Run Forrest, Run!

Well we did it.  After a long, eventful drive, we finally found the correct location and we ran in our race that we have been "training" for.  We started out jogging down the gravel road and then it took us to the cattle pastures, with nice fresh cow pies!  We ran through the pasture for awhile and then came to "the woods."  We went up a mountain rather large hill (I forgot those existed in this state after living in the flats for so long!) over trees and through creeks and up and down more hills.  I can't lie.  I walked.  A lot.  I only rolled both of my ankles twice, so not bad considering I am known to do that when running from first to second base! I only saw one of the mile markers, three, so I knew I was closing in on the finish line by then.  There was one point that I crossed the creek and then I lost the path.  I couldn't see trail markers and I couldn't see any other runners.  I finally caught a glimpse of a shirt way ahead of me so I headed towards it and finally found the trail again.  I didn't take my phone with me since I didn't know how wet I was going to be getting, so no pictures.  I was racing a girl at the finish line and so I didn't even look to see what my time was.  

I got done, grabbed a bottle of water, and went to wait for the boss to finish.  And then someone started calling my name.  I turned around to see a high school classmate.  I talked to him a bit and then went to see what the timer said, it was just rolling over to 50 minutes.  I'm not sure if they will post times online or not, but I'm still happy I finished under 50 minutes considering the terrain I was on!  The boss finished shortly after and instead of grabbing the famous beef stew they have, we decided to head home.  

So today I'm thankful I finished!  I'm also thankful for my training partner, even though we are probably the worst partners ever, as neither of us ever push us...  

And when I got home I got a package full of goodies to start my next venture with-- we're going to see how well I can sell things! Wish me luck!

Third Time's a Charm!

I'm makin' it happen here in November!

Today's ramblings won't be as long as yesterdays, probably because it isn't about my animals!  

I'm going to write about being thankful for my health today.  I think a lot of us, me included, take our good health for granted.  There are a lot of people out there wishing they could just be "normal."

I've always been pretty healthy, I don't know how really, I sure don't eat healthy.  I mean, my post-workout snack is usually Oreo's and milk.  (I once read that chocolate milk was the perfect post-workout drink, but that's just gross, so I make do!)  I don't work out regularly.  I always played sports in school and I ride, but I don't go to the gym and pump weights.  I have been running again, not that I enjoy it (at all...).  I signed up for another off-road race this year to motivate me.  I'm hoping some day it will hit me and I'll decide I love to run.  I'm still waiting for that runner's high they speak of.  I think it's all a lie!  I guess I'll keep running though, because I can.  Someday I might not be able to and I would hate to look back and think why didn't I run when I could!  I'm trying to work on eating better since I'm feeding more than just me, but darn it, pizza just tastes so good!!  So I'm trying to do my part, but I could totally do better.  

I have to thank God for my health, cuz my habits are definitely not the reason I'm healthy!  

Hold Me To It

I'm going running today.

I am.

Really.

Okay, now I have to since I've told you.  I just needed to be held accountable!

A nap sounds so much better though!!  Good thing I have a few hours to talk myself into this being fun-- ha.  Lies.

They Call Me Forrest

On a brighter note,  I ran yesterday.  And I didn't almost die!  (Imagine mixing up those two words!!)  I call that a win!

I don't know how far I went.  I think my gadget said 2.3 miles or something.  I might be making that up though and it's clear in the back room so I am just going with 2.3 miles.  That is including my five minute walk to warm up and cool down.  If I keep up with my program at least every other day, I should be golden by the time the 5k comes around!  Should be...

The weather was aaaahhhhmazing!!!  Gorgeous!  I had on shorts and a long sleeve shirt and definitely didn't need the long sleeves!  The roads were pretty firm, just had to avoid a couple puddles/mud!

The dogs were pretty excited to get out of the yard and run.  UC was ready to be home about 25 minutes in!!  We stopped so they could play in what little snow we have left.

I'm a little sore today, but not like I expected at all!!  I think I have reason to run tonight-- a little steam to blow off!!  Or maybe the margs will capture me first...

Februnary

I was a slacker last week.  I said I was going to start running February 1.  That didn't happen.  Some more exciting/fun options came up and I couldn't say no!  I have no will power.

BUT,

I did start yesterday.  Believe me, I did NOT want to.  Someone even tried to talk me out of it.

And then I got home.  I was welcomed home by two crazy, highly energetic hounds.  Whoofta.  I decided I'd better go so they didn't drive me crazy. 

We ended up going two and a half miles.  Not bad for not running since November.  I started at week three of the C25K program and didn't feel too bad.  Today is another story...

I have until May to get up to running a 5k.  I've wanted to run in it with my sisters and ma for the past few years.  These things called finals seemed to get in the way.  But not this year!  Let's hope the dogs keep motivating me, because I would be happy sitting at my sewing machine instead!!

Ramblings

I feel like I should post.  I haven't for a couple days.  And I have the time.  BUT I have nothing to write about!!

I can't upload pictures from this computer either (that being a big reason I rarely put any pictures with my posts!!)  It pops up like I'm going to be able to and then nothing.  I just have my screen with a see through one on top and I can't click on anything so I end up closing out of my window! 

DJ got me a present!  We went to get him some warm pants to wear under his jeans and the 40% off sign caught my eye!  I suckered him into buying me some sweet pink Muck boots.

http://www.muckbootsoutlet.com/arctic_sport_hi_color_sport_muck_boots

(hopefully the picture showed up)  Pretty sweet right!?  I'm pretty excited to wear them!  I'll get to try them out when I do chores this week.  He also got me a shirt.  I don't know what kind-- it's a man's shirt.  While in the rental, I would steal one of his (he has two) and wear it to bed because it was so cold.  Last month I got accused of stealing one (he later found it in a bag).  So I scooped up one of those too-- my size!!  Whoop whoop!  Maybe I'll wear it when I start running again. 

Oh yeah, have I told you that I'm going to start doing that again in February!?  I'm already dreading February 1!! 

I also tried to talk him into getting me another hat; like the one I had on in the store.  It didn't happen.  :(  Everyone loves it though!  (okay,  maybe I just tell myself that)  I'm pretty sure I look ridiculous in it and people just tell me I look good so they can laugh at me when I wear it in public-- AND I'm totally okay with that!  I told him we'd go back later, when the winter stuff is (hopefully) on clearance!

Lost

Written on the Sunday of the Mississippi trip:

 

I told Ma I was sleeping in today and not to wake me up. I woke up and she wasn’t in her bed so I text her, only for her phone to go off two foot away from me. Here she comes out of the bathroom for it… I ask her what she was doing—she had gone in there to read instead of using the book light I brought for her. She headed down to work out and I said I would be down shortly. I got up and dressed and headed down for my run. Ugh—treadmills are NOT my style!! I used to think they were easier than running on the ground, but I sweated more today than I have in a long, long time!! There was NO air movement in there and I’m pretty sure they had the heat on! Not a fan. I finished running and we went and had breakfast. Mom said I could go shower and she would finish her tea and be up. I head upstairs and housekeeping is in our room. What’s the luck? Back down I go. She finished her tea and we came back up and they were just finishing up so I hopped in the shower then. I turned it on before I got in so it could warm up, yeah, it was pointed at the toilet. Water everywhere. Sweet. I shower. Somehow I knock or drop my retainer (yeah, I’m an old metal mouth—what of it!?) and broke it. Go figure. She gets in the shower and gets ready. We decide to go look for the place I was going to have my classes at and then grab lunch and then I’d bring her back to the hotel and go to my class. I look up the address and put it in the iPhone and hit go. After a few wrong turns, we get to where it says… the middle of a trailer park. Nailed it!

So we decide to just go to campus and see if we can find it. Right. This has to be the biggest campus ever!! Or just the least visitor friendly one. The campus map online has building names but doesn’t have street names. Campus streets have names and about 14 percent of the buildings have names on them—yes I did the math, ha! None of the streets are straight. None of the students had any idea this building even existed. Ma still can’t run the iPhone so it was pretty much go from parking lot to parking lot, parking so I could look at the phone and see if we were close. It was a Sunday so no one would answer the phone. After an explicit or two flew and I was running out of ideas, I saw a road we hadn’t been on so I shot up it and low and behold there she was! Ahhh… two hours later we found her! I run Ma back to the hotel and go back to the class.

Once class is over, I go back to the hotel. I remember to look for my debit card in the car. Can’t find it. Okay, must’ve stuck it in my purse or wallet. Up to the room I go to get Ma and take her to eat. I look through my purse while I wait for her. Nothing. We walk to the restaurant and back and I say I’m going to go look in the car again. Nothing. She decides she will look through her stuff. Nothing. So I call PB to get the number to report a lost card. Get it cancelled. I’m sure I’ll find it tomorrow or something now that I’ve cancelled it—that’s what has happened every other time I have lost it!! (no—this is not a first for me!) I decided to call it a night after that; hoping the luck of the trip would turn my way soon!

Trick Or Treat

Happy Halloween!

I'm not one to get dressed up and go put and party.  Sorry.  Not me.  I used to be that girl.  In elementary.  Let me tell ya, there were some pretty crazy parties back then!!

In college, I don't remember what I wore.  Did I go out?  I don't remember.  I'm sure it was something JT had in her closet if I did get into it.  Oh yes.  There was a Marilyn Monroe costume once.  That's all I remember though. 

Well anyway.  Just shy of two years ago, I think, JT and I went to a costume store.  It was shortly after Halloween so all of the costumes were on sale.  After trying on every women's size M/L costume they had left, I ended up taking home a bumble bee one. 

And then I graduated in December.  And then I went back to school.  And then I got an internship and didn't go back to school.  And then my social life as I knew it had ended.  So I moved the bee costume from apartment to rental to house.  AND THEN...

I took up running.  And then I signed up for a 5k at work on Halloween.  It said to wear your costume.  So I broke it out.  Luckily I was wearing clothing under the costume, or it would NOT have been work appropriate, or even on my body... 

And I ran.  I flew really.  No I'm kidding, my wings wouldn't stay open.  I don't know how many pictures were taken but I 'm pretty sure the wings are visible in 12% of them.  So I think that's why I ran so slow!

These people running were seriously die hards!!  I thought this was a FUN run!  We finished second to last.  Boy do we have work to do!!  But we were practically the only ones in costume!  So I'll call that a win.

:)

I hope your goody bags get filled with your favorite candy tonight!!

Happy halloween!

Reality

The other day I had DJ drive the road I run and tell me where .25, .5, .75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2 miles were so I would know for sure.  Then I ran yesterday.

I decided it was time to calibrate my little Nike running thingy that synchs with the iPhone.  (Okay, I'll find a picture)

Photo from Sports Authority

So I'm runnin, runnin, and runnin, runnin.  Finally I make it to the mile marker.  I hit end and calibrate it.  Yeah... it was way off.  Turns out my 5k I ran was probably only ehhh  maybe 2.5mi.  Maybe.

I should've known when MS, who has been shuffling running forever, texted me that she was jealous and I was a rockstar for doing it under 30 min. 

There goes my glory.  Out the window.  Sayonara sucker. 

Hope your week isn't full of depressing days like such...

Just Another Day

Earlier this week I was due for a run.  It was warm out so I didn't take UC.  I hooked up JW and cranked up the tunes.  (whoops-- just remembered I was going to email myself the trip post...maybe tonight.)  We headed out and did our warm up walk then started running like the wind.  I wasn't even ten minutes in and I thought I was going to die!!  Ugh... I thought this was supposed to get easier!?  I pushed on through and got to the half way point and turned around.

Due to the awesome road conditions, I tend to run in the middle of the road.  This leads to me looking over my shoulder every so often.  Well JW and I were almost to the corner and I glanced back like usual.  And then I face planted.  Just kidding, but some day I will write that and I won't be kidding... it's coming!  Ok, so I glance back.  Something is coming.  Okay, we'll move over.  I glance again.  Oh.  That is not a vehicle.  Those are horses.  There are two horses running at us.  Alright. 

So I get JW turned around and we keep running.  Although this was actually the easiest part of the run because I was focused on something besides my inablility to breath....  I get to them; luckily no cars decided to pass between this time.  They have their halters on, so I put my iPhone and JW's leash in one hand and have a horse on my other.  DJ's mom comes down the road then and brings me a lead rope.  She says she'll go put her dog away (the reason the horses were on the road...) and then come back and get him.  So I start walking him back, trying to keep JW away from the other one since she's scared of dogs.  His mom meets me and takes him from there.  JW and I turn back towards home.

UC sure is glad to see us.  I let him out so they can play around the yard.  I head into the kitchen to find a bag on the floor.  A bag that used to contain a pizza crust.  I guess he got even again...

Ahh just another day for me here!! 

Still Kickin'

I'm sure you're glad to hear that I haven't let the running thing get the best of me.  Yet.  I actually ran my first 5k this weekend!  Well... it wasn't an organized event, I just ran 5k.  I did it under 30 min, which is what my training program says to allow-- go ahead and tell me, I'm a rockstar.  :)  Oh yeah, I was running with the pack-- all three dogs joined me for the jog.  I had to unleash UC and let him catch up during my cooldown.  (no worries-- he got back at me the next day...)

DJ and I cleaned out both garages (okay, the main one still needs worked on...) and then went to the city to look for some sort of storage.  He didn't find what he wanted and at the second store decided enough was enough so we went and got stuff to make pizza and headed home.  We made pizza, watched a movie, and went to bed.  We're almost too exciting! 

Sunday I got up and went riding with his mom and a couple of her friends.  The first place we tried was closed so we headed to another place.  We had a good ride, minus losing a person for awhile.  (nope-- not me this time!)  The ponies sure did get workouts in and it was a gorgeous day to be outside!!

I got home and let the dogs out.  I opened the door and smelled revenge.  Yep-- piles of dog poo.  Blech!!  I don't remember how many piles, but I do know I had to go get another sack for it all.  Who knew so much could come out of a dog in so little time!!  The more I think about it, maybe it wasn't revenge, maybe it was the biscuits(s) DJ fed him...

So I cleaned that up and showered and ate and worked on MS's Christmas present.  Yeah, I'm already thinking about Christmas!! 

Depending how it turns out, I may post a picture.

Have a great week and hopefully I'll remember to send the email with the stories from my trip to blogger and get those posted!!

Done!

Sorry for the lack of posting.  I was at a workshop for work all last week-- trust me, there will be some posts about that trip! 

On a completely different subject, we're done harvesting!!!  Whoooo hooo!  Yep, they finished up last week while I was gone.  It's hard to say if they still have some custom stuff to pick or not; I've barely seen DJ since last Wednesday, so I haven't been drilling him with twenty questions every time we talk.  Or maybe I just haven't been listening to the answers... okay, that's more likely the truth right there!!

I was also able to go junking before I left for the trip!!  I got three big windows, a lantern, a door knob, some block letters and these beautes!! 



You should really check out The Banks of Squaw Creek.  She has some great stuff on there!!  How fun.  I haven't figured out what to do with them yet, so they're sitting in the guest bedroom.  Ma was pretty impressed with them; I'm not sure DJ has seen them.

I'm not sure what to do with the windows yet either, but now have them for when I run across something fun and different on Pinterest!  I got the door knob for my corner door shelf, but haven't put it on yet to see if I like it (big surprise I know).  The blocks are on the molding around a door and a window.  I'm not sure if DJ has noticed them; he hasn't said anything about them anyway! 

I continued my running regime while gone.  I was quite impressed with myself-- I went after a fish fry and after a banquet, so I totally could have made up an excuse to just go to bed instead!!  Less than two months till the big day!!  Oh, I got signed up!  So did MS!!  Hopefully we all cross the finish line under our own power and not on a stretcher!!

I'll finish a blog about the trip soon and get it posted before you think I have given up on blogging again!!

Running Running Running...

Keep those legs a movin... 

I hate running.  Simple as that.  I would be perfectly fine if I never ran again.  Ever.  I've never liked to do it.  That would be the main reason basketball and I never saw eye to eye.  Maybe if they still had 6 on 6.  I chose the sports with minimal running-- softball and volleyball.  I ran during practice because I had to. 

BUT I run.  And it's not in practice with a coach blowing a whistle at me.  I do it on my own.  Well, with UC and JW.  I don't consider myself a runner (mainly because I don't run far.  or fast.  or even daily).  I wish I liked running.  I would be skinny.  Every other day (let's not get too crazy here...) since the first of the month, I lace up my shoes and hit the road.  I look forward to the end of each run because I know I get the next day off!! 

I spose you are wondering why I run if I hate it so much.  Well let me tell you!!

I don't know what we were talking about at work or why it got brought up, but my boss mentioned running an off road race with her this fall.  Okay.  I'm in!!!  Wait.  What did I just say?!  So I pigged out that Friday and on Saturday of Labor Day weekend, I started running.  I am following the Couch to 10k program.  So far it seems to be working.  I guess.  I have yet to experience the so called, "runners' high" but at least I'm running.  I don't think I'll be able to run the whole race, but at least I'll make it to the starting line! 

I'm trying to talk MS into running it as well; she's the next Forest Gump.  No kidding. 

I guess I'll be running until then.  Hopefully I start liking it.  Maybe even become addicted to it.  I guess I just have to look at it as, I have two working legs, I better use them.  I saw a saying on Pinterest once that said, "I run because I can.  When I get tired, I remember those who can't run, what they would give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them.  I know they would do the same for me."  So maybe I should be a little more positive...

UC developed a limp the other day so he hasn't been going running, but it seems to have healed up.  I'm debating on whether or not to take him again or maybe just take him walking on my off days.  I like to walk.  JW on the other hand, he loves running.  He keeps me going.  All four of his legs added up are still shorther than my one, but boy can he move!  He helps to keep me on my schedule!  Whenever I put tennis shoes on he is at the door ready to go! 

Wish me luck in the coming weeks!!