Polar Bear 5K

So, I have been working all week. By Saturday morning I had racked up 62 hours. Woohoo!

Friday night, I told my co-worker I was only working until 830p, so I could get a good night’s sleep for my 5K. I got home around 9p, had some pizza that D graciously went and got for me, and went to bed. At 230a, Porter started being crazy and would not lay still. She did this until my alarm went off at 610a.

So I got up as did D, and we got ready. He pretty much has to do everything for me. I couldn’t find a shirt or socks. He found the socks and I borrowed a shirt from him. He took care of the dogs, and off we went to Marietta.

The church that was sponsoring the race was your typical Georgia Baptist Church…f’ing HUGE! Our co-worker was also supposed to do the race, but he didn’t make the cutoff. Only 2K people could run because it was chipped. So it was just me and D. So we got our numbers and our shirts. The shirts are XL and might fit a 125 lb. male. I don’t see how any female with a B or bigger cup could wear this thing. Oh well.

After about 35 minutes, we went back outside to get to the start line. Chip timing…I wish Atlanta would learn how to do this properly. If you are going to have a chip, you need to have a mat. The chip should not start when the gun goes off, because if you are in the back…it’ll take you awhile to cross the start. So anyway, we listened to the God man (aka a pastor) do a prayer. Then the race started. I started the Garmin with 18 seconds already on it (I need to learn how to reset it). I started the Garmin when I crossed the start line. The race had some hills but they all were very small. I crossed Mile 1 at 13:15. I felt good. I passed the finish (the course was 1.5 times around the church). And I got to say, “I HATE PEOPLE!” You see, I hit the entrance to the finish with a huge group of people. A few of them were actually finishing the race, and thus had to cross the path of the slower runners. Not a big deal you would think. Except one fast runner ran into a kid and knocked him down. The blood curdling scream was very lovely to listen too. Even that is understandable…going so fast that you can’t stop in time, not that I would know. But the runner continued running. He didn’t stop nor did he come back. He was booed by us slower people. What an ass!

OK, so that carried me for awhile…how much I hate people. I also noticed there were 4 vet offices on this route. Very weird. So at mile 1.6, someone wanted to know how much farther. Garmin was able to provide us the answer. We passed the church (the start) again. I was getting annoyed by 2 sets of people (named Big Ass and Gold Earring). Both sets were running past me and then would walk. After the 9^th time this just downright had to be stopped. Oh somewhere near here we crossed mile 2: 27:30. So I plotted. My plotting slowed me down some, as I felt as though I was walking, and although I wasn’t, I was going at a 16 min pace. OK, so now I had to beat people and run faster.

The last hill came. I knew I had to make my move. Big Ass (although not as big as mine) and Gold Earring were going to see the last of me. I passed Big Ass and Gold Earring. I got to the top of the hill. My lungs were exploding. I kept pressing on. I started down the hill, and Gold Earring passed me. I was going to have to trip them or something. I passed D and Mile Marker 3. I waved. We got to the entrance to the finish. Gold Earring had slowed. I gave it my all. And I passed GE. Awesome. I crossed the finish line at 42:10 according to the Garmin. Take off the 18 seconds, and that is 41:52. Woohoo! So I walked through the chute and they scanned and took my chip (it was attached to the race number). The official result was 42:30 I think. I’m going with 41:52.

Afterwards, D and I had some water, cookies and a banana, and then went to Einstein’s for a breakfast date. And then like every day this week, I went to work.

Time: 41:52 (run)
Mileage: 3.1 (13:30 min/mile)
Calories: 694
Max HR 189
Avg HR 1686
In Zone 4:07

I swear I posted something recently

I even saw it on Facebook.

Anyway, I haven't run in over a week.

Work is kicking my ass.

As we speak, I'm already on hour 60 for the week. Thank God I get paid hourly.

OK, so I have a 5K tomorrow and then more work.

And the Christmas tree is still up!

Perhaps I'll buy some hearts and call it a Valentine's tree.

I hope you all are well.

Exciting times in the ALB household...or not

Well, nothing exciting is going on with us. Our Christmas tree is still up, our dogs are still nuts, and we are still running.

Sunday, D decided to join me and Guinness for our run. After I showed him the 3 mile route, wrote down half the route's directions for him, and told him the rest of the route, we set out. He was about a block ahead of me for about 2 miles. But then he decided to do his own thing. So I don't know where he went. He went about 4.5 miles.

Guinness and I ran the prison route. She had fun. She hit puddles, and got to bark a lot. A lot of potty breaks. But her walk was good. My run...it was long. I have no idea how long I ran, because I messed up the timing on the Garmin, because I walked Porter before the run, but never looked at my time or reset it. So oh well. We also walked so total was 5.17 miles in 94 minutes.

Today I was going to work late, but lost motivation. So I came home. D was already dressed for our 3 miler, so off to the track we went. My time is getting better (back to where it was). And I am a total nerd. Who runs and thinks, I'm 1/12 of the way done. What other numbers don't go in to 12? What about 24? and so on and so forth. So exciting. I did try to remember the Bell's beer that I like. They might distribute in GA, so I am excited. I will have to find my beer notes (another sign that I'm a nerd...I note my beers).

OK so the results...

Time: 42:25 (run)
Mileage: 3 (14:10 min/mile)
Time: 21:00 (walk)
Mileage: 1 (21.00 min/mile)
Calories: 771
Max HR 182
Avg HR 156
In Zone 9:50

Time: 94:17 (run/walk)
Mileage: 5.17 (18:14 min/mile)
Calories: 1149
Max HR 184
Avg HR 152
In Zone 29:46

LMAO! A lookback in time...

So I don't watch much TV. Law and Order, Family Guy and ESPN are mostly what I watch.

So I was reading the paper today, and it said something about a sighting of one of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" with her really bad blonde weave. So off to her website I went, because I had seen a woman with a bad blonde hair weave back in December. So bad I actually blogged about it. (Kim Zolciak is her name).



"So later in the day D and I decided to check out the Porter Bar. Pretty good. A little confused with the name since the beer list seemed focused on wheats. I did have a Left Hand Milk Stout and a Great Divide Porter. D had a Beamish and a Great Divide. We also split a Reuben and a Ham and Cheese. The French Fries were awesome. Although the bartender thought I didn't like them because I only had 5.



Then is when we decided we should leave...the man and woman who sat down next to us were interstesting. First the woman had enough collagen that we were sure she wouldn't be able to feel if she was giving her man a BJ. And he had this little case. It was black leather and it was a little roll. It looked like a dildo. So with his little dick on the bar and her lips we were making fun. Then they wanted to know if the fish and chips were greasy (huh!). The bartender goes, "No, they are just cooked in oil." The 2 didn't get what he meant so they ordered it. I think they were high too because they ate popcorn, fries and the fish and chips. And they were grubbing. I stretched back and then saw it. The chick had hair extensions that were coming through. It was so bad. I don't think the picture did justice. It is hard to take a pic in a dark bar incognito."

The original post...

This Week So Far

It hasn't been terribly exciting.

Tuesday D and I ran 3 miles on the track. There were 4 other people there. They were running 400s. They were timing it to me...I know this because on 1 lap I heard them say that I was getting slower. I was. Lap 9 seemed excruciating.

But I finished, and D and I went home and had dinner around 9pm. But we didn't eat out. Score 1 for us.

Wednesday, was kind of crappy, but at 9pm, I got on my stationary bike and rode 9 miles.

I don't think I ever said what my 2009 goal was.
It is to floss my teeth at least 5 times a week. This will lead to a healthier me.
So far so good.

Oh! And I'm ticked off at Title 9 (the catalog). Do they not realize Fat Women need exercise wear too? I think you're being a little short-sited Title 9. Only size 0 Women can buy. Bitch!

And I lost 3 pounds this week.

Woohoo!

Time: 43:20 (run)

Mileage: 3 (14:27 min/mile)

Time: 24:00 (walk)

Mileage: 1 (24.00 min/mile)

Calories: 789

Max HR 185

Avg HR 155

In Zone 7:08

Time: 41:29 (bike)

Mileage: 9 (4:37 min/mile)
Calories: 255

Max HR 122

Avg HR 110

In Zone 22:50

First Race and Run of the Year

Yesterday D, A and I went to Decatur to run the Run with the Dogs 5K. D didn't run because he hurt his back on Friday. Not sure what happened but he makes me wince when he stands up.

It was 47 and hugely overcast. Luckily I gave this some thought because I was going to wear a coat. I think I would have died.

Anyway we got to Decatur HS and signed in. Really cool T-shirts. We talked to the Race Coordinator. He said about 150 people would run, which was surprising since it benefitted Decatur City Schools. This made me really nervous. I didn't want to be last. I recognized some runners from other races. After about 45 minutes, the race started. It started up a hill. By the time I got to the top, I wanted to stop. But I didn't. Lots of people passing me and lots of people with pups. I found my groove and ran past Agnes Scott College and through a 'hood past Winnona Park Elementary. There were hills but nothing very steep...at least not anything Guinness and I haven't done. Near MM1 some guy asked if I wanted his dog to pull me through the race. I'm not sure if he was being nice or just being a dickhead, insinuating I was slow. I decided he was a dickhead, but let it go (obviously!). I got up a hill the cops who had halted traffic. It seemed to piss off drivers but oh well. Mile 1 was 13:47. Faster than I have been in quite some time. Mile 2 was basically a long flat street. For some reason this was the hardest part for me. There were cops or volunteers at every break in the street for the race, and this section was just a long street with no turnoffs, so no people. There were some people in front of me, but I wasn't intent on catching them.

What was weird Vanilla's post about training for his marathon popped in my head (he recollected himself). And how he had a bad run. And how he didn't want to run anymore. I decided I didn't either. I finally got to Oakhurst and they called at my time as 25 something. But I wasn't at 2 miles. I grabbed a cup of water because I was dying of the heat. But it was empty. I was getting more discouraged. So I could see MM2, and decided to walk. I didn't trudge and I walked like a walk racer, but I walked. I couldn't explain it. So I passed MM2 and I got to a a downhill. I decided to run again (I probably had walked 5o-100 yrds). My friend Kara's advice came into my head...You have 15 more minutes of fun, and then you can sit down. So I got to the hill to go up, and plugged away. I finally got to Dekalb Ave and had to run down it. It was kind of hard because I was running on the wet line of the street that had no curb, just a dropoff and against traffic. Most people slowed down, but some did not.

I could see the light of the school. 2 people were in front of me. They had done the run/walk thing the whole race. They decided I wasn't going to pass them and started running. As I said, it was weird, usually I would try to stay with them, and this time, I was just eh! So I got to the stop light (3 MM) and the rest was downhill.

A and D cheered me before the finish. I crossed at 43:07 which was much better than my time in December. I got some water (they had some!). A got 34 something.

As I write this, it seems like it was a lousy run, but I don't think it was. I think I was just having A LOT of headgames. Weird I guess.

A dropped us off and we were going to go to Lowe's to get my leafblower, but we decided to have some Cincinnati Chili first. Which went with a Pipeline Porter, and another. And a Young's Double Chocolate Stout. And some Left Hand Milk Stout. And some dancing. And some more beer. So my leafblower will be bought this week.

Yes, I had a good Saturday!

Time: 43:07 (run)
Mileage: 3.11 (13:52 min/mile)
Calories: 383
Max HR 187
Avg HR: 179