Author: lizpres

Limping Along

Posted by

0

It was … a weekend. Saturday Allyson competed in (and won! and placed 2nd!) a regatta; I helped co-host a babyshower that Eleanor babysat the littles at; I went to a memorial service for a beloved member of my job’s community; I picked up Jamie in DC and Pam in Baltimore and then we drove to PA for Sunday’s race. I was supposed to run the marathon with Pam, but … no. So Jamie and I walked the 7 miles and then waited for Pam. As we were expecting her (the 5 hour mark) I walked back to find her, found her, and ran with her like a quarter of a mile. She had found someone to run with — from the first mile (!) — another person named Elizabeth. So they were exhausted but in great spirits and still running. It was amazing.

I was so sad that I couldn’t do the marathon, so proud of her time, so exhausted when I finally got home after dropping Pam and Jamie off — and then Oliver needed help with 1,000,000 awesome things to prepare for college. He NEVER asks for my help, so we worked until 11:30. We’ll review it tonight.

I want to swear to do this actual marathon next year (Pam said I inadvertently found “the easiest marathon in the United States (!!).” But my overuse meant I could literally barely lift my left foot. Plantar fasciitis doesn’t prevent me from running/walking but my goodness — when I overuse it (which I hadn’t before) — the agony! Even in the middle of the night last night I could barely walk to the bathroom — but this morning was fine. I mean, a 3 out of 10 on the pain scale, like it usually is in the morning, not nearly a 10 out of 10 like it was last night!

Anyway — I hope to get back to marathoning. And I am working this Friday and Saturday until 7 p.m., and I am just yearning for a weekend off …

Obvious and Quick

Posted by

0

Speaking of quick thinking; I also arrive at conclusions very quickly. I prioritize not ‘wasting time’ and that often means that what other people spend a lot of time on … I just decide. They talk about shampoo paralysis and that is REAL — I struggle the most with where to eat. But shampoo — the aisle of CHOICES! So, I tend to choose quickly, and if I like it, I tend to stick with it.

For food this gets complicated. I have 10 (5) meals that I like, and I trust, and I know what is in them, and I can just eat them easily. Likewise I have 10 (5) restaurants that I like, and trust, and I know what I eat there, and I know it is good. But — people want to try new things! People (my family) don’t find as much comfort in the sameness that I do. People want CHOICES. And I just — don’t. It takes sooo long. And some are — not yummy! Sure, some are, but — some aren’t! Is it worth it?

At work too, I hire based on ‘gut’ so often and no matter how many times I am proven wrong, I still trust my gut instinct. I think more than believing I am all seeing and all knowing, I deeply doubt that spending MORE time and MORE effort will produce a more reliable result. I have worked with super methodical people — and they make hiring mistakes, too. And even the hiring mistakes — they thought they wanted a job, or thought they could figure it out, and it wasn’t the way the person who hired them wanted it to be done — I dunno. I think this is why I tend to work in smaller places — I find the more processes and the more systems — the more time is spent/wasted and not necessarily to better results.

I think if I slow down then I will lose time for myself; time to read, to snuggle my children; to go on bike rides — but I also (post for another day) end up reading all the time and doing less of anything else. Just hiding out and reading books …

Anyway, but the rest of the time I’m doing it quickly!

Successful Meetings, of a sort

Posted by

0

  1. I am a very quick thinker. I’m not bragging — it is my biggest weakness as well as strength — I just don’t have a slow/thoughtful button. And so strategic plans can bedevil me, in that their entire existence is on a slow, thoughtful analysis of what an organization is doing well, doing poorly, and what can be done better.
  2. Yes, it’s time for my organization’s strategic plan. Several board/staff who were here for the last one five years ago have chosen NOT IT because it … didn’t go well last time. I struggle with the plan itself, and the concept, but I love the way it CAN, ideally, bring board and staff together — united — that is the real win for strategic plans in my book.
  3. So, we had our first retreat yesterday. And I thought it went well! As these things go, it was big and a bit messy, but we winnowed it down. And then — not anymore. The winnowing turned into a little … discussion … I assumed these things always went this way, and asked the consultant, who said NO — THESE DO NOT. So, we were a bit of an argumentative group. I like argumentative groups!
  4. So we voted – again – and got, wait for it, the same results. Exactly. So, at least we all know what we want! I was a bit fussy about the result, but overall was so glad we made it, and made it together, and even talked through the hard parts.

Long way to go until it is done (September!) but excited to be on track …

Marathon Attempt Ends Prematurely …

Posted by

0

I had so much fun (I really at least was surprised that I finished and was pretty strong up to mile 23) at my first marathon in December, 2023 that I signed up for another one, this time with friends. I started the training in December 2024, and things were going along fine. It was actually even fun to train “with” friends — we would just email each other — but it felt like we were working together!

Then, I had … an accident. A #2 one. But I was AT the toilet at home, or ALMOST, and so I kind of let it go — long run, almost made it, it’s fine. I had eaten grapes, which can cause my tummy trouble.

THEN, I had … another accident. A #2 one. In Houston, near my dad’s house, on a busy street, so … it just went down my leg. Allllll the way down. Terrible feeling, terrible two blocks to his house, terrible it was only 6 miles run … but I had eaten dad’s food, which isn’t my own, and I was stressed about the lawsuit I was in Houston for, so … I kept going.

Half marathon? Done. 15 mile run? Well, I finished 12, but didn’t stop because I had an accident — I just got too tired to continue. I was doing the other runs every week, keeping up, doing fine!

Then it was the day of the 18 mile run – I was determined to finish strong! I chose a new path — I HATE the boredom of paths I know too well, so I was really excited to be in my neighborhood/area but on a totally new-to-me-running street. I stopped to go to the bathroom! I stopped to buy water! I saw a friend and thought about stopping to say hello but texted her later instead. It was AWESOME. I was at mile 12 or so .. oh, I needed to go to the bathroom. Oh, there was a McDonald’s right there — perfect!

Nope. You know the ending — busy street, next to McDonalds, ALLLLLLL down my legs. I had to call my husband to pick me up then slide into his backset on my stomach so I wouldn’t … mar the car. It was genuinely disgusting and totally discouraging. I called my friends and told the marathon runner I just … couldn’t keep doing this (what would I actually do if this happened during the marathon?!). I called the 7 miler and she said we could just walk it together — an excellent idea! A friend suggested diapers but OH the chafing — and still, what would I do with a full diaper in the middle of a marathon?!

So, it’s this coming weekend. I have dreams that I will just start running and finish my second marathon! But in reality, I will walk 7 miles and be happy to support my awesome friend doing her first marathon. I went to the doctor and there is no problem — just — bodies sometimes do this.

Sad. But okay!

Me on my triumphant marathon day.
I walked the last 3 miles but I finished!! Just at 6 hours!

Money Maintenance

Posted by

0

My husband and I now have three teenagers, and my goodness. Each day costs, roughly, $1,000,000. Crew signups (two kids row); play tickets; broadway musical (!); trips to see friends (who live far away now); meals (I guess they need to EAT?!); and so much more.

In my memory, I asked for, and was given, less. But I bet in my parents’ memory (well, my dad’s, my mom is sadly pretty far gone with Alzheimers) (she chipped her tooth yesterday and there is NO WAY for me to figure out what happened/how) I was spoiled rotten. Maybe all parents think their children are spoiled. I don’t think they are spoiled, my three, I just really struggle to say no. I want to say yes all the time, to all things, so they will know how loved they are.

Which is really horrible, right? Money = love in my book, and so I don’t want to say no, but also cannot always say yes, but — always say yes to love. I have used money as punishment (if you don’t do X or Y or Z you will lose your allowance!) and as bribe (I’ll give you $ if you do X or Y or Z) and as so many stand ins for me over the years …

Goodness, I started this to talk about how hard money is these days, but I have quickly uncovered how hard I make money — represent many, many things that money is not.

Anyway. We’re fine. Kids have a lot. Figuring life out continues to be a huge struggle!

Snow!

Posted by

0

It’s been a bitterly cold January/February, with SO MUCH snow that froze into ice and NEVER melted. It snowed again, after it had finally melted. But! This time! It is soft! It is not ice! You can get around — and it is so much fun! Oliver refused, but Allyson, Eleanor, Jason and I went outside, some of us dressed for the weather and some of us (Jason and Eleanor) in t-shirts and no gloves. But! It was so fun! Allyson threw a snowball at me, first one, that she and I both gave her a ZERO percent chance of hitting me. And she did, hit me, DIRECTLY on my neck. Seriously, centered on my neck. She and I laughed so hard at her unexpected success that we forced Jason and Eleanor out, to throw and catch and hit snowballs, and Keegan from across the street joined in, too. It was so … fun! And I don’t usually think of snow as fun. But Eleanor is still outside building a huge snowman, and Allyson is rolling down our steep hill … seriously, I can hear them giggling. Every now and then, even the WORST things, aren’t as bad as you think .. and can actually be good. 🙂

Headline photo (above)

Posted by

0

I was 19; had just earned my motorcycle license in Texas. My teenagers love this story, and emphasize that it could NEVER happen today. I had a boyfriend who drove a motorcycle, and I thought that was cool. I signed up to take a 2 day course so I could drive one too. This is how bad I was .. on the second day, when I walked in, one instructor said to the other, fine, she’s back, I owe you $10.

FURTHERMORE, when I had to ‘pass the test’ I was supposed to stop directly over a line — not past it, not before it, but over it. I had three chances, and this was the ‘final’ part of my test. I went past it, once, and stopped before it, once, so the pressure was on. I watched the ground and NOTHING else in this parking lot, I saw the line, and I squeezed the brakes so hard, so very hard, that I … laid the bike down (which is cool motorcycle talk for the bike and I fell over and slid sideways). I was … not supposed to do that. The entire class was horrified, and checked if I was okay (I was) before laughing uncontrollably. I begged for just ONE MORE chance.

As I recall it, one instructor looked to the other. And he said … “listen, as long as you SWEAR you will NEVER drive a motorcycle once, for any reason at all, I will give you your license.” And he did, and I did not! I broke up with that boyfriend (or he broke up with me!) soon thereafter, and I don’t think I’ve ever even ridden a motorcycle again, much less driven one. But oh I was proud of that license!

I was staying with my grandmother, because the class was in San Antonio which she lived 20 miles from, and I went home pleased as punch and told her my story. She was an insurance agent, and she loved me, two reasons she strongly agreed with the instructor that I should NEVER drive a motorcycle, but … we did laugh and laugh and laugh.

So I was visiting my friend in Pennsylvania a few months later, and we wandered by a Harley store, and I just sat on one to SHOW I could because I had a LICENSE. But when they asked if I wanted to go out on a test drive, I demurred. But I have the photo my friend took as proof that it happened — there I am, sitting on a Harley, safe inside a store … 🙂

Old Age/Young Colleagues

Posted by

1

We are back at my office from Christmas/New Year’s, which we are ostensibly closed for but which I insist on coming in to ‘open the mail’ and the mailperson insists on … not delivering mail (not our usual mailperson — she is AWESOME — the other ones). So I went to Texas, which was a GREAT visit, except 1. short and 2. my father fell and broke his hip before we left. So, you know, not overall great. And my mother-in-law is in town, and brings with her the normal excellent game playing and trash talking, but I’ve been going into work, because, see earlier in the paragraph … so missing my time with her! I will not be coming in tomorrow, and I have a dinner date scheduled with my husband and an old friend from high school, so all is well.

Except! Everyone in my office is back and they are all so young — younger even than I was when I was their age. Like YOUNG — going to concerts, going to live music, getting to know bands and talking about bands. I keep thinking I will get into music someday, but as someday retreats into now, I am not … into music. Poor Jason! All he wants in this world is someone to go to concerts with. And my kids were going to concerts; and then COVID and now they are too old? or something — anyway, he doesn’t go with them either.

I should connect him to my colleagues at work, except see title, he is old and they are young. Will they even like the same music? Maybe Jason’s colleagues go to music and he can go with them?

He walked me to the bus this morning with no shoes on the freezing pavement because I was running late and horsing through my cereal. He said it is proof that he loves me … 🙂

ANYWAY, as I was saying

Posted by

0

I got distracted while I started talking about running, and forgot entirely what I was supposed to be writing about/what the title of my post yesterday was. So I started running, and I did a marathon, and my times were all in the 12 minute area — more 12:45 than 12:01, but still, 12s. Then, after I kind of stopped biking a lot (last year — wait for it — I completed a VERY SLOW century ‘with’ my son (he was 2.5 hours in front of me) WHILE training for a marathon), my times are definitely in the 13s — more like 13:30 when I do long runs. Yesterday’s 5k was in the 14s!

I’m not in it to win it (my dad’s marathon when he was 40 was LESS THAN FOUR HOURS, which I consider INSANE and have ZERO goal of) — but it was nice to know my time, and to know it was staying fairly steady. Now, even though I ran a lot of short runs in 2024, like more than 250 of them, I am just slowing and slowing. Make it stop!

I finished up at work and didn’t get to go to the museum with my family so now I’m going to hurry home and harass them into playing Scrabble with me, so I can get thoroughly trounced …

Crawling while Running

Posted by

0

When I turned 49, I knew I would have to do something big before my 50th birthday. I decided it would be a marathon — my dad did a marathon when he was 40, and I admired that. Of course, my dad was a runner and had run for years, but — whatever. I walk! I can run. A friend, Pam, had also, separately, started running, and she recommended an app, the Nike Run Club (also: free!). So, reluctantly (I always said I hated to run); I started to train.

I trained for a few months, then my shin started hurting so I stopped. I went to a physical therapist who said, in summary, ‘you’re fine, keep training.’ So in August I started training again. I met a board member at my job who recommended a marathon on Dec. 2, in Rehoboth, because it wasn’t too crowded (I was hoping to just run by myself, but bathrooms and water would have been a problem) and it was VERY flat. I .. signed up. It was actually the very weekend that my training finished — which I hadn’t know when I started training! Anyway, I did it — just 6:00 hours, and I walked the last three miles.

One guy on the run part, before I started walking around mile 23, said, “is this your first marathon? You are like a metronome, just exactly keeping the same time!” It was the BEST compliment and I pull it out regularly.

I actually did kind of like running — the places you see, getting their on your own two feet, the strength you gain, etc. But! I was sad I walked the last 3 miles. So! I signed up for ANOTHER marathon, this one in Jim Thorpe, Pa., and asked some friends to run it too (at their own paces, but just good to know they are there). One of the Nike Run Club runs was an ultramarathoner who said even as your body says ‘you can’t keep going’ you have to trick your body and say ‘yes I can.” Even if you BELIEVE you can’t — you have to say you can and do it.

I loved that run and I love that advice. So, two and a half weeks ago I started training again. And now I’m up to 10k on Saturday (last) and 7 miles on Saturday (next). And I do feel like walking, or stopping, and just like that lady said, I say, “nope, I’m able to and I can.” And so far at least (these are very short distances, comparatively!) she’s right — I can.

That’s what I’m trying to teach myself, too — that I can do things that I have always thought I couldn’t do.