Looking For My Mojo and Counting My Blessings

All day today, all week really, I've been feeling a bit on the moody side.  I've found myself feeling irritated and just "OFF".  Off my game, my routine.  My mojo is all messed up.  I know that a big part of it is that my house is torn up since the kitchen is still being done.  Yes, still.  6 days now.  Having all my kitchen in boxes and scattered around our small home has made it difficult for me to eat the way I usually do and this has been a big part of my "offness". I've spent the week eating tons of CRAP!! 


Today I found myself quietly complaining  and worrying about all sorts of things:
*  The pouring rain that made getting my race packet and running the course with my son NOT SO FUN.
*  My fighting kids who are just as ready to have their house back as I am.  
*  The guilt over skipping my repeat 1600's yesterday because I was too stressed about getting my painting done and feeling scattered from being in a torn up house all day. Funny thing is that I couldn't sleep because I had too much energy in my legs.  I almost got up at 3 a.m to run just so I could sleep.  My body is so conditioned to running hard that it hasn't known what to do with this recovery week of easier workouts.  
*  being dehydrated because I am not drinking as much waters as usual
*  Being a little worried about leaving my son tomorrow...not because I can't leave my kids...just because I know what a hard time he is having right now and for him to wake up and have someone else there is going to be hard on him.  What mother doesn't have a hard time with knowing their kids will struggle with something?  Yes, I already know that he will be fine.  No worries on giving me any of those lectures.  ;)  
*  Being a little stressed about having the kitchen workers here again tomorrow (they were supposed to be done) when I'm at my race and the babysitter is here.  
*  Just that sick feeling in my stomach that I always get before running a 5k.  But I'm over it..this is a new day for me.  I'm no longer holding on to those old bags.  :) 


And then whenever I would find myself griping and moaning, I would remind myself:
*  How pathetic it is to be grumpy about my kitchen not being done yet when I am GETTING A NEW KITCHEN!  Nothing to complain about.
*  The people in Japan who are suffering right now.  Many many people have lost people they love, their homes, and their own lives.  This alone makes me grateful to even have any of the small things in my life, let alone the big ones.  
*  I have some great kids!  Love them!  They are stressed too and they want to have their normal routines back just as much as I do.  


So, here's to rain in Portland!  I'll just have to make the most of it!

And here's to finishing out kitchen and deciding on a paint color.  We bought some way too expensive brown mocha like paint but it was way too drab for our tastes so we are going to go with COLOR!  I love color!  We are thinking the dark green.  

Good luck to all of you racing this weekend!  Again, I am so excited to get a chance to catch up on some of your blogs.  I miss the inspiration I get from so many of you. I've truly grown and pushed myself to do so many new things because of you!


 1. What's new with you?  Celebrations?  Disappointments?  Races?  Life?  Things your children have done that make you laugh?  


2. What is your biggest tip for racing a good 5k?  


3.  Do you race in shorts even if it is 30-40 degrees outside?  Trying to figure out if I'm wearing shorts or tights.  


Amanda

I Have a Problem

Hey Blog Peeps! Welcome new readers!  If you're in the Portland area, the Portland Running Company is having a sale this weekend so go check it out!

I've been taking sort of a blog break the past few days so sorry if I have missed out on commenting on some of your wonderful blogs!  I've just really been needing to be off the computer and be more PRESENT with my kids and myself.  It has been nice.  We are also neck deep in kitchen remodel so the kitchen has been in the living room and dining room and this makes for some craziness.  It is coming along though and I'm so excited! 

Our Kitchen workers Tina and John are Awesome!  Bless their hearts for working through all the craziness of three kids and a mommy ranting all day. 

I went back to Portland Running Company today to return my Asics and get another pair of Brooks Launch since I LOVE them so much!  Just as I was leaving to attempt to go do this and go to a paint store to choose paint for my kitchen alone with my three energetic kids, my awesome babysitter text me to ask if she could come hang out.  Instead, she went along with us!  What a blessing!  I was prepared to use some MAJOR bribery but instead had her to help out!  

Unfortunately, having Katy along meant more time for me to shop in Portland Running Company which wasn't necessarily a good thing since everything was on sale.  Help me now!  I have a problem.  I've never been a big shopper.  I'm not one of those women that has to have all the latest fashion accessories or fancy shoes.  Running gear, however, has become an entirely different issue.  I must get a grip.  

I did get some great deals and things that I will use daily!  

A pair of recovery socks for myself and one for my dear husband.  Perhaps we will wear them in our 5k this weekend.  

As a mother that rarely does her hair, another hat is a perfect thing to spend my money on.  And one on sale is even better!

Love these!  I also have a pair of the Asics ones but I like these much better.  They are both great.  

I've heard good things about this Glutamine recovery drink.  Janae has convinced me to get some!  Thanks Janae!  I'll be having some tonight after my repeat miles.  And also after my 5k on Sunday!

And then, who doesn't love mail?!  Awhile back, I won a giveaway from Jill for some Fitness Edge Protein Powder Sports Drink.  Yeah, I got it today as soon as I came home from my shopping.  Thanks Jill!  

Hope to catch up with everyone soon!  So sorry if I'm bad at responding to comments these days.  I still treasure each and every comment and really hope to respond as soon as life slows down a bit.  

Happy Friday,

Amanda

Learning In Progress

Taking my early years of this and combining it with....

Some good ol' life experience like this....

And then three times of this.

Then getting back into things with a new passion and perspective.

Gaining yet another perspective from this.  Injury and Rehab.

Then finding new wisdom and information in these. Learning things I've never even known about! 

And this!  Deciding on a plan/program,

Finding my Target Pace Level to start with and deciding on a goal to work towards.

Then learning as much as I can.

And eating good food, getting rest, and asking lots of questions.  

And here I am.  A learner.  I continue to reflect, work hard, and take steps towards improvement!  I'm so very thankful for all I've learned from so many of you.  Today I woke up with a lot of questions on my mind about my training and the paces I've been running my speed workouts in.  I started really coming down on myself for probably running my mile repeats too fast (more like 5k pace instead of 10k pace) and I was worrying about what this would mean for possible burn out and peaking too soon. Kind of freaking out in an "Amanda freak out kind of way"...the kind that really warrants a slap on the head and a "Chill out!" from those that know and love me.  

 But then I was able to take a step back, talk about it with some of my favorite blog friends who are oh so wise and basically take a "chill pill".  I was able to digest my worrying with a grain of salt, trust my training plan book and program which comes highly recommended and is based on lots of research and chalk it all up to part of the learning experience.  Isn't this one of the greatest things about life?!  That we continue to learn?!  

Everything we do...as runners, athletes, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends....it is all part of the big scheme of things and we learn from it all.  I'm always thankful for opportunities to reflect and learn more.  I'm thankful for things I read  and hear that make me take a hard look at what I'm doing and refocus on my end goal.  

So, the conclusion is in:  I'm going to keep trusting my plan, my years of experience and have faith that the end result will be awesome!  It is hard to trust the process sometimes.  For me this means that I need to remind myself that I am still in the beginning phases of this longer training program that I trust and I will need to run slower paces sometimes even if I am "feelin' it" and want to push it harder.  My tune-up races will give me a chance to push it and then reevaluate where my Target Pace Level is. 

Okay, really this was just a long ramble of personal reflections.  More of a blog for ME than one written for an audience but I figure these types of posts serve a purpose too.  Even if it is just for my own personal reflections to go back to later.  I should just cut this out and put it in my running journal.  I think I will!  

1.  Do you ever have a hard time trusting the process?  With running plans, parenting, etc?

2.  What's a goal you have in your life right now that is very important to you?  

My marathon training is really important to me right now.  I wan to so badly to push myself to some more intense levels...to really see what I can do as a runner.  It is also very very important to me to make the most of this time I have to be home with my children.  I know I won't have this time forever and they will GROW so fast.  Big goal to be in the moment and cherish them fully!

3.  Are you a self-motivated learner?  Do you do well with teaching yourself things and learning through reading, research, etc. or do you do better with having a class, teacher, coach, or some sort of formal education to help you learn? 

 I think that my five years of homeschool where I taught myself everything (Algebra, History, Science, etc. Even planning my own lessons using the teacher manuals) really helped me learn more independently.  I think it is really awesome that there is a book out there for pretty much everything and anything.  With the right amount of focus, time and motivation, I think we can learn just about anything!  Of course, it helps to have lots of people to bounce ideas off of and talk about things with...this is part of learning for me.  One reason I love this blog so much!

Amanda