Showing posts with label runfessions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label runfessions. Show all posts

Thursday, June 29, 2017

June Runfessions

Welcome to Runfessions! It's that monthly clearing of the conscience, hosted by Marcia. This month, Marcia's out of town--in Dubai, no less--and she's left me in charge of the Runfessional! It's a big responsibility but I'm up for the task. Come on in, pull up a seat--there's one right inside here-- and share your runfessions. I'm a good listener, I can keep secrets (I like to call myself "the vault"), and I promise you'll feel much better when you're done.

Come on into the jumbo Runfessional!
Maybe we could even have a group session. 

Friday, May 26, 2017

Runfessions: It's May...

Here we go again...it's the last Friday of the month and its time for Runfessions. Marcia hosts this monthly sole (yes, pun intended) cleansing for runners. You can share all your running transgressions and not even get a penance. It's a pretty good deal.

So what do I have to runfess this month?



Friday, April 28, 2017

Runfessions over Coffee

April is drawing to a close which means it's time for Runfessions! It's that monthly cleansing ritual, hosted by Marcia, that allows us to sanitize our soles (pun intended) in preparation for a fresh new month ahead. Grab a cup of coffee and sit down. I've got some good ones--we probably should be doing this over cocktails!




Friday, March 24, 2017

Runfessions: March

Ooops.

Last night as I was wrapping up my monthly runfessions, I had the realization this is not the last Friday of the month. Apparently, March has 31 days. I runfess that I have completely lost track of time. Isn't that what you are supposed to do when you're on vacation?

With no other post in the works, I decided to go ahead and publish this one. Let's head into the runfessional and see what other runfessions I have to share. It's been a long month.



Friday, February 24, 2017

Runfessions: February

Here we are again--it's the end of the month and that can only mean one thing. Yep, once again, it's time for Runfessions--that monthly clear the conscience and make things right in the universe again time.

Let's head into the runfessional, shall we?


Friday, January 27, 2017

Runfessions: January

I can hardly believe it's the end of January, but yep, there it is! And just in time for Runfessions. I've been saving them up and I have a few...nothing too earthshattering, which in my book is a good thing!

Pull up a chair and have an anti-inflammatory smoothie.

Let the 'fessing begin...

This one's got cocoa, blueberries, banana, avocado, cinnamon, and oatmeal!


Thursday, December 29, 2016

Runfessions: December Edition

It's the end of December, heck, it's the end of 2016 which can only mean one thing: it's time for Runfessions! I'm just going to put it out there, even though I've had a lot of fun and good times this year, I runfess that I am so glad to see 2016 come to an end. Seriously. My roller coaster ride just won't stop.

Stop the ride! I want to get off. Bring on 2017!



Friday, November 25, 2016

Runfessions for November

It's the day after Thanksgiving and I'm recovering from my food coma. Actually, I'm recovering from my workout with the rugby team. Oh, I'll share more of that on my Sunday post.

Did you overdo it yesterday? Did you get into any heated discussions with family members? Or worse? Well, if you have anything to share, you're in luck. Today is the last Friday of the month which means it's Runfessions! Go ahead, share it all with us. We understand and we don't judge. Come on in. You'll feel so much better. I always do...



Friday, October 28, 2016

Runfessions: October Edition

October is winding down and that means only one thing...it's time to head into the Runfessional again! This is my favorite time of the month because I get to share all my indiscretions and wipe the slate clean for another month. Marcia hosts this fun link up and there are a lot of juicy 'fessions being shared. You don't want to miss out...

Taking the Long Way Home

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Runfessions for September

It's the end of September--can you believe it? But that can only mean one thing, right? I mean besides pumpkin everything. The end of the month means it's time for Runfessions, that monthly clearing of the conscience, hosted by Marcia's Healthy Slice. Have you runfessed lately? It feels great and there's no penance.

You would think that after my most recent runfession, I'd have nothing left to share. I thought about saving that story for this post, but it was like diarrhea. I just couldn't hold it in.

Have no fear. There's plenty more where that came from. The runfessional is open..

Runfessions for September

Friday, August 26, 2016

Runfessions: August Edition

I cannot believe it's the end of August! Which means it's time once again for Runfessions! Do you runfess? Marcia's Healthy Slice hosts this monthly wipe the slate clean linkup where you can let it all out. It feels sooooo good. I highly recommend it. It's been a tough month over here at the Long Way Home household and I've been waiting for this opportunity to blow off some steam and let the 'fessions flow...

Runfessions: August Edition

Friday, July 29, 2016

Runfessions for July

It's that time again...time to runfess! This monthly clearing of the conscience feels so good! Marcia makes it all happen and there's no penance. So come on in and share your deepest, darkest runfessions!


I refer to my early morning pool running sessions as a geriatric happy hour. Usually, I am the youngest person there. Mostly there are the pool noodle ladies and elderly men in speedos. Which shouldn't even be a thing, IMHO. But wait...hello!

Friday, June 24, 2016

Runfessions: June Edition

I cannot believe that it is already time for my June Runfessions. But isn't that how it is with summer? It just goes too fast! Anyways, if you haven't runfessed before, let me tell you that it is the best feeling in the world. Runfessions, hosted by Marcia's Healthy Slice, is that once a month opportunity to get everything off your chest. No judgements. Pull up a seat. We're all here for you. It feels good.

So what am I runfessing this month?

Forearm stand fail!
This week I finally got up into forearm stand unassisted. I was so excited! Between Becky's training and Marcia's pushup/plank challenges, I'm getting stronger and I love it. But I runfess that it took me 4 attempts to do the pose and once I finally got up I held the pose for what felt like a minute but was actually about 2-3 seconds. As you can see by the title photo above, I had a few tumbles too. Glad I was the only one in the park that morning!

Forearm stand success!
About 2 months ago, the check engine light came on in my car. My neighbor, who is a mechanic, checked my car and told me that I needed a new catalytic converter. He said it would be under warranty and I should take it to the dealer. Easy peasy, right? Wrong... Long story short, 2 visits and about 6 hours of my life that I will never get back and my car isn't fixed. Those appointments were to "diagnose" the problem. The story now is that the part is "backordered". I'll spare you the details of the rigamarole I went through to get to this point. I runfess that I am going to keep my car until it dies. Whether it's for a repair or to buy a new car, I think there is nothing more painful that walking into a car dealership.


I runfess that for my most recent giveaway, I was so relieved that the winner was a runner. It seems that every time I host a giveaway, there are certain folks that always enter. When I chase their links, it seems that all they do is enter giveaways. What do they do with the prizes? Sell them on ebay? It makes me mad. But I can write about it today because I'm pretty sure that they aren't reading this post! After all, I'm not giving anything away. Oh and by the way, if you are commenting on a post for a giveaway entry, take the time to read the post to see what is actually being given away. I had multiple people comment on how much they couldn't wait to win the "compression socks" when in fact I was giving away compression pants.

Trolls...
I runfess that yes, I've succumbed to Facebook's lure to "boost" a post. I've made no secret of the fact that the blog book club posts get little to no traffic on social media. I have several loyal book club members and I am so grateful for them! Recently I've had 2 authors of excellent running related books reach out to me. I want to give them a big boost! But how can I grow the book club if my posts get no views? So I paid to promote the book club. It was truly amazing how $10 gave my book club post over 2000 views. And brought a whole bunch of new readers to the blog and to my Facebook page. I'll do it again.


Last week, I saw a patient whose mother is running the Chicago marathon for the first time. She asked me a lot of questions. Talking with her made me feel a little sad that I'm not running it this year. But I runfess that if someone offered me an entry to run, I'd do it. But that's all fantasy. In reality, this week I made the decision not to run the Rock 'N Roll Chicago Half Marathon. My foot is really bothering me. I'm going to bonus runfess that I am really tired of having plantar fasciitis. That's the only whine I'll do but I had to put it out there. No advice please. Just needed to get it off my chest. I'm going to keep the mileage low and head back to the pool.

Damn straight...
What do you have to runfess? Any bonus (aka whinefessions)? 

I'm linking up with Marcia's Runfessions!












I'm also linking up with Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for the Friday Five! Five runfessions, right?

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?



Friday, April 29, 2016

Runfessions for April

Oh, blogging, how I've missed you this week! And then Marcia hosts Runfessions? Too delicious to pass up, I'm throwing together a quick post because I have a few things to share from our trip. The Big Sur Marathon race recap? I'll be posting that on Sunday, but today's post is all about the shenanigans behind our trip to California. Because our trip was almost perfect. Almost.

Let the 'fessing begin...

Runfessions for April

I runfess...even though the race exceeded my expectations, the Big Sur Marathon expo was a little underwhelming. But there were a few oddities I thought I should mention. For example, as I was walking through the tent, a guy in a lab coat came at me with a rack of porcelain teeth, promising me he'd whiten my teeth in no time. Well dude, my front four teeth are capped. Oh, he'd remove any stains? Seriously? Who let this guy into a race expo? Then another guy came at me with a TENS unit, electrodes at the ready. These had to be the weirdest things I've ever experienced at a race expo. I met up with my husband, who offered to pay for my purchases, and we continued on with our "not a second honeymoon".

Runfessions for April

I runfess that after the Big Sur Marathon, my feet were hurting really badly. Even though I was basking in my post-race glow, I was struggling to follow my husband to the car. To his credit, he offered to pick me up, but nooooo, I had to be the hero. I mean, I ran 26.2, right? We crossed the street and passed an elderly woman walking with a cane. I commented that I could use her cane. "Bless your heart, honey", she said. And I felt really foolish because, yes, I just ran 26.2 miles. #runnerproblems

Runfessions for April
I'm sitting and yes, that beer helped dull the pain...
Yosemite was magnificent. Have you ever been there? My husband totally indulged my need for yoga poses. He even came up with ideas for spots I could do them. Really? Who is he? But it's too bad we had to share the park with other people. When we were snapping pictures of Tunnel View, there was a large group of tourists. Two guys were getting their picture taken. I attempted to snap a photo, and they asked me to move over. "How much room do you need?', I runfess that I asked them. They scooted away. Ooops.

Runfessions for April
Tunnel View. El Capitan, Glacier Point, and Bridalveil Falls all in one shot. 
While in San Francisco, we stayed in the most amazing little boutique hotel. Wine and cheese at 5. Breakfast in the morning. Fireplace in our room. Super comfy bed. Except I runfess I woke up in the middle of the night very itchy. In the morning, I inspected the damage. Only 5 bites, but very red and swollen, and all on the left side of my body. Bedbugs? Spider bites? I don't know what, but something got me. My husband got away untouched. Figures.


We got to the San Francisco Airport for our trip home. Our flight was delayed. And then it was cancelled. The pilot told us that the co-pilot's seat was broken and they couldn't find another plane. Have you ever heard this one? We made a beeline to customer service only to have to wait in line for about 2 hours. Rebooked to Denver with a connection to Chicago, we flew to the gate. We waited to be called. And saw the plane pull away from the jetway. Stunned, we approached the desk and were told to wait for our name to be called. When we were finally called to the podium, the customer service rep immediately copped an attitude. I runfess I may have used air quotes when I talked about the co-pilot's broken seat. And I got the hands on the hips and "ma'am"ed back attitude from the customer service asshole rep. Yep. Bottom line, we went to another customer service agent. Got travel vouchers, a flight home in the morning, and hotel and food vouchers for the night.

Runfessions for April
Oh those "air quotes"....
Got any runfessions? Any travel stories? Do you let this stuff just roll off your back? We did. We laughed about it, except the last one. 

I'm linking this post with Marcia at Marcia's Healthy Slice for Runfessions. It's just the best link up ever. Now I'm going to bed. It's been a long 2 days of trying to get home!

Friday, March 25, 2016

Runfessions: March Edition

I'm spilling it. Opening up my soul. Got some big runfessions this month. Please don't judge. It's all good...

Runfessions: March Edition

Let's start with the biggest runfession ever. Well, besides that last post about my affairDeep breath. I runfess that I've been totally downplaying my injuries here on the blog. Trying to stay positive is my mojo. But with Big Sur breathing down my neck, I'm kind of running out of time here, and I'm feeling a little panicked. I don't need sympathy. I don't need advice. With my coach, my doctor, and my expert friends, I'm in good hands. What I do need is good vibes. Just get me to that start line, ok, maybe I'm being greedy here, but get me to the finish line of Big Sur. Let me walk away without a limp. And then let me enjoy my week with my husband.

Runfessions: March Editions

Along these lines, I've modified my training plan significantly. I went for a test run on Tuesday, and while the run was mostly pain-free, as the day went on, my foot started to hurt and the hip was "there". Not painful but "there". You know that sensation. What this tells me is that there will continue to be lots of cross training and not a whole lot of running. I'll have time on the road because that is important. But I came to the realization that morning that a long run is not going to happen in this training cycle. And there's the truth: I runfess that no long run doesn't make me sad. At all. If this race was about a finish time, I'd be more worried. But this isn't my first rodeo, and I think know I can do this. Even with minimal running. Thank you to everyone who chimed in about this. I won't be the first to complete a marathon without much running.

Runfessions: March Edition

Earlier this week I shared with you that I cried in front of my coach. I'm just glad she didn't make me do burpees. What I want to runfess today that I may have had a temper tantrum later that day. After I drowned my iPhone, I spun my wheels trying to get a new one. Since I wasn't due for an upgrade, I learned I would have to pay full price for a new one. I found that hard to swallow. The Apple Store wouldn't give me an exchange since my phone had water damage. After waiting 20 minutes in line behind a guy who was arguing over a $4 charge on his bill, the Sprint store I told me they only had 2 phones left, a 128GB 6S plus or a 64GB 6S. I may have uttered the f-word as I walked out of the store. Maybe I pounded my fists on my thighs as I f-worded my way back to my car. I might have hit my head on the steering wheel a few times. When I look back on it, I'm a little really embarrassed. Let's just chalk it all up to a really bad week filled with injuries, frustrations, and stupidity on my part. I've finally got a phone. I'm back on track. Life is good.


Maybe I need to change more than my training plan. All these bloggers are posting about healthy eating. Nicole's got all these yummy Paleo creations, Deborah's making vegetarian treats, and Julie posts gluten-free goodness. Meanwhile, I runfess that I'm over here eating pizza every Friday night, drinking wine with dinner, and eating chocolate all the time. No lie. But I've been trialing GreenBlender smoothies this week (next week I'll have a full review), and they've been delicious and healthy. I really need to turn it around. Some good incentive right there.


Finally, when I was in Florida with my parents, I runfess that I felt like a little kid. My mom and dad wouldn't let me drive myself to my race because they were worried about me driving by myself. To that hotbed of crime, Sarasota. Heck, I drive to Chicago all the time, and we all know what's going on there! At one point during my trip, I was sitting in the backseat of their car, listening to them bicker. The easy listening music was playing. I started texting my sister:



Some things never change...

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Another month, another round of runfessions! You still love me don't you? What do you have to share? You can link up with Marcia or just head over there to read more runfessions! This is the most fun link up around!













I'm also linking up with the DC Trifecta aka Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for the Friday Five!

Friday, February 26, 2016

Runfessions for February

Ahhh.....it's my favorite time of the month. Yep, it's time for Runfessions! I love being able to clear my soul, my conscience and get ready to start the next month with a clean slate. I'm feeling a little bit snarky this month, so you'll have to hang on tight for this one. Chalk it up to winter...



I didn't share this on the blog, but I signed up for the New York City Marathon (NYCM) lottery. Actually, I didn't even tell my husband. Since he just booked our tickets to California, I didn't think it would be a good idea to mention another trip, especially one for a race. I also was a little reluctant because this year it cost $11 to sign up for the lottery. I also had second thoughts about doing another marathon this year. So many doubts, and I just ignored that little voice inside me that told me to stop. After I submitted my payment, I started to sweat a little bit. This week I received an email that my credit card information didn't go through and I needed to reenter it. Do you believe in signs? I runfess that I felt a sense of relief when I got that email. The chances of me getting into NYCM were pretty slim, sure, but still, what if? I mean, I'd go if I got in, but still... Let's give these poor feet a break. Maybe I'll stick to my original plan of some more halfs this year. There's always next year, right?


You all know that this winter I've been loving riding my bike on the trainer using YouTube cycling videos, But I runfess that I don't like the accompanying music. Most of the videos use EDM. I just don't like it. My son and I tried to stream my playlist from Spotify, but with Apple TV, you can't stream Spotify and YouTube at the same time. So I'm stuck with whatever the videographer is serving up. One of the videos has EDM remakes of pop songs, like Avicii's Wake Me Up and Rihanna's Shut Up and Drive. There was also an EDM rendition of What Does the Fox Say, and I swear that if my bike wasn't locked into the trainer, I would have ridden out of the room to get away from that song. I kept telling myself, just keep pedalling, just keep pedalling. It's only 3 minutes right? Three minutes of torture is what it was! That wasn't a good song in the original format, and the EDM version was just that much worse. Ring-ding-ding-dingeringading.


I runfess that sometimes my runs aren't about miles and splits. Sometimes I like to just run. Most people call them junk miles, but my friend Susie just wrote a really nice post on "easy miles". Thank you for that! What is it about those "easy junk" miles that makes them so pleasurable? Besides losing myself in the music? Besides all the junk I see along the side of the road?  See what I did there? Most of the time I see empty liquor bottles and used condoms. I pretty much know the story behind those objects. But sometimes I see stuff that makes me go hmmmm. Like this wooden thing--is it artwork? An art project? Not quite sure. And who would throw it out? I mean, someone spent a lot of time crafting this thing, whatever it is. When I ran by on Sunday, I kicked myself for not stopping to take a picture. I drove by on Monday and it was still there. Even the scrappers didn't want it. Hard to believe.
Runfessions roadside find
It's geometric, symmetric and diametric. 
I runfess that I'm still feeling a little bitter disappointed about being passed over for the RockNBlogger selection. While I'm happy for all the winners, well deserved all, I don't understand the selection process. Of course, they did pick Suzy Favor Hamilton to represent them while she was working as an escort in Vegas. Sigh. With that comment, I've probably killed any chance of ever being picked. I really wanted to do a few RnR races as part of my "year of destination races". I mean come on! And there's no chance of me turning tricks on the side. Trust me on that one. On the bright side, I'm not locked into any of their races, and I can run whatever I choose. That's a win. And I won't have to do the Chicago race in the steambath that is July in Chicago. Another win! Maybe Marcia and I can do a Thelma and Louise thing--RnR St Louis, anyone?

Road trip! Looks like we've got an outlaw in the backseat...
I runfess that my luck with the police has finally come to an end. On Saturday, I was driving to work. I was also on the phone with the office, discussing a patient. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the cherries flashing. Crap! Unfortunately, this officer couldn't care less that I was a nurse practitioner on my way to care for sick children or that I was talking with the office about sick children. He only cared about giving me a ticket. And yes, while I was breaking the law by talking on the phone, come on man! Cut a fellow service professional some slack, will ya? And go fight some real crime. Of course, I was right across the street from Dunkin Donuts when he got me. Just sayin'. I was so angry I cried when I drove away. I may even have uttered the mother of all swears. A few times. In my car, where no one could hear me. Humbled, I signed up for traffic school today.


Anything you want to Runfess? Any ideas what the wooden thing is? EDM--love it or hate it? 

I'm linking up with the Runfessions hostess, Marcia, at Marcia's Healthy Slice. Go over to her page and spill the beans!












I'm also linking up with the DC Trifecta: Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for their Friday Five. It just happens to be a Free Friday, so hey, here we go!