Post Marathon Blues

So, I ran a marathon.  I trained for 16 weeks, devoted countless hours to the road, gained a "family" of runners (and a few support folks), learned the ins and outs of hydration and fueling, experienced many of the not-so-attractive parts of running, showed up at the start line, ran 26.2 miles and finished.  The cherry on top was that I finished on my own two feet, upright, and lived to tell about it.  

I accomplished something that most people will never dream of; statistics say that only 0.5% to 1% of the population ever completes a marathon.  That's pretty crazy when you really think about it (or maybe it means that I'm crazy).  Nonetheless, the feeling when you finish is beyond words.  

Now that it is all over and done with, it feels like something is missing.  I feel kind of lost, without a lofty goal in mind, bored, and generally unmotivated. I could care less if I ever ran again, and find it difficult even to motivate myself to make it to the weekly Team Adrenaline workouts.  And from what the rest of the marathon crew reports, I'm not alone.  It's crazy to think that we went from a moment of greatness, to very little motivation at all.  Thinking of that in itself makes me even more depressed.

I was surprised to find out that feeling this way after a marathon is not uncommon.  In fact, if you Google the term "post-marathon blues" you actually come up with a plethora of articles.  Is it weird that the fact it has a name makes me feel a little better?  I know, I'm weird like that.

So after reading up on it quite a bit, I've come to the conclusion that I need a new goal.  Now my problem is deciding what goal to chase after.  Running faster or longer both come to mind.  A triathlon is something I've been thinking of as well.  My indecisive mind can't quite come to a conclusion yet, and any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Hey Mom, Look What I Can Do!

Being a mom is by far my biggest and most defining accomplishment.  It means more to me than any degree or classwork I've completed; more than any athletic achievement I may have trained for and completed; more than buying my own house or owning my car.  M has helped give my life meaning and every day adds a wonder and excitement to life I never knew existed.

Lately, I have been noticing that she picks up on everything.  It's made me more conscious of what I say and do, as it is very apparent that she aspires to follow in my footsteps.  In many ways, I'm honored; but I am also terrified.  I make mistakes, lots of them, and have learned much from these mistakes.  My biggest wish is that M can go through life without these mistakes, but I know that they will happen.

So I choose to focus on the present.  M is turning into a mini-me, and I couldn't be prouder (because seriously, who doesn't want a mini-me).

For Halloween, she wanted to be a marathon runner.  She said it was because she was so proud of me.

She has picked up my eating habits, and is one of the only 5-year-olds I know who requests quinoa for dinner or can identify what gluten is.

Most recently, she has decided to start coming to Team Adrenaline workouts with me.  She used to come so that she can play with the other kids.  Now, she actually tries to do parts of the workout because she, "wants to be a champion someday."  

It's a profound thing when you realize that the changes and decisions you make are so easily passed down.  My biggest hope is not that my child becomes a track star or nutritional expert.  Although I would be proud of her, my biggest hope for her is that she can use these lessons to live a happy, healthy life.  In the meantime, I guess I really need to watch what I say and do, because I never know what she might pick up.

Guess Who's Back!?

So the last time I was on here was February.  In the 9 months since I've been on here a lot could have happened:

• I could've gotten pregnant and had a baby.

• The average person could have grown about 4.5 inches of hair.

• I could've trained for and ran a marathon.

Only one of those things really happened, and no, I do not have two kids now.

Regardless of what could have happened in 9 months, the important thing is that now, I'm back! (cue Eminem)

I'm running low and sleep and laptop battery, but I can at least give you a brief run down of what I've been up to:

• Supervisor of Special Education Certificate - Finished!

• Tough Mudder Ohio - cold, wet, misery

• Vacay 2014 - Salvo, NC

• 40 Before 40 List - I actually crossed a few things off!

• Beast on the Bay - talk about improvement!

• M - 5 going on 15

• Marathon - I ran a marathon, that's right, 26.2 miles!

I'll get into more detail later, but wanted to announce my triumphant return to blogging (before something else caught my attention again).  Expect to hear more from me soon!

In sickness, and more sickness

We've lucked out for the most part this year.  Other than a brief bout with walking pneumonia, our household has been pretty healthy this winter. That was, up until this week.

Normally we get the sniffles around the end of November, and they stay until the beginning of May.  As happy as I have been to not have the constant sniffles, this week has made up for it and then some!

Sunday evening M started to get the dreaded sniffles.  I ran out to the grocery store, got some oranges and Kleenex, and hoped for the best.  Tim was off work Monday, so I gave him instructions to take it easy and went off to school.  By the time I got home, sniffles had turned into full out snot grenades and soon my vibrant, full of energy daughter was struggling just to get off the couch.  Add to that Tim was now reporting his stomach just didn't feel right.  Oh, yeah, and he had been called back to work; luckily, he wasn't going back until Wednesday.

Tuesday morning things didn't look any better.  M was up half the night coughing and blowing her nose and Tim's stomach was still "not right."  I came home Tuesday afternoon and both were on the couch.  M had a fever, and was beginning to get the Bob Costas red-eye effect.  I was feeling quite achy myself and decided Wednesday needed to be a day to rest and took the day off.

Wednesday night was miserable.  Tim up with stomach troubles, M was up coughing, blowing her nose, or complaining her eyes hurt.  I got maybe 3 hours at best, so much for rest.  Tim headed off to work Wednesday morning, I called the doctor.  M woke up with her eyes crusted shut, a fever, and a cough that could pass as the world's best seal impression.  Luckily they could fit her in.  As time passed, my house was slowly being taken over by used tissues and glasses of OJ.

Even this sick, she still wanted her picture taken.

It took the doctor 30 seconds to recognize there was a lot going on.  Five minutes later, we were told that M had a dreadful combination of a double ear infection. strep throat, and pink eye in both eyes, yikes!  We made the trek up to Wegman's to pick up her prescription.  The poor girl could barely keep her eyes open as we picked up a few essentials while waiting for them to fill the prescription and flavor it (bubble gum!).  Meanwhile, mommy was still achy and feeling less than stellar.  We got home, plopped onto the couch, put on Netflix and in 5 minutes we were both asleep. 

When daddy got home, he reported stomach issues all day, and joined us.  

Luckily, Thursday and Friday offered some much needed R&R time for M.  I headed back to work, but kept the exercising and extracurriculars to a minimum.  Now it is the weekend and although we aren't 100%, we are getting there (I'd say we are about 85% right now). 

If anything, this week has taught me that life sometimes throws some curve balls.  Just because we were sick didn't mean that dishes didn't need cleaned or work didn't need done.  Still, I will say that I almost enjoyed the way it made us all slow down.  We got to focus on each other, and for a brief moment many of our usual distractors were gone.  It helped us refocus on those things that were most important: health, wellness, and family.  

Did I say I thrived off of stress?

One of the things I've always said about myself is that I thrive off stress.  I think it went back to college when they were starting to train us for job interviews.  "Turn a negative into a positive," they told me.  So I did.  Instead of saying I was a huge procrastinator who waited till the last minute, I came up with some mumbo jumbo about thriving under adverse conditions.  Now in my defense, it's true.  I've always liked my plate full.  I don't do "down time" well.  Normally too much free time in my schedule leaves me cranky and unpleasant to be around.  That's typically when I either start yelling at people or go shopping.  I'm not sure which one Tim dislikes more.

So, in typical me fashion, I have once again piled it on.  Work has been requiring an increasing amount of my time as my caseload seems to be growing exponentially.  Luckily I work with some pretty awesome people who help out.  Still, being me, I insist on doing most of it myself.  

The new semester has also started in graduate school world.  This should be my last semester in school for at least a year or so (until I get bored and go back).  Instead of spreading out my last class and internship into two separate semesters,  I decided to do them both at the same time.  What was I thinking?  I've been going to school for 25 years straight (even longer if you count preschool).  You'd think I would have this whole classwork thing down to a science by now.  Still, with each class being so unique, I never know what to expect.  Keep piling it on!

Add in the detox and many upcoming events such as Tough Mudder and a half marathon to train for, and I would say my plate is pretty full right now.  Tim thinks I'm crazy, but I'm enjoying staying busy.  I've never been one to enjoying sitting in front of the TV all day without doing anything.  Even if I stay home, I try and find something to keep me occupied.  I like the feeling like I've accomplished something at the end of the day. I think that is why I keep my planner.  There is no better feeling than crossing something off when you've finished it. (And yes, I am one of those people who will write it on my list after I finished it just so I can cross it off)

It used to be when I overloaded my plate things got pretty nasty around here.  I would be moody and unpleasant, and poor Tim took most of the brunt of it.  It's a miracle I made it through student teaching without scaring him away.  But I think this time things are a lot different.  Sure I've got a lot to do and I'm stressed, but I'm not moody or angry.  Why?  I've found a new way of relieving my stress that doesn't require me yelling at those I love. 

So what have I been doing to alleviate stress?  Running as much as I can, although with a knee injury that wasn't much.  Still if I wasn't running, I was at least making it to a few Team Adrenaline workouts each week.

It's almost as if I sweat out some of the stress.

We also took a Sunday morning jaunt across the frozen bay.  I'm a self proclaimed wuss, so this isn't an activity I would choose to do on my own.  With the bay sitting with a good 10 inches of ice, the four mile walk across and back was quite interesting.

True, it's been cold, but I can't let that get me down.  Instead, we've just added more layers and the occasional face mask to keep the frostbite at bay.

Luckily I have some pretty amazing people who help relieve stress with humor or just an ear to listen.  I think that is what makes the biggest difference.  I find that when I'm able to escape from the stress, even if it is just for an hour, I come back feeling refreshed.  I know it's going to be a long couple of months and things aren't always going to be pretty; but at least I know that I can find a few ways to forget about it for a bit.

Tea and Detox

After last week's fun and festivities, this week has been a little rougher on me.  

School has been tough, several new kids and lots of paperwork to finish.  Add in one snow day and one two hour delay due to the Polar Vortex and that's even more of a downer.  My desk looks like a tornado came through, with piles upon piles of things that need finished.  If the desk fairy came through my room, I think she'd be quite disappointed in me.

I'm sure I'll catch up and everything will be fine, however stress and me never really get along.  

My normal go-to is a nice glass of wine, or three or four.  Seeing as I have quite the assortment (especially after my birthday) this would seem like a good idea.  

However,  I have embarked on another journey to help me "detox" from the holidays.  Doc (our fearless leader of Team Adrenaline) decided that a detox to start the new year would be a great thing.  In short, the detox consists of avoiding processed and artificial sugars, caffeine, and alcohol for six weeks. Here's his version for anyone that is interested.

The detox is very similar to what I did in the spring with Challenge Erie.  I had more or less stuck to the no sugar rule since then, with exceptions from time to time (and very frequently over Christmas).  

Always a glutton for punishment, I decided to also eliminate dairy and gluten.  I had toyed around with eliminating both for a while and discovered I felt a lot better without them.  But still, it makes for some difficult eating.

Instead of starting January 1 with all the other detoxers, I decided to wait until after my birthday.  After all the hoopla I had put around turning 30, the last thing I wanted to do was worry about what the labels said on everything I ate or drank that day.  

Since starting the detox, I feel a lot better.  My energy is back and I'm not feeling as "bloaty."  I've gotten past the first week of feeling crappy and cranky, which I'm sure Tim and M really appreciate!

When the detox was first starting, one of the more discussed topics was that of tea.  Because we are detoxing from caffeine, coffee is a no-no.  Decaf is ok, but unless you drink it black there really isn't much you can add to it (no sugar means no lactose means no milk).  I've never been big on coffee but I've always liked tea; so, I was excited about the green light to try so new types of tea.  It was through this discussion (and an impromptu Team Adrenaline trip to Wegman's) that I was introduced to the world of loose leaf tea.

Always some type of shenanigans when TA is involved.

I was excited to say the least.  In fact, I was so excited I immediately purchased my very first tea infuser, the Tea Rex!

I admit, I bought it more because he was cute than anything.  I learned very quickly, Tea Rex is only good for big, chunky teas.  The tea I was using ended up making its way through the holes and soon I was drinking chunky tea.  To add insult to injury, the thing was a pain in the ass to clean!

After sharing my Tea Rex saga with my TA friends, I received this adorable guy from Leslie.  She had seen him at the Co-Op and couldn't resist.

RoboTea (as I lovingly named him) did much better than Mr. Rex, although still  had some flaws.  My tea didn't end up near as chunky, although there still were bits of tea floating around.  And I quickly learned the importance of securely closing him, as the first time I tried he popped open spilling his contents all over my kitchen floor.

Finally ended up with a new tea infuser that has done the job.  This one, made by Teavana, not only came with a sample of tea (which I can't drink until after the detox because it has added sugar), but also has done a great job of allowing me to enjoy my new Green Tea with Blueberry obsession.

The way this detox is going so far, I have a feeling it is only going to get more and more interesting, but more on that later!

Another year older...

So it is official.  I have turned 30.  This weekend ushered in a new era of me.  It was filled with some of the best friends I could ask for, supportive family, and the realization that turning 30 meant nothing other than another year of experiences to learn from.

My weekend started out with my paraprofessional, Pam surprising me on Friday.  When I came into work (after a much appreciated 2 hour delay), she had my classroom decorated in balloons an this was hanging outside my door.

She had secretly gotten my mom to give her pictures of me growing up and made a beautiful 30-shaped collage.  It was pretty awesome seeing how far I've come.  

Saturday night some of my friends came by to celebrate.  That celebration eventually ended in a game of darts around 2:30am that included Tim and I going against my brother and mom.  Good stuff.  

Sunday was my actual birthday, and actually ended up being the most low key.  Most of the day was spent lounging around, which was briefly interrupted by my involvement in a pretty epic picture for Tough Mudder (more on that a different time).  Finally my mom made my favorite meal and I finished out the day with my family.  

I found it pretty awesome that on my special day, this was in our newspaper.

Yep, that's me and some of the ladies of Team Adrenaline gracing the cover of this month's Her Times (part of our local newspaper).  They had put a call out for local ladies to share how they get fit and fellow TA member, Jen Kelly, wrote a beautiful response recognizing the importance of camraderie.  Read hers, and the other responses here.

As I turned the page into the next chapter of my life, I recognized how much my goals have changed.  Since the last list was so much fun, I decided to come up with another list of things I want to accomplish.  This time, I'm giving myself 10 years.  I figured coming up with 40 things I want to do before I turn 40 wouldn't be too difficult.  Still, I found myself short.  I have already accomplished so much, and I'm still figuring out where I want to go from here.  So, I took the items from my 30 before 30 life that I still wanted and went from there.  Recognizing how much change can occur, I also left a few spots at the end so that I can ambitions as they come up. 

Bri's 40 Before 40 List

1. Run a marathon - Already registered!  Wineglass Marathon - October 2014.

2. Visit Ireland

3. Get a tattoo

4. Ride on a motorcycle

5. Travel further west than Toledo

6. Attend an NFL football game, preferably Steelers

7. Completely refinish one room of the house

8. Have the equivalent of one month's salary in savings

9. Golf a full 18 holes, and keep score

10. Pay off all my credit card debt

11. Take M to Disney

12. Swim with dolphins

13. Complete a triathlon

14. Earn my Ed.D in Special Education or at least start on my coursework

15. Become a Health Coach

16. Go ziplining

17. Ride a horse

18. Hug a koala bear

19. Take pictures of my feet in the ocean on both the Atlantic and Pacific coast

20. Host a holiday meal

21. Learn to drive a stick shift

22. Have a conversation in Spanish

23. Be able to complete a pull up

24. Volunteer

25. Attend an even that requires formal attire

26. Write letters to the five people who have most impacted my life

27. Ride in a helicopter

28. Run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon

29. Go on a cruise

30. Donate my hair (again)

31. Go wine tasting in a limo or party bus

32. Completely unplug for a week, write about the experience

33. Make something and sell it

34. Repeat our honeymoon, only this time bigger and better

35. Go for a day sail on the Niagara

36. To be added when I'm 32

37. To be added when I'm 34

38. To be added when I'm 36

39. To be added when I'm 38

40. To be added when I'm 39

Looks like I have some work to do, but I'm excited to get started.  Getting to 30 has been quite the journey, and I can't wait to see what is coming up next!