The sky on my way home one day this week. God is so good!

Training Diaries: Week 9

Monday: I got up early and did a circuit at my house. While Bailey and I were running last night we realized we have kind of started skimping on our leg workouts. So, in lieu of it being a fresh week, I decided to start it off right! At 6:30 this morning I did sumo squats, lunges, and all kinds of other good stuff. I was pouring sweat and my legs were shaking by the end. I will probably hate my life tomorrow during my run, but I don’t want to lose all of my leg strength (although my strength has shifted gears a little bit). My body has already changed a lot since I have started my ultra training. I was squatting way over 200 pounds before, and I know that is not even feasible anymore. I am totally okay with that, because I can’t train like a power lifter and an endurance athlete at the same time. Although, I am still lifting weights because it does help to have strong legs when you use them as much as I do ;)

Tuesday: My legs kind of sore, considering my workout wasn’t all that hardcore yesterday (or at least to my standards). Just goes to show you how easily your muscles can change and adapt to different routines. Since I had to leave work for a ½ day yesterday (my boss is awesome and so understanding), I am going to be gone from my house for 14 hours today. I came in at 8:45 instead of 10:30 and I am just going to leave a little late. By the time I get home the gym will be closed, so I am going to go straight to the Toyota gym and get a quick 3 miles in before I head home. I am already going to assume that it is going to be a sucky run, because I usually don’t have the best runs at night. I didn’t really have another choice though, so you do what you gotta do. I always hate running without Bailey, even on short runs. I should get home in time to hit the sack around 10:30 tonight. Making up these hours is going to make for an exhausting 2 days.

Wednesday: LIFE…I swear. You just can’t plan for everything. Sometimes you just can’t plan for the things that will go wrong, especially when it comes to doctor’s appointments. On the way to get some tests done, I witnessed a pretty bad wreck on the AA, and stopped to call 911. Everyone was okay, but it frustrates me when car accidents could be prevented. When I got to the doctors, it was over an hour late and I had to reschedule for tomorrow so I wouldn’t be late for work. Then on the way to work, I spilled my protein shake. YAY for a good morning! On top of all of that, my test was fasted so I couldn’t workout this morning, and I have to work late, so I think I will have to get my workout in at around 10:00 tonight. On top of that, I got a present from Mother Nature this morning (she likes to make me cry). Haha OH well. You have to do what you have to do when you have goals. This week is going to be rough, training wise, but these weeks are what make me tough and what make me proud. Got a great upper body workout in when I got home around 9:00.

Thursday: I surprisingly had a good upper body workout last night. I couldn’t believe it. I turned out my new playlist and had a nice 40 minute upper body workout. It’s funny how much control your attitude has over your workout. I didn’t want to have a bad attitude about something that I choose to do. Anyway, I was a little late to work today because I had to get bloodwork done, and they couldn’t get me in any earlier. As soon as I got to work it was Ball: Thirty! So, I walked into the office and walked right back out and to the gym! I know this isn’t a traditional workout, it is still really fun and I get a good sweat going. I joke and say, “I just want to burn calories and make friends”. I don’t shoot much and I refuse to be too aggressive because I play with mostly men and they are really competitive. I don’t want to get hurt. So, I am really careful. I have a race to run, and a sprained ankle would really ruin that.

Friday: I got home at around 10:00 last night and went to bed about 30 mintutes later. My puppy must have missed me this week, because she collapsed on top of me when we laid down and it literally hurt my heart. I miss her so much during the week, because I literally get to spend no time with her. We fell asleep with her face right next to mine, it was just what I needed. I love that dog so much it hurts me. I almost cried when I left this morning. But, this day ended up started with some exciting news! I haven’t blogged about this for obvious reasons, but I can talk about it now that it is official! This morning I got offered a job at Hospice (In Maysville)! It is a opportunity that I am so excited about! I won’t have 14 hour days anymore, I will be able to spend more time with my puppy, get to go to my gym again, and not miss family dinners. I will feel like I am a part of society again! Pretty much everything in my life is changing all at once, but God’s timing is so perfect. I have always sworn to myself that I wouldn’t settle for a life set on auto pilot. I want to live a life of meaning, and I am excited to be moving towards that and helping people. My heart is so happy I feel like it could burst! Owww. Anyway, its only 10:00 and this day has already been turned around! It is also my off day, because Bailey and I have a hard weekend ahead of us. Stay tuned!

Saturday: Bailey and I got up pretty early and did a nice little 8-miler. It went by pretty fast, and we ran it pretty fast. I looked at our training schedule and we were only supposed to run 6, so we ran 2 extra miles haha. Oh well. Bailey was off to work and I went to the pool to hang out for a while and try to get a little sun before we go on vacation next week. I am so pale. So pale. I don't want to get roasted when we get there, so I am trying to get a little sun over the next week or so.

Sunday: To make a very long story a shorter story: Bailey and I were supposed to run 20 miles today. But, Bailey ended up going to the Eagles concert at Rupp last night and didn't sleep 1 second last night. She called me at 4:30 (we were supposed to start at 5:30), and she told me she hadn't slept, so I told her we weren't running. 20 miles isn't a run that you don't prepare for. You stay hydrated, get sleep, and eat good. Your body can't perform in that capacity if you don't. I reworked the schedule and we are going to run it on Tuesday now, but next week is going to be a bear. I ended up going to the Y and running 4 miles on the treadmill. No big deal, it went by quick and easy.

Extras

1. I haven’t talked about this in my weekly diaries, because I feel like it is really personal, but I have been having some really weird vision problems. It started about 8 weeks ago now, and I have been seeing halos, had blurred vision, and now eyes are completely bloodshot. By bloodshot, I mean like completely red. It looks super gross. So, I got an emergency appointment to see an ophthalmologist to get them checked out.

a. Went to the doc, and my optic nerve isn’t damaged. This is what we were worried about, so we are really thankful that we are in the clear. The doc told us to get some other things checked out, so we are making a few more doctors appointments. I swear it is never ending haha

2. On the bright side, the doc gave me some steroid drops for my eyes, and I am starting to look healthy again! Which is good, because I was honestly kind of embarrassed about how my eyes looked.

3. There is a lot of prayer worthy things going on in my family this week. I know you will read this after most of them have passed, and I hope that everything ends up okay, but we are all pretty scared. My poor parents have too many kids to worry about. I can’t even imagine how they feel.

4. I met the nicest women in the cafeteria at Toyota. I walked in to fill my water bottle up and I was yawning (because that is what I do), and she said “I feel that”. I ended up talking to her for a long time and found out she moved to Kentucky from Michigan a few years ago with nothing and how God had blessed her with so much and how much she loved it here. It made me smile. You don’t get to talk to many people who are really thankful for the things they have. Most people are always looking for more, they don’t think about how much they already have. It was refreshing to talk to her, and it made me smile to be around someone so happy. I really love people like her.

5. I finished another audiobook! It is called Hero by Perry Moore. I love anything that has to do with Superhero’s. This book was wonderful. I really loved it. The superhero was so different than you would normally expect, which I loved. He healed people, and he was so sincere. He was so humble and real. It is refreshing and it felt so relatable. It is always such a good reminder that even people who are seemingly super human have really hard problems. It made me feel really at peace with some things that are happening in my life.

6. I talked about this in my Friday post, but I GOT A NEW JOB! I am so excited! I will be the Admissions Liaison for Hospice of Hope. I will be kind of like a health educator for people in regards to hospice. I am excited to be able to help people and to do a job that I am really excited about.

7. When I look about at my job opportunities over the last few months, I think about what helped me along the way. Well, let me tell you. It was the countless interviews I had when I was in the Miss Kentucky System. I have been grilled since I was 14 years old, and that really helps you when you are an adult. I am used to high pressure situations and that really helps now that I am interviewing for jobs. Most kids haven’t been through more interviews then they can count before they even get out of high school. These aren’t little sissy interviews either. These interviews made girls leave the room crying all the time. So, next time you see a pretty little Miss KY girl and you think she is dumb, you are far from right. She will probably get a job you apply for one day. I didn’t mean that to sound mean, just that it has really helped me to have to prepare for interviews all of my life.

8. This week was Kels BDAY!!! My little sis is 23, which is so weird BTW. Kel loves poetry books, and I bought her one called "I wrote this for you". and it is pretty much the most heart wrenching book I have ever read. It is really creative and beautiful. I cried when I read the back cover. Anyway, here is a page that I loved.