Bun Run 5K Recap

I woke up at 3am on the race morning with a scorpion climbing on my neck.  Luckily in full half asleep ninja style I felt it, grabbed it off my neck, and chucked it across the room.  Don't ask me how I didn't get bit.  It's beyond me.  Needless to say my adrenaline was pumping and my heart was beating out of my chest, so I didn't really fall back asleep.

We got down there about an hour before race time.  We met up with Jessica and did some stretching and a 1/2 mile warm up.

Before I knew it, it was 8:15 and I figured we should go get in line for our 8:30 start.  What a mistake we made!!!  The smarter people got lined up early, so we were literally in the back.  Behind strollers, behind kids, behind everyone.  It's easier to push yourself up through the crowd a little in the corral when you don't have a dog.  AND when the people with strollers aren't all in front. (I don't get this by the way, WALKERS AND STROLLERS should start in another corral!!!)

So when the gun went off....well it was a clusterf___!  Again not easy to dodge walkers and strollers with a dog in tow.  He was pretty confused, and I was pretty much dragging him through.  At one point these two ladies in front of me stopped...I mean dead stopped in front of me and I felt bad but I kind of had to shove them out of the way, I had too much forward momentum going to stop.  (AGAIN,You don't STOP in the middle of the road! This should be common sense, right?!)

It took about a 1/2 mile to break away from the walkers, slow runners, strollers, and other people.  After that it was just kind of hard to get Cooter going.  Lots of distractions. I lost Jessica somewhere around mile 1.  Instead of looking for her Cooter and I pressed on.  There was a lot of "c'mon Cooter" and "Your a good boy", etc...  It wasn't his day.  He was behind me at the end of his leash for almost the whole run.  The last mile of the race was straight in to the wind, and a gradual uphill.  It wasn't an easy last mile.

Our splits per my Garmin were 7:41/7:24/7:37 And a total time of a little over 23 minutes.  (Sorry don't have my Garmin right in front of me)

I waited around after the race because I wanted to see where we stood in the results.  Supposedly they had some technical difficulties and couldn't get the results posted at the race.  And here is the kicker....they posted some results later in the day....and I am not on any list, on any results.  I don't know if my chip didn't get read, or what happened.  I emailed the race directors and sent them pics of me coming in to the finish.  With other runners around me where you can clearly see their bib#'s and mine. They emailed me back and said they are working on it.

What really really upsets me about this, is that I think we made 2nd place dog.  And I think I might have placed 3rd in my age group.  PLUS, I would LOVE to know my official chip time.  POOR POOR race timing!  I am hoping they email me back again today and let me know what happened.

I was really happy with our time, and with the way Cooter ran the race.  I felt like we did good with a slow start.  Saturday before the race I did go buy some boots.  The guy at REI where I bought them recommended this cream/wax that climbers use on cracks in their hands.  He said he had luck using it on his dog's feet when they were cracked.  I applied it Saturday night and Sunday morning and I think it really helped.  I didn't get a chance to do a test run in the boots, so I didn't want to spring that on him race morning.

And a BIG Congratulations to Erin for winning 2nd place female in the 10K!

Thanks to my husband and kids for coming to watch me run!

All in all a great race day.  I didn't have any pain before, during, or after, and for that I am thankful.

I'm Nervous!

Cooter with a cracked paw.
Back is sore from tire flips yesterday.
Just had two glasses of wine.
Wish me luck tomorrow.
Shins have a weird ache and I am sitting watching tv.
First 5k in awhile.

On the Agenda

Well it's Friday thank goodness.
And out of sheer laziness I decided to take a 1/2 day off work.
I will be leaving around 11:15 to go do the lunch Hybrid Fusion at Dane's Body Shop and then headed north towards home.
My first stop will be to purchase these:

photo courtesy of REI
I got some liquid bandaid last night and Cooter seems to be limping a little less.  But I can't take any chances that it will tear more this weekend at the race, so I decided he needs some foot protection.
Yep, I am going to be the whacko running with a dog who is wearing boots....how embarassing.

After I pick up the boots, it's time to pick up Phene and head home.

I might be lazy and stay at home...or I might hook up the trailer and go pick up some hay.  I haven't decided yet.

What an exciting day, I almost can't contain myself.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Dogs Have Injuries Too

The other night as I was bringing the dogs in the bedroom to go to sleep Sean mentioned to me that Cooter was limping. I didn't think much of it. Our dogs play pretty rough, and I thought maybe one of them bit him, or he stepped on something....I really didn't think about it again...until.....The next day we went on our regular 2 mile run and I noticed he was limping again! 

When I got in to the office (where he spends the day under my deks) I carefully looked over each leg, paw, and hip.  There was no soreness and no tenderness at all.  I was hoping it was just a fluke.

The next day we went on another 2 mile run, and there was that limp again.  I stopped on the sidewalk and made him lay down, and this is what I saw...a small little crack.....

I pushed on it and pulled it apart.  Again no tenderness, but this is the foot he is limping on.

I gave him a day break and put some ointment in the crack last night.  This morning he came with me and we did our usual 2 mile run.  He was fine, seemed happy, alert, ran fast, but there was that darn limp!

We are 3 days away from our 5k race.  Now I feel like maybe he shouldn't run it?  Maybe we could go slow?  I am going to give him the next few days off.  And not take him out on the concrete at all.  I am also going to go get some liquid bandage and apply it to the crack.

Darn it....Injuries suck!  My injuries, Cooter's injuries....I hate being sidelined. And I feel like Cooter and I have been working hard this month, and we are getting faster...then this happens!!!

I Can Only Take So Much

Let me preface this by saying I am in a good mood today.  This post is no reflection of how I feel.  I actually feel pretty good.  I ran 5 pain free miles this morning, I am flying through my work, the sun is shining, the birds are singining....any way you get the point.

• I hate ice chewers.  The occasional ice chewers, and the aholes here at work that chew ice for 9 hours straight.  I have said it before and I will say it again, I hope their teeth fall out.  Ice chewing rates right up there with people who smack their gum.  I don't know which I dislike more.
• Speaking of dislike....I have been debating with myself lately....which is worse.  Scorpions or Poison Ivy?  Recently both have made their way in to my everday life and I am none the better for it!  Poor Phene has a pretty good poison ivy rash, and scorpions have literally been falling from the sky in my house.  Death to both I say!  If I had the means I would buy a head to toe poison ivy suit and travel the country burning the sh$$ to the ground.  And as for the scorpions....I would like to do something similar, but perhaps I would collect their bodies and pile them up in my yard, and sprinkle a little gas on them and BAM!  watch them burn.  You may say I am being dramatic....but if you have ever dealt with these fuck$ you would understand and perhaps want to do the same.
• Calf cramps?  I have NEVER got a cramp before...side cramps yes, but never a leg cramp.  Yesterday during my workout at Dane's while doing a medicine ball sit up hub/spoke...I got my first calf cramp!  And it hurt...luckily it went right away, but now my calves are really tight.  Even after rolling the crap out of them last night.  Maybe it was the box jump burpees.
• Speaking of burpees.  I f*n hate them.  They are hard, they make me feel like I am hyperventilating, and I am always SO glad when that part of our workout is over.  Who the f thought up box jump burpees?  Sadistic bastard!

As you can see I used a lot of profanity today.  It was necessary and I apologize ahead of time if you were offended.

Nobody Like Me, Everybody Hates Me....

Workout plan for this week:
Monday-Dane's Hybrid Fusion
Tuesday-3-4 mile run
Wednesday-Dane's Core Fusion
Thursday-Dane's Lower Body Fusion +2 mile run
Friday-Dane's Upper Body fusion+2 mile run
Saturday-yoga
Sunday-Schlotszkys 5k

Weekends go by so fast!  It seems like there is never enough time to get all the stuff I want to do done!

I woke up early Saturday morning and met Jessica at the park for a 4 mile run. I haven't had a run over 2 miles for a week or so, so I guess this could be considered my long run for the week.  It went well, I felt strong, and I had minimal to no pain.  We went at a slower pace than I have been running lately.  You would think running slower would be easy, but it's not.  I seem to feel a lot less pain in my hip and calves if I run faster.  The 8:30-9 minute pace really effects me afterwards.  My hip was a little off for the rest of the day.

We had another bday to attend for one of Phene's classmates so that took up most of our mid day.  Went to dinner, did grocery shopping, and came home.  We rented Mission Impossible and I was asleep on the couch by 9.

Sunday I did p90x yoga and in the afternoon we went down to Barton Springs.  We decided to bring Cooter as he is the most well behaved of our 3 dogs. 

This area is an off leash dog area.  So it's a little hectic with dogs running all over the place.  It had some shallow areas so Phene could stand and play in the water.  I think she liked it, but she was very nervous and I think just exhausted herself by worrying about losing her footing or falling.  It made me realize she is a lot like me.  I am not a brave person, more of a nervous person when it comes to new things.  I am hoping the more time we spend in the water this summer, the more she will relax. Plus, we are signing her up for swimming lessons at her daycare, so I am sure that will help.

Cooter was perfect and stayed right next to us.  We have never brought him to an area with water and he did really well, and I think he liked it.  I look forward to him accompanying us on our swimming trips this year.

And that was my weekend, and now I am back here at work :(

This coming up Sunday is the 5K I am going to run with Cooter.  I am getting a little nervous.  Tomorrow I plan on running 3-4 miles with 2 of the miles being at 5k pace.  I feel like we need to see where we are at time wise.  He's been running with me after my workouts at Dane's and we have been averaging about 7:30 pace for 2 miles.  Not bad, but I would like to run 7:15-7:20.  I think we are close enough where that's possible.  Hopefully like me, he will get a little pumped up with it being a race, and he will be able to give it a little more!

BTW, I think switching my blog name has made my posts hard to find.  I was looking at my page views and I went from about 30 a day to 2-3 a day.  So, please make sure you are following me at my new address.  Which you can see in address bar above :)

Have a great week all!!!

Damn you Lululemon

Well I finally bought in to the hype and started buying Lululemon clothes.**  Once you start you really can't stop because their stuff is so cute.  Their cuts are very flattering and their materials are very soft.  I don't want to wear my jeans or shorts anymore. I just want to wear my groove crops and groove pants.

photo courtesy of Lululemon.com

I asked my husband if he thought they were inappropriate to wear to work, and he said it just looks like I am going to workout.  I don't mind, we have a casual dress code any way...and they are just so comfortable.

My next purchase just might be these...They look super comfortable.  Not to workout in, but to wear everyday.  They are called the "Studio Crop". ($88...ouch!!!)

photo courtesy of Lululemon.com

I hate buying in to the popular trends...but I just can't help it.  Lululemon I love you...but damn you...you are going to drain my bank account!

**If you have not bought or tried on any clothing from Lululemon I recommend you don't.  Nike tempo shorts are super cute and 1/2 the price....Under Armour makes some awesome workout tops....don't do it, just don't do it.

New blog address please note!

My new blog address is going to be:
rainisgoingthedistance@blogspot.com

Please follow me again through that address....as this one will be inactive this evening!

Thanks,

Scapegoat

I don't usually get involved in hot topics. I don't really follow politics and I don't really follow the news. (Besides what I read on google news, and I mostly look in the entertainment section)

BUT....there is something that has been a reoccuring topic here in Austin.

APD....or the Austin police department.

They have a pretty bad reputation. And it seems that either APD has some major issues, or the residents of Austin are really hard on them. A few months back there was an incident that you can read about here. (And on the top of this page this guy also has an article/post about the most recent incident involving a dog being shot) And just last week there was an incident where a cop shot a guy during a struggle. I can list about 5 or 6 different incidents I have heard about just in the last few months.

Almost every incident is followed by some people in Austin claiming police misconduct. (Just read the comments on the bottom of the article above) The people of Austin say that the APD are brutal, unjust, and abuse the power they have. I personally can't blame the police entirely. Do I think the dog should have been shot? No. Do I think policemen/women make poor judgement calls, ABSOLUTELY!
BUT.... (!!!)
It's a tricky job. Just look at this. An APD officer is called to Walmart because there is a guy who is drunk causing issues. Who knew this guy had a gun? Who knew that he was going to shoot it? My point being that police officers are taking a risk ANYTIME they go to a call. Any call or stop, no matter how simple or benign it seems can turn in to a shooting/murder/chase etc...

They have to be careful, they have to be tough, and they have to be ready for anything. Alas, they are also human!

It's a tough unforgiving job. I think there are some "bad apples" that ruin the reputation of all cops, and it's unfortunate. Say what you want, but these are the men and women who you depend on in an emergency. Who you call if someone breaks in to your house, car...These are the people who will be there for you when you need it.

Give them a break...

Week Plan

Not much time this morning, but have to make myself accountable....so here is my workout plan for this week.

Monday - Dane's Lower Body Fusion + 2 Miles (done)
Tuesday - Rest or Yoga
Wednesday - Dane's Core Fusion + 2 miles
Thursday - Dane's Lower Body Fusion +2 Miles
Friday - Dane's Upper Body Fusion
Saturday - 4-5 mile Run Town Lake
Sunday - Yoga

On the Bandwagon...3 Things Thursday

1. I hate semi trucks at rush hour!  I don't get it....I was listening to talk radio the other day (yep, I listen to talk radio...I am getting old!) and they were saying that to thin the rush hour traffic out a little they are going to be reducing the tolls for semis.  See, there is a toll road that runs north and south and goes around Austin.  It adds about 10-15 miles on but it's usually pretty empty and a lot faster.  So, I am wondering why they aren't taking it?

This picture isn't very good....but I am telling you it is always a WALL of semis in the middle lane.  It makes it almost impossible to change lanes and really clogs up the road at a bad time!

2.  Though I bitch about the lack of mountains in TX, and the god forsaken humidity and heat....There are some AMAZING blue skies!

This is on the small country road to my house.  Yesterday as I saw this driving home I realized I need to stop and smell the roses more.

3.I am on the third Hunger Games book and I am loving it!  I read that book 2 was boring and I found it to be really good...I am kind of sad that there isn't a 4th one.  What will I read next?  Does this make me a teeny bopper?  I know they are teenager books, but the story is exceptional, and the characters are SO endearing!  I can't wait until they come out with the 2nd movie!

Ahhhhh Wednesday...............

It's mid week....Can't wait until this week is over! Ever had one of those mind numbing weeks where you can't catch up? It's my own fault really, but geez at the end of the day I am exhausted!

I went to my old run group yesterday for the first time in months! It felt nice to be back running with friends. We had a mile warm up, and then we were to complete six 800's. I did 5 nice and easy around an 8:15-8:30 pace. And then it was a mile cool down. 5.11 miles total. I felt great! Minimal tightness in my hips and calves made me SO happy! I hope I can keep increasing my miles.

Lately my hip has been on and off. I will feel it nagging all day one day, and then the next day not at all. I have been stretching and I am back to doing my exercises every day. I am S-I-C-K of even thinking about it to be honest. Wish it wasn't an issue, but it is so I need to be on it and not neglect or ignore if I feel pain or tightness. I really don't want to be at a point where I can't run again.

My workout plan this week:
Monday - Dane's Body Shop Lower Body + 2 miles (done)
Tuesday - Runtex group 5.11 miles (done)
Wednesday - Dane's Body Shop Core (done)
Thursday - Dane's Body Shop Lower Body + 2 miles
Friday - Dane's Body Shop Lower Body + 2 miles
Saturday - 3 miles Town Lake & Work with Ponies
Sunday - Yoga & Work with Ponies

This will be my highest mileage week in quite awhile.

Good luck to my friend Erin who is running Boston this weekend! Wish I could go drink some beers and cheer her on! Would LOVE to run a race like that someday!

Eggs & Horses, My Weekend in Pictures

Friday, our first easter egg hunt...

Our second Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Egg Coloring

And we got to spend some time with the ponies.  (And I got to ride twice this weekend which was SO nice!!!)

(Drinking out of the hose)

Just Tell me the Truth

Honesty is so important!

I think for the most part people are pretty honest. But a lie, is a lie, is a lie. Whether it's a small "white" lie or a big life changing lie.

I want to be a person who doesn't lie. But I do find myself telling these little lies quite often. For instance the other day I forgot to put a check out in the horse trailer for the farrier. I forget almost everytime he comes, and I know he gets annoyed. So, he started calling me later in the afternoon, and I didn't pick up. When I finally did talk to him the next day (yes I put it off until then)I made up some stupid lie as to why the check wasn't there. It was a harmless lie....or was it?

I know I don't like it when these little lies are told to me. I have a relative that babysits every once in awhile. Every single time she comes over she has some story/lie about why she is late. And I always think about how ridiculous it is that she can't just be honest...hey I know she is a late person, I am not offended, and I am used to it. No need for the lies. Even though they are small and harmless, I wish she would just be honest.

Do you tell lies? Big ones? Small ones? Do people lie to you?

I think the saying is true. Honesty is the best policy. Even with the little things.

So if you know me, don't lie to me, even a little bit. And I will make it a point not to lie to you.

Where Do I Start

Friday my dad flew in from Hawaii fro Phene's bday. I worked half a day, picked him up and we went home.  Phene played shy for about an hour and then she was so happy he was there and more happy he was hanging on every word she said.  We ate a quiet dinner at home and prepared for the next day.

Saturday we had Phene's bday party which went really well. Pretty non-stressful.  Only a few kids showed up (out of the 24 I invited!  I guess a few got lost and gave up trying to find it from what I got on my voicemail later that day.)  Regardless it was perfect weather with a nice breeze and really I have nothing at all to complain about.  Here are a few pics below....

We opened presents at home afterwards as we ran out of time.
She loved everything and got some great thoughtful gifts!

Sunday we went to the park and just hung out.
Monday, which was Phene's actual bday we went downtown to Zilker Park and rode the train. 

That night Phene had her first tumbling class.  It was the same place we had tried before, but they had a new location and a new teacher.  I think she is really going to enjoy it.  They jumped on the trampoline, did the splits, somersaults, back bends, etc...She didn't listen really well, but hopefully the more she goes the better she will get.

It's amazing to me how fast time has flown by!  I just can't believe she is 3 years old.  She is becoming so talkative and inquisitive and she drives me CRAZY!....but I love her so much and can't imagine my life without her!

Tuesday came and  it was back to work!
I did manage to work out Friday at Dane's where I did an upper body class.
Saturday I ran 2 miles and did Ab Ripper
Sunday I did yoga and Ab Ripper
Monday I ran 2+ miles
and Tuesday I had to bring my dad to airport and didn't have time for a workout.
I still feel off on my schedule!  I know my eating habits were HORRIBLE this weekend!  We ate WAY too much birthday cake!

My hip has been hurting me and I have had some shin pain which has been no fun.  I may need to roll out every day again?  I have been doing my hip exercises every other day, and maybe I need to start doing them everyday again.  So $%*%&*%* frustrating!!

I signed up for the K9 5k this morning.
And I feel pretty optimistic.  See the winning time from 2011 below....

I can totally beat that time!  I know it all depends on who shows up on race day, but I think we may have a chance.  And we have about 4 weeks to train for it.

Alright that's about as much of a recap as I can get in today, as I am SWAMPED at work!