unclear on the concept

**This post has NO running content whatsoever. I just had to post it, though. Sigh.**

this is what is disturbing about our country. I voted today. I don't know if you've heard, but Texas is having these primary elections on Tuesday -- they may have mentioned it in the news a time or two lately. At least that was all that was on CNN while I was at the gate last night waiting for my plane (which actually did take off on time! Wow!). Now, I highlight the word "primary" in that sentence because while I was in line waiting to vote (not really a line, only two other folks came up around me while I was signing in) not one but TWO people were puzzled, nay, dumbfounded, when the person taking the registration cards/IDs asked of them, "Which party?"

The first guy said, "Huh? Hell, I don't know, it depends on who the guy is." So... this guy is not voting a straight party ticket at the general elections. He thinks about his vote. This is a good thing. I think. When she clarified and indicated that this was a primary election and he had to choose which ballot he wanted, he said, "Oh. Hmm. Hell, I don't know. Whichever one Obama is." All righty then, that would mean you want to vote in the Democratic primary, sir.

The next lady wasn't any better. She had to have the concept of the primary explained in more detail to her. The quote of the day from her was, "But isn't this where you go to vote for the President??" It took a lot of energy to just sign my name and go to the booth, then take my "I voted early" sticker and get the hell out without crying or sighing audibly or otherwise being utterly defeated by the folks around me.

And that, my friends and neighbors, is at least partially the reason we're in this spot we're in. Yikes.

So, that's my adventure for the day. I must now go hide under the blankets in a fetal position.

many apologies

I feel like I dropped off the face of the earth this week. Not a whit of workout all week long. Feeling slow and pokey, too. Long hours at the office, combined with COLD weather this week (OK, not maybe for some of you, but for me? FRIGID!) made me very hibernatish. And there's all kinds of other things going on too that it's too early to talk about but that are taking all kinds of energy. But mostly, I'm sluggish and sad and frustrated that I haven't been making the right choices and have pretty basically stayed EXACTLY the same weight as I was about six weeks ago. Lost a few, found a few, and I end up in the same spot. Sigh.

And my wireless card is flaking out on me here at the terminal in New Jersey, so I'm kinda hacked about that right now. The good news is that I should finish my book tonight, so I can start a new one on my list on Monday's flight. Not sure what I'll read next, though, so I've got to review my lists.

Oh, and I just remembered other thing that I did that is fun and running related -- I signed up for the NYC marathon lottery! Wahoo! We'll see if I get picked this year. I hope so -- it will certainly give me a lot of motivation to train over the summer, especially if I end up here past June. So that's all I got. I'm about to reboot so I can fix my wireless card and spend the next hour or so ('cause our flight is SOOO going to be on time -- they promise! No, really!!) surfing and catching up on everyone since I've spent ZERO time reading blogs this week.

What fun!

So I finished, and it was great!! The day was (is) gorgeous, with temps in the high 30s at the start and then about 10-15 degrees warmer at the finish about two hours later. 2 hours, 14 minutes and 08 seconds later, to be exact. Yep, I cut nearly 15 minutes off my Austin time, and about three minutes off my time from the Texas half two weeks ago. Most of that was due to the great downhills on the front end of the course, and just that I know this course really well. And I was feeling GREAT mentally. I knew the hills would be a piece of cake compared to last week, so I was out to have a good time and enjoy it. And I did.

I have to say, the course was very well organized, with well-spaced and well-manned water stops and clear mile markers, most of them with folks calling out splits. There was a little hiccup at mile 4 or 5, when the water tables had run out of cups, so they were just having us take full bottles of water. I guess that was OK, at least until the bottles ran out, which hopefully they didn't. And it was more than just a little wasteful since lots of folks were barely sipping off them and then chunking them. And the cups were donated by a local brewery, but they were hard plastic and you couldn't bend them to drink on the run without them cracking open (Don't ask me how I know... luckily I had water and not Powerade at that stop). But beyond that, I have no complaints about this race. I wish the expo was larger and more permanent --it's always in a tent on a parking lot, with not a lot of vendors -- but I guess it's good for what it wants to be.

Anyhoo, we've still got a lot of stuff to do today, so I gotta run, but I wanted to give an update and post my splits before I accidentally blip them on my watch.

Mile 1: 9:52 -- All downhill!! Wheee! Great start on a wide open road
Mile 2: 9:54 -- stopped to strip off the first long-sleeved tech shirt
Mile 3: 10:09 -- Crossed 3-mile marker in <30 minutes -- Whoa!!
Mile 4: 9:47 -- Still booking it! More downhills!
Mile 5: 10:17 -- I started thinking I should see hills soon
Mile 6: 9:48 -- Nope, no hills yet
Mile 7: 10:33 -- Past halfway and still booking
Mile 8: 10:32 -- A few gradual inclines, but nothing difficult yet
Mile 9: 10:04 -- Split from the full marathoners --Good luck and God speed!!
Mile 10: 10:10 -- hmmm, I KNOW there are hills somewhere!
Mile 11: 9:55 -- Nope, no hills yet
Mile 12: 10:43 -- Found them!! I DID beat a guy pushing a baby stroller, though!
Mile 13.1: 12:17 -- I didn't ever see the mile 13 marker, but I figure I ended up with about an 11-minute mile here -- MORE hills!

So there you go! Consistency was shot to heck, but when the laps are under 10 minutes like that, I'll take them!!

Next week, I'll take the weekend off from a long run --maybe only do 5 or 6 miles one day -- and then gear up afterward to get ready for OKC. Wahoo!!

three in a row

here we go! The third half in as many weeks. The goal today is to come in under the Austin time (shouldn't be a problem as long as I hit the p-a-p before the start) and to have fun! The course does have some hills in it, but they're not as fast and furious grouped together (or at least I don't remember them being continuous like I felt the Austin ones were). And I KNOW there is nothing like that one at the back stretch at mile 10-11. So I should be fine. I'm expecting that I should be able to finish in about 2:18 or so. Anything faster would be greatness for where I am right now.

I did a couple of runs this week, one Tuesday at the Marriott Marquis gym (separate post reminder -- WOW! What a gym!) and another yesterday at my gym. Nothing spectacular about them, except that I did actually run this week, as opposed to last week, when my training consisted of nada and nil.

So I'm done with my oatmeal, I have my chip and bib on, and I'm ready to roll. If anything is causing me concern, it's that I might have washed the mojo out of my orange Longhorn visor. I've worn it for at least two full marathons, four or so halves and I can't even count how many training runs. But it was, ahem, shall we say.. "fragrant" to say the least. It had salt rings on it and was pretty disgusting. When even my boys wouldn't bring it to me off the hat rack in the hallway I knew I had a problem (the least of which is that my boys are both silly wussies afraid of some stinky sweat). So after I pulled it out of the duffel bag Sunday night after last week's trip, when it's funkiness truly could not be ignored any longer, I threw it in the washer along with the rest of the clothes and hoped for the best. I knew it couldn't get any worse. It emerged from the washer looking (and smelling!) like new. It hung on the rack to dry and it feels OK on my head right now. We shall see if its powers have been diminished or enhanced by this "clean" thing.

Enough about my hat and my routine. I'm headed out to the course now. It's a 7:30 start, but the 5K is about the half an hour later, and the 10K race starts the same time as we do. So it tends to get a little crowded at the starting area. And I want to be sure I find good parking. So, gotta run!! See you on the other side!

why is it?

that six hours of sleep in my own bed is so much more restful and rejuvenating than 8 hours of sleep in the apartment bed?

I'm home today -- busy running around to FW to get registered for the Half and various and sundry other things. More later!

Thar's Hills in them Thar Hills!

geez, louise, what a day!

While other bloggers (who I was not able to catch up with at the Expo because the RAIN, the RAIN made it miserable Saturday) were able to PR on the very hilly Austin half-marathon course, I was doing good just to get up the damn hill. Except that there was more than one hill. And even though the one very sweet, very awesome blogger that I WAS able to hook up with (!! Hi!!) was nice enough to tell me that these "hills" weren't really, I had to kindly disagree and insist that indeedy, in Suburbia South, these "rollers" were actually pretty damn close to mountains as far as I was concerned. And when you add these "hills" to a week off from running, to three of the lost pounds being found between Thursday night and Sunday morning (wha??), well, you get a so-so finish time from yours truly on the course.

I crossed the line at 2:29 on my watch. But that included an 8-minute potty break between mile 6 and 7. I didn't hit the portapotties just prior to the start like I did last week at the Texas Half, mostly because I was too busy chatting with Ellie and her hubby on Congress Ave. We had tried to hook up on Saturday, but she was still feeling rundown from various 'itises and we agreed it was best for her to rest up instead of trying to come out and visit. She found me at the 4:30 pace sign about half an hour before the gun, so we were able to talk for a bit beforehand. It was so awesome to finally get a chance to meet her in person. I was just sad that the kids and Hub hadn't had a chance to meet her too. The crowd was huge, though, and it was a good 3-4 minutes between the gun and when we actually crossed the starting mats.

The weather turned out beautifully cool and crisp, and I was pretty comfortable through the first two miles with my long-sleeved tech shirt over my short-sleeved shirt. Right after the start, as we were crossing the Congress Street bridge, I was struck, as I usually am, by how amazing it is to be a part of such a great event. Ellie and I chatted for a while, through the first three miles. There was a definite incline on the first part, and by the third mile marker, I had to beg out and let Ellie go on ahead. She was taking walk breaks every two miles, and frankly, that was about one mile too much between breaks. With the hills (or supposed hills, I'll concede), I needed that minute in between to gather my breath. But we were able to talk about dogs and swimming and all manner of other things that I can't remember until then. I wished her good luck and settled into my routine for the rest of the run.

I was a little worried about my knee and my right shin, as I hadn't really run on any kind of hills except for a twice-weekly (more or less, depending on the weather) sojourn into Central Park lately. But I held out pretty nicely, keeping to a fairly steady if not slightly slower pace than usual. Unfortunately, by about mile 4, the extra fluids I'd taken in on the way to the start were making their presence known. I passed one rest stop at mile 4, and contemplated stopping, but the 20+ people in line convinced me that I didn't really NEED to go just then. But by about two miles later, I knew I'd have to stop eventually. About the same time, we were passing a park stop, with only about 4 or 5 people in line. Score! Unfortunately, these four or five people took a total of about 8 minutes to do their thing at the park potty (real flush toilet! with TP! didn't have to use my reserve pack in my back pocket!!), so I lost a big chunk of time there. Phooey.

As soon as I got back into the race after my pit stop, I was amazed to see the mile 7 marker almost immediately. That meant I was nearly halfway there! And the knees were holding up pretty well, although the quads were starting to throb a little from having to put on the brakes on the downhills. And the top back of my right calf was a little touchy, so that by mile 8 and 9 I was taking the walk breaks to stretch as much as possible. My walk breaks were almost perfectly timed with the water stops, so I was able to take in about the right amount of water and Powerade (alternating at each stop after mile 4). I felt good, but the hills were starting to take a toll. The killer was the one at mile 10, right after we turned back toward downtown and split from the full marathoners. Dang, that was steep. It was the only hill that I walked up, and I wasn't alone. I was very glad to get to the top of that. From then on, it was just a matter of finishing strong. Which I felt I did, even though the final time doesn't really show that.

The boys had woken up and had breakfast at the hotel, then came down and were lined up on the full marathon side of the chute when I arrived. They had been cheering the full finishers, and were amazed at how fast and lean those guys were. This is only the second or third race they've been at, so it was very nice to have them cheering for me at the end. I was able to keep up with them pretty well as I was fed through the finish corrals to get my medal (purty -- must take a picture of it), finisher's shirt, and food. They had some kind of chicken noodle soup, it looked like, but I passed on that in favor of a banana and bagel. Hub thought I'd run into trouble with the hills, since I'd told him that I expected to be in at about 2:20 and it took about 10 minutes longer that when it was all said and done. I would have met that time if I hadn't stopped for the break, but, no matter. It is what it is, and it was a challenging run, and overall, a good run that I still do feel pretty good about.

Hub ended up parking a bit further away than I expected... he kept saying "It's just across the street here.. up the corner... one more block..." and then we just kept walking. It was good for me, though, as I was able to work out the kinks from all those non-hills. then, we went back to the hotel so I could get some real breakfast (I snagged the last Texas-shaped waffle before they shut down the buffet) and a shower. Then we headed home, stopping for a nice pit stop at the Czech kolache bakery in Waco on the way. By then, the stiffness had set into my legs so I ordered by two strawberry cream-cheese kolaches and ended up napping in the sunny car while the boys went in for provisions.

So, all in all, it was a good race. But what I will remember most is not the finish time, but that it was my meetup with Ellie race (and those 'hills'!), so for that I have to be thankful.

For posterity, here are my splits:

Mile 2: 21:43 -- I saw the mile 1 marker, but I must not have hit the stopwatch hard enough
Mile 3: 11:23 -- this is where I bid fare-thee-well to Ellie
Mile 4: 9:41 -- wow -- don't know where that came from!!
Mile 5: 10:16 -- like this, but there is NO consistency
Mile 6: 10:42
Mile 7A: 7:46 -- this is for the stretch before the potty break
Pit Stop: 8:29 -- Argh!
Mile 7B: 2:40 -- combined with Mile 7A, this gives me 10:26 for mile 7
Mile 8: 10:50
Mile 9: 10:33
Mile 10: 11:14
Mile 11: 11:43 -- this was the KILLER hill
Mile 12: 10:34
Mile 13: 12:15 -- a couple of last rises before turning into downtown area again
Mile .1: 1:53 -- I remembered to stop it while they were taking my chip, so it's pretty close

So, there you go. We'll see what this weekend holds in Cowtown. I do know that I'll be able to do well there, since it is pretty close to downhill, especially in comparison to this course. I also am going to do my dead-level damnedest to get out for a couple of shorter runs this week. Gotta run -- I bailed on a movie with the team tonight to get caught up on a couple of things (including this post!) but I still have some other stuff to do before I get to bed. Catch you later!!

almost headed out the door

just have to, um, pack... and wait for Hub and Elder Child to get home from 6:00 am hockey practice... and wake up TDP DinoBoy... and gas up the car... and, who the heck am I kidding?! It's going to be 10:30 before we hit the road. Sigh. but, there is good news:

Tomorrow Clear Feb 17	Hi: 72° Lo: 40°
		Day: Sunny skies. High 72F, humidity 30%. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Night: Clear skies. Low 40F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

Gotta run! I may be able to post tonight if we have teh Internets at the hotel. Otherwise, I'll see you on the other side!!

To the Dude in 10C

on last night's Delta flight:

1) please don't take your stinky PF Flyers off in such a small plane again. Ever. M'kay? Thanks.
2) the armrest? Diving line between the seats. That side = yours. This side = mine. Keep your damn pointy elbows on your side of the armrest and out of my kidneys next time. M'kay? Thanks.

3) what the hell were you eating? All I know is that halfway through the flight I was roused from an already tenuous slumber by the nastiest stale-Doritos-mixed-with-rancid-beer stench coming from your side of the armrest. Ugh. But by the time I looked over you'd wadded up the loud plastic wrapper into a little ball and I never did figure out WTF it was. I was just glad that it was gone by then.

So, yeah, that was MY Valentine's Day. How was yours?


OWN -- 35-minute aerobics on-demand workout in the apartment Tuesday morning. NOT A DAMN THING ELSE ALL WEEK! I think I got carried away with this "taper" thing. Sigh. With any luck I'll get a 3-4 miler in today and then a couple of miles tomorrow AM before we head out for Austin (and the hook-up with Ellie!! which I have to arrange more details on now! Gotta run!!)

Perfect Day

for a run, it was. Clear and crisp, but not cold. A bit of a breeze, but not really any wind. Sunshiny, but enough shade when we needed it. Good enough for a 2:17:38 finish time this morning at the Texas Half, it was. That's a couple of minutes slower than I'd expected based on my previous runs, but the course was also hella hillier than I remember. But it's all good -- I was remarkably consistent with the lap times, and my cranky knee didn't hurt at all. I did use a couple of walk breaks to stretch the calf and the front of my leg on the right side, just to ward off tightness there, but otherwise, I was good to go and felt strong all the way through. I have to be happy with it, considering I haven't run anything close to 13 miles in probably six months. And it's a good two minutes + faster than my last half-mary last February, so I'll take it.

After the race, I rushed home to shower and change so we could go out to the rink for the Elder Child's game, then we drove around and hung out for a while before dinner out. When we got home later we tucked into the den for a screening of Bridge to Terabithia (eh -- liked the book better -- the movie just made us all sad). Tomorrow holds a ton of nothing, which is awesome.

Just for posterity, here are my splits, taken from the Timex. These are inclusive of the one-minute walk breaks every ten minutes, so I'm pretty pleased with them -- used to be I was killing myself to get these splits while running nonstop. I am also fairly pleased with the consistency of the lap splits, especially when you take all the hills into consideration:

Mile 1 - 10:32:50
Mile 2 - 9:57:55
Mile 3 - 10:20:40
Mile 4 - 10:24:09
Mile 5 - 10:26:34
Mile 6 - 10:38:22
Mile 7 - 10:30:86
Mile 8 - 10:36:49
Mile 9 - 10:39:35
Mile 10-10:20:37
Mile 11- 10:53:31
Mile 12- 10:36:83
Mile 13-11:17:03 (took two walk breaks here -- second one to be sure to get fluids in at the water stop)
.1- 2:57 (um, not really, I just forgot to turn off the stopwatch until after they took my chip and gave me my hardware. Dang it)

Anyway, I placed 18th out of 37 women in my age group, so I finally broke the 50th percentile. Barely, but still. Go me. And did I mention the hardware? I'll have to post a photo of it -- it's in the shape of Texas, so you gotta love it, no? OK, *you* don't, but I surely am fond of it.

So that's it. I'll probably try to do a couple of miles tomorrow afternoon to work out any kinks, then do just a few short runs during the week to get ready for Austin, baby!!

Tagged!

by the Bat, for the 123 meme:

1) Pick up the book nearest you with at least 123 pages. (No cheating!)
2) Turn to page 123.
3) Count the first five sentences.
4) Post the next three sentences.
5) Tag five other bloggers.

Fittingly enough, the book closest to my computer right now is Dean Karnazes' first book Ultramarathon Man. Now, I like to run, but WOW. Whatever you may think of Dean (and I know a lot of hardcore ultramarathoners think he's all about the publicity stunts, but I think he's fairly awesome) you have to admit that what he puts himself through is remarkable. And if you've ever faltered when thinking maybe you should get out and do a couple of miles around the block, this book will certainly shame you into getting the run in the next time. So, here goes:

The real battle was inside my head.

Covering the last bit of distance into Foresthill, I found myself in a defensive, survival-like mode, stressing about my cramping things and dehydration, worrying about what the trail might throw at me next. The elements were beating me into submission.

I'm not going to tag anyone specifically, but if you want to play along, let me know so I can check it out!

Oh, and I kinda like that it was Dean's book I picked up for this, since I went ahead and signed up for the half tomorrow. Long runs two weeks in a row is tough, I know, but I'm going to treat it as another building block not for next weekend's half but for the OKC marathon coming up in April. Plus, I've been keeping the weekday mileage fairly low so I feel pretty well-rested. Add to the equation that I'm down another couple of pounds this week, for a total of 8 lost since I got the BodyBugg set up in late December. A little slower than I anticipated, but I'm finally starting to see results and have figured out what's a good balance of intake vs. activity. So I'm feeling good and strong and ready for a bit of a challenge this weekend. We'll see how it goes!!

where da heck are the gate agents?

it's almost time to start boarding and no "friendly" gate agents yet. This is not good. Plus it doesn't bode well for my chances for an upgrade. Sigh. At least I have a window seat.

Quick poll -- and it has to be quick because I have to act on it by tomorrow PM -- should I do a half-marathon Saturday AM just "for fun" as a warm-up to Austin next week? It would be expensive fun -- $55 in person sign-up in Dallas on Friday -- but it would put me in the running for the "Love the Half" challenge I've been meaning to do for a couple of years now. If I do Saturday's, then Austin, then Cowtown and then the Heels 'n' Hills in early May, I'd only need to find two more half before the end of May to get more schwag (Big D is in late April, and I could probably drive to Waco one weekend or another...). What think ye? I may have just talked myself into it. Gotta go -- juice is almost gone on the crappy Dell here. Peace out -- catch you later this weekend on Texas time.

11-miler

So, last night, after pulling all the hair on the front of my head off to the side in a Debbie Gibson-esque side pony tail (I drew the line at making crazy mall bangs, though -- once the side thing was done, I seriously couldn't continue with the bangs) we headed over to a friend's house around the block for Retro 80's Night. It was just past 11:00 when we got home (jeez, we're pathetic, but the Elder Child babysat for TDP DinoBoy for the first time ever, and we didn't want to leave them too long), and I decided that I just couldn't get up five and a half hours later to run. Just couldn't do it.

But TDP DinoBoy and the rest of the Scouts had to be at 9:00 AM mass, then we had pancake breakfast at the church afterward. And Hub had to take Elder Child to his hockey game at the same time. So I would have to run once we all got home. So that was the plan. I thought it might actually be better, because, you know, it would have warmed up a bit by then.... Yeah.

Holey FN Jiminy! Somehow, the first weekend of February turned into freakin' May. It was 76 degrees outside, with no clouds, when I was out finishing today's 11-miler. Let me repeat that. Seventy.Six.Degrees. WTF?? I ran an out and back, to the gym in the neighboring town south of us, so that I knew I'd have water available to refill the beltpack. I ended up finishing in a total of just over two hours, but I only have splits for the out and back. The first leg, I was headed into a fierce wind for most of it, and had to keep my head down and really push off into the wind to make any headway. That came out to 59:20 for just over 5.5 miles, for a pace of 10:47. Not too bad, once you factor in the 1 minute walking breaks at every 10 minutes. Then, I hit the lap counter so I could go into the gym, splash some water on my face and refill the water bottle. I also took a few minutes to stretch my lower back out, as I could really feel it tightening up -- I was swinging my elbows too far across my back and it was making me twist more than i shoud have. But then I hit the lap counter again and headed home.

The return trip felt easier, although the wind was now at my back and I lost the cooling effect of the breeze.

**Side Note -- DAMN -- Patriots freakin' scored a touchdown. Hate them. Grrr. Not that I want the Giants to win, either, given they beat the stuffing out of Tony R and the 'boys. But the lesser of two evils and all that...***

It felt easier, but it wasn't, apparently, since the second half of the run (same EXACT route, just backwards) took me 59:50. I really thought I was going to negative split it, but alas, it was not to be. No matter. Even with it being a good 5 seconds per mile slower, I still finished the distance I set out to do, and did it feeling strong and even throughout. And, did I mention how flipping hot it was by then? Yeah, so I'm pretty jazzed.

Not much else to report. I'm figuring out what my personal contribution is going to be for the Avon Walk -- I'm thinking I'm going to set aside a certain amount per mile covered between now and the walk date. Not sure yet.

Anyhow, gotta run -- with all the stuff going on with the boys this morning and the SuperBowl party this afternoon, I haven't had the chance to finish (or, um, start..) laundry for the boys yet. And I should try to find out what time my flight leaves tomorrow... Peace out, folks!

Ready, Set, WALK!

Here's the deal. My best friend Alicia is turning 40 this year. She wants to do something monumental to celebrate. She also felt a strong desire to do something to commemorate the too-short life of her aunt, who died from breast cancer when she was 39 years old. At dinner club a few weeks ago, as we discussed this milestone, we tossed around the idea of doing the Komen 3-Day walk or something similar. This kind of event has been something that I've had in the back of my mind to do as well, although I've been lucky enough to not have had anyone on my side of the family be affected by breast cancer.

The more we started investigating the possibility, the more exciting it became. We wanted to find something that will be memorable for us as participants, because we will be part of something bigger than us. Once we started looking around at the dates and such, we found the Avon Foundation Walk, which while similar to the Komen, has a strong focus on underserved populations, and has helped provide access to care for minority women and low-income women. This aspect of the Avon Foundation's work resonated with us, as there are so many women in our families and in our lives for whom a breast cancer diagnosis would not just be devastating physically and emotionally, but financially as well. And so, we have made the commitment.

On July 12 and 13, my friend of 20 years and I will be walking through San Francisco with thousands of other Avon Walk participants. We will walk 26.2 miles the first day, and 13.1 miles the second day. We have committed to raising at least $1,800 each, although we certainly will be trying to raise as much as possible. We will carry with us a memory list of the names of all of our friends and family (and their friends and family) who have been affected by breast cancer. We will celebrate our lives and my friend's birthday in the most life-affirming way we know how.

After I run the Oklahoma City Marathon in April, I will turn my attention to walking training to prepare for this adventure. I'll still do some swimming and cycling, as I still want to do a couple of triathlons this summer, but this will be the focus for the summer. Pretty cool, huh?

My personal webpage for donations and such through the Avon Foundation is here. It will also be on the upper right sidebar through the date of the walk. I'll also have my training schedule and such posted as the date nears.

Again, pretty cool, huh?

A Hint...

at what's to come ... Got it figured out yet?

I did NOT run last night. I meant to sit with the kitties and watch a couple of minutes of Little Man Tate when Hub went to hockey, before getting up and hitting the TM for a little. But, before I knew it, it was 11:00 PM and the boys had just gotten home. Sigh. No matter. I'm not worried about the mileage totals this year. Repeat: I am not worried about the mileage totals this year. I am only concerned with getting enough base training and the long runs in so that I can have fun at OKC in April and not get hurt. So, no matter. Anyhoo, I did a good 4 miles this morning at the gym, after sleeping until the ridiculously late hour of 8:00 AM. Never underestimate how good it feels to sleep in your own bed.

We are going to an 80s party later tonight, a party at which dressing accordingly is highly encouraged -- should be all kinds of scary fun. I have to find my Joshua Tree concert tee, pull my hair up into a side ponytail and do my bangs up mall-tasticallly. Hee-hee! Too bad I haven't seen my Kaepas and Zena jeans in years!!

Stay tuned for another hint tomorrow!!

Of Cadavers, Fridays and BIG NEWS!

So the Bat resisted posting the graphic, but instead hid this gem in her blog entry. I am not so restrained -- after all, I ain't got much else going on:

$4575.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.

I thought it would be worth more, but apparently, there were no valuations for the metal plate in the forearm, the front tooth implant (from my unfortunate faceplant back in '04), or the multiple metal dental fillings. I feel robbed.

In other news, if I can get my a$$ off the computer here, I'll hit the road for a quick 3-miler before meeting up with some of my Dallas-SMOO peeps for lunch. I'm loving the home-on-Friday thang -- I might be able to get used to this stuff.

ORN -- 3 miles around the park here soon (or, maybe after I pick up the boys -- I didn't realize how late it is and I haven't taken a shower yet...)
Thursday ORN -- 6 miles in Central Park. It WAS cold, but not bitterly so. I had running tights under my workout pants, two shirts and my vest, along with a hat and gloves. We were cool. My running partner up there kicks my butt, though, and gives me no excuses to bail on the run AND he makes me run up the hills. Bastard. But, he sherpas my water and he's an all-around Good Guy, so whattyagonnado?


ooooh, and before I forget -- there is some BIG news coming soon. We have to finalize a few details, but there is some stuff going on that's going to be AWESOME! Trust me.