A Worthy Cause

Check out this organization. I donated to them today.

Nepalese Youth

A wonderful organization that's changing the world one child at a time. We who are so fortunate can spare a little to make the world a better place.

1-1/2 Hours of Contemplation







I did 1-1/2 hours at Wunderlich. Just did a loop to the Crossroads and back down again. Kind of lazy of me, I wish I had gone to the top, but I was having odd tummy rumbles that indicated I needed a bathroom break so I headed back down Alambique trail to the porta potty. No more Alambique to the trail head for me. It's an annoying, steep root-rutted decent that doesn't make for fast times or smooth running. I don't really need the obstacle course training, I need to get some smoother trail speed in there. From now on I'm taking the Oak trail to Salamander Flat on the way down. Way more interesting.







I wasted much time contemplating my previous employment experience on the way up to The Meadows on Bear Creek Trail. I thought of all the coulda, shoulda, wouldas...which is really dumb because I pretty much knew from minute one that the whole job was trainwreck waiting to happen. So why ponder? I realized sometime after Redwood Flat that I was just hiking; trudging uphill muttering to myself. And making ridiculously slow time. What a waste of energy - not the excercise but the mental energy of mulling over this past failure. When I got to the meadow I was greated by a beautiful scene, the coastal fog spilling over the hills and into the valley below. That's why I'm here. And this is now. Enough of what was then. It's a new day.

















Today will be an easy 3 miler in town. And maybe a moderate run tomorrow morning before I go on a fieldtrip at the kids' preschool. Then I'll go to the top of the ridge on Thursday. For sure. Into the fog and beyond!

Monday is the New Saturday

It's Monday after a long weekend for the kids with their daycare closed on Friday. I miss them...but I have to remind myself that this gives me time to run, fix up the house and study. In a few minutes I'll be out of the door and headed for a trail run somewhere...most likely my lovely Wunderlich.

Saturday I did a great 5 mile loop with massive climbing here in my neighborhood. I took my secret trails to the top of our ridgeline and ran along Skyline Blvd. for a ways before dropping back down again. I went early in the morning, and it was beautiful - warm and sunny. Right now we have lots of fog and overcast, it's supposed to be this way for the rest of the week...yuck!

Sunday I kept things flat and easier but i ran harder. I'll have to measure the loop I ran, I'm not sure how long it was.

I've found a cool new running website here. It's a great way to map your run!

Kiddie Day

The kiddos' daycare is closed today for a teacher inservice day. Very unlikely cause, I'm sure that no one is at the school and they are all just taking a day off. So it's park and play time...all day today. I'll get relieved for my run in the afternoon when Daddy gets back from his Friday work duties that include driving to all of the stores that he manages - it's tough, but he does get home a little earlier.

Then after my run I'll go volunteer as I do every Friday for the cat shelter that I volunteer at - The Homeless Cat Network.

I should really start training early in the morning again. The problem with being jobless is that the workouts slide to the middle of the day, because you have time to do that. But then it becomes a problem when you have other things to do too. I'll see if I can kick myself out of bed early tomorrow to get my run in. It should be an interesting experiment. I give myself a 30% chance of actually following through on it.

Cleaning Out the Mind-House

So many of our problems are really all in our heads. My over-arching problem in my head that is spilling out everywhere else is my father. Maybe you can understand if you have overbearing parents, but my dad drives me crazy. He's one of those people who ALWAYS has to be right, must give his opinion at all times (believing he is always right). And again he is trying to control me.

Last night he calls me up and asks me how many credits I have outstanding at Cal State in my MS degree in Kinesiology and if I can add that to a med degree....He's trying to force me to go back to school to be a doctor. He is completely OBSESSED with school. He thinks that degrees are the answers to EVERYTHING in life. For example, he is completely convinced that if you have a law degree you can do ANYTHING in life; like doors will automatically open for you and that everyone will just lay down for you and you can do no wrong. He drives me nuts because there is no talking to him at all - he just bullies himself forward.

I know he's lost friends over this behavior. He drives my mom crazy. He had been good about things for a long time but now that I've left my job he's all obsessed again. Does anyone have any advice? Any magic bullet that will shut him up? I'm trying to keep my distance and the plan is that the next time he bugs me about it I'll kindly ask him to please, just, stop. That my career and my work choices are no longer up for discussion.

We live close by to my parents, which I think is part of the problem. I keep nudging my husband to look for a new job SOMEWHERE ELSE. The years that I spent away from here on my own were heavenly. Having some distance from them was great, and I'd really like that again. I feel bad about wanting to be away from them because of the kids - I know that they love seeing them, but the overbearing attitude and being all up in my business is getting out of hand.

Run Report -

On a happier note...I ran for about 40 minutes up at Wunderlich yesterday. I'm about to go back and run some more as soon as I'm done with this post. I ran out of time and had to turn back on the trail so I'm getting up there earlier today. It was kinda creepy out there yesterday...no one else was there when I was out there in the middle of the afternoon. And parts of the trail have gotten brushy and overgrown. All I could think about were mountain lions. So I ran with my knife unsheathed like a crazy woman. Today I'll be more sane.

The Need to Keep Positive

I was looking at listings for job openings for personal trainer on the web. They all look so exciting and so much fun. I'm both excited and scared. Scared because everything I see requires at least a year of experience. How am I going to get the experience...if I can't get hired w/o experience?


I realize I'm jumping the gun here and that opportunities will present themselves when I'm ready for them. I think about when I was starting out as a writer and it was so hard to find work if you didn't have experience...but as soon as I was "in" I was totally in and could easily find work. And I would reach out and help others that wanted in. There has to be employers out there who are the same...those that want to reach out and pull new, great trainers into the profession.


I know that thinking positively is the key and that I have to keep my attention on the main goal. Everyone is new at what they do at some time in their lives!


Saturday I ran on my secret trails and into Mills Canyon. It was marvelously quiet; I surprised many gray squirrels and even a cottontail resting in the middle of the trail. I found another trail head in and out of the park...not a very useful one for me, but one that may come in handy when I find the elusive lower entrance/exit that will help me avoid the creek scramble.

Sunday I did a 40 minute run around Hillsborough and then some tough ab work. Today (Monday) I'm feelin' a bit tired but I'm going to get out there anyway this afternoon. I'll have to take off Friday or do something mellow that day because daycare/preschool will be closed so I'll have the munchkins.

Hot to Trot!

I dwaddled around the house for half of the morning yesterday before getting out for a run at Huddart Park. When I got there at mid-morning it was 100 degrees in the parking lot and there were only two other cars that I could see. I love being insane.

The run was actually really nice! The heat didn't bother me, I just took it way easy. My muscles felt so nice and loose it was like gliding over the trails. I was sure to be super well hydrated with my UD backpack filled with icy sports drink. I went straight up Crystal Springs Trail for 35 minutes and then back down in 26 to make it an 1:01 run in the heat. This was good heat training, since I haven't put much time in in the heat this year yet.

I saw the cutest thing on the trails that I haven't seen (or noticed) before. All of the grey squirrels were laying, sprawled on their tummies with their legs splayed out on the trails in the shade. No doubt soaking up some coolness from the dirt before the sun would shift and shine on it. They were all quite perturbed when I'd come barreling down the trail and disturb them. Some would wait until the absolute last second to move and I'd have to start taking countermeasures to avoid them sending me zigzagging like a crazy person down the trail. How dare I ruin their fun!

Today I'll hit the weights and the books. A super hot day is a good one to study for my CPT in the shade. I'm a little worried about myself now, because it's become clear to me that I can't ever go back to the 9 to 5 again. So I better get going on getting my cert!

Backcountry Fun!

We had a great 4th of July weekend up in Hillbilly Heaven. We drove up to the high country and went swimming/picnicking/lounging at gorgeous Silver Lake (near Kirkwood). Did some running, but there was a lot of smoke in the area so I didn't do as much as I'd hoped to do. My achillies is still buggin' me a little bit, so I'm being gentle and trying to cross-train more.

I'm already missing the woods/mountains and feel a little sad today. Maya has been saying over and over again that she misses the cabin. I'm raising a little mountain girl! (yay!)

The smoke is creeping in around here again too. I'll have to get my runs in in the early mornings on the next few days since it's supposed to be super hot here with bad air quality. I'll go out and do a weights workout in the gym in my garage today to avoid the bad air. I can already feel the smoke in my throat and sinuses.

I'll be studying this afternoon for my CPT and doing a little HGTV style home redecorating. I'm ripping down old wallpaper and will be repainting. I can't wait to see how much better it's going to look! Right now it's not so great looking with the underlayers of crappy wallpaper and ugly bare wall underneath but it will be so worth it. Good bye boring beige wallpaper!

Sniffles?

Sheesh! I can't possibly have a cold, can I? I've been trying to fool myself into believing that the girls had allergies too...but methinks what we all have is a cold. In July. GREAT!

So it's rest and fluids for me today to try and get rid of this thing ASAP. And I'll use my time to study too.