Sunday, July 31, 2016

Wrapping Up a Crazy Week


SO, what's been happening?

Well, I feel fully recovered from my little 12-hour (almost 37-mile) jaunt two weeks ago. I think the 24 hours of lost sleep have been filtered back into my regimen, and I have zero residual fatigue and muscle strain.  Even the wonky heel feels (almost) brand new.

But, that angry hammy/glute/piriformis thing is still not as happy as the rest of me. It's not debilitating, but it certainly is there taunting me every time I've been tempted to "cheat" on my recovery. Rest assured (pun intended), I have been a good girl. In fact, I have logged a whopping (cue the drum roll) 12 miles, post-ultra!

And, I'm completely good with that. I have been running for more than 11 years, and have been a distance runner for the past 8 of those. I will not lose much (if any) of my fitness or endurance by taking a couple weeks easy. I have learned that one needs to do less of that which we love in order to be able to continue doing it long term (say that 3 times, fast!).

Anyways, I have been doing quite a bit of cross-training and walking, though. I did sneak out for a couple miles last Monday (#nevermissaMonday), but that was it for mileage in the running shoes until Sunday morning. Yes, you read that correctly....no mid-week miles (again).

Some post-run stretching....
I also went for a rather fast-paced walk on Tuesday. I have been testing a new pair of compression socks, the SLS3 Butterfly Compression sock...and I love them!  They have been great for my post-ultra recovery (you can read my review HERE).



Aren't they adorable???
This will not become a habit, but there have been some other things happening......like our daughter moving to Pennsylvania. Yes (you read that correctly, too)....Pennsylvania. Like 17-hours away by car (not that we were keeping track or anything).

She's our oldest, and she graduated from college back in early May. She's had several job offers, but this one enticed her the most (and she was eager to spread her wings and get out of Iowa). I took Wednesday afternoon off (as well as Thursday and Friday) from work, we loaded up our SUV, and hit the road around 2:30 in the afternoon to begin our journey out east.



When the vehicle is filled to capacity and you're the shortest passenger, you get the "cargo" area in back...it's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic
We left the other two kids in Iowa (both had to work...and there wasn't any room for them). We thought about renting a truck or a trailer, but the daughter has temporary lodging at a hotel until she's allowed to take possession of the townhouse she bought (yes....you read that correctly as well). We'd have to arrange for storage somewhere and essentially she'd have to move all of her stuff twice....so we elected to bring a lot of her clothing, non-perishables, and basics on this trip and make a return trip Labor Day weekend with all the big stuff when she'll have a more permanent place to put everything.

We spent the night in Dayton, OH and were up bright and early on Thursday (sort of bright, but definitely early) and on the road, Gettysburg, PA bound. She starts her new job on Monday, so we had a very limited time frame to get several details done...including finding a car.

Somehow this landed on my lap....
Once we arrived in Hanover (where she'll actually be living, not too far from Gettysburg...where she'll be working), we scoped out car dealerships. She found a Nisson Altima that she really liked, but we wanted to check out a few more options the next morning (Friday) as well.

We had very limited time while in Gettysburg, but we see a few historic sights (excuse the peeling, sun-burned forehead)
I brought along my running shoes, in hopes of running a few miles on Friday morning, but our hotel was located on a busy highway (with no sidewalks), so I elected to stay inside our room and do some strength work (there wasn't a fitness room or I might have considered treadmilling a few miles). I did five sets of push-ups (20) interspersed with squats, and lunges, and also a 4-minute forearm plank thrown in for good measure.

Squats, push-ups, and planks...Oh My!
We headed to another car dealership, and test drove another option. It was there we learned that she'd have to have a Pennsylvania drivers license in order to register her new car in the state of Pennsylvania. So, we then headed to the PA DMV....where we were told she could not get a Pennsylvania drivers license until she had established residency. Even with paperwork from the townhouse she'd bought, she still needed an actual piece of mail with her name addressed on it. Seriously ????

So, we returned to the Nisson dealership, so see what they would suggest she do, given her unique situation. It turns out our best option (short of the husband and I leaving our car with her and flying back to Iowa) was to register the (Pennsylvania) car in Iowa, so it would match her current Iowa driver license...and after she has moved into her house (after the inspection, closing, etc.) she could then apply for her PA driver license and then transfer the registration of her (still to be purchased) vehicle. Kind of lot of extra leg work on our part, but that's what our situation required (and we had - foolishly- thought it would just be easier to wait to buy a car in PA to avoid having to transfer the title and registration...ha!).

So, after much negotiation, stress, and problem-solving, we arrived at a happy solution (albeit not the most convenient). The daughter will be starting her new job, with a vehicle to drive, and a townhouse to call her own. Not bad for someone who graduated from college less than two months ago.

Her first house and car...welcome to adulthood!
Saturday morning started with a 5:00AM departure for the husband and myself. We said our see-ya-soons (along with several hugs and many tears), and we began our journey back to Iowa.

There was a beautiful sunrise...


There may have been some caffeine involved...

And, as we drove through Indianapolis, I couldn't help but admire the skyline. There were several tall buildings, and I couldn't help but think to myself, "Yep. I could climb those!"

We arrived back in our driveway around 8:30PM Saturday night. I had everything unpacked, did a few things on the computer, and headed to bed.

Sunday, I finally laced up the (dormant) running shoes and headed out for a few miles. After spending the past four days cooped up in a car, my legs felt like lead. The temps were warm and humid, but it felt great to get some running done.

Hills. Heat. Humidity.
In other news:

While in Hanover, we were told the Famous Hot Weiner was THE place to go for lunch....so we checked it out. And it was awesome!

Can you say, "onions?"
I received a hydration vest pack recently, so this is my next item to test out and review. Stay tuned, this is gonna be fun!


So, that's a wrap. Crazy stuff, huh! Let me just say...stress is over-rated (as is sleep).

Have you ever relocated to a new state and had problems with getting a driver's license or registering a vehicle? How old were you when you bought your first home? Ever eaten at The Famous Hot Weiner?

As usual, I'm linking up with the ever-awesome Holly from HoHo Runs and Tricia MissSippiPiddlin for the Weekly Wrap. Do head over and see what everyone's been up to!!
















31 comments:

  1. Wow crazy busy trip. So exciting for your daughter. I have a senior and sophomore now. Scary to think we will be empty nesters in a few years.....

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    1. the empty-nester thing is freaky! The oldest daughter now is half a a country away, the son starts his second year of college in a few weeks, and the younger daughter is a junior in high school.....the time is drawing near....

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  2. Wow crazy busy trip. So exciting for your daughter. I have a senior and sophomore now. Scary to think we will be empty nesters in a few years.....

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  3. My head is spinning just reading this! You should title it "how to start a new life in less than 48 hours!" Good luck to your daughter!

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    1. thanks! This was such a crazy experience.....it will be nice to get through these next couple of months and have all of this behind us ;-)

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  4. I'm tired just reading all this! All the best to your daughter. I haven't done the new state license thing but I went through the process in England and I basically had to learn to drive all over again, their way. They require you to take driving instruction in their country and the road test is 100x harder than the ones here. It's normal to have to retake it several times before passing.

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    1. ha! and they drive on the "wrong" side of the road. That would totally mess with my mind...

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  5. Your daughter is quite a young woman! Impressive to be buying her own townhouse at her age. Boy, they sure make you jump through some hoops. Sounds like all DMVs throughout the states are similar :-)

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    1. I know. I don't any person who has had a positive experience at any DMV....

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  6. It always takes me a week or so to recover after the Ragnar relays. I think it's the lack of sleep more than the actual running that does it. Congrats to your daughter!!

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    1. My sleep slowing eased back into my routine. I know I slept very soundly that first week after my race was done LOL

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  7. Oh yes, Pennsylvania is known for giving you the runaround when it comes to anything related to your license, registration, etc...glad you got it all sorted out though! Congrats to your daughter - I saw the pic of the house, so exciting! Too bad you didn't get to run but resting and cross-training for a bit sounds good too!

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    1. I'm just dreading taking all of this PA paperwork to our local (IA) DMV...and try to not be made to feel like we're trying to pull one over on them....They ALWAYS make me feel like I'm the bad guy

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  8. DMV struggles! the rules are all kinds of ridiculous

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    1. I respect all the rules...but it is frustrating when you're the cooperative, law-abiding citizen and you're made to feel like you're doing something wrong

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  9. That was a crazy week! You must be very proud of your daughter! I'm very impressed in what you accomplished in a short amount of time. Yikes-I would be so stiff after that much time in the car. Enjoy your week! Thanks for linking, Kim.

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    1. the car ride was awful! My long legs do not like being forced into a pretzel pose...

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  10. Crazy week indeed! I hope your daughter loves life in the "real world!"

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  11. Best of luck to your daughter! I'm sure it's going to be hard for you, but the East Coast is a great place to visit and she will do great!

    That's crazy about the car purchase and registration! I moved from NJ to Florida when I was 20 and I don't remember it being that complicated. Then again, I already had a vehicle and I was renting a place, so I just had to transfer the license and the registration when it was convenient. I bought my first home when I was about 24.

    Sorry you're still in some discomfort. Those nagging injuries are the worst. I know you are probably happy for the little bit of a break, but I do hope you are feeling better soon.

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    1. yes. We thought we were dong the "smart" thing by waiting to buy a car in PA... #humbledagain

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  12. What a week! Impressive- job, house , car, oh my! Good luck to her!!!

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    1. that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger...right? ;-)

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  13. I just moved to CA and definitely failed the driving test the first time! It worked out in the end, but definitely wasn't as easy as I thought so I feel your pain!

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    1. I had not even thought of a driving test (or a written test)! I'll have to give her the heads-up on that!

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  14. Wow, you had quite the week! The hurdles you had to jump through with the car is kind of crazy. But I'm glad that everything wound up working out.

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    1. well...everything has worked out so far....we'll see how smooth the transition goes in a month when she's actually in her house, and a short while later when she gets her PA driver license and transfers the registration #fingerscrossed

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  15. You are right Kim you have been running long enough to realize rest and taking it easy some weeks allows us to continue what we do! I'm not always as disciplined as you are.
    I have enjoyed your back seat pictures and I'm in aww of all your daughter has accomplished in such a short time! Great job mama!
    I was 25 when I bought my first and only home on 5 acres out in the country where my grandfather grew up!

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    1. Thanks Tricia! Stay tuned...there will more pics (probably from my father's pickup) when we haul more of her stuff out there Labor Day Weekend ;-) And we're taking the dog along...

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  16. Wow, this is all exciting for your daughter! Where will she be working? My BFF grew up in Hanover.
    I bet this was very emotional for you. I have a sibling that moved several states away and it has been very hard on me. I can't imagine how hard it must be as a parent.

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  17. WOW how exciting and scary all at once!! I hope she enjoys PA! I lived on the east coast for 3 years and loved it.

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