Love Roller Coaster

Life has been one behemoth roller coaster, and this post is full of chiche's.

LAST WEEK

The Job 
In a nutshell, it's not all it's cracked up to be. 

Running
Running is my safety net.  It's amazing how great I feel after a run, even if I run around Fiesta Island, which is considered one of the least desirable routes to run, since it's mostly flat, either dusty or muddy and not much in the way of vegetation, even though it's at Mission Bay Park. After running a loop around Fiesta Island last Sunday, I felt rejuvenated and clear minded.  I think I save myself some big bucks and travel time by running instead of seeing a psychiatrist.

Last Week's Three Day Weekend
It sure didn't feel like a long weekend. I was looking forward to that extra day off, but I'm kind of wondering where all the time went.  So much for feeling rested!

THIS WEEK

Saying Good-bye
I found out, through Facebook of all places, that one of my childhood friends, Michelle, died. We were probably about 8 or 9 years old when she moved into the pink house across the street. She lived there for only two years, but we were inseparable.   I loved her long and flowing blond hair, that parents let her have puppies and kittens, and that she had an older brother and sister who were way cool and popular -- at least in my eyes.  She was equally envious that my parents let me join Brownies, that I had a stay-at-home mom, and that I had a little sister who we could play dress up with.  We were even a few days apart with our birthdays. We wrote letters to each other for years, and then the internet in recent years. She came back to California a few times and each time we got together. We've been through Barbies, roller skating in the driveway, wearing our first high heels, first kisses, favorite music, school happenings, boyfriends, college, jobs, marriage, children and grandchildren, even though a lot of it was in written letter form. Over the past year I found out that she was dealing with liver disease. This disease had nothing to do with lifestyle, but the doctors figured she contracted some sort of virus that happened to attack her liver. She was on a list for transplants, but she lost her battle on February 14, 2011. I found out about her death last Sunday, and felt horrible that I missed any of the services or memorials. I would have dropped everything and flown out to Oklahoma to attend. I posted an excerpt from a song called "Seasons in the Sun" on Facebook, sort of to remember her, even though the song is about wanting to die. It's a little bit cheesy of a song, but at age 13 or 14 we were really into it.  She liked that song just because her name was in it, but we were young teens when that song came out and had little clue to what the song really meant, even though the lyrics are rather plain. I will miss her terribly.

Michelle ~ June 5,1959 ~ February 14, 2011

Work
I gave my two week notice at work.  Yep.  I'm skydiving without a parachute, walking the high wire without a safety net, and  running with scissors.  My husband is freaking out over my decision, but I've been battling illness, a lot of unhealthy weight loss and tremendous stress since November, and it hasn't been what I call a good time.  It's not that the job is that hard, it's just that the way the office is managed is not very methodical.  There isn't the flow that it once had.  They've been through three four staff members since May 2010. No matter who they hire after me, the new person will not work out unless they fix their internal problems. There's a lot of "don't do as I do, do as I say."  I will miss working with my patients, though. I do have other "irons in the fire." I don't want to say anything about the other irons just yet.   I must admit that Michelle's death put a lot into perspective for me, and that life really is too short to be miserable.  I'm ready to turn over a new leaf.

Running
This morning it was raining.  A lot.  Staying in bed felt so good.  After a bit of coaxing, Hubs talked me into going to the track club run in Coronado.  Time was running out.  We hurried ourselves since we were behind schedule and made it out to Tidelands Park to meet up with the track club.  We made there, but missed any  of the warm up or stretching.  It wasn't raining hard, but it was raining enough.  If I were alone I would have run 3 miles and called it a day, but I saw friends who I had not seen in a long time, and  friends who I enjoy seeing every week.  I ran some of the miles with AKA Alice, which was nice because the conversation kept my mind off of how cold and wet it was. 

Running out to Silver Strand was OK, it was the return that was a little rough for most of us. The wind picked up and the sting of the rain was a somewhat brutal. I was wet, cold, my bones hurt, my hips were sore  and I just could not speed up to keep up with AKA Alice, who became a bright yellow spot on the horizon ahead of me.  I brought a change of clothing, but I was so cold that it took hours to warm up after returning home.

Finishing up.  I promise.
My next week is all about finishing up at work.  I don't want to leave behind the legacy of undone paper work that I inherited when I started, which was from two employees ago, and I'm glad to say that most of it IS in order. 

I had a job interview on Friday.  Whatever happens, happens.

Song From Sunday, February 13, 2011: 
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners - Run-DMZ


PEACE

Come On Eileen

What do you do with your race numbers? I kept mine in a three ringed binder inside plastic sleeves along with my finish times, notes, cards, certificates and other momentos, in chronological order* until about a week ago. I went to put my race numbers from the Carlsbad half marathon and from the Super Run 10K inside the binder, only to find that part of the binder sustained water damage from the rains we had in December.

I guess it's to be expected that a 1947 house would be a little leaky, but we did not have massive rains since moving into this house to test it out.  Luckily the leaks were minimal, but my three ringed binder absorbed and kept some of that moisutre. I had to take everything out to dry completely. Most everything was salvageable, but some things were not.

A few certificates and photos were damaged, and now lamination is looking like a pretty good idea.

 Pre run sunrise photo from Hospitality Point.

Being well feels pretty damn good.  Sure, that's a no brainer, feeling good FEELS good.  I had a relaxing, mind clearing 8 mile run with the track club on Saturday.  I ran with the B group and was able to keep up.  This is what I ran:


I wasn't running to try and keep up with the group, but I ran based on how I felt. I even ran around Fiesta Island and didn't once complain about it.  One of my friends commented if I had my Wheaties. Heh. Not being injured and/or sick is a major factor in running well. Duh.

 

Photo op at the electrolyte cooler, wearing my Sue Krenn race t, with a fellow track club member who I don't know.  By the way, It was a GORGEOUS day to be out running. 

Finally, there is proof that the couple of years I've spent at Rehab United is working:

 Before :  I lean

January  2009 - Leaning when I run.  Sometimes it was worse than this picture shows.

After - Irene, not I lean (sorry, I couldn't help it.)
February 2011 - No tilting when I run, no leaning.  No wonder running feels so much better now.

Last Sunday's Song (February 6, 2011):
There You Go - Heart

PEACE

*The type A personality in me.

There You Go

I never used to think much about a 10k race before.  I neither liked it or disliked it. A 10K race was kind of neutral territory, used as a training run.  I've come to the realization that I like the distance of this race, perhaps it's because the shinsplints have not gone away in entirety, and I'm not beat up after 10K.

Saturday the track club participated in the Super Run 10K, which is a kick-off to Super Bowl weekend.  Hubs and I arrived at the crack of dawn, checked in the confines of our warm car until it was time to warm up and stretch with the group.  I ended up taking a different warm up route with the Heffers around the parking lot instead following the track club.  I'm not sure where they ran to, but it was further than a lap around the parking lot.

The race start was somewhat uneventful, and I had no pre-race jitters.  The Garmin was on at the start line and just ran based on how I felt.  I felt good, and never felt like I was pushing it.  I was allowing myself some slack just because training has been hit and miss between getting a sinus infection and working over time. The race started at South Shores Park, where the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon/Half Marathon finished last year.  The route took us through the Sea World parking lot, over the Ingraham Street bridges, to Crown Point and back.

I like this route and  was quite happy they didn't make us run around Fiesta Island this year. I would have been happy with a 1:06:00 finish time.  Much to my surprise I finished in 1:00:47.  That's a minute faster than last year.  I'll take it. Sure, it's at least 5 minutes off of a PR, but I'm happy.  Running makes me happy, anyway. 

Running in for the finish.  Just in case, that's me wearing the red top and black leggings. Photo credit to track club friend Doreen.

Post race we joined the Heffers for mimosas and breakfast at World Famous. Mimosas and a nice Belgian waffle brought me to yet another happy place, and we toasted to happy places. I for some bizarre reason we didn't take pictures at breakfast, but I managed to get this photo with my cell phone right after:

The view from World Famous and my cell phone. 

Another happy moment on Saturday was meeting my great niece, Kiley.

 My niece Ashley, my great niece Kiley, and moi. :)

Meeting Kiley was somewhat of a family reunion event.  Quite a few relatives came out of the woodwork to meet Kiley.  The last time a baby was born into the family was when Evan came into the world, about seven and a  half years ago.  Kiley is kind of a big deal, even though she's so small. 


Finally, check out Misszippy1's Tough Chik t-shirt giveaway! I haven't posted about a giveaway in ages, so please check this out!

Wednesday's Song:
The Wind Cries Mary - Jimi Hendrix

PEACE

The Wind Cries Mary

Sunday's Song:
Awake - Godsmack - Run-DMZ

PEACE 

It was so windy that this eucalyptus tree fell over, crushing three cars and *just* missed hitting a woman, right across the street from Hubs office, and right in front of Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, La Jolla, California.