Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for:

the rain

the sun

the clouds

the moon

the stars

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for:

apples

bananas

strawberries

oranges

watermelon

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for:

my car

my tv

my phone

my iPAD

my computer

(After missing last week, I am back with another edition of Thankful Tuesday).

(And yes, I do realize that I haven't blogged much in the last week, but going to try to fix that this week. Not promising everyday - which can't really happen since it is Tuesday, so I already missed Sunday and Monday. But definitely more than one post like last week. Mmmk). 

I Haven't Gone Anywhere

It's been a couple of days since my last post. 

And I didn't want another day to go by without posting something.

Even if it is just a "I'm still here" post. 

Not letting a few years pass by again. 

So, here I am. 

Rambling. 

Filling up space.

Okay. 

That is all. 

National Pizza Day

Of course, I had to eat pizza on National Pizza Day!

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for:

my mom

my dad

my sisters

my brothers-in-laws

my nieces and nephews

It's Time

Today as I was running, my body finally let me know it had had enough. 

My whole body hurt. And not in a good way. 

My legs felt like cement blocks were attached to my feet.

My ankle was hurting.

And my knee felt left out so it decided to join the party. 

The last 4 months of 2016, I was traveling a lot. And running a lot. And training a lot. 

It took toll on me. Physically. Mentally. Drained Me. 

After I ran my marathon 3 weeks ago, I didn't take more than 1 extra day off before I was back out on the road running again. 

I felt pretty good, but my body was still trying to recovery and running wasn't helping. 

The lack of rest and not letting my body heal has finally caught up to me. 

My runs are happening, but they just that. Runs. Not a lot of fun. And seem more like a job, then something I get to do. 

So, as I walked the last 1/4 mile this afternoon, I decided that it was finally time to not just take a day or two off. But many days. I don't know how many days. But I do know that it was finally time. Time to rest. Time to recovery. Time to heal. Time to refresh. 

Even though it is hard to not go out and run, I know that taking off a few extra days now will be worth it in the long run. It's not worth the risk of trying to run a few extra miles now if it is going to end with an injury that will put me out for much longer. 

Time. Be back soon. 

It Finally Happened

Well, it was bound to happen. I finally missed a day of blogging. 

I am kind of disappointed that I didn't blog at least some type of post because I had such a good streak going. 

But, at the same time, I feel like it takes a little pressure off to feel like I have to blog so I can keep my consecutive days going. 

Not going to say I'm going to make a habit of not blogging, but if I don't blog a day here and there...it's okay. 

4 More

Already counting down the days until Spring Break. 

Heck, who am I kidding. 

I was counting down the day I went back to work after Christmas vacation. 

4 more Fridays. 

I. Can. Do. It. 

Ready. Set. Go.

My first racecation of 2017 is set. I am going to be hitting the streets of Washington D.C. in March.
I am pretty excited about this, not only because I will be running in a new city, but also getting the opportunity to explore everything that our nation's capital has to offer.

I am hoping to have my travel plans finalized by this weekend, and then can start making a list for must see/must do.

5 weeks to go!

I can't believe that January is over and it is officially February. 

It seems like yesterday it was the first day of a brand new year. 

I have to say that the year has gotten off to a great start. 

I have been slacking a bit on my reading. I started off so well, but falling a little behind. So while I did say I wanted to read 1 book a week, if I can get to that magic number of 52, then theoretically it would be 1 book a week. 

As a new month begins, I am thinking of what I can do to challenge myself to get better at something. Even on busy days, I still find make time to get a run in. But, I don't stretching or strength training a priority. And I think that it can make a big difference in helping my running and staying injury free. 

So, I am challenging myself to do the plank ab exercise, push-ups, and stretching every day. 

All right, let's see how it goes.

Ready for a FABulous February!

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for:

my heart

my lungs

my brain

my mind

my legs

Happy Monday

When it's National Croissant Day, it's a good excuse to stop by Starbucks for breakfast. 

Croissant: Check

Starbucks Refresher: Check

#NeverMissMonday: Check

Testing it Out

First blog post from my new laptop! 

Many more to come. 

I Did It

It's not the GoPro I was thinking of buying, but I purchased a new laptop today!

I have been wanting a new laptop for awhile, but have been holding out. Today, when I was at Best Buy, they had a sale for the MacBook Air. It's not Apple's top of the line notebooks, but for what I want to do, it will do. 

Obviously, with me trying to blog more, this will come in handy, especially when I go out of town. And just to have a portable computer to take and use when I need. Sometime, you need more than just an iPad. 

I'm excited about my new "toy." 

And just in case you were wondering, the GoPro is still something I am looking to get as well. But that may have to wait a little longer now. Maybe when I get my tax refund :)

National Day

Don't mind me. 

I'll be the one stuffing my face with chocolate cake today. 

Top 10

Words to live by.

Thank you Dr. Seuss. 

What Should I Do?

I have been eyeing this gadget for awhile. 

Trying to decide on if I should pull the trigger and go for it. 

Could definitely shoot some cool action videos. 

Just the camera costs $399. That doesn't include extra accessories.

So there in lies the dilemma...

To buy or not to buy?

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for:

the sun

the moon

the stars

the rain

the wind

23 Days and Counting

Don't want to brag...but at the same time I do.

I. Am. On. A. Roll. 

Unreal. 

23 Days. 

23 Blog Posts. 

I know, I know. Some are nothing more than a clip art and a few words.

But regardless of how short, or long, it's still a post.

And it takes time to do it, even if it's just a few minutes. 

And a little thought. 

So I am happy that every day of 2017, I have blogged. 

About something.

Random as it may be.

It is a post. 

Let's keep it going! 

Project SPARK JOY Update

Today Project Spark Joy commenced. 

First category I began with: Clothing.

When all was said and done - 1 big box of shoes, a bin of socks, and 10 bags of clothes and accessories. 

And that is just Day 1. 

The biggest take away is that I sure had a lot of stuff. And stuff that doesn't do anything except take up space. I wonder why I had the things in the first place. But as Marie Kondo says in her book - at one point, whether when I purchased it, right after I bought it, when i wore it the first time...at some point, it did bring me joy - albeit temporary. 

It served its purpose. And now it can bring joy to someone else. 

The crazy thing is that just looking at my room, it would be hard to tell that I got rid of that much stuff. But even though it may not be obvious, I can definitely tell. I can see my closet floor. I don't even miss anything that I got rid of. I feel a little "lighter" because I am not being weighed down by all of the extra things I own. And what I have kept, those bring me joy. 

Marie says that the process of tidying up should happen as quickly as possible. Quickly all depends on you. If I could, I would love to do it in one fell swoop and just tidy until I am completely done. But that isn't going to happen because unfortunately I cannot put life on hold. However, now that I have started, my goal is to get through each category by the end of 1 month. I did get a late start with my clothing, so it might be into February before I am completely getting rid of clothing that does not spark joy.

Day 1 complete. 

Project SPARK Joy to be continued...

Free Hugs

so give one.

and get one back. 

I Did What?

The countdown is on.

I am coming back. 

This time. 

I will conquer you.

January 14, 2018.

SPARK Joy

Project Declutter begins now.

National Day

When you need something to blog about, post about a National Day. So, today, we honor and celebrate none other than the Bear himself...Winnie the Pooh!

Winnie the Pooh Day takes place on January 18 each year, in honor of the little bear and his friends. Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. Winnie the Pooh Day day was created to celebrate the birth of A.A .Milne in 1882. 

So, what are you waiting for? Snuggle up with your favorite Pooh fan, a pot of honey and take turns reading about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Thankful Tuesday

Today, I am thankful for my 5 senses:

sight

touch

taste

hearing

smell

To run or not to run...

It's been less than 48 hours since I finished the Houston Marathon.

My legs are tired and sore. Wait. Make that my whole body is tired and sore. 

And there in lies the great dilemma of should I run again next year, or not run?

I know that eventually I will more likely run another one...

because I WILL break that 4 hour time.

The only question is when.

Next year? 

Perhaps?

Finisher

Well, that was FUN. 

Definitely not the most ideal running conditions with starting temps in the mid 60s and 90 something percent humidity! 

I had aspirations of hitting that 4 hour finish time...

And up until mile 13, I was pretty much on pace to get there. 

But this wasn't a half marathon. It was a FULL. So, after I hit that half way point, I fell apart. 

The next 2 + hours were brutal. 

But I finished. And even though I didn't meet my time goal, I was still able to PR by almost 10 minutes!

This as my third marathon and I would say that it was my last. But being as stubborn as I am, when I want to accomplish something, I will find a way to do so. 

So, while I don't plan on running another marathon in the near future, I have a sneaky suspicion that I will find myself out on a course running another 26.2 miles. I may have gotten punched in the face today, but it didn't knock me down. 

So I will be back. 

And next time, I will punch you back so hard, you won't know what hit you. 

What did I get myself into?

So this is happening tomorrow. 

And I am running in it. 

Not sure how that happened.

Oh wait, I voluntarily signed up for this.

26.2 miles or bust. 

TGIF

that is all. 

Throwback Thursday

This picture popped up on my Facebook feed today, so I thought I would share it.

4 years ago today, I completed my first marathon! All 26.2 miles. And it definitely was not all running. It involved walking too. Quite a bit for the last 6-7 miles because an injury that I "thought" had healed wasn't completely healed, thus I re-injured myself. Of course it might have also been due to the fact that I had also run a 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon the previous three days. That is why they call this extraordinary feat the DOPEY Challenge.

What can I say? It's go BIG or go home. And I went BIG. Time was not even a factor for me because just finishing was a HUGE accomplishment. I admit I did get a little emotional as I crossed the finish line because it took so much effort, determination and strength to get myself through every last step.

This weekend, I will be running my 3rd marathon. My ultimate goal is to finish in under 4 hours, but of course, getting a PR would be nice. But I do really want to get that under 4 time. It won't be too much longer until I see if I was able to hit that goal time. Regardless of whether I do or do not, I will be proud of myself for finishing, because I really believe that no matter how long it takes, anyone who can run/jog/walk 26.2 miles at one time is a BEAST!

Guess What Today Is?

Half way through the week. 

YES!

Thankful Tuesday

Today, I am thankful for...

flowers

rain

rainbows

trees

the sun

Motivation Monday

"Everything we see depends on how we look at it."

~ Katrina Mayor

Two people who are going through the exact situation or challenge can have two different approaches. 

One who has an optimistic outlook. 

The other a pessimistic outlook. 

There are many things in our life that our beyond our control, yet those things are often the culprits of what we stress the most over. If you can't control it, why worry about it? 

Focus on what you can control and do your best. 

2017 Resolutions

resolution /rezəˈlo͞oSH(ə)n/ noun. a firm decision to do or not to do something.

And so it begins. A new year. A new beginning. A fresh start.

Like many other people, I have made New Year's resolutions at the beginning of calendar years, only to see them all but "fail" after a few weeks, or a few months. While I do believe that the new year is the "perfect" opportunity to start fresh, why is it that we wait until January 1 rolls around every 12 months to feel like it is the only time to set new resolutions?

Interesting point to ponder why that is the case, which can be a post in and of itself. Nonetheless, I am joining the millions of other people worldwide who have made "The List." I think in years past, I have made a list so long that it became a challenge to try to keep up with everything I wanted to do more of or less of. So, with that being said, I am going to keep my list to a minimum so I can focus my time, energy and effort on doing these things better, rather than doing a whole bunch of things sort of half way. 

With out further ado...

1. Run 2017 miles
2. Read 1 book every week.
3. PR in Half Marathon and Full Marathon
4. Declutter
5. Launch my running apparel company
6. Enjoy more
7. Stress less

That's it. It will be interesting to reflect back in 12 months time to see how I fared with each of these. I don't want to look at these resolutions as an all or nothing sort of thing. The definition only says, "a firm decision to do or not do something." It makes no mention of success, achievement, etc. It just says a firm decision. And whether I can "check off" each of these, the bigger picture is what I learned while going through the process of trying to get to my end goal. 

Ready. Set. Go.

Don't Be Afraid to be GREAT!

This evening, I had the opportunity to go see the film, "Hidden Figures," which is based on the true-life stories of three incredible women who were integral in the space movement during the early 1960s. As to not give a lot away (you can click on this link to read more about the real story behind these women "computers"), I won't give a full synopsis, but more of the impression the movie left on me after I saw it.

I left the theater a very satisfied viewer, not just because the movie was well written, the acting was good, and while it could be categorized as a drama, there was also some humor and a secondary romance storyline as well, but the story itself provided a much deeper message than "Girl Power."

The women had to not just overcome challenges and obstacles in their way because they were women, but also because of the color of their skin. There is a scene in the movie when one of the characters must go to court to petition a law that allows only white people to attend college classes that are held at a high school. As she is making her case to the judge, she brings up that to get to the point of here he is at in his career, he had to be a lot of "firsts." And that she too wanted to be the first to not just attend the classes, but to be NASA's first female African-American engineer.

I think that all of us at some point in our lives will be presented the opportunity to be the "first" at doing something. It may not be the first person to ever do that particular event, but maybe it is the first in your family, or the first for you. These women, while having every reason and excuse to NOT be something and do something great, didn't let that stop them. They persevered. They overcame. They achieved. So, next time it gets a little too hard to do something, I wonder what would have happened, or not happened, had these women done the same?

Don't Be Afraid to be GREAT!

Short and Sweet

that is all. 

Top 10

since it is a brand spankin' new year, my first top 10 of the year will be...

top 10 moments of 2016

1. Half Marathon PR at Rock n' Roll New Orleans

2. Placed 2nd in age group for the Run Series Houston - UHCL 5K

3. Finished my first night and trail half marathon.

4. Ran my first international race - Rock 'n Roll Vancouver Half Marathon

5. Rock n' Roll San Antonio Half Marathon

6. Completed 15 half marathons with the Rock n' Roll Marathon Series - earning Hall of Fame status

7. Started and finished 22 half marathons in a 12 month period

8. Becoming an aunt again

9. Circus adventure with Hurst family

10. Pulling off and celebrating mom's 60th birthday

Jog Down Memory Lane

crazy to think that 3 years ago...

it was the eve to the start of my craziest running adventure to date. 

i really don't know what i was thinking when i decided to do this...

it would be FUN...

i'm going to the happiest place on earth..

NBD...let me run a 5k, 10k, and half marathon before running your FIRST marathon

not to leave you hanging...

but, i am. 

(however, i am going to leave you with a pic for a BIG clue on where i went)

stay tuned...

 

Thankful Tuesday

"...fear not, let your hearts be comforted; 

yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;"

~ D & C 98:1 ~ 

___________________________________

Today, I am thankful for...

my health

my family

my doggies 

a roof over my head

food to eat

2 for 2

Say what? 

2 blog posts in 2 days? 

I. Am. On. A. Roll. 

While I would like to believe that this kind of daily blogging will continue...

Ummm...

Hey, anything is still better than the 1 post every 5 years, right? 

Not going to make any promises, but blogging more is one of my goals for this year. 

Speaking of goals...

I have started to jot down some things 

that I would like to accomplish, 

get better, 

do more of...

for 2017. 

My goal (see what I did there...) is to have my list in writing by this weekend. 

Hmm...a future blog post? Maybe? 

New Year

WOW! 

Has it really been 5 years? 

Since my last blog? 

I thought about just starting a brand new blog...

but then as I was going back and reading previous posts...

it was interesting to read about what was happening, 

what was important, 

my thoughts,

my ramblings,

etc. 

in my life. 

In short, it was my record. I think that was my attempt at keeping a journal. 

I was not so successful. 

Rather than starting over, I am going to just start back right where I left off. 

It's a NEW year. NEW start. 

So here goes.

May there not be another 5 years before I post another blog post...