Beautiful day

I used to get all wound up in pace, distance, miles per week, stats, numbers, objective measures of my performance as a runner. I spent so many months, years even, chasing goals - a sub-27 5k, 10k under an hour, my elusive 4:XX marathon. I used numbers to measure my worth as a runner, and for too many months, my worth as a person. 

Problem is, as far as runners go, I'm not very good at being one. I'm slow - middle-to-back-of-the-pack slow. And more than once I've ended up at the bottom of the race results. And that's okay. I know I'm not fast. I know I'm not going to win. That's not why I'm out there. If it was, I would be sorely disappointed more often than not. I'm out there because I love to run. Period. The end. 

And when I've not been able to run, or when I've taken a break from running for whatever reasons, I find myself missing it. Over the past 10-12 years, it has become part of who I am. It does not, however, define me as a person. And I think that separation in how I see myself is what allows me to run at whatever pace, whatever distance, whatever the objective measure ends up being, and still find joy and release and peace with my running. 

I ran today. There was a lot of walking because of my heart rate and the base training I'm building. But there was also a lot of laughing and joking and happiness in my run that was shared by my running partner. And it was a beautiful day despite a chill in the air and some high humidity. 

Or maybe it was a beautiful day because I got to run. 

I'm a simple girl, really

Doesn't take much to make me happy. 

Friday Five: 2013 Player Pics

It's no secret I love baseball. And I'm known to take a photograph (or 200) on occasion. When I get the opportunity to mix these two passions of mine, I get really carried away. I'm far from anything but an enthusiast with a Nikon, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again. 

When it comes to capturing my baseball boys, I've determined that a major factor in getting good results, as with real estate, is location, location, location. Luckily, I often attend games with #twitterlessIrene, who we've nicknamed "The Seat Whisperer." Most of my best shots have been taken with her at my side. 

Today's Friday Five features the player portraits that I am most proud of this season. These are the shots I took that I feel really represent them and their personalities. I have tons more from the more than 20 games I attended this summer, and I have some other ideas how to highlight them later on. For now, enjoy! 

Stand up & Shout!! This guy always gave us a little too much excitement but usually pulled through in the end. Going to miss him if he's gone for good. If he doesn't come back, my lasting memory of him will be of Game 162, in the pouring rain, shaking off water to shut down the hated LAA Halos, giving us all a last glimmer of hope. I was there and it was incredible.

Mmmmm. Hello, Neal. Besides his hypnotically beautiful eyes, Neal got the job done on the mound, proving to be a valuable fixture in the bullpen. Good pitching is baseball sexy. Great pitching is just plain Hotts, y'all. 

Oh, Kins. Killing us. We want to love him unconditionally but his uneven performance at the plate and a few more errors than we wanted to see were frustrating on & off through the season. But the faces & the playfulness with his shortstop made it hard to resist. Plus, the boy isn't afraid to get dirty! 

Favorite & Future. That's what these two represent to me. Seeing Leonys' Cuban Missile arm gun down someone silly enough to risk it never got old. Plus his engaging smile &  "I'm just happy to be here" attitude were contagious. 

I'm a little concerned about whether JP fits in the organization long-term, whether we split up Kindrus to make room for him or if he gets traded to fill an immediate need. I'd love to see him mature as a Ranger but I'm glad we got to see a glimpse this season. 

Sigh. My sweet baboo. They visited us only once, for three days in May, and the beard was thick but hadn't quite taken on its own persona yet. Yet, the fire and grit and determination, along with the unbuttoned jersey, was there, like it was when he was a Ranger. 

He finally got his ring, two years after he poured his heart, soul & body into earning it with us. I'm still holding on to a sliver of hope he will come back. But even if he doesn't, I'm always and forever a #NapFanForLife. 

Are you a baseball fan? Who is your favorite player? 

Throwback Thursday

I've been thinking about my dad a lot lately. Not sure why, maybe it's the upcoming holidays, or dealing with the Hockey Player-in-college thing and wondering what he thought of my & my brother's shenanigans, or Veterans' Day or what. 

I was at mom's apartment the other night helping her set up a little cot for an overnight guest & found myself saying something that channeled my dad so violently that no sooner was it out of my mouth than Mom & I just looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. I have no idea where it came from but we both recognized my father's voice and personality in the remark. It was funny, touching and a very sharp reminder that as much as I physically and emotionally resemble my mother, I very much am my father's daughter. 

While I was there at mom's that night, she showed me a photo of him that I hadn't seen before. It was a school photo, taken in junior high or thereabouts, and as soon as I saw it, I recognized not the man he became, the man I knew as my father, but instead the boy I know as my son. 

It's been a running joke in our family that the child was switched at the hospital, because he doesn't resemble any of the other three if us in facial features, hair color, eyebrows, or build. But the minute I saw the photo of that scrawny teenager in 1950s Corpus Christi, it all came clear. The genes just skipped me & concentrated in him. Science is funny, y'all. 

So, all that leads me to today's Throwback Thursday. This is probably in top 10 favorite photos of all time, for so many reasons. And now that I've made the connection, I have one more reason to love it. 

What's the story behind your favorite photo? 

Wellness Wednesday: The Bucket List

Make a list in your journal of at least 10 things that you would like to do. Consider this your Bucket List.

ahhh, the Bucket List.  I've thought about this on occasion over the years. I've put together a race bucket list, I've made a travel bucket list, and I've even checked off a couple of them. But I've never done a overall-real-life-real-deal bucket list. Until now. 

What's interesting is that fully half of the items on this list end up being fitness-related, or at least require a higher-than-the-average-bear level of activity and training and physical preparation. Luckily for me I have somehow fallen into company with a band of insane people who have either done the things on this list, have it on their own list, and/or would love nothing more than to help me reach these goals. It's kinda awesome, I'm not even gonna lie. It also makes this a little dicey to post, because these people are self-appointed "Dream-makers" and might start drawing up training plans and working out logistics to make this stuff happen next month (You think I'm kidding. I AM NOT.  But they would be there supporting me and crewing me and preparing me, basically surrounding me with that Bubble of Love every step so it would be okay. FALSE. It would be AWESOME!).

However, for the foreseeable future, these are going to stay on the bucket list, and not make the leap to an actual goal with a timeframe and a plan to execute yet, just because I'm not quite ready to put the time, energy, or resources required into making them a reality.  YET. Still am fully expecting to check them off this list, just not in the plan for the next 12-18 months.  Some won't be a reality for longer than that, and that's okay. 

Also, I chose to leave off the list things that rely on other people doing stuff. As much as I would love to have "watch my kid on a Broadway stage," on my list, that's on him to do, not anything I can control (although, how cool would that be?). What made the cut is purely stuff that I have some modicum of control over, things that I have dreamed about, that I can plan and control, that I can decide when it's time to make it a reality.

So, without further ado, here we go: 

1. Hike across the Grand Canyon 
2. Ride a bicycle across Texas
3. Walk across Scotland 
4. Hike the Appalachian Trail
5. Complete an IronMan-distance triathlon
6. Celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary on a beach in Puerto Vallarta
7. Cruise around the world, with a stop at every continent
8. See a game at all 30 MLB parks in one season 
9. Watch my team win the World Series 
10. Fund a scholarship or academic building in my family's name

William Wallace's castle in Scotland. I want to go back and see more of this amazing country. 

What's on YOUR bucket list?  When it's time for me to start checking this stuff off, which one will you do with me? 

Traditions Tuesday: Stair Photos

Another of our favorite traditions around here is our annual Stair Photos. Every year at Christmas, I force the boys & my husband to pose uncomfortably for group shots on the stairs at my in-laws house before we start any kind of holiday festivities. 

My mother-in-law used to get the boys matching outfits for this day (which, as you can imagine, they just LOVED!!) and I make them wear these outfits and smile before they do anything else. 

Want to have hot cocoa & cookies? Not until after pictures! Want to go play your video game? Not until after pictures!! Want to change clothes & be comfy so you can watch Christmas Vacation? Not until after pictures!!! Get the idea? Yeah, they pretend to hate it, but we always end up with some great shots. 

The year my mother-in-law passed away, we kind of boycotted Christmas. It was always a big deal for her and it just didn't seem right to do a big celebration that year. We instead checked into the Gaylord for a great dinner & night of distraction at the hotel. And after we ordered dinner, between the appetizers & the main course, the four of us snuck away from the table & found a staircase. 

And I know years from now they will look back on these photos and smile. And maybe one year, when they have little ones of their own, they will hold up all the festivities until after they get their Stair Photos! 

What is your family's favorite Christnas tradition?

College Life

Being a parent of a college kid is rough, y'all. We've barely moved him in for freshman year and he's already looking at apartments for next year. So not ready for this. 

Now we are having to have discussions about monthly allowances and the real cost of living and living on $6 a day and "oh, you think you're getting the car, too?!"  Have to think about roommates and parking and furniture and 9-month or 12-month leases. Too many things to consider. And too many horror stories of my own of roommates gone bad, but isn't this what college is all about? 

And wasn't he just a little kid in a box painted to be a robot on Halloween? Wasn't that just yesterday? 

(And okay, yes, this post might have been an excuse to use this photo, because have you ever seen anything so funny? I didn't think so!) 

So, when did you live on your own for the first time? What was your favorite first apartment memory? 

Thoughts from a run

Sporting my 2010 NYCM finisher cap in honor of today's race. 

"Ugh, I don't want to do this..." 

"Just go already. 2 miles. To the park and back. Just go then you can do whatever the rest of the day." 

"Fine, but I won't like it." 

"Yes, you will. Shut up and go." 

HR monitor beeps because I am barely moving. 

"Fine, shut up, I'm running." 

"Hey, these shoes are pretty cush. I'm digging this." 

"Hmmm, legs starting to loosen up... I'll just go to the end of the park and then cut down through the streets back to the house. That'll be 3.5 miles... "

"If I keep going here instead of turning toward the house, I'll get 4 miles in today. That's not bad, considering I was barely going to do 2..."

Cruising along, cruising, walking, running, feeling great, enjoying the sunshine and cool temps. 

"Hmmm, thought I'd turn here, but if I go to the end of this block... Let's just see when I get there." 

"Kinda thirsty now. If I keep going to the park, I can get some water, and then cut through the creek." 

"oh, cool, I can go through the park paths, maybe cut across that main street and get a good six or seven miles in..." 

"Hmmm, just how far HAVE I gone???"

Stops to quickly map out mileage so far... Decides to turn away and add another mile. 

"Do I have to go home now?  Really?  No? Cool." 

Keeps going opposite direction and adds another mile. 

"Sheesh, you're slow. And you're walking so much. That half is going to take forever." 

"Yep, but it will get done." 

"The stupid HR monitor is beeping non stop. What's up with that?"

"Blood pressure meds were adjusted. Don't be stupid. It'll take a couple of days to sort it out. Be patient."

"It's like you're ALWAYS starting over. What is that about??" 

"I have no idea. But get this:  Know what's worse than always having to start over?  Deciding not to. Shut up and run." 

9.5 miles done.  Half marathon scheduled on Thanksgiving Day.  Don't call it a comeback. 

Whoops.

Forgot to post yesterday. I guess it's because I had a busy day of sending off my hubby to go hunting, cleaning & rearranging my bedroom. We hadn't moved furniture in there in several years & I was looking for a change. 

 

Now, if we can just keep it this way! 

Friday

Got new kicks. May be just what I need to get my mojo back. 

Be right back. Gotta test 'em out!! Have a great weekend!