A little thought for the day

Sometimes, someone makes you smile... and suddenly your whole world gets brighter.

I've been thinking this all week, and it's stayed with me -- which is a great thing. So, I wanted to share it.

Eeeeee... time to start running!

This just happened:

	Thank you for registering for the 2013 B.A.A. Distance  Medley. Your Entry is CONFIRMED.

I am both excited and scared. I haven't run in five weeks, but I wanted to complete the Distance Medley so badly last year and couldn't because of injury. I ran the 10K and half marathon last year and loved both races -- despite the pain involved. This year's courses are the same, so I am looking to PR both the 10K and half, as well as PR my 5K distance.

I love running in Boston, and these races will keep me on track this running season. They will probably be the only races I run other than the Harpoon 5-Miler... and maybe some random 5K's my friends talk me into.

Oh, and I'm super thrilled to be able to run across this historic finish line at the end of the 5K:

Wish me luck getting back into the running groove and outrunning this awful, chronic sinus/cough disaster I have going on!

(Not so) Healthy Living

I found this survey on Carrots 'n' Cake, and I thought it would be interesting to answer the questions for myself. Feel free to answer one or more in the comments, or on your own blog!

1. What did you eat for breakfast? A cup of coffee with a teaspoon of sugar and two teaspoons of organic egg nog, two sunny-side-up eggs on oatmeal toast with melted provolone cheese, garlic salt, pepper, Italian herbs and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
2. How much water do you drink a day? I try to drink at least 60 ounces, but I have been battling a sinus/cough thing, so all I crave is hot liquids. I've been drinking at least five mugs of steaming tea or Emergen-C lately. Plus my daily cup of coffee.
3. What is your current favorite workout? Skiing! Due to the above chronic sinus/cough thing, I haven't been able to run, and I have been avoiding the gym because I often sound like I'm dying and don't want to scare people.
4. How many calories do you eat a day? I don't count anymore, but based off when I did, I'm going to estimate between 1200 and 1500 a day. I eat more on days I'm active -- versus days when I just go to the office and then home for the night.
5. What are your favorite healthy snacks? I really try to bring healthy snacks to work and have them around the house for when I'm home. My favorites lately have been almonds, dried fruit and nut trail mix, grapefruit, guacamole and carrots (with not-so-healthy ranch dip).
6. What do you usually eat for lunch? Peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches or turkey and cheese sandwiches, always on oatmeal or wheat bread/rolls, usually with chips (yeah, not so healthy). I also try to have a fruit or vegetable with my lunch -- like the above grapefruit or carrots. There's a Subway near my office, so I go there sometimes and load my sandwich with veggies.
7. What is your favorite body part to strength train? My glutes! Haha, I know having strong glutes will help both my running and skiing, so I'm all about a healthy backside.
8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train? My chest and shoulders. So painful!
9. What are your "bad" food cravings? What's not??? I ate about eight Oreos after lunch the other day. Also love birthdays at work for the cake. I get salt cravings frequently, so I nosh on potato chips. Oh and donuts; I can't resist donuts.
10. Do you take vitamins or supplements? Not really. Other than the Emergen-C mentioned above. I have been popping my mom's vitamin D pills whenever I see her, but I haven't bought any for myself yet.
11. How often do you eat out? It depends on my plans. Lately it's been a lot keeping up with friends, but some weeks I don't eat out at all.
12. Do you eat fast food? Sure. I don't really believe in restricting myself, so I'll have a Five Guys' burger if we're heading there. But I try to choose the healthiest options most of the time. I can't remember the last time I had MacDonald's.
13. Who is your biggest supporter? Myself. I hold myself accountable to my workouts and healthy eating habits. I keep tabs on myself. I cheer myself on when I do well and meet my goals. Unfortunately I don't really have anyone else in my life who'll stay on top of me like that.
14. Do you have a gym membership? Yup, though I haven't been in three weeks or so. I use it mostly to run on the treadmill in bad weather and to strength train. I used to attend classes, but I haven't done that in over six months.
15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night? I always shoot for eight, but sometimes my social life gets in the way... and sometimes (like last night), I sleep 10 to catch up.
16. Do you have a "cheat" day? Not so much a specific day, but I allow myself indulgences.
17. Do you drink alcohol? Of course. I have given it up for a period of time at several points, but now I mostly drink in moderation when out with friends or spending time with family. The only time I drink alone is the very rare glass of wine when I'm cooking myself a nice dinner -- that usually involves cooking with said wine.
18. Do you have a workout buddy? Not really. I tend to workout solo, although I have friends who run races with me and come skiing with me.
19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle? My confidence and self-image. I can look in a mirror and really like and admire what I see now. I feel (mostly) strong. I am proud of what my body can do and how far it can go, and I have the confidence to push it further. For the first time ever, I view myself as an athlete, and I treat myself accordingly.
20. What was the last healthy thing you did? Boil water to raise the humidity in my extremely dry house. My skin, eyes and sinuses are suffering!

#2013Countdown: What were your lowest points this year? Why?

This prompt is a doosie. I find myself retracting from it because sharing my low points becomes instantly and intimately personal. But, in the vein of developing this blog and my writing, I'm going to participate.

Easily, the lowest point of 2012 for me was being laid off from my job. I had been with the company over seven years, and I had been in my current position for just over two years. I adored the 'family' I had built there, and I had become so comfortable. I had also worked my way up and built something of my dream working scenario: I had a great, trust relationship with my boss; I was working on projects that excited me and used my skills; I had total flexibility in my schedule and working location (I worked from my couch most days); and I had great benefits, including a whopping seven weeks of vacation time.

I can't say the news was a shock, but it was surprising nonetheless. I thought maybe my position was valuable enough to save me, but no one was safe. That said, the shock of the whole situation was how I handled it. I have never been the most positive person, and I never handled change well AT ALL. Yet, I rolled with this, and, c'mon, this is a huge life change. I accepted it, however. I never placed blame, if anything, I was grateful. It didn't take a lot of effort on my part to see the positive and commit to moving on and growing.

BUT... That's not to say it was easy. Almost three months went by before I started really struggling with negative feelings. I still didn't blame myself or my employer for my situation. I wasn't angry or bitter. I still knew that this would ultimately be a good thing, but I found myself having a hard time seeing the forest while mired in the trees. I did get depressed. Once the weather turned, and I could no longer easily run outside or head to the beach, I withdrew. I stopped seeing a lot of my friends -- I was afraid of spending money on going out. I lost all structure in my days; I stayed up late and night and slept in far later than I had in years. I blankly stared at daytime television. Sure, I was still looking for jobs everyday and sending out resumes, but several rejections had me questioning if I was really cut out for what I was doing. I questioned my professional value. I considered giving up. I became stressed to an unhealthy level about money and my future, and this impacted my relationships. It was definitely a deep low.

At the same time, I was having an increasingly hard time in my romantic relationship, and nothing I did seemed to help. This only contributed to my stress and questioning of worth. I admit I lost sight of who I was at the lowest of the low.

It was hard to 'keep the faith' as they say, and I considered giving up. I saw myself going back to a retail job and living a miserable, lonely existence. (Yes, I have an over-active imagination, for better or for worse.) Thankfully, none of this happened, and things turned around at the perfect time.

Those four months of unemployment were the best and worst time of my 2012. It was never an even keel, and it was definitely a growing experience. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

It's hard to talk about the low times; no one likes to hear about the sadness and the pain. Let's talk about it though: What were your lowest points of 2012 and why? I'll even add my own question: How did you overcome? What did you learn?

#2013Countdown: What are 12 things you love about year 2012?

I am a bit off-track with my #2013Countdown posts, but I do hope to catch up over the next week to squeeze them all in by the new year.

Again, I'm going to stick with bullets to make this easy and concise. I have to admit I am intimidated about trying to come up with 12 things I loved about this year.

Here goes nothing; 12 things I love(d) about 2012:

1. Devoting my summer to running. The heat never bothered me; I loved getting out there and pushing myself.
2. Skiing a New England high eight days last winter, despite the fact that snowfall was so low and conditions were far less than ideal. I braved the ice and spotty coverage, and I think I became a better skier for it.
3. Putting insecurities aside and hitting the club in Boston. These nights are some of my fondest memories. I especially loved getting dressed up and rocking high heels and short skirts.
4. Reconnecting with my favorite cover band. They have become some of my closest friends, and I love going to shows and hanging out. I reconnected with the dancer and live music lover in me.
5. Providence Restaurant Week. I attended both sessions this year and discovered some delightful new restaurants.
6. Finishing my first half marathon with a very respectable time. 
7. Beach and boat days. We had such a hot summer, and I took advantage spending as much time in the summer sun as I could. 
8. Following on #7, the best tan I've probably ever had. Between running, boating, spending afternoons at the beach, laying on the beach after losing my job and cruising the Caribbean, I owned a glowing tan.
9. Celebrating my birthday my way. It was a great week. Yes, a full week.
10. Eastern/Southern Caribbean cruise. Any year I cruise, this is one of my favorite things about the year. I love being on the ocean and in warm, tropical places. I needed and loved this trip.
11. Running the annual sales meeting at my former company. The prep, the challenges, the planning, the relationships developed, the execution... I lived for every moment and loved it.
12. Disney World with my mom. It was so hot and so exhausting, but we had a great time, and I loved having dedicated mother-daughter time away from home. 

What did you love about your 2012?

#2013Countdown: How has 2012 been?

I decided to participate in a little end-of-the-year reflection journaling exercise in the hopes of revitalizing this space -- which I'm undecided about what I want to do with.

For now, I'll just jump right into it. How was my 2012? Well, the first and most powerful word that comes to mind to describe my year: growth. This has been a year of growing and discovery for me. I've been thrown in the deep end more times than I can count, and I've been forced to sink or swim. Thankfully, I seem to be pretty good at swimming in water over my head -- to continue the analogy.

I don't want to dig too deep or make this post too long, so let's just bullet some highlights, shall we?

• I skied on my first black diamond trails at the beginning of this year, conquering my fear and just going for it. It was exhilarating! 
• I launched my first solo marketing campaigns at work, and they went well. I loved being able to flex my creative muscles a little bit.
• Also at work, I planned my first customer event and managed our annual sales conference (with help from some gracious colleagues, of course). It was super stressful but super fun and rewarding. I went to Disney World! :)
• I reignited some lost friendships that have proven invaluable to me this year. They have loved me, supported me, reminded me of how passionate I am, taught me and lifted me up. I'm forever grateful.
• I was laid off. This was probably the biggest growth experience of the year for me. I had to rebuild my identity, figuring out who I am without my job. I had to create my own structure and keep myself positive. I had to figure out how I was going to survive (physically and emotionally), and I had to plot out my next steps in my career. It wasn't easy, but it was a priceless experience, and I totally view it in a positive light. I learned so much.
• I re-evaluated all of my relationships. Losing yourself in unemployment will do this. I learned who my real friends are. I learned who is an uplifting presence in my life and who brings me down. This is so important to do often.
• I ran my first half marathon! Ok, this is a contender for the biggest growth experience of the year. Keeping the positive spin, I was laid off the second week of my training plan, which gave me ample time to devote to training for this beast (and it was a beast). Running kept me sane when I wasn't working full-time. This was easily one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. I can't wait to do it again!
• I fell in love with myself. Yes, that sounds weird. Sure, it may seem narcissistic. Listen: it is crucial to your happiness. I learned this the hard way. The really hard way. The long, time-consuming (wasting), hard way. I happen to think I'm pretty swell. I know, trust, believe that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and who I am supposed to be at this precise moment in time. I have a pretty firm grasp on who I am, and I know what I need to do. I am proud of that. So, yes, in re-evaluating my relationships, I learned that the most important one is with myself. Call me selfish, I do not care.
• I got my heart broken. I'm not going to go into details as to how, who or what. That's not important to you. What's important is this is an opportunity to grow. Remember that.
• I started a new job! After four months of being unemployed, I am back in the workforce, and I couldn't be happier. Being thrust into a new professional setting always encourages growth, and I can't wait to see what this new opportunity brings. I am truly excited, and I think I am going to love what I do now.

Ok, that's it for me. Now it's your turn: How was your 2012? What did you learn this year?

10 questions

I saw this on Lisa's Yarns, and I thought I should post something, and this seemed liked fun. I always love reading these, so enjoy!

Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
If they are quality products, you bet I do!

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Inconsiderate people

Do you chew your pens and pencils?
Ew, no. Never.

Do you believe in ghosts?
The jury is out on that one.

What was your first concert?
The KISS 108 concert... that is a local Top 40 radio station that does a "festival" type concert at the beginning of every summer.

Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
I don't think so... 

Do you crave sweet or salty food?
Both, at different times.

How late is "sleeping in" to you?
11am or noon... That is really late. I hate doing that. It means a rough, late night happened.

What is a food that you never thought you would try, but then 
tried and liked? 
Raw oysters. OMG, I love those things, but trying them was intimidating for sure!

DJ or band at a wedding?

Band all the way. I know too many wedding musicians to vote for a DJ.