What a workplace!

Just last week my co-worker, Sharon, made incredibly tasty cupcakes for another co-worker's birthday. My oh my were they ever delicious too! And then today, I come in to find that co-worker Dave has prepared some delicious pre-holiday treats for us all. And better yet, they were just a bit more than a biteful ...otherwise known as guilt-free. Coupled with an unexpected free lunch today and it's just about the best work week ever!

Check it out... tiny gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese based pumpkin icing

So the week has been a study in gradual improvement. I'm staying busy with many large projects at the office, I returned to spin class on Monday night and Iris could not have provided a tougher but still welcoming workout and it feels as though I'm improving in my workouts at the pool. Tomorrow morning I'll be heading to the sports med doc and although I wasn't able to book with my regular doc, I'm hopeful that I'll still get some good information and a bit more direction about how to treat my leg. And last but not least, I have tons of great new soup recipes to try out. I may get one going tomorrow before the weekend hits and my family starts to show up.

Bottoming Out

I had no idea that bottoming out was a term used in breast augmentation... interesting b/c I'm a loyal Dr. 90210 viewer and I've never heard it there either. ??? For those intrigued here's what it means...

When implants "bottom out", this means that the implants have descended too low on the chest, thus making the nipple too high on the breast mount. If bottoming out is apparent shortly after surgery, it is most likely due to over-dissection of the pocket. If it occurs later on, it is usually due to the weight of the implant.

At any rate, it's not like I've been on some huge downward spiral but when I feel down and out of sorts I feel that a bottoming out day/week/month is the last step I need to experience before renewing my lifestyle, my health on all fronts and most importantly, my attitude. I've only half-heartedly been dedicated to figuring out what's up with my leg, to finding alternative ways to work out & invigorate myself and to planning good & nutritious meals. After a lunch involving way-too-much-cheese yesterday and the 2nd of two weekends in a row where I felt way too inactive, I decided that today would be the clean slate day. Thus yesterday was my bottoming out, no implants involved.

Items of particular focus:
- a solid training plan (not for anything in particular) that is not running-centered but will hold me accountable
- an appt with Dr. Metzl (sports med doc extraordinarie)
- new recipes including everything I need to make some big batches of tasty soups
- bringing my lunch to work everyday or nearly everyday
- starting off each day with some simple yoga, stretching and meditation

It feels good to make some plans to get moving ...on life! It also feels good knowing that within a week's time I'll have the first of my family members arriving into town for Thanksgiving. Yay!!!! Lastly, it feels good to hang with this little guy


Jason and I watched his nephews and niece last night and although 3 of the 4 kiddos were pooped beyond staying awake but an hour after we arrived, Keaton was as cute, chill and cool as ever. Snuggly, smiley, sweet baby time is an instant jump start to a clean slate kind of day.

Time for a sammich

...of the cupcake variety.


Courtesy of my co-worker, Sharon. Guilt-free courtesy of 1500+ yds. of a.m. swimming. I love math. :-)

Oh and yes, I have a new book recommendation for those that enjoy running, it's called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

Breast stroke, side stroke, fancy diving too

Anyone else remember this camp song? You keep singing it over and over again, each time omitting lyrics and replacing them with actions until you've got just a humming, choreographed rendition of the song.

Swimming, swimming (swimming strokes)
In the swimming pool (draw square in front of you)
When days are hot (wipe hand across forehead)
When days are cold (wrap arms around self and shiver)
In the swimming pool (draw square)
Breast stroke (imitate breast-stroke)
Side-stroke (imitate side-stroke)
Fancy diving, too (imitate diving)
Oh don’t you wish you never had (shake finger)
Anything else to do but...

So that's what kept me occupied this morning while swimming laps. That and the feeling that my crappy left leg isn't just my hamstring this time. If it is just my hamstring, I don't want to waste both my and my doctor's time by visiting him again. But if it's not... ugh.

Fall is back

Extra extra, read all about it - fall came back to NYC and I got out for a run to celebrate!  

Not sure what the contributing jet stream factors were but for some reason the entire last week was filled with weather that resembled the end of summer more than nearly mid-November.  It was warm, humid and unnatural feeling.   It seems to have blown out yesterday in a day o' fog & rain.   And today is back to fall ...crisp temps, lots of sunshine and just the right amount of wind.  It all begged for a run and so I complied.  

Suited up with the thigh compression sleeve, me and my "pillow of butt" headed for the bridle path.  It was slow, it was not easy going and it was not without pain but it was a run.  And for that I'm grateful.  I'll continue to keep my runs this way for the foreseeable future, eh not that I really have a choice.   It is humbling but I know rebuilding myself and rehabbing this crabby leg is the right thing to do.   Back to the pool tomorrow morning.

Regardless of your vote yesterday

History was made. We should all be proud as responsible, voting individuals and a united country despite our party & belief differences.

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

-Mary Anne Radmacher

My lack of running

It's not fun. I feel I'm lacking direction, a bit depressed and without a goal. Especially after watching and cheering along the NYC marathon course on Sunday. Ugh. I don't want to come home from work every day, sad and eating way too much smoked cheddar popcorn. I need a plan! Something to keep me motivated and running [a little] while I resolve my left leg issues, something I can look to on a daily basis and feel I'm making progress. I still have plenty of running fitness but will need to work a program up to bring my other systems back to where they were in early summer. This will include time back with weights, more stretching, more swimming, spin classes and better nutrition. Seems that just having decided this feels like a good step in the right direction.

It's also a step in the direction opposite spending money and trying to fill the happiness bucket with material things, like my Rojo cabinet (which arrived today!!!!) Thanks to Jason for sending me pictures of the new arrival and thanks to Dillon for inspecting the cabinet and assuring it was safe for our home.


I can't wait to get home and fill it up with my books, board games and other trinkets. Yay!!!

And after waking early for the opening of our voting location this morning, perhaps ...just perhaps I can make the switch to early morning running and workouts. I haven't died yet from the 5:50 a.m. alarm. ;)

Sweeter than candy

Check out the cutest Mummy nephew evah!



And his adorable Fairy sister