Kickoff Party!

This week was the kickoff party/optional 3 mile run to the running group I signed up for.  Due to low sign ups at the local store near me, the kickoff party was at another location that was a little over 30 minutes away from me.  Due to the pouring rain when I left, I dressed in jeans and a tank, thinking the run was called off.  Well, it wasn't raining when I got there, so the run was still on.  I wore my friendliest smile, which I hope was the "I'm approachable, come talk to me" smile...as opposed to the awkward "I don't know anyone here, and look kinda creepy" smile.

The kickoff party seemed pretty cool.  I was running about 10-15 minutes late, and it seemed like everyone was already there.  There was wine and assorted beverages available, and some food.  There was also Muscle Milk, as they are one of the race sponsors.  Everyone got a cute messenger bag made out of the recycled material they make the reusable grocery bags out of.  The bags had some 2Toms samples, a pack of Cliffshots, and a list of essential items you would need for the half marathon/training program.  The list doubled as a 15% coupon, which is good at their stores for the entire program...pretty cool!

It seemed like most of the people I talked to had never run a half marathon, and hadn't gone farther than a 5k.  Not really what I was looking for in a group when I signed up, but I'll take it.  Still gives me incentive to stick to the program for the weeks before the half.  Plus, maybe it was only who I spoke with?

This first group run on Sunday is for only 4 miles.  Usually, I do my long run on Sunday's with Lucy, so she is tired for the rest of the day, and is not a menace if we are not home.  I don't want to take her on a group run with people who don't know her.  I am thinking that I might get up earlier, run 4 with Lucy, bring her home, then run 4 with the group. 

Today's run was a little bit sticky and gross, as you could literally see the moisture in the air while we were running.  I spent most of the run battling with my new headphones.  I always cut one ear bud off, so that I can hear the cars.  My last pair was kinda torn up, so I used a gift card I had for Marshall's to get a new pair.  I hate to spend big money on something when I am going to throw half in the trash right away!  First off, the ear buds came with 3 sized buds.  I left the middle one on, threw out the large, and saved the small on the counter to see if I liked it better.  Yesterday, when cleaning the yard, I found the ear bud in one of Lucy's piles of fun!  How the heck did she get it?  Why would she eat it?  Anyway, I am just glad it came back out at this point in the game!  So I go for today's run with the new ear buds, with the right bud cut off.  It felt like I was fighting with the cord for most of the run, but I couldn't tell why...until I finally looked down!   The cord, which ran thru the inside of my shirt, was way longer than usual...longer than my running skirt!  Crazy!  I tried knotting it up, but it had some tangle free aspect to it, and the knot kept coming undone.  Good time!  At least I didn't throw away the old ones, as I can use these new ones on the boat, or something!

Falmouth Road Race

I got my notification today that I was selected in the 2013 lottery to run the Falmouth Road Race!  Yay!  I knew it was coming because I was not selected last year, which guarantees entry for the following year, but it's still exciting to receive the notice!  The race is scheduled for 8/11/2013, and is run by one of the Boston Marathon's race directors. I live in a pretty small place, so there aren't usually too many spectators at a road race.  At Falmouth, there are people along the sides of the road for the entire 7 miles!

I have run this race for 4 or 5 years, and it is always a blast.  I have never gotten a great time, but have had so much fun, I sign up every year.  Last year, I did not get selected and was crushed!  When my customers at my Saturday restaurant job found out, someone called around and found a number for me for a woman that wasn't able to run.  I felt bad running under someone else's name, but at least it was the right sex!  The strange thing was, I had become settled with the idea of not running, but then felt obligated to run with the number provided.  The family that provided me with the number had me meet them at their house, provided me with a ride to and from the race, and even offered me breakfast.  They were so nice!  Their son ran also, and he was super fast!

In other news, due to recent thunderstorms in our area, the other dog has woken me up 2 nights in a row to get his Thunder Shirt.  He is so silly.  After we bought it, my boyfriend laughed at me for weeks about the waste of money.  Then, the morning after a storm, I told him that I thought the dog had woken me up to get his shirt....he laughed some more!  Well, it has now been a few years, and he will wake me every time to get his shirt.  He sleeps on our bed, and putting the shirt on him is the only way to get him back in bed.  Without the shirt, he paces, drools, and tries to hide in the basement and the bathroom.  With the shirt, he will get back in bed, with tremors still, but at least we can sleep!  Here is a recent picture...please notice Lucy snoozing away next to him!  Nothing scares Lucy but the turkeys!

Who knew turkeys could fly that high?

Today, I got home from the gym to find my boyfriend comforting Lucy.  Apparently, she heard some turkeys walking by, gobbling, and she got scared.  She was hiding behind his legs and shivering.  I already knew she was afraid, as she won't stay outside alone when they are nearby.  The other dog just likes to bark his ass off at them, but only when he can see them.

My boyfriend left for work, and the dogs and I went running.  On our return, when we got one house away from mine, my neighbor was pulling out of her road and called out "There is a turkey right there!".  I told her the dogs were afraid of them, and asked where.  She pointed him out and drove away.  Of course we had to investigate...so we got a little closer.  Lucy hid behind me, and the other dog watched that darn bird intently.  After a few minutes of that, we head home.

Thanks to the dew, the dogs are a muddy mess.  When this happens, I make them go outside to the backyard immediately after coming in.  For whatever reason, today I had not taken their leashes off yet.  We are standing on the deck and I am about to unhook the leashes when I spot their nemesis....a turkey...in my freaking backyard!  I'm figuring the bird must have cleared the front picket fence, so 3 or 4 feet?

My other neighbor is outside hanging her laundry at good ole 6:50 AM, so I ask if she can open the gate so the damn turkey can leave.  At this point, the bird is straight up freaking out, running in a circle.  He then abruptly turns, and starts to fly in the other direction.  He clears the 6 foot fence on the other side, and keeps going and going up in the air.  He stops around 35 feet in the air in a neighbors tree, which is where he stayed until after my shower.  Not sure when he left, but he's gone now!  I guess this proves my claim to my friend just the other day wrong, as I told her I thought they could only fly 3 or 4 feet!

Monday 4/15/2013

My day Monday started off same as it did the past 3 years.  I got up at the crack of dawn, dressed in the dark, hopped in my card, and headed off to Hopkinton, MA.  I parted in a state park lot, met my friends, and took a big, yellow, volunteer bus into the center of town.

Once in the center of town, I attended a meeting for the Rope Holder volunteers.  I was assigned to Coral 2 this year, and stayed after the meeting to meet the 2 lovely ladies I was going to be working with.  We decided on the best method for us to get the rope across, and decided I would walk in front of the runners to the other side.  I asked to get the Korean church side of the street, because it was right where the elite runner entrance was, and I was hoping to get a glance.

At a little after 9, I took my position on my side of the road and held up my rope to block the entrance of the Corral 2 runners into Corral 1.  Wave 1 and 2 were almost entirely men, with wave 3 having a lot more women interspersed.  I took whatever pictures I was able to when the elite runners came down their entrance....but the only clear photo I have is Shalane.  Wave 1 and 2 went seamlessly.  Wave 3 was filled with a few grumpy runners who had missed their wave.  Apparently, if you missed your wave and were leaving in the following one, you were allowed in any corral but 1.  (No one told us this prior to the race!)

All the volunteers stood and clapped and cheered for the runners as they passed by.  We tried to call out any names we saw written on the runners.  It was such a good feeling to see so many excited runners pass by!  Once all the runners passed, we briefly helped some of the other groups move some barriers and other stuff.  Then, on to lunch, which wasn't there yet.  We probably would have left, but I was starving.  I asked my friends to give it 5 more minutes, and thank goodness, it arrived within the 5 minutes.

Once I had grabbed my lunch with my friends K and S, we found a seat and sat down to eat.  This was S's first year volunteering.  I asked her what she thought, and she said it was great, and that she would definitely do it next year.  I said, probably for the 2nd year in a row, that we should try to volunteer at the finish line, as it would be easier for us to get in and out of, with a much shorter drive.  Then, we talked about how they must have different shifts then us, as the runners finish in all different amounts of time.  We all thought that everything went off very smoothly, without a single serious hitch! We threw our trash out and headed back to the bus.  The last bus.  We had no idea we were that close to missing the last bus!  It seems petty now though, when I think of all the runners, stranded, many with no money or phone, unable to retrieve their bags and leave.  I almost missed the bus...so what, right?

Once back at the park, I said goodbye to my friends and we headed off in our cars.  I stopped at Wrentham Outlets for a birthday present for my nephew and then headed back home listening to the marathon results on the radio.  Eventually, it switched to just Red Sox, so I turned it back to music. I was almost home when I got the phone call about the explosions.  As I hadn't heard anything on the radio yet, I thought the explosion was at my house.  No one I talked to had much information yet.  I got home and turned the TV on as soon as I walked in.

 It seems so strange that an event that I had just left with such fond memories could have turned so tragic!  It was also wonderful and heartwarming to watch as the day went on, and residents opened their homes and hearts to those affected by this tragedy.  My heart is with all that were affected by Monday's bombing.  I have chosen to donate funds to The One Fund.  If you would like to donate there as well, please click on the link and it will bring you right there.

Right now, the headline on Boston.com read: "Official: Arrest imminent in marathon bombing, suspect to be brought to court 1:44 PM.  Hopefully, this will help bring peace and a sense of "right" to something that just seems so wrong.

Probably not...

I ended up doing 40 minutes on the treadmill the other night while watching Downton Abby. Did I end up running 3? Probably not.  I need to do some type of headphone research.  I have a pair of earbuds by Phillips for my treadmill. For some reason, the cord comes apart in the middle, so you can have a longer or shorter cord maybe? Every time I would up the speed past the slowest jog, all I could hear was the cord swishing around.  Drove me batty! I ended up jacking up the incline and walking fast for the rest of the time.  I maybe ran a mile, mile and a half, before throwing in the towel.  Any recommendations for headphones for treadmill running?

In all honesty, the cord had always driven me nuts. When I run, I usually bring some cheesy mp3 player that has a clip and a speaker on it. If I clip it to my sports bra, I can hear the music while I run, AND the punk 18 years old who just drove right up behind me and laid on the horn to scare my dogs (funny, funny, kid. What goes around comes around). In the winter, it is sometimes too cold for my cheap mp3 player to work. I will either go without (and just talk out loud to my dogs,haha) or use my iPod shuffle. I cut one earbud off those headphones so that I could hear cars.  When I have run a race with headphones in, I constantly punch the cord and pull them out of my ears.I finally started running the cord down the back of my shirts.



Yesterday, I took the day off, besides some light shoveling. Today, I did 30 minutes of weights and 30 minutes of cardio at the gym.  Looking forward to my Chobani bites for dessert tonight. I thought I loved the coffee one, but the pineapple one was so much better once I found them!  Try them if you see them...great flavors and only 100 calories.  

Getting back in the swing of things

A little history about me today...a long time ago, I hit my head, and ended up hurting my neck somehow. I have had problems off and on for years now.  Sometimes I can't turn my head at all, or even lift my arm.  All my X-rays and MRIs show nothing on the side that hurts (but a surprising amount of things on the side that doesn't) so no one has really been able to help.

I have been to multiple drs and ended up at a pain clinic. The Dr. asked me to take a break from working out to see if that triggered it at all.  While I assured him it didn't, as I was having issue from before I ever started running, I took said break.  I was running about 25 miles a week, and doing some weights 3x a week before the break. I got what I believed was a miraculous steroid injection, but it only lasted 8 days. 3 months went by, and we attempted it again.  The second time, there was no relief, AND my neck got stuck a few days later.  I was still stuck at my follow up appointment.  Some manual manipulation was attempted, but no relief was found.  It came unstuck about 3 weeks later.   I decided I had enough for now. I told the Dr. I would call him when my neck was stuck, thanked him, and left.

I decided that I needed to get back to my routines.  Unfortunately , it was zero degrees out.  Really, who wants to start running outside again when it is that cold??  Not me! A few outdoor attempts were made, with horrifying disgust at myself for wanting to quit so soon.  Back to the gym I went! My gym uses little keys in the machines.  The keys store your routine and weight amounts, which I love! I have never liked bringing my little notebook along with me with my routines in it.  I got my key updated and started with my weights again.  They also have a few treadmills and ellipticals to do quick little 15 minute cardio routines.  It makes it nice and easy to get in and out.  Ideally, I would like to do my weights and some easy cardio, come home and run with my dogs.  I'm not there yet, but I will be soon!

Monday's, I am up particularly early.  Today, I made it to the gym at 4:50, did 30 minutes of weights and 15 cardio.  Tonight, I will be walk/ running on the treadmill during an episode of Downton Abby on the iPad.  I would like to run at least 3 miles. Here's to getting back in the swing of things!

The "normal" one

I actually have 2 dogs...but the other one is normal. By normal, I mean many things: he walks properly in a leash, he has never eaten a half of a boxwood bush, he gets along with my cat, he can sit AND stay ( at the same time!)  My normal dog is the reason I started running. He would get a little hyper at night if his walk wasn't long enough. How could I make him get more exercise if I didn't have more time? RUNNING! I could cover more ground in the same amount of time!

After many different leashes, collars, etc, I settled on a Lupine martingale collar, and a Ruffwear leash that I can wear around my waist.  I love that leash! People stop me and ask what kind it is all the time!  The normal one and I worked our way up to 8 miles this way.  Not anymore, nowdays he is hard pressed to reach 5, but he has run 8 very happily.

Anyway, forget running, maybe take away the normal one tag. Yesterday, the normal one comes in from outside at about 7 am. He starts hitting himself in the face with his paws and rubbing his face on the ground.  What could be wrong?? I run my fingers around the outside of his teeth, look inside his mouth: nothing! Weird. Then, while he is  lying down, I look again and spot it: the stick. It had somehow wedged itself against the roof of his mouth!  The stick was removed, and all is good again!

I would like to think this will curtail his stick eating habit, but I know better.:-(