Tag: slacker

A Slow Return

I really didn’t plan on a running break this long. As of this morning, I had not run since the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. After the wonderful but calorie laden birthday dinner for my parents, I was going to try and run the next morning. I had my doctor’s appointment Wednesday morning so I had some extra time. My alarm went off; I silenced it and checked the weather- 25 degrees. Umm, no thanks. Hello winter and I rolled over and slept more.

Back to Tuesday, I had mentioned that my mother wanted a cake? Thanks to the Madonna Inn, I delivered. Sugar Rush anyone?

I also presented with the Pops with this shiny new Garmin.

Right now I honestly can’t remember what I did Wednesday night, so not sure why I didn’t try for the gym. Hmmm, oops. Thursday was school, and I have to say, I cannot wait for class to be over. This class has dragged on and on and on. Just 2 more weeks. I have a plan to submit, a presentation and a final in that time but it’s so close!!

Friday was a little crazy at work. Someone called in sick and then later in the afternoon, the system crashed. It was a short outage but was no fun while it lasted. The tree was finally delivered but it came so late that it still isn’t decorated. Bummer, but that leaves something to look forward too for next week.

photo 5 (2) — But here’s a little of my tree!

I met a friend (NikeC) after work for dinner to catch up. We ended up chatting for a few hours; I think the restaurant may have been a little irritated, oops. It was a good talk, life and running, plus good food, good times!

Today started out cold again, so I slept in a little. Then I ran some errands and ate a yummy lunch. I was trying to find an inexpensive party dress for next week’s work Christmas Party. I found one that fit the budget but I am still on the fence. I have a week anyways. And then it was after 3. I so did not feel like going to the gym. The Slacker in me was whispering “one more lazy day, maybe one last weekend, you can run on Monday”. The whispers were so very tempting. It was cold and I had rolled my ankle yesterday ( I was stepping down from a credenza onto a squishy chair wearing 3 inch heels, so in other words my own damn fault). It was a little twinge, but it needed rest right?

No!!! I changed speedy fast and was out the door. I was wearing long sleeves but forgot gloves and an ear warmer, oops. I knew I was going to be sluggish and I was. But it felt good to be out and running, cold ears and all. I ran the neighborhood, hills and all. 3.8 miles later I was done and was greeted with this cuteness-

My ankle was fine throughout the entire run, but I have felt it ever since. That twinge feels very tendon-y. hmmm. I have some Christmas shopping to get done tomorrow, and hopefully I will get in another run. Fingers crossed!

How has everyone’s weekend been?

Any Racing?

The Slacker in the Sisterhood ~

It’s Monday!! And the first one back from vacation. Note to self, never go back on a Monday. Overall it wasn’t bad, one person called in sick but we made it work. After work, we all hung out and ate pizza and decorated for Christmas. We hung so many lights, going up and down the ladder felt like a workout. There are garlands wrapped around the beams and lovely silver bells hanging down as well. Snowflakes and lights fill the windows. There is a little more to finish up tomorrow and then the tree comes on Friday!! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well as long as you don’t go outside, it was a lovely 70+ degrees today with a bright shining sun.

Today was also my mother’s birthday so I then rushed home with flowers for her. She wanted a cake…oops. Tomorrow the plan is to take her and my pops to dinner for their birthdays (his is Wednesday).

There is a decided lack of running in my schedule right now but I have chosen no to stress about it. I am calling it a rest period. I am going on day 5, let’s see how long til I get twitchy. After the last race, I was tired, so I figured a little rest won’t hurt. But it will only be a little one!!!!! I promise, help hold me accountable people!!

In brighter news, I was recently nominated for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award. Say that 5 times fast. The nomination came from the wonderful TIA and the awesome Tartan Jogger. Thanks Ladies! I won’t lie, sometimes these awards confuse me. They are amazing to get, don’t get me wrong, they sometimes bring back memories of signing yearbooks and never knowing what to write. “Have a bitchin’ summer” anyone?

So the rules are as follows (I think)- Thank the blogger who nominated you, answer some questions, nominate 10-12 other bloggers and notify them on their blogs. Easy enough right? So Q&A time-

Favorite color– Alternates between purple and grey, depends on my mood.

Favorite animal- Cats- they are self-sufficient enough for my admittedly Slacker self, and slightly anti-social like me, ha!

Favorite non-alcoholic drink– Diet Coke, seriously I’m addicted.

Facebook or Twitter– I’m still working out Twitter (17 followers, woo hoo 😦 ), so Facebook.

Favorite pattern– Ummm, help? Chevron?

Favorite number– 394, anyone know why?

Favorite Flower– Rose, is it narcissistic if that’s also my middle name?

What is your passion– Still looking for it, but when I do, I will shout it from the rooftops.

So next- my nominees in no particular order-

Don’t Blink. Just Run

I Thought they said RUM

See This Girl Run

Lucy on the Lookout

Hmmm, just noticed a lack of female bloggers I follow. I need to find more!!!! Any suggestions? I would have nominated TIA and Tartan Jogger, but someone beat me to it! 🙂

Ok, I totally admit that I am a Slacker, and I am going to do my best to notify everyone on their blogs, (yearbooks again) however, if I do not in the next 24 hours, and any of my nominees read this before I do, please don’t wait for me, enjoy your shout out!!!!! Also if you have previously been nominated just use this as confirmation that you rock.

Hope everyone had a good Monday!

Any Reindeer or Jingle Runs in the future?

The trouble with pants

Can I just say that pants and I have a love-hate relationship? I am presently on the hate side. And running capris? Well, they are the devil.

A few weeks ago, I committed a big race no-no while running the Spooner’s Cover 5 mile race. I wore something I had never ever run in. On a race day. I ran in a skirt, I didn’t even own one, I had to borrow it from my mother. (She has a ridiculous amount of running/ tennis clothes.) I had never really been interested in running in a skirt before. I know that tons of people do and I have seen some super cute ones, but in my mind, skirts were for tennis and shorts were for running. But I just could not stomach wearing capris so I figured I would try a skirt. Actually, it was pretty comfortable, I may buy myself one.

But off point, the last month or so of posts, I have mentioned some stomach discomfort. I figured I would share a bit. I have a thing, I hate words like disorder or syndrome or condition. Anyways, that thing is gastroparesis. Or at least that’s what the doc is going with now.

I have had problems for years and went to multiple doctors and nutritionists and had numerous tests done, yet very little help. No allergies to speak of and then last year, they finally came back with gastroparesis. What that means is that my stomach doesn’t like to digest food, and it does so extremely slowly. See, even my stomach is a Slacker. 🙂 So that can cause some discomfort and irritation and make running uncomfortable. It also can cause some blood sugar drops which lead to lovely dizzy spells. Woo hoo!

Back to the pants, there are times that pants just suck. In fact I own plenty of dresses for that exact reason. Ok, well some are just really cute ( and great for lazy days 🙂 ) I even have one that all my coworkers know I wear when I just refuse to wear pants. Running capris are the worst. Why are they so damn high-waisted? I have tried so many brands and types but all the same. I have tried rolling the waist band down too, no such luck. I love my Nike shorts because they sit low enough. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable just crossing my arms, which sucks because I always cross my arms.

So, verdict is that I should be a grazer, and have to moderate my carb intake among some things that I shouldn’t eat. Despite the food pictures I have posted on this blog, I really do monitor my carbs, but those pictures would be boring. I have literally had the same thing for lunch and breakfast, with slight variations, for the last 11 months. Yawn.

Anyways moving on, I have had a better year than previously but November has not been my month. Hence the whining on my posts and the very uncomfortable last 2 miles of my last race. But I see my doc next week, so I will be sure to whine to him, but this may wander back into the blog at some point, just giving you a heads up.

I have debated posting anything about this, but I figured why not? It can’t hurt and maybe something good will come out of it. Maybe someone out there has similar issues, who knows. Otherwise, my next post should have some actual running in it :).

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Any crazy AM shoppers out there?

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?

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?