7

I've been tagged by Chantal...

This one's the 7 unknown facts about me.


1) I am the middle child. My brother is 4 years older and my sister is about 5 1/2 years younger. Since there was such an age difference between the three of us, I never went through the Jan Brady/middle child thing, maybe because I was the second born grandchild but the first born grand-daughter. My grandparents on my dad's side spoiled me rotten.


2) I have no real favorite color. I do, however, go through color phases. Right now I like brighter/lighter shades of green. Before that it was purple. Before that it was cobalt blue. I also like to decorate with burgundy and reds, but peach is nice, too. Light blue is calming and is the color of my dining room. My kitchen walls are light yellow. I have red dishes and kitchen accessories. I'm an interior designer's nightmare.



3) I've had gray hair since I was in my teens. It was just a couple in the back.



4) I had my first airplane ride when I was age 4. My uncle, an airline pilot, chartered a small plane and took several of us for a ride, mostly family members. I rememer getting all dressed up for the occasion. 5) My next flight wasn't until I was 23, when I flew to the east coast for a 2 week last hurrah trip to visit friends, before getting engaged.





6) Shoe size 6 1/2. Most running shoes 7.


7) I didn't use any drugs when I gave birth to my kids. The first time was by choice ~ I am woman, hear me roar... in pain. What was I thinking??? The second time was not by choice. The baby was in a hurry... If I were to do things over, you bet the word "epidural" would be in my vocabulary, and on my wish list.

I tag anyone who hasn't done this yet.
Peace

Torn Between Two Lovers

For the first time in several days the sun has graced us with its presence on the coast. It was a perfect day for gardening. When the house first closed escrow, the first thing I did was plant seeds for flowers and vegetables. I had everything well planned out in nice, neat rows. Everything went well until the blistering heat wave in July last year. My garden was toast. There was nothing I could do to save it. This year I had plans to have an orderly garden, with neat rows and everything well marked, just like last year. I did plant a couple rows of zinnia flowers. I thought it was peculiar that they didn't come up because just about anybody can grow zinnias from seeds. It turns out the dog had her own ideas and dug where I planted the seeds. There are now sprouts of zinnias in the pattern of where the dog dug up MY efforts. I spent yesterday and part of today transplanting the sprouts to where they are supposed to be. As for the vegetable garden, that's developing all by itself. Without trying, the bok choy that didn't come up last year, yellow squash, cucumbers and sunflower seeds are poking through, and not in neat rows, either. I must say that the bok choi is beautiful and I am anxious to use it. The garden is growing just fine, orderly or not, weeds included.

I am somewhat torn on which direction to take my athletic goals to. I really enjoy running. It gives me a sense of being centered when everything else in my life is chaos. I also REALLY like what weight training does for my physique. I'd like to get back a lot of the upper body strength that I know I've lost, not to mention more toned arms. Running was not my very first cardio of choice, swimming was, but to drop body fat more effectively I needed high intensity cardio in addition to intense circuit training (with free weights) to get everything in gear -- Oh yeah, and paying attention to nutrition helped. It worked. It has been three years since my first marathon, and now closing in on a third, and weight training as I used to do, prior to running life as I know it now, has taken a back seat. I wish I could successfully meld the two (weight training and long distance running) without needing help. My weight hasn't been a big issue for me in a long time, but I'd like to see a lower body fat percentage. I know how hard it is to do heavy duty weight training and train for a marathon. There are some people who can do it. Since this is now year three of marathoning and long distance running in general, maybe now I have the endurance to bump up the weight training to how it once was. The question I keep asking myself about the weight training/running thing is "can I do both without killing myself?" The only way to find out is to just go for it. I plan on kicking my own ass with heavy duty weight training and running starting in July, once the buzz from the SDRNR Marathon is over.

Peace

That Smell

Activity: Run

Date: 05/25/07 10:11 AM
Distance: 6.49 miles
Time: 1:05:59
Speed: 5.90 mph
Pace: 10' 10 min/mile
Calories: 612

I had a few errands to do in the old neighborhood, so I decided to fit in my run at the lake since I had to be in the area anyway. I didn't punch my run because I didn't bring that much water with me, but I still had a decent, easy run. It was also GORGEOUS at the lake today. I do enjoy running at the bay, but at this time of year it's usually overcast all day (May gray/June gloom) and going just a few miles inland it's sunny and just a little bit warmer.

I spent my RRS gift certificate this week. I purchased an Adidas running skirt (in black)


and a RRS sleevles running top with a zipper pocket in the back (with berry/pink trim)
just big enough to fit 4 or 5 gels, or a full sized Ipod. I did like the way the Nike brand running skirt fit over the Adidas brand, but it cost a bit more... I wanted to get a top and make my gift certificate stretch just a little more. I wore both the skirt and top today for my run, and it's a definite thumbs up for both. Even with my runner's thighs, the inner boy shorts didn't ride up. The sizes also ran larger than normal. I normally wear a small in running shorts. The smalls were too big so I fit fine in an XS, which blew my mind. The Nike running skirt will go on my birthday wish list...

Skunk smell update:

After searching on the net, the most common remedy to rid skunk smell from my dog was this recipe:

1 pint hydrogen peroxide

1/4 cup baking soda

1 tablespoon liquid dish washing soap

Mix well and use immediately. Lather on the dog for as long as you and the dog can stand the bath. Keep mixture away from the eye area. Rinse with warm water.

IT WORKS!

Peace

Good Times

Activity: Run
Date: 05/22/07 08:23 AM
Distance: 2.59 miles
Time: 0:26:30
Speed: 5.87 mph
Pace: 10' 13 min/mile
Calories: 244

Note to self: Run an hour earlier or later than today's time. There was too much car traffic to stop or yield to, due to children being dropped off at the elementary schools.

I made myself panic unecessarily. I thought there was only one week left until the marathon. We haven't even figured out how we're going to get out of our neighborhood to get to the start. We now live a couple of blocks between miles 15 and 16 of the marathon route. There's actually 2 weeks left. It's on June 3rd. Whew...



Non workout/running stuff:

My dog was sprayed by a skunk last night. I had managed to get in bed relatively early last night, which is rare. I hear barking, then silence. A few minutes later came the smell... Forget about falling asleep early. UGH! I wouldn't let my poor, smelly dog in the house at all ~ She slept in the patio. I had to be out of the house before the stores opened this morning so I gave my son the task of going to Petco for some sort of special shampoo and taking care of the situation. When I came home the dog was bathed. She does smell better... She can be back in the house, but there's a little bit of an after scent that isn't gone yet... Good times.

Peace

Good People

Activity: Run
Date: 05/19/07 09:48 AM
Distance: 5.53 miles
Time: 0:54:46
Speed: 6.06 mph
Pace: 9' 54 min/mile
Calories: 525

I thought, since it's somewhat blustery outside with the typical Southern California May grey coastal weather, that it wouldn't be so busy at the bay where I run. As it turns out, there was a 5 mile walk for Cystic Fibrosis going on. I did my out and back run against the walkers traffic, and ran mostly on the grass so I could stay out of their way. A couple of cool things to note, a group of young teens walking high fived me as I ran by and they said "hurray cardio!" Then, there's the fact that this walk brought out families and people of all ages. I like seeing families participating in events like this. It's a great way for everyone to start their day and it gives awareness to the what ever the cause is, and today it was for CF.

I figured out what was up with my "Walk Away" post. There's a little "Post Options" selection on the left hand side of the"Edit Posts" page. I've never paid attention to that before because I've fixed my settings universally. Oh well.

Peace

testing

testing

Walk Away

Upper body workout, circuits - High reps, low weights - Biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, 8 sets of 20 each. Also walked up "The Hill" with my grandson. The walk was probably about a half mile.

The fun thing about going on walks with my grandson, who is almost 4, is looking at cars and identifying makes and models. "Look, look, look Mimi... It's a blue Mini Cooper -- my favorite!" "Oh, look at that one, it's a Ford Edge!" He goes on and on about ALL car in his line of sight for the entire walk. He knows most all cars, until we get to a VW Beetle. "Mimi, look... It's a Volkswagon Dragonfly!" LOL...

I also took my cell phone to try something with the Wireless Run Tracker. I put it in walk mode and wanted to see if I could over-ride it by taking a picture. It didn't work. The tracker turned off. I did take the above picture at the top of the hill, then turned the tracker back on. Next time I'll take the good camera for a better picture that I can crop without having the picture be too small or fuzzy. The cell phone camera is only about 1.5 mega pixels.

I have plans to run at the bay tomorrow. We'll probably do the 5.5 mile out and back run along the bay path before it gets too busy.

I'm not sure what was up with Blogger today. I entered this same post earlier but the "comment" selection at the bottom of the post was missing. I had tried reposting to get it to show up. I hadn't changed any of my settings so it was probably a glitch in the system, or something, because it worked in the above post "Testing." Anyone else having Blogger problems today?

Peace

Edit - I see what they did. While I was posting, they (Blogger) was changing things. I don't know if I can get "comments" to work on this post.

Watching The Clothes

20 minutes on the Bowflex row seat attachment.

Compared to the first time I trained for a marathon, the recoup time is much shorter than it used to be. I'm good to go after a full day of rest, provided the dog doesn't wake me up... I am now in taper mode, meaning no more super long mileage runs. I probably should have fit in a 2.5 mile run this morning before my chiropractor appointment, but I sat and ate breakfast with my grandson. Besides, I did get things going with the rows after I came home.

Another bonus to the two taper weeks is that I've quickly dropped 5 pounds since Saturday. There will be no more big carb loading until a few days before the marathon. I knew the weight gain and loss would happen, but no matter what I tell you, it still does something to the ego to see the weight go down.

I've finally received the $50 gift certificate for RRS from the Bones In Motion (wireless run tracker) people. I've been leafing through their catalog, specifically the women's running clothes section, trying to come up with something to wear for the marathon. It's a tough decision because there's so much to choose from. $50 will cover the cost of either a new shirt, a pair of shorts, or one of those running skirts that I'm interested in trying. Decisions, decisions...


Peace

Living Water

Activity: Run
Date: 05/12/07 07:53 AM
Distance: 20.02 miles
Time: 3:51:08
Speed: 5.20 mph
Pace: 11' 32 min/mile
Calories: 1909


Mile splits
1 10' 14
2 10' 22
3 10' 54
4 10' 44
5 11' 47
6 11' 00
7 10' 52
8 10' 46
9 11' 14
10 11' 52
11 12' 02
12 11' 21
13 11' 48
14 12' 00
15 11' 57
16 12' 05
17 12' 26
18 12' 36
19 12' 36
20 12' 04
end 10' 50

I did much better with yesterday's run than I did just two weeks ago. Having enough water was the key. I carried my Platypus hydration pack with more than enough water, had 5 gels (needed only 3), and the weather was mild. Cell phone calls at the last 5 miles slowed me down a smidge, but I don't think it hindered anything other that adding a minute or two to the entire run. If I run the way I ran yesterday, I can expect to finish the marathon in around 5:02 or so. I know my training runs are always slower than my actual runs, and I'm hoping that the excitement of marathon day will give me the mental boost I need to pick up the speed even just a little bit.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Peace

It's About Time

Here's the only picture of me in action at the 8k run last Sunday. This time I remembered to take my cell phone out of my arm band to stop the GPS tracking once I crossed the finish line just several feet away.

Here's an awesome picture of my hubbie, putting on the speed towards the finish line.

The final count down to the marathon is on. We've recieved our official race numbers in the mail today. I had forgotten that I put a predicted 5:00:00 finish time, which I'm hopeful that I can achieve, and would be thrilled if I exceeded it. Hubbie's predicted finish time is 5:50:00. He hasn't been training as much as I have, but I think he'll come close to his prediction. The predicted finish time dictates which corral number we start in. I'm in corral #15, and hubbie will be in #20.

It has been a rather warm week here in San Diego. I'm hoping that the weather will be kind for our long run tomorrow.

Peace

Last Dance

Yesterday, at my chiropractor appointment, I asked if it were okay for dancers to become runners. I have heard that it's not a good idea for dancers to run long distances from my daughter, who is majoring in dance education. He said that dancers need a broader range of motion, and that the running motion (going forward running form) limits range and muscle flexibility. Long distance running for dancers is probably out, but shorter distances (like a 5k) would probably be good for endurance purposes... HOWEVER, it's probably a good idea for runners to take some dance classes because it will help with flexibility. My chiropractor works on a lot of dancers from the college, competitive cyclists and a few runners.

I'm planning the final 20 miler for this Saturday, so I'm not running or working out until then.

On Overstock.com I found a book "The Ultimate Guide To Weight Training For Running." It was pretty cheap so I ordered it. I'm not sure what to expect since I couldn't read excerpts of the book, but, what the heck. I'll post about it once it comes in.




Peace

Counting Blue Cars

Upper body circuits with resistance bands - biceps, shoulders and triceps 3 sets of 20 each.

My workout this morning seemed kind of whimpy, probably because we had a hard time getting to sleep last night due to the aroma of skunk wafting through the neighborhood... It sort of figures, though. We're having dry, summer-like weather and I was looking forward to sleeping with the windows open a little. My poor dog kept looking at us, as if to say "do something about that horrible smell!."

I'm also at the feeling very fluffy stage of marathon training. I'm now up a good 7 pounds. It doesn't seem like a huge weight gain but it's making a difference with how my clothes are fitting, especially after a good carb load. I'm also debating trying to fit in another 20 mile run this week. The muscles in my legs are feeling stiff from the run this weekend. I normally do my LSD runs with 10 minute mile average, more or less. I ran the 8k in the 8 min/mi range, with my first mile in 8:54. Granted, it doesn't sound that fast, but I haven't been doing much speed training, so I'm now feeling every muscle in my legs.

Other stuff:
We bought me a new car. We were going to get something like a lease return, but we ended up getting a new 2007 Jetta. I was driving a 2002 Volvo S80, but that vehicle is heavy, has lousy visibility, plus the gas mileage isn't great. I didn't need/want another foo-foo car. Besides, in a couple of years the Jetta will probably be my son's car, anyway, provided that he can pay for insurance and maintanance. I just get to drive it first.

We did say good-by to our beat up 1989 Honda Accord, and donated it to charity.

And on a final note...

A very good friend of mine and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter, into the world today. Welcome Alessandra!

Peace

Run, Baby, Run

Union-Tribune 8k Race For Literacy
Activity: Run
Date: 05/06/07 07:58 AM
Distance: 5.07 miles
Time: 0:44:24
Speed: 6.86 mph
Pace: 8' 45 min/mile
Calories: 484

This was not a chipped event, so my official times are a little slower. Considering that I wasn't going for a PR, I felt pretty good about this run, especially coming off of a 20 mile run on Wednesday.

I ran with Anne for about the first mile or two, then I started to feel out of breath (damn asthma) and hubbie Michael was somewhere behind. Anne was running a great pace and finished way ahead of me. I could actually see her go through the finish line. She was easy to spot since she was wearing a bright pink top and little grass skirt. It was a GORGEOUS day, but a little warmer than anticipated. It started at Balboa Park and ended at a small park in Downtown San Diego. We couldn't find the other members of "Team Alpha, " except the coordinator of "Team Alpha" Mary Sue, so it was just the 4 of us, but it was still fun. At the end of the race I was able to stock up on free Myoplex lite bars, Lara Bars, and herbal tea packets, plus other post race goodies. My official race results are:

234 Irene M San Diego, CA 2881 F-47 44:33 F 45-49/13 697

Here's how I "decorated" the back of my t-shirt... Gotta love Sharpie markers...

The fantastic four from "Team Alpha!" Michael - M (M2 - his initials), Me - I (I'm right here), Anne - S (Silly), and Mary Sue - P (Polka dots) in front.

Michael took this photo while running on the SR 163, approaching the Laurel St. Bridge at Balboa Park.

It really was a beautiful morning.


Peace

Kiss From A Rose

Light upper body circuit workout with resistance bands after work today.

I didn't have much soreness the past couple of days after that long run, just stiff quads and my sides were sore, but that was it.

The SDRNR Marathon announced their headliner concert and I plan on attending this one...

The last two years we didn't attend the concerts after the marathon because we couldn't move, and it required getting in a car and driving to the venue. We were in no condition to drive anywhere, even across the street. Besides all of that, we really didn't know who the featured bands were. (We're not very hip.) This year training is going well, there's way less muscle soreness, the concert venue is closer to home, and we own 2 of his CD's, well, 3 if you count the Batman soundtrack.

Sunday is the Union Tribune 8K Race For Literacy at Balboa Park. I get to run with Anne (Run-DMZ) and a group of people to form "Team Alpha." We each represent a letter of the alphabet. Since "E" was already taken (for Eyeball), I picked "I" as in "I'm right here." Hubbie will represent "M" but I don't know what for, other than his name. I'm not going out to break any records at this run, but to have fun. I'll try and get pictures.

PEACE

I'm Still Standing

Activity: Run
Distance: 20.03 miles
Time: 4:00:20
Speed: 5.01 mph
Pace: 11' 59 min/mile
Calories: 1915

MILE SPLITS
1 10' 09
2 10' 32
3 11' 14
4 10' 27
5 11' 33
6 11' 57
7 12' 05
8 11' 07
9 11' 51
10 11' 45
11 12' 17
12 12' 14
13 12' 13
14 12' 33
15 12' 04
16 12' 25
17 12' 33
18 13' 40
19 13' 45
20 13' 23
end 18' 20


Actually, I did my 20 miles in *just* under 4 hours. When the run tracker beeped for that final mile, I was surprised because I thought I had another quarter mile to go, so I had to stop, pull the phone out of the arm band and attempt to look at it through my dusty eyes. It took a good several seconds to do that, which added time to the run. I did much better with this run than I did with my 18 miler, however I needed twice as much water than I had on me, so I had to make 4 stops at water fountains to fill one of my bottles. I was lucky the bay path had a fountain about every half mile or so. If I run as I did today, I could expect to finish the marathon in about what I did last year, which was 5:13. My goal is still 5 hours or less. I still have one more 20 mile training run to work out some of the kinks, like not running out of water and making sure I have enough electrolytes, which could shave off some of that wasted time.

It's off to the showers and then off to "run" errands... My day is far from over...

Peace

Rockin' In The Free World

Guess what??? It's time for the list of winners for

"NAME THAT ARTIST /BAND/COMPOSER/MUSICIAN/ETC."

For those of you who haven't played yet, it's pretty simple. I title my blog posts with song titles. Be the first to correctly guess who recorded/performed the song, post your answer under "comments," and if you are correct, the glory is yours.

4/30/07 I Started A Blog Nobody Read - The Sprites

4/28/07 Anxiety (Get Nervous) - Pat Benetar - Barbie2be

4/27/04 Words Get In The Way - Gloria Estefan - Barbie2be

4/26/07 Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel - Barbie2be

4/24/07 Good Day - Jewel - Barbie2be


4/23/07 Morning Dance - Spyro Gyra - Havlow

4/19/07 Drive - Incubus - Barbie2be

4/18/07 Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell - Barbie2be

4/17/07 Sugar, Sugar - The Archies - Barbie2be

4/16/07 Please Come To Boston - Barbie2be , Katiefeldmom

4/14/07 Running On Empty - Jackson Browne - Barbie2be

4/13/07 Let's Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas - Pamela

4/11/07 New Shoes - Paolo Nutini - Barbie2be


4/10/07 Living In The Past - Jethro Tull - Barbie2be

4/09/07 Bust A Move - Young MC - Katiefeldmom

4/07/07 Dedicated To The One I Love - The Mamas & The Papas - Barbie2be

4/05/07 Question - Moody Blues

4/04/07 You Look Good In My Shirt - Keith Urban - Barbie2be

4/02/07 Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers - Barbie2be

4/01/01 It's Not Unusual - Tom Jones - Shoparound


PEACE