Transformation Tuesday #15

Yay--it's Transformation Tuesday! I wish you could see how excited it get to go through the Transformation Tuesday emails. I have a few more DIY projects to post this week--organizing spaces and bathroom makeovers. Fun stuff :)

This first one is from Deb, who shared a before and after of a valance in her bathroom last week...

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Well, changing up the valence created a bit of a snowball effect in the bathroom!

A bit of back story: When we bought this house 5 years ago, this bathroom had wallpaper and a sort of 1970s "French regency" vibe going on. The vinyl floor and the cabinet doors had mauve accents. Rather than fight that, I tried to embrace it while encouraging it to read pinker than mauve by swapping the wallpaper for pink paint. I added my 1950s poodle stuff & called it a day (for a few years.) I never liked the floor and didn't care for the doors either, but couldn't afford to change them out. Ditto with the heavy feeling mirror.

Changing the valence prompted me to think about what I could​ change now. So, I took the plunge and decided to paint what I didn't like! Painting the mirror white and painting the cabinet a bit darker made it feel less "top heavy" as well as making the room feel brighter. Painting the cabinet doors a single color minimized the ornate accent molding, and swapping the pulls out for something less fussy helped it feel "cleaner". I still need to do some touch up and these pulls are a temporary solution (they were left over from another project), but I'm pleased with the result.

I would call this project "before" and "for now" rather than "after". I still would like plainer doors and new flooring (besides the mauve dots, the floor itself is not in good shape), but for now this low money relatively small effort refresh has made the whole thing feel a lot better!

- Deb

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I don’t have a great before pic but you can see the wreck in the background. 

I added two horizontal shelves at the top.  I cut down a long piece of wood that was part of my grandma's china cabinet.  It’s so much more functional now!

-Rebecca

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I moved in with my boyfriend a year ago and he already had the one car garage full, as a shop. Well, I do A LOT of woodworking (and have more tools than he does!) and other things so I started organizing the area.

Sadly I did not think to take a before picture of the full garage. I really wish I had. The first pic sort of shows the chaos... I bought "stank the tank" my awesome tool box to use as my workspace and when he first came home he kind of just sat in the middle of the mess. Now he finally has his own space with even more organization and a workbench for other things. As well as my new 3D printer, laser engraver and CNC machine on top of him! It makes working on my projects sooooooo nice!

- Katie

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My transformation was actually inspired by you and a few other bloggers! We bought our house two years ago and all of the bathrooms were remodeled except the guest bathroom. I decided to see what I could do myself so I pulled the trigger and ordered a laminate counter top, a toilet, new sinks and faucets, a jigsaw and a table saw, and I went to work!

Removing the tile on the original vanity was a lot of work, there was so much concrete and staples under there. I wasn’t ready to take on a tiling project so I decided to paint them instead! It’s been a fun project. You can definitely tell that it was a DIY and not professional but I feel pretty proud of it!

I also used MirrorMate to get a custom frame for the current mirror and it turned out great!

- Lindsey, from So Cal

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(Before I forget to say this, if there is ONE thing I can't stress enough, it's to make sure you ALWAYS take "before" photos! I am super bummed that I didn't go through my house and take clear photos of the rooms from different angles before I started working on them. I had no idea that I was going to do so much with the house so it didn't occur to me to do that. Like Katie wrote about her garage/workshop, she really wishes she'd taken photos before she started.)

Anyway, thank you all for sharing these transformations! Deb, painting the mirror in the bathroom made SUCH a huge difference--and you did a great job on the cabinets, too. Rebecca, isn't it crazy just how much extra space you get by adding a couple of shelves? I added extra shelves in our closets, and I was stunned at how much room that made. Katie, I can't even tell you how jealous I am of your workshop--and I can't WAIT to see the she-shed you mentioned in your email. And Lindsey, holy smokes! Your DIY bathroom makeover is nothing short of stunning. The tiles are unbelievable.

Please please please keep the transformations coming! I love this series I don't ever want to run out of transformations to post ;)  You can submit them by sending a before photo and after photo (the highest resolution you can) and a description of the transformation to me at: Katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Make sure you include your name, location, and what you like to do!

You can find the previous Transformation Tuesday posts here.

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Running Burnout

As I've mentioned a few times recently, I have been wanting to start running regularly again--and I actually feel excited about it!

I wish I still had this shirt! It was from an 8K race in 2011.

I've been reading 'The Happy Runner' by David and Megan Roche (Amazon affiliate link) and there was a chapter that really made me stop and think. It was about running burnout--how and why it happens, and how to prevent it. While reading, I realized that it is EXACTLY what happened to me back in 2016 after my 10K in April. I lost my running mojo and never got it back.

I was training so hard for that 10K race for months. I had a big goal for a personal record and I was determined to reach it. I wrote about my training. I shared my goals. I made running my biggest priority. And you know what happened when I crossed the finish line with 19 seconds to spare?

Nothing.

I had a new PR, which felt good. I was happy that I hit my goal because I would have felt embarrassed to NOT do it after having trained so hard and talking about it so much. But that, right there, is where the problem was. I was focused on what other people might think. 

This is such ridiculous thinking because literally NO ONE CARES what my personal record is for the 10K. And if I tell them, then they would surely forget within a minute or two anyway. Even if I said I didn't reach my goal, I'm pretty sure that no one would give another thought to it after that moment. I couldn't tell you what my runner friends' PR's are in any distance. They probably told me they hit their goal with such and such time, and felt great. I'm sure I congratulated them, and then promptly forgot what their finish time was.

It kind of reminds me of when I used to work at Curves (a fitness center for women) back in 2003-2005. When new members would join, I would weigh them and take their measurements. I did it automatically, without even thinking about their weight. I certainly didn't silently judge them for it. The second I wrote it down, it was out of my memory. I would see members out and about (grocery shopping or whatever) and say hello. But if you asked me what their weight was, I wouldn't be able to guess within a 30-pound range! I didn't care what they weighed, so why would I remember it?

Anyway, I trained and trained and trained for that 10K. I crossed the finish line at the race, and then... I was the same person I was before. The only difference was that I ran 19 seconds faster over a distance of 6.2 miles. I can't say that I FELT the burnout or "let down" after the race. I just didn't have any direction or any real reason to run after that.

In the book 'The Happy Runner', the authors write about how important it is to have a WHY when it comes to running. Why do you do it? If nobody would ever know what your training looked like, how many miles you ran, what your paces were, what your goals were, or anything else... would you still train the same way?

When I really thought about this, the answer was an obvious no for me. When I know people will see my training log, or even if I know I'm going to post it here, I do things differently than I would if nobody would ever know. Sure, that might be good for accountability--it's certainly pushed me in the past, like it did with the 10K (I would have fallen back at mile four of the 10K if nobody would ever know my time--I was dying at that point!).

The problem with it, though, is that it's no longer about running for myself--it's about running to meet certain expectations. And when I actually finished, I no longer had a reason to run. I'd met my goals and I didn't have a desire to run farther or faster. (I still don't.)

This has really made me think about why I want to be a runner again. My attempts over the past few years to start running again have been more about other people ("Wait, you're 'Runs for Cookies', but you don't run?") and not about myself. During the summer and fall, when having thoughts of running, I kept them to myself because I didn't want to put it out there and then have it be about meeting those expectations. 

This time, I have a different reason for why I want to run. It has nothing to do with running fast or far. I want to run to feel healthy and fit. I want to run because it gives me a big mental boost when I'm done. I want to run because I CAN--my entire life, up until I lost the weight, I assumed that I couldn't run. I thought you had to be skinny and an athlete right out of the womb to be a runner.

Spectating the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 2013

After getting involved in the running community and meeting a ton of diverse runners, I saw that I actually can be a runner. No prerequisites required.

When I think of being a "happy runner", this is what it means to me:

• I can run any distance I want (even if it's just a mile here and there)
• I can run at any pace I want (even if I never run faster than a turtle)
• I don't have to stick to a strict schedule (a guideline is nice, but if I don't follow it exactly, it's not going to matter)
• If I find that I'm dreading running, then I can back off
• I can do races if I want, but I don't have to

You know that saying, "Dance like no one is watching"? Well, I want to run like no one is going to see my Garmin stats ;)  I don't mind sharing them--Now, I've gotten to the point where I am not going to feel pressure of any kind by what others might think. I will run how I want. I'll still enjoy looking at my stats (I love numbers!) but they will not determine my "success" or "failure".

I don't have an end goal. I don't have goals of getting faster or running particular race distances. I just want to run because it makes me feel good. I'm sure I'll have runs that I don't enjoy, and that's okay, too. All runners have days like that--even the authors of 'The Happy Runner'!

I'll write more on Wednesday about what I've been doing as far as running goes, but I will say that I've actually really enjoyed it. I feel my best on the days that I run, even if it's only a few intervals on the treadmill. And I actually find myself looking forward to doing it again. All it took was this change in mindset--thinking about WHY I want to run and making it about me rather than what other people think. That's great progress for me :)

I haven't finished the book yet, but I'll write more about it when I do!

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Affirmators!

I don't think I wrote about this, but something that I've been trying to work on this year has been changing my mindset and being kinder to myself. I never used to think I was hard on myself, but over the past year, I caught myself being super negative and hating on myself for all sorts of different things. Always feeling like I can't do anything right, and letting it affect my mood.

Saying nice things about myself doesn't come naturally--it feels very awkward. 

The self-negativity is not good for my mental health and it has had a big impact on me over the last year. Rather than just working on the "physical me", I decided this year to really work on the mental side of things--even if it seems hokey. One of those things is using positive affirmations. I didn't even really know what positive affirmations were when I read that they can help. 

PositivePsychology.com defines them like this:

"Fortunately, positive affirmations are almost as easy to define as they are to practice. Put simply, they are positive phrases or statements used to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts.

Practicing positive affirmations can be extremely simple, and all you need to do is pick a phrase and repeat it to yourself.

You may choose to use positive affirmations to motivate yourself, encourage positive changes in your life, or boost your self-esteem. If you frequently find yourself getting caught up in negative self-talk, positive affirmations can be used to combat these often subconscious patterns and replace them with more adaptive narratives."

I was a little surprised to see that there is actual science behind this. And I figured that it certainly can't hurt, so it's worth a try! I've been writing down positive affirmations in a journal about once a week, but I haven't really put them into practice--like putting them in a visible place, reading them out loud, looking at them regularly.

My friend John (who you may know as "San Diego John" or "Runner 12" from my Ragnar "From Fat to Finish Line" team) posted on his blog about some affirmation cards he bought called "Affirmators!". There are 50 cards in the box, so he plans to look at one per week, and focus on practicing that affirmation. I loved the idea! There is something fun about having to wait to look at the next card and I wouldn't feel as awkward reading these aloud as I do about writing and reading my own.

Well, John was so kind to actually send me my own box of cards! It arrived from Amazon today and I immediately wanted to read through the deck, but I restrained myself. I read the "How to Use These Cards" directions and to specifies to turn the cards facedown on a table in front of you and shuffle them the way a three-year old would. I took this literally, and I did just that:

Then I picked a card, hoping that it would be something that seemed appropriate for my current state of mind. This is what it reads:

I think this was the perfect first card to draw. The whole reason I started thinking about affirmations is to be kinder and gentler to myself. I'm very gentle and compassionate to others, but I'm extremely hard on myself a lot of the time.

I taped the card to my bathroom mirror, so I'll see it frequently throughout the day (thanks to the gallon of water I've been drinking every day--I drink a lot of water in the summer, but in the winter months, I have a hard time with it, so I'm trying to get back in that habit).

At first I thought I would look at one card each day, but I think that's too frequent--not enough time to really let it sink in. So, like John, I'll draw a card once a week (on Sundays) and practice it throughout the week.

This week, I am going to focus on being gentle not just to others, but to MYSELF. If I find myself thinking or saying something negative about myself, then I am going to try to remember the card--and picture the baby deer with the baby elephant. I love thinking of that visual! Thank you, John <3

(The cards can be found here on Amazon (affiliate link)).

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HERITAGE RECIPE: Smuckle Doodle Cake

This recipe is much more interesting than I thought when I first looked at it. This afternoon, I realized that today is Saturday and I'd been planning to post a heritage recipe--but I hadn't yet decided what to make or gone grocery shopping. I started flipping the pages in the historical society cookbook, looking for something that I already had the ingredients for.

When I saw "sweet milk" listed as an ingredient in this cake, I immediately thought of sweetened condensed milk. I knew I didn't have any in my pantry, but if I had to go to the store, at least I'd only have to pick up one ingredient. I had the rest of the ingredients on hand--and I'm sure most of you do, too!

As it turns out, "sweet milk" is actually just regular old whole milk. Back in the day, when people didn't want to waste anything at all, they found a way to use all of it--even spoiled milk! So, if the recipe just listed "milk", it wouldn't tell the reader what type of milk: buttermilk, sour milk, fresh milk, etc. In this case, "sweet milk" is just ordinary cow's milk, like what you would pour over your cereal.

Happily, I did not have to go to the store. On the other hand, this recipe looked a little boring. I like the heritage recipes that have some background to them, though, even if it's just a few words so that I know how old it is or where it came from.

This recipe for Smuckle Doodle Cake was submitted to the Rockwood, Michigan Area Historical Society by Ruth Finley in memory of her mother, Mae Clark. Ruth said that she always ate this cake at her grandmother's house when she was a kid. She specified that it was over 100 years old (and the book was published in 1995, so 126+ years old today). 

As usual, I'll share the recipe and then my notes underneath it and some more photos. That's where it gets interesting!

Here is a printer-friendly version of the recipe!

Smuckle Doodle Cake

Ingredients:

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
pinch salt
1/2 c. sweet milk
1/2 c. sifted flour

Directions:

Mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased, small square pan. Sprinkle a mixture of sugar and cinnamon over cake before baking. Bake in a slow oven (350 F) about 35 minutes or until done.

My notes:

*I already addressed the sweet milk. I just used regular whole milk.

*I wasn't sure what a "slow oven" was. When I Googled it, I learned that it's an oven heated to a temperature between 250 F and 325 F. So, according to that definition, 350 F is not a "slow oven". But a slow oven is not a special oven, so that was what I wanted to make clear before I baked this.

I didn't know this, but there are lots of terms used to describe the baking temperature of an oven. I got this little chart from Wikipedia, as well as this info:

"Before ovens had thermometers or thermostats, these standard words were used by cooks and cookbooks to describe how hot an oven should be to cook various items. Custards require a slow oven for example, bread a moderate oven, and pastries a very hot oven. Cooks estimated the temperature of an oven by counting the number of minutes it took to turn a piece of white paper golden brown, or counting the number of seconds one could hold one's hand in the oven."

*The recipe didn't specify what size pan to use--it just said to use a "small square" pan. Looking at the amount of ingredients, I felt like an 8x8 pan (the smallest I have) would be too big. I didn't want to try doubling the recipe and messing up the baking times--I'm not a baker!--so I just decided to try the 8x8 pan and see if it worked out. I used an 8x8 square Pyrex baking dish.

*While I'm not a baker, I do know that there are usually some sort of (leavening?) ingredients to make cakes rise. So before I baked it, I kind of guessed it wouldn't puff up a lot. But what do I know?

The texture of the batter was like a very thin cake batter. I poured it into the greased pan and per the recipe, sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon on top. I put it in the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes.

Halfway through, I got curious and took a quick peak in the oven--I was very surprised to see that the cake rose, but not in a normal way. It was almost like there were big air pockets underneath. I figured it would level out. When the timer went off, I used a toothpick to check to see if it was done (and it was). The bubbles were still there, though.

I used a toothpick to poke at them and see if that would deflate them. That's when I noticed that the cake had a very unusual texture. I could lift it easily out of the pan. It looked like it had a bit of a crust on the bottom and then a sort of filling, and the flakey cinnamon-sugar on top. Not at all what I expected! But it smelled good. After lifting it, the air bubbles underneath were gone, so it was very flat. And as I expected, it didn't really rise.

Hopefully this is what it's supposed to look like... maybe I just messed it all up! Haha

When I tasted it, I first noticed that the texture was not at all what you imagine when you think of cake. I had a hard time describing it to Eli (who asked me what I made)--but eventually, I realized that it reminded me of a crepe. A very thick crepe. If you eat a crepe that has been folded a couple of times, that's the texture of this cake. I really liked it!

As for the flavor, it reminded me of rice pudding. Then I realized that I basically used the same ingredients in the cake that I use for rice pudding--only I used flour instead of rice. When I make rice pudding, I sprinkle cinnamon on top like I did for the cake, so I think that's why it popped into my head.

Overall, I really liked this! I will definitely make it again. It's not super sweet and would probably taste good with the same sort of things you would eat with crepes: fruit, jam, chocolate, powdered sugar, Nutella, etc. This was much easier to make than standing over the stove cooking crepes, too.

Jerry's at work and the kids haven't tasted it, so I can't tell you their opinions. But I'm pretty sure they'd like it as much as I do. Now I'm tempted to go to the store for some strawberries...

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Friday Night Photos #10

I don't remember being THIS tired since late 2017. I actually remember exactly when that time was because it was the most tired I'd ever felt in my life. I'd been hypomanic for months, getting only a couple of hours of sleep at night and feeling totally great--wide awake and energetic all day. But eventually, it caught up to me. I remember feeling so tired that it almost felt like I was drunk--vision was all wonky, slurring my words--and then I crashed HARD for a week or so, sleeping every spare moment.

I'm not to that point right now (not even close, really)--but I've gotten only a couple of hours of sleep every night for the last week or so, and even that wasn't restful sleep. So, I'm going to post these photos, take a sleeping pill, and then read in bed and hopefully fall asleep. I haven't been hypomanic, so I have no idea why I haven't been sleeping. I just know that I will feel a million times better tomorrow if I can sleep through the night tonight.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed Jerry's post yesterday! He read the comments on it and said, "Your readers are so nice!" 

The theme of this week was definitely snow. It's been insane--we haven't gotten this much snow in at least a few years, if I remember correctly. I don't know what the total accumulation was, but you can see from the pictures how deep it is. I want it to melt--it's been hard to go for my walks outside because there is a layer of ice underneath the snow, and then the snow on top is also very slippery (depending on the temperature outside--when the temps warm up a little, to 25 degrees or so, the snow gets softer and it's like trying to walk in deep, dry sand). My calves are killing me!

Okay, Friday night photos... and then bed. Hopefully.

Eli threw a snowball to Joey, who loves catch them in his mouth. This is what it looks like, haha.

This is what I had to dig out just to get from the side of the house to the garage. And this was BEFORE we got another 9" a couple of days later.

I've been walking in the early evening all week, at around 5:15 pm. A couple of days in a row, Roomba (Joey's black German Shepherd bestie) ran out to play with him in the snow. They had a blast running around in the snow together. It's impossible to get a clear photo of them because they are so fast. Zoomba's on the left and Joey is on the right.

Last week, when Luke and Riley stayed the night, we watched Snow White in the morning. I got out my old Snow White costume, and even though I knew it would be too big, I thought Riley would like to try it on. She was SO CUTE! (I need to finish the adult-sized one that I'm sewing--it's pretty much done. I just need to make the brooch and headband. Then I'll post a photo.)

Another project I've been working on. This started out as a VERY simple idea--my dad sold it to me as a simple idea, anyway!--and ended up being much more work than I anticipated. I didn't get a "before" photo of the frame, which I'm bummed about. But my dad loved the frame and wanted to use it for a painting he's working on. One side of the frame was too big and the inside needed to be routed out a little in order to create depth for the canvas to fit into. I haven't painted it yet, so it's not totally done, but at least I got it put together and it fits the canvas!

I was reading my book today, and Duck came and curled up in the crook of my arm, just like a baby. He slept like that for a while--until I had to pee so badly that I was forced to move him, haha. He is so sweet!

The current book I'm reading. I started this the night I wrote my post about a different type of running plan, and coincidentally, this book pretty much says exactly what I wrote about! I want to be a happy runner, and not focused solely on finish lines and hitting certain goals. This book is super motivating--it inspired me to stay in and run on the treadmill today instead of trying to tread through slush outside. I'll write more about it when I'm done.

Jerry and I have been playing Ticket to Ride almost every day and we love it. I just got the Ticket to Ride Europe edition today, so we're excited to try that one as well. 

Okay, I'm going to head to bed and hope that I fall asleep and don't wake up until morning. Have a great weekend!

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10 Fun Facts About Jerry (a guest post)

This is a totally random post, but I am having such a hard time coming up with things to write about lately! I asked Jerry (my husband, for those that may not know) if he would want to write a post for me today (only half-joking) and he said sure. He wasn't sure what to write about, so I told him just to write some random facts about himself.

I always love learning new things about people, even if it's completely useless information. I'm not sure what Jerry is going to write, but hopefully it'll be interesting ;)  I'm turning over the computer to him now! (He types with two fingers, so this is going to be painful for me sitting next to him, hahaha)

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For those who don't know me I'm Jerry, Katie's lesser half. I have an opportunity to tell you some random, silly facts about me that you may or may not know. Some will be shocking, maybe even controversial. So, here we go.

I love Star Wars

This goes without saying. You can probably look through all the pictures on this blog of me and I'm either wearing a Star Wars shirt or thinking of Star Wars. I've been to Star Wars Celebration in Chicago; sat through a 17-hour movie marathon showing Episodes 1 through 7 (after having a spinal tap); sat through another marathon which was 27 hours long (showing all the movies) while in Chicago with Noah and Eli; and read over 70 books throughout the Star Wars expanded universe... I think that all of this proves my dedication.

Now for the controversy... as much as I love Star Wars, I'm not a big fan of the original trilogy from when I was a kid. As a matter of fact, they're terrible. The acting is bad, the story sucks, and there are so many plot holes created by the expanded universe (books and comics) that it's hard not to see that. But, I still love them nonetheless; they're just the worst of the movies. 

I love pro wrestling

I've been a wresting fan my entire life. I spent my Monday nights and Saturday mornings glued to my TV, watching these athletes throw each other in and out of the ring, take chair shots, and overdramatize falls--and I loved every second of it. I currently hold a subscription to the WWE Network where I can relive classic moments On Demand and invite friends over to watch the Pay Per Views. PS: I know it's not real so you don't have to remind me. 

I listen to a wide range of music

Just like everyone else, anything except country. It's cliché, but that's just how it is. I'm hip to the hop of the up and comers of rock and pop and will try anything. You should hear what the kids are listening to these days. 

Back to the music for a minute...

I love ska. For those who don't know ska music, it's essentially punk rock or reggae music with a horn section. Think of Reel Big Fish or The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I'm a sucker for anything with horns and a good guitar riff. If you have a band you think I should listen to leave a comment and I'll be sure to check them out. 

I like beer... a lot

I was never a beer person until I turned 21. Let me explain... in Michigan we would travel to Windsor, Canada to go to the bars or just have a good time. The drinking age in Canada is 19 and this was our work around to the States' age restriction of 21. Even with all the good beer in Canada, I just was not into it. Beer wasn't my thing. Throw me a Mike's, Smirnoff Ice, or Skye Blue and I was good to go. 

Now that I'm older, I drink almost any type of beer, though. I'm big into IPAs and lagers. Stouts are great, too. I traveled to Wisconsin to a beer festival and stayed with Rik and was able to taste the flavors of the Americas. I've even had Sam Adams Utopias which was not an easy beer to get. It is bottled every two years and in limited quantities. This was generously gifted to me by Caitlin (Katie's good friend from Boston) and I am forever in her debt because it was just flat out delicious. 

I like to chill

Katie talks about me being an extrovert all the time but I generally like staying at home. While I go out from time to time I like being home catching up on shows and playing games with the fam, especially during this pandemic. 

I'm a XBOX guy

I used to have Playstation when I was a teen but after Katie bought me an XBOX for my birthday in 2001 I was hooked. I did have a PS2 but after going through two of those in rather quick succession I picked my side. Plus, can't play Halo on a Playstation. 

Baseball is my favorite sport

I've been into baseball for as long as I can remember. I played every day that I could when I was a kid and well into my teens. Sandlot ball was the best and every time I talk about it the kids would say 'I wish I grew up when you were a kid'. Baseball is lost on this generation and it's sad to see all these overgrown fields when you drive through a city or town.

I was a huge Twins fan growing up, even though I've spent most of my days in Michigan. Kirby Puckett was my man, I even had a jersey. I miss that jersey. It was stitched and everything... on the field authentic. I got it when I was 250 pounds and after losing the weight I felt like I was swimming in it so I had to part with it. I'll get another one, some day. 

I drink too much caffeine

I can go though coffee like crazy and drink the Bang energy drinks like there's no tomorrow. I can also go without them though and not even miss a beat. 

I'm a ridiculous typer

Katie just told me that I make these weird facial expressions when I type and she wishes she had her phone next to her so she could video me. She's said this before but maybe I don't look ridiculous, maybe I look cute like Meg Ryan when she's typing a response NY152, Tom Hank's AOL screen name in the movies. 

And I'm a sucker for rom-coms

As you can tell from above, I fancy a good rom-com. I love the Freddie Prinze Jr (also a Star Wars guy) movies. 

Katie tells me I've been typing for too long. With as long as I've been writing this post, a normal writer would've completed more but I type like a coked out parrot... so I'm off for now. You're welcome for sharing... give me some love below.

Jerry

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Where I Find My Running Motivation

(Just beware, I'm going to pepper this post--liberally--with more of my favorite running photos!)

I always hesitate to use the word "motivation" because if you've been reading my blog for any time at all, then you know that I hate that word. (Here is a post explaining the difference between motivation and determination, and why I don't really like using the word "motivation").

In short, though, I think that motivation has its place. I believe that motivation is temporary and short-lived. That's why it's so easy to get fired up about a new plan (diet, exercise, whatever it may be!) and we do so well in the beginning. But once the motivation fades, then we need something to keep us going or we just give up. (That's where the "determination" factor comes in.)

I think of motivation as being a short-term burst of energy (mental and/or physical) to get something done--followed by an immediate, short-term reward. For example, you may wake up and not feel at all motivated to get out of bed from under your warm covers when it's freezing outside (when I woke up today, the temp outside was -11 F!). Then you think of a hot shower and how nice it will feel, so that motivates you to get up and moving.

While I was losing weight, motivation helped me here and there, but it didn't carry me through the entire process. That's where the determination and discipline have to take over. Sometimes, though, I needed a push of something motivating to keep me going (reading others' success stories, trying on smaller clothes, etc.)

Now that I am starting to feel excited about running again (starting over from square one) I've been feeding myself motivation to keep the excitement going long enough for me to make this change in my routine.

The biggest motivation for me comes from looking at photos of when I felt my best--whether for running or my weight. In this case, I want some running motivation, so looking through my old running photos gives me a ton of motivation. A few days ago, I even made a folder on my phone of running photos that motivate me so I can look at them when I'm just not feeling it.

However, when I first started running, I didn't have pictures to look back on--because I was a total newbie. So, I had to find that push elsewhere.

On this post, I just thought I'd list a few sources of running motivation. I wrote a post several years ago with some movies and books about running that I liked, but it's pretty outdated now. Here are some current (or classic) favorites:

Instagram Posts - I follow the hashtag #slowrunnersclub because I am much more motivated to see other people like ME getting in their running workouts than I am seeing elite runners. When something seems so unobtainable (like elite racing), it just makes me feel overwhelmed. It's hard to remember that there are ordinary--and slow!--runners, too. I love seeing people post about their typical runs when we are on a similar playing field. (On the other hand, some people might be MORE motivated to see elite runners' posts--we're all different!)

Read the story behind this shirt. It is heart-melting!

A "Running Playlist" on my Phone--I made a playlist of songs that I remember listening to when I first started running in 2010. When listening to the songs, I can even remember a few specific runs and what point of the run I was in during that song (no idea why!).

Running Podcasts - My favorite is "Another Mother Runner". I hadn't listened to it in SO long, but I recently started listening again to episodes that catch my eye. I miss it!

Running Books (Amazon affiliate links):

'Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games' by Lopez Lamong. I LOVED this book and I'm going to read it again. I even gave it to my dad to read!  It's such an inspiring story. Yes, he makes it to the Olympics (as you can see from the title); so, while it's not the "I want to do that, too!" kind of motivation, it is simply a feel-good running story. My dad's not a runner and has no interest in running, but he loved the book for the story itself.

'Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen' by Christopher McDougall. The last time I mentioned this book on the list of running motivation, I said that I only included it because so many OTHER runners loved it--but I just couldn't get past the first chapter or so. Since then, I finally read the book and I loved it! This is definitely a "superathletes" type of book (these people are superhuman, truly) so I can't relate to the them on their level--but it's SO interesting and definitely made me want to run.

Running Audiobooks (I listened to these while I was running, which helped me get through runs):

'Depression Hates a Moving Target' by Nita Sweeney. I wrote a review of this and shared a guest post by Nita. This book felt like it was written just for me--the mental health + running was just what I needed. I'm currently listening to the audiobook again during my walks.

'My Year of Running Dangerously' by Tom Foreman. I didn't know when I started listening to this that Tom Foreman is a well-known broadcaster for CNN. I am glad I didn't know that, because I probably wouldn't have chosen to listen to this audiobook if I had. His daughter asks him to run a marathon with her, and it takes him on a very long (literally) running journey.

'Running Man' by Charlie Engle. This is about an elite runner, so I didn't listen to it thinking that I was going to achieve this sort of level, haha. But I really enjoyed the book--I'd like to watch the film that the book is about, called Running the Sahara, produced by Matt Damon.

There are some films that I love for running motivation, too, but you can find those on this post (I won't re-list them and make this long post even longer). I do want to add one movie, though:

'Brittany Runs a Marathon' on Amazon Prime. I LOVED this movie! I wrote a review on my blog here.

So, this is just a short list--there are so many books, movies, podcasts, websites, blogs, etc., that are great for a quick boost of motivation! If you have any favorites, please feel free to share. It's been a while since I've been into all things running ;)

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