Life without running...

Had a great time last week in Canada (eh?). One of the girls I work with has a place up there, right on the water, so we did our team off-site there. It was beautiful and there's nothing like working out on the deck, in the sunshine, munching on good snacks and drinking at 3 p.m. :) We really did get a lot of work done!

Oh. I can't believe I forgot this. We did the coolest thing while we were up there. There is a little boutique that my co-worker does a lot of shopping in, and she really wanted to take us there. We wouldn't be able to go before they closed, so the owner offered to stay open late JUST FOR US! How cool is that!?! I felt so VIP. Four girls running around this kick-ass specialty store - where everything is 50% off! Everything there is stuff you'll never see anywhere else. It was a bit pricey, but I'm willing to spend the money that isn't the Banana Republic tee everyone else has on. I got this cool, crinkly material black dress with a tan belt. It'll look super hot with some leopard print heels I've been wanting for awhile. And, I got a slinky black top -- satin body with sequence cap sleeves and tie belt. I was super excited and JP really liked my selections. In fact, he said, "hmm, why didn't you get more." (Girls, best answer ever, huh?). If we had more time, I'm sure I would've done more damage. :)

Other than that... not much is new. Without running/working out, I don't have a lot to write about. I've been catching up on reading, hanging out with friends and actually watching some TV. I really miss running, but I have to admit that I'm kinda glad to have some more time to see family and friends.

Heading back to the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully she'll take off the cast. My secret plan is that the cast comes off, I still have to take it easy, but I can at least swim and start lifting weights. Whadda think? :)

The "Must-Have" Accessory of the Year!

Be hot this year, with the newest, hottest accessory. Why is it so hot?

1. Metallic is so in this season. It suits any outfit and you can dress it up or dress it down

2. Buff arms in in, and there is no better way to show off your toned arms this summer

What is this "must-have"... CRUTCHES

Yep, I'm on crutches. After running around LA and Chicago my foot was getting pretty sore. I called my doctor and she told me to find a pair of crutches and stay off my foot. The worst part is how sore my arms and hands are ... who knew those muscles exisited.

The best part of running around (and I use this term loosely) with a cast is traveling through the airports on a wheelchair. It really is the best way to travel! :) You cut right through security lines and they wheel you right up to the gate. Then, you get to board first... even before the gold status flyers (I'm on silver...). :)

Thankfully, I was able to jump into a co-worker's car on the way home from Chicago so I didn't have to struggle with crutches from curb to wheelchair.

I felt really gross yesterday, so I attempted to do some ab work. It was a little interesting trying to balance on the stability ball, but got in a pretty good workout.

Heading back out of town later today... hope everyone has a good week!

Foot update

Went back to the doctor on Friday and took another round of X-rays. It showed a little bit of healing, but not as much as a normal person would have by now. I'm convinced my body just heals at a slower rate. She put me in a cast... from my toes up to mid-shin, so it's not that bad. It's more to slow me down than anything. With the wrap and shoe, she said I'm still probably more active than most people and it wasn't slowing me down enough.

The cast is doing the job. It's such a pain to move around, that I tend to sit with my feet up. I hate it, but not much more I can do for the next three weeks.

I'm flying out today, so airport security should be interesting. :)

Well, gotta finish packing.

A little bit better...

Check out this link from E! Online. Hopefully the are, in fact, bloated and not prego! Makes me feel a little bit better and realize (again) that airbrushing is probably a god-send and that they actually don't look THAT amazing all.the.time. (Well, they're still drop dead gorgeous, but you know what I mean.)

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b146730_eva_uma_united_in_denial.html

Grumpy!

Just call me Grumpy!

This week has been a bit rough and I've been in a pretty pissy mood. Most of it is because I'm not running. Working out always keeps my mood elavated, so not being able to run is kind of a downer. Trying to make the most of it, but frankly, it just sucks.

Secondly, work. I guess it is what it is... Traveling all next week, so I've been crashing on a bunch of stuff this week and it's been some long days. Traveling isn't ideal right now either. I go back to the doctor on Friday, so maybe I'll be in two matching shoes by the time I have to go out of town. Otherwise... LA and Chicago should be interesting.

Thirdly, I have a ginormous zit right on the tip of my nose. Bright, red zit. What am I, 13-yrs old!?!?! :)

Geez... okay, better get back to work. Hope everyone is having a happy hump day!

TGIF!

Final Jeopardy Question: Upside of not running.

"What is actually being able to go to happy hour."

Since I'm not training I figure I should make the most out of it and get back to those patio-side happy hours I usually can't partake in because I need to get home and get my run/strength training in before it gets dark outside.

Wednesday afternoon I called up my old college roommate (whose wedding I'm in this fall) to see if she was up for some patio drinking. Worked out perfectly because her boyfriend was out golfing and mine went to the Tigers game.

Yesterday after work, I met up with an old college friend that I recently became reunited with on Facebook (I LOVE FB!). We haven't seen each other, or really communicated other than FB, since graduation day. It was great to catch up.

Tonight we're invited to a boat party and ... I don't have worry about being out too late so I can get up at o'dark thirty on Saturday morning.

Granted, I love running and really miss training, but there are some upsides to it. :) Happy Friday and hope everyone has a good weekend.

"hmmm... I thought it'd be much better than this by now..."

Words that aren't very comforting when you're at the doctor's office.

I went back to the doctor today and she looked at my foot again. It was still pretty painful when she pressed on the target area, which wasn't what I was hoping would happen. She thought it would be a less sore by now (two weeks later), so she wrapped it up again in the soft cast/wrap and told me to come back next week for the second round of x-rays. She thought it would be too early to see the stress fracture this week. So that means at least one more week of walking around in this less than fashionable shoe!

So, the USAF Marathon is definitely a no-go. I'm not just coming to terms with that, I came to the realization awhile ago, I just didn't want to actually say it out loud. :) Taking it much better than I would have in the past. Guess I'm just getting more mature in my running.. :)

Next steps?

1. Focus on healing properly and throughly

2. Dallas Marathon -- Dec. 14 ??????

Update

Let's see... Happy belated 4th everyone. Here's a lowdown on what I've been up to lately:

Friday before the holiday, JP and I headed down to Chicago. He dropped me off at his brother's and then continued down to Indiana where he had to work over the weekend. To make a long story short, the project went horribly wrong and he ended up working 90 hrs. from Friday until Thursday. He made it back to Chicago on Sunday night, but worked around the clock. I ventured out a few times -- walked around downtown...


... went to Taste of Chicago, got my nails done, met a friend for drinks. His brother lives in the South Loop so there were tons of AWESOME places to run... oh wait. I can't. My dumb foot is in a walking cast. Stupid stress fracture. I probably over did it with walking the first few days, so the last part of the trip consisted of the JP working and me sitting out on the balcony getting some sun and reading.

We headed home on Thursday morning and enjoyed some R&R the rest of the weekend. We bought a little grill and busted it out last night. Invited his sister's over and we had a great feast! I'm super excited to do some more grilling this summer!


Back to the doctor later this week for my follow up appointment. Keeping my fingers crossed...

The Two Dreaded Words...

Stress Fracture

Went to the doctor this afternoon and my fear was confirmed. I have a stress fracture. It didn't appear on the x-ray, but apparently it won't show for a little while. Who knew it didn't show up until after the body starts working to heal it.

I'm in a wrap and little shoew now, and a follow up appointment next week. No running, extra walking, swimming... in fact, I can't get the soft wrap wet. NOT what I was looking for, but it was what I expected. We'll see how it feels next week and hopefully we caught it earlier enough.

Injury?

Crap. I think I'm injured.

Thursday, I was scheduled to do a 35 minute tempo run. About 10 minutes into the run, I stopped and turned back. The pain on the top of my foot was getting worse. During the day, I did a quick web search and found that it could be a stress fracture -- exactly what I had thought initially, but hoped it wasn't.

Friday was a rest day (thankfully) and Saturday I cautiously headed out for my 14 miler. I did 3 miles, out and back, for a total of 6 miles and knew I needed to stop. It wasn't that it hurt so much, more like it felt really weak. Definite sign of a stress fracture.

Upset, I got back in my car and headed home. Grrrr.... Throughout the day it got a little more sore, and just walking was beginning to hurt. No. No. No. No. No.

I took off yesterday, but just walking in the grocery store was beginning to be difficult. This is not a part of my training plan. It was so hard not to run, but I knew that I had to be smart about this. If I nip it in the bud, early, maybe I won't be off as long. I know I could potentially not be able to run my fall race now, but I'm hoping for the best.

Asking around for a good orthepedic doctor (mine has since moved on and I'm not sure where he went), so hopefully I can get an appointment this week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Running IS fun!

Ah, yes, what running should be. FUN.

So far this week, I've had some really good runs.

Monday - 3 miles
Ran at the gym
Mile 1: 8:49
Mile 2: 8:36
Mile 3: 8:45

Nothing crazy fast, but a good solid run. Afterwards, lifted weights (legs) like a crazy woman, but loved every second of it. It's mental, I know, but I feel so strong during weight training and LOVE IT!

Tuesday - 7 miles
Didn't keep splits, but again it was a good solid run. It was a little cool outside (cool, as in I wore a long sleeve), so that was a slight change. Started to get a little weakness feeling/pain on the top of my foot, right where my toe bones meet the rest of my foot. Eek!

Wednesday - Just call me wonder woman :)
Woke up early and did my yoga DVD. Ideally, I would've gotten over to the gym to do my scheduled 3 miler, but this is better than nothing. It felt SO DARN GOOD. Gotta keep this up!

After work, I did a 20 minute workout with some co-workers. One guy set a challenge for himself this spring to do a "couch potato to 5k" training plan. He kinda fell off the wagon, so a few of us are getting him back on track. He's never run before and needs to start from the beginning. His scheduled workout was 5 minute walking warm up, jog 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds, repeat for 20 minutes. He did great and we're gonna push him to complete the training and do his goal race. It was so much fun to help him along. We told him he'd hate us by the end of it, but the important thing is getting him back on the right side of the healthy/not healthy line.

After that, I ran my scheduled 3 miles. Great night out and, again, I really enjoy the river walk. Suppose to lift tonight, but I'm still at the office (nearly 7 p.m.) and I need to get home. Plus, I have some work I need to do yet. I think I'll take a nod from Jess and start the push up challenge. That will be more than an arm workout! :)

All right, peace out ya'll.

Am I dedicated enough?

This isn't meant to be a complaining post, just some real conversation / inner battle I'm having with myself right now... Am I dedicated enough to be training for a marathon?

Saturday morning, I got up and headed out for my scheduled 13-miler. It was warm out, but not the god-awful humid weather we've been having lately. I don't have my splits handy right now, but let's just say they were slow. And, I mean S-L-O-W. I'm talking 10:15 to 10:30+ pace. WTF! I know long runs aren't races, but geez! This is significantly slower than my typical long run splits. Terribly disappointed, but more concerned than anything. Why am I running so slowly? Why are my legs so heavy? I know I picked an aggressive training plan, but this was the end of week 4. Should be coming along by now... right?

As if this wasn't concerning enough, I have to throw in another factor. I missed my Sunday run. Again. I have officialy missed 3 of the last 4 Sunday runs. Memorial Day and Father's Day are okay reasons to be busy and not get a run in, but I can't remember why I missed the other one. The question above is starting to glare at me. Why am I running poorly? Perhaps because I'm not putting in the miles or the time I need to right now. Ouch. Truth hurts.

I stayed in on Friday night and went to bed early, since I needed to get up, well rested, on Saturday morning. We went out on Saturday (nice dinner out, bottle of wine or two, nothing too crazy) so I got to bed late. Just couldn't pull myself out of bed earlier enough to get a 6-mile run in before meeting my parents for Father's Day. Part of me wants to go to bed early on Friday and Saturday (and Sunday and the rest of the week) because of training. But, the rebel in me wants at least one night to let loose and enjoy being young! :) Plus, JP is already a pretty good sport about being a marathon widow, I feel like it's not fair to him to call it an early night both nights of the weekend.

How do you all do it? I have a very specific goal (sub 4:00 marathon) and I'm willing to go the distance to meet that goal. I think.

Self-Tagged

After reading P.O.M. today, thought I'd take her up on being tagged:

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
I was a sprinter on my high school track team. I ran the 100 m, 400 m and, my senior year, my new coach bumped me up to the 800 m. I thought he was crazy -- my races took 60 seconds or less -- but I won the race the first time I ran the half, so that became my race, too.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?
Best race experience -- Proabaly not "the best experience", but there is nothing like crossing the finish line of your very first marathon. It's a feeling you only get to experience once.

Worst race experience -- Probably the Crim a couple years ago. It was my first race (I think) after my surgery and I was super nervous and not ready -- physically or mentally. Afterwards, my abdomen hurt so much and I literally laid down in a parking lot because I couldn't walk.

3. Why do you run?
Simply, it's what I do. Always have, (hopefully) always will.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Best advice -- My high school track coach always said, "all you need to run is a pair of shoes" and, "the only way to get better is to get out and run." It was his way of reminding us that running is simple -- you don't need fancy, high-tech clothing or equipment, you just need to get your butt in gear and do it.

Worst advice -- I shouldn't run because then I'll be destined to have knee replacement surgery early in life. Tell that to the 80-year-olds that kick my ass in races!

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
Can't think of anything of particular interest...

*******************************************************************

Yesterday, after work, a co-worker and fellow runner and I went for a run on the river front. Easy 3 miles at about a 10:00 pace. She hasn't been running since her half marathon over Memorial Day weekend, so she needed to take it a little slow. There were tons of people out, enjoying the river front, which was so nice to see. Downtown D is coming along! Didn't make it to the gym to lift since my body is still aching from the leg and ab workout. Figured I'd add the third day next week, so I don't complete kill myslef right off the bat. :)

Vaca today, so I enjoyed breakfast watching the Today Show, threw in a load of laundry and looking forward to getting stuff done. :)

13 miler tomorrow -- can't wait!

Holy Hills!

Well... the hill workout nearly destroyed me yesterday. It was tough.

Ran 2 miles to the hill, ran 4 hills and 2 miles back. My stopwatch was acting up, so I can't compare my hill times to the previous workout. It sure seemed harder and slower.

For one, my legs were post-2 days sore from the leg workout I did on Monday. Two, my abs were screaming from the ab workout I did on the stability ball on Tuesday. Grrr... Not giving up though. Weight training and ab/core workouts are IMPORTANT and I just have to work through it until my body gets in better shape.

3 miles tonight and maybe an arm weight training session afterwards.

Vaca tomorrow!!!!! Can't wait!

Training: Week 4 in progress

Sunday morning was, yet again, another hot and humid run. Got up in the morning (a little later than I had planned) for my 6 miles. Holy cow was it hot! Got back just in time to get ready for church and run out the door.

On Monday, I had a KICK BUTT workout! It was one of those that nearly knocks you on your ass, but afterwards, you feel so invigorated. It was one of those. Schedule 3 mile run and lifted weights.

Mile 1: 8:41
Mile 2: 8:36
Mile 3: 8:26

Did a series of butt blasters, squats and leg extensions. Tried to be careful and not completely kill my muscles. It felt so good to be lifting again and it was as though I instantly felt stronger.

Yesterday was my 6 mile run. The temps were a little more reasonable. Pace was about 9:20, but my legs were sore from lifting so it wasn't a great run. Plus, I had another small issue. I haven't said anything because I was hoping it would go away. But. For the past week and a half, or so, I've been having that awful stabbing pain in my abdomen again. Not sure if the muscles are just weak (sadly, after 2 years, I haven't gotten those muscles back) or if something is wrong. I'm still swollen on one side (again, after 2 whole years) so I'm not sure what's going on. Guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

Of course, being the sick human that I am, I did an intense ab workout. I was planning on doing it anyways, but if I hurt because the muscles are weak, I gotta make them stronger.

Switching my runs tonight and tomorrow, so I'm set for the hill workout tonight. The goal: be better than the last hill workout. :)

Hot and Humid Runs

You know you're old when... it's 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night and you're blogging instead of whooping it up at the bar. :)

JP and I had a late dinner and ran home to drop off the leftovers before heading out to the bar with some friends. But... our friends are still at their first stop and JP is asleep on the couch and I'm blogging. We may be boring, but we're okay with it. :)

Okay... getting to the hot and humid runs so far this weekend.

Thursday was a kick-butt half mile repeat workout. It was 90-degrees at 7 p.m. and the humidity was insane. I was going to grab the trusty fuel belt just so I didn't wilt away, but decided against it since there are drinking fountains at the track.

Ran approximately 1 mile to the track and went to grab a quick sip of water. Doh! They already turned off the water!! Powered on and ran some decent repeats:

1: 4:20
2: 4:17
3: 4:00
4: 4:11

I'm not sure how true the coorelation is between average half mile repeats and the average marathon time, but I'm going to train accordingly. Gotta get those repeats down sub 4:00!

This morning, I started my run at 6:30 a.m. in order to avoid some of the heat and humidity. The sun wasn't out, but the humidity was still pretty bad. Again, not super speedy, but I keep telling myself long runs are suppose to be 60-90 seconds slower than marathon pace.

Mile 1: 10:36
Mile 2: 10:05
Mile 3: 9:57
Mile 4: 10:07
Mile 5: 13:17 (they're remarking the path and are obviously off a bit here...)
Mile 6: 10:11
Mile 7: 10:14
Mile 8: 10:03

I was soaked in sweat when I was finished. Wasn't completely spent, but I was glad it was a shorter run this week.

Well, gotta get going to either get ready for the bar OR go to bed so I can get up early and head to the gym before church. I think sleep is going to win this battle... :)

Week 3 -- The Turning Point

Had a kick-butt run in the humid, humid weather. My 6-miler felt great and I wasn't ready for it to be over with at the end. Great sign, huh? It was an approximate 6 miles (I think I went a little long), so my approximate pace was 9:31. Not super speedy, but it just felt like a solid run.

Tonight are half mile repeats and I'm actually really excited for it! I'm one of those sick freaks that loved hard workouts in high school and my teammates hated me for it. :)

I'm in week 3 of training, and I'm starting to feel like I'm in shape and actually training, not just running to run. It's a great feeling and I'm really looking forward to the point where I just feel strong. Ya know?

Vacation day tomorrow -- whoo hoo. Here I come piles of laundry, closet that need organizing and dust bunnies that are multiplying underneath my bed! (Some times you just need a day to get life back into order...)

Mental Health Check

Last night, I declared it rest day due to the great need for a mental health check. Lots of "stuff" going on and I'm really stressed out! A quiet dinner, deep convo with the boy and ice cream for dessert was a much needed release.

But... I am not skipping the workout, just switching the days around. Because, I'm so darn dedicated. :)

Dinners, Drama and Drag Queens

Never thought I would say this, but that pretty much sums up my weekend.

Detroit Boys
My beloved Detroit Piston's simply weren't in the game Friday night and we are done for the season. JP and I met up with my college roommate and her soon-to-be husband for, what was suppose to be, a great night. That moment where you know you simply cannot win the game is so depressing. But... we did end up on the jumbo-tron. Not a complete loss, right? :)

Drama, Drama, Drama
JP spent the day downtown at the Red Bull Air Races, having the time of his life! I spent the day:
- Running 10 miles (forgot my running watch at home, but my splits ranged between 9:30 and 10:10 minute miles)
- Post run nap!
- Going to a Mary Kay party (Girls, why do we do this to each other!?!?)

We met up just in time to head back downtown to a fabulous Cuban resturant where we were meeting up with some of my college friends and their significant others. We had the best time! I knew it would be fun, but this was the first time we invited the boys to join our get-together and we weren't quite sure how it would end up. The guys ended up really hitting it off and are actually looking forward to getting together again. The mojitos were running freely, the food was wonderful and the music/atmosphere was hard to beat.

From there, we went to our friend's bar for his birthday party. Enter drama. Long story short, he drank too much, could't stand up by himself, threw up all over the dance floor (and JP) and the guys ended up taking him to the ER. We found out the next day that there was something in his drink. How scary! We're not sure if someone intentionally drugged his drink or if he picked up someone else's drink by mistake, but scary nontheless. You always hear about it happening, but don't really think it will outside of the cheesy after school TV specials.

JP was taking care of him and really sharp, but that ended as soon as he got in the car and I started driving home. The drunkedness took over and he was a mess! Parts were funny... one example (he would so kill me if he knew I was posting this!): When I threw his stained clothes in the washing machine, he wanted to get inside to get clean, too. He said, "Iwant to spin around in it." Say this in your drunk voice, and it's pretty funny.

Finally got him to bed, cleaned up and dragged myself to bed at 5 a.m. YUCK!

Drag Queens
I had to work on Sunday morning for a local Pride festival that my client was sponsoring. So, I had to get up at 8 a.m. Barely able to open my eyes, I got ready and checked in on JP. He wasn't getting off as easily as just sleeping it off. The getting sick part didn't start until the morning. Making sure he was okay, I hurried up to experience my first LGBT speed dating event.

I get to the fesitval and let me tell you, the people watching was great! A few highlights that I saw:
- Lots of leather chaps
- One dude dressed completely in leather with a dog collar and chain. The chain was connected to a bracelet (that matched the dog collar) on his partner's (also decked out in complete leather) wrist
- Another dude dressed in a leather coat, cowboy boots and underwear briefs. NO pants!
- Lots of heels and leg warmers, on guys
- A priest...
- A blue poodle and several dogs in leather get up (for the doggie drag show)
- Drag queens -- thankfully none were more attractive than me. I hate that! :)

I totally wanted to take pictures, but that wouldn't have been very professional of me. I had a great time and had some new experiences. Like, when I was listening to a conversation about coming out to your family and one guy turned to me and asked me how I did it. He felt so embarassed when I told him I was straight.

Going into it, I wasn't sure if I was going to be upset if I got hit on or if I didn't get hit on. Well, it wasn't that big of a deal. I got hit on by a woman, a straight guy and a gay guy. Although, my co-workers there told me it didn't count if I didn't get any numbers. :)

Cosmos
After working all day, I headed out to the movies with JP's sisters and one of his brother's girlfriends for a girls night out. Of course, we went to see the Sex and the City movie. It was actually really good. Afterwards, we headed to a nearby bar for, whatelse, cosmos. If you're on the fence about seeing the movie, go. It's really good and I wasn't even a die hard fan.

By 11 p.m. JP and I were both ready to pass out. (And, I missed my Sunday run. Again. I can't afford to miss any more runs...) He took his nephew downtown for the Air Race and I had a pretty full day. I made an executive decision this morning and slept in a bit. Still sleepy, but I have to power through the day.

Dresses and Running Shoes
Tonight is the last and final round of bridesmaid dress shopping. We're going to look at a few more and then make our decision based on the "keep" pile we've been creating.

Afterwards, 3 miles and hopefully the gym to hit the weights. We'll see what time it is though. Admittedly, just reading the whirlwind of activities has me worn out, but I'm sure I'll find some energy somewhere in my big toe. Just power on, just power on!

Happy Friday

Didn't run last night... some extra curricular activities and ... my achilles tendon has been acting up, so I didn't push it to get my 30 minute tempo run in.

It's going to be a busy, busy weekend. But tons of fun!

Tonight we're heading to the Piston's game. We HAVE to win tonight if we plan to get in the showdown with LA. So super excited. In fact, I may just have to bust out the lucky Piston's underwear. :)

Tomorrow I have my scheduled long run, a Mary Kay party (boo), dinner with some college friends and a birthday party. Yikes! I got some tickets for the Red Bull Air Race for JP and a friend, so he'll be watching the sweet planes doing amazing air tricks all day!

Sunday, JP returns to watch the finals race and I'm headed to... a LGBT speed daying event. hmmm.... you say? I'm actually working the event (my client is a sponsor) and not doing the actual dating. I haven't yet decided if I'll be more upset if I get hit on, or if I don't get hit on... :) Nonetheless, it'll be great people watching and I know I'll have tons of hillarious stories! (And, of course my 5 mile run!)

Hope everyone has a great one and I'll be back with some freaking funny stories from the weekend!!!!!

Happy (Belated) Memorial Day!

Hey! Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Ours was busy, involved more alcohol than should be consumed while training and, of course, some running.

Conquering "The Hill"
Thursday night, was my kick butt hill workout. I chose an incline that always seems like it never ends. Ran 2 miles to the location, did my 3 hill runs (in :27, :25 and :26 seconds respectively) and then ran back 2 miles. My legs were a bit heavy, but I was pleased with the fact that I'm doing hill work at all!

MMM.... beer...
Thursday night -- Having a friend that owns a bar is one of the great things in life. Thursday night, JP and I headed out to watch the Piston's game. We got there after the game had started and the bar was packed. As we walked in the door and started to look around for a seat, one of the waitresses came over and told us to follow her. She took us to a nice, private booth with a reserved sign on it. Then, she proceeded to say, "One Blue Light and one Corona. Be right back." Sweet!

Saturday night -- Went to one JP's friend's wedding and had a blast. It was a tropical theme, complete with a top shelf tiki bar. Enough said. (To get an idea of how fun this wedding was, the bride and groom are a hoot. Since they both LOVE McDonalds (love, as in her engagement ring came in a Big Mac box), they had bags and bags of hamburgers and cheeseburgers delivered towards the end of the night. Everyone said it hit the spot.

Sunday -- JP's brothers came into town on Saturday and we all went over to their sister's house for a BBQ. First of all, let me just say his sister is a master martini maker. Second of all, she just got back from a medical mission trip to Haiti and brought back some Haitian rum. Wow. That's some good stuff. Strong. But good.

Monday -- Picture this: Bar. Beer. One big screen with the Piston's game. One big screen with the Wing's game. Two wins in Detroit on the same night.

My Legs
Saturday, I got up and ran my long run -- 8 miles. My schedule called for 10, but since I didn't run much the week before while I was in Kansas, I didn't want to start off training with an injury. My legs were H-E-A-V-Y! Splits ranged between 10:00 and 10:30, which I was pretty disappointed with. But... it's the first of many runs so I tried not to worry too much about it.

Between sleeping in and heading to a BBQ, I missed my 5 mile run on Sunday. Felt guilty, but tried to tell myself that although I'm taking training seriously, I'm not training for the Olympics.

Monday's 3 miles took place in the HOT sun (nearly 85 degrees here), but my legs felt well rested.

Last night, I did my 5 miles (9:30 pace) and felt great. My legs had some spring in them, my breathing was perfect and it just felt good to get out and run. Can't ask for anything better than that! 3 miles tonight... can't wait!

Diva Darling -- Great Girl's Night Out!

What a great girl's night out last night!

I met up with two of my girlfriends for the "Diva Darling Women's Night Out" event. There was a mile loop (actually, I think it was a big short) and you were free to run as much as you wanted. My friends didn't show up until a little bit later, so I ran my scheduled 3 milers with a pack of other ladies. It was so fun. We talked about, what else, running. Races we're training for, races we've done, funny stories about ... running. You know, something we can't always talk about with our non-runner friends.

After my three miles, I caught up with my two friends and did another loop with them. It was nice to just chat and catch up. Afterwards, there was the best aid station ever -- water, wine, cheese, fruit/veggie trays and chocolate! If that's not motivation to run, I'm not sure what is.

We mingled for a bit and then went inside for a few quick seminars -- proper shoe fitting, proper sports bra fitting and a sales pitch by Puma. I was a bit annoyed by the Puma presentation though. First, let me say I love Puma gear... but for fashion, more than function. She did say up front that they're known for fashion, but are moving into the running shoe area. So, the girl was super annoying. She didn't look much like someone who was a runner and the shoes didn't look like they would be good shoes for a serious runner. Not only did they have suede on them (seriously, this isn't the proper material for a running shoe, in my mind), were so lightweight you could basically twist it and came in, "all these cute colors." I'm all about cute running shoes, but if that's the highlight of your sales pitch... no thanks.

Didn't buy anything last night, but at the expo before my half, I stopped by their booth and bought a really cute tank -- "I run like a girl. Try to keep up." They have lots of cools stuff you can (soon) buy online... http://www.rundivadarling.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

All in all, it was a great night and I'm looking forward to the next Diva Darling night. It was nice to get my running in and socialize with friends. After all, this is suppose to be fun!

Tonight I'm scheduled for some hill work. Looking forward to it! I have my hill all picked out. Hope it's prepared to be conquered tonight!

No turning back...

Just registered for the USAF Marathon!!! Whoo hooo!

Last night, after work, I met up with my friend to do some more bridesmaid dress shopping. Think we found the one at Ann Taylor. Super excited, especially because this is the first time I've ever tried a strapless dress (for fear of the fat bulge near my arm pit -- probably smaller than I think it is, but nonetheless it's always driven me away from strapless dresses), and it looks good.

It was getting dark and stormy by the time we finished, so I headed to the gym for my scheduled 5-miler. The run felt pretty good and I was, as always, looking to keep my splits consistent.

Mile 1: 9:16
Mile 2: 9:03
Mile 3: 9:16
Mile 4: 8:33
Mile 5: 9:36

Not bad. :)

I did have a freak out moment after my workout though. I went to my locker, undid the combination lock and... it was empty. WTF! My first thought was that I put the lock on, but didn't close it. I started freaking out!!!

Trying to stay calm, I opened the locker next to the empty one. It was as if the gates of heaven opened and the angels started singing... there was all of my stuff! Thanks goodness. Obviouslyly, I wasn't paying attention when I put the lock on and secured an empty locker.

Geez! I've always been a bit flighty at times, but this is a new low. :)

Running with some friends tonight at a Running Fit - Diva Darlings Girl's Night Out event. Running starts at 6 p.m., for as long as you want to go. Then, wine, cheese, massages and shopping (discounted of course) until 9 p.m. Super excited and looking forward to a good 3 miles.

The color purple

Purple as in the color the entire town of Manhattan, Kansas is covered in!

This weekend was filled with family fun! JP and I flew down to Kansas on Thursday for my brother's graduation. My parents picked us up and we headed to Manhattan, Kansas... home of Kansas State University.

Friday my little brother graduated with his Master's degree. His degree was in counseling and higher education and he's accepted a Residence Hall Director job at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. I'm so proud! We had a great time and toured the beautiful campus, meet his friends and rocked out on Guitar Hero. :)

We flew back on Sunday morning, at o' dark thirty, and it was a trip in and of itself. It was a tiny little airport with one security line and the gates were immediately after you collected your bags off the belt. Should be easy... but it was one of the WORST security check points ever.

Now, I may sound like a snob on this one and I really don't mean to. JP travels every week, so he has the drill down to a tee. I'm a semi-regular business traveler and know the drill, too. These other people? Not so much.

The family behind me consisted of a mom and three teenagers. They were the picture example of what NOT to do while flying. To begin, they each had jumbo, super-sized pops in their hands and full sized luggage (something you normally check in). While I was putting my shoes in the bin and my quart-sized ziplock bag filled with 3.0 ounce liquids, the mom behind me asked if she had to take off her shoes. I said yes and all liquids. Her family then started to INDIVDUALLY put in perfume, full-sized toothpaste, etc. Seriously. Did you miss the eight signs from the front door to the front of the security line explaining that this doesn't jive?

Moving on... the security officer notice this walking disaster and makes them throw away their drinks. Their luggage goes through. Fast forward to the folks in front of JP. One chic had her luggage pulled aside because she put through a bag with FULL-SIZED shampoo, sun tan lotion, etc. Seriously. How do you miss all the signs and the security people reciting the rules over and over?

JP's bag got pulled ... because he had some electronic stuff in his work bag. Major airports are probably more use to business travelers and the gear they carry. My bag got pulled and it took them about 15 minutes to figure out what the "mysterious object" was showing up on the x-ray machine. A chunky bracelet that I've traveled with many times before. I wouldn't have been too upset, except first the guy blamed it on the fact that I was traveling with two belts, something he obviously disapproved of. Then, as he was going through my bag, my bras and underwear were popping out for the world to see. Thankfully I packed the super cute ones ;)

We finally got through and made it home safely! Exhausted, but happy to be home.

*****************************************************************

Official marathon training started today.

Ran 3 miles at approx. 9:00 pace tonight after work. I'm so excited about this race and really looking forward to the training. I've decided to wait until next week to start the weight training part of it. Since I was gone most of last week, I didn't want to start training so hard, so quickly. Most of all, I'm excited that I'm looking forward to this so much. Last year I thought about it, but when it came to getting up to run, my heart just wasn't in it. This year... sub 4:00 marathon here I come.

Mark Sept. 20 on your Calendar!

What a great run last night! Ran a quick 3+ miles (almost 3 1/2) and used my newly calibrated iPod/Nike sensor. According to the sensor, my average pace was 9:40. It varied between 8:30 pace and a dead stop (traffic lights); it's so nice to get your pace whenever you want it throughout the run. I didn't have a chance to download the info last night, but I'm really looking forward to using this info to help me become more consistent in my running.

After thinking more about it, I decided not to run Chicago. We're really working hard to save money, and spending over $100 for registration and the travel expenses (not to mention the fundraising aspect), I just didn't feel right doing it. JP told me to do what makes me happy, but what makes me happy is running a race. Where I run is less of a concern. So... I've decided on the US Air Force marathon in Dayton, Ohio. This is where my marathon running all started -- it was the first half that I did... which led to me becoming a full marathoner. Haven't pressed the "register" button yet, but it's a go. Official training starts next week! I am SO freaking excited!

Speaking of being super excited. I'm going to the Piston's game tonight!! Whooo hoooo! Game 5, Round 2. We're closing it up tonight!

A Little Adventure Called Life

I can't really say things have been super busy lately, but I have so many thoughts going on in my head that I've been trying to get everything straight and get a firm grasp on, well, life.

Thursday and Friday I went with my college roommate (Jess -- nope, not mouse) to go wedding dress/bridesmaid dress shopping. Thursday we went to a little place about 1 1/2 hours away. Her mom met us and it was suppose to be a great adventure. My friend is very plain and simple, and even more "not-girly" then I am. After about 10 dresses, she came out and said, "I thought this was going to be fun. It's not." Plus, our sales lady was super annoying and was the kind that would love to dress up a Barbie-like bride that wants a double pouffy dress, pink everything and lace all over. Totally not our styles. (But, in the words of Seinfield... not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Friday, she and I met at another place a little closer to home and we found... the dress. It's beautiful, not too poufy, has just enough sparkle to it and looks like it was made especially for her. Unfortunatley her mom wasn't there and is going to come up next weekend to look at it. My friend is the only daughter, so it's important for her mom to be involved. :)

So... no running these two nights. By Saturday, I was busting. I needed to run. I needed to stretch my legs out, I needed a good hard workout, I needed to get some thoughts worked out in my head. Ran over to the high school track and, miraculously, it was empty. Got my iPod Nike sensor calibrated and had a great run. Instead of calibrating the sensor and then heading off for my run, I ended up doing laps on the track. Not super exciting, but there's something about the smell of the track and the feel of running past the bleachers that makes me smile. I loved running track in school (back in the good 'ole days of being a sprinter) and it was nice to be transported back to some good memories.

Sunday my parents came up for Mother's Day and I made dinner. We just hung out and ended up having a nice day, despite the rainy day outside. It makes me so happy that my parents and JP get along so well. Once in awhile my mom will randomly give my brother or me little gifts. She'll just see something and know we'll like it. Sunday, she brought up something for JP. Her response, "I saw this and knew JP just had to have it." That means so much to me.

So what's all this craziness flying through my head? Haven't gotten it all figured out yet (guess I need to run some more). I totally believe in the quarter-life crisis theory and everyone tells me this is a turbulent time as you figure out what the hell you're suppose to do with your life. Then, in your 30's, life is more quiet, you're more settled and you know where you're going. True? I sure hope so! :)

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

... yes, I went to private grade school... Chapel every Wednesday... :)

So I was super psyched about my speed workout yesterday. But, my body had a different plan.

First, those kids were very much at the high school track yesterday. Bummer. So, I proceeded on to do a fast 3-4 mile loop. Shortly after I took off, my achilles tendon started to throb a bit. Instead of thinking, "hmmm... perhaps I should rest it today" I thought, "Well, maybe it'll be a nice easy 3-4 mile run instead of a speed workout." Wrong answer. As the run continued, the tightness went from my achilles tendon, up to my hamstring and the side of my knee. Ended up running about 2 miles and then taking a nice walk through the park for about 2 miles.

Took out "The Stick" last night to rub out my muscles and did lots of toe raises throughout the night (Seriously, what else do you have to do while brushing your teeth. That's 2 minutes to do toe raises!).

Tried to get up early this morning to do yoga... When my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m., I promptly turned off my alarm, cursed the very thought of doing yoga at o'dark-thirty and went back to sleep for another hour. To (semi) make up for it, no stilletos today (opted for a simple, but cute, black wedge instead) and I'll probably do some cross-training tonight instead of a run. No injuries here! :)

Running through the fog

Yesterday, I was in a total haze all day. I was looking forward to a good, hard run to hopefully break through the fog and start my week of a bit better than last!

I planned to go to the local high school to finally set my iPod/Nike thing JP gave me for my birthday... in January. BUT, the kids were still in track practice at 6:30 p.m. Seems a bit late to me. I seem to remember being done by 5 p.m. or so when I was in high school. Nonetheless, I couldn't use the track and kept going about my 5-mile loop. Finished in a strong 44-minutes. Definitely tore through the foggy brain on this run!

Looking forward to another good run tonight. If there isn't a home track meet (it's Tuesday... remember those Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday meets back in the day), I'll synch my iPod / Nike thing and do a speed workout on the track. Otherwise, I think it'll be a shorter (3-4 miles) and faster run. What I really need to do is get in the gym and start lifting again...

Have a few marathons in mind. I want to do Chicago, but since registration is closed I can only do it through a charity. I picked one that is near and dear to my heart, but I'm fearful of the $900 min. fundraising I have to do along with it. So far the charity contact has been great -- very supportive and really into getting me into the race. We'll see... I did a little research on a couple other semi-local races but not decisions yet. Better pick one soon!!!

OH... I almost forgot. As of Thursday, I have a brand new sunroof in my car. Whoo Hooo!!!!!

Emotional Rollercoaster

That about sums up last week.

Between two funerals last week, being asked to be maid of honor for my college roommate, JP being out of town (although I had some beautiful flowers waiting for me on Monday when I got home from work... best boyfriend ever!), several pints of my favorite Canadian brew and spending a few days in my childhood bedroom (gotta love mom pampering you again... making breakfast, laying out fresh towels, etc.), the emotions were flying high and wide last week.

With the exception of last Monday, I didn't get any running in last week. I was still out of sorts during the weekend, so today marks a new week and a fresh start. Yes, I'm even passing up pitchers of Cinco de Mayo fun tonight!!!!

My college roommate's wedding is the day before both the Detroit Marathon and Grand Rapids Marathon. So... those two races are out. I checked into Chicago but registration is already closed. I checked into one of the sponsorship charities and to run with them I have to pay $110 registration and raise at least $900. That's a small price to pay, in the bigd picture of it, but I'm not sure I can raise that much. Need to mull it over a bit more.

In a bit of a haze today, so hopefully tonight's run will clear things out and I'll start feeling like my old self again. :)

Two Funerals and ...

WARNING: This post is a downer.

Thursday night, my mom called with some bad news. My great-uncle, who was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, was declining quickly. The doctors said maybe 2-3 weeks, but the family was thinking less. My family is very close so this news was difficult to take. Especially since I hadn't been down to visit with him in a few weeks.

The other bad news was that my childhood friend's father was diagnosed with three types of cancer, shortly after Easter. He went in because he thought he had pneumonia... came out having a few weeks left. Something like this, I just can't process.

Friday was a hard day for me... just thinking about everything. And, the insurance guy didn't show to assess the damage of my car. Grrr.... JP had to change his flight returning from Phoenix, and I didn't pick him up from the airport until 1:30 a.m. (On a postive note, I got in a kick-ass workout Friday night. Hardly anyone was at the gym at 9 p.m. on a Friday night, which was nice since I needed to get my mind off of everything.)

Saturday night, we were having dinner with JP's family to celebrate his sister's birthday when I got the call. My friend's father had passed a few hours earlier. To top it off, she lost her mother two years ago. They were like my second family and now, they're both gone. At least they're together now.

Yesterday, I went down to my parents to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. We had breakfast with our extended family (The last Sunday of every month is my huge family breakfast. It's been a tradition for more than 30 years), my dad and I went to visit my uncle and I got to say my goodbyes, and my parents and I got out one of our classic cars to take a Sunday drive. It was really nice out and we ended up walking around a metropark for the afternoon.

Seeing my uncle was tough. My dad saw him on Friday and he was still responsive, although bed ridden. Two days later, he didn't open his eyes and it was a struggle for him to breath, even with oxygen support. I'm expecting to get "the call" today or tomorrow, so that'll mean two funerals in one week. Why does growing up suck so much sometimes?

Anyway, gotta make the most of it and remember all the great memories. Plus, they're in a better place now and will be there waiting for the rest of us to join them...

Fury Little Friend: Strikes Again

Damn raccoon.

This morning I went out to my car and noticed the plastic was sticking up a little bit. Hmm.. well, it is plastic and I'm sure it tore while I was driving. No big deal.

I proceeded to put my coffee cup on the bed of my truck (like I do every morning to avoid spilling it all down the front of me) and put my briefcase in the back of my truck.

Wait. Back up. Go back to the coffee cup on the bed of the truck...

No... It can't be... yep... it is...

... little paw prints all over the bed of my truck. (I'd like to make the point that this is dew on my car and not dust. Although, my little truck is quite dirty and I can't take it through a car wash because the dumb sunroof is open.) Little bastard tried to get inside AGAIN! It tore open the plastic in four different areas before giving up.

When I got to work, I called the local animal control to see if they could do anything. Since I live in an apartment complex, I have to work through my leasing office. But, the animal control guy gave some insight into the little creatures mind. Here's what he gave me:

1. Raccoons are creatures of habit and my truck (parked in the same spot) must be in its path from point A to point B.

So.. why not jump it twice...?

2. Perhaps the first time it was a female trying to steal my Cheez-Its. The second time may have been a male that smelled the female's scent and tried to reach the female that gave off the odor.

Great... so now I'm driving around in a raccoon-scented vehicle. Can't you just picture a herd of raccoons chasing me down the expressway? GEEZ!!!

Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried! :)

The good news is the insurance agency is sending someone to appraise the damage on Friday. They didn't say no, so I'm taking this as a good sign.

Since there were some holes in the plastic (and the dealership is pretty far from my main office), I decided to patch it up myself. I went to the Detroit Tiger's game tonight, so I got home pretty late. I'm out in the parking lot patching the holes with packaging tape. Ghetto, I know, but at least it closed the holes up in case it rains.

Oh, and I parked in a new spot tonight so we'll see if the little bugger finds me.

P.S. In the midsts of all the wild animal drama, I started running again this week. Just a few easy miles, but it's good to get back!

Furry Little Friend

Crazy stuff always randomly happens to me.

Friday morning, I went out to my car to leave for work. As I approached, I noticed something unusual. It looked like my car had big, black bug antenna's. Weird. As I got closer, I realized what it was... I had accidently left my sunroof cracked open throughout the night, and the molding around it had snapped in half and was sticking straight up in the air.

Surprised and a little upset, I really didn't think much of it. I tried to bend it back into place (with no avail) and ended up tucking it inside the sunroof so at least I could drive to work without looking like a hug idiot.

It was a beautiful sunny morning and as I was driving, the sunlight came through my windshield. Wait... what is that... it looks like a... paw print. No. It can't be.

The sunlight came in through another angle and ... there were little paw prints ALL OVER my windshield.

The first thing that came to my head was a picture of some rabbid animal attacking me as I'm driving a huge SUV, going 70 mpg down the expressway. I have quite the imagination and I was actually planning my emergency exit strategy if needed.

After getting to work (unharmed by the ghost animal), I looked up the weekend weather and saw it was to rain the next day. Urgh. That means I needed to get it fixed today, not during the weekend. So, I called up my dealership and left work to go get it looked at. The guys were laughing at me (I'm sure I was the story of the day) and after they looked at it, it was determined that the entire freaking sunroof needs to be replaced. The stupid animal tore it up -- the side molding, the main molding, etc. trying to get inside (thankfully it couldn't squeeze inside) and steal a box of Cheez-Its I left inside. After closer examination, not only were there footprints all over the windshild, the guilty little bastard left footprints all over the hood of my car, too. The quote: nearly $700. So now I'm really mad. Little f-er is costing me a lot of money!!! (But, I can't help but laugh. It is a funny story). It's going to take a few days for the sunroof to come in, so the dealership put this sticky, saran-wrap type plastic over my open sunroof. Ghetto... :)

I later looked up raccoon footprints online and confirmed that it was, in fact, raccoon footprints covering my car. Later in the day, I called my insurance company to see if the damage was covered. The convo went something like this:

Me: I believe a racoon destroyed my sunroof and I was wondering if it was covered by my insurance.

Insurance lady: (dead silence)

Me: It's okay... you can laugh

Insurance lady: (busts out laughing) what...!?!?!

Me: I believe a racoon tried to get in my car, through my sunroof, and it completely destroyed the molding around the window. The dealership told me the entire sunroof needs to be replaced. Is this covered?

Insurance lady: (still laughing) In all the years I have worked here, I have never heard this one before.

They're suppose to call me back today and let me know if I'm covered... please keep your fingers crossed that it is!

Seriously though... I live in the burbs. Raccoons should not be walking through the parking lot, hoping to find an open sunroof and find a box of Cheez-its. What are the chances!?!?!?!

Sunshine from Key West

Key West was freaking awesome!

We left Thursday morning and landed early afternoon in Miami. Instantly, we were all in a good mood -- sunshine, palm trees and warm weather. I thought the four hour drive to the Keys was going to be painful, but it went by pretty quickly. I think it was a combo of being excited to get down there and the beautiful scenery.

Thursday night we explored the infamous "Duvall Street" - and decided to partake in the "Duvall Street Crawl". The boys had their bachelor party and the three girls that were there had our own fun. If you haven't been to Key West before, let me just say three things: 1) Open containers are legal, 2) strip clubs go completely nude (so I was told!) and 3) the bars don't close until 4 a.m. Needless to say, I think the boys had a good time. :)

Friday we spent a lot of the time helping with wedding stuff. But the highlight of the day for me was that I had a coconut for the first time. We pulled up to a red light and I looked over at a corner store. There were coconuts pilled up with straws in it. I jumped out of the car (JP wasn't quite sure what I was doing) and ran over to the store.

They drilled a hole in it first and stuck a straw in it. After I drank all the "coconut water" we took it back and this crazy (and I'm pretty sure intoxicated) man chopped it open with an axe. It didn't taste quite like I thought it was going to... and I didn't like the texture... too slimy for me. Everyone asked me what I thought it was going to taste like. Like... coconut... Fresh coconut taste nothing like the dried sugary stuff you buy in the store.

Saturday some of us got an afternoon at the pool (JP was busy with his best man duties). It was fabulous!!!!! Bikini, sunshine, relaxing pool and alcohol. Doesn't get much better than that! :)

The wedding was at the Westin resort, on a pier, overlooking the ocean, at sunset. BEAUTIFUL!

Everything went smoothly and it was so nice meeting more of JP's family. We got along so well and everyone had a wonderful time.

Love was in the air and... everyone was bombarding JP with questions of when we were getting married. I even learned that his office has a pool going. Poor guy. No pressure there, right? :)

Sunday we had a nice breakfast with some of JP's family and drove back up to Miami. We spent the night in South Beach. We had dinner at an authentic Haitian resturant that JP and his family goes to everytime they're in Miami. It was so good! We were both so tired that we didn't explore the night life... it's bad, I know. But after so many late nights we pretty much passed out around 10 p.m.

We did get up early on Monday morning and went for a walk on the beach. The water was freezing so we only put our feet in. From there we got ready and headed to the airport. Not the laying on the beach all week vacation we were hoping for, but it was still a great getaway.

Tuesday I flew out to D.C. for work (landed a few hours before the Pope. Ever see a long line of priests go through security?) and on Wednesday, JP flew out to Phoenix. So, we've both been seeing a lot of the airport lately.

Absolutly no running since my race, but plan on getting back into it this weekend. Gotta work off all this alcohol and rich food I've been consuming lately... :)

Race Photos!

yay! JP sent me the photos from Sunday. Check out the beautiful blue sky!!!!

Feeling better, thanks. I stayed home from work yesterday because it finally knocked me off my feet. Guess I just needed to REST.

Here I am, pre-race. Looking good, smiling, loving life, etc. :)

... Here I am, finishing up the race. Almost there. Almost there.

and....

Here I am post-race. Tired, beaten down, ready for a nap... hahaha! My mom saw this inflated martian and said, "oh, go stand by that one! It looks like you!" She is so funny! I tried to look as pathetic as I could :)

Like I said, I'm so glad I did it and it's totally motivated me for the next race!

My next adventure? We're heading down to Key West tomorrow for JP's brother's wedding. Sunshine, beach, 80-degree weather --- here I come! (My running clothes are packed and I'm hoping to get some good beach running in.)

The Martian Invasion: Race Report

What a fun race! I'm so glad I did it!!!!!

Saturday morning, I woke up congested and with a super sore throat. As the day went on, I was feeling better. So far, so good. In the afternoon, JP and I were going to eat lunch, run a few errands and pick up my race packet. At least that was the plan.

We were at Olive Garden (I LOVE carb loading!) and I started feeling sick to my stomach. I thought it was just because I was so hungry. Ate my salad and breadsticks and when I took a bit of my pasta, the first bit didn't taste good at all. JP instantly knew I was sick and we asked for our meals to be boxed up and our check. No sooner had we gotten home, I got sick. OH NO! I have a race tomorrow!!!! I slept the rest of the day, went out quickly to get my race packet and prayed for the best.

Sunday morning, I woke up and felt better than the morning before. I decided I was good enough to race.

It was a beautiful morning -- a warm, sunny spring morning. As we got closer to the race site, I got more and more excited.

The course started on the University of Michigan (Dearborn campus) campus. We ran a little bit on the campus trails and then out and about on the surrounding roads. Note: Only in Michigan are there race volunteers cheering you on the sidelines and warning you of pot holes. Some were SO big, I'm sure a runner could get lost!

First six miles felt great. Pace was a little faster than I was thinking nit should be, but I figured I'd go for it and see what happens. Plus, I was pretty consistent. Goal 1 -- accomplished.

Mile 1: 9:08
Mile 2: 9:23
Mile 3-4: 18:01
Mile 5: 9:01
Mile 6: 9:04

Shortly after I hit mile 6, the first female runner was heading back and hit mile 9. Geez!

Next 7 miles... well, let's just say I have a lot of work to do before my full marathon. My legs tightened up, I was just plain tired and didn't feel strong. Not consistent on my splits, but I was mentally tough, so I consider Goal 2 accomplished. :)

Mile 7: 9:14
Mile 8: 9:33
Mile 9: 9:34
Mile 10: 10:04
Mile 11: 10:08
Mile 12: 10:19
Mile 13: 9:42 -- Needless to say, I was ready to be done and pure adreneline took over for the last 1.1 mile.

Total time: 2:04:01 (9:29 pace).

I finished 59 out of 139 in my age group. Finished top half in my age group, so I was pleased. After the race, my parents took JP and me out for breakfast, but I started to feel bad again so we had to cut it short. Took a nap and relaxed for the rest of the day. Anyway, I'm so glad I did this race and am motivated to continue training for the next one.

JP took a bunch of pictures, so I'll post those later.

No... No... No...

No! I can't be getting sick! Not two days before my race!

I think it might be a sinus thing. Felt like I got hit by a bus last night, so I opted to rest rather than run. Feeling kinda antsy about my taper week since I was very liberal with my easy and / or rest days.

Stocked up on cold/sinus meds, green tea and Cepacol this morning on my way into work. Feeling better, but still a bit leery. Just as long as I can breathe through my nose on Sunday, I'll be okay!

Supportin' "The Girls"

For a while, I've been in dire need of new sports bras. After reading an article in the latest Women's Health and watching the "bounce-o-meter" video... it convinced me to finally go to the store and find a much better bra!

This is the newest add to my running apparel collection (although I got mine in black) and I'm super excited. It's a whole new fit and feels SO comfortable!! I'm tempted to break all the race rules and not try it out on a long run and wear it during my half... If I bodyglide up, it should be okay... right...?

It cost a bit more, so I'm considering it an "investment" piece. If you're in need of a new bra check out this awesome Women's Health article!

Got in a good 3-ish mile run outside yesterday. It was super windy and I'm really hoping it won't be that way on Sunday! Keep your fingers crossed.

Today, I had to go to the gym because I had a hair appointment tonight. I was already to go except... I forgot my shoes. Oops. In the spirit of saving the environment, I opted not to drive home and drive back to the gym. Since it was dark, I decided to do a cardio workout at home. Not quite a run, but hey, I'm tapering. :)

Taper Week!

I didn't run last night.

Can you tell how guilty I feel? I try to justify it by saying that this week is really a taper week, so it doesn't matter that much...

After work, I went to the mall to look for a dress for this wedding that is in 2 weeks. NOTHING! I tried on like 8 dresses and nothing looked right. It's either too long (I'm short so a "knee-length" dress hits me mid-shin), too low-cut (meeting some of JP's family for the first time. No slutty dresses for this wedding), yellow (my favorite color, but also the color of the bridesmaid dress), or just didn't fit me correctly. After shopping for 2 hours, I called it quits and headed home.

It started POURING on my way home. No running outside. And, my stomach was growling like crazy. I had already eaten my pre-workout snack, and I failed to re-fill my car with a stash of emergency Luna Bars for cases such as this. So... I went home.

After work, I'm heading straight out for my run. No excuses!

Girls Night Out!

Saturday was my last long run before the half. Yikes! The scheduled 8 mile run was okay, but I was a little disappointed afterwards. It just didn't feel the way I would have liked it to feel -- I felt like I was working harder than I should be at this point.

Mile 1: 10:21
Mile 2: 10:28
Mile 3: 10:35
Mile 4: 10:28
Mile 5: 13:24 -- Seriously, was I walking or what!?!?!
Mile 6: 9:24 -- Got mad at myself and picked it up a bit...
Mile 7: 9:47
Mile 8: 10:03

I kept reminding myself that my goal is to be consistent. I'd like for the consistent splits to be faster, but can't focus on that. But, when I saw a 13 minute mile, I about dropped. I don't think I've ever done such a slow mile! Oh well, this is suppose to be fun.

Saturday afternoon was the wedding shower and that night was the bachelorette party. It was interesting... not as well planned as I would prefer (keeping in mind I'm super anal and annoyingly organized). As long as the bride-to-be was happy, that's all that matters. We went bar hoping downtown Detroit, and had a sweet limo to cart us around. I will say, that I was the only one that got hit on by the bachlor party that was at the same spot ... and got invited to join their bash. :) Still got it... :)

Sunday was a recovery day - since when does it take me a whole day to recover!?! Geez! I used to be the one that bounced out of bed the next morning ready for breakfast. This time, I got up, took some Alleve and rolled back over.

Looking forward to tonight's workout -- time to stretch my legs out a bit and get them ready for Sunday!!!!

Techie runner

I'm not the most tech-savvy person in the world. Really, I was quite a dunce about anything electronic until I met JP. On my own, I had an iPod and wireless internet, but that's about it. Now... I own a bluetooth headset that's about the size of a quarter, the Nike iPod gizmo to chart my runs (which I really need to calibrate...), Quicken to electronically do my finances (on my laptop and my Palm), an electric cup warmer because I can never drink my coffee / tea fast enough before it gets cold, etc. You get the picture.

All of these things are great, but not something I can't live without. Well, yesterday I found the coolest "techy" thing so far in my mind, and it ties into my running. Google Pedometer. If you've been using this for years, don't bust my bubble, okay?

For the past year, I've been running this route around my house and guessed it was about 4 miles. But, I never got around to jumping in my car to see what the actual mileage was and where the approx. mile markers were. Yesterday, I plotted out my usual course and found it's actually nearly 5 miles. So those "decent paced runs" have actually been "pretty good paced runs." It's super cool and something that's fun to play with to boot!

It gives you the mile markers and everything!!! Is it wrong that I get so excited about this!?! :)

Went for a 3 mile run on the gym track last night -- just didn't feel like dealing with the snow. (yep, we got 3-5 inches last night). Splits were fast, but not as consistent as I'd like them to be. On the plus side, at least I'm starting to drop some time on the shorter runs.

Mile 1: 9:31

Mile 2: 8:41

Mile 2: 8:28

Rest day today and tomorrow is my last long run before my race. Yikes! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The Clock is Ticking...

Holy Crap! Just got an email reminder about the Martian Invasion race... it's really creeping up! But, I haven't forgetten my two goals:

Goal 1: Be mentally tough.
Goal 2: Be consistent.

Tuesday's run was inside, due to the snow flurries outside. It was a pretty good 5 mile run and I was pretty good with my goals.

Mile 1: 9:56
Mile 2: 9:41
Mile 3: 9:52 -- The "be mentally tough" goal was a struggle on this one. My legs felt weak and I really need to focus on strength training. It makes such a big difference!
Mile 4: 9:52
Mile 5: 8:56 -- I was "in the zone" and feeling good. Not really consistent, but I was ready to be done.

Yesterday, it was warm and sunny so I took advantage and ran outside. I was scheduled to do 10 x 400 m, but I was in a time crunch due to the setting sun, so I did a quick 3.5 mile run. It was about a 9:45 pace, but I'm still not sure of approx. mile markers on my route so this is an educated guess.

Looking forward to my schedule 3 mile run tonight!

I *Heart* NYC

Long time since my last post, but I'll try to keep the wrap-up short.

I was in New York City last week for work, so I wasn't able to blog or run. It was my first time in NYC, much to everyone's disbelief, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Ended up loving it and hoping to go back for a vacation. It was so nice to actually walk places! The one thing I wanted to do while I was there was go for a run in Central Park. But my work schedule didn't permit. BUMMER! My hotel was only a block away!!!

Saturday I went for a "long" run but only did 8 miles instead of the scheduled 10. They were slow and steady, but I already came to terms with the fact that this half isn't going to be crazy fast. In fact, I freaked out yesterday when I realized the race is coming up quickly!!!! Definitely not ready, but at least I'm doing something.

Easter was great. We did the usual trek to my parent's in the morning / early afternoon and then to JP's family last afternoon / evening. We're starting to get it down pat. We got a ton of snow on Good Friday, so this is what the Easter Bunny had to tromp through:

My parents put on an Easter egg hunt again for us this year. We have a good time and since we're both so competitive, it makes for a good laugh!

Enjoyed a nice run outside yesterday andplanning for a good workout tonight. I can't believe this is my last full week of training before the race! Yikes!!!!

Hope everyone is well and looking forward to catching up on your blogs!

Recap of the Week

Quick recap of a week's worth of workouts:

Last Saturday - COLD (22-degrees), a freaking snow storm about halfway through my 10 mile run and windy the whole way. Averaged about 10:30 pace -- a bit slow for me. Overall, a pretty miserable run. (On the bright side, no emergency pit stops this week!)

Throughout the week I got my runs in, but no abs or lifting. It was an unusal week with things going on 3 nights during the week -- a birthday celebration dinner, a professional networking event and a send-off party for someone at work.

Yesterday's 12 mile run was ... GREAT! I felt good and my splits were fairly consistent:

Mile 1: 10:28 -- Crap. This run WILL NOT be like last weekends.
Mile 2: 10:00 -- Okay. A little better.
Mile 3: 9:54 -- Good.
Mile 4: 10:02 -- Still consistent.
Mile 5: 10:00 -- Still consistent.
Mile 6: 9:49 -- Sweet!
Mile 7: 9:41 -- Awesome. And, I feel great!
Mile 8: 10:14 -- Getting bored now.
Mile 9: 10:06 -- Ugh. Remind me again how I handle 20-milers?
Mile 10: 10:04 -- Okay, come on. Only 2 more to go.
Mile 11: 10:05 -- Not bad, but not great. Hey, this is the longest I've run in a long time.
Mile 12: 9:50 -- Wow. Only 1.1 more miles left. :)

Didn't workout today, but lots of stretching and using The Stick. I had a ton to do today (and still to do) before I head out to NY tomorrow. I'll be there until Thursday, so next time I blog it'll be from the Big Apple.

Running is 80 percent mental – Joan Benoit Samuelson

Had a great run yesterday. My goal was to be consistent, no matter the oveall time. One thing I learned last night was that I'm in decent shape (although still freaking out that I'm not ready for my race), but mentally, I'm no where near where I should be!

Sure, running allows you to clear your mind and think things through, but you need to be focused. It was so hard to keep focused and hit my goal for the day. Although a struggle, I'm pleased with the splits I turned in:

Mile 1: 9:36
Mile 2: 9:25
Mile 3: 9:28
Mile 4: 9:29
Mile 4 1/2 +: 5:04

Another thing that hit me with a mental load of bricks was that I started having some pretty strong pains in my abdomen. The past couple of months, the chronic pain has really been under control. I was ready to throw in the towel and call it a day, but then it occurred to me. Hello! This race isn't going to be pain-free. In fact, it's probably going to hurt quite a bit. I've been living with this pain for the last 2 years, so I can get through a couple more miles. So I sucked it up, pushed the pain out of my head (or tried the best I could), and finished. That was a bigger accomplishment for me than keeping consistent splits.

I should've done an ab workout, but since it was late (I stayed in the office later than usual and it was nearly 9 p.m. when I finished my run) and I had some burning knives slashing through my stomach, I convinced myself it was okay to go home. :)

The outcome of my run last night? My two main goals for this half-marathon:

Goal 1: Be mentally tough.
Gotta get ready for that fall marathon. (And, for life in general)

Goal 2: Be consistent.
I may not PR, but I'm getting back into running after taking a year off and this is a great way to get back into it. I'm going to train consistently and get back into my "training-mode" diet (diet as in the way I eat, not as in the new fad diet that's suppose to melt off 20 pounds in 2 hours).

So that's the goal and I'm ready to meet and exceed 'em!

Nope. Not spring yet.

It snowed last night... again!

ERIC SEALS/Detroit Free Press

Uphill Battle

New attitude. New attitude. New attitude.

Yesterday, towards the end of the day, I started to feel a bit flu-ish. NOOOO! Doesn't my body know that we're training? Getting sick isn't an option.

Being the mature adult running that I am (right...) , I opted to skip my workout in favor of going home and getting some rest. Hopefully this would nip it in the bud before it became a full-fledge flu. It was an inner-battle, but realy, JP would've killed me if I went to they gym feeling sick.

I went home, JP warmed up leftover for dinner and I prompty feel asleep on the couch. From there, I moved to my bed and was down for the count by 9 p.m. Apparently my body needed some rest. Feeling better today, so hopefully that's the end of it.

I HATE missing workouts and I'm really begining to feel like I'm not going to be ready for my race, which is almost exactly one month away. I alreay registered, otherwise I may contemplate finding a later race. Nothing I can do now, but battle back to race-ready form!

Striving for consistency

Shortly after I posted yesterday's blog about keeping my mood in line with the new spring weather, I felt the change outside. I say "felt" because the storm outside had my 39-floor building creaking and swaying like crazy. It turned cold, cloudy, snowy/rainy and all around yucky. Ironic. :)

After what felt like a long day at work, I trudged to the gym. I did 4 miles on the tiny track and finally started to get into it when I was almost done. My splits weren't consistent at all... something I really need to work on.

Mile 1: 10:35 (I think I miscounted laps... again...)
Mile 2: 9:19
Mile 3: 9:44
Mile 4: Not sure because I accidently hit my stopwatch when I was lifting. Oops!

I wanted to go home after my run, but knew I need to stick to my weight lifting and ab workout plan. So... it was onto the weights where I worked on my arms, as I jealously watched in the mirror as this teeny, tiny girl lifting some monster weights. She was about my height (5-foot nothing), was significantly more lean and trim, and her arms were freaking incredible. Of course, she was pretty, blonde and tan to boot. I'm not ashamed to say I was totally checking her out. ;)

Scheduled for a 4 1/2 mile run and abs tonight... Rock hard body here I come!

New Week... New Attitude...

This morning it actually feels like spring. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and it's a whopping 50-degress out! Hello spring!

This is my attempt to have a better attitude.

Last week I was pretty grumpy and irritable. Not sure why, I just was. And, my run on Saturday didn't help matters much.

Saturday morning I got up early and headed to the metro park for my scheduled 6-mile run. As I was running the first few, I was trying to figure out in my head if I wanted to alter my long run schedule since the plan I'm following doesn't really have a taper to it. Not sure how comfortable I am doing a 12 mile run the weekend before my half. Anyway, a couple of miles into it, I had to go to the bathroom. Now, since my surgery I absolutly cannot hold my bladder. (TMI?) If I hold it, it hurts. Tremendously. Pain, like I have to lay down because I can't move. There are some facilities around the 4 mile mark of the 8 mile loop. Okay, I gotta run that far. It was a combo of run/walk, but everytime I walked due to the pain, I remembered that I would get there quicker if I ran. FINALLY got there and... the darn door was locked. Grr... now what? I was trying to decide if I should continue down the loop to see if the next facilities were open (about 2 miles away) or if I should turn back and try some off the trail a bit. Really, either way, I was exactly half way through the loop and couldn't get to my car for 4 more miles.

I opted to turn around and try the off-trail facilities. Hopefully they were open because having my bare butt out in the open to squat wasn't really an option in the 20-degree weather. Apparently the running gods were looking down on me because about 1-mile later there was an outhouse facility. It was as if the heavens opened and the angels choir was singing. Whew! (I won't go into how my imagination was running away with me and I was certain that a snake was going to jump up and bite me on the ass...) :)

So I ended up logging 8+ miles with splits ranging from 9 min/miles to 11 min/miles. Not a great run, but thank goodness I got through it. Felt like crap (mostly mental) afterwards and was just ready to go home and call it a day.

Yesterday I went to the gym for some cross-training and some serious core work. Yep. Sore again this morning. I was still grumpy afterwards through but my mood lightened as the day went on.

So, I hearby pledge that this week I will have a good 'tude, kick-butt workouts and enjoy every gosh darn minute of it! :)

Oh, and thanks for all the nutrition advice!

More protein questions

Thanks for all the protein advice! I normally am very good about it, but just really slipped the other day. I am hesitant to try (again) the Cliff bars because I had a baaaad experience one time. I have a pretty sensitive stomach and it didn't settle well. I'm thinking about possibly trying it again since I was in the grocery store last night and it has way more protein than my usual Luna (9 grams) or Pria bars (8 grams). But then it begs the question, is more better? I'm good about eating a healthy diet, but I'm very bad about knowing how much, when, and with what other types of foods. I mean, dietians go to school for this stuff. Is 20 grams of protein better than 8 grams of protein for a pre-workout snack? I always do a protein shake or chocolate milk with some protein powder added after my workout (and within 30 minutes) but after talking it over with my old trainer who used to train Olymic athletes. So confusing!!! Help!

Yesterday was an unusual day at the office (that's for a whole different posting), but my diet was more normal:

Breakfast: yogurt with some granola, banana with organic PB and some green tea
Morning snack: handful of almonds
Lunch: Potbelly's -- yum! Half veggie and half tuna sandwich. And a yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. I LOVE their cookies!
Mid-afternoon snack: Oops... missed it due to the craziness of the day
Pre-workout snack: oatmeal
Post-workout snack: chocolate milk with a shot of protein powder

Last night I had a great workout -- 3 mile run and a leg workout filled with weighted lunges, squats and some machine work. My body was so sore from this week's workouts, so some serious stretching was heaven afterwards.

TGIF!!!! (Although it's snowing like crazy... again)