Starting Simple

What do this

this

and this

Have in common? The theme for this month’s blog posts –  reducing waste and eliminating trips to the garbage can.

I recently read Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson  and was inspired to simplify.  Our family has been exploring simplification, but needed a good example or technique to follow.

It may take us a while (we’re still attached to paper towels and wash cloths), but with each step, there’s more clear space for living & playing and less junk to clean around.

So if you enjoy stories of baking soda, closet organization, and worm bins, stick around! We’re giving some things a try.

I’d love to know your tips and resources for simplification too!

Mother’s Day and Race Day

Today was race day — my first official 5K. The weather was perfect, and the course was quite a bit of fun. I now know why people do these things!

Here’s a picture of me and my cheerleader before the race.

 and after the race

My time was 31:58.

The last three months of training for the event have been an adventure, and below are five things I’ve learned through this experience:

• Unless the weather is perfect outside, I prefer the luxury of a treadmill.
• Having the race as a goal helped keep me in my running shoes.
• Running among 400 other mothers is an enjoyable experience.
• It was nice to set an example for my daughter by trying something new and staying active.
• Running can be painful or joyful, but afterwards, I’m always glad I did it.

Vacation Fun and Spring

A couple of weeks ago, our family went to Chimney Rock, NC for some relaxation and adventure time.

We climbed (the trails and stairs) to the top of the rock,

ate at this wonderful restaurant many times,

And enjoyed signs of spring.

Spring has also pushed me outdoors to run.  Since returning from vacation, I’ve been averaging 3 runs a week, 3 miles each run.  Only 2 1/2 weeks left until the 5k!

Yesterday, I ran (outdoors) 3.24 miles, not sure how many minutes.

Catching up after Easter

My second day of vacation, glorious vacation calls for a bit of catching up.  Last week was slightly crazy, so though I did get in some running, I didn’t make time to blog totals.

Last Wednesday, I headed outdoors for a brisk morning run.  I thought I had gone 3 miles in 30 minutes, but after checking mapmyrun.com, I discovered I had completed 2.99 miles. So close!  On Friday, I went a bit farther to ensure I got the full 3 miles in.

Then came Easter fun including eggs

and planting this beautiful tulip that has little chance of survival under my care.  I am rooting for it though.

Yesterday I headed to the gym for an evening run.  All my senior sneaker friends were long gone by this time.  I missed them! My totals were 2.8 miles, 30 minutes.

Tonight on another evening run at the gym, I did the hills.  My totals were 47 minutes & 30 seconds, 4 miles.

I hope you all had a lovely Easter!

Celebrities at the gym

Today I planned a longer run, so I slowed the pace down quite a bit at the beginning.  What does one do on a treadmill for an hour, you might ask?  People watch, of course. 

I keep an eye out for celebrity lookalikes.  Today, I spent the better part of my run trying to determine if a man over by the free weights looked like Ed Asner or not.  My poor distance vision may have failed me on this one because I couldn’t confirm resemblance.

If you’re keeping up with the blog, you might remember that there is a Donald Rumsfeld who always inspires me with his hill climbing abilities and his strength at the pull up bar.  I’ve also encountered a young Chuck Norris, a Trudie Styler (both on the treadmill and in the yoga class) and someone who might look a little like this guy.

I would never, of course, approach these people with my thoughts on their appearances. Long ago when I had longer hair and wore contacts, many people (strangers, mind you) told me that I looked like Monica Lewinsky. This during the height of the scandal.

Celebrity lookalike watching got me to today’s totals of 68 minutes, 6.02 miles.

More numbers madness

The goal for today was an easy Friday run. But when I looked at the treadmill screen toward the end of my time, I sped up to get to these glorious totals:  44 minutes, 40 seconds and 4 miles – the most satisfying numbers to date!

But when I got home, I realized that perhaps I could have pushed for 44 minutes, 44 seconds, 4.4 miles. 

Then I realized that I should probably stop the numbers madness before it gets obsessive.

Happy Friday!

The benefits of math anxiety

Today was another day of hills.  I used the same formula as before – 1 minute at 1% incline, 2 minutes at a 0% incline, 1 minute at a 2% incline, 2 minutes at a 0% incline, and so on to get to a 12% incline.

My totals today were 3.7 miles, 45 minutes.

Though my gym time was limited today due to a busy schedule, it was hard to stop at 3.7, not because I was in some sort of running zone, but because it was so close to a whole number (3.62 was completely unacceptable, so I sped up to get to 3.7).  I refuse to round.  But I knew that if I didn’t stop, I wouldn’t have time to shower for the day.  Priorities.

Math anxiety might turn out to be a major motivator for increasing speed and distance!

Las Vegas

Last week, I attended a conference in Las Vegas. We walked a lot since our hotel was not quite in the middle of all those magical places on the strip, but no running.  I did want to run away from the cab driver who garrulously recounted some television version of Faces of Death to us on the way home from a restaurant one evening, but I refrained and tried to block out as many gory details as I could.

The highlights of the trip were

presenting with and hanging out with my colleagues who are super cool,

this giant box of Nerds candy,

eating at Otto,

the human statue at the Venetian,

and these gummy candy fried eggs.

Today was my first day back at running, and my totals were 30 minutes & 45 seconds, 3 miles. 

The Tortoise and the Hare

Last week, I only got in two days of running and one day of blogging, so today is a day of catching up.

On Wednesday, March 6, I ran as fast as I could (without hills) to get to 3 miles. The totals for the day were 3 miles, 33 minutes. I had never been happier to hop (make that plop) off of the treadmill in my life. Running fast is hard.

Today I went to the other extreme and slowed down the pace quite a bit to see how far I could go.  My totals were 1 hour, 5.07 miles.  I’m not sure if that is a respectable or embarrassing pace, but slow and steady Monday was much more enjoyable than speedy Wednesday.

Monday, March 4, 2013: The Cliffhanger

This morning, about 10 minutes into the run, I started hills by doing a 1% incline for 1 minute, resting for 2 minutes, then a 2% incline for 1 minute, resting for two minutes, continuing at that pace to a 12% incline.  I had never been higher than 5% before.   At the 10%, 11%, and 12% marks, I had to slow down considerably.

To keep my mind occupied and happy, I imagined this song while climbing.  I was up in the Alps frolicking amid the wildflowers and eating toasted cheese with Heidi or perhaps hallucinating a bit.  Either way, it was fun.

Today’s Cliffhanger totals were 45 minutes, 3.66 bumpy miles.