Count down to Race Day!

I can't believe it's almost here - my first 5K. I go between being confident I'll finish - that's the goal - to thinking what the @#$% am I doing?! I am 45, working to get in shape, never run a race...I guess by this time next week we will know. I've been working hard, trying to do the things Carol has asked. I can make the distance by walking, I know. When I run, I am up to run .25 miles, walk .25 miles for the distance. Can't decide if I am better off to run as far as I can, walk to recover, or if it's better to have a steady plan throughout. I'm glad I will be with friends, although they may be halfway home when I cross the finish line. I can tell you this, I will proudly wear my Tshirt to work on Monday (I will probably wear it Saturday and Sunday too!) - thank heavens for jeans passes!

I'm trying to get a bit of knitting in each day. For the first time, I am struggling to be at the top of my game at work - so many things on my plate, so many moving targets. Knitting really helps me to settle and calm the thoughts spinning in my head. Even 15 minutes of mindless stitching while waiting on Katie or Collin, makes a difference. I have a pair of Hedgerow socks in KnitPicks Essential Tweed black on the needles and am planning to cast on my first pair of fingerless mitts today. I have a skein of Noro Kureyon I plan to use. Love the colors - it really doesn't matter which colorway.

Home is, well, home. Challenges at every turn. I just keep plugging away, trying to keep my head above water.

By this time next week, I will either be a 5K-er or in the hospital! Keep your fingers crossed!

A Good Man....

Mr. Jim died on Wednesday. Mr. Jim and Miss Carolyn have lived next door to my parents for 35 years. I grew up with Lynne, Bryan, and Phil. I remember Mr. Jim in his khaki work clothes in the garden at all hours. Workboots, a tool, a tiller, sometimes a hat. A friendly competition over the fence between he and my daddy. The biggest tomatoes, the most plentiful green beans, the most beautiful roses.....always roses. I think the story went that the rose garden was Miss Carolyn's but it was Mr. Jim who tended them. He was a gentle man, a true gentleman in every sense of the word and will be missed by many.

At the visitation, Lynne and I caught up for a few minutes. I remember playing Barbies, pretending we were Southern Belles, making playhouses in the woods. But what I remember most are the Cinderella dreams we shared. I know I always wished for the storybook life with the happily ever afters. The ending with the prince, the white horse, the castle and the sunset. I hope she found hers even if mine has escaped me.

Let's Try This Again....

Ok, I will give this blogging thing one more try. Somehow it feels a bit odd to post the mundane details of one's life to a public forum but at the same time I know it makes connections. My goal is to post once a week . If nothing else, it will mark a record of the year. Once I hit 40, I can't remember yesterday much less what happened a year ago! :)

In July of 08, I joined a gym and committed to take care of myself. For many years, it's been about everything and everybody but me - now it's my turn. I am amazed that I have stuck with it. My work with a trainer has been hard but satisfying - she pushes me to do things I would never attempt. I am still working hard 5-7 days a week with weights, cardio, intervals, yoga/pilates, etc...On January 31, I participate in my first 5K. My goal is simply to finish though I do have a time to beat in mind. I hope to do another race at UGA in mid March. We will see how it goes but who would have ever thought that at 45 I would have started on this path?

The holidays gave me a little time to catch up or at least to sit for a few minutes and knit. I miss it during the busy weeks of the school year. There is something about the rhythm of the needles and the focus it requires that offers some relaxation in a hectic schedule. I do wish I could finish something, though! I am like many others who see a great yarn or pattern and add it to the pile of WIPs. I get bored and move on to something else. This year, I am going to try to finish the WIPS I have, frog the ones that no longer appeal, and start/finish the projects for which I have yarn but haven't gotten around to them - I am sure no one else has this problem! I never thought handling and purchasing yarn would be an addiction but I SO get it now! Maybe I will save a $ or two if I stick to my stash and stay out of my LYS - we'll see how long that lasts.

On another note, I do wish Cary would make a decision or even lean in the direction of a college. He's been accepted to several but just won't commit. I am not sure what is holding him back - I remember being so ready to move on to that stage of my life. I am struggling with how much to push. I guess since my $$$$ are going with him wherever he goes, I have the right to push all I want. But I do want him to go where he feels comfortable - not just where I choose. We've got to get with the scholarship applications, schedule some additional visits, and have some serious conversations in the coming weeks. I am excited for him but at the same time, it is bittersweet. I will miss him come the fall.

I started with mundane and that's how I will end....off to laundry, groceries, housecleaning and oh, yes, the gym! Maybe, I'll have another cup of coffee and knit a row or two instead.....