MGR's Weekend Wrap Up!

What a weekend! It was extremely busy and emotional, on so many levels...

I tried so hard to get my Women's March on Washington recap done for today, but I worked for 4.5 hours on it and I just had to take a break before figuring out how to upload the videos. Tomorrow, I PROMISE!!!

When my alarm went off, I was nowhere near ready to get out of bed! Even though I went to bed early, I woke up feeling tired. I went for a 6 miler and then Jelly helped me stretch, just like he does every morning.

Work was work. It was raining. It was indoor recess. It was inauguration day. But I'm a good actress. The students had a great day and learned a lot.

After work, I started to get everything prepared for the march the next day. I even broke out my Hillary wine glass! I couldn't think of a better day to break it out!

I was feeling a little anxious for the march, but Chrissy didn't have a care in the world...

Later that evening, my friend Andrea arrived. She crashed at our place since she lives pretty far away and the bus pick up for the march was literally 30 seconds from my house!

She made me a pussy hat for the march!

My day started super early! It was WOMEN'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON DAY! My recap is coming at you TOMORROW!!!

Even though I was exhausted from marching, I made myself get up at a respectable hour. I ran 6 miles. Whole lower body felt tight... probably from all the walking and sitting on the bus from the day before!

I spend a lot of time catching up on CNN, which I had DVR'ed from the day before. I wanted to see coverage of the march! Oh boy did they cover it!

Then I went to a funeral for a dear friend's husband. The service was absolutely perfect. The music was beautiful, the speakers were heartfelt, and it was just an awe inspiring celebration of life.

When I got home, I blogged about my march experience... which took me HOURS. I'm still not done. But I will be honest, it was fun to relive the experience.

How was your weekend?
What channel do you watch the news on? I am stuck with CNN because it is the only one I get!
Did you march anywhere?

Let's talk about poop!

Okay runners, it's time to talk about POOP.

I poop a lot. Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows this. I think the main reason for it seriously just comes from being a runner! The only people I know who poop a lot are runners.

I've never crapped my pants on a run, but I have had a couple close calls. The first one that comes to mind was about two years ago. It was during a solo morning run. I had eaten an entire bag of brussel sprouts the night before and the urge hit me like a ton of bricks. I really didn't think I was going to make it home in time. I had already accepted the fact that I was going to shit my pants, but that no one would know about it because it was dark out and Paul was still asleep. Miraculously, I made it home before the worst happened. But oh my word, I called it REALLY close.

Last week, I almost shart my pants. I was in my hood, coming up on mile four of an eight miler. I had to fart, but after I farted, I was a little concerned it was more of a shart! You would think I'd be able to tell for sure but it was so cold out and my butt was numb, so I wasn't certain.

I wondered whether I should turn around and head home to check and make sure everything was okay down there, but I was afraid if I did that I wouldn't have time to finish my run before I had to get ready for work. So I committed to finishing my eight miler, even though I knew it was ridiculous. PRIORITIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spoiler alert: I didn't shart! Whew! And I made it to work on time!

Have you ever crapped your pants on a run? Peed? Sharted?

Do you poop a lot?

Was this topic a little too much...?

MGR's Weekly Workouts

Happy Saturday!

I ran 34 miles this week. I only lifted once! I have been sick for awhile, and for some reason I am more comfortable running while sick rather than lifting. Lifting just takes so much energy while running I can take it easy, slow down, and zone out if I need to.

Here are my workouts for the week!

Saturday- 6 miles. I was sick and felt completely terrible. I don't know why I ran and almost quit before I was even a mile into it.

Sunday- Rest. Still sick. What a waste of a beautiful day!

Monday- 8 miles. I was still feeling sick but I ate some really crappy food the day before and I was feeling guilty. By crappy food, I mean two pancakes with syrup, half a fried buffalo chicken sub, and macaroni and cheese FROM A BOX. I dipped tortilla chips in the mac and cheese and scooped it up. Divine. Luckily, all the salt and carbs had my legs and endurance feeling good.

Tuesday- 8 more miles. I was still feeling really lethargic, but for the most part, I enjoyed this run. I started to get a little tired after 6 miles.

Wednesday- 6 miles. I was very tired. Come on, I just want to feel normal! I really should have lifted today, as I hadn't lifted in like a week! What the heck?

Thursday- Lifting @ home. I was long overdue! I did back and chest. A little bit of everything... I felt weak. I lifted the same amount of weight as normal, I just didn't feel strong.

Friday- 6 morning miles. This was my speediest run of the week.

How were your workouts this week?
Does chips dipped in mac and cheese sound yummy to you?

5 Things You Can Do Today Instead of Watch the Inauguration

Hey all! I am linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 5 2.0!

Today I'm going to share 5 things you can do today other than watch the inauguration. 

If you're feeling anything like me, you are disappointed, angry, and scared of the prospect of our country being run by our president elect. The last thing I feel like doing today is watching inauguration coverage of a person I have absolutely zero respect for. So I thought about what I could do today other than give ratings to someone I feel is a danger to this country. What can I do today (and every day for that matter) to make this country and world a better place? Here's what I came up with...

1. Be the best teacher I can be. Whether you're a teacher, parent, aunt, uncle, or other role model for young people, it is our job to help raise and educate the next generation so our country will be in good hands.

2. Pick an issue or cause you care about and spend some time researching what you can do to help that cause.

3. Read. Knowledge is power.

4. Write a letter to thank someone who has changed your life for the better.

5. Get outside. It really is cathartic!

Another thing I will be doing is going to bed early. Tomorrow morning, I will march in Washington DC for respect, equality, and progress for ALL Americans!

Throwback Thursday: I'm gonna miss Obama.

A couple weeks ago, I was watching Oprah's farewell interview with First Lady Michelle Obama. Towards the end of the interview, President Obama popped in to say hello. Oprah asked him if he thinks his administration achieved hope.

"Absolutely," he replied.

"What are you most hopeful about now?" she asked.

Without even pausing, he said, "The next generation." He continued, "History moves in cycles and what lasts is the impact. What we've done has had an impact on people's minds and hearts. And that continues."

I am proud to have voted for Obama twice. I remember the first time I waited in a really long line to cast my vote. I watched the election results that night. It was getting late, so I told Paul to wake me up when Obama came out for his acceptance speech.

We had a television in our bedroom back then, so when Paul woke me up and turned on the TV, I propped myself up on my pillows and had a good cry as I saw the first African American president walk onto the stage with his beautiful family. What a night for our nation.

Source

Every time I hear the song "Sign, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," I think of that night and the Obamas walking onto stage to that music.

Whether I agree with everything he's done or hasn't done as president, I know he is a good man and a good father. I've never doubted his love for this nation or his intentions about wanting the best for all Americans.

If you are feeling nostalgic and want to look back at Pete Souza's (the Official White House Photographer) 55 favorite photos of Obama, you can find them here. #2, #24, #37 and #54 are my favorites. If you love Obama like I do, you will definitely enjoy these pictures!

And I absolutely adore this video of a 106-year-old woman visiting the Obamas in the White House. If you need a good happy cry, watch this!

At the end of the interview, as Obama was leaving, Oprah asked, "So when you all get on the helicopter, since you now live in Washington, are you just going to circle the block and then go home?"

Obama laughed. "No, we're going someplace warm!" he said.

They all chuckled and then Oprah said, "It's going to be a moment when you all get on that helicopter."

That's when I lost it. I started bawling.

It wasn't a happy cry. It was a scared and disappointed cry. I cried for a long time and just let it all out. I wasn't expecting to be so upset at the thought of The Obamas leaving. Would I be this sad had Hillary been elected? Probably not. I would have been sad but I know I wouldn't have been scared.

It's a scary time right now.

One thing's for sure...

I'm gonna miss Obama.

When was the last time you cried unexpectedly?
What makes you the most hopeful right now?
What president or first lady has inspired you the most?

Why did I run when I was sick?

I was sick from Friday-Tuesday. (Possibly today too, as I scheduled this post last night!) I had a really bad stuffy and runny nose, lethargic, chills, small headache. The lethargy was the worst as I'm used to feeling like I have a ton of energy!

I'm starting to think I'm becoming a wuss because now every time I get sick, I tend to make a bigger deal about it. I sent out an "I'm sick," Snap to my friends because I guess I wanted attention about it!? I also warned people who got too close to me. I didn't want them to get sick and I wanted them to know why I looked like death.

On Friday, I ran, because it was too early to tell how bad I felt. On Saturday, I woke up and felt horrible, but for some reason, I ran anyway. Ever since, I've been trying to figure out why I did that. I'll run if I'm mildly sick but not when I'm really sick. Yet on Saturday (one of the days I felt the worst), I suited up and out the door I went.

I felt so crappy, and after less than a mile, I stopped and turned around to walk home... but literally 5 seconds later I was like "Fuck that!" and just kept on running until I was done with 6 miles.

The whole time, I felt bad. Even my thoughts were negative. During my run, I contemplated quitting Facebook, quitting my blog... it wasn't good.

As I got closer to the end of my run, I started to wonder, WHY DID I DO THIS? Why did I run if I felt absolutely horrible. I'll normally run if I am sick as long as I know I won't feel worse by the end and as long as I'll at least enjoy the run a little bit. But this run... there was NOTHING good about it! It was probably the sickest I have ever been while running.

Why do that!!!!??????

There were a couple reasons I think I decided to run on Saturday...

1. Running makes me feel normal. It makes me happy. When I am sick, I want to feel normal and happy.

2. I was going to see family later in the day. I love my family, but it was going to be a lot of stimuli. Running is my "me" time when I can relax.

3. Sometimes I get high horsey and think that I will feel better after a run. Okay, this one doesn't make much sense at all!

4. Lately, I feel like I haven't been eating very well, so there was a degree of wanting to burn off calories. I hate to say it, but it's true.

That's all I could come up with! It was definitely a stupid decision. Next time I even think about running when I'm that sick, I will be reminded of this blog post!

Do you run when you're sick?

What kind of sickness or level of sickness will you not run through?

I'm excited AND nervous for this weekend.

This Saturday, I am attending the Women's March on Washington to march in unity with thousands of other people from around the world. 

The Mission & Vision of the Women's March on Washington says it all: 

"We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families- recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country."

We are marching for these Unity Principles: Ending Violence, Reproductive Rights, LGBTQIA Rights, Worker's Rights, Civil Rights, Disability Rights, Immigrant Rights, and Environmental Justice.

You can read a more detailed breakdown of the Unity Principles here.

I am hoping this day is a positive experience for all involved. I am excited AND nervous for this weekend. First of all, I tend to get a little anxiety when doing something new... like marching in Washington, DC! Second, I'm scared of a violent attack of some sort! The march itself is advertised as a peaceful demonstration. It's not about rioting, civil disobedience, or disruption of any sort. The march has permits and there will be police officers there to protect and facilitate this demonstration. So I do not fear that march participants will get out of hand, but more of someone from the outside targeting us.

However, I realize we have to live our lives. There are crazy people everywhere. I am sure DC will have top notch security... especially since it is inauguration weekend.


After watching this video, produced by march officials, I felt a lot less worried about the event overall. Note: This video cuts off at the end, you can watch the full video on the Women's March on Washington Facebook page.

There has been some criticism of the march, and I was sure to read some articles that did criticize. (Hey, I like to know what everyone is saying!) One article I read was called Ladies, Protesting Isn't Going To Cut It. While I find the title of the article condescending, the article did point out that "protesting" is just part of a strategic plan of civic engagement.


Of course, demonstrating and protesting is just one aspect of the resistance. I am part of several Facebook groups of march participants and people are continually posting about their experiences contacting their elected officials and other calls to action. I hope all who attend the march are inspired to be more engaged!

Because really, there needs to be all kinds of people in this fight. If protesting is your thing, we need you. If you decide to run for office, we need you. If you are one to contact your representatives, we need you too. And we need everyone in between! There is a place for everything, and we all need to do what we are the most comfortable with.

So while I'm a little apprehensive about marching in Washington, I know I will never regret the principles I am marching for!

Are you marching? Attending a sister march?
Do you get apprehensive in large crowds?
What is an issue you care deeply about?