Plans All Over the Place

Okay, it's like this: I seem to have overdone it again. (MAN!) In the past when I've overdone the running post Half, I've done too many miles too fast -- like trying to bounce back into the 10-mile zones two weeks post-Half ... for me, that's just silliness, and I finally learned to pull those miles back. This time after the awesome Rock'n'Roll run, I decided to up the mileage per week (which was good), but I put too many miles and running days together (which was bad). All of this dinking around with my running schedule finally caught up with me, and to say I'm tired is an understatement. I think I have my miles right but my schedule wrong. So, the ultimate plan for this week is to get back on schedule because that's why it's there.

I've only visited this don't-fix-the-unbroken-schedule issue about four times ... 'think I'll learn this time? I guess we'll see in the Spring after the next big run!

In the meantime, today, Aaron and I went to sign up for Turkey Trax!! WaHoo!! It was a super-fun event last year, and we had a great time!! We looked great, too, just sayin':

Okay, so there I was filling out the registration form for this year's run when I noticed the following notation under the "shirt size" category: "If registering 15 days prior to event." The implication was that if you were inside of 15 days from the event, you were not guaranteed a shirt. While there was nothing about this with the online registration, there it was in print in front of me.

Ohhhh ... noooo ...

I pointed this out to Aaron who immediately said we should do it anyway because everyone's looking forward to it. I was all, "Um, no shirt, no run." And, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be alone there. The shirt is a pretty fun deal to most adults; it's a pretty big deal to a kid. I had no plans to pay and try to make the kids understand that this shouldn't be about the shirt. To me, it's a package deal. Run = Shirt.

Last year, I had a yogurt parfait and oatmeal I'd brought from
home. When oatmeal sits for more than an hour, it's a bit like
eating plaster compound. Very cool of McDonald's to now have
oatmeal on the menu!

Aaron had a great point, though, in that everyone is looking forward to it. Last year, we had a blast, and we went to McDonald's for breakfast after because to us it's funny to go to McDonald's on Thanksgiving Day. And, while both of us suspected the 15-day notation wasn't as firm as I initially feared, so, on the way to register in person, I felt it necessary to come up with a Plan B in case shirts weren't guaranteed.

Enter Plan B: There is a McDonald's just more than 3 miles away from our house, and it's going to be open on Thanksgiving morning. So, my plan was this:

• Aaron and I drive to that McDonald's (vs. the one 6 miles away; I scared him for a second with my suggestion) separately.
• We leave one car there, and drive home.
• Dressed in last year's Turkey Trax shirts and hats (can't forget the hats!), we run directly there.
• Breakfast and camaraderie ensue.
• We go home, able to do so because we were smart enough to park a car there.
• We all sign up for the Jingle Bell Run instead. We're still in the shirt window there!

Aaron was on board and called these the McDonald's Miles (clever!!). It was an excellent plan indeed! Then, we got to the registration place and, long story short, we are still guaranteed our shirts. (I have to insert that the person helping us was a little frazzled, and our registration form was randomly put on the corner of the counter while he helped the next customer, so there will be a confirmation call at the end of the week to make sure the registration itself made it where it belongs! Can't you just see it at packet pick up? "Not only do we not have a shirt for you, we don't have you.")

Looks like I have Plan B's all over the place, doesn't it? That's how I roll when possible. I find no need to wallow when there's another way.

Daphne says: "That's why it's cool to be a
kitty. I've been hanging out in this box for
the past 15 minutes. Not a care in the world.
It's awesome."

Tomorrow's another Rest Day!! I'll see you from there, hopefully without so many Monday-like woes!