Theme for 2009: Well-Rounded

I went back and forth between making some general goals for the New Year and making a very detailed and specific plan. In the end I decided that it would probably be pointless to create a detailed plan for the whole year, that is a way to quickly disappoint myself. Instead I've decided that I will have a theme for 2009. That theme is "Well-Rounded", I will keep this theme and what it means to me in mind throughout the year and try to live by it.

What DOES this theme mean? My goal for 2009 is to make sure I focus on all aspects of my life and don't put so much emphasis on one area that I neglect other areas. 2008 was a year of MANY changes. I got married, bought a house, had my first full year of full-time work. I have really transitioned into a "true adult'. Most of the time I still feel like a kid and I'm working on seeing myself as an adult because that is very important. If I don't see myself as an adult how can I expect others to?

There are some specific goals that I will list because I really do plan on accomplishing them in 2009. They aren't resolutions they are simply things that I will do this coming year. And I will make specific plans and lists of things I should be doing but that is something that I have always done and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I may list some of those plans on future blog posts, if I think they will be of interest to others. Here the things I WILL accomplish in 2009:

*Complete a triathlon
*Complete 2nd marathon (still deciding which one this will be but I'm leaning towards Chicago)
*Improve eating habits (I do have a specific plan for this particular goal which I will share soon)
*Create a 3 year personal/career development plan and begin implementation of the plan
*IMPLEMENT!!!

There are so many other things that I want to do/plan on doing but I don't really think of those things as plans they are just things that need to be done all the time. I am a great planner. I can have every day of my life planned down to the hour, I can make lists of things to do and everything thing I need to do these things. I just need to work on actually following the plans that I create. Writing something down doesn't mean much if you don't actually do it.

So my biggest promise to myself for 2009 is to "Just Do It"!!!

I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's.

Avoiding Soreness

I'm pretty sure that part of my 2009 Plan will involve going to bed at a decent time but since I haven't implemented my plan I'm up around 1 in the morning writing this blog. Sometimes I think I have insomnia because I am just not at all sleepy but I feel like I should be.

Not running for two weeks was not a good idea.....I'm so SORE! My legs feel like someone has been punching me and pulling on me. What in the world???!!! Why am I so sore??? This is what I get for taking so much time off in between runs. I will make sure this does not happen again anytime soon. It is supposed to be nice tomorrow so I think I will go for a run.

I thought I had more to say but I guess I don't so I think I'll try to make myself fall asleep.

Goodnight!

Morning Running Madness

I managed to make it out for a morning run with my running group. I'm happy they decided on 8:30 this week, 7:30 is just a bit too early for me while I'm in vacation mode. Although it isn't like I could have slept in since I was up at 7:00 when the construction workers starting banging on stuff right outside my bedroom window. I mean, DANG, they could start a little later on the weekends. I will be so happy when they finish the rest of the houses in our area.

Today's run went surprisingly well considering I haven't done any real physical activity since the last time we went running together which was about two weeks ago. I felt really good and it wasn't that cold outside which was great. It did start raining midway through the run which wasn't very pleasant. I love to run in the rain but only when it is a warm rain, cold dreary rain just isn't the same. We had our usual post-run bagels, this time I tried the "Everything" bagel with some veggie cream cheese and it was delicious. I'm not sure what is in the Everything bagel but I like it all!

I was telling Amy how I don't really do New Year's Resolutions because they tend to be so vague that it is hard to stick to them. So this year I will be doing a 2009 Plan. I'm still working out the details of this plan but it will include all aspects of my life. Don't worry.....I will be posting it on New Year's Day although I'd like to have it all planned out by Monday so I can get a head start on implementing the plan. We'll see how long I can stay on track once I've decided on my plan, at least I have you guys to help keep me in line.

Need to Improve

Dang....it has been almost a week since I posted! I guess that just shows how lazy I have been lately. I have until January 5th off from work so I have plenty of time to get myself together.

I am going to join the gym on Jan 2nd so that I can get back to swimming at lunch. Before then I am going to write out a weekly workout plan. Of course I may have to make some adjustments at times due to the weather. I really need to get on this bike! I have been procrastinating about riding it. Maybe I'm scared to ride it?! I don't know.....I was supposed to ride on Sunday BUT I had a little too much fun on Saturday night so there was no way I was going to make it on a bike. I didn't even wake up until around 9:30, slept right through my alarm. The thing that makes me mad is that it was a really nice day on Sunday and would have made for a pleasant ride. Today was sunny but it was only about 30 degrees so there was no way I was going out in that. It is supposed to warm up later on this week so hopefully I can find someone that would like to go for a ride (hint hint any of you bike riders reading)

Bike Fitting and Christmas Concert

I picked up my bike yesterday! I went up to Paceline and picked out some clips and some shoes and then got fitted for the bike. They adjusted the pedals and the seat and the handlebars to make sure that everything fit perfectly. It was weird clipping in at first but getting out was pretty easy so hopefully I won't have any problems when I do it while actually moving. The people at the bike shop said that I had perfect biking form (yay me!) which put a smile on my face. I went ahead and got some shorts, gloves and windbreaker. I figure I can just wear my running tights over my shorts while it is cold so I didn't bother with getting any long biking tights.

I have a 20 mile bike ride scheduled with Paul and Susan on Sunday so I'm hoping for nice weather, I don't want to be turned into a Popsicle! Paul assured me that they've helped several beginner bikers and that they would be there to help me untangle myself from my pedals in the unlikely (i hope) event that I fall and get stuck to them. I can't wait!

Last night after getting my bike stuff all worked out, my husband and I went to Nathan's Christmas concert. I didn't really know what to expect from a percussion only Christmas concert but it was wonderful. Well, I did have SOME idea because I have listened to Nathan's wonderful Christmas album which by the way would make the perfect background music for a Christmas party or just anytime you want to get in the Christmas spirit. If you are interested in purchasing it then you can purchase it HERE.

The concert left my husband wanting to purchase a Marimba (well, until he found out they cost about 10 grand) which he described as playing the piano like the drums. You'd get it if you've ever seen the marimba being played. The music was lovely and they played all the best Christmas songs. There was this little kid in the front row that was being very obnoxious and kept asking his mom if it was time to go, very loudly! I caught Dena giving him the evil eye several times (don't worry, I was doing it too).

I understand that parents want to go out and do things and that finding a babysitter isn't always an option. I also know that I probably can't truly relate because I don't have kids so I don't know what it is like. That being said, you know if your kid is well behaved or if they have the tendency to be loud and unable to sit still. If this is the case, then you probably shouldn't take them places such as a concert, a play, or the movies. There is nothing I dislike more (okay, yes there are but this is also high on the list) than some kid acting up at the movies, especially when it is a movie that they probably shouldn't be watching in the first place! Let me stop before this turns into an all out rant......

I Got a BIKE!!!!!

7:30 AM!!! That's what time my running group wanted to meet on Saturday. I was sooo tempted to just stay in my nice warm bed instead of getting up to almost freeze to death during a run. Of course, I did get up and meet them because I really enjoy running and even more, I enjoy running with the group. Although it was barely 30 degrees outside, I started getting hot before we had even run half a mile which was a good thing for me!

Side note: I have to start back running more than once a week! I know I could do much better if I was running more often. I'm not going to worry about it though because once it stops getting dark so soon then I will be able to.

After the run we went to Bruegger's Bagels for a postrun snack and some great conversation. We seem to have to most random and interesting conversations. Then I decided I would go to Paceline to look at some bicycles. My plan was to just look and to not buy anything but by the title of the post you can guess how that turned out. They had a great and beautiful bike there ON SALE, so how could I pass that up??? I did make a point of going home and asking my husband if it was okay before I bought it. I heard that when in a marriage you should speak with your spouse before making large purchases so that's what I did. That and the fact that I didn't have my bike rack on my car...had that been there he may have just been surprised, LOL. (just kidding)

On to the bike, I got the Cannondale Synapse Feminine Carbon 5 in Tigerlily Pearl (Orange and Black). I am so excited! I can't wait to go on my first ride. I do have to pick up some biking shorts and some shoes before riding. I will also need some cold weather riding gear since I'm sure that cold wind is brutal on a bike. Paul and Susan invited me to ride with them today, but unfortunately I won't pick up my bike until Monday. That was probably for the best though seeing as they are very experienced riders and this would be my first ride on a road bike. I still don't even really understand how the gears and brakes work yet. Not to mention I've never used the peddle clip things before. I think I will need to do some practicing around the neighborhood before I go on a real ride.

Be on the lookout for post talking about my experiences learning to ride....

Pet Store or Little Shop of Horror?

Christmas time is often the time when people buy pets as gifts. First of all, please don’t surprise someone with a puppy as a gift. That is just a BAD idea. An animal isn’t something you can just put on the back shelf and bring it out when the person that gave it to you comes to visit so they don’t feel bad (not that I’ve ever done that…I’m just saying). A pet is something you should research and really think about before purchasing.

That being said, if you do choose to get a pet for Christmas or at anytime for that matter then I strongly suggest that you either adopt, rescue or purchase from a RESPONSIBLE breeder. I am an advocate of adoption because there are soo many animals out there that will have to be put down because there is no one to care for them. I also understand the desire to have a pure breed dog.

The point of this post is to tell you that in my opinion (formed through research and personal experience) that should under no circumstances purchase a puppy from a pet store. Instead you should find a reputable breeder. There are several reasons I feel this way.

1. Pure breed dogs can often have genetic disorders. It is good idea to meet at least one of the parents of the puppy you are purchasing. You can learn a lot about a puppy from seeing its parents and the other puppies in the litter.

2. You get to see the way the puppy interacts with the rest of the litter. This way you will know if you have gotten the dominate puppy or the runt of the litter or something in the middle. When you see just one puppy in the pet store you have no idea of how that dog related to the rest of the litter….and trust me, it makes a difference in their temperament as an adult.

3. Have you seen the dogs in the pet store? I stopped by a local pet store today on my way back from lunch and I felt disgusted. There was a Beagle in there that looked emaciated and barely had the strength to stand up and get some water. Not to mention all the other dogs in there that looked lethargic and dirty. Puppies should be active!

4. You don’t know where the animal in the pet store came from. It could be from a puppy mill. Petland is in some trouble right now for allegedly purchasing their pets from puppy mills. Puppy mills are horrible, cruel places and you don’t want a dog that came from one.

Ok, I’m done…I knew I shouldn’t have gone in that pet store…..they always upset me.

Here is a picture to cheer you up!