Wednesday, November 30, 2011

My letter came!

I've posted about it pretty much everywhere today... might as well make it a full set of internet attention whoring and post here as well.

My letter from the college of education came in the mail today and I got into my degree program! I will start my first block in the spring and graduation is set for December 2013. I am so stinking excited I can't stand it.

As a matter fo fact, I out nerded even myself when trying to explain my excitement to Steve this evening. Our conversation went like this:

Me: I actually cried when I got my acceptance letter.

Steve: Well, I imagine you were pretty relieved. You've been stressing since before your interview.

Me: Yeah, I felt like Hermione must have while waiting for her Hogwarts letter.

Steve: .... *silence*....

Me: you know... really really wanting to go be a smarty pants but having to wait on the damn owl with her letter. Only I just had to wait on the mail man.

Steve: you realize you're a bigger nerd than me now, right?

Whatever... If I get grades like Hermione too I really don't care how nerdy it is to cry over an acceptance letter. And Steve likes Battlestar Galactica. He still wins the title of head nerd in our house.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

the holiday treat trap

The one downside to the holidays is the amount of sweets and treats available. It seems like the holidays come around and suddenly my ability to rationally choose what I eat goes right out the window.

This was a non-issue last year because I was miserably sick with gallbladder issues during Thanksgiving and recovering from surgery/moving during Christmas. There were no treats in the house and no temptation to go get any. The 45 minute drive to starbucks alone pretty much killed any potential for giving into cravings.

Although I am grateful for the positive changes in my life, namely the fact that I don't require any additional surgeries and am living in an area that Steve and I love, it does bring about the holiday treat temptations again. Having a Starbucks inside of or sharing a parking lot with every grocery store in my area only adds to that temptation.

I won't list it all out because you will find it as gross as I do, but suffice it to say that Thanksgiving and the first few days of the Christmas season have been a major wake up call for me about how easily the holidays can get out of hand with food... among other things. I certainly haven't been careful with my food choices this last week and the uncomfortable symptoms I'm experiencing as a result are serving as a great reminder of why moderation is so important. As I type this my stomach is rolling from the sugar in my afternoon latte (that I grabbed at the Starbucks inside Target).

The only thing I can think of to prevent me from falling into the holiday indugence trap is to remind myself why we celebrate the holidays in the first place. The holidays (regardless of what black friday rioting and car commericals tell you) are not about mindless indulgence. The holidays are about celebrating life and being thankful for the many blessings we have received this year.

I can't possibly list all of the blessings I have been given... even just in this past year, but one of the most important blessings I have received is the knowledge that I have nothing to prove. I am happy with my life and the future I am building.

Cookies and lattes can't give me anything close to that kind of contentment. You know what can? Going for a run and seeing how much progress I have made in the last year. Taking Finn to one of the many dog parks nearby with Steve and seeing how happy he is to run full speed with his doggy friends. Reading some new research to help me prepare for my observations next semester. If I am going to choose to indulge myself, why not indulge in something that will only add to the blessings I've got?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Back at it

I feel like I've been out of it for so long. It really was only about 10 days, but being sick really took it out of me. Not running made me feel gross and led to some bad food choices.

Yesterday I got back to it though and it feels great! I didn't lose any time on my pace and I'm still able to run 3 miles without stopping, so count me as a happy camper.

I also recently looked up some info about the student rec center on campus and what kind of fitness equipment they offer. After all, my schedule next semester will more than likely be insane. Workouts will definitely have to take place downtown if I want them to happen at all... which I do. So, I looked into it. Imagine my suprise when I found out that it's a state of the art facility about three blocks from where my classes will be. Not only do they have awesome facilities, they offer personal training and nutrition consultations for pretty much dirt cheap to students.

I'm hoping that, between this and the gym membership the apartment complex gave me, I can get going on my half marathon training in January.

I would also like to say that I am due for new running shoes soon and I am thrilled that Nike now offers customization for my running shoe style in their online store. Not that the blue/white look isn't cute, it's just not something I would choose if I had other options.... which I do now.

If you want to buy me a present I would be happy to point you to the saved design on the Nike website. :)

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Bummed

My 5K was yesterday, but I didn't run it. I didn't even show up. Why? Because of this awful cold I've had for a few days.

Since about Wednesday I've been sniffly and coughing, but Saturday morning the chest congestion hit along with big fat sap-all-your-energy coughs. I felt awful, but I really wanted to run that dang race! Steve and I decided to run some errands and see how I felt. If that went well we would consider still goiong to the race.

After a brief run to Best Buy to complete our Harry Potter blue ray collection, it became obvious that any attempt at racing would be a really terrible idea. We stopped at the grocery store for some necessities and then went back home so I could cuddle on the couch with my robitussen and our dog.

This week I will be finishing my observations and wrapping up my courses before Thanksgiving break. Missing class or observations is not an option, so today is all about resting and getting better.

Once the semester is over I will look into another race.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

positive side effects

I've noticed during my post-run stretching that I am becoming much more flexible than I used to be.

For example, this time last year, I could not touch my toes when my feet were straight out in front of me on the floor. Now, I can grab my heels. Now, with ym feet spread and my body stretching up the middle, I can lay my elbows on the floor.

Not quite a pretzel pose girl, but way better than where I was.

Steve made a couple comments recently that brightened my day. According to him I am already looking more toned. This may have been him trying to encourage me and win brownie points, but I am choosing to believe that certain areas are less jiggly than they were a few weeks ago.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

3 miles of hills and win

Ever since I started running about two years ago I have been a proud run/walker.

The couch to 5K running training program got my butt off the couch initially and broke the crazy difficult concept of running down into easy to handle pieces for me to accomplish. At about week 7 of the program I stopped due to a foot injury (watch out for those desks at work, they'll attack you out of nowhere) and never went back to the program. Instead, I did run/walk intervals that challenged me but never lead to full on running for the 30 minutes like the program says you should do by the end of week 9.

Then came my gallbladder issues and various other impediments to training... not the least of which were my own excuses and laziness.

After signing up for the Lanier Under the Lights 5k on Saturday, though, I stepped up my training again. I started with 3/5 intervals... walk for 3 minutes, run for 5. Then I switched to timing my intervals with my music. I would run for two songs (roughly 8 minutes) and walk for a song. Eventually I increased the running and decreased the walking.

Today, I ran a full 3 miles without stopping for the first time ever. And not just any three miles... three miles of hills!

Of course, I have participated in a 5K race before and gone greater distances than 3.2 miles... but never without some sort of break (walking or full out stopping).

Today's run was a big deal for me... a mark of major progress in my training. On top of the usual endorphin rush, I had this incredible sense of pride in myself. I can only hope that this sense of accomplishment will carry me through my last two training runs this week and my race on Saturday.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

It's the little things

This morning I woke up to an email saying that the college of education at Georgia State has invited me to join the education honor society.

You better believe I sat bolt upright in my bed grinning like a fool. I even woke Steve up to tell him.

I've never been asked to join any kind of honor society. Excluding elementary and early middle school, my grades never would have qualified me for that kind of distinction until very recently. Apparently someone noticed how much I've been busting my butt these last three semesters.

After the crazy day I had yesterday trying to be in about ten places at once, it was a nice email to wake up to. This week in particular has been rough between school, work, classroom observations, and trying to keep myself ready for this 5K next week... you can pretty much forget quality time with Steve and Finn. I needed a small reminder that it is all going to pay off very soon.

I'm also taking this as a good sign for my interview on the 11th. If they want me to be a part of the honor society then it stands to reason that they are confident that I'll be accepted into the college of education.

Still, no garauntees. I've still got my fingers crossed and my game face on.