Lessons of not running

What I learned about running from NOT running.

You might wonder how I could learn about running while not actually doing any running, but I learned more than I could have ever expected.

*I learned I don’t NEED to run to be happy. 

In the past, I have looked at running as my solitude, my only real way to relieve stress and think things through. I still think that running is a wonderful way to do all of these things, but I also realize that I can get stress relief elsewhere. I can go for a bike ride, a walk, I can read a book. All of these things I used to do when I could run, but I don’t think I ever appreciated that I can sub one of these for a run instead and get basically the same calming results.

*I learned I love running. Yes, I thought I loved running before but just go ahead and take 2 full months off of running and see how you feel. At first I honestly was completely fine that I couldn’t run. I knew my body needed the break and running was feeling pretty horrible at the time so I accepted my non running lifestyle and enjoyed walking, biking, strength training all at a lower level than before. I was fine with this for about 3 weeks while my heart rate still felt crummy and my energy levels were less than impressive. Then I really started to miss running. I was feeling better, my energy was returning and all I wanted to do was run.

My first run back was last week. I ran/walked with Stacy 3 miles.  I was so so happy! I’m sure I looked ridiculous with a goofy smile on my face the whole time, but I truly felt light and happy and so grateful to be able to run again. I love that feeling.

*I learned I needed a break. I think I was pushing myself and putting pressure on myself that eventually lead me to dread running a little bit. I’m not sure if it was my attempted marathon training, my lack of iron, or some combination but I was really hitting the wall hard and should have taken some time off much earlier than I did. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

*I learned I don’t need to be obsessive about my time, distance, or pace. I got the OK to run last Wednesday and proceeded to go for my first run that day. I didn’t wear my watch, and didn’t care even the slightest bit! I have since gone on a few more runs, nothing more than a few miles but I didn’t wear my watch so I’ll never know. I will start wearing it again as I get back into training, but my watch used to feel like my lifeline when I went for a run and I can now say with confidence that I don’t think my Garmin will hold that much power in the next few months.

*I learned that I don’t run to stay fit or active, I have plenty of other ways to do that, but I run because of how I feel after. Nothing else I have tried in the last 2 months has given me that feeling. The happy, excited feeling that I get when I run, and even when I am done running. I love that feeling and I didn’t realize I missed it until I felt it again.

There you have it, maybe not ALL of the things I learned while not running but definitely some of the most important in my opinion.

Have a great day everyone! I’m headed out for a run soon!

I'll post about this wonderful weekend we just had tomorrow!

Alright Iron, I'm ready when you are.

Hey everyone!
Happy Thursday!! Its beautiful here. The sun is shining, and everything is nice and green since we have had nothing but rain for the past 3 days. I love this time of year.

I was supposed to get my blood taken on Tuesday during my infusion but they decided to give it one more week before they check out my iron situation. I was a little bummed since I had previously decided that once I knew my iron levels I would give myself permission to start running again.  I'm not sure if this is a smart choice, but I thought it sounded like a good plan. I'm hoping my doctors will agree,

Since i have no idea if I can really run yet, I have filled my running void by registering and researching races from June through November.

Lets just say there are some really fun sounding races just waiting for me to sign up for them. They are calling me name and waiting patiently until I hit the "register" button.

Some of these races include:

Stratton Faxton half marathon - June 24th - possibly?

Falmouth road race -Aug 12th ( I registered for the lottery)

Smuttynose Rockfest half marathon -Sept 30th

CHaD  half marathon  - Oct 20th - registered.

Philly Half Marathon - Nov 18th.

I have high hopes for my return to running and I am really excited to see what my body full or iron can accomplish!

Aside from running ( or non-running) news, yesterday was Matts birthday! We celebrated with cake and lots of brownies. It was a success.

I'm heading home tomorrow to celebrate a belated Mothers Day for the weekend. My sister is heading home too and it should be a fun weekend. Its been a while since we were both home at the same time. Its also supposed to be a beautiful weekend up in VT so I'm pretty excited.

Tonight is family dinner and I'll be sure to chat more about that tomorrow.

Also, if anyone has any computer suggestions I am hoping to look this weekend!
Have a wonderful day everyone!

Doggiesitting and much more

Happy Monday everyone!!

A lot has happened since i last posted so I think the best way to go about todays post is in bullet point form to get everyone all caught up. ( yes I like to pretend my life is that fascinating!)

* I got a new Camera! Finally!! Its a Cannon Powershot  ELPH 300 HS. All that stuff after the word powershot doesn't really mean anything to me yet, but Greg assured me this was a good camera and for a great price so I own it now! He should sell cars...
 I haven't played around with the camera too much yet, but i am pretty excited to be able to document fun things in my life again!

* My hard drive crashed on my computer. Sad. This is why there are no pictures yet taken with above mentioned camera. I knew my computer was getting older and its hard its fair share of problems over the past year, but this was the big one!

If anyone has any computer recommendations I will HAPPILY take them!

* We babysat a dog overnight!

Greg and I are going to be dog-sitting for 3 weeks in Aug so the owners wanted us to take the big guy for a night before then just to make sure everyone meshed well together. Well guess what? We did, and I am IN LOVE! The dog is still a puppy, ( he will be 2 in Aug) and is such a happy, entertaining dog. His name is Casper and he is a white lab, roughly the same size as me. I think that having a dog for 3 weeks will be a challenge at times, but I also think it will be so so fun! I can't wait!!

* I discovered that Costco has soft serve ice cream the size of my head for only a dollar and a half! I realize this is not really that important, but I was so excited yesterday after our spending spree at Costco to end the trip with a huge ice cream! Perfect. I love Costco!

* No running....YET! I am going to the doctor tomorrow for my 3rd infusion and for a blood test. Hopefully this will mean my iron levels are UP and i can RUN LIKE THE WIND!! I am only a little bit excited about this concept! :)

* We had wonderful weather this weekend. This lead to lots of time with friends, grilling, and also going to Home Depot to purchase plants, pots, and soil to make our own little garden on the back porch! Hopefully I will soon be talking of basil, mint, green beans, and many other fun and happy herbs and veggies!

I'm off to finish some laundry and get back to work!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Dr Seuss words of wisdom

I wish I could say I came up with these all on my own, but I didnt. I saw this online and loved it. I thought I would share it for a happy Monday post! Enjoy :)

Lesson 1: Don’t put off a run until tomorrow that you can do today.
How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?


Lesson 2: Your effort, even one mile, never goes unrewarded.
You’re in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.


Lesson 3: When life gets complicated take a deep breath, get out there, and run!
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.

Lesson 4: Don’t let obstacles get you down, face them head on.
I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!

Lesson 5: If you think today’s run was amazing, wait until you put on your shoes tomorrow. The next adventure is right around the corner.
Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

Lesson 6: When your brain tells your body to stop, don’t let your feet listen.
And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!

Lesson 7: Don’t be intimated by the starting line or your anticipated training mileage.
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.
Lesson 8: Don’t be afraid of trying something new (a routine, route, race distance, or a new form of cross-training)
If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good!

Lesson 9: Running is a solitary sport, and only you can push yourself to the next level.
All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you’ll be quite a lot

Lesson 10: When you hit a roadblock physically or mentally, remember that it happens to every runner.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly it’s true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you

Lesson 11: When non-runners tell you that your running is crazy, just smile.
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.

Lesson 12: Most importantly… never, ever give up on your goals.
If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.

Tough Cereal

Hey everyone,

Yesterday upon arriving home from the grocery store I made a huge discovery. I usually eat yogurt, fruit, toast, cottage cheese, things like this for breakfast. Greg almost always has cereal. His cereal of choice for almost as long as we have been dating has been Shredded Mini Wheats. He did go through a phase in college where he ate Smart Start, but reverted back to the little wheat squares soon after.

Why am I telling you this? Well, on my quest to get more iron into my diet I have been trying to eat some cereal in the morning. I have fallen for every gimmick there is on cereal boxes promising fortified anything. 

I ate a box of Kixx ( 40% of my daily iron) last week and then when I was at the store last night I grabbed another different box of cereal also promising 40% of my daily iron! I also grabbed Greg a box of his cereal as I almost always do whenever I’m at the store. 

I came home and while I was putting the boxes away I noticed something… Gregs cereal has 90% of your recommended daily iron!! I was shocked! How could I have not known this? All these years he has been iron man and I have been fruit girl. 

I told Greg and he laughed saying he probably got 180% of his daily iron because no one eats just ONE serving of cereal.

 I might be hopping on his shredded wheat bandwagon more often now.

Next year.

Hi everyone!

Its been a busy and slightly stressful week around here, but nothing I cant handle. I’m still battling with my recent anemia issues, but taking it in stride, and basically following any and all orders the doctors give me. Sounds like a recipe for bigger red blood cells and more energy huh? I sure hope so!

It has been wonderful to have such amazing family and friends around this week. I really appreciate all of the nice emails, cards, FLOWERS, and messages I’ve received this week. I am truly a very lucky person! It is so nice to feel so thought about and loved when life gets a little stressful and you feel like you are losing a little control.

 As it turns out May is shaping up to be a very busy month. There are wedding showers to go to, a mothers day to celebrate, and a few fun iron infusions to round out the month. Unfortunately the one thing that is missing is running, the BIG run to be exact. I haven’t been talking much about running since I haven’t been doing any of it lately, but Wednesday I finally stopped pretending and faced the fact that the Vermont City Marathon is not going to happen this year. Not in any way… no walking 26.2 miles, no running 26.2 miles, and no combination of the two. I will run it next year, and hopefully get through the training cycle without any iron problems

I was pretty bummed out, and yes I cried when I had to hit the “defer” button but I also know better than to even pretend my body is in any shape to handle the race. I am looking for a potential race in Nov, but again I am waiting until the end of this month or beginning of June to sign up for anything. Usually not running makes me really moody and crabby, but I tend to believe I am taking this round of no-running in stride. Greg miiiight say otherwise, but maybe we just shouldn’t ask him.

I do miss running, I miss it a lot actually. I am anxiously waiting until I feel better and have the energy, and stamina to bust out a happy sweaty run with anyone who wants to join. Until then I will keep you updated on all of the fun things I am doing with my non running filled time!

Happy Friday!