Zzzzzzzzzz

No run this morning - had to be at work by 6:30 AM so I can put in twelve hours today. I am trying to pull forty hours in four days so that I can take Friday off without using vacation time. Weight today: 139.

My class last night was great. My mentor really shines in the spotlight and is fun to observe. I feel lucky to be interning for a course that has content I can still learn from [Business Communications] but for which I have a lot to offer experience-wise. I kept wanting to pipe up during lecture and it was hard to keep my lips zipped. I know - what else is new?

Flu Shy

Aj has the flu, which is why I slept on the couch last night. Well, I would not call it sleep, it was more like three two and a half hour naps, one right after another. I kept waking up and willing myself to go upstairs to the guest room to sleep, but would talk myself out of that notion by reminding myself there is no alarm clock in the guest room. Better to sleep horribly on the couch, than sleep really well in the guest room and risk over-sleeping due to no alarm. The only OTHER option would have been to tippy-toe into our room, unplug the alarm on my side of the bed, then take it with me to the guest room and reset both the time and the alarm time. By that time, I'd have probably woken Aj up and I would damn sure have been wide awake myself. Which is why I slept on the couch. Well, that, and the fact that Aj has cooties.

To my own complete surprise, I was up and out running by 6:15. I ran 3 in 31:21 with 2 walk-breaks. My little blister of yesterday became a beeeeeg bleeester today. I will have to tape up before my next run.

Weight before: 139.5
Weight after: 139

It's all good...

The only thing remarkable about this morning's run, is that I did it in new running shoes. Yesterday I bought a pair of New Balance 752 that are extremely similar to the first pair of running shoes I ever bought, which were 764 I think. I love them - even though I did acquire a little blister on my right arch this morning. I remember getting a blister when I was breaking in my first pair of NB, and I think it's just from the added arch support.

I ran 3 in 33:09 with 2 walk breaks.
Weight before: 140
Weight after 138.5

Not bad, considering everything I ate over the weekend. Here's the wrap-up on that:

Saturday Night: We had a pretty good time. Went to The Landing and ate steak and grilled shrimp at SKEETER'S EATERY. This was the only place on the landing that had less than a two-hour wait to be seated when we arrived at just before 8PM. (The food was okay - I probably won't go back, unless the only other option is allowing my stomach to digest itself while waiting two hours to eat somehwere else. )

I talked the girls into heading to FAT TUESDAY'S for dessert. They have a wall of frozen sweet drink machines that stretch from one end of the bar to the other....frozen Mud Slides, Margaritas, Sex on the Beach, Pina Colada, Peach Daquiri, etc. They pretty much have any flavor you might want. I got a margarita, and the other girls got mudslides. The band, (named "Two Dick Bob" incidentally) was pretty good. They were pretty much playing 80's stuff...Jenny Jenny of 867-5309 fame, Jessie's Girl, and the like. Kat, the oldest of the group, could not resist dancing to these- so I joined her. It is hard for me to dance to that stuff beat-wise. I really prefer hip hop, R&B, bump & grind, or whatever you wanna call it - but dance I did. I wanted Jessie's Girl by God.

We decided to leave there and hop on the Metro to head to the casino, but when we walked past BAR, (that's really what it's called, just: BAR) Kat saw all the girls up dancing on the bar and just HAD to go in and get up there. She was marching right in when the bouncer demanded she pay a cover, and she said, "awww come on! I am 39 years old! Let an old lady go in and have some fun!". After more begging, the bouncer said, "oh.....OKAY" and let her pass by. Of course, we tried to follow dutifully behind but the bouncer stepped in front of us with his arms crossed. "Five dollars each".

I was like, "WHAT?! come ON dude! That is bullsh*t!". (Very convincing, I know.) Kat had paused to wait for us, but now just said, "oh girls, just watch through the window, I just want one dance on the bar!" and off she went. I did not want to have to pay $5.00 each just to go in and dance for one song. We peered through the window and watched as she made her way in, solicited help up onto the bar, and started dancing. It was SO funny. The whole time I was griping to the bouncer, "this is so lame, YOU are so lame. This place sucks. I am never coming back. I am telling my friends never to come here...and on and on. By the time the song ended I had three free passes approved by someone named "Daddy" and we were all in. I hopped up on the bar and danced with Kat to the Chingy song Right Thurr. It was great fun. We stayed for another song or two and then headed to the Metro for the one-stop ride to the casino.

By the time we made it inside we only had about half an hour to actually play before we had to leave in order to catch what would be the last Metro train back to our original stop. I was not all that enthused about being there, as there is not much you can do in thirty minutes, and ya certainly can't find an empty spot at a table-game in so little time on a Saturday night. I put a twenty in a quarter slot and sat down. I max-bet through about $19.25 of it without winning a single coin. I was once again proclaiming aloud what BS this was, when I hit for 500 quarters ($125.00). SWEET! I cashed out right away, happy that I'd just paid for my entire evening plus some.

When walking toward the Metro, I heard a train approaching, and said, "come on girls! We can make the earlier one and not have to wait 15 more minutes!". I went charging off and up the three flight of stairs in plenty of time to have boarded the train, but when I looked behind me, the other girls were nowhere to be seen. I watched as the doors closed and the train vanished into the distance before the other three came straggling up the stairs, huffing and puffing. Another reason that running pays off! (Or in this case, would have paid off had I been able to board.) We made it back to our stop around 1:00 AM and I am sure I was asleep by the time my head hit the pillow around 1:20.

I was up at 6:00 AM and out the door by 7:15 to get breakfast and head to class. I felt really strange, not having cracked a book the night before for my FINAL exam. Plus, I lacked sleep and was a bit hungover. The long and short of it is, that it was one of the best exams I have ever seen. (Good thing, since it is a class on Assessment.) It was really tough, but not at all unfair. The exam did what it was supposed to do, it distinguished between informed and uninformed students. Although I felt like my head was disconnected and floating above my body, and I was certainly leaning toward being completely uninformed, I got 100% on it! Woo hooo!!!!

The funniest (but in the same breath, NOT AT ALL funny) thing happened to a student in our class this weekend. The guy is really funny, often inappropriate, comes off like a major slacker but is an A student. He's earned quite a reputation as the class clown, and he's often late for class, but is ALWAYS late for the final. This final was no exception. The clock was ticking away and the "where is he's?!" had begun. Kat decided to call him on his cell phone to see if he was on his way. He answered and explained why he was running late. Get this:

He had been at a friend's house the night before and had checked his e-mail while he was there. When he left, he left his e-mail account logged in. His so-called friend, decided to play a practical joke on him. His friend sent an e-mail that went something like this:

Hi. I don't know what's wrong with me lately, but I have been thinking about you a lot. Tonight for instance, I sat up most of the night thinking about you and masturbating. I just ejaculated all over myself and my computer while thinking about you, and thought I should confess to you about it. What should I do?

His so-called friend, signed the class clown's name to it and sent it. He sent it to EVERYONE in his address book. His friends, work associates, class mates, every instructor in our program, the director of our program, and even to his Mom. He put everyone in the BCC line so it looked like they were the only one getting the message. Just think about the implications of that. He did not realize what had happened until after people started calling him early in the morning asking him what the hell was wrong with him.

Our professor, Dr. D, whose final we were all about to take - had already gotten and opened his e-mail the night before. She had written him back, telling him that he was obviously disturbed, but that she was willing to help him find some psychiatric help. She was extremely glad to hear that it had only been a sick practical joke. When the class clown finally arrived (late because he was trying to phone everyone who'd received the e-mail) he was so visibly upset that no one even made eye contact with him. I cannot imagine!

After class I went home and hung out with Aj. We went to lunch at Panera, and then to the grocery. Later in the day we went shopping for running shoes - then back home where Aj cooked spaghetti and meatballs, and we ate, drank wine and watched a movie, Phone Booth. I was in bed by 9:30 - I was really wiped out.

We did not really discuss my possible promotion in any detail this weekend like we were supposed to. Nor did I put the pros and cons on paper like I was supposed to. Guess I should get on that.

Making progress...

Weight this morning was 138.5. That is the lowest (I think) that it's been in a long little while.

Went to Union Station (Hooters wings and beer for dinner) and to the Cardinal's game last night. I had a great time, and I don't feel too bad today, just a little tired. But, I have been trying all day to figure out how I spent $85.00 last night. Yikes.

Class was good today - I got a 98 on my project, so only need a 66 on the final tomorrow to get an A in the class. Good thing because I am going out tonight, rather than staying home to study. But first, a nap is in order...

So much to say

...and so little time.

Today's stats:
3 in 33:11 again, but only one walk-break.
Weight before: 139.5
Weight after: 138.5

I have been letting myself just "run" this week, which is why you see slower times. I wanted to see how fast, or slow, I would run my normal three if I did not really push myself at all. I am finding that it is really a more enjoyable way to run, for me. It makes me wonder why I ever started trying to improve my speeds to begin with. I think I would rather be striving to add distance than to be really fast. What is my problem?

In other news: Being offered the chance at a promotion at work, that will come with a 25-35% raise, and don't know if I want it. I am really struggling with the decision, and going back and forth thinking I have made up my mind to take it, then drifting and finding myself solidly against taking it. I have a list of pros and cons in my head that I need to put onto paper this weekend and discuss with Aj. More on this after that.

One of the classes for my internship was cancelled for low enrollment, so have to amend my contract with my program coordinator. Great - another paper to write. This could work out way better in the long run. I will be doing a project for my office instead, which means I can clock hours for the internship while I am here during my normal business day. That will definitely help take some of the load off if I do take the promotion at work, as I won't have to intern two night a week, only one. I also feel glad that the less interesting of the two classes is the one that fell through. Little blessings to be found everywhere, I say.

Busy weekend: Going to the Cardinal's game tonight with Lyn, C, Lou and Brian. Class all day tomorrow, out to dinner and casino with girls from class tomorrow night, class all day Sunday complete with final exam loaded with statistics problems. I wonder where I can pencil my husband in this weekend...what was that guy's name again?

Thanks for checking back...

I've not been here all week because I have once again, managed to create my own litte personal hell by procrastinating. I have put off a project for one of my college classes to the point that I am now bullshitting my way through it for lack of time to do it correctly. In fact, the only reason I am here now is because if I don't do a brain dump, I'll forget the content of the lists I am keeping in my head. This will not be exciting stuff.

Running List:

Sat: 90 degrees by 8AM - only eeked out two miles, then walked one.

Sun: rest day

Mon: 90 degrees by 8AM - only eeked out two miles, then walked one.

Tues: Ran 3 in 32:10 with two walk-breaks

Wed: Ran 3 in 33:11 with two walk-breaks

Thur: (today) rest day - weight = 140.5

Of note: that stuff I said in an earlier post about August not being hot...I was out of my mind that day. It's hot. It's Africa hot. We are supposed to have a heat index of 114 today. Sheesh.

Of note: Running in Kansas City is great. Jim's place is in a fairly affluent neighborhood in one of the wealthiest counties in the US (Johnson County, Kansas). The population in the area are mostly young thirty-somethings, and almost everyone works out, so there are always scads of people out walking, biking, pushing strollers, blading, etc. Thanks to the demand, there are paths and trails and roads that are very runner friendly. While out running in KC, I found I was one of the least fit people on the trail. I swear everyone I saw was a fitness model. Even the men. Oooph. Nice.


List of stuff I did in Kansas City Last Weekend

Fri: Arrived at Jim's around 9:30 PM after having stopped for a bottle of Merlot. (I bought a bottle to share with Jim! I did not drink the bottle on the drive up or anything. Sheesh. Think the worst!) Stayed up until 2:00AM talking and drinking wine. Very nice.

Sat: Up at 8AM and out running. HOT HOT HOT. Back in to shower, then drove to Topeka to see my sister's little beebee. He stole my heart. Drove back to KC and showered and changed and then drove an hour in the opposite direction to Smithville Lake where Teresa and Dave were camping. Stayed and talked until midnight, then drove back to Jim's. This is a much longer story, but no time for that right now.

Sun: Up at 10:30 :) and to the Ethnic Festival! Later, went with Jim and Phyllis to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. Loved this place. Neat atmosphere...check out this menu option:

PENNE WITH CHICKEN, FETA, AND PINE NUTS
penne pasta, chicken, fresh spinach, roma tomatoes and fresh basil, with feta cheese and toasted pine nuts.

...and they even have a "Fitness Menu". I am telling you - KC Peeps are pro-fitness. Oh how I would love to move back!

Mon: Up at 7:30AM and out running. HOT HOT HOT. Drove back to St. Louis and was home by 2:30PM.


List of ethnicities represented at the Ethnic Festival
...the ones I can remember anyway

African American
American Indian
Armenia
Brazil
Cameroon
Chile
Columbiana
Croatia
Ecuador
Egypt
Finland
France
Gambia
Germany
Hawaii
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Korea
Laos
Liberia
Lithuania
Nigeria
Norway
Peoples Republic of China
Philippines
Samoa
Scotland
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Sweden
Turkey
and...Vietnam

Phew! I am really glad to get that list out of my head! Keeping it in alphabetical order was tough!


List of foods I tried: ..most of these were just bites - our group was sharing everything. Dagnabbit!

Dolmas with pita
Pakora with chutney
Samosa with chutney
boiled soy beans - yech
fried plaintain
spinach stew
bratwurst
knockwurst
apple strudel
Killian's Irish Red ;-)

Would have tried more, but the heat index was 112 that day, which kills the appetite. In addition, Jim's girlfriend collapsed from the heat. Not sure which of these she suffered from...

Heat syncope---fainting caused when the body compensates for too much heat by diverting blood from the brain to the skin.

Heat exhaustion---extreme fatigue characterized by muscle aches, nausea, and fever. Additional symptom include clammy skin, diarrhea, rapid pulse, vomiting, and weakness.

Heat stroke---failure of the body's temperature control systems. Heat stroke can be fatal depending upon severity and treatment. Symptoms include confusion, agitation, hyperventilation, racing pulse, lethargy, convulsions, and eventually loss of consciousness. The body temperature rises to extremely high levels, sometimes above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which can damage major organs.

...but we rounded up a medic, drenched her in water, and got her out of the heat as soon as we could. Not good! What is it with me and people collapsing? This time Aj was not there to save the person, but I called him on the cell phone and started spouting statistics to him. It went something like this:

Aj: Hello?

Me: I have a fifty year old white female, approximately 110 pounds, five foot tall. She is collapsed but barely conscious, seems to be experiencing extreme lethargy. Says she can't move, is naseous, feels like she is going to faint. She's been out in the heat for approximately three hours. She is currently collapsed over a table. What should I do, over?

Aj: Get a medic, get her out of the heat if possible, out of the sun, lay her down, drench her in water, pack her in ice if available. Bring her body temperature down and get her hydrated. If she can, have her drink water - lots of it. Over?

Me: okay, thanks, bye.

Aj: bye

Yup. I Thank God for my husband.

The only other list of things I am keeping in my head is a list of things to do. Which reminds me....I gotta go!

Westbound

I have to drive to Kansas City tonight, and figured getting plenty of sleep would serve me better than running this morning would have. I slept a full eight hours, then got up and finished packing, and loaded my car. I am hoping to get my business wrapped up here in the office and hit the road early. I brought gear with me so I can run on Saturday morning, and Jim mentioned going biking as well. Hopefully I can manage not to gain five pounds while I am gone. Weight this morning was 139.5 which is right where I wanted it to be. Nothing else blogworthy at the moment - will check in this weekend.

DateUpDate

Well, Aj pulled out of his funk, and was in an angelic mood by the time he got home. This is hilarious, considering we have been together five years: He was all giggly and shy and nervous about having to pick the night's activities. He sat me down and said, "you gotta help me decide..."..."we can do this, or that, or this and that, or that and this..." and I said, "Aj, it's your turn, it's your night, you pick!".

BIG MISTAKE! (just kidding)

He finally decided that he just wanted to grab something quick to eat and go play some tennis together. Nothing fancy - and pretty sweet considering the competitive level he's been playing at lately. (As in - why would he want to play tennis with slow and boring me?!) I will preface the details of the date by saying we had a great time and I was not disapointed with the activities, or happenings.

That said - he decided we would go to the commissary food court to eat because he wanted pizza, and I wanted to eat pretty clean and it needed to be quick. He ordered his pizza, I got a turkey wrap from the sandwich shop, and his boss went to Taco Bell and ordered tacos. Oh, didn't realize his boss was coming along? Yeah - NEITHER DID I! Of course, we had to do the polite thing and ask his boss to join us to eat - his wife and children are in Florida right now - he's all alone, blah, blah, blah.

Of course, Aj and his boss had JUST left work and eachother's company less than an hour before, so there was no way they would sit there and talk ABOUT work the whole time, right? Wrong. But it was okay...really.

So - we got done eating and left for the courts. No, his boss did not join us. We played tennis for a few hours and I was a bigger dolt than I have ever been on the court. Swinging at balls and 'whoosh!" nothing there. Doing odd leaps and spins and acting generally goofy. I have no idea what was wrong with me, but I caught a case of the giggles and could not get rid of them. All of this was very annoying to Adam, which only made me laugh harder. I was slow, clumsy and downright annoying to play with. I was even annoyed with me. By the time we left, he'd even beat me twice playing left-handed! In my defense, I had run three miles the night before and three miles that morning and have been cutting back on my food intake and so, was just plain tired. In addition, my left hamstring has been whining at me a bit when I run, and last night on the court it was giving me stern warnings: No fast starts! No frivolous diving, or lungeing! Yep, I was babying it for fear I would pull it and not be able to run this morning.

Anyway, after dark we headed home and the date was over. It was not flashy or romantic, but it did what is was designed to do: It forced us to make time on the calendar this week for eachother. And it was good.

This morning's run was tough tough tough. 3 in 32:11 with 2/wb. I really had to fight off an extra walk break in the final mile. Gosh I was tired, and it was very muggy. I was just plain out of steam going into mile 2, and finishing 3 seemed almost impossible. But, I did. Weight before 141 - weight after 139.5.

My little nephew has a name now: Gabriel Lynn - 'Gabe' for short. Not that my opinion matters, but I like it, and in a sense, 'knew' it would be Gabe. The name got stuck in my head for no reason the other day and I wondered if this could be why. I am psychic sometimes. Too bad it's not when I am picking lottery numbers.

DateNight is tonight, and as mentioned, it's Aj's turn to decide on the night's activities. However, he just called and went on a minute-long rant about how tired and cranky and irritable and wiped out and pissed off and pissed on he is, and to let me know what time he'd be home. My hopes for a great date night have dwindled some, as you might imagine.

Last night was strangely eventful.

First: When I went to shut down my PC, I got an error messsage stating:

SHARING! There are currently one users connected to your computer. Shutting down your computer now will terminate this connection. Do you wish to proceed?

Uhh...let me think about it....HELL YES! Who the hell is connected to my computer and what in the hell are they doing? Arghghgh. Those who know me KNOW how very tired I am of the technological brick walls I seem to hit constantly.

Second: Aj was already in bed asleep, and I was checking the front door lock before going up to join him. I was noticing how bright the moon was, and saw what I thought was a star, bright red, below the moon and to the left. I realized it was probably Mars, because this month the red planet is closer to earth than it has been for 60,000 years, and won't be this close again until the year 2287. I stepped outside to get a closer look and was "gazing in wide wonder" and sort of talking to God, saying, "wow, it's really, really amazing...but I guess in actuality it's no more amazing than any other star...Mars is just giving me a reason to stop and appreciate how unfathomable your creation is....". About then I looked up, way up, tilting my head back until I was looking at stars directly overhead, and I kid you not, a shooting star blazed across the sky. It was like God was saying, "you ain't seen nothin' yet kid". I never would have seen that shooting star if I'd not thought to pull my gaze away from Mars to look at "normal" stars that are visible nightly. I guess it was like a message to not miss the forest for the trees, in a way. Hmmm....or a bad Hallmark commercial, one of the two.

Third: Around 12:15 AM, Aj and I both awoke in a panic to the eeriest squeeling sound that seemed to be getting louder and closer by the second. Just when I thought we were being invaded by aliens, the noise stopped. We ran to the window and spied a repo man with a black car hooked to his tow truck. I guess, maybe by mistake, but perhaps out of neccessity, he'd hooked the car to the tow truck headed the wrong way, and so rather than the wheels rolling, they were being dragged along the ground in a locked position, hence the "eeeeeeeeieieieiieiiieiieiiieeeeaeaeaeeaeaeeeieieiieiieieeichchhhhhcchchchc" sound that woke us up. He detached the car and hooked up the other end and took off into the night. Thankfully I went right back to sleep.

It was tough to drag myself out of bed this morning to go running, but I did it. I ran 3 goo-free in 31:01. I did notice a slight bonk, but it was a good run overall. Beautiful morning. Weight before 141 - Weight after 140.

Tonight's Run: 3 in 30:31 - the first two were with Aj in 19:57, and I ran the last one alone. Nothing all that remarkable otherwise.

Welcome to the World bAbY bOy!

My nephew was born today at 3:34 PM CST by Emergency C-Section. He is 9 pounds and 12 ounces! Those of you who know my tiny sister will appreciate just how big that baby really is!!

I am an auntie!

Wus'Update

*My sister is in Labor AS I WRITE THIS. She began having contractions yesterday around this time, and went to the hospital last night. They sent her back home because she was not dilated, and told her to come back in the morning (when they had originally scheduled her labor to be induced). Jesse said I would likely be an Auntie by noon, but I have not heard anything yet! I hope everything is going well and that all three of them are hanging in there. Jesse and Mandy must be exhausted by now!

*I was the first one done and scored a 96% on my midterm. G9 was second out of the room, and scored 100%. Dood has a photographic memory. Very, very thmart. Now it's time to prepare for the final, which is in two weeks.

*Went out to Vito's with Lyn, C, and Aj Saturday night and had blast. We had planned to have an inexpensive night - out for pizza and then back to Lyn and C's to play Mexican Dominoes - but ended up staying at Vito's and drinking to the tune of three bottles of wine, various beers and mixed drinks etc. Our tab was $200.00 by the time we walked out of there. While we were there, Aj gave a hilarious spiel on salesmanship, in which he tried to convince us that the dessert actually tasted like shit, and that we only thought it tasted good because of the salesmanship of our waitress. Other topics of discussion: Death by skydiving as seen on TV or otherwise, Skeletor and Skwigg. I am sure I've forgotten other hilarious topics due to the three bottles of wine, mixed drinks, etc.

*I took Saturday and Sunday as rest days from running, and overslept on Monday morning. I am finding that the weeks following the weekends I have class are very slow to get started due to me feeling tired or just plain lazy. Today, (weight 142.5 argh) when the alarm went off (for the tenth time) I decided I would run after work. The temperature is cool enough today that it should not be a problem. [As a side note - when I was a kid, August was dreadfully, unbearably HOT, and September was gorgeous. In present day, it seems that July is horrible, August is beautiful and September can be down right wintry at times. WADDUPWIDDAT?]

*I cut Lyn's hair last night, and she says she likes it.

*This Wednesday is datenight and it's Aj's turn to pick our night's activity. We are truly broke thanks to spending a small fortune at Vito's on Saturday, so he was saying this morning, "You had it easy on your night! I have to be creative, because we so po!"

I guess that's all the update I have for now. Stay tuned bloggie, I will keep you posted. Haha...posted....

I am off to take my mid-term now.

Bah! :-(

I was really hoping for a lighter weigh-in this morning (141.5) considering I ate clean and ran all five days this week, and had a 139.5 weigh in on Thursday. 141.5 is where I predicted I would be after free day.

Bah! :-(

Mocheesemo

Today's run was really good: 3 in 30:18 w/2wb. I was trying to beat my 30:30 times, but really did not have much faith I would and was not really trying all that hard. I was actually thinking, "this is your fifth day running in a row, there's no way you'll be faster"...but I were. That just shows to go me that ya just never know.

Weight before: 141 (Bah!)
Weight after: 140 (Bah bah bah!)

Ba Barbara Ann, Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann, take my hand, Barbara Ann
You got me rockin' and a-rollin' rockin' and a-reelin' Barbara Ann ba ba Ba Barbara Ann

somebuddy shoot me

DateUpDate

Last night was mine and Aj's first ever Wednesday night date night. It went really well. I was a little worried that his enthusiasm would be low, for one because he was out so late with Todd on Tuesday night and was lacking sleep, and for two, because the last thing a guy wants to do is like, "date" his wife, but he was great. I'd asked earlier in the day if he was tired and cranky just to kind of test the waters, and he said, "yeah, I am, but I am also looking forward to tonight!".

When I got home from work he'd been napping, but set his alarm to wake up in plenty of time to iron a nice shirt and pants, shower, put on cologne, etc. He really treated it like an actual date! I had to scramble and iron something too - because I really set my expectations low and figured it would be just a jeans and a t-shirt night.

All we did was go to "Lonie's" (Lonestar Steakhouse) and to see American Wedding, but he thanked me multiple times for dinner and multiple times for the date and told me he had a really good time several times. Heck - we were home by a little after nine - but we really had fun. Aj really exceeded my expectations - which made "mandatory date night" so much better than I'd envisioned it when I invented it last week. It's really strange - if it had been the weekend, or just a regular night he would not have been so psyched, or thankful or appreciative. He really went out of his way to actually spend time with me while he was with me. Major husband points!

Goo-Snikeroo

Okay - today's goo of choice was the PowerGel brand in Strawberry Banana. Interesting. A little thicker, and more of a pudding meets cheap cheesecake texture. I had to chew it, basically, is what it comes down to. I don't see how marathoners or triatheletes could possibly do goo during an event.

My run was very much the same as yesterday's. Three in 30:33 with two one-minute walk breaks. I ran a fourth mile to see how long my extra energy would last, and I did bonk about half way through that mile, so took a 30 second walk break. I finished that mile in about 11 minutes - but I was allowing myself to really run slow and cool down some.

I was really surprised about my after weight: ...

Weight before: 139.5
Weight after: 139

...because I ran an extra mile and was drenched when I was done. I really felt like I had lost about two pounds in water. Perhapes I hallucinated my before weight. Could be.

Quote of the Week

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: 'Mankind'. Basically, it's made up of two separate words - 'mank' and 'ind'. What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind." -Jack Handey

The GOO Run Run Run Report

PowerGel Chocolate has about the flavor and consistency of hot fudge, when eaten straight from the jar, cold. (Not that I would know what that is like.) It is very, very, very sweet and thick. I was expecting a pudding-like consistency, but it was definitely more like thick syrup. It was not enjoyable to eat, but it was palatable – erm, for the most part.

Did it make a difference? At first I thought not. I ran the first two miles a teeny bit faster than I normally do in the mornings, but I did not feel different enough to be impressed. I still took walk-breaks after each mile, and really felt just about the same. But then I hit mile three – the mile in which I normally bonk on morning runs. Well, this morning there was absolutely zero bonk in mile three, and I ran it way faster than mile one or two.

I ran three in 30:30 with two one-minute walk-breaks and felt much mo better after my run than usual.

Oh, and:
Weight before: 140.5 (It’s about fecking time!)
Weight after: 139.5

The question I have about the goo is…. I burn about 100 calories per mile – that’s 300 calories for my standard morning run. If I eat Gel, Gu, Goo, or Glue – that’s 100 calories I am ingesting, bringing my total calorie burn down to 200. So – unless my goal is performance (speed) – it is probably not worth (calorie-wise) eating the goo unless I intend to add distance (at least another mile). Does that make sense?

WhatSayYou?

At any rate – Aj is supposed to stop at GNC on base to buy me some different kinds to try. Yes, that’s right, there will be more goo reviews to come. I’ll bet you can’t wait.

What else is new? Aj went out with Todd last night after golf, and rolled into bed around 2:45 AM. Yipes! I dunno how he got up and went to work this morning. He left for base while I was out running, and when I came in, I noticed he’d made our bed, but peeled down the blanket and sheet on his side. Something tells me he’s got plans to nap after work.

I did not get much homework done last night - I was talking to Michelle about moving out here again. Same old song and dance there.

Today is Lyn and mine’s second anniversary of the day we met.
Happy Anniversary Lyn! Thanks for the card!

Larry is due in any time now from Dallas, so I bettagit back to work.

Goo

Stopped at GNC at the mall after work. According to the counter person, they do not carry goo. I did find some ...er ech...CHOCOLATE flavored gel, made by the company that makes PowerBar, on clearance for 0.99 cents. Not a good sign. I bought one and figure if it's palatable I will go back and buy the rest. The neato thing about the chocolate, is that it is supposedly caffeinated as well as carb-packed. Works for me!

Well...I hope it works for me. I just need something quick and easy that does not require chewing or an "appetite" or much digestion, as the last thing I want at 6:00 AM before I go running is a meal.

Mmmm....I will let you know how it goes.

Ai Ai Ai I almost forgot....

I took my pulse last night at it was 48 bmp. Adam retook it and it was 52. Hoooah! While the size of my ass has failed to diminish due to running, apparently my heart is reaping mega bennies. Coolio.

Sigh
It's been one of those days.

Les'ee here. Ran three in 31:30 this morning with two one-minute walk breaks. Felt pretty good, but had fairly low energy (in comparison to my evening run last week) and so am off to GNC after work to see about purchasing some "GOO". It's a tube of squishy jelly stuff that marathon runners use to sustain energy throughout long runs. Each pouch is loaded with carbs, and has about 100 calories. I am going to see if I can improve my morning runs by ingesting a pouch of goo right when I climb out of bed. (Hopefully it does not give me the morning runs.)

Weight before: 142.5 Grrrrr...
Weight after: 141

What else? Remember the post below about Ryan Kennedy - the guy who had a seizure on the tennis court that day? Well, he called Aj today to let him know that he'd gotten a CT Scan after the incident, and that he'd gotten his results back. He has a brain tumor. Thankfully, it seems to be benign and is operable. That is all I know right now. I am not sure how this will affect his career, or what his recovery from the surgery might be like since my only experience with brain tumors was with my Mom's inoperable Glioma-type tumor. I am sort of in shock since finding out this news about Ryan...and not really sure how to put my feelings into words. I am counting my blessings though.

My demanding customer is driving me crazy today. They love to throw around the word "unacceptable!" so much so that Larry and I have a running joke in the office that goes like this: Unacceptable?! Now there's a word I haven't heard in five minutes!

On the home front:

Aj and I are doing well. We have made Wednesday nights our new mandatory "date night" in an effort to spend more time together. We will take turns picking the night's activities. This week is mine, and we shall probably go out to dinner and to a movie - I want to see American Wedding, now that I've seen American Pie I and II.

When I am done with school, we have decided to learn to speak a foreign language (fluently) together. (We will prolly go back to French since we have both had multiple years of it - me 4th grade through college, and him 6th grade through high school. But we have also talked about Russian or one of the languages of Persia). It was my idea to adopt foreign language as a hobby together, because it is NON competitive, and is something that can really be facilitated through having a live-in partner to practice speaking with. How conveeeeeeeenient.

Aj is golfing with Todd tonight as a "favor" to me, the way he tells it - so I can get some homework done. I hope I can really dig in and get a chunk of it done so I can go to the park with Lyn on Thursday night. She promised to bring Kibbles and wine.

My sister's doc told her today that he will induce her labor on August 12 if she's not in labor naturally by then. That would be very conveeeeenient for me as well...as I can travel to Kansas on the weekend of the 15th. I hope I hope I hope.


Whoops...bettago!

Today schmay

Weight before: 143!
Weight after: 142!

Ran three in 30:30 - no walk-breaks.

Great Day

Aunt Flo showed up first thing this morning, the wench. I was happy to see her none the less.

Aj woke up early and suggested Panera Bread for breakfast. After, we ran errands, grabbed an ice cream cone for lunch and worked in the yard and garden until evening. We showered and went out for dinner at Olive Garden, and are home now and getting ready to watch American Pie for the first time.

It has been a great day. We really needed the time together.

Aunt Flo is missing

I really thought Aunt Flo would be here by now, and I must say I am starting to worry a bit that she decided to leave town for about nine months. Aack.

This morning's run was ok. I ran three in 33 with walk-breaks. I was feeling a bit tired, but not overheated. Weight before: 142! Weight after 140. I know it's only scale weight, but it is amazing how much those two pounds affect my psyche while I am running. I feel heavy and slow and jiggly as opposed to the solid, swift and stealthly machine that I am at only 140 (yeah, right).