Keep on running

I'll admit it, I haven't been running in a while.  A month, to be exact.  I know, I know, what the heck am I thinking?  Well, mostly, I've been thinking, I have no races coming up, what's the point?  Yes, that's a poor mindset, but that's just how it goes.  It's not as if I've been sitting dormant either.  I've still been going to boxing, even through Christmas break, so I've basically been keeping up with fitness, just in a different way.  The weather lately hasn't been great either, and really, who wants to go running in a polar vortex?  Ok, so some people do, but I certainly don't.  So, I didn't.  Today though, the weather was amazing.  A nice 50 degree day in January, you really can't ask for anything better than that.  So, after a month long hiatus, I laced up my running shoes and hit the beach.  I took Stella with me, because she looked like she could use a good run.  We went for a nice 5 miler up through Nahant and back down again.  At first, I was a little concerned that I had made a bad choice.  The wind heading up to Nahant was kind of fierce, even if it was 50 degrees.  But eventually I got used to it, and once Stella got her business done, we really got into our groove again.  My first mile was a 10:10 pace.  By mile 4 we were back down to 9:18, right around my marathon/training pace.  I know that I wouldn't be anywhere near that if I had skipped a month of running and DIDN'T do any cross-training (boxing), but thankfully, I was able to get right back where I started from.
So, there's thing thing going around the social networks called 100 happy days.  The basic point is that you're supposed to take a picture of something that makes you happy, one a day, for 100 days.  Supposedly, people that do this start to notice more about their surroundings and are just generally happier people.  I've been participating on Twitter, just because I liked the idea.  I think it's a bit tough to do the picture thing every day though, simply because there are some things that you just CAN'T capture in a picture.  For example, the smell of the ocean air when you haven't been to the beach in a while, or the way the sunset looks over Boston.  Sure, you can try to get a picture of the sunset, but it never comes out as amazing as it looks in real life, especially on a phone camera.  But, I've been finding other pictures to take the place of non-capturable moments that make me happy.  On my run today, try as I might, I couldn't possibly capture just ONE moment. The entire run made me happy.  Stella was having a good time, the sunset was beautiful, I loved being on the beach, and I loved running again.  I took pictures to use, but there was just so much more to it today, that I can never capture.  Maybe that's the point though.  In looking for a picture, I noticed so much MORE than the picture.  For a moment, I was able to look around and take in everything, including the (real or imagined) joy I saw on Stella as her ears blew in the wind and she ran happily beside me.  Since I couldn't pick just one image, I made a collage of our whole run.  By the way, if you aren't using Picasa for your photos, you are missing out.  That program is amazing. So, here's a collage of all the things that made me happy today.  None of these pictures do the sunset justice, but there you have it.  Day 9 of 100 happy days.

And now for something completely different.  (I've decided to adopt this as my own, thanks Monty Python!)
I've been looking around for a better body wash/face cleanser.  My skin isn't overly oily or anything, but I felt like the regular Dove Bodywash was actually giving me acne, which I didn't appreciate.  So, I went on a search for a product that a. cleaned well and b. smelled good.  Luckily, I found these two amazing products.
Neutrogena's Body Clear Body Scrub, which smells lovely AND scrubs clean.  I can already see a total difference and I'm positive that it works far better after a workout, than the regular Dove did. Sorry Dove, but for intense cleaning after intense sweating, I'm all about this scrub now.  Hopefully I don't regret this post in a week or two.

My other amazing product is the Biore Charcoal face cleanser.  I just read someone else's review and she hated it, but personally, I love it.  Once again, it smells awesome and it really seems to work.  My face seems so much softer and clearer than it was two weeks ago.  But, then again, like I said, I don't have overly oily skin, so I'm not sure it would work for everyone. Just thought I'd share this little review, you know, in case you're in the market for some new body wash/face cleanser.

But dreams come slow, and they go so fast

I'll say this about the One Fund, they are efficient.  They said they would decide on a Boston Marathon team by January 10, and they did.  If you can't guess, I didn't make the cut.  But you know what, I'm mostly ok with that.  I think if I had, I would have had to turn it down anyways!  Thinking about it logically, it's $325 for the bib alone.  Then I would have had to go find a way to raise $8500.  Assuming that I didn't raise the full amount, I would have to pony up whatever I didn't manage to raise.  Considering the fact that I'm not sure I could raise $4000, let alone $8500, I'm sort of relieved I don't have to worry about that.  There's no way I could have paid that extra money, in any amount of time.
 (Sidebar: Thomas is a HUGE jerk.  I thought maybe the writers would have made him less of a jerk after the end of last season, but nope, carrying on in his terrible ways.  I would be ok if he left Downton for good.)
Anyways, so, all in all, I'm more relieved that I didn't get accepted, than I am disappointed.  Actually, I am in no way disappointed, just relieved, so I guess that right there tells me that I shouldn't have even bothered to apply for the team.  Live and learn.
And now for something completely different!
I feel accomplished in the way of wedding planning, for the first time in a long time.  I finished up our table numbers and they look awesome.  Using an idea from Pinterest, I up-cycled someone else's old numbers.  Today I also finished all the invites for the out of town guests, so I'm going to mail those this weekend.  I know it's a bit early, but I need counts for ceremony attendees.  Right now, I feel like the biggest problem I'm facing is the veil and undergarments.  I don't know much (ok, anything) about petticoats.  Plus, I haven't even looked at my dress since I bought it in July, except for the occasional picture.
Aside from that, sometimes I really feel like I relate to all the wrong fictional characters.  Scarlett O'Hara reminds me of myself all the time, and I tend to feel like I act much like Lady Mary in Downton Abbey as well.  That's not right! You're supposed to relate to the happy, friendly, bubbly characters to everyone loves, not the stubborn, pig-headed, grumpy characters.  I've been doing the 100 Happy Days challenge on Twitter, so maybe by the end of that, I'll find myself relating to a new group.  Who knows!