The Pregnant, the Middle Aged and Me

We had beautiful weather Saturday morning for the 5K. At race time it was about 70 and sunny with none of that horrendous humidity that has been plaguing us in recent weeks. The event was in held in my town so it was only about a 5 minute drive to the registration site at the Community House. The Saint and our nephew NF got up really early to go with me and it meant a lot to have their support especially when I found out there were only FOUR walkers entered in this event: a pregnant woman, two women in their 50s and me.

The pregnant woman, Michelle, and I walked together for about the first mile and a half and the other two women, obviously friends, walked together. It turns out that Michelle and I live in the same subdivision, she's due in October and normally she runs in this event. She's in much better shape than I am and set a pretty fast pace. After about 1.5 miles were in an area where the course took a turn and we were being lapped by runners so, it got kind of crowded. I moved behind her so we were single file and I let her get ahead of me. Her pace was killing me and I was afraid if I didn't slow down, I wouldn't be able to finish.

My goals for each race have been: finish under an hour and don't finish last. I knew I had the first goal in the bag but, in such a small field, I was afraid I would be dead last. In fact I was in last place for most of the last mile and there was a pickup trailing behind me so the passenger could pick up the orange traffic cones. Man, that really pissed me off! Once the driver was really on my ass so I turned and gave him a dirty look. Thankfully he got the message and stopped to talk to some other event workers, which allowed me to build up some distance between us.

So Michelle finished first and I think the two other women thought they were last even though I was only about half a block behind them with the finish line in sight. One of the women looked over her shoulder and spotted me. "C'mon and join us!" she yelled. "We'll all cross the finish line together so no one is last."

I thought this was incredibly sweet so I jogged up to them. At that point my right foot was really tender and jogging was neither pretty nor easy but, I'm glad I did it. The petite blond woman was the one who asked me to join them and her friend had a cool Australian accent. These two had decided to join the race for something to do. They were having fun, enjoying the beautiful summer morning and each other. For the short time I walked with them, they made me feel very welcome. And in the end they manuevered me between them so the blond friend finished second after Michelle, then me, and last was the Australian woman.

So I accomplished both my goals after all thanks to some help from my fellow walkers. My time was 53:36 which was almost 3 minutes faster than my last 5k and I finished next to last.
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After the race The Saint and I took NF out for breakfast and then back to my in-laws so he could pack. He flew back to Connecticut that afternoon and it was sad to see him go. He's a great kid and we had such a nice visit with him.

Once we got back home, I managed to get a few loads of laundry done before my brother B and his wife J came over with their dogs Payton and C.J. My brother adores corn on the cob and has been waiting rather impatiently for the Corn Boil this year. It's a small festival but there were arts and crafts vendors, a carnival, live music and food. Because we got there late afternoon, it wasn't too crowded and we were able to get our food without waiting in huge lines and found a spot at a picnic table under a tent. We sat there for a while, ate, talked, and listened to the music. The Saint bought me two charms at one of the vendor tables. A Chicago White Sox charm and Chococat charm that reminds me of Ronan. Then we went home to play with dogs, watch I Love the 70s and reminisc about our childhoods. J and I have been friends since junior high and The Saint and B have been friends since high school.

It was a good day.

Ow

Remember when I mentioned that my right big toe has been bothering me? Well today the entire bottom of my right foot hurts. Ow. I walked for about 45 minutes last night. Nothing extraordinary happened so what is up with my damn foot? Could it be from walking on the treadmill? Ow, ow, OW.

Speaking of the treadmill. I'm such a dork! The Saint bought me the treadmill last Christmas so I've been using it on and off for the past seven month, right? I never read the directions, just starting using it. There are ten buttons across the bottom and each represents a speed: 1 MPH, 2 MPH, 3 MPH, etc. At the bottom right are two speed bottons: one with an up arrow and one with a down arrow. I never pushed the arrow buttons until last night. The arrow buttons increase your speed by a tenth so I can go from 3 MPH to 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, etc. This makes it much easier to increase my speed so that rather than jumping from 3 MPH all the way to 4 MPH I can do it gradually. D'oh!

The boys surprised me last night.They took a pass on Hooters and we went to Macaroni Grill instead. They both ordered Chicken Parm and I ordered Mediterranean Shrimp from the Sensible Fare section. We took my mom to the Grill for Mother's Day and I ordered the same thing. It was much better this time around. Shrimp and a salad of cucumber, greens, tomatoes and FF feta. I don't remember how many calories but supposedly 1 gram of fat. And yummy.

My main diet problem at the moment seems to be eating too much candy which is weird because I'm normally a salty, crunchy snacker.

Sox lost last night to the Royals but Greg Maddux of the Cubs got his 3,000th career strikeout even after sitting through a long rain delay.

Oh my aching ...nevermind

I was driving to work this morning, air conditioning cranked to combat the neverending humidity, Mike & Mike in the Morning on my radio, I-Pass rocketing around the inside of the car because The Saint still has not put the new velcro he got in December on my windshield so the damn thing can be mounted out of the way instead of bouncing around and inevitably ending up under the passenger seat as I'm about to go through a toll, when I realized with a start that my back didn't hurt and hasn't in weeks. For someone who has lived with chronic back pain for the past 8 years, it was quite a happy moment.

I don't know if it's from the walking or the weight loss and I don't care. To have more pain free days than not is awesome!

Unfortunately, it's about 4 days before my next 5K and my right big toe has started to hurt when I walk. It's on the bottom where the toe meets the foot. I have no idea what the problem is. While it's not painful enough to keep me from walking, it is irritating.

Dinner with The Saint and the nephew tonight. Wanna bet we end up at Hooters?

Nancy Drew Meets CSI

I'm out of my mind. Really. This whole thing with Ronan has just pushed me over the edge. I am such a spaz that even I can't stand it. I don't know how my husband puts up with me. No wonder my father calls him The Saint.

Friday night I was sitting on the floor in our foyer, throwing paper balls for Bailey and Devlin, and trying to keep my mind off Ronan's upcoming vet appointment. Ronan must have heard us playing and he came trotting down the stairs to join in the chase. Why crumpled up balls of notebook paper are more fun to chase around than the $1200 worth of cats toys they have is a mystery to me. The only toys they like as much are the squeaky mouse that I believe The Saint has hidden in order to preserve his sanity and these miniature tennis balls someone gave them one Christmas.

The paper balls were getting a little raggedy and I didn't see the tennis balls laying around anywhere so I started peering under furniture in the living room and it was amazing the stuff I found! Devlin is notorious for knocking his toys under furniture and then not being able to get them out. I found toys I didn't even remember we had! The recliner always has a bunch of junk under it so I moved it and a) found the tennis balls and b) has a flashback to the previous Friday night.

The Saint and I have four cats and because of that, there are certain things that we do or don't do around the house because of them. For example, we always put the toilet seat lid down to prevent them from playing with the water or falling in. We also never recline in our recliner because otherwise the cats go inside it and we don't want them to get hurt.

Last Friday night our nephew was over and he doesn't know about the No Reclining Rule. Why would he? So he reclined in the chair and of course one of the cats crawled in it, getting stuck in the back when NF closed the recliner. Guess which cat got stuck? Ronan! When I realized he was trapped in there I quickly got the recliner back open. Obviously freaked out, he bolted out of there like he was shot out of a cannon. The poor thing ran upstairs into the tv room and hid behind the couch. I tried to coax him out to make sure he was ok but nothing doing. He huddled back there for a couple of hours and when I saw him next, he seemed to be fine. I told The Saint about it when he came home that night and then we both forgot about the incident.

This all came flooding back to me when I moved the recliner and I got a sneaking suspicion that I was about to make a gruesome discovery. I needed backup so I yelled upstairs for The Saint to get down here and bring a flashlight. I explained my idea to him and he agreed that I was probably right. We poppped open the recliner and shined the flashlight around the interior. And I'll be damned if we didn't find a chunk of black fur caught on the frame inside!

Ronan does not have a brain tumor, or mites, or allergies or ringworm. His fur got ripped out of his little head when he got trapped in the recliner! As relieved as I was by my discovery, I also felt weak at the thought of just how much it must've hurt and how badly he could've been injured.

And yes, we still kept our vet appointment because I wanted to rule out the other things. I even brought the chunk of hair to the vet in a plastic baggie. As evidence and in case the vet needed to see it. I know The Saint was trying very hard not to roll his eyes while I told the vet the whole story, whipping out the baggie of hair at the end but hey, this is my baby. And yes, according to the very patient Dr. B, Ronan's hair will grow back.

Idiots on the road

Honest to God, I was driving down the good ole Reagan Memorial Highway this morning, almost to the exit for 355, when I realized that the idiot in front of me kept braking. He seemed to be doing something else besides driving and I finally figured it out what it was. This jackass was BRUSHING HIS TEETH! While driving. Are you kidding me?!

You can't tell me that he couldn't take 5 minutes to brush his teeth in his house, at a sink. There is no reason to take this personal hygiene activity on the road. None.

I'm still freaked out about Ronan. Every time he sits in my lap, I tear up. We see the vet tomorrow at 8:40 am. I can't wait and yet I'm dreading it.

The Saint finally agreed to participate in 5Ks with me. Woo-hoo! He's been hitting the treadmill too. Yesterday we actually had a treadmill scheduling conflict in that we both wanted to be on it at the same time. Trust me, this has never been an issue before! I got to use the treadmill first and he went to lift weights until I was done. Then we did crunches together or at least I tried to except Devlin kept laying on me.

Walking fool

I have been the absolute soul of consistency when it comes to walking this week. I've been hitting the treadmill hard and it's felt good. If it ever dips below 90 for more than a minute and a half, I may actually start walking outside again. Thankfully my next 5K starts at 7 in the morning so it shouldn't be too miserable outside that early.

The Saint has been working out too and I think I almost have him convinced to start walking in 5Ks with me. I told him it would be a bonding experience and something we can do together since most of our hobbies are solitary pursuits (reading for me & drawing for him).

Last night I noticed that Ronan, furbaby #4, has a pretty big bald spot on his head! I had seen it over the weekend but I initially thought it was small. Like maybe one of the other cats pulled some fur off his head during a tussle. When I really looked at it last night and moved the fur around, I saw just how big it is and completely freaked! It's not quite the size of a dime but still, it seems awfully big to me.

I, of course, starting crying and worrying that he has a brain tumor. The Saint tried to settle me down but this is my BABY we're talking about. So he said if it would make me feel better to call the vet. Which I did this morning and we have an appointment for Saturday morning so I can stew about this for 2 days. And it doesn't matter that Ro seems fine in all other respects.

Normally, Ronan is all about The Saint but for the last two nights he's slept draped over my ankle and in the morning he's been snuggling in bed with me until I have to get up. I hope to God nothing serious is wrong with him.

Great weekend

The Saint and I really enjoyed our time with the nephew this weekend. He and The Saint spent countless hours playing XBox and/or PS2 games. I am woefully ignorant when it comes to the world of video games so I went to bed Friday night while the two of them stayed up until 3:30 am playing Star Wars and NCAA football games.

On Saturday, after the boys FINALLY rolled out of bed around 1 pm, I dragged them to Bed Bath and Beyond so I could buy a new pillow. While we were there, I found this other pillow that is so soft, I just had to buy a purple one. I told The Saint to get a blue one for himself but he wouldn't and now every chance he gets, he's stealing my bean. The bean. That's the name I came up with for my new pillow because it kinda reminds me of a jellybean.

After BB&B, we took NF to Barnes & Noble and bought him the new Harry Potter book. I finished it Sunday night and he finished it Monday night. Loved it. Can't wait for Book 7!

Next we headed to Al Capone's Hideaway for dinner. We thought NF would get a kick out of it and he did. It truly is a hideaway because every time we've gone there, we've gotten lost. They have really good food and friendly service. My only suggestion would be to remove the pictures of dead gangsters from the menu. Not very appetizing.

Sunday we went miniature golfing in 98 degree heat. Gross. Afterwards, we immediately went right back to our nicely air conditioned house, The Saint did his usual magnificent job of grilling and after dinner took NF to his other uncle's house for a sleepover. Sunday was also Ronan's (fur baby #4) first birthday. How fast they grow up!

I've been walking on the treadmill every day and trying to increase my time. The 5K is less than 2 weeks away and I'd really love to beat my time from my last 5K but, I don't think I'll be able to. We'll see.

The Chicago White Sox are 62-29! Yeah, baby.

It's All About Me

My fitness and eating programs are all about me. My choices. My control. My desire. My determination. My commitment. My goals. I decide what I put in my mouth. I decide whether or not to hit the treadmill. Me. Not The Saint. Not my parents. Not my friends. Not my co-workers. Just little (or not so little as the case may be) me!

I expend so much energy worrying about and doing for others that often there's just nothing left when it comes to me. So I take the easy way out. I opt not to do that 30 minutes of walking. I hit a fast food place for lunch or dinner because I don't have a lot of time or am too tired to cook.

I got so derailed this summer and I'm so disappointed in myself. By now I had planned to have lost 50 pounds but I haven't. I feel like I'm jogging in place, treading water, kinda back on the wagon but not fully recommitted. The only things really keeping me marginally in line are: the July 30th 5K I'm signed up for, my desire not to end up like my dad and my fear of The Saint's disappointment.

I think I need to really narrow down my focus to one day at a time. What do I need to do to get through this day successfully? I'm always thinking too far ahead and not focusing on what needs to be done in the here and now.

At the All-Star break, the Chicago White Sox led the league in wins. Now let's see what they can do in the second half of the season. And the playoffs. BTW, the American League won the All-Star game and you know what that means. Should the ChiSox make it to the World Series, they would have home field advantage. See, there I go looking too far ahead again!

I'm Blessed

The Saint and I don't have children of our own but, we have been blessed with three terrific nephews and two wonderful nieces. They are the light of our lives. I love spending time with them and get the biggest kick out of things they say and do. I saw some of them over the weekend and here are some of the highlights:

My 4 year old nephew AW and I have this running joke about his feet. As an infant, he had the fattest, cutest, baby brick feet ever and I was forever kissing and tickling them. Now that he's older, this has evolved into an exchange that can go one of three ways:

1. I'm supposed to make a big deal out of smelling his feet, pretend they stink, and then stagger around or faint from the fumes. He thinks this is incredibly funny!
2. I pretend his feet are the filthiest feet ever, do not allow him to touch me with them and if he does, I have to shriek in my most horrifed, girlie manner. He loves this!
3. I ask if I can borrow one of his feet, or even just a toe, so I won't miss him so much. I promise to give it back. He gets very serious when I take this tact and patiently explains to me, as if I am mentally defficient, that he needs his feet and toes to walk.

We played out version three this weekend when I asked him if he would leave his foot in my purse so I could take it with me. This time he said "Take my whole body with you to your house so we can have a sleepover." He got me. Ping, right in the heart.

Our two year old niece RM is quite the diva. When I saw her on Saturday, she was wearing a rather dramatic looking tiara. I asked what she had on her head and she told me "It' s my Wommer Woman crown." She's big into that old 70s tv show with Lynda Carter. My sister-in-law loved it as a kid, has it on DVD and I guess they've been watching it. On Sunday when we were out for dinner, RM kept putting her napkin on her head, bubushka-style. The Saint asked if she was Wonder Woman and she replied "No, I'm Cinderella."

My 14 year old nephew NF sounded wise beyond his years when he was telling me how his mom has been dealing with her recent MS diagnosis. He also said that for the most part she's been strong but sometimes he hears his parents in their bedroom talking about it and he said "My mom just breaks down." Again, right in the heart.

I'm picking NF up on Friday so he can stay for the weekend. We'll go out to dinner and then meet up with The Saint later after he's made an appearance at a party that he accepted an invitation to because he forgot NF was coming. Don't even get me started on that!

MLB All-Star game tonight in Detroit. The home run derby last night was pretty cool with Abreu hitting 24 homers in the first round, a new record.

Where Have I Been?

What have I been up to since my last post? I've been working, dealing with my dad's latest health crisis, had a little health issue of my own and generally having no down time these past few weeks. And, of course, in times of stress I turn to food which is just so not helpful. I need a much better coping mechanism. Below are some random thoughts that have been rolling around in my head:

World: What happened in London last week was just appalling and my heart goes out to those affected by the bombings. Today was the first time I had to go to my downtown Chicago campus since the bombings and I tell you, I was less than thrilled to be on the train. I doubt anything would happen on the commuter trains that run out to the suburbs because I think the trains (El) in the city are a more likely target. Although, Union Station could be a target. It's big and busy and not only do commuter trains stop there but so does Amtrak. And when you come out of Union Station, the Sears Tower is right there and since 9/11 I've always been worried about it being a target. So I was a little freaked out this morning.

Personal: Our nephew is visiting from Connecticut. He flew in on Saturday and he's staying with my in-laws although I think he's going to spend next weekend at our place. The kid is 14 and if he's not 6 feet tall, he's damn close. But he still reminds me of an exuberant puppy. We went over there yesterday to see him before we all went out to dinner to celebrate my mother-in-law and The Saint's birthdays. He just bounded right up to me and wrapped me in this huge bear hug. He's always been affectionate and outgoing and hopefully that won't change now that he's a teenager!

Fitness: I need to get my ass in gear because my next 5K is at the end of the month and I have been SUCH a slacker! It doesn't help that we've been stuck in the 90s forever and I've been limited to walking on the treadmill. Not my favorite. However, I'm determined to do this 5K especially since it's in my very own town.

In baseball news, White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is starting for the AL in tomorrow night's All Star game. Woo-hoo!