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...

Romp and Stomp 5K

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

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

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

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.