Vacation, Part Deux

The week back after taking vacation is usually pretty bad work-wise. Mine was no exception. Lots of stuff going on, things falling apart, the threat of city-leveling explosion... you know, all in a crappy day's work. I survived, but the stress of it all made me not want to do pretty much anything.

Back to the Vacation story.... where was I? Oh yes, we had landed in Seattle, and nothing bad had happened. It was almost lunch time Seattle time, and WAY past lunch time Duluth time, and so the first order of business was lunch. At IHOP. Which I hadn't had since I was in college oh so long ago. The Boy inhaled his food, and some of Aaron's food, and then some of Grandpa's food. I am no looking forward to when he's a teenager. Once we were all full and no longer grumpy, we made our way to Grandma and Grandpa Abramson's house.

The grandparents live in North Bend, which is where the TV show Twin Peaks was filmed. Which is pretty cool. The two older boys instantly named one of the two mountains near North Bend Buttcrack Mountain. That joke never got old for them. I wish I would have gotten a picture of it, but it never occurred to me to do that.

My first impressions of the Seattle area:

• It was warm. But not oppressive warm. When you got out of the sun for the most part it was quite pleasant.
• The trees are HUGE. Like insanely huge. Didn't know trees could get that big. And the ones I saw on the first day weren't even that big.
• The scenery was nothing like anything I had ever experienced, even in the Northwoods. I was in awe.

That first day Grandpa had gotten us tickets to the Day out with Thomas in the next town over. Which was cool, because boys love trains. And, well, it's Thomas. They had all done it in Duluth, but this one was way better. Albeit hotter. Some pictorial evidence:

 With Sir Topham Hatt

 Riding on Thomas

The view out the window at one point

The train ride itself wasn't too long, but the views were so amazing. Definitely worth it.

After doing the whole Thomas thing, we went to get ice cream at the local equivalent to Dairy Queen and then back to the grandparents house. I can't recall if it was an early evening or not, as we were all exhausted from getting up so early, the plane ride, and all the activity of the day. But we had some awesome pizza for dinner and it was really nice to get out of town. And Day Two of the Seattle adventure was yet to come...

The Rest of the Week's Runs

Running has been a lot harder than I feel it should be after taking not that long off. I don't know if it's the humidity, or running so early in the morning, or what. It's a bit disappointing to be going SO SLOWLY, but I need to cut myself some slack and just keep on going - eventually it will not be so hard. On Wednesday I ran 3.04 miles in 29:52, for an average pace of 9:49. On Saturday I got a bit lost (stupid dead end roads) and ran 3.95 miles in 40:09, for an average pace of 10:11. Here's to a new week and the change to improve! 

Miss Me? Also, Vacation Part 1

I know, I know. It's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I guess I needed a break from running AND from blogging. But that break is now over, and that means I need to find things to write about. Which shouldn't be too terribly hard.

One of the big things that happened over the past month's blogging hiatus is the hubby and I took a week's vacation out to the Seattle area. With all three monsters. No, we are not insane. Well, mostly not insane. I guess this blog is as good a place as any to chronicle the adventure...

In reality, the adventure that is the Vacation started about a week before we actually went anywhere for said Vacation. The weekend prior, Aaron and I went down to the Cities for his work and took my car since it has working A/C. Which means that it just had to break. The trunk decided that it just didn't want to open anymore, and the awesome engineers at Ford decided that a person doesn't really need to get in their trunk if the fob, dash button and key don't work. And the dealership couldn't get me in until the Friday we were leaving, at which point they said it wouldn't be fixed until the next week. So my car had a vacation at the dealership, and we all rode down to the Cities in a car with no A/C.

So, Friday was finish packing, eat dinner, load up the car and head down to a hotel near the airport so that we could catch a 7 AM flight. At the airport by 5 AM. Up at 4 AM. I think we were all a bit cranky, but very excited. The two youngest had never been on a plane before so it was all exciting and new. Our flight was delayed a half hour, which wasn't too bad. And once the plane was in the air, Aaron's two yahoos promptly fell asleep, and The Boy entertained himself for all but 45 minutes by reading books. He did end up sleeping for about 45 minutes of the 3 hour flight.

Notice the looks of exhaustion.

 

We flew Sun Country, which was surprisingly very nice. I felt like I had way more room than on pretty much any other flight I've taken (except for Midwest Express flights - does that airline even exist anymore? Those seats were SO HUGE!). And you got free soda/juice; they had snacks to purchase. The Boy got beef jerky. Those three hours flew by, even though it was a big more turbulent than I care for.

 

This is getting pretty long, so I'll end here. Don't want to bore you too much...

 

Yesterday's Run

After exactly a month off, I went for a short run on Monday morning. And, boy was it HARD! I didn't think I got that out of shape. Maybe the heat and humidity at the butt crack of dawn made things even harder than they should have been. But I got out, so that counts I guess. Yesterday I ran 2.51 miles in 24:29, for an average pace of 9:45. I just have to keep things going now... 

SPRING!

The problem with taking so long between posts, is that all my inspiration dissolves into the chaos that is my brain right now, and I forget what I wanted to write about. So this will be a mishmash of various topics.

At the forefront of the goings on in the Great White North is that spring is finally here! As proof, I shall provide photographic evidence:

It's the green thing in the center of the picture

 

If you don't know what is in the picture, it's the start of a tulip that I discovered earlier this week. The Boy and I planted 7 bulbs last fall, and it appears that all 7 survived the winter and the squirrels and are in the process of becoming flowers. We got a variety pack of bulbs, so the colors are going to be a surprise, which is kinda fun. I sort of hope that they are blooming before the family arrives in two weeks...

 

Aaron moved the last of his stuff from his rental, and now our house is stuffed to the gills. But it's another step, a big one, towards our life together and so it's a relief that it's finally done. Plus, paying a mortgage and utilities on one place helps a lot.

 

Last, but definitely not least, it is now 2 weeks until the big day, the day when I take that big step and marry my other half, my sweetheart, my love. We're down to the final little details, finally, and so far everything is falling into place. I'm trying to make a list of the stuff that still needs to be done, but when I sit down to write it down my mind goes blank. And I am surprisingly not overly stressed out about it all; so far no panic attacks or extreme binge eating episodes. I am happy and (mostly) calm, and I think Aaron has a lot to do with that. His attitude is that we just need to get hitched, the rest of it doesn't matter. I slightly agree with him about that, but I want to look good in the pictures too.

 

And then there was the running....

 

Tuesday's Run

This week was supposed to be a recovery week after Saturday's long run of 20 miles. I say "supposed to" because in reality, it was just as hard, if not harder, than previous weeks. On Tuesday we did ladder fartleks - 1 min run, 1 minute jog, 2 minute run, 2 minute jog, 3 minute run, 3 minute jog, 4 minute run, 4 minute jog, repeated three times. The fast parts were averaging between 6:30 and 7:30 average pace, which is pretty awesome. On Tuesday I ran 6.94 miles in 60 minutes, for an average pace of 8:38.

Thursday's Run

And then there was Thursday. The dreaded hill repeats. Fortunately for my glutes and hammies it's been an extremely wet "spring" so we were relegated to doing the workout on Seven Bridges Road. Not that Seven Bridges Road is easy at all, it's just a lot easier than going up and down a ski hill. For proof of the elevation changes, here's what the Shiny told me I did on Thursday:

Up and down three times

 

As my friend Ben likes to say, those poor runners in Nebraska are missing out on all the fun. We did this run once last year in running group, and I ended up walking the last little bit the second, and final time, through up the road. This year, I was tired on the last time up, but I ran the whole way. Ben and I both did much better this year. Which proves that our training is really clicking this year, and hopefully will continue on through to race day, which is now only 5 weeks away! On Thursday I ran 7.74 miles in 1:08:45, for an average pace of 8:53.

 

Today's Run

Long run Saturday. And I really felt it. We started out too fast, again, and were struggling a bit at the end. Not as bad as last Saturday with the 20 miles, but still not optimal. We are going to really try to go out slower in the beginning next Saturday, to see if we can finish stronger. Overall it was a pretty good run. Today I ran 16.13 miles in 2:21:14, for an average pace of 8:45. Just 5 seconds slower than my goal pace! 

 

Time flies, or something like that

So, yeah. It's been well over a week since I posted to my blog. My life has been pretty crazy, and when things get crazy certain things fall the the wayside. Like blogging. And apparently cleaning.

For expediency, I feel bullet points will suffice to recap what's been going on in the last week plus.

• There was more snow. The less said about this the better.
• There was running. More will be said about that below.
• I assisted Aaron while he was DJing a wedding. AND I got paid for it. It was pretty awesome.
• I hung out with the future siblings-in-law. And ate peanut butter waffles. And drank mimosas. The Lowry is a pretty awesome place. And it was good seeing everyone.
• I went shopping with Aaron to get the last bits for him for the wedding. I was mildly disappointed with Macy's.
• I rested. Not enough, but I did.
• I worked. Too much. While watching dirty movies at the stinkiest place in the region. But the contractors were pretty nice so it wasn't too bad.
• I didn't sleep enough. Or run on Tuesday.
• It rained. A lot.
• I helped Aaron move stuff, as much as I could.
• I didn't have a panic attack from the sheer quantity of stuff that was moved to our house.
• I realized that it is now the month in which I'll be marrying my true love, my other half. And that is so awesome that I find myself dancing from the joy of it all.

That's all I could think of right now. I'm tired and exhausted and happy and scared and so many other feelings and emotions it's insane. But life is really, REALLY good right now.

 The Last Week in Running

Thursday, April 24
So, yeah, bad weather. So no specific workout, just got out there and ran. My feet got completely soaked. My shoes weighed like 20 pounds. It was not pleasant. I ran 4.28 miles in 39:18 for an average pace of 9:10. Gross.

Saturday, April 26
This long run was LONG. And HILLY. How hilly, you ask? I stole this from friend Cassie, one of those that suffered with me:

Yeah. That's hilly.

 

The surprising thing for me was that the time seemed to fly by, even though it was pretty torturous. I definitely felt it for the next four days - I didn't feel back to normal until late Tuesday. On Saturday I ran 18.89 miles in 2:55:40, for an average pace of 9:17 pace.

 

Thursday, May 1

As I said before, I didn't run on Tuesday - not only did I not feel normal-ish, I had to work late and so I just didn't have time to run. On Thursday was a goal pace tempo run - 10 minute warmup, 40 minutes at goal pace, and 10 minute cool down. It was very VERY hard to speed up at all to goal pace, but I think we were pretty close. I haven't downloaded the data yet to really check. I am very glad this was a recovery week though. On Thursday I ran 6.79 miles in 60 minutes, for an average pace of 8:50.

 

Saturday, May 3

Another Saturday, another long run. Where last Saturday's run was super hilly, this run was super flat. We ran out to Park Point, which is about as flat as you can get in Duluth. And the Army folks were doing their two mile run test thingie, which was kinda funny when you're running 16. I made a point of cheering them on. I don't think they appreciated it. Oh, and I forgot my shiny, so I ran sans-Garmin, which was kinda sucky and liberating at the same time. They say that it's good to run without a watch sometimes, whoever they are. Mae had a watch, though, so I got a time and distance. Today I ran 16 miles in about 2:20:00, for an average pace of 8:45. And I felt pretty good the whole time, and after. Nice. 

A breakup letter of sorts

Dear John (I mean Motorola),

We have had a long and tumultuous relationship, and I'm sorry, but I just have to break up with you. I know, you are the third boyfriend and our total history isn't totally on you.... Especially the second one that got struck by lightning, that one is definitely the faulty surge protector's fault. But things have to end now.

I will admit that you were a very good boyfriend for the most part. You kept me entertained on those nights when it was just the two of us. Heck, you were even game to entertain many people on occasion - that's a special kind of guy. But there was that one time when you forgot the record "Grey's Anatomy" for me, and that can never be forgiven.

I have decided to move on, to let you go and entertain some other lucky girl, or boy, or family. It's better this way and I think we'll both be happier in the end. I just can't afford to shell out that much money every month just to be with you. Especially when there are less expensive and free options out there.

Dear Motorola, it's not you - it's me. I'm sorry. I will be taking you back to Charter tomorrow.

I hope you have a great life, and I will miss you.

All the best,
Erin

Thursday's Run

After Tuesday's awesome run, I was excited to go out again on Thursday, albeit hesitant with the scheduled run as it was written out. Turns out the start of the run was supposed to be 3 minutes brisk running, not 3 miles as was written. My running friends and I decided that 3 minutes wasn't quite long enough, so we ended up doing 1 mile. So Thursday's workout was 1 mile brisk, 3 minutes jog, followed by 1 mile at goal race pace and 2 minutes jog repeated 3 times. I am pretty proud of how closely I got to my goal pace of 8:40 - we hovered around 8:15 to 8:30 in the 1 mile runs, which Coach said was pretty good. And the workout wasn't too hard. On Thursday I ran 5.12 miles in 43:40, for an average pace of 8:32.

Saturday's Run - The BIG ONE

Last year I trained and ran the half marathon at Grandma's. The longest run I did for training for that was 14 miles, which pretty much kicked my butt. Yesterday's long run was up the shore, and was 16 miles. It is an understatement to say that I was scared and intimidated by this distance. But that's what running friends are for - they help you out and keep you going when you feel like you're going to quit, they do jazz hands with you on the mile and tell you "You can DO IT!" And, of course, in typical Duluth fashion, the weather was pretty crappy on Saturday morning - wind in our faces on the way out accompanied by ice pellets that did an amazing job of exfoliating every single visible pore. Needless to say the way back was MUCH better. And I did it - I ran 16 miles and it wasn't too bad. I figured out that Shot Bloks are pretty good and I think that's going to be my fuel of choice for right now. I figured out that wearing compression socks after my shower really helped keep my calves from feeling like complete ass. And I figured out that my running friends are pretty much the awesomest people ever - Mae, Ben and the newest of our group Cassie are pretty great people. But now what torture are we going to have to endure NEXT Saturday...

It just looks cold, doesn't it?

Today's Run

Even though I was pretty exhausted and a bit achy, I stuck to my schedule of going to the Y to lift and get an easy run in on the dreadmill. And I was pleasantly surprised that after 10 minutes of kinda torture the rest of my run was really good. Until I stopped. Then my legs were like "WHAT THE HELL WOMAN!" Nothing a lot of stretching didn't cure. Today I ran 3.1 miles in 30 minutes, for an average pace of 9:40. And I am so glad tomorrow is a day off.

That's right, I said suck it.

I am getting sick and tired of making blog posts about the weather. I really am. I really REALLY am. But the weather this winter has been pretty much the opposite of what it needed to be to get some good outside training done. AND it's been really hard for me emotionally and spiritually as well. Between the epic snows, and the epic cold, I have been done with winter for quite some time. As anyone that knows me or reads this blog should know by now.

And then....

And then yesterday happened. It was downright awesome out, relatively speaking. The sun was shining, the snow was melting... the high was somewhere in the 40's F, which felt like 70F after the past few months. The boys played outside without jackets, and managed to get super muddy, which was easy to do with all the snow melt and the fact that they're boys. I was actually hot last night when trying to sleep, even with the setback thermometer set to 60F, so I ended up covered in just a sheet most of the night. It was GLORIOUS.

Today was more of the same. And to celebrate the awesomeness of what is the end of the winter (or else) we grilled burgers for lunch today. By we, I mean I gave the reins to Aaron, since I suck at grilling burgers.

Ignore the white crap in the background

 

And those were some of the best burgers I have had in a very long time. Yes, I had two of them they were that good.

 

I think I may be grilling chicken for dinner on Wednesday.

 

Yesterday's Run

Yesterday's long run was pretty nice weather-wise, not too cold but not warm enough where I was sweating to death from wearing my jacket. It was a long, easy run, only 95 minutes this week. In that 1:35:00 we ran 10.43 miles, for an average pace of 9:07. And apparently the coach is going to be changing things from the prescribed training plan soon and we will be starting the major mileage on the weekends soon. I am scared and excited.

Today's Run

Being Sunday, I went to the Y to lift and then did a little bit of easy running on the dreadmill after. Lower body focus on the weight lifting, and 30 minutes at 9:40 pace for 3.1 miles. Overall a good day. 

Freedom

It's amazing how freeing it is to have an extended period of time by yourself, when you're pretty much constantly with other people.

And, ultimately, how utterly boring.

The Boy is with his dad until tomorrow night, and Aaron is working tonight and then leaving for a conference right after and will be gone for a few days.

I know I should be productive, but I can't be bothered. There's chores to be done, and stuff to be gone through to make more room, but I just can't get it up to do ANYTHING.

I haven't been this lazy in a LONG time, and, in a weird and sadistic way, feels really, really good.

I'll do all this stuff tomorrow.

Today's Run

There was no running on Thursday because it was the Kindergarten Roundup at The Boy's soon-to-be school that night.  As I've said before, I love running but I love The Boy more.  And this is huge - my baby is starting school in the fall!  Anyway, today was the long run of the week - 1 hour, 50 minutes.  First off, I forgot to wear my compression socks, and my calves are letting me know that still hours later. Other than that the run was really good.  It was warm out, we were going at a really good, easy pace, and there was a lot of good conversation.  Today I ran 11.75 miles in 1:50:00, for an average pace of 9:21.  Almost 200 miles so far this year!

A love letter of sorts

Dear City of Duluth Public Works People,

I know it's hard to do a thankless job, one that has more people giving you the one-finger-salute rather than a friendly wave.  It is especially difficult in a winter like this one, where we've gotten about fifty billion feet of snow (give or take, I gave up measuring a long time ago) and the freeze-you-to-the-bone cold, where even the heartiest of winter folk are saying "Enough already!"

I am taking this opportunity, albeit on my personal blog, to say how much I appreciate what you do.  It was made especially apparent this morning on my group run at the crack of dawn.  You see, with the 6 inches of wet, heavy snow that we got yesterday, I was extremely pessimistic about the potential state of the Lakewalk when I got up this morning. I don't even think my road was plowed before really late last night.  But when we started our run, and got to the actual Lakewalk (the sidewalk and bridge to the Lakewalk are another story) we were pleasantly surprised to find actual pavement.

That's right - the Lakewalk was plowed to the point where there was very little snow left on the asphalt, and where there was ice it was in the usual suspect areas.  And it wasn't even just in the heavily traveled areas by the lake; the path was pretty much clear all the way to SuperOne.

So I would just like to say "Thank You."  Thank you for going out there and plowing the Lakewalk, even though it's a thankless job.  Thank you on behalf of all the crazy folk that still go out and run when it's freezing cold outside.

You guys rock. Keep up the good work.

Today's Run

I think I got spoiled on Thursday when it was so nice out.  This morning had wind chills below 0F again, and I could just not warm up at all. Good thing it was a long, easy run, and a recovery long run at that after last week's 1:45:00 run.  And we did a good job of keeping it slow and easy too.  Today I ran 9.45 miles in 1:29:09 (my watch wouldn't connect to satellites this morning and so I started a bit after everyone else in my group), for an average pace of 9:26.

Briefly

A few things I learned today:

• Younkers sale prices + Goodwill coupon + lucky find in sales rack = Awesome steal
• Binge watching "Parenthood" is pretty depressing.  But that show is AMAZING.
• Running 105 minutes is exhausting, so much so that I straight passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.  When I didn't even want to fall asleep.
• Flowers are EXPENSIVE!

Overall, it was a really good day today.

Today's Run

While driving to running group, I realized that today's scheduled run was a little more than two minutes shorter than the time it took my to finish the half marathon last summer.  That was pretty heady - that a TRAINING run was barely shorter in time than what it took me to finish a RACE.  And this isn't the longest I'll be running before the full marathon this summer.  It's hard wrapping my head around that concept.   Today I ran 11.45 miles in 1:45:00, for an average pace of 9:10.  A little too fast for an easy, long run, but it felt pretty good.

Optimism!

You will never guess what I saw today....

Look very closely...

 

Do you see it? That green stuff? On the ground?

 

That's right - it's grass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok, granted this was growing right next to a pipe that's been carrying 120F+ wastewater all winter.  But it counts, right?

 

I am taking this as a sign that spring is finally here!  If only in limited places.

 

Today's Run

Today's workout was 15 minutes jog, 30 minutes brisk, and we only ended up doing a 5 minute cool down (was supposed to be 10).  But running friend Ben and I totally rocked the brisk running with an 8:20 pace for the first full mile and an 8:10 pace for the second full mile that we decided we could cut it short.  That, and I miscalculated where we should turn around and ended up back 5 minutes early.  But it was an awesome run.  Today I ran 5.63 miles in 50:00, for an average pace of 8:53. 

If I could control one thing...

Waking up to it snowing - again - this morning was, to put it bluntly, crap.  I am so done with winter.  It can end any day now. Yes, I realize I live about 9/10ths of the way to the North Pole, but enough is enough already.

I am sure the people further south agree with me.

And, yes, I know I can't control the weather.  It is not something that I should get overly anxious over.  But it's either the weather, or wedding planning stuff, and the weather doesn't give me mini-panic attacks.

So weather it is.

Suck it, Old Man Winter.  I'm done.

Don't we have enough already?

Yesterday's Run

Yesterday was glorious and amazing, on so many different levels.  First of all, no snow.  Bonus.  Secondly, nice temperature. Thirdly, mostly clear pavement, with minimal puddles.  Awesome.  And last, but not least, I totally kicked major butt.  Yesterday's workout was more speed work: 5 minute warmup, followed by 800 meters at goal race pace, then 2 minute jog with 1200 meters at race pace, then 3 minute jog with 1600 meters at goal race pace, and then repeat one more time on the way back.  I will admit that for the faster parts I went faster than my ultimate goal race pace of 8:40 (the average pace needed to finish the full marathon in 3:40), but I felt really pretty good averaging between 8:15 and 8:30.  Was a lot hard on the last 1600 meters, but I still felt so good when I was done.  And I am super duper jealous of the Shiny of my new running friend Cassie - apparently they make a new Garmin where you can program in the workouts, and it tells you when you're supposed to change pace, AND it tells you when you're going too fast or too slow... Oh well, just need to save up for another fancy toy.  Yesterday I ran 6.58 miles in 57:50, for an average pace of 8:47.  And, if I didn't mention it before, my NEW shoes have over 100 miles on them. Already. Looks like I'll need to save up for new shoes soon too....

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

When I bought my house a year and a half ago, it was the perfect little house for me and The Boy.  It was in a good neighborhood, the yard was really nice, it was just big enough for us and our stuff.  Sure, there were some less than desirable things about it, like the sewer that needed to be replaced right away, and the ugly plastic cabinets in the kitchen, but it was livable, and more importantly it was home.

Now.... well, now it's still home, but on those days when chaos reigns it feels like the walls are closing in.  It feels like the stuff is crowding in on me and I just can't breathe.  And don't even get me started about the mess.

This house isn't ideal anymore, but it is still home, and we're making it work for now.  There is no doubt in my mind that we'll have to get something bigger sometime soon (boys don't stop growing after all), and when the time comes to move out of this house I will definitely feel sad.  I will mourn my first house.

But I will be moving somewhere that fits my new family, this rowdy bunch that have moved into my life, and my heart.

Today's Run

Today was a long run on the Lakewalk.  With the warmer weather some of the snow has been melting, but with no where for the water to go, and the cold temperatures at night, there was a LOT of icy patches on the run this morning.  Running partner Ben and I even ventured out into the road to run, it was that precarious. But the run was good.  Today we ran 9.57 miles in 1:30:00 (yes - 90 minutes today!), for an average pace of 9:24.  This was the first week I ran more than 20 miles in a very, very long time, and it was pretty good.

Could I actually do it?

Today at work, I had CPR/First Aid training.  For the third time in less than a year (don't ask).  Every time I take this class, which is required for my current job, I always ask myself the same question:

Could I actually do it?

Could I do what is necessary to potentially save someone's life?

I have been fortunate enough that I have not had to test myself in this way, but the prospect of administering first aid to someone that has been in an accident, or perform CPR on someone that's had a heart attack, is pretty scary and daunting.  Your action, or inaction, could cost the person their life.  Do I want that on my conscience?

But, in the end, I hope my strength and willingness to help other people would make its way to the forefront and I'd be able to do what was in my power to help someone else.  I've definitely taken enough classes to know what I need to do.

Today's Run

It snowed today in the Great White North, the first significant snowfall in quite a while.  And even though the Lakewalk was plowed at some point today, the footing was really REALLY bad, and so no records were set.  Today's group run was a simple workout, 5 minute warmup, 20 minute "brisk" run, and 5 minute cool down.  My "brisk" pace was definitely not what I know I'm capable of; today I ran 3.1 miles in 30 minutes, for an average pace of 9:40.  But I was out there, which is more than what I lot of other people would do.

Too many time sinks

One of the blessings, and curse if you get right down to it, to being in a relationship with a techy-type person is being exposed to new and shiny techy-type things.  Like my newest obsession: reddit.

Early for running group?  Reddit. Waiting for a cake to bake? Reddit. Not in the mood to work? Reddit.

And it's not like I'm even contributing.  I'm just a lurker.  I like reading the interesting articles that other people link to. I even like some of the silly memes.  But there are times where I think to myself, "Self, shouldn't you be doing something else?  Like, anything else?"  To which I promptly open the available internets browser and read a few more articles.

I'm doomed.

Today's Run

I met early with the treasurer of the investment club of which I am a member to go over the year-end financials, to make sure everything added up, so I didn't make it to running group tonight.  Instead, I hit up the dreadmill at the Y, which wasn't too awful, just a bit hot.  Those fitness centers really do like cranking the heat on cold days, don't they?  Tonight's group run would have been more intervals, which I didn't really want to do on a dreadmill in fear of tripping and falling with the tempo changes, so I did the easier workout of 25 minutes.  So today I ran 3.04 miles in 25 minutes, for an average pace of 8:13.  And I'm actually kinda looking forward to Saturday's long group run, which will be an hour long!

3000+ words

I'm not feeling very verbose, and it's been a while since I've posted pictures, so here's today's blog in pictures:

The view this morning before running group

New running shoes!

 

Yesterday's tea wisdom - love IS ecstasy.  I know this now.

 

Today's Run

Today's group run was on the Lakewalk, and for some reason I couldn't get my Garmin to start a new run.  So back to estimates.... Today I ran approximately 4.5 miles in 40 minutes, for an average pace of 8:53.  It was a beautiful morning, if a bit brisk to start out.  Definitely a good start to the day. 

 

 

So, so lucky

Last night, as I was driving home from getting The Boy from daycare, I ran over a spike, or a bolt, or something equally obnoxious. First thought: who in the world puts something like that in the road? Second thought: I need to get home before my tire goes flat. I stopped thinking at that point and just drove.

After I got home the anxiety hit: how was I going to get the tire fixed since it was late and the stores were going to close soon? How was I going to get to the dentist in the morning? WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!?!?!

And then the BF Barbado arrived. He offered to pick up me and The Boy in the morning, drop The Boy off at daycare, take me to the dentist, wait for me to be done, take me to work, and then take care of my tire while I'm at work. And I didn't even ask.

I didn't know what to think. No one has ever offered to help me like that before. I normally have to beg for help, and then it's usually only given grudgingly.

I am seriously the luckiest girl. And he is truly amazing.

Today's Run

Today was a group run, out on the Lakewalk. It wasn't as slippery out, but it was much, much colder. And windier. And snowing. Today I ran 20 excruciating minutes, 2.18 miles, for an average pace of 9:11.

Just don't try to douse me in patchouli

My work is pretty awesome.  And I just found out another reason why this week...

It appears that my workplace is trying to encourage its employees to keep food waste out of the landfills, which is a huge problem in this country, and is offering free compost bags and a free place to drop off food waste at the workplace.  I have toyed with the idea of starting my own compost pile in order to reduce the amount of food waste I put in my trash, but I have never done it.  Mainly because when the time came to order the reduced price compost bins locally, I just didn't have the money to spare.  Then there is the fact that with home composting you're not supposed to add meat, bones, fat, etc. to the compost pile. But since the composting at work is industrial composting, I can put anything compostable in the bag and bring it in.

This makes me extremely happy.  It appeases the bleeding-heart liberal part of me that wants to reduce waste and make the world better and help people and whatnot.

Just don't call me a hippie.  I'd have to punch you for that.

Today's Run

Today was my first weekday group run.  And it was dark.  And cold.  And super-duper slippery.  My calves are killing me.  Unfortunately it's not going to warm up before Thursday, so I'm afraid the next run will be more of the same.  Today's run was a 30 minute run, and I ran 3.13 miles in 30:02, for an average pace of 9:36.

I am Running's b*$@h

On Sunday, I signed up for DRC's spring marathon training group.  And to get information on the group runs, events, etc., a person needed to join a private Facebook group.

Sigh.  Facebook.  That evil social media empire that I have had a personal boycott against since Day 1.  That time suck that so many people spend more time digitally interacting with others through instead of face-to-face interactions.

So what did I do?  You guessed it - I joined Facebook.  Because I am Running's b*$@h.  I will do anything for her.  I sacrifice my time and my body for Running.  And I have even compromised my, albeit irrational and self-serving, personal boycott of what is essentially a computer program.

But I still feel dirty.

Oh well.  I have officially joined the year 2004.

Today's Run

One of the supervisors at my old workplace is finally retiring, after over 42 years at the same employer, and so in his honor they held the first ever Run 'Em Out 10k.  So, of course, I had to participate.  My little munchkin friend and I ran together, for the most part.  She had hurt her knee earlier in the week and so we did a bit of walking in between.  But we finished, and it was the first time she had ever run/walked 10k, and I am so proud of her.

Today I completed 6.2 miles with my good friend Munchkin in approximately 1:10:00, for an average pace of 11:17.  But it wasn't about the time, it was about having fun and finishing.

Happy New Year (plus one)!

It's hard to believe that it's already a new year - it sounds cliche, but it feels like 2013 started just yesterday.  But I am very excited for the year to come... There will be a lot of firsts, and new adventures, and many, many exciting things happening this year....

As for New Year's resolutions, I am going to continue in my quest of Doing Something, to push myself out of my comfort zone and not be afraid of making mistakes.  I am also going to try to improve my financial standing.  I want to find areas where I can save, and areas where I can afford to spend more.  I want to continue putting away money in case of an emergency, and to increase the amount saved per paycheck by the end of the year.  I also want to save money for something fun, like a grand vacation adventure.

And then there's my running - I need to join the DRC spring running group and start the training runs, which start next week!  I need to continue improving, and having fun, and finish my first full marathon in June.

2014 is going to be an amazing year; I am definitely looking forward to the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Today's Run

Today I ran on the dreadmill at the Y (surprise!) because it was just too cold to run outside.  Today I ran 2.96 miles in 25:00, for an average pace of 8:26.  If I have to run the dreadmill next week again because of the weather, I think I'm going to try to do 3.0 miles in 25:00, which should be doable since I've run a 5k in less than that.  But there is a big difference between running a race and trudging it out on a dreadmill...

AND it's over

What was only planned to be a week hiatus has turned into a week and a half-ish.  Time flies when you're super busy traveling, and meeting people, and working, and celebrating Christmas multiple times...

But Christmas is over.  The tree got taken down tonight, along with the rest of the decorations. The presents are put away, or mostly put away.  Now it's time to get ready for The Boy's birthday.  Ugh.

So many things happened since my last blog post, but I'll just give a report of my Top 3 Christmas Presents.  The rest can be reported later, when I am able to give the topics my full attention.

In reverse order, the top presents this Christmas are:
3. A new running tech shirt.  It is super nice, with the thumb holes and everything.  I'm excited for it to be warm enough that I can run outside and wear it.  Maybe Saturday...
2. A homemade plaque thing that my friend Pequena made to show off all my race bibs.  It's pretty nice, and thoughtful, and I've even hung it up (which for people that know me is a pretty big deal):

"Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts." -Steve Prefontaine

1. A Roku streaming video gadget thingie, from the BF Barbado.  I am looking to cut the cable cord, and this will allow me to do so.  I was even able to watch an original Transformers cartoon with The Boy tonight before bedtime, which is awesome.  This thing will get tons of use, and was an extremely thoughtful present.

Overall, this was a great Christmas.  Probably the best one ever for me, for reasons to be discussed at a future date.  Oh, and Christmas Day Chinese dinner was awesome too.

Today's Run

Finally got a run in today, at the Y on a dreadmill because it was too cold and slushy outside.  I ran 2.9 miles in 25:00, for an average pace of 8:37.  The weather says it's supposed to be almost balmy out on Saturday, with a high temperature of 25 F, so I'm hoping to be able to get in a longish run outside in the morning.  Fingers crossed!