Wednesday

Stupid title, I know, but I got nuthin' else today.

I can't say that I contributed to a very happy birthday for Jerry yesterday since I have seemingly come down with another cold. I honestly don't know if this is allergy related, or if I have a sinus infection, or what, but this is like the 3rd time in 4 months that I've been sick, and it always follows the same pattern:

Day 1: Sore throat.
Day2: Full blown ickiness.
Day 3: Cont'd ickiness but starting to improve.
Day 4: Recovered.

Right now, I'm in day 3. Blech.

Anyway, I tried to be peppy last night for his b-day, and I went with him to Best Buy so he could buy Grand Theft Auto IV with his his gift cards, and then I made dinner. Or rather, I caught it on fire -- literally. I was grilling these nice ribeyes we'd gotten for his b-day, and I came out to flip them, and they were seriously on fire. What was worse was that the flames also charred the asparagus. So, I served up blacked steak for dinner, with a side of charcoal asparagus and mashed potatoes (those came out fine). Craptastic.

After I cleaned up dinner, Jerry was totally engaged in his morally questionable video game, so I decided to go lay down in the bedroom and watch "Atonement." It was awesome. I was so impressed by all aspects of it, and just as I was pleased with the adaptation of "No Country for Old Men," I was pleased with this adaptation. Too often movies that are adapted from books are a disappointment, but both of these surpassed expectation. If you haven't already seen it, see it now. It's a beautiful movie.

So, yeah, that was Jerry's b-day: burned dinner and separate evening activities.

I went to bed early last night, but slept terribly since I was up half the night blowing my nose, coughing, or tossing and turning. Today, I feel like crap and I'm exhausted; it doesn't help that this week is finals week and I am overwhelmed with work. But, I do only have one final to administer this morning, and then I think I will take papers home with me and spend the rest of the day in bed. Hopefully, by tomorrow, my kick-ass immune system will kung-fu the shit outta this bug.

Happy Birthday to...

...Jerry!

Yup, today's is the hubby's b-day! He only gets one day of celebration, not a whole week; he hasn't yet developed Jerrianity, and until he does, it's only a one day celebration for him.

Love you hun! Happy birthday!

On the Mend

With the exception of one 3 miler last week, I took the entire week off of running in order to rest the strained quads. So, this evening, I set out on another 3 miler to see if the time off was helpful. Apparently, it was.

I did a slow, easy 3 miles (29:32) and I felt no pain, and better yet, aboslutely no discomfort. I think resting was the right thing to do, and now I can do a couple more runs this week and get ready for Disney's 15K on Sunday. What a relief.

P.S. I got my chipped chomper fixed today, and it looks better than ever! The dentist is really good and she even smoothed out my other front tooth that is also bondo-ized so that it's as smooth as the one she fixed. Watch out world -- my fangs are back in fighting form!

Sunday Zoo Day

Rounding out the Jess and Jer birthday weekend of fun, was a trip to the Miami Metro Zoo today. We spent all day at the zoo, and it was a great time.

Jerry fed the flamingos: I fed myself:
We happened upon the African Elephants when their trainer was there, and she had them performing tricks for coconuts. So, the elephants were one of my favorite moments from the zoo. Did you know their ears are shaped like the continent of Africa? I never noticed that before, but the trainer pointed it out. Cool.
The giraffes, too, rocked. We bought food for them (we are suckers for any animal-feeding-opportunity: we seriously fed the entire population of Sea World when we were last there) and Jerry and I each took a turn feeding one of the giraffes. Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae (7) that humans do. Whack, right? Here's Jerry on his feeding turn:
In the children's zoo, (where there were way too many children -- I know, I know, zoos are all about kids, but man, kids can sure shriek and wail -- my ears are still ringing) I also fed some sheep and got to pet this pot-bellied pig. He was very wiry.
What I didn't get to pet or feed, but were still top spots at the zoo were the pygmy hippos and the river otters. I think I best relate to otters -- it just seems like it would be so much fun to be an otter! And the pygmy hippos? Well, they're just cute. But I guess not so friendly. We learned that while their trainer was feeding them peanuts. Jerry and I seem to have good luck in our timing to exhibits because we never plan it, but we always come upon feeding times or trainer talks.

Because Miami is a tropical environment, the zoo's animals were entirely from the southern hemisphere, so it was a different zoo experience than some other zoos. And in all, we had a great time walking around and watching the animals. It was a warm day, but with some partial cloudiness and a steady breeze, it was actually quite pleasant; plus, they have some misting stations throughout the zoo, which helped us cool off as well.

But after a day of walking around (our zoo map told us that walking the entire zoo would measure up to 3 miles) under the sun, we are both ready for a quiet, relaxing evening. I think we may watch "Juno" (a b-day gift) or "Atonement" (Netflix arrival). So, I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend -- between our beach day, our concert, and our zoo-sperience we have had a wonderful b-day weekend!

Shot Through the Heart

Yesterday, Jerry and I hosted our Birthday Beach Bash on the Ft Lauderdale beach with our friends. It rocked. The weather was perfect, we secured a great spot, we grilled up some delicious burgers and brats, we swam in the frigid ocean, we played Bocce Ball, and we relaxed in our beach chairs with a few cold beers. Glorious.

As a gift, one of our friends gave Jerry and I two tickets to the Bon Jovi concert (don't get too excited about us having affluent friends -- they were $5 tickets; it was very cool but I don't want Blog homies thinking I roll with big $ friends). So, we left the beach around 3 pm, got home, showered, played with Scooter, ate dinner, and were heading back out the door at 5:30 to meet up with everyone else for a pre-concert happy hour.

At 7:30, we mosied on over to the concert to find two surprising things:

A. Apparently Bon Jovi is still a big deal. I seriously had no idea. I like Bon Jovi, but really only know the early stuff; now that they're quasi-country, I don't listen to them anymore, but apparently, a lot of people do. So the parking lot was packed!

B. Everyone was OUTSIDE the arena. Not in it. So, as we're walking toward the doors, we're informed that there had been a "bomb threat, and the place isn't gonna re-open until 9:30." Seriously? A bomb threat? Someone wants to bomb Bon Jovi? Why? He's cut his hair.

So, instead of heading into the arena, we headed across the street to a bar to get a few more beers (hey, inside the arena, beer is like, $8 a glass, so the more we can drink outside of there, the better). All the bars in the area were packed (they were probably the ones who called in the bomb threat -- all that business was the best thing that could've happened to them!), so we settled into one of the least crowded joints and enjoyed their happy hour specials that they extended for the concert crowd. If there's anything sweeter than coming across a stash of $5 concert tickets, it's coming across 2-4-1 drinks at 7:30 on a Saturday!

I have no pictures because as we were leaving the house I remarked to Jerry: "Should I bring the camera along?" And he said: "No, it's just one more thing for me to carry, and besides, it's Bon Jovi, do we need pictures of that?"

Damn him. Damn him to hell. Because the entire evening was the perfect picture-taking event! At the bar, people kept putting in Bon Jovi songs on the Jukebox, and we heard the entire bar singing the classics: "Shot Through the Heart," "Livin' on a Prayer," "Dead or Alive," and "Blaze of Glory." And that bar was rowdy! After we left, we made a pit stop for a case of Busch light (yeah, that's how we roll), and headed across to the arena. Thankfully, we purchased that case, because we ended up standing in line to get inside for approximately 35 minutes, and you wouldn't want us to be thirsty, would ya?

By the time we actually got inside, got to our seats, and Bon Jovi started (we missed the opening act, Daughtry, because of the long security line to get in the building), it was 10:30, we were all pretty buzzed, and we were, ultimately, pretty tuckered out. So, we decided to cut ourselves off the beer, buy some waters, and sit back for Bon Jovi. Which, I gotta say, was a pretty good show. I mean, I wouldn't pay good money for it, mostly because they don't play much that I like or know anymore (although, they did do the standards that everyone knows and loves), but they do know how to put on a show.

Granted, I was distracted by the fact that Jon Bon Jovi's shirt kept progressively getting unbuttoned, and his crooning to the ladies in the front row who were pawing at him seemed very dated, and Richie Sambora was wearing a really unfortunate pair of pants; and yes, aspects of the show seems so polished and so rehearsed that it felt more like a televised event than an arena concert, but ultimately, I have to give them credit where it's due: It was an impressive show. But by midnight, Jerry and I were spent. We'd been in the sun all day, we'd been drinking all day, and well, we were done. So we didn't stay for the end of the show, and we hit the road. It was a grand time, but I wasn't gonna stick around and wait for Richie Sambora to sign my boobs.

Maybe another time.

Senior Discount Friday

Sometimes, living FL, especially as we do -- in a condo, on a golf course, near many retirement communities -- can make us feel as though we are just a hop, skip and a jump away from the delights of being geriatric. And last night, we got a little window into the wide, wide, world of the elderly.

See, we were fishing around last night for something to do, so after we ate dinner, I asked: "Well, do you wanna see a movie?" Jerry brightened at the idea, "Can we go to the dollar theater?" he asked.

It's actually the $3 theater (a $1 on Tuesdays though) and they show relatively new releases; they're just a few weeks or a month older than what's in the regular theater. We've never actually been to the $3 theater -- mostly because I'd always assumed it was skeezy, but some friends had recently assured us that it was perfectly nice. It just happens to be very close to one of the largest retirement communities in the country, King's Point. (I know, I know, something about the name of that community makes you think that all those old people should be running around in black leather jackets, doesn't it?) And old people love a bargain. So does Jerry.

So, we decided to see the 7 pm showing of "Leatherheads," and I would label the movie "alright." Worth a combined purchase of $6, but I wouldn't pay any more to see it. I like George Clooney, he's always charming, and I love "Jim" from "The Office," but I think Rene Zellweger has squinty eyes in a puffy face and that distracts me. Plus, really, the story kind of dragged. Anyhoo...it didn't matter that the movie was just so-so because the real entertainment came from the theater.

Every time the lights would brighten, so you could look out across the audience, it was a sea of gray hair, styled into that curly fuzz that all old women must wear after age 70. And while I would say a theater of old people are better than a theater of teenagers, they still talked through the whole thing and frequently got up and came back. At least no cell phones were ringing.

Anyway, the most hilarious part of the evening came right at the end. The two old ladies in front of us started gathering their things about 15 minutes before the movie ended, and then about 3 minutes before it was actually over, they started to get up and leave (I don't know, maybe traffic back into King's Point is a bitch on a Friday night at 9 pm), and the one lady leans on her cane and exits up the aisle; then, her friend, rises and -- rips butt. Seriously, she let a fart go that was audible from Georgia. But, at first, neither Jerry nor I were sure of what we'd heard, but then she let another rip. Brrrrrwp! We turned and looked at each other and tried to keep our laughter in, but then, we both just burst out laughing. Thankfully, she was already halfway up the aisle when we lost control of ourselves. When we got outside, I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.

See, this is exactly the best part of getting old: You can rip ass in public and not care. Because you're old. You do what you want.

Chipper

So, I made an appointment with the dentist, but I can't get in until Monday, so I have to be "chipper" for the weekend. Here's the gruesome reality of how this chipped tooth has mangled my appearance: Kidding, you probably can't even tell. It's the right tooth (which is on the left when you're facing the screen here). Jerry says it's barely noticeable, but to me, it's all I can look at in the mirror. However, I do think it gives me a certain "je ne sais qua" and combined with an uncanny ability to distort my face, I think I'm pretty intimidating right now. Rawr!

Anyhoo...decided not to run today. The quads are on the mend, but I want to be conservative with the running for the next few days and give it another go on either Sunday or Monday, so Jerry and I went for a family walk this afternoon with Scooter. We walked 3 miles in the scorching afternoon sun, and we all got pretty hot. Scooter wanted to lay down after the first mile, and we even had to allow him to paddle around in a canal for a bit (while we were vigilant for gators) because he was so hot we thought he might burst into flames. He was refreshed from his little swim and did fine on the rest of the walk.

Note to ourselves: In the future, just like running, walking is hot in the Floridian afternoon sun. Phew!

Snaggle Tooth

I set out this evening on an experimental run to test the quads. I just went 3 miles, and I didn't take the Garmin because I didn't want to be focused on my pace; instead, I tried to keep it slow and easy. The run had some discomfort in the quads, but no pain, so I'm taking this as a good sign. I think I'll keep the runs short and slow the next few days and see how things progress.

In other news, I chipped my front tooth this evening. Actually, I initially chipped it about 12 years ago in a car accident, and it was fixed, but tonight it re-chipped when I ate an early evening snack. Of course, it chipped at about 5:30, and the dentist's office closes at 5 pm. So I'll have to call tomorrow to get an appointment to get it fixed. Until then, I'm incredibly self-conscious about my snaggle tooth.

No Running to Report

Yet. I hope to go this evening, so maybe I'll update after that. Until then, I have some other stuff to jibber-jabber about. Wanna stay? Great if you do (but I caution: I feel long-winded today). If not, no hard feelings; I'll check ya later!

So, for the stayers: I'm reading this book to the left, "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff, and it's really good. It's non-fiction and it's about a father (Sheff) and his experience with his son's drug addiction. Personally, I love a good addiction memoir. There's probably a reason for this, but it would take money and time on a therapist's couch to figure out. Anyway, this book is unique since it's from the father's perspective, so it's not the typical addiction memoir written by the addict.

What I find particularly compelling about the narrative is how Sheff addresses his divorce from his son's mother and their joint custody of their son. This is compelling to me because this resonates so closely to home. While I've read lots of stuff about growing up in dysfunctional homes, most memoirs of this nature often focus on extreme circumstances; so, I can sometimes relate to aspects of those people's lives, but I can't fully relate, because by many measures, my childhood was stable and secure.

That's why I find Sheff's discussion so interesting: his divorce and his custody were both as smooth as these things can be, yet he discusses the strain this put on his son, no matter how hard he and his ex-wife tried to avoid creating such anxiety. So, finally, I have someone who's telling a story that I can fully relate to -- it's the story of a "good" divorce, with a "good" custody, but with children who still end up feeling alienated, anxious, and angry.

So, reading this has had me thinking a lot lately (always dangerous territory, especially since I haven't run in days and days and running is often my therapy) about my own childhood. Thus, my compulsion to share:

My parents divorced when I was 3, and they shared joint custody of me and my younger brother. Their agreement was that we spent the school year with my mother, spent every other weekend with my father, split holidays and rotated each year (this included birthdays), and spent the summer with my father. Later, when I was 11, my father moved from Denver to Washington, DC, so we spent the school year with my mom in CO, and spent half our holidays and all of our summers in DC.

This is probably the best agreement a divorced couple can come up with, yet joint custody is a fucked up situation for kids, and I'll tell ya why: You develop parallel lives. My parents each re-married and each had more kids; this made my brother and I's existence, within this framework, even more duplicitous and precarious. My parents were trying to emphasize that we had "two homes" and "two families" but it really felt like we had "no home" and "no family," and that feeling of not belonging lingered with my for a looooooong time. In the book, Sheff writes that his son says, "I'm always missing someone." And that very adequately describes it. Except for me, I became a little more hard-hearted, and could probably have said, "I never miss anyone." I got so used to going back and forth and being apart from one parent and one family, that I simply got desensitized to it. So that when I went to college, I literally could not relate to those fellow students who, in those first weeks of freshman semester, were missing their parents so desperately.

Needless to say, I was an angry teenager, who frequently found ways to rebel (which were clearly cries for attention). This anger truly lingered until I was in my early 20s, and I don't think I even started to grow up until I was about 25. I think I was upset for a long time partially just because my parents, particularly my mother, couldn't grasp why I was so frustrated. I think my mother felt that she'd done the best she could (which is very true) and that she and my dad had given my brother and I very good, stable lives (which was also certainly true), but what she failed to understand, and what I think she still fails to understand about that childhood, is that despite their attempts at making it as normal as possible, it was still abnormal, and this abnormality felt even more exaggerated by their attempts to insist upon its normality.

Thankfully, I did have my brother, and I wasn't alone in navigating the scary chasm that joint custody creates for those lone children who float between homes, and he and I remain very close. And ultimately, I no longer blame my parents for the situation. I truly believe they did the best they could, and I'm lucky to have parents who cared about me so much that they both wanted custody of me. And in many ways, I believe it made me a better person (despite the petrifying fear of having my own children and potentially fucking them up for life). Partially because I was the oldest, and partially because of how my parents raised us, I have always been very independent and have always been very self-assured. I've always done my own thing and made my own choices (suffered the consequences of some very poor choices), and this has been in part due to the self-sufficiency that was a necessity for me since I can remember. And, thankfully, I've never been a drug addict like Sheff's son in the book.

Today, I have what I consider to be a regular relationship with all my parents: I love them, we keep in close touch (I generally try not to let more than two weeks go by without communicating with one or the other), and I know they are proud of me. But there certainly aspects that we all fail to understand about one another, and some subjects which we never bring up or discuss. Thus, we have seemingly settled on comfortable, but slightly superficial territory. At this point, I honestly don't wish for more. Maybe when I was a kid, I wished for the picture-perfect family that posed easily for studio portraits, but now I regard such childhood whimsy as pure fantasy.

Now that I'm 30, I've been thinking a lot about what I've experienced and learned in my lifetime, and one of the best lessons I think I ever taught myself actually came from running. I learned that everyone has baggage (even the most seemingly perfect people), and people have one of two options with that baggage: You let it weigh you down and you become burdened by the heavy load, or you choose to carry the baggage and shoulder the weight of it. On the surface, the second option seems more difficult, but actually, the longer you carry it (instead of allowing it to carry you), the stronger you become, and after awhile, it's not so heavy, and after an even longer while, your endurance and strength don't even remember that it was burdensome to begin with.

Those Who Can't Run

Drink.Thanks for all the advice on the strained quads (see post below). You guys are better than a real-life doctor! Based on your advice, and my own perception of the injury, I think I will take another rest day today, and try a short run tomorrow and see how the quads feel, and I'll play Soccer Sunday by ear. Although, to be honest, I'm thinking that soccer probably won't happen this Sunday -- I just don't want to strain these quads even more the weekend before a race; I feel as though I must practice caution. I like soccer, and I really want to play, but running is my first priority, so I have to keep that in mind.

Anyway, like I said, I'll run tomorrow, and I'll continue to treat this strain and I'll decided on Soccer Sunday on Sunday. In the meantime, I'm gonna sit back with a few frosty brews and watch the hubby make dinner.

Word to ya muthas.

Quad Strain

First of all, thanks for all the b-day wishes! I felt very special yesterday: I got b-day wishes from my co-workers and from my students, I got emails, calls, cards, etc from friends and family, and one of my classes even sang to me!

It was, however, a pretty low-key b-day. I had class all day and got home at about 7:30. Jerry made me my favorite dinner, I enjoyed a frosty beer, opened my presents, and got to enjoy some Cake Batter ice cream from Cold Stone (Jerry went and got me a whole quart of it!) while we watched an episode of "The Wire." On Saturday, we are planning a beach party with our friends, so then I'll party like the rockin' 30 year old I now am!

But...back to running. Particularly, I want to discuss my quads with you and seek your advice. Remember how I told you a few days ago at soccer I felt like I pulled both quads? Yeah, they still hurt. So, I have been reading some info on quad strain, and this is what I have learned:

• Most likely caused by sprinting, jumping, or kicking. Um, yeah, that pretty much describes soccer.
• I probably actually strained both quads the first Sunday I played; I just took the injury as soreness, and the strain flared up when I played again last Sunday.
• Most treatments require the basic treatments that runners apply to nearly every injury: RICE and anti-inflammatories.
• I should not be foam rollering -- inflamed muscles just get irritated by that.
• I probably incurred a grade 2 strain since my quads have been tender to the touch and are aggravated by some simple activities -- like getting into and out of the car.

So, from previous injury experience, I know a few things, and chief among them is to treat an injury seriously, and I haven't run since Sunday, and have been religiously popping Advil (but I know it takes a few days for an the anti-inflammatory to build up in the system). But for as much as I know what I should do, my body wants to do something else. See, I want to run, and I want to play soccer this Sunday, but I'm not sure if either is wise, especially since I have the Disney 15K on May 4th.

Thus, the questions I pose to you homies: Do I continue to rest this week? Like the entire week? Do I skip soccer this Sunday? Or, do I give the running and soccer a try, but continue with the anti-inflammatories, ice, and be sure I adequately warm up before each activity?

30 Years Ago Today

I was born. And the angels rejoiced.

So, it says in the book of Jesstianity. AKA: The Book of Swawesome.

One Day Until...

My Birthday!

Yesterday, I tried to argue with Jerry that the entire week should be devoted to the celebration of me, and we could label it "Jess Week." He was not so keen on the idea. Especially because I was making the case that to start off the celebration of Jess Week, he should drive to Cold Stone and get me a Like It size cup of cake batter ice cream (my fav, fav, favorite!). He said I could have a Klondike bar out of our freezer instead. Poop-head.

Anyway, Jerry said that the only person who's birthday gets more than one day of attention is Christ's and unless I start my own religion, then I don't deserve an entire week of celebration. Thus, I propose: Jesstianity. A religion based on the life and teachings of Jess. The basics of Jesstianity would be simple: Followers would be encouraged to live a fun, carefree life, in which running around, playing games, frequent afternoon naps, and excessive drinking would be encouraged. And part of the basic philosophy would be that "sometimes you fall down, but you have to learn to pick yourself up." (In case some of you aren't familiar with my clutziness, I am prone to falling down, running into things, or being knocked down. It happened on Saturday night, for example, when I tripped and fell at the bowling alley and got a little carpet burn on my left knee.)

When I explained the basics of Jesstianity to Jerry, he had this to say: "With the exception of the drinking, you just described the life of a two year old."

He later went on to further debase Jesstianity as being the "preferred religion of college students and toddlers" and said that if devout followers experienced the stigmata, it would consist of scraped up knees. I think he just really didn't want to go get me that ice cream.

Anyhoo...even if you don't want to adopt Jesstianity as your primary religion, that's okay (Jesstianity is a very tolerant religious practice). You can still send me a Charm City Cake, buy me a Coach purse, or get me a Corvette: But, you'll have to hurry because Jess Day is tomorrow! (I am at least laying claim to the day.)

Sucky Soccer Sunday

First of all, remember how last week I said that staying up until midnight drinking beer was NOT a good idea the night before soccer? Yeah, if you remember it, why didn't I?

So, yes, I got a little drunky-drunk last night, and was only feeling so-so this morning when I got up. But I did get up and go to soccer, but about 5 minutes into the game, I reached to kick the ball, and felt a terrible, shooting pain in my right quad. I tried to run it off, but each time I would sprint or kick the ball, either quad would screaming in pain. And I can distinguish between discomfort and pain; this wasn't just sore muscles acting up, this was painful.

Therefore, even though I felt like a boob, I opted to sit out the second half of the game. It just hurt really bad and I was really sucking out there since I couldn't sprint or kick the ball effectively. I iced both quads and stretched them some on the sidelines, but they are sore right now. I don't know what happened. My best guess is that I pulled the muscles, or at the least, strained them; however, I'm not entirely sure.

I suppose I rest them today and tomorrow, and see how they are on Tuesday for a run. I hope I didn't really injure myself.

Suit-Shopping Saturday

This morning, I went on a dreaded mission: To find a new swimsuit.

I was only partially successful.

See, my old swimsuits are getting kinda, well, old. My favorite one is 3 years old now and the bottoms are kinda stretched out and saggy. No girl likes a saggy bottom. So, I figured I'd go in search of a new suit since we plan on going to the beach next weekend to celebrate both mine and Jerry's b-days. I tried on about 20 suits and they all sucked -- I blame the suits, not my body. In the end, I decided to just buy a new pair of black bottoms (I have a black bikini top that I like but the bottoms that came with those are also saggy in the deire); thus, I got half a new suit.

It's okay. Nothing to write home about.

Anyhoo...that's about the extent my Saturday so far.

I did get to sleep in this morning, which was glorious, and now I'm going to iron some clothes for myself and Jerry because we're headed to my co-worker's memorial service this afternoon. Afterwards, some of the faculty in my department are meeting up at a downtown bar for a few memorial drinks to cry in our beer over the loss of our friend.

And, then tonight, I think we're going bowling, but I just learned of this. Funny how husbands can sometimes forget about social engagements that they've committed us to. Good thing I read about bowling on Ryan's blog, and then asked Jerry: "Hey, who's b-day is today that everyone else is going bowling for?" "Oh," Jerry said, "That's right. I forgot."

Niner

I decided to do the week's long run on Friday this week instead of Saturday; mainly, because I want to be able to sleep in tomorrow morning, and generally, if I don't get a long run in Saturday morning, it doesn't get done. So, Friday it was.

The run went just fine -- did 9 miles -- but the best part was in mile 8. I saw this guy turn onto the path up ahead about a quarter of a mile from me, and I could tell that his pace was slower than mine, so I set my sights on passing him. Two minutes later, he seemed a little startled when I warned him that I was on his left, but it felt good to "chick" him and leave him in my dust -- it gave me the little boost I needed to finish up in the final mile.

1: 9:31
2: 9:34
3: 9:32
4: 9:48
5: 10:00
6: 9:57
7: 9:43
8: 9:38
9: 10:10

Total Time: 1:27:57

After the run, Jerry had dinner waiting, and we ate and watched "Summer Rental" with John Candy. Pretty cute flick; although, "The Great Outdoors" is far superior. Now, I think I'll go to bed and read for a bit...man, I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!

Super Six

The right elements came together this evening -- timed eating right, legs weren't too sore, and the weather was perfect -- and I had a splendiferous 6er:

1: 9:32
2: 9:19
3: 9:22
4: 9:35
5: 9:39
6: 9:23

Total Time: 56:51

Now, I don't mean to rush on outta here, but "30 Rock" and the "The Office" are on in T-minus 3 minutes, so I gots to skedaddle. Check ya later!

Rollering and a Reminder

Last night, I diligently foam rollered while I watched "Top Chef" -- dang, that is the best show around, but like "Project Runway," I think it's becoming predictable; still, it's predictably awesome. Anyway, back to the rollering: I rollered for like a full 30 minutes, so my muscles were essentially like buttah afterward, and I used that newfound flexibility to do some light yoga and some stretching. Felt SO good.

The result?

Legs are feeling good today. And that only took, what, 4 days? No problemo. Anyhoo...with the newly loosened legs, I think I will try to do about 6 miles this evening, but what I also have to do this evening is read a whole stack of papers. Blech. I really don't wanna.

In other news, I hope you guys are paying attention to the fact that my b-day is only 5 days away now. I hope you're working extra hard in composing that b-day blog toast in my honor and considering your drink of choice for when you compose it. April 22nd. Jess Day. Yeah, just cross out "Earth" on your desk calendars, write "Jess," and you'll be sure to remember.

Another 3

Originally, I thought I might do something longer today, but it was immediately apparent once I got out there that the legs were still recovering, so I decided to just do another 3 miles.

1: 9:34
2: 9:34
3: 10:02

Total Time: 29:12

Now, I think I'm going to go lay on the couch for a bit and finish my book. I'm reading "The Hours" and I really like it -- and if the ending is going where I think it's going, it's gonna be pretty dang good. Earlier this week, I finished the novel "The Monsters of Templeton" and I thought it was alright. There were some innovative elements to it, but there were also a lot of trademark "first novel" aspects to it that detracted from the overall narrative. I guess I'd have to say that the best thing about it was the cover -- it looks cool.

I've also gotten to see a few movies as of late too. On Sunday, we watched "No Country for Old Men" and I have to say, that movie sure deserved its "Best Picture" Oscar. I thought it was the best movie I'd seen since "The Departed"; and it was one of the few movies adapted from a novel that looked exactly like I pictured it. On Monday, we continued our tour through Oscar nominees with "There Will be Blood," which I felt conflicted about: See, it was clearly a masterfully crafted movie and the acting was awesome, yet I really disliked some aspects of it. For one thing, it's like 3 hours long, and even though I have a pretty long attention span, I was getting antsy sitting through it. Plus, I felt entirely puzzled by the story's main character -- like there was some important aspect to him that was missing and that made it feel incomplete in some way.

Now, I still need to see "Atonement" (another novel I liked and am eager to see the film's interpretation of) and...what was another Best Picture nominee this year? I saw "Juno" (fabulous!) but I can't think of the 5th movie. Huh. This is gonna bug me.

Recovery 3

It was the perfect evening for a run -- nice and cool temps -- and even though it's hard to get motivated to run at 9 pm after a long day at work, it was a good idea to get out there. The legs were still sore, but as I ran, they loosened up, and were feeling much better by the end; the splits definitely reflect that:

1: 10:23
2: 10:07
3: 9:39

Total Time: 30:10

Afterward I stretched, but I can already feel the muscles starting to stiffen up again. At this rate, by the time my legs feel back to normal, it will be soccer Sunday again.