Office Space-Part 1

Five and a half years ago, Dave and I bought our first house.  It was a new build.  We fell in love with the model because it had open spaces, a first floor master, and a fantastic loft that we were looking forward to using as an office.  During these last 5-1/2 years we've done very little decorating.  It's kinda like this....Guess which ones we are...

About two years ago we made big plans for the loft to make it a totally awesome workspace.  After installing the hard wood floor, we made new desks, and then our plans stalled out.  We had painted all the walls except one because our plans were to put in a brick wall and make it look like a loft.  Well, that stuff is expensive and we never did put in the wall.  For the last several years our loft has just become a holding place for stuff.

Then we were watching HGTV a few weeks ago and saw a really cool wall we liked and we started to make plans.  Now that the loft is the office of VIP Photo Booths, I had visions of really cool photo booth artwork on the walls, and a glass door, and really great organization.  The wall vision was all part of this.

For Christmas my mother got me a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens.  She also gave me $150 towards landscaping.  Think she's trying to tell me something?  Anyway, I was actually reading through the Better Homes and Gardens and saw that there was a such thing as magnetic paint.  How cool is that? 

And the decision was made.  We bought the magnetic paint and started painting the empty wall.  Here's some pictures of the transformations taking place.

This is what our loft actually has looked like for the past couple of years.  Holy messiness!

See that mess of papers on the floor?  That's stuff to be shredded.  See that shredder right beside it?  Yeah, I broke it, like, a long time ago.  Today I went and bought a new shredder and basically spent the whole day shredding.  Look what I produced...

Finally, the magnetic wall.  It's actually a primer that you have to put two to three coats on to make it really magnetic.  And it looks BLACK!  Here's the first coat:

And here's what it looks like after two plus coats:

Keep an eye on the blog for more updates about our room.  Hopefully, there will be many more to come quickly (as I am tired of the mess).  

Week in Review

This was a big week of training for me.  For the first time in a long time, I did all the workouts this week including following through on written recoveries, stretches, and weight training.  I swam over 4400 meters and ran over 35 miles.  I finally got in my long run, 18 miles, at Highbanks which is uber-hilly.  I rocked a marathon pace run today at 7:36/mile.  

I'm pretty happy with the way this week and now I'm excited for the upcoming marathon.  Only two weeks!!!

I'm gonna need a pedicure

I wrote a while back (of course, I can't find the blog post about it...I'll keep looking) about wanting in 2009 to work on my femininity.  I didn't know that I was going to be pushed by others in this direction. 

My best friend from college is getting married this year and asked me to be in the wedding.  At first I was reluctant: it's a second wedding, it's in California, but I knew it was important to her so I agreed.  She picked out cute dresses from J. Crew.  Of course, she picked pink (tea rose).  Good grief.  Then I was told to pick out any shoes as long as they were gold.

Today I went to DSW looking for gold shoes.  There were like 1000 pairs there and 999 different colors of gold.  First I picked up a pair of wedge sandals, because I wanted to be comfortable.  But after talking with her on the phone while I was in the store, I realized I would be the most dressed down.  So I picked a pair of shoes that will be the fanciest pair of shoes I will ever own.  

Thank goodness my feet don't look like real runner's feet.

I almost forgot...

It's 11pm and I almost forgot to blog. I have. Really great story to tell from last night. This entry is just going to be used as a placeholder for that story.

Foe now, I'll sip my margarita at Adobe Gilas. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Today is the day I've been dreading since September.  Today is the final ER.  

I started watching ER when it first started as my parents watched it and I got home from ski club at 10:00.  I then got addicted to the show and even sacrificed my college social life to stay home on Thursday nights and watch it.  That was during the glory days of the show and my mom and I would call each other each Thursday after the show to discuss.  The show has since lost some of its luster, but I continued to watch it religiously every Thursday as I wasn't going to turn my back on the show.  

This year has been a long, slow painful goodbye for me.  I've cried a lot at most of the episodes.  I know...don't judge me.  :)  This week I can't even get through the previews without tears.  I'm a freakin' mess.  And tonight, I might just die.  But, I've been a fan from the beginning and I've loved the show and I'm glad it's going out with a bang.

So today's question for Thursday Thoughts is, what is your favorite/the best series finale of a tv show?

Going Big

It's the last big week of training and I'm going big.  Monday was a 2000m swim, Tuesday was approximately 8 miles of speed intervals, today was core workout, and tomorrow is the monster run--3 hours of hills.  Yep, you read that right.  THREE HOURS OF HILLS!  Andrea, I'm taking on a new challenge of Highbanks for three hours!  Yikes!!!

And I've also been recovering, recovering, recovering.  I have taken ice baths, drank fruit smoothies (yuck), napped (yeah, I gave up that no-napping crap a few weeks ago), and worn my compression socks.  Plus I've been drinking tons of water.  If I can't git'r'done, I don't know what's going on.  

Less than three weeks, though, and I just have to get through the week.  :)

March Totals

I'm getting a little nervous about the upcoming marathon.  I don't know how I can rock it with less than a 100 miles a month.  I still haven't done a 3 hour run and there's less than 3 weeks to go.  Yet, I've been a swimming machine.  And although I think it helps with my swimming, it cannot take the place of running.  I know I should be trusting the plan but I'm nervous.  Hopefully after my 3 hour run this week I'll be feeling better and more secure.

Swim = 13,500 meters

Run = 76.71 miles

Other = 0.5 hours

And since this post sucks, head on over to my other blog to check out some photos from the wedding we were at this past weekend.

It's Official

Recovery

Coach is all about recovery.  There is always a day of the week where I am not allowed to do any kind of physical activity.  She also schedules my workouts so that every three weeks there's a recovery week.  And she really stresses the importance of recovery after each and every workout.

This is where I am failing.

Even after quitting my full-time job, I am finding that I am having to squeeze in my workouts.  In doing this, I am not stretching, having a recovery drink/meal, and alleviating the stresses I am putting on my body.  But after the crappy week of training I've had this week, I am going to try to rectify the situation immediately.  

While in Chicago with Coach, she taught me how to make a recovery drink with whey protein.  It wasn't all bad, so this week I went to the grocery store and bought all the ingredients.  She has also discussed with me using compression socks, not only for the continual travel that I do, but as a post-workout circulation aid.  Today, I purchased a pair of socks (and boy are they tight!).  I am also going to work more on stretching, de-stressing the body, and better nutrition (although this may take a backseat until the marathon is over in three weeks).

I'm learning that it's not enough to put in the miles, laps, and routines.  I have to take care of myself physically to achieve my goals.

Spring Break Blues

My two weeks of spring break are coming to a close and I think I'm kinda happy about it. The first week I was really motivated and got all my workouts in and got a lot of work done and really had high hopes for getting the house cleaned. But this second week has been a total wipeout. Maybe it's because we've had three photo booth events this week or because it's rest week from working out, but I feel exhausted. I feel like all I want to do is sleep all day and eat, eat, eat.

After the 20 mile that didn't happen on Tuesday, I begged coach to let me try again this week. She said no. So I asked if I could do something shorter, like 10 miles. She reluctantly agreed. This morning I headed out for that run and immediately I felt off again. I feel like my hamstrings have been shortened, that I've gained 10 pounds, that I've spent the last three days being lazy and sitting on the couch (which I have). I made it through 8 miles and then my bladder told me I was done. And I was glad.

I'm ready for spring break to be over so I can go back to gymnastics and S-T-R-E-T-C-H! I know I can stretch here at home, but when it's your job it's different. I'm ready for one more week of solid training. I'm ready for this marathon to be over.

To all my marathon friends out there, sound familiar?

Fan for Life

The last two weeks we have spent three nights with the Columbus Crew, it's players, fans, and associates working the photo booth and pumping the public up for the Crew's opening night on Saturday. Personally, I have found it to be really exciting as not only are we the defending MLS Cup champions, but we got to meet the players including the big names like Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Chad Marshall.

But my favorite part might have been when they let us take the MLS Cup into the photo booth.

Yeah, we rock. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Hi my name is Meredith and I'm one of those crazy girls obsessed with Twilight. Currently I'm reading the final book and I have seen the movie and will probably purchase it. It's a great mix of romance, sexual tension, and rivalry. Exactly what I like. :) I'm pretty bummed that in a mere 600 pages the saga will be over, save the movies that will continue.

Anyway, I'm also one of those people who likes to read the book before the movie comes out and then compare.

So today's question: what is your favorite book/movie combination?

Trust

Tuesday I was supposed to do a 3 hour, 18-20 mile run. After the monster training weekend, I was just beat. I set out on my run and knew within a mile it wasn't going to happen. My miles were ticking off at a good pace and heart rate, but my legs felt stiff. My quads were fried, my calves were in balls, and my shins were sore. I ran 4 miles and called it a day.

I sent an e-mail to coach asking if I could move the 20 mile run to later this week. She said no because I have another 3 hour run next week and I wouldn't have time to recover. In addition, we have a really busy week of photo boothing (yeah, it's a word) and she was afraid with all I was doing I would get sick. This IS supposed to be a recovery week. I didn't like this answer. I feel like I NEED another long run. Training with Liz is very different than my usual marathon training. It never seems like I have a peak week now. It feels like all my weeks hold the same number of miles and it's usually not all that many. She says I need to trust my training. Trust, knowing that I've run many, many marathons. Trust her.

Trust....something I'm not very good at.

I feel like the bar has been set really high for Boston. Sure, I have some big goals but my focus has been more about doing better than last year than setting a new time goal. My friends are already hyping the race and telling me how I'm going to kick their butts. I'm not comfortable with this. I WANT to trust the training. I want to believe that what I'm doing is enough.

Today, my shins still hurt. Even though I really wanted to defy coach and head out for my 20 mile run tomorrow morning, I'm going to take the week to back it down and recover. I want to reach the start line healthy and confident.

More Things I Shouldn't Admit

I am obsessed with Harry Connick, Jr. I own 15 of his albums, seen him in concert 5 times, and have seen most of his movies. When I tell people I love him because of his talent, most people don't believe me. Why is that? :)

My Weekend of FUN!

Friday afternoon Dave and I drove up to Chicagoland to hang out with Coach. :) We settled in and rested up for our big day on Saturday.

While Elizabeth and Christian were swimming a gajillion laps at the pool, Dave and I were eating our breakfast, playing with the dog, and getting our water bottles all in order. When they got home, Dave hopped on the computrainer for 5 hours of riding the CDA course and I got started on the treadmill. My workout was 20 minutes of warm-up then I hopped off and Liz put me through 4 strength exercises. Then it was back on the treadmill for a half mile at a half marathon pace. This routine of on the treadmill off the treadmill continued for 6 times. Finally, I got to cool down with about 8 minutes. I finished with 5-1/2 miles. I spent the rest of the day watching Dave pedal away. :)

Sunday morning I woke up sore, sore, sore. Who knew that you had muscles above your hip bones?! I was sore from my neck to my thighs. Seriously. But, there was more running to do. We headed to the Morton Arboretum where I ran 15 minutes of warm-up followed by 45 minutes at high zone 3/low zone 4 and then 15 minutes cool-down. I did about 9 miles. From there we went to the pool and had my stroke analyzed by Liz. Surprisingly I did pretty well. Sure I cross-over my arms, but I must have done pretty well because Coach thinks I should be a triathlete. Maybe not a triathlete, but I might give aquathlon a try.

This morning I did some more swimming. The soreness is mostly gone. Good thing....tomorrow is an 18-20 mile run. :)

We've Been Blogged!

Check out Elizabeth's blog for her point of view of our weekend of training. My account will be tomorrow and I think Dave is also be blogging about this weekend.

Woot! Woot!

The lottery for the Nike Women's Marathon closed on Thursday and I knew from last year that if your credit card got charged after the lottery closed that you were in. This morning I checked the credit card statement.....

I'M IN!!!!

WOOT! WOOT! This October I'll be heading to San Francisco and running the Nike Women's Marathon. I'm super-excited. I've never been to San Francisco, I'm excited for the Tiffany necklaces, and I think I can do really well in this marathon.

And what's a blog post without a good picture? So, we're at Coach's house this weekend while Dave and I get some training done (Dave is riding the computrainer and I'm getting my ass kicked in a cross training workout). Coach happens to have a super-cute dog that I hijacked this morning.

Seriously, cute!

Let's Celebrate

I set a New Year's Resolution to start blogging every day. I have, but I really started in December. And today marks my 100th day in a row!!! It's time to throw a party!

Tune in for some good posting this weekend as Dave and I are traveling to Chicagoland to train with Coach for a few days.

Thursday Thoughts

Lindsay asked in my FAQ post earlier this week what my favorite work assignment was when I worked as engineer.

Seven years I worked as an engineer and my favorite work assignment was my very first.

My last quarter of college I landed a full-time job working as a management engineer at the OSU Medical Center. My first assignment was to help make the registration process more efficient in the emergency department. I had ALWAYS wanted to be a doctor and I loved that I got to spend time in the ER. I put together some time studies, created a simulation (my specialty) and presented it to a board of medical personnel including the chief of medicine. They loved it and implemented it. Knock on wood, I haven't been back to the ER to see how it's going.

So, what's been you're favorite work assignment to date?

Runner's Tan

It's been a great week of weather in Columbus! We've seen a couple days of 70 degree weather and I got to do my long run in it. Love it!

But, not thinking, I didn't put on sunscreen except on my face. And, I came home looking stupid. Check it out:



Because I don't want to be the only fool on my blog, I'm throwing in my loving husband after one of his long bike rides. Why use salt tabs when you can lick it off your face?

The Details

I mentioned last week that my business, VIP Photo Booths was about to land a big deal and we did.

We will be working with the 2008 MLS Cup Champions, the Columbus Crew, to promote their opening night on March 28th. Our first engagement will be tomorrow night at the Columbus Blue Jackets game. Come see us and get your picture taken in the concourse. We'll be there with a few of the players and the MLS Cup trophy. Then next week we'll see you at the Arena Grand Theatre on Wednesday and there could possibly be a third engagement on Thursday. They're still working out the details on that one.

FAQs

Since I started blogging every day, I've had a WHOLE lot of new readership. So newbies (or anyone), now is your chance to get some questions answered.

Want to know what my favorite kind of running shoe is and why?
Want to know where I like to vacation?
Want to know how many miles I run in a week?
Want to know my favorite marathon and why?
Want to know my favorite flavor of Power Gel?
Etc., etc., etc.!

Ask away!

Answers will come later this week.

Aches and Pains

This time of marathon training, with only a few weeks remaining, is when things start to hurt: shins, calves, feet, etc. So far so good for me, except I have somehow tweaked my shoulder at gymnastics which has made my swimming a bit more difficult.

Here's a picture to pinpoint where my pain is. I think you'll like this. :)


You'd think being a photographer and getting an A in Photoshop class that my skills would be a little better than that.

Love Story

Last week as I was sitting at dinner I got a text from my friend Mary. It said...Brad proposed! We're engaged!

I was ecstatic!

I ran into Mary on Monday at the high school (she's one of the track coaches and I was headed out for a run) and she told me that Brad was shipping out (he's in the Navy) and she wanted their engagement pictures soon. I didn't really know what soon was. Soon meant NOW as Brad is shipping out tomorrow and will be gone for a year.

As I met them today Mary showed me a picture of her grandparents that she wanted recreated.


I think it turned out beautifully and really hope they like all the pictures. What a wonderful tribute. Some samples will be posted on my other blog in the next week.

Excitement on a Stick!

This afternoon I had a conversation with a major league sports team that wants to use our photo booth for a series of events. I couldn't be more excited!!!

When we set our goals this year we set them for what we thought was a reasonable amount of events based on what we did last year and the fact that no one knew us and there might be a pesky recession out there. (Don't get me started on this. I don't believe in the recession, but that's a post for another day.) Anyway, by the end of the first weekend in January we had booked half way to our goal for the year. We have already exceeded our goal potentially by 10 bookings and it's not even the end of the first quarter!!! I am so excited that things are going fabulously and that at least for another year, I am not going to have to go back to being an engineer. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Besides my own business, I teach gymnastics part time to make ends meet. And, I am three classes away from two weeks of spring break. Most of the people I work with are college students and they've been telling me about all the wonderful trips they are taking. Myself, I'm going to Chicago to work out with Coach for a few days. I'm also trying to scheme my way to Colorado although I don't think that's going to happen.

Anyway, it got me thinking, what was the best spring break you've ever taken and why?

Coincidence?

It's been said I nap a lot. Okay, it's completely true. I LOVE to sleep! When I was unemployed I would sleep more hours a day than I was actually awake. Maybe that's called depression, but I call it paradise. Most weekends I take naps that last 2-3 hours, easily.

But, now I've got a million and one things to do and really shouldn't be napping. So, I have given up napping for lent. And I have gotten a lot done but here's what I discovered...

I can't sleep at night anymore either.

Giving up napping has completely thrown off my rhythm. I can't fall asleep. I can't stay asleep, and now I've been getting up before 7:00am without an alarm when I don't need to get up until 8:00am most days. And I'm grouchy! Really grouchy! I'm so tired and I can't even keep my eyes closed.

My coworkers thing this it's medically necessary for me to take a nap so I can sleep again. What do you think?

Movie Hints

You guys did a great job on the Thursday Thoughts Movie Quiz last week. But, there are still six remaining and I want to see if you can get them all. So, I am going to give you a few hints to see if you can finish the job.

4. This is a war/romance movie about a very important time in US history.

7. Stars the same lead actors as #2.

9. Another war movie about a famous airplane.

12. The oldest movie on my list. So old, it's a musical.

13. Disney sports movie based on a true story.

20. A movie about a baseball team that hasn't one a pennant in a long time.

I'll give all the answers on Thursday.

Monday's Merchandise

The Chic Runner finds great deals on the internet and puts them on her blog every week. Today I wanted to talk about the great deal I got so maybe you could go out and find one for yourself too. As all triathletes and swimmers know, your swimsuits wear out FAST! Dave has to get a new one every couple of months and I'm finding that I do too even if I'm not swimming as much.

But new swimsuits are so darn expensive!

I found swimoutlet.com. They provided me with a darn cute swimsuit for $25 including shipping and it's in Buckeye colors which I love. It arrived today and I LOVE IT! I can't wait to wear it at the gym tomorrow.

So Happy to be Happy

Last year at this time I was at a miserable job, was not running well, and generally was pretty depressed.

Now I couldn't be happier. I'm working for myself, successfully. I'm running the best times of my life. And I wake up fresh and renewed everyday.

I'm so happy that Dave let me take the leap.

Nike Women's Marathon Update

I'm entering the lottery.

Thanks for all the encouragement!

The Dilemma

Last year I tried unsuccessfully to get into the Nike Women's Marathon in San Fransisco. I just got my e-mail yesterday that the lottery has opened again and will only be open until March 18th.

Here's my problem...

An unplanned trip to North Carolina
A three week cross country trip in June/July
A wedding in SoCal in September

How in the world can I afford another trip to California in October?

Thursday Thoughts

My friend Michelle sent me a unique note on Facebook, where she quoted 20 of her favorite movies and then her friends had to guess what the movies were based on the quotes. I think I got 2/20.

I thought it would be fun to try that here for Thursday Thoughts. I'm going to give you 20 quotes from my favorite movies and then in the comments you respond with your answers. When the correct answer comes across in the comments, I'll put it in the post.

FYI, most of the movies are chick flicks.

DON'T CHEAT!!

1. That caviar is a garnish!
You've Got Mail

2. Well, this is fate! She's divorced, we don't want to redo the cabinets, and you need a wife. What do they call it when everything intersects?
The Bermuda Triangle.
Sleepless in Seattle

3. You're born into a family. You do not join them like you do the Marines.
While You Were Sleeping

4. You're a rotten drunk...always have been.
Well, you're a lousy friend...that's a new development.
Pearl Harbor

5. You hit two cones back there. Those could have been people...they could have been guests at her wedding!
They were cones!
The Wedding Singer

6. This place is like a museum. It's very beautiful and very cold, and you're not allowed to touch anything.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off

7. I, I, I, I can feel them sucking the juice out of my eyeballs. Suck, suck, suck, SUCK...
Joe Versus the Volcano

8. Had my dream again where I'm making love, and the Olympic judges are watching. I'd nailed the compulsories, so this is it, the finals. I got a 9.8 from the Canadians, a perfect 10 from the Americans, and my mother, disguised as an East German judge, gave me a 5.6. Must have been the dismount.
When Harry Met Sally

9. There's a hole as big as my dick in the left wing.
Memphis Belle

10. Rita Hayworth used to say, "They go to bed with Gilda; they wake up with me."
Notting Hill

11. Crème brûlée can never be Jell-O. YOU could never be Jell-O.
I HAVE to be Jell-O!
You're never gonna be Jell-O!
My Best Friend's Wedding

12. She can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. A triple threat.
Singing in the Rain

13. He respects you, and I think you ought to be the one to tell him. Being that you're going, too...
The Rookie

14. And who are you two supposed to be?
Bond, James Bond.
And Pussy Galore... in person.
Rent

15. I'll tell you what I'm doing. I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don't need. So I am removing the superfluous buns. Yeah. And you want to know why? Because some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public. Because they think the American public is a bunch of trusting nit-wits who will pay for everything they don't need rather than make a stink. Well they're not ripping of this nitwit anymore because I'm not paying for one more thing I don't need.
Father of the Bride

16. And cause I was a gazillionaire, and I liked doin' it so much, I cut that grass for free.
Forrest Gump

17. This is an incredibly romantic moment, and you're ruining it for me!
Pretty in Pink

18. At home we had a pet skunk. Mama used to call it Justin Matisse. Do you think that's just a coincidence? All day long she would to scream, "You stink Justin Matisse!" Then one day she just picked up a club and killed it.
Now that's a sad story.
If you liked the skunk, which we didn't.
Hope Floats

19. Look, spaghetti arms. This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don't go into yours, you don't go into mine. You gotta hold the frame.
Dirty Dancing

20. Haywood is coming to the plate, who is leading he league in every offensive category, including nose hair.
Major League

A Confession

I used to do a series on here called "Thursday Things I Shouldn't Admit" where I would confess something about myself that was usually pretty embarrassing. Thing is, though, I'm pretty much an open book and that series didn't last very long.

I can't remember what I've talked about in the "Thursday Things I Shouldn't Admit" but here's a pretty good one for today....

I am addicted to Minesweeper. And not just addicted, I'm good. Really good. Like, when I was unemployed a few years ago, I was ranked in the world. Seriously. My best time ever is 92 seconds for a board of 99. I still play everyday now and I consistently score around 100 seconds and can win almost every time I play.

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have admitted that. :) (And if this is a duplicate from a few years ago, sorry. I'm trying to blog every day and I was struggling to come up with a topic today.)

How Am I Doing This?

If you haven't noticed I have put up some huge numbers in the last couple of races I've done. Sure, I'm not winning any races (yet) but I've dropped my marathon time by 5 minutes and my half marathon time by 3 minutes. Those numbers are HUGE considering I've been running marathons and half marathons for 8 years.

So I've been asked by a few people, how am I doing this?

To me, there are basically three parts.

Firstly, I hired a coach. An expert. I don't have to think about coming up with my own training plans or worry about my paces. She does all of this for me. There are two things I love about having a coach. One, there is accountability. Every day I have to enter my workouts. There is no cheating; there is no hiding from the truth. Secondly, she is truth. When I told her what I wanted my goals to be, she believed in me without question. And when she believes in me, I believe in me more. Not that I fear her or anything, but I've always had this ingrained part of me that cannot disappoint people who believe in me, like my parents or coaches. She puts it on my schedule to run 7:00/miles, I'm going to run 7:00/miles.

Secondly, every workout has purpose. As Lindsay put it yesterday, I'm not really running all that many miles. And when I started working out with Coach, I really struggled to wrap my head around running so little. Now I'm a believer. I don't do miles to do miles. Every workout has some kind of speed work, even if it's only in zone 2. And speaking of zones, most of my workouts are done by minutes and heart rate zones. It's very rare that she assigns me a number of miles. Towards the end of my training cycle, I get to take the HRM off and run on feel. Truly I work out 6 days a week but only 4-5 include running. There are lots of other cross training including swimming, biking, weight training, and stretching.

Finally, I set my goals and they're something I want. I'm not running my races and setting goals for anyone else anymore. And the combination of having a coach and working out with purpose has finally caught my head up with my body. My body has always been capable of running these faster paces, but now I believe I can run them.

It's really not rocket science, but it's been a long 8 year journey to find the runner I have wanted to be. Now, I'm happy (and fast:)).

February Totals

This, by far, has not been my healthiest winter. In February I was sick twice--once with my umpteenth sinus infection and once with a stomach bug. Regardless I did decent on the running miles and even got in some swimming. After informing Coach I didn't want to ride my bike, I wanted to swim, she decreased my biking to one 20 minute session in February. I think she forgets sometimes that I'm not a multisport athlete. I am a runner who likes to swim.

Swim = 6300 meters
Bike = 3.44 miles
Run = 73.57 miles
Other = 1 hour

Dave does more swimming in a week than I did the whole month, but I'm not training for Ironman either. The "other" category was pretty slim this month. That's because it was race month and the weight work should have already been done or else it was incorporated as a cross training routine within a run. I'm still hoping to get over 100 miles in a month but if I stay healthy in March that shouldn't be a problem as I know I have at least a 17 miler, 18 miler, and a 20 miler. More on my low running miles in a post to come later this week.

For being sick twice, I think I had a pretty good month. I'm looking forward to seeing the schedule for March.

Here Fishy Fishy

Today Dave and I visited the North Carolina Aquarium. The following is my pictorial essay of the day. :)

Right after the following picture was taken, I totally freaked out. You just don't touch sting rays and I did!! Notice the absolute terror on my face...


My favorite artistic picture of the day:

And my favorite fun photo of the day:

Crystal Coast Half Marathon 2009

After I couldn't run the Last Chance half marathon, I was really upset. I had worked so hard and trained specifically for a half marathon and now I wouldn't know what I was capable of. So I consulted with Coach and talked with Dave and chose the Crystal Coast Half Marathon in Morehead City, NC two weeks after the Last Chance race. This allowed me to train for another week and then taper for a week.

Thursday, Dave and I left Columbus and traveled to Virginia. And on Friday we finished up the trip. I picked up my packet on Friday and ate some lasagna in the hotel room. Yes, our hotel room has a little kitchenette. It's a great hotel. This morning I woke up and was feeling less nervous and anxious than I had been about Last Chance. Although, I was awake several times last night thinking about the bridge I was going to have to cross. If you don't already know, I have a huge, physical, phobia of bridges. It is real and it is debilitating.

As soon as we headed out of the room, it started raining, A LOT. I mean it was pouring. Look at this picture from the registration tent:

And here I am pretending to look happy that I was racing in the rain:


But, you've got to do what you've got to do, so I laced up The Green Dragons and headed out for a short warm-up.


Then it was time to line up for the race. The wheelchair races were first and then we got to start just two minutes after them.




The race plan was to ease into the first three miles and then let it fly. Well it didn't quite happen that way. I started fast and stayed fast.

Mile 1: 7:12
Mile 2: 7:21
Mile 3: 7:20

Between miles 2 and 3 I was feeling BAD. My stomach was all tied in knots and I felt like I couln't breathe. I worried that it was going to be a long day, but I also reminded myself that it takes me a LONG time to feel good in a race and to just be patient.

Mile 4: 7:23
Mile 5: 7:43 (up the bridge)
Mile 6: 7:21
Mile 7: 7:28

Mile 7 was when I started to feel in my groove. Sure I was turning 7:20s before then, but I felt like I was breathing like I was sprinting and just couldn't get in control.

Mile 8: 7:32
Mile 9: 7:38
Mile 10: 7:28
Mile 11: 7:58 (up the bride on the other side)
Mile 12: 7:36
Mile 13: 7:40 (boy was I feeling exhausted)
Last 0.1: 0:49

Unofficial time: 1:38:36. That's a PR by over three minutes!!! THREE MINUTES! I loved wearing the racing shoes and I loved that not once did I go over an 8:00/mile. The rain actually wasn't that heavy for most of the race, and the temperature was just perfect for me--mid 50s.

I finished 8th overall (women) and finished 2nd in my age group (30-34). I received a medal for finishing and a hat and $15 gift card to a local running company for my result. I'm going to hit the store on the way home on Monday.

And now, it's time to celebrate. :)

Road Trip!

While at lunch today Dave and I counted up all the states we are going to visit this year:



Ohio

West Virginia

Virginia

North Carolina

Massachusetts

Indiana

Illinois

Wisconsin

Minnesota

South Dakota

Wyoming

Montana

Idaho

Washington

Oregon

Utah

Arizona

New Mexico

Colorado

Kansas

Missouri

California


That's 22 if you're keeping count. And over the last two days we visited the first 4 on the list. We are now here in North Carolina. I checked in at the race and it looks REALLY small. The race course looks flat, flat, flat, except I have to cross a bridge (YIKES!) and it's a really steep climb and descent over that bridge.


We're watching the news right now...we just found out why traffic was horrific today, President Obama was visiting Camp Lejeune and we also were driving by Camp Lejeune.


Anyway, here's a picture of the two of us on the beach. This year we're going from Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Here's the Atlantic side:

Thursday Thoughts

I have always grown up a tomboy, but in the last couple of years I feel like I have digressed to the point where I think I might actually be becoming a dude. One of my goals for 2009, is to change this and work on my wardrobe, my appearance, my overall being and try to become more lady-like.

I've been wearing earrings (I have five piercings in my ears, you'd think I might shove a ring through them every once in a while), perfume, lipstick, I've been trying to not wear my hair in a ponytail. But, I still feel like I'm not cutting it.

So the question for this Thursday is, what do you do, ladies, to improve your overall appearance from jock to goddess? Or if you are a man who reads this, what is something you like that makes a woman more feminine.

Please keep in mind, I'm looking forward outward appearance. Keep it clean!

Lost and Not Found

After work today I had to run and swim. The weather was great outside (for winter), so I ran from home. I changed in the bathroom and left all my clothes on the floor. When I came back from my run, I threw those clothes in my bag and went to the gym to do my swim.

At the gym I took my clean clothes out of my bag and put them in the locker and put my dirty running clothes in my bag and put on my swimsuit. I then did my swim.

I came back from my swim, did my thing, and then started putting on my clean clothes. But, as I was putting them on, I couldn't find my bra. I looked in my bag; I looked in the bottom of the locker and it was nowhere to be found. I assumed it was at home. So, I did what I had to do, and put on my wet sports bra.

And then I proceeded to go shopping. Ew!

My assumption was wrong however. I have looked all over the house and I cannot find my bra anywhere. Dude, those suckers are expensive! I want it back! It was one of my favorite ones. Comfortable. Dependable. Darn it!

If you've seen my bra, please let me know. :)

The Warning

Coach gave me one instruction (warning) for the remainder of my training:

DO NOT GET SICK!!!

This has been a tough instruction to follow as I work with kids and have always been highly susceptible to getting sick. But, now I'm on new sinus allergy medicine and I've been doing the Neti Pot. I've been washing my hands like a machine and using hand sanitizer like it's going out of style.

Yesterday I noticed Dave sneeze. I asked him if he was getting sick. He said no that he just had dust up his nose since he was sanding some Spackle. This morning when I was talking to him on the phone he sounded congested and I asked him if he was feeling alright. Again he confirmed that it was just dust from the sanding. I get home from work and it's clear that he is not well.

Dave is sick.

Great.

Tonight and maybe for the remainder of the week I will be sleeping in a separate bedroom. I will wash my hands like crazy. I will take zinc and continue to follow all my sinus instructions.

I WILL NOT GET SICK BEFORE THIS WEEKEND!!

Monday's Merchandise

When I first started running marathons I trained with a fabulous group--Marathoner in Training. I learned tons from the coaches and experienced runners and I loved having people to run with. But maybe best of all, was the water and Gatorade set up along the path every weekend. :)

Okay that wasn't best of all, but if I didn't say that, how was I supposed to get to my Monday's Merchandise?

Now that I do all my training by myself I've had to resort to carrying my own water. I have a Fuel Belt water belt. Now it's great to have to carry water and/or Gatorade and my gel, chapstick, and a key. The truth is....I hate the thing. Maybe it's because I have no hips, but I tighten the belt under my hip bones and just a few steps later it's all the way up around my ribs.

What do the rest of you guys do? I'm not sure I could carry one of those hand-grip water bottles as I think it would get heavy. And I'm not sure about carrying a Camelbak as they look really uncomfortable. Any thoughts?

It's My Decision

I've learned a lot about myself since I started working with Coach seven months ago. I've learned that I am capable of a lot more than I thought I was. I've seen paces that I never thought I'd see. I've remembered why I like running. I've found I've still got a hugely competitive monster inside this 5'1" frame. And mostly, I have learned that I need to do all of this for myself.

Last week when I couldn't run the half marathon I was really sad. Not because I couldn't be there with my friends, but because I had worked so hard and knew I was going to turn in an awesome performance and I was going to accomplished something for myself. I have been running with my friends and my dad for years and I always felt like I was running for everyone else. I did the races they were doing. I adopted the goals they wanted. Truth be told, I don't even want to do the New York City Marathon. I have a phobia of bridges--why in the world would I subject myself to running over those HUGE bridges. But, I know I'm fast enough to qualify for it and that's why I've set a goal to go for the qualifying times.

Then when I posed the question of another half marathon next weekend in North Carolina the overwhelming response I received is "why would I travel that far for just a half marathon?" But that wasn't the response I received from Dave or my coach or my heart.

So Thursday night Dave and I are driving to Virginia and on Friday we'll finish the drive to North Carolina. Saturday I am racing just a half marathon. Why? Because I wanted to be more than just a marathoner. Because I am more than just a marathoner. And because it's my decision.

Disclaimer--I love my friends and my dad and I love running with them. The decision to run the half marathon was already made before I posed the question on this blog. I had already sent in the registration by the time the post was published. I am not mad at my friends or the internet. :)

Retail Therapy

Dave and I went to the sporting goods store today to pick him up a new swimsuit. While he was shopping, I checked out all the running gear. I totally dig Nike's new cotton-like training shirts (the Columbus Marathon had them as their race shirts this year) and they had these shirts with really cool sayings on them. My favorite said "Strong is the new Beautiful." I REALLY wanted to the shirt, but alas they only had a size medium and I am an extra small.

But then I was thinking, I'd like to create my own saying on one of those Nike shirts. I went out to the Nike website and found you could make your own shirts, but it was very limiting as to how many characters and what exactly you could put on the shirt.

So my friends, I need help. I want a Nike sportfit shirt (grey or red, preferably) that says "Fast is the new Awesome". How might I go about getting something like that done?

Fast Twitch

Yesterday Coach gave me a treadmill workout that I was dreading:

15 minute warm-up building to zone 2
Off the treadmill, 3 core exercises,
4 X 3 minutes @ 7:30 pace
2 minutes @ 7:15 pace
1 minute @ 7:00 pace
3 core exercises
6 minute cool down

As much as I was dreading it, I totally rocked this workout. The 7:30s felt comfortable, the 7:15s were doable, and the 7:00s were quite management as I reminded myself to take small steps and have a quick turnover.

If these paces are feeling comfortable on the treadmill, how fast will I be going on the roads?

Thursday Thoughts

In honor of the Academy Awards this weekend (at least I think they are this weekend), what was the last good movie you saw?

Fish out of Water

Today I finally got to swim. I LOVE TO SWIM!!!

The workout was this:

3 X (50 swim, 50 drill, 25 back, 75 build pace)
4 X 200 (R:40) odds--pulls, evens--moderate pace
4 X 100 (R:20) odds--75 drills, 25 easy, evens--fast
4 X 50 kick

The swim was so relaxing and I got to swim with Dave. I rarely get to work out with Dave and it's so nice when we can work out together. Plus, I was still really sore from the long run on Monday and I think all the soreness is finally worked out. I'm so glad I have found a running coach who has embraced my love and swimming and is willing to incorporate it into my training.

Sweet!

I have a confession to make....

...I suck at cooking. Dave does almost all the cooking at home. I only make suggestions about what I like and what I'm in the mood for. So pretty much I make the decisions but Dave does all the cooking. It is a perfect world.

But, I do kinda like to bake. For Dave's birthday a few months ago I actually found a recipe online and found a new dessert to surprise him with. And you know what?

IT WAS A HIT!!!!

So, here's the recipe:

Oreo Truffles

1 package of Oreo cookies (I used reduced fat)
1 package of cream cheese (Again, reduced fat)
1 package of white chocolate bark

Take 7 Oreos and crush them (I used my blender). Put those in a container and put them aside. You'll use those later. Take the rest of the Oreos and crush them. Then mix them with the cream cheese. Make sure that cream cheese is super-soft. I used my hand mixer. Then take that mixture and make one inch balls with it. Put the white bark into a double-boiler (fancy-talk for one pot floating inside of another pot of boiling water) and melt. Dip those balls in the melted bark and cover completely. Finally sprinkle all the Oreo balls with the 7 Oreos you crushed at the beginning. Put them in the fridge and serve cold. They are SOOOO yummy.

You can thank me later. :)

If At First You Don't Succeed...

...run, run again.

And that I did. Today I headed out on a 15 mile run. The plan was this:

4 mile warm-up zones 1 & 2
2 miles of building
6 miles at marathon pace
3 miles cool down

Here's how it went down:

Miles 1-4:
Pace-9:56
Avg HR-156
Max HR-168

Mile 5:
Pace-8:32
Avg HR-177
Max HR-184

Mile 6:
Pace-8:08
Avg HR-181
Max HR-194

Miles 7-12:
Pace-7:40
Avg HR-177
Max HR-190

I wasn't able to finish the run. After three days of eating very little I just ran out of energy. I really suffered through the last two miles of marathon pace, but I'm pretty excited about how the run went.

Disappointment

The alarm was set for 5:45. I awoke at 3:00 still feeling really nauseous. The alarm went off and I rolled over. I told Dave it wasn't going to happen today.

Three months of training and I spent the morning laying in bed while Dave and my friends were out on the course. I'm not going to lie, there were a lot of tears shed throughout the day. Dave finished in the top 20 men in the 10K; Helen finished third overall in the marathon; and Andrea finished first in her age group in the marathon. And based on the times I saw today, if I had run what I planned I would have finished 2nd overall in the half marathon.

In all 8 years of my running I have never trained specifically for a half marathon. This would have been my first and I was anxious to see what I could have accomplished. So now what? Coach has the master plan and I know there is a 15 mile run planned in two weeks. There happens to be a 15 mile race in town in two weeks and I've already registered for it. But I'd also like to know what my results would be if I raced a half marathon. I found a half, the Crystal Coast Half Marathon in Morehead City, NC, in two weeks, one day before the 15 miler planned. Coach said I could move the 15 miles to this week, taper for one week, and then run 17 miles the week after the half marathon. But I also don't want to travel eleven hours in a car to run another freakin' 1:45, plus I've already paid for the 15 miler and it's A LOT cheaper than the half marathon.

So internet, what should I do?

Bad Timing

At 4:00am this morning I woke with sharp pains in my belly. All I could think is "oh no, not today." After two hours of fighting nausea and taking a Zantac I went back to bed. Around 9:30 I woke up and was still feeling bad. I took an Advil and went back to bed. I woke up just before 1:00pm and was feeling better. I ate some lunch and went to see my niece's basketball game. On the way home I started feeling bad again. I took another two hour nap and didn't feel any better when I woke up.

And that's when it hit me... It's a damn UTI. It's been coming and going for a few months now and off days it picked today. So I'm loading up on the cranberry juice and hoping to feel well enough to race tomorrow. Then it's time to call the doctor and get this taken care of once and for all.

Jackpot

My friends, Dave, and I got together tonight for dinner to carb load for our race this weekend. During dinner we had many interesting conversations. My favorite was by Helen who said when she wins the lottery she was going to continue to go into work and torture her coworkers and bosses until she got fired.

So it begs the question... What would you do if you won the lottery?

Thursday Thoughts

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?

The Way Back Machine--Prom Edition

Ahhh, my love of Facebook. I FREAKIN' LOVE FACEBOOK!!! I love that all my old high school friends and boyfriends are on there. I love that I can spy on them in such a public setting. :) I love reading all their quirky notes and reminiscing about all times.

Today, we're going old school--prom edition.

When I was a freshman in high school a junior asked me to the prom. I agreed to go, but just a few weeks before the dance the guy said that he loved me and I really thought we were just friends going to the dance together. I decided to cancel the date and didn't go to the prom that year. My sophomore year I was dating a senior so we went to prom together. Now he's married, is the pastor of a church and you can check him out here. My junior year I was casually dating a sophomore and we decided to go together. It was probably my favorite prom because I went with a friend instead of a boyfriend. Sorry Jason. My senior year I went with a junior boyfriend and that night ended horribly. I found out he was cheating on me and I believe my sister's boyfriend took me home that night. Truly, I have blocked out that night entirely. At least I looked killer in my dress.

And speaking of which, let's take a trip down memory lane to those fabulous dresses!
This is from my sophomore year. Don't you just love the teal?! And the totally '80s-ness of this outfit?! Except it wasn't the 80s. It was 1994! My favorite part is the dyed shoes to match. And also, the zit right in the middle of my forehead. I'd love to say that went away, but not so much.



Now, front and back style of my junior prom:




And finally, my senior prom. Seriously, were we pimps? Were we Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? Could my hair be any taller?



I'm really enjoying these trips down memory lane. :)

OH MY STARS!

I went running outside today. IN SHORTS!!!



See those big muscles? Those muscles are looking forward to kicking some A$$ in the half this weekend.

Meow

Even if I wanted to have a child one day, I'm probably completely infertile. :) I've had at least two dozen X-rays, MRIs, bone scans, and CT scans. Today was my latest CT scan. This one was for my sinuses.

When I was in college I started getting really terrible headaches. I first reported them to my doctor when I was a sophomore and immediately he sent me to the hospital for a CT scan of my brain. I guess because of the combination of medicines I was taking and symptoms I was displaying, the doctor thought it was a tumor. Yikes! Scary! Fortunately, they found nothing.

The headaches continued though and I was being seen by a neurologist/epilepsy specialist who did another series of tests including an EEG and an MRI. Still they found nothing in particular and they just kinda subsided.

After college I started getting really bad sinus infections. My family is quite familiar with the sinus infection as my dad gets sicker than a dog with them and my grandpa has had sinus surgery. I get them a good 4-6 times a year. They happen so often that all I have to do is call the doctor and he'll call in a prescription instead of me having to be seen. These aren't mambe-pambie sinus infections either. Last week I spent three days in bed, and didn't get to hold the baby until the day after she was born. I decided I had had enough.

I e-mailed the doctor (yeah, we're on a first name basis) and I told him it was time to do something more than throw antibiotics at it. Obviously, that was not working. So, we scheduled a CT scan to determine if there might be something we can "fix".

This is my third CT scan and quite possibly the weirdest one I've ever had. I had to lay on my stomach and put my chin on the head rest. I was not allowed to swallow. I had to take my hair out of it's pretty up-do. :( They had to strap my head down. Luckily, the test was also the quickest CT scan I've ever had.

Thursday I have a follow up with the doctor to determine the results of the test. On one hand, I want everything to be okay. But on the other hand I'd really like to know why I get sick ALL THE TIME. I'll update when I know more.

Sink or Swim

Coach gave me a swim today. It was scheduled like this:

300 with every third length drill
200 pull
100 kick on back
150 R:15
200 R:20
250 R:25
300 R:30
250 R:25
200 R:20
150 R:15
100 any stroke

For the last couple of months I think Coach forgot that I liked swimming, so I haven't had ANY swims on my schedule. Finally I asked her to put them back into the schedule. I didn't realize the first one would be 2200 meters.

Here's how the swim really went:

300 every third length drill
200 pull
100 kick on back
100 swim
100 pull
Go home

Yeah, the first swim back sucked. A whopping 800 meters is all I could eek out. I've got a few more swims planned in the next couple of weeks. I hope they go better than today.

Maiden Voyage

I have named my new shoes:

The Green Dragons

First of all, they look intimidating which dragons are. And, The Green Dragon is a little pub in the North End of Boston that Dave and I like to go to after the marathon.

Today I took them out for their maiden voyage. The first thing that struck me is how their is NO padding in them. Duh. I felt fast during the fast parts and sore during the slow parts. I had a pretty hard run yesterday and I've been doing most of my runs on the treadmill so who knows if that was the shoes or not. One shoelace came untied while I was running, which is a problem since I ALWAYS double knot my shoes. I made trade laces for my triathlon no-tie laces so this isn't a problem in a race.

Overall, I'm looking forward to letting the dragons fly next weekend.

Ready to Run

As I eluded to earlier this week, I have my first "A" race of the season next week. It's a unique half and full marathon called "Last Chance for Boston." This year it's too late to be last chance. Maybe they should call it First Chance for Boston 2010? Anyway, this race is very unique as it's a 1-mile loop that you do over and over again. You might think that sounds insane to run a race like this, but this will be the 5th time I've run it. I've had great success here too. My current half marathon PR is on this course. I'm hoping to have another PR run this year.

Today was my last solid run before the race. It was a scheduled treadmill run where I started in zone 1 and ended in zone 4. The best part was, I hit all the zones and even had trouble climbing into zone 3. This is a really good sign as I've been known to run a whole half marathon in zone 4.

My current PR in the half marathon is 1:41. According to all literature and people I talk to, I am WAY under achieving. I mentioned to the owner at the Columbus Running Company on Wednesday that I was aiming for a 1:39. He said I should be able to go 1:37.

My game plan: run as fast as I can for as long as I can and hopefully come out with a PR and maybe even a qualifying time to NY.

Thursday Thoughts

Yesterday I talked about my new shoes and how I was thinking of naming them.

My mom bought me my very first car. It was a 1987 Hyundai Excel that was red, except for the driver's side door which was orange. I named the car Lexington, because I knew I wanted to go to Kentucky. When I chose to go to Ohio State, my car didn't go with my and my sister inherited it. That's when the wheels fell off. Literally. I don't think Lexington was really happy I went to OSU>

What have you named your car, bike, shoes, etc.?

Go Speed Racer

After the marathon, Coach suggested I started wearing racing shoes. I kinda laughed it off. Seriously, I'm not fast enough to wear racing flats. But after a few visits and conversations with my favorite local running store, we found the perfect shoe.

Introducing the Brooks Racer ST 3.


These bad boys better get me a nice fat PR next week.

So, what should I name them?

Happy Birthday!

Today my family welcomed baby #4, as my sister gave birth to yet another child. :)

Happy Birthday, Ashtyn Claire

I didn't get to hold the baby because I have sinus infection #459,876,849,291, but I'm looking forward to holding her when I get better.

Daytime Columbus Part 2

Today I had my moment in the spotlight. Today I made my television debut in a five minute segment during a daytime tv show. Today, I was a superstar.

No seriously. My phone started ringing as soon as the segment ended. It looks like I may have four more events booked by the end of today. Holy cow!

Here's the video. Go to the bottom of the page and click on the video that says "Take a Snapshot with your Friends at the Next Party." Enjoy!!

Daytime Columbus Part 1

Friday was the big day. Dave and I headed down to the local NBC news station to tape our 5 minute segment for "Daytime Columbus." The segment will air on Monday (and I'll be able to put it on the website) so I haven't seen it but by looking at ourselves in the monitors we looked really scared.

Besides the interview, which was scary city, we otherwise had a blast. The production crew loved the booth and utilized it well. In addition, the intern, Amberly, gave us a full tour of the facilities. We got to meet local celebrities.

Be sure to check out the other blog to see some pictures from inside the booth. And check back tomorrow for the full video.

January Totals

This last week put a screeching halt to my workouts. We had a major snowstorm on Tuesday/Wednesday and then I caught my 4th cold since September at the end of the week. Needless to say, I only got in one workout since Wednesday.

Run = 75.37 miles.
I really thought I was going to hit 100 this month.

Swim = 0 meters.
I had my first swim of the year scheduled for today. With the headcold I have, that's not going to happen.

Bike = 5.13 miles.
That's a whopping 30 minutes of riding I did this month. I had another 20 minute ride scheduled this month but I didn't get to it.

Other = 6 hours.
That's a whole lot of other stuff. I did weights and stretching and just this week put in some rowing. Coach has me do a lot of cross training activities that are running for a while then doing a couple exercises, followed by more running, etc. Those exercises are not included in this count.

I'm hoping in February to do all my workouts and finally get my running miles over 100. And hopefully have a few more swims.