Year in Review

Ugh, I hate this. Especially since I know I haven't done particularly well against these goals I set for last year. Here we go (the first section is from last year's goal post:

Run two spring halves and a full. Not for time. Just for the base that it will give me going into the summer. I'm rehabbing my creaky knee and putting a lot of focus on getting my fundamentals right. Right now, the schedule calls for Austin in February and Heels n Hills in May. In between, I will travel to OKC for the marathon there the last week of April.
GRADE: B-
Well, I ended up running the equivalent distance, spread out over the halves that I did to complete the Love the Half challenge. Six half-marathons, none a PR, but they did well to build the base going into the summer running-wise. Stay tuned for info about Oklahoma City, too...

Finish five sprint tris throughout the summer and early fall. At least two of the races will be open water. Danskin is on the docket for sure, but the others will be small local races, with pool swims. The only goals will be to finish and improve performance and confidence from one race to the next.
GRADE: F
Um, yeah, I didn't even swim much this year (Fridays at the kid's pool don't really count), and I found it hard to get on the bike at all, except for a few Sunday morning rides with the Elder Child. Nowhere near ready for the next step in triathlon at all. Will have to carry this one over to 2009.

Run another fall marathon. NYC is on dock again, but if I don't get in, then I will find another the week after our birthdays. I may or may not do White Rock again. If I do, it will totally depend on what I feel like at the time. There will be no pressure to do White Rock.
GRADE: Incomplete
Didn't get into NYC. Had no pressure to get into White Rock at all. Really I felt like I couldn't justify being gone for 3-5 hours on weekend mornings when I was gone so much during the week. I just didn't want to take the time away from the family. It became less important to me as the year went on to do a fall race. Obviously, I've re-discovered my motivation, so it drove me to sign up for Cowtown, but for 2008, a full marathon wasn't in the cards for me.

Lose the weight, for once and for good. The bodybugg will help me get there, but in the end, it's all about the calorie balance. And moving my body. And eating the right amounts of the right things. I can get there. I will get there.
GRADE: D
Didn't gain weight (that would have been an F), and considering all that we had going on with the house that wasn't, I think it's alright. Am I happy about it? No, not at all. Did I keep up with the BodyBugg after April or so? No, not really. Hard to keep going with something when you're not seeing any results. I'm still not sure what the missing element is.

Do what it takes to stay healthy and uninjured. This means making the time for weights, stretching, yoga, icing, heat packs, rehab. massage, and regular chiro visits. My body will only perform as well as it can if I take care of it properly. I guess that goes for nutrition, too.
GRADE: B-
The legs have improved, and I'm doing more stretching, foam roller therapy, and taking rest days. I'm sporadically working on upper-body strength. I am up to a 13-mile long run without any aches and pains, so it's going so good so far. Still working on the nutrition, but I think I've got it working for the long runs and recovery afterward; it's just the day-to-day nutrition that I need to work on.

Never let the training get in the way of my life. This is the biggest one. I know what needs to be done to be ready to meet the goals 1-4 above. But at the end of the day, my family comes first and while they are more than ready to stand by me and help me meet my goals, they also are deserving of my time when I can make it available. So while I will be sure to meet the weekly goals and meet the schedule and training plans, they are all subject to re-evaluation when the family needs conflict.
GRADE: A
I do not feel that my family has ever come second to my training. Between the kids being older now and better able to hang out at the house by themselves for a few minutes while I run, to doing my weekday runs while traveling, and to coordinating the longer runs with their activities, I feel like i was finally able to make this work. Is it easy? Hell no. Is it fun to sometimes find creative ways to get all our activities covered at the same time (like running to pick up the boy from the gym, or doing laps around the tennis courts while they practice, or meeting the group at the ice rink after the group run for a family breakfast)? Yeah, sometimes, and it makes for an energetic, fun, family dynamic. So many people that interact with us in our daily lives comment all the time how active we are, and how big a part sports and athletics plays in our family. That is critical to me, not just for me, but for the boys and my husband as well. And, so when i hear that, I feel like this was one really successful goal this year that I will definitely continue into 2009.

What else can I say about 2008? Well, for one, I feel pretty good about raising $2000 for breast cancer research and walking nearly 40 miles through San Francisco with my best friend. Can't beat that with a stick, and wouldn't trade that experience. Not to mention the great chocolate we got at See's during that trip!

Another thing that has to be taken into account for the year that without a doubt affected all my goals was the whole house-that-wasn't situation. It was so physically draining to get the house ready for sale, and to have the constant showing and open houses interrupting our time at home. It was emotionally crushing to have gone through the let-down of not being able to move, and to realize that we were going to have to give up what really was a dream house for us. That certainly caused a big psychological blues period there for a while in mid-fall; it was a big blow, no matter how many times we tried to placate ourselves with the reality that we still had our home and are in a fortunate position to have a good home. It sent us all into a funk, and it affected my running for sure. Would I have completed the five tris without the house being on the market? Who knows for sure, but I know that with all the upheaval we went through with the house, it wasn't in the cards for this year. It just wasn't. And that has to be OK.

So, there you go. Some failures, some successes. Somehow, I think it all comes out in the wash, and what I'll remember from this year is not the training and the races and the runs I didn't go on. I'll remember the vacations and day trips, running with my sister-in-law in Phoenix, running on a gorgeous mountain path in Aspen in August, a last evening jog through Central Park before leaving NYC, discovering the footpaths in Boulder in October, having three months at home with the kids during the summer and early fall, and being with my family. And I don't feel like I've missed much at all!

Renewed!

So, many many moons ago (back in October 2007!, according to the history, although I apparently didn't blog about it until November) my Garmin Forerunner 201 has come back to life. I've been using a combination of my Suunto HR monitor (meh, not really impressed with most of the functions, but I paid $40, so what do you expect) and my Timex IronMan with the iPod link. But neither of them had the auto lap feature or the GPS functioning that I really crave as an OCD runner. And I spent a lot of time mapping my runs on GMaps Pedometer or Map My Runs so I'd have an idea of how far I went, and how fast. I made do, but I missed my Garmin something bad. The day the display wouldn't even come on was a sad day for me indeed.

anyhood, I was filtering through the junk drawer, looking for the charger for my phone (and having to go through chargers for phones long since gone from the house, pluse random plugs from who knows what -- admit it, you have that drawer, too) and came across both the Garmin and the charger. Although Cost-Too-Much has had the 305 model (with the HR built in, sigh) for $149 lately, I just can't justify that cost right now, not when we're trying to save money to move (for real, hopefully) by this summer. So I was contemplating calling Garmin customer service and seeing if I could get it serviced or something instead of just chunking it. But I thought I'd have to recharge it so that I could tell them that, yes, it's fully charged, and no, it still doesn't work. Now what? Instead, imagine my delight this morning when I look at it and the display says "Fully Charged." Wahoo! I took it outside and let it find the satellites, which took a while, as it does when you go from one location to another, or when you have to reset it. After a few minutes, it found the GPS and was sitting there ready for a run! Yippee-ki-ay! I am so pumped! I love it and can't wait to run with it tonight. So thrilled that 2008 is ending on a high, no matter how insignificant! Love it!

back in the groove

so after being a total slug for most of the week (at least since Christmas it seems) I tried to run on Friday afternoon. I should have gone out in the morning, but it somehow was more important to sleep in. So I tried about 2:00 pm, so I could get in six and be back by the time Hub had to leave for the ice rink with Elder Child. But it was not to be -- for one thing, it was about 80 degrees outside, and humid beyond belief. I got about halfway to the park and just couldn't catch my breath, nor could I get any groove going with my legs. After about 9 minutes I just turned around and walked home. I think I went a total of about 1.25 miles that day, and was exhausted for the effort. I think my body was just trying to tell me to take a break already. So I did.

There was no scheduled run on Saturday with the group because of the holidays, and we'd already talked about meeting up on Sunday to do a shorter long run. But the hockey tournament had the boy's team playing at 8:00 am. TDP DinoBoy spent the night at Grandma's helping her undecorate, and was supposed to be home by 9:00, so that meant that I had to be out and back by then. So I instead did 8.5 miles around the neighborhood, with a brief stop at my mother-in-law's to make sure they were up, dump off my jacket and get some water. It was nice and brisk out when I left the house, right about 30 degrees, so it was a much more tolerable weather condition than we'd had. It's hot here again (ok, mid-50's not really hot, but warmer), so I'm glad I went out when I did. Total time was 90 minutes, for a distance of 8.5 miles, so I ended up at just about a 10:25 pace, or some such. A little fast, but I had to be home after all.

Now I'm just hanging out on the couch, surfing and watching the boy play Wii. He's not too good with the boxing, so I think I'm going to have to show him how it's done!! Later!

ugh, ugh, ugh

OK, I am never allowed to complain about the cold weather again! I will gladly take the cold weather, especially in December, over this craziness! It is 77 degrees outside (at 9:00 pm no less!) and about 75% humidity. I tried to run outside this afternoon and made it about 3/4 of a mile before I just had to give up. It was just too muggy and unbearable. Ick. Plus, I am just thinking that I need a cutback week after nearly 8 weeks of marathon training. I've hit at least 95% of my training mileage each week so far, and between that and the travel, my body is really feeling it. I need to rest, or at least that's what my body is telling me, so I'm listening. I have about 8 weeks to go before Cowtown, and I intend to get there strong and in one piece, so I've got to make sure that I recharge. Having 5 days off from work (and travel) is a rare occurrence, so I'm taking full advantage.

In other news, um, OK, so there is really nothing else going on! How awesome is that? No news means no drama! Just lots of time at home with the kiddoes and the hub, so really, what else can I ask for? Peace out, folks!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas_Eve 015, originally uploaded by ccervant_99.

From our home to yours (actually, the photo is from Grandma's house, but you get the idea!)! We wish you all the best of the season!

Happy Holidays!

yep, so I'm home for a while, and gearing up for the holidays. Have a few more hours of work to do today, then I am officially OFF for the next five days -- wahoo!! There's lots of wrapping and baking to do tomorrow, and just a couple of last-minute gifts, but otherwise, we're pretty well set. We're most excited around here about our family trip next week to the mountains for some skiing (not I, said the cat), sledding, skating and general winter fun.

Until then, I've been keeping up the running (although I do need to get out in the wet today, that or hit the TM in the other room) and training with the FW group. We're up to a long run of 13ish (there was some controversy over the distance of the last run...) and are on track for Cowtown in just over 2 months. For now, I leave you this:

Note to the dude at the gym

sorry I got to the gym two minutes before you. sorry when I jumped off after 20 minutes that I just needed water and wasn't really done with my run yet. sorry that you felt you had to make faces and then leave with a harumph because I was on the good treadmill and you weren't. Last I checked, I was running between 5.5 and 6.0 mph and you were strolling at 3.5 -- the small treadmill is plenty fine for that. If you'd bothered to ask, I might have told you that I only had one more mile (10 minutes) before I was done. But since you were being a pr!ck, I guess cutting your workout short is what you get.

Y'know there are plenty of times that I get the crappy treadmill and guys strolling at 2.5 mph are using the big one. You know what I do when that happens? I smile at them, finish my workout on the wobbly thumping treadmill, then come upstairs and bitch about them on my blog. But I try really hard not to be a beyotch. Whatever.

waiting in Toledo

yep, I'm in the airport in Toledo, waiting for a plane. We should have started boarding 10 minutes ago. Granted, it's the smallest plane ever, one of those where you get a window and an aisle in the same seat, but still. I have a pretty tight connection in Chicago, and really want to be on time, or it will screw up my whole week. Like my week wasn't already screwed by being in Toledo... (no offense -- it actually seems like a very nice, friendly, little hometown-ey place.. it just threw off my week to be here).

in running news, we did a nice 11-mile run on Saturday with the group, and yet again, I was able to beat the hill. I was slow going up it, but I made it all the way up without walking. Love when that happens. This week we're going off the trail and onto a street route that uses some of the marathon route, so that should be fun. I'm more used to banging away on the pavement anyway. It's tough to fit in the weekday runs on schedule; I'd been doing a Tuesday, Thursday, Friday weekday run, but that kind of bit me in the butt last week -- my legs were just dead after about nine miles from doing 4 Friday morning. I need to follow the schedule and be sure to have Friday as a rest day before the long run.

they're calling me now to board, so gotta go! peace out!

Turkey Trot 2008

So this is the third or fourth year I've done the 10K at this race. I had done the 5K with the Elder Child in there a few years, so this is third year in a row. Last year I missed a PR by about 10-15 seconds a mile, mostly since I was just kinda jogging along at the outset and hadn't had any idea that I could PR, so I didn't really try. This year, I knew that despite my weight being an ongoing struggle, I've been clocking relatively fast times on shorter runs, and also have been benefiting greatly from the hills on the trail we use for long runs. So I went into the race knowing that it was a possibility, albeit remote.

We got a call from the organizers through the running store that the YMCA needed volunteers this year, so I talked Elder Child into coming along to help out. He'd wavered on whether he wanted to run the 5K with me, but we finally figured out that he could come along and help out instead of lazing around the house until lunch. So I woke him up early and we headed out. It was chillier than I was expecting, but I knew it would warm up significantly since my race was later in the morning. He got set up to do chip handout, and I wandered back to my car to try to warm up and rest a while before the 5k start. While I was snoozing, he texted me that he'd volunteered to be a course marshall, so he'd be out on the 5K route. Then it was time to cheer on the 5k runners, walkers, strollers, dogs, and turkeys. This was one of the largest crowds ever, and it took nearly 10 minutes for everyone to pass the starting line. It was fun to see so many families and groups out on Thanksgiving. By about the time the last walkers left the starting area, it was time to head over and wait for the fastest of the finishers to cross, just around the 15-minute mark. Pretty remarkable to see those speedy guys. After about 15-20 minutes more of cheering, it was time to head to the starting line. First, I dumped off my jacket at the car, checked in with the boy on the phone, then headed out.

I ran into a couple of folks from the training group, including my pace leader, right before the start. I had decided to run m own race, and not get caught up in the hysteria and go out faster than I should. This race is fraught with hills, and even though I've been training on them, they are still there and still tough. I knew if I went out too fast, it would spell trouble later on. So when my pace leader and the other group member took off in front of me before we reached the first turn, I let them go without giving chase. Still, I clocked a first mile of 9:32, which I thought was way too fast.

The second mile went just as fast, even through the gradual uphill along the highway. Before I knew it, we were gliding downhill toward the first water stop, then here comes the first of the big hills. At the second mile marker, I checked the watch and was amazed to see a total time of 19:14 -- still going well under 10:00 miles. But by now, the hills were coming fast and furious, and they kept coming through mile 5. I had thought the worst of them was right at the end of mile 4, but then we turned the corner and saw another one. ugh. I had been keeping a pretty good pace until then, and managed to feel strong and still have energy to wave to the folks on their front yards, thank the volunteers and shout out to the police officers. The day had warmed up nicely, but it wasn't too hot, so it was really just about perfect for running. I was sweating, but not dying. The water stops were placed perfectly every two miles, per usual, and a quick cupful was more than enough to keep me from getting that dry back-of-the-mouth stickiness that I get when I push. ick. Anyhoo, it was going very nicely so far, even though mile 5 was my slowest of the day at 10:39 -- that included the water stop and that last killer hill. Still felt good, but there was that last mile plus .2 to contend with. Was I going to break an hour? It was looking doubtful that I'd do that, but the PR potential was alive.

I'd decided that I would stop the watch at mile 6 so that I could get an automatic average for the full miles; when I reached the miler marker, my watch read 59:33. That gave me just over 3:00 to finish the last .2 section and get my the PR that eluded me last year. With my clock stopped at 6, I wouldn't be tempted to keep looking down at my wrist in that final stretch. I needed to just tuck in and run. And that's what I did. I was gassed and didn't have much left in the legs, but it was enough to get to the chute with 10 seconds left to spare before it turned to 2 minutes after the hour. I cranked it for the last little bit and crossed the line at 1:01:59, a PR by 39 seconds! Wahoo!

The only downer is that Elder Child missed it -- he'd been wandering around the festival area waiting until about 5 after to come to the finish line. I'd told him I didn't expect to PR and that he should come out to the line by about then. I had no idea I'd come in a good three minutes before then! I had time to get my chip removed and grab water before he came out looking for me. Then it was time to hit the S'bucks and head home to get ready for lunch.

All in all, it was a great race. The crowd, as usual, is great and supportive, the volunteers are awesome (of course, I'm biased this year!), and the organization of the registration/chip pick-up area was much improved over last year. I don't think this race will ever get as big as the one over in Dallas, not that we'd want it to, but the ever-growing size of it does go to show that they do a good job.

For posterity, here are my splits:

Mile 1: 9:32
Mile 2: 9:41
Mile 3: 9:48
Mile 4: 9:49
Mile 5: 10:39
Mile 6: 10:00
Finish Time: 1:01:59

2008 - 1:01:59
2007 - 1:03:07
2006 - 1:02:38

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick post to all you out there in cyberspace: Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be enjoying the day, starting out with the traditional 10K run (Elder Child will be doing his first volunteering today, opting for that instead of running the 5K), and ending with the back-to-Thanksgiving Texas-Texas A&M football game. In between will be lots of food, lots of dessert (I myself made double-cherry cobbler, apple crisp, and a pumpkin cheesecake for the cause - I'm sure there will be more), Cowboys football and family.

I'm thankful for lots this year -- we've had a little bit of a whirlwind around here the last six months, but in the end, all has worked out for the best (gawd, I HATE when that happens!! lol!) and I know I'm glad for what we've been blessed with in our lives. Gotta run -- headed out to the Trot here now!! Peace!

Wahoo!!! Big props to Jane!

Go on over and give some cyber-love and HUGE congratulations to Jane. She's an IRONMAN! She is an inspiration -- she saw where her body and her life were headed a few years ago (not that many, actually) and made a conscious decision to change her direction. She starting riding a bike, then she dived headfirst into running and multi-sport, too. She's already completed an ultra marathon, and as of this weekend in Arizona, she is now an official, can't-ever-take-it-away-cause-she's-a-rock-star IRONMAN!! Way to go, Jane!!

9 mile run + hills!!

so, today we had 9 miles on the schedule with the running group. Last week's weather was so hideous, and it was chilly last night, so I prepped before I went to bed by laying out long pants instead of my usual cropped tights, a long tank underlayer, a short-sleeved tech shirt and a long-sleeved shirt to go over that. I set out my gloves and my Love the Half jacket, too, since I was thinking it would be in the lower 30s. But when I got up and checked the weather, it was only in the 40s, so I chucked the short-sleeved layer. Glad I did, too, because I started getting hot by about mile 2 and took the gloves off. By mile 3, I stripped off the top jacket and tied it around my waist, then I even went a few minutes with the sleeves of my shirt pushed up to my elbows. It was humid, more than it's been in a while, so that made it seem warmer than it was. In the end, though, the weather was pretty good for the run, and I had the layer mix just right.

So, the workout. We went out a little faster than intended, but our pace leader caught up to us and told us we'd want to conserve energy, as she had "some surprises" for us at the end. Now, considering that the end of the workout already consists of the Monster Hill, I wasn't looking forward to this. But, we slowed down to closer to a true 11-minute mile until it was time to turn around. We hit the turnaround point at 49:17 which means we were running faster than 10:57 since that included TWO water stops. We don't lollygag for any amount of time, that's for sure, but it does take a little while. Felt strong and sure for the return leg, and despite a little bit of a twinge on my lower left hamstring on an uphill, I didn't have any trouble.

Then, we get to the base of the hill. Our pace leader told us to gather at the bottom of the hill and explained what we were going to do. She said it was totally optional, and if we weren't feeling it, we could just go on up the hill and then continue the last half-mile to the gathering point. Like any of us were going to choose that! She picked a mailbox a couple of hundred yards up the hill, told us to stride up it, then jog back down, drop and do 10 pushups, then repeat. Twice. ugh. So, yeah, it was a bit of a push to do that after running 8 miles. The hardest part for me, though, was not the strides but physically dropping down to do the push-ups. It was just creakier than I expected, and during the second set, the tightness in the back of my leg morphed into a full-out cramp that triggered a total collapse to the ground while it subsided. Didn't hurt, but caught me by surprise, so I ended up laughing my a$$ off flat on the ground while the rest of the group got up and started their ascent. So I ended up last up the hill. No worries. I got it done.

After we'd done the repeats, we were instructed to motor up the hill, taking as long as we needed to as long we RAN and didn't slow to a walk. Even if we were taking the smallest steps possible, as long as we were technically running, we were OK. And that's what I did. I made it up the hill for the second week in a row, even after having to climb the first part of it multiple times. Jan says that next week, 9 miles into the run when we hit the hill again, we'll be so glad we only have to go up it once it will be cake. I don't know if I believe it yet. I'll have to let you know!!

So, there was the workout for today. Very nice run when it was all said and done. AFterward, we went into Dallas for a balsa wood glider competition Elder Child particpated in, then we stopped by an aunt's house for lunch and little visiting. On the way home, we drove into downtown and walked around Dealey Plaza for a little bit. Neither of the boys had even been there before, and it just seemed like the right thing to do today. I wish Hub wasn't in Mexico City, though -- he would have enjoyed all the conspiracy theorists set up around the knoll. It was interesting to explain the whole thing to them -- even TDP Dino Boy was pretty fascinated by it. I was hoping there would be more documentaries on it tonight so they could learn more, but no luck. Anyhoo, getting ready for bed soon -- yes, it's early, but I don't have to go anywhere next week and I'm taking advantage of the cold weather to just hang out and hibernate for a few days.

Photo Game

 

So Flatman over there in Fort Worth played this photo game, and I had to play along. You're supposed to open the fourth folder on your computer and post the fourth photo. So this is what I found. I've just spent a little longer than I expected to reminiscing over the photos in this particular folder, since it was from Elder Child's 8th birthday 5 years ago and we just had TDP DinoBoy's 8th birthday. It's very sobering to see how much he's changed in the years since these were taken.

It's even scarier to think how much he'll change in the next five years. Eeep!

OK, so now it's cold!

yeah, so much for me bragging about sitting at outside patio cafes for lunch the past three days... a front finally moved into the area last night, and this morning it is a chilly 30 degrees here in Boulder. brrrr. and of course, because it is fly-away day, that means that the rain/ice mixture will hit right about the time we're supposed to leave for the airport. grrrr. Anyhow, that meant the hotel treadmill this morning, since I ended up bailing on last night's run in favor of a dinner out with a friend from the project. We found this great place that does all organic meals, and I had the most amazing wild mushroom risotto topped with grilled shrimp. I was restrained enough to save half of it for lunch today, which is great because I never have time to go out and grab lunch on Thursdays.

anyway, time to head home today. This weekend will be another flurry of activity -- I'm going to try to take the boys to the driving range tomorrow after school, then I have a 9-miler scheduled for Saturday morning. The good news is that I'm working from home Monday and Tuesday next week, so I don't have to fly anywhere (or prepare to fly anywhere). anyhow, I should pack up and get ready to check out, so talk to you later!!

interrupting the crickets here...

hi there. still here. still running. Had a great long run this weekend with the training group -- 8 miles along the trail, culminating in the hill at the end. And this time, even though I'd given myself all of December to make it up without walking, I was able to crush it, to run it the whole way. Was I running fast? Um, no, but I ran it, no stopping, no walking. I would have let out a huge "wahoo" at the end, but there are people in these big houses that probably were still sleeping, so I just laughed and jumped around when I reached the crest of it. It was awesome! And especially since I'd just finished a two-mile section in 20:21, so we had been booking it just prior.

Total time for the run was 1:26:14, for an average pace of 10:47. Splits below are for two-mile segments, since we had mile markers only every two miles at the water stops and then at the turnaround:

Segment 1: 21:15
Segment 2: 21:23
Segment 3: 20:21
Segment 4: 23:10 (includes hill)

After that, the whole family headed out to the big Scout camporee up in Fort Worth for a family campout. We missed last fall's camping trip since we were in NYC that weekend, and TDP DinoBoy only did the day trip for the spring trip, so this was our first foray into camping. We had a borrowed tent and only one true sleeping bag between us (tons of blankets and a couple of thick sleeping pads the boys use when they spend the night at Grandma's, though). The tent was HUGE and we had to tie it to the truck to keep it from tumping over in the winds, which were gusting up to 40 mph in the afternoon while we were trying to set it up. But it was nice and spacious. The boys spent all afternoon traipsing around all the activities, from the rifle range, to the human foosball course (hilarious!), to the marshmallow guns and bounce houses. We had made chili, so that was our evening meal with the pack -- a couple of other families had made some, so we had that with cornbread, potato salad and crackers, and baked beans. Afterward, there was a talent show and fireworks, and before you knew it, it was time for bed. Except that the temperature dropped very quickly to about mid-thirties, which is way too cold for us Texans to be out in a flimsy nylon tent. We froze! Elder Child got up in the middle of the night and crawled into the back seat of the truck, so I think he had the best sleep of all. It was very fun, but exhausting, especially after that workout.

So, there you go, that was the highlight of the weekend for me -- making it up the hill and freezing my arse off in the tent, all in the same day. I'm in Boulder again this week, where the weather is mercifully warmer than in Texas, so I'm looking forward to a great run this evening, with temps in the 50s even when the sun goes down. Should be awesome. We start ramping up the weekday mileage this week, with a 4-miler thrown into the mix instead of just the 3-milers we'd been doing. Then next week, we have the Turkey Trot 10K -- that is always a blast even if it is always flipping cold that day. Anyhoo, gotta blast -- have a great day!

Mountain Run

I really am enjoying the runs I get to go on out here. I really, really am. It's not too chilly this week, so I've gone out twice so far. Last night, I took a colleague out on a run/walk session, since she's just used to walking, but was game to speeding it up a little for a few short intervals. Tonight, I took a different direction and found a great path, but it was a little too deserted at the hour that I went, and I kinda freaked myself out since it was too far removed from anything. So I can't go that way in the evening; have to stick to the more populated paths.

This weekend I won't have a chance to post the training group run recap since we have a camping weekend with the Scouts planned. SHould be an interesting time -- notice I didn't necessarily say "fun," I said "interesting." peace out folks! enjoy the rest of the week .

7-mile group run

so, I had delusions that I would finally do a Mud Run this year, especially since I am actually trained for the distance this time. But, as usual, I procrastinated, so when I finally got around to looking at the website (Friday night), the online registration was closed, and they said there was no race-day packet pickup. So, I had to settle for the 7-mile run with my training group.

My pace leader was actually out yesterday morning since SHE was doing the mud run, but she left us in the capable legs of another pacer. Actually, they had decided to pace together before we got started, but we just hadn't met Nikki yet. We went out a slightly different route than we had done the last few weeks, so it was a little change of scenery. Still had the killer hill at the end, only this time, we saw the downhill part of it since the sun was rising on our way out and we could tell how steep it was while we were going down. All in all, it was a really nice run, even though we were booking it a little faster than we expected. We ended up covering the 7 miles in 1:15:05, for an average pace of about 10:44, so it's a little faster than the 11:00 we signed up for. If not for the hill, we probably would have come in about 10:30 -- I'm not quite strong enough to run all the way up to the top. I did go further this week than last week, which is my only goal each week as far as that hill is concerned. I'm figuring that by the end of December I'll be running up that hill like nothing.

So, that's all there is to tell about the running. I will be in Boulder through at least the week or two before Christmas, which is GREAT news for my training -- I can tell that every mile that I'm up there helps my performance while I'm here. And, professionally, it will definitely be a coup of I can make myself useful enough to be extended longer. We're still trying to figure out if we can swing getting the family up to Colorado for a winter holiday, but we're not sure yet. Certainly something to plan for, if we can make it happen. Anyhow, that's for another day -- for now, I've got a few loads of laundry to finish out and then some packing before my flight tomorrow. Cheerio!

another fast run

I only ran twice this week in Boulder, and the second run was on the hotel treadmill, because it got cold!! I walked the 200 yards from the office to the hotel and in that space of time decided to NOT try to go outside. I just didn't bring enough layers nor did I have my gloves with me. Now I know for next week to dress for January in Texas and I should be OK.

I ran the park loop again this morning -- really wanted to go longer, but since I have my 7-miler with the training group tomorrow I thought I should take it somewhat easy. I did, however, pound out a 3-miler in less than 30 minutes again, which means I'm enjoying the payoff of three and a half days at altitude. Oh yeah! And I learned that I'll be doing the weekly Boulder thing until at least mid-December, which gives me that much more time to reap the benefits. Oh, and yeah, Boulder rocks! (remind me of that when the snow actually flies, instead of just threatens like this week, and I'm crying 'cause I can't feel my face!)

Gotta blast -- gotta work for a bit here and then a con call, then pick up TDP DinoBoy from school at noon (it's a Catholic school thing -- early dismissal once a month) to go to see Madagascar 2, then the driving range. Have a GREAT Friday!

Still here, still running

so i'm in Boulder again this week, and have had a light training week so far. Since it's no longer October, I'm more focused on following the training plan Coach laid out for us and not so much worried about hitting a run every day. I think my legs are recovered for it, too. So Monday I ran two miles (the second mile with a bag containing my naked Whole Foods burrito) outside, last night was a rest day, and tonight has 3-4 miles, as does tomorrow morning before I start the day. Then on Saturday we have 7 planned, with that hill again.

So, just a quick update so you don't feel I've abandoned everything. What a night last night, huh? My brother drove in from the mountains to take me to a belated birthday dinner, so we weren't in front of the TV, but we knew who had won the minute it happened. All of a sudden, cars were honking, people on the Pearl Street Mall were whooping and hollering, and the line for free Ben & Jerry's across the street got really long! It was pretty exciting, no matter what your political bent. Gotta say it will be interesting to see how things fall out in the next few months and years.

Got a butt-early con call to get ready for here so gotta blast. Have a great Wednesday, America!

6 mile training run

We had another training group run this morning; today we went half a mile past our turnaround point last week for a total of 6. We went out a little bit faster than 11:00 pace -- in fact, we caught up to the 10-minute group at the first water stop! But it was fine, and we slowed down on the return. We had to go up that killer hill again, and it was tough going, just like last week. But I was able to power up a little further today that I did last time, and I'm thinking by the end of November I'll have that thing conquered. Especially if I keep training mid-week at altitude (and really especially if I can find some hills at altitude!). Afterward, we had a guest speaker at the running store talk to us about injuries, inflammation, bulging discs, etc., so it was a good presentation and a GREAT way to start the weekend.

Hub just took off to take Elder Child to his hockey game and then they're off to try to find some white-tail (good luck -- it's still too hot here for them to be moving around), so TDP DinoBoy and I have the afternoon to catch a move with some friends and hang out at home relaxing. We may have to hit the park, too, since the weather here, while still on the warm side for November, is too gorgeous to stay inside!

ADDED: Click the title link to get the elevation for the monster hill on the route. More than 150-foot rise in less than half a mile. Kill me now.

Halloween Treats!!

so, the last two runs have been, um, challenging for me. Spectacular and fun, yes, because the scenery and the atmosphere was so cool, but challenging in that I felt like I was slogging through mud up in Boulder. So today, I decided to run a quick three miler so that I'd meet at least three runs this week (we'll talk about the October Challenge later) and took off for the park loop.

This loop is nearly 3 miles (2.9907 by GMaps Pedometer), leaving from my house up the street to the path at the trail to the water fountain then back. It's always my goal to negative-split it, but sometimes, that no work out so good. Usually, I actually end up almost exactly the same for the out part and the back part, just because I tend to be so consistent. Today, the out part was done in 15:04, and the back part in 14:46. So, not only did I negative-split it, but I also came in at UNDER 10:00 MILES!! I'll have to check the running logs to find out how long it's been since I hit that. So, yeah, Happy Halloween indeed! I got my treat!!

And then I saw a fox

yeah, I'm loving this place. Because the weather was so nice, the team decided to leave the office early (which means a little more time working tonight, but sooo worth it!) and go to an outdoor patio cafe for dinner. I had not made the time to join the team yet, since I was fried on Monday and ran yesterday, so I really wanted to go. Half the fun (OK, probably 75% of the fun) of being on a project is getting to know all your colleagues, and I wanted to go, but I also wanted to run. So, brilliant people that we are we figured out how to have cake and eat it too, or rather, how to have my run and join the team. I ran out to meet them, then hung out while they ate and then ran back to the hotel. All told, I ran 4 miles, with a little bit of a break to chill (literally -- once the sun went down it got cold!!!) and get to know everyone. I also realized how close the shopping/eating areas are to the project offices and hotel, so I don't have to fret about hot having a car.

Oh, yeah, on the way back, while I was passing these railroad tracks, I looked down off the footbridge and saw a fox. I stopped to try to get his picture on my phone, but it was too dark. He stopped what he was doing and looked at me, then ran away. It was so cool! Like I said, I'm loving this place!!

ORN: 4 miles, 41:54 minutes. Pretty hilly course, with amazing trees and bridges and a FOX!

Mountain run

wow. I love this town. We're not even talking about the fact that there is a Noodle Company and a Wahoo Fish Taco within two miles of our office (but, hee-hee! I LOVE this place). We're not talking about the shower in the office because so many people ride their bikes in, or run or ride at lunch. We're not even talking about the Whole Foods on every freakin' corner.

We're talking about the bike paths and trails everywhere here. You see people out and about, being active and healthy. The weather has been great here (cold-ass night at the airport when I was wearing shorts off the plane from Tx notwithstanding), and it's just got a great outdoorsy vibe. So enticing - it makes me want to eat well, to go for a run, to rent or borrow a bicycle. It's great. The only problem, at least for a mildly out of shape wanna-be triathlete from sea level like me, is the lack of oxygen. Man, I thought I was going to die out there. But I know it will get easier the longer I'm out here and the more I acclimate to the altitude. But for today, I ran a route along Boulder Creek out from the hotel. 3.3 miles and I never once had to cross a street or dodge a car like I do at home. Glorious, I tell you! And although sections of it were secluded, it was so crowded with joggers, cyclists, walkers and rollerbladers that I didn't feel isolated at all.

So, yeah, I wish I could have kept working from home through the end of the year. I wish I could have been home for our birthdays yesterday. But if I have to be traveling, I gotta say, here is the place to be.

Boulder

so I'm here in Boulder, for the next few weeks. I got in really, really, really late last night, and this morning came really soon, so I haven't run today. And I won't. Instead I ordered room service and am just hanging out. I need to unwind a little after a whirlwind weekend. Too many activities and not enough down time. Not a good recipe for the long haul, especially now that I'm back on the road again. And especially now that I have a bona fide marathon training plan in place. So, a little more work here in a bit, some administrivia, and then bedtime. So that's it for me now. Gotta blast.

5 miler training run

so I went out in the dark and ran with my training group this morning. I joined the 11-minute group instead of the 10-minute group, even though my pace run last week ended up at 10:15. I decided I'd rather go a bit slower and have a good time than bust a$$ and die at every run trying to keep up. But, even though we are the 11:00 group, our leader took us out a little faster, so we ended up at about 10:30 pace. I felt great and was able to chat and stay at the front of the pack.

There was a killer hill we had to get past to get back to the starting area, and it was tough go. I was able to keep up with the group but we all pretty much had to walk the last third of it. But, from then on it was smooth sailing. I also picked up my group training shirt (that was distributed the first meeting that I missed since I was driving aimlessly around). I didn't get to stay for the guest speaker, but I did get a few snacks and chat with my pace group for a while afterward. So I know what they look like now, not just what they sounded like when we first said our names in the dark!

Busy weekend in store, with scout activities, a Halloween party, a birthday party for TDP DinoBoy, and a 9:00 PM flight to Colorado tomorrow. Oh, yeah, and somewhere in there, I've got to do laundry and vote. And maybe, hopefully, sleep. Just a little.

Autumn Run

So, we don't really have seasons in North Texas. We have summer, one perfect day in mid-October (which apparently I missed this week) and then mid-50s from then until about March, at which time it becomes summer again. We might get a two-day snap in which we get rain and sleet and generally cold blickiness, but nothing close to true seasons. Imagine how much in love I am with Boston this week, then, with these amazing trees in a billion shades between yellow and burgundy. And we're not even going to talk about the 200-year-old churches and town halls and the amazing architecture of these homes with huge front porches and expansive yards with brilliant green grass under the carpets of multi-colored leaves. Amazing. Yes, it was colder than a witch's teat yesterday, especially for me coming from 80+ degrees in Texas earlier this week, but today? Absolutely perfect.

So of course I had to ditch the hotel treadmill and hit the streets for a run after work today. We got done and I got back to the room just in time to catch the sun going down, so the out part of my run was in twilight, with the sun hitting the treetops just enough to seem to set them on fire. Once I turned around and headed back, it wasn't hard to imagine next week's trick-or-treaters bounding down the wide sidewalks in their costumes, bundled up with jackets and gloves, their breath rising like smoke from their lips. It was so storybook and vibrant, I was just enthralled. It's times like this that I am so glad to be a runner, to be able to experience the neighborhoods in the towns that I visit up close and personal, to be able to wave to the women on their evening walk, smile at the kids in their strollers and feel, if only for a while, like a part of the community. Way cool.

Gotta blast. A project pal is picking me up for dinner at some English pub in Framingham, then i've got a ridickerous early flight tomorrow AM. Peace out, folks!!

Brrr, it's cold outside!

yep, it's a tad chilly here in Boston. Kept me inside for my run yesterday morning, and then last night, we spent too much time at the hotel bar (no drinks for me, just lots of great conversation) for me to wake up on time this morning. And tonight, a late night and a late dinner means no run tonight, either. Bah.

The plan is set for tomorrow night, though. I'm meeting a friend for dinner after the day's sessions are done, but not until 7:30 or 8:00, which means I have a good hour and a half to go for a run beforehand. It will be nice, and hopefully a bit warmer. That is all!

3 mile timed run

Today was my first run with the Cowtown training group, and on the schedule was a 3-mile timed run. They said to go at an easy pace, but pick it up on the back end. So that's what I did, and ended up with 15:28 on the out segment, and 15:20 on the back end. So I did technically negative split it, but it still amazes me sometimes how consistent I can be, even when I'm not trying! It's like my body picks a pace for that day and holds me to it, no matter what.

We did decide, though, that I needed to be in the 11:00 pace group (that's why we timed today, to find our natural pace) for my training runs. It just doesn't make sense to try to get me to speed up for longer runs, so an 11:00 pace will be a better fit for me, especially as we get into more mileage.

I met a couple of nice people, including a crew who is doing the Komen 3-Day in a few weeks. It was fun to share walk stories with them. They've definitely got an advantage since they will be training together during the week, too. All in all, it was a good experience and I'm really looking forward to the next four months!

Now, I'm off to breakfast, if I can get Hub and Elder Child up out of their warm beds. Later!!

Streak: FAIL

I missed last night's run, too. See, that's why I have to do the challenge. Now that it had been broken, I didn't feel too bad (at the time) about delaying the run to fight with AT&T tech support over the high-speed installation for the house (NOTE: that was FAIL, too). I was on the phone with them for over an hour, then spent another half hour finishing the install, only to be greeted at the end with FAIL. grrr. by then it was nearly 11:30, and wayyy too late to run outside, and too late to run on the TM since it's against the wall next to the boy's bed. And, honestly, I was way tired.

But this morning, I felt dismal that I'd let another day slip by. Once the streak was gone, 30 for 31 didn't have the same drive behind it. And that sucks, because it had been going really well. Sigh. No matter. Streak or no streak, I'm back on track. I've also determined I have to do my running in the morning again, so I'm getting back to that routine. It's better that way -- I feel more energized, I feel stronger, and I make better choices about my food.

ORN: 3.6 miles; 37:31 time; 10:25 pace

Watch out, Trump!

 

So for some reason, the boys decided we needed to play Monopoly last night, and we dragged out the gameboard from the playroom closet. They didn't understand at first why we had two sets of everything, until Hub and I remembered that we'd combined two sets back in graduate school, the better to finance our 7-hour marathon games. Halfway through the game, I looked under the second board and found the little ziplock bag full of "maverick" cards and the blow-by-blow analysis of a couple of said eternal games. Most of them punished the player most ostentatious in his braggadocio about amassing large fortunes at the expense of others; some of them were designed explicitly to remove property from the most-organized among us (ahem, that would have been ME, with all multi-colored cash lined up facing the same direction and in neatly aligned rows). Digging through the "maverick" cards (really just scraps of paper with scribbles on them) and remembering all the inside jokes in them, I forgot the game at hand and was transported back to my tiny graduate apartment, where we holed up for hours at a time, all of us twenty-something wanna-be academians, and played the hell out that game. At the time, the most REAL money we ever had was when we deposited the semesterly financial aid check and went hog-wild at Snuffer's before having to pay for books and rent. And the houses we coveted were tiny little plastic boxes thaat could easily be swiped once someone had too much rum & coke and quit paying attention to the board. Life was pretty simple then, I gotta say!

ORN 10/15: 2.3 miles around the neighborhood after the Monopoly game; total time: 24:02, nearly a minute less than the same route two nights earlier. Running streak was broken Tuesday, but we're still gonna aim for 30/31

because I was already going to have a STELLAR day...

it had to get better by getting locked out of the house. And my spare key? In the lockbox on the front door (so the realtors who did a crappy job selling my house can get in and parade through people who are either unqualified to buy it or who will jerk us around pretending they're going to buy it). Yeah. Fun times.

And the first locksmith I call? $85. Um, no.

Now what?

F@$@# buyer backed out. We have no back-up at this moment. Goodbye, dream house.

The possibility of me getting a run in tonight are slim to none. Not in the state of mind that I'm in right now. Factor in that I didn't do hardly any work today because I was expecting to hear about when we would close, and I have a ton of work to catch up on.

Plus, I'm being sent to Boston next week. Fun.

Lucky 13

13 for 13. 13 runs in 13 days in October. Go me. 2.3 miles in 24:50; did the same route last week in 24:25. But today I had my old running buddy with me. I somehow convinced Elder Child to come out with me for one lap. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he got through the first lap of 1.4 miles without dying, cramping or puking. Go him. He hadn't been running with me since before his surgery, way back in the fall of 2006. It was nice to have him with me. I have to say, though, he's a hecka lot faster now as a 13 year old who stands 5'1" than as a little boy with short little legs! But the boy's got no endurance -- about the time I got warmed up he was starting to get gassed. He's used to the short bursts of activity on the ice rink, not longer runs. Maybe I'll be able to keep him out there withe me. I think he came with tonight since he was bored out of his mind from being out of school for Columbus Day.

anyhoo -- gotta run. got a few more emails to send out before I turn in for the night.

Sunday run

so a combination of too much walking yesterday and complete laziness, plus the offer of a homecooked breakfast won out over a run this morning and I slept in 'til nearly 8:00. It would have been longer except that TDP DinoBoy came in demanding breakfast, followed by the two cats doing the same. I then lazed about more, reading the paper and playing WordTwist on the iPod until it was time to fold a mountain of clothes (they had taken over the bed in the guest room until nobody had any more clean socks). Then I had a hair appointment and lunch with the boy at the sushi place before heading to the rink for open skate. Before I knew it, it was nearly 6:00 and I still hadn't gone out yet. So, there I went.

It was an OK run -- just over 10K total distance in 1:07 and change. It was hotter than I expected, and I was either fighting the wind if I headed south or was in the doldrums if I turned any other direction. It was very weird. I felt very winded a couple of times, and had to stop and walk twice because I just couldn't get my breath. But my overall pace ended up being 10:43, so maybe I was just going too fast. That, or I had too much sushi for lunch. Is there such a thing as too much sushi? I didn't think so.

Anyhoo, I'd better get used to the 6-milers. The bulk of my weekday runs on the training program are 6-milers, at least for the first two months. Then we start adding in longer tempo runs and the weekend long runs get extended too. It'll be tough, this not-being-beginner stuff, but it should be fun!

Peace out. Gotta grab a shower before I try to read to the kid or he'll kick me out of his room! Have a GREAT week!!

State Fair Photos

We had a GREAT day at the Fair today, helped out by a fantastic game by the Longhorns. Dad and Elder Child went to the game, while TDP DinoBoy and I wandered around the fairgrounds for a few hours. Photos here:

Whose idea was this again?

So you can tell I've been running in the evenings instead of getting up early since I am having a hard time with this 5:20 wake-up call. Finishing up my PB on toast before I head out for the first training run. A little nervous, but excited nonetheless. I think next week I won't stay up late with Hub watching stupid YouTube videos (but if you haven't seen the "Take on Me" literal video, you should really make time for it, esp if you're a child of the 80s!! --- this is what makes the Internet both worthwhile and yet very, very scary!)

Gotta blast!!

UPDATED: Note to self: Make sure you know exactly WHERE the running group is meeting next time.... Vaguely remembering that they were meeting in a church parking lot "near" the running store does not help... Grrr. However, I did get in a lovely half-hour run IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, as well as a driving tour of the Ridglea area's early-morning deserted streets.

Does this count as a long run?

'cause it's not just two miles!! Today's grand total run was a whopping 2.8839 miles, in 29:46, which is good enough for a 10:19 pace. I don't know what got into me today, except that it just felt really good to just get out and run. That and I had just a little bit of time -- in fact, I gotta blast and shower before I take the boy to hockey practice. Luckily, he now plays at the mall rink about two miles away, so it only takes about 10 minutes to get there. And there's a Starbucks about twenty feet away from the ice, so I can get one of their smoothies for dinner. Score!

Gotta go -- have a great Friday night!!

Guess how far I ran last night?

seriously... guess. You'll never get it. Damn, yep, you're right. 2 stinking miles. Yeah, I suck. But, I had good reasons/excuses - Hub had hockey practice, and I had just spent the larger part of the evening at Scouts, then at the FW Running Company's marathon training program orientation. Yep, this year, I'm not going it alone. I'm doing the organized runs in hopes of breaking 5:00 this time. There are a lot of first-timers, and a lot of folks who are doing the half, and they said their pace groups run from 9:00/miles to 13:00/miles. I'll be there somewhere in the middle. I don't think I'm yet fast enough again to be in the 10:00/mile group, but I'm afraid the 11:00/mile group might be too slow once I get some more mileage under me. We shall see -- I'm excited again to start this whole adventure. We start the first organized run Saturday morning at 6:15. I don't know how many of the weekday runs I'll make, but I know the Saturday morning ones will be my priority (that leaves Sundays open for cycling now that it's not 105 anymore -- wheee!!)

The only scary thing is that once I talked to the coach a little to select my plan, I kinda did myself in by looking at the beginning schedule, labeled Marathon Plan A, then asking "What's Marathon Plan B?" Right there, he asked what my base mileage is and whether this was my first time and if I had a time goal. When I answered 20ish, no and yes, he grabbed Plan A out of my hands and gave me the Intermediate plan. "You're no beginner, you can handle this," he said. "Be sure to remind me about your time goal once we get about six-eight weeks in so we can work toward that," he said. So, there you go.

Gotta run. Today is another busy day, I'm sure. A few deadlines, a ton of con calls, and oh, yeah, IT'S FRIDAY!!!

2 miles done

If this doesn't show how dedicated I am to this Run Every Day in October thing, I don't know what does. As evidenced by the post previous, today has been one big stress-kitty day. And then to top it all off, when I was about to head out the door for my run after putting the boys down (that makes it sound like I'm a vet and they're sickly old dogs -- what I meant is that I put them to bed), I walk through the living room and hubby had turned on Dexter. What!! I forgot that my in-laws have Showtime, and Sunday's episode was being re-run. Man, I was going to miss it if I went out... but, that's what DVRs were invented for, right?

So, yeah, now I have Dexter recorded on my in-laws DVR and I have to figure out when to come over here and watch it.

Sigh. Oh, well, it's late and I stink. G'night.

All I wanted was a drink...

so, we were supposed to close on the house last week. They pushed it to this past Tuesday. Then, on Monday afternoon, we hear that they submitted false information on their mortgage app and had to resubmit and go through approval again. For a very scary 24 hours there, we thought we'd have to go back on the market and go through the showing parade again. Gawd, kill me now.

Why did they just find that out less than 24 hours before closing? I don't know, but it f%$#@ us up even more, since we'd already arranged for the utilities and phone/internet (INTERNET, people!!) to be cut over. When we found out (LESS THAN 24 HOURS) before the move was supposed to happen that we had to push back to this Friday, all of a sudden we're the ones scrambling to undo all that list of stuff you're supposed to do when you move, like I don't know MAIL, PHONE, INTERNET, CABLE, WATER, ELECTRICITY... grrrrr. We thought we'd caught them all, until the internet went down last Thursday -- they apparently didn't get the "undo" order, just the original disconnect work order.

And then today, I'm standing at the kitchen sink, getting a big glass of water after lunch. I'd had a nice little frozen dinner with some cheesey rice and chicken. And some grapefruit. But I was really kinda thirsty. All I wanted was a drink. And halfway through filling my 32 oz insulated hospital mug (yes, it's almost 8 years old now and you can't read the name of the hospital anymore, but it's a damn good mug), the water just kind of trickles to a stop. And then nothing. Eff me. No water. Because we're supposed to have moved by now, the friendly folks down at our utility shut off the water. It's going to be at least tomorrow until they can get it back on. And we didn't even want to know how much it's going to cost to have it turned on for a week.

SIDEBAR: Now, I fully realize that there are folks down in the Houston/Galveston area that just got through a long stretch of two or three weeks without water and electricity, and I totally am not comparing this inconvenience to that. They definitely had it tough for way longer and had a big battle to deal with in all aspects of their lives. I get that. But the rest of the world down there was messed up too, which is no consolation, but it's somewhat understandable that this is what happens when Mother Nature gets pissed.

But, what is maddeningly frustrating with this whole situation here is that it should have never happened. And it wouldn't have happened if these people buying this house had just done what they needed to do properly. Now we're at their mercy while they get their sh!t in a pile, praying that the builder doesn't decide (what is well within their right) to pull the new house from us.

Meanwhile, we're completely in limbo here, and having to scramble to re-arrange all this, not to mention the movers, plus we're not even talking about things like transferring the Elder Child's school. If we'd moved when we were supposed to, we could have transferred him at the end of a grading period, but now they're already two weeks into it and he's having second thoughts about switching schools. Argh.

Like I said, it's a total cluster. So tonight, when I get done with work, I get to pack up a suitcase for all of us and spend the night at my mother-in-law's house (In the doll room. The scary doll room, with lots of scary dolls with scary eyes). And then hopefully tomorrow when we get the boys off to their schools I'll come home and see if the water is on and I can get a drink.

NOTE: I still plan to run tonight -- this is part of why I chose to stay in the scary doll room instead of at a hotel on the north end of town where I wouldn't be able to run outside. I'll actually get a chance to run right by my you-can-see-it-but-you-can't-move-in-yet new house. Sigh.

One day...

soon, I will run more than two miles in a day. Today was NOT that day. I did manage to eke out a 2.3238 miles run (per GMaps Pedometer) tonight after the TDP DinoBoy was in bed (with visions of Bilbo Baggins and his party of dwarves invading his little hole). It was another rough day around here, so yet again I'm glad to have the challenge to motivate me to get out and get some amount of exercise today. Otherwise, I'd have very easily just turned in after a couple of pages of the Hobbit instead of going out.

Oh, and a little fun fact: today, I ran in a long-sleeved shirt for the first time since probably March. Yee-haw!! Fall has fallen! It's entirely possible it will hit 90 at least once or twice more this year but for tonight, I'll take it. G'night, all!

2 miles

again. meant to do more, but it didn't happen. I did one mile inside on the treadmill and then decided I couldn't handle one more step on that thing. So I ran around the block for another mile. Whereupon I got locked out of the house when I got back. Let's just say that's par for the course today. No times to report today -- I kept the treadmill on 5.0 and then I didn't use the watch for the mile in the hood. Gotta go to bed now.

two, two, two miles

yeah, I know. It's supposed to be my long run day. But Hub and Elder Child were gone on their overnight trip, so it was just me and TDP DinoBoy this morning, which meant no run for me this morning. Instead we slept in, had a nice simple breakfast, and then headed back out to the school carnival for day two of booth duty. Afterward, my new sister-in-law was at my in-laws' waiting for all the guys to get back, so we headed over there to visit and catch up. I hadn't seen her since right after the wedding, and it was nice to have a little bit of time to just chat. But there went the afternoon, so no chance to go to the gym.

Later on, while the Cowboys were playing one of the ugliest games since, um, last week, I took TDP DinoBoy to the rink for a little extra ice practice, then we had to scurry over to Michael's for art supplies for a science project. By that time, it was pretty late, and I thought I'd have a chance to run outside. But, the science project needed a little constructive critique and artistic direction (in other words, I had to teach the boy how to tie the pipe cleaners together for his 3-D model of Chromium), and before I knew it, TDP DinoBoy was ready for to call it a night. We picked up a copy of The Hobbit at the carnival's book nook yesterday, and I'd promised him we'd read before bed. Just like that, it was 9:15 and too late to run outside. So, I had to hit the treadmill for the requisite 2 miles. If not for this little project of mine, I'd easily have just hung on the couch with the cats. So, it's good for a little motivation, if nothing else.

The next week is going to be crazy, but ultimately fabulous if I can survive. I'll do my best to keep posting, and it's non-negotiable that I get in a run every day, but I can't promise anything beyond that. It's getting late, so I've gotta tuck in now.

Four in a row

Got it done. Only about 2.5 miles, though, since I've got to go fetch TDP DinoBoy from grandma's house (he's not going hunting YET) so we can head out to the school carnival. Fun times, I tell ya! Don't believe that I ran 2.5 miles? Here's the proof! I woulnd't make up that crazy route on my own, I promise you!! Anyway, since I wont' be so close to this park anymore after this week (yippeee!!) I thought I'd do the park loop one more time for old time's sake.

Gotta blast. Have a great day!!

4 miles

This should have been posted yesterday. 'cause I ran it yesterday. I went out a little earlier in the evening than the night before, so it was hotter and I was slower. Just by a tad. but I still made it happen. three days in a row. woo-hee!

Mile 1: 10:53
Mile 2: 11:30
Mile 3: 11:02
Mile 4: 10:23

Sheesh, that second mile was glacial, I don't know what was up with that. And I did negative-split the thing by, what, nearly a minute?

Average pace: 10:57
Total time: 43:50

So not my best effort on that path, but not dreadful either. And I wasn't dead either like the night before. I didn't know ten seconds a mile would be so much work. Whatever, that was yesterday. Today is a new day. Which means I should get outside and hit it before the sun comes up. Supposed to be back in the upper 80s/low 90s today -- wheee!!! The boys are going bow-hunting today, supposedly, although they haven't left yet and they should have left around 4:00 am. They're burning more daylight than I am. Gotta go!!

4 miles

ick. I need to do something about my fitness level. bleagh. I ran the 4-mile out and back and it was not fun. even though the temps are nice October evening low 70s, the split times were dismal:

Mile 1: 10:35
Mile 2: 11:07
Mile 3: 10:54
Mile 4: 10:33

Total time: 43:10
Average pace: 10:47

OK, so actually, there was only one split above 11:00, so it wasn't that terrible. But if felt like hell. I *worked* for those, and I used to get times in the 9:50s when I worked that hard. Plus, it's hard to explain, but I just felt sluggish. Sigh.

Maybe running every day in October will help with this. Damn, did I just say that out loud? Eeep.

In lurve wid da kittehs

more animals

I have a mobile edition of this on my iPod touch. Perfect for the mall during ice practice. tee-hee.

2 miles

better than nothing. and, let's say, for instance, hypothetically, that I was engaged in some kind of streak goal for the month of October, a 2-mile run would be the minimum amount to count for said streak. I'm just saying. If I were to do such a thing. I've been known to do it in the past. Not saying that I'm doing it now. Out loud.

ORN: 2 miles on the treadmill; total time 22:30.

BTW, a happy, happy, happy 21-year-anniversary-of-our-first-kiss to my hubby. You still make me smile every day.

5K run

didn't do the full 4-mile out and back this morning. just didn't have it in me. My back was aching and I felt a little queasy from too much drainage from all the crap in the air right now. So I cut it short and did a 5k instead. I started to feel better by the time I rounded the corner near the house, but by then, it was almost time to wake up the boys for school, so I called it a day. It took me 20 minutes to talk myself into the run, so I count it as a bonus 5K that might not have happened on another day, if I was more convincing to myself.

Ended up the month of September with 83 miles -- a little short of the 100 I was shooting for, but more than any other month but March and May (those are the months of two or three halves each). October will be better, I'm sure, once we get all the stress and excitement of the house stuff over and done with. the countdown is on, with one more week to go before we close. We've done all the needed repairs to this house (really just maintenance we would have done this year anyway -- A/C service, weatherstripping, a couple of windows with broken seals so they fogged up) and have all the paperwork ready to roll. Now we just start the real packing and get ready for the signage and the trucks. wahoo. Like I said earlier, I'll be excited about it for real once I have the key in my hand and have locked the door behind me (the 8-foot, Texas star leaded-glass inset door! wheeeeee!!). Until then, I've got a ton of work to do to be ready to take a few days off next week, and the kids' school carnival this weekend, and, then, oh yeah, a big 8-year-old birthday party to plan. Fun times. Wouldn't have it any other way.

So, there. Gotta run and spend a few minutes with Elder Child before he hits the hay. He's having second thoughts about moving schools during the semester but I'm sure he'll find his niche once he gets there. It will be great, I'm sure. I just now have to convince him of that. Peace out folks! Have a good evening.

7.75 miles

meant it to be 8, but I took the wrong turn toward the end and ended up just under at 7.75 miles. Total time was 1:29:03, so that's slower than my last comparable run, but I was less concerned about pacing today and more about just getting a longer run in. The front of my right leg started aching about 2 miles in, and it was all I could do mentally to keep going, knowing that a few stretches would work it out (and it did work itself out soon enough, too, and is fine right now). I'm just working really hard to get the mental aspect of this down, and keep my motivation up when the results are not there, either on the scale, on how my clothes fit, or how fast I'm getting. I just keep working and still seem to be at the same starting point. It's a little discouraging, but I keep at it.

More later -- gotta go out and price window coverings for the new place -- 25 windows and no two of them the same size. We're thinking Roman shades will be what we will use for all the windows except the ones facing the front of the house -- those will be plantation shutters. But it's not going to be easy to find them all in the right sizes and without custom-ordering, hence the shopping expedition today. And we have a little more time, since our closings got pushed back to the first week of October instead of September 30. One more hiccup but we're still all systems go. So, I gotta run, but will be back later. Pinky promise.

6.5 miles the other way

so today, we had to stay in class until 5:00 (what up wid dat?), so I didn't head out to the lake until closer to 5:30. Ended up going toward Navy Pier from the hotel, then south on Lake Shore to the Shedd Aquarium and the planetarium. Just a couple of hours earlier, I'd chatted with Elder Child on the phone and he asked me if it was indeed windy in the Windy City. I had to laugh because, actually, it wasn't very windy at all yesterday. In fact, I was kinda wishing for a breeze yesterday because it was a bit hotter than I thought it would be. But today, it was a little windy today. But not until I got all the way around the planetarium, and then it was like running into a wind tunnel. Crazy. But I managed to make the back end of the run just about 8 seconds longer then the out end, so I thought that was a pretty good pace in any case. I think I like the northern route I ran yesterday a little bit better, if only because it was a little more natural and beachy, whereas there were just a lot of boats on the southern route. Whatever, both are a hecka nicer than the 'hood around my current house.**

So, I've got to try to get the afternoon-running arse out of bed early enough tomorrow to get a few miles in before class, since I'll be on a plane tomorrow night and won't have a chance to run then. It might mean that I'll miss Angel on TNT, too, which is a shame, since I just discovered that show. I sense that I'll be doing some DVD sessions soon -- it's a pretty groovy show and I'm getting pulled in right toward the end, it seems. But, I guess it will have to happen, right? And it'll be nice to see the sun coming up over the lake, too. That's all for now, I think. Time to tuck in so that I can get up and out the door in time, plus I have to pack. That travel day thing, you know.

**Oh, and in neighborhood news, Hub called me this morning and said that the cops were parked outside arresting the kid who lives next door. Said it was just like the scene in Boyz in the Hood. 7:10 in the morning, so who knows what was happening or what he was taken in for. I do know that I've caught the kid messing with the mailboxes up and down the street at least once, and when I warned him not to do it, he threw attitude at me and shrugged me off. And at least two other folks on the street have told me that he's bad news. So, yeah, I know, innocent until proven guilty and all that, but still.

6 Lake Shore miles

we got out of class a little bit early today (shhh, don't tell!), so I laced up the new kicks and headed out of the hotel toward the lake today. Did a nice out-and-back from the hotel down to Navy Pier and Olive Park, then up the Lake Shore bike trail to Lincoln Park, where a bunch of guys were sitting on park benches playing chess. Pretty cool. Lots of people out and about enjoying the mid-70s weather, and it was just a really nice run. Ended up measuring out at just under 6 miles in 1:07, but that included waiting for lights and cars at the corners on Illinois. Not a bad run at all.

Got upgraded to a suite, so I'm sitting in the living area contemplating what I want to have for dinner. Not really feeling like cleaning up to go out, especially by myself, so I'll probably just go out and bring something back in. I'm not at all freaked about running out in strange cities by myself at all hours of the day, but something about going out to a restaurant by myself I just can't do. Weird, I know, but whatevah. Gotsa run. Hopefully I'll have a chance to run around the blogosphere and be a commenting fool later tonight. Peace out!

Random updates

Went for a great 5-mile run on Saturday morning that was punctuated by a nice conversation with my new neighbor and a break to visit with my chilluns before coming home. Yep, that's right, we have gotten another buyer and have an official date set for closing and moving into our new home. Yippee! I ran over there Saturday morning just to look around a little closer -- I had been avoiding the street since we hadn't had a buyer and the possibility of the builder taking it back was just too painful to deal with. So as soon as we were set last week and had the inspection on our current home Friday, it was full speed ahead and I couldn't wait to see it again.

So I ran there and walked around the property a little. When I came out from the back yard, my new neighbor was there and he and I had a nice chat. He was in pretty much the same boat as we were, having a hard time selling his previous home, except he got saved by his in-laws purchasing his home. Bad news all the way around for existing homes, I tell you what. So, after chatting him up for a while, I let him get on with his morning and then ran back toward home. I stopped in at my in-laws to get a bottle of water and see if my boys were awake yet. They'd spent the night per usual Friday night, and I wanted to know if they were expecting me to pick them up for breakfast or if they were goingo to chow w/Grandma. They had just woken up, so I had a good hour to get home, clean up and find breakfast for myself before they were ready to be picked up. I ended up doing a total of 5 miles in 55 minutes, so it was a nice slower pace for the day. Pretty good considering there is a wicked hill coming out of our new neighborhood - I will enjoy going up that thing on every run, I tell you what!!

Yesterday, I opted for the lazy morning instead of the scheduled 9 miles. Part of that may have been influenced by the shot of Patron I had at my friend's 40th birthday Saturday night. I'm not a big drinker at all -- in fact, I can go (and have gone) years without any kind of alcohol -- but when I do drink, it's only one serving and only either champagne mimosas or good tequila. I only had one very teeny half-shot glass worth, so I don't think it was that it affected me. I think I was just lazy. So that meant that today, which is usually my rest day, instead called for 4 miles. I will try and go out again tonight for another 4-5 to make up the mileage so I can hit 100 miles for September, if not, no worries.

I'm heading to Chicago tomorrow evening for three days of training and I'm looking forward to having good fall weather up there for outdoor running along Lake Michigan. It's been a while since I've been on the road, and I'm not sure how the kids will respond to it, but since it's just a few days and then I'm home again long-term, they're actually looking forward to it. So, there you go. If I don't have a chance to update before I get out, hope y'all are enjoying the fall weather and have a great day and a great week!!

Oh, yeah

so, same route, same time of day, same shoes as yesterday.

Time: 42:23

Mile 1: 10:14
Mile 2: 11:04
Mile 3: 10:58
Mile 4: 10:06

Yep, so we negative-split the thing. And that even counted stopping for a 10-second or so regroup at the start of mile 3, just to get the head straight and talk myself into putting it out there just a little bit more. And a brief stop midway through mile 4 to talk to a little lost kitty (not interested in conversation, apparently, she ran away as soon as I got close enough).

So, yeah, I'll take it. And I've decided I'm going to keep running this route for my weekday runs to measure my progress in the next two weeks. Should be interesting to watch (at least for me - -you might be bored out of your mind by it). Gotta blast, it's Friday, after all!!

progress

we're seeing a little bit of progress. maybe it's the shoes. I got new Saucony Grid something or others the other day and ran in them for the first time this morning. Just as cool out today as it was Tuesday. Same exact route. Time today: 43:05, for an average pace of 10:46, compared to 11:08 on Tuesday. I'll take it. And we won't talk about the fact that I used to be able to do that same exact route in 39 and change. Not this year, mind you, but still.

So, there you go. New shoes, better times. Gotta love it. Happy Thursday, peeps!

4 miles

four miles. left the house at 5:30. It was downright chilly, but felt great, especially after a few days of high humidity. Total time was 44:31, so I was going at over 11:00 miles, but I don't really care. Not today. It felt good all the way through, with no residual soreness from Sunday's long run. The speed will come back, I know it. Just a matter of miles and time.

that is all for now. gotta get some work done before I have to leave the premises for yet another showing. more later, if I get a chance. have a good Tuesday.

8 miles on the schedule*

wow, been a while since I did this distance and felt so good doing it, too. Average pace ended up at just over 11:09/mile, but I'll take it. There's plenty of time to bring that down to 10 and change like it used to be. I had a couple of strong stretches, like not walking up the hill near the monastery (yes, there is a monastery in my neighborhood), and not taking the shortcut home, making sure I ran the full 8 miles on the schedule today. And ultimately, the weather here post-Ike was just short of glorious, so I couldn't bear to not be out and on the streets early enough to see the sun rise out of the clear sky. Fall is almost fallen here in North Texas, and that means lots of good mornings on the road.

*And, yes, there is a schedule again. Which means there is an event at the end of the schedule. I *really* want to do the full in Austin, but I think the hills would be too much for my knees, and I have no real hills to train on here. So instead I think I'll stick close to home and finally do the full at Cowtown. I've done the half so many times, and I think it's time to get that full medal.

There. I said it. Now I have to do it. The goals are yet to be determined, but really, the real goal is to make it happen and be ready to roll on February 28. Peace out!!

it's the only thing that helps

just a little bit. makes me feel not as bad. to just get out and run. Never mind that it was stifling hot out, even after the sun went down. But I had to go out today, even though I missed Hub's hockey game because of it, because I never made it out last night after skating and scouts and coming home and realizing just how depressed this whole stupid situation with the house is making me. I just couldn't do it. At least (I guess here is where we put in the Small Victory for the day) I didn't gorge myself on bad food as I often find myself doing in that situation. I just didn't have the mental energy to go out for a run. And I should have, because right now, it's about the only thing that makes me feel good. It's the only thing that makes sense to me right now. The stress is making itself known in every aspect of my life and I don't know how else to deal with it except to just go out and run.

ORN: 4.61 miles in 54:50. Avg pace: 11:53. In my defense, it did include stops for fixing my hair, fixing my headphones, waiting for lights, and drinking water from the fountain at the park. Yeah, right. Whatever.

The makings of a very bad day

I knew it. Buyers backed out of the contract on our house. Said their daughter has allergies and they weren't convinced we would have cleaned the place thoroughly enough to get rid of the cat hair. Never mind that we were already giving them $1K to re-do the carpet. Nope, not good enough. Did they think we were going to wipe the cats on the walls on our way out the door or something?? leave furballs in the vents? Dude, what more do you want us to do besides shampoo the carpets and have the rest of the bare floors and tile professionally cleaned? Whatever.

So now we're back to the drawing board. We had two other offers we turned down and now we're having to go back to them and say, "um, yeah, hi... please buy our house..."

F#@$ me.

And just to throw a little salt in the wound, TDP DinoBoy looked at me last night and asked earnestly, "Mom, do you think we'll move to our new house by our birthday? I want to have my party there."

F$#@# me twice.

Hot & Sweaty

ugh, hadn't been that bad in a while. Yesterday morning's run was just sticky and nasty. I had to walk a bit toward the middle of mile 4 since it was just so humid that I had a hard time keeping up my pace. But I got it done.

Today, both Hub and I were up at o-dark-thirty to finish up some deadline-related work, so no run this morning. The plan is to dress in running gear for skating and scouts this afternoon so as soon as I get home about 7:30 I can hit the road for a quick 5 miles before the boys to go to bed. That way I won't be up as late trying to cool down and unwind. That's the plan, at least. Maybe since it's been raining a little more that tonight's run won't be so hot & sweaty as yesterday's. heh. Yeah, never mind.

under 11 again

went walking yesterday morning, with Alicia. we miss our weekend walks, which was our main time to catch up with each other, so we've started them up again. it should get easier to do once the weather starts to cool down for sure. then, the rest of the day I kinda had to myself, since I met up with TDP DinoBoy's godmother so she could have him for the weekend and Hub took the Elder Child dove hunting. I spent the afternoon just hanging out and leisurely shopping for stuff for the new house.

Yeah, the new house. We *finally* got a contract, but until we actually move in, I'm not going to get too excited, especially since these people are now starting to be total a@@holes and demanding all kinds of things, many of which are unreasonable. Whatever. So I wouldn't be surprised if they back out of the deal, seriously. Just total pr!cks they're being.

Today, I ran 6.5 miles in just under 1:12, so I FINALLY made my pace back under an 11:00 mile. It was tough for a bit since it got so hot so fast -- I didn't leave until well after 7:00, and by then the sun was full up. But I felt pretty strong, and didn't walk at all, so I think I just need to force my body into remembering what it's like to run. I'm also mulling over the possibility of doing Cowtown as a full marathon in February. It's just a thought right now, but I do love the half course there, and it's always a very nicely supported run, even if the expo is a little lacking. But we shall see. For now, I'm happy just to be out and running 4-5 times a week and catching up to my yearly mileage goal instead of falling further behind like I did earlier this summer.

Gotta go -- it's getting late, and I have another action-packed week to get ready for. Peace out!!

it's 6:00 am

and I'm at the rink. have been for an hour. wheee!

I LOVE being home, can I tell ya? The BEST part? I'll be back here in about 12 hours for TDP's skating session. double-whee!

Ran yesterday -- 5 miles in just under an hour. getting faster, but just barely. Mostly, it feels good mentally to just run. And FYI, Tom Petty's greatest hits is fabulous running music!

it's not a good thing

when you turn on the car, and the car engine is on, but the dash is dark, right? like, comnpletely, totally off? Like, the little dials and gauges and the dealy that tells you how hot it is outside (um, that would be a Thermometer...) are all black? And the radio is on, but the display isn't? and you can't really drive, because you don't have any way to tell how fast you're going? And you don't know what song is playing, which is about the worst thing ever.

Crap. Guess I'll be spending the day at the Pontiac dealership tomorrow. Wheee.

still here, still running

still slow. I did the Nike Plus Human Race thingy on Sunday. I had to dust off the Nike+ receiver and tape it to the tongue of my shoe, and reclaim the iPod Nano from the boy to do it, but it was done. Very slowly. Even without the HR monitor (and, yes, I know, I probably set myself back even further by disregarding my HR for it, but I really just needed to run, y'know?) I still only managed slower than a 12:00/mile pace. Yes, it was hot, but still, that's just pathetic. I'm convinced it's the extra weight I'm carrying, and the fact that I spent the summer walking instead of running. Damn. But, hey, I participated in the biggest marketing event for Nike, so I'm still cool, right? Right?

anyway, that's it for now. just wanted to let everyone know that I hadn't drowned in my own sorrows yet. We have one more week to get a contract on our house or the builder sells our new one out from under us. Nice. We had about twelve showings over the weekend, which meant we couldn't even relax and enjoy ourselves at home since we always had to vacate the premises. A couple of them seem promising, but until we actually have something in writing, and they have decent credit, it's not worth geting our hopes up.

So, yeah, that's it. Whee.

Petty Thoughts

went for a run this morning. things just start out better when you hit the streets early, y'know? Of course, that didn't keep me from having a complete meltdown and verbally barfing on my trusty pal DK today. Something about getting a showing report that pretty much says, "We LOVED your house when we came by at 8:00 pm on a school night and measured the rooms, but we signed a contract on new construction the next day. Sorry, thanks!" that causes me to meltdown. Crazy me.

anyhoo, i also knew that I'd have to run this morning because tonight Hub and I have tickets to Tom Petty. Wahoo! We were originally going to drive down to Houston for Friday night's show since we didn't think I'd be in town during the week, but since I'm working from Casa de Skatemom these days, we traded them for tickets for the local show. Should be all kinds of fun, even with the drive to Dallas (ugh...). Might make it harder to get up in the morning for tomorrow's run, is all I'm saying...

Shoot Me Now

went running this morning, if you can call it that. very slow, because I didn't go out until after 7:00, so by the time I hit the streets, it was already in the 80s with a TON of humidity in the air. Five miles total, and because of the HR monitor and my inability to maintain a low heart rate while running, or even while walking uphill, in a total time of 1:09. I don't even want to do the math on that one (OK, I couldn't help it, I did the math: 13:48. SHOOT ME NOW). Whatever, at least I was able to pull myself out of bed this morning. Small victories and all that.

Alicia and I went for a 5-mile walk yesterday -- folks are using her neighborhood as a training route for the Komen 3-Day coming up in November, and she got nostalgic for our weekend long walks. So we fell right back into it, and finished 5 miles easy-peasy, no problem, are we done already?? It was nice to have time to catch up. Especially since weekends are going to start getting crammed soon with Scouts and hockey and all that stuff that takes up our time and fills our lives.

Anyhoo, it's Sunday, which around here means laundry day. Gotta make sure Elder Child has clean clothes for his first day of 8th grade. Jeez, louise, I have an 8th grader? Seriously, SHOOT ME NOW.

because I HATE having that post at the top

the pity party isn't over, not by any means. I'm still frustrated and upset by things that shouldn't bother me as much as they do. I think it's a general feeling of drifting, of not being in control of things, that is making me cranky and insane. On the surface, things are great, and underneath, they are still great. But for some reason (entitlement? selfishness? greed? All of the above?) I feel like I should have these other pieces fall into place as well. Is that so unreasonable? Probably it is, but those of you who know me in real life will not be surprised to hear me admit that tend to have, um, higher standards. I expect a lot of myself and of those around me. I expect to have things go my way, and when they don't go according to my well-laid-out plan, I kind of don't know how to deal. Like right now. I don't know how to deal with not being able to see visible results of all my efforts. I don't know how to deal with not being in control of the housing market, and the 72 foreclosures in my neighborhood that are driving my home's value into the sewer, of when and where my next work assignment is. I just don't like it. So does that help explain why I'm being such a grouch? Maybe, but probably not. If I were talking to myself, I'd probably tell myself to go build a bridge and get over it. Whatev.

anyhoo, I have only taken one day off this week, and that was Wednesday, when I was just so fried by things going on that I just couldn't bear going out into the hot Texas evening for a run. But besides that, I've stuck to the running, and have even fit in some flexibility and strength and balance stuff thanks to the Wii Fit pack we got last weekend. It's pretty awesome if not a bit elementary, but the kids love it, and I get some accountability with it if I don't log in and at least do a fit test every day. so it's pretty cool. I do like the way the little Mii voice says, "Measuring, measuring" at the beginning. We all walk around saying that now. I hate the balance games, since I am so uncoordinated, but the rest of the stuff seems pretty fun as we start to unlock things. I especially like the soccer game where they pelt soccer balls, cleats and pandas at you. Weird, yes, but hilarious at the same time.

so, I'm trying to get a better outlook on things and convince myself that things always end up the way they're supposed to and maybe I need to let some things go. It's not easy to do, that's for sure. But I'm trying. Really. I. Am. Wish me luck. Peace out folks for now.