Enter: Running

I'm so behind. I keep meaning to post and then time just gets away from me.

Sunday I was randomly super grumpy. It was one of those I don't like any of my clothes, everything is stupid and I don't know why kind of days.

Enter: running.

I hit the basement for a few miles (and some sprints thrown in for fun) and felt about a million times better after I was finished. Isn't it crazy how a good run can turn your whole day around?

On Monday we had an insane amount of rain. It down-poured all morning, which divided all the usual hyper-aggressive New York drivers into two groups: those who continued to drive as if everything was normal (way too fast), and those who drove 25 miles an hour on the freeway. It was fun.

The parking lot I was in flooded, so I had to fully submerge my shoes in several inches of water to get in my car. Also fun. I drove home barefoot.

My run was supposed to be an easy 4 miles, but I was feeling it, so I ended up running 5 instead. I also managed to remember to do some Post-Run Power Exercises - they're feeling easier, so that seems like a good sign.

Today I was psyched to run all morning and then when it was finally time, I dragged my feet. What is that about? I had an easy 3 miles with the Gilmore Girls and then Buddy and I hung out on the back deck while I cooled down.

It's definitely looking springy around here

Dinner tonight was salmon (from Kodiak, thanks Mom!) with a worcestershire/butter glaze, broccoli and green beans. You should be jealous.

What's for dinner at your house?

The Run that Wouldn't End

Today was long run day. In hindsight, I probably should have braved the trails rather than hitting the treadmill, but I opted for netflix instead.

I don't know if it's because I've been running outside more lately or what, but this was the run that wouldn't end. I wanted to stop pretty much the entire time, and took a million water breaks.

I started out watching the Silver Linings Playbook. I tried watching it once before and lasted about 15 minutes before I turned it off. Today I made it 45 minutes before I decided I just didn't care about what was happening in the movie. It's very rare that I don't like a movie enough to turn it off, in fact I actually like a lot of bad movies. Switched it over to Gilmore Girls and was much happier.

All my favorite running shorts were in the laundry, so I wore a backup pair that I don't normally wear. About 7 miles in I had an unpleasant chafing situation and stopped to scrounge around in my drawer of running gear for a skort to change into. Things were better after that.

Eventually I made it to 12 miles and kicked the speed up for the last mile.

I ended up running 13.1 miles in 2:06:18, a 9:38 pace. I have one more long run before the West Point Half - the last few weeks before a race always go by so quickly!

Buddy made himself a nest while I was running.

Ridiculous dog.

Feels Like: I Don't Want to go Outside

Friday was super cold.

Buddy and I layered up to go outside in the morning. He wore his vest:

And his coat. He hates the paparazzi.

And I wore ALL the layers.

I got in 4 miles on the treadmill with my tried and true Gilmore Girls, and otherwise did very little. In my defense, they played an old season finale of Bones on tv and I had to watch the next episode on Netflix - I can't end on a season finale, even if I do know what happens next.

Fast forward to today -

I didn't make it on my group run this morning, we had some work stuff to take care of, so today ended up being a rest day for me. My legs have been feeling tired this week for some reason, so it's probably a good idea in the long run (um, 5 weeks until the West Point half - I'm not ready!).

Tom and I went to brunch at Birdsall House this afternoon. We have been there for dinner a couple of times, and it's always really good! I got the french toast, it came with bacon and apple butter. Now I want to make apple butter - it was amazing.

And Tom got corned beef hash. Everything was delicious!

 
I am on the lookout for this ice cream. Has anyone tried it yet?

It's snowing again. We're supposed to get a few inches of snow before it switches to freezing rain. Awesome.

I hope your weekend is going well so far!

Buddy's hiding and I cleaned the oven

I cleaned the glass on the oven door today. I don't really know why (other than the fact that it was dirty, but that's never inspired me before), but it's really clean now!

It's kind of hard to tell just how dirty this was, since I didn't think to take a picture until I had already started. I made a paste out of baking soda and water and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then I scrubbed and scrubbed and SCRUBBED.

And now it looks like this:

So pretty!

I did an easy 4 miles while I watched part of a documentary about Burt of Burt's Bees (It's called Burt's Buzz). It's pretty interesting so far, I needed a break from Gilmore Girls - I've only seen every episode 10+ times.

I also spent some time playing with the resistance bands I bought Tom for Christmas. :)

Buddy has been hiding on the side of the couch because Tom has the oven on and he's sure the smoke alarm will go off at any moment.

Crazy, neurotic dog.

I'm still figuring out all the nifty features of my new gps watch. I haven't used it outside yet, so I'm looking forward to taking it out on my group run tomorrow. Now I just have to try not to stay up way too late like I do every other Friday night.

...Right.

What shows/movies have you watched WAY too many times?

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November running recap and house hunting news

I can't believe it's December already!

I hit 142.8 miles in November! It's safe to say I've never run that much in a month before, so I'm pretty psyched about it. I'm extra excited because I have managed my mileage/speed well and have been injury-free!

That also means I am 103.9 miles away from my goal of 1,000 miles for the year. Totally achievable!

The morning started in the usual fashion (coffee), made a bit more festive by the tree.

Did I tell you we have an offer accepted on the old white farmhouse? It's contingent on the sale of our townhouse, but they've accepted our offer! We've been watching a lot of DIY network shows and thinking about/planning all the things that need to get done once it's ours.

I ran 5 miles on the treadmill (I can't help it, if I'm running alone, I sort of prefer the treadmill) this morning.

Nothing terribly exciting, another episode of Gilmore Girls with Jess stirring up trouble. I actually really liked Jess before he turned all jerk-y, he mixed things up!

And actually, after my run this morning, I'm down to 98.9 miles. Double digits!

Buddy feels like he hasn't been on the blog enough lately.

We'll work on it.

Car things, running and shopping

I was up bright and early this morning to take my car down to get its inspection. New York has a yearly safety/emissions test that all cars have to pass. I also had a slow leak in one of my tires that I've been alternating between ignoring it and adding air when needed. Apparently there was a screw in it. Whatever.

Then they called to tell me my brakes were worn down to practically nothing. Since I kind of need those, they went ahead and fixed that.

I spent some quality time with the treadmill - 7 miles - and watched my usual Gilmore Girls. It's a habit.

And I tried out the root beer GU.

Not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it pretty much tasted like root beer (though slightly off), it just seemed wrong for it not to be carbonated. Needs more bubbles!

Tom and I are going to a semi fancy dinner in a couple of weeks, and I had absolutely nothing to wear (because all I wear are running clothes or jeans), so some shopping was in order.

I was expecting to have to try a few stores, but I actually found a dress at the first place I stopped. Can I just say, there are a lot of really ugly clothes in stores right now. It can't just be me, right? There's some really strange trends happening.

I tried on 5 dresses, which ranged from "hahaha - no" to "the dress."

Some hahaha - no's for you:

I ended up getting this one in black. But I got it at TJ Maxx, so it was way cheaper. I don't have a picture of it yet, (because I was making a really weird face in the picture I took and deleted it) but eventually there will be pictures. My mom has already demanded photos of Tom and I all dressed up, so it's going to happen.

There have been a few unsuccessful attempts to find some dressy shoes the last few days. I got rid of most of mine during the great packing purge when I moved from Oregon to Alaska and everything had to fit in my car. I found these on Zappos.

Hopefully I got the right size, but even if I didn't, Zappos is so fast, I would still have plenty of time to get the right ones.

How often do you dress up?

- Once or twice a year, max.

Would you rather dress up or stick to casual?

- Casual! In fact, where are my pajamas?

A shoe swap saves the day

Do you ever feel really productive doing little everyday things? We have been letting the dishes pile up for a few days and I finally got around to washing them this morning. It never takes as long as I think it's going to, and now the kitchen is clean!

Sunday was mostly uneventful. We watched the Giants/49ers game, I wasn't sure who to root for since the Giants are Tom's team and the 49ers are my mom's favorite. It was a much closer game than we thought it was going to be.

I wasn't planning on running yesterday, but after the football game I started getting antsy, so I hit the basement and ended up having a really good run!

I even stretched after I was done. Weird, right?

Today's terribly exciting plans included running, and a trip to Target and the grocery store. We're living the glamorous life around here.

The first two miles of my run were kind of miserable. I just felt off, and my PureFlows were bothering me. After a quick shoe swap, I was feeling great and ended up running 6 miles. I don't know why my PureFlows were bothering me, they're usually one of my favorites!

I also tried out this Caramel Macchiato GU that I got when we were at REI the other day. I wish I had more, it was really tasty!

The guys are kind of hilarious.

Buddy is only happy in 65-70 degree weather. Anything warmer or colder and he's not happy. He was curled up tight last night so I covered him with his towel. He didn't move again until bedtime.

He's kind of a wuss. :)

A delicious problem

Happy Monday!

I actually did things today!

My laundry hamper smelled like campfire from the party this weekend, so some laundry was in order.

I multi-tasked and started it when I hit the basement for my run. And then I forgot all about it. It's still down there - but at least it made it to the dryer!

Knocked out 5 miles on the treadmill and another episode of Gilmore Girls. I don't care how many times I have seen every episode - I love that show!

I spent some time whining about going to the dentist and then had to wait over an hour (and an hour past my appointment time) before they called me back. On the bright side, the dentist complimented my teeth and said I obviously floss regularly.

I win! Also, I don't have to go back for 6 months, so that feels like winning too.

I stopped at the store on the way home to buy things for dinner. Naturally that also meant buying ALL the seasonal flavors of ice cream that caught my eye. I have a problem.

A delicious, delicious problem.

And I worked myself up to making a big scary possibly life changing phone call, and had to leave a voice mail. Boo.

Buddy has been practicing his sad face. Pathetic, no?

Unrelated, but has anyone tried PiYo? It looks interesting, I might have to check it out.

Throwback Thursday and Puppies!

A little Throwback Thursday action for you from senior year of high school:

I cannot now, nor could I then, ride a skateboard.

Also: I still have this sweatshirt somewhere.

I, um well, I didn't do anything today. It was super gloomy and gross outside, so I wasn't very motivated.

That's not entirely true. I did some laundry and the dishes.

And I got a run in.

Me, my treadmill and Gilmore Girls = a winning combination.

This is Buddy's "why are you taking my picture instead of playing with me?" face.

I started reading In the Blood, by Lisa Unger. My mom and I have both read most of her books. They're easy reads, and very entertaining thrillers. The first book of hers that I read was also one of my favorites - Beautiful Lies. Check it out.

Aaaand here's some cute puppies because that's all the exciting news I have for you.

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