I've been bad

I've been a bad girl. I haven't been taking my medicines as the doctor prescribed. No, I haven't broken down and taken the last 2 Percocet left over from 10 years ago when I had my wisdom teeth out. I'm saving those for a rainy day. I haven't been taking my acid reflux medication.

About a year ago, I had a health "scare" that turned out to be really bad acid reflux (I even went under general anesthesia for a endoscopy). I've been able to manage my symptoms well by taking medication, but recently I've stopped taking it altogether. And last night's dinner probably set me off, even though we left out the red pepper flakes and skipped the gross soft boiled egg. We enjoyed a fancy soup from our Blue Apron subscription, but it hit my husband and I hard. He felt uncomfortable immediately. It took about 30 minutes before I bloated to the size of Santa Claus. I took some tums and went to bed. Then all day, I battled with reflux.

I took my meds as soon as I returned from work, but there wasn't enough time for them to kick in before we went out for a run. If you've never run with acid reflux before, just don't. Running has always made my symptoms worse, so I spent the run doing my best not to puke. Fantastic, right? And my husband had the worst ADD this evening and kept stopping: let's inhale a moth, let's stop to look at the stars, wait, is it a full moon tonight. It was everything I had to keep running and finish our mileage.

I decided to fight fire with fire and am enjoying a lovely glass of red wine. Acid cancels acid, right? Or was that base cancels acid? Who cares!

Miles logged: 3.25

Music Monday: Sing

Artist: Ed Sheeran
Title: Sing
Fave Line: "And then she handed me a bottle of water filled with tequila. I already know she's a keeper."

Miles logged: 0.0

Getting back into the swing of things

With nearly 16 miles run this week, I've hit my most mileage in over 3 months! According to my dailymile account, it was mid October the last time I ran this many miles in a week. I'm still far from where I want to be, but I'm happy to look back and see that I am finally making progress on my running!

The weather is so beautiful here that I don't know what I would be doing if I weren't out running and enjoying it. Oh wait, yes I do. It's what I did for the rest of the day-snoozing on the hammock, drinking wine out of my sippy cup and watching the sunset over the ocean. Life is good.

Sippy wine glass, but it still spills. Not made for toddlers!

I captured some kind of double sun phenomenon

Miles logged: 8.35

Music Monday: Ghost

Artist: Ella Henderson
Title: Ghost
Fave Line: "Each time I think you go, I turn around and you're creeping in and I let you under my skin"

Miles Logged: 0.0

Starve a cold and feed a fever?

The flu season has hit the Central Coast of California hard. Loads of people at work are sick with the flu and the news reports are saying the flu shot is ineffective this year as the flu has mutated (I never get the shot, so I'm not worried about the mutation). On Thursday, I started feeling a bit under the weather. Just run down and sneezy. I was hoping just for allergies. Instead of coming home and going for a run that evening, I came home and went to bed early. Same drill on Friday night.

Today has been the worst day yet. Lots of violent sneezing and runny nose. I took a nap mid afternoon, but couldn't sleep for very long since I couldn't breathe. Late in the afternoon I decided to go for a run. I wasn't sure I could run very much, but I wanted to get out and get at least a little exercise. I should have done it earlier. Running was the best I've felt in several days and the only hour all day that I didn't sneeze or blow my nose. The brief reprieve from crummy feeling symptoms is over, but I'm sure glad I made the effort today.

So maybe it isn't starve a cold or feed a fever. Maybe it's run your ass off no matter how you are feeling!

Miles logged: 5.0

Music Monday: I Lived

Artist: One Republic
Title: I Lived
Fave Line: "Hope when the crowd screams out, they're screaming your name"

Miles logged: 0.0

Why Running at Night isn't so Bad

Yesterday I gave you a few of the reasons why running in the dark sucks. Today, I give you the antithesis. Why running at night isn't all bad.

Reason's why running at night isn't so bad:

1. Feeling fat in your running tights? Who cares, no one can see you!
2. No sun=no sunscreen or bad tan lines.
3. You can take an emergency pit stop whenever you have to and don't have to worry about being seen.
4. The average person's core body temperature peaks in the evening, which loosens up muscles and makes them more ready for movement--good for those of us who aren't spring chickens anymore.
5. And if you've never run after dark before, it's a reason to buy new running gadgets and gear!

Miles logged: 3.0

Why Running at Night Sucks

As you may already know, I'm trying to get back into a regular schedule of running. And, I have not joined a gym, so I have taken to running outside, in the dark, after work. I thought I would compile a list of reasons why this is great and why it sucks. Let's start with the bad news first.

Reasons Why Running at Night Sucks:

1. Constant fear that the boogey man is right behind you.
2. No depth perception. The only way you know you are running uphill when your strides get shorter.
3. No distance perception either. Did I just run 1 mile or 10?
4. Even with a headlamp and flashlight, it is still really dark.
5. Legit possibility that you could be run over by a car and the driver could easily hide your body. (I'm running mostly on a trail for foot traffic only, but could be taken out on the way in our out).

Tomorrow I'll tell you all the reasons why I think running at night isn't so bad, awesome even?

Miles logged: 3.0

Music Monday: Shut Up and Dance

Artist: Walk the Moon
Title: Shut Up and Dance
Fave Line: "The chemical, physical Kryptonite"

Miles logged: 0.0

Free Samples of Biofreeze!!

2015 is off to a good start. I went for my first long run in months today and I finished up the week with 3 solid runs! My mileage isn't anywhere close to what I'd like it to be, but you have to re-start somewhere. And I will take it!

In honor of how sore I'm going to be tomorrow and how much of this I'm probably going to use, I wanted to share this freebie with my readers. Biofreeze is my favorite topical pain reliever and they are giving out free samples on their website!  If you have never used it, or use it regularly, make sure to stop by for a free sample. I love the sample sizes, as I can pack them in my gym bag or travel bag for quick and easy use. Enjoy!

Miles logged: 7.35

Year in Review: 2014

Though 2014 was a good year to me, I am looking forward to what 2015 will bring. I finished 4 half marathons and 1 full marathon, PR-ing in both distances. While I didn't meet my (unofficial and unspoken) goal of 1,000 logged running miles this year, I did make big strides towards improving my speed and fitness, for at least part of the year. Moving across the country in December derailed my running a bit, but I'm committed to getting back on track. 

I think of how lucky I am to be living in my paradise with a body that is healthy enough to allow me to run. 

Cheers to many miles in 2015!!!

Miles logged: 4.0