No Scrubs

I have a 20k race coming up THIS Saturday.  What the heck was I thinking?  It was either do the 16 mile train run, which is mostly coastal, or do the 20K race, which is inland and hilly.  I really like the train run, all 16 miles of it.  The track club does this run every year.  We meet at the train station and take the train 16 miles up the coast and run back.  Since I've opted to train for the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll HALF MARATHON this year, I have  free admission to this 20K race through the track club.  If I were signed up for the MARATHON, I'd have my train fare paid for and would be running 16 miles.   I'm going into the 20K with an open mind.  I'm not at all familiar with the route, and I just keep hearing that it's a hard race due to the hills. I'm not a newbie to hills, but I haven't been training on hills as much as I should be. 

Other Stuff

I was somewhat vague in my last post about certain details.  My new job really isn't a new job, but I'll be working for a doctor who I was employed with several years ago.   Through Facebook, a former coworker contacted me wanting to know if I knew anyone who was looking for a job.  Me!  I'm keeping an open mind about this job because it will be much different than my last workplace, but I'm looking forward  to working for someone who isn't a complete psychopath.  I'm looking forward to a much calmer workplace. No more scrubs.

 Lake Murray with Cowels Mountain in the background.  It was much prettier closer to the lake. Trust me.

Ducks do not like having their pictures taken.  They were just about ready to call in their body guard ducks.

FYI, the pictures in my last post (and in this post) are from Lake Murray in La Mesa, CA, which AKA Alice affectionately refers to as "Lake Boy Part." 

Lentils and eggs actually go together for breakfast,  and strawberries and rosemary go well together in a compote or jam.  You need an ice cream maker to make gelatto.  1st grade homework is ridiculous.  Yeah, I've had some time on my hands the past couple of weeks.

Friday's Song:
Best Days -  Graham Colton

PEACE

Awake

I keep coming up with plenty of blog fodder, but I no longer have the luxury of the extra time I once had.  There are few gaps of free time, and what ever free time I do have is spent sleeping at night.  I  kind of like sleeping at some point during my week.

While I wasn't sleeping, I actually got off of work on time to attend another Runner's World shoe test distribution.  I showed up late and was at the back of the line, just sort  of keeping my fingers crossed that a shoe in my size would be left just for me.  By the time I made my way to the front, there were no size 7s at all, just 8s and 9s.  Just as I was getting ready to leave, someone brings back a pair of 7s that were too small for her.  It turns out that shoe happened to be a neutral cushioned shoe.  Score!  I came away with a pair of Reebok (Premier) Zigblades.

These funky looking shoes are comfortable and are quite the conversation starters,  however, the soft insole makes my foot slide around a bit, contributing to blisters.  This shoe did not have the extra eyelet at the top, which would have helped to make the shoe more stable.  I've run about 40 miles in these shoes, and it was on my 7 mile run where blisters became an issue.  This is an almost perfect shoe.  If they could keep the comfort  and address the slipery-ness , then they'd have something pretty special.  I'm also not big on the white vinyl as a design element, as well as the hot pink.  If I were to buy a pair of these shoes, I would go for a black pair, or something less obvious. These shoes scream "look at me!!!"

A short while back, Nitmos posted a picture of his computer space, you know, the place where all the magic happens, and invited others to do the same.  I did no prepping or cleaning.  I just kept it the way it looks right now, which is not as clean as I'd like, but cleaner than I've seen it in a while.

Not very magical bills to be paid, sitting before me...

That's Shep.  He's a Happy Meal toy that I've adopted, and he lives on the top of my computer screen.  If he were a Hotwheels toy, he'd be under the cushions of the sofa, along with several marbles, a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and my husband's cell phone.

Found this fortune in a cookie right before a big race, probably one of the races I did during the year after major surgery.  I stuck it to the monitor frame and it has been there ever since. I know, it's cheesy, but it gave my psyche a boost.

Then there's this one. There's so many way to interpret this fortune. I've used this on my Facebook profile page.

The computer area is in somewhat of a wide hall area between the kitchen and the designated garage area, which is now a bedroom. It's not the best place for a computer area, but it's the only place that seems logical right now, until money falls from the sky and we can afford a second story master bedroom suite addition, and a designated office space with room for a decent desk and my artwork.

Cookies.  I was craving cookies in a big way, but there were no cookies in the house.  I was considering baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies, but I have piles upon piles of laundry to get through first  Suddenly, the doorbell rings.  It's four Brownie Girl Scouts, a mom,  and a little red wagon full of boxes of cookies.  You JUST cant say no to four adorable 3rd graders, their mom and a wagon full of boxes of cookies. I bought 5 boxes.

Craving crisis averted.  The Dulce de Leche cookies took care of the craving.  The Thin Mints are in the freezer for later.The Samoas , Lemon Creams, and Trefoils might last through the week, provided I hide them. I have a distinct feeling that these cookies won't make it past Wednesday, February 2.

Wednesday's Song:
Free - Seal

PEACE

Rattled

This is what the inside of my head looks like about now.

You know what happens when you don't check your reader or feed for a couple of weeks?  You end up with a zillion things to read and not enough time to read anything.  You end up just marking everything as "read" and start fresh. With one coworker off for two weeks, then another coworker getting sick, and the onslaught of patients using their flex spending plans before a certain date, work has been rather hectic. Once I get home and have some sort of dinner, I'm done for the day.  The hard part is that, no matter how worn out I am, my brain just won't shut off, thinking about all the things I did and all the things I need to do and other unimportant matters:  

"Did I set the coffee maker?
Did I call the lab to check on orders?
Was that guy a jerk or was that my imagination?
The dog is making too much noise snoring.
Oh, crap, I forgot to call the vet.  Something about the dog needing more meds. Great.
The Housewives of Beverly Hills gets on my nerves. 
Laundry.  I should have done a load.  No one will notice that I've worn the same scrubs for four days. 
What was I thinking going back to work full time?
Oh yeah, money.
Matthew McConaughey or Johnny Depp?
Did I turn off the faucet in the bathroom?
Creamer.  Buy creamer tomorrow.
Files.  Must pull files on Wednesday for Monday's patients.
OK.  Mind, please go to Hawaii or Ixtapa, even the park down the street would be good.
Mind, please shut off and go BACK to sleep.
Where did I put my name tag?
Do I have enough gas in my car to make it to work in the morning?
I really should get out and run in the morning, even if it is a mile.
Mind, go to sleep!"

The amazing thing is that running has been my release.  Once I run, my head is clear.  Unfortunately, I've been too tired to run and I haven't trained well.  I run on the weekends.  I also have a half marathon THIS weekend, the Carlsbad Half Marathon/Marathon.  I know I'll finish.  That's not an issue.  Will I run unscathed?  Probably not.  Will I PR?  Definitely not.  I'm just going for the ride and just enjoy.  I don't want a recap of last year.  *Positive thinking*

I'm still waiting for my new Keurig. With the snow storms in the rest of the country, Fed Ex sent me a nice note saying my Keruig will be delayed due to the weather. Which reminds me, I need to set the coffee maker.

Song from Saturday, January 8, 2011
Can't Find My Mind - The Cramps

PEACE

Can't Find My Mind

For everything I know, there's always something new to learn.  Such is life, right?  Just about everything I knew has changed.  I haven't been out of the loop all that long, but time and technology marches on, and a lot of the changes were made over the past three years.  Then there's the thing about having to remember everything I did know that still applies now.  My brain is on overload, and I haven't even begun to study for the certification tests. 

Today was the first day of the track club's Rockin' 'n' Runnin' program.  I'm perfectly fine being in the "C" group, which is the 9:30 m/m people and SLOWER.  Each year our groups (A, B and C) are named after Rock groups.  Last year "C" group was the Kinks. (I think)  The year before that we were Air Supply (which most of us were insulted by).  This year  "A" group is Tears For Fears,  "B" group is Kiss and "C" group is The Cramps.  Perfect.  Love it.  I'm proud to be a "C" grouper.  Turns out one of The Cramps songs is on my running play list, "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns."




The run wasn't anything to write home about.  Really.  I probably should have run with the B group (7:30m/m to 9m/m) only because they ran longer, about 6 to 8  miles.  Our group ran only 2.5 miles around the track, and that included the warm up run.  It took that brief run to start feeling like I had my groove, and it wasn't difficult.  The shins were a little twingey, but not bad. There's always tomorrow. I have a half marathon in a couple of weeks. This one month taper was a bit too long... 

Oh, yeah, the Garmin wasn't working.  Yes, it showed the time, but when I decided to hit the start button it went blank.  It turns out that it was hooked up to the charger, but not plugged in.  Go me.  Coach Paul shouted out times as we ran by, so I probably ran about a 9:45 m/m average, just cruising and chatting with a few of my fellow track club members.

In other news, my Keurig started doing things I didn't want it to do, such as making my cup runneth over, or not filling it at all.  After chatting with a lady in customer service*, they're sending me a new unit. No charge.  Sort of.  I have to send them the k-cup holder from inside the unit and an authorization number to receive full credit.  No biggie.  Postage is cheap.

I guess this is one of those instances where it was good to REGISTER my appliance.  Most people don't take the time to register their small appliances.  Oh, and Keurig's customer service person was easy to work with.  This was just an FYI, in case you run into this same issue, provided you own one of these or know someone who does.


Song from Saturday, January 1, 2011:
Good Riddance -Green Day - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

*...AND taking it apart per her instructions ala McGuyver, poking around a few "ports" with a paper clip, then turning it back on, only to find that it didn't heat the water and still overfilled my cup.

Good Riddance

I haven't fallen off the  face of the earth.  I'm still here. I survived my first two months of full time work with over time and the holidays.

This is an amazingly decent photo of Hubs and I back in November before I became chronically tired from working over time. I'm amazed that I don't have dark circles under my eyes in this picture, but this was the calm before the mayhem.  By the way, Hubs is no longer allowed to wear that hat because we discovered that it's actually signed by former Padres baseball player, Tony Gwynn.

Christmas Eve Hubs and I decided to hit the mall first thing, at 7 AM to finish up the Christmas shopping. We basically got out of bed,  threw on some clothes and went to the mall before it became mayhem.  By 10 AM we were done, but Hubs wandered off.  While I was sitting in front of Macy's at Fashion Valley by the Santa visiting area, trying to call Hubs, I hear, "Hey, that's Irene."  I look up and it's AKA Alice and family. AKA Alice looked fabulous, fresh, and coiffed. I looked like death warmed over.  Thank goodness (for me) there were no cameras involved.  It was fun catching up for a brief moment, and that gave Hubs time to wander back to where I was waiting.  It suddenly felt very Christmas-y.  Up until that very point of seeing AKA Alice and family, I had been stuck in a vortex of work and being on auto-pilot.  Yes, we put up the tree and various Christmas decorations, but I hadn't been able to enjoy any of it. I'm not sure why this was a turning point for me, but the whirlwind that is my life right now sort of calmed down at that point, perhaps it was seeing someone else actually enjoying the holiday, and I was finally able to relax and enjoy my Christmas holiday.  Christmas Eve night was pretty quiet, with dinner at Hub's sister's house and a few family members.  All was calm. All was (relatively) bright.

Christmas morning I was up early making holiday sticky buns.  No one else was up yet, and I was enjoying the silence of the morning.  After I get the sticky buns in the oven and the aroma permeates the house, Evan wakes up, runs right past the Christmas tree -- ignoring the loot Santa put under the tree, and wants to see what I'm making, and asks for a cup of hot cocoa.  It was priceless. He never once asked about opening gifts.

This was taken before the realization that Santa had visited our house, before the mayhem.  FYI, that's his 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS, that his uncle Jim and aunt Katie had given him the night before.  He asked me to put in the car's info.  Some kids sleep with stuffed animals.  Evan sleeps with his cars.

Just so you all know, my grandson was asking for the actual Polar Express train to stop by our house, and not a toy version. Santa hooked him up some great toys on his (ever expanding) list.

It's hard to see, but Santa brought a Razor Ground Force Drifter...

...and a lot of action figures, amongst other goodies.

It really isn't Christmas until the dog rolls in the gift wrap.

One of the best gifts of all is that we were able to spend Christmas with my sister and her husband, here, in San Diego, for the first time in YEARS.

Hubs, Me, my bro-in-law, my sister.

I worked half day on New Year's Eve, but I was able to participate in a rather off-beat office tradition that I forgot about.  We each write a list of things or people we'd like to forget about from the year, fold it, place it in a large tin and burn our lists.  I didn't have a list of people on my list, but a list of my injuries over the past year.  I'm not sure if this was therapeutic or not, but it was kind of funny to see my boss burn her list of former psycho employees.  I guess it's a release kind of thing, just to let go and start fresh in the new year.  The ashes were flushed down the toilet.  Yes, where I work is not typical and is (still) like being in a sit-com.

By the way, my boss hooked me up with a pair of Moeben sleeves in tye dye as one of my Christmas presents. 

Hubs and I had no plans or parties to attend, watched SNL reruns, and I struggled to stay awake to ring in the new year.  (When did I become an old fart, anyway?)  With less than 5 minutes to the new year, Hubs scrambled to find THE bottle of champagne from the back of the fridge and opened it just in time. Evan was with us and stayed awake long enough to ring in the new year, go outside and beat a couple of old pie tins together and yell "Happy New Year!"

The good thing about having a low keyed New Year's Eve is that there was no hangover to deal with.  It's not that I often find myself in a state of hangover-ness, it's just that it takes longer for me to bounce back than it did when I was in my 20s. 

I still have not run since I ran the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll half marathon at the beginning of December.   My shin splints aren't as bad any more, and I really need one more week off, but I have the Carlsbad Half Marathon at the end of January.  I've run a half marathon with 3 weeks of training and lived to tell about it, and I'll do it again.  My stats won't be great, but I'll get to run.  Then again, it's not my first half marathon, either.

Happy New Year, and may all your hopes and dreams for 2011 come true.

Song from Saturday, December 24, 2010:
What Child Is This? - Josh Groban, Carrie Underwood, Vince Guaraldi Trio, Vanessa Williams, Andrea Bocelli, Burl Ives, etc...

PEACE

Bulletproof

Bullet Point Post*

• Check out this giveaway over at Miss Zippy's blog for Sugoi compression pants.

• The dog was (sort of) skunked (again.)  This time it was in our sun room.  We had to take everything out, hose it off, scrub it, bleach it, etc, then put it all back.  We may have to paint that room.

• I signed up for the Shelter Island 5k on November 7, 2010,  The Carlsbad Half Marathon  on January 23, 2011,  and the La Jolla Half Marathon on April 17, 2011.   Also under consideration are  the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon 2010 and the AFC Half Marathon 2011.

• I found ound a new running song, "Wheels" by Heart on their Red Velvet Car CD.

"Rain is humming 

The streets are running 

Underneath the neon lights. 

We run together 

We'll run forever 

Out of here 
Riding the wheels."

• My sister and husband moved back to California this week. They now reside in Los Angeles and are so happy to be back in the state.

• Concert in my kitchen last night:

 Sam

• Went running with Hubs:

A quiet morning at Hospitality Point.

• Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought people, not cars, had the right of way on sidewalks. While running in my neighborhood last week I came justthisclose to getting hit by a car  on a sidwalk.  I was running on the sidewalk on a busy stretch of street  -- I figured it was safer.  The gentleman** who came to a screeching halt with in about 12 inches of me never once waved to acknowledge me or say he was sorry.  Not only do I have to watch for stray dogs, other people (runners, cyclists, weirdos, etc), cars on the street, cars backing up out of driveways, wild animals (they're out there, even in the suburbs),  uneven/cracked pavement, weird noises, etc, now I have to add cars driving on sidewalks to that list.  That mile was my fastest split because I was so shaken and it took a while to calm down.  I didn't wear my heart rate monitor that day, but I'm sure my heart rate would have been through the roof.  I guess you can never be too safe.

• Remember that contest my nephew entered to win a spot as a candidate for job in advertising in New York? He didn't win the popularity vote, however, he's a strong contender as a finalist. Apparently, the advertising firm knew about my nephew before the contest, and in a good way. PS: He did get a job at a small firm in San Francisco.

• Happy Labor Day!

Wednesday's Song:
In The Colors - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

PEACE

*Unfinished business -- This was supposed to be a real post with one or two particular topics, not several.  My time for myself last week was interrupted, but for good things.
**Jerk

Don't Stop Believing

 Guard(en) dog

It has been kind of a long and busy week.  I even missed Wordless Wednesday.  I would have posted the above picture. I'll try to catch up as best as possible without putting you all to sleep.

Tuesday
Went into orthopedics for X rays and chat with a PA. The PA seemed to think my bone was calloused over enough and I could resume normal activity, with reason. She suggested building up to running again, giving myself 3 weeks to do so. The boot got the boot and they don't want to see me any more! 9 weeks is how long it took for the bone to heal enough. It's still healing, but now I can move around without that boot again.

Wednesday
I went in to my usual RU session. I had sent Bryan my very last set of x-rays, and he knew I was good to go. First thing he gives me a big hug because I've been given the OK to resume "normal" life, but then it's business as usual, and I was back to a really good and sweaty workout. He also had me work out longer than normal. My time slot is usually an hour, but I put in about 2 hours, plus I had my foot and shin worked on due to shin splints from the 6 mile walk last Saturday, then ice. The the foot massage still isn't a fun experience, but having the shin worked on was extra special. I really had to dig super deep to find my happy place. He said it would feel better later, but in the mean time he told the PT next to him to hide all sharp objects from me, because I might hurt him after that therapeutic massage. Oww.  All joking aside, I no longer had any foot discomfort what-so-ever because my shin hurt so much after that.

After fun and games at RU, I actually set foot in Costco. I was very aware of foot placement in conjunction to other people's carts. I wouldn't use the term "paranoid." I was just more mindful. It figures that in the time I've been out, they've rearranged where they put some of their items. I couldn't find the only dog treats my dog will eat, but I did discover chocolate Cheerios and big bags of precooked frozen brown rice.

Once I got out of Costco I soon discovered two phone messages from my grandson's school. He's sick and his mommy isn't available, and it's up to me to rescue him. Poor kid. He was pretty miserable with his "throat on fire," but didn't have a fever. The fever kicked in later, though. Mommy took him to the doctor but there's still no infection, it's just a bad cold/flu.

Thursday
I stayed at home with the kiddo. He's feeling good one minute, lousy the next. He camped out on the sofa with a big blanket, some herbal tea and toast while I sat next to him and hemmed my jeans, the ones I bought at AKA Alice's party a over month ago. I actually had some place to wear my new jeans!

Thursday evening Hubs and I went to a MS fundraiser sponsored by RU. It was held at the Double Deuce downtown, only $20 per person, which included 2 drinks, substantial appetizers and a raffle ticket. The Double Deuce is sort of a Western-ish bar/night club, complete with electrical bull riding and a stripper pole. The stripper pole was in the same area as the appetizers and I made the mistake of leaning on it, to which Hubs immediately made some snarky comment. Sheesh. I was able to catch up with a lot of people who ran the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon in December '09. People paid to see the PT's ride the bull, with all the proceeds going to the MS Society. I also got to see my PT, Bryan, ride the bull, which was pretty funny, since he was wearing a few pairs of underwear and a pink women's tank top.

He really needs to come out of his shell...

Not just the guys did this.  Jessica, a PT, was amongst several of the women who rode!

Friday
The kiddo is still sick at home. He spent the morning sleeping. I took that time to garden a little, and discovered that some insect got into the roots of my seedlings and killed a whole bunch of them. I did what I could to save the rest and I might have planted a few too early, but with the hopes that they'll do better in the ground.

Friday evening Hubs and I attended a live art exhibit. A friend of ours paints models bodies, methodically and very strategically, then the model lays on a canvas or foam core board to make an imprint. It was quite the event and fascinating to watch.

  It was incredible to watch him work. 

Saturday


I went running with the track club. It started out as a walk/run, with a ratio of 2 minutes of walking to 2 minutes of running. That walk/run thing only lasted for about the first couple of miles. I found it less stressful to actually run, but at a much slower than normal pace. If it were not for the stop lights I probably would have ran the entire way back. I wasn't intending to put in 9.3 miles, but I felt good and just went with it. We also had PERFECT running weather, which was cool and overcast. It felt chilly afterward, while we were sitting on the grass listening to our guest speaker. Even though the speaker was fun to listen to, I was chilled and decided to warm up in the car. My foot feels OK, just a little weirdness in the ankle, but my knees are telling me that there's a storm on the way, but that has been an ongoing issue due to arthritis. I don't feel thrashed or as if I had never run before. 9 weeks is a good chunk of time off from running, and I feared not being able to handle more than the 6 miles I walked last week. I could of handled 13.1 slow miles today.

Hubs brought his camera on today's run:

 Mik and AKA Alice

"C group, GO!"

The next couple of weeks are going to be busy ones:

• Getting in what ever running I can get in, within reason, of course.
• Making sure my garden survives.  Some of my seedlings in K Cups were eaten at the roots. Stupid bugs.
• My sister and husband will be in town for a week.
• My in-laws are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
• My daughter is graduating from community college with two degrees.
• My nephew will be in and out of town (a few times).
• The pasta dinner with the SDTC is the Friday before the marathon, and it's going to be a full house.  
• The 2010 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon is in just two weeks.
• My birthday. Edit -- It's not until June
• Life.
• And laundry...  It goes on, and on, and on, and on...

Monday's Song:
Feelin' Alright - Joe Cocker


PEACE

Such Great Heights

Randomness
As careful as I have tried to be, I still gained 5 pounds while not running.  While this is not a huge amount of weight gained, it's still weight gained that could easily double, then triple.  Been there.  When I do get back to running, it's going to be sort of like starting over again, and that includes paying super duper attention to every thing I eat.  I suppose running, for me, makes all the difference in maintaining my weight.  Due to my height (or lack thereof - I'm 5ft 3in) 5 pounds = a whole size.  NOTHING fits, unless it's stretchy, like yoga pants or running shorts, but those aren't fitting quite right, either.   I  haven't gone hog wild with eating, but it makes me realize that if I ever do stop running I better replace it with something that keeps me from gaining back the 30 pounds I initially lost about 10 years ago. *

I had an appointment at RU on Wednesday and did a real workout and worked up a real sweat.  It was great. I also had my foot worked on, and that wasn't so great. I'd say it was a foot massage, but that sounds like something relaxing with vanilla scented candles and  Enya's Watermark playing in the background.  This was anything but relaxing.  I tensed up.  I guess I'm subconsciously guarding my foot and anticipating pain.  I need to go to my happy place in my head. Once Bryan made me aware of my tense foot, I was able to relax a little more, but it wasn't vanilla scented candles and Enya's Watermark playing in the background.  It still hurt. Yes, there's a method to the madness, but holey moley guacamole. Ouch.

I've transferred my yellow squash and zucchini seedlings into the garden.  They look so tiny and unprotected out there, but those usually end up being large, productive plants.  The next seedlings to be transferred will be some of the romaine lettuce.  I'm having a tough time starting tomato seeds this year.  I might have to break down and just buy a tomato plant already started.

 My babies are growing!

This Saturday is a long run for the track club. For many of the runners it will be a 20 mile run, maybe more.  I won't be running at all, but I'm going to walk a couple of miles.  I need to do something.  I'm also missing my friends.   I'm not sure what Hubs has planned for that particular run, but even with PF, he's been doing well.

Do you ever have days where you feel like you're 12 years old, but only to be followed by days where you feel like you're 100?  My week has been as such. 

Yesterday's Song:
Worn Out Welcome - Jackie Greene

PEACE

*I cross train with weights and resistance bands, but without cardio, maintaining weight has been tough, and I would really have to cut calories to something ridiculous, and I'm not going that far.

Life in Technicolor

This Week's Recap:

1. Taxes - Done, and with several hours to spare! Woohoo! Paid some to Federal, getting some back from State.

2. Healing - Still in progress. 4 more weeks, I hope. Still using the bone stimulator.

3. Doctor's/orthopedics visits and Rehab United - Back to both in two weeks.

4. Marathon - Switched to the half. See #2.

5. House - Clean. I had someone else clean it.

6. Work outs - A lot of upper body bands stuff, push-ups, abs work, plus some squat matrices within reason.

7. Nutrition - Back to tracking. Trying to stay with in 1500 calories per day so I don't turn into an Oompa Loompa due to the lack of running. Will fine tune the macros later. Calories first.

8. Sugar Free Jello - A lifesaver.

9. Muscle Milk - No longer works for me. I broke out immediately, even though it's lactose free. *sigh* Back to square one and soy protein.

10. Daytime TV - Still sucks.

11. Dreams - Been having some weird ones. I had a dream I was a shopping at Macy's in Chicago, went to the top floor, but could only get to the first floor by getting on a water slide. In another dream my PT Bryan carried me across a football field while I was sitting in a Igloo ice chest. The crazy thing is that I've stopped taking pain meds 2 weeks ago, so I can't use the drug excuse. Analyze if you wish, but on the surface it seems I have travel issues, but how in the heck did I end up in an Igloo ice chest?

Yeah, I look *just* like this when I sleep. *cough*

12. Lentil stew with brown rice and warm, crusty bread - It's what's for dinner.

Wednesday's Song:
Winner - Justin Timberlake

PEACE

Same Ol' Situation

Not running is really messing with my blogging and Daily Mile updates. It's more of not being as mobile which throwing things off. I'm attempting to keep busy with in reason, but when you're used to doing certain things as a part of your daily life it puts a kink on the chain of daily events to not do THAT thing, and running is that thing for me. Yes, this is a temporary situation, and I hope I'll be back to doing some sort of running and training in less than three weeks.

Gardening has been the activity of choice these days. It really isn't the fun part of gardening, yet, it's the prep part, like pulling weeds and digging up the dirt with a pick ax*. I have a big back yard, but it has gone by the wayside since May 2008 when I had the hip fracture and surgery. There's no problem with the lawn, that gets mowed and trimmed regularly. It's the planter and garden areas that have become unruly. Those areas were sort of my thing, and when I could no longer squat and easily get up and down after surgery, gardening was out of the question. When my grandparents were around, gardening was a serious thing. They planted just about everything, apricots to zucchini. The garden area was beautiful and always lush. They also had a beautiful array of of flowers growing, no matter what the season. It seemed like the Land of Oz to me when I was a kid because the yard was so pristine and colorful. I've told this story before, so I won't recap it, but I'm back on the gardening thing, perhaps not with the same verve my grandparents had, but at least it will be less unruly. Hubs and I thought putting in a lap pool(fire pit, new patio, granny flat/office, etc...) would solve most of the gardening issue, and it would, but maybe when the economy turns around and we actually have funds for something like that. Meanwhile, it's just me, a shovel, and some seeds.

Photo from May 2005- Currently looks about the same - Sad, I know....

Hubs celebrated a birthday on Wednesday. Since it was a work/school day, and everyone's schedules were all over the place, it was just Hubs, the kid and me celebrating. The three of us went out for sushi at the neighborhood place just blocks away, then we came home for cake.

I swear, I do have some mad cake decorating skilz and a degree in Art, I even own special cake decorating tips, paint brushes and gear, but that would have required a trip to the store, and I wanted to use what I had on hand. I made a cake from the Cooking Light cookbook , "Old Fashioned Caramel Layer Cake," decorated with fridge magnets and an Ikea tea-light candle.

OK, not my finest moment in artistic creation, I'll never work for Ace of Cakes, but the cake was delicious.

"Happy Birthday dear Papa..."

Thursday I attended a "Pants and Pinot" party at AKA Alice's home. Her sister brought over a really great inventory of jeans, tops, dresses and accessories. There was also a friend who was buying gold jewelry on the spot, but I didn't think ahead of time to look through my jewelry for things to sell. I wasn't planning on drinking wine (the allergy thing) and planning on buying just one pair of jeans. It has been AGES since I've had a decent red wine, but a certified wine snob told me that my best option for wine would be pinot noir** (less likely to have a reaction, not sure why) so I indulged in a glass of wine. I keep trying because I really miss red wines, and it's a crap-shoot with the taste of organic wines which don't warrant an allergic reaction. After a glass of wine and some really good nibbles of food, I was really relaxed, took a look at the awesome selection of jeans. I grabbed a few pairs to try on , just thinking I would purchase just one, but I also found a pair of jeans with my name on them. I rarely run into anyone who has my same name, unless they're 80+ years old, and to find my name on a pair of white jeans was just hysterical. Amazingly, the jeans fit well, so I had to purchase those in addition to the one pair I was already planning to buy. Score! This was a very smart retail event -- Alcohol and shopping. Fun for the guests and a major score for the retailer with all of those relaxed shoppers. I also saw some of the herd at the party. The funny thing is that we looked so different from our running selves, that we were not readily recognizable. One of the Heffers, Betty, walked right past me and said she didn't recognize me with my hair down, and I didn't recognize her when she walked past me - she had just come from work. We're used to seeing each other in running garb, all sweaty and dusty.

Oh, by the way, AKA Alice puts on a really good party. :)

Tomorrow is the Carlsbad 5000. I'm still not able to participate. I was hoping I'd be able to at least walk it by now, but I'm not there yet. I will be attending since Hubs and my friend Rich will be running, plus the Herd, RU buddies, and track club friends. *sigh* I'll bring the big ass camera and take pics. This so sucks not being able to run this one since the timing is chipped, and it's a 5k. Next year I'll be all over this one.

Wednesday's Song:
It Amazes Me - Tony Bennett

PEACE

*I really need to get a roto-tiller.
**Bummer. I still broke out, but it was so good!

Ridiculous Thoughts

Random Thoughts

Have you ever researched a product you were thinking about buying, and read through the customers comments/reviews? Before purchasing my Garmin, and more recently a Keurig coffee machine as a family Christmas present and a Cuisinart juicer to replace the cheap-o one that broke, I researched these items to see which models would work best and fit my needs. I've discovered when reading the consumer review section, that the people who had the most problems with the products usually didn't read the directions, or never went past the "getting started" page. Seriously. I guess people just want to use their gadgets right out of the box, sans directions.

It's raining hard in Southern California. Finally.

My little girl cat was initiating play with the dog when she thought we weren't looking. I wonder if they really get along when we're not home, and if all those dirty looks and growls are just for show?

I have the Carlsbad Half Marathon next weekend and I'm not ready. I have been running and working out , and I know I can finish it, but the most I've run since the Las Vegas RNR HM is 5 miles. Going for a PR is not in the equation.

I receive a call on my cell phone from an unfamiliar number, and answer it anyway:
Me - "Hello"
kid - "Mooooooooom?" "Tyler just spray painted my room!"
Me - You have the wrong number.
kid - *phone disconnects*
I'm so glad I'm not the mom in that scenario...

I'm finally using Daily Mile for my workouts, as well as my runs.

I ran with the track club on Saturday. It was a five miler. It was so much fun to see most of my running friends again, plus many brand new faces. It's going to be another great year of running!

Chargers. *sigh*

My son took it upon himself to clean out the work shed in the backyard, and we all got into it. The shed turned into a catch all for the stuff we no longer use or need, and it was embarrassingly full. The shed also contained boxes of random household items leftover from our move here, three years ago. (Can you say "procrastination?") Obviously, we didn't need all of that stuff. My daughter made so many trips to Goodwill that they now know her. Our recycle bin is crammed with cardboard, and the trash can is equally full. We have more to do, as that space will some day become become an office, but it's much better.

Wednesday's Song:
Yummy, Yummy, Yummy - Ohio Express

PEACE

Another Christmas Song

It just wouldn't be the holiday season at my house without something needing repair. *SIGH*

We had every intention of joining the track club for the last run of the year. The route looked like a lot of fun, as the route ventured through Christmas Card Lane, and it was only a 5 miler -- very doable, and I think my calf could of handled a very slow run.

It was not to be.

We spent our entire morning figuring out what was wrong with the washing machine. The washing machine wasn't cycling through the spin cycle or draining. Michael thought it might be clogged, but when he took the pump out, the culprit was a quarter lodge inside the pump, and it thrashed the pump. We found a parts place in town, but the part won't be here for three weeks.



This means we'll either be lugging our laundry to our in-law's house or finding a near by laundromat. Of course, this is happening right before Michael and I leave for our two week trip to Mexico.

We're looking ahead. That's all we can do.

There is a warm and fuzzy Christmas edge this post.

On Wednesday we took Evan to the annual Rotarian Christmas party. Santa happened to make a guest appearance with gifts.


Evan was about to burst with excitement. Santa happened to know that Evan is 6 years old and loves cars. Evan was amazed that Santa knew so much about him.

Santa even knew exactly what Evan wanted.

A remote control monster truck!

Sweet!

Last Friday's song:
Continuum - Jaco Pastorius

PEACE

Everybody Hurts

...sometimes.

Last night was the last group workout for the RU Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon/Half Marathon event. We retested our pull-ups, push-ups and med ball tosses. I was able to improve on everything. After that we did some fun group exercises. With about 10 minutes left, I was feeling pretty good, no major aches, I didn't push myself, and having a grand ol' time, until something in my left calf suddenly and unexpectedly popped.

Insert your favorite cuss word here_________.

If I didn't say it, I was thinking it.

Pain, pain, pain, PAIN.

I yelled over to our fearless leader, Justin, and I hopped on one foot, the right foot - the one with PF, to the stretching cage, just to have something to hold onto. Justin had one of the assistants ask me about what hurt and had me attempt a simple calf stretch.

Insert another favorite cuss word here_________.

On a pain scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, it was a 9.

Once the class was over Justin came over and asked me all the standard questions, had me attempt a few more simple stretches then massaged my calf and leg a bit. I'm glad I've remembered all of those Lamaze childbirth class breathing techniques from 20 something years ago *cough*, because I really needed to focus my attention off my calf. Once that was done I was at least able to walk, then I iced the calf and went home.

First thing this morning I went back into RU and Justin worked on my calf. There was immediate relief and it wasn't as painful as it was last night, yet it's still sore. It's now about a 4 or 5 on the pain scale, which is a major improvement. We can't figure out, exactly, what caused my calf to cramp/spasm so badly. Stuff like that just happens, and any athlete is bound to have some sort of injury. I'm just surprised that I wasn't doing anything strenuous when the cramp/spasm occurred. He thought the compression calf sleeves would be a good idea, so after my RU visit, I trekked out to Road Runner Sports and bought a pair of blue Zensahs. These things rock. The relief was immediate and I wished I had a pair ages ago. Ah well.

I think I have about 4 hours in which to finish the half marathon. No need for speed and I think I can finish it in just under 3 hours. I had a good HM time at Silver Strand just a couple of weeks ago. I can cruise LV and do things like take pictures and actually stop at the hydration stations. I'm looking forward to it! My husband may actually come in ahead of me for a change.

Tuesday's song:
I'm OK - Christina Aguilera - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

THIS JUST IN... GARMIN OWNER FOUND! SHE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE GARMIN BY HER PERSONAL INFO EXACTLY! SHE WAS SO HAPPY AND GAVE ME A HUGE HUG!

What It Takes

Even though I ran the 5k on Sunday, Bryan at RU showed no sympathy on Monday. I had a hard, sweaty workout. Oh, don't get me wrong, it was good workout and it wasn't long before I ready to be done.

Speaking of working, I filled in at work on Monday. It was nice to be back, in spite of having to learn their new computer programs and fee schedule. It wasn't difficult, just different. Everything else was just like riding a bicycle and it was good to see some of our regular patients again. I keep hinting that I'm available to put in more hours when they need me, especially since my coworker (who is on maternity leave) may not want to return to work so quickly.

Monday was also another Runner's World wear test shoe event for March 2010 issue.* Even though this event is now (supposedly) by invitation only, people start lining up for this event at 3:00 PM, and it begins at 5:30 PM. There are always new people in line, hoping to get something after the people with invites go through, and sometimes they do score some running shoes. Since I worked I couldn't leave the office until 5:30 PM. I showed up at 6:00 PM, placing me at the back of the line. I am so thankful that they decided to check IDs a few times (I was on their list) and I moved up to the middle of the line. Whew. By the time I made it to the front of the line, there were only two pairs of my size left. I ended up with Brooks Switch 3.


I've never tried Brooks before, nor have I ever worn a stability shoe. I normally take a neutral or neutral plus. With my inserts for high arches, they seem to be OK. I took them for a test run on the gym treadmill today, and immediately noticed that they had a lot of heel cushion, and that's a good thing. Time will tell how these shoes will fare for my bones. Bonus points that these shoes aren't Easter egg colored. It's difficult to see in the picture, but the trim is royal blue and dark purple.

I'm also trying out a new sport's bottle.* It's from Smash Sports. The concept is similar to that of a Playtex nurser, which is what my husband immediately pointed out. The bottle holds the liquid inside a biodegradable liner. Just hold your finger over a small hole on the bottle and squeeze. It took me a few times of squeezing the bottle before I realized I had to cover the small hole, but once I did that, everything worked great. Since the bottle isn't super hard, it's ergonomic. There's also hand strap available to place on the bottle. I'm not sure if I'll go the strap route yet, until I become more familiar with this bottle. I'm also not 100% sold on the idea of the liners, since they have to be replaced, but it does prevent that sloshing liquid sound that can be rather annoying.

Today
Activity: Run
Date: 11/10/09 10:00 AM
Distance: 3.31 miles
Time: 0:32:00
Speed: 6.2 mph
Pace: 9'40 min/mile
Calories: 304

I put in my intervals on the gym treadmill. As sore as my body was from yesterday's workout, I felt really good on that treadmill. Being plugged into some really good tunes helps. I did pyramid intervals and took one minute walk breaks between sets. Walking pace was 4.2 mph and built up to a sprint pace was 7:50 mph. My goal for intervals is to get rid of the walk pace completely. I'm not quite there yet. I still need that walk pace to recoup from the sprint. At least I can now hold the sprint pace for a minute without wanting to pass out or throw up. I know, I'm still not super speedy, especially when compared to the women in my age group who can run 6 minute miles, but, hey, it's good for me at this moment.

Sunday's song:
Dancing In The Streets - Martha and the Vandellas - Run-DMZ

PEACE



*Disclaimer - I reviewed these on my own. Other than receiving the products for free, I didn't get paid to give my two cents.

I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

In case you haven't heard Meb Keflezighi, representing the USA, won the New York City Marathon. I understand that he resides in San Diego. He also came back from a hip fracture, which took him two years to bounce back from. Hmmmm.

I didn't post earlier about my craptastic run on Halloween morning. It was a 12 miler. The good thing about it is that I ran with one of my RU friends for the first 3 miles, then she ran a different route. I did an out and back from the Jetty at South Mission Beach to La Jolla near Wind and Sea beach and back. It's a scenic route and normally quite doable, mostly flat with a few hills in La Jolla, but nothing treacherous. The out was OK and at talking pace. The back was just crappy. Even my husband said I was leaning to the right when he saw me come in at the end. My legs felt heavy and my back was feeling pressure. It felt like I ran way more than the 12.12 miles I actually did run. I suppose I can't get away with skipping a run on vacation. I could have put in at least a 3 miler on the hotel gym treadmill, which was brand new, but I didn't. Hindsight...

Yesterday at RU Bryan had me do a series of exercises that had nothing to do with running, pylometrics or jumping, but it helps all of those activities. It was all about stretching and doing slow exercises that get my legs, hips and joints back in gear. It really helped.

Today I redeemed myself and ran intervals on the gym treadmill, and was quite pleased with my overall performance.

Should I be concerned that my 80 year old father has a Facebook account? I'm not sure how Facebook savvy my dad is, and I'm sure he'd be calling me up all the time asking about things I post... I'm not even Facebook "friends" with my own kids, and that's on purpose.

My daughter just assumed that we didn't need the leftover Halloween candy - all chocolate and all my favorites (on purpose - I never want to be left with candy we dislike), so she gave it ALL to her stick figure boyfriend. I had a fit. Of course we need chocolate. I could not survive PMS without it. To get over myself I made a batch of brownies with semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts.

I heard this quote today from LL Cool J, a guest on the Bonnie Hunt show, when refering to doing what you are passionate about:
"What you do speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying."

I'm finally coming over to the other side. I ordered a Garmin 405CX through RU. They managed to get a good deal on a large order. Even with tax, it came out way less expensive than if I were to buy it from Road Runner Sports with my track club and VIP discounts! Sweet! I should receive it in a couple of weeks, after the entire order is placed.



I've been selected for Jury Duty, again. I think it has been less than two years since I've served on a jury. Still, I probably won't be able to get out of it. (Yeah I know all about civic duty, but I've been through the process several times already. Give someone else the opportunity!)

My sister brought this to my attention:


I must go finish off the last brownie.

Friday's song:
Hay Amores - Shakira - Barbie2be

PEACE

Come Away With Me

IXTAPA/ZIHUANTANEJO, MEXICO, WEDDING TRIP/MINI VACATION, NUMERO UNO

I really wanted to get this entire trip recap in one blog post, but I made the mistake of using my husband's camera for most of the trip. He took the camera to work. GAH!

For some weird reason we couldn't get flights from San Diego into Mexico. Most of the flights went north to either Los Angeles, San Francisco, or even Phoenix, Az and Seattle, Wa. Really. San Diego is a border town. It seemed ridiculous to drive 2 hours to Los Angeles, so we opted for a short 20 minute drive to a friend's house, then another short 15 minute drive across the border to fly out of Tijuana. Easy. Smooth flights, little to no turbulence, no problems. No pilots slacking on laptops overshooting the destination...

We had one short layover in Mexico City. We had no time to leave the airport or explore the city, but the airport was ginormous. It reminded me of a Legos building...

Benito Juarez International Airport

Arriving at the little Ixtapa airport, greeted by the tropical foliage and 90+ degrees and humid weather, was the beginning of vacation mode.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..."

We took a taxi to Las Brisas Hotel. Each room has a view of the ocean. Here's a shot looking out to the patio of our room . I would have slept in that patio hammock all night if it weren't for the insects, iguanas, coati and other unusual jungle critters...

¡Cómo es escénico!

At our first evening at the hotel, we joined the parents of the groom at the hotel lobby lounge for happy hour.

Consumición de los cacahuetes en la barra de hotel.

Happy hour offered two drinks for the price of one, but they'd bring out the two drinks at one time. These margaritas were loaded, made from scratch, and not the syrupy sweet mixes you get in the states at chain restaurants. These were wicked.

¡Aclamaciones! My Spanish speaking skills were MUY BUENO after these.

What is it that they say about good intentions? I had intended to run, either at the hotel gym or somewhere, but after a few times up and down this set of stairs at the hotel, I figured I was good to go. My GPS didn't pick up a signal at all and it was too hot and humid to wear socks and shoes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Stairway to heaven... or at least the hotel lobby.

Sure, we were there for a wedding and to visit with people, but we also spent a lot of time doing this:

My husband is one of those dots out in the water. Yes, I did join him to body surf every time we went out.

We bought Gatorade while there, in Ixtapa, thinking that it was the standard yellow lemon/lime flavor. Little did we know it was mango flavored until we had a swig of it and THEN read the label.

¿Mango? ¿Quién sabía?

Más a seguir...

Last Wednesday's song:
Mexico - James Taylor - Pat's Running Blog - Nine Oh Nine

PEACE