October 31st

Happy Halloween!!

Don't go eating too much candy now. Heck, why not. Eat all the candy you want. That's what Halloween is for, right?

Yes. I Believe I'm Finally A Runner.

I just realized I didn't post a "Monday's Thought For The Day" today. Whoops. That's what happens when your schedule is all flipped around. As always, better late than never.

The ran went great yesterday. Upon lining up for the race I noticed a woman that was also at OROC. She was pregnant at OROC and zoomed right past me. My mouth just dropped. Not so much that she's running while pregnant (I know that people do that all the time), but that she passed me with so much vigor. Well, she's still pregnant and I was determined to keep up with her. I did pretty well. It was a loop course, so by 1.5 miles the leaders went passed us. She turned to me and said, "Doesn't that make you feel good?" It's then that I got the nerve to ask if she participated in OROC (I definitely knew she had, but it was the only way for me to strike up a conversation). She said that she had and so I told her my story of her passing me. She stated that at that point she was still keeping a good pace. Her normal pace is under 7 minutes/mile(Holy crap!) and she usually runs marathons but has since backed off due to her pregnancy (like we had thought). Only two more months then she'll be back to her higher mileage. I gave her props. Runners amaze me more and more each day. As you can only imagine I still couldn't keep up with her the entire race but I tried and may not have succeeded but did a darn good job at least trying. I feel we were also at a better starting point amongst the crowd, than OROC, because instead of being passed I was maintaining my position or even passing people. Me, passing people? Ya heard right.

It was quite chilly. I'm still mastering the whole dressing for the weather thing. With my run journal it's helped me figure out what to wear depending on the temperature, weather, and time. It's coming along. It was in the high 40's. I had my ADIDAS jacket and pants along with an Under Armour top, gloves, and a hat. Looking at everyone else I was totally overdressed. For the most part I was comfortable until the end when the sun started shining bright. One problem with running when it's dark...you don't deal with the sun. 48 degrees with no sun is different than 48 degrees with sun. I have to get my body used to being cold at first knowing that I will be "comfortable" by the end, instead of being comfortable to begin with and overheated by the end. I'm learning and my body's adjusting. It will just take time.

It was an enjoyable course. It ran from the high school over to Beaver Creek which is a paved path, and back. It consisted of some hills. Mostly steady inclines over time. But not too many or for too long of a length. At 2 miles David took off so I finished on my own. I'm getting much better with my self-talking at this mileage. I consider that an improvement because I used to need David to keep me going at 3 miles. I know when I add more mileage I'll more than likely need David to kick me in the butt again though. Upon finishing I thought I had done significantly better than I did at OROC. Come to find out that it was only about 20-30 seconds off of my time (cross referencing the Garmin, chip times, and records). Ah well. But 20 seconds is 20 seconds. As usual I'm not so much going for time. And any improvement is a positive addition. As John Bingham encourages.....don't worry about how fast or how far you go, what others see you as, what others think, or worry what others do. Just feel proud that you have the courage to start. I'm glad I had the courage to start. Now with 2 5k's under my belt and 6 months with a steady, committed running schedule I have the courage to call myself a runner. Boy, that feels good.

Next up....The Nakon Foundation Turkey Dash 5K on Thanksgiving morning.

Monday's Thought For The Day

Zoom. Zoom.

Nothing too exciting going on around here. Just gearing up for David's trip next week. I also figured it was about time to start making a to-do/packing list for Hawaii. So I've been working on that. I can't believe it's only just over a month away. I'm pumped. For some reason I was having some anxiety about our trip and I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. We were watching "Hawaii Do's and Don't's" on the Travel Channel this week. Most of the information was a no brainer but they brought up the idea of rental cars and what to do or not. That's when it hit me. I then figured it out that I was anxious/nervous about transportation. Originally we had decided to rely on Oahu's transportation and maybe rent a car for one of our days, to go to the North Shore. They have taxis, The Bus, and a trolley system. But having never had to tackle a large city's transportation system I wasn't exactly pumped about trying to figure it out. Getting passes, doing transfers...bah! So we discussed that we'll get a car. I made a phone call to our hotel and found that we do have the option of parking and we don't have to reserve a space. It's $15 a day (heck, at least it's not $50 like Chicago!) I then booked a vehicle. We decided on the economy, which should be an Aveo. Just like home. That's the way I like it. Yay, we get to ride around Oahu in a skate (I call my Aveo My Skate because it reminds me of the big skate from Skate World). I have basically no anxieties about getting around the island. I have a ton of resources and so what if we get lost. It's an adventure. My mom thinks the only reason we're getting a car is so that I can go search for Dog the Bounty Hunter. Ha! I won't say that we won't search out the office, but meeting him? I think I'd just fumble my words. And I think he'd probably have some sort of system to keep people away since people would probably be coming in all the time to see him just to "get a picture." I'm excited to just get there and drive. Chill, drive, looking for an adventure, soaking up the sun, and making some memories.

But for now, it's time to head back to reality. Tonight's our trick or treating. So we got some stuff to do around the house. I'm also planning on starting to tan today. I can hear the groans now. I'm not trying to get dark or look like a different ethnicity. I want a base tan so I don't burn, or should I say have a bad burn after arriving in Hawaii. It will feel good today too, considering how chilly it is.

Time to head off to Amherst for the Skeleton Run For Your Bones 5k. It's a frigid 42 degrees out. This should be interesting.

Complimentary crocs? Sweet!

Yesterday was filled with small little surprises. While at work I checked my email to find I had an email from our outside laboratory we use for work. Recently they've been offering classes in regards to specific diseases, how to test for them, and how to treat them. They offer something small like a scrub top or a water bottle when you finish the course. In addition, the courses count as free continuing education too (even though I don't need continuing education yet). I find them interesting and they tend to be short, sweet, and to the point. So, back to the email...for taking a certain number of their courses they offered me a complimentary pair of crocs to say "thank you" for taking the classes and filling out a one page survey. Can't complain about that! I had several choices of colors and once again I passed up the turquoise for ruby red. Ruby red is a new color and I'm hoping it's kind of like the grape where it's slightly metallic. We'll have to see. I'll get my turquoise someday. This will make 6 pairs for me. I think that's bordering on the point of madness. Ah well. I dig them.

Then a little later my supervisor came around checking for name tags and I had mine on. Once again, I got a dollar just like last time. This is only the second time she's done it and both times I've got a dollar. Hey, it's a dollar. It all spends the same and you get to glow for a moment when you receive it, thinking, "I did something right."

I got home from work and David said I got a letter in the mail. Say what? From who? I never get mail unless it's a bill. He said, "I think it's from John." Sure enough, Jacki's John sent a letter from Iraq. Cool! Who doesn't like to receive real mail??

Ah, so it was a good day. Little things that are rays of sunshine during the day. It doesn't seem like that kind of stuff happens all that much. More than likely they do but I just need to open my eyes, realize it, and be thankful.

Having taken Tuesday off, due to rain, I got it in my head that I wanted to run this morning. Of course last night David was surprised to hear that I wanted to run today. Usually it's his day to "sleep in" (if you call sleeping 'til 6am sleeping in) and I usually sleep later too. But since my schedule changed at work and every other Friday I work morning/have afternoon off or have morning off/work afternoon, I figured why not run today. I was planning on going by myself but David was a trooper and got up with me. Instead of going a 3 mile route we chose a shorter distance and ran like the wind. According to the Garmin our average pace was 9:47/mile. Whew! That's fast for me, considering my pace usually averages around 10:30/mile. Hey, I don't claim to be a speed racer. I'm not really focused on my time but recently it's been getting worse. David says it's probably because of the wind and adding more clothes to the routine. I don't know. But I do know that it's been harder for me to keep up with David. Trust me, that boy can run. I can only imagine what he'd be running if it weren't for me "holding" him back. So I'm proud of myself for keeping up with David today and just kickin' it out. It felt good. Tiring, make you think you can't make it, needing self-talk good. Good. Tomorrow's a day off then we'll be heading to Amherst to take part in the Skeleton Run For Your Bones 5k on Sunday. Looks like we'll have some pretty cool weather, but that will make it fun.

Hope everyone has a Fabulous Friday that leads into a Wonderful Weekend!

Milk

Jax is on a new kick recently. Anytime I have milk he is all up in it. He'll "talk" (meow) and rub on me just to see what I have. He knows he wants it, it's just trying to get me to allow him to have it. It's so funny because he's never been interested in it previously. It all started about a month ago. After runs I'd have a can of Slimfast and he'd want to lick the rim when I was done. Then last weekend I had a glass of milk with a couple cookies. He was going nuts trying to get at my milk. Since it was family dinner night everyone saw what he was doing, so I know I wasn't going crazy, thinking he was acting crazy. I've recently changed my morning routine from Slimfast to Ovaltine and milk (by the way, the whole Slimfast thing wasn't to lose weight, it was a sugar thing). I had my normal glass this morning, and once again he was up in my face trying to get in the glass. What's the deal? And contrary to popular belief, cow's milk isn't good for cats. After their done weaning most cat's lose the ability to digest milk. Basically they become lactose intolerant. So it's not like he needs it or even should have it. But every so often I'll give him my final few licks at the bottom of the glass just to keep him quiet. But I must say I have no idea where his new found interest came from. I can only guess his previous owner. However, why have I never noticed it before? You should see him if I ever open a can. I'm not even talking about a can of cat food. Just any ol' can. He's there all up in it. Must have previously been fed canned food I guess. Too funny.

Here To Stay?

Well, is the cool weather here to stay? I'm starting to get tired of asking myself that. For the entire month we'd have a few days of cool weather, then it'd shoot back up into the 70's. I could be wrong but I do not remember it ever being this warm of an October. Guess that's the whole global warming thing, eh? I must say that I do like our gas bill though. Even though we're on a budget it still helps bring it down a bit when it's all averaged out. And since we didn't need air conditioning the same goes for our electric bill. Sweet. It was a nice brisk run this morning at 51 degrees. Yesterday ended up being an unexpected day off from running. We were all set up on Monday night. When our alarm went off on Tuesday morning it was pouring rain. I don't mind rain. Actually I love it. But having had a decent drop in temperature and having it pouring outside we came to the consensus to sleep a little more then wake up and do some good 'ol crunches. Of course we do those everyday, but give us a break. At least we did something rather than nothing.

I have completed all the examinations for my 3 classes. I will still continue to have my weekly quizzes but no more exams until the end of the semester. Now I just have to work on my tasks checklist. Basically I have to complete so many tasks in a semester from each class. They can be basic tasks to pretty in-depth tasks, such as running a urinalysis and reading the urine sediment or doing a hand count complete blood count. Then Doc has to sign off and grade me on the tasks. I'd say I'm about half way or more through the tasks.

Not much else is going on here. We're gearing up for Halloween and Trick Or Treaters for this weekend. And I think David has started his official countdown to Minnesota. Even if he hasn't, I have. I'm excited for them. And I can't complain about having the house to myself for a few days. I never thought I'd say that. It's crazy because when you're dating or newlyweds you want to be together ALL the time. Then after time being married awhile you like to have some time to yourself. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love David and spending time with him. And wouldn't want him to go away for long periods at a time. But I think you understand what I mean. Especially the ones that have been married for awhile. And as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Now, what shall my plans be while he's gone? Girls night in? Sounds good to me.

Still Proud

It was the end of the road last night for The Tribe. I'm still, and always will be, proud to be an Ohioan. And even though it could be stressful, it was fun while it lasted. With all of our moves we had gotten away from Indians baseball. It was nice to be back in the swing of things this year. Can't wait for next year!

Monday's Thought For The Day

If You Sprinkle When You Tinkle....

I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks about this. Actually, I'm sure you all think about it as you walk into a public restroom. All you can think is "ick!" As you walk through the door you're broad-sided by the stench of someone's "number 2" then you continue in and there's a generalized smell of urine. Half the time toilet paper is nowhere to be found. And if it is, it's not where it's supposed to be because the dispenser is broken in two. I just don't get it. I don't understand how public restrooms can get run down so fast. Just a couple months ago Walmart's restroom was totally refinished. I walked in there the other day and it's just as bad, if not worse, than what it was before they remodeled. How?! I understand that I'm a clean freak and clean my bathroom throroughly once a week with smaller cleanings throughout the week, and I also understand that public restrooms see MANY more people than my personal bathroom. However, I believe every public/store restroom has a signoff sheet for cleaning the restroom hourly or every few hours. Meaning, although the restroom is seeing more butts than mine sees, it's also being cleaned 50+ more times a week than mine. I can't help but look at the store's restroom cleaning schedule as I walk out the door. Yep, it's initialed for every hour of that day that has passed so far. It's initaled even though each toilet paper dispenser and paper towel dispenser is empty and there's a mound of toilet paper on the ground. And there's "liquid" on the floor in first stall. Yeah. Sure. It's clean. If they consider that clean I'd hate to see their own personal bathrooms at home.

On the flip side of the coin, it's not just the store's fault for the cleanliness of the restroom. Once again, I wonder if people treat their own bathroom's the way they treat a public restroom. If you pee on the seat, clean it up. As Grandma Roth's little sign said in her bathroom all those years..."If you sprinkle when you tinkle. Please be neat and wipe the seat." Or if you drop toilet paper, pick it up. And if you're worried about touching the ground, trust me, you can pick it up without touching the ground. It's not an art. I'm also not sure why it always smells like pee. Are you peeing outside the toilet? Unlike men, it's not like us women really have to aim. I don't get it. Actually, maybe I don't even want to know. Oy.