Thursday, June 2, 2011

Hello next 10 weeks

I am officially done with school for the next 10 weeks as of 2p.m. Tuesday!  It's okay, you can hate me....but only for a few minutes.

Okay, now that your over that little temper tantrum and back to loving my ol' lovable self, I'm certain you want to know my summer plans, yes?  Let's do it bullet-style; that seems to be the popular thing to do these days amongst blogsphere and who am I to not fit-in with the rest of the crowd.  Here's a few of the highlights:
  • First, I've been operating the past few weeks in over-extended mode so today in between my two visits to the gym, I watched The Price is Right.  Yes, the Price is Right...and I was calling the dude on the show who overbid a trip to Boston an "idiot" for bidding 20k.  Not sure last time I actually sat and saw that show, but I'm pretty sure the good old Bob was hosting the thing.  Loved.  Doing.  Nothing.  For.  An.  Hour!!  Heaven!
  • The end of June, I'll be attending the Fitness and Health Blogger Conference in Boulder for 3 days.  I can't wait to learn everything I do wrong with my fitness, and my blog (maybe I'll have to post more than once/week?  Yikes!) and excited to meet Amanda, Jason, and re-connect with SUAR.  How cool is that!?!
  • I may go back here for my class reunion in early July:
  • I'm gonna try to reclaim even a tiny portion of my pre-sucky-heel fitness.  I have grand plans to continue having a sore butt with lots of bike miles, get back into some sort of regular scheduled weight training and go to Pilates .... at least twice (let's be realistic).
  • I'm taking my son, Brendan, to California so he can climb to the top of the lower 48 states, Mt. Whitney (I, however, have been banned from being at the top with him by meany PT-man.*whaaa*).
  • But I will get to enjoy a couple days of this while in California at our friend's place in San Clemente:
  • I'm tearing down my deck, at least part of it, and turning it into more of a patio.  Thank goodness child labor laws do not exist in my house.
  • Hopefully helping the daughter move into an apartment (please!!!)!!!!
  • Spending some fantastic action-packed days up in our beloved Rockie Mountains.
  • Those are my boys in that first raft
  • Gets tons of sleep
  • I may clean my house. Nah, probably not.
  • Eating lots of my favorite summer food:
  • And of course, I'm going to be doing tons of this, hopefully some in the mountains: running!!!!
I'm sure I'll be hauling my boys everywhere, doing lots of PT exercises, working on the job search, reading some much neglected books collecting dust, have fun with friends (hopefully some blog friends???)  and whatever else pops up ... maybe even try some new things to offer a fresh perspective.  Summer is a season of rest, growth, playfulness, reading, freedom, fun, and adventure.  Bring it on!!

A quick note on the running front:  It is going awesome.  AWESOME!!  I have worked my way up to 4.62 fantastic feeling miles (still slow...whatever, that will come back in time.  Hopefully) and the pain on the side of my ankle during my initial mile warm-up has pretty much vanished.  YAY!  The minimalist shoes, the strengthening of my feet muscles, the re-training of my foot to strike mid-foot, the hip and glut strength training, the PT, the better awareness to the diet - it's all coming together very nicely and though I still have heel pain, the intensity has subsided vastly and I couldn't be happier, and excited, with my progress.  My difficulty now is that the increased time on my forefoot is causing my weak calves to scream constantly and the fact my cardiovascular running fitness plain and simply sucks....but these will both get stronger, and I can't wait to get out there everyday and make sure it does.  I have a very long way to go, but I am running and I am getting stronger....things are looking very promising.

I have my big, bad-a*s bike ride this weekend - 62 very hilly (and most likely windy) miles.  Say your prayers I don't die out there, or get attached by another killer moth like last week, or fall and get bloody knees (me???)...I'm so out of my comfort zone, but I've been killing my butt, and girl bits (literally!) for the past 3 months... I think I'm ready.

Run strong, Friends....and write down some ideas of your own for the summer; I can't wait to read where summer takes you.

54 comments:

Running and living said...

I love this post bc you sounds happy and excited! I can feel that:)
10 weeks off, very well deserved. Love your plans! I can relate to calf pains from minimalist shoes. Do you wear compression socks? They do wanders for my calves.
Good luck with the bike ride!

DRog said...

great news on the progress and everything coming together! Especially the combo diet and excercise!!

you have great summer things going on. I used to love summer now just dread it with kids and no school = more parenting for ME! haha

d

Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will Travel said...

My semester ended a couple weeks ago, and it's been so nice! I've got a pretty full research and writing plan for the summer, but I feel like a grad student again: writing in coffee shops, lunch dates with friends, afternoon runs and rides... such a luxury!

Christi said...

We are going to have a great ride this weekend. Fear not!

Yay, to running. I am so happy for you.

You have some great trips on tap. The summer is going to be great for you. Don't forget to come my way and do the Incline!

Jill@Run for the Hills said...

Your summer sounds like the perfect retreat! That photo of rafting...I would faint all the beauty around me if I were there. WOW!

I LOVE RASPBERRIES. No, seriously. There is a berry farm 7 minutes from me and I buy them by the flat. They don't stand a chance in my house!

No summer is complete without a week-long trip to the beach. It will commence in 6 weeks. I'm sure my runner's tan will be in prime shape by then. What a sight that'll be.

Julie said...

Yea Jill! so glad about the running!? Are you still going to Vegas? You will do great on the ride this weekend...but you can't stop there as I plan to be dragging your butt out to ride!

Have fun! By the way I can't hate you for being off, but I can be very, very jealous!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmm, raspberries. Better to eat than to receive after a fall!

Marlene said...

WAH! So jealous! But I don't hate you, not even for a minute. ;)

ENJOY your summer! Looks like some wonderful plans. Live it up!!!

Also SOOO happy that you are running and feeling good.

Have a great bike ride this week - 62 miles, that's 100K! Awesome!!!

Kandi said...

So jealous of your summer of fun (and no work) but I guess I could have made different choices in life and gotten my summers off.
Sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy for the next 10 weeks. Enjoy yourself.

Suzy said...

Enjoy your summer vacation!! It sounds like you have a lot of fun and (at least for the kids) hard labor planned. Our summer vacay doesn't start for a couple more weeks. :(

A Prelude To... said...

Your summer plans sound fantastic! Especially the cleaning house part...NOT! I strongly agree!

The last day of school for us is next Thursday and then our major plans are a vacation to Sunriver where I'll be doing my race - there is nothing like Sunriver! Riding bikes along the paths, laying by the pool, floating down the river, big family dinners and then booze and card games while the children safely play outside to their hearts content and we have no worries about them.
Then a trip down to SoCal to visit my best friend.
Then about 3 different camping trips and a bunch of hikes on the schedule.
Yep...Summer is Grand!!
Breakfast outside on the deck in the morning sun. YUM!!! I'm so ready for SUMMER!!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

Couldnt you have wait till the end to tell me that you are off from work for 10 weeks!! My extreme jealousy effected the rest of my reading.

Enjoy the bike ride. Another term for a 62 mile ride is a Metric Century, sounds so much cooler.

Heather said...

Yay for summer vacation - so jealous. :) You have lots of fun things planned, sounds like an awesome summer.

racing dawn said...

Sounds like this summer is going to be amazing. I feel like mine is just as pack full and will fly by!!!

And yes...LOVE raspberries...Utah has the best during the summer...you should stop by and pick some up on your way out to Cali! :)

And I'm totally going to copy your sign and put it up for my kids tomorrow!!! So cute!!!

Ewa said...

Wow, what a summer!!!
When are you doing Whitney? We are hoping to summit from the west on the 11th, that is if trail conditions on John Muir Trail allow us to keep the schedule.
We did Whitney from Whitney Portal twice. What a beautiful hike that is. You will LOVE it!!!

Emz said...

ok.
seriously....

summer sounds awesome!!

Blog meet-up
berries
boys

love it.

misszippy said...

Yes, color me green about your summer! And your running. But I'm happy for you.

Can't wait to meet up!!

Heather said...

Sounds and looks GREAT.

I am out at 2:00 tomorrow. Can't wait.

Karen said...

Don't let that heel slow you down at all, hey? Such awesome plans!!!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Love that running is coming along.

Even better all your summer plans. I loooooove it! The all make me jealous. The blogger convention sound amazing! The mountains are actually screaming my name!!!! (I didn't even know they knew me, heehee)

Enjoy your big ride! Sit light in that saddle and have a blast!

Kate Geisen said...

Yea for summer! And you sound so happy! I'm so glad that things are going well and coming together and I KNOW you are just savoring every step. :)

I am not jealous of you at all for your summer. :) Wonder why that is. Haha. Well, I'm jealous of your trips, because I'm pretty much stuck right around here, but oh well. It's still summer vacation and rest and time to run and work out and bike and spend time with my boys.

And I hear you on the girl bits. Oh, this new bike and its sadistic seat are doing a number on mine. I need to hurry up and get used to it! May be doing 42 miles on Sunday...unless I wimp out and take the short route. My most miles in a day on the new bike have been 36, but it's a lot faster 36 than in the past. :)

Liz said...

So happy for you that you are managing to run again. sounds as though you have some great plans for the summer!

Have you seen my latest post? I was saying how I've started to be convinced by the whole minimalism thing, and it's your blog that is convincing me! will follow your progress - good luck!

Anonymous said...

I would love to go to that conference!!!!! $$$?? your summer sounds INCREDIBLE!

The Green Girl said...

Oh, Jill! I'm thrilled to hear about all your exciting plans and your slow return to running! Hooray!

Char said...

When I was at school and university, I used to love the beginning of the Summer holidays - all that exciting potential spread before me and all that time to do what I wanted to do. I sense some of that excitement in this post. You're going to have and amazing Summer! Good luck with your big ride this weekend.

ajh said...

I have school for two more weeks and then lots this summer. I already have some days in June I have to work. I have 3 days in August and a course. My summer is melting away!

Wow! Is that just a bike race? You go! I can't wait to hear about that one.

You have lots of good plans and I bet you will get some major running in eventually. Yeah for doing better! How have you learned to strike mid foot? I do try but when I try to go fast it all goes to H@#$.

Good luck on the job search.

I am going to visit my friend in Conn. first. We are going to go to Rhode Island and I am bringing my bike. (I don't know which one.)

I will visit Em in DC at some point.

And lots of running, biking, racing.
Yeah!

Run Jess Run said...

I'll think of you on Tuesday at 2 PM with a bit of jealousy...I'm out on Wednesday at 11:30...

Kerrie said...

YOu are BUSY! Glad you are working up to some pain-free miles. Yay!

Aimee said...

Yay for summer!! It sounds like you have some great things planned!

Yay for being able to run with less heel pain!! I'm so happy for you!

Good luck this weekend! You're going to do great! :)

Jason said...

You've got all sorts of plans and I am thrilled to just be a part of what is going to be an epic summer.

I am as excited, actually more, to head up to Boulder to meet all of you and yes we will make time to go to the bakery. Heck if I plan on buying it someday I need to know what it looks like.

Jennifer said...

Jill, Everything sounds great with you! There is a kind if enthusiasm in your "voice" that goes unmatched in blogger kingdom right now. And a big YAY for being a teacher. You totally deserve the time off to recharge. Double and triple YAY for the running. It is so good to hear the news. XOX

Velma said...

I thought of you as I was just in your neck of the woods. I may have to move to CO. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER. No cleaning allowed.

Johann said...

You sound very excited and I can see why. My son asked me a while back why they can’t implement the US summer vacation system here. Summer vacation here is about 4 weeks and some lucky years 5 weeks. You’ve got a lot planned. Mt. Whitney… one day when we finish the Badwater ultra together we’ll go up Mt. Whitney. That’s a deal right…? I know finishers are supposed to go up Mt. Whitney after the race. Anyway, enjoy and all the best for the ride this weekend!

Andrew Opala said...

I love that word AWESOME!!! When you say it even I feel like superman.

I can't think of anyone who deserves Summer more than you.

Molly said...

Wow!!! You have so much to be excited about, your enthusiasm is really coming through in this post! I'm so happy that the running is going well for you. I am in complete summer mode, my main goal is to get stronger with swimming and on the bike, and take the kids for ice cream as often as possible : )

Sarah @ Running Gear for Women said...

Wow, my semester ended a couple of weeks ago and I wish I had that kind of schedule on tap. Somehow I've ended up busier than I was when I was in school--and not with fun stuff like that!

I guess I have to work on my fun/work balance, eh?

Good luck with your running--sounds like you're getting back into the swing of things!

Teamarcia said...

Running is going well for you!!! You don't know how happy this makes me! I'm not going to say I told you so but cough cough mid-foot cough striking is cough where it's cough at!
Your summer sounds divine--but we NEEEED to work in a visit somewhere. So bummed I'll be supervising a gaggle of 10 yr olds on a 30 ft long slip n slide that weekend.
A's getting an apt? Does that mean no more backyard campouts? End of an era....sigh.
Have a blast and kick some serious a** on your big bike race!

XLMIC said...

I cannot believe you will be sitting on your buttbones on a bike seat for 62 MILES. Just wow. My heroine.

What a great summer you are set up to have :) I hope I get to drive through and sleep on your floor... need to plan around that fun conference ;-)

Maybe we could even go for a little run together?

Jenn said...

More to say but on my phone here quick
! Just saw this post! Just want to wish you a Huge good luck this weekend! Have fun out there! Max made you a sign! Ok-better comment later!

Amanda@runninghood said...

More in a bit but I loved this...you seem so happy! And you have more comments on your one post here then i ever get so don't be thinking that anyone has forgotten about your blog! ha ha. Good luck tomorrow Jill! Sooo happy that running is coming along for you!! This is fantastic!! And the blogger conference sounds fun! Summer is going to be wonderful!! Thanks for everything jIll!

See.Kate.Run said...

Congrats for your quickly coming summer vaca!!! WHOOT!! I LOVE SUMMER!! :D

You have quite the busy summer planned! This post makes me want to sit down and make my summer plans. I am done this coming week on the 9th and I can't wait!

It is really awesome to hear that you are running again too!! I know you have had such a rough time with your heel. I am super excited to hear all about elephant rock! Good luck with the ride I know you are going to rock it!

Anne said...

Do housework. Nah probably not :) Yeah...that's how I feel about that!

I am so happy that you are seeing progress with running...so excited for you! Good luck on that long bike ride...great start to the summer. You have lots of amazing plans and it sounds like it'll be a good one!

Thanks for your continued encouragement :)

Black Knight said...

Beautiful! You have many plans that involve everything.
Glad that you are improving your running.
Summer is here but, what a pity, in this season I have to work a lot because the port is full of ships (4.500.000 passengers!!!!).
I would like to come back to California and to visit your mountains.
Have a good week end.

Gillie said...

Sounds like your patience (well somewhat) and hard work are paying off. Glad to hear your running again. We'll have to go for a run this summer.

Unknown said...

Ah, summer! You got me excited! I still have two weeks but I'm feeling it...
you have so many fun plans, so excited for you!

Chris K said...

Um, Jill, the last part of your post was not in bullet form.

That being said, loving the summer plan. Sounds frigging awesome. Are you gonna set a goal for yourself?

Great, fabulous news about the new form and improvement with your running. That is the best news we've heard in, well, since I started Following you last year.

Caratunk Girl said...

This post is so happy!! I love it all (except the part about the PT not letting you climb with your son. Boo) But it sounds like you have an awesome summer ahead of you!!

Raina said...

Way too cool that you are getting in some good running and that the heel is getting better!!! I dropped to a lower heel recently, like you, and my calves and hamstrings noticed also..Now I am trying to get back into the weights again too...

You'll be running and biking circles around us in no-time!

Have fun tearing that deck apart, boys! :))

Lindsay said...

So was this your farewell post? You sound like you'll be too busy to check in with us... ;)

I'm jealous. Maybe I should make a goal to do something cool every week of the summer. Like, play hooky from work haha.

Amanda@runninghood said...

Can't wait until I hear about your bad ass bike ride girlie!

Average Woman Runner said...

You just made me so envious! Sounds like an awesome summer ahead.

Glad the minimalist running is going well. I'm still working on it. Do you think our calves will get nice & muscley big from switching to the forefoot for running?

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

Jill, sorry I'm so late visiting your blog. This is such a fantastic, inspiring post! You sound like a completely revived, new person full of summer energy! I'm stoked for you!

How much fun for you to attend the fitness blogging conference. I will be back in Omaha for several weeks this summer and had been toying with the idea of attending, but I really want to spend time with family and friends that I dont get to see since I live in the middle of nowhere!

You have me so excited for summer! I'm pumped your running is going well!!

RunToTheFinish said...

i get to go to exotic iowa for july 4th, oh yes super duper :)

i wish i had your summer plans, though i have some pretty cool trips coming up yours sounds way more relaxing!

Glenn Jones said...

Bloggy meet up!!!!!!