Lace Up And Run

Whew! Is it HOT!

2011-07-11T17:53:00.001-07:00

My start this morning was not what I had planned. My alarm went off at the usual time, 5:45 a.m. which gives me time to dress, lace up my shoes, get my morning Spark drink, and take off out the door. As I was getting dressed, I was hearing thunder drawing close. I looked out the window and muttered to myself, "Well, at least, worse case scenario, I bought that used treadmill." Even though I don't care for the treadmill, it's all I had. I wasn't about to skip my workout since I was already awake! Sleep is just too important to me!

So after the treadmill mileage and time kept blinking on and off, I realized my battery packet was loose. Thank you, Duct tape!!! I was almost at 3 miles on the treadmill or at least 30 minutes and then....what?....no power. Lights went out! I looked out the window and there was quite the storm going on. I guess with the noise of the treadmill and the TV on full blast I wasn't aware anything was going on.

So I ended up cutting my run shorter than I would have liked, but got it done.

Thank God I work in A/C. It was SOOOOO hot today. And very hot in my workout room. I really would have enjoyed the natural wind in my hair. Maybe tomorrow!

2011 Raging Road Rally 5K

2011-06-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, it was a good time. I was so happy to be able to run this race this year considering I wasn't able to run the local race in the winter. My goal was to get somewhere under 25 minutes. Goal accomplished in a time of 24:17. Ironically enough, at the beginning of June I had the exact same time on a different course. Back was a little stiff last night and still this morning, but I think that's only telling me I need to work on my form because it was in my shoulders and upper back.

Oh and did I mention I received a trophy for 1st Overall Local Female Master's? There were so many people that came up to me later and asked what Master's meant! Really? You really wanna make me say that I'm now officially in a totally different group JUST for old people? Ah well, I guess since I really can't compete with the younger crowd, I'll take it. And did I happen to mention that the Overall Female of the whole race WAS in my age group? Chaw....she was in the 40-44 age group and came in at a time of smokin Joe Frazier 17 something! O M G!!!! I didn't know that was possible but she was blazing fast! And to top it off, she has 4 little kids that all placed in their age group. I swear the youngest one was 5 and the oldest couldn't have been more than 11 and I know for a fact one of them came in before me at a time of 23 something. I never saw him! lol I wonder if their mom makes them run before they get to eat their Wheaties in the morning!

To top the night off.....free beer at the beer tent.

Round II starts tonight with more beer and some great entertainment.

Now off to the parade.

Seriously lacking motivation

2011-06-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

Here I sit.....getting on facebook....reading emails.....reading all kinds of things about upcoming races. When what I SHOULD be doing is out actually running.

It's been a busy day cleaning house, fixing up my flower beds and laundry.....but now I'm just making excuses.

I ran 6 miles yesterday. Was supposed to be a long tempo pace. I.E. 8:50/mi. But after Friday nights liquor cabinet raid with friends and the heat circa 12:30 p.m. Saturday....well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. Not HORRIBLE! Just not pretty.
Hey, I waited until 12:30 at least and slept in. Thank God for my miracle hangover cure of Advocare Rehydrate. I SWEAR by that stuff. Oh...and it's good for rehydration when running...mustn't forget why they invented it for real! :P

So after sticking to the easiest route I could find and cruising at a whopping 9:10/mi, (tongue in cheek intended), I finished and stripped off my now soaking clothes, changed into my swimsuit and cooled off in my sis in laws pool.

How come nobody ever talks about how hard it is to get a bathing suit on when one is dripping wet? What should have taken me 1 minute took me about 5. I found it getting stuck everywhere. Horrible memories of not being able to put all of my bathing suit on when I was five years old.....walking down to the next campsite where my mom was, with a towel draped around me.....and then my mom was kind enough to snap a picture for the memory books!!! yeay Did I mention I was the last born of 5 and got teased....alot? Must be why I have a great sense of humor!

Okay, I've stalled long enough.......I really need to at least get some running clothes on!

Last minute decision

2011-06-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

I decided today after work that I would run my hometown's 5K race tonight. I didn't run Tuesday or Wednesday due to getting sick but I felt I was well enough to run this one. It's usually on Saturday morning, but due to a small turnout on a regular basis(Alumni Night at the Beer Tent on Friday night had alot to do with that), they decided to change the day. I was more than happy to run it tonight!

The course was most of the old route plus beginning and ending at the the football field. My time is always slower this race than any other for the summer, mostly in part, I think, to having a small part on an old, soft limestone trail and now this one ended on the same surface(old high school track with soft limestone surface). I felt like I was trying to get up speed at the end on a beach!

My goal going into this one was to get somewhere in the 25 minute range, even though my race two weeks ago was 24:17. I knew this course well. I ended up coming in at exactly 25 minutes....no seconds....just 25 minutes. How's that for prediction?

What was so cool about this particular hometown 5k, two of my cousins and one wife ran it. All three of them have lost a considerable amount of weight. So much so, that I had to do a double take when I saw one! I was so proud of them all and for the huge turnout they had. It does my heart good to see so many people trying to stay healthy and fit!

Now, to rest up for my local 5K where I live now. The most challenging course of the summer, but somehow my time seems to be faster! Maybe it's all the competition!

Did I mention how happy I am to be back running and racing! Even though those damn 5K's hurt so much. I'd much rather be half or full marathoning!!! Slow and steady....that's me!

Raging Road Rally route

2011-06-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd do the Raging Road Rally route for my tempo run. Probably not a smart move considering it's freakishly hilly. First mile isn't so bad. Most of that is downhill except for one steep uphill. I really need to map out the long ass hill to see how long it really is. I swear it looks like a half mile.

I was pretty happy with my time for my run considering I stopped after 2 1/2 miles to walk a bit. Did I mention the route kicked my ass? Maybe my body will thank me come June 25th when I actually have to RACE the course. I will take the challenge up 1 or 2 more times to see if I improve.

On a side note, the weather was fantabulous! Can't believe how cool and pleasant it was without steam radiating from my head/body. I wish it was this temperate all summer. On a negative note, my throat is starting to get scratchy which means usually the beginning of a sore throat. Arrghhh!

Total time for the 4 mile run was 35:34, but taking away the warmup and cooldown, the 3 miles in between that I was trying to turn into a tempo run was 25:34. Last time I did a tempo run on hills was 25:55. I think I see improvement?

Brad Onken Summer Sizzler 5K

2011-06-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

I've run this race 3 other times and was going to use this race to see where I was for the beginning of race season and to see how much work I had ahead of me. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised!

This would be the first REAL race(not including the one I ran a month ago with a friend, since we jogged it) since my herniated disc injury last August. I wasn't really expecting much, but was hoping to get around the 25 minute mark.

I picked up my friend's teenage daughter and headed to Sterling! Last year, we were the last to arrive and sign up so we both signed up in advance this year. When we got there the overflow parking lot was almost full. A far cry from last year since we were about one of five cars in the lot at that time.

We jogged to the signup table where we would pick up our numbers and then jogged to the starting. A little stretch here...a little stretch there and we were ready. My GPS just wouldn't calibrate to where we were so I just turned it off.

The gun went off and that was the last I saw of Kayla's back(my friend's daughter). I tried to maintain what I thought was a pace I could hold the whole race. I heard them yell out 7:45 for the first mile. Half of it was on a constant uphill so I was a little nervous thinking I may have started too fast.

I was slowly picking off other racers one by one. Right after mile one, I passed a gal, but shortly after that she flew by me. I figured she had just been taking it easy the first mile....or maybe it was because we were starting to go down a gradual decline. Either way, I didn't mind because I was keeping MY pace and felt it was going good.

The last half of the race is a series of rolling hills. Two of the last ones being what I call, "Tiptoe Hills". You know....ones you have to go on tiptoe to climb? The first one is where I ended up flying past the gal that flew past me on the downhill. My legs felt very good on the hills this time for this race. The second and last steep hill is the one that gets me every time. Every year I end up walking most of it. Here's my theory on this: Every person that passes me on that hill I end up passing by the finish. Reason: They have used so much energy in running the hill that I can walk not much slower(it's only about 40 yards long). I'm able to catch my breath at that point and have energy to pick it up to the end.

This year was different. My goal was to use my arms to pump up the hill as best I can until I couldn't take it any longer. This year I made it until about 10 yards to the top, where I walked a few steps. Just enough to catch my breath and take off again. No worries....no one passed me this time. Not even the girl I passed.

I looked up as I approached the finish line and saw 24:12!!! I couldn't believe it! Finish time was 24:17!!! That was right where I normally was for that race! I did WAYYYY better than I thought.

I ended up getting 2nd in my AG as opposed to 1st Female Master's like last year. But the competition this year was tough. I couldn't have beaten the 1st Female Master's on my best run. She finished at around 22 minutes. In my dreams!!!

Now....to recupe and get ready for the Raging Road Rally 5K in my hometown! Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll once again get 1st LOCAL Master's Female! One can only hope!

From Grad Parties to Weddings!

2011-06-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

So with several Graduation parties completed and several more to come.......I'm looking at my checkbook thinking.....hmmmmmm.....where's all our money going?

This has been ONE summer so far and it's just beginning. After all the graduation parties are finished, we start with all the weddings. We just got a "save the date" in the mail yesterday for yet one more! This is THE summer for weddings I guess. One of them being my 21 yr old(soon to be 22) son. So including that we have FIVE! I guess this is where we will be spending our money this summer. No vacations for us! :P

On a running note, ran and easy 3 1/2 with my good friend Rachel! I really thought it would be hotter this morning, but it was very nice out. I guess the hot temps are going to appear mid day. Mid 90's....YIKES!

Stay cool people!

New bike helmet!

2011-05-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's official! I knew this time was coming sooner or later. Ever since my road bike accident with the dog in August of 09, I knew I'd have to get back up on that horse again and get over my fears. Well....maybe some of them....because I still haven't gone to the country yet.

I figured if I bought the new helmet since the last one was trashed by my head hitting the pavement, I'd better put it to use. I only went across town on an errand, but it was improvement.

Here's the funny thing. I didn't get two blocks down the road, when.....here comes a dog out into the road barking at me. Well, this one was a little slower, so I was able to react(a pug) so no biggies. But I really had to laugh.

I still can't figure out why they call me the dog "magnet".

It's gonna be a HOT one!

2011-05-30T06:46:00.001-07:00

Getting ready to head out to run with some friends this Memorial Day. I didn't know how I'd be feeling since we had a great graduation party with friends last night. But since we got home fairly early and in bed at a decent time, I woke up at 8 a.m. Plenty of time to get ready to meet friends to run at 9 a.m. Opened up the door to let the dog out and whooosh....lots of humid, hot air already. LOVIN' IT! I am SO sick of the cool weather we've been having. Really surprised we didn't have a storm last night.

My running is going well. I continue to keep the mileage low, about 15 miles a week and will keep it there for a while. I really miss the long distances though. Hopefully, someday I can get back to that without trouble from the back.

On the road again!

2011-05-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

So I'm officially back on the running road again after letting a herniated disc heal. Lots of ice, Biofreeze, stretching, strengthing and WALKING and I am READY. I'm still taking it easy and not increasing too much, but I'm just so happy to be out there running. I feel like a kid again. I'm hoping I can enjoy running the whole summer and not do something stupid.

I really miss my long distances, but hopefully I can get into that again. Right now, I'll take anything I can get!

Soooooo...I ran the Bix 7

2010-08-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Bix 7 miler was a very fun race. Wayyyyy too many people for such a tight space, but my running friend and I had a good time splashing in all the puddles.

Downside?....Sunday after the race I felt great. No muscle soreness. Hamstrings felt a little tight but they've been tight for some time.

But wait? What about the NEXT day? Monday morning???? O.....My.....GOD!!!!! I couldn't even walk getting out of bed. Something was off. Hips...legs...something!!!
Put a call in to work...said in order for me to even function there, I was gonna have to get a chiropractic adjustment. Well....got the adjustment. Chiropractor said my hip was locked out. Go figure! Running back and forth from the sidewalk and the road and trying to run around slow people on Saturday had NOTHING to do with it. Right!

Was able to walk enough to get home. Decided to STILL not run. Went back Wed. for another adjustment. Felt just a tad better but it felt like someone was stabbing me in the ass. I decided to visit my ART Chiro. in Bettendorf, IA to see what he could do about my muscles. Come to find out.....I had a whole lot of nothing but scar tissue upon scar tissue in my right leg....mainly the hamstring. Hmmmm...maybe that's what my hamstrings had been trying to tell me for the last month now? Woke up Saturday morning with a full blown case of Sciatica....or so they tell me. Never had it until now.

So here I am icing....doing some nerve flossing(recommended by my ART chiro) and scheduled another appt. Seems I have some major imbalance issues. You don't say!!

Here I sit....not being able to run(huge bummer)...and the physical therapist says I shouldn't even walk for exercise until my feeling comes back fully in my right foot(right side of the foot is numb). The numbness is causing me to not be able to push off properly so I have a slight limp. Which if I walk through it...will cause even more scar tissue.

I don't have much pain anymore. Down to a 3 from an 8. Pain is now in my lower tailbone area. Not much pain from the sciatica...just the blessed numbness in my foot.

I have another appt. with my ART chiro Friday. We will see what he has to say. Hopefully, the sciatica will be a tad better. Not seeing any improvement so far.

I FEEL OLD!!!

It's official! 1st Bix complete!

2010-07-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

It was a learning experience to say the least. I have never seen so many people clogging up a small city street. Just looking up the Brady Street hill in the first mile was so cool. It looked like thousands of ants charging up a hill.

I was a little nervous upon awakening. Thunderstorms and rain all around us. Water over the roads on the way. I wasn't sure if it would even be pulled off.

It rained the whole race, which made me feel like a little kid again splashing in the puddles. Although it was more like streams after all the rain we had.

Any other race I would have taken the first mile at 8:30/mile. Well...this one....we were pretty close to fast walking speed. My friend and I decided to hit the sidewalks to get around all the people walking. The first 2 miles were basically zigzagging around everybody because it was so painful to be going so slow.

Around mile 3 we decided to find a portapotty. I could have waited but I thought, "What the hell, we're going nowhere anyway". So we waited in line for a portapotty to open up.

After the turn around between mile 3 and 4, the people were more spread out. Don't ask me why. I never did figure that out.

I was able to get free and just run comfortably even though it was totally uphill for two straight miles.

Best part of the race was the downhill on Brady Street heading back to the finish. Felt like I was flying.

Here's the comparison: First mile was 10:46, last mile was 7:02. You do the math!

Final chip time: 1:04:04.

Next year....get into the front of the yellow corral or get into orange.

Tomorrow...weather permitting!

2010-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning is to be the very first time I run the famous Bix 7 miler. Hillasciously hilly, but I plan to make it fun. Heck, I'm already guaranteed a PR.

My two running buds, Gina and Guy, will be by my side. Well, at least Gina will....Guy may just get bored with our slow pace and crazy antics and decide he doesn't want to be seen with us. Whereas Gina and I will have to eat his dust as he takes off.

I usually get a little nervous the night before a race, but since I'm not really "racing" this and I won't be half dead when I get done, I'm actually really excited.

Except for one thing.....

It's been very wet today and doesn't look much better for tomorrow morning. I can handle running in rain but if they cancel the race due to storms, I'll be so disappointed. I've been looking forward to this race all summer. Usually I can't do this race because of something else going on.

I will post tomorrow the series of events yet to transpire.

Now to my Rehydrate!!!!

Lost one from my hometown!

2010-07-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

What a sad day. I found out one of the boys from my hometown is coming home from Afghanistan today. But not in the way we wanted. Seems he was killed in action after volunteering to go out on patrol.

Thought and prayers go out to his family and friends during this rough journey ahead.

Every mother's nightmare: Four Marine soldiers dressed in their blues, coming to the work place to tell the bad news!!

Rest in peace Justus Bartelt! You are a hero!

Raging Road Rally 5K

2010-06-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here are all the award winners together at the awards cermony.

Last night was the annual 5K race here in town. This race is not only challenging(hilly), but there is alot of competition. My goal was to uphold my title of Local Master's Female from last year.

Mission Accomplished! Time 23:52. My last 5K at the beginning of the month was 23:49, so as challenging as this course is, I was happy with my time.

Goal for the end of summer is still to get under 23 minutes.

This race is a killer because the first part of the race is a slight downhill and the rest is up and down with a suicide 1/2 mile hill halfway through. Goal while running on that hill.....put one foot in front of the other. Below is a picture of said hill!

Wouldn't ya know it? Another hill at the end!!! Damn!

My first mile was wayyyyy too fast, which killed me in the end, 7:09. Last two were at 8:05ish. Sometimes I forget when I step up to the starting line how much this is going to hurt. Can you see the pain on my face at the finish line?

Kinda like having a baby. While you''re delivering, you're thinking,"No way am I doing this again!" Then some time later, you're going through it again. Although labor lasting 23 minutes would be awesome. I could handle that.

Followed the race up with my carb of choice.....BEER, of course! Awards ceremony, music and dancing. Good way to end a good, hot race!

Rain? Seriously? More rain?

2010-06-14T17:58:00.001-07:00

Mother Nature I laugh in your face! You tried to stop me from my long run on Friday with success, but you played unfair. You brought more than rain....you brought lightning. NOT FAIR! You know I won't run in lightning!!

So...I tried again. On Saturay. Thought I was getting out early enough. Then again....maybe not! Damn! Foiled again! Bringin' on the same nasty, stormy weather.

One more try. Wake up Sunday morning...late....look at the weather and see it coming. How many miles can I get in before it hits. Three miles?.....Four? Oh yeah...the rain started to come between miles 4 and 5. But.....what?.....no lightning? I can handle that! Rain? Ohhhhh.....Mmmmmmmm.......Geeeee! What a downpour!! The curb and gutters couldn't even keep up! Oh....but......guess.....what? I had a TON of fun!!!! What a way to make me feel like a kid again!! Running through the rain. I was soaked to the bone. But loved every minute of my total 8 mile long run. I DID IT!! I succeeded in getting all the miles in. I actually felt like continuuing but thought I'd pay for it later!!!

Now....if I could only get my running friends to run in the rain with me! :P

Decisions, decisions!

2010-06-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing. A friend of mine, Gina, and her husband, Guy, just finished their first half marathon in Madison, WI and they are hooked. They have been officially bitten by the half marathon bug, soon to be full marathon bug. Well, next year perhaps. That's what Gina said.

We are looking for a decent half marathon in October in the Midwest. September is out due to their schedule. Grand Rapids, MI is out because I did the full last year and although it's a great race, it's a little more than we want to pay for a half.

Here are some of the options we are trying to decide on(although Gina has told me I HAVE to pick! Thanks! No pressure or anything.):

Wisconsin Dells Half Marathon Wisconsin Dells, WI (first inaugural)
Haunted Hustle Half Marathon, Middleton, WI
Mauston Pumpkin Bash Half Marathon, Mauston, WI

Right now I'm leaning more towards the Haunted Hustle. It's on Saturday, October 30th and the finish is at Capital Brewery. And you know what that means. FREE beer for the finishers. Plus after the medal ceremony, free brewery tour and post race goodies, we are invited inside to rock out to music and more beer. How can one say no to that. Best part is, it's only $40 and the price doesn't go up the closer to race day. Must be a pretty small one.

So here I am, instead of deciding on a half marathon, I'm writing about one.

Best get to deciding.

Brad Onken Summer Sizzler 2010 5K

2010-06-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Goal: Shave off some more seconds of my 5K time from 4 wks ago.

May: 24:12
Today: 23:47

So today I took along my friend's hs daughter of 15 yrs. I'm trying to keep her running so she doesn't start all over in the spring with track so I invited her to run the 5K.

Not one to spend alot of time warming up, we got there and registered just 10 minutes before race start. There were 195 runners and I was number 193,Kayla was 194.
This course is a pretty challenging course, but I love it. Through some side neighborhoods, into the park trails, along the river. Beautiful, cool summer morning.

I finished pretty much spent. I actually thought I was gonna have to vomit at the end. Can't say I didn't give it my all. I actually quickly walked about 30 steps up a very steep hill at the end. Part of my strategy....catch my breath and then pour it all out to the finish, where I end up passing everyone that passed me on the hill and then some.

Finish time: 23:47 Very happy with that.

On a side note, I really didn't expect to place today because there were so many good runners. I was hoping at least a 3rd place to take home something. We listened to the guy giving out door prizes. I didn't win anything...I never do! Rats!

After he announced the overall female and male winners, Kayla and I sauntered over to the listing of runners to see where we placed. I thought I heard my name and Kayla said the announcer called me. So I walked over and said, "You called my name? Why?" He said,"Because you won 1st overall Masters female!" Totally shocked me! Did NOT see that coming! The woman that won overall female is one year younger than me but ran it in 19:47, so that opened up the old lady group for me. Woohoo!

Anyway, as we were standing there, in all seriousness, Kayla said, "Master's, isn't that for old people?" I couldn't help but laugh and say, "Yes, Kayla, I'm one of those old people?" 40+ lol

Kayla got 1st in her age group 14-16, with a time of 22:57. Ohhhh...in my dreams!

Went home, showered and went to my nephew's graduation party.

Oh, and the overall female and male won a year's supply of Buffalo Wild Wings. You think they will share them? Hmm?

Next goal.....sub 23 minutes.

ADVOCARE

2010-05-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have found what I was looking for!!! A friend recently introduced me to Advocare products and I am HOOKED! I started out taking their energy/mental focus drink called Spark and lost 5 lbs. right away.

Prior to trying Advocare products, I had been purchasing my nutrient products from an herbalist. I thought they were the best products out there until I compared them with Advocare. Not only was Advocare better, but I liked the idea of money going into my pocket, rather than my herbalist.

I am a runner and when I was laid up with an injury I had gained some extra pounds and just couldn't shake them even when I started back running again. I started out by taking the Spark Energy drink before my morning runs and noticed a huge energy difference that I wasn't getting from my cup of coffee plus lost 5 lbs.

I've recently finished the Advocare 24 day challenge and I've lost 10 lbs total. The biggest advantage I've noticed is I no longer have the craving for my favorite sweets(Reeses) during the day. As a matter of fact, my coworker, trying to sabotage my progress, bought a huge pack of Reeses and guess who's eating them? Not me....HER!!

My goal is to ultimately qualify for the Boston Marathon and I have no doubt with Advocare's help, that goal will be met. I'm lighter on my feet and getting faster all the time thanks to the products they have for cardio and muscle strength!!

Raging Road Rally 5K

2009-07-05T09:10:00.001-07:00

Okay, since it's racing season, I've got to get better about my race postings.

Last weekend I ran the local 5K Raging Road Rally. Last year's time was 24:something. Can't remember right now. But this year with different training(Run Less, Run Faster), I've pulled it down to 23:32. This on a very hilly course. I really want to try these legs out on a fast, flat course.

Today I ran a 5K in Stockton with my friend, Rachel, who was gunning for a PR. I planned on pacing her to her new PR but she didn't know that. I showed up at the race unannounced and surprised her.

Her new PR final time was 25:40. Can you say wow? Her last 5K was 26:something. She rocked! I'm so glad I was there to see it.

Now for a shower and a nap!

Music in Motion 5K

2008-08-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

Race: Music in Motion 5K
Goal: Use as a speed workout and hopefully better my 2008 5K summer
time of 24:27.

This was the first time I've run this race. I've wanted to run it the
past 2 yrs. but I was always so close to harboring an injury at this
stage of the season training for the Chicago marathon.

It was an out and back course with a long gradual incline
(shhhhhh...don't say HILL) somewhat before the turnaround. There's a
story on this. My running friend and I both looked at the map online
and thought the turnaround was just after the incline. Boy, were we
wrong. We get to the top of it and realize we still have more to go
before we can turnaround and come back down.

I felt pretty good the first mile considering I didn't go to bed until
after midnight, had no warmup running and only stretched a tad. Oh,
did I mention that it was pouring down rain as we stood there at the
start listening to the National Anthem. We were all just standing
there laughing, feeling like little kids on a rainy summer day, waiting
for the song to end so we could start torchering ourselves.

First mile was right on cue.....7:50....right on the money for me. Got
into a nice, comfortable, yet taxing breathing pattern. Started to
gradually pass some people, yet I just couldn't seem to reel in this
one woman that stayed about 20 ft. ahead of me the whole time.
Hmmmm...I wonder if she's in my age bracket?(40-44). Never
mind....just run your own race Weebs!!

After staying pretty composed on the "incline", got to the turnaround
and headed for the finish. After getting back to the bottom, at the 2
mile marker they yelled 16:00 even. Oops....kinda slowed way down
there...time to step it up a notch.

This is where it got ugly. It seems that sometimes when I run a race
with a downhill, my breathing pattern must change enough that I get a
sidestitch from hell. I felt it coming on between a 1/2 mile and 3/4
mile to go. I tried to concentrate more on my breathing as I reeled
more people in. I was getting closer and closer to the "woman" ahead
of me and was about 3 ft. behind her when out of the blue, Brian(a
fellow runner I know) came up to the "woman" and started pumping her up
saying you're gonna reach your goal...come on you can do it. All the
while I'm thinking...I'm not gonna make it...I'm gonna puke....this
knife in my side is gonna kill me!! ACCKK! I just can NOT catch
her...and it's pissing me off! I got a tenth of a mile away from the
turn to the finish line and I SERIOUSLY wanted to walk. I thought, why
the HELL amd I doing this? My goal at this point was to NOT
stop....forget the girl in front on me!

Btw, not only did she finish 4 seconds ahead of me, she pr'd by 2
minutes from her previous 5K AND she was in my age group. Yeah, nice
huh? lol

My official time was 24:30, not my best but pretty much average for
me. Got 2nd in my age group....yes...she got first. I talked to her
after the race and congratulated her(yes, I'm competitive, but I was
polite and kept my hands in my pockets all the while envisioning
yanking on her hair and beating the crap out of her) while smiling.
Just kidding on that last part....kinda! ;-) Brian apologized to me
and said he knew the other "woman" and I were in the same age group,
but she was his running partner and he had to ride home with her!! lol

My running friend, Jocelyn, finished in 22:47, average for her but 1st
in her AG(25-29).

The male overall finished in a new course record of 15:20!!! The
female overall finished in a new course PR of 1 second, 19:29.

I was told this is a pretty competitive race and draws fast ones from
towns further away, which showed by the first place male finish!
Geez, 15:20???? That's rockin' fast!

After the race we went out for breakfast, got groceries, and then went
home to take a nap.

Weebs

Here I go again!

2008-07-29T08:45:00.001-07:00

I'm getting the itch to do a longer mileage race again. So I've chosen a half marathon locally on Sept. 28th. My official training started yesterday with intervals at the track. Temp. was 84 degrees at 6:00 p.m. Why, oh why, didn't I get myself out of bed early in the morning to do my run. Oh, that's right....it was Monday and I drag myself out of bed on Monday mornings.

Getting up early is highly overrated when one has the day off from work and can sleep in until.....say......9:00 a.m.? Ackkkk! Talk about most of the day already gone.

Okay, so I am motivated and dedicated(borrowing from the U.S. Marines) to follow my training schedule. I really need to start working on my speed.

Next up I will start looking at another marathon for next year. Maybe one in the spring this time. Training should be interesting to say the least the way our Midwest winters have been.

Almost without pain

2008-03-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

I can say that as of today, I hardly have any pain from my cracked ribs when I run. It's been almost 4 weeks since the accident so it's coming along well.

I have succumbed to running every other day. The other days I walk. It just takes alot more stress off me. Sometimes if I run every day my body starts to rebel. I can tell I'm running more again because my appetite has picked up once again. Damn, where did I put the lock for the frig?

Now it's time to start picking up the mileage.

Haopy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2008-03-17T17:52:00.001-07:00

So some people say St. Patrick's Day is a day to celebrate saints. I say it's a day to celebrate beer.....green beer that is. I actually had my quota of beer on Saturday night. I won a door prize too, but it was only stationery. I guess I'll have to snail mail more of my friends.

The older I get, the bigger it seems that St. Pat's Day becomes. It's almost like I notice more and more people celebrating it.

I'm gonna celebrate the rest of it by taking a pain pill and getting some sleep. The rib is kinda sore today. I think I did too much. Too much lifting of things around the house yesterday and a busy day at work. I couldn't even get myself to run tonight after work.

Gotta start feeling better. It's like two steps forward, one step back.

Back in the saddle again!

2008-03-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm happy about running again albeit ever so slowly. I still have to stop and walk a little if my ribs start to hurt too much but at least I'm able to run.

I'm keeping my mileage low(3-4) miles/daily just to get exercise. I'm sure I'm making myself slower, but I don't think it can be helped.

There is a local 5K next Friday. Don't think I'm gonna be able to make it. Oh well! This is just not a good time to be laid up.

Well, I'm off to a St. Patty's Day bash. It should be a long and eventful night starting off with corned beef and cabbage and all the spirits you want to drink. Get this....it's put on by the local Catholic church. We went last year and I felt so out of place drinking in the basement of a church. After about the second beer I'm like, "Oh well....cheers!" We also win door prizes as well.

Oh and I won a door prize of a goatee trimmer last weekend. So Geo has another one for the downstairs bathroom. Funny thing is....when I heard the prize, before they even called my name I said, "Oh God, that's probably something I'll win!" And sure enough my friends were about rolling on the floor after they called my name. Too funny!

I hope everyone has a good St. Pat's Day.

Ouch!

2008-03-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Still hurting in the ribcage area. Got to laughing with some friends last night and ended up in a coughing fit that sent me over the edge. Damn, it hurts to inhale now.

On a side note, I found an old picture of me when I was a lifeguard. Cracks me up to see it now. No wonder they called me "Omar's sister"(the only black kid at the campground).

Bad news and more bad news!

2008-03-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I found out that one of my old family friends committed suicide by hanging himself in his parent's garage. He is my oldest brother's age, 49, and no one can figure out why he went back to his parent's to do it. He's married with two older girls and left a note for both his family and his parents not blaming them for anything and apoligizing in advance. Never in a million years would I have thought He'd do this.

And on top of that his mom has cancer and is going through some experimental treatment not approved yet. They originally had not expected her to live past Christmas.

Then last night I tripped over a low chain in a dark parking lot and landed on my side, shoulder and head. The head is doing better than the ribs right now, but going to see the doc this afternoon to get some xrays.

Another try!

2008-02-22T07:39:00.001-08:00

Okay, since it's been forever since I posted a blog, I figured I'd better get to it and get busy. The main reason is because I couldn't remember my signin and password and didn't want to start a new acct. The other reason was just plain busy.

We're going to be getting into the running season again so that's something to look forward to. I was scheduled to run a 5K race tomorrow, but it was canceled due to the streets being covered with thick ice. I was looking forward to seeing my running friends since I haven't run with them all winter, but it looks like we may be trying to get together tomorrow night anyway just for fun.

I'll try to be more active in responding to my friend's blogs to...Dani, Kelley, Kathy(doesn't look like she's too active either, lol), Leslie and Trizilla.

Peace out!

Town and Country 5K

2007-06-20T17:16:00.001-07:00

This race is in my hometown so I don't like to miss it. Last year when I ran it, I was still in the 30's age category. Not this year!!!

The day started out rotten. I had tapered for a couple of days so I would have more energy. I guess staying out until 2 a.m. isn't a good thing when one has to wake up at 6 a.m. in time to get dressed and drive to the race. I was BEAT!

I had so many striked against me. Not enough sleep for one. Had I not already signed up and paid I would have hit the alarm off and gone back to bed. This.....the reason why I DO sign up in advance.

Secondly, it was going to be one hot race!! I just knew it. Thankfully, I had some friends running it too, one who was out just as late. Although she beat me by 30 seconds. Heck, she's 26! What did I expect?

Anyway, the race was supposed to start at 8 a.m. but there were so many people registering late, we didn't start until 8:15. I decided this was a race warm enough to wear the bare minimum......running bra and shorts.

I think I started out too fast but I wasn't sure because I had forgotten my GPS and there were no mile markers. But hey....there was an unmanned water station halfway. One big water jug with cups sitting by the side of the road.

By the time I had gotten up the long gradual hill and gone onto the limestone running path with high humidity and no air....UGGGHH....GASP! I felt sorry for my friend who alREADY had breathing issues. The air was so "close", by the time I got out and started running on the road again, my breathing was totally off. You know what that means.....SIDE STITCH FROM HELL!!!

I carried that damn side stitch for the rest of the race damn it! I couldn't shake it. Damned if I was going to slow down.....no way...no how!!!

With about 400 meters to go I was closing in on a member of a new running club I subscribed to. They weren't sure who to cheer for. Actually, as I passed him, they started yelling to him to watch my fast feet turnover(woohoo...didn't know that was possible)and to match it. Well, needless to say, I showed NO mercy. I continued on and finished ahead of him.

I cross the finish line and my mind is saying, "Breathe, not puke! Breathe, not puke!" I was nauseous and gagging, but thankfully, I didn't puke. But someone please tell me why in the hell do they make us tear our own tag off our bib? Do they even know how much effort that takes to lift one hand and RIIIPPPP? So here this girl is chasing me down and trying to be nice and asking for my tag. I was nice enough to stop and let her take it off.....hehe!

Found out the route was 100 yds. too long. Has been for years. No WONDER my time has always been about 30 seconds slower here. Of course, my finishing time was 24:53, and taking 30 seconds off was not going to even get me close to last years time. Not my worst time though and considering my odds, I was happy with it. Besides I got first place in the 40-49 yr. old women. Fourth woman overall. Not bad considering they were all younger than me. Damn, where are those races with grand masters?

Now on to this Friday's Raging Road Rally 5K. It's a 6:45 p.m. race so it's always nice and humid for this one. Did I mention one big hill and one LOOOONGGGGG seemingly neverending hill? Grrrr!

I have GOT to get myself a new HR monitor. I'd love to see what my HR is on some of these races where I'm just about puking.

Long ago

2007-06-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't updated my blog in.....well.....a very long time. Part of the reason is because I got busy and just kind of forgot about it. I'd like to try to keep up again but I'm not making any promises. I'm still working full-time as a dental assistant and running, running, running.

My next major goal is a BQ at the Chicago marathon this October. At my age that would entail a 3:50. I'm not sure I can do it, but I'm sure going to train for it.

Considering I rustled up a 4:01 last year with minimal training, I figure with good, consistent training and barring any injuries, I may be able to make it.

This Saturday I have my annual 5K in my old hometown. I've gotten a major portion of my marathon training mileage in already this week, so I have decided I'm going to taper the next two days for this race. I really want to do well.

Considering I'm in the old ladies bracket now(40), well......who knows.

Weebs

CMM Marathon report.....finally

2006-05-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

April 29th, 2006

You know, this is really hard to report. My mind is STILL jumping all over the place.
I just don't know where to start and I know I'm going to leave out some very good stuff.
I debated whether I wanted to just start with my race day report or with Thursday morning
at 9:15 a.m. when Marty picked me up. Looks like I'm gonna opt for the latter.

First of all, I can't even express to all of you my feelings about Marty's help during the race.
Marty is the KING of pacers and deserves a medal just for being so AWESOME! A big one! A special thanks
to you my friend. The whole time he was paying attention to my breathing and when he could
tell I was giving it too much too soon, he told me to back off. It was constant, constant feedback.
We talked the night before the race about my game plan and it was to set out at an 8:30/mile pace
at first and then maybe increase as time wore on. Dan was also right there throughout and was wonderful
but his main goal was to stay ahead of me about 5-10 yds. He said something about that being his plan
all along for a mental thing for me, but I still think he had ants in his pants from day one and you just
couldn't hold him back. ;-) But I digress! Let me get back to my "story".

Thursday morning dawned clear and sunny as I waited for Marty to find my house....or get lost. I figured if
it was the latter, I would have received a cell call. His plan was to pick me up somewhere between 9-9:30 and
he was right smack in the middle at 9:15. I loaded up(with WAYYYY too much stuff) and we were off.
Marty, Dan and I had talked about bringing music for our road trip. Funny thing, I think between the drive down
and the drive back home, we might have listened to a handful of songs. We would listen for a while, but
just couldn't get into....too many things to talk about. Marty had packed a big cooler of "good, healthy" food
and warned me about his penchant for eating on the hour. Well....maybe not ON the hour....but pretty darn
close! I think that man has not one but two tapeworms. He and Dan both were bringing food and told me
not to worry about a thing. They would handle it all. Well, they both did just that. Not only with the food on
the way down but back home. Even going so far as to covering Jen and my tab which was a real blessing
for me as they well know. Yeah, and I told Marty "the check's in the mail". lol Just kidding.

So we made it to Dan's and found a note on his door about putting the garbage out. Marty was getting
ready to look for the garbage when Dan opened the door. We loaded up and headed on down to Nashville.
We arrived around 7ish, checked in and then scoured the main drag. We found a GREAT brewery
with AWESOME food! I'm still craving their spring rolls. We had a sampler platter of some of their brew
which probably wasn't a smart thing to do on an empty stomach, but the food came fast, thankfully.

We headed back to the hotel to hang out and talk before heading to bed. For some reason, Thursday
night started some weird exchange between Marty and Dan. I couldn't figure out what they were doing
for the longest time. Something about lines from a movie called "The Jerk"??? Or something like that.

We talked for quite a while and then hit the sack. In our own rooms, I might add ,lest some people get
the wrong idea. ;-)

In the morning I hear a rap at the door and Marty and Dan saunter in all chipper and
dressed in their running best, ready to face the world and conquer Nashville
with a nice, easy fun run. Didn't anyone ever tell you it's illegal to have that much energy
so early in the morning. But it was a sign of things to come. Too dang early for this girl.
I groan, throw my covers over my head and say, "Have Fun". I hadn't really planned
on running at all before the 1/2 considering I had just raced a 10K the week before
and knew I needed all the rest I could get. Finally got up, took a shower and was ready to
go to pick up Jen at the airport when they got back.

Uh, Jen, did Dan not ever see a pic of you before CMM because as we were waiting for you to come down the
escalator, there was a gal that I guess sorta looked like you, but I know it wasn't. Dan didn't believe me so I quietly
said, "Hey Jen", but she didn't turn around. Besides, she just wasn't as cute as the "real" Jen anyway.
So we went back to our hiding places to wait for Jen. I guess we did a pretty poor job of hiding. Hugs were
exchanged. I had never "met" Jen before, but I felt as if I had known her for years. She is one sweet lady.

Took Jen back to the hotel, got her checked in and set off for the expo. Now I had heard from Jen that she
didn't like crowds but I felt she was a real trooper with the expo. As we made our way down the escalator,
we were told from some loud barking where to go. These people were so rude and curt that Marty says to us,
"They sound like Soup Nazi's,'No soup for you!'" Whereupon, one of the ladies turned around and said, "that's
right, no soup for you!" I don't think Marty said it that loud but we got a good laugh out of it. Then as we entered
the expo area, lest we get lost....lo and behold, they had little shoe prints to walk on just so we wouldn't get lost
in such a BIG expo(insert tongue in cheek here). I couldn't resist!! I started to follow the "yellow brick road" and
stopped to see if my counterparts were obeying the rules and following suit. Then I heard, let's go ladies, there
are people behind you! Geez! Give me a break. And that was about the last time things were strict much to
our surprise.

At some point we met up with Leslie and her hubby and Letty and her gang. We opted to eat eary, which was a
very good decision. We had a 10 min wait at 4:30. When we left the restaurant, I think the line went around the
corner. I was afraid to ask their waiting time! We found a great ice cream place. Yes, Jen, I agree, birthday cake
ice cream ROCKS!

We headed back to the hotel to once again sit around and talk and talk and talk........

With Jen, Dan and marty it just felt like being around family.

Jen and I proceeded to lay out our race clothes and go through our goody bag. A little later I look over
and Jen is lying on her stomach on her bed looking at her pile of race things with this look of
adoration on her face. I just couldn't resist that and had to take a picture. You'd think she was looking
at a feather pillow after lying on a bed of nails for a week!
Race day begins!!!! I way up to the sound of rain....no wait....that's Jen in the shower. But then I hear a crash
and a scream. I run to the bathroom door and ask, "Are you okay?" She's laughing hysterically, as I'm looking
at the palms of my hands with globs of hair clenched between my fists. I told her in so many words to, "KNOCK
IT OFF!" I think she pretty much covered it.

Not one for having ANY pre-race rituals of ANY sort, I proceed to eat a couple of ch.chip muffins made by none
other than our eat-every-hour food guru, Marty. Not bad! What? No oj? That's okay....Gatorade will do.

I think we're all pretty calm, especially our marathon virgin. But the goofiness begins from either being nervous,
excited or just plain up too early. We wait a bit for Letty and her gang, but they didn't show. We head out the front doors to pretty balmy weather considering Jen and I have just spent the last couple of months training in sub 40's weather. To wear short sleeved shirts at 5:00 a.m. is not a good sign of things too come. I still had to wear my garbage bag....of which came in handy at the starting line(right Dan?)

For some reason our little group was wound up. Everybody else on the shuttle to the start was half asleep. We
started getting some pretty strange looks. Got to the start at around 6 a.m. where there was lots of pre race food.
Everything even down to Starbucks coffee. We sat on the grass chatting while Marty continued to stretch. I wanted
to start calling him Gumby. I don't know what he did more....eating or stretching.

We looked over at these blue boxes all in a row and figured something in them must be worth seeing because the lines
to get in them were very long. So we decided to get in those lines too. We walked Leslie and Jen to there start and then Marty, Dan and I lined up in my corral #6. There were so many people out of the corral they were supposed to be in. Marty wondered where the soup Nazis were now. They played the National Anthem(dang, can't ever get through that without tears coming to my eyes) and we were off.

Marty was very good at holding me back the first couple of miles. He knew that I was worried about that and decided that was his main job. The course started pretty flat at first and I thought, "Hmmm, not bad!" Boy, did I regret that thought. From mile 2 on it was one rolling hill after the other. I was either going downhill or uphill. Amazingly, our splits stayed between 8:20/mile and 8:40/mile the entire race even with the hills. Like I said earlier in my first post, Marty did a great job listening to my breathing. He knew when to tell me to slow down and I think he literally saved my
butt.

After looking at the course map in the morning, Jen and I figured we'd probably pass each other while I was going up the long incline around mile 6-7 and she was coming down around mile 4 for her. Dan, being the one continually a little in the front saw Jen first. I guess I never realized how many women runners run in aqua running shirts. There were hundreds. The look on Jen's face was great as we high-fived each other. She looked happy and full of energy.

I took my first and only gu at mile 8. In hindsight, I wish I would have taken one earlier and then another one later. Around mile 8 Marty told me whenever I felt like it I could increase my tempo a hair. I told him it was too early. I was thinking realistically, "I wanna know how many more freakin' hills we have first!" But I knew with the hills I was better off waiting until around mile 9-10 to increase.

Mile 10 arrived and I knew I had to start kicking it into gear. I THOUGHT I was, but it seems my pace stayed the same. But that was okay too. We ran into Dan's wife's friend, Liz and she stayed with us until the finish. At one point, I believe it was around mile 11-12, Marty and Dan were continually trying to talk me up and encourage me. I had to tell them that this is the part where I dig down deep and their distracting voices were driving me crazy. Well, maybe
not in those words, but at least I didn't tell them to "shut the f**k up" like Dan said I should have.

Mile 12 my legs and lungs were telling me to quit and I told them they could both go to hell. I was feeling really weird, like I may pass out or that my legs were going to cramp up. I figured the pain would only be temporary and the finish line was near. I could see the stadium and hear the music. As I approached the last turn to the finish, Liz sprinted past me. And as most of you know, that's all it took for me. It looked as if someone lit a fire under my butt as I sprinted past her towards the finish. She threw out a challenge that I was more than ready to take. I didn't see Marty until later. It seems he was doing tricks to get the crowd roaring behind my back. What a ham. Dan and Marty both could get that crowd yelling and screaming so easily the whole race.

As I crossed the finish line, my chip time was 1:52:19. I couldn't believe it! My goal from the start was to get under 2 hrs, but during my training I figured that was a given. So my next goal was 1:55. Little did I know I would run such a good race. Even splits and a PR by 10 minutes. But I don't think my race would have been as good had Marty and Dan had not been there for me. Marty at my side and Dan just ahead enough to make me want to stay within visual contact. A psychological twist, or so Dan said.

Thanks so much you two! You're the best! I can't thank you enough!

After getting our goodies, of which there were tons. Nashville actually puts Chicago to shame on the spread of food at the finish. But the sandals they gave out to us. What was that? I think they were made for elephant feet. They were grotesquely wide. As I found out later when I tried to wear them while trying to walk to a place where we could see Jen.

Dan went to mile 20 to run Jen in and Marty and I went back to the hotel to shower and change. The walk back was just right to keep the legs loosened up. As Marty and I were crossing the foot bridge, we both noticed how much the
wind had come up. It seems it becames very gusty and we worried about that for Jen. High winds and heat do not a good combination make, especially for a marathon.

Marty and I made it back to mile 21 later but no Jen. Dan didn't have a phone so we didn't have any idea whether we missed her or she was behind her goal time. So I proceeded to go to the finish to wait for her as Marty jogged to mile 20. Marty caught up with Dan and Jen later and reported back to me as Jen made her turn to head out of town. I wasn't real happy hearing that Jen was hurting already. Not a good sign. But I knew she was tough and wasn't going to let that stop her. I can just hear her cursing at her legs.

It was so exciting seeing her come in. I had goosebumps and had to fight back tears(yeah, Jen, I didn't tell you that). It was even more special knowing what she had to go through to achieve her goal.

Jen, you rock! You are and will be an inspiration to many for what you overcame out there on the CMM course. You are up there in my book.

You are not only a great runner but I consider you a great friend too. Until we meet again I have just two words for you! ROCK ON!!! lol Yeah I just had to say it one last time.

OSF Heritage 10K

2006-04-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

This particular race brings out alot of the good runners. Last year I didn't even place in the top 5 of my age group. Sixth to be exact with a time of 52:40.

So on this day my goal was to just set a new PR. My goal was to get under 50 minutes. I knew it was possible because I was in another 10K in January with slippery roads and near white out conditions. Plus there were more hills. This course was completely flat and the temps were good....mid 60's.

The only thing that I could see stopping me was the extreme wind. But last year it was the same so the conditions were equal.

Going out my first split was 7:35 and I knew I needed to slow down. But it was on a slight decline so I figured that was it. Little did I realize that the wind was to my back.

I felt really good during the whole race. Even when I had to dip my head like a horse coming back against that headwind. But it seemed to help.

The turnaround point was 23:38 which wasn't much slower than a recent 5K for 3.1 miles.

At this point is where I slowly picked person after person off. There were plenty of distractions along this bike path because it was such a nice day. I almost ran over a little girl on her bike with training wheels. I don't think she saw me coming and she cut in front of me.

As I got closer to the finish there was one man that I just couldn't catch. He stayed about 20 feet in front of me and the more I sped up, the more he did too.

As I turned the corner before the finish line I had two blocks to go. My friend that came with me yelled,"It's 49 and change, if you kick it in you can still make it under 50." So I gave it all I had even though I was hurting. I figured there was NO WAY I was getting this close to my PR and not get it. As I got closer I could see the clock ticking....49:35, 49:36, 49:37. I didn't even realize I flew by the man that I couldn't pass earlier I was so intent on beating that clock.

Finishing time was 49:51!!! A new PR and UNDER 50. I reached my goal! What a great feeling.

I was surprised to find out that they were giving medals out to 5 places and since I got fifth in my age group, I received one. It looked like all the good runners, men and women, were within the 35-45 age bracket. Figures!!

On to CMM 1/2!

Here I am!

2006-04-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been a little nonexistent lately. I can't help it. Things have been very crazy for me lately. I'm still doing little things here and there to the house when I can afford them. I should have the house ready to sell by the end of May. Now if I can only get my husband to sign those divorce papers. Oh, that's right....I have to be able to FIND him first! JERK! And to make matters worse, he not only has dropped off the face of the earth, the last child support payment I received was 3 wks. ago and was postmarked Las Vegas, NV!!! Alright, I'm done venting now about that.

It's a good thing that I've never minded change because that's all my life has been about lately....change. I seem to be able to take it in stride. Maybe it has something to do with my personal life and loving the job I have now. Things in those two areas couldn't be better.

Running is still going well. I have begun my two week taper prior to CMM 1/2. I have a 10K race on Sunday on a flat, fast course that I ran last year in 52something. My goal this year is under 50. I know I can do it....I KNOW IT!!!!
I'm pretty excited about it. I don't feel as if I'm ready for CMM yet. I'm ready as far as running it...just not as far as packing and getting there. Have you seen the frickin' price of gas here? $2.95?????!!!!! What's up with that? What, did the oil rigs all shut down? If I could only find a way to use my garbage for fuel. Now THAT would be nice!

I'll try to be more consistent with my blogging, but what with working more hours and having busy nights and weekends....well...let's just say it's probably not going to change soon.

Ciao for now!!

HOT HOT HOT!

2006-04-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Whew! What's with the unusually hot weather? Did we even have a spring or have we gone to summer already?

I had my last midweek long run of 8 miles Wednesday of this week and I can tell that this body needs a taper. I ran a 4 mile recovery Thursday and it felt like I was crawling, but the HR was up there.

My last long run of 15 miles before I taper for the CMM 1/2 is tomorrow. I'm probably not going to get out until around 9 a.m. I suppose it will be unseasonably hot then too, but I guess that's good training for warmer temps in Nashville. My thick-blooded body is rebelling

Since my mileage is up in the 40's, I'm not really sure how much to taper. I've basically been going by my own schedule.

I can't wait until two weeks from this weekend. Trigal, are you ready?

Here comes the storm!

2006-04-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up early to beat the storms that are gonna be hitting us soon. I didn't want to be caught out in a lightning storm during my run. Can you imagine? Out minding my own business trying to do my business of running and getting struck by lightning? Not the way I wanta go that's for sure.

I'm getting a handle on a few of the TO DO list. Bathroom ceiling is almost done. Just another coat of fresh white paint on it. Leaves in the ditch are all raked up and ready to burn. Stain on the new base in living room is on. Trim around garage door is replaced. Next up is transplanting some perennials and mulching. Doesn't look like I'm gonna get to that in the next couple of days.

Hey, some good news! A while back I posted about a neighbors dog that was harrassing me on one of my runs. As luck would have it, they filed bankruptcy, got a divorce and moved out....dog and all! Woohoo! I still think I'll carry my mace with me though. Some of those upright, two legged animals are more than I can handle.

Today is Thursday and my last day of work for the week. Three day weekend....alright! No houses to clean tomorrow...except maybe mine, but mine doesn't take very long.

Arny Johnson 10 Mile Classic

2006-04-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've postponed this report long enough.

Some minor changes though. I looked at the updated list of names from the race on the website and saw that my time was 1:23:48, not 1:24. Also, even though they gave me a second place finisher in AG medal, it looks like I was third. I wonder what happened to the woman that took first. I didn't see or hear her complaining at the awards ceremony that she didn't get anything. Maybe she was disqualified for some reason? I hope not.

I was a little concerned at the start of this race because as some of you know I was approaching burnout all week. I toned my running down to taper for this race(hadn't planned on it prior to last week, but knew I needed it), so I only ran Tuesday and Wednesday. I stayed up late again the night before and was very tired. Slept on the way over to the race which was an hour away. I REALLY didn't feel like running this race let alone racing it. But I knew once I started I'd be fine. I just didn't know how much energy I'd have.

The night before the race was very, very windy and I was hoping it would die down before the race but I don't think it would have made too much difference since most of the race was through the woods. It was overcast and mid 30's. Perfect day for a race. Donned my baseball cap, gloves, long-sleeved wicking shirt and shorts and I was good to go.

The first 3 miles were pretty uneventful and fairly flat. Eighty percent of the race was on a paved running/biking path. We were told to stay to the left of the path and watch out for bikers which I thought was rather strange. Why the left side? This race wasn't in Europe!

Since the race was through the woods, my Garmin wouldn't register at all. I'm sure the cloudy day didn't help in that dept. either. I do know my first mile was 8:08(whoa, slow down Nellie). Not what I wanted to hear. But after a couple more miles I settled into a groove. I knew last year my pace was around 8:30/mile so this year I wanted to do a little better than that and ended up with a 8:21/mile pace.

After mile 3 the course started to get interesting. I knew by the elevation chart that we would be steadily going up and down hills. A gal pulled up beside me and we talked for a few minutes. Seems she had just started racing for the first time after her son was born.....four years ago! I guess her hands have been full? She was keeping a pretty good pace so I told her good luck and have fun. My goal was to try to keep her in my sights if I could. After she passed me her pace must have slowed a bit because she stayed ahead of me by only about 10 yds. I ended up catching up to her at about mile 7 but she could really fly down the hills and I ended up getting way behind her again. She said after the race that she slowed way down the last two miles. She finished approx. 1 minute ahead of me.

I really didn't mind the hills because this is where I caught up to most people. I guess it pays to train on hills. The only time it really bothered me was towards the end of the race when I was tired. One of the last hills I had to run on my tiptoes it was so steep. I can't say I'm used to THAT steep of hills.

At the one mile marker there was a fellow runner that is in my running group. I noticed him and said hi. He has recently been coming back from an injury so he wasn't running the race. Towards the end of the race around mile 7 I saw somebody running towards me in jeans. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it was him. I told him he was going to get so chaffed but he didn't seem to care. He told me at mile 9 marker that he would let me finish by myself since he could tell how I was breathing that I still had alot in me. I didn't feel like it....but maybe I wasn't working as hard as I could. I had pointed out to him that I wanted to keep this other woman ahead of me in my sights and that I had spoken to her for a while. He asked me if I had asked her if she's in my age group. I said no, that didn't concern me. He laughed and said, it may later! Well, he was right. The woman I let stay in my sights but didn't make a move on was in my age group. Grrrr! Oh well, I really don't feel like I could have run it any faster anyway.

I was very happy with my race and my 10 mile time. It was a nice surprise when I finished.

I know there was probably more, but I guess I should have written this report after the race and not several days later.

Sleep....I need sleep!

2006-03-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've totally screwed up my sleep schedule. This week has been so messed up.

It all started last week when I inadvertently ran all 7 days. I hadn't really noticed this until a fellow runner friend(Kelley) pointed it out to me in a post on a running board we are both a member of, WeLoveToRun. It was all downhill from there.

I haven't been getting much sleep on the weekends....week DAYS for that matter. All a choice on my part, but nonetheless. Something has got to change or I won't last until CMM without getting injured.

So I've toned my training week down this week to almost no running.....at least it feels that way....so I can recuperate for my 10 mile race this weekend. Why, oh why, would someone schedule a race at 8:00 a.m. when it's still cool out? It's not like we are trying to beat the heat for God's sake!! At least my 10K in 3 wks. won't start until 1 p.m. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Then this week went from bad to worse when I stupidly had WAYYYY too much caffeine yesterday. I guess it was my chance to catch up on the many emails I was behind in replying on. Up until 2 a.m. and STILL laid there in bed waiting for sleep to overtake me.

Luckily after getting up at 9:00 a.m.(yeah, I slept in because I took the planned day off of running) I was refreshed and ready to go.

Now, I have to get to work.....if I can only last until 5:30. Oh crap, I still won't get to relax...I have a banquet to go to. Hmmmm! When will it end?

Holy Crap!

2006-03-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I KNOW the 10 mile race will be tough this Saturday. I am just BEAT! I took yesterday off from running due to a 7 day(40 mile) week last week(spaced that one out) and went out for an easy 6 miler. If I wasn't so stubborn I would have turned around after .1 miles and called it quits.

I have another easy day tomorrow with low mileage and then I'm definitely taking Thursday and Friday off before the race Saturday. I know I probably shouldn't taper this much because I'm still in training for CMM, but this body is trying to tell me something.

Alot of good it will do me if I don't even get to run CMM because of an injury.

Is anybody else getting burnout, or is it just me? I seem to go through this towards the end of a training session right before a big race.

On a side note, I've been getting alot done around the house getting it ready to possibly sell. I made a list and checked it twice. And now half of it is crossed off. Woohoo! The biggest project is yet to come....painting it! Ugh! I have alot of volunteers that said they would help me though.

Exfoliating run!

2006-03-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I heard that we were to get 5-8 inches of snow. I wasn't sure when it was supposed to start, but when I woke up at 8 a.m. there wasn't anything on the ground but RAIN. Ewwww! I wanted the white stuff. I had an 8 mile midweek run and I so wanted to run it in snow.

So I bundled up(too much because I had to ditch a layer after the first 2 mile loop)and headed out the door. It was misting a little at first but then it turned into sleet. Owwww! Talk about major facial exfoliation. I felt like someone was doing acupuncture on my face.

Now I know what it's like running blind, because some of the time I had to turn my face away from the wind and sometimes close my eyes. Thankfully, not much traffic out here around my neighborhood.

By the time I got to mile 6 the sleet turned into heavy, heavy snow. I was completely white by the time I was finished.

It was actually a pretty good tempo run despite the weather. I was hoping to run in a couple of inches of the white stuff at least, but I got it done anyway.

So now tomorrow everything that accumulates on the ground today will be melted. Ahhhh, that's spring for you.

Running on empty

2006-03-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well, this week has been rough. I went out for my tempo run on Monday after eating out with some friends for Chinese. (Note to self: Never run a tempo run an hour after eating a huge plate of Chinese food.) Of course, I was too stubborn to quit or slow down and there were a couple of times where I thought I was going to lose my lunch, but I got it done.

After my run I had to lie down on the floor. I just didn't feel very well. Luckily, I had the day off from work and didn't have to go in. I had plenty of things to do, so I never got a nap in of which probably would have made me feel better.

The next day I still felt bad. I almost felt like I was coming down with the flu. I ran a recovery run Tuesday, but decided to take the day off from running on Wed. I just didn't have it in me.

Back to normal(whatever that is) on Thursday for a 7 mile run around the neighborhood. Halfway through my run I ran into Richard, one of my neighbors who runs(he usually runs in the afternoon when I'm working) and finished with him. It was nice having someone to talk to while running. It doesn't happen very often.

Well, gotta go. Leaving in a few to watch "Failure To Launch" along with about a million other people. Matthew McConaughy, here I come! :D I think I may need to take some napkins along! (drool)

Another week of training for the CMM half

2006-03-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

Target race: CMM 1/2

Weekly mileage: 37
Monthly mileage: 118
Yearly mileage: 281

Legs felt really good this week after taking a cutback week in the 20's with my 5K race. I kept all of my runs easy so my legs were raring to go on Saturday.

Monday: 5 miles

Tuesday: 5 miles

Wed: 6 miles

Thursday: 6 miles

Friday: Rest day

Saturday: Long run of 11 miles. Legs felt great and the weather was nice and sunny. Couldn't ask for anything better than that. I could have gone more miles but decided to take it easy. I will bump it up a hair next week.

Sunday: 4 miles recovery. I wasn't sure whether I'd feel like running today but once I saw the snow coming down I was like a kid in a candy store. What could be more awesome than running in freshly fallen snow. Oh, that would be downhill skiing in freshly fallen snow. I even ditched my music for the quiet of the snow.

Very good week for me. Legs feel good and I'm still ahead of my training schedule. I need to get my butt over to the track for my speed work this week though. It will be a while before I get another 5K in.

My next race is April 1st. A 10 miler that I ran for the first time last year. Time was 1:27, so I'm hoping to beat that, but the course is totally different and more challenging so I'm not sure.

Say No To Snow 5K

2006-02-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

So the first bad thing I did before this race was to stay up until the early hours of the morning talking with friends. I think I got about a total of 4 hours of sleep because I couldn't sleep in due to family responsibilities. But it was all worth it.

The second bad thing was something I couldn't control....cold and that WIND! Geez! I could hear the gusts upon awakening and seriously considered not running this race. But the director had sent me a personal invitation to this race because I fail to hear about it every year. So I thought I'd better show up. Besides everybody else was going to have to suffer the windiness too.

So I picked my daughter up from her slumber party with limited sleep and took her to my mom's which was on the way to this race. I arrived at the registration table about 10 a.m. The race didn't start until 11 so I thought I chat a while with some people I knew from past races that I hadn't seen in a while. One of them being this 46 yr. old that I know that ended up winning the race with a time of 18:41. The whole race he was only ahead of the 2nd place finisher by about 2 ft. Very close!!

I decided to cut my warmup short due to the cold so I didn't head out until 15 minutes before race time. There weren't any chips being used due to the small race stature(100).

The course was very flat. The first mile felt good, felt like I was in a breathing groove. I heard them yell out 7:15. Right before the turnaround, there were a couple of little hills. I wouldn't really call them hills, but I think some people must have felt them because I passed quite a few on them. I don't know what my other splits were because they didn't have any.

At one point about mile 2 I had just passed some man and I could hear him behind me. Then all of a sudden I could hear him behind me picking up the pace but not passing me. I'll be damned if anybody is going to draft off me, so I started moving towards the left of the road(the wind was at the face and side). I did this for a while until he passed me and much to my embarrassment, it wasn't the same guy. He had to think I was a drunk runner. lol

After I finished the race and grabbed my numbered popsicle stick that marks my placement, I went back to the registration table to give it to them to chart and went to a friend's house for a quick shower before the party in one hour. So I had no idea what my placement was at all.

I was pleasantly surprised at the finishing party where I got 1st place in my age group. Woo hoo! I heard later it pissed the second place finisher off who wins her age group every year(her hometown). I don't think she likes me showing up at the races anymore. :-) I see her quite frequently.

I found out later that my age group had the most participants in them (12). What is it with women my age running so much?

To my embarrassment, they had official podiums just like the Olympics and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners had their pictures taken on them.

Today, my mom told me to look at the paper and there was an article about the race. It seems I was also 3rd overall women's. First place women was 20:12 and second place was 20:54. I wasn't even close to that.

Official time: 23:15
17/100 overall
3/56 women
1/12 age group

Not bad for a race with lack of sleep I guess!

I like the 1st place medal, but I'm still waiting for money! lol

I just can't help it!

2006-02-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm beginning to get fixated on one singer in particular, just like Bolder. Only my choice is MUCH cuter and sexier!

I just had to change my video back to Keith Urban.

Anybody have any problems with that? Ladies?

Woohoo...Friday is here!

2006-02-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

After an endlessly long and tiring week, Friday is here! Even better I was able to catch up on my housecleaning today since I didn't "work" at the dental office. Now my house is spankin' clean and smells sooooo nice. I ran all my errands for the day/week, kids are gone for the night and I am planning on some takeout food and sitting back to vegging in front of a couple of movies. It's not something I normally do, but for some reason I'm really looking forward to it. Much needed I guess.

I'll be snuggling with my little "Chloe"(above, my mini-dachshund). She deserves that at the very least. Her poor owner forgot to get her more dog food yesterday and I had to feed her stuff from the fridge. I fed her eggs this morning and it just wasn't cutting it. As I walked out the door to run my errands, she was sitting at her food bowl giving me this look like, "Hey beeeotch, give me my frickin' food already." Now she is one happy camper with a fat tummy(but not as fat of a tummy as Jen's cat).

No running today due to a 5K tomorrow morning. Gotta rest these legs!

Now, what to eat tonight! Hmmmm!

I'm ready for spring!

2006-02-20T17:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a tough one running-wise, but I got it all done anyway. Which was great because it was a very busy weekend.

Going out Saturday was tough. Wind chill was 6 below. I was supposed to run my 10 mile long run, but decided to keep it short at 4 miles. So in turn I ventured out Sunday for my 10. It went very well and it actually ended up being a balmy 17 degrees. Woohooo!!

How many days until spring?

Although I'd rather run in very cold weather than very hot, humid weather. At least with cold weather one can bundle up more. There are just so many clothes you can take off without calling attention to yourself. Although I'm sure my neighbors would really appreciate a streaker running through their neighborhood. :-)

Ice Ice Baby

2006-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

No, not a Vanilla Ice song. I woke up this morning and decided I'd better not run. The ground was covered with ice and it was pouring rain with thunder and lightning. Such a weird sound on Feb. 16th in the midwest.

To top it all off, the ice covered my antenna, so I had no internet connection all day. No matter, I was going to work anyway.

Trouble is.....after I got to work, all my patients started calling in and cancelling. So I ended up going shopping instead for some odds and ends.

Hopefully, it won't get any worse. Nothing worse than sleet and ice.

Valentine 5K

2006-02-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

Valentine 5K

Goal time: Beat 23 minutes. Best 5K time so far was 23:12, but that was on a course that was measured short. So actual 5K PR was 23:23.

Well, bad news when I woke up. We had about 3-4 inches of snow overnight. I can't say I was happy about that, but thought, if I can get there, I'm running it anyway.

So I went out and shoveled the driveway and got dressed and ready. I grabbed a banana and drove into town to buy some coffee. I was on my way for a 1 hr. and 15 minute drive to Madison.

As I travelled further north, I noticed less and less snow on the ground. First good sign....I liked that! By the time I got to Madison, there wasn't even any snow on the grass. Go figure!

I arrived fairly early(10ish) and since the registration didn't start until 9:30 the day of the race, I was one of the first ones because the race didn't start until 11. Another good sign for this race? My number was 23. For any of you basketball fans out there, you know who's number that was. I thought it was retired, but they gave it to ME!! heehee Michael Jordan, eat your heart out.....or run with me in spirit! :-)

I affixed my number on my shirt, used the restroom and climbed back into my van to listen to music until about 20 minutes before the start. Hopped out and ran a very slow one mile for a warm up and then stretched out. We all started to walk towards the finish which started on the running/bike path behind the university dorms. A little crowded for a start of a race, to say the least. I'm not sure how many people ran it but it couldn't have been much more than 100, if that.

My goal was to use doc's advice(even though I haven't incorporated his doctervals yet) and go out hard and just hang on for life.

First mile was on a slight decline, which meant an incline at the finish for this out and around course. After juggling around some people I settled into what I felt a pretty good clip, and hopefully a pace that I could keep up.

First mile split time was 7:04. Okay, alot faster than normal, but to be expected.

Started to really feel it between miles 1 and 2 and then another long hill right before the 2 mile point. Who said this was a flat, fast course? It wasn't that bad, but enough to slow me down a little. I was just trying to concentrate on form and pushup. Get those arms pumping!

Second mile split time was 7:44. Oops....starting to lose it...get it together Weebs! Think about that frickin' PR you want so bad. At this point I was playing a constant game of cat and mouse with a 20something guy messing with his headphones. He would fiddle with his headphones and slow down and I would pass him. He would look up and notice me passing him and speed up.
I was still passing a few but was actually sticking with a small group of people. I could see one young gal dressed in red ahead of me and we were running the same pace. I just couldn't reel her in.

At the 2.5 mile marker I decided to just let it hurt. I knew the hurt wouldn't last long. I had no idea what my time was at this point even though I had my Garmin on. I just didn't have the energy or want to use the energy to bother looking. By this time I had finished playing games with "headset man" and finished him off. Next up was the gal in red. I was gaining on her ever so slowly. Could I catch her within a half mile?

Coming up on her my third mile split was 7:35. Not as bad as the 7:44, but I guess I was still hanging on. With .1 miles to go and the finish line near, I gave it all I got....lungs were on fire...almost upon her. With about 25 yds to go....she gave it one last sprint...my legs just wouldn't go any faster than they already were. She just barely beat me. Last .1 split was 26 seconds.

Total time: 22:50!!!! I did it! I beat 23 minutes. Wooohoooo! I walked around trying to catch my breath...wanting to hurl so bad. I congratulated the "red" girl and told her she had a target on her back that I just couldn't catch. She told me this was her first race in a while. She looked like she could have kept going....damn young kids! heehee

Oh and "headset man"? He must have been right on my tail because right after we crossed the line, I slowed down and he happened to pass me before the chute narrowed and he got yelled at to stay in order. lol Priceless!

Jogged a slow mile after and back to the place where the food and drink was. I'm never hungry for anything after a 5K(except maybe a couple of orange slices) but would have liked some cold water...received warm water...blech!

I went back to my van to call a few people that wanted an update postrace and made my way home.

So now I'm just basking in my glory. This is the first time my lungs were so sore that I kept coughing afterwards to clear them. Very weird feeling. It was in the 30's and a beautiful day for a run, so it wasn't the cold that did it.

And now to take a little nap. I'm beat! Plus I gotta get ready to go dancin' tonight with my girlfriends!

New State Mottos

2006-02-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: These were not made up by me, but by other people. These are fictitious state mottos, but some really hit home.

Alabama: Keeping it in the family since 1819.

Alaska: We get to kill whales and you don't.

Arizona: Dehyrd-rific.

Arkansas: Literasy ain't everything!

California: Caution: Large Fake Breasts On Board!

Colorado: Too wimpy to cross the mountains, so we stopped here.

Connecticut: Like Massachusetts, Only the Kennedys Don't Own It Yet.

Delaware: We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water.

Florida: Senior Citizen Discounts Available.

Georgia: Confederate Money Welcome.

Hawaii: Come, Get Lai-ed.

Idaho: We Don't Care If You Spell Potato With an "E".

Illinois: Stop Pronoucing The "S", Or We're Gonna Kick Your Ass!

Indiana: Dan Quayle's Favorite Country!

Iowa: Our Trees Bend North Because Minnesota Sucks.

Kansas: Don't Blame Us, We Voted For Dole.

Kentucky: Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names.

Louisiana: We're Not ALL Drunk Cajun Wackos, But That's Our Tourism Campaign.

Maine: We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster.

Maryland: If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It.

Massachusetts: Now with 30% fewer Kennedys!

Michigan: It's not just cold. It's ass-biting cold.

Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes...and 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes.

Mississippi: Come and Feel Better About Your Own State.

Missouri: Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars Hard at Work.

Montana: It's Where You're Wanted.

Nebraska: You're Not in Kansas Anymore!

Nevada: Hookers and Poker!

New Hampshire: Go Away and Leave Us Alone!

New Jersey: You Want a ##$%## Motto? I Got Yer ##$%## Motto Right Here.

New Mexico: We Really Are One of the 50 States!

New York: You Have the Right to Remain Silent, You Have the Right to an Attorney...

North Carolina: Sure, we've got weird, blue-skinned, inbred mountain dwellers, but at least we don't still fly the confederate flag!

North Dakota: Um, We've Got, Um...Dinosaur Bones? Yeah, Dinosaur Bones!

Ohio: Home of Lake Erie and the Mistake by the Lake.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma: Named After an Indian Tribe We Slaughtered.

Oregon: Spotted Owl...It's What's For Dinner.

Pennsylvania: Cook With Coal.

Rhode Island: We're Not REALLY an Island.

South Carolina: Remember The Civil War? We Didn't Actually Surrender.

South Dakota: Hello? Can anyone hear me? Hey! Over here!

Tennessee: The Ejucashun State.

Texas: We Kill 'em So YOU Don't Have To.

Utah: Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus.

Vermont: We don't care who you marry, as long as we get the license fee.

Virginia: Who Says Government Stiffs and Slackjaw Yokels Don't Mix?

Washington: Help! We're Overrun By Nerds and Slackers!

West Virginia: Got Teeth?

Wisconsin: Cutting the Cheese Since 1848.

Wyoming: Why Are You Here?

If they only knew!

2006-02-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

Another interesting day at work today. If these people only knew I really didn't know what I was doing half the time and just faking it.

The dentist was busy with another patient so he wanted me to work on this girl's new appliance. I know how to check the bite, but I had never actually fixed the problem on the appliance if it was off. So he points out that I needed to file down any high spots and he would come back if I needed any help. I thought, you poor, poor girl. You have no idea who is working on you. I was chuckling inside and thought, this could be interesting, since the doc knows that sharp appliances do not like me. Those sharp evil tools always seem to find a way of taking slices and chunks off my fingers and hands and I have the scars to prove it. But not this time.

I ended up getting the job done and sent the patient off with her none the wiser. I do have fun with some of these patients though. I can get them to talk and laugh, but I think they are a little intimidated by the dentist.

I think I'm getting too comfortable there though. Today I brought my new Keith Urban cd in to show the other assistant. Actually, I just brought it in so we could both drool while catching small, short glimpses of the cover. Good thing we wear masks, so the drool is caught right away! :-)

The dentist and wife/secretary have this thing about playing classical music without words(We have lots of Amish patients). At lunch, the hygienist will switch it over to some hoppin music and our game is to guess how long it will take the dentist's wife to change it. Too bad I'm not a gambling person, because I've been pretty darn close. So, nasty person that I am, I asked "Betty" if she wanted to listen to a little of it...if I dared. Her eyes got big and said sure...go for it. Well, I'm not that nasty, so I asked the wife if I could put it in just for a little bit and she actually said YES!! So I played it and the dentist actually knew one of his songs. Not bad!

Betty actually told me today that I am catching on quick to the quirks of both the dentist AND his wife. She can't believe it and said I remind her of her starting out. I guess I just feel comfortable enough and I just observe alot. I've had to...it's how I've picked things up.

Oh and yesterday we had an interesting case. For those of you who are squeamish....don't read this paragraph. We were extracting two teeth from this man who doesn't take care of his teeth. If they go bad he just gets them extracted. Ewww! After the teeth were extracted(those teeth sure do come out WAY too easy), the dentist saw that part of his jaw bone protrudes too much for a partial to fit so he proceeded to slice open the gums, flip the skin back and clipped and file the bone away. Now, mind you, the first time I was observing something such as this, I had to leave the room because I was about to pass out. I think it makes a difference being in the chair and assisting, because NONE of it bothered me. I thought for sure the clipping and crunching of the bone would have sent me into dreamland. I was very proud of myself.

It sure does remind me to take good care of my teeth anyway.

New favorite

2006-02-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's country but my new hottie is Keith Urban. I've liked some of his music recently, but when I bought his new cd and saw the cover...and the pictures inside....woohooo!

Basically, I like all kinds of music so you'll never know what type of music you'll find here.

I still haven't quite figured out how to organize my blog, but as long as I have him here, that's all that matters right now. heehee

Today's day

2006-02-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

I have to share today's day at work. As some of you know, I've only been doing this dental assisting job for 5 weeks. There is so much to learn yet and get a handle on since I'm inexperienced and being trained on the job, that when I walked in and found the other assistant not there due to sickness I got a little nervous. Plus, on top of that because of personal issues here at home, I didn't get much sleep the night before. So I had brain fog to top it all off.

I panicked for nothing. EVERYTHING just clicked. I was even surprising the dentist with some of the things I was doing. I think I scared him! hehe I was even offering to help with things I hadn't done before and being successful to boot.

What a way to end a work day. My confidence was soaring!! I'm just so glad that I'm really catching on and able to help.

I was really dreading the day with the other assistant gone with her 16 yrs. experience, but it ended up being a great day!

First 4 mile race

2006-02-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

This was the first 4 mile race I've ever done, so of course it was a guaranteed PR. But that didn't stop me from doing my best.

I wasn't all that sure what pace to try for, but I figured I would start out at a pace that I thought I could hold for a bit and then maybe pick up a bit at the end.

The temps were 25 degrees with the wind blowing like mad. The wind didn't really affect us too much on the course except for when we got out by the dam along the Mississippi River.

I passed quite a few people in the last 2 miles and not one passed me, so that was a nice surprise. There was this one real tiny gal wearing a pink hat and pink top and I kept getting closer and closer and I was about 5 feet behind her with about .1 miles to go and she had a kick to die for. I congratulated her at the finish. She beat me by 2 seconds. Grrrrr, next time!

My overall time was 30:30. I placed 3rd in my AG(got some hardware) out of 40. I place 12th out of 308 females and 94th out of a total of 572. At the 2 mile turnaround I only counted about 10 women ahead of me so I thought I may have a slight chance at placing in my age group.

Great food and party after. Especially the FREE golden beverages.

What a shitty, shitty week!

2006-02-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Among other events, I got a call from my lawyer on Wednesday that I needed to call him. It seems that my crackhead soon-to-be ex-husband is wanting to file bankruptcy...jointly!! I think not! I'm not the one carving up a boatload of debt since our separation. Our divorce was supposed to be final next Friday and NOW he brings this up.

After many phone calls later, and talking to the bankruptcy lawyer to find out what is going on, the lawyer said that it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense at this point and he would advise not to just because of the situation. Long story short, my lawyer says that bankruptcy is not in the cards. I told him that I would rather go down in a sinking ship than file bankruptcy.

Btw, how does one incur a $7000 cc debt in 4 months without having any living expenses? Seems rather odd to me.

Thankfully, I still have my running to keep me sane! Grrrr!

I know tomorrow is another day and things will work out. I just wish I was rid of him already.

First 4 miler coming up!

2006-02-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday I have a 4 mile race titled "The Brrrrry Scurry". I'm not really sure what my goal time should be since I've never run a 4 mile race before? If my goal 5K is under 24 minutes, then should my 4 mile goal be 31:30 or something close?

It should be very interesting. I have no idea what the course is like, but I'm hoping since it's in Iowa, it will be relatively flat.

Damn dog!

2006-01-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

I was out minding my own business today, running along doing my recovery jog and this stupid, HUGE German Shepherd came running at me and barking. Scared the bejeezes out of me. Usually, I'll stop and turn to face them as I back away from them slowly and if they are small dogs I'll start chasing them and yelling at them. But this one was a little different. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. I was beginning to wonder which part of my body should I sacrifice first? Definitely, anything but the legs.

I usually carry some Mace with me for some kind of protection, but I didn't have much on, no pockets because it was so nice outside. I ended up flagging a car down and the teenager inside knew the dog and it's owner. So he took the dog back.

Tomorrow I call animal control. We have a leash law in our neighborhood and he just pushed my limits.

One hour?

2006-01-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

As you all may have read from my earlier posts, I took a stepback week last week due to tapering for a race that never happened. So I guess I am coming back to running this week with a vengeance.

I set out this morning to run 6-8 miles depending on the legs. Yesterday's run was a recovery of 3 easy. I turned my Garmin on and just took off not paying attention to splits but just trying to run a sort of tempo run. If I felt like running faster(but not too fast) I'd pick up speed a bit. If I felt like the body needed to slow down, I did that too.

I decided to stop running when my watch signaled 1 hr. My total mileage for that hour was 7.3 miles!!!! I couldn't believe it! The legs felt great and I didn't feel like I was breathing THAT hard. I noticed that one of my mile splits was actually 7:45/mile. My old splits for my last 5K were in the 7:30ish range.

And this was on one of the later miles that this happened. I am SOOOO ready to race! Let me at it!

Now I just need to be smart and make sure I'm training properly to ward off injury.

No race!

2006-01-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well, my worst fear came true. We got pounded with snow. Therefore, no race for me today. I didn't get to bed until late and then didn't sleep well anyway. I was so tired today that it probably wouldn't have been a good race anyway. I was a little sluggish all day until I did a 6 mile tempo run in 50 min. with a warmup and cooldown mile. Heck, I may as well have put my taper to good use for something. Tomorrow I may attempt another 8. I'll use this lower weekly mileage for injury prevention I guess.

Yesterday I received an invitation to a local 5K race at the beginning of February. Just in time to get me out of this snowy slump.

Ready to race?

2006-01-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

This week has been a little odd. I'm preparing for a 5K this Saturday so have taken my mileage way down because I want to try for a new personal best. I'm gonna try my darndest even if it kills me. So Monday I ran 6, Tuesday 3 and today(Wed.) 3. I'm already feeling weird with so low of mileage. I never thought I'd say that. But tomorrow will be a sluggish day off and Friday will be 2 easy with some strides.

Saturday the race is not until noon and I'm meeting up with Marty and Steve from my online running group WELOVETORUN. They are doing the 5K AND 10K, I'm only doing the 5K. I will still probably run just a little more but not quite 6.2.

I haven't run a 5K race since June 2005 and it was 98 degrees at 6 p.m. I'm hoping to do great. Wish me luck!

Killer long run!

2006-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

I had a killer long run today. It made up for the lame one last weekend. I set out to run 12 miles and ended up feeling so good I tacked on another mile for 13 total. I noticed that my easy, long run pace is now averaging 9:30/mile when last year I was at 10:30/mile. I see some progress and it makes me very happy.

Don't you just love those runs where you feel like you could keep running forever? This run makes up for the lousy one last week.

Heart trouble during intervals

2006-01-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

After my poor attempt at 12 miles on Saturday, I had a great SLLOOOWWW recovery jog on Sunday of 3 miles. So I get up on Monday morning and decide, heck, today sounds like a good day to do some speedwork.

I haven't done any intervals for a few weeks so I thought I'd start back at the beginning doing only 5X400's.

I started out running a mile for a warmup. This is usually all it takes for me to be warmed up. I proceed to do the first 400 trying to concentrate on my leg turnover. Time 1:46(recovery walking for 2 min.), a little slower than usual, but I haven't done these for a bit. Next interval, 1:40, a little better and closer to normal. Next, 1:34, that's more like it. I'm getting into the groove now. Remember, after each interval I take a 2 minute walk break. Next interval, 1:42. Okay after almost using up the whole 2 minute walk break and I felt like my heart had slowed down significantly....what?...what's that? What is my heart doing? All of a sudden it is pounding very fast and hard and fluttering all over. It only lasted about 10 seconds, but felt like a minute. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I was a little nervous to continue my intervals. Thus the 1:47 last interval. I only ran .5 miles for my cooldown and decided to call it a day.

I have had something like this happen off and on, but usually upon first lying down, but this was a different feeling and it's never happened while running. It was a little unnerving.

As much as I hate going to the doctor's, I think I just need to bite the bullet and go.

Tough long run

2006-01-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today I set out to run 12 miles and only made 10. It's all I could do to finish the 10. I had stopped at a friend's house to chat for a bit and when I started back out I hadn't realized how late it was and how chilled I had become until I started up running again. By mile 8 I almost had to call my friend to pick me up and take me home. But I suffered through the 2 mile low glycemic crash and chowed when I got home. Next time I'll eat more carbs before setting out.

My first post

2006-01-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

It seems that the blog is the way to go, so here is my attempt at starting my own. My blog will mostly be about running since it's what I love. I started running March 2004 because I was too impatient to walk and have been hooked ever since. Through the course of almost 2 years, I have run several 5K's, 10K's, my first 10 miler, 1/2 marathon and finally a full marathon last year. I love to race, if only they were all free!

I'm currently making my schedule to run my second 1/2 marathon April 29, 2006 and it's the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN. I will officially start training for it in February, but for now am establishing my base mileage which is between 30-35 miles/week.