Day 61 + 62

Grab a cup of coffee and get comfy... this is going to be a long one.

Friday started out with a 6 mile run before work. It was the first time since being back from the west coast that Andy and I had the energy to get up early enough for a morning run. I was actually really nervous to run because I was convinced my ankles would be on fire and my knee would hurt again. But things change daily, and I was so thankful that my ankles felt fine and my knee barely bothered me at all. What DID bother me was breathing. My legs felt fine, my head felt fine, my mood was fine, but I was sucking wind like it was nobodies business. Of course... I didn't help the cause by trying to go fast. As you know I've been getting a little faster during this process, and I was tempted to see if I could keep it up over a slightly longer distance. My pace averaged 9:37/mile (smug smile). I was pretty proud of myself.

However! Although I did a good job with my run, I did not prepare well for it. NEW RULE: I must carry water with me on any run longer than 4 miles. I got so thirsty that I wanted to drink from the river. That's never a good idea.

Post-run I went to work, boring boring blah blah, and then met Sarah for dinner at Pomodoro's! I got to eat carbs AND hang out with Sarah. How can that not be fun? Then we decided to get really classy, so it was off to Joe's Crab Shack to hear our boss's band's debut. ;-) Yeah... interesting place for a band to play, but they actually sounded pretty good! Or at least they sounded good after a few glasses of wine...

Good times at the Crab Shack, lol

I pretty much crashed when I got home, which was good because it gave me less time to get nervous for the next day.

Saturday! K, so you all know I run, obviously. I've run in freezing cold weather, sticky hot humid temps, rain, snow, wind, up hills, down hills, on trails, through grass, sidewalks, roads, gravel.... but not through mud. Never mud. Why? Because mud is gross and I don't like to get dirty. Bugs live in mud. I don't like bugs. Did I mention I don't like to get dirty?

Apparently my brain was out to lunch months ago, because once upon a time I agreed that on September 8th, I would run the Dirty Girl 5k Mud Run. What was I thinking??? I got up, put on an old old pair of running shoes and clothes that I didn't care about, packed a bag full of garbage bags, towels, and wet ones (I need to remember if there is any event where I need a bag with those three items, I should probably run the other way), and then we were off to Kissing Bridge - a ski area about 90 minutes away. Sarah and Shelley kindly allotted me 30 minutes to freak out on the drive there, but I did a good job of pretending to be cool while just silently freaking out in my head for the entire drive. :-)

It was raining when we got there and we had close to 2 hours to kill. I busted out my Project Runway skills and made myself a raincoat. I mean, obviously I wasn't going to stay clean and pretty forever, but I was going to hold out as long as possible.

Couture Kitchen Trash Tunic

Honestly, once we were there, there was no turning back, so I stopped being nervous and just accepted the fact that it really might suck and I would definitely get dirty - as long as I was cautious and didn't get hurt, I could handle it. Our wave started at 12:30 - our team of 8 lined up and we were off! I probably ran a total of 100 yards (kind of disappointing as I was counting this as a 4 mile run this week), but the trail got SO muddy, it was basically impossible to run (at least without falling face first in it). Somehow "ski resort" didn't really register "lots of hills" with me, but oh... there were hills, and they were big. Thankfully since we were walking the hills were totally fine, but they would have been a bear to run on.

For those of you that haven't heard about the Dirty Girl 5k, it is more than just a 3.1 mile trudge across a muddy course. No no, that's not enough mud and disgustingness - let's throw in 11 obstacles! Most of the obstacles consisted of crawling through various mud pits or water pits (which were muddy water pits), although some of them involved climbing - we had to climb over a wall, up and over a wooden ramp (it was harder than it looked because it was so slippery), and up and over a cargo net that was probably 10 people high (It wasn't really 10 people high, but if Andy asks it was at LEAST 10 people high if not 20). After the first obstacle I got a little muddy, so after that it was really no big deal. I took it like a champ. I wish I had been a little warmer and had been able to shower a little sooner, but other than that, it was really a lot of fun. And yes, I'd do it again. :-)

Since iPhones and mud don't mix well, I wasn't able to use my camera to get any super muddy shots of myself, but here is just a generic shot of nothing in particular - it gives you an idea of how muddy we all got.

Ewwww

Babs, Shelley, and Sarah - hosed off and cold

By the time I got home from the mud run, I had to fly into the shower (no question that was needed) and then totally turn around and look presentable for Anna and Bipul's engagement party! They had it at Eros, one of mine and Andy's favorite restaurants in town. Anna and Bipul both wore beautifully elaborate Indian outfits. Anna's parents had flown in for the occasion and I was SO excited to see them. Now that I know they are fans of the blog, here's a special shout out to the entire Steltenpohl Family!! Woot woot!!! :-) Seriously though, so many of my favorite people were there and I had a great time hanging out, catching up, and of course, eating delicious delicious food. Eros never disappoints! Anna and Bipul - I am so happy for you guys and I'm so glad I got to be there to celebrate the start of your journey together!

Happy Babs Sandwich

Babsandy w/ Annabips

If that weren't a festive enough weekend already, I've got a 16 mile run to do in the morning (longest one yet). I should be more nervous for it, but I'm pretty tired, so the nerves will have to wait until tomorrow. This girl's going to bed! Goodnight friends! Thanks for reading!!

Total Miles Run: 181.87 (I'm not counting today's 5k since I didn't run it)
Total Weight Change: -4.1

Day 60

Hi friends - good day today. Very productive at work, ate well all day - even cooked a healthy dinner - finally got to go back to zumba and see Sarah (yay!) after two weeks, then capped off the night with another episode of Downton Abbey. Love that show!

Remember how my ankles and shins were burning during my run yesterday? Well the pain hasn't exactly gone away. My right knee ached on and off all day, and I can tell the tendons by both ankles are tight and angry. I have to run 6 miles tomorrow morning and I'm very nervous that it won't feel so good. To try to ease the pain, I spent the night icing.

Bum knee

Sad my knee hurts... but this smoothy is delicious!

Good thing we have a giant bag of frozen vegetables! Wish me luck on my run tomorrow morning... :-/

Day 59

I woke up this morning at what felt like 4:00am. Ugh. I thought I'd be exhausted all day, but surprisingly, I managed pretty well. Work was fairly uneventful, although I was excited to bring some of my new treasures to work.

Lunch bag from dad and new travel mug!

I know they seem like dorky treasures, but they make me think of home, so I like them. Rebecca came in during the afternoon and gave me the BEST half birthday present ever. Ok, it's the only half birthday present I've ever received, but I loved it!

World's smallest cupcake

After work Andy and I went for our 4 mile run, and Katie joined as well! I was so glad Katie ran with me... not only was it nice to see her, but my ankles and shins felt like they were on fire the whole time, so talking to her was a good distraction. The training program called for something a little different this time. At the end of our 4 miles, we were supposed to do 4 strides - basically building up speed over 100 meters and then holding an all out sprint for 5 seconds... thankfully you are supposed to walk for a bit in between each stride to recover. I was averaging a 6:30/mile pace on my strides. I was impressed, but also realized that if I ran that speed for 26.2 miles, I'd pretty much be in last place at the Olympics. Now there's a thought!

One last update on marathon news - airline tickets have been bought for both of my parents and myself!! Thank you Mom!

Total Miles Run: 175.85
Total Weight Change: -2.7 (about where I was when I left for vacation)

Day 58

I know I know.... another late post. Here's your Tuesday update (I'll keep it brief because there's not much to report).

Woke up at 5:30am - got ready/finished packing - said goodbye to Mom (sad but I will see her in less than 8 weeks so that made it easier) - panicked on drive to the airport (got stuck behind school buses) - panicked checking in (tight on time) - victory dance when my bag weighed 49.5 pounds (I am a master packer) - said goodbye to dad (sad but I will also see him in less than 8 weeks) - made it through security - bought a yogurt - boarded plane - called Rebecca to sing Happy Birthday to her (easy for me to remember as her birthday is my half birthday as well) - said goodbye to the beautiful West Coast.

Until next time mountains!

My flights went smoothly. No delays. No smelly/obnoxious/babies were next to me. Andy picked me up at the airport, we went out to dinner, then to the grocery store, then did a little unpacking, and then watched Downton Abbey. Not a bad first night back - although I must admit, after 6 years, it still does not feel like "home." I'm not sure it ever will.

Day 57

Happy Labor Day! Today marked the first day of the second half of training - 8 weeks down, 8 weeks to go. Typically I would only rest one day after a long run, which means I should have gone for a run today, but... Andy flew back in the early afternoon and then my parents and I spent the rest of the day completing my "to do list" before leaving. Since I fly out early early tomorrow, well... I don't think I'll probably run again until Wednesday, but that's ok. I will still get all of my mileage in this week, and my body will probably be thankful for a few rest days, especially since my sleep schedule is about to be waaaay out of whack.

So what was on my list of things to do before I fly back?

Phad Prik King for lunch - 3 Stars!!

Shopping at Nordstrom!!!

Frozen Yogurt at Red Mango!!!!

Not a bad way to spend my last day home. :-) Time to finish packing! With all of my new treasures, it will be quite the challenge.

Day 56

By the time I got home from Nicole's wedding, I was deliriously tired, so I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. :-) Without further ado, here is my Sunday update!

Once again, I felt pretty good when I woke up in the morning (post long run). My quads felt a little heavy, but that was really it. I'm still amazed that I am not in worse shape after these long runs. *knock on wood*

In order to get to the venue in time for hair and makeup, I had to leave the house around 9:00am. On the way, I found out from Nicole that one of the hair and makeup ladies was sick and couldn't make it. I would have freaked out if I was her, but she was her usual positive relaxed self. Thankfully Jam (the lady that practiced doing Nicole's hair) was still able to come. I hope she treated herself to an awesome lunch, because she banged out 6 people's hair and makeup all in a row without even taking a bathroom break.

Jam working her magic

Right Side

Left Side

Time to get married!

Once we were all ready it was time for a few pictures, and then the ceremony! I was surprised at how nervous I was beforehand, but there was no reason to be. Everything went how it was supposed to, and Matt and Nicole wrote their own vows, which was very sweet. With the ceremony over, it was time to party! The drinks were great, the food was great, the music was great... everyone seemed to have a great time. My favorite part was dancing to Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Jump On It" with Nicole, haha. It brought back memories of the hip hop class we took together many years ago. :-)

Andy and Babs

My Mom and Dad were there too!

Congratulations Nicole! You were a beautiful bride and your wedding was fantastic. Thank you for letting me be part of your special day! Have fun at Disney World!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Hovland!

Day 55

I woke up this morning earlier than anticipated, which I didn't appreciate since I had a very difficult time falling asleep. I probably only got about 5 hours of sleep - less than ideal going into a long run. On top of that, my stomach didn't feel so great... not a big surprise considering what I ate the day before. Needless to say, I was very nervous for my 13.1 miles this morning.

We headed out to Green Lake again - as frustrating as the people were, it was relatively flat, and being near water and bathrooms is always a comforting feeling. Before I got started I made one last trip to the bathroom (I went three times again... must be my lucky number). Then Andy and I were off... and that's about the last time I saw him because he left me in the dust.

I'm bringing up the rear

The people proved to be less of a problem on this trip to Green Lake, but mostly because I knew what to expect and stuck to the outside lane. I made it about 12 miles until.... a little boy (I'm guessing about 5 years old) was riding his tiny bike in a totally erratic fashion and was on a crash course straight for my legs. Did I stop? No. Did I jump out of the way? No. I put my hand on his shoulder and I pushed him over. That's right. I pushed a kid on his bike hard enough that he fell to the ground. And I kept running. Don't mess with a girl on her long run!

Between my stomach not feeling well, being tired, and then being left behind and having to run on my own....well.... I pretty much had a 13.1 mile pity party. I know it is ridiculous. It isn't a competition. And I even ran really well (for me), averaging a 10:03/mile pace. That's the fastest I've ever run that distance! Regardless, I had a tough time feeling happy. I just felt like a big fat slow loser the entire time. Plus, once I stopped, my stomach started cramping and I had a hard time even standing up straight.

My whining aside, Andy did an amazing job. He ran 15 miles super fast - well under 10 minute miles, and it didn't even seem to phase him one bit. Way to go Brown Pants!

Still smiling after 15 miles

Once we got home from the run, I rushed to shower and get ready - side note: the chafing situation has improved! I've learned where Body Glide is needed and think I might have gotten it right this time. Anyway, it was a quick turn around and then I was back in downtown Seattle for manicures with Nicole and the other bridesmaids. The color Nicole picked was called "Pippa." Perfect!!!!

Bride to be!

Tonight was the last night that my parents, Andy, and I would all be together with free time, so we headed to The Ram for dinner - an old favorite from my UW days, and then to yet another casino. I think I used all my luck during my run (by not having an accident in my pants) because the casino did not treat me well.

Tomorrow is Nicole's wedding! I will try to update in a timely manner, but I have a feeling it will be a veeeeery late night, so no promises.

Total Miles Run: 171.54
Total Weight Change: -4.0