Monday, June 28, 2010
Yowzers!
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...
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!
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, June 24, 2010
Thursday Thirteen: The Pre-Mexico Edition
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!!!
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!!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Father's Day Weekend
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."
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."
Thursday, June 17, 2010
(Tardy) Thursday Thirteen
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.
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.
Friday, June 11, 2010
An Update on Running & Life
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.
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.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Rocky Raccoon
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).
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).
Monday, June 7, 2010
Schweaty Runs
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:
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:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)