Bedlam Run

Yesterday my friend Stephanie and I participated in our local Fleet Feet's Bedlam run.  I did the 5k and Stephanie did the 10k.

My race was pretty dissappointing.  My ankle is still bothering me from where I rolled it last week, so that hindered my running. It was super hot outside, and the course had a pretty major hill right in the middle.

Here we are at the beginning of the race:

Here I am after I had to fall back so that I could walk a bit for my ankle.  I've never had to walk in a 5k before.  Oh well.  Final time was 38:44.  It's a PW by about three minutes.

I am also coming to the realization that I am just not in the shape that I was in the spring.  I keep trying to fake it and then feeling like a failure.  All of my long Saturday runs have ended badly (one with me wandering around lost in downtown Tulsa with no phone or car keys).

I spoke with my half-marathon coach about it, and I think that I am going to bump down to a slower pace group.  At first I was kind of depressed about having to go down to a slower group.  But I felt like I was failing every week, and I knew that soon I would stop trying.  I would like to succeed, and that means bumping down.  I am choosing not to view this negatively.  I am still running, still being healthy, still out there every week trying.  And at the end, I will still be running a half marathon.  I will be winning!

Whoo- New Race Training

Today my friend Stephanie and I signed up for the Rt 66 half in November.  Well, we actually signed up for training through Fleet Feet.  Stephanie hasn't ran a half before, and I would really like to step up from my first, so I am totally excited about the personalized training.

I also had two $25 gift certificates to use there, which means I got two pairs of Nike shorts for $22.  Yeah.  A pink pair and a purple pair.  That's awesome.   

I spent waaay too much time on homework today.  Two of my three classes are fast-track and will last only a month.  I am loving all three classes and what I am learning.  It is so great to feel such a good fit with my major (which will be my degree in a few short months.)  I have a Youth Offenders class, one over Family and Child Welfare, and Intro to Social Work.  Whooo!

I got to talk to my airman a little tonight.  He is at the stage in technical school where he can get off base (ATP, I think.)  It's wonderful to Skype and call and text and email....so much better than when he was in BMT (bootcamp).  Although it's still another twelve weeks until he is home, it makes it better to actually get to speak to him now.  Although now he knows how much I cry.  Haha.  I bet he didn't miss the normal things like PMS and my money habits and when I don't want to kill a spider.  Tonight I asked him how to find studs so that I can hang a clock.  Sometimes I am seriously such a girl.

Have you heard of Pinterest?  It's my new favorite site.  My youngest sister got me totally hooked on it.  I love looking at the beautiful food creations, the DIY projects, the fashion, the home decor.  Basically I just love it all.  Check it out!!!

Put It All In

Today's post is going to be a little like one of Paula Deen's famous desserts- full of everything.  Hope you enjoy this post as much as a Paula Deen cake (oh, who am I kidding?  This post can't compare to her scrumptiousness.) 

The lovely sis-n-law and me at her wedding shower.  So happy for her!!!

Girls night at Los Cabos on the Rivewalk

Bethany, you are amazing!!!!  Your tan makes my tan look like shredded cocunut.

The softball fields I run around

Just me and the road.  Peace.

I enjoyed watching people fish while I ran around them.

Does this water look scary to you?

My tap water looks yellow.  Really!  Yucky rural water....

Too thirsty to be a chooser (as in "beggars can't be choosers).

All done!

88 degrees!  As the inspiring Lindsay Cotter asked, where did the Spring go?

And then it rained.  Which is good, because I needed a car wash.  :)

Song of the Day- "Tomorrow" by Chris Young

Yes, it is sad.  But I think his voice is good, and I like the sound of the song.  I can understand being with someone who is all wrong for you, or knowing you are all wrong for the person you are with and still loving them.  Been there, done that, then I met my husband.  Well, not so much met as claimed. 

This is Albert Pujols, the first baseman for the St Louis Cardinals.  I watched a really interesting interview with him on 60 Minutes today and he is totally a superstar.  He is a strong Christian, he adopted his wife's daughter who has Downs Sydnrome, and he gives back in a major way to his home cities in the Dominican Republic.  Very cool.  And he is Baptist, which is cool to hear.  (That's a freebie I had to look up on the Internet since CBS would only mention his faith in vague terms.)



And that's it for now, folks.  I'm sure I'll think of something else I want to pass along to you later.  :)  Have a good one.

This is for you, Laurie

I was reminded by my dear friend that I haven't blogged in awhile.  This semester is trying to kill me.  I'm enrolled in five classes (one of which is a lab).  I am working forty (plus) hours a week.  I have two fifteenish page papers due in April and June for PITC trainer certification.  My toe injury is just now about healed enough to run, so it's been over a month since I worked out and over two months since I ran last.  Oh, and my husband is in his fourth week at Basic Military Training (boot camp) for the Air National Guard.

(Pink and black logo designed for the wives and girlfriends like me)



This semester (my last full time one!!) would have been crazy anyway, but being separated from Lee is what is really miserable.  Everything in my life revolves around him.  My world is now a little bit off kilter.  My friends and family have been amazing sources of support, so that helps. Some.  :)  I have spoken with him twice and received three letters.  I carry his letters around with me in my purse...what can I say, I'm in love.  I knew he was my favorite, my best friend, my everything, but my comittment to him has been renewed in this time apart.  I will go to his graduation in the middle of May and I can't wait to see how he has changed into an Airman. 

I was pretty much in denial about him leaving prior to his departure.  Now that he is gone, I've had to step up my manic obsessive researching and find out more about what he is actually doing.  I am so proud of him for making this decision to serve our country.  I am truly honored to be married to a man who has a hero's heart.  I have always known that he is the kind of man who puts others before self, who sacrifices in the time of need, who does the right thing when no one else does.  But now that he is in the military, I think he will have opportunities to show others that kind heart.

(In a side note, this is new for me, because my political/social beliefs are kind of anti-war.  I believe that war exists and that it will always exist, but I hate it.  But that's a discussion for another day.  Remind me to cover capital punishment then too.)

I have been trying to become a better version of myself in his absence.  I had some grand plans to get in shape and lose about ten pounds, but the above mentioned conglomorate of random time-sucking activities is making that hard.  I have accomplished a beautiful tan!  I also have made a point to spend time alone with God, listening to Him and reading His word before I write my husband each night.  It has really made a difference in my life.

Are any of you from military families?  Do you have advice for me or for him?  This is hard!

Toe-tally Fantastic

Tuesday morning I went to the doctor to finally get my toe "fixed."  It's a long, gross story, but basically I got a really bad blister running my first half marathon last April.  That, combined with a weakened immune system from my miscarriage and the wart virus (picked up anywhere I would have been barefoot) combined to give me an "atypical" infection in my toe.  It was disgusting and it hurt. I had already had it treated for when my PCP thought it was a fungus.  Since it wasn't a fungus, the treatment didn't work. So I chose to go to a specialist.

I have a great podiatrist.  If anyone in the Tulsa area ever needs one, I highly recommend Dr Jill Jackson-Smith at Metro Tulsa Foot and Ankle Specialists.  She impressed me.  She is kind, intelligent, and she explains everything to you.  I really hate doctors who act as if they are so superior or just make decisions for you without explaining them.  She is not like that at all.  She gave me several options, and let me know what they would each be like.  Plus, they have the best selection of magazines in the waiting room that I have ever seen.  Big bonus.  I had People and Health and Lee (who I dragged along to be my extra set of ears since I don't listen very well and only hear about half of what doctors tell me) had Field and Stream and ESPN.

Dr Jill put a solution on my toe to get rid of the yucky stuff.  The mixture is cantharidin (acid from a blister beetle) and salacylic acid.  And it hurts like heck.  It was some of the worst pain I have ever felt- I couldn't sleep.  It's been two days and I still can't walk or put weight on my foot.  My toe looked gross before, but now it seriously is one of the grossest things I've seen.  As one of my students would say, it's "nasty".  I'm taking Lortab, which is making me itch all over.   I have a nice little rash from it.  My skin hates medicine.  (Side note: I have also been lucky enough to have my Aunt Flow come visit during this toe experience.  The good news is that the Lortab totally took care of my cramps!)

Don't worry, I won't post any pictures of my actual toe.  I'm not mean.



I hadn't expected to miss so much work, so that kind of stinks.  I left at 9:30 Tuesday fully expecting to make it back by noon for a webinar I had signed up for.  But that plan failed....and here I am, 48 hours later, still on the couch, still in pain, still in the same pj pants.  Tomorrow is a training day, so I plan to get my disgusting toe up to work and learn something. 

Sorry for such an unglamorous post.  The Lortab has drained every smidge of creativity from me- I can't think of anything more fun to write about than my yucky toe.  That's sad folks, really sad.


Do you have any interesting or gross medical stories?  What do you hate or love about doctors?

Running Tuesday

Today is Running Tuesday!!

As much as I would have liked to run outside today, my plans had to change it up a little because of this--

My city got hit by "Snowmageddon" last night.  Last I heard we were at about a foot of snow.  Everything is closed.  EVERYTHING. 

Lee and I got to spend a fun day home alone.  The snow is deep enough that Lee couldn't get out in his truck, even though it is a 4x4 and he is super tough.  

Here is a view of our street.  What street, you ask?  Exactly.  Our street is gone.  One of the disadvantages of not living in a neighborhood is not having traffic on your road.  Though at this time the news is telling everyone to stay in and off the roads since the weather is so bad.

Since I was bored and watching way too much tv, it took me awhile before I got motivated to run.  I have a new addition to the family- a treadmill!  Lee got his grandma's old treadmill last week, and I am happy to say that she has a new home in our game room.  I hate the treadmill (like seriously hate it), but it turned out to be really handy for our snow-in.  I popped in season 9 of Friends and made it through a few slow miles.

After my shower I played with makeup and hairstyles for awhile.  I have several eyeshadow palettes I don't use on a regular basis, and it was fun to use the shades in a new way.

Lee and I have watched a bunch of tv and eaten a ton of food.  Currently we are watching NCIS.  He is making queso and I am eating mini-corndogs.  Yeah, we are totally gourmet here.

Here are my January Stats:

Miles- 53
Cross Training Workouts- 13

Training Has Officially Begun!

16 weeks until the OKC Memorial Half-Marathon!!

Yesterday I joined to friends from church on a 5 mile run as part of Runners' World's training.  In my workout class on Friday morning, a casual friend mentioned that she was training for the half.  So I met up with her (Becky) and another woman (Jennifer) at our local high school and rode to Veterans' Park in Tulsa.  It was a frigid run.  It was below freezing and I was definitely freezing too.  Becky runs a slightly slower pace than I do, but it was a nice, easy way to get back into running after not doing any since Thanksgiving.  The course itself was pretty hilly, which is good because I never do hills on my own.  It was a fun route, some on main streets and some through a few ritzy neighborhoods.

I have never run with a group before, so I was curious as to how it would be.  I was impressed with the amount of people that showed up (probably around 200? but I am never so good with estimating amounts of people.  Or ages.  Or if people are pregnant or not.  Whoops.)  Each pace group leader had a large sign designating where the group was meeting, and they had also printed off directions for the course specific to the race goal (beginner half, advanced half, beginner full, advanced full.)  They had aid stations set up along the way, as well as volunteers every now and then to make sure you were on course.  That being said, my little group of three still got off a little.  But not enough to count.

All in all it was a great experience.  Next week my friend Stephanie and I are going to try and go.  Stephanie runs much faster than I do, but I look forward to the extra push.  I really want to beat my time from last year.  I really, really, really want to beat my time from last year.