You Run? No, really, you run?

11 Random posts

2012-01-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

I got tagged by Christina to do this 11 Random posts.
Here are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer...Answer Christina's because I'm lazy.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people! Whatever...do it if you want.

1. I drink a lot of fluid and always have. It was not uncommon for my brother and me to go through a can of Hi-C in one dinner sitting when I was 6. Now I drink 12+ glasses of water a day, and probably 5 Diet Cokes. The DC is down from 13. I didn't increase my water to compensate though.

2. I cannot multi-task. If I have the TV on, and am looking at my phone, I have no clue what is going on on the TV. With work, if I'm working on more than one project, I have to block it out on the calendar.

3. I don't watch any TV shows that the rest of America seems to love. I have never watched American Idol, Real HouseWhores of ____, Lost, Modern Family, The Office, etc. I tried to watch The Office. After 30 seconds I determined that it wasn't worth the 30 minutes of my time. I liked one show. It was called Happy Hour on Fox. It was hilarious. It lasted 2 or 3 episodes.

4. If I could retire, I would retire in Baltimore. Everyone tells me what a dirty, rundown, gross city it is. I love it. Although, I will never root for the Ravens. When we visit, I feel so alive. I do not feel the same in Washington, D.C.

5. I couldn't fathom living in the suburbs in any place. I did it for the first 18 years of my life, and then another 7 years after college (I was ITP, though!!!). After the age of 6, I couldn't figure out why we didn't live in the city. When I spent 3 weeks in London after 9th grade, I decided I would always live in a city.

6. I don't like cats. I had 4 growing up. The first 3 were decent. I didn't get along with the last one. It made me hate them. Now when I'm around them, my skin itches and I sneeze constantly.

7. I hate when co-workers call a female co-worker a bitch. It is very non-descriptive. Hard-ass or ball-breaker is usually more apt, because most times I hear bitch, it is when a female told someone they didn't do something right, follow procedure, or the name-caller isn't getting their way. If someone calls me a bitch, I ask them to be more descriptive, or tell them I wouldn't be doing my job if I weren't one.

8. My brother gives the best hugs. Not in a creepy way. But they are the kind that if you never see each other again, you know that he loves you. This is a long way from the bone crushing handshakes that he used to give me in church, on purpose.

9. My idea of hell is a cruise. I never have been on one. The thought of looking on all sides and not seeing land makes me sick. The thought of being on a ship with a whole bunch of strangers holds no appeal. The thought of being on a ship with no good beer scares me. Thinking about the Love Boat gives me nightmares. It also holds no appeal to me to spend a few hours in one place and get back on a ship. If I want to go somewhere, I want to explore that area.

10. I hate Tapas. I don't understand them. If I wanted to share my food with my dining companions, I would have invited them over to my house for dinner where we could have normal sized plates of food. I don't want to share 7 over-priced small appetizers (3 which I probably don't even want) with 3 other people, spend $50+ and have to stop at McDonald's on the way home, because I'm still hungry.

11. My house is rarely ever clean all at the same time. Sometimes I probably should be embarrassed; frankly, I just don't care. When I think about how I choose to spend my time, I don't want to look back in 50 years and say, "Every Saturday, I cleaned my house." I'd much rather go, "I spent my Saturdays exploring Atlanta with D (and the dogs), enjoying the time we had together."

Here are my questions:
1. Favorite dish/food? Pizza (always with red sauce and extra cheese, other topping vary).
2. Favorite singer? Eddie Vedder
3. Chick flick? Thrillers? Scary movies? Don't really enjoy any although, right now I'm catching up on Comic Book Movies
4. Favorite beverage? Guinness
5. What's your typical/usual daily outfit? Pants and some kind of "nice" T-shirt.
6. What's your usual workout outfit? Shorts, Knee Brace, Technical T, HRM, Bra, socks and shoes
7. Pet peeve? People who assume I think the same as they. And people who use the subjective pronoun where the objective one should be.
8. Introvert or extrovert? Introvert unless I know you. I don't like talking to people I don't know and I see no point in small talk.
9. What do you always have in your grocery cart? Jalapenos
10. Your best trait? I will think the best of people until they prove me otherwise.
11. Your worst trait? I am stubborn.

Transmitter Exchange

2012-01-25T11:59:00.001-05:00

So D and I traded transmitters yesterday.

Got to the gym, and walked. Nothing exciting. Started running, and my HR hung out at 161. D said his was 00. He did some stuff. I noticed my HR going to 165, 170, 172. Hooray, it is the transmitter. I was so excited. My 3 miles went pretty easily. The last .5 were the hardest, but I kept at it.

When D finished he told me his transmitter was working too. Since his HR never goes above 155, he said it read right and calculated his usual calories. Who knows?

I still think I'm buying another transmitter in a month.

And an interesting article on shoes/feet.

Flashing the Gym

2012-01-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

Half-Marathon Training Week 1 is in the books. I completed all the runs, but had some issues. My heart rate monitor is on the fritz. I noticed it at the 5K we did...how does one get 200 calories running 3.1 miles? The next runs were eh. Thursday, D and I were at the gym. He was running a few TMs down from me. I kept noticing my HR was not going any higher than 160, according to my watch. Considering it was a 2 mile run, I was trying to do speed. My heart felt a helluva lot faster than 160. Then it dropped to 87. WTF? I grabbed the water bottle, lifted my shirt and rewet the HRM strap. Yes, for someone who cannot change in a locker room due to modesty, I have no issue flashing an entire gym full of men. So, but .4 miles, I was pissed off, and told D I was going home. I went into the bathroom and pretty much doused my breasts in water in the sink.

Back on the treadmill. Stuck at 160. Worked fine while walking, sucked while running. I got the 1.6 done but WTF? Water was all over the floor next to me from where the water kept splashing off my strap/boobs/bra. During my cool down, I did get it to 170 by going 7mph on the treadmill. I know I'm not that freaking healthy.

Saturday, we went back to do 4 miles. Same shit happened again. I looked down the TMs and saw my heart rate reading on 3 of them. The gym got new TMs so maybe these sucked and had crosstalk. More flashing. The Personal Trainer giggled. At 1.85 miles I told D I was going into the other room (that is only 76 degrees, MY GOD turn down the heat!!!!). The HRM went up and stayed at 160, until I walked a minute. Then it went to 185. Every single time. I finally got done, but told D that without my gadgets I don't like running. (Yes, I'm one of *those* people, and you can lecture me 'til you are blue in the face...I will not run without my HRM).

Sunday, I meant to use the extra strap, but getting out of the house was an effort and I forgot. Stuck at 160 for 3 miles. The gym was 77 degrees so there was a lot of walking since I obviously wasn't properly hydrated for Bikram Yoga Running. I tried the upstairs TMs as there was 1 guy in the room on TM1 (he had TV1). I got on TM9 (I had TV4). All TVs were on HGTV. I changed mine to the AFC Championship. He huffed. I wonder if HGTV pays a premium for these things. I got .6 miles in before my HRM said 0. I flashed again, just to get it working again. Since I wasn't dead, I went to the other room. I had to turn on the game in there, although if there was huffing, I didn't hear it. I got home and D wanted to know why I didn't take the other strap. I forgot.

I put it on and went outside and ran up to the top of the street. Thought I was going to pass out. 154. Really? So, I'm going to try that one tonight, to confirm it doesn't work. If it does work, I will buy another strap. If it doesn't, I need to replace the Polar F6. I'm not happy. I don't like change.

Week 1, Day 1

2012-01-18T12:44:00.000-05:00

So half marathon training has begun. And it began crappily.

D had to work a late shift, so I got home and had to assemble dinner. Yes, this is indeed "whitewhine." He had already cooked everything, I just had to assemble. I was able to do that while completely destroying the kitchen that he had cleaned earlier in the day. So I cleaned that up. Then I sat in the living room and watched Criminal Intent. After 90 minutes, I decided to go to the gym to run 3 miles.

So I got there and got on a treadmill. Walked .5 miles. No biggie. Changed the HGTV to ESPN to watch basketball. Someone 3 TM's down huffed about that (I didn't have headphones on.) They were in front of TV#3, I was in front of TV#4. They could suck it. They were watching Jeopardy. Whatever.

Finally started running. About 3.5 minutes in at 5.1 mph, I got such a side stitch, I took it to 4.7. Then I took it to 3.4. After a minute I started again. At 3 minutes, same thing, so down to 4.7 and then 3.4. Every time I walked the Michigan/Michigan State game got more interesting. So this time to 5.0. Still a damn stitch. Walk, more bball. I did this for the whole 3 miles. Only one set of 4 minutes did I feel ok. But I wanted to know how the game was going (I can't run and look up at the same time...it makes me motion-sick). However, I did run my 3 miles at a faster pace than the 5K 2 weeks ago.

And because I cooled down with .5 miles, I got to see the end of the game which was good.

Got home and walked the pups. Both of them acted foolish on the walk. Right as we stepped inside, it started raining. So that answered that (SB will not go in the rain, and McM has trouble going in the dark with me).

Hiking on a Treadmill

2012-01-10T12:19:00.002-05:00

So while ~~wallowing~~ preparing for the fact I need to do some hill work, I read Shelley's blog. She had a Hiking Workout on the Treadmill. Yeah, that's nice. While I was ~~sitting picking at my cuticles~~, testing a board at low voltage, I started thinking about the workout some more. It was only 20 minutes. Monday is lifting day, but neither D nor I really enjoy it. Plus it aggravates my hip. What's one Monday to try something different?

So I wrote the workout on a sticky note and stuck it on my wallet and went home. After dinner, while watching That 70s show, I asked D what he thought of it. He didn't seem that fond, but then decided ok he would try it.

So we changed and off to the gym with 2 sticky notes with the workout on it. We scored TMs next to each other, and started off with a 5 minute walk at 3mph.

Then came the workout. It was easy for about 2 minutes. I say that because it is at 3.6mph, and I walk slowly. As the inclines went up it did get harder. I lasted for through the first incline of 12% grade. The 2nd time we did it, I had to hold on, because I almost fell off. I didn't like holding on because it changed my posture. But it was that or fall off (the whole workout is 20 minutes, I wasn't going to slow down). Finally, the whole thing was over. We walked 5 more minutes at 3mph. Total was 30 minutes, 1.7 miles, 297 calories burned. D said he had trouble the last 12% interval.

My legs burned. I didn't know a treadmill went to 12% (I didn't know it went to 4, haha). This morning, my thighs are sore. Overall, I think we will keep trying this.

So the workout with our warm-up/cool-down

5 minutes    Incline 0     MPH 3.0
2 minutes    Incline 0 MPH 3.6
1 minutes Incline 4     MPH 3.6
3 minutes    Incline 8     MPH 3.6
2 minutes    Incline 12   MPH 3.6
1 minutes    Incline 3     MPH 3.6
2 minutes    Incline 10   MPH 3.6
1 minutes    Incline 12   MPH 3.6
4 minutes    Incline 7     MPH 3.6
2 minutes    Incline 12   MPH 3.6
2 minutes    Incline 6 MPH 3.6
5 minutes    Incline 0 MPH 3.0

This should get you 30 minutes, 1.7 miles.

Run with the Dogs 5K, My 4th Year

2012-01-08T19:59:00.000-05:00

So D, A and I once again signed up for this. On Friday, A sent me a message she would drive herself because she was awake at 5am. I was a little confused by this, but ok. D and I played with the pups in the park and ate massive gyros, and I saw the race started at 9. So we decided we would leave at 715 on Saturday, because we had to get gas...and because Decatur is a whole 10 miles away at the very most. So it would take us FOREVER to get there (sarcasm, if you aren't sure). A texted at 9pm that she was getting off the plane, which now made her message reasonable.

So I got up at 330. I have been fighting with insomnia since Thanksgiving. It hits when my head gets stuffed up, and it is too late to take a Benadryl. Saturday's cure was Smallville. Put me right out. We got up around 630 and got ready. We were a bit thrown by the 55 degree weather. No thermal clothing. Just shorts and a long sleeve shirt. I wore out my CWX capris at the Smuttynose HM (damn thigh rub!), so I had been wearing my thermal compression capris, but 55 seemed too hot. So just regular shorts and a knee brace. Water and clif bar, and we were off.

Pre-race I have awesome hair

Our gas station has a funky pump that I forget about all the time, and of course it was whacked out, so we only got $10 worth of gas. So the 15 minutes for gas was shortened. We got to Decatur at 730. We were there before they even set up. We waited awhile and finally got our T-shirts and went back to the car and played on the phones. At 830, we went back out to use the facilities and look for A. We couldn't find her, and decided she probably slept in.

At 905 they talked about the route, and it had changed again. This was the 4th time I've run this race and the 4th course I've run. They said there was 2 big downhills, which I immediately thought 2 uphills. The race started, on an uphill.

I ran for awhile, and we turned into a neighborhood. This race has dogs in it, and the lady by me had hers on a retractable leash, something I cannot stand, and that all the trainers I have used despise, and that the pups' daycare will not even allow. The dog was all across the road with this cord acting as a tripping hazard. She didn't pick up after the dog, either. After half a mile of irritation, I finally told her to control her dog because she was causing a trip hazard. Yes, I went there. And then she slowed down and I passed her. We continued through this neighborhood which was up and down, but no big hills either way. Mile 1 was 12:58. I was not surprised by this time, but I was disappointed.

We got out on the main road and ran for what seemed forever. It was a slight uphill mostly. We passed Thinking Man's Tavern. D and I need to go there once. We went about 6 years ago, and liked it. Because it isn't on Decatur Square, we forget about it. Knowing it is only a mile walk, we can deal. We ran all the way to the East Lake MARTA and turned down a steep hill. This little girl passed me. I thought she looked familiar, but couldn't place her. (Later when I looked up results, I placed her...she is my friend's daughter...she beat me by 4 minutes...I got chicked by a 9 year old...she placed in her AD, which is awesome!) The Decatur Police did a nice job blocking traffic. Turn again and another downhill with a turn, so not a lot of picking up speed. I walked through the water and continued. A lot more uphill grade (but no major uphill, more annoying). Mile 2 was 13:13.

One more huge downhill, and we were out on Ponce. I ran in the bike lane. I noticed I don't like running in my shorts. Perhaps it is because I have been wearing them since I got them 35 pounds ago. Perhaps it is because when I wear them on a treadmill, it is flat and my stomach doesn't giggle. But my stomach actually hurt from gravity. I started getting closer to Trinity, but the hill got steeper. I was already at 31 minutes, and knew D had long finished. This deflated me. So I walked for 45 seconds. The cop right before Trinity was doing a good job too. She had some car flipping her off for not allowing her to turn, because another woman and I were passing. Little things like this make me laugh, and yes, I did stick my tongue out at the woman.

So down Trinity and I knew I was almost done. I also knew I had another uphill to go. I did my best but when I saw the final ascent get even steeper, I said fuck it, and walked for a minute. D was at the top of the hill and probably was wondering what the hell I was doing. At 39 minutes, I was still in the middle of the hill, and decided to finish. I ran and turned and ran the downhill. Finished at 40:53. Definitely a lackluster performance. But what should I expect?

D had talked to someone involved with race while waiting. He said that all the uphills and downhills equalled out to 0 descent/ascent. D got 27 something. He said it was not a PR. Neither of us felt great about the race effort from us, but it got done. And we will do it next year, because we like the T-shirt, like seeing all the dogs prior to the race, and it is a good kick-off to the racing year. (A didn't make it to the race. Her daughter was too excited to see her). And this morning, my thighs hurt. I definitely need to add more hills into my training.

McMenamin in his new scarf

Scuttlebutt in his new scarf doing his Elvis impersonation

Later we went out on our own pub crawl with our friend J.

View of the Capitol from the first bar

Guinness

Walking to the 2nd Bar, another view

Jailhouse Breakout Stout

View from 2nd Bar

Cabbagetown, walking to 3rd bar

View of downtown, walking to 3rd bar

Almost to 3rd bar, yes, this is a 2-way street

Some Poundage Gone!

2012-01-05T12:29:00.000-05:00

My first weigh-in (I normally WI on Thursdays, and the first/last day of each month), and I'm down 3.8 pounds.
I bet it has something to going to the gym 3 times this week.

I'm still worried about the 5K on Saturday. I could barely run 2 miles, last night.

In other news, my mother-in-law bought me the Cooking Light Year in Review 2012 (she buys me each year's book for Christmas...I ask for it). Even though I get the magazines all year round, I like having all the recipes in one book. Plus I miss recipes throughout the year.

So what have I eaten?
Sunday: Baked Potato Soup
Monday: Cheesy Chicken Meat Loaf Minis, and Garlic Fries
Tuesday: Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs and Roasted Chile-Garlic Broccoli
Wednesday: Baked Potato Soup (see Sunday's link)

I'm very lucky D likes to cook.
These are also my lunches during the week (there is some chili in there as well from Saturday).

New Years Resolutioners are Gone? And Say No to a Thong!

2012-01-04T12:33:00.001-05:00

So D and I went to the gym last night to run, since we have a 5K on Saturday and the last time I ran was early December (I pulled a DNS at our annual Baltimore run, since I got no sleep and partially hurled a Clif Bar, had the chills, and a good sweat going...D got a PR!).

So we agreed to face the music after dinner. We would take 1 car and I would go first (I think this was unsaid) if there weren't 2 treadmills. We had no issue finding a parking spot. Our badges worked to get in the gym (it is locked at all times). In the front room, all TMs were open. We like the back room. 5 of the 10 TMs were open. Obviously, the Resolutioners don't run on Tuesday or they have given up.

D finished 3 miles in the time it took me to run a slow 2. I had to walk part of the 3rd mile since my HR spiked up past 185. I have a lot of trouble slowing down a run; I have no trouble walking. I did finish under 40 minutes. With warm-up and cool down, I got in 4 miles. D got in 4.75. As we were leaving, 3 TMs were taken and a gal chose one in between all the other people. And she was wearing a thong.

PSA: You shouldn't wear a thong to work out. I read this (and it was on Oprah.com so it has to be true) sometime this week. Something about the sweat from your ass makes the thong slide forward and the fecal matter moves forward and thus you will get a UTI. This is something I never have to worry about.

New Year, Same Me (I'm Plugging Along)

2012-01-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

I weighed myself yesterday. For the whole year, I lost 5.1 pounds. That is 5.1 pounds I didn't gain. That is 5.1 pounds less on an airplane seat. That is 5.1 pounds I don't have to carry on my body. While it seems miniscule to some, I'll take it. Especially since I decided to eat (and drink) nonstop from October to the end of the year.

I have run 2 miles so far this year.

My wish is to lose 10.2 pounds (or more) this year. I know I can do it.

Happy New Years!

Running a Bit

2011-11-21T13:26:00.000-05:00

So I have gotten to the gym a few times this month. It's a start, especially since I have a 5 miler come mid December. Wednesday I pushed myself to the gym. 2 miles. It wasn't glorious.

D came to the gym after he walked the dogs. He looked very dour. I had just finished so he used my treadmill. As we were trading floor for mill, I asked him if he was ok.
D: We're lucky we still have a house.
A: We were robbed?
D: No. Did you cook breakfast?
A: No, I had a Clif Bar.
D: The back burner to the stove was on.

Do you want to guess who did that? So I had 2 errands to run before going home, and I was in a bit of a haze at the thought of our house filled with gas blowing up, that the note I had left D could've caught fire and burned the house down, and both ideas with McM and SB in the house. Not good. We now have no knobs on the stove.

Thursday, they went to day care. Friday they both slept the whole day. So it looks like daycare has been added into our rotation.

Saturday, D went to run at the gym. I told SB I would take him for a run. Well, there is no getting out of the house with just him, so I found the other Halti and McM came with us. McM is a horrible runner. And add the Halti, well, I allotted 60 minutes for 3 miles. We did a poop break and neither did anything so off we went. Every 10 feet, McM laid down and tried to get the Halti off. SB and I quickly figured out which side of our bodies would be pulled and leashes were all rearranged. SB found that in the fall (versus the spring) the road has leaves, and these were great to pee in every 10 feet. So we ran in the middle of the street. We noticed the unlicensed night club is for sale (yes!!!). We finished the first mile at 14:56. Second mile went decently accept cars kept coming at the intersections when we were there. And every turn, McM had to lay down and fix his face. We now could go about 1/4 mile without peeing or laying down. We got to Terrorist Dog Hill. The terrorists are back. SB seemed to not care. McM wanted to play. So he hit his brother in the head and they fought in front of the terrorists. Really????

We went back around the loop and finished mile 2 in 14:26. 2 kids were walking their dog with a retractable leash (HATE THEM!!!) and headphones. McM almost had the dog in his mouth by the time they saw us (they were zigzagging back and forth across the street and we were doing our best to avoid them). Got McM situated again. One last pass at Terrorist Dog Hill. SB did his business. Used condom, a snake skin and some beer bottles. I didn't pick up after him. I'm not putting my hand in there. Came back to the subdivision and finished up the 3rd mile. 14:23. We got home and SB tackled McM. McM went to the fireplace and went to sleep. We kept him up for the rest of the day. He slept all night (that is not normal for him).

Daycare tomorrow.

Running...blech!

2011-11-07T12:40:00.001-05:00

Let's just say after October's Half Marathon, I was D.O.N.E.

I didn't want to run, I didn't want to think about running. And so I didn't. (I did read your blogs). D was hurt (runner's knee according to my diagnosis followed by the doctor's diagnosis of the same thing). We talked about running and instead would go to bed. All month instead of running we played with the dogs and drank beer and went on dates and slept.

Scuttlebutt, my Yellow Jacket

Me and McMenamin the Moo Cow

We knew we had a 5K on November 5, but frankly neither of us cared. Tuesday, Nov. 1 we both went to the gym for a 2 mile run. We both agreed it was hard.

So we didn't go back. Saturday, A picked us up for the Romp and Stomp 5K in Cabbagetown. I love Cabbagetown. It is a funky little area of Atlanta, with houses really close together (which is why we didn't buy one...one goes up in flames, they all go up in flames). The tornado that hit Atlanta in 2008 destroyed part of the area and they rebuilt. They are a solid community. Anyway... back to the Romp and Stomp... It was a lovely 40 degrees. The coldest it had been for some time. I contemplated what this meant for my lungs. Ah...

This is an annual race we all do. It is close, it is fun, and we always have a good time. Our friends L and D also joined us. We talked prior to the race about various topics. A's husband despises Facebook, so we have concluded that she must now talk about her baby's daddy when she refers to him on there.

So the race started and D and D were gone. I ran in front of A and L and thought something must be wrong. I stayed ahead of them for .3 miles. Then as the crowd thinned out they were able to pass me. We ran down the road and passed all the houses and one of the parks. Ran to the coffee house/dog park. I got a little sad. This is the race I skipped 2 years ago, because it was the day after Porter passed away. I missed her. I decided to keep running hard. Mile 1 was 11:52.

Porter (October 1, 2001 - November 6, 2009)

I ran and thought about her funny eyebrows, her complete lack of enthusiasm for anything that wasn't beer or the bed, and her complete laziness. She was the sweetest dog ever; everyone loved her. And she loved them. I got to Mile 1.5 which was slightly up hill. I couldn't breathe. My lungs were done. I walked/hacked until I finished getting up the hill (45 seconds) and came back down the next street (so down the hill). Mile 2 was 12:45.

I couldn't believe how out of shape I was. One month ago I could run 13.1 miles, and now I couldn't run 3? I kept putting my legs in front of each other, but I was hacking a great deal. My running slowed to a crawl. I thought about walking again, but considering Po died of lung cancer, I decided to run, to push myself in honor of her. I don't know how much honor I gave her considering how slowly I was going. I got to the Krog Street Tunnel, and the Garmin went out. I sauntered through that based up on the time on my watch. I got through that and knew I had about 3 blocks to go. People were passing me, but all I thought about was Porter. Silly girl. I no longer cared that I wasn't even close to a PR. I no longer was sad she was gone. I knew she would have been happy if she could've been there with me, or if I would have stayed home and cuddled with her.

D and I were hesitating on what to do for the afternoon, and in that 3 blocks I knew we were taking the boys to Po's favorite places while she was alive. If there was a patio and a beer she was happy. And we would celebrate her life, and not be sad she was gone. And with that I crossed at 39:08.

My D had chased L's D for most of the race. L's D finished 24:23 while my D finished 26:50. L finished at 32:12 and A finished at 34:48. We said goodbye to L and D, and A drove us home. Despite the lackluster performance, I got to see my friends. So it was a good race.

McMenamin

Scuttlebutt

A toast to Po

McMenamin loving on D

Can I get through this fence?

Me and McMenamin

We have to go home?

Another toast to Porter

Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon

2011-10-04T18:55:00.001-04:00

So D and I trained all summer for this. Well, we would like to think we did. In actuality, training in the summer sucks ass. It is hot and humid, and right when it got cool, Georgia Tech football started which meant getting up even earlier to run to get in 2 hours of tailgating prior to game time.

So, we flew up to Boston, and our friends E and A hosted us. I went to college with E. On Saturday, we went to Meadhall which D and I thought was called Meathall. We split a Reuben and had Coffee Porter. On Saturday night, they invited more college buddies over, J and E, and N and K along with their kids. I had never met J/E's children and I hadn't seen N/K's son since he was 2. We ate pizza, drank beer (E brews a really nice Nut Brown and a good Oatmeal Stout) and watched football. I felt back in college except I had to go to bed at 10PM...which was the time everyone left. It was very good to see them all.

Sunday, E and A drove me and D to Hampton, NH. It was 50 degrees and raining. We tried to pretend it would lighten up as we got closer. We got to Hampton and parked. It was pouring. E and A stayed in the car and D and I went to get our numbers and shirts. It was not only cold and wet, it was windy. We got back to the car and sat there for about 45 minutes. Finally D and I decided to get out and "get used" to the weather. E and A said to call them if we changed our minds and wanted them to come back and get us. (They went to ME and visited A's mom and then went shopping). D and I stood under an overhang and discussed not running. It seemed a decent idea. Then it didn't. Then it did. Then it didn't. Finally the rain let up and only went straight down as opposed to sideways. Everyone gave D dirty looks. Apparently they don't like you wearing a Capitals running shirt despite the fact the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Good thing I didn't wear an Orioles shirt since 2 days before, the O's prevented the Red Sox from going to post-season.

D and I pre-race

At 8:55 we walked to the start line. There was no corrals. Some words were said. Then we were off. D and I said bye and started running. Pretty much it felt everyone passed me (I started in the middle of the pack). We ran down a street, turned and then ran along the ocean. The wind picked up. It blew me both ways. My iPod cord was crazy. The rain picked up. I thought about if I hit the road wrong and slipped. I decided not to think about that. 9 minutes passed, and couldn't stop because another wave of people passed me. I finally was able to walk at minute 11.
Mile 1-12:27 (KY Derby 2011 12:29|2010 13:38)

Mile 2 continued along the ocean and then turned and you were still by the ocean. I was a little confused. One of my new My Chemical Romance songs came on and I decided to replay it, which meant I had to take the iPod out. When I put it back in my pants (I have no pockets), it didn't go right. So then I had to readjust and the headphone plug fell out. So I reached and got the iPod, and carried it. But the song was good. I readjusted when I got to the next walk break.
Mile 2-12:40 (KY Derby 2011 13:13|2010 13:44)

Mile 3 I had some water. Immediately I thought I was going to puke. We turned into Hampton, and I thought it might be rude to vomit on someone's lawn. Despite the weather, there were a lot of people out cheering every one on.
Mile 3-12:29 (KY Derby 2011 13:21|2010 14:49)

Mile 4 was through some bigger houses. Some people were out with water. Again, immediately wanted to puke when I drank. I decided not to have any more water. People were out cheering us on. One lady had 2 spatulas banging them together. The fact I was so far in the back and the people were still out in the weather was great. We turned onto some main road.
Mile 4-13:11 (KY Derby 2011 13:32|2010 14:11)

Mile 5 was weird. None of the roads were closed, but this one seemed more traveled. I tried to stay on the side of the road, but I kept passing people. I wondered what was wrong with them. I don't pass people. I got to a water stop, and had some Gatorade. No vomit issues. Mile 5-12:44 (KY Derby 2011 13:20|2010 13:55)

I don't really remember Miles 6-8. Lots of trees and windy roads. I thought I was going to fast. 2 hours hadn't even passed when I got to mile 8. I did eat my granola bar in this stretch. I was on a main road. There were large parcels of green land. Being I live in drought land, I hadn't seen that much grass in some time. Sometime during Mile 7 a woman told me I had a really nice pace. Then she passed me.
Mile 6-13:08 (KY Derby 2011 13:19|2010 14:42)
Mile 7-12:59 (KY Derby 2011 13:47|2010 14:48)
Mile 8-13:18 (KY Derby 2011 13:27|2010 15:24)

At Mile 9 they gave out Vanilla Hammer Gel. I never had that before. It tasted pretty good. Once I figured out how to open the thing. Between 9 and 10 you came down this hill, and it overlooked all the ocean. If I wasn't thinking about my time, I would've stopped to take a picture.
Mile 9-13:52 (KY Derby 2011 15:52|2010 15:50)

Mile 10, it started raining again. I noticed I was cold. I passed a lady who was limping. Another lady was hitting her knee while running. A cop car started riding beside me (on the wrong side of the street). I couldn't figure out why. Then the marathon winner passed. About 6 or 7 minutes later another marathoner passed. My shirt was heavy. The number was sticking to my stomach. Everyone around me was putting on their jackets. I was getting colder. I finished up a walking minute and started running.
Mile 10-13:28 (KY Derby 2011 14:46|2010 16:37)

Mile 11 I ran passed another woman and she tried to match my pace. I didn't mean to be a bitch, but another My Chemical Romance song came out. I air-drummed and sang. My feet picked up. Cars passed me thinking who was this crazy woman. I had a great time. As soon as the song ended, I remembered I was cold.
Mile 11-13:49 (KY Derby 2011 2011 15:25|2010 19:44)

At Mile 12, I knew I had a PR in my pocket. I knew what time I had to hit mile 12 to get one and I was 6 minutes ahead of that. However I didn't feel like running anymore (Typical). Still I forced myself to keep going. I would be able to get dry soon enough. I got Mile 13 on my Garmin and could see the finish. I didn't really even try to pick it up. Then some woman tried to chick me. Oh no. I did pick it up and beat her.
Mile 12-13:39 (KY Derby 2011 15:12|2010 16:46)

I crossed the line and hit the Garmin. No way. No way! PR. And I cracked 3 hours. D was there. He had cracked 2 hours. We hugged and then went to call E. Both our phones were wet. Mine was dead. We couldn't get his to open. After 15 minutes we finally were able to text where we were and he said he was on his way.
Mile 13-14:16 (KY Derby 2011 12:03|2010 16:11)
Mile .28- 3:50
Total: 2:55:42 (13:30min/mi)
D: 1:59:12 (9:11min/mi)

Right after, D's knee gave out. We helped him into the car. E and A gave us blankets. Although ecstatic, you know we were miserably cold. We were supposed to get 2 free beers. Neither of us got one. It rained all the way home.

Medals, Times, and Shirt

After we got home and showered we went and watched football and had beer. I had Guinness and Green Monstah. Then we went to Redbones for dinner. I had a Coffee Porter.

Besides getting to see my friends and visiting Boston, I would consider this race again. The director emailed us back some questions (no bag check-in as most people drove there and had cars there), the volunteers were fantastic, the shirts were good, the neighborhood gave a lot of support. They couldn't help the weather.

Did I quit running?

2011-09-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

No. Well, sort of.

After the 12 miler I stopped running. Tuesday I was sick and went to bed early. Wednesday, D and I went to see Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance. Thursday, it took me over 2 hours to get home from work.

And thus my 7 miler on Saturday. I already knew I wasn't going to do it. Between headache, sore throat, yet another 12PM start for Georgia Tech, I just wanted to sleep in. That didn't happen either. The dogs started barking incessantly. And being that it was early, and we weren't fully awake, we opened the front door to find a big ass dog. So thinking clearly, we let him in. McM and SB immediately expressed their displeasure. SB did so by stabbing my foot with one of his claws (think Wolverine). We got them to the back deck and examined this mammoth beat (an American Bulldog). Collar, no tags. In all our running, we have never seen him.

So we took him up the street and no one was out looking for him. We rode around in the car, and no one was out looking for him. We brought him back in and he showered us with kisses. I called a local vet (ours was closed) and took him in to get a micro-chip scan. Of course, he was not microchipped and of course he was not neutered. He was a big loveable kisser. The vet and I weighed him, 70lbs. So back in the car and home. D had cleaned out the basement. My friends texted what time we would be at Georgia Tech. A discussion ensued and we decided to go to the game (yay, GT won!).

We got home and decided to walk the dog through the basement to outside. However coming up from the basement/garage, McM got downstairs. I managed to get SB on the back deck and downstairs to pour water on McM to get him to unhinge his jaw from Yuengling (a dog/beer we don't want)'s neck and to get Yuengling to do the same. D said his hands were ok. I held Yuengling and D took McM upstairs and took him and SB for a walk. Being ever so smart, perhaps they would do better in the public common area. Again, no go. McM wanted NOTHING to do with this dog. So Yuengling went back in the basement.

After watching TV and having a few beers we put SB and McM out on the deck again and brought Yuengling inside. McM tried to go though the plate glass door to get to him. That's when we knew there would be no Craig's List, no Oliver Alert, no rescue, no signs on phone poles, etc. This dog had to go to the pound. Our hands were cut up. It wasn't safe for anyone. So back to the basement. Sunday D took Yuengling to the pound. I was supposed to go, but I burst into tears at what we were doing, so I stayed home.

His owner has 7 days (since Sunday) to claim him...the pound named him Sergio. Sunday was spent crying. And because I didn't feel shitty enough, I had a neighbor email me what a complete inhumane person I was (our 'hood has a google group and a FB group and I put photos and updates out there). Another neighbor is looking into adopting the dog. I hope he does.

Monday, I heard scratches at the door. The dogs went insane. I didn't open the door. I don't know why our house is a dog magnet. The dogs don't go on the front porch. It is so weird. 2 weeks ago, we had another dog, but he was chipped. I'm avoiding all dogs at the moment.

So Tuesday, was a 4 miler (I'm in taper week). D's knee is hurting and he has no shoes (not happy with Zappos). I park my car and get all my stuff together. I have my iPod in my hand (unplugged from the charger). The parking lot is totally full, there are some people in it and there are a lot of people at the bus stop. I go in the gym and get ready to run, and the iPod is nowhere to be found. I knew if I looked for it, I wouldn't run. I knew the sucker is old. I knew it was gone. Oh well. I ran a boring 4 miles with no music, but thanks to the guy on the phone next to me, I know all the people who entered the airport bid for restaurants in the new terminal (another reason not to talk on the phone in public...I'm sure I'm not supposed to know this information). I finished my run and asked the gym manager about the iPod (if someone turned one in). He was as hopeful as I was on finding it. I wished him a good night, and walked back to the lot. I got in the car, and saw some blue thing on the windshield. I looked at it again. IT WAS MY iPOD!!!!!
Someone must have seen me drop it and put it there. And no one else stole it. Thank you good people!!!!

Tonight is my 3 miler. Tomorrow is my 2 miler. Then off to the Smuttynose Half-Marathon. I get 2 free (good) beers afterwards!

(And Doug will hopefully have shoes).

Running Blind

2011-09-18T18:59:00.003-04:00

So D and I had a very busy Saturday since Georgia Tech games are scheduled at Noon or 12:30 again.

After figuring out what time I had to be at Tech to get my drink on, I concluded that I had to be at the Silver Comet Trail at 6am. I told D this plan, and he just looked at his phone (I texted it to him of course). I told him he could sleep an hour and start, but he said, "No, we're a team. We do this together." So another Friday asleep by 9PM, and we woke up at 515. He walked the dogs while I ate breakfast and we left.

Got to the park and there was something I didn't think of. It was pitch black out. There were 2 other cars in the lot. Considering I go by my watch to see when to run/walk, I was kind of wondering. D said to listen to 3 songs, and then light my watch and walk that minute. I could do that. I was adjusting my phone, my iPod, and my granola bar thins in my pants (again no pockets). We got to MM0 and started running. Immediately the Granola bugged me. I had to shift stuff around. Then the iPod volume changed (it is on its last legs and has no lock anymore). So I had to fix that 3 times. Finally, I got all that situated. And yes, I did it all while running.

Running while not being able to see is very strange. I used the white stripes on the path and the moon to help see. But the stripes were about all I could see. I ran on the stripe and hoped no biker was up this early. I tried not to think of strange men jumping out, snakes falling on my head, or dead tree limbs for me to trip over. I wondered if when I got to mile 2 if I would fall in the hole in the bridge. Anyway Mile 1 came and it was 15 minutes. I chalked up the poor time to all the fidgeting at the beginning.

During the next mile, a lot of people passed me (like 8). Both ways. Some had head lamps, some were solo. All said, "Good morning." I focused on the breeze (it was 58 degrees), and how I was feeling. I wondered how D was doing. I finished Mile 2, and then crossed the bridge. The moon lit up the hole in the bridge (where the wood is separated from the asphalt) and I got over it. Mile 3 continued to be in the middle of the path. The slant of the road is big right here.   I thought I was running a decent pace. Unfortunately I hit Mile 2.97 before a tunnel, and mile 3.01 on the other side. No clue to speed it up or slow it down.

I got up to the Bike Depot. There was a lot of traffic (car) and you could see groups getting ready to to go out. It was now light out. I began wondering when I should take a granola bar. I felt fine, although I felt my pace was slower than normal. At mile 4.6, I ran over a spray painted mark, "Love is Forever." Then, I passed D (who was returning) at mile 4.7, so I knew either we were the same pace as we were last time we ran 12 (we passed each other at this point) and we either both sped up or were the same. I decided we were the same pace. I forgot about Mile 5 and forgot to look at my watch. Another not knowing to speed up or slow down. I felt ok. Mile 6, I could finally see my watch. The pace was crazy. It was 4:58, 10:17. 9:28. I KNOW I can't run at any of those paces, so it was just the GPS bouncing off the trees (you are in a deep crevice in this area). I just kept running. I looked down at 6.1 and realized I had to turn around.

I ran until the watch got a 9 on it, and then walked, and ate my granola bar. It was crumbly, the chocolate was melted, and it was hard to eat. There was nothing else exciting about it. As I ran back through the crevice, the pace times were still all wonky.   Ran back and saw "Love is Forever" sign and smiled.

By now, I was bored. There were a lot of bikers out. And a lot of running groups. I seemed to run out of things to think about. Then I passed a woman in a Get Fit Atlanta shirt. I thought about my friend Jen, and how she epitomizes class. She participated in IMWisconsin last week. Due to a bike equipment failure, she didn't finish. Yet, she stayed out on the course and cheered all her teammates/friends on. She was angry because she said she was hydrated fine, she had energy, and she was trained. And the bike messed her up. She is already an Iron Man, but all that training for an equipment failure? Even when she said it on FB, I wanted to reach through the screen and give her a hug. If I were there, I would have taken her for a beer. But no. What did she do? She got cleaned up, and helped her teammates and rallied them on. She is the same woman who when I did my tri, stood in the rain and took pictures of me finishing even though her husband had finished 45 minutes before I did (he ran the 5K with me). I hope she continues TRI-ing. I know right now, she is focusing on ultra marathons.

And with that contemplation I was at 9.5 miles. I decided to have my other granola bar. I had now stopped paying attention to my pace, just the 9:1. I got back to the bridge, and notices a ton of people out. I decided I liked running in the dark. I felt much stronger in the last 2 miles. I wondered if I should have picking up the pace earlier. Again, I missed the 10 mile pace. I was down to less than 2 miles, and focused on keeping my legs up. Which made me think that my butt hurt. I needed to think about something else. I passed a woman with a Great Pyrenees who only had 3 legs. And they were running. I decided if the dog could run on 3 legs, I certainly could on the 2 I had. Then I decided I was delirious comparing his 3 legs with my 2. Then I got sad that my dogs couldn't come to the football game with us. And Mile 11 was done. Delirium and all.

The last mile I seemed to pass people who passed me previously. I wasn't going fast (to me). Was there something I didn't know that they all did? Well, I decided if I ran, I would find out sooner. I wondered if D was walking the path to meet me (no). I wondered if the people standing in the path in front of me tossing a football in the air (multiple footballs) were going to move (no). I wondered if they were mad, that I assumed they would've moved and ran into one of them (I don't know). I saw another running group going out. Haha! I'm almost done. I got passed by a guy wearing an All3Sports biking shirt on a bike without a helmet. I wondered if he knew he was a dipshit. Finally, I could stop wondering all things. 12 miles was done!

I walked a little ways and saw D. I didn't realize he was hurt, and was a little irritated he was just standing there with a Gatorade. It seemed like a cruel joke. He started limping over to me, and I grabbed the Gatorade. I asked him how his run was, and he said, "Shitty." That's when I noticed he was limping. He thinks his shoes aren't padded right. Off to New Balance tomorrow to get an insert. If that doesn't work, he will return his shoes. He said the ones with 400+miles are more comfortable (they are worn, and he does need new shoes). So hopefully he can get that settled. He said he was on pace to beat the 2 hour time limit until the last 3 miles. His last mile was 16+minutes.

I'm worried about him.

So we got home at 10. We walked the pups and showered. No time for makeup (or SPF protection). Sunglasses, beer, tickets, and we were off. Got to Tech at 1045. Not bad.

And Tech smacked the shit out of Kansas. So yay!

I looked at my times this morning. I need to speed it up!

12 Mile Comparison: 2010 and 2011
                2010                          April2011                    September2011
Mile 1:    13:48                           14:14                           15:00
Mile 2:    14:19                           14:19                           14:32
Mile 3:    14:31                           14:02                           14:08
Mile 4:    14:36                           13:35                           14:07
Mile 5:    14:21                           12:54                           13:44
Mile 6:    15:28                           14:22                           14:02
Mile 7:    16:05                           13:52                           15:07
Mile 8:    15:17                           13:59                           14:15
Mile 9:    16:09                           13:37                           14:16
Mile 10: 16:17                         13:20                           14:02
Mile 11: 18:04                          13:52                           13:39
Mile 12: 18:03                           14:05                           13:55
Total:      3:07:03 (15:35/mi)    2:46:14 (13:51/mi)      2:50:55(14:14/mi)

12 Miler Coming Up

2011-09-16T12:17:00.000-04:00

I have my 12 Miler tomorrow. I'm not really looking forward to it. The run...oh that will be fine. I'm not looking forward to getting up so that I can take 3+ hours out of my morning (getting to the trail, running, and getting home) and be walking out the door at 1015 to get my drink on before the GT game. It makes me tired thinking about it. By the time game time rolls around (seriously, I hate 12 or 1230 game times, and the ACC never fares any better), I should be sound asleep in the stands. I know, I could not drink, but that would be like the Pope suddenly becoming Buddhist.

So anyway, I'm going to try some nutrition for this run. Nature Valley Granola Thins. These things are the biggest waste on the planet. So I bought a box last week, because Kroger was having buy a select 10 things and get $5 off your bill. This was in the select things, and at the end with my coupon and the $.50 from the get $5 off, they came to something stupid like $.30 (I think they are regularly $2.79). My palm is bigger than this 80 calorie square. I ate one when I got home, and texted D to tell him of the ridiculousness of these things. (Now you understand why I text D while sitting next to him...it is the way we communicate, and he gets every fleeting thought that comes into my brain). When he got home, he agreed they were dumb. You have to eat at least 3 of them (240 calories) to get any type of "fullness" so I tried to figure out what I was going to do with them. I decided I would take 1 or 2 on my 12 mile run and see how they do. So I'll let you know.

And Nature Valley didn't in any way, shape or form, contribute to me thinking their product was stupid.

Weekend Update on a Tuesday

2011-09-13T12:59:00.000-04:00

So the new shoes... LOVE THEM!

The last few weeks of running have been barely existent. It is hard when your feet hurt to run, and you know you have to do things afterward that require you to use your feet. It doesn't help it gets no cooler than 75 at night and is usually hotter than that by the time you get out the door.

So, Saturday, at 7 I got up and checked weather.com. "D, I need new eyes. My phone says it is 58." We got dressed and walked the dogs. D goes, "I can see my breath." Got back home and put the dogs in their crates and off I went. I went up to Stolen Car hill and out to the prison. Down a hill and said hi to a pup, and back to the prison. Into the prison parking lot. It was shift change. Prison guards all seem to have shiny new cars. Or Harleys. Back out of there, down to the roadside memorial for someone that has been there for 5 years. I was very careful with the cars, as I knew they couldn't see me with the sun glaring in their faces. I could see them, so not hard to step on the sidewalk when I had to. Ran past the guys who sleep at the church (I can't figure the church out since no one is ever there on Sundays). Down the side of the prison. Another car aimed for me. This time, I KNOW I was in the grass.

Thought about my feet. They were feeling good. Thought about my speed. Knew it was slow. Came back to the church and down the "new to me" neighborhood. Ran all the way to the hill. I didn't go down it because I would have to come back up. Plus I couldn't see what was down the hill and it isn't the most pleasant of 'hoods. Came back to the street and to the Mosque. Yes, because I passed the Mosque, I thought about Muslims in our neighborhood. When I first moved, this one wasn't very welcome (I believe it is a converted Taco Bell). However, it holds the monthly neighborhood meetings for the "new to me" 'hood. I'm glad everyone can be neighbors here. I went over to Bell South Hill, and all the way to German Shepherd Pass. She doesn't have her GSP anymore. I wonder what happened to him. Did the usual stretch.

Thought about my foot again. Still no pain. Got back to GSP and still had a mile to go, so I ran back to the prison again, and turned around. Got home.

5 minutes faster than my last 7 miles.

Later we sat on the front lawn drinking Guinness. We met our new neighbor. She seems nice. She likes guns. She managed to say she had at least 4 of them in the 20 minutes we talked. She watches our house, a lot. She shooed away the lawn guy (she didn't see his truck and thought some random dude was edging our bushes), and asked for the bug guy's card. She knew when UPS delivered a package and what the UPS driver looked like. Somehow, I think I will sleep better knowing someone has my back.

New Shoes!!!

2011-09-09T12:51:00.001-04:00

So, again after that 10 miler, I had no desire to kill my feet. Tuesday and Wednesday passed. D complained about his everyday shoes. I looked to see where our food scale was in the ordering process (guess who ate that?!). So yesterday, I bought D some work shoes on line, cancelled the food scale order from one company and ordered it from another (really, 3 times I called and gave you my CC, and 3 times you couldn't charge me...are you American? Do you like making a profit?).

So with this half-marathon less than a month away, it isn't a good time to suddenly despise running. But I could tell D and I are breaking down. Our bodies hurt. We are finding excuses. So still not finding my shoes online (and how is it EVERY online shoe store has the exact same sizes in stock), we decided to go to the New Balance Running Store (the one in Buckhead...the one in Norcross could care less about what you put on your feet, from my experience). So first we stood on their little computer. I am an awesome over-pronator. He told me I had to correct my arches too. The guy spout out a number running shoe, and guess what? It was the one I use. D stepped up and his arches do something else. The guy spout out a number running shoe and it was the newer version of the one he has.

So he came back with the shoes. Except I wear a 10.5 D. He brought EE. My foot could swim. What to do. They aren't making the shoe, and the new version isn't ready to roll out. GAH! I need shoes. So he got another shoe. OMG! It was like heaven on my foot. And he put these arches in (and forgot to tell me how much the arches cost). He did the whole thing with D, and D liked his shoes too. I asked him about my hotspot. He goes, "On the ball of your foot? Not a blister, but almost like a burn? That is your foot trying to compensate for your lack of arch." I don't understand how it works, but I'll take it.

So D decided not to get arch support in his shoes. We know where the store is if he needs it (the corner of Ptree and Piedmont in the Container Store Shopping Center). The guy gave us 10% off. So our bill was $325. I practically fell on the floor. After dinner, I was adding in my head, and couldn't figure out how it was $325. Those arch thingys...$60. But I think it is worth it. I'm more excited for tomorrow's 7 miler than I have been about running for some time. For $60, I'll take it! (And yes, next pair I will scour the web for better bargains).

No New/Old Shoes

2011-09-06T12:45:00.001-04:00

So August finished up with me not wanting to get out of bed. (See my SAD post...August is just a crappy month since it is too freaking hot to ever be outside).

(Lesson: There are 2 questions never to ask a woman. They are, "Are you pregnant?" and "Are you PMSing or having your period?" Nothing good can come from these, if the answer you get is, "No.")

There was no running until Saturday's 10 miler. Once again, the lovely Georgia weather went down to a humid-filled sweat inducing 75 degrees. I already didn't want to do this run.

I had analyzed everyone's suggestions about my foot. I love socks, so all my socks are relatively new (the oldest being a year old). I think D had the best answer...since SAD hits me every August, I don't run. This August I did, and to top it off I hit the hottest one we've had in quite some time. He thinks the hotspot is from my foot sweating. He can't explain the lack of blisters.

Anyway, I Body Glided everything. I put Band-Aids on important body parts and off I went. I decided to go past TI's new residence for the next ~30 days (he is in the USP because he took a fancy bus to a halfway house, so back to the big house he went). I ran around the jail's parking lot, down the side of the jail and then up into a new 'hood. I skipped the major hills. By the time I got to BellSouth Hill, I was already at 3 miles. I did my little route through my hood, and back home for water. I was at 6 miles. My back was bleeding from the rub of the HRM to my bra. My foot hurt. Back up to the penitentary. I stopped and talked to a woman from Baltimore. I ran over some drug paraphenalia. Got to the side of the jail and had to run in the grass. Someone didn't like me running in the street, and came directly at me. (Truth: I might have been a little more in the street than I should have; I really don't know. But the road is 2 lanes each way.) I turned around and shuffled back. Mile 7 was 17 minutes long. My thighs and my foot hurt. Mile 8 was worse (18 minutes). I had to tuck my shirt into my bra so my back didn't bleed anymore. I did pass the homeless woman who I buy coffee and Doritos for. She asked me where the pups were. And how much weight I had lost. I eyed her friend's IceHouse. But I didn't have $1 to offer, so I kept going. The last bit of shuffling got me to 9.95 miles infront of the house (16 minutes). I ran in a circle until I hit 10 miles.

Came inside and whipped those shoes off.

So later I realized I have 365 miles on the shoes. My last pair have 375. So it is time for a new pair. Off to the web I went. D needed shoes too. We both have gotten the same pair of shoes for 3 years (4-5 pairs each). Guess what they don't make in 13EEEE and 10.5D any more? GAH! We actually have to go to the store and try out new models. Well, D does. Apparently, they just stopped making my shoe. No newer model. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

Week in Review

2011-08-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

So I finally reached the 35 pound mark! Go me. It only has taken FOREVER, but I've had fun along the way, and haven't felt deprived (too much). So yay!

I've run 2 times this week. Last HM training I had trouble hitting my Thursday run. This time up, it seems Tuesday's training is the hard one. In my head, I've made them Tuesday-run 5 miles as fast as you can (using run/walk method), Wednesday-run 3 miles as fast as you can (straight running), Thursday-run 5 miles without stopping at whatever pace you fancy. So Wednesdays and Thursdays seem to be happening. But Tuesday, I can find any excuse not to go to the gym.

Anyway Wednesday was nothing exciting. I hit 3 miles under 36 minutes for a 2nd time. Thursday, I ran at a 4.5mph. I didn't want to be there, since someone had stolen my water bottle at work. Not a fancy schmancy one, just a Aldi water bottle (like Deer Park or Aqua Springs, etc.) It had been half full. Who does that? Anwyay my OCDness got in the way, and now I wondered how I was going to drink my water in the time from work to the gym. D offered to bring me a bottle from home. Oh no, I would already be running and that water would be warm. Just like writing this paragraph, I gave it WAY TOO MUCH thought. I went to the gym anyway.

Guy next to me was a germaphobe. Totally cleaned the treadmill (including the bottom plastic by the runners). Then he got on his phone. Now because I had a difference of opinion with my hair a few weeks ago, I haven't gotten it cut (I don't know what to do with it, and was feeling drastic, so cancelled the appointment). So it is sweating more than usual. And the gym is a balmy 74 degrees. So I sweat. Anyway phoneboy was chatting, and I could hear him even while blasting Pearl Jam. I had a coughing attack that shot some sweat over on him. I also started air-drumming which shook the sweat off my hands. Then I got into it with my head. With that he got off the phone, changed 'mills and watched TV. Hooray! (Oh, yeah, he didn't follow the urinal rule).

That kept me entertained for about 5 minutes. The rest of the time I tried not to pay attention to the hot spot on the ball of my foot. I've had it since last training. I don't know why. I am on the 3rd pair of the same shoes and the previous pairs didn't act this way. I have less mileage on these than the others. But it is really annoying. I'm checking out BandAid Blister Patches (or whatever they are called), when I hit Kroger on Sunday. Body Glide lasts for about 2 miles if I remember to put it on. Also I'm getting a blister on my big toe where it indents in. How does that happen? So odd. But then again, I don't expect anything less from myself.

9 miles tomorrow. Then I don't know what. Probably some sleep. Have a good weekend.

Running Naked

2011-08-22T12:35:00.000-04:00

So, when I run during the week, it is at the gym. My gym has no locker rooms or lockers, so I change at work. I stuff everything (purse, clothes, wallet, etc.) into the bag and put my towel, iPod, and gym badge in the pockets. Then when I get to the gym, I haul the bag into the gym with me, since I don't want to get my car broken into (why be low hanging fruit, ya know?).

So when I run on the weekends, I have 2 poop bags for the dog, and my phone. All of this is stuffed in my pants since I have no pockets on my pants I use for long runs. But no iPod, no music, no distractions. No biggie. Except lately, I realized (I realized on Saturday that lately...) I haven't been running with my phone.

So why does this matter?

D and I were scheduled for 6 miles this Saturday. I really didn't feel like taking Scuttlebutt because I feel he has been slowing me down (those 15+minute miles might be a clue). So I left him at home. D ended up taking him for the 2nd third of his run.

Anyway, my run was non eventful. I ran past the stroller men, a lady shucking peas, and that was about it. I got past the school and noticed there was a man standing in the middle of the street. He had no shirt or shoes on, so I assumed he was not going to McDonald's. Anyway, I was sweaty and my eyes weren't really focusing. But he was just standing there (I was about .15 miles away) and his arm was moving.
As I got closer (because I am so smart as to not find another place to run), I decided to run behind him, to avoid eye contact. I picked up my pace and acted like I wasn't tired at all. I got closer and realized why his arm was moving. OMFG! Is he doing what I think he is doing? In the middle of the street?

I ran past him, and got to Terrorist Dogs Hill where a woman was working on her lawn, so I felt better, and now it made me laugh. I mean, in our old house, we used to walk Guinness and we caught a teen girl blowing her boyfriend (I assume). But that was a deserted road. This was in the middle of the street. Anyway, I thought about calling the cops, but then I realized I was running naked. No phone. And I still had 2+ miles to go. So I restarted my loop and saw D. I was going to tell him, but didn't. I decided if the man was there when I got back, I would go down the main road and risk getting hit by a car. Luckily he was not there. There was a wet spot on the road, so I assume that was his deposit.

Later D and I went out for a beer. I asked him if he had seen the man. He said, "Yes, he was inspecting the Caterpillar Equipment [which is there]." Sometimes I wonder if we run the same path.

But you can rest assured, I'll have my phone next time. No more running naked.

In other news, I took 30 seconds a mile off my 5 mile run, and I broke 35 minutes with my 3 mile run.

Finally, I lost a path to run on. It seems my least favorite part of Freedom Parkway really does have a guy who wants to rape women using a hammer. The APD want you to know it wasn't an attack because he didn't get her (WTF?!?!?!?). Instead she ran the fastest mile of her life to get away from the asshole. So that path is off limits now. Sucks because except for running under the bridge, I liked that path.

Don't Wait; Just Do

2011-08-15T12:39:00.001-04:00

So Saturday, I ran 8 miles on a treadmill. It was hellish, but I got it done. Hopefully I can sleep well (ahem, McMenamin!) next week so that come 6am, I don't feel like sleeping when the dog finally begins to be quiet.

On another note, I was looking for a Peanut Butter Pie recipe last week and came across this blog and recipe. I didn't read it immediately (I just looked at the recipe), but went back and read it. And teared up.

So I got to thinking on my 8 miles of boredom...First, I thought about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I believe I get it in August. Who TF gets SAD in August? But seriously, I pretty much hate being alive in the month of August (no, I'm not going to do anything irrational so no need to panic). I can look back at my calendars, diaries, blogs, and I know exactly what I was thinking, whether I expressed it or not. My friend came up with the fact that perhaps because it is hotter than hell in August, I spend a lot of time inside. And my house is dark. And that all winter I seem to spend outside. Which led me to think about when I didn't put something off (the point of that other blog).

You all know Guinness was sick starting in October. Well, she was also a fan of the outdoors. Whether it was being at the park or sitting on the deck, she wanted to be outside. After the anti-tethering law went into effect in Atlanta, she was not out as much. So to get her outside, we would put our beach chairs on the front lawn and drink last September (the law is as long as we are with her, she could be on a tether). We would spend many hours much to our neighbors' dismay drinking beer sitting out and letting her dig up the front lawn.

D and G

How she loved it. And as she got sicker and as the weather got colder, we just bundled up more, drank more and put more tape on her tube. To see her come out from under a bush with a huge smile on her face was just awesome.

Did a little digging


I'm the most beautiest princess of them all!

I also took her to the park where she would run around and say hi to people. She couldn't run as long as she would've liked but she got a few sprints in there.

Checking out the park on a December afternoon

Come January, D and I decided to have a date. We looked at her (SB was at daycare), and put on our winter coats, gloves, hats, scarves and off we went. It was 35 degrees and windy when we got to the bar. The bartender thought I was nuts when I told him to start a tab. I'd be outside. Yet I remember that day. Drinking Guinness with Guinness. She sat on the sidewalk and people watched. A big smile on her face. D and I froze our butts off, but managed to down 3 Guinness beers. It was a great date.

Crazy woman drinking Guinness outside in 35 degrees

Guinness loving Drinking Guinness with Guinness Day!

Checking out the snow with Scuttlebutt the day after Drinking Guinness with Guinness

20 days later she passed away. But I always have that. We didn't wait to have fun. We just did.

Ants...What are They Good For?

2011-08-11T12:45:00.000-04:00

Training... I'm in week 8 of it. Week 7 got a whopping 2 runs in.
The 2nd one was the Long Run of 7 miles. It almost didn't happen. While waiting for Scuttlebutt, I decided to step on this...

Ant Hill courtesy of some photo found on Google

So after a few minutes, I noticed my ankles hurting and looked down to see my feet covered in ants. D graciously grabbed SB while I ran into the street, took off my shoes, jumped and flailed around and killed lots of ants. When I finally decided that I had killed them all, we resumed with our warmup walk. I told D I was going to try to take SB 3 miles. He said the same about McM. At .3 miles I nearly fell over SB who just randomly stopped. It didn't bode well. We got to 2 miles when we saw D and McM coming back from where ever they came from. I finally got SB home at 2.25 miles. The rest of the run was uneventful, unlike the drunks at 7AM runs from the previous weekend. The only excitement was at mile 5 when the illegal nightclub guys were making some ribs and drinking 40s and I contemplated asking for a sip, because I wanted some salt (I decided to go home and get some water that was on my porch).

My ankles are now black and blue. They did blister. Of course my fascination with my skin made me pop them (I wanted to be a dermatologist until I realized I had to touch other people's skin. That's just gross). I'll probably add to the scar count.

Tuesday was the 4.5 mile run. Unlike last's weeks where my heart almost went through my chest, I maintained the 9 minute/1 minute pace of 5mph/3.4 mph for 40 minutes and then took it down to 4.7 mph for the other 16. Yesterday was my 3 mile run. A little slow. 5mph for 2 miles, the other mile I tinkered all over the place but settled at 4.5 mph. One walk, but that was to drink some water, as the heat even inside is just gross.

The Strangeness that is the 'hood

2011-08-01T10:50:00.000-04:00

So Friday night I mentioned to D that our neighbor's other flower pot got stolen. He asked me about the flowers to which I had no clue...a colonic or a colossus or something, and no I didn't know what it looked like. He said it was across the street in another neighbor's trash (no, no one thinks that neighbor did it, more of the pot was too heavy and thus it was discarded). So, we now have car break-ins, shootings, naked men hi-jacking school busses, kick-ins, copper theft, and flower pot thieves. Yay! D notified the neighbor where the plant was, and he got it back.

So Saturday, this didn't deter us from getting up and taking the dogs running. The temp was 77 (630am) when we left with disgusting humidity. Scuttlebutt and I were going for 2 miles. For those 2 miles, I cussed at him, yelled at him, pulled him, and watched him sniff every scent known to man. We averaged 15:30 minute miles. It was stellar. At about 1.9, I realized it was awful because he didn't have his Halti on. No wonder! I dropped him off (McMenamin was already home, because D said he didn't even make it 1.7 miles), and continued my run for 4 more miles. I ran up the street and noticed I hadn't seen the 2 men drink beer and play chess. I did notice a man and a woman outside. The woman had a red Solo cup and the man gave her a brown paper bag. He returned to his home. I went down Stolen Car Hill and came back up to see the Solo cup on the ground. I went on my new route praying not to get hit on Prison Rd, and passed the woman. She was now drinking out of the brown paper bag. She was staggering all over the sidewalk and nearly fell on me as I passed her on the road (I don't run on the sidewalk because there are live wires and my hip issue). So yes, I ran into a drunk at 7AM. Woohoo. I ran to German Shepherd Pass and continued my usual route. Nothing exciting except that the people who have a Yard Sale EVERY Saturday did have some nice chairs. I actually ran to that road twice to get a better look. D did not seem as interested in the chairs when I told him about them later. I finished the run. This was the extent of excitement for Saturday.

Sunday we got to a late start (7am). It was only 76 but it seemed hotter than Saturday. I got Scuttlebutt ready with the Halti and off we went. He was doing better. We had passed a Hispanic man (HM) twice. When we were coming back down Friday Hill, we saw D and McM. Of course SB went haywire. So I stopped the Garmin, and let D and McM pass. D yelled that McM had been looking for us and they had gone a sub 8 minute mile. He (D) didn't look happy. After they passed, we resumed our run (with Garmin on). The pass before Terrorist Dog hill, the HM was behind us again. We ran up Terrorist Dog Hill and returned. No HM. But when we turned to go to German Shepherd Pass there he was. He said something. He said it again. I stopped Garmin, and myself and asked, "What?" He stumbled and asked what we were doing, I think, because I don't speak Spanish. I said, "Running." He slurred a whole bunch of words and not a clue what he said, but I'm pretty sure he was drunk from the way he was carrying himself. SB didn't like him and back arched and teeth bore. I turned back on Garmin and PULLED SB down German Shepherd Pass. We turned around and HM was cutting through the church parking lot. WTF is up with drunk people walking around at 7am? Don't they know they should be in the house on the couch watching stupid movies?

I dropped SB at home and finished my 4 miles rather quickly (not really) but totally aware of my surroundings which luckily proved to have nothing going on. Then I came home.

July...WTF did it go?

2011-07-29T13:51:00.001-04:00

D and I signed up for a half marathon that I think is on 10/2 (I guess I should look into that). Prior to this past Tuesday, I hadn't run since July 8th. I took a break because work consumed me (not really) and because then we went on vacation.

So Tuesday I went back to the gym. I prepared to run 4 miles. I prepared to run them at a 12 minute-mile pace. Yeah, that didn't happen. I think I ran 4 miles in 53 minutes. I think I left a lung on the treadmill. D said he ran 3.2 miles

On Wednesday, I could barely walk. You know when you are so out of shape, that the next morning your body is in pain (but the good pain). Yeah, that was me. So Wednesday afternoon, I limped into the gym and ran 2 miles. No 21+ minutes, more like "can we run under 25 minutes?" I did. But I was tired. Thursday, I changed at work and was driving to the gym. As I was driving 5 miles in 20 minutes, I noticed I was falling asleep. Like I had to roll down the windows (which did nothing since I wasn't moving) and blare the radio. I ended up talking to D on the phone so I wouldn't close my eyes. The gym just wasn't happening.

So this weekend I have a 6 miler planned. I will do it. It won't be pretty.

Vacation pics!

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

I will NOT go in the ocean, maybe!

Breaking the law! Breaking the law!

Scuttlebutt's Namesake

Beers of the Days 6 and 7

Chicks Dig Swimmers

CuRAZee!

Don't Kiss Me!

June is Over

2011-07-01T12:33:00.001-04:00

So with one week left, I figured out I could meet Sparkpeople's Goal of 1000 Exercise Minutes for June.
Some purists might disagree with me, because I count my warmup, run, cooldown, and stretch as exercise. (And I'm for the Oxford Comma).

So this week I had 4 runs scheduled with the last one ending tomorrow. I have completed 3. Yes, I made it to a Thursday run!

Tuesday's run of 3 miles was 35:39. Oh yeah, you know I wanted to die. I kept my thunder thighs going though. Wednesday's run was 2 miles of 22:44. Again, pushed myself. Thursday, my thighs hurt so bad, I could barely walk. I haven't felt this sore in awhile. And my biceps were tired. I wonder if I'm running with my arms differently...hmm. I don't know. Anyway I took it easy for 3 miles at 38:18. Except when I think about it, it is a faster easy. I used to run fast at 41 minutes for 3 miles. I was happy if the treadmill was at 4.5mph. Now I'm at 4.7 mph as a slow day. Now if this weight would come off.

So for June.
Weightloss: 0.2 pounds (maybe a little too much beer in there)
Mileage on my legs: 64.49
Races: 1 10K with a PR, one Virtual 5K with a dog
Exercise Minutes: 1044

Let's see what July brings with a holiday, a weekend away, and a vacation!

Sweat Your Thorns Off 5K Report

2011-06-27T12:57:00.001-04:00

http://TheBoringRunner.com

So as of Friday night at bedtime, I had no clue where I was doing this race. Saturday morning as I lay in bed, McM decided we should all lay on Dad. So as we all laid across D, and he cursed us for elbows in the kidneys, McM got excited and hit me in the eye. Claw mark across the eyelid and down the cheek. This went with the claw mark on my pelvis and another one in my armpit (yep I look like a French woman and smell like a French man due to open flesh!) that he achieved by jumping on me at 3am Thursday am.

So I begrudgingly got up, and got ready for a run. D had already said he was taking McM, so I decided to take SB. So I solved where I was running. Now for how long? Was it going to be 2 and drop off? Was it going to be 5K and quit. I just didn't know.

After everyone had a poop break, SB and I were off. Up German Shepherd Pass, up Terrorist Dog Hill. STOP... Oh SB you have to poop again? But I'm wearing spandex. I don't have another bag. Oh wait, I wouldn't pick that up anyway. Leaves with condoms and God knows what else. It is natural. It will disintegrate. Good job for picking that spot!

Off again. Drug Hill, Bell South Hill and Friday Hill. 1 Mile in 14:30 minutes. Not too shabby for SB. Chased a squirrel, and back to the school. Coming up on 2 miles and how was SB doing. OK. Not too hot. We ran back up Terrorist Dog Hill and then he decided he had enough. So it looked like 2 miles. So we ran down Nemesis Hill and he pepped up. Meanwhile I was cursing McM for all the claws. All the salt from my sweat was dripping into the claw marks and my pelvis, armpit and face were on fire. While I was cursing him, we passed D and McM, so that didn't help. It hurt to blink. We ran over to the Stolen Car Hill and SB was still going strong. Up to the prison, and back to Stolen Car Hill. Then he started running funky because 2 dogs had spotted us and he was looking for them. He did a little strut too. So we turned around and the "scary dogs" saw me, and ran away. SB pulled hard to run for one of them. I'm a mean mommy and wouldn't let him go. Back down the hill, and still strong. 45:00 for 3.11 miles. Dare we go .89 more?

What say you, Scuttlebutt? As he pulled me down the hill, it was clear we were going .89 more. We got to the turn and he stopped. Just walked. So we walked about 3 feet, and then he was good to go and we got up to the cul-de-sac. There is a lot of grass, so we had to sniff all the grass. We got up to the top of the CDS hill and more grass. More sniffing. Finally he was good with all the sniffing and we had .4 to go. So we ran down the hill and to the front of the subdivision. Then we were done. I took his Halti off and put the leash on his collar. Was he tired? Nope, he pulled all the way up the hill to the house. When we got inside though, he acted like he had never run at all. Huffing and puffing and getting Dad to get water and such a little actor.

But he is a cute one.

Scuttlebutt and McMenamin lounging, watching TV, drinking and sleeping while D and I work all day

When Running with D

2011-06-24T12:43:00.000-04:00

So I managed 2 of 3 runs this week (so far).

I ran after work on Tuesday. I was still feeling eh about the whole 10K, but changed my clothes at work and drove to the gym (my gym doesn't have locker rooms). On the way there, I got stuck in traffic on the Connector. So for once, I looked around (I typically drive with blinders on). The man on the side of me was fine. Like mouth fall to the floor fine. He was in a convertible. He had broad shoulders that fit the tan leather seats very well. His face was smooth. He had a strong jaw line. He said something to me. So I rolled down the window, and he says, "Yes, it is me." I said, "I don't know who you are. You are just hot." With that, his lane starts moving, and I see he is driving a Ferrari (no vanity tags). He is driving towards the Ted. So I go to the gym and relay the story to D (who is already at the gym). He thinks it was Jason Heyward, although he would have been late seeing as he was on the Connector at 5:20 and game time was at 7:10. I looked at pictures, but he has shit on his chin in the pictures. But he is the only Brave that is dark enough and wide enough to be him (the Braves have A LOT of white players on their team...I hate baseball so I had no idea of this). But it could have just been a fine, rich black man.

Anyway, so I decide to run the first of my 3 miles faster than normal. Then oh, let's see if I can do one more. I got to 27 minutes at 5.2 mph before wanting to die, and ran the total 3 miles at 35:15. I ran fast because D had already left and was making dinner (leftovers). So I didn't want to keep him waiting.

Wednesday, I changed but traffic was a mess. So I just went home. At 730, I didn't want to run. D said "C'mon. It is only 2 miles." So off we went. Since we were in the same car, I knew he would be waiting on me, so I decided to go fast again. This time at 5.3. I thought I was going to die. But I did it. 22:45 (I run the first 2 minutes at 4.9 to get acclimated to the machine). I did my walking after but not the stretches. That was because we had to hurry home to watch Franklin and Bash.

Thursday, at work, I led a meeting. The PM asked if I was on something (in so many words), because my eyes wouldn't focus, I lost my train of thought in the meeting 3 times (in 30 minutes), and I couldn't read something. Basically I was so exhausted, I could barely sit up, let alone function. So the 3 miler has been pushed to Sunday. I did go home and sleep 11 hours.

I was going to find a race to run the Sweat your Thorns Off 5K, but the only one I could find starts at 830. WAY TOO HOT/HUMID BY THEN. So the SYTO5K will be done either at the gym or very slowly with a dog.

Possum Trot 10K - After 32 of them, you think they would have this down...

2011-06-21T10:50:00.000-04:00

So the big day was here.
A and I did this race in 2009, when it was in May (read cooler). It is the same course as the Chattahoochee Challenge that I have done in 2010 and 2011 (February). So, what could go wrong? Nothing besides I didn't feel trained for it, I didn't want to do it and I had no passion about it.

Friday night, A, D and I all got emails telling us they were closing the Nature Center at 615am, and we would have to park a mile away. No big deal. Been there done that 3times. So A picked us up at 615 and off we went to Roswell. We get to the road we need to turn on to turn onto the road we need to park at 645. It is closed. D asks the cop where we are supposed to go (remember none of us are familiar with Roswell, except for how to get to this one place). He tells us to "Go up there, and points to some trees." D says, "Thanks, Asshole," as A turns and goes north. Luckily, I have my phone and we get a map and find where "up there" is, and manage to get to where we want to park. We grab the last space where we wanted to park thanks to D's awesome navigation skills and the fact A's Subaru takes curbs like a champ.

We hike it over to the Nature Center- .8 miles away, and get our numbers. A uses the Spot-A-Pot, and I grab some water (why does a Nature Center use plastic cups and have no recycling?). I'm sweating like a whore in church. It is 72 degrees, 94% humiditiy. After we get all situated, we walk to the starting line, .46 miles away. After a few minutes we were off.

I don't think I could run slower. I felt like I was running through sludge. D and A are nowhere around me after about .1 mile. What the hell was I thinking to run this race? I didn't train like I said I would. Why am I singing "Smoke on the Water" (thanks, D!) while ABBA is playing? I get to a small decline and of course 9 minutes has passed so I walk. I turn the corner, and Garmin says 1 minute is up at 12:02. The Mile Timer says 12:30 (it is chipped time).

I'm ran to the water station and got 2 little cups, and poured one on me and drank the other. At the same time the winner came back the other way. No one was near him for about another minute. I focused on keeping my form up. I got to Mile 2 at 12:29. Mile Timer was at 2.04 miles according to Garmin. I didn't see D, but I saw A pass me (out and back). I waved, but she was very focused. She was also further along than I thought she would be. I saw this power builder also. He was about 5 people behind her. I turned at Roswell RD and thought evil things about the non-helpful cop, and wondered if he was the one who didn't know what a 5K was. Then I started back. I still was focusing on my form. The last people were closer to me than I thought they would be. I was a little bummed about that. I thought I was going a little faster to not be so close to the back. Right before I got to Mile 3, I saw the power builder. He was not looking good. He was still ahead of me. Mile 3 was 12:29 as well.

At the next water stop, I did the water on the head and the water in my mouth. I was still focusing on my form. People were passing me, but such is life. Right before the turn, was Mile 4 and that was 13:13. My fastest 4 miles yet. So I started on Mile 5. There was one hill in this section. Body Builder had now decided I wasn't going to pass him. But he was still hurting. I was trying to figure out if the woman next to me had something in her music to tell her when to walk, because she had no watch. I tried to pay attention to picking up my legs, but I was getting hot(ter). When I did my 1 minute walk, I felt dizzy. It went away when I ran. We got to the finish (we had more to go), BB went and got water. That is when I FINALLY passed him. I was kind of happy to pass him, because I wasn't really sure what to do if he dropped dead in front of me (I know, nice...). I saw D and waved. My Garmin went off after I passed the Center. 64 minutes for 5 miles. But the 5 Mile Timer was at 5.15 miles when I got to it.

I knew I had 2 more hills (one hill but up down turn around up down). I was lucky enough to hit a walking part when I got to the it, so I walked up the hill. By the time I got to the top, it was time to run again. I started. Then down and around, and up. I kept slowing down going up, that I decided to walk and save some energy. When I got to the top, I started running again. Where the hell was the finish? I ran all the way to 6 (14 something minutes) and decided I was done. It was techinically time to walk, so I did. For 30 seconds. Then I decided to be done. And ran the rest of the way in.

Of course there was no photographer there. This pissed me off (D later said he went to the bathroom, and then went to take pics of the winners...I guess they don't realize the slow people actually BUY the pics!). Anyway, I was pissed off. I decided to get in below 82 minutes. I kicked it up. But there was nothing to kick. My legs wouldn't go. I gave it as much muster as I could, but nothing. I crossed at 82:08. And like every other race on this course, 6.31 miles according to Garmin.

D ran and got me 2 cups of water. I downed them, and went and got some more. We went and got our T-shirts. Luckily they didn't run out, although they ran out of environmentally friendly shopping bags (again). I got a banana and some more water, and we found A. And we walked the .8 miles back to the car.

When we got home, I looked up the times. We all got PRs!

So I am trying to be happy about the new PR. I know in better weather, it would have been faster, so that in 94% humidity, I should be ecstatic. I'm blaming my non-excitement on the humidity. I really hate this weather.

Will I be Last?

2011-06-13T12:35:00.000-04:00

So about 6 weeks ago, I decided I was running a 10K this coming Saturday. Fresh off the half-marathon, it would be no issue. I wanted a faster time, so I printed out Hal Higdon's 10K Intermediate Training. I achieved one week, and then fell out of it. D and I lifted for 3 weeks until I noticed lifting really hurt my hip. So we stopped. Then we just got busy/burned out. Neither of us wanted to run what Mr. Higdon had on the schedule. We didn't care. Then as we watched McMenamin destroy the house more and more each day, we played with him and Scuttlebutt more and more.

The plan went out the window. Last weekend I ran 7 miles. It was hard. It was hot out and the humidity sucked. This past week, I got up at 5 and ran with McM. We ran 4 miles and 2 miles. At the gym, I ran 2 miles in 23 minutes. With McM, I ran it in 32 minutes. 4 miles was over an hour. Surely it was just him, right? Never mind it was 70+ degrees at 5AM.

So this Saturday we had 8 miles on tap. I told D I hated running with McM. I was walking SB when I decided I would take him 2 miles and then go home, get some water and run 4 more miles (yes, I had already decided to skip 2 of the miles). So SB and I ran, sans his Gentle Leader. He did decently. We only had to yell at one asshole, who had his dog on a retractable leash and wouldn't retract it away from SB (as I'm running on the grass across the street). I stopped and told him to get the fuck away from us. At 730am, I'm sure this is not the first thing he wanted to hear, but stop being stupid. We had to skip a little of our path, as 2 big dogs (D said 3) were loose, so we had to run on the main road on the sidewalk (not good with a bad hip). Finally we got home. 29 minutes. McM was already home.

I dropped SB off and grabbed some water and then went and did 2 more miles. Up to Stolen Car Apartments, to the Prison, and back into the subdivision. Faster miles still. Went back up to Stolen Car Apartments. The old men who drink beer are not crazy so they weren't outside. I decided I didn't want to run up Nemesis Hill, so I ran on the street by the prison. I got honked at and told to run on the sidewalk. I went down a new road, and it was a hill. Finished that road and back to Prison Road to German Shepherd Pass.

Ok, I'll turn and do another mile. So I ran to Terrorist Dog Hill. They were out (I hadn't seen them all year). They are still Terrorists. I didn't see the roaming dogs. I skipped Needle Hill and Bellsouth Hill, and Friday Hill, and just ran the part of the path I had skipped earlier. OK back around, and only .4 clicks (a tenth of a mile) to 6, so I ran up Needle and Bellsouth. Skipped Friday. I finished up and was back at German Shepherd Pass, when I didn't feel like running down Nemesis Hill. My shirt was heavy. I was getting slower and slower. I was pretty sure I can walk faster, but oh well. So I ran back on Prison Road. My time to Mile 7 was way off and I needed to walk so I walked (on the sidewalk) until I got to a down power line, and then started back on the road. I eventually reached the subdivision again, and finished up the 8th mile. I was drenched, although I noticed I was no longer sweating.

According to Wunderground, the humidity was 68%, 72 degrees when I started.

So I have no idea what to expect for my 10K. Not a PR, that is for sure.

In other news, I found a new beer store. It is a convenience store with a cellar. The guy seems knowledgeable about beer. And I tried another new local...Jailhouse Mugshot IPA.

In the Ghetto

2011-06-08T12:54:00.000-04:00

So I have been running, sort of. Like most things in my life right now, I am kind of half-assing it. I think I'm depressed. I'm really not enjoying much. I'm not hating much either. Everything is just eh.

I told D about the way I was feeling. He said he was having the same issue. Maybe it is just too damn hot out and we just don't care. Eh.

Well McMenamin doesn't feel the same as us. He is loving destroying anything he can find while we are gone (I think I already said he ate through his crate). We decided to tire him out exercising, but we are going on the 10th or 11th day of 90+ degree days, so he can't go run with us. The past 2 nights I've been asleep by 9pm, and am awake when D gets up at 5am. So this morning, I got up and decided to take McM out for a 2 or 4 mile run.

So D and I walked him and SB and then D took SB home (much to SB's dismay). McM and I went up to German Shepherd Pass and started running. It took us about 5 minutes to get that I wanted him to run on the left side of me, and he wanted to run where ever and it would be great to run between my legs. So we alternated throughout the run like that. He managed to poop on a condom in the middle of the road (no, I didn't clean it up). And when we went up Friday hill, a lady was at the bus stop. McM saw her right as a rooster crowed, and it scared the shit out of him (not literally, because he already left that on the condom). So we went down Friday hill rather fast. I decided we would go for 4 miles. While we ran down the hill by the school, I noticed I was singing this...

<p>&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;All th&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;</p>

So I'm singing and McM takes off down the hill. It took all I could do to slow us down. I could see myself breaking my nose from him pulling me down. We ended up going really slowly on that section. We turned around and saw 3 loose dogs. Yay!

However, I don't think a Collie with no legs (a Corgi), a miniature Golden Retriever, and something else would get us. So we went back up the School Hill. We started the route again but at Bellsouth Hill, McM started walking. As I was assessing if he was dehydrated (as we turned for home), he saw a squirrel, so off we went.

We went back to the Subdivision and down the hill. Another freaking rooster. Since when do I live in the frigging X-burbs? Again, McM went apeshit, so that mile finished up fast.

I'm hoping he is worn out. I've already wanted to go to sleep 3 times since 6am.

And I got home and checked my email. Apparently gun shots rang out at 5 and there were cop cars. Um, yeah, no. I'm pretty sure we would have heard those. So we may have roosters, but we're in the ghetto...

Last Week Wrapup...

2011-05-23T11:25:00.000-04:00

So this last week was a fail in the running schedule. It started strong enough.

Monday D and I lifted, so I ran 1 mile. I almost can break 11 minutes. I just have to plan the timing better. But it is cool to be done in almost less than 11 minutes. Tuesday, the weather didn't get about 61 degrees. So I took advantage of the lovely weather and ran outside (4.5 miles).

Wednesday was 9 400s. It was also a special release of Terrapin Wake-n-Bake at a local pub for American Craft Beer Week. And D was going out of town on Thursday, so we HAD to go get one. Yeah, so the 9 400s, didn't happen.

Thursday, any thought of the 9 400s went out the window. I got home, stuck a pizza in the oven and took the dogs out for a "quick walk." Both dogs got off leash, and Scuttlebutt took off. So McMenamin and I came home so I could put on appropriate shoes to chase SB, and the house was full of smoke. It seems the broiler pan caught on fire in the oven. I will have to investigate smoke detectors since ours right by the oven didn't go off (you couldn't see from the front door to the kitchen). So after taking care of that, and changing shoes, I went and found Scuttlebutt. All of this commotion occurred in 20 minutes. So I ate the whole pizza I made (which miraculously didn't catch fire in the oven). Oh and I won't start the oven and leave the house again. Lesson learned. Then around 9 a helicopter hovered over the house looking for someone who shot at a cop (I would link you to a story, but American Idol happened that day, and Arnold Schwarzenegger had sex while not governor, so the cop shooting wasn't covered on the 10pm news like those other important items were). So then I had to spend the time, closing the doors that were open from the smoke, pray no one was going to kill me, and quiet the dogs (who didn't get the last walk of the night because of the helicopter). So any thought of 9 400s was really gone.

Friday, I didn't get home until 745 because I went to get a chicken sausage, but there was a guy face down on the ground with the cops pointing guns, and handcuffing him in the Chicken Sausage Stand Parking lot. So I couldn't get into the parking lot (yes, I was focused on how to get the sausage, not the fact I shouldn't interrupt this arrest or become any part of it). So I went across the interstate and grabbed some Greek Lasagna. So by the time the dogs were walked, and I was sitting down to dinner it was 815. D got home around 10. I really appreciate all that he does with the dogs and cooking, because I think I got 50 new gray hairs trying to take care of it all by myself.

Saturday, SB and I went for a 3 mile run. I can't remember the last time I ran 3 miles straight (without walking). SB and I did it in 41 minutes which is good considering I had to drag him a few times. He doesn't like intersections and would sit down at every one, so I would have to turn back, grab his collar and "help" him through the intersection. He still seemed to have fun. (D took McMenamin). We were going to take the dogs to the cemetery for a concert, but with it being 95 degrees, that wasn't going to happen. So D and I went to the Terrapin Takeover at another bar, and sampled some.

This week is another tempo run. 45 minutes. I believe I will mildly run 1.3, run crazy 2.2 and run mildly 1. That should be good. I also have a concert and a Professional Meeting to go to. Like always, I will fit it all in or worry about it until Saturday.

I'm Totally Following a Plan...Sorta!

2011-05-13T15:00:00.002-04:00

So with the Kentucky Derby 13.1 behind me, I was at a loss of what to do.

Then my performance objectives at work came on the horizon and I have to get 2 Certifications. So it appears in the near future there will be a 10K, and a lot of studying for Cert. #1 (that I have been putting off for 3+ years). I'm not looking forward to it at all (the studying).

As for the 10K, well, I got a 10K PR while running 13.1 miles. So that leads me to believe if I actually tried to pace myself for 6 miles, I might even be faster. So off to Hal Higdon I went. Let me say...no way in hell I'm running/working out more than 4 days a week if I'm not training for a triathlon. Let me say...no way in hell am I running 3 miles and then lifting weights. Oh and I'm starting on Week 3.

So Monday, I walked .25 miles, ran 1 mile and walked .25 miles. I think I shocked both D and myself when I got the treadmill to 5.7 mph and stayed there for at least 4 minutes (I was building up to it). I ran my mile in 11:17. And I think I could have gone faster (or stayed at 5.7 longer). Then we lifted weights. On the last station, I did heel lifts. I think I had too much weight. Did I change it? No. Has my hip hurt since then? Yes. So note to D...don't let me lift whatever is written on the chart on Monday.

Tuesday, was a standard 4 mile run. However, somewhere on Monday I came in contact with turkey. The way Nitmos describes speedwork, well that's the way I describe turkey and me...except no looksee. So thanks to a restaurant who was told of the allergy and still didn't wash their knives between cutting sandwiches, I got to spend the day at home on Wednesday. After eating a Clif Bar (because high fiber is just what is called for) and feeling decent, I went and did a tempo run.

I never did a tempo run before. Reading the 18 articles about it on the web didn't clear it up for me. I had a 40 minute one scheduled. However, I run slow as molasses. So 40 minutes won't even be 4 miles. I couldn't find anything to compute the minutes to miles (like C25K says either run this long, or run this distance). So I decided I would run 1 miles at a "normal" pace, 2 miles at a comfortably hard pace, and 1 mile back at normal. So the first mile went fine (4.7 mph); jacked it up to 5.1 mph for 1.2 miles before I decided I would die, and took it to 4.9 mph for the last .8. The last mile was between 4.3 and 4.7mph. I got the 4 miles done in 50:33 minutes (fast for me).

This morning, I got up and went to do Tuesday's run (the Hal Higdon 3 miles for Thursdays is already out the door). I started at 4.7mph and immediately knew that wasn't happening. Neither was running straight through. I knocked it to 4.5mph and did 4:1 intervals. I bounced between 4.5 and 4.7 for 54:52 minutes when the TM finally said, 4 MILES. I did my cooldown and stretches. Oh and someone disobeyed the urinal/TM rule, but he didn't smell, so I was nice, and didn't sneeze on him.

Next up is 6 miles on Saturday (yeah, that Hal Higdon Cross Training day isn't happening either.).

My 2nd Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon

2011-05-03T13:10:00.000-04:00

So Friday morning we got up and packed. Once again, Advil was its own meal. I had been downing it since the tornadoes came through the south. I don't know if it was the pressure changes or my actual hip, but too close to 13.1 miles, I wasn't going to let a stupid hip stop me...especially since I had 2.

D and I packed. I came downstairs and still saw the Advil on the counter. Grabbed it and threw it in my bag. He told me he packed my Clif Bars. That he had left one so I would have breakfast on Tuesday. We packed the car and left.

On the way up, we passed a tornado'd section of I-75 at Mile 296. It was just eery. No houses or businesses, just a whole bunch of trees cut at the same level. This is where I had heard the interstate was closed the day before. At Mile 320ish there was a vague sign that said that the Interstate was impassable in Ringold, GA at 348. There were no detour signs, and no other cars seemed worried (braking), so I decided 348 must be a road, and not a mile marker. I was wrong. So was the sign. At MM 348 you couldn't get off in Ringold. There was no more McDonald's, Baymont Inn, Waffle House, and a ton more. I think 8 people had died. Just complete devastation, and 1/4 mile away everything was fine. The traffic was backed up 2 miles, and people were taking pictures. I didn't. If you want to see them, I'm sure you can find some on ajc.com or another newpaper. We finally got through that, and reached Chattanooga. There we found ourselves in the backup of an accident. After 30 minutes, we got through that. We stopped in Manchester, TN and had lunch, so I could check my work email. Nothing I needed to do, so fries and a chicken sandwich later, we were off. I wonder though...does Manchester have an plumbing issue...on the way there and the way back we stopped in Manchester and both places had signs not to put toilet paper in the toilet (as well as paper towels.). Yes, it is gross.

So another accident right outside of Nashville, and we finally found ourselves in KY. And then finally, the Seelbach in Louisville. I can tell you right now, spend fewer bucks and stay at the Hampton 2 blocks away. We stayed at the Seelbach for 1 reason...Guinness. When we made the reservation, she was still alive and it was the only hotel that was less than $300 a night (it was $125, I think) that allowed dogs. But the place sucked. Our mattress might have been from 1930...it sunk in the middle. It was a double bed. The walls were thin, so during Prom Season, we got to hear one Prommie get arrested for passing out in the hallway (not a guest) and 2 vomit in the room beside us.

So anyway, we checked in, and made our way over to the convention center to get our stuff. My hip hurt a little, and my stomach hurt (like a pit in my stomach). We got our stuff and made our way to Red Star in 4th Street Live. 2 beers later, I convinced myself I left my Garmin at home.

Beer to Calm My Nerves

My friends texted me that I needed to relax. D told me I needed to relax. We went and got some pizza. It was cheesesteak pizza, but was nothing like that which you get in Philly or even Baltimore. I got mayonnaise for it, but then decided with my luck, it would be rancid and I would have food poisoning the next day. We called it a night and went back to the hotel. We watched TV until 11, I found my Garmin, and we tried to sleep. I checked my watch every 20 minutes. 4th Street Live closes around 3AM, at least they have a police siren clear the place. The hallway was filled with loud people, and another Prommie was going to go home at 9AM because she had homework, another Prommie was looking for a condom, and my stomach really hurt. I don't know how I fell asleep but I slept from 3-6 when my alarm went off (I got 3 hours of sleep a night ).

Got up and got dressed. Asked D where the Clif Bars were. He said in his bag. I emptied his bag and asked him again where they were. He said probably on the kitchen stove. I told him to stop talking to me if he knew what was good for him, because someone must die, and he was the first available. I drank my water that I packed and tried to figure out what to do (I should mention besides being a bitch, I'm not a morning person). Should I eat a piece of pizza? Should I get a bagel? Since I have never run a long run not eating a Clif Bar, I really was getting more and more worried and pissed off. Think...Then it hit me that I might have one in my purse or laptop case. For as much as Hampton Inn is better than a full blown Hilton, their breakfasts usually include turkey (allergy) so I bring mine. Score, I had one bar in my bag that I hadn't given the meth head on my way to work. Thank God. I told D to give me 5 minutes, to get in my head that it was an honest mistake and I wouldn't be mad. He said ok (he doesn't eat anything before a long run). I put Body Glide on my chest, which which I normally don't do, but had gotten sore from the 12 mile run I did. I forgot to put it on my foot. I don't know where D puts BG. I don't think I want to know.

D and I after the Clif Bar Debacle...I had calmed down

So off to the race we went. D said his one nipple was hard. Yep. He had BG'd the hell out of it. We held hands walking. We walked .88 miles until we found the bag checkin. (This was a different course than 2010) Then we found D's corral (C). Mine was F. I had already decided I was running with the 13:40 minute pacer. We walked and walked and walked. We were almost to a bridge (like .5 miles from Corral B), when I saw a sign for Corral D. Seriously? I decided I was going in Corral D. D and I took a picture.

D and I looking for my corral

I told him I was scared shitless, and he went back to his corral. Everyone around me was E, F or G. I saw the 13:40 pacer about .25 miles ahead of me. There was no way I could get to him. Unlike last year, the Corrals were just piss poor. But oh well. D said he didn't have that problem.

While waiting I watched the Balloon Race launch.

Balloon Races

I listened to a man who ran the Mini 500 talk to his daughter. They were deciding if they were running together. They decided not to. I think the race had started about 15 minutes prior. Finally we crossed the start line and I hit the Garmin and the Polar.

Mile 1 was a lot of running around walkers (that was the G corral). I looked at my watch a few times and kept telling myself to slow down. I passed one RUNNER who was smoking. I was down wind, so yes I did have to speed up to pass him. WTF? I mean is your jonesing that bad? Really? We ran down Main Street. I did my 9:1 thing. When Garmin said 1 mile, I had to run another .1 to get to where KY Derby said it was.

Mile 1 12:29...too fast. (2011 12:29|2010 13:38)

Mile 2 was a zig zag. I almost got hit by a course biker. I told him he was an asshole. Nothing exciting...13:13. Still worried about going to fast.
Mile 2 13:13...too fast. (2011 13:13|2010 13:44)

We turned onto 18th street. This was probably my favorite part. The people in the houses all came out and cheered. There was no groups but just the people. And while they were cheering you, they seemed to appreciate you waving back or saying thank you. It was really nice.
Mile 3: 13:21 Settling in. (2011 13:21|2010 14:49)

During this time, Pearl Jam's Amongst the Waves started playing. I thought about Guinness and started to cry. I had really hoped she would have made it to this. I know it was silly and I know people thought I was a loon. But I just cried, ran and sang. I stopped and got some water. When the song stopped, I stopped crying and continued on my way.
Mile 4: 13:32 (2011 13:32|2010 14:11)

We turned onto 4th Street. This was very boring. And it smelled. It smelled like Horse Manure and BO. I noticed this woman in front of me. If I passed her the BO went away as did the manure. I figured we were near Churchill Downs. But then I couldn't figure it out. It was just so bizarre She kept passing me, so I kept being downwind. I finally decided I had enough of this and ran fast enough to pass her and then some. We got to another water stop. I didn't take any because I didn't want to cramp up. D said he smelled the manure at this part. He was sure the city had laid down fresh mulch around trees on the sidewalk.
Mile 5: 13:20 (2011 13:20|2010 13:55)

So Mile 5 was still on 4th Street with a little jaunt to 6th Street and back. I wondered how far off my Garmin was now, and if I would get a 10K PR. For some reason most people started walking here. I ran through Red Rover Red Rover style through a group. Not intentionally, but there was no way I could stop. I hit mile 6 and my 10K and then ran back onto 4th Street where the official 10K was. I got a PR!
Mile 6: 13:19 (2011 13:19|2010 14:42)
10K: 83:04

So then more of 4th Street. I passed the "If you are still running, we are still drinking" team. High 5's. Part of U of Louisville. I grabbed some water at an unofficial stop. The guy who had run the Mini 500 Marathon came up on my side. We chatted for awhile. He gave me some sport jelly beans. We chatted until he went and got some water. That was after mile 7.
Mile 7: 13:47 (2011 13:47|2010 14:48)

I came up an incline, turned and was at Churchill Downs.
Mile 8: 13:27 (2011 13:27|2010 15:24)

Coming onto Churchill Downs

Here was where I hit one of 2 hills (both at CD). One was entering (going under the track) and one was leaving (going under the track).

Running under the track

While in there I might have walked a little more than I was supposed to. I might have taken some pics. D took a lot of pics when he was in there. These are his. But I saw the same thing.

Twin Spires

Horses running around us

I came out and was by some U of L Cardinal Stadium and ran. This was also where they had the half/full split. They were still letting you run the full, so I had made it that far (last year, you had to go to the half). I got some water and ate a jelly bean.
Mile 9: 15:52 (yeah, I walked a lot) (2011 15:52|2010 15:50)

I mostly focused on getting my pace back up. It was a bit of a struggle. This was also where the marathoners re-joined us. For the most part the HM were on the left and the M's were on the right. Some HM were all over the place. I busted out laughing though when one M told us "SLOW PEOPLE TO ALL GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY," and about 10 people stopped dead in their tracks. He tripped on the sidewalk. I'm sorry, it was funny, I know it is annoying, but really. I also started thinking it was odd there was no Powerade on this course. I know I said I wasn't going to drink it, but it popped into my head. My legs started hurting, and all of the sudden I wanted a pretzel. Like NOW! I passed that beer drinking team (they moved from 4th to 3rd street). I high-5'd and stopped looked at a guy, grabbed his Bud Light, and chugged. It was awesome. Then I started running. At Mile 10 there was a powerade stop. I didn't have any.
Mile 10: 14:46 (2011 14:46|2010 16:37)

I ate another jelly bean. I decided I was going to walk the rest of the way. After a minute I ran 2. Then I walked. Then I ran. Then I told myself to get this thing fucking finished (sorry, but that is the way I talk to myself).
Mile 11: 15:25. (2011 15:25|2010 19:44)

I tried to just focus on finishing the Mile. I had energy. I just didn't feel like running anymore. Like it was ok to walk. I really pulled deep and shuffled my feet. I told myself to go. My head kept going, "Don't worry about it. Not like you running is going to make you any faster than that walked." "What the fuck is wrong with you...you can run faster." I decided I was delirious from the lack of jelly beans so I ate another one. And got a water.
Mile 12: 15:12 (2011 15:12|2010 16:46)

I texted D I was at 12 miles (this was during the walk of my 9:1 walk which I decided to recommit to). Then I decided to finish this. And finish strong. That jelly bean was going to make me Super Man. I started looking at people and deciding to clip them off one at the time. And I did. Got back to Main Street. Passed the Yum Center. Passed some bars. Passed Elvis. Passed where we dropped off our bag. Where the hell is the turn?
Mile 13: 12:03 (2011 12:03|2010 16:11)

OK this is a pain. My watch says 13.1 and I haven't turned! Finally I see the turn. I'm going to be that person and chick this man right at the end. That is if I don't puke first. I let it go. I high 5'd the officials. I felt great. And I crossed the line.

.36 miles: 4:31

The finish line

I found D immediately, got my medal and got some water and Powerade and banana. D opened his bag and I shoved a lot of food in. Then we walked gingerly (Louisville had some floods) to get a beer. They wouldn't let us out of the park with the beer so we each had 4 sips and left it on a wall. The Bud Light I had earlier tasted much better than the Mich Ultra. But that might have been the water, banana, powerade, and chocolate milk before.

D and I with our Michelob Ultra

We walked back to the hotel and then went drinking. I checked the Polar. My strap must have had too much Body Glide...I don't think I only burned 800 calories. D's had one part bloody shirt.

Our Bling

So it was a different course than last year, but how did I do?
2011: 3:04:16
2010: 3:24:46

D's times were better too:

2011: 2:03:55
2010: 2:10:37

Perhaps if we stopped taking pictures in Churchill Downs we could break that pesky 3 and 2 barrier. :)

D and I at Bluegrass Brewery

Dark Star Porter and Coffee Stout

Look at who we ran into on the street (Bob Baffert, trainer of 3 KY Derby Winners)

Some lady...I just liked her hat

Getting Ready for a Half-Marathon

2011-04-28T09:16:00.000-04:00

Hip hurting- Check
Trees blocking Interstate to Kentucky-Check
Work Suggesting this is not the best weekend for me to take a "vacation"- Check
Dogs waking us up at 2AM and staying up until 4AM- Check
The last 3 runs include 2 crappy ones, and one missed- Check, Check and Check.

Am I ready for Noon on Saturday so I can drink the rest of the day away- CHECK

3-102-34

2011-04-21T12:48:00.001-04:00

Another run checked off on my plan!

3 miles. I wasn't happy at all last night. McM ate my wedding shoes. Yes, I only wore them for an hour (almost 8 years ago) before I put on Guinness slippers for the rest of the day. But still. I might have worn them again (iroll). No, it was the sentiment, and I was pissed. Not to mention he got them from the center of the dining room table. And the fact we have no picture frames left in our house.

I also finally remembered to get some tie wraps. So McM got put in the crate and the crate got tie wrapped. Oh I was mad!

So I got dressed and went to the gym for a nice 3 mile run. The more I walked on my warm-up, the madder I became. A lot of it was at myself...I don't like feeling this way about something/one that can't understand why I'm upset.

I started at 4.7 mph and decided after 5 minutes I would go to 5.2, and go down every 5 minutes. Except after 5 minutes at 5.2, I decided to go another minute. And then 4 more. Oh, let's make it a full mile (11:32 minutes). You are already into that 5, so just finish it. Oh what's another 5 minutes. After 25 minutes at 5.2 (so 30 total), I finally brought the speed down to 5.0 and ran for a few minutes. Then to 4.8 when I finally got to 3 miles. When I looked at my time, I nearly fell off the non-moving treadmill. 35:34. I don't think I've ever run that fast.

I followed up with a .5 mile cooldown, and then my stretches/PT exercises.

When I came home, D said that McM hadn't escaped the crate (D left after me, and got home before me from his run). McM was so happy to see me. I know he doesn't mean to piss me off. He is just getting really good at it.

Today, D and I weighed in. We both had losses. When I tallied them up, we have a combined total of 102 pounds. This astonishes me on so many levels. Wow, that we were able to do it. Wow, that we let ourselves go that we had to do it. Wow, just in general.

And I finally am able to say, " I lost 37 pounds and then gained it back," instead of "I lost 37 pounds and then gained it back plus 34+ more pounds."

One more 5 Miler

2011-04-20T13:10:00.000-04:00

So while talking about having 2 more 5 mile runs to do until April 30th, I got more and more frustrated with having to run last night. The more I thought about running on the TM, the more I didn't want to do it. I thuoght about running on the track. I would do that. But then I didn't know if the Boot Camp Nazis were going to be there. (I hate our local BC...they put their shit all over the track and act like they own the place. It really makes a run non-enjoyable). Not to mention 20 laps in a circle.

So I put on my shoes and went through the hood. I was a little apprehensive going so late in the day. The sun was setting and a bit blinding. I didn't want to be out when the sun got behind the trees. I didn't know who was going to be out, etc. I went anyway. Nothing exiting about the run, but I got my 2nd to last 5 miler done!!!!

Compression shorts
I don't recommend the CW-X Performance Shorts for piriformis/bursitis issues. The material is just too thin, compared to their Stabilyx line. Honest to God, Spanx is more supportive/commpressive. I still recommend the Stabilyx Capris. This may be why they are so much more priced than the Performance Line.

Bursitis and Piriformis
Someone (Kendra?) asked about how I overcame my hip injury (I have bursitis/piriformis). In truth, I haven't. But things I did to minimize the pain:

Went to the Doctor and got the hip X-rayed.
Took lots of Aleve
Switched to Advil against Doctor's advice because new job and stomach/intestinal issues don't mix
Went to Physical Therapy for as long as insurance allowed
Did all the exercises the PT told me to do at least 4 of the 7 days each week she told me to do them
Went back to the Doctor to tell him to give me a shot
Got the shot
Got new X-rays that showed my hips were uneven, so got a lift (insert) for one shoe.
Still did PT exercises
Started running when PT said I could for as long as she said I could
Still did PT exercises
Looked online for Compression Pants specific to hips and lower back (Zoot and CW-X). Chose CW-X because the chart (I was 10 pounds outside the size chart...they still fit).
Try my best to listen to my body while running and slow down or stop accordingly
Don't listen to my friends who tell me I will hurt myself running, when it hurts more to sit on the couch doing nothing
Continue (albeit slowly) to lose weight
Do PT exercises when I finish running
Accept that I will most likely need a hip replacement at age 60.

I should have also been lifting weights this whole time, but that didn't happen.

12 Miles and Still Standing

2011-04-17T22:06:00.001-04:00

This week was very trying training-wise. I was travelling, which included standing 7-9 hours a day in steel toes on a concrete floor. It started ok. I ran 5 miles before getting on a plane. It was a painful 5 miles. I didn't want to do it. I have grown tired of running 5 miles. I don't like the distance.

Anyway, I finished it, packed and left for the trip. The next day I got up and went running on the Hampton Inn Treadmill that I don't ever think has been serviced. It was hot in the room and again I wanted to quit. But I toughed it out. Then went to work. By 5 my legs were like jelly and I was leaning on any cart or table I could find. Even going to dinner made my legs hurt.

Thursday, I got up and my hip was in dire hip pain. I hit the Advil and skipped the gym. After work, the boss and I drove 2 hours back to the airport and I caught a flight back.

Friday, I stretched every hour and was still heavy on the Advil. I was worried about 12 miles. My friend was giving me a hard time, which I told her I would listen to my body and go from there.

Saturday at 3AM, McMenamin and Scuttlebutt decided to play. D and I aren't happy about this new development they have decided to make a hobby. We finally got up and moving around 7. Of course, both pups were sleeping. D walked them while I ate breakfast, got dressed and shuffled around the house. Neither of us were into 12 miles. Still we packed Gatorade and decided to take one car to the Silver Comet Trail. We got there around 845. Parked and walked to the trail. D took the keys and we were off.

I didn't see D after about 2 minutes. I ran my 9:1 thing. I decided I would do that until my times started going up. I noticed lately I've been paying attention to keeping time whereas last year, I was focused on finishing. Yesterday, I focused on the first 2 digits to be 14 at each mile. I would switch when the miles started getting longer. The first 2 miles were hard. I couldn't find a tempo to run at. But both miles were in the 14s. Mile 3 was also 14 something. I got to Mile 4 and the bike depot. Mile was 13... Whoa. I knew I would see D soon. He was returning when I was at mile 4.7. Damn, he was fast. I was very confused at Mile 5. 12 something. I got back into Mile 6 at 14. Better. I was worried about getting tired at Mile 10.

This course is fairly flat, so I wasn't really straining myself. Still my watch must be broken was all I was thinking. I got to Mile 7. 13. Mile 8. 13. I was really getting confused. A.) I wasn't tired. B.) My pace was definitely going to be faster. As I ran through Mile 9, I started wondering when I was going to hit the Mile 10 wall. I got to Mile 10.3, and was still feeling ok. I decided that I wasn't going to hit that wall. And I was wondering if I should not drink something while I do my half-marathon. Last year, my stomach knotted up. On my long runs, I'm not drinking anything during. I wonder if that keeps my stomach ok. This all got me to Mile 11. The rest of the run seemed really long. Mostly because there are mile markers at .9, .6 and .3. When I finished, I still had a ways to walk. And I did.

D met me at mile .1 marker with Gatorade. I still felt really strong. He had been waiting for less than an hour. He said his run was uneventful.

Afterwards we went and got pizza and beer. :)

12 Mile Comparison: 2010 and 2011
                2010                          2011
Mile 1:    13:48                           14:14
Mile 2:    14:19                           14:19
Mile 3:    14:31                           14:02
Mile 4:    14:36                           13:35
Mile 5:    14:21                           12:54
Mile 6:    15:28                           14:22
Mile 7:    16:05                           13:52
Mile 8:    15:17                           13:59
Mile 9:    16:09                           13:37
Mile 10: 16:17                         13:20
Mile 11: 18:04                          13:52
Mile 12: 18:03                           14:05
Total:      3:07:03 (15:35/mi)      2:46:14 (13:51/mi)

Managed 5 miles

2011-04-07T13:27:00.000-04:00

So I still have the cold from hell. Yesterday, I told the cold it was going to have to go away, for at least 2 hours while I went to run. It seemed like it might cooperate.

I started my journey to the gym (from work) with a major road shut down, or so the signs said. I called D to tell him that I wasn't sure I would make it to the gym, but got side-tracked when we realized we had nothing pulled for dinner. Hung up and tried to figure that out. Since we were having fish, and we buy frozen fish, the fish at the store would be just as frozen as the ones in our freezer. So that wouldn't work. I guess we could microwave defrost it. That would have to do.

Then talking to my friend J about what keg he should buy. Being that I can barely taste a jalapeno right now, what beer he should get wasn't top on my list. I tried to be attentive and helpful. The one he wanted, I don't like (Duck Rabbit Milk Stout...I think I'm the only person on the planet who doesn't like it). But I told him he should get that anyway. When I stop by on Saturday, if I don't like it, I'll run to the store and get something I do like.

I finally got to the gym. As I warmed up, I noticed my HR was high for a walk (121). Usually it is 110. I still wasn't sure if I was going to run 5 or 3 miles. I did decide I would forgo my 9 minute run/1 walk, and change to a 4/1 deal. This did prove helpful. And for the first 35 minutes I did run faster than usual. Although at that 4 minute mark, I was done each time. I still felt decent at 40 minutes so I kept going for the 5 miles. I got up to 55 minutes and my HR was at 196. So I walked for 2 minutes to get it to 160. Weird thing is I didn't feel it. I slowed down the rest of the running, and finished up my 5 miles at 66 minutes.

D was there. I finished my walk, and then went hi and do my stretches. We agreed to go to Willy's for dinner. I did my stretches and realized I wasn't really hungry. Like popcorn would suffice. I waited for him to finish and he agreed.

In other news McMenamin is Houdini. Even though we have puppy-proofed up to 4 feet high, we have grown a little tired of coming home to this every day:

The McMenamin Party

So I put him in the crate yesterday morning. When I talked to D at the gym, he asked if I had crated McM. Yes. Why? Because he got out of the crate. When we got home, I looked at the crate. It was against the wall, where I left it. The bed was straight and his toy was there. The bottom latch was still latched. We have no clue how he got the top latch undone and how he got out of the little area. We will be puppy-proofing to 9 feet high.

But how can you be mad at this?

McMenamin- One ear is always up, one is always down

The 10 Miles that was almost 9.6

2011-04-04T10:48:00.000-04:00

So 10 miles was on tap for Saturday. Friday night, I wanted to curl up and go to sleep. This cold was hitting me hard. Instead, we went to the Park Tavern and saw Kevin Griffin and Ed Roland (of Better than Ezra and Collective Soul, respectively) perform. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it.

Saturday I woke up from a nightmare of a boa constrictor around my chest. Upon waking up, my chest felt tight and hard to breathe. 10 miles was not happening. Putting my head back on the pillow was. I didn't do a lot on Satuday but rest. Between 4 and 8 I felt good. But by 9 I felt crappy again. Yay! D felt the same way.

Sunday came and we got up and got bagels and went to the grocery store. We both knew we needed to get the 10 miles out of the way. He suggested some route, but between the running on sidewalk, and running far from the house, I didn't really listen to his route, and decided to run by home. If I couldn't run the whole 10, I would just sit on the steps and wait for him (he had the key). I was still concerned with the mental block I get at mile 10ish.

We warmed up by walking up Nemesis Hill. I thought he was going to go back down (like I always do) but he started heading to German Shepherd Pass. Considering how heavy I was breathing going up Nemesis, I just followed. At the light post, I started running. He passed me and I didn't see him for awhile. Most of the first 4 miles were uneventful. Since we started late in the morning, almost everyone was at church. No one was out walking and most cars were heading to one of 3 churches by our house.

On the 3rd lap (each lap was 2+ miles) I stopped to retie my shoe. I saw D with water. Apparently he stopped by the house to get some. He said he had long stopped sweating and was tired. I was still feeling pretty good with the exception of having to cough up my chest to get my throat moist. At mile 7ish, I still felt good. I thought about running another 6 (instead of 3) so I could cross off my 3 mile run. I decided to just go with how I felt. I noticed that mile increased by 1 minute. At mile 8 a little boy fell off his bike. I stopped to make sure he was ok (he was). Starting back up seemed impossible. I did it but another 30 seconds to that mile. At mile 9.6, I decided I was done. I was going to call D and tell him to come pick me up. My legs were barely moving. I then thought about the time it would take him to get to the car, and come get me...In those 4 minutes I could be home, or at least done with the 10 miles. I decided to keep going. Finally I was done, coming back down Nemesis Hill. At mile 10, I walked the rest of the way home.

Then I went back to bed.

It probably wasn't the smartest thing to run being sick. But I needed to know I can run 10 miles. I have such a mental block with it, that I need to know I can push through it. So this week is 5,3,5 and 7. Right now, I don't think I could run 1 much less 3 or 5 or 7. We shall see.

March is done...One more month of training!

2011-04-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

March Totals:
Weight Lost from March 1: 3.6 pounds
Weight Lost from Jan 1: 8.8 pounds
Miles run in March 2010: 77.93
Miles run in March 2011: 84.38
Total Runs missed in March 2011: 5 runs missed for 20.5 miles (2 runs missed this week because I am sick 3 mi and 5 mi), one run missed to drink beer for Guinness's birthday (5 mi), 1 run missed for Wagging Tails and Ails Benefit (3 mi), and 1 probably missed because I am lazy (4.5 mi)).

Looking at my schedule it seems I like to skip my Thursday run.
Right now I'm sick. Hopefully, I will feel ok to run a crappy 10 miler tomorrow. I'm not concerned about the time...I just remember last year that I had problems with the mind playing games on 10+ mile runs at mile 10. So I just want to get it done. We shall see if my throat allows me to.

Excitingly Boring Wednesday

2011-03-30T12:18:00.000-04:00

Do you all have pollen counts? I can never tell if it is just an Atlanta thing. It seems to be something made up like the Heat Index. I don't recall either of them when living in Maryland, but it seems Georgia is all over them. So, a count of 90 is considered bad. Ours are usually somewhere around 2000-4000. Today they are lower (400) because of the rain. Pretty much all spring in GA is miserable because everything is covered in yellow/green (snot-colored) dust, your head hurts, your nose hurts, your sinuses hurt, and if you are a mouth-breather, your digestive system is really messed up. Add to that, 2 dogs who walk outside at least 3 times a day, and the fact I WILL NOT change my sheets every day to compensate for the 2 dogs who track the pollen into bed, and well, I'm miserable. (You can walk 10 minutes, and your black dog is covered in snot-dust). I never had allergies in Maryland. D didn't either.

So you will rarely ever hear me talk about the wonderful Spring.

D is also not feeling well. We are probably on the big Meth Database with the amount of Claritin we bought and the coupons I keep finding. So how do we keep training?

Well last night, the answer would be, we didn't. We went to bed around 830PM. Ugh...missing another day? No, I got up at 5AM and went to the gym. 5 LONG MILES...mostly because I didn't want to be there. But I can breathe better in the AM than in the PM (Who knows why since my office building is sealed, and I don't go outside all day). D will run immediately after work, if he can breathe.

McMenamin and SB don't seem bothered by the pollen. This week (after last week's Garmin debacle), an IRA statement (mail) was eaten, a cookbook destroyed, and my hand-held water bottle devoured. Also a Mountain Dew Soda Box, a Fiber One Bar Box, 1 dog toy are all gone. My nail polish has no top. Each day it is a wonder to see what they can get into next (mostly McMenamin, but SB has a thing for mail).

9 Miles

2011-03-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

So I finished Week 10 of training. 22 miles. All on the day scheduled.

The 9 miler was on my list of things worrying me all week. First my foot hurt. Then would my hip hold up. Then the place I wanted to run was having a 5K so I didn't want to deal with that. Then...

Saturday came and it was cooler than usual. 57 degrees. I decided to test out the new capris. I decided to run the neighborhood. I decided I was going to run.

I did the normal Chess/Beer Hill. Chess/Beer Man #1 was getting home (730AM), it looked like from work. We waved to each other. Up Nemesis Hill. It was slightly easier to get up. And up German Shepherd Pass. At the end of GSP, a guy was out and he said, "You are out early." I said, "Yeah, 9 miles today." He said, "Good God. I hope the dog will be ok." I smiled and ran. The thing was, I wasn't running with a dog. Oh well. Mile 1 came and went. In the middle of Mile 2, I got to a stop sign at the Drug Corner House. A car stopped, and the guy said, "Your dog is looking really tired. How much further you got?" Ok, now, I must just be going crazy. Maybe I do have a dog with me. But no, I don't. I skipped the Park at the school, because it is when going down hill that my foot really hurts. Plus all the rolling hills will be adequate for the day. All my miles are getting faster, although I averaged 14:35min miles. On the 2nd loop, the 2 guys who recycle in a baby carriage asked me if I needed a drink. I politely declined. I did almost step on a used condom. Again, eew, but yay for the usage.

Mile 5 (3rd loop) I couldn't go down GSP. A strange car was out sitting at the end of the street. It just didn't feel right so I turned around. Up Terrorist Dog Hill and Free Clinic. Recycling Baby Carriage Guys were returning from their trip. We waved. Up BellSouth Hill, still looking at the future death trap (unlicensed club with window boarded up on top floor), and I hear foot steps. I keep thinking it is the guy from GSP. I see a guy at the top of the hill, so if guy behind me does something, he will see it. Guy behind me is getting closer and closer. I keep my pace and act cool. D passes me and waves. I really need to check my vivid imagination. He said later that if he didn't know I was out running, he wouldn't have known it was me. He said my figure has totally changed. Anyway Mile 5 was in the 12 minute range...

One more lap around the hood, and then back to the subdivision. I could tell I was changing my stride on Nemesis Hill to compensate for my foot. I also know the HM is relatively flat. I stopped by the house to grab some water because I knew I would be done 9 miles before getting back to the house.

Back up Chess/Beer Hill. The other CBH guy was out on the stoop, drinking beer (or apple juice). He waved. I got to the end of the street. A car came. There was a woman on the corner (on her lawn) with no pants (but this is not the Lady With No Pants that hangs at the gas station). This lady didn't show us her stuff. Instead, she yelled to the car driver, "Hey! You gotta a cigarette? I don't feel like putting on pants to go to the store." And with that last guffaw from my lungs, I was done my 9 miles!

2 Posts in One Week

2011-03-24T12:33:00.000-04:00

So bitching about my Christmas Weight a few weeks ago, must have done something. The only 2 things I've done differently are is go from 14 Diet Cokes a day to 3 (they are free at work, and I LOVE fountain soda). Really, all things in moderation. The other thing is up the running. Still my weight likes to hang on and then fall off in a chunk. Last week was a .1 or .2 loss. Not sure which. This week

And I don't do WW. I just pay them to enter my weight. I know I should cancel the damn subscription, especially since I HATE the new program. I just can't bring myself to do it.

Yesterday was a 3 mile run. I ran 1 mile (or 15 minutes) at a respectable (to me) 5.2 mph. I ran the rest at 4.7. I was worn out. I'm sure the woman next to me thought I was checking her out when I was doing my post-run walk. She looked just like D's cousin. So I kept staring. She told her friend I was staring. Oops.

And finally, McMenamin passed his tests! He has been accepted into daycare! I wasn't worried the way I was with Scuttlebutt (SB plays with his teeth showing), but still there is always that little bit of worry. Last night after getting home from daycare, he wasn't interested in anything but his bone. Perhaps it was because D cleaned all the tables, and there are now no remotes, shoes, or Garmins for him to eat (leaving me worried on what he'll get into today).

Quick Update

2011-03-23T12:40:00.003-04:00

I'm just rocking in all the ways.

My allergies are making my eyes mucus-glued shut, and headache from hell since last Thursday. I forgot I was going to write a guest blog for my friend over at Euphoric Agony (SOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!!). I hurt my foot but am going to ignore it until May 2 (2 days after the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon). And I'm pretty sure the IRS will somehow screw me on my taxes since part of it didn't make sense.

So last week, I ran twice. Tuesday I ran 5 miles. Wednesday we took the dogs to Wagging Tales and Ales at the dog park. Basically you pay to go to the dog park and drink 2 crappy beers (Budweiser was the best they had, and there were no ales). But it was a gorgeous evening, and the proceeds go to the dog park. Scuttlebutt had a great time. McMenamin got out of the park (with 2 other dogs) because some moron doesn't understand the 2 gate system or the posted directions on the 2 gate system. I didn't have to yell at her because another woman yelled at her and summed up my views. (Moron, stupid, idiot along with a lot of expletives were there)... I thanked her for yelling so I didn't have to.

I don't know why we didn't run Thursday. Laziness? Long drive? I don't remember. Saturday came and my head was rocking. Still, it was only 6 miles. I put on the compression shorts (cheaper last week), and walked the dogs with D, and then went on my way. A little later than last time, but no one was on Beer/Chess Hill. There was a guy on the Ditched Stolen Car area, so I avoided that. Went up my Nemesis hill, and to German Shepherd pass. Still slow although not as slow as last week. Terrorist Dogs were not out. Across from the free clinic, 2 needles...woohoo! Reminded me of why I will never run barefoot. On Bellsouth Hill, 2 little girls were practicing their cheer moves. Nothing else exciting for the remainder of the loop.

Went back to GS pass. I waved to the lady who was out. She asked me where my "beautiful mutt" was. I stopped the Garmin, and told her that Guinness had passed. I asked her about her new GS. Apparently he is not full GS, and she had the breeder arrested. She told me all about all of her former German Shepherds, her husband, her neighbor Gussy and her dog Dussy, the man that lived down where those houses are, etc. She has lived in her house 50 years, and is 87 yo. I restarted my run 20 minutes later (with Garmin), and ran the fastest mile of my 6. When I got down to the Boring Road, another neighbor yelled, "Looking great! You've lost weight! Keep it up." That made me feel good. Finished up that loop and went back into the subdivision.

Coming down Nemesis hill, my foot hurt. I looked down and noticed my shoes looked old. I either had on my old running shoes or my really old running shoes (the problem with being a hoarder and with buying the same shoes). My foot felt cracked which I bet it is since I broke it 8 years ago and never had it fixed (actually I went to Disney World the day after I fell off some stairs (sober) and walked on it for 4 days in comeplete pain and then mentioned it to my dad who told me I was an idiot after looking at it. That was the end of my prognosis). My hip also hurt. Damn shorts! I ran down the other hill and finished.

My dad and brother came later. My dad and I fixed my porch stair, and then watched basketball (D was working).

Tuesday, another 5 miles for me and D. This time on the treadmill. I laced up the left foot very tight. Running was fine until Mile 4.2. Then I could feel it. I will have to take Advil before trying 5 miles again. I did a lot of stretching and then went home (D and I take seperate cars to the gym). D was sitting on the couch, looking very somber. I had no clue what happened but immediately thought the worst about a family member. Then he showed me...seems someone was upset that we went to the gym.

Does Garmin have a McMenamin Clause?

There really isn't much to say...Garmin won't repair that (as in, I'm not even going to bother to ask them for fear of guffaws on the other end of the phone). Why the 4 bones on the floor were no good or the power cord to the laptop I don't know...Anyway, I got on Amazon and ordered another one (cheaper than the Garmin site). It should be here Friday with a pair of non-insulated capris (still cheaper on Amazon).

Does it Really Count?

2011-03-14T12:57:00.001-04:00

So, on Saturday I proved once again that I'm totally OCD.

I had an 8 mile run. I wasn't having a good morning, and was thinking a run would help clear my head. It was 36 degrees but supposed to be 56 2 hours later (by the time I would get back). I laced up the shoes, and took Scuttlebutt and McMenamin (he now has a name) out for a quick walk/warmup and dropped them off.

The beginning of the run was ho-hum. I could tell I was running slowly. I added a sidestreet to Chess/Beer hill. The 2 old men weren't out drinking and playing chess at 745. No one was in the drug apartments so the sidestreet was ok. My headphones only half-worked, so I wore them since I could still hear sounds of the road.

Up Nemesis hill and pass German Shepherd pass. Lady got a new GS. Gorgeous. She is all black with brown feet. Such coloring. Anyway, Dog and I said hi and yes, I was running slowly...16 minutes for that mile. I attributed it to going up hill (yeah...). Terrorist Dogs are no longer there, although there are some new Terrorists (dogs, that is) at the next house over. So they let their presence be known. I ran up BellSouth Street and saw the new "Nightclub" (no license, and the back windows have been boarded up so huge fire hazard...but there is a rave with 5000 people invited coming on April 1, according to FaceBook...hooray Property Values!) . Anyway at 815 in the morning, it is still a good street (long but seems short).

The pitbulls that escaped a few weeks ago were behind the fence, and the corner drug house is no longer. People with a little dog live there. They were eating breakfast on their stoop. Up that hill. I thought about running around the church but for some reason decided against it. I ran down the boring road, and crossed over. I was going to run a new road. In the car, it was a hill going down and a hill going up. I got to the down hill. It was much steeper than in the car. I said, "Oh hell no!" and turned around and crossed back over. The lady outside getting her paper giggled at me. By now 2 miles had come and I was faster. I went down the school hill which is probably just as steep as the one I said no way to. Then back up to Terrorist Dogs. Instead I went to GS Pass again and then to Terrorist Dogs. Turning around, a man walking said, "Go Big Momma. Work it." A year ago, I would have taken offense. Now, I'm pretty sure it was meant as a compliment. Even if it wasn't, I'm taking it that way.

By the time I did this loop again, I was up to 6+ miles (or maybe I did it 2 more times...that seems more plausible...Alzheimer's anyone?). So I decided to head to the subdivision. I did pretty well but decided to go back up Chess/Beer Hill because I could stop by the house and grab a water bottle. I got the bottle, and ran until my 9 minutes were up and then walked. I was at ~7.1+. Some guy in an SUV was looking for the park. I stopped the Garmin, and gave him directions. He turned around, and I started the Garmin and ran again. He came back and I stopped at ~7.3+. Apparently I gave him the wrong directions. Who does that...comes back and asks the person that gave you the wrong directions the right ones? It's not like I did it on purpose. It's not like I didn't give BIG LANDMARKS. Anyway, I told him to get a f-ing GPS and continued. I was almost finished the Chess/Beer Hill and looked at the watch. 7.3+ miles.
&*yw&*(^$&(*^&89&*(*(^%^%^&%^&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I restarted the watch and ran down the hill and finished the 8 miles. And stopped. I walked up the hill and tried to convince myself that even though I didn't know how far I ran, I did run 8 miles. That I didn't need to scrap the 8+ miles and start again. That it counted. Really, still, it is bugging the ever living shit out of me. Yes, I don't believe I ran my 8 miler because of idiot who can't use Mapquest before leaving his house.

I'm not OCD or anything.

Sunday D and I took the dogs for a 3 mile walk (was supposed to run, but gorgeous day so we wanted to go to the park which is brick and cement paved...not good for the hip). We went to the park, the cemetery and back to the park. 3.36 miles walked. I can live with that.

McMenamin getting water

SB saying it is time to go home!

People are Gross, even Me.

2011-03-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

So 9 miles run this week. The first was the 9 minutes run/ 1 minute walk. I completed my 4.5 miles in under 1 hour. The second run of 4.5 miles was "see if you can run 4.5 miles without stopping." I can, in over 1 hour (and 3 minutes). So with that test out of the way, I will continue my 9/1 on medium and long runs.

I did get my new running shoes...so much better.

So in my ever fun gym, I pissed yet another person off. I know you are shocked. So, it was me and one other guy on 2 of 12 treadmills. Typical urinal fashion. Him at one end, me at the other (I went to school where the ratio was 4:1 male: female...I heard all about urinal rules...these are also movie theater seat rules, stall rules and now treadmill rules). So 3rd guy enters. He has 10 TMs to choose from. Which one does he choose? The one next to me. And I doubt that Sex And the City or Biggest Loser were that entertaining without the Closed Captioning. Anyway, this douchebag was bathed in Axe. I don't mean he spritzed some on. I mean he bathed in the shit. My eyes started watering. My lungs started closing up. Then I started sneezing. Now normal sneezing probably wouldn't be that gross, but keep in mind, I've been running. I have some good snot rockets building, also good spit wads. All kinds of good stuff. I had 2 ways I could turn my head (I didn't want to sneeze on my towel which had my distance on the TM covered). So which way do you think I turned? Yeah, I wasn't polite. I mean this was a "Distance and Accuracy Shot." I sprayed his arms, his neck, shirt...Awesome. He said some words, I told him not to wear offensible cologne, and he moved. Because I heard him, I realized my headphones didn't work. My friend said he liked me and that's why he got next to my TM. I think he was gay (as are 90% of the men at the gym), so I don't buy it. And if he liked me before that incident, I'm sure he doesn't now.

My hip has been twinging, so Wednesday, I ordered the shorts (CW-X didn't give me them). I didn't get the mesh ones. I can't bring myself to look at them without thinking of the 80s guy with a mullet in his mesh top with his chest hair poking through. That is not the image I want to see when I put on compression shorts. So I got normal ones. And a set of headphones. Right now they are sitting on a mail truck in Kentucky!

Thursday's run was uneventful. My left headphone worked, so I could hear half my songs (I can only hear low-pitch in one ear and high-pitch in the other. I have no clue how long this has been going on but I think since birth since I've complained since about then I can't hear people on the phone). I did accidentally spray a man with 409, but apologized. Someone hadn't cleaned up their used tissues on 2 treadmills, so I was cleaning 1 of them off for use (I left a note with mgt about people not cleaning, although not much they can do with the number of notes to clean up after yourself, and having 409 at every flat surface). When he saw what I was doing (cleaning), no issue. He did say people are gross (I guess I can't comment on my sneezing on a man).

Oh and you noticed I skipped yet another run (Wednesday). This is why. "NoName" is now ours. It took a week to go through the adoption process but worth every second.

And if you need headphones head to Adam's Blog to try to win a Sony Walkman.

Hey CW-X! I really need those Compression Shorts!

2011-03-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

So, Saturday came. I had slept like crap. It was raining out. When D and SB got back from their walk, I knew there was no way I was running outside. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttt! I was not in the mood to run at the gym. I don't know who pays their Utility Bill, but it is usually 72-74 degrees in there. And a long run? I need to wear compression pants. And my feet still hurt from Wednesday's run. And I just didn't want to run.

D was getting ready for his run, which was pissing me off (unsaid guilt trip). So I got out of bed and put on my INSULATED compression pants. This run was going to be hell. I still hoped I could run outside. I finished getting ready. Downstairs, I looked one more time. No go on 7 outside.

So to the gym I went. (D went separately since our paces are so far apart). I started my .5 mile warmup. I was in the typical urinal/treadmill mode (1 TM between each runner). I finished the warmup and plugged in 90 minutes. Except the TM wouldn't go to 90. It would only go to 40. And now I had to go to the bathroom. Dammit all to Hell! This run was going to be the end of me.

After using the rest room, I used the TM next to the Germaphobe (she spent 3 minutes cleaning her TM while I was warming up). I'm sure she loved me and my sweaty hands next to her. Do your hands sweat? Mine are awful. So by 15 minutes in, I was completely drenched. I mean, eyes, head, back of neck, hands, arms, neck, feet, knees, butt, etc... At 30 minutes I want to stop. At 40 minutes too. By 50 minutes, the G2 was gone, and the water was almost finished. Germaphobe was gone too. I was cursing my pants. I was cursing the gym. By 70 minutes, I was wondering who invented the treadmill. Then some guy came in to run as fast as he could for 5 minutes, and then run only a bit slower sideways. Truly annoying but it only lasted 10 minutes total. Then the lady that annoys the shit out of me by running 30 seconds at full speed and standing on the side of the treadmill for 2 minutes got on (I really need to learn to run looking up, so I'm not constantly looking at people's legs/feet...this would solve that issue). She was only on for 10 minutes as well (and blocked the guy partially). At 80 minutes I realized I had to stop the TM and restart it to get 7 miles. When was I going to stop it? Would I keep going? Could I subtract my distance correctly from 7 to run the right amount? I stopped it at 5.9 and restarted. I ran the last 1.1 miles. All in all it was a good run, speed wise. I kept my pace even at 4.5. I think I could have done 4.7 but with the hip hurting earlier in the week, I didn't want to risk it.

After my cool down and stretches (and 30 seconds cleaning the TM), I left. I barely got to the car before my shoes were off. I pretty much hobbled around the rest of the day. The new ones have been sitting somewhere in Atlanta since Saturday. Counting down to next week to order non-insulated compression capris and shorts.

Friday Ramblings

2011-03-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

Does it ever scare you when you think like someone else (like they wrote the blog you were thinking about...)? That happened to me today reading Nitmos's blog.

Yesterday, I found this shirt at One More Mile (local GA store).
I sent it to my friends because it is so true about me. Even when running with SB, if I have to wait for him, I pause the damn thing.
Oh well. Type Whatever Personality...

I've done 2 runs this week. I was going to run yesterday. It didn't happen because my knee/hip/back hurt from sitting oddly doing some work. So I did a complete mind dump on my co-worker who doesn't know me well. All about Guinness. I talked to her for an hour (lovely woman) and didn't cry once. I got out what I needed to say about G-dog, and actually feel free for being able to tell someone it. Probably shouldn't have told a co-worker, but eh.

Tomorrow is 7 miles! I'm not feeling ready. I did order a new pair of shoes, that won't be here in time. My feet have been hurting on the treadmill. Feels like I'm running barefoot on cement. The shoes have 360+miles on them. I had a $70 gift card to Amazon. So my shoes were $22. Score. Why they are $149 every where else, I will never figure out. I do need compression shorts, but the funds are short due to car tags, insurance, gas, etc. Maybe next paycheck.

February (and January) are done!

2011-03-02T11:52:00.001-05:00

So the totals of February are behind us. For the first time in 2 years, no one close to me died in February and nothing disastrous happened (2 years ago, my grandmother died on my bday; last year I lost my job, the dryer broke, the tile fell off in the shower, the doorbell broke and to cap it off my grandfather died). Of course, part of this year was by design. I couldn't bare to have G-dog put down in February or I would just crash and burn. Such as it is, that aspect of my life isn't doing that great anyway. But I'll get through it. Like D said, "We always do."

Anyway, I did a lot of running. Much more than in January. I think part of January's low mileage is because training for the half marathon started later this year. Weight...hahahaha! I've lost 5.2 since January 1, but I still have not lost the damn Christmas Weight. I'm on a plateau. Lose .5, .3 .2, gain 3 pounds. Oh well. I'm still a lot less than I was last year.

I'm in Week 7 of HM training. Only 9 more weeks to go.

Mileage (mostly running, some walking pre and post runs):
January 2010: January 2011
64.77: 38.21 (missed 7 miles of running in 2011)
February 2010: February 2011
72.93: 67.34 (missed 4 miles of running in 2011)

LaAmistad Buckhead 5K

2011-02-27T20:05:00.005-05:00

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

2011-02-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

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.

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

2011-02-21T12:37:00.000-05:00

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!

Chattahoochee Challenge 10K

2011-02-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

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

Steal My Kisses

2011-02-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

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 put 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

The 5K I Want to Hate, but Can't

2011-01-23T19:04:00.000-05:00

So Saturday was the Polar Bear 5K. It is in a 'burb of Atlanta, so I always grumble about this (having to drive so far). But I PR'd at this race in 2010, so we do it.

Friday, D and I went to bed early. Just really tired from the week.

A picked us up at 7 for an 8:30 race. We got there at 745. Amazingly we all knew how to get there, but yet none of us could remember all the directions. Luckily with 3 minds, we each knew a part (I knew how to get out of our neighborhood... I'm good like that). As always, we commented that this section of the 'burb looks like every other 'burb, except for the church.
Moes-check, garage-check
Strip mall that is half empty-check.

We got to the church...or should I say MegaGod facility. While checking in, we looked at the gym. It is bigger than it was last year. It has an indoor track and 3 basketball courts. D informed us the gym is bigger than Oglethorpe University's gym. So we got our T-shirts (3rd year in a row it doesn't fit...doesn't account for my breasts) and walked back to the car and then went back into the church to wait. We found the coffee shop (Starbuck's wannabe), book store and library in the church. My God! We found the course was the same as 2 years ago on one of the many megatrons. So it is a loop and a half around the church. I'm not a fan of the more than 1 loop race, so yet another ding to the race. D however likes loops.

We saw our friends DS and L. We talked to them prior to the race. At 820 we went out to the start. Like all prior Polar Bear 5Ks, it is chipped, but with no starting mat. So I fail to see the point of chip timing. DS started laughing that A, D and I all plugged in. He didn't realize none of us ran together, which made me laugh because he and L don't run together either.

So after a prayer which we all talked through (I didn't hear the prayer, except for an Amen), the race started. About 1500 people...they did close off the road so I ran on the outside lane. Lots of people. Weirdness ensued because I passed a lot of people (it was 28 degrees outside...what slow person shows up for these things)? Oh! I see A. I'm staying with her. I really need to take Liz Phair off my play list. And Foo Fighters. I'm tired of them. A...where did she go? Holy cow, I'm already on the first turn. Here is the "hill." Wait? I think this is a hill? Am I smoking? This is an incline. I believe that is L. How did she get behind me? She is faster. That's probably not her. Got to the top and turned. Saw a restaurant someone was talking about a few weeks ago...it looked closed. Of course it might be closed since it is not even 9AM.

There's the 1 mile marker. My Garmin is on target. He calls out 12 something. My watch says 11:58. My watch must be broken. I don't run miles under 13 minutes, let alone under 12. I'm still passing people. Passing the church's playing fields...no, the church doesn't house a school in it. What is that noise? A cop is telling me I have to run in the other lane? Why? The cones are on both sides. OMG, the first person is coming in. Well I guess it is nice that I get to see the winner.

Up the next "hill." This is more of the incline on the road when you turn on one road from another. Still passing people. Wondering how fast some of the walkers went out, because I'm passing a lot. I pass a lady in red, and then we went down an incline. I guess she didn't want to be passed by a fat chick, because she started running, until she got to an incline. We passed the church. Back to the playing fields, and 2 miles. 24:30. OK, I'm getting faster (note: math isn't my strong suit at this point). Red is still playing games with me. We turn. Oh I didn't see the Longhorn on the first lap. I see a cop stop the runners to let a car out of a parking lot. Oh! I'm going to be run over, if he does that while I'm there. I'm not stopping. Already to the next turn.

Al, you are really running slowly. You should pick it up. God damn it, Red! You are annoying me. I'm really feeling tired. Maybe I should walk. Al, walk? You didn't walk on the tread mill. Pass the 1 mile marker again. I need to get my car emissionized. Why, Al, are you thinking about your car and emissions? Less than .4 to run. The biggest hill to go up. Catch up to Red, Al. With as much energy as I could muster, I ran and passed Red. I saw D. He looked confused. Down the hill, and Red passes me. Are you going to let her do that, Al? No. At the final turn, I cut the corner cutting her off. I decided to finish this race and ran all I could to the finish. I crossed the mats and hit stop. That's when I saw it. 37:52. 37, people. 37!!!! A new PR.

I was so excited. I found D and DS. D had been confused, because A had just passed about 2 minutes prior to me, so D wasn't expecting me. He PR'd too. He had passed DS right at the end. I don't know how L did in terms of PR'ing, and A was happy with her race. Because of the cold, L and DS left. A, D and I went and got another banana, and another water. Then we went home.

Guess where I'll be next year...still bitching. But going for another PR.

Mile 1: 11:58
Mile 2: 12:31
Mile 3: 12:30
Total 5K: 37:52

I Really Don't Want to Run Today...

2011-01-21T12:27:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was that day that you just don't feel like dealing with. Wednesday night, I sighed when I set the alarm for 430AM to go to the gym.

At 330AM Guinness got up and we could hear her tube making noises...her plug fell out. Despite it being an easy fix, waking from a sleep in a panic mode is never fun. Then at 4AM Scuttlebutt decided he was a cat and coughed up a hair ball. So at 430AM, I got up and got my clothes on. My stomach was mad. I wasn't sure if it was gassy or if there was going to be a Fail-Fart. So I looked back at the bed and got in.

At 545, I got up and got ready for work/funeral. I was feeling guilty about the run. I went to work. Still feeling guilty. Went to the funeral. Cried. Came back to work. Guilty. More work. Guilty. I have my training schedule on my cube wall. Thursday hadn't been crossed out.

At 4PM I decided when I got home and ate and digested I would go to the gym. I estimated that on a Thursday this would be about 10PM. I talked to D on the phone. He was in a good mood. Gdog had gained a pound from last week. Hooray! He was going for a run. I mentioned I was going later. He said he would wait. At 615, I left work, got home and talked to him while he made dinner. Played with the pups and then ate dinner.

At 815 we got dressed and off to the gym. 3 miles. Remember when 3 miles was easy. Remember when I wasn't so tired. Remember when I didn't have a job to interfere with my running. Get over yourself Al, and run.

So I ran my 3 miles. 40 minutes. There was nothing exciting about the run. Although there is a couple in the gym that I constantly sneer at and don't like (never met them). I couldn't figure out why. I finally did figure out that one. The woman looks like someone I cannot stand. D thought this was funny. I tried my best not to look at them and think awful thoughts about them (fail). The guy next to me was classy and turned on TNA on Spike. I guess I can now answer, "Who watches that?" He also smelled like baby shit. Luckily he only stayed on for about 15 minutes. The show stayed on for the entire time I was there.

D answered his own question of why the gym smelled like glue. It was painted. So we ran to TNA, ugly and smelly people, and paint fumes.

But we ran.

Half Marathon Training has begun...

2011-01-19T13:17:00.000-05:00

So we were finally able to move throughout northern Georgia by Thursday due to the ice storm and GDOT not knowing their ass from their elbow and wondering why 10 trucks was not sufficient (Atlanta hired sub contractors to help them...GDOT on the other hand, didn't think of that).

So Thursday and Friday were no run days due to the 2:36 and 3:01 hour commutes home (due to traffic and ice).

On Friday night, D looked at me as if I was nuts when I set my alarm for 645 to run Saturday morning. It went off, I got up and off to the gym I went.

The .5 mile walking warmup...my legs were stiff and heavy. Perhaps I could walk my 3 miles. As the .5 mile ticked down, walking the 3 miles seemed like a good idea. Anyway 3 miles started and I ran. I ran 15 minutes and then did the 9 minute run/1 walk. My legs just couldn't function. The .5 mile cooldown...I looked up at .1 miles. The trainer at the gym is jumping up and down and yelling. I yanked off my headphones and he is yelling 911. Apparently one of his trainees has passed out and is vomiting in her passed-out-ness. I jumped off the TM along with another woman (she was on her own treadmill). She grabbed the iPhone and didn't know how to use it. Trainer yells at her to use the land line phone which she can't find. I'm holding the passed out woman on the weight bench so she won't fall, wondering what I'm supposed to do. Trainer is taking her pulse and and telling her to stay with us. It really was a scary time. Trainee comes too and tells TM lady to cancel 911. She does. Trainer and I sit with her until trainer says it is ok for her to stand up (Water and Gatorade have been fetched). Finally she is ok, and I go back to my now .4 mile cool down, which I need, because my HR just flew through the roof. Anyway I finish that and my stretches.

I meet D in the parking lot, and then go run errands and go home.

Monday started the official day of Half-Marathon Training. Monday started off with me praying to a porcelain God and to a trash can. I couldn't have gone to a doctor if I wanted, I was so sick. Between being sick I slept. I woke up around 3 to find out my co-worker was killed in an auto accident. The details are still fuzzy what happened (what the paper is speculating vs. the guy's personality don't play out) but our entire work is stunned. I didn't do any workouts.

Tuesday, I felt like I had been repeatedly beaten, but I could keep down Advil. So I slept about 20 hours. Again no workouts.

Today, I got up and went to the gym. It was 80 degrees in there. I ran 2 miles. The trainer came in while I was running. I must have been sweating more than usual. He checked my HR and he checked the thermostat. He turned down the thermostat. I finished my run. (No, I don't pay the trainer, he is always there when I am). I did my stretches and said goodbye.

I finally made it to work. My head hurts. But 4 Advil have stayed down.

Run with the Dogs 5K Photos

2011-01-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

SnOMG 2011 has hit us, so no going to the gym since the cars are stuck and the roads are under a sheet of ice.

So here are the pics!

D and Me- Pre-Race

Standing around right before the race (photo from Decatur Patch). I'm in the center in capris and the blue sweatshirt

And we are off, finally (from Decatur Patch)

Scuttlebutt in his new scarf (yes, that is snow in Atlanta!)

Me and Guinness in her new scarf

Guinness outside in the snow

Run with the Dogs 5K, 2011

2011-01-08T11:34:00.001-05:00

So today was Run with the Dogs 5K, benefitting the Decatur HS Bulldogs Boosters (I think).
A and I have run this 2 years in a row, and D ran it last year. The course has never been the same. This year was no different...new course.

D and I got up at 7 and did the whole dog thing. Actually he did the dog thing while I struggled but ever so gracefully got my new compression capris on (CW-X insulated capris). After finding my shirts (it was 34 degrees) on the guest bed (I'm redoing my closet rods to get more room so the closet is destroyed at the moment), we were ready. Scuttlebutt was coming along for the ride so he could go to daycare which is about 1 mile away from the run. At 745 we picked up A.

At 830, SB was dropped off and we picked up our registration packets at the school. From 830-850, I debated taking off my top layer. Every time I thought of running back to the car a gust of wind would come. So I kept it on. At 855 they announced they had run out of T-shirts and what you could do (you could have pre-registered and not gotten there at 855.) At 857, I turned on my iPod and put in my pocket that was getting zippered because it had my keys in it. At 858 we walked to the start line. There were 6 whole people there. Even the race director was a little like, "Will they STFU about T-shirts and get their asses up here." Well, I think I said that outloud and everyone agreed.

Finally they got everyone up to the start and we were off. Started up a hill and a quick turn. Immediately passed a 1 mile marker. Uh oh...we are looping. We looped up a hill and back down to the HS, and then back up that hill. I hope it wasn't 3 loops. It wasn't. Dogs were everywhere, and most people were picking up after them, but of course some were not, so there was a lot of looking down. Although I run looking down anyway. So I got to mile 1 at 13 minutes. Ok not fast but this course is up down up down and not flat.

So now I was starting to pick off walkers/runners/dogs. There was one couple that only ran on the downhills, and so they were constantly catching up to me. We looped through an unremarkable neighborhood, and back out onto Dekalb Ave. Now to a more established neighborhood on Adair (2 miles was 26:30). Still up down.

My throat was dry. Those people with the dog were still with me. Park...wow lots of cheaters cutting through the park. Seriously? At 26+ on 2 miles, you are going to cheat. Not like you will place. Turned onto Ponce and then onto Trinity. Downhill finally. God, it is hot. I should take off my gloves. Oh shade, glad I didn't take off my gloves.

There's the final turn. Damn, no, not even close. I have to run up that hill. Is my hip hurting? Are these pants working? Damn sun. Police Station. Waved to the cops, and thanked them for being out (there were a lot). Damn that couple. Steeper part of the hill. There is the turn, really. I see D! I'm going to vomit. Don't vomit, don't vomit. Ok...now turn. Don't let those people pass you on the down hill. You can see the finish, Al. Long strides. Keep swallowing. Long strides. Shut up, inner voice! I want to go to slow down. Al, don't let that clock flip to 41 minutes. Al, you hear those people behind you. PICK.IT.UP! Crossed finally. 40:52!

I crossed, I felt pretty good. Run was faster than all my recent TM runs which are flat.. I didn't feel that sore and walking, I had no soreness. We grabbed some bananas and water. D didn't PR. Said his shoes came untied twice. Else, I think he would have. A came in at 36:10. She seemed happy with that.

And we scored the puppies new scarves! (pics will be coming of course!)

Update: This was also my virtual race for Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K, that I forgot I signed up until reading all the blogs I follow.

Are you a Rockette?

2011-01-05T12:11:00.000-05:00

So apparently, I am the only person who didn't know who Jim Cantore was. Well, I watched NBC for the annual time this year (unless Stanley Cup is on NBC). So back to all my reruns of Law and Order from 20 years ago.

Went to the gym last night. Hooray, all the Resolutioners have quit already! There were 5 people there when we got there (D and I took separate cars). There were 3 left (including me) when I left. So what did we do at the gym? Run.

I ran 3 miles while watching Ohio State beat up on Arkansas. No dead birds came out of the sky on the field. I knew I have more running on the agenda this week, so I did a SLOW 4.3 mph. This was fine because when I moved my arms, I could feel where strength training had occurred. So at 2.3 miles I noticed my butt was hurting. At 2.5 miles I couldn't deny it anymore, and slowed (even more) to 4.0 mph. 2.6-2.9 were somewhere between 3.8 and 4.2 mph. I did finish at 4.3 mph. Then I walked another .5 miles at 2.7 mph. The butt felt fine.

Afterward I did my piriformis stretches. My favorite of all my stretches is kicks. Front, back, side. So I do these on the top of the stairs, so if I fall, I have 4 concrete stairs to catch me. Anyway, I'm doing them, when one of the 2 guys there asks me something. Of course I have to take off my headphones. "Excuse me?" I say. He goes, "I noticed you are always doing kicks, and they get higher each week. Are you practicing to be a Rockette?" This made me giggle.

I should probably be weirded out, because before January, I was hitting the gym regularly once a week. So that means he was there, and he noticed me. But it just made me giggle, because I didn't notice my kicks were getting higher. I was focused on the form of keeping my back straight and not slouching. And if he was hitting on me, it is obvious I'm married. If he was looking to do other things, there are security cameras at every angle of the gym. So eh.

In other news, Guinness is still our Little Shit. She got sick on Sunday and got her food all over the floor. After cleaning it all up, we really didn't give it much thought. It happens once a week because the tube plunger comes out, and she gets excessive gas and has to get it out. On Sunday night, her food tube got stuck and no amount of shoving water through it was going to move the blockage. So Monday morning, I found a little piece of tubing in the bed that had a really gnarly side. After sticking a hanger in the tube to no avail, she went to Vet #1. They used Coke and KY to move the food blockage down the tube. No issues except when D fed her we noticed she seemed to be chewing her food, which shouldn't happen since the tube is past her throat. Tuesday, I was giving her water, and the water went into the tube and onto the floor. So to Vet #2 she is today. They think she got the tube up when she was sick on Sunday, that the tube was bugging her so she chewed off that part, and that there is a kink in the tube. New tube today. Shaking my head at how crazy that girl is.

Anyone want to donate to the Guinness Food Tube Fund?

WTF is Jim Cantore?

2011-01-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

So with the new year comes new goals. I'm going to floss my teeth more often (4 times a week).
There, that is my goal.

And once again, a rambling all over the place post.

In running news, I have run a 5K (on the TM) and 1 mile sprint (on the TM). The 5K was ok. I put a few hills in it. I ran it all. I was slow, but I know I can Run with the Dogs on Saturday. D and I decided that in order for my hip to stay healthy and my butt to hurt less (insert sarcasm), to do some strength training. So off to the gym yesterday at 730. We were in viewing distance when I reminded D that I would be happy when February came so all the gym newbs had left.

It wasn't that crowded and we each scored a treadmill. I started at 4.5 and increased every 2 minutes. I got my sprint run in 12:33. I need to remind myself this is good considering I could barely walk in September. Stop comparing pre-injury when you aren't at the level you were.
I could have sat on the abductor machine all night. It was a nice piriformis stretch.

In other news, we had a nice New Year's. This year we decided to forgo the Rib Eyes or the Veal Chops (damn you WeWa) and had Shrimp Stuffed Poblanos. Very tasty. And beer. Moohoo and Guinness. Saturday prior to the Winter Classic we had Avocado Buttermilk Soup. Both were hits. And the Caps won. We re-watched the game on Sunday. Can I just say how much better the Canadian Broadcast was over NBC's. They actually talked hockey and interviewed players and didn't slob all over Sidney Crosby's knob. Seriously, NBC...I don't know who Jim Cantore is (I had to google), and like every other weather man in America, he can't call the weather. So get him off the air. And there was more than SC out on the ice. (Can you tell what team I was rooting for?)

D asked to go to the last Thrashers/Caps game. I scored some good tickets on the "Caps Shoot Twice" side. So we will go to that.

I hope everyone had a good New Year's Day. Now let's all not get injured and stay healthy!

That Whole Year in Review

2010-12-28T10:51:00.001-05:00

Well if you want to know about it, just go read. :)

However, as I was getting ready for a holiday party I put on my favorite sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. Hold the phone...I wore this last year on this date (minus a day). And I have a picture.

So this is 25+ pounds lighter Al (with a camera that desperately needs to be replaced since it has no flash). Last year, I positioned that Santa Claus infront of me so you couldn't see the pulling of the shirt. If you look closely you can see the pulling on the sides of the 18W jeans, you can see the multiple chins, you can see my cheeks trying to impersonate Santa's.

This year, there may be a little pulling in my 16 (Note- no W behind that 16) jeans. But they button and I need a belt to keep them up. Someone told me I need to get rid of my favorite sweatshirt (I realize it does nothing for me, but I love it). And I have less multiple chins. I need to buy some more makeup and hair gel.

And give thanks to Delane at Euphoric Agony for sending me her "fat" clothes (those were her jeans- the 16s, not the 18Ws...they eventually split in the thigh, so I had to throw them out.).

Let's hope to more weight loss and healthy running in 2011. I just bought some compression pants to run in. Supposed to hold in my hip and my back all the way through my IT Band.
We shall see.

Magnet for Douchebags!

2010-12-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

It's been long known that I don't like people. They annoy the shit out of me. Today was no exception. It started in the grocery store.

I do not understand packing out the grocery store after 8AM on a weekend. Especially a 24 hour grocery store. Why aren't things done at night? So after figuring out the cart couldn't get to the meat section, can only go down certain aisles in the veggie section, forget about going down the soup aisle, I was doing good. Then we hit the chip aisle, the soda aisle, and dairy. You couldn't go straight from eggs to cheese to orange juice to milk. It didn't make a difference since the packer didn't pack out OJ, and when I mentioned this, he didn't offer to go in the back (the vegetable packers know I'm a bitch and will go through their boxes or go to the back and ask for what I need). The coke man had his forklift thing in the middle of the aisle so no going down to get overpriced soda (when the gas station is cheaper than the grocery, that is sad). So Frito Lay man wouldn't get out of our way, and I had it. My mood quickly sank. After getting home, I went to the gym.

One treadmill and all TVs had ESPN. However, my TM had the remote, so I watch a Law and Order that I had only seen 17 times. I was not watching Cam Newton, douchebag. Anyway the gym was a little more crowded than usual. So there is a famous Douchebag who won one of those cooking shows who goes to my gym (Edited- He only came in as a finalist so he is a loser). He doesn't do anything at the gym (which is clearly evident from the fat rolls on his turkey neck). He is a DB because he insults other chefs around town for their style of food. So anyway he comes into the cardio section and sits (doesn't pedal) on a bike and talks on his phone. After that workout, he stands on a treadmill and talks on the phone. He got off, when someone asked him if he was actually going to use it (there was a line for the treadmills). But complete lack of clue. So KG, you have officially surpassed RB in douchebaggery.

Another person annoyed me on the treadmills. I do not understand going so fast that you can't keep up. Every 5 seconds, the woman beside me was on the rails of her treadmill. Seriously she probably could knock down a mile off her total. What is wrong with going slow and steady? However she liked me a lot. With my new Justin Bieber haircut (yes, I look better than Tom Brady), when I shook my head, she got a ton of my sweat. So in that respect, I'm glad her TM went fast. She was gone faster!

I really need to find my headphones so I can drown these people out!

Oops! I did it again!

2010-12-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

I was all excited last month that I would be able to run again and start training for a Mercedes Emblem that I could wear around my neck. But that pesky bursitis decided to not let me. So alas, I didn't sign up. I took off most of November (I ran once).

Guinness has reached 36 pounds (hooray). We are getting used to the fact that we are house-bound or can only travel limited distance, thus cramping our vacation style (not to mention that pesky thing called $0.00 in savings and a $90/wk Guinness-food bill).

Once again, I had to fight the government and won (sort of), with them charging me $500 for a water bill. I say sort of because it turned out no one actually read my water meter for 2.5 years. They read my neighbors. So my neighbor and I both paid the same water bill, except they paid it for their meter and I paid it based off a reading off their meter but the reading was assigned to my meter (typical Atlanta bureaucracy). Anyway after writing my councilmen, the mayor, the water commissioner and the deputy water commissioners, I was noticed and we worked out something we can all live with.

The hip still hurts. I'm kind of resigned to it hurting forever. It isn't full blown can't walk hurt. It is "getting on my nerves, low grade hurt." So after ignoring my Kentucky Derby emails for 3 months, I knew I had to make a decision. Why now...because one of the emails gave me a discount if I signed up in November because I answered a survey awhile back.

To run or not to run. I knew D wanted to do it. I know I want to do it. I know Guinness, if still alive, will be coming with us and it is a long car ride. D said if I couldn't run it, he would walk it with me. I told him don't be silly, he would just have to wait at the end for a really long time. :)

So Monday, I saved that whopping $5 and...

Romp and Stomp 5K

2010-11-06T20:12:00.001-04:00

Romp and Stomp today! So this is the first 5K I have run since January. And the first race I've run since the half-marathon in April. And the first race post physical therapy.

All week I've been worried about running it because my hip/ass hurt (thank you insurance company for deciding the doctor and physical therapist didn't know what they were talking about and going against their orders, canceling all further appointments...iroll).

This morning D and I woke up. My ass hurt and it was cold. I stretched out the muscles and got up. A little sad...Porter died a year ago today, and we are coming to the conclusion we will be doing the same with Guinness sooner than later. Anyway, we got dressed. It was 34 degrees. What to wear...a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt and running pants. Hmmm do I have a hat? D found it. Got my knee brace, and Garmin and music. A was outside waiting for us, and off we were. We parked .33 miles away from the start and walked over. It really wasn't that cold.

Porter in my hat, 2008

Since we got our race packets yesterday, there was nothing to do but wait for 20 minutes. Of course A found a zillion people she knew (maybe really only 2). They said there was 10 minutes so we headed to the start. True Atlanta form, we had chips but no race start mat, so again, glad for the Garmin. We were talking and then all of a sudden everyone started running. I guess the race started. Turned on the music, the HRM, and hit start on the Garmin when I got to the start line.

D was off. I paced A for about .7 miles, and then she decided she wanted to run faster (no, I wasn't running next to her to find this out, her feet just started going faster). I noticed I was having trouble breathing (cold air in the lungs).

This is a flat course by ATL standards...lots of little fast hills. I passed part of where the Beltline is going (I'll be dead before this project happens). Also passed the coffee shop that allows dogs as long as they aren't Rotts or Pitts (either allow all or none, imo). Apparently my friend was by there volunteering, but since I run with my head down, I didn't see. I hit 1 mile. 12:36. Um that can't be right. I am not moving that fast. But ok. But shit! My Garmin was on bike status so no pacing info. Oh well, I'll survive.

I passed Old Man. I recognized him from the last time I ran the Romp and Stomp. I couldn't pass him last time and I was running and he was walking. Go me! I passed him. Most of this mile was in the "residential" area. If you are familiar with Cabbagetown, you know the houses basically touch each other and walking distance to the mill (now those houses are a good bit of money and the mill is condos...where the tornado hit in 2008). So winding up and down 2 streets (2nd mile 13:09), and then up past my favorite bar, Milltown. I was all by myself (since the people who jumped in the race, aka cheating, had passed me). I was pretty sure the old man and the police were the only ones behind me. I was by no one. Up to the Krog Street Tunnel (awesome flooded pics during the floods of 2009). Garmin didn't like the tunnel. I started it at mile 2.57 and finished at 2.87. This tunnel out and back is NOT .3 miles. But apparently it isn't much shorter. So out of the tunnel, and my ass was hurting. I thought if I stopped (I was on a hill) I wouldn't restart. I wasn't sure where the finish was, because the course had changed, so I kept going. My watch beeped mile 3. It said 12:02. Um, no f-ing way. I could actually see the mile 3 marker, so I decided to go with that. Although I forgot to look when I got there. I turned again and saw D! That means the finish is near!!!!

Sure enough I could see the finish. I really had no kick because the cold was hurting my lungs. D ran the end with me. I crossed at 40:18. This is my 2nd best time. Garmin said 3.18 miles.

I met up with A. D had gotten a PR, and A was content with her run. They both were excited I ran the whole thing. I think a little more than me, since I was a bit disappointed with my time. I sat on a stone wall (icing my ass), and then we left. While walking back to the car, I started thinking...I ran 3 miles for the first time since August. I ran the whole thing. What do I have to be disappointed about? So I decided I like my time. I relaxed for the most part while running, and felt ok. How can I fault that? Go me!

Halloween Pics of the Pups

2010-11-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

Because I do love to torture them...

Mom, I told you I don't want to be a pumpkin!

I'm Super Scuttlebutt!

Changed my mind! I'm a Pumpkin!

Snow White. That's better!

Look at me! I'm so cute!

Enough of this, I'm going to go dig in the bushes!

What? I have to come inside! Ok! But Dirt, I'm coming back to dig!

&#@($&@#($^ Hip

2010-11-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

So D and I went running on the track on Saturday. They redid my lovely track. It is now burgundy and foamy. Long gone is the pot-holed asphalt circle that I loved. Oh well. I ran consecutively for 2.5 miles. Then the ass started hurting so I walked. Then I stopped and rubbed my ass. Yes, quite a sight. I finished the 3 miles at about 41 minutes. I was happy. The hardest things...to run without thinking about pace, regardless of my watch. My head keeps telling me faster, faster. Anther hard thing is to actually stop when I hurt. I really focused on it. And another hard thing is to actually not think about being hurt. I keep thinking if I run fast, I might hurt myself. So it is all vicious. But the hip and ass felt pretty good after the run.

Scuttlebutt ran with D. He can run 2 miles. D can run a lot more. So D's time was way off. Gdog stayed home. I don't even think she knew we were gone. I did all my stretches when I got home.

So imagine my dismay on Monday when my hip started hurting. I took my Aleve, did my stretches, etc. Tuesday, I got up to go run, and it hurt (and it was cold). So no go. Wednesday, same thing. Today, I'm really hurting. And I have a 5K on Saturday. WTF?

I'm up another freaking pound. I read what everyone wrote, last week. Being an engineer, I couldn't ever journal I drank 1 glass of something without measuring it. Same goes for food. So I know my portions are correct, and I write as I go. Since I don't cook, I don't ever have tastes. And I actually focused on it to make sure I wasn't having bites, licks or tastes. One time I had 1 tsp of feta (told you I measure). It is most likely stress, but seriously, I'm up 7 pounds from the lowest weight. That is going to take like 6 months to get off. I'm so ticked off with WeWa right now. I figured if I'm up 7 pounds, let's make it real. So I had a cookie (4 points).

Gdog is doing ok. She still stares at walls. I'm still positioning her in front of the TV so she doesn't looks so pathetic. She lost .6 pounds at her weekly vet visit. But she has also been sick all over the house, and hadn't had her 2nd (or 3rd) feeding yet that day So, I wasn't too upset with that. Plus she had fun afterward at PetSmart and in the car. The ALZ meds are supposed to make her not get much worse. I'm not sure what that means. I mean, a dog who refuses to eat, stares at walls and pees indoors and wonders what she is supposed to do outdoors? How much worse do you get? I don't want to even find out. Still she has taken up playing with SB some. And her smile is still infectious. And she still loves belly rubs. So she and I are still happy, even with this *(#&$*(&@#Q$(& hip.

Up and Down and Up

2010-10-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

I'm not really sure what my weight it doing except going up. I'm following WeWa, but I just watch my weight go up. A well balanced diet and exercise must not be the key to losing weight.

Exercise, Al? You did what? Yes! So far this week I ran two times, both before work. I ran Tuesday and Wednesday. Well I walk/ran, as that is all I can do. But I'm below 30 minutes for 2 miles, so that is something. Wednesday's run caused my hip some soreness, so I took today off. I don't feel sore today. So I'll try tomorrow morning and see how I do.

In other news, D diagnosed Guinness with Cognitive Disorder Syndrome (why is disorder and syndrome in the same problem?). What is that, you ask? Doggie Alzheimer's. She pretty much has met all the criteria. One of the vets seems to think she has a brain tumor, but after thinking about it, D and I don't think it is that, because for all her issues, she would have been dead by now and even if not dead...as many blood panels as this dog has endured, it would have picked something up. So another one of G's vets agreed it could be CDS. So she is on drugs. They won't make her better but should stop the progression, if they work (60% chance). I actually feel good with a diagnosis because I can stop telling vets that there is something wrong and having no one believe me. It still is hard though watching this dog just stare into walls. Oh well, it is what it is, and look out if you think G was spoiled before!

We were going to do a 5K this weekend, but it was sold out. So the 5K next week is still on. I'm excited.

Quick Update

2010-10-22T12:55:00.001-04:00

Guinness is "on the mend." She still has a feeding tube, and I don't think she'll ever recover but she seems to be happy. She did get steroids on Wednesday, which she didn't take too kindly to (hyper ventilating, vomiting, mucusy and gassy). Thursday we didn't give her any, and she was fine. Today I took her to the vet. The vet insisted it wasn't the steroids, but I think came around to the fact I wasn't giving Guinness anymore. So back on Tuesday for a new dressing for her food tube. We came home and I fed her. And made an appointment for her and Scuttlebutt to see Santa.

Tuesday, the insurance company informed my PT it was my last visit. It was bittersweet. I really enjoyed going. Especially the last few weeks because it was a great tension reliever. I'll miss K, but I know where to find her.

I also signed up for a 5K. K (the PT) told me to go for it. I just have to know when to walk. I can do that.

So after work, Wednesday I went to the gym. I ran/walked 2 miles in 29 minutes. I felt pretty good. Stretched afterward.

My weight was down from last week but not much and not what the ticker says. Oh well, I'm working on it.

This weekend, I am planning another run, a trip to the eye doctor, taking Scuttlebutt to daycare and playing with Guinness. SB has been a real trooper. He knows something is up, and being a puppy (he is 18 mos, but he will be a puppy until he is 8 or 9 yo), he has a hard time understanding he doesn't get all the love. But he does back off Food Tube time. Oh and my bike gloves come in handy for the food tube syringes. Since I'm not biking, I'm glad they have another use.

It's just Beer!

2010-10-17T20:21:00.000-04:00

So since August D and I have been planning to go to the Knoxville Brewer's Jam. It would be our only vacation this year, as we are still in unemployment debt. In early September I bought the tickets. D's parents and my dad paid for the hotel (D's bday present). We were worried about Guinness and who would watch her. Feeding her had become a chore. After getting on Puppy Prozac, we seemed comfortable letting her go to daycare.

Then the whole specialist thing happened. Then she got a food tube. No problem. She could come with us. And for 3 weeks, Oct 16 was just going to be fun. It was ingrained in my head.

So feeding G with a food tube has proven to be a challenge. Our hands hurts; I'm developing carpal tunnel in my thumb from pushing food through syringes; we routinely get "Fuck you and die" looks from Guinness. Fun times. Still October 16!

Friday night, D and I were both tired. Fed G and we all went to bed. I fell asleep with G and D in the bed. It was about 930. At 1115, we heard moaning. Being as I can sleep through anything, I was confused. I thought it was SB whining to go out. I was petting Guinness in the bed. Wrong! I was petting SB, and Guinness was moaning and gasping for air. She couldn't breathe. D got up and she had puked in the room twice. He went downstairs and it was much worse. I noticed the plunger wasn't in G's food tube. We couldn't find it, so D got the spare which didn't have a top. She seemed a little better but still had trouble breathing. We got dressed (put hoodies over our pajamas) and off to the ER, which we didn't know where it was. I sat in the back while D drove. I really don't know what he did. Between crying that this was "the time", and trying to console G, and drinking water, we were suddenly there. We got there at midnight. I was so disoriented, I realized today that I gave them the wrong phone number (like I messed up my own). They took her back and said something about the plunger top. She tried to bite them when they took her temperature (normal). They took her for x-rays, where she also tried to bite them.

The vet came in with the X-rays. G's stomach had these big blobs on them as did her intestines. "Oh God! Look at all those tumors," is what I thought. Um no. She had massive gas in her stomach. The vet said she was going to keep her for observation, and to get another X-ray. They brought back in having given her baby colic meds, and Pepcid. G laid on the flood and slept while the vet got more of the history of what has been going on. Considering no one can find anything wrong with her, the vet kept referring to G as anorexic. After talking to her some more, with G still sleeping, the vet assured us she is not in pain, her quality of life is not bad so no putting her down, and it isn't her time yet. But had we not come, she could have developed bloat. After about an hour, G was quietly sleeping, so the vet let us go with no additional x-rays. She gave us a ton of papers. I asked about traveling to which the answer was, "Why couldn't she?"

So, we got home and cleaned up the downstairs. Finally fell asleep at 3AM. The alarm clock went off at 6AM and it was too early. I reset it for 7. At 7, D and I discussed going. He said, "It's just beer. There will be other festivals." I rolled back over, with G next to me, and we both slept until 1030AM.

D and I discussed going to tailgating with friends (I had given my GT tickets away). We decided to get breakfast first (fried ribs with white BBQ sauce!) and a beer. I got a bit weepy which was another fear of the festival (1 beer, drunk and weepy). So we passed on the tailgate. We came home and fed G. Of course she lost the plunger again. But the rest of the day, she was good.

Today one loss of the plunger, after eating. Tomorrow it will be duct taped before going to work.

1 run this week. PT said I can run 7 minutes at 4.3mph. I have yet to try, although I did walk G today for probably .3 miles.

Clear Your Head

2010-10-10T19:58:00.000-04:00

So this was the week to get back to running.
Monday is always a rest day, so I went to work. I had a class all week. So I just sat in class and learned about project management. And that, what a total racket. I should market a process and charge for something that should be common sense. My God!

Anyway, D took G to the vet on Tuesday. We were all excited that she had taken her meds, she was eating and seemed to be better. He emailed me in class, and said she had lost another pound. Tears instantly started. I sat in the class and cried. I'm sure I was a great student for the instructor. D said we had to take her to a specialist. Seriously, again? This can't be happening to us. We just went through this 11 months ago with Porter. Needless to say, I came home and we cried and played with her. Wednesday she acted normal, and we were confused. More crying. More wondering. Still in class. Still no gym.

I checked with the instructor. I had to attend 80% of the class. So D and I agreed whatever the doctor said, I wasn't going to find out until 4PM on Thursday. At 3 he called me. All her tests were negative. They were going to run a test for Addison's. I googled it and it was a manageable disease. I never have prayed so hard for a disease.

Friday I took the day off, because we thought we were going to be putting her down on Thursday, and then if it wasn't Addison's we didn't know how I would react. Well Friday D called me (he went to work). Not Addison's. The specialists are at a loss. Another appointment on Monday. I thought about what I would do if D weren't in the picture. I would get the endoscopy as planned and the food tube. But if that turns out to be nothing, I would stop. At what point do you say, she is *just* a dog. Well head X-rays are the stopping point for me. D said the same thing. So we hope the endoscopy will find something, but I'm not optimistic. But we know our plan.

Friday night, I got an email that I passed my test. I'm a Certified Reliability Engineer. I want to celebrate but it seems like forever ago that I studied and took that test.

D and I decided not to go to GT's homecoming. The thought of all the people was too overwhelming, and both of us were emotionally exhausted. We dd play with G and Scuttlebutt outside. G likes to dig holes and stand on the neighbor's lawn.

Guinness 2 weeks ago

Saturday we went to the gym. Guinness wanted to go. But she has major hip deterioration, so it's a no go. Anyway, the gym was fine. I got 2.2 miles in 37 minutes (walk 5, run 5 etc.). Hip felt better to run on than to walk. Actually hip was fine, it was the butt muscles. We went to lunch to try a new beer, which wasn't there, so we had (yes, we HAD to go) to go to a bar to try another beer. After, we went to the grocery to get doggie treats. We watched football, played with G and Scuttlebutt, and I might have passed out at 830pm.

I have running on the agenda this week. It keeps my head clear. And God knows I need it.

We are still planning on the beer fest in Knoxville next weekend. Guinness will come with us, and SB will go to daycare. Instead of bar hopping after the fest, we will get a growler or 3 and some pizza and spend time in the Hilton. Guinness will have another state crossed off her list. The US Traveler.

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!

2010-09-30T12:32:00.000-04:00

Well I met my goal today (weight loss). Now I have to change it. I couldn't figure out for the longest time why I set the goal there. I'm still not really sure. It isn't a century change. It isn't a round number lost and it isn't a 10%. But it is what it is. Now I have to figure out what to change it too. I think I have 60 more pounds to lose to get to the "proper weight." I don't know if I have ever been the "proper weight." Whatever, I will just set another goal and meet that. I definitely know, that I'm not setting it for 60 pounds. That would be defeatist.

It seems we have only had one new recipe so far this week, chicken in pan sauce. I was eh about it, because it was too salty. But I think it can be good.

I saw the doctor on Tuesday, and got more X-rays. (Why couldn't he have done this on the first set of X-rays?) My pelvis is definitely off, but he thinks lifts in my left shoe will do the trick. Although he couldn't explain why my left shoe wears out faster than my right one, since my right foot strikes first (left hip is the hurting one).

I haven't run or stretched (properly) since Sunday. I have studied more than I think I have ever studied for anything. And I still don't feel ready. Also all the studying is hurting my leg. Of course it is because I study, sitting Indian-Style on the bed and then bend over a book. The PT told me to stop. I don't know how to study any other way. I guess she wants me to use a table and chair. Eh. I have until Saturday and then this will be done and assuming I fail, I will get to retake this exam in March. Yeah, I have a positive attitude. I despise statistics, and I can't for the life of me figure out if you have N samples with a standard deviation of this, at a 10% Confidence level what is the range for the reliability to be 95%. Do you use a Z table or a 2-tailed tolerance table? I don't know. Every time I think I know, I'm wrong. Of course all the tests I've taken provide both answers in the multiple choice. (Oh, and I don't know what I'm talking about either).

So Sunday, I'm going to walk. And Tuesday I will walk. Wednesday I will assess. Wednesday seems very far from now...

I Jogged!

2010-09-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

So D and I have been eating and drinking heavily giving no thought whatsoever.

Yeah, um no. I'm journaling, drinking water and eating healthy (if Kraft Mac and Cheese is healthy--sorry I love the stuff).

Yesterday was ribs and beer. I got a good buzz before the GT game (drunk before noon...hooray!). Anyway, yesterday was the walking and sit down, stand, sit , stand test. I felt decent (especially with beer). We got to 4th quarter and the sun hit me before anything else. They ran out of water, and after 96 oz of soda and sitting directly in the sun, I was just HOT. Plus Tech was sucking!!!

So we left. My leg felt fine, but lung power? OMG! I had none. I was breathing heavily. I was that fat chick walking and huffing and puffing and wheezing walking 10 feet. Anyway, I kept pushing and FINALLY got back to the car. D drove home and I studied for about 10 minutes before I fell asleep for 2 hours. Woke up and watched a lot of games and at 8, thought I was going pass out from exhaustion.

This morning, woke up and went with D for a bagel. Came home and made the grocery list...a few new recipes will be added this week to the other blog. Then I went to the gym for the jog.

I felt a little twingey, but decided to ignore it. Started 5 minutes of walking at 3mph. 5 minutes passed. Ramped up to 4.3 mph, and ran for 5 minutes. Hip felt fine. Back to 3mph, up to 4.3 mph, back to 3, up to 4.3 and back to 3. 2.01 miles total. I then did 30 minutes of stretching.

Felt fine. So walking out to the car 2 cops pulled a car over, 4 cops jumped out with guns drawn running to the car. No place for me to duck incase of a shootout (yes, I thought about that). I got in my car, and still couldn't go anywhere because the cops blocked me in. Whatever it was, a cop moved a car and off I went to the grocery.

I'm sore now, but I'm not sitting correctly. So off to study and sit correctly.

Jogging...Not Sure What That is

2010-09-24T10:56:00.001-04:00

So this week, I hit 26 pounds. I'm not sure how since D, Guinness and I sat on the front lawn on Saturday and consumed lots of beer.
But 3 days in a row the scale was reading about the same so I'll take it.

PT Tuesday and she informed me that I could walk 15 minutes on Wednesday, 20 Th, 25 F, 30 from Sat-Tuesday. (treadmill flat surface). I also took a practice test for my exam. I did poorly. Studying took a priority over exercise. Although Thursday I took some time and went to the gym. D did 3 miles while I walked 1 mile and did a ton of stretches.

Today, I can't walk. I had PT. I told her I had thigh pain. WTH? So I changed and we figured out why (no, I don't look at myself in the morning, I guess). I have a bruise/cut on my thigh that is purple/blue/black/yellow/red. PT lady was laughing at me, because it got there between last night and today. So I know I was sober, but no clue where I hit my thigh. Anyway she had me do squat walks today. You put your legs in the green stretchy thing and get in the squat position and walk sideways down the hall, and back. In the squat position. Twice. I begged her to let me run a HM, because it had to be easier than this. OMG!
All the usual stretches.

And she wrote a letter to my doctor explaining her thoughts of why I need an orthotist for orthotics if I'm to keep running. (I called Doc to get a referral to the orthotist and got told to come in for an exam instead).

But... I'm all happy I got to walk on the treadmill. PT lady changed her mind. Walk 25 minutes today on the TM. Tomorrow take a break because I have to walk to the football stadium and stand up sit down stand up sit down. If my pain is less than a 1 on the 1-10 scale, on Sunday I get to jog for 5 minutes. I don't know what jogging is, but I think it is running with a less serious face.

So here's to GT winning tomorrow and for my leg to not hurt.

Because I want to be all clown face on Sunday!

More than 5.5 years, but...

2010-09-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

So watching what I'm eating has been becoming very life-consuming since I can't run it off at the moment.

So I started the month tired of counting points, calories or anything. And Football meant beer consumption. I gained 2.5 pounds, and decided to just do Weight Watchers last week, and not Sparkpeople. I tracked all the beer. I tracked the dip. I tracked the 30 points I eat a day instead of fewer points. And I woke up this morning to a 3 pound loss.

And

Old and Grumpy but not Rude

2010-09-15T13:06:00.001-04:00

I got my shot yesterday.

It was a mildly amusing visit. I am walking to the office building. This old man sees me and runs to the door (many doc's offices in the building). He doesn't hold the first set of doors. After he doesn't hold the second set I went, "Thank you for not holding the door. Your manners are apparent!"

With that, I went to the rest room and forgot about the man. Went to the doc's office. Guess who was there? Yep. He was filling out paperwork. I signed in and saw we had the same appointment time. No biggie. The doc seemed efficient last time I was there.

So I'm sitting there and the doctor (not the nurse) calls me back. Old man goes, "I was first. Why does SHE get to go back." I'm like, "Whatever, he can go before me. Seriously dude." The receptionist goes, "Sit down and shut up. You haven't even finished your paperwork." The doctor sees all of this. I'm now laughing; the doc is rolling his eyes. Anyway, I go back. It takes all of 20 seconds to get the shot. It didn't hurt at all (I can handle a shot, but not a papercut). Then the doc talks to me for 10 minutes about current events. I guess he didn't want to see the other guy either.

I was telling a friend about this, and she said she hopes she never gets old and grumpy. I said old and grumpy was fine, but being rude is entirely different.

Now as for the cortisone, silly me thought it was going to be like Novocaine, for some reason. I couldn't have been more wrong. Today I'm sore...more bruised feeling. It hurts to walk, but sitting is fine. So hopefully in a few days, I'll feel better.

Still in PT. I have lots of stretches to do.

Staying Positive

2010-09-12T16:17:00.000-04:00

If you know me or read about me, you know I'm just a naturally optimistic person, 100% of the time, never waiting for the other shoe to drop.

OK, now that you stopped laughing...yeah, this week was very odd.

G-dog's health isn't great. She has lost a ton of weight in the past year (18 pounds), when she was supposed to gain (5). So I'm resigned to the fact the end is near, I just don't know when. D was on vacation this past week, and I think wasn't as "comfortable" as I was with this news. He took her to the vet on Tuesday when she lost yet another pound. I tried not to think about it, because this was about the same time last year that Porter started on her vet visits, and we all know how that ended up. Anyway, D called me and said G has a sore left hip and he got her appetite stimulants. We looked up the appetite stimulant and it is an anti-depressant. So...is your dog supposed to look like you, because I thought you were supposed to look like your dog? But G has sore hips and is now on "Doggie Prozac." She has eaten some, but today she wants to be left alone. So that's what she is up too. Although the other day, the dog was so high, I swear she would have eaten the shit out of a bag of Doritos.

On the hip front (mine, not hers), it still hurts. 2 more PT visits done. I was really confused as it is more my butt (piriformis) than my hip at this point. So should I get a cortisone shot? What would it do? What wouldn't it do? So I called my dad and asked him. He said at this point, doing nothing but PT was not working. Get the shot and the worst it would do is not work. So I called the doctor and I should get a shot Tuesday. I should mention that I saw the doctor before starting PT. Xrays were normal. And I didn't have arthritis. I think it is my hips are uneven, combined with the over-usage. But I don't have a medical degree, so what do I know?

I was supposed to go to a 5K on Saturday to support D and a friend. On Friday, D and I were looking at the website. The start and finish were 2 miles apart (not following the course). The T-shirt and after-party were 1/2 mile away from the finish. I knew from the after party to the start (where you would park) was straight uphill. There was a bus option, but seriously? Would you like a non-participant on the bus? I wouldn't. So D and I decided I would stay home.

So these types of things usually set me off. And I was more happy. Why? Because I worked late every day. Seriously, this made me happy. I can't remember the last time I worked this hard, and didn't notice the clock. The only reason I know it is 6PM, is that the AC goes off at 6. So by 630 it is really hot. But my brain is being tested, I'm being tested, and I'm doing something that has some sort of benefit to the company. I feel useful. It kind of overshadows the crap in my life. (Remember this for a later time, when I bitch about work).

So on Saturday, D went to the 5K. Of course he got a PR. He never found my friend, so he just came home. While he was there though, I had 2 pups looking at me like, "Mom, puh-leeeze let us go out!" So I leashed them up. I think I made it 200 feet. I felt that I looked ridiculous. I was practically using Scuttlebutt as a cane. And Guinness was upset because her buddy Mooshu was out and I wouldn't let them play. My other neighbor who is a runner was out. He showed me a stretch that I am already doing, but it is good to know I'm not doing some whacked exercise. We talked a few minutes. G acted foolish still yearning for Mooshu, while Scuttlebutt sat on the sidewalk and behaved.

D came home and we went to our friends' house to watch Georgia Tech lose to Kansas. Yes, Kansas. I know, Kansas! Then we came home and D made dinner. (Really glad it wasn't James Madison they lost to, but Kansas?)

Then we went out to a concert. I used to hear this guy in his band Angie's Hope back in college. For whatever reason, he has been solo, for a really long time (Angie Aparo). I could go look it up why he is solo, but I don't really care. If you ever heard Faith Hill's "Cry," he wrote it (and performs it so much better).

So we left of course too early. So we swung by to say hi to Clay for about 30 minutes. He had spent 5 weeks in Asia. It sounded like a wonderful exciting trip. Then we left and went to Park Tavern. D and I had our wedding reception there 7+ years ago. We hadn't been back since. We had to park far away because parking was $10. Since the concert tickets were only $10, I wasn't going to pay for parking. So we walked further than I walked the dogs. I was pretty much done when we got there. D got us Pale Ales. They brew their own beer. Their beer is good. The Pale is not hoppy, but yet has a good hop flavor, if that makes any sense. I meant to try the IPA, but D was getting my beers, and I forgot to ask for a change.

The first band we heard (I think we missed one) was "Better than the Beatles." They were just a fun cover band of 70s music (but not disco, more Classic Rock). Angie Aparo was really good. He is a good story teller. I had fun (and a lot to drink). D had fun. The walk back to the car was fine, except we were adopted by a cat. Seriously, D had to walk past the car while I got in, so the cat wouldn't get in the car. He was cute, but we aren't cat people, and neither is Guinness. And I don't want to find out if Scuttlebutt likes cats or not.

So when I look back on the week, I had a really good week. I'm really positive about that.

I Don't Like This No Running Thing

2010-09-06T18:07:00.000-04:00

The weather is seriously pissing me off. Saturday it was 65, yesterday 64 and today it was 58. Perfect running weather. Not perfect weather for me to be laying on the floor doing leg stretches.

Saturday, D went running. I was jealous. I did stretches on the floor and then we went to see GT play. True to form like everything else in my life lately, my mind wandered constantly while watching the game. I wasn't talking, so I'm not sure how I missed 2 TDs, but I did. During the 3rd quarter I realized I was in terrible pain, so we left. At home, I think we watched more football, and random tv and drank some beer and had some chili.

Yesterday we had our Sunday morning date and then did the grocery store. By the time we got back, guess what? I was in pain. So I took a nap. We ended up watching No Reservations and drinking beer.

Today, I was just in pain. I did my stretches. My hip is not getting better. I'm talking to the PT tomorrow (3rd visit). I think I need something else.

I'm tired of complaining about my hip. I'm tired of it hurting. I'm tired of taking meds that aren't working. But besides not running, I cannot walk the dogs, mow the lawn, go shopping, go grocery shopping, help cook, help do laundry, walk to the football stadium, stand through a game, etc. Not to mention I have no focus. I'm all caught up on your blogs, and I read, and can't remember what I just read. I'm trying to study for my certification, and get through 1 page and totally get lost. Ugh!

Yeah, I need to figure out plan B for this hip thing.

Sidelined!!! GAH!

2010-08-29T19:55:00.001-04:00

So I have run 2 more times since saying I needed to step it up. One was a 3 miler on the treadmill. It was a Tuesday. I felt great. I was going sign up for a 5K that Friday. Wednesday, I changed at work and decided to go to the Alpharetta Greenway, because I wasn't in the mood to run, so I knew that I would drive straight home instead of the gym. Got there and noticed it was cement. Dammit! Oh it is only 2 miles. No biggie. I ran and then went home. I didn't stretch or roll.

Thursday I woke up with the hip hurting. Great. Popped Aleve.
Friday I woke up with the hip hurting. Great. Popped Aleve.
Saturday I woke up with the hip hurting. Great. Popped Aleve.
Sunday I woke up with the hip hurting. Great. Popped Aleve.
Monday I woke up with the hip hurting. Great. Popped Aleve.Tuesday I woke up with the hip hurting. Great. Popped Aleve.

I finally gave in and realized this has become an issue. I called the doctor. I went to see him on Wednesday. He thought it was tendonitis but it wasn't his specialty, so he called the Orthopedist and got me in for the next day. Basically he said my quality of life is going down since I'm canceling or not signing up for events (I didn't sign up for the 5K). And that I was too active for this to be a weekend warrior injury so he was concerned.
Thursday, I went to the Ortho. Got lots of x-rays because they x-rayed the wrong hip due to me not knowing my right from my left. Then the next set didn't come out. Finally got a decent set.

After talking to the doc, he said my shoes wear really well. And I self-diagnosed my knee issue 3 years ago correctly with the proper brace. And I need to stay away from the concrete.

So the good news...I don't have arthritis or any fracture. Bad news, no running for 6 weeks and I have to go to Physical Therapy. He gave me some new meds that don't work worth shit, so I'm going back to Aleve (yes it still hurts). If it doesn't stop hurting in 3 weeks, I have to call for an injection. Which I wanted Thursday, but he said no. Oh well.

I told him I have 2 half-marathons to run in Feb and in April. He said I will be good by then. So that was good to hear. I went and filled the 'script. I kept thinking about no running, and cried in Kroger. So I bought a 6 pack. I came home and D and I drank.
I will ask the PT if there is other exercise. I forgot to ask the doctor.

In other good news, our new washing machine came.

Long Time No Post

2010-08-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

So I don't know why I haven't posted. Mostly because I don't have anything to talk about.

Still have a job, still studying.

I did realize my running twice a week is not going to cut it in the weight department. So I did make it 3 times last week. Wednesday, I ran 3 miles. I had to stop a few times, although I did manage to run 5.1 mph for 5 minutes and 4.7 mph for at least 20 (I forgot my iPod, so I played with mphs on the treadmill to keep me entertained). D worked late (maybe I ran Tuesday...don't feel like going to look). So I made dinner. Frozen pizza. :)

Saturday, I wasn't in the mood to run. D and I ended up going together. I ran 2, he ran 4. I ran 11 minutes at 5.2 mph. I don't know what I ran the rest at, but I finished 2 miles in under 25 minutes (barely). I didn't stretch, and had some hip soreness throughout the day.

Sunday, I put off running until about 4. D figured out dinner wouldn't be ready until 6 if I started running at 4. So I went to the gym. Somehow he also figured out he could run too if he prepped and then came to the gym after me. So I went and walked my .5 miles in 10 minutes. I got there right at 430 and some DIY show was on. I managed to catch what they were going to do and was a little sad that I wasn't going to see the end result (I have trouble running and looking up at the same time). So I started my run. 4.4 mph. It wasn't fast but I wanted to test if I could run 3 miles straight. 20 minutes passed. I noticed I had managed to watch part of the show (and a lot of commercials). Minutes 25-30 took forever for the Big Reveal, but I managed to watch and not fall. I started on watching the next show. The next thing I know, 41 minutes past. OK, I knew I had about 13 minutes left (I refused to look at mileage). The longest 13 minutes ever. I wanted to stop. I didn't stop. I ran the full 4 miles. The first time since June, I think.

I came home so happy and rolled on the floor. And dinner was ready. Because it is all about the food.

I will Study at Some Point

2010-07-31T19:20:00.000-04:00

So I'm supposed to be studying reliability.
Instead, today, I made the dogs cookies. Guinness liked them this morning. Tonight, not so much.

The cookies

Guinness eating a giant Yoda Cookie (made from a pancake mold)

I also took a nap.
I also went on a run.
I also painted my toe nails.
I also made dinner.
So, it is almost 8pm and I haven't cracked the book.
Oh, and I have watched the Psych Marathon and am now on the repeat loop.

So HR answers...I keep a towel on the treadmill, and only looked when I was having trouble catching air. Then I couldn't get it down.
I use a Polar. It wasn't messing with anyone else's because there was no one else there.

So I ran Tuesday. 2 miles. I can run 1 mile without stopping but I get out of breath. Really, I'm not running fast so I don't get it. I did stop 3 times. My HR wouldn't drop from the 180s.

Today I ran 3 miles. I ran 15 minutes and then walked 2 minutes. My HR dropped to 155 from 185. I ran 3 minutes at 4.7 mph, then 4.4 and 4.5. Walked 2 more minutes. HR dropped to 165 from 185. Then I ran 5.o, 4.9 and 4.8 mph each 1 minute. Then 4.3 for 2 minutes, then finished at 4.5. Ran 3 miles at 41.04. So slow from a few months ago. It is a bit discouraging. But my HR is recovering faster, so that is good.

I also walked 1 mile (.5 before and .5 after), stretched the leg for 5 minutes, and rolled for 2 minutes. The rolling doesn't hurt at all now.

Work is good. I'm liking what I'm doing. I don't like getting gussied up (to me) every day. My makeup is making my face look like a 16 year old (Bare Minerals). I can hear my friend B chuckling, because when we went shopping she was getting cleaner, and was like, "You use Dial to wash your face?" That's probably it. I also haven't worn this much makeup since I was about 16.

Almay Mascara is rocking...No flakes, and no bothering my eyes. Covergirl (don't know what kind)was bugging them after using CG for 20+ years, and they discontinued Covergirl Marathon.

And finally Gatorade, I have a plus and a minus for you. I'll start on the negative so I end on a positive note. Really, I don't like these stage drinks, since I always drink G2 and now keep accidentally pick up Gatorade Stage 2 thinking it is G2. Really, your marketing department gets a BIG FAIL on that.

But the Lemon-Lime and Strawberry Stage 2 is excellent. It tastes like margarita mix. I was drinking it on my walks and couldn't figure out why I had the urge to sit on a patio and eat chips and salsa. Then the light bulb went off. So great job on the taste.

You Run? No, really, you run?

11 Random posts

Transmitter Exchange

Flashing the Gym

Week 1, Day 1

Hiking on a Treadmill

Run with the Dogs 5K, My 4th Year

Some Poundage Gone!

New Years Resolutioners are Gone? And Say No to a Thong!

New Year, Same Me (I'm Plugging Along)

Running a Bit

Running...blech!

Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon

Did I quit running?

Running Blind

12 Miler Coming Up

Weekend Update on a Tuesday

New Shoes!!!

No New/Old Shoes

Week in Review

Running Naked

Don't Wait; Just Do

Ants...What are They Good For?

The Strangeness that is the 'hood

July...WTF did it go?

June is Over

Sweat Your Thorns Off 5K Report

When Running with D

Possum Trot 10K - After 32 of them, you think they would have this down...

Will I be Last?

In the Ghetto

Last Week Wrapup...

I'm Totally Following a Plan...Sorta!

My 2nd Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon

Getting Ready for a Half-Marathon

3-102-34

One more 5 Miler

12 Miles and Still Standing

Managed 5 miles

The 10 Miles that was almost 9.6

March is done...One more month of training!

Excitingly Boring Wednesday

9 Miles

2 Posts in One Week

Quick Update

Does it Really Count?

People are Gross, even Me.

Hey CW-X! I really need those Compression Shorts!

Friday Ramblings

February (and January) are done!

LaAmistad Buckhead 5K

Typing from a droid

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

Chattahoochee Challenge 10K

Steal My Kisses

The 5K I Want to Hate, but Can't

I Really Don't Want to Run Today...

Half Marathon Training has begun...

Run with the Dogs 5K Photos

Run with the Dogs 5K, 2011

Are you a Rockette?

WTF is Jim Cantore?

That Whole Year in Review

Magnet for Douchebags!

Oops! I did it again!

Romp and Stomp 5K

Halloween Pics of the Pups

&#@*($&@#*($^ Hip

Up and Down and Up

Quick Update

It's just Beer!

Clear Your Head

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!

I Jogged!

Jogging...Not Sure What That is

More than 5.5 years, but...

Old and Grumpy but not Rude

Staying Positive

I Don't Like This No Running Thing

Sidelined!!! GAH!

&#@($&@#($^ Hip