27 November 2011

Detox and Trolls

For 3 days I have eaten whatever I wanted. I asked permission first, of course, and got it. Of course I told myself "yes, please! eat 5 pieces of fudge in one sitting! have a heaping pile of mashed potatoes! eat bread and pumpkin pie!"

I don't feel so good :(

Detox starts tomorrow. I give myself permission to stop eating whatever I want and take care of myself. Apples, bananas, carrots, celery, cucumber, yogurt, and herbal tea.

Hey, on Saturday I ran 7 miles! No shin pain and I'm sore but its a gooooood sore. The kind that makes you wince and smile at the same time.

Smallish ones are sick. Gunky waterfall out of the noses, raspy little troll voices, and chunky coughs. Husband and I will inevitably get a mild version of it. 'Tis the season! My little trolls go from wheezing and whining to full-speed sprinting and laughing during times like this, and it can all change in a mere 30 seconds depending on how long its been since their last dose of generic Motrin.

Random: I need a good camera. And when I say good, I mean expensive, shiny, and too complicated to ever fully figure out. I could have so much fun!

25 November 2011

On the horse

You've heard the saying "getting back on the horse". I feel as if every time I go for a run I'm trying to get back on the dang horse except mine is a wild mustang and you can call me buckaroo.

The name shin splints covers just about every kind of pain associated with muscles in the lower legs. I wonder what is really going on under there?

From step one to step "the end", with every strike of my foot on the ground, I feel shooting pain. I think to myself that it will improve next time. Surely with my weight dropping, my diet improving, and my stretching habits being honed, the pain will lessen and I will magically be numb to the feeling of shards of glass shifting around in my muscles. Strike, grit teeth, breathe in, strike, grit teeth, breathe out, strike...

The rest of my body, from my knees up and ankles down, feels as if it could run a marathon. I end my runs and my lungs, feet, quads, hams and arms are all begging for more. In my mind I visualize myself passing signs that say 10, then 16, then 20, then 26.2 burns in my mind and I feel cemented to my desire to reach that point and beyond.

Running causes aches and pains. Aches and pains cause discomfort. Discomfort makes me want to try harder. Perhaps pain free isn't all its cracked up to be. I like horses with a bit of a wild spirit anyway.

15 November 2011

Time and Flies

I realized that I'm missing an opportunity to chronicle a very important part of my life. My journey back to college as a 30-something wife and mother of 3. OK I'm only 31 but it sounds more dramatic if I say 30-something, right?

I'm going to Hawkeye Community College outside of Waterloo. There, at community college, I arrive each day to knock out another few hours of edumacation so I can eventually get to nursing school and finally, one day far from now, walk across a stage with my BSN and at last get my hands "dirty" in the medical field!

Funny, I saw someone wearing a t-shirt the other day. It was black, and in white block lettering across the front it said "community college". OK, I really did LOL.

I'm finding myself severely out of place among the college crowd and when I pass another "old person" in the hall I have to refrain from throwing out a high five. I don't dress like the young ones, I certainly don't talk like them because I'm tempted to start carrying a travel size dish soap so I can whip it out and aim for their mouths when the trash starts spilling out, and I don't have their stamina or social curiosities either. I wear mom jeans, sweatshirts, ballcaps, drive a Buick LeSabre, and carry a lunch box. Just the other day we were in groups in my Oral Communications class and we chose a topic of Playing sports with Injuries for our speech. I was chosen as group leader (again, I'm old, of course I was chosen) and when we were done and starting to stand up I said "ready, break!". Blank stares. Crickets. Only a slight sympathy giggle from the Chinese student who doesn't speak English well enough to know that it wasn't giggle worthy. Oh dear...

Random: Do you ever feel like fruit flies follow you around? They are in my kitchen, yes. But I find them near me in the library a lot. What is going on?! I swear I shower daily!