Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Sunday Lately, 18

As you’re reading this, I’m out on the mean streets of Pittsburgh running for my life.  Okay, just running.  It’s Marathon Day!  Let me say in advance how excited I am to be running with Jonathan for a second year and for the post-race Bloody Mary at Wigle Whiskey.  I may be more excited for that.

Nothing like a little alcohol and spice after putting your body through a great strain.

What have you been up to lately? This is week 14 of Sunday Lately link up with Katy, Meghan, and Nicole!

Dwelling

On how amazing Lush products are.  I ended up treating myself to a shampoo bar at Lush when I went to pick up a present for a mama-to-be.  I love the scent (it’s lemony!) and I also walked out with a sample of the R&B Hair Moisturizer.  Now that scent is amazeballs and a half.  It’s this beautiful citrus and jasmine scent that sticks around all day.  I wake up the next morning and don’t want to wash my hair because it still smells so good.  I will cry when the sample runs out because it’s $22.  Why are Lush products ridic. expensive?

Helping

I feel like I’m still picking up a lot of slack for everyone.  It’s especially frustrating at work.  We’re now being graded on our job, which is nice to have solid numbers showing performance of everyone, but so much of what I do is dependent upon others.

For example: If I call someone for a scheduled appointment, I can only hope they remember we were talking.  Half the time, someone else tells me, “Oh, Susan isn’t available today. Try again later.”  That now is a strike against me.  I can’t control what someone else does, so I’m a little worried about how this will pan out.

Forgetting

The prompts for this week.  I know the last time this prompt came up, I said it too.  But srsly.  My brain has so much in it, five random words just do not stick.

I’m also forgetting to return emails until it’s like, 10pm and I’m in bed running through a list of everything I wanted to do for the day and making sure it matched up with what I got done.  Does anyone have inbox management tips?

Switching

I’ve made a weird switch when it comes to nail polish.  I always used to wear polish on my nails.  It helped that I worked at a spa and when it was quiet, I would just paint my nails.  I had a lot of downtime back then.  Now, it doesn’t happen near as often.  I don’t get home until later and I hate painting my nails at night because you get those awful sheet marks.  Sometimes that happens even if I paint my nails in the morning and 12+ hours go by.  So many girl problems.

Relying

On adrenaline to carry me through this marathon.  I prepared as best I could, given what was happening this winter/spring.  With the goal of “Sell this house in a month!” and Mother Nature raining down her cold, frosty disapproval over us, it didn’t leave much time to run outside.

I do feel eerily calm about it all, though, so I’m assuming that’s a good sign.

What have you been up to lately?

Five goals for May

Ah, a fresh new day and a fresh new month.  So many possibilities.  So many goals just waiting to be made…and completely forgotten halfway through the month til eventually you decide…better just wait until another fresh start new month comes along.

Just me?

Anyway, today is the first day of Blogger, May I with Katy and Meghan.  In case you missed it yesterday, we’re blogging every day this month and we hope you’ll join with us.  And not get sick of hearing from us every.damn.day.

Today is Introduce Yourself.  Since last week, I pretty much just wrote about myself all week and I don’t want to subject you to that too much, I’m going to introduce you to myself through my five goals this month.

(And in case you’re wondering – I’m Angelica, I write, manage social media marketing, love craft beer, can’t live without chocolate, bake when I’m upset, am an accidental gardener, and can quote the entire SATC series.  Many accomplishments, for sure.)

Five goals for May #BloggerMayI

Write a blog post every day

Didn’t see this coming, did ya?  I’ve done this before a long time ago and they weren’t the best quality things around.  I hope I can hit quality and quantity this time around.  I’m so thrilled Katy asked me to join in the fun and help her lead the charge.  And I can’t wait to dig in and really get going with this challenge.

Complete the Pittsburgh Half Marathon

I may be am cheating here.  I know I’m going to complete the marathon.  But people write things on their to-do lists that are already to-done just so they can cross something off, so I can do that here, right?

(Take a look at a few things I’ve written recently with some running tips!)

Get my garden in

I knew I wouldn’t really start to work in the yard until after the marathon, but I can’t put it off any longer.  There probably won’t be many more frosts in Pittsburgh; I’m thinking mid-May will be the good time to get everything in the ground.

I’ll definitely be planting the staples – tomatoes, peppers, green beans, zucchini, peas, eggplant, herbs – but I also want to add some marigolds in to keep critters out.  I never have, but I’m interested in seeing if it’ll do anything to alleviate the groundhog/bunny problem.

Put my office together

I have things thrown in my office because I quite literally have no where to put them.  I don’t have any office furniture in that room, so the supplies I’ve moved into my house are just sitting there.  It’s driving me nuts!  I have to get it off the floor and put away somewhere and have a functional space for my computer, sewing machine, scrapbook supplies, Post-Its, etc.

Stay on top of emails, invoicing, scheduling social updates

Pretty much just the little flotsam and jetsam that accumulates in life.  When things get busy, the first things to go to the wayside are posting on Twitter, replying to emails, cutting coupons.  Doing dishes.  At least I don’t have a problem remembering to grocery shop and eat!

Introduce yourself and link up!  What are your goals for the month?

Sunday Lately, 16

I wonder if I’ll ever start a Sunday Lately post with, “Dang that was a perfect week,” because this week felt like it took forever but then also felt like I didn’t have time to do half of what I wanted to do.  Y’know, story of my life.  I swear, it isn’t for lack of trying!

What have you been up to lately? This is week 14 of Sunday Lately link up with Katy, Meghan, and Nicole!

Planning

Summer!  It’s finally warm in Pittsburgh.  I hope we have a “spring” this year with cooler mornings/evenings and warmer days before endless humidity hits.  Also looking forward to a weekend away next week.

Loving

Having a plan.  I seriously feel so much better when there aren’t many variables bumping around.  I dislike not knowing what’s going to happen next.  I’ve mentioned that my father was selling his house and it seems like it isn’t quite so “holy shiz, this is what’s happening and it has to happen yesterday.”  That is great to know.

Reading

Still reading Gretchen Rubin’s Better Than Before.  I’m sorry, Birchbloggers, when I finally get to read at night, I make it a page before I fall asleep!  Then I have to more on to more Julia Child biographies and books I’ve been loaned that need to be reunited with their long-lost owners.

Wishing

To see my mom.  It’s been since Thanksgiving.  We haven’t gone this long without seeing each other…ever.  At this time last year, I had already driven down to Virginia twice.  This whole “full time job” thing is just crampin’ my style, man.

FeelingSo happy that snow is gone.  Calm and confident about the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in exactly two weeks.  Excited to take a weekend trip this Saturday and Sunday.PS: if you’re interested in running, I’ve been writing a lot about it here and here.What’s been happening with you lately?

Half marathon prep

As I mentioned last week, I’m running in my fifth half marathon on May 3rd.  It’s definitely an intimidating undertaking, especially if you have no idea what you’re doing.  The first half marathon I ran was in Williamsport, PA, and it was a benefit for ovarian cancer.  I prepared as best as I knew how, aka: I ran a lot.

And then race day came.  Now, I don’t know if many of you have visited Williamsport or any area in PA, but it’s all basically just one big hill.  I was feeling great going down, but the back half was all up.  And it sucked.  I walked most of the back end because I couldn’t run up a hill for 6 miles straight.

The first time I did the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, I took my aunt’s bib because she hurt herself in training.  It was in February and the race was in May.  I again did the best I could, but it was still hard because I didn’t know what I was stepping in to and vastly different than in Williamsport.  It almost felt like my first half marathon again.

Five things I wish I knew before I ran in my first half marathon. #gameonPGH #running

So, in my best effort to impart the wisdom I wish I had known, I give you five things I wish I would have known before I ran my first half marathon.

1. Your toe nails will probably abandon you.

I wasn’t ready for this one.  I got blisters under my nails and it damaged the nail bed.  And there went a few toe nails.  Yep, it’s gross, but at least it doesn’t hurt.

The best advice I have for you is to find shoes that don’t rub and are held securely to your foot.  I like this post to help identify different ties for your shoes based on your shoe woe.  Socks also make a big difference.  I like good ol’ Hanes socks.

2. Take the solar blanket.

I didn’t do this after my first run in Pittsburgh because I didn’t have this option in Williamsport so I didn’t know how necessary it was.  It felt like I was almost in shock after the run.  This really helped the next time to gently regulate my temperature.

3. You will probably shit yourself.

It ain’t fun to talk about, but let’s get real here.  I don’t know why or how to prevent this (although I did take some Immodium before the run last year, which made a difference).

I didn’t even know this happened until my mom asked me in hushed tones, “So…did you…crap your pants?”

I didn’t, but I realllllllly had to go soon after stopping.  So just be prepared for that.

4. Eat the gummy worms.

Another point from the Pittsburgh half that I didn’t know the first time.  Around mile 8, they hand out gummy worms.  Take the gummy worms (or power bars or gel or whatever).  It really helps to give you a boost.

5. Have someone waiting for you at the finish.

It’s nice to have people cheering along the course, but it’s really nice to have someone you know waiting for you.  Or running right beside you like Jonathan and I did last year.

Either way, it really helps motivate you when you have someone waiting for you at the end to congratulate you and be amazed that you ran that far.

Bonus!

Bring another change of clothes.  I needed to get out of the cold, sweaty clothes I was in.  Bring a change of pants, shirt, and socks.  It feels so great to get out of your running shoes, trust me.

A woman I worked with told me this one: drink water the first half, then switch to Gatorade.  Your body really doesn’t need a boost of electrolytes after 3 miles, but it sure could use some water.

Another woman I worked with shared this with me: hills are easy for short people to climb.  Our little legs don’t have to lift up as high to clear the road as you tall people.  It makes me feel good going uphill, even if it’s a placebo effect.

Have you run a marathon (or a half or even a 5k)?  What are you best tips?

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