Run, Chocolate Bunny, Run!

She pointed out that the
bunny is running. Well
played, PC#2. well played!

Yesterday's run was actually scheduled for today. But, who's going to get up and run on Easter Sunday when there's an egg hunt to be had?!?!

It was a morning full of excitement and praise. It was also a morning with baskets full of goodness, and I had to share a couple of items in mine compliments of PC#2:

I hope your morning was as great as mine!! I'll see you after the morning run that's been fueled by a chocolate egg or two! Happy Easter!!

Home Stretch Preparations

Holy moly, I had a time pulling myself out of bed this morning! I knew I needed to get up and get on with it, though, so I didn't dilly dally as much as I wanted. Once upright, the first thought I had was, "Yesterday, this run sounded like a great idea ..." I knew I needed to stop thinking, and just do. The promise of an Everything bagel at the end of this gig didn't hurt anything, either, so up and out I went.

I'm still struggling temperature-wise. It was in the mid-40s which would normally put me in shorts and short sleeves by this point, but I think I've just been too cold for too long (not to mention, most days don't warm up very much) that I've gotten very used to dressing warmer even for the double digits. It's very weird, but it's working.

This run worked for me, too. The wind in my face for the first three and last four miles of it kind of sucked, but at least I was outside! (There was one gust that even blew me directly sideways along the 7th mile. It reminded me of how my dad used to change lanes in traffic but far less scary. He knows, it's not a secret.) The wind is my only complaint, though, so that's awesome. In fact, I felt so ready to take this on that I had to very deliberately slow myself down in the third mile. I felt myself already giving it everything I had which can lead to running out of gas, so I reminded myself this is supposed to be the beginning of the taper -- let up a little and give the muscles a refresher before taking them the distance next week. You know, the whole point of a taper. I had a hard time slowing my pace down (weird, I know!), so I chose not to. I knew I always had that option along the way, so why hold up when I don't feel like it? I mean, it's so rare and all.

The closer I got to the end, the more I insisted to myself that I keep it up just to see what happens both time-wise (not gonna lie ... I felt that good, so I actually wanted to know) and physically (just how worn out will this pace make me at this distance?).

The next thing I knew, I hit the 10th mile ... see?...

Aaaaand, there I am!

... and, I saw I beat my optimal pace by one minute. That optimal pace, though, is based on single-digit miles, not double. Double-digit miles on good days are 30 seconds more (slower) per mile. Translation: Should I have this pace next weekend, I will PR my Half by 6 minutes. That's the very best case scenario, though. My foundational goals still hold in this order:

• Finish unhurt
• Have a lot of fun
• Hover around my usual time (good indicator of systems firing, not of being a stud)
• Beat my best time if it's reasonable and fun to do

Oh, quick saucy shoe report: They're fabulous. I did start to rub a blister on a pinky toe, but I'm not surprised not only because my toes have been strangers even on the same feet in my former shoes, but this was the first long run in them. Given the way I pounded the pavement for this one, a mere blister battle wound is almost not noteworthy. Almost.

The Crew met me at the bagel place where I could change and dine! It's such a fabulous end point! Once home, I rejoiced in the fact that the rain waited until I finished running to start!

And, in other fabulousness -- It was Shirt Making Day!! Yahoo!! I'm too stoked about them to not go ahead and share 'em! These shirts have become a pretty big deal around here for all of us. I can't stress enough that this running endeavor for me is truly a team effort. I'm supported more than I would have ever thought to ask in so many ways. From being cheered at an event to bringing me clean clothes to celebrating when I find money to joining me and being a part of it all on both official and weekend runs ... how fortunate am I?! The least I could do is support the We're Getting a New T-Shirt, Right? desires!!

We have a same-day custom shirt place downtown where we've gone for all of ours. They finally made a computer file to save our shirt designs to make the, "Where's that one paw print you all have?" search go a whole lot faster! The people who work there sit and design for you; you just tell 'em what you want! The same fabulous dude who has made at least 3 of ours whipped mine out at record speed, then Aaron worked with him on the one for the Crew:

While they worked, I checked out the wall of shirts. This one made me laugh:

After a bit of a search for an off-the-beaten-path font (you'll see why), the Crew shirts were ready to print, and we had time to wander around downtown! It was already 2 p.m., so our first stop was lunch at Subway (love the stores that sell breakfast all day!! Have you had an egg white and cheese on flatbread with spinach, black olives and lots of black pepper? You really should.). We checked out a couple of stores including ...

... a bakery ...

... a cupcake shop ...

... and, a candy store!

So, there we were downtown getting shirts supporting running, and we checked out all of the sweet shops. I love me some dichotomy!!

I did get each of us a fun prize at the candy store:

Evidently, it wasn't Aaron-sized:

He said that took two bites. I think he
might need to check his math ...

Sticking with the running theme, though, I made up for finding no money on my morning run:

Thank you, people who drop money by meters and don't tend
to care! Cha-ching says the Food Bank!

Soon enough, I got the call that the shirts were ready! Here we are with the reveal:

'Better believe that run isn't just about that
day!! And, how does one get there without
such great support? I guess they could ...
I'm glad I don't have to!!

Totally proud of this being the 5th! I also
love the loud color ... good clash with the
shoes!! Bright and fabulous!

One day this week, I said, "Hey, if you all want shirts, you need
to figure out what they are going to say." Aaron immediately
blurted out the above, and it was the winner!

I simply must share ... check out the pic of the Crew when we got our first shirts!

HOW CUTE ARE THEY?!?!?!?

It's been a big day!!! It's also been a great day!!! I'm soooo looking forward to some down time tomorrow!!! Embrace the rest of your Saturday and your weekend!! I'll see you from a restful Easter Sunday!

Brain Fry

My brain feels like this looks ... awesome
but all kinds of crazed! (thank you I Love
To Run Facebook page for this!)

On this Friday, my brain is all a scramble -- in a good way! It's the first nice day we've had in a very long time. There's sun! There's no threat of rain or snow! The weather is perfect for playing without getting terribly nasty from sweat and stink! (Perfect for the young Crewers to beat me in three games of HORSE, too, just sayin'.) There's so much good going on that my brain really does feel all over the place!

So, let's see if I can unravel the brain waves ...

First of all, my inbox is getting smacked with all kinds of running-related emails from upcoming events to reminders to sign up for events. A lot of those reminders to sign up are of the generic variety that go  to those of us who have already signed up. However, my friend OCD and I get one of those messages and think, "Did I sign up?" and have to find the saved confirmation email that, yes, I really did. Let it gooooo ...

Shirt making for Half #2!! Whee!

And, while I have business to let go, some things need immediate attention as in I still need to map tomorrow's 10-miler. I can't decide on an end-point which is why the stall. Home ... bagel shop ... home ... bagel shop. It's a tough call. It's made more complicated by the fact that after breakfast, we're going to the shirt shop ... Oh, yes, it's Half Marathon Shirt Making Day! So, do I want to go straight from the bagel shop OR go home, shower, THEN go shirt making. Again, tough call. I'm stoked to make our shirts ... I'll reveal 'em soon!

And, in between things right in front of my face, there are other things on the horizon. Here's the weird one -- while I usually schedule a Rest Week post Half, check it out, I'm not even looking forward to it. (Whuuuuuuut??) I'm just not feeling the need, and I'm not even being delusional about it. Not wanting to chill after a Half? That's a first! It's also feeding a lingering thought I've had for more than a month about upgrading my May 5K to the Half option. It's the same thought I had around this time last year but found out I couldn't turn the miles around fast enough to run the second Half. Since January, though, I've been thinking about this scenario again, what I did wrong last year, what I can do different (therefore, right) this year. Not feeling the need for a Rest Week is feeding a slumbering beast.

I've never gotten to the week before a Half this mentally and physically ready to not only take it on but to also pounce on potential challenges ahead of me. For right now, though, I need to keep the beast at bay and focus on the here and now. Or, at least on the business of tomorrow morning! I'm so excited to say I'm looking forward to this run -- it's the last long one before the long one! I'll see you after!

The Challenge Of the Immediate

I had the following conversation with the young Pit Crewers yesterday:

Me: Hey, do you guys want to run with me tomorrow?
PC#3: How far are you going ... (fearing the answer, and ready to decline)
Me: Three miles. (Like, duh, I wouldn't ask if it were longer because I only try to sucker Dad.)
PC#3: (all perked up) Oh, then, yes!
(PC#2 non-verbally agreeable from the get-go with no stipulations.)

And, then there was this morning.

Before I go on, I will note that when we plan a morning run, if there's a cranky runner, I'm the one. Both kids have always been very eager to go, and Aaron hides any grumblies he might have.

PC#3 could not have been less interested in joining me. He didn't want to say so, but it was all over his face. And his lack of movement. And his lack of finding his shoes. And his high need to rethink his clothes just in case he was going to be too warm (can't have that) or too cold (really can't have that). And is lack of ability to find his hat. And his immediate need to have some yogurt to make sure there's something in his stomach.

I'm just sayin' it was a pretty painful 15 minutes. He knows it, too, it's not like it's a secret.

It's especially not a secret because I knew what was going on the entire time. It's not like I haven't been there dancing to the same music with different words many, many times. In fact, somewhere around 4 in the morning when I needed to go to the bathroom, I thought about having to run in a few hours and though it was the dumbest idea I've ever had. So, I had some remarkable patience waiting for him because I knew he was about to experience something as a kid that it took me a few years to learn as an adult: By walking through the immediate pain, he was going to end up feeling awesome.

Spoiler alert: He totally did!

We all managed to get ourselves out the door (including a dog who could not get out the door fast enough! I think she might have had her desire and stole PC#3's!), and it took less than a half mile before I had not one but two perky humans (Elly: already perky) along with me for the run! I watched him and saw the transformation on his face, the spring come to his step and listened as he started talkingtalkingtalking -- always a sign of his happy!

That's the thing about exercise that everyone tells you and no one wants to believe unless you've experienced it yourself: You actually feel better once you get going! Even though this moment of exuberance doesn't last, and there will be other cranky moments, at least he now has something from which to draw in those I-so-don't-feel-like-it moments!

We all had an awesome run:

Nothing like dodging the snow remnants!
It was something like dodging a meteor
shower, I'm just sure of it.

And, we had an awesome group hug at the finish:

Oh, Elly ... looking way more proper and
refined than that spaz-attack run she
just put on!!

It was a great way for me to round out the weekday runs -- I love having my friends with me! Tomorrow, we rest!! WaHoo!!! Let's hear it for FRIDAY!!! I'll see you then!

Indeed, I'm One Of THOSE

I know I complain about the treadmill more than any reasonable person should, so allow me to take this opportunity to give it a nod of thanks ... thank you, treadmill, for not breaking down, for working when I need you to and for providing me a place to run when I want when Mother Nature had other plans for me.

There, I said it.

Check it out, this morning's 5-miler on the ol' treadmill whizzed by. Could it be that watching an episode of Kortney and Kim Take Miami was that intriguing? I'd love to deny watching certain t.v., but I won't. I'm all about good t.v., trash t.v. and almost everything in between. T.V.: Good. And, I was totally on the reality t.v. bandwagon before it became cool. (For real, it's cool to some.) And, hey, it worked. Before I knew it, I had only one mile to go. YAHOO!!! I almost let out a victorious scream when I saw my status, but I required myself to focus. Training the brain is part of the whole process! And, that must be why I watch such shows on the treadmill ... no thought required of the show. Brilliant!

(Remember when I recently answered my friend's "What's your guilty pleasure song?" question? Yeah, I felt guilty about none of my muscial answers ... t.v. seems to draw out the guilty pleasure issue for me!)

Also notable for today: A year ago today was that 5-miler when I fell off of a curb when saying hello to a friend also out running. I know, I'm smooooooth. I'm also thankful there wasn't a repeat performance. Falling off a treadmill has to be a whole different animal than off a curb!

Well, guilty pleasure-ridden or not, I rocked my miles and was heavily rewarded later at the store:

Oh, yes, I'm one of those who checks the change slots. You
never know! This stash was found between two different
machines! Wahoo!! (I've always done this -- on my first date
with Aaron, I found $2.10 in a pay phone. I'm sure it added to my
clout once he saw it actually paid off and I wasn't just being
unnecessarily embarrassing.)

You can guess it's a bit of a bummer not to find and contribute to my Snoopy Bank for the Food Bank when I'm stuck indoors, so this kind of score totally helps make up for that!

Oh, and allow me to share something off topic:

Does someone look familiar?!

The young Crewers and I did some paper mache egg painting. Amidst the traditional (and the Easter walrus and polar bear), I had to make an ode to Elly!!
And, on tomorrow's docket: Three! Ahh ... sounds good! We'll see you after the run!

Gotta Get Over It

It's been a wonderful Rest Day with one exception -- I went out and about today and realized there aren't enough roads and sidewalks combined to have a good 5-mile path for tomorrow's run!! And, by "good," I mean safe for me and not obnoxious and/or rude to the people trying to get to work in the morning. I'm a big fan of respecting the fact that I run on roads. You know, the very pathways built for cars. And, that the sidewalks are covered with snow is no one's fault. So, guess who's likely running inside tomorrow morning ... grumble ... grumble ...

OR AM I? I just walked past the treadmill (where PC#2 had just been using it. And, by "using" I mean rocking it with sprint work. Holy crap, she went fast!) and saw this on the ground:

Could it be? Is the dreadmill actually falling apart?! Oh, I think
I'm so very sad! Let me poke myself in the eye to make a tear ...

Okay, it was a momentary blip on the glee radar. Reality quickly set in, and I realize I'd be up a creek without the treadmill option. As much as I hate it, I'm thankful to have it. Mostly. I mean, I am. Sort of. No, for real ... *sigh* ...

So, in an effort to not crank my mental state away, I set out to find the happiest visual (in picture form on the Surfing Rainbows Facebook page) that I could. I landed on this which got a smile and thumbs up from both young Crewers as well. I call that a triple seal of approval!

Ready? Get ready to smile!

With that, I go forth thankful for options and thankful for the ability to exercise those options whether I feel like it or not! That's a pretty good problem to have! I'll see you after those 5 miles are checked off one way or the other!

Play Nice

You can guess in the last two days, my brain has been chock full of shoe thoughts. Remember how awesome they are? How could I NOT think about them?

Before that sounds entirely too weird (I mean, they're shoes ...), go with me a step farther and know that all of the fanfare isn't just about the shoes themselves. Nope. Instead, it's about what these shoes represent. They're not just fun and crazy cool to look at, gush over and drool upon. Rather, they represent exactly how far I've come. While I'm no Olympian, not an elite athlete nor even an age-group place winner, I have come really freakin' far these past 4 years. 'Scuse me ... 4 and a half. I began this adventure not being able to run more than a quarter of a mile if I made it that far. It took me six months to train and feel confident enough to sign up for my first 5K ("couch to 5K" in 6 weeks? hahahahaha! That was not me!), and that 5K required two walking breaks and one near-hurl moment. I tried to be somewhat invisible in the packet pick-up line for that 5K, too, as I stood in front of a woman who was totally decked out in fabulous running clothes with the confidence to match. I didn't have a problem telling anyone I was working on running, but I didn't want to run with anyone because then they'd know first-hand how much I struggled. I even used the dog as an excuse to make myself get out and run; I couldn't even own it for myself for the first few months. Clearly, I had some issues. And, those issues contributed to any thoughts I might have had about wearing something that called attention to me. It wasn't going to happen.

I look back at that time, and, while I understand the thoughts I had, they seem a little sad now. There was no reason for yester-me to beat myself up about anything much less something that could only contribute to my health and well-being no matter how I did it. But, we all do it, don't we? Good golly, we're mean to ourselves. We're so mean we don't even splurge on some fun shoes to make something we're working so hard at just a smidge more fun. I know there are plenty of books and psychological theories to explain why self-deprication can be so rampant in human nature. I'd like to sum up those books and theories with the following statement: It totally sucks.

The Nancy of today would hug yester-me, hear her out, and then tell her to get some awesome shoes. Yester-me's frugality might have still stopped that, but that's a better reason than character assassination, just sayin'.

Shout-out moment called for here: Yester-Aaron would have totally supported and argued with me about getting myself some cool shoes. You already know how supportive he is -- leader of The Pit Crew, after all! -- but, I wanted to make very clear that this problem was all about me. That's how powerful we can be toward ourselves. The great thing is that our positive self-talk can be just as powerful ... and, that kind of power embraces new, hot pink shoes!

And, just as I suspected, the morning weather called for some inside running:

Often, ice above also means ice below ... not interested in
falling on my kiester this morning!

I had to get the shoes away from Lizzy who did her little dance of pawing all over them ...

You can scent 'em up, but they're still
mine, kitty cat!

... and, then, I headed to the treadmill. I was fully prepared for 4 miles of t.v. watching. I didn't have anything noteworthy to watch, but I had enough to pass the time.

Here they are ... ready for action ...

I said they're ready for action, not in action. Had I pictured
them in action, either they would have been blurry due to my
lightening speed OR I would have fallen off the treadmill.
Bad buzz either way.

The Day 1 verdict: They were outstanding! The only problem I had actually had to do with my choice of socks! I've been wearing thicker socks to help compensate for the extra room in my other shoes, and I didn't switch back to my regular socks for this run. I need to because that extra thickness made a big difference in this narrower shoe. But, that's fixable. I'm pretty stoked to give 'em a spin on Wednesday for the 5-miler; that will tell me a lot about how they're going to perform!

Oh, I have to mention ... those other shoes that are too wide for my comfortable running perfectly fit PC#3. Perfectly. He and I put our feet together, and his are just a bit longer and also wider than mine ... the perfect width for what turned out to be a wider shoe! As a point of interest, I am now the oldest member of the family who has the smallest feet. What gives, and how'd that happen?! (Marrying a big dude ... that's how that happened!!) At least if I give up on the other shoes entirely, they have a great place to call home!

Today's take aways: Be NICE to yourself. Do what you need to do to SUPPORT yourself. Bright shoes, cool hat, expensive-but-feels-awesome shirt ... DO IT. You are worth it!!

I'll see you tomorrow from Rest Day!

Hot Pink Splurge!

Yesterday, I mentioned I made a running-related splurge, and it is time for the big reveal ...

Not only are they FABULOUS to look at, but if you just glance
at the name, it looks like they're saucys ...

Big-paw kitty approved. Or not. Her vote doesn't count anyway.

Before I start, I need to say that I appreciate everyone who has put up with my obsessive worry and/or nit-picking about my shoes. Seriously. I mean, they're shoes. But, it's probably not going to stop in the coming years since styles get discontinued perpetuating my issues, so I also thank you in advance for your listening.

And, now, I gush ... did you look at these shoes? I mean, really look at them? How could you miss 'em?! They're fabulous!! I'm a gal all about color, the more the merrier. I've not grown out of my little girl/teen obsession with all things rainbow. So, having shoes that make a color statement? I'm in!

There are a handful of factors that have kept me out of the color game for running shoes. From my first specifically-for-running shoe purchase late Fall of 2008 when this whole gig started, the thoughts have gone like this:

• I don't want to draw attention to myself with my shoes
• get something neutral to wear with other things when no longer being used for running
• my brand doesn't make ones with colors anyway
• brands that make colors are too expensive
• my new brand makes colors but I won't be able to wear them with anything else later
• I still don't think I should wear the colors; I'd feel like a poser
• my brand makes colors but they're out of my budget
• I don't care about the other colors because my Asics come in my favorite purple
• crap! my favorite shoes have been discontinued
• the crazy color shoes are still more than I want to pay
• *sigh*

Did you catch the very first thought? It's true. When I began running, I wanted no attention drawn to myself. None. Zero. Drawing attention to myself meant exposing my huffing and puffing, and I wanted none of that.

Clearly, I've evolved. And, I wanted awesome shoes!

So, the story is this ... throughout yesterday's long run, I both paid attention and tried to ignore how my feet felt. It's a fun trick to do that simultaneously, but I needed to really get if these shoes were going to take me through the Half without killing me -- all the while trying not to look for evidence that they're a problem. My final verdict was they'll be fine, but they'd be retired after the Half. (My issue? Unexpectedly, there's too much room in the toe area. My toes are literally swimming around ... okay, not literally, but whatever. Evidently, the ol' toes prefer to be close friends and support each other because the roominess is not good for my feet. This has been a problem from the get-go; I felt the roominess at the store, I just had no idea it would be a problem because my focus was on whether or not they slipped on my heel. SO MANY THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.)

So, while we were at the shoe store getting PC#2 some new kicks, the above hot pink Sauconys screamed at me to check 'em out! (See how bright they are? Yup, that's their scream!) I put them on, and you could almost hear my feet say, "Ahhhh ..." especially around my toes. I wore them around the store for quite some time while debating the merits or lack thereof of PC#2's shoe possibilities. Then, I ran them around the store where I could feel the breeze zipping around my feet. That felt awesome, and, I suspect, it will keep my feet pretty dry!

I did spend a moment weighing the pros and cons of buying new shoes already until my most supportive hub said, "You know, you've been complaining about the ones you have for some time, so give me a break from hearing about it get these, and, if for some reason they don't work out, they'll be awesome to just wear around!" Gosh, with that kind of support, what choice did I have?! The neon green laces from my current pair will go into this pair, and holy moly, they will be awesome!! I'm also hoping for some rainbow laces in my Easter basket, but that remains to be seen.

Are they awesome or what?!?!

The idea was most definitely to take them out for their first romp tomorrow morning, but I think they will first get acquainted with the treadmill because check out what we woke up to:

No matter the day, it's so very pretty ...

A friend of mine reminded me that the ground hog predicted an early Spring. She wondered if the ground hog has been fired. I told her I'm pretty sure I saw what happened to the ground hog when I was out running yesterday morning ... just sayin' ... ewwww ...

Once the snowfall diminished, I had some work to do ...

I use that headband for running, but that's
not the right coat nor hairdo ...

... and, that definitely is not the right
foot wear nor running pants (although I
love my fleece snowmen and wear them
with pride every time it snows).

Personal Question -- Of which am I most proud to accomplish this weekend: Running 12 miles on pace, or shoveling the driveway the day after running 12 miles on pace?

Take that, driveway! Booyah!!

Either way, my hair looks almost as good after shoveling as after running:

It looked way worse in person. That or PC#2's super-cuteness is
spilling over onto me!

(By the way, while I was out with the shovel, PC#2 was at the cookie making thing again):

Umm ... this brand of deliciousness and running are not a
great combination ... didn't I already make that clear?

Two good things here ... I overdid it to enough of a degree last week with the cookie consumption that I'm kind of over it. (Last week's had chocolate chips and M&Ms ... a killer to resist. These are just plain, old chocolate chip, so I'll pretend that makes some kind of difference.) Second, she made these for our cousins, so they should be in the mail before we eat them all. (We said that about the last batch, too, but whatever.)

All kinds of good things came from this weekend! Thanks for coming along with me and my shoe adventure! Make sure you do something good for yourself before the weekend wraps up, and I'll see you after the morning run!

Still Feelin' Like a Rock Star

Last Night: I was working really hard to get/stay psyched up for this morning's 12. I had my route planned (even though Aaron finally voted to have my route end at the bagel place, no sooner did he vote than I trumped him and routed myself home. I do things like that. It worked for him, though, because I said we could go after I showered. Everyone -- and, I mean everyone, strangers alike -- wins with that plan!). I figured out what stupid-early-for-a-Saturday time I needed to get up. And, I jazzed up my nails for additional psyching up:

'Same polish I used for October's Half ...
I totally love it, and it makes me
feel awesome! Meanwhile, Elly was
practicing her resting skills.

Overnight: I slept awesome which is good with that many miles ahead of me. I've run 'em on an empty sleep tank even shutting my eyes periodically along the route, and it's not fun! Aaron, however, tossed and turned knowing the alarm was set on an unusual day for a specific purpose. I'm usually the one paranoid about it not going off, so I totally appreciated that he took one for the team and let me sleep well! He slept well over an hour more after I got up, though, so it seemed to turn out okay.

Today: I learned from last week and did better with my clothing choices. It was 38 degrees this morning, so no shorts and short sleeves for this girl! I went in between on the longer clothes (light but long materials) hoping it would work out. After stretching -- for real! -- and getting together my other gear ...

A full water bottle, grapes-in-the-pocket supply and gloves.
All set.

... I kissed Elly, who didn't even raise her head off the couch because she knew it was too early a time for her to be included, and headed out.

Miles 1-3: It was during this time I had to face the fact that I have eaten mostly like crap this past week. I'd blame myself, but I just had to spend some time blaming PC#2 for making the most delicious home made cookies last weekend. (Really, if you're going to blame your kid for something, that's not a bad something ...) I'd show you a pic of them, but they're gone. I most definitely did my fair share of that demolition, and there was no denying it this morning. There are two good things that came out of my realization, though. First, the cookies are gone. No worries about those this week! And, second, I entertained myself "blaming" her instead of berating myself (or, worse, being in denial about what I ingested which I mastered in my past life). Instead, I reflected, (re)learned the lesson and moved on. GROWTH.

Miles 4: So, I was running along when I came across a discarded McDonald's fry carton. Right now, McD's has a scratch-and-win thing going on celebrating Month of Non-Stop Basketball. The game piece had not yet been scratched, and the carton was totally clean (probably discarded only hours prior by some after-bar kiddos with the munchies), and you know I picked it up. I also crossed the street to utilize the trash can that was merely yards away (seriously, people!) which is also where I came within inches of stepping on the dead ground hog I didn't see.

Question, which is better: Not stepping on the big, dead ground hog but still being startled by its very being, or stepping on the little and definitely dead-for-a-while frog I nailed in my first mile?

Mile 5: While I'd already scored a couple of pennies, not to mention my scratcher game piece, this is where I realized there was a restaurant drive-thru on my path that I didn't anticipate but had to investigate. Ba-da-bing and cha-ching, that was 11 more cents to add to my stash!

Mile 6-8: Ah, now here's where I put my brain to work. It wasn't yet working back in Mile 3 when I was trying to calculate just how long this run might take (seriously, I can never work the numbers while I'm running). I was more awake at this point, so I put serious thought in a question a friend posed on her Facebook page. The question, effectively, was asking what our favorite guilty pleasure song is (for instance, hers is Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" ... an outstanding piece of our youth). After 2 miles of thinking, here's what I determined for myself: my long-standing/life long guilty pleasure music is Neil Diamond (LOVE him ... but, not in that way); for the past few years, I've rocked to Big Time Rush and have them on at least 4 of my 5 running play lists (LOVE them ... but, not in that way), and, as a singular song, I love me some LMFAO "Sexy and I Know It."

I also spent some of this time remembering how it's as though you're not allowed to say you love something when you're little because some other kid will inevitably say, "Oh, then you're going to marrrrrrrrrry it" and torture you with their obnoxiousness. I'm glad to be a grown-up because I don't want to have anyone suggest I want to marry the boy band members of Big Time Rush. And, in addition to Neil Diamond, other people I've had to add the "Not in that way" caveat have included Apolo Anton Ohno and Dr. Phil.

Yup, thought about all of that during this time!

Mile 9: There was a Mile 9?

Mile 10: This was a good one. As noted, next week's long run is only 10 miles, so it is always fun to hit 10 when running 12 and remind myself that I'll be finishing here the very next week. And, with only 2 to go, that's like doing a short-run Thursday. I picture myself heading on out with Elly for a quick 2, and it feels more doable than thinking how many miles I've already put on my legs.

Here's what Mile 10 looked like, by the
way ... still standing, still smiling!

Miles 11-12: There's quite a bit of self-talk that happens in the last 2 or 3 miles when I'm in the double digits. I remind myself of how far I've come (not just today). I remind myself that I'm almost finished, and the rest is just not that big of a deal. For the last few tenths, which are up hill and a hill that, for some reason, has a particularly painful incline, I had a great musical gig going on in my head: While I sang one of my favorite Big Time Rush songs, I interspersed their lyrics with hearing Denise Austin say, "Condition your body without punishing it." It was quite the musical arrangement. Very early-90s dance mix. You've heard the kind, but it really makes no difference how much sense this makes. It worked for me!

My very biggest fan. Huggin' his sweaty
lady ...

I made it home exactly on my Half Marathon pace time which was a bit surprising given the week's fuel and my overall lack of excitement to set sail, but I took it! I was also surprised and pleased to see my shirt had very clear evidence of soaked-through sweat ... I hoped it explained a few things for anyone driving by me in that last half mile!

No matter how fast or slow, no matter the distance, I'm always stoked to finish a run. And, I'm so lucky to have a fan base waiting for me! Both kiddos accepted kisses upon my return home, but I think PC#3 questioned his judgement allowing it because I think his hair stuck to my mouth. From sweat. And runner's nose. Look, I'm just unintentionally getting him back for a few booger bombs he presented me when he was a baby.

Aaaaand, the stash ...

Suh-weeeeeeet !

And, the verdict:

l.o.s.e.r. Bummer.

Okay, check this out ... You can only scratch one, and I was TOTALLY going to scratch the upper-right one. Then, I second-guessed myself and went for the lower left. Doh! I would have been the winner of a free soft drink. Oh well, we get ours at a greatly discounted rate by bringing in our own cups, so it wasn't a total heart break. (But, still!)

If you can believe it, there is significant snow in tomorrow's forecast!! At least I'm not scheduled to run. I did indulge myself today in something fantastic for running, so I'll share that tomorrow! Until then, enjoy every part of your weekend no matter the weather! And, make sure you do at least one thing to make yourself feel like a rock star! It doesn't matter what it is, just make it something!! I'll see you tomorrow!

All Kinds Of Plans

I'm trying to decide if I'm really tired, or if I'm talking myself into being tired as some sort of lame excuse to complain tomorrow morning before I hit the 12-mile road. Can't you just hear it? "Ohhhhh, I'm just sooooo tirrrrrrred. Poooooooor meeeeeeeee ..." Like I said yesterday, just thinking about this one does actually make me a bit tired. I know I'm not alone when I've been walking to the start for a Half thinking, "I'm not sure I want to do this," only I totally want to do it when I'm actually doing it. The same goes for many training runs, so I'm rather anxious to get this one behind me. Or, at least, started. Fortunately, it looks like the morning weather is going to cooperate, and I won't have to treadmill it. Either way, you know afterward is bagel time ...

A supreme combo ... I can already taste it.

(Elly is in the other room and just burped big time. HAHAHAHAHAHA! She's her mama's girl ...)

I sent Aaron an email earlier asking him to tell me if I should route my run to end at the bagel shop where he would meet me and we bring our breakfast home OR if I should map it to end at home, I get showered, then we all go. I have yet to hear from him. It's like he's working or something. I told him in the message that he really should take this moment to tell me what to do because that feeling (of being told what to do) on my part will pass ... (grin) ...

By the way, with the event so close, PC#2 is in planning mode for all fun things we tend to do surrounding it. At the top of her list is asking if we'll go to a nearby cupcake shop. The girl has her priorities with good reason. The cupcakes look like these my in-laws gave us at Valentine's:

Aaron's fancy-schmancy carrot cake option complete with
edible gold ...

The kids' with their crazy-high-piled icing ...

I'm a simple gal with simple taste ... mmm ... mmm ... mmm ...

This begs the question: Is a (big a$$) cupcake in the afternoon better or worse than the night-before Fish Fillet I had for my first Half? Let's leave that rhetorical.

 

By the way, have I mentioned Aaron is eyeballing a Cupcake 5K in the Fall where you have to eat one of these big ol' suckers at every mile, and you get to take time off of your race time for each eaten? And, no, you can't carry them with you and eat later -- like you have anywhere to put them. You have to eat them at the stop, or you can't benefit from the time deduction. We're hoping that run fits into the family Fall schedule!

 

By the way, I can totally take one of these cupcakes down the afternoon before the Half; I would not even attempt to do the cupcake run thing, though, or that would not be the last you'd be seeing of my little time deductions just sayin'.

 

Now's just as good a time as any to start mapping tomorrow's route (Aaron's about to lose his vote ... hee hee), I wrap up today's observations with pointing out that I saw a penny while waiting for a red light to change, and I did not get out to get it. Because the light turned green, and I had no choice. But, I still didn't even try! That was noteworthy.

 

I'll see you after that big ol' morning run!

Whose Idea Was This, Anyway?

The very first time I trained for a Half Marathon, I was very apprehensive about this particular week. The miles are big for a novice like myself: 11 on Sunday, 4 on Monday, 5 on Wednesday, 3 on Thursday, 12 on Saturday. Just the weekend milage alone is 23 miles which is not a whole lot more than I used to run in a regular full week. But, I did it, and I was proud.

For every other time I've trained, this time included, I've started out at the beginning of the schedule looking forward to this week because that's one fat stack of miles, and it looks studly to complete. The idea of finishing this week feels a.w.e.s.o.m.e.! Then, I get to this week, this time included, and I'm just tired. The event is so close but so far away, and I'm here on a Thursday staring at 12 miles for the weekend. Just thinking about it makes me sleepy ...

Yes, I've finally figured out that this week is the hump to get over. It's the one where it's all gravy on the other side. (I mean, next week's long run is just a 10-miler. Just. HAHAHAHAHA when did I think I'd ever day that ?! It's true, though -- 10 feels short after this week!) It's the one on which I draw mentally at the event itself reminding myself that I can most definitely do it -- when I'm tired on Mile 9 but remember, "Oh, wait, I recently ran 12. I can totally rock this. Or pretend to." But, it's also the one where I have to really dig deep to finish seeing as there's no medal, swag or free food and drink at the end of it. (That bagel shop I use as an end point? Those aren't free!) I know I wasn't naive thinking this week would be easy. I also know it felt a whole lot better thinking about doing these miles than it feels actually putting them into my life! Yes, this is the week where I remind myself that it's not only necessary to give this week everything I have, but it's also totally worth it.

Could this have come across my Facebook on a better day?


Elly and I were loyal this morning with a quick 3. We even found a penny! And, in case you are wondering, it felt just as awesome to find that penny as it ever has; the $20 yesterday did nothing to dampen that delight!

Tomorrow, we rest! The weekend forecast is mighty iffy, so I'm preparing for both outside and inside running chances. Either way, it'll get done! 'See you on a fabulous Friday!

The Green Theme

Okay, I always thought the first day of a new season was on the 21st of whatever month it fell, not on the 20th. So, you can guess I had to hear that today is the first day of Spring multiple times before it really sank in. My daily someecards calendar helped a smidge:

What did not help at all was the morning weather! Shoot, not just the morning! Now! The forecast! The weekend! There's all kinds of wintery talk!! I even just moved a heap-load of firewood inside to use on March 20!! It's that cold and windy!

(It was so cold and windy that at the end of the my run, where I was going smack-dab-straight into the wind, I know I had that picturesque, pained-but-determined look on my face while the wind cut through the very wet runner's nose issue I had going on. You know the one ... where there's so much leaking, but if you deal with it by wiping it off in the cold, you then also take part of your face off.)

While that's a mighty sad story, the run must (and, obviously did) go on! Today was the first of two midweek 5-milers on the Half training schedule. It's a mixed bag of emotions on those days feeling anything from not necessarily excited about going that far mid-week to knowing there's only one more 5-miler before the big show. That part is exciting!

But, is it as exciting as finding that plastic fish I've always wanted?

Okay, that was random and totally a joke. Yes, it's odd to see such a thing, but, really, I've not been looking for it.

I'm actually about to spring on you -- no pun intended -- the unintentional and very surprising theme of the day. Drum roll ... Green! And, why is that? Oh, I don't know ... could it be because Kermit sings about it in that not-easy-being-green song when he says, "Green's the color of Spring" (which is very fitting for this first day of the season)?

OR, could it be because I couldn't find my awesome striped, purple gloves that totally go with my running jacket and had to use my seasonal green ones?

They don't go, but I do like 'em. And, in
case you're wondering, Elly's loving the
hug even though she seems to be saying,
"Stop choking me with the poo bag; is
that the thanks I get for not using it?!"

OR, could it be that Elly swapped out her St. Pat's fashion for Easter which is also mostly green?

"I'm fashionable, yes, but my butt's cold,
so hurry this up. For real."

OR ... wait for it ... is it because I spied with my little eye my biggest score yet:

Totally. Not. Kidding.

Did I mention it was windy as all get out today? I couldn't believe the very chance of this blowing across my path out of nowhere and landing before wafting into the street (where it would have gone in front of cars ... requiring a quick decision from me involving some common sense often deemed questionable when it comes to even picking up a random penny ...). There was no one else around on foot. Yes, I stopped and looked! So, I carried on trying to not think too much about it because I was actually very bummed for the person who lost it. But, I was also pretty stoked that it will translate into between 240 and 300 pounds of food at the Food Bank!!! Thinking about that was pretty overwhelming, actually!!

It was also overwhelming trying to block out the sounds of the blowing leaves because every time I heard the scuttle, I'd look almost expecting to find more paper money ... not that I didn't keep my eyes peeled! I felt a little more grounded, if you will, when I later found the coins. The normalcy of it was very welcomed! I'm keeping the 20 separate in the running cash count because it's such an anomoly. I definitely like the money count of pennies -- and other change -- at a time! But, I will like giving it all over at Thanksgiving no matter what tally it was under!

Aaaaand, there's Wednesday! That was a mighty suprising 5 miles! We're back at it for 3 tomorrow! I'll see you then!