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!!!!