I *am* down with some.sick.beats - just the virus kind, boooo.

Ugh. I'm sick. There, I said it. I admit defeat. What ever nasty little virus I picked up has invaded me. This is me waving my little white flag. 

I'm a horrible sick person. I don't get sick sick that often. Sure, I get run down or weird things - things that usually end with a doctor saying, "huh, never seen that before." But as for traditional colds or the flu - I usually avoid them. Until now.

My grandmother always said, "if you don't want to be sick - don't be sick."  I really tried today. I really tried to believe I felt fine - I was lying. I feel awful, and I'm an awful sick person. 

I'm too hot, and I'm too cold. 

My body aches, but I don't want to take medicine. 

I'm hungry, but nothing sounds good. 

My words don't work right. 

I want tea in my special red mug (this special red mug) no, you aren't listening to me - my. special. red. mug. (It's the same mug). 

I want to sleep, but I can't. 

My phroat hurts. 

I'm a mess. 

I've always hating being sick. I have too many things I'd rather be doing, and being sick gets in my way. So, my behavior is half defeat - half resignation. 

So, a big shout out to the people who have to deal with the sick version of me. Who have to deal with me pouting, and who love me any way. 

I'll be back to my fancy self soon. But for now (and since I got my run in) - I'm hibernating. 

More Than A Feeling.

Do you just ever feel completely overwhelmed? As though the world is moving at a supersonic pace and you are struggling just to keep putting one foot in front of the other?  Yeah, me too. 

Floss

Run

Drink Water

Massage Your Gums

Stretch

Eat Well

Strength Train

Post Clever Material

Be Supportive

Keep Your Chin Up

Be Positive

Create a Schedule

Write

Be Present

Smile

Stop to Smell the Roses

Jump in with Both Feet

Meal Plan

Be Successful

... Make it Look Effortless

Ugh. 

I gave most of those things up for the better part of three months. I had to. I had to throw them back from whence they came. I don't want to do that - that was my motto. So I didn't. I just didn't. Didn't do them. Didn't care. 

Until now. 

I'm attempting to gather all my wagons back up, and jump back on them simultaneously. That's not easy. In fact, it really sucks. But here I am - finding my way back - wagon by wagon. 

Will I fail - absolutely. Failure doesn't bother me. I know I'll get a re-do. 

So, tonite - I ain't flossing. There's always tomorrow. 

Weekly Playlist - March 31st

Woo Hoo!!  On to week three!!  This week is an interesting blend of pop and hard hitting metal.  It should be a fun mix to run to.  You'll also notice some favorites keep popping up!!

Here are the results:

1.  Happy - Pharrell
2.  Black Betty - Ram Jam
3.  Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leopard
4.  Overcome - Mandisa
5.  Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
6.  Hard to Handle - Black Crowes
7.  Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkston
8.  Get Lucky - Daft Punk
9.  Back in Black - AC/DC
10. Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons

Enjoy the playlist, and let me know if you like it!  Feedback is always welcome.

Don't forget to vote next Sunday for your new favorites!!

Workout Playlist - Week March 24th.

Woo Hoo!!  On to week two!!  This week is an interesting blend of pop and hard hitting metal.  It should be a fun mix to run to.

Here are the results:

1.  Timber - Pitbull
2.  I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
3.  Imma Be - The Black Eyed Peas
4.  My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark - Fall Out Boy
5.  Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
6.  Bad Company - Five Finger Death Punch
7.  Fuel - Metallica
8.  Let it Go - Idina Menzel
9.  Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
10. Sail - AWOLNATION

Enjoy the playlist, and let me know if you like it!  Feedback is always welcome.

Don't forget to vote next Sunday for your new favorites!!

Workout Playlist - Week March 17th.

And here we go!!  The first weekly workout playlist.  I hope that this works out - and it's not one of those "sounded cooler in my head" ideas.

So, drum roll please, here it is as voted on by you!!

1.  Happy - Pharrell
2.  Roar - Katy Perry
3. 'Till I Collapse - Eminem
4.  Lose Yourself - Eminem
5.  Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
6.  My Hero - Foo Fighters
7.  Can't Hold Us - Macklemore
8.  Top of the World - Imagine Dragons
9.  Let's Get it Started - Black Eyed Peas
10. Work Bitch - Britney

Bonus Songs:

Song you might not know:  Come With Me Now - Kongos
Song to cool down by:  Blue Moon - Beck

Let me know what you think!!  Happy running, walking, working out, and adventuring.

"Finish Line Feeling" - A Runner's Must Read

Wow.  That is the first word that comes to mind. 

Secondly, Liz is a SUPER HERO.

I don't want to give too much away, but Liz takes you on an amazing emotional journey through her past.  She reminds us to keep dreaming, to keep pushing forward, and most importantly to keep hoping. 

Liz, the founder of Girls With Sole, gives us permission to find joy and wonder through athletics.  She insists that each and every one of us has an athlete inside of us, waiting... wanting... to break through. 

One of my favorite passages:  ..."you know the feeling of electrifying empowering excitement at the finish line ... At that moment you cross the finish line, you are the most extraordinary person you can be and you feel as if you can do anything.  I wanted to bottle that feeling and give it to girls who needed it most.  Girls With Sole is for any girl who feels as though she is not good enough, worthless, alone, bullied, ugly, stupid, put down, neglected, abused, or simply in need of a boost of her self esteem."

Simply put, you NEED to read this book.

Because Liz is the most awesome, she will give one lucky person their very own copy!  How to win??  Post a comment on the blog answering the question, "what has running given to you?"  You have until 3/20 to participate.

Hugs and High Fives.

You can find Liz and her crew on FaceBook at:  https://www.facebook.com/girlswithsoleachieve

or on the web at: www.girlswithsole.org

Pumpkin Falling From the Sky.

I really wish that I had this super active imagination that made up all of these events.  That I was really sitting on the couch the entire time, eating popcorn, and thinking up things that would amuse you all. 

I wish. 

That isn't even close to the case.

If you have spent anytime around me at all - you will find that the most random things happen to me.  It's as though the world has created an elaborate joke just for me and, so far, I'm not impressed.

Yesterday, I was completing the simple task of putting dishes away - easy enough.  From the back room I heard a HUGE commotion which I believed to be the handy work of my asshole cats.  I walked back there and nothing was amiss.  Weird, right?

I happen to notice that the pantry door is slightly ajar, and upon its opening find the waffle maker has fallen down.  I pick it up, wind the cord, and reach up to put it back on the top shelf.  As I reach up, a 24 ounce jar of pumpkin decides to leap off that very same shelf and onto my face. 

Because my hands were holding a waffle maker - I had nothing to catch the can with... nothing that is except my left cheek/nose/mouth. 

My glasses went flying (thank you Kate Spade for making glasses that won't break under the pressure of 24 ounces), and I felt my face to make sure I wasn't bleeding (I don't get bloody noses and I am sure that if yesterday would have been my first I would have ran the ER).  As I carefully make my way to the couch I yell (and I mean yell) downstairs, "I HAVE BROKEN MY FACE," and I lay down on the couch, both hands covering my face.  By the time Shiloh finds me, I am shaking and he is worried, until he realizes that I am shaking from laughter.  He asks what happened, and all I could get out was that I was ambushed in the face by a can of pumpkin, and could he please find some ice.  He may have asked me to open my mouth (I may have claimed to have lost teeth - I didn't), but I don't really remember him asking.  What I do remember is being fish hooked as he looks at my teeth, and me being really pissed. 

Turns out, I am mostly okay.  I have slight bruising under my eye, and my cheek is a little tender.  I have lost no teeth, and my face and nose remain unbroken.

Let this be a lesson to you all - do not use your face to catch falling cans.  It's not worth it.