13.5.12
11.5.12
Thursday in the car
I spent a lot of time in the car today. As always, I had quite the soundtrack going. Highlights include
Then from Shoreview to the office, which took just as long.
Somewhere in there I got some work done, but not really. Why are there signs are barricades lined up next to the entrance of the expressway? I don't know what's planned but I expect it will suck.
I got back in my car to drive to a home visit - which was nice. Best drive of my day I think.
From the home visit to NAMI Minnesota sucked rocks. There was I-94 (what could possibly go wrong?), St Anthony Avenue with too many stop signs, and then the joy that is University Avenue. I am so over construction.
From NAMI to the gym sucked almost as much. The light at Marshall Avenue and Cretin Avenue is one of the most frustrating places in the world. Why is that light never green?
From the gym to the store for food. At least the sun was setting and it was pretty.
Then, finally, I got to go home. Thank you!
How I looked sitting in all this traffic:
- Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
- Joe Purdy - Put Me in My Place
- AWOL Nation - Sail
- Andy Grammer - Fine By Me.
Then from Shoreview to the office, which took just as long.
Somewhere in there I got some work done, but not really. Why are there signs are barricades lined up next to the entrance of the expressway? I don't know what's planned but I expect it will suck.
I got back in my car to drive to a home visit - which was nice. Best drive of my day I think.
From the home visit to NAMI Minnesota sucked rocks. There was I-94 (what could possibly go wrong?), St Anthony Avenue with too many stop signs, and then the joy that is University Avenue. I am so over construction.
From NAMI to the gym sucked almost as much. The light at Marshall Avenue and Cretin Avenue is one of the most frustrating places in the world. Why is that light never green?
From the gym to the store for food. At least the sun was setting and it was pretty.
Then, finally, I got to go home. Thank you!
How I looked sitting in all this traffic:
10.5.12
How to train for a marathon
I was talking to someone in my Circuit Class who is going to run her first marathon this fall. (Yes, of course Twin Cities) and she was asking about how I trained for my first marathon. Same way I trained for the next two. Run! This is actually the first year I've introduced cross training into my marathon plan. We'll see if it helps.
How have I been training recently? After that great long run on Monday I took Tuesday off. We're calling that a nutrition fail. Because if I had eaten better, I wouldn't have been so tired. Fail.
Wednesday I hit the pool for Water Running. It's definitely harder without the water belt. Wow. In the evening I took a long walk with a neighbor. We stopped by the best coffee shop in town for an iced mocha and then headed around Lake Hiawatha. The sun was setting and it was gorgeous.
Thursday, along with Monday, is a big exercise day. I started off with a four mile run and for some reason, I was in the mood to move. It's my second fastest 'time' on this route ever and Lance Armstrong thinks I set a new personal best for the mile!
Thursday evening I headed back to the gym. Circuit was quite challenging. Anyone who's done an elevated push up knows what I'm talking about. Zumba was fun as hell.
How have I been training recently? After that great long run on Monday I took Tuesday off. We're calling that a nutrition fail. Because if I had eaten better, I wouldn't have been so tired. Fail.
Wednesday I hit the pool for Water Running. It's definitely harder without the water belt. Wow. In the evening I took a long walk with a neighbor. We stopped by the best coffee shop in town for an iced mocha and then headed around Lake Hiawatha. The sun was setting and it was gorgeous.
Shadows on the wall as I was leaving my house.
Sun setting over Lake Hiawatha. You've seen this shot a few times before but the lifeguard chair is gone now.
Cheryl and Sky. Sky is totally a sniffer.
Pretty flowers at the end of my walk.
Thursday, along with Monday, is a big exercise day. I started off with a four mile run and for some reason, I was in the mood to move. It's my second fastest 'time' on this route ever and Lance Armstrong thinks I set a new personal best for the mile!
Sun coming up as I got back home. The sunrise was quite nice.
That thing all runners do where we take pictures of our feet and shoes...
It was a good run but it hurt too.
Thursday evening I headed back to the gym. Circuit was quite challenging. Anyone who's done an elevated push up knows what I'm talking about. Zumba was fun as hell.
7.5.12
10 Miles - Yes I am!
Guess who actually got up and ran this morning?
Guess who ran 10.8 miles?
And then took and ice bath.
Hell yes I am!
(It's been that kind of a day.)
I hit the road this morning just after 6am. The sun was already up. (Good because I didn't want reflective gear on a run this long.) The plan was to do a solid 8 miles and then run-walk interval the rest of the route. Why a run walk interval? Because I believe in the 10% rule. I also believe in the Ft Snelling trail so a compromise had to be made.
I really felt like running. I like the run-walk intervals for long training runs but it also makes the runs take forever and I wasn't that interested this morning, which is why I only did a little bit at the end. This run was long enough I needed to carry food and water. The camelbak was a little too much water but I am so over wearing any water belts on my waist. I just had a few Shot Bloks for food. How do I know running is getting more popular? Because I found said Shot Blocks at Target last night. They didn't have baking soda, but they had gummy candy for runners. (Is that a win or a fail?)
Here's what the speed chart looks like. The first "valley" is a cross light at Cedar Ave. The big slow down in the middle is when I tried to run up that damn hill at mile 5 (you know what I'm talking about) and that super big slow down at the end is another light at Cedar.
The first long run of the season was followed by the first ice bath of the season. Suck it. I really really scream when I get into the ice tub. I always wonder what my neighbors think. It really hurts.
To celebrate actually doing a long run (training has been rough) I had Thai food for dinner from the place down the street from my office. I am ready to declare it almost as good as True Thai and an acceptable alternative becuase they pick up the phone when I call in an order and they have my food ready when I come to get it. (I'm a simple girl.)
I did also make it to Pilates. I discovered that Pilates after running means all kinds of muscles are super tight. Usually it's the muscles I didn't even know existed that are tight. Hello Hip Flexors.
Now I'm entertaining myself with all manner of things before I go to bed. I love the internets.
Guess who ran 10.8 miles?
And then took and ice bath.
Hell yes I am!
(It's been that kind of a day.)
I hit the road this morning just after 6am. The sun was already up. (Good because I didn't want reflective gear on a run this long.) The plan was to do a solid 8 miles and then run-walk interval the rest of the route. Why a run walk interval? Because I believe in the 10% rule. I also believe in the Ft Snelling trail so a compromise had to be made.
I really felt like running. I like the run-walk intervals for long training runs but it also makes the runs take forever and I wasn't that interested this morning, which is why I only did a little bit at the end. This run was long enough I needed to carry food and water. The camelbak was a little too much water but I am so over wearing any water belts on my waist. I just had a few Shot Bloks for food. How do I know running is getting more popular? Because I found said Shot Blocks at Target last night. They didn't have baking soda, but they had gummy candy for runners. (Is that a win or a fail?)
Here's what the speed chart looks like. The first "valley" is a cross light at Cedar Ave. The big slow down in the middle is when I tried to run up that damn hill at mile 5 (you know what I'm talking about) and that super big slow down at the end is another light at Cedar.
The first long run of the season was followed by the first ice bath of the season. Suck it. I really really scream when I get into the ice tub. I always wonder what my neighbors think. It really hurts.
To celebrate actually doing a long run (training has been rough) I had Thai food for dinner from the place down the street from my office. I am ready to declare it almost as good as True Thai and an acceptable alternative becuase they pick up the phone when I call in an order and they have my food ready when I come to get it. (I'm a simple girl.)
I did also make it to Pilates. I discovered that Pilates after running means all kinds of muscles are super tight. Usually it's the muscles I didn't even know existed that are tight. Hello Hip Flexors.
Now I'm entertaining myself with all manner of things before I go to bed. I love the internets.
This running habbit....
The last couple weeks have been rough. Between upset stomachs, migraines, sinus infections and crap in my lungs, I've missed a lot of work and running. I'm trying to be patient with myself but also trying to get better. It's a bit of a push me pull you situation.
Friday I did very little. I worked from home for about an hour. I figured out work screwed up my paycheck for the second time this year. Awesome. But mostly I lay on the couch. Double awesome.
Saturday I decided I had to move myself. I originally thought of a longer run but when I woke up the humidity was above 90% so instead I headed to the gym.
I worked very hard on the elliptical, then on the rowing machine and took a cool down lap on the track. The A/C isn't on at the gym yet. Turns out it didn't matter that I was inside, it was just as humid. Oy. I finished the day with a Pilates class. The teacher on Saturday is my favorite.
After the gym, I headed off to prepare for Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear's graduation party. One of us has been in school since 2005 when I started grad school. I'm thrilled they're done. Also very proud of them because they worked their tails off.
I stopped by Zipps and got an impressive assortment of alcohol. In the rain.
Then I drove down to Party City to get some helium balloons for Pooky Bear's front door. In the rain. They gave me special instructions for transporting the balloon bouquets because apparently when there's more than one they can get tangled.
When I showed up, my Pooky Bear took the alcohol and balloons and then sent me away because I was all wet and she didn't want me messing up her clean house. (Whatever. At least I didn't have to help clean it.) I went home and changed into grown up clothes and then came back for the party.
The theme was Tacos. And alcohol. Because after that long in school, they've both earned it. Trust me.
I got home around midnight and checked the weather. Booo! I was meant to be handing out water at a half marathon and the weather looked unpleasant. I picked out some clothes, set my alarm and went to bed.
At 6:27am this morning my alarm woke me up. The rain had passed through quicker than forecasted last night but it still looked pretty bleak.
We were the Mile 3 Water Stop of the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon. Here's what I have to say: we needed more tables. We had plenty of time to pour water but had to stop because we ran out of space for the cups. Obviously we ran out of poured water and were trampled by runners because we couldn't keep up. Give me a second table next time.
After the race I was inspired to do my own workout. I headed back to the gym and did a similar workout to the one I did a couple weeks ago. It was slightly easier this time because there's much less crap in my lungs and I was more reasonable about pacing. It's still a challenging workout.
I meant to go to the May Day Parade but took a nap instead. When I woke up, I found that I'll have a second chance next week since the park where they end the parade is full of water. Full of water meaning not including the pond that's supposed to be there.
I did a little cleaning and then laundry. Laundry loads cost $0.25 more than last week and the load cycle is shorter by about six minutes on the washing machines. The dryer also costs $0.25 more and the load cycle is 15 minutes longer. Fascinating.
These flowers (some of my favorites) are growing right by my patio. They look nice after all the rain we've had.
Friday I did very little. I worked from home for about an hour. I figured out work screwed up my paycheck for the second time this year. Awesome. But mostly I lay on the couch. Double awesome.
Saturday I decided I had to move myself. I originally thought of a longer run but when I woke up the humidity was above 90% so instead I headed to the gym.
I worked very hard on the elliptical, then on the rowing machine and took a cool down lap on the track. The A/C isn't on at the gym yet. Turns out it didn't matter that I was inside, it was just as humid. Oy. I finished the day with a Pilates class. The teacher on Saturday is my favorite.
After the gym, I headed off to prepare for Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear's graduation party. One of us has been in school since 2005 when I started grad school. I'm thrilled they're done. Also very proud of them because they worked their tails off.
I stopped by Zipps and got an impressive assortment of alcohol. In the rain.
Then I drove down to Party City to get some helium balloons for Pooky Bear's front door. In the rain. They gave me special instructions for transporting the balloon bouquets because apparently when there's more than one they can get tangled.
When I showed up, my Pooky Bear took the alcohol and balloons and then sent me away because I was all wet and she didn't want me messing up her clean house. (Whatever. At least I didn't have to help clean it.) I went home and changed into grown up clothes and then came back for the party.
The theme was Tacos. And alcohol. Because after that long in school, they've both earned it. Trust me.
I got home around midnight and checked the weather. Booo! I was meant to be handing out water at a half marathon and the weather looked unpleasant. I picked out some clothes, set my alarm and went to bed.
At 6:27am this morning my alarm woke me up. The rain had passed through quicker than forecasted last night but it still looked pretty bleak.
We were the Mile 3 Water Stop of the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon. Here's what I have to say: we needed more tables. We had plenty of time to pour water but had to stop because we ran out of space for the cups. Obviously we ran out of poured water and were trampled by runners because we couldn't keep up. Give me a second table next time.
After the race I was inspired to do my own workout. I headed back to the gym and did a similar workout to the one I did a couple weeks ago. It was slightly easier this time because there's much less crap in my lungs and I was more reasonable about pacing. It's still a challenging workout.
I meant to go to the May Day Parade but took a nap instead. When I woke up, I found that I'll have a second chance next week since the park where they end the parade is full of water. Full of water meaning not including the pond that's supposed to be there.
I did a little cleaning and then laundry. Laundry loads cost $0.25 more than last week and the load cycle is shorter by about six minutes on the washing machines. The dryer also costs $0.25 more and the load cycle is 15 minutes longer. Fascinating.
These flowers (some of my favorites) are growing right by my patio. They look nice after all the rain we've had.
6.5.12
Wordless Weekends - rain
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| What I saw when I got up this morning to man the water station at a half marathon. Oy. |
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| When the weather forces me to run inside... |
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| After the storm last night, one of the few traffic lights that was working. |
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| Part of Qat Lady's graduation present. They're jumbo sized. |
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| After the rain... |
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