Confession — Page 2

Confession Wednesday: It’s Still Hard

January 11, 2012 by Michelle 21 Comments

I’m heading out of town for work today. It was somewhat last minute, but not surprising – and since I really love my project, boss, coworkers, and team I am actually looking forward to the trip! But it’s hard to leave these locos…

{Gotta love L’s sense of fashion}

It’s just 2 nights, and while I love my alone time – I feel like I’m missing a piece of myself when I’m gone.

It really doesn’t matter how many trips I go on – work or personal – it STILL hard to go and let go. My heart is always with them. Seriously – how did my parents let me go to college?

I also confess that I’ve lost the charger to my DSLR camera’s battery – sorry for all of the iPhone photos!

What/who do YOU miss when you’re out of town? Gone on any fun trips lately?? Please share!

Confession Wednesday – Thanksgiving Confessions

November 23, 2011 by Michelle 13 Comments

Good news! It only took a good night’s sleep (don’t underestimate it – I always do) and a great upper body workout to make me feel like a new person. Who was that bitch from last night?? (My husband is still wondering)

Today’s confession is of course Thanksgiving inspired… Thanksgiving is not high on my list of holidays.

I know – WHAT is wrong with me? Hear me out…

1. I could do without the turkey.

I know, nobody is forcing me to eat it or anything – but it feels ODD to serve anything else on Thanksgiving (PS – I am not a fan of ham, at all). So I oblige. This year I am making a small turkey breast. As in the smallest one I can find. I much prefer other holiday meals – a good roast beef on Christmas Day and lamb at Easter. Food is the epicenter of a holiday (to most people, right?) and turkey is just “eh.”

2. I am thankful EVERY day.

This is so cliché, but there is not a day (even a bad one) where I am not thankful for what I’ve been given and all that I have. I know we are celebrating more than this – Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate traditions, memories, and family – but it often feels like it’s lumped in with Christmas and has become so, so commericialized.

3. Football.

(How great is that episode?)

You might think I am completely un-American (wait – you probably thought that when you discovered this post was a bitchfest about Thanksgiving), but growing up I dreaded Thanksgiving for the football games. There are so many of them! And often the games are SO BORING. I will say that now that I have a Fantasy Football team, I see the allure, but it’s been a long time coming. (And my team REALLY needs a win this week – so send good thoughts my way.)

4. There is no denouement.

With all of the other big holidays (including birthdays) — there’s a storyline and a climax. With Thanksgiving you eat a crap ton of food, drink a little too much, and then sit around watching football trying to figure out what to do the next day with the kids since the gym’s daycare is closed, shopping is out of the question, and you’ll probably have a hangover. I don’t feel a build up like I do for other celebrations and this disappoints me.

That said – I do still LOVE Thanksgiving. I love prepping and cooking meals, watching the Macy’s Day Parade, spending time with family, eating lots of delicious food, and watching HIMYM’s Slapsgiving (because yes – we do). Thanksgiving is day we can spend celebrating everything that’s happened through the year – the people we love, things we’ve accomplished, and of course, for giving thanks. It’s a little downtime to bring us into the insane Christmas season — and just for that alone – I am thankful!

Do you love Thanksgiving? Anything you have to confess?

Confession Wednesday: Competitive

November 16, 2011 by Michelle 18 Comments

It’s seriously Wednesday already? Why is that when you have big things (that you are not prepared for) looming in the horizon that time just speeds up? Guess it’s time for another confession. This one should come as NO surprise…

I AM COMPETITIVE.

(feels so good to finally get that out)

I can’t say I’ve been competitive since birth. But if it started anywhere, it started here…

My middle brother, AJ, is 20 months younger than me. There’s a rumor that I tried to push him down the stairs when he was in his walker (so he was maybe 6-9 months old?) and I went with him. It’s a miracle we made it through our teen years alive.

I’m not saying I was alone in my competitiveness. Oh no. AJ was (and is) equally as competitive – just in different ways. He is extremely athletic and very, very smart. I am determined and persuasive. I like to win an argument. Of course this is just a really nice way of saying I am a know-it-all. We are both extremely stubborn. Don’t we sound like a party?

Honestly, the years we spend bickering and fighting about the dumbest things alive have helped me reign in my competitive nature and seem “relaxed.” No lie, people have told me how “laid back” I am and I want to laugh. Who is this person they are talking about?

Over the years I have tried to internalize my competitive nature. I’ve HAD to. On a professional level, I work with some of my closest friends and there have definitely been times when competition has reared it’s ugly head. Thankfully, I’ve realized that acting like a complete imbecile because of my competitive streak would be ridiculous and petty. In the end, I would rather have friends, be proud of their accomplishments, and challenge myself to work harder. At the same time, it’s probably a good thing I’m not in sales.

And then, I discovered the joy of running. While I’m running I am only competitive with MYSELF. Despite my general lack of athleticism (seriously, you should see me try to play softball, basketball, volleyball, or soccer), NOBODY in my family should be surprised that I ran a marathon. It’s an ultimate PERSONAL challenge that fulfills my need to be competitive without requiring much technique.

Run, Forrest, run!

I now look at my competitive nature as a plus instead of as another fight waiting to happen or a feeling of failure. I still love a good challenge. I love to prove myself. And truthfully, I’m still extremely competitive. BUT, I don’t feel like I have to be the best at everything and I don’t have to know it all. It’s actually quite humbling to be taught a thing or two about life by your 5 and 2-year old — and saying to your parents that they WERE right. Who knew?

Are you competitive? Anything you have to confess?

Confession Wednesday: Marathon Edition

November 9, 2011 by Michelle 11 Comments

Remember how I was going to stop writing about the marathon when I finished the marathon? Well, Paula told me that I should milk it until AT LEAST the end of the week. So blame her for this post 🙂

When I decided to run a marathon earlier this year I went in with a few preconceived notions. And a WHOLE lot of “what the hell was I thinkings?” Over the months and months (and MONTHS) of training – I’ve realized that signing up for a marathon is like being pregnant. You think you know it all. Training for the marathon is like having a baby and realizing you have NO idea what you got yourself into. And then comes the marathon. I’d like to think it’s like watching your baby graduate. The outcome of the training can go into many different directions during the race. Some you have control over with your training. Some you can’t anticipate or even train for.

So now that I’m a graduate — there are a few things I’d like to get a few things off my chest. Hope you don’t mind…

Sometimes “short” long runs, can be harder than the “long” long runs.
I really had no issues with the 18-20+ mile runs. I actually looked forward to them! But the 14-milers?? Woah. Sometimes those runs killed me. Maybe it’s psychological or maybe it’s because we generally ran harder during the short runs, but I was really beat up after some of them! That is one thing I DID NOT expect.

I still hate speedwork – but I LOVE Yasso 800s.
800 meters are my jam. Who would have thought?

Also the jam? Bart Yasso. He is the man.

I cannot find my tempo to save my life.
I think I ran maybe one actual tempo run – where each mile was at the same pace as the previous. As I would type “Tempo Week XX” in Daily Mile each Tuesday I would feel like a fraud. So, I was REALLY surprised to see how consistently I ran during the race.

Running amnesia exists.
I vaguely remember the heat and humidity of this summer – even though it last for MONTHS and it was intense. The only thing I really remember about how uncomfortable the running was is being able to wring out my clothes with sweat at a water stop — after only running 2 miles. Seriously.

You can actually ENJOY marathon training.
Call me crazy, but I mostly enjoyed the last 5 months of training. The schedule gave me focus and the race gave me a goal. That is SO up my alley!

There is such a thing as training for “too long.”
5 months of training for one race is just REALLLLLLY long. Since it was my first marathon, I didn’t really know what I was getting into and I think I peaked too soon. I burned out in the last month and I was not pushing my weekly (shorter) runs hard enough. If/when I do it again, I may train for a similar amount of time, but I will take the first few months easy. I will gradually ease into the speedwork/hills/tempo runs. I won’t start out full throttle like I did this time.

Your appetite doesn’t have to increase.

I’ve heard so many stories about people gaining weight during training and having an increase in appetite, so what’s wrong with me? Sure, I had hungry days here and there – but nothing insane. I also didn’t lose weight (I probably gained a few lbs – maybe more muscle related?) – so I guess I was doing something right. Or maybe I’m just lucky. Everything in moderation!

There may not be tears.
Whenever I thought about crossing the finish line in Savannah I would tear up. Get a little ferklempt. Yet, while I was IN Savannah that didn’t happen. AT ALL. I imagined myself bawling once I crossed – and instead I just wanted a banana, a beer, and to sit down. Sitting never felt so good!

Have you ever had any preconceived notions that surprised you? Anything you have to confess?

Confession Wednesday: Taper Crazies

October 26, 2011 by Michelle 10 Comments

In some ways I’m very glad that it’s already Wednesday. Who doesn’t love zipping through a work week? But a HUGE part of me is screaming “HOLY SH*T! WE LEAVE FOR SAVANNAH IN A WEEK.” and right now that part of my brain is winning.

I’m pretty sure the taper crazies are in full effect and on top of that I feel a cold coming on. Awesome. (At least it’s this week and not next week!) I guess I never believed in the whole “tapering makes you insane” thing. I thought it’s only cutting down on a percent of your workouts each week, what’s the big deal?

Apparently, I forgot to factor in the whole mental part of it. It’s no big deal when you are skipping workouts for 2 weeks. But when are skipping/shortening workouts and then tact on a marathon at the end? It’s a whole ‘nother ballgame. Now I get.

{Thank you Paula for this image}

Here are some of the things I’ve been dealing with for the past couple of days…

Random heel pain (more like my left heel is aching. It comes and goes and doesn’t hurt at all when I’m running. So bizarre.)
Calf pain – on my right calf. My calves have NEVER hurt – even after the 23 mile run! WTF?
No appetite – which normally isn’t a bad thing, but I hope it comes back next week. I miss you food.
Constant dry mouth – and I have been hydrating like a fool!
Super short attention span – what were we talking about?
Feeling antsy – I just want to get up and move around consantly.

Because of the impending cold, I did skip my upper body/cardio workout this morning and I can’t say it’s helping me at all. I am actually sympathizing with Bruce Banner right now. I’m pretty sure this is how is feels right as he turns into the Incredible Hulk.

This is all normal, right?

Anything you have to confess?

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