Me Again

Okay, so what is up with all these spam comments on my blog posts?!  Seriously, just because I disappeared for a few months doesn't mean I deserve all these creeper town peeps going comment crazy on my blog.  They need a hobby.  Perhaps running would do.  :)

Or reading?  Yep, I have become quite the reader these days.  In addition to wine, a good book (or my kindle) is just the help I need to unwind from the craziness my days seem to uphold all these, um, days.  Granted, after laying in bed for about five minutes, I start drooling, mostly red from the wine, upon said kindle, and next thing I know, I wake up saying, "wtf just happened?"  ...and then the craziness begins all over.

It sounds so cliche, but I seriously do need more time in a day.  Really, seriously.  Someone give it to me.  I'm not kidding.  If someone can create an iPhone that essentially does everything except wipe it's owner's a$$, then heck, surely someone can figure out how to create more time in a day.  No?  Well then, poop (before you know it, after making this ever-so-mature statement, an iPhone holding some TP will appear...).

Okay, way off topic.  What I meant to say was...I have become quite the reader these days.  In addition to wine, a good book (or my kindle) is just the help I need to unwind at the end of a busy day.  While on a seven mile run a few weeks ago, I started thinking about the book I was reading at the time and the meaning behind the plot.  Me Again, by Keith Cronin, is about a 30-something male that wakes up after six years in a stroke-induced coma.  Yep, pretty heavy stuff, and although sad at the outset, it is a story of rebirth and an opportunity to forget the past to build a better future.

As such, running always allows me to reflect, which is probably the biggest reason why I like running alone.  Other runners might think I am odd to actually WANT to run alone, and I have even been told by another runner once that I was selfish for this, but it really is "me" time.  It's ironic actually, because I look at running as a time when I am actually allowed to be selfish; I can be happy, sad, fast, slow, angry, silly, or WHATEVER.  For those miles, what I am doing affects no one but me.  In the general population, we spend too much time worrying about what will make others happy and not enough time on our own happiness.  Running always allows me the latter.

That last paragraph should be called, "Deep Thoughts With Jen Goff."  If you read it back in the voice of Jack Handy, you'd agree...

Mmk, so now I am going to talk about some life circumstances that I apparently shouldn't talk about, ya know, because they are "taboo".  I put that word in quotes because I think it is dumb.  I mean, doesn't "taboo" sound like something a really rich person would eat alongside their caviar?  "Oh, darling, can you please make me my favorite dish of caviar and taboo tonight?"  Mind you, I say this while I feast on chicken strips and waffle fries from Chick Fil-A.  Don't lie...you know you are jealous.  Waffle fries ROCK.  Caviar and taboo...gross.

So, here is my, um, "taboo":  my life over the last so many months has consisted of two miscarriages, one in July, and one on Halloween (yep, scary shit).  After the Boston Marathon, Mike and I had plans of starting a family, just like I had plans of breaking three hours in Boston.  In both situations, I quickly learned that life doesn't always go as planned, whether it be an 89 degree day, or the fact that having a baby can actually be pretty hard.  Throughout the first pregnancy, I continued to run.  Granted, I ran short and slow to be smart, but I continued to slog (slog = slow jog).  Throughout the second pregnancy, I stopped running out of fear that I was doing something harmful.  Silly me, I should have known better...running causes no harm.

So, the combination of my lack of running and my, um, taboo also left me blog-less.  I mean, hell, without running and wine in my life, wtf could I say?!  I am extremely appreciative for all the people that have asked me to blog again though.  So, here is my shout out to you...thank you!  No, not you, you creeptastic blog comment freaks...again, find a hubby.  Oops, I meant hobby.  HA!  Total typo there, but hey, perhaps a hubby would help too...

Sooooooo, yeah, here I sit and write, with wine in hand...Me Again!  I have been back running for 10 weeks.  I am signed up for the Shamrock Marathon on March 17th, and I feel GREAT.  If you asked me how I felt a few weeks ago, I may or may not have barked at you (rawrrrrrrf!), but the legs are finally back on board.  I am not giving myself a goal for this race, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't trying for a PR.  I have started adding some "sharpening" back into my routine, which included a final three miles at 6:33 pace at the end of my 16-mile run on Friday.  I am starting to feel ready again.

I've also got new sneaks and a new playlist joining me on my runs.  My Mizuno Elixir 8's continue to be one of the weirdest looking shoes to hit the wall (yikes!), but hey, if the shoe fits, wear it, and I feel as though this shoe was made just for ME:

As for my playlist, I realize I have issues, but I never really enjoyed following the mainstream anyway, so allow me to share some of my newest additions:

"Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.:  No, not exactly a pump up song, but it would make a good marathon theme song.  When you are hurting, just remember, so is everybody else, so just.  keep.  going.  k, thanks.
"Too Legit to Quit" by MC Hammer:  Are you seriously thinking about quitting?  Pssh, gotta be legit, man, gotta be legit. 
"I Will Wait (for You)" by Mumford & Sons:  When I am running, I re-sing this song as "I Will NOT Wait for You", because, well, really, I will not wait for you...
"The Distance" by Cake:  Okay, seriously, you should be able to figure this one out on your own.  It's all in the name.  Yep, you got it...cake.  MMM CAKE.  Duh.
"Tik Tok" by Kesha:  Tik tok goes the clock.  Run faster, damn it!
"It's Not My Time" by Three Doors Down:  So, if I don't PR in Shamrock, I'll just lie about my time.  When someone says to me, congrats on your 00:00:00 time, I'll just look at them dumbly and say, "Huh?  It's not my time!"
"Thong Song" by Siquo:  Yeah, I have no explanation for this one.  I just like the beat.  I can't help it.  I swear it has nothing to do with thongs.  Don't judge.

Aside from the awesomeness that is running, I can't complain...life is good all around!  I've made a resolution to myself to help, um, myself in the new year by not working too much.  Although I am fortunate to LOVE my job, I tend to overdo it on many levels, and I have a feeling that scaling back for more "me time" will help with my kindle-wine-drooling issue.  Oh, and speaking of my kindle, check out my latest book purchase:

Crazy, right?  No, not the fact that I actually purchased this book, but that the fact that humans actually poop 410 pounds a year!  Whoa!  Perhaps when I am done with this shit, I will write a blog poop, err, post letting you know how it all went down.  So, stay tuned...don't wipe it off your list just yet.  You might think I'm crazy by this point and that my opinion doesn't fecal matter, but seriously, never judge a book by it's cover.

Mmk, so that was fun.  Back to those resolutions.  Hmm, actually, I really haven't thought of anymore.  Who am I kidding?  I suck at resolutions!

So, onward and upward I go!  No more dwelling on the past.  While life can certainly crap on you (I am about a third of the way through my new book in case you were wondering), there are always lessons to be learned and perspectives to be had from every experience we endure.  For right now, I am exactly where I want to be...in all my marathon running glory!  I cannot wait to toe the line again on March 17th to feel that adrenaline rush and camaraderie of my fellow marathoners.  I am also training my current Streakers (no, no, not ACTUAL streakers...but rather, the group I coach) for this race, so it will be great to share the experience with them.  Mike and I have been taking a lot more time for ourselves lately too, which pretty much means we have been having our fun trying all sorts of new restaurants around town, ha, but hey, what can I say...eating is our thing (good thing our thing is also endurance sports!).  

So, let's bring it, 2013!  I am ready for you...I am Me Again.

HAPPY RUNNING!