Running Toward Myself

My Weekly Recap (May 21-25, 2012)


Because everyone who reads this blog is just dying to know how an amazing, interesting, and captivating gal like me spends her week, I decided to make each Friday my "Weekly Recap" edition of Charity on the Run. I'll include some more personal tidbits from my life....don't worry...not ShutUpAndRun personal.If any of you out there in blogger land can come up with a snazzier title, just leave it down in the comments, and I will totally give you credit when I steal it from you for next week's sure-to-be scintilating edition!

Since Fur-Baby #2 gets scared during
storms, I let him help me fold

Monday: Weirdly enough, I wasn't one bit sore after Sunday's Iron Girl. Isn't that strange? I simply couldn't figure it out. I am going to assume that the panic attack and the resulting adrenaline rush provided me with some super-hero powers or something....OR I just didn't work that hard. The later may be the correct assertion, I fear. Nonetheless, Mondays are generally my rest days, so this evening I did what I do best when I rest: I cleaned the house and did laundry. It seems I'm pretty terrible at resting, doesn't it? I did manage to squeeze in a bit of reading. As a librarian you'd honestly think I read a bit more than I do, but it's pretty hard to run AND read at the same time, so until I can work out the logistics, I'm doomed the the life of a mediocre librarian. Such is life. But I digress....I spent approximately 2.5 hours reading...stupendous! I'd highly recommend The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. Just and FYI in case you've already read it: I. AM. ROSE. Yep. No doubt about it. If she were a librarian instead of a math professor and a runner instead of an aspiring yogi, I'd have to honestly suggest that Ms. Brown plagiarized my life. Shame, shame. (author's note: I was totally going to put a picture of the book cover here so that you visual learners will have a reference, but Fur-Baby #2 is MUCH cuter. Live with it).

This is how Fur-Baby #1 likes to watch television
with The GERMinator. Like father like son.

Tuesday: Apparently, today, The Husband found this blog. Yes, to be certain, I am a bit of a closet-writer. I hadn't told him that I actually have a blog, but somehow it came about this weekend. Hmmm. Considering the fact that I went to a luncheon where everyone else is a blogger, maybe that gave him a clue. He was nothing but supportive and complimentary about my writing, so I was okay that I'd finally be outted.  However, The Husband has requested that I officially change his blog-name. Apparently "The Husband" is too formal, and I guess since it's HIS name he should have a say in what it is. His suggestions of "Hubs" and "Hubby" were, quite honestly, not gonna fly as I simply do not EVER call him those things. I'm just not that type if ya know what I mean. Pet names are just not my style unless, of course, you ARE my pet. My thinking goes like this: you ARE the husband therefore I call you The Husband. Seems logical to me. Of course, since I want him to support this blog, I was more than willing to entertain his request of an official name change.  After much screaming, yelling, and gnashing of teeth (not really...we don't fight...ever....truly), we settled on his new and improved, utterly blog-worthy name: The GERMinator. There is a story, of course...and it's really not that crazy at all. The GERMinator isn't into horticulture or any other sort of perverse germinating you can devise. Nope. The GERMinator is an epidemiologist so infectious diseases and germs are the name of his game. Interestingly enough he's not a GERMophobe, either. Strange indeed. Either way, I love the GERMinator and am truly blessed to be his wife.


With all of that blog-name drama, we did manage to get back on our bikes this evening and enjoyed a quick 20-miles along the Silver Comet, just barely outrunning the rain. I took my first tumble of the season as we approached a stoplight (apparently when you clip out on the left, you should LEAN left to dismount...who knew?), but sadly didn't have any stellar scrapes or bruises to show for it. The remainder of the evening was spent watching Deadliest Catch. For serious? If they don't tell us soon why that greenhorn went into seizures and was removed from the boat by the Coast Guard TWO episodes ago, I am honestly going to hurl something at the television. Closure, people...I need closure!

Oh cookie, where oh where
have you been all
school year?

Wednesday:  Since school is winding down and we've release early this week, today I was able to take a nap. A long, refreshing, spirit-renewing nap at 3:30 in the afternoon. Oh how I miss the days when I didn't have to have a daily cage-fight with traffic and was able to run right home and be on my couch each day at this time, napping throughout the afternoon while watching Judge Judy and the Golden Girls. But again....I digress....the nap? It was good. Very good.

While The GERMinator hit up the evening Sunset Striders run at West Stride (good store...go there), I declined in preference to giving the ankle another day of rest as it is feeling great and I'd like it to stay that way thankyouverymuchmisslippy. So, he dropped me at the Y so I could tackle the swim-thing again and fully gauge whether or not Sunday's debacle had permanently scarred me for life. It hadn't. I swam. All good.

The highlight of the day had to be, hands-down, the chocolate cookie with macadamia nuts I had at lunch. Warm. Fresh from the oven. OMG. This was such an event not simply because of it's ooey-gooey goodness. No. It was much, much more. For the entire time I have worked at this school, we have never once, not ever, had any sort of yummy baked goods in the cafeteria. Having worked in schools my entire life, this is a rarity, let me tell you. I was happy. Cookie with milk for my mid-afternoon snack: Epic.

Thursday:  Yep. You guessed it. Another nap. And I don't even feel the least bit guilty. So there.

I had been looking forward to this evening all week as it marked not only my return to running, but TRAIL running! My friend Angie and I have been meeting once a week to run, and she knew of some great trails not far from home along the Chattahoochee. It was hot. H-O-T hot, but heading into the woods provided a welcome relief. Although I coach cross country, it has been a while since I've done any hard-core, Charity-worthy trail running....well before I moved to Georgia, I'd say...and that is seriously sad as I know there are so many trails here to run. However, going it alone isn't wise, so I am super excited to have someone to explore them with now! Yay for Angie! The run itself was wonderful as I had minimal ankle pain, and that was with a lot of technical running over rocks and vines and such. In total we managed about four miles, not a lot but a great start to getting back on track...or trail...for me.  I even agreed to give mountain biking a try...something that scares the bejesus out of me. Those running endorphins may have gotten me into trouble...again. I guess that remains to be seen.

Pretty sure this is more calories than I burned.

And just when I didn't think the evening could get any better, I returned home to an amazing dinner. Did I mention that The GERMinator is a phenomenal cook? Well, he is. Totally. I heart him...and his amazing ziti with sundried tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, and feta cheese. Oh, and baked lemon pepper salmon. That was there, too. Oh, so much food. Must. Run. More. (I absolutely did NOT eat all of that...just so you know).

Friday: The Holiday Weekend awaits! The GERMinator is headed out of town, up to the sweltering Chicago-land, so it's just me and the Fur-Babies for the extended weekend. This evening a friend and I are going on the Roswell Ghost Tour, and it will be interesting to see how it compares to the one we went on in Nashville. The remainder of the weekend will be filled with yard work, lots of running, and a nice long ride on the Comet, before my parents arrive for a quick visit Sunday and Monday. I miss them terribly and it will be good to see them and spend time explore Dahlonega and Gibbs Gardens. Oh....and I'm thinking a few "Daddy-Do" chores might fall in there, somewhere, too.

Have a safe weekend...see you on the run!