The best-laid plans...

...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

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!!

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?

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!!!!!!!

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

Sorry it's so fugly

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

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

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

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

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)