Thinks By Me

Three Things Thursday

2010-08-26T19:16:00.000-05:00

1) I took my Chickadee and a friend to the Carousel mall today to spend some of her hard-earned babysitting money. One good thing about her wanting to shop alone with her buddy was that she didn't ask me to buy her one.single.thing! Well, except lunch--that was only because I told her she was paying for her own if we didn't eat together ;)

2) I skipped running for the 2nd day in row - partly because of time constraints (the mall was out of town) and partly because I am still nursing a stiff neck/back since my 5-miler. Tomorrow I'm running regardless, so hopefully it will work itself out before then.

3) "You have been entrusted with an incredible pain"...MaryBeth Chapman in Choosing to See. I sat in Borders book store for about an hour and read several chapters of this book while Chickadee was shopping with her pal. I was embarrassed when I started laughing out loud and then had to hunker down when I started to bawl...definitely one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. I will always think of my life hurts in a different light after reading about her experiences. She's a lot like me.

Two Fer Tuesday

2010-08-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

Although it's been a while since I've posted, believe me, life has continued to move in a forward direction!

1) My girlie and I volunteered on Saturday to work at the first annual ALS Walk to Defeat Lou Gehrig's disease. It was awesome to have my daughter work alongside me and along with some other good friends.

2) I ran my first 5-miler since my half marathon back in April. I have really slacked off this summer and confirmed to myself that need goals and a plan in order to stay consistent. I did 3 5Ks this summer, but I didn't run much more than a 3-mile training run once a week until this week when I resumed a more regular schedule. I was happy to cross a 5-miler off my list--it was a mental hurdle I had been avoiding. I have a 10K scheduled for Oct 2. This will be the first 10K race I've run--it's going to be a challenge because it's a very hilly course.

Half Marathon Report

2010-04-11T19:05:00.010-05:00

Well, the half marathon is over, and I am still alive and kicking! I owe so much gratitude to each of you who offered moral support and financially helped me reach my fundraising goal to support World Vision. I found out a few weeks before the race that I was in the "Orange Laces Club" and I received a pair of bright, neon orange shoe laces to wear in my shoes on race day - for raising over $800. In fact, my goal was to raise $1000 and I am happy to report that I exceeded that goal, raising over $1,060 for clean water wells to be dug in Africa.

John and I drove with our kids to New York City on Friday, April 2 and headed straight in to the heart of Manhattan to a running store located in the World Financial Plaza to pick up my race packet.

In the envelope was my race number to wear on my shirt on race day and my racing "chip" which is a tag that you loop through your shoe laces to clock your individual race time. I also received my orange laces to wear in my shoes, for reaching a fund raising milestone of $800. After picking up my packet, we headed over to our hotel, located near LaGuardia airport and Flushing Meadows Park, where the race was located.

The kids were able to enjoy some pool time with some friends, as I was racing along with three other girls from my town and two of them had brought their families along as well. By dinnertime, my aunt had driven up from Washington DC with a friend of hers to stay overnight and support me while I ran. We had a nice dinner out and then headed to the hotel for an early bedtime.

Unfortunately, besides pre-race jitters keeping me awake, we had some unruly hotel neighbors, and even a 3:00 a.m. call to the front desk didn't quiet them down. I got up around 7:00 a.m. without having more than a few winks of sleep. I had brought my own breakfast along, and this allowed me to get dressed and eat while John took the kids down for breakfast. Our hotel offered a shuttle service over to the race site, and we all caught the bus and were in Flushing Meadows Park by about 7:45 a.m. At 8:15 a.m., we met at the World Vision tent where we got race instructions, and a team picture. We also were able to walk together with other World Vision racers and our friends/family to the start line. It was such a blessing to have family and friends there to give encouragement and support since I have done all of my training alone.

My one goal for the race was to be able to complete the whole 13.1 miles without having to walk. My pace is not fast, but I figure if I'm moving faster than I can walk, then I am technically running My "ideal" time goal was to finish in 2 hours 30 minutes, but I figured it would take me closer to 2 hours 45 minutes since the temperature was unseasonably hot and the race was several hours earlier in the morning than I usually do my long training runs.

I got off the starting line with a friend of mine who has been running for a few months longer than me, and stayed with her till about mile 7, even though we were going quite a bit faster than my last few training runs had been. It was great having someone to run alongside, but about mile 7, I reverted to my usual pace to make sure I would be able to finish the race running. Around mile 10, the heat and fatigue began to set in and fortunately, my sweet husband was at the sideline with a fresh bottle of water and lots of encouragement. I also began to review the long list of names of people who donated to the race in support of me, the many emails, text messages and phone calls that I had gotten to wish me luck and it was just the thing that really boosted me through the last few miles.

The course was set in the beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the site of the US Open & the Mets stadium. The weather was sunny and breezy and there were a lot of areas that had tree shade. The real bonus that the course was virtually flat, except for a bridge or two that had a bit of a rise going up and slope going down. I was able to finish the race in 2 hours 32 minutes and I was very happy that I met my goal of not stopping to walk. I was also pleased that I was very close to the finishing time that I wished for myself!

I want to thank each of you again for the encouragement and support that helped make April 3rd a day that I won't forget.

Countdown

2010-03-28T20:18:00.003-05:00

It's almost here! One week from today, my half marathon will already be over. I began running in earnest in September, worked up to 3 miles, then 5 and then started a training schedule in January to get me ready for the half marathon.

So far, I have done long runs every weekend, my longest being 12 miles. I thought it was gonna kill me, but I survived, and I'm sure I will be fine on race day. The jitters have definitely set in and I am worrying about everything from whether I'll get a good night's sleep the night before to whether I'll have to stop and use the bathroom halfway through ;/ Most people probably don't need to fret the way I do, but I can conjure up a myriad of things to worry about.

When I chose this race, I decided to join the official fundraising effort for World Vision. There is no minimum requirement for an amount to raise, but I decided to try for $1000. I truly didn't think I would come close to raising $1000 but I am thrilled to report that I have raised $940 as of this morning! I even qualified for the Orange Laces Club - I will be given a pair of neon orange shoe laces to wear on race day if I want (anyone who raised $800 or more qualifies).

I am most excited about having my family on the sidelines to cheer me on. I have walked in 2 half marathons and run a 5K but I've never had anybody there to watch. I am so thankful to my hubby for picking up the slack in our household through these months when I've been preoccupied with training and/or exhausted, and I'm blessed that he thinks it is important to come along to see me accomplish this goal I have set for myself.

My one goal is not a time limit...I simply want to be able to run the whole course without needing to stop to walk. If my times from some of my longer runs are any indication, I won't be fast. But I just want to keep moving at a pace that is faster than I can walk!

I'll report back in when I'm finished!

PS--If you decide you'd like to help boost me to the last few dollars of my fundraising goal, click the link to my personal fund raising page and you can donate on line.

Half Marathon training for weeks 4 & 5

2010-02-14T21:53:00.003-05:00

What a busy two weeks! I started a new job as an administrative assistant, but have been working at my former job (in the Principal's office at a school) for the last two weeks as well! It has been a real challenge to fit my training runs in, and I've had to do quite a bit of creative scheduling to make it happen. I will be spending my last week at my school job and that will be ending on Feb. 19. After that, I will be back to a more manageable schedule with my new job offering quite a bit of flexibility and the opportunity to work at home some if I really need to.

Week 4 of my training brought a hill workout and a couple of short, speedy runs (short being 3 and 4 milers). I had to do the hill workout and one of the short runs on a treadmill because of frigid temperatures (blustery and in the teens). Week 4's long run was 8 miles, which was my longest run to date. I was pretty happy with how I felt at the end--tired, but not completely exhausted. At least I was able to function for the rest of the day--doing fun stuff like laundry & grocery shopping. In between my running, I also did strength training with a trainer on Tuesday. I enjoyed a gift certificate for a massage on Friday evening...that could really become a habit!

Week 5 was a bit lighter of a week. I had another hill workout which I did on the treadmill again due to very messy, snowy, wet weather we've had around here. I had a couple more 3 and 4 mile runs and my long run yesterday (Saturday 2/13) was back to 7 miles. I felt good during my run, but I was dreaming of another massage after--especially since I gave my hubby a gift certificate for a massage for Valentine's Day. I also strength trained on Thursday with my personal training small group.

My time has been so packed that I've copy & pasted the last couple of posts from my Team World Vision training page--perhaps I'll be able to offer a little wit & wisdom when things calm down a little. I keep standing amazed at myself that I've actually been pretty religious with my training schedule, haven't dropped out and am making steady progress. I've never done anything this challenging before and I have a tendency to "rethink my goals" when things become "not fun" anymore. I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself, especially because I have not found myself to be a real lover of running. I do love the effects of it, and the sense of accomplishment that I'm getting, but I can't say that it would be in my top picks of riotously fun things to do. Out of 25 runs (in 5 weeks) I have only missed 3 3-mile runs. Two were due to kid-scheduling issues and the third was because of a pulled muscle in my back which I decided to rest before my long run the following day.

All in all, things are coming along, and I can actually see myself running a half marathon in 7 more weeks.

Week 3 of half marathon training

2010-01-31T18:26:00.002-05:00

This week brought very cold temperatures that caused a challenge for some of my runs. It is almost impossible for me to stay comfortably warm when it gets below 20 degrees. I did my first hill workout, which is meant to strengthen a different set of muscles and increase your speed. I did that on the treadmill on Monday because the weather was dangerously wet and we were in a flood state--I decided not to risk getting drenched by passing cars.

The rest of the week had runs ranging between 3 and 5 miles. My week culminated with a 6 mile "long run". I had to put that off on Saturday because the temperature hovered around 14 degrees, and the weatherman promised a balmy 20 degrees on Sunday!
I really don't like running on Sunday--it is a full day of church and family dinner and activities and I am usually too pooped out to take a long run. But I planned carefully, took some extra snacks to church to keep fueled up, and headed out the door while my sweet hubby fixed lunch for the kids.

In addition to my runs, I kickboxed for an hour on Monday and did hour-long strength training classes with my trainer on Tuesday and Thursday. I noticed on one of my 3-milers (that was particularly hilly) that my stamina was not what it usually is--I even stopped to walk one-tenth of a mile. I have not done that since I started running! It was a bad idea too, because it has been a real temptation on the rest of my runs this week--to just stop for a minute or two. I find that I have a very hard time re-starting though, and it's just better for me to grit my teeth through it when the going gets tough.

I am so very thankful for the support my husband and kids have given me in my training - never complaining about my Saturday revolving around getting that run in. They are a bunch of keepers!

Sweet Riot

2010-01-27T21:37:00.003-05:00

I won! THESE!

From HER! I can't believe my luck, because I had never even heard of them and had no idea they were my dream come true!

Sweet Riots are itty bitty little nibs of chocolate covered cacao, one of those natural wonders full of antioxidants. Each teeny tiny nib has only 1-2 calories, but I tell ya, it was all I could do to keep myself from flipping the top and dumping the whole container in my mouth.

I tasted ~~one~~ several of each (just to thoroughly test each one) and so far, my favorite is the 50% chocolate. I will be routinely re-testing though, and I will be sure to post if I change my mind ;)

For now, all three packets are safely hidden in my glove compartment (or my large purse, as my husband likes to call it) for emergency purposes -- I do routinely have chocolate-related emergencies while driving hither and yon. And for safekeeping (from 13-year-old son who would NOT refrain from dumping an entire carton in his mouth--and who routinely sniffs out my top-secret hiding places for all things decadent).

13.1 New York - April 3, 2010

2010-01-17T13:43:00.004-05:00

Last September, after doing two half marathons (one in Nashville for my 40th birthday and one in Syracuse, NY) and walking half of one and all of the other, I decided to begin training to run an entire half marathon. I started in the middle of September using the Couch to 5K program since I've always been more of a kickboxer and strength-trainer rather than a runner. I finished the Couch to 5K program and ran my very first 5K, the Interlaken Steeple Chase in October.

I also began searching for half marathons and was thrilled to find that a favorite charity of mine, World Vision, was sponsoring the 13.1 New York race in April 2010. After some convincing of the hubby, who was determined to come watch wherever I chose but detests large cities (especially ones named "NYC") I registered for the inaugural event of 13.1 New York. Joining this race gives me an opportunity to raise support for World Vision and also is a chance to participate in the very first race that they hold in NYC. My particular race is giving assistance in Africa providing things like wells for clean water and food. If you want to support me in my race, simply click on the link above and you can make a donation right online. You can also follow my progress as I journal about my training each week.

Once I had completed my 5k training, I began to work up to 5 mile runs and officially started my half marathon training on Monday, January 10. It was exciting to complete my first long run (6 miles - the furthest I have ever run) wearing my super-cool, neon orange Team World Vision shirt. Lots of people reportedly spotted me running around town.

Especially in light of the tragic earthquake that occurred in Haiti this week, I am thrilled at the timeliness of my race and the huge presence that World Vision has in the assistance of disasters like this. If you have been thinking about ways that you can help, or organizations that you may want to support, visit World Vision and consider making a donation.

10 Things

2010-01-14T17:21:00.002-05:00

Suzy, over at Running on My Time (who, incidentally, I found through the Freihofer's Run for Women, which, I plan to participate in this June) tagged me to list 10 things that make me happy. I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought it was due time to share a bit.

1) My relationship with Jesus Christ.
2) The fact that I'm a mom (which I didn't think I wanted to be until I was).
3) Muh Main Man (who reaffirms that he's The One for me with every new day).
4) Coffee (Starbucks grande, non-fat, no-whip Cinnamon Dolce Latte, to be specific).
5) Running gear (like my new World Vision running shirt, in neon orange for the half marathon in NYC on April 3).
6) My 2-hour-a-day job at an elementary school office (it's like parenting on a mammoth scale sometimes!)
7) Having a goal and achieving it (like in November when I ran 5 miles for the first time)
8) The smell of clean sheets.
9) Volunteering at my kids school.
10) Summer (the hotter, the better).

I'm such a blog-slob lately that I don't even think 10 people read anymore--so no sense in tagging anybody else, but if you read and want to participate, it's a good exercise in reflecting on life's blessings!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T19:35:00.004-05:00

We had an awesomely good Thanksgiving week - although it was just the four of us. We stayed home as we have travel plans for Florida during Christmas week, so we stayed put for Thanksgiving. It was laid back, calm and completely stress free. I underachieved a bit and didn't even get my tree up--although I did get some Christmas shopping done.

My workout schedule was -
Sunday - Ran 4 miles (10:51 pace)
Monday - kickboxed 1 hr.
Tuesday - strength trained with personal trainer 1 hr
Wed - off
Thurs - Ran 4 miles before dinner (10:33 pace)
Friday - strength trained with personal trainer 1 hr
Sat - off
Sunday (11/28) - ran 4 miles (10:32 pace)

This week I'll add .5 miles and make my runs 4.5 miles. That will officially be the furthest distance I've ever run without stopping for a walk break. Once I get to 5 miles, I have a pre-training schedule I'll do for about 4 weeks before I start in on my half marathon training regimen.

Thanksgiving dinner was yummalicious. With just the four of us, I got approval from the fam to do cornish game hens rather than a turkey. They seemed to like having their own chicken, all except for Little Chic who needed me to take it off her plate and bring her the meat--she didn't like seeing where the head used to be attached ;) We did all the traditional trimmings including sweet potato casserole, and a new glazed walnut cornbread stuffing that I swear I'm going to make every year from now on. Fortunately the last of the leftovers are gone so I can begin running the 3 lbs off that I put on in the last three days!

Menu for this week:

Sunday - Stromboli
Monday - Mexican layered bake
Tuesday - Ham & potato casserole
Wed - BBQ ribs
Thurs - Spaghetti with meat sauce
Fri - Chicken & whole wheat pasta

Interlaken Steeple Chase

2009-11-17T18:49:00.004-05:00

I did my first 5k race on Saturday, Nov. 14 a few miles outside Ithaca, NY. It was only slightly nerve-wracking. I got up early, drove up all by myself and ran, not knowing a soul. Fortunately I have been to two other races(though not alone) so I did have an idea of what to expect. I had to leave my cheering section at home--the race was too far away to leave the kiddos at home for hubby to come along, and our wrestler had practice, so I couldn't bring the whole crew. The stakes were high -- the other two races I've done involved a lot of walking...,my goal for this hilly course was to run the whole thing.

Happily I met my goal of running the whole way, -- not fast, but with toenails matching my running gear (it actually wasn't planned!) My time was 33:38 though I would have preferred a time of about 3 minutes faster. Hubby obliged me with a picture, but I think he was a bit anxious to get out to the tree stand for hunting--thus the blur.

Weekend Warriors

2009-11-08T20:44:00.007-05:00

We've had our washer and dryer off our kitchen since we built our house, but we have sorely missed having a proper coat/boot closet, especially in the winter time, since you enter right into our house. We don't have a mud room or entry where we can take off boots and wet clothes. To solve the problem, we moved our laundry to our basement and my sweet hubby installed all sorts of shelving and a coat rack for me. He gets extra brownie points for doing it in the midst of deer season! Little Chic and I painted the walls before he got started.

2009-11-07T22:16:00.003-05:00

Week ending 11/7

Workout schedule for this last week
Monday kickboxed & ran 2.75 mi
Tuesday 1 hour strength training
Wednesday ran 2.75 mi
Thursday 1 hour strength training
Friday kickboxed
Saturday ran 2.75 mi (hit my best pace 9:55/mi)

I'm excited to run my first ever 5k this next Saturday, 11/14. Since is so blasted cold around here, the running season is pretty much over, so I have to drive past Ithaca to do it, but I've been looking for a race, and this is pretty much all there is to choose from. It's the Interlaken Steeple Chase put on by a church in the small town of Interlaken

Menu for next week:
Sunday evening dinner-Chicken parmigiana (my kids' favorite meal)
Monday-Beef & Broccoli soup, Sandra Lee
Tues-Tortilla bake, Kraft Food & Family (PTA meeting night, 6:30pm)
Wed-Chicken linguine with creamy pesto, Sandra Lee (Choir practice night, 6:15pm)
Thurs-Mac & Cheese with salad (Leadership team meeting night, 7pm)
Friday-Stromboli (Wildtree Herbs party, 7pm)

Because of adding running to my workout schedule, my grocery routine is all goofed up and I keep having to go on Saturdays (like today). I have to figure that out because that's a pain.

This week starts Brainy Boy's wrestling practice. I pick him up every day at 5:30 after I drop Little Chic off for musical practice at 5:00. Then it's back to get her at 7pm. Luckily her musical is over on the 19th!

Little Chic gets to take her babysitting course at the American Red Cross this week. Wednesday is Veteran's Day and the kids have off school, so she is going to spend 9:00-4:30 learning all about taking care of kids. She has been bugging me for ages to sign her up, so she is gladly sacrificing the day off to be in a classroom.

Lots going on this week--the District Superintendent is coming Monday night to spend the night to hunt with Muh Main Man on Tuesday, I have PTA and Leadership meetings as well as choir practice and I'm hosting a Wildtree Herbs party Friday night. Then Saturday morning I'll be up bright and early to drive to my 5K. I'm beginning to wonder why I do this to myself!

Long Lost Ambition

2009-11-05T18:33:00.002-05:00

In lieu of not blogging at all, as I've been prone to do for the last year I'm toying with the idea of using my blog to indulge myself for a while in journaling the current happenings of my life--though they won't be of much interest to anybody else, I'm sure.

I will probably keep things like my weekly menus, perhaps my workout schedule and progress log and maybe some other riffraff that only I care about. You're certainly invited to snoop about, although the fodder won't be very compelling.

It will, however, give me something to look back at when I'm old & decrepit (you know, like old picture albums and remember the "good old days" ;)

Team Crystal

2009-09-10T21:24:00.004-05:00

My friends, Angela & Sue and I will be at the ARC of Onondaga County's Half Marathon on Saturday, September 12, 2009. I'm participating in memory of my sweet friend, Crystal, who had wanted to join in the next time I did a half marathon. When we talked about it back in April, I certainly thought we'd be doing one together more than just in spirit. I had found this race and was contemplating entering, but I hadn't even had a chance to ask her to join me before she died. I decided to participate the day I found out about her death, in her memory. Thanks to my sister, of Camie Designs, for providing this cute logo for me to wear on my shirt.

Goodbye, My Friend, Crystal

2009-07-08T11:37:00.003-05:00

Crystal & Jennifer chatting it up at Jackson's Pumpkin Farm, Fall 1999.

Crystal has been one of my best buds since we met and immediately hit it off in February of 1999 when I began attending Owego Nazarene Church. She was eight years younger than me, but we had so much in common: we lived on the same road and had kids almost the exact same age, and her personality complimented mine to a "T". We quickly began hanging out every day, doing fun stuff with the kids by day and scrapbooking or crafting by night.

It put a big dent in our face-time when she and her husband moved several towns away but our friendship endured and we regularly found a way to get together and kept in steady contact as our kids got older and we moved on through our stages of life.

I was heartbroken when I learned this morning that my good friend, Crystal, died in a car accident. She was driving with her youngest boy, Ethan, when another driver hit her head-on. We are praying for Ethan to fully recover from his injuries and for her other two kids, James and Madalyn. Crystal also left behind her husband Thad, who she always described to me as "the love of her life."

I'm sure I will always have a Crystal-shaped hole in my heart.

Seems Like Just Yesterday

2009-06-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

Happy 20th Anniversary, Sweets! Thanks for lettin' me marry you!

Happy Birthday to a Pretty Fantastic Guy

2009-05-18T20:44:00.005-05:00

Muh Main Man turned 45 today, and Little Chic wrote a special poem for him. It was so sweet and we both got quite a kick out of it, especially since she inherited her dad's creative spelling.

FAUTHERS...

Fauthers fix broken hearts
Fauthers fill our brains with smarts.

Fauthers wipe away our tears
Fauthers ears can always hear.

Fauthers know just what to say
Fauthers make all the sadness go away.

Some are sweet and some are kind
Some are cruil and wack your behind!

Daddy, you'r the best
And you beat the rest.

She's a daddy's girl, that one! And fortunately she also inherited her mom's love for the proper use of an apostrophe.

Happy Easter 2009

2009-04-12T15:16:00.002-05:00

Little Chic's New Do

2009-04-08T16:22:00.002-05:00

I have been bugging Little Chic to cut her waist-length hair for a long time. She did take about 4 inches off it about two months ago, and ever since, has been toying with the idea of something drastic and cool. Today was the day! I love it, but it's a little sad too--seeing how it makes her look all mature and teenager-ish.

Jennifer Needs

2009-02-17T22:38:00.002-05:00

This little narcissistic activity can turn out to be kinda hilarious. You Google your first name followed by the word "needs" i.e., "Jennifer needs" and see what results come up. A few of mine were not family-friendly blog-worthy, but here were some of the ones that were:

Jennifer needs a smack daddy (defined in Urban Dictionary as "somebody who's keepin' it real; a friend)

Jennifer needs to give birth in the next week

Jennifer needs to play by the rules

Jennifer needs to accept that she's gained what looks like some major pounds

Jennifer needs a muzzle.

Let's just hope the Jennifers that Google gossips about have last names that start with "Aniston" and "Lopez" rather than "O" !!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T12:25:00.003-05:00

LOL

2008-12-04T16:08:00.003-05:00

During a day of too much heavy stuff, THIS made me laugh out loud.

PS - Stuff Christians Like is a parody site that finds the humor in some of the things that are common among Christians and/or churches. It's meant to be all in fun.

We are Thankful!

2008-11-27T12:41:00.003-05:00

For girls who like to help mom cook! (And for Thirty One Gifts where you can get adorable monogrammed aprons!)

For doctor's who give special treatment to their favorite patients (and figure out that Muh Main Man has pneumonia, just a few short hours before Thanksgiving dinner).

For grace and blessings that have given us the life we are living. Blessings to each of you on this Thanksgiving Day 2008!

She Makes Her Daddy Proud

2008-11-23T20:00:00.002-05:00

Little Chic got her first deer! She dropped it in its tracks and dragged it down the hill all by herself--all 106 pounds of it! I'm not sure who was more excited--her or Muh Main Man!