Blame it on the holidays

Hello loyal fan-base (ha!),

My sincerest apologies in failing to update the blog on a regular basis like I promised I would. A lot of things have happened since we last met. Most importantly, I have severely reduced the amount of running I have been doing. Now, this doesn't sound like a positive thing to you, I'm sure, what with 2 half-marathons looming in the not-so-distant future. But it is a positive thing. You'll understand in a bit.

My previous post was a little less than a month ago, and I was off to Mexi's bachelorette party the next day. Well, Mexi's big day has arrived! I cannot believe that the world will lose one of its most beloved monograms, LHM, on Saturday. This day has been very long-awaited by many, and I am very excited to be standing up there with one of my very best friends in the world when she marries the man (he's a man?! what?!?) she was created to spend her life with. Tearing up just a little. For as long as they have been together, whenever I have thought of the two of them, the song "A Page Is Turned" by Bebo Norman always comes to mind. I won't put the lyrics to the song here, but I encourage you to look it up and/or have a listen. It's a great song.

Next came Thanksgiving. For those of you who do not know, I had the amazing opportunity to be able to fly another of my very best friends in the world home to Columbia from L.A. for Thanksgiving to surprise her mom. No, I do not have $600 laying around, I won a voucher for a ticket from work and realllllly wanted my little hippie to be able to come home and spend some time with her family (and me, of course!). So, Thanksgiving night, after ridiculous amounts of food and a large cup of coffee, I drove to Charlotte to pick her up and we surprised her mom (her dad was in on it and helped coordinate and keep the secret). The look on her face was absolutely priceless - I have never seen a person be speechless (everyone always says "I'm speechless!" but they clearly aren't, because they just used the power of speech to inform you that they were "speechless"...), but her mom literally stood there with her mouth wide open (sorry Anne!) for a good 60 seconds. It was one of the better moments of my life, being able to make that happen and especially being there to witness it.

Clemson v. South Carolina ended badly for us Clemson fans and alumni. Curly and I sat with my siblings in the USC section and I swore that if I heard the phrase "...must be ACC referees..." one more time, I was going to hurt someone. We all made a "no taunting" pact before the game, so it wasn't terrible. But hey, if we won all the time, it wouldn't be much of a rivalry, now would it? The rest of the weekend was spent soaking up family time and I loved every minute of it!

So, you've probably noticed that not anywhere in this post so far have I mentioned any form of running. You are correct. Hence the title of this post. Call it an excuse if you want, but I would so much rather spend time with great friends and family (and eat!) than run. But don't fret, dear readership. The week after Thanksgiving, I got up at 6:00 am on Tuesday and Thursday and ran 2 miles on the treadmill, in preparation for the 19th Annual Reindeer Run, benefitting the MUSC Children's Hospital. The race was on Saturday morning, and Gilly and I planned to run, and again, because my job is awesome, we got our entry fee waived. So we met there, cold and wet (steady rain and 50 degrees) at 8:45 am for a 9:00 start time that eventually was pushed back until 9:20. Meanwhile, we were all standing at the START line getting soaked to the bone.
Here's the positive side of the fact that I reduced the amount of running I was doing: I had to stop and catch my breath THREE times during the 5k, and I am so embarrassed that my butt will be in the gym (or on the bridge with Gilly) as much as possible in the next few weeks. Below is a picture of my bib. I've decided I'm going to keep the bibs of all the races I do from now until forever. Maybe Mom will make me a quilt out of them? My official chip time was 34:27, which is under what I was shooting for (36:00), but I have a lot of room for improvement.


That about sums up the past month, and I promise to get into a more regular pattern - of both updating the blog and of running. My next post will be about my big trip, which I leave for 5 months from SUNDAY! Cannot believe it!

On a side note, I asked my mom to send me her Christmas list yesterday, and she did. Now, for those of you who might not know, my mom is the kindest, sweetest, most caring person I have ever met. She had a couple things on her list: #3 was a stainless steel toaster, #2 was a cheese grater that holds the cheese (she's also the most adorable person I know!), and #1 was another bead for her charm bracelet and a donation made to a charity. Hmmm, I wonder what I'm getting her??? Think about what's on your Christmas list this year. Of course, there's nothing wrong with asking for things you really want or need (I know I am!), but I wonder what our world would be like if more people put "donation to ______ charity" at the top of their list?

Also, speaking (3 paragraphs ago) of MUSC Children's Hospital, if you haven't already bought Christmas cards, visit the website to check out the Holiday Cards they have available. All the cards are designed and drawn by patients and/or their family members and your money goes to support one of the best children's hospitals in the country. Look out for the card drawn by Rachel Edwards, a personal hero of ours at work and if you're interested, check out her website. Her story will amaze you.

XOXO,
Jenny

Drum Roll Please...

Well, I decided (after some nudging by a few people) to just go ahead and tell all...beware, this might be lengthy, as I feel I should start from the beginning.

A few months ago, I started having these weird feelings like I needed to do something else to further complete my life. I have a good job, I have plenty of friends (granted, they are scattered across the country), and obviously, my family is amazing - but I wasn't doing anything. I contemplated doing a lot of things - from plastic surgery to joining a band to moving across the country. I'm mostly kidding about those things (at least the first two). In the end, thanks to my amazing mom - who would have supported me no matter what I ended up doing, even if it was stealing strangers' kidneys and selling them on the black market - I ended up making a small, but significant choice: I would stay where I was and look for things to fill up some more of my free time.

Enter: Habitat for Humanity, International (HFHI from here on out).

For some reason, no matter where I turned, HFHI kept popping up! Seriously, in a 2-week time span, I probably ended up on their website and/or seeing their logo almost every other day. It was the strangest thing, but I didn't really think anything of it. Then, my mom and I were chatting about my life and she suggested that since my boss(es) at my job are so amazing and my job is currently secure, why didn't I look into taking a little bit of time off for a mission trip. All of a sudden, it hit me - just like when Bella realized Edward was a vampire but she didn't care, that she loved him anyw...oops. I have never had one of those experiences where I felt "the call" from God to do something, so I picked up and did it...until then. It was so obvious that He was trying to tell me that THIS was what I was supposed to do - not join a traveling family band or move to Colorado, but volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

So, I did. I went, for what felt like the 25th time in a week, to their website and browsed their volunteer opportunities. The first thing that jumped out at me was the "Volunteer Internationally" link - keyword being International. I figured, if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. Well, the "6 to 12 months" told me, "Hey Jenny, your job and bosses are awesome, but let's pump the brakes a little." Next, I clicked on "Global Village Program" (again, keyword being Global). That link brought up a basic explanation about the program, as well as how to apply, and a snapshot of "Featured trips." Here's where it gets interesting, so don't even think about skipping ahead.

Wouldn't you know that the very second (would have been cooler if it was the first, I know) trip listed was entitled "Run and Build trip to Guatemala!" I could NOT believe it. A half-marathon AND the opportunity to serve others through construction (one of my favorite things ever, thank you Salkehatchie and World Changers!)? All in Guatemala?? You have got to be kidding! The dates, May 13-23, 2010, are absolutely perfect, being just about 3 weeks after the Music City Marathon in Nashville - the original reason for this blog. I tried to contain myself, because I tend to have a bit of an overactive imagination, and can't you just see me spontaneously booking a flight to Guatemala for May 13th? I sent the link to my mom and went about my day. Two days later, I filled out an application online for the Global Village program. It was remniscent of applying for college - see, I ONLY applied to Clemson; likewise, I ONLY applied for the "Run and Build trip to Guatemala." If I hadn't been accepted to Clemson, my entire life would be different today. Do I think my entire life would be different if I didn't get to run and build in Guatemala? Ask me again in June, but with the overwhelming signs I got, I am leaning towards a very emphatic YES.

I got a confirmation email that included my eight-digit Habitat number, or my code name, as I sometimes/never call it. The email gave me contact information for my trip leader and told me to contact him regarding scheduling a phone interview, and also that if I hadn't heard back within one week, to contact HFHI again. I immediately emailed the leader and patiently waited for a response. And waited. And waited. And, oh hey, waited some more. Finally, one day shy of a week of waiting, he called. I let it go to voicemail (I had to play a little hard to get, right?) and called back about 30 minutes later, once I got on the road back to Charleston. We chatted for about 15 minutes and at the end, he said these magical words: "Well, it sounds like you'd be a great addition to our team and we'd love to have you. I'll send you an official email invitation in just a little while." I can't begin to express how that felt. I called my mom immediately, and then sent several text messages (yes mom, while driving with my elbows) to some interested parties. Kidding about the elbows. Five minutes later, I got the email invitation. This was progressing like a dance - sloooow, sloooow, quick, quick, quick.

The next day, I approached my boss with the news, and after she said "As long as you have the vacation time..." I quickly explained that, because I had been VERY hasty and liberal with my vacation days and only had 2 (out of 10) days left even though our days roll over in July, I was willing to take unpaid vacation for this trip. SURPRISE: My "Carryover" leave had 13 days in it! All I need to do is get approval from the big boss to use them, and why would she not approve if its for a mission trip, right? Non-refundable deposit has been paid, flights have been researched, and I'm feeling great! I won't be feeling great if I don't get approval, so I'm trying to get that taken care of as quickly as possible.

So, that's the news. Not to get all here-comes-the-sentimental-music-at-the-end-of-the-sitcom-where-the-lesson-has-finally-been-learned, but I really feel confident that I have made the right decision. If I had moved across the country, chances are I would still feel like something was missing and BONUS, I'd be across the country without anyone to lean on. I have a clear idea of what I'm supposed to be doing, at least for 11 days in May, and I can only pray that God keeps hitting me over the head with things, because I'm not that smart. For an example of why I'm not that smart, read on...

Wednesday night, I went to the gym. I was all excited to plug my headphone (one earbud fell off) into the TV and watch an hour of Family Guy, since we no longer have cable at my house. Knowing that sometimes the cable is messed up on certain machines, I should have taken my iPod in with me. Buuuuut, I didn't. And, SHOCKER, the only treadmill left was one of those without a working TV. So I'm sure my fellow gym-goers got a kick out of the girl on the end running with no headphones and staring at a blank screen for 3.5 miles. Curly showed up and made me laugh when she told me that I looked "lonely" while running. I blame her for the side stitch I couldn't get rid of.

Well, off to Columbia for Mexi's bachelorette party tonight and a full day of cleaning out the playroom to help Mom and Dad prepare for Thanksgiving, and the 3rd bi-annual "Waller Carolina/Clemson Party" the night before the game. Hoping to get a run in Saturday or Sunday morning, and look out for some more exciting things to come in the next few posts (think pictures and rainbows and Christmas, oh my!).

SLACK is spelled J-E-N-N-Y

Hello friends.

I know I've been slacking in the blog area of my life. I've also been slacking in the running area of my life. Last week only got 2 days of running in. Monday night's bridge run with Gilly was PERFECT! Neither of us tired or had to stop running once we started. A cool 3.something-mile run on a beautiful night. Tuesday's run was hard for me for some reason, and I had to stop and walk two separate (albeit short) times. Spoiler alert: excuse coming ahead!

Wednesday night, I had dinner with an old friend - we both skipped our workouts to fit this gathering into our plans. Say what you want, but I am a firm believer that great conversation always beats out good exercise. This particular friend has recently run a marathon, as well as participating in a few triathlons, so I could lie and say I was getting advice from him (which was on the list of topics for the evening), but we didn't quite make it that far. Next time, for sure. We did, however, discuss some other areas of our life and certain changes we both have been making, which is a perfect segue into more info on the surprise!

This friend was talking about a group he's become involved with over the last 2 months or so through his church called Year Team. The basic idea is a group of young people like ourselves who meet once a week (intense 4-hour meeting) and talk about their relationships with God and how to better themselves through Him and how to better serve Him. While he was talking, I was thinking about my own personal life-change and I filled him in on the surprise. Of course, I told him everything, and I am only going to tell y'all a bit more. Needless to say, we were both equally excited for each other's latest adventures, and he did promise to sit down and go over some training schedules with me in the next few weeks.

Ok, one big hint: I'm volunteering my time and services with Habitat for Humanity.

If you are interested in ruining the surprise for yourself, feel free to poke around on their website (www.habitat.org) and see if you can figure it out. I'm bursting to tell you, but just can't yet.

Gilly is sick tonight, so I'll be hitting the gym alone. Promise I won't let another week go by before updating again.

XOXO (that's my new Monday blog post thing)

Bridge Run: FAIL!

Well, not really fail. Thursday was a weak attempt at running the bridge - we ran for probably 10 minutes total. No big deal - walking briskly is still good, right? Over the weekend, I was at home again visiting family and ended up running the Lake Murray Dam with one of my best friends, Mexi, on Saturday morning. The portion that we ran was about 2 miles total, but we ran the entire way, minus a 45-second walk after we turned around. Sure did start the day off right!

So, Gilly has given me permission to tell you about something that happened last week. It involves the importance of stretching. Actually, that's all it is. Read on...

Last week, after those killer runs on Monday and Wednesday (and my solo run at the gym on Tuesday), I was majorly stoked (shout out to LA-based BFF, hence-forth known simply as "Little Hippie") about the possibility of running the entire bridge on Thursday. Gilly was pretty excited about it, too. We've started doing a minimal amount of stretching our legs out at the end of our runs, just on the sidewalk at the base of the bridge. Let me paint you a picture:

Sorry, most of the time I think I'm a lot funnier than I actually am. Couldn't resist.

Anyway, before our runs, I usually have time to run home and change and I do some stretching before Gilly calls and I go to meet her. So I do stretches before our run, with Gilly immediately after our run, and then when I get home before I shower, I do them again. Gilly has reported that she has only been stretching when we finish our run, that little bit before we get in our cars and leave. Not a big problem, right? WRONG! Since we are just starting out, and trust me, I am in no way an expert on this, its very important to stretch these muscles out. I have had hardly any muscle soreness/tightness since beginning, and that is not necessarily the case when you don't stretch. Honestly, most of the reason I stretch before the run is that I am bored and have seen in movies that they do that, and the reason I stretch after the run is that I am too hot and sweaty to take a shower immediately. I literally stumbled upon this discovery. To conclude, stretching is important.

I can finally begin to slowly fill you in on the surprise I mentioned a while back. The first hint was that I was going to need to learn Spanish. The second hint is that I will be revisiting some of my favorite times in my childhood, or high school rather, and will need to brush off my construction skills. Yes, I am quitting my job and becoming a construction worker! No, not really. But, I did just find out yesterday that this surprise is definitely going to happen, so I plan to fill you in one blog post at a time. I love a good guessing game, and hope you do, too! Feel free to post guesses (and you can't cheat and spoil the fun if you already know what it is - aka Gilly, Curly, Mexi, Mom and Dad!) in the comments section.

XOXO (Gossip Girl tonight at 9!)

3rd Times the Charm

A lot has happened since the last post: Tuesday's bridge run with Gilly (that's the name decided upon between us) was canceled because of torrential downpours. I went to my sister's house to pick up my dress for the December wedding (we both have it and they got switched somehow) and her roommate and my friend Curly asked if I wanted to go to the gym with her, so I obliged. Put in a good 3 miles on the treadmill and went home and watched The Biggest Loser, because it always motivates me. Last night, Gilly and I ran the bridge again. Neither of us has found the perfect balance of what to eat, when to eat, how much water to drink before, etc., so we are still learning in that aspect. Overall, a great run.

I am beginning to see that some issues that I used as excuses before are not issues at all. For instance, I used to blame my dad for my "bad knees" and the fact that I "couldn't" run. In reality, they were still caused by my dad (sorry, Dad!) but not from a genetic perspective. Growing up and running with him, a few things stuck with me from our runs around the neighborhood: 1) Girls always run on the inside, lest we fall in the path of oncoming traffic; 2) Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth; and 3) Your feet should hit heel first and they should never make a sound. Well, Dad, thanks for the first 2, but that last one is crap. My entire running career since those days with my dad, an approximate total of 30 days prior to last week, was spent running this way, and I always had knee pain. Well someone told me recently that running should be very natural, you shouldn't really have to think about it, which I have found to be true. And when I don't think about how my feet are hitting and if they are making a sound, no knee pain.

Another "issue" I've used as an excuse to stop while running: side stitches. I get them very frequently - so frequently you could say that that is one of my talents. Again, Dad's advice to 13-year old me sticks around and this time, helped me out. He told me to "breathe out hard" to alleviate this pain. I was doing this, but would often give up if it didn't go away in, oh about 10 seconds. I know, I'm a huge wimp. Running with Gilly, though, has taught me that if I just keep going and concentrate on my breathing (sorry Gilly, I know my heavy breathing is annoying!), that pain will go away. This has been crucial in allowing me to run for much longer periods of time at once.

Tonight, Gilly and I will run the bridge for the 3rd and final time this week. The title of this post alludes to tonight being the night we (hopefully) will be able to run the entire bridge without stopping. Once that happens, who knows where we'll go from there - the world is our oyster, as some would say. Just kidding, we'll probably just continue to run the bridge at least 3 times / week. I'm heading home again this weekend to visit with my Memaw, who broke her hip and wrist earlier this week. Will update after the weekend on how much running I got in while home - hopefully its better than last time.

Going Strong

Over the weekend, I managed to squeeze in a run on Sunday, but once again, couldn't get motivated to do anything huge. The majority of my weekend was spent with family and friends, including a wedding shower and a 1st birthday party - hopefully pictures will be surfacing here on Croft's blog shortly, but here is one for now.
Last night after work, my friend (she needs a name - suggestions?) and I ran...you guessed it, the bridge. We were feeling particularly optimistic, so we decided to run up the big hill. This time I didn't have the traffic haunting me and pushing me, but I did have her. I was able to get farther than I got before, going uphill at least, but still didn't make it to the top. We walked from Diamond A (refer to the pic if you must) to Diamond B and ran all the way to the turn-around and ALL THE WAY BACK!! That's exactly 2 miles for those of you interested. I am going to brag for a minute and say that I took my long-sleeved shirt off mid-run AND managed to tie it around my waist...all without breaking stride.

We caught our breath (more so me than her) and ran from in-between the 2 diamonds all the way down. It was our most successful bridge run to date - a whopping 3.5 miles total, with about .25 of that walking. If the rain holds off, and maybe even if it doesn't, we will be going again tonight. The only thing about running in the rain is chafing - I'm afraid of that. I swear, running with a buddy is going to be what makes this possible for me. Also, considering I hate to diet and I have a dress to fit in (for above-mentioned wedding in December), that is my current motivation - not to mention I announced to the (blog)world that I was doing this, and I clearly can't stop now.

Halloween is this weekend, and I don't have a costume. Maybe I'll come up with one between now and then - I do have 2 ideas that I won't share with you, yet. No hints on the surprise this time, but hopefully next time I post, I will have something more to tell you.

The first run of the rest of your life...

Here is a (not very good) picture of the bridge I have been running, the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. bridge, for those of you who may not know what it looks like. For any of you nerds out there (you know who you are), this bridge is currently the longest cable-stayed bridge in the country, with a main span of 1,546 feet and total length of 13,200 feet (approximately 2.5 miles). With that said, the above picture does not show either of the entrances to the bridge, pedestrian or vehicular. Please keep in mind that entrance ramps are part of the "bridge run" I will talk about frequently. Also, the ramps are the hilly parts, which is important to note.

So, last night I had my first solo bridge run experience. I have walked the bridge alone many times, but never attempted to run...I told you I was lazy. With great intentions and gusto, I skillfully began running up the first incline on the Mt. Pleasant side of the bridge (right side of the picture). Disclaimer: I began my ascent at 5:45, when traffic was at its peak. Being the awkward and self-conscious girl that I am, this freaked me out. I think it also helped me and here's why: even though I was absolutely dying running up this "big" hill, I wouldn't stop because I thought about all the cute boys in their cars driving home from work, and what would they think if I stopped running?? That only worked until 3/4 of the way up the hill when the traffic wasn't stopped, and then I totally quit.

I was so winded (I'm being brutally honest here) that I had to walk the rest of the way up the hill and even stop to stretch, aka catch my breath, at Diamond A (right side). I began my running again at Diamond B (left side) and ran nearly all the way to the usual "turn-around" place. Then, like a loser, I turned around and walked ALL THE WAY back up to Diamond A. I have never been more disappointed in myself. I realized just how hard this is going to be if I don't have someone there pushing me to go just a little bit more, just a little bit longer - at least in the beginning. To console myself, I ran all the way back down to my car from Diamond A and that made me feel marginally better, but not totally because that downhill run is so easy my friend's one-year-old could do it and he can't even walk yet.

This weekend I am headed home to Columbia, where I plan to run around my neighborhood, maybe even up "Death Hill." I kid. Speaking with my dad this morning, who had a hip replacement in January (no, he's not old, but 30+ years of running and other factors contributed), we discussed my trip home and how we both wished he was able to run with me this weekend. In order to satisfy my need to run with a companion, I joined the Charleston Running Club, a group who meet on different days and times for different lengths of runs. It will be a while before I run with them, because the shortest run is 5 miles. More on that as it happens.

Oh, I promised hints on the surprise. Here is the first: I am going to need to learn at least conversational Spanish. I can't say anymore until I know some more, but trust me, if everything works out, you people are going to be in for a big surprise.

New Adventures...

Hello, Blog World (and friends)!

This is my first ever blog, so please bear with me while I figure this out.

In an effort to increase my involvement in life in Charleston outside of work, I have set a goal for myself: to run a half-marathon. Not just any half-marathon, but one that takes place in Nashville, TN - a city brimming with country music stars...and mountains. Lots and lots of mountains. Now, as some of you may know, I have never been "fond" of exercise. Playing tennis in high school and walking the sprawling and slightly hilly campus of Clemson University were the extent of my exercise...until about 2 months ago.

A friend and I would walk the Ravenel bridge about once every 2 weeks, and we would always discuss certain issues - one of which was our exercise regimen, or lack thereof, since leaving college. I decided, with the help of some internet research, to set a goal to run a half-marathon, and recruited my friend to join me. Well 2 months has come and gone, and aside from some once-a-week bridge running (we did eventually upgrade to running!), I am in no better shape than I was back in August - nor do I have the ability to run 30 minutes without stopping, which I hear is semi-crucial to running 13.1 miles.

Enter: The Blog.

I know myself, and I know how I respond to peer pressure - I tend to fold like cheap lawn furniture. This blog is deisgned to update my readers (hey Mom and Dad, certainly my only 2 right now) on my progress, which will, in turn, motivate me to keep up the training and reach my goal. As if that wasn't enough incentive, I am going to pull an Emeril and kick it up a notch. But more on that surprise later. Tonight is my first solo bridge run, and my intention is to keep running it on a regular basis (no, not everyday - I do have some semblence of a life) until I can run the whole thing without stopping. Even the hills. When that happens, I will let you know. Until then, I will slowly fill you in on the surprise...