Seattle Half

Ok...I'm ready to talk about my Half. It's taken me a week or so to contemplate what went wrong, but I'm over it, so now I can write about it. Fact of the matter is, I was not prepared. I hadn't run in a month prior to the race, so I have no idea why I even had any expectations. I lost my motivation and I was too busy moving my husband's office to a new location and frankly, running was the last thing on my mind. We arrived in Seattle 3 days before the race & did the tourist thing for 2 full days prior. I was not nervous, not excited, nothing....I just wanted to get it done. Come race morning, I was fine until we got there then my stomach started to hurt. Bad. I was waaaaaaaay back in corral 33 (out of 40-ish. Sad.) But still, would have LIKED to be done in 2.5 hours. I don't think my corral even started the race until like 45 minutes after the starting shot. I did good (decent) , steady, decent time up until about mile 8.5....then my stomach issues started back up. I had to stop for the potty @ Mile 9. After that, things went downhill (no pun intended). My left foot & right knee were in agony. And once you stop, good luck starting back up!! I was hurting and fading fast. I was starving & Gu just wasn't cuttin' it! I was done. I spent the next VERY long 4 miles at a jog/walk pace until the end. I was over it. Got my medal and decided that I would never do another Half again. I did not enjoy it, my body hurt & I could barely walk for 2 days after. Not fun. I think this has helped me get it out of my system, said I've done it and I think I will stick to 10 K's from now on. My journey is over. I started as a wimpy runner, and I've ended no better...but I did what I set out to do.. Not well, but accomplished. So, this ends my blog, this ends my desire to be a better runner...I will do it on my own time, in my own pace. A runner I will never be...more like "recreational jogger" ;) Thanks for sharing this roller coaster ride with me and giving me support when I felt like I could not go on. Next on my agenda is a midnight run in the middle of nowhere in Rachel, NV....6.2 miles and not a single step more :)

xoxo

Pain in the head!

Hello!! I'm still here! Alive and kickin'! I feel like the last time I looked at my Half Marathon countdown, it said there was 33 days until race day....I just looked at it, and it said "33 days". Ummm, hi. Did time stop or am I having a case of deja vu? I'm not complaining, but I would kinda like to get this whole 13.1 miles thing outta my way and be able to stop thinking about it for a while.

Anyways, let's focus on how awesome I am: I'm officially hitting the double digits on my long run days (Saturdays) now! Whoop!! It feels great to FINALLY see something other than 4 miles, 3 miles 2.5 miles, etc on my training calender...but I still kinda suck at this running thing. It freakin' hurts my entire body! Last weekend I did 10 miles in Red Rock {don't make me recall the events on that day...hills too traumatic for my liking!...} , this past weekend husband and I did 11, which took me a very.long.time. But 11 miles is 11 miles, right??! No matter that the SECOND my Garmin clocked 11 miles, I stopped. Stopped one mile away from my house, but there was no way in hell I could get my body to run it. That one mile walk to my house was slow and painful! The problem I'm now having with these long runs (not counting my terrible knee pain), is that I get a bad headache all day long following the run. I can't figure out if I'm not drinking as much water as I thought I was, or if my shoulders are tense ...?? Thank God I'm married to a chiropractor cause I need that adjustment after each run, but I REALLY need to find the source of those headaches! I am going to try some coconut water before & after my next long run to try to get some electrolytes & other goodies to see if that will help. It's very frustrating, but I'm determined to get to the bottom of this. So, that's the latest on my running adventures. I just keep on keeping on! (Thanks, Casey) ;)

hot hot hot!!

I am in for a world of hurt in the next month(s) to come. Today was "only" 72 degrees when I went for a run , but the Vegas sun was on full power. I haven't run since my Zion 8 miles, and I knew I would not be awesome today...I didn't disappoint my expectations :/ I took my husband's dog with me cause I wanted to run a trail that followed behind this State park by my house and it could get a little isolated and shady back there, if you know what I mean. The dog did good, and actually listened to me for the most part. Although, I almost lost her when I took her off the chain and she decided to high-tail it after a chipmunk. I didn't chase after her....but she came back anyways. :/

I think tomorrow may have to be the 1st day of my 5:30am runs again. It is just getting too damn hot in the afternoons and I don't do very well running in this heat. It always makes me feel like throwing up. I will attempt to get an early rise first thing in the morning and get a head start on my day. I'm kinda freakin' out that the Half is now only 45 days away........I'm scheduled to go 11 miles this Saturday, so I will hopefully have a better grasp of where I stand after seeing what my body can do. I'm getting excited/nervous/scared all wrapped up in one and I can't wait to run longer and push harder :)

Zion...my happy place :)

This weekend my family and I went camping in Zion. I LOVE that place! We've been camping there every year for the past 6 years. There's nothing like being out there that always makes me sad that I live someplace like Vegas :/ Anyways, I was scheduled to run 8 miles on Saturday....the furthest I have ever run in a single stretch. I was pretty nervous, but I figured if the going gets too hard, I'll walk ;) My husband and I got up early and headed out with his fat, lazy dog. If SHE can handle it, I sure was going to give it my best! We decided not to run along the freeway since cars have the habit of flying up that single road to get to Zion, so we found a trail that we weren't sure where it would lead us, but we decided to brave it anyways. I kept telling myself that I would just run 4 miles one way then turn around and run the 4 miles back...that way it seemed manageable. The trail was great and the scenery was awesome.....but the first 4 miles was all uphill. WAY uphill! I would guess it was at least a 6% grade. Yikes. I had to walk quite a bit of the steepest parts, but I did the best I could. It took me an hour and a half just to do the 8 miles, but I loved it! I had forgotten to pack my compression pants so my knees and hips were in agony that night, but I feel pretty decent today, so I'm not complaining. I feel accomplished!! I did it! I doubted myself, but I pulled through. I am so happy! It gave me the smallest glimmer of hope that I will really be able to make it through the Half in just 55 days. It's approaching fast, but I'm getting so excited!

Peanut butter, the sun & a blister

I'm trudging along with my running plan, albeit a missed day here & there due to this annoying thing called work {and spring break}. My schedule gets all crazy when I work later then usual or when I have all the kids home from school. My 7 y/o is high maintenance & demands to know how far I'm running, when I'm coming home, if I'm not home by a certain time should she ride her bike to come find me? make sure I leave a map of my run, etc, etc. So exhausting.

It's been pretty hot outside already and I have an issue with running in heat. Vegas is NOT the town for me to be in if heat is an issue! Ugh! I have to try to get myself up in the mornings again and run before the sun is fully up, but I'm so not a morning person! My body does not cooperate before 10. I've been trying to find foods I can eat before (and during) my runs to help keep my energy up, but if there one thing I seriously lack, it's my nutrition. My husband is a big fan of peanut butter before a race or long run and has urged me to try it on whole wheat toast and blogs I've read say the same thing. I've tried it before and it didn't sit well with me but I thought maybe it's because I didn't give it enough time to digest. I tried it again the other day. I ate it on toast and waited an hour and a half before running...and threw up on the side of the road. Not to mention, it was hot outside too. Yuck. I felt better after it came up, but decided that maybe PB is not the answer for me. I tried a Clif gel last week and it sat fine in my stomach, so I will have to try that again. I sure could have used it today!
I had my long run of the week and did 6 miles. Never ran more than 5.2 before and I did a lot better than I thought I would. Half way through my run, I could feel what I thought was my sock bunching up under my toes but it couldn't be that simple....got a big blister on one of my toes :/ Never had that happen before...is this my right of passage??? LOL! So it looks like I got a lot of little kinks to work out in my running world, but I'm gettin' there...even if it's in baby steps :)

Friendly competition never hurt ;)

I'm officially done with my 1st week of Half training (yay!!!!!!!), 11 more to go. I was scheduled to run 4 miles on Saturday but had to push it back a day due to my daughter's dance competition, so hubby & I decided to "run together" . I say that loosely cause he is way faster than I am, but I always feel bad that he tries to run with me and make this a bonding moment (which is why I started running in the 1st place), but I always turn him down and not allow him to go with me. I thought I'd throw him a bone and allow him this time in my presence ;) Then he had to open his big mouth (like always) and say the wrong thing. He doesn't even have to TRY, it just naturally comes out of his mouth :/ What did he say, you wonder? Well, I started to map out my 4 mile run and he said: "can you add like another 2 miles at the beginning of MY run, and I'll just catch up with you half way." I know!! He had to go there. So I mapped out his run where it would connect with mine after almost 2 miles and while he was getting his stuff together, I left. My only goal during the entire run was to make sure he did not catch up with me LOL!! There was a long stretch of straight road with the wind blowing directly into my face that I thought he'd for sure gain on me, but I was not going to turn around and look or slow down. It kinda reminded me of the old hunting game where the hunters let the fox go and wait a few minutes and then send the blood hounds out after them!

I didn't dare stop!! One foot in front of the other all the way to my stopping point...I made it, Sucka!!! I was so happy! I didn't even see a glimpse of him and that alone made it an awesome victory cause I knew his goal was to catch up with me. I got home and was already in the shower when he walked in..and I did a victory dance (yes, while in the shower)! Score a point for me! But I know the next time we do this, it's on....he's got his game face on now!

Sausage, anyone??

That image grosses me out....but it accurately describes how I felt on my run today. A friend told me that she tried a pair of compression pants for her 1st marathon this past December and really liked them. I figured it can't hurt me to try them. Holy Hell!! They are harder than a pair of Spanx to get on and they are SKIN.TIGHT! They compressed my already flat ass into non-existence; flatter than a pancake. I was also terrified of possibly getting camel-toe (like you've never worried about that!) so I made sure to wear a long shirt, but all was well in that department ;) I texted my friend after my run and she asked me "did they work?" Well, I don't know. I'm not sure how they're supposed to feel. I guess in the grand scheme of things, I felt a lot less jiggle where I would otherwise feel it, and I imagined in my mind that they were super-speedy, super hero pants, so maybe that gave me the extra push to do well today...especially since I couldn't get my run in until 4:30pm: the time when I usually want to pass out on my couch for an hour. I guess in hindsight, I didn't mind the pants. If you can get passed taking a risk in having your muffin-top squeezed up until just under your boobs, I say give 'em a try! Certainly wouldn't hurt....just maybe don't look in the mirror.

So it begins....

82 days, but who's counting? 82...the number of days until I run my first Half Marathon. Today was the 1st "official" day of my Half training program. I so badly wanted to think of every excuse in the world not to run today, but I know I will always regret not doing it. I HAD to get new running shoes first thing though. I've been having major feet pain and my old shoes just weren't cutting it any more.
I only had to go 3 miles today, thank God. It was freakin' hot outside! I wish I was one of those girls who can run and still look cute. My face gets all red and puffy, regardless of the weather. Totally not adorable ;) LOL

My goal for the couple of weeks is to get my nutrition down (timing and how much/little to eat before going on a run). I ate more today than the last time I ran, so I wasn't starving or anything, but I don't know how long (or how much) beforehand I need to eat to give my food enough time to digest. I kept feeling my food wanting to come up today, and that's definitely not the feeling I want to have every time.
I have 63 miles scheduled for April...3 down, 60 more to go. That will be the most I've run in a month, but I'm hoping for the best. May will bring 96 miles, so I better be able to do April's, that's for sure!
I'm hopeful and positive that I can do this. I actually don't have a choice at this point. Quitting is not an option, so I will suck it up and take it day by day. :)

No energy today :(

I'm still here...still training, but have had no heart or desire to post...and nothing new has been going on in the running world for me. I've been more or less sticking to my training schedule, except this week has been a little screwy. Work really craps on my day ;) So what I discovered today was that I'm really stupid when it comes to nutrition and water intake. Yes, I KNOW it's important to eat and drink plenty of water, but sometimes I try to pack so much into my days that I don't think about the time I eat or WHAT I'm eating in (or how much water I'm drinking). I need to change that. Now. I had planned a 4 mile run today after I dropped my kids off at school, so I ate a bowl of oatmeal with almonds & had a cup of coffee at about 8am, figuring I'd get to run at about 9:15. I don't know what I was thinking, but after I dropped the kids off, I came home to foam roll my butt & legs and got stuck watching something on TV for a half hour or so. After filling up my 2 small water bottles and getting my ipod, it was already about 10am and I headed out. It was pretty warm outside and slowly getting hotter, but I didn't think anything of it. The first 1.5 miles of my run was all uphill...and it sucked. I couldn't even go a mile without stopping. I was getting little black spots behind my eyes and felt dizzy. I had already finished my 1st bottle of water by this point and didn't have much energy. By the time I got to 2 miles, my heart was pounding like crazy, I had run out of water, my stomach was growling with hunger and I was shaking. I had no choice but to head home, but still being about a mile away. I pushed myself to run home as quick as I can just to get there faster, but I was not feeling well. After analyzing what probably went wrong, I realized I barely drank any water prior to the run and didn't eat enough. I forgot that as it gets hotter outside, I need to drink a ton more water. I won't make that mistake again. I was so dehydrated today that I suffered a terrible migraine all day & threw up 3 or 4 times. What a dummy. I can't let that happen again!! Seattle Half is now only 80-something days away!!

I hate today

I really need to get to a point in my running life that when I have a horrible run day, it doesn't spill out into my "normal" mom/wife day. I just get so pissed when my body doesn't cooperate with me!! I ran over 5 miles on Saturday and felt awesome, kept my time within the range that made me happy....ran 3 miles with my husband on Monday (he smoked me...screw him! ;)) but felt really good and had a good time. Was going for 3.5 today, but could not get my body to react in a positive manner. Everything hurt. I was trying to keep a positive mental attitude, telling myself that slow & steady today means I can go for 4 tomorrow and not hurt. Wrong. The 1st two miles of today's run was mainly uphill, which I did just fine (what I mean is: slow), but I didn't stop. But crap...my knee hurt and I've been noticing that the bone by my big toe on my right foot has been in pain, to the point where I can't put a lot of pressure on that side of my foot when I walk. So I think I'm compromising my running form to compensate for my typical aches. It's totally my fault, cause husband has been trying to adjust my low back/sciatica, but since my hips have been hurting, I have been nothing but a pain in the ass patient for him, making it impossible for him to help me. I don't care what my hips feel like later on, but when he gets home from work, I HAVE to let him fix my low back issue...I know that will clear up at least half, if not more of my running issues. *sigh* I'm a mess. I'm really going to need to take the rest of the week (and possibly the weekend) off to let everything heal. This blows.

"Are you a runner...?"

I was sitting at my daughter's dance class the other day, thumbing through a copy of the latest Runner's World magazine when a mom next to me asked me that question.

"Are you a runner?"
"uhhhhh......" was my reply. I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know WHAT to say. AM I a runner? Do I run? Sure. Slowly. Does that matter? Then I expanded my answer to her as she stared at me expectantly, probably thinking what a dumb-ass I was for not even knowing if I'm a runner. I told her "I'm TRYING to be a runner. Meaning I haven't done a whole lot except for a few fun races and a relay." I left it at that....but I find that "conversation" running through my head {no pun intended} on my runs. When I think of a runner, I think of my husband...or Dean Karnazes {ohhh...hubby will be thrilled that I think of him in the same context of D.K. LOL!}, but me...?? Never. That blows. I put a lot of hard work into trying to be a better runner, so dammit, I should be proud to say that "YES! I'm a runner!" I just feel lame. Maybe after my 1st Half Marathon in June I will feel different. :/



In other news, remind me to never attempt to go for a run when I'm not feeling well. I caught my husband's head cold and feel like a big pile of poo. My head was so stuffy today I thought it would explode...yet I thought if I went for a 3.5 mile run, it would help clear it. Between stopping to blow my nose every 25 steps and not having enough oxygen supply in my lungs to be able to take adequate breaths, I could only go 2 miles (barely) before I thought I was going to die. My head had so much built up pressure inside it that I had to stop & walk the rest of the way home, where I collapsed onto my bed. Ugh. I really felt terrible. Hopefully this head cold will not be a long term thing and I can be back outside by the weekend. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's and I don't want to miss any of it ;)

Back out there

Being 38 years old has been very kind to me thus far.....

Knowing that I have a Half Marathon in just 111 days, running has been nagging at me in the back of my mind, but frankly, it's been the last thing I've wanted to do. I hate when I disappoint myself. I was doing so good, being consistent, then stop. The weather had been crap and I was feeling old & fat. This weekend's weather was SO.AMAZING! Husband had a meeting yesterday morning, so I decided to get off my lazy ass and go for a run. Putting on my shoes and getting dressed were the easy parts....walking out the door was torture! I wanted to lay face down on my couch, close my eyes and sleep for an hour....but knowing I had 4 kids scattered around various parts of the house, sleep was not going to happen until at least 10pm, so I got my ipod, water & tissue and headed out the door. My GOD it felt good to move! I was thrilled that first .86th of a mile...then the very strong urge to pee hit me. Hard. What the hell??! I ALWAYS pee before I leave the house! This urge would not go away. Then I realize what's happened: I turned 38 a week ago and suddenly my bladder has shriveled and I can't wait 45 minutes to go. I knew if I did not take care of business, this was going to be a miserable & long run. Lucky for me, I was running in an area that doesn't get much traffic plus has a lot of bushes (ummm, hi!?...can you say, SMART PLACE FOR A GIRL TO RUN ALONE..? Stupid.) Anyways...I did the deed (so much better!) and went on. I must say, this was not my finest 4.5 miles, but it wasn't bad considering the fat blob my body has become AND that I'm a WHOLE.YEAR.OLDer! ;)
I made it home, rested for a bit then took my 2 little ones on a 1 mile jog (their idea, not mine). I don't know what is happening to my body, but by the time I showered and went out with husband and some friends to dinner, my hips hurt so damn bad! Every step I took sent an excruciating pain into both hips, but the left one more so. They felt bruised and battered. By the time the night was over, I could barely lift my legs to step into the bath. OUCH! They still hurt today, but not as much now as they did first thing this morning. oh wait...I take that back. I just got out of the chair to yell at a kid and I felt like a 95 y/o granny hobbling out of the room. This is awesome. Running has been so amazing to my body {did you note the sarcasm?}
Obviously I didn't run today, but went frog hunting/hiking with the kids instead. Hoping tomorrow I will wake up and leap out of bed with no aches or pains and do a few miles before I get the kids out the door for school. One can wish...

*sigh*

I've lost my mojo! Good god. I turned 38 yesterday (but shhhhh....! I'm still telling everyone I'm 32!) and I FEEL every single one of those 38 years!! I don't want to run, or go to the gym, or do anything. I feel sad. I know, I HATE those girls who turn 23 and cry about it because they're getting SO.OLD. I swear I'm not one of those stupid chicks. Birthdays have never bothered me...ever. Until this one. I can't do anything about it, but it makes me depressed. So anyways, I'm using my birthday as an excuse to not run and now I'm not only depressed, I'm stressed out. Damn it!

I'm back!!!

Did you miss me???

I feel like it's been forever since I've posted...or run at all for that matter ;) It's only been 8 days since my last run (besides today) and I was starting to get concerned about myself since it seemed like I lost all desire and motivation to run at all. It seems like every time I miss a scheduled run, it's easy to miss the next one....and the next one....BUT in my own defense, the weather has been pure crap outside. I do not like to run in the wind and it's pretty easy to convince myself to NOT go out under those conditions. I know...I do own a treadmill in my garage. The thought of getting on that damn thing and running for 30 minutes staring at a wall makes me want to scream! I need to get husband to install a TV in front of it so I can watch Jersey Shore while doing something worthwhile so I don't feel so bad wasting 30 minutes of my life each week LOL!!
I've been getting my stupid leg pains again, which is actually the REAL reason why I gave myself a break...well, partly the reason. On my last attempt to do my run, I had a sharp pain in my right knee and my left calf & ankle were feeling all weird. I wasn't consistent with the foam roller either, so that didn't help matters. After a weeks break though, I was stressing about getting back on the road. I went to the gym and did a super easy 2 miles just to get my body moving again and it felt fabulous! Sometimes I don't realize how much I miss moving my body until I start doing it again after a break. Going for 5 miles tomorrow afternoon...although it's supposed to rain on & off all day. As long as it's not windy, I will plan on heading out anyways.

5 is better than one

...I should actually say THREE is better. I decided to step up my friend game the other day and scheduled a 5 mile run with Michelle, Amy, Matt & John for this morning. Maybe I should mention that I woke up pissy about WHY I agreed to run in the first place, as I am NOT a morning person, but John wouldn't indulge in my child-like behavior and we left the house in spite of my mood. LOL
I think we only had the guys with us on the walk out to the street from Michelle's house, then they were gone. Oh well. I didn't think my body was quite ready for 5 miles but I figured I'd do the best I can and walk if need be (which wasn't that much, to my surprise). I admit, running with friends is SO much better than doing it alone! Time went by faster than I thought and I was able to even gasp out a few words here & there....but it was fine by me to just listen to the 2 of them talk. Better than my ipod ;) And it was so great to have a change of scenery from what I'm used to seeing. It was nice to not smell horse poo, be chased by a goose or have 2536 dogs barking at me! So I think I will make a trek across town every other week to run the hills out by Red Rock and bask in the company of these girls...like sunshine for my soul ;)
I have to eek out two more 4 (or dare I do 5??!!) mile runs this coming week (alone.....forever alone!!), then I'm off to Aspen on Thursday morning for a long weekend with my girlfriends {no husbands, no kids!} Super excited!!

Thanks again girls for motivating me this morning!! ♥

PS- looks like Napa Valley Ragnar is in the works for us....YAY!! That makes me happy!!

Confessions...

I hate running.

I curse the day I ever decided to be a good wife and have a hobby that my husband & I could enjoy "together". Running blows. I think I need a friend who lives by me (damn you Michelle & Amy for living all the way the hell across town!) and who runs at my slow ass pace (oh, well...then thank you Michelle & Amy for NOT living by me cause I couldn't keep up with you hookers anyways! :/) . I get so freakin' bored that my mind gives up way before my body does. Funny how much longer it seems to take to run 4 miles than it does 3....when really, 9 10.30 minutes is not a long time in normal day to day stuff. I was trying to think of anything at all possible on my run today to keep my mind off of the fact that I'm running and it's hot as hell outside (I will dread summer time runs!) and I have a long sleeve shirt on (stupid!)........so I have the balls to take my shirt off and run in my capris and sports bra. YES- I went there! But, I tied my shirt around my waist to hide my muffin top from flopping all over the place, as if that makes it better. Anyways, if you wanna know what a lone runner who hates what she's doing thinks about, let me give you a scary peek inside my brain (don't judge me...I have no control over what thoughts overcome me during these lonely, boring miles):
**Please let me see a coyote. **I know I'm supposed to run against traffic, but I'm scared, because if a car is going to hit me, I'd rather it be from behind so that it takes me by surprise and I hopefully don't feel it. **Oh yay! It's the bunny house! Hi bunnies! (there is a house in my neighborhood who has like 56 bunnies in their yard and I feel better when I see the white one. Random, yes.). **I wonder if running sucks for the majority of people who do it or if they actually really like it. **How the hell did I end up with 4 kids? **Will I be able to get through a Half marathon? **I wonder if I look like a crazy red-faced lunatic to people as they drive past me. **There's my pee tree! heeheehee (yes, I had to pee one day REALLLLY bad on my run, I was about 2 miles away from my house, I live out in the nothingness, so I actually peed in a bush. I'm not proud of that, but there was no way in HELL I could hold it any longer. **I really need to get rid of this song on my ipod. **What should I make for dinner...or should I be a terrible mom and grab pizza instead? **When I see other women out running at the same time that I am, I always think "hey, I wonder if she will be my friend and run with me" but I would never ask, in fear she'd think I was a crazy lesbian out to get her.

That's all, pretty much. A whole lotta nothing, yet things that help me forget the torture I'm enduring. Ok, so...ummmm....this is awkward now. Alright, well.......call me if you wanna be my friend and run with me :/

Crappy day!

Today has been the most annoying day I've had in a long time! I hate letting other people dictate what I do on my days off....I only get 1 "real" day-off per week (when kids & husband are actually not home with me, I mean!) so I try to plan my time off to get things done that I'd like to accomplish. Anyways...I have my running training schedule planned out from now until the Half in June and I don't like unnecessary crap getting in the way of it. I had planned for a 3.5 mile run before noon and then grocery shopping, but since husband didn't start work until 3pm today, he had other plans for my day, which got me in the wrong mood. All in all...my entire morning was a complete waste and just got worse as the day went on. I actually DID finally get my run in @ 3:45pm and it was one of the worst runs I've had in a long time (which did nothing for my crummy mood). I tried to tell myself (as I mentally said the F word to my achy knees , gave up part way up a hill and walked) that at least I was out there. Didn't matter.

Here's what I've learned from today's events:

Change my day off from Tuesday to Monday...it will save my marriage in the long run. Trust me.

Don't let other people dictate what I am planning on doing with my day. When someone tells you "just do this "one" thing with me, then you can do whatever you had planned on doing...it will only take an hour!" Lies. It NEVER just takes an hour.

Do not let your kid ride his bike along side you while you run if you are not a talker while running (which I most definitely am not). Roman does not appreciate hand signals as my sign to say "yes buddy, I heard you"...so this is what I heard the ENTIRE run: "right mommy? mom? did you hear me? mom? mommy? right mom?" or some variation of that. THE.WHOLE.TIME.

It sucks having to push a bike up a hill. A bike I can't even ride. It also sucks to have to help said kid take off and tie his jacket to his handle bars 53 times.

Hold my kleenex in my hand, not in a pocket where it inevitably gets lost. I can handle wiping my runny nose on my shirt sleeve once in a while, but I did not love having to finally result to blowing my nose into my gloves. Gross, yes...but effective.

Do not wear a long sleeve shirt AND a running hoodie if you secretly already know when you step outside that you are going to burn up when you start to run...even if it's 37°. You WILL burn up.

Next time your day is shit, skip the run and drown oneself in the bathtub. Or a bottle of wine...which ever one is easier.

NOW I know why I run....

On Thursday, a couple of friends and I went to the new Cosmopolitan for dinner. That place is absolutely beautiful inside and there was a lot of action that night (but that's not a story to tell on this blog...and it's not the "action" that your dirty mind is probably thinking!) ;) Anyways, thanks to a friend's husband, we got seating in the VIP section for dinner and who do we see a few tables away...??? ....Kellen Lutz, who plays the vampire Emmett in the Twilight movies. Hot! One of the gorgeous 6 foot tall blond bomb-shell girls I was with had the balls to actually go up to him and ask him to take a picture with us. So he amused us and came to our table to smile prettily for our annoying pics. He sat down in our booth (where I rudely told one of my friends to scoot her ass over so that he would sit next to me...what a bitch, huh? I am shamed!) ...but he did and as we crowded into the booth seat, Mr. Movie Vampire clutched my thigh (gasp!). His hot, steamy, muscular hand was touching my.....sorry. Did you hear my silly high school girl giggle from here? ::Swoon:: So of course I had to promptly post that picture on Facebook (right from the restaurant. Yes, I am juvenile) and change my profile picture to one of me & vampire man (after cropping my hot friends out of it, of course!). My husband said "he clutched your thigh??" Me (grinning hugely): "yes...and I liked it." Husband: "it's a good thing you've been running then, huh?" LIGHT-BULB MOMENT! Yes! THAT'S why I run! I run so that when a hot, young actor clutches my 37 32 year old thighs, they are nice and muscular (somewhat) and not saggy like regular mom thighs ;)

Wow...life is grand when you know why you do things that are mentally and physically challenging...so that when you are silently cursing yourself for doing something stupid like running up a hill feeling like your lungs are going to burst, or running in the street and get bit by a passing dog, you know that there's a purpose for your actions. I love that! And hot, steamy, young vampire hands are what got me through 4 miles today in the damn cold!


me & vampire guy LOL