A new week

I've been a running fool this past week. Tuesday we had a great first Buddy Run leaving from the LLC Office. We only did 2.75 but I actually ran closer to 4 miles between running back and forth between the different groups. It was fun, except the part where I tripped. My husband says I have problems because I always get banged up, at least once a week! What can I say...I'm talented that way I guess. I've always had at least one scrape on my body between nicking my hands on cupboards or tripping and skinning my knees. I think I must have weak skin... :)

Thursday we had another fun track night. I just wish they would get those lights turned on - it would be nice to be able to see everyone at track! We ran 2 x 400, 1 x 800 and repeated. Nice, quick, and easy. I love track. It's so fast!

Saturday we had our OYO run and I joined up with Chris and Stan at Rivermark. All our runners worked their tails off and had a good 4 mile run. I managed to go 5 miles, doing the running back and forth between the groups.

On Sunday I went down to Sports Basement to join in on their run. I only did 4 miles. It was raining and very windy and the trail was closed at the 2 mile mark. I met a nice woman named Amy who is starting to get back into running with her boyfriend. We chatted the whole way and the time flew by!

Tonight I took Max for a run. He's been cooped up for a while because of the stormy weather. He's finally tuckered out, thank goodness! I'm tuckered out too but need to get everything ready for tomorrow - gotta leave for the train at 5:30 am to prep for those auditors!

Brand New...

It's a new year and I've been a huge slacker. Well, sort of, I guess. I joined Team in Training for a second season, this time to run the full marathon. I think. ;) I started taking the final class I need in order to start taking the CPA exams. I'm working some overtime, trying to catch up on all the piles of work on my desk, preparing for the auditors, working on the financial statements. So although I've been a slacker in terms of laundry and blog posting, I've still been busy. That's my excuse, anyway!

So here's a quick recap...

Team in Training started last weekend and I currently have 9 great runners to mentor. Our first track practice is tomorrow, and I am SO excited! I love track! I'm really looking forward to getting to know my mentees and am slowly working up the courage to commit to the San Diego RockNRoll FULL marathon. I'm having a hard time getting past the idea that it's 26.2 miles, but whatev!

Second, I'm taking an online course at Foothill College. So far, so good. It's Excel for Accounting. Pretty relevant to what I do on a daily basis and so I've been able to coast so far. The great thing is that there are no tests, just homework due on a weekly basis.

Third, work has been super busy. This makes me happy, but I have a lot to get done before next week and tomorrow is Thursday. GAH!

Also, during this time period, I started riding my old mountain bike to the train and to work because it's faster and easier. Plus, since I'm the first stop on both sides, I always am able to get on the train. When I took the train out of Sunnyvale there were always bikes that were turned away and that's why I got the Xootr. Well, a couple of weeks ago I hit a car that pulled out in front of me. It was drizzly and he didn't turn to look my way before he turned. Suffice to say that my front tire was bent and my hip and shoulder were less than perfect. And get this, the guy who pulled out in front of me was a personal injury lawyer! I went to my chiro and he started working to heal me. After 3 treatments I was almost as good as new and finally had clearance to run. After some haggling, the lawyer agreed to pay for my chiro and pay for the repairs to my bike. I took my bike to my local shop and George, the owner, wrote up an estimate. It came to like $90. But George says...."You're not really going to pay to fix this bike up, are you?" My old bike was a steel Mongoose that weighed about 40 lbs. I had to bend my knees to pick it up on my shoulder in order to get it on the train. LOL! We talked about bikes for a bit and he showed me some Bianchi hybrids that he had.

Isn't it beautiful? It took about a week and a half to get everything picked out, test ridden and purchased. In the meantime I started riding Aaron's Cannondale to work. It was a little scary, being a big fancy mountain bike and all, but boy, was it light. I could curl my bicep to lift it! Me being the do-do that I am, I locked it up in front of my building in SF, just like I locked up my Mongoose. Well, day 3 and it was stolen. Dirty rotten bastards. It still pisses me off. I guess they didn't care for the Mongoose but a Cannondale was a different story. Turns out that it was the second bike stolen that week. Um, hello, Mr. Security Guard, couldn't you have given me a head's up earlier??? So, my pretty new bike will be going up the service elevator with me everyday and coming into the office. And even then I'll probably still lock it. :)

So I think that's about it. That should catch me up through the beginning of February. And I promise that I'll update more often in the future. I've got TNT happening and so I might just use this for my training journal.

Happy New Year!

The Season

Today on my way to work I started thinking...

Thinking about a lot of different things, actually. One of the blogs I read has been touching on the subject of fear lately. Fear is an amazing thing. It can take hold of you in a gut wrenching way, it can come unannounced when you're all alone, it can happen most anytime. But it's the way you meet it that makes a difference.

I have been very lucky in my life. Very lucky or very ignorant. I have never been one to doubt myself or my actions. I am very happy with myself and my life.

Sure, there are the 30 lbs. that I would love to lose. The financial security that I yearn for and the hope for children one day. But looking at myself...I am content. I have always had that. And for that I am grateful.

Self confidence is a tricky thing, I think. A lot of people profess to have it but I think a lot of people are fooling themselves. There seems to always be this need to show how good you are or what you have accomplished. Competitiveness. Oh, Lordy, I could write a book... But are you content with who you are and what you have?

I wish that everyone could feel that this holiday season. We get wrapped up in presents and food and parties and blah, blah, blah. It's not easy, especially in this time of recession and cutbacks. Funds are tight and people don't have the same resources they once had. It's not easy.

Hope is good, it drives us and makes us focus on important issues. Look at the recent election. Change CAN happen. It has happened! I have hope for the new generations to come. I look forward to bringing my offspring into the world because there is hope that we can improve what we have here.

And what do we have? Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you what I have.

I have love. I have family that means the world to me. I have friends for whom I would walk the earth. I have the sweetest little puppy who runs like the wind and makes me smile every time I think about him. I have a job that satisfies me and challenges me. I have a home with heat and down comforters. I have a new computer with a ginormous screen and a Christmas tree that is 10 foot tall and all lit up. I have a team to run with in the spring and a doctor's appointment on the 30th to get new orthotics. I have a refrigerator full of food and freshly made rice crispy treats. I have it all. For that, I am thankful.

Life isn't always easy. It shouldn't be. We need to know that life isn't fair. It's not an easy ride. But if we work our butts off and do everything we can to make it worthwhile... well, it will be. Life is what you make of it. Be confident. Believe in yourself. Make it happen. Go big, or go home. But we all know...going home isn't an option.

I wish you all Happy Holidays and much love. Go out there and get 'er done. It's the only way to live.