TOLT: Things that make me smile so big!

Hey y'all!  It's THURSDAY.  I can't believe it.  We have a huge Halloween event at school tomorrow, and I have had some pretty hefty responsibilities around the place.  I've been trying to focus on things that are more positive, and though I've been (girl time) cranky, I've been making the best out of stinky situations and when facing challenges.  With that spirit in mind, here's our #TOLT list!

1.  Art therapy: It's for big kids, too!  Read all about it!  I don't know the last time I sat down and did something crafty, but this is the perfect scientifically proven gateway to some stress-relieving goodness.

2.  Don't just find the silver lining, find the end of the rainbow!  My Mom and Aunt recently drove from Dallas to various parts of Arizona to visit my cousin.  My Mom told me that just when she was thinking that there wasn't anything to see during a long stretch of road, God showed her this.:)

Also, she's still learning how to use her new iPhone.  I'm super proud of her for her first phone upgrade in close to six years.

3.  Um, yeah.  About that...

4.  Mine and my work husband's Halloween costumes have arrived.  We're pretty stoked.

5.  Running.  Duh.

6.  Good food.  Good beer.

7.  Running and good food and good beer.

8.  Being a volleyball Coach.  Our season is almost over, and there are girls' kneepads everywhere in my car.  I don't even mind.:)

9.  UM.  FINDING AMAZING PICTURES OF AMAZING PEOPLE THAT I NEED TO SEE SOON.

10.  This guy.<3  I don't feel like I give him enough cred here.  So there ya' go, Kid.

MEHR MEHR!

<3 Have a splendid day, friends.  A fun weekend is almost here!
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Tell me THREE THINGS that made you smile this week!


Have you tried coloring lately?  It's all the rage!  Thoughts?


QUICK:  What's the farthest you've ever run?

What happens when you see the World through experienced eyes.

My run yesterday consisted of putting one foot in front of the other, and staring at that moon.

Oh.  Moon.  I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

I also came across my running (bunny) buddy!  Or at least one of them.  I was slightly creeped out by the rustle of leaves, the cool air, the slight drift of fog, so I kept looking around for Michael Meyers like a cray person.

But always came back to staring at that moon.

This was absolutely without a doubt the highlight of my day.  Just a few short miles in the eerie moonlight.  I had a long day at school, then took my volleyball teams to get their booties handed to them by another team.  *le sigh*  That was a tough loss for them...it was a real slobber-knocker, y'all.

Now I had my fair share of slobber-knockers when I played volleyball.  What I noticed, as a Coach rather than a player, was that the girls KNEW the other team was better.  They had matching uniform tops and bottoms (they pointed this out to me as a sign that they were more organized).  Their Coaches were calm, reserved, and remained on the bench, hardly speaking a word to them.   Their body language and placement on the court was more confident and advanced.  My girls did nothing to combat any of these signs that they were a better team.  NOTHING.  They watched the ball hit the floor over and over again.  They knew what to do...they just didn't.  I let the game finish, then told them all in a huddle that they let them win.  Literally allowed them.  They knew that they were a better team, and they took it personally.

What brought on this perspective?  Experience.

We can apply this lesson to just about anything.  I can easily apply this to my experience in fitness and health, running and wellness, all of which I've been interested in for less time than I have volleyball.  The thing about perspective is that sometimes you don't realize how much you have to offer until you've experienced something over and over again.  Trying to explain to my volleyball team that I totally understood how they felt was quite a riot -- I would've never thought when I was 13 years old that I'd ever coach young ladies and tell them about how I got hit in the face with the ball often.  That always makes them feel better.  Trying to explain to a new runner how I felt when I was new to the sport is a little similar, though I feel like adults trust me less than my VB team.<3


Last night was quite the shift for me, as I felt like I had a ton of experience and advice to give to girls who had no idea what to do with it.  With time, I can teach them what they need to know, so I have to learn how to filter what's most important.  I have enough experience in the sport to be able to reach that goal, though, because I feel like my perspective is pretty clear.
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In other news, I'm learning how to live with bangs.  Perspective from behind bangs is a little different than without, goofy face and all.

And I'd say that we're really ready for Halloween, even though none of this candy will go to Trick-or-Treat'ers.

According to this, I will have a lot of work to do.

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Do you think that your perspective becomes more clear with experience?

Are you READY FOR HALLOWEEN?!

How about the Halloween candy workouts?

Are you racing or do you have a fun event for this Halloween weekend?

When you shouldn't go the extra mile. Or two.

Hey there, happy Bloggie friends!

When I'm riding solo on the spin bike, I know how to rock it the frick out.  Some jumps, sprints, hills, hovers, and more jumps, sprints, hills, and hovers.

What I love most about being a P.E. teacher ----------> I walk out of the gym looking like I should be walking in for a training session.  Yes, post-shower, with makeup on, and ready to go to work as seen below.

Some delicious lunch that was perfect for the kind of chilly day we were having here in the Chi.  Amy's organic (low sodium) creamy tomato soup, paired with some broc.  

Bestie Tommie Jo sent this to me yesterday.  She always seems to know when I need something like this.:)

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Let's talk about limitations real quick.

95% of my runs are pretty much carefree, even if they're speedwork or long runs.  I'm not worried about why something's achy, or not feeling confident about the mileage.  Don't get me wrong:  I've had my moments of "Oh my gooses, 18 miles is kinda far..."; that's seriously included in the remaining 5%

Saturday's long run was a question mark.  Harry and I are running the PNC Milwaukee Half Marathon this Sunday, and I am severely under-trained to race it.  I figured it'll be a long run with some water tables along the way.:)  So with that, I figured I'd run 10-12 miles Saturday, just to get one last aerobic run leading up to the event done.  It was humid out.  Like 100% humidity.  And warm -- about 68*F -- which isn't WARM really if you're just out walking around, but with that humidity level and running, it totally got WARM.  I was sweating a lot within the first mile, which is usually a sign that I'll need water more frequently than normal.

Miles 1-6 were sooooooooooo blah, but I realized around mile 4 that I wasn't about to attempt 12 miles.  Why?  Because there was no sense in: A.) running any longer for a half marathon distance event (you'll notice that I call them "events" when I'm not trained to "race") the following weekend; and B.) staying in those conditions could risk injury.  I was tired.  My legs were spent at mile 5.  I mean, wow.  Humidity is the worst.  It makes me feel like I'm nothing as a runner.  It also jacks up my hair.  So there...it's decided:  Humidity is my kryptonite.

Anyway

I made the mistake of skipping water fountains.  This probably could've helped a bit, though I won't sit here and say that I was completely broken down by the time I got home.  I was smart enough to take a GU with me (which isn't like me for a 10 miler) and ate it around mile 6 ----> That and not going any further than what was necessary were probably the reasons why I didn't feel like 100% poo when I got home.

Also?  I wanted to stop and play with this.

An enormous downpour happened around mile 6.  I ran into a nearby park district building and asked an angel of a man if he had a plastic bag for my iPhone.  He gave me this bag, smiled, and wished me luck getting home.  The rain was coming down so hard that I had to look down for a long time.

I got home just fine (albeit I felt like a BAMF from running in so much hard rain), and didn't feel completely destroyed.  It has taken me a long time to learn what my limitations are, and just how much more will make or break me.  I'm super happy that I've come this far in recognizing limitations and expectations, even if I was a mile or two off.
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Side note:

I got bangs.  And my Halloween costume.  All in the same evening.

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Do you know when to shut it down or what your fitness limitations are?

Do you like to spin/lift/run alone, or do you really prefer classes or a crowd?

SCARY MOVIE -- NAME ONE YOU'VE WATCHED/ARE GOING TO WATCH.

What All the Cool Kids Are Eating

We had a pretty stellar weekend full of delicious food and traditions.

Let's begin this post with Friday afternoon, right after I clocked out.  Harry had a conference downtown, so I got to meet up with him, and we hit up Eataly for some shopping and dining. We haven't been there yet, and Heather told me how it was such a magical place.  I had no idea that I would have the most amazing food of my life, otherwise I wouldn't have dressed like a P.E. teacher.:)

We loved looking around this place. It was so clean.  So market-like.  So fresh.  All of the Italian staples were there. There was beer and wine...

Meat, pastries, chocolates and deserts...

Pasta...Harry was so excited about this part.

FRESH pasta, bread, sauces...

And then...the love of my life...cheese.  I love you, cheese.

I officially wanted cheese in my tummy after seeing probably close to a thousand different kinds.  We went the brewpub that's inside, and ordered a meatball brisket sandwich and a meat and cheese plate (with the freshest bread ever!) to split.  I was in noms heaven, I tell you.

I dominated the board.  Harry loved the meats, but I was all about the cheese and sweet jams.

Our server walked past several times to check on us, but didn't have to ask if we needed anything, mainly because I looked like this.

I slept very well Friday evening.  Saturday brought a long run, and then the Munchkin.  We picked up Sophs and went straight to Costco.  Sophs and I had an agenda:  purchasing mittens/gloves, wool socks, and copious amounts of candy.

And lunch.  Costco lunch is far superior to that of any lunch on the planet.

We had to pick up some things at the regular grocery store.  Sophs wanted to prove that she is NOT, in fact, too heavy to carry.

Nor is she ever above carrying things on her head.

We got home, and the pumpkin carving began!

We were ready to rock some hot chocolate and watch a tradition flick with Sophs after de-gutting our pumpkins.  WE LOVED THIS STUFF!

And to munch on while we watched our movie?  Pumpkin seeds.  Honey and brown sugar glazed, and cinnamon-sugar.  It's what all the cool kids are eating.

Sunday morning, we head over to Fearless Leader Greg's and Solemate Steph's crib for "Coffee, Cars, Churros, Choroizo Chili & Beer" day.  That meant getting Sophs up kind of early, but she was up for it.:)

First thing's first:  Greg and Jeff changing the oil on my Jeep.

Meanwhile, Harry was showing off his mad Chili-making skills, and Sophs was helping with chopping and prep'ing chili

Steph fed us quesadillas and I didn't take pictures.  Guess I was really hungry.:)

We had to run past the 'hood to get Sophs' stuff before dropping her off.  Apparently my neighborhood supports a carpool like no other.

Harry and I ended a great weekend with a couple of pumpkin beers and The Simpson Treehouse of Horror.

A pretty marvelous weekend, if you ask me!

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Tell me something MARVELOUS about your weekend!

Do you go to Costco?  Tell me your favorite thing to get!

Do you have any Halloween traditions?  Pumpkin carving?  Movies?  TV shows?

ANYONE RUNNING NYCM THIS WEEKEND?!