Tag: Running

Ch-Ch-Changes

Monday’s run was a successful 5 miles. I was wondering how far I would make it as I left work early to go to a dermatologist appointment. The first thing that comes to mind when I have to make an appointment is scalpels. Ouch! Seriously, people, wear your sunblock and wear hats. You can never have too much. Reapply often!! Or end up like me and have to check in every 6 months. Ok, off my soap box now.

Monday’s damage was the upper sides of my ribcage. Ouch, again. So when changing and heading to the gym, I was a little concerned how the sports bra might rub. I took it easy and walked 2 minutes of every mile on the treadmill. I managed to get my average pace to 10:26. While I was running, I was watching a cheesy Hallmark channel Christmas movie. I didn’t have sound but it was fairly easy to figure out the plot. I have to admit, I do love the cheesy Christmas movies that come on every year. I haven’t watched any this year but I’m sure I will at some point.

I really had planned on hitting the gym on Tuesday to get in a few miles, but a better offer came along. What was better? I got my hair done for the first time in 2 years!!!!!! I am cheap so I have been trimming my own hair and bangs for the last few years. If you have been reading with me for a while, you have probably seen my hair color changing in most of my pics. I am a natural blonde who went brunette in March. I have these urges at least once a year. My theory is that it’s just hair, color fades and it will grow back. I think I have had every natural hair color at some point (even black) and even some unnatural ones, oops.

I saw a picture of me crossing the finish line at my half marathon in March and thought yuck, my hair is freakishly blonde. So I went dark. Since March, I have been a variety of brunette shades and auburn. In mid-September I decided it was time to be myself again. Talk about an uphill battle. The blonde regrowth was making me look like I had a receding hairline. I finally threw in the towel and called for help. So I had a late night appointment to highlight the heck out of my hair to lighten it up. I also cut it all off. Got to get my money’s worth right?

October's Half- look at those roots!!! — October’s Half- look at those roots!!!

I cannot take a decent selfie (seriously Oxford?); I look like I was punched in every one. Since I was going for a drastic change I actually wanted to do a before and after shot. However, the before selfie looked like I was stoned. The 4 after that weren’t any better, so I gave up. Today we took pictures for our Christmas cards at work, which is how I had the picture above. Not the best image as I had to crop everyone else out-

Only slightly blurry — Not quite there but a heck of a lot closer

Pony tails are next to impossible now, I haven’t quite worked out how to pull it up for running. I will cross that bridge this weekend! Until then, no worries! 🙂 I am on track for my mileage for the week, so my next run should be Saturday. Provided I am not too distracted by Doctor Who, that is. Did I mention I was a nerd? But, seriously, I will get my run in 🙂

Today was a late one at work and it started with an early oil change, so this was a planned rest day. Tomorrow will be another rest day, but not because of school. Shhh, don’t tell the teacher! I am actually meeting up with my friends for a girl’s night out, woo hoo!!!! We’ve only been trying to make it happen since my birthday… In July. 🙂

How is everyone’s weeks going?

Any big plans or races this weekend?

Random Ramblings

Tuesday was ummm, interesting. I knew work was going to be busy like it always is after a 3 day weekend. This proved true but it was actually a good day. My boss and I are planning a big December for the rest of the team, so we made the first of many shopping trips. We hit the local dollar store to pick up some things. I know it’s the dollar store but they really need to work on their customer service! As we were leaving and trying not to get run over by a woman and her cart, this guy stops us and asks how do I not have a ring on my finger. He then kept walking. Awkward!!!!! I looked at my boss, she looked at me and we busted up laughing and ran the other direction. Both in our 30’s and we could not stop laughing. I never get hit on, probably due to the perpetual “bitch face” my mother says I have. 🙂

Tuesday was also the last volleyball games of the season and also this year. I will miss the girls but I am ready for a break. After the playoff games, we finished an impressive last. Woo hoo!!! We actually played really well last night but for whatever reasons, we can never close. Volleyball nights always end up being fun, but it gets frustrating losing all the time. I will miss the socialization aspect but maybe now I can get in a run on Tuesdays. 🙂

Can I just say, Daylight savings sucks. I didn’t even notice the extra hour of sleep. But then I set my clocks back the night before. I do it the spring too, which helps because I never really feel like I lose an hour either. The darkness bites big time. I have not been able to run after work. I need to get to the gym but am having trouble following through after work. Plus with volleyball and school, its hard fitting it in. Thursdays used to be awesome because I could run in between work and school. However my gym is almost 35 miles from school. There are other gyms in the towns where work and school are but not one from my chain. I just keep telling myself that I only have 4 actual weeks of class left with 2 off in between.

No, its getting out of bed! Photo-Pinterest. — No, its getting out of bed!
Photo-Pinterest.

I ~~want~~ need to become a morning runner. But it is so hard. My bed is so very comfy and warm. The cat is purring. See, hard? I pulled it off 2 years ago for about a month and a half before bailing out. That was also before I started to commute. I have set my alarm for 4:45 and 5 AM for the last 2 weeks. I have hit snooze every time. That whole theory about having your clothes laid out and ready to go? Doesn’t work for me. Where’s a drill sergeant when you need one?

Hasn't changed :( Photo-Pinterest — Hasn’t changed 😦
Photo-Pinterest

Tonight I met a couple of people from class to work on a group project. Even at this age, group projects make me grit my teeth. I would have rather been running. Tomorrow I have class, and I have no idea what I am going to do to kill time before it. Probably homework. Maybe my next post will include some actual running!

Hopefully, everyone is having a good week!

Any tips for running in the morning? Cold mornings?

Operation Run- Race Recap

First off, thanks to everyone and the well wishes. It was a great way to go into a race!

Today I took part in the first annual Operation Run, an 8 mile run put on by Amazing Surf Adventures and their Operation Surf. I thought I had seen this run advertised last year, but I guess I made that up in my head, oops! First time races normally make me a little leery but there were no fears here. Check in was quick as no bibs were handed out. Turns out the county has restrictions on “races” that may not apply to “fun runs”. Who knew? The start finish line was in a Gymnastics center parking lot. There was also a huge American Flag on display-

The announcer was amusing with the right touch of snark. Love it! He was with Operation Surf and he handed the mike over to another man, wearing a Boston jacket from 2012! ( nerd moment). He described the course, basically an 8 mile rectangle, watch out for traffic as no roads were closed. He also mentioned that end of the race would involve zig-zagging though the parking lot? Why, because he knew that if us runners showed up for an 8 mile race, we would be very upset if it came in under 8. So true! There were 2 aid stations along the course and Grizzlies monitoring every intersection. Shirts and medals were handed out after crossing the finish line. Official race times are supposed be online soon. All in all, it was a very smoothly run race, especially considering it was the first year! And the race shirt was great, even if it ran a little small-

It was 34 degrees when I left my house this morning so I dressed in capris and a long sleeve shirt. I also had my gloves and an ear warmer. I had a bottle with Gatorade and a few candy corns for fuel. This would be my first 8 mile race, so I was trying to be prepared. It never hurts to be a little extra prepared. I got Mr. Nike going and then paused it for the National Anthem and the short walk to the start line. And then we were off! The guy in front of me and I almost plowed right into a photographer who thought it would be a good idea to take pictures from inside the crowd. No!!!

Miles 1-2.5 were a long slow incline. I was hot about .5 miles in, oops. Coming up on mile 1, I was sucker punched by Mr. Nike. His voice comes and says “mile 1” ok good so far, then “20:32 minutes”. Umm what?! Guess when I thought I had paused it, I didn’t. WTF. Well that is not the way that you want to start off a race. I had no idea what my first mile was and my average pace was just a guess from then on, based on the overall time. Plus the distance was slightly off due to that little walk to the start line. Ugh, every time Nike would give a status update, I just became irritated. But I ran on.

Mile 1-3 seemed pretty good, warm but good. I was tired but thought I had a decent pace. Had to lose the over shirt by mile 3 and didn’t want to walk so I managed to get it off while running, very awkward. 🙂 After mile 2 we were off the main road and running the back roads in between wineries. It was very pretty today, I should be used to it, seeing as I live in wine country, but today seemed prettier. The first aid station was run by ROTC members, nice!

I rounded the corner for mile 3 and I was tired. I felt like my crappy week had caught up to me. Mile 4.5 was uphill and I caved. I had to take a walk break. I was frustrated because I had run 10 miles of my half before needing a break. I walked to the top and told myself I was running the rest, and I was going to do it faster. I think the slight downhill had affected my judgment. But I kept running.

At mile 6, I was bummed that this wasn’t a 10K. I had 2 miles to go. I was tired and cranky but just kept pushing. Ran passed the Grizzlies with their great signs and kept going. Mile 7-8 was the longest mile ever, I hit the parking lot and really wanted to say screw it to the zig zag, I’m ok with 7.7. But somehow, I had enough in me for an actually speedy finish. I managed to pass up one of the people I had been pacing for that last 5 miles. Woo hoo!!! Even though Nike was all jacked up, I feel fairly confident in saying that I ran a negative split!!! How unlike me.

After filling out the finishing card, I finished 52 out of ?, and picking up my shirt and medal, I tracked down the woman I had passed. I didn’t want to wait for the times to go up, I wanted some idea of my time and I figured she finished nearest to me. She came in at 1:17:11. Seriously? Hell yeah! Now I just want to see the posted times to confirm it. Also the medal and race bag were awesome.

It was a tiring race, not course wise, mostly just me, but I felt like I pushed through it. Plus it was a well-organized race for a good cause, our veterans. There were some amputee runners out there today and I was inspired by their perseverance and bravery.

I completed the day with a good lunch and a little shopping. I then headed home for a last bit of Slacker-ness before work tomorrow. Shout out to mom and her race photography skills- Thanks!

The race photographer and I- I suck at selfies :) — The race photographer and I-
I suck at selfies 🙂

Anyone else enjoy a three day weekend?

How are we halfway through November already?

Running on Empty (almost)

Friday was rough but I made it through most of the day at work. After leaving work, I decided since those 4 days off hadn’t helped me feel better so why not try a little walk? I walk/ crawled 3 miles with my mom. That way if my stupid idea backfired, I’d have help nearby. See? Not so stupid. I know I wasn’t feeling well but man she walks fast! I had troubles keeping up. At our race next Saturday, I said I would go her pace. At this rate, I may have to run just to keep up with her walking pace!

Saturday was work and not so bad. It was a little busier than usual but that just made the day go by quicker. After work, I wandered around a few antique stores before heading to the gym with my mom. I still wasn’t feeling the greatest so I was just putting along on the treadmill when I glanced over to mom. This was only her third time at the gym so I was checking how she was doing. I thought I read the damn thing wrong; she had the incline at level 15!! I looked at her and said what the hell?! Her response was that she was training for next weekend’s race. I was like, its Valencia Peak, not Everest and we’re not even going all the way up! See what I mean? She’s going to leave me in the dust!

So with Fridays’ slow miles and then Saturdays, I managed to make my goal for Week 1 of Pile on the Miles. Granted it was a small goal to begin with but I did it!!!

One of the reasons that I put in a few miles on Friday, maybe when I shouldn’t have, is because I have a race tomorrow! And could I have signed up for a nice, quick 5K? Nope, instead it is an 8 mile run for Operation Run. Operation Run is a charity event that that Operation Surf puts on Veterans Day. I was interested in it last year but didn’t sign up, so I made sure to this year. After the past week, not sure how it will go, but it’s for an awesome cause. Check this out-

Today, I just relaxed (slept in!) and took care of some chores. I now have a clean car and freshly cleaned bathroom and closet. Though I maybe used a little too much bleach in the bathroom, I am feeling a little loopy. 🙂 I also helped my mother with a chair purchase. She now has a new “comfy chair”. Can’t wait to hear what the pops will say when he sees it.

My gear is ready for tomorrow and I am in my comfy chair, sadly or awesomely, watching Battleship for the umpteenth time. I have no idea why I like this movie so much, even I know it’s cheesy. But at least the soundtrack is helping pump me up for tomorrow!

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!

For anyone lucky enough to run the Disney Wine & Dine, I’m jealous!

Anyone else running a Veteran’s Day race?

A little unplanned rest?

So, yeah, this week has been a total mess. If my goal was to be as much of a Slacker as possible, I have succeeded. However, since that was not my goal, big fail!!!!! I have not run since Sunday. Yikes!! I swear I have this kneejerk reaction to challenges, it’s like I try to fail. It has happened twice now with both the plank challenge and the pushup challenge. As I posted before, I set myself a challenge for miles in November and the first week isn’t looking so pretty.

Monday I did not run as I was getting ready for the trip the next day. I did take my running gear with me on Tuesday, hopeful that I could get in a few miles around the area while the girls were playing their tennis match. First sign against this was the tall locked gates and fences prohibiting us from actually getting on campus, let alone to the tennis courts. Once we finally were let in, it was around the 3^rd comment from another coach there that we had to make sure to look out for “unsavories”, which made me think, umm maybe not. I sat in the van for a bit and worked on school work instead and sure enough, some kids tried a stunt until they noticed me still in it. Seriously? That was an exhausting day without running though, so maybe that was a good thing.

ok, this should have been the first clue

As for Wednesday, that was just pure Slacker-ness. I should have taken my gear with me and changed at work and then driven straight to the gym. But I did not. No, I drove all the way home with the intention of changing and then heading out. Well the road to Slacker-ness is paved with good intentions, right? Yep, day 3 with no run. 😦 Tonight was school and with the time change, I can no longer run before class. The road is too narrow to run in the dark. Ugh!!!!

A little pre- dinner road trip photo op.

I have been feeling a little under the weather the past two days but didn’t think much of it. That changed tonight when I became so ill in the class that the teacher stopped class to ask if I was ok. That was then followed by them trying to find me a ride home. The campus is about 30 miles away. Talk about embarrassing. I drove myself home but did leave early. Plans of trying to run tomorrow before work have now been scrapped. This time may be for a good reason but I feel like I have become the excuse queen this week.

I have work tomorrow and Saturday, so at this point I think I will just call this an unplanned rest week. It means I will more than likely not make the miles goal that I set for this week for the Pile on the Miles challenge. 😦 But hopefully some rest, planned or not, will just help me step it up next week and after. As for now, I am resting in my chair watching Glee.

Hope everyone else is having a good week!

Any races this weekend?