you get out of it what you put into it

10 HOURS OF SLEEP!   Hallelujah!  I tend to sleep.... ummmm... not much at all.  5 hours is really good for me.  I've been trying to do better lately, but I still don't sleep much.  I just stare at the ceiling.  Being un-motivated to work on school work for finals week and not allowing myself to go out due to finals deadlines meant that I got in the bed early.  Since I ran 6 last night I slept in too and skipped my 6AM running group.  It was oh-so-lovely.

(note:  I used to complain about my 7AM running group on Saturday mornings.  It is now moved to 6AM for the hot summer months to avoid some of the heat.  Oh my.  Dear 7AM, I miss you...)

Basically, a crappy run.  I was very unmotivated.  I cut it short because I was running a little late for a Waffle House date with my wonderful mother.  I think we can all agree on which is more important on the running vs. Waffle House debate.  Duh, it is obviously Waffle House.  Wise choice, KP.  It was delicious.  I'm pretty sure I consumed about 1500 more calories than I had just burned running. 

Ran 2 at 8:37 pace by myself.  Stopped at 1 mile and stretched as my hamstrings were KILLING me.  I went to yoga last night for the first time in 3 weeks and boy was I feeling it today!  Yoga is such a good workout.  I was quivering and sweating last night.  She worked us hard.

Ran 3 at 10:50 pace with my 5k training group.  I was pretty tired but pushed the pace with them a bit as we were the 11-12 min group tonight.  One of my favorite girls asked me if I was trying to kill her.  Maybe.  She stuck with me the whole time though... which means she CAN do it!  I was proud!  My right foot (and only my right one; so weird) was completely numb during my last 3 miles.  I wish I could figure out why this numbness is happening.  It is very irritating.

HOT HOT HOT out and oh-so-humid.  It was 80* the whole time and I'd say about 3,408% humidity.  Sheesh!  

Oh yea... I've been meaning to put this on here for a week now.  I met a fellow blogger!  A recent Boston runner.  Jim F and I work for the same company.  I work at the headquarters in AL and he works remotely from Indiana.  He is a traveling fool and was at our headquarters in Huntsville last week and stopped by to say hello.  I thought that was so nice of him!  He was a very nice guy and encouraged me in my running for the few minutes we talked.  Thanks for stopping by Jim!  Sorry I don't have any photographic evidence, Burt... 

I needed some stress relief from finals.  3 down; 1 to go.  Then, a MUCH needed 20-day break from school before my summer semester starts.  Thank goodness!

Ran the Rapist Loop with Jonathan well after dark.  We started about 9PM; right after I got home from taking 2 finals for the night.  I told him I was going to take it easy tonight, and I did.  AP:  10:13.  We normally go to the left on the loop and climb a small hill right off and then have a gradual climb throughout the loop until we get to the big downhill that I love.  Tonight I told him I wanted to go right and climb the big hill.  I was determined not to walk any on this run, and I didn't!  I looked at my watch once we got to the top of the big hill climb and my pace was 12:30ish (pitiful) and we were only .92 into the run.  I thought I would die right then and there.  My legs were burning.  I kept on trucking though.  Slow and steady.  I'm glad that is over with.  I need to do it more often.  

The hill keeps on going for a while up this mountain.  If I ever get serious about my running, it would be perfect for me to do some hill work on.  It is exactly 1 mile from the top of my driveway to the base of the mountain.  I would get some good uphill and downhill practice if I did that.  I might have to try that... sounds kinda fun!

We got back to Jonathan's and stretched for a minute.  I told him I was going to go out on his road and run a bit more to get in a full 5k (still a pitiful distance).  I felt pretty good and wasn't pleased with my measly mileage.  I was putting my headlamp back on and realized it was broke!  The part that tightens must've fallen off or something; not real sure...  He and I searched high and low for the missing piece although we didn't know exactly what we were looking for.  We never found it and I was not a happy camper.  Needless to say, I was mad and didn't go out and run more.  I feel like a slacker now.  Oh well.

 Last night I got my paint on.  This is supposed to be a Monet.  The HORRIBLE finished product: 

So last week I ordered a bike from the local bike store.  I picked it up and got sized for it on Thursday and took it out for it's first spin on Friday.  I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to go off-roading on a road bike.  Oh well, I cut through a cotton field at my work on Friday to ride in a local neighborhood.  It was pretty bumpy.  I have some friends that run the 'hood from work, but I'm not fast enough to get any decent mileage in on my 1-hour lunch break while running, so I had never explored the 'hood.  Riding was a different story.  7.6 miles in 36 minutes.  I know that isn't fast.  But, I'm still learning my bike for one thing and I was just aimlessly meandering around the neighborhoods.  I'll improve, I'm sure.  It was HOT out.  I enjoyed the ride quite a bit.  I bought it as a means to cross-train, but I think I might enter a local sprint-tri this summer just for fun.  We'll see.

(Ignore the yellow seat.  I am trying out different ones to find the right "fit" for me.)

This morning my alarm went off at 5:05 and I got ready to drive to downtown to run a training run on the Cotton Row Run 10k course at 6AM.  The actual race is Memorial Day.  I had little sleep and a HUGE dinner the night before at the Melting Pot (yum!) so I was worried about stomach issues; thankfully, no problems!  I have done the 5k course, but never the 10k.  I've always heard about a killer hill that is right in the middle of the course and it did not disappoint.  I was determined to run the whole time until I at least got to the top of the hill.  That would be right at a 5k.  I was slow and was about ready to cut my legs off the first 3 miles.  It sucked.  I got to the hill which sucked even more.  I made it 3/4+ of the way up and then walked the rest (I'd say about .10 of a mile).  When I got to the top, I stopped for less than a minute and stretched a little.  Then, I was off again!  I ran the entire way back down the mountain and into downtown.  Climbing that hill sucked, but cruising back down that nice, gradual downhill was so worth it.  I felt better for the last 4 than the first 3. I ran the entire time and even extended my run out from 6.1 to an even 7 miles.  It was slow.  Super slow (AP:  10:54), but I am still really pleased with my no walking breaks (besides the top of that darn hill...).  This is by far my best run ever as far as no-walking.  I'm thrilled.  The temps were absolutely wonderful at 65ish degrees.  Getting up early was worth the nice temps.  

After running, I went to the local Botanical Gardens to plant flowers for the Garden of Hope.  It is a portion of the BG that my company sponsors fully by paying for it and maintaing it and buying the flowers, etc.  Twice a year they select 3 cancer patients and spotlight them and their story.  They get to design the garden (3 separate ones) how they want it.  My boss has been in it before.  This year another one of my co-workers was honored.  It really is a moving experience and I am glad to be a part of it twice a year.  This little girl, Sydney, age 6, was one of the participants this year too.  She has had some sort of eye cancer.  Her information plaque told me exactly what it was, but it was about 47 letters long and I couldn't even pronounce it.  She was absolutely adorable and was so sweet when I asked her if I could take her picture.  Planting flowers is tough.  My back and knees hurt now!  I am known to have a bit of a black thumb too... at home anyways.  Flowers are a lost cause here. 

Sweet Sydney.  I love those freckles.   

Needless to say, it is not even noon and I've had a fantastic day.  Sorry this is so long!!!

Happy Mothers Day to all you wonderful Mama's out there.  I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend with your families!! 

Update:

After doing a bit of last minute homework, I went out for a quick bike ride around the 'hood.  5.6 miles.  It is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day outside; could not ask for better weather.  It actually feels like Spring!  So, quick question bike people:  When biking are you supposed to go with the flow of traffic or against the traffic like when running?  Also, when you are turning and cars are around, do you do those fancy signal things that I have no idea what they are?  Like sticking your arm up or out or something?  Thanks!

Now, time for a nap before more homework.  Yippee!  

Cooked breakfast for my wonderful mama this morning!

Ran 2.2 miles with the guy that got me into running in the first place, Eric.  He is a good buddy, and unfortunately we don't ever run together because he is way toooooooo speedy for me.  This was his first run since completing 171 miles earlier in the week running the entire Pinhoti trail in the state of Alabama.  Another local runner ran the entire trail, Alabama to Georgia (335 miles), this past week too.  They were trying to set "fastest known time" records for the trail and succeeded!  They are so inspiring.  Anyways, Eric was burdened with some major foot problems during the run so he took today nice and easy.  It was nice to chat with him and hear stories about his week in the woods and just catch up on life.  I'd say our pace was about 9:15.  I didn't take my watch.

Immediately following running, I went to an hour of yoga.  It was much harder to do after running.  She worked us very hard tonight.  I enjoyed it in an "I hate you" kinda way. 

Then, a late movie with my mom, brother, and sister-in-law for Mother's Day.  We saw "The Last Song" with Miley Cyrus.  I do not recommend it to anyone with a brain.  Your kids will probably enjoy it if they like Hannah Montana.  I, personally, have never seen the show and am now thanking my lucky stars for that blessing.  

I hope that all you mama's had a wonderful Mother's Day!!!  We came home and had a cake that I decorated at 11:45 to end the day right.  Perfect! 

I really don't even know if I slept at all last night, but I did lay in bed and stare at the clock for about 4 hours.  I had a lot on my mind and simply could not get my brain to shut down.

Had training group again tonight.  I ran 1 mile prior to our group run.  I wanted to see how fast I could go.  1 mile - 7:53 pace.  I was pretty excited that I went sub-8.  Now, I just need to hold that pace for 26.2 miles.  Yea right!  Keep dreaming, KP.  I felt exhausted after that.

Ran 3.1 with training group at a 10:30 pace on the dot.  Run felt easy.  Carried on a conversation the whole time and thoroughly enjoyed the unseasonably cool temps we had today; highs in the 50's!!!!  I am soooooo proud of these ladies that are training for their first 5k.  I feel like a Mama to them (except for the fact that half of them are older than my Mama!).  I guess it is kinda what a teacher feels like; very rewarding to see them succeed.  I love watching and helping them reach their goals and beyond.

Then, played a VERY intense round of hide-n-seek with my 2 favorite kiddos.  At ages 5 and 6, they are quite the little cheaters and they got their dad involved too!  Ugh... I don't like to lose.  Anyways, I was definitely breathing harder from that 10-15 minutes of play time then I did during my entire 3 mile run tonight.  Sheesh. 

Pitiful.

Hot.

Crappy.

Humid.

Sucky.

Fell asleep about 2AM this morning watching a movie ("The Bounty Hunter" - Kinda cute.  Good date movie.  I've seen some crappy movies lately, so I'd give this one 3.75 stars) and was up staring at the ceiling at 5AM.  I would've gotten up and ran but I was comfy and frustrated and I knew I had a bit of an adventure tonight.

Jonathan wanted to do a duathlon with biking and running tonight and I was up for the challenge!  My only concern was the roads.  We may live in the country, but the route we were going to take put us on a VERY busy road for about a mile.  This is the very road (not the same spot, thankfully) that his sister died in a car crash on when we were all 3 in high school.  Therefore, riding a bike on it made me a bit apprehensive.  I got a lecture from my mom (not happy about our route), he got a lecture from his mom (definitely not happy about our route) and we got a lecture from me (nervous about our route).  All was well on the bike ride for the most part.  Starting off, about a mile into the ride, Jonathan ran over a freshly killed raccoon!  He did not see it and almost fell off his bike.  I nearly fell off mine laughing so hard.  The busy road was, well, busy.  It really has no shoulder for riders (especially those of us on road bikes) so I was trying to stick to the edge as best I could.  I'm pretty sure I nearly got hit about 107 times... but, who's counting?  We finally turn off that road and onto a not-as-busy-rolling-hill-country-road.  This road is still busier than I would've liked (I prefer zero traffic) and I was thisclose to being hit by an 18-wheeler.  I was cruising along quite well and was a few hundred feet in front of Jonathan, as he was on a mountain bike (I have a new love for road bikes after tonight!), when I heard a car coming up behind me FAST.  I could see that another car was coming in the other direction and that this big loud thing behind me was quickly approaching.  So I whipped over to the side of the road (gravel, broken glass, rough terrain - oh so good for a road bike) and then fell down into a ditch all to get away from an 18-wheeler!  Scary!  He slowed down about the time I fell in the quite large ditch and Jonathan chased him down and possibly told him he was #1... I don't know, I was just telling myself not to cry at that point and didn't even really pay attention to what he was doing.  I got back on my bike and peddled the rest of the way to our stopping point.  We turned onto a very country road for the last 4 or so miles and we rode at a nice leisurely pace side-by-side and chatted the whole time.  It was nice since we didn't really get to talk much during most of the ride due to the fact that I was almost being killed.  We did 10.3 miles total biking.  I did pass one of my very favorite spots after the near-death experience.  This is where I put in to kayak during the summer.  Love it!

 Flint River

We parked our bikes, walked the 100 or so feet to the start of our run and took off.  It was hot (85* when we started at 6:30PM) and humid (I'd say at least 1,438%).  My calves were cramping so I stopped and stretched them about .30 into the run for just a second.  Jonathan took off and added a bit extra to his run.  On my way back I was very worried about him as I thought I should be able to see him if he ran to where I thought he had (he didn't) so I walked about .20 waiting to see him come into sight.  He never did.  After the blissful walk break I ran the rest of the route to make it an even 3.1.  I then immediately started walking back down the course to look for my buddy!  Can you imagine me having to tell his mom that he was hit by a car while we were running?  That really is all I kept thinking about the last bit of my run.  Thankfully as I crested the top of my hill, he was cresting the top of his hill, about .25 from the finish.  (Did I mention that this was a very rolling hill type course that sucked after biking).  I sprinted the last .10 with him to the finish.  He still beat me after I had a couple minute break.  Dangit.  It was a pretty close battle though.

 Yep, the reflectors on my bike work.  

Wow - I am smiling way too hard.  That is the look of happiness due to being done.  From this little jaunt today, I got my first major allergy attack of the year.  I've been very fortunate thus far... until today.  This one is a doozie.  My eyes were swelling shut.  Darn pollen.  Argh...

Co-RD'd this with Jonathan.  We held a little race at his house this morning that ran our normal rapist loop.  11 fast people showed up and me. 

Set a new PR.  Yes, I realize that I'm still incredibly slow.  I would've liked for it to have been faster...  I've ran much faster on training runs.  Unfortunately, this is a very tough course with rolling hills throughout and one huge hill about .75 into it.  I did manage to come in LAST place though.  Yay me!  

Went to my lovely sister-in-laws graduation this afternoon.  It was quite an emotional day, as she just graduated from UAH, the school that had the faculty shooting in February.  I am so proud of her! 

Planned to run 8 early Sunday morning before church.  Well, my alarm went off at 5:05AM and I heard rain outside so I turned it off and fell back to sleep.  Great decision, KP. 

Nice cool day today!  About 80* when I started!  I was thankful.  The heat and humidity didn't seem as bad tonight and I was very happy about that.

Ran 3.6 over the hill from Fleet Feet to the intersection of Airport and Whitesburg.  That is a descent little hill for a non-hill runner like myself.  Yes, I walked a small portion of the hill.  It got steep.  Run was at a 10 min pace.  I wanted to walk on the way back (after cruising down the hill) and just kept saying over and over in my head "marathon, marathon, marathon" and that kept me going.  Anyone know of an all downhill marathon?  I seriously think I could do that.  My legs would be trashed.  Downhill doesn't bother me like uphill does though. 

Saw this guy:

Is he a snapping turtle?  This cell phone pic doesn't really show the details, but he had large claws and didn't really look like a normal pond turtle.  By the way, he was nowhere near water... I'd say a good mile or so from the nearest little pond.

Ran 3.5 with training group on the Greenway.  Slow and easy pace.

After training group I played on my bike for 40 minutes - 8.6 miles.  I tried out a friend of mine's shoes/clips.  I didn't really want clips for my bike because I'm really clumsy but after playing with hers for a while tonight, I'm thinking that maybe they aren't so bad.  We took the 4.3 miles out super easy and the 4.3 back at a quick pace.  I swallowed two bugs and thought I was going to gag.  One got lodged in the back of my throat.  Disgusting.

Did I utter the words to my bike-mate tonight, "I want to do a century someday" referring to a 100-mile bike ride.  Why?  It hurts for me to do 10 miles.  I have toooooooo many dreams/goals/aspirations.   

On my second run, I could feel my IT band tighten up a bit.  Arghhhhhh.... I went home and rolled it.  I haven't been as diligent about that as I should be lately.  I am also now taking my roller on vacation.  Wow.  Can you say dork?  I'll be out of town for the rest of the week.  I'll be surprised if I get in any running simply because my body will ache from walking 10 miles every day in flip flops.  I can't imagine that I'll want to drag myself out of bed any earlier than necessary to go run.  We'll see.  I did pack running clothes in hopes of getting something done.

Blogging live from our nation's capital.

After a 10-hour ride through the rolling hills of Georgia, Tennennesse, and Virginia today and a 4-hour drive from Huntsville to Atlanta last night, my back and hips were aching terribly.  Oh, and I had to share a bed with my mom.... not a restful night whatsoever.  I really don't think I slept at all.  I ran 3.5 on the treadmill on a full stomach.  It wasn't the most pleasent experience, but I'm glad to have it over with and have gotten a few miles in.

Lots of walking to come for the rest of the week and hopefully a bit more running...

Highlight of the trip so far would be our $126 welcome to the great state of Virginia:

You can tell that this is a total girls trip and that we're having a good time when we take a picture of the officer giving us a ticket while laughing hysterically...  

Got a little more sleep last night.  Not much.  I was playing on the computer until after 1AM and the trash trucks were quite loud at 5AM - lovely.

Walked 10 miles in and around Washington DC today.  Having a great time so far!  After a big dinner and 2 glasses of wine, I'm thinking no treadmill for me tonight.  Hopefully I'll get a run in tomorrow.

I love this city!  

Another great day.

Walked about 9 miles today.  I'm pretty sure my calves would fall off if I tried to run.  Walking is definitely harder than running.  

Saw some awesome stuff.  We truly live in an absolutely amazing country.  As a total history nerd, I am loving everything in DC.

Where I am staying for the week:

 It's a bit smaller than I am used to, but I'll suck it up and deal with it.

Slept a little last night with the help of drugs.  Thank you Tylenol PM.

We walked about 8 miles today.  Another great day in Washington DC.  

I see runners EVERYWHERE in this town.  I have had the "itch" to run everyday because all these other people are out doing something that is so fun.  It has made me jealous.  Today I wore tennis shoes to do our tourist thing rather than flip flops.  First thing this morning I had to run from the train station to the Washington Monument.  We had tickets to go up at 9:30 and we had train delays this morning due to "scheduled maintenance" on the tracks.  We got off the train with about 5 minutes to spare.  I had to run up to the monument to secure our spot in line and the girls I was with met me there when they caught up.  I'd say that was probably about .75 and I ran it pretty quickly (for me) and even illigeally crossed a street, which I had never done.  

After going to the Smithsonian we ate lunch at a park bench at the National Mall.  I got a BBQ sandwich.  It was okay, but definitely not like the BBQ back home.  After eating, I told my mom I was going to run the mall.  Running on a full stomach sucked.  Seeing all the runners out was driving me crazy...  I wanted to participate.  I had on street clothes which was.... fun.  I didn't have my watch with me, but from mapmyrun.com figured out I ran about 1.75 miles.  I finished in 15:19, which is a quick pace for me.  I crossed 4 more roads illigeally on this run too!  Geeze... what has gotten into me?

Here are some horrible pics my mom snapped:

Getting ready to go.  Please look at those shorts.  I have a new appreciation for proper running attire.

Mom was more focused on getting the Capital building than me. 

Enjoying a drink after the run.  I didn't have any water, so this Pepsi had to do. 

Sunday I played tennis with one of the girls on my trip to DC.  She lives in Atlanta and is a super-awesome tennis player.  I played in high school and then didn't touch a racquet for about 4 years until I played again last year.  It's been about a year again of no play.  I don't have the time with working full time and going to school full time and trying to run some to squeeze in a tennis league too.  I got my butt kicked.  It was an awesome workout though.  Needless to say, my entire upper body, from my butt up aches.  I guess those are all the muscles I don't use while running.  I was wondering why my abs hurt so much and then it dawned on me that I had played a tough tennis match.

Yesterday I arrived home after about 13.5 hours in the car.  It was a long drive home, but worth it.  What an amazing trip!  We got home around 6PM so I still had plenty of daylight to go play.  I thought I would ride my neighborhood bike loop and then maybe run a few miles just to stretch out my legs.  Well, I was about 3 miles from home when my bike got a flat tire.  I was so pissed.  UGH.  That was a long and frustrating walk home.  I even cried while walking down the road I was soooooooo mad.  Stupid bike.  I took it today and got the tire fixed.  Argh.  Anyways, I was so frustrated that I did not run.  Instead, I went to Arby's and got a milkshake.

Ran with the 10k training group tonight.  I would like to help coach them too, but I normally have classes on Tuesday nights (when they meet) so that wouldn't work.  This is my last week of summer break and I am enjoying it fully.  This group is tapering for the 10k race they are running this weekend, so it was only about 2.5 miles.  I ran a 9:30 pace.  I was pleased with that.  The heat was about 90* when we started, but the humidity didn't seem as bad today.  It really was a good run.  I had a nice chat with some of my favorite people.  I love that! 

Biked about 5.5 miles with Jonathan in the pouring down rain.  We had planned to go longer, but were both freezing.  It was dark.  We were cold.  It started lightning.  So we pushed hard for the last 3.0 (I put my bike on it's hardest level - not sure what he did) and called it a night.  We would've gone farther but he had to stop and talk to a neighbor which wasted a good 20 minutes.  Can you hear the positivity in my voice?  It was still fun.  Sometimes I love the rain, it cleanses you.  I should've ran rather than rode.  Oh well.

Ran on the mountain today.  This is my absolute favorite loop to run on the roads in town.  Unfortunately, I don't get to run here much.  My group meets here every Thursday, and that is when I normally have school.  I start back next week, so that means I made it only once over my "summer break" that lasted all of 2.5 weeks.

Super duper hot and humid.  My car said 91* when I got out of it at 5:30.  It is cooler on the mountain than it is in town too.  I took it nice and slow and chatted with my friend Laura.  AP - 10:30 

Another girl that I run with is leaving for vacation tomorrow.  Guess where she is going?  Salt Lake City!  I'm just a bit jealous!  I want to come to SLC and meet all of y'all! 

I got home and decided to cook a Mississippi Mud Pie.  Well, after literally catching the oven on fire, I got things under control and cooked away.  It looks yummy... I haven't had any yet.  I made the mistake of starting something at about 9PM that has to cool for hours when it comes out of the oven before you can do the next step.  Ugh.  I guess it will be a nice Friday treat when I get home from work tomorrow. 

Got up at 4:30 to meet a friend in town to run the Cotton Row 5k course at 5:20.  We missed a turn somewhere and ended up only doing 2.4 miles.  Oh well.  Quick pace.

Then ran the Cotton Row 10k course with my buddies at 6am.  We had a blast just chatting and running and making bathroom stops at construction sites!  Slow pace.  Enjoyable though.

Went to an auction for the rest of the day.  I love antiques!  I'm generally about the only person under the age of 60 at these things which is always entertaining. 

7.25 mile bike ride after church through the 'hood.

Went to the Cotton Row race expo to get my packet for Monday.  I managed to snag a new pair of shoes that are identical to my current running shoes for $40.  I was thrilled!

Ran the Cotton Row 5k this morning with a girl in my training group.  I pushed her pretty hard and we finished in 38:15.  She was thrilled.  She had told her family that she thought she would finish in 45:00.  It was slow, but so humid out that I was honestly glad when she wanted a walk break.

Ran the 1-mile fun run with my buddy, Bret, and his 5-year old son, Morgan.  Morgan has never even done a lap around the local track and still managed to do an 11-minute mile.  If you've ever ran with an excited child, you know that they zig-zag all over the place.  I bet he ran 1.25 and wasted a TON of energy while Bret and I just ran straight.  He fell and scraped his knee up about halfway through but hopped right back up and kept on running with blood streaming down his leg.  I knew I loved this kid for a reason!  He's tough!  He got a ribbon for finishing and was sooooooooo excited about it.  He was showing it to everyone.  Do I have a budding runner on my hands?  I can only hope...

Ran .75 to the pool as fast as I could.  7:40 pace.

Played for 4 hours in the sunshine with a 5 and 7 year old.  They will flat wear you out.  During the 10-minute rest breaks I tried to swim a few laps.  That was HARD!  I did 200 meters in 25 meter lengths, 3-3-2.  Each lap took between 30-35 seconds.  I was pushing as hard as I could.  I am a slow swimmer, obviously.  That was exhausting.  Triathletes are officially nuts!

Ran .75 back home from the pool when I was completely exhausted.  8:35 pace.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!