what a difference a week makes. This time last week, I ran 6 miles in a total time of 1:04:44. Today, I ran 6 miles in a total time of 1:00:44. Four minutes difference. cool.
more later. lots of updates on the kids' stuff. lunch now, though.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
it was 20 years ago today
so, apparently my high school reunion is this weekend. So glad I got advance notice of that. Maybe that's what all those Classmates spam emails were a few months ago. Whatever. What is hee-lar-ee-yus is seeing the photo album of the mixer this summer (yah, didn't get the evite for that soiree, either.... hmmm) and seeing how the mighty have fallen. There are a couple of the cheerleading queens that still look pretty much the same, if not a little pinched and tight. Like they have to work really hard to maintain themselves. A few of the others are significantly overweight, and some have so drastically aged that I didn't recognize them. And the folks posting the captions were so not helpful, giving the pictures amazingly intuitive captions like "Homecoming Mixer004" and "HHS Picnic 042" Um, help a gal out - and at least give me an idea of who these people are.
What's interesting is that there are only a few people that I have kept in touch with since high school. I had a very close-knit group of friends from 10th grade through senior year -- we were the speech & drama geeks, who spent all our weekends at forensics competitions or one-act play performances. Some of us were in band too (not I, said the cat) and I spent a lot of time with the yearbook and newspaper crowd, but the core of us were pretty close until about our second year of college. Then things changed as we started to find ourselves and grow into the people we ultimately became. I hear about their whereabouts from my parents on occasion, but for the most part, I've lost touch. My friends now are my college buddies, and more recently, my work buddies (hi! Diane! howdy Marissa!!) Or, just those folks that come into your life that you seem to click with and that share your lifestyle, your aspirations and your interests (hi! Denise!!). And, of course, all those folks that I've never met and wouldn't know from Adam if I crossed them on the street, but whose blogging names and mastheads I know by heart.
I don't know what those folks from my high school would say about me if they were to see my race photos now, or if they tried to identify me from a party pic (which likely wouldn't happen --unless it's a 7-year-old's birthday party at the zoo). Would they recognize me? I'm heavier now than I was at 17, but I wasn't athletic at all then like I am now. I have some gray hair now, but it doesn't jump out at you. I guess I have a few lines and wrinkles, but I don't compensate for them by wearing too much makeup -- in fact, I hardly wear any makeup at all. Folks I work with now are usually surprised by two things when they get to know me: first, that I have run 5 marathons and second, that I am closer to 40 than 35. So I guess I've aged fairly well. If it counts for anything, I certainly feel like I'm finally figuring some stuff out.
So, I won't be making it to my 20th high school reunion this weekend. Instead, I'll be hitting the gym for another session with my trainer, watching my husband play hockey with his pals, spending as much time as I can with my two boys, then capping it off with a nice 14-miler Sunday morning. I think I prefer my plans instead anyway.
ORN -- 5 miles -- 3.7 from my apartment to Times Square and back, then 1.3 miles on the TM. I thought I had to be back by 8:00 to watch House, but then realized that it doesn't start until 9:00 here. I had time to finish laundry, eat dinner and blog. Love it.
Sunday ORN -- 13.5 miles in 2:31. I took walk breaks every mile, but didn't do the intervals on the Garmin. Instead, I used the lap timer and checked it to make sure I only walked for a minute each time. So my average lap time of 11:15 included the walking portions. It was slower than I'd prefer, but I'm not going for any speed records this year; I just want to finish strong and not hit that damn wall by mile 19.
What's interesting is that there are only a few people that I have kept in touch with since high school. I had a very close-knit group of friends from 10th grade through senior year -- we were the speech & drama geeks, who spent all our weekends at forensics competitions or one-act play performances. Some of us were in band too (not I, said the cat) and I spent a lot of time with the yearbook and newspaper crowd, but the core of us were pretty close until about our second year of college. Then things changed as we started to find ourselves and grow into the people we ultimately became. I hear about their whereabouts from my parents on occasion, but for the most part, I've lost touch. My friends now are my college buddies, and more recently, my work buddies (hi! Diane! howdy Marissa!!) Or, just those folks that come into your life that you seem to click with and that share your lifestyle, your aspirations and your interests (hi! Denise!!). And, of course, all those folks that I've never met and wouldn't know from Adam if I crossed them on the street, but whose blogging names and mastheads I know by heart.
I don't know what those folks from my high school would say about me if they were to see my race photos now, or if they tried to identify me from a party pic (which likely wouldn't happen --unless it's a 7-year-old's birthday party at the zoo). Would they recognize me? I'm heavier now than I was at 17, but I wasn't athletic at all then like I am now. I have some gray hair now, but it doesn't jump out at you. I guess I have a few lines and wrinkles, but I don't compensate for them by wearing too much makeup -- in fact, I hardly wear any makeup at all. Folks I work with now are usually surprised by two things when they get to know me: first, that I have run 5 marathons and second, that I am closer to 40 than 35. So I guess I've aged fairly well. If it counts for anything, I certainly feel like I'm finally figuring some stuff out.
So, I won't be making it to my 20th high school reunion this weekend. Instead, I'll be hitting the gym for another session with my trainer, watching my husband play hockey with his pals, spending as much time as I can with my two boys, then capping it off with a nice 14-miler Sunday morning. I think I prefer my plans instead anyway.
ORN -- 5 miles -- 3.7 from my apartment to Times Square and back, then 1.3 miles on the TM. I thought I had to be back by 8:00 to watch House, but then realized that it doesn't start until 9:00 here. I had time to finish laundry, eat dinner and blog. Love it.
Sunday ORN -- 13.5 miles in 2:31. I took walk breaks every mile, but didn't do the intervals on the Garmin. Instead, I used the lap timer and checked it to make sure I only walked for a minute each time. So my average lap time of 11:15 included the walking portions. It was slower than I'd prefer, but I'm not going for any speed records this year; I just want to finish strong and not hit that damn wall by mile 19.
Friday, September 21, 2007
dumbass
hey, idiot! Apparently the fact that you got into MIT isn't a really good indicator of your actual IQ. Do you not realize that two of the highjacked planes from 9-11 took off from Logan? Or are you so clever that you think it was a cute prank? Maybe you're just jacked in the head and have some serious issues and getting arrested means you'll get some much-needed psychological help.
I fly on a major airline twice a week. I count on the airlines and the TSA and all the pain in the ass regulations and rules to keep me safe when I'm 10,000 feet in the air. I put up with the cluelessness of the casual pleasure travelers in front of me in the security line. I tolerate the 3-1-1 rule and have learned to get along with the minimum of toiletries when I'm on site. I take my shoes off and willingly subject myself to the Puffer and other scans and searches. I do it because I want to land safely each time and come home to my family.
Don't make these people's jobs harder than it already is. And you best be glad you weren't shot down where you stood with your play-doh bomb around you, because even six years later, there are still some things that you just don't joke about. I don't care that it wasn't a real bomb, or that you didn't actually go into the airport.
Sorry. We now return to regularly scheduled programming.
I fly on a major airline twice a week. I count on the airlines and the TSA and all the pain in the ass regulations and rules to keep me safe when I'm 10,000 feet in the air. I put up with the cluelessness of the casual pleasure travelers in front of me in the security line. I tolerate the 3-1-1 rule and have learned to get along with the minimum of toiletries when I'm on site. I take my shoes off and willingly subject myself to the Puffer and other scans and searches. I do it because I want to land safely each time and come home to my family.
Don't make these people's jobs harder than it already is. And you best be glad you weren't shot down where you stood with your play-doh bomb around you, because even six years later, there are still some things that you just don't joke about. I don't care that it wasn't a real bomb, or that you didn't actually go into the airport.
Sorry. We now return to regularly scheduled programming.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
4 miles
north on Hudson River parkway to 96th, down Central Park West back to 68th, back to Riverside. Nice cool evening again. The doorman at my building laughs at me because I'm convinced this gorgeous weather has to last through February. It will, right? Cool and fallish until at least Valentine's Day, right? The way he laughs at me makes me think I will be very glad to get home to Texas three days a week come late November and December.
I get to go home tomorrow. Yippee. Me loves get-away days. And I'll be Platinum with the airline by the end of September. That means special-guy privileges, and possible upgrades to 1st class. No more steerage for me. Cannot wait. For now, it's beddie-bye time, especially if I'm going to get a 4-5 miler in before work tomorrow. Peace out!
I get to go home tomorrow. Yippee. Me loves get-away days. And I'll be Platinum with the airline by the end of September. That means special-guy privileges, and possible upgrades to 1st class. No more steerage for me. Cannot wait. For now, it's beddie-bye time, especially if I'm going to get a 4-5 miler in before work tomorrow. Peace out!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
running around Central Park
literally, I ran around the park today. Literally. I started out at 66th, went south on West End to the 60th street, across to Columbus Circle and down the south end of the park. Let's just say the, um, fragrance, of the horses around all the carriages idling there was less than pleasant. Then, I clipped up along the Museum Mile to 110th street, cut west to the western edge of the park, and headed back south again. The cobblestone-ey walks on the outside walks of the park were starting to give my ankles issues, since there were lots of bumps and uneven spots (especially once you passed the upper 90s on the East Side... hmm, trying not to draw conclusions about the upkeep and the demographic change you get up on that side...). So when I hit 97th st, I cut further west to Broadway and then turned back south again. I had to do a lot of zigging and zagging to avoid running headfirst into all the pedestrians and to try to time the lights, but my ankles were thankful for the stable footing.
all told, I ran exactly 7 miles in 1:11. I did manage to stop the watch when I had to stop for too long at the lights, so the time is actually fairly accurate. The weather was glorious, and I'm glad I put off the run this morning by screwing around online until it was too late to go out. I wouldnt' have made myself go for 7 if I'd done even 3 or 4 this morning.
Tomorrow is another weights day, plus a short 4-miler. I'll probably do weights in the morning then run up the Hudson parkway tomorrow night. That will leave a 5-miler Thursday morning before work. Not a bad week if I can pull it all together.
Gotta run -- the battery is about to go dead on this laptop, plus my internal battery is fading fast too! Ciao!!
PS -- the 24 Tease class was too hilarious -- plus the instructor picked out all the new people and gave us props like feather boas and silk ties. Ahem. It was fun if only because it was so preposterous. The most wacky thing about it was the names of the moves. Those are deserving of a whole other post! And, yes, it was a ridiculous workout -- I don't know if the lunges and squats were to blame for all my soreness or if it was the moves in this class!!
all told, I ran exactly 7 miles in 1:11. I did manage to stop the watch when I had to stop for too long at the lights, so the time is actually fairly accurate. The weather was glorious, and I'm glad I put off the run this morning by screwing around online until it was too late to go out. I wouldnt' have made myself go for 7 if I'd done even 3 or 4 this morning.
Tomorrow is another weights day, plus a short 4-miler. I'll probably do weights in the morning then run up the Hudson parkway tomorrow night. That will leave a 5-miler Thursday morning before work. Not a bad week if I can pull it all together.
Gotta run -- the battery is about to go dead on this laptop, plus my internal battery is fading fast too! Ciao!!
PS -- the 24 Tease class was too hilarious -- plus the instructor picked out all the new people and gave us props like feather boas and silk ties. Ahem. It was fun if only because it was so preposterous. The most wacky thing about it was the names of the moves. Those are deserving of a whole other post! And, yes, it was a ridiculous workout -- I don't know if the lunges and squats were to blame for all my soreness or if it was the moves in this class!!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
gah!
Have I ever talked about how much I loathe lunges? And squats? Ugh. My hamstrings are hating life right now, let's just leave it at that.
ORNs for the last week:
Today -- 6 miles in glorious early Texas fall weather.
Yesterday -- 2 miles at the gym, 25-minute session with a trainer -- the Jump-Start thing at 24 Hr that included above lunges and squats, and a 30-minute "strip-tease" aerobics class.
Thursday -- 6 miles in glorious early New York fall weather -- to Central Park, up the west side to 96th Street, across to Museum Mile, down East side to the south end of park, then back up past Columbus Circle to the apartment. Amazing and magical and not-at-all-routine.
Wednesday -- 3.5 miles on the TM at the apartment, followed by 1 mile up the Hudson River Park one the sun came up enough.
Tuesday -- 3 miles on the TM at the apartment. Nothing remarkable about it.
Monday -- big, fat nothing. We'll call it recovery from Sunday's 11-miler. Yeah, I like that.
On a related note, I'm getting the itch to get one more tri under my belt before the season is over. That would necessitate me getting into the pool, though. And actually filling the Purple People Eater's tires with air. There is one small local with a pool swim coming up in about four weeks. I'll decide definitively by the end of this week. You'll be the next to know.
ORNs for the last week:
Today -- 6 miles in glorious early Texas fall weather.
Yesterday -- 2 miles at the gym, 25-minute session with a trainer -- the Jump-Start thing at 24 Hr that included above lunges and squats, and a 30-minute "strip-tease" aerobics class.
Thursday -- 6 miles in glorious early New York fall weather -- to Central Park, up the west side to 96th Street, across to Museum Mile, down East side to the south end of park, then back up past Columbus Circle to the apartment. Amazing and magical and not-at-all-routine.
Wednesday -- 3.5 miles on the TM at the apartment, followed by 1 mile up the Hudson River Park one the sun came up enough.
Tuesday -- 3 miles on the TM at the apartment. Nothing remarkable about it.
Monday -- big, fat nothing. We'll call it recovery from Sunday's 11-miler. Yeah, I like that.
On a related note, I'm getting the itch to get one more tri under my belt before the season is over. That would necessitate me getting into the pool, though. And actually filling the Purple People Eater's tires with air. There is one small local with a pool swim coming up in about four weeks. I'll decide definitively by the end of this week. You'll be the next to know.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
can I go to sleep now?
How 'bout now? Now? sheesh, I'm freaking' tired. But, it is time for beddie-bye, so... bye.
I promise a real post in the next 48 hours. For reals.
I promise a real post in the next 48 hours. For reals.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
good luck and god speed
to all the IM Wisconsin folks today. May you have good weather and the race of your lives. I know already how strong your hearts are.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
um, hi there...
sorry. lots of fun this weekend and then back to the salt mines, so not much time to update.
We had a great time down in Austin, despite getting rained out for the Round Rock baseball game. Mostly because the rainout wasn't merely a little bit of rain. No, this was a great, torrential,raining too heavy to cross ten feet into the open air without being completely drenched. This was a great amazing storm, with lightning nearly hitting the park, OMG, we should get under cover instead of standing here enjoying the sheets of rain. This was stand around taking turns devouring a funnel cake while we watched the grounds crew play slip-n-slide on the tarp. The minor-league ballpark in Round Rock is a thing of beauty, designed so fans can enjoy the grand game as it was intended, with all the seats close to the field, cozy places to hang out in the concourses, and great concessions like barbecue, 18 flavors of snow-cones and cotton candy. The game was the stuff that vacation memories are made of, even though we never saw one pitch, but instead retreated to the hotel to watch the Simpsons on DVD.
Saturday, we woke late, moseyed to breakfast, and then wandered around Austin a bit before heading to the gym near the hotel for a little workout. We then had the most wonderful lunch of catfish at an old haunt of ours; nothing had changed there since we last visited 10 years ago except the addition of a National Championship banner and the highway is now a little wider and closer to the front door. Even TDP DinoBoy, who doesn't generally like seafood, was impressed with his lunch, and Elder Child was disappointed that he'd not tasted catfish nirvana until now. Let's just say we were really glad we'd put in our time at the gym!
Then it was on to campus, where we visited the new (to us -- I can't remember how long it's been open) Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History. You see, for you non-Texans, our state history is something we take very seriously. It's not every state in the union that was once it's own country, after all. We could have spent more than the two hours we did there, except that it was soon time to hit the Alumni Center on campus for pre-game festivities. Then we left the two big boys to enjoy the game (or not -- they were disgusted by the outcome despite the winning score) while TDP DinoBoy and I met up with M & A for some pizza and putt-putt. We had tons of fun, except at the end, when TDP DinoBoy was very sad that we had to call it a night and went into pout mode. I couldn't even get him to say goodbye to M & A, since he was so mad at me. I can't say I blamed him, I had a lot of fun, too.
Sunday morning, we had another lazy morning and relaxed breakfast, then headed back to the house, arriving in record time. I don't even want to know how fast Hub was driving. Really, I don't. Alls i know is that I finished the second Traveling Pants book before we arrived home. We did a lot of relaxing, a lot of reading together on the big bed, a lot of just hanging out and being for the rest of the weekend. It was nice, and a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle we've been under siege of for the last few weeks.
The running is going. I missed my 7-miler today, trying to squeeze in 32 hours of work into 3 working days, but no worries. I will get it all in tomorrow, even if I have to split it out. Then I'm home the next day. These three-day weeks are pretty cool, I have to say. anyhoo, gotta hit the PC for work, so gotta run.
We had a great time down in Austin, despite getting rained out for the Round Rock baseball game. Mostly because the rainout wasn't merely a little bit of rain. No, this was a great, torrential,raining too heavy to cross ten feet into the open air without being completely drenched. This was a great amazing storm, with lightning nearly hitting the park, OMG, we should get under cover instead of standing here enjoying the sheets of rain. This was stand around taking turns devouring a funnel cake while we watched the grounds crew play slip-n-slide on the tarp. The minor-league ballpark in Round Rock is a thing of beauty, designed so fans can enjoy the grand game as it was intended, with all the seats close to the field, cozy places to hang out in the concourses, and great concessions like barbecue, 18 flavors of snow-cones and cotton candy. The game was the stuff that vacation memories are made of, even though we never saw one pitch, but instead retreated to the hotel to watch the Simpsons on DVD.
Saturday, we woke late, moseyed to breakfast, and then wandered around Austin a bit before heading to the gym near the hotel for a little workout. We then had the most wonderful lunch of catfish at an old haunt of ours; nothing had changed there since we last visited 10 years ago except the addition of a National Championship banner and the highway is now a little wider and closer to the front door. Even TDP DinoBoy, who doesn't generally like seafood, was impressed with his lunch, and Elder Child was disappointed that he'd not tasted catfish nirvana until now. Let's just say we were really glad we'd put in our time at the gym!
Then it was on to campus, where we visited the new (to us -- I can't remember how long it's been open) Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History. You see, for you non-Texans, our state history is something we take very seriously. It's not every state in the union that was once it's own country, after all. We could have spent more than the two hours we did there, except that it was soon time to hit the Alumni Center on campus for pre-game festivities. Then we left the two big boys to enjoy the game (or not -- they were disgusted by the outcome despite the winning score) while TDP DinoBoy and I met up with M & A for some pizza and putt-putt. We had tons of fun, except at the end, when TDP DinoBoy was very sad that we had to call it a night and went into pout mode. I couldn't even get him to say goodbye to M & A, since he was so mad at me. I can't say I blamed him, I had a lot of fun, too.
Sunday morning, we had another lazy morning and relaxed breakfast, then headed back to the house, arriving in record time. I don't even want to know how fast Hub was driving. Really, I don't. Alls i know is that I finished the second Traveling Pants book before we arrived home. We did a lot of relaxing, a lot of reading together on the big bed, a lot of just hanging out and being for the rest of the weekend. It was nice, and a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle we've been under siege of for the last few weeks.
The running is going. I missed my 7-miler today, trying to squeeze in 32 hours of work into 3 working days, but no worries. I will get it all in tomorrow, even if I have to split it out. Then I'm home the next day. These three-day weeks are pretty cool, I have to say. anyhoo, gotta hit the PC for work, so gotta run.
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