It’s my birthday week and I will be celebrating all month long. That’s right, when it comes to birthdays I go big! I see aging as a privilege since my mom didn’t live past the age I will turn on Wednesday — 43. In fact, a mere nine days after turning 43, I will have outlived my mom. Let that shit sink in. Instead of dwelling, I celebrate. Let’s do this…
Peace and love. It’s my birthday month!
WEEK OF MARCH 12, 2018
RUNNING
I enjoyed three runs this past week, with two of the longer ones outside, taking in another round of new snow. I know most people bitch about the snow and the fact that we’ve had three nor’easters in 11 days but my only issue is no school for the crazies. Other than that, I love a good snowstorm!
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Monday – easy run before swim to shake out my snowboarding legs from the weekend | 3.71 miles
Tuesday – hill repeats on the treadmill | 6.60 miles
Friday – long run | 9.3 miles
Total = 19.61
CYCLING
My undercarriage is reaching a breaking point. I had another 2 hour ride this week and being in the saddle that long is rough. I absolutely cannot wait to ride outside. For whatever reason, it doesn’t hurt your lady bits as much.
Wednesday – endurance ride | 2:01:14 | 30 miles
Thursday – 30 minute spin bike ride after pool swim | 30 minutes | 14 miles
Sunday – VO2 Max ride | 1:10:00 | 18.2 miles
Total = 62.2 miles
SWIMMING
I had my first swim brick (meaning I went right from the pool to the spin bike as quickly as possible) and it was a tough transition. The swim itself was great but trying to put cycling shorts and a sports bra on a wet body is no bueno.
Monday – 12×50 and 12×25 after run | 1,750
Thursday – endurance brick before bike | 1,750
Total = 3,500
STRENGTH
My strength workouts consisted of equal parts weights and snow. It’s been amazing spring skiing and I much prefer the slopes to the gym.
I’m not sure my husband feels the same way…
After I posted this to Instagram, a friend of mine asked if he was trying to make “Jerry of the day?” I had never heard of such a thing so I immediately checked it out. OMG. Hilarious! Please do yourself a favor and follow JerryoftheDay on Instagram. I was cry laughing. (thanks Angela!)
THINGS I LOVE
Birthday celebrations, naturally. I also love that my kids finally seem to be healthy and we’re all back to a somewhat normal schedule. I had a fantastic weekend at Okemo with a live, outdoor concert with Blues Traveler, surrounded by my family. I mean, honestly, how can you not celebrate this?
I’m so grateful for the significance of this birthday. I take nothing for granted but especially not my health. I miss my mom every single day of my life and, because of that, I appreciate it on a different level. This doesn’t mean I don’t bitch and complain (obviously, you know I do) but I truly love my life and it’s why this blog is all about training for LIFE. #VITAbaby
I also made a pledge at this time last year to live like I was dying, and I have made good on that promise to myself in all kinds of ways. I will continue to live like this since it’s the best way I have found of honoring my mom’s memory.
Bottoms up!
THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH
Why, all of a sudden, is this ad popping up at me all over the internet? She’s everywhere I go like she knows it’s my birthday. I do not need an old lady stalking me about make-up tips. The internet is creepy.
Plus, I’m not that old, and I don’t have a dried up gray bun sitting on top of my head and wouldn’t be caught dead in whatever it is this old cartoon bag is wearing! However, I probably could use some good make-up tips.
READING
Some much goodness about women lately, and by “goodness” I mean it’s awful to actually read the insanity of it all. The article about how women treat other women is particularly nauseating, mostly because it’s true.
A Timeline of Bullshit Female Runners Have Had to Overcome | Citrusmag.com | Andrea Keklak
From the first time women were ever allowed to compete in the Olympics (1928!) to when the women’s marathon was finally added to said games (1984!) it’s a sad history of ignorance. Although painful to read, it’s important to know how far we have come ladies…and how much father we have to go. #MeToo
Do Women Discriminate Against Women? | Linkedin.com | Pragya Agarwal
When the author of this piece, a successful business woman, noticed her customer service emails becoming increasingly hostile she decided to answer them as a man. It changed everything.
“The ‘man’ in question was thanked profusely for his help, and had an immediate calming effect on an irate customer, even if he repeated exactly the same thing that I had said in my previous email.”
Women, I’m begging you to please stop. We need to start treating each other with the respect we demand from everyone else.
RANDOM EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK
My husband was trying to persuade Miles to go with him somewhere and not stay home with Vaughn and I:
My husband: Come with me Miles and we’ll go out and party. There will be chicks everywhere, it will be awesome.
Vaughn: Baby chicks? Dad are you seriously going to see baby chickens, because then I want to go!
Please dear Lord make him this innocent forever!
[Tweet “The Rundown is clebrating birthday week BIG! Join the party, there’s lots of chicks. #train4life #therundown #VITA”]
How was your week?
Are you a big celebrator of birthdays?
Does the internet stalk you with creepy ads?
I just legit burst out laughing about the chick thing. I’m at the gym warming up on the bike and I look like I’m a crazy person. Thanks Allie! And you’re welcome for Jerry of the day. Want a laugh? I always head there. Except now I worry I’ll end up on the feed one of these days!!
That is awesome and makes me so happy – funnier even than the Kerry of the Day 🙂 LOL!!!
I love that your boys say the funniest things! Believe it or not, mine still do! Man I missed them in Florida…too many memories for me.
I was thinking that I hope they can always make me laugh that hard. This gives me hope! Time passes WAY too quickly but at least you have those memories mama! Hold on tight.
I celebrate my entire birthday month (July) every year… happy happy birthday… btw, I’m in Nyc this week and ran in 42 degree weather yesterday and I really just don’t know how people run when it’s below freezing out there!
I’m sorry to tell you that 42 is considered ideal running weather in the Northeast! It’s really all what you get used to but of course I would prefer the west coast weather to run in (and bike and swim in!) any day of the week.
I hope you’re having a great time in NYC with the family!!
I’m not a huge birthday celebrator, but I want to be. Happy almost birthday! And speaking of chicks, have you checked out the eagle cam? http://www.eaglecam.org/ Vaughn will love it!
You can be Dana! I know you can do it!!
Checking out the eagle cam for Vaughn today. THANK YOU!
creepy ads follow me around everywhere and it angers me into clicking “X” every single time!! I celebrated my 35th in a HUGE way but that was after years of not doing anything lol I am so excited that you are celebrating 43 in such an awesome way, you are so my hero!!
I’m glad to hear it’s not just me! And I loved how BIG you went for 35 this year!! There is probably nowhere like Vegas to celebrate 🙂
Baby chickens… that does sounds pretty fun!! This is the week for birthdays… I was just reading about Angela’s, and my husband’s is the end of this week too. Enjoy the month long celebration!
Right? And yes to March birthdays!! Happy Day to your husband!
SPRING SKIING!! I’m so jealous. I seriously need to steal away in your trunk. The lack of skiing (or crappy skiing) this year is killing me. And since the boys have some activity virtually every weekend, we can’t make it to the slopes. OK, I didn’t mean to bitch and moan on your BIRTHDAY WEEK post because I love you and love how you are embracing life. I’m creeping up on 42 this year and I’m a little weirded out by being the same age as my dad when he died. A) How am I that old and B) there’s still a part of me that thinks that the world ends once you reach this age. Anyhow…all this to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
We need to plan a family weekend at Okemo next winter. I think our boys would love each other and have so much fun on the slopes!!…and we would obviously have a blast. And, you know I love a good bitch session on my birthday so thank you for that 🙂 And you know I can relate to the weirdness of THE AGE (of death) basically. This year will be another interesting one for me to say the least.
Thanks friend!!!
Oh my gosh, that Vaughn quote is too precious! And the Jerry of the Day Instagram is too funny. I can’t stop laughing!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Isn’t it hilarious? We now check it out as a family once a day. The kids love it.
Thanks so much Laura!
Birthdays should all be month-long events! Life is to be celebrated. I realized the other day that next year Vegas will be the same age my dad was when he died. Obviously, I haven’t told her this… but it is a huge reality check. We’re pretty good at YOLO-ing though.
Women totally have a harder time. We’re also harder on each other, for sure. However, I am equally pissy with bad customer service. Pinky swear.
I know you agree with life celebrations and, actually, celebrations of ALL kinds! The “age of death” is such a weird thing and puts so much into perspective but, as you noted, you ladies live a big life which IMHO is the only way to be!! Keep it up. I’m learning by watching you 🙂
And I completely believe you about the customer service thing…LOL!
Happy Birth Day to you! Hope you are enjoying a lot of your birthday week.
Happy Birthday week and month and everything! I love how you celebrate! i wish we had snow because I’m much more into snow than humid swamp lands. Get me outta here please!
I love to celebrate birthdays because I feel pretty darn grateful to be alive every day and making it another year is worthy of a month-long fiesta.
I have health and fitness ads on my Facebook which I started marking as inappropriate and offensive because I’m TIRED of seeing half naked chicks and dudes sweaty. They take up space and don’t motivate me, because that’s not my goal in life. My goal in life is not a look related thing, it’s a FEEL related thing. I want to feel good for as long as I’m breathing. So put a 90 year old lady in a weight room and that will motivate me because that is going to be me one day!
Happy First Day of Spring!!
I love birthdays (happy birthday by the way) and need to start celebrating all month! Love that! I am so tired of the snow and really didn’t want this #rd nor’easter. I plow so I shouldn’t complain because its good money but I am so ready to take the plow off the truck and do other work. Enjoy your birthday
Thanks so much and you’re probably EXTRA tired of the snow because of what you do so I totally get it! It seems to be coming to end… we shall see.