Time to get ill

I've got less than 24 hours to go until my very first triathlon. Of course they say you never forget your first and I'm counting on that. I've gotten over my jitters for the most part and am just ready to get ill.

No, no, no I don't mean get ill in the vomit-poop-your-pants kind of way, I mean it in the Ad-Rock, Mick D, and MCA way. You know...the Beastie Boys way.

Typically before a race I look for some inspiration. Being that I'm a pop-culture junkie it normally comes through some cultural medium. For my last marathon it came by way of Quentin Tarantino's Bride from Kill Bill. But for this triathlon, for some reason, I keep hearing the Beastie Boys in my head.

They keep saying stuff like "It's time to get ill!" and "Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out. What-wha-what-what-what's it all about? Work-wa-work-work-work-wa-work it out! Let's turn this motherf*ckin' party out!"

Well ok then Beasties! That's what I shall do tomorrow. I'm gonna get ill and turn this mutha out!

Wish me luck peeps. Hopefully on Saturday I can tell you all about my body movin' and post race brass monkey celebration.

Thankful Thursday

While not a big TV watcher (anymore, I was a TV junkie as a kid) I do like the occasional veg out in front of the boob tube. I like my Seinfeld, cartoons, a reality show here and there (OMG SYTYCD is the bomb!), and anything having to do with true crime. Seriously. I am obsessed with crime shows. Now, not the fictional shows with rappers named after beverages, the real ones. You know the ones I mean?

The ones that make you check to see if you locked the front door. The ones that make you suspiciously eye that odd neighbor fellow. The ones that make you wonder if your co-worker has some secrets. The ones that cause you to look in a ditch while running to check for bodies. Ever notice how "joggers" always find dead bodies? I think if I find one I am going to insist the headline read "RUNNER FINDS DEAD BODY" because "jogger" really?

Anyway....

I love 'em. And guess what I found not too long ago? The ID channel. It stands for Investigation Discovery and it pretty much rules. Shows include: 48 Hours, Deadly Women, I (Almost) Got Away With It, Wicked Attraction, Dateline, and so on. It's basically non-stop TV about crime and criminals. Sometimes they find the bad guy, sometimes they don't, sometimes they don't even know who the bad guy is. And for some reason, I love it. Crime stuff has always interested me. Heck, I even took a class on criminal profiling in college. Thanks Mom and Dad! Told you your money wasn't going to waste! Sometimes I solve the crime before the show ends! So there!

Therefore, today, I am thankful for Investigation Discovery; Making people everywhere overly paranoid and nervous!

What are you thankful for today?

Jitters!

Welcome to Wednesday kids. I did my final ride this morning in hopes that I will remember how to ride it on Saturday. I know they say "it's just like riding a bike" but honestly every time feels like the first time for me. And on a bike, that ain't a good thing. The ride did help a little with my pre-race jitters though. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time. It's like the first day of school!

My "wave" starts at 7:42 AM which is going to mean an early day on Saturday. I'm going to have to take a sleep aid Friday night to get some shut eye. I already know I'll be going bananas in my head before I can get to sleep.

The good news is that Old Wonky is feeling a wee bit better. I'm hoping that a wee bit better means by Saturday I won't completely re-injure it.

Speaking of which, last night P-Funk and I went to dinner and were discussing injuries. Everyone seems to suffer something at some point during their running life and it really stinks. You get so used to your running routine and release that when you can't run you feel a bit lost. I decided that if Saturday knocked me out of MCM I wouldn't be too sad. MCM is held every year and I'll get there someday if it kills me. What makes me the most upset is if I can't run for another three weeks. That would be annoying. But then again, me, Mr. Bike and Mr. Swim have gotten fairly close.

That's all I got for today. If you have some time and want to read about a tri I will never be doing check out Walt's blog here. Funny stuff as per usual, and a lesson on drinking beer before a race....

TGIW beeches.

Pity party table for one please

I think I may have confused some of you. My tri is not until THIS Saturday. As in the 31st. So we still have a week of posts about me fretting and stressing and putting mascara on my third eye. What now what? Let me splain.

Yesterday a small group of us headed to the military base (thanks to Navy Steve) to take a nice OWS (open water swim) in the Bay. Let me start by saying that I really appreciated the chance to get in an OWS and practice my sighting. Sighting is what triathletes do while swimming to see where they are going and make sure they are headed in the correct direction. Damn ocean doesn't have any lines on the bottom like the pool. Perhaps the oil will correct that. I kid, I kid. Anyway, the Bay is not exactly the cleanest place to swim.

While swimming we all joked about growing a third eye and becoming mutants. I was secretly hoping that the mutant water would heal my foot/ankle so that I could feel better about the run portion of the tri. I'm still in a bit of a quandary about the tri actually. I still feel small twinges of the tendinitis, however, not nearly as bad as I felt the first time it flared up. But these twinges are messing with my confidence as well as my training. I hope I don't push it and knock myself out of MCM (AGAIN). I'm going to rest it until the very last minute. I haven't run since last Tuesday. Perhaps I'll give it a little jog on Thursday and pray (and R.I.C.E.) that it's better. I will not have all of this crazy bike training be for naught.

Speaking of tri's, August's Runner's World has a phenomenal section on triathlons and it's helped calm my nerves. A bit. I'm actually more nervous about this tri than I think any other race I've done. I think it's because it's so foreign to me. And of course because Old Wonky is messing with my run. And we all know that the run portion is where us runners feel the most confident. I guess I'll keep resting and thinking and let you all know where I end up as the week goes on.

It's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things but I'd really like to race. We'll see how it goes. Have a great Monday. May your Monday be as fast as your tempo run.

Oh no, not again...

Today's run brought to you by...No Run At All!

Yeah, that's right. No long run for me today. It appears as though Old Wonky has decided to stay for a bit. While he's not being a total pain, he is annoying the hell out of me. I need him to go away like that little mucus guy from those gross commercials.

Um, hellooo I have a triathlon on Saturday. What gives?

Well, I self-diagnosed myself, as we runners are wont to do and here's what I found. The Old Wonky tends to hang out under my ankle bone on the outer part of my foot. This tendon is called the peroneus longus. Heh. The name of it makes me laugh. Anyway, that is where my pain is. And sure enough, according to this site it's pain is caused by "running along slopes causing excessive eversion (rolling out) of the foot.

DAMN YOU GANGSTER HILLS! I always knew there was sniper on those hills.

Fortunately, I feel that I am paying better attention this go 'round and have learned to ease up before it gets worse. So instead of my long run this AM I rode the bike 16 miles. (Hey that's a lot for me!) In any event I'll be R.I.C.E.ing right until Saturday and then it'll be a game day decision. I know I can gut out a 5K run but I don't want to knock myself out of training for MCM.

I do what I want on Friday

Today's post is a mash up of sorts. A few tips from Strawberry E on plant breeding, followed by an update on my training, and a random cartoon clip just for the hell of it. It's Friday and I do what I want!

I had some really hilarious comments to my post yesterday about mangoes and the creation story. Most of them were just funny but one in particular was quite useful for those of you wanting to cross-breed some fruit (bow-chicka-bow-bow). I may have mentioned that Strawberry E, a friend from the running group, is a certified strawberry breeder. She went to school for smarty-pants and now works for a big, huge fruit company who shall go nameless. In any event, here's what she had to say:

"There's so much I could write here, since you've ventured into my area of passion, that I'm not sure where to start! First, the biblical temptation fruit is under much discussion. I've heard it argued that everything from bananas to pomegranates to oranges was the 'real' apple. However, I kind of like the mango idea, especially because it is in the poison ivy family, and the leaves and skin of the fruit will give a poison ivy type rash to sensitive individuals (me!), so there's a delicious but dangerous aspect to it. However, I will have to argue that a tree ripened peach is usually better than a mango.

Finally, as for crossing apples and mangoes- going back to the family discussion: apples are in the rose family and mangoes are in the poison ivy family, and while closely related species can often be hybridized, such different crops will probably never be crossed. But we are working on strawberries and blackberries..."

And there you have it. Black-straw-berries are on the way! Sweet!

On the training tip, I did more cycling/biking (which word do I use triathletes?) than running this week. My good buddy Old Wonky has been creeping about so I am playing it safe.* I'm pretty sure it's because I was in his old stomping grounds, the hills. While he was there, LC and Spiedi were no where to be found.** Ba-dum-dum. Try the veal, I'll be here all week!

I'm being safe, so that next Saturday (the 31st) I'm not sorry during my first EVER triathlon. Yikes! Tomorrow I will hit up my 10 mile run and see how it goes.

I hope you all have lovely weekends. May your runs be fast, and your weekends go by slow.

I leave you with this cartoon, because I do what I want!

*Old Wonky is my ankle injury/tendinitis.

**MTV show called The Hills, where dumb, rich twenty-somethings annoy each other and me.

Thankful Thursday

I'm assuming that most of you know the Christian story of creation.* Basically God creates this dude in his image named Adam. Then from Adam he makes this chick named Eve to keep Adam company. (And obviously to give him someone to race!) Apparently Eve gets all friendly (more like frenemy, hello!?!)with this snake. The slitherer gives Eve some fruit that she in turn gives Adam. And then all hell breaks loose. I've always heard that it was an apple. Wha!? An apple?

You expect me to believe that all is this crazy in the world started because of an apple? I'm calling shenanigans here. I'll tell you why. Apples are not the most delicious fruit out there and I'm thinking Adam would have been all "Nah. Just don't feel like wrecking this good thing we got going on here for an apple."

I'm gonna go ahead and state that I'm pretty sure what Eve tempted Adam with was a mango. That's right kids, a mango.

If you have ever had a fresh, ripe mango then you know what I'm talkin' bout Willis. The mango makes the apple look like a chump. That's how good the mango is. I swear that every time I buy some mangos I am going to cut them up and eat them throughout the week. It never happens. I cut them up and they are gone in one or two days - tops. I buy some apples and well...they just sit in the fridge looking all sad. An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but a mango a day make B.o.B. a happy, happy girl. A happy girl who tells terrible Bible stories, but a happy one nonetheless.

People of Washington, don't get me wrong, apples have their part in the fruit world. But they are the commoners of fruit. Mangos are the Kings and Queens. They are also good for you and stuff. But, really I don't care about that. They are just simply delicious.

So today, I'm thankful for the mango, the world's greatest fruit. (Of course this is my opinion, but I doubt I'm wrong here. Aruge in the comments if you must.)

What are you thankful for today?

*No offense meant in my awful re-telling of the creation story. Just trying to get the mango point across.

Shameless product plug

As the title of this post suggests I am going to shamelessly plug a product. While they didn't ask me to write about it, I liked it so dang much that I am going to!

I know some other bloggers out there have also given this product a go, but do any of them live in the most sweltering state of all? No, not Arizona. No, not Hawaii. Florida. Yep. It's hot as bajeesus out here during the summer. And sunny. And humid. (It's totally the humidity that gets you!)

Speaking of humidity, what happens when it's hot and humid? Well, you sweat like a beast. In doing so, the SPF you so carefully rubbed on yourself starts to drip in your eyes. It burns like an STD. (Or so I've heard. Heh. Terrible joke, I know.)

Anyway, this new product came out called SCAPE. And the sweeties over there kindly sent me some. They were all, "oh, it won't get in your eyes" and "oh, it doesn't run" and "oh, it's noncomedogenic" (big word for let's the skin breathe).

I personally tried it on my long run on Saturday. I also made P-Funk wear it to make sure it wasn't a one trick pony. Sure enough, neither of us got it in our eyes, and neither of us got sun. We didn't run in the dead of the day so I went one tester further. I had my good lil' buddy V try it out on one of her SCUBA dives.

This is what she said:

"Tried it yesterday and was MOST impressed. Doubtful that sunscreen will receive a tougher workout than the one it received yesterday.

I applied prior getting dressed in early a.m. Was on a dive boat from 8:30 a.m. until 1:40 p.m. During my dives I wore a full body wet suit, did an hour long dive followed by a :50 surface interval on the boat in full sun. During that time I removed the top part of the wet suit. Typically I would reapply sunscreen to upper body during this time as the salt water and wet suit would have removed other sunscreens I'd used previously. Yesterday, due to the heavy seas it was too much work to reapply. I went on another :50 dive then removed my wet suit for the boat trip back. Was in full sun for the boat ride back with no reapplication.

NO SUNBURN and hardly any tan. It applies pretty thick but... IT WORKS! There isn't another sunscreen I've tried where I wouldn't have gotten burned yesterday. Was sure I was going to end up toasted but it did the job."

And there you have it.

Remember guys and gals, sunscreen can save your life, so I don't really care what you use when you're out on the trails, pavement, pool, or track but I will say SCAPE is true to it's ads.

It's Tuesday! Get 'er done!

Top 10 Reasons to Run with Friends

I know a bunch of you out there are solo runners. I for one, don't love to run alone. While I admit, sometimes the solitary run is useful to just think and breath and be, the run with friends is where my heart is. I absolutely love my time spent with my running friends. That being said, I have come up with a list of reasons why it's super amazing awesome to run with friends. (I also love a list so... BONUS!)

The top ten reasons to run with friends:

10. If you are dog tired, chances are, they are too and won't mind if you ease up on the pace a little. Especially during a loooooong run.

9. When you absolutely have to go #1 or #2 or even the dreaded #3 (that's 1 + 2), your running friend will make sure the coast is clear. "Keep it moving people. Nothing to see here."

8. Running friends tell great stories to get you through the run quicker. For example: P-Funk told me how her grandmother nearly escaped major injury when a super strong gust of wind came along while she was headed inside. Thankfully, her grandmother's giant statue of St. Francis of Assisi was there for her to grab a hold of or she would have been a goner. St. Francis of Assisi: Patron Saint of Italy and little old ladies everywhere.

7. Because your running buddy is there to say hello, you only have to say hello to every other person you see.

6. If you run out of Gu, e-Caps, or wet naps, your running bud will have extras for you.

5. Your running friend(s) will gladly announce any dog, horse, cat, bird, or squirrel poop they see in your path so that you don't squish through it.

4. If your Garmin or stop watch goes on the fritz, you can use your running buddy's. And it's a total bonus if they run a wee bit faster than you, you can use their times in your spreadsheet!

3. During the run you can swap stories about which toe/blister/muscle is hurting the most. Remember kids, misery loves company!

2. If another runner or cyclist speeds past you and your running bud, you all can cuss them out (under your breath, of course) together.

1. After your run you always have someone to fist bump. After all, you'd look pretty silly doing that by yourself.

Happy Monday kids! Make it a great day.

They are out to get me...

This morning proved to be another successful brick. For the non-tri folks, a brick, not to be confused with the building material used by the smartest of the three pigs, is a bike to run workout. My legs don't feel quite as wonky after getting off the bike and I'm happy to report that the neck, back, and shoulders are not in quite as much pain. A friend moved the seat around for me and it did help a little. I think some of it is just getting used to the position. That's what she said! Sorry, had to do it.

We have to meet up pretty early because we both have to get to our jobs. Thusly, we have to meet at 5:30 AM. I'm not sure if you all know this, but it's really dark at 5:30 AM. In addition to it being very dark, we live in a fairly suburban area where lots of critters like to roam. Hence my disagreement with the squirrels. (They always run in front of me!) In the super duper early morning I have avoided most of the squirrels as I believe they like to sleep in, this is not the case for other critters. These critters like the darkness. At one point during our ride I see a small, furry creature running toward the road. Oh crap. Just as I see it, I hear My buddy yell "Small animal! Small animal!" As it starts to dart out we hear a car coming up from behind.

Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Either squash the possum or get squashed by the car. Fortunately, neither happened as we slowed and the possum ran accross. He apparently doesn't have the same agenda as those damn squirrels. I guess possums don't really like to play chicken. Although, this one didn't want to play possum either. Hmmmm.

Another funny thing to note about this morning was that we got dusted by another cyclist. First of all, I have a ton of lights on my back. I'm lit up like a Christmas tree so that cars can see me. Typically when a car is coming from behind we can hear it and see it's lights. This morning I thought a car was coming due to the bright light. However, this was no car. This was a cyclist riding super fast. As he blew our doors off riding by I couldn't help but feel bad for my buddy who later told me he was thinking exactly what I thought he was thinking. "If I were here on my own, I'd pass you buddy!"
I hope you all have a great Friday and have enjoyed my tail (punny, huh?). Have awesome weekends and git er done!

Thankful Thursday

As I sat in the dentist chair this morning, drooling on myself and my dental hygienist, I thought about what I was thankful for today. It was the list of usual suspects: coffee, sleep, Lloyd, family, friends, running, swimming, etc. and so on and so forth. Some days I am hard pressed to come up with new things to be thankful for.

While I was deep in thankful thoughts, and saliva, my dental hygienist explained the different types of saliva and why it was good to have it. "Uh, gross," I gurgled through the suction and scraping. And then it hit me. Thank God for this woman! I would never in a million years be able to do her job. She's telling me about the usefulness of saliva for Pete's sake! If it weren't for her and others like her I would never get certain things done, like, have pearly whites.

For example, I hate feet. I only want to touch my own and even then I'm not a huge fan of it. So, if it weren't for all the nail spa places I'd never get a pedicure and I'd probably have the feet of a Hobbit. And so would most of the ladies I know. Shudder.

The same holds true for nurses. My mom is a nurse and I often think about how hard it must have been changing diapers at home and then heading to work to change more diapers. She also sometimes gave my sister and I our shots when we didn't want the doctor to do it. Total brats, I know, but I am not sure I could give shots or draw blood!

And speaking of needles and stuff, what about veterinarians? God bless 'em for doing that freakin' fecal test on Lloyd every now and again. (He pretty much ignores me for a day afterward.) Can you imagine if you had to do that to a horse!?!

So today, I am thankful for those who do the jobs that I couldn't do and do them well.

What are you thankful for today?

My neck, my back, and my Nuts

Oh, my neck. Oh, my back. My neck and my back. Seriously, I am sore. I have been pretty intense the past few days and I'm going to surely pay for it tomorrow. (Yes you are and please don't call me Shirley. Ba dum dum.)

Let's recap, shall we? Sunday I did this nice little 5K trail race and followed it up with 1,000 meters in the pool. While, the race was tough, the pool was a nice little reprieve. I heart swimming. Yesterday I did 4 hills, which equals 4 miles. I did my 4 at the 1-2-1 ratio per Coach EK's plan. You see, yesterday began my MCM training which overlaps with the tri training. Oops. Didn't really plan for that so well did I? Anyway, the 1 is the warm up (10:30), the 2 is two miles at pace (8:55), and the 1 is the cool down (10:30). I wound up doing all 4 way faster than the plan said (9:30, 8:17, 8:22, 9:22). I don't know what was going on but I just went with it.

This brings us to today. I may have mentioned that I suck on the bike. No really. I'm slow and it kills my back, neck, shoulders, and arms. Part of this is because I need to raise the seat. I haven't yet because I hate being that far off the ground. I realize after today's ride that it is a must. All that being said, I still got a ride in.

My riding buddy suggested we do a brick together and I was happy to have the company, as well as the support. I had a total fail this morning as I forgot my camera. I wanted to document my torture with El Capitan. Fail.

We started out bright, er dark, and early and headed out for about a 10 mile bike. (Should have been eight but who's counting right?) my friend rode his mountain bike so he didn't accidentally drop me. Gee thanks. (I am definitely kidding here. He's done over 100 tri's so he would drop me on a tricycle.)

As we rode through the dark he gave me some pointers and splained some stuff that I didn't realize before. He told me about those clip thingys (technical talk here) and how they help you pull instead of just pushing while on the bike. Oh, so they aren't just to trap you on the bike? Hm. Good to know. He also told me how you need to build momentum going downhill so it can help you get uphill. All excellent things to know. We also practiced shifting gears.

At about mile 4 my back and shoulders hurt. I also believe at some point I said "Ow. My vagina." I'm pretty sure my friend just ignored me. Or just laughed maniacilly in his head.

We finished up our ride and switched to run mode. Again, the first half mile feels really weird after riding a bike. Not bad however, just odd. I think I'm so happy to get off the bike that I run way too fast. We ran about 2 miles and I kept thinking "Geez we're going to fast." Of course, we chose to run the 3 miles with the hill versus the 3 mile route without it. When I said to this buddy, "Of course you pick the hill" he replied with "Nothing but the best for you" or something crazy like that. Gee thanks. Again.

After running too fast for about two and half miles I had to walk for a minute before jogging it in. All in all I am pleased with the workout. I did more on the bike than I would have alone and my friend certainly pushed me on both efforts. I always do better when I work out with others and I certainly didn't want a repeat of my last bike ride with him during Ragnar....

So tri training and MCM training continue. I feel confident that I can get through the tri. I don't think I'll be setting the world on fire or anything but I'll finish one way or another.

One thing's for sure, I'm going to need a massage.

Race Report: Run Thru Hell 5K

Today I ran a 5K called Run Thru Hell. And I'm not gonna lie, it was a little hellish. I ran this race last year and had a big PR from previous 5K's so it's got a special place in my heart. While I didn't PR over all, I did PR on this particular course.

The course is partial trail and it takes one through a very, very narrow path that runners end up single file. You have to get out fast and stay up front or whoever you end up behind is your pacer. The trail had lots of mud because it's been raining so much lately and we were all very dirty afterward. My shoes and socks got soaked because I just tromped right through the puddles. That's one way to cool down, right?

(Post race muddy shoes and legs)

As I had no real race strategy and haven't really been training for a 5K, I figured I'd just kind of wing it. I ran the first mile entirely too fast (7:00 minutes) and slowed up a bit for the second one which was most of the trail. I was running behind a older gentleman known as "Silky" who I always see at races. I tried to stay with him when the path widened but dude had some speed. You go brother!

Needless to say, by the third mile I had slowed a lot and was sucking wind. It was hot and I was tired. I tried to hang on to a reasonable pace and just push through it. My shoes were slogging and I was breathing hard. Finally I saw the finish line and heard a guy named Pete yell for me to run in strong and I saw my sister waiving me in. She came out to support and it was great to have her there. I used what little strength I had left and raced to the line.

My final time was 24:54 according to the clock. And 24:35 according to my Garmin. (Had to throw that in don't you know? Ha Ha.) I'm fine with both. It was a tough course and a hot day and I still managed to get third in my age group. All in all, a good race and nice little after party with some friends.

They can't all be PR's, but they are all worth it.

Happy Sunday.

Brick House or Brick Mouse?

I got up at the butt crack of dawn today. I was determined to get my borrowed road bike on the actual road. I had been riding my other bike and since I had my biking fundamentals class with Navy Steve (that's Biking 101) last week I figured I better get out there and practice. I didn't ride much of this week or last due to rain and scheduling. Also known as the L-A-Z-Y sickness.

I'm happy to report that today I actually road the bike on the, well, road. Normally I'd stick to the sidewalk cause I'm a total scaredy cat, but today I ventured to a neighborhood with minimal traffic where lots of bikers and runners are. It's normally a place I run but lots of cyclists are out there too.

I rode a whopping 4 miles and felt I shouldn't over do it because I'm still getting used to the way my "undercarriage" feels after. Owie. And getting used to the bike in general. (Baby steps people, baby steps.) When I got back to my car I decided to throw in a two mile run. Just for shiggles (IE - shits and giggles).

I am not gonna lie to you people, the first mile was weird. My legs felt all wobbly and I'm pretty sure I looked like a newborn giraffe. However, when I got to the one mile mark I noticed I ran an 8:41 mile which isn't too bad considering I wasn't trying to go fast and again, felt like Lieutenant Dan with new legs. Mile two went even better and I'm happy I got my ice cream eating butt out there.

While I know this isn't huge by way of numbers, since some of you tri people out there are smirking at my 6 mile brick, I will say this is a big deal for me. I am going to be proud of myself today because I got out there. In the dark (yay for multiple lights on me and the bike!). On the road. And I'm gonna do it again.

TGIF peeps. Have a great weekend.

Thankful Thursday

Every now and again a girl just needs a tub of ice cream. For example, when she's sad, when she's happy, when it's hot out, when it's cold out, when it's rainy, when it's sunny, when....oh who am I kidding? A girl just needs some damn ice cream.

Today, I am thankful for ice cream.

I am also thankful for all it's incarnations: gelato (ciao!), frozen yogurt, frozen custard, sorbet, etc. I know that they make electrolyte pops for after a run on a hot day but it's just not the same as good old ice cream.

Apparently ice cream has been around for a long, long time and it used to be a luxury. Wait. What am I saying? Used to be? That delicious creamy stuff still is a luxury! I'm a big fan of strawberry in the summer.

I actually prefer my ice creams kind of simple and old fashioned. I don't need crazy ingredients (other than that crazy New York one I tried) like gummy fish and skittles. I do however, like any kind of chocolate one can fit into a cone.

Today, this girl needs some ice cream. And probably a run right before.

What are you thankful for today?

Sneezy and Dopey

So apparently I have allergies. I've suspected for a while now and have yet to actually get diagnosed. I prefer to just google my symptoms and assume I know what I have. I mean, those doctors only have like 10 years of schooling so what could they possibly tell me that the interwebs can not?

I've been waking up with the scratchy throat and sneezing throughout the day. I've also been a little stuffy, but not too bad. I'd call it a two blow stuffiness, not full on box of tissues stuffy. I bought some drugs (OTC thankyouverymuch) and hopefully they will help and not make me feel all Dopey.

Then again, being Dopey can be kind of fun.

I made it through my 5 miler this AM with P-Funk and Hollster and didn't feel bad at all. I'm just hoping this allergy stuff works or at least whatever I'm allergic too right now goes away soon. I'd hate to start marathon training this way.

It's either that or start practicing my snot rockets.

Happy Wednesday.

Runnin' in the Rain

Happy belated 4th everyone! I tried to stay away from the 'puter the last few days as I've needed a little break from it. My eyes were getting all swirly from staring at the monitor so many days in a row.

It's been a super soggy weekend here in Florida. I may need to build an ark soon and you know those spiders aren't gonna make it on my boat...sorry spiders. Or roaches. But those bast@rds will live on somehow anyway.

I didn't do much by way of celebrating other than eating. And shopping. And eating some more. I had to buy a vacuum cleaner because between my hair and Lloyd's hair we could probably make enough hair booms to clean up the Gulf and we can break a vacuum faster than you can say hair ball. Sadly, they aren't really using those hair booms anymore.

I did get some sparkler time in on Saturday as I went to Coach T and Vs. While there, I ate the most delicious caramel apple dip I have ever had in my entire life. I am serious. This dip is amazing. I can't even describe the wonderful goodness of it. It was like eating rainbows and daffodils and sunshine. I'm pretty sure it consisted of caramel, chopped up chocolate pieces, cream cheese with brown sugar and apples for dipping. I was a little disappointed since I made these cute little cake stuffed ice cream cones with red, white, and blue frosting and this dip put my dessert to shame. I must give credit to my friend Kalani (her blog here) who brought it. I want to rub it on my face.

Speaking of being a fatty, it appears that I have gained my pre-marathon weight back. But I'm not too worried about it because Marine Corps. Marathon training begins... ta da...next week! Bring the pain Coach EK! But I will need to lay off the cookies that have been sneaking into my mouth somehow.

Today, since most of us had off, we decided to run our hills this morning. I almost didn't go since when I headed outside it was drizzling. But then I thought, I better take advantage of the cooler temps while I got em. No sense in complaining about both the rain AND the heat. Complain? Who? Moi? Ha ha. Yes.

I couldn't help but think of Gene Kelly while I ran. I was humming "Running in the rain. Just running in the rain. What a glorious feeling, it's not hot again..." I am so dorky I know but I couldn't help it.

I have 5K race this Sunday and I'm looking forward to it. I've also got that little triathlon I may have mentioned here and there coming up. Holy crap it's this month!

Just taking some deep breaths. Don't mind me.

Anyway I hope you guys had a great 4th and I'll be ramping up the training here soon so get ready for tales of toenails, PC's, and long-long runs.

Thankful Thursday on Friday

I couldn't get to my blog yesterday. I was a busy bee at the office and went promptly to track after work. Then I had a most hilarious post track dinner with my running group (the BRA). We went to a new-ish place that a couple of us had only gone to once before. I suggested it. Unfortunately, it was karaoke night and we had to shout over bad versions of Barry Manilow. It was hysterical and I'm pretty sure I never get to pick the restaurant again.

So that is why I missed Thankful Thursday. In any event, I figure I can be just as thankful on Friday as I am Thursday so here go.

This may come as a shock to some of you, but I'm not naturally athletic. Nope. I actually have to work very hard at stuff. I've always liked to run. I ran track in junior high (what they now call middle school). I always played kickball during phys ed and I dabbled in basketball. Or should I say dribbled? Ha Ha. Then, of course, I found swimming. I loved it.

Along the way I needed a lot of help with these activities. Not being a natural athlete, I had to rely on these awesome people called coaches. I'm sure we've all had some coaching one point or another in our lives. These people often love sports and kids are usually there to help us. Granted some of them get a little too involved with wanting us to win, but fortunately I never had a bad coach.

My favorite coach was actually my track coach in middle school. She also happened to coach the girl's basketball team that I took a stab at. While I was no where near as good as the girls who started during the games, I was pretty good at track. She knew this and helped me focus on track and just have fun at basketball. She was always there to listen and never made me feel bad when I was having an off day.

Currently, I have several "coaches". Coaches EK, Tom, and V are all certified running coaches and have tons of knowledge. Coach EK made my training plan for Gasparilla and that race could not have gone better. I have a couple of friends in the group who have become my unofficial tri coaches and I can't express how helpful they've been during this transition to the tri. (Thank you Navy Steve!)

So, today, I am thankful for coaches.

Since it's Friday and I'm mixing it up already, tell me, who was your favorite coach?

TGIF and have a great holiday weekend everyone.