough to take a workshop with Claudine at one of Donna Downey's Inspired Events a few years back, and she is fabulous.
Here is the class description for @Home with Claudine Hellmuth
This 12-week class allows you inside access into artist Claudine Hellmuth's home studio. Claudine will provide inspiration and a lifetime's supply of mixed-media techniques to incorporate in your scrapbooking layouts, journals and mixed media projects. The techniques you learn will build on each other and culminate in artistic projects, including: art, home décor, fashion and of course scrapbooking!
TO ENTER: simply leave me a comment today on what your plans are for this coming weekend. That's it. Me? I'm going to see Toy Story 3 and run.
Comments will be closed on Saturday at noon. Good luck!
{comments are now closed. check back for a winner!}
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Ahhh…so girly. So pink. So many more pictures of my immediate family than the bride, and yet, this page will work so well in my "All About Us" scrapbook.
This is a digital template from my "Design Your Life" workshop. While I will always be a fan of clever ways to create hybrid scrapbook layouts, this page shows me why I love digital as well. Quick, clean, classic and completed.
A few photos I love, a few words I wrote, and a few simple pieces of digital cardstock are all that's needed for me to save this memory.
The digital file for this layout will now go into my "Uploads" folder for ScrapbookPictures.com. Then next stop? My album.
Here's to minimalism in your documentation when it fits.
LAYOUT SUPPLIES:Just Linens No. 4 (pink papers, lighter sheet modified in PS) by Michelle Martin
Just Linens No. 1 (light cream background paper) by Michelle Martin
Dearest Script and Archer fonts.
Have you heard of these shoes? Now I don't know if I believe that they will reshape my tushka and legs, but I do know this: they make my feet feel brand new.
With all the running and exercising, my feet were really quite pained in my old squishy summer flips. While at Nordstrom buying my gorgeous wedding shoes, I decided to try a pair of these on. I wore them home, and thought: "Oh, these aren't at all what I thought they'd be," and then about 20 minutes later, I was thinking: HALLELUJAH! Freedom for my feet!
In short: I love them and I never want to take them off.
I recently decided that with all this nutty outdoor exercising, I needed to have some form of identification for when I either drop unconscious in the summer heat or get side-swiped by some car whose driver was simply too mesmerized by my awesome calf muscles to watch the road.
I believe in safety. I wear a helmet when I ride, and now, I wear this bracelet when I ride and run. Plus, it's pink, and it matches my Nike+ shoe pouch.
Aidan asked me to take her to Blick Art the other day to pick up some assorted canvases. I was surprised at how affordable the Blick brand is. She's looking for something to fill her summer days and decided that painting and mixed media is it. How cool is that? I actually told her to talk to Donna Downey about gel mediums et all, that her dear mother has zero clue on these matters. She had no idea Donna did what she did, and promptly spent an afternoon watching Donna's Inspiration Wednesday videos.
And speaking of Aidan, now that she's officially out of school (and now a high schooler—gasp) I'm really enjoying easing up on the work a bit and spending time with my girl.
Over and out.
My sister in law, Deb, was married on Saturday. She married a wonderful man, Steve, and the two of them are beginning a whole new life together. Myself and the rest of our family at large were honored to bear witness to this union.
And of course, you know what else a wedding is, right?
A chance to shop, of course!
New jewelry. (And yes, I freaked out when I saw the name of this sucker. For a girl who rarely if ever buys or wears jewelry, this is proof it was meant to be a guilt-free purchase.)
New shoes. (Oh my stinkin' heck…seriously? A very, very last minute purchase and my feet never got sore at all! The bonus? I can wear these with pretty much anything.)
New suit.
And a general opportunity for two people who have no professional requirement to ever get dressed up, to, well, get dressed up.
I think we shined up pretty darned well.
But not only us, the kids too!
Even if some of them were mildly reluctant to take any photos seriously.
Okay, fine. With church light this good, just point the dang camera at me then.
Or at us.
Here, I'm playing the coy "I'll just press my nose into your cheek" girl, while simultaneously telling Dan how happy I am to have lost that extra chin.
And while the nose thing was working so well, I did it here too, resulting in one of my favorite photos of the day.
Another favorite? Deb's maid of honor, my sister-in-law Joy. Gorgeous, I tell ya.
That church had such magic lighting, it's as if Jesus himself was holding the reflectors. Seriously.
It was a magical and insanely fun night. We danced our little tushkas off at the reception. My favorite moment of the night? Dancing with Aidan, and all my nieces, and sisters-in-law, singing our hearts out to the Grease medley.
That, and when they played Brickhouse and Low.
I'll tell you this much: I'm a hella lucky girl to have hooked up with all of these people. I love this family.
I also have realized that I love weddings. So, my dear adult nephews, if you're out there, you need to get a move on and give us 40-something couples and their families more reasons to dress up and kick it old school.
Deb and Steve, thanks for sharing your special day. We wish you a lifetime of happiness.
And that translates to:
Leslie, email me at czdesign@comcast.net and let's get this iPod ordered for you!
Thanks to everyone who entered, and here's to finding inspiration on your own fitness journeys. Now if you'll excuse me, Friday is bike day. Have a great weekend!
Sometimes, when I think I can't do something, I just pull out this photo from the 1982 national figure roller skating championships, and I just know: VICTORY IS IN REACH!
And even though I placed 22nd out of 26, and it looks like my foot is growing out the side of my upper thigh, I still believe.
So as you may have gathered if you've been reading here of late, running is my new thing. And when I get a new thing, I get pretty geeked out about it. And there are three very specific things that contributed to the overall geeking out process. First, there is Exhibit A:
But my new iPod Nano wouldn't have quite done this trick without Exhibit B: the Nike+iPod kit.
And third, Exhibit C: Run Like a Mother by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell. These witty, sporty women (who truly rock running skirts) made me believe that I too could be a part of the Run Like a Mother tribe.
A + B + C = a whole new perspective for me on getting fit and doing something I'd previously thought was simply not in the cards for me.
Inspiration is so critical when you're trying to make a change in your life. I tend to look for it everywhere, and when I find it, oh mama, I soak it in.
Now I realize that the Nike+iPod system isn't the most accurate reading you'll ever get, but I'm telling you this: it motivates me. It has become my training partner.
You do NOT need Nike shoes to use it either. You just put your sensor in a shoe pouch and go.
Today, in the spirit of motivation, I'm giving away the following:
ONE BLOG READER WILL WIN:
(1) 8GB iPod Nano ( in their choice of color and with custom engraving)
(1) Nike+iPod Sport Kit (to help them get started logging those running miles)
(1) Copy of Run Like a Mother to give them encouragement and camaraderie in the process.
To enter, all you have to do is the following:
1. Log into Facebook and "Like" the Run Like a Mother Facebook page NOTE: You DO NOT have to post a comment on the Run Like a Mother Book Facebook page. Just hit the "Like" button!
2. Leave me a comment here and tell me what you might have engraved on the back of your shiny new iPod.
Comments will be closed on Friday morning by 8 a.m. C.S.T.
(Thanks to Sarah and Dimity for supplying the book. The iPod and kit are sponsored by me.)
Maybe it's just the thing you need to kick it into gear.
If anything, hey, free iPod, right?
Good luck! Check back Friday to see if you're a winner.
[comments for this giveaway are now closed. check back for the winner!]
(My brand new Newton running shoes, + my iPod sensor pouch, in still life, 2010.)
Something really weird is happening to me on my Path to Better Health and Fitness. Something so strange, that I'm actually questioning the integrity of this new thing that seems to be creeping into my every day. In fact, those who know me well will do a double take—nay, even a spit take—at the revelation I'm about to lay down here.
I like running outside.
{Cue muffled and confused crowd murmurs, with the occasional, "PREPOSTEROUS!" shout rising up from the throngs of blog readers.}
When I laced up my shoes last January, me and my treadmill were thick as thieves, we were. We ran a tight fitness ship. I had my water bottle, my iPod, my stack of Kleenex, a fan, and complete control over my speed, pace and general basement environment.
No one would laugh at those decidedly less than official runner body parts of mine. Muffin top and jiggly tushka be damned. It was just me in my own Private Idaho, huffing and puffing my way to 30 minutes of non-stop forward motion.
Then I went outside. Once.
4 miles, give or take. One morning. The weather outside was a brisk 53 degrees and sunny. And I remember thinking when I was finished: OH MY GOD, you have GOT to be kidding!
(And that wasn't OH MY GOD in the good way.)
I knew that outdoor runs would be a necessary evil if I ever hoped to get into true 5K racing shape because the last I checked, there aren't a ton of 5K events revolving around treadmills.
I was sore after that first outdoor run. My muscles felt tighter than usual. It made sense, of course. Running on a treadmill where the "road" is moving for you is going to be a whole different animal than you running at the road. Still, I liked the control and predictability offered by my Sole F63. So sure, I'd force a few outdoor runs, and that would be that.
But something kept pulling me back outside.
One Saturday morning last month, I went out for a run at 9 a.m., thinking, "Oh, 60 degrees, no humidity…perfect for outdoor running." By the time I hit the 3-mile mark, I was en fuego. I was so hot that I was convinced that with a few more strides, all that would remain of me was a pile of gelatinous goo in Lucy black and yellow.
I remember thinking, "Okay, here's yet ANOTHER reason to stay inside the basement wonderland: no weather issues." (Yes, a 60-degree sunny day for me is a weather issue.)
But after a few more treadmill runs, it came back: I want to hit that lake route again.
Now for some of you, this will seem like a no brainer. I mean, duh! How could a real runner NOT love the outdoors, right?
But see, I'm still toying with the term "real runner." It doesn't feel effortless rolling off my tongue just yet. Although I will take strength in what one of the author's of Run Like a Mother (a book I strongly recommend to anyone who is a runner or is considering it), Dimity McDowell said in this video filmed at my local Title Nine store. She said: "Anything where you're propelling yourself forward faster than a walk qualifies as a run in my book."
Fast forward to last Saturday, when I went out for a morning run with someone I never thought I'd see graciously plodding along to my right, rocking my 11-ish minute per mile pace: my husband, Dan.
Dan, a life-long runner and one-time marathoner, has been dialing way back on the running this year following knee surgery from a pretty ishy soccer injury a few years back. I figured he'd appreciate the chance to loosen up and keep me company in the process.
I was actually nervous…nervous to lace up and head out with my own husband, a man who has seen me naked on more than one occasion. I think I was afraid he'd find out my secret, that I wasn't a real runner, because my pace was slow, or my gait was awkward, or because I stuffed wads of Kleenex into my sports bra to handle my running sports nose.
But you know what? All he found out was that his wife of 18 years was able to run a 4.1 mile route from our doorstep around Como Lake and back, in St. Paul, on a cool, cloudy Saturday morning. He tooks the hilly parts of the lake route; I stayed on the flats. He ran in the dirt path, and me on the paved one. He did some serpentines in and around the trees. I stayed the straight and narrow. Every now and then, I reached over and slapped his ass. Just because I could and to date, that's just something I've never been able to do on previous outdoor runs alone.
And when it was over, I felt elated.
Me. Outside. Running.
I immediately booked a weekend run with Dan for next Saturday, hot weather notwithstanding, and I realized that not only is this something I can do, but it's something I want to do.
I share this long-winded post with the hopes of inspiring those of you who always wondered if you could do this too. If you could lace up and head out. If you were as non-sporty as me and always thought, "Nah, I can't run."
My good friend and now avid runner Donna Downey and I were catching up last week on the phone, and she reminded me not so gently of when she tried to encourage me to just get out and try it a few years ago, that my reply was, "I'm not like you. I can't run."
Now if I can just tackle the over 60-degree and sunny barrier, I'm golden.
Check back tomorrow for a very sweet running related giveaway you might not want to miss.
