Eh, What the heck?

OK, here ya go Lisa!

Since I'm still a lazy ass, I got nothing to write about! So, I may as well suck it up and post a picture from the Jingle Bell run... This was after the race.



Now I have to run so I can post again and bury this picture!

Jingle All the Way 5K

I did it.

And, amazingly, I managed to finish 3rd in my age group.

It was a little chilly starting out- probably around 35 degrees, but I warmed up nicely. Then, around mile 2 it started to rain. And, after the turnaround, we were running into the wind. NOT pleasant. I managed a 28:38 finishing time. Not bad considering how little I've been running lately.

I do have pictures, but I'm not posting them here! We look like drowned rats in the pictures- the rain was pretty brutal.

It was nice to get out, nice to be at a race.
And, Barbie and I had a fabulous lunch after the run. It was a good day.

Glorious Return or Trial by Fire?

Tomorrow morning is the Jingle All the Way 5K at Rend Lake.

I haven't done any running to speak of since Thanksgiving.

I was considering cancelling the race, but what good would that really do? I need to get my butt back in gear, and the only way for ME to really do that is to give myself this reminder of why I need to do it. Running is a part of who I am. It has been, for the past several years, a huge part of my life. Why am I being so lazy?

I do have a million excuses- first I was working crazy hours for a few weeks, then the time changed causing it to get dark earlier, and now I'm getting a divorce right in the middle of the holidays. Honestly, though, people go through these things every day and still find the time to run. What makes me think that I'm so special that I can't make the time?

So, even if I have my slowest 5K time ever (very likely), this race will be the beginning of my return.

NO. MORE. DRAMA.

Some of you know the whole story, but I'm not gonna relive it here.

The bottom line is, no more drama in my life. It's gonna be wonderful!
No more living with jealousy. No more drunken arguments. No more. No more. No more!

Meanwhile, my schedule is all out of whack, as I begin to get my life back. I haven't been running, but that's nothing new... My running has been very sporadic the past couple of months with all of the drama anyhow.

Watch for me to begin acting like myself again...

T-Day Eve

Here I am, on the eve of impending disaster...

My biggest worry- I've already gained SO much weight, I can hardly wear my work pants. Never mind what I'm going to squeeze my fat ass into tomorrow to go and pig out on turkey and all the trimmings! No, my biggest worry is that Friday is sweatshirt day at work- we all just got sweatshirts to celebrate excellent performance during the previous fiscal year. This means that all of us 'managers' get to wear JEANS on Friday! Normally I would love the opportunity to wear something different for a change. But, I'm looking in my closet and realizing that I have NO jeans that currently fit me. The ones that hung off of me a few months ago- I now must suck it all in and squeeze my lardo gut into them (making the jeans look like a sausage casing). This is depressing.

So, I'm not going to deprive myself of one of the great loves of my life tomorrow (pecan pie), since Thanksgiving is the only day of the year I get homemade pecan pie. But, starting Friday, I am back at this thing. Come hell or high water, I am going to STOP being such a fatass! I feel miserable and nothing in my closet fits anymore!

Herrin Turkey Trot

I ran the 15K again this year, even though I threatened to run the 5K. The 15K course at this Turkey Trot = three times around the 5K course. I'm glad I did! Even though I am about 15 lbs fatter this year than I was last year, I managed to finish a little faster. AND, I won my age group. There were 3 places given, so at least I know I didn't win by default.

This race was a good thing for me. I was running this race thinking about how much better I feel when I'm not carrying around so much extra weight. I was thinking about how well I was doing, even though I haven't been training at all. It's frustrating that I do that to myslef.
OK, so this time I didn't have much choice- go to work at 6am, get home at 6pm, take Chris to wrestling at 6pm, get home at 8pm... doesn't exactly leave loads of time for training, or cooking, or cleaning, or much of anything!

So, I've decided to give myself a break until work calms down. This week will be a little easier, with the extra day off (Thanksgiving).

Stress and Work

Wow, it's been a while since I've been here!

I ran the Tunnel Hill race. Given the minimal training I've been doing, I was happy with my time. The weather was perfect, it was a gorgeous day, and I just felt good. My "official" time wound up being 1:34:18. Not too shabby, I suppose.

Ever since then, I've been working 12 hour days, plus Chris started wrestling, which practices 2 evenings a week. This is making for a rough time trying to get any training done. The worst part is that the overtime is on the front end- been coming to work between 4-6am. Doesn't make for an easy time getting up to run before work! I've ran a couple of days in the evenings (on the dreadmill, UGH!). But, I certainly don't feel ready to race a 15K this Saturday. Gonna do it anyhow. I know I can run it, I just hate going out there when I know I could be so much better.

So, I'm going to add a couple more races into my schedule that are locked in. Hopefully things will get easier once we get over the initial hump in the new launch that has been taking up ALL of my time.
Oh, which also means that my regular work is piling up and suffering. This will be fun to make up just in time for the holidays!

The good news is... I'm no longer in the vacation pool with Maintenance!!! As of this week, I can take any days off I want, and I don't have to check with the Maintenance Managers! Woohoo!

Hopefully, I'll be around here more. I miss regular running... So does my fat arse!

Sabotage, as usual...

Why do I act so shocked that I have once again sabotaged myself?

I do it all the time!

I have a 10 MILE RACE in less than 2 days, and I haven't ran a step in one full week.
And, I absolutely can not suck in this race. This is gonna be interesting...

I keep telling myself it's just the daylight savings time. It's D-A-R-K at 5am when I would usually run. I'm used to running in the dark, but I think my body is telling me that daylight savings time is supposed to be over and I shouldn't be getting up that early. Good excuse, huh?

Well, it would be a good excuse if everybody else in the free world wasn't able to continue on with their normal schedule. It was completely obvious when one of the managers at work ran before work even when he had the flu and should have been home sick. Either he's crazy, or I'm a complete lazy ass. Or both.

Ah, well, after this weekend, I'll have no more excuses!

Update- Still on the dreadmill

They caught the guy Monday night- he was formally charged yesterday. He didn't shoot her, he hit her with his car- hard enough to leave a dent in his Jeep! Then, he got out and kicked her in the head several times, left and came back with a knife. Then, he raped her, stabbed her and cut her throat. This is probably just about the most brutal crime that I can remember in this area.

I realize that it happened in broad daylight, but at 5am when I've been running, it's pitch dark outside. So, I've decided to stay on the treadmill until daylight savings time is over- except for weekends. I never really liked running in the dark by myself anyway.

Last night- my 4 mile treadmill run was my first run in a week. I managed a 9:30 pace. I was pretty happy with that. I think the treadmill running will be good for me for a while- I tend to push harder on the treadmill - probably because I want to get it over with.

Stranded on the Dreadmill

As you may or may not have heard...

A local school teacher was raped and shot in my 'hood. She had gone out for her walk at 9am (broad daylight!!). They found her body at 5pm in a shallow grave.
She was 38 years old, with a husband and 2 kids. Can you imagine?

OK, so the actual location where they found her was a couple of miles from where my long run route passes, but waaay too close for comfort. This is small town, people! This is country, out in the middle of BFE. It is supposed to be safe here!

So, everybody who knows me and knows that I run alone regularly has made it a point to tell me to "be careful", or "STAY ON THE TREADMILL!" Now, normally, I ignore these comments, but this one is scary. I do carry pepper spray, but if somebody pulls up next to you and points a gun at you, what are ya gonna do? Run? Reach for pepper spray? I think not!

I miss the days when I had a running partner. I don't know anybody close enough where I live now who runs.
So, until either (a) I find a running partner, or (b) they catch whoever did this, it looks like I'm stranded on the dreadmill. Ugh!

Band on the Run 5K

After 5 days of not running a step, it's 5K race morning.

I got up and felt strong. The girls came with me to the race, since we were getting new phones after the race. It. Was. So. Hot.

The girls' teacher and his wife were there. The nerve! Aren't teachers supposed to crawl into a hole and never be seen outside of school? Anyhoo, I was right on pace with the teacher for the entire race. He wound up finishing a few seconds ahead of me.

This race was not pleasant. I'm carrying around about 10 extra pounds that I can't seem to find the give-a-damn to lose. Plus, it was HOT!

And, I really didn't want to let the teacher beat me! But, I walked to drink my water and he didn't, and I never caught him again.

Ah, well, I finished it in 26:50, 1st in my age group (out of 1). Then, I got my very first post-race massage. Wow! Why, oh why, have I always passed these up before?

Oh, the teachers' wife won overall female finisher. She ran the thing in 20:13. Impressive.

Just an uneventful race, and a chance to catch up with some other runners from the area.

Sunday Long Run

After being a slug last weekend and not getting in a long run, I was determined to get in my long run this weekend. I was planning a 13 mile run.

Saturday, no run. I slept in, and decided to piddle around the house instead of running. It was Alex's birthday, so I wanted to clean the house so it would be presentable for her party. (good excuse, huh?)

Sunday morning, I got up just before 7am and started getting ready to go out and run. I couldn't find a good water bottle that would hold enough, so I went down to the gas station to buy one of the 24 oz bottles. Gas station was closed. So, I came home, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and drove out and put it out about 6 miles. Back home, and now trying to talk myself out of this run. I just didn't feel up to it, and all of the fucking around with the water just made it worse.

I knew that Sunday is the day that I eat all day long, especially during football season. Add that to the leftover Dairy Queen cake that was still in the freezer calling my name, and I absolutely had to get out there. Finally got out the door at about 8am.

The weather was gorgeous. I took one power gel with me and planned to take it around 6 or 7 miles to give me the extra boost to finish. At about mile 2, I started feeling weak and dizzy. I actually toyed with the idea of going back home. So, I ate the gel then and kept going. Another mile in, I started feeling pretty good. This lasted until about mile 10 when I started getting tired. I should have brought 2 gels, since I didn't eat breakfast.

The run actually turned out to be 13.4 miles. My average pace was 11 min/mile, on the nose. Taking into account that I walked most of the 3rd mile and kept my heart rate pretty low throughout the entire run, I was happy with that.

When I got home, we had to start chopping veggies for the cabbage soup we were making, so I didn't have time for the long, leisurely bath that I really wanted. Took a quick shower and got to work on the soup. Maybe I'll get that bath in tonight...

20 Mile Week

Finally, I got in a 20 mile week. It wasn't long ago that falling short of 20 miles in a week was inconceivable. Lately, that's been the norm.

Yesterday's 9 mile run was fantastic. I took off around 9:30am.
The weather was cool and overcast.
It was one of those days, all of the stars were in perfect alignment... I felt great throughout the entire run. My Garmin's battery died at mile 5.5, but I checked the time, and checked it again when I got home. Throughout the run, I averaged a 10:18 mile. Not bad, considering how sporadic my running has been the past couple of weeks.
The dogs even left me alone yesterday! It was amazing!

So, I was thinking after my run... Tunnel Hill is just under 7 weeks away, now. I'm thinking of setting a time goal for myself for that race. I need something to focus on! Right now, I'm thinking of 1:25. That would be a 8:30 pace. It wouldn't be a PR, but it would be a PR for my 30's!
I'll give it a couple of weeks and set my "real" goal after the Centralia 5k.

Random Thoughts

Last night during my run, I was full of them.

Some were running related. When I started running at 6pm, I was miserable. THIS is why I'm a morning runner... get it out of the way before my body wakes up and realizes what's going on. Plus, the sun was out at 6pm and it was pretty warm.

I planned a 4.5 - 5 mile run, but then decided to just go for the 7 mile loop. There were so many people out and about- the weather was perfect for yard work or just plain sitting around outside. I will NOT take a walk break if someone can see me, so no walk breaks for me. Ugh.

I wore a new running skirt that I got over the weekend. I bought a large- I needed a medium. The shorts underneath kept riding up, and I wound up with chub rub- something my trusty running shorts never allows.

Then, I ran past the house that has had the "Free Kittens" sign out for a few weeks. There were 4 kittens playing in the front yard. They were SO cute. I wanted to scoop them up and take them home with me. Oh yeah, we already have 3 cats. I can so see myself becoming the crazy cat lady with a dozen cats in the house!
I love dogs, too- but cats don't have to be potty trained!

My thoughts during the last mile drifted to my running, or lack thereof, lately. Specifically, to Tunnel Hill. It's only a month and a half away. I know that the girl that was 5 seconds behind me on Labor Day will be there. I know that she will be hoping to beat me. I can NOT let that happen! So, I have GOT to get my lazy ass in gear with my training!

On tap for the weekend- a 9 or 10 mile run.

Why do I let myself get out of the habit of getting up to run in the mornings? I've been waking up before the 5am alarm, but I haven't been getting up! Tracy has been getting up instead- taking a shower and watching Sportscenter while I snooze for an extra hour...

This morning, I did drag myself out of bed, partially because I felt guilty that the alarm actually went off. I hate it when it's still dark even when I get home from the run... But, the weather couldn't have been better this morning. 50 degrees, nice and cool...

It was an uneventful run. I ran the 4.5 miles in 46 minutes flat. Get home, and Tracy is outside watering the flowers. He asked me if I went farther, or if I was just slower. EXCUSE ME!!??
OK, so I was a little slower than usual, but jeez- cut me some slack here!

I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by it, but these little comments drive me crazy!
Or, I'm extra touchy today because I'm sleepy...

Sabotage!!

Yes, I am sabotaging myself...
I have not ran a step since Labor Day. And, my eating is out of control! It's not like I have a good excuse, either. I'm just lazy.

And, my work schedule is about to get even more hectic in the next couple of months- so it's only going to get worse!

OK, I'm going to get serious starting with the rest of this week.

Kinmundy 5K- Labor Day

The last thing I wanted to do yesterday morning was go out and race a 5K. I have been such a slacker lately, for the past several weeks...

But, it was Barbie's race, and the 10th anniversary of the race, so I couldn't miss it! SO, so, so glad that I went!

OK, so the running part wasn't a lot of fun... but, I'm stronger for having done it.

Before the race, a manager from work and his wife (who is in my age group) were joking about how their goal would be to try and keep up with me. The last time I saw them at a race, I finished a good 5-7 minutes ahead of them!


They were right at my back, up until the water stop, where I walked a couple of steps and they passed me up!

UGH! So, I got past Stacey just after the 2 mile mark, but I only beat her by 5 seconds!! My official finish time was 27:03, and you can see her right behind me!


Ah, but it was worth it, as I won 1st place in our age group!


Thanks for sending me the pictures so quick, Barbie!!


While at the race yesterday, I picked up another form for the half marathon I was planning in 2 weeks... the form I already have says September 15. The new form says September 16- for the same race... Maybe I won't do that one... Undecided, now.

Finally!

I made it out the door at 5:20am this morning.
I've been having a rough time dragging my sorry ass out of bed for my runs lately, but I told Tracy last night to wake me up when the alarm clock went off.
The alarm clock went off, I was already awake, and he didn't stir. Grrr!
Ah, well, I got up anyway.

I managed an average 10 min/mile pace for 4.5 miles and felt pretty good.

I'm a runner.
Life is good.

What happened to my waist?

OK, I had a vision of how I "thought" I looked, and this ain't it...

Well, let's just say I hate this picture and leave it at that.

It's from the Santa Dash a couple of weeks ago.

Sweet Corn and Watermelon

So, Saturday morning was the 10K for the Sweet Corn and Watermelon Festival. My alarm went off, and I thought about how much I did NOT want to get out of bed. So, I got dressed and ate my little bowl of oatmeal, all the while dreading the hilly course. Never mind that I'm still gaining weight and felt like a bloated mess.

When the race started, I was running with Barbie for about the first half mile, give or take. We were dead last when the race started. Let me just tell you how much I hate hearing the ambulance behind me during a race. HATE that!! I heard it for the first 2 miles...
So, Barbie takes off and I continue to plod along, but I really didn't feel bad at all. Just hated being so close to last. Damn High School kids!!

The weather couldn't have been better, though. The race was well organized, and there were plenty of volunteers and water stops.
The cross country coach from the kids' school was working one of the water stops, and he was an excellent cheerleader! Kept me going at mile 4 when I was ready to walk up the rest of the hills!

So, before the race started, Barbie decided that we should go and talk to the super-fast guy who wins all of the local races. He was really nice, and it was nice to meet a new person. At about mile 5, he was running out for his cool-down, and ran back in the last mile with me, cheering me on all the way. Wow! Talk about a huge help! I needed that, I was slowing down by the second until then!

So, I finished in 56:39. This is 1 minute 42 seconds slower than my last 10K, but still a respectable 9:08/mile pace. Still, out of 50 runners, 35 or so of them High School kids, I finished 47th!!! Can you believe it? What the hell?! But, ya gotta love small town races, I still won 1st place amongst 30-34 year old women... 1st out of 1. But, it's still a win!!

And, I am now committed to stop being such a slacker!!
Let's see if I stick with it.

Not a single step

since Sunday! It's not like I haven't been waking up early enough... Just lazy.

Monday night, I had to go in to work twice, once at 9pm and once at midnight for 1-2 hours each time. I used that as my excuse on Tuesday morning, even though I felt rested enough to run on Tuesday.

Wednesday morning, I used the excuse that I needed the extra rest from the night before, even though I woke up at 5am without the alarm.

Thursday morning, I woke up at 5am without the alarm and just decided to give myself a break.

Friday morning, I was exhausted and didn't want to make it worse the day before the race.

My 10K tomorrow morning is going to blow.
And, my ever-expanding ass is getting plenty of fuel to continue to expand.

In April, I was 7 lb away from my weight goal. As of my scale hop this morning, I am 23 lb away...

Trying to get back on track, even though I just don't feel like it.

Santa Dash, in August

This weekend was yet another productive one! Lately, that has been unusual for me.

So, let's just step through it, shall we?
Saturday morning, Tracy drove me to my race in Salem so he could take my car to get the oil changed while I was running. It was hot, and I knew the run would be tough. It was odd running a Santa Dash in the stifling heat! But, I actually warmed up for a bit before the race (unusual for me). The race started at 8am, up the street and directly onto my old nemesis- the hill on Boone Street. Ugh!
That didn't slow me down too bad. I ran my first mile in 8:40. From there, I slowed but not too bad. I wound up with a finish time of 27:37, which was a 8:54 mile pace. I was happy to be under 9 min miles, especially with the heat the way it was, and there was NO WATER on the course. Of course, they told us there would be no water just before the race started- we were already lined up. If I had known, I would have carried a bottle.

The rest of Saturday was spent driving around, looking at houses that are on the market, not on the market, looking at landscaping, and going to the Sherwin Williams store to pick out paint to go over that god awful tile in the master bathroom!

Sunday morning, I woke up at 6am and felt great. So, I got up and went out for a 9 mile run. Can I just say that I hate running in the heat? I despise running in the heat! It wasn't too bad when I started out at about 6:45am, but it warmed up quick. I think I walked more than I ran for the last couple of miles. Quite a difference from the day before, I wound up with an 11:04 min/mile pace... ah, well, I got the miles under my belt anyhow!

I spent Sunday afternoon working on the bedrooms, organizing and sorting through crap, and getting stuff ready for this stupid garage sale. UGH! Half of the front room is full of crap that needs to get ready for this sale. And, I still need to go through the Kitchen and get rid of all of the 'wonderful' kitchen gadgets that I have never used. I. AM. NOT. MOVING. ALL. OF. THIS. CRAP. INTO. ANOTHER. HOUSE.

Swimming in my pool

Well, right now I'm just swimming in my pool of sweat...
One of the houses we are pretty serious about has a really nice pool and deck. I'm wondering how quickly we could make an offer, close on the house, and get moved in... hmmmm... a pool this summer is probably out of the picture. Damn!

Why must Tracy wake up at 4:30am every morning and foil my plans of putting off my run!? If he hadn't been whining about not being able to sleep this morning, I probably would have skipped running all together.

But, I made it. I'm thinking at the pace I'm going, my 5K on Saturday is going to suck royally. I ran my last 5K at a pace of 8:36/mile. This morning's run was 10:25/mile. I try to blame the heat, but I think the vast majority of it is pure laziness on my part. UGH!

My dog friend was waiting for me again this morning. He still won't let me pet him, but he will run up to me and let me give him a treat now. I'm growing on him, I just know it!

Horses and Heat

This weekend was my anti-slacker weekend. I have been such a slacker over the past several weeks, and this weekend just said, "ENOUGH!"

Saturday morning, I got up and went out for a very enjoyable 4.5 mile run. It was so, so hot and humid. But, I felt fantastic! Hoping throughout the entire run that Sunday's long run will be even better for the previous day's warmup.

This run made me feel so great that I managed to get Tracy to finally put up the shelf in my laundry room and the miniblinds in our bedroom. Looking at houses after my run gave me a new appreciation for those little things.

Sunday morning, I drug myself out of bed and managed to run 9 miles in the stifling heat. I left the house before 7am and was STILL sopping wet head to toe when I got home. And, my run was so super slow. But, I did it! Coming around the curve before the big farm where the goats are, about 6.5 miles into my run, I saw vultures in the road. Vultures? But, there was no roadkill!

As I got closer, the vultures flew away to a tree next to the road. I was thoroughly confused. Then, I smelled it. Yuck! Looked in the ditch on the Left hand side of the road, and there it was. A DEAD HORSE!! Yes, a dead horse, stinking like it had been there for awhile. I think I actually jumped all the way to the opposite side of the road and never missed a beat.

Sunday afternoon, I was so inspired by HGTV that I bought all of the stuff for replacing the flooring in the kids' rooms and cleaned out the garage and the storage shed. OK, so I didn't do it all myself. But, I had to do most of the sorting of all of that nasty stuff that had been out there forevah! Ahhh, before long I won't be too embarassed to put the house on the market and perhaps we can get a house that is big enough to spread out!

Really? A Blog?

So, here I am starting a blog- the most uncreative person on the planet. But, thanks to my fellow runners on the WW board, here I am. Let's see if I can at least make this somewhat readable!

So, why did I name my blog this way?

I have always struggled with my weight, mostly because I'm so obsessed with it. It all started with the boy who used to sit behind me on the bus and call me fatty starting when I was in 4th grade. Mind you, I wasn't all that fat. So began my obsessive journey, beginning with starving myself in high school to be 5'8" and 120lb, continuing after my divorce when I made myself vomit repeatedly every day to maintain at 140-145lb.

So, in the Summer of 2000, I started talking about running. I had been working out pretty regularly for almost a year, and needed something more. People who had known me for awhile scoffed- I could never be a runner, I always HATED to run. But, I started running anyhow- on October 1, 2000. And here I am, countless 5K's, 10K's, 15K's, a few Half Marathon's, 2 Full Marathons, and 4 RRR Relays later... still not sure that I'm REALLY a runner.

I'm definitely inconsistent- who knows what I could accomplish if I trained consistently? But, I'm still trudging along...
C'mon and join me! And, feel free to let me know about it when I start getting lazy and slack off (because I will).