Thursday, June 30, 2011

Three Things Thursday

1. Umm... it's a holiday weekend?!? I totally forgot it was 4th of July weekend until a few days ago. That being said, I have 0 plans. RoomieQ is going to her parents for the weekend so it's just gonna be me and Dinah. Looks like I'll get some reading done??


2. Last week I posted about kale. I'm in an all out love affair. It's so good. I think I could probably eat it with every meal. Bad thing, I think not! I've taken my original plan and added some balsamic vinegar to it. Holy crap is that good. Tonight, I'm going to try a splash of lemon instead. It should go great with that buffalo-style chicken I'm making...errr.

3. I've been thinking a lot lately about my life "dreams." They are, very likely, attainable. But going after them scares the crap out of me. I've definitely got some decisions to make about how I'm going to proceed. Scared and nervous. I really hope I don't wuss out. We'll see!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

What the heck did I do in my sleep last night?

Lately, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't exactly been keen on motivation, and I've been a grump in general.

I've also been sleeping like a sick person (but I'm not, no worries). In bed, every night this week, before 9pm. And it's not like I've been working out a ton with which I could justify this.

I will blame the humidity, mostly just because I hate it. You will find I complain much more about the weather in the summer than I do in the winter, even in the North East, even if I still lived in the snowbelt (Albany's snow is minuscule compared to Syracuse's). Whatever, wah wah wah, it's hot. Enough already.

I'm not exactly complaining about my intense sleep sessions - I mean, they must be needed, right? Or else I wouldn't be so tired...? However, last night - weird things happened. I apparently knocked my water bottle over, the top popped off and I woke up to water all over the floor. How did I not hear that? IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEAD. weird. Then, post-TM run hand-washing I noticed a newly formed blister on the inside of my right pinky finger. How did that even happen? Yesterday was a vigorous day of hand usage. I messed around with MS Access all day at work (grr), I vacuumed for like 2 seconds, and cleaned up cat puke. None of these things are exactly blister inducing. Something strange is going on in those sleep hours!

Besides phantom blisters and water bottle vandalism, sleep got me to ROCK some mile repeats today. A while back I was struggling with the 10 min/mile barrier. I've broken through it - at least when it comes to speed work. Which is the first step, right? I am not training for anything right this second (new plan starts in 2.5 weeks!!!) but in motivating myself to actually do workouts in the interim I've found I need to plan on doing some workouts that I actually like. Turns out mile repeats is one of them.

Last set of mile repeats (I do 1mi x 3 right now) clocked in with an average pace of 9:40. Today's average pace 9:24. BOOM. And.. AND, I probably could've done more (damn putzing around in the morning!)

Mile 1: 9:35

Mile 2: 9:22

Mile 3: 9:14

AWESOME! This feels so good. I'm getting really excited for my next training cycle and all the improvements that are bound to come with it. Crazy!! :)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

omg, I hate summer

I really fell off the wagon this past weekend. I barely exercised, I ate like crap, drank too much wine, whined too much in general. Blech. I'm not really sure what the problem was, but I think I'm over it now.

Sunday night I got myself back together by grocery shopping the rainbow, and then eating it. Overall, I've been doing really well in the eating department since then (which is surprising because I've been super grumpy). I also had a good tempo run yesterday, so that was uplifting.

I gotta tell ya, folks. I honestly think it might have been easier to get up and out of bed and my arse to the gym when it was dark out and negative 500 degrees than it is when its muggy and stuffy when I wake up. It just makes me so MISERABLE. I have, apparently, a very difficult time getting motivated to get my sweat on when it's already on upon waking. Gross.

It's proceeded to be a muggy gross day here which means I'm still grumpy. But, I've been having an unexpectedly productive day at work, and my lunchtime salad was thebomb.com. So, I'm trying to keep myself looking on the bright, comfortably cool side of things.

October, anyone?? ;)

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Relaxin’ and Bloggy Buddies

Thursday’s leg/run workout put me in quite a tizzy here. I knew this would happen. I’m incapable of easing back into weight lifting when I’ve not done it in a while. I heart weightlifting, and I like doing it “dude” style – lift heavy. Makes me feel so hardcore. I’ve had to take some recovery time from running. But, don’t worry, I’ll be back at it tomorrow.

My darling sister graduated high school today. It was a LOOOONG ceremony. All three of us (me, my brother, and my sister) graduated in classes with about 700 kids in them. And our last name is at the beginning of the alphabet. zzzzzzz.  But, I’m super proud of her! She’s moving on to the next, awesome chapter! woo hoo! Congrats, K!

Due to going back home for the weekend, I’ve been a bit behind on reading blogs. But, I came back to find the most adorable Lindsey @ Yogi Bear nominated me for my very first blogger award! I’m so honored! The_Versatile_Blogger_Award

Recipients are to share seven random facts about themselves and then recognize 5 other bloggers with the award. So… here goes.

1. I’ve mentioned this once before on the blog, but I’m a huge anglophile. I took a few British history courses in college and absolutely fell in love. British history is full of the stuff romance and drama is made of! I often dream of moving there and fulfilling my Anglo-obsession; however, I’m afraid I’d be disappointed – I’m more “pride and prejudice” English-obsessed than “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Oh well.

2. I am, or was, quite musical. Growing up I played piano, viola, and mallet percussion. I loved every bit of it (well, some bits I didn’t love). I have recently gotten back into playing piano quite a bit lately. I’m enjoying it a great deal. I’d forgotten the magic of Mozart.

3. When I was small I used to wish on every wishing thing for a little sister. first star at night, wishing wells, necklace clasp moving around front, every thing I  could think of. I wanted a little sister soooo bad. But never in all my wishes and dreams could I have imagined she’d end up being SO FREAKING COOL.

4. I really would love to go to Alaska for an extended vacation (read: forever). It seems so absolutely beautiful up there! I don’t mind the cold – I think Alaska and I could be friends.

5. My dream (and just a dream at this point) is to get my PhD in history and teach at the college level. I’m a huge history nerd and I own it! JC = NERD

6. I love tea. I’ve recently become quite the tea buff – with my cutesy cast iron tea pot. I fully enjoy loose leaf teas and plan to post on my tea-dventures in the future.

7. Mr. Darcy over Mr. Big, any day. They’re both a bit of a jerk, but at least Mr. Darcy comes to his senses. SmileThe British accent doesn’t hurt

 

This was HARD!  I didn’t think it would be quite so difficult to come up with 7 random things about me! haha.

Now- those wonderful bloggers that I also will recognize with this award:

Vanessa @ GourmetRunner

Kari @ RunningRicig

Christine @ Bun&Borough

Victoria @ FindingHappinessInHealth

Keri@ TheBlueEyedRunner

 

I hope everyone is fully enjoying their respective weekend’s!!! 

Friday, June 24, 2011

Kale

Kale has been all over bloggy-land since I entered it. Apparently it's super good for you. According to 8 million different internet websites that I'll let you google on you're own (come on, it's not that hard), it has anti oxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, helps fight cancer, high cholesterol, heart disease, etc. Its chock full of nutrients, and really, you should be eating it.

Well, I've never had it. Sorry. My mom never used it growing up, I didn't even know it existed until a few years ago and I had 0 idea what to do with it - like bok choy. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?!?!?

My co-worker is like super Italian, you know, the type that eats that greens and beans dish? Greens = kale (and like some other stuff, I guess, I don't know, I've never had that either.)

SO! the whole point is, last night while she was boiling up some kale for herself, she text me and asked me if I wanted a small dish to try out. UM YES! I like healthy things!

I brought home the small tupperware of kale on my lunch. She had just boiled it and not seasoned it any way, so that I could do with it what I like. I pulled out a leaf and munched. hmm, tasted like plant. perfect. I rummaged through the fridge and cupboards.

FOUND IT!

I tossed some olive oil and a heap of garlic into a frying pan and warmed it. Then I threw in the boiled kale and some chick peas. warmed it through - into a bowl with salt and pepper. VIOLA! delish.

There's an intro to Kale folks. MM MM, good. If you are reading this and have a recipe for kale chips I will love your forever if you share it with me.

PS and BTW - happy Friday :D

Thursday, June 23, 2011

3 Things Thursday

Happy Rainy Thursday, ya'll!

1. Today I did a booty kicking work out. My new training plan (that starts July 18!!) calls for strength and three mile runs on thursdays. In anticipation (or lack of patience) for the new plan, I decided to try out some of this thursday nonsense today. I read a workout in RW a while back, where you run - do a leg weights workout and then run some more. Well, I kind of did that - I did all the leg lifting first, then the 3 miles. Lets see if I can walk tomorrow.

2. My roomie, Q, got a new job! SUPER fancy! Today was her first day. they have valet parking there! So jealous! I asked my boss if we could get valet parking in our next contract cycle. He said "maybe once we can start hiring interns again." PFT! priorities! Also, since Q's last day at her old job was y'day, our fridge is full of delicious desserts leftover from her going away party. I. am. excited. hahaha.

3. On Saturday my little sister graduates from high school! Holy S, man! There's a huge age difference between us - 11 years. I remember her being born, and falling asleep on my chest as a teensy baby. And now shes GOING TO COLLEGE! omg. I still can't believe it. I also can't believe I haven't talked more about her on here, because she's the coolest e.v.e.r. Maybe i'll do a post on her birthday. It probably won't top the Dinah post from yesterday though. :-[

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Happy Birthday, DINAH!!!

Today is my darling kitten’s 4th birthday!! I can’t even believe it’s been 4 years already.

I found Dinah on craigslist. This is hugely hypocritical to my current rescue an animal philosophy. However, not only am I new to the plight of poor shelter cats, but to having a pet in general – Dinah’s my first. We did not have pets growing up.
So, as I left a toxic relationship to venture out on my own, I decided a kitten would be a nice idea to keep me company. A woman in Holyoke, MA (uhh, yes, an hour and a half drive from Albany – bc people’s cat’s don’t get knocked up here??) posted that by the end of August, her cat’s litter would be ready to be adopted. I was ON IT. I think I responded to her ad within hours of her posting it. Whatever, I was a cat lady in training. Now I’m dedicating an entire blog post to my cat. sad sad sad.

I brought Dinah home, and it took nearly two days for me to get her out from under the dresser. I coaxed her with treats and food.
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I quickly noticed that she was a bit uncomfortable. It turned out my poor kitten had fleas Sad smile poor precious. I had to beg the vet to give me frontline kitten-style, without having seen her, I broke 2 vacuums getting rid of them and flea powder, and had to comb little gross fleas out of Dinah’s coat over the sink. Needless to say, her first few days were very traumatic. However, that frontline is the BOMB.com, and within 48 hours we were flea free.
It was shortly after that Dinah joined me on the bed, to lay on my pillow while I read books for school.
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She played with toys.
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“helped” me study and kept me entertained
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Snuggled in the covers
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Folded laundry
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Makes funny faces (ps apparently I never make my bed)
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And lets me take glamour shots
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She snuggles me when I’m sick, and pounces on my face when the snooze alarm has gone off too many times. she meets me at the door when I come home from work, and follows me around on the weekend. She tolerates the dog and is even learning to share the window.
She is the prettiest, sweetest cat in the whole world.
So here’s to you, Dinah. Thanks for the headbutts, the meows, the slow kittie blinks letting me know you’re happy. Thanks for booping me in the nose with your cold little paws. And taking up the ENITRE bed with your 8.5lbs self. Thanks for breaking my wine glasses, stealing my ice cream, chewing on my spider plants (and subsequently, throwing them up all over the house), and scratching my face when I take the teasing to an “intolerable” level.
But mostly, just thanks for being a “purrfect” snuggle muffin SmileHappy Birthday!
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(and you all thought I was joking with the “why I’m still single” comment in the last post…yea…..)

2 Cool Things About Today

I am glad that I'm finding some cool things about today because man am I GRUMPY!

The weather is dreary, I had an intense morning meeting, my back/hip are sore and like an idiot i decided to wear heels to work, I had a crappy run - it was speedy, but short, and my head wasnt in it, and I was running late. BLAH BLAH BLAH.

One cool thing about today is - nuun announced their teamS! for the Hood to Coast Relay. Now, I was not an applicant  (haha, yr), but so many cool bloggettes were accepted! Including several of my favorite bloggers - Jess, Susan, Emily, Dorothy, Tricia, and Mel! And additional coolness is added in by the fact that now there's a whole bunch of new and awesome blogs I didn't know about before that I can follow!

Finding new running blogs turns the day around!

The second cool thing about today is that it is my sweet darling kitten's 4th birthday!!! Stay tuned for this evening's post that will remove any doubt from your mind as to why i'm still single, HAHA.

Monday, June 20, 2011

What I want

I'm gonna put this out there to make it real, to make it something that I'm really working for and not just some fancy pantsy fantasy that's in my head.

I want a sub-2hr half marathon.

WANT IT!

Not on my next half, that would just be self-defeating. 37 minutes off a half mary time in 4 months. Uh, yea right. I have time goals for that half, but sub-2 is not one of them.

But working towards that bigger goal is part of my set of goals for the next half.

Gotta make it real man. I'm feeling really strong after today's hill run. I took an average of 20 seconds a mile off the last time I ran this route (6 weeks ish ago). So I'm feeling like dreams can be reality today.

My next training plan doesn't start for 4 weeks, but just running plain old blah boring easy ish runs for 4 weeks would result in me just not getting up in the morning. So I gotta switch it up, all the while not going too crazy. My plans for the next 4 weeks include more strength training and more yoga. And i'll throw in some random tempo and hill runs during the week to keep it interesting. I figure "long" runs on the weekend of like 5-8 miles? I dunno what I'm doing, clearly.

What do you run when you're not training for something?

Saturday, June 18, 2011

I'm Registered!

Today I did my first run post-half. Just a quick 2.25 miles to see how my legs feel (I wanted to go further, but I just wanted to test the waters. Also, yesterday at work I smashed the living daylights out of my right knee - so it was a bit achey). My legs were ready.to.go!!!

They are definitely itching to run much quicker than before. Which is awesome! let's do this.

Post run, I hopped on the computer and hit the register button! Half Marathon #2 comin' atchya!

I waited too long to register for the Hudson Mohawk Half, so I'm going to run the inaugural Empire State Marathon and Half in Syracuse! The course is flat and fast, and right through my old stomping ground - Liverpool, woot woot!

I'm really stoked. I am planning a time goal for this race - where as finishing was sufficient for Lake Placid. Over the next few weeks I want to do some time trials, so I can nail down some training paces and figure out where to go next!

I'm planning on using a Hal Higdon training plan this time around. Last time was a compilation of plans. Specifically, I'm going to use this one. I'm stoked :)

Tonight is a laid back evening of doing laundry (oh joy, i know you're jealous of my riveting social life). Up early tomorrow to get in some gym time - and then tackling the rest of my garden excavation project....but that's another post.

Keep it real, homies.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Happy National Flip Flop Day!

Did you know its National Flip Flop Day?!? (great cause, btw - check it out!)

I just found out myself, ME, of all people!

I couldn't even wear my flippy floppies today because it was raining out this morning. I'd rather wear wet running shoes than flip flops, I think. Ew, grimey feet.

I went to yoga AGAIN today - this time at 545am. whoa. too late or too early. the weekend classes are at a "just right" time, but there are like 8 million people in them, so, no thanks. Doesn't have the same effect when people are downward dogging all over each other. hehe.

Anyway, my arms are dead from 2 days of yoga and 1 day of serious lifting. ouch! I have really got the running bug bad. I've been trying to take it easy since the half, but in all honesty - my legs feel great! I'm running tomorrow, no two ways about it! I might even run after work today!

Ok, back to updating my fancy pants database. Have a great weekend, ya'll!!!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Sweat-wicking my left foot!

So, our Lake Placid race shirts are tech shirts. They are nice!! I wore mine to the gym today.

30 minutes of weights (little core, chest and tris)
35 minutes on the elliptical.

This tech material - its supposed to be sweat wicking. Or that's what I hear. The concept is it pulls the sweat off your body and the material helps it evaporate quickly so that you stay dry.

Well, I am decidedly, the sweatiest person on.the.planet.

My poor lake placid shirt could not keep up. Have you ever... pulled your tech shirt out of the laundry mid rinse cycle and put it on? Because that's what it was like getting off the elliptical. I'll tell ya, sopping wet tech material is not any more comfortable to work out in than soaking wet cotton tees.

I'm sweaty, I deal with it. I wear it like a badge of honor. Makes me feel like I'm working out 80bajillion times harder than everyone else. I think it just makes everyone else uncomfortable.

Think what you want, sweat-less ones, I'm a half-marathoner! ;)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

7:15 is too late for yoga

I went to a yoga class at my gym tonight. My legs, post half, are feeling great. I've not run yet - I'm injury prone, I'm trying to do this right. But, overall, my legs feel pretty good.

but my dang NECK! Stupid me forgetting my fancy pillow and sleeping on miserable hotel pillows. I STILL have a crink in my neck. I figured yoga might help - and it was on my recovery week workout plan anyway.

OK folks, I get out of work at 430. Maybe 3 times in the entire nearly 2 years I've been at this job have I ever had to stay late. I live 2.8 miles from work. I am home byt 4:37, LATEST every day. So, I came home and changed into workout clothes immediately to make sure I went to yoga.

I got really grumpy because it took so long to be 7:00 and time to go to the gym. yes, i'm a brat. I trudged off to my car.

It was a great class. very stretchy! my neck still hurts, but i have a bit more mobility than before. so, yay!
then I came home and made the BEST dinner.

I sauteed some red and yellow peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and tossed in some kalamata olives and capers and paired it up with a salmon patty. SO YUMMY.

I'm feeling healthy and revived, and ready for bed! zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Morning workouts resume tomorrow!!

Accomplishment and an Attitude Adjustment

I'm not going to lie, folks. I'm going to be riding this half marathon high for a while. And I get paid friday, which means - registration for the next race will be happening, pronto.

I am honestly super freaking proud of myself. It has been two years since I completed something that I was really, truly, proud to have accomplished - my history masters thesis (that bitch is AWESOME, and I need to tap my creative juices and turn it into a screen play or a historical fiction book or something, because it would seriously be the shit.) And who knows when the last time was before that.

On a daily basis, in my head, I am really, REALLY horrible to myself. I think we're all guilty of this once in a while. But for me, the past several years have gotten really nasty inside the old brain. I would not allow a friend or significant other to remain in my life if they talked to me the way I talk to myself inside my head. Honestly, its out of control. And even standing at the starting line in Lake Placid, there was this damn little voice in the back of my head that kept plugging away with the whole "you're not an athlete, why do you think you can do this?" "honestly, you're like the most out of shape person here, what are you doing?!" BLAH BLAH BLAH. I told that bitch to shut up, and had a great race. But, day in and day out she still creeps back in, and tries to beat me into mental submission.

It's time to break up with myself.

In high school I was going through a bad bout with a "friend" who was just not all that great. And my mother told me "it's ok to break up with your friends, you know." I have repeated this advice to many a real friend who have been in a toxic friendship with a needy, selfish, or just plain MEAN "friend."  It is, in my opinion, much harder to break up with a "friend" than it is to end a relationship. "Friends" are supposed to be there through thick and thin, sure you have fights or disagreements, but the whole point of friends is to have them be there, be understanding, be supportive, etc. through it all, which makes the dynamics of that break-up awkward and difficult. But, sometimes it's just necessary to ditch negative people from your life. Even if they are "friends."

Now, if breaking up with "friends" is hard, I can't imagine how difficult it's going to be to break up with myself. But, it's got to happen. I can's allow this negative nancy to rule my life any more. She makes me do dumb stuff like, sit on the couch and watch law and order reruns after work every.single.day. that's not even fun. I don't even want to do it. My running accomplishment has allowed me to prove to myself that I am capable of doing some pretty awesome stuff, if I apply the right version of myself. Since my training took off the following things have happened: I feel better, I eat better, I sleep better, I started playing piano more, I drink less, I smile on a more regular basis, I feel better in my own skin, I'm looking forward to how freaking awesome I'm going to be in the future.

These things I like. I like turning off the TV and tickling the ivories for an hour a night. I like waking up at 5am to get my sweat on.

I do not like feeling useless, like i have no skills, that i'm not capable of doing things etc. So, I'm putting that nasty girl inside my head on notice:

It's over.

Stop stalking me.

I smiled the whole time I ran 13.1 miles.

I win.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Lake Placid Half Marathon–Race Recap

Here we are folks, the much awaited recap of my very first ever half marathon!

I left Friday afternoon to head up to Lake Placid with my parents. I took a half day of work and anxiously awaited their arrival.100_1188

We took the scenic route up and made a stop to check out this little lake. The heat had finally broken, and it was CHILLY!

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We headed up to LP via the route 73 through Keene Valley – holy hills on that stretch of the iron man bike course!!

We stayed at the Best Western Adirondack, which was pretty nice. Best perk, it was like 50 feet from the start line Smile

Tons of room to stretch!

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We spent the weekend chillin. It poured all day saturday so there wasn’t much interesting to report. My dad drove us the course, so we could get nice and nervous about the hills, hehe. The final hill – cruel, honestly,

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We did pick up our race packets and got our shirts. They are cute!

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And my bib!

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A shot at the finish – had to have one Smile

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We had a big carbo loading dinner that night with Nat. I then proceeded to get a really horrible stomach ache. I was starving and ate too fast, and pretty nervous. It passed quickly but threw me for a loop. Made for a nerve wracked race morning.  ugh.

We suited up and Nat came down to the hotel for final hydrating. And headed down to the start line.

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My mom got some great shots of the race start. I have to be honest folks – everything came together for this race. I’ve been waiting my whole training to get the point where the miles “just tick by.” And that happened during the race. I couldn’t believe how quickly the time went by. I was chatting it up with fellow racers. It was awesome. I didn’t really even feel the hills until after the 15k mark – you know when they got nasty, haha.

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We looped around Mirror Lake in the beginning of the race, so I saw my parents again at mile 2.5. I screamed “I’m awesome!” at them, they weren’t cheering loud enough.

 

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I also was doing my best to see how many chins I could show off in one picture. HOT.

The course was absolutely beautiful. The weather ended up being perfect – mid 50s, mostly cloudy (still got a bit of a burn on my knees and shoulders by the end of the race). The rain held off till I was done! yay! unfortunately, for the marathoners, it down poured quite a bit, just after 11:00.

So, after you come up that bitch hill I showed you earlier, you run 3/4 of the way around the Olympic speed skating track to the finish. This is me rounding the bend to the end. I repeated this move when the announcer said my name as I crossed the finish.

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As soon as I stopped running I was quite certain my calves were going to explode, with my hammies to follow soon after. Luckily, they had plenty of volunteers at the finish to make sure you got your medal. Open-mouthed smile I stretched a bit, Nat and I grabbed some food, then we headed back to shower. Finish was close to the start, so just a quick walk to the hotel. My sweetest dad gave Nat a ride back to her hotel so she could shower, and not have to walk a half a mile up hill to do so, hehe. But first, celebratory photos! my parents bought us both car stickers! yay!

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We’re awesome!!!!

We headed back to Albany in the pouring rain. boo! 

I gotta tell you folks this race was great! The course was awesome, there were PLENTY of water stops, they handed out gu, bananas and oranges at the later stops, along with water and gatorade. I stuck with water, as that’s all I used during training. I walked through the water stops – mostly so that I could actually get the water in my mouth. At the water stop at mile 12, the first cup had like a drop of water in it, so I grabbed a second. The guy that had the second cup said “you don’t have to drink it all, you know.” UMMMMM. wtf?! I just ran 12 miles, I will drink as much water as I want! I didn’t think there’d be another stop before the end, and my first cup and nothing in it. I was irritated. But, I didn’t let it get me down. I was almost done, and despite the fact that at mile 10.5 my hammies started to tighten up I was feeling AWESOME. I was very excited to finish before any of the marathoners – I wasn’t sure that would happen. Though just barely – the lead marathoner came across at 2:40!!

Official time: 2:36:43

I was so pumped to get across that line, and I can’t wait to run another!! 

I’m feeling pretty good today – my quads are pretty sore from all the down hills, but my calves and hammies recovered nicely – courtesy of foam rollers and recovery socks. Unfortunately, my neck is KILLING me! the pillows in the hotel were AWFUL. I usually bring my pillow everywhere – but I forgot it, just like I forgot to pack underwear, whoops.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

I am a half marathoner!

Just a quick post to give you all the update:

I FREAKING DID IT! WOOOOOOOOOOO

the weather was great, the hills flattened before me, the whole race was just freakin awesome.

I finished in 2:36.10!!! I felt fantastic the whole time!

I will give you all the full update tomorrow since I, very wisely, took the day off of work.

Also, I have a special treat bloggy buddies - I have been a horrible picture taker for the blogster because my camera has been, uh, broken, for like 2 years.

But!! I fixed it replaced the batteries! so I have a buncha pics to post for ya'll tomorrow.

until then - pizza, beer, and bed!

WOO HOO! :)

Friday, June 10, 2011

My cat is a spoiled brat

Last night, I indulged in a little froyo. Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia to be exact. It was my grandpa's favorite, and I was feeling the need for a little luck from "beyond." Cherry Garcia always reminds me of him and how awesome he was, how much he accomplished in his life. Seemed like good mental "fuel" for race weekend.

Anyway - Dinah stared me down the ENTIRE time, because apparently it's her favorite flavor too. I did let her have a few licks off the spoon (after I was done, folks. I haven't gotten to THAT level of cat-lady-crazy... yet) - which she devoured and then appeared to have an ice cream headache. he he he. dumb cat.

As you can see from the picture below. My cat is a freaking princess. Yes, she has her own water GLASS. A few weeks ago i dropped her water bowl on the floor and it shattered. No loss, since she's NEVER FREAKING USED IT. Ever since I brought her home she has claimed my water glasses as her own. So she was quickly given one dedicated just to her. And yes, she does have her own coaster. And yes that coaster is hand made by yours truly. NO, I did not make it with the intention of the cat using it exclusively. It just turned out that way because Dinah is a spoiled brat.



Anyway, I am just biding my time until my parents get here from Syracuse. We're headed up to Lake Placid TODAY for race weekend. woo hoo! I'm nearly packed, and a little nervous. Mostly anxious. The weather is calling for a 70% chance of rain (and maybe thunder?!) Sunday morning in LP. I'm hoping the storms move through over night, or its just a few light showers. Either way -better than 90bajillion degrees!

My sweetest coworker brought me a good luck card and a giant bag of dark chocolate m&ms today. :)

It seems unlikely that I will be bringing my computer to LP since I have a habit of breaking/forgetting things on road trips. So I will update you all Sunday night on the results of my very first half marathon!

Enjoy your weekend all! Good luck to anyone racing! :)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

3 Things Thursday!!!!

1. I am leaving for Lake Placid tomorrow!!! :D My parentals are coming to pick me up mid afternoon and we're headed to the land of mirror lakes for the weekend. I've got some packing to do - and I need a trip to the store to get some gu! omg! next week I'll be a half-marathoner!!!!!


2. I want a Punk Rock Racing shirt. This one - but pink. I may reward myself post-half with this lil gem. (which i spelled "jem" the first time - punk rock at its finest?? haha)
3. Phantom twinges before a big race - normal?


Obviously, all I can think about today is my race. Time to get this working nonsense over with!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Bummin’

So I’m tapering. 2 months ago when half of bloggerville was tapering for Boston I read plenty of posts on “taper tantrums” etc. I didn’t get it, obviously, because I’d never had to taper before. This is the first “really big” race that I’ve done, and the first that I’ve properly trained for.

I’ve noticed that I’m pretty grumpy. Part of this may be that summer has arrived in upstate ny which is super annoying because its always oppressively humid. Grrr. However, my runs this week are just “easy” ones. The challenge isn’t there like during peak training where there were pushing on intervals or tempo runs. So that makes me grumpy pants.

I’m anxious. I want to RUN this FREAKING race. AHHHH!

I’m a little bummed my training is over! weird? I dunno. I’ve really enjoyed the training process. Also, I’ve just finally hit that point where I’m starting to notice some real changes and improvements in my running. I’m getting faster, stronger. I suppooooooooooose, that it’s good that I’m peaking right as race time approaches. But seeing results just makes me want to push even harder – so instead of ripping thru taper like a jerk-off, I decided to find a new training plan for my NEXT half marathon. Oh yea baby!

4 days folks. 4 days. Winking smile

Monday, June 6, 2011

Hip Pain and Flip Flops

**NOTE: I am not an expert, nor do I have any clinical knoweldge about this ish. If you think walking in flip flops is causing your hip pain, you may be right. You should probably be calling a doctor instead of googling your ailment.**

Over the past few months i've gotten quite a few hits on this blog from people googling some variation of the title of this post. I mean, I can see why this blog would show up on that google search! ;)

I thought I'd address the issue quickly for googlers passing though, so that they haven't completely wasted their time (or stay a while, or follow me! :D )

I am no expert. And my hip pain isn't exclusively related to flip flops. It's the result of a variety of things - back injury as a teen, one leg longer than the other, overdoing the training from time to time. However, do my beloved flip flops help? not a single bit. In fact, they probably make it worse.

After high heels, flip flops are likely the WORST shoes for you. Just walk barefoot for crying out loud - at least with that you can justify strengthening your foot in by using it naturally. Flip flops offer ZERO supprt for your feet, and believe it or not, that flipping and flopping and tensing of your foot muscle to keep that bugger on is actually working against you.

My guess is, that if you have hip pain after a long "hike" in flip flops you may be an over pronator. Look at an old pair. Check out that indentation where your heel is - is the inside of your heel more indented than the out? yep - you're an overpronator. welcome to the club. :D

If your hips hurt from walking about, and you were wearing flip flops, they may not be the cause, but they certainly aren't helping. If it's bad see a doctor. or get a pair of proper sneakers for your next romp around town. I will NEVER stop wearing flip flops. I just can't. however, i've laid off a considerable amount now that I have a professional job, and am not in grad school any more.

so yes, googlers, your hip pain can be caused by flip flops. I used a stability shoe when I run to alleviate overpronation and hip pain. If you want to go au natural - check out miss zippy's blog for a foray in to the world of minimalism and barefoot!

Thanks for stopping by, googlers! It's ok to stay a while!! :)

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Xmen - gimme some of THAT!

Workouts -
I took two rest days in a row this week. I am tapering, but I still had guilt about it. But not too terribly much as my monthly visitor came in the form of a mac truck this time around. That bitch.

I REALLY did not want to run yesterday. I took motrin in the morning for a headache and then had an upset stomach, so i resolved to try for an afternoon run. I had to volunteer with the kitties till 4, and I came home and whined about having to run for a bit - realized it was 80 degrees out, and then sucked it up and just did it. I did a 4 mile out and back. I wanted to test out "flying" down hill to see what i should aim for on the downhills at LP. Turns out sub 9:30 pace on the down hills is a bit too fast for me at this point haha. Good to know. It was a good run - I ended up being really glad i did it.

Today I set out with the intention of doing 6. But yesterday's tough afternoon run, and lack of proper meals resulted in me shaving it down to 5. Still a good 5 miles, with some .1 mile sprints at the end (last one was 7:50, holla!). Sometimes I do sprints at the end because i'm bored. Keeps it interesting.

I ran some errands and now i'm vegging out with Dinah. It seems like it's gonna rain out this afternoon. Lucky for me FX has an xmen marathon on starting at 4, just in case i needed an excuse to NOT be productive today. I'm sorry, I'm a nerd and I love superhero/comic based movies. And any time hugh jackman is rocking that wolverine badassness I am ON it. mm mm mm.

Friday, June 3, 2011

The Countdown!

My race is in 10 days.

T.E.N. D.A.Y.S!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

That means - 10 day forecast is up! Sunny with a high of 72 and a low of 50 on race day. HOLLA! fingers crossed that this impeccable weather forecast is reality on race day.

Is it weird that I've already picked out a training plan for my next half, when I haven't even raced my first one yet? If it's wrong, I don't want to be right!

Happy friday, ya'll!!!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Holy Emotions

Today was a rest day. I know this is mostly running blog, but there are a few other passions that I have, so why not share?!

I'd like to take a few minutes to elaborate on my participation in Animal Advocacy Day yesterday. My journey to the point of participating in that kind of event has really been quite an emotional one - and included lots of self discovery along the way as well!

I started volunteering with the Mohawk Hudson River Humane Society almost a year ago. It's a strange turn of events for me, because a few years ago I was terrified of nearly all things living, and REALLY uncomfortable around animals, even sweet ones. I still have an irrational fear of bugs. I don't think I will ever have an affection for them, yuck.

Over time, more and more of my friends started to get pets - I never grew up with any, less the occasional goldfish. Most of the pets were dogs - where my fear really manifested. Cats just creeped me out. I was forced more and more often to interact with these animals, who seem to take an odd attraction to me.

In 2007, I left a relationship that had been quite toxic for some time. We'd lived together for a year and a half, and had a kitten for roughly the last 2 months, which he insisted upon keeping. I moved out and into my very first all-mine apartment. 6 weeks later I brought Dinah to my home and we've been BFFs ever since. There have been 2 times in the past 4 years where I thought Dinah had run away and I quickly devolved into a panicky, blubbering mess. Both times she'd magically escaped to the basement and hid out, despite my shaking the treat bag, brat.


Dinah

Yesterday when they showed Buster's story I was crying. Actually, I'm crying right now just writing about it. I didn't live in the capital district n 1997 (uh, I was still in high school in CNY haha, and terrified of animals). So I'd never really experienced what was the instigating factor in bringing NYS Animal Abuse laws to life. It is very difficult, at least for me, to watch a news cast on, or even read a written story about, animal abuse. I wasn't the only one crying, we were in a hall filled with animal lovers.

When I got home, I spent the rest of the day showering my Dinah, with love and treats. She passed out on my lap for a little while and then "attacked" my arm when I woke her up with belly rubs. After some sweet mommy/kitty time, I took Toby for a walk (roomie's dog, if you're just joining the story here). I gave the Tobernator lots of lovins and snuck him a few extra treats before Q got home too :)

Q and I found out after she had Toby groomed a few days ago that the groomer and vet techs think he may've been mistreated in the past. He gets really scared of the most random things. He does occasionally cower if you move your hand too fast. We didn't have to teach him not to go upstairs without permission, and he's still reluctant to do it if we don't go with him, and he is TERRIFIED of garbage bags. Toby is a terrier, he has a ton of energy, he's not that well behaved on a leash, and sometimes can be a royal pain in the ass. However, how could anyone INTENTIONALLY hurt that cute little face???? I was so sad to learn that he'd probably had some rough experiences before he landed with us.

Toby

Volunteering at the Humane Society, and participating in events like yesterday's really fill my heart with joy - and sadness. It's quite upsetting to see all these wonderful, sweet, kind, loving animals at the shelter that have been mistreated when they just want to be loved and give it in return. I suppose most animals are not capable of the range of emotions that humans are. It's science. But my cat knows who I am, she snuggles me, not Q, or my mom, or my sister. Even when the snuggling doesn't result in a treat. Animals know and understand loyalty in a way that most people are not ever capable. So don't tell me they don't know how to "love." It's an extremely rare occasion that an animal will really disappoint you. Pooping on the carpet is frustrating, but not exactly disappointing.

With that said - if you have a 4-legged pal, take some time and show that bugger a little extra loving today. :)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Two of my Favorites: Running and Animals!

Today I got to celebrate two of my favorite things - running and animals!

Happy National Running Day to all! To celebrate - I did my last speed workout before my race. 3x1mile with an average pace of 9:40!!!

Mile one: 9:49
Mile two: 9:40
Mile three: 9:31

Woo hoo! i felt strong the whole time, it was a really great run. And a great way to start my day of advocacy!

Today was the first annual Animal Adovacy Day in New York State. Animal resucue organizations, pet owners, and animal lovers gathered in the NYS Legislative Office Building to lobby for the strengthening of Buster's Law, New York's animal abuse statute.



Buster was a kitten in Schenctady, NY that was doused with kerosene and lit on fire in 1997. When his owners found him, he held on for 3 brave weeks before he had to be put down. Buster's owner was at the event today, and she stated that she believed Buster hung on for so long because he demanded to be heard. At the time, abuse of an animal was a misdemeanor in NYS. Because of Buster's bravery, and his human family's perserverence, in 1999 Buster's law was passed upping ther crime to a felony punishable by up to two years in jail or a $5000 fine. Today we gathered to advocate for strengthening that law, as only 17% of animal abuse cases since 1999 have resulted in a conviction.



Both Videos courtesy of News10 WTEN.com.

It was a really fabulous event. I participated as a representative of the Mohawk Hudson River Humane Society. One of my other favorite local organizations, Out of the Pits, also participated. The "headliner" was Rescue Ink, a bunch of tough guys with big hearts rescuing animals from abusive situations. We were lucky enough to share a table with an organization in Saratoga County that works to foster pets of domestic violence victims. I think this is a great program as so much research shows that those people that are domestic violence abusers often abuse any pets in the house as well - including abusing the animal to terrorize the human victim in the home.

It was so great to see all the local organizations come together to work toward a common cause. Quite a rewarding day.

Saki

Smokey

Both Saki and Smokey are at the Mohawk Hudson River Humane Society waiting for YOU to give them a forever home.