January 2012
30 posts
Odds & Ends
Lots of trip preparation. No exercise. That about sums up my week!
I spent two hours yesterday trying on shorts and tank tops since it’s summer in the South Pacific and, boy, I do not recommend doing this in the dead of winter when you’re ghostly pale. Not that I recommend tanning, either, but my pasty legs look really awkward in shorts. Or maybe it was the lighting in the fitting...
Lazy bum
I spent the weekend at my mom’s house eating cheese and lemon meringue pie. Yummm.
I’ve missed a bunch of runs, and I don’t really care. With the snow last week and the rain now, it’s not worth it to me to possibly get sick before my trip. And I’m just lazy. And my jeans actually fit again! It seems like that was more of an eating/moderation issue.
I did a 3-mile...
Necessities
Yesterday I trudged through the snow to the grocery store (0.5 mile away) because I was out of necessities: apples, bananas, peanut butter, veggies for roasting, Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked fro-yo and Cadbury Creme eggs.
I know it’s January, but who knows if I’ll have access to Cadbury eggs when Easter actually rolls around? WHO KNOWS???
I might have eaten one during the...
An hour later...
…and with No More Trouble Zones completed, it has snowed another inch.
Running would be a super-fun adventure today. And by super-fun adventure, I mean very efficient way to die.
(I am wearing shorts, btw.)
Just an update
I ran into a nice layer of ice about 4 inches down.
Sooo… Jillian Michaels DVD it is.
GPOYPW
Gratuitous Picture of Your Pants Wednesday:
It’s weird to be excited about pants, I know, but comfortable, nice-fitting pants are hard to find! And it’s nearly impossible to order pants online.
I ordered these convertible travel pants in two sizes, and the first pair I tried on fit PERFECTLY.
They’re comfortably loose with room to eat (and trust me, I’ll need the...
The best email.
Summary:
1. Normal left ventricular systolic function. 2. Normal left ventricular ejection fraction. 3. The left ventricular cavity size is normal. 4. Trace tricuspid regurgitation. 5. Mild pulmonary regurgitation. 6. Normal pulmonary artery systolic pressure estimated at 23.0 mmHg. 7. Trace mitral valve regurgitation.
Hi Devon, Your echo was normal. Maggie Emanuel, MD
[tears of relief +...
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Keep running
Today I woke up to intermittent periods of snow (sometimes huge flakes, other times little baby flakes) and sleet. I had zero desire to run.
Then the sun came out! By Seattle standards, that means you could sort of see the sun through the clouds.
Since we’re supposed to get a big snowstorm tonight, I figured I’d take advantage of the temporary clearing and get my run on.
It was...
Try not to slip and die
I’ve run in merciless heat, in hail and into a freezing-cold lake, but I’ve never run while it was actively snowing.
Until today.
I pushed this weekend’s 7-miler to today because yesterday it was windy and sleeting. When that finally cleared up, I had lost my motivation to run and was deep into booking New Zealand hostels and shiz.
Today’s run started out slow because...
Friday!
Once upon a time, I did Levels 1 and 2 of Jillian Michaels’ 30-Day Shred back to back. I got pretty sweaty, but otherwise it was awesome.
Today, I just did Level 2 after MANY months of not using that DVD, and WTF! It was tough!
Who’s idea was this?
The funny thing is that the 3 lb. weights I’ve always used now feel like a complete joke, since I grew accustomed to...
The training plan for life
My faux training plan is working! I’ve done all my workouts so far and feel like I’m finally getting back into running shape.
Four miles today:
Sheesh, these short runs wipe me out, and yet I remember when I used to knock out 9- and 10-milers after work on weeknights like it wasn’t a big deal. Marathon training is so nuts.
It was SUPER cold out today, but I warmed up by mile...
GPOYW
The lululemon fairy delivered this to my front door today!! I’m already obsessed. Thumbholes never get old for me.
I needed a lightweight, non-cotton, long-sleeved shirt for layering as I travel, and I’ve wanted this running top for a while now, so it was the perfect excuse to buy it. It’s SO comfortable, moisture-wicking and cute to boot. I be travelin’ in style!
...
Wedged
On many runs, there comes a moment when the trail falls quiet, and only the sounds of my stride echo on the pavement. I’m alone, and it’s the perfect time to meditate, to reflect on life and perhaps to retrieve a wayward bit of spandex from where it has unfortunately crept.
No runner, male or female, is immune to this wedgtastic phenomenon. The trick lies in waiting for the perfect...
Suck it, illness!
There’s nothing worse than being sick when you really want to run, especially if you put on four pounds over the holidays (eh-HEM) and your jeans are super-tight. Not that I know anyone that that happened to…………….
I honestly felt way better after my 3-mile run on Friday, and I ran another 3 miles yesterday on the treadmill (28:12 — 9:24 pace) and lifted...
No one needs this many running shirts...
I present to you the contents of my workout-clothes drawer:
To be fair, this includes all the race shirts I’ve collected and the t-shirts/tanks I wear to sleep. It’s still a huge, ridiculous, excessive pile.
I spent tonight cleaning out my closet and dresser (round two of pre-travel decluttering) and came up with all this to sell/give away:
Crazy! Most of this stuff I...
Sick run
3 miles at the gym — 9:26 pace.
Not my fastest three ever, but I enjoyed running them more than I enjoyed sitting on my butt these last two days!
And I feel better now than I did before running. Imagine that.
Sick
Meet my BFFs:
From the looks of my Tumblr dashboard, it seems like many of you are in the same unpleasant boat!
I’ve been doing great with my travel planning the last few days — I bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand!!! — but not so much with running. Post-nasal drip is the devil.
Here are my latest travel-planning posts on Answering Oliver:
Countdown to RTW: One Month! (with fun...
First run down
This run was tough. Seems like every other run I do kinda sucks!
But I got my four miles in, and that’s what counts. I also never walked, even though I really wanted to.
I figured that the run was still going to feel crappy whether I walked or not, and if I didn’t walk, at least I would be proud of that fact.
I feel like there has always been a part of me that wants to give up...
New Year
Here’s my I’m-Not-Actually-Training-For-Anything Training Plan.
It’s just a little something to keep me on track with running throughout January until I leave for my trip. I’ve missed running with a training plan since the marathon!
I put yoga or strength-training on the schedule through January 11, which is when my gym membership expires (sniff, sniff). Then I plan to...
