March 28, 2018 – 3.00 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”


You all know that I am not a social person. I am very good in a social situation. I have an army of wonderful friends who I enjoy immensely and I believe they enjoy me too. However, I do really enjoy my own company. Most times, if I were left to my own devices, I would be a Recluse.

I would go to work every day and do my job well. Better than most, in fact. I would go home. I’d eat. I’d have a glass of wine. I’d read or watch TV. Then I’d go to sleep and do it all over again the next day.

And that would be it. No social interaction, actual or virtual. I wouldn’t eat much. Wouldn’t sleep much. Except for my bedroom, all of the rooms in my house would be unnaturally tidy…. And dusty. Because I would never use them. I would inhabit my bedroom only, with the door closed, and locked. Even if there was no one else there.

Well this past week was *very* close to that! And while I’m grateful that this time is very nearly over, I gotta say, I kinda loved it!

What happened was Jordan went to New York City with his High School Choir (GO HIGHLANDERS!!) to sing at Carnegie Hall!! Can you BELIEVE that!! Wow! At the same time, Chris was away on business for what was supposed to be 5 days, but turned out to be 12. So it was just Jayda and me at home for about a week.

Jayda is like me, in that she is also very fond of her own space. So we would cook dinner together when we got home, sit and talk, work on homework, give bunches and bunches of hugs, then retreat to our respective caves. On Sunday, we went to the movies twice in the same day! First, we saw “A Wrinkle in Time” (wish I’d enjoyed that more. I was only halfway through the book at the time of viewing). Then we went back later that day to see “Black Panther” for the second time (phenomenally great movie!).

It was WONDERFUL!!

But with Christopher gone, I realized I have a disturbing tendency to lose interest in things I would normally enjoy very much. Like reading and riding my bike and eating and running. Strangely, though, I was still very fond of WINE!!

Before I sent Jordan off, I picked this up:

I know what you’re thinking. What is a beautiful, knowledgeable, sophisticated woman like Sabrina doing even *considering* wine in a freakin’ BOX?! Well… I had no men at home. And this is as close to disgusting as I’m likely to get. Besides, I’d heard good things about this brand (out of Principal, I can’t use the word “vintage” or “Label”) and I wanted to give it a try. It was a 3-liter box, which was likely to hold me over very well til my men got back.

While the experience was not terrible, it wasn’t great. This was fine. One can hardly expect “greatness” from boxed wine. It was very thin and a tiny bit sweeter than I’d like. It was not very layered, textured or dynamic, and for some reason I really felt like it should be kept in the refrigerator, so it was much colder than it would have been, had I found space for it in my wine ‘fridge.

Bottom line - It was what it was: An adult juice box. And that was ok.

Now….


On to the Run…


This was a good run. Not because it was fast or long, but because I got to do it. I woke up early, as usual. To run, as usual. And we ran hills. I really needed to get this run in because, as previously implied, I felt I was beginning to show symptoms of mild Depression. I am not normally afflicted with Depression or “Soul Fog” of any kind, but Depression is nothing to mess with. So even if it wasn’t Depression, it was an internal shift that I didn’t want to embrace. Therefore, whether I wanted to or not, I was determined to wake up early and get a run in. With hills if I could swing it!


So, I pinged my Girl, Lina and said, “Let’s….”
And, as usual and without missing a beat, she said, “GO!”

We set out early to run the hills of Big Sky. It was great in its familiarity and easy going in its pace. My headlamp went out before I got to the halfway point, but my vest was still blazing bright. So it was all good.

It was good to be out breathing and running again and as always, was a very effective way to get me back to myself. I felt LOADS better after the run and I was ready to join The Living again!


Then, late on Monday night, I picked Jordan up from school after the Choir Trip. We were both embarrassingly happy to see each other. But we played it cool.

And the following Wednesday, I picked Chris up from the Hollywood Burbank Airport. Going to the airport is WONDERFUL and driving in Los Angeles is AWESOME…. When it ends up like this.

So I am back to my old self again now that my family and I are back under the same roof. I love my family. And I love being at home. Home is a good place. There is so much love. So much joy and laughter. No strife. Just peace and honest, unending acceptance, adoration and friendship. And hugs. Lots of love…. And wine.

See you on the next run.

And get your Mammogram!

March 15, 2018 – 2.98 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

This was a typical Maintenance Run. It was just Lina and me this morning, and that’s ok.

Cuz all you need for a party are equal parts Lina and Sabrina. We go together like Wine & Cheese, Socks & Shoes, Mornings & Running. In fact, our Couple Mash-Up Name is still just……. SABRINA.

It was dark out, but not too cold, which was nice. We walked the first half, which was well for me because it had been about a week since I’d been running. It felt good to start off slowly. After the first mile and a half, we started running. Lina slowed her roll and finished the run with me.

We chatted and caught up a little bit. And you know what that is? That’s GROWTH!!

Not only that, it speaks to how much I really love Lina. Because everybody knows that the quickest way to end a friendship with Sabrina is to speak to her whilst she’s running.

Nobody else can do it, but Lina gets a pass because I love her and she is my running Sole Mate. Not that one needs to be as lovely as Lina to run with me. I would run with Conrad Murray if he were in my Pace Group and could shut the eff up!!


On To The Run…
This run was important for a number of reasons. For one, it was the first morning run I’d done since Daylight Savings started. Daylight Savings is typically a turning point for me. It USED to mean that I could choose to run in the morning or after work and still get some daylight. Now that I’m training for a Tri, it means that I will need to figure out whether I want to run in the mornings and swim or ride at night.

I will have to figure out the best way to proceed. As I understand it, it is always best to swim first to avoid cramps. Swimming in the morning sounds just terrible!

Secondly, I was starting to experiment with nutrition. I have a pretty good idea of what will work for me during a foot race, but I have discovered that I my needs are almost completely different when I’m riding and different-er still, when I’m swimming.

If I’m running fewer than 4 miles, I’ll hydrate before the run and carry nothing but MJ on my playlist and three forms of Fitness Tracking. I know. It’s crazy, but there it is. I almost never have any solid food before a run fewer than 4 miles.

When I’m riding, I have discovered that, no matter the distance, I need to fuel up with lean protein and some kind of carb. I like to have a couple pieces of chicken breast and orange slices. And even on a short ride, I always seem to need water. Bikes are annoying.

With swimming – I never eat before a swim and I seem to perform best when I have a bottle of Gatorade (as opposed to plain water) at the head of the lane, so I can take a sip after about 4 laps. I get *extremely* dehydrated when I swim, which I didn’t expect and find very odd. Also, swimming WEARS ME OUT!! Swimming is the worst!

Basically, what this means is that I have to forget everything I ever knew about my own nutritional needs. During the race, swimming is the first leg, then the bike, then the run. And while I am well-versed on what I’ll need for a 2-mile run, I have NO idea what I’ll need for a 2-mile run AFTER a 500 meter swim AND a 6-mile ride.

Anyway…. This morning, I fueled up with just a sip of Gatorade and two of these:

These are Energy Balls. A friend of mine made them for me. They are made with almond butter, chia seeds, figs, organic cacao nibs and honey. They’re tasty enough without being too sweet. Substantial, without being too heavy. And very easy to take on the go. My concern is that they won’t stand up to jostling and high temperatures.

They were perfect for this run, which was at 5:30am on a cold morning, where I left from my house and ate them as I drove to the route. But how will they do sitting in a Transition Station for how ever long it takes me to finish the swim and the bike? On an August afternoon?!

I fear that the structural integrity will be compromised to the point where I will end up with something resembling the contents of a baby’s diaper.

But we’ll see. I’ll keep training with them and let you know how it goes.


See you on the next run.

March 15, 2018 – Trying to Tri

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

Hello Again!! It has been a *very* long time since I’ve posted anything. Spring is on its way! And it is as beautiful as ever in sunny California!

Let me bring you up! Everything is the same. God is still on His Throne. Work is still work. Husband is still better than I deserve. Kids are still crazy. Michael Jackson is still the Greatest Entertainer who ever lived. And running is still a constant comfort.

As always, I am just a mediocre athlete, trying to stay in my jeans!


Just as there are tiny changes to the Seasons in glorious Southern California, there have been tiny changes to my workout regimen. One of the most significant changes is that I signed up for the Santa Barbara Triathlon in August. If you have followed me at all, you know how I feel about other forms of exercise:

Bikes are for Suckas.
Yoga is for Weed Smokers.
Pilates is for Hipsters.
Swimming is for Babies.
And Running is the Sport of Kings! Or in my case, Queens.

While all of these things may ring true, I have to confess that I am still in love with Felicia (She’s my bike. She’s hot!). I have ridden with a Cycling Club for about two years now and I really don’t know what I would do without these people.

So Bikes are now cool.

Yoga and Pilates are still for weirdos. Sorry. I don’t even know how to talk to you folks.


But, Swimming…….. Swimming…… Swimming.


I can’t say I’m a big fan. But swimming is the first leg of the race, so I have got to get it in! Which means I need a pool. Which means I joined a Gym. I realize this flies in the face of my previous assertion that all gyms are crawling with herpes and staph infections, but what am I to do? I’m already registered! So I gotta swim.

And this is no joke! I am not a strong swimmer and the race takes place in open water!
THE OCEAN!!!
That’s crazy, right? I can’t be the only one who thinks so, can I? Swimming in the ocean is not something humans should do!!

Here’s how I see it: If a stranger walked into your house, unannounced, uninvited and unwelcomed, You might let him walk through your house. As long as he doesn’t appear to be a threat to you or your family, you might just let him have a look around and leave when he’s done. You might do that. But no one would fault you for being tempted to shoot him!!

The Ocean is the Shark’s HOUSE!!! And I can’t blame it for wanting to kill me!!! And yet here we are, paying money to invade the home of a known killer. Just to swim a few meters!!! (500 to be exact)

I don’t get it, but that’s how it goes. So we must train for it.


So now swimming is, well… It’s not cool. It’s crazy….. which is kinda cool.


In other News!

While I absolutely still believe that Michael Jackson is the baddest man to ever hold a mic, I gotta give proper respect to this guy!

I’m taking my husband to see Bruno Mars for his birthday!!! For my husband’s birthday, not Bruno’s birthday. I know it’s exciting, but I can’t run around with misplaced pronouns!

This is SUPER exciting for me!! Bruno Mars is one of the very few artists that I will mention in the same sentence with Michael Jackson. I never got to see Michael in concert when he was alive. So when I learned that Bruno was coming to Los Angeles, I couldn’t pass it up. I’ll letcha know how it goes.


Also, here is a pic of me and the kids going to see Black Panther.

This movie was great! If you haven’t seen it twice, go see it again! It’s amazing. The acting, the writing, the cinematography, the costuming, the casting. I can’t say enough about this movie. Everything about it was remarkably well done. My whole family loved it. Wakanda Forever!!


And now, for the Run


I ran a quick 2 miles on Tuesday. It had been quite a while since I had run at all. About a week. This is unusual for me. And after a week, my body began to rebel a little bit.

If you know a little bit about my backstory, you know that I was diagnosed with DCIS about 4 years ago and have been on Anti-Cancer medication for about 3 years. One of the side effects of the medication is Anxiety. Previously, I had never suffered with anxiety, so I never realized just how aptly named it is.

Anxiety is a terrifying condition that afflicts millions of Americans and there absolutely no shame in it. If you think you might suffer with Anxiety, don’t hesitate to get help. Many women who are on Tamoxifen (and other medications) also take Anti-Anxiety meds.

I don’t take Anti-Anxiety meds because, fortunately for me, running keeps it completely in check. But I gotta run! And when I don’t, my body reacts. Poorly.

Check out my heart rate on my last run:

I was taking it *really* easily. I walked the first half and my Heart Rate still reached 198!! That is dangerously high!! Seriously. If you need it, get help. Anxiety is unnecessarily hard on your body.

When I am running regularly, my normal Heart Rate stays pretty low:

This was a snapshot of my Heart Rate while I was at the office! #SuperStressful
My Resting Heart Rate is even lower.

My point is, Anxiety is real. If you or someone you know suffers with it, get help. Fast.


So…. We’re all caught up now! Not much has changed. And not much as stayed the same. I will write again soon.

As always, see you on the next run…..

….. And get your Mammogram!