January, out!

January comes to a close.
Can't say that I particularly enjoyed this January. I had a lazy attitude for most of it. Totally my fault, can't blame that on January. But I'm still not sad to see it go.
Except.
Except that means one whole month is gone! I'm one month further into marathon training. I'm one whole month into 2010 and it feels like Christmas was yesterday. Where did the time go???
I mentioned that Kelly was setting monthly goals. Which is just awesome and just like her. I can totes get behind some monthly goals. (while still keeping a keen eye on my 2010 goals)
So here you go, February. Please be kind to me.
February Goals

• Stike 100 miles. I'm really enjoying my stycling. I think 100 miles is totally do-able, but challenging. I managed just over 74 this month; pretty sure I can add a few.
• Cut my eating out to once a week with Hubs, once every two weeks at work. Ouch. I don't know how I made it through all of December without eating out, because I sure do enjoy it.
• Lose 5 pounds. I'm in a Biggest Loser competition at work and I managed to maintain in January, but not lose a pound. What up? Maybe it's all that eating out.
• Start swimming. I know this sounds totally lame, but I'd like to get in 4 swims in February. Swims? Is that right? I'm not sure how to best work swimming into my early mornings.* This may take some work, but I'm willing!
• Work on my arms. Ali is working on a 100 x 100 plan to do 100 push ups for 100 days. Clearly, Ali is much stronger and much more dedicated than I. I'm setting the bar low and aiming for 40 x 40. At least I have something to aspire to. You go Ali!
• Get back to planking. Remember when I was all Plank Superstar? Yeah, me neither. But I haven't done a single plank since then. Planks are sooo good for my runner's core and I've got to get back to planking. My goal is to plank daily. 5 sets of planks in increasing time. Somewhere I've got a plank plan, I need to dust it off and get to it.

So there you have it. 6 Goals for February.

*So how AM I supposed to get in all my workouts? I'm running 4 days a week. Trying to cycle twice a week. I'd like to add in swimming once a week. Then there is weight training which I know I should be doing. (notice that's not a goal) Then everyone is yammering about yoga and how good all that stretching is for me. Um, so when exactly am I supposed to fit this in? How do y'all find balance? How do you fit it all in? I can only get up so early. (I already get up at 4:30!) Do I need to start with 2 a days? I need some fitness time management help - any suggestions?

Texas Half & Pregnancy Pics

I love the Texas Half.

Wanna know why? Oh lotsa reasons. Sit a spell and I'll tell ya.

First off, the race didn't start until 8 am. Which meant that I was able to sleep until 6:30. Later than I even can sleep on mornings I don't run. So that right there made me a happy Pink Girl. I got up, taped up with Kinesio tape (oh how love this stuff) and made the mistake of checking the weather.

You see, we've had another cold snap. It was totally in the 60's (15.5+) all week, but cooled down just for our race. Thank you Mother Nature, you know how I dislike running in the heat! So 27 (-2.77) feels like 16 (-8.88.) Huh. Cold much? That might have been overdoing it just a teensy bit. But I'll take it! I'd much rather be cold than hot. You can always add another layer but you can only take off so much!I bundled up with plenty of pink layers and even packed away a few extra layers in my race bag JIC I changed my mind once I got to the lake. (which I did per Bahama Mama's advice, she's a smart cookie, that one) Why do I look like I'm 6 months pregnant? No, I haven't been keeping any secrets. I've just got enough stashed in my front pockets to keep me busy during the race. Gloves, earwarmers, gobs of Kleenex (runny noses in the cold!) Clif Shot Bloks, Chapstick, money, keys...I was packed to the hilt and it made me lumpy. Fortch, most of my gear made it on my body before the race so I didn't run with all that. But look at that pooch it made!

We got to the lake with plenty of time to spare so we sat in Mama's cozy van. This lucky lady has seat warmers. Let me just tell you, seat warmers are awesome! We pinned on our numbers, added a few last layers (I ended up with pink tank top, pink short sleeve tech shirt, pink long sleeve tech shirt and my pink wind resistant jacket)

This was a small race and I loved it! They had a guy with a bull horn calling out instructions and when the race started no horn blew, he just hollerd, "On you mark, get set, GO!" There were probably about 1000 people total for the 5K and half.

Let's just say it was breezy out at the lake. You know how there aren't any trees on the water to block the wind? Well, I was grateful for that extra shirt I added! Wishing I was as smart as some of the other I saw who had scarves wrapped around their faces. I thought my cheeks would freeze!

It was so windy I felt like I was moving in slow motion. This wasn't going to be an easy run. Fortch we were treating it like a training run and not looking to PR. And it really felt like a training run. There were so few people we spread out pretty quickly.

I came upon this nasty hunk of ice around mile 6. Sick out! Of course I picked it up and demanded, "take my picture!" Hey, I have a blog responsibility to y'all!

Bahama Mama wasn't feeling it towards the end, but somehow managed to find the energy to insist on sprinting uphill (in the snow! really it snowed!) towards the finish line. I don't know where that lady finds that last little bit of energy! She said the food and warmth was motivating her. Mmm, they had good food and didn't run out! (I'm looking at YOU Tour deFleurs) I snagged a breakfast burrito and it was yummy in my tummy. I'm so thankful to the person who got up early this morning to make 1000 burritos.

Here we are at Winfrey Point enjoying the heat and reprieve from the wind. I'm so blessed to have such a dedicated running buddy. Who else would brave the elements to race with me??? We squeaked in just barely under 2:30, but considering the conditions, I'm very pleased with that time. If it had been 20 degrees warmer, I feel certain we could have easily shaved 20 minutes off our time.

Here's the hardware. It's a pretty big medal and I really like the blue. Not that it really matters, not like I'm gonna sport it around town! The finisher's shirt was long sleeve, always a nice touch. I give the Texas Half two very chilly thumbs up!

I came home (riding in luxury on the heated seats, thanks again for driving!) showered and climbed back in that biscuit. No kerchief, but I settled in for a loooong Winter's nap. Really the perfect Saturday, race, enjoy free food, long hot shower, long nap with a cat. It doesn't get much better than that!

Thankful Thursday

I've been very good about making large quantities of soup/casserole and freezing it for lunches. So easy to just grab a container and go, and so much better for me than store bought frozen meals. I control what goes in it and no nasty preservatives! BUT somedays I "accidentally" leave my lunch at home...and somedays I get lucky and Jules agrees to go out to eat. This is my excited face! I'm thankful for impromptu lunch plans! I don't know why it also looks like I'm flashing gang/sorority signs.

Oooh, tried somewhere new for lunch! Mr. Goodcents opened up down the street. It was pretty good (not awesome, not turrble) and priced well. They had provolone and black olives for the veggie sammie so I was stoked. The store was clean and the employees friendly. Plus, since it was so close, it gave me and Jules plenty of time to visit. I'm thankful for lunches with friends! (and yes, that's a soda in there. I'm working on my goals...haven't achieved them all yet, goodness, it's still January!)Ugh. It was doing a lot of this on my way home. Yep, that water is taking up almost the entire lane of traffic, covering the curb even! I knew it would be a long ride home, but I am thankful I have a reliable car to get home in! I jammed to the radio and texted with Mere during the times I was at a standstill. (a good part of the ride)This is my attempt to stop nibbling my nails. You know, one of my lofty goals for 2010. When I keep them painted, I'm not tempted. Growing up I was not allowed to paint my nails. Ever. As I got older I managed to sneak in that pinky clear (you know, ala Tinkerbell style.) Makeup and nail polish were just not allowed. So even though my toes are almost always a bright color, I've never really been one for dark nail polish. But hey, I'm a grown girl now. I can paint my nails any color I want! And if pink sparkle suits my fancy, then so be it. I'm thankful OPI gives such fun names to their nail colors. This is It's all Greek to Me! Tomorrow they are coming to install our new carpet. Wahoo! And then Saturday it's the Texas Half. Wahoo! I'm thankful for exciting weekend plans.

Lastly, but certainly not leastly, I've noticed a lot of new followers. Wow, where'd y'all come from? Welcome! Hope I don't bore ya to death. I'm thankful for this amazing blog world of new "friends." Tu Me Gustas!

I'm feeling myself again

It's about time.

This was my Friday off and the day was absolutely gorgeous! I ran all the errands I've been putting off all year long. :o) My clothes are at the cleaners, my cute green cord dress is getting its hem repaired. I bought a jillion paint samples (more on that later,) bought a replacement soap dispenser for the kitchen and oh yes, got in 15 miles on the stike. (that's what I've decided to call the stationary bike, lest anyone think I've actually procured an actual bicycle...at this point I don't have one)I'm really enjoying the change of pace that sticyling offers. It def works my quads differently and that can only be good for my leggies. PLUS, my bathing suit came in the mail! That means soon Bahama Mama and I can start swimming - another cross training activity! I'm dialing down the mileage a bit this year and replacing it with other forms of cardio. I'm hoping this will keep my healthier (read - no injuries!)

Here is the new soap pump. The bottle to ours cracked over a year ago. No major inconvenience, but now that we have a new one, that's one less bottle sitting on the counter! You know I've been trying to make up my mind on which color gray to paint our bedroom. It was between 3, then it was between 5. There are FIVE shades of gray on this wall! Some more blue, some more green and a few straight up gray gray. Crazy how different they look in different lights. I like them all equally in the sunshine, but we are home mostly at night so that's what I'm going by.I finally managed to narrow it down to these two. The one on the left is the color of our bathroom. Funny thing, it doesn't look so green in our bathroom. I managed to find a new duvet cover at HomeGoods for only $36 - whoo hoo! Now I just need to make my final decision and get to painting!

Saturday I planned both an 8 and 10 mile route. We are all at different points in our training so I wanted to please everyone running. It felt GREAT to be back in the double digits! I once again felt like myself! My knee protested just a bit towards the end, but overall I felt wonderful. I really do love running. It doesn't always love me back, but it's not exactly an unhealthy relationship. I sprinted the last 100 yards or so and I thought my lungs would pop! But boy it felt good!

Next weekend is the Texas Half. I have no goals other than to finish. It will be good to get back to racing though!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

What's the Plan, Stan?

I'm sorry, but where did January go?

Seems like just yesterday it was New Year's Eve and I was lamented my lack of Year in Review/2010 Goals post. Then I blinked and it was MLK Day. Apparently I've not been paying close attention.

That or someone switched the calendar on me for a joke.

Either way.

I could just change the date and post this like it actually WAS the end of 2009. Like this post was just sitting in your Google Reader all along, just waiting to be read.

But y'all are smarter than that. I could never fool you. Not my sharp readers!

I'm not really in the mood to wax nostalgic for 2009. It was a fair enough year, I have no complaints. I guess the real reason I've not done a Best Of post yet is because I'm incredible lazy. Work has been cah-raze-eeee fosh. (do you like that C? I've been using fosh like a mad woman for weeks now...quite certain it is catching on faster than even fetch) I get home, plop on the devan, yes I used the oft neglected devan in favor of the common-as-pig-tracks sofa, and just stare at the tv or a book until bedtime. (okay, probably not a book, probably Pottery Barn)

I'm not proud of this, just being honest.

But I do have goals y'all, I do!

Kelly is so fly she is setting monthly goals. Now how cool is that? So much more attainable if you put it in the immediate future. Like, I originally thought I'd like to run 2 marathons this year, but now I'm thinking that I might actually want to have some of my life back. Plus, the thought of training again in the Texas heat is just not appealing. I'm weak. But who knows how I'll feel in June?

With January almost over, it really seems pointless to set a goal for next week. Unless that goal is "Make it to February" and then let's go!

I'll keep you posted on February goals.

Assuming I make it.

My 2010 Goals though are as follows:

• Finish the Flying Pig Marathon in under 5:30. (that's my worst case scenario time BTW...keeping my real goal to myself JIC)


• Complete a Sprint Tri without drowning or falling off my bike


• PR the half in under 2 hrs - at least twice


• Complete the P90-X series


• Stop nibbling my nails. This is a nasty habit I've had since forever. It's got to stop.


• Give up sodas completely. I've said before that I have HFCS running through my veins. I know soda is evil. I know. I've gotta stop it.

I have other aspirations, but they aren't exactly measurable so I'm not setting them as goals. Like, I want to spend more quality time with Hubs. As in doing things other than watching t.v. or going to the grocery store. Hard to really measure. I mean, if we even go out once, mission accomplished. That's more. There's potential there though. Clearly these people can have fun.

Made my Monday

You never know when your words will touch someone.

I was touched today by the kindness of someone's words. I got an e-mail this morning from a sweet friend, someone who admire greatly, and these are the words she started off with.
"wanted to let you know...you motivate me!!!"

I motivate YOU?

Wow.
I am humbled. She's a faithful reader and says that my love for running (along with watching BL!) has inspired her to start running and she's got her sights set on her first 5K in April. She started a little bit at a time and recently ran her first mile without stopping! Can I get a whoo whoo?
Y'all remember what a GREAT feeling that is! How accomplished you feel! Like you can take on the world; you've found a renewed confidence in yourself. It's what motivates us all - that belief in ourselves.

Photo from here.

Laura, I'm so proud of you! I'm so happy for you! I hope you hang on to that feeling, that pride in your accomplishment. You've earned it! Just remember, "Run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

And girl, you

Made my Monday! (and yeah, I realized it's Tuesday, but it's the first day of my workweek, so it counts)


Side note, I managed to actually run this morning, 5 miles. And you know what? It's like I never stopped. My legs do still work after all. Hmph. Thank you for all your encouraging comments!!!

Apparently, I'm no longer a runner

I'm a sitter on the couch.

And sometimes cyclist. Well, stationary cyclist. Look at that Run'd Performance on the right. I've barely run a half marathon distance for the whole year. Usually, I've put in at least 50 miles by this point in a month. Who is this lazy lady??? Who knows. I'm hurt and unmotivated this year.* Hoping it wears off soon! I've got a half at the end of this month. At this rate, I'll be lucky to just finish - forget a PR. Friday morning Bahama Mama and I hit the trail for 4 miles. Our hearts just weren't in for the planned 10 miler on Saturday. (didn't help that it was supposed to rain) Inspired by the Biggest Loser, we wanted to attempt to ride 26.2 miles on the stationary bike. And that's exactly what we did Saturday morning. It took us about 2 hours, the same as if we had run 10 miles. So I think I got my cardio and leg work in, as if I had run. I'm sure the cross training is good for me and I was glad for the new challenge. I promise I'll hit my 12 miles next Saturday!

I did make time for some shopping later in the day. Apparently SOME of my priorities are still in order. Hey lady, what a cute yellow purse that is! What is that you said? You only paid $16 at TJ Maxx? Even cuter! (it's full of mad pockets and a cuuute gray and white lining!) Sunday we headed to the American Airlines Center to watch two of our neph's play hockey. Once a year they open up the arena for youth hockey leagues to play where the Big Boys play. They run the light bars, the jumbo tron, announce their names, the goals...it's all very cool. OC the kids love it! They are at a funny age for sports. (12) Some of the kids have obviously hit puberty already and are bigger than me. (like I'm huuuuge at 5 ft 3in) Some are still pretty small. You know what though? The other team had 2 teeny kids and one GIRL. Guess who was fastest and most aggressive? Yep, the little kids and the girl. She was checking guys right and left. Love it!

Right now, I'm cooking up casserole for lunches for the rest of the week. Thinking about putting in Jillian's 30 Day Shred, but know that I'll likely watch the LMN movie I DVR'd last night. Something about a stolen baby. I just love a good LMN movie! I plan to actually RUN in the morning so maybe I'll have something to report for once. I've GOT to get back on track!

*I did make a siiiick training program for the marathon I have coming up on May 2nd. Yeah, that's right, I have a full marathon in less than 4 months. I've really got to get it together. I'm so less stressed this time, but maybe taking it a little too lightly. I promise to post on my goals and my training plan later this week! Stay tuned...

Made my Monday

I survived the cold. Clearly.
Today was a ho hum day. Not bad, not great. Monday. I've been feeling like I'm underwater at work lately - with no end in sight. But that's okay, means I'm needed and that's a good thing to be in this economy. But harried I was when I arrived home. I plopped on the sofa, my head hanging back in exhaustion. Hubs informed me that I didn't look so good. I've had a headache for 3 days now. Yuck.

Then he said something that brightened my mood. "You got mail that isn't junk and isn't a bill. I think it is from Sandra."
I perked up.
Hubs continued, "Yes, the Harveys." (and that isn't her last name, but bless his heart, he knew who he was talking about)
I snatched the letter off the hall table and tore open the envelope in breathless anticipation.

Sandra is my oldest friend. I've known her since 2nd grade. We were in Orchestra together. And Latin. We went off to college together - what a sight for homesick eyes she was! I can't think of UT without thinking of the good times we had.
She's one of those friends that even though I don't see or talk to her often, we can always pick up, right where we left off. What a precious gift that is in a friend.

Every so often, out of the blue, I'll get a letter from her. And honest to goodness letter. She isn't good with e-mailing, her Facebook profile hasn't been touched since she joined, but she's always been a good letter writer. This one was 2 pages, on notebook paper no less. Can't tell you how that lifted my heart!

I've decided to send Valentines to my girlfriends this year. Valentines with an honest to goodness note, not just a signature with "Happy Hearts Day!" scrawled inside. Valentines to share with them how important their friendship is to me. Who doesn't love a handwritten note? So much more personal than e-mail. I know I loved receiving this one from a dear friend.

Made my Monday.

Made my Monday

Often, it doesn't take much to amuse me.

I am, after all, basically a 5 year old. At best. Pink? You have me. Sparkles? Even better. Hello Kitty? Sold. But sometimes even basic groceries give me delight.

Hubs and I headed to the market this evening after dinner. (don't want to go hungry!) We ambled around the produce section for a bit, selecting a gorgeous orange bell pepper. Picked up some mushrooms. The ush. Typically, we breeze through the middle of the store, the boxed stuff. We don't buy anything in that section, keeping our purchases to fresh foods, dairy and the occasional frozen bread. Okay, you got me, sometimes we stop for a bag of chips. And stop for a bag of chips today I did! I love me some Zapps and was thrilled at the packaging. Sadly, I put those delicious kettle cooked chips back.Later, I came across what could only be described as a dream come true. Seemingly endless rows of cupcakes, all pink and pretty!But then, the sight that Made my Monday. Just walking around the dairy section like he was shopping, a bird! I watched that feathered creature, hands on my knees, for a good few minutes. I guess my staring made him uncomfortable because he mosied under an endcap of pita chips. You just don't see that everyday!

Made my Monday!

Can you break your heiney?

The answer, surprisingly, is "yes."

Okay, maybe not break it, but sprain it a little. I have a broken butt, a weak @ss. Yes, that is my actual diagnosis, weak @ss. I've been ultra complainy in 2010 and for those of you who are new I'll give short explanation.

I first started having issues with my knee last Spring, doing speedwork. It came and went but finally came to a head this past Fall. You can read all the drama here. It hurt a lot and was the main reason it took me basically 4 days to run my first marathon. The official diagnosis is patellofemoral syndrome, or runner's knee. Kinesio Tape and strength training seem to be helping. I also have issues with a weak @ss. On the books it is referred to as piriformis syndrome. Basically, the muscles in my booty ain't what they should be. I first had issues with my sorry @ss this summer. Marathon training will do that to a girl, bring out her weaknesses. Recently, however, I seem to mostly be suffering from a really bad attitude.

Determined to heal what I do have complete control over, I went back to bed after my sad, sad morning and woke up refreshed. What always makes me feel better? Why, shopping of course! And it's my duty as a good American to stimulate this sagging economy. This just happens to coincide with my return to eating out. What better way to commemorate than Chuy's? So Hubs and I headed out for some much missed Tex Mex. It was even better than I remembered it. Maybe a month break was just what I needed?We then went shopping. I headed out with a specific list, determined not to stray. I gots all kindza bargains! I'm loving the ruffle trend and found 2 ruffle shirts, 2 cardigans, a printed blouse and the most comfy Texas sweatshirt ever. Best of all, the sweatshirt was on clearance. Wait, don't they know there is a bowl game this week??? Of course, mine isn't as swanky as Rachel's. She's going to look gorgeous this week and I'm totes J that she's actually going to the game. Shame though that she has to root for the other team. :o)

I must say, I HATE nursing a bad mood more than I hate nursing an injury. I'm not normally a bad mood kind of girl. I realized I needed a check up from my neck up and spending the day with Hubs, devouring empty calories and engaging in some retail therapy seemed to snap me out of my "poor me" funk. My booty is still very sore so I'm taking that as a sign to continue taking it easy for a few more days. I'm icing my hip like it's my job, sitting on a tennis ball when I'm not icing and foam rolling like a crazy woman. I'll keep up my strength training and TRY to keep in mind that hey, I'm hurt. Keeping my killer ninja moves to a minimum. Hey, I've got a marathon to run in 4 months; I've got to be kind to my hind!

I'll post my 2010 goals later this week. I have them down and intended to post them Jan 1, but instead opted to just whine. Sorry for that. Old Pink Girl is back - I promise!

2010 Officially Stinks

Waking up with a bloody head
is not the best way to start the new year. Things can only improve from there, right?

Maybe not.

I set my alarm for early because I was supposed to meet my crew for 8 miles. I am jolted awake not by my alarm, but by the phone actually ringing. Yep. I missed my alarm and overslept.
Nice.
Bahama Mama hastily made plans for me to meet them up on the trail and I scurried to get ready. My heart already racing, I ran about a half mile before I caught up with them, about 2.5 miles into their run. No worries, I had planned to run to Panera from Bahama Mama's house, making up some of my missed mileage. Sadly, my original plan was to run to Panera getting in extra mileage.
We stopped for water along the trail, but the water fountains had been turned off. For me, not so bad, I had only been running about a mile and a half. The others were understandably thirsty. Anne lives close so she offered a detour to her house for water. Nice plan except that we had to step over some caution tape to continue on the trail to her house. What should have been an easy task pretty much ruined my run. I lifted my leg oh so nimbly over the yellow tape and...riiiiip. Searing pain in my weak gluteus medius. My butt was on fire. I knew I couldn't continue. Tears burned in my eyes and a string of naughty words threatened to pour out of my mouth.
I headed the half mile back to my car, locked the doors and just sat there and cried.

So I'm home now, it's not even 7 am and I'm wide awake, icing my weak @ss and moping.
No long run, no catching up with friends, no bagel. Just hurt.
Craptastic this year so far.

Rough Start to 2010

In the 15 years I've been knowin' Hubs,

we have never once gone out for NYE. We just aren't party people. Plus I'm a total lightweight at staying up. Hubs usually has to wake me up to watch the ball drop in NYC and I figure that counts as staying up. I'm more a early evening reveler.

This year however, we were invited to a wedding for one of his coworkers. They thought it would be coolio to get married just after midnight! So out we went. The wedding was totally casual; I've never been to a wedding where the guests all wore jeans! I wore a short green corduroy dress, purple crochet tights and a brown cardigan. All I needed was a funky hat to complete my Blossom look. Did I get a pic? Nope. I didn't know a soul there save for Hubs and it really wasn't the picture taking kind of crowd. I did manage to snap one of my groom in his NYE finery.We got home late. Duh. Let me just say that I don't often see the other side of 10 pm, much less midnight. I'm usually getting UP in the wee hours of the morning, not just rolling in. Plus, I had been up since 4:30. Yep, as I finally climbed in the biscuit at 2 am I thought about how I had been up for over 21 hours. Yeesh. So you can imagine how tired I was. Remember now that we have cats. And sometimes at bedtime they get a second wind and like to chase one another over the covers. So as I began to drift to sleep, Olivia, in hot pursuit of Perry, used my head as a spring board. It hurt for sure, but I was too tired to care. So I just ignored the pain and passed out.

We slept until 11 am. 11 am. What a slug! What a waste of a day! Not my idea of a good way to start the year off, but hey, we were tired. I'm laying in the warm biscuit, fat cat cuddled up next to me, waiting for Hubs to stir. He finally rolls over, opens his sleepy eyes and says, "OH MY GOOD GOLLY PETE!" (or something like that) Horrified, he points to my head. I stumble out of bed, amble to the bathroom mirror and am greeted with this lovely vision.

Ain't I purdy? It looks a lot worse that it is, what with all that, yuck, dried blood and all. I'm hopeful it doesn't scar; I ran out and invested in Mederma. I like to be seen as hard core and all, but a huge scar over my eye is NOT in my plans for 2010!

It can only get better from here, right? Happy New Year Y'all!