Pictures Tell the Story

Race reports get old and tired, right? I mean, you sort of got one from me last week and you’ll probably get another in a few short weeks only to be followed by yet another in October (because we can’t only run one half marathon, ya know).

So this is me sparing you the nitty gritty details.

Instead I present to you a bit of narcissism. Who doesn’t like that, eh? So there were a few pictures from Saturday’s race, of course, as there are bound to be from an organized event. That’s how they make a few bucks after all. So let’s go over them, shall we?

Usually I am the UGLIEST of runners, all slouched and hunched over, core nowhere near engaged, stomach rolls hanging over, face dragging on the ground and mouth generally agape. This time, I was actually pleased with most of the pictures I was presented with when they emailed me the proofs.

I mean, the rolls will always be there as they’re a fact of life (my battle scars if you will), but I look kinda good! I look comfortable in my skin here. Granted, I still look damn sloppy,  but to me, I look smaller than I have in awhile! I look healthy! Even with the loose skin on my arms and the giant double chin action going on. That chick is on the move! Look at her go!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

But this picture was only one of the ones I kinda liked. Then there was the finish line. You know, where you pour it all on and run like you’ve stole something. There were a couple here with which I was pretty happy.

Yup. Don’t care about my gut. Don’t care about my arms. I think I look pretty damn good.

And although I had a rough time between 7k and 9k, I still came in under an hour, 58:20 chip time, thank you very much, which is a minute faster than my 10k time from May. The May race is actually a faster race, too. Just imagine if I had run IT instead. ENDLESS possibilities, people. ENDLESS.

Could I be back in shape? Do the pictures tell the story? You tell me.

Art Imitating Life

The other day, my coworkers and I were invited to tour a collection of  contemporary art. The curator is someone that is speaking at one of our upcoming events, but we also wanted to spend a little time with him as he’s quite the character and we wanted to get a glimpse into his fabulous collection. It was all about finding the spirituality in art as he is a Catholic priest and many of his works have religious symbolism and themes in them.

Now, I am no art aficionado. In fact, when I was doing my internship at TVO in my undergrad (for a current affairs show that no longer exists), I was working with the arts section and may have gotten myself into a spot of trouble. I remember having to shadow a producer for a day when she was covering a story on a process piece in the sculpture garden that was, in effect, a stone wall. When I wrote my weekly journal to the supervisor at the university that week that we in the media could help people understand that bricks were art, well, the senior producer promptly marched over and yelled at me, telling me I didn’t know art from Whistlers effin’ Mother. I will never forget that moment.

But it’s not to say that there aren’t pieces of art that don’t move me or I don’t appreciate. In fact, there were several pieces that I wanted to smuggle out in my pocket the other day. But really, I wanted to steal moments and words more than anything.

It was his storytelling along with the pieces that stayed with me more than the art itself as I started to think about how it all applied to life. And it started with almost the first piece.

As we began, he showed us a piece that you almost can’t recognize. It turned out to be a stained glass figure of the Virgin Mary shielded by wire mesh and plastic. The thing is that 90 per cent of people who stand before it don’t see it for the first time unless it’s explained to them or they take more than 15 seconds to REALLY look at the piece. Then they can see the figure and take it in the loveliness of the glass hidden beyond its protective layers.

This made me think of the way in which we see ourselves sometimes. We’re so busy in our day-to-day lives to stop and see what lies beneath. We see the negatives when we want, staring back at us in the mirror, because that’s what WE CHOOSE to see or that’s what is so readily apparent. Wrinkles, saggy this and that, cottage cheese thighs, fly-away arms, fat here and there and everywhere – but we don’t choose to see what lies beneath. The layers of goodness, the hard work and dedication, the hearts bigger than Texas, if you will.

Or maybe it’s not the mirror, maybe it’s just the world around you. The smog, the traffic, the crime, the trash, the unfriendly people – so many of us get caught up in the negative and don’t stop to appreciate all that is around. Are we really seeing the world or just stopping for 15 seconds on our rushed drive to work or the gym or home or the grocery store?

Take more than that and really SEE things for what they’re worth, whether it’s you, a loved one, your children, your home, your neighbourhood – ANYTHING. See the good things, make a list, see why you choose them and think of the way it makes you feel. STOP. Breathe. Appreciate. Think. Stew. Meditate. SOMETHING.

There is a curator that once said that museums are places where people go to think and feel about what it means to be human. I say that we can go anywhere and think about it anytime. We just have to stop and remember that we are human sometimes and not worry so much about all of the bad stuff.

So, like art, stop and take a closer look every now and again.  There’s something there, under the surface. You just have to look for it.

Sticking to the Plan

No, this isn’t about Weight Watchers or counting POINTS or food. Although, I should probably hop back on that bandwagon in the next month. We’ll cross that bridge in September, shall we? Sounds good.

But I’m talking about running, of course, as that seems to be my focus of late, which is understandable given the amount of time I devote to it every week.

This past weekend saw me run my first night race, A Midsummer Night’s Run. This is a race I had wanted to run for the past couple of years but never had the nerve to sign up for. This year, I hemmed and hawed about it for so long, contemplated running the 30k and not telling anyone, but then signed up for the 15k a week before because some of our clinic participants were running it.

Because this was a race that I didn’t have to run, had no history of running before and have no experience running at night, I had the opportunity to do everything right or everything wrong. So I chose to go into it with a plan, for once.

I selected a goal time that was easily attainable (1:35) and was almost my personal best for the 10-miler, which is a km more than this race. I knew that the pace that I needed to achieve it with walk breaks was 6:09/km and then decided to WATCH my Garmin for my pace the entire time. I knew I wouldn’t do the 10:1s I planned for or do in training  so I could easily give myself a buffer in my pace from 6:00 to 6:30/km and take one or two walk breaks if I really needed them.

You’d think this plan would put me at ease, right? WRONG! The whole day was a gong show since I had to get up early and bake for a get-together of some Weight Watchers online ladies that afternoon, get my butt there and then get myself down to the race in time to check my bag and putter around. Of course I hadn’t planned for the two TTC buses I had to take to BOTH have detours, adding extra time and worry to my travel, but I made it there with time to spare, met up with the clinic kids and even ran into Heather, who I ADORE, and it made me feel better starting out(even if she left me in the dust).

And the race was good. I felt comfortable the entire time. Every time I saw that I was going too fast, I eased back and enjoyed myself. For the first time I wasn’t so focused on people passing me and worrying about how that affected me. I didn’t get the huge pain in my neck that I usually do from tensing up, only a bit of discomfort which was very manageable and for once I didn’t feel like I was the ugliest runner there (my pictures always prove otherwise). When I was a kilometre away and had ten minutes to go, I knew everything was good. And I felt good, too. Yes I could have gone faster, but I wouldn’t have had a good run and I would be here making excuses today instead of thrilled with such a good, easy and respectable race.

But having a plan and sticking to a pace was the best thing. Every other time I’ve been so up and down and have paid for it. So from now on, no more running races all willy nilly because I pay for it in the end. Having a plan means that it pays off in the end :)

Keeping it Simple

It’s official – I’m old :) Well, not really. 31 to be exact. Just a young spring chicken!

Yesterday was like any other day, spent at work and capped it off with a night at the Running Room with our half marathon clinic.

Granted, the day was made extra special as my coworkers bought me bouquets of broccoli in honour of the special day (see how well they know me?) and they also took me out to lunch at Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Company. I also received some awesome little text emoticon buttons from Sam (one with devil horns! yes! \m/ ), a cupcake from one of our adorable little clinic members and tons of lovely wishes from friends and family members on twitter, facebook, texts, email, comments on here, in person, and on the phone.

All in all, it was just another day, which is exactly what I had hoped for. 

But the big day also included a little chat from about goals and motivation at our RR clinic from a really great runner and blogger that made me think about some of the things I have achieved over the last year and I hope to achieve in the next year (and beyond), and I should tie into one of those lovely memes that like to go around that Campinggirl tagged me in. But we know how I do these…

So I present to you seven things from my 30th year of which I am proud:

• Finding a job again! – seven months of unemployment were HARD, but I got through them :)
  
• Never giving up – there were days I didn’t want to get dressed, leave my apartment and avoided people, but I’m happy that I did and thankful that I have amazing people in my life. Maybe it should be that THEY didn’t give up on ME.
  
• Getting back to a healthy weight – It was something that was so easy to do but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I sometimes still think I need to lose 10 more pounds, but I’m in a good place and it’s a GOOD thing.
  
• Taking the batteries out of my scale – I know I said I was going to put them back on my birthday, but I seriously think this was the best thing I have ever done and I probably won’t put them back in until the New Year now.
  
• Pushing my limits – I swore I’d never run more than a half marathon and then suddenly, without much training, ran a 30km, a race I was pretty proud of considering I ran it all by myself, with no cheering section and in another city. But I made friends there by meeting two amazing Heathers and it was an experience I will never forget. Then, a month and a half later, I decided to push myself just a bit more by trying to run two half marathons in seven days, something that was completely bananas, especially when I caught a cold, but I did it anyway.
  
• Giving back – Volunteering was a great way to give back, but coaching run clinics has been even better. It’s not only a great way to make new friends and meet new people, but you learn more about yourself and gain confidence that you didn’t realize you had.
  
• Love you – Not you, me. Each day I love me more. Bits and pieces of me. Granted, there are parts of me I can’t stand to see, but they make me who I am, they got me where I am, and they’re going to get me where I need to go tomorrow. I have to be thankful for what I’ve got and make it all work together, because there’s no fairy godmother that’s going to come and make it all better. This may be as good as it gets and I’m the one who takes it to the next level.

But then there are seven things I should probably do this year…

• Run that pesky marathon (such a minor detail)
  
• Finally get my drivers license (I’ve been putting that one on lists for YEARS)
  
• Build back up my savings (it got severely depleted last year)
  
• Actually take vacation time AWAY from TO (hello, west coast girls!)
  
• Decrease debt (the credit cards have disappeared)
  
• Find a new place to live (it doesn’t feel like home)
  
• Keep smiling :)

Simple, right? But a mouse has gotta do what a mouse has gotta do!

So what are some of the accomplishments you’ve achieved in the past few months? In the last year? Since your last birthday? Any big goals on the horizon right now? Do you re-evaluate them regularly? What keeps you motivated and on track?

I think I get why guys won’t date me…

 

“So you run, eh?”

-I call it pathetic jogging, but we’ll go with that…

“So how far? I run on the treadmill at the gym sometimes, you know.”

-Varies. Like I ran 16km on today (Sunday).

“I’m sorry – HOW MANY KILOMETERES DID YOU RUN?!”

- um, 16.

“Is that like a marathon or something?”

-No. A half marathon is 21km and a full marathon is 42. I’ve run seven half marathons and am running my first full in the spring. It’s not that big of a deal. Lots of people do it and I’m really slow.

“WOW! That’s far! You must have awesome stamina, eh? *chuckles*”

-Um. Right. Sure.

*crickets*

 

Sadly, this is only one of the hundreds of lame conversations from my dating adventures. I’m starting to think I should write a book.

Please, wow me with some of your horrible gems. It’s my birthday week which equals the birthday blues and I could always use some pick me ups and funny pick up lines that did not work on you could do the trick

GO!

Where’s the Love?

It’s not in here, that’s for darn sure (pardon the mess).

I have been avoiding going in here, and cooking in general, for weeks.

I’ve noticed my lunches and dinners have been parts of meals and not actual feasts for the last month or so. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of inspiration, an abundance of perspiration (it’s too hot in TO to cook, dammit!) or the small cramped space just getting the better of me after two years.

But as I look into my microwavable dish at lunch every day, what continues to stare back at me is the same thing; a piece of steak, pork or chicken, some cut up peppers, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower. It makes me wonder who in their right mind would want to eat this? And WHY do I KEEP eating this, day in and day out?! There’s no imagination or thought that goes into it. No love. No spice, even! BORING.

I just go through the motions, in the kitchen and at the grocery store, buying the same things and not adding anything really different to my basket week after week. Before I used to be adventurous, trying recipes, making big batches of things and having a bit of variety throughout the week.

Where did that girl go? I mean, I don’t even boredom bake! WHAT THE HECK!?!?!?!

So maybe I just need food inspiration? A new veggie to try? A recipe to have at? Decorating ideas? Declutter the counters?

What do you think?

Dear Pitchy McPitcherson,

Hi! My name is Marie. My name is not mouseroo, webmaster or dear sir. You’d know this if you’d taken the time to read any one of the 800 or so posts here on my blog.

I’m taking the time out to write to you since you wrote me the worst pitch ever a well-crafted love note that I just couldn’t leave unnoticed in my inbox and deserved more than just a prompt deletion reply.

I appreciate that you’re looking to shill your product here on mouseroo’s mumblings, mousaroo’s mublings, <your blog name here> my blog but this isn’t the space for it.

Why? I have enough crap in my small apartment and I don’t need more of it.

But really, I play in the same sort of sandbox as you and I’m not one for free stuff. I did it for awhile and it was fun, but it gets played out REALLY fast. I get that bloggers are an awesome vehicle to share a wealth of information with their community on the interwebz, but when sloppy pitches come my way, no amount of free stuff is going to make me jump at the chance to write for you. I tend to like to write for me alone (as you’ll note by the zero comments I get *tumbleweed rolls by*).

But given the influx of emails I’ve been getting lately, I feel the need to write this so that MAYBE they’ll stop.  So let’s look at ways that YOU can help yourself not only here in mouseville, but with my friends as well:

1. What’s her name again? I know this one is really hard, especially since every post has my real first name. I’m sure if you dig around you’ll find it. My blog url is complicated, though. I’ll help you with this one. Mouse-a-roo. That A is really sneaky, eh?  Say it again with me kids, MOUSE – A – ROO. Good job!
2. What’s she all about? I am NOT a mommy blogger. Fashion does NOT interest me. I don’t drink juice. I do not care about the MMA. I have no interest in the Atkins diet. My header gives you me in a nutshell and that takes you all of five seconds to read. I really subscribed to the K.I.S.S. principle there, eh?
3. What’s my 10-20? Sending me information on a promotion in the US is fairly useless. I live north of the 49th parallel in an igloo, so information on dogsleds and parkas are always welcome.
4. What should YOU say? Well, talk to ME directly! Show me that you read the blog, give me a two line snippet of one or two posts. Congratulate me on a race, or a weight loss milestone, tell me to cheer up if I wrote something about being down – just show that you know that I actually wrote (or maybe I haven’t written) and you NOTICED! Just don’t play it up like you’ve read my blog and your product falls in line with what I write and who reads it when we have nothing in common. It makes the entire industry look foolish.
5. Who should you write to? It’s subtle, but you should be writing to me and me alone. Make sure it’s not a form letter sent out blindly to a whole whack of bloggers with generic information and the onus on me to contact you back for more information. Make it simple, engaging, personalized and thoughtful.

 

Personally, I just don’t like being pitched at all. I like knowing where I can go and purchase cool stuff MYSELF rather than having stuff thrown at me, so if you want to tell me about cool stuff happening in TO or if a new health product is being introduced in my neighbourhood, maybe a sale on fitness stuff or a healthy challenge online, then DEFINITELY let a mouse know.

Sound good?

Until then, let’s aim for inbox zero.

<3 mouse

GBU–what long weekend? edition

Good – LONG WEEKEND! WOOOT! PARTY!
Bad – Uh…Where’s the rest and relaxation part of these long weekends?
Ugly – I could carry small children around in the bags under my eyes

Good – Sundays are meant for long runs. 14km! YAY!
Bad – 14km with a big mother lovin’ hill. Who planned this route?
Ugly – Oh. You did. Shut up, stupid.

Good – Convincing your friend to buy a MacBook. muahahahha
Bad – Convincing your friend to buy said MacBook after an hour and a half of shopping already.
Ugly – Convincing your friend after an hour and a half of shopping while wearing sweaty running clothes after running 14km because she didn’t give you a chance to go home and shower and change. Classy.

Good – Friends that have housewarmings! YAY!
Bad – Friends that have housewarmings that love cheese just as much as you do! Oh noes!
Ugly – Friends that have housewarmings that love cheese just as much as you do and bake these evil things that are brownies on top of shortbread. SERIOUSLY!

Good – Monday. Off. Phone. Silent. Couch. Sitting. BLISS!
Bad – Realize you are actually surrounded by dust bunnies that could beat you in a race up that hill.
Ugly – Getting up off of that couch and cleaning the rest of the day. BALLS!

Good – Clean apartment. Clean laundry. Clean bathtub, even.
Bad – Where did the weekend go?
Ugly – When I walked into the wall this morning. And I can’t even blame it on Monday.