Getting Psyched for All Runs

Lately I've had a strange phenomenon going on, which is totally the opposite of the way I used to be. Previous runner Jeri had no problem getting out for 3, 4 and 5 miles. Easy miles are doable. Easy miles don't cause me to stress out. There is zero drama for these miles. Speed work? Tempo runs? Long runs? Well those brought all the drama.  I don't know how many times I talked myself out of a workout because I was so scared to fail.

Somewhere in the last 6 months my mindset switched, and I started to get excited for the workouts, and excited for the long runs. Certainly my fitness has improved and some races have gone well, so that plays a big part in it, but I've done a complete 180. A couple of weeks ago, Toni and my schedule didn't match up at all. Harumph. I had a 7 mile run with all the strides and all the hill pick ups, and I had to do it solo running loops around Tea. And it was great! I was psyched to do it. Finding pockets of lesser snow and ice became a game within the run, and getting that many miles in around this little town led me down new roads and routes.

Then I had 8 miles with tempo miles inside. Gulp. The hardest of hard. I've had a mental block with tempo paces and haven't been able to get below 8:50-9:15 for the last year. Same thing: solo run around town through all the snow and ice, working hard to get those tempo paces in the 8:30s as my recent race paces have indicated. And it was great! Perfect! I felt so strong.

But those 3 and 4 milers? Nope. Don't wanna.

In my defense it's been incredibly cold, snowy and icy, and it's one thing to suck it up and do the super important runs, and I'm psyched that I've been able to do that. But when you're going out to run slow and easy for recovery runs, the cold worries me even more!

But I also know that all runs are important and have a place. So I'm working on resetting my mindset. But also, dear god, will it be spring soon, please?!?!

Weekly Training Recap

I set myself up for a good week on Sunday night when I crawled into bed at 9:30pm. 4:45am alarm, here I come! It worked, because I rolled out of bed no problem. I had my best ashtanga practice yet as I'm finally seeing some openness and increased flexibility in my hips and it's allowing me to get further in certain poses. 

Before bed on Sunday I sent off a text to Megan to see if she'd be interested in joining me for a run at 6:30am when we were both done with our yoga classes. She said yes and I met up with her for an easy three miles. I'm starting a new training program this week for a 10k in mid June. I haven't ran since the beginning of March so I have a bit of work to do. 

Wednesday I worked a weird to me schedule and was able to attend Andrea's BarreAmped class. She's a beast and I always leave her classes feeling stronger.

Thursday I had big plans to go to yoga sculpt, but I over-indulged on my last lunch before the 28 day TransFORMation/Whole30 thing kicked in, and my stomach was NOT feeling it.

I also had big plans to go to ashtanga Friday morning and meet Megan for a run after, but my stomach continued to be mad at me. Luckily by late morning I was able to get in my miles. 4 miles is my long run distance these days, guys. 

Since I had the day off, I was also able to attend my favorite power vinyasa yoga class (thus ensuring I had to shower 2x on Friday aka the WORST).

Saturday I had to work so I took a rest day.

Sunday I went to power vinyasa yoga again. Since it was day 3 of the 28 Day TransFORMation, I thought this graphic was really appropriate. Mmmm ice cream.

Twin Cities Marathon: Spectating Report

Sunday morning arrived quickly and with the BLARING of Susan's cell phone alarm.  It was...jarring... to say the least, but it's her rodeo.  <--that was my motto for the weekend.  We were up and at 'em and ready to get on the road before too long. 

True story:  I was almost as nervous about driving Susan to the Metrodome as she was about running a super speedy 26.2!  Ok not really, but I was super nervous about me getting us lost and her being late/rushed.  YIKES!  PRESSURE!  Naturally we got there with no problem, but I did manage to get turned around on my way back to the house.  ahhh yes.... that's more like it Jerbear.

I had time to sip some Caribou while waiting for Erika's mom to return, and soon we were off to Lake Calhoun to spectate around 4.5 miles.  It was such a gorgeous crisp fall morning, and for about 26 seconds I was jealous of those runners.  But then I remembered.... 26.2 miles is a LONG WAY TO RUN!

We chatted with some of the spectators around us and soon enough the lead runners were upon us.  I love watching elite runners because they just look so effortless!  And not too far behind were the women.  Girl power---channeling my inner spice girl, NBD.

I was concerned that I was going to miss Susan, until I heard her yelling and waving wildly in the distance.  I started screaming my face off while trying to take as many pics as possible.  FYI this is difficult.  She looked like she was flying, but was running just as effortless of the speedy mcspeederson’s leading the race.

From there I tried to keep my eyes peeled for some other runners I knew racing, but stupid me, I had no idea what they were wearing, and it’s freakin’ hard to pick someone out of those crowds of people.  Before long, I heard my name and realized Karla was cruising through, well ahead of the 4 hour group, and was looking good!  I was too slow to snag a pic of her.

Next it was time to meet up with Erika to stake out mile 17 of the course.  At first we thought we could see Susan at the halfway mark, but the girl is so fast you don’t have a lot of time to get from point A to point B!  When we got to the course, I realized that we had chosen a spectating spot along with another crew of Green Bay Packer fans.  Yes….this is where I belong.  :)

While looking for Susan, I saw Christopher, another DailyMile friend looking strong and bright (your yellow was easy to pick out!). 

Finally we saw Susan jazz-handing it up down the slight decline.  She was flyyyyyyyyyyyying.

Next we tried to go near mile 21/22 to hopefully see her again before the finish, but they were so packed with cars that we couldn’t find anywhere to park.  With some quick mental math, we knew we wouldn’t have much time to sprint to the course to see her, so we sadly, carried on to the finish line.  As we were walking up to the finish line, we heard the announcer cheering on the ladies who were shooting for an OT qualifying time.  INSANE!  We found a decent spot to spectate and yelled and screamed for all the runners.

It was getting close to 3:15:00 and we realized we didn’t know what time Susan actually started the race!  The text I had gotten confirming she started was at 8:13am.  Surely it hadn’t taken her that long, had it??  The thought bubble was still hovering over my head when we saw her flyyyyyyyyying down the finishing stretch.  Depending on when she started, I knew she’d be close to a PR and couldn’t help but to scream my face off for her (duh, SHE CAN’T HEAR YOU!) and then silently cursed the volunteer who was obstructing my finishing photos. :) 

Shortly after Susan came through I saw Chris cruising in to the finish line.  YAY!  Go Chris! 

We met up with Susan and got to hear all about her race (make sure to check out her race report!). 

As I was logging on to the tracking page to see how Karla did I heard the announcer over the loud speaker saying her name as she finished.  I see a sub-4 marathon chaser/running buddy for the spring!

I think one of the coolest things about watching the finish of a marathon is seeing all the chicas who don't have the "typical teeny tiny runner body" crushing 3:10 marathons.  Granted, I'll never be that fast, but to see someone who's essentially built like me cruise through in 3:30 gives me hope that I can keep working my booty off (although not literally) and be that speedy someday too.

After some chillin’ and a shower for the marathoner, it was time for me to hit the road and bid the gals adieu.  I’m already plotting when we can meet up for another race weekend! 

Busted out my ol' cheerleading skillz to make this sweet sign. :)

When I rolled in to town, I just wanted to curl up in my bed and sleep.  Snuggling sleeping on a futon with a buddy all weekend as a very light sleeper, I was tired, to say the least.  But I laced up my shoes and hit the bike trail for my run.

a)       My legs, particularly my ankles, were very swollen from spectating.  For some reason when I walk/stand a lot I get massive cankles.  It’s so freakin’ weird.  I’m guessing that driving home probably didn’t help.

b)      My knee was super swollen (from my spill).  The fluid would bounce up and down with every step I took.  It didn’t hurt but it felt weird.  I almost felt like I needed a sports bra for my knee!

It wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had while running, but managed to make it through 5 miles in 48:52 for a pace of 9:47.

Search Terms have Gotten a Little Risque....

It's that time again, time to reveal some of the prime apples for how you fine folks make your way to my blog.  Without even trying, I seem to sense a general "theme."  Please let me know if you see it too.

• foot fetish portland
• rain boots for sex
• male nipple stretching

Hint:  Bowchickabowwow.

When I was getting ready for my tempo run on Thursday, I realized I looked like workout Barbie.  Or whatever her dark-haired friend equivalent was.  My hair was super curly for work, so when I put it up, I looked like one of those girls.  You know... those girls with full hair and make up that come to ellipticize at the gym aka turn all the men's heads.  *cough*jealous, I'm a sweaty pig*cough*. 

And then I headed out for a tempo run, that frankly scared me, 7 miles, with 5 at tempo pace.  I've realized that when I start my tempo runs at pace, my heart rate soars, and me and the ol' puke threshold get chummy reeeeeeeeeeeal fast.  With that information tucked in my brain, I opted to take the first couple of miles on the easier side of the tempo pace and then kick it up the last couple.

Which would've been fine and dandy except my garmin's battery died midway through the run.  Meh.  My legs felt like junk and my tempo pace wasn't feeling nearly as strong as it typically does so it was probably for the best.  And I got to enjoy the remaining miles with the fireflies illuminating the bike trail.

I did 7 miles in 1:01:48 (by my close approximation) for a pace of 8:49.

Tempo miles:  8:10, 8:19, 8:21, 3:57 (half mile 7:53 pace). 

Friday morning (roughly 8 hours later) I was out of bed to run again.  There was swearing (only in my head, as I live alone and don't want to be the crazy lady..... yet).  I was excited that it was around 70 degrees out so I wore a SHIRT v tank top/no shirt, in the first time in forever.  Eew, should've checked the humidity.  97%.  Might as well have been raining out there.  Sweat city!  I rewarded myself with Starbucks for my early morning running efforts, but I'm to the point where I just need a pumpkin spice latte to further spur my reason for existance.  I miss it so dearly.  PSL come back to me!  I wonder if Kyle yet knows that literally everything in the world can be fixed in my eyes with a PSL.  I should give him that memo.

And just because it's cute, I found a random flower at work (ok full disclosure, a co-worker tossed her wilting flowers, and I fished a not-so-wilting one out of the trash) and decided to make it my new accessory.  I would wear a flower in my hair everyday of my life if I somehow had access to them.  So cheery!  Hippie flower child at heart, I know.

Sparklefarts is BACK + Harrison's SoDak Visit

My apologies that the ol’ blog has gotten all sorts of boring since Fargo. To be honest I’ve been in a little bit a lot of bit of a slump. Every time I go out for a run I’m keeping a close “eye” on yet another body part that’s causing me concern…. Hip, knee, IT band, shin, ugggggggggh. My running is boring ergo my blogging is boring.


However, last night we may have turned a corner of sorts. It was raining and thundering as I was wrapping up my evening of work. On my drive home the rain stopped. Jeri: 1 The air was still crazy thick, so I was thankful it was only an “easy paced” run. After icing my shin Wednesday night post-run and Thursday morning, it seemed to be…. Fine. Ok then.

I took off for my run and had no shin pain. Whoo! To be safe, I concentrated like craaaaaaazy on my form. A ways down the bike path I realized I wasn’t having any hip or knee pain either. Hmmm…. And I wasn’t sucking air like normal in the humid conditions.

Sidenote: I have never seen weather like this, so it’s worth noting. The rain had stopped, as I mentioned before, but there was a thick mist from the ground until about 6-8’ in the air. It looked (and felt) like it was raining from the ground up. It. Was. Crazy.

I checked my pace and was shocked at my pace that felt so easy…. Oh hai failed marathon pace! And I was even more shocked when my heart rate was staying low. It was a completely effortless yet strong run and was exactly what I needed as I’m starting my bttw training for my fall half marathons.

I did 5 miles in 45:38 for a pace of 9:09. I did 4x100 pick ups in the final mile at 6:56, 7:00, 6:45, 6:01.

Average HR 156

Glittler/unicorn/sparklefart runs.......... great to have you back!

And this is about 100 years old by now, but on Father’s Day I got to see my adorable little nephew who lives down in Texas. Boohoo. Here are some great photos of our day together.

 

Harrison and Aunt Jeri at the falls.

Cute even when he's being a turd.  Dare I say he gets that from his auntie? ;)

So I was named after my dad (Jerry) and Harrison was named after my dad's dad (Earl Harrison). Neato eh?

Family band practice at the Pavilion science center.

I refused to let him win.... at anything.... all day... Probably paybacks from his dad never letting me win growing up.

If I can't figure out the origami, how is a kid supposed to?!?!?

Butterfly house. H made a new friend.

Can we discuss how tired I look in this pic?  Wow... long day with a 4 year old... you win kid.

And more exciting news:  I just found out on Tuesday that in November Harrison's going to have a little seeeeeeeeeeeeeeester.  YAYZIES!

No Spend March Update + The Heat is On

I heart spring.  For the first time in 2011 it was actually hot outside today.  YAYZIES!  Except, if you'll recall from my excessive bitching in the summer months, I don't like the hot weather.  Luckily this round of "hot" was only 73 degrees, but you'd better believe I was down to my booty running shorts and tank top (and still sweating like it's my j-o-b).  Not sure what I'll be donning when the weather ACTUALLY turns hot, but something tells me I should probably get to work on some core exercises.

Tonight I had an easy 8 miles with some striders thrown in.  I haven't ran since Sunday's 20 miler.  Last night I had plans to drag KK out for part of my 6 miler with me, but after his softball practice ran long (the kid knocked out 9 HRs out of 15 pitches...... tres impressive) and I was still sans ankle skin, I decided to give it a rest (day).  Also my calves were nice and tight, so he convinced me that if we didn't run, and watched LOST instead, he'd rub my legs.  As if that's even up for debate....

When I first started off on my run I kind of felt like I was going to die.  My legs were heavy and my breathing was off.  It reminded me of the lung burn you get after taking 6 months off from running.  Blech.  Within a minute that was gone, thank God, and the rest of the run was just dandy.  :)  My easy pace slid in to the low 9:30s, when it's been in the mid 9:40s lately, so that was nice.  During the final mile I threw in my 4x100 m. striders at (roughly) mile pace.  And ended up with (6:24, 6:38, 6:14, 6:13.)


I did 8 miles in 1:15:29 for a pace of 9:27.  Yippee skippy.

And since it's almost mid-April, I thought I'd update you on my No Spend March.  To put it mildly, it was a massive failure.  I did really well the first week and a half (as is documented in my updates previously) but then it was St. Patty's Day, and Guinesses aren't free (unfortunately).  And then my best friend came to town, and clearly BFFs have to eat delicious food together while catching up.  And then it's only natural for them to do a bit of shopping (I only spent $12 on this super cute Twins shirt, but still, I suck).  And then pedicures happened.  After that, I had Kyle's softball fundraiser to attend to, which I contributed some funds to.  So yeah, I failed.  But really I'm not upset about the failure, because one of my new years goals/resolutions/whatevs is to make myself be more social.  And everything that I spent money on was done while connecting with people I love to be with, so it's ok, I suppose.  I will be attempting this again sometime in the future.


I almost feel like this is the same reason I would never be able to maintain a diet.  I'm very all or nothing oriented so once I feel like I have "failed" at something, it's very easy to throw in the towel completely.  Pretty sweet quality, right?  :)


And three cheers to me for sending off my final grad school application today.  Fingers crossed!!!

Pow Pow! Bullet Points!

Starting last Thursday I was very very sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy (said in a good KK voice, he makes fun of me for sleeeeeeeeeping so much).  That night and through the weekend (Monday and Tuesday included as I took sick days) I averaged 12-14 hours of sleep a night.  Plus a nap.  I went to work for an hour on Tuesday and almost face planted on my keyboard with tiredness.  Since I'm a hypochondriac, clearly I thought I was dying.  Steel Springs mentioned via twitter that I should check to see if I was anemic. 
Clearly the hypochondriac in me had to read everything out there regarding anemia and iron deficiencies.  And shockingly, it all made sense!

• extreme fatigue (hello sleeping more of the day than I'm awake!)
• brittle nails (I've made a concious effort to up my protein effort thinking that's why my nails were peeling off in layers the last few months)
• night sweats (um gross)

I also found that it's very common in female endurance athletes.  Then I stumbled on to some information regarding a Vitamin B12 deficiency, which states that if you have a B12 deficiency, you also end up having an iron deficiency because your body isn't able to absorb any iron without it.  Since B12 is often in dairy and is absorbed in the intestines, and I'm lactose intolerant, the dairy I consume doesn't really stick around in my body all too long (if you catch my drift).  The B12 deficiency also tends to lend itself to GI issues.  I feel like there's been a little beam of light shot down from the heavens solving my life's problems.  I picked up a multivitamin, and as soon as I can figure out the cheapest way to get bloodwork done (my health insurance is TERRIBLE.  ie: Remember when I the Ninja Death Star Flu? My bill for that day was 2x as much as I would've made during that shift of work I missed.  AWESOME!)

And now some bullet points (because I'm feeling lazy).

• I did an easy 8 miles.
• The part of the bike trail that is closed at 3.75 miles (causing me to potentially reroute the run to tack on 1/2 a mile at the end) was unlocked so I could venture through for 1/4 of a mile.  WIN!
• I've started chaffing on my runs.  I refuse to believe that I've gotten bigger, and instead think my body's just not used to only one layer of clothes.
• I saw an itty bitty sock on the side of the bike trail.  I said, outloud, "sock!" in the voice that Lily and Robin do in that episode of HIMYM.  And then I thought of Jenn.  And I missed her.  Since it was an out and back run, I did this twice.

• I did 7x800 m. repeats at 3:40 goal pace.
• No I'm not attempting a 3:40 in Fargo (not that that number has any significance now anyway).
• I am going to attempt a sub-1:50 HM at the end of the month, and I like my speed work to be...well.....speedy.
• I started too fast (3:28).
• I thought I was going to die on number 3 (3:51).
• The rest were all right at under or below 3:40.
• I averaged 3:39.
• My right hip was super wonky ala Vegas Marathon pain at the start of the repeats.  But then quit.
• I did the repeats  in the dark in a sketchy-ish area. I was terrified except for when I was doing the repeats. Then I was just terrified I was going to die.
• I wore all green for the run.  Green shirt, green shorts, green shoes, green ipod.
• These bullet points are obnoxious.

Blog Award + Please Send a Search Party kthxbai

Bree from Bees Knees Life was nice enough to send me the Stylish Blogger award.  Which makes sense, as I am almost as stylish as they come.  Bree is running in Fargooooooooooooo this spring too, so I hope to meet up with her there!  Check out her blog, or ELSE. 

The rules for accepting the award are:

*Offer up your unborn child to the running blogger gods

*Pluck all body hair
Er...wait..... Nevermind... that's a different award I've recently received....

ahem...

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 5 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these Bloggers and tell them about the award!

My Seven Things
1.  I rarely eat meat (and was a pescatarian for a few months).  I despise the taste of meat, typically.  Even when eating chicken I swear I can taste blood.  Eew.  However, I get INTENSE cravings every blue moon for a cheeseburger.  And then I have to have one charred to perfection on the grill.  FYI I'm currently in the middle of one of these intense cravings.

2.  I don't drink pop.  I don't really like it.  I was that strange kid who loooooooooooooved water.  Weirdo.

3.  Before starting up running again about 2 years ago, I was 25-30 pounds heavier than I currently am (slash am at when at my racing weight).  Everyone how met me during that time period kind of freaked when I started running again because I lost a lot of weight.  It's interesting to me, because the people who have known me forever just saw it as me getting back to my "normal" athletic build.

4.  I was a lifeguard for 6 years, but swimming is the part of a tri that I'm most terrified of.  I have really good form for the various strokes but my speed is...uh... non-existant.  Unless I have to haul booty to save you in a little pool, of course. :)

5. I am an extremely organized messy person.  Trust.  It's possible.  Anything that can be explicitly organized is (ie:  movies in alphabetical order, books by author's last name, clothes by clothing type and then by color within each sub category, all facing the same way with the hanger facing the same way.... you know... the usual...).  Also, I'm a planner to a T, race plans through 2013?  Why not.  However, my apartment (as will be mentioned below) is a disaster area.  Some things just seem to be a waste of time (read:  I'm lazy), such as emptying a dishwasher (I'll just use the plates as I need them!) or putting away clean laundry (I'll just wear them as I need them!).  No biggie.

6.  I think the reason I was such a good sprinter in high school is that I was boy crazy (cough...still am... cough).  I was the fastest girl for most of the Varsity track seasons, so I typically got thrown in with the boys to complete my workouts.  Chasing boys?  Just hand me my first place medal nowwwwww.

7.  If for some reason I don't end up as a children's librarian (in which case I will commence crying one million tears ASAP), life goal #2 is to have a children's book store/coffee shop.  I just adore books and kids who love books (and espresso, let's be real) so this would make for an excellent (albeit much more risky) life plan B.


Blog Award Recipients
I'm going to go with some newly added blogs to my reader:

• Krista at Krittabug
• Kelly at Meals For Miles
• Ashley at A Spoonful of Smash
• Shelby at Eat Drink Run
• Sarah at Once Upon a (L)ime

Tuesday night after work I was set to head to the gym to do my tempo run (the only routes around my place are hilly, except the bike trail and the bike trail is a major NO GO after dark).  But it was sooooo gorgeous out I had to switch out my run to do an easy 5 with strides instead.  For the first time in 2011 I got to wear SHORTS for a run outdoors.  Oh hai their spring.  Random note:  These shorts are a strictly for outdoor running, and not utilized for the gym because they show SWASS like no ones busiess.

Obviously I had to wear my sweet new IRISHMAN shirt from this weekend.  No matter that I wore it for all 3 races and have yet to wash it.  Stench of success!  My mind tends to wonder while I'm running, especially when I'm sans music, like I was on Tuesday.  A random peek in to my thoughts:

• When did Schwann's change it's logo?  A truck drove by me and I was all confussled.  It's been the same for the last 20+ years.  Shocker.
• I love the smell of clean/fresh laundry.  Honestly, men, instead of pouring on the cologne, just put on a freshly laundered shirt and I'm yours.  Er... I mean... if I was available and all I would totally be yours.... because clearly I'm not interested now... ummm. yup. :)
• There was a 3rd major point and it's escaped me.

I did 5 miles on a hilly route and it was swell.  And I'm really digging the random pickup/strides on these easier paced runs.  Also, does anyone else save their holey running socks to wear in really muddy/wet conditions or am I the only weirdo?  I hate mud staining new socks!  Hai pink toe nails!

And yet another random note, if someone wants to help form a search party at my place I am missing a number of items (not surprising as my apartment is a sty):

• My iPod shuffle*, hence why my run was musicless.
• My normal iPod.* You know, the one I listen to while at work, while in my car, and while in the shower.  Hrmph.
• My tax print out. (whatever it's called)
• My Under Armour running briefs.  I had to wear volleyball spandex shorts under my tights for Saturdays race.  Not happy.  Those puppies were spendy!

*Both of these items were recovered this morning while searching for the still missing tax information.

P.S.  Apparently I've met my max for GB for photo's through picasa/blogger.  Anyone want to give me dummy instructions on using something else to upload my photos???  jerbearshares [at] gmail [dot] com  Thanks I'll love you forever!

No Spend March Update + Pufferfish CUTENESS

No Spend March Update (halfway point):

Starbucks:
Week 1-$0.
Week 2-$4.24 I was doing good until last Friday.  Needed to HAVE ONE.

Food:  Week 1-$0  Groceries were within my budget (actually $11 under, hey-o!) and I've yet to splurge on any good (=restaurant) food.  Primarily because my stomach wanted to die after Saturday's long run, but whatev.
Week 2-$65.  Ugh.  Clearly I was starving on Saturday after the races, so I had to have dinner.  And a beer.  And then I got Kyle one for being a super great race spectator.  And then somehow that turned in to two (wtf?!).  And THEN I really wanted mexican food, so obviously we had to go there for lunch on Saturday.  Bad bad Jerbear.

Otherwise:
Week 1-$89.  Oops.  Groupon was having a great deal for 6 1-day punch cards for a fitness place in town.  And they have great classes.  Usually it's $10 for a day pass, and with the groupon it was $5.30.  Sooooo I got two of them.  Really it's saving me money from buying it at full price in the future, but still.  Kinda failed my challenge.  Also, I bought a super sweet (cheap!) Aaron Rodgers jersey back in January that I thought I didn't have to pay for til April, but apparently needs money NOW.  Sniffle.  So I had to pay for that too.
Week 2-$0.
__________________

For Valentine's Day I got lots of sweet and loverly things.  One of my very favoritest things came from Jodee (p.s. if you don't read her blarg...yes blarg... you're dumb and should start immediately!  ok, not immediately... finish reading my post first then GO!)  I opened up the package and literally shrieked outloud.  Kyle was with me and he thought I had been poisoned or something.  Look. How. Cute. It. Is.

It's a little puffer fish, and it's the cutest thing ever.  Apparently there are over a hundred different ones you can collect, and I'm sorry to admit that I think I want them ALL!  His little eyes and mouth pull out from his face and his top removes from his bottom to which I exclaimed, "oh my God, you could store SECRETS IN THERE" and then KK asked if I was on crack.  For the record:  No.  Just high on puffer fish adorableness!  Thanks again Jodee.  To anyone else who would like to send me one to add to my collection, please message me for my address.  Jk.  Kinda.

Since I was too lazy to do my run Sunday, Monday after work was my first run post-Irishman festivities.  My shins were the only things that were sore on Sunday, so I was hoping there wasn't anything else lingering.  It was a tropical 40 degrees, and although there were 20 mph wind gusts, it was like a breeze compared to the horrific conditions from race day.  My legs even got to see the sun a little bit.  Yay capri pants.

Sadly I'm fairly certain these capris are made for yoga or perhaps dance.  They have no drawstring and they easily could've been around my ankles after 5 miles if I wasn't constantly a-hikin' them up.  There may have even been camel toe moments.  I justified it by saying that the higher up they were hiked, the farther I could run without having to re-hike.  Nbd.  I did 5 miles and for once in a long long time didn't hate where I lived.  Yayzies.

Weekly Wishlist + I'm Over Winter

It's high time for everyone's favorite (ok just mine) weekly installment of all the stuff I would buy if I had lots and lots of monies!

Buy it here.

I would love it even if the cupcake: tea ratio was the reversed.  Just sayin'.

ohhhhhh.  emmmmmmm. geeeeeeeeeee.

Want the pug.

Want the Shamrock hat.

And go.

I emailed KK this pic.  The next day before work he called me and said, "No sending me any cute pug pictures today!"  To which I replied, "That's a promise that I'm just not willing to make...."

Buy it here.

Buy it here.

Gotta love a good St. Patty's day shirt.  True story:  I made one in college that said "My Lucky Charms" across the chest.  Funny since I was a very flat chested chica (well still am, who am I kidding??)

I heart lockets.  And this one is just too unique and fab to pass up.
Buy It Here.

Buy it Here.
Told you I loved a good bookend.  How fun are these???

Buy them here.

I wear heels approx. 2x per year because they hurt my shinny ninnies oh so much.  So clearly I adore some cutesy flats.  Plus they sparkle.  Like my soooooooooul. (previous sentence said in Angry Runner's hipster voice... FYI)

Wednesday night I had 9 miles to run, 7 were maybe possibly supposed to be at marathon pace, but I couldn't decide whether I wanted to do that or just run 9 miles, as I need to save the leggies a bit for Saturday.  I headed outside and made it approx. .8 miles before I realized that I was chilled to the bone, and the wind was at my back.  Uh.... that's not good.  So I hightailed it home, got in my car and headed to the gym.

At the gym I finished up my 2 mile warm up, stretched, and took off at marathon pace.  Apparently my legs decided the workout for me, because marathon pace FELT like 100 m. dash pace.  Awesome sauce.  Oh well, they'll get enough speed work this weekend.  I read some trashy gossip mags and finished up the 9 miles.  I then proceeded to eat every dairy product in my household for dinner.  mmmmmmmmm.  I heart dairy.

Irish(wo)man Challenge

The VP of my company is an ex-runner, so whenever he's down on the minion's floor (aka my part of the agency's floor) he always stops by my office to see how my training is going and to see what's next.  Last Thursday morning he stopped by, and to my sheer terror when I looked at the calendar realized that I'm racing.... this weekend.  Holy guacamole.  After the VP left I went in to my ex-office hubby, Tom's office to freak out.

Me:  Holy crap.  I'm racing next weekend.  And not just racing.... 3 races!  AAAAAAAAH!
Tom:  What are you going to, a track meet?
Me:  I wish.....

I have a special affinity for St. Patrick's day.  Yes I'm Irish.  Yes I heart green.  Yes I heart beer.  What's not to love, no?  I've participated in the 5k twice (read 2009 here) and the 5 mile once (2010).  It's terribly organized, and every year I say I won't be back.  But here I am participating in the Irish(wo)man Challenge:  5 mile in the morning, 5k later morning, and one mile dash! (heh, did anyone else FREAK OUT in high school track when they listed the 800 m. as a dash.... ::shudders::) to start off the St. Patty's Day parade.

Since I'm in the process of reigning in marathon shape, my fast twitch muscles are probably non-existant.  Also the route has changed and it's hilly.  Ick.  I've decided my tentative game plan will be to do a tempo run for the 5 mile.  Race-ish the 5k.  And then run my little hiney off for the one mile.  I know I won't PR in the 5 mile (last year's short course) or 5k, and I haven't raced a one mile since 2008, so might as well focus my efforts on that, right?  Plus it's slightly downhill.  Yay!  Haha.  Plus I will be decked out in all my green glory.  EEEEEEEEEEE!

Monday night I hit the treadmill for an easy 7 miler.  I'm back to wearing my stupid knee strap after all this running on ice and snow.  Turns out I REALLY heel strike when I'm unsure of my footing.  Ugh.  After how many months of trying to break this habit.....  Anywho, the first mile felt like garbage.  And then it was a really really good run.  Other than the whole 4th mile where I thought my internal organs were going to erupt out of me (def TMI heh).  Turns out 8 handfulls of Starburst jelly beans are not the best pre-run snack.  Starburst jelly beans ≠ sport beans.  Who knew?!?!? :)

No Spend March

When I was a little tyke I was very very very good with my money.  I saved every penny that I ever earned or was given for Christmas/Birthday (=birthmas).  Upon opening my checking account before going off to college, I was surprised to find that I had $70 in a savings account.  Apparently I had told my mother to "put this in the bank for safe keeping" as a spritely 8 year old. 

It should come as no surprise then, that I am a credit counselor for a non-profit agency.  Luckily for me I am very good at budgeting very little money, because unluckily for me, I make very little money.  :)  While I definitely make enough money to get by, I tend to splurge when it comes to anything running related, because that's what brings me joy.  I have a separate savings account for races/travel for races/etc. (and my profits from my scarves go directly in to this account).  Lately I've been noticing this account dribble lower and lower.  And my spending habits have been a lot less on point (uh... hello there online shopping..... let's make googly eyes at each other in the quad....).

Enter: No Spend March!  For the month of March, I will be putting a spending freeze on myself.  Eep!  Outside of my normal monthly financial obligations (ie:  car payment, rent, electricity... feel free to insert Glee's version of Bills Bills Bills here...) I hope to spend zero monies!  Full disclosure:  Back in January, I registered for all races through May, so this is usually something I budget for and would normally have come out this month, but I planned ahead.  Maybe it's cheating.... but whatever.  There are definitely some things I want-want-want right now:  a desk, for example.  But there are zero things I need, so I'll be sticking to that.

As far as food and beverage items, I will be curbing my starbucks consumption for the month (I typically limit myself to one latte a week) and for food I tend to go 100% nut-so during marathon training because as Kyle would say in a growly voice when I get crabby, "Jerbear is hungry!!!"  I will allow myself to go out for food once per week, but will really try to do it on the cheap/utilize gift cards (except for my 20 miler day, because I'm already craving Redrossa margherita pizza and cheese bread.... mmmmmmmmmm!).

Anything extra I save for the month will go directly to my running savings account to help fatten 'er up again.  Who's with me?  (And by who's with me... I actually mean.... who's taking me out for foooooooooood this month?!?!?  jk.....)

My Weekly Wish List/Weekly I Want posts may be out of control this month.  You've been warned!!

Tuesday before work I did 3.5 easy miles, which were not so easy due to the slick snow and ice.  I forget that when you run in the morning, everything that was nice and thawed from the warmer day before is now iced over again due to the freezing night time temps.  Drat.  I did 4 x 100 m striders during the last mile ~mile pace per speedy Jason's suggestion.  I kind of love striders.... definitely make an easy (=boring) run more enjoyable.

February in Review

February in Review

Total Miles:  82.5 up from 79.2 miles up from last month.  (124 miles from February 2010.  Wow I was kicking ass and taking names... also didn't have the ninja death star flu... so there's that....)

Total Time:  13:28:10 up from 12:33:18.  An hour for 3 whole miles?!?!?  Yes, I'm looking at you slow poke 10 miler..... (19:17:08 last February.)

Total Runs: 15 for an average of 5.5 miles/run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

2/21/2011 — 2/27/2011:

29.5 Mi

4:55:28

Favorite run: 14 mile long run.  It was such a gorgeous day, and there were a gazillion other runners out doing there running thing.  A guy who I had saw 2 different times on the trail actually stopped me to see how far I was going, and we gave each other a little pep talk.  It was presh.

Most hardcore run:  Either my 800 m. repeats or my 10 miles through the snow and ice.

Favorite Race: None.  Sniffle.

Bike Miles: 0 which is exactly the same as last month's 0.  

Favorite Jams: Maroon 5--Never Gonna Leave This Bed, Foo Fighters--Everlong (yet again), Roxette--Dangerous
___________________________________
Monday morning I hit the trails again for a quick and easy 3 miles.  I figured the trails should be clearer than Sunday because of the SUNSHINE!!!!!!!  But it was a chilly 4 degrees out.  Luckily there was little to no wind, so I put on my big girl pants and did the darn thing. 

Speaking of pants, I picked up these running tights at Target this weekend and I'm a little bit in looooooooooove.  I had bought some fabulous heavy Nike running tights from TJ Maxx last winter for crazy cheap, but was not enjoying them so much this year.  See, because of the maaaaaaaaajor cheap sale, I neglected to care that the tights were mediums.  "They're SKINTIGHT.  Who cares..... close enough!"  Uh not so much.  Upon wearing them this winter, I had to take several breaks to hike up my drawers..... (please read that with a distinctly southern accent...danke).  How low can the crotch of your running tights go?  (please read that to the tune of.... Ludacris' How Low (can you go)). 

Anywhosits, I wasn't about to plunk down some cashola for primarily vain reasons, until I saw these beauties.  On sale for 17 bones?  Hook a sistah up! 

Things I love about them:
Super cute reflective design on the back calf.
No  terribly unforgiving waistband to emplore muffin top or as Marshall Eriksen would say:  “No elastic waistband leaving its judgmental pink teeth around my Thanksgiving belly.”
Nice and toasty (I wore them in roughly 0 degrees today).
The price.
The zippers on the back of the ankles

What I don't love:
The zippers hurt a little bit to be completely zipped.  Nothing major though.

(p.s. I bought these puppies with my own moolah and just did the review because I wanted to.  mmk?)

And the best part of the purchase was the picture message I sent to KK from the dressing room:  Do these pants give me a camel toe?!?!?!?!?!? 

Apparently this is very important information when selecting running tights.

(They didn't/don't.  Obviously.  Or I wouldn't have bought them.... Unless they were like $15 or something...... hah)