Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
It's like that.... and that's the way it is...
In an effort to get to bed early for my 7:00 AM flight to Vancouver tomorrow morning, I have found myself totally engrossed in the Runner's World online forums. It is now 12:29 AM EST and I am totally delirious.
One particular thread caught my eye- some dude was talking about how training for a marathon has affected his marriage. Most of the people agreed that your spouse needs to be supportive and understanding and so on... while others admitted it contributed to the failure of their own union.
Seeing as how I have never- a) run a marathon or b) legally gotten married - I did not have anything concrete to add to the post. However, it did kinda remind me of how a 5K race once threatened to get between me and happy hour.
Not wanting to short change either of my loves, I ended up doing both.
Is marathoning and marriage that easy too???
One particular thread caught my eye- some dude was talking about how training for a marathon has affected his marriage. Most of the people agreed that your spouse needs to be supportive and understanding and so on... while others admitted it contributed to the failure of their own union.
Seeing as how I have never- a) run a marathon or b) legally gotten married - I did not have anything concrete to add to the post. However, it did kinda remind me of how a 5K race once threatened to get between me and happy hour.
Not wanting to short change either of my loves, I ended up doing both.
Is marathoning and marriage that easy too???
Monday, May 28, 2007
Why am I at the office?
I am sitting here wondering why I am such a L-O-S-E-R and am at the office on Memorial Day.
Well...I am prepping for a big week of software demos and conference sessions out in Vancouver. Oh yeah, and I totally sucked on the golf course today so my plans of joining the LPGA are not going to be realized... luckily I think I am a fairly decent Sales Engineer.
Wait! Make that... Lead Sales Engineer after my recent promotion.
BOOO YEAH!
Well...I am prepping for a big week of software demos and conference sessions out in Vancouver. Oh yeah, and I totally sucked on the golf course today so my plans of joining the LPGA are not going to be realized... luckily I think I am a fairly decent Sales Engineer.
Wait! Make that... Lead Sales Engineer after my recent promotion.
BOOO YEAH!
Memorial Day Swim and Run
Happy Memorial Day to everyone!!
I woke up early this morning and did a 4 mile run, rocking out to my MP3 player while I waved at other neighbors out running, biking, walking, etc. A lot of my neighbors know I am training for Chicago so they yell out shouts of encouragement, honk the horn at me, or turn their sprinkler or hose towards me while I run by to cool off.
I finished the run and headed over to the neighborhood pool where I swam for about 25 minutes (no CLUE how far I went but it felt great!!) and then laid out in the sun for a couple hours.
Not a bad morning workout!
Now I am headed to pick up my parents and drop them off for a cruise they are going on out of Charleston (yes, I am totally jealous), play 9 holes of golf, run by the office, and then pack for my early morning departure to Vancouver!
Life is good!
I woke up early this morning and did a 4 mile run, rocking out to my MP3 player while I waved at other neighbors out running, biking, walking, etc. A lot of my neighbors know I am training for Chicago so they yell out shouts of encouragement, honk the horn at me, or turn their sprinkler or hose towards me while I run by to cool off.
I finished the run and headed over to the neighborhood pool where I swam for about 25 minutes (no CLUE how far I went but it felt great!!) and then laid out in the sun for a couple hours.
Not a bad morning workout!
Now I am headed to pick up my parents and drop them off for a cruise they are going on out of Charleston (yes, I am totally jealous), play 9 holes of golf, run by the office, and then pack for my early morning departure to Vancouver!
Life is good!
Anger Management is a GOOD thing!
So, the story about my blind date is simple. I was having a nice time- made it through dinner with easy flowing conversation, drinking a fabulous bottle of Witness Tree “Benchmark” Pinot Noir (Williamette Valley, OR)
We finished dinner and strolled around downtown before stopping into one of my favorite bars for a drink. One of my guy pals was tending the bar and for some unbeknownst reason, my “date” abruptly got up in his face from across the bar and cussed him out. As he was being escorted out of the bar, he looked back at me as if to motion me out of the bar too.
I guess I should have followed him but I had a full cocktail in my right hand and a freshly lit Macanudo Portofino in my left hand.
We finished dinner and strolled around downtown before stopping into one of my favorite bars for a drink. One of my guy pals was tending the bar and for some unbeknownst reason, my “date” abruptly got up in his face from across the bar and cussed him out. As he was being escorted out of the bar, he looked back at me as if to motion me out of the bar too.
I guess I should have followed him but I had a full cocktail in my right hand and a freshly lit Macanudo Portofino in my left hand.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
So, I lost a bet...
...and I agreed to get fixed up on a blind date tonight.
Woohoo!!!
At the very least, it will make for a humorous story later hahahhaaaa.
Wait, this is my life.
OK, time for another glass of Pinot Noir and some 80's music.
Ciao!
Woohoo!!!
At the very least, it will make for a humorous story later hahahhaaaa.
Wait, this is my life.
OK, time for another glass of Pinot Noir and some 80's music.
Ciao!
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!
I feel awesome today... FINALLY mentally prepared to jump into marathon training with 110% GUSTO! I have decided I will continue to watch the Terry Tate Pain Train video for motivation as I try to imagine him tackling me if I do not go out for my scheduled marathon training runs :)
I met one of my co-workers and fellow Chicago Marathon training pals Laurie out on the Greenway trails for a 6 mile run this morning. It was a great morning although we did not actually get out on the trail til almost 9:00 AM and the temp was already at 80 degrees. I know I will definitely have to start running earlier and earlier as the weather gets hotter down herrrre in da South! Laurie has done 4 or 5 marathons in the past and mentioned that the group of us training for Chicago might actually have to resort to the treadmill when the real dog days of summer hit. Of course, I avoid the treadmill like the plague but I could see some merit in that. Luckily, we have a full gym at our office with a whole row of treadmills so a bunch of us could train at once.... turn on the satellite TVs... and even bring our own CD mix to blast through the radio system in the gym. Laurie also mentioned bringing a cooler to sit in front of the treadmills and we could turn the fans on full blast. I told her that we will see... ha ha. Although... it does kinda sound like fun and we would probably have the entire gym to ourselves as most of my coworkers probably do not even know we have a gym, much less know where it actually is (the first floor, people!)
So... I am feeling great. My left Achilles which has been bothering me since my St. Patty's Day 10K is feeling great. I now feel prepared physically and mentally to start my journey.
A lot of people ask me how I plan to train for a marathon when I am traveling all over the place 85-90% of the time. This is a fabulous question. When I look at my calendar for the next 3 months, I am traveling nearly every week and sometimes hitting several different cities in one week- often on different coasts and international travel. I have looked at my training plan and have tried to proactively work out the weeks where I will not be able to do my normal Saturday long run here in Charleston and have tried to work around that first. I also have used Gmap and www.favoriterun.com to look up good running routes on the road.
Screw excuses!
I met one of my co-workers and fellow Chicago Marathon training pals Laurie out on the Greenway trails for a 6 mile run this morning. It was a great morning although we did not actually get out on the trail til almost 9:00 AM and the temp was already at 80 degrees. I know I will definitely have to start running earlier and earlier as the weather gets hotter down herrrre in da South! Laurie has done 4 or 5 marathons in the past and mentioned that the group of us training for Chicago might actually have to resort to the treadmill when the real dog days of summer hit. Of course, I avoid the treadmill like the plague but I could see some merit in that. Luckily, we have a full gym at our office with a whole row of treadmills so a bunch of us could train at once.... turn on the satellite TVs... and even bring our own CD mix to blast through the radio system in the gym. Laurie also mentioned bringing a cooler to sit in front of the treadmills and we could turn the fans on full blast. I told her that we will see... ha ha. Although... it does kinda sound like fun and we would probably have the entire gym to ourselves as most of my coworkers probably do not even know we have a gym, much less know where it actually is (the first floor, people!)
So... I am feeling great. My left Achilles which has been bothering me since my St. Patty's Day 10K is feeling great. I now feel prepared physically and mentally to start my journey.
A lot of people ask me how I plan to train for a marathon when I am traveling all over the place 85-90% of the time. This is a fabulous question. When I look at my calendar for the next 3 months, I am traveling nearly every week and sometimes hitting several different cities in one week- often on different coasts and international travel. I have looked at my training plan and have tried to proactively work out the weeks where I will not be able to do my normal Saturday long run here in Charleston and have tried to work around that first. I also have used Gmap and www.favoriterun.com to look up good running routes on the road.
Screw excuses!
Friday, May 25, 2007
My first meeting with the CHS Running Club
So, I joined the Charleston Running Club at the beginning of the year with one main goal in mind- to gain access to the club tent after the bridge run to drink beer with my pals and bask in the beautiful April weather.
Check.
Well, I decided to be a good member and actually attend a meeting last night. I found it beyond amazing that I was in town for a meeting and able to go- so I had no excuse.
I walk into the meeting (being held in a bar) and realize this is going to be a little different than I had envisioned. 95% of the people there were men and the women there were all over the age of 50. I was instantly approached and introduced to a round of people, including some of the club officers. They mentioned a brief "presentation" which I only assumed might have something to do with training or nutrition or something. Wrong again. It was about the process of brewing beer.
The night was just beginning...
I had skipped dinner that night while at the office working late and started immediately taking advantage of the homebrew beer specials- drinking one right after the other while chatting with folks about running (imagine that!), the horrible weather at the Boston Marathon, and explaining why I had never come to a club event before. I met a couple gals- one of them in her early 70's with over 30 marathons under her belt. Another was mid 50's and about the same pace as me.... she routinely wins her division at local races. Was good to meet some possible training partners and talk about regular group runs.
By the end of the "meeting"- everyone was on their feet and I found myself leading the charge to the next bar. I met a slew of people at the next spot and proceeded to stay out til almost 1:00 AM- with a fuzzy head this morning. I 86ed my trip down to Hilton Head to visit my brother and his wife's family and took the day to recover.
Who knew running club would actually KEEP me from running?
Oh well... tomorrow morning's 6 mile run is calling my name :)
Check.
Well, I decided to be a good member and actually attend a meeting last night. I found it beyond amazing that I was in town for a meeting and able to go- so I had no excuse.
I walk into the meeting (being held in a bar) and realize this is going to be a little different than I had envisioned. 95% of the people there were men and the women there were all over the age of 50. I was instantly approached and introduced to a round of people, including some of the club officers. They mentioned a brief "presentation" which I only assumed might have something to do with training or nutrition or something. Wrong again. It was about the process of brewing beer.
The night was just beginning...
I had skipped dinner that night while at the office working late and started immediately taking advantage of the homebrew beer specials- drinking one right after the other while chatting with folks about running (imagine that!), the horrible weather at the Boston Marathon, and explaining why I had never come to a club event before. I met a couple gals- one of them in her early 70's with over 30 marathons under her belt. Another was mid 50's and about the same pace as me.... she routinely wins her division at local races. Was good to meet some possible training partners and talk about regular group runs.
By the end of the "meeting"- everyone was on their feet and I found myself leading the charge to the next bar. I met a slew of people at the next spot and proceeded to stay out til almost 1:00 AM- with a fuzzy head this morning. I 86ed my trip down to Hilton Head to visit my brother and his wife's family and took the day to recover.
Who knew running club would actually KEEP me from running?
Oh well... tomorrow morning's 6 mile run is calling my name :)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Hooooooollllllllllllllllllllaaaaa!!!!!!
Off to DC in the early, early, early morn... packing up now and getting my workout in this afternoon. Hooooooolllllaaa!!!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
New Blogger!!
Welcome to Chief Wahoo and his Aching Knees...
Keep up the great progress... you will be half-marathoning in no time!
Keep up the great progress... you will be half-marathoning in no time!
Spinning and shopping
I opted for a spin class this morning as I have not "officially" started Chicago training- my 20 weeks of training starts tomorrow, officially. Spinning always kicks my butt and I thought it would be fun to catch up with some of my gal pals as I have been out of town the last four weekends straight.
I had originally planned on doing a 5K race today (thinking it would be a morning race) and then came to find out it starts at 5:30 PM tonight... eeekkk... 80+ degrees and hot! I also have a fiesta to attend and I CERTAINLY would not want to break my social engagements :)
Oh yeah, I went shopping to buy wedding and baby presents for a whole slew of people... over $700 worth of gifts. I sure hope I am still friends with these folks by the time I get hitched and knocked up!
Off to the beach...
I had originally planned on doing a 5K race today (thinking it would be a morning race) and then came to find out it starts at 5:30 PM tonight... eeekkk... 80+ degrees and hot! I also have a fiesta to attend and I CERTAINLY would not want to break my social engagements :)
Oh yeah, I went shopping to buy wedding and baby presents for a whole slew of people... over $700 worth of gifts. I sure hope I am still friends with these folks by the time I get hitched and knocked up!
Off to the beach...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Vacation booked!
I will be rocking the Occidental Grand Punta Cana come July 20th!
Orders for Cuban cigars must be paid in full in CASH before I leave :)
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Still rocking some Chicago!
I am too tired to be witty and funny so I am just reporting my great 4 mile run yesterday through Chicago. Running partners included my boss (also training for Chicago) and one of our clients.
Beeee-autiful morning!
Damn, I am tired from traveling. Glad to be going home tomorrow night for a couple days before D.C.
Then Vancouver.
Then Chicago again.
Then Kansas.
Then Phoenix.
Then Philly.
Then Boston.
Hurray.
Beeee-autiful morning!
Damn, I am tired from traveling. Glad to be going home tomorrow night for a couple days before D.C.
Then Vancouver.
Then Chicago again.
Then Kansas.
Then Phoenix.
Then Philly.
Then Boston.
Hurray.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Revitalizing!
I had a fabulous morning run in Chicago... and it is just what I needed! I started from my hotel just a block away from Grant Park and ran by Buckingham Fountain, around the lake by Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, and Adler... and back down by Navy Pier before stopping to grab breakfast and enjoy the nice morning. Gosh, I love it here. I really, really, really do. I wore my Garmin to keep distance but didn't really even look at it while running (I normally look at it every .0489585 of a mile!)- bringing my total run to about 5.5 miles.
I am here til Thursday so I will have plenty of time for other runs and new routes although it will sure be hard to beat this one. Running around Adler and catching that glimpse of the Chicago skyline? Yeah, it is pretty damn good!!
I love Chicago.
I envisioned myself in Grant Park on the day of the Chicago Marathon and I couldn't help but get butterflies in my stomach! I know I am ready for this long, long journey of many miles and can't wait for that day to be here :)
I did some touristy sightseeing yesterday (aka "research and development" to check out their ticketing systems) and visited The Shedd Aquarium and Chicago Institute of Art. In my opinion, CIA has arguably the finest permanent art collection in the United States. It was a real treat to also see the Cezanne to Picasso temporary exhibit on its last day. I am going to hit up the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and The Field today as additional R&D- and possibly a shopping trip down Michigan Ave.
Did I mention I love Chicago?
I am here til Thursday so I will have plenty of time for other runs and new routes although it will sure be hard to beat this one. Running around Adler and catching that glimpse of the Chicago skyline? Yeah, it is pretty damn good!!
I love Chicago.
I envisioned myself in Grant Park on the day of the Chicago Marathon and I couldn't help but get butterflies in my stomach! I know I am ready for this long, long journey of many miles and can't wait for that day to be here :)
I did some touristy sightseeing yesterday (aka "research and development" to check out their ticketing systems) and visited The Shedd Aquarium and Chicago Institute of Art. In my opinion, CIA has arguably the finest permanent art collection in the United States. It was a real treat to also see the Cezanne to Picasso temporary exhibit on its last day. I am going to hit up the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and The Field today as additional R&D- and possibly a shopping trip down Michigan Ave.
Did I mention I love Chicago?
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Wait...it's me!
So, I was perusing the conference web site for our big, big, big conference starting tomorrow to see what time I had to be there so I could have the maximum amount of FUN exploring Chicago. I was half asleep and came across this photo...of me!
Of course, I was probably doing the best demo of my life and no doubt they bought. I only wished they hadn't cropped out the name of my company at the top of the photo. We like free publicity!!
Of course, I was probably doing the best demo of my life and no doubt they bought. I only wished they hadn't cropped out the name of my company at the top of the photo. We like free publicity!!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Pics from Wrigley
What a beautiful day! Of course the Cubs lost- to the Pirates. Brownie should be happy with that. The first pic is the view from my seat- 20 rows up directly behind home plate. My client from Phoenix totally hooked us up- she rocks!! And yes, I am a southern woman that did not pack for baseball games... I am the one wearing the black jersey dress :)
White Sox-Yankees game this weekend? You know it.... That would bring me to four MLB games in 11 days in 4 different stadiums!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Welcome to the Windy City!
In Chicago for the next 8 days for work.... and I am really looking forward to it! I flew in this morning on an early morning nonstop, got into my beautiful hotel early, and am gearing up now to hit the 1:00 PM Cubs game with one of my favorite clients. Baseball, beer, and a hot dog in Wrigley is a fine plan! The weather is absolutely gorgeous.
My appetite for blogging has been pretty lackluster lately. I have been working a lot and trying to concentrate on selling my condo and buying a new house. I feel like my life and schedule are in a blender right now :)
I replaced my running shoes (for which this blog is named... actually I am on my third pair now since starting this blog) and they are the same model as my old ones. I admit I am a creature of habit. Friday will be my first run with them- yipppeee!!! I get to kick off my 20 weeks of Chicago training right here... in Chicago!
You may notice my blog looks different, perhaps because this blog is being written on my brand new shiny beautiful Dell laptop. It is soooooo pretty!!! Good riddance, IBM T43!! OK, my blog probably looks exactly the same- but I can tell.
Hmmm... what else? The alligator that lives in our pond at the office (we had previously nicknamed him Eric) had babies! There are now 3 baby gators out there and they are adorable. I guess Eric was really an Erica.
Happy trails to all!
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