Slowing Down

This week, I've slowed down a bit recording my daily thanks.  I've been busy and tired, resulting in numbers 556-588.  Still *grabs calculator* that's over 4 a day, not bad - even if "clean water to drink*" has made an appearance more than once on this list.  It counts again if I'm thankful for it again, right?

*Can you tell we ran out of bottled water at work? You would have thought a disaster had happened the way we all reacted.  We had to wait a whole day for the water people to bring us more.  Oh the humanity!

Here is a sampling of my thanks:

558) Carpooling with Jay
559) Kindle for PC - when Jay is late to pick me up from work
563) Heated blanket for the car
567) Early to bed
572) Spa specials
574) Another showing on the house
579) Means/opportunity to travel
588) Dry/warm clothing (post run)

What have you given God thanks for this week?

Running on {nacho} Fumes

Tuesday
Planned: 3 mile run
Actual: 3.5 mile easy run

Killing time between work and Bible study

Wednesday
Planned: Social run
Actual: 3 mile walk

Still sore from our hike on Monday, Kelly & I decided to walk as an active recovery

Thursday
Planned: Intervals
Actual: 3 X 1600

Planned called for 8:31-8:48 pace. Decided to shoot for the slower end, to ensure I got through all 3. Ended up with 5 miles total after warm up & cool down.  Splits: 8:35, 8:34, 8:22 - I'm faster than I realized!

Friday
Planned: rest
Actual: rest

Saturday
Planned: 12 mile run
Actual: rest

Didn't do anything but 12 oz curls and walking around Nashville.

Sunday
Planned: rest
Actual: 12 mile run

Didn't expect this run to be good, given the 12 oz curls & dinner of 1/2 an order of stadium nachos and a hot dog at the game.  Surprised myself - ran this easy at a 9:33 pace!

Monday
Planned: 4 X 800
Actual: Cycling class

Shifted the schedule around a bit to allow our bodies to recover from the long run before going straight into intervals.  Will tackle those 800s today.


In less than 2 weeks, I'm running a half marathon.  I'm already getting nervous/excited about it.  I've gotten so much faster these past couple of months, I have no clue what pace to shoot for (or how to pace myself through the early miles).  Any wisdom you'd care to impart?

The Adventures of BJay in Nashville

Yes, Jay and I have a super-couple name.  Don't all uber-fun couples? 

This weekend Saturday, we headed to Nashville to meet up with a friend of his from college and buddy we met last time we went to Nash-vegas to see the basketball Bobcats play.

Unfortunately, my dad isn't quite up for a 6 hour (round trip) car ride yet, or else he would have joined us.  I lobbied for spending Saturday night at a hotel, but Jay had to get back to meet up with a client, so we made the trip in just over 14 hours.  We left home Saturday afternoon around 2 and pulled into the driveway around 4:30 AM.

Because he's not a very smart man sometimes, Jay snickered because my hair was a bit poofy.  I had let it dry on the car ride, and hadn't given too much thought to it.  As we waited to meet up with the crew, I tweeted about how tempted I was to floof my hair even more.  So of course my tweeple dared me to.  And I obliged.

Yes, I have a lot of hair.  Yes, I'm over it.  Somehow I don't yet have the required 10 inches to get it cut for Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  Not going to give up until I can donate my hair to kids with cancer like I promised my cousin.  Plus, if it gives me another way to torture Jay, I'm cool with it.

We met up with the crew at Whiskey Bent to watch Kevin Denney (of 2001's That's Just Jessie fame) perform.

Then it was time to head on over to the game.

We decided to take a cab over to save the headache of finding a place to park...a decision we'd come to regret later in the evening. 

 

 

Our cab driver Bobby gave us his business card so we could call for our return trip, and we headed into the arena.  By this time it was 9 (10PM by my eastern time zone stomach's opinion), and I was starved!  (Apparently nachos and a hot dog are a good carb loader, because I had a good 12 mile run the next day.)

I wish I could say the game was as fun as the festivities earlier in the evening.  Straight away the Belmont Bruins took the lead and kept it for the majority of the game, sending us home with a 19 point loss.

We haz another sad, when we received a text from Bobby the cab driver saying he wouldn't be able to pick us up.  We strolled down music road trying heading toward midtown, where the Nashville residents among us knew we'd be able to catch a cab back to our cars.

Then Jay & I headed back home and each got about 4 hours of shut eye before the alarm got us started for Sunday.  Church + 12 mile run = no trouble falling asleep at 7PM and sleeping through to my 6:26 alarm.

Mt. LeConte Via Rainbow Falls

There are several different ways to tackle Mt. LeConte - one of the highest peaks in the Smoky Mountains.  I've taken the trail starting beginning at the Alum Cave trail head several times.  When we decided upon this hike for Monday, we chose Rainbow Falls for our path up and since they share a parking lot, we'd take the Bullhead trail down.

Its weird driving into the park, being at the base and looking up at mountains.  Kelly & I both agreed it was hard to believe we'd be on top of that mountain in just a few hours.

When we arrived, the parking lot was empty and there was snow on the ground.  Not sure about the condition of the trail we packed plenty of snacks, hiking poles, and extra layers for the top.

Most of our rest breaks were just long enough to dig out snacks and grab a quick drink of water.  The bottom portion of the trail was icy, and we feared we wouldn't be able to make the trip up quickly enough.

if you squint, know what you are looking at, you can see the falls.

  they were mostly iced over and not flowing

Thankfully after the falls crossing, the trail became more snow and less ice.  Even still, the bridges concerned me somewhat.  We held on tight and traveled as slowly across.

While the snow made the hike more difficult, it also made for gorgeous scenery.  At one point I commented to Kelly about how I felt like I was traveling through Narnia.  In the sunny spots, the light hit the snow just right, making it appear as if God sprinkled glitter everywhere.

Our hiking time was around 3 hours but we finally made it to the top.

 

 

 

The lodge was closed for the season, but we stopped here for pictures and lunch.

 

Then we headed to the cliff top to take in the views.

 

 

 

 

We decided against tackling a new trail on the way down, not knowing how snowy/icy it might be.  Better to stay with the beast we knew.

I was surprised at how quickly the ice had melted off.  Further down the trail, most of the ice had melted off into a messy slush.  12 miles difficult miles in around 6 hours.  Hard, but definitely worth it!

Daily Thanks - Thursday Summary

Two weeks ago I took a break from my One Thousand Gifts list, to celebrate my Mama who had surgery earlier that week.  Last week I shared my Valentine's gifts, for which I was thankful.  Today I want to pick up where I left off on my list.  While I haven't been blogging my thanks, I have been writing them down.  Over the past few weeks I've jumped from 395 to 555.  The highlights include:

397) Perspective buyers (for our farmhouse)

401) Dinner with friends

413) Hand sanitizer

414) Time off work for Mama's surgery

420) Comfy jeans

421) Cute, room purse

can you tell these last 2 were written in the hospital waiting room?

431) Diagnosed with a "runner's pulse"

448) Bio-freeze

457) Valentine's date

475) 100+ pages read (in 1 day)

500) My new red couch!

 

520) Clue - the game

521) Clue - the movie

542) Bible study/Pastor Pat

555) Jay

 

 

What are you thankful for this week?

Finally!

 

 

I have no words.  Besides:

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeTHUD

 

and

 

#TEAMRANGER

 

What are you reading this month?

Valentine's Day Part 3

Today I wanted to show you Jay's Valentine's gifts from me. 

Starting with an incredibly romantical card...

 

Why do I love you? You're wonderful, fun and patient to boot, but mostly because...

 

 

...you still love me when I TOOT!

 

Pictures for his desk:



 

 

and of course it wouldn't be Valentine's without a made-with-love craft:

 

 

 

 

So maybe I'm not the most romantical person on the planet, but I sure made him laugh!

What did you do for your love this Valentine's Day?
 

Valentine's Part 2!

While this past weekend was work, the Cure Finders dinner and dance is typically our gift to one another.  We dress up, eat a fancy meal, and spend too much money on stuff we want all in the name of charity!  Can't ask for a better deal than that!!

 

Yesterday, however, my darling loved surprised me...

He and I met 76 months ago yesterday.  The 13th of every month (for the first 11 months) I received a different kind of flower from him.  Since we've been married, flowers have been few and far between (now that his money is my money - I don't want him wasting it on something that will die!) but the surprises didn't end with the note on the coffee machine.

 

Around 4:45 yesterday, he came to work telling me he had to get something out of my car.  He'd forgotten it this weekend, and needed to get it to the title agency before close of business.  I told him I'd walk out with him, but he insisted it was too cold and rainy (although a look out the window showed no rain).  I stayed inside and he delivered the keys back to me.  When I left work, I found these in my cup holder:

 

He had to scratch out part of the card to personalize it:

 

So thankful to have a romantical & thoughtful husband!!

 

On tap for tomorrow: Valentine's Day Part 3 - my gifts to Jay.

Training Tuesday - An Injury?

Once again weight training screwed up my plans for the week.  I keep hoping my muscles will get adjusted and not be so sore, but it hasn't happened yet.

Tuesday:

Planned - weights
Actual - weights

We started our new heavy lifting plan, including assisted pull-ups.  When these come back around, I think we need to try negative pull-ups to build up our strength.

Wednesday:

 Planned - Tabata/Social Run
Actual - Tabata/Social Run

Both of this were hard but good workouts.  I even killed the pace on the hilly social run course - its the best I've ran that section to date!  Very proud of this run.

HOWEVER (during?) after this run my oblique/rib area began to hurt.  I assumed it was sore muscles from two back to back strength days.  Heat and stretching to follow the next couple of days.

Thursday:

Planned - weights
Actual - walk

We were still sore from our weights workouts, so we changed this one to a walk.  Just a little something to get some fresh air and burn some calories

Friday:

Planned - rest
Actual - rest

Saturday:

Planned - 3 miles easy
Actual -  rest

Saturday was a super long day and I just didn't have the time/energy to get this done.

Sunday:

Planned - 6-8 miles
Actual - rest

My running partner was ill and I was exhausted (and a bit hung over) from Saturday. 

Monday:

 Planned - 2 X 1600 @ 8:39-8:54 pace.
Actual - 2 X 1600 @ 8:32/8:35
Total mileage 4.25 with warm-up, recoveries, and cool down

The problem?  My rib still hurts.  I'm beginning to wonder if I pulled something or bruised it.  Twisting, sneezing, and touching it hurts.  I'm {thankfully} inexperienced with injury, but a quick web search has me confused.

At what point to I see a doctor?  An ortho or my general doctor?  Do I just need to suck it up?  Do I need to {heaven forbid} rest and not do much to aggravate it?  UGH!!!

Valentine's Weekend

This past weekend was the 12th Annual "Special Evening...A Special Cause" hosted by Cure Finders to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research. 

 

This year's theme was classic Hollywood, so we rolled out the red carpet for the event.  This year they added a photo booth with props which we took full advantage of before the doors opened for the guests.

 

Formal event or no, Jay and I aren't above being a little goofy.  The hat prop I chose barely shows up against my dark hair.  His hat looked like it came with his suit!!

 

 

We were acting so goofy, the photo booth guy got a good laugh. 

 

 

We ain't right! (And we're crazy enough to think that's a compliment!)

 

 

A professional photographer was also there, so we should be receiving our serious picture in the mail in the next week or so.  I almost like the self portraits better!!

 

 

 

 

Jay and I ended up spending quite a bit on the silent auction - buying patio furniture, a rug, and 2 paintings for the cabin.  I can't wait to show them to you when we get everything situated!

 

My Mama - Thankful Thursday

There are some things about my mother, I'm not really all that thankful for:

Her photography skills are questionable.

 

She can often be found breaking fashion rules.

(Note the socks with flip flops.)

 

 

And I've been known to borrow clothing that she truly enjoys as a joke to wear to work.

 

 

Questionable taste aside, she's an amazing mother and a dear friend to me.  I'm so thankful for her, and that her surgery earlier this week went well.  Please continue to pray for my parents as they both recoop from their surgeries.

 

What are you thankful for this week?

 

Loving Others

As I mentioned yesterday, my mom had day surgery on Monday.   I appreciate your continued prayers for both of my parents as they recover (and me as I deal with them!!)

The procedure was scheduled for 4PM, so we didn't end up leaving the hospital to well into the evening.  We stopped at the pharmacy on the way home to pick up her RX, going through the drive through since I had 2 incapacitated people in the car with me.  The tech told it would be an hour.  It was already 7 o'clock.  My dad yelled "that's unacceptable" from the backseat but I was embarrassed and just drove off.

We got something to eat (drive thru b/c she didn't feel like going in) and went back for the medicine.  40 minutes had passed.  "It'll be another 20" the same tech told me.  I had assumed an hour was "at the most" but apparently not.  Once again my dad (called Grumps by his grandchildren for obvious reasons) yelled from the backseat "unacceptable - we've already waited 45 minutes and she needs to get home" but dude just mumbled something and made it clear he was done with us.

I drove around to the front of the store, parked, got my dad's walker out (he had knee surgery 2 weeks ago), and he hobbled all the way through the store to speak with someone else in the pharmacy.  He explained Mama had surgery and needed her antibiotic before we went home.  He told this new tech we'd already been waiting for 45 minutes.  "I'm sorry" she said,  and immediately went to fill the RX. 

The difference? 

It wasn't my dad's harsh tone, but rather the person who heard the story.  One didn't care, he was just trudging through his day with no consideration how he affected anyone else. The other stopped long enough to listen, sympathize, and helped in the best way she could.

How many people have I treated the same way this tech dude treated us?  Keeping my head down and doing the bare minimum to get through the day?  Let's purpose to see people and show them God's love through the way we treat them.

What's a Plan Got To Do With It?

Remember this?

My training buddy and I had to shift our schedules around a bit and moved the intervals to today (keep me accountable for doing them after work m'kay?) so we hit the gym for a class. Much needed quad work and an exhausting class. High resistance for most of the class was a challenge, but when it felt impossible, I focused on pushing throw. Slowing down is better than taking the resistance off (as far as my goals are concerned).

Um, yeah.  Didn't happen.

I didn't, however, completely give up for the week.  Its all about small victories, right?

Tuesday:

Planned - 4 X 800 Cruise Intervals
Actual - Furniture shopping

What, that doesn't count?  Someone needs to tell my husband. 


Wednesday:

Planned - Tabata Class
Actual - 1.5 mi elliptical, 2.25 mi run (treadmill/hill setting)

Getting all my runs in for the week trumps everything else, especially since I had cross trained already on Monday.  Waited on the elliptical for a treadmill to become available, then did a super awesome workout on the treadmill pushing myself on hills.

Thursday:

Planned - 4 X 800 Speed Intervals
Actual - 4 X 800 Cruise Intervals

These intervals are our marker workout, and hard enough on their own.  I consider the hill workout my speed intervals for the week.

Friday:

Planned - REST
Actual - REST

Didn't want anything interfering with Saturday's long run.  After last week's flop, I needed it to be a good one.

Saturday:

Planned - 14 mile run
Actual -  14 awesome miles

Felt GREAT this run.  Very encouraged I might actually get a PR in Knoxville this year!

Sunday:

Planned - REST
Actual - 4.7 mile Super Bowl Social

Ran the (hilly) green way Sunday morning with the Socialites.  I was incredibly pleased at my pace (close to a 10 m/m) given the icy conditions and my long run the previous day.

Monday:

Planned - Hills
Actual - REST

Mom had minor surgery yesterday, and given my father's recent surgery I was her designated driver.  Also figured a rest day would do me well after 2 strong back to back runs.


How'd your training go this past week? 
If you're not in-training for anything, are you doing well meeting your 2013 goals (be they fitness or otherwise)?