Closed doors and opened windows

Those of you who've known me for a while know I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm doing and where I'm going. I don't do so well when something out of my control makes me adjust my life plan. I like being in the driver's seat with the pedal down!

It's a skill I've been working on a bit this past year. One strategy that helps me is the closed door/opened window philosophy. We all know the quote, "When God closes a door, he opens a window." The point is that a change, a disappointment or a challenge can bring something even better. We just have to have faith and trust Him.

If I had stuck to my original plan, I'd be in Arizona today. I would have finished my second half marathon yesterday. But I didn't make the trip.

When I signed up for the race last summer, it was an exciting opportunity. I had no one to tell me I couldn't do it. In fact, the last year of my life, that's where I'd comfortably settled. I had no one complaining if I dined out too often, spent too much on new clothes, wanted to travel more, or didn't like the decorations I bought for my home. I was very comfortable in this place.

It's what made me jump on the registration without thinking it through. I didn't think about the expense of the trip. The fact I'd likely be going alone. The amount of time I'd want to take off work to really enjoy the sites. The closer it got, I realized I'd save myself a lot of time, cash and stress if I forfeited the little registration fee. So I did, and I signed up for a half in Galveston this Sunday, where I will have the out of town experience with friends to cheer me on.

I was sad about this at first. I was looking forward to seeing a new part of the country. That is, until other opportunities presented themselves. In the past few days, I was able to present to my professional association, rehearse for Charity Ball (loving dancing...this may be a future blog post), and spend time with family and friends (which included checking out a fun driving range).

I wouldn't have traded any of these experiences. I'm just glad I could step far enough back from the closed door to see the opened windows in the corner.

How have you turned a closed door into an open window of opportunity?

Me and my bucket

Those who know and love me well know two things about me: 1) I'm a horrible procrastinator. I think it stems from my journalist days and the excitement of deadline pressure. 2) I'm time challenged. Try as I might, I'm not the best at being timely. I was late for my expected due date ... and frankly, I hope to be late to my funeral too.

So about 3 weeks past the day of The Big 3-5...it's time to 'fess up and talk about how I did on my birthday bucket list. If you'd like a recap of why I set some of these goals, check out the blog from last year when I started the adventure:

1. Run a half marathon-Done in January. Now I'm gearing up for my second in Arizona in Jan. 2013!! Let's see if I can improve my time.

2. See a Saints game live-Done last August. Next, I want to see one in the Superdome. I've seen a Cougars game there, but not quite the same! I did also discover a great app to listen to games live while I run.

3. Finish writing the Buddy book-I did not finish this one. Buddy passed away last September. I just haven't been able to bring myself to write the rest. But I have been journaling and writing some other projects, so that makes me happy.

4. Finish assembling photo albums and scrapbooks-half done. Finished the albums in September (thanks LL!) and started the scrapbooks in November. Haven't touched them since the Thanksgiving holiday. Maybe this Thanksgiving! It was fun reading some of my old newspaper writings.

5. Write my will and include planned gifts-half done. I have met with my lawyer (2 days pre-birthday, cut it close!) and shared my wishes to include my alma maters. Now it's her turn to write :)

6. Zip line over land-Done. Did this at Lost Pines last month. Soooo fun I will totally do it again!

7. All CDs into iTunes-Done in January. Enjoyed more of my library running the half, and now in my new car! Digital is the way to go. Glad I got organized.

8. Climb an indoor rock wall or go skydiving-Done. Did a wall at Lost Pines, outdoor but same concept. Also still have a certificate to skydive good until next July so I'll get that in sometime too!

9. Fit back into the heart gala dresses-Done as of the night before my birthday (really cut it close!). I'll be honest. I really can't wear them to events yet. My body has morphed some in the 6 or 7 years since I wore them last. I have muscles in places I didn't before. It's a good thing, but it means I need alterations to enjoy wearing them again. I'd rather pay for those and be a healthy girl than pay for doctor visits!

10. Help build a Habitat house-not done. I did get some emails to help with builds this month, but ran out of time.

By my count, I accomplished 70% of the list. Pretty darn good, I say! And what's not listed in these 10 are all the other things I accomplished and got to do this past year. I moved. Got a snazzy new car I love. I chaired a conference and presented at an international one. I started traveling again for fun.

And most importantly, I saw and spent time with friends and family I hadn't in recent years. And I learned a lot about myself in the process of all this. We don't ever stop growing, or stop learning. And I couldn't do that without a great network of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

I guess the moral of the story is to set crazy dreams, and not be afraid to share them. You never know what you'll gain in return. Life is beautiful.

Recharging the batteries

I'm in an unusual place today. It's 1 p.m., I'm still in my pjs, and I don't have much of a specific plan for the day. Sure, I have my usual list going on the fridge of the things I need to accomplish before the weekend is out. I also have a list in my head of things I probably SHOULD do. But instead, I made the choice to get 11 hours of sleep (wow!), enjoy my coffee while reading the paper and social media, and just being. I did the same last night. After a day volunteering at an alumni event and preparing for my transition in cars, I just chilled. One of my best gal pals came over and we sat by the pool with drinks and just chatted (and discovered the pool has wifi!). A dear friend of mine pointed out that I seem to have a hard time just "being"...that even in my down time I have "things to do"...the casualty of life as a Type A Virgo, I guess. I've been trying to take this feedback and find ways in my life to just BE more. I've been spending evenings on my balcony when home chatting with my bestie on Skype and just enjoying the cool (for now) night air. The funny thing is, even though I only worked out twice this week, I dropped two pounds, almost a full one last night with the extra rest. The reason I wanted to share all this was a reminder that sometimes, we all need to just listen to our bodies and relax, before they break down and we collapse. Yes, I'll get to the gym today, knock some of the items off that list and maybe even squeeze in something else unexpected (like writing this blog). But I'm doing so feeling a little more relaxed and renewed. So when is your next break? Have you planned a summer vacation yet? Even just a day off to just chill? Other than a road trip this weekend and our class reunion in July, I'm guilty of not having planned my downtime yet. If I'm going to have a productive school year, I must. And you should too. If we don't put on the oxygen mask and take care of ourselves, we are no good to others. We should all put "schedule me time" at the top of our to do lists.

50 days to fitness ... Who's in?

Hoppy Easter! Lent has ended, and I made it without French Fries for 46 days. To be honest, I'm not in a hurry to start eating them again ... I've been enjoying way too many other foods and not enough exercise to counteract changes on the scale and in how my clothes fit.

Memorial Day is 50 days away. Even though it's already swimsuit weather here in Houston, to me that's the start of summer. I want to get some new swimsuits this year, and honestly, I want to look and feel great in them too. That also means less than 150 days until my birthday. I still want to fit into those dresses by then, even if I can't wear them to events until the fall. They are not going to fit for the 3 galas I have in the next 10 days.

I'm less worried about the scale and more concerned that clothes are not fitting. To me, that's more a sign I'm not living healthy. So I'm kicking off a challenge. Exercise 30 minutes a day between now and the holiday. That's 1500 minutes ... Allowing for some days where a workout is impossible to be doubled up on the next day. I've also stocked up on fruits and better food choices.

So who else is in for 1500? I'm hitting the gym tonight to get started.

Back to accountability

Ok, I know it's been some time since I blogged. That's because frankly, it's been a while since I've been doing the healthy thing. After the half marathon, other priorities took over. I chaired our AFP chapter's conference which took a good chunk of my free time in February.

Also that month, we went through the hiring process for a member of our team at work. I'm pleaded that I have help again on the Development team! But that meant I was still doing 2 jobs that month.

So I'm guilty of doing what we all do, letting diet and exercise go. I worked out 200 minutes for the MONTH. I ate and drank what I wanted. Well y'all, the scale shows it.

Now that some of my life transition is ending, it's time to cut the excuses. I made time for a 30 minute workout yesterday. Felt great after and enjoyed a very nice (and rich!) dinner out last night with no bloating!

I also cut out French Fries (and really any fried potatoes) for Lent. I think I'm eating less burgers due to it :)

I'm going to attempt a new workout streak. I'd like to be in good shape for the summer to enjoy the pool!

So I'm putting this out there because I know some of y'all find it helps keep you accountable too (thanks Keisha!). So who's with me to spring back to healthiness?

Handling the Half

13.1 miles. It's not that far, right? It's just about double the longest distance I'd ever run before, the 10k. This is what I thought when I so boldly put "Finish a Half Marathon" at the top of my Before 35 Bucket List. Lots of people I know have done one...why couldn't I?

So last June, I signed up under the Houston half's Hero program. I went with the straight $350 to a favorite charity and I was in (I ran for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that I covered many times in my journalism career).

I began training in July. I unofficially followed a plan I downloaded off the Houston Fit message board several years back when I first started pondering distance racing. It was simple. 100 runs over 25 weeks.

Training went just about perfectly until work at the college got crazy in September. I had my busiest semester on record, with several major events. There were nights I worked until 11 p.m.! Needless to say, the training calendar was not always followed (and the cleaning people learned who used my office!). I placed my emphasis on increasing the distance of my weekend long run. It was exciting to get to 7 and 8 miles.

I only managed one 10-miler, on New Year's Eve. It was exciting to think that I would just have to replicate this, and tack a 5k on the end, to finish a half.

So ... how did I do it?

The weekend of the race, I admit I was nervous. I'd put this goal out there for everyone to know. Over and over, friends who'd done it before said my only goal should be to finish. But secretly, a 3 hour finish would be awesome. I felt I could at least finish in the 4 hour limit the race allows though.

Though I'm a perennial night owl, I was in bed before 11 p.m. the night before. As I've done with every race, I laid everything out because morning person, I am not!

I was up at 4:30 a.m. After fully prepping (it's weird putting on sunscreen when it's dark out!), I was out the door about 5:20 to head downtown. I parked in a nearby garage and headed to the convention center to meet up with friends.

On the walk over, I saw my co-worker Carlo, who ran in college and still races competitively. Today, he was just doing the 5k and gave me the first tip of the morning: the porta potties on the inside of the village are cleaner and have no lines. He was right!!

Walking through the GRB, I was glad I skipped gear check. Just seemed like a lot of trouble. I then headed to the corral to meet my friend Niki and her sister Annie. We were in the 13 minute mile pace spot by 6:30. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't have gone out so soon. We didn't start moving until well after 7, crossing the start line about 7:14.

Mile 1 started with a HUGE uphill climb on a bridge out of downtown. My feet were a bit frozen in my Vibrams and could feel that most of this mile. Fortunately Mile 2 started off downhill. This is where we started seeing spectators. Oh, the spectators were great! Funny signs, costumes and noisemakers abound. Between that and a loaded iPhone with tunes, I was never bored.

Mile 3 brought the 5k mark, just under 42 minutes and a 13:30 pace. I ran the first 28 minutes straight and was feeling good. This is where I saw my friend Lori with the American Cancer Society group cheering us on. Mile 4 was a bit more isolated, and brought in a cold breeze.

Mile 5 took us straight through the heart of the Heights. It was fun to run past Fitzgerald's where I'd seen my buddy Wendel's band play a few weeks before. Mile 6 took us under I-10 and more hills.

Mile 7 was where I first started to struggle, right past the halfway mark. Fortunately, I saw my friends Sean and Jeff with the TNT group which brought a smile to my face. Sean was supposed to race but was rehabbing an injury. He ran alongside me to snap a pic. By Mile 8, I was starting to take much more frequent walk breaks...where before I was going anywhere from 10-13 minutes before I'd walk, now it was closer to 5 minute run bursts. Niki and Annie trotted past me around this point, and my friend Katie popped over from the side running back towards downtown to give me a big ol' hug.

Mile 9 is where I learned about the best on route goodie there is: Vaseline on a stick! Though I had used plenty of Body Glide, my thighs were rubbing. This saved me from a lot of pain later. Mile 10 brought a spectator with a sign I was looking for the whole race, "Chuck Norris never ran a half marathon"...there were several "never ran a marathon" signs earlier (as we shared the race route with the full until around mile 9). I thanked the spectator!

I walked most of Mile 11 & Mile 12. Somewhere in Mile 11 on Allen Parkway, a group was giving out small Dixie cups with beer. At that point I had been working out for nearly 3 hours so I said, why not?? I also made my one and only porta potty stop at the 1.5 mile to go mark.

Mile 13 went straight through downtown. This was exciting...realizing I was going to make it!! I made a rookie mistake at the 1/4 mile to go sign in Discovery Green ... I started running. Yeah, that quarter mile was WAY longer than I realized!! But I had a great Beatles song going and seeing the big crowds was a motivator.

The final turn in front of the convention center was exciting and intimidating. It was time for the "don't stop once you'd seen the finish line rule" ... but boy that was a long stretch of road! Props to the emcee for reading my name off my bib not once, but twice for a little extra motivation.

As for crossing the finish line, nothing beats it. The sense of accomplishment. Knowing I'd just done something a lot of people hadn't, or maybe even couldn't. I had pushed my body to its ultimate limit ... further than ever before. For the gal who was a benchwarmer on the 8th grade basketball team ... receiving a medal at the finish line was surreal.

But the best part of what got me through...I dedicated my thoughts along those miles to the people in my life who made a difference in my journey these past 7 months. Because while I may have been running solo, I was never truly alone ... so to my friends and family, I am ever grateful for your support and encouragement to achieve this milestone in my life.

And to all of you who shared such kind thoughts via text, email or Facebook in the days since, you are all very thoughtful and sweet. Here's wishing you can achieve your goals, no matter the size or challenge!

And yes, I'll do it again. Just not anytime soon. I'm still sore!!

Results:
Chip time: 3:17:09 (15:03 pace)

Splits (includes best 10k time to date):

Split	Time	Diff	min/mile	mile/h
5K	00:41:57	41:57	13:30	4.44
10K	01:24:41	42:44	13:38	4.40
14.5K	02:06:32	41:51	14:03	4.27
20K	03:06:58	01:00:26	15:03	3.99
Finish Net	03:17:09	10:11	15:03	3.99

10 before 35 ...

I like to set goals. And I like to work hard to accomplish them. So with my next milestone birthday about a year and two weeks away...it should not be a surprise that I've been thinking about things I'd like to accomplish before then.

While I've been working hard on living in the moment and enjoying what is happening WHEN it is happening, turns out that anticipation is not such a bad thing for my spirit. This article I read in the New York Times discusses just one of many studies that show the anticipation of an event, such as a vacation, leads to an increase in happiness. No wonder I'm Polly Positive...I'm ALWAYS looking forward to SOMETHING!

So what do I want to get done before 35? It's a mix of things I've never done, always wanted to do, and some regrets that I didn't do them sooner. There's so much to say, I'm going to unveil new ones about once a day during the weeks between now and my birthday. So pull up a chair, friend, and enjoy my Top 10:

1. Finish a half marathon. I have been running on and off since 1999, but seriously since summer 2007. I finished my first 5k in spring 2008 (thank you Power in Motion!), my first 10k in 2009 ... and wanted to do this sooner (as well as a full by 35) but injuries forced my plans to change. I have registered for the Houston Half in January 2012 and am on week 4 of training.

2. Watch a Saints game in person. I'm getting this done Saturday! The Saints take on the Texans in preseason play here in Houston. I ultimately want to see them play in the Superdome ... but this will have to go on the before 40 list. Just too much going on with a possible move, and I'm hoping the Cougars will go bowling around the holidays! I am going to see the Cougars play in the 'Dome ... so I'm doing the two parts separate, I suppose. Have to leave something for the next list, right?

3. Finish "the Buddy book." In 2003, when I was working for the Lake Charles American Press (my brief fundraising hiatus), I covered a visit from the Sweet Potato Queen (her ownself), Jill Connor Browne. Her speech inspired me to start writing a book that very night on the lessons I was learning as a dog owner (Buddy, after all, is my first). I wrote four lessons and stopped. I wanted an even dozen, and had ideas for 11 total ... when a few months back, now 11-year-old Buddy inspired idea #12. I'd like to finish this before he turns 12, even if no one else reads it. I love to write, and just reading the chapters I've done will be such a great memento to have when he's gone.

4. Compile photo albums & scrapbooks. I have meticulously collected most newspaper articles I wrote for The Daily Cougar, the Houston Chronicle, and the Press...as well as photos dating back pretty much my whole almost-34 years. These have lived in boxes, or bags. It's time to get them into books to enjoy. Sooner rather than later, thanks to possible move.

5. Write our wills and include planned gifts. Yes, it may be morbid, but I've learned in my line of business, every adult should have a will. Don't you want a say in what happens to your possessions (and for those of you with kids, your people), if the unthinkable happened? Just because we are still fairly young, you just never know. It's the best way to make sure your wishes are met. This is a lengthy process and may not finish by that birthday, but we'll start making plans and of course, I want to be sure to include some favorite charities. As well as my desire for an Irish Wake and a Jazz Funeral ... now you all know I want to go out with a bang!

6. Zip line over land. I regret not doing this when in Kauai for my parents' 30th anniversary in 2007. I zip lined over water at Xel-Ha this summer and it was awesome. I want to get over my fear and do this.

7. Import all my CDs into iTunes. Not exciting, but I want to finally digitize all my music. It's 2011. I need to get with the program, especially now that I own an iPhone.

8. Climb an indoor rock wall ... or go skydiving. I am still undecided here. I've never climbed a wall, and this would be pretty easy to do at the UH Rec Center. But I passed up the chance to skydive in 1998 and now am regretting it. I was features editor at the Cougar ... and was offered to do it for an article. The week of, I chickened out ... Adam went in my place and I shot photos. At the time, I wasn't sorry, but now I am. So I'm leaning towards that. It would be fun to do as a group!

9. Fit back into the "Heart Gala dresses." I have two dresses I only wore once and haven't worn in 5-6 years. I definitely want to get into the black strapless one with red and white flowers I wore to the 2005 Lafayette Heart Gala ... would be a perfect outfit for the UH Alumni Awards Gala in April. Bonus would be to fit in the strapless teal one I wore to the 2006 Northwest Houston Heart Ball.

10. Help build a Habitat house. I have been a fan of Habitat for Humanity since I covered the Houston Superbuild as an intern for the Chron in summer 1998 (I even was called on by President Carter at the press conference to ask him a question!). I have always wanted to work on a house build. Therefore, I plan to organize a group to do so in spring 2012. Leadership Houston Class XXIX, I'm looking at you for help!

Stay tuned to see how much I actually achieve ... just the thought of all the possibilities has me super happy!! :)