100 Things about Me

After reading a few other 100 things lists, I thought I'd give it a go since I have nothing running related to report. (unfortunately) We'll see if I can come up with 100!

100 THINGS ABOUT ME!

1. I am 28 years old
2. But my birthday is in just a few weeks, May 7th!
3. I love my birthday and presents
4. After becoming a mom, I have had to lower my expectations since the day no longer gets to be all about me. This was a difficult transition
5. I hated my name growing up because it was a boys name
6. When I complained to my mom, she called me Penelope for almost a year, which made me cry. Suddenly Kasey didn't seem so bad
7. My name was spelled "Casey" when I was born. My mom switched it when I was 4 months old
8. She wanted to switch it again when I was in high school to "Kaci" I told her to leave it alone
9. I am 5'10", the tallest girl in my family
10. My mom is 5'1"-I was taller than her in the 4th grade
11. I didn't want to get married until I was over 30
12. I got married when I was 20
13. We had our honeymoon in Florida
14. The highlights were the roller coasters and getting to help with the dolphin show at Busch Gardens
15. I didn't ever want kids
16. I have 3 kids
17. I am ridiculously competitive
18. It drives me crazy that my kids are so competitive with each other
19. My last real job before having kids was a Professional Snowboard Instructor
20. I was a snowboard instructor until I was 5 1/2 months pregnant
21. I love movies
22. I can't usually pass the shelf of $5 DVDs without buying one
23. My husband and I rarely have conversations without movie quotes thrown in
24. Yes, we are nerds
25. I love disaster movies-Volcano, The Day After Tomorrow, The Core, 2012. They make me laugh
26. Movies put me to sleep-I usually last less then 10 minutes
27. My middle toe is longer than my big toe
28. It is also shaped like an alien
29. I hold my pen between my index and middle finger
30. I love music
31. I grew up playing the piano, trumpet, violin and clarinet
32. I can still play the piano and the clarinet
33. The violin is very painful on the ears when you are learning
34. I got my first tattoo right after I turned 18
35. Now I have three
36. The only other tattoo I would consider would be a wedding band
37. I forget to wear my wedding ring a lot
38. My favorite color is blue
39. When I shop for clothes, I am usually in the mood for a certain color depending on the day
40. I have always made fun of my sister for being "type A"
41. My son is SO type A it is scary
42. God has a funny sense of humor sometimes
43. I love puzzles
44. Doing a puzzle with three little kids around is a challenge
45. I haven't tried a new puzzle in a while because of this
46. I am always cold, especially my feet
47. When I take an ice bath, I turn blue
48. I love to read
49. I tend to ignore the world when I have a new book
50. My husband doesn't like to read by me because I read faster
51. He once quizzed me on a chapter because he thought I was skimming to be faster
52. I won
53. Playing old maid growing up with my siblings, the cards were marked
54. I cried every time I lost for years
55. I didn't know the cards were marked until I was 20
56. My family is competitive
57. My husband's face when he first saw the winners dance was priceless(yes there is a dance)
58. We are also bad winners
59. I've gotten better since having kids
60. I still hate to lose
61. My husband won't play board games with me anymore
62. I like to color in my kids coloring books when they are asleep
63. I have my own box of crayons that I don't share to keep the tips nice
64. I am a little addicted to Facebook
65. I do not like any of the Facebook games like Farmville
66. I cannot stand the sound of crunching ice, or when the kids crunch suckers
67. I loved to crunch ice when I was pregnant
68. The sound was still horrible
69. I always tell everyone my husband is the same height as me
70. I think I am actually 1/4 inch taller
71. I wanted to marry someone over 6' so I could feel petite
72. I enjoy driving and drive most of the time, even when my husband is in the car
73. It bugs my dad that I drive when my husband is in the car
74. Wearing a dress makes me self conscious
75. I really like wearing skirts
76. It is hard to find skirts that are long enough when you are tall
77. I love ballet and used to dream about dancing professionally
78. A teacher flat out told me I was too big, which broke my heart
79. I still love it, and am enjoying teaching it
80. People who don't try their hardest drive me nuts
81. My running shoes are the only shoes I own that lace up
82. I would prefer to wear sandals over anything else
83. My kids make me laugh and make me want to scream all at once
84. I like my girls' hair to be fixed at all times-it bothers me when little girls look like they haven't had their hair brushed in a week
85. I rarely fix my own hair, and just leave it in a ball or bun
86. It bothers me when people mispronouce my daughters name, or spell my sons name wrong
87. I went out of my way to make them origional-what did I expect?
88. I lose my cell phone on a regular basis in my house
89. I am a picky eater
90. I do not like the taste of meat at all
91. I was a complete vegetarian until I was pregnant with my first
92. I had one beef craving with each pregnancy
93. I still only eat chicken if it is heavily seasoned and cleverly disguised to not taste like chicken
94. I have no idea how to cook anything meat related but chicken
95. My sweet tooth is my biggest hurdle to eating healthy
96. I love to bake, especially when I am stressed
97. My kids are picky eaters and it drives me crazy
98. I love the feeling of clean sheets
99. I hate doing dishes and only do them when my husband is out of town
100. The classic Scooby-Doo cartoons are still my favorites, but they still scare my kids

My Favorite Things

I am missing running, no surprise there. What is making me smile is my running "stuff" that I am missing. For fun, I thought I'd make a list to see where it went.

Running Stuff

• Lacing my shoes. They are my only shoes that lace. Isn't that funny?
• My Balega socks. I love those socks.
• My NEON YELLOW Brooks Vest. That vest is so LOUD I love to wear it!
• My music-running is the best time I have to listen to my own music. Right now my ipod is getting used mostly for Ballet music-not nearly as fun
• My running log, now I call it my exercise log. I liked it better when I was recording MILES not laps
• My watch-I realized the only time I use a watch is when I run
• Alone time-swimming laps is pretty solitary, but there are still people around that chat while you rest. I didn't realize how much I enjoy just being ME
• Mountain Berry Shot Bloks for long runs

Good Stuff about NOT Running (this list will be short)

• Less laundry
• Charging my ipod less
• My watch and sports bra tan lines are fading. (I'm actually pretty proud of those tan lines)

Wow, that's all I've got. Anyone have something to add to the list?

Blonde Mom Swims

Blonde Mom no longer runs. I am still trying to wrap my mind around that one. I admit, I was in quite the funk this weekend. Seeing people out running in the sunshine made me jealous. My husband went for a run to meet us at the soccer game. Great for him-he is really wanting to get back into shape. It just made me jealous and sad. I don't handle being injured well.

Today was my first swim workout. I am not a great swimmer, but I am not bad either. I am thankful for an early morning lap swim time, so I can get a workout in. Last year when I started swimming laps in preparation for a sprint triathlon, I was humbled by the fact I could only do a lap without gasping for breath. I was pleasantly surprised today with being able to do my first 4 laps without a break. Not bad for having not gone swimming in 7-8 months.

There is a group of "elite" swimmers that are there daily. I ended up in one of the their lanes since the slower lanes were crowded. I did okay for a while, but was more than happy to scoot over when space allowed. A very nice lady clued me in on their workouts, and I knew they were beyond me right now. Not a problem. I've come to the conclusion that athletes in general are nice.

Aqua jogging
This was my first attempt at aqua jogging. I had read about it, and had the general idea. After swimming laps for 20 minutes, I went to the deep end with the float belt to give it a go. I felt like such a dork. I was the only person under the age of 60, which was funny. Everyone else was floating around chatting, I was trying to "run" intervals. I'm glad there aren't mirrors or anything at pools. I did 2:00 hard, 1:00 recovery figuring that would be like running 400's. Sort of. I didn't feel like I got a running work out, but I was tired by the end of 6 reps. I went back to swimming laps for the last 10 minutes.

I stopped after 45 minutes remembering last time I swam a full hour after not swimming for a long time, I was sore! I would like to be able to lift my arms tonight. So far, so good.

No news on the MRI yet. I am hoping they call with my appointment soon. After having the doctor poke at me, I have been more sore than ever. Praying the MRI will be soon, and will give an answer as to what is going on!

To avoid being all doom and gloom-who wants to start a Monday that way?

Goals for the week:

• Be POSITIVE and not grumpy. It is not my family's fault I can't run!
• Don't buy anything sweet, sugary, or pastry like.
• Eat a fruit and/or vegetable at every meal!
• No Baking! (it is a comfort thing-then I eat it)
• Be THANKFUL that I am able to swim for exercise. It is way better than nothing!
• Keep a food journal

My weight has been creeping up just a bit with my mileage being so low, and me eating a lot of sweets because of stress. I was somewhat embarrassed to get weighed at the doctors office. I am really going to work on making better choices is week. I'll keep you posted!

No News is Not Good News

I had a reasonably good tempo run on Thursday morning. I just went by feel, trying to keep a relatively hard pace for 4 miles. I was very pleased to finish with just over an 8:00 average. I haven't lost all my speed! That was the good news. My shin started really hurting after 3 miles, worse than ever. It hurt when I got home for the rest of the day which hasn't been the norm.

I gave in and called the doctor. I really dislike doctors, especially when they tell me to take it easy! To my surprise, they fit me in the next day, (Friday morning). I do like the new doctor that I found, and she took her time and listened to what's been going on. She is an occasional runner, so she was understanding about me not wanting to give up running.

I didn't get my wish. She sent me in for an x-ray on that leg, but what has her really concerned is the lump that is next to the shin bone. It is not sensitive to the touch like a bruise, and is hard. Very weird. Well, it didn't hurt until she started poking at it. After that it did hurt.

I got the call about my x-ray this afternoon. Great news! All clear. Oh wait, not great news-they don't know what's wrong. Up next, MRI. Until I have the MRI and they figure out what is going on, no running. NO RUNNING! I knew it was coming, but it still is so hard to hear.

I can swim, and possibly use a stationary bike. No running, no elliptical, no stair climber. I even asked about rollerblading, just in case. No go. My race schedule is seriously in jeopardy. Okay, she told me flat out my May races werent' going to happen, and the Seattle RNR is unlikely. I'm going to ignore that last part until it's a sure thing.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I am amazed that it is April already, and Easter. My family and I had a wonderful weekend. Unfortunately, it included no running. Or maybe that is a good thing. I'm resting like I should, right?

I got to take my youngest (call me Piggy!-not sure why she wants to be a piggy, but sure) on a date with my mom. We went to a gift shop and picked out a new snuggle for her, similar to her old one. She took picking it out very seriously. I wasn't sure she would be willing to replace Lily, but she picked out another frog named Tadbit. And best of all, SHE NAPPED! Praise God!

After shopping, we went in a shoe store that actually had a good supply of running shoes. Awesome! Chatted with the owner, got fit and discussed the problems I've been having. She was a great help and suggested the Asics Nimbus, but did not have my size. Probably a good thing as it is not in the budget for this week. Tried on the Cumulus which I liked okay, but want to wait and compare to the Nimbus. Thoughts?

The kids woke up EARLY this morning. I had to laugh when my husband informed them Easter didn't start until the sun came up. Church was wonderful, then we went and spent the day at my moms. The hunt was hilarious, and we all made ourselves sick on candy.

I am planning on running tomorrow morning, just to give it a try. If my shin is painful, I promised to call the doctor. I am hoping that only running 10 miles last week was enough! I am missing running so much. If it does still hurt, I guess it's time to start swimming. And dieting! I am still eating like I am running 30 miles per week. Time to hide the candy...

Good Friday

I decided to run this morning feeling the need to get out and have ME time. It was AWESOME and so totally worth it. I did not give myself a lot of time, which was probably wise. The temptation to keep going was strong!

I ran less than 3 miles, and I definitely felt my shin. It didn't feel good, but it wasn't horribly painful either-just there. My stride felt normal, so I kept going. It felt amazing this morning! It was a perfect 37 degrees, and you could feel a storm coming in the air. The sky was bright red in the east. I mean BRIGHT RED! I wish I had a camera with me. It felt great knowing that I was one of the few people out and about to see that incredible start to the morning.

Then being able to watch as the clouds started rolling in, covering the red sky. It started to rain lightly and it just felt wonderful to be out and moving. My breathing easy, upper body relaxed, just enjoying the feeling of running in the early morning quiet. The clouds dropped lower and opened. It rained a little harder. No wait, now it's snowing. It didn't start coming down hard until I was 3 blocks from home. It worked out perfectly.

I came home relaxed, refreshed, and ready to be a much happier mom. My shin is hurting somewhat now, but I maintain it was worth it! There is something so incredible about experiencing a beautiful morning while running. It was a perfect way to start Good Friday, having that quiet time to be thoughtful and thankful.

Good Things

My blogs this week have been real downers. I am not normally a negative person-at least, I try hard not to be. Yes, we all know it is not fun to be injured (I am not admitting I am officially injured), but who wants to read whining? I don't even like writing it, although I freely admit it feels good to vent. Venting to non runners doesn't really count since they don't get it.

So today's blog is going to be about GOOD THINGS!

1. New Runners World today! Let me hear a Woot Woot! And I showed more willpower than usual and did not read the whole thing in one sitting. It might last me until tomorrow.
2. Runners World has an article about dealing with being injured. It made me laugh. Oh the irony!
3. I got to sleep in two days in a row past 7am! Wow! I miss my morning run, but the extra sleep is something I could get used to.
4. And better yet, a cute 2 year old blonde barista took my coffee order in bed, and my husband delivered it. Good way to start the morning. (we make our own espresso at home)
5. That cute 2 year old finally took a nap today WITHOUT her SNUGGLE! Huge step, and will make my evening much better. (finding her snuggle would be even better. Lily is still missing!)
6. I got ALL the star coins on Super Mario Brothers Wii. For any of you that have that game, you know it is a huge deal! (sad, I know-but my son loves that game)

I have not run since Tuesday. I did ballet yesterday, and some ballet conditioning and core work today. (all no impact) My shin feels fine when I am walking around on it. Should I try running tomorrow? Just to see? I could go swim instead, but I have a hard time getting in a cold pool when it's cold outside. I know, I'm such a wimp.

Try to run? Or Swim? I don't know if I can handle three days in a row of sleeping in.