Sunday, October 16, 2011

Not Feelin' Fall

A couple of years ago I would have told you that fall was my favorite season. That is, until I lived in a place that actually has autumn. Um... this season sucks. In Arizona, we have 1 season: summer. You know what the best season is? Summer! You know why? Because there's some freaking SUNLIGHT!! Did you know that the other 3 seasons of the year are super dark?! It's insane!! Don't even get me started on the awful thing called snow that happens during winter. So while fall is great with all the pretty leaves and being able to wear boots and sweaters, it freaking sucks because it means that winter is coming. I cannot describe how much I am dreading winter. I definitely suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder so the onset of winter makes me really anxious and worried about how crappy it's going to make me feel. I am so worried about it that I'm already starting to recognize some symptoms and fear that this year may be worse than last. What is seasonal affective disorder, you may ask? Well, let's call is SAD from here on out, because that's a lot of unnecessary letters to type! SAD is a type of depression that usually occurs only during the winter months (some people get it during summer, but that's just crazy!) According to mayoclinic.com (that's right folks, this blog is legit, I reference other websites!!) symptoms include:

  • Depression
  • Hopelessness
  • Anxiety
  • Loss of energy
  • Heavy, "leaden" feeling in the arms or legs
  • Social withdrawal
  • Oversleeping
  • Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
  • Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
  • Weight gain
  • Difficulty concentrating
Guess which symptoms I get? ALL OF THE ABOVE. And I also throw in some extreme irritability. It's really just a miserable time for me and I go nuts the first time the sun comes out in springtime because I'm so excited to see it again. The biggest thing I remember from last winter was a literal craving for sunlight. I never thought I would be begging for sunlight. But I guess I never really knew that there were places that saw so little of it. Being from Phoenix has messed me up
So that's my whining pity party about the weather here. Now let's talk about what I'm doing to fight the evil visits from Snow Miser (10 points go to the first person to get the reference): training for a 5k! This will come as a major shock for those of you who know how incredibly lazy I am. I'm better known for sitting in my bed eating ice cream straight out of the carton while watching Bravo than strapping on some Nikes to hit the pavement. But some of the best treatment for SAD is staying active, so I'm working on becoming active so that when my symptoms hit a fever pitch I can stay active. I'm on week 2 of an 8-week program. Apparently by week 8 I'll be able to run a 5k. Not going to lie: this week was really rough. I'm actually planning on repeating week 2 (like a preschooler who didn't learn the alphabet) because I'm not ready for week 3. So now it's a 9-week program :) But I'm lucky to have a fabulous bestie (shout out to Samurai!) who volunteered to do a 5k with me! So we picked one out in Kansas City that is conveniently scheduled for the day after we see Kathy Griffin! Saturday night: Kathy G, Sunday morning: 5k! Don't worry, it doesn't start until like 9am and it's only 3.1 miles, we can be a little tired/hungover, we won't die. Best part? It's an INDOOR 5k!! Hooray for nice running weather! But back to the training: it's going well and I actually really like it. I've been running outside, just kind of exploring new routes around the neighborhood. This can be dangerous for two reasons: 1. I live in the hood, so I have a strict 11 hour running window: 7:30am-6:30pm are the only hours I will run. Because that gives me the safety of daylight (until there isn;t anymore when winter comes) during my entire run. 2. Omaha was built on hills. I don't mind walking up a hill, but running up a hill is something I'd prefer to avoid. So I try to time my training sessions so that I can walk up the hills and then run on flat ground. That's going to get tougher as the walk time gets shorter and run time gets longer! 
Of course the biggest benefit of this training isn't the warm fuzzy feeling it gives me or even the sweet shopping opportunities it presents (we'll get to that!) it's that it will hopefully get rid of these 10 pounds I packed on this summer. Yes folks, I'm a fat newlywed. This has nothing to do with Dane or letting myself go now that the wedding is over, it's because I was alone for most of the summer while Dane was working in AZ so I was lazy and ate whatever I wanted. I rarely cooked and ate tons of junk. So I put on some weight and then once my clothes started feeling snug, I was so mad about having put on weight that I ate even more (I eat because I'm unhappy, I'm unhappy because I eat [another 10 points go to the first person to get that reference]) So now I need to get myself back to a normal size and start feeling better about how I look (and feel)! But back to the shopping opportunities: did you know how many running accessories I don't own? TONS! I just got one of those cute headband things that covers your ears because it's starting to get cold and my ears hurt b/c of it yesterday morning. I went for a simple black number but it has a snazzy ponytail hole in it, so we'll see how it goes. I stocked up on some snazzy socks I really like, too. They're a "no show" style but little higher in the back to protect your heel from rubbing on your shoes. And speaking of shoes: omg I want new ones!! I did some online research about what type of shoes I need based on my running stride (I need cushioned support for my high arches) and type of running I do (low mileage/beginner running) and am also worried about the upcoming crappy weather I'll be training in. So... I found an awesome pair of Nikes that have this cool shield technology that's made for running in poor weather! Here they are: http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/commerce/women?hf=10001^12001&t=Women%27s%20Running%20Shoes#/?ll=en_US&ct=US&pid=417595&cid=102201&pgid=&p=PDP
By the way... how do people make those links that say like "click here" and then they take you to the full website? (Steph Riel I'm looking at you) I obviously only know how to copy and paste from the web address line on the page. That's right, I'm a savvy blogger :) Alright (yes, Michelle Cain, I am aware that "alright" is not actually a word. The correct form is all right) I think that's all for now. More funny blog updates are to come, I just wanted to update everyone on life for now! Have a great week and be sure to get your flu shot!