Our Family Beginnings

I have completed the first week of my 15 week half marathon training. I’ve been all over the map too. The last time I seriously embarked on a fitness regime, was 5 years ago, when I was trying to recover from some food issues after losing 30 pounds. I was also near the beginning of being treated for infertility. I had started the half marathon training program, but quit halfway through at the behest of my doctor. I never really got my workout mojo back after that, and of course the pounds followed.

I did get that trainer pack from Mr. Badger two summers ago for our anniversary, and it helped, but I wasn’t doing cardio on my own, so while I gained muscle, I didn’t really lose weight. When I finally did get about two weeks in to running, we got the call about V, and well, while I kept up with it for a bit, the lack of sleep finally caught up with me and that was it, I was done.

Flash forward to this week, and I was really nervous, like losing sleep nervous. Moderation isn’t really my strong suit, and this is the ultimate test in both moderation and self discipline. I actually got inspired by E’s Mama and her dedication to her own wellness plan as laid out by her doctor. She’s following it to a T, that way if it doesn’t achieve the goals that she was expecting, she knows that she’ll have done everything asked of her, and won’t beat up on herself. That clicked something in me. Isn’t it awesome when our friends inspire us?

I sat in the introductory meeting before our first run, and listened to our coaches speak about their experiences with running. It was the usual “rah-rah, you can do it” that one usually hears at these things, but for some reason, it really helped when the coach got on her serious kick. She mentioned that the program is so aggressive because it’s not only for people who want to complete their first half, but also for experienced runners who want to back off from a marathon in order to do a triathalon. That explained so much about the high mileage to me. She kept beating home that the schedule is set up for a reason, that the off days are for serious NON RUNNING workouts, so we should swim, bike, or do some other non-weight bearing exercise. I thought about how I haven’t swum laps since high school, where I was on swim team for my first two years. I started making plans, figuring out what time of day I’d need to leave to get my runs in before V wakes up in the morning, calculating mileage from my parents’ house so I can do my long run on my own next weekend.

And then this morning, when V went down for a nap, I donned my speedo swimsuit I had bought with the intention of swimming so many times before, and went to the neighborhood pool that has a dedicated lap pool. I didn’t put my toe in the water to check the temperature, because it was irrelevant. I was going to swim, and if it was cold, I’d need to suck it up, so I just jumped in. I swam 52 25meter laps, or 1300 meters, or .8 miles. It was like riding a bike, and felt wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, I signed up for the masters swim program that meets on my off running days first thing in the morning during the week.

The plan is there for a reason, she said. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna make it work. Oh, and to stave off the perfectionist food issues, I’m gonna eat like I usually do.  It’s not like I’m a huge eater anyway, so I’m not planning on dieting.  I’m not gonna have a salad unless I feel like having a salad, you know what I mean?  I just need to remind myself that I’d rather be in shape and wear the same size pants rather than be thin and famished.  Because you know what tastes better than thin feels? Ice cream and wine.

edited to add:

I also looked at my splits this morning, since my phone tracks my mileage via gps, and it was awesome.  By mile, on my long run, each mile was faster than the one before it.

Hey all,

This one’s been long in the planning, so if you’re even semi-local, I am hoping you can make it. Reply to part 1, part 2 or both below, and on Thursday or Friday I’ll do a post with everyone’s blog on it, so you can catch up on your faves.

Part 1 – Just the ladies:
9/23, 11am-2:30
La Madeleine

TEL: 301-984-2270

Part 2: All are welcome – BYO everything
Starting at 1pm, Football will be on the big screen at our house, which is very close by. If you are on the DC Metro google group, I will post my address there. If you aren’t on the group, email me and I’ll get you the info. People can come over as early as 11am, but you’ll just be hanging out with Mr. Badger and the cats.

Our rule is, you bring it, we can grill it. The only thing I have to offer up are some frozen Veggie Burgers and and array of liquor, cups, paper plates and napkins, so if you want anything from appetizers to beer to lunch/dinner, to desserts, to soda – you’ll need to bring it. If you’re coming to this part, make sure to leave a comment and what you are bringing (totally optional to bring anything), so folks know what else we need.

I will say, Mr. Badger and I are open to bribes. Along with the Steelers game (Steelers v. 49ers at 1pm), we have access to all games in the NFL. So if you bring a REALLY good treat, we can be bought. Even for you misguided Ravens fans.

No, we never found the tickets, but we made it a cuddle at home day with no one else here. The Steelers are now 2-0, so I can’t complain about that. Plus, we didn’t have to drive 8 hours total today. There are worse things that could have happened. But in the future, tickets go up on the corkboard in the office.

Thanks for all the suckage support, it made me smile and laugh.

We also got to play on my impulse buy – a Nintendo Wii! Let me tell you, it comes with a bunch of sports games, and we are SORE. It really feels like I am playing tennis! But yeah, arms and back are totally sore, and we worked up a sweat for sure.

Finally, I did my first shot of Lupron tonight. We’ll see how bad it gets. I have heard the horror stories about what it does for one’s mood. The shot itself didn’t actually hurt one bit, and there’s no mixing in this one, so that’s nice to not have to do.

I’ll probably write a bunch this week – it’s Mr. Badger’s turn to go to Minneapolis. Plus, I have to remind everyone about the next DC Get Together (this coming Sunday) and Football afternoon (guys and gals all welcome).

So as promised, here’s my attempt at surfing. It was fantastic, and frankly, makes me a little sad that I live inland. I was out in the waves with all the old skool surfer guys, and though I couldn’t get up on my board, I had a fantastic time pretending I was on a loooooong boogie board.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKkekLhOcFM]

Of course, tomorrow I fly to LA for the wedding, and I won’t really be posting until I get back next Monday.

So, since I can clearly engage in all sorts of debauchery in the city of Lost Angels, here’s the plan.

We leave tomorrow morning, and right now, I’m hating United a bit. Technically, we’re going to Huntinton Beach, and so we’re flying into SNA (about 4o minutes south of LAX). We were originally leaving at 7am, and routed through Chicago. That would have gotten us in late morning. Not so fast. In its infinite wisdom, we are now leaving at 9:30am and routed THROUGH LAX with a 2 HOUR LAYOVER. That’s right folks, we have to wait two hours to fly 40 minutes down the road. Fucking bullshit is what it is. (the F-bomb is dropped because that silly ratings meme gave me a “G” rating for my site. That’s a load of crap). So we need to pack only carry ons and see if we can get off at LAX and take a cab, without fucking up our return flight. Any of you world travelers have insight on that one?

Once we get there, I have been informed that I must upgrade our car from a standard to convertible. My brother has informed me that his fiancee will castrate him if I cannot do this, and money is no object. This will be easier said than done, since I booked my car through priceline, which technically can’t be changed. I figure, I’ll get to the rental counter and just be really sweet and adorable. I’ll have to wear a low cut shirt or something.

We’re staying a a really posh hotel that I got a ridiculous deal at, so that’s nice. Wednesday night, we have a bbq at the house that my Aunt’s family rented. Thursday, Me, Mr. Badger, my brother and his fiancee are thinking of doing a chauffeured winery tour. Friday, I am thinking of taking a surfing lesson followed by a massage. Is all of this indulgent, and possibly stupid since we’re looking down the barrel of IVF and a kitchen reno? Of course. But as Cybill Shepard says, I’m worth it.

Saturday’s the wedding and then we fly back early Sunday morning (routed through Chicago this time).

After that, I am in town Monday and Tuesday, and fly out mid-day Wednesday to go to Minneapolis to meet with a new client. I’m actually shadowing someone else, so it will be low-stress and for me to learn. But I don’t get back until late the night before the anti-shower that we’re throwing.

And that leads me to my next post.

We’ve arrived safe and sound in DEEEtrOIT, and I was Queen for a Day. Why, you ask? Because my father-in-law’s company had 10th row center seats to the Cavs-Pistons NBA Conference Finals game last night! It was at the Palace at Auburn Hills, and was a very nice arena. I’ve never seen a team with its own drumline before.

I finally got around to taking some pictures of the garden, so click on the picture below to take a gander:

Garden, May 2007

Finally, symptoms of the day:
If I could be more bloated, I could be used as a flotation device in the Detroit River. Let’s just say that upping my fiber intake may be in my best interest.