First meeting - a success

After feeling like I had elephants instead of butterflies in my stomach, I'm happy to report that the first meeting with JP's dad went very well. We had a nice visit and dinner out, and I must say, I'm thinking about taking a French class now. JP was VERY good about being my personal interpreter. When put on the spot, I busted out the few phrases and random words I knew, but other than that I was pretty much at JP's mercy to follow a conversation.

Later tonight is dinner again, which should be fun. His dad is such a nice guy and I think is confident (already) that I am taking good care of his youngest son. However, he did give me a list of fruits and vegatables, with instructions that I must incorporate more of these in JP's diet. Thank goodness, too. I've been trying for quite a while, with limited success. :)

On another note, I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to be getting a dog anytime soon. I'm dog sitting a friend's dog, Oscar, while they are in Florida. I've had Oscar here before, and never had any problems. In fact, he kept me good company shortly after my surgery. This time is another story. Let's see. First, he VOMITED ALL OVER MY ROOM LAST NIGHT. Yeah, vomited in four spots on my bedroom floor. I was rushing around trying to get ready for dinner, and had to stop to clean up dog throw up and try to comfort Oscar since he clearly wasn't feeling well. GROSS!!!!! My room pretty much has smelled like dog since he got here, but that was icing on the cake. This afternoon, since it was pretty nice outside, I opened a bunch of windows in attempt to air out our apartment. I cleaned, have had candles burning and spraying Febreze (best invention ever) at regular intervals. Not sure how excited I am to get a dog, or have children for that matter... :)

Oh yeah. Running...

... as you can probably tell by the title, I haven't been running a whole heck of a lot. It's not that I don't want to. It's more like, other things seem to get in the way. Working late, the holiday frenzy, it's dark outside and going home to put on comfy clothes sounds so much better... You get the point. Actually, I was pretty good about getting to the gym last week but not so good this week. I need to sit down and figure out upcoming races so I have some goals ahead of me.

At my last doctor's visit, he told me I could definitely continue working out, but no marathon training. My body needed some time to rest and try to heal. Bullshit. I don't need to "rest" for a year and a half now. Does he want me to apologize that my "normal activies" just so happen to often including going on 10 mile+ runs? I'm sorry, but that is not my fault. If anything, to me, it seems like that should have helped prevent this all. (Yes, I know it doesn't actually make sense, but throw me a bone here.) I love working out and the feeling of being in tip, top shape. It's a sense of accomplishment and a sense of who I am as a person.

I got the okay today from the doctor to up my little white pill dosage. I'm pretty sure it's going to make me pretty groggy in the morning, but we'll see how it goes. I HATE being on meds, but if it'll bring some relief I'm okay with it. No changes so far but, as always, I'm trying to work on my patience.

So, I'm going to get back into it full force. I dread going to the gym though - with all of those who's New Year's resolution is to workout and get into shape. I think it's great that people want to be healthy, but it is so crowded for the first few weeks of the year.

Merry Christmas

Hope all had a wonderful holiday! Mine was absolutely wonderful, although very exahusing! Christmas Eve started with church with my family, dinner and opening gifts with my extended family. JP fit right in, and my little cousins became very attached to him. From there, we drove the hour back home to spend the rest of the night with his family. Their tradition is to open gifts at midnight. It was a lot of fun, but made for a long day. I think we got to bed around 3am. His whole family spoiled me and gave me some wonderful gifts.

Christmas morning, a mere five hours later, we woke up and headed back down to my parents. We had breakfast, opened gifts and had a huge dinner. Later that afternoon, we drove back home and had dinner with his family. By this time, both of us were completely exhausted and feel asleep at his sister's house. We felt so bad, but there was no way either of us could keep our eyes open for one more second.

We have enjoyed being able to spend so much time together this week, as both of us are off of work. And, with friends home for the holidays! And... since his gift didn't arrive on time, Christmas has been extended a little. It just came this afternoon, so he'll get it tonight when he comes over for dinner. Finally! :) He was so good about it when I broke the news to him. Actually, he ended up comforting me more than anything because I was so bummed. I did print out a picture and wrapped it up. And, since I felt so bad I ended up getting him a book, too, so he'd have a little more to open on Christmas Eve.

His dad comes into town tomorrow, so the next few days should be fun. Still really nervous about meeting him, but also looking forward to it. I'm sure some interesting tales to follow.

Worst girlfriend ever

Yes, I am the worst girlfriend ever. JP LOVES Christmas. Like, little boy loves it. And, my gift to him isn't going to be here on time. Ugh! Yesterday, I was upset because I didn't think it was going to be here. Today, it's pretty much confirmed. I have a few smaller gifts that were going to be from Santa for Christmas day at my parent's, but his main gift won't be here. I printed out a picture of the gift, and I might give that to him, but it won't be the same. I'm so disappointed! And, well, a procrastinator. I always have to have the "perfect" gift and sometimes that puts me in a bind. When it comes to work, I always meet my deadlines. Always. But, with my personal life I always seem to be late. Not quite sure what I'm going to do yet, but hopefully I'll think of something soon.

Today is a "work from home" day. I was suppose to have all week off, but due to work load, I needed to go in. Tankfully, I was far enough along to be able to not go in today. Our office is closed next week, and hopefully I won't have too much to do from home. We hired a few new people that start at the begining of the year, and I'm anxious for some help.

It really doesn't seem like Christmas is this weekend. I usually have this week off, we don't have our tree up yet, I haven't been able to help my mom bake cookies and I haven't wrapped my gifts yet. Oh, and it's raining instead of snowing. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to Christmas!

Well, better finish up some work and start doing all the things I've been neglecting lately.

Any ideas!?!?!

So... I thought all of my Christmas shopping was done. Then, I realized I had one that I would like to get. You see, JP's dad decided instead of flying everyone down to Florida, he'll come up to Michigan. He's coming in on the 28th and leaving after the first of the year. It just dawned on me that a small, simple gift would not only be appropriate, but that I'd like to do it. (You know, bribe him a little bit into liking me.) Here's the problem: I have no freaking idea what to give him. Here's some examples of gifts that would normally be perfect, but won't be for this particular instance:

* A nice bottle of wine -- He can taste a sip of wine and tell you what flavors are in it, date and region of the vineyard.

* A CD of his favorite type of music (jazz) -- He was a professional musican and owned a radio station.

* A gift certificate to a favorite resturant -- He lives in another country.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Little White Pills

So here's the lowdown (briefly) on what's been going on in my life:

Well, I went back to the doctor on Monday for a follow up appointment. The general story is that, after the nerve block, I had about a 30% reduction in pain for about three hours. While it was the lowest pain level I've had since the surgery, it didn't last long and the procedure itself was horribly, horribly painful. The good news is that since there was a reduction in pain, he is pretty sure it is nerve damage that we're dealing with here. One option was to do another diagnostic nerve block, but hit two nerves on each side of my back. The other option, to go back on medication.

I wasn't crazy about another nerve block. I just couldn't justify, in my mind, going through that again (only this time, it would be double the pain) for such a small rate of return. I wasn't crazy about meds either, since last time I felt like the side effects were going to kill me. I opted for the lesser evil and am back on meds to see if it'll help. This week hasn't been great, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The side effects haven't been as severe since I'm taking them in a different way. One thing about being on these meds is no alcohol. Not a huge deal, but it is the holidays. I got bombarded with questions at my office party last night because I didn't have a drink in my hand. I ordered water and everyone kept bugging me. I really don't want everyone to know, although it would probably be much easier, so I kept trying to avoid the situation. I was getting really pissed off though. Okay. I know it's unusual for me to not drink, but LEAVE ME ALONE! I did tell one group that I was NOT pregnant, only because they looked at each other with a funny look, looked at me and didn't say a single word. Good god. That's all I need - rumors going around that I'm pregnant.

In all seriousness though, I do hope my body adjusts to the meds in the next couple of weeks. I don't want to be out of it for Christmas and New Years. Oh no. No drinking on New Years! I just realized that. Hmmm.... would it hurt if I just didn't take a pill that day or can I still not drink because it's in my system from the other days. Hmmm... I know you don't have to drink to have fun, but come on - New Year's Eve!?!?!!? I'm going to have to come up with a plan for this one.

Started running again tonight. I haven't been to the gym for about two weeks now. Partially because of my abdomen hurting so badly, and partially because it's so easy for me to be lazy right now. Ran 4 miles on the treadmill and felt so great. I lifted some and was still feeling good, so I jumped on the eliptical for a little bit. Okay, I'll admit having, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" on the TV during my workout helped.

Work is crazy busy. So crazy busy that I ended up turning in 5 days of vacation. Guess I have to work for that promotion I just got... :) We did end up hiring two new people (one being a friend from college), so I'm really looking forward to them starting after the first of the year.

That's really about it. JP had a boys night tonight, so I'm enjoying catching up on some of my stuff. Hopefully, early to bed tonight so I can get to the gym early tomorrow morning.

Lots of Holiday Cheer...

Last weekend was JP's company Christmas party. Lots of fun, and it was great meeting everyone he works with. It was (way the hell) over in Port Huron, but his company graciously put everyone up in the Thomas Edison Inn, which overlooked the Blue Water Bridge.

Lots to good stories of our first trip together, but here's a picture to show how I made a fool of myself in front of a room full of strangers. I was terrified when I learned we would be playing "games" throughout the evening. Rightfully so.

More to update on what's going on, especially with my health, but it'll have to be at a later time...

Only 20 shopping days left

And, I only have two gifts so far. People are so hard to shop for. I'm one of those people that has to find the perfect gift for each and every person on my list. As though that isn't hard enough, everyone just goes ahead and buys everything. Seriously. Whatever happened to waiting for Christmas so Santa could surprise you?

We went into Toy's R Us this weekend with JP's brother and his girlfriend. The boys were like two little kids who had just experienced Toy's R Us for the first time. They were pulling things off shelves, calling one another to come look at the G.I. Joe/Transformer/Lego set/etc. they had in their hand, putting gifts in the cart... for themselves. It was pretty funny. JP really wanted a G.I. Joe that was similar to the one he had as a little boy.

In my best "mom" voice I told him, "Okay. We can get the G.I. Joe if you are good while we're here. You have to hold my hand, no wandering away, no putting toys in the cart that aren't on our list, and you need to listen to me while we're here." He and his brother (now and architect) did end up getting some Lego sets, but otherwise they were pretty good. True to my word, I bought him a G.I. Joe.

After our shopping trip, we met up with his other brother and his girlfriend and we all had dinner together. The girls were all in the kitchen getting dinner ready and what were the boys doing? They were all sitting on the floor, putting together the fire truck Lego set. It was so cute, and pretty funny. After dinner, the first thing they did was pull out the remainder of the set to finish it. And then proceded to play with it. After all of this, JP looked at the box and noticed it said for ages 5-8. Great. I'm dating a 5-8 year old. :)

Well, I've procrastinated enough and need to get back to studying for the GMAT. Ugh. I. Hate. Math.

The best girlfriend ever

Mouse and I always (half) joke that we are really the best kind of women. We're cute and fun (duh), but like sports and beer. We're the best of both worlds. JP and I have been dating through the entire football season, and our Saturday's have generally consisted of watching football. On the way to meet up with some of his friends at the bar to watch the Michigan v. OSU game last weekend, our conversation went something like this:

Me: "Aren't you SO glad you have the coolest girlfriend ever? I mean, I get excited about watching football and drinking beer all afternoon."
JP: (smiling) "Yes, I do have the best girlfriend ever. All of my friends are jealous."
Me: "Jealous? Really? Why? Because I like football?"
JP: "No, because you like all sports."
Me: (laughing) "And I'll drink beer with you."
JP: "Yep. They really are jealous."

Hahahahaha - I'm the best girlfriend ever! (AND... mouse will be too. I mean, come on, we're like twins. Except she has red hair. And bakes a mean apple pie. And can put on an entire Thanksgiving meal. And, oh yeah, has bigger boobs than me.)

Mouse and I both have the day off today and we're getting ready for Thanksgiving. We're baking pumpkin and apple pies for our family. It's my first attempt, so we'll see how this goes. I think my dad is a bit concerned that the fate of dessert is in my hands.

Then, tonight we're celebrating the biggest bar night of the year. YAY! Funny stories soon to follow. Hope you all have a great holiday. Be safe tonight!

The cutest thing ever! (and no, I don't mean me)

Pretty high on my list of obsessions is the panda bear. Ever since I first saw some at the Toledo Zoo in the late 80's, I FELL IN LOVE with these adoreable creatures. In college, there were some in the U.S. on loan and they were all over the papers. That year, my roommate got me a baby stuffed panda for my birthday and my floor (I was an RA) got me this huge stuffed panda that is nearly half my size. Well... I have recently fallen in love with the newest little girl at the Atlanta Zoo. I watch her nearly everday, thanks to modern technology. Take a look at her!

She doesn't have a name yet. Due to Chinese tradition, it's good luck to wait until she is 100 days old. The zoo is having a naming ceremony on December 15, and you can watch online. I am SO excited!!!! Yes, I am obsessed and a little crazy.

Truck training is officially over with and I celebrated by going to the gym. Jumped on the elipitical for an hour and did some arms. My "I'm-in-training-so-my-body-is-super-toned-and-buffed" look is, sadly, going away. Lately, I haven't been very regimented about going to the gym. Better get my butt back into gear!!

I'm more Asian than a panda bear

... or so my roommate tells me. (Really. It's okay to laugh. We do all the time.)

This week, for work, I've been doing a training to better understand one of my client's product better. I have to tell you, medium duty trucks aren't that exciting. I'm one of two females in the room, and I'm the only one who isn't a truck dealer. No offense if any of you, or loved ones, work for a dealership, but they tend to have the stereotype of being BSers and a little arrogant. Now, I'm used to being the only female in groups and I'm used to not being a part of the good ol' boys group. Most of these guys are pretty cool, and usually they're really good to me. Today, this sterotypical BSer sat next to me as we were going from one facility to another (the bus was really big and there were numerous empty seats, but no. He had to sit right next to me.) and he starts talking about something or other. He then looks at me and says, "my wife and I don't really get along." It was almost too funny for me to get mad at such an inappropriate comment. He then proceded to tell me a story about his friend that, "found a sweet young thing," left his wife, and moved to Vegas with her. He felt this was a good thing because the girl was so sweet. Right. I wanted to say no, she is a homewrecker and a gold digger. Seriously. I've been called hon, sweetie, been hit on and talked down to because I'm a female in a very much male dominated industry, but NEVER has someone been so obviously forward. Like I said, at first it was so ridiculous that it was funny. Now, I'm pretty pissed. What an ass!

Anyway... not feeling better. My back doesn't hurt anymore and you can barely see the spots where they poked me. But, my stomach isn't getting better. Ugh. I don't even want to think about it anymore.

Well, I've procrastined long enough and better start studying. I have to take the GMAT this month. They allowed me to start my first semester without it, but need to take it if I'm going to continue. Ugh - I hate math, and it hates me.

One last thing. Now since you've all seen what I look like after running, I want to show you a picture of when I'm cute. Okay. Acutally, I look like I have big boobs in this picture and want THE WHOLE FREAKING WORLD to see!!!!!

Better

Did some "stress relief" yoga and feel better. My muscles really needed a good stretching and I could use some stress relief. Night. :)

I'm grumpy

Still not feeling better, but trying to be optimistic. Actually, that's kinda a lie. I just automatically say that because I'm tired of people telling me to stay optimistic. Nope. Actually, I'm pretty pissed and very frustrated. Work, damn it. Work.

Went to the the gym yesterday and ran a few miles. I'm not sure if I really did hurt more, or since I'm not training I let myself slack a little. My abdomen was hurting too much (hmm.. maybe it's the shot?) so I cut it short. I was planning on at least 4 miles, but that wasn't happening. I jumped on the eliptical for a while (because that'll feel a whole lot better - it made sense in my head) and did some push ups and light ab work. I really wanted to do weights - it's been so long since I've lifted - but thought it would be best not to push it. As I'm getting extremely bored while on the elipitcal, I was itching to figure out what my next race is going to be.

Nothing new and exciting in my life, just trying to get through. I'm tired and grumpy (if you haven't picked up on that yet) so I'm thinking early to bed will do me good.

Tired, frustrated and hurting like hell

So... yesterday was my procedure. So not fun.

I was a little nervous, but was actually more looking forward to it than dreading it. I was going to go to sleep, they were going to do their thing, I was going to wake up and be cured. Or something like that. Actually, it was nothing like that. By, " we'll sedate you" they didn't mean, "we'll put you under." Oh no. I was fully aware of the needle being poked into my back, because I needed to be able to tell them when it hurt. Great.

I was in the pre-procedure room and the nice med student gave me my IV. Well, she tried to. It wasn't too horribly painful, but I was a little relieved when my doctor came in and showed her how to do it properly. I'm pretty patient with med students. For one, I know some people that have been/are in med school and I know that they need to learn how to do it so they can fully treat others later. You have to learn somewhere. She was a sweet girl, and I she chose to do this rotation because she felt it would help her prepare for her future in family meds. Her whole job in the procedure room was to hold my hand.

Anyway, they rolled me into the room and I had to lay on the x-ray table on my stomach and my arms stretched in front of me. They put some medication in my IV to make me relax. "You'll feel like you had a few drinks" is what they told me. Yeah. I need to stop believing everything my doctors tell me. I didn't feel the least bit like I had a drink. They started on the left side and put some numbing medicine in my back. Holy shit! It hurt like hell! Then, they started putting needles in me and that hurt like hell. I yelled out and they asked me where it hurt and what it felt like. I was trying not to be a smart ass, but I was like, "it feels like you poked me with a needle and it hurt like a needle was going through my back." I held off on the, "jackass" afterwards. :)

After a few pokes, they finally got it in where it didn't hurt. They then started on the right side. They didn't put enough numbing medicine in the first time and had to add more. Yeah, the numbing stuff is what hurts the most. It hurts because (duh) there is a needle going through your back, and then it burns like crazy. They decided to put more stuff in my IV so I could relax a bit more. That worked, because shortly afterwards I told them, "Yeah. I feel like I had a couple of drinks. I'd much rather be at the bar right now though." The nurse looked at me, smiled and said, "honey, we'd all rather be at the bar right now."

The right side hurt a lot more, but they finally finished. I don't really recall how I got from the procedure room to the recovery room, but I was pleased to see a basket of crackers and juice waiting for me.

After we (my mom took me) got back to my place, my parents, JP and I had dinner together. My dad brought me cheesecake and a bowl of tulips. Which, how can that not cheer you up? I was hurting pretty badly and my back hurt like hell, so I wasn't in the best mood. My pain level was still where it was when I went in, so that frustrated me a lot. They told me it may take up to 3 days for any relief to come, which really disappointed me. I want to feel better RIGHT NOW! So, I need to be a little more patient and hopefully this will work. Seriously, even if it does I'm a little apprehensive to go through this again. It was seriously the worst medical test/procedure I've ever gone through, and I've done a lot.

Anyway, I was pretty upset last night and was in a really pissy mood today, but trying to be optimistic. Hopefully the next couple of days will show some postive results. Thanks to all who were sending me good thoughts yesterday!

Marathon photos

Here are some photos from the race. I'd post the official photos, but I look like ass in the "professional" photos along the course, and someone was always right in front of me at the finish line. Aren't you so excited to see what I look like?

This was right around the half way mark. Still having fun!

This is right before entering the tunnel to Ford Field. It brought back memories of Super Bowl. I was on the field at half time with the Rolling Stones. We ran through the tunnel after standing outside in the FRIDGED cold for the first half of the game. While that was fun, this run was much sweeter!


Mouse and I after our race. I usually look much cuter than this. Hmm... must be that running for 26.2 miles and battling the wind for 4:00 hrs. :)

(Hahahahaha - Bet this wasn't how you pictured me in your head... is it...?)

One more day

After a really painful couple of days, I'm ready for tomorrow's procedure. I actually came home from work early today because it was so bad. I think that's the first time I've done that. It was an internal battle to do it, but after a few hours I couldn't handle it anymore.

Unfortunately, I was greeted with no water when I arrived home. Occassionally, it sounded like my toliet was going to explode but otherwise it hasn't been a huge deal. I may need to head to JP's to take a shower though if the water main isn't fixed soon.

My appointment is at 2pm tomorrow, so my mom is coming here around 12:30pm. If JP finished up what he needs to do in time, he's going to come too. I told him it's not that big of a deal, but it's sweet he wants to be there. What a change from crazy tool boy.

Hopefully I'll be back to normal (minus the pain) on Friday. They encourage you to resume all normal activities (ie. go to work) to see how your body responds. I'm a little nervous, but more looking forward to it than anything. Nonetheless, I think mouse and I are going to have some "I'm going to have a medical procedure done tomorrow and they're going to put me under and I'm not 100% sure how it's going to turn out so I think I'll drink to help calm my nerves a bit" drinks. No worries - I don't always turn to alcohol to fix my problems.

Didn't make it back to the gym this week, but I'll start back strong next week. I need to pick a race out so I have something to look forward to and train for. The hard part is it's so flipping cold in Michigan during the winter. Anyway, I promised myself after Detroit I was going to focus on healing so I'm not going to stress about it.

One more day...

Post-race week -- so much time!

It was a good week off. So good, I barely knew what to do with all of my free time. :) No class, no training. What's a girl to do with herself? Cram in everything she's been putting off until after the marathon.

Monday I had the day off, and fully enjoyed it. My massage was great and I was still in the runners high from the race. (Although I was f-ing tired -- physically and mentally!)

Tuesday was Halloween, and mouse and I had a grand time. Our townhouse is set up so the living area is all upstairs. During the day, I get an email from mouse saying we should camp down in our foyer since neither of us were able to run up and down the stairs for the trick-or-treaters. GREAT IDEA! I picked up take-out on my way home, we packed a cooler of beer, took the candy bowl down and were all set. I haven't enjoyed Halloween so much in years!

Wednesday, mouse and I went to the Piston's home opener with some friends. It was a sad sight and I kept expecting to see Big Ben tearing down the ball from the boards. I still have faith in my boys, but one word: rebound. The highlight of the night came when we found out we had access to a pole dancing instructor. A friend of one of the girls in our group teaches and we were all more than excited to take a lesson. Mouse and I have been talking about it for a long time, but never, honestly, thought we'd ever do it. We volunteered to host it (we have cathedral ceilings) and everyone agreed much drinking must take place BEFORE the actual lesson. Oh man, this is going to be fun!

Thursday, JP and I had a great date night at The Melting Pot to celebrate my promotion! and my race. It was the perfect date and we had such a nice time together. And, The Melting Pot is some good stuff! I was counting down the hours until I could stuff myself silly with cheese and chocolate fondue. That afternoon was also a big surprise, when a box came to my office for me. A friend mailed a huge ass bottle of champagne and two glasses to congratulate me for my promotion. What a great day!!

Friday, I went to see Borat. I didn't care for it. Enough said. (And, if you've seen it... I still can't get the naked fighting out of my head. GROSS!!!)

Saturday, mouse and I went to the U of M game. We had a great time tailgating with some friends. Lots of laughs and several beers later, we made it into the stadium. At the end of the 3rd quarter. However, we still managed to get hit on by an undergrad. The convo went something like this:

boy: Do you mind if I stand here
me: Sure. Now I don't have to worry about falling off the end.
boy: I wouldn't let you fall.
boy: So... are you a senior?
me: (laughing) yeah.... a few years ago...

Sweet - got hit on by a sophmore. Granted, I did sound like a undergrad, being that I was afraid I was going to fall of the end of the bench. And, the guy in front of me was pretty cool since he never got upset that I kept falling into him as I was losing my balance.

Mouse, Mo and I were all set for a night out (it's been a long time since we've all gone out), but unfortnately there was a change of plans. After the game, mouse and I went to an Ethiopian resturant. (Can you sense where this is going?) We got home, took a nap and both woke up not feeling so hot. We weren't sure either of us could make it to the store, so I called JP and asked him to bring Maalox and Gatorade. Needless to say, we didn't go out that night.

Sunday, Mouse, JP and I had a leisurely chocolate chip pancake breakfast. It was so great. The week prior, we were running around Detroit and here we were enjoying a nice cup of coffee. It was a little strange, but I think that breakfast tasted a little bit sweeter since we weren't training and could relax and enjoy it a bit more. And, let me just tell you. Mouse can make some mean chocolate chip pancakes!

So, that was my relaxing week off. Yesterday, I returned to the gym to get back into things. I ran an easy two miles and stretched a lot. Also threw in some push ups and crunches. Nothing too crazy, but I wanted to do something. Tonight I didn't feel like it, so I didn't go. Ahhh... how nice.

Thursday is my procedure, so I'm sure tomorrow's post will be about some pre-night jitters.The doctor's office called me today and said that my pain level has to be at least a 4 (on a scale of 1 to 10) for them to do it. I laughed and told her that wouldn't be a problem. It's never been as low as a 4 since this all started, and it's been especially bad over the last month. As much as I wish I wouldn't have to do it, I'm actually looking forward to it. I need some relief and I'm hoping this will work. Anyway, that's tomorrow's rant. :)

A brisk, morning run...

Well, at least that's what I kept telling myself. Mouse and I were pretty excited and were ready to run. JP came over at a totally ungodly time and drove us downtown. (After he sent a text message saying he was coming over... an hour early. Hon, I told you to set your clock back an hour.)

On our way down, we heard the best song on the radio, "I'm too sexy." Since mouse had on her hot pink, leopard print skirt on we, of course, changed it to, "I'm too sexy for my skirt." Ah yes, nothing like getting ready for a race by singing bad 80's music. Traffic was getting a little congested downtown, so we jumped out of the car and JP went to park. After finding Mo, we sadly had to strip down and check our gear bag. "Brisk morning run, brisk morning run." It was very cold and windy, but honestly, it wasn't as fridged as I had mentally prepared myself for. I opted for shorts and a long sleeve, gloves and a head band to keep my ears warm. It was pretty much perfect most of the race.

The first half was so much fun. Mouse, Mo and I all ran together and were having a great time. The bridge to Canada wasn't that bad. Again, I had mentally prepared myself for The Great Wall of China, so this wasn't too horrible. And, I'm happy to report that small people were not blown off of the bridge. The underwater mile (the tunnel back to the US) was fun, but not quite what it was hyped up to be. I guess we get a certificate with our underwater mile split - mine was 8:17.

Throughout the first half, we were hitting our pace right on (well, at least the miles where the mile markers made sense. There was no way one split was 6:31). Mouse yelled out, "we're right on. Aren't you glad I'm so excited about you hitting your goal time." I told her that it didn't even matter because I was having fun. That was the important part. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this race, if I would race again, or if I would even finish. So, the fact that it was fun was a victory in itself. (sorry, I'm a little cheesy and have been pretty emotional the last couple of days.)

After the half, we seperated and I went on ahead. The wind sucked ass. Getting onto Belle Isle was absolutely crazy. Most of Belle Isle was abolutely crazy. Getting off of Belle Isle, at mile 20, I started to think I would conserve more energy and go just as fast if I walked. Right as I had made up my mind to walk, the wind was blocked and I could continue on my way. The last six miles were so windy, and we weren't going in the same direction the whole time so it baffled me. At one point, somewhere between mile 24 and 25, it actually stopped me mid-stride. At this point I was on pace for sub 4:00, but I was really starting not to care. Ah yes, the mental battle. Right before mile 25, I looked at my watch and knew it would be close. I knew I wanted it, so I dug down and found some energy in my big toe. My last mile I was totally zoned and feeling good. Right before we got to Ford Field, the spectators made a gauntlet and were cheering like crazy. It was SO cool. Right before I ran into the Ford Field tunnel, JP and my parents were cheering me on to the end. Crossing the finish line - what a feeling. I looked down at my watched and I was 4:00 and some odd seconds. So, I had either just made or just missed sub 4:00 hrs, but it didn't mater. I got really emotional when I finished and the woman who wrapped my mylar blanket around me asked if I was okay. She had no idea. I finished a marathon and had a PR by around 3 minutes. Oh, and I was fucking tired. :)

My splits aren't exactly right and the mile markers weren't exactly right, but here's about where I came in:
9:09
18.17
36:56
6:31
10:59
18:53
9:23
9:31
10:16
7:45
8:30
8:39
8:44
8:59
8:39
9:35
9:29
9:29
9:57
9:33
9:34

It won't add up correctly, but chip time was... 4:00.48 (pace 9:12). No, I didn't go sub 4:00 but I'm blaming it on the wind... :) Seriously, I thought I'd be really hard on myself if I didn't finish under 4:00, but I still PR'd and honestly the wind was a big factor. And, I've decided that I don't hate running. I was seriously thinking I didn't like it anymore. I finised 71/266 in my age group and 1468 overall. Guess I'll have to run another one to go sub 4:00. :)

Thanks to everyone for you support through my training and the well wishes for yesterday's race. I'll continue to run and workout, but I need to focus on getting better. I have a nerve block procedure scheduled for Nov. 9 and I'm ready to do it. It's been pretty bad lately, so I'm anxious for some temporary relief.There hasn't been a day in over a year where I wasn't in pain. I think I'm read for a break. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

P.S. Walking out of Ford Field is pretty rough. Those stadium stairs up to get out weren't the best thing ever, but again, not what I had mentally prepared myself for so it didn't seem like complete torture.

Ready to run the mean streets of Detroit!

Stupid Blogger. It must know I haven't been active in a while. I just wrote this nice blog about my race tomorrow and now it's gone. Stupid Blogger.

My clothes are laid out, my bag is almost packed, I feel like a lard ass from all the pasta I've been eating and I am practically living in the bathroom from all the water I drink (well, that last part isn't anything new). Yep, I'm tapering and tomorrow is the Detroit Marathon.

Yesterday, I was scared nervous. This evening, I'm excited nervous. What scares me is that I can't remember how it feels to run a marathon. I've done two before, and both times were great (unless I've blocked out the bad memories). But, not knowing is what scares me. Well, that and the fear that I'm going to blow off the bridge to Canada. It's suppose to be quite windy, so the bridge, along the river in Windsor and Belle Isle should be interesting.

Since we're crosing the border, there are extra measures that had to be taken prior to the race. One is if anyone has radiation in their body, they needed to be scanned by Border Patrol at the packet pick-up. Since I've had an MRI in the past year, I had to be checked. So, I walk up to an officer and say, "I've had an MRI in the past year. I hear you have to scan me or something." He looked at me and said, "You must be okay because I'm not going off." Umm.... okaaay... It all made sense when he pulled out a little beeper looking thing and said that I wasn't triggering his alarm. Oh. That's what he meant. ;) So, I don't have to wear a little bracelet to signal to the armed guards at the border that I'm not smuggling harmful substances into their country.

So, my goal time is sub 4:00. My bib is 546. I need to finish packing my bag before heading to bed. Thankfully we gain an extra hour tonight - something I think my friends and family that are coming are more excited about than I am. Thanks to everyone for their support through my training. It's been so encouraging and more helpful than you know.

To anyone running this weekend -- GOOD LUCK! Kick Ass!!!
To anyone who had a race recently -- GREAT JOB!

Life is Good

First of all, GO TIGERS! It was a great sports weekend - Tiger's game, Michigan/Michigan State game, Wings.

Did my last 20-miler of the training plan on Saturday. It was a beautiful fall day, and the colors were beautiful around the lake. I had a great run, although faster than it should have been (9:09 pace). Oh well, guess I'll just have to make my desired race pace faster... :)

Mile 1 - 9:40
Mile 2 - 9:22
Mile 3 - 9:14
Mile 4 - 8:53
Mile 5-7 - 27:15
Mile 8 - 9:01
Mile 9 - 8:49
Mile 10 - 8:44
Mile 11 - 8:47
Mile 12-14 - 27:11
Mile 15 - 9:40
Mile 16 - 9:05
Mile 17 - 9:23
Mile 18 - 9:28
Mile 19 - 9:31
Mile 20 - 9:20

It felt good, but I wish I had one more month to train. My times are fine, bu I just don't feel strong enough yet. I've just missed so many runs because of my stupid abdomen. And, it's been really bad the last two weeks - I'm actually looking forward to those procedures. Any relief, even temporary, is going to be a welcome change.

Sunday, it was still a beautiful fall day. JP and I went down to my parent's house to pick apples from the orchard and get some veggies out of the garden. It was the perfect day to do it. After being loaded up with bags and bags of food, we thought we had better start using it right away.

We got a head of cabbage, because he thought cabbage rolls sounded good. Now, I like to cook but not necessarily very good at it. So far, I've made pasta for him. If you can't boil water and put in noodles, I don't know what to tell you. But, cabbage rolls!?!?! We made them last night (his with meat, mine with veggie crumbles), and they actually turned out quite well! I was so proud of us! We were eating out too much for my liking, and he eats out way too much, so I told him we need to start cooking more. He told me I was spoiling him too early in our relationship, and now I was going to be stuck cooking all the time. :)

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm blogging at 8am on a Tuesday. Well, today is the 4th annual mother/daughter shopping trip. Every fall, in the middle of the week, my mom and I take a day trip to Frankenmuth to go shopping and just spend time together. I am SO excited. She's going to be here pretty soon, so I better get going. Yay! A whole day of shopping!!!!!

Rookie Mistakes II

Ironically, someone sent this to me today and I had to laugh out loud. Now, I will not claim (or deny) I did any of these things Saturday night:

WHEN GIRLS DRINK TOO MUCH............
1. WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE OUR PURSE IS.

2. WE BELIEVE THAT DANCING WITH OUR ARMS OVERHEAD AND WIGGLING OUR BUTT WHILE YELLING "WOO-HOO!" IS TRULY THE SEXIEST DANCE MOVE AROUND.

3. WE'VE SUDDENLY DECIDED THAT WE WANT TO KICK SOMEONE'S ASS AND HONESTLY BELIEVE WE COULD DO IT TOO.

4. IN OUR LAST TRIP TO PEE, WE REALIZE THAT WE NOW LOOK MORE LIKE A HOMELESS HOOKER THAN THE GODDESS WE WERE JUST FOUR HOURS AGO

5. WE START CRYING AND TELLING EVERYONE WE SEE THAT WE LOVE THEM SOOOOO MUCH.

6. WE GET EXTREMELY EXCITED AND JUMP UP AND DOWN EVERY TIME A NEW SONG PLAY'S BECAUSE "OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS SONG!"

7. WE'VE FOUND A DEEPER/SPIRITUAL SIDE TO THE GEEK SITTING NEXT TO US.

8. WE'VE SUDDENLY TAKEN UP SMOKING AND BECOME REALLY GOOD AT IT.

9. WE YELL AT THE BARTENDER, WHO WE BELIEVE CHEATED US BY GIVING US JUST LEMONADE, BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE WE CAN NO LONGER TASTE THE GIN.

10. WE THINK WE ARE IN BED, BUT OUR PILLOW FEELS STRANGELY LIKE THE KITCHEN FLOOR (or the mop?)

11. WE FAIL TO NOTICE THAT THE TOILET LID'S DOWN WHEN WE SIT ON IT.

12. WE TAKE OUR SHOES OFF BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IT'S THEIR FAULT THAT WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS WALKING STRAIGHT.


Ah, yes. Good times. Seriously though, I'm with Cryst@l. This training thing sure is getting in the way of my drinking... :) Really, generally when I'm training alcohol just doesn't have the same appeal. I'd much rather be in bed sleeping.

Had a kick butt workout with Ricky last night (my back, core and calf muscles are sore today!) and an enjoyable 8 mile run tonight. Temps were in the high 60's. I was scheduled to do 10, but it was so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of me and thought it would be best to go in. Thought about finishing on the treadmill, but after such a nice night there was no way in hell I was going to finish inside. I'll probably regret not doing those 2 miles during the race - you know, between 24 and 26... :)

Lots to do tonight - study, work and laundry - so I better get going.

Rookie Mistakes

So, Saturday. I got drunk. Really drunk. And, it was stupid (as most "I got drunk" stories typically are).

Mistake #1 - I ran 20 freaking miles. No matter how much you hydrate afterwards, you are going to be dehydrated and probably should not drink excessively.


After waking from a great nap, JP called to say that some people were coming over to his place to watch the game. Sounded good to me. I asked if I should bring some beer (duh, who watches a game without beer?) and he replies, "Hmm. That's a good idea." Okay... I asked if he had dinner of if I needed to eat before I came over. He replies, "Hmm. No, I didn't eat yet. We'll figure it out later." I'm thinking we're going to order pizza or something and don't worry about it. So, which at the store I call to see if I should bring any snacks. "Chips and salsa sound good." Seriously, you invited people over to watch the game and you don't have food or beer!?!?

It ended up just being a few of us, so more beer for me. And, only chips and salsa. Then, we decide we're going out for the night. At midnight.

Mistake #2 - Not eating a hearty meal before a night of drinking. I had 3 beers during the game. They tasted SO good! (And, by the way, shouldn't I be in bed sleeping at midnight after a 20 mile run?)

We went to a weird, basement, lounge-type place to meet up with some of his friends, and ended up only being there for maybe 30 minutes. In that timeframe I slammed 2 drinks. We then moved to a club, where we girls were having a great time dancing. And, drinking several more drinks. I did stick to one liquor that night (I generally get tired of the same drink and (even more stupidly) mix my liquors).

Mistake #3 - Drinking too much.

It didn't seem like a lot, but I was dancing and having a good time. It didn't hit me until it was time to go. Stef and I pretty much passed out in the back seat on the way home. Good think our boys are so good to us - they were a big help in the whole walking thing.

Mistake #4 - I pretty much didn't want to change into my PJs that night, so drinking some water before bed was the furthest thing from my mind. Still dehydrated and becoming more so as the night goes on.

Woke up around 9am with a killer headache. Took some Advil and slept for a few more hours. By 12:30pm I was perfectly fine, except for the fact that I hadn't had a real meal since 3pm the day before. I was SO hungry!!!! We went for breakfast, but after not having food for so long, as soon as it hit my stomach I thought I was going to be ill. Finally, after munching on some dry toast, I was okay and could finish most of my food. (Runny eggs never look good, let alone when you're not feeling well).

Sunday was pretty much a wash, but I did have fun. I felt so dumb for being so stupid, though. You'd think I would have learned by now. Sadly, it wasn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last time. :)

Running in the (COLD) Rain

Yesterday was exactly one month from race day. It was cold (low 50's) and raining this morning during my 20-miler, but I'm expecting this is what race day will actually be like, so I was strangely glad the weather was a little les than ideal.

I felt pretty good and could have kept going. However, due to the fact that I was getting very bored, my splits towards the end did get a little slower. Splits were as follows:

Mile 1 - 9:27
Mile 2-3 -- 18:32
Mile 4 - 9:13
Mile 5-7 - 27:10
Mile 8 - 9:16
Mile 9 - 9:07
Mile 10-12 --27:01
Mile 13 - 9:17
Mile 14: 9:16
Mile 15: 9:33
Mile 16 - 9:34
Mile 17 - 9:33
Mile 18 - 9:52 (I got run into by a bike during this mile...)
Mile 19 - 9:30
Mile 20 - 9:31

Yes, someone with a bike ran into me towards the end of mile 18. Let me paint the picture for you. I was running one way, there were two people on bikes in the center of the path coming towards me, and another running on his far right also coming towards me. As I get closer to the bikes, I realize that they aren't paying attention and are headed straight for me. I jump to the side of the path but didn't have much room because on the bikers also did the same thing - right before the other woman ran RIGHT INTO me. The other runner reached out to steady the woman on the bike, and she didn't really say anything to me. I was extremely annoyed, to say the least, and continued on my way, cursing softly to myself. About a mile later, there were a bunch of bikes and tents in one of the parking lots along the path. It must have been a Special Olympics type event, because there were several adults learning how to ride a bike, and doing a small obstacle cone course. I realized one of the bikers I encountered on the path was a coach/instructor and one was an athlete. Yes, I felt like complete shit. Other than that, the park was pretty empty and the run was pretty uneventful.

Then, this afternoon I had a girls lunch with some friends from college. One just got engaged, so we were excited to see her rock. Beautiful! It was a perfect day to meet up and have lunch, since the weather was so bad out we didn't mind sitting around for a few hours.

Tonight, we're going to watch the U of M game (somewhere) and maybe hang out with some of his friends. We had dinner with one of my friends and her boyfriend last night and couldn't go out with some of his. I don't want his friends to think I'm keeping him away from them, so I suggested we go out with his friends tonight. Typical boy, we don't know what we're doing yet. :)

Okay, nap time before the evening gets underway!

Take a deep breath...

Wednesday was my midterm... I'm not feeling too great about it. Afterwards, I had dinner at JP's with his brother and his brother's girlfriend. My contribution to this meal - a bottle of wine. Trust me, I was ready for a glass (or two)!

Ricky kicked my butt last night! We did a series of weights, with one minute on each machine. After that, we went upstairs on the track (11 laps = 1 mile) to do sprints.

2x 5 laps
2x 4 laps
2x 3 laps
3x 2 laps

This was the workout, but I was hurting and we only did 1x 4 laps. I was so upset that I didn't complete my whole workout. Lots of work to do in (EXACTLY) one month!

Last night I made dinner (a first in a long time), took my time to eat it (instead of scarfing it down while doing a bunch of other things), and went to bed early. It felt so great to get 8 hours of sleep. Yes, that's what I said - 8 whole hours! Over the next month I really need to get my sleep. Yesterday I got overwhelmed with everything going on in my life, and just took a deep breath and realized it's one day at a time. Plus, my abdomen has really been bothering me the past couple of weeks, which hasn't helped with the stress in my life.

Looking forward to a low key weekend. Saturday is my 2nd 20-miler of my training plan. Hopefully it won't be raining out! Hope everyone has a wonderful long run this weekend!

"Running with Slowpokes"

Interesting look at marathon runners...

http://www.slate.com/id/2149867/?GT1=8592

Where's my cup of coffee?

What's this? A morning post?

Yesterday was a LONG day. After a 10 hour+ day at the office, I just made it in time to meet with Ricky. He kicked my ass! Some light weigths for my legs, ("let's make them tired. Just like mile 18."), 8x uphill runs (approx. 180 m) and lower back. Ah yes, my back. I forget about that sometimes. Whew. It was burning! And, those runs. Man, I was sucking air. My times were pretty fast and he kept telling me to not be afraid of getting tired. I started thinking about that, and he was right. In my head, I kept thinking that I needed to conserve some energy. No way! If I push harder in practice, it'll make me race so much better.

Then grocery shopping, dinner, studying and BED!!!! Yay!!!! Nearly 8 hours of blissful sleep!

My mid-term is tomorrow, so lots of studying tonight. I think I'm pretty much going to collapse in exhaustion that night. This whole going back to school thing is really hard for me. It will be worth it. It will be worth it. It will be worth it. :)

Off for another great day (insert eye roll here!) :)

A small and simple token

Lately, I've been thinking quite a bit about loved ones that have either battled cancer, or were affected by it one way or another. So, it's a little ironic that radioactive girl recently posted about showing your support for cancer research.

This is such a small token, but I'm proud to post three badges that represent lung cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. All three have affected my life. This is by no means a, "jumping on the bandwagon" thing for me - I generally shy away from those things - but it has been on my mind and something that shows my love for family and friends.

Ugh. I am so not ready for Monday!

Why do the weekends go by so quickly? Here, I'm just getting started and it's nearly over. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do for a living. But, I'm just getting a little burnt out and am ready for a vacation. My work load is so heavy right now though, I can't afford to take one. Life in general should slow down after Detroit. I'll be done with class, I'll be done with my race and work should be slowing down a tiny bit. I've always been careful to not wish time away, but I am sure looking forward to Oct. 30!

Let's see... running. Thursday, I had a very good (read: he kicked my ass) workout with Ricky. We did lots of core, weights and a sprint workout (about 2 miles worth). Work that day was exhausting, so it was tough before we even started. But, I got through it and felt better afterwards. I love how a really hard workout always makes me feel so good. It's such a feeling of accomplishment.

Friday, I fully enjoyed my half day vacation and got lots of things done. I opted to do my long run that afternoon since Saturday was booked solid (and, I just wanted to sleep in one Saturday, damn it.) The 12-miles wasn't bad, but I was still tired from my sprinting workout the day before. My watc started freaking out, so I'm not sure of my splits. I was well under 2 hours though, so I'm content.

Yesterday, a friend of mine got married. It was a beautiful ceremony and a really fun reception. My friends loved JP and kept telling me how glad they were that I had found him. They could tell how happy he makes me. I had a sweet little black dress and it's a good thing I got so many compliments -- it made up for the 2 FREAKING hours I struggled taping up my boobs. Seriously, why I thought it was a good idea to get such a plunging neckline is beyond me. And, I don't even have any pictures. After the missing camera at the last wedding, I was afraid to take mine. Oh well, guess we'll just have to go somewhere else where we can dress up.

This morning I did a nice, easy 5-miler. I was getting some really sharp pains in my abdomen earlier today, but the run was okay. I'm really looking forward to getting those injections! Today's agenda: study, study, study. And then early to bed. I didn't get near enough sleep this week and it really caught up to me.

Disappointing run

After class, I headed over to the gym to do my scheduled 9-miler. Unfortunaly, that didn't happen. My abdomen has been pretty bad all day, and while running was no exception. I was lucky to get in 4 miles (9:13 pace). Urggghhhh... it's so frustrating. I know, I know. No complaining if I'm going to wait six more weeks to do something about it.

I'm taking a half day vacation on Friday, and really looking forward to it. I could just use a little time for me. I pretty much have my day lined up with errands, a hair cut, etc., but it will be nice to get those things done.

Well, it's getting late and I still have a laundry list of things I wanted to accomplish yet today.

A couple of random thoughts

Here's a few random tidbits on what has been going on in my life lately:

* First, and foremost, thanks for the advice. I have decided that I am going to wait until after the marathon to have the nerve blocks done. Not, entirely, because I'm being stubborn. I could totally have the blocks done now, and continue training. But, I really just want to get through the marathon and then deal with it. And, my class will be done (it's only an 8-week class) for the semester, so life will have slowed down a bit. Ironically, the day I decided this would be my plan, my abdomen hurt like hell. Hmmm... maybe I should reconsider... :) I think if I wait until training and class are over, I won't stress out about what I need to be doing instead of focusing on what's best for my body.

* Ran my first 20-miler of the training plan on Saturday. It wasn't bad, but by the last four miles, I was just ready to be done running. Splits are posted on my sporadically updated log, but it was about a 9:30 pace.

* Studying - it sure is hard to get back into the groove of things. The other night I was up until 2am. I was finally into it and decided that I was going to study until I couldnt' study anymore. My mid-term is next week and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for it.

* Work - I love what I do, but... I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It.

* Michigan football - Go Blue!

* Earlier this week, I experienced the joys of going to get a suite altered. Still not quite sure why I had to be there, but I went because he asked me to go.

Well, class is about to start so I should get going.

A little overwhelmed

whew! It's been a tad crazy in my life lately. My account load at work keeps increasing, training for a marathon, in a new relationship (there. I said it), the never ending health saga, and starting school again. That's a lot. Note to self: take one day at a time.

Last night, I was sitting in class and started thinking, "I don't know about this going back to school thing. I could be doing so many other things right now." I know it'll pay off in the end, but do I really need my MBA...

Oh, a brief digression. Dances With Dirt was SWEET ASS!!!!! I'll have to write more later, but team Pretty 'n Gritty kicked butt! We placed 3rd overall of all-female teams. Yay!

Ran 8-miles tonight and felt good, which was a surprise since I haven't run all week. I came down with a nasty cold after the race, and I wanted to totally heal before running again.

Well, I have dinner plans with the boy so I better get going.

Seeking advice

I have a lot on my mind. Since I have become so inconsistent with blogging, I have a lot to share. Work, class, running, JP, Saturday's KICK ASS race, etc. Also, a reflection on this day five years ago is also in order. That will all have to be discussed at a later time. Not that it isn't important, but I have limited time and something more pressing on my mind. Today I went to the Center for Interventional Pain Medicine to discuss a possible nerve block for my pelvic pain. While this may seem unrelated to running, I want to reach out to my fellow running friends for some input.

The evaluation lasted several hours this morning and I stopped by home for a brief moment before headiin to work. Anway... I was evaluated by social worker (I was cleared of depression), talked extensively with a fellow and then spoke with the head anesthesologist. They came with two options for me - medication (which I have already tried) or intervention (i.e. nerve root block). Weighing the pros and cons, I told them that I would be willing to try medication again, only after they reviewed my records to see what the dosage was that messed me up the first time and how the new method would differ. On the other hand, I've been in pain for a long ass time and I want to be agressive with my treatment. They agreed and recommended I do an intervention.

In a nutshell, the procedure would involve a series of three injections - 2 diagnostic and 1 treatment. For the first injection I would be hooked up to an IV and I could be sedated if desired. They would inject an anesthetic into the lumbar of my back (not the spinal cord) and it would be a 30 min. recovery onsite. I'd go home and keep a pain diary for the following 24-hours. They explained the details, which would only put me out for one day. He encourages his patients to go back to work the next day, to see how the treatment is in real world situations, not from laying in bed. We talked about my running, and he was okay with me running the next day. So, I would miss a run the day of the procedure. About a week or so later, I would have the second diagnostic injection. Based on how I responded to the first two injections, it would determine why type of injection I get for my third injection. It could be either a heated-tip needle or steroids. I cringed at steroids and he said they rarely use it. For all injections, they use real-time x-rays to ensure they are hitting the proper nerve.

So, here is my decision. Do I go ahead and get it done now or wait until after Detroit. On one hand, I'm thinking, "hello, what is there to consider? You're in a ton of pain and should jump at a chance of relief. Maybe you can start living pain free again." On the other hand, I'm thinking, "I've busted my ass to get back into shape and there is no way I'm going to risk screwing up my training because of this. I've gone this long, what's another 6-weeks?"

At the same time, both arguments seem completely logical and completely crazy at the same time. I know the decision is mine, but I'd appreciate some input from some runners. After all, only a runner could understand this dilemma.

Well, I need to get to work so I'll post more about the other things going on in my life later. Thanks in advance for your advice!

Yeah, so I think my car is the black hole.

I'm not kidding.

On Saturday, we took my car down to the wedding. JP brought his brand new digital camera, but it ended up staying in the car since I had mine with me. We put his car keys and his camera in the middle storage unit. He drove my car home, and we clearly remember me giving his keys back once we got home. We remember because I had to ask him to turn off my car. He was thinking that his keys were in his hand and didn't realize my car was still running. Yeah, we were pretty tired. Although we don't remember specifically, since he got his keys we are assumming I handed him his camera as well. Even if we didn't, it was in my car when we left Ann Arbor. So, somewhere between my car and his, he lost his camera.

We've both been looking for it since he realized this yesterday. Tonight, after my workout, I looked through my car one more time. I don't have a lot in my car since I'm totally anal rententive, so it's not like it could have gotten lost among a bunch of crap. On the way home from the gym, I listened to my voicemails. However, now I cannot find it. I had mouse call my phone, but I didn't even hear it ringing. Somwhere between my car and my apartment (and I have an attached garage), I lost my phone.

A little freaky. How did two things that were sitting in my car completely vanish? All I have to say is I have to find my phone. I don't have a landline and ALL of my phone numbers are in my phone. If I lose that, I pretty much lose all contact with the outside world. Sad how reliant we've become on cell phones, isn't it?

Nothing else to do but go to bed, as I'm not going to find it tonight. It HAS to be somewhere between my garage and my bedroom. Either that are there's a ghost floating arund somewhere with a digital camera and a cell phone. :)

Text books are flipping expensive!!!!!!

Today I registered for my first class as I begin the (long) trek to get my MBA. It starts tomorrow. I'm obviously still a bit scatterbrained (hey, I forgot to register okay. people forget things...), so I'm not too sure if I'm ready to do this. I went to the bookstore tonight after work to buy my books. Of course, there weren't any used books left and there isn't enough time to buy it online. I haven't been out of school that long, but I had forgotten how much text books cost. Seriously. One, soft covered book cost me $118!!! Oh, but after I signed my receipt and handed the pen back to the cashier, she goes, "Oh, no. You can keep it. Everyone gets a free pen." Right. This black ink pen (I hate black ink. Can only write with fine tip blue. I know, I'm weird.) more than makes up for the outrageous price of this hunk of paper that you're only going to give me $20 back. Thanks. This "Principles of Microeconomics" better be a good one! :)

Since I didn't leave the office until 7:30pm and I had to go to the bookstore, my run was on the treadmill tonight. A 6-mile pace run, which went by quickly. It's a shame all runs (including the outdoor runs) can't have Sex and the City playing. It went as follows:

2 mile warm up - 9:13 pace (why do treadmills have such odd settings?)
3 mile pace+ - 8:54 pace
1 mile cool down - 9:13 pace

About halfway into it, everyone had left the workout room. Since it was getting late and I didn't think anyone else was going to come in, I took off my shirt and was running in my sports bra and shorts. This guy came in shortly afterwards, but there was no way I was putting on my disgustingly sopping wet shirt back on. Sorry dude. The run felt good, which I need. Lately I've been feeling like I'm just not ready for this marathon. I need to get my head back into the game and quit worrying about how I am going to do. I never should have put a time goal down for my first marathon back. Oh well, it's set now and I still have some time. If I feel like this in another month, I will have to reconsider my goals. For now, I have to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

What a weekend

This long weekend was pretty fun. Running, weddings, catching up on sleep and just enjoying some down time.

Friday, I worked from home which was a nice start to the weekend. Got a ton done, and was able to have a late lunch with JP. It's so nice that we live so close. Other guys that I have dated have lived far enough away that you couldn't decide to have a spur-of-the-moment lunch.

Saturday morning, I did an 18-miler and it felt okay. My splits weren't awesome, but I'm not going to freak out about it. The weather was cool and overcast - a big change from the scorching heat we had earlier this summer.

Mile 1: 9:56
Mile 2: 9:32
Mile 3: 9:26
Mile 4: 9:29
Mile 5: 9:12
Mile 6: 9:35
Mile 7-9: 28:26
Mile 10: 9:31
Mile 11: 9:23
Mile 12-14: 27:25
Mile 15: 9:33
Mile 16: 9:45
Mile 17: 9:43
Mile 18: 9:31

Later that afternoon, a friend of mine from high school got married. It was in my hometown, and since there was a lot of time between the ceremony and the reception, we went to my parent's so they could meet JP. It went well, and they liked each other. In fact, they invited us to go somewhere with them next weekend. Not sure how I feel about that... :) Surprisingly, I wasn't really nervous about it, but I'm definitely glad it went well! The reception wasn't all that great, so we left around 10:30pm. We had planned on going out with my friends Linds and Jason afterwards, and we ended up at this sweet wine bar. The atmosphere was very cool and the wine was excellent. Plus, it gave us a chance to talk and catch up instead of not being able to hear ourselves think at a club. It also gave my friends and JP a chance to get to know each other. That went well too, and Linds told me I had a keeper. That's always a nice thing to hear. :)

Yesterday, we had lunch with some of his siblings and then took advantage of the nice day by spending it at the metropark. It was a little strange being there and not running, but I have to admit it was kinda nice. For dinner, he took mouse and I out for Indian food. It was SO good and we all ate way too much. We were going to meet up with some of his friends later, but we were both in a food coma and decided to pass. Mmmmmm.... food...

Today we spent a little time together, but didn't do much. This afternoon I went trail running with three of my four teammates for Dances with Dirt. We did about 5 miles and it felt pretty good. The downhills were brutal - the pounding didn't feel all that great on my abdomen. I'm excited for next week's race, but getting a bit nervous. Hopefully I won't get stranded out in the middle of no where!

All in all, a great weekend. Wish it were longer, because I am so not looking forward to going into the office tomorrow.

Happiness in a bottle

Ah, yes. The little pink pill.

Generally speaking, I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to take anything except for my daily multi-vitamin. However, over the past year, I have come to appreciate a little thing called the pain killer. Now, I am by no means addicted. In fact, I only take it if I am absolutely curled up in the fetal position in pain. But let me tell you - I love my little pink pills. Took one last night and it drifted me over to la la land for a good 8-hours.

Still hurting pretty badly this morning, but it doesn't have the bite it did yesterday. How sad is it when you consider it a good day when the stabbing knives in your abdomen is a little less intense? Well, that's my life and I can't let it stop my world from turning. Today is a new day, and one that, I hope, will be filled with sunshine.

Catching up

I'm a little behind on my posts. I'll sum up, briefly, what I've been up to lately.

The Crim was a very cool race. I saw some very impressive parts of Flint, and experienced the Bradley Hills. They actually weren't as bad as I anticipated, but any hills at mile 5 of a 10 mile race is never great. It was super humid, and during my warm up I was already sweating like crazy. Mouse and Elizabeth met up at the race, so I got to meet her. So fun! The first 6 miles weren't bad. Mile 7-9, not so much. The most disappointing part wasn't my time (8:55 pace), but that I didn't have fun. Running, especially races, are suppose to be FUN. I wasn't relaxed, and definitely didn't have my head in the game. I just now had a chance to look at how I did. In my age group, I placed 117 out of 437. Pleasant surprise.

The worst part of that day was about 2 hours afterwards. Mouse and I did a 3 mile cool down to get our mileage in for the day. (The whole time I was thinking, "when did I become that kind of runner? Run a 10 mile race and then go run more for fun!?!") Then, we met up with Elizabeth at the food/beer tent to cash in our ticket for a free beer and pizza. My abdomen had been bothering me during the race, but not so severe I had to stop. Now was a different story. While the girls were chatting, I went outside to get some fresh air. Soon my abdomen hurt so badly, I was literally laying down on the blacktop. There was no way I was walking anywhere. After a bit it passed, but in the interest of not getting killed, Mouse drove us back home.

That night we went to German Park to drink buckets of beer. We were all dragging due to the race, but had fun regardless. Seriously though. Can you have a bad time with a bucket of beer in front of you, with a straw sticking out of it to make the drinking easier? (thanks to Nat for bringing me a straw!!! I LOVED it!!!)

Sunday, I was bound and determined that I was going to get my butt into gear. I was going to take the Crim as a benchmark as to how I am doing and what I need to accomplish before Detroit. I went out for an 8-mile run (9:45 pace) and felt fine.

Monday I didn't make it out of bed in time to workout. I had an appointment at U of M to see what options I had left. He gave me two: a nerve block or surgery. I went for the nerve block. Not super excited, but it was the less invasive of the two. September 11 is my evaluation appointment, which lasts 2-4 hours. I'm a little apprehensive as to why it will take that long. Everyone is trying to get me to change the date though - they said it wasn't a good date to be doing anything like that. I wasn't in the best of moods when I got to work, but hey, I'm sick and tired of this effecting my life and I guess I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get my life back to normal.

Ricky kicked my ass with a great workout that night though. Movement and laps - it was just one of those tough workouts that make you feel so accomplished afterwards.

Tuesday, I ran a 6-miler (8:41 pace) and, again, felt pretty good. My confidence started to slowly come back.

Tonight, I was set to meet with Ricky, as usual. My abdomen has been bothering me pretty badly the last couple of days. He could tell I was in a lot of pain, but I didn't want to admit defeat. I agreed to bump down the intensity, because there was no way I was going to get in the quality of workout I should. Half an hour into our workout, he stopped and told me to go home. I was so damn upset. Not at him, he's just looking out for me, but at myself. I feel like such a wimp because I couldn't do my workout. Suck it up - right...?

I am sick and tired of it interfering with my life. Not sure what the doctors will say on the 11th, they may decided I'm not a candidate for a nerve block. If that were to happen, the only thing left is a scope of my pelvic area. Why didn't any of the other treatments work? What could I have done differently? What the fuck is wrong with me? Will they be able to fix me? I think I'm just going to take a pain pill and go to bed early tonight.

Well, I need to end this on a happy note. So, here's a little ray of sunshine. Things with the JP are going very well. He's meeting my parents this weekend - but it is not a big deal. We're going to be down there for a wedding on Saturday and we'll have to go by to get up to Ann Arbor for the reception. So, we'll see how that goes. I'm okay about it now, but I'm sure Saturday I'll start freaking out. I've met most of his siblings now, and the word back is they like me. Mouse is convinced we're going to get married. I'm not sure about that, but I'm having fun and things are going well. I figure don't stress about it and just enjoy the ride.

Morning Check-list

Wake up at the butt-crack of dawn - check
Bag packed - check
Pre- and post- run food - check
TP - check
Scarf down a bowl of oatmeal - check
WATER - check
Ready to kick-ass at the CRIM - on my way

Mouse and I are about to head out for a 10-mile run. Wish us luck!

Running in the rain

Tonight I had a most enjoyable run in the rain. When I started out on my easy 4 mile run (9:30 pace), it was pretty humid. About half way into it, it began to sprinkle. Then, it was a nice, cool steady rain. I don't remeber the last time I ran in the rain, and this was a perfect one. It was a stressful day (and week - even though it's been a short one for me), so I felt so refreshed. Come to think of it, I was debating if I should take my cute, little iPod with me but decided against it so I could enjoy some silence for a little bit. Good think I did!

Running the Crim on Saturday, so it's early to bed for me. Here it is, not even 9:30pm and I've had dinner and I'm all ready for bed. I'll be up early for a relaxing run to stretch out my legs a little bit. I am determined to get back into doing two-a-day workouts. Probably shouldn't have started the week I'm doing a 10 mile race... oh well. You have to start somewhere.

Morning runs... blah.

Taking a brief lunch break (don't normally), so thought I would do a quick entry.

Yesterday's morning run came very early, and my legs weren't ready to move. I did 3 miles on the treadmill (it's dark out at 6 am now) and an ab workout. Not sure what posessed me to do that, since I was having stabbing pains on the left side. Guess my brain wasn't ready to think that early either. Oh, and MTV does actually play videos at the hour of the morning. Nothing like some good 'ol booty music to get the day going. :)

My workout with Ricky was good last night. We met early so he could spend some time with his mother, who is in time. So, that left me with some open time as well. Since I've been trying to be more flexible with my time, I asked JP if he would be interested in a later dinner. We were having a nice dinner and he, jokingly, mentioned how he, "messes up my schedule." I told him that I was obviously trying since it was Wednesday and we were having dinner! He laughed and agreed that I was trying and he appreciated it.

Well, I need to get back to work so I'll update on my easy run tonight.

Girls Weekend

Was SO much fun!!!! We were planning on a long weekend on the beach, but the weather decided not to cooperate with us. It was cloudy and sprinking throughout the day on Friday, but cleared up enough for us to explore the festival that happened to be this past weekend. Now, it wasn't the cheesy street fairs you normally think of when you think city festival. It was blocks and blocks and blocks of food vendors, outside bars, and booths from local businesses. We bought a wrist band for $1 to roam the streets with alcohol. There were three stages, and Friday night we saw The Beach Boys. They were on the main stage, which was also on the HUGE big screen a few blocks down. It was packed and everyone was having a great time. It ended at 11pm, so we hit up a few local bars/clubs.

Saturday, it was pouring. The beach was clearly out of the question, so we ended up going on a winery tour. We hit up four winery's and had a wonderful time. The first place was a, "serve yourself." Okay! Don't mind if we do. All four were free of charge, and we were drinking full wine glasses. Let's just say that we fully enjoyed ourselves! It cleared up enough that night, so we hit up the festival again. There was a great band and, again, visited the local establishments.

On Sunday it wasn't raining, and the sun actually was out. Went running at the state park (got attacked by killer black flies) for an easy 6 miles and then we decided to check out the beach. We were there... in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. It was freaking cold and the waves had white caps. All in all, it was a great weekend and a long overdue time with the girls.

I took Monday off and lounged by the pool all day. It was so nice - took a few naps, read a magazine, took a few more naps. A perfect end to a long overdue vacation!

Last night I had a good workout with Ricky and tonight I had a nice 6 mile run. It was suppose to be a pace run, but since the Crim is this weekend I decided to just take it easy. Splits were as follows:

Mile 1: 8:42
Mile 2: 8:46
Mile 3: 8:55
Mile 4: 8:54
Mile 5: 8:47
Mile 6:8:52

I was a bit annoyed because I forgot my cute, little iPod but it still worked out. The downside to being without? I was actually able to hear all of the catcalls and honking at me as I ran. Seriously, I am in shors and a tank top because I am disgustingly sweaty and smelly. Not because I try to look good while working out. You are in a car going at least 40 mph and can't really see what I look like anyway. So, stop being a jackass.

Well, I need to go to bed so I can get up and run in the morning.

Procrastinating

I am one of the best procrastinators around... especially when it comes to packing. I very much dislike packing!!!

Tonight I did my long run since I'm going to be out of town for the weekend. I'm doing the Crim next weekend (10 mile race), so I did a nice easy 11 1/2 miler tonight. I was planning on doing 12, but it was getting too dark and I didn't feel comfortable being out there alone. It was a great run and I felt as if I could have kept going. What a wonderful feeling! Splits were as follows:

Mile 1 - 9:21
Mile 2 - 9:15
Mile 3 - 9:24
Mile 4 - 9:26
Mile 5- 7 - 26:48
Mile 8 - 9:02
Mile 9 - 8:34
Mile 10 - 8:56
Mile 11 - 8:56
Mile 11 1/2 - 4:30

As you see, I got a little crazy during mile 9. I think Ice Cube's, "Put Your Ass Into It" came on during this mile. I LOVE that song!!! Yay for ghetto booty music!!! :)

On a non-running note, things with the boy are going well. I'm working to be more flexible with my schedule, but holding firm to not seeing him too frequently. I told him (again) I enjoy my independence and that I refuse to just go ahead and drop my life. He assured me he understood and wouldn't want to be with someone that did. So, I guess I'll just have fun and see what happens.

Well, I better get packing... uggh.

Busy, busy, busy

Things have been pretty busy and I've been awful about posting. So, here's a recap of what's been going on with me.

My program last week was a success, but it was a long couple of days. I was scheduled to run 6 miles on Wednesday, but since I didn't start until 11:30 pm (after a delicious, but very filling 5 course dinner and some great house red wine) I could only muster 4 miles. Morning came pretty early, as I had a 7:30 am meeting before the program began for the day. I was a bit concerned on Thursday morning when I woke up to the news that a terrorist act had been stopped in the middle of the night. Hmmm... what a great day to have to board an airplane. I didn't think much of it, the event went well and my clients were happy, and we had more than enough time to make it to the airport.

When I got there, I realized that somewhere betwen boarding the plane in Detroit and trying to leave Kentucky, I had lost my ID. Yes, I lost my picture ID on the worst possible day to be flying without one. Totally stressed out, I called both airports, the car rental, the hotel and tore apart my carry-on (which I ended up checking so I wouldn't have to throw out my expensive hair gel) in the middle of the Northwest check-in desk. After talking with some airport people, they told me I could get through with my work badge (with photo), a credit card and... my public library card. That's right. My public library card was my saving grace. They took me behind a plexi-glass wall, had me point out my belongings on the x-ray belt and basically strip searched me. Not ony did I feel like an idiot and that everyone was staring at me as if I was a suspect, but I felt horrible since I knew these poor people had a very busy and stressful day and here I was, misplacing my ID. They were really great about it, and were actually apologizing to me because they could tell I was so stressed. Finally getting through security, we ended up with more time on our hands than expected. Due to weather and a mechanical problem with our plane, our flight kept getting delayed. Thank goodness for airport bars!!!!! I finally got home around 12:30am - never so glad to be coming to Detroit.

After recovering from the trip, the weekend was great. On Sunday, I did a team tri with one of my old college roommates and a friend of hers. It was, by far, the coolest things I have ever seen. Last year I was starting to get interested in doing a tri, but due to the unexpected surgery, my plans got pushed back. I had a feeling that when I participated in the relay, I would want to do the whole thing. Yep, I have the bug and cannot wait to do one!! I'm thinking get through Detroit, do a spring marathon and then a tri next summer. We did the sprint distance and did quite well. Not sure of my splits yet, but I'm guessing somewhere between a 7:30-7:45 pace. Not too fast, but I was not warmed up nearly enough. It was difficult to do since I didn't know when exactly my teammate was going to come in. Well, that and I was super nervous. I had never done anything like this before, and it was the first race in over a year. My heart was pounding and I actually had trouble catching my breath for about the first quarter of a mile. The whole time I was trying to calm down and scolding myself for getting so freaked. After a bit, I got into the groove and started enjoying myself.

So, that's been pretty much my life lately. I am loving the cooler weather we're having right now. Had a really good 8 mile run yesterday and looking forward to a 12 miler tomorrow night. Then, this weekend is a girls weekend down in Pennsylvania. Three of us have been good friends since grade school, and haven't been together in awhile. Somehow, we always seem to get into trouble when we're all together. I. Can't. Wait!!!

Catching up

I've been bad about posting lately... I keep telling that boy he's screwing up my schedule! :)

Had a great girls night out on Saturday. One of my friends is absolutely beautiful and, thus, all of her friends are too. Now I'm a fairly confident person, but you know that feeling where you know you're going to be surrounded by "beautiful people" and that you are, pretty much, going to be the least attractive person in the group? Yeah. That was me going into the night. We had a great time, and I met some of her friends that I hadn't met before. And, if I may be so bold to say, I don't think I was the least attractive person there. Secretly, I let out a sigh of relief and I think I was a bit more comfortable because of it. And, I'm really not that shallow of a person... really.

Sunday, had a nice recovery run. An easy 6 miles to stretch out the legs. My left knee still felt a bit twingy, but felt better afterwards. That afternoon I went over to see JP's new place. We went to get his fish for the aquarium, got ice cream, went putt-putting (he had never gone before), and rented a movie. It was a good time. He kinda freaked me out though, because he told me he doesn't like that we only see each other on the weekends and wanted to see me on a more regular basis. Umm... we've only known each other for a few weeks. I told him that seeing him too frequently, too quickly was just too much for me. I am (admittedly sometimes to a fault) fiercely independent and like to do my own thing. Seriously, he's jacking up my schedule already. He was understanding, but since I'm going out of town for work tomorrow, and to compromise, he came over last night for a little bit. Then, I won't see him until the weekend. It freaks me out a bit, but I figure at least this guy wants to see me.

Yesterday, had a nice easy workout with Ricky. And, tonight, had a nice 7 mile run. The weather was SO nice. Nice and cool, with a gentle breeze. Perfect. My legs were a little heavy at first, but they did carry me through 16 miles on Saturday. I'm doing a team tri this weekend in Lansing with an old college roommate and one of her friends. I'm looking forward to it, especially since doing a tri myself is something that has interested me for some time. I'm feeling stronger and beginning to enjoy my workouts again. Even though my goal is to go sub 4:00 at Detroit, I really have to say that feeling strong and enjoying running again is the biggest accomplishment I can make now.

Well, I've put off packing long enough (one of the most dreaded chores on my list) so I better get ready for my trip.

What a great day for a run!

Great run this morning! It was cool (mid 60s when I started and mid 70s when I finished) and not humid - a welcome change from last week. As I set off for my 16-miler, I was focusing on relaxing and just enjoy running. Okay, okay. Yes, I wasn't going to worry about splits, but in the back of my head I was going to be happy to average at about a 9:45 pace. I felt great and could have kept going when I was done. My pace? 9:23!

Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 9:49
Mile 3: 9:40
Mile 4-7: 37:26
Mile 8: 9:28
Mile 9: 9:18
Mile 10-13: 36:41
Mile 14: 9:15
Mile 15: 9:08
Mile 16: 9:20

Around mile 8, I started getting a twinge in my left knee. Around mile 10, my quads tightened up. They loosened up for a couple of miles, tightened up for a couple of miles, and finally loosened up at the end. Although I felt great when I was finished, my legs were sore right away, so lots and lots of stretching afterwards. All I can say is, I'm happy to be a runner again! :)

Another thing I'm happy to be a part of again? Dating. JP and I had a great time last night. Since I had a long run today and didn't want to be out late, we had a low key night of dinner and talking at Starbucks. He has such diverse interests, that I love talking with him. For instance, he is interested in astronomy (he was going to suprise me by taking me to a planatarium last night, but dinner went too late), he loves, and knows, wine (he's going to find a wine class for us to take), and he is a pretty talented soccer player (he was asked to try out for his country's national team). He's cute, but there is something about his personality that makes him so attractive. Mouse was telling me this about a guy she knows (note to mouse: he, he, he), but I didn't quite understand. NOW I get it! I've had a girls night out planned for tonight for a couple of months, so we're going out again tomorrow. Not sure what we're doing - he said it's a surprise and I won't know until we get there. Before I met him, I vowed that I was through dating complete jerks. He's so sweet, and I think the end of my current dating drought started off with a good one. :)

Me time

Tonight I finally have a little time for myself - and it's a welcome relief. Ran my 7-miler this morning to avoid some of the heat. It was still unbelievably humid, but at least the temps were down a little bit. I had a hair appointment tonight, so I rescheduled my workout with Ricky for tomorrow. After my appointment, JP and I were tentatively planning on buying fish for his aquarium (which the girls at the office started making me freak out because that was more of a "relationship" thing to do. No. We were just planning on buying fish. Not a big deal.) but the store closed too early. So... I'm sitting here ready for bed, with a face mask on, enjoying having some down time. Lately, work has been crazy, I run after a long day at the office and by the time I eat, work a little more and talk to JP, it's way past my bedtime.

The plan for tonight is to go to bed early and get up early for my morning run. It nice being back to myself, without that drug haze. The pain hasn't gone away, but at least I'm not walking around like a zombie.

Weekend snapshots

Not a lot of time to go into the details of one, crazy weekend so here are a few snapshots:

Attack of the kiler moths
My mom came up for lunch and we were going to just make it at my place, instead of going out. I opened up the pantry and... there were little moths EVERYWHERE!!! It was SO GROSS!!!!!! It turned out there was an UNOPENED bag of brown rice that must have had some eggs in it and they hatched. Ewwww.... I'm getting itchy just thinking about it. I was so grossed out, we had to go out for lunch because there was no freaking way I was eating in my kitche. I felt so dirty. Mouse and I ended up taking EVERYTHING out of the cupboard, cleaning it off or throwing it out, and wiping down the walls. Much screaming and "ewww-ing" went out for the duration of the weekend. It was like a freaking plague broke out in our pantry... I think we're being punished for something...

Buckets of Beer
Quotes of the night (mouse to sunshine)

"This is the best place EVER!"
(drunk screaming) "Look, look. It's just like the Sound of Music" (As she is pointing to small children dressed up in proper German attire"
"This is the best place EVER!"
"Oh no, I keep spilling beer on children!"

We also decided that no cups should be needed. Just give us a straw and we'll drink directly from our bucket. (oh wait, we did that...)

Oh, and the guys we met were 100% engineers. They were talking about a house party they were going to have and I yell out, "Am I invited!?!" Instead of asking for our phone number we get, "Well, we'd have to get a point of contact from someone in your group." Snore.

Check out mouse's blog for pictures of our leaning tower of empty buckets... :)

Cops
I, completely sober, drove home that night. About 1/2 mile from home, I get pulled over for speeding. I had no freaking idea what the speed limit was, we were sure he had seen us dancing while driving and was also freaking out because I did drink earlier in the night.

Officer: "Do you know how fast you were going?"
Sunshine: "No, I'm sorry I don't"
Officer: "Do you know the speed limit here?"
Sunshine: "No, I'm sorry I don't"

Officer: "Have you been drinking tonight?"
Sunshine: "Yes, sir. One earlier tonight." (I was thinking one bucket...)
Officer: "Do you know your alphabet?"
Sunshine: "Yes sir" (Oh no, now I'm starting to panic. I'm sober, but what if I forget a letter because I'm so nervous!!?!?!"
Officer: "I want you to say the alphabet starting with "C" and ending with "X"
Sunshine: "c-d-e...k-lmno..." (gasping for breath at the end) "I'm sorry sir, I'm just really nervous."
Officer: "That's okay. Take your time."

I successfully completed my ABCs and got off with a, "This is just a warning. I'm sure you drive these roads all the time. You girls drive safely."

Holy fuck - that's all I gotta say...

Date
Dinner and a movie - had a really good time. My morning text message started, "Good morning, beautiful." (insert doopy smile here).

To Do List

Things to do this weekend:
1. Run - done
2. Laundry - in the process now
3. Take a nap - looking forward to crossing this one off the list
4. Have lunch with mom - we're way past due on some mother/daughter bonding
5. Drink buckets of beer at German Park with the girls - with no meds to mess this night up
6. Go to the pool - pending it's not to freaking hot
7. Grocery shopping - blech
8. Go on date with JP - :)

I think I can handle this...

*********************************
Today's 13-miler was pretty good. It would have been cool outside this morning, if it weren't for the humidity. I decided that I needed to forget about my splits and just relax and enjoy the run.

Mile 1 - 9:45
Mile 2 - 9:51
Mile 3 - 9:42
Mile 4 - 9:39
Mile 5 - 9:57
Mile 6 - 9:43
Mile 7 - 9:46
Mile 8 - 9:43
Mile 9-12 - 39:06 (9:47 pace)
Mile 13 - 9:45

I was tired after I was done, but I had to remind myself that I didn't run much this week. I'm planning on getting back to two-a-days next week since I won't be in a drug-induced sleep... Also, I realized that I still have three months before Detroit, so I should be fine. In fact, I think I'm doing pretty damn good this early into my training plan. :)

Just Say No to Drugs

You know you are a child of the 80's when... the slogan, "Just say no" is still ingrained into your head.

That's it. No more drugs. I started my new meds (an oral pill and a pain patch) on Tuesday night. Wednesday, I had a very scary thing happen - and yes, I purposely left that out in my post. My heart was pounding so badly and I was getting chest pains. Half afraid I was having a heart attack or stroke, I looked up the symptoms of both and heartburn, which I've never had. Relieved, I wasn't having any of the above. During my workout with Ricky, I just felt out of sorts. Not like the previous drug-induced cloud, but just not very strong. Ricky asked if I was okay and I asked him to take my pulse. It wasn't out of the normal zone, but it felt like my heart was going to pound right through my chest. Thinking it might be stress from work, I shrugged it off as an off day. But, in the back of my mind I was wondering if these new meds had something to do with it.

This morning, I woke up and my chest still hurt and my heart was pounding. It lasted throughout the day and I began to become more concerned and certain it was the meds. I've been more stressed before and my body didn't respond this way. I held off calling the doctor though, and thought I would give it one more day.

Tonight I was scheduled to do 7 miles. Since it was storming badly out, I ended up on the treadmill. Now, I consider myself pretty dedicated and have run through a lot over the past few months. I only got through 4 miles. My abdomen did hurt, but it's been worse before. I felt very weak and wasn't able to keep up with even a light jog. My heart was still pounding and my chest jurt with every beat. Reluctantly, I got off of the treadmill and jumped on the bike, determined to get in a halfway decent workout. I didn't last long on the bike either.

So, I have decided no more drugs. Well, I'm cutting out the oral pill, because I think that's what is doing it. Patches (birth control, stopping smoking, etc.) have always freaked me out for some reason. This is no exception, especially since it is used to numb an area before a procedure. But, I don't want to drop both and not know which one was bothering me. I have never liked the idea of taking medication, but I gave it a try. Plus, my doctor told me it would take about a month before it started working. Well, I've been on one kind or another since July 3 and it hasn't helped with the pain. So, I'd say I gave it time to work. And, maybe this patch thing will help since it is suppose to numb the area and is used to treat pain.

You aren't suppose to just stop taking these types of medications, because the side effects can become worse going cold turkey. But, I've only been on it a few days and my dosage is so low that I'm not concerned. I mean, come on, what is it going to do? Cause a full out heart attack?

So, that's me taking charge of my own health. (Note to Nicole - When I rant about the inadequate state of medical professionals and health care in general, I hope I don't offend you!!! I'm just frustrated and I haven't always had the best doctors around.) What's next? I'm not sure, but it doesn't involve medication. I still will not accept that this is just how my life is going to be.

Okay, enough of the depressing stuff. Today I got my good morning text message and an afternoon, "hope your day is going well so far" text. So cute! :)