Category Archives: running

A year from now…

Posted by sarah3030 in Cat, food, Groceries, My story continues, Oliver, running, work and tagged with , , ,

The Disney Princess half marathon is this weekend at Disney World.  My goal is to run it next year.  Considering my December 5K time and February 5K time were about the same, I should probably start thinking about adding time or mileage or speed.  A year from now I’ll have a blue tutu and a running skirt and I’m thinking some white “arm warmers“.

A year from now…

What else will happen in that year?  In this last year I lost a job, started a job, ended a relationship, forgave an ex husband, went to London and Paris, found a great therapist, decided to go to grad school and was accepted, made two trips to NYC, threw a rockin’ baby shower…

It’s been so easy to look back and think I didn’t do anything of substance, but this past year was a big one.  This one to come will be too.  And it will culminate with me in running 13.1 miles through a castle wearing a sparkly headband.

Writing that paragraph above makes me think about what trips I want to take next.  I am going to NYC again in April to see Newsies on Broadway.  Will there be a big trip?  Several small ones?  I’m determined to see one new place a year from now on.  Whether that is Seattle or Spain, I do not know.

Let me bring things to a more local level.  Enough with the big plans.

Working in a grocery store makes me hungry all the time.  What I’m making for dinner, or could be having for breakfast, or ingredients I should have on hand is all I can think about.

I bought the cats an automatic cat food feeder.  My schedule varies so much now and traveling to school once a month and an occasional work trip stressed me out.  I am amazed by people who can feed multiple children and still get themselves out of the house in a timely fashion.  There are days I’ll be ready to go and then remember I have to feed the cats!  Oh my gosh!  That’s a 20 second task that will somehow always be the reason I’m late.  Also, I really wanted Oliver to stop bothering me at 6am.  I have it set to dispense food at 6am and 6pm.  The funniest thing that happens in this apartment (this week anyway) is Oliver sprinting for the feeder when he hears the food drop.  That cat is a good eater.

I finally read the Walt Disney biography (by Neal Gabler) that I got for Christmas or a birthday or something years ago.  I used it as a leadership book assignment (I don’t think you’re supposed to call them book reports in grad school, but it’s a book report).  Technically, I didn’t read it.  I bought the audio book to listen to in my car.  I have a half hour commute each way minimum each day.  That’s an hour a day of reading.  Good thing to.  The book is 26 discs, totaling 38 hours of listening time.  But it’s really magical to read.  It took 5 years to make Snow White!  It was truly revolutionary in the animation world.  Don’t get me started on how amazing Disneyland was and how Walt was so involved in every detail and how he wanted it to be so nice for families.

This weekend is grad school weekend.  I think I’m going to the BG hockey game Saturday night up there.  Hockey must be a big deal there.  The class is going.  Sometimes I have to force myself to do social things.  This might be a good networking opportunity.  MBA faculty and students will also be there.

And after all, who knows where I’ll be in a year and who I might need to know…

The New Year is here

Posted by sarah3030 in blogging, friends, growth, running, Sarah, The job. and tagged with , , ,

I don’t have any resolutions to share.

I am proud of myself for not waiting for this new year to put into place the things I wanted to happen.  I applied and was accepted to grad school when I had no idea how I was going to pay for it.  But thousands of people figure out how to pay for it, right?  I knew I would too.  I didn’t wait for this year to start to begin my longest half marathon training process ever, I ran my first 5K a couple of weeks ago.  I didn’t sit around and collect unemployment and wait for a job to fall in my lap.  I took on my random part time jobs where I met new people, learned new things and got out of the house, even though the combined total from those two part time jobs was never more than an unemployment check was.  My friend Claire likes to point out that I was essentially volunteering during this time because I still got partial unemployment during that time.

I have a “word” for 2012.  It’s FOCUS.  I have three big undertakings in 2012, things I began in 2011 and are only going to get more intense:

  1. Disney Princess half marathon training for Feb ’13  (I know – longest training process ever.  I know.)
  2. New job.  As a corporate trainer that has just moved to an entirely new industry (casinos to groceries) I know there is much to learn on top of a very rigorous training schedule.
  3. Grad school.  So much reading!  I’ve always been smart, but I’ve never been an exceptional student.  Creating good study habits is going to be a challenge.

Making time for all of these things in addition to life getting in the way is going to be my challenge.  Therefore, I choose to FOCUS this year.  So, instead of creating a list of lofty goals and books to read and instruments to tackle – I’ll FOCUS on these and see what else happens.

This new year snuck in.  I’ve been sicker this week than I can remember being in a long time.  I’m fortunate to never have sinus or allergy issues.  I’m experiencing my first sinus infection and it is wiping me out.  From a couple of days before New Years Eve until last night I was pretty much bed bound.  I had a few friends over for New Years Eve, but even they were out by 10pm.  I was even driven to purchase and experiment with a Neti Pot for the first time.  I have a few friends who swear by them and I will admit I felt relief after using it.  Also glad I live alone while using it.  Least sexy thing ever, I imagine.

Happy New Year to all of you.  I’m excited to enter this year with intent and purpose.  And a place to share it all.

Did I tell you about the time…

Posted by sarah3030 in growth, running, work it out and tagged with ,

…that I ran 20 consecutive minutes??  Oh, I didn’t?  Allow me.

I’ve been hesitant to post a lot about my running progress and goals here.  You know I have some issues ‘fessing up to things I may not finish.  I have started the Couch to 5K program no less than 5 times.  I always get scared at the end of Week 5.  That’s when you go from running two 8 minute stretches in a half an hour to one 20 minute stretch.  That has freaked me out every time.

With the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon as my goal, with the knowledge that I can probably run 20 straight minutes, and with the moral support from two of my Zumba acquaintances and an ex-husband (he’s become an odd running supporter.  I think it stems from watching the marathons together.  Or him knowing what kind of support I need from the old married days.  Whatever it is, he’s done a nice job of saying, “Of course you can do this and I’ll be on the treadmill next to you if you need me.”  Which I appreciate, but have never taken him up on.  If I do this, I have to conquer the mental game and achieve it for myself with only myself.  Anyway…) I totally ran 20 minutes this past Saturday.  Plus 10 seconds.  Just to say I really nailed it.  I gave myself the following pep talk, “Sarah – I would say good luck, but you don’t need luck.  You just need to keep moving.”  Genius, right?  But it worked.  Just keep moving.

People say running gets addicting.  That I’ll be hooked.  That it’s a way to clear my head, be alone with my thoughts, use it as time to day dream, etc.

That’s starting to happen.  I like it.  I’m actually in the middle of two Couch programs.  I am now on Week 6 of C25K, which I do on a treadmill at the Y so I can get pacing down.  I decided to download the C210K program and start working with that one outdoors.  I went back to Week 1 and am doing shorter, easier intervals without the distractions and timers and tvs and people all around.  I think it’s a good system.

I think I can get 13 miles down by the time I turn 33.  What do you think?  I have until September 30.  13 by 33.  I’m only adding about a mile a month, as I’ve got two miles down right now.  I think this might be the most well thought out plan I’ve had in a really long time.

Who knew wanting a running skirt would be such motivation?  (I’m totally scoping them out on Athleta.com and Nike.com.  This one has the cutest pleats!!  But this one is such a great color!)

Also, I’ve checked with my friend from grade school who makes super adorable tutu dresses and costumes for kids to see if she could whip something up for me when I run this bad boy of a half marathon.  She’s in.

Something like this - only shorter??

I love that it has those simple bustle designs on the side.  My biggest challenge will be deciding what princess to represent while running.  Belle is my favorite, but yellow is not my color.  Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) is my 2nd favorite and I look okay in pink.  Since I plan to wear a matching running tank/shirt with running capris/skirt with this over it, I need it to be something I look good in.  Because when you look good, you feel good.  I look good in purple, but that would be Ariel and I’d need a green mermaid tail-ish skirt.  Ice Blue/Cinderella may be my best bet.  Plus, I just LOVE those side bustles!

Okay – enough talking about my remarkable 20 minutes of consecutive running.  For today.  I think I’m going to stretch my new runner’s legs at a 5K in a few weeks.  Stay tuned…