Heart of a runner, body of a mother

Wednesday is the big day

2009-09-21T19:50:00.001-07:00

The day I start my new job as a medical technician, that is!

I go in tomorrow to fill out a few employee papers and watch a new employee video. Then my first official shift starts at 6 a.m. Wednesday. I don't know how I will sleep the night before! Probably not very well, but that's OK. I just can't wait to get started!

I did a two-mile walk tonight, as it was FAR too hot and steamy here today. We don't usually have much humidity here, but when we do it's disgusting. The walk was good and I worked up a nice sweat.

OK, more later. Night!

Another reason to blog less

2009-09-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

So after about three weeks of seriously looking, I landed my first job in the healthcare field today! I applied for a caregiver position at a local assisted living facility, but was offered the position of medical technician. It's a step above caregiver, and pays more, too! They will train me for the job, which is a huge plus. I go in tomorrow for my drug test/physical/fingerprinting. I am beyond excited, but a little nervous too. It's been five years since I've had a full-time job. But the change will be great, and give me a ton of experience before I get into the RN program here.

So if I'm more absent than normal (how that is possible I have no clue), well, you will know why. ;-)

I dunno....

2009-09-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

...if I feel like I want to keep blogging.

*sigh*

I have been running again since late July, but the motivation to write about it just isn't there. I have a million other things on my plate that seem to take up my time.

Perhaps the desire to blog will return? I really don't know.

Guess I just don't know what to do.

Winds of change

2009-07-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, how things have changed since the last time I blogged!!

A little catch-up:

*The kids and I finally moved from Fortuna to our new digs in Cottonwood. We moved in the weekend of June 13, so needless to say the time before and after that was complete madness. Packing up crap, moving crap, unloading crap, offing unwanted crap for free using Craigslist, etc. Our old house is undergoing an interior paint job and will have new carpeting installed before going back on the market shortly (was listed, but we decided to make the fixes it needed and will relist).

*I met my older half-sister for the first time. Ever. She wrote Dad (we share the same father) a letter a few weeks ago, sparking a chain of events that included their first meeting in 37 years (she's 39 now). I got to meet her and her family little more than a week ago, and had a great time! We are all planning to hike Lassen Peak in August. I have a pic of the three of us. I will share it soon.

*Kara completed her first session of swim lessons. Let me tell you, this girl is a fish! She loves the water and has NO FEAR!! She does not get that trait from me, as I am all about the fear, especially in water. But she is doing awesome, and started session two today. She's gonna be in the Olympics someday, I swear. Meanwhile, Matty and I started a Mommy and Me swim class today. OMG, he is sooooo not like Kara! Poor child cried and screamed the whole time. We did manage to talk him into blowing bubbles in the water (while sobbing with snot pouring down his face), but he was just not feeling it. My immediate goal with him is to get him to RELAX in the water a bit and not do the "I'm-gonna-drown-Mom-with-my-death-grip-around-her-neck-because-I-am-positive-she's-trying-to-kill-me-in-a-3-foot-deep-pool" thing.

*As for me, I haven't done any running since May. I have good intentions, but we've been spending so much time at the pool (and it has been HOT, except for today, which feels cold because it's in the mid-80s). I have been using the elliptical, but I know soon I will be seeking out a good run. And the neighborhood we live in is GREAT for running. It's a gated community with lots of flat roads, although there are no sidewalks. Soon, I promise!! Maybe I should find a race to start training for, but honestly, I just want my other house to sell first. Then I can stop stressing over that and move on to other things!

My monthly post

2009-06-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ha ha.

So I have been averaging one post a month for two months now. Stellar.

And it appears I have missed out on one buddy shutting down her blog (total suckage, Marcy!), and a couple others (Lisa and Erin) have made theirs available only to those who have permission to read them. (Can I pretty please be among the chosen ones??)

I am thinking at this point, the only person who might still check in on me here is my dad. Sorry, Dad.

I've just been too busy and stressed to blog, much less exercise. We're moving on Saturday, and I've had to get things ready here. Tim is already working in Redding (has been since May 18), and I've been finishing my CNA class (done tomorrow -- YAY!!) and being a single mom on the weekdays. So very tiring. And it won't get better until we're totally moved and the house is sold. Let's hope that happens quickly.

Anyway, the plan is to get back to working out as soon as I can, although I am not sure when that will be. So for anyone who is sticking with me, stick around a bit longer. I will return eventually. I promise!!! :-)

The 15-minute run

2009-05-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

I went running today for the first time in almost a month. I have been maega-stressed lately, and when I get really stressed (and down) I tend to not want to run. I know, those are the times I should get out and run off some steam, but that's not what happens.

I used the elliptical first for my workout, thinking I could just call it a day if I lost my motivation when I was done. But I still felt like running afterward, so I set out to run for 15 minutes. I figured it was enough time to get some benefit, but not so long that I would feel crappy because of the lack of training. When it was done, I was thrilled to have gone out. And 15 minutes is a really short amount of time!

Oh, and we are officially moving back to Redding. The last couple months have been beyond strange, what with the scandal at the creamery and the layoff situation. Tim really worked hard and landed a job in Redding. He starts later this month. The kids and I will stay here for a while because I still have CNA school to complete. But after that, we'll join him in Redding. And we have to sell our house. That's the main thing standing in our way right now. But we're excited to go back to Redding, and the kids and I are looking forward to hot summer weather! We'll be going to the pool a lot this summer!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Run:
Time: 15 minutes
Distance: 1.27 miles

Taking some time off

2009-04-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Obviously.

LOL.

I decided a couple weeks ago to take the rest of the month of April off from running to let my injured knee heal. It feels quite a bit better now, although I don't know how it will be when I start running again. I have been using the elliptical, but I've been so busy with the CNA class and my nutrition class that I have only been able to work out three days a week. My nutrition class is almost over, so that will take away some of the pressure. I have decided to resume running in May.

This means, of course, that the Avenue of the Giants race is not on my schedule this year. It is this next weekend. I am OK with that, since Tim is still looking for a new job. I have been pretty mentally preoccupied with that, so missing a big race like this isn't going to kill me.

Okie dokie, see you guys again soon!

Think I needed that

2009-04-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

I just took a short run after dropping the truck off for an oil change. It was glorious. The weather is just perfect today and it felt good to be out again.

We are dealing pretty well with all the chaos going on. Tim has sent out some resumes and has a phone interview set up for next week. Seems every day we're getting new leads on different jobs in his field. So that's totally great. I've finally gotten to the point where I can talk about what's happening without breaking down in tears. Yay for that! Hopefully something really good will come up soon!

We both agree the silver lining is we know exactly where we stand now. When everything started breaking down at the creamery in late February, we didn't know what it meant for the employees. It felt like we were in limbo for weeks. It still sucks that this is happening, but at least we can move forward now, unlike so many of the other employees there who still don't know for sure if they'll have a job or not when it's all said and done.

Oh, and we do have something fun to look forward to. Tim's sister and her husband are coming to visit next week! We haven't seen them in a while, and this will be their last visit home before moving to New Zealand next month. How cool is that? I hope we're able to visit them in NZ eventually. Heck, if Tim lands a job better than the one he has now, maybe we can eventually afford to! ;-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2.55 miles

Yesterday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

last Tuesday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2 miles

Like being kicked in the crotch

2009-04-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

That's how I am feeling right now.

No, I didn't actually get assaulted in the private area.

Rather, we got a figurative jolt in the nuts via the layoff notice Tim received yesterday.

Come June 1, Tim will no longer have a job at the creamery.

After almost five years of loyal service, this is how it ends.

I have no job. We have bills. And kids who have needs.

I am scared. And worried. And getting angry at the asshat who got the creamery into the current mess it's in. Really angry. Like I want to kick them in the crotch with steel-toed boots.

At least Tim wasn't the only one who got a pink slip yesterday. But that doesn't ease the sting or the realness of what's happening.

But now we have work to do. Tim's already looking for a new job he can jump into when his current job ends. There are so few jobs in this area to begin with, so his job search is in other cities in Northern California. We might have to move again. It will be a pain, but I will gladly move wherever he can find a job.

I hope he's able to land something before Kara starts kindergarten in August, especially if it means moving out of the area. I don't want to pull her from school after she's started, if we can help it.

Meanwhile, I will continue the CNA program I started on Monday and look for a job of my own.

Oh, and if we have to file for unemployment, I will have to get a job to make ends meet. Unemployment will provide less than half the amount of money Tim was making at his job. It would barely cover our mortgage. But it would be better than nothing.

So the future is unclear. I don't know how much I'll be blogging in the immediate future. It seems less important than life right now.

OK finally a (short) race report and TONS of pics!

2009-03-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took me so long to get back here to post about the HM. I am still in the process of taking an online nutrition class, and we had part of a project due today, so that took up a lot of my spare time. But I got it done and can now get back to blogging. Heck, I've only managed a pair of elliptical workouts during the past 10 days now and absolutely no running, although I hope to fix that this weekend. *sigh*

Anyway, the Shamrock'n Half Marathon in Sacramento, CA was totally freakin' awesome! Of course, I had to take the obligatory shot of my running duds the night before. The lovely new pink tech shirt had to be covered the entire race by an old long-sleeved tech shirt, because it was just too chilly to not have real sleeves! The orange thing on my bib (notice my name? I was TOTALLY geeking out over that!) is the disposable timing chip, which I have yet to dispose of and probably won't, LOL:

My dad drove me to Raley Field, home of the Rivercats baseball team (not sure what they are -- AAA, AA? Who knows?). The sign was all lit up at 7 a.m.:

I had never been to Raley Field before. The inside was bigger than I imagined (this was before the masses arrived):

Before long, the stadium was filled up with runners, walkers and their supporters. I was glad my dad stayed with me because I seriously hate being a lone wolf at these things. :-(

Anyway, the start was divided into three waves. The fastest runners took off at 8 a.m., followed by those who expected to run at a 9- to 11-minute/mile pace. The last group was made up of the slow people (those who predicted they'd be slower than 11 minutes per mile -- totally me, but whatever). I didn't really understand that, because they gave you 3 1/2 hours from the start of the final wave before they started reopening roads and whatnot. So basically the fasties (my new term for fast runners) got an extra 20 minutes to finish that the slower runners could have used, but I digress.

Here are the fasties taking off at 8 a.m.:

The rest of us waited in our corrals until it was time to approach the starting line. Finally, before 8:20, we were herded down to where the magic was to begin:

After a few minutes of nervous fidgeting, the countdown started and we were off!! Of course, in a race this big, being "off" means you're just walking at the beginning. My dad took this pic of me, being silly:

Soon enough I was running and enjoying the scenery. Some of the landmarks included:

The historic Tower Bridge, which we ran over twice (yes, I ran the race with my camera in my pocket, and sometimes in my hand):

The state capitol:

Old Town Sacramento:

The Sacramento River:

So I was feeling really freakin' awesome until mile 8. That's when the lack of training started kicking in. This is me at mile 7, right before the fire in my shoes began:

So yeah, around mile 8 was when I noticed my feet, especially my right foot, felt like there was a damn flame under them. And the flame got more and more intense the longer I ran. It was pretty stinkin' awful. I now know that I really need to stick to my long runs on the weekends while training for a HM. It's not that I didn't want to, but I had been battling illnesses and injury and the long runs just weren't happening. So my feet paid a price during the HM.

But I trudged on, basically running from fuel station to fuel station near the end. Eventually, an awesome thing happened: I could see the finish line, located on Raley Field, which was totally cool:

Here's the pic my dad took as I crossed the finish line. See the big screen in the outfield? They showed everyone who finished on it! And they called out every finisher's name on the PA! Good times!

And check out this totally rockin' medal that I got. It's definitely the best one I own (and it's really heavy)!

So that's about it. :-)

I think I've talked my dad into running this one with me next year. It has a HM relay, where the distance is split into two halves and one person runs each half. I think that would be fun, don't you?

OMG, I really suck

2009-03-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

So my sister-in-law reminded me that I haven't yet posted a HM race report or pics, and now it's been a week since the race. Unfortunately, I can't do it at this very second, but I will *try* to do it tonight. I have a bunch of other stuff to do first (homework for my nutrition class, freakin' taxes, housework, etc.) and the blog is kinda the last priority.

Stay tuned......

Second HM in the books!

2009-03-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for the good luck vibes!! I finished the Shamrock'n Half Marathon in Sacramento this morning, and I set a new PR!! That was despite not having the best luck with training and not having "true" long runs on the weekends. My legs are feeling it now, but that's OK. The medal I got rocks! :-)

I am ready to lie down and take a nap, but I will leave you with the official stats. Pics and a report will come soon!

Shamrock'n Half Marathon official stats:

Time: 2:39:27 (old PR was 2:45:24 set last May)
Overall finish: 2968 out of 3603
Division finish: 304 out of 380

So here I am....

2009-03-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

...at 4:30 a.m., too nervous and excited to sleep. I have to leave at 5:30 to get to the half marathon course by 6:30. The organizers said to be there extra early because of the heavy traffic (which caused hundreds of runners to miss the start of the race last year).

I've actually been awake since 3:30 a.m. My sinuses were getting stuffy and then my nose started running. Hate when that happens. So I took a shower, took a pic of my running gear and will be having breakfast soon. My dad will be taking me to the race, and will be sticking around to watch me take off and finish.

I don't really know what else to say right now. I'll likely be functioning on adrenaline for a while. I'm sure I'll probably crash hard when I get home. I think today will be a nap day! :-)

I'll post a race report and pics later. Bye, all!

....and this is why we can't have "nice" things

2009-03-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Because whatever things we do have, it seems there is always a "little person" who comes along and breaks it.

Today was no different. The kids and I were outside. They were playing; I was mowing the lawn. Kara had put some rocks on the grass a long time ago, so I asked her to pick them up and place them in the nearby flower bed so I could mow that area. I turned my back, and heard a crash. Turned back around, and Kara has her hands in her mouth (her signal for "I've done something really bad"). I look at the house, and there's now a softball-size hole in her bedroom window. So instead of listening to me and gently placing the rock in the flower bed, she chucked the rock at the house and broke her own window. Pure genius.

The only saving grace is that the rock only broke the outside plate of glass. We now know our old windows are, indeed, double-paned.

*sigh*

Anyway, we're leaving for Auburn tomorrow. Race is on Sunday!!! Can't wait!! I'm taking my camera along on the run. Should be fun! :-)

Forgot to mention I did run on Wednesday. Just a short track run. Better than nothing!

Wednesday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2 miles

One week away!

2009-03-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

One week left until the Shamrock'n Half Marathon!!! I am getting excited now, despite the issues with my knee. I didn't run at all this week to let it rest. I did go to the track and bust out a quick two-miler today, which felt good. I should probably run on the track a lot more than I do, as the surface is much kinder to my joints. Kara went with me and had a blast running, too. She managed about 3/4 of a mile, which is pretty darn good for a five-year-old! We played on the swings afterward. :-)

So I've resigned to the idea that this HM will be of a just for fun event rather than an event to PR in. The course is supposedly flat and fast, but I think if I PR it will be a freakin' miracle. But I'm OK with that. It should be tons of fun!! There are bands planned to play at every mile (kinda like a Rock 'n Roll HM) and the field is full (4,000 people have registered). Every finisher gets these awesome shamrock-shaped medals. It will be very cool. I'm actually considering leaving Garmin at home for this one, but we'll see how it goes. I will definitely be taking my camera so I can snap some shots as I make my way down the course.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles
Time: 20:56
Pace: 10:28 minute/mile

I think the marathon will have to wait

2009-03-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am bummed about this, but I don't think I will be physically able to do a full marathon this spring. My IT band issues are not being resolved as quickly as I hoped, and this has put a major damper on the HM training. I am still doing the HM in less than two weeks, but I have put my hopes for a PR on the backburner because I am so scared my knee won't let me run the way I want to. My goal now is to just finish.

Plus, things are stressful right now with life in general. The future of Tim's company is a little uncertain due to some things that have happened, so my heart's not really into training right now. I've been looking for a job, just in case. Funny how when things are going well, they seem to go really well. And when they go bad, well, they just blow up in your face and go to hell.

Thursday's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles

Sunday's stats:
Run:
Distance: four miles (was supposed to be nine -- ny knee wouldn't take it)

I didn't die

2009-02-25T00:59:00.000-08:00

That stomach flu didn't kill me. Yay.

I am still in the blogging funk and don't really come to my blog that much anymore. Some strange crap has been going down in real life and I have been feeling pretty depressed the past couple days. I hope the dark cloud over me lifts soon. We had Chinese food tonight, and that did help a little. :-)

I did a nice workout on the Wii Fit afterward to burn off the calories I consumed.

Sunday's stats:
Run:
Distance: seven miles

Tonight's stats:
Wii Fit: 32 minutes

OMG....stomach flu.....puke

2009-02-17T01:01:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, I am so sick right now. Matty has been dealing with the stomach flu (and Kara did earlier, too) and it appears that I have it now. I've been throwing up since about 10 p.m. (it's 1 a.m. now) and am having issues on the other end, too. I am so tired and want to go to sleep, but I am afraid my need to run to the bathroom will get in the way. I want my mommy! :-(

That being said, tomorrow's run is in SERIOUS jeopardy.

500th post!

2009-02-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

Funny, this is my 500th post and I really don't have anything I want to gab about. Sad, no? I am having some pain in my left knee area, which is really bothering me. It kinda radiates from the knee down the back of my calf. So now I'm all paranoid about what's causing it.

I have also been sick, so I didn't run for a week. I did run yesterday, but it was three shades of awful. Probably the least fun five miles I've ever logged. I hope to do a short run tomorrow. And I hope my leg will start feeling better!

Yesterday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 5 (horrible) miles

Who knew...

2009-02-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

...that playing boxing for an hour on the Wii would make one so damn sore? I did that on Friday night, and could barely move my arms the entire weekend. It's so fun though, so it was worth it!

Despite the achy arms, I managed a long run this weekend. It was a run in the rain, which is always fun. I came home cold and wet, but glad I went out. It would have been so easy just so stay at home and lounge under a blanket. But I am getting so close to my HM that I don't have time to sit and lounge when I should be out running.

Thursday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 40 minutes

Friday's stats:
Wii boxing (a real workout!!!)
Time: 1 hour

Sunday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 6.25 miles
Time: 1:11:24

Fake $1 bill

2009-02-03T19:52:00.001-08:00

What kind of loser prints and then distributes fake $1 bills?

I don't know, but said loser and I indirectly crossed paths and I unknowingly ended up with a counterfeit bill in my possession.

Since I am a lazy butt, I will copy and paste what I wrote on Facebook about it:

"Well, a couple weeks ago I took the kids to get ice cream at Rite Aid. Kara had a $5 bill and she wanted to pay, so I let her. They gave her back a $1 and some coin change. She had me put the change in my wallet and didn't ask about it again.

Fast forward to Sunday: I went to WinCo and still had the change in my wallet. I needed to use it to buy something. I handed the bill to the cashier and he looked at it for what seemed like forever. Then he said he thought it looked like a fake and he wouldn't take it. I have never seen a fake before, so how was I supposed to know? Anyway, he made feel like an ASS. I took the bill in question to my bank today, and sure enough they identified it as a fake. I asked what recourse I had, and they told me to take it back to where I got it and see if they would give me a real bill. I did, and thankfully they did. I know it's only a dollar, but the principle of it all really bugs me. I just hope Rite Aid takes that damn bill out of circulation now."

So there you go. My first experience with fake funds. Thank goodness it was only a $1 and not a $20 or something. Then I would have been out for blood.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 44:16
Pace: 11:04 minute/mile

Need to get the blogging bug back

2009-02-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

I am just not into blogging right now. I don't know why, but I feel like it's a chore to do it at this point. I've had blogging funks like this before, and it shall pass. But until then I'll probably be scarce around here.

Oh, but rest assured I have still been running!

Thursday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Sunday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 5 miles

Today's stats:
stretch and strengthen
2 sets x 10 reps or overhead curl, squats, crunches, bicep curl, tricep curl, seated row and pull-up

Kara got a new bed!

2009-01-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

Well, not a new mattress, but a new daybed frame!! I found it on Craigslist the other day and picked it up last night. Took me a while to get it together today, but I did and it's really cute!

Here are a couple pics of her in the new daybed (she just had to jump right in):

Today is supposed to be a run day, but I think I'll do it tomorrow instead. I'm just not feeling motivated to run for some reason. Probably because I'm too tired from fighting with that daybed! I will shoot for an ellipitical workout instead.

Bits and pieces

2009-01-28T00:03:00.000-08:00

My dad has noticed I haven't been blogging much lately. I haven't really felt like it. Thanks, Facebook! That's where I've been spending a big chunk of my online time. But here are a few bits and pieces of what's been going on:

1) I turned in my nursing school application yesterday. Now I have to wait until at least March to find out if I get in this fall or if I have to wait until falll of 2010. I seriously hope I don't have to wait.

2) I still haven't signed up for the marathon yet, but I will. I have until Feb. 28 to sign up for the current price, so expect an update on that within the month.

3) I have been running still, despite not feeling the greatest lately. I have been trying everything to stay well, including using a sinus irrigation treatment that my friend Kristen turned me on to. I can breathe better and I've only used it a couple times.

4) My online nutrition class has been going well. It is super strange not going to an actual classroom, though. I miss my face-time with other adults.

5) We've borrowed a Wii from Tim's co-worker. Damn, that thing is another great time-waster. It's so much freakin' fun, though. Even Kara loves to bowl on it. She's really good, too!

That's about it for now. I will leave off with my stats for the past week or so.

Thursday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 20 minutes

Sunday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 5 miles

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.5 miles

Marathon

2009-01-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Geez, that's a scary word.

Why am I so intimidated by it? Maybe because I know it's 26.2 miles. That's a lot.

But here I am, contemplating whether I want to try my first marathon in May.

OMG. What am I thinking?

Maybe it's because I'm starting to feel good about running again. I've had a pretty good month so far and have been sticking to my HM training plan.

Maybe it's because I want a (HUGE) challenge.

Maybe I am nuts.

But whatever. I am mulling over throwing my hat in the ring for the marathon at the Avenue of the Giants. If I chicken out, I still have the HM. I would hope if I decide to go for it (and train for it) that I won't chicken out!!

So for those of you who have run a full marathon before, how hard of a choice was it to commit to it? Was it worth it? Would you do it again? I guess I just need some advice from people who have been there, done that.

Yesterday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.75 miles

Kara lost her second tooth today

2009-01-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

Imagine that! On the eve of her fifth birthday.

The tooth fairy is going to be busy with this child.

I took a pic, but I'm too lazy (and tired) to load it tonight.

I will update my stats, however. The HM training is going really well!!

Tuesday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3 miles

Thursday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Friday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3 miles

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 4.25 miles

The great time waster, part 2

2009-01-12T21:14:00.001-08:00

So I have recently become addicted to Facebook. I have reconnected with a lot of former co-workers and classmates on that site. Talk about a time waster! But it's so freakin' addictive that I can't help myself. So if anyone still reads this blog (and is not already my friend on there), give me a holler so I can add you. :-)

Tomorrow is an early-morning run, so I'd better get to bed eventually.

Today's stats:
Stretch and strengthen
10 reps x 2 sets of: overhead curls, squats, abs, bicep curl, tricep curl, rows and pull-ups

The great time waster

2009-01-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Marcy for passing along this awesome time-wasting Web site (yes, I am aware she posted it a couple months ago now, but I am slowly trying to catch up on my blog reading).

Just thought I'd share the results.

Me (on my way to a KISS concert, no doubt):

Tim:

Kara:

Matty:

My dad (John; circa 1960s, apparently):

My mom (Linda):

And my sister (Valerie, which looks a lot like Tim when he has facial hair):

Looks like a few of us went over to Thailand for gender reassignment. Because, as you can see, this is a totally accurate representation of the human race, in general. ;-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 44:33
Pace: 11:08 minute/mile

Yeah, I really am slower in the dark

2009-01-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Today was another pre-dawn run. This time, the dark was accompanied by rain. Fun, fun.

I definitely run slower in the dark. I am pretty sure it's because I am afraid of tripping and falling. So I am extra cautious in the dark. That's OK. At least I am out there getting my workout done.

Today called for three miles. That is what I did. Came home soaked with rain and sweat. Guess that's the sign of a good run. :-)

Tomorrow's a rest day, according to the program. I think I will take advantage of that!

Yesterday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3 miles

Up before the roosters

2009-01-06T08:14:00.001-08:00

I woke up at 6 a.m. today to get ready for my run. First let me say that 6 is really, really early for me. Apparently it's too early for the sun, as well. I ate breakfast, got dressed and sat around for 40 minutes, hoping the sun would start to rise. Nope.

So I grabbed a flashlight and headed out into the dark, misty air. I am not a fan of darkness (at least being out in it by myself), so I guess I was being brave. After about 1/2 mile I started feeling OK about being out so early. Just then I encountered another runner going the opposite direction. He was the only person out that time of the morning, but it was nice to know I wasn't alone.

It wasn't until the last 3/4 mile that I heard a rooster crow in a backyard of a home in the subdivision I was running in. It was now dawn and I was able to turn my flashlight off, but all I could think was how annoying it would be to live next to that guy with the crowing rooster.

The run itself was a bit slower than Saturday's, but that was mainly because it was so dark even with a flashlight and I didn't want to trip. The HM training program called for three miles today, but I ran 3.25 miles because I was too far from home at the end of three (I had to get back here quickly to get Kara up for school so Tim could take her).

I am planning to do my weekday runs early in the morning so I can have the rest of my day free. The nice thing is it's only 8:20 now and I am totally done working out for the day! And I feel *awake* for once!

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.25
Time: 36:10
Pace: 11:10 minute/mile

First "official" day of HM training!

2009-01-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

Today kicked off the "official" start of my HM training. I am following the Hal Higdon novice HM training schedule, which I (loosely) followed before I ran my first HM last May. I like it because it's simple.

Today called for stretch and strengthening. So I stretched and used my Total Bodyworks strength training machine (for the first time in about 11 months, LOL). It was a nice, low-key workout. Tomorrow morning calls for a three-mile run. I am hoping I can get up really early and get it done before Tim goes to work and Kara goes to school. I really need to start doing my workouts in the morning, because waiting the whole day to do it is a drag. I have to train myself to be a "morning person" (or just fake like I am). My HM starts at 8 a.m., and I will have to get up really early just to get there. Better start preparing my body now!

Today's stats:
Stretching before and after workout
Strength (10 reps, 2 sets): overhead pull, squats, abs, bicep curl, tricep curl, seated row

HM training has started!

2009-01-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a perfect day for a run. Partly sunny yet crisp, with the temperature in the mid-40s and only a slight breeze.

I bundled up and headed out, planning to run about 2.5 miles (my "official" day of the HM training program is Monday, but I figured I'd use the weekend to get a head-start). I ended up going three miles instead. I had some new tunes on my iPod which, when coupled with the weather, made for a wonderful time. It felt so good to get back out there and have a good run. I am still woefully slow again, but I am not worried about that, as I will get faster again. I am just glad to be back at it.

Oh, and I think I want to switch things up this year, race-wise. I have become accustomed to doing several small races, both in distance and participant numbers (I did eight of them last year). This year, I want to do a few big races and maybe one or two small ones. I think that will keep me from getting bored.

So, if I have my way, I will be doing three HMs this year: the Shamrock'n HM in Sacramento (March), the Avenue of the Giants in Weott (May) and the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll HM (October). The last one is kind of a dream right now, but I hope I can make it a reality if my schedule allows me to. If I can't swing that one, I will probably do the Humboldt Redwoods HM in October.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 32:35
Pace: 10:52 minute/mile

Now they can drive themselves to kindergarten

2009-01-02T18:01:00.001-08:00

Just sharing a couple pics of the kids' new rides, courtesy of Santa. Yeah, the big guy pulled through this year, despite the crummy economy. The pics were taken today, as we had a brief break in the rain.

Tomorrow will (hopefully!) be the start of HM training. See ya'll then! :-)

The best-laid plans...

2008-12-30T18:20:00.000-08:00

...always seem to crumble before fruition.

For example, I was supposed to go running several days ago as the kick-off for my HM training. Then that night I started feeling ill, and the next morning I woke up with a throat on fire and the right side of my neck swollen like a balloon. Oh, and the rest of me didn't feel that great, either.

Tim and Matty were also under the weather. We were supposed to drive the six hours to my parents house to spend the week, but that didn't happen due to the illnesses.

Today we all went to the doctor and found:

1) Matty has strep throat;
2) I have a bacterial infection in my throat, although not strep;
3) Tim is still sick with something no one can really figure out.

When it was all said and done, Matty and I got antibiotics, and Tim got a shot in his arse. I also got generic Predisone for my swollen lymph nodes and some cough syrup with codeine for my cough and fiery throat.

The only person who has (so far) escaped unscathed is Kara. Fingers and toes crossed that she doesn't get sick, too!

Luckily, my parents decided they can come to us, and plan on making the pilgrimage here tomorrow. It will be nice to see them, although they will walk head-long into a messy house (sorry, that's what happens when Momma gets sick!).

I am hoping (praying, although I'm not really the praying type) to be well enough to start training around the first of the year. Seems a perfect time to start anew, no?

Post-Christmas splurge

2008-12-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

It's not often that I truly splurge on something. I tend to be a cheapskate for most things, including clothing and shoes for myself.

Well, not today. I just spent a cool dime (LOTS of them) on some new boots. I have been DYING for a pair of nice boots to keep my feet warm and dry this winter. I live in an area where rain is the norm this time of year, and my old running shoes (which have been retired to run-around-town shoes) just don't cut it when there are puddles out. So I used some of my Christmas money to buy these:

They're Uggs boots, the Endell model. They are so cute!! I had to order them online, since I can't find a size 11 in the stores to save my life. But that's OK, since the shipping was free. I can't wait to get them!! *happy dance*

I have a run planned for tomorrow. It's supposed to be raining. I bought myself a warm hat today for running, so I guess I'll just have to bundle up. :-)

So, what did YOU get for Christmas?

**COMING BACK TO ADD**

I finally registered for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon in Sacramento in March!! Now it's time to get serious about the training!! :-)

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

2008-12-24T23:29:00.000-08:00

For most of you guys, it is officially Christmas Day! We still have 30 minutes to go here on the left coast. Kara is asleep, but Matty is still awake (although in bed). I need him to conk out so I can finish being Santa!

Merry Christmas!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2.6 miles

Holy cow! What happened to me?

2008-12-21T23:27:00.001-08:00

I didn't realize I had been gone from blogdom so long. I feel kinda bad about it. At the same time, I haven't felt terribly "bloggy" lately. Maybe I just needed a break from writing. A tiny mental vacation, if you will.

So to answer the burning question: Yes, I have started running again! I ran three times this past week, which is a great restart. Not long distances, but I need to work on rebuilding my base, which has suffered greatly the past few months. I really, really, REALLY love my new running kicks. Running is much more enjoyable when your legs don't hurt afterward.

I will leave you now with my stats for the past week, as it's late and I am TIRED!
:-)

Last Sunday:
Elliptical: 20 minutes
Run: 2 miles

Tuesday:
Bike: 10 minutes, 2.5 miles
Run: 2.25 miles

Thursday:
Elliptical: 30 minutes

Saturday:
Elliptical: 20 minutes
Run: 2.5 miles

I GOT AN A!!!!!!!

2008-12-13T23:02:00.003-08:00

Yes, I got a straight A in microbiology. My 4.0 is still intact!!!! Woo hoo!!!!

Sorry it's so fugly

2008-12-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

My blog background, that is. I was trying to be festive and get in the Christmas spirit. So I chose this background. The more I look at it, the more fugly I think it looks. I will be changing it soon (like probably tonight).

Tomorrow is the big day!! It will be my first day back our running. It looks like it's going to be cold and rainy, but I don't care. I will bundle up and go out and enjoy every last second. I have been dying to get out running again. I tried the new shoes out today on the elliptical. They are awesome!

I am thinking I will register for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon today or tomorrow. I need that carrot to motivate me. I am so excited to do a big race! And I mean big as in there will be thousands of participants, not just hundreds. I am thinking this next year I will focus on a few big races rather than dozens of small races. It will be nice to shake things up a bit.

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

I need encouragement, ya'll

2008-12-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the doctor. Not only do I have a sinus infection ('tis the season), but I also have bronchitis. That would explain the nasty crap I have been coughing up and the icky feeling in my chest.

This really has put a huge damper on my running. I have been too sick to attempt a run in the past week or so. I am feeling really pathetic and pretty much like a failure at this point. I want to get back into running. I NEED it. I am tired of being sick (thank goodness I will be getting antibiotics tonight, at least). The past 1 1/2 months has sucked for my running, and I feel awful about it.

I was really hoping to kick-start my running again this week. I got my new Mizunos on Monday and today was *supposed* to be a running day. But now that I have bronchitis, I don't think running in the cold is a great idea. And on Thursday I have a scheduled colonoscopy (yes, I am too young for these, in theory. But my Crohn's disease makes it so I need one every two years), so I will be out of commission for a day or two. Tomorrow is my "prep" day, and anyone who's had a colonoscopy knows "prep" is another word for "sucks to be you." Prepping for the procedure is really disgusting (and time consuming) and much worse than the colonoscopy itself.

One good thing is that I took my microbiology final today, so now I am done with school for the semester. I feel REALLY good about the test, too. There is a good chance I have a solid A in that class, not just an A-. But I know I have at least the A-, which rocks. One less thing to stress over, I guess.

Anyway, I am aiming for this weekend to restart my running/training schedule. I need to fill the running void. I miss it a lot. And I really need to start training for the HM I want to do in March. Training would just be so much easier if I wasn't sick all the damn time!

So if you have any words of encouragement, or any advice, feel free to pass it along. I am feeling down, but I know I'm not out. I just have a massive amount of ground to make up.

Holy hell

2008-12-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

I have the most painful zit on my chin right now. It hurts so damn bad, I can't even tell you. And it's one of those unpoppable types, which I hate with a passion. It just sits there and throbs. Thank goodness I am no longer in high school because this stupid thing would likely kill my social life. I almost feel like I should name it, seeing as it's like a second head and all. Guess I'll call it Charlie.

My bloggy/mommy friend Caren has tagged me for a fun round of holiday Q&A (geez, what are these really called? A survey? I have no clue!) Anyway, the rules are:

1. Post the rules on your blog. (OK, what? I copied and pasted this from Caren's blog, but I still don't know where the "rules" are. Am I just having a senior moment?)

2. Fill out the questions; Tag 5-7 people at the end of your post; Pass on the tag!

Here goes nothing!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both!!! I HEART egg nog!! Tim HATES egg nog! LOL!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just leave them under the tree? Santa wraps. More fun for the kiddos that way.

3.Colored lights on house/tree or white? We currently have white lights on our tree (a pre-lit fake one), and we own white icicle lights for the outside. But I also like colored lights (Kara LOVES them!).

4.Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put up your decorations up? When I feel like it. Usually there's no real timeline.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Um, I don't really know. Whatever is on the table?

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Lots of them. Especially the year I finally got the pony I had been begging for. Oh wait, that didn't happen. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? HE'S NOT REAL????!!!!!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No. I think if we did, all the presents would get opened on Christmas Eve, since I live in a house with impatient people (myself included)

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Right now, it just has lights on it. The kids can't keep their dang hands off the ornaments (Matty's broken two this week so far), so I am thinking maybe we'll just skip the ornaments this year.

11. Snow. Love it or dread it? Love it, but we never get it here.

12. Can you ice skate? Never been, so I don't know. My guess is......no. Unless skating on your butt counts.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? All of them (except for the underwear my grandma used to give me as a child)

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you? Seeing how much my kids love this time of year.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Anything with sugar in it

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Getting together with family, although sometimes I miss seeing my side of the family (we live very close to Tim's family, so we spend time with them)

17. What tops your Christmas Tree? A gold-painted macaroni star that Kara made last year in preschool

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving, although receiving can be cool, too, as long as it's not underwear from your grandma

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I've never really thought about it....

20. Candy Canes. Yum or Yuck? Eh........

21. What do you want for Christmas? An electric woodstove, which Tim said is "impractical" (that's my middle name, I guess)

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? Nope.

23. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJ's? Just PJ's. Like to keep it casual.

24. Do you own a Santa hat? Yeah, we actually have three of them.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? With Tim, the kids and usually Tim's parents and his sister Becky and her husband John. But they will be in Thailand this year, so we won't be seeing them. Bummer for us. :-(

So there it is.

I don't really know who to tag now, so if anyone reads this (you know, all three of you who comment), feel free to give it a shot. It was fun, actually!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Well, I fixed my elliptical machine

2008-12-05T23:54:00.000-08:00

Yep, I was able to fix my elliptical all by myself last night, and tonight I was able to actually work out on it. My fix was simple but effective (added a metal washer to the outside of the plastic disc that fell off, so now the washer and bolt are holding that plastic part on). We'll see how long this fix lasts (hopefully forever, LOL).

But my new shoes are still AWOL. And now there's a chance I have pink eye. That's on top of the cold I've been fighting that is turning my voice into that of a smoker. Fun stuff.

At least my microbiology class is almost over. I have my final on Tuesday, and I am home free!! Oh, and I got 100 percent on my unknown microbe report, so yay for that!! An A is still a possibility, although an A- isn't bad. I would love to keep my 4.0 GPA intact, though. It's the first time in my life that I've had a 4.0 cumulative (so far for three classes).

I didn't write about this before, but our old washer died last weekend (our dryer had been dying too, as it wouldn't get warm anymore). Good timing, since there were sales going on everywhere at that point. I went to Sears and picked out a new washer/dryer set. The set arrived today! I have been washing clothing all day, and I've been happy about it!! I usually hate laundry, but it's more fun when you have new toys to play with. :-)

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Day 3, Week 1 of 100 PUP

Any day now

2008-12-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

I am the first to admit I am not a patient person. But I ordered my new running shoes on Nov. 17 and they're STILL not here! I know the company said they'd be here between seven and 14 working days, but I was really hoping it would have been closer to seven than 14. I am DYING to get these things! I am DYING to get out there for longer runs again. Don't they understand I am DYING here?

Anyway, this is (finally) crunch time for my microbiology class. One week left as of tomorrow. I have a report due on Thursday and my final on Tuesday of next week, and that is all she wrote. I am ready for some time off! I'll have about six weeks off school before I start spring semester, which consists of only one online class. But I have to fill out my nursing school application in the meantime, as that is due in late January. Then the real wait begins. I've heard from many sources that any new applicant has a snowball's chance in hell of getting into fall 2009, since the waiting list is so long. So it looks like I'll be starting in fall 2010. In the meantime, I will be looking for a part-time job in the healthcare field.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10 miles

Day 1 of Week 1 of 100 PUP (I am trying this bitch again. I hate that I have failed so far)

The Tooth Fairy cometh!

2008-11-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

All that work wiggling the loose tooth finally paid off tonight:

Crazy couple of days

2008-11-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

My friend Kristen and I hit the Black Friday sales nice and early. We got to K-Mart at 4 a.m. And there was no one there (except tired, grumpy-looking employees who were telling us to F-off with their eyes). So we headed back to her house for a spell, got some donuts and coffee at this 24-hour place and went back to K-Mart at 4:30 (store opened at 6). Yeah, still no one there, which was a tad surprising. We staked out our claim right in front of the door and enjoyed our coffee and donut (the best donut I have had in FOREVER, BTW).

Around 4:45 another guy showed up. We ended up talking to him as a few other people trickled into line. At 5:30, a bunch of people showed up, and I was suddenly thankful we were there early! Unlike the people at the Wal-Mart in New York (I am assuming everyone here has heard about that tragedy), the people in line here were cordial and polite. It was almost like a big party, with people laughing and talking. Eventually (felt like a million years) the doors opened and I was first in the store.

I was there for one thing and one thing only. This:

I wanted a blue one for Matty, since we got Kara the Barbie Jeep she's been fawning over (and wishing for, LOUDLY, every day. No freakin' joke). I could see them through the window as we waited, and there were only four of them on the shelf! Being there first sure paid off, because I was able to claim one for him easily. Thank goodness!! The regular price was $137, so $89 was a steal! Plus, I had a $5 off coupon that I used, and that made it even better!

So now both the kids are taken care of for Christmas. Whew!!

Of course, our 9 1/2-year-old clothes washer decided to die on us yesterday. Thankfully there were some good deals at Sears, so I was able to get a new washer and dryer (ours now takes 3-4 cycles to dry anything) for pretty cheap. They won't be here until Friday, which is kind of a bummer.

Anyway, I started feeling a little under the weather yesterday and still felt a little funky today, so I took the weekend off from working out. I hope to feel well enough tomorrow to start again.

I should be out Turkey Trotting....

2008-11-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

...but someone (*cough* Matty *cough*) turned the volume of my clock radio all the way down so I couldn't hear it when it went off at 7 a.m. My eyes popped open just before 8. I had to be out of here by 7:30 to make the race (didn't start until 9, but it takes a while to drive there and I hadn't registered yet). So instead of racing right now, I am sitting here, preparing to eat a bowl of oatmeal and plotting my own Turkey Trot. Sure, I am disappointed since this was to be my last race of the season, but as long as I get out there for a 5K today, I will survive. LOL.

I made sure to turn the volume back up after I woke up so I don't miss out on the Black Friday sales tomorrow morning. Kristen and I have a (very) early shopping date, which means I have to be up by 3 a.m. Gulp!!

Will come back later to post stats. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

**BACK TO ADD**
Run:
Distance: 3.31 miles :-)

Thank goodness for extended warranties

2008-11-25T23:03:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful I purchased an extended warranty on my elliptical machine. I had just started using it tonight when I heard something fall on the floor. I looked down, and a part of my machine was lying on the ground. It wasn't a big part (a plastic disc that attaches to the side where the arms are attached), but it made it so the arms began falling off. The plastic just cracked and the whole thing just fell off. I have to call tomorrow to see if I can get it fixed soon. Bummer.

I took my micro test today. I actually feel like I did well! I only have a report to type and a final test and I will be done with this class!! Only two weeks left! Woo hoo!!!!

Still waiting for my new shoes. The suspense is killing me! Blah!

Today's stats:
Bike:
Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 7.44 miles

Taking a backseat

2008-11-24T09:23:00.001-08:00

This blog has been taking a bit of a backseat to life right now. I am in the thick of things with micro class, and even though we only have a few weeks left, there is so much left to do! We have a test tomorrow, which I am NOT looking forward to. We just had a test last week, although that was a lab practical and this one is a lecture test. Then we have a report to write up, which I will likely spend Thanksgiving weekend working on. And on Dec. 9 we have our final. It all makes for a very stressed me.

But I did manage a pretty good run yesterday. It's the best one I've had in a month, which isn't saying much because it's only the third run I've done in the past four weeks. But it was far better than last week's huge turkeys. I think part of it was because I finally got a good night's sleep the night before. We got a "new" mattress on Saturday. It's about six months old and I got it at an estate sale. It's one of those Tempurpedic-type beds, but sold through Costco. And they only wanted $100 for it!! (They retail for $799 right now.) Anyway, it is super comfy and I slept so incredibly well on Saturday night, it's not even funny. I actually look forward to going to bed now. LOL!

Yesterday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2.5 miles
Pace: 10:50 minute/mile (I don't remember the exact finish time, but for some reason I remember this)

Friday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

A visit from the Tooth Fairy is imminent

2008-11-21T10:07:00.001-08:00

Kara is about ready to lose her first tooth! It's one of her bottom front teeth, and it is REALLY loose. She's been wiggling it and saying she wants to pull it out. I think she really wants the cashola from TF (she's become interested in taking all my spare change lately to put in her piggy bank). I predict that tooth will be out in the next day or two. :-)

I am waiting (impatiently) for my new running shoes to arrive. Running is so miserable with my old shoes. But I really want to be out running more again. *sigh* I really need to get serious because I think I will be doing that HM in Sacramento in March. I am even foregoing two other races I have done the past two years (Trinidad to Clam Beach and Foggy Bottom) just so I can save the money to pay for the HM. The idea of that race excites me more than the other two right now, anyway.

I didn't work out last night, but I did on Wednesday. I will probably stick to the elliptical today and possibly venture out for a short run tomorrow before heading off to study for (ANOTHER) micro test. I have just a few weeks left of this class! I am so excited!

Wednesday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Oh, look at my pretties

2008-11-17T16:46:00.001-08:00

Aren't they divine??

My new running shoes are on their way! I found a great deal online on the Mizuno Wave Alchemy's that I am in love with. (Thank you to everyone who suggested looking online. I really do like to support the local running store, but in this economy I really need to get things as inexpensively as possible.) These are version 8 (mine are only version 6) and I got them on sale for less than $80! And no tax or shipping fees! They retail for $100 normally, so I feel like I got a good deal. And I didn't have to drive anywhere!! I should see my much-needed new kicks in the next week or two. :-)

There is a race I want to do next year. It's called the Shamrock'n Half Marathon, and it's in Sacramento. My parents live near SacTown, so it's totally doable. They say it's a flat course, near the banks of the Sacramento River. I am just dying to do another HM, and this one really sounds exciting to me! I should know in the next day or two if I'm going to register (I really, really want to!!).

OK, that's it for now. I haven't worked out yet today, but am planning to use the elliptical tonight. I'll post stats later.

Tonight's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Fish are addicting

2008-11-16T23:21:00.000-08:00

We got our fourth fish yesterday. Another fantail goldfish with interesting dark orange and white patterning. Named him Finn (the white fantail is officially Fanny). :-)

I ran again today. It's nice to be out there again, but I certainly need new shoes. If the nearest running store wasn't freakin' 40 minutes away, it would be a lot easier to get said shoes. I need to make a real effort to get them because I am running on totally worn-out shoes.

And I just have to share this fun Christmas tidbit with you guys (thankfully Kara can't read yet and doesn't access my blog, LOL). I found Kara's big Christmas present on craigslist this year. I have become a serious CL nut, selling stuff to earn extra cash and buying a few things here and there. Well, Kara had been hitting me up big time to buy her a Barbie Power Wheels Jeep. You know, the kind a kid can actually drive. They are EXPENSIVE! There was no way I was going to spend a minimum of $229 on something, then tack on another $30 for shipping and another $25 for taxes!

So I searched CL and found one for sale near my parents. They were asking $89 for it!
Long story short, I set it up with the seller for my dad to pick it up and pay him, and we will pay back my parents. So now this beautiful Barbie Jeep is sitting in my parents' house, waiting for us to visit at Christmas and surprise Kara (pic from the actual CL ad):

Needless to say, I am quite excited! :-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles

Check out the fish!

2008-11-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

So not only do our fish have some cool new digs, but they have a new roommate, as well. We got a fantail goldfish today. They were on sale for 99 cents. LOL! I think it's very pretty!!

The new tank (yeah, they have a castle. Jealous?):

New fish (no name yet):

I did manage a run, but it wasn't until this afternoon. All I can say is that almost three weeks without running is way too long! The first 1/2 mile felt horrid. It did get better, but it was a struggle, to be sure. This month is going to suck for running, which is doubly crappy since this month marks my two year running anniversary. I have quite a bit of ground to make up.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles

Our fish are gonna live like kings (or queens)

2008-11-13T22:39:00.000-08:00

Our fish, Tommy and Rainbow Fish, got a new setup tonight. It wasn't long after we got them that we realized a 2.5-gallon tank is REALLY small. So tonight we upgraded them to a 10-gallon palace, complete with filter and pump and lights. I got the tank kit on sale for $30, so I feel good about that. Tomorrow night we'll transfer them to the new home and I'll take some pics. Even Tim was really excited about the new tank because it looks beautiful in our kitchen.

As for the workout front, not much has been happening. I did exercise last night, but I haven't run at all. I want to try a run tomorrow morning, if I can get up early enough. It needs to be in the morning or it won't happen at all, since it gets dark so early now. I guess I should get to bed soon if I want to wake up early, as I am wiped out from a crummy night's sleep last night.

Yesterday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

That must be a record or something

2008-11-10T23:47:00.000-08:00

So I stayed away from this here blog for six whole days. And I didn't work out for six days, either.

Well, it wasn't really my plan to be AWOL like that. I ended up getting sick last Wednesday and spent a few days in bed. When I finally was able to drag myself out of bed, I didn't think exercising would be the smartest thing to undertake. So I chilled out for a few days, hoping you guys would miss me. :-)

Anyway, I did manage a workout tonight, and I am hoping for a short run tomorrow afternoon during my school break. Nope, I haven't gotten new running shoes yet, but I hope to get some soon. Until then, I will keep the running to a minimum.

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Election Day 2008

2008-11-04T13:52:00.001-08:00

Did you?

Today's stats:
Elliptical (I need new running shoes, dammit!):
Time: 30 minutes

Meet Tommy and Rainbow Fish

2008-11-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Kara came home last week with a certificate for a free goldfish from the pet store. We went in today to redeem it and buy a basic fish set-up, only to find that every kid in town had come by to redeem their certificates, thereby draining the store of the 17-cent fish.

The owner felt so bad that we trudged out in the pouring rain to collect such a small prize that she gave both Kara and Matty a similar fish for free. And these fish were selling for $3.50 a piece! Take that, cheap goldfish! Kara was so excited! I bought a small tank, gravel and chlorine-removing drops, and the owner threw in a fish net and some food for free, too.

So here are Tommy and Rainbow Fish, as named by Kara (who was hamming it up in the background):

I'll be back later to post stats. It's definitely going to be an indoor workout day, as it's totally storming outside.

Trick or treat!

2008-11-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to downtown Fortuna for some trick-or-treating yesterday afternoon. Most of the merchants there hand out candy between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m. It's a great alternative for younger children. This was the third year we've participated in this particular event. I have some pictures I will share in a minute.

Afterward, I took Kara out to a subdivision around the corner from our house. We had never ventured over there for Halloween before, but it was totally awesome! Literally hundreds of kids and parents were out and about, and nearly every house had someone giving away candy. There was one residence where they set up a haunted house in the garage. Kara was really blown away by that. She was so enraptured she forgot her line (but they gave her candy anyway). She had a great time! And I had never experienced a Halloween like that before, since we lived in a rural area. We had to be driven from home to home to do our trick-or-treating.

When it was said and done, we must have hit more than 50 homes. Kara's plastic treat pumpkin was filled to the brim.

OK, here are a few pics:

The kids and Tim. Matty wasn't terribly happy for a few minutes (he was tired):

Kara, looking like a mermaid model:

Matty, rawr!:

We heart SpongeBob!:

Best costume EVER! (The dad was a murderer holding a hatchet and the daughter was a victim's head in the freezer):

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

I'll rest when I'm dead

2008-10-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

LOL!!

I haven't been very good at getting enough sleep lately. I spent a total of seven hours over three days staining our deck before the rain arrived this evening. That combined with going to class for hours on Tuesday and today, taking care of the kids and all the other random chores I need to do have really taken their toll on me. I am just exhausted!!

But I did manage a workout this evening on the elliptical. I threw in push ups for good measure. The weather is supposed to be crap here for several days, so I think I might just take a little break from running. Plus, I still really need new shoes. I don't want to run in my old ones anymore because they hurt my legs so badly now. :-(

Tomorrow is Halloween!! Kara has been looking forward to it for weeks now. She's going to be The Little Mermaid (her idol). Their preschool had a Halloween party today, so both kids came home hopped up on sugar. Tim was told that they had been eating all day when he picked them up. Sure enough, neither wanted to eat dinner, so I didn't force it. Then Matty collapsed in bed around 7 p.m.

I'll post pics of our Halloween outing this weekend!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Week 2, Day 2 100 PUP:
Total push ups: 53

I am pooped

2008-10-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

I had a really rough couple days. I was studying for my second lab practical, which was today. My brain is now frazzled. I feel like I did pretty well on the test, though, so all the stress and studying was worth it.

I need new shoes. My legs are still achy from Sunday's race. Not a good thing. I need a job so I can buy myself running gear! LOL! Seriously, I am thinking about getting a part-time job at a local assisted living facility once the semester is over. I have met a few people who work there, and the facility is constantly looking for good people who aren't right out of high school to work there. I think a future RN would be a good candidate, don't you? So we'll see what happens.

I'm going to head to bed soon. I need a good night's sleep!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Week 2 Day 2 of 100 PUP:
Total push ups: 51

I did race today!

2008-10-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

So the 2008 Monster Dash is in the books, and it was a fun race!

But I am glad I didn't dress up in costume. My idea -- to be a microorganism -- would have had me severely overdressed for the conditions, as it was around 80 degrees at race time. That is hot for us coastal types! Plus, my microbiology teacher didn't even show up for the race (she said she was going to), so the whole costume would have been lost on everyone else.

That's OK, though, because I had a good time and got a nice run in.

I still don't know my finish time (left Garmin at home), but I will post it once the official times are listed on the Internet. I know I didn't set a PR, since it was so stinkin' hot.

Today's stats:
Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: ???

Tomorrow is race day!

2008-10-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the Monster Dash race I am planning on running. I am so excited!! I actually went back and forth on whether I should run it, but in the end I decided it just sounded too fun and I didn't want to miss out!

I really want a witty running T-shirt. I found a lot on Cafepress.com. Here are a couple of my favorites:

(This one makes me LOL because it's true sometimes):

O.M.G........!!!!!!

2008-10-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

I *cannot* believe I just did this!!!!

After nearly two years of running, I FINALLY broke the 30-minute mark for a three-mile run!!!

I don't have time to write much now (have to shower and go to school), but I just got back from my three-miler and my time was...........

29:42!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy &$#%!!!!!!!! *happy dance*

Today's stats:
Bike:
Time: 20 minutes
Distance: five miles

followed by my PR run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 29:42
Pace: 9:54 minute/mile

Yesterday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Matty's owie

2008-10-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

So it was a struggle, but we took a pic tonight of Matty's owie and stitches. Poor little guy. (It's not a great pic because he's such a wiggle worm!):

Despite the stitches, he was in a good mood when I dropped him off to preschool this morning. Good thing, since I had a test to take. I think I did OK on it. I actually feel a tad more confident about it than the first lecture test we took. But it's hard to tell with this class, as the tests always have a trick or two in them.

Switching gears, there is another race I want to do this weekend. It's the Monster Dash 5K, and it is a costume run (if you choose to dress up, that is). I was thinking of costumes that would be pretty cheap, and I think I have one that would make my micro teacher proud (she's supposed to be running this race, too).

Warning: this idea proves I am a science dork now. I was thinking of buying some inexpensive dark purple sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt, and writing "I (heart shape) O2" on the front of the shirt. If I was really ingenious, I would make some sort of headpiece and stick a big green ball on the end. Guess what I am? A Gram-positive bacillus that is an obligate aerobe and can produce endospores. OMG, I AM SUCH A DORK NOW! But I love this idea because the only person who would "get it" is my teacher (and any other former/current micro student who might be around).

Anyway, I got a run in today. My legs ached afterward. Definitely time for new shoes.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles

Stressful night

2008-10-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

I was already stressed out this evening because I have a test in micro tomorrow.

And then Matty had to go and split his chin open while playing cars in the kitchen with Kara.

What followed were a few minutes of hysterics, and then a trip to the ER, where he ended up with four stitches in his chin. He took it like a man though, almost falling asleep on the papoose board they strapped him to (thank goodness for that thing!!).

So here it is, 11:30 p.m., and I have to get back to studying after this traumatic event. I am dreading this test tomorrow. I am hoping it's not as hard as I think it will be.

Meanwhile, we're still trying to get the kids to bed (since we got back from the ER a few minutes ago) and now I hear someone crying. Ugh. Thank goodness I got a short workout in earlier this evening or I would go completely insane.

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Followed by Week one, Day one of 100 Push Up Challenge (I have to start over AGAIN! Damn lack of motivation!)

I got a job!

2008-10-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

I landed a little job today. It's not a 9-to-5 gig or anything, and I won't be hauling in tons of cash, but it will provide me a bit of extra money in the end. And the best part is I won't have to leave campus to do it.

Our college has a program for disabled students. Anybody with any type of disability, whether it be mental, learning, physical, etc., can apply for help through the disabled students program. One of the types of help offered is note taking for classes.

My teacher put out a plea yesterday for someone to become the official note taker for the disabled students. She had some people earlier in the semester saying they would do it, but they all flaked. Basically, if you have legible handwriting, take decent notes and have a good GPA, you can qualify. The note taker makes photo copies of their notes at the end of each class session (at the center, so you don't have to fork over any money), puts them in a folder and signs in on a sheet of paper saying they've copied notes for the students who need them. That's it.

I told my teacher I was interested (since her email indicated there would be money involved) and she directed me to the disabled students office. I went there today to apply. There were like 30 pieces of paper I had to fill out and sign, including a W-9 form for taxes (damn tax man!). But in the end, they welcomed me with open arms because they were desperate for anybody to do this job. LOL! Oh, and come the end of the semester, I will be receiving a $50 check. I told you it wasn't a lot, but every little bit helps, especially around the holidays.

So there you have it. I start my new job tomorrow. :-)

Oh, and I've still been having a lot of luck selling things on CraigsList. Today I sold a pair of new toddler boots that Kara outgrew before she could wear them, and a futon mattress. I've previously sold a crib, jacket, baby monitor and set of stacking tables. A folding bookshelf I put on there has netted me emails from nine different people and I have accepted an offer on it, although we haven't made the exchange yet. And another woman wants me to call her so she can buy my infant car seat I have listed. I think I'll do that tomorrow.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: don't know, don't care

Blabbity blab

2008-10-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

I need to put aside some time to do a real post. But it's not gonna happen tonight. Got caught up watching a show after the kids went to bed, and now it's late and I have school in the morning. So I'm off to shower and hit the hay. Maybe I'll have more time tomorrow.....

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Loser

2008-10-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

No race for me today

2008-10-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

I opted out of the beach race today. I was running a few minutes behind, and when I got to the location the wind was so strong that it was making my truck shake while I was parked. I looked across the beach to the starting area and everyone looked like they were freezing (it was a chilly day). I thought for a minute and decided that five miles of running in strong winds on sand wasn't my cup of tea. Only 25 people ended up doing that race, anyway.

I headed instead to the Hammond Trail in nearby McKinleyville. It was beautiful. The winds were still strong there, but not quite as bad. And I could still see the ocean in the distance as I ran. It was a good compromise.

The rest of the day was a blur because it flew by. The kids and I ended up going to my friend Kristen's house to help her put together a new trampoline in her backyard. Kara got to play on it and loved it. She said she wants one of her own. If we had a real backyard, I would get one. Oh well.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.3 miles
Time: not sure because I accidentally restarted my Garmin before I took it off and the time got all screwed up.

I might race this weekend

2008-10-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

There's this race I am considering for Saturday afternoon. It's called the Sand Dollar Shuffle and it's a beach run near McKinleyville. It's five miles and doesn't start until noon (bonus for me). And it's a club run so members, such as myself, can run it for free. I am leaning toward doing it because I need to find some running motivation again.

That being said, I did run again this afternoon. I think I need to get new shoes soon because I have achy shins after my runs now when I didn't before. I just wish running shoes weren't so darn expensive! In this economy, luxuries like that definitely take a back seat.

I have to leave for school soon. Our class is canceled this week, but I have a meeting with a counselor just to make sure one more time that things are in line for me to apply to the nursing program in January. I am one of those people who needs to know exactly where I stand or else it will drive me nutty.

Oh, and I have changed my blog background to feel more autumn-like. I love this time of year!! Kara is so excited about Halloween, and so am I!

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: five miles

followed by a run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 32:18
Pace: 10:46 minute/mile

Thanks, Caren!

2008-10-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

My buddy and super mommy Caren has given me an "I Heart Your Blog" award! Thanks, Caren!!!

This honor also comes with another responsibility: to post another six random facts about myself and "tag" another six bloggers with some blogging love.

I am really tired tonight and I almost wrote that I'll be back tomorrow to finish it, but I know that probably won't happen. So here goes nothing:

1) Like Caren, I **LOVE** macaroni and cheese. Growing up I went on a major mac 'n cheese bender around the age of 10. I ate it every day (and it had to be Kraft or I wouldn't touch it, LOL). After a while my mom (who was probably sick and tired of making it) told me if I wanted to eat it I had to make it myself. And so I did. For weeks. Then I got tired of making it and the bender ended. But I still love the stuff.

2) I am not domestic at all. I hate cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, etc. If I am ever independently wealthy, I am going to hire people to do that stuff for me.

3) (This one's kinda morbid) Whenever I cross a bridge over a creek while on foot, I always look down into the creek to see if there are any bodies. I did this today when I was running (literally running) to town. Then I realized I do it EVERY time! There has been at least once case here of a body found in a creek (it was a transient), so there's always the possibility of it happening again, I guess. Just call it my former crime reporting skills hard at work, more than four years after I left the newspaper biz.

4) I really love school. It's funny, because the first time I went through college in my early 20s, I wasn't nearly as focused as I am now. Plus it offers me the chance to hang out with other adults!

5) I (still) bite my fingernails. Not sure I'll ever fully shake this habit.

6) I went to our town's Apple Harvest Festival last weekend, but I don't really like apples. At least not raw ones. Juice or ones baked in pies are OK.

So there you have it. Aren't you glad you know those things about me now? ;-)

I am hereby tagging:

1) Mendy
2) Nancy
3) Laurel
4) Sonia
5) Mary
and
6) Marathoner in Training

Today's stats:
Bike:
Time: 20 minutes
Distance: 5.05 miles

followed by a run:
Distance: 3.65 miles
Time: 39:06
Pace: 10:42 minute/mile

I really, REALLY love Craigslist!!!

2008-10-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

My Craigslist love affair began a couple weeks ago with the purchase of Matty's adorable new toddler bed.

And since then, it's just gotten more intense.

First, I listed Matty's old crib on Craigslist and got an offer the next day. The only caveat is she asked me to hold the crib until this Friday, when she gets paid. I said sure, so this Friday I'll be getting the crib out and some money in my pocket.

Today I listed some more stuff on CL. One item, a set of three stacking tables, had three offers within a couple hours. I ended up giving the first person who responded dibs on it. He drove more than 30 minutes one-way to pick them up. And he paid me $5 more than what I was asking!! How cool is that? Tonight, I got two emails about another one of my listings, so hopefully tomorrow I'll have another item officially sold.

It feels good to get rid of the things we no longer use, especially since I am making a little extra cash!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Day one of Week one of 100 Push Up Challenge (I am starting over):
Total number of push ups: 40

Bittersweet Sunday

2008-10-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons to love and hate Sunday.

I love Sunday this time of year because of football. If I had time to sit around all day watching football, I totally would.

I love it because Tim has the day off.

I love it because Sunday feels like a day we can all be a little lazy.

I hate Sunday because it's only a day away from Monday, and I really hate Mondays.

I hate that I never get any "real" work done -- not on my house, or for school or anything.

Tomorrow the week starts over. Only six more days until the next Sunday.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 5.17 miles
Time: 20 minutes

Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Nine years

2008-10-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today, Tim and I have been married nine years.

I know, you're thinking "Hey, you don't look a day over 21. You can't POSSIBLY have been married NINE YEARS!"

(Oh, wait. Did I just say that in my own head? I guess you're not thinking that after all.)

But I digress. It was nine years ago on this day that we tied the knot, got hitched, attached the old ball and chain for good, whatever. It has, overall, been a very good nine years. And I know it will get better as time goes on.

So anyway, happy anniversary, Tim. May the next nine years bring even greater things for us!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Square one

2008-10-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

Call me a slacker, but I'm going to start over on the 100 Push Up Challenge.

I haven't done a single push up in about two weeks, so I'm just going to scrap this round and start from scratch. Somewhere along the way I lost my push up partner (Tim) and my motivation flew out the window, too. But I really, really want to finish the program, so Monday will be the day I begin again.

It's supposed to start raining here beginning tomorrow, so I might just hold off on running for the next few days, too. Thank goodness I have my elliptical!!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Sick kid

2008-10-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

Kara is sick. She developed a fever tonight and is not feeling well. Now she has to stay home from school tomorrow and I have to bail on my morning micro lecture. I emailed my teacher and deep down am so happy the lectures are not mandatory! But I have to go to lab in the afternoon, so Tim will have to come home early to watch sickie girl. I am hoping Matty goes to school, unless he's sick too. That would suck.

I'm giving my shins a bit of a rest, seeing that they've been achy lately. I opted for an elliptical workout tonight because of that. I am really glad now that I am not doing the HM later this month. I think my legs would rebel and fall off.

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 45 minutes

When I'm out of school and making $$$ as a nurse...

2008-09-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

...I am going to buy myself one of these bad boys:

It's a Harveys Seatbelt Bag, and I am totally in love with the look. And yes, it's made out of car seatbelt material. This is the first time I have really wanted to get myself a "nice" purse, as most upscale styles don't really appeal to me. But this is right up my alley, and it looks cool to boot! This particular one is the Messenger bag, which is what I prefer because I can wear it over my shoulder like I'm used to.

The kids are finally asleep now, so I have to get working on my microbiology homework. Matty is cutting some molars and was a crab-ass all day, so I didn't get much done, to say the least. So now is the time!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

***UPDATE***

I just found out that I got 99 out of 100 on Thursday's lab practical!!! Woo hoo!!!! There's a confidence-booster for ya!

Another weekend gone

2008-09-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or is this year just flying by? I can't believe we're nearing October already. And I can't believe the weekend is over. *sigh*

I did a brick workout today. I want to start riding the stationary bike a little more again, but it's hard because it's so freakin' boring. So I figured I'd use the bike ride to warm me up for the run. This evening was an awesome one for a run. It was warm and sunny and felt more like spring than fall. I actually waited until 5:30 p.m. to head out, as it was hovering around 85 degrees earlier in the afternoon. It had cooled into the 70s by 5, so that made it more bearable for me.

Wish there was more to report tonight, but that's about it. Until later....

Today's (Sunday) stats:
Bike:
Time: 25 minutes
Distance: 6.43 miles

Run:
Distance: four miles
Time: 43:44
Pace: 10:56 minute/mile

What's cuter than cute?

2008-09-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

My boy Matty in his new big boy bed!!

Last night was the final time Matty slept in his crib. Today we picked up a "new" toddler bed for him that I found on Craigslist. It's a toddler bed in the shape of a fire truck. It was a STEAL and oh-so-cute that I couldn't turn it down. He really seems to like it, too.

Here are a couple pics of the big guy in his new bed:

Checking it out:

Eating a cracker:

Taking his first siesta in it (I had taken off the light on top to replace the batteries, but waited until he woke up, that's why it's missing here):

Since I didn't get a good pic of the entire bed, here is an image from the Internet:

So now we're going to list his old crib on Craigslist and hope someone will take it off our hands. :-)

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Second test today. Much better!

2008-09-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

We had our second test in micro today. It was our first lab practical, which are always a little intimidating.

I studied my arse off the past few days. I was really worried this test was going to be a killer, seeing as the first lecture test was difficult. Well, my fears were unfounded and this test seemed really easy. I mean, REALLY easy. I don't know how hard she'll be grading them, but I feel much more confident that I did well on this test. Such a huge weight off my shoulders, for sure.

Since I was feeling a bit more unburdened this afternoon, I went out for a short, "fast" run. It turned out to be pretty good. It was faster than what I'd been doing, so that's positive. The only bad thing is my back is a little sore. Hope I didn't run TOO fast! ;-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2.7 miles
Time: 28:21
Pace: 10:30 minute/mile

I ran today...

2008-09-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

...but I don't have the energy for a "real" post right now. Sad, I know.

Oh, and I think I will keep the bloggy open for now. I will just talk about nice, safe things, like kittens and rainbows. :-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: Not caring today

Thinking about making this here blog private

2008-09-21T10:24:00.001-07:00

I am thinking about closing off public access to this blog. I don't think there's any real reason I should leave it open for just anyone to read. Of course I want my running peeps to read it, so I am thinking of making it available to those who WANT to read it (and comment, LOL), but not the free world.

So I guess I am saying anyone who wants to be able to access this blog should give me their email and I will add you. I will leave this up for a few days, then it goes into lockdown. Sorry if this causes any problems, but I think this is the direction I should go in.

I don't know if I'll keep it private forever. Only time will tell.

**COMING BACK TO ADD**

I got 82 out of 100 on my first micro test. Not great, but not horrible. At least now I know what her testing style is so I can be better prepared for next time. And there will be one extra credit lab, so that should help.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 32:26
Pace: 10:48 minute/mile

First test and I am worried

2008-09-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

I probably shouldn't be so concerned, but we had our first microbiology test on Thursday and I am a little worried.

(There was some stuff here but I took it out and am too lazy to think of anything else to put in. Sorry)

We have our first lab practical next week. I have another study date tomorrow. I think this semester is going to be filled with study dates with Kristen until December, since it appears that we have a test almost every week from here on out. Scary.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10 miles

I was gonna...

2008-09-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

...come on here tonight and post about microbiology: the good, bad and ugly. But Matty is still awake (WTF!!??) and he is now zooming his Hot Wheels cars all over my computer desk. So a lengthy post is out for tonight.

(He just moved my mouse out of the way because it was blocking his cars' path.)

Anyway, I managed a run this evening. I didn't realize it had been about 10 days since my last one. That's what I get for being sick, I guess.

More later.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: I forget (It's on Garmin, but I refuse to turn it on to check right now)

I think the October HM is out

2008-09-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

I was so planning on running my second HM in October, but I don't think it's going to become a reality.

There are many reasons. One is that I haven't been able to do many long runs this summer, and I don't feel prepared. Also, school is a big thing on my mind (and more important right now). And I just can't see myself spending $50 right now on a race.

There are a couple small club runs I am considering instead. I think that will keep me happy.

Tonight is an elliptical night. Be back later to post stats.

**COMING BACK TO ADD**

I used the elliptical tonight. It marked my first workout in more than a week. It felt pretty good. I also did push ups. I backed down to Week 4 of the 100 PUP, since I was sick all last week. I will eventually get through this darn thing!!

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Day 1 Week 4 of 100 PUP:
Total push ups: 93

Me?? An Honors student??

2008-09-12T19:27:00.001-07:00

Well, College of the Redwoods thinks I'm Honors material!!

I got a cool letter today from the college Honors department. It read as follows:

Dear Michelle:

Congratulations! You have the requisite GPA to join the Honors Program at the College of the Redwoods. The program offers several transfer and resume-building advantages to students like you. For more information about how to apply for acceptance into the Honors Program, please visit the Honors Program website at: http://www.redwoods.edu/departments/Honors/ or call the Program Director, Professor George Potamianos, at (707)476-4318. We, at the college, applaud your achievement and hope that you will give the Honors Program serious consideration.

Well, don't I feel special! (And yes, I do!) Especially since I was NEVER even close to an honors student the first time through college. So I am secretly overjoyed that I could be one now!

I think I might just check out this Honors Program after all!

I have the flu and I think I am dying

2008-09-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

OMG, today was awful.

I started feeling sick last night, and by 6 a.m. today I was in deep. I woke up feeling like I had been kicked by a mule. My temperature was 102+, my body ached, my head spun with dizziness and I ended up puking up what was in my stomach, which ended up just being some bile, since I also puked up my dinner last night before I collapsed in bed with the chills.

I emailed my teacher, since I had class today. She emailed back and told, in no uncertain terms, to stay home! She doesn't want the sickness in her classroom, adding that she wanted me to rest. So I listened to her. Tim took the kids to school (they had a full day, despite the fact I wasn't at school), and that afforded me the opportunity to sleep ALL DAY. Sure, it was a NyQuil-induced sleep, but it was rest all the same. I really, really needed it.

I am thinking maybe it's a 24-hour bug, since I am starting to feel a smidge better right now. Or maybe that is the NyQuil talking. Whatever. Needless to say, I will be taking a few days off from working out until I feel healthy again.

I swear I will make it past Week 5!!!!!

2008-09-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

I am making a promise right now to make it past Week 5 of the One Hundred Push Up Program this week. I have been procrastinating moving on to Week 6, and this will be the last week of said procrastination.

I think.

I am starting to not feel well tonight. I saw one of my classmates in the store today, and she was sick as a dog. She told me something is going around and she's not going to class tomorrow. And she coughed all over me. *ugh*

I was starting to feel a little weird this morning, but now I am really starting to feel icky. I am taking my Zicam in hopes that it helps reduce my sick time. I really, really don't need to be getting sick right now.

So I only did my push ups tonight, and will decide tomorrow if I will run then. Totally depends on how I feel, at this point.

Today's stats:
Day 1 Week 5 of 100 PUP (again, again, again!):
Total push ups: 126

Someone called the cops on us

2008-09-06T20:07:00.001-07:00

Seriously.

This evening we were playing with the kids in the cemetery across the street, as we have done a million times before. It's an old cemetery, completely unfenced, and people play in there all the time with their dogs and kids.

As we were playing a Fortuna police officer drove up and stopped. I didn't think much of it until he started walking toward us. We stopped and greeted him. He went on to tell us that someone called and was upset that we were playing in the cemetery, citing how we also had been in there yesterday evening). The cop was polite enough, but basically asked us not to play in there anymore. WTF? Well, maybe if they want to keep people out so badly they should erect a fence around the damn thing.

Both Tim and I left feeling SUPER annoyed. We don't know who called, but we think it must have been an older person in the neighborhood who doesn't have anything better to do with their time than log retarded complaints with the police. I have seen so many people in that cemetery over the years we have lived here, and not once have I seen anyone get kicked out by the police.

Oh, and apparently it's OK to these same people in the community that our neighbor now has a freakin' junkyard filled with cars that he's "working on" for other people, and that almost all the other people around here have dogs that bark LOUDLY all the time at nothing. Yeah, that's fine but a couple people playing with their kids in the evening is a crime. If we had an honest to goodness back yard at this house, you'd better believe we'd play there instead. But all we have is a front yard that has NO PRIVACY from said junkyard, so we try to make due.

I know the people who called will never read this blog, because they probably still send letters through snail mail and don't have a computer, but I just want them to know they can F*** off. I am really starting to dislike Fortuna, and I want to thank them for making me even more anxious to move out of this town.

Anyway, I did have a race this morning, and most of my day was actually pretty decent (before this incident). I bettered my race time from last year by 42 seconds, which is amazing because there are some gnarly hills (and trail running) during the first half of the race. I had a nice afternoon visiting with my friend Kristen afterward. And now that is all overshadowed by this shitty evening. *sigh*

Today's stats:
Soroptimist and Arcata Fire Department Run:
Distance: 3.1 miles
Time: 33:39
Pace: 10:49 minute/mile

I didn't realize...

2008-09-05T22:34:00.001-07:00

...that Jelly Belly made dog-poop flavored jelly beans.

I am sitting here "enjoying" a few Jelly Belly beans (wishing it was a chocolate cake, no doubt), which I plucked from a big bag that Tim brought home a few weekends ago. Most of them are flavors I don't care for, and the one flavor I do love, buttered popcorn, is nowhere to be seen.

Anyway, I was eating a Dr. Pepper-flavored bean one second, and then popped another one in my mouth. I thought it was the same flavor. Nope. Tasted like dog crap. Seriously, it was nasty. It didn't taste like chocolate (which it could have been since it was brown). I don't know what it was, but I literally yelped "What the hell is that??!!" as I spat it out. So very gross.

(*Oh, and if any Jelly Belly employees happen to stumble across this post, I really DO love Jelly Bellys. Especially BUTTERED POPCORN. So please send me a bag of BUTTERED POPCORN flavor. Thanks!*)

I have a race tomorrow morning. It's the same race I ran last year where they served gourmet pizza afterward. I am secretly hoping they have that pizza again. ;-)

So tired...

2008-09-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

...that this is all I can write.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: three miles
Time: 32:54
Pace: 10:58 minute/mile

Two short workouts

2008-09-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

That's all I could get in today.

I somehow squandered my five-hour break between my lecture and lab. I was all prepared to go running then, but got caught up doing a million other things during that time frame and ran out of time. Oopsie.

But I did get a very short run in after lab, and then a short stationary bike ride this evening. That is good enough for now.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2 miles (around a track)
Time: don't know

Bike:
Distance: 5 miles

Not much to say....

2008-09-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

I am printing out 10,000 pages of lecture notes for my micro class in the morning. (OK, so it's only 60-75 pages, but that still takes FOREVER to print on my outdated machine.) Our teacher does all her lectures off these notes (via Powerpoint), so it's helpful to have them. But it's also a huge pain in the ass.

It doesn't feel like we just had a three-day weekend. It was way too short. And the kids are going to HATE me in the morning, since I let them stay up way too late tonight. They're going to be getting a wake-up call around 7:30 a.m., and they, like their mom, are not morning people. Hate might not be a strong enough word, actually.

OK, off to prepare their little backpacks for the morning and get myself to bed.

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 45 minutes

Day 1 of Week 5 (yes, again!) of 100 Push Up Program:
Total push ups: 131

Fruit flies from hell

2008-08-29T22:27:00.002-07:00

So our kitchen has been overtaken by pesky little fruit flies. There had been some fruit out on the counter, and they just had their way with it.

It really is amazing how quickly a small number of fruit flies can turn into a jillion. It seemed every time I turned around, there were 100 more in the area I had just been looking at. Crazy. So I Googled ways to kill the buggers tonight, and so far it seems to be working. I also got rid of any food sitting out on the counter, and cleaned the disposal drain. I hope their time is up for good in my house.

Tomorrow is Tim's birthday. He is still younger than me, as he likes to point out. Guess he doesn't realize I like being an older chick, anyway. ;-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 35:30
Pace: 10:58 minute/mile

Weird Al!!

2008-08-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

Tim and I went to a Weird Al concert last night at Humboldt State University. We're big Weird Al fans, as was most everyone who attended the sold-out event.

While we were waiting to get in, some totally stoned guy (well, he was ACTING totally stoned, so if he wasn't he was a fabulous actor) came up and asked us who was playing. Tim responded "Weird Al", since just about anyone who hasn't been under a rock the past 25 years would recognize the name. The remainder of the conversation went something like this:

Stoned guy: "Who?"
Tim: "Weird Al."
SG: "Weird Al who?"
Tim: (getting annoyed, I think) "Weird Al Yankovic."
SG: "Is he some sort of comedian? What's his name, Weird Al Franken?"
(By now, Tim and I are well aware this guy is just clueless and this conversation is going NOWHERE fast. Talk about a painful moment.)

For the record, this is Weird Al YANKOVIC:

This is Al Franken (he may or may not be "weird", depending on your political slant):

Anyway........
After another minute, SG wandered off to wherever burned-out stoners go (he STILL didn't understand who we were referring to), and we stood there shaking our heads.

Long story short: the concert was fabulous and we had a great time! I've been to three Weird Al concerts since 1999, and I think this was the best one so far.

I did manage a workout yesterday, and today I did Day 2 of Week 5 my One Hundred Push Ups Program. I didn't run during my school break today because I had to take the garbage to the dump and it was pretty dang warm by that time.

Oh, and guess who is Humboldt County's newest blood donor? Yep, yours truly! I gave blood for the first time on Tuesday, after school (and my run), and boy, were those guys happy to have some new blood (pun intended). There have been serious blood shortages around here lately, so they are glad when they get new people to become regular donors. I squeezed out my pint in four minutes flat. The nurse said I was fast. LOL! Of course, I felt so wiped out that night that I collapsed in bed at 10 p.m. That is EARLY for this night owl! I will be donating again, as soon as the eight-week waiting period between donations is up.

Yesterday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 25 minutes

Today's stats:
Day 2, Week 5 100 PUP
Total push ups: 132 (for my last set, I did 40 straight push ups without pausing!! Woo hoo!!)

Heck yeah!

2008-08-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's noon here, and I am done with my run for the day!

Woo hoo!!

I had school this morning -- microbiology lecture -- from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The first day of lecture is always funny, because you never really do anything except take roll and go over the syllabus. My lab doesn't start until 2:30, so I have a five-hour break on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I figured I'd use some of my break today for my run. The weather is nice (a bit warm, but that's OK), and perfect for an easy four-miler.

I am still thinking about looking for a part-time job to fill in the five-hour gap, but for today a run was just the right thing! Now I have to shower, eat lunch and get back to school for the rest of my day.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: four miles
Time: 44:30
Pace: 11:07 minute/mile

Back to Week 5

2008-08-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

I have decided to redo Week 5 of the One Hundred Push Ups Program. I didn't do any push ups last week, which would have been Week 6, due to vacation.

I have to go to bed soon because I have school in the morning. I am nervous! I have to be out the door here before 8 a.m. to get the kids to school on time. That should be fun for this non-morning person!

Today's stats:
Day 1 Week 5 of 100 PUP
Total push ups: 126

25 pounds of cake

2008-08-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

I went to a birthday party this afternoon, and walked away with about half a sheet cake.

It totally wasn't planned that way. No one else wanted to take it, and I lived closest to the party venue, so I was unanimously voted to take the remaining cake. I think it tastes yummy, but turns out Tim didn't, so now I will probably have to chuck most of it. There's no way I should be eating that much cake -- EVER! ;-)

I did run today. I waited until it started to cool down, since it was sticky-muggy today. At least it wasn't 106 degrees out. The run was pretty good. A lot of people were out running, walking and biking when I was, so I had company.

I'm watching the Olympics closing ceremony right now and Michael Phelps is being interviewed by this Brit in London. I bet Michael is totally tired of the media circus by now. This interviewer is righteously annoying.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: 4.25 miles
Time: 47:10
Pace: 11:06 minute/mile

Say it ain't so!

2008-08-23T22:45:00.001-07:00

The Olympics are coming to an end.

*sad face*

I am so bummed. I have watched the coverage every single night since it started, sometimes staying up until 1 a.m. to finish out a night of athletics. Good stuff. You could say I am an Olympics nut.

The end of the Olympics marks the unofficial end of summer for me. It all blew by too fast.

I guess the good thing is I won't worry about missing sleep after tomorrow night. *sigh*

Olympics, I will miss you. See you in London.

Today's stats:
Bike:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 41:05

Gee, guess it has been a while...

2008-08-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

...since I've worked out and blogged about it.

Oops.

I got home from vacation on Wednesday (one week was way too short!), and since then I have been working on getting the house back in order and getting some actual sleep. We were on the go the whole time we were in Auburn, and I could definitely "feel it" when we got home. I was exhausted.

I will try to post vacation pics soon. I have so many!

I start school again on Tuesday. No rest for the weary, I guess! ;-)

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Forgot to blog last night

2008-08-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

I was so tired after another day at the pool with the kids that I forgot to blog about my evening run.

It was much better than my first run here. The temperature was considerably cooler and my body felt stronger. So it was a good one.

Garmin recorded 3.25 miles, but I ran closer to 3.75 miles because there were two instances that I didn't have it running when I thought I did. The first was at the start of the run. I looked down about 1/4 mile into it to see what my time was when I realized it wasn't engaged.

The second time was about 1.3 miles into it when this old guy stopped me to crack a joke about buying his dog. Why do people think I can hear them when I am running with my iPod in my ears? I had to stop, fish the iPod out of my pocket, turn it off, take the doohickeys out of my ears, pause Garmin and say "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. What did you say?" just to hear this guy say "Do you want to buy a dog?" (his two dogs were bounding down the street off-leash at the time, looking like brainless idiots). *sigh* I responded, "No thanks, I have a dog. Good luck with yours!" Then I forgot to turn Garmin back on until about .20 miles later. Grrrr........

Today we are headed to the Sacramento Zoo to visit my friend Erin and her daughter, Madison. Should be fun! I probably will take tonight off (except for the push up challenge). Bye!

Yesterday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 35:41
Pace: 10:59 minute/mile