I woke up in the middle of the night with my shoulder knotted up. A charlie horse in my shoulder/neck area. So weird that it did that. I thought charlie horses happened in the feet and legs while sleeping? It is still achy but I didn't sleep as well as I wanted because of that achy muscle.
Post-slog. Pointing to the owchie area.
I had a hard time getting out the door to run this morning afternoon. I woke up and just wanted to go back to sleep. I laid in bed for about a half hour, then decided to do my normal morning routine of checking my facebook and text messages on my phone. Then I hopped online to cyber-stalk catch up on the Friday morning blog posts.
I had put it in my head when I woke up that I wasn't going to run. But reading all of your blogs was the kick in the pants to get my butt moving. Thank you all. Your fooding, race reports and workouts really makes me want to be an active, healthier me.
It took me almost 2 hours to get out the door, but I did. 2 miles about 11:52 each.
I even took the new Mizunos for a spin. Still not crazy about the color. White shoes always seem funny when I wear all black. Yes, 85 degrees outside and I wore black instead of white. But I did like them on the hard sidewalks around my neighborhood. My feet and legs felt protected from all the pounding, although I had a pretty obvious heel strike.
I was trying to get my shoe in the pic but you can see how awkward I am instead.
Will I wear them again? Yes. Will they take over my closet? If Mizuno sends me more shoes, yes. I have a plan to do a 10 miler tomorrow and I plan on wearing the shoes.
Also. If you do not spend your post-run with your legs elevated in front of a fan. You are missing out. Unless you have a pool in your backyard. A pool would be awesome.
How do you recover in the summer? What are some of your blogs that motivate you to get moving/get healthy? Any plans to run this weekend?
What I did like about the box was that there were a few products that I have never heard of. Cellucor was one product that I wanted to try for the past year, but never wanted to buy a full bottle and try it. I thought the Night Food bar worked better then I expected. I think the box had a good variety of products that would make an easy gift for someone who wanted to start or be involved in a healthy lifestyle.
And as the pic above states, on their website homepage, if you are one of the first 500 to get a box, it may be free with the code above.
Whew. We made it to the middle of the week. It is all downhill to the weekend from here!
I was going to run today, but the BF rented the Human Centipede II last night, and I am going to have to upload it to my computer to watch it later before it is due. I made him watch the 1st Human Centipede video because all of my friends (who are guys) were talking about it. Then South Park did an episode on it. I had to keep my BF up to date to what us young whipper snappers are talking about.
Oh, I am also not running today because I want to update my resume. There is one job that I want to apply for. If you know of any companies (running and fitness related companies would be awesome!) lemme know. :-)
And I won't run tomorrow because girlfriend needs to get her hair did. I usually don't wait longer then 8 weeks between visits, but I had to change my last appointment because of my Stanley half marathon interfered. So it has to have been 12 weeks. Eek! I am in need of a hair cut - so bad!
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I was picked for the Mizuno Mezamashii Project. I think that their marketing plan is smart. Send shoes to those who are going to use social media to talk about the shoes, Mizuno brand, and the project.
I got my shoes last night. I should have called in sick to work to go for a run in them. I won't run in them until Friday.
The shoes that I got for the Project was the Wave Inspire 8. The pink highlight color is called Sangria.
I didn't get a choice of styles because the Inspire 8's are what they had in my size. The shoes seem to fit ok. I have never ran in Muzuno's before. I am not crazy about the color. I do not like white shoes. Do. Not. Like. I bet running in them will be ok because they retail for $114.99.
Shoe color is important to me.
Rocking my Robie Creek socks.
I think if I throw some #SweatPink laces in them, it will be ok.
Fit Approach is starting a Sweat Pink Race Program. And I am going to sign up. You can sign up until July 6th, 2012. Cost is $35.
Whenever possible, Sweat Pink teams will meet
up at local races; if you’re representing Sweat Pink solo, then you’ll
still have a whole community cheering you on and celebrating your
success virtually!The program includes:
A cute, wicking Sweat Pink tank or tee.
A drink pink wineglass, for toasting each other after the race. We’ll send you a sweat pink wineglass so you can properly celebrate.
Team Pink buttons. To pin on your shirt, your gym bag, or your biggest fans.
A team fundraising page. We’ve
created a fundraising page for the Sweat Pink team. We’ll vote on which
charity or organization to support, and we can all fundraise as much or
as little as we want. No minimums, no maximums.
I had a great weekend. My friend got married to the most perfect guy for her on Saturday evening. I didn't take pics during the ceremony because my camera makes a click noise and I didn't want to disrupt the ceremony.
The BF was in panic mode all day on Saturday. You know how men feel about weddings. I just want to get invited to a bazillion weddings so I can take him and make him sweat.
The BF & I went to Berryhills for a drink & app after the party. I had an I'm Your Huckleberry martini. He had Wild Turkey. We split the Buffalo Bacon Sliders. Totally worth going back there again if I ever had a spare $50.
The BF went to go get the car so I wouldn't have to walk a bazillion blocks in fancy heels and the waitress thought he ditched me. She was seriously concerned. It was funny, but not at the same time.
Sunday involved pac-maning most of a Costco container of strawberries. I even had a few more today. They are sweet, not tart and do not need any sugar. Perfect. Oh, and re-watching Army of Darkness. The BF has never watched any of the Evil Dead movies before. How could you have never watched them? I tease him that he only watches fancy foo-foo foreign films that have the palm leaves of Cannes or Sundance ect. But it is true. Anyways, he now has watched all 3 and looking forward to the Evil Dead remake next year.
Today. Well it is Monday.
I did not do any working out this weekend. With no races on the books, this is the first weekend in a while that I have not done a long run on a Saturday or Sunday. Downtime is nice, but I think I prefer to keep a long run (10 miles maybe?) on weekends.
I kinda figured that a Monday afternoon run would help calm me down. It did. It was a good, sweaty run. There were so many attractive running dudes without their shirts that I was able to oggle. But then I come home and the dread of having to go to work just hits me. Last Monday my lead workers drove their van onto the sidewalk to get my attention for whatever reason but they almost hit me. I don't have any races really on the books for the rest of the year, so I shoulda let them hit me. The harassment is out of control at my workplace and I don't know what to do.
If any companies are interested in my resume, please let me know.
What did you do this weekend? How do you cope with a case of the Mondays? Do you know any companies hiring?
Cheribundi is tart cherry juice. It is like a magic juice with lots of great benefits. Especially for us runners and anyone who wants to add a little something tasty for an additional health benefit. Dr. Oz even recommends it.
It helps recovery, more restful sleep, aches and pains, and helps fight heart disease.
The silliest pic I think I have ever done. I was laughing cuz I was a dork hopping to the finish.
I was Sweating Pink for sure! (Tank-Adidas, Shoes-Brooks Pure Cadence, Skirt-Team Sparkle, Socks-Swiftwick, Gels-Accel)
I didn't do it hungover. I mixed it up and drank vodka instead of gin on the day before. I used gels I have never used before. I wore a new shirt I never wore before. Ate at a different pizza place then normal. And I still PR'ed. 2:33:52. That is my best time so far. I guess that it helps that the weather was perfect for running. 50's starting out. And that the greenbelt course is flat-unlike the 3 other halves I have slogged through. I also didn't take my phone, but if you look back a few posts, well, that was the course. The greenbelt. Just with more women.
The day started out groggy. I got to pound a cup of coffee, have a nibble of bread with PB Crave and tried to drink some Accel Hydro. I got maybe 3oz of it down. My stomach was not awake enough to consume anything other then coffee at 6:30am. And I needed at least an hour more of sleep. So basically, me not eating before a race is ok with my gut and energy levels.
Got down to the park about 15 minutes before the start. I didn't warm up before hand. I usually don't warm up too much. I mean, I have 13 miles to warm up on.
The start was a smidge after 8. No biggie there. My ipod was on from the start.
My right ankle felt like it needed popped in the 1st mile. The annoyance eventually went away. My gut wanted a portapotty in the 1st mile. But I pushed that thought aside because I had a half marathon PR that I needed/wanted to make. But no pressure. I always slog by feel. I was having a side stitch annoy me off and on until mile 6.
The greenbelt was, not really crowded, but we were less spread apart the first half. I guess 10K's are comfortable for most. Halves are more a challenge.
There were a couple of girls I was on the same pace with at different parts of the course. It felt for the most part that once I passed someone, they stayed passed. With the exception of 4 that I can think of right now. This was actually the first race that I could get my own "roadkills." I feel pretty proud of myself. And that really has me motivated to get faster/lighter to be able to pass more people at future races.
Water and gatorade was available at every 2 miles. Gu was at 6 & 10? I took my Accel gels at mile 4 (strawberry kiwi) and at 8 (chocolate-caffeinated) That 2nd gel made me a little slower because I know caffeinated gels or chews (with the exception of Honey Stinger) rumbles my gut. So I was a minute slower. I also walked all the water stops.
This was one race that I was able to just go with the flow on. I knew the course. It's my hood. I was able to just zone out on my music, shut off my overactive brain, and not concern myself with pace/finishing time, potholes, getting lost on course, too hot or cold weather, and not think about how my quads were hurting. I tried my best to match my cadence with the beat of my music and to stay ahead of the footsteps of the ladies on my tail.
Sometimes, you may not want to know what I have on my ipod if you are easily offended. I had a mix of songs from Justin Timberlake (Sexy Back), Peaches (Take You On), LMFAO (Shots-at 8am. Sure.), Pitbull (Krazy), the James Bond theme song, and this one below which was freakin' perfect for an all-women race. It got repeated for at least a mile. You have to have a sense of humor and not be easily offended to listen and or watch.
I was pretty tired at the end. I wanted to walk more then the water stops starting after 8. But after mile 10, I was thinking that I could get a 2:30 finish. I did try to push myself a smidge faster at 11 and 12. But always, I slog by feel and I think I have to trust myself enough to push myself even harder. I am strong. I am not going to break.
The volunteers were sweet. Some, not all that excited to be out there, but as always, I thanked everyone that I could. When I came through, there appeared to be plenty of water & gels available.
Finish line. Well, did you see my finish? Yeah. I don't know why I did what I did. But, really, I AM a dork. Here is the 2 start videos the BF took - Start, and just after the start.
I got my bling (is it smaller then last years?), bottle of water which got pounded, some Luna bars (Honey Peanut was available! Yes!) a cup of pretzels, PB, half a plain bagel (one flavor looked like it had bacon in it. Disappointed it was cranberry) half a banana, my glass with 2 chocolates (mint and a gold dusted chocolate. Nom!) and my bubbly.
Not the gourmet food spread at some other races, plentiful.
I grab a 50oz bottle of Talking Rain water. I was thirsty. Had to get my hydration on.
I said Hi to Whooha Gear and went home, put my legs up and took an hour nap.
I want to thank See Jane Run for giving me the opportunity to run this race. It was fun, I PR'ed and I had a good time. Thank you to Pacific Health Labs for fueling my passion.
You know how I did the Stanley Half Marathon and I did not get any bling afterwards?
Well, I emailed the race director. He said they were handing them out at the finish line, but not sure why I didn't get anything. He offered to send me my medal.
And I got it!
He sent a beautiful card of Redfish Lake along with it.
Here are some pics of the race I have not posted yet.
About a mile into it.
Trotting to the finish!
I am in between the lady in orange and the dude in neon green.
That dude and his dog got so many pics of them. That friggin' dog beat my finishing time!
This was also one of those days (where I am going to babble-I have a lot distracting me right now) where I didn't have anything to wear. I mean I do, but honestly, I wanted an excuse to wear a new outfit. So I bought a new tank top. And lets say this new tank matches my #SweatPink laces. Seriously hot/hawt pink. If the BF doesn't see me at the finish line in what I have picked out to wear, I will be very, very unhappy.
I know the rule is nothing new on race day, but I am pretty sure I am going to survive in a new tank.
Something else new on race day- Accel Gels. I just got an order this week (Free shipping, a free box of Recover bars and half off my order thanks to my Earndit points!) and have not had a chance to try them. I tried one of the Recover bars and I didn't think they upset my gut, but just going to take the chance and give the gels a try.
I usually use Hammer Gels for races, and I can always take one along just in case I puss out and don't want to take a new gel risk.
Dinner is something new too. I usually always have pizza, but wanted to give Extreme Pizza a try. I got the Baja 1000, Paia Pie, and I even splurged and got the Pow Pows!
My pre-race gin & tonics is being replaced by vodka and a Kensington Marmalade mixers from Dean & Deluca. I am trying the lime. It is tangy.
Race packet pickup was interesting. Packet pickup was in the store downtown. There was a pasta dinner going on that smelled pretty good, a Newton rep was there with shoes, and a someone giving pointers about the race and race course.
I got goodies! A reusable See Jane Run tote, a tech shirt, Chomps and a Luna bar.
I AM a race ambassador. I did register. I have been helping promote the Boise race. When I got my goodies, they didn't have my name in the system. I did have my emails, but the lady giving out the packets looked at me pretty suspiciously. It was embarrassing to have someone looking at me so questionably. Although it was no big deal to put my name again on another registration form but still.
The dude at Cost Plus was talking up new bubbly. I took his advice and may make it my post-race treat.
Well, off to finish my limey drink and to night night early.
Are you racing this weekend? Anything fun planned?
PB Crave sent me four of their flavors to try. PB Crave is an all natural peanut butter with a twist.
Holy cats. This stuff is good.
My household (or really, just myself) eats a lot of PB. I use a spoon of it in my oatmeal, on toast before a run, on sandwiches to take along on hikes, mixed in a post-run protein shake, and on fruit like bananas and apple slices. This PB Crave, well, I was eating it out of the jar with a spoon it was so freakin good. Straight. Out. Of. The. Jar.
Eating only peanut butter for dinner tonight is perfectly acceptable, right?
Since I can't share my jars with you since I put my spoon into all of them and going to nom them all by myself, PB Crave is giving one of you a chance to win your own CoCo Bananas Variety Pack! That is right! One lucky blog reader is going to get all 3 flavors below!
Klutch Club is a monthly subscription service where you get at least $50 of products to try - delivered to your home.
April's box was filled with things that I did devour and love.
Pic from Klutch Club website
Kristin McGee Power Yoga DVDA detoxifying Yoga workout from MTV Power Yoga star, Kristin McGee
HyDriveA brand new energizing drink product to kick-start your workout
ZICO Coconut Water Post workout coconut water hydration to replenish electrolytes
Tea Forte SKIN SMART Antioxidant Amplifier TeaIn four flavors: Cherry Marzipan, Cucumber Mint, and Honey Yuzu Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial WashContains whole herbs, oils, seeds and no artificial fragrances to make your face super clean and healthy.
Barlean’s Organic Flax OilOrganic omega 3, flax and fish oil supplements in new flavors
KIND barA filling bar with peanut butter and dark chocolate + protein.. yum!
Yoga HydeA $25 gift for Yoga Hyde all natural organic yoga clothes and outfits
Enjoy Life Plentils & No Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix Awesome snacks that are gluten-free and full of protein!
Like I said, I devoured or loved all the products. Zico was pounded after a run. The Black Soap smoothed my skin. Loved the Cherry Marzipan tea. The snackies were munched on at work. And I have even been taking a spoonful of the Omega Swirl every morning with breakfast! I got the Mango Peach and it is not really a punishment to take it, like fish oil can be.
Even though Klutch Club provided me a box at no cost to me, I enjoyed getting a box of goodies to try so much I think I would provide a box as a gift to a friend or even to myself. It appears Klutch Club for men is coming soon! Which is perfect since most of my friends are guys!
Work anxiety kept me up all night. Woke up after 3 hours of sleep and couldn't go back to sleep for a dang. I hate work anxiety. I really do. I don't like my job or get paid enough to have it affect my whole life. They only reason why I do it is because I am not vested yet (2 more months to go!) and the benefits can not be beat. Even though my insurance was raised $6 this month. It cancels out plus some on my so called 3% kick in the... pay raise this new fiscal year.
We had a meeting at the start of our shift tonight with, I guess, my bosses boss, if we had a boss. Our department director is retiring this Friday, one supervisor died of cancer a few months ago, another left to Alaska for a better paying job, and my personal supervisor was fired about a month ago. We have only a day shift supervisor, whom we do not work with, as the only supervisor. It's a cluster f working for the government sometimes.
We have to 2 lead workers who are the worst supervisors ever, or want to be a supervisors, that are "in charge." But no one has respect for them as leaders. I even mentioned that too, to my head of the department because, well, I was babbling and things kinda just come out when I don't think about what I say. And he kinda fishes for complaints or concerns and I really have to bite my tongue because I can complain about a lot of things!
So, all of my co-workers had a lot of fear for this meeting. Potential changes and upsets were possible. Although nothing happened in the way for my anxiety to be justified. Well, that I know of for sure.
I don't take medication for anxiety or have been formally diagnosed. So take my advice with a grain of salt. If I wanted to go into the Doctors office this week and say, "I have a problem", there is a good chance that they will throw some pills at me and I can be on my way. But I don't want pills. Unless I am flying in a plane. I really don't like the thought of being in a tin can, thousands of feet in the air, going hundreds of miles an hour and who knows what is going to happen. This happened in front of meon my flight from Vegas a few years ago. So, yes, if I am flying, I want to take something.
So what to do? Well, there are only a handful of things that I do that doesn't involve drugs or alcohol for anxiety.
Exercise. I rode my bike to work. Yes, I had "I hate my job" going through my head for 15 minutes, but movement helped burn off some excess adrenaline and nerves I had going.
Deep breaths. I had to really focus on my breath to get out of my head last night when I was trying to sleep. It was a bad dream about work that woke me up and kept waking me up all night long. Instead of focusing on my thoughts, which can get out of control, focusing on my breathing helped calm me down to get back to sleep for a few moments.
Lavender. I keep a lavender sachet (I have the Silk Embroidered one) on my nightstand. Lavender calms me if I focus on the scent during my deep breaths to help me get to sleep.
Make notes. Writing helped me realize how silly my problem sounded and gave me a topic for today's blog! Yay!
Talk to someone. My job gives us 5 free visits to a shrink a year. Yeah. One of the perks to my job. I found a good counselor that gives me advice that I can use. (1 visit is $100 so you better believe I am taking advantage of that $500 on someone else's dime!) Plus, I chatter to the BF until his ears fall off and my BFF understands my anxiety issues better then most.
Oh Well. I was told to say "oh well" by two friends last week. It works with any situation, and I forgot they told me to say it on Friday until now. You can't do anything except shrug your shoulders and say "Oh Well" sometimes. A lot of things are out of our control.
Finding Alternatives. Since my work can be high stress, finding other employment is always a thought. I do have my massage certifications, smoking cessation certifications, and today's Groupon- Bartender Certification. Yes, I bought it because I thought it would be fun, and something to help get my mind off of my job and onto a new one.
Jumping in. Yeah, things are scary, like my meeting, getting to the start line of races, new situations/people, ect) but getting it done and over with is better then giving in to anxiety for another day or however long we put it off. I almost let my worries allow me to call in sick. But really, I think I would have went to this instead. And then really worried that I was playing hooky and could get caught/in trouble, ect.
Do you have any tips to help with your/my nerves? What are some of the things you worry about? Do you read your horoscope?
With a Crossfit comp and Graplers comp. We went last year & got to see Mario Lopez. This year there wasn't anyone that I just Had. To. See. Sorry.
We got white cotton T-Shirts and mesh bags and a bazillion samples of pre-workout and protein supps. Totally worth fighting the crowd for those samples.
Also Ironman 70.3 Boise was finishing up downtown. Boise is considered one of the 5 hardest Ironman locations. But it could be just because of the weather. Or that the non-pro locals wanting to participate slowing the average times down.
The BF and I at the finishline on the left in black hoodies. I was texting. Pic by @konashell
The race had quite a bit of drama.
The race was cut short because of the weather. Lucky participants. Still a qualifying race, but not a full 70.3. With 40MPH gusts, rain and snow, the bike portion was cut from 56 to 12.
I didn't get to watch the 1st place finishers go across the finish line because we were expecting them later then when we got there. The Reed dude had to get drug tested and was contesting the placement. I think they may of had him at 2nd originally instead of 1st, but really, I think that he was 1st from the pics.
He was not a happy camper when we were there watching.
The 1st place man & woman.
What is funny is that we stand at the finishline area to watch all the cramping, puking, and collapsing. There were quite a few. I don't understand that there were so many people collapsing at the finish line (coming in around 4 hours) but it wasn't the full distance. I would hate to see what would happen to some of those racers if they didn't shorten the course by 40 miles.
The medical staff and volunteers were very prompt to help the racers recover.
This dude was creeping us out. WTF is someone doing at an athletic event on a Saturday afternoon wearing a suit and tie? I swear he was like Special Agent FBI or something scary. He kept looking side to side like he was scoping the place out for shady characters. He was totally out of place. And alone. The whole time.
3 miles. Average pace 11:01. I did keep all 3 miles under 11 minutes. After I finished my 3rd mile, I walked that half lap.
You can totally see how much my garmin is off. I was in the 3rd lane for all my laps, excluding when I walked to and from my car. I think I am going to have to replace my garmin soon.
And my shin is bothering me. It started this past weekend after giving my new trail shoes a try. I think I may have been a little too heavy footed running downhill, or it could be the new shoes. Who knows, but it feel tender, like a bruise. Not like a bad pain but just a little ache. I am going to stretch a bit tonight and ice when I get home.
I am pointing at the tender spot.
I am going to rant now.
So, I am a big bike commuting fan. I'll give up my car in a heartbeat for my bike. All of last year, I think I only put 4000 miles on my car because I biked so much. The whole year. Serious. I only got one oil change all year. Although I hate biking in the cold, and I won't do it in the snow, thankfully, I live close enough to work to commute by bike in 12 minutes. I have no excuse to not bike being that close.
Today was the first close call that I ever had to being smashed by a car while on my bike. See the shoes above? Attention getting. I am also wearing a Barney purple workout shirt and black Canari full leg bike pants with reflector stuff on the bottom legs. My bike is blue and red. I have big reflectors on my panniers. I am not a small girl. I consider myself pretty darn noticeable at 4:30 in the afternoon.
I was approaching an intersection after coming down a hill. I noticed 4 cars going to turn right (they had their blinkers on), so I was slowing down. There is a ciggy store on the corner of this intersection and as I was slowing, this bitch in an Explorer or something of the sort turned right in front of me. I skidded to a stop and almost went into her passenger window. My back wheel did come up off the ground a few inches as I almost went over the handlebars. She had a dog in the passenger seat. I assume her dog was blocking her view. Or she was just an inconsiderate bitch.
I almost went down like Kristin Armstrong. Except a car was attempting to take me out.
This was the closest bike versus car near death experience I have had while bike commuting the last 5 summers.
I am pretty shaken and angry by this. If I didn't pee myself a little and need to get to a potty ASAP, I wanted to drag her out of her car and beat the crap out of her. But instead I am on here complaining about it. And thanks for letting me. I feel better now.
