Words that Get Me Going

Source: susanruns.com via Tracey on Pinterest

Project 2000

For those of you who don't know, I have a pretty lofty goal of running a total of 2000 miles in the year 2011. I started out this year casually aiming for it just to see what would happen and it turns out I haven't fallen off track yet. As of today I've logged 1751 miles so I only have 248 more to go in the next month and a half!

A snippet of my Dailymile Leaderboard for the year (running miles only).



Why I am I doing this? To see if I can.

Full Circle

So I signed up for a dance class. It's not earth shattering news, I know. My degree is in dance. (You know, the one I don't use?) I actually took this same modern dance class on and off when we first moved to Milwaukee but at the time i had a really hard time fitting it in around the girls' schedules. Then after that I had a hard time fitting it in around my running schedule. Now, I'm MAKING the time. Time isn't going to create itself. If I want something to happen I have to put the wheels in motion.

I love moving. Obviously, it's a big reason why I was drawn to running when I fell away from dance. I love to feel the air moving in and out of my lungs, to have my breath propel me and to feel the momentum of my body as it moves through space. I love to create lines and shapes and feel changing rhythms. Most of all I love that moment where you're mind separates from your body and the dance just happens without thinking.

It's time to start moving like that again. Even if it's just once a week. Baby steps.

Student Dance Company at Columbia College, 1999. Look at all that short hair! So late-90s.

Time Machine

The other day I took this photo of the girls while they were having breakfast before school:

There's nothing really that special about the photo. They didn't even really pay attention to me at the time. But I looked at it after and thought about just how many pictures I've snapped of them together over the years. It's a LOT. I don't always notice all the little changes that take place day to day with them but holy moly all those changes really stack up over the years. I stared at this photo with Juliana in her They Might Be Giants concert tee and Ava looking like an actual "big kid" and it kind of took my breath away. I tend to have moments like these when I least expect it and it really sends me into a tailspin. I started looking at old photos on Flickr of them growing together as sisters and REALLY. I don't think I need to say anything else:

I mean, COME ON.

Seriously?

It's too much.

And this was taken just a couple of months ago:

I hope you enjoyed these because I'm dead. Rolling in my grave. I can't take it anymore.

As the White Rabbit once said, "The time? Who's got the TIME?"

i have plans for every weekend in December already. People are talking to me about Christmas shopping. AND, I'm already mapping out my 2012 race schedule.

2011 is soooo over already.

But I feel like I've hardly even written about what's happened to me THIS year. I'm not ready for it to be over yet! Sure, I've written up race recaps and done the obligatory birthday blog post,s but what about our trip to New York City? Or our weekend with old friends in Santa Fe? This year I didn't even remember to talke the obligatory photos of my kids in their Halloween costumes. MOM FAIL. Sometimes I am so bad at documenting life.

I have eight weeks left in the year. Eight weeks to sift through all my memories and photos from 2011. Smewhere in there is all that Thanksgiving and Christmas business as well. Oh, and I have 300 more miles to run before I hit my goal of 2000 for the year.

I'd better get moving.