Running into a Homeless Guy

When I run, I don't carry pepper spray or an ID in case I get hit by a car. I'm not afraid of dogs or getting mugged (I run past the police station on a safe road). I don't get real nervous about anything happening to me like some people do. 

So today, when some random guy stopped me (hello! I was running! Doesn't he know he ruined my mile 4 time??), I chatted with him, thinking he was lost and probably needed directions. Apparently he was trying to hitchhike to St. Louis. So I told him to go down a mile to the highway. But he said he didn't want to take the highway (how does he expect to get a ride then??). I told him to keep going straight, and then mentioned that the MetroLink station was on the left about a mile up. So then he asked if there was a city bus he could take. Yes, at the MetroLink station. You know, the one I just mentioned?? I swear, if I carried money with me when I ran, I would've given him $5 and told him to take the train!! Unfortunately, I don't carry money, so hopefully he found his way somehow. 

I mean, what would you do if you only had the pack on your back and maybe a little money, but no Smartphone, no GPS, just a general idea that St. Louis is "west." Not to mention that I can't fathom the bus system. 

This is apparently my day for strays, since we just had a dog named Gizmo in our backyard. He apparently jumped our fence, since all the gates were closed. His owner came and got him, thank goodness, because Chico was barking his head off! 

Do you get nervous when you walk/run? Are you scared of dogs? 

Recovery Run

I ran a loop around the park (1.5 miles) today and then went to Zumba. My thighs are sore if I squat, but running isn't too bad. I'm going to see how far I can run comfortably tomorrow and ease back into it. I'm planning a long run next week and then I'll officially be training for the MO' Cowbell Half Marathon on October 5. They posted this video today, apparently the inspiration for the race: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/more-cowbell-with-will-ferrell-on-snl--video--saturday-night-live--nbc/n41046 More cowbell! 

The instructor at the gym texted me to let me know that she missed me in class while I was gone. I missed going to class too! Especially when I thought I'd be there yesterday and Mondays are my favorite and then I was still travelling! Apparently it was really good, too!!! At least I'll be there Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this week. I hope! 

My sister specifically took this picture for the blog:

This is my dad's new tractor. Don't imagine for a second that I could drive it. :) I look like a farmer, though, right? (Proudly wearing my race shirt!) 

Tales from the Worst Traveler

So after my glorious run, I celebrated. And then it was time to get home. 

Except there was "weather" in Detroit. So instead, I called my sister to come back to the airport to get me, and spent another night at her house. 

This is not the first time I've had something happen. I've been delayed. I've had a plane that I should've caught leave early so I had to be rebooked 4 hours later. I've slept in the Philadelphia airport after my plane went the whole way to my destination and then couldn't land because of fog. I've been stuck for three extra days in Mexico TWICE because of ice storms in Atlanta. I drove back from my great-grandma's funeral in the blizzard of the century. Let's see, our plane was delayed one time because on its first flight to get us, the cart that pushed it back from the gate detached and popped the tire. I'm pretty sure one time they said a window was broken and they may or may not have fixed it with duct tape before getting us a new plane. Not to mention de-icing, rain for every long drive, and unseasonably cold weather once I reach my destination. 

I'm not sure if it's EVERYONE trying to navigate the earth, or just me, but my travel luck sucks. I finally made it home, and the road was closed to get to my house so I had to go around. 

I am SO HAPPY to be home. 

My sister made sweet potatoes and then topped them with shredded chicken and sharp cheddar cheese. We ate those twice. They were SO good. I'll be doing that at home. She said you bake the chicken, and when it's still hot, you put it in your mixer with the paddle attachment and it shreds it (thanks, Pinterest!). I don't have a mixer, but I'm going to see what I can do to duplicate it. She also made homemade ice cream in her ice cream maker (we do have one of those), so I'm going to try one of the coconut milk recipes Steve is always finding, and also try to make some cookie dough balls out of rice flour. Lots of big plans for this week!  

PA Grand Canyon Half Marathon Race Report

I got up at 4 this morning. Like, while it was still dark. Really dark! Because I stayed at home my dad drove me to the high school to catch the bus up to the top of the mountain. I think I caught the second bus, but the bus driver was a little discombobulated in the dark. She missed the turn, then took a wrong turn, then apologized profusely the whole way up the switchbacks, while saying she HOPED it was right! A little nerve-wracking!

It was dark when we got there around 5:15, so we kind of hung out in clumps by the port-a-potties until the sun came out! (As much as it did, it was cloudy!) Finally, we could see, and I made my way to the start, where I checked my sweatshirt and made someone take my picture. (Then I fixed my bib. Apparently I can't work safety pins in the dark.)

 Here we are right before the start. Cold and ready to run!! The logistics of getting everyone to Colton Point are rough, but they managed it.

 

 

The race website said someone last year commented that none of the course was flat. It was either uphill or downhill, and they were right. There was a hill at mile 6 that wasn't even an incline. It was straight up! I don't know if you can see the hill here -- it's blurry.

 

My first five miles were 55 minutes, which is a good pace. I slowed down some, but ran until mile 10 (except for the evil hill!) and then I had to take some walk breaks. I finished in 2:42:54, which is about 6 minutes slower than my PR, but on this course, I'll take it! I hope the one in October, on a fast, flat course, will be a really good time!

 

I ran with the girl in the teal shirt for a while. She helped me keep my pace and probably made me run faster than I would have alone. Talked to several people as we were waiting (and we waited an hour for the shuttle bus to return us to our cars -- a little logistical glitch I hope they address next year) and made some friends. Runners are the best!

 

My dad took pictures at the finish, but they're blurry. I'm a speed demon! 

One more sleep

I picked up my race packet and t-shirt today. Yes, I'm getting up at 4 am and running 13.1 miles for a t-shirt and a banana :)

The expo had some good stuff, but I didn't buy anything. It seems pretty well organized. I hope tomorrow goes well! The weather should be just about perfect!

We're having chicken marinated in Italian dressing and sweet potatoes for dinner. No pasta carb loading for me. I've already had WAY more bread in the last few days than normal, and I'm wishing I had insisted on salad! (Even though it was good!) We did walk up the hill to the high school from Main Street, so I got some exercise today. I really hope I have a  good time tomorrow! (As in fast, not fun)

We got plums, peaches, and corn on the cob at the local produce booth, so I know what we're having for dinner tomorrow. They had cherries, too, and the guy let me try one. Yum!

Last Run Before the Half Marathon

I ran five miles today. My last mile today was 10:28. I have hope that I can finish this thing in less than 2 hours 45 minutes (worst case scenario). I'd like to beat 2:30, and my PR is 2:36.  Somewhere in there. And then I will reward myself with a turkey sub from Tony's. In fact, that's all I will be thinking about from mile 5 on.

 

I am leaving my husband with marinated chicken, homemade "cereal," sweet potatoes, sausages, two bags of spinach and homemade salad dressing. I hope he'll survive the (long) week(end). I found out that our local store carries Ezekiel bread, and I wish I had gotten him some (gluten free cinnamon raisin -- cinnamon raisin makes everything good, right?). 

They had Aldi's summer sausage, Ritz crackers, and cheddar cheese at VBS tonight. Oh my gosh, it tasted so good! (And grapes. And Oreos. And "juice" that was neon.) I stuffed myself a little too much, so I'm afraid I'm not at "fighting weight" --  and my family is going to try to feed me way to much before I run. WILL POWER! I am an athlete! 

Training Agony

I am officially tapering after my 11-mile run Saturday. I picked an easy route, so it was a good run. My first mile was slow and then after that I hit my pace. Hopefully adrenalin and the other runners will make my first mile of the race faster and then I can keep my pace under my goal the rest of the time. I modify Hal Higdon's plans for my training. Basically, I run at least three days a week, plus a long run, and go to the gym or walk on the other days. I take one "rest" day where I don't run the day before my long run. 

This week I'm going to run 5 miles on Monday, 4 miles on Tuesday, take my sister's exercise class on Wednesday, and take Thursday and Friday off completely. That way, I will be SO ready to run! 

I'm kind of discouraged because I trained so hard, but I didn't really focus on improving my time, and I wish I ran faster. It seems like everyone posts about their "easy" runs at an 8-minute-per-mile pace, and my long run was between 11:30 and 12 minutes per mile. Yes, my legs are short, but plenty of people are short. Yes, I know I shouldn't be comparing myself with other people. Yes, I know I need to run faster if I want to run faster. I run slow because it's enjoyable to me, and I want to keep doing it, but it seems like I would get a little faster just from repetition! 

Anyway, I log all my miles in an Excel document, so I can go back and look before the race. I ran at least 9 ten-mile runs in preparation, and several other 8-9 mile runs, so I can't say I'm not ready. I also gained about 5 pounds from eating to make up for all those long runs, so I'll have to be good, starting on Monday after the race! (Cinnamon Chex cereal, I mean you!)

We're having zoodles for dinner...they taste better because it's just so fun to say!

Why I Run

I know I've been super lax in posting. Vacation Bible School is next week, and the All-Star game was this week, and my dad is visiting, and there just aren't enough hours in the day! 

Here's a picture of the All-Stars. I love how it looks when they line up for the National Anthem. 

And here's a picture of me with Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who threw out the first pitch! I hate going up to celebrities, because I know they don't care about meeting me, but if I were famous, I think I'd be cool with people wanting to meet me...if I wasn't having a bad day.

She was SO nice! I was holding my phone and she offered to take a picture, so of course I said yes! And her friend said it was a good picture. It was super cold and windy upstairs in the outdoor suites, so I asked her if she wanted to race to warm up, and she laughed and said no! I'm choosing to think that means she's afraid I would win. We talked about running for a while, and then I left before they could get annoyed. Of course, I then told everyone that I got a picture and we're best friends now. 

So this is why I run: so I can tell an Olympic athlete that I run half-marathons and she can tell me that she's never run that far. And then I laugh and say that if you can run a half, all the "experts" says you can run a full,, but I don't know.... and she agrees and says that they say if you can run the 800, you can run the mile, but it doesn't seem true. And we bonded. ME. And an Olympic athlete. Because we're both runners. 

Crustless Pecan Pie

I made the crustless pecan pie! It pretty much tastes just like regular pecan pie, without the crust! Not bad. I just had a bite. It has 5 eggs, so that makes it breakfast, right? Proof that there are good foods that are gluten free...and that gluten free doesn't necessarily mean healthy. 

I ran five miles today. I'm so excited to run tomorrow because it rained and the temperature and the humidity dropped. I swear, sometimes I look around, and I feel like I'm the only sweaty runner! I saw a bunch of people at the park yesterday, and they all seemed fresh and smelled good...they probably see me coming and breathe through their mouths! I don't sparkle or glisten; I sweat like a pig! 

Otherwise, I've been sitting at a lot of baseball games lately, which means a lot of late nights, which means not a lot of blog posts. I was at two games this week where I didn't get anything to eat, and a third where we were able to bring our own food in. It's always so tempting while I'm there, but none of the options are really healthy, and hot dogs always give me heartburn. Better to avoid the super nachos, if possible (although that's easier when it's 90 degrees). We went as a group on Sunday for church night, and one of the families got the donut burger. What will they think of next?!

You can't eat like this when you're tapering!

One more long run before the half marathon! I ran 10 today in cool, not too humid temps. Here is the deer I saw. It stood still so I wouldn't be able to see it, I think. Silly deer. 

And here is the group of mostly shirtless high school boys that started running and immediately passed me. I would have taken a picture while I was surrounded, but they were kind of a feral pack, blasting music and hooting after their 1,000 sit ups and 2,000 push ups, or whatever they were doing at the picnic tables before they started running.  

So far I've run 48.5 miles this month. I think I might take a little break after the half marathon before I get back into high mileage and training for the next one (which is on October 5 -- I'm pretty sure that someone just asked me about being around that weekend. Oops, sorry. Not available! I'm busy being AWESOME.)

After my run I sliced an orange into quarters so it would be more like post-race food. It was delicious. Then I ate a banana. And a sweet potato. And a sausage....and two (individual) bags of Doritos. I guess that was my treat! Yum, MSG! Sometimes my stomach is a little off after a long run, and the Doritos actually helped. That's my story. I was thinking about making (Gluten-free) Bisquick strawberry shortcake with coconut milk "whipped cream".  And OMG I just found a recipe for crustless pecan pie...maybe I can make it for my dad so he'll be happy and my husband won't get poisoned, at the same time!!

I was glad to get my run in today so I can go to the gym tomorrow. I had a loooooong meeting last night and missed Turbo Sport. Again. Sigh. I'd love to be at every class every week, but life just doesn't work out that way.

I Brake for Runners

Gorgeous morning today, with less than 100% humidity! I should have run longer than 5 miles, but my legs were tired. I just hope Saturday morning is as nice for my long run. I saw one other runner, one biker, and one random guy who looked like he was either practicing for a hike or homeless and carrying everything he owned on his back. Always something! 

I really wish that I had bumper stickers for my butt that said things like "Honk if I look like a runner." or "Honk if you see me." or "Wave if you don't mind me running in front of your car, because if I stop, I'll collapse." or "Seriously, minivan, DO YOU EVEN SEE ME?! Acknowledge me so I know if you're intentionally TRYING to run me down!" I mean, I know it's early in the morning, and I don't appear to be on my way to work any time soon since sweat is dripping down my face, and these drivers are already sipping 44 oz. Polar Pops, so a workout regime may not be their first thought, until they see me, but I want to be inspirational, not judgmental! Join me! We can run together. Frolick down the road like we're running through a field of poppies! It's FUN. 

Because we were running low, I made apple-pear-sauce, two kinds of salad dressing, boiled eggs, grilled chicken, and sweet potatoes...that might last us until tomorrow night! Steve took a bunch of leftovers to work, so I had to make more leftovers. In fact, I'm going to start calling dinner "The leftovers preview," because that's what I really look forward to--all those Tupperware containers in my fridge. (Including one potato from last week that's a little suspect)

What Would You Do If You Had A Million Dollars?

For some reason, people like to buy lottery tickets at the corner gas station, and then they drive up and down two of the roads that I run on, and if they don't win, they throw the scratch-off out the window. Since I sometimes don't realize I won, sometimes I pick them up, if they haven't ripped them into pieces (but so far I haven't found the big winner that someone accidentally tossed out a window!). So then I daydream what I would do with the money. I mean, I should probably put an ad in the paper that I found their winning lottery ticket. What if the newspaper asks me where I bought it? What will I say? What if they sue me for "stealing" their luck? 

If I had a million dollars, I would 

• Quit my job (sorry, boss!) and immediately start training for a marathon. Because it takes time to do all those runs! 

• Read more books.

• Schedule trips and visit my family for several weeks each year.
• Donate 10% to church and charities so they could do more.
• Meal plan and cook more and eat healthier.

With the exception of quitting my job to get more vacation time, there's really nothing on my list that I can't accomplish right now! 

So what's keeping you from your dreams?

Why Summer Stinks!

We just got back from a road trip. It was great. I got to see my family, we saw fireworks twice, ate way too much...totally American! I'm not sure why my pictures of fireworks never look as cool as they are, but here's one.

I went for two runs with my sister. We did 4.5 miles at an easy pace. She said that my stride is really short. I knew that, but she's just as short as I am, so I guess I need to work on that! Someone had written poop on the sidewalk when it was wet cement so we stopped and took a picture. (Totally not an excuse to stop!)

We went to the Cheesecake Factory (and no one got cheesecake!). My dad didn't realize it was a real place. He thought it was made up for the Big Bang Theory. So I told the poor hostess that he wanted Penny as his waitress (how many times a day does she hear that?!), and she said that during her first week, someone asked for Penny, and she responded, "I don't know all the servers yet. I'll have to check in the back to see if she's working." haha

We grilled chicken and foil veggies tonight (in the middle of a thunderstorm). I cut up new potatoes, zucchini fresh from a co-worker's garden, and red onion, and coated them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. The zucchini were delicious!! I didn't even eat most of my potatoes. I think I'm going to warm them up in the morning in a skillet with eggs and sausage. Yum! It's still supposed to be storming in the morning. I may have to get creative with my workout -- inside. I might use one of these: http://neilarey.com/workouts.html. I think either the Pirate or the Superman.... 

So, this leads to why summer stinks! It is so hot and humid that you don't want to work out, and you mostly just want to get ice cream. I actually have a harder time keeping on track when it's warm out than in the winter. Plus there's vacation and travel, eating in restaurants and snacking in the car to stay awake. I did really well today after I saw the number on the scale this morning! Even though I worked out while we were gone, I ate a lot of crap. Time to buckle down before the half marathon in THREE WEEKS!

Running T-shirts

I went shopping this weekend, trying to find a shirt that wouldn't get drenched in sweat. I think with this humidity, it's inevitable, but I bought some lighter weight shirts that at least don't feel like they weigh 10 pounds! I tried one out today and it was comfy--didn't run wrong or anything. 


So I was thinking of slogans for T-shirts

I only have thunder thighs because I'm as fast as lightning

burst of speed (picture of fart)

I run in slo-mo to give you the Baywatch experience. You're welcome.

I thought of some others, but since I couldn't type them into my phone without slowing down, I can't remember them now! What are your favorite slogans? Or have you come up with your own?

I'm so excited there's going to be a break in the temperature. My company hosted an open house in our new building and the air conditioning didn't get turned on until noon -- after four hours of sweating in the 90-degree heat! Today I was on-site, so two long days, and I've been trying to cook and do laundry and buy sunscreen etc. for the long weekend. 

I also grilled chicken today. It was beautiful. Here's a picture to prove it.