IT IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007 COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having a cocktail now in the Crown Room at LaGuardia Airport (next to Tiki Barber I might add) to prep for the big race. Gotta get those last minute carbs in!

WOOOOHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps...

Not, this ain't Dubuque yall. Heading out for dinner and cocktails in the Big Apple... waking up for a nice leisurely morning jog in Central Park. Yeehaw! I looooove New York... in small doses. Will be back in two weeks though :)


2 days til Bridge Run!!!!!!!

If great were….

I have a sorority sister who used to say to me in college, “If great were oranges, you’d be in Florida!” and that would always make me laugh. She also pronounced my name, “Teff” instead of “Tiff” with her wonderful half Southern/half Valley Girl accent. Her and I spent 10 days trekking across London and Bath for spring break our junior year in college, phoning home several times for more money because we spent waaaaay too much when we were together.

Aww the memories…

In a giddy mood today in Portland, I thought of my own one-liner- “If great were lobsters, you’d be in Maine!!”

Yeah- I am for real :)

Zippity doo da... zippity eh... my oh my what a wonderful day....

Feels good to be home, albeit a little strange. I have been gone so much- my house feels foreign. My frig is slim pickins- I pulled together a dinner of oatmeal, yogurt, and scrambled eggs. I fly up to Boston tomorrow morning and then head up to Portland, Maine and NYC... back just hours before the gun Saturday morning....

3 DAYS TIL THE BRIDGE RUN!! I can't hardly wait. I only wish I was going to be in town for the remainder of the week to enjoy the pre-race festivities and hang out with all the folks coming into town. We are expecting about 40,000 for this year's run. Woooohoooooo!!

Here are a couple random quick takes from Tiff:

• White vinyl pumps will never, ever be appropriate to wear in public, under any circumstances!
• Give a penny, take a penny... or a dollar.
• Every non-English speaking taxi driver I have refers to me as "Lady" which I think they mix up with "Ma'am"...."Where you going, Lady?" "Lady, I do not take credit card"
• I have not drank a drop of alcohol in over a week! Granted I have been sick but still...
• When you are fixin' to go through security at the airport, REMEMBER to take out your liquids (3.4 oz or less) and put them in a clear plastic bag. Thanks for moving the line along, beee-yotches.
• TCBY is better than Freshens... for real... vanilla yogurt with strawberries on top is sooo freakin' good.
• Is anyone smart enough to figure out how much money I am actually making from my awarded restricted stock that just posted a dividend this quarter?
• I do, and always will, love hardcore 80's and 90's gangsta rap. For those of you lucky enough to have XM Satellite Radio- Check out RHYME (it is the blow up bomb)
• People that fake foreign accents are such posers. Seriously.
• All the beeyotches are MTV Super Sweet Sixteen are such brats- and I totally wish I was BFFs with all of them! We could sooo hang out and circle all the cool kids that we want to invite to our party in the yearbook and X out all the losers. Totally.

So... off I go to unpack/pack for another trip. Me need sleepy.

4 days til the Cooper River Bridge Run...

... and I am not really in the health condition that I wish I was. Below this post is my loooong whiney post about being sick. Thanks for letting me rant, yall. The only thing worse than being sick yourself is having to listen to someone else whine about being sick.

So Saturday is my Bridge Run... the countdown I have been looking forward to for months. Meanwhile, I have not run in 3 days although I know I can cover the 6.2 mile distance with no issues... I just might not get my 10K PR (although I would have to craaaaawl the course to not beat my time of 1:15 from last year ha!)

I am thinking I might head home early tomorrow morning from Dallas and try to get to my doctor then. I have a trip to the northeast Wed-Friday so I NEED to feel better.

Come hell or high water- my butt will be at that start line Saturday morning- even if I am blowing green snot out of my nose the entire time and I still can't hear out of my left ear.

Woohooooo!!!

UPDATE: Hurray! I got drugs!! (No, not the kind your older brother tried to persuade you to try in middle school or the ones you were warned about on after-school specials) My Charleston doctor called into a CVS here in Dallas and I went to get my drugs. Cheers to feeling better!

Crapola

It's official. I feel like crapola. My busy travel schedule last week has done caught up with me and I feel like $hit- a nasty mix of sinus crap, cold, cough, congestion, and limited hearing due to my ears being clogged up- the whole nine yards. Normally this would be OK as I could sleep it off during the weekend but I needed to turn around from last week's travel and fly to Dallas yesterday. The flight here was painful as my face felt like someone was stepping on it. I went to dinner with the crew last night and longingly looked at their margaritas while I chugged water. 12 hours of sleep and I found myself working my company's booth at a conference- all day. Yes, it is like being at sorority rush but we are all grownups and I have to demo software and smile and talk to people all day.

Now I sit here debating whether to call the local medical center and see if I can come in. It is times like this that I wish I knew a doctor that could just write me a damn prescription for some antibiotics. I get enough sinus infections to know what I need, dammnit.

OK, enough whining. I would drink for whining but I would probably end up drunk because of all the crap I am taking.

Blah!

Dress Rehearsal: Cooper River Bridge Run

Tomorrow morning I am meeting my running group at 7:00 AM to run the Bridge Run 10K route as a dress rehearsal for next week. I have not gotten on the bridge much lately with my travel schedule but have been the Treadmill Incline Queen and run in higher altitudes- does that count?

I am starting to feel a little frazzled. I flew into Denver last night around 11:45 PM and immediately ran to the Delta gate to see if they could get me on the 12:55 AM redeye to Atlanta. Most people would never dream of pulling a stunt like this- but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. The Delta guy told me they were oversold by 15 people but he could probably get me on with my Platinum status... meaning I would be bumping someone else off. I looked around at the people waiting in line... the families, the kids, the elderly... and thought about them being stuck in some seedy Denver airport hotel because I bumped them. PLUS, I had just gotten off a 3 hour flight from Seattle and wasn't too thrilled to be jumping on a redeye for another 3+ hour flight, 2 hour layover, and then a puddle jumper to Charleston.

So... I grabbed my bag and a cab... checked into my room at the Adam's Mark downtown... and was grateful for what I do have. I am starting to feel like I have a cold or a sinus infection or something- I am feeling and sounding very nasal-y and I have a bunch of gunk that I am blowing out of my nose (I am sure my adoring readers wanted to know that)- probably a nice byproduct of spending every night this week on an airplane.

Reflections... are so nice...

Back to reality. I get home tonight at 12 midnight. Need to do laundry.... up at 6:00 AM to run 7 miles or so... back home to pack, eat, shower... and back to the airport for a 2:00 PM flight to Dallas. I am hitting Dallas, Boston, Portland (Maine), and NYC this week.

Let's just hope there are no flight delays :)

The "fake" cry

I have logged enough miles on airplanes to spend HOURS in the vicinity of children crying. Enough to make me question my own want to ever have kids...ever. Or at least ever take them on a plane before the age of 15.

Now, let me be clear. I am not complaining about kids crying. There are cases where I know it simply cannot be helped, including but not limited to:

• Small babies who react to the changes in pressure
• Small children who have been sitting on a plane delayed for HOURS (hell, I want to cry too!)
• Kids who freak out when they wake up and realize they are not home and see a bunch of weird people around them in close proximity, like me.

However, there is one particular scenario that I absolutely HATE....

The FAKE cry.

We have all seen it. The kid is old enough to know what buttons to press to make mom/dad/grandma/Uncle Bob do XYZ. They can turn the cry on and off on a dime and vary the pitch based on what reaction they get.

Honestly, I have no idea about parenting and how it works and all that stuff. Until Lulu explained that a manual does not come with being a parent, I thought they surgically injected some new brain cells or something when you get knocked up. Guess not.

Last night was classic. Little girl was 3, maybe 4 years old. She WAILED for about an hour about how she wanted this and that and this. Mom and dad finally gave up on her and let her run away... in the airport. I hear them say to each other that they were giving up. The little girl was out of their sight before some random older lady went after the girl and brought her back.... girl still screaming at the top of her lungs.

Grrr....

Hey, I use the fake cry too... I just reserve it for I see the blue lights flashing behind me and the cop knocks on my window.

Kicking my own ass in Seattle....

I had a helluva workout this morning in Seattle. I woke up early at 4:30 AM, all discombobulated from the time change (delayed reaction as I have been rocking Pacific Standard Time since Monday) and ventured downstairs to get some exercise. I was all pumped to go running outside and then I walk outside and ~~~~SURPRISE!~~~~ it is raining... in Seattle!!! It was almost as surprising as seeing a Starbucks next door :)

Luckily, my hotel offered free access to a 24 hour fitness club right across the street. I felt like a kid in a candy store! This was the most amazing workout facility I have EVER seen- it was enormous!!!! Treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, weights, classes, etc! Etc! Etc! I decided to join the 5:00 AM spin class which was totally rad. Yeah- I just said “rad”. I then ran a 5K on the treadmill with alternating inclines. I then did 10 minutes on the elliptical, jumped rope, and did weights and abs. It was AWESOME. I am so happy I regained motivation to really get my butt out of bed this week and work out on the road- 3 days in a row! Woohoo!!

I am heading to Denver now... and just found out my salesperson does not need me tomorrow for demos so I have a free day! I might spend the day tasting the local brewer's vintage and then catch my afternoon flight home. I am so happy to get some relaxation time!

8 days til the BRIDGE RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am gonna kick that thing's ass.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!

Mixin' it up in L.A.!

Was pressed for time this morning for a workout so I took a new approach. Instead of running 3 miles or so at my normal 9:30ish pace... I ran for 25 minutes alternating a base pace of 10:00 min/mile and switching every minute to a pace between 6:30/mile and 8:30/mile. Damn, I was whipped! Jumped on the bike for a few miles afterwards and did light weights. Good workout!

Tomorrow morning I get to run a longer route along the waterfront in Seattle- can't wait!

Happy trails to all!

PHX Workout- hills on the treadmill are F-U-N!

To prove the haters wrong, I pulled my tired butt out of bed this morning after sleeping for only an hour (major flight delays and some crappy technical problems with my sales demo kept me up) and got a quick workout in. I only had about 30 minutes to work with… so I opted for 2 miles on the treadmill with some MAJOR hillwork and some abs, dips, and pushups in my hotel room.

I know this sounds like a super wimpy workout- but it was better than nothing! I haven't done much hillwork so I was definitely feeling it when I had the highest incline on. I am hoping to hop on the bike or elliptical tonight at the hotel in L.A. to round out the day.

And for those of you counting and gambling whether or not I will actually work out on the road… This was workout #1 of the week. The over/under was 2 workouts and you bet I will beat that. BOO-YEAH! At least I burnt off the Manhattan I drank at lunch. We took some potential clients out to Stoudemire's in downtown Phoenix and lunched next to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Fixin’ to jump on an airplane now from Phoenix to L.A.- the life and travels of Tiff continues…

Phew...

Wow, things are fixin' to get a little c-c-c-crazy! I take off tomorrow on an insane jaunt across the country and back, touching the corners of the United States and a few cities in the middle too. Between now and March 30th, I will visit Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Boston, Portland (Maine), and New York City. Even crazier, I will be home for just 12 hours among these cities next Saturday... enough time to get a run in and do laundry! I finally wrap up my trip the night before the BIG Bridge Run... getting home around 10 PM on Bridge Run Eve.

I am working hard for the miles... traveling 9681 miles in the next 12 days, staying in 7 different hotels, and taking 13 different flights (with connections)

I need to be very diligent with my workouts on the road... don't want to lose training momentum now.

Damn, I am tired already :)

Only 364 Days til St. Patrick's Day '08!

Thank heavens St. Patty's only comes once a year.... boy did we celebrate my 10K PR. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!

Here is the back of a really cool shirt that someone gave me last night. For some reason, people always give me really fabulous crap like this when I am out. The stuff around the shirt is some of the remnants of my St. Patty's Day getup that I so proudly sported. I would type more but my head hurts.



Hope everyone else had a good ole' time!

Happy PR and St. Patty's Day!

Was a beautiful morning to run a 10K PR...

A year ago, I made my return to running and ran a 10K in 1:16 at last year's Bridge Run. I bested that with a 1:04 10K back in November while training for my first half marathon.

And today... I ran it in 58:59 (Garmin time)... breaking that damn hour barrier. I could not be happier! This is just what I needed going into the Bridge Run in two weeks. I can finally say I broke the hour mark but I will need more than that to battle the "hill" and the swarms of people to get another PR at my favorite homecoming race. Training on the road has presented some unique challenges but has also given me some varied terrain. Scaling those hills in San Francisco was definitely a change of pace from our flat land here!

Now I am gearing up for some St. Patty's fun... practicing my best Irish jig, throwing on my green, and heading to my fav Irish pub (I am there the other 364 days of the year anyway) and celebrating my PR and 1/8 Irish blood!

Erin Go Bragh!

Sorry guys... Amateur Hour is OVER!!!

Damn, it feels good to be in first place right now in the BlogLand Bracket Contest. See the standings here. Even better is the fact that Sh*t Talkin' Brownie is in LAST place....

Step aside boys.... let the professionals through.... It's MARCH MADNESS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Because this is a running blog and all... I have a 10K race tomorrow morning. Wooohoooooooooo!!!!!!

Get ready, BEE-YOTCHES!!!!!!!!!!

Get in where you fit in with my NCAA tourney pool... do you want to lose to Brownie this year? NO! Fill out some brackets and try to beat Tiff although she will most probably kick your sorry butt. Yes, I have had many mint juleps tonight. Yes, I am drink. But who cares? I will kick your sorry butt. And your little dog too.

Don't be lame after the tournament and say, "Whaaaaa I wanted XYZ team to win blah blah blah!" and "I knew ABC team would win yadda yadda yadda!!"

Why don't you BRING it and fill out a pool?

YEAH.

Here is the link- sign up.
Password: basketball

Excuses we all use for why we can't run (please add to my list)

I thought it would be funny to brainstorm all of the excuses we use for not running. I will start the list with the plainly obvious ones...

• I am too busy


• It is too hot


• It is too cold


• My dog ate my running shoes


• I am hungover


• I am afraid an alligator will attack me

Please add your own as I could always use a couple more for my own list...

Wonderful run today! Love it love it love it!

I flew to DC this afternoon with my salesperson Laurie and we had some extra time on our hands. I mentioned wanting to get a run in before meeting some pals for dinner so we changed into our running clothes right after landing and hit the trails! I had planned on doing just a couple miles after totally kicking my ass Sunday doing cardio, weights, and abs... but I just felt so good today! Laurie ended up cutting out after 4.5 miles but I decided to tack on a few more... running almost 8 miles and I felt awesome.

Don't you just love those runs? The ones where you feel like you could run forever... Beautiful scenery (I mean, how can you not enjoy running by the Lincoln Memorial, White House, Vietnam Memorial, etc?) and beautiful weather... love it love it love it.

Damn, I am a lucky :)

A runner pal said the other day, "I only feel as good as my last run." I do agree with this to a certain extent because running and training are very mental for me. Today, I felt glorious and ready to kick butt on Saturday at the Flowertown 10K- my last race before the big Bridge Run.

Happy trails!

Get your brackets ready, kids! Join my online bracket group... unless you are scared...

Today is a day of much excitement- the release of the 2007 NCAA basketball tournament brackets! Time to round up a couple pieces of posterboard to draw up my own bracket and start filling out my Sportsline pool brackets.

Just for kicks- I created an online bracket contest for all of us in BlogLand. Any and all of you are invited to join in... Click here to join 2007 BlogLand Brackets and see if you can beat Tiff at her own game :) The password to join is basketball. CBS Sportsline is really cool- you can to fill out up to 3 different brackets and it keeps real-time track of who is winning. One side note: trash talking is essential. Don't just sing it, BRING it!

Oh yeah- registration is FREE which means there is no prize money. I would love to personally fund the prize pool but I need to keep my cash for more important things- like race registration fees, bourbon, parking tickets, and blackjack.

For the true fans out there.... March Madness brings back the good ole' memories... like Christian Laettner's last-second jumper to give Duke a 104-103 OT win over Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Final in Philly.



Wooohoooooo!!!

Back home again... for about 46 hours!

Goodness gracious, it feels good to be home!! My whirlwind work week in California (6 cities in 5 days) has left my head spinning- what a great time! I think I saw and did more in one week than some people do in an entire year... or for the really boring people... their entire life. Wow- that was deep.

I took the redeye home last night from Ontario, CA so I have been a little out of it today. I also am incredibly sore from skiing yesterday- my body is reminding me about muscles that I never knew existed. Snow Summit was gorgeous though- I have never been to a ski resort where people wear shorts and tank tops to ski. The weather topped the 50's! Here is a photo I took atop the mountain-



My travel continues next week with a trip to DC and Baltimore- two great running cities. Should be a good trip up there and I will even get to show my face in the office on Friday (only day in March that I will be in town at the office during the week!)

My travel schedule in two weeks is totally incredulous:
Monday: drive to Spartanburg with my boss for a day meeting, fly out of that airport to Phoenix
Tuesday: Day in Phoenix, fly to Los Angeles that afternoon
Wednesday: Day in L.A., fly to Seattle
Thursday: Day in Seattle, fly to Denver
Friday: Day in Denver, fly to Charleston for a couple hours
Sat-Tuesday: Conference in Dallas, fly back to Charleston Tuesday evening
Wed: Boston
Thur: Portland, Maine
Fri: New York City
Sat: Charleston for the Bridge Run!

A TEN CITY TOUR!!!!

I am totally wiped now. I made a quick appearance at a surprise party tonight but knew I needed to be responsible and get home to get some rest. I am planning to do 6-7 miles tomorrow on the bridge. I have a 10K race next Saturday as a tuneup for the Bridge Run.

Happy trails to all.... hope you are doing well. I know a lot of folks out there are in crunch time training for some big races- keep on pressing. You all totally ROCK!!

Arrivederci, Tiff

Good vibrations- come on come on!

We caught some red carpet arrivals last night while eating dinner in LA last night- couldn't resist snapping a photo of Mark Wahlberg. They were premiering his new movie, Shooter. One of my friends is a die-hard Marky Mark fan so they even gave me that movie poster in the background which I am taking home to her. HA! We also saw Ned Beautty, Danny Glover, and Jeremy Piven.


Hey Marky Mark! Take off your shirt!

Today's agenda? A little skiing at Snow Summit... and then a flight back to Charleston. Damn, I am gonna need some sleep!

Go Tiff, Go Tiff! Snow Summit Time!

Morning Run: L.A.

Woke up early this morning in Los Angeles and got about 4 miles in with my boss. I love having a running partner while on the road as it keeps me motivated and accountable. It is great- more than half of the sales team members I travel with are now running too!

LA is def not the best running city when you are staying right in town- lots of smog, homeless people, and bad Garmin GPS reception. Oh well, miles are miles!

It is nice to get some time to chill- this trip has been a whirlwind so far with nonstop appointments.... two more tomorrow... and then skiing on Friday. I redeye it home Friday night and pack up again for DC and Baltimore next week.

And what fun tonight... we are gonna hit up a PAC 10 tourney game and hit some of my boss's ole favorite watering holes from his days at USC.

Woohoo!

Didchaeverwonder....

Why you always want what you can't have? Sometimes it is just something you think you want. Sometimes it is something you had before and then it goes bye-bye.

For example: I am drinking a Diet Coke right now and wish it was a Diet Pepsi or Diet Sprite. The gift shop in the lobby was OUT of the other kinds so I settled with DC. Although- I would probably want another kind of soda (possibly a Diet Coke) if I was drinking one of the others. I guess I could always walk across the street or look for a vending machine with what I really want.

But I just don't care.

I think I need a power nap because I am actually pondering this right now.

Deep thoughts with Tiff...

Life is one big DETOUR

I love maps. I happened to look at the map last night to see how far San Francisco was from Sacramento....

Wait...

Is that NAPA in between those two cities?

NAPA.... as in... wine country?!?!

It is possible?

Could I possibly be passing through the land of lucious Chardonnays, bold Cabernets, and mouth-watering Merlots?

Well, it is about a 45 minute detour... would my travel mates be up for a little side jaunt through the beautiful northern California countryside?

You bet your ass they were!

I had one of the best days of my life today.... woke up early and worked out (10 miles on the bike and some elliptical), had a leisurely breakfast in San Francisco and a stroll around town (all before 9 AM!), lunch with some prospects, and an afternoon in wine country. The kind of day that makes me remember why I do what I do.... Some people plan their trips to Napa for MONTHS.... and I get to decide last minute that I want to go!

I think I've died and gone to heaven... I finally got to visit my favorite winery- Cakebread Cellars. Pick up a bottle of Cakebreak Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay if you get a chance. I arrived too late for their afternoon tasting and did not have an appointment. I pulled a little southern charm and the host graciously offered to pour me a taste of whatever I wanted! I chose the Cakebread Chardonnay Reserve and was not disappointed. How yummy!

We then hit up Peju, Alpha Omega (a new winery with a wonderful Cabernet, smooth as silk with their instant decanter), and my new favorite- Sequoia Grove. The guy at Sequoia Grove was so super cool- he took us to the back tasting room where I tasted my first wine straight from the barrel before it was bottled. Wow!

I left Napa with two bottles of wine to take home and great new knowledge and tips.

What a day!

The scenery ain't bad out here!

I spent the entire afternoon running through San Francisco, stopping to take pictures, and then cruising back through the Wharf area enjoying the sunset over the bay and having a couple beverages.

My run started at the Embarcadero, through Fisherman's Wharf, and over the Golden Gate Bridge. The streets were jam packed with tourists so running through those spots was a little challenging. Most of the people did not make it all the way to Golden Gate Recreation Area- I think they caught site of that first hill and wussed out! All in all, my run was about 8 miles although I tacked on another 7 of walking to and from the hotel and around town. It was the BEST way to spend a Sunday! My camera batteries went dead halfway through the run and I forgot to grab a couple more before taking off. After all, who can carry all that crap on their person (besides Lulu?)

Gosh I love it here! Click on the pic below for more....



Off to Sacramento tonight... flying to Los Angeles tomorrow evening... and skiing in Big Bear on Friday!

Wooohoooooooooooo!!

If you're going... to San Fran-cisco....

I could not have asked for a more picture-perfect day here in San Fran. Long flight here... and I am heading out for a great run.

Here is my plan- I am going to follow this route, starting at the Embarcadero around mile 1.5 on the map. Point to point run over the Golden Gate Bridge and ending in Sausalito... taking the ferry back.

Grabbing my camera, some money in my bra for the ferry (bonus- it goes right by Alcatraz) and beers afterwards... and I'm off!

True confessions

Alright, I admit I have been taking it a little easy since my Myrtle Beach race. I guess I thought doing two half marathons and a 11.2 mile relay race within the last 2 months gave me the right to take an entire week off this week and basically do nothing. Don't get me wrong, I have had a good time.... shopping with the girls, drinking Pinot Noir and bourbon til the wee hours, catching up on trashy reality TV. It kinda reminds me of what I did for about 4 years before I started running again.

My hiatus is over.

I just looked at my calendar and realized it is March. As of NOW, there are 4 weeks til the Bridge Run and I don't want to disappoint myself. I am only in Charlestona total of 6 days until the Bridge Run due to a frantic travel schedule.... I need to really buckle down.

A month after that puts me at the starting line at the Kentucky Derby Festival Half Marathon which I (coincidentally ha ha) planned as the same day as my sister-in-law's baby shower. This means I will have about 50 of my closest relatives in Louisville that day and they are already looking forward to making the loudest cheerest section on the course. After that... I think you know... CHICAGO training, baby!

Press on, Tiff....

Great run tonight...

Wow! I had a great tempo run tonight... oh wait.... I lied.... I went out and got blitzed with my coworkers. A good month in sales means celebrating at the end of the month and I can't help February only has 28 days.

4 Tylenol and a Gatorade later- I am passing out.

Please no hangover, please no hangover, please no hangover!!!