Nothin' But A Good Time

Another half marathon in the books.

If you've ever run in a Rock 'n' Roll series event, the expos are pretty much all the same. This year we arrived on Saturday instead of Friday, and other than the t-shirt, the swag wasn't that great. Friday swag is usually better than it is on Saturday. Of course, I wasn't there for the swag or to cruise the expo, which was inconveniently moved from last year's location of Mandalay Bay to The Sands. This new location made for an unnecessary trek up Las Vegas Strip to retrieve our race numbers. We wasted a lot of time getting from point A to point B, especially since we had no direct transportation and did not want to use a taxi just to get to the expo since we were trying to watch our expenses. So much for resting up before the run.

We didn't get any exciting or blog-worthy photos of the expo or of our carb load dinner with a few of the RU group. A few of us dined at Chin-Chin (Asian) located in New York, New York.

Race day. A 4:30 wake up was on the agenda. Luckily we had the foresight to purchase a couple of coffees from Starbucks the night before and put them on ice to have with breakfast (biscotti) the next morning. Iced soy latte actually tastes great. 5:30 am rolls around and we're just a tad late meeting the Rehab United group for the warm up and stretch, but we were there just in time to get in something before heading out to gear check.

The Rehab United Run Fit group.  I forgot my mustache.

Waiting at the start. Cher sang the national anthem. We could hear her but never saw her.

Me & Hubs. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but after running it was pretty good. Hubs came in at 2:38, a PR, finally under 2:40.

My shins and ankle were a little sore for the race, and I really started feeling those sore spots at about mile 7, and that's where I slowed down. My official half marathon personal record time is 2:13:11, and my unofficial half marathon time is about 2:02, which was a training run, just months before the broken femur back in 2008. I knew I would come nowhere close to those times. I just wanted to do better than last year's time of 2:29 and change, and I did. I'm satisfied with 2:25, considering the broken foot and shin splints this year.

One bonus to this years run is that it wasn't freezing.  Early morning temps were probably in the mid 40s, and probably rose to the mid 50s by the time we finished running.  It was perfect running weather.  By the time the concert started, I'd venture to guess that it was about 60.  Last year the cold kept people from staying in the post-run concert area.  This year it was packed, but it could have been that Brett Michael's Band was the featured band.

The hat. 

Brett getting the crowd going.  This guy just doesn't stop.

Can  you say "animated?"  We got a kick out of watching this guitar player. 

Even with the thousands of people at the post race area, we did not see anyone we knew from our group or otherwise, even though they were all there, somewhere.

One advantage to attending the expo is that we picked up red rubber wristbands, which gave us free admission to XS, a club located at The Wynn hotel. This club was pretty swanky.

Part of the deal was free drinks from 7pm to 8 pm. After that, the prices skyrocketed.

During the race I kept looking for Dawn. Last year I found her on the marathon course around mile 6 as I was running.  This year I never saw her, and kept thinking I'd see her at the post race concert, but never did.  While Hubs and I were hanging around at XS, talking to Tobie (who we just met -she ran the marathon), Dawn walks right in front of us. 

Dawn, me, Tobie.

Hmmmm... Extra hands? Dawn?  LOL.

Michael bustin' a move with Tobie and Dawn.

Hubs making friends...

After a few hours at XS, we were done.  We never saw any one from RU, even though they said they were there, but we did bump into a few running buddies from the San Diego Track club.  For some odd reason there are no pictures of our track club friends.  I only had a couple of drinks, but I was done.  I think the lack of sleep contributed to my "tipsy" state. Wearing 4" heels didn't help matters, either.

When it was all said and done, we had a pretty good time, even though we spent the entire time in Las Vegas on very little sleep.  By Monday morning I was ready to go home.

Yeah, I was done.

I'll be taking a running hiatus for the next two to three weeks, but I'll be doing a lot of hill walking.  I'll start up again after the hiatus because the Carlsbad half marathon is in January.  No rest for the weary.

Yesterday's Song:
Mystery Achievement - The Pretenders

PEACE

Keep My Head High

I really wasn't planning a blog hiatus, but the past couple of weeks have been crazy busy.  Most of the crazy had to do with our rental house.  I'll go into details about the rental house later.  Right now I just need to catch up.

I'm still dealing with shin splints, however the soreness isn't as bad as it was just a couple of weeks ago.  I've only run once in the past two weeks, twice if we count the Run Fit class at RU last night, but that was not continuous running -- We did circuit training.  I've also  made a discovery that the custom orthotic for my left shoe is most likely a contributor to making my shins splints worse than they needed to be.  I took the orthotic out of my left shoe and replaced it with the original insole that the shoe came with.  Guess what?  I had little to no discomfort in my shin.   At the Run Fit class I was able to SPRINT for the first time since about August, and there's no next day overwhelming soreness or pain. *WHEW* I must add that I still can't do a lot of side to side movements, but when I run it's not side to side -- it's forward.  I like moving forward, and not just with running.

My dad left for for a Mediterranean cruise last week.  I'm not sure of all the ports, but Morocco and the Egyptian Pyramids are on the itinerary.  It's the perfect trip for him.  He's traveling with a group from his church.

The same day my dad left for his cruise was the same day my cousin came up from Ensenada, Baja California - Mexico.  The plan was for her to stay at my dad's house while he was away, but he forgot to leave the keys with us.  My cousin had a lot of business to take care of while she was here and she ended up staying with us until we could have a set of keys sent down from Fremont, CA where my brother lives. It was great catching up with my cousin, but she needed a lot of assistance with looking for particular businesses and agencies.  It's a long story, but her purse was stolen with all of her identifications in it, including her Military ID, California Driver's License, her Mexican residence ID, and so on.  She was planning to stay with us only one or two days until the keys arrived, but it turned into four since a couple of agencies required long waits in line, such as the DMV.  The advantage to my cousin's stay with us is that we were able to catch up on all of the relatives happenings and  incidental gossip in addition to a lot of thought provoking conversations about spirituality.

My cousin is a veterinarian.  It was funny that my cats and dog seemed to know she was an animal person.  My cat, Lumpy, would not leave hear alone at all. 

Computer companion

Since just before the end of September we were dealing with our rental house.  A friend of ours had lived there for over three years, but work was about an hour drive one way.  He decided to move closer to work.  He kept telling us that he was working on cleaning the house and getting it ready for the next renter.  Hubs and I figured all we needed to do was  paint and shampoo the carpets, plus some small repairs and a little yard work.  We were wrong.  So many things were broken or dirty beyond cleaning.  We were shocked.  Our friend hired a cleaning company to help him out, but it was so dirty that even the cleaning company charged him extra... and it was still not up to par when the cleaning company left.  Trash and rotten food were left behind in the driveway.  Some personal items were left behind, even though our friend said he took everything and that other stuff was ours.  In all fairness, we did keep a few things in the garage, but mostly Hubs' drafting equipment, a desk, a dresser, rolled up blueprints, and a few toys from when the kids were little, but that's all. These items were all off to the side and out of the way.   Our friend's kid's photo album, some of his furniture, bird care supplies and clothing items were definitely not ours.  We have a long list of things that were broken and needed to be replaced such as entire closet doors.  We really did not expect this since he rented another house from Hubs folks a few years back and everything was fine.  Our friend was expecting his security deposit back, but the cost of getting everything fixed and cleaned exceeded that dollar amount.  Needless to say, our friend is a bit miffed with us, but mostly with Hubs since they handled the agreement together. I'm not sure what will happen with this relationship, and I hope we can get past this mess.    

Hubs and my son worked at the house every singe day for the past two weeks painting and doing repairs.  My cousin even helped us a few hours hauling trash and cleaning cupboards.  I sanded and varnished the kitchen floor and part of the living room floor.  I also spent time scrubbing various things like greasy drawer pulls in the kitchen, the mold off of the ice and water dispenser on the refrigerator door, and the fireplace that was left full of soot, ashes, and wood.*  Since we didn't rent a dumpster, we put trash in receptacles where ever we could, which meant hauling bags of garbage to our house, my inlaw's house,  my sister-in-law's house, a neighbors house (she offered) and  my dad's house.  New carpet has been installed and everything is beyond ready for the renter, who should have moved in when our friend moved out.

*SIGH* 

 If that weren't enough, someone rear ended the back bumper of Hubs' car while he was idling at a stoplight after a trip to Home Depot, buying items to finish fixing up the rental.  No one was hurt, just the bumper.  Hubs had to laugh because it has been a draining past couple of weeks -- then the car gets bumped.  At some point you just have to laugh because it's so ridiculous.

If there's an upside, sanding and varnishing floors is a really good workout.

Now that we have some momentum going, we need to get back to caring for the house we live in.  I need to sand and refinish parts of the dining room floor where the dog likes to hang out.

My boss turned 60 last week.  She looks amazing for 60.  If you met her you would never guess that she's even close to 60.  There's something to be said about healthy living. Her family arranged a surprise party and had a small gathering.  I was quite touched to be included since I haven't been summoned to the office in several months due to a very stable staff. One of my former co-workers flew in from Texas to be here for the occasion.  It was so good to see her again.  This birthday event was somewhat like a family reunion, even though it was people I have worked with.  I guess it's a good thing when you can consider people you work with as family.   I thought Hubs brought a camera, but he didn't use it.  My boss was given a toga, crown and gold tone asps to wear at her party.  It was great.  I must explain that my boss is notorious for pranks, and you know what they say about payback.  It was awesome.

Good news.  My daughter finally got into San Diego State University.  SDSU was being a bit stingy with admissions, but recently let more students in. SDSU is only a 15 minute drive down the interstate, but it will take much longer just to find parking.

Saturday, October 16, is my daughter's 27th birthday.  Since she has a gig working behind the scenes at a college play on Saturday evening, we'll be taking her out for lunch.  She has plans to spend next  weekend  in Las Vegas to celebrate.
 

1983

2010

There's plenty of blog fodder ruminating in my head, but there's so much that it would quality as the longest blog post ever if I were to write it all down.  Two extremely busy and emotional weeks will fill a head.  I'll spare you all.  Besides, there's too much fodder to even process.  I'm exhausted.

Song from 9/29/2010:
It Happens - Sugarland

PEACE


*My cousin kept calling me "Cinderella."

Push

Wow.  I have a moment.   I can get in some blogging...

I did see the doctor last week for the fatigue I've been dealing with.  He ordered  fasted blood tests (thyroid, iron, vitamin D, adrenals, celiac panels, B 12, etc) and a pulmonary function test.  The fasted blood tests are done, and now I'm just waiting on my appointment for the pulmonary tests.  He also put me on a steroid inhaler (Qvar) in hopes that will help open up my lungs more, and to see if that helps lessen the fatigue. 

I started working out with a group on Thursday evenings with Rehab United. Last Thursday we did endurance testing.  Last year I kicked bootay.  This year...  um, not so much.  Most of my numbers were cut in half.  I couldn't do nearly the same number of push ups and pull ups I could do last year.  The fatigue has really taken it's toll on me. I guess the good thing is that I now have a new baseline to start with, and I know I can get it back if I just keep pushing through -- at least I hope it works out that way.   The only thing that looked half way decent was my timed mile.  We were supposed to run one mile as hard and fast as possible.  I was timed at about 7:15 for that mile, but I think that's wrong.  We run around the complex where RU is located, which is just under 400 meters by several feet.  We ran 4 times around the complex, and I know that's just short of a mile.  I'm guessing that my  mile is more like 7:45 or 8:00.  It's certainly possible that I could run 7:15 for just one mile if I'm busting out some speed, but I wasn't, except for maybe the last 100 yards or so. I didn't have my Garmin with me, so I couldn't check exact time or distance.  The good part about working out on Thursdays is that I'm with people I already know from last year's group, and they're a lot of fun.

The last time I ran was Saturday morning with the Rehab United group.  The plan was a 40 minute, time on your feet run. Most of the people who showed up ran about my pace or under, which is unheard of.  Last year I was the slow-poke of the group since most everyone's slow pace was an 8 minute mile.  (Yeah, yeah, speed is all relative, but when you're shooting for an 10 or 11 minute mile for a long run, there's a lot of waiting around involved on their parts.)  Our fearless leader, Justin, and his girl friend were the speedy ones -- probably in the mid 7s, low 8s.  I  held an average 9:30 m/m for  the 4.4 miles I ran, but I just couldn't push harder than that due to my ongoing issue with shin splints and fatigue.  I should be able to hold around a 9 minute mile with ease. I was a little frustrated, but glad I was able to hold my own without going any slower.  I was able to pace with my friend Renata, and I think having her just slightly ahead of me kept me from slowing. Renata and I came in ahead of the group, which was a novelty to me.  I'm NEVER at the head of any running group when it comes to speed.  (This year several people are opting out of the Las Vegas trip due to the expense, and a lot of those people were MUCH faster than me.) Everyone else came in just after us, so it's not like we were channeling our inner Kenyans - we were just pushing through as best as possible.  As for my left shin, it was not too happy with me.  I even wore compression socks, which helped tremendously, but still not a fix for my screaming shin.

I booked air fare and a room for the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. I was planning to register for the half marathon on line, but the processing fee is $11.00. That's just ridiculous. I thought I'd be able to use my $10.00 discount code, but that processing fee negates the discount. I'll sign up the old fashioned way, with pen and paper and no processing fee, AND a $10.00 discount through Rehab United.

Just in case, if you're planning to run Las Vegas, a lot of the hotel web sites say they're sold out for that Saturday. Call the toll free number and ask for group reservations. I was able to book a room at Luxor that way, even though the site said it was sold out.

My sister and her husband were in town last weekend. They are so happy to be back in California, and the job transfer has been smooth. They stayed in Coronado at the Glorietta Bay Inn and we were able to share dinner with them. We (sort of) celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday. Long story short ... BUT, He was constantly joking around with our server, so she brought out a huge slice of mud pie  -- on the house. Hubs suggested a candle for the mud pie because it WAS (supposedly) my brother-in-law's birthday. Not really, his birthday was in July, but since there was a mud pie, it only seemed fitting that someone was sung to.

We were all laughing, not only because it wasn't his birthday, but because the people at the adjacent tables were singing, too. The server was a really good sport.  PS: That's my sister on the right side.

Monday's Song:
I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More - Barry White

PEACE

I Shall Believe

I was hoping that with the start of school would mean time to catch up on blogging and checking in more regularly, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. I don't know whose idea it was to have school start the day after Labor Day, but it always makes for a very short and busy week.

Right after Labor Day, Hubs and I went to see Sheryl Crow in concert at Humphreys.  Most of the songs were from her new CD "100 Miles From Memphis, " but several of her well known hits were scattered through out the show.  The encore included her hit "All I Wanna Do" and a Michael Jackson tribute "I Want You Back."  She puts on a great show and we were in awe of her extremely talented band and back-up singers. Hubs is more of the Sheryl Crow fan than I am, but I had a lot of fun, too.

4th row, center.  

Hubs snapped this photo. 

Sheryl Crow is super fit, by the way.  She has some serious muscles, and looked fabulous.  You can't fake a healthy lifestyle, that's for sure.

I hooked up with Rehab United to train for the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in December. I missed the first group strength training class because I had prior plans, but I made it to the first group run. There were only 7 of us for a 30 minute run, but several people were participating in other running and sporting events. We should see more people this weekend. I ran about 3.2  miles, but it felt like a lot more.

Running isn't as effortless as it should be these days.  I just can't fight the fatigue I've been dealing with all summer. I'd have a glimmer of energy for a day or two, but it doesn't last.  It's not like I haven't been running, I would do at least 4 to 6 miles for most of my Saturday runs while concentrating on building speed, plus do some high intensity interval training on the treadmill gym during the week, run at the bay or my neighborhood once or twice a week, and fit in a weekly session at RU. I believe this is something other than just a case of feeling burnt out and is not psychosomatic.  On top of the fatigue I've been dealing with a ridiculous case of shin splints in my left inner shin. Newbies get shin splints from wrong shoes, running too fast, far, too soon. I'm far from newbie status, but the shin splints started (a few weeks ago) when I was wearing heels, and would sort of go away after I warmed up while running. Now the shin is just constantly reminding me that it's there, warmed up or not. I'm doing all the stretches that I'm supposed to do, massaging it with the stick, plus ice. I even backed off running a bit last week. I'm not sure if the shin splint is a result of the fatigue I've been dealing with, but I have plans to call the doctor this week.  Good times.

In other news,  I just found out that I'm going to be a great aunt!  My niece is expecting her first baby in early December.  I'm not sure why things were kept secret for so long, but we're all excited.  My grandson is excited to finally have another kid in the family.

Wednesday's Song:
Be True To Your School - The Beach Boys - Run-DMZ

PEACE

That's Not Me

Randomness

This is an odd cold. The cold symptoms aren't that bad, I have no fever, yet I'm so tired! I went to my workout at RU yesterday and felt rather pathetic. Bryan is out for the week and I worked with Justin. Since I don't work with him regularly, he doesn't know me well enough to know that I can push through just about anything they throw at me. I felt like one of those contestants on The Biggest Loser on the first day of working out, where some of them just get going with the workouts, then start whining about how hard it is. That was me. I even tried to negotiate using lighter weights, but he just told me to push through. This is so not like me, but I'm also not feeling like myself, either.

Last night was also an office party. We celebrated three birthdays, including mine. It took me 2 hours to throw on some jeans, a blouse, shoes and apply make-up, just because the the fatigue. We celebrated at a little restaurant in the middle of an industrial/office park - Buds Louisiana Cafe. Yes, an odd location for a restaurant, but it was REALLY good, even for my foodie boss. Luckily, this was dinner and not an activity like bowling or roller skating. It was fun catching up with everyone and all of the office shenanigans. I didn't think to take my camera, but my boss made hats for the three of us birthday girls. Here's my hat:

Custom party hat.  An eye with running legs.

I ordered a few pictures from my daughter's graduation earlier this month. Look at what I received:

 Ummmmmmmmm, that' not my daughter!

At first I was thinking "WTF?"  Now I think this is sort of funny.  I called customer service and they think this guy probably received my daughter's pictures.  They're going to reprint my daughter's photos and send those out ASAP, and told me to destroy the incorrect photos. I feel kind of odd about destroying the pictures, though.  The guy's name is on the back and I was thinking of, perhaps, contacting him (though Facebook, maybe) and just sending him the pictures.  They're not cheap.  What do you think? 

The gophers are going down. Three more heads of almost ready romaine lettuce are gone! It's time for traps.

I should have an abundance of veggies by now. Evil gophers... 

Yesterday's Song:

Aloof - Latvian Radio 

PEACE

What I Got

Activity: Run
Date: 05/28/09 11:42 AM
Distance: 1.77 miles
Time: 0:21:05
Speed: 5.0 mph
Pace: 11' 54 min/mile
Calories: 168

Last run before the marathon. Purposely slower, but I suspect that's what my marathon pace will end up being. I'm hoping to have a pace somewhere between an 11 and 12 minute mile pace, and that's factoring walking when I need to. Since several streets are closed off due to pipework, I ran a different route than I normally do. I ran down a section of the marathon route, kind of getting a mental image of what it's going to be like. I know what it will be like, which will be crowded with people traffic, not cars, and I will be approaching the streets that go by my grandson's elementary school and the house that always gives out fresh orange slices.

I

am

so

tired!

My husband has a cold and has been snoring up a storm the past couple of days. The snoring is keeping me awake, and if I go try and sleep on the couch, the cats and dog come to check me out. I guess they get curious as to why I would be sleeping on the couch, and the dog wants to kiss my face and the cats want to walk all over me. I'm glad the office doesn't need me right now, otherwise I'd be going though the day on auto pilot.

Our coach at the track club gave my husband's name and info to one of the writers at the San Diego Union Tribune because he ran the marathon last year in the 5 hour range. (5:49) My husband talked to the guy for over an hour! The article should show up in the paper tomorrow, but there's no guarantee that my husband's info will show up in the paper. Either way, I'll link the article here. My husband was surprised that they wanted to talk to him, but I guess the article is about regular people doing the marathon. We'll see.

Thanks for all of the songs! I'll post the entire play list tomorrow. If nothing else, the songs will definitely put a smile on my face, just because the selection is so divers. I love it! If anyone else has something to add, I'll add more songs until Saturday. I'm still waiting on a few people...

Monday's song:
If You Love Me Like Music, I'll Be Your song - Heart

PEACE

Can You Read My Mind?

Yesterday I was pretty worn out. I think the big marathon weekend finally caught up with me, plus I caught a little cold. Sheesh. First food poisoning (the stomach issue on Monday), then a very runny nose and sore throat. I'm not even close to TOTM, but I was pretty emotional yesterday. The marathon website posted video footage of everyone running through the finish line, and I found my husband running through and several of our friends. I don't know why, but I got all choked up about it, I guess because I'm really happy for them, and partially because it couldn't be me at that point. I was sort of feeling sorry for myself that it wasn't me running through the finish, and a little bit angry about the injury. I was OK with everything until I saw that footage yesterday. I guess I can chalk it up to being exhausted because I even got misty over TV commercials... Today is much better.

The July 2008 issue of Runner's World Magazine came in the mail today, and that particular issue was as if it were just for me. Not only was there a great cover shot of former pro volleyball player Evan Hook, there was an article about "natural remedies for common aches and pains," by Betsy Noxon. The section of the article that really caught my eye had to do with imagery.

"The PROMISE: By visualizing a positive scene, you calm your mind -- and your body. 'When your mind is relaxed, your muscles hold less tension, which means you're less likely to feel pain,' says Jefrey Greeson, PhD., psychologist with Duke Integrative Medicine Clinic at Duke University Medical Center. 'Imagery can also help healing since stress increases levels of cortisol, which can slow injury repair.'

THE SCIENCE: Research published in the Journal of Sports Sciences indicates that when athletes pictured themselves as healthy or imagined themselves dealing with pain, they enhanced their recovery rate. Another study offers evidence that positive thinking can speed blister healing.

WHO SHOULD TRY IT: Some studies have had participants picture broken bones being glued together, torn muscle fibers reattaching, or cells regenerating. Visualization can also help you deal with temporary discomfort -- like the final mile of a race. Imagine the pain leaving your body when you exhale or picture yourself smiling at the finish line."

I guess imagery all boils down to the power of positive thinking, which is what I've been trying to do since I ended up in the ER, almost three weeks go. I never thought of the image of the bone healing and being stronger. I suppose it's worth a try. I'm trying NOT to take the prescription pain medications, since they mess with my sleep patterns, and have been taking regular Tylenol instead, per the doctor's instructions, and I hope I won't be needing the Tylenol much longer, either. I'm really hoping to put mind over matter to RELAX and HEAL. The article also discussed acupuncture, sports massage, herbal remedies, and chiropractic treatment.

Also in the July issue was an article on music: "Music & Motivation - Why Tunes Make You Faster plus The Best Running Songs of All Times." This article is so right up my alley. I'm still going over the article and, perhaps, I'll put in my two cents about it later, in another blog post.

Yesterday's song:
Walk Away - Kelly Clarkson - Barbie2be

PEACE

Rock And Roll

The marathon is just a few days away. I realized that I still have the counter on the side bar for the marathon. I figured I'd just leave it up there because I'm still attending the marathon, I just won't be running in it, and once the day is over I'll move the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon over to the 2008 Events section and put a DNS next to it. It's OK. I sort of figured that if I were to particiape running events for the long haul, there would be events that I've signed up for that I would not be able to attend due to illness, injury, or circumstances beyond my control. It happens to all long-time runners. I guess it's my turn at not running in something I had signed up for.

Pictured on the right are the banners that have been posted all along the marathon route. They went up all over town about a month ago. I always get that rush of anticipation when those banners go up.

Recouping from surgery is amazingly exhausting. I never realized how tired the recouperation process can make a person. I do believe that keeping the right positive mental attitude is everything, and will help with the healing, however, being at home and attempting to do even some of the simplest things can wear me out. I'm good until the late afternoon, then I just want to crash, and that' s without needing pain medications. It's not like I'm trying to do much of anything, I'm just trying to walk around the house, do my PT exercises, get a little sun in the backyard, perhaps make the bed, get the mail, and check e-mails.

Yesterday's song:
Legs - ZZ Top - Diary of an Aspiring Loser

PEACE

Family

Friday

We finally had our family trip to Disneyland! My husband wanted to go to Disneyland for his birthday last month, but with everyone schedules we couldn't just pack everyone into a car and go. It took about a month to put in for time off, but we all took yesterday off from school and work, and made our way north to the magic kingdom. It was fun to watch 4 1/2 year old Evan experience Disneyland for the first time. The concept of waiting in line for a turn on a ride was new to him, and he was slightly antsy at first, but once he understood that the ride is fun and there OTHER rides just as fun, he quickly adjusted. He's just tall enough, at 40 inches high, to go on most of the rides. Favorite rides for Evan were the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Matterhorn. Autopia was also a winner. We have not been to Disneyland as a family in probably 12 years, and we did enjoy ourselves. My husband even treated us all to dinner at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride... It was a pricey meal, the food was actually very good, but the day was priceless... (Sorry, that sounded like one of those credit card commercials!) We opted to return back home last night instead of staying up there. It is only about an hour and a half drive for us, and my husband and I had a track club run the next morning. Disney pictures later, when my husband can retrieve the USB cable from the office. Oh yeah, I did OK hobbling around Disneyland on my gimpy leg.

Saturday
We woke up early with just enough time to pick oranges off one of our trees, have some coffee, wolf down a little cereal and make it to the track club run just in time for the group picture. Since I'm still nursing my sore hip, I stayed back with one of the water stations and welcoming group/pot luck. It was a different perspective seeing the runners come in and cheering them on after their quick hydration stop. I was able to see many of the people I have run with, and how well they were doing. Today's run was 20 to 22 miles, and it was a big accomplishment for all of those who ran. It was also equally fun to cheer the runners in as they ran in for the finish. I'll post pictures when I get them from the track club site. I was also hooked up with a free pair of test running shoes. I guess Runner's World does a thing with our track club to test new shoes. When I went down to the table to inquire about a test pair of shoes, all the shoes were spoken for, EXCEPT for one pair, that just happened to be in my size and they're the type of shoe for my food. Score! They're Reebok Smoothfit Cushion. I've never worn Reebok running shoes before, so we'll see how they wear and ride! I also get to fill out a questionnaire to report on how I like the shoe for fit, wear, and performance. Cool!

However...
There was an accident on the run, which shook up everyone in our running club family. One of our runners had a head on collision with a cyclist. It's not quite clear how it happened, but both the cyclist and our runner had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. They say the cyclist had to be going about 25 mph, right into our runner. Some say our runner darted out, others say the cyclist was going too fast and should have been more mindful of the runner. I'm not sure who gets the right of way in this instance, but it was so unfortunate for this to happen. I'm not going to say the should have, would have, could have thing. It was an unfortunate accident that dropped all of our hearts into our stomachs when it happened. I hope our runner AND the cyclist will be OK.

Yesterday's song:
Mickey - Toni Basil

PEACE

One More Cup Of Coffee

My husband went on the run with the track club today. He explained that they began the run in their usual spot at Hospitality Point, but they went north, towards La Jolla and back to Hospitality Point to finish. I decided earlier in the week that I would not attend today's run. I'm having all kinds of shoulder and back issues brought on by asthma. I'm setting an appointment with my GP for Monday so I can get a new Rx for an inhaler or SOMETHING. Not being able to breathe properly makes for a tight upper back/shoulders and unnecessary fatigue. Strong, hot coffee usually does the trick for me - in diverting the asthma, but today it didn't work so well. My left quad is still a little sore, and that's actually not so bad, but I also felt that if I ran the 14 miles that was scheduled today I might risk injury to the quad. This time I took the advice I often give others and rested.

It's not looking so good for my chances of running in the Nike Women's Half Marathon. Several people noticed their credit cards were charged to the event and also it showed up on their Active.com account. There was no charge on my credit card account for the event, nor was there any new information on my Active.com account, where I signed up. I suppose I have until April 1 to learn my fate. I'll be greatly dissapointed if I don't get in. Right now I'm not counting on being in.

Things aren't totally gloomy in my little world. I managed to purchase 4 tickets to see/hear Robert Plant with Allison Krauss at Humphrey's on June 30, 2008. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10 am, and we did get decent seats. I was going for the cheaper seats but those were already sold out! We managed to get into the front section, a few rows back, so that's pretty sweet right there, plus we bought the dinner package. It wasn't cheap but we don't go to a lot of concerts, either. We've seen Robert Plant in concert before, but the venue was huge. Robert Plant was just a small figure on a large stage from where we were seated. Humphrey's is much more intimate. I'm very much looking forward to this concert.

Yesterday's song:
All I Really Want - Alanis Moresette

PEACE

Hot Child In The City

Irene M F 48 San Diego CA 02:26:38(Chip) 11:12(pace) 6322 02:29:08(clock) 01:03:23(10k split)

This is the first half marathon where I had to walk. I'm usually able to run the entire way but it was just too humid and people were literally dropping! I've never seen so many EMT's taking care of people at an event before. I was drenched in sweat by mile 3 of the run. I wasn't expecting to PR at this event but I did run in the anticipated range. My best half marathon time is 2:19 and I finished in 2:26. I'm glad I didn't force myself to run the entire way because of seeing way too many people get sick. We saw one guy who we recognized from several of the runs we participate in and he was disoriented and passed out a few times, and this guy usually places in the top spots! We watched the EMT's place him into an ambulance for a ride the hospital. People who have run this event before said that today's weather for this run was rather miserable. I felt OK with my finish, mostly because I finished. I did PR my 10k split for a half marathon, though, and that was a surprise. I lost ground towards the last couple of miles and began walking, where there was a hill we had to go up before the last mile stretch. The hill wasn't actually that bad, it's just that I didn't want to be amongst those who were passing out... My hubbie finished in 3:06 and feels sick to his stomach. I think the heat really got to him. He can usually run a half marathon in about 2:45 - 2:50. I'll post pictures later.

I'm beat!

Peace

Hot In The City

SUNDAY
Activity: Run
Date: 08/12/07 08:36 AM
Distance: 7.29 miles
Time: 1:17:44
Speed: 5.6 mph
Pace: 10' 39 min/mile
Calories: 686

I had intended to run about 10 or 11 miles on Sunday but both hubbie and I were both tired from the day before. 7.29 miles for me and about 5.5 miles for him. It was a bit hot and humid. I think I'm fighting off a flu bug because I ached after that run. I'm usually feeling pretty good after I run. I was also really SLOW.

MONDAY
Monday officially began the 4 week "You Are What You Eat Challenge." I started the day off okay with oatmeal and soy protein, but my salad in the home fridge disappeared, so I had to opt for the small burrito and green iced tea at the gas station quickie mart across the street from the office ... Not great but not not as bad as it could have been. I did stay out of the vat of peanut M&M's my boss has in her office and drank plenty of water. Dinner was shredded beef with salsa fresca. Later on some sugar free Popsicles. I haven't figured out my caloric intake on Fitday yet but I know it's probably not where I need it to be... Too high in carbs and fat. The burrito threw everything off. I need more fruit and veggies. It's grocery shopping tomorrow for fresh produce and a few other things for pre-made lunch, and a new Sharpie marker so I can put my name on all of MY stuff in the fridge.

No workout or running on Monday because I did that run on Sunday. I have my half marathon THIS Sunday, 8/19/07, so it's either light workouts or easy running. Besides, work just about wiped me out on Monday. Busy was an understatement.

I wasn't planning to run today but my friend called yesterday and wants to fit in a run today in the afternoon. I don't know if that's going to work out because it's predicted to be HOT today. We'll see what happens.

TODAY
Today, so far, food is on spot, but I've only had breakfast, which was oatmeal and a scoop of soy protein mixed in and coffee. Last night, my hubbie picked up a bag of brown rice, a package of chicken breasts and carrots last night, so at least dinner is a sure thing tonight. I still need to head out to the grocery store for more fresh foods.

"The Bean" arrived yesterday but I didn't have the chance to fumble around with it until today. Like anything else, it's not going to work if you don't use it properly. The exercises are just about the same as what you would do on a stability ball, but without the lack of instability. I did like doing their advanced version of the push-ups, though. Basically, "The Bean" is a useful tool for the terminally uncoordinated, or people who have balance issues. What I need to do is a side by side comparison workout with "The Bean" and my stability ball. I must say, though, it would be easy to fall asleep on "The Bean", whereas you can't really fall asleep on a stability ball...

Sunday is the America's Finest City Half Marathon. The weather here has changed to somewhat more hot and humid than normal, but that could change. I'm hoping the weather will be mild for the event. I'm not expecting to PR at this event. I would just like to finish with a decent time, somewhere between 2:20 and 2:30. My PR for a half marathon event is 2:19, but my half marathon split at this year's SDRNR marathon event was 2:18. I'm still feeling kind of sluggish, though, which is why I'm not looking to PR. I made an appointment to see my chiropractor tomorrow, who I haven't seen in over a month (due to my sporadic work schedule) - and I always look forward to this appointment, and perhaps set up an appointment with my GP next week, just to have all of my bases covered.



Other stuff...
I took a set of "before" pictures for the PDB "You Are What You Eat Challenge." The photos aren't as bad as I thought they would be, but they show what I need to work on, which is my mid section. I've noticed there's not a whole lot of difference between some of my other before and after pictures, and the changes are usually subtle, BUT it's those subtle changes make all the difference between fitting in most of my clothes and not. I really don't have that much weight to shed, it's more about toning up and making better food choices. I posted the photos over at Muscletank.net as well if you want to take a peek.

Big Empty

Yesterday
Activity: Run
Date: 08/07/07 09:48 AM
Distance: 3.01 miles
Time: 0:29:25
Speed: 6.1 mph
Pace: 9' 46 min/mile
Calories: 287

A really good friend of mine wanted to run yesterday morning, so he picked me up and we drove down to the bay, where the run path is concrete paved and mostly flat. He only needed to put in a 3 miler, since he's just getting back into running. (FYI - he used to be my personal trainer a while back). I have been feeling really drained the past few days and I was hoping I could get my 3.1 mile (5k) pace in gear, which is in the 8:30 to 9:00 minute mile range. I couldn't get my body in gear. It was just so hard to get myself going. It was a gorgeous morning to be out running but I just didn't have "it." Perhaps I'm still recouping from that 8 mile run at Balboa Park, but this morning's run tanked. This run should have been "easy." It wasn't. As for my friend, he ran in "my" usual 5k range. I should have been able to keep up. I could see him way ahead on the path... I'm was also having computer issues yesterday, so it took FOREVER to get into the internet, and I couldn't post in Blogger.

Monday I was back at the office. The new girl is working out great, which has helped with office morale. I'm hopeful that the guy they interviewed yesterday knocked their socks off and accepted the position. This whole ordeal of not finding qualified techs has been rather draining on everyone.

BTW, I really liked wearing the running skirt at the event on Saturday, If anyone is wondering, they are really comfortable and received a lot of nice compliments...

Today
UBW - Bowflex
Lat tower- 3 grips, cable rows, incline flys & presses, kickbacks, incline cable crunches.

I've signed up for a challenge on Pinkdumbbells.com. It's the "You Are What You Eat Challenge." This challenge couldn't have come at a better time. My eating habits of late have been less than stellar. Here's what I entered on Pinkdumbbells.com:

1) Name: Irene

2) Food: To pay better attention to my eating habits. My running performance has tanked and food is probably a huge part of it, and I want to shed (and keep off) the additional few pounds that keep creeping back... My tummy pooch came back! UGH! I've been rather lax in eating way more processed carbs (foods made with white flour, dairy, packaged & manufactured foods, etc) and foods that I should stay away from, which are high in the wrong fats and unecessary sugars, etc. I need to get back on board with whole grain carbs such as rice and oatmeal, more fresh fruits and veggies, more lean proteins, and more water. Reward: I've just purchased (on sale ) a pair of black Adidas Running shorts with the three red stripes on the sides and a red wicking material t-shirt to match. I'm going to hold off on wearing them until I shed those few last pounds, which SHOULD be by the end of this challenge. If I don't meet my goals, then I don't get to wear the new clothes until I do. The shirt is also a size smaller than I normally buy, and it's a little tight now, so that's an added motivation.

3) Starting stats to come, maybe even pictures.

4) My initial goal is to get out of this rut I'm in. I have zippo motivation right now and I'm just sort of going through the motions of what I initially set out to do, which is run in one event each month this year, for at least 12 events. I'm burnt out and tired, not so much from running but other things in my life. I'm hoping that changing my foods back to healthier choices will improve my outlook and running. I've also purchased "The Bean" just because it's something different. The website is kinda silly to me, but, what the heck? Yeah, I know I probably don't really need it, I have plenty of workout equipment and gym membership, but it wasn't too expensive, it's a new gadget. Besides, I have 30 days to return it.

Other stuff
I had to return one of the running skirts I just bought. Runningskirts.com accidentally sent me a teen sized skirt, which probably fits a 12 year old. I don't think I could even get that on past my calves! Any way, I returned and exchanged it for the correct size. Since they no longer had that same color (Pinky-Maroon), they sent me my next choice of Lilac-Plum. The return transaction was fast and I think I actually prefer the Lilac-Plum color combo.

Peace

Golden Slumbers

There was no run or workout over the weekend, just a lot of running around and work to get things in gear for the party, then the clean-up after. The party was a success and thank goodness for those giant jumpy things that can fit a bunch of 3 and 4 year old kids in all at the same time, making them really tired, going to bed early, and making their parents really happy at bed-time.

We've also had some work done on the garage space, as in finishing up the drywall, texturing the walls and priming. We're turning the front garage into a temporary bedroom. DH and I will paint this week, then the guys come back next weekend to set ceramic tile.

This next week my goal is to run or work out each day, Monday through Saturday. Last week wasn't perfect, but I got something in. I also need to restart loggin in my calories on Fitday. After this weekend of pizza and cake, I'm feeling rather fluffy. I did have some minor break outs on my arms (from the cheese on the pizza) but not as bad as it could be. Perhaps keeping the water intake up helped.

It's been a busy weekend! I'm beat!

Happy Sunday!

Peace

Running to Stand Still

I'm feeling really beat up about now. Not so much from working out or running, but from all of the other physical labor I have been doing this week.

We've ordered a new refrigerator (finally). After some unscientific research and asking people about the pros and cons of their stainless-steel refrigerators, we've decided to get the LG Titanium. It's not really stainless steel, but it has the look, and it doesn't show fingerprints. EVERYONE we've talked to about their fridge said the same thing:

It looks great but fingerprints show up quickly, and they didn't think they'd have to "polish the refrigerator" frequently.

Unlike the stainless steel dishwasher, microwave and oven/range, the fridge is touched more frequently. We've received the same comments from people with kids and pets and from people without kids and pets. Hubbie and I spent time at Home Depot looking at a Maytag and the LG. We already have Maytag appliances in our kitchen, so that would have matched what we already have, BUT Maytag doesn't offer anything similar to the LG Titanium, at least not yet.



Well, now one more thing is checked off the lengthy list of things to do/buy for the house.

Yesterday afternoon I ran the approximately 5.50 miles (5.52) at the bay and tried out the wireless run tracker. It's very cool. I set it up to beep after every quarter mile. At each quarter mile, it would beep differently, and after a mile it would start the sequence over again. When I was finished with my run it showed the map/course and all of my stats. As far as yesterday's run, well, that's another story. It was rather windy in spots and it felt like I was going nowhere, running into the wind. My average mile was something like 10:44. I even felt sluggish, so I knew I wasn't putting forth a good effort and wasn't the least surprised at my much slower than normal time - my splits on the wireless run tracker definitely reflected it. I usually start out slow and finish strong, but I progressively went slower. It was actually beautiful at the bay and I did take a picture with my phone, but I need to figure out how to download it to my computer so I can post it here. I'm not very mechanically minded, so it will take a little figuring out the proper downloading procedure, but I know it can be done.

Today will be a rest day, and it's also, technically, a "free" meal dinner. I don't thing I'm going to go hog wild with the food and drink, since I did that already this week. I can still go out to dinner and keep everything clean, and save the alcohol (if at all) for the weekend.

PEACE

Red Rain

Tired.

I think my body is just trying to tell me to take a break. I can't really remember the last time I felt this exhausted. Even my hubbie made a comment to how tired I looked... I know there's a bunch of colds and flu's making the rounds again, so maybe that's part of it. I sorta-kinda did a workout yesterday but it was nothing to get pumped about. I just putzed around. Watched TV. I also IM'ed a friend (from high school) who I haven't corresponded with in about a year, that was cool. Even though I still have a case of the tireds , I'm gonna at least move around today, unless my body rebels. Maybe there was something to how I was feeling last Thursday. I dunno.

It's also raining today. It hasn't rained here in well over a month, so it's really nice to hear the rain hitting the roof in the sun room -- It's spooking the dog, though... She has to go outside through the sun room.

It's just one of those days... It's all good, though. It's a good day to make a huge pot of soup.



Peace