Friday, June 29, 2007

Feeling great!

Starting to feel a little more grounded after being home for at least a day this week. Went running last night and did a quick and easy 4.5 miles (OK, maybe easy.,... quick is relative) and got a lot of things worked out in my head. I was all over the map yesterday with my thoughts and emotions so it helped to think it through and gain a little bit of clarity. I love running!

Tomorrow is a long run (10 miles) with 2 of my workers and boss who are also training for Chicago. I am getting it out of the way early and then meeting someone for brunch at my most favorite place in all of Charleston. Yes, another date. This whole dating thing is very tiring but I am accepting all setups from my friends and family and chalking it up to a social experiment. Perhaps I should start a new blog to outline the weird things these people say and do, such as a guy last week that retorted when I said I was training for a marathon to say, “Like that’s hard! I’ve done like four 5K’s before!” Amateur.

So, I am feeling good today. Last day of the month. Last day of the quarter. The office is abuzz. Beautiful weather outside. Pay day. I am wearing a new outfit.

Could life be better?

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Errrgrrggaggreekrkkkacpapppsttgnggspt!

I finally got home from Kansas City last night around 1:30 AM and I am TIRED. It has been nonstop! Luckily, I am in Charleston til I leave for San Diego next Saturday for a work conference. Then it all begins again- weeks upon weeks of travel ... with an 8 day vacation to the Dominican Republic... and MY BIRTHDAY...sprinkled in. I can make it!

Running lately?

Decent.

Have been following my Hal training plan while on the road and it really hasn't picked up yet- he even had a stepback week last weekend for the run long that was only 5 miles. What?!? Anyway- this weekend picks it up and things are going to get a little more difficult. I slept in this morning (much needed rest after a night at the blackjack tables on Tuesday) and I NEED, NEED, NEED to run tonight after it cools off. I am even sitting out on a night to the baseball game with the running club. I cannot be social EVERY night :)

I just looked back on my traveling schedule for the last 6 weeks and realized I hit the following cities.... Chicago, DC, Vancouver, Chicago, Phoenix, NYC, Philly, Boston, Kansas City... traveling almost 22,000 miles in this span! I am already Platinum on Delta again for NEXT year and U.S. Airways matched my Delta status as I have been flying them more too. Saaaaaaaaaaaaad.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Phew!

What a week! I flew into Louisville this afternoon from Boston to attend a wedding tomorrow (no, not mine David) and am recovering from a whirlwind few days earlier this week.

I am happy to report that I have stayed on my running schedule despite the craziness and travels- squeezing my run in yesterday among my other appointments. I am also happy to report that I went BACK to Macy's and totally went ballistic again with shopping. I picked out 3 more dresses, some skirts, perfume, shoes, etc. I finally opened my Macy's charge account and saved an extra 20%!! I wore a new wrap dress and a new "capelet" out last night and felt like a total rock star- especially when I ended up capping the night off with some bowling. The capelet is just adorable!

Tomorrow is my long run which I will do here in Louisville. I have quite a few options for running routes which is great! Variety!

Hope everyone has a stellar weekend... and yes I will be the one hiding from the bouquet toss festivities tomorrow night... HA!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Boston Rocks!

Did a quick 4 miles along the Charles River with my boss this morn (he is also training for Boston). I say "quick" because lately I have been running all the miles around a 10:30/11 minute mile pace... and today we picked up the pace a bit and ran a 9:15/9:30 pace, capping off the last quarter mile at full sprint. It felt good to run a little faster as I have been not-so-concerned with my speed after starting Chicago training. Hmmm....variety is the spice of life!

You ladies will appreciate this... or even some of the guys ;)....

I went TOTALLY NUTS at Macy's last night! I spent several bills on new dresses, shirts, skirts, etc. Great deals too! I got a new LBD (little black dress duh) dress for my wedding in KY this weekend which I am totally pumped about. I felt like a kid in a candy store and for some crazy reason... everything I tried on fit and actually looked good! I wasn't even drunk!!! So, I am going back tonight for more and my boss is going with me to get some new suits. Sales are awesome!

ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

This week's travels...









BOSTON!!!! Home of the Red Sox, Creme Pie, The Boston Tea Party, and Sam Adams.










Louisville, KY- for a wedding...and ehhh... a trip to Churchill Downs. I will be saddled up to the betting window as soon as I get off the plane Friday!

Monday, June 18, 2007

It's Christmastime! And Santa is disguised as the FedEx man!

Hurray! I came home to work to find a huge box full of goodies from http://www.runningwarehouse.com/ (Yes, FREE 2 day shipping!)

My new loot includes:

  • 24 pack of Orange GU
  • Amphipod hydration belt
  • 3 new running tank tops
  • 2 sticks of BodyGlide
  • A Running Warehouse CoolMax t-shirt and sweatshirt (combined price of both- $15... discounted because I spent so much)
  • Free RW water bottle

ROCK ON!!!!!!

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Another weird thing I noticed about myself today...

I was pumping gas today and realized I would NOT let it stop on anything other than a tenth of a dollar, like $25.40 or $19.80.

I also became so increasingly fanatical about also getting it to stop on an even dollar or half dollar and finally gave in when it was like $28.50.

The weirdness continues....

Sunday loooooong run!

Today was my scheduled 7 mile long run (hell, in a couple of weeks- 7 miles will seem like nuthin'!) so I laced up and hit the road. My marathon training coworkers have been doing their long runs on Saturday mornings together so I am looking forward to getting back on their schedule when the travel slows down.

It was pretty hot and humid this morning and I got to road test my brand new beautiful gorgeous RED Hall of Fame shirt, sent by Chief himself. I loved it!! It was so nice and cool, even though the thing was drenched in sweat halfway through the run. Thanks so much, CW! I wonder if he will ask for a discount on software now... muahhaaaa. Fortunately the red shirt did not show the Malbec seeping through my pores while I ran.

Speaking of...the wine tasting last night was awesome! I learned a lot about wine pairings and different types of wine that I would normally never try. I am anxious to show my skillz off at my next part-tay. The hosts were super awesome too! We capped off a fabulous night on the porch smoking some Cubans and enjoying the nice Charleston night.... already planning our next jaunt to Club Havana... perhaps Mendy and David can make it down sometime soon?!?!?

Alright, I need to get something off my chest. I am guilty- I did something horrible yesterday. I went to Walmart and picked out about 8 different greetings cards- Father's Day cards for all the men in my life, birthday cards, baby cards, etc. I put them underneath my pocketbook while I continued to shop and did not realize I forgot to pay for them until I got to my car in the parking lot. I did not know what to do!! I ended up not going back... am I a terrible person? (I also thought that I should have not been so cheap and gotten the $3.23 cards instead of the $.94 ones if I wasn't paying- HA!)

So today is gorgeous outside. I just threw on my bathing suit and plan to hit the pool. As I am writing this- I think I may head over to my parents' house to celebrate Father's Day and eat lunch and then hit their pool which is like 59 times bigger than mine. Yeeeeeeeeees. Pooooooooooool.

Happpy trails to everyone and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you dads out there!!!!!!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Back in Charleston! Yeeehaw YALL

I know, I know... I did not blog this week. I am a bad, bad person. I did, however, travel to New York and Philly, deal with a lot of travel delays, lost luggage, and other assorted fun parts of my glamorous lifestyle.

On a happy note, I got a couple good runs in while in Philly, ran up the steps of the art museum several times, did my Rocky pose, screamed "YOOO ADRIAN" and kept running. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Came back late last night and had to tell my dinner date to push back our reservation til 9:30 PM due to canceled flights. Went on date and came to realization I did not like him either. Shouldn't a 40 year old man do his own laundry and not have his mom come pick it up and drop it off?? Don't even get me started.

So, tonight I am going to the wine tasting my friends are hosting. It is a good excuse to drink and be merry and feel like crap on my long run tomorrow night. Thankfully, I made it to my hairdresser this morning and am totally rocking my fresh highlights.

Well, my South Carolina running pal Mendy tagged me for "6 Random Facts about Myself" or something like that??

Here we go...


1. I was a KY all star basketball player in high school but ended up going to college on an academic scholarship

2. My mom and I have the same birthday (July 18th!!! 32 shopping days left)

3. I dressed up in my friend’s mom’s clothes one night when I was 16 years old and bought beer in a gas station. My friend later that night tried the same thing, got busted, asked someone to buy it for her in the parking lot, and we got arrested when she put the beer in my car. I was grounded for months!

4. Seeing milk spilt on a table makes me gag

5. I was president of my sorority in college

6. I read the comics from the back page first towards the first page

I tag... everyone else that has not responded!

This pic makes me laugh- taken Tuesday night in Manhattan after a couple Irish car bombs and some sake. Yes, the guys in the pic are my boss and salesguy.

Wednesday morning was not pretty.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Hills??!?! In Central Park?!?! No way...

Damn, I feel great. I got into New York a little earlier than expected today after my fun visit to the dentist this morning to "repair" my crown. And by repair I mean he threw some crap on it and I don't come back til July 16th to get the temporary one put on again- and then 3 more weeks til I get my new permanent one. Why did I not just brush my teeth when I was 6 years old?!? Brush your teeth, kids. That is Tiff's advice for today.

OK, I am way off track. Totally awesome run in Central Park- I did 6.5 miles, had some fantastic scenery, and then came back to the hotel (one block away from the park- score!) for some abs and upper body strength training. I realized I was totally dehydrated and have since drank about 100 oz of water and I'm still going.

Yes, I feel good.

Here we go!




Sunday, June 10, 2007

Still alive (barely)

The last week finally caught up to me last night. I got home from Phoenix about 5:00 PM and I laid down for "just a little nap" waking up at 10:00 AM this morning. I realize I burnt myself out the last week and I need to do a better job of life/work balance :)

On a good note- I had a good round of trips last week... Chicago went well with some great meetings. I flew to Phoenix and got a couple nice runs in (despite being in middle of desert- it was surprisingly refreshing with no humidity).

I went to see the Diamondbacks play the Giants Thursday night with a coworker and a client. We had AWESOME seats (thanks for my client's season tix) and I had my closest encounter with catching a fly ball. Barry Bonds was up to bat- hit a foul ball which I saw was coming directly towards us. At the time, I was holding my Blackberry in my right hand and my beer in my left hand. At that split second, I did not know which one to throw first as my coworker buried her face in my shoulder. I ended up sitting there stunned as the guy in front of me got it. Dammmn! In hindsight, I should have shoved my stuff towards my coworker and made a dive for it, despite the fact that I was wearing a skirt. Yes, I wear skirts to baseball games.

On a bad note, I was eating popcorn that night and part of my crown came off my tooth. Ouuuuch! I am going in tomorrow morning to get it fixed before I fly up to NYC for work. So I have avoided hot/cold foods since then and in turn have not really eaten anything or drank cold water as it hurts like HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLL. I do not recommend losing part of your dental work.

We ended our meetings Friday around 3:00 PM so I headed down to the pool at our hotel/resort. Turns out there were about 14 different pools, complete with lazy river, waterslide, and other fun ammenities. I ended up going down the slide no less than 8 times and drinking about 94 Coronas while enjoying the Phoenix sun. In turn, I kept the night going with a fun night out on the town and feeling the pain when I woke up for my 6:00 AM flight Saturday morning.

So, today's prescribed run is 7 miles. I woke up late and temps had already hit 90 degrees with full humidity. Yes, that means the dreadmill. Oh well... at least I will get some outdoor runs in this week in NYC and Philly. My travel schedule has been totally nuts and I feel like I am not completely 100% into marathon training right now- which I think is a bit understandable. I need to continue to buckle down though and get through the crazy travel times as it ain't gonna get any easier from here!

Happy trails to all!

And oh yeah... I almost forgot. This one's for you, Chief. Bandera and Omar missed ya!

The Infamous Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert at Bandera Restaurant

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Hot hot hot!

No, I am not talking about Sanjaya from American Idol... I am talking about this HOT weather out in Phoenix! There was a quick cold spell that hit Chicago right before I left last night (dipped into 50's at night) and then I land in 100 degree weather here.

I have been working myself ragged lately so I will guiltily admit I never made it out running in Chicago as I barely made time to get 2 or 3 hours of sleep a night while preparing for a big demo. This morning I woke up to dial into a teleconference call at 8:30 AM EST which equated to 5:30 AM local and me getting about 3.5 hours of sleep. Yipppeee!!

So, I got off the call and had had ENOUGH! I threw on my running shorts, tank top, shoes and shoved the local trail map down my sports bra and I was off! I am staying a little outside the city at this fabulous desert oasis- the Squaw Peak Hilton Resort. Because I am insane and travel so much, I have the highest tier status with Hilton and they upgraded me to a 2 level casita with a full kitchen, 2 bathroom, balcony, garage, etc. It is super sweet! I have already planned the after-game fiesta tonight in my casita.... yes we are going to see the Diamondbacks play the Giants!

OK, back to my running story. There are miles upon miles of trails in the Dreamy Draw Park- all pretty much in the desert. It was hot by the time I got out there and I could instantly feel the effects of not drinking enough water lately and I felt dehydrated. I followed my marathon training program which called for only a 3 mile run. I am definitely going back tomorrow and trying a different trail and going earlier to get a longer run in. It rocks!!!

The scenery was amazing- part of the beauty of traveling so much is the opportunity to run in different cities, in different terrains, and just explore. Glancing at the clock now... I think I even have enough time to jump in the pool and take a float down the lazy river...

Awwww....

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

This makes me laugh...

....an exchange between the person I am meeting in Phoenix this week for work...

From: Megan
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 6:32 PM
To: Tiffany
Subject: Saturday night in Phoenix

Are you in Phoenix Saturday night? If so, don’t make any plans. One of Charles’ friends is going to take us out on the town.
It will be a blast!!!

Xxoo
Megan

From: Tiffany
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 6:38 PM
To: Megan
Subject: RE: Saturday night in Phoenix


Nope flying out Sat morning... sorry I will miss it :(

From: Megan
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 6:49 PM
To: Tiffany
Subject: RE: Saturday night in Phoenix

I meant Friday night. Ha ha. I tricked you. You have to go out with me. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Stormy Day = Dreadmill Workout

Murphy's Law dictated my workout today. I prepped to go run outside twice this morning- only to be met with pouring rain and heavy winds due to the recent tropical storm. I finally gave in around noon and headed out to run a few errands. As luck would have it, it psuedo-cleared up, was only around 72 degrees with a nice breeze. I should've gone then! But... I could not miss the sale at the mall and not get a new pair of cute black wedge sandals!

So... I headed into work this evening to get some work done before my early morning flight to Chicago and packed my workout clothes to hit the work gym. It was hot and steamy outside (around 79 and sticky) so I resorted to a 2.5 mile tempo run on the dreadmill, 10 minutes on the elliptical, and 10 minutes on the rowing machine- finishing up with abs. The good part was that I could watch the Yankees/Red Sox game while I worked out and pump up the radio in the gym.

I am now following the 18 week Hal Higdon training program for Chicago and realized I have to actually decrease my mileage to start Week 1. Kinda funny, eh?

Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed my one day at home this week and it was such a nice treat to sleep in my own bed last night. Of course, I had my usual panic attack in the middle of the night- waking up in a cold sweat and having no idea where I was. It was awesome! The house phone next to my head rang super early this morning and I would have originally let it go right to the answering machine. But NO- I planned on picking it up and cussing out the person on the other line. Turns out it was a nice lady from Leukemia and Lymphoma Society looking to mail me some package or something that I am supposed to use to solicit money from my neighbors. I said I would do it to get her off the phone but now wonder what I committed myself to... oh well... it is for a good cause!

Happy trails to all!

Booze Cruise pics...

Can you tell I am in love with Vancouver? Here are a couple shots from the booze cruise we took our clients out on in Vancouver. I am back home now... just in time to get schlacked by the tropical storm coming through! I am hoping it clears up tomorrow so I can avoid treadmill running... yuck.





Back on the road (in the air) with a 7:00 AM flight Monday morning back to Chicago, splitting the week with a jaunt to Phoenix Wednesday night. Hurray!