h.stew’s blog

dew points in the 60s are not conducive to pleasant running.
i pretty much thought i was going to die after my 6-miler this weekend.

since it's doubtful that the humidity is going to go down during the course of the summer (this is why we all love MN, right?), i've decided i'll just do my long runs in the middle of the night.
seriously.
i'll wake up at 3am or so, go for my run, shower, and go back to bed.
at least until the dew points start dropping (maybe in september?).

in case you haven't been made aware of it already, i'm training for the twin cities marathon.

i've decided i'm going to try to track my progress on here.
cuz, you know, i'm sure it'll be super-stimulating for you non-runners...

in any case, i officially started training this week.
today is day 4.
i'm following hal higdon's novice marathon training program.
week one consists of 3 mile runs tuesday, wednesday, and thursday and a long run of 6 miles on saturday.

prior to this, i'd been doing 3 mile runs on tuesdays and thursdays and longish runs on saturdays (5-6 miles).
you'd think adding just one more 3-miler wouldn't be that big of a deal.
well, it has been.
yesterday i was hobbling around with seriously stiff legs and sore knees.

to be fair, though, i feel there are a few factors contributing to my discomfort:

a) i desperately need new running shoes.  i haven't been able to afford them yet.  i'm hoping i'll have a couple new pairs by mid-june.

b) for the week+ i was in alaska, i barely ate.  and i only ran once.  so not only did my training get off track, my energy stores got pretty depleted.
since i've been back in MN, i've been trying my hardest to consume as many high-quality carbohydrates as possible.  it's not fun (i'm not a big carb fan), but i know it's a necessary component of my training. 
blech.

c) my body is used to getting a recovery day between runs.  yeah, 3 miles isn't much to "recover" from, but it makes a difference.  a couple of weeks from now i'm sure i'll be accustomed to it.  for now, though, owch.

overall, i'm really excited to embark on what will undoubtedly be quite a journey. 
i need to prove to myself that i can committ to something.
hopefully you'll be willing to stick with me through the blisters and the lost toenails and occasionally give me some words of encouragement...

...and a massage.  a massage would be great.

yes, the rumors are true.  i'm back in MN.

no, robin and i aren't quarreling.

yes, i'm happy to be here.

no, i don't really feel like talking about why i'm back.

that is all.  :)

...my new theme song.

who can turn the world on with her smile?
who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
well it's you girl, and you should know it.
with each glance and every little movement you show it.

love is all around, no need to waste it.
you can have a town, why don't you take it?
you're gonna make it after all.
you're gonna make it after all.

how will you make it on your own?
this world is awfully big, girl, this time you're all alone.
but it's time you started living.
it's time you let someone else do some giving.

love is all around, no need to waste it.
you can have a town, why don't you take it?
you're gonna make it after all.
you're gonna make it after all.

(-paul williams)

as i'm sitting in the airport here in anchorage (waiting for my flight to fairbanks), i decided i'd give ya'll a little taste of the last frontier.

the following photos were taken from the plane...

it's an awful tendency i have...

i get really interested in something and go hog wild with it for a certain amount of time.
and then i stop.
very suddenly.

such is the case with my blog.

the biggest update:
i'm moving to alaska for the summer...
...and i leave in less than two weeks.
therefore, i won't have much time to blog between now and then (lots to do!).

however.

i hope to have oodles of adventures (and photos) to share while i'm up there.

...just don't hold your breath.

it's been an interesting couple of weeks here in stew-land.

two weeks ago (so... february 28) i started feeling like i was getting the flu.
i spent the weekend with a 102+ degree fever.
on monday, it was determined that i'd probably started with the flu and ended up with a sinus infection and mild case of pneumonia.
through the wonders of antibiotics (thank goodness some of them are still effective), i was feeling pretty ok by last friday (march 7).

monday (march 10) i went back to work.
at about 10am my boss asked me into his office...
...and proceeded to "let me go."
it seems they wanted someone willing to "provide more of a committment to the company."
now, this is the same guy who told me the week before "go ahead and stay home for the rest of the week - i don't want you to push yourself too hard."
and why in the world did they wait until 10am (i'd been at work since 8am) to tell me i was gettin' the boot?

wtf, mate?!

truth be told, i wasn't super-crazy about the job anyway, so, though this is a setback, i think it'll work out for the best.
i've already got two interviews set up. 
i don't want to jinx anything, so that's all i'm gonna say for now. 
feel free to wish me good luck, though.  ;)

now that i'm finally alive again...

here is a picture of my new ride.

and here is my latest crafty endeavor.
complete with fabric-covered tacks!
more to come...

today was one of those gloomy days.
not the weather - no, the weather was beautiful.
it was my mood that was gray and dreary.

and mainly, it had to do with my debt.
...the enormous mountain of debt that i can't seem to escape.
as i was sitting in the bath tonight, i realized that that's what i've been running from all these years.
i've been desperately trying to flee my loans and credit cards and, in the process, have only exaccerbated the problem.
it's reached the point where i feel completely out of control.
the debt is running my life.  dictating what i need to do next.  and i hate it.

so.
in order to whittle it down, i've made a very difficult decision:

i'm going to continue to live with my parents.
i'm putting my apartment plans on hold ... indefinitely.

i need to do this.
it won't be easy.
but the next time i move, it's going to be because i truly want to - not because i'm hell-bent on evasion.

in two hours, i will officially be 27 years old.
27 and living with my parents.
and i'm gonna be ok with that.

today i decided my bangs were getting too long.
i also decided it's silly to pay someone to trim them.
i mean, c'mon, how hard can it be?

i know what you're thinking right now.
oh, boy.
i bet she botched those suckers up BAD.

well, ha!  i didn't!
i'm actually quite pleased with how they turned out.
so, without further ado...

(sorry for the scary no-makeup look, but i neglected to take a photo til after i'd washed my face.)

not bad for a girl working with a pair of orange-handled fiskars, eh?  ;)