Wednesday, May 27, 2009

TEAM IN TRAINING!

I think I may have fell off the crazy wagon.
Or perhaps I took over driving the crazy train.

Today I, along with my great friend Alma, signed up for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Fransisco with Team in Training.

Honestly. I was trying to just avoid the meeting because I knew if I went, that I would sign up.
It's for a wonderful! cause, and I am so intertwined with cancer patients on a daily basis that cancer really tugs at my heartstrings. There's just so much we don't know about cancer, why it affects certain people, what treatments are best...I digress...

So I dragged Alma to the meeting. We heard from the marathon manager. Watched a video. Listened to two mentors who started just like we are. The whole time Alma and I nudging each other and silently wondering to ourselves if we can really raise the money that we need to do this thing. The running is not the obstacle it seems at this point. (easy to say as I had just stuffed my belly with a mufelleta and a bag of chips while sitting in the air conditioning, coming off of vacation and NOT running for {gasp} 10 days! yes, and I feel like a complete whale. that's for another blog.)

Point being (I am so unfocused right now! wow!) I am going to need some support. I'll take whatever mental good wishes, emotional encouragement, physical (come run with me!!!!!) and monetary contributions if you are so inclined to support that way. Basically, I'll take your love anyway I can get it!! I am pumped about the training program and happy I won't be training for my first marathon by myself!

I will have a website up and I will be updating it with my training tales...along with my trusty blog, of course.

I am pumped!! WHOOP!

Vacation post to come. I think I got sand in my camera. So I'm working on that.
I was just TOO excited NOT to post about my Team in Training meeting!!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

B2B Race Report

This past weekend was the 34th annual Beach to Bay Marathon Relay.
I have never done it before, but I have heard about how much fun it is from lots of people. My good buddy Teresa from work was our team captain and she ROCKED! The most awesome thing she did was hook us up with a free condo! SWEET! Unfortunately for me, I was the only one who didn't ask for Friday off (DUMB! will take 4 day weekend next year!) and it was first come first serve. So, since I worked (even ended up staying a little late) DH and I got the ole living room floor air mattress. No biggie. Free room right? No biggie!

When we got there, most of my peeps were in the hot tub, but I'd been hearing about how good Teresa's spaghetti was so I HAD to try that before I could relax. So I stuff my face with it, this delicious concoction of meat and sauce and noodles (which was EXCELLENT, by the way) and then DH and I wandered down to the hot tub. We hung out for a while but made it an early night, after all we did have a race in the morning! Time to start getting ready for bed. We went to blow up the air mattress, when BAM! I realized something very important was missing. No, not my shoes. Or my shuffle. Or my Garmin...(yes I could get by without that, but I wouldn't like it) it was the blasted cap to the air mattress. DAMN! There it was, lost and lonesome. Back in New Braunfels. Shoot. Time to get creative. DH and both started looking around for something, anything to plug the hole with. We were desperate. I actually looked at a container of SPAM (ew!) someone had brought and contemplated that. ha ha. How redneck would that be. Sealing off my air mattress with SPAM!
Team captain to the rescue. Duct tape!
We duct taped the air pump to the hole and called it a night. Ah. Nice.
UNTIL about 1:30am. When I turned over and realized my hip was killing me. And that was because I was lying on the floor. On a FLAT air mattress.
Damn duct tape.

Luckily since I was 6th to run I didn't have to wake up as early as my team mates. But I did. Thanks to my team captain's enthusiasm! (BOO) I did quickly go back to sleep (after we stole George's (leg #1) air mattress!) We also enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of strawberries (thanks Leah), a banana and some peanut butter and biscuits. We headed out shortly after breakfast to take Leah to her starting point.

It was a very humid day. The traffic was terrible but I knew to expect that. We got Leah to her shuttle point, near Texas A&M Chorpus Christi and then headed over to my starting point/her ending point, or exchange point 5/6. I was really hating how hot and humid it was. Thank goodness it was overcast. I would have passed out FOR SURE! At exchange point 5/6 there was a first aid tent (this race was very organized by the way) and LOTS of poeple were there not feeling well and having cool towels wrapped around them, massages, and there were a few people laying down. I tried not to look too much at that tent while I was waiting for her.

My run went pretty well. I was aiming for my race pace, of at least 8:45, but the humidity got in my way (at least that's what I think). I ended up with a 9:02 pace, time of 39:55 for leg #6, 4.4miles. Not bad, but not what I really wanted. Running is such a mental thing!!
I think there were a few things that got into my head:
  • some people were walking. I think they were people who had run the 5th leg and either didn't have a ride or didn't want to ride the shuttle to the end. That was distracting and when I saw them walking, I wanted to walk!
  • the course was on the road, where the traffic was BaReLY moving. (Mitchell literally missed me finishing because I ran to the finish faster than he could drive there.) People were sitting in their cars next to me, in the AC, while I was sweating my ass off right next to them. They were SO close! Not used to that!
  • IT was SO HUMID! By the time it was my turn to run, it was almost 11:30. I haven't run in conditions like this, and I don't really like it! AT ALL!
  • I knew that I wasn't "racing" anyone, and that factored into my competitive nature. I can't win or PR, so why run hard?! (Once again, the mental part of running comes into account here.)
Who knows. But we finished. I think our official time was 5:14. Not great. But fun.

At the finish line I headed over for my favorite thing, oranges! Didn't like that I had to peel it myself. I turned into a sticky mess. I also slammed an h2o and a gatorade and then turned to the free beer. Miller lite. Not bad. Natalie and I succeeded in getting 4 free beers each when we were technically only allowed two, and we were pretty proud of ourselves for that. Good times. A little later we all chowed down on the Papa John's Pizza before heading back to the condo.

And then we headed off to relax on the beach, eat dinner, and party like rock stars!

It was a BLAST!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Staring at the clock

waiting for this surgery to end!!

Anticipating going to Port Aransas and running in the Beach to Bay Relay!

Just as soon as I can get out of here! (and hopefully my DH has everything packed and ready to go!) We're really in no rush...but...

Race report to come!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Cool socks and super sore!

These socks ROCK!
My buddy Alma has a pair and thanks to her coaxing (she gets me to do so many things this way!) I bought a pair. And I LOVE them! Thanks Alma!


We took the boat out yesterday and wakeboarded! Awesome! And let me just note, that it is MUCH harder than it looks! Also, it helped me realize how completely weak I am as far as upper body is concerned...I am so sore right now! Of course that's not going to stop me from going out and trying it more today!!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

It's official!

2004 22 1/2 foot Seafox with a 175HP Mercury and a bunch of other stuff!

What I know about it is that we can take it to the coast AND
take it to the lake, just like I wanted!
We can fish out of it, and there is plenty of room to lay out on it when the fish aren't biting (aka I get a little hammered)...plus plenty of horsepower to pull a wakeboard, tube or skiier!


Here you go folks. You officially know a boat owner. ME! and Mitchell! ha ha

who is OVER THE MOON about this whole thing!
Not that you can tell from this picture, but he is pumped.
As am I.
SUPER Excited!!!!!!


We took it out Sunday to McQueeny for a "trial run." It was awesome!

Saturday, May 02, 2009

For Sale

One of my Dr buddy's is selling his boat. And guess who's going to look at it?!

We've been talking about a boat for a LONG time and now that we're out of debt, it's time to look around! And a good deal from a friend never hurts things!

This isn't the exact boat, but the best my quick internet search could find.

Keep your fingers crossed that Mitchell likes it, because it's the kind of boat we can both agree on!