Sunday, December 30, 2012

Where I am today:)


I could write a blog on a million things.....I considered writing one of those 2012 reflective posts or possibly a 2013 goals post today but then decided that I’ve thought enough about writing it to lose interest in ACTUALLY writing it-ha! Instead, a few random things that are on the tip of my tongue today...

Things I am LOVING today!

•The Vikings beat the Packers!!!! My 4 exclamation points may be a little much as I really have no idea what’s going on in the NFL this year... We got together with some of our good Wisconsin friends today to watch the game and my competitive spirit with ALL things has now caused me to claim this team and this win as a total personal success!! I am Helga herself and these are my little perfect Viking children. So proud. So so proud-ha! Woot woot!

•Brooks Pure Cadence. I’ve given these shoes a shot the last week and I love them so far. “So far” is based on my long run of 5 miles and my mileage of 14 miles last week-ha ha!!! I have been a pretty faithful “Launch” runner but always looking for something to change things up and just never felt right in the PureFlow. The Cadence feel good and I’m excited to give them a better test outside! Hot looking shoe too:)

•Being out of shape. Unlikely thing to LOVE perhaps but I’m embracing the excitement I feel to get back INTO shape right now and this only comes from being OUT of shape-ha!!! I’m not overweight…I’ve actually lost weight lately. I’m just out of shape…..Like soft…..and squishy in a few places....the kind of soft and squishy that makes me want to break my husbands fingers off when he pinches me…. ha! Anyway, made my first trip back to the gym in forever this morning and just felt PUMPED about working out with some of my gym buddies again. Inspired, motivated!

•Starting to train with a purpose again today! I’ve taken 1/4 of a YEAR off from training by choice!!! I haven’t run with my Garmin in over a month. I haven’t run more than 3 days in a row in forever. I haven’t done any speedwork! My long runs have turned into 5 milers. I’m incredibly thankful for the PEACE I found in taking this break. So happy for the nights I spent with my family after work! Everything about this was RIGHT for me and it may become a yearly thing! I’m also incredibly thankful for how I feel TODAY, this morning, right NOW about things! My husband has asked me to please start training again so he can at least listen to training talk instead of work talk-ha! I have no plans for a race before April but I am back on a self-written schedule of sorts which I thoroughly enjoyed working on. I’ve missed this. Exactly what I knew would happen if I cut myself some slack:)


•My children and laughing at them. I laughed my daughter right to the chiropractor yesterday after this little backwards tumble while we were sledding in the forest. No lie, there was not ONE single hole on the whole hill except the one she fell into. A magnet! This made me laugh SO hard after the fact. Even when she punched me and told me I was a cruel heartless mother, I still had to turn my head and laugh some more....what a glorious blessing my kids are to me!



•Laughing.....laughing is so incredibly powerful. I love to laugh and I almost feel like I’ve lost a little of that this year. I look back and see how much I used to love to write thoughtless nothing posts on this blog and just laugh to myself. My own little laughing party! Lots of laughs all around today!

•Boot cuffs!

•People so willing to help when asked! I realize that I hate to ask for help..for so many reasons...I also realize that I LOVE the feeling I get when I can help someone else....so perhaps I’m stealing that feeling from someone by not asking:) This is my new logic anyway-ha! I could not make it through this hockey winter without people there to help me and I’m so very grateful. Thankful for a good friend stepping up this morning to help me next weekend!

•Watching Ryan play this morning. I love watching all my kids but her level of play is just so fun. They call her “the freight train” which I’m not sure is the most flattering name for a female but it’s so true. The littlest person on the ice in stature but yet she will plow through you and you can’t take her out. Tough as nails and such a competitor.

•Positive encouraging people. Infectious!! Thankful for a couple of positive encouraging training references who have been oh so helpful this week:)


Things I LOVE…..NOT so much....today

•The pace on my easy run this morning. Ishh….My HRM must be broken…..:( I can only go up from here-ha!

•THIS which is now hanging on my wall…


This little beauty is the compromise for telling my husband our kids are too expensive now to pay $700 to hang a running clothes accessory hanger stuffed deer head on our wall..... As a result, I came home to a large animal skull boiling in a big pot on my kitchen stove instead of having it taken care of at a taxidermist. Backfire....The upside, I now have 2 treadmill running partners and twice as many antlers in which to hang my crap on.

•The thought of taking down my Christmas stuff…..Sweet mama robin’s have used my Christmas wreath on my front door to make nests in..... We live in Minnesota....hmmm...

•The fact that I paid $64 for Christmas cards that are still sitting on my counter not mailed....



More "LOVES" than "Love-not so much's" today! Good day:)



10 comments:

Amanda@runninghood said...

Oh my goodness how I've missed these posts! YOu have me laughing out loud here. So much to laugh at. Love this Jenn. Thank you. Can't agree more about the laughter. I found myself laughing more this week than I have all year. Like the kind where I'm about to pee my pants laughing. LIke who needs core work laughter! So funny about the new animal head/coat rack. This will be so fun to see when I come visit you someday. Oh, Helga...glad your team won! Brooks Cadence...yes, I'm ordering some this week! My shoes are shot again. I get the being out of shape but I also SO SO get the taking a break from running...I've seen such good thigns come from this for you. Actually this is the happiest I've seen you yet. So glad you're excited about starting up again. You will get in shape fast and have that Tight A%$ body again, my friend. It looked pretty tight A to me a couple of weeks ago anyway. Waylon hates when I grab his sides when he's gained a little weight. Not sure he wants to break my fingers...woah there helga! ha!

Loved the sledding videos. Especially the falling into a hole one.

Things I'm loving today: YOU and your post! Oh, and the sunshine in Portland! Love you!

Jill said...

Hum...I am so clueless sometimes and having a hard time figuring out how to comment on your new format; there's things below my tiny comment box and I'm just going to type and hope that my words spew out of somewhere!

I love how out of shape you are...not that I want you to be out of shape, but because I'm right there with ya and I think it's an incredibly energizing feeling to go from crap to fantastic and watch the body adapt along the way. Not that I experienced that first hand this year, mind you....my body is still in the crap stage, but at least I now want it and willing to work for it. Just gonna take me a lot longer than you because I DO have the weight and that stupid thing called age working against me. But we'll get there and oh how fun it will be!

So sorry about your daughter and the fall - you are the meanest, most heartless mom out there! ;) My daughter still tells me about the time I laughed when she fell and had to have stitches in her knee; can't help it, it was funny how she fall on the rock.

I went to the gym last week after a 3 week hiatus and I couldn't walk for 3 days. And I only did 30 minutes of weights. Yep, pathetic - but it felt good to be sore, it's been WAY too long. Are ya going to do another pushup challenge? How about plank challenge? I have worked myself up to an astonishing 1:10 on the plank. Jealous, I know!

Hope you had a fantastic Christmas. Happy New Year to you, looking forward to your 2013 journey! :)
xo

Ana-Maria RunTriLive said...

I love where you are today, such a great place. You know what works for you and you do it:) Super excited about your training. I know that "out of shape, soft, feeling" but as you know you will be running strong soon and Joe will miss the softness when he pinches you, ha!

You've had a great 2012, on all levels. Lots of PRs, a job that you like, a vision for your work, happy and successful kids and an out of this world marriage. You've done well.

Here is to the 2013 that you want. I have no doubt great things will keep happening and I am so excited to experience them vicariously through you, and with you:)

Love you, AM

Becky at Prairie Runner said...

This post was hilarious and uplifting - love all the loves!!!! The Vikes were awesome yesterday - I couldn't watch the last few minutes though- too intense! Go AP! - wish he would have broken the record, but a win is a win!!! I love your perspective on feeling out of shape. One of my favorite inspirational "posters" that I have seen lately is "Summer bodies are made in the winter" or something like that. I am looking forward to building a stronger, faster bod this winter and "unveiling" it at my first race.
PS Your Christmas card is beautiful!!!

Allison said...

I love your posts! They always make me smile. That video was hilarious too. We have one of my then 4-year old (now 6) at ski school and he had the funniest fall... we crack up all the time at it! Luckily, he thinks it's funny too.

Good to know about the Cadence! I ordered a pair 2 days ago because they were $69.99 at Finish Line, and I couldn't pass that deal. Bright yellow too. I'm excited!

Hope you and your beautiful family have a wonderful 2013, Jenn. Looking forward to reading more about your year.

Raina said...

I have been to this blog a few times in the last 23 hours to read, and it looks better each time :) !

Raina said...

Tonight I hope you are having one of those laughing parties!! Nothing is better for the soul than a good laugh. I would love LOVE to get together with you and enjoy a good one.

That 5 mile long run...I bet the pace isn't as bad as you let on. HRM is certainly a leash, but it won't take long to pick it up, knowing you and when you set your mind to something...

The antlers! Is there something on one of them already? I can't quite tell. It's way better than having them stack up outside by the garbage can so the dog can gnaw the fur off. You have 2 training buddies!

Need to see the video still. I'm at my parents and youtube doesn't work on this dinosaur computer.

Hugs to you for a HAPPY 2013!

Lindsay said...

I feel as though your Christmas card recipients will understand getting a late card from you. What sledding skills! LOL! And hooray for more places to hang things.

Lauren said...

Wow, such a positive post! You are always such an encouragement!

XLMIC said...

I cannot believe you have a pot big enough to boil a deer head! I wish you'd taken a picture of that sight! Feeling you on the much-needed break...though what I'm not doing is small potatoes compared to what you haven't been doing ;-) It does feel good to get back to it, though :) Happy, happy new year to you and your family!