Stuff I Did

Life has been a little crazy lately. My to-do lists have been falling to the wayside. Isn't that always the way? Blame it on summer. Blame it on a hectic schedule. Well, I can blame it on one thing, but I can't tell you about that. Not yet.

And, no, it's probably not what you're thinking.

Anyway, lest I tease you more, dear reader, why don't we get to the stuff I have done the past week. Or two? Geez, I'm losing track of everything!

I suppose the first thing you might enjoy is an update from my 5K last week. How did it go? Well...

I told you I'm cursed with 5ks, right? We talked about that? I think it still holds true. I can't lie. I didn't really want to go that day. I was tired, I was lazy, I hadn't been keeping up with my running and I was worried I wouldn't keep up with my friends. Excuses, excuses. I kept waiting on one of them to bail so I had a really good excuse not to go. That didn't happen and, in any event, writing about it on here kind of was a failsafe that I'd have to go. I know I can't slip anything by my readers' watchful eyes. So, Tom, Molly and myself went and met Kelly there.

Look how excited we are!

It started drizzling on our way there. Now, I don't really like running in the rain. Ok, ok, I don't really like RUNNING all the time. If the weather isn't perfect, I'm not feeling it and would rather go to the gym and do other workouts. So, I voiced my dislike of the rain and was told to suck it up. Hey, I was just saying. Molly, the little one in the middle, was there running with a broken rib (yikes!) so I really had no good excuse not to participate. Barely making it to the starting line on time, we threw on our bibs, had Tom photograph our "Before" picture and then the race started.

It wasn't bad. Molly runs a little faster than me, but I was keeping up. The course wasn't too bad, either. Not flat, but not hilly, and a pretty neighborhood and park. Even the drizzling wasn't so bad. I was feeling alright.

And then the sky opened up. First the drizzle turned to rain. Then the rain turned to a monsoon, sideways, in-your-face downpour. I voiced my opinion, again, on the rain and Tom told me if my feet were dry I was fine. About two minutes later, that was no longer the case. I would say it was less than five minutes from the weather changing from a drizzle to a downpour, for us to get from basically totally dry to irrevocably totally drenched. This was about a quarter mile or so into the race.

It was supposed to be three laps of a one mile course. We left after the first mile.

Soaking wet car selfie

Now, I know that I could have finished technically. I could have run through the downpour. But, I didn't. I couldn't see through the rain (not an exaggeration). My feet (and the rest of me) was totally soaked. It was cold. I was not prepared for that.

Kelly finished. Good for her! A teensy part of me wishes I had finished. But most of me is quite content with our decision. It's not like we walked off the track and the sun came out and the rain was over. We finished a mile, ran to the car (a few blocks away), sat in the car for a good fifteen minutes, drove to the bar where we were promised free beer and it was STILL coming down. The rest of the race would have been completed in a downpour and I am just not down for that. I didn't sign up for a Tough Mudder. Also, to justify the decision more, Molly realized that running a 5k with a broken rib was not a good idea since she was hurting after a mile. Imagine if we had finished! She could have re-injured herself.

Dry from the waist up thanks to Molly's
extra hoodie. Good enough for me.

So, that is the tale of my third cursed 5k. Perhaps that will be the last time I have a problem with one. Things come in threes, right? Good and bad. The cursed cycle of 5ks can safely be put behind me now. Perhaps I should sign up for one in the fall to test my theory. Either way, this doesn't seem to affect distance running so we are still on for the half-marathon in November.

Now, the other stuff I did this week.

We celebrated our good friend Eric and his new wife, Rachael's, wedding! I don't have any pictures of them, but I do have a few pictures from the day we had at the wedding.

Enjoy these pictures and I will post again soon.






Driving a convertible in style

Church selfie in my floppy hat



Beautiful ceremony

Skipping stones during cocktail hour

Awesome pamphlets. Anthony took a copy of
Dealing With Your Electronic Addiction. The first step
is acceptance.

   

The crew

Tom looking casual cool

I'm Running a 5K Today. TODAY?!

I'm running a 5K tonight. Ah, crap.

Is it midsummer already?

I kind of totally forgot that it was this week. A few friends from work signed up to do the Midsummer Night Run series in Bryn Mawr. Series because there were three of them. I wanted to do it with them, but the first run fell on the day I got back from my honeymoon and after a full day of traveling there was no way that was happening. So I put the whole thing in the back of my mind because I was busy, you know, getting married and honeymooning in Europe.

Honeymoon!

Walking through parks in Spain > running 5Ks

When I got back and asked how their run went, they all kind of rolled their eyes. These are three people who sorta-kinda-run-but-not-really. Kind of like me! Apparently the other runners in this race are NOT kind of like me or my friends at work. They are, like, SERIOUS runners.

So serious are these runners that they felt the need to yell at my friends for going too slow. Well, I suppose they were yelling at them to move over to the side more if they were going to run slow. Still. Try yelling at me, runners, see what happens. Probably I'll just tell you to stop yelling and then maybe stay in front of you and slow down. Kind of like when someone on the highway is tailgating me.

Carry me to glory, or at least not humiliation, New Balances

One of my co-workers found this experience so unpleasant that he opted out of the rest of the running series. I don't blame him. People that take things too seriously are no fun and a 5K should be a fun thing. It's just a little runner's club race! Lighten up, right?

A week or two ago, I offhandedly said maybe I should run in his place for this third and final run of the series. One of the girls thought that was a great idea and would not let me forget that I said it. Oh, you mean the race is this week? Aw, shucks, I totally forgot! Nope, none of that. Not only has she reminded me all week, she offered to go down early and pick up all the race packet stuff and try to even get me a t-shirt. How can you say no to such enthusiasm?

I guess that means tonight will be my first 5K. That's right, my first. I know I ran the 10-mile Broad Street Run just a few months ago, but that was my first race ever. I had been signed up for two 5Ks in the past, but didn't go to either. I wanted to! The Donor Dash in 2013 was supposed to be my first race, but then I got the chance to go to China, so I did that instead. I think I made the right choice. Then, in July of the same year, I was supposed to do the Electric Run. I was so excited! I got there early and was hanging out with my friends watching them set up the course. We queued at the starting line, waiting for them to let us go. Waiting. And waiting. And watching a storm roll in. And then, ironically, they cancelled the race due to lightning. Lightning. Cancelled the ELECTRIC Run. The fates were against me that year.

The Electric Run has nothing on China

Tonight the weather seems like it should be perfect. I haven't run three miles since, well, I guess since the Broad Street Run! But I have done two miles recently and if I can do two, I can do three. Maybe not fast enough for those serious runners, but who gives a damn about them? I'm running my own race here, and I don't mind staying in the slow lane.

This is all for the better anyway, as I do have that pesky half marathon coming up in just over three months. Today should be a good litmus test for how much work I have yet to do. I'm going to guess... a lot.

Wish me luck! And, as always, share your experiences with us! I'm not the only one doing stuff. Anyone else doing any races this year? Or already done some? Or tell us how you would never do that not in a million years running sucks forget it! That's what I would have said a year or two ago. That's still what I say most days. But, I'll do the race anyway because if I can run my mouth I suppose I can run with my legs. Or collapse trying.

Running To-do:

- run a 5k!
- get a second pair of running sneakers so I can alternate
- make a running schedule and start pushing my long runs to be...longer
- research training tips for the half marathon
- make a running date with some of my runner friends who might be able to push me harder than I push myself
- eat healthier so I can fuel my runs better
- get a better headband to control my crazy frizzy hair
- stretch!

My very green breakfast smoothie

Stuff I Did This Week

Happy Thursday! For most of you today is a good day because tomorrow is... Friday! For me, I am on about Tuesday of my work week, but nonetheless it feels like a good day. I know you're all dying to know what I've been up to, so here we go. Stuff I did this week...

- As a spur of the moment decision last week, we stopped at the grocery store on the way home from work and bought a whole chicken to roast. Because roasting chicken is easy, right? Well, sort of, if you don't mind not eating until ten o'clock at night (because we still had to go to the gym first to EARN a large roast chicken dinner). No matter, it was delicious and we've now been eating chicken salad for a week. Not complaining.



Eight pounds might have been a little more than we needed

Money shot

It was a big but amazing dinner

- Got some important paperwork done

Or not...

- Drove my car! For the first time in almost 8 months! (more on this next week)

After Brian gave it a good test drive

- Tested out our new pizza stone! Pizza enthusiasts that we are, this was exciting stuff. We actually tested it again last night to better results. I suppose we will just have to keep experimenting until we get it just right. Oh bother...



The beautiful BEFORE



And the slightly burned AFTER. Still tasted good!

- Went tubing with Kira and Andrew. No pictures of actual tubing because I'm not dumb enough to take my phone into a very watery situation. Rest assured, it was a lovely relaxing float down the Brandywine. I highly suggest taking a day (and a floating cooler) to just go mosy along the water. With LOTS of sunscreen.
Here is the place we went through: http://northbrookcanoe.com/index.php



The Big Bobber floating cooler. People
were jealous of its awesomeness

Kira offered me an aloe plant but I forgot to take one! Luckily,
unlike last time I went tubing, I didn't get sunburn and didn't need
the aloe right away.











- Tom and I continued on our beginning training phases for the half-marathon. I say beginning because I am still working up to run the way I was running for the Broad Street Run. Procrastinator that I am, without the pressure of the race being TOO close, it's tough to always feel motivated to get out as often as I should. This week and last, though, I've been picking up the pace a bit. Maybe I will pick it up a bit more.

 





Feeling fierce after a workout

Tom feeling... fierce?

 

 

 

All in all, a pretty typical week. What did you do this week? Anything fun or interesting? Start a new project? Finish a project? Share your to-dones with us!

 

 

My To-do List:

 

- get new running shoes

- renew my car registration

- stretch more

- plan dinners before we're hungry

- ice my knee (going to do that one right now!)

- get up at the same time every day

- less Facebook in the morning

 

Hope you all have a productive and exciting end (or beginning) to your week!