Birthday Bike

Hooray! I got the bike I wanted! Here's a pic of me getting fitted.

Running Update

Well, there is not much to report on the running front. I still have not completed a run without pain. My hamstring and hip still hurts and my toe is still painful. Argh! Before you say "you need to stop running", consider that I really haven't done a whole lot. I would say that of the people who ran Portland, I'm probably one of the lowest total mileage runners of the group, if not the lowest at this point. If not, I'm guessing my longest run is the shortest 'long run' of the group.

October is shaping up to have fewer than 60 miles total running, and that is including the marathon mileage. This is the lowest monthly total that I have had since the month of our wedding and honeymoon in March 2008. Before that, I think the months of my the debilitating hip injury in Sept/Oct 2007 had the lowest mileage total, but not by much. Taking out the marathon mileage on Oct 4 puts all of these months at about even. Pathetic, but at least I know I'm doing my body good.

Since October 4, I have run a whopping 23.3 miles. Each week I have run no more than two times (for 7 total runs) and the furthest I have run at one time is 4.2 miles. The fastest pace of those runs hovers right around 9:10 pace. I have been to five yoga classes and have aquajogged three times as well. Fifteen workouts in twenty-four days is pretty relaxing for a marathoners 'rest time', especially considering over half of them have been crosstraining. I have had nine complete 'off days', which equals the number of off days that I took in the entire last seven weeks of marathon training and that includes the 'taper weeks'.

Today I get a massage from Lisa, which I should have scheduled a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully her magical painful hands will work on these tired legs. I would really like to run again, but I don't want to feel pain anymore. It just isn't fun. I may have to break down and not run a single step for a week or so. I will go crazy if that happens.

Oh yeah...for my birthday I got a big chunk of cash money, so it looks like my wish of getting a cruiser bike will come true! I'm hoping to do some more test riding this weekend, so maybe I'll have another crosstraining activity to add to my non-running days! Hurray!

Miko loves Chad

She loves to lick his scalp. Gross.

Post-Birthday Dinner Pinot Silliness

Happy Birthday to me! No idea how much wine I have had. 32 feels
pretty darn good. Thankful for good friends and family.

A Rarity

Chad with all three Jones kitties in the same frame. Felicia on his
lap, Miko on the armrest, and Beans on the floor. A relaxing Sunday
at our house.

Ouch! Blisters!

And these puppies aren't from my running shoes. These are from the
cute red shoes that I wore on date night last night. Yes, the shoes
were already broken in.

The blister on my heel looked like it was a big open flesh wound last
night, but it turned out to be a long, juicy bubble.

I am afraid to pop them as much as I'm afraid to wear any shoes other
than flip-flops. These are worse than any blisters I have ever gotten
from running shoes.

Birthday Week!

Happy Birthday to my Dad, who turns 59 today! It is so crazy to think that he will be 60 next year. In only five days, I will turn 32. It seems like time has gone by so fast over the last few years.

Anyhoo, I'm ready to turn 32. It is such a blah age, not the 30 or 40 that call for big celebration. Hopefully the unimportant number this year means that the excitement will come from the rest of the 364 days instead of just one big day.

Happy Fall!

Our house is ready to welcome you to have a Happy Halloween and Happy
Thanksgiving!

A Little of This, A Little of That

What a splendid weekend. Really, Austin was the best place in the country to be this weekend. We had gorgeous (the best all year) weather, the home team won (hurray!), and our little family got some time to relax and take in the best of the season.

We celebrated Chad's mom's birthday on Friday night at Jasper's...great food, great wine. On Saturday, I got to run with my Tara and have two runner breakfasts (well, the second one was coffee only) with friends. The TXvOU game ended with the score in the right direction for celebration. Saturday night's sleep was 11 hours...simply divine. Top off the weekend with some good house cleaning, a touch of home improvement, simple Fall/Halloween decorations, and two meals eaten on patios, and I don't see how much could be better. Well, I hit race weight and fit into my smallest pair of pants...that made it better.

Life is good. May the good days continue...

Music Change - One

My favorite U2 song.

One

Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you, now you got someone to blame?
You say one love, one life, when it's one need in the night.
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you baby if you don't care for it.

Did I disappoint you or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love and you want me to go without.
Well, it's too late tonight to drag the past out into the light.
We're one, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other, carry each other... one

Have you come here for forgiveness,
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much, more than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got.
We're one, but we're not the same.
Well, we hurt each other, then we do it again.

You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law.
You ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on to what you got, when all you got is hurt.

One love, one blood, one life, you got to do what you should.
One life with each other: sisters, brothers.
One life, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other, carry each other.
One, one.

U2/Muse at Reliant

Just a short post to say that we had an absolute blast at the U2/Muse concert Wednesday night. Seeing my favorite band play with the biggest band on the planet was an early birthday treat of the highest level.

The Muse setlist was almost exactly the same as the setlist in Dallas, but instead of playing Unnatural Selection (from their latest album) in the middle of the set, they added Plug In Baby (from an early album) as their final song. The whole set was really awesome and Matt Bellamy's voice sounded absolutely brilliant belting out some of the choruses in that huge stadium.

Dance of the Knights (intro music)
Uprising
Map of the Problematique + Who Knows Who outro (watch)
Supermassive Black Hole
Interlude + Hysteria
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Time Is Running Out
Plug In Baby

U2's set was fabulous, as expected, and the visuals of the massive stage set-up were stunning. It is hard to describe, but as they kept calling it their 'spaceship', it did seem other-worldy at times.

Good times. No pics or videos. If you want to see some, see Mike's blog for pics and videos from the Dallas show.

Pre Show at Reliant Stadium

Music Change - Hysteria

Today is finally the Houston U2-Muse concert. Gahh!!! I'm so excited! A bunch of folks went on Monday to the Dallas show and said it was really great, so I'm completely pumped up to go.

So, in honor of the concert tonight - Hysteria

The Muse Wiki in case you'd like to know more about the song. Also the Wikipedia article on Hysteria is kind of an interesting read.

Muse - Hysteria

It's bugging me, grating me

And twisting me around
Yeah I'm endlessly caving in
And turning inside out

'cause I want it now
I want it now
Give me your heart and your soul
And I'm breaking out
I'm breaking out
Last chance to lose control

It's holding me, morphing me
And forcing me to strive
To be endlessly cold within
And dreaming I'm alive

'cause I want it now
I want it now
Give me your heart and your soul
I'm not breaking down
I'm breaking out
Last chance to lose control

And I want you now
I want you now
I'll feel my heart implode
I'm breaking out
Escaping now
Feeling my faith erode

Obligatory Voodoo Post

Yes, still catching up on Portland posts...Since there was so much excitement about going to Voodoo Doughnuts while we were in Portland, here is my post a la Mike and Keith.

We did make it to Voodoo Doughnuts on our last morning in Portland. It was Monday morning about 9:00am and there was absolutely nobody in line (which is crazy considering the line that was there all weekend). We walked right in the doors, admired the menu, the colorful case of doughnuts, and made our decisions rather quickly. Most of you know that I eat gluten-free, so this was a major breach in the diet. There aren't any gluten-free choices here...that would be mighty difficult to pull off. They do have vegan offerings that looked scrumptious, but I went ahead and ordered the "Captain My Captain", a yeast doughnut iced with vanilla frosting/glaze, topped with Cap'n Crunch cereal. Chad got a powdered sugar cake doughnut.

It was okay. Not my favorite, though I give it points for originality. I prefer a Dunkin' Donuts Blueberry Cake, a Krispy Kreme original, or that Krispy Kreme that has the white fluff in the middle with the chocolate icing (I think like the one Keith described, except I must clarify that I don't like the vanilla pudding creme, it must be the white fluffy icing in the center). After eating half of the Captain My Captain, I threw the rest away and suffered a horrible stomachache for the duration of the morning. As you can see below, Chad enjoyed his.

Working Out the Workouts

An update on running/non-running workouts - The past recovery week has been pretty great as far as workouts are concerned.

• We got back from Oregon late Tuesday night and Wednesday was a complete day off.
• Thursday evening I attempted to run 3 miles as a post-race shake out run and by the end of 2 miles I wanted to stop, not because I was hurting all that bad, but because I just didn't feel like running anymore. If I hadn't been running with Chad, I probably would have walked home. Add to that edging the front yard and it was a good way to end the day being active.
• Friday involved plans to go aquajogging with Katie, but waking up to thunderstorms and heavy rain nixed those plans pretty quickly. I didn't bother trying to squeeze in any other workout and just took the lazy Friday as an off day.
• On Saturday, Tara and I went to Kula Yoga to try the Yoga for Athletes class. I liked it pretty well. Parts of the class were easy and relaxing because it was first thing in the morning, while at other times during the class, my legs were burning and shaking as I tried to hold poses that should have been only moderately difficult. In all, it was a great balance of poses, perfect for post-marathon stretching and strengthening. Add to that tea and oatmeal at The Coffee Bean, and it was a great off-season Saturday morning.
• Sunday was attempt #2 at running. I managed to do 3 miles again, and it was easier than Thursday's run. I felt my hamstring and my toe, but the blood flow to both areas seems to be relaxing the muscles and joints. Part of me also thinks that all repetitive upward dog/downward dog transitions in yoga aggravated my toe joint. I'm going to have to be mindful of that as I roll from the top of my foot to the bottom. Oh, and speaking of the aftermath of yoga...my shoulders were so freaking sore. I guess running doesn't really use the shoulders and upper arms like yoga does. Ouch!
• Monday morning was better weather-wise for aquajogging until we all got to the pool. Big Stacy Pool is supposed to be heated by a thermal spring in the winter, but apparently that has to be 'turned on'. The water was not warm at all! Boo! We all still got in 30 minutes of aquajogging, but if they don't turn on the heat soon, I don't see us braving the chilly waters as much.
• Monday afternoon I went to another yoga class - Ashtanga I. I used to practice Ashtanga several years ago, so I knew that I needed to start again at the beginner level to not be completely embarrassed. Goodness, I'm glad I went to the level I class, because it turned out to be less explanation of the practice and poses and more of just diving into the sequence. I somewhat wished the instructor would have called the transition of breaths to movements a little more thoroughly for a beginner level, but I hung in there. Actually, I think I did pretty well for not having practiced in years. Running has definitely hurt my flexibility. It was obvious in a few poses that I could not bend like I used to and couldn't advance to the next variation like I used to. It is no matter, but the change in my body was obvious.

I'm going to keep up the yoga, the aquajogging, and the three mile runs for at least another week. I might throw in some weights and some hiking (not running) on the greenbelt soon as well for variety's sake. I hope all of my other Portland peeps are doing well and recovering, too. I don't miss the running as much as I do the group.

Birthday Party Crosstraining

The dance/step game at Dave & Busters definitely qualifies as crosstraining - movement and coordination are required. I danced a few rounds, one with the birthday girl, and almost worked up a sweat. Shooting hoops with Chad for a few rounds of 'Nothin But Net' counts as well.

Happy Early Birthday Mom!

Livin' on the Edge

Supposedly my car has a 15 gallon tank. Hmmm...

Flights!

At Cru

Portland Update - Round Two - Race Report

I don't think doing anything differently leading up to the race would have changed the outcome of Sunday's race. I was rested, hydrated, trained, all of that regular business. I did everything right. The weather was good. I had a clear strategy to follow. I didn't get it done on Sunday, and I knew my A, B, and C goals were all out the window fairly early on in the race.

Start - mile 8 - The start was great. I lined up just in front of the 3:20 pace group with a bunch of teammates. The wave start didn't bother me at all...I was running the pace I wanted to run from mile 1. Here are the things I remember - awesome drum groups and music on miles 1 and 2. Lots of crowds downtown cheering. The hills between 2 and 4 were much more significant than I expected, but it was great to have Jonathan and Keith nearby to help focus on my own pace rather than the crowds. I caught Keith on the downhill mile 4 and we ran several miles together at 3:20 pace. After about mile 5-6 we heard a train horn, and the whole pack of people near our pace group rumbled with assorted 'Oh Shit!', 'Thank God!', 'No Way!', as we realized that the train tracks that we had just crossed over were about to be closed due to a train in the middle of the course. Unbelievable! Thank goodness we were ahead of it already (as some of our teammates we found out were stuck behind it). The out and back from 7-11 was really flat. Maybe a little too flat in retrospect.

Mile 9-17 - This hurt way more than it should. I felt like I couldn't keep pace starting at mile 9. At mile 10, my hips started to hurt and I let Keith go with the 3:20 group. Mile 11 hurt in my feet and hips. Mile 12 was uphill and I felt like my neck was tired and that I was struggling to expand my lungs. Jon and Michael caught me (after having to make up time because they were caught by the train. Let me tell you that I wasn't hurting because I was tired. I was just hurting. It was like I had just done a 70 mile week and somebody was making me do my Sunday recovery run. Not fun.

By mile 13, I figured out that my sports bra (under my Nike long sport top) felt way too tight and I debated what to do about it for a mile. It was beyond uncomfortable and was the major cause of my upper body pains. So, I pulled over behind a chain link fence and did the old 'shirt trick' that girls do to take off their bras, but with a really tight, wet sports bra and not under a t-shirt...it took about a minute to get it off. When it was just me and my Nike top (which has a little support in it, though also completely white) I felt like a huge weight had been lifted, or rather that the super tight constricting band had been removed from my ribs, and I could now breathe and move freely. Running was better, though I felt like every spectator was now staring at my white tank top with cold nipples showing through. I have no shame.

From 15-17, my legs still hurt and I eased up the big hill nice and steady. A fully decked out Aggie passed me (male) and I was pissed off. I knew as we descended off of the bridge and my body did not like the downhill grade that there was not going to be any hope of any of my goals. Downhill was not going to be my friend.

Mile 18 - Finish - I remember being ticked off at some of my Facebook friends for quoting Finding Nemo in their status updates recently - 'just keep swimming...just keep swimming...' In the past, my usual marathon mantras are 'This, too, shall pass', 'Invisible rubberband', and 'You can do this'. Nope, not in Portland. Thanks to my Facebook friends, I repeated to myself over and over 'just keep running...just keep running...' a la Dorie in her sing-song voice. Argh, the stupid new mantra helped me move forward, but I was so annoyed that that is where my mind went for those lonely hours on the road.

I kept thinking about people who should be passing me. Ruth had passed me going up the big hill at 17, so I imagined Nedra would be right behind her. I saw Trey with his camera at about 19 and was confused as to why he was there...I thought Nedra was ahead of me and I had just missed her. I also thought I must have missed Kevin earlier in the day because I hadn't seen him at all. At about mile 20, I was resigned to just finish out the day with the best time possible and just keep moving forward. I tried to stay positive. I caught back up to Keith at that point, who got a friendly pinch on the butt from me as I passed :). Just keep running, just keep running...and there was some walking all through this part. I gave myself one minute at a time, but usually I only needed about 40 seconds.

Amy passed me going down Adidas hill and looked sad to see me. Julia and John cheered for me towards the end and lied to me that I looked good (at least it made me feel good). The last two miles were excruciating. I felt like stakes were being driven into my legs. I thought for sure my left big toe was broken. Nedra finally passed me at mile 25 and I was so relieved to see another familiar face. She had a good tempo going...just fast enough for me to hang on and stay 10-20 yards behind her. Thank goodness for Nedra, because she made the whole last 1.2 miles so much more bearable. I watched her hook 'em horns to some spectators wearing Texas gear (I was wearing a Texas hat). Nedra even saw a young woman wearing a burnt orange knit hat and scarf (not UT related) and gave her a hook 'em, too. I laughed at how entertaining it was to now have someone I knew to run behind. We passed back and forth the last .2 up the big hill and both had really strong finishes considering the kind of race we were both having.

Thoughts - I don't think I would have done anything differently (except for maybe the sports bra choice). I don't know where the pain came from other than my body had an especially rough summer battling hamstring and toe pain. I shouldn't have felt anything bad until at least 16-20, but I did. It sucks. I didn't get it done.

I'm really bummed that I did not PR, but I know that I'm much faster than the time that I posted on Sunday. A positive way to look at it is that I still get to say that my PR is from Boston for at least another 6 months and my Portland finish time of 3:38:57 will qualify me through Boston 2011. (I was already qualified for 2010 with my Austin marathon time this year.) An extra year of BQ is great for our little family as Chad and I have now two years to choose whether or not we want to run and it lets me have a little padding in the training schedule in case our family grows in the next two years. And yes, Chad beat me, and his outstanding time of 3:11:xx will also qualify him for Boston through 2011.

In the end, running marathons is a hobby for me and I'm very satisfied with the overall outcome of the season. Friendships have grown. I have gotten faster and stronger. I have a greater understanding of my body's abilities. The time on the clock wasn't as fast as I wanted - big whoop. Another day will come for me.

I am thrilled for the teammates of mine who had an awesome day. It was so exciting to see how well some folks ran.

Portland Update - Round One - Pictures

Yes, I will post a race report. Yes, I am disappointed in my race. Yes, I still had a great weekend. Yes, we took pictures.

First some pictures, because those are always more fun than paragraphs (and I have some of those, too). Link to more pics coming soon. This is a very small sample

Double Rainbow outside Rogue Team Meeting

Inside the Team Meeting

Recovery Day -

Multnomah Falls

Wine Country - Stop #1 - Erath

Stop #3 - Willakenzie Estate - Outside the tasting room.

Willakenzie Tasting Room Bar

Stop #4 - Lemelson - Best Pinot Noir of the day!

Tuesday Morning - Sky Tram

BFD Oregon style

Cupcake Jones

We may have a Portland Baby Name winner.

For a girl - Cupcake Jones
(follow the link)

Portland Update and Tracking Link

Hey y'all. We made it to Portland. Sorry I haven't posted any updates or any pics...honestly I'm in race mode right now and have just taken the time to focus on something other than food, sleep, packet pickup, and driving the course. There have been many things to take pictures of - the gap that we had to jump over to get off of the airplane, the line at Voodoo Donut at 11:30pm, the Willamette River on a clear, but overcast, Saturday morning, Portland Saturday Market, the bubbling water fountains, Club Rouge (as in red, not the misspelling of Rogue), and some beautiful sites from the course, but I don't think either Chad or I have snapped a single photo.

All I can say is I'm ready. My toe still hurts a little, my left leg is a little wonky, but overall, I'm feeling great. The weather is perfect, the course looks pretty fast, and I'm looking forward to eating dinner and going to sleep.

If you want to track me, go here - http://www.liveraceresults.com/liverc1/

I am bib 1233. The If there is a camera on the finish line, the race starts at 7:00am so look for me between 10:18 and 10:30 Pacific time (that is 12:00-12:30 for those of you in Austin who can't do time zone math) - I'm wearing a white tank top and black shorts, with possibly some arm warmers and gloves. If it is raining, I'll have a burnt orange hat on as well.

We're going on vacation!

Our two alphas together in the crate. Felicia and Beans are never
this close without hissing, swatting, and screaming at each other.
I'd call this progress.

Music Change - Imitosis

Andrew Bird is playing at ACL tonight at 7:30. When we saw him perform a couple of years ago, his show was one of our favorites. If you haven't heard him, enjoy...he whistles, and it is kind of cool.

Imitosis - Andrew Bird

He's keeping busy
Yeah, he's bleeding stones
With his machinations and his palindromes
It was anything but hear the voice
Anything but hear the voice
It was anything but hear the voice
That says that we're all basically alone

Poor Professor Pynchon had only good intentions
When he put his Bunsen burners all away
And turning to a playground in a Petri dish
Where single cells would swing their fists
At anything that looks like easy prey
In this nature show that rages every day
It was then he heard his intuition say

We were all basically alone
And despite what all his studies had shown
That what's mistaken for closeness
Is just a case of mitosis
And why do some show no mercy
While others are painfully shy?
Tell me doctor, can you quantify?
He just wants to know the reason why
The reason why

Why do they congregate in groups of four
Scatter like a billion spores
And let the wind just carry them away?
How can kids be so mean?
Our famous doctor tried to glean
As he went home at the end of the day
In this nature show that rages every day
It was then he heard his intuition say

We were all basically alone
Despite what all his studies had shown
That what's mistaken for closeness
Is just a case of mitosis
Sure fatal doses of malcontent through osmosis
And why do some show no mercy
While others are painfully shy?
Tell me doctor, can you quantify
The reason why?

October is Here!

The best month of the year has arrived! I really feel like the first nine months of the year are just weeks and days of anticipation for the party season. Each year, October brings the start of all things fantastic! Bring on the parties, bring the pumpkin, bring the spiced cider, bring the crisp, cool weather. Take out the burnt orange, the browns, the mustard yellows, the dark eggplant purple...I'm ready for a new color palette!

Here is what is on the calendar so far this October -

• Oct 2-6 - Portland Trip! Running, eating, touring, drinking wine, visiting family. Woohoo!
• Oct 8 - National Night out in our neighborhood
• Oct 11 - my mom's b-day party
• Oct 12 - Mom's b-day!
• Oct 14-15 - mini trip to Houston for Muse/U2 concert!
• Oct 16 - Chad's Mom's birthday!
• Oct 17 - TX v OU weekend - we're not going, but it is a must-watch game!
• Oct 22 - Dad's b-day!
• Oct 27 - My Birthday!
• Oct 31 - Halloween

Between all of the actual dates that have been planned so far, there are always various birthday dinners to attend. There is usually a dinner with Chad's mom. There will likely be a birthday combo dinner with my dad and me. I'm sure we'll also do something with my mom for my birthday. We'll also try to arrange/attend get-togethers with friends to celebrate birthdays and the marathon. The schedule is definitely going to be full!

Recovering from Portland could not be better timed...I'm ready to do all of the things that I haven't done the past few months. The celebrations can last into November as far as I'm concerned.

Also an answer to my prayers from my post yesterday - We are now in our first official cycle trying for a baby. I will not be blogging about it from here on out until we choose to go public with the news or until we know there is a complication that I would like to blog about. It could take a while or it may not. There won't be another post about it until December at the earliest. We'll see how it goes, and that is the exciting thing about it! Yay! This is the best news to start the best month of the year.

for my ladies out there...

cd 39 wtf? I'm right there with you. This time is supposed to be exciting and fun. It is not the same journey as you ladies, but the frustrations are similar. Please let me have cd1. Please.

The Filter - Censorship

Maybe I care too much about how other people feel. I wish I could truly use this blog as a way to express how I feel about certain things. Maybe it is because not all of the readers of this blog choose to be anonymous and I feel like I have an obligation to temper my feelings about certain subjects so as not to cause any problems with relationships or create unnecessary conflict.

I so badly want to blog about my 'mysterious post' from last week. I just don't feel like I can do so without damaging relationships further.

In most ways the situation has been resolved, even amicably I must add. However, there is still a lingering issue with me that I'm having a hard time letting go. I admitted last night that is affecting my race preparation. What I haven't admitted is how much the issue has had an effect on my excitement about the weekend. I don't really feel like being around anyone this weekend. I feel disconnected from the group and I know it is only because I am sensitive to how things make me feel. I'm trying to avoid feeling how I felt last week and all it is doing is making me that much more distracted from the primary focus of the weekend. All I want to think about right now is running a good race, sleeping in a king bed, drinking some great wine, seeing my relatives, and just enjoying the time away from home. Everything else is and has been a distraction. I have got to resolve the issue in my own mind, but I'm afraid that it will still be lurking in the back of my head until this weekend is over.

I tend to withdraw when there is conflict in my life. Only my closest friends will see my outwardly frustrated self, obviously vocal and unafraid to speak my mind. Everyone else gets the 'lay low', 'please everyone' personality that doesn't want to stir the waters. I wish I wasn't sensitive and could just blog away, not caring who reads this or how they might perceive my words. Instead, my personality sometimes demands the filter, the censorship, to protect me from additional conflict that will cause me to withdraw further

Sorry to be Debbie Downer and so vague again. Just as you know me to be smiley and upbeat, this is also what you get when you get to know me.

Music Change - Mike's New Songs

Well, four out of the six.

Voodoo, Schmoodoo - Beer, Schmeer

A bunch of folks on the team are excited about Voodoo Doughnuts being right next to the hotel. Blah, I shouldn't be eating them...they are not gluten-free. Same thing with all of the brew pub excitement...I don't drink beer anymore. Eh, I'm not going to be eating doughnuts, pasta, or drinking beer this weekend, so I'm having a hard time getting excited about some of the group stuff. Yeah, it will be fun to celebrate, but beyond the celebration, I'll be looking for other things to drink at those brew pubs.

I plan to seek out some great Oregon wine, some delicious fresh fish, and to indulge in the otherwise veg-friendly, gluten-free offerings at many of the local Portland restaurants. With all of the vegetarians and vegans that live there, it seems that restaurants in Portland are used to people with special dietary needs. I've never had more fun reading the online blogs and restaurant guides for any other city.

So back to the Voodoo Doughnut thing...I'm not excited about that. I'm excited about New Cascadia Traditional Bakery and so glad we have a car on Saturday so that I can get some goodies to eat the rest of the weekend. Yay!

Things to Avoid During Your Taper

Everyone has heard these things, the common items that coaches and other athletes recommend avoiding during the weeks prior to your big race. You've put all of the hard work in, your body is trying to get the rest it needs, so don't go and mess up your whole plan by doing something stupid.

• Don't start any new house projects - gardening, heavy lifting, painting, etc.
• Don't start going to the gym every day and lifting weights all the time now that you aren't running as many miles.
• Don't use your free time to drink like a fish or eat like a pig, even though your appetite might still be really high.
• Don't stand on your feet all day...Get off of your feet as much as possible the week of your race, especially the 2-3 days before.

I propose another item to add to the list. Chad and I tempted fate yesterday and did something that might jeopardize our race. I suggest we add the following item to the 'Things to Avoid During Your Taper' list.

• Don't risk your health by holding babies that don't belong to you.

Babies have germs. Powerful ones. Am I worried? A little. On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe about a 3. I love the baby we held yesterday, Aaron. He is my little nephew and I would never suggest that he is a sickly, germy baby. He does, however, harbor germs that I am not exposed to very often and I'm a little worried about how my body will handle it.

Yeah, we washed our hands. We should be fine, but I do have to tell you...Just moments after this pic was taken, I was holding Aaron and he ever so quickly blew spit directly into my mouth. Ack! Gotta love a kid who can read minds and foil your germ-free plan. He is clearly a genius.

This Time Next Week...

It is September 27, the start of what is supposed to be a really great month. We leave Friday to go to Portland. This time next week I'll be finished with the marathon, hopefully with a time and experience that I'll be happy with. I may not be racing again for a while.

What does this week have in store? I won't run tomorrow (forced day off), and I will likely opt for sleeping in on Tuesday morning instead of going to the workout. I do have some lingering issues with my left big toe, which is still causing tightness in the left hamstring. The toe thing is aggravated by any kind of non-easy running, so I'm not going to do any pace work at all until the marathon. I'm still very confident in my abilities to run a great race...I just don't want to aggravate my toe any further in the hopes that I can toe the start line pain-free next Sunday. Wednesday and Thursday will be short, easy runs, then we travel on Friday. I'm hoping the week flies by.

The weather is looking to be good for running. It will likely be in the mid 40's at the start (perfect in my opinion) and possibly a chance of rain. Here is the NOAA site. Here is the Accuweather site (which I don't really trust until 2-3 days beforehand). I'm excited to pack jeans, sweaters and a coat for tooling around in Portland. That is also perfect tea, coffee, wine drinking weather, so bring it on!

This past week of running was pretty good...a rain run on Tuesday with Jon and Keith (loved watching us all splash in the huge puddles and staring at the fast-moving swollen creeks), some good easy running in the 'hood, a workout with my hubby that was right on pace, and a fun 15 miler with the 3:15-3:20 men where I got to let go a bit on the downhill (why am I not running St. George again? I swear I would run 3:15 there this year). This season has been a good one getting used to my faster self, trying to figure out where I fit in the pack of the team. It will be a relief to let my body heal, to try some other things (yoga, aquajogging, weights, maybe a casual bike ride) in the weeks after Portland.

I'm also right on track weight-wise. I'm hovering between 139-140 (which I haven't been in a really long time), and if I were to stay here all week that would be okay. I feel strong. I'm still really careful about nutrition with the reduced mileage of our taper.

This year I'm going to start packing early. As soon as I hit 'Publish Post', I'm going to take out our suitcases and put them in the bedroom. The race outfit, shoes, and GUs will be gathered today. Hurray!

If it Kills Me

Ladies, do you have any smart, fun, single girlfriends? After a conversation yesterday I had with another woman, I think you should know we have an overwhelming number of smart, fun, fit single men in our running group...all great catches. I can count at least six or seven, and that is just in my group. For you single gals...Rogue is a great place to not only train hard and run a successful race, but to meet some of these great guys.

For Fall...the weather changed, moods will change. Time for some softer, more serious music. Enough of the bubble pop, fun-in-the-sun stuff that is always on the radio. So for all the men out there who have had 'friends' that you felt something more for...

If it Kills Me - Jason Mraz

Hello, tell me you know
Yeah, you figured me out
Something gave it away
It would be such a beautiful moment
To see the look on your face
To know that I know that you know now

And baby that's a case of my wishful thinking
You know nothing
Cause you and I
Why, we go carrying on for hours on end
We get along much better
Than you and your boyfriend

Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me

How long, can I go on like this,
Wishing to kiss you,
Before I rightly explode?
This double life I lead isn't healthy for me
In fact it makes me nervous
If I get caught I could be risking it all

Cause maybe there's a lot that I miss
In case I'm wrong

Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me

If I should be so bold
I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hand
I'd tell you from the start how I've longed to be your man
But I never said I would
I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again

All I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
I think it might kill me

And all I really want from you is to feel me
Yeah, the feeling inside keeps building
I'll find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
It might kill me

I won the lottery last night!

Well, not the top prize. My ticket had two numbers plus the megaball, so I am a winner! Don't y'all start calling or emailing asking for money! My big $10 prize isn't going to be shared.

Only 2,998 tickets in all of the states that played won a prize higher than mine. Only 28,152 people plus me won $10 or more. That really makes me feel like a winner :).

I'm done

It is over.

Where am I?

Several issues with me need a status update -

• Endocrinologist update - I had my 1 year follow up appointment today. Throughout the summer of 2008 I spent time doing lab tests and doing research on hypothyroidism as well as other hormone problems related to fertility and reproductive cycles. I got a second opinion with Dr. Bledsoe and was relieved to hear a professional validate the concerns I was having with real explanations and a diagnosis. I have been taking Synthroid for my hypothyroidism since last year and after increasing the dose to 75 mcg every day, I feel like I have stabilized at a happy place. Dr. Bledsoe confirmed that my TSH level is 'perfect' (1.18) and I know that is much better now that I'm in the 'normal' range. I feel a difference. Today, she kept me on the same level of medication and thinks everything looks good. I also mentioned that we are trying to conceive starting very soon, and she gave me some guidelines for if/when I might need to come back to see her to assist with fertility hormones and such if we end up not being able to conceive on our own within 6-12 months. I also got approval to not be on Parlodel since I had technically stopped taking it 6-8 months ago. Dr.Bledsoe noted that the issues for medication have been resolved for the time being and I don't need to worry about going back on it unless I start having cycle issues again. Yay!
• Training update - My toe pain has been minimized for now. I actually took a day off (shocker!) yesterday and after the icing, the overall pain is now down to a '4' from a '7'. I am excited about our taper...otherwise, the rest of my body is cooperating and I'm looking forward to racing on October 4. Bring it!
• Reading update - I have been a reading machine. My last several books have been The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Angel's Game, Twilight, March, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and New Moon. All read since August 8. Our new book club book was chosen last night and I'm looking forward to it. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible.
• what else am I not thinking of? special requests? anything else need-to-know?

The Bringer of Jollity

In honor of the spectacular performance by the Goin' Band this weekend, I decided to go a bit classical for a few days. Big props to the Tech band, performing Mars and Jupiter on the field, and in my opinion outshining LHB this weekend (gasp, shock!). I know, it is total blasphemy to say so, but I really think the Tech band has moments of being great.

I do know that their The Planets show was in (at least) its second week of performance for the Goin' Band...I watched the YouTube performance from earlier in the month and it looked and sounded a bit rough. After a few weeks more of practice, they definitely had refined the show, both in look and sound. There were moments of the Jupiter section that made my heart sing, so I have chosen to share the experience with you all here this week. If you lose focus easily, skip to 3:06 to hear the most recognizable theme (at least in my opinion). Just to clarify - this is not the Tech band playing on my blog, just a recording of Jupiter from an unidentified ensemble.

Tech always comes to Texas with a solid sound and always raises the level of performance expected from both bands, especially the brass sections of each band.

LHB chose to perform their traditional 'Wall-to-Wall Band' performance that they will take to OU, so it was traditional (boring for me) and definitely in its first week of performance. At least one band member missed the 'freeze' when it was time to yell 'Beat the Hell out of Texas Tech!'. It looked a little sloppy...bummer.

So, for all of my non-musical friends, if you need to read up on Holst and The Planets, you should. It is required listening.

He was my witness...

and still decided to give it a try. This pic was taken after about 20
seconds of being submerged.

Chad has done this before and didn't really explain how bad it would
hurt before I tried it (see below). Maybe he does have a mean streak :)

Worst Decision Ever

Pic is of me writhing in pain, crying and crying out.

I will never put my feet in a bucket of ice water ever again! If you
think 'that is no big deal. I've taken an ice bath before,' think
again! Actually, go get a bucket, fill it with four inches of ice,
add cold water to fill in the space, then plunge your bare feet in.
You will feel what I imagine metal stakes would feel like while being
driven through all of the bones in your feet, up into your ankles,
into your shin bones and possibly radiating up into the rest of your
legs.

Seriously, next time I'm just going to make an ice pack. I'm now
surviving with just my left foot in the bucket with a sock on.

Don't ever do this!

Aquanet 2009

Here is a reminder of 2008.

UT v TxTech - We're not rivals!

My recent Facebook status -

"Even though we care about the score and we know it is a big game this weekend, and even though you like to claim us as one, remember...we're not rivals! A&M and OU already have that covered."

Sometimes I wonder what Tech fans are thinking...you ask a Tech fan who their big rival is and they'll likely say Texas or Texas A&M. I don't know, maybe there are other teams out there like OU or OKState that they want to claim as their big rival as well.

I don't think A&M claims Tech to be a rival...several of my Aggie friends 'liked' my Facebook status, which leads me to believe they feel the same way Texas does.

Lesson for Tech fans -
UT and A&M are rivals.
UT and OU are rivals.
OU and OK State are rivals.
even OU & A&M might be rivals.

UT and TxTech are not rivals! Understand - We still want to beat you. We still hate it when you beat us. Your team is the third wheel, the red-headed stepchild. Not everyone can be rivals with us. Sorry Tech.

Your players and fans are nasty. I'll never forget the Tech players who turned to Longhorn Band members and cussed them out one of the years we went to Lubbock...really, do you need to threaten a clarinet player when you are twice his size and probably three times his strength. It was so low class. Let your fans and students in the stands cuss at us. Hell, let the Tech Band cuss at us (which I don't ever remember happening). But a player cussing at a band member? Ridiculous and low class.

Watch the game this weekend. Read the coverage in the paper. See who uses the word 'rivalry' to describe our relationship. Anyone who does so just doesn't get it and definitely did not go to UT.

Hook 'Em Horns!

Edit - Music Change - Eyes and Texas Fight are now playing. I can't tell if these recordings are from the LHB album with the Blue Cover (Farewell to the SWC or something like that) that they used to sell at the CoOp, but if it is...you are listening to me on piccolo!

Cup Runneth Over

Woke up next to the man I love.
Good health and good friends - ran with Kate this morning in the neighborhood.
Healthy, affordable food in the house.
Good job with flexible schedule.
Sweet, furry companions during the workday.
Family that calls to check on me, even if I don't need them to.
Nature's gifts - sliver of a moon again this morning, cool temps, deer, cloud cover and a breeze.

Today is Thursday, and though it is just an ordinary day, I feel blessed to be alive. Please take a moment today to acknowledge the good things in your life.

Music Change - Black

In honor of the upcoming ACL fest that those of us going to Portland will miss. ACL headliner, Pearl Jam, in what is one of the most beautiful, tragic songs ever. I never get tired of hearing it. The last statement in this song belongs amongst the all-time best lyrics written...heartwrenching. I am thankful to be old enough so that this song and band (amongst so many songs written by the great bands in the early 90s) were part of my formative music years.

Black
Pearl Jam
Vedder/Gossard

Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did
All five horizons revolved around her soul
As the earth to the sun
Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn
Ooh, and all I taught her was everything
Ooh, I know she gave me all that she wore
And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds
Of what was everything?
Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed Everything...

I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by some kids at play
I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear
Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything...
All the love gone bad turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I will be...yeah...
Uh huh...uh huh...ooh...
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star
In somebody else's sky, but why, why, why
Can't it be, can't it be mine

Hump Day! Fall?

Hurray for Wednesday! This morning Tara and I met for our routine Wednesday morning run and were met with cool weather and a gorgeous moon. I wish I had taken a picture of it...just a little sliver hung low in the sky, bright enough to see the rest of the gray moon, but just barely a crescent. We ran four miles together and then I finished off three more by myself. During the last three miles, I was running down Sunshine near the Triangle area, and it must have been the smell of the air with the damp ground with the low temperature and humidity level just so, because it sure felt like Fall. I guess we technically have a handful of days until it is official, but if no calendars or clocks existed, today would be the morning that in my mind the season has begun. The air has definitely changed.

Post-run Luck - Bostons!

These two cuties were waiting outside Progress this morning. Double
the Boston Terrier PR luck for me as I let them completely lick all
over my arms. So sweet!

First Taste of Fall

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Made for Chad (not gluten-free) out of leftover buns that we would
have otherwise let go bad. I will freeze individual servings of this
so that he can enjoy throughout the next month or so. It is served
with a caramel sauce and tastes delicious. I did steal a very small
bite to make sure for myself. Tastes like a cross between pumpkin pie
and regular bread pudding, but with deliciousness multiplied by five.

Fun Times - pics and the dress

This morning I was looking for something online and randomly Googled my name (not the first time). I would hope that all of you out there have done the same for your own name and if you haven't, stop reading now and try it. This morning I did the search for my married name in Google Images (which for my name gives you pics of the author and of the adult entertainment star with my same name...thoroughly entertaining). Googling in regular web Google is one thing. Googling in Google Images can be much more fun. I tried the same image search with my maiden name and found the blog post that our wedding photographer, Amelia Tarbet did for her photography blog. I love it! We are in that blog post and on her main site under 'portraits'.

Looking at the pics in the blog post made me realize how much I have changed physically in the last two years. I was injured for the 5-6 months prior to our wedding and was not in good shape at all. I weighed close to 15 pounds heavier than I do right now. I also had long hair, which many of you don't even know that I had. In my life, I have mostly been a long haired girl. I don't think I look bad in our wedding pics at all, but I definitely like the shorter hair and fitter body that I am sporting right now.

At breakfast on Saturday, Lex was talking about having her alterations appointment for her wedding dress, and it made me think about the same experience with my own dress. I love love love my wedding dress. It was so perfect for me, and I knew when I tried it on for the first time that it was the one that I wanted. This morning I put it on again for the first time since right after the wedding and it still looks just as beautiful as that day. It is too big, of course, but I love it all the same.

Ahhh...fun times.

If you really know me,

you know why I'm posting this picture. If you don't know why and care to know, please email me. Hopefully there are others out there who appreciate my picture as much as the intention behind taking it.

Music Change - Hide and Seek

If you have never heard this song, you should at least listen to it all the way through one time. I have loved this song for years and now there is a new hip-hop song that has sampled it and it is getting current play on the radio. I heard it last night at dinner and this morning on the way home from the run. The current song is Whatcha Say by Jason DeRulo, and I'll let you go find it and listen to it to hear the sample because it is crappy and I don't want it getting any play on my blog.

Anyhow, the original is beautiful and depressing. Perfect for a rainy day like today.

Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap

where are we? what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just began to fall
crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling
spin me around again and rub my eyes
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people would stop to hold their heads heavy
hide and seek
trains and sewing machines?
all those years they were here first
oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before
the takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this
still alive
hide and seek
trains and sewing machines? oh, you won't catch me around here
blood and tears
they were here first
mmm, what'd you say? mmm, that you only meant well
well of course you did
mmm, what'd you say? mmm, that it's all for the best
of course it is
mmm, what'd you say? mmm, that it's just what we need
you decided this
mmm, what'd you say? mmm... what did she say?
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts
speak no feeling, no, I don't believe you
you don't care a bit, you don't care a bit
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts
speak no feeling, no, I don't believe you
you don't care a bit, you don't care a bit
(you don't care a bit)
oh, no, you don't care a bit
oh, no, you don't care a bit
uh-uh, you don't care a bit
you don't care a bit
you don't care a bit

Something to Look Forward to...

A real rain run. Last night Tara and I were treated to a little bit of the wet stuff running around the deserted trail. A little bit of spitting, sprinkling, barely enough to classify it as a run in the rain. I did wear a hat to keep the drops out of my eyes, but Tara and I were both hoping for a run in 'real rain'. I came prepared with extra towels and a rain jacket, but we didn't need either.

The forecast for the rest of the afternoon? 100% chance of the wet stuff. It has been raining at my house since noon, the nice steady light to moderate downpour kind of rain. Shall it continue until tomorrow's run start time? I really hope so! With the drought that we have been under, it is such a relief to have so much of this good rain. We finally get to practice the 'what if it rains in Portland?' scenario that has been lacking this entire summer. What if it does rain in Portland? Now at least we might know how heavy our shoes are going to feel, how much our socks really are 'wicking', and if we really do need a hat or sleeves or whatever. If we could only have 50 degrees and mist, then it might be the best morning ever...but I'm not going to complain one bit.

Thank you thank you thank you Mother Nature!

This is the view from the office window, and though you probably can't tell, all of the gray sky and stuff that looks like mist in the trees is our nice steady downpour.

Beans at Work

He has insisted upon sitting on my lap while I'm trying to get some
work done. Big fluffy kitties that must be petted are hard to resist.

Non-Running Related Stuff

I thought you could use an update on what else is going on...

• Movies - We've been watching a lot of movies from Netflix lately. Our new Blu-Ray player streams movies instantly, so between all of the Weeds episodes and the movies on discs we've gotten through the mail, we've seen lots of movies lately - Spirit of the Marathon, I am Legend, Run Fat Boy Run, Match Point, The Reader - and TV shows as well - True Blood (seasons 1 and 2), Weeds (we're about to start season 3), The Office (UK version - just saw the first episode). In the theater, we just saw 500 Days of Summer this past weekend.
• TV - In the summer, I watch Big Brother and So You Think You Can Dance, but please don't think less of me. Chad and I were excited about Top Chef Masters this summer, and now that Top Chef Las Vegas has started, we definitely have been keeping up. Last night I watched the new season 6 of SYTYCD, and Chad was not pleased to see that my summer show will be on in the Fall. Glee officially premiered last night for the start of the new fall series, and I loved it! Chad thought it was okay, I think, though I doubt he'll look forward to it like I will. It is funny and smart, and in a few ways a bit dark. I actually hope the less-than-gleeful story lines continue to develop...makes the funny moments stand out more. I also like how the show has lots of hidden humor that you have to look for. Give it a try if you are even thinking about watching it this fall.
• Food - We haven't really eaten out much lately. I think sticking to a budget and eating more at home has helped us stick to places like Galaxy Cafe and Chipotle. Terra Burger is my new interest when I am craving something like junk food. The lure of organic fast food is like when you justify to yourself that a milkshake or ice cream is good for you because it has calcium in it. We have only really been once for a whole meal and it was well deserved during our hardest week of training.
• Books - I can no longer claim that I don't read. I am a reader (gah!!!). Since joining our book club last fall I have read 16 1/2 books. Wow, who would have thought that this non-reader would be into turning pages like I have this past year. Not all of them have been book club books, either. I was introduced to Goodreads, which has allowed me to track the books I have read, get recommendations from other friends, read reviews of books I am interested in, and just simply keep me motivated to try to keep up my new reading habit. If you like books and join Goodreads, find me and ask me to be your friend. I'd love to see what is on your shelf.

Quotes - My favorites of the week. (Keith blogged a quote today from a book that he is reading, which I was about to do, so I'm going to copycat and then add one from that social networking site that he detests so much.)

"That which you manifest is before you." - Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

In response to my admiring Chad's installation of a new ceiling fan this weekend:

"It's nice when they're handy around the house instead of just pretty, isn't it?" - Kate McLaughlin

Easy Week Update

So far this week has started on the right foot, and whaddya know, it is hump day already. Happy Office was a good time yesterday afternoon...lots of people came and the conversations were funnier than usual (Peck and Vacason's appearance added most to the colorful conversations, but that should come as no surprise to anyone).

Sleep update - Last night Chad and I went to sleep at around 10pm and I made it to 4 am without waking up for the first time in I don't know how long. Thankfully, after an empty bladder, I was able to get back to sleep and snooze until 7 am. Really, I was up at 6am with Chad, but I dozed in the bed and listened to him get ready. I'll take 6 solid hours of sleep plus 3 more of broken sleep any day. Woohoo!

Recovery mileage - This morning I did an easy four miles. It was supposed to be five, but I like my four mile neighborhood route so much I didn't want to change it up this morning. The awesome part of running this week is that we don't have workout in the morning. I plan to completely sleep in again and run with Tara in the afternoon after work. Yay for a change of routine!

Health update - I go for another Airrosti appointment for my left hamstring today and hopefully will be 100% healthy in the week to come.

16 x 400 - for you number crunchers

Workout - 16x400 at 10k pace (7:00/mile) with 200 easy jog between

Goal - 1:45-1:50 per 400. Steve told us not to go too fast, so I decided not to stick too solidly to the 1:45 if it didn't feel right.

Results -
1:48
1:48
1:46
1:47 (7:09 mile 1)
1:45
1:49
1:47
1:47 (7:08 mile 2)
1:47
1:45
1:47
1:46 (7:05 mile 3)
1:45
1:45
1:45
1:45 (7:00 mile 4)

Felt pretty good. Hamstring was a little nagging, but not painful. Ran the last 4 reps with Jonathan and felt very strong and consistent. Good times, though 24 times around the track is starting to get annoying. Guess I better get over boredom if I choose to run the marathon distance.

Quote via Tara

For those friends out there who like quotes. I'm stealing this from Tara, who reported it was a Runner's World quote over the weekend. I find it ever so true these days.

"Your training partners are key to your success, and friendships based on your runs together are strong."

-Bill Rodgers

Happy running, friends.

$2,500

33 pairs of running shoes currently in our house. This doesn't
include the 10+ pairs we got rid of when we moved in December. The
top row is my current active shoes in rotation plus the bright white
and yellow Precisions I intend to race Portland in. Out of my 21
pairs, I have run in or are currently running in approximately 14
pairs in the last year. Dang. I need Mizuno to be my shoe sponsor.

Training Perspective - Some Confidence

One of the things I learned during the soul buster (Sat before last) was to focus on my own pace and effort despite what my teammates were doing. I've taken that same reflection towards my overall mileage and am feeling very confident in where I am at this point in the season.

Some background: I joined Team Rogue specifically for the 'high mileage' program. I know my body can handle a large load of mileage, without significant quality workouts. This summer my goal has been to ignore what other people post for their own weekly totals and just focus on my own body and my own performance.

Since joining the team in December of last year, I've had a hard time figuring out where my sweet spot is in terms of overall effort. I have run a 90 mile week, several 80+ mile weeks, and lots of 60-75 mile weeks. I have felt some burnout, some injury, definitely a lot of fatigue, but this season I think I have gotten it right.

In May and June of this year, I built up to 70-75 miles per week as my big base. I over-exerted in early July, sufferering a slight hamstring strain that took a little while to come back completely from. My overall mileage stayed pretty consistently high the whole summer, even running with bad hamstrings. The result of focusing on listening to my body and not feeling pressure to run the 80-90+ mile weeks is that I'm feeling great now 3-4 weeks out from Portland. Since mid-July I have been running 55-65 mile weeks, 1-2 quality workouts per week, and about 45 miles for our recovery weeks. My legs (even despite a twinge last week in my left hamstring) have been feeling really strong, and this morning I feel on top of the world after only a four-miler.

Some perspective from years past -

2006 - highest monthly mileage - March (234 miles), followed by my PR at Boston 3:37:23

2007 - highest monthly mileage - June (181 miles), too much quality that summer - SI joint injury took me out 6-8 weeks

2008 - highest monthly mileage - August (202 miles), last 22-24 miler strained calf muscles going up Enfield - hurt for marathon, but still ran.

2009 - I have run 5 months this year with monthly totals above my highest pre-Boston 2006 PR total.

• Jan 2009 - 300 miles
• Feb 2009 - 250 miles - plus requalified for Boston at Austin Marathon running a 'workout'
• March 2009 - 287 miles - started to feel injured - in April, Nashville was hot - no PR
• Jun 2009 - 273 miles - feeling good
• August 2009 - 247 miles - strong mileage despite hamstring problem in July.
• September 2009 - still have 200 miles planned on schedule, including 'peak weeks' with reduced mileage.

The confidence is starting to come out. Looking back at the past three years, the analytical part of my brain knows I have put in all of the work in 2009. I have run so many miles. I have run the right paces. I need to take the confidence in the numbers and focus on running the best race I can in Portland.

Proof

I'm up. Bedtime was 9:20pm and I have slept solidly until now. Let's
see if I can fall back asleep. Grrr.

Mmm...Pizza!

Brick Oven on 35th street serves gluten free pizza. Pizza and
Primitivo...both well deserved after 24 miles. Oh, and the run went
well, too.

Afternoon Snack

Chad and Miko enjoying a post-workout snack of pretzels. She is so
cute trying to take a bite.

One Month to Go!

Today is September 4th. The Portland Marathon is on October 4th. Here we go, people.

sleep, glorious sleep

There is this article on the Runners World website about American distance runner Tera Moody and her issues with sleep. Many of you know that I cherish my sleep and can nap like a pro, but I have also blogged in the past regarding bouts of insomnia. This article could not be better timed. Over the past week or so, I have been struggling with waking up in the middle of the night between 1:45 and 3:30. Sometimes it is to go to the restroom, but often times I simply wake up from a dream, startled, and choose to get up and go to the restroom for fear of having to wake back up again in an hour. I wish I could figure out how to stop waking up at 2:45am. I stay up for at least 30 minutes, if not an hour. During that time, I try to lay really still in the bed and relax my body and mind.

Marriage sure can mess with a sleep schedule. I really wish Chad and I were on the same schedule. He gets up routinely at 5:45am, but usually doesn't go to sleep until after 10:30. I get up at 4:25 three mornings a week, 4:40 one morning, and try to sleep as late as possible on the other mornings. Really, I'm completely exhausted most of the time. Sometimes in middle of the night, when I am up at 2:45, desperately trying to lay still and fall back asleep, his breathing seems so loud (and he doesn't even snore!). I don't know what I would do if he was a snorer, so I definitely consider myself lucky. In a dream world, I would like to get up at 6:30am each day, get my run in at 7am, and go to bed by 10pm to ensure sleep by 10:30pm. I would more closely match Chad's schedule and still get the long stretch of sleep that my body needs.

Anyhow, I related to parts of the article. I appreciated the emphasis that was put on sleep's role in athletic performance. Seems like most of us could use more sleep.

Music Change - Popular

"Popular" - from Wicked
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
(The version you hear is performed by Kristin Chenoweth, who (imo) is absolutely perfect for the part of Galinda/Glinda. Love her.)

I'm not going to copy the lyrics from the entire song, but my favorite part is below.

Don't be offended by my frank analysis.
Think of it as personality dialysis.
Now that I've chosen to become a pal,
a sister, an adviser,
there's nobody wiser,
not when it comes to Popular.
I know about Popular.
And, with an assist from me
to be who you'll be,
instead of dreary who you were...are...
There's nothing that can stop you
from becoming popu-ler...lar...
La, la, la, la...
We're gonna make you popular!

Half-Carafe

Is your glass half-empty or half-full? The answer was given to me at happy office last night, both literally and figuratively. When you order a half-carafe of house wine and they bring you a completely full to the brim carafe that spills over onto the table even as the waiter plops it on the table, the answer to the half-empty half-full question is fully evident. In so many ways, my glass is completely full.

I got a vote of confidence from Steve that I will come in within a reasonable range of my goal and that he trusts me enough to run smartly. I have permission to make a race plan for my 3:20 goal. He also is not worried about me on the downhill sections. Finally some positive goal speak from the man.

Back to the half-carafe - My 'shoulda been 1.5+ glasses' easily became 2.5+ glasses, even after letting Kevin take a few ounces from the full to the top glass carafe. I was so buzzed. My speech might have been a little slurred, but I like to think that it wasn't. Ack! I had almost three glasses of house red on an empty stomach (damn wheat intolerance does not allow for pizza eating) and this lightweight girl was all smiles at the end of two hours of sipping wine.

Don't worry, though. Chad and I have a pact to call each other if we are in the buzzed driving predicament while we are out on our own. He came and picked me up, we went for dinner and by the time 8:45 rolled around, the buzz was gone and I was able to drive safely.

Maybe a glass half-full would be easier to deal with than a full half-carafe spilling over.

Physical Stress = ?

What does your body do when you are physically stressed out? When you are run down? When you are tired? When you have run far? When you are out in the sun a little too long? When you are exposed to the elements for longer than you want to be?

Most people get tired. They get sore. They get a little bit sunburned (or fried). They need sleep, lots of water, and generally rebound in a day or so.

That is me, too, except my body likes to also break out in cold sores. Lovely. Luckily I haven't gotten them on my lips in a long time. I typically get them on the inside of my nose, where at least I can suffer the pain without anyone else seeing them. Not this time. Not in my nose. I have them on my chin. It looks like I have bad bad acne. I thought I was breaking out, but alas it is not a pimple or two. I have cold sores in my skin. It sucks. I've gotten them in my skin before. Sigh.

I know how to get rid of them, but I wish I had realized they were cold sores two days ago. Now they are hot, itchy and all of that icky pain that, if you get cold sores, you know how miserable can be to go through. If I had realized a couple of days ago what they were, I would have attacked them with the Lysine that normally works wonders. Now I'm two days behind and suffering.

I guess I know I gave it my all last week running. My body shows that I did.

Please don't stare. I hate them.