Dog Days

This afternoon it was just too hot to attempt a run of any length, and because I have bowling this evening and won't be able to run then, I guess today is a day of rest. In lieu of running, I decided it was a good chance to stay indoors in the sweet central air, roll out the yoga mat and do some yoga, some core work, and a few push-ups (girl style). However, Scooter seems to believe that the mat is for his comfort instead of mine: He's such a noble beast, isn't he? With his one ear folded back. He makes floor work of any kind hard since he believes that a human on the floor is an invitation to play, and today he thought it was just plain conveinent that I wanted to lay on the floor with him. Finally, I got him to scooch to the far side of the mat and was able to get my stuff done, but it's a bit hard to focus on sun salutations with this face staring up at me:
Best part is, if he'd follow my instruction, we could do "down dog" and "plank" together -- he's good at those two poses, but he's not much for formal training and when he does those two stretches, he rarely uses the mat.

Clarification

First and foremost, I am NOT preggers. So yesterday's nausea can not be contributed to morning sickness, but how is it that I just knew one of you would throw that out there? (Erin.)

Also, I should clarify that I did not actually barf on the run yesterday -- I just felt like I was gonna, and yeah, I had a coupla moments were I kinda heaved, but I didn't actually vommit.

There, now that those two issues are all cleared up, um...hmmm. I don't have much to say. The rest of yesterday was coolio: did some school work, went to the grocery store, hubby and I went to an evening movie, "Ratatouille" -- it was very cute, theater was nearly empty except for two other families with a few ankle-biters a piece, and I got our tickets at a student discount! (I didn't ask for it, just said "two" and he told me the total and I was thinking, "Isn't that the matinee price?" but I didn't argue, and when we got inside and looked at the tickets, my husband pointed out that the ticket guy had given me the student price! Awesome. I must totally look 19!).

And today? Well, I really have nothing to report as of yet. Part of me thought of trying to rise early again for another early run, but the larger part of me wanted to sleep in, so guess which part won out? I don't know, maybe I'll go for something short later on -- hard to say -- it's hot out there today, and I'd hate to make myself sick again and then have you guys re-confirming your pregnancy suspicisions. Sheesh.

An Early 4

This morning, I wanted to get a mid-week long-ish run in, so I got up at 5 am in order to try and beat the heat and get 8 miles in. I got up, had half a piece of toast with peanut butter and some honey and a cup of coffee -- I mention this b/c I think it plays a role later on -- then I got dressed and headed out the door around 5:45.

Even though it was dark and certainly cooler b/c of the dark and the early hour, it was still 81% humidity out there and the air felt thick and hazy. As I started out, my breakfast felt a little heavy in my tummy, but I figured it would settle out within a mile; besides, this is a regular pre-run breakfast for me, so the tummy is used to either this exact combo or something similiar to it. But as the run continued, I started to feel worse and worse. I don't know if it's cuz I was so hot (sweat was just sitting on me), or if I didn't digest fully, but at mile 2, I literally thought I was gonna blow chow.

I stopped there for moment, and leaned down -- face towards the grass in case I barfed -- and took a few deep breaths. I haven't felt nauseous on a run in over a year (back then, stomach issues were the order of the day, but my tummy toughened up and I haven't felt sick during or after a run in quite some time), so this was odd. While I rested for a moment and let my nausea pass, I decided to turn around and do 4 miles instead of the intended 8.

Halfway back, I again had to walk b/c my stomach felt queasy, but then I resumed running and was able to round out the 4. Sucks, but I'm not gonna beat myself up over it. I'll adjust accordingly and perhaps tomorrow I will eat and drink differently before the run, and, maybe, just maybe, it will be slightly cooler too.

Jess' Day Off

So far, my day has been nothing but relaxing. I slept in (glorious!), lounged about and read the news, drank my coffee, and checked the blogs (oh, I like to keep a close eye on all of you). Then I did a few household chores: dishes, made the bed, watered plants, took out the garbage, that kinda shiz-nit. And then I went laid out by the pool for a spell.

It was too hot to lay out there for long (sweat was dripping off me and onto my book, so that wasn't very comfortable), but the pool was surprisingly refreshing and it felt nice to soak up a little sun and get my dose of vitamin D for day. After I showered, and got myself dressed, I decided to go shopping, but you know what? Everyone is at the mall doing back-to-school shopping, so the place was pretty busy and I only had the patience to visit two stores before feeling done with the whole business.

But before heading home, I stopped by the running store to stock up on some GU and Sports Beans (I've never tested them out before and I'm thinking of giving them a go), then came home and made myself a salad for lunch. The rest of my afternoon? I think I'm gonna plop down on the couch and do some reading in the cool comfort of air conditioning.

Having no agenda and doing what I wanna do at my pace is pretty sweet. If only this vacation could last all summer!

3 Outta 5 Ain't Too Shabby

I graded essays all. day. long. today, but in the end, I reached my goal by finishing all my classes' grades and submitting them this evening. Phew. That's one big project that is done with.

After finishing with the grades, I'd hoped that the temps had cooled some outside and I went out for my evening run. However, it was still like the surface of the sun out there. Still, I set out thinking I would do 5 miles, but a few steps on these weeble-wobble legs, which felt as flexible and as willing to run as two bags of cement, I made the executive decision: 5 was not going to happen. Thus, I settled on 3.

The first mile was a bit tough -- ran through a cloud of little black bugs and one went in my mouth and another flew into my right eye -- and it was hot like the inner circles of hell, but on a good note, after that first mile, my legs started to loosen up. By the end of my 3, I was actually feeling pretty good and probably could've done a full 5, but I figure that my legs are still recovering from Saturday's long run, and it was best not to push them past their capacity today.

I feel pretty darn good now: classes are done, run for today is done, hubby is making me some dinner, tomorrow I'm determined to not do a damned thing -- yessiree, I'm feeling sat-is-fied.

Monday, Monday

Still a little stiff today, but my legs are much improved over yesterday, and they should be fine to do my run this evening (hopefully it will be cooler then -- heard on the news this morning that temps are gonna be in the record highs today and in the next few days).

Yesterday, I got most of my chores done: cleaned the house, took care of laundry (took all friggin day!), read some essays, and finally finished Potter. Man, was that book good. The last 150 pages were so drammatic that I literally could not put it down -- I give two thumbs up to the way Rowling was about to bring all the plot intricacies together, not just from this book but from all seven books, and weave them into one of the best climaxes I've read in a long while. Plus, she was able to bring the whole story to a satisfactory resolution that I felt brought the series to a perfect close (although I did cry a lot at the end -- mostly b/c it's the end; I mean, I've been following Harry Potter and reading this story for nearly ten years, so it's the end of an era!). Of course, I'm now considering a re-read of the whole series, but first, I have several other books in my to-read stack, so I'll take care of those first: maybe I'll come back to Potter in a year or so when the plot details have faded some in my memory.

It felt good to get so much done yesterday but also have time to finish Potter (and watch a few episodes of "Weeds" with the hubby as well -- it's the best dang show around!). Today, then, is my last day of the summer semester, so I have a shitload of papers to read as they come in today, and I have final grades to process (they're due tomorrow by 3 pm, but I'm gonna strive to get them done today). So, today will be a full day of work, but then the reward? A week and a half off! I will, naturally, have to spend some of that time off planning for the fall term, but at least courses will be done and I'll have more time on my hands. The faculty starts back on August 16th and then classes resume on the 20th, so I'm gonna work hard today and then enjoy my break.

Soooo...that means I have to skeddadle to class! Have an excellent Monday, peeps!

Sore

This morning, when I got out of bed, I felt like I'd aged a little over night: I was so stiff in my legs that I felt like I was walking like my grandmother. I guess 17 miles have their consequences. My quads are especially sore.

Guess I'll have to be sure to drink plenty of water today and do some stretching. It's gonna be a rest day (for running); and since I have been such a slacker the last few days, today I have to get around to getting some stuff done: student essays to read, laundry to finish, a house to clean, Harry Potter to finish (I'm so close to being done).

Saturday's 17

Last night, my husband and I joined some friends at their house; we ordered Chinese and watched "300." I really liked the movie -- it was very violent, but honestly, it wasn't as gruesome as some critics made it out to be and I thought that the violence in "Sin City" was far more disturbing and graffic than this -- it was very stylized and I liked the artistry and cinematics of the film. On the whole, I thought it was neato-burrito and would recommend it (to mature audiences only).

We got home a little later than I had wanted, but that's how a Friday night is, and I didn't get to bed until 11:30. This would've been just dandy except I had to get up at 4:00 this morning in order to make it to the 5 am group run. When my alarm went off at 3:45, I so thought about not going. I seriously tried to justify staying in bed, but in the end, I knew I had to just suck it up and get out there (hey, if 300 Spartans can face a Persian army of millions, I figure I can face a long run at 5 am).

I started at 5 b/c I wanted to do a longer run and the more time before the sun rises, the better. So, I joined the early group, found someone who was my pace (yay!), and we were off. I'd originally planned to do 14, but once we were on the road, the momentum of the run and at the insistence of my fellow back-of-the-packers (there turned out to be four of us), I ended up doing 17.

You heard (or, read) me right, I did 17 miles this morning.

Admittedly, by mile 13, I was really starting to stiffen up and by 14, I seriously wanted to be done, but I pressed forth. At mile 14, 2 of our merry little band went ahead, but one other woman and I took our time through the last 3 miles alternating running with some walking. I was glad for her company; she pushed me to keep running through some times when I wanted to drop into the grass and crawl, and I appreciated having the company for that distance. And in the end, I was so happy that I decided to go for the longer run (like 14 isn't enough, right?) b/c right now, I feel really good.

It's hard to believe that a little more than a week ago, I wanted to quit. Now, I feel like a million bucks and I've done 17! I guess that's the ebb and flow of marathon training, and learning to deal with those highs and lows is part of the process (probably one of the more difficult aspects, really). Plus, it makes a huge difference how the group run goes -- this one went well, so I think I'll stick with them -- the one poor run must've been a fluke (fingers crossed).

Ahhhh...so now that I'm showered, hydrated, and fed, I'm beginning to feel sleepy. 41/2 hours is not enough sleep for Jess. I think I will return to the land of slumber and take it easy the rest of the day -- perhaps I will finish Harry Potter!

Have a great Saturday, peeps!

I Guess it's Friday Now

Bowling went well tonight. I sucked at first (82 in the first game), but as the beer flowed, I improved (last game was 141). The tricky part is finding that balance. If I start with that kind of buzz, by the end of the night, I'm standing there at the end of the lane trying to stand up straight, but if I start off too sober, well, you can see the result! It's just plain embarassing. It's a catch 22.

Soooo, afterward, several of us stopped by a local bar and enjoyed a few extra pitchers o' the sweet stuff and some good humored banter (and some rather awkward banter, but we'll just leave that alone -- some things between friends are best left at the bar where they belong). Thus, it was a great night with friends. Tomorrow? Oh Jesus, I have a lot of papers to read. Monday is my last day of summer class -- thank god it's nearly over -- but I have a lot to get done before then.

Let's hope I get a run in tomorrow -- lord knows I'll need the break between essays.

7th Heaven

My 7 miles this evening were a little wet, but otherwise, they went well. For some reason, it took me a long time to warm up and my legs didn't feel real loose until about mile 3, but once I turned around at 3.5 miles, I was feeling good and that carried me through the second half of the run.

I did get drizzled on, but it was alright: the rain brought some cooler temps and helped keep me from sweating to death. Now, I believe I will have a little snack, settle in for some "Top Chef" on Bravo, and then hit the hay.

A Walk and More Potter

Yesterday was a cross training day, so Erin and I went for our Tuesday walk for the first time in about...oh, six weeks. We had been so diligent with our schedule for months, but then work, travel, family, etc impeded our regularly scheduled Tuesday walk, but yesterday we were able to resume the workout. And all I have to say about that is that it was HOT. The poor dogs, they were both spent afterward -- Scooter went home and just laid on the cool tile for awhile to cool off.

I too was hot and tired afterward -- it's weird, sometimes I feel more tired after walking than I do after running. Erin must push me hard :)

Anyway, I spent the rest of the evening reading Harry Potter and I stayed up a little later than I had wanted. I've been so tired lately that I really wanted to make an effort to get to bed early so I could get plenty of sleep, but the Potter kept me awake longer than I wanted, and I had to just draw the line and put the book down so I could go to bed. Thus, I am still tired today (it didn't help that even after I put the book down and turned out the light, that my husband and I talked for half an hour about what kind of wand we'd each have if we were magic -- I went with a simple Oak wood and Phoenix feather filling for mine, but my husband said he'd want Redwood for his and dragon scales for the filling: we are dorks, I know).

But one of the reasons I love Potter (all the books) is that reading them reminds me of reading as a kid. I always loved to read, and my mother's rule about reading at night was simple: I had a very specific bedtime (8:30 -- even in the summer -- until I entered middle school), but as long as I was in bed reading, I could stay up as late as I wanted to. Trust me, there were many a school morning when I cursed myself for staying up to finish a great book (like a Ramona book or something by Judy Blume, no doubt). That kind of excitement for a book is what I'm reminded of when I read HP, and I think many others feel that way as well -- it reminds us (or me, anyway) of why we love reading in the first place: it transports us to another world and allows us to experience something completely out of our own existence, and in the case of Harry Potter, that transportation takes us somewhere quite fantastic. Thus, it's a little difficult to put not just the book, but the feeling, away at night.

Anyway, b/c I have so much work to do (student essays to read instead of Potter), I probably will only get a snippet in this evening. Plus, I have a run to do, 7 miles. At least it will give me time to puzzle over all the mysteries the book has presented so far.

Potter Break

Managed to take a brief break from Harry Potter to run my 4 miles this evening -- not much to report about the run; it was hot, humid, and buggy like always; however, I am continuing to enjoy the return of my tunes -- but now I need to get back to it! I'm trying to pace myself b/c I don't want to rush through the novel (it's the end, people, the end!) but I just can't help myself -- the story is so compelling!

See ya, homies, Potter is calling to me!

5 Miles and My Music

Instead of getting much Potter read yesterday afternoon, I spent several hours trying to fix the music situation on my computer and on my mp3. After two chat sessions and one phone call to tech support, I ended up uninstalling Real Player on the computer and reinstalling it (which means I have to completely re-do all my playlists, but at least I didn't lose any music), and I had to re-format the mp3 (wipe it clean) and then re-transfer all the music I want on there. It was a painstaking task that again left me frustrated with my mp3 and my music service (when I asked the tech guy why the mp3 had erased all the playlists on its own, he had no answer -- I would have been happier if he'd suggested gnomes), but in the end, I had my tunes restored, so I was pleased.

After spending that much time working on the music, I was excited to get out for a run and listen to it. I ran 5 miles, and while it was very hot, and very humid, I was happy with the run and the music made it so much more enjoyable. I need my music on a run like I need my coffee every morning -- it's an addiction, one that I don't plan to remedy any time soon.

Sanibel

Sanibel, for those who aren't familiar with FL, is a small island off of Ft. Myers in the Gulf. It's a quiet island best known for its beaches, which are prime for shelling, and for the wildlife preserve. It's not a place to go and party (like Key West); it's a place to go and relax -- and that's exacting what the hubby and I did this weekend.

Our trip revolved around one thing: the beach. We spent most of our time lying on the beach, enjoying the sun and our respective reads. I think I really needed this weekend: I slept a lot, finished two books that I was part way through, got some rays, enjoyed the clear Gulf water, and even got a run in (also along the beach -- it was a beautiful run, even ran past a couple getting married at sunset).

We got home this afternoon, and since my hubby was able to finish Harry Potter at the beach, I plan on picking the book up and spending the rest of the day buried in Potter. Ahhh, what a lovely weekend. Hope everyone's elses was just as enjoyable!

On the Road Again

Is where we're headed this weekend. Geez, we're traveling fools! See ya on Sunday -- have a tubular weekend!

Thursday's (Mostly) Sober Bowl

I'll be honest, I really didn't drink that much at bowling tonight, so sorry, I think this will be mainly comprehensible prose. True, I had a few beers, and yeah, enjoyed one shot, but on the whole, I was mostly sober...could this correlate with the fact that I did pretty well with my game this evening? Bah. Why open that window to questioning myself?

Anyway, I did indeed go run 3 miles this afternoon after the "mom conversation" (see below to catch up). It was fucking hot. It was about 4:15 pm and 90 degrees (with humidity, somewhere around 99 degrees). Thank god it was only 3 miles -- I think I would have burst into flames otherwise (I figured it was my punishment for failing to get up early and getting it done in the pre-dawn hours).

Afterward, I had a bottle of water (16 oz), a Gatorade (16 oz), another bottle of water (16 oz) and then several beers (at bowling), and I didn't pee until after those beers. Ya think I was a tad dehydrated after that sweaty, punishingly hot run? Yeah, yeah I was. Pee was like the color of the beer.

I suspect that tomorrow I'm gonna feel pretty fabulous since I won't be hungover. This could be a new trend for me.

Conversations with Mom

So, this afternoon, I was chatting with my mom (biological one) on the phone and she was asking about my marathon training (she doesn't read the blog -- none of the 'rents do, do your guys'?), and I was describing my recent crisis of confidence, which she interrupted to inform me of the fact that it had started raining there -- this is how conversations go with her; the last time we talked on the phone, she described for me some fairly detailed observations about the crows outside her dining room window, so I'm used to her erratic conversational habits.

Anyway, her reasoning on my mental stuff of this week was simple: get more sleep, drink more water, make sure to take a multi-vitamin. This is how my mother has advised me on every single issue of my existence. That concluded that talk, and she went on to tell me about her own exercise schedule, which revolves around walking her dogs every day and riding her bike three times a week -- a solid schedule -- yet, she's frustrated b/c she's not losing any weight, and she's complaining b/c in the course of 20 years, she's gained 20 lbs. Pretty common for someone who's middle aged, but she told me that I really need to be conscious of this because (here it comes) soon I'll be 30 (not until APRIL OF NEXT YEAR!).

My mother is my no means a nag; in fact, she's pretty non-obstrusive, but she does seem to like to remind me that I am getting older (not that 30 is old by any means). I don't know if it's b/c she thinks I should be having children (she never says anything), or if it's b/c she thinks I live an existence that is pretty similiar to when I was 21 (and it's time to grow up?), but she often finds little ways to insinuate that I'm not a spring chicken anymore. This, of course, totally contradicts my image of myself -- I think I am quite springy and chickeny, and I plan on remaining so for the forseable future.

But I certainly am not the 108 lbs I was when I went to college 11 years ago...eek gad, could she be right? Am I on track to gaining about a pound a year until I'm the size of the Stay Puff marshmallow man? Gad, those mothers know how to pick at ya when you're down, don't they? Of course, I definitely feel motivated to run now...

Decision Time

Thanks to everyone for your wide variety of comments on yesterday's post: your advice, comments, and support help me and my running in many ways and they truly help provide me with a wide variety of views and ideas about running.

But, I am feeling much improved today; thus, I have decided to continue with training and am still planning to run Chicago in October. Last night, I went out for an easy-going 3 miler and simply getting out there helped clear my confused mind and helped me to think about and focus on why I want to do this. I do think I still have time to get back on track and train better, and yes, I agree, I think most of a marathon is mental -- so perhaps some training on that end will be helpful as well. And while I was looking around for inspiration yesterday, I came upon this quote, which seemed apt:

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
- George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

Clearly, my mind has been tired lately. Having my family here for 8 days was simply too much. Even though I love them, and I enjoyed much of their visit, it is wearing to have company for that long, and to be honest, along with them comes a certain amount of drama -- drama that I have been pretty successful at putting to rest in my own life. So their departure today is a relief, and it will be nice to have my house back and my time back, and I think that will afford me the opportunity to relax some and re-focus my running. And I think I'll be able to sleep better -- a Jess who isn't well-rested is just not an effective Jess.

So, again thanks to everyone who commented: Lisa, I'd love to run with you in Chicago -- I'll have my people contact your people; Wendy, we'll have to find something convienent for us both and find time to get a few runs in together; Junebug, you are always practical, and I appreciate that; but final thanks go to Keith, whose succinct comment "sorry, you can't quit" really said exactly what I think I needed to hear. But again, "thanks" go out to you all: You RBFers are the best!

Showing you my Cards

*Caution: this post is lengthy*

I'm gonna be honest, homies, I'm feeling down and doubtful about Chicago right now. I could perhaps attest both feelings to a variety of factors: exhaustion (classes are busy right now, and with house guests, entertaining is draining), PMS, or even poor sleep; however, for the past few days I have been seriously questioning not just whether or not I can run Chicago, but whether or not I want to run Chicago.

This morning I was feeling so low about it, I cried some to my husband about it, and while he aims to be helpful -- telling me that whatever I choose is fine and that he supports either decision -- it's ultimately difficult because it's a choice I have to make on my own.

But to offer up a sampling of my doubts, they include:

Under/Sporadic Training: I'm nearly halfway through the training, yet my long run repetoire is sparse and I haven't run anything longer than 11 miles so far. The last 7 days have been particularly erratic and I haven't run a log run since the disasterous group run from over a week ago. I had promised myself after Disney that I would be more faithful in following a training schedule, but I find myself slipping back into my old ways. Not good.

Lack of Motivation: Even though I specifically signed up for Chicago because it sounded like fun, now I find it hard to get enthused about running 26.2 miles -- no matter the event or locale. I can certainly imagine my feelings of accomplishment and triumph with a finish, but thinking of not running it doesn't bother me (if I don't run, we'll still go to Chicago -- I have purchased the travel accomodations -- but I would just play a cheering roll instead of a participatory one). Plus, I keep thinking: I've completed a marathon, and that was all I'd initially set out to do, so why have I felt the need to continue with such long, strenous races when I might be better suited as a runner for shorter races?

Looming Feeling/Pressure: It certainly is great to have goals, but having the big race looming over all aspects of the training kinda takes away from some of the joy I get from running -- an activity that I mainly enjoy for its escapist nature. If I miss a run or do poorly on a run during training, I feel guilty and immediately question my ability to complete or do well in the race. I don't really like that added stress in my life (especially b/c I'm someone who likes to enjoy as stress-free existence as possible). For example, the past week when I haven't really been able to run, it has been in the back of my mind constantly and I find it infringes on my ability to relax, knowing that instead of enjoying a sunset celebration, I should be running the 5K.

Certainly, I know I can turn these thoughts around (I've had them before and have overcome them) and they may be temporary, so in two days I may not be thinking like this anymore (especially since I know that PMS makes me "blue" for a day or two and I am always a little irrational). Plus, I know I can make the most of the next half of my training; I can re-focus and I'm certain I could do the running. But, as I said at the beginning of the post, it's not necessarily a matter of "can" I do it -- it is the desire to do it.

The only thing that (truly) keeps me from deciding to not run it is that I'm the sort who hates to quit. And for some reason, deciding to not run Chicago feels like quitting -- opting out of a challenge that I chose to undertake -- and that's not how I roll. Even if I can't do something perfectly, I still always see things through.

So, I hope I've accurately painted the (mental and emotional) dilemma I'm facing, and in the end, I know that no one else can make the decision for me (although opinions, advice, empathy, and reprimands are all appreciated); I need to conclude what I can for myself.

Thanks for reading. Think I want a Diet Pepsi now. No, wait, maybe a cold beer. If only I didn't have another class in half an hour... is it "wrong" to go to class after a few?

Key West

If it's possible to jam a week's worth of Key West stuff into one weekend, we accomplished it. We went to the Southernmost Point: Hemingway's house (my personal favorite):
Hopped around and saw all the popular bars and had drinks in a few of them (to have drinks in all of them truly would take all of one week -- maybe more). Here I am in the Hog's Breath Saloon, drinking one of their brews:
And we enjoyed the Sunset Celebration held in Mallory Square (I think it's so cool that every night everyone gathers to watch the sun set):
Plus, we saw the lighthouse, shopped, ate, went on a ghost tour (did not see any ghosts), shopped some more, walked back and forth across the island about 2 dozen times, ate some more, and, in general, enjoyed our short vacation. But, phew, I'm a bit worn out!

Oh yeah, and number of miles ran this weekend? 0. I guess since I was at MILE 0 that makes sense, but for a person training for a marathon this past week has been a running bust. It's hard with company and traveling, but I really do need to get my act together.

Key Largo, Montego, Baby Why Don't We Go

Heading out to Key West today, folks. Even though today is usually my day to sleep in, I was up early this morning trying to get a few chores done: laundry, packing, running to the bank, etc. We're leaving around noon when my husband gets done with work, and then it's nothing but Keys, baby, Keys!

Have a good weekend everyone and I'll see ya back here on Sunday!

Bolwing, Bowling, Bowling, Rawhide!

Okay, homies, this is gonna be the best bowling post ever! Because I have had the right amothiy of alcohol and I think I type pretty good.

So, I hadsome pretty good gmes. First game was alright, second game was aweosme and third game again was laright. B/c 2 team mates were gone, I let my sister and stepmom bowl int heir place (hope that's okay!) and my stepmom did awesome but my sister was still wokin on not getting it in the gutter. But she did improve and that's what counts -- plus, I think she had fun.

We did not earn any points (sorry, Shannon).

I had me lots of beers...and one shot. I think my setpmom was kinda leary about me drivy home but I said "I drive home all the time".....so maybe that eased her min!

Anyway....am sad that my friend Amy is leaving tomorrow for Denver. I had some mini tears ove rht eev departure. Hugged her. Hugged LBK (little baby kyle). Sad they are leaving but also happy fo them if this is the ahppier life they want...what can I do? Soemtimes friend smove away and all I can do is eat corn dogs. (Which was deiclisou).

Alrighty,,,enouh sad things. Amy and Kenivn and Kyle will be ahppy in Co and I will go ski there, so its cooll. Maybe.

Do they have corn dogs there?

Kidding, I grew up there, adn yet...I don't think I had a cron dog til I moved to MN (maybe that's where they invented corn dogs) andyway, they are delcious at the bowling alley.

Sokay, I will miss them all -- sad toseee them go but happy about corn dogs.

What else was ai gonna say? Oh yeah, quote of the night:

Ont he way to bowling, my sister was trying to figure out the exact confirguation of her visor (hat thingy)and she said: "I like t by pimpin wherever I go"!!! That is aweomse. My new motto.

I like to be pimpin wherever I gio. Yey, that's me. Pimpnin, Homies.

2 for Thursday

Because I kept hitting "snooze" this morning, I didn't leave myself much time for a run, but I knew if I didn't do something, I'd regret it. So, I dragged myself out of bed and got 2 miles in. I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing.

I wish I could say it was a fast two miles, or that I felt great afterward, ot whatever else I could add that makes 2 miles sound more glorious than they are, but I can't: it was a slow, hot (read: humid), and boring 2 miles (my mp3 seems to have died again -- it apparently erased ALL the music on there, on its own; I don't even wanna think about that thing -- it has caused me so much aggravation).

Maybe I can do better tomorrow, we'll see. And yes, tonight is bowling, and I don't know for sure if my family is coming with or not: they said they maybe would -- partially depends on how much they do today and if they feel up to being around a bunch of drunken hooligans.

Wanted: More Sleep

My family arrived safely and on time yesterday, we enjoyed a nice dinner out, and then spent a relaxing evening chatting and catching up.

But this morning when my alarm went off at 5:20 for my planned run, do you think I got up? No, no I did not. I shut it off and went back to sleep for another hour. No run. Dang my lack of willpower!

Well, I didn't sleep great again last night (I think I had WAY too much coffee), but that happens. No running for today, and I'm hoping that while my company is here I'll be able to force myself to do the necessary running first thing in the mornings so I can better enjoy my afternoons and evenings with them. I'm excited for my stepmom and sister to arrive this afternoon -- I haven't seen them since my wedding (18 months ago) and my stepmom, especially, needs a good vacation.

I don't talk about my family much on this here blog, but that's primarily b/c I figure this isn't really the place for it, and b/c there's honestly too much to say and it requires a book, not a blog to explain. But essentially? My family is pretty dysfunctional. (Yet, I can't say that's been all bad -- it's shaped who am today and I don't think I turned out too badly.)

But the past couple of years have been rough on my stepmom: she went through both ovarian cancer and breast cancer (currently, is in remission for both and doing successful with treatment), she and my dad got divorced (so, "technically" not still my stepmom but I still think of her as family), and has dealt with my nasty teenage brother and sister (let's just say that my brother's behavior over the past year led him to a few nights in jail). So she needs a break, and I hope I can provide the right amount of fun and relaxation that she needs.

I'm looking forward to her and my sister's stay, and am excited to see them both this afternoon. Cross your fingers that I'll have the willpower to get up early tomorrow morning and get my 7 done.

Monday's "To Do" List

Teach classes: Check.

Wash guest bedding, make bed: Check.

Wash all windows (including large sliding glass doors inside and out): Check.

Wash Scooter: Check.

Dust, clean bathrooms, clean all floors, vacuum Scooter fur off couches, take out trash, run dishes, wash and dry all rugs: Check, check, check.

Finish reading stack of papers: Check.

Run 4 miles? Motherfucking Check.

That's right, peeps, with a little "can-do" attitude and a whole lotta caffeine, I got everything done on my daunting checklist. I friggin rock.

The Heinz 57 Post: A Little Bit of Everything

The group coach emailed me back today in response to what I sent her last night and she was very apologetic and took full responsibility for my getting left behind. She assured me that if I returned, it wouldn't happen again.

I tossed and turned last night in bed and couldn't fall asleep partially because of my email last night to her. I worried that I was being too critical and, perhaps, arrogant, but at the same time, I feel that I have to be firm and assertive in my running needs and goals within this group (and, as was mentioned, I am paying for it), and the group markets itself as accomodating all levels of training and running, so it should be able to accomodate me. So, thanks for all your comments re-assuring me that my response was appropriate in tone and content. That made me feel better this morning.

And the coach's response today was warm and I think she will address my concerns in future long runs, so I think the experience will improve.

But...I also couldn't sleep because I was thinking about everything I had to do today (because, yes, I blew off chores yesterday and went to see Harry Potter -- luh-ved it!). As I mentioned, I have company coming tomorrow (my stepmom and sister) and I want to get some stuff done around the house (like wash the guest bedroom window -- Scooter's snoot snot is all over it -- and wash the guest bedding); plus, I have a shitload of papers to read (and because I am a Muggle, I have no magic way of making them read themselves), and I have to run tonight. Thinking of that long list, and cursing myself for being lazy all weekend (though I wasn't too hard on myself; I believe that I deserve a certain amount of laziness on the weekend), I found sleep difficult last night.

The result? I'm tuckered out today. And what am doing that is not on my "to-do" list? That's right. Blogging. So, I'd best toddle off and get to work!

Follow-Up to Saturday's Dismal Group Run

This is the email I received this evening from the running group's coach:

Hey there!
I did not see you after the run on Sat. Are you ok?

Please tell me you had someone to run with > I apologize I lost track of you and Michelle.

Will you be out there this week?
Coach T

Below was my response; what do you guys think?

Good evening,

Yes, I'm fine, and I appreciate you checking up on me. But I'll be honest, I was pretty upset after Saturday's run. I ended up alone, and while the route was fairly straight forward and I easily found my way back, I was discouraged by being left behind and by myself. Frankly, my interest in a running group was not to run solo.

When I finished my run yesterday, I was a bit upset and, honestly, in no mood to socialize, so I quickly headed home. I'm no longer upset, and my wish is not to upset any kind of group dynamic, but I certainly have to seriously question if this group is right for me. Everyone just may be too fast for my level of running.

I will be out of town the next two weekends in a row, but I would like to give the group another go. If it's just not the right fit, I would appreciate recommendations for others who may be a bit slower and better able to accommodate my pace. Again, thanks for checking up -- that does make me feel better, and I will certainly return in two weeks on Saturday, August 4 for the long run; hopefully, this Saturday's lonesome run was a fluke.

Thanks,
Jess

I'm glad she checked up with me about the run since it did NOT go well (see Saturday morning's post below if you missed it), but at the same time I wanted her to honestly know how I felt about it. Do you guys think my response was appropriate?

*BTW, in response to some previous comments: This group is a formal group and I do have to pay for the training and the group runs (although, I have not paid yet -- had check ready on Saturday but then after the disappointing run, shoved it back in my purse). So, you'd think this would call for a higher level of professionalism (or maybe "athleticism"), right?

Chillin

Scooter's relaxed and reclined position here pretty much sums up the rest of my day yesterday: I just chilled.

After my long run yesterday morning, I stopped by the bookstore, got a few new reads, and then spent the rest of the day lounging and reading (interspersed with some tv watching and a little napping as well).

Then, last night I went out for dinner and drinks with a few close friends (one of whom is moving to Denver next week, so we needed the bonding time before she goes). We had fun eating, drinking, gabbing. After dinner we went to this bar that has outside seating, and in the time we were there (maybe an hour and a half), it was so hot that my feet and my fingers swelled. Seriously. I got home and had tree-trunk feet and ankles. It was unreal.

Today, I have a few chores I'd like to get done (we have company arriving on Tuesday and there's a few things I'd like to do before they arrive), but am also thinking about totally blowing off those chores and going to see the new Harry Potter. Hmmmm. Choices, choices.

Group Run

I'll be honest with you homies, my Saturday long run with the group? Sucked.

I was doing 8.5 today, as were several other people, and others were planning on 12 (those that go further take another route). Well, as I mentioned last week, most of these people are fasty-fasties, and just like last week, the bulk of them shot off at the beginning and I was far behind with two other women. Now I know I'm a bit of a slow-poke, but this is where I'm at and I don't be-grudge myself that; plus, I know that my long run pace should be about 10:30-10:45 per mile and that's what I was doing.

At the first water station, there was a split in the road: those doing 8.5 were going right, and those doing 12 went left. The two I was with? Going back. Fuck.

I tried keeping close enough to a pair of fellow runners on my 8.5 route, but slowly I fell behind and after awhile, I lost sight of them. So I was alone. Without a Garmin or my mp3, running a path that I was unfamiliar with, I quickly became discouraged and, well, pissed off. If I wanted to run by myself, I'd do it at home. The whole reason I wanted to join a running group was to run with other people! Make sense? Yes?

On the way back, I got a little lost and am not entirely sure what my total distance was (at least the planned 8.5: could've been longer -- felt longer but that's probably because of my mental frustration), but I found our meeting spot; I signed myself as "back" (restrained myself from adding: "no thanks to any of you fuckers"); I got in the car without waiting for others and went home. Now that I've showered and am enjoying the coolness of the house, I'm not quite as mad. After all, it's not their fault they're fast. However, maybe this isn't the right group for me. I don't know.

I had a good run last week, so I can't totally discount the group, and just b/c I had one bad run with them doesn't necessarily mean that I will never return. I am out of town the next two weekends, and will have to run by myself then anyway, and when I return I'm inclined to return to the group and give it another chance. If I end up alone again, I may just need to shop around again for another, slower bunch of runners.

Bowling last night was tons o' fun. First off, my husband and I had a friend over for dinner before bowling and he brought along a 12 pack of delicious Bud Light, so the 3 of us had a few beers with dinner. Thus, when we arrived at the alley, I was already comfortably buzzed.

And that's why my game peaked in game 1. I had just the right amount of alcohol for that first game (it has to be enough to make me loose and relaxed, but not so much that I can't stand up straight) and I did well, but then it went downhill -- because I kept drinking. Game two hated me and game three was slightly better but was still embarassing. Our team totally lost all points and I'm sure our ranking is going to dip down to the bottom numbers now (we're not so hot this season).

Above pic: Me enjoying my beer in a sensible manner, and no, I don't take regular pictures: What fun is a picture without my tongue hanging out the side or my eye cocked? Below pic: Erin and I. Well, mostly me. I kinda edged Erin outta the pic.

But, bowling is only half of the Thursday night experience, so the loss didn't really affect us too much, and after we finished, we were all congregating by our last two teams playing, eating corn dogs (I scarfed down two and I wonder why I can't lose those 5 lbs), drinking the last of our beer, and chatting. For some reason, no one was really ready to go home, so I suggested we all go back to our place.

The drinking continued at our (newly finished) house, and people played Guitar Hero on the Xbox. Either the Gutar Hero or the drinking kept people around longer than normal, and it was 1 am before everyone left, which is a perfectly acceptable hour on a weekend, but for a work night, it's kinda late. Not a problem for me b/c I don't have classes on Friday, but my husband was a little slow this morning getting ready for work, poor fella.

All in all, it was good times, good times. I maybe over-hugged some people, but on the whole it was the right amount of fun without the "after drunk guilt." That's two thumbs up in my book.

Thurday Boling

Okay, b/c of some comment,s i's trying to be good a tyoer:

Soooo...Bolwing: Wwll, I pekaed in game one. So that kinda sucked. But the alcohol wa awoooosome!!! I had many, many beers, (warmed yp a4v 4:30 : woohoooooo!!) and currently we have poepl over playing some guitar heor oa nd drinkingosmebeers!!!

Which is wawoem ! yay!

Okay, I', gonna write this bettr otomorrow/. I to dont suck at wirint when runk! ya!

T.G.I.T

Thank God it's Thursday.

This, right now, is my favorite part of the week: Thursday afternoons. Granted, b/c I teach college, my schedule changes every four months -- thus, my favorite part of the week changes, but for now, this summer, this is my fav. At this time, I am done with classes for the week, I don't have to run, and I have bowling to look forward to tonight!

And while, yes, I always have papers to read, class to plan for, a house to clean, and laundry to do, I don't have to do any of that this afternoon. Thus, Thursday afternoon is mine! All mine!

What will I do with that kind of power? Use it for good? Or, for evil? I opt for lazy: I'm thinking of changing into some sweats, plopping down in the comfy chair, and watching some Seinfeld on DVD. Ahhhhhh.....

A Motley 6

Thankfully, I charged my mp3 for this evening's 6 miler b/c I don't know if I would've made it through that last mile without a little Motley Crue and some "Kickstart my Heart." At that point, I was feeling pretty fatigued: I was hot and sweaty as hell, my fingers were swollen to the size of frankfurters, my shorts were rubbing me on my side, and I was very thirsty (despite a water break at 3.5 miles).

So even though I felt like walking the last mile, the Crue came on, my heart was kickstart-ed, and I cruised through my final mile. (And if there's anything sweeter than peelin off wet, sweaty clothes and getting into a cool, refreshing shower, I'd like know; otherwise, I think that is the closest to heaven one can get.)

Now, I have 4 papers left to read before "Top Chef" and then I'm hittin' the sack.

Tubular Tuesday

My walking partner got stuck at icky work this evening, so Tuesday Walking was cancelled. I considered just taking the day off, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get an extra run in, so I went out and put in another 3 miles. My mp3 battery died at mile 2, so I had to run the last mile with only the voices in my head, but it still went well.

Again, I don't know times, but I still felt fast -- just like yesterday -- and that was awesome. I hope the momentum continues through the week. No, wait, scratch that. I hope it continues for the next 3 months. That would be sweet.

Beep, Beep!

I didn't bring a watch or the Garmin for my 3 miles tonight, but I gotta say, I felt frickin FAST. I swear that to passersby, I was just a blur, much like the Road Runner as he speeds away from that darn Coyote.

I'm tellin ya, not even an Acme Anvil coulda slowed me tonight.

I was on fiyah!

In the past eight days, I have consumed record numbers of alcohol and fatty, high-cal food. Partial fault goes to the holiday last week and celebrating it twice, but the majority of fault goes to moi. And I can feel the effects of my gluttony today (sometimes the fat cells need a few days to coagulate and make their final resting stop on my thighs). I feel like a fatty-fatty-two-by-four.

I didn't make the mistake of weighing myself this morning (Mondays are bad enough, who wants to step on to the scale and add to the misery?), but as I sit here, I feel like a lard ass. Not good.

At the beginning of May, I felt this way and resolved to try and lose 5 lbs. Did I do it? Nyet. I am still 5 lbs fat. So, today I re-resolve to lose those extra pounds of chub and try to become the lean, mean running machine that I'm always aiming for. I guess that means I need to go to the grocery store, and no more Bud Light and mini egg rolls for me. Straight up salad, here I come.

*Editor's note: Okay, Erin, I guess you weren't drunk this morning, b/c Blogger won't let me write a title for this post either. Booger.

Last Night

So, after running yesterday morning, I spent the entire day helping my husband with projects around the house. We worked all day and in the end, we were proud of ourselves for finishing the house and getting it cleaned. Thus, we decided to show the place off and invited a few people over for a couple of celebratory drinks.

Okay, things got out of hand.

By the end of the night, one person was angry over being constantly teased (you say something stupid once in this group and it never dies, so I can understand his frustration), one person was crying, and one person left without his pants on (a little incident with Scope in places where they shouldn't be -- explaining that one is just too hard). My husband made up for being sober on Thursday and had a little too much and is still in bed.

Me? I'm fine: I didn't get angry, I didn't cry, I managed to keep my pants on, and I feel fine this morning. But it has me puzzling over why every time we have people over things escalate like that. It doesn't happen at other people's houses.

Anyhoo, I'm thinking that today will be a well-deserved rest day. Rest from running, rest from chores, rest from work. I'm gonna chill out, read my book, maybe watch a movie.

The Group Run

went well.

And, yes, I had nothing to fear. True, these people are pretty serious runners -- most of them were trim, toned, and speedy (I was the "back of the pack" with a few others and we were pacing at 10:00-10:30, so most people were running 8:00-8:30 miles!) -- but they were also very nice, and the coach frequently circled back and forth between the sub-groups to chat and encourage, so that was nice.

As I mentioned previously, I planned on doing 9 miles today, but with the group, I ended up doing 10, and it was 10 that felt good (didn't even need a walk break; although, I was grateful for each water station) despite the incredible humidity and the bugs. At the end of the run, I was literally soaking wet with sweat and I was coated in little black bugs.

Now, that I've experienced the group run, I really don't know how I ever did those long ones by myself; it was seriously that much better, and it just makes so much better sense: it's more motivating, it's safer, and it's better paced. I plan to return to the group next Saturday morning and continue with them. But then what sucks (well, only kinda), is that I'll be out of town two weekends in a row (be in Key West one weekend and Sanibel the next -- poor me, right?) so I'll be on my own for long runs then.

Ahhh, it's good to have that run out of the way for the weekend (and to feel some of my confidence in my training restored), and tomorrow I can sleep in and relax knowing I already got it done! This must be why everyone touts getting up early and getting it done, huh?

Marathon Program

As per some questions: I have been following Higdon's Novice 2 program, but for me, I think the weekend long runs were a bit accelerated (I only have one marathon under my belt, and it was a struggle to finish that, so I am very much a novice marathoner). So, now in week 5, I've decided to keep the Novice 2 weekly runs, but switch back to Novice 1 weekend runs. We'll see how it works.

This morning, I'm actually up at this ungodly hour (currently, it's 5:05 am) b/c I'm meeting a running group at 6 am for the first time. I am pretty nervous: Did NOT sleep very well, tossed and turned, and when the alarm went off, I really felt like not getting out of bed. As I have expressed before, the idea of a running group mostly freaks me out, but as is also clear: I am not good with the long runs by myself -- and I must seek others if I'm going to be successful with this marathon training (trust me, it crossed my mind this morning that maybe -- to avoid the group running -- I should just not run Chicago; although, that thought has already crossed my mind in other forms as well, for now, I have to ignore those doubts).

So, I need to finish up my cup of coffee, get my shoes on, go to the bathroom and then skedaddle: instructions were quite firm as to the strict 6 am start time. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Aftermath

Okay-dokey, looks as though I'm going to need to put a baby gate up around the computer on Thursday nights b/c I cannot be trusted. And good lord, I can NOT type when intoxicated!

Soooo, yeah, I had a good bowling night. First game sucked, but then the beer kicked in and I did much better in the 2nd game, and then I had two shots and more beer and still rocked that alley in the 3rd game. Unfortunately, our competition was tough, so we didn't win all the games -- I think we took home 5 out of 9 points for the night (2 points per game and 3 points if you get total pins: I believe we won one game, but took total pins). And even though I showed up to bowling ready to go to bed -- I was soooo tired yesterday -- by the end of the night, I was wild! And my husband, who wasn't feeling very good and was totally sober, was a little annoyed with me. But I had fun.

Anyhoo, aside from drinking far too much this week, it's been an irregular week in terms of everything: including running. I had my rained out run on Monday. Our walking on Tuesday was also rained out, so we did Dance Dance Revolution for 45 minutes (it was a good workout, but I suck at DDR), had my 5k on Wednesday, ran 3 miles last night -- slowly b/c I was just dragging, and I was thinking of doing something short again today. I guess we can label this week a "cut back" week even though that was not my original intention. My long run this weekend is also a little shorter, 9 miles, b/c I decided to go back to the novice 1 program and integrate some of that schedule with the one I've been using. The long runs were just too accelerated for me, I think, in the novice 2 program.

But for now, I need to get to my chores: hubby has me on trim-painting duty, so I'd best get to it!

Hey Homies!

Yeah, I'm drunk, yeah, Id on't regret it!1

So myhusbad says i douhl g not be on the computer, but Isa "srew you!@"' Yea, we migh need to get hism tom more beers!!

I rokced at bolwing and I ddi real geooo! Yay!

Okay, husbad says DO NOT Pulish!! I say "yeh, wlell ti do waht I want!"

thats how I roll.

A House becomes a Home

When we bought our condo 2 years ago, we were kinda looking for places that we could put our personal touch on. Thinking he'd enjoy having a house as a project, my husband was eager to have weekends full of construction where he could put many of his abilities to use. Thus, our condo.

Certainly a project.

An old man had lived here and had lived here since the place had been built: mid-80s. There was floor to ceiling wallpaper. There were floor to ceiling mirrors in the living room, wallpaper on the blinds, the outlets, and even on the ceilings in the bathrooms. There was terrible carpet, outdated tile, and old, decrepit cabinets.

We set to work. And we worked and worked, and no project went easily (pulled down some wallpaper in the master bedroom, for example, and the whole wall came with it), but within the first six months, we had finished both bathrooms and both bedrooms. But then we lagged; slowly, the office was finished and we started to de-construct the other rooms, and then let many months fall in between projects; then the new year, and suddenly we were on fire again. So in January we set out to finish this place. We started in the kitchen. Above (top picture), is the kitchen as it was a year ago: old cabinets, crappy laminate counters, old tile floor, poor layout.

It all came out. As you can see from the pic (second pic) with my husband working on the plumbing: that gaping hole was where the sink used to be.

For many months, we washed dishes in the bathroom and ate primarily take out and pizza, but slowly it came together, and when the tile was installed last week, the kitchen project was finally completed. We do still plan on replacing the appliances (we'd like stainless steel), but that will be several months from now when some of these construction costs have been paid off.

What was left for improvement was the living room/dining room. All those walls with black splotches? Those used to be all mirror, baby. (We briefly considered the idea of abandoning the idea of a "home" and just turning this place into a discotheque.) We tore out the old carpet, which was grody, chipped up the old tile in the entryway, tore out the old half wall and my husband built a new one with shelves, and yesterday -- on his holiday -- my husband installed the flooring.
We still have trim to do, and there are certainly some touch ups that need to be finished, but otherwise? This completes the 2 year endeavor to remodel.

I can't believe it. This project has spanned not just 2 years; it has been an era: In that time, we got married, got Scooter, I ran a marathon, I got a full time teaching position, we traveled, we bowled, and we drank a lot of beer, so now that it's finished? I honestly feel like a huge chapter is coming to a close. Now we will finally be able to live in this entire space: We will be able to have friends over to watch a movie and those friends won't have to sit on the bed to watch the TV!

Granted, I will now care if someone spills a full glass of red wine on the floor, but I guess that's how adults live.

Once we finish the last details, get some furniture in here, and get a chance to pop the cork on a bottle of champagne, I'll feel settled. I suppose my husband will be lost without the constant feeling that a project is looming, but our credit cards will get a breather and I hope it's the end of arguments over what kind of knobs to get for the closet doors (remodeling is not easy on a marriage). So finally, this place will feel like "home."

Caffeine, Please

It is wrong, just wrong to have a holiday in the middle of the week and have to return to work the following day. Especially a holiday that is celebrated by barbeque, beer, and late night fireworks.

I'm gonna need extra cups o' joe today!

Independence Day 5K

Short version of the race:

Time: 29:22 Not a PR, but not too shabby.

Long version of the race:

I got up at 5:15 am in order to have a cup of coffee and enjoy a Cliff bar for breakfast before heading out the door at 6 for the race. I arrived at the festivties at 6:30 and figured 30 minutes before a 7 am start time would be plenty of time to register, get my bib, get my chip, and get to the start line. And while it was plenty of time, I ran into a snag.

As I was standing in line, registration form and money in hand, they ran out of numbers. No more bibs, no more chips, end of the line. Now, I wasn't the only one left standing there in line sans the necessities, and I would've been more understanding if the woman behind the registration table hadn't been such a be-atch. She starts loudly announcing: "You snooze, you lose, people. You should've registered ahead of time. Registration is closed!"

"You snooze, you lose"!?

If race day registration is open, they need to be prepared. Sorry, bitch, I did not snooze (note the time I got out of my sweet, sweet bed), so "fuck you" b/c I'm running a fucking race today. Crumpling up my registration form and tossing it in the trash, I tucked my $20 in my short's pocket and headed for the start line without a bib or chip. I figured I wouldn't be official, but I could still go by the race clock and that was close enough (besides, I've never had a chip time that was drastically different from the clock time).

The start was crowded -- clearly this race was more popular than anticipated -- and in the first tenth of a mile, it was hard to break away from the group. Plus, as can be imagined (it is a holiday today), racers were primarily families with kids. For those of you who know me, or have read this blog long enough, you know that I have nothing against kids (in fact, one fine day I hope to have a few ankle-biters of my own); however, I do NOT like kids in races. Typically, they are unpredicatable: they swerve in and out of traffic, and slow down, speed up, or stop without warning or consideration of those around them. So, I spent the first half mile dodging the little beasts before I was able to break into my own stride.

Time at mile 1: 9:25. Excellent. I was on target for my intended pace. Time at mile 2: 18:40. Again, excellent. But then the sun started to rise and the heat/humidity really began to get to me (I could see it affecting others around me as well). You see, at 5:15 when I rose this morning, it was a cool 75 degrees out -- but it was 90% humidity. That adds at least 10 degrees to the temp, and by 7:20, my guess is that it was easily in the upper 80s -- and sweat is NOT evaporating in that kind of humidity. Sticky, very sticky.

So, I could feel myself slowing in the final mile, and while I was not disappointed by a finishing time of 29:22, it now seems so obvious why my 5K PR was a November race.

After I crossed the finish line, I grabbed my water, and headed out to my car (I'm not really the sort to hang out at after-race activities, especially since I was by myself this morning -- hubby opted to sleep in on his holiday). But, I couldn't find my car. I don't know if it was post-run amnesia or what, but everything looked the same to me. After wandering around the parking lot for nearly 10 minutes, I finally got my bearings (spotted a Starbucks I was certain I had walked past on my way in) and located my car. Plus, the fact that I had managed to not lock myself out of it was an extra bonus.

All in all, it was a fine race, but I guess if I choose to run it again next year I'll have to remember to pre-register so I can "officially" run it.

Considering...

...a race tomorrow morning.

I haven't run a race since March, and it's kind of a vast wasteland for races here in FL in the summer (too hot -- most races are held between Nov and Feb when temps are optimal and even then, start times are early: Disney, for example, started at 6 am), so I've been scanning local race calendars, but many of the 5k's are races I've done before and am not overly eager to repeat (two of them I probably will just b/c it's good racing practice and it's always kinda fun to see if you can beat your own course time). The 5k I'm considering for tomorrow is not one I've done before, so that might be interesting, and a race may be just the thing I need to light a fire under my lagging attitude.

Of course, starting the 5k at 7 am means that the race will be warm, to say the least, but I think I can deal with it for 3.1 miles. I doubt it will be a PR event, but it could be a fun 4th event for the early morning.

What do you think, should I get up early on my holiday and run a 5k?

Rain Soaked

About an hour before my 3 miler this evening, the sky darkened and thunder clouds loomed overhead. I figured that was good: The rain would cool the day off and be over by the time I set out on my run. Wrong.

It was sprinkling when I set out and I thought: "Hey, I'm tough -- it's 3 miles; I'll run through it." At first it just drizzled on me, but it quickly upgraded itself and it started to pour. Then, I thought: "Okay, this is gonna suck" but I kept through it. Then, the wind kicked up and the rain started pelting me with sideways pellets and it began to pour even harder. I hadn't even gotten to the .5 mile point and I was completely drenched (shoes sloshing, shorts clinging, sports bra a soggy mess) and I could barely see, the rain was falling so hard.

"I'm not running in this kind of fuckery," I thought then, and I turned around.

So, my planned 3 miles? Yeah, turned into 1 mile.

For now, I'm glad I came in -- it's still a torrential downpour and the lightning and thunder are crashing around the house (better wrap this up before the power blinks). Damn you summer rain; we need the moisture, but you make running hard!

Monday, Monday

We were busy all day yesterday with home projects and cleaning, so by the time we finished up in the early evening, both my husband and I were ready to sit back and relax. We made ourselves some dinner and then settled in for some "Freaks and Geeks" (one of the best cancelled shows ever).

So, no running for me yesterday -- I needed the day of rest.

Last night, we also made a trip to the bookstore to pick up some new reads. I'd finished reading Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" last week, and was very much impressed with it, and had kinda started reading Stephen King's "Dreamcatcher" but I could tell 60 pages in, that I wasn't in to it. I like Stephen King and do think that he gets brushed over by critics and academics all too often; however, I don't think all of his work is noteworthy. Sometimes, his novels lack depth, characters are flat, and the plot is tired, and even though I just started it, I could tell that this novel was not something I wanted to spend another 700 pages on. So, I pulled my bookmark (kinda like pulling up anchor) and got me two new books: "A Dog Year" by Jon Katz and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hoisenni (I'm positive I didn't spell that right, but I don't have the book with me, and am too lazy to look up the author's name; in fact, I might have gotten the title wrong as well). Started the first one last night and am loving it -- I always like good dog tales (pun intended).

Tonight I have 3 miles scheduled. Stomach is feeling a little queezy this morning and I don't know why. I had yogurt with raspberries for breakfast -- bad berries?

The Land of the Free

The 4th of July celebration (a few days early) by the numbers:
30 people

2 kids

4 dogs

9 lbs of fried fish

$1000 worth of fireworks

144 beers

And a partridge in a pear tree.

It was awesome: there was a fried food extravaganza: cheese curds, fry bread, onion rings and fried fish. We drank quite a few beers (I don't know about the rest of you, but I lost count when I'd had 5 beers before dinner), and then lit off a small city's worth of fireworks -- ohhhh, ahhhh.

I don't know if it was the early run from yesterday, all the food, or the beer, but by the end of the night I couldn't keep my eyes open, and when we got home, I crashed. This morning, I slept late and felt like I could've slept all day (my exhaustion is documented by the oh-so-flattering-pic my husband captured of Scooter and I this morning; apparently, we were so beat that we slept the same way as well).

Scooter's still crashed out: it's tiring for a little dog to play all day and then freak out over fireworks all night.

Today, we plan on cleaning up the house (tile installation was completed yesterday but we need to do some clean-up) and my husband is finishing up a few projects in the kitchen, then he'll need assistance putting the appliances back in there. I will take some pics and show them off later -- it turned out really well, and now we're one step closer to having our house finished. Yippie!

I will kiss the finished flooring when we're done with this project: this house has been in the process of remodeling for 2 years. 2 years! I'm ready to be done with it, so we can actually live in the whole place.

AM Run

Got up at 4:30 this morning and was out the door for my long run before 5. Ran my scheduled 11 (ugh -- went alright, I don't feel great about it, but what counts is that it went, right?) and was home by 7 am. I was totally sleepy by the time I finished, so I showered and got back into bed for another 2 hours of sweet, sweet rest (and the tile guy arrived, which interrupted my sleep -- otherwise, I may have kept on sleeping!).

One thing I've been thinking about this week is how I scheduled my training. I decided to work beyond the novice program I used for Disney and am currently using Higdon's Novice 2 program (with some of my own modifications), and I am definitely pushing myself a little harder than I did for Disney. Which is kinda what I wanted to do, but now I'm wondering if I'm capable of pushing it. Especially with the long runs. If I were doing the novice program, I wouldn't be doing the 11 for another 2 weeks, and that seems more appropriate for my level of running.

Today, I'm not going to dwell on it, but I will contemplate changing some aspects of my schedule tomorrow -- maybe try to tailor it again so it fits me a little better. Also, I need to get in touch with a running group and see if I can get in on some group runs. Doing these long runs by myself is brutal (mentally).

Clouds of Bugs

The tile got mostly installed today and it's looking really wonderful; plus, the installer left a little path through the hallway so we can access the bedroom and bathroom and he'll finish that area tomorrow when he returns to do the grout.

Since I had access to my own shower, I went this afternoon and got my short run out of the way. It was pretty miserable: hot, humid, and VERY buggy. When I returned, I was covered in a blanket of those little black gnats. Ick. But, at least I got the run done and was able to shower at home.

If all goes well, the tile should be finished by tomorrow afternoon, which will be awesome.

Funday Friday

Alrighty, sorry about that little tirade over bowling last night. There's nothing I really want to elaborate on -- let's just say that it's been an up and down week emotionally and I took something that someone said and kinda blew it out of proportion in my mind and let it upset me more than I should have. Combine that with some beer, a crappy game, and yeah, at the end of the night, I found myself sitting outside the bowling alley crying. And that's probably what upset me the most; I cry maybe a few times a year and always over the stupid stuff. My friend Lou died in April and I couldn't shed a tear. But someone says something stupid at bowling, and I'm a waterworks. (This happens, of course, b/c I hold back when I shouldn't and I allow months' worth of stuff to bottle up -- then something insignificant happens and I'm like Nigagra Falls. It frustrates me.)

Anyway, after a solid night's sleep, I feel just fine. Last night I just needed to do a little cursing.

Today, however, is not going to be an exciting day -- my job is to sit around and wait for the tile people to arrive (they were supposed to start yesterday but that didn't happen), and once they do arrive, I have to sit around while they do their job (at least I have the new RW to read!). Hopefully, I get a short run in this evening, but I'm not sure how that will work since the tile will block our access to the bedroom and bathrooms and we can't walk on it until tomorrow. So, running produces the problem of needing a shower afterward, and I don't think my husband wants to spend the night on the air mattress next to stinky-mcgee. I guess I'll have to see how the tile progress actually goes before committing to any running plans.

Ear Muffs Needed

Two words for bowling: IT SUCKED.

Yeah, capital letters. No wait: IT FUCKING SUCKED!!

2 exclamation points.

My game sucked, the night sucked, I hate the world, etc.

Usually bowling is the highlight of my week, but for this week, it was the motherfuckin' crap cherry on top of my cocksuckin' craptastic week. Fuck bowling.

Hydration

You guys are right, I probably should be bringing water along for anything more than 4 miles now that it is so hot out. Normally, I don't bring fluids for anything that short (partially b/c I hate, hate, hate carrying fluids, would never drop off, and thus I usually buy stuff at gas stations -- yes, I despise the fuel belt as well), but I was thinking last night in those last two miles that I should've drank some water or a replacement at mile 4 -- I felt it then.

Today is my marathon of classes (need some gels or replacement drinks for that as well!) and then tonight we have bowling: yay! Thank god it's Thursday and I have tomorrow off b/c this week has me feeling wiped out.

Oh, as a side note, when you guys track your weekly mileage, do you count a week as Sunday-Sunday? Monday through Sunday?

Wednesday, What Day?

I did my scheduled 6 miles this evening, and when I set out at sunset, the temps were blessedly cooler and there was a light breeze, but the heat and humidity were still over-powering. And I don't know if it was the heat, or if I was dehydrated, or if I am deficient in iron or something, but I struggled with fatigue through my final mile. I really had to fight the urge to slow down and walk -- I ran the entire distance, but I think that last mile was pretty slow.

When I got home, I was parched and immediately gulped down a bottle of water and I'm currently most of the way through a second. I am usually a very good water drinker, but perhaps I need to be conscious of consuming another 8-16 oz daily since the heat is definitely affecting my runs.

Anyway, glad to get the 6 done. Now I have to help my husband move our appliances out of the kitchen (we're having tile installed tomorrow) and then I'm gonna chill out and watch "Top Chef."

Flirtin' With Fast

Last night after dinner I did not want to run, but I figured that since it was not a scheduled run day that even if I got some running in that it would be a bonus. So I decided I would do just a short, quick 2 miles. I grabbed the Garmin, left the mp3 and set out to see what a "quick" 2 miles felt like.

It felt good:

Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 9:32
Total Time: 19:35

Now, I know I can be faster than that, and have been faster than that, but getting out there and getting through those 2 miles in under 20 minutes reminded me of what I am capable of, and I needed to be reminded of that -- especially this week.

Tonight, I have 6 miles on the schedule, and that 2 miler last night helped restore some of my running confidence that was lost earlier this week, so I can now look forward to those 6, instead of dread them.

What to-do Tuesday

The second summer term began yesterday, so now I am teaching 3 classes instead of two, and I can tell already that Tuesdays and Thursday are gonna be rough: the 3 classes are back-to-back. That means 6 hours of straight-up class, yo.

I have ten minutes between classes, but after factoring in students staying to speak with me (and most likely telling me that although they signed up for a 6 week course, they're leaving next week for a week in the Bahamas --- umm, "no" I tell them), I have barely enough time to pee. Thus, I had nothing to eat between 7 am and 3 pm. Not good. I need my food. Maybe I can get some of those yogurt smoothie drinks to consume during class -- that might be smart.

Anyway, the day is pretty full and kind of exhausting, so I'm glad that the term is short.

Soooo, Tuesdays are usually my day to walk, but my walking partner is in Chicago enjoying the windy city for work (so, I don't know how much enjoyment she's getting out of the trip -- hopefully some). I could: A.) Walk by myself, B.) Make my husband walk with me, or C.) Go for a run. I'm thinking of C, but we'll "see." (Ha! Do you care for my wittiness there?) If I do run, I'll have to wait until later b/c right now it's the same temp outside as it is on the surface of the sun, but that's fine. Right now, I feel like laying around for a bit anyway. I need to de-school myself for awhile.

Back to Back Crap

Last night I set out for my 9 miler and the good news was that the temps had cooled, but the bad news was that a storm was blowing in. Here in FL, summer also means "rainy season" aka "hurricane season" and storms can brew up very quickly and you haven't seen rain until you've seen tropical rain; however, I wasn't gonna back down from the long run. In the first mile, it drizzled on me, which was fine -- I don't melt -- but then the lightening and thunder started.

Florida is the lightening capitol of the US -- more people get struck by lightening here than in any other state, so there's either lots of electric activity or a lot of people cursing God; I don't know which.

Anyway, at mile 2, I see it -- the wall of rain -- and it's coming for me. Also at mile 2, a blade of lightening serrated the sky right above my head and the thunder that followed was loud enough to make my heart jump into my throat. I turned around right there. Running through rain is one thing, but running in lightening is just idiotic. So I headed home. I got soaked in the torrential rain and I was nervous the whole way home that I would get struck by a bolt of lightening (I occassionally curse God, so I figure one of these days, I have it coming).

I got home after 4 miles, drenched, a little nervous, and disappointed that I had achieved so little. Thus, I resolved that this morning I would exonerate myself by rising early and getting my 3 miler in before work. Well, I did get up, did get out running, but my 3 miles sucked. I even walked for a quarter mile. Seriously, I felt kinda like crying because the two runs had gone so badly. The past few days my energy has been so low, I've been tired, kinda cranky, and mentally mucky, and usually running helps with those kinds of funks, but between the past two runs, running has only contributed to the "mean reds."

I know, I know, "tomorrow's another day" and all that crap. I know I'll lift myself up out of the poopiness and sometime later this week or next I'll have a great run that puts me back on top of the world, but right now I'm disappointed and frustrated and filled with self-doubt. Damn you running! You break my heart sometimes!

Why I Should do Morning Runs

It's not just about the temperature difference in the morning; it's about getting the run done so that the rest of the day is free, and especially on the weekend, I never know what plans might pop up that will take away from my running time.

So, yesterday, as you know I did not do my long run in the morning, and I kinda thought I might do it last night. But when friends asked if we wanted to do a game night and order pizza, I didn't have to think twice: friends, pizza, beer, games? Or running? Yeah, the former won out.

And of course, I did not get up early this morning, so that means I've procrastinated enough this weekend that my long run has to be done on Sunday night. Good lord, next weekend I have to get my act together b/c Saturday night is our 4th party (a few days early b/c we all have to work on the 5th -- damn the 4th for falling in the middle of the week!). So, I think I'll spend the day today relaxing and waiting for the cruel sun to set -- then I have 9 miles to log.

The Morning Run Didn't Happen: Act Surprised

Yeah, I didn't get up early this morning. My alarm went off, and I shut it off so fast you'd think it was on fire. Then, I rolled over and went back to sleep. My husband tried to do his part to motivate me, he said: "I know you don't want to hear this, but if you go for your run now, you'll be happy you did it."

Sweet, isn't he?

I didn't even give him a response. I hate it when he tries to motivate me; it makes me want to choke him.

So that means I'll probably do it tonight, or tomorrow night. I don't know if I'll ever grow up and become a morning runner.

For now, I've been sitting here craving pancakes, so I'm thinking of running to the store and picking up some milk and making some pancakes. They sound delicious, don't they? Mmmmm, cakey-cakes.

Friday's 3

The only way to describe my 3 miles this evening is with one word: HOT.

At 7:30, the sun was setting and a breeze was stirring the palms, but the temp was still hovering close to 90 and I don't know what the humidity was. I could feel my face burning from the exertion and I was thankful that the schedule only had me down for 3 -- I don't know if I could've survived much more in the heat.

I have, have, have to try and get up early for tomorrow's 9er; otherwise, I fear that I may burst into flames.

Uff-Da

You know that feeling when you wake up after drinking, and it's not the "ugh" feeling in your stomach or in your head? It's the odd sensation that you were a *tad* obnoxious the night before. No? Is it just me?

So, um, yes, I had me some drinks at bowling, and yes, ahem, I got a little intoxicated. When I'm drunk several things happen: I get loud and foul-mouthed and I tend to talk a lot. Thus, this lingering feeling this morning that I was a handful last night.

Doesn't help that I also did a little drunk blogging as well -- I should know by now that I can't type when drunk and I shouldn't be allowed near a computer. Thankfully, my husband told me to get off the computer and go to bed, b/c otherwise? I probably would have gotten much further with the blogging and/or email.


But, it was a fun night. My team got our shirts in, so now we match and look smashing together (we included that baby bottle in the pic just for you readers). The only downside? My shirt is a touch big, and they are all made of polyester, which is not so breathable, so we all got a little sweaty in them. But, that's the price you sacrifice for the team, I guess.

And, at the end of the night, my husband bought me a delicious corn dog -- seriously, at the time, it tasted like a little slice of heaven (that was battered, deep-fried and stuck on a stick). I had my beer, my corn dog, my homies, and bowling. What more does a girl need?

(Well, this morning I needed a lot of water and some aspirin, but that's totally different.)

2nd Blogoversary

"Happy Birthday to my blog!" If blogs ate cake, I would make it a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, but alas, my blog has no teeth.

But, yes, today marks the 2nd anniversary of my blog! Here's the original post that began this crazy chronicle of my running "habit." So far, the task I set myself with 2 years ago has been pretty successful. I've completed one marathon, have run many 5Ks, and am training for mary #2. I've lost some weight, gained some back, but have pretty much maintained; plus, I've learned a lot and have certainly shared a lot and met a lot of wonderful bloggers.

Thanks to the long time readers! I've seen many blogs come and go over this time, but I appreciate everyone who has been reading faithfully for a long time now -- makes me feel special! *Sniff*

But enough of the sentimental crap.

Tonight is bowling, and I plan to rock that alley! Wish me luck!

Fiver

Not the rabbit, my run. (I will give a special shout-out to the first blogger to get what I'm referring to there.)

So, at dinner this evening, we invited some friends to join us in order to make them decide which tile we should install in our kitchen and entryway -- they gave us their opinion, we fed them pizza. But after dinner, when we were talking, my friend Ryan (who shall not be hyperlinked b/c his blog is top secret) said it would drive him crazy to run without a watch or Garmin, and it made me reflect on a few of my fellow RBFer's comments; thus, I decided to dust off the Garmin and take it along on my after-dinner 5 miler.

Here are the stats:

Mile 1: 10:19
Mile 2: 10:15
Mile 3: 10:56
Mile 4: 11:20
Mile 5: 10:47

Total Time: 53:57
Avg Pace: 10:46

Now, these numbers are handy to have, and they seem right even though passing under some trees made the Garmin wink out for a bit; however, when I run with the Garmin, I'm suddenly thinking about nothing but the numbers. See, usually my mind wanders on runs and then, suddenly, I'm done! But with a time keeping device, I'm constantly glancing at it, assessing it, worrying over it, and inadvertantly, my run seems to go slower.

Plus, it feels bulky on my wrist (and I hate the feeling of something rubbing my wrist bone -- the reason why I never, ever wear a watch).

Anyway, I like to take the Garmin out for a spin every once in awhile, but overall, I like to keep the numbers somewhat mysterious.

Also, Ryan, "karma" bitch-slapped me for making fun of your calorie counting by making dinner feel like a brick in my stomach through the first half of my run. I guess someone should be doing a little calorie counting of her own. It's just so much more fun to ridicule.

Reflections of the Grammar Gestapo

I did, eventually, work my way through that stack of papers. And I don't want to sound as if I neglect my grading because students' work is poor or boring, it's just that after you read 25 papers, they all start to sound eerily similiar, and while there are definitely those who excel at the work, most are average writers who make the same average mistakes over and over. It's hard, therefore, to remain fresh with each paper.

But I finished those, and have another stack to work on today, and I get a final stack today which I'll need to read by tomorrow afternoon before submitting grades -- with all that reading (not the fun kind), I'll be happy to sneak out this evening for my 5 miler.

As per some comments yesterday on how I must have brain bleeding reading your blogs and comments -- I can assure you, it's not true. Certainly, my inner grammar Nazi does provoke me sometimes to wince at grammatical errors, but my mother always told me it was impolite to correct others' grammar, so I usually refrain. Besides, I certainly make errors as well! In fact, sometimes my typing (especially for commentary on posts) looks as though it's been done by a drunken monkey!

Plus, many of you are WAY faster and WAY stronger runners than I: If I criticize, I don't think I could outrun you, and I don't want to get beat up.