Liam at bat. After I ran, I zipped over to his game for a few minutes & nearly froze to death. It's still not quite shorts & long sleeve t-shirt weather at the ball field yet.

Just got Terry Q.'s Atlanta marathon report. OH MY GOD, he met Kathrine Switzer at the Expo. I'm so jealous, I can't see straight. He got her to sign his race bib & he got a photo with her, which he says he'll send me soon. I'll post it when I get it. :) He said that the Expo was one of the best he'd ever seen. The weather was a little rainy, but cool, which is how he likes it. He said the hills were very plentiful & more difficult than CMM. He's doing the CMM full also. (fluid stations were plentiful, guess they learned a good lesson since last year's lack of stations)

I went out to the base alone for a 4 mile trek. (Carla & Chris had to move refrigerators.) The trail shoes got a little dirty because of the all the rain we've been having but it was a very quiet, peaceful little run. I had sweat dripping off my eye lashes. The humidity was kickin'. I took the camera hoping to see the portapottie & portasinkie but they were gone. :( The route I took today had some hills to it & I felt every one. I decided that some ibuphren & a cold bath will be in store for me tonight. I also did a slow 30 mins on the bike, stretched some, & did some free weights on my arms.

The April 5th shower is all planned & I will be getting cleaned up at April's about noonish. My registration form is in the mail for the BHS 10k for next Sat. I hope I do ok. There's a pancake breakfast afterwards. It should be fun!

Tomorrow: Thinking of NOT doing hills in favor of a tempo run.
Liam (cousin Pam's son) has a game at 6:30pm that I may try to attend.
Tuesday: I'd like to attempt speed work again & cross train afterwards
Wednesday: An easy run and/or mowing
Thursday: Easy run, cross training and/or push mowing
You just never know with the weather when do do anything lately.
I hope I can mow Wed or Thur because this grass is really growing now.
All we need is some sunshine on it. :)
Happy end of the weekend folks!

Blog stalker, Tom, worked in Vegas this week & decided to run the Cirque du Soleil 5k before he flew home. ha!
I would LOVE to see the Cirque do Soleil,Beatles: Love show! That would be so cool!



I knew we were in for it when Carla threw the rubber bands at us for Pilates this morning. Pilates pretty much did my legs in for the week but I attempted something resembling speed work anyway today. It just wasn't happening for me. Even though the rain stopped, my legs refused to go! My glutes & hams were a little sore. My calves felt heavy. I jogged the greenway behind THS to DW Wilson, took a bathroom break, & jogged back for a little over 2 miles. I started the 1st 400 and bonked 3/4 of the way around. I decided then to just jog a little in the parking lots hoping the legs would loosen. It was useless! When I decided to head to the gym, I had in roughly 4 miles. Nothing was happening & I figured I needed some entertainment on the deathmill. I walked, jogged, & snuck in a little speed while watching TV. I think I did 2 x 800s & 4 x 400s. Can't remember! All I know is that I had 6 miles when I decided to get off. For the day, approximately 10 crappy miles.

Congrats to William for meeting his goal in a big way this morning! :)

Got another glycolic peel & I really love my skin. Those treatments seriously give you a glow, even out your tone, & soften your skin.

Fingers crossed for William on his quest for a sub-20 5k tomorrow! Terry Q. will be up bright & early in Atlanta for his marathon. I hope the weather suits your run, TQ. Who am I going to aim my car at on Jackson Street this weekend? :P

I noticed some interesting searches that led people to this blog. ha!

White fluffy chickens: I wrote about a white fluffy dog a while back that ran with me in my neighborhood. I have yet to run with white fluffy chickens but that's a goal, I guess...

"Is Ellis Island still running?": Yes, it is & I plan to visit there again late June. I'm actually looking at a Harbor night cruise that serves martinis. Me, a martini, and the New York Harbor lights...cool! Gotta find a guy to go now! :)

Blackberry: Recently purchased one & LOVE it!

Allerx Recall: Umm, probably all my dang sinus problems.

American Idol: Well, duh, I watch it every week & give my 2 cents worth on here about it. :)

Looney Tunes: I wrote about the State Park Running Tour regulars a while back. They are called the "Looney Tuners". (I'm apparently Tweety Bird.)

Sore quads: Yep, I'm sure I've written about those...

Terry Q.: Someone in Dickson, TN keeps googling him on my blog. I told him about it & all he wants to know is if it's a female. ha!


TGIF from the white fluffy chicken jogger with allergy/sinus problems, sore quads, a nickname, who watches American Idol, has a blackberry, knows TQ, & is going back to Ellis Island. :)

Since I left work 1 hr early to do an errand before 5pm, I thought to myself, "Self, do your 12 miles tonight." So, at 4:59pm, I took off from East heading to the Fairways. The first 3-4 miles my legs felt heavy but I thought it would pass & really it did, but then came the phglem. Instead of just trying to spit & keep running, I stopped to spit. It was that bad! (Just when I thought it might ALL be gone, there it is...YUCK!) It was at about this time, it sprinkled rain, which was no big deal, I had hit a few hills by then & I was hot. The winds seems to pick up just a little but still...no big deal. On the way, out of the Fairways, more sprinkles... These little burst of sprinkles lasted just long enough to cool me off. I decided to go into Kings Lane for a quick loop. I started feeling sick to my stomach, which brought me to a walk for a min or two. (more spitting) Then yet another little burst of sprinkles...still not worried. I go into Macon for one loop and immediately feel sick again for a min or two. I see the portapottie ahead. I go in & get a little relief only to look down and see one of these! Good Grief! Who does that in a portapottie? I don't want to know... So, after that I felt better for maybe 1/2 a mile. Before I leave Macon, I feel this sudden urge to puke. I kneel down on the side of the street thinking to myself. "Self, you are getting that dreaded stomach bug that's going around!" All I did was gag for about 2-3 mins on the side of the road. I kept walking & gradually built back up to a slow jog. I was so MAD! Feeling like total crap, I decided to cut my 12 miles down to 9.5 & head back to the car but not before the bottom dropped out. For approximately 2 minutes it RAINED, not sprinkled, it rained & it also dropped some hail on me. I felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice on me & I was soaked. It hurt a little but it sure did cool me down. So, there you have it...me trying to be spontaneous...changing my original plans of speed work to my longest run of the week. Just didn't happen. I really do hope to get in a solid 12 miles before April 26th. :( (Again, I'm so glad I didn't sign up for the FULL this year because that would have been disasterous for me!)

So, when I got home, I chugged my favorite drink (other than pomegranate martinis).
This stuff is AWESOME & it made me feel much better. :)

My very good friend, Paul, had one heck of a Tuesday. He not only had to set a trap for his ex wife's rat in her house, he was a victim of a hit n' run from the front. Note to self, if someone backs into you & the plate is visible, write down the tag # immediately before you get out of the car. I'm just glad that you were not hurt, Paul. I pray for the scumbag because I already know you don't need a prayer. You are truly a good guy! :)


The wreck. Basically happened like this.
There is a series of overpasses on the "Parkway" in Huntsville. I was going to turn left from Governor's Dr to the Parkway. Came up behind this SUV in the turn lane. He'd pulled too far out in the intersection and I saw his backup lights come on. He started back and I figured he'd stop. He didn't. I blew the horn but he kept coming and the back bumper hit my grill and pushed my hood up until it bent a little. I got out of the car, walked up to his window. He was holding a cigarette and looked goofy, like that Napoleon Dynamite guy" He said acting real surprised "Did I hit you?" I said Yes, you caused quite a bit of damage to my hood", He said "Oh No, I'll pull over". By the time I walked back to my door, the light had changed and he took off. I got in my car and started following him but he got the jump on me and disappeared around the wall of the overpass and was on the service road. If I had known he was going to run, I would have gunned the car and followed him but I figured he pull in the first parking lot (a mexican restaurant). I pulled in there and looked for him and realized at that moment that he'd kept going. I went on down to the next logical pull off place and looked for him there, and then I got that sick feeling and called the police.

Scumbag.

Busy day at work but the weekend is almost here. I start getting excited by Thursday morning. :) I'm such a planner. I usually know by mid-week what I'm doing, if anything on the weekend. I'm trying to figure out when to get in a 12 miler this weekend. Saturday around lunch is looking like the best time or I'll have to get my lazy butt out of bed & run EARLY. I'm so NOT an EARLY morning runner! (I've got plans between 9am - about noon)

Gas is holding steady this week so far at around 3.03 - 3.15 in Manchester. Amazing at how it can vary across a small town. Tullahoma is almost always more expensive than Manchester. The news is predicting that it jumps big time by Memorial Day weekend. I just HATE that!

American Idol voted off exactly who I thought they would, no big surprise. I've not watched this show every single year but I truly do believe what they say, "This is the most talented year." The top 10 might be worth seeing at the Sommet center when they come to Nashville.

My workout tonight was 1 hr elliptical, yoga ball crunches, TONS of stretching/pilates moves, some light leg weights, & free weights on my arms.
Tomorrow: The track will be my destination & then some light cross training.

My very busy TX sister is just now going through her Christmas photos of us. (It's FREAKING MARCH!) She sent me this photo today to tell me this is her favorite of us together down on the River Walk. I think I look lost & pale. :(

1 hr 40 mins elliptical while watching "American Idol". Archuleta was ok this week. Nobody could touch David Cook's "Billy Jean"! He has the whole Rob Thomas/Matchbox 20 thing going on & I LOVE Matchbox 20!

I did run before "Idol". I did 6.2 miles in 55:35 spitting all the way & fighting some headwinds in my neighborhood but I did it. My throat isn't sore anymore, which is odd. I was sure it would be killing me after all that spitting.



My sweet, little, TX nephew Avery giving his neighbor friend a ride home. My sister says his bike wobbles when he does this & it makes her nervous. ha! I sure miss those boys.

With the exception of a 5k in Centennial Park & a trail race this weekend, there is nothing on the strider's race calendar. April 5th is LOADED with races, but mostly 5ks, which I despise. I just printed out the forms for the 5 mile Richland Creek Run & the 10k at Brentwood High. I'm leaning towards the 6.2. Anyone ever done these? I bet some of these are inaugral.

Beautiful day outside my cell, (I mean office window). :P
I'm hoping to get in a fairly fast 6 miles before I hit the elliptical for American Idol. (fighting a sore throat, when will it end?)

I put on a long sleeved "one more mile" tech shirt. (warm & fuzzy) It stayed on me! It felt bone chilling cold to me today. Hey, it tried to snow at lunch time ya know... I did just over 5 miles with 8 hill repeats. (I counted them this week. ha!) I'll admit, I don't mind hills as much as speedwork but the hate is there also just not as strong as the hate I have at the track. :P
35 slow mins on the elliptical to basically warm everything up, yoga ball crunches, & some stretching is all I could manage tonight. I feel pretty good, except for a tinsy bit of soreness in my shins. (The hate is coming through my shins!)

FYI, this stat counter is cool! It even shows what people are googling? For instance, there's someone in Paris that googled "dish rag" & they found this blog. ha! Too funny!

William,(on the far right top pic) one day you may just catch Carrigan in a race. :P
Tried to find your email just now. Can't check my charter because I'm at work. So, drop me a comment or email if you want this pic from the strider's newsletter.

I'm going to have to bundle up to run hills this afternoon. I just moved my car from parking Lot ZZ to parking lot A close to the office. It's COLD & windy!! I have to do it to punish myself for eating the last piece of carrot cake during lunch. Blah!

Trail shoes

I had no idea they had wheel chair hunting?!

As I ran my 4 slow miles on base in my new trail shoes, I thought about the carrot cake I ate with the cream cheese icing. Yummy, yet evil! Then I thought about the TWO cadbury eggs I had last week & the one day that I ate a twix candy bar. I have had a BAD habit week! So, I knew I had to hit the gym after I ran for sure. I didn't really run trails, I ran a broken up, gravelly, dirt military road. I hate running in my regular running shoes out there because I just feel that it tears them up faster. I saw these brooks trail shoes at a Zappos store in Bowling Green on New Years day. They felt good! My pace for 4 miles was only 9:36 but that included a brief stop to tie one of my shoes (dang short Brooks laces!)& to take off my short sleeved tech shirt. Once I got out of the wind in between the trees, I got hot. Of all things to see out there at about mile 2 of my run, I saw a portapottie & a portasink right next to each other. There was some huge earth moving equipment out there so I guess that's why it was out there. If I had ran with my phone, I'd have a pic of it to post. ha!

I did 35 mins on the elliptical & 35 mins on the bike slowly while watching the World Figure skating men's event in Sweden. For some reason these up & coming guys just don't have it like Elivis Stojko & Victor Pentrenko did. (and you guys thought I only watched Football! ha!) I'll never forget dragging my ex husband to a "Stars on Ice" event in Nashville where I "ooohhed & ahhhed" & he drank beer. Elvis Stojko was like lightening on ice. He would do back flips like a maniac.

I finished off my work out with some light leg weights,the AB machine, & some pilates moves to stretch out the stiffness. It was pretty busy in there for an Easter Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow it will be EXTREMELY busy, I'm sure...

Tomorrow, I will try my best to hit the hill repeats like last Monday, only slightly faster, I HOPE!

Me with Zorro. I'll be cat sitting at the end of May. :)

Just crawling in after my long but FUN day! :)
(Why does it show I posted this at 7:28pm when I posted it at 10pm?)

The Striders really do put on great training runs. Every single turn was marked today from what I could tell. Everyone's so nice, friendly, & helpful. This is one of my favorite training runs that they do. I actually missed not doing the FULL training run. :( My 12 miles that I planned turned into 11.07. ha! I got to Centennial by 6:10am. I ran over to the bathrooms that are usually unlocked. They were locked. We ALL ran down to McDonald's. Good Lordy!

It felt pretty windy as we stood around before take off. I was COLD! I had on my long sleeved Tom King 1/2 tech shirt, shorts, & gloves. I felt good but it did not take me long to want to shed the shirt. Around my waist it went as usual before mile 2! Kellie A., who I had seen in the bathroom zipped past me & said, "We over dressed, didn't we!" She had taken hers off. (Nice seeing ya David. You appeared to be doing great on the hills!) I lost David when we started hitting the hills & then my left shoe came untied TWICE! After the 2nd time, I knew there was no hope of trying to catch him. I settled into a nice pace by mile 4 & I was enjoying myself. As mile 7 approached, I felt my legs going dead. I think it was the combination of last week's 1/2, doing hills/speed this week, & the hills this morning. I don't know, but I kept trotting along. I heard Chuck come up behind me & ask me how I was doing. I can't remember what I muttered. ha! By mile 8 or so, my legs seemed to come back to life a little. As I approached the Musica Statue, I headed back the way we came but I turned one street too early, I think...,but I bet I only lost about 1/2 a mile. I headed UP the concrete sidewalks back down West End. Boy, did the headwinds kick in there & all the way to Centennial. By mile 10.5 on my Garmin, I had the urge to go to the bathroom. I could see the McDonald's so I decided that would be my final destination. I just didn't have it in me to go around Centennial for the last mile. The wind had made me VERY cold at that point. I'm not even going to mention my pace because it involves too many stops for traffic & 2 untied shoelace stops. I will tell you, my hips were feeling the hills, though. I got a reality check! I doubt I'll come anywhere close to the 2:01:46 I did in 2004 on this course but it will NOT be another PW! :P

The rest of my day was VERY productive & fun! :)

Tomorrow I hope to get the new trail shoes out for their first spin on base.

Happy Easter everyone!

I wake up to find that the blog stalker has found the most dreadful pic of me ever. Thanks Tom!

I'm looking forward to an adventurous day without storms. :)

I could see the grass growing today, seriously. Just a gorgeous day, but it is cooling off over the next few days.

I could feel the "speed" aches today. ha! So, I did a very slow 1 hr on the elliptical, crunches, & stretched for an eternity. I'm missing pilates for the second Sat in a row since I'll be in Nash/Murf tomorrow. I hope my 12 miles go well. I look to run it alone but you never know...there may be someone around my pace. Last year Wayne & I drove up for this run. We did the entire 20. When I got to the coliseum, I noticed there were plenty of people behind me while I waited on him at the fluid station. Obviously, I plan to run this 12 at a much faster pace than I would 20. If the Garmin shows I'm short, I'll run around Centennial before I head to the car.

Afterwards, I'm heading to Hannah's in the 'boro for a shower & to plan what we'll do at her shower on the 5th. We also need to talk about NYC, too. I've decided that a bus tour around the city would be VERY cool. I hope she agrees. Cheryl's interested in it too. They offer a 5.5 hr tour that takes you nearly everywhere. It would beat paying a taxi cab to get us from one end of Manhattan to the other, plus it would be cool to meet new people, too. The tours allow you to get out at certain places for photos & such. June 28th will be here before you know it!

Saturday night's dinner plans got cancelled due to illness. :( I swear I think some people are getting sick 2X with the same thing or different things. I talked to my MI cousin, Patti, this morning & she has an upper respiratory infection & a sinus infection. She sounded pitiful. Luckily she got into the doctor's office today. She's a dental hygenist. All week she's been telling me that too many people have been coming in for cleanings while they were sick. It's been so frustrating for her. Who in the world goes to the dentist while sick? Gesh! So, in 4 short days, she's gone from running her fastest 5k to being extremely sick. :( Her dad, (my uncle) is also in the hospital with pneumonia. She may have caught something in the hospital while visiting.

I hope everyone had a GREAT, Good friday!

...I actually did speedwork 2 weeks in a row. I'm obviously not a big fan of it & as I did it I thought to myself just how much of it I've done over the years. I have to admit, it probably only makes up maybe 5% of my overall miles over MANY years. I'd rather do a hard tempo run any day.

So, here are the "ugly" results of tonights trip to the THS track. I'm guessing that I'm off by maybe 5-6 seconds over last years speed (when I did it, which wasn't often)

2 mile warm up - 9:31 pace (did the parking lots)
1st x 400 - 1:53
(walk/jog, moved hurdles)
2nd x 400 - 1:52
walk/jog
1 x 800 - 3:59 (threw in an 800 which nearly killed me!)
walked entire loop to recover
3rd x 400 - 1:54
walk/jog
4th x 400 - 1:54
Started cool down immediately
2 mile cool down - 9:06 pace (around the track)

I'm gradually throwing in the speed. Thursdays seem to be the best night for it right now. It was a beautiful evening. Baseball game going on, children playing on the tennis courts, & I basically had the track to myself most of the time. There was the Harvey's gym Karate coach out there & some other guy. Before I left there were 2 girls about age 10 who were doing some kind of "training". I asked them if they wanted to run with me on my cool down. They politely told me they were on a "schedule". I thought that was cute. :)

The gym was rather packed. All I did was 45 mins on the bike while talking on the phone & talking to Linda W. (Pam's mother in law) Linda's in her mid-60's & she's simply gorgeous! She's a perfect example of what clean living, exercise, good skin & hair care will do for you.

Pam has bronchittis again. She's back on antibiotics & she got 2 shots. I pray she can get back into the training SOON!

Tomorrow:
Cross training (I'm off work)
Saturday:
Attempting 12 miles with the striders
Sunday:
I'd LOVE to get my new trail shoes out & head over to the base. (If Pam is still too weak to get in her walk/jog, then that's the plan)

I'm still having trouble attaching photos & sending them to cell phones but apparently sending them to email works fine. Odd? Also, the time has not changed on my phone. Anyone have this problem since the time change occurred earlier?
Anyone have the customer/tech service phone number to Apple? I still can't get my shuffle to sync, which means I can't add anymore songs until I figure that out.

I did a VERY light workout. Elliptical (slowly) for 1 hr 5 mins, lots of light weights, & AB work. Tomorrow, I'm doing speed because it will be SUNNY. The rain is moving out & I hope the track is free. :)

The Bride of Frankenstein got voted off American Idol. I liked her ok but from week to week, she sounded exactly the same. I still say Kristi Lee needed to go. Oh well...I sound obsessed with it, don't I? Well, I blame the elliptical! :P

After last Sat, please feel free to slap me up side the head with a comment to remind me not to gripe about the weather ever again. I was hoping for a much faster tempo run this afternoon but my right achilles was a tinsy bit sore from yesterday. I also fought headwinds about a 1/3 of the time out, but I got in 5.5 miles. When I stopped at East, I had to stand with my heels hanging off the sidewalk to stretch the achilles. I closed my eyes & let the wind dry the sweat off my face. It was only a 9:21 pace but I felt good.

I am almost ashamed to post this but after I ran, I spent 2 hrs on an elliptical watching "Idol". I need to carb load before I do that again, seriously! David Archuleta was amazing with Sir Paul's, "The Long & Winding Road." I've loved that song since I was a child & it makes me misty eyed so you can imagine me on an elliptical trying not to tear up. The boy is so talented!

Tomorrow:
I'll give the achilles a rest until I do speed on Thursday, besides it's supposed to rain. I plan to cross train with weights & do a lot of AB work.
I doubt I'll spend 2 hrs on the elliptical tomorrow! :P

This was snapped on my blackberry @ lunch. For some odd reason, I can attach photos but about 50% of the time, they don't go through when emailed. Just something else to figure out about this phone...
I look like Cruella under flourescent lights!
(Notice strider's calendar & the message board! ha!)

Monday hill repeats went slow but steady. I started with a 1 mile warm up (9:44 pace), then I started the repeats on a hill near my gym. I decided to keep the garmin on the entire time until I finished back at the gym. Speed is not the issue right now, NOT walking is the issue. I shuffled up so many times that I lost count. Guess I need to look at the elevation levels, duh? I jogged/shuffled in between repeats at the top to Jackson & then back down. In the end I ended up with a total of 4.69 miles with the warm up. Not too bad, especially since I tried to sprint back to the gym. I felt good!

Thought today about how I should run the 1st 12-13 miles of the West End Ramble with the striders Sat. After discussing it with a great motivator, I think I'm in... I thought about running in Percy Warner on friday since I'm off but the W. End Ramble seems more appealing to me now that I think about it. So, if the blog stalker reads this he's more than welcome to join me there. :)

35 mins elliptical, AB machine, & a few weights rounded out my Monday workout.

Good news, there really weren't any kinks. Apparently, me holding my pace back didn't cause much soreness at all. Yippee Doodle! I felt like I could've run yesterday a few miles anyway, but I walked with Joanie & Pam out East area. Pam has bronchittis for a 2nd time. We only did 3.71 miles by my Garmin but at least that's something. I pray she gets better SOON!

I did 1 hr on the elliptical slowly, yoga ball crunches, & free weights on my arms. I really worked up a sweat with the free weights. They give me a much better workout than the machines. I've actually hurt myself on the machines in the past. I also stretched a lot since I didn't have time to stretch Saturday.

MI cousin Patti, did the Shamrocks & Shenanigans 5k yesterday in Ann Arbor. She was trying to chase down a friend & ran a PR, apparently. She was excited! :) I think this is the first time she's ever broke 30 minutes. I'm so PROUD of her!!!
PATRICIA HARRIS WATERFORD 40 F 2 29:51 9:37

Tonight: Hill Repeats with a slow jog in between. (targeting about 4 miles before I cross train)

Such a good boy. I'm definitely going to try to see him play next year.



Avery & Eva. :)



Austin's b-day party. My sister is so brave. I'm sure she didn't get any sleep. ha!



Aren't they sweet?

Thank Goodness for caffeine because I needed it in order to finish off my adventurous, fun, RAINY Saturday. (thank U very much!)

The rain didn't seem to start coming down hard until I got to LP Field around 6:35am. Cold rain makes me chilled to the bone. The plan was to stay bundled up & warm until about 7:30am. I ran in teeth chattering to get my bib/chip/shirt & head to the bathroom. The med shirt I ordered was a dress on me. They were out of smalls as usual. The xsmall fit perfectly but if that thing shrinks, it's gone. Michele called me when I headed back to my car. Wayne was there getting his stuff & we were stressing about what to wear. I overanalyzed what to wear, but I knew the tights would be way too HOT even with the cold rain. I ran in shorts, sports bra, & under armour jacket. Of all times NOT to have a poncho in my car. I had a million of those from the Titans games. What in the crap was I thinking?! I watched the 5k people take off on time despite the lightening off in the distance. Michele said she was told the lightening was too far off for them to consider postponing. The big wuss in me thought to myself, why didn't I down grade to the 5k? ha! Looking back, I'm glad I didn't bail, although crying at the start entered into my mind. ha! I tied the plastic that Wayne found around my neck for the first couple of miles. The under armour jacket I have has no hood. Rain was going down my back even with the jacket zipped up. I'm not a hat wearer at all but I sucked it up & put on the Rocket City hat that was luckily still in the back of my car. I HATE hats & look terrible in them. They hold in too much heat but in order to see to run, I had to wear it. I was glad I did because during the first 45 mins of the race, the rain rolled off that rim. If it had got in my contacts, my eyes would have been burning the whole way. If I had a contact case in the car, I would have taken them out & run semi blind. That's how much I hate running in a hat! Most of my heat escapes through my head. My hair always gets sweaty even in REALLY cold weather while I run. At the turnaround point the rain had slacked off enough that I decided to tie the jacket around my waist but kept the hat on for fear of another down pour. I had warmed up a lot, plus it felt like it was weighing me down. I don't know why I thought the rain would roll right off it but in that much rain, it sure soaked in some of it. Hindsight, I wish I had worn a short sleeved tech shirt, gloves, & poncho. My hands got numb, which was odd to me. My next purchase will be to buy water proof gloves. I ran near a woman who carried an umbrella until the turnaround point. She ditched it then because it was literally falling apart.

I thought about how my parents used to tell us not to play in the rain puddles or flooded ditch when it's lightening. I thought of this as we ran past the river. ha! The thunder did nothing to help my confidence. All I wanted was to finish. I didn't wear a watch or the garmin. Too much to deal with under the conditions. I prayed I was staying under a 10 min pace & turns out I was (9:48). For the 1st time during a Tom King 1/2, I didn't go barreling out passing people at the start. I held back hoping Wayne would stay with me & push me. He did a few times. He came up behind me about 4 times, which helped me to stay with my pace & not drop off. I knew going in even under better weather conditions that holding a 9:30 pace would be a struggle since my conditioning has fallen off. I slowed on the jumpy bridges because I knew they'd be slippery. Someone slightly ahead of me even screamed, "Bridge is slippery!". I slowed down when the leading pack came barreling through. It's hard to pass through there even in good weather. Everyone was trying to jump around the puddles. The lead pack stomped through them. Being anywhere near them meant getting splashed. ha! When we went into the park area where there are play areas, there were several areas where the course was flooded out. My 80% soaked shoes/socks were now 100% soaked but miraculously I have no blisters. Thank goodness for shoes that fit well & my thorlos socks. Everyone around me laughed when we realized there was no way to avoid the streams going across the course. At that point, I think we were somewhere around mile 8-9. I know that when I saw mile marker 10, I started feeling like a poopy slug. I felt like I was dragging in those last 3 miles until a tail wind caught us on Davidson St. I felt like I was being shoved. I was thanking God that it wasn't coming from the other direction. As we rounded to the left of the coliseum, I tried to push it in but had no gas until I hit the ramp. The only thing that was going to stop me at the ramp would have been Cortland Finnegan at the bottom. ha! :P As I stepped onto the soft, muddy turf, it was like I stepped into cement the first few steps. I saw Elly up ahead with the camera & prayed she would NOT take a pic! I felt like a swollen, drown rat at that point. As I rounded the corners, I picked back up with a tinsy bit of speed to see the clock. I was not going to beat the Cedars of Lebanon time but I was close. Cedars was so much more challenging than Tom King but we had great weather for Cedars. I was even still very much sick as a dog when I ran Cedars so I'm blaming some of my sucky time on the weather. I probably could have pushed harder early on but in the end, I think I would have suffered a little more. I'm not sore at all today, except for some stiffness in my calves. I'll work that out today.

Changes:
Starting next week, I'm making some changes to training. This will include putting back my hard tempo runs whenever Chris B. can run with me. So, it may be Tues one week & Wed on another. My easy runs will be alone or with Carla. She's slowly making a come back with her foot healing. (Their renovations are just about done to the house) I'm going to have to push myself more when I run alone. In '05 I ran 90% of my runs alone & did much better than I'm doing right now. (but I didn't set a world record for the longest sinus infection that winter either. :P) I've decided that one afternoon a week, I'm going to do hill repeats with some recovery running in between. I'm also going to spend one evening at the track. My longer runs will remain on Saturdays & my Sundays will be with Pam until after the CMM 1/2.

Food:
After the race, we met up in the club area for some food. They had biscuits, omelettes, fabulous potatoes, danishes, muffins, coffee, water, & gatorade. I put on my thick Titans fleece & yoga pants. I was still chilled. When I finally got coffee it helped but it wasn't until I got into my warm car that I felt my temperature was normal. Taking the wet hat off & combing out my hair helped. I should have done that before we ate. I had about an inch cut off my ends on friday. I really like it. My hair felt like it was weighing itself down. The dude who cut it cut a layer up underneath which has given it bouncy life again. Yippee, I like my hair again (when I'm not running with a hat that is...)

Congrats to David's daughter on her 1st half. I'm sure she'll never forget this one. Congrats again to David & Michele on their PRs. You guys Rock! I saw William briefly as we were herding over to the start. He looked disappointed. He got a 5k PR of 20:06 but he wanted 19:something. I think he'll do it on a much nicer weather day! :)

Quote of the day as we took off at the starting line:
"People always say runners are crazy!" Peter P.

Austin Jay:
Yesterday was Austin Jay's b-day. My 13 yr old nephew in Texas is 5 ft 8 in now. He had a rough week, though. He sprained his ankle really bad during basketball practive on Wed. His laser quest party had to be canceled because he's limping now! His middle school team did win their tournament by only 1 point in both games. My sis said that Mark, her hubby, & Austin were on pins & needles during the game. Mark & Austin even asked my sister at one point if they could brace up Austin & put him in the game. She replied, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" So all is well anyway, they won, but Austin can't try out for track next week. :(

Despite the weather, the tech shirt is cool!



I never knew when to smile & act like I was warm because Wayne wasn't familiar w/my camera. ha! Big Congrats to Michele & David on their 1/2 PRs, William on his 5k PR, & Wayne & myself for just surviving.



The short lived sunshine on the finish line AFTER MOST had finished.

I don't have time for a FULL, "ugly" race report right now but I survived. With the weather conditions we had, it was questionable. ha! I have a new PW & it's on this flat, fast course. Go figure?! I ran a little faster at Cedars on a much harder course when I was still technically sick. I've got a long way to go to even get back to where I was 2 yrs ago on speed. Time for some changes! I wore my underarmour jacket thinking it would keep me more or less dry. NOT! It came off after the turnaround when the rain finally slacked off.

More tomorrow when I'm not heading out the door.....

I've met you guys in person so I think it would be cool to have someone snap our photo if we can find each other. (David, Michele, & William)

I'm eating Japanese fried chicken for the first time but at least I'm avoiding the caffeine today. It's been rough being wired at my bedtime ALL week. :( I've fallen off the NO caffeine band wagaon. I hope to crawl back up on it soon.

The headliner for the CMM post race concert doesn't appeal to me. What happened to the groups we voted on a few months ago on the website? Is he even "country"?
I'm getting really excited about this concert, though.

My weekend is shaping up to be an adventure!
Happy Friday, folks. :)

1 mile warm up
6 x 400s with a walk/jog in between

Nothing spectacular & due to my embarrassing times, I refuse to post them BUT they are better than when I was sick. I was about 10-12 secs off back in Jan/Feb. Now it's only about 8 secs. My 4th one was the fastest but I was listening to "The Pretender" at that point. :)

I want to thank my thoughtful friends, Paul C. & Chuck for some GREAT advice today. :)

It seems as though, with all that has gone down with my health issues, I feel as though I'm back at the drawing board, starting over, regressing, crawling out of a hole, & trying to find my zone all over again. The rain in Saturday's forecast is doing nothing to help me find my "zone" again. Yikes! I can honestly say that I've never run a 1/2 marathon in the rain, especially a cold rain. It's not exactly August around here, ya know... I've run in the rain before so that's no big deal but it was summer time & I was not in the middle of a 1/2 marathon. Running in the rain is fun when you are just training in it, with friends, and it's warm. There were many times this past Aug/Sept that I prayed for it to rain on me while I was suffering in the heat. Oh well, we deal with what God gives us on race day. Let's pray for a break in the rain from 8:00am until about 10:00am Sat morning! :)
I can stand a few miles in it, but not 13.1. Am I scared of blisters? You bet!
Good Luck halfers, 5kers, and the folks doing the local 10k this weekend!

I recently got pre-maturely excited about something that seemed right up my alley only to have it gone in no time at all. Was it my fault? Who knows, I'm just me & that's all I know how to be... It all comes down to communication. Some of us relish it, some of us don't. Some say we know how to do it yet back away from it. Sad & I guess I'm back at the drawing board with that, too. Always something, eh? This too shall pass & life is way too short to waste it wondering, "What if?" I'm a communicator, lock me up, throw away the key, but don't kill me for it. :P

Congrats to Danny on his Colon Cancer Challenge race in NY! You Rock!

Leland's blog appears to be "dead". I had his email & dropped him a few lines awhile back but got no response. Leland, if you are out there, get back to bloggin' dude. Some of us are curious about your aches & pains, Mr. Ironman.

I'm still laughing over this pic of my sister's dogs as I eat my lean pocket at my desk. It takes so little to amuse me these days.

My sister wrote that she loves this photo because it truly shows the "love" that Toby feels for Eva. :P


Sharing isn't easy especially if you have something to hide or protect.
I pride myself on being direct. Hey, if I'm comfortable with you enough to ask a direct, personal question then you should answer. (If you are comfortable with me.)


"Idol" results show tonight is making me remember something goofy I was a part of in 8th grade (the year Lennon was shot outside the Dakota). My friends & I were so struck by the sheer sadness that we held a sayance. (hey, at least we weren't drinking or doing drugs!) When my friend, Marcy's, fireplace sparked during the "experiment" we all jumped out of our skins & screamed. In the media, it was as if Elvis had died again. I was so young when Elvis died that I didn't fully understand what he meant to people so the Lennon thing was new to me. I had been a closet fan of the "Beatles" for years. When mom got out her Dionne Warwick & Tom Jones, I told her they were boring. I asked her why she didn't have any "Beatles" stuff! EVERYTHING Lennon & McCartney wrote speaks to me in some way. (Yesterday, Let It Be, Hard Day's Night, Eleanor Rigby, I want to Hold Your Hand, etc...) When I stand in front of the Dakota, I know I will get chills on a hot summer day this June. :)

I agree with David Hernandez getting the boot tonight but Kristi Lee Cook should have gone with him. "Dolly Parton on helium" was a good description of her song this week.

I contemplated some speed tonight but decided to do over an hour on the elliptical, some yoga ball crunches, and a few weights. Tomorrow, speed at the track or something resembling speed, I hope...

It was at about the 5 mile mark of my 8.46 run tonight when I realized that I was breathing, literally breathing with no congestion, no phglem, no spitting. Just plain old fashion breathing. The miles tick by so much faster when you can breathe! I didn't really mean to do 8.5 miles but it just happened. I felt like I could run to Mars. :) The pace was only 9.27 but it felt FABULOUS! From the ball field parking lots of East to Carter Blake is 2.11. I did that & then I went into Colonial Acres then back down Country Club into Macon. After Macon I headed to Tara's loop. Before I knew it I was back at the car & it was not totally dark! I have to admit, it seemed cooler than I thought it should but by mile 2, I pulled my tank off. It came in handy for my nose but I breathed! All the walkers were bundled up but "normal" Lisa was running half naked like "old times". Thank You, God! I changed up my terrain a bit to avoid sidewalks. I ran in some thick grass at times which seemed to ease the slight tenderness in my shins but all in all, what a nice run for once.

I spent 1 hr 30 mins SLOWLY on the elliptical while watching "Idol". David Cook is definitely the ONE To beat now. Tonight's theme was the brilliant Lennon/McCartney songs. Some did well with them, some did not. It really made me get excited about the NYC trip knowing full well, we're staying close to the Dakota.

Happy Freaking, Breathing Tuesday!

Monday workout:

I got in only 4.5 miles but I felt like I was fighting with someone the entire way. Headwinds! It felt like a storm was brewing. My shins spoke to me, "Don't make us get on a treadmill tonight, Lisa!" I listened to them but I thought Dorothy was going to go flying off over Arnold Air Force base. I parked at Waggoner Park & took off for the base Golf course area thinking I'd go there & turn around. I decided to head over to HOSC & head down 55 back to Waggoner. It was that stretch where I started my fight with the wind. Needless to say, it was only a 9:30 pace but I worked up a good little sweat. I could only stand 45 mins on the elliptical before I noticed how tired I was..."time change!" I had called Wayne to run but he was stuck in traffic trying to get home. There was an accident somewhere near Murfreesboro. As I ran I thought to myself of how I really don't like the idea of commuting, especially since the cost of gas is biting into our budgets big time. I don't let my Civic get bone dry but I know it's taking way more than it did 2 yrs ago to fill up. OUCH! I do thank God that I had enough sense to buy it when the Accord bit the dust that fateful pre-Thanksgiving morning in '02. I don't let the price of gas stop me from doing what I want but commuting to a job an hour away would kill me right now.

Childhood memory:

As I passed the Armory, I thought of Dad & all his years there, as a recruiter & then many years as Shop Chief over the motor pool. I hate the fact that he lost his hearing in one ear because of a deployment that didn't happen for him in '03. He got on a plane to head to Corpus Christi to ride a boat with the equipment to Iraq. No big deal if you don't have Pneumonia. (My TX sister drove over from San Antonio & raised HELL in the hospital on dad's behalf.) Needless to say if you get on a plane with that much infection in your body, you might just blow out an ear drum. He did not go to Iraq at least. This fact has not stopped him from his hobby (drag boat racing). Can't tell an old dog not to do his old tricks. :P I smiled as I as passed the tank that I used to crawl on as a kid. (The old "M.A.S.H" tank)

Socializing @ the gym:

I headed to the gym where I talked to Terri. My new single girlfriend who I'm going to starting hanging out with if we can ever get our schedules to jive. She's remodeling her house. I'm trying to play matchmaker for her & a guy or two that I know. :)

Bobby & Whitney:

I jumped on the elliptical only to be bored by a biography on Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown. My only warm fuzzy thoughts for those two come from my college years & years in Germany. I remember when Whitney did a concert at Murphy center. Pretty exciting....no parking spaces for miles, including Bell Aire Apts where I lived with my roomie, Joanie. (Someone else I need to play matchmaker...) Bobby Brown came out with "My Perogative" around the time I ran off to Germany with my GI husband. We were entertained in the clubs on the weekends watching the Germans dance & mouth that song to death. (Good Times!) The fact that those two have now divorced doesn't not suprise me. They were toxic for each other. I pray their daughter doesn't follow their addictive foot steps. Supposedly, she can sing like Whitney. :)

A lot about nothing:
(Much like this post!)
I'm pretty excited about Jerry Seinfeld coming to TPAC. I may try to get tickets if they aren't horribly expensive. :)

This week seems like Spring to me. No crazy snow & freezing temps on the horizon this week anyway.

Maybe tomorrow will be a calmer run...maybe Wayne & I will hit the roads.

Happy Monday!

I did about 12 miles this afternoon in Shelby park (jogging/walking). The chicken sandwich that I had horsed down on my drive in didn't settle well & the watered down gatorade didn't help either. I wish I had put diet coke in my fuel belt because in the end that's all I wanted. We did some fence climbing in order to get to the bridge that's under construction. I decided to go up a muddy hill to get to the bridge, but it was fun.

Tullahoma got way less snow than Nashville/Murfreesboro. I was actually not too surprised when I read that the strider's training run for this morning was cancelled.
I drove in the sleet last night & was quite annoyed! :( I was glad I got up in the middle of "Fools Gold". I knew it wasn't that good from the previews but we had free tickets. If that wasn't enough, the theatre was REALLY cold! I ate WAY too much food last night so I was determined to work it off today so I hit the gym.

Before the gym, I noticed it was still snowing lightly as I drove down Jackson. Low & behold I saw a naked legged Terry Q. I honked the horn & waved. He got in 17 miles today in preparation for the Atlanta marathon. I called him later & he's really psyched about it.

After a grueling 45 min pilates class & I truly mean grueling, I did a very slow 1 hr 10 mins on the elliptical. Carla had us using the rubber bands this morning. My legs felt like rubber bands when we finished. (my plank position is still pretty strong, though) I did some weights including some free weights on my arms. On the deathmill I went but for only 2.25 miles running & .25 walking. I had on my slightly worn out saucony Omni's & my left shin was a little sore. I wasn't really in the mood to run today anyway. As I was heading out, Beth from work, told me that the Sommet Center had $10 tickets for tonights women's UT-Vandy game, but everyone I called that would have gone was sick or trying to get over being sick. So, that was out! :(

I won't be getting out with Pam tomorrow due to the fact that she's fighting sickness now. Not sure of the distance but I'm running tomorrow outside.

I got in 8.21 miles at an easy, relaxed 9:41 pace tonight out East area. It didn't get dark on me until I finished my 2nd loop around Macon. :) Next week will be so nice with the extra daylight. My sore nose ran way more than I did. :(
I felt like I was dragging my ass the first 3 miles but then I seem to relax & pick up my pace the last 1/2 of it. It was probably about 55 degrees when I started but yet I felt cold. (a sign I'm still not 100%) So, for the first time ever, I kept a short sleeve tech shirt on during a run over 50 degrees. Normally, anything over 50 I definitely lose the shirt. Oh well... Tomorrow's a rest day, Sat is a cross training day since it's going to be so freaking cold. Sunday, I'll probably run before I get Pam out.

Predictable departures off "Idol".

I have to admit, the Patrick Swayze cancer is bothering me. Bless his heart. He's dying from the same cancer that killed Michael Landon years ago.

I believe Hannah & I have settled in on a NYC Hotel. The Hotel Belleclaire is on West 77th street, two blocks from Central Park. It's near the Dakota where John Lennoon lived. I'm really starting to get excited. We have plans to see "Wicked" & do as much sight seeing as 3 days will allow us! :)

I'm starting to think that I crave socialization after work. Not that I don't socialize at work but I have little in common with most of the folks around me. (Don't get me wrong, nice people!) I've been doing ALL my running this week on the deathmill just so I can be "entertained".

This year I've become a major wuss. I guess when my body won't cooperate by getting well in a normal amount of time, it kind of scares me. I don't know. Maybe I'm becoming this huge wimpy woman. The thoughts of running outside in anything less than 45-50 degrees alone does not thrill me. For the last month & a half, when the cold air hits my throat, it hurts...& well you guys know the rest of the story.
I also hate the fact that I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

So, I ignored the fact that my stomach was upset because of the "situation" with the sinuses today & I did speedwork on the dreadmill. I just felt like I'd push myself more on that thing rather than at the track. I did 3.1 miles with 5 X 400s carefully placed & a 10 min pace in between each one. (NO walking) I was drenched but I didn't have the cold on my still itchy, scratchy throat.

I'm not going to lie, I totally dread the Tom King 1/2 this year. I just feel ill prepared but what do you do when you've been registered for something since late Dec & it's local? (You suck it up, do it, & stop whinning about it!) :P

I did 1 hr 5 mins on the elliptical (while watching "Idol"), my yoga ball crunches, & some free weights on my arms.

I really need to get in a minimum 8 miles this weekend, but dang, it's going to be cold!

...to "American Idol". This season, I am... I spent the entire hour on an elliptical watching. David Cook was VERY impressive rocking it out with Lionel Richie's "Hello". I really like the fact that he likes "Our Lady Peace". I LOVE some of their stuff. As far as the guys go, there are NO bad singers this year. Seriously, I'm not a voter but if I were I would not know who to vote for at this point. The guy with the dreadlocks, Jason Castro, is so talented & what a sweet face that boy has...gesh!

After I ran 5 miles on the dreadmill at a conservative pace, I walked about another mile until I finished out my hour. I have no idea what the time was because Wayne walked up as I was finishing. I needed to add him to my phone. I felt ok. At mile 2 I felt a little sickish & I wanted to spit, but that passed. My stomach felt a little uneasy but hey, at least I'm running this week.

I got my "Moon Pie" form in the mail yesterday. I'm just not feeling it this year for that race. If I have nothing else going on I may just volunteer the whole time instead of my usual volunteer & then run.

First of all, got flowers today. Fabulous! :)

2nd of all, I did 4.25 on the deathmill without gagging, spitting, feeling sick, etc... I kept it easy at a 9:29 pace. I walked another mile & then jumped on the elliptical for a slow 35 mins. I got interested in the Barbara Wa Wa special on the Royal Family. The queen is quite annoying but I wanted to see the "boys". I just LOVE Diana's boys. I did my yoga ball crunches & now I'm starving. My appetite is slowing coming back.

Carla's foot seems like it's getting better. She has a brace/wrap thing on it. Chris is over the stomach flu so maybe we'll all get together for a run this week.

Happy Monday! :)

Still not 100%:

NO, I'm not a smoker. As a matter of fact, I've never even held a cigarette to my mouth. Since last week, I sound like I smoke a pack a day, though. I've heard enough of, "You sound awful." to last me a lifetime. This is by far the longest sinus infection in history & I really need to call the Guiness World Book & let them know about it. :P

These high powered antibiotics have drained my will to do anything. Seriously! I've had cotton mouth for days & I feel like I cannot drink enough water. I knew I was getting dehydrated friday at work. My legs started cramping & my lower back was achy. I have no taste buds & I've lost more weight. So, I chose not to trek up to Fall Creek Falls. I just did not have the energy. Yes, it's quite depressing to want to do something so bad & realize that if you did, you'd probably pass out or fall asleep. I did get tons of sleep this weekend & to still feel tired is just frustrating. I have one more full day of these meds so cross your fingers that I find my ability to move again! :P

Blackberry is my new friend:

I got my new phone, Blackberry Pearl. I've been obsessed with it since yesterday afternoon. I LOVE IT! I've got to get used to the tiny little keys & I have yet to figure out how to get on the internet with it, but it does alert me to all my mail. It's cute! I got it for $219. I have to mail in the $50 rebate, plus I'm going to start getting my company discount which is 10% off.

Some Activity:

Saturday, I did get out with Pam for 5.56 miles. She had got in 2.5 miles on her treadmill earlier in the day so we didn't push it. She did shave off nearly 7 mins from last week. We did more speed walking than shuffling when we were not jogging. I did get in an hour on the elliptical & a few weights.

Today, I could not stand NOT running so I went out in my neighborhood. After 1 mile, my throat was sore again & I definitely left something in the driveway that I don't normally leave. I shook up something that had to come out. Ugh!
Later I headed to the gym for 50 mins on the elliptical before I realized I was REALLY too hungry to be there. I feel so nonproductive!

Again, tomorrow is another day. I hope my zest for life as I once knew it comes back. As my granny used to say, "She's as limp as a dish rag." That's me, the dish rag!

FYI, my blog stalker did both the 5k & 10k Judicata races.
He did very well with his first organized races & I hate to say it but I'm jealous!!! :P