I started a new blog...

http://livingthislifegiven.blogspot.com/

Come by and check it out!!*smiles*

Back to swimming....

I got back in the pool today thanks to a great birthday present...a swim workout book (Thanks Ruth)!

It's WATERPROOF!! Yeah...I said you can take it to the pool and not worry about soggy pages.

So Happy!!

Here's what I did....it was a good workout (set A), and I felt happy if a little tired. My shoulders and neck felt tight, but I'm sure that's just because it has been awhile since I've swam.

Hot Tubs are nice!!

Just sayin' that sometimes it's nice that we have a hot tub on the screened in porch. Some days/weekends/weeks need it more than others!

Jason and Chris were still enjoying after I got out. Just an FYI I spent a lot of time in the hot tub this weekend....ahhhhhh!!

What Can I Say??

I started today feeling great...I was coming off my Birthday High! My friend Chris and I were planning on doing a 10 mile run, but he was going to call me when he was ready. I know Chris and he's not an early guy at best, but I was happy to snuggle up keep warm in the morning (it was in the 30's). Chris called, I got ready for our run.

We headed over to Panera Bread at North Hills (a good place to start and end!!) and parked. We started the 10 mile Big Block run. I wasn't really feeling great on the run, but that's what happens when you run the day before and probably don't eat a great breakfast. As we were running along we got to about 3 miles into our run and decided we needed a little bit of runner nutrition (for me honey stingers, and for Chris some Gu). Lucky for us we were near a trash-can on the greenway so we could through out our empty wrappers. Off we went continuing on the run. You know it's 10 miles...if you've run 10 miles you know...you just keep going. We stopped and got water at the Shelley Lake water fountain, then Chris got another Gu before we went through the tunnel on the way to the Long Street entrance to the greenway. I'm telling you about all the stops for a reason...you'll see.

We made it all the way back to Panera (around 1 pm), which I was really happy about. Thinking about food and the ability to finally rest for a little bit. My body was tired, my hamstrings were tight, my feet were tired I was just ready to be done, and happy that we were done.

EXCEPT- when we got back to the car Chris noticed that the pouch on his water bottle where he keeps his Gu and the key to his car was wide open, and EMPTY. Yep, no car key and no real knowledge as where it dropped out. I called Jason and he went and got Chris's dummy key from his house and came to us, but the key did not crank the car because Chris has a Lexus and the key was a smart key with a chip. We ate something at Panera (because we wouldn't of made it otherwise) and then set out to look for the key, starting at the 3 mile first nutrition. We searched and searched going all over the greenway....to no avail. We finally worked on getting the car re-keyed. Jason and I finally went home around 5:30pm, Chris made it to our house after everything around 7:30pm.

Birthday Karma came back to bite me in the butt!!

It's My Birthday!!

So I'm not a stellar birthday participant. I don't usually enjoy my birthday not because I don't like getting older or anything like that, but just in past years it's usually sucky for me. To many expectations and not enough follow through!! *smiles*

I decided this year the cycle needs to end, and that I was going to have a FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY. And I DID!!

I started my day with a little light cleaning (it made me feel better). I had already decided that I was going to do a short run (I was thinking 3.7 miles in honor of me turning 37 today), and was thinking maybe a little yoga or pilates afterwards. I did go do my run (it ended up being 4.16 miles (averaged 11:09, with the fastest pace being 7:58) through the neighborhood. It was a beautiful day for a mid-day run. Then I came back and did 25 minutes of pilates. Awesome mat workout where I actually did 2 teasers! SO PROUD of myself!

I took a nap...because I could! Then got ready for my birthday dinner out with friends! We met at Saw Mill Tap Room, and had yummy dinner and good conversations...not to mention Beer! Then we went to Aladdins for dessert, I had carrot cake/cheesecake...and it's was as good as it sounds! YUM and FUN!

Overall it was a GREAT BIRTHDAY!

Getting my life back....

(Pretty Otja Face)


(This is one of the pictures I used to make the LOST DOG poster)


(Otja in her jacket, it's been cold in the mornings)


(Otja and Scout at the dog park)


(Another of Otja and Scout at the dog park)

It's been a crazy week. Last Wednesday my friend Janet dropped her dog Otja (Ridgeback, 2 years old) off at my house for a week long stay. Janet and her husband Jason are going to be out of the country for 3 weeks, and I had the first week with Otja. Janet is wise to of broken up Otja's stay into 3 separate weeks with 3 separate families. At first I thought, well I could probably keep her the whole time, but then looked at when they would be gone and the timing was bad. I could only keep her the first week.

A week with Otja has been enough. Don't get me wrong she's a sweet dog and I would PROBABLY dog sit for her again. However I'm ready for her to move on to the next house where they may have a little more patience with her (at least at first). On Wednesday when she got to our house Scout thought it was the best thing EVER! He and Otja played and played, and had a good first little bit. When Janet left Otja looked around for her Mom a couple of times and kept checking the door to see if she was coming back. Finally she started to settle down, and I went in to work for half a day. Thursday I worked a full day, but decided to crate Otja since she thought it would be fun to bring me my Pilate's DVDs (yep with her mouth). She went in the crate with only a little reluctance and was happy to have treats. Scout was happy to have treats outside the crate. Got home Thursday night and she was like a wild thing that had been caged for years. SOOOOO MUCH ENERGY!! The walk was hard, lot's of pulling and tugging but we made it through everything. Friday I was home. So the morning we did a walk, and then we hung out for most of the morning and afternoon. I couldn't really get anything done because Otja is a Velcro dog, she sticks right by you, gets under your feet and has to know every little thing your doing. Not easy to work on cards, or scrap-booking, or even cleaning. Then I went out to Holly Springs (a 45 minute drive) to take care of another friends dogs (they just needed to be fed and let out for a bit). I came back home and took the pups for a good walk. I then left to go to a friends house for a girls night of paper crafting. About 30 minutes after I got to my friends house I got a phone call from my husband letting me know that Otja had gotten out of the house. I immediately came home and we searched for her in the dark for 3 hours to no avail. Twenty minutes after we stopped looking for her she came back to the house. I'm pretty sure she was playing a game the whole night, and came back when she figured no one else was playing. Saturday I took the pups out for a walk, and then was lazy around the house, then took the pups out again, Otja was pretty worn out from her fun adventure the night before. On Sunday I took the pups out and then did a 10 mile run (the last 10 of Kim and Chris's 20 mile run). Jason came out and ran too, he did about 8 miles. We all went and got a burrito afterwards and then came home. Otja had regained her energy and was up to full strength. Man she really likes to play, to bad Scout doesn't always want to play with her. Monday morning I had to crate Otja again, and Scout was not happy about it. I think he's frustrated that we keep using his "special" area to keep the crazy one. (that is said with loving terms). Tuesday the same just add that she smacked me in the face with her head and it is still very tender. Now it's Wednesday and Otja gets to go to her next house. I am literally counting down the minutes until I load her up and take her to the next house. Is that bad? It probably is. I love that sweet, nut case of a dog, but I'm so ready to have my life back. I haven't been able to really do any kind of training (except my 10 mile run) because she just slam wears me out!

My hope is that after I drop her off I'll be able to pop that Pilate's DVD in the player and at least get some core training done tonight, maybe even a run (but I doubt it, since they got me up so early this morning and I haven't been able to rest yet).

strange week...hmmm

(OTJA the Spunky Ridgeback)

So I'm not writing as much...cause I've fallen off the post wagon (temporarily) while watching my friends dog. She keeping my attention, as in I don't have time or energy to think about anything else but what she is getting into. She's a sweet girl and just wants Scout to play with her, unfortunately Scout doesn't want to play as much as she does. Hence the looking for something to do or get into all the time. Arrrrgggggggghhhhhh. My 7 year old calm dog and I, have the life. I love the interjection of fun though. So I'll be back to posting etc as I have time.

On my rest day I VOTED....Did You??

The Polls here are open from 6:30 am - 7:30 pm, and I really wanted to vote before work, however I have to be at work by 7:15, and leave my house by 6:30 to accomplish that there was no way for that to happen. So I worked my day came home walked the pup and then headed down to the clubhouse in the neighborhood (they just changed our voting site to the clubhouse...YAY, it just to be at the firehouse where there was no parking). It was chilly out, about 50 degrees (which for the South is Chilly). I had to wait outside for about 25 minutes and then got to go inside and warm up a little while waiting in line (my last name always puts me in the longest line) to sign in. I VOTED though, and happy that I did. I'm also actually happy there was a line, that means that people are out there voting!



Jason had voted in the morning before work, and when he got home Scout was so antsy. He was in a playful mood, and Jason put his I voted sticker on his head. He totally didn't notice it for about half an hour, then he did and it was a mad rush to get it off. I love that dog!!

Nutrition Blah

Nutrition is always tough for me. I struggle with it all the time. There is the what I should eat to fuel my body and then what I really like to eat. I have really good days where I'm on target, days I'm under calories, and days I'm off the charts over. Balance is HARD.

Today my body was just HUNGRY. That happens when I've done a weekend of a lot of training (especially when I ramp up after not doing as much). I did not make good choices. I didn't make the most horrible choices either, but the Chubby's Taco's for Dinner was yummy, but not good. There is probably a reason they call it Chubby's!!*smiles* Lunch was Village Deli, which can be okay, but not the California Chicken Salad on a croissant.....yeah and sea salt and vinegar chips, no soda though just unsweetened tea. Breakfast is my hardest meal always. I didn't really grow up eating breakfast (at least not at breakfast time), so I struggle with getting something in me in the morning. I did have a granola bar, but I needed protein, and didn't get that.

Ahh but tomorrow is another day!

Monday Night is the nOg Run..

After a day of working...Yes I worked on a monday...it's been forever since I've had a temp Hygiene gig, I met Kim for the nOg run. I can say that my legs were tired and I had had enough. Usually the nOg run tend to be my fastest run of the week. It's about a 3 mile run and there can be up to 300 people running through the streets of downtown Raleigh. I think I just excited and wanna go be in the pack. This week I really could tell I wasn't winding myself as much, but I did a good job with my intervals. I did them all the way through, and I even ran all the way up the museum hill. Museum hill doesn't look like much of a "hill", and it's not, it's just a LONG "gentle" slope. I usually get to about the halfway point and go, yeah I'm walking this a little. So my goal for last night (in my head) was to run all the way up it, Yea Me! Kim and I even ran through one of our walk intervals, and then kept running through to the run as well. So the kicker was were running at a much slower pace 12:44, but hey that all good. My run meter said we ran 34:28 min, with a distance of 2.71, and an average pace of 12:44.

I ended up leaving after the run, Kim had to go home and take care of her pup and I figured I should do the same. Sometimes if I have friends who are staying I stay and play trivia (the run starts at 6, and trivia starts at 7) and they have a $1 pasta buffet afterwards (salad, bread, and pasta), and always beer specials. It's a fun group...so if you live in the area you should come try it out. Ohhh and if you come to 10 runs you get a free T-Shirt (it's a cool black tech shirt with the logo on it), and 25 runs gets you a beer mug, and the more you come to runs the more you get! *smiles* Last night I finally earned my t-shirt!! WOO HOO!!