New Year, New Me

Like the post says...
It's the New Year, y'all. Time for some resolutions.

First, duh, blog more. To do that, I think I need to write less, but more frequently. One of the reasons I haven't written is because I sit here for hours to write a five paragraph post.

Second, do more, so there's stuff to blog about. So I'm probably not going to stick solely to running, not that I ever really did, but I may end up telling you about some other ... well, let's jump in. I joined JDate. And I hate it. I joined in a fit of desperation/loneliness/stupidity, as my dating life has been really spotty. I figured, what harm could it do? Well, not fifteen minutes after posting my profile, it was like I was chum for sharks. 60-year-old Jewish sharks. Why is it that I seem to attract men 20 years my senior? There is nothing wrong with 60-year-old men, but I don't want to date them. I'm not looking for a 17-year-old, but I want someone closer to my age than my dad's.

Also, every time I would get on the site to look around, I'd get IMed be someone. I hate IM. I won't use it on FB or any of the other social sites. But you can't turn it off on JDate. And I'd get so many e-mail notifications of people who are "flirting" with me, which I find vomitocious, that I stopped checking my e-mail.

That all being said, I did manage to connect with two people from the site, one of whom wrote me to give me his real e-mail because he was as disgusted with JDate as I was. And I will listen to my friend, who told me to stick with it for a month. Two more weeks to go...

There was a third thing I resolved to do this year, and I guess it goes along with No. 2, and that is to find more balance in my life. When I was doing theater, I did it 24/7, which sounds like fun, and a lot of it was, but it was almost all work. I got out of theater because I wanted to actually have a social life and do other things I was interested in. So I switched careers to become a court reporter, and as a newbie, I was still working 24/7 on it. Any time I wasn't taking a depo, I was working on it. Well, I'm two years into it, and have two (!) people who work for me to take some of the time pressure off, and I'm ready to actually enjoy some leisure time.

One of the ways I'd like to spend that extra time is, as the title of the blog says, to run the marathon again. Not running 2010 was dreadful, although volunteering for Fred's Team on the big day was amazing, and completely fulfilling. This year, on the docket is definitely NYC, and definitely the Nautica Tri in August. Possibly the Flying Pig, too. The ever-amazing Coach Ann -- she of the innocent exterior and the heart of a beastmaster -- suggested we train as if we're going to run the Pig, and decide a little later if we're going to do it or not. She's also going to lead coaching sessions for the NYC Half, which neither I nor any NYC runners got into, but which will motivate me to train. With running, as with weight loss, I need a goal. So Ann is brilliant in giving me goals.

I, like everyone else in this world, hit the gym again. I have been running, but outside. Haven't actually lifted or swam or anything in months. So I am going to try to establish a regular schedule of gym stuff as well as getting my mileage back up. I got a 40 minute swim in on Monday, or to put it another way, I spent 40 minutes in the pool. I still remember how to swim from my lessons last year, but need to get the endurance back.

What stinks the most about this is knowing where I was fitness-wise, and not being there, and wanting to be there again. But the only way I'll be able to get there, or even come close, is to get my arse in gear, and suffer through it all over again. Is it the journey, or the destination? Not sure yet. But I promise to let you know.

The Hardest Part...

Well, y'all have figured it out. No running = no blogging.

Tomorrow is the NYC Marathon. I will not be running, but I will be voluteering for Fred's Team. I'll be at the Team breakfast at 4:45 a.m., at the start in Fort Wadsworth, and at the finish line in Central Park.

Monday, I get to go to MSKCC to visit the kids in the peds ward.

Tuesday, I start again.

The agenda:
MAY -- Flying Pig Marathon
AUGUST -- NYC Nautica Triathlon
NOVEMBER -- NYC Marathon

The hardest part is starting. I hate being at Square 1. Better get used to it, I guess.

Good luck to all the runners competing tomorrow, and you will be hearing from me more often, I promise!!

Slowly I Turn...

A very short post --

Over the past three weeks I have started running again. Five minutes at a time, once a week. The frankenfoot is perpetually a bit achy -- I think I have gained the ability to forecast the weather, and it's been ultra humid -- but it does not hurt to run at all. Because I refuse to give up my beloved Vibrams, I am taking my return to the road extra-cautiously. So far, only treadmill runs. Just think -- tack on another four hours and fifteen minutes, and that's a marathon!

I have to run, both for my sanity (nothing replaces running for stress relief) and for Liam. People have been extra-generous over the years, and even though I can't run this year, people are still donating. How can I not get myself back into the fight? Liam needs all the support he can get. MSKCC needs all the support it can get to help Liam. So I will continue to fundraise, and slowly build myself back up to marathon distance for next year, where it will be Chicago and New York, I swear it.

I haven't been able to attend Team practices or events until just about a week ago. Not because of time constraints, but because mentally, I wasn't able to. It's still a struggle, when I see the Team newsletter in my mailbox, or get something about the marathon from NYRR -- it's extremely upsetting not to be involved as a runner. I still want to cry, and sometimes I do. I miss everyone, but it's not helpful for them if I show up to a Team practice and do nothing but weep. I need to get over myself.

I will be volunteering to be part of the Team support staff during the marathon, which is a marathon in itself -- 16 straight hours, starting at 3 am.

You can still donate to my Fred's Team effort -- regardless of my running or not -- by clicking here.

Thanks, as always. More news on the running front soon, I hope.