Yesterday, six friends and I ran the Army Ten Miler in Washington, D.C.
Yup...you read that right. I ran TEN MILES.
Can you believe it? Neither can I.
This year my new year's resolution was to learn to run so that I could do a 5k. By March I was able to run 3 miles without stopping. It was quite an accomplishment as I have NEVER run before. Ever. Anywhere. Even in high school, where we were all supposed to run the mile...I walked it.
So you can imagine my disappointment when the race I had wanted to enter filled up before I registered. But a bit of my bravado kicked in when I read about the annual army race.
I thought...."well, we've gotten up to 3 miles...whats 6 or 7 more? We have 7 months." And so I convinced my fellow training friends that we could learn to run that far. Mind you, learning to run 10 miles is an entirely different concept in mid-August than it was in April.
I saw a shirt at the race that said, "this seemed like a good idea three months ago."
Exactly.
But we persevered. We ran every Saturday (even on vacation!), we ran a lot during the week and somehow we made it to Sunday's race.
And I KICKED BUTT! (humility has never been one of my strong suits)
Not because I won---HA! I run 12 minute miles. The fellow that won finished before I was even at the halfway point.
But I kicked butt because I did it. I ran the whole way. Didn't stop. I had a great time---my wonderful husband brought the boys out to cheer me on and they even met me at the end with flowers. I was giddy with my friends, I was surprisingly fast at the end and today I am tired. But I am ready to look at the spring races and I am ready to see what might be next on my "to do" list.
A few memories from the day....
the joy of finding a real bathroom at the hotel before the race
the insane lines of people waiting for port a potties.
Cheering people on at the port a potties...while Karina yelled, "SUCK it olson"
The little old lady running in front of me (she HAD to be pushing 80)
The grandpas I passed who asked if I had vodka in my camel back
The absolute joy I felt when I saw my boys and my hubby cheering for me....I don't know who was more excited...me or them!
The bravery of the wounded warriors who were giving it their all during the race
The odd coincidence that the Rocky theme came on my MP3 player right as the band began playing it at mile 8
The thrill of seeing the finish line and knowing I still had enough left in me to sprint.
Wow. I know this is long and I know it's a bit braggy...but man...it was fun!
Thanks for reading this far.
Cherry Blossom 10 miler anyone???
Monday, October 05, 2009
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Three months ago
Three months ago, school was still in session and we were patiently awaiting the arrival of summer.
Three months ago, we were dreaming and scheming of the fun we would have at the pool, in the backyard, on the road.
Three months ago we had yet to tour the US Capitol, visit Luray Caverns, or pick peaches and blackberries.
Three months ago I still blogged (at least occasionally) instead of spending all my free time on Facebook.
Three months ago I had never run 8 miles. Or even *thought* about running 8 miles.
But it's a new school year and as many of you know, I like beginnings. So a new look to the blog and another try again at blogging.
Seems like I spend an awful lot of time starting over, instead of just plugging along. But my writing is seasonal and summer isn't for writing.
It's for berry picking, car trips, beach vacations and enjoying every minute possible with the handsome guys in my world.
Three months have gone by too fast again.
Three months ago, we were dreaming and scheming of the fun we would have at the pool, in the backyard, on the road.
Three months ago we had yet to tour the US Capitol, visit Luray Caverns, or pick peaches and blackberries.
Three months ago I still blogged (at least occasionally) instead of spending all my free time on Facebook.
Three months ago I had never run 8 miles. Or even *thought* about running 8 miles.
But it's a new school year and as many of you know, I like beginnings. So a new look to the blog and another try again at blogging.
Seems like I spend an awful lot of time starting over, instead of just plugging along. But my writing is seasonal and summer isn't for writing.
It's for berry picking, car trips, beach vacations and enjoying every minute possible with the handsome guys in my world.
Three months have gone by too fast again.
Friday, June 05, 2009
"stolen" from the school journal
He may hate me later for posting this for all the world to see....but it was too darn sweet not to.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Like a panda
Hi there.
Thanks so very much for the supportive comments, virtual (and real) hugs. I have gone back to read and re-read them a number of times.
I may not have a whole slew of readers, but the ones I have are superstars!
So thanks.
As for my panda quip.
Living in the DC region means we hear a lot about the panda bears at the National Zoo. And this week's news has been that one of the pandas seems to have had a pseudo-pregnancy. Meaning she was exhibiting all the signs of being pregnant, but after an ultra-sound the doctors have not found a fetus.
I'm kind of feeling like Mei Xiang these days. NOTE-- I really do not intend for this blog to become a chronicle of my monthly cycles, just bear with me for today. If you're not up for it, come back next post when I'm not talking pregnancy and TTC.
At the very least you've been warned.
Last week, I was exhausted. I could have napped every day. Twice. And I was also smell-sensitive. Every new smell turned my stomach--even good odors smelled off. I gave up eating pizza in New Jersey because the mushrooms smelled funny. That's serious y'all! The only time I have ever been so nose-sensitive was when I was preggers with my three guys. Then this week, I was late. And I'm not usually late. So you could see why I was genuinely thinking, "Maybe this month is 'it'?"
Or not.
Apparently I was on the same course as the Panda.
Not pregnant. Not expecting a baby on January 27,2009 (Yes, I looked up the due date calculator...I was a day late and up too late...sad I know).
But you know, in the end, I know how to react to one pink line. I've seen many, many more of those than the two pink lines on the stick.
And as excited as I was for the few days I thought "it" was possible, even likely, I'm ok with my status. Each month, a new chance, a new possiblilty. Three really awesome boys to remind me how blessed I am. And the realization that my body is not betryaing me. More about that in my next post.
At the very least, a good chuckle about sharing my ttc struggles with a panda!
Thanks so very much for the supportive comments, virtual (and real) hugs. I have gone back to read and re-read them a number of times.
I may not have a whole slew of readers, but the ones I have are superstars!
So thanks.
As for my panda quip.
Living in the DC region means we hear a lot about the panda bears at the National Zoo. And this week's news has been that one of the pandas seems to have had a pseudo-pregnancy. Meaning she was exhibiting all the signs of being pregnant, but after an ultra-sound the doctors have not found a fetus.
I'm kind of feeling like Mei Xiang these days. NOTE-- I really do not intend for this blog to become a chronicle of my monthly cycles, just bear with me for today. If you're not up for it, come back next post when I'm not talking pregnancy and TTC.
At the very least you've been warned.
Last week, I was exhausted. I could have napped every day. Twice. And I was also smell-sensitive. Every new smell turned my stomach--even good odors smelled off. I gave up eating pizza in New Jersey because the mushrooms smelled funny. That's serious y'all! The only time I have ever been so nose-sensitive was when I was preggers with my three guys. Then this week, I was late. And I'm not usually late. So you could see why I was genuinely thinking, "Maybe this month is 'it'?"
Or not.
Apparently I was on the same course as the Panda.
Not pregnant. Not expecting a baby on January 27,2009 (Yes, I looked up the due date calculator...I was a day late and up too late...sad I know).
But you know, in the end, I know how to react to one pink line. I've seen many, many more of those than the two pink lines on the stick.
And as excited as I was for the few days I thought "it" was possible, even likely, I'm ok with my status. Each month, a new chance, a new possiblilty. Three really awesome boys to remind me how blessed I am. And the realization that my body is not betryaing me. More about that in my next post.
At the very least, a good chuckle about sharing my ttc struggles with a panda!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Here we are...
Well, well, well my friends. It has been awhile hasn't it.
You know Blogging has taught me a lot about myself. I realize I write when I'm stressed and I need a place to process my thoughts. And yet, on the other hand, I've also learned that sometimes I really want to write, but I'm afraid and so instead of blogging about what is on my mind I just avoid writing entirely.
Almost as if I'm too stressed to even write. But I think in the end, that is just fear. And a good friend and I were talking today about an entirely different subject, but she said something that struck me.
Don't let the fear win.
And all to often I do. I let fear make way to many decisions for me and it is something I need to work on.
One thing I know lots of bloggers struggle with is the fine line between diary/journal and public forum. For me, I think it would be easier sometimes if this was just public, if I didn't know who was reading my blogging thoughts. And so I wonder, do I write them down here for everyone to read....or do I get a journal and work through things myself? For those of you who know me in real-life, please don't take any offense. I'm happy to have you reading along with me. In fact, in a lot of ways reading about what is happening is even better, because then you can be "in the know" without me even having to say anything :-) Besides...most of what I write here is open book kind of stuff.
Anyway, I'm really rambling here. Bear with me...there's an actual post coming soon.
Today is Tres' birthday. My "baby" is 4. And I'll be totally honest....it's been a difficult day for me. I haven't written much about wanting more children....but lots of you already know me and know getting pregnant hasn't always been easy for us.
And so here I sit, not knowing whether or not all the baby stuff is done in our world. I know none of us have the benefit of knowing what the future holds, but this, i dunno, wilderness of sorts, hasn't been easy for me.
I like to be in charge (some would say bossy...and they'd be right) and so letting go of my notions of what our family *should* look like is tough for me. I always imagined, and even planned, for four kids. It just hasn't worked out that way. Yet. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. I'm trying to let go and realize that maybe it just isn't meant to be...that God has other plans for us. I'm trying to live in the present. In my present...instead of wishing for something else.
I'm so happy for so many of my friends who have welcomed new babies into their lives this past year. None of that makes me sad. But thinking that my baby days might be over....that does leave me blue. And so instead of writing about it and sharing my feelings, I haven't written at all. But I can only hold it in for so long, before it all comes spilling out. And today, instead of being a happy-birthday kind of day. It's been an emotional, teary kind of day. And I'm tired of holding back. So I'm writing about it. I'm naming it and claiming it. I'm not going to be afraid about sharing my crazy baby thoughts :-)
Ok, I'm a little afraid. This is the web...words like this last forever. But I thought I should at least tell you why I haven't written much lately. It's because I want to write about trying to have another baby and I wasn't sure if I really wanted that to be all out there, fully public. But not writing is harder than writing about personal stuff. It's like all my thoughts and feelings just get squished down and it drives me crazy.
So instead, I give you this. One big, long, emotional dump of a post. Sorry. Thanks for sticking with me if you've read this far.
And thanks for all your love and support.
Good night.
You know Blogging has taught me a lot about myself. I realize I write when I'm stressed and I need a place to process my thoughts. And yet, on the other hand, I've also learned that sometimes I really want to write, but I'm afraid and so instead of blogging about what is on my mind I just avoid writing entirely.
Almost as if I'm too stressed to even write. But I think in the end, that is just fear. And a good friend and I were talking today about an entirely different subject, but she said something that struck me.
Don't let the fear win.
And all to often I do. I let fear make way to many decisions for me and it is something I need to work on.
One thing I know lots of bloggers struggle with is the fine line between diary/journal and public forum. For me, I think it would be easier sometimes if this was just public, if I didn't know who was reading my blogging thoughts. And so I wonder, do I write them down here for everyone to read....or do I get a journal and work through things myself? For those of you who know me in real-life, please don't take any offense. I'm happy to have you reading along with me. In fact, in a lot of ways reading about what is happening is even better, because then you can be "in the know" without me even having to say anything :-) Besides...most of what I write here is open book kind of stuff.
Anyway, I'm really rambling here. Bear with me...there's an actual post coming soon.
Today is Tres' birthday. My "baby" is 4. And I'll be totally honest....it's been a difficult day for me. I haven't written much about wanting more children....but lots of you already know me and know getting pregnant hasn't always been easy for us.
And so here I sit, not knowing whether or not all the baby stuff is done in our world. I know none of us have the benefit of knowing what the future holds, but this, i dunno, wilderness of sorts, hasn't been easy for me.
I like to be in charge (some would say bossy...and they'd be right) and so letting go of my notions of what our family *should* look like is tough for me. I always imagined, and even planned, for four kids. It just hasn't worked out that way. Yet. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. I'm trying to let go and realize that maybe it just isn't meant to be...that God has other plans for us. I'm trying to live in the present. In my present...instead of wishing for something else.
I'm so happy for so many of my friends who have welcomed new babies into their lives this past year. None of that makes me sad. But thinking that my baby days might be over....that does leave me blue. And so instead of writing about it and sharing my feelings, I haven't written at all. But I can only hold it in for so long, before it all comes spilling out. And today, instead of being a happy-birthday kind of day. It's been an emotional, teary kind of day. And I'm tired of holding back. So I'm writing about it. I'm naming it and claiming it. I'm not going to be afraid about sharing my crazy baby thoughts :-)
Ok, I'm a little afraid. This is the web...words like this last forever. But I thought I should at least tell you why I haven't written much lately. It's because I want to write about trying to have another baby and I wasn't sure if I really wanted that to be all out there, fully public. But not writing is harder than writing about personal stuff. It's like all my thoughts and feelings just get squished down and it drives me crazy.
So instead, I give you this. One big, long, emotional dump of a post. Sorry. Thanks for sticking with me if you've read this far.
And thanks for all your love and support.
Good night.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Random Quiz...I like them here better than facebook
You Are a Whiteboard |
 You are a dreamer, a visionary, and a straight up idea person. You are very creative. Even if the things you think up are a bit wacky, they often are brilliant. You are an adept problem solver. You are always tossing around dozens of ideas. You would make a good artist, designer, or architect. You do best when work feels like play. |
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Five good things for today
1. I've rearranged my office furniture. Moving stuff around always makes me happy.
2. I went to Costco with a friend today. I haven't been to a Costco since we lived in Washington state. It was damp and rainy out and I could have sworn I was in Silverdale.
3. March Madness has begun. Right now Tres is on top of the family brackets and loving that he has picked better than Daddy. Of course since he a #10 ranked team in the final four, my guess is that he should enjoy his reign at the top while it lasts.
4. I just heard about Paperbackswap. Go here and read all about it. Sounds like a very cool way to trade out books. I do most of my reading from the library, but I'm not as impressed with the libraries here as I've been in other places. This sounds like a very thrifty way to buy and share books without having to wait on hold lists at the library. Thanks to Nicole for sharing the idea.
5. March Madness. Oh, did I mention that already? Well....these next four days are some of my favorite of the whole year...so it's worth two entries. But since I said I'd mention five things, I'll bring up my running. I'm up to 3 miles which is more than I ever thought possible. I've tossed around the idea of running a longer distance race, but for now, I'm really excited about my first 5K coming up at the end of April.
How about you? Any good things for today??
2. I went to Costco with a friend today. I haven't been to a Costco since we lived in Washington state. It was damp and rainy out and I could have sworn I was in Silverdale.
3. March Madness has begun. Right now Tres is on top of the family brackets and loving that he has picked better than Daddy. Of course since he a #10 ranked team in the final four, my guess is that he should enjoy his reign at the top while it lasts.
4. I just heard about Paperbackswap. Go here and read all about it. Sounds like a very cool way to trade out books. I do most of my reading from the library, but I'm not as impressed with the libraries here as I've been in other places. This sounds like a very thrifty way to buy and share books without having to wait on hold lists at the library. Thanks to Nicole for sharing the idea.
5. March Madness. Oh, did I mention that already? Well....these next four days are some of my favorite of the whole year...so it's worth two entries. But since I said I'd mention five things, I'll bring up my running. I'm up to 3 miles which is more than I ever thought possible. I've tossed around the idea of running a longer distance race, but for now, I'm really excited about my first 5K coming up at the end of April.
How about you? Any good things for today??
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