Run Streak Day 19

When I was awoken by the most horrendous phone siren in stereo at 4am I have to admit, I got excited.  Well, outside of my first reaction which was incredibly annoyed.

Winter Storm Draco!  The first (and probably last) winter storm of 2012 is supposed to hit us tonight!  The NWS is predicting 6-15″ of snow and 50mph winds.  In other words, total blizzard chaos.

In order to enjoy a potential blizzard to the fullest, you absolutely must prepare.  I started prepping around 8:30a this morning.

Kip and I ran errands for a few hours including snow boot buying (how have we lived in Iowa as adults for 3 years without snow boots?) and serious groceries.

Okay, not so serious.  Basically,  the regular necessities plus champagne and orange juice.

Of course, I needed an almond milk latte in hand to power me through.  That is just good pre-blizzard etiquette.

After a seriously FUN FXB kickboxing workout at noon partnered with my good friend, Melissa, surrounded by 10 of my other friends, Kip and I left work and headed out for lunch at Panera.

 

(Kip bam-bam style at lunch)

After a few more errands, we ended up at home and very short on time.  I was really hoping I would be able to go for one last long run (5-6 miles) while the weather was still nearly 40 degrees and no wind.  However, I had 45 minutes before I had to go to work.  Luckily, I planned ahead just in case something like this would happen and I was already dressed in my running gear.

I grabbed Miles the D-O-double G and off we went.  We ran our new-ish route.

Do you remember how I mentioned how awesome Miles was on our run yesterday?  Well, apparently he wanted to show me both extremes because today he was awful.

It’s those damn squirrels.  You see, Miles is obsessed with catching one of those little guys and has been for quite some time.   So today, when we were running and a squirrel sat in the middle of the sidewalk; he went for it.  At full speed.

I know this dog better than he knows himself, so I was prepared to stop him.  It was him or me, people.  Miles is so strong I think he could rip my shoulder out of it’s socket.  You just have to be on the ball.  This doesn’t do any good, however, if the squirrel starts running down the sidewalk directly in front of him!  That’s when I lost the battle and had to let go of the leash which led me to a neighbors yard while Miles tried to climb their tree.

There were 3 more squirrel sitings each a little more stressful than the previous one.  After he was so close to catching the squirrel on the sidewalk, any other siting made him want it that much more.

So.Naughty.

Half-way through, he calmed down and we finished our run the way they should always be: peaceful.  He ran great the final 2 miles without any stops and very good listening.

 

(before the storm.  on our route about 5 hours before Draco is supposed to hit)

 

(mid-run after Miles gave up on squirrel quest and we were both enjoying the exercise)

 

(all finished running.  a little puppy love for taking my guy out for a run and I’d like to think a bit of an apology as well)

I guess I was secretly hoping I would’t have to work tonight, but I did and it was great.  A lot of excitement in the air about the pending storm and I got to meet a few new members at FXB.  Plus, I knew I was ready for the storm and I could just go home and relax.  Kip even came in and helped me close up.  Love him so much.

If storm Draco is anything like it’s Slytherin namesake, it’s bound to be nasty.

Time will tell.

Until then,

xo

Run Streak Day 18

Woke up refreshed today ready for the 4:30am shift at FXB!  I know this sounds horrible, but I usually sleep great when Kip is out of town.  It’s not like I don’t sleep well when Kip is next to me, but I’m such a light sleeper that the quietness of a room to myself provides for an even better sleep.  Just to be clear though, I love my husband more than anything.

Okay, let’s move forward.  I taught upper body strength training at 6am and got a great workout in.  Man, I rag on working out in the morning all the time (I’m not a morning person regardless of how much I try to tell myself I am), but it was really nice to have my FXB workout out of the way.

Miles and I hit the concrete for our run during the late afternoon on our newest route (part of the Turkey Trot for all your DBQ’ers).  We ran 4+ miles together and he was a perfect angel.  It was actually a bit unnerving how well behaved he was.

Don’t get me wrong; Miles is the best behaved dog I know and he is so smart, his intelligence blows me away (for a dog).  However, he is a 5 year old puppy.  He has so much energy when he is outside and is so curious, he usually stops a dozen times on our runs together.  It drives me crazy insane.  He can keep a pretty good pace (8:30 miles or less), but we have to stop a lot.  For a runner, there is nothing worse than getting into a great pace and stride and then having to break because your furry mut uses his 75lbs of pure muscle against you.

Not today though.  He stayed right with me and we ran a full 1.5 miles with no ‘mark stops’ or 15 second sniff sessions.  That doesn’t sound like a long distance, but with my Miles… believe me it is.

 

(Miles obviously reflecting on how well behaved he was today)

 

(post run me)

I should mention though, that after we finished our run, Miles got a little weird about the tree in our backyard.  He is so dedicated to catching squirrels (which he hasn’t yet- but could easily unleashed), I’m pretty sure he believe that he’ll be able to climb this tree someday.

 

(total focus)

I went back into the work for an hour to help Kip out with open enrollment for our FXB January Challenge and then we ended the night with a party!

Kip and I met up with the other teachers at the dance studio I teach at to celebrate the season with each other over dinner.  It was really nice to finally have Kip meet and spend time with my co-workers at the dance studio. We had a great time.

I’m loving the holiday spirit right now.  It is palpable. <3

Until tomorrow,

xo

Run Streak Day 17

Hello, Monday!

Back to the grind.  I accomplished so much today, it was refreshing to be so productive.  Since Saturday was crazy and Sunday was lazy, I was able to get caught up on all the things I normally would’ve done during the weekend (mainly housework).

Miles and I went for our 4+ mile run around 2:30pm.  It was cold, but if the forecast is correct, it’s about to be a lot worse.

(just kidding!  actually, we’re supposed to get about 6-10″ of snow Thursday this week)

We’ve been running a new route for 4+ mile runs lately, it’s nice to get a change of scenery.  I usually procrastinate my runs to the point of ‘now or never’ and running from my house makes the most sense in these situations.  Unfortunately, my busy body and distracted mind completely forgot about photos today.  You’ll just have to use your imagination to get your daily dose of Miles cuteness.

Since I’m on holiday for dance lessons, I went into FXB for the night shift today.  It was great!  I got to teach a class I normally do not teach and I was off work around 8pm instead of 9:30pm (hello, early bedtime!).

Kip went to work out of town today and stayed overnight.  I can’t wait for the weekend when I get to hang out with him for 4 uninterrupted days!  It will be a Christmas Miracle!

Until tomorrow,

xo

Run Streak Days 15 & 16: Weekend Recap!

Saturday:

I was a bit nervous for our big Saturday community event at FXB all week.  When the alarm went off at 4:45am, I was definitely feeling like, “Here goes nothing…”  There had a been a lot of excitement building up for the last few weeks regarding our Annual Gift Drive for the Riverview Center and since Kip had been gone all week and I was (literally) putting out fires at FXB (okay, this is only *partially* true- our furnace was smoking through the ceiling, so I’m being a bit dramatic), I was kinda feeling unprepared.  It’s a good thing I’ve learned to work well under pressure (queue David Bowie song).

With the help of Abrey, our right hand woman at FXB, everything went off without a hitch!  Actually, it was amazing!  We had 130+ participants in our 2 kickboxing classes and each person made a donation towards giving people in our community who have been affected by sexual &/or domestic violence a chance at a very merry Christmas.  I don’t have to say how good and important it felt to give and do something positive after a day of such tragedy and violence.

To read more about this amazing event, check out Josh Jasper’s Blog.

(both classes: 6:30am & 8:15am sweating together to GIVE!)

After the workouts were over and all the sweat was cleaned up off that mat, home we went for a few short hours and I got my 3 mile run in.  I was exhausted and it was cold and rainy.  Then, in the evening, at the gracious donation of John Digman, dinner was served to all who donated to the gift drive for free!  We also enjoyed celebrating with Santa and some Karaoke.
.

(a good friend, Jim, playing Santa to a group of VERY excited children)

All it all, it was a day to remember.

Sunday:

A day of relaxing.  Kip and I woke up pretty early and laid around all day recuperating from a hectic week of traveling (for Kip) and non-stop work since the 3rd for me.  I did do a little Christmas shopping and while I was out at the mall, I decided: online it is.  Just too hectic for me.

Ran 3 miles to my dismay.  I totally didn’t want to do it, but I remembered that I always feel proud and accomplished when I’m finished.  Somedays, you have to remember the benefit of the outcome before you even start.  Today was one of those days.

Until tomorrow,

xo

All Snuggled In.

I just want to get in on this cozy snuggle! Ugh, too cute!

Run Streak Day 14 / Tragedy

My 5 mile run was very reflective today.  I was alone in my thoughts of the terrible tragedy that took place in Connecticut.

I can’t explain my confusion or my deep sadness when I try to imagine, “why?”  There is no “why”; there is no reason.

I can’t help but imagine my youngest dance class (all about 5-6 years old) and it makes me sick to think that there is someone out there who could kill them.  Children are precious and their innocence is a treasure.  I’m truly heartbroken over the loss of each of their lives as well as the teachers who gave their lives trying to protect them.

As a nation, we’ll never forget.  As an individual, I think my heart will forever be heavy.

Our country is grieving. Each child who has been slaughtered belongs to each of us and each slain adult is a member of our family. It is impossible to explain the horror to ourselves and to our survivors. We need to hold each other’s hands and look into each other’s eyes and say, “i am sorry.”
- Maya Angelou

I am sorry.

Run Streak Day 13

Oh, Day 13.  You’ve been extra kind.

I went to bed Wednesday night full knowing that my hubby would be back before I woke up.  I also knew that as soon as Kip pulled into the driveway, I would know about it via mad barking.  It was actually kind of sweet.

Miles was barking like crazy in the kitchen and then I hear his little big paws come running into the bedroom and then he stood on my side of the bed barking at me.  I could tell he was worried, he wanted to make sure I would wake up and be prepared for the apocalypse (which in dog terms is anyone in the driveway or on the lawn EVER) and I said quietly to him, “Miles, it’s okay.  It’s just Dad”.  He stopped barking for half a second and then hauled ass into the kitchen continuing his barking streak and then instant gratification.  Miles was so excited to see Kip, it was so sweet.  I of course, was wide awake because of all of this craziness and then had a hard time falling back asleep.

I did however, get up bright and early to meet up with Josh Jasper, CEO of the Riverview Center (a non-profit that provides services to victims of sexual and domestic violence) to go on-air for an interview about something very special we (Riverview Center and FXB) are  are doing together to provide a very Merry Christmas for the families the Riverview Center services.

On Saturday, 12/15, FXB will be hosting two extra special kickboxing classes that our members will donate toys or items to participate in and these gifts will be given to the families of the Riverview Center that have been affected by domestic and sexual violence. This will be our second year of this event and last year was a huge success, but this year is going to be EPIC. There is so much excitement building on the event,  I can’t wait to write all about it over the weekend, so stay tuned!

After a short day of work at FXB, Miles and I went out for our run together.  It was so beautiful out, but I was still feeling a little off (I think my chili diet might be catching up to me) so we only ran 3 miles.  I think if the weather is just as nice tomorrow, we will try for a longer run 5 or 6 miles.

Since Kip is back in town, I actually had a ‘photographer’!  I felt a little spoiled and he was such a good sport about taking a dozen photos of his wife running around with the dog.  I am rarely a good sport about taking pictures of him while he SUP’s, but in my defense, it’s a lot more work than just going outside.

 

(Miles and I dancing a little before our run- he gets sooo excited. Talk about a dedicated running partner… all you have to do is whisper the word and this is how he reacts)

 

(some pre-run photos on the bottom; including an action shot of Miles running crack laps around the yard and a photo of me and my best pal running in front of the driveway-yes, totally staged)

After our run, I had to go into dance for my last class of the year!  I always love going on holiday break for dance, it comes at the perfect time when life starts to feel it’s craziest.  Of course, I will still have 3 solos and 1 duet that I will continue to choreograph and work on over break, but it’s more laid back than actual group classes.

It was such a great last night.  My only class of the evening had 6 of our 14 dancers and they were such a good group!  My class is fairly divided between experienced lyrical dancers and beginners.  I would say all my beginners were in class tonight and since they are all so comfortable with each other and their different skill levels, they were in high spirits and super fun!  All my classes this year are great! I will miss them over this next 4-6 weeks.

Spending the rest of the night with my two favorite guys:  Kip and Miles the Dog.  What could be better?

Until tomorrow,

xo