Ready for “battle”?

This is what 7 miles in the rain looks like (in case you were wondering):

But that’s not the point of my post today.

My point?

My husband thinks I’m armed and ready for battle with all the gear I had on for today’s long run ala YuKanRun half marathon training.

Why?

Well, I *did*  have an awful lot of gear on today:
Hat – to keep the rain out of my eyes
Watch – to watch our pace
Not one, but two patella straps – gotta protect those knees
iFitness hydration belt – test-run baby!

He looked at me as I was gearing up and smirked — “What are you, going in for battle? Look at all that gear.”

At first I got all offended and annoyed that he clearly did NOT get why I needed all this stuff. But then, I had to giggle – he kept imitating me during the run, and as it started to go from a light sprinkle to outright downpour – he said, “don’t worry, you got this — you do have your survival pack on you, afterall.”

Such a jokester, he is.

But seriously, all that gear made a huge difference today. Especially the hat (hello, rain!) AND that iFitness hydration belt. Just like Naomi promised (thank you, dear!), it didn’t slip at ALL during our run. It stayed at my hips and I seriously didn’t even notice it was there – y’know until I needed a sip of water. And those tiny sips made such a difference – no dry mouth, no “OMG I’m dying of thirst” distracting thoughts.

Just me (and my gear) and Scott running along, conquering that 7-miler like a coupla running fiends!

So yeah – I guess Scott was right – I *was* geared up and ready for battle today. <—see babe? I admitted it, you were right. Happy now? 😉

Now what?

Ok, so I’m committed to my 2^nd half marathon.

And I’m all over the Barre N9ne challenge (which is going amazingly well, if my ridiculous enthusiasm over the whole thing isn’t clear by now!).

So…now what?

How will I balance both?

I was thinking about this last night as I dozed into dreamland. I’m all about focus these days – less is more, quality over quantity, all that jazz.

So here’s my plan: Barre N9ne is on until July 13. I’m in it to win it. So is my sis.

But the half will be just about one month later on August 14. I’ve got to finish what I’ve started.

So – is there a training plan in mind, you ask?

Kind of.

Booshy shared a pretty fanfrickintastic training plan with me and my sis today. She goes so far as to laminate it to post on the fridge (talk about motivating!). I love it. Yet – I find myself shying away from a “written” training plan, per se. So instead, I’m going to loosely follow what I did last summer when training for the Wicked Half. The whole less is more thing worked well here – less is more being  less structure is better for me than more. It prevents stress, something I dig, big time these days.

So the plan, sorry – was digressing there for a sec. (Such a spaz today.):

Run 4x/week – one long run (likely on Sundays) of varying mileage, two shorter runs (3-5ish miles) and one mid-range run (6, 7ish). Of course, I’ll be building up to the longer mileage to avoid any training injuries. The last thing I want to do is run into another knee issue!

In between running, I’ll continue to focus, focus, focus on Barre N9ne.

And that’s it. All she wrote, folks.

Kinda sounds like what I’m already doing now, huh? Well, it is – I’m just finally ready to give this “thing” a name – it’s my barre-n9ne-challenge-ala-half-marathon-training-lovefest.

Whatcha think? Has a nice ring to it, no?

**********
Oh – and in typical spaz fashion, a couple of MUST-HAVES to get me through the next 2.5-ish months, I’ve decided?

I need:

Lululemon RUN shorts

I need:

Lululemon groove pants

Where’s my Lululemon fairy godmother? I’m waaaaitng.

Signed,

Spazzy-for-no-apparent-reason-today
Me

I had (have?) a dream

Well, sorta both.

I *did* have a dream this weekend.

One that left a lasting impression.

But it’s also a dream of mine, too.

Hence the title of my post…
…I had (have?) a dream…to run the Healdsburg Half. 

My dream this weekend was vivid. I was very clearly running in Healdsburg – surrounded by beautiful vineyards, full of multi-colored vines, just past the grape harvest. And I was running.  Freely. Almost magically. (it *was* a dream afterall!). And I had an awesome race. One where I never hit that all encompassing wall. One where the run was one to remember. One where I crossed that finish line with arms stretched overhead in victory, huge grin plastered on my face, pride radiating from my body. I crossed in PR-crushing fashion. And it was amazing. 

Fast forward to tonight. Running with Scott. Nearly puking at the end (he pushed me so far out of my comfort zone…much-needed but still, I totally envisioned my Chobani making a second appearance tonight, oy). But all I could think about was that dream.

I want to run the Healdsburg Half. 

So much.

And why have I not registered yet?? One reason, and one reason only: I have a practical husband. Who thinks we should wait juuuuust a little bit longer until a few things on the home front are worked out.

So, while I tried my best to win him over with batting eyelashes and pleading puppy dog eyes….I kinda know he’s right. So we’ll wait…just a little bit longer. But only because he’s really cute and I am pretty sure I’ll win him over in the end. 

But if any of you know me by now, you know one thing: I am stubborn. Once my mind is settled, there isn’t much that will deter me.

So watch out, Healdsburg Half…there are some east coasters with their eye on you this fall!  😉

3 words (and one extra)

Three words: 

…Sexy

…Strong

…Adorable

Remember when I asked you all to come up with three words that you’d describe yourself with? Well, I have this habit of asking Scott random questions when we’re eating dinner or sitting on the deck, going for a walk, whatever. It’s always something really random. So the other night (I think it was Sunday), I asked him how he’d describe me in three words (words, not phrases, I specified).

And these were the words he uttered…sexy, strong, adorable.

I don’t know why, but those words totally made me blush – even though he’s probably complimented me using those words a hundred times in the nearly seven years since we’ve been married. But hearing him rattle them off without hesitation really struck me somehow. Reminded me how grateful I am to have such an awesome husband who adores me (and who I adore right back!), but also reminded me that I should revisit these words next time I have a low confidence moment. So, while looking in the mirror this morning while getting ready for my day (in the midst of watching William & Kate coverage!), I remembered those words and made sure not to let negative thoughts creep in.

Sometimes it truly is the little things – like three simple words – that make all the difference. 

Regardless, I urge you to give this little exercise a try – with your boyfriend, your husband, your best friend, your sister. You might be surprised by what you hear. Embrace it. 

**********

So the title of my post mentions “three words (and one extra)” – that extra word? 

Half marathon.  

I can’t get it off my mind…despite my running mojo being  a little hit or miss lately.

And the half I *really* can’t get off my mind?

The Healdsburg Half. 

At the end of October, amidst the vines in Dry Creek.

Am I crazy to sign up for it when I haven’t even figured out our vacation plans to return there this fall?? 

Or should I throw a little caution to the wind and register anyway, even if it could mean a very quick weekend trip to Cali just to run this race?

Am I equally crazy for also still wanting to run the Wicked Half again a month prior – just because that race holds sentimental value to me as my first-ever half marathon?

Hm. I think I’m crazy.