First DNR

View from my window.

I had my first, and hopefully last, DNR (did not race) this week.  The Cold Winter's Day Race was on Sunday afternoon.  Who knew if would actually live up to its name.  When I woke up it was to this mess--->  While it had stopped snowing by the race's start time of 3pm I figured the roads were an icy mess and ice + runners was not a good idea and ice + cars + runners was worse one to me.  Now to some people this is nothing and you run seven miles uphill through three feet of snow but for those of us who live in the south if people see a snowflake, and it doesn't ever even have to touch the ground,  there are cars in ditches.  So I decided to stay in.  Luckily it looked like the roads were fairly dry and clear when I did have to go out but I figured better safe than sorry.  So that was my weekend.  Looking forward to next weekend when it is supposed to be back into the sixties! 

Christmas lights



This picture doesn't do this house
justice.  There was music too.



 So I went for my Christmas light run and I was very disappointed.  :(  My parents neighborhood is way too tasteful.  I would see colored lights and go down that street only to have it be like a string.  So my mom took pity on me and drove me to see this house.  It is awesome!

Charlie Brown and Snoopy!



Why I Run



From top: Kerry's, Kimberly's,
and Mine.  So good!

Great times with great friends.  Gervais and Vine with KS and KE.

Sangria= Happy Me



Giggle.  This was nicer than the one
where it looked like I was flipping off
the camera



Bacon, shrimp, and cheese.  Yum!

 

KE and KS





Decorations

So looking at my running log for the month and I am at about a quarter of the miles that I usually am.  Luckily I should be able to get out there and go as my schedule calms down.  On the plus side is all the decorations that are out this time of year.  See some from the state house to the left.  I personally am a fan of 'tasteful' decorations for myself but I love some ostentatious decorations.  I love people who string up four million lights.  The plan on Thursday is to wait and run at night (even though I will be off all day) so that I can look for some super crazy houses- won't even feel a thing while I am blinded by the blinky lights.  If I find some good ones I will post them.  Maybe I can head back to Forest Acres and go through there.  They have some really great displays. The only problem is that I will get lost and then I couldn't find my car again to go home. No exaggeration.  I can get lost going down a one way street  (ok, that was a slight exaggeration but not by much).  My mom liked to joke that I should write a book about 1001 ways to get downtown.  :(

Pub Run



New headband and
gloves= happy me.



Pierre is the one without a hat.



I finally made it!  We ran a loop around the Vista and USC and while running it was nice (except for every now and then when we rounded a building and the wind was brutal).  And by nice I mean as nice as it can be when it is 33 degrees outside.  And, by the way, it is still ridiculously cold and I can't wait for the weather to get back to normal.  I like my 60+ degree Decembers, it is one of the best parts about living in the south.  But enough whining.  Of course when I was packing things up for tonight I forgot gloves and after feeling the wind today I knew a hat was not going to cut it.  So... I ran out today and got some running gloves and a headband to cover my ears.  And let me tell you they helped!  Also nice was my friend Pierre came out to support me so I wouldn't have to hang out with strangers, nice strangers, but still.   So again, I would like for it to warm back up, but at least now I am prepared for future frozen runs.

Baby its cold outside!

Working away on our flags



Not the best photo- my camera phone
kinda made it look like we folded the
flags in 1978.



I made myself go running tonight... outside.  I would have preferred indoors, but knew if I went to my gym at home I would stop by my apartment first and not go back out.  And if you were wondering it is a chilly 36 degrees outside.  I am not amused.  The actual run wasn't so bad and I got in three miles around the Horseshoe after my exam tonight.  The ride home however was miserable as I started to cool back down.  It has been a very chilly week so far and it is very hard to get motivated to do anything (and if you live somewhere cold and are laughing at me- this is very harsh weather for us).  Which is why it is nice when you have a cause or a reason to get out there.  I have been battling awful sinus issues this week and have not felt like doing anything but last night I forced myself to go to my sorority's alumnae meeting because we were folding flags for deploying troops.  One of our members is involved with seeing off the troops who are flying out of one of Columbia's airstrips and she puts together pocket flags for the soldiers to take with them overseas.  This is our second year of folding flags and it feels nice to send them off with a little bit of home and a reminder that someone is thinking of them. 



Thanksgiving Weekend

 

The mini tree is decorated!

Well this was a very long, busy weekend but a very good one.  My grandmother, aunt, uncle, and their dog came over to my parents for a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch/dinner.  Everyone contributed but my dad outdid himself again... the man can cook.  Then on Friday it was off to the mall to work. Things went really well at the store, black Friday was very smooth and then Saturday was great as well.  Which is not to say that I didn't run my tail off at the store, which accounted for why there wasn't any other running.  A nice flow throughout the day and then I was off to watch the game with the fam.  USC won which was wonderful... and both teams behaved well on the field which is always a plus when it comes to rivalry games.  We spent five hours restocking the store this morning so while I had plans to run this afternoon my feet said no thanks, we'll pass today.  Then tonight it was time to put up the decorations.  The mini-tree and manger are done (only thing left to do is add presents). 




mini manger scene
It always takes me forever to figure
 out which one is Joseph.



Runway Run



Before the start



This weekend JBB, Tony, and myself ran the runway.  One really neat thing about this race was that the timing chip was a disposable chip in the bib so no fumbling with your laces.  Quite surprising since it was such a small race.  I finally remembered to bring my camera to the race this time... but I forgot my iPod.  So y'all get pictures and I got to listen to the sounds of the people running around me who sounded like they were about to pass out.  Luckily I don't think I sounded too bad, breathing heavily obviously, but not in need of medical intervention.  I did want to call medics for some of those around me. :)  It was fun running around the airport and JBB won 3rd place in her age division, Tony did great for his first race in years (I can't remember the exact number), and my time was much better than it had been recently.  So the race was a success for all.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been had I won the tickets. 




At the end with the bear.  I think we decided
 Smokey was having a mid-life crisis.




JBB with her certificate
and patch







Finished! Part 2

More from the race....  So,  I forgot to set my ipod's clock back a hour and so I spent the last three miles thinking I had taken even longer than I did and wondering how I had gotten that slow.  By that point I was walking and I knew that affected the time.  All I was thinking was my poor dad was waiting for me (besides being my dad and supportive, we rode together so he kinda had to wait :) ). For the last few miles I was matched up with William, the gentleman, and character, who kept me distracted with his many stories from what must have been a colorful past.  We had our very own police escort.  William remarked that it made him feel like a Kennedy to have his own cop car.  It was funny to be the one to hold up traffic and to have him block intersections for us... so to anyone out there affected sorry although really if you were in the area you should have planned an alternate route.  I did when I lived downtown.  And I still want my sticker.  Maybe this weekend.

Finished!

Medal and magnet!  I think I
earned both.

I finished!  And I wasn't last... though truthfully it was close :).  I ended up walking about half of it which disappointed me but I did power on and finish and around mile 10 1/2 it was all mental.  So goal one for next time is to run (jog) all of it.  My dad and Jerry were awesome!  Both finished with a great time... next time goal two will be to try and finish within an hour of them (and if I am not walking that is entirely possible).  This afternoon I went to pick up my 13.1 sticker, and to get one for dad, but they had sold out.  This was extremely disappointing.  Although they did have this pink magnet which I picked up.  It now resides on my fridge.  I did not pick one up for my dad... I think he might prefer the white.  So that is still on my to do list along with continuing my training so that the next time I have an injury or feel sick it won't hold me back too much.  Next up running the runway... I can't wait!

Saturday

Just six more days until the Governor's Cup.  I am excited and nervous and amending my goals.  I have not trained the way I would like but I am ready to do it.  I am amending my goals to just finish (though, truthfully, I would still like to not be last).  I ran this morning and felt good- though I think I could have gone further.  I just didn't want to push it after not running last week and having under a week to recover before the cup.  So I will just go out there and do my best.  A special thanks to all of those who are going to be at the race with me and good luck to KSouth, Jerry, and my dad (JBB we will do another one- like you said, can't let that training go to waste :) ).  Good luck with meeting and surpassing your goals and save me a banana when you get to the end.  And in closing today,as my dad pointed out earlier, it is just a run for most of us... not a race. 

I think I will just try to run... leave the
faster for next time.

So...

This week the only exercise I have done was exercising my right to vote.  Hope you all did as well!

Two weeks

With two weeks left I am getting very nervous.  I got up way too early this morning (see picture).  My hip was still bothering me so I did not run nearly as long as I should have.  Which, by the way, really sucked because I felt great other than that- plenty of energy.  I am going to take the next few days off from running and see if that makes a difference.  Fingers crossed that it does, otherwise it will be a long and painful 13.1 miles because I do not want to not finish- even if I have to walk the whole way.  So... an advanced sorry to those who said they would be at the finish line should that happen. :)

Running on a runway!

http://runwayrun.com/ for more info

How much fun does that sound like it would be?  I personally think it would be awesome!  One of my coworkers said it sounded like it would be boring with that long, flat, stretch and that she thought it would be depressing to see all of the runners ahead of you.  I laughed at that and said I was used to it.  And I think that after doing a half marathon the weekend before a flat, fast course will be awesome (because, truthfully, it will probably be the first time I run again).  Also, while most courses can be run at anytime, when is the next time you would be able to run down an airport runway- without getting arrested?

Just a little over ten

10.25 if you want to be exact.  Also, the lesson for the week is that carbs are your friends.  I wasn't thinking and ate a salad for dinner, which was yummy and tasty and all that, but was a problem because I don't eat when I first get up so five/six miles in I was done.  I did make myself finish ten although I had to keep pushing myself not to quit.  So my homework for next week is to carb-load  Friday night and complete 13.1  miles Saturday morning.



Ciabatta from Heather’s Artisan Bakery
 photo from free times website 



Music we move to

In preparation for this weekend's half practice I have been putting together my play list.  There were several awesome suggestions to my music question last week and I already have a few of these on my play list and I will be downloading several of the others.  For anyone who may also be looking these were some of the suggestions I got:

Rancid - I wanna riot
Shakira - Objection (tango)
Darude - Sandstorm (yes, the song they play at the football and basketball games)
No Doubt - I'm Just a Girl and Spiderwebs
Golden Earring - Radar Love
Franz Ferdinand - Take me out
Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Cake
Violent Femmes
Beastie Boys
DEE LITE
Freedom by George Michael
Mary J Blige, The One
DJ Khaled, All I Do is Win
Magnificent Tracers, Flagpole Sitta
Michael Jackson, Way You Make Me Feel
Beyonce, Single Ladies
Lady Gaga, Teeth
The Call, Let the Day Begin

And some of the artists already on my list are:
Amy Winehouse
The Animals (1960's, great beats to match your steps to)
Anjulie (the song Boom is awesome)
CCR
the Doors
Franz Ferdinand
the Hives
ABBA
Lady Gaga
Prodigy
Shakira
and the Spice Girls

So what do you think?  Would these get you  moving?  Shockingly Eye of the Tiger wasn't suggested by anyone.  Though, it is played at every starting line so maybe it is 'grandfathered' into the play list  :)

Doctor's Visit

So I went to the doctor today.  It seems like the issue with my hip is just a strained muscle so that is good, all things considered, but I am not a good 'sick' person.  When I am sick I just like to just be sick and then over it, no lingering illnesses for me, and you don't want to be around me when I am sick (beyond obvious the obvious being contagious thing) 'cause truthfully I am kind of a witch or that other word, either apply.  With strains you are supposed to ice it and take ibuprofen and elevate it.  Ibuprofen is not a problem though I really don't like taking medicine.  Icing is an issue because I hate the cold!  Hate it!  And if someone would like to tell me how I am supposed to realistically elevate my hip for an extended period of time?  That would be great.  I tried to go run tonight but I forgot to drug myself and after being poked and prodded and twisted it hurt... A LOT.  I took about three running steps and decided I should walk for awhile to warm up.  So, at .25 miles I started to jog and by .5 miles I was about to bite through my lip with pain.  So back to walking it was.  I got in 2 miles.  And truthfully, I am proud of those two miles because I could have turned around at .25 and .5 but I powered on and got a little exercise in.  The goal for tomorrow is now to remember to take drugs and to try and run a little because this weekend JBB and I going (try) to tackle the preview course for the race and I need to be able to go more than two miles.  Like 11.1 more.

Ray Tanner 12k



My medal and my treat


I finished the 12k yesterday.  It was 7.4 miles of flat road (except for the hills).  I did manage to shave 14 seconds off each mile, but was still firmly in the jogging category.  I did pick up a little treat for myself to celebrate my first 12k, and to help others ;),  as Cupcake is donating $1 for every Cupcake for the Cure cupcake to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Which was the one I got and hopefully no one will tell the nutritionist on me- she wasn't happy about last week's french toast extravaganza.  The Governor's Cup keeps getting closer and my appointment with the doctor is getting closer as well.  Of course now that I have made the appointment my hip is feeling better- I didn't need the Advil at all this weekend- but it still caught a little yesterday so better to get it checked out than not.  Just three and a half weeks to go.

Music

Time to start thinking about the ipod (because at this point I am not thinking about the doctor's visit).  Anyone have any suggestions for good running music?  If so, please share... cause I have about 3-3.5hours that need to be filled!

Going to the Doctor



BooBoo Bunny (from Bed Bath and Beyond's
website).  Anybody else remember them?



So today I made an appointment to go to see a sports medicine doctor.  My hip has been bothering me for the last couple of weeks and I am going to find out why.  Not when I have been running or anything but after sitting for long periods of time.  Last few weeks you ask?  Why didn't you say anything?  That's what you are probably wondering right now.  Well I didn't say anything because I decided to stick my head in the sand and hope it would go away.  I thought I might have pinched a nerve with my carry-on baggage, but evidently not.  So after talking to a representative for USC's Sports Medicine Clinic he had someone call me and set up an appointment... for next week (and within an hour of speaking to him- he was very quick).  The bright side of this (for me anyway) is that, with the appointment being next week, I will still be running this weekend since a doctor will not have told me to rest it yet... though, truthfully, it would be more accurate to say walking since the word 'jogging' is stretching it right now.  See I have been taking it easy, because even with my head in the sand I didn't want to chance seriously hurting myself. 

One Month



Some of the jack-o-lanterns the girls made Monday night



Just one month to go.  The Governor's Cup is exactly one month away.  This weekend I have the Ray Tanner 12k.  Just went to pick up the packet today and got my bib.  So tonight I just did a short jog, 2.5 miles and tomorrow I will do the same, maybe three (cause I have been terribly lazy this week- though after sitting in on Monday night's Phi Mu meeting I did carry a 15lb jack-o-lantern through the Horseshoe plus a block.  And yes, I did weigh it when I got home :) ). Then the 7.4 (12k) on Saturday and if I can rally myself after that I need to to 1.6 more to stay on/slightly ahead of schedule.  So it is all mapped out I just need to make sure I follow through.

Eight Miles

Today I finished eight miles.  You know what rhymes with eight?  Hate.  I decided that I might secretly hate myself and this self loathing was shown when I signed up to run in the Governor's Cup.  I have payed for the 'privilege' of running 13.1 miles.  It was rough today.  About half a mile in and I was feeling miserable so I knew it would not be a fun run today.  And I was right.  However, I did finish and that makes me happy.  What also made me happy, and that I loved hearing, was when I passed a group on my second four mile lap and one of the girls coming back looked at me and said "you're going again?" with a smile.  That helped some.  Another thing that helped, the Anthony Bourdain lookalike I saw about mile seven.  A total doppelganger!  Walking the trail in the Tony 'uniform' of jeans, black tee, and a open shirt with sunglasses.  I had to really look to make sure it wasn't him (and this was even as I acknowledged that there was no reason for him to be in SC yet- he will be in Charleston on Nov. 12th- much less at Riverfront). Something else I loved today:  my Gamecocks beating Alabama this year and achieving a hat trick for defeating number one teams (basketball, baseball, and now football)!

Yourpaceormine is International!



Picture of the world obviously

So there is this little button I read about on another blog and I figured I would check it out.  Evidently this little blog has been seen by people in the US (duh), Canada, Japan, and Israel.  Random- but awesome!  Hopefully I have not bored them... or you too much with my rambling on about this and that.  Tonight I went to my Thursday night Chose to Lose session, or what I call it "fat people boot camp".  It is an hour of circuit work, then because I didn't run last night I decided to do a little of that as well.  Last night I had family in town and I decided I would much rather go out to dinner with them than run by myself.  So... the run tonight didn't last very long- but I did get a mile in and a mile is better than nothing.  This weekend I am supposed to do eight miles and hopefully I will breeze through them!  Or at least not feel like I am going to pass out.

Six point five and things you don't want to see on a run



Random Photo of an Ambulance



There was an ambulance at the entrance to the park this morning.  My friend Jerry was there and the rumor he heard was that a branch had fallen on a runner.  All I know is that I saw the paramedics with a woman right before mile marker one and it looked like she had done something to her ankle or leg.  So regardless, please send a little thought or prayer to her.  Another thing I knew was that I needed to run.  I was shooting for seven with a caveat to myself that I can do no less than five.  And I was tired and cranky and so forth so, knowing myself I built the extra mileage into the 5 mile course.  I made myself turn around at the 1/4miles that were marked and run a little loop (I would go from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 then run back to 1 1/4 and back to 1 1/5 before continuing on the run).  I sometimes have to play these games with myself because if I run the trail and back and then still have more I need to run the odds of my going back out decrease significantly.  So at the end of the day I got my run in and continue on with my training to reach my goal of running in the half.

Rainy Evening

My playground tonight

So tonight after class I got two miles in.  Not what I wanted but it is better than nothing.  The rain started really coming down around mile marker one so I headed back- only to have it ease up considerably when I got back to the start.  Murphy's Law in action.  The good news is that the weather is now cool enough that I am running the whole time again without needing to take any 'cool-down' breaks (starting with last week in Santa Barbara).

Monday's (non)Run

Monday looked great when I woke up.  It was cool with a light rain and I was really looking forward to my run after class.  However, while I was in class the floodgates opened.  Normally, I would still run- it was not storming, there was no lightning- but there were some really deep puddles forming, the rain was coming down hard enough that it stung, and on top of that it was getting dark .  So not wanting to injure myself I headed home.  Wednesday is the next time I will get a chance to run so cross those fingers that it will be at least decent weather as I am less than seven weeks away from the Governor's Cup.  On that note I did sign up for the Ray Tanner 12k today (does thinking about running count?).  This will be my first 12k and helps to keep me on track with my mileage.  So here's hoping tomorrow is good otherwise I have to run seven miles this weekend after taking a week off to stay on schedule and that really doesn't sound like fun.  I want to ease back into it.

Santa Barbara

So I only ran once this past week.  In my defense I was on vacation and I walked between 3-6 miles a day.  So all told I am happy with my run- and really how many of you kept to your exersise programs while on holiday? :)  The run was awful and the course was just absolutely dreadful as you can see from the photo.  I don't know how anyone could possibly stand to run in those conditions day after day.  It was hard, but I perserviered.  So seriously, back to the grind this week.  I need to get back on track which gets harder to do as the days get shorter.  I need to map out a nice, well lit path since I will be running after class.  Anybody have any ideas?  Preferably downtown since that is where I will be.

Dam Run

I ran my first 10k this weekend.  It was not pretty, and boy was I slow- even for me. I did run most of it taking just a few walking breaks at the water stops and up a hill.  I was just not feeling the hill at all yesterday... and as far as courses go in Columbia it was flat and downhill... so I do mean hill (singular).  Anyone who has run here will know what I mean.  The race planners around here love some hills.  But I digress.  I did it.  I completed my first 10k and have my first medal since elementary school, even if I did get beat by a seventy year old.  :)  Who was awesome FYI.  I only hope I am still that active when I am that age, or who am I kidding, now.

Hydration Belt and Wildlife

Tonight after class I went for a run and I gave the hydration belt a go.  It worked well especially since it was so hot and humid even at 8pm.  I stopped some poor woman and asked her to take a picture- 'cause I needed a sexy picture to go with such a sexy belt.  There was a lot of sarcasm in that sentence in case you didn't pick up on it.  Though, as you can see, it is reflective and very safe even though it is a glorified fanny pack. 

While out tonight testing the new equipment (it is not a toy, because toys are fun) I had this animal (see photo below) pointed out to me.  I think it is a beaver, that is what the couple who showed me said anyway, but beaver or not it is a huge rodent that gnaws on trees.  That tree was a regular tree on Saturday and look how much is gone now.

10 weeks

Ten weeks to go until the Governor's half marathon and I am getting nervous.  I am trying to train but life gets in the way sometimes, though, I am still on schedule per my training guide.  Speaking of training I bought a hydration belt this weekend.  I am going to try it out tomorrow night and see how it goes.  I feel that it looks incredibly dorky but it will free up my hands.  I seem to carry way too much stuff (ipod, phone- for both safety and GPS/running app, keys, water) and at times I feel like I am juggling while running.  So again, I am going to give it a try.  The running app seems to have worked out well, so, fingers crossed that this will too.  I will at least need it until the temperature starts to stay below 80 and probably at the half itself so I can carry my GU and stuff.

Back at it

After taking off last week, I am off and running again.  In a cruel twist of fate the mild and pleasant weather of last week is gone and it is in the upper 90's again (though the humidity has been in the 30's or lower- so small blessings).  I have already run twice this week and am shooting for a third tonight before The Game.  For those of you not in South Carolina, it is opening night for football season and therefore a religious holiday.  Everything will be shutting down around 3pm as everyone heads to Williams Brice.  So I need to run fast so I can get home and ready in time for kickoff.  Go Cocks!

Sick

I have been battling a sinus infection.  It has not been fun and I realize I should have still been able to run but it is hard to do so when you feel like you want to throw up.  So the closest I got to running this week was watching Rizzoli and Isles solve a murder at a marathon.  I need to get back into it this week especially since I have no more leeway in my training schedule, the heat and this garbage used it up.

Runkeeper App

From runkeeper.com

So I got a new phone and it is one that can do all sorts of fun things with, like download apps.  Yay!  Not so yay is that I went running yesterday and it couldn't find me on GPS.  I risked life and limb to go try it- not really, I only ran a mile out and then back in because I knew it was going to storm and get ugly.  So I will try it again at the park and see if I have any more luck with it.  And if not I will try it on the road (as opposed to the path) and see if it works that way.  And if it still doesn't work it will be deleted and I will try another one.  My problem might just be that I am being cheap and using a free app.  Have any of you tried one of these, free or paid?  If so please let me know how they worked for you.

This weekend

after playing in the rain

I woke up on Saturday morning ready to go on my five mile run but then I made the mistake of looking at the Weather channel- 90% humidity- and so it was back to bed I went.  I figured I would just get it done after work.  And... it was raining, but, since there was no lightning I figured I would go out for a little bit.  According to gmap-pedometer I got in two miles before it started to get too dark for me.  So I decided that I would run on tonight after work (because we had a meeting this morning and frankly I am not getting up at 5am to run).  Well it was monsooning again but no lightning so I held out until it was a light rain and got in three miles before it started to get dark, and I am not really a fan of dark wooded areas after the sun goes down, soaked but relieved I got to run.  So I got in five miles this weekend... just not all at once.  I need to work on this since I don't think I will be able to run the Cup over a three day period. :)

Still hot out and realizations

So yesterday was hot, but I got in 3.5 miles and went home looking like I had jumped in a pool so the only picture you are getting of my run is the screen shot from the weather channel when I left work last night.




And totally unrelated to anything to my half marathon training are some realizations that I have made as I approach another birthday:

1. I will never be 5'9'' 2. I will never have legs to match that 5'9" body and 3.Others can't make me happy, only I can do that. Sounds simple right? Yeah. Everyone has something about their body that they wish they could change. For me that is my legs. They haven't seen the light of day in about seven years (barring events like weddings where cocktail attire is required- and then I wear hose or tights). However running is changing this. No, unfortunately not how my legs look... but that they are making an appearance. It is hot! I mean, really, it is the middle of summer in South Carolina and shorts make running outside bearable.

So, last weekend I decided to take it a step further and try to find some shorts for casual wear. Well, that was a disaster. I hated everything I tried on. The fit, the look, everything. I was about to leave White House Black Market when Kyrstin (who is awesome fyi should you need to go in there) asked about skirts. I had not even thought to try any on. Well I walked out with several new outfits, which I have worn this week (some examples are pictured below), and a new outlook. I am not going to let me make me unhappy. I am not going to walk past another outfit I love just because it would show my legs. They are not perfect but they are mine. They allow me to walk, to run, to climb. They do their job. And really that is all I can ask.

From WHBM's website

From WHBM's website

...oh and if you caught the birthday reference and are looking for ideas of what to get me for said birthday I would like the mini giraffe from the direct tv commercial if you can find one. I think it would make a great pet. :)

I did it

Blah!

I ran today... ok, jogged :).  And here is the proof.  It was everything I imagined... hot and gross.  Heat index of 100 and 50 something percent humidity.  But I did it!  Now to gear up for Wednesday, because they are calling for it to feel like 105.  Oh well, could be worse.  It could actually be 105 degrees.

Today

I will run after work.  I will run after work.  I will run after work.  I will run after work.  Really.  If I say it enough it will be true.  It has to be true because the forecast for the week is hot with a heat index of miserable.  It is gross out there.  And I will especially be feeling the pain today because I am going for a late afternoon trip to Yoghut with my friend Kimberly.  Which is really not a good idea because slushy fro-yo in the belly and running (jogging really) will equal hatred of myself around 5:30 today... but the yogurt is just so tasty. 

Still going...

So not too much has been going on in the last week. I am still just moving along.  I got in a short, three mile, run this morning so the week is starting off right.  I also checked my grades and I got an 'A' in my rock climbing class.  I think next up on the agenda, besides continuing to run, is kickboxing.  I have a gift certificate that I need to use soon so I will let you know how this progresses.  I will try to have pictures taken for this activity too, because I know it will be funny.

Just a little encouragement

There is a group of gentlemen who run at Riverfront Park, and I do mean gentlemen.  I do not know who the are, or what group they are running with, but every time I see them they make my day.  As they run by or past other runners they just give a little encouragement.  "You're doing great" or "keep going, almost there."  It only takes a second and it costs them nothing to do, but, it just makes my run that much better when they are there.  They are a reminder that a few simple words really do make a difference.

Finally!

Last night I was able to run outside after class. YAY! It was hot and gross but I was outside. I got in 3 miles and hope to do so again tonight (I have a treadmill reserved at the gym just in case it storms). Speaking of hot and gross, here are some photos from the climb last weekend. Hope you enjoy!

Hiking up

On the way up the rock

Almost there

On the way down

Breaking News...

Photo from www2.scnow.com

I am over the thunderstorms.  A moderate rain is still allowed but no more hurricane force winds (not an exaggeration!  We had winds on Monday night which were measured at 80 miles per hour which are category one hurricane force winds... low end of the hurricane scale but the word hurricane is still in there!)  I am getting cabin fever bad!  There is only so much yoga and Jillian Micheal's I can handle and while I am still on track for the Governor's Half I would like to be ahead of schedule by a few weeks just in case something else comes up later.  So in conclusion, I am calling for a moratorium on severe thunderstorms.   

My New Shoes

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10

I have new shoes! Here they are and aren't they beautiful? Okay, probably not to most of you, but to me and my feet they are gorgeous! I picked them up tonight, however due to the deluge we had I am not playing with them this evening. Sad. The goal is to go after my meeting tomorrow and try them out if it is not storming again. Fingers crossed that it is not, because I want to play with my new shoes.

 

*Yes, I did just write a post about shoes. :)