It Can't All Be Wedding Cake

I love wedding cake! Love everything about 'em- what they symbolizes: happiness, eternal bliss (well, at least initially), life ever after (hopefully). Love it's exquisite taste - the best sugar rush in the world! I could eat it forever (or until I passed out from a sugar high). The cake is way better than the actual wedding!

I don't want to get too philosophical in a running blog but metaphor girl here had The Underdog from 'Spoon' pop on her iPod during yesterday's run and well, I knew that had to be the subject for my blog - cuz up to that point, I was having yet another miserable run, walking up a hill at mile 2 and tears started to well inside. Walking - and frustrated beyond belief - I heard that song and it hit me: it's not my wedding cake time right now. Not my running and not my life.

I stopped my watch. And I ran. No pace pressure. No Garmin telling me I was off. No schedule telling me how far I could or could not go. I just ran and I ran hard! Up hills. Down hills. I felt my mind clear of the clutter it's been littered with lately and I once again was doing what I love so much - running clear-headed and free!

Rob told me the other day I was burned-out. Maybe he didn't tell me, maybe he asked me in a indirect way that was telling me. Either way, I didn't have to think about this long before I had decided this wasn't true. I love to run. It's not just a hobby; it's not even just a passion. It's my life and I am a better "me" because running is in my life. But when the weight of life is so overbearing and your mind can no longer clear the entanglement, it's hard to make the legs function properly. This only smothers the mind further and where running is usually a stress release for me, it is now so frustrating - because I can't get the mind to clear the ugly muck. It's not wedding cake days right now - and I accept that. I'll take a few scattered M&M's.

Okay, enough of that nonsense!!

How ironic that I'd title the blog about cake when I made an oath on Monday, after inhaling half my daughter's birthday cake over the weekend, that I am giving up sugar for while. In post-lunch coma, I tend to scour the halls of school in search of sugar to put a bandaid on my lethargy. I know every office and faculty lounge where sugar's hiding and I needed it for survival. A temporary fix, like a drug addict's high. Problem is, I can't eat just one tiny Snickers or a half a cookie....nope, I had to have multiples. Many multiples. Not everyday, but on the days I sought it out was enough to warrant recent concern. My un-budging body fat told me it was time to go cold turkey. Give it a try. A challenge; I love a good challenge! All or nothing, baby. So I'm on day 4 today - and I'm actually doing well. Okay, a pretty major headache today ... but nothing a couple, or three, Ibuprofen couldn't cure. I bypassed pie at the Thanksgiving faculty luncheon today and please note: I was even pie-server for awhile. Nothing like over-baked, store-bought pumpkin pie I tell ya!! So we'll see how this little experiment goes. I was encouraged to read Red Headed Girl's report of her total sugar/junk food depletion pre-Chicago. She totally cracked me up later, when she sent me an email, and said she went into a sugar coma upon completion of her marathon when she ate so much candy. Ha. I'm certain I'll be right there with ya., Red - I'm certain I'll be having some... cake!

In other, unrelated running news:

- ADD moments: nothing major but still, the day can't go without something I've blundered. Tuesday: had dinner with a friend and forgot my wallet. Maybe that was convenience? Wednesday: Hunted for my car keys in my purse for about 5 minutes after work. They were in my hand the whole time. Thursday: I forgot to put the top on the blender of my morning banana/blueberry protein shake. Purple puree plastered all over my entire kitchen. Of course, on a day I'm late for work! btw, my latest protein shake concoction is banana/blueberry. YUM! 1 cup ice cubes, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, 3/4 of a banana (eat the other raw, or throw into smoothie if you like lotsa banana), 2 scoops Isopure protein powder, 1/2 cup milk (or more if you like it creamier), water. Normally, I add a handful of spinach, per my raw-food friend, Claire. Blend for about 2 minutes. It's the bestest best and I admit I've become addicted! Like my friend, sugar...but it's a good addiction, like my friend, running.

- Matt knows of Boston's closing. Dilemma solved - he read my blog :(. Even commented on it. Who knew he even read it. He's cool with the Boston thing, I think. I still feel bad.

- Twin 2 gave me ample notice yesterday morning when he told me he had mandatory try-outs for honor's band....that evening... at 6pm. Um, forget my plans for dinner with a friend. Or at least alter plans to later. But the best news out of all that???? He made honor's band!!! Very proud of that one! And I did get to have a quick dinner with an old friend, just a bit later than planned.

- College daughter's last final is Saturday. Then she's home for 6 weeks. Yes, 6. No further comment.

- Yesterday I had a awesome hair day. Today it sucked!

- Thank the Lord tomorrow's Friday.

- I'm in the process of photo-journaling my daily food intake. I get many questions on what I eat daily so I thought I'd share. More to come on that....