The Life of Nizzy

11 Memories in 2011

2011-12-31T16:11:00.001-06:00

1. The Rose Parade
The Rose Parade is ten times better when your school is playing in the game! Also, it is way more convenient when you have a brother who lives about a block from the parade route.

2. The Rose Bowl
TCU wins the Rose Bowl in dramatic fashion. Go, Frogs!

3. New Job

The most suitable picture for this is my dogs making me feel super guilty for giving up telework.

4. Marathon Maniac

I become a Marathon Maniac after running the Cowtown 50K (31 miles), Ardmore Marathon, and Oklahoma City Marathon. I definitely deserved the "Maniac" title after being hailed on during the OKC Marathon. This feat resulted in a bit of marathon burnout (and subsequent weight gain).

5. Weddings

I made two separate trips to California for weddings (Cousin Dana's in April and Cousin Holly's in May). It was fun to visit with family that I hadn't seen in ages and see my cousins rock the wedding dress. My date to Dana and Jason's wedding:

6. Anniversary

Before Holly and Ryan's wedding, Cliff and I celebrated our anniversary in Santa Barbara. It was an amazing time (and kudos to me for planning such a memorable trip).

7. Vacation Station

Our big vacation of the year was a trip to the El Dorado Seaside (Playa del Carmen) this summer. It completed the El Dorado trifecta. The highlight of the trip was our private dining room (and maybe the fried ice cream too!).

8. Belated Birthday

I had a belated birthday party with some of my friends at the Gaylord Resort/Glass Cactus. The big Three-Ohhhhhh.

9. Familia en Tejas

My parents came to visit over Labor Day Weekend, and my brother was here over Veteran's Day Weekend. I'm glad they made it out here to meet their grandson/nephew Hank before he passed away rather unexpectedly in December. GusGus gets TREATS?!?!

10. Susan G Komen 3-Day Walk

I wasn't sure what to think about this when I signed up, but it turned out to be an amazing experience. So amazing that we're going to do it again in 2012. Hooray for spending time with old friends and meeting new friends.

11. Christmas in California

It was a very much-needed break... not working, running in the beautiful weather, and spending time with family and friends. My mom makes a better Christmas brunch and Christmas dinner than your mom.

Merry Christmas Eve from California!

2011-12-24T11:32:00.000-06:00

It's been a great trip so far... a nice break from work while spending time with my family and friends and enjoying this perfect weather. I flew in on Wednesday night after a super hectic day at work. I treated myself to a Bloody Mary at the airport, and the bartender was very generous with the pour and I was asleep before the plane even took off. My dad picked me up at the airport, and my mom made dinner (salmon, broccoli, and rice).

I got Thursday off to a good start with a 6.15-mile run around the neighborhood in perfect weather (50s and sunny). Then my mom and I did some grocery shopping and went to TJ Max. I got some picture frames for Christmas presents, and I also bought a Columbia sweatshirt (which I pretty much haven't taken off) and a Columbia neon green lightweight jacket. Those two purchases were only $45... what a steal! My mom made us a yummy turkey and avocado sandwich for lunch, and I had a nice 3-hour slumber to prepare for a night out with my brother (he didn't pick me up until 10:15, so I knew it would be a late night). I had a glass of wine with my parents and my mom made a pasta casserole dish for dinner. I puttered around for a few hours (and even made my family's New Years card) until my brother arrived. We went out to a club in Hollywood. We parked at his garage at work and he told me it would be a 5-block walk. In brother speak, this translated into about 3/4 of a mile in a hoochy dress and sandals when it was rather chilly outside! We had a good time though, and the walk back was much better with some alcohol in me. I was going to post a picture or too, but it's probably best that they just hibernate in my Canon.

I didn't get home until 3:45 (yikes, 5:45 Texas time!) and my dad was leaving for work. I only slept about 4 hours, and then my mom and I went to PetCo (I love their treat bar!) and Trader Joe's. I met some high school friends at Corner Bakery for lunch, and then I tried to take a nap but I think my body was all out of whack from the time change, the naps, and the late night/morning out. Last night we went to Rudy's in Monrovia for dinner (fish tacos). I wasn't even in the mood for a margarita (weird, I know). After dinner, we walked around the farmer's market/street fair and my mom and I each bought a bracelet.

Now I'm chillin' in my gym clothes (that translates into "I'm really playing Zuma Blitz on Facebook and drinking coffee") and trying to motivate myself to workout, either a run or the gym, before we head out to spend Christmas Eve with the extended family. Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Makes Me Phat.

2011-12-18T15:02:00.000-06:00

It's been just over a week since Hanky Panky passed. We have been trying to spoil GusGus and Lucy with plenty of walks (over 10 miles so far!), and even a trip to see "Santa Claws" (where GusGus inevitably pooped in poor Santa's lap and Lucy shook uncontrollably).

The dogs are doing pretty well, except Lucy stares out the front window, which she never used to do. One of my co-workers bought me a nice stone for outside that says "My Beloved Pet." I put that in the backyard near the swing, which was one of Hank's favorite spots.

This week has been full of food, and my tummy is yelling at me to stop. On Tuesday we did our work Christmas lunch at the Omni buffet, where I ate a salad, the main course with a separate plate for Salmon Wellington, and two desserts (bread pudding and some kind of frosted cake). Then I went back for short ribs and scalloped potatoes, which I totally didn't need. It was super yummy though. On Wednesday night, we went to a Betsy and James's annual Christmas party. Pesto mashed potatoes and sharing two plates of cheesecake and chocolate cake? Yes, please.

My friend Melissa (who lives in Tulsa) visited this weekend. We went out to dinner (the Italian restaurant up the road) with Cliff and Leslie and had a drink at the Eagle's Nest (and watched all of the drunk elderly folk cut a rug on the dance floor). On Saturday we treated ourselves to a pedi, had a late lunch at Boo Ray's, and then drove to Addison for dinner and a comedy show. I took one for the team when the waiter spilled iced tea on my pants and shoe, and we ended up with a free appetizer, free dessert, and free round of drinks. I'm assuming the skinny margaritas were more than offset by the Spicy Fritos Burger that I ordered. After dinner we went to the Improv in Addison to see Loni Love (from Chelsea Lately). It was a really good show. I didn't know what to think going into it (since I read Chelsea's books but don't watch her show, so I had no idea who Loni Love was). We were seated in the front row at a table with a lesbian couple, and Loni Love made a joke about our table being the lesbian table.

Today Melissa and I went to lunch with our friend Jamie, and I tried to tackle a burrito that I totally didn't need. I really need to workout, but all I want to do is sleep. I have less than 30 miles to run to hit 1,000 miles for the year, so I need to hop to it.

In Memory of Hank Willingham

2011-12-10T09:11:00.001-06:00

Dear Hanky,
It wasOctober 20, 2010, and I had a crazy morning at work. I was out for a jog on the Trinity Trailduring my lunch break when I saw you and your sister. When I passed you again on my way back, Iknew I couldn’t leave you. We treatedyour worms and fleas, got you neutered, and put some weight back on your skinnyframe. Fortunately when I tried to findyou and your sister a forever home, Dad agreed you had already found one.

I willalways wonder where you came from and how someone could mistreat you. When you first moved in, you were afraid tocome into our house from the backyard. Youwould inch closer to the back door, but you were afraid to cross the threshold. You would run off into the patio or outsidewhen we had a guest (especially a man!), and you were so quick to flinch becauseyou thought you might get hurt. AsGrandpa told me, “I hope there’s a special place in Hell for the person whomistreated Hank and Lucy.”

I wishI knew how bad you were hurting when you first cried to me the night beforeThanksgiving. Could we have doneanything differently to get you through this? Were you just sick of fighting it? Did you feel abandoned at the hospital? Most of all, I wish Dad and I could have been there at the end to rubyour belly, look into your big, droopy eyes, and kiss you goodbye.

It’shard seeing the reminders – three dog beds, three bowls, and, the toughest ofall, Lucy. I know how much you lovedyour sister, and it breaks my heart to know I’ll never get to see you two walkside by side again. GusGus, Dad, and Iwill take extra good care of your sister. There will be plenty of walks, petting,snuggles, and treats (and maybe an occasional squirrel or rat).

We willalways remember you and your funny quirks. The way you would sneak your nose under our arm and lift up, to remindus to pet you. The way you would rollover on your back wanting belly rubs. Your shit-eating grin (literally)… now GusGus is wondering why is poopis no longer good enough to eat. How youloved to go for walks (just like your brother and sister) and how you would trip onyour own feet (just like your mom). Howyou would jump up and down, in all your awkward glory, when it was time to eat. Most of all, we will remember how much loveyou brought into our home and we will value the year we had with you. Hopefully the time with us more than made upfor whatever you endured prior to becoming a Willingham.

October 20, 2010: Finding You and Lucy on the Trinity Trails

You and Lucy staying at Aunt Shawna's for a few days

You were still hesistant about coming into the house! One of my favorite photos.

Losing some of your manhood and temporarily gaining a cone.

Quickly learning how comfortable the couch was!

It was a lesson you never forgot.

Bedtime in the patio (not nearly as comfortable as the couch)

Snow day! (I think this was way more fun for me than it was for you!)

You had the best Basset features...

You weren't a swimmer like your brother, but you were a cute spectator!

And you loved getting your tan on...

Your first Willingham Christmas

And your last :(

We miss you and we love you. Rest in peace, Hanky Panky.

Fort Worth YMCA Turkey Trot 10K

2011-11-24T21:07:00.001-06:00

It was a semi last minute decision... Stacy and I decided to run the 10K this year "for fun." I was thinking I could average about a 9-minute pace, but I came to terms with my fluffiness and my wee bit of out-of-shapeness when I hit about the 5K mark.

Splits: 9:39, 8:51, 8:59, 9:28, 9:21, 9:52, 2:46 (9:04 pace on the 0.3)
Total Time: 58:59 (9:21 average for 6.3 miles)

Age Group: 60/109
Gender: 247/508
Overall: 674/1097

We didn't realize just how many people did the 10K. It was super congested at the beginning and remained fairly congested throughout the race. We started in the middle or back, so we did a lot of runner dodging the first few miles. I wanted to push it, but I think sub-9 pace was a little too fast for me. Those hills took me by surprise! It was a good challenge (especially before stuffing my face), and it was fun to see a lot of friends out there on the course.

My Very First "WOD"

2011-11-20T10:01:00.001-06:00

My friend Shawna opened up her own Cross Fit gym... check out Shag Fitness! So on Saturday morning, I attended my very first "Workout of the Day" (WOD). It was pretty short - about 5 minutes of warm-up and warm-down, and the main set was 20:30 (timed).

Warm up:
3 rounds of Tabata (20 seconds on 10 seconds off) – Squat- Push-ups- Tuck Jumps

PARTNER- WOD:
30 Deadlifts
15 Burpees*
30 Box Jumps
15 Burpees*
30 Thrusters
15 Burpees*
30 KBS
15 Burpees*
30 SDHP (sumo deadlift high pull)
15 Burpees*
*The original workout was 20, but I had a modification to 15.

It was a good feeling to push myself so hard (compared to going through the motions when I do a run or the elliptical machine). I am excited to add this to my normal routine and get stronger. I woke up this morning, and my legs felt like they had run a marathon yesterday!

And not to brag or anything, but there is a "Nasty Girl" workout named after me (which I assume means I'll have to do it at some point haha):

Nicole

400m Run
Max Rep Pull Ups
As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 Minutes – Note the pull ups completed in each round.

Susan G Komen 3 Day Walk

2011-11-12T16:17:00.001-06:00

Stacy and I headed to Plano on Thursday evening and made a dinner pit stop at BJ's for some yummy salad, pizza, and wine. We stayed at the Best Western with some of our teammates so we could take the shuttle to the starting line in the morning. After we scarfed down some continental breakfast, the shuttle left around 6 am. There was A LOT of estrogen surrounding us... lots of "woohoos," squeals, etc. But there was excitement in the air, and we were ready to get the walk started. It was a very cold morning. I was pretty under dressed since I didn't want to hold on to a lot of layers once the sun came out.

The opening ceremonies were pretty neat. The lady from Susan G Komen sounds like a preacher (in a cool, inspiring kind of way). We were standing towards the front, but somehow we were some of the last people out of the gate. We hit the first pit stop and I grabbed a couple snacks, and that foreshadowed the gorge fest that was about to follow! We all ate way too much the first day since we were pretty bored and the food was free. My favorite was these graham cracker sandwiches - 2 graham crackers with PB&J in the middle. Nom nom nom. We didn't realize that the "60 mile walk" was actually 17 miles on Day 1, 21.3 miles on Day 2, and 15.2 miles on Day 3. So that was a nice little surprise (but don't tell anyone). The walk took a very long time. I wasn't expecting the amount of congestion from walking on the sidewalk and stopping at the lights. Plus we took long breaks at the pit stops and at lunch. We started around 8:30 am and got done at 4:30 pm. I ended up walking with my two BFFs (Stacy and Shawna), and two of Shawna's friends (Sarah and Elizabeth) that I hadn't met before. The five of us had an amazing time together, and I made two new (and super!) friends.

After the walk, we pitched our tents (fortunately our neighbor was a pro, and she helped us out), showered in the trailers, and ate some dinner (which was surprisingly tasty). I didn't need the huge piece of carrot cake that I shoved in my pie hole, but yummmmmmm. After dinner we walked over to the Doubletree across the street and had some much needed drinks and relaxation. We may or may not have passed a bottle of Bailey's around our circle of 5 girls sitting inside a tent designed for 2 people.

We made the decision on Friday night that we would stay at the Doubletree the next night. I made the mistake of not bringing an air matress, and I didn't sleep well the first night. Plus my tummy was so upset with me after consuming mass quantities of processed food. We got up on Saturday morning and intended on getting to the starting line early, but we ended up standing in line and not starting until about 8:30 am. This was our big day (21.3 miles), so we tried to take shorter breaks so we wouldn't get done super late. We finished around 5:30 pm.

It was a long day, but we were over the hump and we had a nice night at the Doubletree to look forward to. We ordered takeout food - pizza and a salad - and watched some college football at the bar. It was so much nicer to sleep in a bed... glorious, glorious bed. On the third day we took a shuttle to Ursaline Academy and walked to Fair Park. We were on one of the first shuttles, and it made a HUGE difference starting early. We breezed through the miles. We treated ourselves to lunch at the House of Blues... we couldn't stomach another Panera sandwich, and we were ready to celebrate.

We had about 4 or 5 miles to go after that. We made another unofficial pit stop at a bar about a mile from the finish line for a celebratory pink shot. So we were feeling no pain at the finish line.

Somehow Shawna ended up getting interviewed by the CBS News (it was on TV that night at 10:30 pm) and we all jumped in.

Check it out!
http://video.ak.fbcdn.net/cfs-ak-ash4/341546/228/10150436459601639_43521.mp4?oh=e69d9b8a3a8003348e3d
Some of our friends met up with us at the finish line and we had a champagne celebration in the parking lot while we waited for the closing ceremonies to start. The closing ceremonies was the most emotional part of the weekend. Maybe that's because we had walked (nearly) 60 miles and we hadn't slept much ;) They did a great job honoring the survivors. The Ta Ta Girls got together for one more team photo.

I went into this not knowing what to expect. Walking with Stacy, Shawna, Elizabeth, and Sarah made the weekend so incredible. We thought about ways to make this better next year, and it sounds like we will be repeat walkers!

A few lessons learned:
-It's totally worth it to stay in a hotel. I know camping is "part of the experience," but I'm all about being comfortable and having a good night's sleep. It was only $89 at the Doubletree... such a steal (especially with 5 of us in the room!).
-Get to the front of the starting line or it's a L-O-N-G day!
-Don't continuously stuff your face. Try to take breaks between the stuffing, just so it's not continuous ;)
-Find awesome girls to walk with. This made the walk infinitely better!
-Have some awesome flair. I looked pretty lame in comparison to some of these super spirited girls.

A Lil' Soul Searching

2011-11-12T16:12:00.001-06:00

I did the Honored Hero 20-mile run last month and it didn't go well. I ran a little over 10 miles at a pretty good pace before I crashed and had to start walking. Two weeks before that, I had a very tough 16-mile run. I tried to prepare well for both of them. I gradually increased my mileage, I got enough sleep, I was good about reducing the alcohol intake, etc. I thought I would have a good 16-mile run (especially after the 14-miler the weekend before went okay), but I was a little demoralized after it, and it shook my confidence for the 20-mile Honored Hero Run. But at the end of the day, it comes down to the weight issue (or maybe partially the mental aspect associated with the weight issue). Running is way more difficult when you weigh 15-20 pounds more. I did a great job last year of getting down to 146.5 pounds (a few pounds less than wedding weight) before the Las Vegas Marathon. I followed a training plan pretty strictly, and I did a good job with my nutrition. The most important factor was giving up alcohol about two months before the marathon though.

Now I'm in such a different place than I was last year. I changed jobs in February after I got a promotion to a supervisory position in another office. I am much more challenged than I was before, and it's a great opportunity career-wise. But on the flip side, I gave up telework, I put in way more than 40 hours a week, I have much more stress, and I have a lot less time to workout, sleep, recover, etc. Plus the stress really makes me want to unwind with a glass (or three!) of wine.

I struggled with wanting to go after it and break 4 hours in the marathon versus not having the commitment (and just working out and trying to stay somewhat healthy). With that said, I signed up for the full marathan (and I signed Cliff up for the half marathon) in Las Vegas the first weekend of December. That was a $400 commitment. I don't feel ready to do well (I'm thinking I could probably break the 4:30 time limit, but I have no faith in finishing near my 4:03 PR) and the trip would cost us about a grand (we haven't booked it yet). We just bought an elliptical machine, we have our property taxes due, and we're paying for college expenses. So we made the decision to skip the Vegas trip, and that leaves me marathonless. I am somewhat relieved, so I guess it was probably a good decision.

So now it's time to decide what the future holds. I know the most important thing is to be happy and healthy, but I'm so goal oriented, that it's hard to just go day in and day out without having something to work for. Hmmmm.....

A sprinkle of this and a dash of that.

2011-05-07T11:42:00.003-05:00

This is a crazy month that kicked off with the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, May 1. I worked in the Beaumont area this past week (Monday-Thursday), and I made the mistake of flying to Houston and taking a jet plane to Beaumont. I am seriously the worst business traveler ever. Our team stayed in three different hotels right next to each other, and I picked the one that DID NOT offer free breakfast or free dinner. Fortunately I know how to take advantage of free stuff at other hotels. Oh, and apparently I'm the one person in the government who didn't get the memo to decline car insurance. So I had to repay about $30 for a trip I took a few months ago. This week I'm heading to Albuquerque (another Monday-Thursday trip), and the following week I'm going to DC for new supervisor training. This all translates into TWO days in the office in three weeks.

Apparently when you run a marathon in wind, rain, and hail, you run the risk of getting sick. I started coughing early in the week, and I haven't slept much these past two nights. Even with FOUR pillows last night, I still hacked my lungs out. So this morning I went to urgent care and got a cortisone shot and a prescription for a Z-pack and cough syrup with hydrocodone (it looks like a party in a very small bottle).

I didn't workout much this week and replaced exercise with food and drink. I did 80 minutes on the stationary bike in the shoebox hotel gym on Wednesday morning, and yesterday morning I walked to dogs and ran the 5K route around my neighborhood before work. I need to get on the ball with the diet and exercise so I can sport the $exy "cheeky" bikini bottoms that I bought from VS. All of this travel stuff is hard on the regular routine though. It's too tempting to have some drinks after work and sleep in longer the next morning.

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

2011-05-01T21:12:00.005-05:00

My registration with the Marathon Maniacs is pending! Woohoo! I did my three marathons in <90 days (Cowtown 50K in February, Ardmore Marathon in March, and then OKC). Mother Nature was very non-cooperative with me though. I got heat and humidy for Cowtown, a crazy headwind for Ardmore, and cold temps, wind, rain, and HAIL for OKC. I realized that I really lucked out with the weather for my marathon "A" races in Las Vegas in 2007 and 2010. Yikes!

Pre-race:
I picked up Christie and we grabbed some Which Wich and hit the road. We got to the expo at around 4:00 and picked up our packets and bought some sweaty and bondi bands. We checked into the hotel (Clarion Suites on Meridian, about 5 miles away from downtown) and met some new friends (including Corina) for dinner at Zio's. My friend Melissa drove down from Tulsa too, so she met up with us for dinner and stayed with us at the Clarion.

Some dinner pics:

We woke up pretty early (4:10) on Sunday morning and easily found free parking near the start line. I had two sandwich rounds with peanut butter on one (about 400 calories) total for breakfast. As we got towards the start line at 5:40, it started pouring rain and they delayed the start from 6:30 to 7:00. We sought cover under a building, but Christie and I were cold (we both had our legs exposed). After we made a bathroom trip, we headed back to the car to enjoy the heater and we decided to put on pants. I also put a dry fit long-sleeve shirt on over my short-sleeve shirt and I put a sweatshirt over that. That was a great call, because the weather got even worse as the day went on. I also grabbed another sandwich round (for about 500 calories total), but I should have packed other food (like a banana or something) to get my calories from something other than wheat bread. Oh, well.

Christie and I (totally naive about what the weather gods could do to us):

What I can remember:
Wow, it seems a bit hazy looking back on it now. We tried to start off conservatively. It felt easy, any ways. There was a lot of congestion until the half marathons split off at around mile 7. I really dislike marathons with a "marathon relay" option. I know I should be positive about the opportunity for more people to enter the race, but it's a mental beat down when someone STARTS at mile 20 and jaunts by you with a bouncy pony tail.

I threw my sweatshirt off around mile 2. I ate a Gu at about mile 5 and a Gel at about mile 10. That was all of the gel gunk I could stomach. After that I ate some random food (pretzels and peanuts) and managed to get down the Sports Beans at mile 20. Of course my stomach started hating me around mile 17, which is typical. I felt quite barfy, especially around mile 24 or 25.

The run felt pretty consistent until I started to fade off at around mile 17 (which is typical when I don't train as much as I should). We desperately needed that potty break during mile 9, so it was worth the two minutes. The course was pretty nice. There were some GORGEOUS neighborhoods, and it was nice running along the lake (especially when the rain gave us a brief respite from miles 14-18). I started feeling pretty bad around mile 17, but I hung with Christie until about mile 22 and then she went ahead of me. Melissa was there cheering for me at around mile 22, and that was a much-needed boost.

The picture Melissa took (I did a great job of hiding my misery):

I started walking a bit around 22.5 or 23 miles. Around mile 24 or 25, I hit a low point, and then I got pelted in the head with hail. When it rains, it pours (haha). I managed to pick it up with about 3/4 of a mile to go and I jogged to the finish line and felt better.

Post-race:
If you run with a friend, ALWAYS have a plan where you will meet, or you both might die from hypothermia. Lesson learned. But damn, that Carl's Jr cheeseburger tasted good. That long walk to the car in the freezing cold rain and hail sure did me in though. Christie and I couldn't find each other, but luckily she came to the car about 10 minutes after I did. I think we both cried at some point.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 10:20
Mile 2 - 10:10
Mile 3 - 10:00
Mile 4 - 9:46
Mile 5 - 9:52
Mile 6 - 9:49
Mile 7 - 10:20
Mile 8 - 10:04
Mile 9 - 12:11 (bathroom break)
Mile 10 - 10:30
Mile 11 - 10:30
Mile 12 - 10:29
Mile 13 - 10:16
Mile 14 - 10:30
Mile 15 - 10:35
Mile 16 - 10:28
Mile 17 - 11:04
Mile 18 - 11:19
Mile 19 - 11:29
Mile 20 - 11:09
Mile 21 - 11:43
Mile 22 - 12:23
Mile 23 - 12:45
Mile 24 - 13:48
Mile 25 - 14:09
Mile 26 - 14:37
Remaining 0.55 miles - 6:30 (11:46/mile pace)
Garmin Time: 4:56:58
Garmin Distance: 26.55 miles
Garmin Average Pace per Mile: 11:11

Actual results:
Time: 4:56:54
Division Place: 120/205
Gender Place: 503/980
Half Marathon Splits: 2:16:31, 2:40:23

The future:
I joke about being fat, and I am not fishing for compliments. I'm about 13.5 pounds heavier than I was for the Vegas marathon in December. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this translates into slower running. But the flip side is that my job is a lot more stressful now, and I like to "unwind" more and workout less. Right now I need a little break from marathons and organized races. I need to get back on the diet and exercise wagon, stay healthy, and get excited about running a sub-4-hour marathon (probably Vegas in December?). Considering I ate chicken fingers and tater tots for dinner and washed it down with Chardonnay (it was free at the hotel... don't judge me), I have a ways to go. So I just need to work on balancing life... my marriage, my job, my health... all that good stuff. Then when I'm ready, I need to go after a goal (which is a 3:50-3:59 marathon). That's the plan.

Arbuckles to Ardmore Marathon Race Report

2011-03-21T22:02:00.007-05:00

Flashback:
Last year I ran the half marathon. I was under-trained, but I was aided by some nice downhills at the front-end of the race and a hefty tailwind. I was telling people on the bus about the tailwind when I was promptly informed that the winds were head out of the South this year, and since the point-to-point race was on I-77, we were in for a CHALLENGING run. My goal was to even or negative split and finish in a comfortable 4:15. Mother Nature (she was a lil' grumpy) had other plans for me though.

Race Morning:
I woke up at 4:00 am (my husband was in Ardmore all weekend, but I stayed in Fort Worth on Saturday night so I could feed the dogs on Sunday morning) and scarfed down a bagel with peanut butter and a banana. I hit the road at 4:30 with a large coffee, and I made it to Ardmore High School at about 6:15 am. Everything worked out great logistically, just like last year. I picked up my race packet, made a "pit stop," and boarded the bus. I sat next to a few of the Marathon Maniacs (including #12, #40-something, and #94(?) - he had run the Antarctica Marathon) and I was pretty humbled. It's funny how so many accomplished runners found a marathon in small-town Oklahoma.

The Start:
This was the first time I had seen pink and blue port-a-potties. Some boys were breaking the rules, but it was nice to have our own set of port-a-potties that weren't as defiled! I took two potty breaks before the start since I had plenty of liquids the past 24 hours. They had a timing mat at the start this year (getting all technological!), but fortunately the starter still used a great big ol' shotgun/rifle thing (promptly at 8 am... I swear, these people are soooo organized). I tried to keep things nice, easy, and controlled. I kept checking my Garmin to try to stay sub-10 (but close to 10).

The Course:
The run began at the Turner Falls Overlook in the Arbuckle Mountains... definitely a beautiful nature moment! We ran down some rolling hills and met up with the half marathon course at around 3.5 miles. That's when we hit a mile or two of some good downhills.

Mile 1 - 9:41
Mile 2 - 9:54
Mile 3 - 9:36
Mile 4 - 9:56
Mile 5 - 8:44(!)
Mile 6 - 9:20
Mile 7 - 9:49

At around mile 7 we turned east for an out-and-back leg through the Bar Nothin' Horse Ranch. This was a nice break, both physically and mentally, since we didn't have to run straight into the headwind. Also, everyone was in pretty good spirits at this point, and I chatted it up with a few people. This made the miles fly by. I looked down at my Garmin and saw a sub-9:40 average.

Mile 8 - 9:47
Mile 9 - 9:54
Mile 10 - 9:44
Mile 11 - 9:55

After that detour, we rejoined the half marathoners on Hwy 77. We had some rollers from around miles 11-15, and then we began a shallow climb before turning west at mile 20. I hit the wall mentally at around 17.3 miles. That's when I began walking. It was just so depressing to get excited for a downhill only to be smacked with a headwind. I'm sure the previous 17 miles caught up with me a bit too, especially as I picked up the pace in the middle of the race.

Mile 12 - 10:26
Mile 13 - 10:28
Mile 14 - 10:29
Mile 15 - 10:15
Mile 16 - 10:32
Mile 17 - 11:15
Mile 18 - 12:50
Mile 19 - 12:38
Mile 20 - 13:32

The right turn towards the park at mile 20 (instead of turning left towards the finish line at the stadium) reminded me of the Fort Worth Marathon when the marathoners turned at mile 25 and us ultra runners had to tackle an additional 5 miles on the Trinity Trail. I had run at Regional Park before, but I had always done the small loops around the park. I didn't realize there was a longer road that takes you out quite a ways. There were a lot of small rollers at the park as well, but at least there were a few breaks from running into the south winds! The first 2.5 or 3 miles was really tough mentally since it was an out-and-back. Once I hit the turn-around, it perked me up a bit. Although I think I still battled some very negative internal dialogue during the last few miles! After the detour at the park, we finished at Noble Stadium with a lap around the track. I was so happy to see the finish line that I had no trouble running the last half mile or so. Also, it was a nice surprise to see Cliff, my mother-in-law, and my sisters-in-law cheering me on at the finish! They took a few photos of me, so I tried to hide my suffering!

Mile 21 - 11:47
Mile 22 - 12:22
Mile 23 - 11:38
Mile 24 - 15:10
Mile 25 - 12:56
Mile 26 - 12:19
Last 0.4 on the Garmin - 3:56 (9:42 pace)

Total Time: 4:49:09 (11:02/mile)
4th out of 5 (Womens 25-29)
24th out of 44 (All Women)

Thursday Thirteen: I need a few more hours in the day

2011-03-10T20:41:00.006-06:00

1. I started the new job last week, and I've been a busy lil' bee. The flip side is that I don't have nearly enough time to workout.

2. I've been messing with my schedule a bit and I think I finally have it figured out. I'm going to drive separately (and not carpool with Cliff), get to work early so I can park for free near the Firestone Apartments, workout (either run outside on the Trinity or workout at the gym), and then get ready for work. I'll work from 8-4:30.

3. This is a total 180 from my previous schedule, which was 6:30-3:00 on office days (Mondays and Thursdays) and 6:00-2:30 on telework days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). Now I feel like a real adult (and I'm not sure if I like it).

4. I was only able to squeeze in two 5K runs around my neighborhood last week, but that was probably a good recovery after the 50K.

5. I'm back on track with the runs - 4.2 miles on Monday, 7 miles on Tuesday, 2.14 miles on Wednesday, and 3.1 miles today. Hopefully I can hit 30 miles this week.

6. Next Sunday I'm running the Ardmore Marathon. I would like to break 4 hours, but I think that might be a stretch right now. So a more reasonable goal would be sub-4:15 with an even or negative split.

7. I'm still about 10 pounds heavier than I was before the Vegas marathon. That is pretty easy to figure out though - more food and drink and less miles.

8. I made my killer salmon (with veggies and potatoes) tonight for family dinner. Nom nom nom.

9. Last night we went to the Reata roof top for some drinks and then to Cantina Laredo for dinner. It was a nice mid-week treat!

10. I've been in training all week (for work) and my brain is a little sore.

11. I'm looking forward to a nice weekend with Cliff and a "triple date" with some friends on Saturday night.

12. Last weekend I was in Tulsa for a friend's birthday. Andrea, Melissa (Birthday Girl), and Me:

13. And I might have fallen asleep at the Sugarland concert.

Cowtown 50K Race Report

2011-03-01T05:15:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a day... my longest run ever!

Pre-race thoughts: I had bailed on the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler due to weather and sickness. I felt like I had trained enough prior to Rocky to get me through the 50K. However, I realize that I had a few really low mileage weeks right before and after the planned Rocky event, and I think that might have affected my endurance and/or confidence a bit. My goal for this run was to jog the whole thing in about 10-minute mile pace and try not to walk (except through the water stops). I threw that goal out the window around mile 22 though, as you can tell from my splits!

Race morning: I set my alarm for 4:45, ate a blueberry bagel with fat-free strawberry cream cheese and a banana for breakfast, and met my friends at 5:45. I followed them to the race site, and we parked on a residential street off Montgomery (easy, breezy!). We had about an hour to kill before the race started, and we sat down for awhile to keep our legs rested. I liked being in denial about running the ultra distance, because I just wanted to have fun and not stress myself out. It started to become real on race morning though, especially since there were SOOOO many people running the half, not nearly as many people running the full, and only a small percentage of participants running the ultra. It was kind of fun to get the extra “go ultra runner” cheers and support though!

The start: My friends and I made our way into the second coral and Shawna tried to keep me in check for the first mile. She did a great job with that (I usually get really excited at the start and bust out some ridiculously fast first mile). Shawna and Stacy ran ahead of me after that since they were doing the half. I tried to keep my pace under control and stay as close to 10-minute miles as possible. I felt really great and easy, like I was doing a shuffle run. I could feel the sweat all over my body REALLY early on though… like mile 1 or 2. The humidity was a BEAST! The ground was even wet on race morning, and it was 66 degrees when I woke up. YIKES! There were some pretty big hills around mile 5 (the hill on University/Northside) and mile 10 (going up Main from the Stockyards into Downtown). In fact, the whole course consisted of a lot of rollers! I purposely didn’t review the course map, because I thought that being surprised would make the course go by faster (and I think it did). I had run the first half of the marathon during a group run a few months ago though, and it was helpful to know about those two bigger hills. The half marathoners split off at around mile 10. Stacy and Shawna stayed at the split to cheer me on, and that was a nice surprise and morale booster. The next few miles were pretty ugly in terms of scenery (I’m horrible with directions, but we were running in the seedy part of the hospital district). I really had to pee, which was a good sign for my hydration. Fortunately I made it to mile 12 though (after the half marathoners split off), so I didn’t even have to wait for a Port-a-Potty. I felt like Tom Hanks in “A League of their Own” though. I popped a squat, and my quads were shaking, and I was wondering when I would finish up! I felt so much better after that though, and I split a 9:48 and a 9:50 on the next two miles. Looking back on my splits, I probably should have tried to ease up a bit.

Official 10K split: 1:02:11
Official Half Mary split: 2:12:41

The food situation: I managed to eat my Gu at miles 5, 10, and 15. The Gu at mile 15 was a bit of a struggle though, and I realized that I would have a hard time choking down my planned Gu at miles 20 and 25. I was also affected by my inability to “go” to the bathroom (*ah hem*) that morning, and my tummy started rebelling. After my Gu at mile 15, I ate a few banana halves, a few tootsie rolls, and a fun-sized Krackel (which tasted amazingly good). I think my nutrition definitely affected my last 10 miles, and I need to find something to replenish my calories (besides Gu). I also need to invest in some salt tablets. I didn’t take any salt supplements during the race, and I couldn’t eat enough salt after the race (pizza, cup of soup, Baked Cheetos, etc.). Those were good lessons learned (although I seem to keep learning them and then I don’t take any sort of corrective action).

The last 10 miles or so: If I was doing the marathon, I think I could have kept jogging/running, but I knew with about 10 miles to go, I should start walking a bit so I didn’t completely die. So I started to walk using a bit of strategy, and eventually the walking became much more prevalent. We split off from the marathon at around mile 25 and did 5 miles on the Trinity (out-and-back) before rejoining the marathon route for the last mile. The Trinity portion was mentally tough, especially the way out. I did quite a bit of walking, but I stayed pretty positive about it and I told myself that 5 miles was no big deal.

Official Mary split: 4:36:23

Hey there, finish line! You sure do look purrrrdy.

The finish: I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to see University Drive! I ran the last quarter of a mile or so into the finish and immediately saw Stacy and Shawna waiting for me and cheering me on. I was soooo happy to be done! I wasn’t as sore as I thought I would be, but I started getting pretty hungry. We made our way over to the DetermiNation tent, and I inhaled five (yes, FIVE) slices of Papa John’s pizza. Scrumptious. We hungout for about an hour or so, and it was fun to see everyone and bask in my post-ultra glow (even though I was quite stinky).

Token bloated hunchback photo:

Post race: I drove home and got in the ice cold swimming pool, which I really think helped speed up my recovery. GusGus kept jumping in onto the first step and whining because he wanted to swim (but it was cold and he didn’t have his life jacket on). I showered and then enjoyed some red beers before heading to dinner at the Italian restaurant up the street with Cliff and Leslie. I slept like a baby that night, although I could have used about four more hours of sleep!

Celebration station (I couldn’t stomach beer yet, but thank goodness for some pizza!)

Splits:
Mile 1 – 9:44
Mile 2 – 10:03
Mile 3 – 9:47
Mile 4 – 9:58
Mile 5 – 10:13
Mile 6 – 9:47
Mile 7 – 9:55
Mile 8 – 10:00
Mile 9 – 10:00Mile 10 – 10:05
Mile 11 – 10:15
Mile 12 – 10:58 (bathroom stop)
Mile 13 – 9:48
Mile 14 – 9:50
Mile 15 – 10:17
Mile 16 – 10:15
Mile 17 – 10:25
Mile 18 – 10:21
Mile 19 – 10:32
Mile 20 – 10:23
Mile 21 – 10:41
Mile 22 – 11:12
Mile 23 – 11:38
Mile 24 – 11:21
Mile 25 – 11:16
Mile 26 – 12:24
Mile 27 – 12:10
Mile 28 – 12:27
Mile 29 – 12:52
Mile 30 – 13:17
Mile 31 – 12:02
Remaining 0.33 – 5:37

Official Time: 5:37:44 (10:53 pace)
Age Group Results: 5th out of 9
Gender Results: 23rd out of 65

Thursday Thirteen: Corpus Christi Edition

2011-02-24T04:00:00.000-06:00

1. I got a call from HR last Friday and finally heard the news... I got the promotion! I'll be a Director in Public Housing (still with HUD). The downside is that I have to give up my plush teleworking lifestyle, but I am looking forward to the challenge (and the cash money doesn't hurt either!).

2. I did my second weekend race in a row, the Stonebridge Ranch Half Marathon (report).

3. Then with a little bit of liquid courage, I signed up for the Cowtown 50K, which will make it three race weekends in a row. I rebounded so well from the half mary, and I want to check this off the list after failing to make it to the start line last year. It will be my first "ulta" distance (longer than the marathon), and it's probably a more practicable step before attempting to tackle 50 miles.

4. I'm pretty sure that my drunk registration resulted in some bad karma from the weather gods.

5. I headed to Corpus Christi for work on Tuesday morning. It is my first visit to the area, and I have had quite a bit of down time. I head back to the Fort this morning. I am ready to see some wagging tails!

6. Last night's excursions included The Executive Surf Club and Water Street Seafood Company. Not too shabby!

7. The restaurants were located near the original (and apparently remodeled) Whataburger. Unfortunately I only do Whataburger breakfast and "late night eating." It was cool to see though!

8. It's a little odd being in a "beachy" town in Texas... kind of a California tease.

9. I was pleasantly surprised to scope out the hotel gym and see Precor cardio equipment and the Cardio Theater! Pretty swanky for a Hampton Inn!

10. Thank goodness the $5 (any) footlongs are back at Subway. I've had the buffalo chicken sub for lunch two days in a row. Nom nom nom.'

11. There was even a deal at on of the Subways here where it's 1 footlong for $5, 2 for $9, and 3 for $12. What a steal! I have way too much Subway excitement.

12. Cliff's birthday is coming up on Saturday and I still haven't bought him a present. Eeeeek! Procrastinating wife!

13. I think we're doing Cliff Birthday Dinner #1 at Nona Tata on Thursday and Cliff Birthday Dinner #2 at Salsa Fuego on Friday or Saturday. I will definitely be a little porker come Sunday morning! At least the crazy temps on race day will sweat the fat right out of me. Both restaurants have received rave reviews though, and we still haven't tried Salsa Fuego. It was written up by Texas Monthly as one of the top Mexican restaurants in Tejas!

Stonebridge Ranch Half Marathon Race Report

2011-02-21T09:45:00.003-06:00

Pre-Race:
It was an early (3:45 am) alarm, and I chowed down on a Fiber One bar and a banana and drove to Arlington to pick up my friend Stacy. We drove to McKinney and got there pretty early - around 6:10 - and just chilled in the car before the 7:30 race. I started getting a bit hungry again... I realized it had been nearly 4 hours since I had eaten breakfast. What a long morning!

Race:
Stacy and I had talked in the car about how fast we wanted to go, and we decided to try to break 2 hours (maybe 1:55) and negative split. So we tried to keep our pace in check the first half. The first mile was too fast (8:30), but then we settled in to a very consistent pace, around 9:00-9:10 per mile. There were a lot of hills, and the headwind was pretty noticeable in certain parts. I appreciated the great course design (never any confusion about where to turn), the frequent water stops (I now truly appreciate hydration after running a few races where the water stops were a problem), and the safety (no cars to deal with). Stacy took off a bit at the half way point, and I tried to keep her in sight. I split an 8:40 at around mile 8, and that really got my heart rate up. After that, I just tried to stay as close to 9:00 as possible. My total time was a 1:57:31, which is an 8:58/mile average. I was very pleased with a sub-9 average on a challenging course, and I negative split (or at least even split). I managed to finish about 40 seconds after Stacy, which was a great accomplishment for me. I'll ignore the fact that she hasn't been working out much! Also, I finished second in my age group (out of nine people, not just two!).

Post Race:
I was really surprised with my recovery after the run. I thought the hills would make me pretty sore, but I was right back at it yesterday and I ran just over 4 miles with no problems. I got a little daring and signed up for the Cowtown 50K (31 miles) last night, so I have that to look forward to on Sunday morning. YIKES!

A Chicken 'n' Waffles Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T06:37:00.004-06:00

I woke up on Monday morning feeling like absolute garbage. I had forgotten to take my Pantoprazole (acid reducer for the tum-tum) on two consecutive mornings, and then I had the bright idea to eat some jalapeno poppers (and a whole lot of other food 'n' beverage items) on Sunday after our trail run. I wasn't really looking forward to ANOTHER day of gluttony. I trudged along and got ready for work and slowly started getting out of my funk (but the self-pity brought on by a horrible reading on the scale stayed with me until I started drinking wine later in the day).

Fortunately I planned ahead and packed the essentials in my gym/telework bag. I had a nice 7-mile run at lunch and I enjoyed the warmer temperatures. After lunch, I did a set of sit-ups and push-ups with my friend (and co-worker) and our office director. My friend has to pass a physical fitness test, which includes sit-ups and push-ups, for the Air Force JAG program. So any ways, we did a set of push-ups (real "man" push-ups) until we could max out. I surprised myself with my form and my number - 10 push-ups, which is way more than I thought I could do. Then we did sit-ups, and I busted 37 out in one minute (after unbuttoning my work slacks so I could get serious!). After work, I did a final workout of 30 minutes on the stationary bike. I was pretty tired by that point, but at least I burned some extra calories. Then I had time to shower, dry my hair, and throw on some makeup before Cliff finished work.

I'm glad I sucked it up and went into the office, because I was seriously contemplating a "sick day" when I woke up on Monday morning. Cliff surprised me with flowers (roses and star gazers), which were delivered to my office. Plus I got a sweet note, and that always makes me more giddy than the flowers. The pretty, pretty flowers (and my post-workout shower towel in the background, which Cliff pointed out might annoy my co-workers):

After work we enjoyed the beautiful weather and shared a bottle of cab on the patio at Central Market. It was nice to relax a bit after work and enjoy some time together before dinner. We had a last minute change in plans on Sunday when we discovered that not only was Bonnell's charging $85 per person for a set menu (appetizer, entree, dessert, and one glass of wine), but we couldn't use our Groupon ($35 for $70) on a "holiday." I checked out my Open Table iPhone application (hooray for not having to talk to a human!) and reserved us a table at Button's. We thought their set menu ($50) included a bottle of wine, but it turned out we got unlimited glasses of wine. Score... a great deal for us! We both ordered the same appetizer (chopped up salad) and entree (chicken and waffles), and we decided on different desserts (Cliff got the brownie and I ordered the bread pudding... Cliff made the better decision). It was our first time ordering chicken and waffles, and it was absolutely delicious! Plus Cliff got to text message his parents and tell them he was eating collard greens. I devoured my food, and I'm not even much of a fried chicken fan. It was heavenly though, and it was such a nice break from our routine "nice dinner," which usually includes a steak. Plus our total check was only $108 - a steal on V-Day!

The Trail Run at Eagle Mountain Park (5.25 Miles)

2011-02-13T14:09:00.005-06:00

Cliff and I ran "The Trail Run at Eagle Mountain Park" this morning with some friends of ours. It was a 5.25-mile trail run. I wasn't sure what to expect since I had never run there before (even though the trails are only 6 miles from our house), and Sansom Park (about 6 miles in the opposite direction) is very technical. It was a very low-key race. No race bibs or timing chips... just a clock at the end of the race and a piece of paper to turn in with your time.

I started out towards the front of the pack and immediately about a dozen or two dozen people passed me in the first mile or so. I did make up a little ground towards the end though. The trails were very wide and much less technical than Sansom. However, the uphills really got my heart rate up, and the mud made the course a bit more tricky. I saw the mile markers at 1, 2, 3, and 5, but I missed 4. I split 9:40, 9:20, and 9:40 on the first three miles. My total time was 49:45, which was a 9:29/mile average. The most exciting "nature moment" was when two deers were chasing each other and ran right in front of me on the trail.

This was the first race I had run with my husband since the Vegas Marathon/Half Marathon we did back in December 2007, and I was very proud of him for completing his first trail race! Also, my friend Stephanie was the overall female, finishing in 40:38. Her husband, Russell, also finished the race in under an hour. After the run, we had a "puppy play date" with their dog, Reece, and our brood. Then we had some "adult time" with lunch and tasty beverages at the bar up the street. Happy Sunday Funday!

Our smarty pants, GusGus, getting in the pool in February. Keep in mind, the Trinity River froze last week.

Reece playing with the Bassets:

Finding the Mojo

2011-02-09T15:14:00.004-06:00

So after being sick for two weeks (and why am I still congested?!), backing out of the 50-miler, and being couped up in the house with "snow days" from Tuesday-Friday, I'm back at it! We had another office closure today, but I didn't let that get me down. I did a 25-minute "mini boot camp" indoors with jumping jacks, sit-ups, free weights, squats, etc.

Saturday - 60 min on the stair stepper, 30 min on the stationary bike
Sunday - 3.4-mile run, 2.5-mile dog walk, 35 min on the elliptical, 25 min on the stair stepper
Monday - 6.05-mile run, 2.5-mile dog walk
Tuesday - 6.08-mile run, 60 min on the stationary bike

I shed 3 of the 6 (EEEK!!) pounds I gained during my week of gluttony and laziness.

I also signed up for a 5-mile trail run, which is this Sunday on some trails only 6 miles away from my house! Also, I'm planning on signing up for a half marathon the following weekend.

As for my some bigger goals... I'm not quite sure yet. I thought some fun races would get me motivated and help me show up to the start line in the future. The Cowtown 50K and Ardmore Marathon are in the back of my mind, but the Cowtown is the day after Cliff's birthday, and we've also been talking about vacation plans.

Some other goals I've been tossing around:
-Sub-4-hour marathon (after going out too fast in December)
-Complete a 50-miler (after not doing Rocky this year)
-Qualify for the Marathon Maniacs
-Complete the El Scorcho 25K or 50K (I signed up for the 25K in 2009 or 2010 and didn't make it to the start line due to an injury)
-Complete the Cowtown 50K (I signed up for this race last year and then I had gastro issues to deal with)

Decisions, decisions. But I know the most important part is to get out there, be fit, and have fun!

Back in the Groove

2011-02-06T08:38:00.004-06:00

It was a glorious day yesterday. The sun was shining, the snow was melting, and I was burning some calories at the gym. I did an hour on the stair stepper and 30 minutes on the stationary spin bike and my legs felt the burn of doing something different. My arms are also a little upset with me after my mini "Nicole Boot Camp" on Thursday, when I did about 25 minutes of sit-ups, free weights, push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, etc.

I did indulge a bit at dinner though. Cliff and I split a bottle of Cabernet, watched more "Nip/Tuck," and then headed to Boo Ray's for dinner. It was our first time out of the house together in a week, so we definitely appreciated it. We ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell, and the whole experience makes me want to become a restaurant consultant. They didn't give us any appetizer plates, and when we asked for them, they brought us one. There were only 8 crackers (not even 12), so we had to ask for more crackers. And I also had to ask for Tobasco sauce (although that is a more reasonable request). Cliff ordered the "stuffed" filet charred rare, and it came out medium well (and they also need to change the description from "stuffed" to "topped"). They were very nice about re-firing it, and the waitress even mentioned taking it off the check. The second filet came out perfect though, so Cliff said free dessert (instead of free dessert AND free filet) would be fine. What totally perplexed me though was that the manager didn't even ask Cliff to cut into the steak when he brought him the re-fire. Seriously?! It's like waiting tables 101. Now I would absolutely LOVE to tell the owner or manager all of my "helpful hint," but I don't want to come across as a complete witch at an establishment that we frequent probably weekly (at least for $1.50 happy hour drafts, if not dinner).

Perhaps my cutest doggy snow picture:

Four Things Friday

2011-02-04T07:01:00.014-06:00

1. I awoke to some awesome snow outside, which far surpasses this lame ice that we've had since Tuesday. I was excited to play with the dogs and take pictures, but they (especially the Bassets!) didn't share my enthusiasm. Our office is closed for the fourth day in a row, which means Day #4 of my staycation.

2. I'm going to have to force myself to do some sort of indoor "boot campish" workout today before I go insane (or weigh 200 pounds). I wish our neighborhoods weren't so dangerous to drive in during this weather, or I'd camp out at 24 Hour Fitness!

3. I decided to pass on the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler this year. I still have the sinus infection (congested, coughing, colorful gunk), and this weather would make it pretty difficult to get to Huntsville. Hopefully I can get some good workouts in this weekend and make some new short-term goals.

4. Meanwhile, it seems to be the month for eating. I've done a bit more boredom eating and drinking since Monday was the last time I left the house. We're celebrating Jordan's (bonus son's) birthday this weekend, Valentine's Day is coming up, and Cliff's birthday is at the end of the month. I really need to hit the gym or the pavement!

Photo-less Indecision Thursday Thirteen

2011-02-03T08:24:00.003-06:00

1. Why won't my laptop allow the "paste" function in Blogger? So odd. Words, words, everywhere. I want pictures.

2. Being "snowed in" loses its luster after a day or two. We're on Day #3 now. I'm antsy and I have cabin fever.

3. I've been on Amoxicillin since Sunday, and I don't think it's doing a very good job of kicking this sinus infection. I probably need to go to the doctor again, but I'm s-t-u-c-k here.

4. Normally I work from home pretty frequently. Somehow, since the office is closed, I don't have to work. I don't really understand the logic in this, but I shouldn't ask questions. I'll attempt to enjoy my three-day staycation.

5. I need to make a decision today about whether or not to run the Rocky Raccoon 50-Miler.

6. Pros: I feel like I bail on everything. I signed up, I paid, I should go. It would be a great accomplishment, and I think I can finish. Assuming Christie goes, I don't want to bail on her. The weather should be better on Saturday.

7. Cons: The weather stinks, and driving there might be a problem. It's Jordan's (bonus son's) birthday this weekend, and staying home and having fun sounds like a fantastic option. I've been sick for over a week now, and the antibiotics don't seem to be effective.

8. Our new Netflix endeavor is Nip/Tuck. We watched four episodes last night, and it is quite entertaining.

9. We also saw a few good documentaries this week, including "Beer Wars" and "A Lawyer Walks into a Bar."

10. I feel like I'm getting exponentially fatter. I've gained about 3.5 pounds over these past few days due to more food and drink and less exercise.

11. I logged 65 minutes of Wii Fit activities yesterday and actually felt a since of accomplishment. We really need a treadmill or elliptical machine at the house!

12. The Basset Hounds had never had an accident until yesterday... when Lucy #2'd on the dining room rug three times throughout the day.

13. Our neighborhood roads are iced over, and we peeked out the windows like creepers yesterday and watched people stall or spin out right in front of our house. It was kind of funny until someone knocked over our trash can.

Wahhh wahhhh

2011-02-02T09:17:00.002-06:00

It's nice to be off work for the second day in a row, but I'm starting to get cabin fever. I'm bored, and since I don't have a great exercise option, I'm substituting exercise for more food and drink. Plus my antibiotics aren't working, and I'm constantly blowing my nose. This sinus infection needs to go away, especially with this lil' run looming right around the corner. Done venting. Back to Zuma Blitz.

Week #8: January 24 - January 30... One Week Til Rocky!

2011-01-30T15:55:00.002-06:00

Well, the sickness junk resulted in a big, fatty taper this week. I was actually nauseous last Thursday night and Friday, and then some congestion kicked in on Wednesday. I figured it was just allergies, and by Friday, Cliff and I were pretty miserable (but still managed to drink and watch one of our favorite cover bands perform). I finally went to Care Now (urgent care) today, and I tested positive for the flu. I would have never guessed I had the flu, but the nurse encouraged me to take the test (a nasal swab) because a lot of patients had cold and sinus symptoms but actually had the flu. So I guess it's going around in full force today. The lady who checked me out (that sounds a lot more exciting than it really was) at Walmart said that 10 people called in sick today. Fortunately I can work from home all week (the Steelers are staying in Downtown Fort Worth and practicing at TCU, so the traffic and road closures will be a bear), so I am looking forward to sitting in front of the laptop and wearing my PJs tomorrow while I go through a whole box of Kleenex. At least my recap will me short and sweet!

Run #1 (Tuesday afternoon): 3.63 miles @ 8:24/mile (30:33); Lake Country; Awesome tempo run. I split 9:01, 8:21, and 8:10. The last 0.63 miles was in 7:58 pace.

Run #2 (Wednesday afternoon): 5.50 miles @ 9:16/mile (50:59); Downtown/Trinity Trail; I eased up on the pace a bit, enjoyed the weather, and had a great lunch run!

Other Workouts:
Weights 12 min
Elliptical Machine 40 min
Walked Dogs 4.75 miles

Total Running for the Week: 9.13 miles, 1:21:32, 8:56/mile average

Total Workout Time for the Week: 2:13:30

Thursday Thirteen: Rocky Raccoon is LOOMING

2011-01-27T05:34:00.000-06:00

1. We’re in transition. We’re still paying $8.65 for the Netflix instant queue (where the phrase “available on DVD only” appears more often than not), but now we have a 2-week trial of the Blockbuster 2-disc a month ($16.99 + tax) program. Once the two weeks end, we will cancel Netflix (no more “Family Guy” and “South Park” on demand… sad face) and continue with Blockbuster. We decided to convert since Blockbuster allows 5 exchanges a month and also gets the new releases 28 days before Netflix and Red Box.

2. Our first queue selections were “The Social Network” and “Big Love” (Disc 2 of the newest season). If you’ve seen interviews with Mark Zuckerberg (the founder of Facebook), you’ll appreciate Jesse Eisenberg’s amazing awkwardness.

3. Somehow I neglected to pay the cable and phone bills this month. Wifey fail. Situation rectified. Eeek.

4. I also spent way too much time on the phone with Citibank last night trying to explain to a woman in India that our extra mortgage payments should have been applied solely to principal. What. A. Beating.

5. Cliff made some kick bootie eggplant parmesan on Tuesday. He stuck to the recipe (for the most part) and substituted 2% mozzarella cheese. I made us a side Caesar salad (with Girard’s lowfat dressing), and Cliff was in charge of the garlic bread (which means there was real butter involved!).

6. Of course you can’t enjoy eggplant parmesan without some red wine! I’m noticing my alcohol intake is increasing as my running mileage during taper is decreasing.

7. We have been on a documentary kick lately since Netflix doesn’t have much available on the instant queue (I will stop whining about that now). We have enjoyed such classics as “Blood into Wine,” “Jesus Camp,” “Food, Inc.,” and “Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows.”

8. My allergies have been killing me the past several days. Most of it can be attributable to one shedding Basset Hound, Sir Hanky Panky:

9. The Rocky Raccoon 50-miler is becoming real. The Race Director emailed us last night with his pet peeves and some instructions. I still need to make some purchases, including a head lamp and/or flashlight!

10. I’m still unsure how I want to carry my water. I have one handheld, and I am thinking about carrying that with my spibelt for the first loop and then packing my fuel belt in my drop bag in case one handheld is not adequate. A lot of it will depend on the weather and temperatures. I am avoiding the camelback since I’ve never run with one before. I’ve had really bad luck with water in my last few races (including The Falls and the Fort Worth Marathon 20-miler) though.

11. Still no word on the job promotion. The suspense is building!

12. Incognito is playing at the Eagle’s Nest on Friday night. That is one of our favorite cover bands, so we will be putting our party pants on!

13. I’m going to try taking ALL THREE dogs to Fort Woof on Friday afternoon. I’m not too worried about them inside the dog park… it’s more the trek from the car to and from the gate of the park!

Week #7 (January 17-23): Starting the Taper

2011-01-24T05:06:00.001-06:00

This week was a bit of a challenge since I didn't feel well on Thursday night, Friday, or Sunday morning. But at least that forced me to sleep more, run less, and get a jump start on my taper.

Run #1 (Monday morning): 12.15 miles @ 9:58/mile (2:01:10); Trinity Trail; It took me awhile to shake off Saturday's long run. I split 10:09, 10:37, 10:31, 10:16, 10:06, 9:53, 10:09, 9:53, 9:53, 9:52, 9:33, 8:53. I like the average function on the Garmin. It really pushed me on the last mile or two to break a 10-minute average, and I was super happy with the 8:53 on the end!

Run #2 (Tuesday morning): 6 miles @ 10:07/mile (1:00:42); Downtown/Trinity Trail; I realized that more mileage results in a slower Nicole. It was a great way to start off my morning before leaving for a work trip. Plus there was a nice little drizzle.

Run #3 (Wednesday morning): 2.15 miles @ 11:37/mile (25:00); Horrible Hotel Dreadmill; If I was really running 11:37 pace, I would have been tripping on myself. But I guess I should have just been thankful there was a hotel gym.

Run #4 (Saturday afternoon): 5.12 miles @ 9:21/mile (47:23); Lake Country; Hooray for being back home. I was happy to get outdoors again, and the weather was great. Funny how 60 degrees seems hot now.

Run #5 (Sunday morning): 6.10 miles @ 9:50/mile (1:00:01); Trinity Trail; Stacy and I had planned on running 10-12 miles, but neither of us were up to the task. I woke up with a bit of a sore throat, and I decided to listen to my body. So we decreased the mileage and increased our socializing at Panera time!

Other Workouts:
Stationary Bike 1 hour & 25 min
Weights & Abs 15 min
Walked Dogs 1.5 miles

Total Running for the Week: 31.52 miles, 5:29:19, 9:58/mile average

Total Workout Time for the Week: 6:54:19

Week #6 (January 10-16): Going for the Big One

2011-01-16T22:04:00.002-06:00

I was aiming for a big run on Saturday morning and ended up logging my longest training run in history (previous longest was 20 miles). I was hoping to finish the week with 60 miles, and I came up short. I needed a recovery day though... my legs are shot. Since tomorrow is a federal holiday, I'm hoping for a medium to long run on the Trinity Trail after my eye exam in the morning. Now it's time to start winding things down a bit with Rocky Racoon only 3 weeks away.

Run #1 (Monday evening): 5.30 miles @ 8:45/mile (46:25); Lake Country; I worked out some frustration and it felt great to just run... except my pants were falling down and I pulled them up about a zillion times. Great tempo work!

Run #2 (Tuesday afternoon): 10 miles @ 10:06/mile (1:41:07); Lake Country; I was aiming for mileage versus speed, and I got some good hill work done, including the Golf Club monster of a hill.

Run #3 (Friday afternoon): 6.24 miles @ 12:58/mile (1:20:55); Sansom Park; A much-needed trail run with Dan. We did a big loop, including the technical red trails. It was a bootie kicker!

Run #4 (Saturday morning: 24.05 miles @ 10:37 (4:15:36); Trinity Trail; I ran the first half with Dan in an 11:01/mile average and I ran the second half with Stacy in a 10:15/mile average. Our last mile was 9:51. Either we were highly motivated for some Panera coffee, I could have kept going, or I could have run faster (or a trifecta combo!). The distance (or maybe all of my suh-weet dance moves last night) caught up with me today though.

Other Workouts:
Stair Stepper 60 min
Weights & Abs 22 min

Weekly Running Totals: 45.59 miles, 8:04:03, 10:37/mile average pace

Total Workout Time for the Week: 9:26:06

Longest Training Run

2011-01-15T14:16:00.003-06:00

So I went back-and-forth on how many miles I would do today. Ideally I would have liked a 30-miler, for both the confidence and the practice of staying on my feet for hours (and hours). But I've also been nursing an aggravated hip flexor (which allows me to put a bag of frozen peas down my pants, but I digress), and I wanted to play it smart. I was waivering on 20-30 miles, and I went with 24 miles. This way Dan and I could run 12 miles and then pick up Stacy for 12 more miles. Nice and pretty and symmetrical ;) So Dan and I set off at about 6:20 this morning and went a nice, easy pace. Dan was shooting for 30+ miles, but he didn't really sleep last night (bad combo). We left from Hoffbrau and headed out to 183, around the freeway (with a residential detour for an extra 2 miles), and back to Hoffbrau. We picked up the pace a bit around mile 7 or 8.

Splits: 11:00, 11:21, 11:31, 11:11, 11:08, 11:20, 11:37, 10:42, 10:29, 10:49, 10:35, 10:22
Nom Nom Nom: Gu at mile 5, 3 Cliff blocks (half a package at mile 10)

I had a fantastic Panera Potty Stop (what would we do with the convenient Panera location), Dan called it a day, and Stacy and I headed out (in the other direction) on the Trinity Trail after I gobbled down three more Cliff blocks and refilled my water. I felt pretty good. The mileage flew by pretty quickly since we talked for most of the run. I like how our last mile was sub-10. That definitely shows I have more in tank to speed up the run and/or run farther.

Splits: 10:12, 10:14, 10:29, 10:26, 10:21, 10:30, 10:07, 10:10, 10:06, 10:13, 10:11, 9:51
Nom Nom Nom: Gu at mile 17

Totals: 24.05 miles, 4:15:36, 10:37/mile

After the run we treated ourselves to some hazelnut coffee at Panera and then headed over to Zoe's for the veggie pita pizza. It was a good end to a chilly, misty morning full o' mileage!

Four Things Friday

2011-01-14T10:22:00.002-06:00

1. My interview yesterday was okay. I tend to interview quickly (probably a 20-minute average?). I think part of that is because I talk fast and I just want it to end. Some of the questions covered my weaker areas - procurement, union issues, etc. I felt more confident with how I answered the questions related to management philosophy and work ethic. So we'll see what happens. I should know something within 2 weeks. Either way, I'll be a happy camper because I am very appreciative of my current job.

2. We had a fun little post-interview celebration (station!) yesterday in lieu of our traditional "family dinner" night... a few drinks at Boo Ray's, dinner at Taste of Italy, and a few more drinks at the Eagle's Nest. Fortunately I got to sleep in a bit today since I had a Dr Brian appointment at 8:15.

3. My hip, or "sexy boy muscle" (as we like to call it), has been bothering me for weeks now. Dr Brian is seriously the greatest at pinpointing the exact spot (I wasn't even sure what I was pointing to!) and working out the "junk" (another medical term). It's just what I need before tackling a trail run with Dan this afternoon, a long run tomorrow morning with some friends, and a (possible) medium run on Sunday.

4. I had a "rest" day yesterday (with all of the crazy stuff going on at work, the interview and a big meeting in the afternoon, I didn't have time to squeeze in a workout) and I worked out at 24 Hour on Wednesday and did an hour on my stair stepper (I miss that machine... they removed the one at our federal gym) and some weights. Hopefully that gave my hip flexor a chance to recover a bit from the tempo run on Monday and 10-mile hilly run on Tuesday.

Big Day Tomorrow

2011-01-12T13:43:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow I have an interview at 9 am and a big meeting at 1 pm. I, unlike my husband (who is a pro and gives me fantastic advice), don't have a ton of interview experience. I'm so afraid of a question that will leave me with a blank stare, while we all listen to the birds chirp outside the window. The interview is for two director positions (Deputy Director and Director of Finance, Budget, and Facilities Management) in the Office of Public and Indian Housing in HUD. The job would be a considerable promotion for me, and I would be supervising a team and working in the office (which is in Burnett Plaza, rather than the federal building) every day. So tomorrow I will wear my big girl suit into the office. Hopefully it fits... I was a little fluffier when I interviewed a year ago! I'm looking forward to having a good interview, getting through the day, and celebrating with family happy hour and dinner.

Week #5 (January 3-9): Rackin' up the Mileage

2011-01-09T08:59:00.002-06:00

Run #1 (Monday evening): 8 miles @ 8:59 (1:11:53); Lake Country; We got back from California in the afternoon and I hit the roads in the evening. It felt good to get back in the routine, and I got faster as the run progressed.

Run #2 (Tuesday afternoon): 7.08 miles @ 9:23 (1:06:30); 7th Street/Trinity Trail; Lunch time run with Kit. I ran a bit easier with her and took off on the middle mile. I felt pretty good but I held back.

Run #3 (Wednesday morning): 4.22 miles @ 9:28 (40:01); Lake Country; Early morning run around my neighborhood to start the day. I also got a good swim workout in after work.

Run #4 (Thursday afternoon): 7.39 miles @ 9:13 (1:08:10); 7th Street/Trinity Trail; Lunch time run with Kit. We picked up the pace (compared to Tuesday's run).

Run #5 (Friday afternoon): 7.39 miles @ 9:32 (1:10:28); 7th Street/Trinity Trail; I repeated Thursday's run to figure out the exact mileage. I ran this one solo and just took it easy since my hip had been bothering me and I wanted to run longer over the weekend.

Run #6 (Saturday morning): 16 miles @ 9:36 (2:33:37); Trinity Trail; I didn't know what to expect heading into this run. I had already hit 34 miles for the week, and my right hip has been talking (grumbles, not sweet whispers) to me. Stacy and I planned to meet at 8 am for a 5-6 mile run on the Trinity Trail. I felt pretty good on Friday night and I got to bed at a decent time, so I decided to run 6 miles on the trail before meeting Stacy. Then we met up and we ended up convincing each other (hooray for positive peer pressure) to run 10 miles. The miles flew by, and the pace felt comfortable (especially considering we descended). Splits: 9:57 (1), 9:49 (2), 9:43 (3), 9:35 (4), 9:35 (5), 9:38 (6), 9:43 (7), 9:42 (8), 9:40 (9), 9:27 (10), 9:29 (11), 9:34 (12), 9:31 (13), 9:28 (14), 9:25 (15), 9:13 (16). We celebrated with some hazelnut coffee (always a treat!) at Panera. This was my first "long" run (excluding some medium runs in the 9-12 range) since the marathon, and my body seemed to respond well.

Total Weekly Mileage: 50.08

Total Running Time & Average: 7:50:38, 9:24/mile

Other Workouts:
Swim (3,600 yards, 1:07:27)

Total Workout Time: 8:58:05

Some "Rocky" Encouragement

2011-01-08T17:16:00.004-06:00

I didn't have huge expectations for this morning since I had already run 34 miles this week and my hip (which Stacy, my BFF who is conveniently a physical therapist when she's not engaging in BFF duties, diagnosed as "my sexy boy" muscle... and now you totally know what I'm talking about) has been a little annoyed with me. Stacy and I planned on meeting at 8 am for 5-6 miles. I got to bed at a decent time (9:45) last night, and my hip felt pretty good. So I decided to set the alarm for 6 am instead of 7 am and get in an extra 6 miles before meeting Stacy.

Splits - 9:57, 9:49, 9:43, 9:35, 9:35, 9:38

I met Stacy at 8:00 am and at the 3-mile marker I asked her "about about 7 miles?" So we ran out 3.5 miles and turned back. Then I asked "how about 2 more miles since I had 15 miles in the back of my mind?" And Stacy responded with "if we do 3 more miles I won't have to run tomorrow." Sold! The miles flew by! It's always better running with a friend. I'm hoping for a 13-miler tomorrow, but I'm afraid we'll be snowed in! Eeeeek... it's not often I get to say that!

Splits - 9:43, 9:42, 9:40, 9:27, 9:29, 9:34, 9:31, 9:28, 9:25, 9:13

Totals: 2:33:37, 16 miles, 9:36/mile average

Friday Five

2011-01-07T15:54:00.001-06:00

1. My blog layout looked so 2008, so I finally got around to fancifying it a bit. Plus I wanted to feature the Bassets (in addition to Gus) for equal opportunity doggy bragging.
Dog pile:

2. I ran the same route again today to get the exact mileage, 7.39. That being said, my hip is pretty angry with me for running 34 miles already this week.
A much $exier hip than mine:

3. I still have no clue how far I’m going to run this weekend. I know I should take advantage of the weather on Saturday before it turns to freezing (literally). I’m happy with the amount of mileage I’ve logged, but I know I need to be doing long runs to prepare for the 50-miler at Rocky Raccoon. So do I keep plugging away, or do I try resting and/or cross-training for a few days? Decisions, decisions.

4. I’m registered in the Tall Mom 1000+++ Challenge this year. I wanted to do it last year, but I was too slow on the uptake. I’m also in the “Good Guys versus Bad Girls 2011 Run Competition” on Facebook. So in addition to logging my mileage in Excel, Buckeye Outdoors, Daily Mile, and my blog, I have two more spots. Yikes. Good thing I’m an accountant and tracking numbers gives me warm fuzzies.

5. I’m looking forward to some hubby time this weekend. It will be nice to lounge around the house after being gone for two weeks. We’ll probably see “True Grit,” and I need to put my responsible pants on and start preparing for my job interview on Thursday.

Thursday Thirteen

2011-01-06T15:34:00.000-06:00

1. Yesterday I did my first swim workout since October 7. I started off with a 1,000 warm-up, and I was extremely bored. I came up with a main set of 12 x 50’s, 4 x 150’s, 12 x 50’s, and 4 x 150’s, and that was much better. The total workout was 3,600 yards, and it was a pretty good challenge and change of pace. My breaststroke felt especially good (only 8 strokes per length, which was my old “norm”).

2. I realize that after swimming masters with Chuck, my workouts tend to be symmetrical. Speaking of Chuck, swimming with a masters team is ten times better. I keep procrastinating on rejoining though, especially since I need to focus on running right now.

3. It grosses me out when big, old, fat men jump in the pool after sweating in the sauna or steam room. But for some reason it doesn’t gross me out to pee in the pool.

4. It feels good to be back in the groove after two weeks of bad eating and drinking habits. I’m a little surprised the scale hasn’t budged (I’m up about 6 pounds from my lowest pre-California trip weight), but it might be because I’m scarfing down a huge dinner. I might try brushing my teeth and putting my retainers on right after dinner so I resist my routine bag of microwave popcorn.

5. I’m also more consistent with my running (nearly daily), but I need to get some long runs done. My hip (or hip flexor?) is still bothering me. I probably need to get that looked at. I’m hoping to get some long runs in this weekend (maybe 15 on Saturday and 13 on Sunday?), but it’s supposed to be cold and rainy.

6. (In honor of #6) We’re finishing Season 6 of Lost, and we’re getting more confused by the second. How many alternate storylines can there be? Yikes. Maybe it will all make sense at the end… but probably not.

7. We switched over to the “streaming only” option on Netflix since the price of three discs a month increased in 2011, but we are pretty unhappy with the selection. The majority of the shows we select are available on DVD only. I think we’re going to give Blockbuster a try. I like that you can exchange a DVD in the store five times a month.

8. Now that the holidays have come and gone, we have a huge stack of Christmas cards sitting on the counter. Do most people throw those away? It makes me feel a bit guilty, but I don’t want to be a hoarder.

9. I ran at lunch today with a friend of mine and I have been starting the Garmin before the satellite signal is fully acquired, and then I just multiply the second half distance by two to get the full distance (since we are on a work time crunch). I messed it up today, and I didn’t get any distance at all. So now (because I am completely OCD), I’ll have to run the same route again to get the exact mileage. Considering we ran our last two runs in a 9:23 average, I used that and worked backwards. But I still feel like something’s amiss. Fail.

10. I have an interview for a Director (supervisory) position (with HUD) next Thursday.

11. I got the phone call about the interview while I was teleworking in my PJs yesterday after taking a nap with my dogs during my lunch break.

12. Needless to say, it will be tough to make that decision… do I give up my plush job for a bigger challenge (and mo’ money)?

13. I can’t believe I went this long without a Sam’s Club membership. Not only that, but it’s the only place I can find Pop Chips!

New Years (Horned Frog Style)

2011-01-06T05:17:00.003-06:00

Fortunately I was able to take a fat 2-hour nap on New Years Eve, even though that only gave me enough time for a 2-mile run. My mom had to work, so I had a dinner date with the guys - Cliff, my dad, and my brother. I made reservations (which turned out to just be "call ahead seating"... but that's okay, I'm not one to complain about $3 happy hour bourbon 'n' diets) for 5:45. Cliff and I haven't had the best experiences the last few times we frequented the Outback in Fort Worth, but the Outback in California never disappoints me. I managed to avoid the Bloomin' Onion (or Awesome Blossom, I always get confused), and I had a yummy blue cheese salad (some sort of blue cheese crumble/nut/fruit concoction), a 9-oz filet topped with blue cheese, and a sweet potato. It was absolutely delish. I figured I would order the larger filet and give my last few ounces to Cliff, but I made a happy plate.

My dad won the gold star for the day after he volunteered to pick up my friend, Melissa, at LAX. Cliff, my brother, and I walked over to the Colorado Bar (a dive bar just east of all of the Colorado Blvd/parade madness) and had some drinks and my dad dropped Melissa off. We enjoyed the bar... the prices were fairly reasonable, and the crowd was rather eclectic.

Melissa, Me, and My Bro:

Some Wisconsin girls walked in, and I had fun talking to them (although I could talk to a door after a few drinks... and I would still probably laugh at my own jokes).

My Madison BFFs:

We rang in the new year and walked home at around 1 am. I tried not to over indulge, and I was ready for bed when we got home. The boys still had their party pants on though! I woke up at around 8 am and the bloody marys cured my minor hangover. It was a bit of a challenge for Stacy and Kristel (my other friends who stayed with a friend of theirs) to get to my brother's place in the morning, but somehow they managed. Cliff and my brother went on a field trip to get us donuts and coffee (so we were double fisting the coffee and bloody marys) and we had a quick breakfast. Once we heard the parade coming up Sierra Madre at around 9:30 am, we walked about 2 blocks and we had a great view of the action.

Rah rah TCU!

Spirited parade viewing:

We watched the first part of the parade and walked back to my brother's for a bathroom (and champagne!) break, and then watched the end of the parade (and by "end," I mean my brother stays until the emergency vehicles and protestors go by).

We all walked to Stacy and Kristel's rental car and my brother drove us towards the Rose Bowl stadium. He dropped us off at the Shell station on the corner of Walnut and Fair Oaks, and we walked a mile or two to the stadium. This was much less stressful than trying to drive down to the Bowl and park (even though we had bought two parking passes for $30 each).

We ended up going straight into the game, which was a good idea because there were a bazillion people. By the time we grabbed a beer and got to our seats, we watched part of the pre-game festivities, and it was time for the game to start! I had never been to the Rose Bowl stadium before (even though I swam at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center for 8 years and we would run the 2-mile loop around the stadium for "dryland") and I was amazed at the poor layout (but I guess that's why they're renovating the stadium now!). It was so exciting to be there though, and the football game was absolutely amazing. My only regret is that we didn't record it on DVR (it would have been fun to see it afterwards on TV), but I'm sure we can find the game somewhere. The celebration at the end was really exciting, and it was hard not to get a little teary-eyed.

I'm realizing that I'm not using the right settings on my camera. The night pics were horrible, so here is some pre-game action:

Cheering on our Horned Frogs:

Celebrating the victory!

My dad picked us up after the game (so we logged another walking mile or two) and we all headed to Island's (pause for nostalgic effect... that was my first job, as a hostess) for dinner. I endulged (once again) and ordered the "Bluenami" burger (I'm now fully realizing my Christmas break blue cheese consumption). I was fading fast though... such a long (but fantastic!) day. We were ready to call it a night after dinner.

During our last full day in California, we drove to Torrance and took my Grandma Marion out to lunch. I had the weirdest veggie omelette ever... they used a stir-fry vegetable mix (snow peas, carrots, etc.). After lunch, my dad drove us around Hollywood so Melissa could see the sites. It was raining, but she still got a bit of the LA experience. We went to Di Pilla's (again!) for dinner. I was a little adventurous and I ordered the seafood pasta and it looked like they scooped it out from the bottom of the ocean. Once I de-shelled everything, it was a bit more manageable. It was just very labor intensive!

2010 Running Recap

2011-01-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

Total Miles for the Year: 1,099.56 (Oh so close to 1100! Obviously I didn't see the cumulative mileage 0n December 31, or I would have run 2.6 miles instead of 2.16!) I definitely blew 2009's mileage (633.34) out of the water, and it was nice to hit the 1,000 mark. I'm wondering if 2,011 miles in 2011 is a little too ambitious? Staying injury-free will play a big part in that (and my hip is already bothering me!).

By Month:
January - 87.58
February - 15.29
March - 66.17
April - 75.86
May - 88.95
June - 75.71
July - 95.68
August - 107.51
September - 96.56
October - 150.55
November - 100.59
December - 139.11

Races:
I'm not that enthusiastic about signing up for events, probably because I was so committed to that throughout my teenage years. I did the Ardmore half marathon for fun (and I wasn't in great running shape, but I was just over 2 hours), my first trail race (the 30K in Pedernales Falls), the Fort Worth 20-miler (as a training run for the marathon), and I achieved a PR in the marathon by 13 minutes. I also did a random 10K swim after not swimming much all year!

Looking Forward to 2011:
I'm doing my first "ultra" (50-mile run) next month. I'm trying to increase the mileage, but my hip flexor is a little aggravated. The good news is that I have 29 hours to finish, so I can essentially do a 50-mile walk. I'd rather keep it to about 15 hours though, because being out there for 29 hours sounds like misery.

I'm also hoping to break 4 hours in the marathon since I came so close in December. I know I need to hold back at the beginning and try to even (or negative) split. I've been training at around 9-minute mile pace now, and it's amazing how much easier my goal marathon pace has become. I still need to decide on a spring marathon (any suggestions???).

I also want to work on my speed and tempo and break 1:50 in a half marathon.

Lastly, I'd like to get back on my bike (but first I need to figure out why the brake pad rubs on the tire) and back in the pool (and not just for a random 10,000 for time!). I'm not sure if I want to race in a triathlon in 2011, but I at least want to do some more cross training and entertain the thought of getting back into it.

Week 4 (December 27 - January 2): More Holiday Gluttony

2011-01-03T18:57:00.002-06:00

Run #1 (Monday afternoon): 6 miles @ 9:08 (54:48); San Gabriel, San Marino, and Alhambra; Enjoyed the beautiful California weather and enjoyed/endured a 1-hour Shiatsu massage afterwards.

Run #2 (Tuesday afternoon): 6 miles @ 8:37 (51:42); San Gabriel, San Marino, and Alhambra; Pushed the pace and was very happy with my average. My hip was still quite sore though.

Run #3 (Thursday afternoon): 10.15 miles @ 9:16 (1:34:12); San Gabriel and San Marino; Slowed the pace a bit and aimed for more mileage. The true success was managing this after a HUGE bean and cheese burrito for lunch!

Run #4 (Friday afternoon): 2.16 miles @ 9:41 (20:56); San Gabriel; I took a 2+ hour nap, but I really needed it. I hadn't been sleeping well because of the cough/bronchitis. I thought I'd get out there and burn a couple hundred calories before stuffing my face at Outback though!

Total Weekly Mileage: 24.31 miles (3:41:38, 9:07/mile average)

Other Non-Running Stuff

2010-12-30T14:59:00.002-06:00

I was highly motivated after my Christmas brunch champagne consumption, and I knocked out my family's 2011 Happy New Year's card. In the evening, Cliff and I went over to a friend's house and saw some of my friends from high school and their significant others. It was great catching up with everyone... I hadn't seen some of those girls since high school. Plus Cliff and I were amazed at the jumbo shrimp (two thumbs up for the snack food).

The next day was full of eating and drinking. Cliff and I went to Rudy's (Mexican restaurant in Monrovia) with my parents. I got a gigantic (think Chipotle-sized) seafood burrito. After dinner, Cliff and I checked out the Wine Detective on Green/Lake. It was a pretty neat place. We each tried about three 1-ounce samples (about $3) and then we committed to a glass. They hooked us up with a little bit of free wine since we were the only ones there. We also tried some cheese, and the blue buffalo cheese was amazing. Before we racked up a huge tab, we switched locations and headed over to the Yard House on Colorado Blvd. We sat at the bar, and Cliff tried the super stout beer. I had a lemon drop martini and a pear cider and then insisted on ordering an appetizer (half-off) pizza. We had a great time, and it was fun to check out some different places.

Cliff and I attempted a trip to the Santa Anita Mall. My first stop was H&M, and I walked out with NOTHING. I think I'm more successful when my mom is there to tell me what to try on. I have a hard time finding flattering stuff in there. I tend to pick out horizontal stripes and big, poofy sleeves. In the evening we went to dinner with my dad at Di Pilla's on Valley in Rosemead. All three of us ordered the same thing (spinach fettuccine noodles with spinach, Italian sausage, garlic, and olive oil) and gorged on garlic bread. The food was delicious, but the services was pretty bad (but my parents said it's usually good, so I guess it was an off night). Cliff and I rented the Wall Street sequel at Blockbuster and had a lazy night.

Yesterday Cliff and I enjoyed brunch at Twohey's. We had an amazing Egg Beater omelet with spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese. We tried to stay out of the house so my mom could sleep (she worked the previous night), and we went to an early movie. We saw the Little Fockers, and it was surprisingly good and funny. In the evening we went to Applebee's to watch the OSU game, and my brother met us there for dinner and drinks.

I coughed all night and decided to go to urgent care today. So now I'm on antibiotics, and I'm hoping to fight off this congestion stuff before the New Years Eve and New Years Day festivities. I've been lounging around this afternoon, and I just inhaled a gigantic bean and cheese burrito from Pepe's. I am going to have to hit the diet and exercise HARD come January. These last two weeks have been full of gluttony.

Christmas Festivities

2010-12-30T13:39:00.002-06:00

On Christmas Eve we went to my Aunt Sally, Uncle Bob, and Cousin Christy's house and had Christmas Eve dinner with the extended family (on my Dad's side). It was fun to catch up with everyone, and dinner was scrumptious. I am seriously hooked on that Costco broccoli salad (with the cashews and raisins). My aunt made a yummy spinach salad, and we also had green beans, ham, tri-tip, homemade buns, and mashed potatoes. I had three helpings of the broccoli salad and three buns (carbs are obviously my weakness). I topped off the meal with some of my cousin's sugar cookies with chocolate and toffee chunks and my aunt's brownies. My uncle also made a really impressive four(?)-layer chocolate cake. And of course there was plenty of wine to wash everything down.

The Family Picture:

Cousin Evan, Brother Aaron, and I with Grandma Marion:

The Cousins (I put my frumpy cardigan on after I realized my shirt was see-through in the pics!):

Cliff arrived at noon on Christmas, so we enjoyed some wine and snacks in the afternoon and then had our traditional prime rib Christmas dinner. My mom does an amazing job. We enjoyed prime rib (cooked perfectly!), twice-baked potatoes, green jello, rolls, green beans, and Christmas cookies.

Family Photo Time:

The lovely ladies (my Grandma Esther stayed with us over Christmas):

We moved the regular Christmas morning activities to the 26th. It worked out well to have the champagne brunch and prime rib dinner on different days. Once again, my mom made a fantastic meal... egg casserole, creamed spinach, fruit salad, and bread (pumpkin & cranberry). There were even frozen fresh strawberries for our champagne. After brunch, we took a few more photos and opened presents.

Spousal Christmas Photo:

Another Family Christmas Portrait:

Christmas Gangsta':

Week #3 (December 20 - 26)... Trying not to break my hip

2010-12-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

Run #1 (Monday afternoon): 6.18 miles @ 9:24 (58:04); Downtown/Trinity Trail; Great negative split (out in 29:30-ish, back in 28:30-ish). Ran with a friend, and she wasn't feeling too swell, so we just kept it at an easy pace... pleasantly surprised by the 9:24 average.

Run #2 (Tuesday afternoon): 7.05 miles @ 9:15 (1:05:15); Downtown/Trinity Trail; It was 82 degrees and I could feel my face getting exponentially redder. My easy-moderate pace has improved considerably though!

Run #3 (Wednesday afternoon): 5 miles @ 8:46 (43:54); Lake Country; Great descend (9:10, 9:01, 8:54, 8:36, 8:12).

Run #4 (Saturday morning): 9.07 miles @ 9:14 (1:23:53); San Marino & San Gabriel; Fun, nostalgic run. Passed by my old elementary, junior high, and high schools and our old house. My right hip was still bothering me though.

Run #5 (Sunday morning): 4.30 miles @ 9:26 (40:38); San Gabriel, San Marino, & Alhambra; I started off super slow and got going after a mile or two. I just wanted to get a short run in before our family's champagne brunch. My hip was still bothering me, but I needed to burn some calories.

Total Weekly Mileage: 31.60 miles

Other Workouts:
Elliptical Machine 30 min
Stationary Bike 20 min
Weights & Abs 20 min

Total Workout Time for the Week: 6:01:58

California Pre-Christmas Festivities

2010-12-24T15:59:00.002-06:00

Cliff drove me to the airport on Wednesday and we stopped at Italianni's for dinner. They have a nice bar atmosphere there, and the happy hour prices are reasonable ($3.50 for the house red). I ordered the vegetable lasagna for dinner, and I was a little disappointed that it was set in a cream sauce. The vegetable lasagna at Zio's the previous night was better. My flight left at 8:00 pm, and I slept most of the way and tried to ignore my tummy ache. My dad picked me up at the airport, and I didn't get to bed until around midnight (2 am Texas time).

Thursday was full of activities. My mom and I went to PetCo to buy presents for Hank, Lucy, and GusGus. Then we grocery shopped at Trader Joe's, Howie's, and Howe's. After we dropped the groceries off, we headed to the Nordstrom Rack and I spent my $50 Groupon (my first Groupon purchase, and it was quite smooth!). I bought a pair of brown gladiator sandals and a Calvin Klein top. Then I went to TJ Max and bought some picture frames (for gifts) and a couple cheap tops for me, picked up some photos at CVS, and met a friend at Kathleen's for lunch. I hadn't seen her since high school (hooray for Facebook), and it was fun to catch up. I squeezed in a nap in the late afternoon before dinner. My brother and I went out to a club in Hollywood until about 1 am, so it was a pretty late night. We had a good time, and I got to see his new ride and his office. I slept in until 10:30 this morning and felt pretty decent. I hit the gym (24 Hour) for a little over an hour. I am trying to lay off the running for a few days and let my hip flexor heal, although it was still bothering me doing the elliptical, stationary bike, and arm weights. Boooo!

Now time to get ready for some Christmas festivities. Have a merry one!

Beginning the 50-mile training plan (or lack thereof) - Weeks 1 & 2

2010-12-20T05:41:00.002-06:00

So now I’m turning my attention to the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler on February 5. I don’t have a training plan in place, but my goal is to churn out some mileage and build on the Saturday and Sunday runs (12 miles each) that I did this weekend. I am injury prone, so I’d rather load the mileage on the weekend (2 days) versus one long run. I didn't write a training plan because I want some flexibility through the holidays. This was a great start though… 40 miles for the week with a 12-miler on Saturday and Sunday. Plus I traveled to Louisiana Tuesday-Thursday for work, so that threw a wrench in the normal routine.

It's been a bit of a struggle to maintain my weight since I'm back on the sauce, and this is the celebration (eating) season. Hopefully some high mileage will help offset the food and drink!

Week 2 (Monday, December 13 – Sunday, December 19):
Run #1 (Tuesday morning) – 7 miles @ 9:23/mile (1:05:43); Lake Country; I did the hilly Golf Club/Lake Country route and then an additional 3.5 miles around my neighborhood before I headed to the airport.
Run #2 (Wednesday morning) – 4 miles @ 10:00/mile (40:00); Treadmill; Holy hangover. I felt like crud in the morning after too much wine and a bad night of hotel sleep, but I sweated it out!
Run #3 (Friday morning) – 5 miles @ 9:35/mile (47:57); Lake Country; Easy run around the neighborhood. I felt a little sluggish, but I was glad I got it done.
Run #4 (Saturday afternoon) – 12 miles @ 9:21/mile (1:52:12); Trinity Trail (from 7th and Collier); Felt really good and wanted to keep going.
Run #5 (Sunday morning) – 12 miles @ 9:40/mile (1:56:01); Colonial/Overton Park/Foster Park/Trinity Trail; I was feeling a bit sluggish after Saturday’s run, but things got better as I knocked off the mileage.

Total weekly mileage: 40

Other Workouts:
Weights & Abs 17 minutes
Elliptical Machine 50 minutes
Stationary Bike 53 minutes
Walked Dogs 1.5 miles

Total weekly workout time: 8 hours, 22 minutes

Week 1 (Monday, December 6 – Sunday, December 12):
Run #1 (Thursday evening) – 1.75 miles @ 9:29/mile (16:36); Lake Country; This was just a test run to see how my post-marathon recovery was shaking up. My right foot was talking to me!
Run #2 (Saturday morning) – 6 miles @ 9:58/mile (59:48); Trinity Trail; This was an easy run with Stacy and her dogs. I just wanted to get some mileage in, and I felt pretty good considering I did Bikram yoga for 90 minutes before the run.
Run #3 (Sunday afternoon) – 4.25 miles @ 8:55/mile (37:54); Lake Country; I ran this at a good tempo (my body seems to be way more awake in the afternoon/evening) and hit my 1,000th mile for the year.

Total weekly miles: 12

Other Workouts:
Weights & Abs 37 minutes
Elliptical Machine 20 minutes
Walked Dogs 3 miles
Bikram Yoga 90 minutes

Total weekly workout time: 4 hours, 21 minutes

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-13T05:20:00.000-06:00

There is no sign of Christmas in our house... no Christmas tree, no lights, no presents. But I did get mighty festive with the Christmas cards this year. We did a family picture (with four humans and three dogs) on Saturday. My friend Stacy had the photography duties, and I reciprocated for her on Sunday. Fortunately the dogs were pretty good (once we chased down the Bassets). GusGus is such a ham.

I also wrote a newsletter for the first time.

Christmas cards are turning out to be an expensive endeavor. I addressed nearly 100 envelopes last night, and I have about 40 to go. I still need to buy stamps and make color copies of the newsletter. I'm hoping to mail everything tomorrow morning before I head to Louisiana for work. It takes a lot of effort to be so domestic!

Four Things Friday

2010-12-10T08:06:00.003-06:00

1. I'm happy to be back from Vegas, and I had enough second-hand smoke to last me a lifetime. We agreed that our next Vegas trip will be shorter (maybe 3 nights instead of 5). Now I'm back to the normal schedule of working (teleworking today... woohoo) and squeezing in some workouts.

2. I felt like I have recovered well from the marathon. Yesterday I did 35 minutes of weights and 20 minutes on the elliptical during my lunch break. The weight workout included a few minutes on the "treadwall" (a climbing wall that revolves like a treadmill), and my right quad started talking to me. I tried a short run after work. I only did a 1.75-mile loop around the neighborhood, and the bottom of my right foot had a tingling pain. That was pretty odd since usually the top (not the bottom of my foot) bothers me. I have an appointment with Dr. Brian today, so hopefully that will work out the kinks!

3. We had a nice evening out yesterday. We got all gussied (GusGus likes when I use that term) up and went to dinner at O I I Sushi in our neck of the woods and then went to a Christmas party with some friends. I pretty much ate two dinners. I wasn't expecting to eat at the party, but the food was sooooo yummy. Whoever thought to put blue cheese in a biscuit... friggin genius. The red wine and I were a little too chummy, but tis the season.

Spousal Photo:

Stacy and I:

Stacy, Shawna, and I:

4. I'm looking forward to taking a family photo for the Christmas card on Saturday. I think a friend (Stacy) and I are going to swap photography duties, and I will go over to her place on Sunday. Cliff's son/my bonus son (Jordan) is coming in town today, so we will have all four humans and three dogs... wow, that is 20 legs!

Las Vegas Marathon Race Report

2010-12-08T20:47:00.003-06:00

Leading up to the big day...
Cliff and I flew from DFW to Las Vegas on Friday after work. Everything went smoothly, and we were glad we paid the extra $24 (round-trip total) for the CLS shuttle to and from the airport. We checked in (Fitzgerald's Downtown) and then decided to try the $5.99 prime rib special at the Golden Spike. It was risky putting my life in jeopardy for a $6 dinner, but it made for interesting people watching (including a homeless man at the restaurant counter who tried to pull down his pants to go to the bathroom and a person at the bar who literally fell off the stool unconscious). Saturday was packet pickup, so we took the bus to the Venetian. I didn't buy anything at the expo, but it was fun to look around and try a few free samples. We had a buy one/get one lunch at Four Queens (I tried to stick with something fairly light - a salad, teriyaki chicken, rice, and veggies), and we watched some of the football games and played some blackjack. My shin had been bothering me since Wednesday (when I wore boots to work and did too much walking). I did a good job icing my leg (even at the hotel), and I tried to stay off it as much as I could. It's really hard not to walk around in Vegas though! For dinner we went to Main Street Station. Cliff feasted on the prime rib, and I had a weird mix (pasta, pizza, chow mein, Mexican lasagna, etc.) of carbs. I was proud of myself for making it through two nights in Vegas without drinking, but it was pretty easy to do with my goal in mind (and 5 weeks of sobriety, which gave me plenty of momentum).

Race day...
I got a pretty good night's sleep (I just tried to ignore all of the crazy noise on Freemont) and woke up at 4:30 am, shortly before the alarm went off. I took a hot shower to loosen up a bit, and I ate a banana and a wheat bagel with peanut butter for breakfast. At around 5:30, we walked outside to find a cab. When we did the marathon in 2007, it was much easier logistically because we stayed at the Excalibur, which was a walk away from the Mandalay Bay start line. We figured a cab wouldn't be a big deal, but the cab driver was totally stressing us out about the street closures (even though I had the directions from the race director with me). He did a fairly good job though, and we got to the Mandalay Bay a little after 6 am. It was a perfect amount of time to relax a bit, potty a few times, and get to my coral without too much down time.

I decided on Saturday that I would try running with the 3:50 pace group. I was very confident with my training, and I felt like if I had a fantastic day, 3:50 was within reach. Looking back on it, I wish I had paced with the 4:00 group (or maybe the 3:55 group, if there was one). Just like in 2007, I went out too fast. Of course it felt comfortable and maintable at the time, but I was hurting around mile 11. I really hope I learn my lesson one of these days and try to start conservatively and maybe even negative split to reduce the "I might vomit all over myself" feeling to maybe the last 6 miles instead of the last 15 miles. I am proud of myself for going after a lofty goal and also trying the pace group for the first time. It was fun, and I would love to try running with a 3:55 or 4:00 group in my next marathon. The downside of the pacer was that he ran like the Energizer Bunny through the water stops, and it took a lot of my energy to catch up. I never walked either, but I was slowed down by the congestion/traffic. So here are my splits, and they pretty much tell the story of my race:

Mile 1 - 8:44
Mile 2 - 8:48
Mile 3 - 8:38
Mile 4 - 8:35
Mile 5 - 8:40
Mile 6 - 8:33
Mile 7 - 8:37
Mile 8 - 8:39
Mile 9 - 8:45
Mile 10 - 8:52
Mile 11 - 8:52
Mile 12 - 8:42
Mile 13 - 9:19
Mile 14 - 9:34
Mile 15 - 9:08
Mile 16 - 9:10
Mile 17 - 9:45
Mile 18 - 9:04
Mile 19 - 9:24
Mile 20 - 9:38
Mile 21 - 9:48
Mile 22 - 9:33
Mile 23 - 10:39
Mile 24 - 10:49
Mile 25 - 9:51
Mile 26 - 9:37
Last 0.42 (Garmin) - 4:03 (9:36 pace)

Garmin Total - 26.42 miles, 4:03:56, 9:14/mile pace

Actual results:
Chip Time: 4:03:54
Overall Place: 1616/5106
Division Place: 77/358
Gender Place: 431/2146

My take on my results...
Of course I went through a whole rollercoaster of emotions, including some pretty low low-points, during the 26.2 miles. My main goal was to break 4 hours. By going after my "in the back of my mind but not talking about it much" goal of 3:50, it hurt my chances of breaking 4 hours. But if I had run with the 4:00 pace group and broken the 4-hour mark, I might have regretted not trying the 3:50 pace group. I am very happy that I beat my previous best time of 4:16:58 by 13 minutes. I am grateful that my shin held up and that I have recovered well. Since only a few days have past and I'm already excited about training again, I consider that a success. My mind is in a great place right now. I am looking forward to building on my hard work and achieving some exciting goals in 2011. I have my first "ultra," the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler, in early February. I also want to find a spring marathon where I can go after a sub-4 performance.

A little more personal...
I gave up drinking for about 5 weeks leading up to the race. I also replaced my normal desserts (about 150-200 calories) with sugar-free popsicles. I realized that giving up drinking wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I'm not sure how much it contributed to my weight loss (since I was running, eating healthy, etc.), but I know it definitely helped. I want to continue working on this goal of drinking less and enjoy social functions without feeling the need to drink. I was very pleased with my weight loss. I got down to 146 pounds before the marathon, which is just one pound over my ideal body weight of 145 (since I'm 5'9"). I got down to 150 before our wedding in Mexico, and I hadn't seen 14X on the scale in over a decade. I've gotten a few comments about being "too skinny," but I shrug those off. I was 135 when I was in top swimming shape, and I know I have some fluff to spare. I think 140 would be an optimal distance running weight for me... that would give me 5 pounds extra for leg muscle (because my legs were little twigs when I was swimming). I would like to get to a point where I can maintain a healthy weight and not stress out about it... but is that even possible for a female? I hope so.

Race nutrition:
I ate an expresso Gu at mile 5, a chocolate Gu at mile 10, a strawberry banana gel at mile 15, and a strawberry banana gel at mile 20. I mostly drank water at the aid stations, with the occasional Cytomax. I was a little annoyed at the sponsorship stuff. There were tables and tables of Cytomax before the water at every aid station. I felt like I was stuck in a Cytomax commercial. I think my nutrition was pretty good though. I still need to try training (and racing) with salt tablets. I had a ton of salt on my forehead after the race, and it was pretty warm out there (considering we were running in the desert in December). I didn't have to go to the bathroom at all, and my tummy cooperated. I took two of my anti-acid prescription pills before the race (like I experimented with for my last 20-mile training run), and I think that helps. This was the first time running with the spi belt, and it worked very well. It held all four gel packets and my chapstick, and it was pretty easy to open and close. It jostled during the first 100 feet or so until I got it positioned correctly (glad it cooperated since I didn't experiment with it during training).

Some other random race observations:
The first half of the course was amazing... nearly all on the Strip. I was surprised that we ran the first 12-13 miles with the half marathon runners, because they split off earlier in 2007 (and the course was way different... we went out on the strip and came back down the back alley of the strip). The second half of this race was pretty horrible. I'm not very familiar with Las Vegas streets/geography, but I think we spent a long time on Hacienda. I was anticipating the rolling hills. You can tell from my splits that miles 13 and 14 were uphill, 15 and 16 were relatively flat (we went down a different street), 17 was uphill, and 18-20 were downhill. It perked up my spirits towards mile 20, but miles 23 and 24 were my low point. Around mile 20 I still thought I could break 4:00, but then I started seeing 11:xx on my Garmin. The scenery was horrible. We were in some sort of commercial area near the highway, and I felt like we kept looping around different streets. I turned it around on mile 25 though and was back under 10:00 pace. I really did give it everything I had though. When I saw Cliff around mile 26, the finish line couldn't come soon enough. I don't think I could have gone much futher. I know a lot of that had to do with going out so fast.

My cheerleader...
My husband was a fantastic supporter, and we had a great vacation together. He took care of me on race day, and it was wonderful to see him cheering me on when I felt like death. I hope we can run the half marathon together in the near future and renew our vows (dressed up as Elvis, of coursee).

One Week Left! And the Week 15 Recap.

2010-11-28T13:30:00.003-06:00

T-T-T-TAPER TIME! I've been enjoying the rest, and I know I made the right decision to postpone my trip to Tulsa. I'm finally starting to feel better (less congested), and the antibiotics seem to be kicking in. I'm glad I got this over with before the marathon. Everything is lining up well...

1) I'm down to 146.5 pounds. Holy. Friggin. Cow. My "ideal body weight" is 145 (since I'm a 5'9" female... it's 100 pounds + 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet), and I haven't been this skinny in over a decade. I was around 158 pounds for the 2007 Las Vegas Marathon (4:16 PR), so I am ready to rock this. I might have to buy a new wardrobe though (and maybe thank the Bassets for the tapeworm they gave me?).

2) I'm finally getting healthy. I plan on getting lots of sleep this week and resting up and paying close attention to my nutrition and hydration.

3) The weather forecast looks purrrrrfect. High 59, Low 37, 0% chance of rain. Mostly sunny. Marathon weather can't get much better.

4) I am so confident in the training I put in, and I really think a sub-4 is within reach (although I had a dream last night that I went a 4:04).

The training plan this week called for an easy 3-mile run on Monday, a 5-mile tempo run on Wednesday (with the middle 3 miles at 8:23), and an 8-mile run on Saturday. I actually adhered to the correct days for each run. I know it's important to rest my legs between runs during my taper.

Run #1 (Monday evening): 3.10 miles @ 9:34 (29:38); Lake Country; Easy 5K around the neighborhood. I wanted to get it done and then focus on resting and getting healthy.

Run #2 (Wednesday evening): 5 miles inc 3 miles @ 8:09, 8:20, 8:18 (43:25); Lake Country; I didn't have to try as hard as I thought I would, and I even backed off after the first mile.

Run #3 (Saturday morning): 8 miles @ 9:37 (1:16:55); Lake Country; I started off feeling relaxed and easy, but those last few miles were tougher (and slower).

Total Mileage Planned: 16; Actual Mileage: 16.10

Other Workouts:
Walked Dogs 4.27 miles
Elliptical 25 min
Weights and abs 25 min

Four Things Friday: Post-Gobble Edition

2010-11-26T05:35:00.000-06:00

1. Really I just wanted to rejoice on Thanksgiving morning because I was FINALLY (after over a DECADE) under 150 pounds... the notorious Athena status. And to prove this was not some kind of fluke, I was actually 148.5 pounds on Thanksgiving morning and 148.0 pounds this morning. Apparently I didn't do nearly enough damage at the dinner table.

2. So now that my weight has steadily declined and I've put in a fantastic season of marathon training, I'm ready to go after my sub-4-hour goal at the Las Vegas Marathon. If my sinuses would just get on board with that idea, life would be fabulous. I went to the doctor's office on Tuesday and got a shot and some prescriptions (antibiotic, antihistamine/decongestant, and Nasonex), but this weather change just kicked my bootie. It was 83 on Wednesday and in the 20's with the wind chill on Thursday.

3. I was all set to go to Tulsa after Thanksgiving dinner in Ardmore. My bag was packed, the dog beds were washed and put in the car, and all of the dog supplies were bagged up. Then I came to the realization that I wasn't feeling any better (maybe even worse?), and I had to bail on my plans to see Melissa. Hopefully we can reschedule after the Vegas marathon. Plus I'll be more fun (in other words, more of a lush) then. I made a good decision though. I was blowing my nose throughout the trip to/from Ardmore. Plus my back started bothering me A LOT (not sure what was up with that).

4. I'm looking forward to a whole weekend of rest and recovery. I had a great tempo run on Wednesday evening (I was feeling better until the weather changed), and I have an easy 8-mile run this weekend. Woohoo - TAPER! I'm ready to lounge around on the couch and watch some college football (and hope for a good upset to boost the Frogs in the BCS rankings).

The Thankful Thanksgiving Post

2010-11-24T07:38:00.003-06:00

Husband
Wow, we've been married for 1.5 years now... time flies! It's great coming home to my best friend every night, cooking dinner, relaxing, and spending time together. The vacations aren't too shabby either!

"Bonus Kids"
I got two kids without ever having to change a diaper!

Parents
It's tough living so far apart from my parents. I'm hoping they retire in Texas, but we'll see what the future holds. My parents are two of my best friends, and they are always there for me. I'm very fortunate, and I really appreciate everything they have done for me. I'm looking forward to going home for Christmas and spending some time with the fam!

Brother
Even though we don't get to see each other much, our relationship has gotten better over the years. I can always count on Aaron, and we talk to each other about anything and everything. Plus "sibling nights out" are always fun (and entertaining)!

Furbabies
We've gone back-and-forth over whether to keep Hank and Lucy, the abandoned Basset Hounds I found during a lunchtime run on the Trinity Trail. By back-and-forth, I mean I had to convince Cliff. It is a LOT of work caring for the "brood" of three dogs. The Bassets are very vocal, and they tend to whine and bark. This is rather ironic, since they didn't utter a sound the first few days we had them! I think they have two years' worth of sounds pent up in them, ready to be let out. I remember Shawna saying, "you don't find dogs, they find you." In this case, it was totally true. These dogs just tugged at my heart strings the minute I saw them. In fact, I started crying (but I guess that's not too unusual for me). It's been rewarding giving them a good, loving home. After we bought GusGus, I felt like we had a responsibility for rescuing a dog. I never expected caring for three furbabies, but sometimes life is unexpected. It's funny to think back a few years, when I didn't even really like dogs!

GusGus has been handling all of this with mixed emotions. He likes to play with the hounds, and it's funny to watch him push his toys towards them and then snatch the toy before they have a chance to get it. GusGus loves keep-away. The three dogs also play tug-of-war together, mainly with the "stuffless" animals. On the other hand, all three dogs demand a lot of attention and affection. GusGus can get a little stand-offish when he sees the Bassets snuggling with me on his spot on the couch. I try my best to maintain equal opportunity snuggling though!

Health
I am very thankful that I am in relatively good health and that I'm able to stay active. After I quit swimming, I went through a difficult time where I felt pretty lost not having goals to shoot for. I started masters swimming shortly after I quit college swimming, and I made some wonderful friends who introduced me to running and triathlons. I ran my first marathon was in December 2003, dabbled in the triathlon scene, and then realized that running was my favorite. I'm excited for the Las Vegas Marathon next weekend, where I hope to break 4 hours. I've had a great season of training, including three 20-mile runs and some good tempo and speed work. I've put the work in, so now I just have to race smart and enjoy the day! Also, I'm about 10 pounds lighter than I was during the 2007 Las Vegas Marathon, so that should help speed me up!

Week 14: Taper, where are you?

2010-11-22T09:15:00.002-06:00

I stuck to the plan this week and did an easy 4-mile run, a speed workout, and a 12-mile long run. Now I'm just hoping I can get over this congestion/sinus thing. IIIICCCCKKKYYY.

Run #1 (Tuesday afternoon): 4.05 miles @ 9:31 (38:31); Lake Country; Easy recovery run. Felt pretty good considering I did the 20-miler two days ago!

Run #2 (Thursday afternoon): Speed Work: 8 miles, inc 4 x 1600 in 7:51, 7:58, 8:05, 8:04 w/ 800 jogs (1:10:02); Downtown/Trinity Trail; I was pretty solid and consistent, and there was a bit of a headwind on the way out and tailwind on the way back. I was happy with the 7:59 average on the fast miles, especially since I wasn’t running on a track. My workout called for 7:55 pace, but that was close enough.

Run #3 (Saturday morning): 12 miles @ 9:54 (1:58:51); Trinity Trail/Overton Park/Foster Park/Overton Park/Colonial/Trinity Trail; I felt like crap. I had a sore throat, and I was pretty exhausted from Sunday’s 20-mile run and Thursday’s speed work. Thank goodness I had Derek and Stacy to run with, because this was a challenge.

Total Mileage Planned: 24 miles, Actual Mileage: 24.05 miles

Other Workouts:
Elliptical Machine 1 hour, 10 min
Weights & Abs 30 min
Walked Dogs 5.25 miles

Ooooh, and I got down to the Athena cut-off weight (exactly) this week. Only 5 pounds to go to hit my "ideal body weight" (145 pounds for a 5'9" female). This was the exact same weight I was when we left for our wedding in Mexico, and it was VERY short-lived. Hopefully the second digit of the scale will read a sweet, sweet "4" to me this week.

Week 13: The Last Big One!

2010-11-15T05:29:00.001-06:00

This week’s training plan called for an easy 5-mile run, a 5-mile mile tempo run (with 3 miles at 8:23/mile), and a 20-mile run. I actually stuck to the plan (gasp). I was so happy with the tempo run and long run that I blogged about each one separately. Now I have 3 weeks until Vegas, and I’m excited to rest up!

Run #1 (Monday afternoon): 5.06 miles @ 9:50 (49:46); Downtown/Trinity Trail; Easy run with Kit

Run #2 (Thursday afternoon): Tempo: 5 miles, inc 3 miles @ 7:39, 7:57, 8:16 (42:35); Lake Country; Wow. I was bummed because I thought I was running close to 9-minute miles instead of 8-minute miles, and I didn’t figure out the math until my warm-down mile. Excited for Vegas!

Run #3 (Saturday afternoon): 3.13 miles @ 9:15 (28:56); Lake Country; Easy run to loosen up before Sunday’s big 20.

Run #4 (Sunday morning): 20.09 miles @ 9:20 (3:07:49); Fort Worth Marathon (Trinity Trail); Negative split (1:34:24/1:32:42) and maintained a steady, consistent effort.

Planned Mileage: 30, Actual Mileage: 33.28

Other Workouts:
Elliptical 30 min
Weights & abs 53 min
Walked Dogs 7.21 miles

Fort Worth Marathon 20-Miler Race Report

2010-11-14T13:45:00.003-06:00

After a week of indecision, I decided on Friday to suck it up and enter the Fort Worth Marathon 20-miler even though the Elton John concert was at 8:00 on Saturday night. Since I gave up drinking until after the marathon, dinner at Joe T's and the concert at the Fort Worth Convention Center didn't affect me like they could have! I managed to get almost 7 hours of sleep last night (went to bed at 11:40, got up at 6:35). I wanted to run a steady, consistent pace and not push it too hard. I was thinking of the 9:30-9:45 range.

I scarfed down a wheat bagel with fat-free strawberry cream cheese for breakfast and headed to LaGrave field (home of the Fort Worth Cats). I had about 30 minutes to spare, so I got my chip and went to the bathroom twice. I decided to pitch the sweatshirt and just run with a t-shirt and shorts even though it was 37 degrees at the start. My hands were pretty cold for a couple of miles, but then I was fine.

My first mile was a little quick (9:17) until I shook off the race excitement. Then I settled in and kept track of people in front of me to push myself more. There was a girl in a light blue jacket who I spotted, and she stayed ahead of me for about 3/4 of the race. It was fun to keep track of her and eventually pass her. There was a guy going about the same pace as me, so he, another girl, and I ran together through miles 8-12ish. We were getting really frustrated. There were two water stops early on (at miles 1 and 2) and then none of the water stops had cups. So I took a Gel at mile 5 (and also miles 10 & 15) and didn't get water until around mile 8. Fortunately a volunteer gave me a plastic water bottle which I carried with me until mile 19. I swear, I've had the worst luck with water at races. I think the race director tried too hard with other snazzy things (like showers and fajitas after the race) that the smaller things (like water cups and the turn-around signs) were neglected. I would have missed the turn-around if it weren't for the guy I was running with.

My first 11 miles: 9:17, 9:27, 9:28, 9:21, 9:26, 9:30, 9:26, 9:22, 9:29, 9:34, 9:30

The two people I was running with stopped at a water fountain. I detest stopping, so I kept going and kicked it up a gear. It was fun passing a whole bunch of people and feeling good at the end of a race.

Last 9 miles: 9:18, 9:15, 9:12, 9:15, 9:09, 9:11, 9:18, 9:11

I was really pleased that I was able to negative split (1:34:24, 1:32:42), keep a steady effort, and run significantly faster than my marathon PR pace of 4:16:58. My 20-mile pace would have been a 4:04:32 marathon. My training has given me a lot of confidence heading into Las Vegas, where I hope to crush the 4-hour mark.

Garmin distance and time: 3:07:49, 20.09 miles (avg pace 9:20/mile)

My chip fell off during the race, so I probably won't be in the official results. Hopefully that won't happen in Vegas! I was happy that my car key stayed on my shoelace though... that would have been much more of a pain to lose!

I grabbed a banana and headed home, and I was way too excited to scarf down some blueberry panacakes leftover from yesterday morning. So I hopped in the swimming pool to ice down my bottom half, took a hot shower, chowed down on some breakfast, and then headed to Subway and bought lunch. I just inhaled a footlong Subway Club and about a pound of Baked Cheetos. I was starvin' marvin'!

Now it's TAPER TIME!!!

Killed it on my tempo run

2010-11-11T20:49:00.002-06:00

I decided to do my 5-mile tempo run (middle 3 miles @ 8:23 pace) today. I walked each dog around the 3/4-mile neighborhood loop (and racked up 2.25 miles) and finally got out on the road just before noon. It was pretty warm for November (68 degrees) and slightly breezy. My first mile was pretty good for warm-up (9:19). I kicked it into high gear, and for some reason I did the math wrong in my head at the 2-mile marker and I thought I split just under 8:40. So based on that cruddy math, I thought my 3rd mile was just under 9 minutes and my 4th mile was around 9:20. I was getting frustrated, because I worked hard. I was wondering how on earth I would hold 9:09 pace for 26.2 miles. I blamed it on everything - the weather, my tiredness, walking the dogs beforehand, etc. Then as I was warming down, I realized I'd finish in 42 minutes and change. That's when I redid the math and realized that my splits must have been much faster. I couldn't wait to go home and go through the Garmin history. I busted through the door and exclaimed to my husband, "9:19, 7:39, 7:57, 8:16, 9:21!!!" I was so excited! I can't remember ever breaking 8-minute mile pace on a run (since maybe middle school??). I took my shoes off and iced my feet in the pool while I updated my Facebook status (such a dork, I know this). HOW FRIGGGGGGGIN EXCITING!!!

A Federal Holiday Thirteen

2010-11-11T09:31:00.002-06:00

1. Hooray for the day off. 10 hours of sleep is just what I needed. I was going to try to stay up a little late last night, but I started falling asleep on the couch before 9. I'm a big baby.

2. And also a BIG thank you to the men and women serving our country and to our veterans!

3. I had a little case of the "ohhhh I can make those runs up" last week, which resulted in four consecutive days (Friday-Monday) of running.

4. Now the right big toe is a little sore, and that's the sign that my foot is a bit jacked up.

5. I rested on Tuesday and did a gym workout (no running) yesterday. Now I have to decide if and when to do my tempo run and long (20-mile) run this week before taper.

6. I haven't had an alcoholic beverage or a dessert (excluding my 15-calorie popsicles) since Halloween. Willpower!

7. I almost kissed the scale this morning when she read 151.0.

8. I think 145 for the marathon is definitely within reach. My "ideal body weight." That sounds so warm and fuzzy.

9. My friend (Diane) and her baby (Andrew) are staying over tomorrow night. I'm excited to catch up with Diane (she lives in Houston now) and the dogs are excited for a little human playmate.

10. The Elton John concert is this Saturday night at 8 pm! Woohoo! I am going to be the DD, which will also help me say "no" to the sauce (especially the margarita pitchers at Joe T's!).

11. The Fort Worth Marathon and 20-miler are on Sunday morning. I am a wee bit tempted to do my 20-miler then since it's an organized race (and it will give my footsie a few days to heal). Saturday is going to be a late night though. Decisions, decisions!

12. It looks like we're keeping the Bassets!.... for now ;)

13. And while I'm typing this, GusGus and Lucy are biting each other to determine dominance.

Week 12: (Semi) Recovery Week

2010-11-07T19:25:00.002-06:00

First off, I'm kicking some bootie on the weight loss. I should definitely be under wedding weight for the marathon (and out of the Athena category). I gave up alcohol and desserts (well, I'm treating myself to two of those 15-calorie Crystal Light popsicles after dinner). My first test was family dinner night, and my second (and more difficult) test was watching the TCU football game (GO FROGS!). It's sad that 5 weeks without alcohol and dessert is a big deal, but that's the world I live in (and usually it's a fun world full of red beer and Smart Ones frozen treats).

This was a recovery week, which came at a perfect time. I was exhausted, and I went to bed at 7:00 or 7:30 on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I had a lot of Combined Federal Campaign responsibilities with the breakfast trolley and our gift basket silent auction. So all three of my runs were pushed back to the end of the week, which probably negated some of the "recovery" effect. The training plan called for two 8-milers and a 7-miler.

Run #1 (Friday afternoon): 7.16 miles @ 9:15 (1:05:54); This was my first run since Sunday's 16-miler, and I just took it one mile at a time. I was happy with a 9:12 average since I was running without much effort.

Run #2 (Saturday morning): 9 miles @ 9:54 (1:29:09); This was my first run in the COLD (38 degree) temps this season, and it took awhile to get going (10:35, 10:10, 10:07), but we finished it up strong (9:32, 9:29).

Run #3 (Sunday afternoon): 8 miles @ 9:24 (1:15:10); I was dreading this run after cleaning all morning, but I felt better about life once I got out there. My right foot is a little sore from three runs in a row. Plus I started the run with a steep hill (Golf Club).

Total Weekly Mileage: 24.16 miles

Other Workouts:
Stationary Bike 50 min
Elliptical Machine 30 min
Weights and abs 23:30
Walked Gus 1.5 miles

Other Random Note:
I'm at 876 (running) miles for the year. I think this will be my first year to hit the momumental 1,000!

Week 11... A Little Late!

2010-11-07T19:16:00.003-06:00

The training plan called for an easy 6-mile run, a 7-mile tempo run (with the middle 5 miles at tempo), and a 16-mile run. I wanted to do some speed/track work, but my brood of dogs made things a bit more difficult.

Run #1 (Tuesday afternoon): 6.10 miles @ 9:26 (57:33); Downtown/Trinity Trail; An easy run was a nice break from my hectic day of selling food! I enjoyed being outside.

Run #2 (Wednesday evening): 4.15 miles @ 9:27 (39:13); Golf Club/Lake Country/Ironstone; Good hill workout. My back was a little sore, but it was a nice break to get outdoors (and out of the house).

Run #3 (Friday afternoon): 6.26 miles @ 9:36 (1:00:06); Downtown/Trinity Trail; Ran with a good friend during our lunch break.

Run #4 (Saturday afternoon): 4.20 miles @ 9:24 (39:30); Lake Country; It was a little hotter and I wasn't in the mood to run. Once I got out there, I felt okay. I just wanted to take it easy since my long run was the next morning.

Run #5 (Sunday morning): 16.10 miles @ 9:49 (2:37:55); Trinity Trail; This was speedier than last week's run. I wasn't as (sleepy) tired, but my legs were still pretty sore. I ran the first 6 miles with Dan and Christie and then did 10 miles with my iPod. I had two miles over 10:00 (mile 5 at 10:06 and mile 8 at 10:04). My fastest mile was the last mile split - 9:34.

Total Weekly Running Mileage: 36.81 miles

Other Workouts:
Walked Gus 3.88 miles

Thursday Thirteen... The life of a foster mom.

2010-10-28T05:59:00.001-05:00

1. Life has been absolutely CRAZY.

2. I found the abandoned Bassett Hounds, Hank and Lucy, during a run on the Trinity last Wednesday.

3. They stayed with Auntie Shawna for two nights and then Cliff and I took them to the vet on Friday and brought them home with us. They have been here ever since.

4. I thought Gus was high maintenance after he got fixed, but that was nothing compared to two conehead dogs. For some reason Hank is much more uncomfortable than Lucy, and I thought the surgery was a little more "severe" for females? Hank kept me up until 1:30 am on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, when I finally figured out a sleeping arrangement for the dogs and humans.

5. Now that Hank and Lucy have recovered a bit from surgery and they are getting used to me, their personalities are starting to show more. Gus and I are getting way too attached :*(

6. I had to laugh this morning when I walked into the patio (after hearing Gus let out a little growl) to find Lucy sleeping on Gus's bed. And Gus was a pretty good sport about it! This is where I would insert the cute picture, except my home laptop won't copy and paste.

7. Lucy also discovered the dog door (which Gus uses to run outside and hide his toys so he doesn't have to share), but her conehead won't allow her to squeeze through.

8. Last night the DFW Bassett Hound Rescue Group emailed me and said a family in Burleson with 2 kids and no pets is interested in adopting my foster furbabies. They deserve a fantasic forever home!

9. Running has been going swell. My tempo runs have been SPEEDY and my long runs have been BREEZY! I have one 20-miler left, and I've already done TWO! I've never trained this hard for a marathon before, and I think I'm setting myself up well to break 4 hours.

10. I'm also doing well on my diet and nutrition. I'm down to 154.5, which is only 4.5 pounds over my lowest pre-wedding weight. And it's not just a "154.5 for a day and back up to 158 the next day" type of fluke. I'd definitely like to be under 150 for the marathon, and 145 would be spectacular.

11. I have a 16-mile run this weekend, and I will probably switch things up and do the run on Sunday so I can get a little saucy on Friday night when we go see our favorite cover band (Incognito) at the bar up the street.

12. I'm trying to decide when to cut the alcohol. I know now would be best (for weight loss), but then I think about all of the fun stuff coming up (like the Elton John concert!).

13. And while maintaining this kennel at our home, I'm also co-chairing the Combined Federal Campaign at work. This has taken a lot more time than I realized, but at least it's for a good cause!

Week 10

2010-10-27T05:44:00.000-05:00

The training plan called for an easy 2-mile run on Monday, a speed workout on Wednesday (which I replaced with a tempo workout), and a 20-miler on Saturday.

Run #1 (Monday morning) - 4 miles @ 9:49 (41:13); Lake Country; Cruised 4 miles nice and easy. I was grumpy.

Run #2 (Wednesday afternoon) - 6.07 miles @ 9:32 (57:55); Downtown/Trinity Trail; The Bassett Hound rescue mission run!

Run #3 (Thursday morning) - 7.05 miles, inc 5 miles @ 8:44, 8:30, 8:28, 8:24, 8:27 (1:02:31); Downtown/Trinity Trail; I did next week's tempo run instead of a speed workout. I was very happy with my pace. It felt easier than last week, and my legs were more tired this time around (since I wasn't coming off a rest week).

Run #4 (Saturday morning) - 20 miles @ 10:17 (3:25:57); Trinity Trail; It was warm and humid, and I went through a ton of water. I ate a Gu/Gel at miles 5, 10, and 15. I was under 10-minute pace on the first 10 miles, and then I started dying. Fortunately Stacy was there to run the second half with me. Even though I was super tired and probably had no business attempting a 20-miler, I got it done. So that was a great accomplishment mentally - to push myself when I was pretty much a disaster!

Total Weekly Mileage: 37.32 miles

Other Workouts:
Weights & abs 50 min
Elliptical machine 50 min
Walked Gus 4.5 miles

Week 9: Pickin' up the Tempo

2010-10-17T18:59:00.003-05:00

Haha I love a good running pun. Tempo? Get it? The schedule called for a 4-mile easy run on Monday, a 7-mile tempo run on Wednesday (with the middle 5 miles at 8:38/mile), and a 16-mile long run on Saturday morning. I was spot on with the schedule and I was very pleased with my tempo run and long run.

Run #1 (Monday early afternoon): 4.05 miles @ 9:29 (38:25); Lake Country; I felt a bit better on Monday compared to Sunday. My splits were good for an easy run - 9:37, 9:33, 9:21, 9:25. My glutes and hamstrings were tight.

Run #2 (Wednesday morning): 7 miles with middle 5 miles at 8:26, 8:29, 8:29, 8:31, 8:27 (1:01:36); Trinity Trail; Wow, I got after it and did a great job. I didn't realize my mile splits were so consistent. It was a tough workout, but I felt great about the results!

Run #3 (Saturday morning): 16 miles @ 9:45 (2:36:12); Trinity Trail/Overton Park/Foster Park/Overton Park/Colonial/Trinity Trail; I felt pretty good and my last mile was 9:18. I was tempted to get next week's 20-miler done, but I only had two gel packs with me.

Total mileage: 27.05 miles

Other Workouts:
Weights and abs 1 hr, 21 min
Elliptical machine 50 min
Walked Gus 3.39 miles

This post is going to be short and sweet because I have a million things to go and I am STRESSED!!!

Thursday Thirteen: Soreness

2010-10-14T05:45:00.000-05:00

1. Yesterday was a KiLLA. I drove to work early and did my tempo run. It was a perfect route since I had a mile on 7th Street to warm-up and cool-down between my 5 miles on the Trinity. I think that's the fastest tempo run I've ever had - 8:26, 8:29, 8:29, 8:31, 8:27.

2. My marathon training plan from runnersworld dot com called for 8:38 tempo pace. Does that seem a little odd since my marathon goal pace is 9:09? Does the "Smart Coach" just want to push me super hard so a sub-4-hour marathon is guaranteed? The "Smart Coach" is a sneaky snake!

3. So I was already hobbling around a bit after that brutal morning run, and then I did the Muscle Flex class at Club Fed since it was our instructor's last day. I am proof that these things are difficult for a tall, uncoordinated white woman.

4. Needless to say, I've been popping the Advil and wondering what I'm going to do for a workout today since my legs are whimpering.

5. Wow, so I'm on Week 9 of a 16-week marathon training plan. That means I'm over halfway there! Yikes!

6. Now it's time to book our trip to Las Vegas. I'm definitely excited to run that course instead of White Rock. Hip, hip, hooray! Plus there is no blackjack in Dallas.

7. I have a 16-mile run this Saturday. My plan is to knock that out early and then go camping (where I will crash in our tent at about 8 pm).

8. Next weekend is one of my two difficult weekends. If I don't travel for work next week, I might try to squeeze in a 20-miler on Friday morning. We have a wedding to go to on Saturday night, and I don't want to be a party pooper (which I will be if I run 20 miles that morning). Tricky, tricky.

9. There are two 20-mile races offered in Fort Worth, the Honored Heroes Run (next weekend, the morning after the wedding) and the Fort Worth Marathon. The Fort Worth Marathon is the morning after Elton John. I was looking forward to taking advantage of at least one of these opportunities, but I don't think either will work for me. Oh, well.

10. I booked my ticket to California for Christmas. I am excited to spend some time with my family and see my extended family on Christmas Eve. Cliff will join me in California a few days later. Buying those tickets was an expensive endeavor.

11. Work has been CRAZY BUSY for me the last week or so. GusGus is angry that I hardly ever work from home these days. Hopefully things will calm down in the next month or so. I want a happy furbaby.

12. We've been on a bit of a bean kick lately, meaning we've had beans for dinner four nights over the past two weeks. I guess that is kind of an Okie thing? It's a yummy concoction though - pinto beans, shrimp, okra, light sausage, etc. Plus we added some brown rice to it and Cliff made some cornbread.

13. I'm at a standstill with my weight. I'm slightly under my 2007 Las Vegas Marathon weight, but I'd like to lose about 10 pounds. I think I'm going to cut out alcohol about 4-6 weeks out, which is coming up! EEEEEK!

Week 8 - Recovery Week

2010-10-10T13:40:00.003-05:00

The schedule called for three 7-mile runs, and I actually stuck to that (and added an extra 4.22-mile run on Monday). I was debating running the Lost Dog in 20K in Dallas on Sunday to get some speed work in, but it didn't happen. Instead, I hopefully rested my body enough to start next week feeling a bit fresher. I've been doing a great job knocking the long runs out on the weekend, but I really need to do my speed and tempo work. So that will be the priority during the next training cycle.

Run #1 (Monday morning): 4.22 miles @ 9:25 (39:45); Lake Country; I felt a bit more sore than I did on Sunday, and I think the 20-miler caught up with me. Very pleased with a 9:25 average on an easy run though!

Run #2 (Tuesday morning): 7 miles @ 9:53 (1:09:14); Downtown/Trinity Trail; Wow, the 20-miler caught up with me. My abductors (or adductors, whichever are on the inside) are really sore and tight.

Run #3 (Wednesday morning): 7 miles @ 9:36 (1:07:14); Downtown/Trinity Trail; I felt better than yesterday, especially after I warmed up (around mile 3).

Run #4 (Sunday morning): 7 miles @ 9:21 (1:05:31); Lake Country; I felt like crud today, but I pulled it together and talked myself into running the whole 7 miles. I had a nice descend - 9:29, 9:24, 9:29, 9:21, 9:18, 9:21, 9:05.

Other Workouts:
Swam 3,000 yards (52:05)
Elliptical machine 30 min
Weights & abs 20:32
Walked Gus 6.13 miles

Week 7... Putting some work in before a recovery week

2010-10-02T10:35:00.006-05:00

The training plan called for a 2-mile easy run, a 6-mile tempo run (with the middle 4 miles tempo), and a 20-mile long run. Once again, I replaced the tempo run with hills and trails. I plan on doing some tempo and/or speed work next week since it's recovery and I'll be running less miles.

Run #1 (Monday Morning) - 4.23 miles @ 9:15 (39:09), Lake Country (The cool weather was amazing, and it didn't take much effort to run close to marathon goal pace.)
Run #2 (Tuesday Afternoon) - 5.05 miles @ 9:42 (48:59), Downtown/Trinity Trail (My quads were really sore, but I pulled it together the last mile.)
Run #3 (Wednesday Morning) - 3.35 miles @ 9:36 (32:10), Golf Club/Lake Country hill workout (I felt much better than Tuesday, and it was fun to feel the downhill speed of 7-something/mile.)
Run #4 (Wednesday Afternoon) - 3.60 miles @ 11:55 (42:54), Sansom Park trails (My back was pretty sore. I got through it though, and I was pleased with another "double run" Wednesday.)
Run #5 (Saturday Morning) - 20 miles @ 10:11 (3:23:34)*, Trinity Trail/Overton Park/Foster Park/Colonial/Trinity Trail
Run #6 (Sunday Afternoon) - 4.15 miles @ 9:13 (38:19), Lake Country (I wanted to hit 40 miles for the week, so I ran on a rest day. Cliff and I did the first mile together in 9:23. Then I was 9:25, 9:05, and 9:03. I felt great considering I ran 20 miles yesterday, and my second half was under marathon goal pace!)

*Long Run Stats:
Mile Splits: 10:16.60, 10:00.13, 9:51.62, 10:19.87, 10:28.25, 10:19.83, 10:36.62, 10:36.03, 9:53.94, 9:58.37, 9:56.15, 9:42.69, 9:45.75, 9:59.23, 10:14.16, 10:13.53, 10:05.66, 10:16.92, 10:30.65, 10:26.57
First half: 1:42.21; Second half: 1:41.11; Total time: 3:23.32 (20 miles, 10:10/mile)
Stopped at 3.0 miles (picked up Shawna) and 12.86 miles (bathroom break)
Gu at 5 miles, Gel at 10 miles, Gu at 5 miles
Wow, this run seemed pretty easy! I tried to maintain a 10-mile mile pace, and I negative split by a minute.

Total Miles for the Week: 40.38

Other Workouts:
Stationary Bike 60 min
Weights & Abs 45:54
Elliptical Machine 30 min
Walked Gus 7.5 miles

A Tardy Thursday Thirteen

2010-10-01T14:51:00.004-05:00

1. The Kings of Leon concert last week was a lot of fun. I only knew a few songs, but that’s what happens when you only own one album. We had great seats, and I really liked the outdoor venue at Fair Park.

2. We bought Elton John tickets for his performance at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Saturday, November 13. Cliff used the “best available” option, which unfortunately resulted in paying more money for cruddy seats. At least we got tickets though (it’s a relatively small venue).

3. Contador? Tisk, tisk. Tainted meat? Really?!?!

4. We want to see Wall Street 2, but Cliff is such a fan of the original movie that I’m afraid it might be a disappointment… especially given the reviews.

5. TCU remains undefeated. Thank goodness they get this amazing iron skillet after defeating SMU last week.

6. I’m the co-chair of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) this year. Wowzers… lots of meetings and a big time commitment, but at least it’s for a good cause!

7. I'm supposed to do my long run (20 miles) tomorrow morning, and I have plans to meet people. Now my schedule changed, and next week (which is supposed to be my recovery week) looks much better for a 20-miler. Blahhhh.

8. I've been slacking on my tempo and speed workouts. Now that the weather has gotten cooler, I need to suck it up. It's funny how I think running 16 miles is easier than a tempo or track workout. It's the puke feeling (when I go fast) that gets me.

9. The hubby has been SUPER busy at work and I have been feeling mighty fortunate. Things have started to pick up for me though, and now I'm a little stressed going into next week.

10. At least Cliff's "SUPER busy" translates into overtime. What? Wifey is going to Express?

11. I'm already looking forward to the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, October 11. This time of year is fantastic with the random holidays.

12. I need to decide when to go home to California for the holidays. Right now I'm leaning towards coming home for Christmas and seeing if Cliff wants to fly out to California and join me after Christmas. We need to discuss this though. It would be easier to make a decision if the flights ($400+ each person) weren't so crazy expensive.

13. Since the Thursday Thirteen was extra tardy, I totally slacked on the pictures during the second half of this (which looks much more plain and boring compared to the first half).

Vacation in the Bahamas

2010-09-28T05:45:00.001-05:00

My review of the Sunrise Beach Clubs and Villas is posted here.

One of the many nights at Viola's (with our Skittles shots):

Snorkeling on the booze cruise adventure (before we boozed it up):

GusGus the Lobster (he was only $20):

I was a good girl, so I got a treat at Ben and Jerry's (apparently I wasn't good enough to get the "Vermonster" though):

Week 6

2010-09-25T05:35:00.002-05:00

My training plan for last week included an easy 2-mile run, a speed workout (7 miles with 3 x 1 mile @ 8:05), and an 18-mile run. I replaced the speed workout with a hill workout and trail run (double!), and I shortened the 18-mile run to only 15 miles (due to the faster pace and the bad weather).

Run #1 (Monday morning): 4.25 miles @ 9:47 (41:36) – Cruised through the neighborhood. My quads were a bit sore from Saturday, but I felt decent considering I was recovering from a 16-mile run.
Run #2 (Wednesday morning): 3.37 miles @ 9:41 (32:40) – Ran up Golf Club and down Lake Country for a good hill workout.
Run #3 (Wednesday afternoon): 4.23 miles @ 12:16 (51:57) – Trail run at Sansom Park (green and blue routes with Shawna). Wednesday was a double workout day!
Run #4 (Thursday afternoon): 2.55 miles @ 8:55 (22:46) – Squeezed in a quick run around the neighborhood before we left for the Kings of Leon concert.
Run #5 (Saturday morning): 15 miles @ 9:39 (2:24:46)
10.6 miles with the RVC - 1:39:58 (9:26 avg) - 5.85 miles on the Trinity, water stop, 4.75 miles on the road, water stop
4.4 miles with Shawna along the Trinity - 44:48 (10:11 avg)
Gu at about 5.5 miles and 11.5 miles
Mile Splits: 9:31, 9:14, 9:27, 9:32, 9:16, 9:17, 9:31, 9:27, 9:13, 9:49, 9:40, 10:11, 10:25, 10:16, 9:50

Total Miles: 29.40

Other Workouts:
Weights and abs (52:31)
Elliptical machine (50 min)
Stationary bike (50 min)
Walked Gus 8.25 miles

Thursday 13... Back in the Groove.

2010-09-23T05:52:00.000-05:00

1. Last week was a little crazy... got home from the Bahamas on Monday night and worked in El Paso Wednesday-Friday.

2. Then the weekend came and I got my 16-miler done on Saturday morning and I was looking forward to a pretty relaxing weekend... until I ended up drinking for almost 12 hours. Eeeeeek!

3. 12 hours sounds like a lot, but it was justified. Stacy and I went to the Pour House for lunch (and the Bloody Mary bar!) before the TCU game at 3:30. Then we tailgated (with Sweet Tea vodka, because we are gurrrrly like that) while the Frogs destroyed the Baylor Bears. We picked up her dogs, dropped them off at my place, and headed to Taste of Italy for dinner (BYOB, so we brought the Mac Shack Chianti). We finished up the night at The Eagle's Nest (the bar up the street from my house) and danced to some lovely Incognito tunes before the sugary Red Bull got the best of us.

4. Seriously, I think our blood glucose hit about 500 from that Red Bull. Lesson learned: stick to the sugar-free (or just order vodka soda).

5. So I didn't go to bed until about 12:30 on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and then the dogs like to wake up nice and early. I was looking forward to some sleep this weekend, but that killed it for me. The previous night I let Gus sleep with me and he managed to #2 at 11:30 and then I woke up to a nice little surprise at 4:00 am before I got up to meet my run group.

6. I was a Fatty McFatterston after the El Paso trip (where I managed to consume crazy amounts of good food in such a short time frame) and tailgating on Saturday added to my fattness (even after running 16 miles). So I was ready to hop back on the wagon on Monday morning.

7. Somehow I'm 8 pounds less than I was on Sunday morning. My body is weird like that. But I will take it. Maybe the double run workouts yesterday helped. I ran the crazy hills around Golf Club and Lake Country and then hit the Sansom Park trails in the afternoon with Shawna.

8. I really want to post some pictures and spice things up on here, but my laptop won't paste into Blogger. What the heck? My work computer does it just fine.

9. I wrote a review of the Sunrise Villas for Trip Advisor, but my review still hasn't posted. I did blast the service at one of the restaurants though, and that is up. So once I get my act together, I will post my review (which kind of sums up our vacation) and some pictures of the Bahamas and El Paso.

10. Tonight Cliff and I are going to the Kings of Leon concert in Dallas. I'm the DD (since I have to work in the office tomorrow and Cliff has the day off), so I'm going to wear my responsible adult pants.

11. It looks like I'll be running 18 miles on Saturday morning at 6 am, departing from Hoffbrau.

12. Is the new Wall Street movie out yet? That might have to be a weekend activity, because Cliff is really excited about it (and I am semi-excited).

13. Elton John is coming to the Fort Worth Covention Center on Saturday, November 13. That kind of foils my Fort Worth Marathon/20-miler plans on Sunday, but Cliff and I have been wanting to see him in concert (and sometimes music has to take priority over running!).

Weeks 4 and 5

2010-09-19T10:58:00.007-05:00

Week 4, my recovery week, coincided with our vacation to the Bahamas. My training plan called for three 6-mile runs at an easy 10:12 pace. Cliff and I managed to do two runs. My first run (Wednesday) was 3.35 miles at 9:23 pace (31:25 total time), and I really exerted myself. The heat and humidity got to me, and it seemed like quite a big workout for only 3.35 miles. The second run (Thursday) was 2.93 miles at 9:27 pace (27:42 total time), where I ran 2.53 miles and then tacked on another 0.4 miles when I ran to the liquor store (obviously you can tell where my priorities are on vacation!). I also did a short (17:05) open water swim on Tuesday, and Cliff and I walked along the beach for 20 minutes. That was the extent of my exercise during my recovery/vacation week, but it was worth it. I needed time to relax with my hubby and enjoy myself. I'm glad I squeezed in my 14-mile long run the day before we left! I still need to write my Trip Advisor review and update my blog with some pictures.

This week...
My training plan has an easy 2-mile run, a 6-mile tempo run (with the middle 4 miles at 8:38 pace), and a 16-mile long run. I ended up tacking on a bit more (post-vacation guilt), resulting in 30.65 miles for the week.

Run #1: 4.10 miles at 9:46 (40:02) - Ran with Kit at lunch time, and the humidity made it more difficult than we were expecting.
Run #2: 6-mile tempo run (10:09, 8:59, 8:59, 8:55, 8:53, 10:07) - I missed the 8:38 goal, but I was happy with the slight descending of my splits and staying under goal marathon pace (9:09).
Run #3: 4.55 miles at 9:53 (45:00) on the treadmill - I felt horrible when I woke up, but this run started my day off on a good note, and I burned a fraction of the calories I ate the previous night at Cattleman's.
Run #4: 16 miles at 10:04 (2:41:09) - Derek, Christie, Shawna, and I met a big group at the Will Rogers stadium, and we ran the new Cowtown half marathon course and tacked on a few miles at the end. My mile splits were 9:25, 9:43, 10:16, 9:39, 10:03, 10:28, 10:16, 10:19, 10:02, 10:50, 9:53, 9:50, 9:56, 10:02, 10:17, and 10:02. There was a bit of fluctuation due to the hills (for example, the big hill on Main heading into downtown resulted in the 10:50 split). It was a nice change to run a new course that I wasn't familiar with, and it was good to practice running on the pavement (instead of the Trinity Trail, which is much more forgiving).

Other Workouts:
Weights and abs (42:17)
30 min on the elliptical machine
Walked Gus 3.75 miles

I'm still trying to decide on whether I want to try the Heels and Hills and Him Half Marathon next weekend (since I haven't raced in awhile) or stick to my training plan and do an 18-mile long run. I need to focus on my nutrition and cut back on the alcohol after adding on some pounds from the Bahamas vacation, El Paso work trip, and TCU tailgate.

Week 3

2010-09-03T08:45:00.002-05:00

The plan for this week was a 4-mile easy run (10:12 pace) on Monday, a 5-mile temp run (with 3 miles @ 8:39) on Wednesday, and a 14-mile easy run (10:12 pace) on Saturday. I modified the plan and replaced the tempo work with last week’s speed workout. Since we are leaving on vacation, I got my long run done on Friday morning.

Run #1 - Monday morning (79/82 degrees) - Easy Run - 4 miles @ 9:31 pace (38:03)
Run #2 - Tuesday morning (81/86 degrees) - Speed Run - 5 miles, inc 2 x 1600 w/ 800 jogs (8:17.58 and 8:32.58; 48:01)
Run #3 - Friday morning (72/72) - Long Run - 14 miles @ 9:57 pace (2:19:11)

Monday’s run felt pretty decent. I was hurting during the track workout on Tuesday morning. Next time I will go to a better track (like Saginaw High School) that is even. The Lake Country Christian School track is right up the street, but it’s uneven and not very fast. My long run felt good, especially with the cooler temperatures. I was pretty consistent:

9:23.12, 9:49.26, 9:58.09, 9:57.17, 9:53.12, 9:53.46, 10:03.23, 9:58.62, 10:05.38, 10:03.75, 10:12.84, 9:52.98, 10:08.46, 9:52.81

I started Downtown (Taylor and 13th) and ran down Taylor. My Garmin gets distracted by the big buildings on Taylor. It actually said I ran 8:18.46 for the first mile, so I tacked on 0.12 miles to the end of my run and added that to the first mile. I know the first mile was faster because I felt pretty good and the downhill on Taylor gave me some speed, but not 8:18 speed. My first half was a tad bit faster because I had a headwind going out and a tailwind coming back. I was happy with how I did since I ran by myself and kept my average under 10:00 and didn’t have to give too much effort.

Other Workouts:
3 weight workouts: 1:27:37 total time
30 minutes on the stair stepper
Walked Gus 6 total miles, walked on the beach for 20 minutes

Thursday Thirteen: Dark cloud hanging over me (literally)

2010-09-02T06:15:00.001-05:00

1. I saw Suzy Hoover’s (Season 2 of Biggest Loser) post about a 3,000 sit-up challenge in September, and I decided to give it a try. That will be something easy to do in the Bahamas.

2. This weather has totally messed with my schedule. Yesterday was a “rest” day, and I ate some extra carbs and went to bed early in anticipation of getting my 14-mile run done this morning.

3. I set my alarm for 4:05 am, and Cliff and I woke up to a crazy storm at 3:50. Running in the rain would have been nice, but the lightening was a little freaky.

4. So the run has been postponed until Friday morning. I’ll hit the gym during my lunch break for some weights and cardio.

5. I’m getting my hair cut and highlighted at Shelton’s this afternoon at 3:45.

6. I’m also treating myself to a pedicure (or, as Gus would say, pawdicure) after my run on Friday. I thought I’d do everyone in the Bahamas a favor by giving my nasty runner’s feet a little TLC.

7. Just a few more days and we’ll be relaxing on the beach in THE BAHAMAS!

8. I have one day in between vacation and a (work) trip to El Paso. Busy, Busy!

9. Netflix is making me mad. All four TV shows that I want to watch had a wait, so we ended up with disc 1, season 1 of Jersey Shore. I indulged yesterday (before Cliff got home from work).

10. We saw the new Will Ferrell movie (“The Other Guys”) last weekend. I appreciate an accountant who makes me laugh, so it wasn’t horrible. It just wasn’t one of his best. And was that rumor about Mark Wahlberg having three nipples really true? Because I think about that every time I see one of Marky Mark’s movies.

11. I’ve lost a few pounds, and I’m staying pretty consistent with my weights, especially considering I haven’t really been depriving myself. I’m sure I can undo all of the progress with 10 days in the Bahamas though.

12. So apparently my cousin’s cousin (yeah, I realize this sounds like a stretch) is on the next season of Hell’s Kitchen. I do not know her personally, but now we’re Facebook friends, and maybe she’ll let us eat for free at her restaurant when she wins ;)

13. Speaking of reality TV, we’re sucked into Big Brother (and at this point, I can’t really decide if I want Lane, Britney, or Ragan to win) and I’m pretty fond of Master Chef (even though there are obnoxious commercial break suspense moments like Hell’s Kitchen).

(Bonus) 14. GusGus has a Facebook page now, and he wants you to friend him!

Week 2 Recap

2010-08-30T06:19:00.000-05:00

The plan for this week was a 5-mile easy run (10:12 pace) on Monday, a 5-mile speed run (with 2 x 1600’s at 8:09) on Wednesday, and a 12-mile easy run (10:12 pace) on Saturday. I modified the plan and replaced the speed work with last week’s tempo workout. Also, I added a bit of mileage with some short runs on Tuesday and Friday.

Run #1 - Monday morning (83/85 degrees) - Easy Run – 5.10 miles @ 9:58 pace (50:51)
Run #2 - Tuesday morning (84/89 degrees) - Medium Intensity Run - 2.50 miles @ 9:07 pace (22:47)
Run #3 - Wednesday morning (71/71 degrees) - Temp Run - 5.00 miles @ 9:53, 8:43, 8:39, 8:25, 9:38 (45:20)
Run #4 - Friday morning (73/73) - Easy Run - 3.25 miles @ 9:45 pace (31:41)
Run #5 - Saturday morning (67/67) - Long Run - 12.00 miles @ 9:55 pace (1:59:04)

I was so excited about my pace on the tempo run. I descended the three miles and beat my 8:39 goal pace. I did this run in my neighborhood too, so it included hills (and wasn’t flat like the Trinity Trail). My long run also went well. I started off very slow (10:37 first mile) but gradually picked it up. I negative split (1:00:42/58:22) and finished in a 9:27 (last mile). The cooler temps definitely helped me out. I can't wait until Fall!

Other Workouts:
3 weight workouts: 1:47:03 total time
1 hour and 10 minutes on the stair stepper
Swam 3100 meters (1:09:08) at a masters swim practice
Walked Gus 12 total miles

Long Run Saturday (12 Miles)

2010-08-28T10:11:00.004-05:00

I did my 12-mile run by myself on the Trinity Trail. I added an extra 2 miles on River Park when I was doing the 183 access loop so I could hit 12 miles without having to cross University (so I could resist the temptation of getting in my car at mile 10). I started off very slow and sore. I was surprised at how slow (10:37), but the trail was dark and it was hard to see. I did a great job descending the first 6 miles. My big toe (right foot) started hurting a bit around the halfway point (and my right foot had felt sort of "jammed" when I woke up the morning). I eased up a touch, but I still wanted to break 2 hours. I felt great towards the end with just a little bit of general soreness. I made the mistake of leaving my sunglasses in the car, and I really could have used them for the last half of the run.

First Half: 10:37, 10:16, 10:12, 10:09, 9:51, 9:34 (1:00:42)
Second Half: 9:57, 9:44, 9:53, 9:41, 9:38, 9:27 (58:22)
Total Time: 1:59:04 (9:55/mile average)

It put me in great spirits to be out there with everyone else. I talked to a few random people (both on the Trinity and around my neighborhood when I walked Gus before and after my run), and this great weather must have the same effect as taking happy pills. I guess when the heat index makes it close to 90 in the mornings, 67 is like Christmas in August.

It was also nice to wake up early and feel semi-decent after not drinking last night. Usually I have at least a few drinks on Friday night, and I know that must affect my long runs.

Now I have to figure out when to squeeze my 14-miler in before we leave for the Bahamas. Fortunately I worked an extra hour on Friday and I have an hour of comp time to use next week. So I can do my run early in the morning, get to work a bit later, and still leave at a decent time. I'm planning on making an appointment with Dr. Brian to have my feet worked on before I attempt 14. I really need my right foot popped. It always jams up right near my ankle, and I think that is what causes the toe pain.

Time to enjoy the rest of my weekend!

Thursday Thirteen: Calorie Consumption and Burnage

2010-08-26T06:05:00.000-05:00

1. I came close to eating a whole cheesecake last night. It was yummy, but I have dessert remorse this morning.

2. The older I get, the worse my “next morning” wine headache becomes.

3. When my Dad visited last weekend, we definitely indulged.

4. On Friday, we had a drink at The Usual and then tried Nonna Tata. They have a great relationship (you can order food from Nonna Tata while drinking at The Usual and we brought our glassware from The Usual into Nonna Tata). The food at Nonna Tata was amazing. I had the smoked salmon pasta, and we shared the tiramisu for dessert. Scrumptious! Good thing I ran 10 miles the next morning and burned a few calories.

5. On Saturday, we had dinner at Lambert’s. That is one of our favorite restaurants, but I think this was the second time in a row that Cliff had to take his steak back (overcooked). You can’t beat the green chili grits though.

6. After a weekend full of calories, I was looking forward to getting back on track this week. I was doing pretty well until I got totally derailed by a cheesecake!

7. The “cold front” arrived on Tuesday night, and it has been amazing to wake up to temperatures in the low 70’s (with little humidity). I feel totally spoiled right now.

8. I took advantage of the cooler weather and did my tempo run yesterday morning. I had a tempo run on last week’s schedule but I replaced it with trail runs. This week was supposed to be a track workout, but I decided to do the tempo workout instead. I did 5 miles with the middle 3 miles at a goal of 8:39 pace. I went 8:43, 8:39, and 8:25, which was an outstanding pace for me, especially in our hilly neighborhood. *Patting myself on the back*

9. Netflix is not cooperating with us lately. I have four different series (Lost, Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, and The Closer) in the queue and I can’t get any of them. We might have to make it a Blockbuster night. We watched a few movies (“Shutter Island” and “Whip It”) after we finished Dexter (amazeballs), but I am ITCHING to watch the last season of Lost!

10. I have a 12-mile run on the schedule for Saturday morning. I’m actually looking forward to it (gasp). The weather should be a little cooler (low- to mid-70s), and I like long runs that don’t exceed 2 hours. I get a big sense of accomplishment, but I’m not hurting too badly for whole day.

11. I’m going to meet Cliff up in Ardmore this weekend. If we drive separately, I can do my workouts in Fort Worth (run on Saturday and swim on Sunday), leave the pooper (GusGus) at home, and stop at the GAP outlet in Gainesville.

12. We are a little over a week out from our Bahamas trip! Woohoo! I can’t believe how fast the summer has gone by. It seems like we JUST went to Mexico.

13. I think Cliff and I are going to have a little happy hour date today after work since we carpooled. The new restaurant (Boo Ray’s) about 2 miles from our house has $1.50 pints of good beer (Rahr, Sierra Nevada, etc.). You can’t beat that deal (although last time I got Michelob Ultra and it was like drinking soda water).

Week 1 Recap

2010-08-22T06:16:00.003-05:00

Marathon training has commenced! The plan for this week was a 6-mile easy run (10:12 pace) on Monday, a 5-mile tempo run (with 3 miles @ 8:39 pace) on Wednesday, and a 10-mile easy run (10:12 pace) on Saturday. I modified the plan a bit and hit the trails on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, I didn't want to overdo it after the 30K last Saturday night.

Run #1 - Monday morning (81/85 degrees) - Easy Run - 4.21 miles @ 9:48 pace (41:14)
Run #2 - Tuesday afternoon (101/105 degrees) - Trail Run - 3.64 miles (Garmin battery died)
Run #3 - Wednesday afternoon (97/106 degrees) - Trail Run - 3.64 miles @ 11:56 pace (43:28)
Run #4 - Friday morning (82/87) - Medium Intensity Run - 2.17 miles @ 9:24 pace (20:23)
Run #5 - Saturday morning (82/86) - Long Run - 10.05 miles @ 9:46 pace (1:38:14)

I was very pleased with my trail runs. My pace has improved significantly as I have gained more confidence navigating the rocky terrain. I did my long run along the Trinity Trail with my friend Sara. She helped push me and make the run go by faster. I was expecting about a 10-minute pace, but we held 9:46 pace. I will probably have to slow it down a bit as the distance increases on my longer runs (especially until this heat subsides).

Other Workouts:
3 weight workouts: 1:47:33 total time
35 minutes on the stair stepper
Walked Gus 4.5 total miles

Three Things Thursday

2010-08-19T05:45:00.000-05:00

1. Marathon training has begun!

Monday was Day 1 of my 16-week plan. I used the “Smart Coach” on Runner’s World as an outline. However, I’m already modifying things. Monday was an easy 6-mile run, and I only did 4.2 miles since I was recovering from Saturday night’s 30K. Wednesday was a tempo run (5 miles, with 3 miles at tempo), but instead I did two trail runs (one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, 3.64 miles each) with an intense effort. I know the long runs are the most important, so I plan on being consistent with that part of the plan. However, I will need to mix things up during the week, especially if I want to improve my trail running.

Now I need to sign up for a marathon! I have my sights set on December 5. I would like to do Las Vegas because I know it is flat and fast, and I think I have a better chance of breaking 4 hours on that course versus White Rock. However, that trip will set us back at least $1,000 (yikes!) and that doesn’t even include our gambling allowances. Cliff is looking at doing the half marathon (reminiscent of 2007 when I did the full and he did the half), so that is a bonus. Plus we can get in more trouble after the race in Vegas and we can see Esther (my “bonus” grandma). And of course, there is a Bret Michaels concert...

2. I took the Certified Fraud Examiner test.

I had 30 days to take all four parts, and I totally rushed it and got it done in 2 days. I know the first three parts were a slam dunk. At that point, I was sick of answering exam questions and practice questions, so I figured I would just get on with the fourth exam (financial transactions). That should have been the easiest for me since I’m a CPA, but some of the sections (like insurance, banking, and healthcare) are topics that I don’t normally have to deal with. I should have reviewed more for that one, but I hopefully pulled off an 80%. I’m hoping to get my scores back very soon. *Fingers crossed*

3. Mi Padre is coming tomorrow!

My dad is coming for a relatively quick visit Friday afternoon – Sunday afternoon. My mom and Esther visited a few months ago for a “girls weekend,” so I invited my dad separately (usually my parents come together). Originally Cliff was going to Ardmore to see his son, but that didn’t workout. So the hubby can enjoy a weekend of doggy play time and eating ;) I think my dad is really coming to Texas to see his grandson, GusGus… but I’ll take it.

Race Report: Capt'n Karl 30K ("The Falls")

2010-08-17T05:14:00.002-05:00

Maureen (my friend/co-worker/White Rock marathon buddy), Derek, and I headed out to Pedernales Falls (just past Marble Falls) on Saturday for the Capt'n Karl's 30K. It was a fairly long drive, especially since we took a little "detour" that set us back an hour. We checked into our hotel and then Maureen dropped us off at around 5:30. It was pretty hot outside (close to 100), but we set up our chairs in the shade. It was a good amount of time to get our stuff ready and relax a bit.

The race started at 7 pm. It was mighty hot, and the first mile or two were single file. I remember looking at my Garmin at 1.2 miles/12 minutes, which is a mighty fast pace (for me) on the trails (especially running over big rocks and through tall grass). I went faster than I should have because I didn't want the people behind me to have to slow down. The trail widened a bit after that, and we started walking up the inclines. The first aid station was at mile 4, and they had water coolers and electrolytes. I refilled my fuel belt bottles, swallowed a couple of tablets, and ate a gel.

I noticed some pain in my left foot around miles 3-4, especially when I was walking. Fortunately that subsided though. It started getting dark at around 8:30 or 9:00. Derek and I continued to walk up the inclines and run the flats and downhills. We refilled our bottles at the mile 8 aid station, and I grabbed 3 peanut butter crackers that hit the spot. I could tell I needed salt. The next four miles were pretty tough. The downhills were more technical (so I couldn't accumulate any speed), and it seemed like we went uphill WAY more than downhill (funny how that works). I took a potty break at around mile 10 or 11 (hooray for the random park bathroom). It felt like I needed to pee, but I was obviously pretty dehydrated and not much happened. We were ready to hit the aid station at mile 12 and refuel. Then we got there and heard the bad news: they were out of water. This was rather ironic considering how the Race Director warned us to stay hydrated (a runner at the first race of the series ended up in the hospital). Since we were pretty worn out and dehydrated, we decided to walk the last 7 miles. It was a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g w-a-l-k.

I felt like I might throw up, and I was questioning how on earth I would finish 50 miles in February. We went from a 4:15 estimated finish to a 5-hour estimated finish. Fortunately there was a water cooler at mile 16, so we downed a bunch of water (nectar of the gods). The last 7 miles were a disaster though. Not only was there the hydration issue, but that led to nutrition issues since we couldn't eat without having some water to wash it down. We crossed the sweet, sweet finish line at 5:03 and grabbed some cold water. After resting for a few minutes, food began to sound better. I ate a PB&J and a Morningstar black bean burger patty and I felt 100 times better. The good thing about walking (instead of running) was that my legs aren't even that sore.

Final Results: 58th out of 77, 5:03:30

Lessons learned from my first trail AND night run:
1) I need to buy a small head light. I borrowed one from Dee, but it was too large and clunky for running (I think it was designed for cycling). I ended up borrowing a small handheld flashlight from Derek, and that worked well.
2) The 6-oz fuel belt bottles are a pain in the a$$. I will try a camelbak or large handheld water bottles next time.
3) I need to experiment with salt tablets in training and learn how many to take before, during, and after a race. I was totally craving salt on Sunday.
4) My nutrition is still a mess. I can handle gels early on, but then I prefer salt rather than sugar. I need to experiment with different foods in training and see what my tummy can handle.
5) I need to experiment with my anti-acid medicine and perhaps double-up on race day. My mucous was getting really thick (gross out) and it was difficult to swallow (that's what she said). This probably affected my nutrition as well.
6) If I'm allowed to drop off a bag at an aid station, I will do it (and pack extra food and water just in case). This saved some people at the waterless aid station.
7) The Sansom Park trails provide great technical training. The race course seemed much easier. 8) As Derek said, I need to work on "power walking" (especially for the 50-miler).
9) I couldn't imagine running a course like this by myself. It was ten times better having a buddy. It made the race go by faster, and it also helped my attitude. I would have been way more negative if I were by myself. So thank you, Derek!
10) I need to invest in some dirty girl gaiters to keep the trails out of my shoes.

Looking all fresh (and hydrated!) before the race:

Hanging out in the shade:

The prize:

Thursday Thirteen: 30K Thoughts

2010-08-12T05:34:00.000-05:00

1. The 30K is looming right around the corner. Saturday night at 7 pm in Pedernales Falls, which is about 4 hours south of Fort Worth.

2. I’m driving down there with Derek, who is also running the 30K, and Maureen (my friend who is dropping us off and going to see her Little [BBBS] Sister in San Antonio). This is pretty much a weekend commitment, given the drive, the long run (7 pm – midnight) on Saturday, and staying a night at a hotel.

3. I haven’t been working out as much these past few days since I’m drying to rest up a bit for Saturday night. However, I did get a longer trail run in on Sunday morning (6.07 miles in 1:30:32… slower time since we did some of the red course, which is the most technical) and a faster trail run in on Tuesday (4.17 miles in 53:19… much faster than I’ve been running on the trails, especially considering we did the green and blues, unlike running on my own and just doing the easy green).

4. I had a much-needed massage yesterday evening, and I have a chiropractor appointment today at lunch. I think my neck and back are still feeling the remnants of the 10K swim from a few weeks ago!

5. Thinking ahead to the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler, the less poundage I have on me, the better. I’ve lost a bit of weight, and I’m fairly close (about 6 pounds) to my wedding weight. This is pretty good considering my seasonal summer beer intake.

6. I’m attempting to cook a new recipe tonight. Although I wasn’t expecting Cliff to ask, “only mac and cheese?” I seem to remember my mom making homemade mac and cheese without side dishes or accompaniments.

Hopefully mine looks this purrrrrdy:

7. I’m seeing the light at the end of my CFE tunnel. I’m preparing for the fourth (or four) parts. Once I’m done, I have a 30-day window to pass all four parts. Now the big decision is whether to take the test before the Bahamas trip (which will give me less than 30 days but a sense of inner peace).

8. Some jobs should be posting at HUD soon, so that is additional motivation to go ahead and pass this exam and sound like more of a bad a$$.

9. I’m trying to come up with some new TV series for me and Cliff to watch on Netflix. I decided on “The Closer” and “Mad Men,” but both discs had a wait. So that left me with “Hung.”

10. There are so many movies out now that I want to see, but we never make it to the movie theater. There is one about 10 minutes away, but we had a bad experience there (with loud kids and apathetic employees). So I guess I will stay in suspense until they are release on Netflix.

11. Papa Paquette is visiting next weekend (August 20-22). His trip is conveniently scheduled during Bulldog play date.

12. We leave for the Bahamas in 23 days! EEEEEEK!

13. I’m assuming I will get lost and end up running about 30 miles. These are the insane directions:
For the 30km / 60km runners, the course is a 30km Loop. So, its ONE loop for the 30km and TWO loops for the 60km. The first aid station is roughly 4.7 miles in and will be a rough aid station with Water only. Its on the fence-line so I simply called it the FENCE aid station. The next aid station is another 3.3 miles and this one is called PIPE because its at the pipeline clear-cut. This is a an aid station that will have more drinks and foods. After you leave this station, you will run a 4.6 mile loop and back to the same station. This time when you leave, the next and final aid will be at the FINISH in another 5.9 miles. Thats ONE 30km loop or 18.6 miles. The 2nd loop for the 60km is the same as the 1st loop.

We start and finish in an open field where we will have you also park and camp. Its wide open, so bring some shade and lawn chairs. The route begins by heading towards the river. It is a single-track trail overgrown with high grass. There is room to pass for much of this so no worries about getting trapped behind a slow start. The trail becomes an overgrown grassy jeep road. About a mile in, you will drop down to the river and run up the river rocks for a few hundred yards, then turn back up to the same grassy road. Once you get to the fence-line, you will stay on it for 4 miles. Its an old road that is not used much and overgrown. It is strait but not very flat. The aid station is about midway along the fence-line.

After the Fence Aid, its still another 2 mile to the turn at the park boundary corner, but soon after the turn you will cross the park road (paved) and another mile to the Pipe Aid station. This aid station is on a well used dirt jeep road. take a look around because you are coming back to this station again and going out of it a different way on the return trip. When you first get here, you leave by continuing strait down the road. When you come back, you will be making a right turn up the pipeline clearing. if you miss this turn, you will find yourself in the lead and it will soon become obvious.

Ok, back to the Tobacco Creek Loop, when you leave the Pipe Aid station the 1st time, keep going down the road. At the bottom of the hill, you will get to a fork in the road. Go RIGHT. This next section is mostly single track and very rocky. This is a section that offers up a lot of entertainment. Lots of rocks, very skinny trail, twists n turns, a few drops, and so on. Jones Spring is the end of this fun part and then it becomes a wide road again. The entire next section is pretty easy all the way over to the bathroom. I had to add on a short out n back to get the correct distance and this is where that happens... from the bathroom, you need to go down 0.22 miles and then turn around and come back to the same bathroom. Then you go RIGHT and head UP the hill over Wolf Mt. Its not much of a Mt, but this may be biggest single climb on the entire course. Still, after 100 yards, its over. Its still a wide dirt road. You will get back to the same intersection you started this loop just a few miles ago. Then, its back UP the road to the Pipe Aid station.

Remember, this time you go RIGHT. A good thing to remember through this entire loop, at every fork, always go RIGHT. The pipeline clear cut is a very wide cut and not much fun as it is rocky and hilly with no cover at all. Yuk! This rough scramble only lasts two tenths of a mile but you will hate all of it. You will reach a trail that crosses over the pipeline. This is where you get off the ugly and get on a very nice skinny single track again for near to 3 miles. You will come up to a location right next to the road where a big concrete water pipe comes under the paved park road. You will turn right onto a hard pack jeep road and remain on this hard pack for a half mile. Go LEFT at the split in the road and then merge LEFT onto a single-track trail. This trail goes through a very short section of trees and then crosses over the main paved park road. The map shows this final section of trail as strait but it is not strait, It wanders about on a single-track trail that is a lot of fun and rolls a fair bit all the way back to the finish.

10,000-Meter (6.2-Mile) Swim

2010-07-31T09:40:00.006-05:00

Chuck (the Team Ridglea masters swimming coach) sent out an email a few weeks ago advertising 1.2-mile, 2.4-mile, 5K, and 10K swims at 5:30 this morning. I decided to go for it and try the 10,000 even though I haven't been swimming much. I looked through my workout logs and calculated that I had swum 253,000 meters since January 1, 2009. That is not very much (averages a whopping 440 meters a day). I knew that I had the endurance from all of the other training (especially running) that I had been doing, and I figured if I once swam 15 x 1500's in one practice (back in the days when I was actually a swimmer), I could swim a 10,000 now.

I decided to rest yesterday, and I also had a chiropractor appointment. This helped loosen me up quite a bit. I didn't drink last night, and I went to bed at 10:30 (later than I thought, but we watched ALL of Season 2 of "Nurse Jackie" yesterday and I couldn't stop myself). I set the alarm for 4:25 and got a decent night's sleep (although I did dream about the 10K). I ate a banana and a wheat bagel thin with almond butter for breakfast. This is a pretty standard breakfast for me now before long events. I also drank another bottle of water while driving to the pool. I wanted to make sure I was plenty hydrated, because the pool water is very hot from the Texas summer.

The 50-meter pool at the Lockheed Martin Rec Center:

Three of us did the 10K. A lady named Susan shared a lane with me, and Mark was in the lane next to us. Since we started in the dark, I couldn't see very well until the sun came up. I knew Mark was ahead of me, but I didn't know how far ahead (he ended up beating me by 200). It was good having Susan in my lane because I lapped her once pretty early on, and then we went back-and-forth a bit. My original plan was to break the swim up into 4 x 2500's. I did 50 lengths (2500) and stopped for a water break. My lowest mental point was around 4,000-5,000 meters. So I decided to stop at 90 lengths (4500) for a Gu and water. Once we passed the half-way point, I did a better job getting out of my slump. I stopped again at 140 lengths (7,000) for a Gel and some water, and my final stop was at 160 lenghts (8,000 meters) for water. The Gel messed with my tummy just a touch, and I started burping strawberry. Yummmm. I felt really strong the last 2,000 meters, which surprised me. At the half-way point, I doubted my ability to finish because my neck started hurting quite. Fortunately it was just a little down spell, and my spirits perked back up.

I finished in 2:48:18, which is 1:41 per mile. I anticipated a finish closer to 3 hours (1:45 pace), because I knew the water and food breaks would add to my time. So I was pleasantly surprised, given the fact that I am out of swimming shape. It was great to see Papa Chuck (even though I was staring down at the black line for most of the time!).

Did someone say Miller Lite and Clamato???

Back on the Wagon!

2010-07-27T06:15:00.000-05:00

I guess last week could be described as “recovery” since I started feeling sick (congestion and sore throat) on Monday night, I went to the Lady Gaga concert on Thursday night, and my brother came to visit Friday evening – Monday morning. I ran a total of 18.76 miles. Even though I wasn’t feeling well, I still got out there and did the 5K course around my neighborhood when I could. At least it was something!

Now it’s time to hop back on the wagon and work on the diet (especially limiting the alcohol) and hit the road and trail. I drove out to Samson Park yesterday at 3:00 and tried navigating the trails by myself for the first time. It went very well. I did 2 loops around the green (the easiest of the three – green, blue, and red – courses), which amounted to 5.40 miles in 1:08:41. I felt like I did a better job carrying my momentum downhill with less hesitation.

With the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler looming on the horizon, I decided to sign up for the 30K trail event at “The Falls” on Saturday night, August 14. It’s in Pedernales Falls State Park, which I assume is somewhere near Austin. This will be my first trail race AND my first night race. Yikes! One of my friends, Derek, also signed up. I need to learn all of the basics, like what to pack. There is another trail run in Grapevine in November, but I want to set my marathon date first. If I do Vegas the first weekend of December, that is going to be too close.

My weekend was fun, and involved a lot of calorie consumption rather than burnage. I picked up my brother at the airport on Friday night and we came home and picked up Cliff. Then the three of us went to Boo Ray’s (Cajun food) for dinner and then the Eagle’s Nest for some drinks. I was pretty impressed with the country band. They played Pat Green, Tom Petty, etc.

Uncle Aaron brought GusGus a new toy:

But Uncle Aaron needs to pick on someone his own size:

My brother and I at the Nest:

My hubby and I at the Nest (we got the memo to wear blue):

On Saturday we had some friends over for a pool party. Gus was excited that in addition to the seven humans, there was also a Dexter Dog!

Gus and Dexter, new FurBFFs:

On Saturday night my brother and I went out in Dallas. We made the smart decision to Priceline a hotel room so that we could take a cab to and from the hotel and then crash over night. We had a great time, and we weren’t even miserable on Sunday morning.

Chillin’ with Cher in Dallas:

Sunday was a lazy day with lots of eating. My brother, Cliff, and I went to Cracker Barrel for brunch. I hadn’t eaten in almost 24 hours, and I was starving! I stuffed my face with 2 biscuits, a cornbread roll, homestyle chicken (two huge pieces of boneless fried chicken), hash brown casserole, and dumplings. Yikes! I took a nap in the afternoon and ate even more bad food (3 cookies and some crackers with spinach dip) when I woke up from my slumber. Then my brother and I went to Taste of Italy (the Italian restaurant up the street) for dinner. At that point, my stomach was begging me to stop the madness!

Weekend Recap

2010-07-19T07:07:00.001-05:00

Friday
We took a dip in the pool for an hour or two and then did some grilling. Cliff grilled some sirloins and corn on the cob while I sautéed vegetables (green beans, squash, zucchini, onions, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms) and roasted some red potatoes (with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and rosemary). Dinner was mighty tasty. I went to bed early since it was a long day for me (after traveling home on Thursday, I got up at 4:45 on Friday, ran 5 miles around the neighborhood, went into the office for a full day, and then did the grocery shopping) and I wanted to get up on Saturday and run.

Saturday
I got up at a decent hour and started my run shortly before 8:00. I needed to do 5.80 miles to hit 40 miles for the week. I managed 5.82 miles around our hilly Lake Country neighborhood. My, that was a workout. I squeezed in a little nap in the afternoon and also got some CPE studying done before we took a dip in the pool. In the evening we went to dinner at Patrizio, a new restaurant in the booming 7th Street area of Fort Worth. I called in the afternoon to make a reservation, but the hostess told me it was first-come/first-serve, and the wait didn’t pick up until 6:45 or 7. We got there at 6:35 and ended up waiting for exactly an hour. The wait wasn’t too bad because we discovered the $1 baby bellinis, but we had to stand next to two annoying TCU girls whose voices sounded like nails on a chalkboard. We ordered the calamari appetizer (fairly good, but it’s hard to screw up calamari) and a bottle of the house Pinot Grigio.

I ordered the vegetable lasagna, but apparently I confused the waiter. He brought me the chicken mushroom lasagna, which was what Cliff and Leslie had ordered. It looked amazing though (much better than this mess of a picture), so I went with it. The sauce was just right – a perfect amount of cream and marinara. The lasagna was loaded with chicken (which reminded me of smoked turkey lunch meat) and mushrooms and cooked just to the right temperature (sometimes lasagna is overcooked and has those horrible rubbery edges). The menu prices were very affordable, about $12 for an entrée. The side salads were a little overpriced though ($4.55ish for a house salad), so we didn’t order any. The $1 baby bellinis were a fabulous deal, and that promotion is going on through July.

Sunday
I met Dee and Fran for a trail run at 8 am at Samson Park. There was a random older guy there named Charlie, and he asked to run with us. Fran and Charlie ran out in front, and Dee and I were the caboose. We did 4.21 miles in just under an hour, which was barely breaking 14-minute miles. It was great to be back on the trails though. The time goes by so fast since you have to constantly pay attention to the terrain.

View of Samson Park from my parking spot:

After the run, I took care of the grocery shopping and did some more studying before Cliff and I relaxed on the couch and watched the first half of Season 7 of Curb Your Enthusiasm. We also watched Big Brother, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold out before the annoying redhead drives me insane.

This morning I got up at 5:10 and walked Gus before Cliff and I headed to work. I got my run done early (6:15) with Kit. We did 5.25 miles (headed down Taylor to the Trinity Trail, and then came back up on 7th). It was a good start to the day, before the temperature climbs up to a ridiculous number!

The Big Four-OHHH!

2010-07-19T06:40:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if I've ever run 40 miles in a week before, so I thought I would post the evidence!

Flo-Rida

2010-07-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Well the trip started out a little rough. Our checked bag was about 4 pounds over the limit, and Cliff was ready to send me to timeout for overpacking. Then when we took a taxi from the Orlando airport to the Mariott hotel, the cab driver chased us down in the lobby and said that Cliff's government credit card was declined (when it was fine). In the midst of dealing with that fiasco, I thought I lost my iPhone. I figured I had either left it in the van or dropped it while I was paying the cab driver in cash and then writing down his license plate number. Cliff and I each looked through my purse multiple times. I decided to blow off some steam at the gym, and I ran for 10 miles on the treadmill. When I returned to the room and started getting ready, I got my makeup bag out of my purse and my iPhone was sitting right on top! I was so relieved, even though I felt pretty stupid that the inside of my purse camouflaged my phone (foiled by the hot pink!). So once that discovery was made, I felt WAY better. We headed downstairs to an expo (where the vendors were set up like the day before a marathon) and enjoyed free appetizers and drinks. Then there was another party with even more free appetizers and drinks. The second party had an open bar, so we splurged with Crown and Diet Coke.

On Tuesday morning I ran a little less (4.1 miles) and did some weights and abs (26 minutes). I enjoyed an hour at the pool before it rained. So I took a nap in my room and then headed downstairs for a second workout (an hour on the upright stationary bike while I read my awesome Wally Lamb book). In the evening we went to another (free) function at the Hard Rock. Once again we got free drinks (my good friends, Jack and Jim) and appetizers, plus we got to listen to a great cover band and hit the dance floor.

On Wednesday morning I ran 6.1 miles and then lounged out by the pool for an hour or so before eating lunch in my room and taking a 3+ (YIKES) hour nap. I must've needed the sleep! Cliff and I hit the gym in the late afternoon and I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine with the arms and a little over 10 minutes of weights. Yesterday evening Deloitte hosted a function at Sea World. I enjoyed a few Bud Light Limes and even more appetizers (at this point, I am craving a healthy sit-down dinner) and we listened to the Sea World CFO say "UHHH" about 3 times every sentence during his presentation. After that, we were free to roam the park. Cliff and I went to the Dolphin Nursery and then saw the "Shamu Rocks" show (which was amazingly cute). We were ready to leave, but first we walked about five circles around the park trying to find the elusive exit.

This morning I ran 9 miles on the treadmill. My goal was 6 so I would have an Orlando treadmill marathon of 26.2 miles in 4 days, but I decided to push myself a bit more. I am going to grab some lunch and enjoy a bit more pool time. I have been trying to squeeze in some CFE studying, but it hasn't been high on my list of vacation priorities. Tonight there is some sort of reception (with more free drinks and free apps). It's a "Grease" theme, which I had originally confused with Greece the country. My bad. Our flight leaves at 11-ish tomorrow. It has been a great trip, but we are ready to see our Baby GutthhhGutthhh!

Thursday Thirteen

2010-07-08T05:59:00.000-05:00

1. I’m in the mood to do an organized race, and I’m thinking about “The Falls,” part of the Capt’n Karl race series. There is a 30K race at 7 pm on Saturday, August 14. I definitely need a list of equipment to bring, because I have no clue. I’ve never run with a Camelback or any of those accessories.

2. I’ve been detoxing after five days of gluttony in Mexico. The pounds have been melting off. It’s amazing what healthy food, no alcohol, and daily runs can do.

3. Cliff and I have been on a Netflix craze lately. We finished Season 1 of Nurse Jackie (my favorite), and we’re also watching Season 1 of Sons of Anarchy (Cliff likes that a bit more than I do, kind of like Breaking Bad) and Season 2 of True Blood (Sooooooookie).

4. I’m going to have to buy the Sookie Stackhouse books. Melissa got me a B&N gc for my birthday, so that should work out perfectly.

5. On Friday night we’re heading to Key’s Lounge for some James Hinkle and Wendy Colonna. Good times!

6. 24 Hour Fitness is doing a promotion where members can bring a friend for free on Saturdays in the summer. I keep telling Cliff we should go together, but I think this Saturday we are actually going to do it! Or so I say… until Saturday morning rolls around and we sleep in ;)

7. Cliff asked me what I wanted for my birthday (thinking I would want the new iPhone), and I couldn’t really think of anything. So I settled on a couples massage. So we have a champagne couples massage set up for Saturday afternoon.

8. We’re leaving for the AGA Conference in Orlando on Sunday. I’ll miss four days of work (Monday-Thursday) and lounge around the hotel while Cliff attends training classes. Hopefully we’ll get to do a few fun things. I’m rooting for Epcot Center.

9. I’ve fallen a little behind on my CFE studying. I read the whole Financial Transactions section (one whole binder of two) and I am finishing up one of the three smaller sections. I hope to get another small section done in Orlando, and then I’ll have one more section to read when I get home. Then I plan on reviewing everything, taking the practice exams, and taking the tests. I have 30 days to pass all four parts. Hopefully I will get started with the exam in early August.

10. I think we’re giving GusGus separation anxiety. It was so hard to leave him at Auntie Shawna’s last week and watch him paw at the fence as I was leaving. Now I have to leave him again when we go to Orlando. He seemed out of sorts the day I brought him home, but then I brought his bed and favorite toy home the following day, and he went bonkers. I think he is very possessive of his bed and his nylabones.

11. I keep stubbing my toes. Last night, I stubbed my hurt toe on the coffee table. This morning, I stubbed my toe on the bedroom door. I must have horrible spatial perception.

12. I’ve been sleeping like crud these last four nights since we’ve returned from Mexico. I’m hot at night, I itch from mosquito bites, and I toss and turn and have crazy dreams. Maybe I need two sets of sheets and a big, fluffy comforter like our awesome bed in Mexico.

13. I started a “budget” on January 1 to track how we spend our money. I have about 20 categories. It is depressing. I haven’t even been shopping much. So now I’m really making a better effort to save… until we go to Orlando… and then the Bahamas.

Mexico Pics

2010-07-08T05:43:00.000-05:00

Getting my run on

2010-07-07T06:11:00.000-05:00

I've started following (creeping?) some new blogs from runners (veering away from triathletes), and they have been pretty darn inspiring. If you don't already follow them, check out Runner's Rambles and One Run at a Time. I especially liked this entry. Is it weird that I like reading about people I don't even know? Well I really want to branch out and try some new running races, so maybe I can make human (instead of creepy virtual) contact. Haha.

A running recap (the last week and a half or so):
Sunday, June 27 - 6 miles, 1:00:00, 10:00 pace (Trinity Trail with Stacy and Shawna)
Monday, June 28 - 6.02 miles, 1:00:13, 10:00 pace (Downtown/Trinity Trail at lunch)
Tuesday, June 29 - 5.03 miles, 47:33, 9:27 pace (my 'hood)
Wednesday, June 30 - 3.10 miles, 29:34, 9:32 pace (my 'hood)
Thursday, July 1 - ~2.12 miles, 22:16, guessing 10:30 pace (Maroma Beach in Mexico)
Monday, July 5 - 4.21 miles, 40:55, 9:43 pace (my 'hood)
Tuesday, July 6 - 5.55 miles, 54:59, 9:54 pace (Downtown/Trinity Trail at lunch)
Wednesday, July 7 - 3.38 miles, 33:03, 9:46 pace (my 'hood - BIG HILLS)

Family Vacay in Mexico

2010-07-07T05:45:00.002-05:00

Cliff, Leslie (Cliff's daughter/my bonus daughter), Jordan (Cliff's son/my bonus son), and I went to the El Dorado Maroma (about 15 miles from Playa del Carmen) June 30 - July 4 to celebrate Jordan's high school graduation (and my birthday happened to land in there too). We booked the "El Dorado Fun for Less" trip through FunJet, which meant we would stay at one of the El Dorado resorts (Royale, Maroma, or Seaside). We found out about 5 days before the trip that we would be staying at the Maroma, which Cliff was rooting for because it only has 72 rooms and it is the most expensive of the resorts. I was rooting for the Royale (where Cliff and I stayed in January) because it is bigger, and I figured there would be more to do.

We ended up staying "on campus" at the resort for all five days. We had talked about driving into Playa, but each day someone didn't feel well, and there was also a timing problem with the elections (apparently they don't serve alcohol 48 hours before the elections). It was really nice to just relax on the beach and in the pools, spend time together, and eat and drink (two of my favorite hobbies). The best parts about this resort were the amazing customer service and the beach (the Travel Channel voted Maroma Beach one of the top 10 beaches in the world). The staff did an amazing job, and we joked about how they never said "no" to anything. The downside was the food. I was a little disappointed, especially since we had such a great dining experience at the Royale. The food options were more limited because of the size of the resort, and everything was very rich. The gourmet (sit-down restaurants) all-inclusive was still much better than the standard buffet-type all-inclusive though.

We ate breakfast every morning in the restaurant. Cliff and I ordered a lot of room service at the Royale, but it was easier to meet at the restaurant since there were 4 of us. We usually ate at the standard restaurant for lunch, although the restaurant by the ocean had some specialty foods (some amazing tacos the first day and a wide variety of fish the second day) that were good. We tried the Japanese restaurant the first night, and that was my favorite. Jordan even liked the sushi. The second night we did the Italian-themed dinner, the third night we did the actual Italian restaurant, and the fourth night we did the Mexican-themed dinner.

After dinner, we headed to Rick's bar. I was a lot more fun the first and last night because I had my afternoon nap. The bar was pretty empty since the resort was so small, but we still had a good time. One night there was a Michael Jackson show, and the last night we played casino games. When we were the only ones left in the bar, we played Jenga with the bartender. That was a lot of fun. The loser had to take a shot of tequila, and Cliff graciously took mine for me. I think he was cursing me the next day though.

Our travels went pretty smoothly. When we arrived in Mexico, there was no line in Immigration or Customs, and we sailed through. Our flight was delayed returning home, but it actually worked out for the best. We got to stay at the resort for 2 extra hours (until 5:25 pm), and we didn't have to wait at the airport at all. We saw some fireworks from the plane as we were descending into DFW. That was pretty neat.

I did okay with my vacation workouts. I got up super early (4-something) on Wednesday morning to run the 5K course around my neighborhood before we left for the airport. Cliff and I hit the gym at the resort on Thursday morning, and I lifted weights for 22 minutes and then ran on the beach (amazing!) for 22 minutes. On Friday morning we walked on the beach for just under an hour. Somehow I managed to lose 3+ pounds on the trip. I'm not sure how that happened, considering my vast intake of gorgonzola cheese and alcohol.

My home computer won't let me paste in Blogger (very odd), so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to post some pictures.

Yowzers!

2010-06-28T13:12:00.002-05:00

Now that my foot is on the mend, I thought I'd get in another run at lunch today. Since I hate the dreadmills at Club Fed, I headed outside in the heat even though I couldn't recruit any friends to go with me. I was a little more "aware" than usual since my iPod Nano wasn't charged and I had to resort to listening to my own thoughts. I ran a mile down 7th and then hit the Trinity Trail. That's when I noticed a homeless man standing by the bench in just his underwear. I could really go either way on whether or not he flashed me, because I was trying my best to ignore him (and just make sure he wasn't chasing me). Fortunately some cyclists passed by at that point and asked if I was okay. I ran 2 miles down the trail and back, and my new best friend was gone when I returned to the spot. I did see four cop cars though, so I'm assuming someone called the police station. Never a dull moment in the Fort! (6.02 miles in 1:00:13... the same 10-minute pace as yesterday)

Lacing up the running shoes...

2010-06-28T05:38:00.000-05:00

Well after about 10 or 12 days off following my not-so-sweet bathtub-kicking foot injury, I finally got back out there. My right foot is still sore, but I'm trying to remember to ice it and take Advil. On Wednesday I did the 5K route around my neighborhood, which is pretty hilly. My legs must have been rested, because I finished in 28:06 (9:03/mile pace). I did the same run on Friday morning with a little less effort (29:52, 9:38/mile pace). I met Stacy and Shawna for a run on the Trinity Trail on Sunday morning. We did 6 miles in exactly an hour (my OCD loved all 60 minutes of that timing perfection). The Texas heat is BRUTAL, even at 8:30 am. Stacy and I went for a swim at 24 Hour Fitness afterwards. We weren't really feeling it, but we ended up pushing each other and having a great workout. We did a 3,000-yard workout in an hour. Then we got to gorge on Baker Brothers salad afterwards. I do it for the food.

It's good to be back out on the road! Hopefully I can squeeze in a trail run tomorrow evening before we leave for Mexico!

Thursday Thirteen: The Pre-Mexico Edition

2010-06-24T05:30:00.000-05:00

1. How ‘bout those Frogs? What an awesome game last night! That was so much fun to watch!

2. TCU versus UCLA tomorrow @ 3:30. Now the tough decision… where to watch the game? We’re thinking Railhead might be fun since it will be full of crazy TCU fans.

3. We leave for Mexico on Wednesday, and Funjet is keeping us in suspense about which El Dorado resort we will be staying at (since we did the “El Dorado Fun for Less” deal).

4. I think GusGus will be staying with Auntie Shawna. I bought him a new bright orange life jacket yesterday, and he told me he is excited to wear it at Auntie Betsy’s pool party.

I'm cute, and people like me.

5. I bought GusGus a bully stick yesterday at PetSmart, and I thought it would keep him busy for a few hours. He had that thing devoured in about 20 minutes (after he realized the stick should go in his mouth, not in his heart).

6. Cliff and I booked our flight to the Bahamas! Woohoo… 10-day vacation in September! Don’t let Mexico know we’re cheating on her!

7. My (bathtub kicking) foot still hurts. This is lame.

8. I finally ran yesterday after taking about 10 days off. I was very pleased with my pace (28:06 for a 5K = 9:04/mile pace), but I don’t think my footsie was.

9. I tried to launch “Operation Bikini Body” in anticipation of our Mexico vacation, but the plan was easily sabotaged with numerous Willingham Pool Time Happy Hours. It was worth it though.

10. I’ll take the extra pounds in exchange for Miller Lite with Clamato (and a splash of Tobasco), my new favorite pool beverage.

11. I’ve been working out pretty consistently. I’m trying to mix things up with yoga, running, cardio, and weights.

12. I whipped up some summer dishes for dinner this week. I made a Chinese chicken salad last night and a pasta salad on Tuesday night. I had a happy (and full) hubby.

13. Go Frogs!!!

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-21T05:50:00.000-05:00

Friday Night
The four of us went to an early dinner at Joe T's and then to the Fort Worth Cats baseball game. It was a great evening!

Cliff and I at the Cats game:

Leslie and Jordan after the Cats game:

We continued the festivities with a night swim, which felt great after enduring the heat at dinner and at the baseball game. I was hurting a bit on Saturday morning, but it was worth it.

Bulldog Play Date
This is 7-week year-old Newman. Doesn't he make you want a Baby Bulldog?

This is Cross and Bullet. Cross looks like a heavier GusGus. The two of them (GusGus and Cross) did not get along... lots of the whole "male dominance" thing.

Gus seems to get along better with other breeds. Maybe because he's used to Sasha, Kona, and Molly? This is Zoey. She tugged at Gus's heart strings a bit (and probably got a little annoyed with him).

Always a fan of the swimming pool!

Saturday Evening
We enjoyed some of the wine and cheese that I bought Cliff for Father's Day and then Cliff grilled some burgers for dinner. I was stuffed. I also gorged on blueberry cobbler (with vanilla ice cream, of course) and chocolate peanut butter brownies. I ended up going to bed at 9:15 and sleeping for nearly 12 hours. Yikes!

Sunday
I went to 10:00 am yoga and also got the weekly grocery shopping done at Super Target. Leslie, Cliff, and I enjoyed some pool time in the afternoon and Cliff grilled corn on the cob, chicken, and steak. We rented "Almost Famous" since Cliff had never seen it. I love that movie! I even recognized Earl (from "My Name is Earl," or whatever that annoying show is called) who played the lead singer for "Stillwater." And Sookie from "True Blood" was one of the "Band-Aids."

(Tardy) Thursday Thirteen

2010-06-17T05:45:00.001-05:00

1. In a smooth maneuver on Saturday night (after a beverage or two), I accidentally kicked the bathtub with my left foot. Apparently my spatial perception was a bit off. I thought I broke a toe (or multiple toes), but in the morning I realized it was actually the top part of my foot right under my toes. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and got an x-ray. Fortunately my foot is only bruised and not broken.

2. Last night I was fixing dinner after a quick post-yoga dip in the pool. I stuffed the chicken breasts in my bikini and then figured it was maybe time to shower. So I put the chicken in the oven and hopped in the shower. I was in a rush to get the rice started, so I walked back out to the kitchen with a towel wrapped around me. I was still pretty wet from the shower, and I slid on the tile. I landed on my curled left big toe. OUCH! So now I’m limping around and hobbling on both feet.

3. Since I’m on the DL, I rode the spin bike and upright stationary bike on Monday and Tuesday and lifted some weights (upper body). I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes on Monday and made the mistake of wearing running shorts. After some sweet chafing, I learned my lesson and wore bike shorts on Tuesday. My delicate bootie hasn’t been on a road bike since November 2008!

4. Gus has discovered that laying on a raft is much easier than swimming around in circles. Sometimes he lets us swim in his pool with him ;)

5. This is one of my favorite GusGus pool pictures. Autumn (our niece) is such a cutie pie. She grabbed the empty chip plate and diverted our attention while our sneaky dog did a nose-dive into the queso bowl.

6. Queso is good, but queso with sausage is even better. This probably helped account for my 8-pound weight gain in 5 days. Eeeek! Fortunately I have dropped 6.5 of those pounds (probably just water and food retention).

7. We leave for our family vacation in less than 2 weeks! *Insert excited teenage girl scream*

8. I managed to send my Father’s Day present in time. I bought my Dad (or maybe Gus bought his grandfather?) a wine and cheese basket. You can’t go wrong with wine and cheese.

9. Ciff’s son is coming down to Fort Worth for the weekend and we’re going to Joe T’s for dinner and a Cats baseball game on Friday night. I still have to buy a Father’s Day gift for the hubby. I’ll probably swing by Central Market and pickup some stinky blue cheese and a Cabernet.

10. I'm halfway done with my reading for the CFE exam. My plan is to take the first two exams after our Orlando trip in mid-July. That will give me another week to finish reading the second part and a week or two to study everything. So far, so good. I would go ahead and study for the first part (which was half of the reading material), but there is a 30-day window to pass all four exams.

11. I haven’t been able to run since Friday. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr….. I will probably test out the injured feet in the next day or two.

12. I went to the gym today, and the instructor (Sara, who happens to be Casey James' cousin) asked me if I had any vacations coming up. I mentioned trying to burn off the muffin top before family vacation. She laughed and said, "at least we can blame our muffin tops on our children." Awkward laughter when I told her I'm a stepmom.

13. I went to Sushi Axiom with Kit and Amy. We tried the Montgomery Ward location. The service wasn't very good, but my food was. The smoked eel roll (only $5.95) was great! Lots o' flavor. I stayed away from the signature rolls, but I still managed to put 19 pieces of sushi in my belly.

An Update on Running & Life

2010-06-11T13:49:00.002-05:00

Running & Fitness
I ran 25.15 miles (6 fairly short runs) last week, and I have run 24.21 miles so far this week. I took the plunge and signed up for the Rocky Raccoon 50-mile trail run in February. I saw there is a trail run (Rockledge Rumble) in Grapevine in November, so the 30K or 50K will be good practice! I’m not doing any long runs right now because the heat and humidity are brutal. I’m trying to hit the trails at least once a week and run nearly every day. I’m thinking about running a marathon at the end of 2010 with the goal of breaking 4 hours.

I’ve been pretty consistent with my workouts, and I’m also doing Bikram Yoga, weights, and cardio. I have dropped a few pounds, but I’m still about 9 pounds over my lowest weight (right before we left for our wedding). I think I drink a bit more in the summer since it’s so tempting to have some beers in the pool. So if I can continue to drop a few more pounds this summer, that would be great. I’m aiming to lose about 10 more pounds since the lighter I am, the easier it is to run (especially since I have to tow the weight around for 50 miles in February).

My back has been bothering me this past week, probably from all of the running (and the new shoes). I saw Dr Dukes (chiropractor) a few days ago, but I’m still feeling some pain. I think it’s time to treat myself to a massage with Cynthia next week!

Weekends
Last weekend was Jordan’s (Cliff’s son) high school graduation. We went up to Ardmore on Friday and came back on Sunday night. We had a steak dinner with the family on Saturday night to celebrate. Cliff and I had a much needed day of R&R on Sunday. We lounged around the pool pretty much all day. My mom and Esther (technically my “step grandma”) visited during Memorial Day. We did a lot of eating, drinking, and swimming and a little shopping and walking. I bought quite a bit of stuff at the Allen Premium Outlets, including a Coach purse, two BCBG dresses, a dress and a top from Banana, and a top from Ann Taylor.

When Cliff and I get off work at 3:30, we’re going to head home and enjoy the pool for a few hours and then try J&J Oyster Bar. I’m meeting Stacy and Heidi for a swim tomorrow, and I’m hoping to make it to yoga beforehand. Cliff’s nieces have a dance recital tomorrow night, so we are going to that. On Sunday I am running with Stacy and then Cliff’s family is coming over for a pool party/BBQ.

Trips
Family vacation is coming up! We booked an El Dorado Fun for Less vacation package for Cliff, Leslie, Jordan, and me. We’ll be staying at one of the El Dorado five-star resorts, but we won’t find out which one until about a week before the trip. I’m going to Orlando with Cliff in July. He’s going to the AGA Conference (for free), so I am tagging along and staying in the p!mp resort. Cliff and I are also looking at booking a cruise to Key West and the Bahamas at the end of the summer, but we’re waiting to see what happens with the oil spill.

Rocky Raccoon

2010-06-10T06:41:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I signed up for the Rocky Raccoon 50-mile trail run in February 2011. It sounds a little daunting now, but I have 8 months to stop braking my feet as I run downhill! This will be my first "ultra" run. There is a 29-hour time limit, so I can creeeeeeeep along.

My original plan was to run the Houston marathon with the goal of breaking 4 hours, but that is the weekend before Rocky Raccoon. So maybe I will do the Vegas Marathon in December? We can always use an excuse to go to Vegas! The San Antonio Marathon might be worth looking into as well (although that would entail less post-race debauchery).

Schweaty Runs

2010-06-07T09:58:00.002-05:00

I need to whine. It’s getting hot. Very hot. I met my GSA BFF, Kit, this morning for a run at 6:30 am. We figured we could go early (instead of our usual lunch break) and avoid the heat. Wrong. It randomly rained for a few minutes at about 6:10 am. The rain didn’t cool the temperature down a bit. Instead it fueled the humidity even more. Kit and I always push each other though, and we managed to get through 5 miles in just under 49 minutes. That’s better than the 10-minute pace I’ve been running at lunchtime. I realized I need to bring my water bottle with me, regardless of the time of the day.

I’ve been on a running bender lately. Last week I did 6 runs in 5 days. I’ve been hitting the trails with some friends who run on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning. The trails are a whole new beast. I average just under 14 minutes per mile, which sounds insanely slow. The scary downhills slow me down the most. I tippy-toe down those things with way too much trepidation. The trail shoes (Mizuno Ascends) have helped with the traction and ankle stability though. Now I just need to build some more confidence as I gain experience. I’d like to do a 25K in the coming months, then a 50K, and then maybe the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler in February. That sounds quite ambitious though. I still have my sights set on the Houston Marathon in January, and this is giving me a great base to work from.

Mizuno Wave Riders on the left, Mizuno Ascends on the right, and Gus scoping out the new shoe situation:

Back in the Pool

2010-05-07T08:40:00.002-05:00

This has nothing to do with masters swimming and everything to do with getting a tan, relaxing with my hubby, and drinking a Miller Lite. It's summa, summa, summatime (well almost)! Yesterday was our first dip in the pool this season. GusGus went for a swim a couple weeks ago, but it has taken a few more weeks of sunshine to get Cliff and I out there. It wasn't too bad sitting on the deeper step out in the sun, and the cool water felt great on my trail running, boot camping cankles. This would be a great spot to insert a cute little picture or video of GusGus swimming around in circles in his life jacket, but I was too busy enjoying a cold beverage to take photos.

Thursday Thirteen

2010-05-06T05:31:00.001-05:00

1. Yesterday was my first official “trail run.” I met some friends at the Sansom Park trails. I figured it would take about 50 minutes to run 5 miles. Yeah, I was just a bit off on that. It took an hour and 12 minutes to run 5.28 miles. The first loop was pretty scary for me. I’m a klutz to begin with, so I stared at the ground (with my shoulders hunched over) and tried to avoid tripping on a rock or root. Needless to say, my back is killing me today.

2. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to “try something new.” Check.

3. I’ve been on a running streak lately – 7.15 miles on Sunday, 6.41 miles on Monday, 7 miles on Tuesday, and 5.28 miles yesterday. My feet feel fine (knock wood), and my pace is getting a bit faster (9:32-9:47/mile average pace). I’d like to get to the point where 9:09 (sub 4 hour marathon) pace seems more moderate (and less like a tempo run).

4. Today I’m doing the “Club Fed” boot camp class (45 minutes) during my lunch break. Oh, it’s going to hurt.

5. My 10-day yoga pass expired last Friday, and I squeezed in yoga session #10 just in time. I’m taking at least a week off to let my wallet recover. I have noticed some improvements in my “practice,” and I don’t want to lose those. So I need to get back into it soon (maybe tomorrow or Monday).

6. Cliff and I tried Texas Pit BBQ (which is apparently a chain?) in Saginaw on Friday night. It was pretty tasty. The atmosphere was a lot like Railhead. You order your food at the counter, and they have frozen scooners of beer. I got the special, a pulled pork sandwich with 2 sides and an iced tea, for only $6.75. Two thumbs up!

7. After dinner, we went home and watched “The Men Who Stare at Goats.” Odd movie, but fairly entertaining.

8. The weekend was mighty productive. I cleaned the inside of the house on Saturday while Cliff worked on the yard. I did the grocery shopping on Sunday and also got a few hours of studying in.

9. I’m kicking some bootie on my CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) studying. I’m going to take the hardest part (financial transactions) first, and hopefully I’ll be ready in a month or two. I sent my application to Austin this week, and I’ve invested over $1,000 in this endeavor. Unlike the CGFM (Certified Government Financial Manager) and my remaining class needed to teach, I must complete this!

10. This weekend we’re heading to Ardmore. Meanwhile, I’m getting mentally prepared to camp on Saturday night ;)

11. I’m looking forward to a semi-long run around Regional Park and the Ardmore HS track. I haven’t run out there in quite awhile (excluding the lap around the track during the half marathon).

12. I made Kate’s banana bread recipe last week and brought it into work. Success! So I’m going to make some to take to Ardmore this weekend (like a good daughter-in-law).

13. Mother’s Day is on Sunday, and I conveniently left my mom a card and a wrapped present when I was home a couple weeks ago! For once, I’m not late on my gift giving!

Thursday Thirteen: California Recap

2010-04-29T05:10:00.000-05:00

1. I’m still trying to recover from the time change, and I haven’t been able to get a good night’s sleep. I finally slept better last night, but we stayed up late watching the last two episodes of Season 1 of Lost.

2. I went out with my brother on Friday night. We stayed out until almost 2 am, which was 4 am Texas time. Rock stars. The sugar-free “energy drink” (apparently bars in California are getting away from Red Bull to save $) on tap was definitely a life saver.

3. My mom and I did some serious shopping on Saturday – Dick’s Sporting Goods (unexpected detour, but they were having an awesome clearance sale outside the store), Nordstrom Rack, and H&M.

4. We had a lunch break at Togo’s and I ordered the 9-inch turkey and avocado sandwich on sourdough. 9 inches sounded so unassuming since I get the foot-long (I’m a growing girl) at Subway. It was a monster though. I still managed to make a happy plate.

5. Saturday was family dinner at Café 140 South. I ordered the Italian sausage pizza (and a side of broccoli, because that made it healthy).

6. I was planning on going out with my friend Sharon on Saturday night, but I had to bail. Friday night did me in.

7. I did Bikram yoga on Sunday morning (8 am) and Monday morning (6:30 am) at the studio on Colorado Blvd. They had a two-day pass for $20 (versus a one-day pass for $18), so they sucked me in. It was fun trying a different studio and noticing little differences.

8. My cousin, Holly, and her fiancé, Ryan, had a housewarming/engagement/birthday party at their new condo on Sunday. It was fun to see their place and visit with my extended family.

9. There were some awesome cupcakes from Hansen’s, and I’m not even a big cupcake fan.

10. My mom and I rented “Precious” on Sunday night. Talk about depressing. We love depressing though.

11. On Monday my mom and I went to Twohey’s and ordered the Napa omelette (spinach, mushrooms, swiss cheese, and avocado). We got the last two cups of au gratin (“cheesy”) potatoes, one of our favorite breakfast side dishes of all time.

12. I had to say goodbye (boo!), but fortunately my mom and Esther (“step-grandma”) are visiting next month!

13. I couldn’t post this without including that Khloe Kardashian was on my flight to Burbank! I always stare at the people in first class like a creeper. I walked by the girl in the first row near the aisle and noticed she had a cursive “I love you” tattoo on her forearm. I thought that was rather odd (I hate to judge, but you usually don’t see many forearm tattoos in first class). The lady sitting next to me pointed at a picture of Khloe in People Magazine and said “that girl is sitting in first class!” The flight attendant confirmed it. I looked up the tattoo later, and it’s Khloe’s dad’s writing. So that was my little brush with fame! I assume Khloe was on the way home from the Lakers/OKC Thunder game.

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Cool Happenings in North Carolina

2010-04-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

(in chronological order, to be fair to all of my wonderful culinary experiences)

1. Portobello, fontina, arugula, and roasted tomato panini at Toast. The goat cheese and honey crostini rocked my socks.

2. Banana Bread beer and Double Chocolate beer. I had the genius thought to mix it, but the thought quickly passed and never amounted to much. Also munched on banana bread and banana chips... it was a banana kind of day.

3. Hangin' out on the front porch. Cute pic. Cute front porch.

4. Friday night dinner at Dos Perros. Chile Relleno... vegetable- and cheese-stuffed pepper with black bean puree.

5. Saturday morning run with Kate and her friend, Michelle, around the Duke campus. I really wish there were shade trees and front porches all over Texas.

6. Saturday afternoon breakfast burger from the Only Burger truck. Beef patty, fried egg, fried green tomato, and pimento cheese. A little bit of heaven in a greasy bun.

7. We stopped at the Scrap Exchange, and there was lots of neat stuff to buy. I got a cute little necklace (it was hard to choose between that and the used medical equipment - like IVs).

8. The Saxapahaw General Store. This was awesome. Their blog says they "provide as much local food as possible while also supporting other sustainable production methods." I had a goat (as in meat, not cheese) burger and goat cheese lasagna. The entrees were only $5.99, so I figured I'd splurge and get two (portion control has never been my strong suit).

9. I washed dinner down with an awesome 11.2% alcohol apple cider beer. Delish.

10. Whitney's robot show. How often can you say you spent your Saturday night at a robot play? Not very often. Cool experience.
Feeling the robotic ambiance:

Robot crush (or trying to get the robot a little tipsy on a Miller Lite tall boy?):

11. Arm wrestling contests. I would post pictures, but they were not the most flattering shots of me. My blog, my rules. No double chin pics.

12. Human bench pressing and spotting. Melissa benched Whitney. If I ever start to mouth-off at a bar, I'm going to make sure Melissa is there. She'll have my back.

13. Melissa, Kate, and I stopped at Kate's parents' house for a visit on the way to the airport on Sunday. It was fun to catch up with her family, and we got to eat again ;)

Thursday Thirteen

2010-04-15T05:05:00.002-05:00

1. I made two short-term goals last week (Monday, April 5). The first goal was to run 20 miles that week (achieved – ran 25miles) and the second goal pertained to weight loss (and I’m only 1 pound off with one day to go).

2. I’ve pretty much kicked bootie on my runs the past week or so… 12 miles on Saturday, 6 miles on Monday, 5 miles on Tuesday, and 6 miles yesterday.

3. Cliff went to the last regular season Mavs game last night (they won – woohoo!) and I went to bed early. I was super excited about my slumber.

4. My favorite quote this week was when I asked Jessie where he and Cliff went to dinner last night before the game. He wrote back and said they had salads and talked about how they need to be more patient and attentive husbands.

5. I’m looking forward to lunch with friends at Great Outdoors today. Why can’t Subway make a fat-free (or even low-fat) tuna sandwich?

6. Since I have lunch plans, it will be my first day this week to forgo my lunchtime run. I feel a tad bit guilty about it. Although I can still workout from 3-4 and maybe run a few miles when we get home from work.

7. Tomorrow morning is going to be an EARLY wake-up. My flight to North Carolina leaves at 6:15. I need to get there early enough to park in the remote lot. YAWN.

8. It’s getting up to 80 degrees now during the day, and the pool temperature is getting a bit less frigid. GusGus went for his first swim yesterday.

9. He was visibly upset when the swimming fun ended. He decided to go outside and lay down by his life jacket.

10. Masters Zones was insanely fast. 1:04 in the 100 breast and 4:25 in the 400 IM? Yeah, I'm thinking my "swimming 2 days a month" plan wouldn't have been very successful.

11. I watched the Ohio Grand Prix swimming coverage on Universal last night. It was very odd to see hairy male swimmers. Beards, chest hair, etc. Odd.

12. We're done with Season 2 of Damages, and now we have 3 discs at the house (1 episode of "Breaking Bad" and 2 discs of "Lost"). At least "Lost" is quite the commitment. Season 2 of True Blood comes out next month. Soooooooookie.

13. The 10-day Bikram pass that expires after 40 days stresses me out. I'm always counting the number of sessions completed (6) and the number of days left (15ish).

The Fight for UC Davis

2010-04-13T04:57:00.000-05:00

Wow, this article really hit home. It's difficult to hear about swimming programs like Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine getting cut, but I felt a bit removed from them. My mom and I visited the UC Davis campus the summer before my senior year in high school, and I absolutely loved it. The campus was beautiful, a lot of the students commuted by bike, the nutrition program was excellent, and the swim coach was incredibly friendly (and the article mentions how she has volunteered to give up her salary for 2 years to save the program). I actually ended up applying to UC Davis (instead of UC Berkeley) and UCLA. I really wanted to swim at a Division I school though, so UC Davis was not one of my final top 5 choices. I did look at the school again when I realized I wasn't going to swim at TCU after my sophomore year, but I ended up quitting swimming and staying in Fort Worth. Hopefully UC Davis can rally enough support to keep the swim program... one more reason why pot should be legal... so California can dig itself out of this huge budget crisis with some amazing sales tax revenue.

Thursday Thirteen

2010-04-08T15:39:00.000-05:00

1. I swam here as an age-grouper for nearly a decade. Cool shout out.

2. After a weekend of laziness, I’ve been hitting it hard this week (and abstaining from the sauce).

3. The summer concert trifecta is in place! Blue October (April), Lady Gaga (July), and Kings of Leon (October).

4. I was in a quandary over the Lady Gaga tickets. I was tempted to purchase the floor seats (for close to $200) since the sound quality in the 300’s is horrible. The acoustics in the 300’s at Fleetwood Mac were dreadful (although the acoustics at New Kids on the Block wasn’t bad, but it’s not like they had quality music to begin with). I went with the $85 tickets (which were actually $100 with taxes and processing fees). I saved some money, but I’m hoping we still enjoy the concert. My brother and I had good seats in LA and the tickets were only $27 plus taxes and fees. The American Airlines Center is a rip-off.

5. I have a weekend with Cliff and then I’m going to North Carolina (April 16) & California (April 23). I’m looking forward to some family n friend time!

6. I had some great lunchtime runs yesterday (5 miles tempo) and today (6 miles easy) in this beautiful weather (minus the random hail yesterday). I’m aiming for 20 miles this week and hopefully I can start being a bit more consistent with my running.

7. I’m totally getting into Lost. We’re still on Season 1. Now that we’ve finished Season 2 of Damages, we’ll be seeing a lot of the island (and apparently multiple dimensions?).

8. Zones (masters swimming) is this weekend. I kind of miss it all, but then at the same time, I think about competing and it doesn’t sound so swell.

9. I have absolutely no races or goals until January 2011. I need to think of something. Or do I?

10. The weather is absolutely amazing, and I’m hoping Cliff and I can play some tennis this weekend.

11. We haven’t started any of the home projects we were talking about doing last weekend and this weekend. The entry way still looks like poop. Maybe I need to post a picture on my blog to embarrass myself enough to inspire action?

12. My wedding weight seems unattainable, so now I’m working on short-term goals. I have one in mind, but Cliff saw my blog one time (I probably forced it upon him), and he thought I was lame for talking about my weight. But if I hit it, I will celebrate (and post accordingly) and then work on short-term goal #2.

13. This is absolutely perfect happy hour weather. I might have to break the “no drinking on a school night” rule on my second Thursday in a row because it would be a travesty not to enjoy a tasty beer out in the sunshine.

Recovery Weekend

2010-04-05T05:09:00.000-05:00

I wasn't planning on being a lazy bum this weekend, but I think I needed it. I didn't workout at all (yikes!), and I had an awesome massage on Saturday. I didn't fall off the diet wagon too hard, but I did have some drinks. We went to Taste of Italy on Friday night and I got my favorite dish (chicken with marinara sauce and big chunks of broccoli, squash, etc.) and then we had sushi on Saturday night. We didn't get much done around the house (because why not procrastinate and do it next weekend), but it was nice to chill out. I did work on my scrapbook a bit. I'm now in October 2008 ;)

My brother sent me a long email after he spent Easter with our extended family. It made me miss everyone, and I got online and scoped out airline tickets for the weekend of April 25 (my cousin's housewarming/engagement/birthday party). I have a ticket on hold for $249! That is such a good deal. I just need to make sure my family can shuttle me to and from the airport.

Thursday Thirteen Fail

2010-04-02T05:24:00.000-05:00

I was almost done drafting a Thursday Thirteen post, and I forgot to finish it yesterday. For some reason my laptop won't paste into Blogger. Very odd technical fail.

I've been working out pretty hard this week, and I'm definitely feeling Sunday's half marathon. My quads are shot. They started feeling a bit better, so I ran 5 miles yesterday at lunch. That was probably a mistake, because I physically could not get up from the toilet after that (I had to put my hand down on the floor = sick out!). While I was waiting for Cliff to finish work, I lifted (upper-body) for 50 minutes and rode the bike for 10 minutes. My upper-body was feeling a little left out of the pain party, so I tried to include it. I've also mixed in some swimming and yoga this week. I plan on going for a swim today at lunch and giving my legs a break. I have a massage tomorrow at 2:45, and I can hardly wait!

I went a week without drinking (I know that doesn't sound like much, but I like my wine, and that also means I didn't even have a celebratory post-half marathon beverage), and I cracked last night. I went to Gloria's (Mexican restaurant) with some friends of mine. At least I opted for wine over margaritas though (small victory). I had never been to Gloria's before, and I thought the food was awesome. Stacy and I ordered the fish tacos (grilled tilapia) and they were really simple and there was no extra grease on the plate. I like when Mexican food seems fresh and light versus the Tex-Mex that swims in a puddle of cheese grease. So two thumbs up for Gloria's!

I am really looking forward to two weekends with Cliff. We don't have any big plans, and we're hoping to get some stuff done around the house (finally remove the horrible desert-themed wallpaper from our entry way, hang up some pictures, etc.) and have some date nights. We're currently sucked in to Lost (Season 1), Damages (Season 2), and Breaking Bad (Season 2) on Netflix, with an occasional 30 Rock disc. So I imagine there will be quite a bit of TV-watching as well.