random « This Runner's Trials

1Apr/1311

Happy April Fool’s Day! My favorite April Fool’s Day was in 2011. I took a pregnancy test, waited like 30 seconds and didn’t see a second line, so I threw it away. Days later, I took another test and it was blatantly positive. I dug my 4/1 test out of the trash and what do you know? It was positive, too! The joke was on me.

My little comedian.

For the past few weeks I’ve looked at April 1 not as April Fool’s Day, but as a new beginning of sorts. As of today, all of my commitments to not-so-fun jobs are done. Completely finished. I am so happy. Every project I’m working on now is enjoyable, fulfilling and has amazing editors.

I got into a funk after I quit my job. I started accepting everything under the sun. There was that “omg, what if I never get any other assignments and then we starve” panic. Some of this work caused me a lot of stress. And as you’ve probably gathered, I’m not one of those people who can leave stress at work; it impacts all aspects of my life.

I heard a saying a few months ago that really resonated with me: An unhappy parent cannot raise a happy child. I this is the reason I’ve been trying to find the ideal job situation. I decided a few weeks ago it was best for me (and Wyatt) if I only accept lower stress, more fun assignments.

I kind of want to write children's’ books. Have you guys read some of them? One of Wyatt’s books consists of five words: “cracker, banana, bottle, spoon, and messy.” I think I could handle that type of writing.

This “be happy” mission of mine is spilling over into other areas of my life, too. So, starting today I’m making some changes:

1) Just say “no”. I definitely have that people-pleaser problem of saying “yes” to everyone and over-extending myself. But a lot of things I commit to stress me out and then I get upset that I’m missing other things. I know I’m being pretty vague here. But for example, I’ve hung out with my mom’s group like twice this year. I usually skip out because I might have to interview an expert during that time. Yeah lame. I need to realize my time is important, too, and start saying “no”.

2) Join a gym. You guys think you’re sick of hearing me whine about the cold, wind, and lack of treadmill access? Imagine how my family and friends feel! Ha. I’m sucking it up and spending my birthday money on a gym membership for a few months. I absolutely hate myself for not doing this sooner.

3) Curb my sugar intake. Umm speaking of things you all are sick of hearing me complain about? My sweet tooth! (A quick search of the blog shows that I first whined about this way back in August 2010. I gave up sugar for about two days because I thought it would help me run faster. That really makes no sense to me now, but that’s another story.) I do not plan to stop eating desserts forever, but things have gotten out of hand lately. Giving up baked goods for Lent totally backfired and ended up fueling my M&M addiction. I really want to set a good example for Wyatt – and going through six (!) bags of pretty pastel M&Ms in one Easter season myself (!) is the opposite of healthy. Luckily, Laura is hosting a weeklong #sugardetox starting today and I’m all in! No sweets for a week to reset my sugar cravings.

Don’t worry. I got my baked good fix yesterday and never want to see cake, muffins, or cookies again.

It won’t be easy. I’m probably going be pacing frantically in a few hours and convulsing by tonight. Just be lucky you don’t live with me this week. It will be worth it, though!

Tagged as: motherhood, random, running 11 Comments

29Mar/1319

On my mind

Posted by runnerstrials

Ready for one of those random, stream of consciousness posts? Here it goes:

1) I know you’re all on pins and needles, dying to know my race decision. I was leaning towards running it, but then I got a text from my brother. He’ll be down in Atlanta this weekend (he lives in NYC). Since the ATL is only two hours from Clemson and I rarely see him, I’m going to go meet up with him instead of running the race. I think it’s for the best that I skip the race though…

2) Because I’m just not in shape and only want to spend money on races that I can really race. If that makes sense. My runs have been going horribly lately, and I blame mother nature.

See, Storm Tracker agrees.

Last summer, I canceled my gym membership to pay for Wyatt’s monthly puréed pouch subscription through Amazon – seriously, they’re the same price! But I now see how much I need the treadmill to train well. I’m considering using some bday money to rejoin the gym – luckily, the Y allows month-to-month memberships. But I know as soon as I join, the temps will warm up and the winds will die down.

3) Yesterday morning, the worst thing ever happened. I hit the “on” button on my coffee maker and NOTHING happened. It’s broken and I’m angry because that thing was pricey! But I bought in on Black Friday in 2009, and have used it daily ever since, so I obviously got my money’s worth out of it. I’m in the market for a new coffee maker. It must make at least 10 cups and have program in advance option. Any suggestions?

RIP.

4) I always give Wyatt a Mum-mum whenever he’s in the grocery cart or stroller to distract him since he hates being strapped in. At Trader Joe’s the other day, I (finally) realized that this is probably a huge no-no. The next child who sits in the cart could have a rice allergy! I always wipe down carts before allowing Wyatt to sit in them, but I’d freak out if I saw a child eating a hard-boiled egg in a cart. I also let Wyatt run around carrying Mum-mums at the park, so I’ll need to put a stop to this, too. So parents: What’s the proper etiquette on this? When/ where/ what is OK for a child to eat?

5) We have entered the world of tantrums. Wyatt’s aren’t that bad yet, and he’s only had them at home with me. I assumed the hardest part of dealing with tantrums would be handling my own frustrations. But now I see my biggest issue is keeping Wyatt safe! He’s violently throwing himself backwards, out of my arms, into walls. It’s pretty scary, and I know it’s only a matter of time before he does this in public.

Grumpy face.

My fussy baby mentor gave me some great advice that I wanted to pass along: always have a safe place for your child when you’re in public. Meaning, never leave the house without a stroller or carseat so you can strap him in to protect him from himself during a tantrum. I often run into the store quickly with Wyatt in my arms, so I’ll definitely be taking a stroller from now on.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Tagged as: motherhood, random, running 19 Comments

15Feb/134

8 reasons why February is awesome

Posted by runnerstrials

I’ve mentioned my disdain for January and February before. It’s cold, it gets dark early, the holidays are over, football ends. It’s my least favorite time of the year. But this month isn’t all that bad because:

1. It’s perfectly OK to eat chocolate for breakfast… and lunch, and dinner. I’m not exaggerating. This means I always feel disgusting by February 17 or so, but it’s well worth it.

2. You have to wear lots of clothes. So, no one can tell if you’ve been eating chocolate for every meal.

3. It’s the best time for base building. I PR in spring races more often than fall races. It’s easier to push myself during cold runs than hot runs (at least here in SC where it’s not too cold), which sometimes makes for some speedy spring race times.

4. Warming up is easier than cooling down. If I’m still cold after a run, a warm shower + a hot cup of coffee will warm me up in no time. If I’m hot after a run, it takes the whole day to cool down.

5. The slow cooker acts as your personal chef. Hot, comforting foods, like soup, rarely sound appetizing during the scorching summer months, so I usually end up wasting my valuable time cooking dinner. Not fun. In the winter, I can just toss a bunch of ingredients in the crockpot and have it do the work for me.

6. You may have holiday leftovers still hanging around. What can I say? I stock up on my favorite Fall and holiday favorites once they go on sale.

7. You save money on sunscreen. I wear sunscreen on my face year-round. And you should, too, especially if you’re an outdoor athlete. I lather the stuff on my entire body all summer, but in the winter, I only need it on my face. Saves time and money. Win, win.

8. It’s the shortest month. Because these reasons are lame, thankfully, the calendar Gods agree with me and made February the shortest month. Hopefully spring is right around the corner!