Finding Balance

You may have noticed my posts have been coming more and more infrequently.  It's not because I don't love you all, I swear.  I'm just struggling to find balance right now.  It's not even so much that I don't have anything to say - because when I'm out running I write full blog posts in my head!  But then I come home and am immediately busy and never write it down.  Someday I'll just be able to post with my mind... :-)

As you know, I've recently switched jobs, and while I LOVE my new job and everything it entails, I also find myself sometimes dreaming of "my old life of leisure".  Because, while my old job was far from a walk in the park, it was certainly comfortable.  I knew what I was doing, I could do it well, and I could definitely do it well within the confines of the working day.  While annoyance was a common occurrence, stress was not, and I really loved that.  That's definitely why I stayed there so long despite being long overdue for a challenge. 

But, back to the new job.  In the new job I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.  And it's terrifying.  In a good way though. So I'm struggling to find a balance of working normal hours, getting exercise in, actually cleaning the house and doing laundry, etc.  So far I haven't done much of any of the above.

 Instead of exercising or cleaning I just eat delicious chocolate that the wonderful and fabulous Corey sent me.  She is AWESOME, by the way.  That's an appropriate method of dealing with stress, right? 

In addition to all this, I'm still doing a small part of my old job, and doing ANOTHER part-time job as well this quarter.  Oh yeah, and there's also that tiny little project that is writing my dissertation.  So I'm a little overwhelmed.

 This weekend I got a TON of work done on all of the above - and it wasn't even that bad since I got to work out in the sunshine!

So, I'm whiney today.  But I just wanted to let you know - that I'm still around, and that I'm sure I'll be back more regularly once things settle down.  It's hard to write about running when you're not running that much!  :-) 

Ever feel overwhelmed?  Or like you don't have anything to blog about?  Or just that you don't have time to write it all down? 

A July Recap Story

So I'm just a littttlleeee bit late posting this.  Sorry folks.  Story of my life.

July was kind of uneventful.  I actually don't think I have much to say.  You see, in June I ran so much while training and actually running a marathon that I didn't want to run that much in July.  And in May and June I did so much freaking data collection and data entry for my research project that I didn't really want to look at my data and pretty much just pretended like it didn't exist.  Can you say "burn-out"?  Say it with me - BURN OUT!!!

Books.  So the one thing I did do in July that I didn't do in June, since I had extra time when I wasn't running and being productive working, was read.  In June I only read 1 book, but in July I devoured 5, including finally reading 50 Shades of Grey (spoiler alert - not my favorite - post coming!), Divergent & Insurgent, Never Fall Down, and The Kitchen House.

 

I TOTALLY recommend both of these books.  The Kitchen House is about a white girl from Ireland who becomes an indentured servant on a tobacco plantation in the South during the peak of slavery.  It's tragic and wonderful and I loved it.  Never Fall Down is a young adult semi-true story about becoming a child soldier in Cambodia during the peak of genocide.  Also tragic but also wonderful and I read this one in a day - very fast read.  READ THEM! 

Miles.  I ran 88 miles in July, the least so far this year.  Not too shabby though considering I was coming straight off the marathon.  I have a feeling August is going to be even worse though because of my dumb glute.  Spoiler alert - it's still bothering me.  GET BETTER GLUTE!

Degree.  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I made zero progress on writing my dissertation and that needs to change.  I gave myself a break after the drowing-in-data nonsense, now it's time to get back at it.  My parents (and husband!) will kill me if I don't actually graduate this year. 

Races.  I don't know if you remember... you may have forgotten because I only wrote not 1, not 2, but THREE recaps about it, but in July I ran RAGNAR!  And it was a blast.  The weather didn't really cooperate, but fun was definitely had by all (right JMan???). 

Ragnar was my 8th race of 2012 - looks like I'm right on schedule to hit 12 races with #9 and #10 coming up in August with my first triathlon ever and HOOD TO COAST with Team Nuun, then #11 in October with my first trail race ever and #12 in November with the cheap zozi deal I picked up for the Seattle Half Marathon. 

As for CIM?  I don't know if another marathon is in the cards for 2012 if my glute / piriformis doesn't start behaving.  I'm going to tough it out until Hood to Coast is over and then figure out what I should do.  But now we're totally off track. 

How was your July?  I don't want the summer to be over.  What good book recommendations do you have for me?

A June Recap Story

June was a big month for me.  I turned 30 and had a complete freak-out about my old age.  Don't worry, I drowned my sorrows in wine, pretzels, and bratwursts in Leavenworth.  I'm still not happy about it though. 

But, June came and went all the same.  So let's see how I'm doing on my goals, now that we're halfway through the year! 

Mileage. Since June involved the big taper for the marathon, it was my 2nd lowest month of mileage this year at 93 miles.  Still pretty good though!  And still easily (knock on wood) on track to break 1,000 miles for the year. 

Books.  Wow, I read ONE book this month. Yep, that's it.  I kind of fell off the reading wagon.  I read the 11th book in the Pretty Little Liars series.  I also listened to The Hunger Games, which I LOVED listening to while running, but since I'd already read it it doesn't seem fair to count it?  I'm currently working on The Kitchen House as well.  In spite of my lack of reading in June, at halfway through the year, I have already accomplished my goal of reading 26 books (I've read 30).  So let's readjust that goal to 52 books - one a week.

Though JMan got me a fake bow & arrow for my birthday, I am still dying to shoot a REAL bow & arrow. 

Races.  I ran a race in June.  It was kind of a big deal.  Maybe you've heard of it?  Yes, I ran a MARATHON.  All 26.2 (er, 26.6) miles of a marathon, and I sub 4-ed.  No, I didn't PR, I already told you that.  And yes, there were some major dark times during that race.  I already told you that too.  But 2012 WAS the year of the marathon, in that I finished it.  "Breaking 3:55 (hopefully) easily" is unfortunately a joke.  I'm not going to throw in the towel just yet though.  It's possible December 2, 2012, will hold the answers I seek.

 This is how I'm choosing to remember the race.  

All thumbs-up's and smiles and rainbows and unicorns. 

Degree Completion, aka Data Entry.  Maybe you remember my #drowningindata tweets?  Well, I FINISHED MY DATA ENTRY!  What a relief.  So ecstatic.  Now the REAL work begins, in analyzing and writing and reanalyzing and rewriting - but at least it's interesting, exciting work, instead of a pressure-cooker of mundane tedious tasks.

And that's a wrap!  Can't believe we're already halfway through 2012.  

How was your June?

Drowning in Data

There is no weekend recap to be had this week.  Because all I did almost the whole weekend was ENTER DATA.  That's seriously it.  I've got nothing to entertain you.  You want picture of all the peanut butter I've eaten and delicious new Blue Moon beers I've tried?  Come back in a few weeks. 

Maybe you've noticed some of my subtle referring to data entry on the blog or some of my less-than-subtle complainings on twitter.

 

 

Yep, that pretty much sums up my entire MONTH.  Data entry all freaking day long, to the detriment of my real job, exercise, relationships, etc.  I get up and go to work and do data entry.  I stay late at work and then come home and do more data entry.  It wouldn't be horrible if it wasn't so freaking TEDIOUS. 

And this is also why I've lost my running mojo, my blog posts are sucking (take today's for example!  It's, uh, about NOTHING), and why my blog stalking has dwindled.  I see an end in sight though, and that makes me very, very happy. 

But until then, this is me:

That's all I've got today folks.  I enter data and I freak out about running a marathon in only FOUR DAYS!  Eeeeekkkkkkkk!!!! 

What did you do this weekend?  Tell me your exciting stories so I can live vicariously through you. 

Seattle RnR Marathon Training Week #13

Well folks, it's here.  It's finally here.  The very last week of marathon training - which pretty much means do nothing.  And I am TERRIFIED to say the least.  Commence complete freak out that will last all week. 

 source

So - how did I do this week?

Monday - A lovely 7.14 mile run with Leandrea.  That lovely run seems so far away now!

Tuesday - I don't think I did anything?  I think I entered data instead. 

Wednesday - A not so great 3 mile run - quit as soon as I deemed reasonable (at 3 apparently). 

Thursday - 2,500 yards of swimming in 53 minutes + 75 minutes of tennis (doubles so not much of a workout). 

But probably not really. 

Friday - A loonnngggg nearly 2 hour tennis match (singles) which I sadly LOST.  My first loss of the season had to be during the play-offs when the team was counting on me.  I'm the worst. 

Saturday - A big fat NOTHING.  Intended to run but after not getting home from the tennis match until 2am and sleeping in and it being HOT I decided to just enter data instead.  Story of my life. 

Sunday - 8 miles in 1:15:45.  It was so HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT.  Sweat was pouring off my face and I wanted to quit at mile 2.  And this is after changing my run from Saturday to Sunday to reduce the heat.  I live in Seattle, so I'm a baby.

Total running miles = 18.  I only swam once and didn't bike at all.  Oops. 

Who knows what Saturday will bring?  Will I wake to a stars-aligned magical day?  Will I feel horrible and swear off marathons for the 3rd and final time?  Will it be blazing hot and leave me sweltering?  Or will the current weather predictions of 63 and overcast hold and make me a lucky gal?  We shall see.  We shall see.  But I will be stalking the weather 5 times a day like a crazy person until Saturday, that's for sure.

 source

Who's running Seattle Rock n Roll?  Do I finally get to meet you at one of the various meet-ups?  What corral are you in? 

A May Recap Story

I can't believe May is over already! And I also can't believe how long it took to get my May recap up.  Oh, you can believe it you say?  Shut your mouth! 

Books.  I kind of fell off the reading wagon in May.  I only read 4 books this month, including the 10th Pretty Little Liars book, The Thirteenth Tale, and our two next book club books though, Arcadia and The Night Circus.  I LOVED the Night Circus and highly recommend it.  It's like Harry Potter meets Hunger Games meets Water for Elephants.  READ IT!  Arcadia was so-so.  It was interesting because it was about growing up on a hippie commune in the 1960's, which I know nothing about.  But then it jumped through time a lot and I liked it less.  Still, worth a looksie. 

   

Miles.  In May I just BARELY beat out June's mileage of 123 with a whopping 124.  That will probably be my highest mileage month of the entire year though, so I need to savor it!  Right now I'm way on track to beat last year's total mileage of just over 1,000 miles. 

 

The weekly mileage is looking pretty good too.  

 Looks like it's time to taper to me!

Races.  I ran my 6th race of the year in 2012 and my 12th half marathon ever: the inaugural Portland Rock n Roll Half Marathon.  I didn't PR and I didn't feel so great but I GOT 'ER DONE.

That's us.  Getting 'er done. 

Volunteering.  I finally volunteered at my first race in May!  It was the Tacoma City Marathon / Half Marathon - I got to cheer on a ton of awesome runners including many old and new friends, bloggers and otherwise.  I HIGHLY recommend volunteering at a water station to anyone who hasn't done it before!  IT'S SO FUN!

Plus, I got a $30 credit to a future race, which I have already cashed in for... drumroll please...

LindsayOnTheGo is doing it too!  Plus I've got some peer pressure on other people in the works.  :-)

Degree Completion.  I have been making MAJOR progress towards this and this is the #1 reason why I'm so busy and have lost my running mojo.  The crazy never-ending work load will lessen soon with the end of the school year.  So look for better blog posts / blog stalking again starting around June 22.  :-)

Pretty good May if I do say so myself!

How was your month?  What is your #1 goal you hope to reach this year? 

A March Recap Story & Garden Spells

Can you believe March is over already?  And can you believe that even though March is over it's still the dead of winter?  I can't.  If summer could get here pronto I would be more than ecstatic.  But, instead of complaining, let's see how I did reaching my goals! 

• I ran 101 miles in March.  In January I ran 95 miles and in February I ran 89 miles.  Pretty consistent!  It looks like its past time for a cut-back week. 

• I completed my 2nd and 3rd races of 2012: the Lincoln City Half Marathon and the Seattle St. Patty's Day Dash.  

 

 Oh, you're tired of these pictures already?  Impossible. 

• I passed my general exams!  This definitely DEFINITELY counts as making significant progress towards finishing my degree.  Now on to the dissertation!

SO true.  source


• I read 7 books this month, including Dovekeepers and the first five books in the Pretty Little Liars series.  Skipping in Seattle told me to read these books and although I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, I'm hooked.  I thought about getting a fake War and Peace book shell to house my secret teenager-aimed book addictions!  I'm waiting impatiently on getting the 6th book from the library.  I also finished Garden Spells, our book club book for April.  It was fine.  Life went on.  Since I had just finished Sarah Allen's other book, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and the two books are crazily similar, I was kind of bored.  They're both about baking and magic.  Been there, done that.  But I did like it better than her other book and probably would have liked it even more if I hadn't just read The Girl Who Chased the Moon.  It was a very quick read and I was entertained.  Three stars.

 

• I'm now on to The Weird Sisters, our book club book for May.  What's interesting is I'm already noticing that one of the main characters of The Weird Sisters, Bianca, is strikingly similar to one of the main characters of Garden Spells, Sidney.  So after The Weird Sisters is done, I'm definitely ready for something "new".  These three books are too similar. 

Want to follow along and read this with me?

• I did not volunteer for a race.  Shocker.  I need to get serious about figuring out which race I'm going to volunteer for.   Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?  It would be even better if YOU were doing the race and I could give you water! 

How was your March?  Did you meet all your goals?  What are you reading right now?  What races are you doing that I could give you water at?!

The Most Random Post You've Ever Read

On Wednesday I hopefully finished my very last class of my PhD career!  I've said this before, but I think this is really it this time.  All that's left for me to do is my dissertation, no more classes!  I started this journey spring quarter 2008, so it's hard to believe I've been at this 4 full years now.  But  at the same time, it's hard to believe I haven't been at it for 10.

Campus on a rare sunny day. 

I was hoping the famous cherry blossoms would be out since this will probably be my last time on campus for awhile, and normally they come out during spring break-ish.  We haven't had any spring-like weather yet though (boo), so I guess that's why this was the only blossom I could find in the whole quad. 

In other random news, on Tuesday I met JMan for a Groupon-inspired date at Racha Thai.  Afterwards we walked around the mall and I saw this, the Motorola MotoActv:

  

Has anyone seen this before or know anything about it?  I was really impressed by it initially, as it seems to be a Garmin on crack, in that it is also an iPod on crack, in that it creates playlists to make you go faster based on your workout / music data!  Doesn't that sound amazing?  Also, it can be a watch or a clip-on like the iPod Nano.  It was going for $249.  I figured there has to be a catch, like it's battery life is horrible or the GPS is inaccurate or SOMETHING.  My good old Garmin 305 isn't going to last forever (it likes to remind me of its impending mortality by refusing to turn on every once in awhile), so if this is as amazing as it sounds...??!  What do you think?  Don't you think they should send me one to review?!  :-)

On Wednesday I rode the bike trainer and swam a mile.  Not at the same time, obviously.  Though that might be interesting.

  

Proof that I rode a bike for at least one second.  Proof that Cooper is the most loyal being on this earth.  He likes to just lay at the bike's feet and stare up at me, or sometimes stand and lick my leg every time it goes around.  It is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.  

Okay, enough randomness.  What are you up to on this lovely Saturday?  Fun weekend plans?  How far are you running?

Snow White as a Real Housewife: Not So Sweet After All

First of all, remember on Friday when I mentioned I had my big general exams?  Well I PASSED!!  Basically one of the three big steps of my program (this is the 2nd) involves passing written and oral general exams, which involve spending 3 weeks answering 3 questions in written format (remember awhile ago when I mentioned spending my weekend working on 93 pages?!), and then defending your answers orally to your committee.  ANYWAY long story made longer, I spent 2 hours presenting and answering questions on Friday and it was so incredibly stressful and terrifying, but I'm relieved and ecstatic to be done.  The 3rd and final step is my dissertation!

source

Second, as I mentioned yesterday this weekend I ran the Lincoln City Half Marathon.  My goal was to finish under 2 hours but I shockingly finished as 8th female (it's a tiny race of only 400 people for both the half marathon and the 10k) and 5th in my age group in 1:46:26!  I was extremely happy with my time, though it was possibly the most I've ever suffered in a race.  Check back for a proper race recap tomorrow or Wednesday!

Finally, on Saturday Night Live this week there was the best. sketch. ever!  If you've read my "About Ricole" section, you know my blog name basically revolves around an Amy Poehler SNL character for whom's best sketch starred Lindsay Lohan.  Well 8 years later, she's back on SNL, and possibly had the 2nd best sketch ever (2nd to the Rick sketch, of course).  It was extremely timely having just ran the Disney Princess Half last week: The Real Housewives of Disney.

The youtube video was removed and I'm too dumb to figure out how to embed Hulu videos so to watch the whole thing go to Hulu here. 

That's all for today!  Have a great week everyone!

Do you watch SNL?  What did you think of the sketch?  It's not for the faint of heart or hater of bad language.  And IS Snooki really pregnant?!