Friday, May 27, 2016

Runfessions: It's May!

Just like that, May is winding down! I don't know things have been for you, but for me, this has been a roller coaster of a month. Good thing that the runfessional is open! Do you runfess? Marcia hosts monthly Runfessions and it's really the best time to just let it all out. Let's do this thing. You know you want to.


Spring has finally sprung here in the Midwest. Actually,with temps in the 80s and humidity to match, it feels more like summer. But who's complaining? After a rainy, cold month we have been blessed with amazing warm, sunny weather. The school year is winding down. And I runfess that even though it has been more than 30 years since I graduated from college, I still feel like I should have summers off. It's so hard to be an adult when it's summer, isn't it? Unless you are a teacher, that is.


But speaking of warmer weather, I runfess that I love to sweat. There is nothing I love more than a good sweaty workout. You know the one--where you are just drenched from head to toe? Doesn't that kind of sweat make you feel like you worked extra hard? Even though you know it's mostly because it's warm out, it still makes you feel badass, right? And then you get in the shower and suds it all away? Best.feeling.ever. Even better was last Saturday, when I ran and then later worked in the yard. I was sweaty and dirty. Talk about earning your shower! Don't you look down your nose at me. You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about here.


While dealing with plantar fasciitis, I have been offered more unsolicited advice than I can imagine. All I have to do is tell someone I have PF and it's like I opened Pandora's box. "You need to...roll on a frozen water bottle, roll it on a golf ball, stretch like this (complete with demonstration), cortisone shot, orthotics, stop running, wear sketchers rocker bottom shoes (my personal favorite), use essential oils, try acupuncture, tape it with duct tape, wear compression, night boot, night splint"...and so on. I runfess that while I realize people are trying to help, I don't want any advice. I just want it to go away. Which I know is the only thing that works for PF. Time. And lots of patience. Which I don't have.


I runfess that I am still on a high from Big Sur. Even in spite of all the crap that has been thrown at me the last couple of weeks, and it's been pretty bad, I'm still able to muster up that afterglow I've been savoring. Whenever someone asks me about my marathon or my trip, I feel this warmth and calm and serenity coursing through my body as I talk about my experience. I've never felt like this after running a race. The experience just seems so surreal to me. It has to be the combination of finishing a really hard marathon while at the same time achieving a life goal. Whatever it is, I'm riding the wave as long as I can. Maybe it's just that California vibe. I want to go back and capture that feeling again. I must be nuts because Kristina is getting pretty close to talking me into a trail run with her out there. For now, that's all I'm runfessing about that. Don't you dare mention a word of this to my husband.

California love...
It's not all hills along the coast. This is the beach south of Carmel.
I runfess that I've never been much for meditation, although I'm pretty sure I would benefit from it. I have trouble staying focused. My mind just wanders. A friend of mine receives daily meditation videos and she posted one of them on FB this week. This is the perfect mediation for the week I just had. Please excuse the foul language but this just cracked me up. I read it to my office mate and she was literally crying...
~soft whispering voice~ “….if your thoughts drift to the three ring shit show of your life, bring your attention back to your breathing. And with each breath, feel your body saying: fuck that. With passive acceptance just allow distracting thoughts to flow by - fuck that. With each breath you take, your thoughts become lighter and all the soul eating cocksuckers just fall away into nothing. Take a moment to appreciate the silence. Those assholes can’t piss all over purity like this. You are weightless, timeless, without beginning or end, completely relaxed and free of thought. And as you slowly open your eyes, greet the world and everything in it with a new and beautiful breath of - fuck that.” 
I wear my Momentum Wrap that says "just breathe" every day to work. Maybe I should order one that says "fuck that". Do you think they would make that one?


What do you have to runfess? Do you love to sweat like me? Do you meditate? What do you say to people who give you unsolicited advice?

Don't forget to check out Marcia's post and all the other fun bloggers who are runfessing. This is my favorite link up and you can see why! Especially because she doesn't hand out a penance!
I'm also linking up with my favorite trio, the DC Trifecta of Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday Five. I've got five runfessions here. That counts, right?



66 comments :

  1. I still look forward to summers even though Im not a teacher. Usually my summers were quieter because I was working in a school all year, but now Im in an office all year round and I have a feeling summer will feel the same as every other day of the year..
    I struggle quite a bit with meditation.During savasana my mind starts racing. That meditation script is hysterical!!

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  2. I wouldn't mind sweating if it stopped with my shower. I guess I need to spend more time cooling down b/c my face can still be beet-red after my shower. That meditation is hilarious!

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    1. Do you ever feel yourself sweating in the shower? That's the craziest feeling!

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  3. Summers should be OFF! For everyone! OMG they NEED to make that wrap! :P I hope you bask in that BS CA glow for ever. You earned that glow!

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    1. I'm wearing my Just Breathe wrap as we speak but I'd prefer the other one...

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  4. Unsolicited advice is the worst. I am so sorry about your PF, it seems to be so common now. Why is that? Your idea for a new momentum wrap is a good one. There are many days that we could all use one of those.

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    1. I try to be gracious when I get advice but it's like Karen said below, sometimes it's nice to just complain!

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  5. I agree...I love a good hot & sweaty run. I actually do not mind the heat/humidity for running. A gal I know constantly whines about it, though. And she's a real wet blanket to be around, which is why she's "a gal I know" and not a "friend." LOL

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  6. I love that you are still riding high from California! I think I would be too for months!

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    1. Every time I look at the pictures, that feeling comes back over me!

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  7. I agree that the only real cure for PF is time and that is the hardest part! I do love a great sweat too. Happy weekend!

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  8. I'm 100% with you about the sweat! Lots of sweat makes me feel like I worked 20x harder! Which is why I have trouble getting into swimming as a way to stay in shape...even though I was a competitive swimmer growing up.

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  9. Summer is hard when you have to adult haha. I love that meditation! haha

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  10. I runfess that I despise (my resolution for 2016 is not to use the word "hate" in any context) sweating. Deeply. Truly. As a runner I've made an uneasy Peace with it, but love it? Never.

    Even though I work in a high school, I am a year 'round employee. I runfess that with only support staff on hand during the summer months, it is a bit of a vacation. I further runfess that I am happy when when students and teachers return; after all, it IS a school. They are why we are here.

    I do enjoy meditation/guided meditation. I visualize the mountains at Newfound Lake in New Hampshire, Heaven on earth for me. Maybe if you envision that incredible beach in Carmel...... I love the meditation you posted. Sometimes well placed foul language is just the ticket. This would be one of those times.

    Lastly, I runfess that I hope you never, ever lose that Big Sur high.

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  11. This morning after my run, I felt my very first SUMMER SWEAT. You know that sweat- where you are literally sopping wet and itchy from the humidity! Normally I do 20 min of stretching in my sweaty clothes but today I just had to shower first!

    Tomorrow is my run + yard work day!!! Can't wait to PULL WEEDS. No seriously, I sort of like weeding. :)

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    1. Do you get cold after you run and you're super sweaty? That's the worst!

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    2. Now that we turned the a/c on, yet it could happen!

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  12. Yes! I love being drenched with sweat after a hot run. I do feel like I have truly worked my ass off.
    I too cannot meditate. I think way too much and it seems impossible for me to shut my head off.
    How wonderful you are still in a glow about your marathon!!

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  13. I love sweating! It makes me feel like I'm actually working out. I agree everyone should get a mandatory summer vacation.

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  14. Oh my gosh yes it is hard to be an adult in the summer! It's my organization's busiest time of year with two big events and some days I just find it too hard to focus on work.

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    1. It's our busy time at work because all the kids are off school and coming in for school physicals. ugh.

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  15. Try havinga chronic illness and being a runner. Both of thse two labels qualify me for all the unsolicited advice, haha. Put together, I just get lots of blank stares as well. I'm so pumped about summer. I say that I'm ready for it, but that is a lie. As long as I can run outside, I'm happy!

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  16. LOL! That meditation is perfect for me too. I tried meditation a couple of years ago and believe my final thoughts were, "F*ck this!" I can't quiet my mind long enough and get frustrated. Oh well. But getting back into yoga has helped me a lot so maybe there's hope yet! Have a great weekend!

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    1. The meditation makes me laugh every time I read it! Which is in itself relaxing, right?

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  17. Teachers having summers off is actually a myth. Although we aren't in the classroom with students full time, most teachers are working on curriculum and lesson plans during the summer. I'll be spending a good part of July working on developing an online course for AP World for our school district. I'm actually looking forward to the challenge of taking a rigorous course to the online world.

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    1. Most of my teacher friends are grade school teachers, so I guess that is my frame of reference! High school is a whole different animal.

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  18. There's nothing like a good sweat, and in Texas, that's what I get with every summer workout. I even have a tank top that says I don't sparkle, I sweat. When I was with a gym, I'd keep a towel in my bag so I could put it on my car seat to drive home. I didn't want the fabric of the seat absorbing my sweat.

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  19. It feels like summer here too! I just started running again this week and wouldn't ya know it's a 89 degree week.
    I do hope that you PF goes away soon. I've never had it but I hear it is quite painful.

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    1. PF is annoying and painful. It's down to a dull roar but I have to really watch it so it doesn't flare up like it did a few months ago.

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  20. The California vibe is real and I love it! Come visit more often further south!

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    1. My sister and are actually considering SD as our destination for our sister trip in September!

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  21. I'm runfessing tomorrow, but being a heavy sweater, no, I don't actually love sweaty workouts. My eyes sting something awful from the salt!

    I like guided meditations & that's why I really love the Calm app -- some are just 2 minutes!

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  22. That's how I meditate...which is why I don't meditate, LOL!!

    Right with you on the PF advice...I've heard it all, I've tried most of it (sorry, I don't believe that putting some scented oil on my foot will cure it), and sometimes I just want to bitch about it, you know??

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  23. I'm with you on the sweat part. I just feel like I got in a better workout if I'm soaked! Plus it has a cleansing effect on me too, I may smell but I feel cleansed!
    OMG I'm rolling about the meditation! I think I could get into it if I had real talk instructions like this! I'm going to be saying just that come this weekend with maybe a pina colada in hand! Cheers!

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  24. That is how I felt after 4 weekends of long runs followed by work on the dock! Whew- I figured you could smell me for a mile- didn't care either! No meditation for me, yoga once a week is as still as I get. What are you supposed to think about anyway??? TGIF my friend!

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  25. Runny makeup is the price we pay for sweating!

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  26. It would be nice to have summers off! That's great you still have the high from Big Sur! A trail run sounds cool! Hope the PF goes away soon!

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  27. I love to sweat too. Which is why I loved Florida. I miss it and the sun and the sand.

    Every time I try to meditate, I just think about all the things I need to be doing. My bad.

    My runfessions are being posted tomorrow.

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  28. Confession: I've been feeling like skipping my runs

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  29. Unsolicited advice you just take it with a grain of salt.

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  30. California is the shit!!!....and you need to go NOW. No one ever offers me advice, they're always asking tho. Gofigure. As I know nothing. HA! EXCEPT HURRY and GO CALIFORNIA NOW!!!... California running RULES!!!!!

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  31. I love sweaty workouts! It does make you feel like you've really worked hard!

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  32. I sweat year round.... even when LA gets "cold" which is 50's, I'm dripping sweat... I am NOT a meditator... As much as I love yoga, I can't get into meditation, but I think that's because I already run, which is a form of meditation as far as I'm concerned.

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    1. I agree with you that running is a form of meditation. I think it works for me because the running distracts me and forces me to focus on my thoughts. I've always been that way--when I was in school, I always had to have music on when I studied. It actually made it easier for me to focus.

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  33. I love to sweat. Sweat + dirt, yeah, I like that too. LOVE that shower feeling of washing it all off.
    Milk that marathon afterglow as much as you can, you deserve it !
    As much as I love yoga, I was never one on meditation. But the yoga has definitely helped me focus. My mind in always in constant overdrive.

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    1. If nothing else, yoga has reminded me to be more mindful. I'm not always good at it, but I'm aware that I need to do it.

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  34. I love the accomplishment of a good sweat, but I always feel so GROSS afterward! That's why running in the summer is so miserable for me, lol! Big Sur sounded like such an incredible experience, I'm glad you're still glowing! And grrr...PF. GO away already!

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