Run with the Dogs 5K Photos

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

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?

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?

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

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!

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!

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...