Running in a cotton T-shirt and other randomness

I have a lot of random stuff on my mind, so what better place to spew it than here (you may think otherwise ... sorry).

• I'm running a 5K on Saturday. In a cotton T-shirt. For a sweaty turtle, this is bad, bad news. Why the cotton shirt? It's a work-related run, so we all need to be corporate in our matching shirts. Great. I'll be a hot mess around work peeps.
  
• I get so irritated at the phrase, “I’m just sayin’.” Argh! It grated on my nerves to even type it. I really don’t understand its purpose. Obviously you’re just sayin’ because you just said it. See? There is no need for this ridiculous phrase. EVER.   
• Almost every weekend, we head to a dog park with a beach in Tampa. Being the baseball-loving girl that I am, I know that Derek Jeter (Yankees shortstop) happens to live on the island (not that I ever see him). Yesterday, Evan Longoria (Rays third baseman) tweeted asking for a good dog park/beach with real grass. Of course I suggested this park.

• I recently heard two guys admit that they sing along to Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend." As they should! That song is a jam (and reminds me of Justin Timberlake ... almost exactly). Don't be embarrassed, boys.

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

Day 22 (Sept. 27)

Due to a pesky thing called work, I missed our group training run on Tuesday. Boo!

But, I was determined to stay on track. After getting home late, and after it raining buckets during the day, I decided to hit the craptastic gym for a treadmill run. I know, I know. I already said I highly disliked the treadmill and that sorry excuse for a gym. But, it was after 9 p.m. by the time I was ready to run. And, there are some deep puddles around the neighborhood from the buckets of rain we’ve been getting lately (How do I know this? I stepped in one while walking my dog. It was a foot deep, seriously.).

When I arrived at the gym that looks more like a kitchen, I noticed the fan was unplugged. Since I sweat an extreme amount last time, the first thing I did was plug it in and turn it on. Well, there was a reason it was unplugged, it didn’t work. Argh!

I had some issues getting the TV working, too, but thank goodness, it eventually came on. After finding the Rays-Yankees game (Go Rays!), I hit the treadmill. After my last incident with the safety key on one of the treadmills, I decided to give the other one a shot.

Tonight was a speed interval night: four, three-minute hard intervals followed by three-minute jogs, with a total run of 45 minutes. All was well for about four minutes. Then, I started sweating profusely. Darn! This so-called gym is blazing hot!



I ran a 10-minute warm up, and then I started in on the speed intervals. I ran two of the three-minute hard intervals with three-minute jogs in between each. After my third three-minute hard interval, I walked the three minutes (solely due to sweat recovery) instead of jogging. Sweat was beaded on my arms. Sheesh! I did the next hard interval with a three-minute recovery walk (again to try and control the sweat). I ran the remaining time slowly (and sweat profusely). Man! I’m OK with the limited equipment, kitchen-like appearance, and cheesy artwork, but get some decent ventilation in this place, people!

Knowing for certain that this ridiculous amount of sweat would come across in a photo, I snapped one after the run.

Um, hmm. Maybe not. Sweaty, yes. But, it really doesn’t convey the level of sweat that was occurring (although it does showcase one of the causes – the broken fan).

I’m glad I got the run accomplished, even if it was in a sauna setting. So many nights after working late, I crawl home, watch a little TV and hit the bed. Things are changing, though! This training group keeps me extremely accountable – I don’t want to fall behind. I’d highly recommend a group to anyone training for a race (or just wanting to run, period). It really is changing my life (ha! That sounds so dramatic and so not me, but I really feel like this).