Sedated Sunday!

What an unfortunate day this is! It is the last day of the weekend and I feel like the week flew by. I guess all the running around I did this past week just plain flattened me today. Not to mention the weather is gloomy and not so fun looking. Makes ya want to be lazy anyway!


Let's see, I have done a lot this past week. Well, we had a few things going on at work last week that took a lot of time. Especially the Model NATO Challenge. I usually come to work at 6:30 a.m. every day and leave during normal times however Thursday we didn't get home until after 10 p.m. Fortunately due to the area wide base closings we could work from home and I actually got to sleep till 6:30 a.m.


On Friday, I got my li'l guy off to the bus stop and then prepared myself for my photography session at the beach...you remember right? I finally go the link fixed for the photos...at least no one has commented and told me otherwise so I assume it's fixed. 


Anyway for the remainder of the week, we went to Tae Kwon Do on Monday, Tuesday (two times) and Wednesday. I ran on Monday and Friday and did high intensity interval training (HIIT) on Thursday. All to get my butt out and moving! I think it's working a little!


Saturday I got to watch my li'l guy compete in his first Tae Kwon Do tournament where he took second place in the Form category and he took first place in Sparring. I was so proud of him especially because I took third place in Form in my category and first for breaking technique. It was just fun for me to see him so happy to be there. 


Tae Kwon Do has been good for both of us. It's definitely confidence building and for me it's giving me better flexibility. I wish it were tougher though, but you get out what you put in so I always try to work hard. 


Anyway, Saturday had us up early to get ready for the tournament and we were there until 5pm. Needless to say we were smoked! We at sushi for dinner...mind you it was a late dinner but it was dinner nonetheless.


So, here we are...It's Sunday and to be completely honest, I woke up feeling great, ready to go for a run but as time went by I started to feel a bit tired and drug down so I figured..."you know, you worked hard this past week and I can take it easy for one day right?!"  Well, that's what I decided to do today...BE LAZY! So far, I'm doing it! I feel sedated and tires so that is why this is Sedated Sunday for me!


Tomorrow, back to the trails! The running trails that is!

Disney Destination Run Part 1

Oh how I have stories of running the Disney Marathon...this could take a few blogs to tell the story however; it's become a tradition with one of my besties and me!

So, grab some popcorn and your soda or whatever you like to eat or drink at the movies and sit back because I have the uncanniest ability to attract the most amazing.... karma and creatures! Not always in a good way either....

So, it's 2008 and my Disney running story begins...and let's just say, not on a good note either! I fly all the way to Orlando from Hawaii with my li'l man to meet up with a "friend" and a friend who was going to run with me. My "friend" was really cute and I had known him about a year and I thought we had a "connection" however, shortly after the meeting, I realized things weren't going so well because my other friend who was running the race with me was not the most fun person to be around. Let's just say she moped the whole time. 

So, my "friend" invited us to dinner with him and his little girl who was the cutest little girl. So we went to a really nice place in Orlando and my other friend killed the mood the whole night. Basically, she turned my "friend" off permanently. After that weekend he didn't want anything to do with me. 

So, Sunday rolls around and we (my friend and I) run the Marathon.  I felt good and I was ready to run but she didn't really feel well and she had an injury. We got to mile 19 and I crossed the line where I could have run the remainder of the race. She, moping behind me and in not so good health was not doing well. I decided to be the good friend and go back for her to pull her across the 19-mile mark. 

[Side note] if you don't cross the mile marker in a certain amount of time, they take you off the course and you don't finish the race...you see where this is going...

As I went back to get her she limped along and I thought, ok, if we just pass this line we can finish the marathon. So we met up and as I came back toward the 19-mile mark...for the second time, I was put on the bus! YEP, you guessed it, I went back for my friend with the hopes we'd cross but we didn't and I was thrown on the bus...I was LIVID you hear me! LIVID! If I were in her shoes I would have let me finish the race. But nope, I felt bad and didn't and she didn't care. It was then and there that I decided I would never do that to someone else, if I ever get injured or don't feel good on a race I will let my running buddy go ahead and finish. AND...I decided, I'd never run WITH anyone again unless they are healthy, fit and can finish the race...Mind you, I'm not fast at all! I keep about a 9-10 minute pace on my long runs. 

Anyway, you know I was mad. I eventually forgave her but it took a loooong time! I had the absolute worst vacation in Disney World that year...

But, I digress, let me finish the story of Disney year 1...

 So, my "friend" and his daughter met us at the end and it took 2 hours to find the car. Not only have I just got kicked off the course at the 19-mile mark but I had been running for 3:45:00 at that time with no food in my stomach with the exception of some power gels and some water or Gatorade. I was starving and I become a ravenous beast when I am hungry.

Add my extreme hunger to the fact that I'm angry that I didn't finish the race and you have something a little worse than the Tasmanian devil! I was so mad by the time we found the car.

Ok, so back to my "friend", he met us at the end and was mad to find out we didn't finish the race either...Oh, he had no idea the anger I felt, so of course his anger just added to mine and my friend that ran with me seemed not to really care about how we felt. After the race and that weekend, I never saw my "friend" again and he told me it was because he didn't like my friend and if she was any example of the rest of my friends he didn't want any part of that.... wow, I thought what a jerk! My friend may have had a rough time but after I got over my anger at not finishing the run I was ok and she's ok too.  

You know how when you go to races you get a medal at the end and you have a T-shirt that you get with your packet...well, I got my T-shirt and threw it away. Since I didn't get a medal...non-finishers don't get medals...I didn't want anything. I certainly didn't want anything to remind me of that race, that's for sure!

So, end of the story, I had the absolute worst run ever and the worst vacation too! The best part of my vacation was being able to see the smile on my little boy's face in Disney World!

                                                                                               

So, if you think this was a crappy story, wait till you hear Disney Year 3's story! You will think...how in the world can all this happen to one person...believe me folks, it can!

Until the next Disney episode.... keep running!

Running Photographer

Running Photographer, a set on Flickr.

This was the link for yesterdays blog. For some reason it didn't work the first time. Please leave your comments and let me know if it works. It is a lot of fun to take photos along the routes that I run and I decided to start logging them on Flickr. I will continue to do this on my leisure runs!

Running Photography

Neptune in Virginia Beach 

Many of you know that I will use Facebook and Twitter while I run races especially something that is 10 miles or more but today, I decided to do something different. I decided to take on a short 6 miles at a relatively slow pace. Turns out I kept an average of a 10 minute mile...while I was taking photos of random sights along the Virginia Beach Boardwalk.

Who would have thunk it? Photography on the run! Honestly, to stop in the middle of a run to take photos actually has its advantages. You get a second to catch your breath and you can take a random photo or two along the way. I figured it would take forever to go 6 miles but quite surprisingly I ran 6 miles in 57 minutes and some change.

I had so many thoughts running through my mind while I was running today. Thoughts about the people running on the boardwalk to the guy who tried to flatten me with his bike. Yep, a guy on his bike refused to go around me...as if he needed a highway lane to get around me...Newsflash buddy, I'm not so big...I was on the edge of the boardwalk, running on the right (since we don't drive on the left, we don't run on the left) We aren't in England you inconsiderate toothless old man, you had a good 20 feet of space to go around me! Ugh the nerve!


Those of you who know me, know that I had a hard time not to say a word but to just listen to the Sirius app on my phone and do what I don't do best...Grin and Bear it!


As I finally found my zen running mind, I ran through crowds of seagulls as I watched the sun touch the top of the sky and the birds took to flight as I neared them. It's quite incredible to "stop and smell the flowers" while on a run. I saw things that I never would have paid attention to while running swiftly...well, as swiftly as my li'l legs will carry me down the road. 


I got home and began my workday from home...seems like it's easier for me to work from home! We need area NAVAL exercises more often so the bases close down! 

So I finally got around to writing today and I was like a giddy little girl downloading my photos. I then decided to opened a flicker account so that I could share my photos of my run with you...they are quite fun, some of them! Granted, they were taken with my iPhone while I was running so they are not the best photos but still, they created my fun on the run!

 

Check out the photos here and let me know if you cannot get in. Photos

Tell me what you think! Also, do you have any quirky things you do while on your runs? Oh please...Do tell!!!

Until the next adventure where rubber meets concrete, have a great evening!

Interval Training, Royal Marine Commando style!

Today started with an easy three miler! Spring is certainly in the air and with the pollen floating around, breathing was a bit difficult however, in the back of my mind I could hear the sound of Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive" song pushing me down the road!

As if running with the little pollen guys dancing in the sunlight wasn't enough torture, I decided to meet up with our Royal Marine Warrant Officer here to endure his physical fitness regimen. We did three rounds of 12 High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) stations. Push ups, V-ups, Sit ups, the mountain climber, the box jump, wall ball throws, jump rope, dips, shoulder press, lateral weight lifts, the superman, and the shuttle run. We did the first set for 30 seconds each followed by a large shuttle run session followed by a one minute water break, did it again at 25 seconds with picking each other up and doing a fireman carry across the gym floor. Then the last session was 20 seconds followed by sprints.

It was a brutal workout but a much needed workout...I once again felt that moment of power, I was invincible, I'm sure I will pay for it tomorrow morning when I head out on my run! Something about self-inflicted pain that gets me all motivated!

Hopefully I will survive the long run in the morning! I hope it does not rain too hard!

What types of workouts do you like? Any recommendations on what other types of training I can do? Maybe I'll give your workouts a try and see to what level I can get to!

I wanna hear from you!...

Weight...you're not going anywhere!

Nope, that's not a misspelling in the title that you see, it's a play on words! I have been eating relatively well and staying more active than in the recent past and I can't seem to drop the pounds any faster!


One day I'll weigh in at 121.4 lbs and the next I'm at 122.8 or worse 124! Granted I've managed to keep a steady 2 pounds off from the 126 that I was at but still, I would like to get down to my ideal body weight which is 116-118. At this rate, I won't break 120!


I guess it's that plateau effect that is hanging around and not dropping off! I have cut my caloric intake to 1200 calories...keep in mind, that's not perfect calories. Of course I still have a war with sugar going on right now but those tiny little crystals of sweetness are taking over slowly!


Today, I plan a good run! Yep, gonna get out there and pound the pavement and gitter done! I have my running budy rearing to go so we are off...stand by for more!

Shamrock Saturday...run for the shamrock!

Last time I wrote I had grandiose ideas on running far but that didn't happen...Then, this past weekend when I watched a part of the Shamrock Marathon, I got a little bit of runners envy! You should have seen the streets displayed in a sea of green for miles upon miles!! What a sight, unfortunately, I chose to forego the Marathon...hear me groan :(  But, to my defense I wasn't ready to run it but I didn't want to hurt myself. 

Instead, I registered my li'l man for the "Final Mile", a school event where the children spend a year running a mile a day at PE and finish a marathon's last mile! So cute! While I was hanging out waiting for my mini speed demon to cross the finish line, I was lost in nostalgia...nostalgia for the runs I WAS running! This has become a daunting task for me this running thing! 

Well, to make myself feel better I ventured out on a 6 mile run and to my surprise I felt quite good! I was energized and rearing to go! The weather is perfect except for the mix of pollen and haze! What the heck happened to spring??!! I was really looking forward to easing back into my runs with the smell of the fresh cool air and the scent of new spring buds growing as they wait for summer to brighten their leaves.

Watching the trees turn green and the birds flying across the sky as I run takes my breath away. I listen to the songs the birds sing as the sound of the traffic fades into the background and I forget for a minute the pain in my thighs from this reborn love of mine!

I MUST KEEP GOING! So...

I'm going to find a 1/2 marathon for next month or in May and begin my goal of completion....Anyone want to run it with me? You can virtually, you can keep me motivated with your witty comments to get me off my duff and move my butt! Or, you can watch me as I post miles on Facebook, yes, I'm kind of crazy like that! :)

Tomorrow, I am hoping to get in a good run maybe jump up the morning/lunchtime run to 5 miles..what do you think?