Bits and Pieces

Happy Halloween! And, a chilly one at that! These frosty mornings make for great running weather, though ... the cold gives a nice spring to the step!

I thought long and hard yesterday about where I wanted to run today, and I couldn't resist taking the route that let me check on the status of that Hot Tamales wrapper from last week. I really didn't want to take that route because it also takes me by a dead opossum that was hit in the street more than a week ago; it's still there, and I knew it because I drove by it yesterday ... But, the wrapper status was important to investigate. Besides, it's this route that allows the friendly exchanges with my Good For You lady!

I was very intrigued along the way by Elly ... there are piles of leaves up against curbs that are taller than her belly. She not only wants to spend a lot of time getting in them and investigating them, she also chooses those very places to take care of business. Really? I think that's weird. She's belly deep in the leaves! It's particularly funny to see this when just three years ago, she was petrified of these piles.  Perhaps this is her way of saying to them TAKE THAT!

On we went, and I am here to report that the Hot Tamales wrapper was nowhere to be seen. I looked in the vacinity to see if it had just scooted off to the side, but it was gone. The opossum, however, was not gone, and its smell is even more dominant than it was last Thursday. You have to love those moments when you're going along, getting a whole mess of clean, crisp air into your lungs when cough!*hack!*nasty!*gag! Well, the odor was a good backdrop for Halloween I suppose. Road-kill smell is a tough running hazard ...



My WalMart trick or treat on a backdrop
of our chicken nuggets in costume ...
yes, we are that cool!



It took about a half mile to fully recover from the effects of such an encounter (I'm totally not kidding), but we persevered. No pennies today, but the door greeter at WalMart gave me a Halloween treat ... mmm ... perfect after running, right?! (Indeed, it was, it was delicious. Mmmm ...)

So, tonight, exercise will be put to the test. What test is that? The Trick-or-Treat endurance test!! I mentioned it about 6 weeks ago because I've noticed a difference in my ability to take charge of the neighborhood ever since I started running. It's funny to see how exercise translates into random areas of life ... like Trick-or-Treating! Everyone's been doing his or her own thing; that's going to pay off tonight! (next unintended exercise payoff: Sledding!)

Rest Day Defined

Rest Day: At any given moment, it's gearing up or it's settling down.

Enjoy each of your moments today, and I'll see you after the morning run!

Pocket Preparation

There's a saying about leaving a door open if you want opportunity to come through, right? Well, apparently, that same concept works for pockets and pennies. When I set out this morning, I put my key in the roomy pocket of my running pants, and I zipped the pocket almost closed. I left just enough room to deposit a penny if the opportunity presented itself. (It's important to plan ahead especially when the 31 degree temperature required gloves, and gloves make things like picking up pennies and manipulating zippers difficult, don'tcha know ...).

Planning pays:

Four pennies and, that's right! A dime! Sweet ...

What's so weird about my coin finding is how many times I'll run one direction only to turn around on the same path and find pennies I'd clearly passed over just moments earlier. I know there's a motivational speaking theme in there along the lines of what is seen from different perspectives in life, but right now, I'm just basking in the fun of the find!

In the meantime, you should know I picked this morning's route based on scenery. You can see why:

Not too shabby!

Also not shabby in the least, HOORAY for the St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champions!! Yeahhhh!!! The moral of that story: Never, never, never count someone out. Never. Not others. Not yourself. Not ever.

Bask in the glory of your win today! We all have little victories daily, we just have to see them. And, just think ... tomorrow is Rest Day ... ahhh ... I'm off for a Diet Coke!

Channeling My Inner Albert

How loud and how proud can we say, "GO CARDS!!!" Let's hear it for making this World Series exciting!!! It was so much fun to watch Game 6 last night and see a team that was counted out from even making it to the World Series to pull off a huge win last night!! They weren't even considered prior to the playoffs as being able to get this far! It seems the they weren't counted out by those that really mattered ... themselves! Way to dig deep!!

Okay, so there I was on the couch under a blanket with Elly's head in my lap watching the game (ahhh ... if that's not the picture of relaxation, I'm not sure what is ...). It was late in the game, Albert Pujols was just at bat, and he made it to first. As the cameras scanned the infield before focusing on the next batter, one of the commentators said the following: "Pujols isn't the fastest runner, but he's a savvy runner."

Savvy. I like that.

Speed with regard to running is something with which I had to come to terms immediately upon taking this up as a serious effort. The fact is, I'm not speedy (and can't remember a time in my life when I ever was), but running and entering races inherently lends itself to the question: "How fast?" This was a big mental hurdle to figure out. Ultimately, I realized that, for me, running couldn't be about "How fast." It had to be about "How smart."

It seems Mr. Pujols and I have something in common! Well, I'll go on thinking so; he might beg to differ! And, in the meantime, when I'm hitting a lull in a long run, I think I'll channel my inner Albert. A savvy puppy pace. I like it!

I'm Intrigued

I won't lie, I was oh-so tempted to blow off running this morning. I wasn't even cranky about it, I just wanted to get on with my day! Things to do! People to see! And, a run (plus the quite necessary shower) was just going to delay my day. But, too bad! It was a running day, and I was sticking to it! So, off I went!

It was a great morning for it, too ... nice and chilly! And, even though it took no time at all to work up a good sweat (which means I'm super-chilly when I stop moving), it was a lovely morning to get out and go. And, bonus, I'm two cents richer for doing so!

I know, I know ... nicely focused, isn't it? I was walking and clicking ...
seems that wasn't the best plan. I shall now take my two pennies and buy
myself a clue ...

It was cool finding these little gems because one was a good 6 feet off the path I was running, and the other was an easy 10 feet ahead of me and to the side. I think I have a sensor or something ... Okay, while I don't have that, I DO have a great, deep pocket in these running pants. It's so deep that I may pick up something big just to put in it. That just sounds fun.

In the meantime, here was my real issue of the day ... On Monday, I saw this wrapper at an intersection ...

... But, I took this picture today. Today. Four days later. And, not just four days later ... we've had plenty of wind (like, big wind) and we've had rain. This is also on the sidewalk of one of our busiest streets -- plenty of cars and trucks zooming by! I saw it and thought it must be stuck to the sidewalk to have been here for so long. Nope! I barely touched it with my shoe while waiting for the light to change, and it freely moved.

I pondered this little wrapper for the majority of my run. How is it staying there?! In fact, I found myself running faster to get back to that spot to see if my kicking it actually unstuck the one, random fiber that I reasoned must have been holding it to the sidewalk. Without such a fiber, how in the world has it stayed put through the week's weather?!

I returned, and it was still there. Now, that's picture-worthy. That wrapper has some tenacity if I ever saw. You'd think I would have picked it up to throw away. Instead, I left it to see if it's going to be there the next time I take that route. It'll be a few days, so I'm intrigued ...

I could not care less where it is tomorrow, though, as tomorrow is REST DAY!! Rest Day: Fabulous!

Recovery Going Fine

The forecast today called for rain which, as you know, doesn't excite me because I don't run in the rain unless I'm caught in it. In three years, I've only been caught once if that tells you how much I watch out for it. Wet shoes and wet socks is a recipe for foot disaster (not to mention mood depletion). It wasn't raining when I left this morning, so onward we went!

This was a run to shake out Monday's adventure that left my calves so tight by last night that I was walking around like I was 9 months pregnant (no lie ... had the slow-groove waddle going on). I got some calf TLC from Aaron last night to help loosen them (I'm so very fortunate to have a Pit Crew!), and that helped considerably.

As predicted, I was feeling just fine by the end of the first mile. As I could have also predicted, immediately upon stopping, one of them tightened up again, but that's normal, I've been through it, and as long as I'm smart for the next few days, it'll work itself out without real issue. Stairs are the biggest culprits with regard to healing ... darn, no doing laundry for a day or two ...

So, without having to think much about my legs, I, instead, spent the majority of today's run trying to remember the second of only two items I needed to pick up on the way home from Wal-Mart. Seriously ... two things, and I could only remember one. What better way to use my time than to try and remember the other?! If you ever want to completely distract yourself while exercising, just try to remember something you've forgotten.

My distracted brain did not interfere with my eye for finding treasure, though! Nope, not a penny today (I found that at Wal-Mart later!):

I cannot get enough of Fall leaves!! Orange and bright red are my
favorites ... especially orange when it's in-your-face ORANGE.
I found this little nugget on the sidewalk and brought it home.

Oh! Soon after finding this leaf, Elly, Jacques and I were stopped at a red light. A man in a car rolled down his window and was laughing when he told me how much he liked the jockey on my dog. He went on to ask me the jockey's name (I loved that he assumed he had a name!) and just belly-laughed at the whole scene. It was great! (And, it was so much less creepy than last year at the same intersection where a dude rolled down his window and strongly professed he was "no pervert" before repeatedly asking me for my name. Eww.)

The run soon came to an end, and just in time! Look!

Yup! Those are raindrops on the windshield! We literally got in
the car, closed the doors, and the drops began! And, it's not just
rain, it's a cold rain. No one wants to be out in that in a t-shirt
and shorty pants!

So, we're back at it, the minor issues are healing, and we'll carry on. We're back at it tomorrow! In the meantime, here's my pretty pic of the day:

Enjoy your day! And, remember, if you find yourself needing to take your mind off of whatever you're doing, just try to remember that last item on your shopping list ...

Prizes!

This is quite possibly the most appreciated Rest Day I've had since the week I took off of running after my first 5K in 2009. After yesterday's unfortunate incident, my calves are killing me today. It's nothing I've not before experienced, and by tomorrow morning, a slow jog will do wonders to shake 'em out. It comes with the territory, and I've learned it's not that big of a deal in the long run and certainly nothing to derail current efforts and future goals.

Speaking of goals ... check ... it ... out ...

A package came in the mail ... look closely ...

Yup! It's the Diet Coke t-shirt we won from the McDonald's
Monopoly game!

Aaron, with a little help from Elly and not
so much from Lizzy, couldn't wait to tear
into it!

Like a kid on Christmas morning ...

Super score!

This shirt was WAY cooler than I even
pictured. But, there's only one. Aaron thought
he'd placate me with a sip of his Diet Coke ...

... I thought he should find out if there are
still game pieces available for the Monopoly
game, and I handed him the phone book.

We did find one McDonald's that still had pieces available. So,
we went. Remember what Aaron said:
You gotta be committed to your craft!

As of this morning, we are within mere points of scoring enough My Coke Rewards points to earn a second shirt! Seriously, this is just fun! I have to be within just a few meetings to iron out the details of my fantasy Diet Coke sponsorship deal ...

Enjoy whatever's on the docket today! I'll be taking care of the calves situation so I'm ready to hit it tomorrow! On the docket: Single-digit miles ... !

I'm Thinking: Too Much Too Soon

... sounds very "after-school special," doesn't it? It was my conclusion regarding today's run, though. Come with me ...

It all started like a pretty normal Monday. I'd mapped out a 10-mile run for the morning after having switched my long run day from Saturday to Monday to see if that would work better in our schedules. A switch of some kind was necessary and unavoidable now that it's darker longer in the morning which means I can't start a long run at 6 a.m. anymore. I have to wait until at least 7 a.m. I wasn't sure I wanted to cut into the weekend morning fun by about an hour, so I thought I'd try moving the long runs to weekdays when it really only affected my schedule.

I had my route in mind.

I got my grapes ready.

Thank you, Aldi, for still having yummy grapes at an affordable price!

I got my water bottle ready.

I love this thing. Check out how it straps on so I don't even have
to make an effort to hold it. Genious.

I disappointed Elly by not bringing her.

All of that tail wagging for nothing. sigh ...

I got to my start point, and I put my grapes in my shorty pants pocket. (I had to do this after getting out of the car so they wouldn't get squished by the seat belt ... it is a miracle I actually thought about this prior to buckling up ...)

The pocket is so shallow that it looked like
I had a growth on my hip. Who doesn't want
that? Not to mention, the pocket is on the same
side as I hold my water bottle ... who made
these pants?!

And, I took off! The first mile was slow going, but that's normal because I'm still warming up. The next 5 were pretty sweet, and I cruised along nicely. I even scored these:

I put my cash in my water bottle pocket, took a few steps and BAM! Hit the wall. Not just some random wall (although that would be a good story), the wall. The one you hit when you are just done. It came pretty much from out of nowhere, and there was no question about it. Every muscle in my body let me know that if they had their way, they'd all be on the couch. Being a couple of miles away from the car made that notion a bit difficult, though, didn't it ...

It turned out this happened right at the bottom of a hill (could not have timed it better myself!). So, up I walked, and I pondered what to do. I had the choice to cut two miles off the route and take a more direct way back to the car, or I could finish route between bouts of walking and running.

I got to my fork in the road, so to speak, and I took the path that would have me complete the 10 miles. It also took me past this so-very-awesome-would-have-missed-it-otherwise tree:

From a distance, there was little spectacular about this tree. From
underneath, however ... wow!

The path also took me past a store where I not only stopped to refill my water bottle but where I also stopped to see if they had any good Snoopy gel clings for our windows. They didn't have any I don't already have, so I moved on ... but good to know!

I walked the last mile of the route acknowledging that I was, indeed, done for the day. My brain, however, was on overdrive figuring out what happened. By and large, it's a case of too much too soon ... my goal back in September was to make 6-mile runs my weekly long run norm, and if that worked well, then push it to 8. I'm not sure where 10 came from other than I believe I thought, "Wow, 8 worked so well, why not 10?" Like it's just that simple. Between pushing too fast and dinking around with my running schedule, it's clear I need to go back to the basics, back to the schedule I've successfully used for three years, and back to some perspective about what I'm asking of myself. (Hey, Nancy ... ever heard the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Just wondering ...)

And, in coming to those conclusions in a way where I feel inspired and not defeated, I couldn't have asked for those last miles to be spent any better! Tomorrow is Rest Day! I think for the first time in a while, I'll be savoring that time off!

No Words Required

Ahhh ...
See you after tomorrow's long run!

Sage Words Of a Cake Walker

You never know when something is going to hit you.

Last night, we attended the annual school fair. For the past 8 years, we've participated in the Cake Walk (yes, that game where you stand on numbers in a circle -- numbers made from duct tape and stuck to grody carpet squares -- and walk around the circle to music. The music stops. A number is drawn, and if you're the lucky duck on that number, you get a homemade, donated cake). Some of us join in the game because it is traditional but are not heavily invested (myself and Pit Crew #3). Others purposely participate fueled by hope (Pit Crew #2). Others -- Leader of the Crew, Aaron -- go for it hard core.

Yes, there are people out there who take on the Cake Walk as a personal challenge to hit the jackpot early and often.

In just two rounds of Cake Walking last night, Aaron won. Two rounds, 6 total participation tickets, 1 cake. In 8 years, I have never won. Every year, we note that Aaron always comes home with a cake. Always. Those who have also been to this fair for the past 8 years assume he's going to win, it's just a matter of "when".

Pit Crew #2 kept at it and won, too!
Now, that's commitment!

I was laughing when he won so fast and asked him, "How is it that you always win?!" His response: "You gotta commit to your craft!"

Now, that's just profound.

As I ran this morning, I thought long and hard about this very concept (in betwen verses of "Video Killed the Radio Star" going through my head). It's true, Aaron is commited to winning the Cake Walk every year. A fellow fair goer even noted, "Aaron always wins because Aaron is always out there trying." And, isn't that really the key to everything?

This was particularly profound for me this morning. I thought a lot about how far I've come in my running venture ... I've gone from not being able to run .3 of a mile (yes, I measured) to finishing 13. Of course, that came in stages. Many stages. And, every stage represents a commitment. Not a commitment to win, but a commitment to give it everything I have. Even though in each stage I have an outcome in mind, the outcome isn't what gets the majority of my attention. It's the process along the way that deserves the time and energy. In making that my focus, I know I'm controlling everything I can and understanding that the ultimate outcome is, well, kind of secondary. (By and large, the outcome tends to reflect the effort, too; accepting that helps keep the pressure of a particular outcome at bay ...)

Dr. Phil had this in his Life Strategies daily calendar a number of
years ago. It lives on our refrigerator. I think it's funny that for as
simple as the concept is, it's relating it to a Cake Walk that drove
home the clarity!

Of course, I have goals, and I intend to hit them, but I've come to learn that focusing too hard on the goal without truly embracing the process to get there is totally putting the cart before the horse. At least it is for me.

I know this line of thought can't directly and precisely translate into every situation we encounter nor am I trying to make it so. But, it did make me take pause to think about how it works for me in my world. That line of thinking is what got me from .3 to 13, and those are numbers with which I can't argue.

Two pennies this morning also made me take pause, by the way, just a different kind of pause. Cha- and ching! (Elly has even different kinds of paws ...)

Group photo!

Is there something you've always pondered attempting but haven't because it seems too far out of reach? Maybe the words of our resident Cake Walker hold the key! Enjoy the day; tomorrow is Rest Day!

A Mental Shake-Out

I have most definitely found in the past few years that taking a run:

(a) starts my day off really well, and feel I invigorated,

(b) shakes out the brain cobwebs, helps me sort through problems and approach things a bit more chill than my nature tends to allow, and/or

(c) exhausts me in such a way that things around me don't really rock my world because I'm too busy being too tired. (HA!)

This was a morning I could have used a run for any of the above reasons. But, I was already showered and ready for the day, so I opted to regroup by going for a walk. I put on the ol' gloves and sweatshirt, though! It's a chilly one out there!

Frost is Fabulous!

Elly was excited to see me come home. That usually means she gets to go for a walk. Jacques came, too:

Elly thoroughly enjoys when I walk instead of run because she gets exploring time:

So, while Elly was exercising her sniffer, I was thinking about how many coins I've found on runs and how fun it would be to find one today even though we're not running (all exercise pays, don't you know, and I like it a lot when it pays in cash ...). So, we wandered on, and I felt Elly tug me like she wanted to go to the other side of the street. I ignored it. A few feet later, she tugged again. I thought to myself that if she tugged one more time, I'd go her way. Well, a few feet later, she did. I complied. And, she walked straight to this:

I am not even kidding. It couldn't have been a straighter line to it if I'd designed it myself. And, no, I don't think my dog has super powers (but, how cool would it be if she did?!). A few feet later, there was another penny, too! Super score!

On our walk, I also found these:

They're BB's from an air rifle. We've picked these up for years. It started when the youngest Pit Crew members were wee ones; they'd find them and put them in their pockets. (I'm seeing a family theme here on collecting things from the street ...) We have a whole collection of them now. I'll share that another day. But, know that finding these made me happy because the Pit Crewers still think it's cool to add to the BB box. It's the little things ...

One more stroke of good news to continue the McDonald's Monopoly update; check out what I won yesterday:

Sweet! (Both literally and figuratively!) We love love love the Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfaits! But, WHATEVER we're cashing in on the McFlurry! And, Aaron got an email letting him know the Diet Coke t-shirt is in the mail! With any luck, we'll win enough points by the time the game is finished for two shirts ... stay tuned!

Enjoy this Friday!! And, if things start not going your way, may you be able to stop and regroup with what reinvigorates you! See you after the chilly morning jaunt!

So Unexpected: the Sequel

Holy moly, it has been a day!! But! It sure started off right! It was sunny and beautiful (even the 39 degree temperature was great for me! I dig it cold!) and a great morning for a run! But, seeing as I had things to do immediately after running, I didn't go on foot by yesterday's orange tree bonanza ... but, I did drive by in a completely not-at-all-on-my-way-home route!

You might remember I wanted to see that blanket of orange leaves on the ground as they'd look with sun coming down on them. What I didn't think about was that if the sun was out, there would be shade! Duh! So, the ground wasn't impressive at all (and I didn't take a picture because I didn't want to look like a creepy lurker). But, I did look up:

Sweeeeeet ...

While most of the leaves are dark, the ones where you can see color
are BAM right there in your face ORANGE! YUM! Kinda makes
me want to have a popsicle ... who doesn't love an orange popsicle?

It's super hard to look up while running because I do fear tripping, so I'm glad I went by after I was finished! (Seriously, how I've not gone ker-splat in these three years is beyond me even without doing something like looking upward. The one time I fell on ice does not count. But, I have stubbed my toes into an uneven piece of sidewalk so hard that I made sore a muscle in my be-hind ... I don't recommend ...)

Speaking of orange:

Yup, finally got it. Finally. Five weeks after finishing, I got my finisher's medal for September's Half. I can hardly remember what I did yesterday much less five weeks ago. HA! *sigh* Not a shining endorsement for the run organization, but it's still cool. (It's not as cool as our Puppy Pace shirts, but not much is ...)

Speaking of cool, tomorrow is Rest Day! And, THAT is entirely cool!

So Unexpected

My morning has been chock full of things unexpected! Here we go!

I knew the temperature was quickly dropping, but I did not think
we'd need to get out the gloves and ear warmers today! I love gloves
and ear warmers, though, so that made me happy ...

What did not really make me happy was that it started raining this
morning when our forecast gave us zero warning for that. Grrr...
It was a very light rain, though, so I went out anyway (it was that
or the mean-machine treadmill ... I opted for getting a little wet!).

I'm so very glad I went out, because I would have missed THIS!!

These are all on someone's lawn, and there are a slew of orange
leaves still on the tree above them! I can't imagine how beautiful
that lawn is with sun coming through the leaves still hanging.
I hope it's sunny tomorrow; I'll take the same route if so to find
out! I was thankful for good, smooth sidewalk here because I
was not paying any attention to my feet on this stretch!

I also did not expect to find this today! Cha-ching! The big bank
showed itself right at the 3.5 mark!! (Sidenote: I also did not expect
that when I pulled out the gloves and ear warmers this morning
that they were in need of a wash ...)

So, then I get home and did expect Elly to
greet me at the door. Not so much! It seems
the warm, cozy couch trumped the greeting,
so she whacked her tail on the couch to let
me know where she was ... then I could go
to her to give her some lovin'! Smart doggie.
I guess I don't get the love when I don't take
her with me. Eh, whadda ya do.

And, in my last unexpected of the morning, check out these bad boys!
They're huge! (and the one on your right is mighty heavy!) I had to get
them. I'm not sure which makes a person feel more awesome: Running
double-digit miles (not today, but other days!), or lifting one of these!
I vote: Both!

So, there you have it. Just when I thought it was just another day to run, I stumbled upon goodness every time I turned around. You cannot beat when that's what happens in your day! More miles tomorrow -- I can't wait to see what happens!

Rest Day Ramblings

Hey, do you think someone was a bit pouty when she realized I took a shower to start the day instead of getting on my running clothes?

She's really going to be annoyed tomorrow when I put on the running clothes, but she won't get to come. I meant it when I said I learned my lesson: Elly's a 3-miler, and that's it!

On this Rest Day, I feel compelled to give a from-the-kitchen update. You might recall this disaster:

Sweet potato "Mom" fries meet their demise when the tops cooked,
the bottoms didn't, then they suddenly hit their burn-up point. Such
a pity.

I'd been successfully making the Mom Fries in our toaster oven, but for four people, it takes forever. Making them in the regular oven didn't work (as you clearly see above), but we surmised the burn-up happened because we were baking on a stone pan rather than a metal one, therefore, the bottoms just didn't get the necessary heat to bake such a wet, fleshy veggie. Last night, we got out our only metal pan, put down a piece of foil (but we're not sure why ...), and voila!

Sweet potato perfection. AND the cooked
spices taste like those off of an everything
bagel ... mmm!

My next venture in the kitchen was to try something I'd read on this blog. I check this one out pretty often to see what's new in the author's world of running. She and I have very different goals and very different lifestyles, but she does a great job with her site, so I like to see "what else" is out there in terms of detail to see if there's something cool to incorporate into our world. She often talks about having oatmeal and peanut butter at breakfast ... what a great morning fuel with slow-release energy in the oatmeal and protein in the peanut butter! But ... drum roll, please ...

Yuck.

What you see above is 1/3 cup oatmeal, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup milk; I cooked it up and added a heaping tablespoon of natural peanut butter. It just did not work for me at all. Yes, I did mix the peanut butter in. I kind of tried to swirl it, but that didn't work, so I ultimately mixed it entirely. It was just too thick for me. Brick mortar comes to mind. And, the truth is, I like my oatmeal without stuff in it. I never liked mixing my foods when I was little, I still don't like mixing them up, so I'm not sure why I thought this would work well.

Then again, I never thought I could run 2 consecutive miles, so a girl's gotta try! She has a bunch of other oatmeal-related ideas, so I'm going to check 'em out. See you after the a.m. run! And, if you try something new today, may it be a success!