What a difference 7 days makes

It's amazing how much better a long run can go when you don't drink a bottle of wine the night before.  Brilliant I know :) What a difference this weeks 19 was from last weekends 17.  It was cool but sunny, perfect for a run!  My legs felt great and the general leg achy pain didn't set in until miles 11/12.  I experimented taking the GUs a 1/2 mile sooner than I had been and it seemed to work out a lot better for me.  Although I don't know what it is but in the middle of the first gu stop I feel as I am going to regurgitate, it passes, then I'm fine. I never had this happen while training for the first 2 marathons.  Weird and kind of gross.  Except for that I was able to average a 9:50 min/mile over the 19.  Part of this is I'm am also walking while taking Gu as I'm not talented enough during the actual race to keep running while drinking out of the cups and take a gu.  Unless they start providing sippy cups I need to practice walking during my runs :)  So the time is not as great as in the past but I'm getting there!

Look Who's 30!

It is a momentous occasion - today I turn 30 - gah! I guess this means I need to start acting like an adult or something...

To change things up around here today I'll be treating you 30 random facts about me since I'm 30 list! I know you're excited. So here it goes in no particular order.

1. I'm on the hunt for the perfect pair of jeans for my oddly shaped lower half. No matter what the cost...


2. I love a cute pair of shoes (and have many) but would be much more comfortable in flip-flops or bare feet everyday.


3. I have a potty mouth . I love to swear. This little nuance of mine drives my husband and father crazy as it is not "very lady-like". I never claimed to be and there is nothing like a good f-bomb to get the point across.


4. I'm incredibly over-emotional and cry at the drop of a hat. It's only worse when I'm embarrassed, stressed, or tired.


5. I've woken up during both my outpatient surgeries I had to undergo. Neither was a good experience I ever care to relive.


6. I love the movies and going to the theatre. My dad used to take me nearly every weekend growing up that was how we bonded in addition to bonding over ...


7. books and bookstores. I love to read but I love wandering around bookstores even more. I secretly wish I had my own bookstore and a house big enough for my own library.


8. I love my Jeep Liberty - Libby. The first and last car I'll ever buy brand spanking new. She sucks on the gas mileage but makes up for it in her amazing turning radius. The latter a definite plus when parallel parking all over the city.


9. I'm a huge klutz. I run into walls and furniture that have been in the same place for years, am constantly dropping things, knocking thing over, or hitting myself with random objects. Example - When I was 8 or 9 in a span of minutes I opened the passenger side door of my mom's Ford Tempo car door and hit the edge of the door right between my eyes then turned around and walked into the half open garage door (nearly knocking out my front teeth) and finished it off by tripping up the 4 stairs into the house. Luckily it takes a lot for me to bruise.


10. In all my klutziness, other than the minor scrapes and bruises, the worst damage I have done is broken my right sesmoid (had to have surgery) and sprained my middle finger. Good thing I seem to be relatively durable.


11. Candy, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc are my achilles heel. Nearly all sweets, except plain chocolate. Not a fan.


12. I have a very unhealthy obsession with all things Twilight. I may love Edward Cullen/R. Pattinson more than my 13 year old stepsister which really is wrong but I don't care.


13. I wish I had time to take photography courses.


14. I love working from home in my pj's but do get lonely. It's hard to meet new people and possible friends when the only time you leave your house in 2 days is to go for a run. Although I don't miss all the office politics crap that I left 5 years ago.


15. I act like and think I look like my dad but everyone growing up said I look like my mom. I really don't see it.


16. I lost my mom on July 3rd, 2003 in a very sudden, random way. We weren't close before it happened due to things I'm not going to go into here. Though I wish she would have sought the help she needed and I miss her constantly.


17. I make one of the best tuna salad sandwiches you could ever find. Because of this I am always hesitant to order one in restaurants because it may come out all wrong.


18. Huge, enormous procrastinator. As Mark Twain said "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."


19. I bite my nails. It is an absolutely disgusting habit I have tried to break countless times and have never lasted more than a couple of months.


20. I'm very forgetful. I remember faces, not names, make lists then leave them somewhere I can't remember, never remember where I put my keys, so on and so forth.


21. I'm very indecisive because I'm worried I'll make a decision someone else doesn't like. Old habits die hard.


22. I believe in ghosts and love true scary stories though both scare the crap out of me.


23. I started running because the boy I liked was running a summer 5K with a girl I didn't really know from work. They both got me excited about it and it was a way to spend time with the boy as we lived close and could run together. The girl is now one of my very good friends who has had a huge influence on me and where I have taken my running. I ran my first 1/2 marathon with her (well she finished well ahead of me!) and she gave me the confidence and encouragement I needed to sign up and train for my first marathon. And the boy I liked...I married him...but he's not running so much anymore :)


24. I didn't have road rage until I moved to Chicago.


25. I have only lived in 2 places - Medina, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. They really couldn't be more different. Although I am ready to move again and would if I could convince my hubby.


26. I have worn glasses since the 3rd grade and contacts since high school. Every month I say I'm going to go have Lasix but I chicken out. I would probably be one of those people that had complications.


27. I love eating out and will try new things but at my favorite restaurants I will order the same exact thing every single time. My favorite is table side guacamole and margaritas...yum!!!


28. I absolutely hate talking on the phone and avoid it all costs. This includes ordering food and booking appointments. I get all tongue tied and nervous when I even think about calling people I don't know. Whenever possible I pass off the phone calls to other people.


29. I love to sleep in late. Most weekends it is a struggle for me to rise before 10am. That's even pushing it.


30. I love to travel especially when it involves traveling to a beach. (Business travel not so fun) Few things in life get much better than sitting on the beach relaxing, reading a book, and sipping on a cocktail.

On a side note, I feel slighted that I get 1 less hour to celebrate my birthday and to sleep this year.

17

This week I had enough foresight to look at the weather report for the upcoming weekend. Weather.com is calling for 90% chance of rain all weekend. After last weekend's long run in the elements I decided to move this weeks 17 mile run to Friday. Well because of the forecast and because of my birthday! I tend to celebrate a birthday week, and at the very least, weekend, instead of just 1 day :) So today was a beautiful day for a run, sunny and in the upper 50's. Shorts and t-shirt - a first in 2009. Although the weather was fabulous I was not feeling fabulous and it took everything I had to not give up. This run was one of biggest mental and physical struggles I have had in a long time. The first 4 miles were some of the worst. After my first GU at mile 5 I felt a little better but by mile 7 I just didn't want to be doing the run any longer. Reason for nothing gelling and the overall crappy feeling? Probably because I drank some (a bottle) of red wine last night. Will I ever learn??? Yes, today I finally learned my lesson. No more drinking the night before a long run. It seems like a no brainer...I also think I need a complete rest day the day before a long run. I have been testing doing light cardio the day before and it isn't working out to well for me. At least I learned something today!

Is Winter Over Yet?

So I'm an idiot. Saturday would have been a good day for a long run. Well an okay day for a long run. 16 miles in fact. It was chilly (25 degrees) but the sun was out. But on Friday night the hubby and I had some wine with dinner and it led to a little more wine after dinner and to me staying up late. Come late Saturday morning I was not hung over but I was not in the mood for running, especially running 16 miles. Instead of I read the rest of Empire Falls and essentially wasted the entire day. Which was great! We took it easy Saturday night went for dinner and to my beloved bookstore so I could get up and run Sunday.

Sunday late morning the first words out of my mouth ' "Oh crap. It's snowing" Welcome March. Anyways, I wake up late because it's cold and really it doesn't matter what time I run as long as the long run gets done. I take my time getting ready. I need my keys, where are my keys, where's my cell phone ??? I won't need my cell...better find it just in case.

Today was the first day in all my long runs that I had to get my ass picked up before I was done running. Not because I was hurt, tired, couldn't do it. Because of the dang weather. It started out fine, a few flurries and wind gusts. It turned nasty. Part of the lakefront path was blocked because it was too dangerous to go any further (a guy was actually in his car blocking the path!) at 5 miles. So I figured I would do 2 out and backs at a certain point. I turned around to head back and I go to take some water...it's frozen, so it the cap of the Gatorade. Then the wind and snow were just too much. I couldn't look up, icicles were forming on my eyelashes, I couldn't see. I started walking backwards then realized, this was not happening. I called the husband who had kindly waited for me foreseeing this would happen to come pick my sad butt up at 6 1/2 miles.

this is part of the path just before my husband picked me up. Looks innocent enough...

I accidentally erased the picture of me with both eyebrows covered in ice...I know that I couldn't feel my chin at this point.

Once I arrived home I changed and went to the gym to finish up the last 9 miles on the treadmill. ugh. Instead of 16 I did 15 because I was just mentally fried. So it took longer than I expected and there was a break in between but I was able to finish most of the long run.

I really should have done the run on Saturday...

Depressing, Obsessive or Neither

Today was the first day since Sunday that:

• I wore make-up (sort of)
• dressed in something other than pj's/shirt combo or workout clothes
• wore my wedding ring (if I wasn't getting dressed nor leaving the house no point in wearing jewelry!)
• left the house to go somewhere other than the gym or a run on the lakefront

Personally I think this all makes me sound like a very depressed person or someone obsessed with the gym/running. Reality is that this is what happens when you and your significant other have the same job that requires business travel, when you work from home, when you work from home and the significant other is traveling, and when all your other friends don't want to do anything during the week. I don't have too many full weeks like this and of course it flew by.

No Drama

There's not much going on in my life right now. But as I told my friend the other day being a little boring and drama free is good. Drama is draining. Really the biggest drama in my life right now... Well there's 2. I know they don't really qualify as drama but it's really the most exciting thing happening to me. When once you read about them you may be extremely bored with me :)

Drama #1 - I'm turning 30 in 10 freaking days. Okay no more talking about that.
Drama #2 - I have the nastiest blister on the inside of my left big toe. It started as this tiny little bugger on Monday and has been growing in size, pain, and annoyance ever since. I would post a picture a la other bloggers but I am too lazy to go get the camera go to the other computer to do all this. Plus I want to spare you the grossness that I'm sure you have all experienced before. It's not that I have never had a painful blister but never in this spot and never one that I haven't been able to pop on my own (ewwww I know).

Other than that I have been lazy with work and not many are noticing this week. Always a bonus. I've also stuck to the running schedule this week more or less. I complain about schedules but I like them otherwise I wouldn't get anything done. Monday's run needed to be cut by a mile thanks to some awesome shin pain that made my lower legs feel like iron casts. Yesterday's tempo was tough but that's why we do them and today was a nice recovery run.

Weekend in Review

What a weekend! It's tiring having a full house but I'm a little lonely now that everyone has gone home. In between the entertaining and eating I was able to get a 7 mile run done on Saturday morning before all the troops woke after their crazy night of debauchery. It wasn't super early seeing as I stayed up later to catch up on my DVR and then my intoxicated sister thought it would be fun to jump on us at 2:30 a.m. Friday night it snowed 3-4 inches and while the sidewalks were a slippery mess the lakefront trail had actually been plowed and was mostly clear. It was freezing and my shins started to ache a few miles into the run but it felt good to get it done.

Yesterday before everyone left we all went to Slumdog Millionaire. We got there late and had to sit unbelievably close to the screen but if you haven't seen this movie - go! It is an incredible story and uniquely shot.