Catching Up.

Hello there.

I have been so quiet that I'm not really sure how to just jump back in without sounding like a weirdo who has been pretty bad at blogging lately.

{Nutshell - My Life}

Work, Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years, New Babies (and baby showers), friends/family in town, running, celebrating our 3rd Anniversary, volunteering at my 1st Ironman (whoa), preparing for the Holidays AND thoroughly enjoying them (parties yes please), making new goals, a trip up North to a haunted hotel, marathon training in full effect and eying some more races), running a 10 mile race and a half marathon...which resulted in a new PR, booking some trips (oh boy!) and embarking on one amazing one....life.

So yeah...all that. I won't spend the time going back through the details. I was sick on and off about 3 times over the Holidays which is never ideal but I am 100% now and feel great. My running took a bit of a hit with all that and I am noticing it quite a bit in my speed, endurance and my lung capacity. That's OK, I feel healthy and injury free so I'm content with that.

Coming up...

February 2nd - Desert Classic Half Marathon (training run)
February 17th - IMS Arizona Marathon 

The last few weeks at glance, in numbers:

• 43 miles
• 47 miles
• 34 miles (setback week, whew)
• 46 miles
• Current week (tapering) 12 miles

I am extremely sore today from a couple of new HIIT workouts the past 2 days, so I skipped today's run in lieu of rest so I have 2 full days before my half on Saturday.

Looking forward to:

•  The Phoenix Open this weekend. Party time, excellent.
•  Super Bowl Sunday!
• A night in Sedona to celebrate my Dad's 65th Birthday...it's a surprise, shhh.
• Girls Weekend in San Fran.
• Our FIRST trip to Europe. I.cannot.wait.
• Working on my race calendar and trying a new to me distance, gulp!

How about a mini photo bomb?

What's new with you?

hello there.

You know when you avoid a phone call because it's been so long...and you aren't sure where to start?

Yeah...

I just returned from 6 days in Paradise (the Dominican Republic) and am ready to blog again.

Confession(s)

I live in Arizona. It's hot. Waking up at 5:00 am every.damn.morning to throw myself onto the nasty concrete streets got old.

Confession.

The treadmill has become my friend.

Who am I?

Oh ya know...just driving to go run. Makes sense.

I blame working out at the gym in the mornings, and being on a schedule to meet someone at a specific time...if I wasn't already there, then maybe it wouldn't be so tempting to hop on that treadmill and fall into an easy and comfy pace and the luxury of having a water bottle, Pandora and a bathroom all within reach. The past few weeks have been sprinkled with far less outdoor running (minus San Diego) and way to much indoor running.

I mean having giant commercial fan blowing on my back and plenty of people watching to push my through my runs makes it kind of awesome, right?

Confession.

It makes me feel guilty. Like I'm not a "real" runner. Which is really really stupid. But I miss the streets, the coyote encounters, the hot air balloons just above the desert floor and the fact that I actually run faster outside than inside.

So I took it the streets today. No excuses. No reasons. No expectations. And I was slow. And sweaty as fuck. But I felt 100% times better after 5 mile shitty miles than I do after 5 treadmill miles.

If I want to get fast, I need to run fast. And in order to run fast...I need cooler temps. I need natural hills. And I need the pressure of not looking like a total douche walking and not running from the cars passing by. 

I gave myself permission to use the treadmill on the 2 days I train with Naydine, because it's easy and it makes sense. But once September hits...watch out streets, I'm comin for ya.

Monday Things

Monday is officially over once I shut down this computer to enjoy my evening with the Wadester.

I haven't been blogging too much lately - lack of inspiration possibly? I dunno. I'm still feeling a bit under the weather so I took a trip to my Doctor for some assurance. A few vials of blood and some pokes to the stomach later, I still didn't know, but he thinks it's nothing serious so I'm not too worried.

A bland diet and no alcohol. Rude.

My running has suffered because of this. But that's OK, I have a good base and technically I'm tapering, right? Normally my short 3 mile jaunt this am would have left my panties in a wad, but I'm content with it after my Monday morning session with Naydine. Ouch.

Wade and I spent last weekend up North. It was a perfect weekend. Beautiful weather, a long shitty run (yup it happens), pizza, a superb bottle of wine (such a fancy word) and a couple of great movies with my dude on the couch.

Lowell working on his yoga practice, so Zen.

Vanity Portrait.

We stopped at a creek side picnic on the way home on Sunday and saw this little sign:

Pretty cool, eh?

I had to run a few errands today and swung by Petsmart to grab some dog food for my furry beebs and upon making a wrong turn down the aisle, I ran into this:

Is it weird that I'm 30 and found myself wanting a teeny tiny hamster? Yes, I think so.

I also made a pit stop at my favorite store ever, Marshall's, and picked up a few vacation "essentials". I have found that shopping after your husband spends a larger than normal amount of money on himself (damn road biking habit) is the best time to do this. "Ya sure babe, get whatever, I don't want you lookin like a scrub on vacation". I almost fainted in the aisles of Petsmart while reading that text. For reals.

Don't worry, I won't post any vain self portraits from the dressing room.

But of course, some were taken. 

Happy Monday.

Why?

This time of year is when I start asking myself WHY I live in Arizona and WHY I do what I do for work.

Showing property at 3:00 when the temps are hovering around 110 degrees (does it even matter) in several vacant houses with no A/C.

Recipe for sweat, dead cockroaches on floors, and unsexy hairstyles.

I win.

I'll leave you with this little gem....as it sums up my Birthday Party on Saturday night....have another, Drinky McDrinkerson's.

So proud.

5K #2 & My Weekend

Weekend Highlights...oh yes, I live a VERY exciting life. 

We kicked off the weekend with a nice early run on Saturday morning, and waking up at 5:00am on a Saturday is my idea of relaxing. Ugh. 9 miles followed by a stop at our favorite coffee shop. We ran into some friends there and hung out for a while, made some fun plans, and then walked home. I cooked up a delish and healthy breakfast, did a little yard work, laid out by the pool for a bit. And then this happened:

Oh Oregano's...my favorite guilty pleasure.

Th rest of the day was spent taking a nap, hanging out at home, furniture assembling, ceiling fan installing and being lazy. We also boiled some crap legs for dinner...good week at work calls for crab legs. Amazing.

I also did my weekly grocery trip....half my cart is always all produce. How 2 people can eat so much fruit and veggies is beyond me.

Another early morning today, with a 4:45am wake up call. Why I torture myself with this shit is beyond me. My club had a race so I woke up extra early to help with shirts and registration.

Plans for the 5k?

Wade's Plans: Balls to the Wall
Lindsay's Plans: Meh. It was hot. And dusty. And hilly.

My buddy Ryan and I decided to run together and and at the gun start I looked at him and said "let's go". I cannot stress how nice it is to run with someone in a race. I was hot, sweaty, eating dirt and cursing myself the whole time...but ya know what? I had FUN. And with Ryan biting at my heels, it kept me going. I got to yell at him to get his ass moving when he tried to walk and all of that resulted in a PR for both of us.

After we crossed the finish he gave me a high five and a big smile....and his teeth were covered in dirt.

Wade's PR: 20:06 (6:28/pace)
Lindsay's PR: 24:06 (7:47/pace)

We finished off the morning with a mimosa brunch with friends....and then I hit Nordstroms's Rack later on in the day....mwhahahaha. More on that in another post.


On running/working out this past week:

Miles: 29.1
Days: 5

This was the first week I think I have EVER run 5x/week and I actually was good with it and hit all my runs as I hoped for. Our training plan for the AFC Half has us running 5x/week and then bumping up 6x/week. Little scared about that. I worked out with a trainer on Wednesday and have some fun gyms plans for next week so I'm really liking my workout groove right now.

Have a great Sunday Night!

Friday Rambles

Today is Friday, yay!

Oh wait, I'm a Realtor so what is a Friday? Kidding...I actually might not have much work going on this weekend....and for that, I am grateful.

I don't have anything specific to write about so I thought I'd tie up all my random ramblings into one post.


The Weather and Running.

Hot as hell. 112 today. So.Not.Ready.For.This. I'm trying to get back on a regular running schedule, but just like always, unless I have something planned it's reallllly hard for me. I ran 5 miles on Tuesday/Wednesday and will be running at the gym today(3) and a longish run tomorrow am. I think the longest I have ran since the marathon is 6 miles, so I'm just going to 8, in an attempt to take it slow. My goal is run no less than 20/week to keep a good base. If I sign up for the half I am eying....then bring it on. That leads me to my next subject...

Traveling.

Phoenix in the summer is nasty. All I want to do is leave and go somewhere that cools off at night and makes me not miserable and not a stabby bitch. I really want to run the AFC Half again this year (San Diego in August, yes please) so I am working on making that happen.

My Hopeful Agenda:

• End of June  - San Fran
• End of July - Seattle with Mom (booked!)
• Mid August - SD for the AFC Half

Europe is on my bucket list and I'd love to make that happen before we decide to make the decision to start a family...but we shall see. I'm also doing a little "Staycation" with some girlfriends this month so while we won't be escaping the heat, we will be drinking cocktails and floating down the lazy river. Good enough!

Home Improvement.

My husband and I were really considering buying a new home this summer, but decided last night to stick it out in this one for another year or so and make this year the year to travel, save more money, have fun and just "be". I'm really content with the decision and because we are staying, we are going to do a few things around here to spruce it up!

• Pool Resurfacing. From Plaster to Pebbletech
• Redo shower in master bath (blech, so gross)
• Exterior paint

Random Shit.

• Good Form Running class tomorrow, pretty excited.  
• Dinner Date Night tonight or tomorrow.
•  Paint my janky nails/toes (ah, the life I live)

That's it. Off to run on the hamster wheel. In my NEW SHOES!

Feel Good Decisions

Insomnia much? It's 1:13 am...and here I sit.

But, it's been a while my friends....so what have I been doing the past week?

A lot. (not sleeping apparently)

A wedding, mid-week dinner/baseball date, planning for an amazing event that is happening tomorrow, working, running, sweating, dog-walking, decision making, picnic attending, meetings....oh so many meetings...and naturally with all that, drinking. Basically being an adult. An awesome adult. 
 
I made a big decision in my professional life this week. It stressed me out. It made me worry, lose sleep, plan and scheme and make lists...and at the end of this week, I'm confident, happy and excited about my decision. And that my friends, feels good. 

I am really looking forward to a vacation that is quickly approaching. Until then, I have another VERY busy week and weekend ahead of me.

Busy is good. Busy is happiness. Busy is success. Busy is being loved and loving back.

A few pics...

BFF and her teeny lil baby bump, so cute.

Getting my makeup on.

Greasyface

I like to take these and prove to Wade I really do workout/sweat.

Dumb Phones

My posts have been few and far between lately. Partly because I haven't done anything super exciting, my phone has been jacked up (eff you Verizon) so I haven't been taking photos, and partly because I haven't felt inclined to blog.

So what right?

Pretty much.

Oh, and I've been pretty busy too. Life just gets in the way sometimes.

I had a busy and eventful weekend, friend filled...food and drink filled as well. A baseball game for Easter, some running, some working and very little downtime.

WHY the eff do iPhones NOT let you rotate photos? So.Damn.Annoying. 

How DARE you ruin my photo.

I'm looking forward to crossing my next long run off the list..it will be the longest to date and then the start of a mini taper, and spending some QT with Wade over the weekend. (no plans, yesssss)

Random thought....but has anyone ever visited the website/forums of "Get Off My Internets"? Holy shit those forums scare me. I mean, Bloggers have to expect some mean comments and ridicule because let's face it, everyone talks shit and people on the net do it much more...it's easy to judge from a far and hide behind a computer but dayuuuuuum these people are mean! Anywho.....night!

Party of One

My weekend has been great so far...more on that later.

However, something is bothering me. Remember this post?

My fear. My excitement. My need to hold Wade's hand to ease these feelings.

Welp...I will be standing alone on May 6th. Of course, I feel sorry for myself because of my own fears and neediness but last night was the first time Wade really let me know HE was upset.


Gosh, how insensitive of me.

We were on our nightly dog walk and in my excitement I said to him "I can't believe I ran over 30 miles this week and I ran ZERO just 3 weeks before, and I feel soooooo great".

He didn't say anything...just kept walking.

I kinda poked at him and this is what he said to me:

"Have you considered that I am upset that I can't run this with you? That I was excited to run a full marathon with you and now I can't even run at all?".

(he might have also gone girly on me and possibly mentioned his waistline feeling bigger & rounder)

I stopped dead in my tracks.

I hadn't. You see, Wade doesn't get too excited about vacations, running or races like I do. I just assumed he didn't really care and does these things to appease me. But he does. My heart broke a little bit at that moment. Because he was genuinely sad.

I wish I could heal his Achilles and make it go away. But I can't.

Knowing he will be there, out in the crowds cheering me on helps, but I can't help but feel disappointed both for him and for me, for my own selfish reasons.

I guess there's always another race, right?

WTF Phoenix

Really?

I nearly froze my ass off last weekend, got hailed on, and had a fire going in the house to "warm things up".  Guess I'll be waking up dawn to do my long run this weekend.

Ugh. I'm not ready for this shit. 

It's All Mental

Thought I was referring to myself didn't ya?

While I was ticking off the miles on my run on Sunday, I was having a typical conversation with myself. You see, I try to keep my mind busy while I'm out there because really, what else is there to do?I struggled a bit on Sunday and I suppose I can chalk that up to being rusty, being sick, coming off an injury and being worried about the goal of 26.2 miles looming ahead of me in the very near future.


"How the HELL am I going to run for 20+ miles and not go insane?"


"How the HELL is my body going to hold up if I'm not in tip top shape?"


"What the HELL am I going to think about for 3+ hours?"


Those were a few of the worries that raced through my head on Sunday...and throughout random times throughout the days. So I need to put it on "paper" and tell myself to let go of things I can't control. My body. And wrangle the things I can control. My head.

Here is what I have come up with:

1. Run with a friend. I am trying to convince my buddy Trent to run that 20 miles with me. It will be distracting, it will be different and having run several full marathons and ultras, he will whoop my ass into gear when I start crying and whining. (come on Trent, you know you wanna do it)

2. Pick different routes. Change it up. Take the long run somewhere else besides my neighborhood and my everyday running paths. 

3. Download new music. Music is HUGE to me. I know this. Music gets me through my runs, picks me up and motivates me. Of course, having something new to get me pumped up will help.

4. I remind myself how many people have done "the marathon". People that are slower. People that are older. People that aren't as "in-shape" as me (funny). Hell, people that have prosthetic legs, injuries and life threatening illnesses. If "they" can do it. I can.

5. Be excited. I am going to work on thinking back to how amazing I felt the first time I ran 5 miles, 10 miles, my first half marathon. The sense of accomplishment and pride. The elation. Isn't this the same thing? Except bigger and grander? Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

6. Lower my expectations. I know that's a shitty goal...and maybe a bad outlook,and I don't mean to set myself up to fail. But if my body CAN'T hold up, I will drop to the half marathon and I will NOT beat myself up over it. Nothing is more important than listening to your body. It's the boss of my mind after all.

7. Be grateful. For my legs. For the lovely Arizona weather that allows me to run outside every single day. That I can afford the luxury of running in a race and traveling to do it. I never take this for granted. For every time I think I suck, that I'm slow, that I'm not good enough....I think to people who are bound to a wheelchair, plagued by sickness or simply struggling to put a meal on the table.

So I'm pretty sure I just motivated MYSELF with all this talk. I'm gonna strap on my shoes and bust out my 7 miler on this glorious Wednesday...because it's fun. Because I can. Because I have my eye on the prize.

I'll leave you with this gem...and remind myself of it when I start acting like one....

Get Healthy

I guess the Running Gods are against me lately. My knee/it band/shin splint/whatever issue seems to be on the mend, I felt great running Sunday...and then BOOM. I get a totally knarly cold.

Damn husband.

I did all the precautionary rituals. Zinc every 4 hours, extra hand washing, extra sheet changing, extra vitamin C consumption and keeping far far away from my germ infested husband, but I still got it.

So so rude.

I sound like I just smoked 462 packs of Marlboro Reds. I don't "feel" horrible, but this chest congestion has got to go.

So while I am mentally ready to run...I don't know if I'm doing myself a disservice by actually running. My run on Tuesday was pain free, but I struggled to breath normally and totally embarrassed Wade with all the loogies I hawked up during our short 4 mile run.

So classy.

Because I am a highly paid Doctor, I did what all smart well paid Doctors do...I googled. And of course, my favorite website (Runner's World) popped up with an article that was just perfect.

Read it here if you are sick. Or if you just like to read.

This part stuck with me the most....and is fairly simple:

"David Nieman, Ph.D., who heads the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University, and has run 58 marathons and ultras, uses the "neck rule." Symptoms below the neck (chest cold, bronchial infection, body ache) require time off, while symptoms above the neck (runny nose, stuffiness, sneezing) don't pose a risk to runners continuing workouts".

OK, so my cold is definitely below the neck. What's a few more days off on the long road to recovery, right?

Operation Get Healthy to Get Stealthy:

Extra sleep. "Trying" anyway. Sleeping in the rest bedroom even so that I don't disturb Wade with my Truck Driver Cough. Drinking lots of water. Not washing my hair (I know, I'm gross, but it makes me tired, ok?) Taking my vitamins and Muxinex. Hot Tea. Zinc. And a big bowl of this last night...

A Sunday Survey

A is for age: 29...30 is right around the corner, oy. 

B is for breakfast today: Greek yogurt, strawberries, lowfat granola and a cup of coffee. Deelish!

C is for currently craving: Nothing, I'm full! But I'm sure I'll be craving something soon...

D is for dinner tonight: Family dinner at my parents...rumor has it Mom is making homemade lasagna, sign me up!

E is for favorite type of exercise: Running or yoga. Or hiking.

F is for an irrational fear: The garbage disposal turning on with my hand in it...tripping going up the stairs and breaking my face/teeth.

G is for gross food:  Fast food...it really grosses me out. The last time I ate fast food was about 7 months ago at In-N-Out on a road trip - which I consider a notch above the others. I just can't do McDonalds, Taco, etc. Blech.

H is for hometown: Redmond, Washington

I is for something important: My marriage.

J is for current favorite jam: Refer to post from Thursday, hehe.

K is for kids: Ah no. Just furry ones!

L is for current location: My couch. In the chaise section. With a blanket.

M is for the most recent way you spent money: Hmmmm. At the grocery store, putting gas in my car, dinner and drinks out at a wine bar last night ...SO exciting.

N is for something you need: Nothing. However, I would love a maid, a Louis Vuitton bag and a vacation...

O is for occupation: I sell dreams. Kidding. I sell houses.

P is for pet peeve: People that chew/chomp gum reallllly loud. I don't know why it bugs me so much. Also, people that complain about the same thing, but don't make a change.

Q is for a quote: 

R is for random fact about you: I used to smoke. So disgusting. I occasionally tell people and they never believe me....but it's not something I'm particularly proud of.


S is for favorite healthy snack:  Any type of fruit. Popcorn. Greek yogurt and Soyjoy bars.


T is for favorite treat: Pizza or chocolate. No doubt. Pizza would be my death row meal, more specifically, pizza with pineapple and ham.

U is for something that makes you unique: I have no idea...isn't that sad. My weirdness? My sense of sarcasm? My mad organizational skills? (kidding)


V is for favorite vegetable: Just one? Hmm...fresh picked tomatoes, broccoli and asparagus.


W is for today’s workout: My first attempt at a run in my new kicks, pain free hopefully. Yippee!


X is for X-rays you’ve had: teeth of course and back....I have a slightly unnatural curve to my spine.

 
Y is for yesterday’s highlight: Listening to Jay Morton at my fav wine bar, with friends.


Z is for your time zone: Mountain Standard Time.

Does anyone have something really unique about them to share??

Have a super Sunday!

Lessons of A Rookie

Let's face it. I am CLEARLY not one to give advice on anything running related....getting faster, what races are cool or fun, how to PR, what ratio of carbs to protein to eat for ideal race weight, blah blah blah. What I CAN tell you is how to be a total moron, and learn a lesson. Sometimes.

Fact: I have an injury.

Duh. I decided to be the smart little "runner" (I use that term very loosely, let's be honest) that I am, and rest. For one whole week, And I did it. And then I ran up North last weekend. And I hurt again. And I ran without my insoles because I left them in my other shoes at home. And instead of stopping immediately when I felt a twinge of pain...my stubborn-ass brain MADE me run until I hit 5 miles. Cause' I like things to be even and stuff. Mental case, I know. 

So I decided to take this week off as well. Give it a rest. Better to rest now than to rest 3 weeks pre-marathon, right? Right. So here I am resting. Riding my bike, doing weird at home workouts.

I had an epiphany yesterday when the UPS man dropped off my beautiful new/old Brooks Trance 10's. You see, I immediately tore open the box, hugged them and put them on my feet. Skinny jeans and all - I'm a real class act. And then I marched my butt upstairs to do some "scientific research". And for the record Brooks, I think it's a little rude of you to not make these for me in pink, a little rude.

I know, I'm special.

First, I put my shiny new Brooks Trance on my left foot (source of gimpiness) and my Saucony Craptastic (nothing against Saucony, just sayin) on my right foot and had a light bulb moment. It was like a Christmas MIRACLE. They are 110% different in the arch, the padding, the toe box. WHY did I stop wearing this shoe? I pronate. I roll in. I pull my IT band every single damn time I run, strike and roll in - with no support.

I called my husband. I texted my running friends to tell them my news. Share my excitement. I skipped on my walk last night. Of course, I haven't ran yet, because I'm not a total idiot and I really am resting....but I am secretly hoping that when I lace up Sunday, I feel no pain.

I'm a God Damn genius I tell you. OK not really. It was SO obvious I'm kinda mad at myself for turning my cheek to the whole potential shoe issue.

Oh well. Lesson learned. Don't eff up a good thing. Don't recreate the wheel. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

How to Stress Less

My week has been hellacious, stressful and has left me with a constant twitch in my right eye. I almost cried with my head to the steering wheel yesterday - not a crier, so I sucked it up and moved on.

Tips for relieving stress in the world of Lindsay:


1. Take a long walk with Husband and Pups.

2. Drink Wine.

3. Get an email at 7:30 that causes a happy dance, in the kitchen.

 (like i would actually allow that to be documented on film)



4. Watch this while waiting for dinner. And laugh. Really hard.

 (good thing he doesn't read this, he would kill me)


5. Get a good night's sleep.


Life is too short to be stressed, pissed or unhappy.

Out Sick

Pep Talk

OK, so after my glorious post yesterday and being happy and excited (insert unicorns and sparkles) about my training, I went for a run....and it all came crashing down...

I waited for Wade to get home from work so we could go together, we started out laughing and talking...getting into the groove and then honestly, I don't know what happened.

My IT band started hurting me, I felt naked without my Garmin, I felt fat and turtle like, my stomach was gurgling (please don't poop my pants was racing through my mind for approximately 2.76 miles) and I literally felt like a dark cloud was hovering over my head. I walked 3 times and the last mile was painful.

When we hit our 6.25 miles we started walking. Tears formed in my eyes. I don't know what my deal was...I'm not a crier, I don't get discouraged easily and I certainly don't act all crazy for nothing when life hands me lemons. I prefer lemonade. With vodka.

Wade actually said to me "you can't be all negative babe, it's not you"...which I quickly snapped back "yes I can, I never act like this so give me 5 minutes to be pissed off".

 What he said next stuck with me...


"You have years to get fast, lots of races ahead of you and you will be injury-free in no time, stop freaking it, it's OK".

I'm usually the pep-talker in our relationship. This was odd. He reminded me of the time he was in so much pain he had to turn around mid-run. He healed and got over it. And I must remember, I'm not an "athlete", this isn't my job, I don't NEED to run. It's just hard knowing you have races on the horizon that you are excited for...and need to be running for.

I had my 5 minutes and got over it. Sack up.

A Random Post

1. I got my hair did yesterday. And went to a work Happy Hour afterwards where I got a lot of compliments. Guess I should brush and/or wash my hair more often cause I didn't think it was anything too special/noticeable. Guess I need to lay off the ponytails at the office. Hmm.

2. I'm 29 years old, yet still get zits on my face like a teenager. WTF.

3. I started my day out with a 6+ mile hike with my hiking buddy Lynn, Wade and my furry BFF. Longest she (the dog that is) has ever been. Champion. Oh and get your dirty grill OFF my pillow. Rude.

4. Spring has arrived in my eyes....it's been BEAUTIFUL out this week. I have ran in shorts and tanks/t-shirts everyday and was even slightly warm. And then I drove up North late afternoon today and saw this...

5. I booked Wadester and I a week at this little gem today...Marathon training doesn't look so bad now that I know this is my reward. Countdown is ON.

...Off to be classy and drink some beer. ;)