What's Your Motivation

So, since the Princess race is a mere 3 months away, my bff/running mate (who is flying down from Minnesota for this run-yay!) and I have been trying to motivate eachother with some quotes. We've come up with a few we like:

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, "are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?"

If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a board and knock me down, because that means I didn't run hard enough.

I see you. Sweating. Breathing hard. Head down. Shoulder into it. How your clothes fit. How the crowds part. I don't have to meet you. Just want to be like you.

Run every race like it's suicide and it's a perfect day to die.

It's as simple as left, right, left, right, repeat

And a favorite so far....

There is nothing to be intimidated about - it's just another long run where a few more people show up and they all happen to wear numbers.

Still Here...

Just been busy. So, where are we at:

• Brian ventured out to the stores at 3:45am on Black Friday and got us a new computer and a new tv for the bedroom.
• The tv was a lemon and was returned for a new one. Success!
• The computer was a friggin lemon and after a ridiculous number of hours trying to diagnose the problem, talking to tech support (idiots) and fighting w/Best Buy, the computer was returned (with many swear words following in its wake) and the old computer continued its reign for our tech world.
• I ran about 20 miles in the last week and feel pretty good about it, although I'm wondering if I may have a shoe problem as my toenail seems to be separating on one foot, causing me to get annoyed and stressed out about how to prevent its inevitable departure. Not running is not an option anymore!
• All Christmas decorations are up both inside and outside the house. Looks freaking great!
• I baked cookies and bars yesterday and then began eating them in earnest. Kinda feeling like a blimp right now-no wonder I rarely bake.
• After a week of hating Best Buy, we headed back and purchased a new computer, which I am happy to say is working wonderfully. Now, I just have to get my stuff to transfer from one computer to another and I will be a happy camper.
• Now, I am just getting ready for this upcoming week: getting computers switched out, upcoming birthday, registration, cleaning house and preparing for Christmas party. And lets not forget running!!

On that note, I shall depart and enjoy the rest of my Sunday night...after I finish my chores, that is.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a great morning it has been so far. I got up around 6:30, fed Wilson, put on my running gear and headed out for a nice 4 mile run. It was nice and cool out there (still humid) and there was hardly anyone else out there. I think I only encountered 8-10 cars on the road my whole way and a few fellow runners and walkers getting in their exercise before the big feast.

For this run, I tried something different. Last night, I put an audiobook on my iPod to try when running. I chose The Reader, cuz I love this book (having read it a dozen times, at least) and I thought it would keep me interested and I it worked. I was engrossed in my book and had no troubles finishing my 4 miles-usually I'm constantly staring at my Garmin, waiting for the next mile to pass-but today, I just kept listening and plowing ahead. Some people have trouble listening to these because of the readers themselves but I'm so focused on the story itself that the reader doesn't bother me. I think I made it through chapter 7-can't wait for the next run to pick my book back up again.

Now it's time to get ready for the big Thanksgiving feast-lots of good food, good friends and good times. Should be a great afternoon and I can guarantee I'll be stuffed! But let's not forget to be thankful for all our blessings today. I am thankful for my wonderful family, my new niece, Brian and friends both here and far away. I am thankful to still be employed in these tough times and for good health. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and have a wonderful day!

Mind Games

Tonight, I ventured out for my 3 mile run and, for the first time in about a week, this run went pretty well. I actually felt like I was moving instead of dragging ass like my last couple of runs. So, like the good student that I am, I decided to tack on an extra half mile to my running tonight. I didn't race it, which is how I usually like to end my runs, but took it at a nice pace and got to the house with a smile on my face and my garmin saying 3.60 miles. Boo-ya! That felt pretty good and all because I pushed through that first half mile.

That first half mile is when I play mind games with myself. It's when the wheels start turning and I come up with my excuses on why I should just forget the run and head back home for icecream instead. Tonight, my thoughts ranged from: it's too freaking humid out....my foot hurts a little, wouldn't want to make it worse....maybe I'm still too full from dinner, I should go home and rest a bit....and finally to SHUT UP AND JUST DO IT! So that's what I did. And it went just fine, even a bonus half mile at the end.

But I think I'm going to put a book-on-tape on the iPod-maybe a nice murder mystery to entice me. Then, not only can I put the mind games to rest (hopefully), but I can push through my moments of boredom and get past the 4 mile mark. I'll have to see what I can find.

Moody Monday

Monday has been everything one could expect from a Monday. I attempted to wake up early but didn't-which I blame on a night of tossing and turning-then there was the coffee dilemmna. I am on some new meds and now feel nauseous for several hours/all day and coffee gives me raging headaches. So, I've had about a half a cup today compared to my normal 3+ cups. I guess the positive spin on this is I may kick the caffeine habit by the end of the year! Work was so-so. I have so much to do I can't even see my desk. I've started telling people that I'm building a big fort to account for all the files piled up everywhere. Funny enough, the work overload gives me a sense of peace-job security baby! After work, I came home famished and whipped up a nice dinner of chicken breast w/some cheese and mushrooms, some rice and a veggie. So yummy! I think I'll take Wilson for a little stroll and then catch up on some of my programs before calling it a day.

As for my doctor's appt. on Saturday, the doc prescribed me some more meds and wants me to go to physical therapy for my neck. He also gave me some exercises to try at home till I get in to see the phys. therapist. I think I'll try the exercises out for a week or so and see how I do. I did make it out for a nice 3.5 mile run. I am still running so freaking slow...it's got to be one of these meds wearing me down. I feel like I'm dragging out there but I'm getting it done so I'll keep pushing onward and upward. I'm hoping for a nice 4 miler tomorrow.

Wilson summons...time to power walk w/a puglet!

A Tough 3 Miles

Well, my goal to get up this morning at 5am? Not successful, kiddies. I was up before the alarm but I could already tell I wasn't feeling the whole "get up and be productive" vibe, so I reset the alarm for 6am, grabbed the heating pad for my neck and dozed off for another hour. But, after a very loonnnggg day at work, I came home ready to hit the pavement.

I did a nice 5 minute walk warm-up and then started my garmin. Right away, I could tell this was gonna be a tough run. My legs felt like they were trying to run through quicksand and I know it's because I took some hydrocodone earlier today (since nothing else works for these blasted headaches!) and I was still feeling those sluggish effects from the meds. Nevertheless, I decided to push through the sluggishness and kept going. My end time was just over 35 minutes. As you can see, a pretty slow time, even for me. I checked each mile and, while I normally tend to get faster with each mile, tonight was just the opposite. My last mile was 12:36-craziness! But, even though it was a slow run, I am happy I got out there and ran and now I feel more energized for the rest of the evening.

But I am totally setting that alarm for 5am again tomorrow morning. Maybe a swim will entice me to get my butt out of bed...we shall see.

Alarm Clock 1 / Crystal 0

Well, as you can probably tell from the title, I did not jump out of bed this morning, hop into my running gear and head out the door with a big freaking smile on my face. Nope, instead I woke up 10 minutes before the alarm, pondered how cool it was that I got up even before my alarm went off, and then reset the damn thing for 6am. Cuz that, peeps, is how I roll.

In my somewhat meager defense, I have been in a constant, daily battle with some wicked headaches for the last week. They consume my whole head and neck and refuse to go away even with my attempts with ibuprofen, aspirin (which I can't even stomach) and a large quantity of Tylenol. So, after dealing with this for a week now and getting more annoyed by the day, I finally broke down and got a dr appt for Sat. Hopefully they can do something or I'm heading to a specialist cuz this is really hindering my running progress. I need to up those miles dang nabbit! I also need to get my thyroid rechecked so it can be a two-for-one deal.

So, with no morning run, I am debating going this evening but I may just take the night off and try for that 5am time again tomorrow. Chillin with a good book sounds like a pretty good idea right about now.