Road Trip!

Ten hour car trip? Teach yourself how to knit, I always say!

Going through Gig Harbor, WA, to get to our final destination of Port Angeles.

Random bridge picture for the year!

I'm sure there has to be a fro-yo place around here somewhere but SOMEONE will barely bring the car to a stop to let me out to pee. I've gotten pretty good at rolling the landings, taking most of the force in my left shoulder. Kidding, I am.

Don't feel too bad for me. Soon I will have access to all the free Dairy Queen a girl could want.

Hi mom! We're home!!

What is your favorite blizzard? And I don't want to hear that you don't like them or any of that crap. Mine is pb cup (shocking!) Made with chocolate ice cream.

PS First blizzard down the hatch.

If you're chubby and you know it clap your hands

Yesterday’s workout: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred with a side of Reese’s PB Cup Trees. Two to be exact. Cuz I hear that candy is the perfect way to make sure you’re fueled properly for lifting weights.



The rest of the week is a vacation week for me. I remembered one of the reasons I like leaving the house each day to go to work. Two reasons actually. The first is that I remember to eat on a schedule. I like me some schedules. I try and put myself on one over the weekends but it’s rare for me to be successful. The other reason is that I’m pretty good at finding where my husband stashes the chocolate. Relax. It’s my chocolate that I’ve asked him to hide for me. I wouldn’t eat his. Unless he left it out in the open. Or shoved it to the back of his sock drawer. Fair game. That’s what I say.

Speaking of vacation, I seem to have taken one from running again. I know I’ll be back at it and I do have a cut off date for being a slacker. Wanna take a guess as to what date that is? I know I will be working on my goals for the New Year. Anyone want to tell me their’s so I can just copy them? If getting pregnant is one of them, you can shove it though.

I’m sure you’ve been on the edge of your seats and dying to know what other perfumes I’ve tried? Ms. Pucci by Emilio Pucci practically jumped out of the basket. The picture of the bottle looked interesting and I thought it might be sophisticated and classy for Christmas festivities...but it lasted only two days. The little pump was whacky and didn’t work well but even so, there just didn’t seem to be much of a sample in it. And I couldn’t see how much was in there since the little vial was white. Poochy…that’s what goes through my mind. You are what you spray, don’t they say? SO a big poochy no to Miss Pucci.


They say:

Youthful, fresh, and seductive, miss Pucci is undeniably modern while opening a window to the retro Pucci lifestyle of vibrant color, perpetual motion, and sun-soaked destinations. This sparkling musky floral comes alive with the elegance of magnolia and the lightness of Sicilian winter lemon, playfully blossoming to heart notes of Turkish rose and seductive Comoros ylang-ylang. Its base lingers on woody Texas cedar, powdered iris from Florence, and the delicate sensuality of white musk.

The bottle, created by Parisian designer Ora Ito, uses kaleidoscopic ribbons of color to playfully tie together feelings of freedom, sophistication, and beautiful style that belong to the quintessential "Pucci girl."

All I picked up on from that description was Poochy Girl. ha! It was rather strong and flowery, but decent. I would have like to have tried more of it for a longer time frame. Especially by Escada still gets my vote out of what I’ve sampled so far.


Boyfriend by Kate Walsh was next up. I dressed up all sporty spice today and wanted something kind of clean and sporty. I thought Boyfriend would be right up my alley. The blurb said something about “You love your boyfriend, so why don’t you wear him?” Yeah, something like that.



They say:

You don't need a boyfriend to have Boyfriend, the new fragrance created by "Private Practice" star Kate Walsh. Inspired by the longing felt for her boyfriend's warm scent, Boyfriend combines muguet, dark plum, myrrh, and night blooming jasmine to create a seductive floral fragrance. Topped off with amber and woody musk, this intoxicating scent includes all the notes that make your eyes roll—just like him.

Umm…a little strong and not something I would want my boyfriend to smell like. And that got me thinking…why would I want to smell like a boy? Isn’t that kind of creepy then if my husband were to really dig that scent on me? And I said dig cuz he would say dig. “I’m digging that you smell like a dude.“ Creepy. If I wanted to smell like my boyfriend then I would wear his cologne and start growing a beard? Ok not. Just stick with the pajama shirt or steal his favorite hoodie. That’s what I do.

Ok, so back to New Years. What do you have in the works?

Are you going to be lame with me and set some resolutions?!!

This is your brain on Pinterest

In an effort to give a little more emphasis on the “do stuff” part of this blog, I thought I might bless you with my offerings of craftiness. But first, lemme tell you that I survived some last minute, Christmas shopping! (And I guess I should fess up now that I intended to post this on Christmas Eve BUT, wrapping presents and showing up on my parent’s doorstep for a surprise, “Hey do you have any leftovers for dinner?”…well it all got the best of me. PS Mom, the lasagna was amazing!)

The survival must all be in part to my super Ghost Protocol spy skills I picked up. Great movie! For however long the movie was, I forgot that I think Tom Cruise is a whack-job. He is THAT good of an actor, I guess. This guy is the one that I was curious about and almost forgot that I needed to google him when I got home. Google not ogle. He’s no Will Smith. For sure. He’s ok. The end.


Oh! Guess how my morning started?! I was reading a favorite running blog of mine called Shut Up and Run. Beth, my new BFF (Cuz I asked her if it meant that we were and she said yes. The proof is in the email!) was announcing the giveaway for a sports endurance drink called Zipfizz. So I was reading who the winner was, and I was all like, “Hey the winner spells her name just like me. Weird.” Oh and “Hey, her blog has the same name!” And then I read, “and she’s lost 100 pounds.” And I was all like, “HOLY CRAP that ISSSS me!” Completely excited and mortified at the same time!! Cuz it’s not everyday that someone announces for you to the internet, “This chick used to be fat!” So yeah, that’s me. All lucky and crap. With a new BFF that has encouraged me through her blog that it is fine and dandy to share TMI issues when it relates to running. And even when it doesn’t. Lucky for you that only consists of tinkle triumphs. Like this one. I’ll be sure to tell you all about the Zipfizz when it makes it’s way to my doorstep.

Wrapping up a storm here in the Sandhu house. I always say I won’t wait until the last minute. Haha!! I wet my pants laughing. (See, I told you it doesn't always relate to running.)Maybe next year?

The "Do Stuff" part:

Behold, the snazziest and easiest Christmas decoration I have made in…well, years. I put the crafty side of my multiple personalities away for a long time. It’s BREAKIN’ FREE I tell ya!

I also discovered after making a few of these puppies that olive oil does in-deedy remove spray adhesive and will unstick your thumb from your pointer finger. That or you could wear gloves. I LURV me some glitter. I’d say the shiny stuff and not the movie, but I haven’t seen the movie. And I will never.


Next up on the agenda is a little money/gift card holder that I made for our secret santa exchange at work. Plastered all over the “About me” sheet I received from my coworker was the word Farmville. Hey, whatever floats her farmyard. I couldn’t NOT get her a gift card yet I wanted something to snazz it up a bit. I followed this tutorial that I found on Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest is my new black tar heroine. And don’t be silly, I’ve never touched the stuff. This was rather easy to make…next one will be easier. She got the guinea pig you could say. But very cute, no? Ooooh the ideas to make more!


Laps make the perfect backdrop for small homemade gift items.



After I purchased my first no slip headband, I was all like, “Hey, I could make these.” And so I did. Everyone around me has been getting them for gifts. Girls mainly. With hair…to keep out of their face. And ones that like to work up a sweat. Although, I have worn different versions to work. I even sold my first three headbands. Rather I was coerced into selling them. Basically she said, “I want three and I WILL PAY YOU!” I was way too scared to shout back “NO YOU WILL NOT GIVE ME MONEY!!!” And besides, I’m really not that much of an idiot.

Because laptops might be a better backdrop than laps. I just keep getting better and better!

It’s obvious that the day we call Christmas has come and gone. I’m sincerely hoping that all my friends don’t hate me because I didn’t send out “Merry Christmas” texts nor did I post a thing on Facebook. I moped around a bit because it was my first Christmas without my girls. You should feel sorry for me. HOWEVER THEY DOOOOO COME HOME TODAY!! And we will pretend it’s Christmas day all over again. Complete with monkey bread! And probably less tears on my part.

And now, I need to quit wasting my time with this blog and go shoot up some Pinterest!

Especially Stupid

I knew that you would all be highly entertained or just mildly interested in knowing that I have a slight obsession with perfumes. I am definitely NOT one of those that wears perfume to the gym so don't get your spandex in a bunch!

A recent order to Sephora online scored me a deluxe sample of perfumes for free. Freeeeeeee! There were 12 samples but 4 of them were for men. Boo to that but yay on the cheap yet maybe tacky stocking stuffers for the hubs?

(Sephora is awesome for peeps like me that only have access to fine establishments like Walmart when you run out of your favorite eye shadow. Shipping is free when you purchase over $50 and the samples and specials are always fun little extras! I have been known to go in to a Sephora to try stuff out but then purchase the items online cuz you get way more freebies.)

Ummkay, long winded squeal about Sephora over. Here's my somewhat opinionated but not too in depth blabbering:

The first one I tried a couple of weeks ago was Jennifer Anniston's new fragrance. Guess what it is called?!?! JENNIFER ANNISTON! (All caps and the exclamation point are all my own emphasis. I know, I'm cool.) I'll have to save that one for later, but I'll leave you with this. Sadly Sadly. Unimpressed. But I'm not saying I've given up hope on it yet! The next sample I reached for after breaking up with Jen was Escada's "Especially".


Not my picture. And much bigger than the little vial I have.

Oh no! I forgot to tell you that I'm not good at describing things well. Certainly not in a way that might make sense...scents HA!...to a real perfume expert. This one smells a little sharp and soapy. Still feminine but not all flowery. I think it smells grown up but not old lady-ish too...classy I guess? But then I am turning into an old lady, so what do I know.

Basically, I like it and have received two compliments from coworkers that it smells nice. Bonus! Just for hoots, I went and read what the "experts" really say about this perfume. Guess I won't ever be working in marketing for Escada.Go buy some and tell them you like my description better!

Would I buy the perfume? Yep
Would I pick it over Jennifer Anniston's perfume? In a heartbeat! Unless you made me say it to her face. In that case, I would give her a dozen cake pops and ask if we could French braid each other's hair.


THEIR Description:

Especially Escada
A luxurious and feminine scent, Especially Escada carries a joyful, spontaneous, and glamorous spirit. Inspired by the glistening scent of morning dew on a sparkling rose, Especially Escada says luxury, but in a modern and light-hearted way.

The fragrance opens with a sparkling top note of pear and combines with the exotic notes of ambrette seeds. A luxurious combination of rose and ylang ylang radiates a fresh and natural aura of floral joy and happiness. Light musky notes complete the scent, adding a subtle touch of femininity.

Notes:
Pear, Rose, Ambrette Seeds, Ylang Ylang, Musky Notes.
Style:
Bright. Delicate. Sparkling.

Oh look! Bar wears this stuff. Maybe my hair, and body, and face will look like her's if I start wearing this stuff?!

My description versus theirs? Leaves room for imagination?

What perfume is your current fave?I've tried a lot but not a ton and now, I can't remember any names of them. If you show me the bottles I could tell you if I've tried it a lot.

PS That reminds me-as a kid, my mom always wore Toujours Moi by Coty I think it was? I would save up and buy her a bottle from Payless...back when it was not a shoe store...and before it was bought out by Rite-Aid. It's wear the cool kids shopped. Shut up.

The Paloooooza of all things that are Weddings/Thanksgiving and Fro-yo!

Paraphrasing to me is like the unedited version of “War and Peace.” But the good thing about me is that I never give up. So let’s try this puppy!

The Sunday before Thanksgiving (too lazy to see what the date was) we had our Thanksgiving dinner. Just our family…all seven of us. And then my parent’s and bro came over for dessert. I was pleasantly surprised that we pulled off the dinner so well and no one got strangled or murdered.

Then there was this whole blur of a week in which the hubs left with a few of the kids and then I joined him with the rest of the kids for a little shindig that we will call, “A small, quiet, uneventful wedding.” SQUW for short. And secretly I’m dying laughing inside at my private joke. It was Shamu’s sister’s wedding. Younger and the only sister. ANYTHING with his side is never small, never quiet, and never uneventful. So combine the younger and only sister part with his family and let your imagination go. The end.

I kid. That’s not the end. But remember…I’m trying to keep this short.

So we drove 5 hours on T-Day to the land that some people like to call California. We ate at Del Taco. Gross! Got a tattoo. Cool!

 

Not impressed with The Taco that is Del, but was thankful that they were open and that I was able to get back to the hotel without getting lost.

 

Here's the mehndi aka henna before. Interesting little note: I slept with my bangles on so it wouldn't scrape the henna off. In the morning, it looked like I had slept with a bunch of rats that had pooped the bed.

 

In the morning after I had picked and scraped off the henna. That's my one daughter's hand. (I don't have two left hands. And that's my hubs in the background. Not wearing pajamas. That's actually part of what he wore to the wedding.)


SQUW Black Friday….wedding. Lots of waiting around. Lots of not understanding what was going on because everyone speaks Punjabi but me. Lots of just observing and staying out of the way…which is easy because we weren’t important, we don’t speak Punjabi, and everyone else was caught up in what they were doing so we got forgotten about. Occasionally I would hear a, “Where’s Amee.” Uh…you’ll find that flower…over on a wall. Hiding somewhere. Wall flower…get it?!

 

Here I am though standing next to my sister in law. She's rather gorgeous, right?


SQUW Saturday…the reception. This day was totally more fun because alcohol was involved!

 

I just adore this fool.

 

My oldest daughter and I. She is wearing her first sari. She has only worn suits and lenghas before.


SQUW Sunday…drove home. Uneventful...exhausted.

I only squeezed in one run on Saturday. However I DID squeeze in two trips to two different fro-yo shops!

 

Running with mehndhi at Maidu Park in Roseville, CA.

 

Guess which one was mine? Hint: the one that is smothered with Almond Roca pieces! Yotopia was our fave fave but the Big Spoon that we had the night before was good...just not fave. Neither place beats Yogurtland but put's Klamath's Frosty Spoon to a pitiful shame.


And then from Monday to today…it’s been a blur of life, trying to recover from exhaustion, and trying not to murder anyone cuz it’s shark week. I have progressed from having the urge to punch people to just, hey let’s just get it over and call it homicide.

Oh yeah, and there was a little addiction I got invited to called Pinterest.

THE END! Woot to the keep-one-eye-open- or- you- might- wake- up-dead hoo!

Attacked by a bird of prey…not my idea of fun.

I don't know what it is about me and blogging. I start writing, have to put it on hold and then never seem to get it posted that same day. Wait, that sounds like my life. Yup, I am a procrastinator if ever there was one. I'm trying to work on that, but I'll get back to that later. HA! So for funsies…I will just alter what I wrote instead of trying to make it sound like it just happened. (That SO didn't make sense. I'll just do it and you see if you can keep up. See?! It will be FUNNNN!!!)

I was so proud of myself yesterday Saturday for sleeping in until 7:30am. I almost managed to do that again today Sunday. I have this horrible habit of waking up in the middle of the night and checking the clock to see how much more time I have to sleep. Saturday morning is the day I do my long runs and 8 miles was on the books. It was looking pretty frozen outside so I was vomiting in my head at the thought of running 8 miles on the treadmill. BUT, when you are such a great procrastinator (HEY LOOK I FORSHADOWED myself without knowing it!!) like me and you go to JoAnn Fabrics to use your 60% off coupon AND pick up fixins for the kids to make their own breakfast…the temperature has a way of creeping up from a frigid 22 degrees to a rather toasty 28. Woot! That kind of bikini weather meant that I was running outside!

How fun does that not look?!

I finally set out to run at 11am. I was pretty pleased with how I had layered my clothing. It's my ongoing science project to learn what works best for me and at what temperatures. My hardest mile to run was 3-4 with the wind in my face and mile 7 (11:00:08 pace) which was uphill. Between miles 3-4 I was arguing with myself about calling my hubs to have him come pick me up. At mile 5 my iPod ran out of juice, CRAP! And that is when I saw the biggest hawk? I think it was a hawk…staring down at me from his perch on top of the telephone pole. That's when I told myself, "Don't make eye contact and try to not look like a mouse while you're running."

Pleased with my eight miles, I got giddy remembering that I had chocolate milk to refuel with at home. I contemplated the podcast I had managed to listen to about race recovery and I wondered if you ran in freezing weather, if that constitutes as an active ice bath. What do you think? I was a pop-sicle by the time I got home so I threw myself into the shower as soon as I walked in the door. Well as soon as I poured myself a glass of chocolate milk, that is.

This is where I wandered away from my computer and then never got the rest of the blog finished or posted. Saturday really was a great day…relaxing but busy. I got the house cleaned, laundry done, all my Scentsy pots refilled with fresh Autumn scents, AND I started working on a craft project that I'm SOOO excited to share with you when it's done, but you can't tell my mom since she's getting it for her birthday…or Christmas.

Lastly, Shampoo and I had a date night at home. Plus a small miracle…all of the kids were gone. Nearly all. Just one remained, holed up in her room with a movie. She wanted the alone time so don't feel too sorry for her. Her had a busy week. (That's how I talk to babies, animals, and people acting like babies, so no, I didn't type that incorrectly.) OK, so date night! I made Creamy White Chicken Chili and a crumb cake. All domesticated and flashy like a nightclub. Then we snuggled down for a marathon of Grey's Anatomy and other shows that I only make it through the first 10 minutes of before I fall asleep. Such party animals!

Creamy White Chicken Chili

This chili is amazing! I love it sooo so much! (I found the recipe over on Eat, Live, Runand stole her picture too. Go check out her blog though!) I haven't tried it with a reduced fat sour cream. Oooh or could you substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream? I'm scared to try as I would hate to ruin a batch of this deliciousness.

 

Anyone else obsessively check the clock when they should be sleeping?

Although I wouldn't want to be attacked by either, I would much rather engage in punching shenanigans with a hawk versus a grizzly bear. How about you?

The Peon Version of "Normal or Not"

Sometimes it's necessary to just get out there and mingle with the public. You know, to be "normal" and all and stay connected with your roots. I chose a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, paired with my jacket you know, to blend in with my surroundings. I wore shoes too, duh.

So a trip to Fred Meyer's it was! My basket was laden with all the essentials:



Runner's World magazine (Because I've get to break down and subscribe, and really, what would be my purpose to leave the house if it was delivered to my doorstep?)

GUM! (Because gum is perfection.)

A notebook (Because I don't have enough partially filled ones lying around the house to start taking notes at a moment's notice.)

Coconut water (Because Duh! On sale for .99 cents! You'd be a moron to pass on that.)

Beeswax candles and oil (Because my ears hurt and Hilliary tried it and loved it and because I've been curious if it would help with the damage that the ear plugs may be doing?)

Coconut scented lotion (Because I love coconut EVERYTHING! Coconut fro-yo, coconut water, milk, oil, candy, everything coconut I heart. Seriously. Except a coconut bra. I don't think I like those. Nor could I fill one up.)

Walnuts (Because coconut in my oatmeal each morning...well now, that does sound delicious. Hmmm...!!??!)

What's missing in the picture? Ooooh maybe my newly cleaned ring that was getting all shiny while the shopping shennanigans were underfoot? And definitely missing is the box of tampons which really was the whole reason I set out in the first place. $6.19 purchase turned into $40ish dollars. That's how I roll.

This should leave you dizzy

 

Why the random dog picture from this summer? Because it sums up this particular post in one perfectly grammar erred sentence...


This post don't make no sense!


You've been warned. And you should probably stop reading now.

This morning as I ran, I listened to a podcast and I had a mini wake up call. The gist of it goes something like this:

Losing weight is sexy. Maintenance is boring. Losing weight is cool....the more amount you lose, the bigger the recognition. No one is really amazed when they find out your weight loss transformation was a total of 10 pounds. So let’s say you’ve lost upwards of 50 pounds…pretty cool. Ok very cool. Awesome even. The transformation is easy to witness and typically, an outsider will see the transformation of the person’s insides. Wait, did that make sense? For example…the big loser used to be shy, now they are not. Please don’t be offended that I seriously dumbed that down. I just couldn’t find the right way to say it.

When you’re a rock star like me, just saying, someone that has lost over 75 pounds, or in my case 100, you knew you were dealing with more than just an eating problem. AND, unless you got help with those problems, or even if you did, like me, you lose the weight, you go in to maintenance and you now have to learn to deal with your issues without turning to food and inactivity.

Realizing now that I’m going off on a tangent…or at least not pulling my thoughts together (And that is REALLY easy when you’re like me and so easily distracted!)…what was my point?

I lost the bulk of my weight back in 2001? So technically, I’ve been maintaining for a decade. Yet, in that 10 years, I can remember certain weights…180 in 2001, 175 in 2004, up to 200 in 2006, down to 175 in 2007. 155 came in 2008. That’s the lowest I remember as an adult. I want to get back to there. I was extremely happy with my body at that size and this will shock you, but that was when I was also the happiest and most at peace with myself. I’m being sarcastic about the shocking part.

Because I blog, that doesn’t mean I can write well. But I learned today, or rather, I was reminded that I blog to find accountability. I blog to vent. I’ve been avoiding blogging…and we’re talking like in the last few years, because I was censoring myself. I felt like a failure I guess? Because I gained 20 pounds back? I’m certainly not always a chipper and positive person so I felt like I was being a hypocrite by blogging when my mind was in it’s own little black hole. I guess cuz I lost all the weight, and had quite a few people impressed with my accomplishment, I put this pressure on myself to appear to have it more together than I really did?

CRAP, I really don’t know what I’m trying to say anymore. Ha!
1. I’m gunna blog.
2. I will probably always ramble on and on.
3. I need the accountability
4. If you don’t like what I write, then don’t read it.
5. Yeah, I can be kinda sassy. A lot. But I’m pretty good at keeping my mouth shut most of the time.

PS Today I polished off the bag of miniature Reese's PB cups that my mom gave me on my birthday, which was Tuesday the 8th, and no it's not too late to still send presents! Oreos used to be my crack. Now my black tar heroine appears to be the choco/pb combo. Obvi.

Are you dizzy? Do you even remember why you clicked on the link to this blog to begin with?

The adventures of Butt Bunny

Once upon a time, at a website far, far away, I made some friends on the internet. My family pretends that they are imaginary while I repeatedly weave their names into my conversations. My family is all very aware that I will be finally meeting this crew a year from now in VEGASSSSSS of all places. I should back track to how we met. Maybe? You probably don’t really care so I won’t be hurt if you stop reading now.

Bunz…this is for you! Our little group formed back in the early spring of 2008 at a little place called Sparkpeople. It’s like the Facebook of fitness and weight-loss. We’re an odd assortment of women-young to old…guess who’s not too happy about being the oldest? Guess who’d certainly not the mature one of the bunch?

I can’t let you in on our our sordid little secrets, but we do lovingly refer to each other as bunnies. And eww, not the skanky playmate ones either. Seriously. We have class. Class=dressing up like bunnies for our marathon adventure at the Really Big Free Marathon in Vegas, November 2012.

Along came our traveling bunny…Derry Hare. Our bunny version of Flat Stanley, you could say. I received him about a week ago for my new marathon PR. He and I are tight. We went running yesterday.

The adventures of Derry Hare and the oldest, most immature, yet classy bunny not playmate:

 

I let him drive.

 

My scary now makeup face, so divert your eyes to the cute bunny and/or my newest head band I made.

 

All geeked out and ready to go.

 

He took one look at the trail and decided since he didn't have his Yaktrak's that we would run the roads since they were mostly clear.

(So I didn't really take him on the run with me. There were too many other things that I had to deal with. Like my ipod. It wasn't working. Something was wrong with my headphones...or maybe it was the podcast? I could hear people speaking but it was super muffled. I unzipped my fleece to check out the pod, and realized I didn't have the headphones in my ears. Right there is when I should have turned around and gone back to bed...at 12pm in the afternoon.)

I really hope that house wasn't looking out their window with binaculars

This week has been all about me stressing out too much…and me eating too much sugar. Last week, I made it about three days total without any HFCS and minimal sugar in the form of KIND bars. I really like sugar a lot and one of my favorite ways to eat sugar is in the form of a Reeses PB cup. I’ve tried the all natural, Newman’s ones…and they just aren’t the same without all of the extra chemicals. Boo to that, I say!

Stress…so back to that, nothing major…it’s just that some people can be so unpleasant. And stupid. But I can and will do all things through Christ who strengthens me to “kick butt” as needed. Kick butt=handle things in a mature, adult-like fashion. Of course.

OH and the countdown to my new phone…!!! I started counting down the days at 17 days…then that made me sad. Then when it was two weeks to go, I thought it was only one week…and I cried. No biggie though! I had been dealing with my crapberry for two years and I could handle one more week. Well, on Monday, my phone stopped working. I didn’t really think too much about it as I discovered this late in the afternoon. I thought my texts just weren’t going out-Got home, changing out of my workclothes, and Shamu comes busting in the door and sez, “Oh HAI! Ijustcouldn’twaitherezurnewphonesorry.” Ta-da!

I’m in luuuurrrvvvv! Hello Amee and welcome to the Android! It’s sooo awesome and pretty and fast and big. (That’s what she…wait, family show!) It’s a Samsung Galaxy S2 and this phone makes me feel older and stupider each day.


Is bigger better? I don't care! It's not a stupid piece of Blackberry crap and I finally can play Angry Birds! Wheeee! Mine is the one on the left...(I mean my other left. Geesh!) the "not the iphone" one. The bigger one. Except, I don't have that button thing down at the bottom. It's all touchy feelie.

Running…I have GOT to get back into the game here. And by game, I mean weights. I have been dragging myself to the gym (We just got our first snow!) at 4:30 every morning, but this week, I skipped Monday and Thursday. Monday was understandable since I ran 6 miles on Sunday. Thursday, I was just being a puss.

Today, I was supposed to make it seven miles and I only made it to four. Why you ask? (As I divert your attention away from the topic of weight lifting.) Well here’s a list of why I’m a weenie tot and only ran four miles today.

Why I’m a weenie-tot and only ran four miles today list:
1. It was snowing
2. I waited until too late in the day (fueling issues)
3. I over-fueled with too much coffee and delicious but empty carbs and not enough carbs
4. My ipod crapped out at mile three
5. Snow was flying into my eyeballs
6. I really had to pee

So, I did what any normal weenie-tot would do and I called for a cab. My cab driver was Indian. He called me honey and said I was adorable. Should I be concerned? He’s taking me out to the movies tonight. I obviously haven’t learned my lesson yet.

Speaking of peeing....see #6 right above. To the house on Crystal Springs...if you were being all stalkerish or just happened to be looking out of your front window with binaculars, I am truly sorry.

PS Do you like my new picture banner? I worked on it for waaaayyy tooooo long this morning. It's not perfect. It will do.

High Maintenance? I'm ok with that.

I thought it was about high time that I show you the loot that I got after my 2nd marathon. (Wonders when people stop numbering them? After five?)

Fabulous coworker: “What did you do last weekend?” I ran my fourth..”
Nope, you stop numbering them after your second. Ha! You still keep track though…
Adoring fan: “Oh, you run marathons? How many have you run.?”
Me: “Why 32 to be exact. I think? I lost count somewhere after 24. No biggie. I run. And stuff.”

Ok, so anyway, I thought I should show you the goodies that I received aka WON as a treat from my hubs or purchased over the marathon weekend. The hubs started it last year by taking me to Coach and buying me a wallet. During training this year, he asked me what I wanted for a treat and without hesitation I blurted out, “LULULEMON!” He just laughed and said, “It seems you’ve already put some thought into this.” Well noooooo….I thought we were playing the speed version of Word Association.

I know present you with:
My new “I’ve run two marathons loungey pants.”Click the link if you're remotely interested. I tried taking a picture of myself in them, but for good lighting, it would have required me climbing onto my bathroom counter. (Foreshadowing alert!!)I probably would have broken more than what I did. Oooh sad face.

Meet my fabo new BFF water bottle! I’m in love with the color. So much. My blue Sigg one is old and has been dropped many times.

Then, because I adore tutus and have a not so secret anymore wish to be a ballerina, I purchased this running skirt as a treat for myself. I thought it was the closest thing to a tutu without being a tutu. Not that I’m against running in tutus. Personally, I want to have thinner legs before I draw more attention to them…thus no tutu for me…YET! Same thing goes for this skirt…it’s my goal skirt and I will be rocking it here shortly…hello lunges and deadlifts it’s short!

 

Lastly, I give to you, my version of a Sweaty Band. This is sadly the picture that broke the camel’s back. Or, my camera at least. I dropped it on the countertop in my bathroom. I cried big puddles of tears. And then proceeded to take my camera apart to see if I could fix it myself. Because I do stupid stuff.

 

The Sweaty Band I bought at the marathon expo…luv luv!! But I have to admit that I looked at it and thought, you know, I could make this myself and not have to pay $10-18 dollars. Cuz I’m cheap like that. See the above reference to being my own camera repair dude.

Camera update – it’s not fixable and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

Portland Marathon 2011 - Picture blog!

I share with you....rather poor pictures of my 2nd marathon, Portland, OR on 10-09-2011.(No offense to my hubs who took them...they are just rather small and not all that thrilling due to the subject.)

 

Am I beckoning you to join me at the porta potty?

 

Umm...I have no idea what I'm doing with my arms, rowing? No one can say that I ball my hands into fists when I run. That is for sure! This is around mile 11

 

My skirt is very flappy and no one around me is wearing pink. What's up with that?

 

This is almost to mile 18 and look! I'm WINNING! haha!

 

This is around mile 21 I think. I have NO clue what I'm laughing at. But hey, I'm in a good mood. I popped in the headphones around mile 20 through 23. Something very different from my training this year versus last and I NEVER thought I would be one that would prefer to run without music. I liked it...very "present" during this marathon.

 

Just "chicking" some dudes...in my skirt.

 

I uhh, apparently, I'm paddling my way through mile 22.



The last .2 really REALLY is the hardest. On this course, there is a slight uphill and I think that is cruel and wrong. After this short stretch, there's one more turn and it's the finish line.

 

Here's a better view of my new Sweaty Band. Also, turn your head sideways and look at the little packet I have made with my finishers shirt. Inside is a bag of Cheetos, a PB cup, a Twix, and my coin and necklace pendant/charm. I could sleep like a baby now that I had my precious coin and pendant. haha!

Now what?

Last week was spent in recovery and I was a lazy bum. I didn’t even cross train or go for a walk. Bumbum. Reminds me of this game I used to be addicted to.

I might have spent a few many hours last week lamenting and debating about where to go from here. What are my goals next year for running? Annnnnd while we’re at it, for life. Ha! Granted, I’m coming off my marathon high so I’m obsessed with all things running. Last year, I gave it about a month before I decided to run another marathon in 2011. This year, well, before I’d even completed the second one, I had already signed up for my third. (Did that make sense?) Plus now I want to do the Portland Marathon again in 2012. I’ll probably just do the half in Vegas (November 2012) instead of the full since I’m not at a maniac level of running just yet.

I’m sooo much more in love with running than I was a year ago, even 5 months ago. Right before my marathon training was to “officially start”, running was a chore. It was like pulling teeth, I tell ya. Danielle had to threaten me to get my going. I guess there’s something to be said for training properly and setting a new PR. I feel almost like a legit runner. I don’t know where I’ve set the bar for myself to consider myself a “REAL” runner…I mean is a real runner one who “Has to get out there and run.” ? “I’m just going to go cuhraaazzzyyy if I can’t get a run in today.” Cuz that’s not me. I guess that’s what I think a real runner is…for myself. I don’t give a rip about anyone else. If you are out there running, you’re a runner. Yes I subscribe to and drink that kool-aid – it just doesn’t apply to me. Haha! I’ll let you know when I feel like a real one, k? K!

So looking ahead, I’ve thrown a few goals together for my running in this next year:

Don’t stop running in the winter because of snow and hating treadmills.

Add a fifth day of running to my workouts.

Run some local 5ks. Even if I have to break down and buy some Yak Traks and heavier gloves.

My goal 5k is the 2012 Pear Blossom Run which I plan on running in under 30 minutes. Would love to set a new PR coming in under 27 minutes.

If I run the PB in under 30, my hubs has agreed to run the Portland 2012 marathon with me. Whaaa??? YES!

Reach out to the local running club here and join in some of the group runs. I love my “imaginary” running friends and can’t wait to meet a bunch of ‘em in Vegas 2012 for the REALLY BIG free marathon.

Consider running the Eugene Half on Mother’s Day? Or around there? Figure out when the Eugene ½ marathon actually IS.

Try and get myself hooked up with some runners to attempt my first relay. (I feel like I should be faster before anyone would want me on their relay team.)

Get faster.

Oh and lastly, drop 15 pounds. Ha!

Marathon #2 - The Whole Shebang

Marathon Morning

This time versus last time, I didn’t have that freak out of “Why in the world did I sign up for this?!?!” Well, not entirely. I did have a near conniption due to forgetting a hair tie. Hubby convinced me that we would find something. It’s now 6am, I have consumed a PB&J sammie and 20oz of water. We left Aunt V’s with a need to gas up and find a rubber. (Yep, I know what I’m implying and that’s why it’s so funny! Or mildly amusing.) I know we should have gassed up the night before but we both thought that we would have plenty of time. In our quest, we discovered the worst customer service ever at an Arco on Allen Blvd. These two horrible women completely ignored me while I stood at the counter politely, waiting for them to finish their conversation and acknowledge me. YES, they saw me! I left due to my desperate need for a rubber band and I was pretty sure that after I gave them a piece of my mind, they would not be inclined to do much more than spit in my face. The hubs was successful though and brought out not one but two weenie tot looking rubber bands. They worked - I was fine, though I wanted a high ponytail not a low ponytail. Fashion and style be dashed for this marathon. I no longer cared…much.
We made it to downtown Portland with not much time to spare and had missed our opportunity of scoring a good parking spot. I hopped out and made it to my corral and somehow lucked into the shortest line for a porta potty. Evah. Even so, there would be no jumping back in line for a second go. Hubs found a spot to park, the marathon had already started, but I needed one last hug and kiss before my wave started shuffling to the line. Success! The corral part and waiting always makes me feel like we are a herd of cattle getting led to slaughter. I often ask myself a couple of times, “Why did I sign up for this?” as it just seems so ironic. We shuffle along together like we are headed towards our doom. A doom to the tune of $135 bucks! Ooh, but I had success in making sure my Garmin found the satellites this year BEFORE I crossed the start line, so I was pretty pleased with myself that I just pressed start instead of last year’s debacle of pulling off to the side. God forbid you run a whole marathon without a watch telling you how fast you’re going.

Fueling and Walking

I trained for and walked for one minute every time my Garmin reached a multiple of 10 and I skipped my walks if I was running downhill. I did skip a walk at 20 minutes because it just felt too soon. I fueled exactly like I had trained with a GU Gel or Shot Bloks every 40 minutes. I was able to set an alarm on my Garmin to remind me to fuel, so that was a bonus. The only gel I missed was the very last one at 5:20 and since I was only two minutes away from the finish line, I thought I’d be ok to skip it. I didn’t carry water with me yet had trained with water and Nuun. Since my stomach is fairly sturdy, and because I didn’t have issues last year with the Ultima the course uses, I knew I could stay hydrated well. I walked through each aid station and took a water and an Ultima each time. I also took three pit stops and never stood in line. If there was a line of any sort, I just waited for the next group of potty buckets. Sadly, at the last one, I heard a clunk and knew instantly WITH a heightened sense of horror, that my cell phone had fallen on to the floor. Lucky for me it wasn’t IN cuz uh…well I don’t have to explain how that would have led to a fit of tears. But still, way gross! I picked it up, shoved it in my pocket and grabbed an extra dose of hand sanny and busted out into the open.

My starting strategy and hill plan

You’re supposed to start out slow. The adrenaline kicks in and it’s easy to start running too fast. I either had NO adrenaline or had fallen asleep. I wanted to be running no faster than an 11 minute mile and was shocked to see my first two miles were over 12 minutes each. Was it really that crowded? Yeah kinda, but really? I kind of freaked out a little bit but told myself to pick up the pace, and once I was through the first set of small hills, I would make it up. And make it up I did! Last year, I walked some of the down hills and/or I kept my stride and pace the same like I thought I’d read somewhere that that’s what you were supposed to do. This time, I listened to hub’s friend’s advice (an ultra-marathoner oooh) who says to lengthen your stride and let gravity pull you down. Don’t use energy to slow yourself down. (I did slow down on a particularly steep descent though.) I love down -hill training. Haha! The uphills, I didn’t give much thought to until the night before cuz I’m a genius like that.

The idea for going UP a hill is to work your arms like a locomotive, keeping your elbows and arms close to your sides, and transfer the effort from your legs to your core and arms. Using this method, I pulled myself up the hills. Feeling like a stud and passing those that decided to walk up….that was a really awesome feeling. AND it was super awesome on the hill that lead’s you up to the St. John’s Bridge. I did some walking and some chugga choochooing up it which was a stark contrast to last year’s “walk the whole incline” shennanigins.

This Year Versus Last Year

At mile 11 last year, my calves started cramping. The rest of the marathon was a combo of run walking. This year, the cramps didn’t start until mile 16 and I didn’t have to stretch them out until mile 22.
Up until mile 20-ish I was 15 minutes ahead of my goal of a 5:30 marathon. I didn’t want to use the cushion but I knew it was there. Also, around mile 18? Hubs said that the 5 hour pace group passed and that I was about 2 minutes behind them. That was a WHOLE HOUR ahead of my time last year. He debated telling me but finally clued me in at mile 21. Around mile 24, I was ok with just a 5:30 finish and started to get a little scared that I might even see that pass me by. At mile 26, I was toast, but I knew I couldn’t walk it in and with one more corner to go I gave it that final push. I heard them announce my name, threw my hands up in the air, and even glanced over at the guy that I passed. I thought it was rather rotten of me to do that to him, but mheh…oh well. You SNOOZE YOU LOSE sukkah!! We didn’t make eye contact so I didn’t feel too bad at dusting him.

So I crossed the finish line, ahead of the dude, wearing my running skirt! (more humiliation, I hope) and received my medal from a nice lady wearing a hat, got my space blanket from a 12 year old looking kid, and had to convince a lady wearing a medic badge that yes indeedy, I was fine. I told her that twice. I don’t know if she saw something in my eyes or if she was trained to do that. But lady, I have a mission to get to! And that was to take full advantage of the finish area goodies!!

Last year, I was rather stunned and bewildered. This year, I got a string cheese, two cups of orange juice (after making sure it was JUST OJ and had no other fancy fruits added. Fancy=banana, cuz then I really would have needed the medic.), a half of a bagel, and I also had the most amazing piece of cheese pizza ever. Ever! I also snagged for later a bag of Cheetos, a Reeses PB cup, and a Twix. I picked up my finishers shirt AND my special coin and pendant and I made sure to stop to have my picture taken in the special picture taking area. I then proceeded in a daze to find my hubs and proudly tell him that I got my dang coin and pendant!

The Signs and volunteers

A huge shout out to all the volunteers and spectators! Having never run a different marathon, I don’t know any better, but the Portland Marathon is voted as one of the top, friendliest marathon in the world. I could have made that up so don’t quote me on that. Maybe just in the United States? Anyway, hearing someone say your name, a random stranger, and they tell you that you’ve “got it” that you’re “looking great” and that “you can do it”, it really does motivate you to keep pressing on. The signs are entertaining and inspiring as well. My three favorites were:
1. “Run B*tch&s”
2. “That Looks Hard” and the guy standing next to the sign was holding, “That’s what she said.”
3. “Hey Random Stranger, you are amazing!”

Portland Marathon - My 2nd - Part 1 ish

So I’m going to drag out my 2nd COMPLETED MARATHON because I can. And because I think it will be more like Christmas when you open your presents slowly and appreciated each one versus the scrappy wrapping paper tear to shreds method. But it’s more like Christmas for me and you just get to sit there and watch me unwrap them. Oh, so sorry! Your present is just getting to read about how awesome I think I am. Because seriously, if I thought you’d actually gain some advice or tips from reading my blogs?? Oh so funny I wet my pants laughing! So here we go…

Before the race

Saturday, the hubs and I left around 11am to give us a cushion (which would include many pee breaks for me – hey, it’s called “hydrating properly.”) Plus, I wanted more time at the Expo this year to savor the pre-marathon moment.
“Savor” was the operative word as I was a little distraught that our drawstring bags only had our t-shirt and safety pins. My hubs could quote me many times as saying, “Last year in our bags we had XY and Z!” X= a commemorative coin and Y=a special pendant on a chord. I guess I over exaggerated and there was no Z. I semi-simmered myself down and told myself that they would probably hand it out at the finish this year instead. So the hubs and I moseyed around and got a few samples. No I didn’t eat or drink anything weird! I did spend way too much time at the Sweaty Band booth contemplating my purchase. I broke the rule of not wearing anything new on race day, and was glad that I did since I would be in a world of hurt from not even packing a hair tie. (Discovered at 5am on race day.) Purchases I wish I would have made…more tubes of Nuun for $5 a pop and the Hood to Coast documentary. I would have liked to have spent more time at the Runner’s World booth for the worn once shoes for $Fiddy bucks, but like I said…worried about the coins. Ha! Plus, on the agenda was still a quick trip to Nordy’s Rack…more for the hubs though. I swar!

After picking up my bib and packet, we headed to my Aunt’s house in Beaverton. With no traffic, it’s about a 15 minute drive? We had a nice dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread with a pea salad that I questioned (but survived!). I was in bed by 9:30 and asleep shortly after. I don’t recall waking up a ton during the night like I usually do before a race -of course when my alarm went off at 5 am, my eyes popped open with an, “Oh crap! Here we go!”



I think this pic was around mile four. The guy in front of me in the blue shirt...those are the shirts that we got in our goody bag. The goody bag that only held the shirt and the four safety pins. Also, can you see the Sweaty Band in my hair? Tres chic right? Right?

And oh wow! Blogger really shrinks those pics down. Me thinks I will need a special shot of the Sweaty Band. Ok enough for now...I have to hobble off to get ready for work.

Marathon #2 teaser

There IS indeed a marathon report-ish type of blog coming, with pictures too...but for now, this teaser with some really poor photos.

I set a new PR with a time of 5:22:18. That's 41 minutes better than last year.

The one where I feel like a cow being led to my doom. Don't look directly into the light.....eeps.

The obligatory whaaa?? shot. Which is actually my phone taking a picture of the underside of my fuel belt.

I passed some dudes going up the hill to the St. John's Bridge and they were discussing the one guy's fear of bridges. I used the spooky filter on my phone for this one, but I can put myself in his shoes. In reality, the spooky filter really was used aka my phone takes crappy pictures, because it really wasn't that foggy. More pictures...eventually...to prove it.

Long Runs and Nesting

I ran: 18.09 miles in 3 hours and 37 minutes.

This morning was my very last (Thank you Jesus!) long run of this training season for my October 9th, 2011 Portland Marathon. I was NOT looking forward to this run one bit.

5:00am - Mother BEAR! - hit the snooze - TWICE!
Forced down a PB&J
Whined a bit to myself
Told myself to just shut up and do it

And out the door I went. My consolation prize was that this was my long last run of the year and my training season and I wouldn't see these views or my special friends for almost another year. In all the brilliance that I possess at 5:30am, I told myself in an almost audible whisper, "YOU CAN TAKE PEEEKKKKSHHHURRREESSS of all of these things and share them on your blog!! Whoooppeeeee!" It sounded great at the time. I did snap a few on my rather crappy IamthankfulIhaveacellphonewithagreatinternetplanbutcan'twaittogetmynewphoneformybirthday Blackberry and so without further ado:



My minivan taunts me. No?

I drove out and placed an extra water bottle...marveling at the eerie looking and weird mist that was floating over the land. As I drove by this one field, I checked to see if Cow in the Corner was there. Yup! I could make out the shadow of his head. I would snap his picture at around mile six. Cow in the Corner, you ask?



Why hellllooooo Cow in the Corner. Nice to make your acquaintance!

CitC was in his corner every time last year and this year that I ran by. I tried not to dwell on this too much because I got depressed for CitC when I started wondering if he ever left his corner. I thought about knocking on the farmhouse door to ask the question. Honestly? I don't think I want to know the answer.



New runners!

In a petite size eleven. A full stinkin' shoe size up so no, they really aren't that huge, and no, I'm not sensitive about my big feet. Kinda. These puppies should have been a little more motivating along the lines of, "Hey new shoes! Run like the weeeendd." But. No. They are Asics Gel-Nimbus 12 in case you were curious. I don't pronate or supinate. (Did I spell those right?) My running feet are very Swiss-like. Neutral.

And lastly, what is contained inside the blue portal of umm...well what's inside kindof sums up my run. And to boot? When I walked inside, the thing SHOOK! It nearly scared the crap out of me. Had it literally, I was at least in the right place.



The opposite of Disneyland, happiest place on earth.

This foul commode has seriously not been emptied or serviced since last year. And it's in one of the weirdest locations...out in the middle of nowhere, well obviously somewhere because power walking girl's car is parked next to it...it's out by this swamping little fishing hole. I seriously wonder who the heck fishes out there?! Judging by the broken beer bottles and the used condom that I discovered inside one time, I don't think a lot of fishing goes on there. But ewwww!! How romantically nasty is that! "Hey babe, your crapper or mine?"

Parts of this long run were ok. Very few, if any, were great. It's done, that's great! There was crying and hobbling and more walking at the end than planned on. The good part was that I told myself and actually BELIEVED myself that I know I'm ready and can run the marathon. This was by far the worst yet ONLY run that was overall DISMAL. And looking back at it now? It really wasn't that bad.

More deets on the run since I'm a numbers gal: I did have to stop a few times to stretch...and cry. Calve cramps something fierce. I know I won't be able to stop my Garmin for the marathon. Cool if I could! At one point, for about 7 minutes, I had forgotten to start my G back up. Sucky! So my distance is not accurate, nor is my time. Mile 18 was a combo of run/walk/hobble/run/walk. The hobbling was from a blister on my left foot, ring toe. (Don't wear toe rings but if my feet were hands...you get the idea.) The blister? DO NOT moisturize your feet the night before a long run! I've been using this fabulous emu oil stuff (thanks Danielle) due to my awesome moisture wicking running socks that caused me to get a crack in my heel. Well this stuff is great so I put it on other tootsie spots. Bad idea for the run. I knew better than that. It was really cool in the grossest of ways when I popped the blister though. And COME ON! I know I'm not the only Grossy Josie that thinks that way! (Please no offense if your name is Josie.)

Oh and the nesting part? It could be because I just got a new carpet shampooer, but the last two weekends in a row, I've ran 17/18 miles and then I've come home and gone on a huge cleaning spree. The naps that I've promised to myself never happened. I seriously don't know what my problem is. Does anyone else do that? Of course, this last hour I've been more than content to sit on my butt, be on my computer, and munch away on Sweet Maui Onion chips. I will miss my long runs for the simple fact of not really feeling an ounce of guilt for eating those things.