And so the training begins

First thing is first. Monday, I started training for the TBD marathon. We'll see about this. I still have some reservations. Not because I don't think I can do it. I know I can physically run a marathon, after all, this will be my fourth. What I'm not so sure about is if I'm going to enjoy it. I know I'm going to get upset if/when I miss a workout because of my stomach and I know I'm not going to enjoy a run if there are knives stabbing me in the abdomen for the entire 18 miles. After thinking about it some more, I decided I would regret not trying. And so, the training begins.

Day 1 - Monday
Nice and easy 3 miles (9:40 pace), and some crunches and push ups on the bosu ball. It was technically to be a cross-training day, but I have golf on Tuesday and don't always make it to workout afterwards since we get done a little late. It was freaking hot and humid, but it was a pretty good run. My abdomen hurt a little bit, but not nearly as bad as the weekend (more on that later.)

Day 2 - Tuesday
Cross-training. After 2 hours of golf (we learned how to get out of the sand trap. I was pretty good at it, which is a good thing since I'm sure I'll be there a lot more than on the green.) I did a full body workout on the yoga ball. It wasn't overly strenouous, but strength training and balance is a necessity.

Day 3 - Later today
I'm scheduled for 5 miles. My plan is to start lifting again today, so hopefully that will be what actually happens. :)

This past weekend we went to Chicago to visit JP's brother. They live right downtown, so we walked A LOT. We walked Michigan Ave., went up into Sears Tower and checked out some great resturants. Unfortunately, I was hurting very badly the whole weekend and was doubled over in pain Saturday night. Needless to say, I did not partake in the Chicago nightlife. We have some cool pictures, but they're still on my camera so I'll have to upload them later.

It's a beautiful day out and not as hot as it has been. I'm ready to get out of here so I'll write more about the run and our weekend in Chicago later.

Floating on a Cloud

I was in a lot of pain yesterday, so no working out or golfing. Instead, I took a pain pill and went to bed. (Missed watching the Spurs SWEEP the Cavs last night.) The additional meds make me really groggy, so I'm still a little bit cloudy this morning.

Monday I start formally training for my marathon. I have to accept that I will probably miss some workouts but that I am doing this FOR FUN, so it's okay to miss some runs. I am not training for the Olympics, I am not a professional runner. I run because I enjoy it. (Okay, who am I kidding? I'm gonna be upset if I don't go sub-4:00 hrs.)

Happy Birthday, Mrs. J

Yesterday would have been JP's mom's birthday. She passed away when he was only 14 from ovarian cancer. To celebrate, we went to the cemetery with her favorite flowers and to clean the headstone. JP is the youngest, and was very close to his mom. We go to visit pretty regularly and he always makes sure the headstone is clean and the grass around it is trimmed. It's so hard for me, not because I knew her, but because it hurts him so badly. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a mother at such a vital time in ones life. So, happy birthday Mrs. J. I wish I could know you, but I love your son and I promise to take care of him for you.

Afterwards, JP had a soccer game nearby. We had planned ahead and during his game I was going to run around the area. Lots of hills and grass/trails, so it was a different type of run. I can feel it in my core how uneven the ground was! It wasn't the "great workout" I was planning on having. I've been in a lot of pain this week and it stopped me short a few times during the run. Urgh. Did I say I was training for a marathon? :)

Anyway... a good workout tonight and hopefully hit the driving range.

Tally: 1 ball down

Last night we learned chipping and full swing during the clinic. Chipping - check. Full swing - after a few tweaks, check. Learning how to actually align myself to the target... not so much. One of the instructors kept talking about the "railroad" lines to line myself up. Huh? I'm not so good with distance and "seeing" a line that's 50 yards away and "drawing" it to where I'm standing. Spacial relations has never been a strong suit of mine.

After half an hour clinic, we got into groups of four for a scramble. My friend and I paired up with two others and off we went to the course. We were with the other instructor and I told her I was having problems with alignment. She did a short mini-lesson that made MUCH MORE SENSE to me. No "railroad lines", whatever that means. And, guess what? I actually shot straight.

The second hole we had to tee off and go OVER a freaking pond. Are you seeing where this is going? I shot straight alright. Straight into something that looks a bit like this:

For one, I had never used the club we used. Second, thank goodness we were playing best ball because one of the girls had a perfect shot and made it over. So far my total is 1 ball lost. Oh well, I'm having fun and really learning a lot. That's what matters!

Our offiical ending time is 7:30 p.m., but we're free to golf until the sprinklers come on at 9 p.m. We went until about 8 p.m. and I was trying to get home to get my run in. Again, do you see where this one is going? It's 8 p.m., I haven't eaten yet, I'm tired because I get up at freaking 5 a.m. and it's almost my bed time. So, I skipped it and vowed to have a good, hard workout today. I need to figure out what that workout will exactly entail, but I'll figure it out. I'm still trying to find a marathon training plan that I like since I need to start soon. Yep, I said it. I'm going to do a marathon this fall. Looks like I'm committed now...

Almost forgot...

Good luck Spurs! (Isn't he hot!) At dinner Saturday night, one of the guys at our table just moved to the RO from Cleveland. We had a great time making fun of LeBron. (okay, even though we lost to him - note: "him" not "the Cavs" - we can still make fun of LeBron.)

Again, isn't Tony Parker hot!?!?!

I love summer!

What a great, sunny weekend. And, the 10-day forecast is all sun and warm weather!

Saturday night some friends went to a Japanese steak house for dinner. It's so much fun to have your dinner cooked right there in front of you. Great food (no steak for me...) and we had a really fun table. Sometimes you worry that you'll get some weirdos, but we were definitly having the most fun. Maybe it had something to do with the sake bombs that one of the guys introduced us to. Mmmmm, so good! It's a small shot of sake in a glass of beer. I was the best sake bomb shooter at the table. JP was so proud... :)

Sunday afternoon JP and I picked up some subs from Jimmy Johns and took our lunch to the park for a little picnic. Afterwards, we rented a paddle boat to enjoy the warm weather. JP had never been paddling boating before, and it was a bigger workout than he anticipated. We had fun and I actually remembered to take my camera. It was a nice, simple afternoon.

Yesterday I was SO tired after work, but I went to the gym for a bare minimum workout. I did 30 minutes on the elipitcal. My abdomen hurt quite a bit, but I was determined to do something. I wasn't really into it, but at least I did something.

Golf tonight and then a 3 mile run is scheduled. I'll need to get my golf frustrations out! :)

Golf clubs and running shoes - Part II

Golf - It was fun and I wasn't the worst one in the group. It's a group of 16 professional women, who realize the importance of golf in the corporate world. About half had never touched a golf club and about half have played around, but want to learn the proper way to golf. We did 45 minutes of clinic and 30 minutes on the golf course. I actually remembered a lot from last summer's lessons! I'm far from consistent though, so I need to continue practicing. It's suppose to be nice this weekend, so I'm planning on hitting the driving range. (Unless we end up going to Chicago this weekend...)

Running - I didn't get a run in on Tuesday. Last night, I went to my "little" cousins (who are taller and heavier than me) 13th birthday party. It was a last mintues decision to go, but I'm glad I did. I didn't leave until about 7:30 p.m., and with an hour drive I didn't think I was going to make it to the gym again. By the time I got home, I was feeling the itch to work out. I had my gym bag in the car, so I headed over to do a short workout. I figured a short run was better than no run at all. Ended up doing a quick 3 miles, and some leg, arms and ab work with the yoga ball and bosu ball. I LOVE the bosu ball. It they weren't so expensive I'd probably own one. But, then again, isn't that what I pay a monthly gym fee for isn't it.

Anyway, glad the week is winding down and looking forward to the weekend. It'll either be a really busy one in Chicago, where we might visit his brother, or a really low-key one where I get a lot done around the house. I'm leaning more towards the 2nd choice, but we'll see. It's suppose to be HOT today, so not sure how the run will go.

Golf clubs and running shoes

Today I start my golf league... I'm a little nervous. I got some golf clubs for Christmas, but they were way too big so I went out and got a set yesterday. I'm so excited! Just hope I'm not the worst one there. It's a professional women's league and I'm in the instructional/beginners league. We play for 6-weeks - 3 weeks of instruction and 3 weeks soley on the golf course. I took lessons last summer, but don't remember a whole lot. I was pleasantly surprised that I remembered how to hold the club last night as I was unwrapping everything. As for where my feet go, how my body is suppose to move, etc. I don't remember. Anyway, it'll be fun.

Now for running -- great workout yesterday. I went to the gym because of the rain, and it was hot and humid inside. Nonetheless, I did five 1-mile intervals on the treadmill. I felt great and I have to say the new Nike dry-fit, "looks like a t-shirt" tanks are awesome! Very comfortable, looks good and does its job well.

Hopefully I'll be able to get in a short run before golf tonight. If not, golf counts as cross-training... right? I joke now, but I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.

Rain rain go away!

What a depressing weekend. Not only did it rain all weekend, but we're out of the championship run. And, to the Cavs... I hate the Cavs. Well, really, I'm not a big fan of LeBron James. A bunch of us went to the bar to watch the game and, hopefully, see us pull out of the slump. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Everyone was so upset that the bar quickly started to empty during the 4th quarter.

The weekend was pretty low-key, which was a nice change. After work on Friday, I went home and took a nap. I got some rest and it cooled down a little bit. Humidity was still high, but I got off my butt and went for a run. Explored some new areas and got in a pretty good 6 mile run. I say that now, a few days later but, come to think of it, I think it may have been not so good the first few miles. After I loosened up a little bit, I think it got better... :)

JP's brother and girlfriend came into town for a wedding, so we got to spend some time with them on Saturday. We all went out to dinner on Saturday night, which we all miss. Sunday dinner we all (the 3 brothers and the girls) would get together at someone's house. It was always so much fun. I wanted to workout, but the timing didn't work out. Sunday, I was all set to go to a spinning class at the gym (I'm working on my cycling phobia) but something came up and I wasn't able to make it. Really. I'm trying.

Since it was pouring all day, we met up with JP's other brother and girlfriend for lunch. Since we didn't have any plans, we ended up going to a glow-in-the-dark putt putt place. It was so much fun. We just ran around like little kids - putt putt, air hockey, basketball. The unfortunate part? I was wearing a white bra and kept glowing in the dark. As soon as I walked in the door and saw the black lights, I looked down. Yep. There I was. Glowing away. Oh well, made it a little more exciting. :)

Grumpy and tired

That's not a good combo. Pile on the fact that I haven't had my coffee yet and you're looking towards a small disaster.

Went straight home yesterday because I was still in a lot of pain and running was out of the question. I laid down for a little bit and ended up falling asleep. It's a good thing I got a little nap in because it was a late night.

We went to BW3 (mmm.... potatoe wedges with cheese...) to watch the Piston's lose in double OT. It was rough. Then, I was mad I stayed up to watch it. The whole way home I was kicking myself for not going to bed 3 HOUR EARLIER! So, I'm tired this morning and I Starbucks isn't even open here yet... another 8 minutes.

I have my workouts planned for the weekend and hopefully I'll be able to stick to it.

I want to run

Right now, I should be out running. Instead, I'm laying on my bed. Towards the end of the day, I started getting those all-too-familiar sharp pains in my abdomen. Sharp pains as in daggers shooting through my body. Sharp pains as in I started crying at my desk because it hurt so badly. So, instead of working out, I'm laying here doing nothing.

Granted, when I can't work out I want to and when I can I'm not so sure I want to do it. I think that's called a girl's prerogative... :)

I go through stages where the medicine helps and I'm okay. I think that I'm glad it's not horrible all the time and okay to live with. Then, something like this happens and I'm ready to find the leading doctor in the country to make it stop and that I feel 100% again. Someone that will make me feel better so I can continue MY lifestyle. I've said this before and I'll say it again. MY NORMAL lifestyle includes running several miles every day. It is not okay for me to sit around, it is not okay for me to walk 3 days a week, it is not okay for me to cry at my desk (not that I think that's okay for anyone...). Sorry, just upset that I can't go for my planned run.

Hopefully tomorrow... keep your fingers crossed.

wine.woot

Oh no. I just discovered in addition to woot.com., they have wine.woot.com. This could be dangerous...

It's a Woot-Off!

A recently new addiction - Woot.com.

I have to look EVERY morning to see what is the Woot item of the day. And... today's is a woot-off. As soon as one product is sold out, a new one is featured instead of having to wait until the next day. I love it...

Seriously, once you start you will become a woot-addict too. I promise!

Unplanned rest day

Yesterday afternoon my mom called me at work and asked if it was okay if they (my parents and brother, who is in town) came up for dinner. Of course... now what in the heck to I make for dinner? I was only planning on dinner for two! It ended up fine and there was plenty of food. We celebrated Father's Day since we will all be in different states and wouldn't be able to celebrate. And, my brother's birthday, which was last month.

Since they came up, I wasn't able to run. Not a big deal, but I like Friday's to be my rest day and now I need to run to make up for yesterday. Well, I don't have to, but I should.

Went to bed early, again, so I missed the game last night. By the news reports, it's probably better that I didn't. We thought about getting tickets for Thursday's game, but we decided we'd rather watch it closer to home.

Looking forward to a good workout today!

Memorial Day weekend wrap up

First of all, thank you to all those who have served in the military (and those serving our country today). It has become too easy to forget the true meaning of Memorial Day among all of the BBQ's, boating and picnics. So, thank you.

Our weekend was good. JP and I left for Tennessee on Friday afternoon, around 4:30 p.m. We didn't kill each other after being in the car for 8 hours, and safely arrived at 1 a.m. exactly. We checked in our room and promptly crashed.

The next morning we hung out with everyone, since we had a big block of rooms. We ate some good 'ol southern food for lunch and played around in the pool until the wedding. Ah yes, the wedding. The wedding we drove 8 hours for... It lasted, literally, 10 minutes. It was outside, at the Museum of Appalachia. It had some replicas of old buildings, animals and a big grassy area where the ceremony took place. The entire ceremony consisted of: procession, "I do", "I do", short poem, prayer, done. Really. Small reception onsite with finger foods and punch. It was a done a few hours later. Not really what we have up here, but it was still a nice wedding.

We drove back on Sunday and JP powered through - getting us home in 7 hours. Yesterday, we relaxed in the morning and then did our own things. My brother is in town, so I went down to my mom and dad's to see him. After I got home, I went for a run. There is a high school about a mile away, so I went there to see if the gates would be open. It was, so I did a mile, ran the bleachers, ran a mile, ran the bleachers, ran two miles. The bleachers kicked my butt!!!!! Then, I ran home. It was about a 6 mile run, I'm guessing. It felt good and it was kinda fun being on the track. It really took me back to my high school years. Down the straight away, my body automatically responded to my sprinting days. :)

Well, it's back to work and I better get going. Another beautiful day, so it should be a good run tonight.

Relaxing Vacation?

Yesterday's "to-do" list:
- Bake cookies
- Pick up rental car
- Run
- Watch the Piston's game at the bar
- Pack


What I actually accomplished yesterday:
- Pick up rental car
- Watch the Piston's game at the bar
- Started laundry -- can't pack if there aren't any clean clothes

Growing up, my family was the crazy ones that had a rigorous vacation agenda. My mom typically was up late finishing up everything. We usually packed as much as we could into the car the night before and always left at the butt-crack of dawn to get on the road. My dad is an engineer and my mom is a teacher - made for an agenda-filled, learning vacation every summer.

That said, I was a little frazzled yesterday because I wanted everything done so we could leave soon after we both got home from work. I shouldn't have gone to the bar (but SO glad I did ... what a game...) It's a long drive and I'd like to get in as early as possible. JP took me by the shoulders and told me to relax and that we'll get on the road when we get on the road. Obviously, we won't leave at 8 p.m., but there is no need to freak out and think that we HAVE to leave by 3:35 p.m. I literally took a step back and said, "I'm so not used to that. You're right. I never thought about it that way."

He went on to tell me that this is a VACATION and that we are going to relax if it kills us. :) Hmmm... relax on a vacation... I'll have to try that sometime.

"Make it a great day"

A friend of mine always has, "You have reached... I am unable to receive your call... leave your name and number... thanks and make it a great day" on on her voicemail (work and cell) and I think it's such a good reminder to slow down and realize you are in control of your emotions and determining how your day will go. (Yes, I am expecting to start anytime now so I'm all emotional and scarfing down sweets.)

Yesterday, after work, I headed to the gym as planned. I jumped on the treadmill and about 10 minutes into the run, my abdomen started hurting. Hurting like stabbing knives hurting. I thought perhaps it was the impact and that the eliptical would be okay. (See, I'm bound and determined to get back into it!) It hurt and after about 10 minutes, I couldn't take it any longer. I got off and headed to the locker room. URGH!

JP was working late and had to take some co-workers who were in town out to dinner. Ate a little bit (wasn't very hungry) and started getting ready for our weekend trip. We're going down to Tennessee for a wedding. I've suddenly found myself taking over all of the responsibilities my mom always did when we took a trip. Making cookies, laundry so I can pack, making lists of things everyone so no one forgets anything... :)

Anyway, I was in a bad mood after the whole gym thing and I was still in pain, so I went to bed early. Looking forward to a better one today.

Retail therapy

Well... $351.60 later. Make that about $450 later. Yesterday I went to pay the bill for the "parking garage incident" and it really put me in a bad mood. What I should have done was go to the gym for a really good workout to get out all of my frustrations. Instead, I did what any woman in in her right mind would do. I went shoe shopping. Found two really cute pairs of heels (below is one pair I got) and, funny enough, I haven't experienced buyers remorse yet.

After my shopping splurge, I did go to the gym. I'm on a roll - 3 days in a row! I admit I was trying to talk myself out of it, but I sucked it up and went. Ran a mile warm up, lifted and then biked. I was going to run, but I thought my body could use a little something different and that I should mix it up a bit.

I've gained a little bit of weight from not working out and JP is getting a little belly. I cook pretty healthy, but we're working on portion control with him. Anyway, over the weekend I went to Kohl's to get a wedding gift and I thought to myself that I should just see how much those George Foreman grills are and if it was something that would help us a bit. I got the best deal ever! The XXL grill was on sale from $70 to $30, and I had a $10 gift card! I snatched it up and couldn't wait to use it. Last night we used it for the first time. Grilled some fish and it was pretty good. Cleaning it wasn't as bad as I anticipated, but it did take a little bit of time.

Looking forward to another good workout tonight. I'll be back to being buff in no time! :)

We had a great weekend, filled with parties. Friday night, we went to JP's friend's bar to celebrate his birthday. It was packed and we always drink for free when we go there. And by drinks, I mean shots. I think that must have been all they were serving that night. :)

Saturday night, we went up to Lansing to celebrate with one of my friends. She was in town to celebrate her birthday and we had a lot of fun. I haven't been out to a club in a long time and this was the one to make reemerge back into the scene. We were in the VIP lounge, the drinks were flowing and the music was awesome! I haven't been out dancing in so long. We also saw the BIGGEST boobs I have ever seen. I am serious when I say I think they were as big as my head.

In an effort to get off our duffs and get moving, Sunday afternoon JP went to play soccer and I went to the gym. I finally had that really great workout. Yesterday I ran outside since it was so nice. I think I did about 5 miles, and it went by so quickly. I'm still exploring the area and there are some good places to run. I found a little park that has some trails, so I think I'll be there a lot this summer.

Didn't watch the game last night because I am trying to go to bed early enough to get more than a few hours of sleep. It sucks, but what can you do? I'm trying to not feel like I got hit by a bus at 1 p.m. :) Looking forward to my workout tonight -- cardio and legs tonight. I'll be sore tomorrow!

A little thing called a conscience

I always (half) joke that it doesn't pay to be good.

Two days ago, I was pulling into a parking space in the parking structure at work. Now, since I get there so freaking early, I always get a good spot. Because I'm so paranoid, I always leave one empty space between me and the next car. Just in case. Yeah. Two days ago I (foolishly) decided to pull right next to the other car. STUPID. Can you see where this is going? Yep, I scraped it. URGH!!!! Not a good way to start off my morning. Especially at 6:30 a.m. with limited coffee in my blood stream. Freaking A*#.

At first I was so mad at myself, then I felt bad for screwing somebody else's day up (although they wouldn't know until the end of the day), and then I was mad at myself again. Enter this little thing called a conscience. I knew I needed to leave a note because it was the right thing to do. GRRRR. I took a picture of it with my camera phone and the license plate (in case the person I just scraped wasn't such a good person) and left my business card and a note under the windshield wiper. All day that was all I could think about. How could I have done something SO stupid? I NEVER park right next to someone! Grrrr. Relieved, the car was still there when I left so there were no means of paybacks or retaliation.

The next morning, I was so nervous to check my email. I didn't want to come to terms that this did in fact happen and I needed to take responsibility. Ignorance is bliss! Nothing. All day. I wasn't sure what was worse -- hearing from the person or waiting to hear from the person.

This morning, I got the dreaded email. Even worse (or better?)... I knew the person. She was my legal contact for a previous client of mine. I had to hit a lawyer, didn't I. I knew she was a nice person and wasn't going to try to completely screw me over. She thanked me for leaving a note and had gotten an estimate for the repair work. About $350 later... Stupid conscience. ;)

(On a side note. Exactly 2 years ago today, I was in the hospital awaiting them to slice my abdomen open. Yep, it's been two long years since this whole stupid mess started.)