For the Rest of This Month…

This month, I think I’d like to take a break from my usual format of work-out posts + life updates to focus on other material.  Lined up in the queue is an interview with my friend Josh, who ran a super-speedy marathon, a year-in-running review, and a “What’s next?” post.  I’ve been doing a lot of walking this month anyway, so my work-out posts would be not so exciting.  (Besides, I’m in Michigan now and left my notes about last week’s work-outs on my coffee table.  So yeah: I’m not always perfectly organized, but perhaps that is a blessing in disguise.)

Does that sound good to you?  Yes?  Good!  Now I can finally get to work on editing that interview with Josh that’s been on my list of want-to-do for two months.  My motto is always so many ideas and projects, so little time…finishing things is hard.

Happy Solstice, friends.

PS  An owl in Christmas lights!

To Give Something Back

Week of December 2, 2013:

Monday: Off

Tuesday: Evening run.  36 minutes total, with 24 minutes running.

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Bike commute to work

Friday: Off

Saturday: ~25 minute walk (slow, not included below)

Sunday: Bike ride to and from my assigned marathon spot. (~7 miles round-trip) 

Estimated mileage: 3.2 miles.  Total minutes run/walked: 36.

This weekend, I was able to be on the other side of marathoning: the volunteer side!  On Saturday, Paul dropped me off on the other side of town so I could work the bib table at the expo for three hours.  And this morning, I biked about four miles from my apartment to be the course marshal at Mile 7 of the BCS Marathon.  I figured after a half-marathon and a full marathon this year, it was time for me to give something back to my running community.  So it was with a sense of duty and excitement that I bundled up into marshmallow-like layers and braved the cold and the dark.  My biggest fear was biking in the dark this morning, but even at 6:45 AM, there was enough light that I felt safe.  Plus the roads were pretty empty—always a perk of an early-morning departure.

I made my way into Bryan, parked my bike, and waited for the first runners to come through.  About 40 minutes after the start, a scrappy-looking guy came through, looking strong and fast (<6:00/mile!).  Two minutes later, another runner came through, followed by a handful of other leaders.  The trickle became a steady flow of runners, coming in all shapes and sizes.  I cheered for them all, including my former boss and my friend Tonya.  I clapped, I cheered, I said words of encouragement, and I even got a few high-fives.  There were plenty of runners saying thank you as they went by, and I kept saying, “No, thank YOU!”  I was just as happy to see them as they were to see me.

Having run my first marathon earlier this year, I think it was especially fun to volunteer because I felt like I was part of the club.  I knew what it felt like to be in their shoes.  I knew that most of them would be feeling great when I saw them at Mile 7, but ten or fifteen miles later, they would be digging deep to find the strength to finish.  Knowing what a big accomplishment it is to run 26.2 miles, I was honored to be a part of it for this group of runners.  It was satisfying to give to them some of the love that I received on the Detroit Marathon course.

But now I’m cozy and warm at home again.  We’re going out to dinner tonight to celebrate Tonya’s first marathon, and I’m looking forward to that.  I’ve been working at home today, doing some lab website work and trying to tick off my to-do list.  (Clean out kitty’s litter box?  Check.  Vacuum?  Check.  Give Paul gas money?  Um…no check.)  Tomorrow I get to work at home, which I am very much looking forward to.  Last Friday was my final paid day for postdoc job #2, and I’m glad that milestone has now come and gone.  My last day wasn’t bad, but it’s awkward leaving a job when it isn’t your choice.  I really hate that, no matter how smooth it may look from the outside.

Nothing lasts forever.  A first marathon comes and goes.  Jobs come and go.  Everything flows.  Knowing that, running teaches us to embrace the moment for all it’s worth and to do our very best with the time we have.

I just love how running is a perfect metaphor for life.

PS  Lucy didn’t run today, but she did provide early-morning company.  She’s resting now.  It takes serious dedication to look this cute all the time.  

Friendsgiving + Contemplation

Week of November 25, 2013:

Monday: Evening yoga

Tuesday: Treadmill run.  40 minutes total, 32 minutes running

Wednesday: Off (grocery shopping + date night with Paul)

Thursday: A Thanksgiving Day run!  40 minutes total, 30 minutes running

Friday: Long walk with friends (untimed)

Saturday: A photo walk by myself (also untimed)

Sunday: Long run!  62 minutes total, 47 minutes running.

Estimated mileage: 13.1 miles.  Total minutes run/walked: 142.

Ah, Thanksgiving weekend!  It’s always a much-needed break, isn’t it?  Mine has been just about perfect.  On Wednesday evening, Paul and I had our usual date night.  Despite the temptation to buy nachos from Freebirds for dinner, we made a fried rice dish that was very, very tasty (definitely blog-worthy, if I ever have time to write the post).  After dinner, it was 30 Rock and turning in early because we were both exhausted.  In the morning, we made blueberry pancakes with my favorite pancake recipe (also blog-worthy and on the to-write list) and cooked some eggs to eat on the side.  After breakfast and some relaxing, I nudged Paul out the door so I could go for a run in the sunshine.  It was glorious!  After six days of cold and rain, being outside was heavenly.

Post-run, I packed up and Paul and I headed to Houston to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends.  Our friend Courtney made a Tex-Mex feast, and we ate tamales, Spanish rice, nachos, homemade salsas, latkes (to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, of course), and pie.  To wash all that down, we drank frozen margaritas.  The conversation flowed effortlessly along with the wine, and I felt thankful to be in the company of so many dear friends.  It was one of the best Thanksgivings of my life.  Friendsgiving for the win(e)!

The next day, we lazed about and eventually wandered outside to take a walk.  We met several gorgeous neighborhood cats, one of whom accompanied us on our walk for a while.  (Paul later told my cat how I had tried to woo these other cats.  Lucy was jealous for a moment, but she got over it.  She knows that I love all the cats.)  After our walk, Paul and I packed up and left Courtney’s, stopped for dinner at Fadi’s (a Houston treat for us), and drove to his sister’s house for an evening visit.  His sister and her wife are always up for a visit, but they were sad that we didn’t spend the night.  Next time…

We arrived home late and went straight to bed.  The next day, after bowls of oatmeal gussied up with maple syrup and butter, Paul left and I was able to tackle some chores.  I spent most of the afternoon organizing money stuff, which I know doesn’t sound fun, but it was a relief to get rent, bills, and receipts squared away.  What can I say—order makes me happy!  After that, I took a photo walk around the neighborhood and thought about my life.  I had hoped that November would be a month during which I could slow down a bit, but that plan dissipated when I found out that I was being laid off from my job.  It’s been a very emotional and stressful month for me, but I think I’m coming to some decisions about what I want to do next.  The short answer is that I’m leaving the academic job sector and seeking my fortunes elsewhere.  My heart feels peaceful about this decision.  As Courtney said, the academic job market is like a black hole: once you’re inside, it can feel damn impossible to get out.  And as Paul said, I’ve got to achieve escape velocity in order to flee the gravity well of academe.  (You get rocket metaphors when you’re dating someone who worked for NASA, and that someone loaned you his copy of Pale Blue Dot.)

I’ve been on the fence about my immediate future for several weeks, but the more I think about not working in a lab, the more I believe that I must leave.  I may come back to academe in a different position.  But my heart isn’t in the lab any more, and I’m in a position right now where I can make a very intentional decision to work on other skill sets and learn more about myself as a professional.

With that decision on my mind, today I did chores, a little bit of work, and went for a late-afternoon long run.  I had daylight but not much sunshine, which is okay with me during these dark autumn months.  After my run, I tallied up my estimated miles run/walked for the month: a total of 32.8 miles.  (I’m cheating a bit and counting today’s run in my estimate.)  I had wanted to run 40 miles, but during this post-marathon month, I’ll take 32.8.  Next month, I’ll try for 40 again!

It’s funny how you can be facing such big life decisions, and yet you still have the daily work of home and cooking and taking care of the cat and doing laundry.  It’s comforting, I think, to feel connected to those rhythms during a time of turmoil.  I hope to write more about my recent work experiences; I think sometimes I delay writing about stuff until I feel like I can say something coherent about it.  My frustration with the academic sector is complex.  It’s not something I can articulate easily in a blog post.  Paul thinks I should write a book about it, and maybe I will, someday.  Right now, my anger and sadness are too raw.

For now, I have one more full week of academic science ahead of me.  Then I blast off into the great unknown beyond the ivory tower.  

PS  Completely unrelated: Lucy loves her outdoor time.

Austin, Again

Week of November 18, 2013:

Monday: Evening run.  26 minutes total, 15 minutes running

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Bike commute to work

Thursday: DIY yoga

Friday: Treadmill run.  33 minutes total, 22 minutes running

Saturday: Off to Austin!

Sunday: Hanging out in Austin

Estimated mileage: 5.2 miles.  Total minutes run/walked: 59.

I’m taking advantage of the holiday weekend to catch up here!  Last weekend, Paul and I were in Austin on a variety of missions.  We visited Agua Dulce Farm again to meet with its proprietor.  We were able to see the greenhouses and the fish tanks, and we got a bit of a tour of the innerworkings of the nutrient cycle between plants and fish.  The goats, unfortunately, were huddled up in their shed, trying to stay warm on a cold morning.  The whole weekend was freakishly cold and wet, which put a damper on things.

After visiting the farm, we met up with Paul’s best friend Tim, Tim’s girlfriend Mary, and another friend, Joel.  We warmed up with big bowls of ramen for lunch at Michi Ramen, which is amaaaazing.  I wanted to take photos at Michi Ramen, but Paul is embarrassed by that sort of behavior, so I kept my camera tucked away.  The cutest thing at Michi Ramen are the signs on the table showing a sad bowl of broth that reads, “Lonely broth?”  You can order a kaedame, or refill of noodles for your lonely broth.  When he finished his noodles, Paul announced, “I declare kaedame!” and we all laughed.  The ramen was so good and warming that we all felt positively euphoric.  We think their homemade chili oil may have psychotropic effects…

After Michi Ramen, Paul and I went back to Tim’s apartment, changed, and headed out to a wedding at North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery for a wedding!  Yes, a wedding at a brewery.  It was awesome.  The wedding ceremony quoted Carl Sagan, we all stayed bundled up in coats because it was chilly inside the wedding tent, and we debated whether the key lime pie was indeed too limey.  (I was on the side of deliciously limey.  I was in the minority, which meant more key lime pie for me!)

The next day was my birthday!  I’m 2^5, or 32 years old.  Paul had asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I had two wishes.  One was a really great breakfast, and the other was a birthday hike in a beautiful place.  Since we were in Austin, we went to Kerbey Lane for breakfast and ate pancakes and eggs.  (Gah, their pancakes are irresistible.  This time we had cinnamon roll pancakes and apple whole wheat pancakes, and we completely stuffed ourselves on them.)  After breakfast, we wanted to go for a hike, but it was cold and rainy—miserable weather for a hike.  So I took a raincheck on my hike, and we went to the movies!  We watched 12 Years a Slave, which broke my heart.  I was on the verge of tears during the whole movie.  It was powerful.  After the movie, we packed up our things, loaded the car, and grabbed a late lunch at a vegetarian food truck, Conscious Cravings.  Like everything we ate in Austin, it was delicious.  Finally, we hit the road back to College Station, the grey dusky light fading to black as our weekend ended.

It was a good one.

Revisiting Old Friends

{Lucy loves a good window spot.}

Week of November 11, 2013:

Monday: Bike commute to work

Tuesday: Evening run.  34 minutes total, 25 minutes running

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Morning walk with Paul and Lulu the dog + Bike commute to work and wine night with friends

Friday: Off

Saturday: Another run!  34 minutes total, 20 minutes running + Bike ride to hippie food store

Sunday:  LONG RUN!  55 minutes total, 40 minutes running

Estimated mileage: 11 miles. Total minutes: 123.

I had an amazing weekend!  It was fun overload, and I regret nothing.  Friday night, Paul and his dance partner Leah had a performance, so I tagged along for moral support.  Afterward, Paul, Leah, Leah’s husband Ryan, Leah’s brother Ryan, Ryan’s partner Lauren, and I went out for some good eats.  (Yes, you read that right: we had two Ryans with us.  There seems to be a natural law such that Leah attracts Ryans into her life.)  First we stopped by The Chocolate Gallery, where we sampled gelato and bought a few treats.  Then we hopped across the street and ate dinner at Caffe Capri, which I think is my new favorite dinner spot in downtown Bryan.  It’s a carbfest for sure with all the pasta and bread, but oh, it is so delicious!  But check this out: one member of our group is dealing with some issues and is on a restricted diet.  I worried about taking her to Caffe Capri, but they had an entrée with salmon and vegetables that was perfect for her.  We had to send it back once because it arrived with cheese on top, but our server was very gracious about helping us.  Best of all, we spent the entire meal laughing, telling stories and jokes.  Paul and I wanted to spend some time with Leah and her husband, so I was really happy that we had the chance to enjoy an evening together.  The six of us had a blast.

On Saturday night, I went to a dinner party hosted by a friend of mine.  The food was amazing, and the company was entertaining.  I got into a heated intellectual argument with a libertarian-leaning man.  It’s funny: I don’t think we have opposing worldviews so much as we share no values, no common ground.  He’s a strict “let capitalism rule” and I think social justice is too important to throw all our fortunes into the marketplace, as though the marketplace is some magical land where all our problems will be solved.  Besides, we’re so far past the point of having a “free” marketplace that I don’t think we’re ever coming back.

ANYWAYS, Saturday night was fun, and even my libertarian companion and I found a few topics that we could discuss without my wanting to yell at him for being a douchebag.  And Sunday, I went out for a long run, huffed and puffed, then rushed back so I could tutor students in the afternoon.  My tutoring sessions went well, and I was happy with the results.

One of my favorite moments of the weekend was a surprise visit I made to Brazos Natural Foods.  I decided to zip down there on my bike to pick up a few ingredients to make brownies, and I found a long-lost friend working the register!  My friend Jeremy moved away from the area several years ago, and I was sad to see him leave.  We always chatted and laughed at BNF, and sometimes I’d see him on campus and we’d wave hello and smile.  We weren’t best friends or anything like that, but seeing him always lifted my spirits.  And he gave me a hug once when I was having a really, really bad day, and that memory has stayed with me.  Jeremy has moved back to Bryan/College Station to be near his family, and I am so happy he’s here again.

Another old friend I visited on Saturday is the country road between where I live and Brazos Natural Foods.  I know it sounds like such a small thing, biking down a road that I love, but it made me happy.  Familiar roads are part of what make a town home for me, and I have missed biking on Rosemary Drive.

Little things make me happy.  So do long runs, even if I huff and puff.  (But no houses were blown down.)

Happy new week, friends!

One More Recovery Week…

Sunday evening at home…

Week of November 4, 2013:

Monday: Off?

Tuesday: Bike commute to campus, I believe.

Wednesday: Off (just wanted to cook dinner for date night, but I did sneak in a few push-ups and crunches.  What, don’t you do your strength training right before date night?)

Thursday: Off (but I did walk to wine night!  Does that count?)

Friday: Bike commute to and from work!  Because it finally stopped raining.

Saturday: Bike ride to Target, Freebirds, and HEB

Sunday: Morning hike (~3 miles?) in Lick Creek Park with Paul and Lulu the dog + easy evening run.  45 minutes on my feet (14 min. running and 31 minutes power-walking)

Estimated mileage: 3.5 miles. Total minutes: 45.  (I’m only counting Sunday night’s more intense work-out here.)

Do you ever kick yourself later for not taking photos of something wonderful?  That is how I’m feeling tonight.  Paul and I had the best Sunday morning today.  He’s house-sitting this week, and this morning, we had access to the house waffle iron.  We made Ashley’s Peanut Butter + Banana Waffles and topped them with this warm apple sauté (doubled up for the two of us).  Best breakfast ever!  I wish we’d tripled the apple sauté because they were so delicious and I love them, but that is my only regret.  Full disclosure: we didn’t make the waffle recipe exactly as written.  I subbed an egg for the ground flax seed, and the batter was a bit too thin, so we added some more whole wheat flour to thicken it.  The waffles were a bit “floppy,” to use Paul’s description, and perhaps a bit more fragile than other waffles, but the flavor was great.  We will definitely be making them again…if Santa brings one of us a waffle iron for Christmas.  Or maybe a birthday elf will drop one off for me this month!

After our waffles, Paul and I took Lulu the dog out for a walk in Lick Creek Park.  It was cool this morning, and it felt really nice, even in my short sleeves.  Lulu enjoyed some leashless time in the park, though she was too shy to meet most of the other dogs and humans in the park that day.  Still, she seemed to have a great time exploring and sniffing.  Such a sweet dog she is!

You can see from my log above that I took it easy again this week.  It rained almost every day last week, and I took advantage of that time to cook and work on other projects, including going out to see my friends at wine night.  I have missed wine night!  It’s a Thursday tradition for us, and I’ve been more or less on hiatus this year, between all the traveling and training for the marathon.  It was so fun to see my female friends and catch up on their lives.  On top of that, I learned that Paul and I will be in Austin during my birthday weekend, so we’re going to take full advantage of that, with a Kerbey Lane breakfast and a hike in some lovely Austin location.  I’m excited.  It’s all I really want for my birthday: a tasty breakfast and a hike.  I thought we were going to be at home in College Station that day, but my friends are getting married in Austin on November 23rd, so in Austin we shall be on the 24th.

This week, I want to get back into a running groove.  I had some great bike rides last week, and now I feel ready to recombine my running and biking.  Last week Raquelita had asked everybody what their health-related goals for the month are, and I think mine is to log 40 miles of running/power-walking.  It’s a good goal to get me back in the running game after a nearly three-week hiatus!

Have a wonderful week, speedy friends!  Enjoy November!

Turtles and Dancing (but not together)

 

Week of October 28, 2013:

Monday: 20 min. of evening yoga

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Evening walk around my neighborhood (slow and untimed)

Thursday: Off (but I did walk about 3.5 miles today for work and for fun) 

Friday: Bike commute to and from work!  First time in a very, very long time.

Saturday: Short walk around Rice University’s campus

Sunday: Biked to and from a wedding shower for friends.

(Skipping the mileage calculations since I took it so easy this week.)

Whew, finally some time to blog!  Now that the marathon is history, I’ve been back on the bike, to commute to work and to get around town.  My new friends Dana and Jason are getting married in a few weeks, and our friend Tonya threw them a wonderful wedding shower.  I rode my bike across town to the party.  As I was riding, I thought, Man, I am not in good bike-riding shape these days.  This is hard!  And on the way back, I realized why: the ride to the party was all uphill, so the ride back is downhill.  Which means I really feel like I’m flying on the way back!  Those turtles above were spotted on the way over to the wedding shower, and of course I cannot resist a turtle photo op.  You know me.

As you can see from my activity log above, I’ve been taking it easy since the marathon.  But more than that, I’ve just been BUSY.  I’m back on the job market, which is time-consuming.  But there’s been fun busy-ness too, like spectating at a ballroom dance competition at Rice University in Houston.  Paul and his dance partner Leah competed last Saturday, and I tagged along for moral support.  They took home a slew of ribbons, including two first-place awards!  Even better than that is how amazing they look on the dance floor.  They’re tall and attractive, and they look very natural and comfortable when they dance together.  They make it look easy, and I can assure you it is not easy.  Paul and I had our first dance lesson together a few weeks ago, and there is a lot to think about and practice when it comes to ballroom.  Paul was, I think, disappointed that despite the hours and hours he spends dancing, he found himself a non-dancing girlfriend.  What can I say?  I run, I bike, I bake birthday cakes.  But dancing?  It’s not on my list of current hobbies.

But we’re working on it.  Paul introduced me to the waltz and foxtrot (I think…).  While observing the Latin round, I thought, Hey, the rumba looks pretty straightforward!  So during one of his breaks, Paul walked me through the rumba, and Leah jumped in with some advice.  And the other night, Paul tried to samba with me, but I fear that trying to samba with a follow (traditionally, the female is the follow, while the male is the lead) who doesn’t know how to samba just looks like you are holding her hostage while you gyrate around the room.  In other words: not pretty.

But you know what is pretty?  Paul and Leah in their dancing outfits!  Look how beautiful they look together!  The gorgeous sunlight we had that day helped, too. 

Happy weekend, friends!