Friday, August 31, 2007

Had to break out the stroller today

I just have to say that 4 1/2 hours is not enough time.

That is how long Kara is in preschool, three days a week. But it seems like that time just blows by, taken up with housework (today I did laundry and dishes), playing with Matty and other routine tasks (eating, for example).

I didn't have time to run in the morning. So I loaded Matty into the stroller and ran to the preschool to pick up Kara. The route I took was exactly two miles from the point where I started running to the fence outside the school. Cool. I collected the munchkin and ran back home. In all, it wasn't a bad run. But I did have to run across a busy street (at the light and in the crosswalk, of course), and that always makes me nervous.

I have a new favorite song to run to. It's "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne. I feel like the oldest person on the planet listening to that song (LOL!) but it has a great rhythm that my feet like to match and it's just peppy as hell. I did my entire run to that song today (thanks, iPod!!) and it was great. I always seem to find one song to obsess over while running. So I know someday Avril will be usurped by someone else. :-)

Today's stats:
Run (outdoors):
Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 43.01
Pace: 10:44 minute/mile

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Happy birthday, Tim!

My guy is 31 today.

Happy birthday, sweetie!! We all love you!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

My teacher, my peer

So I talked with my biology instructor tonight and found out we have a lot in common.

-We're both 32.
-We both used to live in the Redding area, and during the same time frame.
-We both have kids. She just had a baby girl this past April.
-We both enjoy running.

I am pretty darn excited about this!! We had lab tonight, and once the "formal" part was over at 9:30, almost everybody ran out. But this woman, Kim, and I stayed until 9:55, when the class officially ended. Come to find out, Kim did Stroller Strides in Eureka back in March when I did it for a week or so. She and I talked then, and I knew she looked familiar tonight. We chatted and that's when we made the connection. She even remembered my name!!

So Kim, my teacher Jen and I talked about kids, exercising, boobs (LOL!) and other things women tend to gab about. I must say I really like Jen. It's almost like having a friend of mine tutoring me in biology rather than a formal instructor. I feel much more comfortable now that I know she is my peer.

The next meeting is next Wednesday (since Monday is a holiday). I am actually looking forward to going now! Yippee!!! :-)

Need to get back on track

Yesterday was supposed to be a run day. Tim was going to run with me, but in the end he didn't feel well enough, so we just walked around the neighborhood with the kids.

I ran this morning instead. I dropped Kara off at school (no more tears now, and she abruptly left me to get a seat at the table to have breakfast with her classmates. No good-bye or anything, LOL!), and Matty fell asleep once we got home. So I hopped on the treadmill for a short (and slower) three miles. I still have to take a shower before he wakes up. If not for that, I probably would have gone four miles.

Tomorrow I will try to run in the morning. If I go outside, I'll have to take the kids in the stroller. We'll see what I feel like doing when that time comes, I guess.

I have class again tonight (it's my LONG day). Happy Wednesday and happy running!!

Today's stats:
Run (treadmill):
Distance: three miles
Time: 33:52
Pace: 11:17 minute/mile

Monday, August 27, 2007

Big thanks, you guys!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dear running buddies, for making me feel better after that last post! You guys are seriously the best!! :-)

Tonight I went back to school for the first time in nearly 10 years. It's still hard to believe that it has been so long since I graduated (May 1998 to be exact). I am taking one biology class this semester to get my feet wet again. It's a good thing, because it looks like it might be slightly more difficult than I expected. We have to do a semester project and present it to the class in December. The last biology class I took (pretty sure it was either 1994 or 1995) didn't require any kind of project, so I was a little surprised to learn of this tonight. Well, I am ready to tackle whatever this teacher (note for Lynn: her name is Jen Westenberg, if you're reading this) throws at me.

Anyway, Mondays are my "short" night, with only an hour of lecture. Wednesdays will be the test, as I will have an hour of lecture, a 1/2 hour break, and then nearly three hours of lab. I hope the labs will be interesting enough that the time will fly by, because I have had boring labs before (Sierra College, chemistry, fall 1993, before I went away to university. Ugh) and they suck. This teacher seems pretty cool though, so I bet it will be OK.

She did assign some reading, so I completed it while riding the stationary bike tonight. Consequently, my pace suffered. That's OK. Two birds, one stone.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Time: 40 minutes
Distance: 10.2 miles

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Awesome run today!

Let me start off this post by saying that I have enabled the feature to preview reader comments before they are posted. Some asshat came by here a couple days ago and posted something mean in the comment section (I have since deleted it). But it made me realize that I should probably preview all the comments before they are added to ensure that jerks I don't even know don't get their two cents in at my expense.

Come to find out this person is a first-class loser who has posted snarky comments on other blogs, as well (yeah, I investigated his retarded little blog. He thinks *I'm* boring? Whatever). He is certainly NOT welcome here again. Seems like he really has an issue with women (since he's likely a 60-year-old virgin) and some guy named Mike.

Of course I still want all my running buddies here to post!! I promise I will post the comments from the people I know I can trust. :-)

Oh, and the main purpose of this blog is to track my running progress and get feedback from fellow runners. Sure, that is probably boring to some. If I wasn't so into running, I would likely be bored to tears by it. LOL! But then again, I wouldn't waste my time reading and commenting if that was the case.

And just a heads-up: I might make this blog private if I feel I need to. I will let ya'll know ahead of time and invite you guys if that happens. I hope it won't, but I am feeling kinda burned right now. :-(

OK, enough venting.

That being said, I had an awesome run today!! I headed to the track this time for my long run. I tried out my new fuel belt (love it, BTW!), and I figured the track would be a good place since I could ditch it in the truck if I really hated it. Luckily, I found that after a couple laps I didn't even remember I had it on. Yay for that! And it had room for my keys and cell phone. Bonus!

My plan was to run for one hour, but I ended up stretching it to a 10K. It didn't take me that long to complete the distance. In fact, I handily set a PR for 10K. Woo hoo!! Maybe I should run all my races around a track. ;-)

Back to the fuel belt. I left two of the four water bottles at home, which turned out to be a mistake. I figured since I was running at a school that I would be able to fill the bottles when I needed to. I didn't figure that the stupid drinking fountain wouldn't be operating yet. Ugh. So after I drank all the water I brought, I ended up running to the nearby gas station to buy some more. My last mile or so was spent running around some neighborhoods of downtown Fortuna.

I liked the fuel belt so much that I might even use it for shorter runs. It's nice to not have anything in my hands when I run, you know?

Today's stats:
Run (outside):
Distance: 6.2 miles
Time: 1 hour, six minutes, 58 seconds (former PR was 1:11:30 (seriously!!) set on June 24)
Pace: 10:48 minute/mile (I am pretty freakin' proud of this!!)

Thursday, August 23, 2007

No run after all

So I didn't run today. I couldn't get in the running spirit. I think my legs just didn't want to run four days in a row, since I am planning on running tomorrow. That's OK. I rode the bike, instead. And I watched House Hunters while I did it. That is by far my favorite show on HGTV.

I stumbled upon the funniest blog ever the other day. Dawn is Mom to six kids (!!!) and had an auction on eBay recently. She was offing some Pokemon cards her kids unknowingly suckered her into purchasing. The eBay story had me rolling! I only have two rugrats, yet I could relate to her shopping nightmare. Poor, poor woman.

Apparently I'm not the only one who finds her writing hilarious. She's had more than 188,000 hits, with 77,000 of those coming on Wednesday and another 94,000 today, she says. I guess you need a wicked sense of humor when that many kids have emerged from your uterus. I will gladly remain unfunny in comparison, thank you.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Time: 40 minutes
Distance: 10.3 miles

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Dollar Tree diva

So I am having a secret love affair with the Dollar Tree.

It started last weekend when we went to the Dollar Tree in the Bayshore Mall in Eureka. I was looking for some lined paper for my class and a folder to put Kara's school artwork in. I found that, along with a toy for each kid and a new pen for me. Whoopie!!!

Today, the kids and I went to the Dollar Tree in Fortuna after Kara got out of school. I was looking for safety scissors for Kara, since her teacher told me today that she loves to cut and paste things. I secretly knew this, because earlier this summer she found my collection of old photos (mostly of high school friends) and took a pair of MY scissors to them when I wasn't looking. Oh, she got in big trouble that day.

We didn't find the scissors, but the three of us spent some time looking at everything. There really is some cool stuff there. I really hate admitting that, since I used to think all they sold was crap. Don't get me wrong; I am sure there is still some crap there. But there were so many things that caught my eye and seemed to be a good bargain. In the end, Kara walked away with a new magic wand, while Matty got a squishy ball resembling a lion. I got nothing for myself. Oh well.

Following our bargain-hunting escapade, both kids came home and conked out. Not wanting to waste my free time, I hopped on the treadmill. No, it wasn't supposed to be a running day, but what the hell. I figured since yesterday was more of a speed day, today would be nice and slow.

If I do my scheduled run tomorrow, that will be three days in a row of running. And Friday is also supposed to be a run day. So I could have four consecutive days of running this week. I hope my body doesn't retaliate. LOL!

And I did bump my goal to 500 miles for the year. I can do it!!

Today's stats:
Treadmill run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 34:43
Pace: 11:34 minute/mile

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Got scared for a minute

Whew!!

For a few minutes I thought Blogger wasn't going to let me on tonight!!

I kept getting this error message when I tried to get to my own page. What the ...??!

So I waited (fed the kids, bathed them, etc.) and now, about 1 1/2 hours later, I am finally on!

I ran today. Outside. I was alone, because Tim didn't want to run. He came home early to watch Matty so I could go to the dentist (Kara came with me), and he was tired. I understand that. I am tired a lot, too. I am hoping I can get him out there on Thursday.

It was another humid, cloudy day here. My saving grace this time was the wind. There was a nice, strong breeze that really helped me stay cool. I still worked up a gnarly sweat and my pants still stuck to my legs, but I didn't feel miserable like I have before.

And I enjoyed being with Garmin again. I missed my buddy. I don't use him on the treadmill (it has its own readout that I use), so to be reunited with my running partner was great. :-)

Today's stats:
Run (outdoors!)
Distance: three miles
Time: 32:20
Pace: 10:47 minute/mile

Monday, August 20, 2007

Switchin' it up

I'm going to change my running days. I start school next Monday, and it's an evening course two days a week, so I won't be able to run then like I do now.

So starting this week, I will be moving the Monday and Wednesday runs to Tuesday and Thursday. That way, Tim can get out there with me. We are planning a run tomorrow.

Oh, and one more thing. I am thinking about readjusting my goal of running 400 miles this year. If I only run 45 miles a month in the remaining four months of the year, I will eclipse that goal handily. I am thinking of bumping it to 500 miles instead. I'm pretty sure I could make that goal, barring a serious injury or illness.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 7.68 miles
Time: 30 minutes

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Hey, guess what??

I did another run on the treadmill today.

LOL!!

The weather was weird today. It rained a little last night, and today was overcast, warm and muggy as hell. I went outside for a few minutes, and decided I didn't want to run in that kind of humidity. So I opted for the longest treadmill run yet.

I think Marcy asked what I do when I'm on the treadmill to keep from getting bored. I usually listen to the radio REALLY LOUD (no headphones). That's the only way I can hear it over the sound of the treadmill. But today we moved a small TV in the den so I could watch a couple shows. I ended up running to America's Funniest Home Videos and part of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. It did make the time pass faster. I think I'll probably watch TV when I run on the treadmill from now on.

This run was very slow, since I knew I would be running longer than on Friday. I am OK with that. I have been working a lot on getting faster and have neglected working on just running slow and steady. It felt really good. I am not going to scrap my speed runs, but I think I will save those for when I'm outdoors. :-)

Today's stats:
Treadmill run:
Distance: 5.1 miles
Time: 1 hour
Pace: 11:45 minute/mile

Friday, August 17, 2007

Slow and steady

Today's run was another treadmill one, as I was busy all day and knew I couldn't squeeze in an outdoor run before it started getting dark. Plus, I wanted to try and do a slow one to work on my endurance while burning some fat. Seems that the treadmill is the only real way I can get myself to slow down. And I have become complacent with three-mile runs, so I needed to add some distance tonight.

I ran four miles on that thing. That's the farthest I've run on the treadmill to date. Not bad!! It really wasn't as torturous as I thought it might be. Don't tell anyone, but I kind of enjoyed it! Who would've thought??

I probably will take tomorrow as a rest day before my long run on Sunday. Happy Saturday, everyone!

Today's stats:
Treadmill run:
Distance: four miles
Time 46:40
Pace: 11:40 minutes/mile

Thursday, August 16, 2007

This is mostly to remind myself...

...that I rode the bike tonight.

LOL!!

Nothing really exciting happened today. So I will just leave this as workout update post. :-)

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 34:40

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

School daze

Seems like all I talk about is school these days. Guess it's on my mind a lot. LOL!

Today was Kara's second day of preschool. She cried again when I dropped her off, but her teachers later said she settled into the groove quickly and did great! They did a worksheet today, where the kids trace a few numbers and then write them freehand, as well as write their name. They put it in her backpack so I would see it. When I looked at it, I almost cried. She did such a good job!! I could definitely tell what each number was. It was so neat! I put it on our fridge as soon as we got home. She is constantly surprising me as to what she can do.

And she went potty at the preschool today! She has this weird phobia of public toilets and is still in pull-ups when we go out, but she saw the other kids going potty and decided she wanted to do it. So yay for that!! I hope to get her out of these darn pull-ups soon!!

Oh, and I did run today. Just on the treadmill, but that's OK. Better than nothing, right? I forced myself to go slower so I could burn some fat. It felt really easy, actually. I will try for a four-miler Friday when Kara is in school.

Today's stats:
Treadmill run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 33:50
Pace: 11:16

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Back-to-school

Yesterday I headed to College of the Redwoods to buy my books for the biology class I'm taking this fall. This is the first prerequisite class I need to complete before I can be considered for the nursing program. There are three or four others, as well. Of course, I didn't take many science classes at all when I earned my BA in journalism.

It was soooo weird walking on the campus to the bookstore. On one hand, I felt incredibly old. But for a few seconds, I almost felt like a 19-year-old again, crossing a college campus for the first time. It was weird. I guess it helped that Tim stayed home with the kids so I wouldn't have to drag their whiny bodies around campus. Then I would have KNOWN I am old. LOL!

So I only have two textbooks for this class, yet the grand total was $145! I guess in the nine-plus years since I have graduated college, I had forgotten just how expensive that stuff is.

Wish me luck when I start class on August 27. I am excited, but also scared a bit because it has been so long since I've been a student. This is the first step toward my new career, and that is awesome!!

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 36:06

Monday, August 13, 2007

Kara's first day of preschool

We just dropped Kara off for her first day of preschool. It was a little traumatic for her, I think. She did cry a bit when we had to leave and said she didn't want to go to school. Honestly, I just wanted to get out of there so she could start adjusting. LOL! Matty, on the other hand, looked like he wanted stay all day!! I wish I could infuse some of his happy-go-lucky personality into her.

The teachers got Kara a cubbyhole for her backpack and offered her breakfast. I don't know yet if she took them up on that offer. We'll be picking her up in a little less than four hours.

I am going to head out on a run soon. Just a short one. Three miles max. I am finally starting to feel a little better, although I am still stuffy and definitely not 100 percent yet. Then I have a chiropractor appointment. I will post stats later.

Happy Monday!

Coming back to say I got my run in and it felt great!! My legs really missed running, apparently, because I could not get them to go slow!! ;-)

Today's stats:
Distance: three miles
Time: 31:32
Pace: 10:31 minute/mile

Splits:
Mile 1: 10:41
Mile 2: 10:37
Mile 3: 10:13

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Scrapping this weekend

So I decided this morning to just not work out this entire weekend and start over tomorrow morning.

I have been too sick (first with a gastro flare, now with a wicked head cold) to do anything. I stayed on the couch most of today and slept a lot. I think my body really needed the rest.

Unfortunately, Matty also appears to have this cold and I am just praying that Kara doesn't get sick before she starts preschool tomorrow.

If everything pans out, I will do a three-miler early tomorrow before taking Kara to school.

Until later, my friends....

Saturday, August 11, 2007

I'm still here!

I just haven't worked out in a few days because I haven't been feeling that great.

I will try to work out on the bike tonight. If not, I will try for a morning run tomorrow. :-)

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

I will have killer abs.....

...someday.

Maybe.

Tonight I tried out the abs DVD I bought over the weekend. Can I just say it really made me realize how much I need to work on my core strength? It totally kicked my butt, and it was just a 10-minute workout (one of five workouts on the DVD). Of course, I did it after I did a fast indoor bike session, but still. I guess the good thing is I can only get better (and stronger) from here. And I hope it helps with my Mommy belly I'm still sporting. If it firms it up a bit I will be ecstatic.

And if that helps with my running, then even better.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10.6 miles
Time: 36:05

followed by 10 minutes of abs workout

Monday, August 6, 2007

I am a running club member!!

I just got an email from Six Rivers Running Club, thanking me for joining. I finally sent the membership form and payment on my birthday. It got there quickly!!

I will now be getting the newsletter in the mail. And I can do runs with the club now. Woo hoo!!!! :-)

Coming back to add that I did a short recovery run tonight. It went pretty well. Tim pushed the kids in the jogging stroller while I ran around the neighborhood. :-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 33:53
Pace: 11:17 minute/mile

Apparently Blogger hates me

So I just spent all this time uploading images here from the Tim Brownlow Memorial Run, and then Blogger became a b**** and ate it. Ugh.

So here is the second try. You can click on them to make them larger.

The group pic before the race. I was dumb and stood behind some tall guys, so I am really not visible. D'oh!!



Me before the race. I love the shirt, but the only bad thing is I can't hide my tummy pooch under this fabric very well. I blame the kiddos. LOL! I did buy myself an abs DVD for my birthday, so I will be working on it:



And we're off!!



Here I am getting ready to leave the ballpark and hit the road for Lap 1:



Closing in on the finish line after my two laps:



Me afterward with my parents and the kids:




My Tim, crabby Matty (who wanted down so he could run away, go figure), and me:

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Race report!

This morning was the Tim Brownlow Memorial Run at the Arcata Ballpark, where the Humboldt Crabs play ball. It was the only time this run will be held in honor of Tim Brownlow. He was a local runner who was killed in April after his UPS truck crashed during a rain storm. The run also served to raise money for his widow and two children.

I wasn't sure how many people would sign up, but was pleasantly surprised when we got there. I would guess about 300 people were there to run and walk. There were many others there to lend support to runners and Tim's family. It was a really, really nice event. They gave every runner a cool T-shirt made from breathable wicking fabric (not sure what the proper name is) that had a drawing of Tim Brownlow running on the front. And afterward there was a huge barbecue lunch and raffle.

They also had a table set up with pictures of Tim over the years. I got so overwhelmingly sad when I saw them. I didn't even know him, but just seeing what a vibrant man he was stuck with me. I felt so bad for his family. I had to step away from the table so I wouldn't cry.

My bib number was wicked awesome this time. The number 32. My age. How neat is that?? I couldn't have picked a better number. Actually, that number scored me some awesome running sunglasses during the raffle, as the organizers said that anyone whose age matched their bib number could pick a prize out of a box (I wasn't the only one, either). I was stoked, because I really needed some sunglasses for running. They are pretty!! :-)

Anyway, the run started at 10 a.m. A few minutes before, all the runners and walkers congregated on the field for a group picture. That was a nice touch. After a few more minutes, we lined up for the start, and we were off!!

The course was a two-lapper that took us up and down lots of hills. I mean, A LOT of hills. It was nothing like the flat race I had in June. It took me a while to get used to all of the uphill portions. I knew pretty early on that I wouldn't be getting a PR for three miles. But then I found out after the run was over that they actually extended the course to about 3.17 miles (per Garmin) because they wanted everyone to end up on the ball field again. When I heard that, I was excited because my time wasn't that bad after all. Even with all the hills!!

The second time around the course felt a little easier, as I knew where the hills were and had a better idea how to pace myself. I knew there were many people in front of me, but I could see there were TONS of people behind me. Granted, a lot of people walked and I didn't. But still, it was nice to know I was nowhere near last place. LOL!!

The really awesome thing about this race was that my mom and dad got to see me run, along with Tim and the kids. I am very glad they were able to share this race with me. It was nice knowing they were there to cheer me on as I crossed the finish line. :-)

The official stats are now up, and my dad said he'd email me the pictures they took with their camera (they had to head for home after the race. *sad*) I will post the pics when I can. But here are the official race stats.

Tim Brownlow Memorial Run:
***official stats***
Distance: 3.17 miles
Time: 32:58 (same as what my Garmin said!)
Pace: 10:24

Finished 97th out of 272
Finished seventh out of 22 in my age division (F 30-39 years)

Saturday, August 4, 2007

The big 3-2

Yes, today I am 32.

I kinda like that number better than 31. Don't know why, though.

I think this year will be even better than the last one. And the last one was pretty darn good to me.

So I'm off to party (and take the trash to the dump, LOL!), and I'll see you all tomorrow after my race! :-)

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Last run in Auburn

I am sad that my summer vacation here in Auburn is almost over. The kids and I have had a great time. I will definitely miss the pool!!! That is one thing I don't like about Fortuna. It doesn't usually get hot there, but when it does I wish that town had an outdoor community pool. There are a couple indoor pools in neighboring communities, but it's not the same as swimming outside in the sunshine. *sigh*

And I'll miss the sheer number of things to do here. We went to Fairytale Town in Sacramento, and planned on going to the Sacramento Zoo but ran out of time. We will be back down here in October, and I hope we'll be able to see the zoo then. We're going shopping for running stuff today. Yeah!!

But I am looking forward to running in Fortuna again. Cooler temps are definitely easier to run in (duh!), although I have gotten more used to running in the heat here.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2.25 miles
Time: 23:55
Pace: 10:37 minute/mile

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Livin' at the pool!

We've been living at the community pool here in Auburn the past few days. It has felt so good to dip in the cool water. It has been in the upper 90s here, and that is hot to me! That's what I get for living so long in a cooler climate, I guess.

I met up with my best friend from high school, Gwen, and her son Anthony today. We went to the pool with Kara. Matty stayed home with my mom. I skipped my run this morning because of it. I will try for a short run tomorrow morning, and that is going to be it until Sunday. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine tonight, instead.

OK, I will be brave and share just a couple pics of me in a swimsuit. These pics were taken yesterday at the pool.

Me holding Matty, right before he got really crabby:



Sitting in the toddler pool with Kara and Matty. There is a full-size pool complete with a diving board on the other side of the fence, but Kara preferred this area:



And my favorite pic. Kara enjoying the pool:



Today's stats:
Elliptical machine:
Time: 30 minutes