Category: Slacker

Finally

Is Sunday already over? Boo. Weekends need to be 3 days long, they really do. EDIT- read this as if I posted Sunday evening- I was having internet issues- and then WordPress erased half of it- grrrr.

I finished the week out with a short 4 mile run on Sunday afternoon. I think I am finally ready for this lackadaisical approach to training to go away. Getting ready for City to the Sea starts tomorrow. I will probably stick to the 3x a week plan until mid July. By then we should be fully staffed and my hours can get a little shorter. Fingers crossed. But going forward I plan to have my runs be something of substance rather than just phoning it in. Speaking of substance, I had hoped that Sunday’s run would be between 6-8 miles but I held off too long. I headed out late afternoon when it was close to 90. Oops. I also didn’t have enough time as I had Sunday dinner to get to. Another reason I have been trying to rearrange my long run days. The run was warm but not too bad. I walked the first 10 minutes though, it took awhile to get my head and legs into it. 😬. After that I averaged a 10:30 pace which for the temp and it only being my second run in that warmth, I say is pretty good. Heat and slow pace aside, this run felt good. I was dripping in sweat by the end but smiling. It was the first run in a month where I was just happy to be running. Yay! And these might have helped too- I decided to buy another pair of 17’s. I know they are being phased out but I figured it made more sense than running in shoes that made my feet cranky. Yes, I still felt the odd little niggles but overall they felt like slippers on my feet. 😃 Truthfully, I didn’t even try them on the store, I just told them my size and paid. The Warehouse did let me know that they have about 100 in my size so I might be able to get another pair in a few months. If only I had unlimited funds and a place to store them, I would seriously stock up right now!! Orange wasn’t my first choice but it grew on me. I think I was obnoxiously bright when I ran today- In non running news- Friday was a sad day at work. My fish died!! I always greet him in the morning and my greeting turned into a shriek! I was sad and didn’t know what to do. 😢 Customers asked where he was throughout the day and we had to tell them the sad news. He had been a little under the weather for awhile but I was hoping he would pull through.

Saturday saw a family tradition when we went to see Jurassic World. I really liked it, my brother was meh about it. My mother liked it even though she made fun of parts of it too. This also meant I decimated a movie popcorn but I was ok with that. I also realized that I can no longer tolerate candy. I was on such a sugar high, I felt ill. Score one for Atkins. I also had a similar revelation to pizza last week, boo.

I am finally eager to get back to training. I really would like to break 2:00 in a half this year. In order to do that, I have to put the work in first. This also means that I am reconsidering my July race. I keep going back and forth about what to do. But that’s for another post. I may need your help. 🙂 I also misplaced my training so I am trying an app this time.

How was your weekend?

What are you training for? Do you train during the summer or just run?

Ever had a fish? How do you take care of them?!

Call it Craos

Tomorrow is Friday!!!! Woo hoo!!!

Lately, I have been so tired and stressed, I have troubles putting words together. Or maybe it’s the blonde coming through, I don’t know. But I have made my co-workers laugh so then it’s ok right? The first moment was few weeks ago when I was trying say one of their names. Instead I stumbled over all 3 of them and somehow combined them all into “Renini”. 3 names into 1 just makes things easier right? Then since we have been borrowing people from other locations while we work on hiring, we have had people who are surprised by how quickly we can go from calm to crazy busy. I was trying to say welcome to the crazy but accidentally combined it with chaos. So craos. Hmm, that one kind of works- change approved. 🙂 But today was the real winner. I noticed that 2 of my coworkers were wearing similar skirts and looked nice. I said I felt left out since I missed the skirt memo as the 3 of them were wearing skirts and I was wearing pants. They all just stared at me for a moment or two. Not only was employee 3 wearing pants but I was wearing a dress! Wow.

I have lost my mind ... Thanks Pinterest.

After Sunday’s race, I was pumped to run this week. I packed my gym bag every night and took it to work. Monday went off track though. Not only did Monday show more crazy CA weather, I hurt myself. Home town hit 105 and work town only made it to 59. That’s a 46º difference. Now work may be 45 minutes away by car but it’s actually less than 30 miles. What the frak?! Ugh, I wasn’t sure where to run. I’ve been feeling some odd left foot pain since I tried the Inspires. It hasn’t gone away with the new Riders. It doesn’t happen all the time but I have been trying to figure it out. I wasn’t sure if the new shoes started/ contributed to it or not. I had also picked up some store-bought insoles for the boots I wear most frequently, so maybe that was part of it. Monday I had the bright idea to take the left one out…but not the right one. Maybe that aggravated what happened later or it was when I lifted a heavy bag I shouldn’t have been lifting. But by the end of the day, I felt like my neck and shoulders were tingling and there was a band of pressure on the back of my head at the top of my spine. I felt off, not quite dizzy but not normal. It was odd. Between that and the heat, I decided to rest instead. Which worked out since my mother needed a ride from tennis practice as her car died on Sunday. 😦Tuesday turned into another rest day as I woke up feeling like I had pinched or pulled something in my neck. Grrr. Wednesday it felt a little better so I was hoping for a short easy run. Cue the crazy weather again. Work town was sunny but with high humidity. Then we find out that home town is under a thunder/ lightning storm warning and there was hail. Then the emergency broadcast system broke in and said that people in my home town should take cover. What?! It cleared up by the time I was off so I headed to run town hoping that the storm hadn’t moved south. The temp was nice in the low 70’s but the humidity level matched. Ugh. The air felt stale and stagnant. Kind of like the way the little remaining lake water looks. I struggled through 3.5 miles but was just glad to be out running. Today I took next week’s half day. I had been looking forward to running early but was feeling rough. I indulged in pizza last night for the first time in 3 weeks and my system was not happy with that many carbs. I decided to head home to rest a bit first. Arrived home to 94º. Don’t get me wrong, I love the warmth, I just haven’t adjusted yet. I decided to read some blogs as inspiration to get out the door, I fell asleep instead. Once I woke up, the last thing I wanted to do was run, but it’s become too easy to bail so I forced myself out the door. I knew it was going to be a slow, warm slog and I was ok with that. A little over 4 miles later and I was done. It was slow, it was rough but I was glad I had done it. 🙂

And now it sounds like the Army base up the road is playing war games and the house is shaking, so bring on more craos!! Also, I do realize that I have been freakishly tired lately and will be making a doctor’s appointment to see about that. But tomorrow is Friday, so woo hoo! I am picking up bagels on the way to thank everyone for their hard work, hopefully I don’t eat too many…that would be bad.

What do you think? Does Craos need an “h”?

How was your week? What’s your weather like?

Have any weekend plans?

Week of Woe

I have a race tomorrow. A 10K. How did that happen?

It’s not that I forgot about it, just that it somehow snuck up on me. I thought I had another few weeks. But I don’t. I feel woefully unprepared for this race. Not just because I still haven’t upped my mileage but my head is just not in the game. At all. I considered downgrading to the 5K at packet pick up today. This coming from the person who completed a 5K after a 10K with serious asthma complications. But let’s back up.

Monday– I knew I wasn’t going to be running after work but it was odd not taking my gym bag. I had a meeting after work about a fall race so the evening was still spent talking about running. 🙂 Of course, as I was driving home I was jealous of all the people out running. Tuesday– Headed out after work for an easy run. My legs felt like lead. I tried out a new interval setting for my runs. I always take a walk break at some point each mile so I decided to try 4:30 run/ :30 walk intervals. I was curious to see how I felt. My easy runs never seem to feel that easy, so I was curious if this would help. I didn’t really notice a difference. I ran 3.5 miles with an average pace of 10:14. Which would have been fine if the splits hadn’t looked like this- 11:40, 9:51, 9:30. Wednesday– National Running Day! I was planning on running anyways but by days end I really needed to run. For the past month, I feel like I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don’t have to wait anymore, it drop kicked me. But it happened, so now I can build from here and move on. I made it through the day and headed to the lake for an easy 5K. 11:44, 10:17, 9:27. All over the place but pace wasn’t the goal, quiet thoughts were. I also stopped along the way to visit with lake cat. 🙂Thursday– I really had planned on running. The weather was odd all day and just kept getting grey-er and grey-er. The wind had increased as well. I changed into my running clothes and headed north, hoping to drive out of the grey. An upside to commuting is that I have multiple locations along the way to run. The sun came out a bit along the way but the wind increased. By the time I hit home town, the wind was 20+ mph and my head was not mentally wiling to do that. Rest day instead.

Friday– National Donut Day! My boss was nice enough to pick up donuts on her way in and you better believe I partook. I had 2. 🙂 Both were equally amazing. I had planned for the 2 all week, and my carb choices were on point all week, so I had zero guilt with either donut. Plus, don’t donuts have magical healing powers? And as an added bonus, I got to leave work shortly after 5, so it was only a 10 hour day. Woo hoo!Today- Instead of running, I headed down to SLO to pick up my packet for the race tomorrow. I had received an email that said this was their largest year yet with well over 500 runners and I knew that race morning could be more than chaotic. Parking!!! Packets could be picked up early at Left Lane Sports in SLO, so I decided it was worth the drive down. Plus, I’ll never turn down Firestone for lunch. 🙂 I returned home in time to make my hair appointment. I loved the cut I got in February but it had grown a little too long, so it needed to be chopped. I tried to take a before and after picture but I am crap at selfies. 🙂

Which brings me to tomorrow’s race. Honestly my head has been elsewhere all week. 6 miles seems so very far. My only goals are to finish and have fun. I ran this race 2 years ago, so I know it is lots of loops and turns throughout the vineyard. I am probably going to wear my trail shoes. It also has a start time of 8:00 and is quite a drive from home, so it will be an early morning. I am hoping it won’t be too cold. This has been the oddest May/ June weather.

Who raced today? Racing Sunday?

Advice for when your pride gets punched?

Did you indulge in donut day? How was your week?

May Miles

And just like that, May is moving on. In one way I am not ready for the year to be halfway over (almost) but I am ready for June. A new month and a clean slate. 🙂 So without further ado, here’s May-

Miles- 53.7

Races- Bands on the Run 10K

My SmashRun tells me that I ran 12 days and rested on 19. Hmm, a little uneven. So May was not my best month but I’ve already alluded to that on numerous posts so let’s just move on. 🙂 I made it out for 3 runs last week, so I am holding consistent there at least. Wednesday was a bit sad and I only ran 2.25 miles. My stomach was a big butt head at the beginning of last week so I got a late start. I wasted a perfectly good non work day on Monday by not running. I love running on holidays but I just wasn’t up to it. Thursday, I got out for a decent 4 miles followed by a .6 mile cool down. While the pace was decent, it felt hard. That could have been partly due the temperature warm up we had late this week. While the mid 70’s felt awesome, it’s been over a month since I ran in those temps. But I was so glad to warm, I didn’t even mind that it felt hard. 🙂Then Saturday’s run was in the mid 80’s. It started as a slow run, turned into a jog and then became a walk. I had planned on doing the usual run/ walk I sometimes do with my mother but 2.5 miles in I was just walking with her. It was warm and my left leg was feeling off so I decided that walking was just fine. Truthfully, my left foot and leg have felt a little off since I tried to break in those Inspires. Hmmm, I am telling myself that it is mostly in my head and just to take it easy. I still have 2 weeks before I start training for my fall half’s, so this is the best time to figure out what is making it cranky.

I feel like I should have run more on Saturday as I ate way too much movie popcorn that night. We went and saw San Andreas. I admit that I have an odd fascination for earthquakes. One of my favorite subjects in college was Geology and I briefly considered taking it further. The movie was essentially a Syfy movie but since it had the Rock, it made it to the big screen. I thought it was pretty good. My mom and S laughed multiple times throughout it though. I have to admit it got a little surreal when we decided to walk across the park after the movie to get some frozen yogurt. Part of downtown was leveled by an earthquake 12 years ago and seeing the new buildings after the leaving the movie brought a lot of that back. The town suffered heavy damage and loss and it took a long time to rebuild. It brought reality back into some of the far fetched scenes in the movie.

I planned on getting in a few miles today but ended up taking a nap instead. I really got to stop doing that! 🙂 But I did do a bit of unplanned shopping and picked up some new shirts to run in. I’ve started running in my Lululemon shorts and they are a little more form-fitting than my other stuff. Apparently I feel the need to compensate with looser shirts. 🙂 Plus, I’ve worn the same shirt just in various colors for the past 2 years, it’s time to branch out. Just like I decided that saving the Lulu for a special day was kind of silly, they are super comfy.

So, onto June and getting back on track! I already know I am not running tomorrow but I am doing something running related. But more on that later. 🙂 Oh and in May I was nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by MostlyHealthyLiving so that will be my next post. 🙂 Thank you! You should go check her out!

How was your May? Goals for June?

Shirts with words/ sayings- yay or nay?

What movie are you looking forward to?

Mid Week Musings

On a Thursday, a day late and a dollar short. That’s how I roll. 🙂 I got distracted last night watching a movie and didn’t finish.

Running-

As much as I want to get back to running 4x a week, I have held steady with running 3x. Which is putting me around 15 miles a week. I guess the entire month of May is going to be a recovery/ rest month? I made it out for 2 weekday runs last week. A 3.5 mile run and a 5 miler. Both were run around a 9:45 pace after my warm up. Not too shabby. Once again both runs were cold and windy. Grrrrrr. I haven’t run long since the SLO half. 6 is as high as I have gone. I miss the long run. I’ve ~~finally~~ mostly accepted May for what it is. However if I am running a half marathon in July, I really need to get back on track in June. I am going to hold off on registering just yet. The 10K might be the better fit right now. Which leads me to-

Work-

I am halfway through week 2 of the whole open to close thing. Monday through Friday only means an extra 45 minutes or so. Fridays hit 11 hours. I admit I am a little tired. I have been making myself go to sleep earlier and it helps a bit. The sad part is that earlier is still 11:15. 😦 But win for not upping my soda intake!! So, this is part of why I am ok with fewer miles right now. Don’t get me wrong, the numbers geek in me is crying but it’s just a small part. The surprising part is how stupidly positive I have felt. Being down 50% of the staff should freak me out but somehow I’m not alarmed. Yes, things are going to be rougher than normal for a month or so but it will all work out in the end. Who am I? Maybe that silly song is bleeding into other aspects of my life. Nothing-

This past Sunday, I planned on doing absolutely nothing. Not even running. Now, I’ve managed to run 1 weekend day each week so far in May but I planned to run both days. Not following through on those days I missed made me feel guilty and that stressed me out. So this Sunday I planned nothing. It was so awesome. I wasn’t stressed about missing miles or running around doing errands. I slept in, lazed around, worked on my bib scrapbook and started one of my Harry Potter swap crafts. Marvelous.

Stomach-

This little flare up hits a year on June 1st. Can it still be considered a flare if it lasts a year? Or is it just life at that point. I am still struggling with the Atkins diet, I think it helps but I need to work on consistency. While I feel like I am staying fairly calm with all the work stuff, I admit there has been some stress eating going on. Bad slacker! The weekend was not a great one for my stomach, even at the race. Oh well, moving on.

See? Burger is diet approved- fries not so much.

On the upside, the week is halfway over! *edit- Mostly over!! The wind is dying down and the temperature is finally warming up- woo hoo!!!! I am very excited to see temps in the 70’s and 80’s. And American Ninja Warrior is back!! It’s so nerdy how much I love that show. 🙂

Oh and if you are training for and running a fall marathon, head over to Hanna’s page and check out her fall marathon blog roll! It’s awesome. It almost makes me want to run a marathon just so I can join all the cool people. Almost. 🙂 I’ll stick to my 2 half’s this fall.

How was your week?

What’s your tv guilty pleasure?

Anyone racing this weekend?