Vacation Planning

Have I ever mentioned how much I love vacations?  Oh I do, it's quite true!  It can even be said that I live for them.  To me, vacations are the reward for...life.

I know I've spoken of my love for Playa del Carmen, but alas...Mexico can't be in the cards for me.  You see, I have to plan my vacation with the thought process that I will be "all by myself" (sing it Celine).  I don't know for a fact that I will have anyone to go with me and so I have to choose a vacation spot that would be safe for me to travel to alone. 

One of the huge appeals of Playa for me...or any beach, for that matter...is that it's AWAY and it's peaceful.  I can choose to do everything or nothing.  This got me wondering what it is that I could do here in the states that would give me that same sense of utopia.  Then it dawned on me.  I can choose a hot springs resort and spa escape. 

I then began my research.  My requirements were - hot natural springs, adventurous activities nearby, and of course...a spa.

No matter how many different search options I Googled, I kept coming back to this place - Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa in N. Bonneville, WA.  The only downside I can think of is that the high temp will be around 56 and the low 31 (ye gads!) while I'm there (early May 2012).  Oh...and brother-in-law Jay wanted to point it out to me that I might not be safe in the Pacific Northwest because there are a lot of serial killers from around those parts.  WHAT?!  Well you know that lead me to serial killer research!  I'm morbid like that.

source here

Within 30 minutes of the resort, I will have the opportunity to do a zipline course, white water rapids, hike waterfalls, see Mount St. Helens, and tour wineries (with wine tastings).

The resort also has a lovely restaurant with wonderful meal offerings, but if I wanted to eat off-campus, so to speak, Portland Oregon is only 35 minutes away with some great offerings like Veritable Quandary and Salvador Molly's.

The spa menu is superb.  I've already picked out several services I want such as:

Ultimate Relaxation Bath, Wrap & Massage


Our Chamomile bath and wrap or our Lavender bath and wrap followed by a relaxing 80-minute massage is perfect for those days when you just want to relax. This ultimate treatment also includes a foot massage followed by a warm towel foot wrap and a warm towel face wrap.


140 minutes

Just for Women Bath, Wrap & Facial


Enjoy a bath in YonKa Phyto Bain bath oil followed by a warm wrap and an

80 minute European Facial.

140 minutes

Rock N’ Rain Signature Massage


Try our Bonneville Hot Springs Spa Signature Massage. Six therapeutic essential oils are delivered down the spine in the Raindrop Technique, and then massaged in with warm basalt rocks followed by a full body massage.

80 minutes

Having something relatively planned for the future gives me the motivation to commit (fully) to getting to my goals.  Now, unfortunatley I have a bit more ground to cover than initially because I went wayward, but the point is I'm back on track.

Speaking of track...I decided this is going to be key in transforming me into the girl I want to be.  Starting today, I am tracking EVERYTHING.  I have Daily Mile to track my exercise.  I have Myfitnesspal.com to track my calories and water consumption.  I have Sleep Bot (an app on my phone) to track my sleep.

If only I could mentally get beyond this ridiculous weather.  I'm sure you are sick and tired of hearing me (and every other Texan) complain about the heat this summer, but I can honestly say that in all my 24 years of living here, this is by far the hottest summer.  Yesterday around 3:30pm, I took this picture (and no, my car had not been sitting in direct sunlight...this was after I had been driving for over 20 minutes).

So, what kind of vacation are you planning OR do you prefer?

Oh my...Tomato Pie!

I couldn't wait to get home last night...to make Tomato Pie...again.

No, I'm not a gluttonous monster.  Well...maybe I am, but THIS particular situation deems the title unnecessary.

You see, I received my daily recipes from Allrecipes.com the other day and what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a recipe for Tomato Pie.  I wondered what in the world it is, so then I clicked on the happy link and found out.  It's made of all things wonderful - tomatoes, green onion, fresh basil, bacon, and cheese.  Truth be told, I wasn't too keen on the bacon part, but brother-in-law Jay told me I had to follow the recipe (I have a problem following directions, you see), so I did with the slight modification of using lean turkey bacon instead of the real deal.

I heated a pot of water to help strip my tomatoes of their skin.  I preheated the oven for my pie crust.  I got my skillet all hot and bothered ready for the bacon...and then I placed 6 strips of bacon in said skillet because I don't like to fry up too much at a time.  I went out to my car to get something I forgot and when I returned, I found my once-upon-a-time sweet Delilah guiltily licking her chops over a tasty meal of 3/4 of a pound of RAW turkey bacon.  That can't be good.  I was soooo mad as my Tomato Pie would now be slightly naked with only 1/2 of the bacon I intended for it to have.  =/  Needless to say, Delilah went outside until the storm came to get us.

don't trust this innocent face

I then proceeded to chop up my basil and slice my green onions.  The crust went into the oven for a few minutes to avoid sogginess as I crumbled my bacon.

I then began to layer sliced tomatoes, basil, green onion, bacon, seasonings (garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and oregano).  I did a second layer and then a third.  Next, I topped my pie with a mixture of 1.5 cups of 2% shredded cheese mixed with 3 TBSP of light mayo.

In the oven it went - loosely covered with tin foil - for 45 minutes.  After 45, I took off the tin foil for another 15.  I ain't gonna lie, my house smelled heavenly.

I took my masterpiece out of the oven and pushed it far back on my island to cool.  Now, I had no intentions of eating it for dinner that night.  It was meant for dinner for the next several nights.

A little while later, I went to the bathroom just to come out and discover Delilah (remember her?) had tipped the pie off the counter and it was now laying face down on my kitchen floor.  I could have killed her.  BUT, I didn't.  Instead...she was banished outside and my Tomato Pie went in the trash.  sigh.

I do not give up easily, however.  The next day I went back to the grocery store and bought more turkey bacon, cheese, and basil to do it all over again.  Oye.

It was worth making twice...it's that good. 

Recipe:
4 large tomatoes - peeled and sliced
1 pie crust
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 green onions sliced thinly
12 strips of cooked bacon - crumbled
3 TBSP light mayo
1/5 cups of 2% shredded cheddar

Directions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Boil a pot of water.  Fry bacon.  Chop basil.  Slice onion.  Put two tomatoes at a time in the boiling water.  Stick pie crust in oven for a few minutes and then remove.  Let tomatoes sit for a minute or two in the water, then carefully remove them and put them under cold water to remove the skin.  Repeat for next two tomatoes.  Slice tomatoes.  Layer tomatoes, green onion, basil, bacon, and seasonings.  Top with cheese/mayo mixture.  Loosely cover pie with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove tin foil and bake for another 15.  Let sit for 5 minutes or so before slicing pie.

If you make 6 servings out of your pie, it's around 313 calories per slice.

***Note:  next time I make it, I would probably choose to chop the tomato***

Lesson learned:  NEVER ever trust Delilah around food

Weekend Recap

I had a lovely weekend.   I didn't want it to end, actually.  I've been thinking lately that it would be a really great plan to make the work week 4 days and the weekend 3.  Who's with me?! 

I started out Saturday morning by making myself a peanut butter, banana, and honey wrap.  I didn't want the bulk of bread weighing me down when I headed out for my long WALK, so I used a whole wheat "homemade" tortilla from H.E.B.  It was perfect.

I opted not to carry water with me for my WALK because I wasn't planning on doing a whole lot of miles and because I truly do hate carrying anything more than I need with me.  I did pop a Powerade Zero in the mailbox so that I could stop on by the house without actually going in the house to hydrate. 

I decided to count the change I came across as I've noticed a lot of coinage lately on the ground.  I found a penny, but no...I didn't pick it up.  Then I happened across a dollar bill.  Eureka!  I surely did pick that puppy up (but only after looking around me to make sure nobody was watching as if I was doing something wrong).  Later I happened across another penny.  So, the dollar made my long WALK profitable, I'd say!

this is a dramatic reenactment since I didn't have my camera with me at the time of discovery


Around mile 3, I returned to the ol' mailbox for a drink.  I then continued on my merry way.  My left knee started giving me a bit of trouble - complaining, I guess you could say.  It was kinda popping a little bit here and there as I rounded corners.  I made it back to the house around 5.5 miles and decided I should ice it.  Good thing I did, too, as there was definitely a bit of fluid in there.  =/


We didn't have family lunch this weekend because my dad was flying in from San Fran later in the afternoon and we didn't want him to feel left out.  I did, however, go with my mom to IHOP for a second breakfast of sorts.  Hey...when you burn 800 calories so early in the day, you get HUNGRY!
 

After IHOP, I hung out with my mom for a while, then we ran errands, then picked up my dad from the airport and went to BJs for a late lunch. 

I dropped them off at home and then headed to my own place to chill with my doggies until it was dinner time.

I had purchased a Groupon a few weeks ago for The Brownstone Cafe and my friend Kim and I decided we needed one of our infamous KNOs (Kim Nights Out - it originated when we were in college together).  We had a most wonderful time enjoying our respective meals, catching up on our respective lives, and sharing a Nutella crepe for dessert.  Since we all know I'm terrible about remembering to take pics, this is one I found on Google that closely resembles the deliciousness that melted in my mouth!

source here

 


Sunday, I decided to not set my alarm.  The dogs woke me up at 6:56am because they were STARVING.  I swear you would think I never feed them.  Shortly after they ate, Penelope decided to put herself back to bed (she never leaves my side, so this was weird).  Delilah and I decided to join her and we slept for another 3 hours.  Bliss.

My parents and I then went to see The Help.  I loved it, though I wish there were a few things they had included in the movie that I thought were pivotal parts of the storyline.  I then went back to their house to enjoy the new puppies as older sister Cathy and brother-in-law Jay brought them by for the afternoon.  Later younger sister Linda and brother-in-law Craig joined us and we had a wonderful family feast!

I tracked my food all weekend long, I started reading a new book (The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers) that is quite good, I hung out with some of my fave peeps, and I rested up.

 

Now let's just get to another weekend, shall we?! 

Weekend Getaway

I know I just took my vacation back during the first week of May, but oye...it seems like eons ago.  Sadly, I don't take my second vacation until October. 

I find that weekend getaways are sometimes just what the doctor ordered to refresh/renew a girl, you know?! 

I headed to Dallas on Friday after work.  I played the whole silly game of trying to get out at 4pm which in my head meant I would really be gone by 5:00.  Unfortunately, I didn't end up leaving until 5:30.  =/  Since I had gone home at lunch time to pick-up my dogs and take them to my mom's house for the weekend (thanks mom!), I was home free once I got out that door.

The drive to Dallas from Houston is pretty boring.  I find myself looking for landmarks.  The first one is always the Sam Houston statue in Huntsville.  The second is Buc-ee's...I think it's in Madisonville.  I guess that's about it.  I had an audio book I was listening to that I finished pretty early on in my jaunt.  I switched it out for another one and just couldn't get into it, so I ended up listening to the radio for the rest of my ride.

That Pink Girl so gratiously offered for me to stay at her house for the weekend.  Last time I went to Dallas for a race (Dallas RnR back in March), I stayed with a friend of mine in Fort Worth.  I didn't realize FW was soooo far away and it was really a nuisance to drive all the way out there, so TPG's offer was awesome!

My mom had asked for her info because...for all intense purposes, TPG is a stranger.  I laughed it off and was like, "Mom, we've hung out twice before....she's totally normal, I swear."  It didn't dawn on me until I was about 30 minutes from her house that it could be totally awkward.  It wasn't...like at all...cuz TPG is that kinda awesome, sweet, and fun!

We stayed up late on Friday talking.  When I went to bed in her delightfully pink guest room, I saw she left me out a care package of sorts - her favorite running socks, NUUN, some bottled water, snacks, a magazine, and my race shirt and bib she picked up for me.  Soooo sweet and thoughtful is That Pink Girl!

Saturday morning, I talked her ear off while she prepped food for the brunch/party she was hosting.  How fun to combine all her groups of friends - she had work friends, running buddies, and bloggies all intermingling.  I ate soy sausage for the first time ever - guess what guys?  It tastes just like regular sausage.  Weird, right?!

You know what's funny?  I actually ended up having a vegetarian weekend.  It wasn't even intentional! 

After the party, we went to some shops about town - Run On, a bike shop, and some of those little cute boutiques.  We then landed at Ulta.  Oh how I love me some Ulta and it was perfect timing because I had been scraping the bottom of my make-up compacts/bottles for the past 3 weeks!  Next was Academy (another fave store) and then we went home to relax for a bit before dinner.

We went to this really great Italian restaurant named Scalini's for a carbo-loading dinner.  I have said it before that I have a tendency to prefer a more vegetarian approach to my pizza.  Mine had black olives, green olives, onion, yellow squash, zucchini, and mushrooms on it.  It was delicious!

Later we organized our race gear and then I assisted TPG in making her first vlog.  You really need to check it out here.  It's pretty funny!  We were having way too much fun as the hours crept up on us.  I think we finally made it to our respective beds around 12:30am and I had set my alarm for 5:30.  Yikes!  Once my head hit the pillow, I figured out I wasn't tired, so I tossed and turned for probably a half hour or so before I finally slept.

Sunday was race day.  Here is my race recap if you missed it.

After the race, TPG took me to one of her fave sandwich shops called The Great Outdoors because she had remembered me saying in this heat, sandwiches are often the only thing that sound good.  Again...how thoughtful!  I ordered their Summer Sub on wheat.  Oh wow was it yummy.  It had cream cheese and meunster cheese on it along with mushrooms, cucumbers, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and red wine vinegar.  Be still my heart!  I have since purchased all these ingredients to recreate that sub at home!!!

After lunch, we headed back to TPG's house.  I already had my bags packed, so I just needed to shower and put on some comfy attire for the 3 1/2 hour trip back home. 

Although my body was stiff and my very existence was tired, I felt...at peace.

Thanks to That Pink Girl for a wonderful weekend getaway! 

Oh and sorry I'm such an awful blogger that I have no pics to share from the entire weekend.  What in the world is wrong with me?!

Kim versus the Half Marathon - The Hottest Half

Well...it was a personal worst, but I did it.

13.1 is far, y'all.  For reals.  13.54 is even further!  I don't know about you, but there is nothing that agitates me more than seeing the distance I truly traveled in a race you only get credited for 13.1.  Usually I can look back and see where I did some weaving (or...um...getting lost), but since I put myself at the very back and walked The Hottest Half, well...there wasn't much weaving at all.  =/

So, it would be VERY easy for me to tear myself apart with regard to this race.  I mean I hadn't trained for it except for a few longish walks and a couple of weekday jaunts - none of which ever attained my goal pace and none of which lasted more than 8 miles.  As I've mentioned before, I've gained some weight back and I just haven't been eating as well as I should and I haven't been moving as much as I should.  To bottom-line it, I'm out of shape.  I thought about opting out of the race altogether and/or knocking my registration down to the 10K (which also would have granted me a medal upon completion), BUT I decided I was to be punished for my wayward lifestyle as of late and that come hell or highwater (in Houston?  in Dallas?  in this drought?) I needed to complete this race and use the blood, sweat, tears, and pain to catapult me into getting back on the right track.

I will say that this was one of my most humbling experiences of all time.

After splitting a peanut butter and honey sandwich with That Pink Girl, we headed out to White Rock for our race.  On a side note, I think I liked the PB&H over oatmeal as a pre-race breakfast.  This was a smallish race in that there were 1375 finishers.  My goal was to not be last.  haha!  Well I had more goals - although I wanted to finish in legal time, I knew my lack of training would probably not allow it.  I was right.  So my other goals were to not dehydrate and just to finish.  Pretty simple, right?!

I had a hydration plan.  I was going to take water from all 6 hydration stations on the way out (it was an out and back course) and then drink from my Camelbak (filled with G2) on the way back.  It became clear pretty early on that this plan wasn't going to work for me.  It was hot y'all AND I'm one sweaty girl AND seeing as I was walking the course (not in the best shape), I knew early on to avoid cramping calves and other symptoms of dehydration, I needed a new plan.  I ended up grabbing a water from all 6 hydration stations on the way out while sipping on my Camelbak in the interim.  On the way back, I alternated between water and Powerade at the stations.  This all paid off - by 10.5 miles, I had drained my Camelbak.  By mile 11.5, the twinges started in my left calf.  Some volunteer had offered to let me re-fill my Camelbak around 9 miles, but silly me thought I still had plenty left.  =/

Mile 1 was pretty smooth sailing save for the bridge located around 0.5.  Now, I'm not one of those chickies afraid of a bridge, but I am a chickie with some equilibrium issues and many runners/walkers and bike riders trampling over a bridge makes for quite a bouncy experience.  Can you believe there was another bridge around 1.5 miles?  In my head there were two more, though I might be mistaken.  The one that was located right before mile 5 (and mile 8 on the way back) was by far the worst.  Coming off that cRaZy bridge was a hill.  We all know how much I love to hate hills.  My legs felt disoriented from the bridge and it was just a bad feeling all the way around.

I still felt strong Miles 2-5 as there was quite a bit of shade along the course.  During Miles 4-5 I practically had my own cheer squad.  As the runners on their way back passed me, many of them would high 5 me or clap or shout out encouragement.  It truly brought both a smile to my face and some tears to my eyes.  It was extremely heartwarming that people were so awesome to take the energy out of their own race to help motivate mine.

Miles 6-8 were okay.  At some point, I made a friend.  He was walking the race, as well, and we just chatted along for a couple of miles. 

Miles 9-11 were rough.  I wanted to quit half a dozen times, but I reminded myself that punishment isn't supposed to feel good.  I wasn't hurt, mind you, so there was really no reason to stop...I was just tired (well except for that stupid left calf that started acting up right past mile 11).

Miles 12-13 felt like they took an eternity.  The aid vehicles kept passing me and the girl in front of me.  She was struggling with a hurt leg, so they asked her a time or two if she needed help, but she declined.  We both just wanted to be done.

Around 12.9 miles, TPG came from around the corner and I swear to you that she was the best thing I'd seen all day.  She instantly put a huge smile on my face before she put her coach face on told me to start running to the finish line.  I tried for a few hundredths of a mile, but that lame calf was threatening me.  I started walking again and I was telling TPG about a dude who almost knocked me over around mile 4.  He was coming in the opposite direction of me and stopped to tie his shoe - without pulling to the side.  Some girl told him to get off the course and without looking, he scooted over onto my side of the course.  I girl-screamed in fear of falling over and somehow managed to avoid him and the ground.  TPG pointed out that if I had enough energy to tell a story, I had enough energy to run the rest of the course (I love when she goes all coach on me), so I started running and as I neared the finish line, the MC shouted my name and where I was from.  A fairly large group of spectators cheered for me as I crossed the finish line. 

The Hottest Half peeps handed me a medal and I thanked them for allowing me to finish and giving me the medal even though I didn't finish in legal time.  She laughed, congratulated me, and told me she was proud of me.

Nice people rock my world!

After some much needed water, TPG and I headed towards the car.  A nice aid guy stopped us and offered us a ride.  I didn't want to take him up on it because of pride issues, but then he said if we didn't let him take us, he was going to have to go back and become part of the clean-up crew.  We laughed and thanked him for the ride.

I will say that this was one of my favorite races as far as organization, staffing, and hydration stations go.  It was the absolute best race as far as my fellow racers go. AND if I could ever get my act together...despite the heat...I would consider doing it again (the right way).

I will leave you with a couple of pics and my stats.

This is a pic of my fingers after the race (no, they were not painful, but definitely uncomfortable)...

These were my fingers 24 hours later...

This was my post race AWFUL pic, but hey...it's me with my medal and TPG was kind enough to take it...

Time - 3:57:57
Calories Burned - 1989
Finishing Song - Lady Gaga's Paparazzi
Next Stop - Beach Palooza (5K obstacle course) in Galveston on September 24th.

what defines me

I have been working for the same company for 12+ years.  I started out as the Office Manager, then I became the Operations Manager, and finally the General Manager.  Did you know that I'm the only girl at my job?  True story.  I'm surrounded by too much testosterone on a daily basis.  The company I work for has 12 Service Centers in addition to our corporate headquarters.  Mine is the largest.

I've discussed my position before...only in that the term "General" is way too...encompassing.  It is difficult to manage everything, especially when you have as many people to manage as I do.  I still have a long way to go to be the best manager I can be, but I think I'm getting there - through trial and error and most of all...experience.

All of the general managers bring their own "thing" to the table, so to speak.  We all have different issues determinate on our location, labor pool, proximity to one another, etc.  We all have our short comings and we all have our talents.

My talent is in logistics.  It's really laughable because I have the worst sense of direction of anyone I know and I still have to look at the U.S. map to get a feel for where everything is located.  I think I am successful because I'm not afraid to be creative, to explore all my options, and to verify the efficiency of my decisions by way of using all my resources.

I have often said that it is a good thing I have A.D.D. because if I were one of those anal retentive types who are not flexible, I would be a failure at what I do.  This is to say that my ability to jump from task to task and accept constant interruption prevents me from going completely crazy while still being productive.

I can look back at this summer...actually this whole year...and say that I have worked harder than I have the other 11 years I have been employed with my company. I have worked more hours.  I have managed my resources BETTER.  I have taken on additional tasks.  The more work that has been loaded upon me, the better I have performed.  I know this.

What sucks is that I can also say that in all my 12 years, I have never ever felt this stressed, this attacked, and this resentful.

It's weird to think that on one hand I am so proud of what I have accomplished and yet on the other hand I am angry and frustrated that I have been treated poorly by many as a result of my hard work and dedication.

That doesn't make sense, right?!  Exactly.  Hence the frustration.

Ever since I had my first "real" job - working at H.E.B. as a cashier - I have demonstrated my loyalty, my work ethic, my desire to excel at what I do.  One could go so far as to say I define myself by way of my work.  At H.E.B. we were given produce tests every month.  We were also scored on how many items we could scan per minute.  I was competitive with these things because at that time, in that place, those things mattered.  I wanted to be the best...and sometimes I was.  Other times, my friend Stephanie beat me.  =/  No worries, it was a friendly competition.  We could get more money by cross-training in other departments.  I did this.  I did everything that was asked of me and more because that was what was expected of me and that was how I was raised.

I know that when you get knocked down, you are supposed to get up again.  What I don't know is why people feel it necessary to knock down the girl who is good at her job.  Since when did it become bad to be smart?  Since when did it become bad to be efficient?  Since when did it become bad to problem-solve when issues arise instead of pushing it off on someone else?  Since when did it become bad to ask questions that need to be asked AND to expect answers...or even just a response.. in a reasonable amount of time?  Since when did it become bad to work hard and expect appreciation for your efforts?

In the world I want to live in, people are rewarded for their efforts and not criticized.  In the world I want to live in, people who are good at their jobs get to keep them and people who are not either get put in a position more suitable to their skill level OR they get let go.  In the world I want to live in, problems are addressed and not ignored.  In the world I want to live in, I can go home each night with peace in my soul.

Tonight, I am not at peace.  Tonight I am hurt, I am angry, I am mad, and I am sad.  I am torn between wanting to scream and wanting to cry.  I put all my energy, time, heart, and soul into my work.  Why?

My work shouldn't define me anymore.  It should just be a job...one I can leave at the door when I go home each night.  I don't want to continue to waste so much of me on something that doesn't give back what is put into it.  It's a mental, physical, and emotional drain.  All that for no return on my investment.  If only Calgon could take it all away...even if it were just for today.

cRaZed Hitchhiker on the Loose...or just me hitting the streets at 5am

I went through all the motions of yesterday in anticipation of heading out to do 6 miles once I got home.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  I just could not make myself get out the door...probably because I didn't leave work until 7 and my car was still registering 104 degrees.  =/

I vowed to go to bed early so that I could wake up early to get my 6 miles in. 

Yeah...bed didn't come early.  I got this wild and crazy idea to download an audio book onto my iTunes account.  No, sillies...I didn't pay for it.  It was a "book" from the library, so I suppose I was really "ripping" it (my brother-in-law told me that was the right word).  I chose James Dashner's The Maze Runner.  I then replaced my iPod Shuffle music with the book.  Quite proud of myself, I headed to bed at 11pm.  I still dutifully set my alarm for 4am and hoped for the best.

My alarm went off at 4am and I did what I usually do...I reset it for 6am, BUT...then...I felt soooo guilty.  I just knew there was an imbalance in the world and that only I could solve it by hitting the pavement.  Apparently at 4am I have a whole lot of self-importance going on.

I don't know what it is with me and crack-of-dawn wake-ups, but it takes me FOREVER to get out the door.  So, this translates to I started my WALK (yes, still walking it out vs. running) at 5am.  No 6 miles for me with that late start.  =/

So, I geared up like a superstar - you know with my tunes, my Camelbak (overkill, yes, BUT I'm trying to get used to it for my upcoming The Hottest Half), my Road I.D., my Garmin, etc.  I'm pretty sure I looked like a crazed hitchhiker (who recently escaped from the circus or an assylum - whatever) to anyone who had the pleasure of seeing me.  I pressed PLAY and Chapter 1 started as I struggled through my first mile.

Something weird happened...apparently I didn't turn the shuffle function off, so the book started jumping from this to that.  I pulled over to try to fix the problem, but I couldn't, SO...I turned the whole thing off.  It made me a sad girl to have no entertainment.  =(

My first mile was wretched.  I keep having issues with tight calves no matter how much stretching I do.  I powered through it and eventually gained my momentum.  It's peaceful out there in the dark with very few peeps and very few cars.  I even saw a deer (or a cheetah, it was dark out) in the distance, so that kind of made my day.

When I made it back to my house, I was .10 mile shy of 4.75 miles, so I bypassed home to the end of the street and then came back.  4.75 miles / burned 696 calories / 15:48 pace.  I want to...need to go faster, so I'm hoping practice will make perfect before race day (8/14).

I do not recommend procrastination, by the way.  It is not paying off.

Oh and one last thing.  I HATE when the "terrain" I'm running or walking on changes.  It really messes with my head.  I'm talking dead grass in the street, pine needles, dirt, or just a change in materials - black top to cement.  Am I alone in this?  Please tell me I'm not!  I would be terrible at trail running!

After 4.75 miles (note:  same wardrobe as Sunday, but I promise it was clean when I started and that this is a new pic):

After a shower and some much needed makeup:

Happy Thursday to you all!