why i don’t blog sometimes

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Besides just being busy, sometimes life is not my favorite thing. And when my life feels a little rough, I just don’t like documenting it. Not because I care if people know I get depressed sometimes, but because I feel a little guilty. My life is so good and I have been blessed with so many great opportunities, so when I become focused on what my life lacks, I feel like a total brat and completely pathetic.

Without giving you the play by play of my most recent pity party, I’ll just say that it was a little rough. It’s pretty rare that I cry in front of people about my own life (movies, greeting cards, t.v. shows, fine, but real feelings, not so much) and I have cried multiple times over the past week.

Anyway, here’s hoping I will feel better shortly, and I think I might! More to come on that…

what i’ve been up to…

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The little brother’s graduation in Utah with all of my siblings. I love that we both graduated from the same MBA program and only a year apart. It was fun to be back a year later and think about what the last year has entailed. I’m excited for Justin and his family and their new adventures!

Hanging out with these kidlets at the rock gym in p-town. I don’t know if I ever seen something so cute!

best advice

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My life has been utterly boring this week…which was a nice break. The only real excitement has been the dog-sitting, which is still going on. And while really like the dog and it has been fun, I have realized that until I have a yard, there will be no dog. Or until I have enough money for two dogs and a dog walker. It’s fun to have a dog around and to have a reason to go for a walk. That said, I do not love having to come home right after work (I know I don’t have to…she’s five years old and well trained…but I feel guilty leaving her all day and not getting home as soon as I can) or having to get up 15 minutes earlier every morning to walk her.

So, it turns out that my coworker’s advice was right on point. Try the dog for a week and see. I could picture coming home from work and having to walk the dog, but actually doing it, not as fun as it sounded. Additionally, no matter how clean a dog is, when you have an apartment as small as mine, there’s no way it can not smell like dog. Wasn’t prepared for that.

Adventures in dog ownership end on Tuesday. I’m sure I’ll feel a little lonely…but it will be nice to have my life back.

adventures in dog sitting

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Okay, so I’ve wanted to get a dog for a while. I get mixed reactions from people. Some people say, “Go for it.” Others say, “Why would you want to tie yourself down?” The most helpful reaction I got was from my coworker who has a dog. She said, “I love my dog, but before you get one, you should try dog sitting and see how it goes. I’d even volunteer my dog.”

As luck would have it, my coworker is heading to London tomorrow and, while she would normally take her dog out to NJ for her mom to watch, she volunteered her dog to me. And so, I am now the dog-sitting for the next seven days…in an attempt to try it out. So far so good (it’s been about an hour). I have to admit, I’m kind of already loving the idea of having a dog. Of course, someone else’s dog is not the same as having your own (I am definitely not her person), but she is a cute little thing and I think we are going to have lots of fun.

canyonlands pr

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Last Saturday was the big day. I wasn’t sure what to expect. After the horrible run I had had the previous Saturday, I just wasn’t feeling super confident about the run. That said, I was excited to be doing and I was really excited to be running it with my brother and sister-in-law. And by “with” I mean that we would all be running the same course…

We had to be on the buses to get to the starting line by 8:00 am for the race which started at 10. Last year, this was MISERABLE. It was so cold I literally wasn’t sure I was going to make it. But this year…20 degrees warmer and it was totally manageable. The one concern was the wind. And it proved to be a serious issue.

The routine, pre-race, is to have this super yummy protein shake that Cherity makes and a half a banana. Right before the race, Cherity gave me some pills that are supposed to help with lactic acid build up or something. (It’s a good thing I was never a club girl because I’m sure if someone had handed me a pill and told me it would give me energy, I probably would have taken it.) I popped some ibuprofen, as well. Normally, I bring some with me too, but I just didn’t want to this year. In fact, the only things I had with me were Shot Bloks and a Red Bull shot…both of which zipped into my shirt.

The first two miles were misery. Seriously, I’ve never struggled with muscle pain, but my calves were on FIRE! I was really worried. And really frustrated. But then, somewhere during the third mile, the pain finally went away. Maybe that’s when the ibuprofen kicked in?

While the wind sucked (12 miles of headwinds with only the occasional–and very minor–breaks), the temperature was perfect and it was just a little overcast. Ideal. I don’t know if it was the Red Bull shot or the pills I popped, or just some will power, but during the first 10 miles I was able to keep a great pace. I was averaging exactly where I wanted to. At the 10 mile marker, I figured out my time should I continue to run at the same pace. And then I watched as that time slipped from my grasp.

By mile 11, my feet were really hurting. I knew I had at least one blister, and while it was manageable, I just couldn’t keep going at that pace. So I slowed down. And then I walked for a while. Then I ran some more. And so an so forth… My dad, sister, and my brother’s two kids were all still hanging out on the street outside our condo when I walked past (there was no saving face at this point…I had to walk for a while). It was so fun to have them there and be able to say hi.

When I got to the last mile, I was determined to run it. And then that determination just went away. I was exhausted. But I managed to pull it together for the last quarter mile or so. Yeah. It was rough. But I finished. And I finished at exactly the time I had said was the maximum I would be happy with. Exactly 10 minutes faster than last year. And a PR for me on this course!!!

And, by way of information (and because I was curious and couldn’t remember) I looked up my time for the fastest half I’ve ever run; 24 minutes faster than what I ran this one at. This is my new goal for the third half I will run this year. I’m not sure when or where I’m going to run the third one, but that’s my goal and I really think I can do it. As for the number two…it is eight weeks away in Philadelphia and I will be doing it with the lovely Anne. My goal for that…cut 10 more minutes. I know that sounds ambitious, but I have a plan. Wish me luck!

ETA: A quick shout out to my brother and sister-in-law. Cherity cut 13 minutes from her time last year (beating my all time PR)! And Justin cut 29 minutes off his time!!! Talk about super stars! I’m so glad that they were willing to do this with me last year and I’m so proud of my sister-in-law who I remember saying at one point in time that she never had any desire to run that far. She’s amazing!!!