Hot, humid, blech.

Did my 3.5 this morning in Tampa. It was nasty, hot, and humid.

Nonetheless, I got the miles in.

Long live the Hal Higdon 12 week Half Marathon program.

Woooohoooo!!!!!!!!

What NOT to do before a race...

• Shave your legs the morning of the race- ouch! (I guess this one is for the ladies... or the men...hmmm)- it hurts almost as bad as shaving them right before you hit the beach. Damn!
• Try out a new running outfit that you haven't "road-tested" during a training run. Body parts could be exposed, things could fall off.... use your imagination on this one...
• Talk sh*t about how you are gonna beat me. I will then try my hardest, and possibly run to the point of needing oxygen, just to beat you. We are all there to have fun and get some exercise, right? You are still going down though.
• Booze it up. Wait- let me be more clear. I have read studies (i.e. other people's blogs) that have shown a small amount of alcohol can actually help. Don't drink lotsa bourbon the night before, in lieu of any water.
  Here are some pics to display bad pre-race behavior...
  

Back again- running update

Hello readers! I know I have been absent lately from my running blogisms.... I have actually been running. Imagine that! Truthfully, I have been kickin' butt with my training and could not be happier. I shaved almost 3 minutes off my 5K time in a race this morning (finished in 30:30) and it was HOT in the blazing sun. I am hoping to run sub-30 in the Race for the Cure in a couple weeks. I am captaining a team of about 20 folks so it should be a great race! :)

I have been traveling like a madwoman recently for work- was in Boston, Albany, and Philly earlier this week. Of course, I included the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art into my morning run and did my best Rocky impersonation at the top. THAT kicked off the morning with a bang! Let's just hope we get some good sales out of the trip too :)

I am finally starting to feel good DURING the running process and finding it enjoyable, or at least less painful. It feels good to see definite progress! I am on the road in Tampa this week for a work conference and then heading out for a week on a cruise. I have even thought ahead about how I can play my long runs to avoid running 5,397 laps around the cruise "track" to get the miles in or resorting to a treadmill.... booooor-ing :) You know- I used to be a treadmill gal but now I am HOOKED on running outside, bonus points if I have a running partner!

BTW- drinking a MegaBeer at the PHL airport and then heading right downtown after landing to slurp down a few bourbon martinis was prob not the best pre-race prep. Inevitably, I somehow ended up flying wingman (wingwoman) for a pal and drinking champagne with her and him in his hotel room. How do I end up in these scenarios?

Well- I am off to fire up a fruit smoothie and get on with my day- at the beach. Jealous?

Could passing out in my neighbor's yard really be a blessing?

I woke up late this morning. I slept through my 6 AM alarm. I planned on waking up early to beat the heat for my run this morning. I leisurely wake up at 9:00 AM...eekk! I decide to bust a move and get out there before it gets really, really hot. I had not eaten dinner last night and fell asleep rather early after a long day of working at home... and hadn't really drank enough water. I am usually pretty religious about drinking water when I am in the office but yesterday I was baaaaaad... and I already felt dehydrated... like I had swallowed a bunch of cotton balls and I think I bit off part of my tongue when sleeping. I know, I know, I am straange.

So, I am running this morning... feeling good... hitting stride after a couple miles... and I bend down to stretch out my ankle. Suddenly, I feel like I am on a tilt-a-whirl and I am seeing white spots. Is this what it's like to die? I guess I then fell over into someone's yard.

Well, my neighbors (whom I have never met... they all think I am weird because I work like 15 hours a day and just come home to sleep and shower) apparently see me keel over in their yard and run to help me. The next thing I know, they are bent over me with a pack of ice, a cool towel, and a bottle of Gatorade. Yumm... orange Gatorade... my favorite flavor :)

I try to explain what happened, no I am not dead. No, I am just stupid and did not take care of myself. THEN they lay it on thick... do I live alone? Yes, I do. (Why does everyone think it strange I am 26 and single and live in this neighborhood alone?) Do I have a boyfriend to come help me? (Do I really need a boyfriend to "rescue" me from their yard? No.) THEN it comes... they have a single son that just moved to town, would I be interested in meeting him? (For you singletons out there, I am sure you can emphasize... everyone thinks the stars are aligned and they want to set you up)

Maybe it was the rush of consciousness I got when sitting up. Maybe it was the sun blaring right into my eyes before I put my glasses back on. Maybe it was just their charity to help me and perhaps some of it rubbed off on their son.

I agreed.

God help me.

Maybe passing out in people's yard IS the best way to meet someone.

Sigh.

P.S. I am running on the treadmill tomorrow :)

It's o-fficial

I signed up for the Kiawah 1/2 this morning- first day of signups and there were already a slew of crazy people like me! Yay :) I'm DOING it- officially.

What a glorious day. Any my Gamecocks beat Mississippi St. 15-0 last night. And it's Friday. And the sun is shining- no more Ernesto. And I have my long run tomorrow morning.

It's a good day.