Month in Review: December

Here's the best of the final month of 2014 from the Runner's World Page-a-day calendar.

Contrary to popular belief, running downhill is harder than running uphill.

I hate the texture of yogurt, so maybe I can try tempeh instead.

And make sure to add vitamin D to this list as well.

I wish I was better at taking this advice. I tend to push through any pain.

And if that won't motivate you, nothing will!

The last thing you want is to be waiting at the port-o-potty line during the race.

My hips tend to ache in the cold weather. I'm definitely getting old.

I must drink more green tea!

Mmmm...I love gargling Gatorade and then spitting it out. So refreshing!

Miles logged: 0.0

Baby, it's cold outside

Baby, it's cold outside and I'm ready for a night run! Now it isn't nearly as cold as my peeps in Dallas will be experiencing this week, but winter has finally arrived on the Central Coast. And what do you do you celebrate the coldest temperatures of the year? You guessed it, go for a run after dark!

Unfortunately, I do not arrive home from work before the sun sets (right about 5pm this time of the year) and I haven't joined a gym yet. So my only options are to sit on my butt and catch up on "House of Cards" (extremely tempting) or go out in the cold dark wilderness and get some exercise (we do live way out in the country with wild turkeys and deer meandering about). After a couple of weeks of the former, I decided it was time for the latter. 

My husband and I have discussed running after dark together and we bought ourselves clip on night lights for Christmas. Tonight was the night we decided to try them out! Here I am decked out in my night gear wih my light clipped to the brim of my hat. Note: I do not recommend wearing all black when running at night since it makes it difficult for cars to see you (we ran on a trail, so this was not a concern tonight, plus, the back of me is lit up with reflective strips.)

Running in the dark with no overhead lights was definitely weird. While not super bright, the head light did a fine job of lighting the path. However, I found that I had absolutely no depth perception in the dark. As you well know, I tend to fall a lot, so I was concerned about that this evening. I made it through without so much as a tweaked ankle. Yay me! 

We will run again at night, but will focus our time on paved streets and the part of the trail that has a little more reliable footing. 

Miles logged: 2.0

Music Monday: Burnin' Up

Artist: Jessie J
Title: Burnin' Up
Fave Line: "Drippin' in sweat, I'm losing my breath"

Miles Logged: 0.0

Running in Cambria

I've been completely absent from running, and blogging, over the last couple of weeks. I've been consumed with packing, moving (including a 3 day drive across the country), unpacking, and starting a new job. It's been a rollercoaster, but I'm so happy we've made it here.

I haven't joined a gym yet, and it's dark when I get home from work, and finding time to run has been challenging all around. But, today, finally, I treated myself to a run. We are living about 1.5 miles away from the beach, on a hilly 2 lane road waaaaay out in the country.  My plan this morning was to run down to the beach, navigate the park, then run home. I was afraid of how much fitness I've lost with my complete lack of physical fitness, so I didn't want to push it.

I made it about a quarter mile down the road before turning around and coming home. Not because I was too out of shape to run (thank goodness), but because I was too afraid of being run over on the almost 6-inch shoulder of the busy road. Instead, I drove down to the coast, ran for a bit, then drove home. Much safer that way! And look how beautiful!

Miles logged: 0.0

Running in Delray Beach

It's been a busy few weeks for me. In addition to accepting a new job, selling my house to move across the country, I celebrated my 35th birthday, packed up my house, and took a weekend trip to Florida. We drive across the country this week. But in the meantime, I booked a quick trip to the east coast of Florida to spend my birthday weekend with a friend of mind from the 6th grade. It was a weekend of excess, both drinking and eating. I managed to squeeze in a run this morning before we had to board a plane to come "home". 

I can't decide if I prefer a sunrise on the beach or a sunset. I'll let you know next week!

If any of you are Vanilla Ice fans (and, come on, who isn't??), I ran on the infamous A1A-Beachfront Avenue referred to in "Ice Ice Baby."

Miles logged: 4.8

Music Monday: Uptown Funk

Artist: Mark Ronson
Title: Uptown Funk
Fave Line: If you sexy then flaunt it. If you freaky then own it!

Miles Logged: 0.0

Month in Review: November

As I do every month, here is the best of the Runner's World Page a Day calendar for November.

Timely advice in the middle of a move! If only I could actually get a run in!

While snow banks aren't an issue in Dallas, it's great advice to wear reflective clothing, any time of the day.

Now I know how I am going to place!

I like to arrive a few days early as well to get used to sleeping in a strange bed.

Can you imagine how ridiculous this would look?

Running on grass always feels better, even if you don't have shin splints.

I like to mix it up and run mornings and nights. I must be able to run well all the time now!

I add hill repeats to every long run.

Miles logged: 0.0

What I'm Thankful For...

I didn't start my Thanksgiving day this year the same way I usually do. Instead of getting up and heading to the corner store for my newspaper with Black Friday ads, I woke up ridiculously early and started packing. Not because I'm going on vacation this weekend, but because I'm moving across the country. My husband and I are a week away from becoming residents of California! I've recently accepted a job with a company called MINDBODY on the Central Coast. We are beyond excited, but trying desperately to get ready to move.

Amidst all of the craziness, I thought I should take a few minutes to say what I'm thankful for this year:

• The love and support of friends and family.
• Anti-wrinkle cream.
• Mostly sound body and mind that are strong enough to push me through whatever crazy distance I try to run.
• A good real estate market.
• My grandmother's homemade apple pie.
• Sports massages.

Miles logged: 7.0

Music Monday: Rollercoaster

Artist: Bleachers
Title: Rollercoaster
Fave Line: "Now I'm running and I can't stop anywhere I go"

Miles Logged: 0.0

Music Monday: I Bet My Life

Artist: Imagine Dragons
Title: I Bet My Life
Fave Line: "Don't tell me that I'm wrong"

Miles Logged: 0.0

No running=No blogging

I've been a really bad blogger lately; an absent one actually. It's not for any particular reason, really. Other than I haven't been running much. I've had a couple of weeks worth of travel, which has thrown off my schedule. I've been lucky to get a day or two of running in a week. I've also managed to catch a head cold and get an ear infection from all the traveling (hey, at least it isn't Ebola) that has me down for the count. Combined with the weather roller coaster we are on in North Texas, I've had a hard time getting better. In fact, yesterday morning I woke up and was unable to swallow. I think one of my glands or lymph nodes or something was swollen. I'm on antibiotics now and hope to start feeling better soon.

Miles logged: 10.45

Month in Review: October

A little late...here is the best of Runner's World Page-a-Day calendar for October.

If only I knew this secret sooner!

I usually have the bag in the car, but not the accoutrements (water bottle, sunglasses, hat, etc.) 

They also hold you accountable

This is great advice if you don't sweat profusely like I do. Shower, hair and make-up make a lunchtime run at least 2 hours...

The elliptical is my preferred form of cross training.

I always think about stopping on Saturday mornings, but I'm really not going to buy anything at a garage sale, so why stop!?

I always use my husband for this!

Don't over do it. Select a training plan you can stick to.

I use dailymile.com. Friend me!

Miles logged: 0.0

Music Monday: I Bet My Life

Artist: Imagine Dragons
Title: I Bet My Life
Fave Line: "There's you in everything I do"

Miles Logged: 3.5

Music Monday: Jealous

Artist: Nick Jonas
Title: Jealous
Fave Line: I actually don't really like any particular line, just love his falsetto!

Miles Logged: 0.0

Apple Fritter, I think I love you

I knew I wouldn't have enough time while I was traveling for work this week, so I didn't even pack my running shoes. I did plan ahead and packed my gym bag so that I could go for a run as soon as I got home. I maybe indulged a little too much in these:

Yum! Donuts from Beilers Bakery. I ate a blueberry and an apple fritter. And they were the most delicious donuts I've ever had in my life. Also, they probably were my entire calorie count for the day. I really needed to work them off (though I was curious to see if I could actually make it through a run without puking), but I never had the chance. 

I arrived at the gym and noticed that it looked strange. And it was, because there were no lights and no electricity! Power had been out for a few minutes, but no one had any idea of when it would come back on. So, I left and went home for an elliptical work out. Today, however, I ran my butt off to make up for it!

Miles logged: 3.25

Music Monday: Eye of the Tiger

In honor of my business trip to Philadelphia this week, this Music Monday is dedicated to one of the greatest running songs ever, in which Rocky runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Artist: Survivor
Title: Eye of the Tiger
Fave Line: "Rising up, straight to the top. Had the guts, got the glory."

Miles Logged: 0.0

That Dam Half Race Report

I normally blog about the expo and race packet before a race, but this time, I had nothing to blog about. I stopped at RunOn to pick up my packet, which turned out to be my bib and 4 safety pins. The girl asked me if I wanted a bag, but I passed. They were out of race shirts in my size; instead she wrote a note on the back of my bib so that I could pick one up on race morning at registration.

Very official note

I left myself plenty of time to get to the race and good thing since I got lost. I didn't actually have the starting address, so it was difficult for Siri to get me there. Thank goodness I remembered Catfish Drive and I made it to the race early. I headed immediately for the bathrooms, hoping to get in line before it got too long. I walked straight up to the port-o-potty with no wait. They were surprisingly clean. Then I grabbed a banana (after using plenty of hand sanitizer, I'm taking no chances with all the Ebola) and went off in search of my race shirt.

Apparently the didn't do a good job of ordering shirts. When I arrived at registration, they had no mediums (the size I thought I wanted) and only one small left. There were tons of extra smalls and larges...and were giving out postcards to order shirts online if they did not have your size. I grabbed the last small (it miraculously fits) and huffed it back to the car to drop it off. It was a stunning morning. Crisp, cool, clear and with a little wind.

This is the only photo of me all day!

The starting line was well marked and well organized. I discovered that this was the very first That Dam Half marathon race, with 1200 entrants between the half and 5k. No wonder I couldn't find any race reviews online! We started on-time. The race was crowded for the first quarter mile or so, but then spaced out quickly with wide streets to run on.

Starting line mania (not really)

Just before mile 2, you start running on the levee. It's an out and back course--though I was getting concerned that it was a point to point, for which I had made no plans, when I had passed mile 5, but still hadn't seen the race leaders go by yet. I just needed a bit more patience, because they passed by shortly after I started thinking I was crazy.

Golf course to the right, Lake Lewisville, dead ahead

The course was completely flat and I was feeling good and running fast. Each mile was hovering around a 10:10 pace. I had a PR on my mind, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember what pace I had to run to beat it. But I put it in BEAST mode and tried to conserve some energy for the end. I also didn't stop to take any selfies, so no pictures of me with determination on my face!

This race had the best placed water stations of any race I've ever run--and today was my 17th half marathon, so that says a lot! There was a water stop every single mile of this race. They handed out paper cups of gatorade, or 8 oz bottles of water. It was fantastic; I did not even need to run with my own bottle of water for this race (though I did). However, if the race grows much, they will need more volunteers at each water stop.

The levee

The wind kicked up as we got out over the lake. It kept me cool while we headed out with the sun in our faces. Then it turned into a nice little tail wind on the way back to the finish line.

Is this a god dam?

I hit the finish line with no other runners close by, so the announcer read off my bib number and told me how great I looked as I crossed. He probably said that to all the ladies... I finished in 2:13:36, just 26 seconds short of my PR. I only needed to run each mile 2 seconds faster to break my PR. A little disappointing, but I'm very pleased with how well I did. I finished miles 12 and 13 in under 10 minutes each. I had gas left in the tank at the very end. I could have pushed harder, but I'm very happy with my results.

The finish line was well organized, with medals and water as soon as you crossed the timing mat. I knew there was beer, so I sniffed it out and gulped down a very refreshing ice cold beer.  This beer rivaled the Blue Moon after the 2011 Tour de Fleurs (3 years ago and I remember that beer like it was yesterday). All in all, it was a great race. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Doritos and ice cold beer as a post race snack? Don't mind if I do!

Wait, PIZZA and BEER??? I have died and gone to heaven!

Race swag, love the Thirteen.One on the sleeve of the race shirt

Miles logged: 13.1

Bill Murray is Training for the NYC Marathon!

If I can run a marathon, and Bill Murray can train for one, then anyone can run a marathon!

Miles logged: 0.0

I'm ready for my next half marathon

I ran into a friend and former client of mine (I'm a consultant, not a prostitute in case you were wondering) at the gym this week and he asked me what races I had coming up. I told him that I had nothing scheduled for the rest of the year, not a single race. Boy was I disappointed in myself when I said that. I guess I didn't realize that I'm still reeling from the letdown of the Malibu Marathon cancellation. I'm still running my long weekend runs, I'm definitely in half marathon shape, but I have done nothing to plan my race calendar for the rest of the year.

That conversation put a little fire under me. I had seen a race in Lewisville, TX advertised called That Dam Half. I wanted to run it, just so I could make puns about the name. I knew it was coming up soon, but didn't realize it was this weekend! Thank goodness it wasn't sold out. I will be running That Dam Half on Sunday. And all during the race, I will be asking this question, because Beavis and Butthead are hilarious!

Miles logged: 3.1

Complete Lack of Motivation

I had absolutely no motivation to get out and run this morning. Which is strange because the weather was lovely, I have been feeling great physically, and I slept in until almost 8am.  That's a trifecta of perfect running, no hot weather, no aches or pains, and no ridiculously early wake-up call. So what the hell was wrong with me?

Honestly, and I hate to admit it, but I think sleeping in might actually have been the problem. By the time I got up and dressed, it would be 9am (yes, it takes me an hour to get ready for a run, don't judge me). And if I ran 15 miles, it would be noon before I got home. There were all these things I had planned to do and very few of them would get done if I spent the entire morning running. But I sucked it up and got my butt out the door.

I ended up cutting my run short, to get home to do all those things I had planned, of which, I managed to do none. At least I made it to the grocery store and made my lunch for tomorrow. Success!

Miles logged: 11.9

Music Monday: Ew!

You have to have a sense of humor to enjoy this one!
Artist: Jimmy Fallon featuring Will.i.am
Title: Ew!
Fave Line: "I'm like what the what"

Miles logged: 0.0

Music Monday Throwback: 4 Minutes

This came up on my ipod this weekend. Love this song!
Artist: Madonna
Title: 4 Minutes
Fave Line: "Sometimes I think what I need is a you intervention"

Miles logged: 0.0

Autumn has Returned!

Fall arrived with a vengeance this weekend. It was 51 degrees when I woke up this morning. I can't remember the last time we had temps that cool in Dallas. It has been many months. I opened the back door to let Eddie out, and I was shocked by how cold it was! I was a little terrified of the running in the cold...

I braved it though, rethinking my outfit choice of shorts and tank top for the first couple of miles (it was really chilly!). But I warmed up nicely and had a great run. I forgot how wonderful it feels to run and not be completely overheated and dehydrated. I'm so glad the cool weather has arrived. Let's hope for a long and cool Fall season!

Miles Logged: 13.5

Fair Day 2014!

Every year, the company I work for schedules an afternoon and takes all of us to the Texas State Fair.

Hello Big Tex

They buy our tickets, pay for our transportation, give us tickets for food and beer and encourage us to play carnival games. I go to the fair for one reason and one reason only. Fried food. I was stoked about one of this year's finalists, Fried Sriracha Balls. I love sriracha and who doesn't love balls?! But I was sadly disappointed with them. Good thing I found the fried Snickers booth to make up for my disappointment. 

It was too hot to stay out and play games at the Midway, so I went back to the air conditioned office for a few hours before I made my way to the gym. Running with a belly full of fried food (and some salt water taffy) was not the best idea I've ever had. I was slow, had a stitch in my side the entire time, and felt like I was going to hurl. I somehow made it through a respectable workout. Maybe I won't indulge so much next year? Probably not!

Miles logged: 3.0

Month in Review: September

Here are the best tips from the Runner's World Page-a-Day calendar for September.

Don't forget to enjoy running!

I have a right knee that is hurting. And I skipped my run today.

If I did sit-ups, I would do them fast.

But then they are nosy and ask too many questions

Get your vitamin C

But don't eat spicy food before a long run...

RUN LIKE HELL

Great advice. I never do this.

Rest helps prevent injury

Miles Logged: 0.0