Streaking. Again. No, not that kind.

Typical of 2020, and now 2021, to have me changing my plans every few weeks. I’m working on being flexible, spontaneous…all those things I’m really not.

Back up a little. Remember when I committed to a run streak in January? The only reason I’m not behooving you to remember when I completed the run streak in January is because the stomach bug from hell invaded my body and I have zero recollection of a few days. I ran 27 days. But who’s counting?

credit to polinakovaleva.com via pexels.com

Fast forward. May 1st began a new opportunity for a run streak. Since I nixed the Memorial Day runs in favor of survival (the heat could kill me), I wanted something to keep me running. Enter the run streak! 11 miles was my longest run in April so I feel confident a run streak can be progressive.

Surprisingly, not one time since January have I used a treadmill. I’m free! Yes, I’m lucky to have one but it’s such a fun sucker. Plugging away on a black belt of doom, going nowhere not even fast. Ugh. No thanks.

But if the weather becomes unmanageable, my trusty steed of running equipment will be there. Patiently waiting. Which reminds me I really gotta find that big fan. Because if anyone can have a heat stroke indoors, it would be me.

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I ask you –

May goals?

Do you have indoor sporting equipment? I can see how golf wouldn’t be ideal.

Tell me your Memorial Day plans!

Whose idea was this?

How do people have time to binge shows? Maybe I’m doing this all wrong. One of my favorite radio shows plays a game where the hosts have to guess what show it is based on clues, like theme song, date it aired, etc. I never get the show right presumably because I haven’t watched any of them. Hahha presumably.

Is this a time management issue? A priority issue? I do like television. There are shows I enjoy so what’s the deal?

Feels like I never have enough hours in my day for hobbies. For me, a schedule is like a chessboard where each piece has its place and I try to fit checkers into the empty spots. Plug and play! Sometimes it’s an ‘oh crap, I need to paint my toenails’. Then there’s the ‘did I send out thank you cards yet?” No, those are still sitting atop your laptop. Other times, and this is my favorite, ‘I have a blog idea!’ so I rush off to write it down before it ends up in a forgotten heap.

in case you thought running was glamorous

To hear others tell it, failure is a good thing. Check out this article about goals. The process of achieving a goal is perhaps more important to long term success than actually achieving the goal. So all the training, all the extra required sleep, all the fretting is worth more than crossing the finish line. This is why I’ve decided to nix the race at the end of the May. A different opportunity has presented itself and I know full well if it happens sooner rather than later I won’t be able to do both. Promise I’ll fill you all in when the time is right. For now, I’m still following the training plan for the most part; with the weather getting warm quickly, I’m doing the best I can to listen to my body and plan for the days ahead. By faith, I’ve been able to run faster than I’ve ever run before nearly this entire cycle. Amazing what you can do when you let go.

Well, geez, why didn’t I think of that myself?!

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I ask you –

What hobbies do you enjoy?

Are you good at trivia questions?

Give me your best piece of advice!

Small Town Living

Sometimes I discover I’ve let draft posts sit much longer than desired so I slink back to them, apologize profusely, and edit until I love them. It’s been at least a year since we traveled through Saint Jo, Texas, population 12. So the year is probably correct, but the population may be off by, like, 4.

A true and proper town square cannot be beaten. It’s one thing to point someone to the downtown area, but to say you have a town square is reminiscent of Civil War-era canons and ball gowns covered in tulle. Only the itchiest of fabrics were acceptable.

Though I wasn’t able to go inside to evaluate the vintageness myself, when I peeked through the windows, it looked to be a small shop meets flea market. I’m not one to wax poetic, but I do love a good market! Especially if it’s been upgraded with a coffee shop!

Decorating the town square should be a citizen-led event; a right of passage, if you will. When I was a young girl, our tiny 1A school would have a Christmas parade through the center of town near the tomato shed. Don’t laugh. The tomato shed was iconic. It was where a platform stood that had long ago been used by people to rest on while waiting for the next train. Nothing beats driving through a small town to see how decorated and festive it is at holidays.

Can’t say I’ve ever met Howard, but he must be royalty to have his name on the theater’s marquee.

Located right outside of the “Vintage Market”, a place where folks can meet, talk, and decide on what movie to see next. Remember how in the movie Titanic, they continue to flash back and forth between what it looked like at the bottom of the ocean and how it might have looked while setting sail? My mind envisions a lovely couple sitting here, coffee between them. Or perhaps strangers passing between towns. Or even me.

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I ask you –

Do you ever think about what small towns might have looked like eons ago?

Were you raised in a small town? Tell me about it!

Just like any good slogan, I think town squares are for memories.

Library List

Check out Embrace the Chaos’ post. Any one of her suggestions familiar?

Some ship’s XO whose name I can’t recall (the ship or the XO) has a reading list so when one of the Sailors mentioned this book I knew I had to get it.

Then, whilst perusing books at the local big box store of rambunctious children and other questionable characters, I stumbled upon the below gem of pulverized tree material. This series is so much fun! My best friend got me hooked when she offered me the first book to read only a month before I left for boot camp.

I’m also a huge fan of anything in JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but they’re a bit smutty so maybe skip it if you have reservations. Smut is such a funny word. McKenna something-or-other is also really good, but those are the smuttiest of smutty. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series can’t be beat. Unless you don’t like laughing until you cry. Which I do. After I finish what I have on hand, it’s time to head to the library because I heard Michael Connelly has more Bosch novels out. I’m so excited I could scream!

Now here I am surrounded by books. And not a bookmark in site. I’ll search for it later.

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I ask you –

What’s on your summer reading list? I need more ideas.

Do you typically order books online or find them in store?

Choose one and tell me why: books or movies? Books! Because the imagery comes alive in only my mind.

Upcoming Ideas!

I’ve finally got it! My next creative writing project will be titled “From Bed to Tread” and will feature the catchphrase similar to this – Today on From Bed to Tread, we’re going to show you things you shouldn’t do! Bonus points if you read this in your best Robin Leach voice. I didn’t realize he had passed in 2018. Looks like you have a chance to continue his legacy then. Good luck!

Even though I’m able to extend my lunch to total about 90 mins, it’s to the point where I need between 90-120 mins to complete my runs. First world problems. And since Texas is beginning to do what Texas does (aka get hot) I’ve started getting up around 5am to be out the door about 30 mins later. No wonder I’m tired at 6pm.

always my baby

Since mini will be leaving me for a 10 week Tennessean adventure soon, I’ve been brainstorming some summer goals/projects/etc. If you thought I was about to share them here, you’re wrong. I haven’t come up with anything yet. Yet. I want to return to a full keto routine which isn’t really that hard. Just do it! I’d like to read as many books as possible. I also want to ride my bike more than once every two weeks. Hashtag training problems.

Of course all of these things will be post-Memorial Day. From the moment I decided to only run 1 half marathon vice 3, I’ve felt overall more relaxed and prepared to run. The ability to incorporate more rest days into the week instead of running multiple days in a row has been calming. Even my resting heart rate has decreased. I was constantly feeling guilty for taking long lunches toward the end of each week because I my weekends were super busy with family and 5 yr old activities so I was juggling running midway through the work day. Or getting up very early and being unable to go to bed earlier to counteract it. Although I fully realize this is a decision I willingly made, balancing what I love to do and other priorities in life is really hard. Soap box, I’ll stop now.

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I ask you –

Do your plans change from summer to winter? In what way most often?

Would you rather get up early or go to bed early?

Tell me your optimum lunch period! ex. 30 mins, 1 hour, etc.

Old Age and such / Today is a Very Special Day!!

Trying to go to sleep many nights ago, I remembered when I feared I had a stress fracture. Because bedtime is the perfect time for your brain to think about…everything. At the time, I was routinely wearing steel-toed boots for my job as a government contractor. Those suckers are heavy! Pretty sure the boots hadn’t caused the possible injury, so I was looking for other reasons. Mileage and running were the culprits, in my mind.

Stretching with my shadow

Some weeks went by and as I was contemplating finally calling my doctor I realized the problem. As a right-side sleeper, I typically lay with my left leg over the top of my right with my left heel wedged firmly into the top of my right foot. Exactly where the pain was. Once I made a conscious decision to move my feet away from each other, the pain subsided within days.

So what exactly is the point of this jog down memory lane? Honestly, I don’t remember anymore but I’m sure there’s a lesson here somewhere.

Now it’s coming back to me! My coworker recently shared women should be getting their first mammogram around age 35. Wait. I’m 35. So now I need to remember to call my doctor. At least the coworker said colonoscopy screening is near age 40. Small favors. You can bet I’ll be sharing all those details.

Again, I digress. Seems the pulled ACL/MCL issue I’ve been toying with for many months now may be caused by none other than yours truly. Shocking, I know. When I’m sitting or have my legs up – which I do often – I tend to cross my feet at the ankles, left over right. This position places strain on my inner right knee which is exactly where I develop bruising and pain especially as training mileage increases. Coincidence? Ha!

1 of 5

So here we are to this point. I’m attempting to keep my legs in their proper places. Preferably not kicking anyone, although I did take a knee to the shin one night and considered it. Next thing you know I’ll forget where that bruise came from because middle 30s and all.

Final thought: speaking of old age – today is my sweet baby’s 5th birthday. It’s so hard to believe because I could never imagine this day. Everything about her pushes me to be a better person. Even when it’s not-so-sweet qualities. She knows my every button, my every weakness, my every desire for all good things in her life. Yet she tries me still. She tree, me apple.

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I ask you –

Do you self diagnose or make an immediate appointment with professionals?

Be honest – how often do you forget things?

Coincidences don’t exist! I’ll say it.

When? What’s When?

Knowing when to say when is very important.
My De Facto Running Coach

But it doesn’t mean it won’t hurt your pride or your feelings.

Let me back up a little. I’d found myself so accustomed to weeks of great runs that it was bound to happen yet I still wasn’t ready. Who is ever really ready? Maybe the signs had been there all day. Kel, they were there. I took it easy, stayed off my feet, ate like I should, did all the things. Yet something felt ‘off’.

So a few steps into mile 1, when my calves cramped up and began to burn like hell’s firecrackers and my hamstrings didn’t dare let my calves have a party without them, I knew I was in trouble. May I remind you – this was only mile 1. Of 8!

It’s not unusual (read: it happens more often than not) for mile 1 to give me issues. Rather I believe it’s my brain struggling to accept what I’m doing. I usually power through it, find my stride, and keep on moving. Somehow this was entirely different. When I began to hobble and parts of my body began to bounce that don’t normally bounce (that’s a picture, isn’t it), I knew it was time to make a big decision. A) Continue with an altered gait and possibly do damage or B) Call it and go home to cry.

In true dramatic fashion, I silently drove home and felt a few tears fall while I massaged, foam rolled, rehydrated, and rested my weary heart, I mean legs.

Being able to say ‘when’ isn’t a lesson that comes naturally. It’s a struggle in humility. Or desperation. However, good things come of humbling yourself. Like re-working your schedule to add a missed run on the backend, just like you designed in case of situations like this because your brain knew sometimes… you’ll have to say when.

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I ask you –

How hard is it to admit your pride has been bruised?

Do you consider yourself to be a dramatic person? I’m only dramatic in story telling.

Tell me a situation where you had to say when.

Prime Time + Ramblings

Occasionally I write about more than running plans and the craziness of motherhood. Occasionally. Spring time is my favorite – there’s the element of renewal and new growth, the promise of warmer weather and snow cones! A genius invented syrup-covered ice! Fall is by far my favorite time of year, but spring definitely has its perks.

how’s your life insurance policy?

For example, flowers! Specifically, jonquils. Not daffodils. The caveat here is because of the subfreezing temperatures we experienced mid-February the jonquils made their on time reveal then promptly (and I mean within days) shriveled and died. Anticlimactic. I’m truly devastated. Those are my forever favorite flower; they bloom on or near my birthday each year and I adore seeing them. Poof. Gone.

In terms of weather, it couldn’t be more perfect minus those random, severe, possibly tornadic storms. The little things, you know. Why do they always happen near or after bedtime? Could they not be more sympathetic to my need for sleep? A racing heart doth not good sleep make. Oh, Texas, why can’t you just get it together!

more branded stuff

Not so long ago, Morgan (with the near to my own birthday) asked if 35 meant we were officially in our “prime”. Before I could give it too much thought, lest she think I was indeed giving it too much thought, I emphatically replied “Of course!” Because I know very little about many things. But when I actually intended to overthink this idea of being in one’s prime – “the beginning of our prime” as she clarified – I decided it’s true. I really don’t know much.

And if that one sentence doesn’t sum up this blog in a neat and tidy package probably nothing will!

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I ask you –

Seriously, who invented snow cones?

How much do meteorologists earn? Bet it’s not commission based!

Prime number? Prime age? I’m saying yes!

Oh Where…is My Hairbrush?

It’s not unusual I find odd things in my purse, but sometimes I crack up at the scavenger hunter’s dream it has become. Fruit snacks? Check! Hair ties and barrettes? Check, Check! Sunscreen? Got it! Random banana? I have one of those! You just never know what you’ll find.

My Navy days have never let me down in terms of hydration. Though I’ve been known to let myself down. Water is a staple. I go nowhere without it. Luckily a huge purse can carry water bottles, too.

Something about springtime or maybe it’s just spring training makes me crave sandwiches. I grew up hating sandwiches so this is a big deal. Bread = yuck. Cheese = double yuck. Slowly I’ve come around to the adoption of the sandwich as a viable food option. Pile it high with vegetables and add “special sandwich sauce” aka Boar’s Head Deli Dressing. Ta-da! A sandwich connoisseur I am! Surprisingly the training hunger hasn’t kicked in. Yet. But it shouldn’t be too long until it does. Then the real fun begins. I’ll take a baker’s dozen of donuts, please! No, I’m not sharing these!

Maybe instead of “I Met All My Husbands in the Police Report” I should start with something easier to digest, like “The Sandwich Stories!” Would I become a food blogger then? Nah. Seems like a lot of pressure for someone who really only wants to cook chicken and fish and vegetables. Maybe next time.

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I ask you –

Are you the familial stuff holder?

What food did you despise as a child but love now?

Name the craziest thing you’ve found in your purse or pockets!

What I Really Miss!

Lies of Motherhood and other things they said I would enjoy but do not:

You’ll miss: getting kicked in the back or spleen or forehead whilst co-sleeping
You’ll miss: spending hundreds of dollars to dress them each season
You’ll miss: the level of exhaustion that comes from any sentence beginning with “Help Me”
You’ll miss: being bitten during breastfeeding
You’ll miss: throwing snacks at them like wild animals poised to attack
You’ll miss: a snarky ‘Why?!’ when asking them to do anything (including the things they WANT to do)

Truth be told, there’s people even funnier than me. And I don’t say that lightly. Here’s where I’d like to share I’m a tough crowd, that it takes a lot to make me laugh. But that’s a big lie! I laugh at everything: you, me, the dream I had last week where I literally woke myself up laughing loudly. Let’s not forget I’m still laughing about what made me laugh at my dad’s funeral nearly 25 years ago. I just now nearly made a joke that started with “we’ve got a live one” but I see I’m talking about a funeral so live one jokes might be a bit much.

Considering starting a spin-off of Running on Fumes titled “I Met All My Husbands in the Police Report”. Perhaps it won’t be received well, but I’m overflowing with great ideas! Also, did you know there is a limit to how many espresso shots Starbucks will give you before they cut you off?! Me neither! And it’s 12. Now you know.

I leave you with this: A woman was asked ‘What is the best thing about being 104 years old?’ She replied: ‘No peer-pressure.’

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I ask you –

What on my list reasonates with you?

Do you think my spin-off title will endear me to anyone?

Share your best joke!