3/4 ETA: In the interest of complete girl crush disclosure, I will also admit an addiction to Washington Week in Review - I just *heart* Gwen Ifill and listen to it as a podcast. I also listen to the McLaughlin Group - yeah. Not easy to follow as a podcast - but my girl crush on Eleanor Clift knows no bounds.

2/3 ETA: The constant political coverage is starting to get to the husband now. He has developed the habit of just yelling out, at completely random times, "HA!" in a high pitched tone, ala Chris Matthews.

I have never been a sports fan/junkie. The fact that there are networks completely devoted to sports is mindboggling to me. However, in the last few months, I am starting to understand. I have always been interested in politics but this year's campaigns have me completely obsessed. MSNBC is on every night. I told my husband this must be what sports people feel watching the sports networks.
How bad has it gotten? It is embarassing but I think I am developing a crush on Joe Scarborough. Oh, for crying out loud.....who am I kidding. There is no 'developing'. It is a full blown crush. I have my theory though. Gaze upon Joe in all his glory:




Now gaze upon an image of one of my favorite dog breeds:



The eyes have it. I must have some deep seated attraction to teeny-tiny, squinty little eyes - I would say little piggy eyes but I don't want anyone to search on piggy eyes Joe Scarborough and come up with my blog.



When I get to the point that my political crushes officially include Pat Buchanan, I promise to seek help.

Run Report

We have managed to reclaim our spot on our training schedule - yesterday was an 8 mile slow run. I have never run 8 miles before. W has never run 8 before. Cosmo has never run 8 before. It was virgin territory for us.

It was slow...........sloooooooooooooooooow. Program called for 12:58 miles. Only way we would hit that was with walking breaks. We didn't take any walking breaks. We averaged 12:18 miles. Breakdown looks like this:

Mile 1 - legs crikey and creaky. Momo thrilled to be out. We go out very slow (especially for us since we pace horribly and tend to jack rabbit our first miles) with lots of crosswalk and traffic stopping, 11:45

Mile 2 - feeling good, beautiful cold day with a wonderful blue sky and sunshine. 12:07 with a poop break, for Momo, not for us! He gets even happier afterwards. LOL

Mile 3 - crusing right along, lots of chatting. We figure if we talk, it keeps our pace down. 12:05

Mile 4 - halfway, still feeling decent, but starting to feel a little tired. Feel a little awkward, running so slow but we keep at it. 12:31

Mile 5 - I tell myself and W that we only have a 5k to do now - piece of cake, right? We can run 3.1 in our sleep. Cosmo drops back from being in front of us to running between us. 12:10

Mile 6 - I am tired. I start the bad thoughts....the "if I feel like this now, how do I think I can run more than twice this distance?" stuff. I tell W I am struggling. She gives a little pep talk - we are so close, if we stopped or walked now we would be upset later.....etc. I try to go to my 'happy place' and trudge on. 12:14

Mile 7 - No memory. I must have blacked out from sheer agony. LOL Seriously, this part of the run went through one of my least favorite sections of our course. It is also by the lake so we ran into a stiff wind for almost the whole mile. Brutal. I was warm but my face was freezing. Cosmo drops behind us for most of this mile - I think to use us as a wind break. 12:45.

Mile 8 - It's a death march. Cosmo is hanging in there (our pace is practically a walk for him) but he is still back behind us. I don't know if he is tired or just bored. At this point, I start checking Garmin obsessively, thinking that staring at the watch will make the distance numbers change quicker. Finally at 7.75, I stop and tell W we just need to listen for the 8 mile beeper. She says she is feeling it in her back, shoulders and neck. I feel tired and my legs are tired but otherwise (thanks to my core conditioning class devotion) I feel strong. In that past, that has not been the case - I usually ended my runs bent over like a 90 yr. woman. 12:45

8 miles - 1:38:32

Came home, showered - long and hot. Gave Cosmo his well-earned biscuit and turkey neck and then he settled down to sleep his well-earned, well deserved nap. I headed out to the Y and spent the next 5 hours in a cpr training. Hamstrings are a little achy but otherwise, just some tired but feeling good legs. Getting this run done was a huge mental addition in the plus column for us.

Run Report

My presence has been pretty scarce around these parts - I guess I don't have much to say if I am not running or not running well.

This week is our third week of half mar training - unfortunately it is turning into our first week. Two weeks ago, I came down ill - the two days in bed, not far from the bathroom, unable to eat, ill. Good news is I dragged myself to WW weigh in and I was down 5 lbs! Bad news is I was unable to do anything else, meaning running. The accompanying bad news is that W tends not to run unless I run, so in effect, she had a two week break - the bum! I also haven't taken a weights or core conditioning class in the past two weeks. It was one of those illness, that once the initial agony is over, there are those lingering, it takes a week or two to pass symptoms.

I am glad to say that I think I have finally thrown off all vestiges of nausea and exhaustion. W and I were determined to get back on schedule with our training - today was a 5 mile tempo run. The middle three miles were supposed to be 11:11. Now, a month ago, this wouldn't have been a problem. Today, it wasn't even a possibility. Our pace was 11:28, 11:40 and 11:58. The sad thing is, I could not have gone a smidgen faster - my effort was as if I was running much faster. The good thing is, we got our distance that was scheduled which gives us a huge mental boost. I know that if we can just stay on track with the distances, our times will come back in a few weeks.

Dub Dub Update

Weigh in is tonight.

Last week, as a group, we hit a total of 69.5 lbs. gone. In 8 weeks. We also had our first, SD, hit the 10% gone goal. She has lost 10% of her starting body weight. Two more of us are within 2-3 lbs of this 10% number too. WTH? I am stunned by these women. Abso amazing.

Maybe tonight, 75 lbs? It seems almost ridiculous to type that number out.

Run Report

Yes, the first official week of the training program and what do I have to show for it? A measly 2 miles.

I started off this week sick. I woke up Monday morning completely out of it. How sick was I? Colonoscopy prepping sick. I was unable to eat or leave my bed all of Monday and most of Tuesday. So Tuesday's tempo run did not happen. I did drag my gurgling, gaseous, nauseous self to the WW weigh in. I wanted to see what two days of havoc wrecked on my system and I wanted some credit from being so sick. 5 lbs down. In one week. Yeah, I was pretty sick. Of course, I know that as soon as I was able to keep water down I probably gained most of it right back as my poor little dessicated, dehydrated cells swelled up to their normal giant size....

I have to take a core class, teach a cycle class and meet with a total health client tonight so I didn't want to push anything but I did want to get out and stretch the legs, so to speak. I thought about doing an easy three - Cosmo is back to his old self and was rearing to go. I ended up stopping at two. First mile felt good and then it started getting crampy around 1.5 so I cut it short (I was also right by my house) at 2 miles. That was plenty. Our 7 mile is still on for tomorrow - program calls for a 12 something pace so even if I have to take walk breaks it should be do-able.

Painter guy shows up to finish the bathroom job. Painter guy has been here before and met son #2. Husband is home from work. Painter guy asks husband if he is another son he hasn't met yet. Husband is flattered, I am mortified.

History, yet again

A woman has won a major presidential primary. Woo hoo! Looks like we now have a horse race here. Hopefully, now without any annointed 'frontrunner' or anyone wearing the mantle of 'inevitability', we will have the opportunity to really get to know some of these candidates and their platforms. Let's have some more debates! LOL

So nice, so nice

The 16 week, half mar training started today. Our first run was an easy 2 miler. Just a little joy jaunt. The other runs this week are a 5 mile tempo (3 miles at 11:11) and a 7 mile lsd. Only cloud marring the sky? Cosmo wouldn't go. I asked him if he wanted to go for a run - no reaction. No reaction when he saw me suiting up. I showed him the leash, he walked away and laid down on his bed in our bedroom. He ate all his breafast fine but this is definitely off behavior for him. He has never refused a run before. We will be keeping a close eye on his today.

Run Report

Finally, a gorgeous day, sun shining, temperatures in the low 30's. I suited Cosmo up and met W at the library.

Not a stellar run. The sidewalks weren't completely clear so at times it felt like we were running in sand. My left knee started hinking up on me again, reminiscent of the aftermath the last time I ran on the treadmill. We really slowed it down the 3rd mile and I actually walked a little, trying to ease the knee. Also, I am not all that disappointed given that I ran a hard 4 yesterday, took a core conditioning class and then taught my cycle. I went into the cycle planning on taking it easy but it felt really good so I ended up riding hard. I paid for all that activity today. Cosmo did enjoy himself, though.

Happy Day! :-)

My mother grew up in the deep, rural South. Mississippi and Alabama. Many times I listened to stories of her youth, about her all white schools, labeled water fountains, etc. These stories seem like ancient history to my children, her grandchildren but seem like all too recent and like wounds, not sufficiently scabbed over to me.

Regarding last night.....

I don't know what it predicts about who might be our next Democratic presidential candidate.

I don't know what it predicts about who might be our next president.

There is a long, long road ahead before January 2008.

All I know is that a 92% (or 94%, I have seen both figures) caucasian, rural state voted for a biracial man in their Democratic caucus with an overwhelming turnout.

I actually laughed out loud this morning :-)

Run Report

It was -8 this morning when I woke up. Very cold. How cold? Cosmo didn't even bother to get up off his dog bed and give me the guilt trip when I left for the gym and the dreadmill.

Today was:
.5 mile - 12 m/m
1 mile - 10:40 pace
1 mile - 10:30 pace
1 mile - 10:20 pace
.5 mile - 12 m/m

4 miles - 43:40

What did I discover today? I love running 12 minute miles. They are wonderful!!! No sweating, no huffing, no lack of oxygen, no muscle pains. I can carry on a conversation like I am sitting in a coffeeshop. I love them!!! I wish every mile could be at that pace.

New Year's Roundup

Whew - it is cold this morning! Woke up and it was in the single digits. Not going to be running outside today.

I gifted Bridget and Jen matching (but in different color schemes) felted bags for Christmas. Did I take pictures before giving them? Nope. Did I take pictures last night when they were both here for dinner? Nope. Maybe I can get them to take pictures and send them to me. I was pretty happy with how they turned out with two exceptions. The length of the strap and the top closing edge. I never felted anything before so I wasn't sure what the shrinkage would be so I followed the directions to the T. The straps ended up way too long. Also, the opening kind of gaps. I bought some snaps but the felted material was too thick for them to go through. So, Bridget and I ran out to JoAnn's the other night and I bought some sew on snaps for their purses. Last night, they are both here so I go to look for the snaps to do a quick sew on. No snaps in the shopping bag. I check my purse. No snaps. Accusations start to fly. I think Bridget probably took them home - she denies it. Something about Cosmo's bro was thrown up in my face..... I happen to find the receipt and lo and behold.....no snaps are even listed on it. I know we picked them out. I know I walked around that store with them in my hand. What happened?

In this same theme, I made Bridget a highwaisted, sleeveless vest. No pictures. Sheesh.

The daughter, fresh off of her triumphant, Thanksgiving project, scarf, now wants to do a pair of mittens. I picked out a pattern for her and she is freaking because it is worked in the round. If she is going to make them, she is going to master this. I will not have her be a knitting coward like I was. It took me 20 years to get up the nerve to do cables. Cables!! We are off today to buy the dpns. Yes, after over 20 years of knitting, I now have to rebuy all my needles. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, my husband won't allow me to undertake the necessary actions to regain my whole stash of needles.

To complete my 'I am an idiot' post (wonderful way to start off the New Year, huh?), I am publicly proffering an apology to Jen. My thought and reaction filter malfunctioned a few weeks ago when she told me she got me a piece of jewelry for Christmas. If I recall correctly, I looked at her like she just pulled out a crack pipe and fired it up. I think my actual comment went along the lines of, 'What the hell are you thinking, you know I don't wear jewelry.' Yeah. Don't you wish all your friends reacted like that when you tell them about their Christmas present? Of course, she exhibited much more graciousness than I. And now I am eating my words. Good thing I am used to doing that and they are calorie free. I love the necklace. Love it, love it, love it. Wore it last night. It was noticed immediately by almost everyone and generated lots of compliments. I think I might just be a jewelry wearer now. Thanks Jen (lots of hugs and kisses to your generous little self from my asshole-y but now beautifully accessorized little self!)

Ummmmm, yuck

I am not happy to end 2007 with a run in the 11 m/m pace.

But.....in my defense:

It was a new route and we were kind of clueless.

We ran after drinking copious amounts of coffee at the coffee shop.

It was very windy and the sidewalks were slushy.

It was very hilly and we have been running very flat. Happy New Year, all!