Weight I have lost

Sunday, February 27, 2011

LaAmistad Buckhead 5K

So D and I had a 5K on the schedule. A was doing this race. Monday I verified she was doing this particular 5K (yes), and D and I signed up for Saturday's race. She said it was flat.

A picked us up.  Weather was 38 at 8 but supposed to be 50 by 10.  We got there.  It is in the rich part of Atlanta.  Another megachurch although nothing like the one in January.  This one just had a coffee shop the size of 4 Starbucks.  The church (across the street from the coffee part) didn't seem that big. A informed us she checked the course again, and there was one big hill.

This was an inaugural race, benefiting ESOL (I think) at an afterschool gym.  There were quite a few people (probably 300-500) which is a good turnout.  We went to where we thought we were supposed to start and waited.  Suddenly everyone started walking into a neighborhood. Was this the start?  WTF? This was everyone's opinion.  Finally we saw the Start Banner.  Maybe 10 words were said, and the gun went off.  I started the Garmin when I crossed the Start. (No chip time).

A was in front of me. I don't know where D was.  I passed a lot of people. A lot of people passed me.  I just ran.  I almost ran into this one woman (PIGTAIL, PT) that for the rest of the race made me keep my head up for her constant stretching in the middle of the street.  Lots of little kids were in the race too. That was cool. A said the kids were members of the gym, so that was cool.  We passed the water station at .75 miles.  I didn't get any, I just turned up the street.  I kind of wondered if we were going to pass the Governor's House.  A said we would pass Kenny Rogers and one of the founders of Home Depot's house (so we were going by BIG houses).  Well I didn't see any of these houses.  A had also been non-chalant about the hill. It was HUGE and LONG.  It seemed like it would never end.  I passed the 1 mile mark.  11:14.  Wait! What?  No wonder this hill is so hard.  Finally we got to the top and went down.  It was short but steep. (It turns out A runs the route the other way).  I finally lost site of A.

On the way down the hill, I nearly ran into PT.  Seriously, how much does one have to stretch in 1 mile?  For awhile I ran around little kids, so I was back to looking down.  There were a lot of trees and my face (sinus) hurt. Damn Pollen.  I thought about the houses and everytime I went to look, I was about to trip over someone. So again, still no looking.  I got to mile 2 at 23:24.  Again, fast (I ran 2 miles on Wednesday at 23:30).  Could I keep this pace up?  God dammit PT, pick a pace.  I came upon a couple who had run the ATL HM before.  They had a decent pace so I picked it up.  Listening, the woman had an issue.  The man asked if she wanted to stop. Would say we have .75 miles left, etc. So I picked up the pace.  My watch was reading 34 minutes.

Could I get there before 37:50?  I had no clue where I was.  I started counting down mailboxes.  A cop had traffic stopped. Would he make me wait (no)?  Where is the finish?  36... I could see where we started.  Can your legs go faster, AL?  C'mon.  I looked at mile 3.08.  36 something.  I turned and saw the finish.  I didn't see D.  I was tired.  I sprinted with everything and got to the chute.  3.14 in 37:34.  A new PR!!!!

I was so happy, even if the course was a little long.  Afterward, D (who was standing at the last turn...I just didn't see him) said J (A's husband) had dropped off C (A's daughter) before going to a music lesson (J not C).I got my T-shirt and some water.  Then we waited for C to do her 1K. It seemed to take forever for it to start (the sweat of my shirt was making me cold).  Right before it started C decided A should do it (A did the 5K).  So we waited for them.  C did great!  She was very happy with herself.

D got in the low 26s. A got 35something.  So we all did great.

Mile1: 11:14
Mile 2: 11:52
Mile 3: 12:56
Total: 37:34 (11:59/mi)

Typing from a droid

well, this will not last long because i cant use the secondary keys for capitalization, numbers and stuff.
race report coming for armistad, or something like that fivek.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Food, running, why I shouldn't take MARTA, etc.

So, this week was all about food. I got home on Valentine's Day to a nice surprise. D and Scuttlebutt got me flowers. And D even arranged them. I was totally surprised. He got white ones for remembrance of Guinness. After 5 seconds of tears, I smelled them and we went to dinner.
Flowers from D and SB

Forget about any type of portion control. Fox Bros. Yum! We had stuffed jalapenos with pulled pork in them, and Texas fries (fries with brisket, cheese and ranch). I was going to get smoked chicken and saw someone's smoked beef fillet. HAD TO HAVE IT! With Homemade Macaroni and Cheese as one side and Homemade Macaroni and Cheese and Brunswick Stew mixed as the other. I did manage to leave one side and half the meat on the plate. Why? Oh because then I had to get chocolate cheesecake on top of raspberry cheesecake on top of pound cake. D was not as enamored with this as I was (although he ate it). We got home and Pajama Jeans would've been awesome. Instead my black sweat pants came out. If I had had a mumu, that would have come out.

Tuesday was a 4 mile run. Nothing exciting about it. Wednesday was a 2 mile speed workout. However it was 60 degrees. I was home early from the doctor (I'm healthy and my total cholesterol is 128, tyvm!) I looked at SB and he looked at me. We went for a slow run (32 minutes to smell leaves, pee a zillion times, run some hills).

Thursday, I was just having a day at work. So I postponed my run to Sunday. I did lose .5 pounds.

Friday was my birthday. D and I went to Milltown and saw Clay. Had a beer and then we hit Tierra. We decided to forgo Saturday's run and go back to see Clay. However, first I got a bottle of wine Lorinon Rioja Reserva. I'm allergic to wine. However this one didn't close the back of my throat (yes, I can't explain being allergic yet ordering...wine allergy is less annoying than the turkey allergy). Anyway, homemade black bean soup, followed by this trout chile relleno thing. Everything was good. But I don't come to Tierra for the dinner. I come for Tres Leches. The most awesome cake in the world. And with homemade Dulce de Leche Ice Cream (yes, I picked a restaurant for cake when it doesn't have a good beer list, that's how good the cake is). So the Tres Leches comes out with the ice cream. Awesome as always. Of course, again I need stretchy pants. So going to see Clay is no longer an option. So we went home and played with SB.

Saturday I got up and took SB running. I believe I can't take SB running because it is taking too long, and I'm not really pushing myself. 6 miles. He is tired on 5 miles. I'm tired of pulling him home by mile 5.5. So I think that was the last run for awhile. Here is a pick of mile 1.2, 2.9 and 4.3 (my loops change as I run). Yes that is a prison.

My second favorite stretch of street on my run (the first street got rid of the Penis Truck (truck with a penis painted on the side) so there is nothing to take a picture of).

Afterward, D and I went to the Beer Carnival. We met M and M there. It was 70 degrees out. Some people decided to wear boots and sundresses. This was the chick in front of me. Even from someone who just wished for Pajama Jeans, you know this is an awful look.

Don't wear this. Or wear it and be made fun of on my blog.

Much beer was consumed. So much, I got into a fight with the MARTA cop on the way home. First she was mad, D jumped the stall. He didn't but she didn't like that we used one ticket for 2 fares and made us pay for a new ticket for a 3rd fare. (You buy a ticket and then put the fare on it. We put $5 in and it didn't give us change, so we decided to use the ticket twice). Then she wanted to know why I didn't use my MARTA card (it is a POS and didn't work). Then apparently I was drunk (no!!!!). Hence why I wasn't driving but using MARTA. Then apparently, I didn't know what was at the MLK station (though I fully described this station). She didn't think I should go there for safety reasons. (Her unPC reasoning was white people don't go to that station.) I told her she should come with me and be my protection. After all she is the MARTA cop. (In fairness to her, it isn't the most safe area of Atlanta, but the most unsafe part is the actual MARTA Station. Once you get to the cemetery everything is lit up and you are fine if you stay on the main street.) Finally D got a new ticket and got through the gate and off we went to the MLK station. We walked (the horror!!!!) to Clay's and had 4 more beers. Then Clay called us a cab and we went home.

Sunday, that 4 miler didn't happen. Sleep did!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Chattahoochee Challenge 10K

First, thank you on the condolences. D, SB and I are getting through the pain and anger, and trying to focus on the memories. Easier said than done.

Saturday, D and I had a 10K to do in Roswell. This doesn't seem so suburby. I think mostly because I drive that past it to work every day, and the Nature Center is relatively easy to get to from the interstate. I think there is one light. It just takes a good 30 minutes to get there.

Saturday morning we got up to a lovely 30 degrees. The weathermen commented all week how beautiful the weekend would be. Yeah, not so much at 6AM. We did the usual eating, walking the dog, me being half-asleep getting dressed, bathroom, etc.

Us getting ready to leave...I always have such gorgeous hair!

We left at about 6:35. We got to the auxiliary parking lot at about 715 with the rest of the runners, it seemed. We hoofed it to the Nature Center (.85 miles away). I had to nervous pee. So I told D I would meet him in the gym. I went to the outside door (there are 2 sides to the bathroom). This other woman and I just walked in, not knowing how long the line was on the other side. Rather than be polite, and say, "Excuse me, ladies, there is a line," this cunt of a woman hisses, "THE LINE IS BACK THERE." I am in no mood, and just go, "Well how the fuck do you have to go to the bathroom, bitch. It is obvious you haven't had your coffee or you would be pleasant." And give her a one finger salute as I go get my number.

D and I put our chips on our shoes, and walk to the start line. Spot-a-pots!!! Score!!! So we stand in line. I get nervous (and become more bitchy than that woman), because I can hear someone on a megaphone telling us 15 minutes to the race and there is a half-mile walk to the start line. Finally my turn. After I finish, I go out, and D helps me get my pants up (I didn't come out with them down...they just really compress, and I didn't pull them to a comfortable position in the can). He held my gloves as I lifted my shirts and pulled the pants and did a little panty-hose dance to get them up. I'm sure some people saw a good muffin top!

We walk .41 miles to the start. It has moved from last year. Not sure why. At 8:09 they started the race. D passed me as well as a lot of other people. I just kind of lollygagged, it seemed to me. I couldn't find a pace to suit me. We passed the Nature Center. I wasn't sure if I should run straight or run 9 minutes, walk 1. I got to downhill and decided to do the 9:1, which of course meant, walk down the hill. I picked back up and turned the corner. Mile 1 seemed closer than last year...well duh, Al if the start line was further back, then yes, Mile 1 would be closer to the corner. I looked at my watch. Even with the walking, 12:26.

Could I keep this pace up for 5.2 more miles. Hmmm! I'll try. I pass a lot of people that went out too fast. One woman seems to be doing 4:2 opposed to my 9:1. There is the water. I actually walked through the water...it was so dry out, I needed it. At about 1.7, I saw the first and 2nd place finishers...they were well past mile 3. Mile 2: 12:57. I get to Roswell RD, and turn around. There are a lot of people behind me. That is nice that the sweep truck is not with me. There is the old lady walker who passed me last year. I have a lot of room between her and me, so no worries. I wonder if I can finish this road without the cops telling me to get on the path. I'm going to pass this guy. Oh wait! I really am. Now Orange Lady. She is about 200 yds ahead of me. Mile 3 seems really fast. Much faster than the 12:57, but it isn't.

OK, when did the road get so long? Orange Lady is still 200 yds. Steady pace, her and me. Where is the Mile Marker. Still no one to sweep me. Mile Marker 4. That can't be right. It says 50 minutes... Finally crossed it at 52 something. Mile 4 is 13:39.

Only 2 more miles, AL. The road seems to be moving. Oh, I'm going to be sick. Stop looking up, Al. You know you get motion sickness. It seemed like it took me 5 LONG minutes to get that feeling to go away. Just plodding along. Walked up the hill that I walked down during Mile 1 (I was on the 1 minute walk). There is the finish. Too bad I have to still run to MM 6. I seem to be closer to the big group of people. Oh there is A! Oh wait! Stop being delirious! She didn't come today. Plus that lady has about 5 inches on her. Really? You thought that was A? Oh good! Mile 5: 13:57.

Only 1 more hill (only 1 hill anyway). You just have to go up/down turnaround up down. My watch is reading 67 minutes. Only have to run to 69. I don't think I can. I'm feeling sick. Brain, shut up. I'm walking 3 minutes.

Well the walk did good, and I guess Orange Lady needed a walk too. 70 minutes came when I had to go up the hill. She was done. I plodded along, and got nearer and nearer (I passed 3 others as well). We went down the hill. She didn't pick up her pace. I passed her and only had the turn around. Back up the hill. You have this, AL. Came down the hill. Deceived! Thought Mile 6 was there. Still a little more. Finally got to Mile 6. Had slowed way down. 14:42. I could hear the camera recording, "Smile, you're almost done!" I didn't see them. Woman in front of me started walking I could now see the finish. I see D! I pass the walking woman. Then I see the timer. It says 83:40. I know if I get to it by 84:10, my official time will be in the 83 (chip time). I turn on those legs. I'm tired. But I want it. I cross the mats. I hit the Garmin. 83:57 says Garmin. (Official time is 83:56)! I beat my PR by 4:07 minutes.

D getting a PR!


D needing new pants. These pants are supposed to be tight. I thought he had on his wind pants that he walks SB in until I thought about it. WAY TOO BIG!

Me coming to the finish line.

Obviously tired. Running with both feet on the ground???

D gets me some water. I think when I got to the water table I guzzled about 6 cups (they were slightly bigger than Dixie cups). I grabbed 3 more and we walked up to the Center to get our T-shirts. D PR'd as well by 4 minutes, so he still has to wait 30 minutes for me. We got some bananas, and I got more water cups, and we went a different way back to the car because I didn't want to deal with the stairs yet for the 4th time today. So we went down a monstrous hill, and walked back to the car. (1:01 miles).

I'm so proud of us!!!

When we got home, I took my post-run shower. I was looking at my pants. Yeah, I ran with them on inside out. I'm good like that.

Mile 1: 12:26
Mile 2: 12:57
Mile 3: 12:57
Mile 4: 13:39
Mile 5: 13:57
Mile 6: 14:42
Official Time: 83:56

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Steal My Kisses

For Guinness (03/17/2000-01/28/2011)

So you may have noticed I haven't written for a week or 2.

The day before the Polar Bear Run, D said we needed to discuss G's health. I told him no. But I knew I had to, as I had been putting it off for several weeks. We didn't discuss it once again.

Sunday after the race, D was upset. At 10pm he had walked her. At 10:20, she had peed inside the house, twice. All day Monday I cried about my baby. Monday night, I told him to do what he had to do, and Friday was the best day. Can I say what a horrible, long yet short week that was.I tried to tell myself Porter needed Guinness more than I did. While it is a nice thought, being selfish seemed the better alternative (and it does now too). But I know it is better for G, but I still don't like it.

We tried to do things to keep our minds off it. We ran Tuesday. Wednesday we went to a hockey game. The only time I didn't cry was at the game...I cried through dinner, in the car to and from and at home. Work, well I cried non stop. Thursday in the middle of a meeting I burst into tears. It might not have been so bad, if I hadn't been presenting something. My friend said it should prevent people from inviting me to meetings because nothing causes old men to feel more uncomfortable than a woman crying.

Friday came and we did what we had to do. D and I were sobbing. I looked up, so was the Vet Tech R. The vet was monitoring her heart rate. True to form, Guinness fought it, and it took a little longer than it should have. When the Dr.D (the vet) called it, she was crying too. We all cried together. I really don't think Dr.D cries at these. I think she was crying for G. She told us we (and G) fought so hard. Then we left. Vet Tech E ran out to the car and offered condolences.

We went to Sonic and got their version of Blizzards, and then I played Angry Birds for 8 hours. I really don't remember much else. Sunday we didn't go to the grocery store. I did nothing.

So all through Guinness's life, we had a song..."Steal My Kisses" by Ben Harper. It was our song, because Guinness was a dog on her own time. If I wanted to be lovey, that was nice, but I wasn't going to get an ounce of attention if it didn't suit her. I've heard it 3 times in 2010; once for no reason, once on the day in October we were supposed to put her down, and once on Tgiving Day. The latter dates...she was going to be ok, and be thankful for what has been given to you.

Guinness was a character in her own right...She ruined a Dog Frisbee Contest for a contestant when she ran out on the field; for our wedding, she decided to get baptized by jumping in the Baptismal Pool; she jumped out of the car window that was partially open while having an Elizabethan Collar on; she let us bury her in the sand; she turned her nose up at any beer not named Guinness; she ate Porter's birthday cake; she peed in the bed when I went on a trip to see my friends; she found every hole in the fence at every dog park. My co-workers at my first job used to take bets on how long I would have her. I was 2 hours late for work from chasing her at least once a week for a year at that job. I clocked her once while chasing her down the street in my Mustang (I was in it, not her). 35mph. She was fast. Yet, I kept her, and D became her dad 2 years later, and we were a happy little family.

So that Monday, D and I met at the grocery store. "Just Breathe" by Pearl Jam was playing. I said hi to Porter, like I always do when that song plays. I was pulling into the parking lot, and "Steal My Kisses" came on right after "Just Breathe." I know Guinness and Porter are together.

I pulled into Nashville, Tennessee
But you wouldn't even come around to see me
And since your headin' up to Carolina
You know I gonna be right there behind you

CHORUS:
'Cause I always have to steal my kisses from you
Always have to steal my kisses from you
Always have to steal my kisses from you
Always have to steal my kisses from you

Now I love to feel that warm southern rain
Just to hear it fall is the sweetest sounding things
And to see it fall on your simple country dress
It's like heaven to me I must confess

CHORUS

Now I've been around you for days
But when I'm leanin you just turn your head away
I know you didn't mean that
She said I love the way you think but I hate the way you act

CHORUS

Always have to steal my kisses from you
Always have to steal my kisses from you
Always have to steal my kisses from you
Always have to steal my kisses from you


Guinness- Adopted March 17, 2001
Guinness's First Visit to Santa 12/2001

Didn't have to steal my kisses - 2003
Our Ring Bearer 7/19/2003

Supa-Pup- 10/2004
That is so funny! 2008

Guinness the Rebel- 7/2009

Guinness at Yappy Hour 12/2010