When Things Get Nuts

The past week and a half have been a little nutty for me.

Finding out I probably won’t get educational leave without pay approved (I find out for sure today.)  My little one being sick again, fever, tummy problems, and getting her back bottom molars.  It’s just been a rough few days.

I ran on Saturday though.  6.5 miles in very windy conditions.  I don’t know how else to put this…I do not like wind. Even when I’m not running I despise the wind.  And Spring in Utah is usually very windy.  My pace was was slower for this run as I had 20+mph head winds for most of my laps around the park, and I was not motivated.  I was exceptionally exhausted physically and emotionally.

The run was what I needed however.  After the run I came to terms with the fact that I could be jobless in a few weeks.  My dissertation must take the priority at this time I cannot keep putting myself last, as I have for many, many years.  After an emotional Friday night with my husband urging me to make the official request for LWOP and going to bed crying I woke up Sunday feeling essentially emotionless over the issue.  If I cannot stay, I cannot stay.  Our family and friends will not let us fall.  They will support us and catch us if we need the help.

So I keep on swimming (or running) and writing and reminding myself that Walt Disney, my inspiration, struggled at times as well…but he met the challenges and achieved his dreams.  I will too.

What Would Walt Do? – Part 2

Writing a dissertation is much like training or running a marathon. It is a ton of hard work and often you feel stuck or in a rut.

Today, however, I finally received final approval from my University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).

I desperately want to go for a run right now but I am still home with a sick, finally napping baby.  It will have to wait.

There are so many different choices ahead of me but there are only a few that I can actually choose.  And that is somewhat scary.

So again, I’m keeping Walt in my head.  What would Walt do?  He would keep going, smile, dream and make things happen.

That’s what I’ve got to do.

What Would Walt Do?

Most of my friends and family know I have an unnatural attraction to all things Disney.  So much so that I worked at the Magic Kingdom in College Program in 2001 and wrote my undergraduate thesis on Walt Disney’s Defense of American Culture.  When things start getting tough for me I have a tendency to turn to Disney for motivation, inspiration, hope.  I always ask myself…”What would Walt do?”  He certainly wouldn’t give up.  He would keep going even through failure to achieve his dreams.  And he did it.

Now I’m facing my own crossroads and I have a difficult decision ahead of me.  I write here because for me training for a half marathon is only part of my wellness journey.  You have to find balance in all things and sometimes things get so out of balance and comfortable that you forget where you intended to go in the first place.

I did manage to get a run in this morning, 2.25 miles, using my Galloway program.  I also managed to get some audit checks done for work.  But as soon as I managed to sit down at my desk I was called to pick my ill daughter up from daycare, once more.  Fever, no sign of ear infection, throat clear, lungs clear…doc thinks a virus.

All of these things going on in my life are leading me down a different path then I thought I would be taking a year ago.  It’s sad, it’s scary but I cannot stop my movement forward.

What would Walt do?  What do you do or turn to when faced with difficult situations or choices?

Observations

I began running 6 weeks ago, on a treadmill.  Winter can be cold here in Utah and cold weather exercise is actually a significant trigger for my asthma.  So I was running on at treadmill at a gym.  At first I suffered from shin splints which disappeared a week after using Rocktape.

Then, I started having knee pain. I tried Rocktape on my knees, no use. I tried braces, no significant difference. I iced, I rested, I compressed.  Nothing.  But I kept training because the knee pain would subside after the workout.  I also started running on a track at the gym on campus.

Then, I got sick.  My daughter brought another cold home and it managed to lodge itself into my lungs.  Hence, another asthma trigger of mine, illness made me switch to walking for almost a week.

On Friday, I ran again.  Outside, at a local park.  I anticipated that the knee pain would kick back in as I ran the three miles with a Magic Mile.  Imagine my surprise on finishing the workout with absolutely NO knee pain.

Yesterday, I ran again.  On a track on base in a pressurized bubble.  Not only did I run my fastest pace so far, but also, no knee pain.

A week of rest.  A week of allowing my knees to recover, get stronger.   Amazing how a true week of rest and walking allowed me to fulling recover.  And I do believe that the treadmill gait was what caused the problem in the first place.  I am very relieved that warmer weather is appearing which will allow me to run outdoors.

What interesting observations have you encountered during your training?

Don’t forget to enter the Frozen Digital Copy Giveaway!  Only one day left until the drawing.

#notsmashingthehalf

I am sound to announce that I will not be Smashing the Half at the Inaugural Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland this year.  I was unequivocally told that I am not to register for it because too much of our life was unsteady right now.  What with my dissertation research up in the air and the chance that the hubs might be early retiring. I’m not going to lie.  I’m very sad that I won’t get to run this race because I absolutely love Marvel.  However, considering I’m running the Wine and Dine the week before I will survive.  Had I known about the Avengers Half before I registered for Wine & Dine I likely would have chosen Avengers, Disneyland is closer and often significantly cheaper than a trip to WDW.  Alas, it was announced after I registered. Next year I will earn my Coast to Coast.  Though, I don’t know where we will be living next year.   Uncertainty makes me nervous, more nervous than usual.  So right now I’m going to focus on dissertation work, and training, and my family.  That’s all I can do right? Before I go don’t forget to enter my Frozen Digital Copy Giveaway at: A DisBaby Travels

Today’s Training Session – faster pace:

Monday Madness

On Friday, I received some bad news.  The University I work at was going to fight me on taking one month of leave without pay so I could conduct my dissertation research in Ireland.  Needless to say I was not happy, and I ended up contacting Legal Counsel at the University to confirm HR’s interpretation of the policy in the policies and procedures manual.  I  am still waiting to hear from them but I may be out of my job within the next few months.

After work I forced myself to go for a run.  I still wasn’t 100% over my cold (in fact I’m still not) but I needed to get rid of some of the nervous energy that had built up since the morning.  It was a Magic Mile test and I ended running a 12:35.  My best mile so far.

That night I traveled to Washington, D.C., for a conference.  Taking a red eye is not my favorite but again I was attempting to avoid taking any leave from work.  It was a long flight, I didn’t sleep.  I ended up arriving at George Mason an hour and half before I was set to present, exhausted.  But I did it.  I presented on the use of emotions as a catalyst for creating social change.  I think the group liked the message.  I hope they did.  After I met my dear friend, Judy, and we grabbed some Tapas at La Tasca in Arlington, near the Clarendon Metro Stop.  The food, sangria and company were energizing.

We ended up taking the Metro downtown to the Mall, walked around for a bit and finally, the heeled boots I was wearing killed my feet.  I couldn’t walk much more so Judy and I went our separate way at Foggy Bottom and on returning to the hotel I crashed for the night.  The next morning I traveled home….to return to a child with a very obvious case of pinkeye.

Madness on Monday, it never seems to let up sometimes.  So I am taking sick leave this morning to take little one to the doctor.  Taking leave I didn’t want to have to take.

In running news I will be adjusting my schedule since my long runs, are now going to be 6+miles.   I enjoyed my outdoor run on Friday and the weather is finally starting to be far more cooperative.    I just hope that everything else irons itself out in life.

Friday Five: Playlists

I am one of those people who find it very difficult to work out without a good play list.  Running has been no exception.  In fact I’ve found it highly important to have a good mix to keep my pace and motivation up.

My top five songs today are:

Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore
Happy – Pharrell Williams
Pixar Play Parade – From Disney’s Pixar Play Parade (Come on, this is Devoted to Run Disney, did you really think this list wouldn’t have something from Disney?)
Let’s Get it Started – Black Eyed Peas
Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC

I have a multitude of others but these five get me pumped up right now.    If you happen to drive by my car and see me dancing and bouncing around unashamedly I am probably listening to one of these songs.

I’m heading to Washington, D.C. tomorrow to present on a panel at GMU.  Hoping that I might be able to get a run in on the mall.  My lungs are feeling strong again and I will be doing a Magic Mile run this afternoon, in the hopes that it helps me get some sleep on my Red Eye flight.

Remember to enter my Frozen Digital Copy Giveaway: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Dis-Baby-Travels/161605757317204?sk=app_228910107186452

Have a wonderful weekend.

Enter to Win a Free Digital Copy of Frozen

I will be giving away a free Digital Download Copy of Frozen this week.  To enter you just need to visit my Travel Agent Facebook page.

Go to A Dis Baby Travels to enter: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Dis-Baby-Travels/161605757317204?sk=app_228910107186452

The contest will end March 28 and the winner will be notified via Facebook and email.  The code will be sent and can be used to download a digital copy in iTunes and other digital media forms.

Good luck!

 

My final IRB paperwork was sent back to the IRB Chair yesterday.

Oh, did I not mention this before?  I’m running another type of endurance race.

The dissertation.

So close, and yet still miles to go.

Not Completely Insane…Yet

A great blog about being injured….in my case, being sick. I so desperately want to run but hacking my lungs up currently…makes that difficult. It’s time to rest and even give my knees some time to get stronger from all the work they’ve been doing for the last 5 weeks.

Black Dog Runs The World

As you may or may not remember, I decided to take some time off from running in an attempt to let my IT bands heal after the Disney Half Marathon in January.  For any of you who suffer from ITBS, you know it’s not something you can just “run through”.  In fact, the more you run, the worse it gets.

Run away ITBS, run away!

After researching ITBS to death, the common denominator seemed to keep coming back to an imbalance in the hips and weak quad and gluteal muscles.  Like many runners, I’ve been suffering from a major case of runner’s tunnel vision. Runrunrunrunrunrunrun and more run.  That’s it.  The occasional foray onto my elliptical and IT specific PT exercises occasionally made an appearance on my workout calendar, but that was about it.  And ooh mama, did I pay for it!

Around mile 6 of the Donald Half the…

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