I'm not feelin it....

Yep...that's right. I'm just not feelin it. The last few months have been draining and I can't seem to get it together physically. I'm constantly exhausted and feel like the moment I get something off my plate....3 more things jump on. I've never felt so UN-motivated in my life. Not good.....I love the sense of focus, of feeling like the things I do have a purpose and will help me reach my goals. How do I get it back?

Rob is back home and I'm glad. He's a different kid...humbled and thankful. He'll be 19 this Saturday and Chuck turns 17 the following week. In a few months the '1 year countdown' until I move to Oregon begins. Make sure the boys are set (both want to be on their own), sell my house, pursue a transfer with my company and somewhere in there get married. Maybe I could be a little overwhelmed now that 'the countdown' will begin. I will not continue with the Natureopathy Dr or the Acupuncturist....insurance will not cover either and I'm not willing to continue to drop that kind of money. I read everything under sun on adrenal fatigue and nutrition, but don't seem to be enjoying any relief. Keep eating clean, exercising and rest is about the best I can do.

Sleep is not happening... I'm not springing out of bed in the morning anymore either. This stinks. Tomorrow I'll hit the weights and keep doing my thing. Until it gets better...I'll keep reading and live vicariously through you!

Live passionately!

Sleepless Nights....

Today was my first day back after a week off. Am I the only one out there that believes any healthy vacation should be a 10-14 days??? I know sometimes you can't make it happen, but boy....that's when you really know you've had some time off.

I haven't been sleeping well and that's irritating. Boston time change, then I found myself sleeping in on the weekends. I'm sure I needed it but come this morning, that 5:15 alarm was brutal. I Met with the trainer Sal last Thurs. This guy is great. He gave me 3 workouts, each workout using a slightly different technique to keep the muscles guessing. I like that....write it down and I'll make it happen. He's meeting with me again on Thurs to test my heart rate and figure out a better cardio plan. He's thinking I may have been over training with spin 5-6 days a week and reduced weights. Maybe...we'll see.

I hit the gym again on Saturday then did errands. Sunday was a wonderfully lazy day of window shopping and reading at home in the peace and quiet. This morning I did 45 minutes on the elliptical (to late for spin) then off to work.

I'm hoping tonight I hit the pillow hard and get some sleep!

Sweet dreams out there!

Done Deal!

Boston...gotta love that city! Monday morning brought some screaming weather. Mike insisted I stay at the hotel, but after tracking his time on-line and seeing that it was calming down, I decided to get to the finish line. Regardless of the weather, there's no way I wouldn't be there. The timing was perfect. I show up and 10 minutes later he crosses the line. 3:28:26! Great job considering the elements and running injured with foot issues. You can check out his race report here. I also took some pretty good pic's, which I then proceeded to erase while goofing with my camera in the hotel room Tuesday night! ARGGGGGGG!!!! Mike says to leave the technical stuff to him! :( OOOOOPS!

We got back to the hotel, cleaned up and headed out to the North End. Dinner @ Cibo, then coffee @ Cafe Vittoria. I LOVE to cook (and eat!) and I couldn't have a better partner. Mike is always looking for innovative restaurants he thinks I'll like. Feeding (sometimes literally) each other's passions.... does it get any better?

Hat's off to those volunteers! Talk about stepping up. They were there long before anyone racing and dealing with some very nasty conditions. All for what? To be a part of the 111th Boston Marathon? Sure, but I think there's a lot of satisfaction in making a contribution...supporting others (especially those you don't even know!)in their goals of being their best. Even if it is just for that day. Pay it forward!


A few more days off then back to the grind. I've got a big list of chores so I'd better get hoppin! Have a great weekend!


Live passionately!

This is CRAZY people!

Well, it's 3AM at home, 6AM in Boston and Mike left the hotel room an hour ago. The 3 hour time difference makes it all the more brutal.

Saturday we met up @ Logan and caught the shuttle to our hotel. Although it was a long day, we decided to hit the North End to get a bite to eat. We were amazed at how hoppin the streets were, but then again it was Saturday night & the first nice weather the New England area had seen in a few days. We hit our favorite place, Cibo. The reviews are all over the place (looks like they have a 'challenged' wait staff, but our yearly visits produce nothing but an excellent meal and a great time.

Sunday we headed to the expo. I think the previous years were a little more organized (mainly more room to move!) but it's still hands down the best race expo I've been to. Now the weather was pretty stormy, so lots of folks were taking advantage of being inside. We played phone tag with Papa Louie and couldn't seem to hook up. After the expo Mike and I headed over to Newbury St and grabbed lunch. Good, but definitely not the North End. The weather really started getting rough so we hopped on the T and headed back to the hotel. We ordered food from the hotel restaurant, read, watched T.V and relaxed. Then.....it happened.

The wake call rang loud and clear, the 'back up alarm' clock sounded and it's showtime. Wait....is that pounding rain I hear? No....maybe it's the 20-50 mph winds gusting that they've predicted .It's both! It is CRAZY people. Mike is hammering me. "Stay in the room....do not come out. I've never been to a race where I wasn't there at the finish waiting for him so I'm not liking this. I'd usually fight him and show up anyway, but as I'm typing away here, that wind is getting really bad and just about the only thing on the news is the weather. Yesterday I heard a pilot say they'd cancelled almost 500 flights out of NYC and 200 out of Boston! It's supposed to be better tomorrow and by Wed., all should be good.

Wish everyone crazy enough to get out there today best of luck.....they're gonna need it.

Live passionately!

Beantown...we're coming!

Boston baby! We leave Saturday morning. Mike from Portland and me from LAX...the beauty of the long distant relationship. We get to Beantown within an hour or so of each other, check into our hotel and grab a bite. Sunday we go to the expo (which is always good) and visit a few of our favorite haunts in the North End, like Caffe Vittoria and Mike's Pastry Shop. We discovered a great (they're ALL great!) little Italian place that we couldn't get enough of. The problem was.... they opened and closed when they felt like it. Ahhhhh.... America! I've said it before, but Italians have a saying... Americans are rich, but they are rich in life. Amen brother!

Somewhere between all this we'll hook up with fellow blogger Papa Louie and his wife. I believe this is his first Boston so I'm really excited for him. Isn't it crazy how we can all connect through this little 'Internet' thing?! ;)

Monday is the race, I explore the city and make sure I'm there for Mike's finish, then we make our way back to the hotel and relax. Two more days to hang out and Wednesday we fly out. It's always a fun time.

I took the remainder of next week off just to relax (besides...I'm on the brink of losing vacation time if I don't take it.

My personal training session went well. Very educated trainer (which is rare) and did the old body fat testing with the state of the art InBody Body Composition. Had a little wake up call. It measured strength as well and my legs are weaker than any other part of my body. Interesting...that's were I seem to be 'challenged'. I see him again tomorrow and next week he's testing me my VO2 max and HR for free...what a deal! It's been a few years since I've had that done so looking forward to see what that will tell me.

All my best for health, love and happiness!

Live passionately!

It's the little things...

Isn't technology great? My gym has new computers for the spin bikes. Now I can see my cadence, HR, time and distance. It's a beautiful thing to actually know how far I've gone and not just time and HR! I have one on my road bike (which is mounted on a trainer), but haven't taken her out for a spin in some time. We have beautiful weather most of the time, but early mornings at the gym work best for me and weekends are filled with chores and errands. I can hear you gasping...but it works for me. ;)

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a trainer. I got 2 sessions when I joined the gym and never scheduled them. I'm interested to see what they tell me. I'm looking for 2 different 'total body' weight training routines and I'll keep spin, yoga and Pilate's going the rest of the week. I am pretty disciplined but have had a hell of a time leaning out. This adrenal fatigue issue is contributing, but I'm sure I can still chip away at it.

I'm leaving for Boston next Saturday.
Mike is running the marathon and I explore the city. We get back Wed., and I took the entire week off. It'll be nice to have a few 'play days' after I get home.

My older son Rob is doing well. He has a roommate, enrolled in the Junior College and working. He calls quite a bit and the conversation ends with an "I love you" from him more and more. Chuck has his drivers permit and is on the road! He's a sweet kid. I can't believe they'll be 19 & 17 the end of this month. Mike is well and training like a banshee. I am a lucky woman all around! Happy Easter and have a great week!

Live passionately!

Gifts

In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)


There aren't many women in my profession so the few of us around are tight. One of these women called me today to tell me her 4 year old son was diagnosed with T1 diabetes. She was crying...which made me start to cry. She knew my late husband (who died after a very long painful struggle as a brittle T1 diabetic. We talked about all the positive things I could think of....he could be tested for a pump, he's young and has great eating habits and will be more apt to learn habits that will keep his blood sugar at healthy levels. He's got a lot going in his favor. She calmed down and admitted it was overwhelming right now (she is due with their second baby in 2 weeks!). She called me knowing I could somewhat relate to her situation but even as I hung up, I thought of how this will change their lives. This insane gift of health we have (at any level) is our daily winning lottery ticket.

Every post I read inspires me to become better. Better at taking care of this temple, showering those I love (and don't!) with forgiveness and grace. Better at not taking any of it for granted. Thank you.

I've been winding down a bit & teeter between really liking it, and the frustration of not doing more. I wonder if I'll ever really feel a strong sense of balance. Maybe the journey should be enough, uh?

Thurs: Spin 1 hour/ avg HR 138

Friday: Weights 1 hour w/ 20 min treadmill warm up

Saturday: OFF
Sunday: OFF

Monday: Spin 55 min /avg HR 140/13.8 miles (new spin bike computers!)

Tuesday: Weights 1 hour


The blessing of excellent health be yours!


Live Passionately!