- Both literally and metaphorically, this is what my brain has dubbed the “fridge door” installment of Martini Fridays.
Adrienne Martini continues to entertain and put in her miles as she ramps up for the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon. Catch up with her running here.
This is my actual fridge door. It’s where a lot of life’s flotsam winds up, like the rough list of meals we’re having this week or the school’s monthly lunch menu, which is on the other door, along with some kid art. The golf ball magnets are my husband’s and are freakishly strong. (The magnets, that is, not my husband.) Those three comic strips have been with us through a few moves and still tickle me.
Years ago, during an extra long airport layover, I decided to start buying a magnet from every new place I visit, provided that place is big enough to have a magnet made for it. When I stand in front of the refrigerator desperately trying to remember what I was going to get out of it, I can look at all of the places and reminisce, which takes my mind off of the fact that I don’t know if I meant to put something in the chiller or take something out.
True story: I frequently find myself putting a dog toy or the kids’ lunch box trash in there, just because that is what happened to be in my hand when I walked past. Those are the times when I’m extra glad I’m not on a reality show.
In my own defense, I don’t know that anyone looks great in early January in Eastern Europe. However, it was my dumpling-like silhouette that finally forced me to run, bless its heart. I love it retroactively for that.
Although in some ways, blogging about your life is a little bit reality show-esque, in that when you mention an embarrassing picture that you have lost track of, the taker of that picture makes a point to find it.
In the spirit of catching up with points made, then dropped, in previous posts, I’ve set up a go fund me site for those who’d like to contribute to Postpartum Progress in support of my journey, both towards the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon and out of my own postpartum depression. If you have a few dollars to spare, I know they will be put to good use.
On a less serious note, you all have offered so many great ideas for fun workouts, like Wii games or indoor roller skating. Trampoline aerobics sound both awesome and terrifying, like skydiving or being trapped in a clown car. I’m still not sure what I’ll do during that extra week I accidentally programmed into my plan but after this week’s eight miles with a 10 minute strong finish (which was strong until I hit the big hill up to my house), I’m thinking that I’ll hold a repeat of week 7 in reserve until later in March. It’s also not outside the realm of possibility that I’ll wind up getting the dread lurgy that my students are passing around and will need my “spare” week to deal with all of the phlegm.
Finally, my favorite (today, that is) fridge magnet.
It perfectly sums up how I keep finding myself doing awesome things like training for a half-marathon. But this willingness to embrace the crazy is double-edged; I keep bumping up against the reality that energy is finite. This blind spot has been a feature rather than a bug for most of my adult life. But I do have limits and sometimes I have to let something go.
No worries. It won’t be this blog or the half-marathon.
I’ve been working a few hours per week at my local bookstore for a few years. It’s a job I love because it’s fun to just go hang out with the books and the book people who wander in. I work with a wonderful bunch of women, too, which makes it even better.
My usual schedule is one weekday evening plus Saturday mornings. But last Saturday, after being on my feet all morning and then running nine miles, I completely ran out of steam. By the evening, I was just a mom lump on the couch who wanted to talk to my children but could only mumble and sip my NUUN.
Last Friday, I had a small-but-intense freak-out about the much, much longer Saturday runs coming up. While I’m mostly comfortable with my slow miles, they do mean that double-digit runs will eat up a fair bit of time. And time is the one thing always in short supply.
My weekdays are all about logistics, and I swear that most mother runners could route UPS trucks better than computers can. Increasingly, my Sundays are, too, since we seem to tumble from church to my daughter’s riding lessons to Scouts to work prep. I just needed one day where my biggest commitment is getting the run in.
The Toad’s owner, who is also a mom and a runner, is a) amazing and b) understanding. Until my race is run, I’m off of the weekend rotation. I’ll miss it, truth be told, but am learning to prioritize. Maybe that should be on its own magnet.
So what’s on your fridge door — either real or imagined — this week?
I must have that magnet! Can you tell me where you got it? I actually have so many magnets I’ve had to take a bunch off (carefully stored in a shoebox). I’ve picked them up for years on trips, looked for ones fun sayings, inspiration, even made ones out of photos. Maybe because my mom was a teacher & so always had magnets on our fridge, at school. The earliest ones I remember were Snoopy, Woodstock & the cartoon character Cathy. I think I still have them! (through umpteen moves and decades)
As my wise sister once told me “people are finite”. She learned that as a multiple cancer survivor & passed that wisdom to me when I was diagnosed with cancer. It stinks, and we all try to fight it because we feel the “shoulds” so strongly (and the “but I wanna”s). But prioritizing and letting go are required, daily at least, if not more frequently. We and our time, attention and energy are limited and precious resources and we must “spend” ourselves the best ways we can!
My fridge door is trashed, no matter how much I cull it. School lunch menus, business cards for appointments, bibs from my last races, menu for the week, calendar, good tests/quizzes from my kids, on-going grocery lists and recipes to try.
LOVE that last magnet, pretty much sums up very time I’ve registered for a marathon.
It is intimidating to think about long runs, I always imagine myself walking around with a cartoon bubble hanging over my head on Friday “10 miles” (or whatever it is.) Try to think of it as an out and back, helps me.
My fridge door is a mess. Tends to have large, sports team calendar magnets on it … from years ago. LOL!
I have a fridge much like yours…with old comics that still make me smile and reflect. And pictures of the kids when they were young and crazy. But the most important thing these days are the pictures I have up of my husband and me. A couple from when we were dating, some from a vacation we took last month. We clearly love each other, a lot. And some days that’s an important reminder in the hustle and bustle of ‘stuff’ that comes with a household of three young kids. I can pause as I pull out the milk-juice-butter-apples and reflect on that.
All I can remember about where I got the magnet is “somewhere in Maine; maybe Woonsocket.” There is a website on the back of it, tho: http://www.mincingmockingbird.com and that looks like a good place to start.
Your sister is very wise, indeed. Like most mother runners, I need to think more about spending myself.
I too collect magnets for the fridge. We spend so much of our life opening and closing those doors it’s only fitting to have reminders of past vacations or words of inspiration to glance at while we go about the day to day. My two favorites on our fridge are a Disney princess magnet that says “My prince did come, his name is Daddy” and an old comic with Charlie Brown debating on whether or not to kick the football that Lucy is holding yet again. It reads “Never, ever give up!”.
I must get to NY and visit that bookstore.! I have squeezed out reading in my overcommitted days except for TLAM. I miss it. Good for you to continue to keep your fitness goals a priority. I relate to the tiredness on the days of the long runs but hang in there! You’ll be glad to have a momento from the Pittsburgh half marathon on your refrigerator soon! When a friend drags out the photos from your event you will be happy and proud!
My fridge door looks a lot like yours, except possibly cluttered with more papers (I have 4 children). My favorite magnet is a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time,” a good sentiment to remember when I’m feeling overwhelmed.
My fridge door is so…full. Mostly photos of our kids (4) and my nieces (2). The side of the fridge has my never-fail FLYlady calendar. All of my kids’ school stuff is on our kitchen-to-garage door, which is metal. I made color-coded magnets out of clothespins for each kid (their favorite color for each) and then they know how to find their work and assignments amongst all of the clutter up there. And, lest you think I’m organized or something, I’m really not. I’m sure I stole the idea from somewhere. I blame Pinterest. For everything.
I have a paper on my frridge with my running goals for the year. My 16 yo son has written “You got this girl!” across the bottom. Makes me smile every time I look at it.
I did my first half last fall and am currently training for my next. Over the winter I made the decision to cut week-night errand running and church choir from my schedule. I have a full-time job and daily commute of 45 minutes each way and decided that I could no longer manage my life without downtime at night. It is something I needed to do for myself and my husband.
I’ve just decided that my health — both physical and mental — is something that I control. Nobody else can do it for me. Somebody else can fill that spot in choir.
I just found your blog and feel it is fate–I am also: slow, training for my first half in April, one with a refrigerator with magnets from everywhere my family visits, one to freak out about similar things–this run sucked, so will they all suck? how am I possibly going to run double digits? 12 miles, wtf?! good luck on your journey. hopefully i will not die from anxiety before april 27th!