Category Archives: Gratitude 365

Work + School + Running = Exhausted

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Today I’m grateful that I completed an exam successfully at school, after a full day’s work, then came home and ran a 5K before showering and zonking out on the couch with the pups.

Well, its officially been 8 days since I’ve posted anything and I have to say that I’m exhausted and overwhelmed.  I’ve been keeping up with my training despite it being the end of the school year AND I’m taking classes myself.

There’s so much to do!  Regardless, I’ve been averaging under 9 minute miles just as I’ve wanted to and I’ve been running 3 times a week.

Once school ends next Thursday, my schedule will be fee to run in the mornings and I can increase that to at LEAST 4 times a week (preferrably 5)

Summer, why can’t you get here sooner!!!!!???????

May 17th: Beach bummin’

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cool beach 2

Whenever I feel conflicted, confused, hurt, sad, happy, excited, thoughtful or joyous… the perfect setting has always been and will always be the beach.  No matter what sentiment, the beach is there to either drown out your thoughts with its noisy waves or accentuate your joy with its colors and movement.

I am a beach bum to the core.  Thank you God for such a gorgeous weekend!  The sun, wind and colors could not be more beautiful.  Unfortunately, the yellow flag made me too timid to go swimming.  In just a few more weeks summer vacation will be here and I’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the water 😉

May 16th: Relaxing (sort of)

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dogs 1

You see that face in the background?… yeah, that cute little bugger is my mom’s dog.  The dog that I had the pleasure of taking care of for her over the weekend.  Cute as he is, he is needy, demanding and an insomniac.  This wine and chocolate was consumed not only for its health purposes (you know, the antioxidants and all that), I had to consume copious amounts of Hershey kisses and drink awful table wine just to get me though a night of his panting and whining.  (sigh)

My dogs were sure enjoying her recliner, though.

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Before settling down to this much needed treat, I went for my weeknight run.  I wasn’t able to work out any time during the week except Tuesday so, by this Friday I was ready to bolt out the door once I got home.  I did it though.  I’m super committed to keeping my fitness level despite this crazy work/ school schedule!

May 14th: Get’er done!

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life balance

Two assignments done, reading (kinda) done, still running and still blogging.  Week one of balancing everything is almost under my belt…  Only got 5 more to go!  LOL

Today (and always) I’m grateful for my mom’s commitment to taking care of my furry children when I’m gone all day.  I can tell they miss me terribly because they whimper when I get home. 😦  Poor babies.  At least I know they’re being well taken care of and aren’t spending too much time alone.

May 13th: Night time run

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back to school

Well, I’m swamped with reading 4 chapters, and I already have a couple of papers I need to be working on… and its only the second day of classes.  I spent 14 hours either in my car or at a desk at work or at school today.  My knees hurt from being bent all day, and my butt and lower back hurt from being sedentary.  When 7:55pm rolled around and the professor began to make sidebar conversation with my peers, I quietly escaped the classroom and ran to my car.  I wanted to take advantage of the last bits of day light.  I needed to see the sun for my own sanity after being in a window-less office then a window-less classroom all day.  Plus I didn’t want to run in total darkness.

I got to the house, greeted the pups, changed and headed out the door.  I did 3 miles at an 8:50 pace under the light of a full moon.  Not the best run I’ve had but most definitely not the worst.  I’ll proudly accept my performance, especially considering the crazy long day I had.  Feels so good to keep it up! Now…. lets get some of that reading done… :-\

May 12th: Back to school , back to school…

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back to school 1
(I love Billy Madison, LOL!)
Yesterday was my first day back to school… No, no more degrees for me, thank you.  I’ve paid my dues (and am now paying my loans) for my career.  I just have to take two courses at a local university in order to meet requirements for Professional Teacher Certification.  I currently work under my temporary certification which is still good for a year but, I like to be proactive at getting stuff done.
Have I told you all how much I love school?  I also love the fact that I’m taking courses with undergraduates who are a good 12-15 years younger than me.  I feel like a kid again 😉 
My worry, though, is this:  How am I going to get my weekly runs in?  I have been doing so exceptionally well that I don’t want to break my momentum!  If I get out at 8pm, will there be enough sunlight at the end of the day to go out for a quick 5K by myself safely?  We shall see.  I didn’t plan on running the first day but was going to assess the daylight situation as I was leaving class.  

May 10th: We’re So Cultured!

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I went for my second 20 mile bike ride this Saturday morning… and what an epic fail of a ride it was.  I don’t know if it was because I was exhausted, if I was just having an off day, or if it was the CRAZY gusts of wind that were threatening to push me down the whole ride but, it was NOT a fun ride.
I was obnoxiously slow and sweating profusely the entire ride.  My legs felt like jello and my heart felt like it was trying to escape my body via my throat!  Regardless, the photo above is how I posed at the half way point.  (A view of the ocean is truly a cure-all.) 
 
After the ride, we washed up and headed to my school for the yearly school carnival.  I collected tickets at the dunk tank for a brief while then was relieved of my duties.  We took advantage of having traveled South then headed to the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art.  They had an amazing exhibit of the American painter, William Glackens’ work as well as an exhibit of Civil Rights photography by Ben Adelman and multiple works by artists from the CoBrA era.  Very cool stuff!
Here we are engaging in the interactive display after the CoBrA exhibit….  🙂

May 11th: Happy Mother’s Day

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Happy Mother’s Day to all my friends who are mothers, step mothers, soon to be mothers, like mothers, nurturers and caregivers. All women are honored on this day for all the ways that we are maternal and loving! Xoxo

May 8th: Sometimes it Sucks… But Then You Remember…

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it sucks

 

I’ve been tired since the minute I woke up at 6am this morning… and the coffee wasn’t working.  I was hungry all day despite scarfing down what I brought for lunch, and the cat nap I took on the couch when I got home didn’t refresh or energize me at all.  I’ve been uncomfortable and cranky ALL DAY and the last thing I wanted to do was push myself to go out into the South Florida heat and exhaust myself even further on a run.

But as 7pm rolled around, all I could think about was this:  If you want to accomplish anything in life, ANY goal whatsoever (whether it be fitness, school, work, relationships, finances etc.) you gotta do the work.  You have to do things you don’t want to do.  You have to sacrifice your time, energy and preferences.  Sometimes it sucks but, you just have to lace up and do it.

Good thing I pushed through the exhaustion today:  3.01 miles at an 8:40 pace!!!  Whaaaa??!!  Look who’s getting faster! 😉  Now I remember why I run!  I can see that 1:59:00 half marathon in my near future.

May 7th: Thanks

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Thank you God for giving me the health and ability to run, to be outside, to see the beautiful things I’d never see or feel while sitting indoors. 

We are given one body.  Why not use it to experience and accomplish great things?!