Coffee

So on my most recent run in Philly, I ran on the trail along the river, which includes going past Boathouse Row.  Beautiful morning, especially compared to Dallas in June.  There's always a fair amount of foot traffic on this trail.  Tons of people out running and biking, and a few walkers too.  My favorite part about the trail is that it seems to go forever.  There's a sign saying Valley Forge is 17.9 miles away.  Just in case I want to run 35 miles on a weekday morning.  Always nice to have the option!


Anyway, at one point, while I was running north (on the "out" part of my run), two runners were coming at me going south.  A man and a woman.  I didn't even get a look really to assess anything beyond that.  Maybe both in their 30s?  Overall, unremarkable.


As they passed me, I heard a snippet of their conversation.  She said:


"We got a new coffee pot."


It made me chuckle inside.  I almost wanted to u-turn right then and cut my run short just so I could hear where that story was going.  Or was it a story?  Or was she just throwing out a random fact for discussion?  Or was it just a random fact her running partner noted along with many other facts? 


We got a new coffee pot, and we put the old one in the garbage bin by the curb and found a baby raccoon inside!  And we decided to bring the baby raccoon inside and keep it as a pet. 


We got a new coffee pot.  What kind do you have?  I can't recommend this one enough. 


We got a new coffee pot.  I think I'm going to go shopping for shoes this afternoon.  My dog's name is Rambo.  Libraries are too noisy these days. 

It's so amusing to think about all the random conversations or thoughts that happen on runs every day all over this world. 

Being A Big Help

For whatever reason, growing up, it seemed to me to be the highest praise when someone told one of my parents (or when my parents told me) that I was a "big help."

I've gone through phases in my life when I've been a big help to others more frequently, and phases where that hasn't been common.


For a variety of her own reasons, my friend and boot camp buddy Megan committed to do a day of community service each month this year.  We were talking about New Year's resolutions, and she mentioned that one.  Even though it wasn't my own resolution, I asked her to count me in. 


Because of our work and travel schedules, there were a few times she volunteered and I haven't been able to join, so I tried to add a few of my own opportunities as well.


Here's a list of how I tried to be "a big help" in 2017, along with a few pictures, though I'll mostly save those for Megan in case she does her own post (since this was her idea and all!):


January:  Tried to assist with the illegal detention of immigrants at the airport.  This doesn't really count because, uh, surprise, I have no immigration law experience, and by the time I got there, they didn't really need warm attorney bodies as much as they did the day before.  I'm glad I tried to help and that I at least got to express my support for the cause. 


 

February:  Volunteering with Megan at a fundraiser breakfast and auction for Back On My Feet, a personal favorite worthy cause -- a structured running program targeted toward individuals living in local homeless shelters.  I ran with the group very briefly but stopped primarily due to schedule conflicts (but also mileage needs and not liking hugs), but love helping the group in non-running ways.  As such, I was so happy Megan found the opportunity for us to help their fundraiser be successful.  Megan thinks I used my line "first ballroom on the left" (complete with charades) about 300 times (directing individuals arriving at the hotel to registration for the event). 


March:  Setting up for a church service and serving lunch with Megan following the service at a new development in Dallas that has small cottages that are given to chronically homeless individuals.  I got to meet Megan's parents for the first time at this event.  My husband did not enjoy the church service (there was a testimonial that bothered him), but the people we met at the lunch were great, very interesting. 


April:  Painting a kitchen at the police department.  I have zero painting experience, but it was a fun day, though messy! 


April part 2:  Working a shift with Megan at a Habitat for Humanity "re-store."  I'd never been to one of these, it's basically a big warehouse/store with building supplies and furniture/decorations.  The organization had just moved into a new location, so we mostly spent the afternoon moving chairs and other items that were already there or were coming from donors, and sweeping.  But other tasks included pulling nails out of wooden beams, setting up a display area for patio sets, being a listening ear for a site manager who was clearly strung thin -- so stressed, so much on her plate in advance of the grand opening, needing to unload, and being "in charge" while the director went to eat -- that was when we realized that we may have been the only adults present who didn't have to be there -- lots of people doing court-ordered community service!  I only asked one person how he came to be working the same volunteer shift as us (a kid who was moving beams with us), and he said, "teen court."  Oops.  I didn't press for details, but he volunteered -- a traffic violation he said, and he was irritated that he was sentenced to more hours than someone with a drug possession charge.  Anyway, it was a fun day and entailed some physical labor and sweat, which I know was good for me.


May:  Playing with kids at a boys and girls club.  I'm a sucker for board games, so this didn't even really feel like volunteering. 
June:  Working a water stop with Megan for a Back on My Feet race.  On a "surprisingly cold for June" day.  In the rain.  In the pouring rain.  Hard to tell you how much more fun it is to run in the rain than it is to stand at a water stop in the rain.  It was pouring and we were at a water stop that only served the longer race distance, so we didn't get a ton of runners, and we all huddled in a car (including some in the trunk) after we had the water set up while waiting for the first runners.  Brrrr! 
July:  Helping to serve meals to officers working the local fireworks show.  Thankfully, I was not in charge of the grilling.  It didn't seem to be going well at times, but fortunately, there was a fire station directly across the street...



July part 2:  Sorted part of a mountain of donated clothes with Megan for Muslims For Humanity's Dallas part of Helping Hand.  The piles we sorted into were kids summer/winter, women's summer/winter, men's summer/winter, Arab, Pakistani, bags, shoes (and along the way, throwing out anything stained or torn that we wouldn't wear ourselves).  The basic distinction between Arab and Pakistani that we were told to use was to put any brightly colored items (saris, etc.) into the Pakistani boxes.  I liked doing this, but it felt frustrating because it seemed we barely made a dent in the mountain, despite hours of work. 

August:  Working with Megan at a United Way event donating backpacks filled with school supplies to kids in need.  We first worked a registration tent, then helped with backpack distribution, then we got to enjoy the festival and play games with the kids.  We spent most of our game time playing Jenga with various kids, so fun!

September:  Babysitting with Megan at a church one Friday night.  The program, Rays of Light, is set up for parents to bring their special needs children (and any and all siblings!) to get a night out.  There is a police officer present to oversee, and two nurses to help as needed, and about 20 (?) kids, and volunteers for each kid.  The boy we worked with in his early teens and was pretty much non-verbal.  His favorite thing to do was pick up big legos off the floor and throw them back into the box, which we'd then dump out again.  He could do it all night long -- and eat baked potatoes!  I'm happy we were able to give his mom a break, and I'm glad we were both assigned to the same kid, he kept us on our toes!  I absolutely loved doing this. 
September part 2:  Volunteered for a couple shifts in the police wives' association tent at an event. 
October:  Worked with Megan and my husband's cousin who was in town for a visit at our food pantry.  Megan and I were assigned condiments which meant sorting through a big pallet box of condiments to check expiration dates, load them into smaller boxes, and then label and close the smaller boxes.  That was especially fun for her with a broken finger (only one at the time, she now has TWO broken fingers!).  After we finished the pallet of condiments, we moved on to canned goods.  My husband's cousin was on peanut butter duty -- unscrewing jars to make sure seals under the lid were intact, checking expiration dates, and boxing.  It was a fun afternoon for all of us and something I really enjoyed doing.  Our team of about 20 did 8.5 pallets, a total of 11,200 pounds, filling 521 boxes and making for 9,334 meals. 

November:  Volunteered at another water stop for a race.  It was a warm day and after filling all the cups before runners came through, I decided my time would be best spent while runners were passing holding out my gloved hands full of ice for any runners who wanted to grab some.  Lots loved the ice cubes to put in their mouths, or just run over neck, arms, whatever for a second.  It was a warm day for a half marathon! 
December:  Worked at a children's Christmas Party with Megan.  This was probably the easiest one of all.  Basically, we just played Monopoly all night!  The game started with two girls who were in seventh grade.  After a while, they got distracted and others took their places.  It was fun to see them count out change, and the vast differences in mathematical abilities.  There was one girl who seemed fairly young and when she landed on a utility (Electric Company or Water Works), she could right away do the multiplication to figure out rent in her head.  But another girl who seemed older used her fingers to add up what she'd rolled on the dice.  And another girl who was super fast at math and subtraction in her head, even for pretty big amounts (buying property), still used her fingers to count the dots on the dice.  They were all fun and sweet kids, easily excited, very enthusiastic and friendly.  What a joy!  The organization was giving out lots of prizes and all the kids got gift bags. 


Looking forward to being a big help again in 2018.  It's so good when you have friends who talk you into being a better person! 

Movie Tonight?

Short notice, but if you like running and you don't have plans tonight, see if the Boston movie is showing near you!  It's in theaters for tonight only.  I'm going with a group of about 20 running friends and am so excited.  To add to the excitement, our office lets us buy a one-day jeans pass in exchange for a $100 contribution to a particular charity, and I bought one for today (since taxes and deductions are on my mind anyway!).  This way I get to wear jeans at the office today (which seriously feels like a huge treat), along with my Boston t-shirt!  And I'm hoping it will be super air-conditioned in the theater so I can wear my jacket too!  Haha.


Anyway, if you're interested in the movie, here's the blurb from AMC's website:

BOSTON: An American Running Story

2 hr 20 min

NR

Fathom Events, in partnership with Runner’s World, bring the first ever feature-length documentary about the world’s most legendary running race, the Boston Marathon, to select cinemas nationwide on Wednesday, April 19 only. BOSTON: An American Running Story tells the story of the oldest annually contested marathon in the world from its humble origins starting with only 15 runners to the present day. Following the tragic events of 2013, BOSTON records the preparations and eventual running of the 118th Boston Marathon one year later, when runners and community gather in support of one another for what will be the most meaningful race of all. BOSTON is more than a running documentary, it is a timeless story about triumph over adversity for runner and non-runner alike. This special one-night event will also feature footage of the Boston Symphony Orchestra recording an original score composed by 4X Emmy Award®-winner Jeff Beal (House of Cards).

Following

Yesterday morning on my run, somehow we ended up talking about girls (particularly young ones) participating in organized dance.  The general consensus was that it wasn't a good thing.  They were required to wear their warm-ups at all times at competition if they weren't performing because their outfits were essentially inappropriate.  My friend was talking about how he pulled his daughter out when one of their routines (at age 8) essentially involved twerking.  I'm sure there are different programs in different parts of the country (and likely even in Dallas) that are perfectly appropriate, but from my running buddy's perspective as it related to his daughter, this was not. 


I'll also say for the record that at my last job, my coworker's daughter was super into dance (and then drill team) and somehow I got talked into going to one of her daughter's weekend competitions and I dragged my husband along.  His comment to me afterward was that he was concerned he'd been placed on some pervert watchlist for even being there.  He found the whole thing hyper-sexualized and inappropriate and he said if I went to another one, he was absolutely not joining me. 


But I actually wasn't writing about dance.  (I should add as a final point re: dance that I wished more than anything as a child that I'd gotten to take fun dance classes and wear make-up.  A few years of ballet in my early childhood weren't even close to enough to compensate for my awkwardness, and ballet wasn't "fun" or "cool."  When I got older, junior high and high school, I so wished I could have been on a drill team or something like that with all the cool and pretty girls, for which years of dance competitions was essentially a prerequisite.)


Anyway, my friend was saying that his daughter didn't really care that he pulled her out of dance.  She bounced into soccer and then gymnastics.  He said he guessed she wouldn't be in gymnastics long term because she just won't have the build to do well.  We discussed whether he'd try to get her to run and/or do cross-country or track at some point.  He said that really, it's all about what her friends were doing.  She's content as long as she's with them.  They're all doing gymnastics together now and she loves it at least as much as she loved the dancing. 


At that point in the conversation, I thought (and likely said) that I feel like I'm not that different from his 8 year old daughter -- the main reason I'm up and running in the horrendous cold (well, by my standards), in the dark, and at 5:15 in the morning, is because my friends are there.  And the main reason I go to boot camp with such regularity is because my friends will be there. 


I remember all those times my mom said something along the lines of, "well, if all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?"  Ha, mom, maybe.  Especially if jumping off the cliff is something like bungee jumping.  Bottom line is that I feel very lucky right now to have an awesome running group and boot camp crew that keep me getting out there on cold mornings when all I want to do is stay in bed.  They take the place of the need for internal motivation AND they bring all those good things into my life that come with a strong network of friends from all different walks of life.  Feeling lucky.

Cardiac Drift

Cardiac drift is basically when your heart rate increases during exercise with little to no increase in workload.  It's normal:  even over 30 minutes of easy running, your heart rate may go up 10-20 beats.  So heart rate rises while pace stays constant, and there is no harder effort, no heavier breathing, and notably no higher calorie burn. 


According to wiki:

Cardiovascular drift is the phenomenon where some cardiovascular responses begin a time dependent change, or "drift" after around 10 minutes of exercise in a warm or neutral environment without an increase in workload. It is characterized by decreases in mean arterial pressure and stroke volume and a parallel increase in heart rate. It has been shown that a reduction in stroke volume due to dehydration is almost always due to the increase in internal temperature. It is influenced by many factors, most notably the ambient temperature, internal temperature, hydration and the amount of muscle tissue activated during exercise. To promote cooling, blood flow to the skin is increased, resulting in a shift in fluids from blood plasma to the skin tissue. This results in a decrease in pulmonary arterial pressure and reduced stroke volume in the heart. To maintain cardiac output at reduced pressure, the heart rate must be increased.

 

Effects of cardiovascular drift are mainly focused around a higher RPE (Rate of Perceived Effort); that is, a person will feel like they are expending more energy when they are not. This creates a mental block that can inhibit performance greatly.

 

Prevention or minimization of cardiovascular drift includes consistently replacing fluids and maintaining electrolyte imbalance during exercise, acclimatization to the environment in which one is performing, and weight training[citation needed] to supplement cardiovascular efforts.

Cardiac drift is not a new concept to me.  I've trained by heart rate for at least half the year pretty much since the first year I was training for Boston. 


And I've had cardiac drift set in on long runs, and particularly on long runs with pace work, and 100% of the time when racing a marathon or even a half-marathon.


But yesterday I might have experienced something new...


Cardiac drift on a weekday?  On a short-ish weekday no less???


Is that even possible???


(At the outset, I'm ruling out dehydration or warm temps.  As I mentioned, I recently finished reading Megan's book, so I've been hyper-vigilant about hydration, and uh, it's insanely cold here right now.)


As I mentioned, I feel like my running is slooooowly coming back.  I ran a 5k a couple weekends ago and I managed to keep all my miles within a tidy little 5 second spread.  It was disheartening to realize that that little spread was slower than my half marathon PR pace (now just over 2 years old), and only a tad faster than my marathon dream goal pace (a pace I have never actually attained, but I still regard as goal MP). 


My running would certainly come back faster if I could lose some weight, but even staying right where I am (about 5 pounds over the top end of my "acceptable" range, and about 10 pounds over where I usually am, and where I prefer to be), my paces are starting to steady out and get a bit faster.  It has certainly been a long road back from my ankle injury (I actually still have 2 months left of wearing a brace for boot camp).  But I 100% feel like I'm improving, and I love seeing the progress.  Definitely feeling optimistic about the state of my running at present. 


So anyway, yesterday's workout was a taste of my least favorite kind of run -- progressive tempo.  Just a taste though.  Instead of a true PT run (which I really hate, and usually on my schedule is 4 progressive miles, plus 2-4 warm-up/cool-down miles), it was just 2 miles warm-up, 2 miles marathon pace (well, it's heart rate training, so not actually marathon pace, but the heart rate zone where you'd usually run your marathon), 1 mile in the next higher zone (equating roughly to half marathon pace), then 1 mile cool-down.


Written out, yesterday's schedule was:
2 mile warm-up
2 miles zone 3
1 mile zone 4
1 mile cool-down


How did my run go?  I basically started the pace work 1 mile early just to delay getting dropped. 


1 mile warm-up
2 miles zone 3 (first mile was just staying with my friends as they finished their warm-up, but it was pace for me, so I counted it)
1 mile zone 4
1 mile zone 5 (very bottom of it, zone 5A as it is defined on our schedule)
1 mile zone 4 (by chance, would have walked for a minute to bring down the heart rate and get back to zone 2, but as I slowed, a friend I hadn't run with since November caught up to me, so he and I ran most of the last mile in together; kept the pace easy, but the HR never really came down)


So on paper, that looks okay.  Not great since I have no business being in zone 5, but it does look progressive and it looks like I worked very hard.  (Pat on the back?  Not so fast.)


But when I look at the paces I actually ran yesterday, it's a different story:
1 mile easy
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 30 seconds (zone 3, in theory, marathon pace)
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 15 seconds (zone 3 still, in theory, marathon pace) (but I did stop for water in this mile, so it lowered my HR at least a bit, without water, I may have snuck into zone 4 already)
1 mile goal marathon pace (in zone 4 though, so in theory, should have been half marathon pace)
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 30 seconds (zone 5A, yow, zone 5A should be around 5k pace, not slower than marathon pace!)
1 mile easy pace, but heart rate still zone 4


See that bold mile?  Um, that's not good.  I mean, I shouldn't be running in zone 5A at all, but if I do, gosh darn it, that pace better be significantly faster than 10k pace, and likely faster than 5k pace.  And uh, yeah, this was not.  Not even close. 


So is it possible that cardiac drift set in to this extent after only 3 "tough" miles????  I didn't think it was even possible for that to occur in a significant way in far less than an hour.  Is there a chance I was essentially sweating plasma?  I wasn't even that sweaty.  I warmed up a lot (unzipped my half-zip top and took down my ear band), but I just don't know how much my core temperature could have really increased in the cold weather we're having.  I drank water once during the run (at about mile 2.1). 


But as I write this post, the answer stands out in my mind, clear as day now:  I need more lactate threshold endurance work. 


Sigh.  Just have to keep at it I guess...

Running Quiz

Saw this quiz at the end of June on Hungry Runner Girl's site, and thought it would be fun to answer.  Especially since I haven't had anything to say lately!  Things are ticking along, and life as a Master's runner is remarkably similar to life pre-Master's.  Going to Pittsburgh tonight for some time with in-laws -- and (more exciting for me) an IRL meet-up with a blogger!  (Details to follow.)




1.  Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail? 
Tough call for me.  Both sound great, but the whole point of the question of course is to choose.  I'll pick mountain trail -- the elevation sounds miserable, but it sounds like it would be shaded and wouldn't be hot, so that would be nice. 
2.  If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be? 
I'm not sure what this question is asking -- am I to invent a flavor or pick an existing one?  For a new flavor, maybe like a cucumber mint?  I don't really like cucumbers, but cucumber infused water is refreshing, and the mint would be nice.  And that wouldn't be sweet, which I think would be a nice change from all other gatorades.  Of existing flavors, the only one I hate is red.  My fave is probably orange G2, but the blue is good, so is purple, and yellow is fine. 
3.  If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it? 
Shoes.  Especially since I JUST bought a brand new watch this week (need to post about that).  I should probably buy clothes since my stuff is all old and tired, but I always love fresh shoes. 
4.  Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run? 
Training plan.  Pretty religiously except on my two-three breaks per year (early May, overseas vacation, and Christmas/New Year's).  I usually have some "goal race" in October, and something else in April or early May.  Even if I'm not running that goal race hard, I'm on a training plan for it.  If for some reason I'm not on a training plan, then I'm still following one because I'm running with my buddies and someone is always on a training plan. 
5.  Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill? 
I'd rather start with the uphill.  It's hard for me to get going, might as well get the hill out of the way.  Plus, I love negative splits (though they often prove elusive for me). 
6.  When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do? 
We go to boot camp three days per week, if that counts as cross-training.  In terms of solo cross-training, none really, unless I can count Bikram yoga classes?  But those aren't solo either.  I've been thinking about getting a bike (my current expense wish list is doing an extra mortgage payment, revamping my everyday wardrobe, having cash money for our trip to Europe/Africa NEXT MONTH, getting lasik on my eyes, and buying a bike).  I'm also attempting to bump up my savings account with the expectation that I'm going to need to buy a new car soon.  So my answer to this question will hopefully be "biking!" if you ask me again in about a year. 
7.  What is your preference—  Out and back, point to point or loop runs? 
Point to point is first place, loop is second place, out and back is my least favorite (and, incidentally, what I do most frequently). 
8.  If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a: 
running buddy.  Keeps you accountable, can push you out there, keeps the runs interesting, safety bonus.  Is it cheating to pick that since it's not something you buy?  In terms of purchases, I'd say good shoes.  Spend the money there first. 
9.  Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs? 
Not really.  On rare occasions, we will see an armadillo.  That's probably the wildest and craziest thing.  We see rabbits sometimes.  There's also the occasional possum or a fox, once a coyote, and often dogs and cats (sometimes that appear to be stray or at least unattended).  I've seen some animals like deer and moose while running in other states, but nothing like that locally. 
10.  Ever gotten lost while out on a run? 
Yes.  Not often, but it's happened a few times.  Locally, if I'm lost, it's usually in the neighborhood by the J (Royal and 75), where I do my weekday training runs with friends from January to April.  We tend to spread out more those months, and it's so dark, and we have so many different routes in that area that are so unfamiliar to me, so I get lost there sometimes.  And it's a hilly neighborhood, so I get really nervous if I get lost!  Anything but extra HILLY miles!  I try to be a lot more careful about directions when I'm out of town so that I can find my way back -- so even when I found myself running in scary parts of Camden, NJ, I wouldn't say I was lost -- I knew exactly how to get back to Philly and to my hotel.   
11.  If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be? 
I'd probably pick a smoothie since I usually run in the morning.  Spinach, kale, frozen fruit mix, frozen beets, carrot juice, soy milk, Vega protein powder, chia seeds, and ground flaxseed.  It's such a pain to make it when I get back from a run and I'm dripping wet with sweat, so it would be nice to have that waiting.  In terms of a meal other than breakfast, I would like a huge salad waiting for me.  When I run home from work in the summer, it's so hot that I can't imagine eating anything warm and I'd love to have the perfect salad there waiting. 
12.  Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often? 
Shorts.  I have one skirt that I basically refuse to wear (I think I've worn it twice; not looked upon favorably by my friends, and I felt ridiculous).  I hate capris since I think it's silly to have a pant leg cut off at the widest part of your lower leg, but at the same time, they're usually more weather appropriate than tights or shorts for a couple months of the year here, so I do grudgingly wear them. 
13.  At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go? 
Usually about mile two.  Definitely at least two miles before track or speed work.  Ideally, I like at least 3 miles before starting marathon pace. 
14.  What do you do with your key when you run? 
On weekdays, I put it in a pocket in my shorts (another reason I hate capris, some of my capris don't have pockets, but if it's cold enough for me to wear capris, then it's cold enough for gloves and I just shove it in there).  On the weekends, I leave my key in the running store where we start and finish. 
15.  If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?
Boston, hands-down.  It was a PR at the time (and therefore a re-Q), and the crowd support and experience were unparalleled.  I had a bunch of friends running as well, which made it even more special.  Plus it was our second wedding anniversary and we were flying to Italy the next day. 
16.  What type of run is your least favorite type of run?
Perhaps the easiest question in this quiz -- progressive tempo!  I hate it, I suck at it, I frequently fail, and did I mention that I really hate it?  But I still do PT occasionally because I know it makes me stronger.  Fortunately, we're rarely asked to do PT in the summer.  So now I associate it with dark, cold runs in the neighborhood where I easily get lost, and that makes me hate it even more.  After many years of bombing those runs, now, when I see it on the schedule, I try hard to sandbag the first mile in hopes that it will help me to accomplish the goal.  It sometimes works, it often doesn't.  On the schedule I follow, when there is PT, it's usually a couple miles warm-up, then PT for 3-5 miles, then 1-2 miles cooldown, and each PT mile is supposed to be 15 seconds faster than the previous.  The way it usually goes for me is:  warm-up, then suddenly run fast, have a solid mile 1, then try to run 15 seconds faster, usually run about 20 seconds faster, then try to speed up another 15 seconds for mile 3, begin feeling like I'm failing, end up with a split matching PT mile 1, then try to speed up more (either back to mile 2 pace, or where mile 3 was supposed to be, or where mile 4 is supposed to be), fail miserably, walk until the split (the end of the PT), then run my cooldown, berating myself the whole time.  Miserable! 
17.  What has been your biggest motivation lately to get out the door to get your run on? 
Knowing I'm meeting my friends.  If I ran solo, I could see myself snoozing, dawdling or blowing it off completely.  While I do have a marathon on the books in just about a month (!!!), the way I'm running now, I'd have to be insane to go for a PR, so it's just going to be a race like any other.  So that race doesn't motivate me at all, it's the people waiting for me, the conversation, the companionship, the shared laughs about a bet about how many people we'll see on the bike path and joking that the bet's loser has to feed Bobby his gu like a little bird (Bobby was like, hey, how did I get drawn into all this?  I don't want any of you bastards anywhere near my mouth drooling gu!). 
18.  When you go for a run, do you leave right from your front door or do you drive somewhere to start?
Drive almost 2 miles to start.  I run from home occasionally (maybe once a week?), unless you count my commuting miles to/from work, obviously 50% of my commutes leave from home, but those are junk miles, not my quality runs.  For quality runs, I'm usually meeting my friends and we all meet at a running store (or at our hill loop starting point), so I drive to get there. 
19.  When running in daylight:  are sunglasses a must or an annoyance?
Usually an annoyance.  Almost all my runs start in the dark, so sunglasses are just an unnecessary pain for the first part of the run.  I often wish I had them when it gets sunnier, but I actually don't really like wearing them.  Sweat drips on them, or they'll fog up if I stop for a light, or they'll bounce around.  Plus, now that I'm 40+, I need to really focus on squinting more so those wrinkles around my eyes will really start to pop! 
20.  When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting? 
Depends on the circumstance -- my OCD nature, my friends, or the fact that I'm still miles from my car.  On the roads, I can rely on my friends or being far from my car to keep me going.  At the track, it's pretty much all up to me.  This morning we had 4 mile repeats at the track.  First one was great (3 seconds faster than planned), miles 2 & 3 were dead even (and both 7 second faster than mile 1), and then I was ready to be done.  I convinced myself to run the first lap of the last repeat.  Then I pushed to get the first half of it done and considered taking a break and then doing another 800, but then I figured I'd aim for 1000 meters, then it was just 600 more meters and I just wanted to finish it, even though I knew full well I was slowing down and there was no chance I'd stick my times.  I finished number 4 solely due to my OCD nature -- just wanting to check the box on my calendar schedule and fill in my 4 mile repeat times.  Mile 4 was 4 seconds slower than goal (so 7 seconds slower than mile 1, and 14 seconds slower than miles 2 and 3).  I read my husband my splits and he thought it was great.  I kept saying the times weren't the issue, it was the order -- if I'd run time 4, then time 1, then times 2 and 3, it would have been progressive tempo basically, a negative split, a thing of beauty.  I'd have been thrilled!  But like I said, progressive tempo is hard for me!  But either way, all 4 repeats done, all pretty close to goal time.  Sticking it out today for the win! 


If I read your blog, feel free to answer these yourself, I'm interested in your responses! 

Baby Visit II

Woo-hoo! 


I've got some work travel coming up this month that has me in Albuquerue on a Wednesday, and then continuing on to LA on Thursday.  My LA setting happens to be on a Friday, and LA is so close to San Fran, and San Fran happens to be the location of my newest adorable baby nephew. 


Yesssss! 


It just so happens that my sister-in-law is leaving town that same Friday, which means my brother will be spending his first weekend alone with baby Willard.


And that definitely means his big sister should come for the weekend and help (although she really has no experience with babies to speak of, at least not in the last 20 years since said brother was a mere babe himself)!


So I just booked a flight from LA to San Fran and I'll get a few days with the little guy. 


Happy!


And while I'm in LA, I'm going to get to have dinner with one of my best running buddies who moved there.  I kind of wish I had more time, because I have one former co-worker and one other running buddy I'd like to see, but this one wins:

Those are his buffs.  I always make fun of him when he wears one.  Now that's he's all Mr. California, he's got a bunch of them.  Anyway, I can't even begin to count the number of miles, and laughs, we have shared together.  About 5? 8? years ago, some woman he married dragged him out to Cali, and there he lives.  They come back a couple times a year since his folks are here, and they have their own cute little California baby (well, toddler now) too.  It will be so great to get to see him again. 

This makes work travel infinitely more fun -- combining with family and friends! 

Same story

Somehow, I scratched my eye again.  My eye doctor thinks I need to shift to wearing daily lenses, which are apparently even softer than the soft contact lenses I usually wear. 


It happened late in the day on Sunday, which was a bummer, because Sunday was actually one of the best weekend days in terms of productivity that I've had all year.


I got up early as always to meet my friends for 10 miles.  I am running with a new group right now, I was so tired of dragging @ss behind my usual running buddies, that I decided to take advantage of the fact that we run with a very large program with a variety of paces.  And I'm actually assistant coaching this group (the number of certified running coaches in the program isn't huge, so I'm always willing to help if they need it).  But before we started running, I was meeting another running friend who was dropping off a shirt I'd ordered.  So by 5:45 a.m., I'd paid for and gotten a new running shirt, gone to meet my friends, and already run more than a mile! 


It set the day's productivity bar high.


I was supposed to meet my running buddies for coffee afterward, but my mind was on auto-pilot and I just drove home.  Oops.  I had breakfast and my husband talked about going grocery shopping.  He decided he'd wait until I went to Chinese class so that we could hang out for the morning together.


I bet he regretted that! 


I told him I wanted to rearrange the downstairs bedroom.  It's been on my mind for months, and since I have a jam-packed weekend ahead and my brother is coming to visit the following week, it was really Sunday or nothing. 


Colossal project. 


Take all the books (and knick-knacks) off two bookcases.  Take everything off and out of the desk.  Move the bookcases to the desk's old home.  Vacuum under the spaces previously occupied.  Jimmy the desk into the bookcases' old home.  Reload everything.  We managed to throw a bit of clutter away in the process, but not a lot.  It wasn't my goal.  Then we had to move the bed and filing cabinet.  And more vacuuming. 


So worth it though.  The room looks awesome.  Much more spacious and it looks so much less cluttered!  When you walk past the room from our front door or garage now, it looks so organized. Instead of seeing a cluttered desk (the messiest thing in the room), you see the side of a bookcase.  You have to step all the way into the room and look in the corner to see the desk (which looks slightly less messy somehow). 


After moving all the furniture, we went to a restaurant on our block that we rarely choose but always enjoy.  We picked it because they had wi-fi.  Why we didn't just do all the wifi stuff at home I couldn't tell you.  Anyway, we got a booth, sat on the same side, ordered lunch, and then spent time looking at plane tickets.


And we did it! 


We bought plane tickets to Europe for October!  Woot!  We are flying into Madrid and out of Milan.  We'll still have to figure out everything in between, but the big ticket items are done.  The plan is to go south from Madrid and spend the first 5-7 days in Andalusia, Spain.  Then take a ferry down to Morocco, and spend the next 5-7 days in Tangier, then Fez, then Marrakesh.  Then we'll fly to Italy (into Lamezia), and we'll spend the next 5-7 days in Lamezia with my husband's family, or in Pizzo, the town where we got engaged and married (only about 20 minutes away from Lamezia).  Then we'll fly up to Milan for a day, or even just an afternoon or an evening, then we have a morning flight out of Milan, with a connection in Miami on the way home.   Having a connection stinks.  We have a direct flight to Madrid, and I'd much rather connect at the beginning of the trip instead of the end, but this just worked out better.  So excited! 


We stayed at lunch too late, and by then, I was going to miss Chinese class.  So we headed home and my husband went to the grocery store and I started cleaning.  I cleaned the rims on my car and did some serious cleaning in the downstairs bedroom, blinds, a bit more decluttering, filing, etc. 


That was when my eye started hurting.  I think I'm allergic to cleaning!  I could barely sleep Sunday night because it hurt so much.  Monday morning, I was back at the eye doctor right when it opened.  He put drops in my eye to numb it and said come back as needed.  I decided to work from home, and basically went back every 2 hours for more drops.  My doctor commented on what a low pain threshold I had, but geez, it hurt like a mother!  I took some sleeping medicine last night that knocked me out, and it was good.  I woke up this morning to some pain, and a lot of light sensitivity, but I'm actually at work now.  I've got the lights off and the blinds and the door closed (but we have a glass wall, so there's still light).  I figure I'll try to make it a few hours in the office, then head home early and get more drops if necessary. 

In Another's Home

One fun thing about staying in someone else's house is seeing what strikes you as odd or unique or noteworthy.  I meant to post this a few weeks ago, but here are the things I noticed at my friend in DC's house.

First, TWO blenders.  Both functional.  Because sometimes you need two? 

And TWO remotes.  Not unsual of course, but when you're staying with someone and she goes to work and you're home alone, enough of a mystery to require photos and texts to figure out how to operate it all. 

But most notable was the books.  Hopefully you can zoom in on these photos.  100% fitness, diet, exercise, and/or self-help books.

More cookbooks:

More cookbooks: 

More cookbooks:

And yeah, more cookbooks, since 5,525 other titles isn't sufficient: 

 

Haha, but for this friend, it makes perfect sense.  She's super-healthy, she cooks a ton, and she's great at it.  She's a friend from law school, but it wouldn't surprise me if she ended up as a dietician or nutrition coach or something similar one day. 

 

I wonder what people would find notable about our home.  I should have photographed my best friend's house in Charlottesville.  Thousands of shot glasses in her collection! 

Winter of my Discontent

What is the exact definition of the term "mid-life crisis"?

Reconsidering all your choices?

General dissatisfaction with your world?

Wanting a fast(er) car way outside your budget?

Well, if this is the winter of my discontent, at least it won't be a snowy, cold winter:

Maybe national running day will pull me out of my funk?  I ran this morning, which is you know, a given for most people who run, but to celebrate the holiday, tonight I'm doing a massive "inter-faith" national running day event.  By inter-faith I mean a bunch of largest running groups in Dallas are joining forces for the event and it will be huge -- over 400 people to be sure, possibly well over 500.  The biggest running programs here are basically competitors with each other, so it's particularly awesome I think that they're all doing a joint event.  Kind of like an inter-faith coalition of running. 

The End of an Era

Sad news for me this past week.  After resounding success for years, after winning the women's title and then defending it THREE times, I have lost my dominance at the local beer mile.  Second place female last week.  The 1F bib is gone.  Out of my reach. 

Sadder still?  It was with a PR.  But just not enough. 

It's not surprising.  I'm seriously out of running shape.  I don't think I could run a 7 minute mile to save my life -- and I haven't even tried.  It just sounds unattainable, so instead, I get out there and poke along.  It's okay, I'm dealing with it.  But when it comes to the beer mile, at this point, it's finally caught up to me.  And given how the beer mile works, the bursts of speed are critical.  You need to run hard for a short time, and then you get a breather.  Even if you can't run an X minute mile straight, if you can run shorter intervals at that pace (or faster), it works in the beer mile.  Can I go faster than a 7 minute mile pace if I only have to do a quarter mile and then get to breathe?  Um, based on last week, I guess not though I don't have my splits broken out by running and drinking. 

I've mentioned before that at least a few of the women who run the beer mile are much faster than me.  One of them just pulled the trigger and is committed to running St. George in October.  We have trained together for several years, but in the last year or so, while we start runs together, we never finish together.  She has pulled ahead by leaps and bounds.  She ran Boston this year about 5 minutes faster than my dream pace (and that was 15 minutes faster than my PR pace).  Boston.  This year.  When it was rainy and got windy.  When I heard last week that she was in for St. George (one of my favorite marathons), I asked her about her goal time.  A very personal question, but we've run together long enough that it felt okay to ask.  She's admitted she's going to target 3:15, which she'd tried to do a few years ago and narrowly missed (a goal I'd never undertake).  That boils down to a low 7:20s MP.  Honestly, I don't think I could do that for a 5k right now.  We aren't in the same league.  It was pure fluke (and chugging skill) that allowed me to beat her as often as I did in the beer mile in the past. 

Before the race, I told her this was the year she was going to beat me.  She replied, "you always say that."  And in the back of my mind, I might have agreed.  I might have been overly confident.  I'd beaten her by at least 30 seconds all 4 times I've competed in this race, frequently by more than a minute.  Little did I know, she'd switched to Fat Tire beer, which she apparently found to be more "chuggable." 



I was first female to start running, but she passed me on the track.  That's happened before on the first lap.  But this time it was different.  She passed me on the track every single lap.  One of the three later chugs we started together (she didn't so much pass me on the run as caught me), but on the other two, she started chugging before me.  And I finished chugging before her every single time.  I can still beat her on the chugs.  But no longer enough by enough time to offset the run pace differential.  After each solid strong chug, I got out there running, and she'd pass me.

So disappointing, but it was inevitable.  I cheered for her as she passed me on the last lap with about 150 meters to go.  She pulled ahead and out of sight.  I lost motivation and eased up a bit, reminding myself that if I ended up hurling and had to do a penalty lap, I'd have my worst time yet.  Since the title was out the window, relax and hold it together.

After I finished, I told her she might have to fight me for the title in December, I might try to reclaim the title.  But maybe it's time to gracefully step back. 

Just writing that made me laugh.  Nothing graceful about the beer mile.  Lots of belching. 

But maybe in December, when I have to wear the 2F bib for the first time, I'll be able to get back the 1F.  I really should fight for it.  Train, get serious, drop some weight, chug harder, chug faster, run faster, push, push, push. 

And based on how the men's race unfolded, there might be one person who also fights hard in December.  For the guys, the one who wins most frequently has been aiming for a sub-6 for a long time and he's getting closer.  I looked back at my recap from my first beer mile, 2 years ago.  He ran and won with a 6:15.  Last week, it wasn't his race.  He finished with a 6:07.  So I could see him working hard to trim 8 more seconds in December. 

I feel like I can relate to how Shalene felt in Boston last year now (overly dramatic much?).  She trained to run a 2:22, which she thought should have been fast enough to win it.  And she executed.  She ran the 2:22.  But a few women went faster than 2:22 so it wasn't enough.  She executed perfectly and ended up seventh. 

During the race last week, I felt like I was going pretty strong.  I can't really look at my watch during the race because the idea of remembering splits is out of the question, it's hard enough to remember how many beers I have left.  But it didn't seem slower than usual.  The beers seemed to be going down pretty easily, and I felt like I was pushing myself. 

In the end, I guess maybe just like Shalene, I had the wrong goal.  Instead of targeting a time, I should have geared off the competition more.  Easier said than done.  I tried to run my own race, thinking in the end, the woman ahead of me would fall back. 

I finally broke the elusive 8:40 barrier, getting into the 8:30s which seemed so unattainable before.  I managed to get a PR by 10 seconds, but I ended up losing by 17 seconds.  What now?  I really do think I need to double down.  Train hard for December.  Hard! 

For reference:
Second beer mile:  http://carinaruns.blogspot.com/2013/12/defending-my-title.html
Third beer mile:  http://carinaruns.blogspot.com/2014/05/beer-mile-3-peat.html
Fourth beer mile:  http://carinaruns.blogspot.com/2014/12/untouchable-beer-mile-iv.html

I can't even look back at those posts really.  See that word "untouchable" in my last recap's title?  So cocky, so confident.  And now I wear the 2F. 

Sigh. 

Boston pacing amusement

There's a guy who is best described as my ex-running-husband.  After years together, he left me for significantly faster women.  We "separated" temporarily when I was training for the Bataan Memorial Death March marathon in 2012, since I was doing all my training while wearing a 40 pound weight vest.  And I clearly remember my first "unweighted" run after that marathon, meeting my former running husband at the lake for an easy run together.  Thinking we'd pick up right where we left off about 5 months ago, and go back to running together happily ever after.  On that day at the lake, it was just the two of us running.  I felt like I was flying without that weight vest.  He was appalled (in the friendliest way) at how slow I had gotten.  We ran together on and off that year, but by 2013, we were both improving a lot, but he was doing so on a whole other level and we pretty much could never run together, unless he was just running easy and pacing me in a race or something, which he still does with some regularity.  Once he was out cheering for me at an after work race, a 10k, and he saw me at mile 5 and jumped in the race with me to encourage me -- in his dress shirt, khakis, and dress shoes!  A true friend indeed! 

It's fun to see him at races now, and see his times, and be able to say "I knew him when."  We're still friends of course, we sometimes go out for breakfast with a group after doing our separate runs.  He still invites me to run with his new fast group, but I know I can't hang.

Anyway, too much background there. 

So he ran Boston this past week.  He was planning on just running easy, targeting an exact re-Q for his age, probably close to 45-60 seconds per mile slower than what he would be racing for a full marathon.

Well, the weather in Boston started off good (cold, not too windy) and he knew it was forecast to get rainier and windier, so he instead decided to run a bit harder, but still not racing.  That meant instead going about 30 seconds slower per mile than race pace. 

He ended up with his BQ minus about 8.  Nice job, very impressive, and again, fun to say "I ran with him when." 

We're connected on Garmin Connect, so we see all of each other's runs. 

I had some free time and I looked at his Boston data.  He had a 6:53 overall average pace (totally inconceivable to me, that would actually be a 5k PR pace for me!). 

I could see the biggest pace changes immediately in the data.

It was clear he'd stopped for a little bit after about 30 minutes (shoe retie).  And it was clear that he sprinted for the last few minutes on Boylston -- his heart rate and pace were on fire!  He said he was basically racing one other guy at that point and it was an awesome push.  Paces well under 5:30.  Insane. 

But as I was going through his data, it was steady and pretty unremarkable except for the shoe retie and the couple minutes of sprinting at the very end.  Over the first 3 hours, he had instant paces fluctuating between 7:30 and about 6:20.  Usually clustered between 6:45 and 7:00. 

But then I saw a little spike.  The ONLY little spike in his first 3 hours of running.  The only sub-6:10 pace I saw in the first 3 hours.

Where?

Wellesley!  Haha.  Putting on a show for the ladies!  I love it.  He joked that it was better than the alternative -- having his pace slow down drastically, which probably would have meant explaining some kisses to his (real life) wife!  Haha.  Such a fun race!  Just seeing that and laughing about it with him makes me think I really need to run it again one day. 

Re-Qs abound

Yesterday at Boston, I was tracking three bloggers I don't know in real life, as well as 9 friends with whom I have shared miles over the years.  On the whole, this was a smaller group than I usually track, which was odd.  It seems like usually I have at least 15 friends running.  But it was just the lucky dozen this year. 

Anyway, I am happy to report that all but one of them (including the bloggers) managed to re-Q there, a few of them by more than 30 minutes, many of them by more than 10, and a few were within the 5 minute squeeker window.  The one who missed the re-Q missed by less than 100 seconds, so she was close. 

The general report was that it was cold.  The rain really made things wet and it was hard to warm up.  Multiple people mentioned how cold it was after the Newton hills, when you're usually at your warmest and getting into the last 10k.  The wind also got worse in the last hour or so of most races, but fortunately it wasn't as bad as it had been feared. 

I'm so proud of all of them, and currently feeling very bummed that I didn't do the race (though I'm certainly not in shape for it now, if I'd committed when I was considering it, maybe I could have been).  And I'm even more bummed that I don't (and won't) have a qualifying time for 2016, so I couldn't run it if I wanted to. 

:(

Guess I need to get back into the swing of things and do the work if I want to get there again. 

Seeing all their soaking wet but smiling faces made me feel so inspired and impressed. 

In Real Life

I think I'm just old enough that part of me is kind of creeped out about meeting someone online first, and then in real life.  But I may finally be ready to let go of that -- I've had nothing but the best experiences, and now I have a full trifecta!

The first time it happened was Megan, whose blog was also the first or second local Dallas blog I ever read.  I found her through Mike, and read what she wrote quietly for some time, and eventually started commenting sometimes.  She wrote about trying different cross-training options, and I invited her to join me and my husband for boot camp.  Not a lot of people are game for the kind of 5:30 a.m. intensity that we love, but she said she'd try it.  I still remember setting it up and making sure she'd have her own car and could follow us, just because it seemed so sketchy to me to meet someone from the interwebs in real life. 

And it worked out!  We go to boot camp together about three mornings a week, and occasionally run the same local races (and occasionally even run them together).  On the horizon -- potentially a marathon (New Orleans!).  She's a daily positive factor in my life -- actually, in our lives, my husband thinks she's the bomb too.  So first internet stranger turned out to be incredible and now a real friend. 

The second time it happened was Sara, another Texas blogger, who was going to be running our local marathon on her birthday as her first marathon this past December.  So I made sure I knew what she'd be wearing and watched for her as I cheered with friends near our house, and then planned to find her again near mile 20 and jump in the race to run a few miles with her. 

And it worked out!  She heard me cheering near mile 7 and waved since I called her by name, then we got to chat when I ran with her for a few miles starting at mile 20.  And we even met up to celebrate for her birthday dinner, along with her friend Amanda, a new-to-me Texas blog.  Fun night and we'll hopefully cross paths at more Texas races in the future, especially since we both run San Antonio most years. 

Well, this weekend, I was going for the third "in real life" meeting.  This one was different because I have read Aimee's blog for as long as I can remember reading and really following blogs.  I think I started in 2012?  And I think maybe I found her through Friend Making Mondays?  Or a comment on Bella's blog (which I think was the first I ever read)?  When I started reading, she had a young son who's now a little person.  Running was obviously something we had in common and by far the inital reason I started reading, but there was so much else I loved reading about -- her life, her family, her work, her time in the Peace Corps, and her voice resonated with me. 

When I was trying to decide whether or not to run Boston this year, one of the factors in my "pro-Boston" column was that she said she'd be there cheering again, and I figured we'd be able to grab coffee or something.  But then I decided not to register for Boston, so that plan wasn't going to work.  But then some time ago, she mentioned that she'd be in Marshall, TX this weekend for a vegan healthy eating convention (I wish I'd paid attention to what she was attending, because it would have been really interesting to have gone myself).  Marshall is only about 150 miles away from our house, so I sent her an email and said that if her schedule worked out, we should meet up.  On our drive home from Mardi Gras this year, I took note when we passed through Marshall and kept my eyes peeled for potential meeting places in between. 

And it worked out!  We had dinner on Saturday night, and we basically closed down the Italian bistro in Italian that we chose since we sat talking for so long!  It was so much fun and she already feels like a real friend.  I got home after midnight, so I ended up too tired to go run with my friends Sunday morning and had to do 13 solo miles, but it was so worth it! 

I'm thinking the internet's a pretty great place! 

I wonder if I'll meet anyone else, and if so, who?  Would it be Jennifer if I go visit my in-laws in Pittsburgh in April?  Bella when we go to San Fran for a little while in May?  Amy at a beer mile challenge?  Mike if I end up mediating a case in Corning, which oddly enough may happen in May?  Gracie if I run New Orleans?  Meredith at a race?  Newlywed Grace somewhere?  This is why I like reading blogs where I can tell the author is someone I'd like!

Tree

Well, I can't say much for UPS in keeping the shipping status current, but no sooner did I fret that our new tree hadn't moved from Buffalo where it was stuck in the storm, than the status was changed to delivered!  So we have a tree after all.  That's a big relief to me since I won't be home with my folks until Dec. 19, and since I probably won't see snow in Dallas before then, having our tree up and decorated is really the main way for me to get into the holiday spirit. 

Thanksgiving was lovely.  Our local Turkey Trot is 8 miles and it's my longest streak race -- this was year number 11 in a row.  Not a PR, but not bad.  I ran about 20 seconds per mile faster than the plan, but the weather was nice and I was running with a friend, so it was great.  And the race itself was a grateful experience -- running in general, Dallas having awesome running weather for a fair amount of the year, a great running community (it's one of the largest trots in the country, something like 35,000 people, counting the 5k), and perhaps most of all, my running friends.  For the first year since my husband and I have been together, we didn't meet up with my buddies before the race.  We just went to the start, but within minutes of getting into the corral, we were with friends.  First, I ran into a guy I ran with about 4 years ago, then one of my original best boot camp buddies (who had actually just gotten off night shift, was going to run the race, then going home to sleep from 11 until 5, then working that night), then more and more friends I love that I've met through running.  The race was more of the same.  Running with one of my buddies, but running into friends along the way, former coworkers, neighbors, everything, so much fun to share some miles (or fractions thereof, as the case may be) with them.  It was a new course this year that didn't highlight the prettiest parts of the city, but the streets were full, there were plenty of costumes, it made me get all teary right in the middle of the race -- I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratefulness and joy.  I'm a lucky girl and I know it. 

I've said it before, and in some ways it scares me -- I feel like life is so good it's just a matter of time before some shoe drops.  I suppose that's true actually, there is going to be a bump in the road.  It's hard to guess what it will be.  But I have to just enjoy this ride while it lasts.  Healthy, so in love, about to go visit my family next month, surrounded by friends who mean so much to me, a job I love, an amazing year wrapping up, all the material comforts I want, getting to see the world.  It just doesn't seem like it could get any better. 

After the trot, we came home to cook.  Our Thanksgiving contributions were mashed potatoes, olives and pickles, canned cranberry sauce, acorn squash halves filled with peas, rolls, and a dessert -- cranberry squares.  We had our big meal at my friend and her husband's house (he is my ex-boss).  One of his sons was there as well (just turned 16).  They made turkey (she's a vegetarian too, but neither of our husbands are), gravy, stuffing (in the bird and separate veggie stuffing for us), green bean casserole, glazed carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. 

The food was all amazing.  The downside to having been back from vacation for nearly a month is that our stomachs have returned to normal size and I wasn't able to eat nearly as much as I wanted.  I basically had a single plate full -- but it was very full.  And then two desserts.  We'd also had big bowls of greek yogurt with granola and blueberries after the race (plus a granola bar before and an orange in the car on the way home).  But then we had the big meal at about 3 and didn't eat again.  I was still full when we went to bed! 

In retrospect, it was funny because they really wanted to see our pictures from India and Nepal and Dubai so after we ate, we plugged the laptop into their tv and they looked at the pictures.  And they were both falling asleep.  It was like torture I bet -- here, look at 1,500 photos of India with an uncomfortably full belly and try to stay awake.  For us, it was kind of fun because it was the first time we'd really looked at the photos other than to pick out our Christmas card enclosure photos.  But they asked for it!  So we spent post-dinner looking at photos, sitting around talking, and then cleaning up the kitchen and packing up leftovers. 

Then Friday was spent primarily putting up the tree, and trimming it while listening to Christmas music.  Unfortunately for my husband, when we listen to our Christmas mix CDs, then it gets to be time to put on New Kids on the Block Christmas CD.  Oh, he hates it as much as I love it! 

I know CDs are so retro, but Christmas seems to be the only time I listen to them instead of digital music.

Anyway, as to the tree, I'm so glad we got it done.  We also ate two huge plates of leftovers, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving.  I think we each have enough for about 2-3 more plates, then it will all be gone. 

Our new tree was 6 inches taller than our old one, and I think we could have gone up another 6 inches, but it seems to fit pretty well.  Sorry for the iphone pic, but here it is: 

 

The plan for the rest of the weekend is to go for my "last" "long" run in a little while, write out our cards (at least half of which I've already addressed!) today, come up with a baking list for cookies, see a movie (hubby wants to see Foxcatcher) and get organized -- put away decoration remnants and pick up in general.   Then tomorrow will be a shorter run, breakfast with some friends, some online shopping, Chinese class, and packing -- flying out for work on Monday! So much better than having to travel on Sunday and having it cut into my weekend.

 

Houseguest week

I think my alcohol consumption in the last week was roughly equal to my alcohol consumption in the first five months of this year.  Yikes!

We had a friend visiting for the week and we had so much fun with her, but yow, I definitely drank a lot more than usual.  We went out to eat every night except one (Tuesday night she did the track meet with us, and then we had leftovers at home afterward).

She and I went to law school together (she was a year ahead of me, but we knew each other through a mutual good friend).  After graduation, we each went to work in separate cities, but within a year or two of when I graduated, she and her then-husband moved to Dallas and she came to work at the same firm where I worked. 

We lived near each other and we spent tons of time together, much of it at work, doing the typical big firm thing, we both pulled tons of all-nighters, or past-midnighters.  One particular routine (sad in retrospect) was that if it looked like we both had a late night ahead, we'd sometimes order dinner together from the same place and make plans to meet in the restroom on our floor at 10:00.  And without fail, as crazy busy as we were, we'd meet at 10, change into yoga clothes for working late, and brush our teeth and wash our faces before going back to our desks.  Having just a tiny little break and a chance to commiserate made it feel so much better that oddly, neither of us complained and in fact continued to work like that for years.  And go figure, I stayed single and she got divorced.  I could write an entire book on how big firm life can warp you and how unhealthy it is. 

Now, she lives in DC and works for the government and was able to manage a work-related trip here.  She came on Monday and stayed until Saturday night.  I was so happy to get the time together.  After spending so much time together for so long, it was hard for me when she moved so far away.  And it's worse because I suck at calling people or sending personal "catch up" emails, so while we were never fully out of touch, I felt like we were missing out on parts of each other's lives.  A week together was such a gift. 

We spent much of the week hitting up old favorite places and showing her a few of our new favorites. 

Monday night, we walked to a Mexican restaurant that is I think becoming a chain outside of Texas now (Chuy's, anyone have it not in Texas?). 

Tuesday night was the track meet, which was lots of fun.  I always think of her as being faster than me, mostly because she has been running longer than me and qualified for Boston years before I did, back when it still seemed thoroughly outside the realm of possibility.  She's taken some time off lately for a variety of reasons, but yeah, she's still an amazing runner.  She ran cautiously at the track meet and completely smoked me in the 100 and 200, and we ran pretty close together for the 800 and the 1500. 

Wednesday night was a girls night with another friend of ours from the firm where we all worked.  She used to live here in Dallas and we were really close (her son is my godson), but they've moved out to a very, very, very distant suburb so I don't get to see her anywhere near as much as I'd like anymore.  So it was a fun night of catching up. 

Back when all three of us were working at the firm (they were both married), my favorite place to get a drink and feel like I was being social (since unlike them, I was going home to an empty house) was to go to a lovely restaurant right by my house.  Many times I'd get friends to meet me there, and I actually had my 30th birthday at the chef's table there, so of course we were back when she was visiting this past week.

It was funny, I went running as usual Thursday morning and I told my running buddy, CW, that my friend had plans with her old boss to meet for dinner that night and I was kind of glad I was off the hook.  I love spending every minute with her, but I was kind of ready for a meal at home and an alcohol-free night.  I came home from my run and my friend gave me the news -- she'd rescheduled with her old boss for lunch since her old boss was heading out of town that afternoon, so we were on for dinner again.  (Nervous smile.)  We ended up at my favorite restaurant that night, a tapas place we can walk to.  Tapas is particularly nice with a fellow vegetarian.  And on the walk home, we stopped at the restaurant where I used to drink. 

I have always gotten the same cocktail there.  So I started with one of them.  And somehow seemlessly transitioned to something else.  When I crawled into bed after midnight, where hubby was sleeping soundly, I woke him up to tell him I had a new favorite drink.  "It's called 'vodka... on the rocks'!"  Is it possible for him to roll his eyes without opening them?  Haha.  Yikes. 

My usual cocktail:

The vodka:

But I managed to get up and go to boot camp a few hours later nonetheless, but there was a lot of time leaning over a railing and contemplating whether I'd feel better if I just got sick.

Friday night was a walk through the park, another restaurant (a fun purple cocktail), our local art museum, and then back to the same bar, this time with hubby joining us for the whole night.

Walking through Klyde Warren Park: 


My prinkly in pink cocktail at Stephen Pyles (didn't photograph the second one since, second verse, same as the first!): 

At the art museum, something interesting: 

And the description:

The main reason we went to the art museum was a special exhibit they had on Nur, light in Islamic art:

Then we just decided to wander the rest of the art museum: 

Something else interesting:

A description of what you're seeing:

And back at Abacus, this was a mojito, not sure where in the order it fit: 

And a big glass of "vodka... on the rocks": 

Saturday was sweating out a lot of the alcohol at a 90 minute Bikram class, then breakfast with another firm from the firm. I was wondering how that breakfast would go since they both came to our wedding in Italy separately and left as a couple for a year or two. It seemed like very shortly after they stopped dating, he got back together with an ex and within about two minutes got married and had a baby. Anyway, I should have guessed since they both wanted to see each other that it would be great and easy and fun all catching up together. I think it helps that they're both in good places now.

Not sure how any of them would feel about having their faces on a blog...: 

 

Saturday afternoon's highlights were shopping for cowboy boots and coffee with another friend we'd worked with, before we took her to the airport.

The house has felt really empty since she left, kind of a bummer.

But exciting travels in store for us this week, have to write about that later. Off to work now...