Day 54

Today's post is being brought to you by baddies. :-( I woke up this morning and weighed, like I always do, and was up a pound. Obviously after eating a big delicious dinner the night before, the number is not likely to drop - so I wasn't surprised, but the disappointment still set in. Bring on the baddies!

With our long run tomorrow, Andy and I had a running rest day, but still wanted to do something active. The weather was perfect so we headed to Alki Beach. We started our day at the beach with a stop at Tully's (I used to be a Tully's barista). I had a delicious latte and chocolate dipped biscotti (baddie number 1). Then it was time to get our fitness on.

Wheel Fun... hardy har har

What better way to cross train than riding bikes? Ok, swimming would be good too, but Puget Sound is pretty cold. Of course, we could have rented normal looking bikes, but why do that when you can get one of these...

Deuce Coupe

With the power of our biking skills combined we were flying! We definitely covered several miles on that thing, and the view the entire time was pretty awesome.

View of Downtown Seattle from Alki Beach

We worked up an appetite while biking, so we decided to hit this little Mexican restaurant on the beach.

Chips and salsa by the beach...excellent

The menu featured Yucatan-style Mexican food and everything looked really interesting, but the second I laid eyes on the stacked butternut squash enchilada, I was sold.

More (delicious) baddies

It wouldn't be a trip to the beach without an ice cream cone, so that happened too (baddie number 3). But all baddies aside, I had a lot of fun on our trip to Alki. It was a great way to spend a vacation day!

At night, Andy and I were off again, this time to Bellevue for a surprise pre-wedding dinner for Nicole. Turns out she knew all along! We had dinner at this really cool restaurant/wine bar and even had our own little alcove in the restaurant. It was the perfect way to spend time catching up with Nicole. And of course it didn't hurt that these bad boys were on the menu...

Little peanut butter donuts with jam dipping sauce

It was a lucky thing that I stopped eating for two seconds to even take a picture. Those little guys were deeeelicious! And by now I've completely lost track of all of the day's baddies.

Nichi-san and Barbie-san

Nicole looked so beautiful! I, on the other hand, was cursed with lack of packing foresight. At least I'm in Washington where anything goes!

Tomorrow morning is my long run - I'm scheduled to do 13.1 (half marathon) while Andy plans to do 15 (he wasn't able to do it last weekend because he was in New Mexico - with the heat, I'm not sure it's even safe to run more than 15 minutes there). We are going to go back to Green Lake. I'm going to know that path like the back of my hand by the time I finish tomorrow. I will admit, I'm very nervous about how I will feel during the long run because I certainly did not eat well at all today. While I'm sitting here typing this feeling very full and tired... well... I just wish I could sleep in and not run at all. Hopefully next week I will take better care of myself before the long run. Let this be a lesson future self!!

Day 53

I've been back home in Washington for a full week now and the time is flying by. :-( I'm not ready to leave, and I'm reeeally not ready to go back to work. Knowing these last days will go by quickly, I've been thinking about what I need to do/where I want to still go before I leave. More on that soon.

This morning Andy and I ran again - that makes three days in a row, something neither of us really ever want to do (although I must say it is much easier to do when you're on vacation and don't have to go to work afterwards). Anyway, I didn't really feel like going, we briefly talked about doing it on Friday instead, then sucked it up and headed out to get it over with. I thought - eh, I'll just take it easy... at least I got out the door to do it. But then... Just like yesterday I ended up going faster than originally planned. And then I decided I would really try to push it. I gave it about 95% and I was super proud of my results.

9:17 Pace! Fastest run during training (so far)

For lunch we hit one of my "must visit before I leave" places... TACO TIME! Yes friends, Taco Time is a fast food joint, but it is more like a Mexican version of Panera rather than a Taco Bell. I love it there! "Being Green" is huge in Washington and I had to sort of laugh when I went to throw our things away once we finished eating.

World's smallest garbage can

Do you see the garbage can on the counter?? Hysterical! We were actually able to put all of our "trash" into the compost deposit except for my plastic spoon. Our apartment building doesn't even offer recycling!

After lunch we took a trip to Nordstrom Rack *angels sing* which is Nordstrom's version of a TJ Maxx or Marshalls, only five times better because everything in there was once at a real Nordstrom. Why oh why are there not Nordstrom stores everywhere? I'd probably have to ask for another raise if there were...

The rest of the evening was spent at Nicole and Matt's rehearsal and rehearsal dinner! It was SO great to see Nicole again - I haven't seen her since Christmas! She looked super beautiful and happy.  :-) The rehearsal was actually fun (I liked the officiant a lot) and the food at dinner was very tasty. I ate way more than I should have, but I just couldn't stop! I'd like to say I'll make up for the splurge tomorrow, but it's a rest day, and with my long run the day after that, I need to make sure I fuel properly to make it through. The weight loss effort might be put on hold for this weekend. Hopefully I can just stay the same!

Psst, Nicole... there's a weirdo behind you! Oh wait... lol

Total Miles Run: 158.44
Total Weight Change: -6.4

 

Day 52

Perhaps it was because we were out late at the casino last night, or maybe it was because yesterday's run was a little hilly, but my body and legs felt extra tired today. I decided to return to the flatter section of the Soos Creek Trail and intended to take it slow. Well, the weather was nice and cool, then the runners high kicked in, and then I decided I would try to keep up with Andy and/or pass this older guy that was running in front of us. I never caught him, and Andy left me in the dust too, but I still did a great job by my standards. 4 miles - 9:26 pace. Oh yeah!

I had to go to the bank, which happens to be conveniently located next to REI. It didn't take long before I saw this!

Peanut Butter?!?! YES!

It was purchased immediately, along with several other interesting looking flavors: mint chocolate, chocolate raspberry, chocolate cherry, vanilla... (sweet tooth? nahhh). This tasting party is going to be on like Donkey Kong!

By the time we finished at REI it was long passed time for lunch, so we went to a little "Carribean shack" called Paseo that Andy's friend recommeneded.

It wasn't much to look at...

Paseo in Fremont

...but the food was good!

Good and messy!

Fueled up, we were off to the Evergreen State Fair. I'd actually never been to it before (my family typically goes to a much larger one each year), but I was thrilled when they had Fischer Scones! These are a NW favorite and since I haven't been able to go to the fair since I moved out east, I haven't had one in SIX years.

mmmmmmmm

The fair was small but still had everything you'd hope to experience - weird animals, weird people, and weird food.

We're weird too

Tomorrow we'll run again, and then Nicole's wedding festivities begin!

Total Miles Run: 154.44
Total Weight Change: -5.8

Day 51

I was back out and running this morning... only two days after my 15 miler and I felt pretty much normal. My quads felt heavy at first, but they loosened up within a couple minutes. I am so so surprised at how well I am able to function - I remember after my first half marathon I tried to run a few days later... I barely made it 3 miles and felt crippled the whole time. Not anymore.

Now that Andy is here we got to run together again, so we headed back to my favorite trail (although this time we ran a different section of it). This section had some hills in it, including one gnarly one.

Can you see him? He's already at the top!

Andy eats hills for breakfast. I took it slower - didn't want to get dizzy - but still averaged a very respectable pace (9:42). Overall it was a good run. Also! I wore my new shoes for the first time running. I know I got them a month ago, but I've been slowly breaking them in. I felt like I was running on little clouds. I love new shoes.

Once we were cleaned up, Andy and I headed off for a day at the zoo. The sun was shining and the temperature was on the cool side, so the animals were out and about. The kids were also out and about (yuck). We have a good zoo in Seattle, so it was a day well spent.

Penguin friend

After my parents got home form work we went to... wait for it... wait for it.... another casino! This one was up in the mountains, so the scenery was nice.

Mt. Si (I hiked it a few years ago)

My mom was a lucky little devil and I didn't do too bad myself. :)

Total Miles Run: 150.44
Total Weight Change: -5.8

Day 50

I woke up this morning and surprisingly felt pretty good. I was sore for sure, but just an overall feeling - nothing specifically hurt more than anything else. Knees felt fine, back felt fine. I'm shocked and super thankful.

I was stranded without a car for the first part of the day, so I was pretty bored. I walked to the store to buy postcards, then bothered Rebecca by calling her about five times. Andy arrived this afternoon, but was pretty tired, so while he took a nap my dad took me to get a rental car.

With my new found freedom I headed off to go tanning. Since I'd like to have a little color for Nicole's wedding, I bought a bottle of the most ridiculous lotion known to man. I've seen lotions before that promise to tan you ten times faster, or ones that claim to reduce wrinkles, but this one topped the cake. Not only will this lotion make me very tan and smell good, it will also make me super happy because it is infused with endorphins that will seep into my skin and boost my mood. You have got to be kidding me. You know what that lotion really did? It gave me hives. Not cool.

The big outing for the day was a trip to Carpenito's, our local open-air market that I really love.

Carpenito's

We stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies, and also saw the biggest sweet potatoes and yams ever. EVER.

It's the size of my head!

We took advatange of the nice weather and our fresh produce and barbequed a really good dinner. That's about it. A very lazy day. Running is on the schedule tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it because it will be a good excuse to get out and move! I can't sit for another day straight!

Day 49

My 15 mile run was on the schedule for today and I did it! I was definitely nervous but I have to say, all in all I did a pretty good job of staying calm (mentally). It was one of those things where I just thought, well I have to do this, so why freak out? My stomach, on the other hand, did not stay calm. I definitely made three trips to the bathroom before I got started. I can't even imagine what race day will be like....

Ready to run

Western Washington isn't exactly flat, so I had to be creative in coming up with a place to run. I decided to do my entire run around Green Lake. Green Lake is about a 45 minute drive from my parents' house, and is also only about 2.8 miles around - yes... I ran around it 5+ times. Green Lake is an incredibly popular place - people walk their dogs, run, bike, skateboard, roller blade... but there was another surprise event going on when we got there. A regatta!

Regatta at Green Lake

I thought it would be fun to watch the boats while running around and around, but I never really had a chance. There were too many pedestrians to try to weave in and out of. It was honestly quite annoying, but I suppose there will be 30,000 people running the MCM so I better get used to it... although at least all of those people will be running in the same direction rather than walking with a double-wide stroller talking on their cell phone while their yippy little dog is stretched across the path at the end of its leash. Aaaanyway...

I struggled to find a steady pace at first, but eventually found my rhythm. My mom had a backpack full of water bottles, so I was able to stop and get more water after each lap. Yes, it means I stopped four times, but they were short stops, and I think it is obvious by now that I will not be running straight through without stopping a couple of times. But when I stop, I stop. And I don't start counting milage again until I'm running. So far, no walking... although I don't think that would be such a bad thing either. Ok, back to my run... 

I had a gel pack (Cliff Vanilla - best flavor yet) at 5.5 miles, and felt pretty good until about 8.5 miles... then I started to get that hazy feel in my brain, which I've struggled with in the past. That made me really nervous. I stopped listening to my iPod and really just tried to focus on my body and what was going on around me. It helped for sure. I actually didn't end up putting my headphones in until the last two miles. I had another gel at 10 miles (Cliff Mocha) that had caffeine in it. I don't know if it was the caffeine or passing my Dad (he was walking around the lake), but something gave me a boost. 

10 miles down!

Mile 11 felt tough, but miles 10 and 11 have always felt like my toughest miles during all of my half marathons, so it was probably just mental. When my watch finally read 13.11 I did a fist pump in the air because I was so excited to have passed the half marathon point. Every step after that was the furthest I'd ever been. My pace for the final mile was definitely slower... I couldn't seem to get it faster, but I also wasn't trying to kill myself either. Needless to say, I was totally thrilled when I reached the end. 

I'm psyched! The people behind me think I'm crazy, haha.

Check out those stats!

My goal was to run a 10:30 pace. I'd say I did a pretty good job. :-)

Pretty much as soon as I stopped I realized how much my back hurt. We're talking my entire back... all across my shoulders and clear down into my tailbone. I noticed it was feeling stiff and sore around 9 miles, but wow. I've never been so uncomfortable in that area before. My legs felt pretty good though - a little pain in my left knee, but that's probably normal. After we got in the car, we made a quick stop to Starbucks for my chocolate milk. Sweet sweet recovery. 

Once we were home, I had a much needed shower. My sports bra didn't chafe this time (I wore a different one) but my underwear tag did. I'll figure this out eventually... Then I had an awesome date with the couch for awhile, but I was not a bum all day long. My mom and I spent the afternoon at Ikea! When I go back to work I will be moving offices. I told her I wanted my office to look "clean, modern, and creative" and she helped me pick out some good decorations/organizational thingys. I love Ikea. Especially since they have frozen yogurt that is only 110 calories. Hell yes I had some!

And now I'm off to bed. I imagine I will sleep pretty darn well tonight. Then Andy flies in tomorrow afternoon! Yay!!!

Total Miles Run: 146.41

Total Weight Change: -5.0

Day 48

First full day in Washington, and boy was it a looooong one. Of course, it didn't help that I woke up before dawn (stipid time change). From the time my parents and I left the house to the time we got back, we were on the move for a solid 12 hours. Here's the run down on what we got accomplished.

First I went tanning - a must since I am feeling pretty pale and Nicole's wedding is only a week away. Then it was off to the local running store to pick up some gel packs for my long run tomorrow. Friends SERIOUSLY... when are we having a gel tasting party? There are too many flavors to choose from! With that out of the way we were off to the mall for "Operation Bridesmaid." I got silver sparkly heels, pretty earrings and a bracelet, a silvery pashmina thingy in case it gets chilly, and my first pair of spanx. Those are an experience to put on - I'm pretty sure I will not be going to the bathroom at all that day because once they're on - that's it.

Before I flew out here, I did a little research online and discovered a Lululemon Outlet up north near Canada. Well it just so happens that Lisa was very sweet and gave me a gift card for Mitten-sitting while she was away. That sucker was burning a hole in my pocket - roadtrip!

View of Mount Baker on the drive to Burlington

Traffic actually exists in Washington so it took kind of a long time to get there, but it was worth it!

*Angels Sing*

After much deliberation and a text consultation with Sarah ;-) I am now the proud owner of a new running jacket!!! It is actually cold enough here in the mornings that it will probably get used in the very near future. What better to do after shopping at the Lulu Outlet than to go whale watching?

Majestic Creatures

Just kidding! Those are fake whales out in front of the Tulalip Casino. I mean... if we're up north of the city... you KNOW we are making a trip to the casino. My mom and I played "The Ladies" (it has a real name but I don't know what it is) and I won!

I am winning $19 and doing an "I'm winning" dance

Of course after playing The Ladies a little longer and then moving to the roulette table, well... I gave my donation to the Reservation if you know what I mean. We did end up eating dinner there - casino buffet - and I must report that I was so proud of myself. Even though there were a ton of things I wanted to try, I stuck to my standard "pre long run" dinner and had salad, pasta with chicken and marinara, a roll, and a scoop of sugar free vanilla ice cream. I love having an excuse to eat carbs!

Tomorrow morning I am running 15 miles....... 15..... One Five..... It's the farthest I will ever have run by almost 2 miles... that's a lot.... I'm nervous.... but trying not to think about it....

Wish me luck!

Day 47

Greetings from the West Coast! After three hours of sleep (ugh) I was on my way to start my journey across the continent. Thank you Lisa for taking me to the airport at such an early hour. :-) My flights were fine enough - but from door to door, the trip took 9 hours. Thanks to the time change, it was only lunchtime when I got in... this day has felt like one of the longest days ever.

View of Mount Rainier from the plane

My Mom picked me up from the airport and we were off! Lunch and shopping, woohoo!! I'm sad to say I had to cut our shopping trip short because I was just so tired. We headed home and I took a little nap. Then I did what I've been afraid to do for months... I tried on my bridesmaid dress. IT FIT! It's a little on the long side so I'll have to get some super high heels, and it's rather reveling up top, but man am I relieved that I am not stuffed into it sausage-style.

I planned to run four miles today - of course when I planned my schedule for the week, I didn't realize how tired I would be. I ended up running at 6pm, so it really felt like 9pm... yikes. But I got to head to my favorite trail and that was enough to give me the energy boost I needed. I averaged a 9:34 pace. Oh yeah!

Soos Creek Trail

After a mile you get a nice view of Mount Rainier

Post-run, my parents and I had dinner at Mongolian Grill (mmm) and then... then... I made them watch the first episode of Downton Abbey! haha

One last thing before I head to bed, I just have to say CONGRATULATIONS TO ANNA AND BIPUL!!!! I knew it was coming but it was just so exciting to find out that they are officially engaged. Yay! :-)

Eeeeeee!!!!!

Total Miles Run: 131.38
Total Weight Change: -2.9

Day 46

Today was a much better day. I suppose the bonus of having a meltdown is that there's no where to go but up! Plus I didn't have to go to work, so... you know.

My day started bright and early, which was not so great since I stayed up SUPER late watching Downton Abbey. So after about four hours of sleep, I was out the door for a morning run with Alyssa. I love running with Alyssa. The two of us have covered hundreds of miles together - that makes for a special friendship... we've shared a lot during those miles. :) We started a little late so we did a nice 3 mile route. Then I hustled into the club for my Spinyasa date with Katie, Anna, and Lisa. How lucky am I? It's not everyday you get to see four of your favorite people before breakfast!

Morning Spinyasa Date!

After Spinyasa, Katie joined me for one more mile - my training program called for four miles and I was determined to get them all done. Thanks for running with me Katie!

I spent the rest of the day taking a nap (that obviously had to happen) and trying to prepare for my trip home - cleaning, laundry, a little shopping. Then I was off to Zumba! I know I know, I had already exercised enough for one day, but it was the last class I'll be able to go to for awhile. Plus, if I got to see 4 of my favorite people in one day, I might as well make it 5! Sarah, Alyssa, Anna, Lisa, and Katie - thanks for brightening my day! You will all be missed!! Rebecca - even though I didn't see you today I will miss you too. FYI I tried to call you TWICE at the office today.... I hope you were not being held hostage. Please keep our tally going while I'm away. ;-)

Ok, so I need to get back to packing. Lisa is picking me up for the airport in 5 hours... and with the amount of packing I have to do still... well I'm not getting much sleep tonight either. Hopefully I can sleep on the plane!

Total Miles Run: 127.3
Total Weight Change: -1.8

Day 45

Terrible day. I'm glad it's over.

If you're ever having a really bad day, I suggest going to see "The Campaign" with Anna and Lisa. The movie will make you laugh and the girls will make you feel very loved. That is all.

I skipped my run because I was too upset and felt sick to my stomach - I self-medicated with food all day long. That means it is time to get to bed because those miles have to be run, and then new plan is to do them at 6:30am tomorrow morning.

Goodnight friends.

Day 44

I made it to the end of the day and gosh darn it, I am going to post before going to bed!

I woke up this morning and once again, Andy was instrumental in getting me out the door to run our 4 miles. At first I really wasn't feeling it - I went without my iPod, I felt out of breath more than I thought I should have been, and worst of all... my hip/butt zone was still sore from the 12 miler, and every time I took a step with my left foot it felt like someone was delivering a hard jab to my left butt cheek. Not cool. But after awhile the magic of running kicked in - I started breathing easier, my butt muscles relaxed (ok that sounds really weird), and I got faster and felt stronger. All in all I averaged a 9:42 pace and once again had negative splits. Not too shabby!

Then it was off to work, and with today being "Two Job Tuesday," I was less than thrilled. Honestly though, it wasn't so bad. There was barely anyone in the office today, so those that were left had fun goofing off - this included making up a tap dance routine and sharing the joys of "Honey Boo Boo Child" thanks to the power of YouTube. Job number two went by fast, but a lot of that was probably because I was in such a good mood - that was my last shift before being off for three weeks!!!! *choir of angels sing*

By the time I was leaving job number two, it was dark and Katie didn't want to ride her bike home. GOOD GIRL KATIE!!! Safety first! I tried to give her a ride....

Houston, we have a problem.

... but my trunk did not have enough room for her junk, er uh, bike. Thankfully lots of wonderful people work there and someone with a more suitable car took her home. :-)

And now, I need to go to bed, but Andy has turned the bedroom into "Grand Central Packing Station." Maybe I should go turn on the next episode of Downton Abbey??? Haha.

Total Miles Run: 123.28
Total Weight Change: -2.1 (I am feeling confident the number will be on the plus side soon... good thing I'm going home in a few days - it is always easier to be healthy on the Best Coast)

Day 43

Two words have prevented me from updating on a normal schedule: Downton Abbey. Here's the run-down on Monday.

Monday was pretty uneventful. My body was definitely a little sore from the 12 mile run the day before - mostly my hips and back felt tight, but it was manageable. Work was boring. After work I intended to do a Zumba DVD that Anna let me borrow, but instead....

Dining Al Fresco

... Andy and I went out for Quinoa burgers! Yum. When we got back to our apartment it was time for Downton Abbey!!!

When did this new obsession start? In addition to the Zumba DVD, Anna also let me borrow Season One of Downton Abbey. Rebecca has been trying to get me to watch it for awhile, then when Anna put the discs in my hand... well, the time had come. Andy and I started watching it when we got home from the baseball game on Sunday. All I can say is, good call Rebecca and Anna. Good call.

And I suppose a quick recap on the baseball game is in order (wow I am reaaaally behind here peeps). Even though they lost miserably, we still had a good time. Our tickets were free, the seats were good (mostly because we didn't sit where we were supposed to, lol), I really enjoyed the ice cream cone I got for dinner - that's right... when you run 12 miles in the morning, you can totally justify having an ice cream cone for dinner. But best of all was the company!

The happy runners - I like how I become a pirate when eating licorice

Katie and Scott - awesome fake mustache Scott!

Whaaa??? I walked home singing the Oscar Mayer song!

K, I think we're all caught up. I will return tonight to tell you all about my "fantastic" Tuesday!

Day 41 + 42

Greetings! Sorry for another all-in-one weekend post. I will try not to make it a habit.

There's not a whole lot to report as far as my Saturday was concerned. I worked job number two during the day and headed to Skaneateles in the evening to hear Andy's concert. I had never been to Skaneateles before and I wish I had gotten there a little earlier because it looked like a cute town to explore. Next time!

The Imani Winds featuring Andy!

The concert was outdoors at a farm on the lake... quite a pretty setting. The group after Andy did their best to depress the audience - I heard a lady ask her husband, "What was the name of that piece?" His reply was priceless. "Something sad, like Adagio for a Dead Child." That wasn't really name of it, but I liked his creativity!

And now to the exciting part of the weekend.... my long run! Andy, Alyssa, and I headed out Sunday morning for 12 miles. That's practically a freaking half marathon. After I made three trips to the bathroom (can you imagine how bad it will be on the big day?!) we got started. At one point we ran into some road construction and altered our planned route to avoid it. I'm glad we did, because it meant we got to see this pretty little pond.

Near Mile 4

Our detour ended up making the route shorter than needed. Alyssa was a rock star and finished after going about 10.5 miles, but Andy and I were sticklers and finished off the last mile and a half by looping around some neighborhoods. That last 1.5 was tough, but I think it was mostly just challenging mentally because it felt like we were running in circles just trying to cover the distance, and we were so close to our final destination the whole time.



Now to analyze the good and the bad.

The Good:
- My goal for these long runs is to maintain a 10:30 pace. I ended up averaging 10:21/mile over the 12 miles. Pretty darn good!
- I never felt winded.
- I tried another gel pack... this one was a Cliff gel (last week's was Honey Stinger) and the flavor was mocha. Andy said I looked like was going to puke when I ate it, but it actually tasted better than the vanilla one from last week. Mocha Cliff gel is in the lead! I STILL want to have a gel tasting party!
- I felt a lot stronger when we reached the 10 mile point of this run than I did when we reached 10 miles last week.

The Bad:
- I had to stop several times to refill my water. I don't mind stopping, but I think my hand-held water bottle won't be able to serve me well much longer. I need something that holds more water if I'm not going to stop so much. 
- Last week after 10 miles, I felt great for the rest of the day! This week after 12 miles I feel totally wiped out. I've already had a nap. My butt is sore, my hips are tight, my shins ache.

The Worst:
Wait... there's something so bad it can't be included in "The Bad" section? Yes friends, that is correct.
- I have the world's worst chafeage from my sports bra.

I thought running the marathon would be the scariest part of October 28th. I think I am mistaken. The scariest part will likely be the shower after the race. The bottom band of my sports bra took a nice layer of skin off of me and the shower made SURE I knew it. Holy cow it hurt sooooo much. I even put Body Glide there! What gives?? Needless to say, that bra will be reserved for shorter runs. Yikes.

Now Andy and I are off to a baseball game with Katie and Scott. Yay!!! Thankfully that only involves sitting. :-)

Total Miles Run: 119.26
Total Weight Change: -3.0

Day 40

Here's Friday's update! I really have no excuse for not updating on time. Sorry!

So Friday was amazing because I took a vacation day from work. Woohoo! Here was my itinerary for the day:

8:00 Wake up/Breakfast/Read Magazine
9:45 4 Mile run with Sarah!
11:00 Zumba!!
12:30 much needed shower + lunch
2:00 Nap... awesome
2:45 Talked to Mom on the phone
3:something began watching "Say Yes to the Dress" while doing laundry
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Visited Mitten (if it weren't for Mitten I don't think I would have ever left my apartment!)
9:00 Resumed watching "Say Yes to the Dress"
12:00 Decided there was an intense need to learn about conjoined twins... consulted google
1:00 Bedtime :-( Way too late for me

It was a very relaxing/lazy day - I actually never put "real people pants" on at all, lol. But hey, you need days like those sometimes.

And now because the purpose of this blog is to track my marathon training progress I will talk about my run for the day. You guys probably all know by now that Sarah is secretly a cheetah. I have to say that was one of the fastest four miles I've done, but it was manageable! I think it is good to push it every once in  awhile. :-)

4 Mile Stats

As you can see, I was a cheetah too! Well... maybe a Cheetah with a limp. But a 9:24 average pace is really good for me, especially since the entire first mile was up a long hill. Getting faster!!!

Total Miles Run: 107.24
Total Weight Change: -3.8 (I ate a lot of snacks at night, so it won't be too pretty next time I report)

Day 39

Today was a good day. Anna and I must have caught the biking bug last night because we decided this morning we would go to Spinyasa. Spinyasa is a class that is 30 minutes of spinning, followed by 30 minutes of yoga. We were extra excited to go because it would be the first time we got to try the new spin room (they've been remodeling for awhile now).

Shiny new spin room!

The yoga section was "great." I was honestly shocked at how tight I was... my hamstrings, my hips... yikes! But by the end of class I could touch my toes. :-) I should probably do yoga more often.

Work was fine - I spent some time clearing out my new office (it has been used as storage for the last two years...). Then I spent the rest of the time googling office decorating ideas, haha.

Now that Sarah is back (yay, it's about time!) I went to zumba after work. Always fun. Then we headed out for our 100 mile reward... Frozen Yogurt!!! It was a very delicious and well-earned treat for sure. We're pretty awesome... no big deal.

Back to running tomorrow! Looking forward to it for a change, although I'm slightly worried because my knee is still hurting. 

Day 38

Victory! Sort of. It seems like it's taken a gazillion days, but I finally got my raise situation finalized. Here's the quick recap of this saga. I asked for a certain amount - they agreed to it... split over two years (50% this year, 50% the next). That was it. I fought back and now... drumroll please.... I will get 70% this year and the remaining 30% next year, PLUS a title change. It's not enough for me to quit job number two, but I feel really proud of myself for 1) asking for a raise in the first place, and 2) sticking up for myself when I felt like they were being cheap. Of course I would have liked to have had 100% this year, but 70% is certainly better than nothing!

After work I met Anna for a Wednesday night friend fest spectacular! I ran my 5 miles while she biked next to me, we visited Mitten (I fed Miss Mae her favorite - Chopped Grill - so she is an especially happy kitty cat tonight), then I hopped on her bike while she walked... I was a little shaky on the bike but with a little practice in the parking lot I was good to go!

Safety First!

Then she took me out for dinner at Panera to celebrate my raise/promotion! I <3 Anna. :-)

And in training news, I have now reached 100 miles!!! I was also very good with food today. I'm feeling better already. One time Alyssa and I were talking about how hard it is to get back on track once you are off and she said, "It only takes one day," meaning it only takes one day on track to feel good and remember that it is not hard to do. She is so right!

Another friend that gets to wear the good-advice-hat for the day is Rebecca. I was telling her all about my anxiety about being a "big bliss bridesmaid" at Nicole's wedding in two weeks, and how I was dealing with that anxiety by eating baddies (I know, it's backwards) even though I was putting pressure on myself to lose weight before the big day. Rebecca said, "What if you just decide you won't lose weight for her wedding?" It was like a lightening strike! What a wonderful idea! Then if I don't lose weight, it is no big deal, and if I do, it's a bonus. Nicole... I might not lose weight for your wedding. But if Matt starts to run away from the altar, I'm feeling confident I can chase him down with my awesome running skillz, haha.

Total Miles Run: 103.24
Total Weight Change: -1.8

Day 37

Here is your Tuesday update - once again I didn't update before going to bed, not because I didn't have time, but because I couldn't peel myself off of the couch after I got home from job number two. There is incredibly bad TV on Tuesday nights... the kind you just cannot stop watching.

My day began with a run. Andy and I decided to make it the shortest one of the week (3 miles) because I wasn't feeling it, the weather looked questionable, and he had a meeting pretty early in the morning. Once again I was so glad he was there to drag me out the door, and once we were going I loved every minute of it. Even though my knee still hurts, I had a great run... negative splits (that means each mile was faster than the one before) and my average pave was 9:31. Getting faster!

Then it was time for job one and then job two. When I left for job one it was definitely cloudy, but not too bad. When I left for job two... it was raining... hard. By the time I parked at job two there was a full-on monsoon. I ran as fast as I could to get inside, but it was clearly not fast enough.

Soaked to the bone

My pants were soaked (although if you look closely at the picture, the crotch of my pants stayed dry, which I find very strange)... in fact they were so heavy they were really falling down while I was trying to run inside. I'm glad no one was behind me! I know I complain about job number two a lot, but really my complaint is that I have to have a second job. The people there are some of my favorite people. After having a good laugh, one of the tennis pros gave me a pair of her warm-up pants. I went back to the Spa and changed into them, while a Spa girl took my wet pants to housekeeping and they put them in the dryer. How nice is that! I was only a couple minutes late and managed to be relatively dry during my shift.

This picture really made me realize I need to refocus on food asap. The wet pants and sausage shirt really emphasize how much weight I've gained since the Flower City Half Marathon in the spring. I don't like the way I feel, and I'm scared I'm getting kind of used to feeling this way. That is not ok.

Total Miles Run: 98.23
Total Weight Change: -0.8

Day 36

Andy and I were in complete agreement that today did not feel like a Monday at all. We woke up at the cabin and sat outside enjoying the lake.

Lake Keuka

Once the entire Brown clan was out of bed, we headed into town for breakfast. The diner we had breakfast at was decorated with high class art.

"I know... I can't do a thing with it!"

Yes - that is a sheep supposedly having a bad hair day. Artistic gems like that were hanging everywhere. Near the diner was this exciting sight... Alyssa immediately came to mind. :-)

World Record Pancake Griddle!

After breakfast, Andy and I packed up and headed back to civilization in hopes to be somewhat productive - since I had the day off I had big plans as far as cleaning/laundry/grocery shopping was concerned. While I did get some things accomplished, I certainly didn't do everything on my list. I was so tired! Vacation really wears me out, haha.

Tomorrow I'm back to running. Even though today was a rest day, I feel so worn out that I really wish tomorrow were a rest day too! Oh well.

Day 34 + 35

Greetings friends! I am sorry to have abandoned you all over the weekend, but alas... I did not have an internet connection. Time for a mega-massive-weekend-update!

Saturday started off in the normal Saturday way - working job number two. This was especially not fun since I worked it the night before, but once my shift was over life got better because.... I went to the Brooks Cavalcade!!!!

Brooks Cavalcade of Curiosities

I was super excited to go to this event because I had a ticket for a free prize - they were handing them out at Urban Fit a few weeks ago. The person in front of me ended up getting a bandana (not so exciting) so I figured I'd probably get a sticker or something. Wrong-o! I won a t-shirt!!! Not that I really need another running t-shirt since I have quite the race t-shirt collection, but I was still pretty excited.

The rest of Saturday was spent packing and driving out to Keuka Lake. Andy's family rented a cabin for the week, so we grabbed Anna and headed out there. By the time we got there and unloaded our stuff, it was time for dinner. Then the three of us headed out in hopes to find a good route for our long run in the morning. After that we were off to bed!

Sunday was really our only full day down at the cabin, so we definitely made the most of our time there. I woke up early to catch the Olympic Men's Marathon on TV. It was so inspiring! Then the three of us headed out for our 10 miler - Andy's dad joined on his bike. Andy and his dad took off while Anna and I (we were dubbed "team estrogen") held a respectable pace. My goal for the marathon is to hold a 10:30 pace and we ended up averaging 10:24. We are so good! Anyway, the route we planned from the night before was perfect - 5 miles out and back - not the most creative route, but it went right along the lake, so the views of the water and the lake houses were really nice, plus the road was pretty quiet and almost entirely flat. It was great!! 

Typically during long runs I eat sport beans, but this time I decided to try my first "gel pack." Anna documented my experience. :)

Bottoms Up!

ewwwww

Ok, so it really wasn't that bad. Just different. The flavor of the packet was vanilla, and it really sort of tasted like frosting. You won't be surprised to learn - I really like frosting. However, this had the texture of snot. Snot frosting is not my favorite. Seriously though, it was a lot easier to eat than the sport beans (except it made my hand sticky) and I felt fully energized the entire time. I'm pretty confident that gels are the way to go, so I plan to host a "gel tasting party" in the very near future to figure out which kinds are the least snotty/most tasty. You are all invited - just let me know if you want to come!

Gels (or anything eaten while running) have to be followed by water. In a moment of sheer genius the night before, we planted water bottles along our course. I was so happy they were still waiting for us at the 6 mile mark.

Homemade Water Stop

I actually wish I had more water around mile 8 - of course if I hadn't poured some of it to clean the sticky gel off of my hand I probably would have been fine. All in all, that was one of the best 10 mile runs I've ever done - probably tied with a happy hour 10 miler I did once with Alyssa and Andy earlier in the spring, but I just liked that one because we ran FAST (and hit the hot tub at the club afterwards). But I digress...

Once we were cleaned up, Anna and I hopped in a canoe - because 10 miles of running is clearly not enough fitness for these two girls!

Barbara "Runs like tortoise" and Anna "Runs like hare"

The canoeing was very fun except when I fell on my butt trying to get out of it and got very wet and dirty. Thankfully I didn't hurt myself! After I cleaned myself off, we packed lunches and then.... it was time for another boating excursion. While we were canoeing, Andy ran off with his parents and rented a pontoon boat.

Captain Andy

The entire Brown family climbed aboard and we were off! At first it was fun eating our lunches while looking at the houses from the lakefront, but then the rain came... and the wind... we headed back. At this point, Anna bid farewell. I was soooo glad she came! Once the weather got a little better we headed back in the boat to take Ali (Andy's little sister) tubing, but then we got flagged down by some stranded boaters and ended up using our time to tow them back to the marina. Definitely our good deed for the day.

We spent the rest of the night at the cabin. Ali and I painted our nails while watching the Spice Girls reunion during the Olympic Closing Ceremonies (I'm sad the Olympics are over), and then it was out to the fire pit for s'mores.

Mmmm.... s'mores......

You could see tons of stars where the sky was clear. Everyone managed to see a shooting star except me... I waited and waited....and then I finally saw one, which of course meant I had to shove my fist in the air and let everyone know I SAW ONE. :) I'm glad the Brown Family knows me well enough to not think I'm a total wacko (or at least I don't think they think I'm a wacko, haha). It was a good end to a long and busy day. I was all too happy to fall in bed.

Total Miles Run: 95.12 - less than 5 miles to go to 100!!
Total Weight Change: ??? There wasn't a scale at the cabin, although I'm sure after eating 10,000 s'mores it will not be pretty