On again, off again, on again.

I can't seem to find my groove.  Parenting + working full time + trying to start a business + maintaining a house + running endless errands + the holidays...  I was on track for such a long time.  I woke up at 3:30 & started my day at the gym 3-4 days a week and I was at the gym at least 1 day on the weekend.  Now, well, I haven't been to the gym since before Thanksgiving.  Sad, sad, sad.  First it was my son not sleeping through the night, so I was usually up at 3:30 with him, then it was being sick, then it was...  Well, it doesn't matter, the fact is I fell off the horse.  So, back on it I get!  Again.  If I put it in writing, I'll stick to it.  Back to the gym [ideally] 3 days/week + back to running 3 days/week.  That will get me in shape to run a 5k in no time, right?  Gosh, those are words I never thought I'd say! I can do this.  Right?

...I'll start "tomorrow".  haha  Seriously though, I am on the tail end of a cold & once I kick it out, I'm back on track!  NO MORE EXCUSES.  I LOOOOOVE working out, I just hate getting motivated to get there.

The Old Gray Mare...

Okay, old is a relative term. I can't say I'm all that old, but my body is sure telling me I'm not a spring chicken! My first obstacle with running (besides the obvious, the inability to run long w/out gasping for air & yearning for something to puke in) was the knee pain. Both knees screamed at me for the abuse I was giving. So much so, it was hard to walk for days. I seem to have passed that though (fingers crossed) & now I've moved on to the ankles. The inside ankles to be exact. Oh joy. My left ankle is the worst (coincidentally (or not??) it's the ankle I broke when I was in 7th grade). It throbs, hurts to touch, it's a bit swollen, & it's bruised. The right is a little sore, but nothing to worry much about. I'm not sure what the problem is (I've had no issues after months of heavy elliptical use & bike riding) & that frustrates me more than the pain. I'm a self proclaimed non-runner, I don't need anything to encourage my dislike for the sport! What I do need is for my body to cooperate & maybe even pretend like it's got a few less years on it. Meanwhile, I will keep pushing myself.

The strong-arm

That's my running buddy...  the strong-arm.  Actually, much meaner words pop into my mind while she's chanting "helpful" words as we run.  The woman is a machine, I swear.  She seems to feel no pain.  She runs laps.  Around me.  Yep, that's right, she's running laps around me as I'm sucking air, attempting to hold down the food I ate hours before, wiping snot off my face, and trying to push through the stabbing pain in my knees.  How does she do it?  I'm ready to just lay down in the road & I hear her saying "breathe through you nose", "open your eyes", "look up", "don't think about anything below your chin", etc.  (See woman?  I am listening... and thinking of ways to hurt you later.)

My lesson today?  Don't ever, I mean ever, take an extended break from running.  Between Thanksgiving, my knee injuries, being sick, and whatever else, we took just shy of 2 weeks off.  Getting back on that horse is hard.  Freaking hard.  (Oh, and lesson #2 - Denya sucks.)

Seriously though, I don't think I'd stick to this running thing if she weren't by my side.  She told me this morning that I'm the most stubborn (who, me?), disciplined (hahaha) person she's ever met.  Perhaps she was half right, but as I told her - I AM NOT A RUNNER.  With her by my side though, I think I can attempt to push through anything.  So, my bit of advice is - get yourself a Denya, quick!

I've set some goals

It's week 2 of my C25K program.  I have to say, the first day of both weeks has SUCKED.  Last week though, day 2 was easier & day 3 was a breeze, so, here's hoping...  Like my wonderful running partner, Denya, said - before last week I didn't run at all, now I can run multiple 1.5 minute stretches.  It might seem small & insignificant, compared to "real" runner, but compared to the person I was 2 weeks ago, it's huge!

So, my goals.  I have a physical & financial goal.  They're both going to "expire" in June.  Hopefully. 

My physical goal is to be "in shape" by June.  I hope to surpass the mini goal of running a 5k long before June.  Maybe I can do a 10k by June.  Ultimately though, I want to be at my goal weight/size, with my blood pressure completely stabilized & my overall health to be great.

My financial goal is to be "debt free but the house" (as Dave Ramsey would say).  We did an amazing, but difficult, Year Without in 2009 & then went a little crazy (by our standards, not most Americans' standards, mind you).  We did acquire some new debt when we ought my car (that I HAD to have you know), but that was the only new debt.  We do still have my college loans though, and those have to go!

So, June 2011 will be a great month...  or so I hope.
Short term though, let's make it through week 2 of the C25K program!  ;)

A new journey

When I thought about starting another blog, I wasn't exactly sure what it should be about. I did know that I liked the name "The Family Fuel", and I considered it being my new cooking blog (as I felt my previous one needed to be renamed for personal reasons)... but these days I feel like I have less & less time for cooking. So, I took the blogger name & just left the blog to sit & collect dust.

Until tonight. I had an epiphany *I* am The Family Fuel. I am what makes my family run. While we all have our role to play, I am what keeps the family running every day (as are almost all moms). So, I decided, I'd make this a random blog about me & my journey into, well, everything. To kick this off, let me share the craziness that is me. I'm a working mom (35 hours a week at a desk with 8+ hours a week commuting & lots of other time fretting over work-related things). I'm a mother to a very spirited & super smart 3 year old boy. I'm co-owner of a jewelry business (Pink Fish Designs). I'm a degreed chef (that make me official, right?), although my job has absolutely nothing to do with cooking. I attempt (often failing) to be a social butterfly. I run a local park review blog (DFW Parks & Playgrounds). I'm a maid, a chauffeur, a laundry attendant, a dish washer, a short-order cook, a daughter, a sister, a wife... I wear a lot of hats. As if that weren't enough, just this week I decided to become a runner.

I hate running. No, no, no. I despise running. I always have. In high school I played volleyball & softball & had a [very] short stint on the track team (not running, of course). During all those years & all those workouts & games I did everything in my power NOT to run. Any excuse I could find, I used. Yo-yos, sprints, laps, even running to 1st base... NOT. MY. THING. Give me a bike & I'll ride 30 miles. Give me my feet & I'll walk 1 mile & complain the whole time. I don't run. Here I am though, trying to become a runner. Seriously folks, I wouldn't make that up. I mean, who would, right? I've heard so many people say so many good things about the Couch to 5k program that I decided it was time for me to try. I have no real goal set at this point. I'd love to say that I aspire to run a marathon, right now though, I'd be happy to run the block w/out feeling like I'm gonna puke up all of my most recent meal. I figure if I can stick with the program & accomplish the program's goal of running 30 minutes straight (which should be 5k-ish), then anyone can do it.

So, today was the day I dove completely into the running, making it officially official by buying [gasp] running shoes. I had my son with me, which is never ideal, but he was being such an angel today that I thought surely it would be no big deal to take him shoe shopping. So, to Run On we went!

((I pause now to apologize to the poor girl, Liz, who was helping me & to everyone else in the store.))

I took my shoes off, bent my knees, took a short walk, then a mini jog, Liz measured both of my feet, then disappeared into the back. My son wanted to follow her. Even the new app I'd downloaded for him wasn't entertainment enough, that back room just had to be something special. He stayed out of the back though, & wasn't getting into too much trouble, as my shoes made their way to my feet. Wow. What a difference the right shoe makes! It was time to test them out. It wouldn't have been too bad if it weren't for the fact that Liz instructed me to take a jog around the store. When an active 3 year old, such as my darling son, sees his mommy jogging around a store, it's like the angels begin to sing. RUN ('cause to a 3 year old jogging = running)? In a store? YESSSSSSS! I could hear his little head processing, but I thought surely we'd be okay. sigh The first jog was fine. Liz had picked out some great shoes & I was getting the feel for the 2 pairs I had on. The second jog around the store was a bit more chaotic, as I tried to actually test the shoes while stopping every 2 seconds to be sure that my spawn didn't cause me to buy the whole store. double sigh Alas, Liz had found me the perfect pair & just as we were discussing the $10 socks I was about to buy (hush!), my pride & joy took off for a sprint around the store. Weaving in & out of racks & somehow managing not to knock over everything in his path (thank you!), he was not about to be caught by me. ...until he was. After being sure he understood the err of his ways & apologizing to Liz, we paid for our stuff & high-tailed it out of there. ...off to the park I promised to visit as a treat for putting up with my errand running, only to have the boy pass out cold just as I pulled up to the park. Figures. What a day!

Oh, what did I get? Some comfy New Balance 1226s. For the first time in my life I bought a shoe based on the feel, not to look ('cause, yeah, I usually require PINK in my shoes, not blue).