Never trade what you want the most...

Sizing

2012-02-12T11:47:00.000-05:00

Women's sizing is so arbitrary. Which is frustrating. When I was at my highest weight (1998-1999), I was a size 20 (ugh). I was not happy. It's actually reaching that size and realizing it was getting a tiny bit tight that I made the decision that I had to lose weight. And I did. I am proud to say I've never gone back to that size.

Over the years though, I have a feeling the clothing industry may have done some vanity sizing. Which sometimes annoys me, other times it makes me happy. LOL! What annoys me about it is that I wonder if I'm really wearing something that accurately reflects my size. Other times it makes me excited to go into a smaller size.

For Christmas, hubby gave me a cold weather shirt for running. I have one already, which I wear for almost every winter outdoor run. A second one is AWESOME so I'm not always having to wash one shirt all the time. What made me laugh was the size tag.

Apparently, in Asia and and especially Japan I would be Godzilla. LOL! I do like that in Germany, France, Italy, England, and here in the good US of A, I'm a medium. I like medium. But, why are the sizes so varied?

Then last night, I headed out to get a suit. I'm sure I chatted about the suit debacle in November... oh yes I did - Frustrating. I checked Ross, Kohl's, then Burlington Coat Factory. I found a suit I liked in a 10, which is not a size I'm familiar with wearing. I still wear a size 14 pants for heavens sake! But, I tried it on and low and behold the jacket fit! The skirt did not, it was a tad bit too tight. But, for $13.99 I was willing to buy the entire suit for the jacket alone. Then I found another suit jacket on a rack and decided to try it on. Again, a size 10. And it also fit. Wow. So, I put the suit back and just bought the suit jacket. I was shocked that the suit jacket is a 10. I've always heard that you lose weight first in your face, then your upper body, waist, then stomach. Yup, that's me. My stomach is always at least one size larger than my waist/upper body. Frustrating.

And for fun, I also purchased a dress at Ross. Not what I went in for, but it was green. How could I not buy it? It's so hard to find a dress in green and I love green, so I bought it. It was $13.99. LOL! What is funny about this dress is when we got to Burlington Coat Factory they had the exact same one in purple. I was laughing and then I saw the price tag. $24.99. Ha! Gotta love saving money! Oh, and it's a 12. It's still weird seeing a 12 on a sizing tag and actually having the dress fit. And even weirder seeing a size 10 on a tag.

These two new purchases really have helped make me want to get back on track. I've been playing with the same 9 pounds since Sept. I need to get past them. I'm thinking these two purchases will do it.

Off to my session with the trainer! Let's see what torture he has in store today.

Sore

2012-02-08T21:55:00.000-05:00

...doesn't even begin to describe it. Sunday I had my third training session with my YFit trainer. The first two sessions focused on learning the machines - cardio and weight. Very nice and informative. Not too much pain. Then Sunday was session three. Which I thought would be a discussion/planning of how to reach my goals.

Oh how I was wrong. Mike, the evil trainer, came up with a routine that gives you a cardio and weight workout in about 15 minutes. Basically it is three sets of four exercises done three times.

Example:

30 seconds of Weight Push-Ups done three times (10 second break)
30 seconds of Right Arm Kettle ball toss done three times (10 second break)
30 seconds of Left Arm Kettle ball toss done three times (10 second break)
30 seconds of Over Arm Raises with squats (1 minute break)

Then next set of 4 done as above, followed by the last set of 4. It took an hour to get through the routine - learning the moves, then doing them three times. At the end of the routine I was pretty shaky. That's what happens when your last exercise are planks. I decided at the end of the workout I was done. No need to do anymore.

And then the pain started. After getting out of the car, my legs were sore. Ugh. Then I proceeded to do what I always do on Sunday...nothing. Sat on the sofa. And every time I got up, the legs hurt more. Bah!

Got up on Monday. Sore. Really sore. At work, I spent the afternoon walking up a step ladder and kneeling on the ground. It was not pleasant. Then hit the gym. I was going to lift, but decided against it. Legs sore. I did use the treadmill and bike. Then I saw my trainer at the desk. I told him I could barely walk and he kinda laughed as he said no. Yea dude. Barely walk. Pain with every step. He kept laughing. This is when I called him evil. I admitted I can run a half marathon, but squats are apparently out of the question.

Tuesday, I was still in pain. So, I skipped the gym. I made the executive decision that I should give my legs a rest. It was nice.

And this morning my legs felt a bit better. They weren't perfect, but better than yesterday. I was encouraged. As the day progressed, the legs weren't as happy as this morning, but they were workable. So, I went to the gym after work for my 30 minute run. It didn't quite make a 30 minute run. It became a 15 minute run with a 30 minute walk. It was better than nothing. Then I hit the weight machines. All was ok over all. I decided to skip the two that work the quads. I thought that was asking too much. Kinda forgot that one of the machines works the quads secretly. It hurt.

So, here we are. At the end of day 3 and my quads still hurt. My left one more than my right. I am hoping tomorrow brings relief. I kinda doubt it though...

I've been tagged....twice!

2012-01-31T21:05:00.000-05:00

This is the very first tagged post I've ever done. There were times where I stole stuff from other bloggers, but never has another blogger tagged me for a post. I'm very thankful that not one, but two fabulous ladies tagged me, Jill from Just Jill and Heather from Will Run For Coffee. Thanks friends! Hopefully I'm not too boring. ;-)

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules

2. You must post 11 random things about yourself

3. Answer the questions set for you in their post

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer

5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them

6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

11 Random Things About Me:

1. I spent 12 years in Catholic school - Most Holy Redeemer Elementary School and Gloucester Catholic High School. I then went onto a Brethren College - Elizabethtown College. I finally got out of the private school thing when I attended PSU for my Master's.

2. I've had one paranormal (if that's what it might be) experience. I was driving through the Gettysburg Battlefield in 2006 for work. I was traveling to Chambersburg for work, which at the time was fund raising. As I rode through the battlefield, I thought about how much I wish I did something that involved history. Then, the most intense feeling of knowing that I should be doing something in the history field. The feeling lasted the entire drive through the battlefield. It was disconcerting to say the least. I put it out of my mind when I got to Chambersburg and did my job. But, on the way back through the battlefield the same feeling came back, though not as strong. It made me realize I didn't want to do my job anymore. I changed jobs (more fund raising), but went back to school for my MA. I am just now getting into the history field by working in an Archives.

3. My engagement ring in an opal. It's my birthstone. I don't mind diamonds, but I didn't want one. So, I knew if anyone proposed to me with a diamond we shouldn't get married. Hubby proposed with a large teardrop opal...with 12 diamonds surrounding it. :-)

4. I have a small immediate family, but a large extended family. I am an only child, so it was just mom, dad, and me. Then just mom and I went my father passed away. But, my grandfather was one of seven. He and my grandmother had eight children. Those eight children had nineteen grandchildren. And no there's eight great-grandchildren. So, if you're keeping count, that would be 45 people, but my father passed away and my grandfather has now passed away, so it's 43 people.

5. I don't eat chicken, ham, pork, steak, or mushrooms. Yea. I'm weird like that. Oh, did I mention I do eat turkey, bacon, and ground beef?

6. When there's nothing on, I tend to seek out re-runs. What do I look for most? M*A*S*H*, Dr. Who, Torchwood, Hogan's Heroes, random Food Network shows, or Travel Channel shows.

7. Growing up we barely traveled. My father was so ill he couldn't be more than an hour away from his doctors. Since I graduated college, I've been to five countries (England, Jamaica, Canada, Italy, and France) and about 10 states (Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Nevada), though no further West than Las Vegas. One day I'll see the Pacific...

8. I've had the police tell me twice "I don't know how you're alive." Once from a car accident in high school. My car was rear-ended at a traffic light and when the police came I was told the only seat in the car that wouldn't have been killed or seriously hurt was the driver's side. The other time was in college. I worked at a retail store in the local mall when a robbery went wrong. The store I worked in had four bullets lodged in random places. When we were cleared to leave the back, the police asked us how none of us were hit by one.

9. I have a fascination with pens. I have thousands of them. And when traveling that's what I tend to bring home as a souvenir.

10. I'm a born and bred Jersey Girl. I grew up in South Jersey (and don't ask what exit I'm from because we don't use the Turnpike). I'm very proud of my state and can get very annoyed with people who think it's the worst state in the county.

11. If I could, I would move to London. I went there for the first time in 2000 and fell in love. My Grandmother is British and met my Grandfather during WWII. My mom and I traveled to Northampton to attend my cousin's wedding and spent time in the city before heading 2 hours north. The feeling stayed when we went back in 2010. If I didn't have the kitties, I would be seeking employment and counting the minutes til I move...

My 11 questions for tagged bloggers

1. If you listen to music while you run, what's your "power song"?

Good question. It depends on what I'm addicted to at the time. When I first started running I listened to Avril Lavign (sp?). Then it really just became whatever was fun. Lately, I've been listening to The Jane Deer Girls a lot.

2. Which race has been your favorite so far?

I think my favorite race I've run is the Kelly Shamrock St. Patrick's Day 5k. The race starts at 1:15 p.m. on a Sunday (which for us non-morning people is AWESOME!) and is the start of the Baltimore St. Patrick's Day parade. But what makes this an amazing race is it starts at the top of Charles Street and starts downhill. If you run at the back of the crowd, you get the most incredible view - all the runners in their green running gear stretched out in front of you. It truly is an amazing sight! This year I am bringing a camera to grab that image!

3. What's your favorite training plan?
Jeff Galloway. When I trained for the Princess Half Marathon, my plan called for random mileage throughout the week, with long runs on the weekends. The long runs were fine, but the weekday mileage killed me. I read through Jeff Galloway's walk/run program and loved his beginner program where you run 30 minutes twice a week and then long runs. PERFECT! I didn't feel pressured to run 3 mileage runs during the week, I don't feel stressed if I miss a weekday run. AND I finished stronger and faster at the Philadelphia Half Marathon than I did at the Princess Half Marathon.

4. What's your go to post run fuel/food?
Generally, donuts. LOL! After my long runs on Saturday, hubby and I hit up DD and get breakfast - a medium iced blueberry coffee, a breakfast wrap, and one donut. :-) After a race, it depends on where we are (after Princess I had a waffle at the Magic Kingdom, after Philly I had pancakes at Little Pete's. After shorter races, we either hit up DD or Panera.).

5. Do you reward yourself after a big event?
Depends....

6. If yes to #5, what do you do to reward yourself?
Generally just with a fun dinner. I've toyed with the idea of massage, but never have.

7. Have you motivated others to run?
I think one person. LOL!

8. Who motivated YOU to run?
My friend Kim. When ever I said I couldn't run, she disagreed with me. She said if I really wanted to, I could. I didn't have to be fast, but I could do it. So, I tried. I found a 1 mile race and trained to run 1 mile. And I did. I ran one whole mile. :-) I ran 1 mile for about a year before thinking maybe I could run a 5k. And Kim was there again, encouraging me telling me I could do it. And I did. And she encouraged and pushed all the way to my first half marathon in February 2011.

She's an amazing person and an amazing runner. She is everyone's running guru and and knows all. LOL! And right now, she's wounded. So, if you've got any prayers or positive thoughts, my running friend could sure use them as she is healing from surgery in August, but is still in pain.

9. Is running part of a bigger journey for you, or is it just something you do?
I'm not sure. At this point, it might just be something I do. It seems odd on a Saturday morning not to get up and go for a run (unless it's snowing, then for some reason it seems perfectly acceptable). Though, I do use it as a form of exercise and am using it as my cardio exercise to lose the last 25ish pounds.

10. What's your favorite time of year to run?
Winter. Hands down.

11. Is running a solitary event for you, or do you share it with others? (I run with my husband for the most part, but do enjoy running with friends from time to time.)
Solitary. I'm too slow to run with others. No one wants to run with me because no one wants to run at my speed. :-( But, in general it's o.k. But, I will say it's hard at races because I'm not used to all the people running around me and the crowds. I'm the weirdo who's not a big fan of crowds and all the cheering. I do much better on those lonely stretches where most people complain for lack of crowd support. LOL!

Who I Tagged

Earn Your Donuts

Goals are Dreams with Deadlines

OK, I apparently read a lot of blogs, but don't comment, because these are the only people I feel confident tagging. LOL!

My 11 questions for tagged bloggers

1. If you're a runner, what was your first ever race?

2. If you could have one super power, what would it be?

3. What's your favorite sport to watch?

4. When you were a kid, did you play any sports? If so, which one/s?

5. With the Olympics coming up this summer, do you prefer the winter or summer games?

6. With that being said, what is/are your favorite sports in the games you chose?

7. What food do you wish had no calories? Or drink?

8. Show some blog-love, what blog do you love to read?

9. What's you're favorite vacation spot? Why is it your favorite?

10. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

11. Do you have a saying you live by or just a favorite quote?

Have at it!

Introverted?

2012-01-28T14:46:00.001-05:00

I've never been the most out-going person. I tend to like being on my own and doing my own thing. I like reading, watching tv, and now running, which are all fairly solitary activities. I can keep myself occupied for hours without interacting with others. Some think I'm weird, but I chalk it up to being an only child and being introverted.

Usually, when someone says introvert all sorts of negative stereotypes pop into your brain. Yesterday though, I saw an article called "Don't call introverted children 'shy.'" Susan Cain makes a distinction between shy and introverted and after reading the article I saw myself in the introverted category rather than the shy category. She says us introverts have a "careful, sensitive temperament that predisposes them to look before they leap." Yea, that would be me. I like to observe things being done before trying myself. I like to read and learn before attempting something new. I want to anticipate the results before trying, because if I fail I don't want to look stupid.

She goes on to say, "It’s no accident that introverts get better grades than extroverts, know more about most academic subjects and win a disproportionate number of Phi Beta Kappa keys and National Merit Scholarship finalist positions — even though their IQ scores are no higher." While I wasn't a Phi Beta Kappa or earn a National Merit Scholarship, I did do well in school and my GPA in grad school was the highest of any level of academia I've gone through. I'm a big history person and before working at an Archives, I tended to know more about history than most people I interacted with. I wonder if that's partly because I like to be alone and read?

As an only child and introvert, I tend to follow the rules. I guess there's a reason for that, "By age 6, they cheat and break rules less than other kids do — even when they believe they won’t be caught. At 7, they’re more likely than their peers to be described by parents and caregivers as empathetic or conscientious." Yea, that would be. I only got sent to the Principal's office once in grammar/middle school and had detention once in HS (1 minute late to homeroom 3 weeks before graduation). I've always chalked up my empathy to being a Libra, but I can see it being a part of introversion.

So, next time you run into someone who's quiet and doesn't enjoy interacting with lots of people at once, just remember it's not that they are weird or creepy, it's just their personality. Try getting them one-on-one and I bet you'll meet someone you can enjoy hanging around.

Funny offensive comment

2012-01-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

I joined the Y a few weeks ago with the hubby. One of the things I was looking forward to was the Cardio Kickboxing class they offer twice a week. It's so popular you have to sign up ahead of time and no earlier than 48 hours. It's kinda crazy.

So, last Thursday I attended my first class. Started off with a ton of running, then onto boxing. AWESOME! Loved it. Though the one instructor asked me several times if I was ok and one time told me how to breath. Funny, I thought I was doing it ok for the past 36 years... But I really loved the class. So much so that I bought a pair of boxing gloves to wear to class rather than using the ones the Y provides (they kinda smell...)

Tonight was my second class. This time it was in a small aerobics studio rather than the gym. No biggie, but I knew we wouldn't be running tonight. But at one point during the class I had a short convo with the instructor. And the gist of the matter is he said the following:

I'm going to get you in shape.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hubby thought this was a dickish comment. Yea, it probably is. But, it made me laugh. It made me laugh because the instructor is seeing the overweight woman who is taking his class for the first time. He doesn't know I've played basketball, softball, took two years of karate, have taken tons of kick boxing classes, and oh yea, run. He couldn't see past the fact that my face was bright red (because I am paler than Casper) and it sometimes takes me one go round to get the moves. He thinks I'm starting from scratch. He asks me several times a class if I'm ok. I always smile at him and say yup. Because I am. I'm keeping up just fine. I'm breathing as heavy as everyone else. I'm sweating as much too. I obviously don't know how to breathe, but I've kept myself alive this long so I must not be doing it completely wrong.

But the best part of the class was when I told him I am training for a half marathon. That look of complete surprise came over his face, especially when I told him I was using his class as cross-training for that. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Food for thought....

2012-01-23T22:23:00.000-05:00

So far a nice start

2012-01-22T11:30:00.000-05:00

After the week before Christmas, where I gained 5 pounds (yes 5 pounds in a week) and a Jamaican vacation, where I gained another 5 pounds, this month has turned itself around. I have lost 7.8 pounds of that and could lose the last 2.2 by the end of the month, though I would think that's pushing it.

Hubby and I joined the local YMCA and I have done a pretty good job of getting my butt there! The first week, I managed to get there Tuesday through Thursday where I did my two 30 minute runs on the treadmill, used the bike and took an abs class. This past week I made it Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I had Monday off, but I still got there and used the bike and elliptical. Tuesday, I hit the treadmill for a 30 minute run and the bike for 30 minutes. Skipped Wednesday for no good reason... Then Thursday did 25 minutes on the bike and took a kickboxing class. AWESOME class! Looking forward to doing that one again! Today, I have to do a 6 mile run on the indoor track because Mother Nature decided 5" of snow was a good idea yesterday...

I'm working harder at planning meals ahead of time so we aren't always running for sandwiches. Sometimes the meals are planned and we change what's on the schedule, but overall we are getting better at not going weekday to the store for something. That's a plus. Saves a bit of money and gives us more control over what we're eating.

2011 was a pretty good year for me health wise. I'm hoping 2012 continues the trend!

9th wedding anniversary 2010

Hubby and I December 28, 2011

New Year's Resolutions - The big picture

2012-01-15T14:05:00.001-05:00

Be happy with what you have,

not sad for what you don't.

This idea has been running through my head since 2010. It is how I decided to look at our trip to Europe. I was so excited to be going to Italy, France, and England. But, I knew we had a limited amount of time and honestly, we could have spent weeks there and not seen everything each city had to offer. So what did we do? We mentally decided to not worry about the stuff we couldn't get to, but be grateful what we could get to.

Florence? Didn't see the David. Paris? Didn't see the Mona Lisa. I know! What were we thinking? We were thinking there's so much to do, let's just take the city in rather than stressing over getting into a museum (did I just say that?!?!?!?).

From that trip forward, I have tried to keep that thought in mind. Be happy with what I do get to do, rather than upset over what I am unable to do. It's amazing what this mindset has done for me overall. I've been much happier with life. It's made me realize there will always be things I will be unable to do, but if I focus on those I will be unhappy. If I focus on what I am fortunate enough to do and experience, life becomes so much more bright and filled with opportunities.

This year my goal is to keep this idea upper most in my mind. I know there will be times when I won't, but all I can do is try. The first few days of the year found me in Jamaica. We consciously decided to not go on any excursions. This of course meant we didn't get to see anything of the area, but it allowed us to just be. Relax. Enjoy each others company. And when we did actually leave the resort, we stopped at Margaritaville for a drink. Sure, we could have taken a shuttle to the famous Rick's Cafe, but you know what? There's always next time. And if there isn't a next time, then I am perfectly happy with the trip we had. No regrets.

So, I started off the year with this thought in mind: Be grateful for what you experience, not upset with what you haven't. Hoping to focus on that all year long.

New Year's Resolutions - Get back to photography

2012-01-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

After losing my job in 2009 I thought I should follow a dream to be a photographer. I love taking photos and I've learned a lot about photography over the past couple of years. I've learned composition, I've learned about my camera, and I've learned editing. I'm not perfect, but I know my skills are much better than they were.

When I started volunteering at the Archives in May 2011 I stopped photographing things, unless it was something big. I got caught up in "working" again and didn't take the time to go out with the camera like I used to. I have photos of things we've done, but the big photo stuff really revolved around vacations.

Walt Disney World in February

Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend

Bascillica of Notre Dame in August

Montreal, Canada

Sunset in December

Negril, Jamaica

I need to get back to just going out and taking interesting photos. Bringing the camera with me more often. Taking the chance when doing everyday activities to take images. I also want to try to get more portrait and couple/family photo experience this year. It's something to strive for.

New Year's Resolutions - Bike 40 miles a month

2012-01-10T20:22:00.000-05:00

Last summer I decided to try my hand at a duathlon. This meant I needed a bike, which I just happened to inherit several years ago, but had done nothing with. So, the bike got new tires and a tune-up in March and I started riding in April.

Turns out I really enjoyed it. I started off at the same park I started my running training at. It was a loop that is generally used for walking or running, but whatever. It was helpful when doing bricks during training.

The duathlon did not go as planned. I was sorely disappointed in it, but the positive is I really enjoyed the biking I did to train. And long after the duathlon was over, hubby and I would hit the Rail Trail and bike. It was fun and with the weather so hot this summer, biking gave us a chance to stay active without getting too hot.

So, this year I want to bike on the weekends. Last summer we started a routine where we ran on Saturday mornings and biked on Sunday. I'd like to keep that going come April and get in 40 miles on the bike. Will we be perfect every month? Probably not, but I'm hoping that by making it a goal that we get our butts out there and ride!

New Year's Resolution - Run 25 Miles a Month

2012-01-09T22:07:00.001-05:00

Next on the list of New Year's resolutions is to run 25 miles a month. Last year I had three months where I only ran 5 miles each. It wasn't the worse thing in the world, but if I am a runner then I need to act like one. I have to be consistent and that's what I want to try for this year - consistency.

With that in mind, hubby and I joined the local YMCA tonight. I know you don't need a gym membership to get in a good workout or to train, but last January and February taught me that once the sun goes down I will not run. So, the gym membership will help me get in my week day runs especially since the branch I will use is a 5 minute walk from my office. I have high hopes that my weekday runs will actually happen now.

So, what's on the running agenda this year?

March 11 - Kelly Shamrock 5k
March 17 - Yuengling Shamrock 8k
March 18 - Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon

And then there's the rest of the year.... LOL! I would normally run the Baltimore Women's Classic, but I believe I'm heading out of town that weekend. I've done the Harrisburg Mile several times, but after last year's debacle I'm not sure I want to do it again. I have duathlon in my mind again. Looking to the Catfish duathlon in July as a come back race. Not sure of this though. There's chatter about doing the Atlantic City Half Marathon in October. Not sure about it, but it's been bantered about.

So, that's my goal - 25 miles (or as close to it as possible) a month or 300 miles this year. And of course, I have to figure out what races I want to run. I have March covered, it's the rest of the year I'm at a loss for.

New Year's Resolutions - Lose 20 pounds

2012-01-08T15:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a few days since I posted my initial thoughts on New Year's resolutions and while I'm not completely set, this resolution is set. I had a good 2011 with a 20 pound loss. I had hoped to reach my ultimate weight goal by the end of the year, but it was not to be. But this year? Yup. It's meant to be.

My goal is to lose the last 20 pounds. I'll be honest, I would love to lose 30, but I really want to reach 20 pounds this year. When I lose these 20 pounds, I will re-assess. I may hit my 20 pound goal and be completely happy with it and not care about those other 10 pounds. If so, fabulous! But, if at that re-assessment I think another 5-10 pounds would be good, then I'm going for it.

I have confidence that I can reach my 20 pound goal this year being I lost 20 last year. Sure, I could have focused more and lost more, but it is what it is and I'm happy with those 20 pounds. No sense in spending time regretting what I didn't do. I'm going to focus on being happy with losing those 20 and building on that. 20 pounds in a year is totally doable. No reason I can't reach my goal weight this year.

I'm still working out how I'm going to do it, but here are my tentative thoughts:

1. Continue using Weight Watchers Points program (not PointsPlus). I've had good success with this and see no reason to try something new. Go with what works. I've lost a total of 55 pounds since 1999 almost all of it with WW. Why change?

2. Run. That seems obvious if you've been following along for any length of time, but sometimes I get in a funk and don't run for weeks. I need to focus on continuing my running routine even when I don't feel like doing it. Last year I had two months where I ran a total of 5 miles the whole month. Uhhh...yea. Gotta work on that.

3. Gym membership? Considering joining the YMCA. I have always said you do not need a gym membership to lose weight. You can do it with what you have at home or what you can do on your own. And I stand by that. But, I'm having some motivational issues and thinking a Y membership might help me get moving. There are some good classes being offered, they have a pool, and more cardio equipment than I have access to at home. And the one thing that I think would help is the Y is a 5 minute walk from work. There would be no excuse for not doing my weekday runs. Still debating this. Though I may be leaning more towards it than away.

4. Water. I really need to up my water in-take. When I started at the Archives I was unable to keep a water bottle at my desk. I think I can now, so I need to up the water intake this year. Sadly, it doesn't help keep me full (like people always say it does), but I if I'm going to focus on my running and a possible gym membership I need to say hydrated.

As the year goes on, I'm sure I'll find new ways to help myself reach my 20 pound goal, but for now those are my action items. It's possible I could reach my goal by summer. What a great way to greet the season of shorts and tank tops!

2011 Goals...maybe...

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

So, today is the day we make big decisions about our life. How to make us better. Trying to improve ourselves and leave those bad habits we've formed behind. I've got some ideas floating around in my head, but nothing totally concrete, so today I'm going to do a rough draft and see what happens...

1. Lose those last 20 pounds. I had hoped to do that this year, but I got about 20 off since May. Maybe I can do the last 20 by May 2012?

2. Run 25 miles a month. I'm really bad some months. Maybe this will help keep me running consistently.

3. Bike 40 miles a month from April through October. I really liked biking this summer and want to keep it up.

4. Get back to photography. I got busy with the Archives and half training and really let this slip. I am going to make it a priority this year.

Just a few ideas running through the head. Last year I didn't really set any goals, so I suppose I met them all! LOL!

Happy New Year to you!!

2011 Races in Review

2011-12-26T06:30:00.004-05:00

Well, I guess it's that time to look back at how things went this year. After studious calculations (thanks DailyMile!), I can say I ran at least 307 miles this year. :-) Not bad. Not great, but not bad. My best month was January 2011 when training for Disney's Princess Half Marathon really kicked into gear (57 miles). My worst months were March and April (5 miles each). LOL! At least I did something those months!

The big accomplishment was running my first and second half marathons! I never thought I could do it! I didn't think I could run a 5k, let alone a half marathon. Who knew I was capable of it? Besides my friends? ;-)

I finished in 3:21:11. Honestly, my goal was to finish. I had no aspirations of a fast time or anything. I just wanted to finish. And I did! Though I will tell you, anything after mile 10 was torture! All I could think of was "isn't this OVER yet???" But, I ran the whole thing and I crossed the finish line! There isn't much better than that!

March found us in Baltimore for the Kelly St. Patrick's Day 5k. I love this race! Maybe because I start at the back and the two coolest things happen at the very beginning of the race: the race actually kicks off the St. Patrick's Day parade so there are TONS of people there cheering you on as you start. It's a fabulous feeling! The second is the race starts on the top of a hill and as you descend the hill you see all the people in front of you...all wearing green. It is truly an amazing sight! I did well on this one this year. A sub-40 minute 5k!!! I was very pleased with a 39:36 time. Woohoo!

Afterwards, we went to the James Joyce Tavern with our friend Ada who also ran and her friends from the Baltimore Dragon Boat Club. They are such great people! We all had a fabulous afternoon and tons of people from the race were there, so it was almost like a post-race party!

May saw us try a new race, the Preakness 5k in Maryland. It looked like such a great idea - run around the track the horses run. It was a great idea until you actually ran on the sand. Then it was one of the dumbest things I've ever done. LOL! But, I will say, they did a fabulous job of keeping the theme. Each runner received a bib with a racing horse name:

We started the race running through the gates the horses like up in and start. I thought that was cool. It was a bit congested, but it was cool.

We ran the course, which they said they made easier to run on. Bah! It was like running at the beach in the sand before the wet sand. Not fun at all!

But, overall, one of those races that you say that was a neat experience. I'm not sure I would do it again. The sand really messed with me. It was a flat course, I will give it that. And the shirts were spiffy, plus you had the option of a shirt or a fleece blanket. We went shirts each, but decided to buy a blanket because they were pretty cool. :-)

June found me trying a duathlon and failing miserably. I tried, but I just wasn't prepared for it. I am slightly disappointed and may try another to redeem myself, but I'm not sure. It was an interesting experience, but one that has left some scars.

The second half of June found me back in Baltimore for my third Baltimore Women's Classic. This was my very first 5k ever and I like coming back to this race. They have a nice shirt, a great goody bag, and is the 2nd largest women's only race in the country. If you are in the area, I highly recommend this race to any women of any athletic ability. It's just an all-around great race.

July found us up in Harrisburg for the Harrisburg Mile. It's a one mile run down Front Street that we've done several times and enjoyed. This year I was not happy. I hadn't run since the Women's Classic and didn't have the best run, but they had switched the clock over before I finished for the next heat and I had no idea how long it took me. This is the first time in all the year's I've run it that that's happened. I was not happy at all. Actually, I was pretty ticked. I'm not sure if I will do it again unless I can come in under 10 minutes and the chances of that happening....

Hubby, myself, and our friend Jim

And then there is a race drought until November. LOL! I was so concerned with getting my long runs in that I didn't want to run any short runs and mess that up. So, from July to November was a barren waste land of races.

Then we come to November! Time for my second half marathon - the Philadelphia Half Marathon. I was rocking this race from miles 1 through 9. The time was flying by and each mile marker was a shock at how fast they were coming. Then I hit mile 9 and the awful, awful hill that existed between mile 9 and 10. I got myself back at it for miles 10 and 11, but I hit the wall HARD at mile 12. I just wanted it to be over. And of course it wasn't. Bah! But, I got through it and finished the entire race! And I PRed, which isn't half bad - 3:16:43. :-)

And my last run of 2011 happened last weekend at the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in Baltimore. It was a rough course, a good portion of it uphill, but it made for a feeling of accomplishment at the end. Hubby told me it was part of the Dreaded Druid Hills course and when he said that I decided I didn't need to do that race. LOL! I PRed on this race, which made me very happy - 1:05:45. They had a great post-race party with mulled wassail wine and amazing cookies! What a way to wrap up a race. :-)

So, not a bad 2011 on the racing front - ran my first two half marathons and set a 5 mile PR. I enjoyed the new races we threw in there this year and going back to some races because they are just darn good! I'm working on what to focus on in 2012. There's so much I could throw out there as goals, but I want to make sure they are reasonable and attainable. Nothing like setting yourself up for failure. ;-)

I won't be able to do any New Year's races this year (though I would love to!), so if you are doing one, let me know how it goes!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T13:26:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T22:42:00.001-05:00

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Celtic Solstice 5 Miler

2011-12-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we ran the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in Baltimore. It's a race I've wanted to run since May when we ran the Preakness 5k. I saw a woman ahead of me in this kick-a** jacket that had an amazing logo on it. And at that moment I decided I wanted it.

So, we signed up for the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler as our December race. We had been doing the Jingle Bell 5k the last couple of years, and I will admit, I kinda missed running with bells on. But, sometimes you have to sacrifice...

We got up really early...5:30 am....to get to the race area in time to pick up our shirts, bibs, and tags. With it being about an hour from home, it was an early start.

We got there and I was nervous because it seemed like we parked soooooo far away from the start. But, we got there, grabbed our stuff, and realized there was a bag check. Doh! Since we didn't have time to drop our stuff off at the car, I tied my beautiful new shirt around my waist. It worked especially since I could push it up under my jacket. LOL!

We hit the port-a-potties, then got in line. It wasn't a bad wait. A bit chilly, but really not all that bad. The start of the race is pretty cool. As I was standing in my spot at the back of the pack, I heard bagpipers and people parting to form an open path. And next thing I see is two gentlemen with bagpipes leading the way.

Following the bagpipers were two massive dogs, Wolf Hounds I believe. They were taller than my hip! They seemed friendly enough though. They were in the finishers tent afterwards and seemed very happy. I'm thinking it's from all the attention they were getting!

Shortly after they went past, we got ourselves back together and the race started! Took a couple minutes to get to the start, then it was up the hill.

I did not realize how hilly this race would be. It is part of the course for the Dreaded Druid Hill 10k, which is promoted as the hilliest race you will run. Hubby ran that back in May and did great! But, after running this race, I realize the Dreaded Druid Hill 10k is not for me. LOL! This is just one of the hills involved.

I walked more of this race than I wanted to. The hills got me. At one point I had to stop and get to the side because I had a post-nasal drip issue that kept me from breathing. I thought how embarrassing would it be to die from post-nasal drip at the race than from a race-related issue? Yea, I think these things when I'm all by myself.

After all the hills, you run around this nice little lake. We had about a mile to go and I thought there is no way this race is really 5 miles. The lake looked way too big!

But, turns out it was about right. After going around the lake, you run down the hill you ran up at the beginning. Ahhhh....so nice.... Our friend Ada came to cheer us on at the end and got this great action shot as I came to the finish line. Brian and Ada say I was booking it. I felt like I was running in molasses...or maybe egg nog (in honor of the season).

Afterwards, we all headed into the tent for post-race festivities. We had yummy hot wassail wine from Boordy Vineyards, delicious cookies from I have no idea who, and a glazed donut from Ada!

I was very happy with my race. I felt like I was slow the whole time, but Garmin said I was at 1:05:45 for 5 miles (best 5 mile time EVER!) and the final race chip time was 1:06:24 (2 seconds slower than my previous 5 mile time). So, either way you look at it, a good run. :-)

Afterwards we headed to IHOP for breakfast. Had a great breakfast with Brian and Ada and yummy food!

For anyone who wants a challenge and a great shirt with post-race festivities, go for this race. I may even do it again next year! LOL!

La la la...

2011-12-16T15:28:00.000-05:00

So...yea...it's been a few days (o.k. maybe more like two weeks) since I last posted. It's not you, it's me. LOL! I apparently cannot keep my hands off the darn Kindle Fire I got early for Christmas. It's is evil. It is a time waster. It has made me addicted.

Anyway...tomorrow is the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in Baltimore. Yea! I've been looking forward to this race for a while now. It's capped at 3,000 people and has pretty nice swag:

How sweet is that? Last year the design was on a jacket and I wanted one! Slightly disappointed it's not a jacket this year, be eh. Nice long-sleeve technical shirt with a kick-ass logo? Yes, please.

And I read today there is wine at the end. Wine. No one told me about this before. I am still a little leery about it, but bring it! I'm all for wine at the end of my race. I've had beer at multiple 5ks, but wine??? Hells yea! This will be fun! Especially at 9:45 a.m. LOL!

I'll be back to share how the race went. I'm not looking to PR or anything, but if I do I sure won't be complaining!

2011-12-06T06:19:00.000-05:00

Happy first day of half marathon training to me! Today starts the official training for the Yuengling Shamrock 8k and Half Marathon for me. It seems like yesterday I was crossing the finish line at the Philadelphia Half Marathon (thank God!).

I'm sticking with Jeff Galloway and his run/walk program. This time though I am aiming for a program that focuses on time rather than just finishing. Since I finished Philly in 3:16:20, I'm following the plan that trains you to finish between 2:30 and 3:00 hours. This plan involves lots of speed training and crazily starts my first long run at 8 miles! Crazy!

The positive is the program starts before Christmas which hopefully keeps me on track throughout the holiday. I've got all sorts of workouts planned this month, all piggy backing on half marathon training. So, here we go! Yuengling Shamrock 8k and Half Marathon training ho!

5 Miler

2011-12-04T12:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I headed out on a 5 mile run. Normally if I'm not in training for a race, my Saturday runs end up being about 3 miles, but since this week starts Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon training I decided to bring it up a notch. Especially since my first long run of the training program starts at 8 miles. Eep!

And I will say, I had an awesome 5 mile run! The temperature was 32* when I started out, well within my comfort range. It was sunny and no snow or ice on the ground. ;-) And I apparently thought running fast was called for, even though I had no goals for this run. I knew it was going to be a good run when I ran my first half mile in 5:54! That's an awesome half mile time for me and the run just got better from there.

By the end, I had removed my fleece jacket I was wearing and had rolled up my long sleeves because I generated so much heat running. LOL! And when Garmie beeped at 5 miles, the time said...

1:06:20

This is a vast improvement over my last 5 mile run on November 12 of 1:09:48 and it beat my 8k time of 1:07:36. Woohoo! I know I won't always be this fast (relatively speaking), but it sure made my Saturday! Maybe those intervals I'm trying to add into my workouts on the treadmill are paying off...

Starting Fresh!

2011-12-02T13:53:00.000-05:00

Well, the last two weeks haven't gone exactly as I would have liked. It was a time of over-eating and under-moving. LOL! In that time, I gained 4.4 pounds. Bah! Not thrilled about that, but it happens. I know why it happened and I am on my way to stopping it from getting worse.

I have another exercise calendar set and ready to go!

Why is there a week that seems really light on the workouts? It's not because it's the week after Christmas and I'm giving up. Hubby and I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary (wow!) and will be enjoying a little alone time. I have some workouts listed, but I'm not pushing myself that week.

You will also notice that come December 6 weekday running starts up again. Yup, half marathon training kicks in again. Crazy how quickly that came up! I'm going to follow a different plan by Jeff Galloway this time around, one aimed on improving time rather than just finishing the race. So, there's more speed work involved this time around. Even though I PRed at Philly, I still want to finish Shamrock faster than that. I'll never be a sub-2 hour half marathoner, but a sub-3 hour would be nice. :-)

Along with all this exercise, my goal is to get back to my healthy eating. It's fun to get off track now and again, but I find it hard to get back at it. Hence the issues I had last week. LOL! Plus I'm hoping with all this exercise I'll want to eat healthy to reap the full benefits. Even with the holidays, it is possible to keep up those workouts and eat reasonably. Parties aren't every day. Pick and chose what is important to you. And that's my goal this holiday season. Continue with the workouts and be picky about my splurges. What is truly something I can't do without this year? Then and only then can I indulge. Because then it will be worth the splurge and there will be no regrets.

Frustrating

2011-12-01T08:31:00.000-05:00

Who would have thought finding something like above so hard? I have a job interview this afternoon and realized all the suits in my closet are too big. The last time I needed one I was 20 pounds heavier. I have one dress that I can wear as an interview outfit, but it has really short sleeves. Too cold for sleeves that short right now.

So, I went to the store to find either a jacket to wear with the dress I already own or to find a reasonably priced suit. And....nothing. I went to eleven, yes eleven store over the last two days to find something and nothing. No suit jacket or sweater to go over the dress I already own and no replacement suit to wear instead of what I already have.

Can you say frustrating? I mean really. I know it's Christmas, but people do still have to work. Lives do continue even though there is a huge demand for red sparkly dresses. I am making due with something I have in my closet, which I pray fits ok. Even though the person I am interviewing with has worked with me since May, I still want to make a good impression.

Wish me luck! I'm not feeling the most confident in my appearance today, so hopefully I can wow them with my skills and knowledge.

This may have been a bad idea....

2011-11-30T00:02:00.000-05:00

My mom bought me the Kindle Fire for Christmas. She's not technologically advanced, so I ordered it and she is paying me back. I will say Amazon did a great job. I ordered it Saturday with 3-5 day shipping (earliest delivery estimated at 12/1). I received an email last night saying it shipped. When I opened my mailbox this afternoon, THERE IT WAS!!!

I have spent most of my evening playing with it. Downloading and playing games. Downloading books. And just in general playing. :-) Any suggestions? So far, I've stuck to the free stuff and am having fun, but I know eventually I'll end up spending money on it. Heehee!

Games so far:

Blackjack
Solitare
Skeeball
Air hockey
Zombie

Books:
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
A Short History of the World
Don Quixote
The French Maid (I like cheesy romance novels, sue me! One can't always read history books. ;-) )
Mary's Son: A Christmas Tale

So...if I'm MIA for the next few days, you have been warned. ;-)

Early Mornings

2011-11-28T19:20:00.000-05:00

Today was the first full week at the new job. Exciting! :-) Last Tuesday, I left the house about 7:10 a.m. and got to work 10 minutes late. Oops! Good thing I've been volunteering there since May and they know me. So, today being my second day I left the house at 7:00 a.m. Makes sense. Left the house 10 minutes earlier than last week, should get there 10 minutes early. Here's what I saw before walking out the door...

And after leaving at 7:00 a.m., I arrived at 7:30 a.m...30 minutes early. Ugh. I don't know if people were still off for Thanksgiving, for the first day of deer hunting season (yup, people take off for that round these parts!), or traffic is just that different in 10 minutes. I'll leave again tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. in case today was an anomaly. Who knows? I might get there on time tomorrow...

Christmas Tree Decorating

2011-11-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

Have you started? We decorated both our (fake) trees today. It's the most wonderful time of the year after all!

Living Room

Dinning Room

First Post-Half Marathon Run

2011-11-26T13:21:00.000-05:00

Went out this morning for the first post-Philly Half Marathon run. I hadn't felt bad after the race, but Wednesday night by left calf started to hurt. And it hurt through Friday night. When I woke up this morning, fine. Odd. But, when I went out to run it was tight and stiff. Ugh.

My goal was just to go out and run. So, I ran for 30 minutes and got 2.28 miles in. Not bad considering my right calf was stiff most of the run. I'm just happy to get out and have a successful run the first time out.

Next Saturday the goal is about 5 miles because come December 10th, Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon training starts!

Crazy...

Black Friday Funnies

2011-11-25T12:17:00.000-05:00

It's Black Friday and I'm the worst American in the country...I did not get up at some God-awful time of day to face the crowds for fabulous deals. I slept in. I may go out later and see what's going on, but for now, I'm content to sit at home, doing some cleaning, prepping for decorating the house for Christmas.

But, while I didn't go out to holiday shop, I did look through some catalogs and found the following funny shirts. I thought I would share. Everyone can use a laugh now and then. :-)

Facing your fears builds strength, but running from them makes for a great cardio workout.

Writer's Block: When your imaginary friends won't talk to you

And thou shall have dominion over all the beasts...except, of course, for cats

History Buff: I'd find you more interesting if you were dead.

Doctor Who Tardis Vector

If life gives you melons, you might be dyslexic.

They used to call me names!

Warning: If Zombies chase us I'm tripping you

Either you like bacon or you're wrong

Dear Math,

I'm not a therapist. Solve your own problems.

Come to the nerd side. We have Pi.

Bow ties are cool

Hope you liked my exceedingly long list of funny t-shirts. Sorry! I didn't realize I liked so many. LOL! I will state right here and now, I am getting NO compensation from these companies to advertise their shirts, I just thought it would fun to share. If you like any of them, links to the company selling it is below each shirt. Yup, I did the work for you. ;-) Happy Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you a wonderful holiday filled with love and happiness with friends and family!

Enjoy that there turkey...not Eeyore...

Reflections on the Philly Half Marathon

2011-11-24T00:37:00.007-05:00

Pro

1. It was my second half marathon! Woohoo! Very exciting to know I trained and completed two half marathons in one year!!

2. This half marathon was in one of my favorite cities, Philadelphia. I was so looking forward to running the streets and seeing all the cool sites. Philly has such a rich history and it was fabulous to see it while running.

3. The first 9 miles flew by. It was amazing. I couldn't believe how quickly they went and how little effort it seemed to take. I was shocked. I was happy, but shocked. Even the hills between miles 7 and 9 were fine. I'm not a huge hill person, but they didn't seem impossible.

4. I PRed. I ran basically the race time-wise I expected to run and PRed by 5 minutes. I will say slight disappointment that my 10k estimated my finished to be 16 minutes faster than I actually ran, but eh. It is what it is and I have a new PR.

5. The crowd support. I'm not one for being excited about people cheering me on. I run by myself in my training runs and crowds yelling for me usually turn me off, but the crowds in Philly were different. They called my name, they cheered loudly, they had fun signs. I even joked with some people and high-fived others.

Cons

1. The hill between miles 9 and 10. Seriously. The worst hill I've ever dealt with. Worse than the hill between Mount Wolf and Manchester. Without that hill this race would have been 100 times better! And I would have had a better finish time!

2. The lack of directions at the start for the corrals. It was chaotic and hard to find where I was supposed to line up. Good thing I'm slow and I knew to just walk to the back. The signs for the corrals were not as well marked as they could have been.

3. Lack of port-a-potties on the course itself. The start and finish areas were packed with them, but once out on the course, it was hard to find. I stopped about mile 5 to use one because I didn't know when the next one would be available. Not good when you have 25,000 people running at the same time.

4. Post-finish line had several issues:

By the time I finished I was given a Marathon medal. While sweet, I ran the half. There should have been separate finish lines for the full and half so each race received the right medal. And when I finished there were only three half medals left. There were some pretty darn upset people I'm sure after me because there were more than 3 people on the course when I finished.
It was crowded with too many volunteers at the same spot - handing out water, handing out medals, directing traffic. The water people should have been further along. The congestion was incredible and I've never seen the like. It was impossible to understand/see/know where to go.
With all the people handing out water, there were only two people handing out the blankets. The ratio was a bit skewed. It was almost impossible to get a blanket.
Food. Big fail. I got in line, waited close to 5 minutes without getting close to the food, then got out of line because I felt sick. The set up was completely wrong. I just ran 13.1 miles (others ran 26.2) and we have to wait 10 or more minutes for a granola bar or banana? Come on! More areas where food is located, more space, and quicker lines.
The photo station should be before the water, blankets, etc. I got my photo taken and had to dump everything I had to get it shot.
Overall, it seemed like once you crossed the finish line everything was just one big cluster you-know-what. Too crowded, no organization, and too many people.

Overall Impression

Overall, I really enjoyed the race. I loved the first 9 miles and I think miles 11 through 13.1 would have been more enjoyable had there not been a 90 degree angle hill I had to go up from miles 9 to 10. I felt as I ran through Old City, along Delaware Avenue, and up Chestnut Street that this really was an amazing race. One I would recommend to anyone. Now, I would recommend it, with the caveat that you have to do hill training. They say this course is flat and for the most part it is, but miles 7 through 10 have elevation and that mile between 9 and 10 is just killer.

But, if you want to see the best of Philadelphia, go for it! It's a wonderful way to see the city, get your run on, and have a fun Sunday morning.

And as much as I am complaining about mile 9 to 10, I'm still happy I PRed. I'm still happy I ran it. I'm still happy I felt practically normal come Monday. I obviously trained better this time around than last.
So thank you to everyone who organized and volunteered. Thank you to the police, fire fighters, and EMTs at the race. Thank you to all the friends and family who cheered not only their loved ones, but everyone who ran by them. Thank you to all those who hung signs on the side of the road and those who carried them as they cheered. And thank you to all my friends and family who believed I could run a half marathon even when I didn't!

Philadelphia Marathon - Part 2

2011-11-22T22:50:00.000-05:00

Race morning! Hubby got up much earlier than I, about 4:15 a.m. I on the other hand managed to get up about 5:15 a.m. and get ready in time to meet our lovely friend Maryrose in the lobby. She decided to come cheer us on, which is beyond amazing! She was up at 4:30 a.m., drove into Philly from New Jersey, parked her car, and in the cold waited for us to finish our really long races. There are very few friends who are that cool.

About 6:00 a.m. the three of us headed off in the dark to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Art Museum - the start area of the race. It's always interesting walking in the dark through Philadelphia so early in the morning to the race. The streets are quiet until you get close to the Parkway, then you hear footsteps and laughing and chattering. It's thousands of people coming together for the same purpose, all with their own goals, ambitions, stories, fears, and hopes. It is pretty amazing.

The three of us wandered around, then decided on a meeting place. So while Brian and I went off to find our corrals, Maryrose set up her chair under the Morocco flag and settled in. We walked towards the Art Museum knowing that somewhere up ahead would be our start areas. We took one quick photo before the race and then Brian walked me to my corral. :-)

The Blue Corral was alllllll the way in the back so B walked me there, then made his way up to the Orange corral. It worked out fine. I had the chance to chat with a couple of lovely ladies from New York who were down for the race. They decided to make it fun and stayed at the Four Seasons. We chatted about races and stuff we had heard about this race as it was the first time we all had done it.

Then we started moving forward towards the start line. It took us a while to make it to the start line and on the way there I met a nice older gentleman, also from NY. We had a nice conversation about running the race and enjoying it. Not stressing about time. Not stressing about meeting expectations or not meeting expectations. He was a really nice guy and we had a couple nice laughs as we walked to the start.

Now, the last two years the runners were sent off to Rocky and I anticipated that again this year. I was wrong. This year when the Corrals were sent off the music was the Olympic theme song played by a marching band. I must admit, it was pretty cool. :-)

And we're off!

I will admit, I love Philly. It is one of my favorite cities. I had a feeling I would like this race just because I like this particular city. And I wasn't wrong. Running through a city I really love and being able to understand what B talked about was exciting.

The rest of this will not be a mile by mile description of the race because I had a hard time realizing the miles were going by. My Garmin is set to beep every half a mile and when it would go off I was shocked every time. I honestly couldn't believe every half mile was going by so fast! My first half mile was 6:06. WHAT?!? My first mile was about 12:28. Huh??? At Princess my first mile was about 15 minutes. (Basically because Princess is a bottleneck at the beginning, it's too tight. Hard to get moving around so many people.) Which shocked me no end. My 1.5 mile time was about 19:36 and my two mile time was 26:44. These are not race times for me. These are me busting my butt around the neighborhood times for me. But, I was running with no problems. No issues. No pain. I was floored. And I was enjoying it. Here are some photos!

This is as close as I got to Independence Hall. I thought we ran directly in front of it. Nope. Across the BIIIIGGG lawn. At least I saw it. To my left was the National Constitution Center, which is also a cool place to go.

Juggling guy. I really dislike him. And he kept dropping the balls! Way to put other runners in jeopardy all so you can do something stupid.

Leaving Old City and moving onto Delaware Avenue, along the Delaware River. The bridge up ahead is the Benjamin Franklin Bridge linking Philadelphia and Camden, NJ.

Eagles drum line! At the corner onto Delaware Avenue was the Philadelphia Eagles drum line. We could hear them all the way up the street and I thought they were a local high school or college's band. Nope. It was pretty awesome. :-)

It's hard to tell, but in the background is the restaurant Moshulu. One day I will eat there.

One of the two signs I really liked. The other one was on the next post, but I didn't have the camera ready to go. It said, "How many beers did we drink before we thought this was a good idea?" LOL!

Another famous area of Philly, South Street. I haven't been here in years! It was neat to see it without the hoardes of people.

Pancakes! The woman with the pancake was not happy. I ran past wondering why she was standing there holding brochures. It's not like I was going to take an IHOP brochure and keep going. But, he did make me smile as I ran past City Hall.

The elevation for the race said there were hills from miles 7 through 10. The hills weren't that bad from miles 7 through 9. I'm not a huge fan of hills, but I really wasn't all that thrown by these. I was feeling good, running strong, and almost laughing at them. This hill lead us to the Philadelphia Zoo.

And then this happened...

Just past the Zoo was this hill. It was the worst hill ever. Remember the hill from my 12.5 mile run a couple weeks ago? HA! Child's play. This was monsterous. It was about a mile long, all uphill, and steep. Every time it curved and we thought we were done, nope. Upwards some more. I met two new friends on the hill and we discussed how awful it was. Who said Philly was flat???

Let me interject here. Until mile 9 I honestly felt that Philly trumped Princess. No doubt, hands down. For most of Princess you are running on access roads and while there are lots of characters around, it's so quiet and dare I say it, boring. I didn't realize it until I ran Philly. There were people all over the place - police officers helping keep us from getting run over (huge THANK YOU to all the Philly police who came out to keep us safe!), cheer leaders, family, friends, random people, and people going about their lives looking at us like we were crazy. I'm not normally one for spectators, but man! They sure bring it at Philly! If someone asked me which to run while on the course between miles 1 and 9, I would not hesitate to say Philly.

Then that there hill reared it's ugly head. Princess had a couple small hills and then one large one at the end, well basically an entrance ramp you ran up to cross the highway into Epcot parking lot. This hill was 100 times worse. When I reached the top, I was done. I knew it. The hill killed all momentum. It sucked because I had 3 more miles to go. Ugh.

But, I pushed on. Running, but walking more than I wished. I wasn't going to give up. There wasn't that much more to go. And I kept going.

Pretty trees along the course. I will say, the last few miles were pretty with the leaves changing.

This sign was evil. I saw it several times as I got closer to the finish line. I kept thinking it meant I was closer, but there were no mile markers. But, I reminded myself that I didn't have to abide by this sign...

The last mile involved more walking than I would have liked, but that's the way it works. But, I kept moving forward and eventually hit the part of the course that allowed the Half Marathoners go the finish line, while the Marathoners kept going. As I headed up the hill (evil Philly organizers, evil), a random woman yelled out, "Run strong Christina (my name is on my bib)! Hills are our friend!" Oh hell no lady! And I told her so. LOL! She kept insisting they build character. I'm character enough thank you. ;-)

As I came around Eakin's Oval (in front of the Art Museum) a gentleman on the side said I was already finished. I yelled over no one had put a medal around my neck yet. He laughed and said I had about 30 seconds to go. He wasn't too far off. I rounded the corner and there was the holy grail...I mean finish line. Finally!

I crossed the finish line and felt relief. It was a bit chaotic, but I got my water bottle (thank you Wawa though my water had a nice plastic taste to it.) and what I thought was my medal. Turned out they gave me a Marathon medal. Uh no. So, I had to go back and try to find my medal. Turns out I was able to trade it for the half, but there were only three more after mine. I'm so sorry everyone who finished the half after me! I hope you get your medal soon!!

I turned back and got my photo in front of the Philadelphia Marathon backdrop, tried to get food but the line was WAY too long and just went to find Maryrose. It wasn't worth fighting and to be honest, my stomach hurt. Not as bad as run 12.5, but it wasn't happy.

And that's my tale. My Garmin time was 3:16:48, my official time was 3:16:43. LOL! Not bad Garmie!

I'm not the only one who ran. Check out hubby's tale at Earn Your Donuts.

The rest of the day? Maryrose joined B and I at Little Pete's diner for breakfast - pancakes and a corn muffin. Yum!

We headed back to the hotel and took this goofy photo...

Maryrose was tired and headed home shortly after we got back to the hotel. She was up early, braved the cold for hours, and cheered us on. She totally deserved her nap! We showered and took a small nap before heading back to the restaurant behind us in the above photo - the Midtown Continental. We had our celebratory cheesesteak eggrolls

My favorite drink, Champaign-O-Rama

And a tasty dessert of macaroons

L-R: Coconut macaroon (with lemon), Pumpkin macaroon (awesome!), chocolate macaroon (good), pistachio macaroon (oh so tasty!)

We headed back to the hotel after dinner. We were sleepy. We tried to stay up to watch the Eagles/Giants game, but running a big race in the morning? Makes ya sleepy. We ended up sleeping most of the game, but the Eagles won out, which is what matters. :-)

Tomorrow: Reflections on the Philadelphia Half Marathon

Philadelphia Half Marathon - Part 1

2011-11-21T17:29:00.002-05:00

Hello! I'm back! After spending the last couple of days in the City of Brotherly Love for the Philadelphia Half Marathon, I am back to share it with you! This is the first of several posts - Pre-race, Race Day, and Lessons Learned. So, bare with me as I break this race down in multiple posts. Here we go!

Saturday morning we got up and dropped Higgy and Pooka off at the kennel. With their medical issues they cannot just stay home by themselves.

We headed home and grabbed our bags to head to Philly. We made good time and parked in the garage. From the garage we headed right to the Expo at the Convention Center.

Once inside, we checked in to get our bibs and goodies. Then we took our photos next to the race course. We started this in Florida and decided to do it again. :-) I also took a photo of where the corrals would be the next morning. It was helpful to know how far back I really was!

See the blue? That was me. Aaaaaaaalllllllll the way in the back.

Then it was off to buy stuff. LOL! I really didn't have high hopes because I knew there wasn't much that was labeled "half marathon." I got one item (other than the shirt that came with my registration).

It was pricey, but it was the only thing I got so I justified it that way.

After we finished picking out our goodies, we met up with some lovely blogger ladies who were also racing the next day. It was so fun to meet other runners and hear all about their running adventures both at other races and what their goals were for the race.

We chatted for a while, then everyone headed off for their last minute prep for the race. We headed off to the Expo to see what was being offered. I picked up one other item from the Expo, this one prepping for the Yeungling Shamrock Half Marathon in March.

I bought two of these Sweaty Bands in Green Metallic to match the St. Patrick's Day theme. I would have purchased one, but they were thinner than I wanted, so I figured two would work. And to the lovely lady at the booth Saturday afternoon who was running the Philly Half, I hope you had a great race!

We also picked up Yeungling Shamrock Race plastic cups. :-) We had a lovely time chatting with the lady at the booth. She is also running the Shamrock Half that weekend. It was so nice to chat with others who are running the half, whether it is Philly or Shamrock.

We didn't stay too long at the Expo, then headed to Reading Terminal Market next door for the best cookies at Famous 4th Street Cookie Company. They are amazing and don't take my word for it

Seriously. If you can't trust Cookie Monster, who can you trust? I got my one cookie, which is what I get when we come to the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. I get a peanut butter cookie. Yum!

Once cookies were eaten, we headed back to the car to grab our stuff and check into the hotel. We stayed at the Crown Plaza at 19th and Market. We've stayed there before and it's a good location both for the race and within the city. We "unpacked" and got our clothes all set for the next morning.

Then it was carb loading dinner. Yum! We headed to

We totally forgot to take food pictures, so you'll just have to make due with descriptions of our meal. LOL! We started off with

BRUSCHETTA
Assortment of grilled Italian Breads:
Tomato, Basil and Herbed Goat Cheese / Grilled Portabella Mushroom and Aged Provolone
Caponata / Pepperonata and Gorgonzola Cheese

Our meals were tasty. Hubby ordered gnocchi with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. This actually isn't on the menu, but we asked and they were nice enough to put it together for us.

I ordered the

Agnolotti Melanzane pasta filled with roasted baby eggplant, caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts and mascarpone cheese in a shrimp and tomato basil sauce

Mine was also yummy, though for some reason I swore it was linguine noodles. It was good and that's all that matters!

After dinner, we made a quick stop at the CVS as I forgot a brush. Oops! We grabbed candy bars for dessert and went back to the hotel. We laid low, watched a little t.v. and hit the sack about 10:00 p.m.

Next up: Race Day!

Can't blog...

2011-11-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

...running.

Race Expo

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of the fun things about running longer races (and sometimes smaller ones) is the Race Expo. In case you don't know what that is, when you go pick up your bib and race packet the organizers of the race invite running/health related businesses to set up a booth to tempt excited racers into buying stuff. It generally works, unless you are very well disciplined. LOL!

When I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon the Expo was held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. I really enjoyed the Expo because not only did I buy WAY more crap than I needed, but it was an Expo completely geared towards women. I suppose that's what happens when you have only about 700 men running and about 13,000 women. ;-)

Then we hit up the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Expo for hubby just a few weeks later in Virginia Beach. They had a great Expo as well! I was restrained and tried not to pick up anything there. I mean, I went a tad bit crazy in Disney, I sure didn't need to go crazy at a race that wasn't even one I was running in!

Today, hubby and I are hitting up the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon Expo to pick up our bibs, shirts, and good bags. Then we'll wander through the Expo seeing if there's anything we need (haha!) or want (more likely).

Then tomorrow, it's go time! Shortly before 7:00 a.m. the theme music to Rocky will start, the elites will head out and probably about 35-40 minutes after the official start I'll head off. After 3.5 months of training, I'll be running the streets of Philadelphia in my second half marathon. Wish me luck!

Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge

2011-11-18T12:27:00.001-05:00

This past year I worked hard to lose some weight and exercise more regularly (training for a half marathon will do that to ya!). To date I have lost 21.4 pounds since May 1st. I'm happy with that. Wish it were a tad bit more, but hey 21.4 pounds is better than nothing. I joke that I had a goal of losing 20 pounds before the Princess Half Marathon in February, didn't lose it, and now before Philly when I had no weight loss goals, have lost 21.4. Guess I don't do well under pressure? LOL!

Well, the holiday season is upon us and for lucky me a Caribbean vacation also. Christmas is in about 5 weeks and I want to end the year off on a high note, so I signed up for Run to the Finish (Amanda)'s Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge. After the Half Marathon I'm afraid I'll just sit around waiting for training to start for the Yeungling Shamrock Half Marathon (December 10th in case your curious), so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get my butt moving since the challenge starts after Philly and will keep me moving until official Shamrock training starts.

I'm not hoping to win overall. I don't care if I don't win any weekly or overall prizes. My goal is to use this challenge to keep myself on track through the holidays. I've worked sorta hard these past 6 months to lose 21.4 pounds, I don't want the holidays to mess it up! Vacation will do that for me! ;-)

Feel free to join in! It would be great to have some friendly competition!!

I have a title!

2011-11-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Archives

You may recall I've been volunteering with the Pennsylvania State Archives since May and this summer had the opportunity to learn how to dry clean (meaning using a dry method rather than a liquid method), deacidify, and encapsulate 1865 Civil War Muster Out Rolls. It was a highlight of my summer.

A couple months ago the archives received a grant to finish preparing the Civil War Muster Out Rolls by sending them to the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia. With that, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I luckily was asked to assist the process. Due to my experience this summer, I was asked to help get the last few documents in-house cleaned for the mender and to spend time each week deacidifying and encapsulating the documents returned from Philly.

I am thrilled and today signed the paperwork to be paid. :-) And I now I have an official title - Conservationist Assistant. My very first title in my new field! I'm very excited! I start Tuesday.

Sometimes...

2011-11-16T23:20:00.004-05:00

dreams do come true!

Check out the course

2011-11-15T19:35:00.001-05:00

So, for months I've talked about training for the Philadelphia Half Marathon. Want to see where I'll be running? Check out the course. I'm thrilled that there will be water stops about every 2 miles. This allows me to skip wearing my water bottle, which I think come miles 10, 11, 12, and 13 hurts my back. Check it out!

Getting back on track

2011-11-14T20:29:00.000-05:00

I have a post to come that will come once the camera comes, but for now this quick little one.

I ate a little too badly yesterday and today I'm trying to make up for it. I started off by doing some core work - push-ups, sit-ups, and bicycle scissors. Any other ideas are welcome. I was able to do 100 sit-ups today, which is double what I was doing. :-) Not too shabby!

Then it was off to my arm weight lifting routine. It's nothing fancy, but I'm trying. I use an eight pound weight for my 15 minutes of arm exercises (not this one. Mine is gray with a rubber handle). I'm trying to tighten up my arms and whittle my waist a little. The goal is every other day. I'm not always successful, but I'm trying...

Then I did an exercise video.

I'm trying to do a variety of exercises, while running. I recently read that walking helps keep the muscles you use to run in shape without putting the stress of running on them. This is the only video of her's I have, but not because I didn't like it. I do enjoy using it. I have it on my workout schedule about once a week. Today, I used it without sound, which actually made it harder. LOL! It's a low-key exercise that I enjoy mixing in.

I'm debating whether to use my little stationary bike tonight as well.

Sadly, mine does not have that fancy monitor, but that's the basic bike I use. I bought one about three years ago before starting grad school. I knew that working full-time and going to school part-time would make working out hard, so I found this little bike that I could read for class and still work out at the same time. I still use it a couple days a week as an easy workout, but the one I bought in 2008 had some problems last week. The pedal kept coming off. It was time for a new one. Which was supposed to be Friday's workout, but I thought Target would have one. Nope. I was able to pick one up at Wal-Mart on Saturday, but with being out all day on Sunday I didn't get a chance to use it. So, I'm still debating doing my Friday's workout tonight. It's still possible.

2011-11-13T08:00:00.038-05:00

Friday night the hubby and I headed to Harrisburg to see "Hamlet" at the Gamut Theater. I first heard about the Gamut Theater a few weeks ago when there was an article about an Edgar Allen Poe show right before Halloween. I thought about going, but it was the day of the big Halloween snowstorm. As much as I wanted to see it, I had no idea what the roads would be after 5" of snow and decided to skip.

But, while playing around on the website I saw they would be performing "Hamlet" over the following couple of weeks. I was sold. I've always wanted to see Shakespeare on the stage, but never had the chance. So, we went Friday night with the BOGO tickets they offered.

First and foremost, it was amazing! The theater itself is small and intimate. I believe it fits approximately 100 people, so the actors were this close. We got there early enough to secure seats in front and on an aisle. Since it's such a small theater there are no seat numbers. We weren't front row, but not too far back.

The acting was great! I didn't know what to expect from such a small theater, but I will say I want to see more! The acting was fabulous, the "effects" were well done, and while I was nervous about understanding the language, the actors made it very understandable.

I will say it was long. We started at 7:30 p.m. and with two intermissions, we ended about 11:15 p.m. Apparently, this show is generally abridged when acted out. This presentation was not abridged, hence the length of the show. The first act was approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, as was the second, with the last act being about thirty-five. The acting was so good that when the lights went down it was a bit of a surprise.

Overall, I was thrilled with it. I want to go back! There are several shows in the spring I am looking forward to checking out including "A Midsummer's Night Dream" and "Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead." If you're in the Harrisburg area, you wouldn't be amiss checking out the Harrisburg Shakespeare Company at the Gamut Theater.

Last long run

2011-11-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

Yup. Today I had my last long run before the Philly Half NEXT SUNDAY!!!! Crazy! It seems like yesterday I started training (end of July really).

Today's taper run had me going 5 miles. I really wasn't feeling a run this morning, but as I knew I should I went. And it turned out to be a great one! Half mile had me at 6:12, which is really good for me. I then set a goal of hitting a mile in the 12 minute range. When Garmie went off, I was at 12:48. Woohoo! Next goal was 1.5 miles under 20 minutes. 19:38. Nailed it! So of course I set the next goal of being in the 26 minute range for 2 miles. That's been my good time for 2 miles. 26:39 - hells yea! I reached 2.5 miles around 33 minutes and had high hopes of hitting 3 miles under 40 minutes, but that half mile was all uphill and I didn't make it (41:08 :-( ). I was slowing down. Bah! But, I kept at it and reached 4 miles in about 56 minutes, which while not my fastest, it wasn't too far off. Then I started thinking I could hit 5 miles under 1:10:00. Sadly, when I reached 4.5 miles, I realized if I did the math, I would come in at 1:11:something. This made me sad, but I kept going. When Garmie went off at 5 miles and I looked down imagine my surprise at

1:09:49

Woohoo! I was almost jumping up and down on the sidewalk! Wouldn't that have been funny? Especially since I was on the busy road near the high school. And oddly enough, there were TONS of cars on the road today. Weird.

Overall a great final long run before Philly. Afterwards, we hit Dunkin Donuts (as is our tradition). After last week's awful stomach issues, I started out with a egg, cheese, and turkey flatbread, a gingerbread iced coffee and then an apple cinnamon donut. I am happy to report that my stomach is fine. Phew! My friend (who is all-knowledgable about running) analyzed what I ate last week and said I had too much sugar. So, I tried hard to cut back on the amount of sugar around today's run - no dessert last night, no pre-race meal, and only one 3-piece serving of Sports Beans before the 5 miles. I had protein with the eggs, cheese, and turkey sausage before having the donut and I'm happy with the results. I am going to concentrate on more protein in the mornings this week overall.

One week tomorrow is the Philly Half Marathon. Eeeeee!!!!!

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T13:07:00.000-05:00

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice between Allied forces and Germany put an end to the fighting of what was then referred to as the Great War. President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11, of the following year, Armistice Day. In 1938, an act of Congress made the day a legal holiday, and by 1954, that act was amended to create Veterans Day, to honor American veterans of all wars. ~ Smithsonian Magazine

I have great respect for those who serve in our military. To those who have served, to those who currently serve, and to those who will serve, thank you for your courage and your sacrifice.

My family has a tradition of serving in the military. My grandfather fought in World War II in the Air Force, my Uncle Denny served in the Air Force, my cousin Matt (my Uncle Denny's son) currently serves in the Air Force, and my cousin Mike currently serves in the Army. Recognizing and appreciating service personnel is just a part of my family.

My grandfather fought in World War II in Great Britain. He was stationed north of London near a smallish town called Northampton. He met my Grandmother there and fell in love. She converted to Catholicism and married in England. This photo is of my Grandparents on their wedding day, December 4, 1944, with my Grandfather in his military uniform.

They were married for just over 60 years before my Grandfather passed away in 2007. They stayed a beautiful couple over all those years.

The other important person in my life who served in the military was my father. He served in the Army during the Korean conflict, then joined the Coast Guard. Veteran's Day also marks the day my father passed away, 23 years ago. He suffered from multiple health issues and on Friday, November 11, 1988 he lost the fight. So, today I remember my father not only as a veteran, but as the world's best dad (even if he didn't think so!).

I love you Dad! Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Edward Riley Davis

1934-1988

Heading out to eat

2011-11-10T17:46:00.001-05:00

Tonight, the hubby and I are heading out to a local place called Isaac's for dinner. Why? And why do I share this? Well, tonight is SPCA night at our local Isaac's. Go into lunch or dinner tonight, bring in a coupon from the SPCA, and 25% of our meal total gets donated to them. We have a soft spot for the SPCA. We started volunteering there shortly after we moved and fell in love with a little kitten named Elizabeth...

She was about a year and a half when we saw her at the PetSmart. Apparently, her owners decided they had too many cats and had to give one up. We're assuming because she was going to have a litter, that's why they chose her, because if you've ever met her you would know she is the best little kitty around!

So, tonight we head to Isaac's for dinner. We're going to enjoy a meal and enjoy the fact that we're helping a great local organization! What are you doing to help your local non-profits?

29981

2011-11-09T19:04:00.000-05:00

It's officially official. I am all signed up and set to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 10 days. Last night I received that number up there. My bib number. I also received my corral location - blue. For those who are unfamiliar with the corral system for Philly, blue is the total back of the pack. I will be in the last wave that crosses the starting line come Sunday, November 20th. Whatevs. The fact that I will be starting is more important than where I'll be starting.

Training is going well lately. I'm feeling pretty good right now. I have been following my training plan for the month pretty well. I have a 30 minute run tomorrow, then my last "long" run on Saturday of 5 miles. Two 30 minute runs next week and boom! Half marathon. Eee! It all comes down to this. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling like I will cross that finish line in one piece.

Planning ahead can work

2011-11-08T08:17:00.000-05:00

I am not a morning person. Far from it. I like to sleep in and cuddle under the blankets. Especially now that it's cold out and we are using the electric blanket and the heated mattress pad (our bedroom doesn't have heat). It's really hard to get up.

But, last night I decided to do a little pre-planning. I figured out what I wanted to wear to the archives today and ironed it. I made my lunch and packed it. I even got the coffee pot ready so all I had to do this morning was turn it on. All of this in the hopes that I would get my butt out of bed and hit the treadmill for my Tuesday 30 minute run.

The alarm clock went off this morning and I turned it off. Ugh. Morning. I had time. I laid there and promptly fell back to sleep. But, I woke up. With 10 minutes to seven. Enough time if I got right out of bed to get on the treadmill at 7:00 a.m. And I did. I got up, put on my running clothes, and got on the treadmill and ran 30 minutes. Holy! I am so proud of myself. Then, I did my core work (sit-ups, push ups, and bicycle legs). Wow. I feel so on top of things today!

All that's left on the exercise agenda today is a 60 minute walk, which I break up into thirds at the archives. :-)

Water

2011-11-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

It is getting chilly here in the Mid-Atlantic. It may be fall, but some of the temperatures we've been living with have been downright winterish lately. My run on Saturday started at 9:00 a.m. and 27*. Crazy!

So, my issue is this. I like water (which is a HUGE change for me). What I'm having problems with is now that it's cold outside, I don't want to drink it. It's too cold for water. Every time I drink cold water, it makes me colder. And while I much prefer being cold to being hot, I don't like making myself colder by drinking water. For some reason I can drink cold soda or iced tea, but water? Nope. It's really hard to do.

What do you do? I've taken to drinking water from the faucet cold. It's not as cold as the water we keep in the refrigerator (which is what I drink during the summer), but it seems odd to drink cold water from the faucet. Any tips or suggestions for getting in my water? I need to be hydrated for the race and I'm just trying to find a way to do so without freezing my tail feathers off!

Decisions...decisions...

2011-11-06T09:40:00.000-05:00

Two weeks from today is the Philadelphia Half Marathon. 13.1 miles of sightseeing the city of Philadelphia. Gives all new meaning to seeing the city on foot. ;-)

Yesterday's run started out at 27*, which I have a feeling might be similar to conditions come race day based on the last two years (hubby ran the half in 2009 and 2010). I wore the new running pants and shirt I purchased at Target to try it out (a cardinal rule of running is never wear anything you haven't worn in a training run during a race). The clothes themselves worked out fine. I wore a fleece jacket during my run because basically it had zippers on the pockets, which helped me carry all sorts of junk during my run. LOL! And I realized it was just the right amount of clothing for the run.

But, here's the thing. I don't want to wear a fleece jacket. While I liked the extra pockets, I am hesitant to wear it...plus it's green and my pants and shirt are blue. Yes, I'm that superficial. LOL! So, I've been debating these two options:

Arm sleeves

Cold weather shirt

Now, I have a cold weather shirt like above. My thoughts are to wear it under the short sleeve blue shirt I'm wearing. I like the idea of the arm sleeves though because if I do get warm as I run I can take them off. Of course, the shirt means there's no chance I could lose it if I get hot. Though I have little chance of pulling the sleeves up because it's a tight fit on the arms.

Of course, I could just suck it up and wear the fleece jacket even though it doesn't match. It has the fabulous extra pockets and I can roll the sleeves up if I get warm.

What to do...what to do...

Last Long Run

2011-11-05T22:25:00.000-04:00

Well, training for the Philadelphia Half Marathon is winding down. Today was my last long run before the race. Two weeks from Sunday I'll be at the starting line ready to rock.

Today's long run was 12.5 miles. And there were good things, there were bad things, and there were pictures. I was going to get up early and head down to the Rail Trail so I didn't keep hubby waiting after his long run. But, I didn't. I'm not a morning person. When I did get up, I realized I didn't download the music I planned on for the Nano. I'm so tired of what's on there right now and wanted to add The Janedeer Girls and Lady Antebellum to the Nano, but didn't. So, I decided to try this morning. Good thing #1: bought, downloaded, and got both on Nano before leaving house. Yea!

Good thing #2: Before heading out, I checked Weather.com and it said the temperature was 27*. Not bad. I prefer cold weather for running. But, cold weather, which I am only just know remembering means Bad thing #1: my car has frost on the windows.

Ugh. So, I clean off the windows and get going...Bad thing #2: until the tire light on my car turns on. I didn't know that's what the symbol meant until I found it in my manual. It basically said not to drive it fast or take curves sharply. I had two choices: skip the run or change location. I decided to change location and Good thing #3: headed to my normal short run neighborhood. Which had me worried because how in the world was I going to get 12.5 miles in there???

I parked the car, stretched a bit, and got started.

Don't let this slight downhill fool you. This course was anything but downhill. I chose this direction to put the development I normally run in at the end. I decided to run up the street, make a left, and head into the next town over Mt. Wolf. The issue is that Mt. Wolf is very hilly. Very hilly.

This is the main street into Mt. Wolf. I ran up this street and then up and down every street with a street sign. I started on the right side of the street, then switched to the left side to lessen the times I had to run across this main street. Before heading out of Mt. Wolf, I got just over 7 miles. Good thing #4: I was feeling good. I was actually surprised at how well I was feeling. I was overconfident.

Why? Because I chose to do this

What you can't see from this photo is that around that curve it continues upwards. Bad thing #3: It's an awful, awful hill that I should never have attempted. I should have turned around and gone back the way I had come. But no. Overconfident in the 7 miles through Mt. Wolf made me think I could do this hill. Nope. Bad thing #4: It took me 16 minutes to go a 1/2 mile. Yes, 16 minutes. That's how hard this hill is.

Sadly, Bad thing #5: it was the end of the good run. I struggled from this hill onto mile 12.5. But, I kept going. Two of my friends were scheduled to run the inaugural Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon this weekend. Sadly, they are both injured and are unable to do so. I dedicated today's run to them and there was NO WAY I wouldn't complete this run. Even if I had to crawl to 12.5 I was going to get there!

Good thing #5: And I did. Slowly. Tiredly. But I got there.

Not the time I anticipated. Stupid hills. But, I did get the miles in. And now, I have a four night runs and one 5 mile run to go before the Philadelphia Half Marathon. It's almost here.

The really negative part of my run happened afterwards. I came home and Very bad thing #6: have been sick all day. My stomach has felt sick for hours. I have never had this happen before. And I heartly hope it never happens again. I've read a few things that could have caused it and I'm going to work on those for the coming week. Instead of celebrating my 12.5 mile run and hubby's 20 mile run, I laid on the couch feeling sorry for myself and in pain. Hopefully the half marathon doesn't end this way...

Roasted Chick Peas

2011-11-04T11:26:00.000-04:00

This week I decided to try making roasted chick peas. I'd never really liked beans all that much growing up honestly, but lately they have tasted pretty good in stuff and I recognize that I am really bad at getting protein in my diet. Roasted chick peas sounded like a great way to get some protein in and have a tasty snack.

I started out with one can of chick peas:

I then gathered my spices:

I'll be honest here, I'm not one for measuring unless I'm following a recipe. I was kinda flying by the seat of my pants and just dumped seasonings in:

I put them in a roasting pan and cooked them for 20 minutes at 425*:

I am storing mine in a tupperware container. I would recommend letting them cool before putting the lid on. We found out that if you put the lid on while still warm the heat will undo the crispiness of the beans.

They are very tasty and in the scheme of things, the only calories in this recipe comes from the chick peas themselves. Not bad for a tasty snack! I personally use the serving size on the side of the chick peas can as my guide, so for me 1/2 cup is a serving.

Hope you enjoy them! I think next time we make them we may try different seasonings. :-)

Finally!

2011-11-03T21:55:00.002-04:00

I finally got 2 weekday runs in this week. It has been ages since I've done that. It's kinda embarrassing. But, I've made a commitment to run all my runs til the Philly Half Marathon on November 20th.

It wasn't a good run by any stretch of the imagination. I realized shortly into it I had to go to the bathroom. Oops. It was not pleasant to be honest. Note to self: remember to go to the bathroom before going for a run of any distance.

Then, as I was almost done, a little girl started yelling behind me. I normally ignore people yelling around me, but all of a sudden a small dog went tearing past me. Apparently, she wanted me to stop her dog. Oops again. So, I took off trying to catch up with this little dog. I was no where close to catching him! But, I did my best to help her corral him and eventually she got him. He got distracted by other dogs behind a fence and she was able to grab him. All this chasing after the little dog sure didn't help my running, but it did help the little girl, so I suppose it wasn't all bad.

What we're taking away from this is I got 2 runs in this week. Huge step for me. It's been too long. Next up: 12.5 mile run Saturday, my last long training run until the Philadelphia Half Marathon. Eep!

Applesauce

2011-11-02T19:48:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love applesauce? It's always been a favorite of mine. When I was a kid applesauce was a great snack and my mom always mixed in some cinnamon. Yum!

As an adult, I still love applesauce. I actually found a quick and easy applesauce crock pot recipe that tastes just like apple pie filling. Nom nom nom! Thought I would share the recipe with you. It's just perfect on it's own or over ice cream.

First take 8 apples (I bought a bag with 9 and just went with it).

Core

Peel

Chop into small pieces

Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar (I used Splenda), and cinnamon to taste.

Cook on high for 3.5-4 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite fall recipes and while it takes a bit to get it in the crock pot (what with all that chopping and all), it is totally worth it!

20 Days

2011-11-01T06:30:00.002-04:00

It is November. For anyone who has been following along, that means there are 20 days left until the Philadelphia Half Marathon (sure there's a full marathon the same day, but I'm not running it. So, it will be forever be known as the Philadelphia Half Marathon. Except for when talking to the owner of Earn Your Donuts who is actually running the full marathon.). It is hard to believe how quickly it came up! But in 20 short days I will be starting, running, and crossing the finish line on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Eeeee!!!

So, I have decided I gotta get my act together. I gotta make the next 20 days count. No more messing around. See that photo above? That's my exercise routine leading up to the half marathon. I need to make sure my body can handle the rigors of running 13.1 miles all at the same time. So, there's lots of stuff on there - running, walking, stationary bike, core workouts, weights, and a walking DVD. I want to make sure I'm physically as ready as I can be by November 20th.

I'm also working on eating healthier. I've been eating pretty well lately, but I'm upping my game. I am concentrating on making more meals during the week. We tend to rely on Ellios pizza, frozen waffles and the like. My goal is to make more "real" meals on weekdays. More vegetables, more fruit, more protein. All very important. This week's meals are all laid out:

Monday - chili and cheesy corn bread
Tuesday - turkey wraps
Wednesday - eggs, bacon, and toast
Thursday - pasta and tomatoes
Friday - pizza

Any thoughts on these last few weeks? Suggestions? Things I should be doing/not doing?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T10:12:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween friends! Hard to believe October is just about over! I thought I'd share some Halloween memories and favorites with you today. :-) Feel free to share some of yours too!

* As a kid, I never wanted to go out trick-or-treating until it was dark out. Which meant I waited until my mom came home from work. Drove her crazy! I had a perfectly good dad at home all afternoon who would take me out, but NOOOOOO. I wanted to wait til dark.

* After trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, we would go to my grandparent's house to show off our costumes. And if one of my aunts or uncles offered to take us around the grandparent's neighborhood to trick-or-treat as well, who were we to argue?

* I am deathly afraid of scary/haunted houses. Can't do them. I did go a couple times in college, but it didn't go well. I'm all for a nice hayride, but no haunted houses thanks.

* Same goes for horror movies. Can't stand them. My imagination is way to active! Which is sad for the hubby because he loves them. Lucky for him one of our friends likes horror movies too and will go with him to see one.

* But, I do love cute Halloween movies and such. Favorite Halloween movie is Hocus Pocus. How can you not love this movie? It's so cute!

* I'm also a big fan of It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It was my favorite t.v. show to watch when I was a kid around Halloween. How can you not love the Peanuts gang?

* I'm partial to black cats. Can't help it. While growing up, I had a black cat my parents named Cinder. She was an outdoor cat, so she didn't spend much time with us and she was awful mean, but I liked her. When I adopted Higgy and Pooka, I had a hard time not taking the two black kitties in the basket. But, when Higgy (a tabby) jumped in the box I brought to take them home in, I couldn't take him out.

Pooka: According to legend, the púca is a deft shape shifter, capable of assuming a variety of terrifying or pleasing forms, and may appear as a horse, rabbit, goat, goblin, or dog. No matter what shape the púca takes, its fur is almost always dark.

* My favorite Halloween song is The Monster Mash. It's so fun!

* My favorite Halloween candy? Snickers, hands down. I always looked for those in the trick-or-treat pumpkin I carried as a kid. There sadly were never as many of them in the pumpkin as I would have liked...

* I will admit to loving all things pumpkin. :-) Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, things spiced with pumpkin. Such a great flavor!

* Candy corn? Love it or hate it? I for one love it in all it's candy waxy goodness! Candy corn, Indian corn, marmellow pumpkins. Yum!

So, what about you? Any Halloween memories or favorites you'd like to share?

First snow of the year...in October...

2011-10-30T10:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had the first snow of the season. Yes, the first snow of the season....in October. Craziness! And it wasn't just a simple little flurry or a simple little coating. It was so thick and heavy we used the snow blower.

I will admit that when I first heard we were in for snow, I blew it off. Come on! It's October! People over-react so often to snow that I blew it off. Had no faith that this really would amount to much. Alrighty, I was wrong. So wrong. LOL! It's all good. It's pretty and believe it or not, it's already melting. I heard Thursday it's supposed to be 60 degrees. Yup, 60 degrees. What a week.

Time to head down the front steps

There's a bit of snow out there

A bit of snow on the cars

Yup, a bit of snow. Can you see how deep the snow is?

Where the heck is my driveway???

We were a tad bit nervous that the snow on the wires would cause our power to go out. It did for about 15 seconds, but then came back on. Phew! Our friend who lives about 15 minutes north of us lost power yesterday and I think over 400,000 people in Central PA lost power.

All sorts of snow out there.

Thank heavens for snow blowers!

A little off kilter

2011-10-29T14:38:00.001-04:00

So, my normal long runs usually happen on Saturday. When I started running a few years ago, the only day of the week I ran was Saturday, then when I started adding mileage, it would be Saturday morning. And I've just continued that. I'm sure I'm not alone in having my long runs on Saturday mornings. I'm sure there are lots of people (maybe even the majority) who do this. I do know it's strange for me to do a long run on either Friday or Sunday. I've done them occasionally on a Sunday and it just feels...weird. And not running Saturday morning, when running on Sunday, is weird too.

But, this week I switched up my long run from Saturday to Friday. Why?

I'm in the Harrisburg area, which is currently receiving 6"-10" of snow. Yup. I can attest to this. There's a lot of snow happening out there. It's really quite odd. Snow in October? Really? I just checked and there's not average snowfall for October in the Harrisburg area. Surprise, surprise. LOL!

So, this is why I switched my run from Saturday to Friday. I changed the mileage because I'm a wuss and was afraid of running on the Rail Trail on a weekday. It's awful out in the middle of nowhere and without other runners/bikers out there with me, I really was nervous about being attacked. Let's just say I was be cautious. Yea, cautious.

Stay tuned. I'll probably add some snow photos later in the day. What's a post about an epic October snow storm without photos?

** Who knew the graphic above would change? LOL! When I posted this initially, it showed the Harrisburg area due for 6"-10" of snow. I swear!**

Tuesday Run

2011-10-25T19:27:00.000-04:00

Finally! I got a Tuesday run in. It's been ages since I've gone out on a Tuesday for my 30 minute run. Jeff Galloway would be proud. LOL!

It was an o.k. run. I went to the local high school where there are sidewalks and a housing development. I pushed myself, but I didn't speed up at every other mailbox. I just ran and tried to push myself. I took my walk breaks like usual, at every half mile. I had a good first half mile at 6:06 and I was thrilled when I was under 13 minutes at the mile. Then I was under 20 minutes at 1.5 miles. Very happy with this. At two miles I was at 26:48, not too shabby. But, I must have dropped off because I ended up with a 30 minute run of 2.24 miles. I was hoping I was going to be in the 2.30s.

I shouldn't be too upset. This is really only my second run since my lovely upper respiratory infection. I did pretty well overall, no coughing during the run, I was able to push myself throughout. I think my goal of hitting 2.5 miles in 30 minutes before the Philly Half Marathon on November 20th may not be happening. I'm slightly disappointed, but it's o.k. I hadn't anticipated getting sick. It's possible I could still hit 2.5 miles in 30 minutes before the race, but if I don't, I'm o.k. with it. I can always try after Philly. Life happens. And I'm not going to get disappointed about this. What's important is being prepared for Philly. And I'm feeling better and better about it.

Friends

2011-10-24T10:55:00.000-04:00

I often think about the people in my life I call friends. I think back to some of my oldest (known the longest) friends and realize that I am very lucky. Through Facebook I've caught up with a few grammar school and high school friends, which has been nice. But, the people I see and talk with the most are friends I've made in college and since then. I laugh sometimes when I see my Facebook friends list because it doesn't top 100 people, but the people on that list are people I truly consider my friends.

Sunday, I got to spend time with two very special people, two of my college roommates. I went to Elizabethtown College in Central PA and met lots of great people, many of whom I still see and talk with. But, two of my college friends I have known for ages and love getting together with them!

Marge, Nicole and Chris

Nicole and I met through the winds of fate. We both started Etown in January of 1995 and were randomly put together as roommates. We didn't get any choice in the matter as to where we wanted to live or any personality traits we would prefer. But, I guess that sometimes can be overrated because it's 2011 and we're still friends!

Nicole and I met Marge when she moved onto the hall we lived on a few years later. We became friends and when Nicole graduated, Marge and I became roommates. What's lovely with Marge is we live close by and can get together more often than we get to see Nicole (who lives in another state). It's nice being able to catch up when our schedules mesh.

I have all sorts of friends, met through all sorts of ways, but there is something nice about getting together with people you've known a long time. People you've lived with. People you've spent untold hours hanging out doing nothing with. Thanks for meeting up Nicole and Marge! It's great seeing you guys!!

November 20th

2011-10-20T20:56:00.000-04:00

One month from today, I'll be running the Philadelphia Half Marathon. I'm a bit nervous after my lovely upper respiratory infection. Not sure how the lungs will take to it, especially since the weather has turned colder. But, I'm still going to go for it. I have a month. I have one more long run. I have several shorter "long" runs. And lots of 30 minute weekday runs between now and then. I'll complete the half marathon. It may not be in the time I had been hoping for, but I hadn't anticipated being sick for over 12 days either. Roll with the punches. After all, as the Philly Marathon is saying, it's the "best time of your life!"

And we revise

2011-10-19T20:16:00.000-04:00

So, this whole upper respiratory infection put a damper on my training. I did neither of my 30 minute runs last week, nor did I do my 4 mile run on Saturday. There was just no way I could do them. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stop coughing (I was on two different cough meds too!). I had a headache for most of the week. So, I didn't. I rested. I took my over-the-counter and prescription medications. I healed.

Where does this leave me? Good question. My original training program from here on out looked like this:

October 22: 12.5 miles
October 29: 4 miles
November 5: 14 miles
November 12: 5 miles

Ummmm....I don't see this happening. I see something more along the lines of this happening:

October 22: 4 miles
October 29: 12.5 miles
November 5:
November 12:

It's those last two weeks I'm not sure what to do. Maybe 6-7 on the 5th and 5 miles on the 12th? I believe that 14 mile run is getting dropped. It's ok. I've already run an 11 mile training run and have the 12.5 mile one scheduled. For my first half, I only ran one double digit training run and I crossed the finish line. While ideally, I would have gotten that 14 mile run in, life happens. I didn't want that upper respiratory infection, but you handle what gets thrown your way. This is how I'm dealing. Hopefully, it will be enough.

She's Alive!

2011-10-17T16:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have finally turned the corner on this upper respiratory infection thing that I've been fighting for 11 days. It started the Friday before last and I'm still working on shaking it off, but I'm feeling so much more like me. It's insane how much better I feel.

Wednesday afternoon through Friday evening, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was wheezing so badly that I could barely breathe and it was the worst feeling in the world. I tried some home remedies here to try to change that, but they were very, very temporary in their effectiveness. Finally, hubby called the doc and they prescribed a bronchial inhaler and a cough med. The bronchial inhaler was a godsend. It worked immediately and I could feel more oxygen getting to my lungs. The cough medication made me laugh. It was a tiny golden pill. I've never taken a pill as a cough med. When hubby picked up the meds, he also grabbed a thermometer since ours wasn't working anymore. And Friday's temp wasn't a good one. It read 102.9. Later in the evening it went down a bit, but only to 102.3.

But Saturday morning, I still felt like crap. Hubby called the doc and I went back in to see someone. I saw the new doctor at the practice and can I say I just loved her? She was so nice, so sweet, so compassionate. I want her to my new primary and I want to be her friend. Maybe it's the meds talking...Anyway...officially I was down 5.5 pounds since Monday, oops! My temp was back to 101.1, just like Monday. The bronchial inhaler helped tremendously with my air passages and she didn't hear any wheezing. Ahhhh.... She prescribed a Z-pack antibiotic and pregnesone.

By Sunday, I really felt much more like myself than I have in over a week. I spent my Sunday watching Balls of Fury and the Philadelphia Eagles, doing and folding laundry. We even went out to dinner! It was nice to get out of the house, but it took us almost 2 hours at dinner because service was awful. It normally isn't.

And a BIG thank you to my fabulous hubby for taking such good care of me the past 11+ days!! He made sure I had everything I needed, made sure I ate and drank, drove me to and from the doctor, picked up my medications, and didn't kill me for whining about being sick. I couldn't have asked for a better care taker and

I LOVE YOU!!!

101

2011-10-11T14:59:00.000-04:00

For the past 5 days, I have been sick. Thursday and Friday, not too bad, but I was coughing....which I knew did not bode well. As a child I had asthma and since then, when I get sick, my lungs are the ones that get hurt first. I tried some Airbourne in green tea, but sadly, it did not help.

I went out on Saturday for my 11 mile run, even though I wasn't feeling well. From what I've read, if you're coughing you shouldn't run. But, I blew that advice off and ran anyway. Bah! I stopped a few times to cough, but I got through the run.

Sunday, I woke up and we had a full day planned. It was my birthday and hubby took me to the Baltimore Zoo for the day. We hadn't been to a zoo in a long time and I'd never been to the Baltimore Zoo. I got to see the polar bears, which are my favorites and we saw some cute primates and lemers among other animals. Then we headed off to dinner at The Owl Bar. It opened in 1903, which in and of itself is cool. But, it stayed in operation throughout Prohibition, so it was a speakeasy too! Very cool place! From there, we hit up the always tasty Vaccaro's. Had the best hot apple cider ever! Dessert was so big, I ended up taking half of it home. Yum! Sadly, all that running around caught up with me and I slept most of the ride home. And by the time we got home, I was hot and had the chills. Lovely.

When I woke up Monday, I still felt awful. Went into the doctor's, who made me wear one of these in the waiting room and during the exam:

I felt like I had the plague or something. When I mentioned to the doctor I felt like I was living during the 1918 Influenza Epidemic, he just looked at me funny. Eh. Alright, whatever. Anyway...my temperature by the time I got to the doctor's office was 101 degrees. Surprised by that. I can't remember the last time I had a fever, let alone one over 100.

And basically, I have an upper respiratory infection and there's not much to be done. I have some Sudafed, Mucinex, and Delsym for symptoms, but I'll be dealing with this for about 2 weeks...unless I get a secondary infection, which means I'll start feeling better, then get worse again. Lovely. Thanks.

So I'm feeling a bit better than I was, but I had an awful night's sleep last night. I'm flirting with a migraine. Even with the Delsym, I'm coughing. It's just not been fun the last couple days...

11 Miles

2011-10-08T15:42:00.001-04:00

Today was a scheduled 11 mile training run. It would be my 4th longest run ever. When I was scheduled to run 10 two weeks ago, I was all nervous before hand. Today? Not nervous at all. Strange.

Though, I wasn't feeling very good. My stomach wasn't happy with me (note to self: last night's dinner not good pre-run meal) and I wasn't sure I should even attempt leaving the house. Also, I've been coughing. Which means, I'm getting sick. Everyone has that first symptom; mine is coughing. I think I must have coughed overnight because when I woke up, I just wasn't feeling all that refreshed. But, I decided to head down to the Rail Trail anyway. I know 11 miles was on the schedule, but I figured I could always stop if I wasn't feeling well.

This was the trail in front of me today. It was really pretty with the leaves changing colors. The temperature was gorgeous. There weren't too many people out on the trail, though at times being the only runner thing made me think of crazed psychopath killers lurking in the trees (I'm happy to report, there weren't any...as far as I could tell). My plan was to run 2.75 miles north of Brillhart Station, then back for 5.50 miles, which is exactly half the distance of today's run. It went fine. I wasn't feeling great, but eh. I have felt worse in my life. On my way out, I saw hubby as he was running his training route. He had 19 today (and did them all!). It was nice to see someone I knew as I ran. I was thinking it would be fun to have someone to run with occasionally. Sad thing, I run too slow for people. I would really have to pick it up or someone would have to really slow down for me.

When I got to the half way point, I stopped at the port-a-potties. There's one at Brillhart Station and while I HATE port-a-potties, this one was nicer than I anticipated. Much larger than your average one, maybe it was handicap accessible? But it was nice. It could have used hand soap, but overall, not a bad port-a-potty.

At this point, I had the option of stopping or heading south on the trail to do the other half of my run. I decided what the heck? and kept going. Which I think was my fatal flaw. My time got slower and slower, to the point that I think I could walk faster than I was "running." I stopped a couple times to cough. I talked myself into the 2.75 miles on the way out, then realized I would need to do 2.75 miles back. As people passed me on their bikes, I wondered if they'd be willing to let me borrow their bike to get back to my car. My internal decision was they probably wouldn't. :-(

On my way back, I came to the tunnel. The tunnel is one of my favorite parts of the trail actually. I think it's pretty neat. And it's usually cooler here than anywhere else on the trail. Not that it mattered today per se, but in the summer it sure does! But, as I approached the tunnel, all I could think of was come towards the light. And I did. And nothing happened. I just ended up on the other end of the tunnel. Stupid tunnel...

At about 10 miles I was done. I walked for about .3 miles, ran .2 miles, then gave up. It was not to be. My stomach hurt, my back hurt, my chest/throat hurt (from coughing), my legs hurt, my hips hurt. It was just painful. So, I shut Garmin off at 10.5 miles and walked the last .5 miles back to my car. It was a bit humbling considering I came into this thinking I was all over this run. I wasn't nervous. I had this. And then, hubris set in. Why, oh why, do I let myself think I'm better than I am?

Next week is 4 miles. Then on the 22nd, I'm up to 12. I'm back in fear of it. Very, very fearful...

O.M.G.

2011-10-07T16:59:00.000-04:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen I just set a 1 mile PR today! I have NEVER seen a time that low in my LIFE! My previous 1 mile PR was set at the 2010 Harrisburg Mile, when I ran the mile at 11:53. This just SMOKED that! What a great Friday!!

And tomorrow is 11 miles. I won't be running that fast, but I feel much better about my long run tomorrow now. :-)

Molly Pitcher

2011-10-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

Do you remember Molly Pitcher? Molly is the courageous Revolutionary War wife who, when her husband is injured in battle takes up his place at the cannon at the Battle of Monmouth. She had joined her husband at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778 as he trained as an artillery man under Baron von Steuben. While the men trained, the woman supported them by cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. During their training, Molly would often bring water to the cry of Molly! Pitcher!

During the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, the day was a hot one. It is said the temperatures reached over 100 degrees. Imagine being outside on a 100 degree day wearing wool next to a smoking cannon. Some stories claim Molly's husband was killed in battle, but records indicate he survived. As her husband was taken off the field, she took his place at the cannon and stayed there until night fall when the battle fell silent.

When I was in school, I remember hearing this story and finding it really cool. I mean, come on! We all know that women rarely did anything noteworthy (rolls eyes) and this was the first time I remember reading and learning about a woman doing something remarkable. Then, we were told it was probably not true. That it was a story, but there was no documentation to confirm it.

Well ladies and gentlemen, I know it's been proven. I know that Molly Pitcher (or Mary Ludwig/Mary Hayes/Mary McCauley/Mary McKolly) really did exist. She grew up in New Jersey, but moved to Carlisle, PA when she was about 15 years old. She met her husband William Hayes after moving to PA and she followed him to General Washington's camp at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. And for her service during the Revolutionary War, she received a pension of $40 dollars, of which she would receive two yearly installments of $20.00 each. How do I know this? Because today, at the Pennsylvania State Archives, I held the pension Act that granted her that pension. It was amazing to be holding a document that old and a document that proves Molly Pitcher truly existed.

And I'm a few days early, but next Thursday is Molly's birthday. She would be 267 years old. Happy Birthday Molly!

What did you do at work today? ;-)

Celtic Solstice 5 Miler

2011-10-05T18:27:00.000-04:00

Hubby signed us up for this race. :-) I'm actually pretty excited about it. It's about a month after the Philly Half Marathon and it's a nice winter race. I love running in winter. It's so much nicer. Druid Hill Park is in Baltimore and hubby ran the Dreaded Druid Hill this past summer. But, this is a small race - 3,000 participants and goes on rain or shine. In 2009 they ran the race the day we received approximately 20" of snow. About 300 people made it to the start line...so they ran it! Hard-core. LOL!

I first learned about this race when hubby and I ran the Preakness 5k in May. I saw a girl with the coolest jacket with a sweet logo on it. And it was from a race! It was from this race. Since hubby and I line up at different spots, I had to wait to tell him about it. Apparently, he knew about this race. I told him then and there I wanted to do it this year. How could you not want to do a race where the logo is so freaking cool and you get a jacket????

Sadly, this year's race is not giving away jackets. It's a long-sleeve equilibrium thermal. I really wanted a jacket honestly. I thought that was the coolest thing ever! Ah well. I'll live. And I'll wear my equilibrium thermal proudly because it's a pretty darn cool logo, that changes (as you can see from the last several logos). According to Active.com's page for the race, this year's design is Cari Buziak's interpretation of pair of intertwined snowbirds, a wonderfully mystical creature of a bygone era. Could be cool...I'm hoping it is!

If you want to join us, check out the site at Active.com for the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler. There's a 3,000 person cap on the race and I've heard it's sold out in the past. Check it out. It should be a cool race. ;-)

Did you know?

2011-10-04T20:49:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't know, I'm a huge baseball fan. ;-) Specifically the Philadelphia Phillies. Sure, they are the first team to reach 10,000 losses, fans are considered the worse in baseball, and we've only won 2 World Series since 1883, but they are MY team.

Currently, MY team is in the play-offs. We're in round 1 of the play-offs, so we're talking National League Divisional Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Not one of my favorite teams. Basically because I ~~hate~~ dislike Albert Pujols. He's a jerk. I don't care what you say, he's a jerk and my feelings are not going to change any time soon.

All was going well initially. The Phils came back in Game 1 to win. Yea! Very quickly in Game 2, they grabbed a 4 run lead. Double yea! Then they squandered it and lost Game 2. Boo! (oh yes, Phillies fans do lots of booing). Now we're onto Game 3...in St. Louis. And this game had me freaking out. Seriously, holding my breath, freaking out. No score until the 7th inning. Then a BOMB by Ben Franscico made the game 3-0 Phils. Woot! Woot! And then panic set in because it seemed like the team was TRYING to find ways of letting the Cardinals win.

In the end, they pulled it out and went up 2-1 in the best of 5 series. But, I will say, I'm not sure how much of this my little heart can take. I could barely watch the game. Game 4 is tomorrow night. Here's to a simple, stress-free game with the Phils coming out on top.

Is it cold in here?

2011-10-03T22:47:00.001-04:00

Apparently Higgy felt it was cold. I'm not really sure how this happened, but Pooka laid on top of Higgy. Which in the scheme of things is pretty sweet considering Higgy weighs all of 8.9 pounds and it's been chilly in here lately, what with the change in weather.

What I wonder is how did they get in this position...

October

2011-10-02T23:16:00.002-04:00

I love October. It's my favorite month of the year. Always has been. The weather starts turning cooler, but not cold. The leaves change colors. Pumpkin everything is available (though that is more of a recent phenomenon). And hello? There's Halloween! Not to mention my birthday. ;-)

I'm hoping this October is just as good as past ones. And with that in mind, I'm going to set some goals for the month. My September goals weren't 100% achieved, but it's a new month. A new chance. And it's my favorite month. I have high hopes.

Goals

1. Lose 5 pounds.

2. Get back into photography (anyone want a photo session?).

3. Get my training runs in (2 weekday, 1 weekend).

4. Live more in the moment.

One through three are pretty self-explanatory. Number four is something I need to work on. We have life so planned out for weeks usually that sometimes life moves forward and I'm constantly looking to the next thing without always recognizing the now. Here's October:

9th - Birthday, plans but not allowed to know what they are.

15th - College Homecoming

22nd - Hubby's Godson's birthday party

23rd - Lunch/brunch with my first college roommate and her family

29th - Halloween party with some college friends

30th - Hubby off to see his favorite football team play; I have the day to myself

Not to mention my long runs this month:

9th - 11 miles

15th - 4 miles

22nd - 12.5 miles

29th - 4 miles

And don't forget, I volunteer/intern at the State Archives on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays.

Lots going on. I need to be in the moment and enjoy what I'm doing when I'm doing it. Sure, I can be excited about up-coming stuff, but really, I need to really live in the moment. And I hope this month to do a better job of it.

Mental Mindset (running)

2011-10-01T13:00:00.000-04:00

The last time I ran 10 miles it looked like this. Yup, snow everywhere. It was the end of January and I was 6 weeks out from the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I was nervous, but kinda excited. Not only was I going to run 10 miles for the first time, I was going to do it in the snow. Bad-ass baby!

And I did. It was kinda boring. I had to run around lots of snow, un-cleared sidewalks, and watch out for ice. But, I did it. And it would be the longest run before the Princess Half Marathon. For reasons I can't remember, I never managed to get my 12 miler in. I would like to say it had something to do with snow, but I have a feeling it had more to do with being lazy. I didn't run that week. The following week I ran 8 miles. I had high hopes of running my 12 that day, but uh, it was the windiest day ever. Windy as in siding was coming off someone's house, a mailbox came out of the ground, and someone's lawn ornaments were rolling down the street. That 12 mile run went down to 10 then 8. I decided I wanted to live to see the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

And I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon the following Sunday. Ran the whole thing with only having run 10 as my longest training run. And last Saturday I had a 10 mile training run. Now, I have no desire to run. I feel like it's time to run the Philly Half Marathon. I am ready to go. I'm not prepared for another 8 weeks of training, of running, of not racing in the Philly Half Marathon. What's up with that?

As I've said in the past, I love this program. I love how it works with my lazy running attitude. I'm just not sure I was prepared for being this prepared for Philly already. I'm going to need major motivation for the next 8 weeks...

Health and Running

2011-09-23T19:31:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about weight and being healthy. This comes because over the weekend the hubby took a photo of my at the York Fair with my pumpkin funnel cake. I love funnel cake. It's one of my favorite foods, but I limit myself to one a year. It's not all that healthy, in case you didn't know. ;-) This year I skipped my baseball funnel cake in lieu of having one at the Fair, since it was made of pumpkin and covered in icing. To.Die.For.

The issue with the weekend's funnel cake was that it happened during a day of complete abandonment. I ate crap all day. Soft pretzel at the York Revolution, a slice of pizza and pumpkin funnel cake at the Fair, and chips and salsa at home. Just crap food all day. Not at all one should be eating when they are trying to lose weight and make better food choices.

Then on Wednesday we attended the first York Revolution play-off game. We ate dinner before going to the game (not only to control calories, but costs.). We took our season ticket holder cups with us and asked for diet soda when we got to the counter. The girl looked at us and said you don't need to be drinking diet soda. I thought that an odd comment. I said hubby sure didn't, but I do. She looked at me and said I didn't either. Which made me start thinking a bit about how I am really seem by others versus how I see myself. And apparently, I see myself in a totally different light than the camera (see above) or nice concession stand people serving me soda.

So, I went to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) to see if they have official weight ranges. I wanted to see where I stood in relationship for where I should be based on height. In order to do so, I had to enter my height and weight for them to calculate my BMI (body mass index). When I entered it, it stated I am overweight, which I knew. But, it listed the weight range I should be in to be healthy. When I saw what it was, I was shocked that I am only 14 pounds above where I should be. How could that be? 14 pounds isn't that much. It's almost to the point of being 10 pounds overweight. That amount that every woman in the known universe states she is. "Oh you look fabulous!" "Really? I need to lose 10 pounds." It's crazy to me to think that I am this close to being "normal." I've been stressing out how much I weight, how overweight I am, how I'll never lose that amount of weight. But, what I'm realizing is that to be healthy and to be normal, it's 14 pounds. Sure, I can go below that and still be healthy, but I'm not really that far away from the healthy mark. I'm much closer than I ever thought I would be. It's a light bulb moment. It's a moment of it's possible. It's not some distant dream, but a realistic reality. I could even reach it by Thanksgiving. Whoa. Crazy!

And the running? Well, I have a 9.5 mile run tomorrow. My longest run since February and the Half Marathon. Scary stuff that. Especially since it's been raining like crazy here lately. Rained off and on today. And if I'm reading Weather.com correctly, 60% chance of rain come the a.m. Ugh. I was going to run at the Rail Trail, but I'm thinking with all the dirt and gravel it might not be the best surface. So, I'm thinking either around here (boring) or maybe in Harrisburg. It might be raining, but neither location is a dirt path.

I really am nervous about this 9.5 miles. The Rail Trail would have allowed me to break up the run into four 2.5 mile segments. It made it seem easier to think of that way. But, without the Rail Trail, I'm kinda dreading this run. I know I can do a 5 mile out and back course, it's just finding a place that let's me do that. My normal run area is not an out and back, it's lots of streets and turns. Going to Harrisburg lets me run on Front Street and possibly City Island, which at least would be different. I just have to get through this run. After hurting my hamstring two weeks ago and turning an 8 mile run into a 6.5 mile run, I need the confidence of running this 9.5 miles. Wish me luck! I need all of it I can get!

I wanted cake

2011-09-14T21:36:00.000-04:00

So, we hit the grocery store the other night and all I wanted was cake. Yup, I wanted a slice of cake. It may have been because we hadn't eaten dinner yet. Yes, yes, I know never go to the grocery store hungry. We stuck to the grocery list, thankfully. But, I wanted cake.

We missed garlic powder somehow, so we headed back to that aisle. As we walked down the aisle, I saw the sugar-free/low-sugar mixes area. And I saw this:

Now, I'll admit, I've tried baking with Sweet n Low before and it ended in disaster. I made chocolate chip cookies with Sweet n Low and all they tasted like were chocolate chips and Sweet n Low. Based on that, I have been a tad bit hesitant to bake with it again. Sure, I use it in my coffee and tea, but baking? I just wasn't sure. But, the mix was less than $3.00 and I really wanted cake. So...

I bought the mix. Came home and made it. It's pretty simple. Take the dry mix, add 1/2 the water, blend for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the water, blend for 3 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake. Pretty simple. I used an 8X8 pan (my brownie pan) and it came out a bit...how shall I say this...wavey. LOL! The top was not flat like when I put it in the oven.

I also bought this, but without the strawberries

I thought between the cake and chocolate dip, it would be a nice, low-cal dessert. And I was half right. The cake? Basically tastes like yellow cake. Seriously. If I hadn't made it known it was sugar free, I would have just thought someone forgot the baking power and the cake was a little flat. It might be a tad bit dry, but the taste itself is really good. Two thumbs up. And since I put it in a brownie pan, I got 9 good sized squares of cake. :-) The Walden Farms Chocolate Dip? Awful. I have had their salad dressings before and like them. They are a bit watery, but for a good tasting sugar-free salad dressing, they are darn good! Apparently, that doesn't translate into chocolate dip. It just had a weird taste, nothing like chocolate at all. Still trying to decide what to do with the jar as it is awful and I won't be eating it again...

Last night I decided to experiment with the toppings. So, I tried

with

It was oh so much better than the Walden Farms Chocolate Dip! I was sooo thrilled with the taste. I over did on the cinnamon a bit, but overall, very good.

Tonight, I tried my last chocolate option. A very tasty European treat

I admit, after touring Europe for 2 weeks last year, we kinda fell in love with Nutella. We've had a jar in the cabinet ever since. We use it on frozen waffles, we make peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches, and now...CAKE and NUTELLA! I added a bit of coarse decorating sugar

and oh my. I was in love! Right now, the Nutella is the clear winner in toppings. Sure, it's not sugar-free, but it's ah-mazing!

So, I can have a slice of cake with Nutella topping without killing my diet. Ahhhh...the simple joys in life....

Here we go again

2011-09-11T14:22:00.000-04:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I had that weird ankle injury? Well, thankfully it went away by my next run. Phew! I'm really not able to handle a serious injury right now, not as I'm getting closer to the Philly Half Marathon (10 weeks!).

Yea, wouldn't life be nice if injuries didn't occur while training? I woke up Saturday morning with the backs of both of my thighs sore, which would be the hamstrings (see above). They just did not feel good. It seemed odd that it was both, but at least there's consistency. I headed out for my run anyway. I parked the car, stretched, and started running. It was not pleasant. I had an 8 mile run scheduled and did my legs hurt. Just hurt. It sucked. All I could think about was how painful the next 2 hours were going to be. And let me tell you, they were.

The bigger issue? By the time I hit mile 3.5, my left hip started hurting. Apparently, in order to keep my thighs from hurting, some part of my brain/body decided to compensate for the pain. I don't know what it did, but whatever it was involved my left hip. And it hurt. I stopped and tried to stretch it out. I thought maybe if I stop and stretch with the muscles warmed up it might work out the kinks. It worked...sorta. For the next mile or so it wasn't too bad. The thighs weren't thrilled with me, but the hip stopped hurting. I thought I might make it through.

I was wrong. By the time I got to mile 5, the hip pain was back. It really did not like me. I stopped again to stretch. This time it really didn't help. I (sadly) thought, it's only 3 more miles, I could gut them out. I hit 5.5 miles and realized that was a really dumb idea. See, I have a history of quitting when the going gets tough and to me, this was tough. I didn't want to be a quitter. But, I thought about it and realized, this may not just be me quitting. This is me injured, in pain. Do what's best for your body. So, at 5.65 miles I decided to quit.

Of course, I was far from my car at that point. I would have to walk back. And I did. With a little running mixed in. I know. I know. Why? Because while I knew my run ended up having WAY more walking in it than I wanted, I didn't want the last mile to be all walking. So, I would run until my hip hurt and then stop. I did two stints of running mixed with walking. And in the end, I run/walk 6.5 miles.

And today? The hamstrings still hurt. The left hip still hurts. It's not pleasant. I'm not happy about it. It hurts to walk. And right now, as I sit here typing, I can feel a slight pain in the hamstrings. Walking isn't fun. Hoping that it's nothing serious. The positive is this week's long run is 4 miles. I debated trying to make up the 8 miles, but decided against it. I'm going to stick with the plan and go for 4 miles this coming Saturday...if the hamstrings are up to it.

End of week wrap-up

2011-09-09T16:55:00.000-04:00

Well, it's Friday again. Time to see how I'm fairing. I'll be honest, it was a rough week. I ate more than I should have and skipped my "long" run (3 miles) last weekend. But, I tried to make up for it the rest of the week. I ended up getting both of my weekday runs in (which I haven't done in about 2 weeks); yea! And Thursday's run rocked! I did 2.30 miles in 30 minutes, which is my second best distance at that time ever. And I didn't really feel like I was trying to run fast. Maybe that means I'm speeding up in general? And at the end of the week, I was down a pound. I'm still 1.4 pounds up from before vacay in August, but I'm getting there. I would really like to see a 1.4 pound loss this week to get me back to where I was mid-August. Fingers crossed!

We had some nasty weather here in the Northeast. The county I live in has been on the national news because of it! Which is kinda crazy. If you saw anything that said York, PA that's me. We had some driveway issues.

This is what the driveway and yard looked like during the day on Wednesday. Lovely, no?

Then on Thursday night, I headed off to get my 30 minute run in. I wasn't sure I could because I really expected the skies to open up again and pour. I lucked out and was able to get my great run in. But, I took some photos of the Conowago Creek on my way home. Not so great for the people who live on its banks.

The Conowago Creek flooded over its banks. To the left of this image in a house. Basically, the Creek destroyed their backyard. While it looks like it reached the house itself, I'm hoping that it didn't cause them too much trouble.

There is a little tributary that comes up between two homes that's just a little bubbling brook normally. Thursday, it was almost to the road. Hubby believes the house to the left of this photo may have damage to their shed, but I think both houses are high enough up to not have damage, at least I hope so!

We live on a dead end road. At the end is one house on the river with a big circular turn around area at the end. The Creek is usually a good 10 feet from the road under normal circumstances. On Thursday, you couldn't see the turn around at all. Thank heavens the people at the end of the street really have their house up high because the creek was pretty well up their front yard. I wasn't the only one who wanted to see what it was like. I followed someone else down the street who was checking it out, and then someone came right behind me.

When I got home, I decided to take some photos of our driveway. We have a gravel drive that when it floods, we lose gravel. And did we ever! Check out the ruts that the rain and flooding caused!

You can see the ruts on either side of the driveway here. There is a small circular hole in the front on the image as well. They don't look too deep here, but they were a good 3-4" deep!

Here's that circular hole I mentioned.

See those ruts? You can really see the depth as you look further into the photo. Just crazy!

This is the only part of the driveway we can cross. This is the part where the water comes up due to the little stream going through the front of the house. In the left part of the photo you can see the driveway just lost a good 2-3" of dirt and gravel. You can really feel it when the car dips down when driving across.

We are also dealing with some seepage of water into the master bedroom. Apparently, it came up through the floor and messed up the carpeting. We have a big dehumidifier in there with two fans working to dry it out. I have a feeling we're going to have to spend some time in there cleaning. Fun.

Dealing with the remnants of Hurricane Lee has not been fun this week. Though, we are lucky. Most of our stuff is cosmetic and we are fine. But, the people in Harrisburg and Hershey have been nailed pretty hard. Hershey Park's ZooAmerica lost two of its bison due to the quick on-set of the floods. There are some photos on Facebook of how bad the flooding at HersheyPark was. Having been there quite a bit over the past 15 years, it's hard to fathom. So, while our issues at home are annoying, they are small compared to others. Say a little prayer for those still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Lee.

Montreal Day 2

2011-09-07T22:08:00.002-04:00

Montreal is such a fun city! We really were getting into the swing of things come our second full day and had all sorts of things on the agenda!

We ate some yummy muffins and bread at the room, then headed to Old Montreal. We had lots of ideas, but decided to stop off at the Basilica Notre Dame first. Now, I've been to the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris and was a little nervous about not liking this church. What was I thinking? Beautiful!

There are two chapels - the main chapel and the Wedding Chapel in the back. I'll share the Wedding Chapel first.

The front of the Wedding Chapel. So light and airy.

The organ to the back of the Wedding Chapel. It is above the door to the entrance to the Chapel and faces the alter.

I am a sucker for a spiral staircase! Isn't the craftmanship gorgeous? I wanted to walk up it, but had a feeling I would be yelled at. LOL!

We then went back to the main chapel. We took a tour of the Chapel with a very nice lady. She started the tour in the main area, then went to the Wedding Chapel. For some reason, I like sharing the two chapels in reverse. ;-)

The organ in the main chapel. Again, directly above the entrance. Stunning. Simply stunning. I honestly fell in love with this church. It doesn't hurt that the colors are my favorite - blues, purples, greens, gold.

The pulpit for the church back before Vatican II. Another gorgeous spiral staircase. Originally, there were to be two staircases, one on either side, with four statues. I believe they ran low on funds, so decided to stick to one staircase. The wood is just amazing. Beautiful.

The front of the church. Simply stunning. The colors just glow. I literally lost my breath when we walked into the church initially due to the sheer beauty of it. The only thing is I'm not a fan of the flooring. It's new apparently and they went with complimentary colors, but it just screams modern to me. Eh. What do I know?

We came outside and oddly enough, there was a Christmas store across the street. We collect ornaments from vacation, so we checked it out. They have some strange ideas of what goes on a tree in Canada... Then we went to lunch. Yea lunch! Had a lovely veggie sandwich and iced cider. What is iced cider you ask? Well, basically, they pick the apples at the peak of freshness, press the juice out, let it sit outside for 6-8 weeks to freeze, and then fermented. From what I can tell, it was invented just south of Quebec and we had to try it. So, I had a glass at lunch. It was yummy! It was thicker than wine and really sweet. This little glass lasted me my whole meal!

From lunch, we checked out the Pointe-à-Callière Museum. They had an exhibit we saw advertised around town and thought it would be interesting. We first checked out the "basement" of the museum, where they are doing an archeological dig into the original Montreal. Very interesting. They even found the site of graves, which was available for viewing.

We even went to the top to look out over Montreal from above. It was a bit of a dreary day, but eh. It was fun to get up top and see the city from a different view. Plus, hubby and I have a habit of going to tall places in the cities we visit to check out the view.

From here, we checked out the gift shop, which was across the street. Didn't really see anything and headed off to our next adventure, which was the Science Center to see the Indiana Jones exhibit. I'm not a fan, but the other two were, so we went. I will say, it was a really creative exhibit. They had some great interactives I hadn't seen before and I really liked that aspect of it. And the clothes. I'm a sucker for a pretty dress behind glass. ;-) We also looked at the Cargo area of the Science Center, which was neat. It was short, but interesting.

Afterwards, we hit the wine bar. Had a great bottle of wine and tasty app, but awful service. Awful, awful service. It was so bad, it was funny. Then we wandered down Old Montreal and checked out some tourist shops. I was looking for a pen. LOL! We grabbed a tasty dinner at a place right on the boulevard of Montreal. I loved it because we ate outside and the temperature was sooo nice.

Then back to the metro to return to the hotel. But, first some photo ops!

Fountain to the left of City Hall. City Hall and the fountain were gorgeous!

Downtown Montreal. Such a nice view. It was rainy this evening, not bad, but a bit of a shower off and on. You can tell with all the clouds. Our hotel is beyond all those buildings. Good thing we had the metro!

Dorky history stuff. :-) See the dirt road with the brick-type "wall" on either side? That is the old walls to the city. They are excavating it and I believe you will be able to walk around the city on that path. It was neat seeing this, especially after seeing the excavation at the Pointe-à-Callière museum. Montreal is a city that cherishes their history!

Another fun day in Montreal was had by all!

Montreal

2011-09-06T22:25:00.002-04:00

Wow. With all the natural disasters happening around here I totally forgot to share the funness of my trip to Montreal last month. You know all about my 5 mile run. But, what else is there to Montreal? Plenty!

I think one of my favorite parts of Montreal was Old Montreal. Sure, it's a boring name, but it's a really cool area of the city. It does remind me of Europe (as my Ottawan friend said it would), with the way the streets were laid out, the architecture, and the streets. I could have spent the entire trip there! LOL!

We headed to Mount Royal for a summer Sunday tradition, the Tam-Tam Jams. I will say, it was a ~~warm~~ hot day and walking uphill to it was tiring. But, once there, we found ourselves a seat on the grass and just chilled. It was interesting people watching, that's for sure!

After the Tam-Tam Jams, we said farewell to our Ottawa friend (who we met in Italy) and went back to Old Montreal for food. We had our first taste of poutine ~ is a dish of french fries, fresh cheese curds, and sometimes additional ingredients, covered with brown gravy or sauce. It was very tasty and reminded us of disco fries.

^{From dinner, we headed off in search of desserts, which took us about 10 feet down the street to Maple Delights.}

^{We had visited earlier in the day, but decided to get some snacks there for dessert. Good choice. Hubby and our friend went with maple ice cream, I went with pastries.}

^{Our first day was a success!}

Welcome to September...

2011-09-02T13:35:00.000-04:00

...a day late! LOL! Sorry about that. I had every intention of posting the last day or so, but nothing really exciting to post about. Then I realized September started and what better thing to post about? Well, I'm sure there's lots more exciting things to post about than September, but...

I've decided to set up some goals for the month. I'm usually pretty bad at setting goals and following through, but what the heck? New month. Can't hurt to try, right?

1. Lose 5-7 pounds. I'm a little behind in my weight loss efforts and need to kick in the butt.
2. A friend of mine challenged me to a 30/40/50 this month. What is that you ask? 30 push ups/40 squats/50 crunches every day this month. I'm on day two. I messed up yesterday and only did 20 push ups (I read my post-it note wrong. Oops!) But, on track today.
3. Follow my training plan for Philly. Those Thursday runs are harder to get in than they were.
4. 2 "real" meals a week. I've been having a hard time making real meals lately. Since we had to throw most of the fridge contents out, it's a new start.

So, those are my health/fitness goals for the month. I suppose I should put other goals in here too, but honestly, I'm so focused on getting the remaining weight off that I haven't even THOUGHT of other goals for the month. Maybe that's ok? Maybe I need to focus on these things before I can really focus on anything else.

Though September could be shaping up to be a fun month:

* We get to see our friends who live out of state this weekend! Her dad lives in town, so when they come to visit, we get to hang out. Yea!
* Our local baseball team may be in the play-offs, so we'll have some late Sept. baseball games to go to (hopefully!)
* Possibly heading to Philly to see the Phils on the 18th. I miss Phillies baseball games...
* Definitely heading to Philly for the Eagles home opener on the 25th. :-)
* Boardwalk Empire is back this month!

And I'm sure there will be a few more things along the way! I'm debating a 5k this month. After two of my last three races were kinda debaculish, I'm skittish about doing one. We shall see. Maybe I'll just concentrate on my half training. We shall see.

Hurrican Irene

2011-08-31T23:10:00.000-04:00

This is what my house looked like from Sunday about 2:30 a.m. until Tuesday about 1:30 p.m. Yup. Due to Hurricane Irene, we lost power. For about 2.5 days. No real reason honestly. We had no flooding of our front yard (we have a small stream that flows through it), minimal flooding of our basement, and no trees down. But somewhere, some how the power was knocked out.

Sunday wasn't too bad. We didn't have big plans. No Phillies game due to the Hurricane Irene. The O's ended up playing after canceling the Sunday game, taking on the Yankees in a double header. But, due to lack of electricity, we didn't know this until later. We had plans to have dinner with hubby's family Sunday night anyway, so no worries about eating in the dark. After coming home, no power still. Eh. We used our running light to read, then just slept in the living room.

Woke up Monday to still no power. Slightly disappointing. We had a fun breakfast at McDonald's, then hubby headed to his parent's house to use their internet for work (he works from home) and I came home to hang with the cats. We then met for lunch at Subway since the power was still out. I will say it was a bit frustrating. With no power comes no water, because our water comes from a well and electricity runs the pumps. So, I borrowed the in-laws shower since I was due at the archives in the morning. Then we grabbed dinner at Smokey Bones. On the way to the in-laws, we saw an electric truck at the end of the street, so we had hopes that we would come home to electricity. No dice.

Tuesday dawned and I skipped my 30 minute training run since I had no where to shower afterwards. Got ready and went to the archives...which had running water. LOL! It was nice knowing I could go to the bathroom anytime I wanted. ;-) And glory be! A text from the hubby confirmed power returned to the house about 1:30 p.m. Ahhhhh....As I told my friend, I felt like the first person Thomas Edison demonstrated the light bulb to. LOL!

So, while we had a crazy few days here with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, especially since overall our area was barely hit by it, I want to encourage you to pray, donate, or volunteer to help those who are worse off than me and most of us. The people of NJ and VT are dealing with catastrophic situations and can use all the help they can get. I was frustrated and annoyed, they are fighting for all they hold dear.

East Coast Earthquake

2011-08-23T23:10:00.000-04:00

You may have heard there was a small earthquake here on the East Coast today. I will admit, I was a little shocked. It's not like this is something we deal with all that often around here. Our crazy weather sometimes involves remnants of hurricanes and snow. Sometimes random flooding, but nothing too major. We've had a few more tornadoes over the last few summers, but just tiny ones with minimal damage. We're just lucky to be in an area where crazy weather stuff is rare.

But today, today. There was an earthquake. Apparently, it hit a town in Virginia called Mineral, which was close to Washington, D.C. I'm glad they said that because I had never heard of Mineral. Anywho... I was interning at the Archives today and happened to be here when it happened.

I was on the 17th floor researching information for a patron who needed confirmation her school was legitimate when she graduated. As I sat all the way up at the top of the Tower, I began to feel a rumbling at my feet and the floor started to shake. Now, I've heard some strange noises up there that I didn't think too much about the shaking floor. I wasn't up there alone and when asked if I felt the floor shaking, I looked up from the Accreditation Report I was reading to see my co-worker swaying. It was kinda weird. When I stated she was swaying, it did not go over well, so we headed down to the ground level. We walked into the Research Room (which was closed to the public today) and slowly, but surely people started wandering in asking if the floor shook where we were. When we stated we were on the 17th floor (which is as high as you can go in the Tower besides the roof), everyone was shocked.

Now, my experience is in no way reflective of the magnitude earthquakes can reach, but to me it was an interesting adventure. We had no damage (as far as I can tell) at the Archives and my house was fine. I probably wouldn't have noticed anything truly amiss had my co-worker not been on the floor with me. I would have continued on with my research until someone came up to check on me. LOL! I thought it was an experience I never thought to have since it's rare to have earthquakes you can feel here on the East Coast.

What about you? Did you feel the earthquake? Do you have a story?

Running pain

2011-08-22T13:49:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I am a runner with injuries. Well...let me rephrase that. I am a runner with a chronic health issue - a herniated disc and three bulging discs. I have no pain (generally), but I have numbness down the back of my right calf and the right side of my right foot. Sometimes I can tell my right foot isn't thrilled with running, but never anything major. Though, I can say my right leg/foot is weaker than it used to be due to the pinched nerve from the herniated disc.

But, today's post isn't about that. I just need context. I went out for my "long" run this past Saturday. Jeff Galloway's plan had me running 2.5 miles Saturday, which I thought was kinda funny to call a long run. But, it was a step-back week from the previous 3, 4, and 5 mile weeks I had done. I did all the normal warm-up stuff and headed off for what I thought would be a simple run. About half a mile in, my left ankle/calf area seemed much tighter than it should be. So, I stopped and stretched it out. First time I've really ever done that, but I couldn't run with the way my ankle felt. Then off I went again. And the ankle kept hurting. So, I started extending my walk breaks from 1 minute to 2 minutes, hoping a little extra down time would help. Nothing. So, I stretched again. And it still hurt. At about 1.75 miles I realized I was limping. This is when I knew I had to stop. I read recently that if you stop during a run to stretch or take a walk break and the pain does not go away, it's more than just a little tweak. You should stop. After limping, I decided it was worth stopping. I do admit I walked to about 1.8 miles and then ran until 2 miles. I was soooooo close.

What's weird is this pain didn't happen while walking. My ankle felt fine afterwards. I haven't had any pain since my run doing normal activities. Hubby thinks it could have been from all the walking on vacation, then the laid back Friday we had. Could be. Hoping having a couple days off helps it. I have a 30 minute run tomorrow morning. I guess that will help determine if Saturday was a fluke or if there is something actually wrong with my ankle.

Any thoughts? Tips? Advice?

5 Miler in Montreal Canada

2011-08-19T21:19:00.001-04:00

This past week, my hubby, college friend and I headed north to see the sights and sounds of Montreal Canada. My running schedule stated I needed to run Saturday, but since that was travel day, I pushed it back one day to run on Sunday. Hubby had a run as well and asked the front desk about running areas nearby and they recommended running the above bridge - the Jacques Cartier Bridge.

So, I woke up Sunday morning and decided to try it. Why not? I'm in Montreal. I need to run 5 miles. It sounds like a good plan. It took me a tad bit to find it though. It wasn't easy to find the stairs to the pathway, but eventually, I would find it.

Honestly, the stairs leading up to the bridge scared me more than the bridge itself. This is what I saw from the ground before heading up the above stairs.

That bridge doesn't look scary. Please. I can run this! So, I walked to the top of the bridge and figured out where I was. I was very close to the end where the cars drive onto the bridge. I was a little freaked out about how close the cars were and how narrow the path was, but I walked up all those stairs...

This doesn't look all that hard. Sure, there's an incline, but it's not too bad. The path was pretty narrow. There was enough room really for one person. I wondered what would happen if someone else came the other direction. I could see lots of people on the other side of the bridge - walkers, runners, and bikers. This bridge sure got a lot of traffic...and I'm not talking about cars!

The bridge really had fantastic views of the St. Lawrence Seaway as I ran. I really must say, the views were spectacular. For this reason alone, the run on the bridge was worth it! Under the bridge are two islands with lots of touristy things to do. We eventually made our way to them.

One of the attractions on the island is La Ronde, an amusement park owned by the Six Flags corporation. We tossed around the idea of going, but then we saw the price. This (and the parking lot) is as close as we got to visiting La Ronde. LOL!

At one point, I had to cross the street to the other side of the bridge. I admit, I had apprehension because I had to cross underneath the bridge. In the photo below, you can see a white section to the right of the photo leading up to the major portion of the bridge. This area has four pillons what apparently historically was where the architects worked when under construction and where the toll was paid from it's opening day until the 196s when they ended the toll. You can also access the bridge below from here, as there is a road that leads down to the island. I crossed the motorway, then climbed down the pillars and walked under the bridge to the other side. It was a bit freaky. I prayed there were no people under there waiting for me. Paranoid? Maybe.

I successfully crossed the underbridge and made it to the other side (phew!). I had kinda wanted to run on the other side too, but wasn't sure how, so this worked out nicely. And the other side was so much bigger! It was 2-3 people across, as opposed to my side which was only 1 person wide. It made running a little less scary. LOL!

Here's a view going the opposite side of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Molson factory could be seen from the bridge on this side. I have quite a few photos of this building because I saw it many times. I realize now, I never saw the island from the other direction...

I ran across the bridge, up and down and up and down. It was very rough. I was not prepared per se for the steepness of the bridge. But, I managed to cross it running the whole time. I did do the 1/2 mile run, 1 minute walk, but other than that I didn't walk. I followed the plan.

I arrived at the other end and had NO idea where to go. I had thought the bridge would be 2.5 miles across and I could do an out and back route. Nope. Ugh. Where to go? Especially in an area that didn't look all that safe. Seriously. Not all that safe, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. So, I ran along the street that lead to the bridge. It didn't seem all that better on this street, but there were people, so I took my chances. Then I saw a wonderful sight, rainbow flags and nicer looking buildings. I took heart that I was in an area that was safe.

And the reason for all those people wandering around? Apparently there was a festival of some sort happening that day. It was early yet, it was still being set up, but it looked like it was going to be quite the party.

It's summer. The street belongs to the pedestrian. (lose translation from Google.)

The street looked great! I thought maybe we would come back to check it out, but it was not to be. It really looked like it would be a fun time!

This was on my way back to the bridge. I headed up another hill to the bridge. The trip over the bridge the first time seemed ok. The return trip? Not so much. LOL! It was definitely much harder going back to the hotel than it was getting there. And my Garmin apparently didn't like me. I would not know how much until later.

I went up the bridge, then under the pillons, and again down the side of the bridge to the entrance I used to gain access. And as I came to the bottom, it looked like I had about a quarter of a mile to go and yet, I was soooo close to the hotel. And this is where the run kinda took a turn for the worse...

I passed a bus station/metro station on my way to the steps and bridge. I saw a couple areas where I might be able to loop around for some mileage. I got through the first loop just fine and saw I didn't have much more to go to hit 5 miles. I went to the second loop and was almost through and heading back out when I heard a "Excusex-moi Madame." I turned around and there was a security officer. Uh oh. And he started speaking in French, which is never good when you don't speak French. I asked if he spoke English and he did. Turns out, I wasn't supposed to running those loops. Crap. He was very nice about it and after I apologized, he brought me into the metro/bus station and directed me back to my hotel. I then turned off my Garmin. Remember when I mentioned Garmin didn't like me? Well, when I stopped Garmin since I was now done running, it said 5.30 miles. I was at 4.75 miles at the base of the bridge. I did not run over half a mile between the two. Gamin apparently caught up with itself, but I didn't know that until I had gone .3 miles further than I needed to. Ugh. I finished my 5 mile run at 5.30 miles and 1:18:32.

So, I got my 5 miler in while on vacation. I realize now that I should have brought money with me. I didn't think of that. Something to keep in mind next time I go running alone in a foreign country. I am also proud of myself for actually going out for a run by myself in a foreign country. This was so out of my comfort zone, but I did it. I ran my 5 mile training run in a foreign country by myself. I must be getting more confident in myself. Whatever the case, I got my longest training run to date in while on vacation!

Happy Birthday!

2011-08-17T18:00:00.001-04:00

Happiest of birthday wishes going out today to my fabulous hubby! I love I can spend another birthday with you and I hope you have a fantastic day! I'm so proud of you and proud to be your wife! Thank you for letting me share your life with you!!

Harry Kalas

2011-08-14T06:00:00.003-04:00

As you know, I'm a huge Philadelphia Phillies fan. I started playing softball in 1986 and that summer began watching the local team, the Phillies. I grew up with a team that for the life of them couldn't win. One bright and shining moment in 1993, until that Joe Carter home run that ended my dreams. I am still a tad bit bitter about that Blue Jays. In 2007, we attended the game that moved the Phillies into the play-offs and I think that may have been the absolute best game I've ever been to. I was fortunate enough to attend the first game in the Brewers series, the first game of the Dodger's series (on my birthday!), and the first home game of the World Series in 2008. These are my boys! This is my team! So much so that I wrote a MA thesis about them to earn a Master's in American Studies from Penn State.

On April 13, 2009, just before the Phillies were to play the Washington Nationals in D.C. the Phillies suffered a horrible loss. The voice of the Phillies, Harry Kalas, passed away in the broadcast booth approximately 30 minutes before game time. It was a severe blow to not only the team and the players, but to the fans. Harry loved us. He appreciated us when no one else did. He was one of us. He loved the team with the same fervor that the fans did. He might even have been the Phillies biggest fan. It was devastating.

The fans didn't want want Harry forgotten, so the day after he passed, a Facebook page was started, asking if people would be interested in contributing to a statue of Harry Kalas paid for by the fans and presented to the Phillies. The response was overwhelming and Dear Harry, Inc was formed. Lawrence Nowlan, sculpturist, signed the petition and became the designer and sculpture of the Harry Kalas statue. A two-year campaign started with fans funding the entire project and this Spring the Phillies accepted the statue to be placed at Citizen's Bank Park.

Today, the statue will be dedicated during Phillies alumni weekend just outside Harry the K's restaurant. I am just so proud of the Phillies fans who contributed to this absolutely fantastic project. To those who organized the project, to Lawrence Nowlan who sculpted the statue, to those who donated, those who did behind the scenes work, and to those who spread the word, THANK YOU! As a fan tired of hearing how awful fans of Philadelphia are, this proves that we are a passionate and dedicated group who are loyal to our teams and those associated with them.

If you haven't done so yet, the Dear Harry, Inc. group is still in need of donations to meet their goal. Click here to make a donation through Paypal. Today is a proud day to be a Phillies fan.

Another Weekly Update

2011-08-12T12:07:00.001-04:00

In one sense, this was a pretty boring week. I haven't really done much out of the ordinary. We had a Revolution game this past Monday, but we're season ticket holders so that's not new. I went to the archives this week, that's not new. Was really lax on the exercise this week, not too exciting there. So, really a quiet week.

The most exciting part of my week (which would belie the above clip art graphic) was the two days I spent encapsulating 1865 Civil War Muster Out rolls. That was FUN! Tuesday, I spent the afternoon taking average size muster rolls through the encapsulator (sounds like an impressive piece of machinery, huh?), then we trimmed the excess plastic off and rounded the edges. We got through about 10 of them. Not too shabby. Then Thursday afternoon, we learned how to do over sized Muster Rolls. They do not fit the neatly pre-cut plastic we used on Tuesday, so instead we had to cut the plastic off a roll. Very neat. We got through 8 of them on Thursday, but no trimming or rounding. The larger the Muster Roll, the longer it takes to encapsulate. I really, really enjoy doing this. Sadly, due to the interns officially finishing up today, there is no more Muster Out rolls in my future. Though, I may try to convince the person in charge to let me do some. It may work because she likes me. ;-)

And since that was the most exciting part of my week, I'll get onto the exercise and fitness portion of the post. LOL! I'm down another 1.2 pounds this week for a total of 14.8. Ugh. So CLOSE to 15 pounds! I wish I had drank one more glass of water or did one more workout. I know that sounds dumb, but come on! So close to 15 pounds! I'm averaging just under a pound a week, as I've been at this since early May, so 16 weeks. Wow. I wish I were a little further along, but 14.8 pounds off is better than not losing it OR (heaven forbid!) gaining it!

Total Down Since May: 14.8 (Doh! So close to 15!)
Total Loss for Dec. 23 (19 weeks): 37.4 (ACK!)
To Go: 22.6
Exercise: 29 exercise points/3,492 calories burned

I've got a 5 mile run this weekend for my half marathon training. Haven't done five miles probably since my last half marathon! LOL! But, I think I can handle it. Wish me luck!!

Still Not a Morning Person

2011-08-11T17:07:00.001-04:00

For the past two and a half weeks, I've been getting up before work to run. It's just a 30 minute run (which is what my plan says!), so I get up a tad bit early and run it before heading in. I've never been a morning person. I know exactly how long it takes for me to get ready in the morning (1 hour), if I shower (1 hour and 30 minutes), how long it takes to get to the highway (7 minutes), how long a walk it is to the archives once I park my car (10 minutes). This is all due to a severe lack of love for mornings. But, I've been proud of myself for getting up early and running before the archives on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Well, today enforced the Chris is not a morning person persona. LOL! I have to be at the archives an hour early and I just couldn't get up at 5:15 a.m. to go for a run, shower, eat breakfast, and get ready. I rolled right on over, re-set the alarm, and went back to bed. So, I apparently have hit my threshold for early morning runs. I can do them if I go into the archives at 10:00 a.m., but a 9:00 a.m. morning means no morning run. Good to know.

So, that means I have a 30 minute run tonight when I get home from work. Here's hoping I can do it!

UPDATE: Got home and went for my run. Wasn't thinking it was a good one. Felt like I was running through mud. But when it was all said and done, I got 2.15 miles in 30 minutes (.03 miles short of Tuesday's run). Not bad really.