Back in Action

I'm not going to lie.  I haven't exactly been as focused on working out since Chicago as I would have liked.  Honestly? I think my body really needed me to take it easy.

But I think I found my mojo again.

I met up with Amy on Saturday to run the 11.2 miles of brutal hills in Percy Warner.  We took it pretty easy, and honestly I was glad we were because I had been a bit nervous about the run.  I haven't run more than 9 miles at a time since Chicago, and I certainly haven't done hills since before I started tapering for that race.  All in all, I got the mileage in and I felt pretty good.  I want to get a solid run of 15-17 miles in next week and then a 20-miler the next before I taper again for the Huntsville marathon.  Sure, it would have been better to get a few more long runs in... but I'm just wanting to finish this marathon, not pull off some amazing time.  I'm feeling pretty fit, and I doubt that I'm losing much endurance from taking it so conservatively right now.

Yesterday I had coffee with a new friend through the Nashville Striders (hi Misty!).  Here's one of the things I really love about running: we runners LOVE to talk about running.  It's always so nice to connect with other people who are interested in discussing training and fuel strategies and local races over a cup of joe.

After I got home, I changed clothes and headed to the gym for a spin class.  This was significant for two reasons. 1) I haven't bee going to the gym as much the past couple of months.  I feel a little guilty because I usually like to make sure I use the things I pay for, but I honestly have just been running more outside and taking it easy on the other days.  2) I haven't been doing as much cross training as I should be, and it's time to get back to it.  Plus, all of Chic Runner's talk about spin classes have been inspiring me.

This class kicked my freaking @$$!  I was dripping sweat and out of breath within the first five minutes.  I forgot how great of a workout I always get in these classes, and I'm making it a point to get to a couple a week now to get my cross training work done.  

But something more significant than a good workout happened.  I think I've written before about how there's a woman at my gym who has run Boston like multiple times and is totally in awesome shape and was out running half-marathons while pregnant back in the spring. I hadn't seen her and her husband at the gym in a while, mostly because when I actually have gone it's been at a different time than when I used to go and see them.  But today? They were both in this spin class.

I was totally feeling kind of intimidated riding the spin bike next to her.  I always want to strike up a conversation with her about running, but for some silly reason I never do.  At the end of the class, the teacher was talking to her husband and I caught that he had just recently finished a freaking IRONMAN! Geez!  Talk about an endurance power couple!

This made me think two things: 1) I need to start talking to them and see if I can join them for some training. 2) Even though I said I don't expect to find a man that is into running or endurance sports, I kind of deep down think it'd be pretty cool.  How awesome would it be to find a man who wants to run marathons and compete in triathlons and stuff?!

Anyways, I'm feeling pretty good about getting back into the thick of things.  I've only got a little over a month until the next marathon, so I know I need to make the next two weeks pretty solid in terms of training before I have to taper again.  I have no doubt that I'll run well in Huntsville.  It won't be a PR day, but it will be fun... especially since so many of my Nashville friends are running!

I say all this I think because I'm trying to make sure I'm being realistic with my goals for the Huntsville marathon.  I'm trying to be conservative with training on purpose.. I don't want to push myself too hard too quickly.  But I'm getting excited as I start thinking about what I'll go after in the new year!

A Quick Funny

Sometimes I have kind of a silly sense of humor, so when I find other people that either laugh at me or have a silly humor of their own, I am kind of delighted.

I had coffee last week with a friend at this charming little place in Hillsboro Village called Fido (actually, I ended up having coffee with a friend there on two different nights last week).  I couldn't help but crack up when I read the coffee cup sleeve.

You should be able to click the photo and make it bigger, but if not it says: "Practice safe coffee. Always use a bongo coffee condom."  Then at the bottom: "We appreciate your addiction."

Outside of the Box

Have you ever done something different that was a bit outside of the box compared to how you usually do things?

As I get older, the more willing I am to try things a bit differently. Sometimes I find it goes well, and other times I find I like to stick to things that I feel are more comfortable.

Last night, a friend and I did something that was a little different for both of us.

Let me share the back story. Last weekend on Halloween night I went to a bonfire at a friend's house. After everyone else had gone home, she and I popped in another party and then went to this chill little place to hang out and people watch. When we headed to the car to head home, there were a couple of guys who were getting into their car next to our's. They started talking to us, and we ended up standing in the parking lot chatting with them for about 10 minutes even though it was like 30 something degrees and we were freezing our crunchberries off since our costumes weren't exactly warm (MAJOR bonus points to anyone who recognize the "freezing our crunchberries off" reference).

The guy suggested we all hang out sometime, and one of them got my friend's number in order to set it up. We went home saying that they seemed nice, but we had little expectations regarding the whole situation because - well, let's face it - most guys that you meet out like that never call.

On Thursday night, my friend and I sat out in a field with another friend watching a meteor shower. Yes, it was after midnight. Yes, it was freezing cold. Yes, I wore layers and had two blankets. Yes, we saw some of the meteors, and yes, it was awesome. Sometimes it's being able to go do things like this that really make me appreciate being young and single. Anyways, where I'm going with this is that I asked her if she'd heard from the one guy, and she hadn't.

On Friday night, we found out that their ears must have been burning because she'd heard from the one guy and they wanted to make plans with us for Saturday. We both thought it was kind of funny since we'd just been talking about the whole thing the night before, and we both figured they seemed nice enough to meet up with and have a cocktail.  Honestly, it's the kind of thing that neither of us are really accustomed to doing.  I know it probably doesn't sound all that unusual, but I know that I don't normally go out with people I've spent all of 10 minutes talking to in a parking lot.  I usually at least know the person's last names or have a mutual friend.  So this was indeed different to do.

Last night after I got done attending a wedding, she and I headed out to meet them.

Interesting point #1: I don't think either of us felt nervous. It's funny, because I know there was a time in the past where this kind of thing would have made me sooo nervous... and that's if I had even had the nerve to actually go. Sure, these guys had seemed nice and all, but when it comes down to it they were total strangers to us. What if it didn't go well? What if it was awkward? I honestly didn't think too much on any of that. At the same time, I just felt really laid back about it because I had zero expecations. Maybe we'd have fun, maybe we wouldn't. It was all about being in the moment.

Interesting point #2: My friend and I have never done something like this at all, much less together with one another. It was pretty fun feeling like we were wingwomen... think Barney and Ted, only we're both kind of more Ted-like. We briefly debated whether or not forming an escape plan was appropriate considering we had NO idea how things might go, but ultimately we decided to literally just wing it.

As we drove up to the place where we were meeting them, about 5 cop cars also pulled up and swarmed the place. We debated for a minute on if we should try to go in, but when we saw the drama appeared to be in the parking lot we opted to head on in. I remembered briefly wondering if we'd all remember what each other looked like, but one of them spotted us as soon as we walked in.

The wait was ridiculous so we started figuring out a plan B and chatting a bit. We ultimately settled on moving to a nearby location and all headed to our cars to drive that way. I remember joking with my friend that this would probably be the best time to bail had we felt like we needed to, but that my general impression from the first 10 minutes with them was good. She agreed, but it was kind of funny to think about... we both wondered if people in our shoes would ever be lame and just ditch them or something. We're SO not those kinds of girls.

After a quick debate in the car in the new parking lot we'd moved to (we were unsure about if we needed to sit on the same side of the table as one another or if it'd be more appropriate to split up (yes, girls think and talk about this sort of thing) and ultimately decided the conversation would be easier if she and I were on the same side of the table across from them), we headed in.

We had a drink. We had some dessert. We laughed and talked a LOT. The next thing we knew, it was almost 1am and the place was closing.

Once we were alone in the car again, we both agreed that the evening was a ton of fun and that it went way better than either of us had expected. It's not that we thought it'd go poorly; we just didn't really have a high expecation because we're not really used to meeting up with people we barely know and felt unsure of whether we'd all click or not.

Do we know if anything more will come of it? No. And that's ok. What we DO know is that we had a great time. And we felt pretty proud of ourselves for getting outside of the box when it comes to meeting new people.

Maybe we got lucky. We could have tried this and found the guys to be terrifically boring or something. But still.. it went well, and we were glad to do something a little different.

I suppose I share all this to say that sometimes you have to change things up a bit.  We could have just as easily said that it wasn't smart to go hang out with guys we didn't know... but in the end I'm glad we decided we would go.  They intrigued us the first time, and this continued to be true the second time. I guess we'll see what happens now. :)

My Spinning Brain

One of my favorite things about visiting England is having tea.  I realize I could have tea anytime I'd like to here in the states, but there's just something different about sitting down to have tea and cake in the afternoon.  I kind of wish sometimes that we had something like it to break up our afternoons a bit.

Every time I've traveled over there, I've gone into Whittard to pick out a can of instant tea to bring home with me.  This summer's pick was a Cranberry and Raspberry tea.  You can drink it hot or cold, and today is the first day since I bought it that I felt compelled to drink it hot.

It's delicious.  There's something comforting about sitting here in sweats and drinking tea I bought in England out of a mug with Dopey on it that I bought at the Magic Kingdom.

It makes me feel compelled to write.  It's no secret to people who know me well that I'd love to write a book someday.  What most of those people don't know is that it's something I've already been working on... well, loosely anyways.  I haven't made a lot of progress on paper, but the idea has been developing quite nicely in my head.  I've typed a few things, and for the first time in a long time I'm feeling moved to type a whole lot more today.  I'll be doing that as soon as I publish this post.

Meanwhile, my brain has been spinning all over the place lately.  I'm constantly thinking about my grandpa.  I'm constantly thinking about my job search and trying to figure out what I want to do next.  If there's one thing I'm learning while unemployed, it's that I don't just want to be employed.  I want to have a job that I love.  I want to look forward to it at least most of the time.  I'm constantly thinking about some other people in my life who are on my mind for a multitude of different reasons.  I'm constantly thinking about running and fitness and what sort of goals I am going to create next.  I'm constantly thinking about traveling and wondering if I can squeeze in another trip sometime soon.

It's a good kind of spinning.  I'm feeling inspired right now.  I'm feeling driven, even if it appears that I'm not doing much of anything.  I can be impulsive, but much of the time I'm kind of silently calculating my next moves.  I feel like I'm on the cusp of some good things.  I hope so anyways.

For now, I'm going to enjoy this cup of tea as it works together with my sweats to keep me warm in my chilly house (I do have heat; I just hate paying for it).  I'm going to enjoy this sweet cat curled up in my lap.  And I'm going to write until it's time to go to yoga class.  I love days like this.

Updates

First of all, THANK YOU all sooooo much for all of your kind, supportive and encouraging comments yesterday.  Seriously, all I was hoping for was that maybe a few extra prayers could be tossed up on behalf of my family, but I am overwhelmed by how kind you've all been.  I can't really put into words just how much that means to me. Thank you.

My grandpa is now in the hospital after yesterday's fall, and he seems to be improving.  He had to get a lot more stitches and staples in his head (in addition to the ones he got the first time they let him fall out of the bed).  He also broke his collarbone and now has to wear a sling (in addition to the neck brace he's in for the vertebrate he broke the first time they let him fall out of bed).  So all of that kind of sucks, but it's good to know he's perking up a bit and doing ok.

He'll be in the hospital for at least several days.  After that, my mom and grandma got everything done so that he can go to a different facility that we are pretty confident will provide better care.  We're all definitely happy about this.

Next, my foot is feeling considerably better today.  I definitely feel good that I've been taking it easy the past day or two.  I'm going to go on and give it at least another day or two before I run again just to be on the safe side.  You can also rest assured that I'll be wearing flats to the wedding I'm attending on Saturday night.  I'm going to be passing on the heels at least until I get this next marathon behind me.

Finally, I realize I haven't said much about Halloween.  Ultimately, I had one of the best Halloween's I've had since college.  I attended a party with friends on Friday, and then I attended a bonfire with friends on Saturday before spending a little time at a fun little bar in Nashville.  Let me tell you... I think it is so super fun to people watch on Halloween in public. It is SO interesting to see what kind of costumes other people wear.

I've posted pictures on Facebook, so if you're my friend you can check them out on there.  But since I know most of you aren't on there, I'll share one photo of me in my costume that I wore on Saturday. (Yes, I had two costumes, because that's the way I roll.)  In case it's not obvious, I went as a saloon girl from the wild, wild west.  I used Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova" video as my inspiration. :)

I Need to Vent

I'm angry right now.

I think most of my regular readers know that I keep a pretty cheerful disposition around this blog.  For the most part, that's because I feel like I'm like that on a regular basis anyways.  But it doesn't mean I don't have some times where I'm not so cheerful.  Today is one of those times.

I need to vent a bit.  I don't want anyone to take offense to what I have to say.  This is a rather personal issue, and I'm being a bit more vulnerable about my emotions than what I usually care to do on the internet.  

My grandpa has been sick for a while.  I honestly can't even keep up with the list anymore of all the things he's been through.  Brain tumors.  Brain cancer.  Throat cancer.  Skin cancer.  Strokes.  Eye infections.  Ear infections.  Urinary tract infections (did you know that when older people get UTIs, they kind of freak out? I do.)

I don't want to sound like I'm being lighthearted when I say this, but my grandpa has lived through things that would have long since killed most people.  He's 86, and each year we've wondered if it'd be the last birthday, the last Thanksgiving, or the last Christmas.  For like the past 5 years.

I believe that our will power is ultimately a very powerful thing.  I think that's why there are people who are told they'll never walk again that finish an Ironman.  Along the same lines, I think that's why my grandpa is still alive.  He hasn't been ready to go yet.

When I was in Chicago, my grandpa had to go back to the hospital. I think he was dehydrated or something, but from there he was sent to a rehab facility in hopes of getting him stronger so that he could continue to stay at home.

He's doing worse now than he was when he got there.

First, someone at the facility didn't put his bed rails up one night.  This was careless, especially since it's on his chart that he's weak and likely to fall out of the bed.  He did.  He had to get stitches and staples in his head, and he broke something in his neck and they had to put him in a neck brace.

Next, the neck brace is way too big.  My grandma and mom have repeatedly requested they get him a smaller one that actually fits to no avail.

On Sunday, we found out he had gone absolutely nuts.  He was yelling, cussing and being incredibly mean and belligerent.  We know for a fact that the only time he has ever behaved in this manner was when he had some sort of UTI or staph infection. So we asked them to consider his previous history and run a few tests to see if maybe it meant he had another infection.

We went down there last night, and they not only hadn't done any tests, they also tried to argue that no one in the family had called and asked for that.

So we ask them to do it while we're there.  They tell us there's no medical reason to order the tests.  We tell them that we know his previous history and know that his symptoms indicate some sort of infection.

I'll spare you all the nitty gritty, but ultimately one of the nurses told my mom she was being ridiculous.  To her face.

Both of my parents were pretty upset by this point, so I stepped in and tried to articulate what they were too upset to say: We know him better than them, we know his previous medical history, and we know that the ONLY time he's ever behaved in this manner was when he'd had infections.  We're asking that a test be done to rule out an infection simply because if we find out he has an infection and they opted to not do anything about it, they'll have bigger problems on their hands than us asking them to do their jobs and run a test. 

I wanted to tell the women that SHE was being ridiculous because I didn't realize it was such an inconvenience to her to do her freaking job, but I kept that one to myself.  I didn't want to play her game and be disrespectful to her.

Ultimately they ran the tests, I think mostly because they realized my mom wasn't going to leave until they did. I'm still not positive what they found out there...

Today, they left him UNATTENDED in a chair.  Once again, they have it on his chart that he is weak and likely to fall.  He can't keep himself up in a chair.  Period.  They know this.  And if they don't, it's because they aren't doing their jobs and reading his info.

He fell out of the chair and busted his head open.  My mom and dad were heading to the hospital to find out how serious it is... so I'm just waiting right now to hear what's going on.

Now listen... I'm not knocking the medial field in general.  I'm not knocking nurses and doctors and other medical staff in general.  I have good friends who I know are excellent nurses.

But the specific people who have been involved with caring for my grandpa at this specific facility? I am APPALLED.

Like, I didn't know it was so hard to do your job.  What the hell are you getting paid for anyways?  To be disrespectful to your patient's families?  To walk away and leave your patients unattended when they're not in a secure position?  To argue with us about someone whom we know way better than you do?

I mean, I wish I could have video-taped what happened when I was there.  I feel like I'm just going to sound like someone who is upset because her grandpa is nearing the end.  But that's not it.  I'm angry because the people who have been entrusted with his care are straight up neglecting him.

My family has been through a lot with my grandpa.  We know the end is near.  That of course sucks.  But our real issue is that it's one thing to pass away because it's your time to go... that will be sad, but it will be fine.  But if he passes away because they neglected to give him proper care?  Well - that's infuriating.  To say the very least.

If he survives this fall, he's not going back to that facility.  My mom had already called a lawyer this morning to get some help with getting him moved. (Did you know it's like going to war to get someone moved from one facility to another?  Legally, they can't tell us we can't move him, but they can make it so difficult that you have to get a lawyer to step in to get it done.  Now THAT'S ridiculous.)

The whole thing is just incredibly frustrating.  You always kind of have this sense of trust that medical professionals know what they are doing and have your best interests in mind.  I still believe that's true for a TON of them.  But man, when you find the ones who don't seem to giving a flying flip?  It's not a good situation.

I'm certain my readers know I'm not one to throw a pity party.  I'm certainly not posting this because I'm looking for anything from you.  I shared it mostly because I needed to vent about all the absurd things that have been going on and also because I just wanted to ask all of you to say a little prayer for my family if you would like and don't mind.  It's already a difficult situation as it is, but all of this mess has kind of made it all even harder.

Running Update

I've been taking it pretty easy since running the Chicago marathon 3 weeks ago.

Easier than I even intended, to be perfectly honest.

So I'm a little annoyed that the top of my right foot is hurting.  Since I dealt with a femoral neck fracture last year, I always get a little anxious when I feel any sort of ache.  I looked at my training log and felt confident that I didn't overdo it leading up to Chicago.  Then, I haven't ran more than 10 miles a week in the 3 weeks since, so it stands to reason there's VERY little chance I've overdone it since.  The first week after I only ran 3 miles!

I intended to run more, but in the end I felt more comfortable going a bit more conservatively.  Sure I'm signed up to run a December marathon, but I have no intentions of trying to push myself too terribly much at that one.  I kind of just want to do it for fun and to get another marathon under my belt this year.  So I don't mind continuing to be conservative in training as I get ready for it.

It hit me though.  I wore high heels three days in a row this past week.  One night I was even in some pretty tall stiletto boots and walked around a good bit in them.  Since I'm unemployed, I haven't exactly been wearing heels like at all lately, so I think that maybe I must have done something one of those three nights.

It still hasn't kept me from googling.  And oh how we runners know that googling injuries is both a blessing and a curse.  The good news is that where the ache is found indicates that there's very little chance it's a fracture.  Plus, it's not a sharp pain like a fracture would be.  It's more likely that I have strained or pulled a muscle in my foot.

I ran 9 miles today, and I would kind of notice a dull ache every now and then.  For the most part, I didn't notice it at all.  It's been more noticeable this evening.  So I imagine that it's a good sign I didn't feel much WHILE running.  Plus, it's not really pain... it's just an ache.  So that's good, too.

Nonetheless, I'm going to take it easy this week.  I'm icing it and trying to stay off my feet and get plenty of rest.  I'll try running again this weekend because the way I see it, it's most important that I get my long runs in.

It's just kind of annoying.  I'm in a really good shape right now and had been loving it that I had been running again for so long without any issues.  Having anything bothering me is such a pain in the butt!

101 in 1001 Update

I can't believe it's November.  This year is FLYING by, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.  Nonetheless, I got a lot done on my 101 in 1001 list during the month of October.

2. Run at least five marathons - We all know I ran the Chicago marathon this month. :)  One down, four more to go.

6. Run in at least eight races I’ve never run in before - Chicago also counts toward this one since I had never run it before.

8. Get a massage after every completed marathon - I definitely did this when I got back from the Chicago marathon!  It's the perfect post-race reward.

45. Give money to people who are fundraising at least 4 times a year -  I made another donation to a good cause this month, so I've now completed this for this year (but that doesn't mean I won't give to other causes if they present themselves).

47. Complete at least 50 hours of volunteer work - I accomplished this by planning the Run for Mercy 5K that took place last weekend.  I'm not going to update this task for the time being because I've realized that I consistently do a lot of volunteering at Mercy, and I haven't determined yet what to update the goal to on this one.

48. Mail a card/letter to someone four times a year (doesn't have to be the same person) - I love writing cards, so I found that writing thank yous to my friends who came out to the Run for Mercy 5K to be especially fun.  Some I mailed, some I delivered in person.

58. Make at least one new good friend - This didn't happen specifically in October, but I had a profound moment not long ago about how happy I am to have some new friends in my life that I've gotten closer to over the past 6 months or so.

72. Publish something I’ve written - This might sound silly, but I wrote a small piece about having a cat for a pet that was published in Pets Across America 2009.  It totally counts.

73. Get paid for something I’ve written - I also got paid a bit for that small piece in Pets Across America 2009. It hardly counts, but getting paid is getting paid.

77. Host a true dinner party - I realize a "true" dinner party is a bit subjective, but my definition was to have more than 2 people over and fix dinner for them... and eat at the table.  I had friends over the night before the Run for Mercy 5K to thank them for joining my team.  I felt kind of proud for cooking for 10 people, even if it was just spaghetti and breadsticks!

84a. Try 10 new beers in the States - I've never had the Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale or Yazoo's Dos Perros until recently.

95. Watch one new movie per month, minimum - This month I watched Fast and Furious (cheesy, I know, but Paul Walker and fast cars? Guilty pleasure), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (so funny), Duplicity, and Management (indie flick with Jen Aniston that I really liked).

96. Read one book per month, minimum - I read Steve Harvey's Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man this month.  I didn't really find that I learned anything about men that I didn't already know, but it was nice to be reminded of how simple some things are when it comes to men and dating, etc.  

There are plenty of others still in progress. :)

My Little Man

I'll get back to regular posting soon, but for now I wanted to share a quick video of Tucker.  He LOVES looking out the front door, and he's learned that if he goes to the door and meows I'll usually open it for him.  The problem is that it's getting colder around here, so I can't open it quite as often.  I always feel kind of bad when I have to tell him no.

Untitled from Mel Belle on Vimeo.

Run for Mercy 5K

On Saturday, I had the joy of being involved with the Run for Mercy 5K.  I've been part of a team that planned the event beginning back in May.  It was exciting to finally reach our event day and see all of our hard work going into action.

We had 435 registrants and raised close to $30,000.  We're hoping that a few more giving envelopes will come in that will put us over the $30K mark!

I have some AMAZING friends who came out even though it was cold and gloomy to run or walk the race.

I really don't even know how to put my thoughts into words other than to say that I feel so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to plan this event that raised money for a cause that I support.

I'll let the pictures speak for me today, and I hope to share some more thoughts once I'm a little more removed from the event.

My awesome team!

I did remember to take moments to breath and smile.

A sweet friend and her kids

People checking in - our registration went so smoothly!

People lined up at the start

Runners taking off into the woods

Two of my friends finished fifth and sixth in the race!

The Chick-fil-A kid helped start the kid's fun run.

We had some awesome door prizes!

I got to work with two amazing women in addition to our committee to help plan and pull off this awesome event for Mercy Ministries!