The Happy Challenge: Days 84 & 85

Days 84 and 85 of 100 Happy Days Challenge.

The BIG happy for Day 84 (June 3) is...the toddler asking to use the potty and actually using it! Now, to just get him to use it consistently...

Happy stuff for Day 85 (June 4):
1. Watching a small race for National Running Day. One of the companies in the area sponsored a race today, and I accidentally got caught in the traffic. I enjoyed watching the runners go by - made me yearn for my own running days.

2. Finding a brand new pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey hidden in the freezer. I totally forgot I bought this when it was on sale!

Candy-Colored Shoe

I learned a new technique today - misting and masking in Photoshop! I love the Month of Challenges! Without the push, I'm not sure when I would have learned this technique, lol! Here's the resulting page...

CREDITS

Paper: Barely There (Micheline Martin)

Embellishments: Raw Color (Micheline Martin); Booked for Life (Pink Reptile Designs)

Brushes: Misty Paint (lynne-marie)

Fonts: A Red Bucket (title); Digs My Hart (journaling, date)

I know it's kind of a silly page, but at least I did something with this photo I took earlier today. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with the photo until I saw the challenge. Serendipity! 

The Quest to 26.2

Today's page is for the Jan. 5 color swatch challenge (purple and gray) for TLP's Month of Challenges. I dug into the photo archives for a marathon picture since I knew I would be wearing purple in some of the photos.

It's interesting to scrapbook different feelings about my marathon experience. It's taken me long enough to get some pages done about this topic, lol!

CREDITS

Papers: Stitch Em Up (Jacque Larsen); Sugar Rush Solids, All Time Low and A Little Damaged Vol. 3 (Amy Wolff); Noted (Pink Reptile Designs)

Embellishments: Botanical Elements (Amy Wolff); Scenes From Real Life (One Little Bird); The Weekender (Paislee Press); Simply Chic, Booked For Life, I Believe in Miracles, Right Here Right Now, and Sing to the Moon (Pink Reptile Designs); iRun (Jacque Larsen);

Fonts: Vaguely Repulsive (title); Traveling Typewriter (journaling)

Template: Uber Mega Bundle (Amy Martin)

Athlete

Today, I completed another layout for a challenge at Designer Digitals. I think this is my first layout for myself that has to do with sports. Way back when, I did a baseball layout for my friend Sally when we traded pictures and completed layouts for each other - a very fun swap, especially since we were online friends and hadn't met yet.

To get back to the challenge, a few years back, I completed my first (and probably only) marathon. The layout I created today doesn't tell the whole story - I'll have to do another layout journaling all the hardships of training for the big event. Luckily, I did make a photo book just to capture the event.

I had lots of fun with this layout, using masks and reducing the opacity on the layered paper. I have to admit these challenges help me think outside the box a little, which is why I love doing them.

Supplies Used:
Papers: Game Day Paper, La Cremerie Myrtille (Katie Pertiet)

Embellishments: Flagged Sentiments No. 1, Journaling StripMasks, Word Strip Labels, Taped Photo Masks No. 2, La Cremerie Myrtille (Katie Pertiet)

Font: Miserably Lose

Because I was feeling a little nostalgic about that day, I took my old friends out for a walk this afternoon. I didn't even realize my Team In Training tag was still on my shoes, lol. Ahhh...my very first pair of running shoes, and the shoes I used to complete the marathon! They felt comfortable, although they did rub my left heel a little. Note: must wear higher socks next time!

Raisin Boat Stamps

Stamps from Raisin Boat, a stamping company that RENTS stamps! I love the cute company name, as well as their concept of renting stamps. You do have the option to buy them, but if you just want to try them, just rent. It's like Netflix for stampers!

Finally, stamps geared toward runners! This would have been great when I was training for the marathon a couple of years ago. But, better late than never, I suppose.

They have some other really cute stamps. I especially can't wait to try out Urban Botanicals...

I think it's the dandelion in this set that lured me in, lol!

TNT Reunion

Today, my running team had a victory celebration at one of the local pubs. It was great to see a lot of the folks I had been training with for the last five months. It's funny how relaxed everyone seemed - all celebrating the fact that we had completed our events, either a full or half marathon. Several of us are now contemplating doing the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

The invite mentioned to bring photos and smiles, so I brought along an album to share of some of the photos I took throughout the season. I'll be turning it into a full-fledged scrapbook in a bit.

The photos from today. Incidentally, I got there a little late, so I missed getting photos of some others that left just as I was arriving.

Amy and Elaina
Elaina and Nick doing a little toast
Elaina, Nick, and Sheryl

Some of the team looking over the photo album I had brought along Coach Julie gives a little smile for the camera while a couple of teammates talk

Sheryl and Nick in deep conversation while Hilary listens intently to another teammate

Coach Karl and Brent
More team members checking out the photo album

Nick and Lindsay

Celebrating My Very First Marathon

Yesterday, I completed my very first marathon ever! I'll have more details on my running blog later. All that needs to be said is that I FINISHED!!! Yes, 26.2 miles, and I am now part of the 1% of the population that ever completes a marathon.

Wow! I am SO relieved! I am ecstatic! I am also VERY sore!!!

I woke up this morning, barely able to move. It was not a pretty sight. And, l was not the only one. Elaina (my roommate for the duration of the trip) wasn't doing so well either, but I know I was doing WAY worse...

I may never do another marathon in my life. But I will say that I love the Tiffany necklace I got at the finish line. It's just too bad that I can barely remember receiving the Tiffany box on a platter from the fireman in a tux!

More photos...

Marathon Day for Jenn

Jenn completed her first marathon today!!!

I am so proud of her. I know there were some really hard miles, and between me, her mom, and Courtney, we managed to keep her going by popping up at different miles to urge her on. Luckily, we got some photos at different miles to commemorate the monumental event.

At mile 9, the turnaround point of the marathon and where I volunteered at the Team In Training aid station. Every time TNTers went by in their purple shirts, there were a lot of yells and "Go Team!"
Somewhere around miles 18-19, in front of the university.
At the very end of the race! Jenn's hurting a bit by now, but still has very strong spirits and is thrilled to be done!
Celebrating at the Cheesecake Factory!

Jenn, I am so proud of you and this accomplishment! I know how hard the training has been for both of us, for all of the team, so to see you at the finish line was just unbelievable!

Mark this off your list and enjoy the fact that you are a true winner!

The marathon itself... It was only about the third time in the history of this marathon that it rained. It rained almost the entire time, and I was completely drenched by 8:30 am, when my volunteer shift was over. But, I stuck around with Kelley until Jenn came through mile 9. (She was the one who took the photo from mile 9.) It was so much fun to work the aid station. We had a few mishaps of trying to hand off the cups to the runners, and some of the cups went flying, which meant that the liquid went flying as well. There were also some funny moments, like trying to mix the Gluekos (one of the hydration liquids) in a plastic-lined garbage can with a paddle and using water from a hydrant, or watching the empty cups all neatly lined up take a dive when they caught some air.

As far as my feelings about the marathon...it was inspirational. I wished so much while I was watching everyone and handing out cups of Gluekos that I had chosen this town to complete my first marathon.

However, it was a lot of fun to just watch all the runners go by and to cheer them on. It was like a party. I can only imagine all the celebrating that was going on afterwards, even if people were sore and tired.

Two more weeks until Nike...

One Month...

Only one month until the marathon. It didn't even occur to me that today was Sept. 19th until my mentor sent an update out to all her mentees.

I'm a little panicked. It's not because I'm not ready, but because it's such a huge thing in my life. I have been training for the last four months for a goal that I had always wanted. There was no actual logical reason why I've always wanted to run a marathon, given the fact that I'm not a fan of running. But it was always one of those things that I wanted to do...an item to check off on my life list of things to accomplish.

And now it's only one month away.

Just a little photo taken by one of the coaches for the walking team after a run back in July. The fact that I'm still smiling after so many miles (this was taken right near the last few blocks of our starting point) means that I must find something redeeming in this running challenge.

Just Run Like a Girl

Spent another Sunday volunteering my time to raise a few bucks for training. I can't believe how early I've had to get up lately. I don't remember what it's like to sleep in anymore!

Today was the Run Like a Girl race. It's a trail run, meaning that there are very uneven surfaces. Also, it's a women-only race--no men allowed to participate. We had to hike (and I do mean hike) over parts of the trail to get to our stations. Boy, I don't think I will ever run that race--waaaaay too dangerous!

Elaina and I got placed at the same point, so we had some time to take a few photos.

Night Out with the Girls

So when your life revolves around running, what do you do? Go to your favorite running store!

The gals and I have spent lots of time (and money!) at this store lately. I can't believe I would ever buy this much stuff for running. It's insane! We bought running gear, shot blocks (think of big gummy squares instead of bears), sport bean (just like jelly beans), and who knows what else.

Afterwards, we headed out to PF Chang's to celebrate Elaina landing a new job. She's been unemployed for a bit and has been steadily looking, so this is a big deal. Congrats, Elaina!!!

Working the Helvetia Half

To help our fundraising efforts, Elaina and I volunteered at the Helvetia Half today. It's a half marathon through some very scenic semi-country roads--killer for anyone with seasonal allergies! However, the weather was wonderful! It was definitely a good temperature for running! (There were walkers in the race as well.)

Since I had never ever been to a race of any sort, it was amazing to see all the people coming towards us at the beginning of the race. We were the first point after the starting line, directing people around a corner. I've seen photos and TV coverage, but seeing the runners in real life was exhilirating. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera on me when the race started, so I completely missed the stream of people running our way.

The first ones back were the runners who completed the 10K (6.2 miles). I was a bit surprised to see anyone come back within 35 minutes, but that was before I realized that there were people running 10K. Although I personally can't do 6.2 miles in 35 minutes, I do know it is very possible to complete that distance in that amount of time.

I also realized that although we were there to help guide the runners, it was more important for us to be cheering on the runners, especially those that were toward the end of the race. Elaina was especially great at this--she was a great cheerleader, very encouraging, just like she is when we're out running together, struggling to finish our team training. Here she is, with her perky enthusiasm, guiding the runners to the burgers and beer waiting at the stadium.

I can't wait for the Nike Women's Marathon!

My First Bee Sting

Don't let the cute little photo on the right deceive you. Last night, during track practice, I got my very first bee sting ever. I can't believe how much it hurt!

We had just finished practice and were doing stretching exercises. After a few standing stretches, I got down on the grass to try to stretch my quads. As I lay back on the grass, I felt something sticking into my left ankle. Since it didn't go away when I shook my leg, I sat up and saw a bee sitting on my sock. I'll admit I freaked a little, seeing a bee actually on me, but I immediately brushed it off, then stomped on it to make sure it was definitely dead. In the meantime, the pain just took over. Wow! How can such a little thing cause a lot of pain?!?!

I wasn't sure if I was allergic to bees or not, so I was a little worried. Usually when I get mosquito bites, I swell up so bad that the skin hurts. My quick-thinking running partner, Elaina, said that she had just read two days ago that a copper penny would help lessen the sting. So we decided practice was over and took off to the car to get a penny. Right after putting the penny on the sting, it hurt even more!

But, I guess the penny did its work, since this morning I don't have any swelling and no pain. All the evidence is a pinprick of where I was stung. Thank you, Elaina! It's quite a coincidence that she had that just read about that a couple of days ago.

3 in the Backseat

What do you get when you squash 3 normal-sized adults in the backseat? This...

At least it wasn't the backseat of a VW Bug!!! :P

Dave's in town again, and Elaina and I met up with him for dinner after track practice this evening to tell him how great it is to be a part of Team In Training. Dave even signed up to attend a meeting in his hometown next week. It would be great if we could all train in our hometowns, then meet up in another town to run a marathon event together! (How does the marathon in Hawaii next year sound to you two????)

Thanks for all the laughs tonight, guys! I find it hard to believe that there was no alcohol involved, with all the laughing we did. I'm sure that Eddie will never look at us the same again! ;) Thank god Elaina knows the restaurant owner, or we'd never get to go back to this restaurant!

GO TEAM!

Feeling pretty good today, despite the fact that I did a 5-mile run this morning. Oh wait, maybe that's why I feel good! ;)

I was very proud of myself for being able to run most of the 5 miles, although I had to stop a few times to stretch out the cramp in my right leg. I don't know how people do this. I will say that it's always the first mile that the hardest for me. Watching all the fast people on the team take off in a huge pack just makes me feel like such a snail. But, I try to keep telling myself that I'm just starting out, and in a few months, I'll be able to go at least a half marathon, which would be 13.1 miles. Mind over matter... I should point out that I did the 5 miles in 1:09, which is a little over 12 minutes per mile--not bad, I guess, for a non-runner like me.

Today, we met at a great coffee shop called Sydney's. Totally cool place! We started our 5-mile run there, then ran along the waterfront and over two bridges and back. The scenery was great, the weather was perfect for a run...all I can say is that I did it, and I did it so much better than last week's run. Slowly, but surely, I'll be able to run the entire 5-miles. One of the mentors pointed out that we've only been training for 3 weeks, and I've gone quite a ways in 3 weeks. I know that if I didn't have the support from this team, there is no way I could do this.

After the run, lots of the team hung out at the coffee shop, and I got a chance to get to know 2 of the team members a little better: DeeDee and Amy. DeeDee is an extremely positive and motivated person. She's about a year older than me, single, no kids, no relationship, and she's studying to become a doctor. She also has a full-time job, so school is a part-time thing for now.

Amy is our honored teammate. She is a survivor of lymphoma, and has been in remission about a year now. It was amazing to hear her story this morning over breakfast. I truly applaud her for her attitude and for the motivation that she gives to the team. I even got a picture with her and Elaina...left to right is Elaina, Amy, and me.
I know that I feel my life is a struggle at times, so it makes me feel awful when I hear triumphant stories like Amy's. It always reminds me that there are people who are definitely having a harder time. I just have to remember that.

Okay, must go start off my Saturday...before I head out to celebrate Elaina's b-day. Hope you are all having a good weekend!

Meeting the Team...

Elaina and I attended the kick-off party for TNT this evening. There are quite a few people on the team--although we're training for three different events. I walked out of there a little scared and a little bit unsure I'm actually going to complete the 26.2 mile course, especially after seeing the course in a brochure that someone had brought from a previous year. Note that we look a little unsure of ourselves in this photo...

OMG, did I really sign up for this???? What was I thinking?!?!?!

Forgot I took a couple of random pictures yesterday...

Snapped this on Wednesday as I was waiting for the light to change...thought it was funny that this truck had this bumper sticker on the back!

Also caught two little visitors (circled in white) while I was feeding Jack--no, I didn't feed them to Jack! The photo doesn't show the shiny black and dark green colors very well, but they were interesting to look at.

Thank goodness that tomorrow is Friday--it's been a pretty exhausting week. It will just continue on through the weekend, thanks to deadlines...

Boy do I need a vacation!

11 Minutes, 12 Seconds

I shaved almost a minute off my time from Tuesday's run. I actually completed a mile in 11:12 today while on the treadmill! I'm slowly getting there! :D

I did run a little more (after slowing down to walk--I was getting tired by the time I completed a mile) in intervals. I'll have to do a better job with eating a protein bar and drinking more water. Anyway, in a few months, I'm hoping that this pair of running shoes will start showing my efforts.

OK, really tired, so I'll end here. I just wanted to make sure I reminded myself of my little milestone.

Have a good Friday!

My First Mile

This is how I felt today.

Big milestone today for me--I RAN a mile in 12:30. And we're not talking a run and walk thing like I've been doing. I was actually running for every one of those 12 minutes and 30 seconds!

After feeling awfully discouraged for the last week and a half because of pain from shin splints and the fact that I couldn't even run for five minutes without feeling like my lungs were going to collapse, today's accomplishment may be a very small feat in a runner's life. But, it's a huge deal for a non-runner, non-athletic person like myself!

I'll admit that I did things a little differently today at the gym, like warming up for 20 minutes on the elliptical (made almost 2.5 miles during that period), stretching, then hitting the treadmill for another 20 minute session. I made sure to run the mile before slowing down to walk for the next 11 and a half minutes.

All that went so well that I was actually smiling after finishing the 12 straight minutes of running. It was definitely what I needed to get me motivated again, even if it was a small step...LOL! I even spent an additional 45 minutes at the gym afterward working on strength training for my legs and abs--killer to do all of these, but still great at the same time. I didn't hurt afterwards, but I'm sure I'll be feeling the pain tomorrow!

On the job front...my days are definitely flying by, with running between my two contracts. Today was definitely easier than yesterday, but I'm still a little stressed out with the sabbatical coverage. It just feels like I don't have nearly everything I need to know before Brenda takes off. But, I think this will be an important step in my career, and I'm so glad I have the opportunity!

Need to crash--got another long day tomorrow. Hope your week is going well!

Training - Day 3

Sundays tend to be lazy days. I like waking up, reading the paper in bed, then slowly moving along with my day. Fortunately, this past Sunday was one of those!

However, Elaina and I had committed to run on Sunday, so we did, even though both of us really didn't feel like it. This is the good part of having a running partner! We both know how easy it would be just to slide and not do it, but by committing to one another, we feel guilty when we don't. So far, this mindset is working for us.

About 5:30 pm, we hit the course at Nike, just like this past Friday. But this time, we decided to go the opposite direction since on Friday we seemed to be going against the stream. Funny thing for our training yesterday--we were still going against the flow of traffic. Go figure!

We also decided that going the way we did seemed more of an uphill climb than the run on Friday. So, when we got to the top of one of hills, we were both pretty winded. But, here's the good part: we're both spurring one another along, especially when you feel like you're going to collapse. "Just up to the hill, come on, only a few more steps...we can do it!"

Hey, you have to have a cheerleader sometime, especially this early in the game. I finally took a look a the team training packet online, and wow--there is A LOT of stuff to read. They definitely try to prepare you for this marathon in all ways--physically and mentally, although most of the info in the packet is about training and nutrition. Now, if I can just remember all of it...LOL!

If you want to find out more about this marathon, go to the Nike Women's Marathon site. According to Team in Training, the marathon is now closed to the public, so the only way to actually participate is to join TNT. That's what basically got Elaina and I to sign up--well, she also had the Tiffany necklace to drool over...

Still going...hope we can make it!

2 Day Training & Sushi with the Girls

Elaina and I started our pre-training on Friday evening. We ran around the Nike campus for about 32 minutes of running/walking, per our team training packets. Today, I did strength training and ab work at the gym with Linden and Chris (Linden's sister)--good thing I didn't do more running or fast walking since my hamstrings are a little sore. On Sunday, I'll be meeting up again with Elaina for another run/walk session. So far, so good! Official team training starts on May 17th, and I want to be sure that I can run for at least a mile or two before my lungs start feeling like they are going to collapse! ;)

After running with Elaina, I went out with Josi and Lori for sushi at Le Hana last night. YUM-O as Rachael Ray would say! We ordered a deluxe sushi combo and had a lot of laughs over dinner. Josi and Lori are a hoot! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of all three of us (what was I thinking???), but Josi actually posed for a photo (and she hates having her photo taken), with the sushi boat...

See, Josi--was that so bad??? Thanks for being a good sport! Oh, and aren't you glad you at least tried the red clam???

We devoured the sushi boat, along with a side of unagi roll (Lori's first taste of eel). I didn't feel too guilty about eating dinner so late since it was fairly healthy. But, we all had a little bit of a craving for something sweet, so we went in search of dessert.

Known for a great showcase of desserts, we drove over to Rose's Deli. Surprise--it closed at 10 pm. Who knew that most of the restaurants in the area closed at 10 pm on a Friday night?!? Then we tried a coffee shop in the same "mall" area, but that closed at 10 pm too. Thank god for the 24-hour Starbucks down the street. Coffee (for the other two) and a couple of pastries sufficed for the dessert craving. Of course, we also had to wait at least 10-15 minutes for a table to clear. We would've tried sitting outside, but Josi wasn't up to any pre-Alaska conditioning (I think it dropped into the 40s by around 10:30). Such a Californian! (Just kidding, Josi!!!)

OK, time to get back to some productive work around here. I have a bunch of books to skim through tonight (the library almost didn't let me take books out since 100 items is the limit--Linden, I totally guessed wrong about how many items I had out!), along with a couple of errands to run. Can't believe how fast this weekend is just flying!