Counting Down and Up-Dating

10

weeks

or

70

days

until we run



I hijacked Mum's personal planner today and wrote in the dates for all our major events for the year.  I wan to be sure we have the Gumps "booked" for race support (or, in some cases, babysitting).  We might even get them to enter a 5k or two.  I'll keep you posted! 

And now, because I'm on my mesozoic laptop (read: big, old, slow) I'm refusing to spend another age adding much more to this blogpost, so here's a synopsis of the week: 

Lots of logistical calisthenics to accommodate running, rehearsal and social schedules.  Nancy drags Alan on a shoe-trying-on excursion so she can fall in love with $140 running shoes (funny story for a future post).  Madeline is selected for District V chorus along. I do my first treadmill run (very slooooow, much fiddling with settings, have to learn to time it so I can watch a whole TV show instead of missing the dramatic conclusion, felt super dizzy afterward).  Sponsors and a second speaker are found for Administrative Profs day event (much to my relief).  I'm approved at work to go to a conference in Montreal this summer.  The kids go to Nana Mary's in Milo from Thursday until today; Madeline yanks out a baby tooth.  Alan and Nancy enjoy Wii time without the kids.  Mad and I both get our nails done (an early birthday treat for her).  I hit all my miles for the week but don't do any cross-training.  More snow + fluctuating temps = lots of icicles.

WHYDTWTMYFP?*

First off, I do hereby most sincerely apologize for causing that debilitating feeling of emptiness that surely must have ensued when I didn't provide one of these stirring posts last week. 
(You may stop laughing now.)

Also, I was going to regularly include my "not so proud" moments but I've decided not to hold myself to that, partly in the spirit of ACCentuating the positive, and partly because I don't feel like typing [and you don't feel like reading] "I ate a lot of junk" every week.  Let's just say that one's a given until I say I'm proud of not doing that. 
(Don't hold your breath.)

Getting on it with it--

This week I am proud because...
~Twice, I ran three miles with negative splits.  oooooh...don't get all excited: I'm still slow.
~I scheduled a session with a trainer at the Rec Center specifically to learn how to use the treadmills.
~I worked on planning the Administrative Professionals Week event coming up in April.
~I made a poster for BCT's upcoming play (All My Murders).
~I seem to be juggling work, running, choir, IAAP, BCT, Rotary... AND my husband and kids still recognize me as someone who resides in the same household (so far).


Sources of inspiration this week include...
~Lots of awesome posts by various bloggers I follow, especially Marathon Mama whose phenomenal whit and humor on any subject from superbowl half time shows to gynecologists to the Boston Athletics Association regularly causes me to come this close to shooting oatmeal out my nose and onto my flat-screen monitor.  This is especially dangerous on days I put dried cherries in there [hey! that's something good I've been eating].  Perhaps next week I'll be proud of learning not to read funny blogs while eating breakfast...but probably not.

~A photo of me! in the MDI Half that I happend to find on the 5k sports facebook page.  The streaming sunlight reminds me of the excitement I was feeling and conveniently obliterates all memory of stress, discomfort, and general anxiety.  I feel like that pig in Zuckerman's barn.  You know: RADIANT.

Have an awesome weekend everyone.
*What Have You Done This Week To Make You Feel Proud?

WHYDTWTMYFP*?

Wow, last week went by quickly--very full!--and I'm already overdue on my "cheers and jeers" post.

This week I am proud because...
I guilted my mom into reading my blog!
I got my parents to get a membership at the Rec Center (by dragging them there and arranging for them to get a tour while I got started on my run).
I got in almost all my planned running miles (minus one tenth due to a lap-counting error). 
Alan rocks (see previous post extolling the virtues of my hand hubby).
James brought home a report card with all As and Bs--way to go!
I wrote and conducted a choral tribute to our interim choirmaster. The choir sounded great and it was very well received.

I am less proud about...
Inadvertently lying to you in this post last week: I did NOT get in all 6 days of training (I missed Sunday 2 weeks ago and again today).  I wasn't just slacking, though; Sundays are often ridiculously over-booked. I may have to examine how realistic my expectations are there.
I am behind on my crunches and have been eating junk food all week.
Also, we are disappointed that our team did not pull off a last-minute Superbowl win (while we were eating said junk food).  *Darn*

*What Have You Done This Week To Make You Feel Proud?

Coming Clean

Do you remember that our dryer broke the week before Christmas? 
And that, for my birthday, Alan took loads and loads of sopping wet clothes to the laundry-mat to dry them?
And did you know that we haven't done laundry since then??
Yes, we have an obscene amount of clothing in our home, and yes, 98% of it is dirty.  Well...95%, now because....

IT'S ALIVE!!!

The new washer and dryer arrived in late January and Alan has been slaving away at getting everything hooked up.  This means that he has done major plumbing, carved various holes in the walls of our bathroom (yes, I'm Ok with that),  installed a vent, run a new electrical line up from the basement, and attached a stacking kit.  Oh yeah, and actually moved the things into place (with some lifting assistance from Gumpy).We're talking serious handyman work and I am so very proud and thankful for my dear, sweet, wonderful, talented, strong hubby.  He is very tired.

And now there is some serious washing being done. It's a little daunting, sitting on the john and seeing this giant tower of appliances looming in front of you....but the whole family is sooooo in love with the pretty digital read-outs, lift-off-seems-imminent-spin-cycle, and the lilting chimes of the "wash complete" song....

This just in from Jeremy: "Mommy, the dryer is done!" 

Sweeter words have never been uttered!!!  OK, so I exaggerate...but only a little.

What's A Girl Gotta Do...

...to get her own mother to read her blog??

My mom recently informed me that she's been following Emilie's blog in order to keep up-to-date on Emilie's mom, Beth, and her breast cancer fight.  This is both laudable and understandable. 

But I had to ask (hopefully):  "Have you read my blog lately, Mom?"
And she replied (without apology): "Well, no."

So I wonder, What's a girl gotta do?!? 

Fortunately, I recently discovered an option in my blog settings where I can type in email addresses and new posts will automatically be sent to them.  Eureka!

So, to my PARENTAL UNITS who have theoretically just received this via email: 
Did it work? and Don't dump your daughter in the spam folder!

Also, to Stacy, who asked a long time ago how she could get blog updates via email: 1. thanks for caring, and 2. ta da!!!  (I hope...let me know if it worked).

And to the rest of you:  Thank you so much for actually following me! 
Now, MOM, it's a cold, snowy day, when most everything has been closed or cancelled; isn't this a great time to catch up on all those posts you've been missing?!?


Who, me?