I slipped my feet into my new Brooks Adrenaline Trail shoes. They are my same shoes but with a cool new color scheme. I also have brand new stable-trac inserts in these shoes. They felt odd at first. The arch was too high. I repositioned them and they felt much better.

Out the door, I ran into 2 of our old employees who were meeting up for lunch. It was nice to see them. We chatted for a couple of minutes and I was on my way with music playing.

The plan today:
- run with music.
- ignore the world.
- work off excess stress and emotions.

Although, 3 miles was on the schedule, I know that this short of distance would not do the job. I'd certainly be out for a bit longer run.

I went out in the same direction as I did with Mark on Wednesday. I was thoroughly enjoying my music, but my pace was a bit faster than I wanted. I had to consciously back it down. I continued out on the trail, passing the bird watchers, the dog walkers, and the people just enjoying their books while perched on the benches that lined the baylands.

About 2 1/2 miles out, I turned around. I stopped to change my playlist to some slow music with the intention of easing back my running pace through the music. It didn't work. It just made the run more surreal. I was on the home stretch with "What a Wonderful World" playing. I was finishing as strong as ever as I looked around at the "skies of blue", and "trees of green". It was all good.

And then I stopped. I began my stretching and the song came on. I was reminded of the reason that I had wanted to run alone and block out the world. I began to cry. I felt helpless as I walked back into the building dripping in sweat with my eyes filled up with tears. It's been a year (almost), but it comes back in waves.

The song, "Live Like You Were Dying" said it all. It's not just about living your life to its fullest. It also reminds you to give your love away to those you care about. Don't leave them guessing whether or not you love them. Be together while you have time, because in a moment...it's gone. You might not even get the chance to say, "Good-Bye."

Posted by Juls at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Earlier this week, and on a number of occasions before, I have been controlled by the numbers game. Okay, honestly, I let it the numbers control me. I'm okay with that. It keeps me focused.

Those days of running 3.5 miles, when the schedule calls for 4 miles, are gone. I no longer round up. I did once do this - in the beginning. I really did. I figured that it all came out in the wash. I estimated mileage based on a perceived pace. I am sure that my actual pace in those days was perceived as much faster than it really was.

Tom and I would have long discussions where he would do some calculations and tell me that my 4 mile run was only about 3.6 miles. I would tell him that I was pretty sure that I had run 4 miles and I wasn't going to run any more. Tom, who was also training for the Napa Valley Marathon (it was the 1st marathon for both of us), would then run farther down the railroad tracks with certainty that he was doing the allotted mileage.

My goal was just to finish the marathon. I didn't worry back then; I was pretty sure that I could finish even if I had to walk the last 6.2 miles. But times have changed. Just finishing is no longer satisfying. I want my BQ!

These days, I have Garminia. She tells it how it is, or at least how she sees it. I, in turn, run until she signals that I have gone the required distance, and not a hundredth of mile short of that. If, when motion based corrects the distance, I have run farther than required, I think of it as a bonus. If motion based shortens the distance, I ignore the new number and log the number that Garminia gave me. * sigh* It's just how it is with me.

You see, it is all in how you look at things. Take Brendan for example. He is only 6 years old. Brendan's Mom was worried about Brendan making the adjustment from the short days of kindergarten, to the full days of 1st grade. When she picked him up after school, she asked him how his day was. She braced herself for a meltdown. He hadn't been too keen on waking up early. He really preferred staying home to going to school. But Brendan's reply surprised her. He said, "First Grade is GREAT. We did two math problems and had THREE recesses."

So there you go. It's all in how you look at the numbers.

Posted by Juls at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My shin has stopped being tender. I can push the area with my thumb and all is fine. I continued with my icing regimen anyhow. I just want to be sure.

At lunch, I took to the trails for an easy 6 mile run. I had planned to take my break a little earlier than usual so I told Mark that I would run alone. But when the time rolled around for me to go, he was also leaving on his run. We were both planning the same run route. It seemed pointless to run separately - only not.

We started the run out together. It was a little faster than I wanted to go for this initial testing stage. We were rapidly getting farther and farther away from the office. Mark had planned to simulate Yasso's, and I had planned to not do speed. At the end of the parking lot, he began his 1st 3 minutes of fast running while I continued at my own pace behind.

It was hard to let him get that far ahead of me. I tried to resist the urge to go along with him but found that my pace had picked up quite a bit anyhow. I stopped resisting and just let it go. After 3 minutes had passed, Mark turned around to meet back up with me and we continued until his next interval (3 minutes later).

So there I was doing a 6 mile run, and not exactly doing intervals but certainly picking up the pace, holding it for 3 minutes, and then dropping back for 3 minutes. After a while, I noticed that I was running at my Yasso pace and Mark was well ahead. He wasn't circling back anymore either. He would just walk until I caught up with him.

It was a good run for me. I finished feeling refreshed, happy to be running again, and feeling like I could go for another 6 miles. I iced up for good measure.

Posted by Juls at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I was so happy to find that my muscles were not the least bit sore after Sunday's run. It wasn't that I expected it, but I really haven't been doing all that much hill climbing this year so I was ready for it. I wasn't sore, but Monday is scheduled as a cross training day, so I spent the work day, well "working". No break for lunch. I just worked straight through.

By the time 4 pm rolled around, I was ready to make for the door. I decided to walk over towards my carpool buddy's place of business. I couldn't tolerate any more sitting. It was while walking that I noted my right lateral shin was tender. I could feel that little ouch with each push off of my foot.

I put my bike on the trainer last night and went for a spin in my backyard. I've never used my bicycle trainer in the backyard, but it was very nice to feel the cool breeze. The view was nice too.

Today, I did some light weight lifting exercises and also did some cross training. I was on the machine that is called the "natural runner" of all things. I can tell you that there is nothing natural about it. All of the "natural runners" in my work's fitness center are also calibrated so that you could work hard for 30 minutes and only register 1.5 miles in distance. You know how I am about numbers. I could go crazy watching the speed, or lack of, displaying on the screen.

Well after 1.5 miles of cross training, I feel the need to do something that has meaning. It's 9 pm and I am fighting the urge to get back on the bike for a little bit more of a real workout. At least then I would have some numbers worth logging.

I'll wait to see how I feel after I get this ice pack off of my leg.

Posted by Juls at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

My weight loss has slowed down this week. No, more accurately put, I've gained. Very little, but a gain is a gain. Okay, perhaps I am obsessing too much. I just want this whole diet thing to be done with already. I want to be at the end point already.

It's not that I have gone off course. I believe it is because I've gotten lazy. "Lazy" in my tracking of my calories. I've just been blindly following the JC plan and trying to stick to it as much as possible. In fact, I've just been packing a breakfast item, lunch item, package of dressing, and snack in my bag each day. My latte counts as a milk and I add a piece of fruit in the morning. At lunch, I add a salad to the JC meal. I eat the snack prior to leaving for home and another snack before I cook dinner for the family. I eat my JC dinner with 2 additional vegtables, and then another snack.

But, I have discovered that I have probably been too short on calories in the past 4-5 days. I input yesterday's food intake into my palm program only to find a deficit of 650 calories. That's 200 less calories than I've planned. I wonder how bad it was over the weekend when I had 1 and 2 hour runs, and a 1 hour bike ride. Sometimes I think that I am too obsessive about things and so I ease up. Just look what happens.

Then there's my running obsessing. I've always been religious about tracking the miles on my shoes, but I have been lazy lately. While I have been good about identifying which shoes I run in on BTT, it appears that I missed some miles along the line. My right upper outer shin is tender to touch. Just tender, but this is the first sign. While it is nothing alarming, I will not ignore body. It is calling for new shoes, ice, and another day of cross training.

I guess there are benefits to my Type-A tendencies.
Track - Track - Track.

Posted by Juls at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It was a tough night. NOT like those nights when BoBo was an infant, and I was working long 12 hour night shifts in the pediatric ICU - to come home to my sleep deprived husband - who was just waiting for me to arrive so that he could head off to work - and I had no sitter. No. Not that kind of tired.

I was exceptionally beat from the activities from Saturday. It wasn't much more than my usual weekend stuff. Besides my run, Tom, YaYa and I went for another "family bike ride." These are done at a pretty leisurely pace, but perhaps the extra time in the sun took it out of me.

I was drained by the time I laid down with YaYa at about 9:30 pm...or so. A bit later in the night, I woke up and went to my own empty bed. Tom and BoBo were out at the movies watching Invincible.

I guess it was around 1:30 am when I heard Tom's voice from downstairs. He was reading some of his writing. A piece that I was familiar with. Perhaps it was the piece about his Dad, or the story about YaYa seeing the Easter play. Which writing piece is not important. What is important is that he was reading it OUTLOUD.

Well, at least I knew that he and BoBo had gotten home safely. I got up and closed the door. I went back to sleep. At least I think that I went back to sleep. I can't be sure. Ever since I had kids, I've gotten to where I sleep so lightly that I hear every noise both in and out of our house. Through the wee hours of the morning, I was awoken several more times. By the time YaYa showed up at the side of my bed, I gave up any hope of getting rested up for today's run. Perhaps today will be the day that I get left behind, I thought. Perhaps I should bring my iPod just in case.

After JC's French Toast and a cup of black coffee, I grabbed my fully loaded fuel-belt (with 1 package of GU and some water, and Ultima) and was on my way out the door. By the time I arrived at the park, Cindy and Mark had already met Curt. We were on our way at 7 am.

It didn't feel like I was going fast but I kept slowing up for the rest of the gang in the first mile. My mind was a little askew from my sleep deprivation. I finally settled into a long run pace.

We hit the hill and Mark and I took the lead. Actually, Mark took the lead but I was on his heels and out of breath. We hit our rest and stretch spot in record time.

The run continued up and over the shorter hills and into the more fun part of the trails. I am not sure why it is more fun in this section - there's a short wooden fence around the curve that takes you onto the narrower trail that winds through and up the hills. It's shaded and borders the canyon below. Lovely, just lovely running. We went out for 10 minutes and turned back.

On the way back, Curt and I were up ahead. I was on a mission to make it back to the rest and stretch spot ahead of Mark and Cindy so that I could slip into the bushes for a minute or two. As I did that, Curt continued down the hill.

I minute later, I hear Mark and Cindy go by and head down the hill. I finished up my business and was soon back on course too. I chased them for a while before I caught them. We ran back while enjoying the conversation about this and that. I felt sort of bad that Curt had missed out on the more relaxing pace, but I guessed that he was enjoying his run in a different way and having the run of his life.

It turns out, I was right. He was all smiles when we saw him back at the parking lot. He and Cindy went out for 2 additional miles as Mark and I drove away for our Sunday family commitments. For me, this included coffee...more coffee!

Posted by Juls at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I started my run out a little faster than race pace. I kept trying to back down the pace as I ran along on the sidewalk with the oncoming traffic to my right. By the time I turned right and was heading towards the foothills, my current pace was reading 8:40/mile pace. This was right where I wanted it.

I had a little more cushion today as the soccer games were falling behind. I dropped YaYa off at 10:30 am. This was the warm up the coach wanted for the scheduled 11 am kick-off time. The games were playing about 30 minutes behind schedule, so YaYa's game might not occur until 11:30 am. Time was on my side.

I had no intentions of hurrying this workout.

With many of my past marathons starting out a bit on the fast time, I want to run my Saturday runs at 8:40/mile pace. That is my planned race pace. And while I know that you will quickly do the math and tell me that I only need to run 8:47/mile to hit my 3:50:59 BQ goal, *this* pace is my plan. It has been since I moved from a 3:45 BQ requirement to the 3:50 BQ requirement.

Mile 2 clicked off at 8:37. I was happy with this time. I felt the road begin to get steeper as I got closer to the base of the foothills. Then, just as I turned the corner, I saw the HILL. It wasn't all that long. Not as long and steep as this hills I'll be running tomorrow. But this was different. The road was hard pavement. Most of the time, I ran on the sidewalk to be clear from the traffic. There was not shade and, although the houses were the more expensive homes, the sights weren't all that pleasant.

I glanced down at my GPS. The screen showed my average pace for the current mile. It was a less pretty sight than the view around me. 9:45! Then, I glanced at the hill to my left. I wondered how much this was affecting the current reading. I tried not to look, continued to push, and keep my feet turn over stead. Finally, I was cresting the top. Mile 3 was 8:51 and I was already part of the way through mile 4.

As I came down the hill, I watched the lap pace and tried not to plow down too fast. The next mile clicked off at 8:39 and I was nearing the soccer fields. I did a quick estimation in my head and decided to pass the turn and head back to the school the back way. I guessed that this would add the needed distance taking into account a bit of GPS error due to the hills.

That last mile plus was a bit too fast. I guess that was why I felt like throwing up a one point. I don't know what happened - I think that I saw the numbers wrong and speed up. The final distance was 5.66 with an overall average pace of 8:25/mile.

*sigh*

Well...I did manage to keep to the 8:40/mile pace for MOST of the run. *sheepish grin*

Posted by Juls at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I’ve grown used to the idea of BoBo playing football. The summer of conditioning and practice has helped prepare me for the season. I guess my mind was in “conditioning” so to speak.

It was more curiosity then fear that I was feeling as I drove to the field after YaYa finished his swimming lessons. Today, it would only be a "scrimmage". I think that means it will be shorter.

The football schedule had Varsity, Frosh-Soph, and Freshman noted as a 5 pm start, so I had no idea if I had missed the Freshman playing by the time we arrived. As we were walking from the parking lot to the field, I heard a parent tell someone that “it was all over.” But then I heard that the freshman would be taking the field next. Perfect timing.

Let me just say that the good thing about BoBo playing quarterback is that it is easier to spot him. When I first looked on the field, I saw a boy that was similar in build to BoBo playing QB. His movements weren’t quite right; they weren’t BoBo-like. But as I continued to watch, the QB’s movements were suddenly BoBo-like after all. I didn’t see anyone come on or off the field. Whatever.

I sat with some of the other football Mom’s, and we all complained that we were having a hard time recognizing our kids out on the field. I played along because I wasn’t *100%* sure that I was watching BoBo...

...but I was *pretty* sure.
BoBo was playing well today,
and he *wasn’t* getting hurt.

So far, so good.

Posted by Juls at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Do you remember the Winnie the Pooh story about when Piglet Meets a Heffalump. It is so funny. Poor Piglet gets so flustered that he begins rambling incoherently.

"Help, help!" cried Piglet, "a Heffalump, a Horrible Heffalump!" and he scampered off as hard as he could, still crying out, "Help, help, a Herrible Hoffalump! Hoff, Hoff, a Hellible Horralump! Holl, Holl, a Hoffable Hellerump!" And he didn't stop crying and scampering until he got to Christopher Robin's house.

It is such a fantastic read. I thought of the story today. Here's why it came to mind:

I arrived at the office before 8 am. Although my desk may get cluttered during my work-day, I habitually put everything away neatly into folders and file it all away. So at first glance, things were calm at work.

And then I opened up my email. Yikes! 78 emails awaited me. Most of them demanded some action on my part. I have no idea why my being out of the office for 1 day resulted in such a huge backlog of emails. It was 10 am by the time I finished going through them and had several printed for closer reading, and others flagged for further action on my part.

"Help, help!" cried Julie, "a Backup, a Borrible BMail Backup!"

"Oh, dear. Oh, dear, dear, dear"
"I need a run"
"Oh, stink. I can't run; it's a rest day, and besides there is too much to do."

I don't know how I am ever going to survive this new role at work.
"Help, Help!"
and "Oh, bother!" (No. - Sorry, *that's* Eeyore's line)

Posted by Juls at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I have no idea why, but the act of registering for a race has a way of changing things. I know it. It's a fact. For this very reason, I don't usually get far into training without registering the event. In fact, I am usually registered by the time the training begins.

I am already 4 weeks along in the 18 week training plan for the California International Marathon (CIM). It was not until today, however, that I finally made the commitment. I finally made it official; I am running CIM in December. I've got 100 days left until race day. I need to buckle down and focus my efforts.

It's not the first time that I've run this race either. This will be my 3rd time, with the last time being last year. The other thing that I did today was that I finally finished and posted my race report from last year. It wasn't my best race but, despite all of the challenges that day, I learned a lot from it.

Posted by Juls at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I woke up hungry. My stomach hurt and my head ached. I went about my business, hoping the feeling would pass as I got some food into my stomach, if only just a little bit. BoBo was dropped off; I filled up my gas tank, and dropped YaYa off at the on-site childcare. On a chance that I might speak with his teacher, I walked over towards the classroom. No teacher in sight, so I returned to my van.

It wouldn't start. Actually, it started but then quickly died. I took some deep breaths. My headache was building. Why was this happening to me? I just can't go on wondering where I will be stranded. The van finally started. I began driving to the freeway with both relief and nervousness. By the time I got to the freeway, glanced at the line-up of cars, I decided that I just couldn't take it any more. I am sick - sick of wondering if my van will stall and leave me stranded, and sick with a stomach and headache.

So I took the van immediately to the dealership where I met up with Brian. Brain was a little caught up in the fact that, although I purchased my van at his dealership, I did not take my van there for regular servicing. It just isn't convenient. It's close to home, but when I am near home I need my van. He talked the talk about customer service and gave me a "90% accurate" diagnosis. Whatever. I just hoped it wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg.

Apparently, there is a valve that regulates the mixture of the gas and air as it enters the engine. Or something like that. If the improper amounts of air enter the engine, the van is unhappy and dies. It sounded vaguely familiar - like when I run too hard, or too long and I can't seem to get the proper mixture of air and fuel to fuel my hardworking heart and muscles. That's when my body dies. I think I understand.

I waited an excruciating amount of time for the friendly courtesy shuttle to give me a ride home. I watched the odometer closely to determine if I could run back to pick up the van when it was ready. I just couldn't bear to wait again. I wasn't buying Brian's theory that his dealership was better than the one by my work.

It turns out that Brian's diagnosis was accurate. Not only did he figure out the issue based on my verbal description, he also determined that I had an extended warranty. That was $400+ that I did NOT have to pay. Okay, that *is* good service.

I happily run 3.02 miles to pick up my van and satisfy my training schedule. My stomach remains a little iffy, but my head is happily relieved.

Posted by Juls at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tom and I got up extra early this morning to prepare a special 1st Day of School breakfast for the boys. Thank goodness we'd prepared for this last night.

The boys both had their school clothes laid out and the backpacks loaded for the day. I had the lunches packed too. Aside from the missing class schedule, they were ready to go.

Tom cooked up sausage for both boys, and eggs for BoBo. Since YaYa professes to hate eggs, I made him some French toast. Two large glasses of OJ and, ta-da, a perfect breakfast.

We were off without much incident. I took the yearly first day of school photo and we were in the car heading to the high school by 7 am. One by one, I dropped them off and wished them a good day.

Now, I sit and wait to find out how their days went. It's hard to say how much information BoBo will provide, being a teenager and all, but I anticipate YaYa having a thing or two to say about his day.

This is my way of being a spectator/supporter for them. They are not on a race course, but they are on a journey. I am on the sidelines cheering away, offering them some nutrition or hydration, and then waiting at the end of each milestone just in case I am needed for something.

Just as I do better when they are on the sidelines for me, I know that my being there is important even if I am never needed for anything. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Posted by Juls at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Instead of doing my strength workout, I was attending to a family crisis of sorts. We were out on combing the streets this evening, looking for my son's high school class schedule. With flashlights in hand, BoBo and I walked up and down the sidewalk and street between our house and Tim's. I have no idea how he could have lost it in a walk that is less than a block long. He did though.

I was frustrated and mad at him at first. We were on our way to locating his classes - something that he should have done on his own this past week. He didn't though.

Over the weekend I found an old video of him when he was about 2 years old. He was playing with his toys in the backyard. He was so small and sweet. Now he is taller than me and rapidly catching up to me in weight too. While we were getting ready to locate his classes (the ritual that I have done with him since he was in Kindergarten) I thought about how much he has grown up and how much he has left to do. I have to remind myself that he is still young. He is still learning his way.

I remember my high school years fondly. It was the years that I found my own niche. I began, in my freshman year, as Linda's little sister but I graduated as my own person. I was Juls and I was very different from any of my sisters. I made great friends and found out a lot about people. I found hurt and I found happiness. I found myself.

I hope that BoBo comes away his own person. I hope that the person that he comes away as is much the same as the sweet little two year old that got so much joy out of life. I hope that he finds his classrooms okay and doesn't get directed to the girls' bathroom instead of algebra class.

Posted by Juls at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I held my head down as I pedaled away on the road to nowhere. Actually, it is hard to go anywhere when your bicycle is connected to the stationary trainer. With my iTunes playing, I pedaled to the music. A nice quick tempo took me on a hard ride. Sweat beaded up on my shoulders and all down my arms. It rolled from my forehead, downward along my face and into my eyes. It dripped from my nose and mouth; I closed my eyes, held tight to the beat of the music, and tasted the salt as it crept into my closed mouth.

In 35 minutes, I'd soaked my shirt, sportbra and cycling shorts with sweat. I took it as a sign that I'd done well, though I probably didn't undo my extra caloric intake of the day. The darn chips and salsa were my downfall. They are always my downfall. But they sure are good.

Posted by Juls at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We all survived the Birthday Bash. For a small celebration, it sure took it out of me. The gang of boys was late in getting settled in the tent. I stayed up a bit longer to be sure that all of the little boys were asleep and happily dreaming. The dog sat guard outside the tent all night long. I had high hopes that these boys would sleep in a bit, but no such luck.

At 7 am, I heard the sliding glass door open and all four of them came into the house. It's funny how those little bodies can make so much noise when the walk. It sounded much like a stampede might sound. I made my way downstairs to be parental, but was more like a sleepy child until the 2nd cup of coffee kicked in.

I was tired and my eyes hurt. By 10 am, I was ready for it all to be over and began to worry that the parents would not be coming for their offspring any time soon. These kids sure had energy. They were back at it - tackling each other in the tent, playing tag, and doors were slamming shut all over. I gathered up each child's things and piled them together with the "goodie bag." I wanted to be ready when the time came for each to depart.

My head was swirling, and I was figuring in my head how I would get the required 6 miles done. Thank goodness that this week is a step-back week. 6 miles is not a hard thing to fit in and I planned for YaYa to ride his bike as I ran behind him on the bike trail. But, I didn't have to do that even.

Things were nice a quite after the last kid left and my husband agreed to stay home with the kids. They were planning to go through the neighborhood selling the coupons that the football team has to sell - $200 worth - due on Monday!

Anyhow, I went to the bike trail anyways and managed to fit in a 5 1/2 mile run before my JC appointment. I kept trying to remind myself that this was supposed to be at "long run" pace even though the run was no long at all. I didn't pay much attention to the pace reading on garminia, but watched the distance and the time of day closely so as not to miss my appointment.

I tried not to be too upset when the girl in turquoise blew past me in the last mile. I heard her coming; her footsteps were quick. After she passed, I marveled at her defined arm muscles and made a note to be more diligent in getting my strength workouts completed.

At the JC Centre, the question finally came. I've seen the girls looking at me. I've guessed what they were thinking, but nobody until today has asked the question. One of the Jenny girls said, "Why are *you* here?" Obviously, she knew why I was there. I gave her a puzzled look and repeated the question. Then I smiled and said, "Do you mean, why am I trying to loose weight?" She nodded and said that she could see that I was fit.

So with the 12 eyes turned my way and the corresponding ears tuned in, I admitted that it was for my running goal. I said that after trying 10 times to qualify for Boston, I needed to get serious about the extra weight that I gained 8 years ago (with YaYa's pregnancy). It was about time that I lost it. I added that I already felt the difference with the 5 pounds that I've lost so far - my running is easier and my heart rate has come down a bit. They were satisfied, and hopefully encouraged to continue with their own goals...for their own reasons.

Posted by Juls at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I felt like a caged animal - like the lion that you see pacing back and forth in the cage. I nerves were frayed and I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or scream. It did a bit of each in between the last minute errands and various activities of the day.

By the time YaYa's soccer game ended, I had decided to just go to BoBo's football practice and run there. But when I arrived I could see that if I was out running on the track, I'd be obstructing the view of the many parents who were there to watch the boys scrimmaging. I settled into the bleachers too, with camera in hand and took a few photos.

I would not be content missing my run today. After the week of jury selection, and virtually no exercise on Friday, I was going batty. I had to find a way to run. But I did not know when it would be.

A couple hours later, as I was driving DD home from the airport, I got the idea. Can I use you? Will you stay home with the kids while I get a run in? Without hesitation, DD agreed. So I changed my clothes quickly and was on my way.

The first of the birthday party guests should not have arrived until "AFTER" 3 pm. That was what the invitation said. I knew how YaYa was, though and anticipated that he could arrive sooner. I made my run a quick one. I ran 5 miles at just over 8 min/mile pace.

It's funny what happens when you finally let the caged animal out for a bit. I feel more human now and less like an animal. And it's a good thing because there are 4 wild, screaming boys running through the house and tackling each other in the tent in the backyard.

Posted by Juls at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My youngest son has sat by my side, watching me write my entries for my blog, reading many of your blogs, and even commenting from time to time on others blogs. He watched with envy for several months and finally asked me if he could have his own blog. And I agreed.

Many of you know him as YaYa. He was just a babe when he got this nickname. It was when he was just learning to speak, and this was how he said his name. He had a lot of ear infections and I don't think that he heard it properly.

"What's your name?" people would ask.
He would say, "Ya-Ya"
It stuck with him.

He is YaYa. He is the boy who writes Growing Up Happy. Hopefully he will continue to be happy and thrive as he grows up.

He will certainly be happy this weekend as he celebrates his 8th Birthday with a few of his closest friends. He will certainly be happy when he discovers that I have hijacked his blog to post a special birthday entry for you to leave comments and Birthday wishes to this sweet little boy.

His birthday is on Monday. Please stop by to post a comment and encourage this little blogger of mine.
With many thanks.

Posted by Juls at 7:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

We took off quickly on my first virtual partner run using my Forerunner 205. This virtual partner run was different from the ones that I've done in the past because my partner is really myself in a previous run. Not remembering the circumstances of the previous run that I chose for Garminia to replicate, I started off with my iPod playing a quick set of tunes. I reminded myself that I had run hard these last couple of days and that I should just use this run as an experiment on how these races against your previous performances work.

Well Garminia was ahead of me right from the start. Personally, I think that she had a head start - but I guess that couldn't be. I tried to ignore the presumed lead. I tried to take it easy. As I crested the hill and headed around the backside, Garminia signaled to me. Yes, even over my music I can hear her signals. I was going the wrong way around. Oops. I thanked her, and went the other direction to go around the front of the hill.

It was a short hill and we were now on the down slope. I tried to relax and roll down the hill. Garminia was still ahead and even though I kept telling myself that it didn't matter - it did matter to me. With no idea how fast I was running, I kept close to her heels. I was closing in, but never seemed to catch her.

...until the lake. I caught up to her on the path that leads around the small lake. Of course the worst thing about passing someone, is that you are now looking behind you wondering when they will pass *you*. I tried to keep my pace. I was getting tired, but I had only a mile to go.

With Garminia closing in, I pushed. I crossed the street and ran up the paved path to my work's parking lot. I kept running until Garminia congratulated for me. She said, "You Won! Workout complete." I was relieved that it was over. I was tired. I happily began walking. And then I noticed that Garminia was still tracking my pace. Eek - I am walking. I can't have my stats ruined. So, I just deleted the 0.14 mile that has my walking. I *still* won!

Unfortunately, I've now set a new record to break. I might not be so lucky next time.

Posted by Juls at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Early morning and I'm dropping off the kids. YaYa to daycamp. BoBo to football practice. The runners and walkers are out in force. I look on with envy, wishing that I also had the luxury of time enough to get in a morning run.

I'd laid out my clothes (running and clothes for the day), made lunches for the kids and myself, and set my watch alarm. I was feeling good about it all when my head finally hit the pillow.

But it was still dark out when the watch woke me up. By 6 am, it was no use - 5 miles takes too much time and the kids don't get up without my intervention and assistance.

So, here I sit in the jury waiting room. I've got my morning snack, and lunch packed. I have hope that I can get some hot water for my JC package soup. I have a feeling that I am in for a lot of tuna salad kits over the next several days. Yum...

As it turns out, I didn't find that hot water that I needed. I did find the Togo's - as did the rest of the jurors for the several courtrooms. I ate a salad and left the bread and butter behind. I took the stairs up to the 4th floor courtroom and down during the breaks. I figured that it might be the only exercise that I'd be getting. By the time we were excused, at 4:30 pm, my right knee was aching from being cramped up in the courtroom. There is no leg room and I am short.

Did I get my run in?

Yes, and No. I did get a run in, but it wasn't the 5 miles that the schedule called for. I ran 4 miles. But yesterday I ran 1 more than the schedule called for, so we'll call it even. Okay?

I picked up YaYa first. Then I went home for him to change. I changed into my running clothes. I dropped Tom at the shop to pickup his motorcycle on the way to dropping YaYa at soccer. I left him there and went to the high school where BoBo was practicing...STILL.

I did a ladder workout as they finished up the football practice. 1 mile warm up (8:02), followed by 1 lap fast (1:32) - 1 lap recovery - 2 laps fast (3:41) - 1 lap recovery - 3 laps fast (5:36) - 1 mile cool down (9:01). It's short and sweet. 4 miles (33:36)

Posted by Juls at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

My run on the treadmill was rather pleasant today. I could have run outside, but there is a YMCA that I have been meaning the check out very close to the Hall of Justice. I took advantage of it during the court recess. It took a while to find my way around the building, but managed to find the room with many treadmills and a nice view of the outdoor pool. I started out at an easy pace and began clicking up as the music ramped up. I wondered if I'd get another chance this week to get a run in mid-day. I considered doing my Wednesday 5 mile run instead of the 3 miler that the schedule called for.

I compromised with a 4 mile run. While I didn't exactly do speed work, I did run a couple of button pushes faster than my marathon race pace. I am happy with my time of 34:08. I felt good throughout.

After staring out the window at the pool for my run, I decided to forego the strength training and go for a short swim. I figure that 1/2 mile swim ought to work my upper body nicely. The water felt great. It was just the right temperature and was so much cleaner than my local YMCA. I watched my shadow as each arm entered the water and felt for the hand flipping the water at the end of each stroke. My triceps told me that they were working, and my legs were just along for the ride. They'd done their workout already.

After the swim, I hopped in the jacuzzi that is in the women's locker room. I must have driven these ladies crazy. They were peacefully hanging out until I arrived. There I was, stretching this and that and then wondering what the heck I was doing just sitting there. I was going nuts. How do they just sit there?! So out I went after only 1-2 minutes. I am sure the ladies were as relieved as I was.

So I'm feeling good again. It's a good thing, as I have a feeling that I will be doing a lot of sitting if I get chosen for this trial. And it is going to be a LONG one.

Posted by Juls at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I'm blah, unmotivated, and feeling heavy.

I caught the yuck-bug today and just can't seem to brush it off. I started sometime yesterday. Things were getting done, but it just didn't seem like anything was. We'd made headway on the back-to-school shopping, I vacumned the house, cut the drooping roses off the bushes and fertilized them. I fixed one of the drip sprinkler things, and did a few loads of laundry. Nothing I did, however, could help me shake the blah feeling. And so I ate a few tortilla chips, and then more and more and more.

And this morning...my weight was up.

I don't think that I did any real damage, despite the increased pound this morning. I honestly think the extra salt did it more than the extra calories. But it did in my mind too. At the JC Centre yesterday, I was asked if I was perhaps not eating enough. I told her that I thought I was at a good level now. I've been tracking everything in my palm pilot program and eating to keep the caloric deficit in good range.

That blah, unmotivated feeling continued into today. It was a day filled with apathy. Cross training was on the schedule and that just added to the apathy. I can get excited about running mid-way through a run, but sitting on a stationary bike isn't at all exciting. I just can't muster excitement when it isn't there from the start. I delayed my workout as long as I could and at 2 pm, I made my way to the gym to do my time.

In the fitness center, I plugged my headphones into the TV controller and began my 10 mile trek on the StarTrek stationary bike. I really hate the stationary bikes because they just don't fit my body right. In addition, you can't "feel the road" in the easier settings and the harder (hilly) parts are difficult to pedal. You just can't do it like on a normal bike. Another employee asked why I wasn't on the spin cycle as I usually use when cycling. "I forgot my shoes," I told him. He looked down at my running shoes, smiled and looked back at the TV.

Well I caught up on Passions, a soap that my stepson is on, in no time at all. Before long I found myself commenting outloud at the characters on the screen. But, my stepson's character wasn't on - again - so I soon found my attention on the next TV. Tim, the toolman, Taylor is always funny. Oops.

After finishing my workout, I remained in apathy and only hope that it won't last much longer. As for tomorrow, I have been called to the courtroom for jury duty. I'd sure hope that I can get up on time to get my run in.

Posted by Juls at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Yesterday, I struggled to get out of bed at 7:45 am so that I could run 5 miles and be back on time for Tom to jump on his bike. We were meeting our friend and old neighbor, Jack, for coffee at 10:15 am. The plan was for Tom to ride his bike and meet us there. I managed it but my legs felt like they were still in bed for the majority of the run. My head wasn't all there either. I did the deed and just didn't care that the run was only 4.6 miles. Tuesday's run was a mile longer that the schedule called for so it all balances out.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to drag myself out of bed this morning on time. Today, I was meeting up with Cindy and Amy for another trail run. The plan was to meet at the park at 6:45 am and be running by 7 am. At 4 am, upon hearing a thump in the front yard, I got up to look out the window. It was only the newspaper being delivered. I shut the window and then walked down the hall to pull the covers over YaYa. YaYa always seems to be huddled up in tight ball, desperately trying to keep warm, while the covers lay below his feet on the bed or on the floor. I returned to bed and slept for until 5:59 am.

We began the run at a pretty brisk pace. Cindy was out in the lead and seemed rearing to go from having not run yesterday. I kept up but wasn't feeling all strong and fast like I've been feeling all week.

Since garminia doesn't get a strong signal in the park, I tend to look at the time that we hit each of the key parts of the trail as a gauge for how we are doing. We hit the first of these at 15 minutes - slightly faster than usual. This is where the major hill climbing begins. It is a 2 mile climb to the next marker and we usually stop to rest, stretch, and collect up our energy and motivation before continuing on. Last year, I would usually hit this marker by 36 minutes. Today we hit it just under 34 minutes. This was validating; no matter how slow and sluggish I felt, it just wasn't true. I was doing fine.

We continued up the path and I was now feeling great. Since I know the trail the best, I took the lead when we hit the single-track portion of the run. Before I knew it, we were circling back toward the start running downhill as easy and carefully as the trail would let us.

Amy and I are both registered for the Nike Women's Half-Marathon in October, but Amy is considering making hers a full. I am sticking to the half, since the hills of San Francisco is not the best place to attempt a BQ. On the other hand, I sure would like my "bling" (a necklace designed by Tiffany & Co) to say "26.2" instead of "13.1". Oh well, the hill work will benefit me whatever distance I am running.

As Amy and I chatting about marathon training plans, and the best way to plan from this point forward, Cindy plowed ahead of us down the hill. Cindy loves the downhills and I would swear that she has wheels on her shoes the way she goes down so quickly. We were all back together by the time we made it to the bottom of the hill. With a little more than a mile to go we turned back towards the parking lot.

I said goodbye to Cindy and Amy by the bridge near the parking lot. They went on for another mile or so and I am proud to say that I resisted the temptation to continue on with them. 9.5 miles is far enough at this point in my training. My marathon is still 16 weeks away.

Posted by Juls at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I've always been proud of my appreciation for the advancing technology. I am one of those who plays with a new technical toy, be it cell phone, palm pilot, or gps device until I felt confident that I had learned the cool abilities of it. I guess what goes along with the "playing around" experimentation is some mistakes.

This week, I had a couple of technological mistakes. Among this week's experiments-gone-awry was the temporary loss of my blog format and my failure to let garminia find the satellites properly before beginning an advanced workout. Now, I have a new mistake - I accidentally deleted the wrong entry. Oops! I thought that I was deleting the entry that I was in the process of writing - and it just wasn't right.

So, if you previously read about my Thursday 3 mile run, and are now wondering what happened...I happened. I didn't save it anywhere else and have not much memory about the run (which was a good one), or what I wrote about, so I can't fix it.

Oh well; there will always be more runs to write about. But you might want to start reading my entries quickly after they have been posted, because I might make another mistake. Who knows what the next one will be.

You have now been warned.

Posted by Juls at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Garminia had an off day today. I guess we all do from time to time. I can't say that I blame her; it was totally my fault. I was late out the door for my lunchtime run due to an impromptu meeting just as I was preparing to take off. I always like to insure that I am back before the cafeteria closes so that I can get my salad fixings to top off the JC meal. So, feeling rushed, I decided to take a chance and begin the run without giving Garminia time to prepare.

Apparently, my ritual of putting her on the post while I put on my shoes and do a couple of quick stretches is something she counts on. Apparently, she needs this time to get ready for whatever type of run I decide. Instead, I bounded out the door with my shoes already on, turned her on, chose the Yasso 800s from the advanced workout menu, and pressed start.

I didn't hear her screaming, "Wait" but apparently she was screaming. By the time we crested the hill, I noticed that she still wasn't keeping the pace. I had nothing by the time she is usually signaling me that I've gone a mile. So, I hit the lap button and began the first of four 1/2 mile repeats.

I was moving fast. I had no idea how fast because Garminia still wasn't happy. She didn't signal the recovery interval. She actually couldn't tell me if I'd even run any distance at all, so I hit the lap button after 3:51 had passed. I hoped that she would catch up to me while I slowly jogged to recover from a most likely too fast pace.

After 4 minutes, I was moving quickly again. I ran along the water, where the dirt was really rugged from too many mountain bikes coming through there in the rainy season. I did my best to keep my footing and glanced over at Garminia from time to time. She was now beginning to piss me off. She kept saying that I was going 9-ish minutes/mile pace and *knew* that she was lying to me. Imagine that - my faithful running partner was now lying to me! Could it be that she was mad at me for leaving her behind yesterday? I swear it was an accident. Refusing to let her destroy me, I hit the lap button again, but only after 4:30 had passed.

I was beat tired and it was 94 degrees out. The 4 minutes of recovery didn't seem long enough. I struggled through the next 2 intervals. I really wasn't mad at Garminia; I was the one who didn't let her prepare for today's run. Even though I wasn't mad at her, I did sort of ignore her. I pushed the lap button by time instead of letting her signal the distance. She didn't seem to mind.

By the time we were back at the office, Garminia had registered less than a mile. Fortunately, I have run this route before and know that it is 4.8 miles. Garminia and I went inside and cooled down (after 1.5 hours). We are happy now that we have fully recovered from the torture session. Whose idea was it to do speed work on a day as hot as this anyhow? Oh yeah...it was mine.

Posted by Juls at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It was an unusually hectic morning today. I came back in for the forgotten something a couple of times before we successfully departed. I was half way to work before I realized that I left "Garminia" (the gps) at home.

I found "old school" (the watch) at the bottom of my workout bag. I reviewed the buttons and we were off in record time. Garminia always has to "find herself" before she is able to begin the run, so the speedy departure was a welcome surprise. Mark and I met up with Cindy just out of the driveway. Apparently, she was eager to get started and got to the meeting place well ahead of schedule. She had an extra 6 minutes on her watch by the time we met up.

The three of us happily ran down the street, past the ever-growing company that neighbors ours. The smell of their food spilled out of the building and into the air for the next 1/4 mile (or so it seemed). It smelled yummy. We passed a group of walkers who were totally taking over the sidewalk and not moving for anyone. Then we passed a couple of the same company's employees who are too lazy to walk - they need the motorized scooters (that the company provides). I'll leave it at that - don't get me started on this topic. Where was I? Oh, yes..."happily running down the street."

We hit the bike path and continued running. I took the lead with Cindy and Mark just behind me. All I can say is that some days the runs are hard and others day they are easy. It was pretty obvious that I was having one of those good days. I could hear Cindy and Mark breathing hard behind me. Cindy was cussing under her breath along the way. I wonder if it has any thing to do with the couple of pounds that I've shed. I could have pushed it so much harder than I was. I felt AWESOME.

I am only sad that I couldn't have shared this run with Garminia. She would have loved it. And as for "old school", she failed to keep up and dropped the time about 1 mile from the end. That will be the last time that I run with her. *humph*

Posted by Juls at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The votes are in and yesterday’s run was deemed a success unanimously. Thanks everyone!

This morning, I was awoken by a sweet little boy who crawled into bed with Tom and me. His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I stayed next to him long enough for him to fall back to sleep and then I rolled out of bed…and I went out for a run.

I took to the local park where there is a paved path with areas where an equestrian trial runs parallel to the main path. I have never actually seen horses on the trail, but I am always happy to have a break from the pounding of the pavement.

My feet crunched along the path for 8 or so miles. I have always loved that sound. Crunch, crunch, crunch. My iPod battery was essentially dead, so I had the crunching for my running soundtrack today.

“Run long” - the task at hand. No problem; I can do that. I am back on a training schedule and it feels good. Even though I wasn’t feeling FAST today – thanks to the guy in blue who passed me TWICE – I was steady and strong.

After my run, I drove towards home feeling accomplished for getting my run done so early in the day. I picked up a latte at my favorite coffee shop, and went home to the Napping House where everyone was still sleeping. My feeling of accomplishment and efficiency grew inside of me. Then, I looked around the house and the feeling suddenly disappeared. *sigh*

Posted by Juls at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Tom grabbed the AM exercise slot today for a bicycle ride along the coast. I did the soccer practice shuffle and waited patiently for Tom's return. He was due to be home around 1 pm, but didn't actually make it home until 3 pm. By then, I had eaten enough calories that I was committed to running today.

Months ago I had committed to Hal's V-Team that I would join in on a Virtual 26.2K race. There were even shirts printed up for the event. But, I didn't actually do the training for it. The date sort of snuck up on me. Needless to say, I made a commitment to participate and I wanted to give it a try even if I didn't go the full distance. So, with the plan to run 26.2 K (16.28 miles), I drove to the bike path.

My CIM training schedule called for a 5 mile pace run today and 8 mile long tomorrow. The longest that I have run since Grandma's Marathon was 10 miles. So with the new CD Mix Crystal Method did for Nike, I began my run - thanks Running Chick. It was a nice mix of techno music that progressively picks up the rhythm. I pleasantly surprised that I was running a nice pace from the start. Although the garmin doesn't pick up well on some parts of the trial, for this run I planned to manually click the laps at each mile marker. And so I ran...

Mile 1: 8:31- I passed the girl with the long ponytail wearing red. She looked tired and I wondered how long she had run already. I was just beginning and I was feeling good so far - but it was HOT out. I wondered how long that would last.

Mile 2: 8:08 - I was waving at people as I went by. There were hardly any runners out at this time of day. Lots of walkers were out for afternoon strolls. I breezed by and actually didn't notice the pace of this mile until well after the run.

Mile 3: 8:42 - This was a odd mile. I took the trail out the opposite direction that I normally run. I ends quickly after 2 miles. I forgot about the odd mileage before it was too late. Wanting to continue using the mile markers (even though I was wearing my Garmin), I went to the end 2.40 and then continued up the street for 0.1 miles and turned back. The girl in red was by her car stretching and happy to be done. I said "good job" and ran past and back to the marker to complete the mile.

Mile 4: 9:09 - I was wondering what happened to my pace. It was hot and my head was wandering. I was beginning to wonder why I was out today doing this. I didn't feel so good anymore. I just wasn't into this.

Mile 5: 8:40 - I decided to call it quits here. I figured that I'd do either my scheduled 8 miler tomorrow in the morning when it is cool out. If I am feeling good, I'll do 11.28 miles for the balance of the 26.2K. It was in this mile that I realized that it was the slowing pace of the music that was slowing the pace. I clicked past the song and into my running music set.

Total Run Time: 43:12
Pace: 8:38 minute/mile

The success or failure of my run today depends upon how you look at it. I was a success if you look at my "scheduled" 5 mile run to be done at my marathon race pace. I DID run 5 miles and I DID do it at race pace. Actually, I did it better than my race pace. I was a failure at the 26.2 K. I fell short of 11.28 miles...but who's counting.

I'll do better tomorrow.

Posted by Juls at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Help - help! I screwed up my blog format and I don't know how to fix it. I just added the stat counter and I SWEAR that I DIDN'T delete any of the other stuff in the main index.

So why is it putting my entries below the sidebar instead of the center column?!
Movable Type users - please email if you have an idea for a fix.

Posted by Juls at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Okay, believe it or not, I am actually NOT perfect. Sometimes, I get grumpy, lazy, and I even cheat on my diet...sometimes. I miss the days when I could just eat whatever I wanted and how ever much I wanted. Papa called my "chow hound" and that summed it up. But those days are gone and now I am left to struggle to get down to a better running weight. A weight where I just feel better.

I was doing so well today. I had my morning latte, my JC hot cereal, and even the wretched tasting anytime bar. I like the peanut butter version, but the other bar this week. Yuck. Anyhow, we had a potluck today at work. I have no idea why. Someone said that it was sort of a "last supper" thing.

Well, I had forgotten my contribution so I figured that I just wouldn't participate. I busied myself in my office. I even had a real problem that I needed to take care. Then, on the way to the copy machine, I was called over to the feast by my new boss. "JU-LIEEE, arn't you going to eat?" I was caught. You see everyone was sitting there staring at me and there is NO way that they would understand why I am trying to lose weight. They have no idea what lurks beneeth my clothing - the rolls, and bulges.

I tried to stall. I continued with my "urgent" copying needs and struck up a conversation with a girl in data management who also runs. She is training for the Inaugural Disney Half-Marathon...and can go on talking for a LONG time about the trials of training. In my opinion, she needs a blog; but I listened.

I wasn't off the hook though. We were both being called over after a while. The girl said that she was trying to watch her diet and they let her go with that, but not me. I came over and put two small California Rolls on my plate, some fruit (lots of fruit), and some Chinese Chicken Salad. The people getting up for desert were staring at me as they grabbed the cookies. I piled on some more salad and then some fried chicken things. And I ate it all.

I was doomed. It was good. I went back for more. And I ate two cookies too.

After all of this, I called Tom to figure out which day this weekend I could do my long run. Do you think this could count as carbo loading?

What is worse, the day isn't over. I have a date with a very cute and charming 7 - 11/12 year old. We are going to dinner and movie! We are going to have hot dogs, and probably candy and popcorn and who knows what else. Ugh. I sure do hate rest days. I'm left with so much more time to struggle with this food stuff.

Posted by Juls at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Today we ran the "skunk run," only Mark "super" modified this, normally 4 mile, route to make it the schedule-dictated 3 mile run. I am the one who insists that a 5 mile run is not a hundredth short, and Mark is ensuring that we stick as close to the required mileage as possible. It's a good check and balance system. I don't mind too much.

Mark is a good running buddy because he knows the unwritten (until now) ground rules. I don't say running partner; I like to think of my "running friends" as just that and no more. Mark knows me and my quirks well. We trained for our first marathons together - well, mostly together. I did my long runs with my husband and YaYa - but that is a story for another entry.

When I did my first marathon, there were several of us at my work who all trained together during the week. Of the five of us, who trained for Napa 2002, only three of us are still working there. Only Mark and I are still running. Here is the photo taken of us after the marathon for a story about us in the company newsletter.

From experience, Mark knows that at any time I will let him know that I need to run alone. He doesn't take it personal. It happens regularly with me; I just need my alone fix. Running is like a meditation for me, and meditation is not a group thing.

Mark also knows that I race alone. He knows of at least one of my prior race experiences where I was challenged to focus. He doesn't ever try to weasel in on that. We can go to the pasta feed together (or not), to the start together, and find eachother after the race. But stay away from me during the race. I need my space.

I dictate my training runs. I run my pace runs, mostly, by myself. I do speedwork on Wednesday and that's just how it is. As for the long runs, I may or may not include Mark, or Cindy, or anyone else. I run my pace, and where I want. Stay with me if you want, or fall behind. It doesn't matter. If I am feeling stinky, I won't try to run your pace and if I am feeling exceptionally good I will charge ahead whether you follow or not.

Whew. I feel better now. I just had to get it out.

Posted by Juls at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My husband's family has a story that they repeatedly tell about when a member of the family was humiliated for licking his ice cream wrapper. He was young and his Dad was strict. Upon seeing his son licking his ice cream wrapper, the father told the young lad, "If you want to eat like a dog, you can eat with the dog." He actually made the boy take the wrapper outside, put it on the ground and with his hands behind his back he had to lick the wrapper. The dog joined in. The five other siblings all imprinted the image deep into their memory banks for future humiliation. That is how it is with families. Once is not punishment enough.

I was reminded of this story the other day, when I could not resist the temptation to lick my JC plate. It wasn't that the food was all that good. It was just that I was not satisfied. Not starving, but not satiated. YaYa and Tom caught me in the act. And the dog was at my feet with his tail wagging away.

Every morning, I strip down after the first void of the day and hop onto the scale. The scale is only accurate to the 1/2 pound and I see it blink between two numbers. It settles on the higher and I try again just to be sure. No still the same number as yesterday. I must not complain. I have lost weight, but only to the point that I have done on my own. To make it all worth it, I want more. Please scale, show me the lower numbers soon so that I don't end up eating with the dog. I don't want future generations having that story to pass on.

As for my run. Today the schedule dictated 5 miles, so Mark and I ran 5 miles. As we came up the final stretch of dirt the GPS read 4.97. I yelled, "keeping on running. We aren't there yet." No a hundredth short. Hal says "Five Miles" and 5 miles it is.

Posted by Juls at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

April Anne, and Linda , following the footsteps of Dawn, wrote about Things They Were Thankful For. It is a great idea to step back once in a while and think about all of the wonderful things. It helps to not get so caught up in all that is wrong.
Here is my top 4:

#1: My dear husband and the lovely children that we have brought into this world are at the top of the list.

#2: I have recently been offered a position with my current employer. I am thankful for this. Not only do I get to continue with the same company, but I also have been offered a new position where I have the potential to learn a lot and be challenged. I am sure that there will continue to be many changes in our company and I hope that whatever these changes are that it will be for the good of ALL - meaning the employees, the patients that will ultimately use the medications that are discovered and developed, as well as the company.

#3: The reason for the title of this entry, ties into item #2. Today, YaYa was hit in the head with a rock. He bled out quite a bit and Tom and I took him to the urgent care. I am thankful to have a job that allows me the flexibility that I need to be around for my family more. As I drove to the hospital, and later called in sick for the rest of the day, couldn't help but think about how supportive my company has been for taking time off.

I also thought about the recent (other) job offer that I was presented with last Thursday. It was a good 20+ additional miles away from where we live. Imagine getting a call such as this, and being so far away from your child. I am thankful that the offer, at a company where I was much jazzed about what they are doing for patients, was not a very tempting offer. I turned it down. I also turned down yet another company that is developing a medication for children. It was an exciting opportunity, but my family is my priority at this time in my life. I am thankful to be able to have choices and to be able to make decisions that support my priorities.

#4: I am thankful for my Health.