Marine Corps Marathon Quickie

Doesn't that post title sound dirty? Me likey.

Anywhoo Rah, I finished the MCM today and have the sweet medal to prove it. While it wasn't a PR and it wasn't exactly the easiest race, I did have a great time in DC. And can't wait to give you all the full recap.

After I sleep.

Now where did I put that Biofreeze?

Thankful Thursday

I'm leaving for DC today and I'm so excited. I just can't hide it. I'm like the missing Pointer Sister. I don't even know what to do with myself. Well, other than rest and count the minutes to my 4th marathon. I can't believe I'm already at number 4! That seems nuts.

In any event, this post will be quick and to the point. I'm thankful for the marathon. It's come to be a big part of who I am. Some people sew, some people paint, some people watch TV. Not me. I run. I'm a marathoner.

This snippet preview for the movie The Spirit of the Marathon gets me every time. I get chills just watching it. I hope you do too.

Happy Thursday. I hope to post again as soon as I can. Have a great weekend of great running.



What are you thankful for today?

Mush brain

The blogging part of my brain seems to be a bit off this week since the rest of it is consumed by thoughts of MCM. I'm not sure if I will get another post in before MCM. I should be able to, but just in cases, I may set up the old auto generated post to at least get you folks through Thursday. Yes, I'm just that thoughtful.

Now for the important information....

Clothes. I got my outfit! Hurray! I couldn't decide what to wear and then I happened upon an outfit that I couldn't live without. But no spoilers here...I'm gonna make all of you wait for photos. Yes - sweaty, marathon face, crazy hair, photos. I know you can't wait!

Goals. I normally don't post goal times and I don't think I'm going to break that tradition. It makes me too nervous to put it out there. I am superstitious that way. I have done the three goal thing where I make one attainable goal (finish!) , one possibly attainable goal (finish a bit faster), and one goal that if I achieve it I'll crap my pants from excitement. Goal shit happens.

And since my brain is mush right now, in the words of Porky Pig "That's all folks!"

It's oh so quiet...

I completed my final 10 mile run this AM. And now it's oh so quiet. It's oh so still. This video is kind of what I've been going through during the taper madness. I'm pretty sure I've hit the calm before the storm. I feel good. Talk to me on Wednesday. Heh.

Seven Days til MCM! Happy Saturday peeps.

Thankful Thursday

Happy, happy, happy Thursday friends! I woke up in such a good mood. I swear birds were going to fly in my window and sing some cartoon movie song with me. Actually, I did wake up with two snuggly dogs in my bed and that is quite possibly one of the best ways to wake up.

My roomie and I are dog sitting a little guy about Lloyd's size named Max and he's adorable. Lloyd actually likes him and wants to be his friend but Max....notsomuch. Anyway, that's probably why I am extra chipper this morning. Well, that and the fact that I have A LOT to be thankful for today. Do I smell a list?

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Dunkin' Donuts. I basically stop here once (ahem, or twice) a week for coffee and a bagel sandwich. I don't even get donuts (I swear!) but I'm pretty sure that the coffee has some sort of addictive drug in it, other than caffeine I mean. They have pumpkin lattes right now. Yum!

2. My health. The fact that I am freaking out about my impending marathon should be a reminder to me to be thankful for the fact that I can run 26.2 miles. Not everyone is so lucky.

3. Weather dot com. Yeah, thank the lord for the weather channel and it's delightful website. I can obsessively check the weather all day long! Woo hoo! Just think, before the internets I would have had to like listen to the radio or call someone in DC or gasp - read a newspaper! You can all call me Ms. Weather OCD. Kthanksbye.

4. Halloween. I think at this time last year I was posting all sorts of Halloween themed lists. The difference is that last year I didn't have a marathon ON HALLOWEEN. So in order to fulfill my Halloween needs I'll be attending Universal's Halloween Horror Nights on Sunday. In addition, roomie and I have been watching scary movies every evening after work. Mostly we've been watching the Friday the 13th series and man are they hilarious. Did you know Corey Feldman, Crispin Glove AND Kevin Bacon were in a Friday the 13th? By the way, I love how much everyone humps in these films. Ha ha ha ha ha!

5. The shooting range. I may or may not have gone to the shooting range on my lunch break this week. I also may or may not have shot up a zombie target. I may or may not also be a redneck deep down.

6. The Great Porta-Potty Fiasco of 2010. I love this whole situation. I find it hysterical and I truly appreciate the MCM folks for not backing down with regards to places for us runners to poo. When a runner's gotta go, you better get outta the way.

7. Redhead. I know, I know. How many times can I talk about how thankful I am for her? In the words of Napoleon Dynamite "about a billion." I love me some Red and the fact that she sent me a text yesterday right when I felt completely freaked about MCM just shows how in tune she is. She told me to stop freaking and start believing. I love you Boo and THANKS!

8. This poor dog. I'm sorry, it's so funny and so sad all at the same time.



9. Caribbean Steve. My running bud Caribbean Steve sometimes reads my blog and sends me hysterical emails. He is on my Ragnar team again this year and his enthusiasm for well, just about everything is contagious. I am thankful to have him as a buddy and also as my B.B.F. (best black friend). He invented that title, don't call the NAACP on me.

10. The Marine Corps Marathon. Duh.

What are you thankful for today?

It's already started....

As per the title of this post, it's already started. I'm only two days in to taper and I'm feeling phantom pains all over the place. I didn't run this morning because I swear Old Wo- er - Old You-Know-Who is just waiting to pounce.

I googled "taper madness" and was not surprised to find a zillion links to this disease. I was going to try to be all "la la la doesn't bother me" but then I decided to just relish in the madness. This is after all a marathon I'll be running and I might as well enjoy all the crazy that comes with it.

I found this sweet check list and decided to see if I fell into the taper-mad-as-a-hatter category:

1. Germ phobia to the extreme? Get away from me small children! Check.

2. Obsessive weather analyzing? Al Roker's got nothin' on me. Check.

3. Marathon website open 17 times on your desktop at work? Uh, yeah boss just checking the company stock online..... Check.

4. Selecting race day outfit is like choosing a name for your first child? Hm, Red, white and blue or Halloween orange?!?! Check.

5. No doing anything that may injure you - even mundane things like sitting on a bench? No way can I get on a trampoline with you sis. Check.

6. You're getting an injury, you just know it? My ankle feels weird. Check.

7. You write an entire blog on your madness? See blog. Check.

Did I miss anything peeps? I want to make sure I hit 'em all.

Happy Tuesday.

I'm ready

I ran the best long run of my life yesterday. The weather was awesome and I was comfortably cool the entire time. I had 22.5 on deck and started at 4:30 AM. I am not exactly sure what got in to me the first 12 miles but I was cruising.

As I ran along I kept thinking "Well this pace is going to kick me in the butt any time now." And surprisingly, it didn't.

All I can say is that I needed this.

I needed to have a confidence booster and I needed my legs to wake up. I can only hope that the weather in D.C. will be as great as it was here yesterday. I'm looking forward to this race and again must remind myself that thar be hills the first 8 miles. I haven't been running hills due to Old What's-His-Name so I'm going to be like Foghat. Slow ride, take it easy....

I just looked up the entertainment for the race and this jumped out at me:

"The Band of Brothers (BOB) USMC Riding Club was established on November 10, 2002 at the Iwo Jima Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony. BOB is made up of retired, former and active duty Marines and FMF Corpsman. BOB is dedicated to supporting veterans, Marine Corps-related functions and charitable organizations in order to keep POW/MIA awareness alive. The purpose of the club is to foster a brotherhood dedicated to veterans and the sport of motorcycle riding. Motorcycles will ride alongside runners on Army-Navy Drive between mile 23 and 24."

Pretty freakin' cool right? Not only is this group called BOB, but it is also a motorcycle club. I may have mentioned that my dad was a HUGE motorcylce enthusiast and raced them. I am going to be looking for these guys at mile 23 and 24, which is more than likely when I'll need them most! Just the sound of motorcycles make me happy.

The rest of the entertainment on the course looks awesome as well. If only Mr. President would put down the cigs and come out for a jog. Ha ha ha. (Sorry O, just makin' sure you quit the nasty smoking.)

The last looooong run is in the bank. I've mentally prepped as much as I can. The airline tickets are purchased, hotel room booked. All I've got to do now is taper.

Hope you all had great weekends. Good luck to those racing today!

I'm with the band

I think I told you all about how I occasionally pick up shifts at a local concert venue. If I didn't, well guess what? I occasionally pick up shifts at a local concert venue. I work the VIP area and I usually try to pick shows that I just want to see but don't necessarily want to pay for. (Me = cheap-o).

Last night I worked the Bush concert and I picked up the shift because I LOVE Gwen Stefani. As most of you may know, she is married to the lead singer of Bush, Gavin Rossdale. Also as a little side note: Bush has been around for a while (I mean the band sickos) and Gavin was even in the movie Constantine.

I posted way back when about going to the No Doubt concert with Red because she and I are total Gwen loving maniacs. We started as No Doubt fans like everyone else and then morphed into Gwen Stefani superfans. I will take a person down if they speak badly about my Gwennie Gwen Gwen. In any event, Gwen was not at the venue (or at least not where I could see her). So sadly, I didn't get to meet Gwen. I did however get a sweet photo op with her hubs and his band.

Yes, that is me on the far left and Mr. Gwen Stefani himself (in the white) and his band mates. The rest of the folks are peeps that I work with.

I had no choice but to post this as it's pretty much the only photo with a celeb that I've ever taken in all of my 30 years. I'm pretty sure this one will be shared with my future grand kids and they will roll their eyes and say "What the hell is this old bat talking about? These dudes are like 900 years old. And what kind of band name is Bush anyway?"

And that will be fine. So long as they don't talk bad about Gwen.

I have my last loooooong run on deck for tomorrow. And then it's taper madness here I come! Happy Friday kids.

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday peeps! I'm getting pretty freakin' excited about MCM (Marine Corps Marathon). Since I'm all patriotic and such I'm going to share with you all some of the reasons that I am thankful to be an American. *Queue Lee Greenwood*

Ready? AttenTION!

1. Men in uniforms. Ok, ok, ok. So they are serving our country and that's pretty damn awesome in itself, but huuuullllooooo....uniforms. Swoon!

2. Freedom of Speech. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the First Amendment. Why, only in America could some nut job woman write an entire blog about running and include mentions on how cute men look in uniforms and Big Bird. (Dudes, if you are looking for a Halloween costume this year, pick a uniform. Ladies love 'em. Oh, unless it's prison issue, then maybe, notsomuch.)

3. Hot dogs. I've yet to meet a hot dog I didn't like. And yeah, I know they are a bit strange, but so is buying underwear online and we do that all time too. Plus they are just delicious. Mmmm hot dogs mmmm....

4. Social Equality. I'm a woman and I can vote! I can also drive a car, wear whatever I like, work whatever job I want, and remain unmarried, childless, and boyfriendless forever! Yay! No. Wait. Now I'm sad.

5. Sports, duh. You have to admit that our sporting events are very cool. From watching the World Series to the Superbowl we do have lots of ways to celebrate athleticism. Lest we forget college sports. GO GATORS! And, ahem, there's always the glory of track and field.

6. This guy.

7. Home. Most American homes are nice places to be. I, for one, love that when I'm out of town for a while (and yes, I've been out of the country and enjoyed it) I'm always thrilled to get home, squeeze Lloyd and jump in my bed.

8. The tourist stuff. The Statue of Liberty, Stone Mountain, Key West, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, Mall of America, Broadway, Gatlinburg, Dollywood, Disney, Yosemite, Brandon, The White House, The Met, this list could go on and on....

9. Rock N Roll. However you take your rock n roll - either Elvis or Marilyn Manson or Tom Petty - it rules in America. Just take those old records off the shelf....

10. These dudes. No need to introduce them or the countless others who serve, we know who they are.

Tell me peeps, why are you thankful to be an American?

Movies and marathon madness

Hey friends! I haven't blogged since last week cause I've been taking a little blog break. I hope you all noticed. (Wait, you weren't blogging?) Ha. Ha.

I watched some movies recently so I figured I'd give you all some mini-reviews before I jump into the marathon madness.

In keeping with my Halloween mood (AKA I LOVE HALLOWEEN) I have decided to watch scary movies only for the month of October. My apologies if you don't watch the scary stuff.

The Movies

1. The Last Exorcism. Skip. This. Movie. They seriously just gave up at the end of this film and it's such a dumb ending that it's not even worth renting it. Lame with a capital L.

2. Case 39. Pretty decent. The little girl in the film is awesomely creepy and Renee Z. does a good job at screaming and being scared. I enjoyed this one. It won't end up in my top 10, but it wasn't bad.

3. Let Me In. Go. See. This. Movie. This movie had such a different perspective and twist on the vampire genre. I loved it.

4. Let The Right One In. I am such a total nerd that after I saw Let Me In, I had to watch the original, which is Swedish. The American version was scarier and surprisingly, I liked it more. This isn't always the case when foreign films are adapted. Although, this is totally worth watching as well.

That's all I have thus far. I'll get to more reviews as I continue my scary movie-a-thon. Speaking of a-thons, my marathon is in 20 days!!! EEEEK! I'm getting nervous. The marathon on the brain madness is sucking me in.

I'm going bonkers trying to nail down a goal. I know, I know. This isn't a PR marathon. This is a enjoy-the-sights-and-have-fun-marathon. Go ahead and tell that to my Type A brain.

However, upon looking at the elevation chart for MCM and speaking with Coach EK, me thinks I'll be better off doing what I initially set out to do for this race...HAVE FUN! Not to mention, I need to be healthy two weeks after MCM for Ragnar. A crazy girl's work is never done....

Happy Tuesday.

Thankful Thursday: Meet me in DC

Let me start by saying....

How freakin' hysterical is that? I had to post it. (If you don't get it, sorry, it's a popular song right now.)

OK so for serious bidness, I wanted you all to know that today I'm thankful for bloggy meet-ups! And guess what? I'm gonna make it sooooooo easy for us to meet each other in DC because once again I'll be at the Women's Running Magazine booth during the expo on Friday and Saturday (October 29 & 30). Please stop by and say, "Hello B.o.B.!"

I'm helping my friend D work their booth and sell magazines and various other cute running items. I'd love to meet any of you that will be there! Unless, of course you is a maniac killer, then you can just keep it moving.

My training is still moving along and I've got yet another 20 miler this weekend. I am actually looking forward to it. Pass the pasta please!

What are you thankful for today?

Inspiration

Inspiration takes on many forms and often times comes from those you see every day. For example, Coach EK and Speedy Jess ran an ultra marathon this past weekend and while I'm not inspired to run an ultra (you two are nuts!), I am inspired by their commitment and determination. They trained hard and needless to say, they did great! Kudos you two.

Hollster ran the Komen Race for a Cure 10K and not only is she a 10K finisher, she's a cancer survivor! Hollster reminds us that breast cancer can strike anyone we know and more importantly, anyone we love. I'm so glad she's still here with us. (As Red also pointed out it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let's save the ta-tas!)

I am also inspired by my newest running bud K. I thought about calling her Special K but that didn't sound right, so I'm just going with Cute K for now (she is adorable). Anyway, Cute K ran an awesome marathon on Sunday and I couldn't be more inspired by her positive and fun attitude. She had a great race as well. (She also made me this perfect good luck bracelet. I loves it!) Well done Cute K!

And finally on my list of inspiration is this little lady right here....

Yup, it's my Big Sis! I'm so freakin' proud of Big Sis. She ran her first half marathon and had a blast. (We ran the Disney full together and that experience was a bit different due to our less than stellar training, but I digress.) She and my B.I.L. (bro in law) ran the Epcot Food and Wine Half Marathon. Since it runs in the family (terrible pun intended), they kicked some booty.

I'm so completely inspired how these two look out for each other and really have fun as a couple. If you can't see it, her shirt says "I thought they said "RUM." I know, totally awesome. I am fairly certain that these two have been bitten by the bug and will be back out again soon. And by the way, there may be a friendly competition building between me and the B.I.L. now I just gotta find my next half...hmmm.....

Congrats to all of you and any other racers out there. By just racing and having fun and pressing on, you all inspire us to keep running.

Happy Tuesday.

This is only a test

BEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEP!

This is a test of the Emergency Wonkcast System. If this had been an actual emergency the attention signal you just heard would have been followed by official information and B.o.B. screaming and crying like a four-year-old. This station serves the B.o.B.land and surrounding B.o.B. areas. This concludes this test of the Emergency Wonkcast System.

Ahem. So now that we are past all that I guess I should fill you folks in on what's going on with the Old Wonky. In case anyone still doesn't know about Old Wonky (you been under a rock?) it's my weird ankle/foot injury. I previously went to a podiatrist and got some shots but he basically said I needed orthos to get right. I, of course, felt better and kept running sans getting the orthos. Those things are expensive, even with insurance.

Anywho, I have been running fine, for the most part. There has been a twinge here and there and I've been icing and anti-inflaming like a mo' fo'. But alas, this past week I got a wee bit over zealous in my training. Bad B.o.B.!

No cause for major alarm at this point though because I made it through my 18 miler with out major pain or needing to walk. I feel an awareness of Old Wonky today and decided to ride the bike with my gals while they ran. I'm also planning to take tomorrow off.

At this point in time we are on a level 5 of 10. Level 5 means Old Wonky is there and I cannot piss him off. Thus, I'll take it easy this week and no more crazy MLRs (medium long runs). I ran my MLR on Wednesday at a faster pace than I should have AND I ran it on a route with hills. Yes, I am a dumbass.

Other than Wonky watch it's been a nice, relaxing weekend. Of course I am bummed that the Gators lost, but hey, can't win 'em all. I respect the game that Alabama played and they were just a better team. For now.

I'm happy to report that my sister and her hubby ran the Epcot Food & Wine Half and did really well. I think it even inspired them to run the local half, which is totally awesome. I'm still waiting to hear about Coach EK and Speedy Jess as these two crazies ran their first ULTRA. And one other person I'm waiting on is my new running bud Kim. She ran the Wine Glass Marathon in NY. So many races this weekend!

If you ran one a race or just ran for fun, I hope it was great!

Ta ta.

Random Thoughts Volume I

Happy Friday! Today I thought I'd let you all in on what goes on in my brain. And yes, it's a wee bit scary. Oh, hell. Who I am kidding? It's mad scary. But hopefully, I can open your eyes and minds to the wonderful randomness that occurs in my head. Every. Single. Day.

So......

I got some compression socks, finally. I went to sleep in them and woke up thinking there were boa constrictors on my legs. Heh. We don't even have boa constrictors in Florida. Shows how much I know.

I am a fan of Amy's Enchiladas, but I am not a fan of her sad ploy to make me buy more. Let me get this straight Amy, you say the serving size is one enchiladas and yet here they are (two) wrapped together and must be heated together. Now I tell you, who the hell is going to heat up two cheesy, delicious enchiladas and only eat one? I'll play your game this time Amy...but you haven't won this war!

During this training cycle I have remembered how much running makes you sore. And perpetually sore. I don't understand how elites do it. Not that I am comparing myself to an elite mind you, but they must have some secret they aren't letting us in on. You hear that Kara Goucher? I want answers.

Florida running blows because it's hot and it also sucks due to ridiculous amounts of love bugs and gnats. Love bugs basically just land on you all while "doing it." And gnats are so freakin' gross cause they stick to you and then when you dry off they fly away. It's all fun and games until you find a gnat in your sports bra.

Marathon training makes you hungry all the time. I think my co-workers are hiding food from me and warily cover their lunches when I walk by, lest I jump at it. You gonna eat that ham and cheese Phil? Don't you run from me with that donut Kathy!

I was on the track team in junior high. And I have a photo. From 1994. Again I repeat, WHEN DID I GET SO OLD? Do you see me?

True story: I thought the Cher song "Turn Back Time" was saying, "Words are like werewolves, they woooo sometimes." I totally just ruined that song for some of you. And you are welcome! Don't get me started on my rendition of "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves."

I am a straight genius. Right before I go to sleep. Seriously. I have solved world hunger and the national debt a thousand times over. But I am too tired to get up and write it down and I repeat it in my head over and over so that I'll remember the next day. And then I wake up and poof...it's back to food stamps and recession.

I don't care how in love you are with your spouse, significant other, or family member, popping someone else's pimples is just wrong. Stop it right now.

I'm thinking of making bumper stickers that say "Crazy cat ladies have more fun." Two words: Gold Mine.

This concludes Random Thoughts Volume I. I bet you wish you had those 3 minutes of your life back.....

Have a great weekend friends! I've got 18 on deck and a couple of enchiladas with my name on them.