Finding Time To Do It All

Thanksgiving Is Over

Thanksgiving is over, and so is football (for some of us).  Thank God!

I love having time off to be with my family.  The problem is that everybody has expectations about where my time should be spent.  There are parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of the family who only get to see us on special occasions (mostly because we live in different cities and it's just hard to get together).  I love them all, and we actually manage to see a lot of them, but it sure is exhausting.

We did manage to spend an evening with good friends and that was quite pleasant.  I drank way too much and kept the children out late, and I'm sure I embarrassed myself in more than one way.  Fortunately the friends are close enough emotionally that they let me slide on the embarrassing stuff (dancing to the Bee Gees Stayin' Alive and admitting that I loved Barry Manilow - and I believe I belted a few bars of Mandy...) and close enough physically that it was a walk home afterward.  The hangover was hell though, so I paid for at least one of my transgressions.  One or two of those a year is all I can take; I'm too old for that kind of behaviour anymore.

Couple that with the biggest football weekend of the season (well, for in-state rivalries, anyway; this year there wasn't much competition in Florida for anything other than to see who sucked the worst), and you've got one of the busiest weekends of the year - and I don't even do the shopping thing because I just don't see the point in fighting over stuff.

Speaking of football, like I said last week, I love my Gators, but we sure do suck at football this year.  I say "we" because I say "we" when the team is good; therefore I say "we" when the team is bad (and in the South, fans are "the twelfth man").  So yeah, we sucked and we proved it.  I had no idea that FSU was as awful as they were; in the middle of the fourth quarter, they had less than 100 total yards.  I realise that yards is not synonymous with winning the game, based on the four completed passes interceptions that Brantley made to the other team.  It truly was a game of suckage.  But at least the weather was nice!

The Duey men before the game started...

For the first time, I took both boys and my husband to the football game.  I've taken E to a game before and he did well, and we were able to take P this time, and then managed to get David a ticket as well and lo and behold there we all were, even sitting more or less together.  It was really fun and the kids did great.  I'm sure David enjoyed the game more than I did since he's a Seminole fan, but he sure was quiet while watching (he was afraid because he was surrounded by Gators).  But it was fun and the boys were well-behaved and I'll do it again sometime.

But for this year, I'm glad football is over.  I'm always happy when it starts, and I'm always happy when it's finished - but I usually have more fun than I did this year.  I'm hoping next year the dynamic will be a little better (and so will the team), and maybe we can win one more game than this year.  Because a 6-6 record just sucks (but I also admit, it's not 0-10-1).

Yes, I will watch the Tidy Bowl game and cheer for the Gators - but I'm pretty sure I won't be there.

My Team Sucks

Don't get me wrong; I still love my Gators.  But this year has left much to be desired as far as good play goes.

I'm glad we are bowl-eligible.  I'm sure the Gators will go to a bowl because they're a good draw, and considering the fact that they'll be playing more or less at home means lots of people will go (maybe even me).  That's a good thing.

But when you play Furman and you're not sure you're going to win - a win that will make you bowl-eligible - it's a very scary thing.

I hope the team dynamic is better next year, because the team doesn't look like a team at all this year.  I don't know whether it's lack of leadership or the "pro-style" playing (WTF is that, anyway?  Is it just suckage, or what?).  I'm not impressed with anything I've seen this year: not the playing, not the coaching, not even the heart.  For the first time in over 30 years, I've considered giving up my season tickets.

The good news is that my oldest son, E, has taken an interest in football and has been to a few games now.  He managed to sit through an entire game this year, and he's going to get his first taste of a "real" game next weekend against FSU.  Unfortunately, it will probably be the first loss he witnesses first-hand (yes people, I love my team, but I'm also a realist).  Better to get those out of the way early I guess.  The first year I was interested in football, the Gators went 0-10-1.  The first game I ever listened to on the radio was the tie - but I was hooked.

So yeah, my team sucks this year, but I love them anyway.   I can't wait to see which bowl we'll be invited to.  Hopefully it won't be before Christmas!

 

My Running Mantra

Some people, when they work out, constantly have a mantra going in their head.  I've never been one to need something like that, except on rare occasions when I've decided to run too far and I don't want to have to walk (because I'm too proud).  Then I sometimes talk to myself just to keep going - and I'm sure some of the people in my neighbourhood think of me as the "crazy barefoot lady who talks to herself".

I had a friend who used to try to run because he wanted to lose weight.  He was a big guy, 6'4" and an eighth of a ton of fun (that's 250 pounds, in case you're wondering).  He was fun, but he despised running and working out.  He would run two miles and chant "every step is a victory" as he ran.  It was disheartening for me because this guy was more or less my hero in a lot of ways, and running two miles reduced him to a whining puddle of flesh.  But I never would have messed with him despite that!

I've tried chanting that, or other things, when I get low or hit a wall.  Then I give up and just start saying, "I'll run to that light pole and see how I feel."  When I get to the light pole I'll say, "I think I can make it to the corner."  I do this until I make it home and collapse.  Of course, this mostly happens in the summer when it's miserably hot out, but we all have our days that are less good when it comes to exercising, right?

When I lift weights, I don't have a mantra.  I just make a lot of noise if I need to.  Being a 120-pound weakling, lifting anything is pretty difficult for me, so moving a chair across the room sounds like someone's being beaten in our house.  When I actually lift weights, like most people I tend to overdo it and pick up stuff that weighs far too much.  So then I get frustrated by the third set, and of course make all kinds of noise doing that as well.  I'm sure the neighbours often think I've fallen with the barbell on me sometimes when I put it down - because dropping those things on concrete, even with only 20 pounds on the 45-pound bar, makes a whole lot of noise.  And don't even get me started with leg lifts!

Anyway, my mantra is usually something like "I need to work out today" or "Just get through this last mile" - but it's more of a declaration than a mantra.  I don't feel the need to say it over and over in my head - although the out-loud conversations I have probably are a real substitute for having a mantra. ;-)

What about you guys?  Do you find that chanting something (out loud or in your head) helps you get through a run or some other workout?  Or, do you find that music works just as well?

Daily Burn Community Blogging!

So by now, if you read the Daily Burn blog, you've heard that I'll be one of the community bloggers there.  I'm really looking forward to the challenge of not only motivating people to get started with an exercise routine, but finding ways to help people keep it up despite all their responsibilities.  I'll be posting over there about once a month and I'm going to do my best not to cross-post - because where's the fun in that?  I know how much you all enjoy reading my drivel. :)

I've been a little "absent" from my workouts lately because I'm still on crutches, but I am about to get back into the floor routine (read: when I finish this blog post, I'll start!).  I don't think I've worked out since the New Year and I'm starting to feel icky.  No, I haven't gained any weight to speak of, but all the effort I put into getting toned up over the last year has very quickly disappeared into...wherever it goes when it doesn't become flab.

Anyway, I still feel strongly about getting fit, or keeping fit, whichever the case may be.  And, since I'm easily bored with the same old same old, I'm always looking for something crazy to spice things up.  Can you say parkour?  Yes, I knew you could.  Unfortunately I've found out the hard way I'm a little too old for that kind of crazy, but maybe if I keep it mild I can do it.  Maybe I'll try it again in several months (this is a big hint to say that trying parkour had a hand in me being on crutches).

But, I digressed into blathering...back to the Daily Burn blog.  I'm not sure yet whether I'll know beforehand when my posts will be up, but if I do, I'll be sure to post a quick link from here.  But you can do yourself a favour and follow them here, because lots more interesting people than me will also be posting there, and I'm pretty sure they'll have something interesting for you to read or try too!

 

Gonna Run Another Race

I hate racing, really I do.  The reasons are many, but the biggest ones are that I can't control every little aspect of when and where I run when I race.  I have to be there at a certain time (usually an hour or more before race time).  I have to get up early on a Saturday (dammit).   I have to eat breakfast then leave home almost immediately, and I never know what the bathroom situation is going to be like at the start of the race (will there be a bathroom?).  Not to mention the weather.  If it's too cold, I usually wait until it warms up - but I can't do that on race day.

So, I avoid them for the most part.

Until this year.  I will run my third race this year - mind you, this quarter - this coming weekend.  It's a 5-mile race, and I'm planning on doing it barefoot.  I'm able to run that far (actually about six miles) - on pavement - without any problems, so I'm hoping I can do it.  The problem is that I'm a little slower (about 30 seconds/three miles) barefoot, and I want to use this race to seed for another race.  Decisions, decisions.  But, I'm thinking maybe I can do it, and if not, I'll use a time from another race instead.  I think I'll be able to use the time to seed regardless; I'd just like to be a little closer to the starting line if I can.

My husband, on the other hand, has not run a race in several years.  He's running his first ultra-marathon (a 50k) on December 11th.  Yes, he's quite possibly crazy, but I'm certain he can do it, and I'm looking forward to cheering him on when he finishes it!  I'm hoping to run the same race next year - maybe barefoot, I don't know.  We'll see what the next year brings.

And yes, I know it's the Holiday Season and everyone is eating more (including me).  But that's no excuse to give up your exercise routine - in fact, it's the best reason to keep doing it!  If you're holding on by a thread, just make sure you keep up your routine through the Holidays and you won't gain as much weight.  Not to mention, when you start the year off and swear off the sweets again, you'll already be in the habit of working out so it'll be easy to keep it up.

My First Trail Run

For the first time yesterday, I went on a trail run.  This is something I've never done, at least not that I remember - with the exception that I grew up on a dirt road and ran on it frequently.

When I ran shod, I never ran trails for fear of breaking my ankle.  The supportive/sturdy/inflexible shoes I wore running basically made my foot so rigid that if I stepped in any kind of hole, there was no "give" and the bones in the way were going to break.  Within a mile of starting out on a trail previously, I ended up with a sprained ankle 100% of the time, so I gave it up.

I have found that, since switching to VFF and barefoot, I no longer have this problem.  My foot easily moves when I take a bad step.  I may still fall down, but there is enough give so that my foot moves as I fall, and the bones don't break (and in fact I have only twisted my ankle once and it was very minor).  I've kept these off-road runs to a minimum though, because I've been trying to condition my feet (toughen them up) so I can run over "anything".

But yesterday I decided to try a trail run.  We went out and scoped the trail over the weekend, and I walked it barefoot.  There were a few patches of light gravel but nothing major.  It was stuff I knew I could get through without any problem.  So I set out on my run, but at the last minute decided the route we had taken over the weekend wasn't long enough.  I didn't measure it, but it couldn't have been more than a mile and a half, and I wanted at least a three-mile run.  When I came to the fork in the road, I took the one less traveled.

In this case, NOT traveled.  And it turned out to be a bad idea.

Now, this trail is well-maintained and people run on it all the time, some even barefoot.  But the route I took (there are several winding trails) had enough acorns, roots, and gravel to make me say more f-bombs in 35 minutes than I normally would in about two months.  I didn't bring any shoes at all with me so I had to tough it out.

It seemed like every time I came to a clear and comfortable patch, the next batch of gravel was longer.  Eventually I gave up and walked near the end of the run; my feet were killing me!

Last night was the first time ever I have iced my feet (other than an ice bath).  I sat moaning about them for an hour and I know my husband was ready to kill me.  Served me right, I know it.

So, word to the wise: when you are ready to do something like that, make sure you either stick to the path you originally planned, or bring some kind of shoes for the tricky parts.  Toughing it out is liable to get you a few days' rest.

Weekend Long (Barefoot!) Runs

Like most people, I do my long runs on the weekends because that's when I have time to do them.  It's both good and bad because I can take my time, take an ice bath if I want to, and relax the rest of the day.  I can also eat whatever I want to the rest of the day, which of course is always nice!

Since I've been transitioning into barefoot running, my mileage has really suffered, and a "long run" takes on a different meaning - as in three miles or so.  Just in the last few weeks I've started to push myself a bit because I'm bored with three miles already, and it's time to really crank it up.

So I did.  I'm finally averaging about three miles daily, and my long runs on the weekends are five miles or more so I actually feel like I'm getting a decent run in.  This past weekend I did 5.4 miles.  Usually on my long runs, I'll wear my VFF Bikilas for about half of it, but on Saturday I decided to try to do it all completely barefoot.  I took my shoes outside so that when I came by the house for Gatorade I could put them on if I wanted to.

As fate would have it, I managed the whole thing without shoes!  I came by after about 2.6 miles, got some Gatorade, and looked at my shoes.  I literally shrugged my shoulders and concentrated on how my feet felt, and ultimately decided they felt pretty darn good and they weren't burning so I left the shoes off.

After another mile and a half I noticed my feet were starting to feel it a bit so I switched over to a grass route I can take for a little break.  It was nice, but the grass was dewy and it was pretty cool out so my feet got cold, but it was actually kinda interesting.  I run on the grass plenty but this was the first time I had done it while it was cool out.

I was also a bit worried that my feet would be cold because the temperature out was about 50 degrees when I started my run.  That's far from freezing, but this is Florida after all, and we missed autumn this year and went straight to winter (at least for a few days).  I didn't get the opportunity to adjust and I was afraid that cold feet would hurt on the pavement, but to my surprise I felt really good and I was warm within about two minutes of running.  I also count my cadence the first two minutes I run so maybe that helped me warm up a little.

I finished my run (I actually went .4 miles farther than I had planned) and felt great.  My feet were just a little tingly at the end and after all was said and done I had a raw spot on one toe only.  I was a little afraid that I would be really sore the next day, or at least stiff.  I was pleasantly surprised to wake up Sunday morning and not be stiff or sore at all.  Even the raw spot on my toe felt a bit better. :)

Maybe my form is finally getting there and I can really start adding the mileage now.  Time will tell!