A Half Dozen after a Half Distance

My physical therapist has been telling me that getting past my fear and my anxiety about running and adding mileage was all mental.  I knew she was right, but somehow, every time I would lace up to go running, short or long, I would just get this feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I was no longer comfortable with it. Especially the longer distances (which were always my favorite).

Last week, I managed 10 miles without any pain or issues.  This week, it was to be 12…but at a bit of encouragement from my physical therapist and my roommate, I bumped it up to a 13.1 distance.  Half marathon.  No time goals or pace goals.  Just go the distance.

And I did.  I won’t say it was pretty and that I felt great at the end…but I felt better.  I mentally and physically feel better for having done the distance. And, in the end, that’s all that really matters!

So, in honor of that…here is half a dozen things that made me smile this week…

1. Spreading a Little Sunshine

 

When bad things happen to good people, I like to find ways to lift spirits and at least spread a little happiness or, as I like to say, sunshine.  And the best way I know how to do that is by baking or cooking.  Well, my downstairs neighbors are going through a bit of a rough patch, and it’s hard to find reasons to smile sometimes.  This past Saturday evening, I baked up a batch of Lemon Blossoms (gluten & dairy free) for them.  I delivered them this morning.  And soon afterwards, I got a text message from Michelle saying that her son insisted on having a picnic in bed of Lemon Blossoms with daddy.  THAT…made my heart melt for sure.  It’s the little things that make big things happen.  Good things are coming for them.  I feel it.

2. BB-8

 

After months and months and months of coveting the thing, I finally broke down Saturday and purchased the Sphero BB-8 toy.  Why?  Because I wanted it.  I didn’t need it…but I wanted it.  We all know, I am probably one of the biggest BB-8 fangirls out there.  And, let me tell you, this little guy is a blast to roll around.  It is driven by an app on my phone, and it is adorable.  It even reacts to voice commands.  Seriously, one of the best, random, unnecessary purchase I have ever made.  He’s coming to work with me tomorrow.

3. Reliving my Childhood with Rainbow Brite

 

Growing up, one of my favorite cartoons, toys, and things in life (hey…I was like 5) was Rainbow Brite.  For those of you who may not be as familiar with Rainbow Brite, she was the main protagonist of an animated series, where she was sent to a bleak and gloomy world to bring color and beauty to it.  Her mission was to make our world brighter and our hearts lighter by bringing color to all the corners of the universe.  She is aided in her adventures in Rainbow Land by her faithful companions, Starlite and Twink.  Her greatest

strengths are compassion and bravery.  I had a favorite shirt as a kid that I called my “Rainbow Brite” shirt…and prior to this past Saturday, owned a Rainbow Brite snuggie (thanks Dad!), a Starlite pillow pet (thanks Cathy!), the movie Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealers (thanks Cathy!), have costumed as Rainbow Brite, and have just always tried to bring happiness to people (see #1 above…about sunshine and lemon blossoms).  So this past Saturday, while going past a Hallmark Store, I spotted a Rainbow Brite doll in the window.  Upon going inside…there was also Starlite (that’s the horse, BTW) and Twink dolls too.  And I bought them.  I couldn’t help it.  That’s my childhood. That’s me.  I aspire, still, to be Rainbow Brite.  Sometimes, it is the little things in life.

4. Another Pair of Running Shoes

 

So, as stoked as I was about the Nike Pegasus Air Zoom 32’s that I purchased last weekend.  But after 3 runs in them, I discovered a couple of things.  The first was that the toe box was too narrow.  I now am the proud owner of a black toenail.  Just after I got normal toes back after a year off from running.  HA!  Secondly, they felt heavy on my feet. My usual running shoes (the Newton Distance series) are abound 6.1 ounces.  The Nike Pegasus shoes were 8 ounces.  I didn’t think it would make a huge difference…but it did.  So, I returned them to Fleet Feet, and opted to exchange them rather than shop for a cute running skirt or get a refund. I explained what the issues were, and the sales girl returned with 2 different Nike shoes.  After testing them out at the store, I opted for the Nike Free RN Distance, which are 6.6 ounces, so closer to what I’m used to on my feet.  They are also soft to run on thanks to Lunaron cushioning, which fuses soft foam and lightweight Phylon carrior to deliver an excellent blend of plush comfort and durable support.  Great for distances.  These felt happy on my feet.  So I will test them out this week and either take them back or keep them.  We’ll see.

5. Foam Rolling

All runners have a love/hate relationship with their foam rollers.  I love mine.  It’s one of those “hurts so good” devices.  I have started rolling again…every night.  And it’s amazing.  I mean…yeah…it doesn’t necessarily feel good, but it does.  And I feel better after that.  So, after my BOSU ball routine for my physical therapy stuff…out comes the foam roller.  For 20-30 minutes, I work on those tired and sore muscles…and afterwards, I feel a little better.  So, I’m actually happy to have this back in my routine!

6. Accidentally Twinning

One great thing that has come from these runs I have been doing on weekends is the people I get to run with.  And one of them happens to be my good friend, Kelsie.  I met Kelsie via my blog and we’ve become very good friends.  This past Saturday, we accidentally dressed in the same color scheme.  So, that was awesome.  She and I will be doing our long run this weekend together as neither of us are participating in the Anthem 5K.  So, I am seriously looking forward to that.  We’re going to keep a nice easy pace and rock out the mileage together.  I’m excited.  Been way too long since Kelsie and I got nice run in together.  Wonder if we’ll accidentally color coordinate again.  HA!

And there it is, my friends…half a dozen things in honor of the half distance.  I’ve been recovering today…with shopping (yep…more…because I bought a pretty dress!), and baking and cooking…and now I’m watching Tangled, which is part of my Disney Animated Movies In Order viewing-fest.

What did you guys do this weekend?