Wacky Wednesday: the random 11

Thanks to Maggie at Run Happy for tagging me and giving me some of my favorite blogging material: random stuff.

But, I'm going to break some rules because that's how I roll. Well, and I think every blog I read has already done the 11 random things.

The Rules

Post these rules. **I followed this rule.

You must post 11 random things about yourself. ** I followed this rule.

Answer the questions set for you in their post. ** I will do this next Wednesday.

Tag 11 people (can't be the person who tagged you). ** I broke this rule.

Create 11 new questions for the people you tag. ** I broke this rule.

Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them! ** I broke this rule, too.

Three out of six isn't bad! Anyway, on to randomness.

The 11 Random Things About Me

1. I'm addicted to lip balm. I gotta have it. Multiple times per day.

2. I think Elvis rocks. He died before I was born, but I love him (and I love dressing up like him).

3. I love diet pop, particularly Diet Dr. Pepper (Yes, I call it pop. I'm from the Midwest. And calling it all Coke is just silly to me. I can deal with soda or soda pop, but not Coke for everything.).

4. I hate whipped cream. Most people think I'm crazy, but I think they're crazy for liking that nasty stuff.

5. I love watching sports. Baseball is my favorite, but I also love football and basketball. I watch sports and sports shows more than my boyfriend.

Watching my favorite sport with my dad

 6. Anything below 70 degrees feels cold to me.

7. Purple is my favorite color.

8. I'm a sucker for celeb-reality shows. I'll even watch "Kourtney & Kim Take New York" (as painful as it may be). 

9. I can't imagine my life without animals. I have a dog, turtles and fish.

10. Jessica Simpson is my favorite celebrity.

11. I bite my nails when I'm nervous.

Half marathon #2: rocked out

I rocked through 13.1 miles in turtle fashion at the Rock 'n' Roll St. Petersburg Half Marathon today.

I'll write a full recap later, but a hint: while cold weather slows most turtles, it didn't slow this one.

Day 38 (Nov. 3)

After last week's terrible-awful-horrible-dreadful-hated tempo run, I was a little nervous about this week.

We did a repeat of last week (10-minute warm up, 30-minute temp run and 15-minute cool down), so I felt like it was a chance to redeem myself ... then I realized I forgot my Garmin watch, so I figured things wouldn't go that well. But, I judged pace by others around me and my running buddy. I felt we were going at a pretty good pace for me (this is still slow to everyone else). About halfway through our run, our coach ran with us. He told us our pace, and I was shocked. He ran with us the rest of the way and kept us at this pace for the tempo run and slowed us down for our cool down. 

I think forgetting my Garmin was the best thing that could have happened. It was nice to not be addicted to my watch for the night. As much as I love it, sometimes I think I rely on it too much, obsess over it and even limit myself because of it. I worry about going too fast (hahaha! I'm so slow this is a ridiculous statement.), so I stick to a comfortable pace based on my Garmin. Just going by feel was a great break and a good reality check. I can go faster than I have been; I don't have to stick to my safe times. Maybe this turtle will eventually be a bunny.

A happy turtle after a faster than normal tempo run

A rest day with Tad Hamilton

Well, in my debate to make up my 8-mile long vs. not make it up, not make it up won.

My legs have felt fatigued the last two times I ran, so I figured I could use the rest. Also, interval Tuesday is tough! I don't know if I could handle it after running 8 miles the day before. I can barely handle it on its own. 

So, instead of squeezing in 8 miles on a Monday night, I rested ... while cleaning my turtles' tank, washing dishes and watching a very underappreciated movie, "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!" I love this movie. This totally solidified that I made the right decision by choosing a rest day. Thank you, Tad Hamilton.

It's probably cheesy and unrealistic, but I find it quite humorous. And, I can't pull my eyes away from anything that stars Josh Duhamel. 

I know I'm supposed to want Rosalee (Kate Bosworth) to choose her true love, Pete (Topher Grace), but I think she makes a terrible decision. Absolutely terrible. Pete over Tad (Josh Duhamel)? Puh-leaze. Pete is whiny, annoying and unattractive. He grates on my nerves. But, Tad, beautiful Tad. Ahh, he's just so darn appealing. I know he's the wrong choice, but I don't care about being right in this instance (and I'm pretty darn competitive, so this is a big sacrifice ... huge). 

But, I digress. I hope I don't regret hanging out with Tad Hamilton. Ahem, sorry ... I was dreaming there for a second. I hope I don't regret taking a rest day. This was my one week to run 8 miles. Next week, we're up to 9 miles. Eek! 

My inspiration

I love turtles, especially these guys: Ralph, Harry and Lucy. They're my pets and the inspiration (well, at least a portion of it) behind the name of this blog. Cuteness overload.