Month: February 2017

Did you know?

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It bothers me when someone takes my spot.  Parking spot.  Spot in the refrigerator at work. Spot on the couch.  It’s mine don’t do it because I will make you move or move your shit out of my way.

When I am running and I’m having a hard time I start doing math.  How many miles do I have left? How long is it going to take me?  How many miles have I done for the week?  I am not that great at math so this entertains/confuses me for quite some time.

I don’t run with music anymore.  It used to be a necessity and then one day I forgot my headphones and that was that.  That DOES NOT include the treadmill. It is a requirement on the treadmill.

I wash my hair everyday,  I guess it’s weird as a woman but I’ve done it all my life and my hair gets greasy and I run a lot.  No amount of dry shampoo can erase a 5 mile run.

I smell like onions when my deodorant stops working.  I’ve started using a natural one and it basically has an 18 hour time limit because when I wake up in the morning – I AM RIPE.

I can fall asleep in less than a minute maybe even 30 seconds.  I have NO problem going to sleep. My husband has a hard time falling asleep so it’s not the greatest combination but #sorrynotsorry

I am terrible with directions in the suburbs but put me in a city and I will figure it out without a problem.

When I was a toddler, my family spent a lot of time in Costa Rica  and when I came back to the States, I refused to speak in English.  I would respond to everyone in Spanish regardless of which language they used.

I learned how to walk at seven months I am very grateful that neither of my children walked that early.

Thanks Life According to Steph for the inspiration!

 

 

 

I can do 20, I am not so sure about 40

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I can run 20 miles.  I have run 20 miles about 4 times in the last month or so but I am not confident about 40 miles.  It’s not just the distance.  Its about 4,000 feet in elevation.  It’s definitely above my capacity right now and I do not have the luxury to walk because of the time limit.  I have to admit, I may be in over my head.  This year was about getting out of my comfort zone and I think I have succeeded.  I also think I may have picked the wrong year to do this.  I had a baby 8 months ago.  I think I may be in a too much too soon scenario.  Either way I have signed up, I have raised funds and I am not going to give up now.

I have to get my head in the game and right now its not.  I need to make the most of these next couple of weeks and really stick to my training plan, figure out my nutrition and get the right gear because all of these things will make or break me on race day.

Ask and You Shall Receive

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covenant-house-fundraisingI have officially surpassed the  50% mark towards my $5,000 goal for Covenant House!  I sent out a couple of emails and followed up with a few folks and here I am jamming along – I am so excited!

On Wednesday I went for a tour of their facility to learn more about Covenant House.  I had a good understanding of the basics of the program thanks to Life According to Steph’s post about her Sleep Out last year.  There were a couple of things I learned while on the tour and because I love lists, here goes:

  1. CHOP  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has a staff that is dedicated to Covenant House including a Doctor, a Nurse Practitioner and a Health Educator.  In addition Covenant House has a Behavioral Health Department with a Psychiatrist, a Clinical Coordinator and a Substance Abuse Counselor.
  2. The kitchen is full staffed and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.  If a resident has a job the kitchen packs them a lunch to take to work with them.
  3. Outreach – They have a dedicated team that drives around the streets of Philadelphia searching  for anyone that could use their services.  AMAZING. They drive around in a van fully stocked with food, drinks, hygiene products, blankets or sleeping bags, clothing and underwear, and hats and gloves in order to meet any immediate needs. In addition to being First Aid and CPR certified, the outreach team is very knowledgeable about other service providers throughout the region that can assist.
  4. Once residents find a job 75% of earned income must be deposited into a savings account and once a resident reaches $500 they are transitioned into Covenant House Rights of Passage, more of an apartment set up where the residents have to pay “rent” and cook and clean for themselves.  Once they are ready to move out the “rent”  is returned to be used as security deposit and rent to establish themselves.
  5. The City of Philadelphia appropriated $700,000 for youth homelessness and Covenant House Pennsylvania received $325,000 in 2017 which was allocated to opening 25 additional beds.  This money allocated was a result of  John A. Ducoff, Executive Director efforts of continually meeting with City Council to emphasize the need in the City and a one day art installation that took place last fall. On October 20th, in front of City Hall in Center City Philadelphia 250 life size cutouts were installed representing just a portion of the 546 young people who were turned away. I am sad I missed it but it looks haunting just from the pictures.

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Overall I was impressed by the level of thought that went into the programs to direct the kids towards independence.  The ultimate goal is to end the cycle of homelessness.  Please consider donating.

Happy Friday!