Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Treadmills

Doesn't she look ecstatic!?
Since I've been running outside for the past year and a half I have come to loath treadmills. I used to run exclusively on them at the gym as a warm up to my weight training. At that time I only did 1 to 3 miles at a time. Once, last winter I did do a 10 mile run on one but had to break it into two parts (the treadmill would only let me do so much at one time). This winter it should be infinitely easier to maintain my running, my sister and her boyfriend gave me a treadmill over the summer, for which I am eternally grateful. I am however finding it infinitely more difficult. I always feel cramped and my gate feels off. Plus, it's in my dreary basement and I only have painted cinder block walls to look at. When I was at the gym I at least had some hot guys to ogle or the news to watch. At home I just have my cat to stare and and she rarely comes into that room. I play my running music but that doesn't help. I've started varying the incline which keeps me on my toes but I still can't bare to do more then 2 miles. Runner's World says you can do all your winter training on a treadmill. They even have workouts for you. Some probably can. I have a friend who trained for Boston on a treadmill. TWICE! I'm hoping winter will be nice to me and allow me to do most of my long runs outside. I think I can handle the short ones on the treadmill. I'm planning on a 5-6 mile run tonight after work. If the rain holds off. I can handle snow in the winter, just not rain.

Friday, November 25, 2011

To be Thankful *may be graphic*

This post could also be titled "Why a Marathon is a Big Deal" but as it's Thanksgiving weekend, I'll go with the former.

In the fall of 2004 I had a personal trainer that was also a close friend. We discussed goals and the first was obviously to lose weight and be more fit. A second secret goal was to do a marathon. I enjoyed doing the cardio portion of the weight training. I lost 20lbs and felt great about myself. I didn't seriously pursue running at the time. I was in grad school and just trying to get my research to work. I also was trying to balance school/lab time with friend/life time. And I really enjoyed partying. 

So much so that a year after starting the personal training ( September 17, 2005 to be exact) I went out to celebrate a friends success on her qualifying exam. We were at a local bar and stayed till closing time, always a bad idea. The bar was located on a corner and I drove out of one exit as someone else was pulling out of the other. I made a left handed turn after waiting for the light and a car. And then my car stopped. With a bang. 

The person pulling out of the other exit crossed the center line and hit me. It was a cross between head on and T-boned on the drivers side. I believe I was knocked out. I remember someone at my door trying to get me to get out. But my legs were pinned by my dash. My door also would not open. I don't know who but someone pulled down my window sash(?) and pulled me through the window. They tried to stand me up to walk but my legs wouldn't hold me. I still don't know if they carried me, dragged me or helped me walk to the curb. 

I was taken to the local hospital and met there by my parents. I was found to have a broken knuckle on my left ring finger, broken rib, and a left broken knee. A tibia plataeu fracture to be exact. I also had whip lash, a deep puncture and cut on my knee, cuts on my shoulder and gash on the back of my head. I had bruising pretty much all over my body and had problems remembering words. My right calf was swollen, hard and still feels weird sometimes. The pictures really don't do the injuries justice. I remember holding a remote or a conversation was difficult. 

Recovery was long and painful. I spent 2 weeks living in a lazy boy. I was in a wheel chair for two months and then used a walker for a couple of weeks. I had a fancy cane for a couple of months and got to park in handicap parking for long while. It came in handy when I went to concert with a friend. Got to park right by the door. I used crutches for a short while. They led to a lot of funny stories. My sister let me fall head first into a row of movie seats once. Rehab lasted two months and I walked with a limp for a year. I have multiple scars and my right calf still tingles. 

My parents, doctors and I were doubtful as to what I would be able to do. I still have pain sometimes in my knee and finger. And my rib that was broken gets misaligned sometimes. Combine this with the fact that I was diagnosed with a form of rheumatoid arthritis in 2008 and me running at all is a miracle. I started off slow with a 10k challenge by friends and worked my way up but the marathon was always on my mind. With a marathon in my pocket I am thankful for the ability to run. My parents love and care. My sister and friends for keeping it as fun as possible. Doctors that knew the best course of action was to let my body alone. I'm also thankful, in a weird way for the accident. 

Would I appreciate and savor the run as much as I do if it hadn't happened? 


Thursday, November 24, 2011

2011 Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving has come and is about to leave but not before I got in an awesome 5k run this morning. I talked my sister, Sophie, into running it with me. She in turn talked her friend, Leigh, into it. Who then convinced her boyfriend to cheer us on with Sophie's. It was a damn cold morning to be standing around waiting for a gun. The weather man lied, it felt a lot colder then the 40 degrees promised.

The start line was fraught with anxiety and tension. Not mine. Sophie was very concerned about the run, mostly to do with having to pee half way through and needing to knock on random strangers houses to use their facilities. I'm not sure I was very encouraging and probably just looked at her like, "It's a 5k. Ain't no big thang. You can hold it." Looking back I probably did not help the argument to get her to a 10k in the spring.

Yes, Rainbowbright socks, but is it me or does
guy in the back look like Anthony Bourdain?

We lined up together but quickly got separated. As Mark5.0 can attest I am not good at running a race with someone. We did talk about it before hand and I would have been willing to run with her at her pace but she did not want the extra pressure. So I left her to herself. When I waited and waited at the finish line I wondered if that was a good decision. I got worried that something happened or that she gave up and I wasn't there with words of encouragement. Turns out she was so close on my heels I missed her finish when I went to get water!

Unofficially my time was 30:58, a PR. I ran the first mile at a 9:45 pace, 2nd mile 10:01, the 3rd at 9:43 and the .2 at 9:22. Sophie and her friend came in about a 1:30 behind me. I think she did great, a lot better then my first 5k. She can totally handle a 10k.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Foray into Football

This past weekend I got called up to play touch football with a ragtag team for the annual Cleveland Plays Turkey Bowl.The rules are that you have to have at least 3 out of 8 plays on the field be female. Every 3rd play has to involve a girl. There's no tackling, which I was upset and happy about all at once. And it's two hand touch, which was lost on me until about my fourth "tackle".

The games started at 8am and was about 30 mins from my house. I was asked to come a little early so that the "coach" could explain the rules to me. I dutifully showed up at 7:45, found my team and was handed a beer instead of a rule book. I like this team already! There was a total of 5 girls on the team and I was the only new-new player. Everyone had either played together or played on opposing teams but they all knew each other. No matter, they were all welcoming and the beer helped. As this is a dating site I will inform you that yes, several of the guys were cute, one was exceptionally hot but every time he talked I just wanted to hush him. I'm hoping the intelligence level was just hampered by what I heard was a pretty fun Friday night. But still, I wouldn't kick him out of bed.

Any hoodle, we played 4 games and scored 2 touchdowns. One by yours truly! I got swung around in the air by the hottie for that! High light of my weekend. You can probably figure out that we lost all 4 games and had a pretty poor showing. I would like to point out that most of the teams we went up against had to have little brothers/sisters of Browns players on them! Some of the guys and girls were huge! Scary!! It was a freezing cold day and one team was in cut out shirts.

Several bruises later and I was home by 6. It was a very long day and I think I passed out by 10. I was sore and achy when I woke on Sunday and consequently didn't do anything productive but clean my bathroom. That includes running. I did get up and do a short mile run this morning, which is better then the nothing I did last Monday.

Friday, November 18, 2011

About Yesterday........

Yesterday's rant was short lived but fully expect it again.
My little rant yesterday seems to have had an effect on me. No, I still haven't gone running but I'm thinking I will get out there on Sunday. I can't say Saturday since I have to be on the football field by 8am for the Turkey Bowl. I sincerely hope that they understand my "I have never played football" to mean "I haven't a clue what's going on and really am only doing this in hopes of getting tackled and picked up by really hot men."

Runner's World has also read my mind and Tweeted this challenge, Holiday Running Streak. I love challenges! I once did a challenge to do 50 miles in 30 days. It honestly wasn't that difficult since I was training for the marathon and doing 20 mile long runs. I also got a friend to do a 64 mile team challenge for MGD 64. We did it but failed to get the $6400 in prize money. It was going to finance my running, I swear. I'm going to add a widget, if I can, to track my progress in this challenge. Maybe, being accountable to you will help me get back in the saddle!

I'm also laying out my race schedule for next year. Do you think I can do 2 full marathons with 1.5 months in between? Sorry, SD fans I think you'll have to wait till 2013. I just don't have the plane money, not to mention the fun money I'm going to need to keep up with y'all!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I'm Just Not Feeling It

I don't want to run. I don't want to work. I don't want to date. I don't want to do anything except curl up and read. (In my defense, I am reading some kick ass books.) My house could literally fall down and I think I would just walk away. After I found my cat of course. Is it depression or just the post race blues?

The fact that I can ask myself this leads me to suspect it's just post race blues in combination with crappy dates and crumby weather. I think I need someone to hold my hand as I run. Someone to make me run and hold me accountable for not. I thought signing up for the Turkey Trot would make the difference but it hasn't. Maybe I need a bigger race. Glass city half is on my list but I'm not signed up yet. I'm also debating between 3 spring fulls. I can't do all and will have to pick one soon. I was hoping to talk to my sister about it before I made my decision. I can probably wait till after Thanksgiving to decide. What's one more week?

My only beam of hope here is that I did this same thing last year. I completed the Akron half and wallowed for a month or so. I can't remember when I started hitting the roads again but  I did do the Turkey Trot. I think I went into it coldish, though. I do know I was doing 10 mile runs at Christmas.

Do I need Paxil or just a swift kick in the butt out the door?

 *Note to Mother: This is not a cry for help. I'm just venting. She worries, you know.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Weekend Recap with a Side of Paranoia and a Bowl of Lazines for Dessert

Let's start with the  laziness and then head into the weekend dates, shall we?

Saturday I tried for a run but only made it 2 miles. It just hurt. My legs felt tired, my lungs felt tired, and I just didn't wanna. For the most part the rest of the day was lazy. I did my shopping and made clam chowder for the week. It turned out to be eh. I've also decided to give up on boxing. I do love it but the late hours and the drive are killing me and my wallet. It takes 1.5-2 hours to get there! If it was closer to my home and a little cheaper I would deffenitely stick with it. I also think I have PMS, post marathon syndrome. Runners World PMS I'm hoping my Turkey Trot next week snaps me out of this.

Actual shoe worn
Fridays date went very well. I looked cute in a sweater and awesome heels, even though I had a fat lip from what I believe was an allergic reaction to new chapstick and a scratch down the side of my face that I woke up with. Was it my cat or one of my sharp nails? I choose to believe one of my nails. I don't want to live in fear of my cat. Anyways, I'm hoping he thinks I'm just tough and the facial injuries were due to mixing it up in the boxing ring. We went to a chinese place that I learned he picked. He scored major points there since I have been craving it for two weeks. We had a lot in common, a love for ethnic foods and the same taste in music. Conversation never lagged and I felt at ease the whole time. Towards the end he asked if I would be up for another date Saturday or Sunday. WHOA WHOA!! Two dates in the same weekend? I can't make that commitment this early, besides I had plans already, which I explained to him while also making it known that I would diffinetly be up for another date next weekend. He's out of town for the week otherwise I would have gone for the weekday date. We exchanged numbers, hugged it out and went our ways. The only draw back to him is he's rather over weight. I know I'm no pixie and have not a lot of room to talk but he was large. I've dated men that are very fit but their personality usually sucks. Can I take a man with an awesome personality and whip him into shape? If I like to run and work out will it rub off on him? These may be moot questions in any case. I sent a text Sunday afternoon thanking him for dinner, stating I had a good time while indicating my interest in a 2nd date this weekend. I still haven't heard anything. Which is where the paranoia comes in, we'll get back to this.



Sunday's date was over coffee and I suddenly remembered why we didn't go out again. He is off the charts. Not in the "He's to hot for me" way but in the "Does he ever sit still" way. He was constantly moving and at one point I swear I thought he was high. I even asked, turns out not so much. We met at Starbucks and I got a coffee but even though it was 2pm he hadn't eaten yet so I watched as he ate Chipotle. Then he wanted yogurt. It sounded good so I got some too. This will illistrate the differences between us. I got a small portion of vanilla yogurt with sliced strawberries on one side and crushed Reese's peanut buttercups on the other. There was no mixing in my bowl. Mixing of food is not allowed. I ate all of the strawberries first and then the peanut buttercups. He got a splash of 6 different yogurts all in the same bowl. Then proceeded to pile multiple toppings on. Toppings that didn't even make sense together. Cotton candy, lychee, sprinkles, cinnimon chips, chocolate chips, peanuts, pretzles. When I saw this I told him it's not going to taste good. That it would be better to try one combo now and another later. AND, I was right. He made a face through out the whole ordeal. We are completely different and the only relationship I can see in this is of friendship. Which, I'm totally open to. But if we actually dated seriously I imagine I'll have to tie him down and not in the sexy way.



I wanted to lick him, too!
The paranoia has really set in. I have never had someone not reply to a text. And I'm pretty sure he gets them, he has a google phone. It's been 3 days. Normally, I'm not like this. Well, except once. The questions are....Did I not put his number in right? Is he ignoring me? Playing the wait two days game? Did I read the signs wrong? I don't see how though. He clearly wanted to go out again and he asked to exchange numbers. I didn't force the issue. Then is AT&T fucking with me? Cause I sent a text to someone else last night to no answer. But I sent a couple others with answers. I think I need to call Scully and Mulder.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

This Ain't Your Parents Rodeo!

I thought I was going to have  another slow weekend but in the course of 48hours it has become date filled. The matchmaker contacted me again and has set me up free of charge with another one of his clients. I can't tell if I'm his "white whale" or if he's just hard up for 30 something professional women. Consequently, I have a date Friday with his potential. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I've been craving Chinese and some how he intuitively knew this, cause that's where we're going. Then, yesterday, a guy I had gone out with once but haven't really talked to in over a month contacted me wondering if I was interested in just getting coffee again. It's hard to pass up, since Starbucks is damn good in the fall. Plus,what else am I going to do?


The point of this post really has to do with this date for Saturday night. It's another Mark and we will give him the designation, Mark5.2. We've only chatted and haven't even met so he doesn't get a full number. Mark5.2 is from Match, has a doctorate in head shrinking, is cute, seems fun, and well rounded. We exchanged numbers about 2 weeks ago and have basically had some form of contact every day since. Along the way he informed me that he wants "to date but nothing serious," which I took as "I'm leaving the backdoor open in case I need a quick exit." We continued to text and finally set up a date to meet over drinks for this Saturday. In the course of talking/texting he quickly became rather "aggressive" in his........desires. Mostly, he likes a girl that's in control. And if there's anything I like it's control and power! I played it off, flirted back a bit but never gave any indication that this all was going to go down. I need to meet a person and get to know them a bit before I can even begin to fantasize about someone, unless that someone is Gerard Butler or Harrison Ford.


Last night I had kickboxing, which I hated, and TRX-Bosu Bootcamp, which I loved, after work. I got home around 830pm (super late for me), showered and had dinner. I was just kicking back to watch Top Chef while I determined if I wanted to do dodge ball, touch football or both over the winter, when Mark5.2 texted.

?????????WTF?????????

Now, I know everyone has a little freak in them. If you don't think so, you might be lying to yourself. And I don't want to judge, but, that is too much freak for me. You need to know your freak limits and that was more then just a toe over my line. 1st, there was no prelude to this. No, "Hey, how's it going? I was thinking of you today." Just, BAM!!! "I want a butt plug!" 2nd, isn't that something you ease a person into? Get them comfortable, have normal relations and then go for the "Honey, I think we need to spice this up."

I informed him that that was more then I could handle and we came to the understanding that what he needs I'm not going to give. Consequently, I am now free Saturday night.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

I would Have PRed!

Had I been in an actual 5K race!
As many of you know I have been in a running slump, mostly stemming from my Akron half. For that was the first time I seriously considered giving it all up and letting my body go to Hell on a scholarship. At the time I still had a full to do and I couldn't NOT do it. I had a hotel reservation, my parents had a hotel reservation, I had already registered and the thing that really drove me to power through was that I had bragged about doing one. I told EVERYONE! I had to finish it. And I did.

Afterwards I took a much needed full week off of running. The second week I tried to run again and I kept it to 2-3 slow miles. I felt slow, my legs felt drained and it just felt wrong. The third week following the marathon I gave up running and started cross training with boxing and bootcamp. And I felt alive again. Sure it hurt. A lot. But it was the good hurt. This week marks the fourth week and I had planned on just continuing my boxing and bootcamps. Actually, that's the plan until my one month unlimited package runs out, November 30. But winter is upon us here in northeast Ohio and yesterday was an anomaly. 71 degrees at noon, sunny and PERFECT running weather. How could I justify staying indoors and boxing? I couldn't!

I quickly cancelled my classes and ducked out of work a bit early. By the time I got home it was low 60s but still sunny. I put on my slime-green running skirt with the matching tank and some sleeves. Laced up my Kayano's and was out the door in less then 5 minutes. I was hesitant on which run I should do. I have several that start from my house and vary from 1 to 15 miles. Obviously, the first time out in a couple of weeks I'm not going to go for the 15. But should I do 2 or 4? I went with the 4 knowing that there was a cut through to bring me in at 3 if I needed it. And I did.

I went out strong, my first mile was 10:40 (strong for me. My normal training paces are around 11:20). My legs felt good and my breathing was heavy but not terrible. After the first mile I took a short break. My second mile was 10:20-10:30. I was amazed what a little rest and crosstraining could do. My third mile was a little more difficult with some hills. I still kicked ass and came in around 10 minutes, with some short 9:40 distances. I had my first negative splits! And, if you discount the walking parts I would have finished my 5K in about 31 minutes. Beating my previous 5K PR by about a minute!

This run may have restored my love for the sport. I'm going to continue with fast 3-4 mile runs this month. And hope that I can PR in my upcoming Turkey Trot.

*The above picture contains the best purchases/gifts EVER! My Garmin keeps me on track and my shuffle lets me jam out without the added weight of my iphone. Also, the Garmin allows me to track my progress week to week, month to month and determine where I need work.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

A Real Good Hummer

My life has been a little boring lately. Not really running at the moment and there's only so much I can say about boxing. It's fun and I'm getting better. My love life has sucked and I'm not making much progress there. So.... Let's revisit a past date!
I met this guy on Eharm about 3 years ago. I think I was still in the apartment. He seemed nice. They all seem nice, though. He had a degree in aerospace or something in engineering, so I couldn't figure out why he was working for a men's clothing retailer. I'm sure we talked about it but I can't remember, obviously he didn't make much of an impression. He was a little on the feminine side. Long slender fingers, tall and thin. He was no "Girlie hand Bryan" but he wasn't exactly my type, either. Our first date was brief and over coffee/tea. I had coffee, he had tea. It wasn't strained or awkward and I therefore agreed to a second date. This time we met for dinner at a Thai restaurant. As soon as the coconut shrimp soup came I knew this wasn't going to go anywhere and if I couldn't control myself I might stab him with my soup spoon. What did he say? Was he inappropriate? Did he try to order for you?!
No, it was none of those things. He just hummed when he ate. EVERY TIME he took a bite, he hummed. With his soup. With his entree. With his dessert. Slurp of soup, "Hmmmmmm." Bite of rice, "Hmmmmmm." And he sat across from me! If I could hear him over 3 feet of table how loud would he be if I had to sit next to him? I knew that after the fourth bite I just had to make it through dinner. He wanted to continue but I knew that if I had to fight to control my stabby hand for just one dinner there was no way I wouldn't be convicted of murder after the fourth. I'm sure I could have said something. Maybe he could have controlled it. But the moment he slipped, stabby hand would be there!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

What is going on?!

I honestly have no idea. Several things in my life have taken a dramatic turn, ones I couldn't foresee. Please, don't be alarmed. They are not life threatening or even slightly scary. They only make my life a little more hectic, me slightly more panicked and my cat is probably going to loose her hair.
I have absolutely no schedule anymore!
It could be due to many reasons:
1) I have no major races to train for until May. This means I don't have to start actively training till December, so my once strict schedule is a little more lenient.
2)I've been staying late at work trying to get a project rolling. Not actually a big deal but it makes planning things difficult.
3)I'm in the midst of some very good books. Hence, I have been staying up late, like 3am late. This is way past  my 9pm bedtime when training.  
4)I've taken up boxing. And boxing is done in the evenings after work. This means I don't get home till after 8pm, at which point I desperately need a shower, my cat needs a walk and some loving and then I need to eat. Which, could also play a role in my bedtime, since I don't sleep well after exercising or a late dinner.
5)The days I'm not in the ring I always have something going on. I meet my mother for dinner, not home till 9. I spend 2 hours at Dick's debating boxing gloves and got home around 8 (this is mostly due to an hour long phone call from a long lost friend. I'm sure the people there enjoyed the conversation, it was spicy!) And dates.*

Which brings us to...
6)What is up with all the guys wanting to date but nothing serious? Is this their way of having an out if things go wrong? "I'm sorry,  I know we met on a matchmaking site and we've been dating for 2 months but I'm just not looking to be serious." Why are you on there then?! I'm almost ready to throw up my arms and just take a young lover. If I could only get them to not talk......
*Please, don't take above statements wrong. I love seeing friends and family and talking to them. I would rather deal with changing my plans then not seeing or talking with them.