These Things Will Change

Yesterday I ran my fourth half marathon, the Country Music Half Marathon here in Nashville, TN.  As I prepared for the race, my mind moved to thoughts of the Dave Matthews Band. For those of you who don't know, I have seen the band a lot over the past 15 years and I have just been to a lot of concerts in general. (I just logged into my DMB Almanac Account for the Proof because I forgot just how many times...) I started to think about how I have traded going to DMB shows for running and it made me a little sad. These days, I am doing a whole lot more running than I am attending DMB shows. But in my defense, it's a lot easier to go for a run or go to a race than it is to see a DMB show, especially since they are only playing in 4 cities this summer.

I started to compare my two little different communities. They are different and so similar all at the same time. Great people, maybe some drinks, travel, fun, and community all centered around a common interest. Both groups mean the world to me. And while I may be more active in one right now than another, I know it's ok.

Here's to plenty more DMB shows and lots more running!

This Will All Make Perfect Sense Someday

"This will all make perfect sense someday.
There's got to be a reason for the rain."

Sing it John Mayer.

It's been a few weeks of ups and downs, but things are on an upswing right now.

I received, what is quite possibly one of the best postcards from a friend ever.

I ran in a 5k and 10k on Saturday. The 5k was 5 seconds slower than my PR at 24:01. I need to keep telling myself that every race isn't going to be a PR. The 10k was for added miles. Follow a nice little 15k run up with brunch and it's a good morning.

I love Jack and Diet Cokes or a JDC or a Jack and Diane. I had one on Monday and I had forgotten how much I loved them.

Tuesday I ran my own version of speed sessions. I got there early and was pretty lazy. I only ran 4 of my 6 mile repeats. And I took much longer than the 1 minute rest. 7:52, 8:05, 8:06, 8:11. They should have been all 8:05's...

I went to speed early so I could have enough time to go to Lady GaGa. It wasn't my favorite concert, but I definitely loved her message of acceptance and individuality.

Tonight I ran 5.5 miles. All but the first and last mile sucked. Followed the run with a Blue Moon. Hurried home to make red velvet cake balls for a co-worker whose last day is tomorrow.  I just rolled out 48 of these suckers and will have to dip them in chocolate tomorrow before I go to work. AND it's Low Sugar Lent. They may not look like much right now, but tomorrow morning they are going to look pretty awesome.



And the best thing about this week? Thursday is my Friday.

Low Sugar Lent: It's Almost Over

So there is a reason I didn't call it "No Sugar Lent" and that's because it hasn't been entirely sugar free. All desserts and sugary snack have been cut out of my daily diet, however there are things like Gatorade, Gu, and Luna Bars (before runs) which I have not given up because of the half marathon training. But for the most part, all other sugars have been limited. There are a few items that I know had sugar in them, but I didn't realize it until after I had already eaten.

These items would include:

• salsa ( A LOT of store bought salsas have added sugar)
• BBQ sauce. I ate a BBQ chicken pizza the day before my half a few weeks ago and didn't realize that the sauce probably had lots of sugar in it.
• Bread and lunch meat. most breads and lunch meat have added sugars. Thank you Subway...for the 2 weeks I ate you multiple times a week because I was too lazy to pack my lunch.
• BBQ Baked lays. To go along with the Subway of course. 
• And I am sure there are other foods that snuck in without my knowing. 

Surprisingly, the majority of sugar cravings have gone away. I am snacking less in the evening and during the day. I'll see a dessert, but it's not like I have to have it. I almost don't even miss them...but that doesn't stop me from drooling over new desserts to make.

I haven't decided what I am going to do on Easter. If I am going eat sugar and dessert (and Ketchup) or stick with this low sugar thing. Maybe I will just buy myself a snack size bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs?

Daydreamer

So do you ever have those days, maybe weeks, where all you do is daydream about what-ifs? This week has been one of them.

Some of those daydreams included:

• A trip to Amsterdam and/or Key West and possibly Seattle. I may (and by may, I mean, did) look up flights to all of these locations. 
• Running a mile under 7 minutes.
• Eating a sugary dessert. At this point, anything. However, I am not sure I will add most sugars back after Low Sugar Lent.
• Losing 10-15 lbs and keeping it off.
• Buying a new car. Umm, my car is perfectly fine and has at least 50,000+ miles of life. 
• Wondering why Jackalopes aren't real.

You see, there is a new brewery in town, Jackalope Brewery.  And I have never really given it much thought, but I learned this weekend that Jackalopes are a "mythical" creature. And I was a little crushed. So to verify their mythical-ness, I immediately went to the holy grail of everything, Wikipedia. They are indeed a mythical creature. They did however show pictures of the jackalope in modern culture. And I realized I had my very own picture taken on a jackalope. I immediately found it buried among old pictures.

And I am so thankful I decided to make a change.