Another Great Run

May 27, 2016 by bec2point0

And again, this post will not be about running. And anyone who has been reading my posts for a while won’t be surprised.

About 15 months ago, I posted about my blogging days coming to an end, and you guys, and my fellow Chicks, were the awesomest, wishing me well on my journey.

And then about a year ago, I posted about how I apparently wasn’t out of things to say, and you all were even awesomer, welcoming me home with open arms.

I’m so glad I came back for another year. I got to post about some things I’m super passionate about, like eating local, summer foods, walking, my half marathon plans and my never-ending quest for balance. I got to Secret Santa with my fave ladies. I got more time with all of you!

It was another great run.

I don’t know about all good things coming to an end, but this one is, for me. I’m hanging up my blogging hat today. It’s hard to put into words exactly WHY. It just feels like the right time, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s to go with what feels right.

Thank you for reading my random musings for the last three + years. Scoot has been an amazing experience for me, and I’ll miss it a lot.

XOXO, Bec

Changes

May 20, 2016 by vfreile

2016 has been one helluva year to date.

My father passed away after a 10-month battle with leukemia. My business moved to a brand-new office building, uprooting me from my home-away-from-home for the last 14 years. And the biggest life change – my husband and I are expecting our first child.

I know this post is long overdue, but where to start?

My dad, an Ecuadorian who moved to United States in the 1950s to attend university, had a spectacular life. A mapmaker by trade, he lived 85 years and remained positive throughout his last year, despite his terminal diagnosis. He died in February, and I was fortunate enough to spend several days with him and my mother the week before he died. At that time, I shared our news – that he would have a grandchild.

My dad was thrilled. He couldn’t get over it, as I’m the youngest of his four children and I’m what the medical community politely refers to being of advanced maternal age…a geriatric pregnancy.

You see, my dad and my pregnancy are linked. I don’t like to talk about it and hesitate to share even here, but it’s time to take a leap of faith.

The day I found out dad was sick, I also learned I was pregnant.

The day I helped tell my father he was dying, I learned that my pregnancy wasn’t viable.

The day I learned dad’s chemotherapy had stopped working I also learned I was again expecting.

Less than two months later, he passed away in my parents’ Pennsylvania home.

Dad was what I’d call a true gentleman and an incredible storyteller. He was quirky (who isn’t?) and intelligent, but lived for his loves – most importantly my mother. He was dedicated to his job and would have been honored to see dozens of former co-workers from across the country lovingly share stories as they attended his memorial service.

I know he is still with me, as I can feel his love and guidance regularly. I am heartbroken that he will not be able to hold his grandson.

As for me, I’m nearly done with the second trimester.

The first trimester was physically exhausting. The second was mentally draining with all the changes and adjustments, but I’ve been blessed with a wonderful network of family and friends who have simply been incredible.

Since just before dad passed, I’ve felt good – the energy returned when I most needed it and I’ve slowly realized I need to slow down a bit – and I have.

Vic at nearly 25 weeks. Almost to the third trimester!

In mid-April I outed myself at work, as I could not longer hide my rapidly-expanding waist. I also launched a new series about prenatal fitness, starting with yoga.

Now, I’m looking forward as my husband and I prepare for the birth of our son. I’m blessed to be able to share the journey with my cousin Keith and his wife Laura, who are expecting their first child (a girl!) in July, and my brother-in-law Andy and his wife Diane, who are due in September.

We’ve been purging the house of unneeded items. We’ve been preparing the nursery. We’ve been spending time together, relishing our last months as a couple.

It’s a whole new world.

Balance, Act 3

May 4, 2016 by bec2point0

So, we’ve reached the final ‘balancing act’. Time to drop the curtain and dim the lights. And are our players happy with how the show went?

Mer

I want to tell you a little story, in which I gained both perspective and also continued with my zen-like attitude that I’m trying so hard to adopt.

Two Saturdays ago the PTO of my son’s elementary school hosted a Color-A-Thon fundraiser. I was one of the driving forces behind said fundraiser, which probably surprises precisely no one. As soon as I saw a fundraiser based on getting children active and having run, I was all about it.

This fundraiser took months of planning.

We had meetings discussing logistics (like volunteers, parking, DJ, refreshments).

We had an amazing kick-off event where the principal and assistant principal were incredible sports, dressing up in funny outfits and getting powdered color thrown all over them.

Our students did an astonishing job raising money for the event. They were pumped! The parents were excited!

Saturday morning came and the volunteers arrived according to schedule. It was overcast but we were hoping that we would beat any storm that was planning on rolling through.

We set up the course. The DJ played tunes and the kids warmed up, ready to run the mile course. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

And then? Approximately 2 seconds after the run started… the skies opened up. It was a drizzle, then it came down a bit harder, and then a downpour.

I was panicked for a brief moment.

What would the kids think? How would the parents react?

I looked around. Parents shrugged and put up their umbrellas. And the kids? They came flying through the finish line with huge smiles. Bright white teeth against the color staining their skins and clothes. The DJ played Purple Rain.

It was perfect in its imperfectness.

Of all the things that I thought could possibly go wrong in the day, rain was not in any of the scenarios I dreamed up. The rain enhanced the experience and it was a surreal mismatch of what one would think would be fun and miserable.

Balance.

Kyle

Well. We’ve reached the end of this three-installment experiment, and I don’t know that I feel like I fixed my imbalance, I can say that I am definitely more cognizant of the ways I can improve it. At the very least.

1. Last month, meal planning was humming along perfectly and healthy eating was high priority. The last couple of weeks, however, have been so strange. Work schedules and personal commitments have resulted in scrambling in the evenings to make dinners, meal prep has gotten pushed around in the schedule, and the weekends (and honestly, some mid-week days) have been very lax. Mostly out of necessity. I guess that’s sort of the definition of finding balance though – and I wrote about it in my post about Why I Hate Cheat Days. So, more days have been taken away from the strict meal plan and we’ve allowed ourselves some room to just enjoy food again. That’s a good thing.

2. Gym time: Was going really awesome. The training cycle we had started a month and a half ago has been going well, but some physical setbacks happened and some general fatigue got in the way and more rest days were taken. Which, again, is balance – albeit frustrating. We’re regrouping and reprogramming our training for the next couple of months to help us reach our fitness goals and still make sure we’re getting enough rest and recovery time, too.

3. Money, honey. I’m pretty sure this thing has remained constant – still a work in progress, but maybe, finally, getting in the upswing? It’s about prioritizing, really. There are the bills that need to be paid, then there are the groceries to buy. And then there’s the goal-setting and saving that needs to happen to reach those goals. It’s not always (or ever) easy, but it’s not impossible. Like eating an elephant, this one can only be accomplished one bite at a time.

Moving forward, I think just being more aware of the need for balance in these areas of my life will help me make sure I’m making healthy life choices. It will also remind me to not be so hard on myself all the time – and that some setbacks are okay, and even necessary. Ultimately, that’s how we grow.

Bec

Creating balance in my life, it turns out, was different than what I envisioned.

I’ll be honest, I went into this little project with the idea that at the end of two months, I would be the most balanced person I knew, with all my ducks in row, waddling along in perfect, balanced unison.

Reality? My life is still pretty chaotic. My oldest is a high school senior, so there is a lot of prom dress shopping and college planning and summer job interviewing and general busy life stuff going on. My son is finishing up 7^th, so there is testing and plans for summer ‘adventure’ camp, in addition to the less often, but still regular appointments with the hand surgeon. My job is high stress at times (this year has been one of those times), and isn’t always something I can leave at the door. And some nights, no matter what it says in my planner, I’m just not going to make it to the gym or cook the world’s healthiest and most delicious meal.

But amid the chaos, I still made time for me. I went away to Portland for the weekend with two of my best friends. I had a lovely anniversary dinner with my husband (19 years and counting!). Our little family all went for a walk on the beach, and enjoyed each other’s company.

I guess, what I’ve gotten the most from this, is the knowledge that I’m probably never going to have a life that looks all calm and even keel. As long as I’m not stressed to the max and unable to function, I don’t even know if that is the life I really want. I kind of like my chaos.

And really, the whole idea of balance isn’t sitting perfectly still while everything else is perfectly still in this moment of perfectly still bliss, is it? It’s attempting to remain steady while everything moves around you, going with the ebb of the tide, and then back with the flow, staying upright. So, in that sense, I’m doing pretty darn good at this balance thing.

Still, there is room to grow. Learning to let go of ideals that don’t fit or serve my life is a big part of that. And like Cam, I’m learning to say ‘no’ to things. I’m really trying to get better about scheduling things, and looking at that schedule every day, so that I don’t wind up feeling like I’m scrambling. And I really took to heart one of the tips Jenn gave in the last post, about creating a personal mission statement. This goes right along with something I’ve been trying to find in relation to weight loss… my ‘Why’. So, I’m working on those.

Now it’s May, and there are weddings and concerts and friend visits coming this summer. With my girl heading off to college, I’ll be taking every spare moment I can to just be with her, and to treasure them. And hey, there’s still that half marathon that I’m training for. So, is my life going to resemble that vision I had any time soon? Probably not.

But that’s just… my life. And it’s a good one.

Balance, Act 2

April 5, 2016 by bec2point0

A while back, a few of us chicks talked about something that our collective lives were lacking, and how we’d like to try do better achieve something that so many people struggle to find.

Balance.

A month has passed. How’s it going? We’ll let you know where we’re at. And then, our awesome and super helpful Chick Jenn will share some tips!

Bec

So, going into the month, the goal was less crazy. But, since the universe is kind of a jerk sometimes, and likes to mess with me, life got more crazy. We had our shower, the only one in this 100 year old house, replaced. What was supposed to take less than a week wound up taking 17 days.

4 people. 17 days. 0 working showers. You do the math.

Luckily, we have a membership at the YMCA, which has plenty of showers. So every night, we would all pack up and go over to the Y. And a funny thing happened. Since we were all there anyway, everyone worked out. Weird, huh? And what’s even weirder… they liked it!

Since everyone was there working out with me, I didn’t feel like I was cutting out family time to get a workout in, which was awesome! Was it chaotic to get 4 people packed up, to the gym, worked out, showered and home for dinner? You bet your sweet bippy it was! But, by incorporating family time and exercise, both things were achieved with minimal suffering (although you’d never know the suffering was minimal listening to me whine about my stupid shower remodel).

All of this swell family gym time meant I was moving and grooving right along on my half marathon training plan. The one I painstakingly detailed out for the span of nine months, down to the day. The one I swore I would not change.

Until I had to change it.

I’ll explain more about why I had to make changes, and what they were, in a later post, but let’s just say I was less than pleased. I was SO committed to my plan! It was a very gradual, balanced plan! So when it hit me that changes were needed, there was a part of me that really, really wanted to scrap the whole thing. Including the half marathon. (There’s that black and white thinking we all love so much!)

So I got real with myself. Refusing to let go of something that wasn’t working, or throwing my hands up in the air and saying ‘to hell with it’ just because it wasn’t working the way I planned wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Instead, I did some research, talked to my involuntary running coach (Mer) and reworked the plan. And I accepted that I can only plan so much, so this plan might need adjusting, too. And that’s okay.

Balance. Or the beginnings of it, anyway. Apparently, I don’t have to do it all at once. (Who knew?)

Kyle

Balance. Where you at?

Well, after a month, it feels like I’ve gotten a lot of things under control. And then there have been a few things that have stayed out of whack.

For the most part, though, it’s been a good start.

1. Meal planning has been ON POINT. Every Sunday, the fridge is full of Tupperware evenly portioned chicken or steak and broccoli. Lunches for the workweek have never been easier, or healthier. Dinners have been planned and if not prepped the night before, at least organized, which makes busy evenings after work and the gym a lot simpler. Meal planning like this has also helped the financial situation, ensuring that our spending is for necessities, instead of last-minute junk because of ill-preparedness.

2. Gym time: awesome. The boy and I started a new training cycle and adjusted our program and while each day is harder than ever before, progress is easy to see. Being able to make strides in the gym is a great release for me after a day at the office. This is one area of my balancing act that I feel really good about.

3. Money, honey. Well. This one is going. Constantly a work in progress, but always seeming to feel like I take one step forward and two steps back. There’s always something that needs fixing or immediate care and that always gives me a hard reality check. But, but making positive changes in other areas of my life, this area becomes more focused and gradually easier to manage. Adulting is hard, but not impossible, and I just have to remember that. Every time I pay bills. Ha.

Reminding myself of the progress I’m making helps me stay positive and find more peace in where I’m at and what I’m doing. Creating a little balance one step at a time.

Cam

Last summer, I had my birth chart read by an astrologer. Yes, I know it’s a psuedo-science, but it’s fun dammit. Within seconds, she was lecturing me about overfilling my plate. Not my dinner plate, although that has been an issue as of late. But my life plate. She said I take on too much and it’s taking a toll on my health. Well, I didn’t really need a psychic to tell me this. Anyone who has ever seen my Google calendar knows I have a tendency to schedule every free moment of my life. I’ve made it my mission this month to say no. That’s it. It seems really easy, right? WRONG. It’s so hard for me. I hate disappointing people. For example, this weekend my family had plans for the zoo on Saturday and the beach on Sunday. I had a cake to make on Friday and homework due today. And still, for some reason, when I was approached to do another cake for Saturday, I contemplated taking on the job.

NO! I had to yell at myself.

That was a few weeks ago. I’ve turned down a couple other activities that I’m really disappointed to miss, and when I see my everyone on Facebook enjoying these activities, I’m going to regret it. However, I have to strive for that balance of work, play, and REST. I’ve never been very good at that last part. On average, I sleep maybe 4-6 hours a night. I fill every moment and I still don’t have time to do all the things I want to do.

This week is my Spring Break from work. I have five days off work and I intend to rest. I intend to say no. And do all the laundry I’ve been putting off.

Mer

Last week I posted about my family’s quest for a new house and my quest for achieving zen-like thinking in regards to do this. What’s been helping me with that?

My focus has been on beginning each day with gratitude and reminding myself that all things will work out with this. I know that moving ranks highly among the most stressful situations and I can say with much certainty that after we do this, I hope we are in our new house for a very long time because while this is exciting the pendulum has also swung toward the chaotic side.

However, we are very lucky. We are in a good position and we are moving on up! I’m not exactly sure where we are moving on up to, just yet, but we’ll figure it out.

I’m tapping into love every morning; whether it be making coffee for my husband as he runs out the door on his way to work, a kiss from my kiddos, a snuggle with my dog on the couch, or a text from a friend reminding me that I’m as valuable to them as they are to me.

Keeping my routine as similar as it can be with the additional things thrown in is what has been keeping me sane. I’m also not volunteering for every single thing that comes my way (trust me, that’s a challenge) because I can’t add little things into my life right now with a big thing going on. That’s not to say that I’m not overextending myself because I am… but I’m very conscious of what I’m taking on and also what I’m unable to tackle.

Thus far I’ve only had one emotional breakdown and my mom in law was the lucky recipient of that fun little time. While I wailed to her on the phone, she listened and offered up different solutions that only made me feel slightly better. Then she asked if I would like her to pray over me and the situation. That helped tremendously and brought me back to the calmness that I’ve been trying hard to maintain throughout this process. And for that? I’m grateful.

Jenn

Like everyone else on the planet, I suffer from lack of balance in my life. My balance deficit doesn’t arise from commitments of kids and having a family, rather, I suffer from interest overload. Between working, wife-ing, doggy mom-ing, schooling, running, volunteering, yoga, writing, sewing, teaching myself to play the guitar, and learning French via Duolingo, I don’t have much time for balance.

This was a problem. I could tell because my forehead broke out in tiny little stress pimples from feeling constantly overwhelmed. Something had to change. I knew what my problem was, I just didn’t have the tools to see the forest through all my trees. I needed to learn how to thin my forest.

Through my employer, I enrolled in two classes: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity. Here are a few takeaways that have really helped me find more balance.

Accept That Some Things Will Not Get Done. It was so liberating to hear the trainer say that. To hear someone acknowledge that in this era of technology and over commitment, it’s just not possible to get everything done, AND THAT’S OKAY. Some things in life are truly important and focusing on them is what really matters. When you’re eighty and looking back over your life, you won’t be reminiscing about how beautifully you scrubbed your floors (says the girl who spent five years working in a nursing home). Gain some perspective about what really matters to you in the grand scheme of your life.

Create a Personal Mission Statement. Develop a mission statement that speaks to your highest purpose and biggest goals. Your statement is not set in stone it should grow and change with you and your goals. Then, use your mission statement to make time management choices. When faced with a decision about taking on a new obligation, task, or interest, ask yourself if it will serve your mission statement. This is a great tool for learning to say “no” to things. Franklin Covey has an online tool to help you build your Mission Statement.

Jenn’s Mission Statement

Roles and Goals. This is a hallmark of the 7 Habits program. It helps you identify what the major roles are in your life and develop goals to be the best you can be in each role. Roles can be things like mother, husband, sister, friend, runner, volunteer, President of the official runDisney fan club, etc. Your roles should serve your mission statement, too. If they don’t, consider cutting them from your life. Then, create some goals to be better in your roles. You might say, “I’m going to be a better runner and shave 7 minutes off my time by adding additional tempo runs in my training plan.” The next challenge is to make time for that extra run in your week, or in other words, making time to execute on your goals. I use a planner to schedule specific blocks of time to execute those goal tasks; what 7 Habits calls “the big rocks”. After the class, I purchased the 5 Choices Planner, and I seriously LOVE IT. I assigned a color to each of my roles, so when I’m planning my week, I can easily tell if I’m giving some attention to each role.

I love this planner because it has worksheets to help develop roles and goals as well as master tasks.

4 Types of Work: Extraordinary, Urgent, Required, Waste. This technique is from the 5 Choices class. Imagine your time is divided into 4 quadrants as illustrated by the graphic below. The graphic is geared toward work life, but you get the idea. The goal is to live in Q2, extraordinary work, as much as possible. Extraordinary work is things that support your mission statement and roles and goals. Things like training runs and workouts are extraordinary work. Things like household chores are Q3, distraction. Your child getting the flu is Q1. Binge watching Game of Thrones all weekend? Definitely Q4. You want your quadrants to be much more green than gray. If this were a pie chart, you’d want decrease the size of the urgent, required, and waste slices so you can spend most of your time on extraordinary work.

Photo Credit; Franklin Covey

I hope this helps you form a plan to be the best, least-stressed version of you that you can be! Make time to feed your soul and nourish the things and people who are most important to you. Don’t forget to keep perspective on what really matters!

What’s Old is New Again

March 25, 2016 by bec2point0

Back in 2012 PS (Pre-Scoot), I found my magic combination for weight loss/better fitness/improved health.

Weight Watchers. Running. And Zumba.

This combo saw me down almost 60 pounds from my highest weight.

Me, at my lowest weight in years, hanging out with Mer in Jersey.

This combo saw me finishing my first race ever.

Beyond proud of myself post Atlantic City 7K

I was feeling better than I had in years.

And then, I decided to add jumping into the mix. As in jumping right off that wagon and fleeing into a field of cookies. (Poetic license there, but you catch my drift).

That’s the thing, though. The rational thought is, if something is working, why would you stop doing it?

Because, life.

#soreal

And then, I convinced myself that this combo, that was working for me, must have been inherently flawed, otherwise it would have kept right on working. And then, I though maybe the combo wasn’t flawed, I was.

In the following four years, I tried a lot of other things. I went to experts who told me that ‘diets don’t work’ and ‘Weight Watchers doesn’t work’. I tried tracking on My Fitness Pal. On paper. In spreadsheets. Not tracking at all. I tried 30 day walking challenges, and squat challenges. I tried to start running again. A few times.

And then, about a month ago, I decided to try this combo.

Weight Watchers. Running. And Zumba.

And it’s working.

#BOOM

And I’m working it.

Me and my workout buddy, Pitbull.

I don’t know if this perfect combo will stay perfect forever. But I do know that right now, it’s working. I feel accomplished, and proud of my efforts. I see the effects on the scale. I see myself finishing races (we’ll talk more about that later) with that beaming look on my face.

For now, I’m partying like it’s 2012, and I’m loving it.

We Are Never Getting Back Together: The BMI Scale

March 7, 2016 by kpjenn

Weh-heh-heh-hehlllll…. this post has been a long time coming. This particular issue has loooong been one that I’ve had strong feelings about, but recent developments have really begun to grind my gears. Maybe it’s because I’ve changed my fitness routine that I’m facing it more head-on, but damn if I’m not righteously pissed at what that crappy height-weight ratio has done to my brain.

Some background:

The body mass index scale (BMI) was established in the early nineteenth century – so, you know, it’s vintage – by a guy named Adolphe Quetelet who was working on what he called “social physics” and the BMI was meant to measure obesity rates in populations. Seems simple enough, but therein lies the problem.

This crude scale, which calculates your BMI indicator by diving your weight (in kg) by your height (in m), really only measures tissue mass as a whole and doesn’t take into consideration your body composition at all. So, when calculating your BMI, it doesn’t matter if you carry more belly fat or are a body builder – the numbers on the scale are the only ones that matter.

Though science has advanced significantly since 1830, this calculation, unfortunately, has not. In 1973, scientist Ancel Keys said of the BMI calculation: “…if not fully satisfactory, [it is] at least as good as any other relative weight index as an indicator of relative obesity.”

Um. WAT.

That’s basically saying “this calculation we’ve been using for more than 100 years is pretty bad, and even though we have new math and new science things that would probably be more accurate, it’s fine.”

And thus we see how society has adopted BMI as the accepted, “easy” indicator for who is overweight and what a “normal” body type looks like.

Numbers. We’ve been conditioned to respond to numbers with a positive or negative reaction regardless of the type of work we’re putting in at the gym or how our body is built.

That’s total crap if you ask me. And I say that as someone who is just as susceptible to those reactions as anyone else: according to that scale, I’m overweight.

Fortunately, I’m not the only one who thinks the scale is a loser. Recently, Hellogiggles published an article discussing a recent study that debunks the BMI scale as a measure of health. It’s a good read and definitely preaches to the choir – as an athlete, I’ve long felt misrepresented by the scale.

From the time I was 3, I’ve been involved in some sort of athletic activity. I played basketball from the time I was 6 through college. I was a double varsity athlete in high school and was voted “Most Likely to be on the Cover of Sports Illustrated” my senior year. I skied, snowboarded, ran, and hiked every year of my childhood. As an adult, I’ve continued playing the sports I love and began running and lifting weights. I love being active and I know I’m a pretty healthy individual.

For equally as long, I’ve been able to find things about my body I didn’t like. Or a thing, rather. No matter how active I’ve been, I’ve always – always – had a little belly. My teammates all had nice flat tummies and I was over here with my belly pudge. I also always weighed just a little bit more than my friends. Not a lot. But enough that I never really liked to bring it up. But I actually didn’t think too much about it because I was so athletic, and I would say that growing up, I had a very healthy relationship with food and body image.

As an adult, however, I’ve encountered instances where the numbers on the scale have predetermined something about me to someone else, and that’s really not a good feeling.

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that in the last 6 months or so, I’ve really taken to lifting weights in favor of running or cycling. I’ve built a ton of muscle and I’m so proud of the strides I’ve made. The gainz have been in my favor.

But, gainz in the gym also mean gains on the scale. Muscle is more dense that fat – a fact many of us are familiar with. More muscle therefore equals more weight. Not a bad thing, right? If one’s goal is to build muscle and strength, you want this result. I want this result.

Unfortunately, because society has warped my brain, I still have a hard time with this paradox. Stepping on the scale at my doctor’s appointment last week and seeing “158” blink at me from the display, I felt… disappointed. Like all the work I’ve been doing in the gym wasn’t helping. Like all of that 158 pounds was sitting right around my tummy and everyone could see my gross muffin top.

I texted my lifting partner (who is also my boyfriend) and whined. His response was perfect: “Muscle mass. You squat 185 pounds for reps. That happens. Ignore the number.”

After some more whining from me and some more rational words from him, I felt better. He was right. That number is just a number. It doesn’t say anything except how much gravity is affecting my body mass, and that’s a pretty empty statistic.

I still have my hang ups, but I’m working really hard to focus on making progress in the gym and reaching my fitness goals – which have nothing to do with the number on the scale or what the BMI says that I am and everything to do with feeling good about what my body is capable of accomplishing.

Balance, Act 1

March 2, 2016 by bec2point0

Isn’t it funny how you think you’re the only one that struggles with something and then you mention it and a bunch of people are like “ME, TOO!” So, when I recently said I was having some serious issues with balance, it wasn’t really a surprise that there were others in the same boat.

So, we decided to write a series of posts about our lives, and their current level of unbalance, and how we’re going to work toward better balance. And if you too are find yourself saying “ME, TOO!” to any of our tales, you should join us in the comments, tell us why you’re feeling off balance, and together, we’ll all try to achieve a bit more of this.

Bec

Does anyone know where I can acquire some balance in my life? I swear, I’ve looked high and low, but I just can’t seem to find any.

Ohhhhhh. I see.

Balance is something I always seem to be struggling with. I am a VERY black or white individual, something I learned last year is a common characteristic for adult children of alcoholics. It is ALL. Or NOTHING. EVERYTHING, all at once, or complete shutdown. Go big or go the hell home. Like, every few months, I literally become this insane self drill sergeant.

“Alright, you maggot, get to work. Clean up your diet, cook a healthy and delicious meal every night, get up at 4:00AM every day and work out, drink 100 ounces of water, MINIMUM, put on a full face of makeup every day, and perfect hair, and pearls, clean out the closets, and the garage while you’re at it, organize your bills, get that planner filled up with color coded notes, make time for family and friends, be the perfect employee and DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY.”

Since doing EVERYTHING, all at once, isn’t sustainable, I just wind up a quivering ball of failure-type feelings on my couch, feeding my kids chicken nuggets and using my planner as a Ben & Jerry’s coaster so that I don’t drip on my sweaterpants. Hindsight being 20/20, this is about the time I look back and realize that I totally set myself up for failure but making a plan that lacked a key element.

Balance.

And had I tried a more balanced approach, there’s a good chance I would have accomplished significantly more. And been less crazy.

So, really, that’s what I’m working on. I have my shiny, pretty planner, which is a good guide. I’m working on making reasonable plans, and doing my best to stick with them. I need to learn to let myself off the hook when I am not perfect, and allow good to be good enough.

Less crazy.

Kyle

Finding balance? Nah. Creating balance. That’s what I’ve got to work on. Like, a work life balance. Which is not to say I work too much, but rather that I am really struggling right now to keep my work and my volunteering and my personal life in harmony.

Too often, I feel like I’m giving more of myself to one of these areas than the others and while sometimes that’s required, it’s not usually proportionate.

And even worse, when I realize I have too many things juggling in the air, I get that feeling that says “I don’t want to do ANY of this stuff. I want to be an ostrich instead.” Usually that results in procrastination and ultimately more stress because I didn’t get my ish together.

I don’t really know. Sometimes it feels like I have work/life vertigo. Not so much with the balancing.

Maybe it means scaling back the things that I’m involved in (I don’t wanna.) Maybe it means using better time management and organization tools (I know this works for me.) Ultimately, I know that as much as I would like to rope my boyfriend into helping keep me accountable, it’s really just up to me to figure it out. He’ll help, I’m sure, but really, I gotta figure it out myself.

So, I’ve got myself a planner and the month of March promises to be one that gives me a chance to get a few things in order. I’ve got a couple of concrete goals for the month, some financial, some related to volunteering, others related to work. If I can’t create balance right away, I can at least create some organization, and that’s a start. From there, I can asses and regroup. And in all of this, I’ll remember to breathe.

Cam

I’m not good at balance. As a member of the ADHD community, I’ve always operated on a need to do now basis. That is, I procrastinate until the absolute very last minute and then spend all my energy completing that necessary task, sometimes to the point of physical exhaustion (staying up all night to finish a running costume, anyone?). To make matters extremely more time consuming, I’m a perfectionist and will spend way too much time on said task until I am absolutely satisfied. I can say with all confidence that I have the absolute worst time management skills. I’d be totally fine with this non-strength because as a perfectionist, I always (well, mostly always) fulfill my obligations. As I get older, however, my body can’t keep up with my last minute lifestyle. I’m in my last quarter of graduate school, I teach full time, my kids play soccer and take karate, I have animals and laundry and dishes, I make fancy cakes on the weekends, and I’m supposed to be preparing for the many races I’ve already invested literally thousands of dollars in.

I haven’t ran in months (excluding a very painful Star Wars weekend). I haven’t actually worked out once this year. My body is soft and achy and I’m tired. Logically, I know I need it. Right now I’m in survival mode and exercise isn’t on my list of obligations to others. But it should be on my list of obligations to myself. There’s probably a very extensive explanation for why I spread myself so thin. I’m sure my therapist has some theories. Whatever the reason, I need it to be different. I need me to be different. Because this frantic way of living in the extremes is so damn tiring. I’m seeking ways to meet myself in the middle. I want to get organized. I want to start running again. I want to start writing again. I need to find a balance between what others need from me and what I need from myself. I don’t have a plan yet (big surprise) because I feel like everything in my life is important. There isn’t any time to trim, but there is space for rearranging. I’m going to Tetris the shit out of this.

Mer

Do you ever feel like you’re balancing twenty plates on your hands, feet, and head? That’s basically what I’ve got going on at the moment.

I don’t share every portion of my life on Scoot a Doot because that’s not the platform for which we created a blog. However, suffice to say, there’s a lot going on right now and my main issue is that I’m not in total control of it all.

And honestly, there’s not way I COULD be in control of it all. There are many factors that are totally out of my control. My child getting sick and not being able to go to school for 3 days, putting the kibosh on anything and everything that I needed/wanted to get done?

That is not something even my superpowers can change.

My son needs me to rub his back, kiss his head, and tell him that everything is going to be all right. Which is exactly what I’ve been doing for him. He’s the number one priority and all other things fall by the wayside.

So what happens when there are three or four things that are all volleying for that number one position in the priority line? What then?

Well, I don’t know. I’m trying to figure that out. I know that eventually everything will get done; but being the perfectionist that I am, I want everything to be done the right way, not just the easiest way.

Going forward, my main focus in regards to the priorities will be to first think rationally, then emotionally. I’m a fairly rational thinker but when it comes to stressful situations, the emotions like to be front and center and I’m not talking about the loving, sweet kind.

I cannot control every situation, but I can control my reactions and how I handle things.

I know what to focus on and what to let go.

So, do you feel us? Tell us! We want to know how you create your balance, or how you’d like to try!

Chilly running ramblings (and dodging snowplows)

February 26, 2016 by vfreile

We’ve been lucky this winter with mostly mild weather. Sure, Rochester had a huge snowstorm last week, a storm that brought 19 inches to my yard and the typically hearty community to its knees for about 24 hours.

So true cold-weather running has been pretty much non-existent for me this season. That said, there are always a few thoughts that zip through my mind when I hit the pavement amid snow and subzero temps.

It was bitter cold when pal Beth and I ran a winter half-marathon last year. Subzero temps had us bundle up and we were still darn chilly by the time we finished.

Here are just a few random winter running thoughts:

I can’t feel my fingers. I should’ve worn more clothing. (This usually occurs within the first half-mile.)
Did my water bottle just freeze? Why yes, I am now carrying a 5-pound ice weight.
None of what I am wearing matches, but it’s all bright neon. Notice me, oncoming cars. I’m a beacon of color.
Sidewalk? What sidewalk?
Aim for the bald patches in the road. Anything not to wear spikes when not snow/trail running.
Perhaps the treadmill would’ve been a good idea today.
I’m melting. I should’ve worn fewer layers. (about 3 to 5 miles in.)

Wintry run!

I love winter running, actually. In part because I feel like a badass for braving elements that send many inside for a warmer workout.

And there was a time that a passerby asked me how much I was being paid to run in the snow. (Ha! Wouldn’t that be nice?)

But there are challenges.

Sometimes a 5-mile tromp through fresh snow equals the effort for a 10-miler on a crisp fall day. Sometimes you find yourself on a busy road’s shoulder because the icy, unplowed sidewalk is downright treacherous. Occasionally, you have to jump into a snowdrift and out of the path of an oncoming snowplow.

No matter the obstacle, I always feel great once I am done. It’s always well worth the bitter cold effort.

What runs through your mind when you run in the snow?

Plantar Fasciitis Follow-up

February 24, 2016 by Meridith

Good morning friends!

I was recently thinking that often I find myself blogging about events in my life when I’m in the thick of them. I mean it makes sense to cover the down and dirty, the nitty gritty things. Like the dreaded plantar fascittis, for example. I’ve dealt with it twice since we started this blog three years ago.

This is my unimpressed face.

While I’m hurting and doing things to make the hurt better, you get to hear about that dang ligament so much I’m sure you feel sympathy pain.

I lament those first steps in the morning, rolling my foot on a golf ball, rolling my foot on a frozen water bottle, and most importantly, not being able to do what I want to do when it comes to running!

(Some might consider walking more important but you know… not me.)

Anyway, I talk, talk, talk about the pain and then it finally subsides… I never really mention it again. But for something that’s such a big part of my life and affects not just me but so many people, I feel like I need to write a little follow up.

So, a quick recap… this last bout of PF started during a training run for last year’s Broad Street run and lasted throughout the summer before I decided that ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. I put my foot down (see what I did there?); I wasn’t going to deal with it’s shenanigans any longer. I had training runs and races to do, PRs to hit, and I’d be damned if I was going to let a pesky ligament get in the way of my goals.

After three and a half months of just waiting for it to get better on its own (it did not), I started going to the chiropractor for treatments.

At first it was a few times a week, then weekly, then bi-weekly and now it’s monthly. There was a rest from running, Aleve to reduce the inflammation, and lots of tweaking and prodding to figure out what needed to be fixed.

Now it’s a monthly maintenance visit, to make sure I’m aligned (yep, like a car) and my body is working the way it’s supposed to. Each visit starts with about 15 minutes of intense physiotherapy.

chiro1

When I first started going there, at times I thought that I wasn’t going to make it out of that room. The therapists actually complimented my pain tolerance but maybe I just wasn’t vocal enough because I promise you, it hurt! You put up with the pain if you know it’s going to be fixed in the long run. At least, I do.

I don’t think the therapists have changed the intensity but my foot has become more malleable, more able to handle the manipulations.

Yes, Wesley. Yes.

After my visit with the therapist, I get adjusted by the chiropractor. I always give him a rundown of what runs I’ve been doing, my training (we train with the same personal trainer), and all the other fun in my life.

bones

The once a month visits keep me fairly loosey goosey and I’ve been feeling really good for the past 4-5 months with minimal amounts of plantar fascia pain. Which is exactly what we want!

I’m going to continue with adjustments because the less injuries for me, the happier I am. And the happier I am, the happier everyone around me can be. See how that works?

My goal from here on out is to consistently visit the chiropractor each month and be steadfast with my training. I know that I can’t always be 100% all the time but if I can do things to assist in remaining uninjured, I’m going to do them!

There you go, folks, that’s the scoop. Foot pain is much better, training runs are going very well, and I’m expecting good things to come during my spring races!

Have you ever dealt with plantar fasciitis? What did you do to relieve the pain? Have you visited a chiropractor to help? What races are you training for?

How Do You Know I Did A Training Run?

January 22, 2016 by Meridith

Don’t worry, I’ll tell you!

Seriously though, I know that there are two camps of people.

Those who want to hear all about my training, running, food, water intake, breathing.
The rest of the world… who are probably not reading this blog post.

So, for those who fall into the first camp, it’s no secret that I’m training for the Atlantic City April Fools Half. I talk about it a lot because it consumes a lot of my free time. AND, for the first time in a long time, my body is actually behaving, feeling pretty darn good, and seems to be on board with this plan.

As such, it’s training time and I’m armed and ready. I’ve got my 12 week half marathon plan. Bonus? I actually started training 12 weeks ahead of time. That ~~rarely~~ has never happened before.

Thanks to City Fit Girls and Coach Marcy for this plan!

I’ve got my sneakers (and new GoPro camera – heyyyy!).

Mizuno Wave Inspire 12s love the boardwalk.

And I’ve got my training partner in crime.

Chrissy and me, after our first training run for the April race.

Usually I don’t have the opportunity to train with my race day buddies; the majority of them are scattered across the country. You might remember Chrissy from last year’s Broad Street 10 Miler and Philly half – she’s local-ish (and we’ve been friends for the better part of 30 years).

Just before the open strains of Auld Lang Syne, Chrissy and I were texting about our training plans for the April Fools half and we came up with our long run game plan.

While we both live in New Jersey, we’re about an hour and a half apart. However, Atlantic City is equidistant from both of us so we figured, wouldn’t it make sense to train on the course? Yes! Yes, it would.

We both got really excited by this plan. We texted more. We messaged on Facebook and Instagram (to cover all our bases). We talked about the distance we wanted to go our first run. And then?

Then we looked at the weather.

So you’re saying New Jersey is cold in January?

We persevered! The excitement overrode the nervousness of the cold weather and we dressed appropriately.

And when I tell you it wasn’t that bad, it really wasn’t that bad! Once you start moving and enjoying the scenery, 5 miles goes fast!

5milestraining

5milestraining2

The following week, we had 6 miles on tap. Again we checked the weather and while it was supposed to be cold, it was also supposed to be windy. Really windy. Extreme winds.

We made the executive decision to take it to the treadmill and text throughout to hold each other accountable. No wimping out!

My basement =/= the beach

I watched Pretty Little Liars (I’m liking it again, for the record – the 5 year jump did it for me).

Did 2:1 intervals and we got it done.

Well, that was not so much fun.

Then I laid down on the belt for awhile and took a rest.

treadmillsixselfie

I started a little bit earlier than Chrissy so I was about 2 miles into the run when she started. While supine, I texted encouraging messages to her until she wrapped up and sent me her finished selfie!

Look at that smile!

We were back out on the boards this week for our 7 mile run, with weather much like the first week of training. Hooray!

7milerun

We felt pretty ready to be done at 5 miles but we kept going, circling back around because we ran out of boardwalk.

boards7

We’re still figuring all of this out as we go but there are a few hard and fast rules of our training runs.

We do what we want. For awhile we were doing 2:1 intervals but Chrissy has been doing 1:1 for about a year now. This past week, mid-run we decided to change back to 1:1. Why? Because it felt better. If we want to stop mid-run and take a picture in front of a sign, or the ocean, or the cool wall we found, we stop. Long slow distance, we take it to heart.
If you hear music, you must dance. There are a few places on the (very empty) boardwalk that have speakers with music playing. There is ALWAYS dancing. And sometimes singing. I haven’t gotten a video of it yet but trust me, I’m sure one will show up on the Instagram.
Stairs or escalator? No. There’s no or. See, that was a trick question. It’s always stairs. And if we’re feeling especially motivated we might run stairs after our run just for fun. (Okay, that only happened once so far.)
Food. Eating is a key part of the training run regiment. We found a little place that makes breakfast sandwiches and man, is it amazing. Seriously.
Ducks Fly Together! And when the roosters are crowing and the cows are spinning circles in the pasture? DUCKS FLY TOGETHER.

That last one is the most important. We stick together. And as long as we do that, by race day, we win no matter what.

Next week we have an 8 miler on tap and we’re really hoping that the impending blizzard doesn’t force us back to the treadmills. But if it does, I know I can do it because I’ve got my training partner in crime and together we can handle anything!

Are you training for a spring race? What’s the longest distance you’ve done on a treadmill? Do you try to run a local course before race day?

Scootadoot

fitness, food, friends, fun

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Another Great Run

Changes

Balance, Act 3

Balance, Act 2

What’s Old is New Again

We Are Never Getting Back Together: The BMI Scale

Balance, Act 1

Chilly running ramblings (and dodging snowplows)

Plantar Fasciitis Follow-up

How Do You Know I Did A Training Run?