Fabulous at 50!

We celebrated Patty's 50th birthday with a surprise get together at Caryn's house.  It was really hard trying to coordinate everything without tipping her off, but I think she really did think we were going out for happy hour at New Moon since she was the only one that got really dressed.  Well if you can look that good at 50 and be surrounded by good friends, then I guess getting older isn't so bad.  It was so nice to gather around the table with a great bunch of ladies and eat, drink, and be merry without finals, projects, or anything to worry about.

The party was a nice way to kick off our week off from work for the Thanksgiving holiday.  The extra days have given me some extra days to run, which I really missed.  I'm looking forward to the annual Turkey Trot where we will once again gather with a bunch of friends to eat, drink, and be merry again, but at least we'll run first this time.

Sleep, Run, Sleep

I have been savoring the luxury of being able to sleep in these past two days.  I tried to get up early on Saturday to go for a run, but my body just couldn't get out of bed.  Besides, the first Saturday without having to go to class should be spent sleeping in. Then I had plans of getting up early and finally getting in a long run, but again I just couldn't get up early enough.  I think my body is starting to decompress from all the stress of my classes and it has just started shutting down.  It's that fight or flight instinct.  I did manage to get out of bed by 9:30 and did go for a run, but not as long as I had hoped because it had gotten too hot already.  I managed a nice leisurely pace with my husband up and around both sides of the river trail from Decoro to Copperhill from our home, but it was really windy on the west side going up towards Copperhill.  Then coming down the trail on the east side the wind was at our back and the sun was up higher, which left no more shade and plenty of heat.  I am glad I finally got a run in, but I am going back to sleep now.

Almost Back to Normal

Things are finally starting to settle down a bit.  I have two more classes remaining and then I will be free from homework for a month or so.  It has been such a hectic and exciting week with two of my friends turning 50.  It makes me feel old (jk).  Patty, in honor of her birthday, actually had a senior moment when it came to her half-marathon, but I won't mention anymore about that now.  With my classes winding down, I have been able to run a few more times this week and finally got to try out the new course at Central Park.  It looks rather daunting, but I have to say it really isn't as bad as it looks.  It has become one of my favorites trails to run on now.  I am just glad to be running more again.  I am exhausted by the end of the day and really don't feel like going out for a run, but knowing that someone is waiting for me keeps me motivated.  The amazing thing about exercise is that you really do have more energy afterwards.  I really don't know how that works, but it does.  I hope I can stay motivated to run on my own since both of my running buddies will be out of town for the rest of this week.

Jealous

I am jealous because my friend Patty will be running the half-marathon without me this year.  I would love to run it, but I have not been training and don't think I will have the energy with school and everything.  This will be the first time in the last 3-4 years that I have not run the race.  I guess that means it's added pressure for Patty since she will be running it for me and C, if C decides not to run it either. 

This morning Patty and I ran from Peets to just before the Wiley Bridge for about a six mile run, but fell short due to a race that was going on.  We realized as we ran past the cones and the water station that there was a race going on and we were heading straight into the runners.  I think our miles probably ended up being 5.5 miles, but I felt like we ran it at a good pace.  Either that or I was talking too much and that's why I had a hard time breathing.  Good news is that my feet didn't hurt a bit.  I hope Patty does really well next weekend because all of our reputations are at stake (jk).

Hello Blog!

Our poor blog has been neglected lately.  It's not that we haven't been running, it's just that I've been too busy to run and write about.  I'm in the midst of taking 16 units while working and trying to do all my mom duties, but I am still running-just not as much.  For now I have to take what I can get.  It has been a real luxury to have this week off from work to get ahead on some homework and be able to run in the morning a couple of times.  My friends and I got together to celebrate another birthday and boy was that fun!  It is nice to get together with a bunch of gals you like and just be silly.  It was a nice break from all the studying I have been doing lately.

Depressing News

I was reading the news on the internet today and there was an article on the many ways we can ruin our skin and guess what is #3 on the list?  Yup, running.  I always thought exercise, including running, increased oxygen flow to the skin which in essence made it look healthier. Although, I do have to admit that I have noticed that women who run a lot, and I do mean a lot, tend to look wrinklier.  Their face has a very weathered look to it, but I always thought it was from increased sun and wind exposure.  So what is a girl to do?  Should we buy into the saying "beauty is only skin deep"? and focus on keeping our hearts healthy?  I guess I will continue to focus on the healthy aspects of running and let nature or gravity take it's course.  That doesn't mean I won't fight the process and start investing in some better anti-wrinkle cream either.  


3. Running (or any high-impact exercise): "While such exercise may benefit our hearts, it can cause the fat pads to slide south, and collagen and elastin to break down. If you enjoy running, try walking," explains Dr. Gross. OMG — remember on Ally McBeal when Jane Krakowski's character invented the face bra for jogging? It was for this!
Related: Celebrity Skincare Trends: 1994-Today

Celebrations

Tonight my friends surprised me with a larger than expected birthday celebration!  I have been under so much stress lately with school, work, family, and health issues with in-laws that it was such a welcome break from the day to day worries to enjoy an evening out with some of the best ladies.

As I reflected back on the evening, I was thinking about friendship and how it evolves as a person ages.  As you age, the people you choose to have in your life mean so much more, you become pickier.  When you're young, it's more important to have many friends, being popular, the things you have in common are more frivolous, etc.  As you become older and more self-aware of who you are, friends become more about quality rather than quantity.  You cut away the excess and you're left with what's really important.  I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends in my life.  That's the best birthday present ever!

Back to School

Tomorrow I officially start back to school for myself.  I remember when I graduated from college thinking I never have to crack open another book in my life if I don't want to and how liberating that felt.  I will be taking on a full load of classes (16 units), along with working over 17 hours per week and raising a family.  Needless to say I will be stressed to the max.  That's why when I saw today's quote, it really hit home because as we finished our run tonight, we stood around talking about our favorite desserts.  I suppose most people, when feeling really stressed turn to exercise, friends, or eating, but my friends and I tend to use all three support systems.  Unfortunately with my class schedule, I will be doing less exercising with friends, which I hope won't mean that I will be eating more to help relieve the added stress.  As we stood around talking about our favorite desserts this evening, I was surprised at how different our tastes were in desserts.  It's amazing that we all agree on what to order on Saturday mornings with our coffee.

Couldn't Last

A few months ago, Patty and I decided that we would follow our fellow SCRs example and just order coffee after our long runs on the weekends.  We decided this after we noticed that we were the only ones ordering bakery treats along with our coffee while the other more "fit" (skinnier) runners were just enjoying coffee.  We were doing pretty good for awhile.  That is until today.  After our "long" run, we sat around and enjoyed our wonderful coffee, in addition to our blueberry scone, low-fat turkey bacon egg sandwich, and blueberry oat bar.  I knew our resolution to hold out on the treats wouldn't and couldn't last long.  As Patty, Caryn, and I sat around our table, I looked at Patty and asked "How did we end up with all this food again?"  Oh well, I'm much happier with my treats and I think my friends are too.

Soup Weather

Who would have ever thought that we would be getting this chilly weather in the beginning of September?  Could it be Global Warming?  Whatever the cause, it was awfully cold today for our run.  We really had to keep ourselves from complaining though because the alternative is a lot worse.  I'm sure it will be baking again real soon since it is September, the hottest month of the year in So. Cal.  The cold weather seemed to accentuate all of our aches and pains.  I did manage to break a sweat, but I never really felt hot and immediately after we were done, we were all in a hurry to stretch and go back to the warm comfort of our homes.  Patty mentioned that she had soup ready for dinner, which sounded so good that I ended up serving soup with our dinner too!  Soup in September, imagine that.