Well, it has been a while since I updated - so sorry about that.
Not a whole lot to report right now, except that I am currently recovering from a pretty bad head cold that started on MONDAY! Yes, today is Friday and I'm still fairly congested. Decided that since my schedule was pretty forgiving, I would just scratch this week, because next week is the same and I wanted to be fully recovered so I could give it my all.
This weekend is the Oyster Festival at Boone Hall, so I'll be super busy with that - 65,000 lbs of oysters will be loading in tomorrow in the pouring rain and 49-degree weather. Sunday will be chilly and muddy, but should be great weather for oysters and fun!
Next week's schedule:
Monday: 3.5 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles or cross-train
Wednesday: 3.5 miles
Thursday: rest
Friday: 40 min. cross
Saturday: 5 miles
Also, you people aren't doing a very good job of holding me accountable, so please work on that! I was also just given a $100 gift card to Half Moon Outfitters so I can get some new running clothes - anyone have any suggestions for clothes? I wear Champion brand stuff from Target right now. Also, need to get new shoes since I think that might be part of the cause of my shin splints. Suggestions/comments/feedback are welcome and appreciated - let me know you're out there!
XOXO
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Habitat for Haiti
This will be a mid-week update, and also a plug for Habitat.
This week has been great! Monday's 3-miler was good - not great. I didn't take my Multivitamin and didn't eat a mid-afternoon snack, so I was sort of dragging on the run. Nevertheless, got through it ok, but had to stop twice (mayyyybe 3 times, I can't remember) to catch my breath. Tuesday, I had a work meeting until about 6:30 and then a phone catch-up date with Gilly to hear all about her NYE trip to the Big Easy. 7:30 rolls around and I still hadn't done my 2 miles/crosstrain, so I made Tuesday a rest day and am doing 2 miles tonight instead. Yesterday's 3-mile run was AWESOME! I made a goal to not stop the entire time, and accomplished that goal! We were forced to stop Broad Street and Calhoun St. both ways, and while it was a welcome break, I did not ASK to stop. Tonight is 2 miles, where I am going to try and do some interval training to build up my endurance and maybe pick up some speed, too. Saturday is 4 miles with a girl I work with. I don't trust myself to do the long runs alone, yet.
Ok, the plug. I'm sure you've all heard about the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday. The devastation that resulted is beyond belief. For a nation that is one of the poorest in the world already, a disaster like this is crippling. Also, you're all aware that in 4 months I am going on an 11-day mission trip to Guatemala with Habitat for Humanity. I got an email last night from Habitat with a link to their Disaster Response page. I'm posting that here in case any of you (or people you know, as I'd really like this blog to be spread far and wide) have been thinking of how to get involved, but were not sure what to do. The website doesn't really explain HFHI's mission in Haiti, so if you're interested, I've attached the email I got below:
Dear Jennifer,
Imagine the fear of the earth shaking violently beneath you as you would never have thought possible. Imagine the utter terror of your home crumbling in around you. While the assessments are just beginning, already we know that the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince Tuesday is a catastrophe of major proportions.
Your support NOW is critically important! The extent of Habitat's ability to help families rebuild their homes and lives after this devastating earthquake will depend on the funds we can raise for the work—and on how quickly those funds are available.
Join us in praying for the best—but preparing for the worst. Please help by making a secure online donation today.
Habitat has worked in Haiti for 26 years — and we will be there for the long term to help families whose homes were lost get back into safe, decent and affordable housing.
Support the victims in Haiti with an emergency online donation.
Thank you for your help during this critical time.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Reckford
Chief Executive Officer
Habitat for Humanity
Please consider donating - after reading about the disaster and seeing pictures I wish I hadn't seen, I can't get it out of my mind. Feel free to pass the link and/or this blog post along to friends and family.
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I also wanted to share with you 2 other blogs I was sent yesterday. My friend Boe in ATL has friends of friends who are living and working as missionaries in Haiti and they wrote about their experience on Tuesday here and here. Please check it out and pray for them as they deal with this most challenging path ahead of them.
XOXO
This week has been great! Monday's 3-miler was good - not great. I didn't take my Multivitamin and didn't eat a mid-afternoon snack, so I was sort of dragging on the run. Nevertheless, got through it ok, but had to stop twice (mayyyybe 3 times, I can't remember) to catch my breath. Tuesday, I had a work meeting until about 6:30 and then a phone catch-up date with Gilly to hear all about her NYE trip to the Big Easy. 7:30 rolls around and I still hadn't done my 2 miles/crosstrain, so I made Tuesday a rest day and am doing 2 miles tonight instead. Yesterday's 3-mile run was AWESOME! I made a goal to not stop the entire time, and accomplished that goal! We were forced to stop Broad Street and Calhoun St. both ways, and while it was a welcome break, I did not ASK to stop. Tonight is 2 miles, where I am going to try and do some interval training to build up my endurance and maybe pick up some speed, too. Saturday is 4 miles with a girl I work with. I don't trust myself to do the long runs alone, yet.
Ok, the plug. I'm sure you've all heard about the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday. The devastation that resulted is beyond belief. For a nation that is one of the poorest in the world already, a disaster like this is crippling. Also, you're all aware that in 4 months I am going on an 11-day mission trip to Guatemala with Habitat for Humanity. I got an email last night from Habitat with a link to their Disaster Response page. I'm posting that here in case any of you (or people you know, as I'd really like this blog to be spread far and wide) have been thinking of how to get involved, but were not sure what to do. The website doesn't really explain HFHI's mission in Haiti, so if you're interested, I've attached the email I got below:
Dear Jennifer,
Imagine the fear of the earth shaking violently beneath you as you would never have thought possible. Imagine the utter terror of your home crumbling in around you. While the assessments are just beginning, already we know that the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince Tuesday is a catastrophe of major proportions.
Your support NOW is critically important! The extent of Habitat's ability to help families rebuild their homes and lives after this devastating earthquake will depend on the funds we can raise for the work—and on how quickly those funds are available.
Join us in praying for the best—but preparing for the worst. Please help by making a secure online donation today.
Habitat has worked in Haiti for 26 years — and we will be there for the long term to help families whose homes were lost get back into safe, decent and affordable housing.
Support the victims in Haiti with an emergency online donation.
Thank you for your help during this critical time.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Reckford
Chief Executive Officer
Habitat for Humanity
Please consider donating - after reading about the disaster and seeing pictures I wish I hadn't seen, I can't get it out of my mind. Feel free to pass the link and/or this blog post along to friends and family.
.jpg)
I also wanted to share with you 2 other blogs I was sent yesterday. My friend Boe in ATL has friends of friends who are living and working as missionaries in Haiti and they wrote about their experience on Tuesday here and here. Please check it out and pray for them as they deal with this most challenging path ahead of them.
XOXO
Monday, January 11, 2010
Well, HELLOOOOOO big dollop!
That part of The Holiday is one of the best. For those of you who don't know that movie line by line like me, I'll fill you in. Miles (Jack Black) and Iris (Kate Winslett) are in Blockbuster in LA and Miles has just gone to get coffee/some frothy beverage for them, and he comes back and says "I didn't know if you wanted a big dollop of whipped cream or a little dollop, so I got bo...." and Iris grabs the one with the big dollop and Miles says "Well, HELLOOOOOO big dollop!"
That's what I feel like right now. My sister and I were just musing (big word) about how we are surprised we didn't turn out to be obese children/young adults. With all the ice-cream-for-breakfast overnight trips to Memaw's, cookie-line back-stabbings-with-a-fork (every night, it seemed - not the stabbings, but the cookies), gigantic spoonfuls of chocolate icing for an afternoon snack, it really is a wonder we (I) aren't overweight. And while I have gotten somewhat better at controlling my raging sweet tooth, it is still always lurking around a corner, threatening to throw me completely off track. And you know what? Sometimes I let it.
Example: Friday afternoon/evening was an absolute disaster. A lot of bad news was floating around the airwaves. I had to go pick up a few things for Pookie the invalid, and while I was at the grocery store, I saw some "triple chocolate cookies" that looked just divine. So, I bought them - thinking, "These will be great when I want something sweet, and I won't eat a whole cake." Well, by the time I had gotten out of the store and over to Pookie's, I had eaten 6 cookies. I have absolutely no willpower when its sitting right there in front of me. So, that is my next mission: to resist any and all over-indulgence in temptation, including (but not limited to) chocolate-chip cookies, triple chunk brownies, devil's food cake with butterscotch and butterfinger topping (cough, roomie), cupcakes from down the street at Cupcake, cupcakes from anywhere, candy bars, gloopy squares, chocolate-covered raisins, chocolate-covered cherries, chocolate-covered-anything-of-any-kind, etc.
Whew. Wish me luck. Now, in the world of running. Last week was great! With my calculation error on Tuesday, I ran a total of 10.5 miles, which is 1.5 miles less than I was supposed to run, but still - Rome wasn't built in a day, people. Thursday's and Saturday's runs were great because of a new running buddy! A friend from college heard through my friend Boe that I was just starting to train, and she had been looking to get back into running, so voila! She lives right near my office downtown, so its super convenient, and she has some great routes already mapped through the City! Running through downtown is much better than I thought - we head down quiet streets with little traffic, PLUS, sometimes we have to stop to cross a semi-busy street, and man, does that feel good. Saturday's 4-miler was such a great feeling, even though it was only 36 degrees. I'm still having to stop a few times to catch my breath, but I'm working on that.
Anyway, there you go, you're updated, are you happy?! I kid. This week's schedule, so that you can follow along and keep me accountable is below. Also, check out Mexi's new blog here - say hi and welcome her to the Blog world!
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles or cross
Wednesday: 3 miles + strength
Thursday: rest
Friday: 30 min. cross
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: Stretch/strength
Ciao!
That's what I feel like right now. My sister and I were just musing (big word) about how we are surprised we didn't turn out to be obese children/young adults. With all the ice-cream-for-breakfast overnight trips to Memaw's, cookie-line back-stabbings-with-a-fork (every night, it seemed - not the stabbings, but the cookies), gigantic spoonfuls of chocolate icing for an afternoon snack, it really is a wonder we (I) aren't overweight. And while I have gotten somewhat better at controlling my raging sweet tooth, it is still always lurking around a corner, threatening to throw me completely off track. And you know what? Sometimes I let it.
Example: Friday afternoon/evening was an absolute disaster. A lot of bad news was floating around the airwaves. I had to go pick up a few things for Pookie the invalid, and while I was at the grocery store, I saw some "triple chocolate cookies" that looked just divine. So, I bought them - thinking, "These will be great when I want something sweet, and I won't eat a whole cake." Well, by the time I had gotten out of the store and over to Pookie's, I had eaten 6 cookies. I have absolutely no willpower when its sitting right there in front of me. So, that is my next mission: to resist any and all over-indulgence in temptation, including (but not limited to) chocolate-chip cookies, triple chunk brownies, devil's food cake with butterscotch and butterfinger topping (cough, roomie), cupcakes from down the street at Cupcake, cupcakes from anywhere, candy bars, gloopy squares, chocolate-covered raisins, chocolate-covered cherries, chocolate-covered-anything-of-any-kind, etc.
Whew. Wish me luck. Now, in the world of running. Last week was great! With my calculation error on Tuesday, I ran a total of 10.5 miles, which is 1.5 miles less than I was supposed to run, but still - Rome wasn't built in a day, people. Thursday's and Saturday's runs were great because of a new running buddy! A friend from college heard through my friend Boe that I was just starting to train, and she had been looking to get back into running, so voila! She lives right near my office downtown, so its super convenient, and she has some great routes already mapped through the City! Running through downtown is much better than I thought - we head down quiet streets with little traffic, PLUS, sometimes we have to stop to cross a semi-busy street, and man, does that feel good. Saturday's 4-miler was such a great feeling, even though it was only 36 degrees. I'm still having to stop a few times to catch my breath, but I'm working on that.
Anyway, there you go, you're updated, are you happy?! I kid. This week's schedule, so that you can follow along and keep me accountable is below. Also, check out Mexi's new blog here - say hi and welcome her to the Blog world!
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles or cross
Wednesday: 3 miles + strength
Thursday: rest
Friday: 30 min. cross
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: Stretch/strength
Ciao!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Training begins…and its rough in 40-degree weather!
Well hello, there!
I’m so sorry I’ve left y’all high and dry for the last month. I’m only going to say that I thoroughly enjoyed December and the major events that occurred during it – Mexi’s wedding, Gilly and Co.’s big Christmas party, Christmas and New Years. Oh yeah! And Croft started walking!! That was very exciting for me to get to see, on New Years Day.
Ok, so – Happy New Year! My training for the half marathon, and the one following it 3 weeks later, officially began on Monday, January 4th. I have 16 full weeks until the half marathon in Nashville, which I registered for a few days before the price increase. Boe, my amazing ATL friend, is registering next week. Sad news from Gilly – she will be unable to participate in the half, but is going to join me on the trip and cheer us on! I will miss her on my runs (no, this is not a guilt trip!!).
A while back, Gilly found a training schedule online at Hal Higdon’s website. It looked great, and he’s a professional runner, so we thought this was the best to use. And it is. My friend JAM and I had dinner on Sunday (refer to post “SLACK is spelled J-E-N-N-Y” for more info on this friend) and had a great time. We talked about lots of stuff, but the reason behind our dinner outing was that I wanted to get his advice and help on my training. Of course, I forgot my training schedule, but JAM asked me to send it to him the next day and also to update him weekly with how my runs were going. So not only did he agree to be my running “mentor”, he took my training schedule and expanded it from a 12-week schedule to a 16-week schedule to fit perfectly from now until April 24th. He also pointed me to a great website that lets you map any route you want and shows you the length in tenths of miles. It’s really neat – check it out if you’re just starting like me and have no idea where to run around your area. I have mapped about 5 routes since Monday.
I will post the schedule in the next post, because I can’t figure it out right now. I want everyone to know exactly what I’m doing everyday, so that if, at any given time in the next 16 weeks, anybody (and by anybody, I mean the 10 people who read this blog) can ask me what I did in the way of training that day, I will have to tell them. Because they’ll know what I was supposed to have done and they’ll know if I’ve done it. Because I’m a terrible liar. So, I invite YOU (yes, you!), to keep me on my toes and ask me about my training e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y. I’m going to tell you right now what I’ve done so far, since I don’t have the schedule posted yet. Monday, I did stretch and strengthen. Stretches – easy. Strengthen – easy. The last “strength” exercise was lunges. KILL ME NOW. I am STILL sore and it hurts to stand up and sit down from my chair at work. Tuesday (yesterday) I went for a 2.5 mile run. I was supposed to do 3, but I made an error in calculation. Easily fixed. It was 39-degrees when I started, but I was honestly not that cold. Today I was scheduled for either 2 miles or cross-training. Since I have no bike and my sister/tennis partner is incapacitated right now having had leg surgery 3 weeks ago and her appendix out last night, I chose to compromise and run 1 mile. It was cold.
Tomorrow is 3 miles again. Saturday is 4. I promise promise promise to keep you updated with (at least) weekly updates on my training.
WISH ME LUCK!!
xoxo
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