Day 68

Hey guys - gotta make this quick because I have to go to job number two. Here's your Friday update.

Andy and I were supposed to run 4 miles Friday morning. We didn't. I thought about running them after work. I didn't. This is the first run we've both just completely skipped - but we both agreed it was for the better. My knee still hurt... I was glad to have a real rest day.

I spent almost two hours in the morning researching hotels in DC for the marathon. My parents are coming too - I needed: two rooms available at an affordable price, convenient transportation to/from the airport, and most importantly, something reasonably close to the start line. THINK AGAIN! Hotels were sold out left and right, and the only place close to the start line was $549/night. I'll pass. After a few phones calls and learning more about the Washington DC Metro than I ever wanted to know, I found a place!!! Crystal City - here we come!

After work I went to Lowe's... I hate those kinds of stores... but I got paint for my office!!

I have no idea what I'm doing

I couldn't wait, so even though Andy was busy listening to auditions, I went to my new office and started painting - just trying to get the places a roller wouldn't reach. I think the color will be nice (I picked gray, duh), but I have a feeling I'll need to get another can of paint because one coat is not going to cut it.

When Andy was finally done for the day (he had to listen to auditions from 10am to 8pm... barf) we went out to dinner. I had some bread, yum, then had a small salad, yum, then they brought my meal out... I ordered a small pizza, which sounded good at the time, but the second they brought it out I felt like I was going to throw up. There was soooo much cheese on it - just looking at it made me feel sick. I ate one piece and it was game over. We left and I went straight to bed (at 9:30pm haha). I have no idea why that happened, but in a way I'm sort of glad it did because I got TEN hours of sleep. Much needed!

Ok - time for work. Bye!

Day 67

WANTED: New Knee.

I don't write about it all the time because that would get pretty dull, but my right knee has been hurting for quite some time now. It aches when I sit, it twinges when I walk... surprisingly it doesn't really feel much worse when I run, which is good, but it's really starting to get annoying.

After a long day of work full of meetings and annoying people I was really looking forward to zumba, but about ten minutes into class, my knee started hurting a lot. I was so upset. Then of course I started thinking about how much harder the training program is about to get, and then... well, I really freaked out.

I called my Dad and he confirmed what I've been afraid of for awhile now - all other forms of exercise might need to be put on hold during this part of training if I want to make it through injury free. I definitely have running rest days, but come to think of it... I do other things on those days. I haven't taken a single day off since we ran our 16 miles - no wonder my knee doesn't like me right now. He did reassure me that my knee was probably fine - just exhibiting signs of inflammation from overuse. Then he said I should ice it either the athlete's way or his way. ??? According to my Dad, the athlete's way is to put ice on the outside of your knee, but HIS way is to ice it from the inside by eating lots of ice cream. :-) I think I will practice both methods!

And before I eat ice cream, I will now be able to weigh it with my new food scale!!! Anna and Lisa's mom was SO nice to send this my way. I have a small scale that I use for pretty much everything, but this new scale has lots of bells and whistles. I can't wait to try it.

Before and After

Thank you Sharman!

Day 66

Thanks to Downton Abbey, it's past my bedtime, so I'll make this quick.

Woke up - happy I didn't have to run before getting ready - went to work - maple sugar cookies I made the night before for a coworker's birthday were a hit - got two seconds worth of work actually done before it was time to leave...

Over the last four years I have shared an office with a woman named Laura. Sharing an office can drive me crazy sometimes (this is why I'm glad to be moving shortly), but Laura has been a good friend through and through. Well, her mom passed away this weekend, and this afternoon was her memorial service, so I went. Of course it was very sad, but it also made me grateful for the life I have.

Once Andy finished teaching, we headed out for a 6 mile run. Yesterday's 46 degree weather was a thing of the past - tonight it felt hot and muggy. Katie met us at our apartment and joined us for our run, which was so so awesome because it was the first time she had ever run 6 miles. Katie is a rockstar!!

6 Miles - Count 'em!

Who knew I'd hit the jackpot and end up with so many friends who like to run?? And Mom and Dad - don't hate Katie for the shirt she is wearing... us fellow west coasters have to stick together. Next time I'll wear my Husky shirt and we'll race. Dawg vs. Duck!!!

Total Miles Run: 208.11
Total Weight Change: -4.9

Day 65

I was still sore when I got out of bed this morning, and when Andy and I started our 4 mile run I felt crippled. My quads were not happy with me at all. Thankfully the blister situation seems fine - I'd much rather run with sore quads than a blister. At the end of our run we had to tack on 4 strides. I concentrated on my form a little more and it felt like it helped, but my watch kept reading "Lap Error" every time I sprinted, so I'm not sure if I improved my time or not. It's also getting cooler - the temperature read 46 degrees when we headed out. I see layers of running gear (and more laundry) in the near future.

While running back through the city towards our apartment, all of these church bells started ringing - we realized they were marking the time that the first plane hit the World Trade Center. It was both eerie and touching. And it definitely gave me pause to be thankful that I am able to go out and run whenever I please.

Surprisingly good news at job number one - savor this moment because good news is not common - they finally decided that my new title will be Director instead of Manager. My resume is singing right now. :-)

Today was the first day in quite awhile that I had to return to job number two. I think I had been away from it long enough that I wasn't completely dreading it, although it does make for an incredibly long day. Every shift we have to read this little sheet of paper called the "Daily Outlook" that highlights what events are going on, birthdays, quotes, etc. Wouldn't you know I was surprised when I saw this...

Happy Anniversary to me!

I can't believe it's been four years. Although the actual job is not always enjoyable, I've made some of my best friends working at the club. :-)

Total Miles Run: 202.11 Yay!!!!!! Made it into the 200's!
Total Weight Change: -3.4

Day 64

I'm at work right now - I've gotten a lot accomplished, but with only 30 minutes to go, my brain is checked out so here I am! Sadly it means this will be a veeery boring post because I've done nothing of interest today.

When I got out of bed I was reminded that I ran 16 miles yesterday. My body is pretty sore. Thankfully nothing in particular hurts, it's just an overall "used" feeling. Stairs are also not my friend today, enough so that people at work have made comments while watching me go up and down them. The status of my blister is also improving! I'm hoping that by tomorrow morning I'll be good to go.

I was excited when I came to work today to learn that my new office had been pretty much cleared out and ready for me to paint and move in. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but once I finish it will (hopefully) be worth it.

Future Office - needs major tlc

Tonight is zumba!! There is a little dance studio ridiculously close to where I live that Sarah teaches at, so obviously... can't pass that up. They took the summer off but starting today it's back on. Monday's just got better!

Now only 15 minutes to kill... Come on 5:00pm! ;-)

Day 63

When my alarm went off this morning, I was so tired and confused... I didn't even know what day it was. Oh yeah... Sunday... long run. Ugh. I wanted to go back to bed soooo badly but that just wasn't an option. I'll admit we got a later start than we had originally hoped for, but eventually Andy and I made it to the club to start our 16 miler. And since I seem to update you each week on this - I will let you know I only went to the bathroom twice before this run rather than three times. Improvement!

Taking a cue from our multiple trips around Green Lake, Andy and I decided that we would do four 4-mile loops, each time starting/ending at the club. That meant that every 4 miles, we were able to refill our water, ditch out coats, use the bathroom, whatever... It worked out really well, and it was also comforting to know we were never too far away from our home base.

Alyssa ran with me for the first two loops - Andy was way ahead (no surprise there). I'll admit I was really not feeling it when we started. A slower pace still didn't feel all that slow. My legs felt ok but kind of heavy. I just sort of felt kind of blah, and 16 miles is a long way to feel blah. After the first four I started to feel a little better... it seems the longer the distances get, the longer it takes me to feel warmed up and comfortably in a groove. When Alyssa and I made it back to the club after two loops (8 miles) she said her goodbyes and then I reeeeaally started to dread going back out for 8 miles. I filled up my water and was about ready to take off when Katie burst out the door in full running gear. She was a sight for sore eyes! With Katie by my side I felt pumped (ok maybe just didn't feel like I was dragging) to run another four. After that loop there was only one to go - it was just Andy and I, and he slowed down and stayed with me the whole way. What a guy.

Now a few details - Since my plan is take a gel about every 5 miles, I packed two with me for the long run today.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!!

I took the Razz gel first (saving the best for last) - it had been in the pocket of my jacket for the first 6 miles and by the time I took it, it was really warm. Super gross. The flavor wasn't so bad, but I would not recommend warm gel to anyone. Yuck. I think I will pop them in the fridge the night before my long runs from now on. The peanut butter one was delicious! I'd put it on toast! Ok, maybe not quite that delicious, but it was a good treat after 12 miles. The bad news was that between mile 12.5 and 14, my stomach really hurt and I actually ran holding my stomach. I really hope it wasn't the peanut butter gu that was giving me issues. It was tasty enough that I'd like to try it again.

My body felt pretty good throughout the run. Towards the end, however, my feet really started hurting. I suppose they are bound to hurt when you pound on them for hours on end. Also towards the end, maybe the last mile or so, I was virtually shuffling across the road. I found it really hard to pick my feet off the ground, which is scary because that's a surefire way to trip. Instead of focusing on picking up my achy feet, I pretended that a string was tied to the tops of my quads and with each step I took, I imagined someone yanking on the string. By getting my knees up higher, my feet came up too. It might have looked weird, but it seemed to help!

Sweet Sixteen - check out that 10:17 pace!

When we were finally done, we headed into the club, got a Gatorade, and then went straight to the hot tub. Andy hopped right in - I just put my feet in, but boy did that feel good. What didn't feel good was the discovery I made when I took my socks and shoes off.

Big blister (sorry you have to look at my foot)

After thoroughly inspecting the blister, I have high hopes that it will be a callus soon. My feet are going to be so gnarly by the end of this thing. Anyway, once my socks and shoes were carefully back on, we visited Katie and the front desk, and then... the siren song of Sarah's zumba class started calling me. I know it's pyscho, but I went to the very tail end of it - only a couple minutes. She told the whole class about my running adventures and they all clapped... how nice! I was also glad that it explained to the people near me why I smelled so bad. I mean - I. smelled. bad.

Once home Andy hopped into the shower and I dove into my leftovers from Friday night's dinner with Sarah.

mmm... cold risotto...

I didn't realize until I started eating just how hungry I was but WOW was I hungry! Let's just say the rest of the day was spent eating - although I did get some cleaning/laundry done and finally got my suitcase put away. Now I'm off to bed - my body will be happy to finally sleep!

* One last thing. This time around Andy had a confrontation with a biker (around mile 10). It made him so mad he had a huge surge of adrenaline that he said helped him get through the end. There's a good chance that by the time this is all over, one of us will have killed a biker. Watch out! 

Total Miles Run: 197.87 (so close to 200!)
Total Weight Change: -3.0

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