Slow and steady...

My first 5K is in the books! I decided to start adding weekend 5K's to my training to help me get used to the distance and the feel of a race. This one was a fundraising event for the local Goodwill Industries. Ringling Brother's was the main event sponsor, and there was a clown theme to the "Red Nose Run". (luckily, very few creepy clowns involved)

It was cold enough for all of us to have a red nose without any help from the plastic ones they provided, and it was misty/rainy, but that just makes it more fun to be able to say "I did it!" As my friend Joan loves to remind me, we're hard core!

They had only scheduled 30 minutes between the opening of registration and the beginning of the race, which I thought was a tight window...until we got there. There were only 22 people pre-registered for the race, and I think they said a total of 27 by the time the race started. I have to admit, this made me nervous! The more people you have in a race, the more likely there are others with my lightening speed. (aka...I won't be LAST)

Joan generously stayed with me for the whole race (she's MUCH faster than me), and I was bringing up the rear for much of the race, but I'm proud to say that I did not stop to walk at any point. It was a pretty challenging course, lots of hills to conquer, but it was a nice route through Roger Williams Park. Beautiful park! I'll have to go back there for some training runs. Toward the end, my slow and steady approach paid off a bit, and I think we ended up finishing ahead of 3 others.

I've been running with a Nike Plus running monitor, and it's kinda fun to see my distance, pace, calories and time at the end of each run. Yesterday's run cut 30 seconds off of my mile pace and clocked me at a personal best. Hopefully, that's a scenario that I continue to experience.

My training schedule calls for a 4 mile run this week. I just ran 3.5 for the first time last Sunday, so I'm a little nervous to add that half mile, but I'm surprised how much I'm actually enjoying this process.

Got my bike back after it's tune up, and I'll start rides to the training mix now. Much more fun than spinning wheels indoors!

Whether or not my body is going to keep up with my goals remains to be seen, but so far I'm learning a lot about myself and having fun. Hard to ask for more than that.

On a more somber note, my grandmother (who we called Tutu) passed away this week. She's had a long battle with Parkinson's Disease, and the last few years have not been an easy road for her. She is finally free of pain, and reunited with Grandfather and it's hard not to be happy when those two things are taken into account. Despite the sadness of loss, this is a time to celebrate the life she had, the love she shared, the family she created and the memories she left us. Rest in Peace Tutu.

In the Pink?

So I decided I needed to buy a kickboard to use in my swim workouts. Target had them on sale for $4.36...great deal! Downside? They had two choices...blue Dora the Explorer or pink Hello Kitty. I opted for Hello Kitty. Perhaps I will be mistaken for someone trendy and very cool. Either that or I will be the subject of much pointing and laughing. BUT, I will have a great kick workout!

This past week was kind of a bust as far as my workouts were concerned. I came down with a killer cough that had me hacking up a lung with any physical exertion. I didn't even try to swim for fear of choking mid lap. I'm sure it would have been entertaining to watch, but the discomfort and potential need for lifeguard intervention kept me from attempting it.

I'm hoping the time away from my runs hasn't affected my distance much. I'm excited about my progress, and am looking to add an additional half mile to my distance this week. We'll see how that goes!

On a more serious and reflective note, heading into this week, I'm reminded of the beauty of the coming holiday...Easter. The celebration of the gift of Life that Christ gave us through his sacrifice. It's a time of redemption...of new beginnings. What a beautiful thing to be reminded of as we enjoy the emergence of Spring.

Life is a beautiful gift. May we all look forward with gratitude for the past and hope for the future.

Love to all!

Time to get back to the Blog!

Ok, it's been nearly a year since my last blog, and that is just embarrassing! Let's see if I can be a little more regular with these things. Sheesh!

I'm not even going to attempt to catch up with the events of the past year because that would take forever and only serve to dissuade me from completing this oh, so interesting post...SO you're stuck with me here and now. :)

I just got back from a run, and I'm having a battle with my brain, trying to convince it that the pain I feel is "good". Not sure exactly what that means, but I've got to believe it if I intend to get back out there and do it again tomorrow...which I have to do if I intend to be able to run the Bolder Boulder in May.

Surprisingly, I really am enjoying this whole running thing of late. Until now, I was never able to run a full mile without really, REALLY wanting to quit, and hating every minute of it. The few races I ran were torture. Not sure what has changed, but I'm glad it has because I'm going to be doing a lot of running this Summer.

I've registered for the Bolder Boulder 10K (6.2 miles) which will be in, yes, you guessed it, Boulder, CO...which means it will be at altitude. Not sure what I was thinking, but I'm dragging all sorts of people into the race with me to run in honor of my Bob Amato as a part of TEAM ANDREW, so there's a bit of motivation to do it right.

After I torture myself in CO I'll be back in RI to ride a 150 mile bike ride for MS at the end of June. Feel free to check out my profile for the ride, join our team or donate to my effort by clicking this link: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/RIRBikeEvents?px=7796836&pg=personal&fr_id=13992

By that time I'll be in such great running and riding shape that the Sprint Triathlon season will be like CAKE! Since I didn't update this blog last summer, you may not be aware that I completed my first Sprint Triathlon last September. A Sprint Tri is a shorter version of the Ironman Triathons (which I have NO desire to attempt). Most are a 1/4-1/3 mile swim, 12-20 mile bike ride and a 5K (3.1 mile) run. I didn't set any records, and it wasn't exactly pretty, but I finished, and I met all of my personal goals. Most importantly, I loved it!

I discovered that I really love to bike, and that I'm pretty good at it. I've always loved to swim, and I can hold my own there...and that just leaves the dreaded run. I'm really slow, but the fact that I'm running at all is really kind of miraculous. Seriously...ask my dad. I am not his athletic child. I think he's still in shock over this whole thing. With all this training, I almost qualify as an athlete (almost). How crazy is that?

This year I'm planning to do 4 Sprint Tri's, including the one I did last year at Buzzard's Bay. At very least, I should look great by the end of this craziness...if I don't kill myself training for it!

Anyway, Happy St. Patty's Day!! I hope no one got overly pinched!! Speaking of which, most of the people I talked to here in RI today were completely unaware of the rule that you get pinched if you're not wearing green! What's up with that?!?! I enlightened them, although I refrained from pinching in an effort to avoid being reported to HR for harassment.

With that, I'm going to call it a post. Much love, many hugs and infinite smiles to all of you!

Always,

Amy

Where has my wisdom gone?

Hello all!  I know you thought I had traveled to Siberia without any internet access, gotten abducted by aliens, or trapped under something heavy, but in reality...I'm just me.  (aka: Blog Slacker)

Spring has finally sprung here in RI, and I'm loving it!  The trees outside my house are covered with white blossoms, and the grass is green.  The sky is blue, and there are buds and flowers everywhere.  I'm sure it will get hot and muggy soon enough, and I'll be back to whining about missing Colorado weather, but for now I'm appreciating the tardy arrival of the long awaited Spring. 

Last Thursday I had one of my two remaining wisdom teeth removed.  I had the top two removed when I was 21, and the bottom two have been grown in and minding their own business for several years, but my dentist didn't want them in there anymore.  Apparently my ability to keep them brushed and flossed way back there was less than stellar, and to maintain my amazing luck in the dentist's chair (no cavities since I was 10), he said they needed to go.  

Dr. Morriseau decided to take one out at a time so that I would be able to eat, which I can appreciate, but after that experience he's going to have to do some serious sweet talking to get me back in the chair to remove the last one!  What happened?  Well, let's just say that the tooth did not want to go quietly.

It was supposed to be a simple, quick procedure.  30 minutes.  In, out, done.  As you can probably guess...not so much.  I was awake for the whole procedure, which made it so much more fun!  

He shot me full of novocaine, got me good and numb and then started the process of "rocking" my left wisdom tooth out of my mouth.  Only, THIS tooth didn't want to rock.  It didn't want to move at all, and because there was very little room to move around back there, he decided to pull out the drill.  Nothing more pleasant than the sound of a drill accompanied by the smell of burning...something...coming from inside your mouth!  FUN!  He broke the tooth into several pieces, grasping and "rocking" each piece as he broke it away from the rest.  There was so much pressure on my jaw that at one point I had to reach up and apply upward pressure on the left side of my jaw to keep it from feeling like it was going to rip off of my face!

Dr. Morriseau was literally leveraging himself against the dentist's chair to work on it and at one point said...out loud..."Oh, come ON!"  Very soothing. (please note, I really like my dentist a lot, and actually almost laughed when he said it...but the fact that he has his hands and instruments in my mouth at the time kept me from enjoying his frustration out loud)

The last piece finally gave up the ghost, and he sent me on my way with a prescription for Vicodin and instructions for taking care of the gaping hole in the back of my mouth.

This past weekend was a bit rough, and I spent a lot of time on the couch with an ice pack and a bottle of Advil (didn't fill the prescription...I'm too tough to need prescription drugs!).  I still have to depend on Advil, and have a dull ache nagging me pretty much all the time, but I can handle it.  I can't really chew, which is getting old, but it's improving.  I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to eat a nice big filet...but not tonight!

I went back today for a check up, and he removed the stitch.  Interestingly, he decided to tell me a story.  He said that Friday he was golfing with a buddy who told him about a tooth that he had to pull that was so difficult that he actually told the patient that if he wanted another tooth pulled to please go to someone else.  Dr. Morriseau said that hearing this story, he immediately thought of me.  Glad to know it wasn't a pleasant experience for him either!

So there you go.  My latest blog entry.  A real gem, don't you think?  Perhaps I'll be back again before Summer! 

Life is good!

The Little Things...

What better time to post to my blog than when I should be studying! It's the perfect procrastination activity! I've spent most of my "free" time for the past week studying for a certification test I have to take next Friday, and I'm still not even close to ready. This weekend is supposed to be my "buckle down and LIVE it" time, but there are so many more appealing things to do that I'm finding it difficult to commit. I'm sure my level of commitment will alter come Thursday night!

Anyway, this week I've been reminded of some of the little things in my life that add to the overall sense of contentment I have been blessed with of late, so I thought I'd share.

1) Music. This one may not be so little really, but it's affect in my life can be subtle at times. I love music in all (or at least most) of it's forms. Anything that gets me humming along or tapping my toes is a welcome addition to my life. I'm the girl that sings along (and sometimes dances) to the music in the Grocery store. It makes shopping so much more fun, and to be honest, I can't help it. Even if I try...it just cannot be stifled! The music has GOT to come out! :)

I always have my iPod playing through little desktop speakers at work, but this week I did two things differently.

First, I started listening to my full library of music rather than playlists. Just set it to random and let it go. Some of the songs that pop up are slightly embarrassing, some are hilarious, but most are just pleasant little gifts. Songs I haven't heard forever, but liked enough to load onto my iPod at some point. They make me smile...and that makes my day so much better.

Second, I started listening with my headphones instead of the speakers. There were a few projects I was working on that required some focused attention, and I discovered that even with the music playing, I was more focused and got a TON done by blocking out the world around me with the music that, as previously stated, makes me smile.

There are definitely some downsides to this approach...it's not overly social, but I tend to be TOO social, so maybe a little restriction in that realm is not a bad thing. I also tend to sing along on occasion (ok...most of the time) and when no one else can hear what you're listening to, an unplanned public performance can to be a bit embarrassing. So far I think I've caught myself before anyone has heard my serenade, but it's only a matter of time before someone stops by just as I'm singing along to Fire by the Pointer Sisters (that one really gets me going).

2) A Garage. Ok, so if you have spoken to me, read my blog, or followed my Facebook statuses, you are aware of my severe disdain for the weather we've been experiencing here in Rhode Island. I'm not shy or quiet about it. It sucks. (sorry...no other way to say it).

HOWEVER, I did find something in the midst of the suckiness that made me grateful...the fact that through this entire nasty winter I have not had to clear my car of snow ONE time to go to work in the morning. I walks straight from the cozy warm safety of my house directly into my very own garage...no walking through snow and ice to GET to the car, no clearing snow and ice (or even FROST) off of the car, no warming up the car...it's WONDERFUL! I don't know how I lived the first 35 years of my life without one!!

3) Blue Skies. No matter how cold it is outside, when the sky is clear and blue it makes me happy. I think it may be a little bit of a reminder of home. I've always loved the intense blue of the Colorado sky. There are times that it is so amazing that it takes my breath away. Any small piece of that brilliance brings a happy jump to my heart. Recently the blue has had to work its magic through windows because as soon as I walk outside into the frigid wind the affect of the blue sky is negated by the impending frostbite of my nose, but at least it helps me get up the motivation to brave the cold when necessary.

There are plenty of other little things that make me smile...help me through the days that aren't so great...and make the great ones even better. I'm grateful for the little things.

Baby it's COLD outside!

Perhaps there should be a prize for Blog neglect! I could TOTALLY win!!

I'm supposed to be studying for a certification test I have to take in 2 weeks, but my brain hurts, so I'm taking a break and using my blog as procrastination tool!

Before I get started, in case any of you are here to check on Andrew's status, his fever is down, and he's doing better. He's still not keeping any food down, but Brittany says he refuses to admit that he doesn't feel well. Little trooper/twerp. Thank you so much for your prayers and words of support for our whole family, and most especially for my little, bald Bob Amato.

Be sure to check out his website. He has posted some video messages there that are precious! http://www.andrewvanderploeg.com/

Life here in Rhode Island has been great save the weather...which I complain about on a daily basis. I've developed a truly pationate distaste for Winter this year. I can't ever seem to get warm!

I love my home, but I'm convinced that THIS trip into the world of mortgage slaves is supposed to teach me something about patience and humility. Three weeks ago my furnace died and I had to spend the weekend with space heaters keeping my pipes from freezing and a fire in my fireplace to keep me from freezing. Now I've got a brand new furnace, and it works great, but for some reason I'm still always cold!

The front of my house is north facing so it doesn't get any direct sun, which is only a problem because there is a huge pile of snow and ice on the roof that creates a disturbingly steady supply of water dripping on my driveway. Unfortunately, because it gets no sun, it turns to ice again almost immediately when it hits the driveway, causing a fantastic "ice rink" effect. I asked the HOA to do something about it multiple times with no luck, so the ice just continued to get thicker and thicker. Last weekend I had to take 4 running starts to get my car into the garage, so I decided it was time to to take matters into my own hands and get to chipping away the ice.

You can check out pics of the whole ordeal here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=72534&l=ac452&id=714881782

Sadly, all my hard work has been continually undone since the minute I finished the job. Looks like I'll be out there chipping away again tomorrow! (another procrastination technique!)

The ice build up on the roof has also created a wonderful phenomenon known as an ice dam above my bedroom window. Basically the snow against the shingles melts during the day and then freezes when the sun goes down, expanding (as ice does) it's way under the shingles. When the ice melts again the next day it is UNDER the shingles and it leaks into the house. I've had lovely puddles of water in my window seat on randome days for a few weeks, but luckily there hasn't been any visible water damage, and the HOA has had contractors out to deal with the problem on the roof, so hopefully we are done with that issue.

Like I said, patience and humility! I really do love my home, and despite the cold I find all of the little adventures it's brought me rather humorous. Honestly, sometimes all you can do is laugh!

The nasty weather here has made me a bit more homesick for Colorado than usual. Friends and family there are continually notifying me of the temperatures in the high 60's...I think they enjoy being cruel! I did get to spend almost 2 full weeks home in Denver for Christmas, so I guess I can't complain that much. I'm a New Englander now, so I guess I've gotta toughen up! That and buy some warmer socks!

Brand New Site for Andrew

Andrew's dad, Dave, has posted a new site for Andrew with a bunch of pics, some videos and all the updates. You can visit anytime at www.andrewvanderploeg.com

XOXO!