Wacky Wednesday

It's not my favorite day of the week, but I try to make it a little better with some wackiness:

• I'm used to people calling my dog cute (these people are brilliant, by the way). What I'm not used to is people stopping their car in the middle of the road to yell this out. Tonight as Chloe and I were walking around the neighborhood, a guy stopped his car and yelled, "What a cutie! She looks just like Spanky's dog." I did not know if this was good or bad or dirty.
• After I asked the smartest person I know (Google), I discovered that Spanky was in the "Little Rascals." (On a side note, careful on that Google. I speak from experience.) I guess there is a resemblance, but not enough that I would stop my car and yell at someone (with them possibly thinking I'm a dirty freak).

•  I get way too worked up over sports and sports-related happenings. When I heard that Frank Martin was leaving Kansas State to coach basketball at South Carolina, I was sad. Why, oh why, would he leave the beautiful purple school that is my alma mater? Then, I got mad! Really, Frank. Why did you leave an up-and-coming basketball school to go coach a school in a football conference? It's a step down (no offense to South Carolina fans). And what did someone do to make him leave? Ahem! Athletic Director?!? Anyway, I've determined yet again that I need to get a life.

Purple pride (and a strange brother)

• My other hobby, celebrity goings-on and gossip is in full force, too. (Yes, I know that this doesn't qualify me as having a life either.) Selena Gomez is filming a movie in the area. She's been spotted. Her boyfriend, Justin Bieber, has been spotted too. Now, James Franco is here! I have yet to see any of them, darn it.

Running group-less

I got some exciting news last weekend: my defunct sand volleyball league is un-defuncting! This makes me a happy, happy, happy girl! The only issue: the league is now on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Why is this an issue, you ask (or maybe you don't really care so I asked it for you)? 

Thursday is running group night. Sigh. 

After some debate, I decided to say, "See ya, running group!"

I know, I know. I love my running group. It helped me to run two half marathons. It was something I looked forward to every week (three times per week). 

I owe this medal to you, running group!

The love is till there, but I'm not training for any long distances races now. I have a few 5Ks on the horizon (and maybe a 5-miler or 10K thrown in), but nothing over the 10K distance. I can train on my own for the shorter distances. So, that's what I'm going to do. 

I'll rejoin the group in August when I start training for my second (I feel so cool saying that, and yes, I'm somewhat pathetic) Women's Half Marathon. Until then, I'm going to be saying "in your face" as I spike volleyballs at my opponents. OK, not really. But, something like that. 

And, I'll still be running three times per week. Just by myself. No group support. No peer pressure. Eek! I'm getting nervous already.

Because I wanted to run

Ever have one of those days that you just have to run? Not because it's on your schedule or you need to train for a race, but just because you want to run?

That was my Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday is a normal running day for me, but I needed it. Work was frustrating. I got more and more irritated the longer the day went on. Handy that I run in the evenings. I ran hard, and the frustration and irritation just melted away (along with me — man, it's hot again). 

The mood-lifting quality of running is such a huge benefit. Stressed? Irritated? Mad? Run. You'll be less stressed, irritated and mad. Why everyone doesn't run is beyond me. 

Wednesday is not a running day for me, but I had to run. I wasn't as mad or irritated, but I remembered how good I felt the day before, and I wanted to feel that way again. Problem: as I was getting ready to head outside, the lightning and rain started. Crap. I am seriously frightened of lightning. I tried to wait it out, but it wasn't stopping. When I say I'm frightened of lightning, I mean I'm terrified. As in, I won't step foot outside. As in, I wasn't walking the 75 or so steps to the craptastic condo gym to run on the treadmill.

So, I improvised and hit the stairs. The stairs aren't the most glamorous (or the same as running), but they do the job. Afterward, I was happy and sweaty. Goal achieved.

Thursday is my running group day. Unfortunately, that pesky thing known as work got in the way of my plans. Argh. So, my options: run around the neighborhood or hit the craptastic gym. My choice: craptastic gym. I know, I know. I continually complain about the gym and the treadmill. But, for some reason, I just had the urge to run and watch TV. What better way to catch up on "Jersey Shore"? 

The show and gym are equally craptastic, but I keep going back for more. And, guess what? This time, I actually kind of loved the craptastic gym. It was still hot (no fan and little air conditioning are extremely uncool, but thrifty, which I guess is the goal), but I loved being completely distracted by those Jersey kids' antics. Before I knew it, 45 minutes were up, and I had  multi-tasked my way through a run (and sweat through everything I had on and felt dizzy). 

You have some issues still, craptastic gym, but I love you a little more now.

Wacky Wednesday

I'm wacky and it's Wednesday. Unfortunately, my wackiness is not limited to Wednesdays in real life. I try to only scare people here once per week.

• As I may have mentioned before, I love Jessica Simpson. This video solidifies my love.

• If you're like me, you'll watch all three parts of her Jimmy Kimmel appearance at least three times. 
• And watch "Fashion Star" because she is on it. Not that the show is bad, but I would have never watched if it wasn't for the lovely Miss S. 
• And hope that she delivers her baby on your birthday. I don't think she's going to make it until late April, though. Wowza! That girl is seriously pregnant.
• Now that I've alarmed everyone with my crazy JS obsession, I'll move onto other things (although they really don't compare to her ... ahem) like the possibility of Justin Bieber being in town. I'm getting more pathetic, huh? Selena Gomez, Bieb's girlfriend, is in the area shooting a movie. JB was here last weekend. I don't care how pathetic I'd look, I will get my picture with him if I find him. 
• I spotted a celebrity in public once. The celebrity? Vanilla Ice. Yo, VIP. 

Crappy cell phone photo of the dude that rocks a mic like a vandal

• Anyone have any better celebrity sightings?

Snapping back to reality and races

After hitting four spring training games in five days, it's time to snap back to reality (Oh! There goes gravity! I can't help but type this every time. Sorry). My time with dad (and Derek Jeter) was awesome (as usual). 

I had a 5K while my dad was here ... or so I thought. It was on my calendar, and I planned on doing it. Problem: I didn't sign up for it. I swore that I did. I did not. Oops. So, I did my own 5K around the neighborhood. Not quite the same, but I still ran.

So, now I'm looking at my race schedule (and double-checking that I'm actually registered for the races on my schedule), and it's looking kind of sparse. As in only one more race on the schedule for this year. So, actually more than "kind of sparse;" it's a lot sparse. I'd like to add a few more races (5Ks and 10Ks) before the temperatures here reach that of the surface of the sun. 

I'd better find some races quick!

Wacky Wednesday

This Wednesday had its share of wackiness, but it was also wonderful. I took the day off (a miracle during the "busy season") and went to a spring training game (Blue Jays vs. Yankees) with my favorite baseball-watching pal, Dad.

• If I went to a spring training game every day of spring, I'd be the happiest person around. It helps if Derek Jeter is there, but it's not necessary. Although I did take 58 pictures of him today.

One of 58

• People at spring training games are happy folks. Most are from out-of-state and on vacation. No grumps, which makes for a very pleasant day.
• Despite my extreme paleness, I avoided major sunburn. I look a bit overdressed for the 80+ degree weather, but I don't care. More clothing means more of my Casper-like skin is protected from the big, scary ball of fire. As an added bonus, people are not blinded.

• I've got some TV to watch! With my dad around, I wasn't able to watch the first episode of "Fashion Star" with my girl, Jessica Simpson. Or the episode of "Biggest Loser" that she was on to provide style makeovers for contestants. I'm hitting the on-demand versions soon.

One of 137

My dad, the baseball (and running) fan

My biggest cheerleader is in town, and I’m ready to race!

My biggest cheerleader: Dad (when I say "biggest," I mean best not "biggest" as in size; but, at 6'4", I think he actually is the biggest in size).

He loves going to races. He enjoys all the aspects of a race (even the pesky early-morning start). He takes a ton of photos. He checks on me the rest of the day: Are you OK? Do you need some Gatorade? Are your legs sore? (This is even after a 5K). He thinks I did great no matter what.

Some of my dad's photography work

My race: a 5K on Sunday.

I ran this 5K last year. It is an awesome course along the beach, and it is flat and fast (or so I’m hoping). I really want to test my “speed” (there are quotes around it to indicate that this is a ridiculous term to use). Perhaps I should use “progress.” Yeah, that’s less ridiculous.

In the meantime, we’re going to hit some spring training games … it’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Things I realized today

Since I'm home alone during the week (my boyfriend works out of town), I have a lot of time to think (for some reason, I still can't get my dog to talk to me). As you probably guessed, me thinking is a frightening thing. In my thoughts today:

• I love running outside, but I need an out-and-back path. If I miss my training group (like I did both nights this week due to pesky work), I run around my neighborhood (usually – see below for the exception). The problem: my neighborhood has a 2.5-mile loop. I hate getting back to the beginning and having to run past it. It's too easy to call it quits early. Even if I don't, I'm still bitter about running past the start and having to come back. Silly, I know, but I'm silly.
  
• I still hate the treadmill. After working late and missing my training group today, I felt like the treadmill was the safest option to run. This is because I forgot about the face-of-the-sun temperature of the craptastic condo gym. Running in this temperature with no fan is not safe. Even though I didn't like it, the run is done. And, in another three months, I'll forget how much I really hate the craptastic gym and treadmill and do it again.

• The only show I watch religiously each week is "Jersey Shore." This is sad and pathetic, and I'm embarrassed. But, at 10 p.m. EST, I was by my TV to watch.

Wacky Wednesday

Time for some weekly wackiness:

• I'm SO slow to get hip to this (as turtles usually are), but I've become mildly obsessed with Twitter. I can follow all of my favorite celebrities and sports stars and help fulfill my need for daily celebrity gossip and information.
• It's the coolest thing. You can learn about things before they hit the mainstream news. Like I knew that Chad Ochocinco got peed on by a lion at a charity event instantly instead of waiting to read about in the news a day later. Important stuff, people!
• I love sports. Especially baseball. So, I'm super pumped that spring training is here. My dad always comes to visit for a week, and we hit as many baseball games as we can.

• It's also one of the few times I'm able to see this guy (since he's decided to hide in his house every Sunday during my long runs).

You can run, Derek Jeter, but you can't hide. Well, except on Sundays.

The reasons why work is pretty darn awesome

I have some pretty awesome coworkers.

Caroline, who is featured regularly on this blog, started me on this wonderful running journey. We run many races together, and I enjoy the races I run with her (even that terrible, dreadful, miserable first half marathon) more than any I've ever run by myself. 

Theresa created this masterpiece on the dry erase board (a.k.a. the doodle board).

I'm the turtle, in case you're wondering.

And this rockin' poster.

Theresa also has a blog that everyone should obviously check out. 

Work can be a hassle sometimes (I guess that's why they call it a job), but people like this make it all worth it. 

The half marathon that wasn’t

I had a half marathon on Sunday. I woke up at 4:30 a.m., got ready and left the house with my dog and boyfriend.

A bit concerning: the wind and rain and the possibility of lightning (thunderstorms were forecasted).

We drove to the race site (about a 20-minute drive). I was hoping the rain and wind would stop by the time we got there. It did not.

I sat in the car, watching people struggle even walking in the strong winds and dodging rain. It did not look fun. At all.

I kept watching. I debated whether or not this would be enjoyable. I decided it wouldn’t be. So, we drove home. But, not before stopping once or twice for me to think about it some more.

Many other runners dealt with the conditions. And, it even stopped raining early in the race (so I hear). The winds continued, but people said it was still a really enjoyable race.

I’m regretting not running the race now. I don’t have the sweet medal in my hands, and I should (but I’m a wimp).

I got the sweet shirt, but I’m going to feel like a fraud wearing it. 

Oh, joy!

One of my biggest fears (along with dark water, fire and Crocs – the shoes, not the animal): lightning. 

So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw this.

Why, yes, 6 a.m. is the start time of my half marathon. Gah. 

I keep obsessively checking the race Facebook page. The word: "The race will go on rain or shine. The race will only be cancelled if weather conditions present imminent danger to participants. At this point, everything is on at the scheduled times. We'll be keeping an eye on things and will update with any new news as we get closer. Please stay tuned."

Aside from my extreme fear of lightning, I have an aversion to waking up early. So, I really don't want to wake up at 4:30 a.m. just to find out the race is cancelled. But, I guess as long as it prevents me from running around screaming and crying like a little girl in lightning, I'll do it. 

A Bieber birthday and a run

J4CU8RZAF6YZ

Happy birthday, Biebs! Yes, I am a 30-something woman that likes Justin Bieber. I’ve got issues. This may not be the biggest of my issues, sadly.

Oops. This already happened.

Aside from a Bieber birthday party (I kid, I kid), I had my last training group run before my half marathon on Sunday. It was 40 minutes of pure sweat. It was hot and humid and disgusting. Aside from that, the run was fabulous.

I really don’t have a particular time goal for this race. Well, I kind of do. I’d love to get the same time as my half marathon three weeks ago. So, a 2:33 finish is fine by me.

Looking like a complete tool, but I was happy with my time.

The forecast concerns me a bit. I’m trying not to worry about it, but a 40% chance of rain and windy conditions are worrisome. Also worrisome is this race’s start time: 6 a.m. I’m not a morning person. I can handle waking up by 6 a.m., but being somewhere and being functional by 6 a.m. is another story. I apologize in advance to anyone I run into there. I will most likely be out of it and perhaps grumpy. Sorry.

I will recover when I get this sweet piece of metal in my hand.

That, friends, is why I chose to do this race. Believe me; it wasn’t that pesky 6 a.m. start time.