Tag Archives: chas

Running from the Beach

Well, here I am, on day eight of a ten-day travel odyssey, and I can scarcely believe I’ve made it this far without collapsing into a heap of exhaustion. Since last Wednesday, life has been a whirlwind of suitcases, sunscreen, and sporadic Wi-Fi. From Florida’s sandy shores to California’s bustling streets, I’ve covered more ground in the past week than I usually do in a month. It’s been two weeks that feel like two years.

The first leg of this adventure was spent in Florida with Chas and the boys. Daytona Beach and Disney World were the highlights, and let me tell you, we packed more “magic” into those days than a Harry Potter marathon. Chas’ conference went swimmingly (pun intended), and the boys had the time of their lives. Now, I’m in California wrapping up work for Prep2Prep, but honestly, my brain is still somewhere between Cinderella’s Castle and the Pacific Ocean.

Let’s pause for a moment to talk about the Hilton Daytona Beach. If you’re ever in need of a place to stay there—and frankly, why wouldn’t you be?—I can’t recommend it highly enough. The location is perfection itself: smack dab in the middle of the boardwalk area, with nine restaurants (yes, nine!), a lovely pool area, and views of the Atlantic so stunning they could make a poet weep. Our room overlooked the ocean, which made mornings feel like something out of a travel brochure. Sure, we had a couple of minor hiccups—the TV decided to stage a rebellion, and we needed a fridge for the baby’s milk—but the staff swooped in like superheroes to save the day. Honestly, you could spend your entire trip within the resort’s confines and leave feeling utterly content. A heartfelt THANK YOU to the Hilton Daytona Beach for making our stay unforgettable!

Now let’s talk about Cub—our resident Aqua Lad. This child was in his element at the beach. I wasted precious packing space on sand toys only to discover he had no interest in them whatsoever. His sole focus? The water. Waves crashing? No problem. Surf pounding? Bring it on. He ran back and forth through the surf like he was auditioning for Baywatch: Toddler Edition. And when he wasn’t frolicking in the ocean, he was in the pool—so much so that his eyes turned red from all the chlorine. Did that stop him? Of course not. Cub has mastered holding his breath underwater to such an alarming degree that strangers started looking concerned.

Then there’s Oz, our little trooper-in-training. He’s teetering on the brink of major mobility—Labor Day will likely mark the start of our new life as full-time wranglers of two mobile children. On this trip, though, he was content to nap on the beach while I dug him a little shady spot in the sand like some sort of makeshift crib architect. He enjoys water too but prefers splashing over swimming—a distinction that makes him slightly less nerve-wracking than his older brother (for now). Flying with him wasn’t terrible this time around, but once he starts moving? Game over.

As this marathon of travel winds down, I find myself staring down the imminent arrival of school season with mixed emotions. On one hand, I know these moments with my young family are fleeting—Cub will be off to school before I know it, and then it’s all downhill from there (kidding… mostly). On the other hand, there’s something comforting about returning to normalcy after two years of pregnancies and ear infections throwing us off course. This year feels promising—straightforward even—and I’m optimistic it’ll be our best one yet.

But for now? Two more days on the road before I can collapse into my own bed and declare this epic journey complete!

 

Day 96/366- Driving Ms. Emotional

For about 2, if not 3 years now, I feel like I have been a woman posing as a runner. My stats have been atrocious, my runs few and far between. Becoming a wife and a mother, moving halfway across the country from beautiful, sunny Northern California to windy western Kansas and dealing with sleepless nights and so much time without Chas during wrestling season has put a damper on my athletic spirit. In my mind and heart, I am a runner, but in actuality, I am a fraud.

Last week I ran twice. It was so refreshing to wake up before anyone else and know that while everyone in Hays, KS, was still fast asleep, I was working hard and showing the world my perseverance. Morning runs are really about putting one foot in front of the other. I generally have just nursed the baby, and instead of crawling back in next to my husband, I opt for the cold, windy tundra that is Main Street at 5:30 am. I run an out and back usually, trying to complete one leg faster than the other. Pounding the pavement that earlier makes a person ponder big things, future goals, the meaning of life, etc. In a way, it makes me feel superior, the fact that I can do this, that I have the will power to do it, even if just for my usual 2 mile stretch. When I walk back in the door, I am no longer free or powerful. I am mom, Marketing Director and chef, but I feel more empowered in my daily activities, and more patient in my handling of crying babies, dog messes, and dumb emails. A run can certainly mellow a Type A personality like myself, but at the same time makes me feel more secure in who I am and what I am doing.

Besides my running lately, I have been playing in a rec volleyball league and working on some Nike Training Club workouts. On Monday, we played a team that had 3 former collegiate players on it. By former, I mean just graduated. Being 11 years out from my playing days, I am confident in my ability and skills, but am most certainly a step behind where I was when training was my life. We lost the game on Monday, and I left the facility feeling embarrassed and angry. They other team was cocky, stuck up, and not fun and light to play like most of our “Rec” league opponents. I hate that feeling. But then I started thinking about my NOW self as opposed to my 11 years ago self. When I was in the same position as the cocky girls we played Monday night, I am sure I was similar, and enjoyed beating up on older people. But I will tell you why they should be bowing down to me:

I am 11 years out of my volleyball career and I still was blocking the crap out of them.
I have the guts and moxy to put myself in that situation knowing that I am not the same 100% I used to be.
Those girls don’t know what it is like to be up all hours of the night nourishing a human being.
I created a human being with my own body!
I can work a 50+ hour week, cook, clean, and nurture my family while still looking to maintain my health and the health of my boys.
I am setting an example for my son, showing him that anything is possible and fitness is forever.
Those girls aren’t up at 5:30 to make themselves better.
Oh, and they certainly don’t know that people may not remember what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

I am a mom, a fit mom. A mom that is continuously trying to make herself a better person, wife, employee, and human. I know everyone is fighting some kind of battle, as I am. I know that there were probably days when I acted like them, but now I see the world in a different light. Someday they will too.

Final Preparations

It’s been almost an entire year since Chas got down on one knee in Santa Cruz and asked me to marry him. That was a really great day. We will have been engaged for 360 days on our wedding day. We are so excited!

Chas is getting a little annoyed with me. Seems like every day I am ordering more stuff trying to finish up gift lists or finalizing outfits, etc. It’s all coming together, even down to an argyle bow tie for Milton bulldog…

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While running has still been put on the back burner, I have been lifting almost every day with Chas, and I have to admit, my arms are looking pretty good. I feel comfortable with my body for my wedding day, which is a good thing. (Note: I say that as I am sitting here eating an entire box of Cheez-Its… Oh well.)

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Anyway, it’s going to be a very fun few days for us, but my life is getting crazy starting today… Let’s run down the series of events, shall we?

June 20th- Today, besides the ton of work I have to do, someone is coming to buy our couch, which I have to get ready. I also have to price everything for what I have going on tomorrow.

June 21st- Having a garage sale! We have a ton of stuff from combining our households, so we are sharing it with the community, for a small fee.

June 22nd- Chas’ camp starts. His nephew, Maximo, is coming to stay with us for a few days, and I am hoping to being painting our living room.

June 23rd-25th- I will be preparing for the wedding, working (of course) and helping with random camp duties.

June 26th- FLYING TO California! I am going to try to get a few good days and meetings in before I finally take some time off for the wedding. Of course if you know about where I live, it is a challenge traveling, because the nearest airport is about 4.5 hours away.

June 27th-July 2nd- Dog sitting… in California. Flying back to Kansas on the 2nd.

July 3rd- Leaving for the wedding week. We will be spending the 4th at Chas’ parents, then heading to my parent’s on the 5th… A 9-10 hour drive depending on the day.

After the 3rd, there is a lot of last minute wedding preparations that will be going on. I am so excited to spend the time with my family, and I sure it will be one of the best times in our lives.

More to come I am sure…

’14 is off to a start

Ok, ok. So it is 24 days into the new year, and I have yet to post. Well I have a good reason…

Ok, never mind. But I am posting now, so get over it. 

My 2014 has been a little different than most people’s. To start, work has been paying me a very large sum of money to do nothing but data entry since about December 1st. It completely sucks, but it is what has to be done. It hasn’t happened very often in this job, but my job satisfaction level is not very high right now. I mean, I am satisfied with my work, but not satisfied with the work I have to do. It’s kind of a bummer, but I know it will change before long.

I had the privilege of spending the first 8 days of the new year with Chas and my animals. I was working most of the time, but the feeling of what a normal day would be like, living back in Kansas of course, was spectacular. The only real problem with it all was that my day was starting at about 3:30 am. The races that I was preparing to run caused me to get up that early, so just as I trained for the races, I trained for the Rise and Shine too.

It went well, but once I was gone, and the dogs were still getting up that early, Chas didn’t appreciate it too much. Whoops!

I didn’t really set any resolutions this year. So many big things are happening to my life in 2014 that I assumed that would be enough for me to worry about… Running 48.6 miles, moving back to Kansas, getting married. I will also be lucky enough to see old friends and family, and spend the rest of my life with my best friend. Resolutions aren’t necessary for me to reach a level of happiness that I have ‘needed’ in past years.

I am planning on writing in more detail about the races, but will do that in a series of other posts over the next few weeks. Today’s post was just to catch myself up to speed on what my year has been like. I have decided to spend this weekend detailing my workout plan for February. After the races, I caught the flu and am still in recovery mode at this point. February is 28 days long, and the perfect amount of time to make some changes and start preparing my body for what I want it to look like in my wedding dress. 

I’m excited for new challenges and adventures this year, and I hope to post it all for you to see. It’s gonna be a great year…

2013: A Year of Many New Adventures

When you read the above title, you will undoubtedly know that this post is meant to sum up the amazing year I have had. Your second question may be why it was published at nearly 4 am. Well the Dopey Challenge is just around the corner, and I am up early to simulated race day activities, minus the running part. It is way to cold outside for that this early in the morning. None-the-less, I am just 8 days away from the biggest race I have ever run. I just got butterflies in my stomach typing that! It will be so much fun, and I really am looking forward to it.

With that being said, let’s do a little year in review, shall we?

January

I was fortunate enough to get to start the year with Chas and my puppies is Kansas, only for a day, but I believe you can’t start the year with someone you aren’t going to finish it with. There was quite a snow storm on New Year’s Eve, and we spent much of New Year’s Day playing with the puppies in the snow.

If Lucy misses and Milton gets the ball, it takes 10 minutes and some slobber reduction before you can start to play again.

It was only days later that I traveled to Orlando for the ‘then’ biggest race of my life, the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World. It was an awesome race, and I PRed by nearly 25 minutes. It was an amazing experience, and it got me excited to try something even more challenging this year.

Running down Main Street, USA during the half marathon. Nothing is more magical…

February

While I didn’t get to see my family for Christmas in 2012, I did get to spend some much needed time with them in February. My father got inducted into my high school athletic hall of fame. It was just a weekend, but to have everyone home was a great pick-me-up in the cold winter months.

Back Row: Ben, Me, Krissy, Brady. Front Row: Mom and Dad

March

I turned 30 in March, and to celebrate, I went BACK to the Happiest Place on Earth, this time with Chas, my mom and dad. We had a blast, relaxing, eating at all my favorite places, and enjoying a few quiet days.

Oddly enough, this picture would turn out to be a source of inspiration later in the year.

April

In April, I spent just about every waking minute planning for the 1st Annual Preppy Awards. This was a banquet honoring high school athletes through my job. It was a huge event… that I ended up planning in 6 weeks. Chas and I also spent a ncie weekend in Las Vegas, during a wrestling event, of course. No pictures here. I honestly don’t remember much of this month.

May

After finishing the Preppy’s in the middle of the month, I got a much needed break to spend some time back in Kansas for Memorial day with Chas and the puppies.

June

June was full of trips back and forth to Kansas. We hired on a new guy and decided to expand. I spent much of the month traveling, and at one point drove over 2,500 miles in just 2 days.

July

Wow, talk about a life-changing month. I ran a half marathon over the 4th of July, but got very sick about half way through and spend the rest of the day on the couch.  Shortly after that, Chas came for a visit, and this happened.

Perfection!

August

With school starting back up this month, work got crazy, and I went back to Kansas to start filming a reality show. I got to spend some time with the puppies while Chas was in Canada. Later in the month, we had a very nice engagement party at his parents house.

The answer to your question is no. I don’t know what is going on with my left arm.

September

With September came another race, the Disneyland Half Marathon. I PRed in the Half, but struggled toward the end of the race. My brother also moved in with me, which made for an interesting and fun rest of the year.

Getting ready to take Anaheim by storm!

October

Football season brings lots and lots of work to our office, and as the work ramped up, so did my running. It was a very successful month in many ways, but I struggled once again, but emotionally this time, as I got more and more involved in wedding planning. In fact, as I write this, October was the last month I did ANY planning for the wedding, and I am fine with that.

November

As football season wound down, basketball season ramped up! Work again was busy as always, and my running schedule met the challenge as well. I got to spend a wonderful Thanksgiving on top of Mt. Diablo with my brother, aunt and uncle. But the best part? Earlier that morning, we ran across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was one of the things on my bucket list, and I am so glad Brady and I got to do it together.

December

December has been a great month! For the first 3 weeks of the month, I worked and ran, and repeated. I spent some great time with my brother. And then, on December 19th, I flew back to Kansas with Rock and Roll (my cats) in tow. Since then, we have been a family again, snuggling, walking the dogs, and visiting my family back in Ohio for the holidays. It has been a wonderful year, and being only 8 days from the Dopey Challenge, I feel wonderful about the past year and the progress I have made with my running.

Like I always say, I never spend enough time putting my thoughts, feelings and the events of my life here in this blog, but I can always try harder over the next year. And that is exactly what I am going to do.

My brothers and sister, along with Katie, my brother’s girlfriend, and Chas, my fiance!

Have a safe and Happy 2014!

The Rolling Depression

I am so happy to be engaged. I want to marry Chas, and I want to start our lives together, but ever since we got engaged, I have felt more depressed than I think I almost ever have. The overwhelming feeling that I have with all that I have to do at work, plus the added stress and pressure of planning a wedding makes me dread life a little bit. I have multiple problems with planning a wedding:

1. I don’t want a reception. The reasons for this are two fold.

  • I don’t dance, I hate it, won’t do it, and don’t want to.
  • I don’t drink.

2. I don’t want to be the center of attention. I hate feeling like I am inconveniencing people in any way, so thinking that people are rearranging their lives for my wedding is something that is extremely bothersome.

3. I have about 0 friends, and Chas has like 1 million, so the event of making an invite list highlights this fact to no end.

I have this strange feeling of wanting to be left alone and wanting to be talking to someone at all times. Unfortunately, I still feel alone, even when I am with someone. Its not fun. I can’t shake it. But the only thing that has changed in my situation is the addition of an engagement ring.

It all basically comes down to this. I want to be excited to plan my wedding. I don’t want to completely dread it like I am now. This is supposed to be a fun, memorable time, and I am hating it.

Oh, and if anyone actually reads these things, please don’t comment with something like, “Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.” I will literally come to your house and kick your ass. Don’t waste your energy, and don’t come back to my blog. It’s called my blog for a reason. Enough of that rant…

Regardless of how stressed and depressed I feel, my runs keep seeming to get better, and that is one thing that I can’t be upset about.