January Review

This was the most interesting month yet, as I was out of town for part of the month (the first 6 days I was in Texas and I was also in SoCal for three days) AND, I got ZERO money from the ex this month, so everything is based on 100% my income.

Household Bills (Mortgage & Electricity) - $800.76 (My half)
Car (Loan & Insurance) - $786.67 (2 car payments this month because of due dates, plus car insurance went up)
Netflix - $8.27
Credit Card Payments - $216.74
Savings, Investments - $110.00 (this is up!!)
Insurance (Life, A's Health) - $129.40
Dad (Money I owe him and cell phone) - $150.00
Gym Membership & Childcare - $42.71 (this went up too)
Race Registration - $92.00 (I registered for 2 races, a 1/2 for... NEXT January, and the Bear Chase 50k)
Groceries - $210.39 (A bit higher this month, I bought more produce and stockpiled some frozen foods)
Beer (Store & Bar) - $18.00 (WHAT. Well, I didn't have the money for it. Lowest amount since I've tracked, by FAR)
Dining Out - $66.53 (I think 100% of this is from when I was out of town)
Parking - $114.75
Gas - $34.66 (Having ZERO money means I go ZERO places, which apparently means gas lasts FOREVER)
Other - $110.38 (Non-grocery items, seeing Hunger Games with my niece, roller skating, a DVD, and filing my taxes)

According to this particular month, I have discovered I can get by without the (much needed) help from my ex, but JUST BARELY. I will be paying off my credit cards with my tax refund, which will help a bit. Other than that, I do not see anywhere else I can make budget cuts. I refuse to give up my weekly froyo unless I for real have ZERO dollars to pay for it. Not QUITE there yet.

Tracking is a bit... fun. I think I'll do it another month, just to see.

Week in Review (Jan 21 - Jan 27)

Tuesday - So the most exciting part of my day happened while I was having lunch at work. I cleaned my glasses and this happened:

That meant I "had to" (who am I kidding, I was FINE with it) leave work early so that I could go to the eye doctor. I had plans of going in the near future anyway, since I'm on my last box of contacts. However, I was not expecting to need new glasses as my prescription has actually not changed in the last 2 years. But, my Flex card was loaded at the beginning of the year, so I had the money in my HSA to get new frames (didn't need new lenses!), my contact lens fitting and 4 boxes of contacts. Hurray.

1.5 miles in the basement inferno, and then I actually did some videos!! I did the arms video and tried two new ones - 8 minute abs (Fitness Blender) and something called yoga for runners (not Fitness Blender). Wow, so motivated today.
Wednesday - 1 mile on the treadmill, BodyPump. The triceps track on this release is NUTS. But, it felt maybe a teeny tiny better than last week? Maybe there is hope for me yet!!
Thursday - 4.1 not-so-great miles at the gym. The highlight of my night was when I went into the sauna after my run and the guy I have a crush on was in there with no shirt. I know, I'm totally inappropriate. AT LEAST I DIDN'T TRY TO TAKE A PICTURE. I do have some morals, guys.
Friday - A had a Girl Scout thing that was going to last until 8:30. Sadly, no one was available to go out with me for a beer. So sad! Instead, I went grocery shopping... ALONE. Then, 1.25 miles in the basement inferno, and more videos. (Arms, 8 min abs and quick yoga/stretching video from Fitness Blender).
Saturday - We have been having some unseasonably LOVELY weather for January. L convinced my dad to watch the kids so we could go for a run.... OUTSIDE!! We had to stop and use the bathroom at the rec center on the way out, and L wasn't feel well on the way back, but the last time we ran this section of Ralston Creek we were about a minute slower, for the same number of miles. So, yay us!

I finally wore the INKnBURN pullovers for an outdoor training run. I have used them before as base layers at the end of distance races (after mile 50 of my 100), and I wore one during the FREEZING Route 66, but in general, I haven't used just for a "run of the mill" run. I gotta say, it was GREAT. Also, thumb holes are the best invention ever ever ever ever. I would have one of these for every day of the week if I could afford it!
Sunday - A got an EZ Bake Oven from my mom. She has been asking to make cake pops for WEEKS. I finally agreed, and we set out to make them. The first part, making the doughy brownie part (the bulk of the cake pop) was EASY. The melted chocolate was the hardest thing, EVER, and they didn't really provide the proper equipment in the kit. I think, if A ever convinces me to "bake" ever again, I will stick to brownies or something. This was insanely complicated and time-consuming, but A was pleased with the final product.

Later, 1 mile in the basement inferno, and more videos. (Arms, a new "inner thigh" Fitness Blender video, 8 minute abs, and the Fitness Blender yoga/stretching).
Monday - 4.3 miles at the gym. I tried slowish/easy for the first 2 miles but my legs never seemed to loosen up. I threw in some .10 strides which helped a bit. Overall, not a great run.

Also, it's probably obvious, but I haven't really said anything about it. I started a "run streak" back in November. I wasn't sure how long I was going to let it go, but I think I'll stop on day 100. Monday's run was day 80... I still have a while to go.

Weekly Miles Run - 20.15 miles (7 outside, 13.15 treadmill)
Weekly Cross Training - ZERO
Minutes of Strength Training - 137!!

Weekly Loss - 3.0 pounds

• Clearly, it must be the vegan, lactose/gluten/sugar/fat free paleo cleanse Magic Diet I have been on.
•  Juuuuuuuuust kidding. I paid a bit more attention this week to what I was eating.
•  Related: I didn't go out to eat at ALL last week. Not one time. That has to be a record.
•  I did, however, go to Sprouts for the first time. I got a ton of spinach, onion, red/green peppers, cucumbers, and a weeks worth of apples for like $6??! WHO KNEW. It's literally BLOCKS from my parents house, so I will be going back for sure.
• I of course still had the Yogurtland this week, but only 1.5 donuts. The German chocolate danish was TOTALLY worth it.

 Everything Else

• Sigh. So, Jessa was in my the Office Manager's office last week and noticed that she was posting a new ad on Craigslist for the secretarial position that IS STILL EMPTY. She told me the pay range, and I was PISSED to discover that they are offering a new hire more money than I currently make. SO, after discussing with a multitude of people, I decided to do what any normal person would do. In the midst of applying for a decent amount of jobs, I purposely applied for the job at my own firm. So... this happened:

• Luckily, I knew exactly what she wanted to see me about, and I told (mostly) the truth. I CANNOT AFFORD TO WORK HERE. Parking expenses eat away at my cash flow, and the new health care laws mean I can no longer pay for A's insurance pre-tax. I have less money NOW than I did when I started, and that's AFTER my negligible raise last summer. So, she said she would talk to my boss and see about getting me a raise, but she did NOT want to tell him about me applying for "her" job. So, I ask, what on earth would the incentive be for my boss to give me an "out of cycle" raise? I'm not optimistic, but at least they know I'm looking. (TO CLARIFY - I had ZERO intentions of actually wanting the other position - this was more of a "I know what you are doing and that you don't value your current employees" type thing. They would never transfer me to that position as I currently have very specific duties for other attorneys and chances are slim to none they will offer me a raise to compete with what they are offering a new person. I want them to know I am a flight risk!!)
• Related: That job I interviewed for back in December? I got the rejection email yesterday. Le sigh. 
• And, after this week, I am going to re-close the online dating window. For real, I must either have the worst profile on earth or the skeeviest and creepiest people in the universe seem to be attracted to me. My favorite message this week:

Week in Review (Jan. 14 - Jan. 20)

Tuesday - 2 miles in the basement inferno, 17 minutes of strength (arms, 8:00 of planks - 1:00, 1:00, 3:00, 1:00, 2:00).
Wednesday - Still spirit week at the gym, and today was superhero day! A wanted to join in the fun, so I let her borrow the Incredibles tank I wore for Tink 2012. 2 miles on the treadmill and then BodyPump with L. Holy crap, I'm still soooo weak.

Thursday - Got up early and ran a mile in the basement inferno before work. Because AFTER work, I was on my way to the airport for Tink!! My flight actually landed early and Heather picked me up around 10. In bed shortly after.
Friday - Heather's kids had school, so to get my run out of the way before we melted, we ran a mile after walking the youngest to school. You can't tell, but it's pretty much a million degrees already. 1.25 easy-ish miles.

 

Next stop was heading over to INKnBURN. I have only been there for the warehouse sale that I went to last September, but it was insanely busy and crowded. I wanted to stop by and see the operations and meet Nicole, who now heads up the ambassador program. They have some REALLY awesome products in the works that I can't wait to share with all of you!! I picked up a few of the new pullovers (pretty much a staple for me in winter here).

I believe we spent the remainder of the day watching "educational" tv, which included the "World's Fattest Man" and a few episodes of Hoarders. I think I ate all the things, but I cannot remember. Again, in bed fairly early.
Saturday - Up early again. Heather and I headed to Disneyland to volunteer for the kids races. We were lucky enough to be in charge of handing out medals, which was the funnest EVER. Other people's kids that I only have to see for a few seconds are the most adorable. Also volunteering with us was Sheila, and she is hilarious. Glad I got to do this!

 

Since we were already at Disney, we walked over to the expo to pick up our packets. It was still PACKED. We were in and out in just a few minutes as neither of us saw anything we wanted to buy.

I believe the afternoon was again spent watching tv. I had to get my mile in, but waited until dusk for it to cool down a bit. Pretty nice sunset!

 

Delicious enchiladas for dinner. The early part of the evening was spent getting Heather's oldest ready for her formal dance. I hope Heather posts a picture or two, she looked so pretty!! We were in bed early-ish.
Sunday - TINK HALF!!

We finished much earlier than expected, so we sat at Starbucks for about 40 minutes before heading to Souplantation where we met up with Julie and her new (well, 8 month old) baby for brunch!! So great to see her and catch up. Before I knew it, it was time to head back to the airport. Womp. Where did the weekend go???
Monday - I probably could have done more, but this was easy-ish, so I stopped after 3.25 miles. Somewhat of a progressive run (1 @ 5.5, 1 @ 5.6, .25 @ 5.7, .25 @ 5.8, .25 @ 5.9, .25 @ 6.0, .25 @ 6.1). I finally finished "Orange is the New Black" so now I'll need to find a new show to watch at the gym. I had fleeting aspirations of doing some strength training when I got home, but yeah, that didn't happen.

Weekly Miles Run - 24.23 (13.68 racing, 2.3 outside, 6 treadmill)
Weekly Cross Training - ZERO
Minutes of Strength Training - 77 (only thanks to going to BodyPump)

Weekly Gain - 1.4 pounds

• Let's be real. I didn't try this week. At all. And that's fine. I was on vacation for 3 days in SoCal, and I ate pretty much everything. It's not my fault that Heather is the best cook ever, that there were donuts and cinnamon rolls and Halloween candy. Personally, I think I did her a FAVOR by eating it all. (No really, thanks Heather, you're the best hostess EVER!)

• Beer was completely in check this week. I had only ONE beer all week, and that was Saturday night.

Everything Else

• So, we are in week three of me being the only secretary. The really great news is that we have ANOTHER attorney joining our firm, so really, this is MORE WORK FOR ME. Hip hip hooray!!!
• Related: I did finally hear back from the place I interviewed in December, they were still finishing up interviews and thought they would be contacting people to return for additional interviews in the next week. MAAAAYBE.
• OK, so I'm in week 2 (?) of being back on the online "dating" thing. I say "dating" because for REAL, I seem to attract the weirdest and creepiest people ever. I have gone on zero dates. I am likely giving this up soon (again), as I'm not really into it and I appear to be the only normal person online.
• For example (there are messages before AND after this, including asking if I want to go hiking). I have never, not even one time, responded to this guy. But, it's a good example of who I'm attracting:

Tinker Bell Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, January 19
Anaheim, CA
Half Marathon #99 (!!)
California Half #6
Tinker Bell Half #3
Weather - PERFECT

Thanks to the blog, I knew that we were going to have to wake up ridiculously early to get to the 5:00 am start. Like last year, we were up at 3:13 am. (!!) We left just after 3:30 and made a stop at Donut Star for a donut and coffee (for real, I might as well just copy the first part of last year's recap).

We parked at 4:11 and started the long trek to the start line. We stopped at the first set of port-o-potties we saw since there was virtually no line. We were in our corral about 10 minutes before the start. A MIRACLE!!

We actually DID go into the race with some goals:

A - Faster than I ran the Baker's Dozen this year (sub 2:48:57)
B - Sub 3:00
C - Disney PR (sub 3:08ish)

Now, it's interesting that we were looking to take SO MUCH time off our Heather and Becka Disney PR. HOWEVER, for the first time, it was just going to be the two of us running Disney without either of us being injured. So.... we started in corral A (where we belong, obviously).

I haven't had a really great run since I got back from Texas. I was thinking MAYBE we could hit our B goal, but our A goal seemed impossible. It was a bit chilly at the start and Heather had given me a throwaway shirt that I actually kept on for the first mile, which went by decently fast. We hit the first aid station around 1.5 miles in and then, we were in the park, MY FAVORITE.

We planned on stopping for ALMOST every picture, deciding not to stop only for those with crazy long lines or those characters we don't especially love (Country Bears, I'm looking at you). We had the most fun EVER EVER EVER EVER:

There were a few character pictures that didn't really come out, which was sort of a bummer, but we got a lot of great pictures anyway! I had finished a decent sized coffee before the race and really had to pee and wanted to use a real bathroom, so we stopped near Pirates of the Caribbean. Everything in the park was fun and magical. We managed to catch our friend Julia in Downtown Disney although SOMEHOW she didn't see us. Not sure how she missed us, we are the most fun and loud people ever during Disney races.

Like all Disneyland races, one of the highlights for me is the Red Hat ladies. They took up pretty much the whole section of street near the Disneyland hotel. THEY ARE THE GREATEST. Aid station just past mile 6, and then we were headed into Anaheim. And shockingly, it was still dark outside. We were well on our way to having a super speedy and great race.

Heather hasn't been running much, so she warned me that her brain might break at any moment. SPOILER: It did NOT!! I didn't especially feel wonderful, but the pace seemed ok and we were still able to hold a conversation, so that was nice. There were donuts on the course again around mile 8. The Clif station at the mile 8.5 had plenty of gels left and I grabbed a raspberry and espresso one, although I didn't actually take either one.

It's amazing how much less crowded the course seemed than in previous years. Maybe, it was because we were actually running, and we were mostly with OTHER people that were running. The sun finally started to come up somewhere between miles 10 and 11, and I put my sunglasses on around mile 12. Although, to be honest, I could have skipped them altogether.

The last mile went on FOREVER, although this course has always run long for me.

We for REAL killed our goal.

Official Time - 2:41:23
Official 5k - 38:20
Official 10k - 1:29:27
Official 15k - 2:02:29
Garmin Time - 2:41:23
Garmin Pace - 11:48
Garmin Moving Time - 2:19:58
Garmin Moving Pace - 10:14
Mile 1 - 10:21
Mile 2 - 12:43
Mile 3 - 13:01
Mile 4 - 21:39 (This obviously, was the bulk of the pictures)
Mile 5 - 13:37
Mile 6 - 11:15
Mile 7 - 10:47
Mile 8 - 10:35
Mile 9 - 10:33
Mile 10 - 10:37
Mile 11 - 10:25
Mile 12 - 10:19
Mile 13 - 8:57 (!!?!)
Mile 13.68 - 9:39

Thoughts:

• Holy cow, I love Run Disney so much!!!
• Well stocked aid stations with water and Powerade at all. Friendly volunteers! The aid stations were spaced perfectly, no issues.
• Plenty of bathrooms on the course.
• Heather and I picked The Best costumes this year, Mike and Scully might be our most successful costumes yet!
• The course changed in the park a bit this year and some of the turns seemed more narrow, sharp and awkward. However, since we were the FASTEST EVER we missed a lot of the congestion that might have otherwise made this more frustrating.
• Starting in A really seems to make all the difference. I'm hoping/thinking that next year we may be able to take off another 10 minutes or so off our PR, especially if we can continue to get more efficient in our picture taking!
• The race shirt is great this year - dark pink, and fits better than any other Disney race shirt I have. Should have a picture, but I don't. Womp.
• Heather and I are legacy Tink runners, so I will be back to run next year, of course, on the new date, mid May!

Week in Review (Jan. 7 - Jan 13)

Heads up - I finally discovered the "FitSnap" app - so look for those really obnoxious selfies with a text overlay of my running. Wheeeee!!

Tuesday - The gym was crowded, as expected. I had to wait for a treadmill. 4.25 of not-so-great miles. Felt VERY hard. Also, 3:00 plank.

L surprised me with this tank. Isn't it The Best??

Wednesday - Went to BodyPump, and it was surprisingly NOT packed. It was, however, VERY exhausting. Every time I do this it is like I have never lifted weights. 1 mile after class.

Thursday - Every intention of a Great Run. However, weight gain has caught up with me. 2.5 horrible, terrible, no good, very bad miles AND chafing. Wah. Hopped off the treadmill and did 5.4 on the bike.
Friday - 1 mile in the basement inferno - not bad.
Saturday - L was racing and I since had both kids, I headed to the gym. Hoped to knock out 10 miles, and instead, suffered through 7.5. Again, felt VERY HARD for the pace. No bueno.

Crazy sock day at the gym

Lounged around most of the day. After dinner I headed downtown to meet up with co-workers for bar hopping. Pretty fun, but getting home at midnight was rough.
Sunday - Was woken up early for a trip we have been planning for AGES to Voodoo Doughnut!! They have been open with limited hours since mid December, and we still had not gone! We were pleasantly surprised with a minimal line and were in and out in about a half hour.

Spent most of the day on the couch, but took A skating in the afternoon. Put off running until very late. 1 mile in the basement inferno (not the WORST, but not especially wonderful). Did the arms video and 2:00 plank. I'm going to die dead when I start doing these videos for Real.

Monday - Finally, finally, FINALLY, not the worst run ever. It wasn't by any means, Great, but I got 10k done and one mile was at 10:00, which is pretty fantastic. My favorite day so far of "spirit week" at the gym - NEON!!

Weekly Miles Run - 23.49 miles (all treadmill)
Weekly Cross Training - 5.4 miles on the bike (15 minutes)
Minutes of Strength Training - 74 minutes (I really need to get back to doing those videos...)

Weekly Loss - 2.0 pounds

• I made a conscious effort this week to get back into better habits. I have really let things slide over the last few months, and let's face it. Both the scale and my running reflects that.
• Beer was IN CONTROL this week. I did not buy any beer this week and pretty much the only real consumption was Saturday when we all went out for co-worker's birthday for drinks.
• I did have some splurges this week, of course. And they were totally worth it. Voodoo Doughnuts, Smashburger and Yogurtland.

Everything Else

• We had a firm meeting last week. From what I gathered, they have NO plans on replacing the other legal assistant until after our firm relocates - which is not for another 2.5 months. MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE.
• Related: I had a "talk" with the crazy office manager that if they don't get someone in soon, I will be looking elsewhere. The concern over my work led to:
• You do the "least" of any secretary in the history of the firm (UM, WHAT???)
• SHE is soooooooooo busy, so at any time I feel like actually pitching in, she needs the help (never mind that she makes three times what I do AND has a company car).

• For fun, I re-opened my POF account. Yep, just as dumb and annoying as I remember. So far, I've been hit up by people in other states (WHY?), a woman, and then of course, the people that after ONE basic message say they hate texting/messaging and we either go out or they don't want to talk to me. Maybe I'm crazy and/or paranoid, but I feel like at least getting to know something BASIC about someone before agreeing to meet them. It's only been a week and I'm already on the verge of quitting. Online people are INSANE, RUDE, and DEMANDING.
• I quit a book for the first time in as long as I can remember. I will usually suffer through an uninteresting book. This one? I just could NOT do it.

• Did you hear that I'M FAMOUS??? A friend on Dailymile sent me a message that she thought I was in the January issue of "Competitor" magazine. And she was right! Aren't I super photogenic?? (Can you even tell which one is me?! lol)

• DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS WEEKEND IS TINKER BELL??? I am the most excited EVER!!! Spoiler: Heather and I are looking for a new Disney PR!!!

And It FINALLY Ended (2013 Recap)

Much like last year, no need to do a giant flashy recap. I can sum things up with a few videos and a picture:

I managed to close out the year with less than TWO MILES more than I ran last year. Which, was the ultimate goal for me once I saw how close I was at the beginning of the month. Considering I took like a 6 week run hiatus, I'm really proud of that number. Not sure what is in the cards for 2014 yet...

 

And it was, of course, a great year with my kiddo. (Yes, I realize some of these pictures are not from 2013, but they were really adorable and I had them from "Throwback Thursdays" so I tossed them in anyway)

 

How was your year? Did you meet your goals? Anything fun lined up for the first part of the year?

Week in Review (Dec. 31 - Jan. 6)

Tuesday - New Years Double "Eve" marathon. An uneventful New Year's Eve, as for the third year in a row I did not make it until midnight.
Wednesday - New Years Double "Day" marathon. After lunch/showering, we had to drive back to Austin from Dallas. LONG, LONG, LONG drive.
Thursday - Lisa had to work, so I spent most of the day on the couch watching a Criminal Minds marathon and dozing off. That night, 1ish mile sloooww around the neighborhood with Lisa. I finally got to see A for the night, and we played a fun game of "Beat the Parents" (which, by the way, THE PARENTS WON):

Friday - Lisa had to work again, so I dropped her off at work. Spent part of the morning watching more crime tv before I finally decided to go for a quick run - on the Brushy Creek trail. Legs felt pretty good and I knocked out a fairly solid 3.3 miles.

Lisa had a date, so I took my oldest niece to go see the Hunger Games. We went to a 9:40 showing, and holy cow, did you know it didn't get out until after midnight?? I'm too old for this.
Saturday - Again, spent a lot of the day on the couch, resting. Mid afternoon, we headed towards downtown, where we ran by Town Lake. First 1.5ish was slow run/walk with Lisa and then I just had to get some real running in and ran other 2/3 of a mile. Wish I would have had more time for this one, it was a great trail. So pretty!

Last "kid free" night, so we went out to the karaoke bar. Surprisingly, I can spend about one evening with the ex without my head exploding. Apparently, I'm the only one that didn't know we were doing goofy face pictures:

Sunday - Repeat couch time. FAAAAAAST mile around the neighborhood before decided to go "hiking" near Georgetown on the San Gabriel trail with Lisa and my niece. They called it a "hike" - but really, 99% of it was paved and it was mostly flat. So maybe, I should just call it a long and windy walk?

Monday - Initially, I had planned on heading to the gym and trying to knock out 5-6 miles. Then,  my ex called to say he was dropping off A earlier than expected. I ended up just doing a mile around the neighborhood. Rest of the time in Austin spent packing and going to the airport. Flight delayed (what a shock), and by the time L picked us up it was already almost 7:00. So glad I chose to fly in on the "early" flight or I could have ended up not getting back until the middle of the night. Rounded out the #eatallthethings vacation with pizza. Delicious.

Weekly Miles Run - 61.83 (8.49 outside, 53.34 racing)
Weekly Cross Training - 6.3 miles hiking
Minutes of Strength Training - ZERO (I failed big time this week)

Weekly Gain - 2.0 pounds 

• I'm actually a little surprised it isn't worse. But... what that DOES mean is that I've gained about 6 pounds in the last month. I've historically never had this happen over the holidays, I typically maintain pretty well.
• Related: I don't care. I enjoyed a lot of foods I normally skip over due to "being bad" for me.
• Related: I must have had GALLONS of beer on vacation. GALLONS.
• Related: Back on track now that I am back from vacation and things are going to go back to as "normal" as they ever get.

 Everything Else

• Back at work, and still the only legal assistant. All of the attorneys are SUPER HAPPY to see me. What that means is I have a crap-ton of work to do. Apparently, time stood still while I was gone.
• Related: There was a woman interviewing this morning - CROSSING MY FINGERS.
• Related: Apparently, our firm is relocating to another building, about a mile south of here. What that means for me is a longer commute, actually having to drive INTO the city, instead of being able to park on the outskirts, and my "cheap" lot is waaaay too far for me to continue to park in. The move is rumored to happen by April 1. I am very unhappy about this, as this will end up costing me at least $10 more in parking, and of course, longer and more angry commute. Sigh.
• Still haven't heard on the interview I went on before Christmas. Still hoping that it was just really busy over the holidays and I will  hear something soon?
• Noooooooooothing else.

Week in Review (Dec. 24 - Dec. 30)

Tuesday - Christmas Eve. I ran a decently warm 6.7 miles along another section of Clear Creek trail that I've never run. Not super scenic and like usual, struggled a bit. Running with L is definitely like doing speed work. SHE IS THE FASTEST.

Wednesday - Christmas Day and the weather was once again nice enough for a run outside. L and I picked Big Dry Creek, and we knocked out a pretty tough 6.3 miles. For REAL, running with her is the hardest.

After our run we sat around and watched tv and then we headed over to Jessa's house for Christmas dinner. She went all out and made a TON of food. We were so full after eating that we could barely move. L dozed off a bit and Jessa and I stole Jackson's Lego's and build the Vampyre Hearse. These Lego kits are COMPLICATED. Holy crap, that took HOURS. Had more beer once I got home.

Thursday - 2.5 miles on the treadmill at the gym. I think it was ok, I don't remember. Also did the video trifecta (legs, arms, core)

Friday - 1 mile in the basement inferno. Zero recollection if this was good, bad or otherwise.

Saturday - Last run of the year in Colorado. The weather was really pretty great again and L and I ran a new section of Ralston Creek in west Arvada. Solid 7 mile run. Will really miss these runs when I have to get back on the treadmill when A gets back from Texas.

L had to nap so she would be able to drive me to the airport, so I sat around watching tv before heading to the airport. It magically started snowing, and even though my flight was supposed to leave at 9:50 pm, my flight would eventually be delayed THREE HOURS. This resulted in me sitting at the airport bar until close, spending an OBSCENE amount of money on beer. I barely remember my flight.

Sunday - What. A. Long. Day. I felt like shit all day after all my drinking at the bar. With my flight not getting in until almost 4 am, I didn't get much sleep and spent most of the day nauseous and wanting to die. Managed to squeeze in a mile-ish run with A around the neighborhood. SUPER chilly.

Monday - Wasn't really in the mood for a long run, you know, tapering for DOUBLE MARATHONS. Lisa had to work a few hours, so I ran a mile-ish in by her work. IT WAS THE HARDEST MILE EVER. Really really really really REALLY dreading the DOUBLE MARATHONS I was stupid enough to sign up for. For REAL, there is something wrong with me.

Weekly Miles Run - 34.55 (3.5 treadmill, 31.05 outside)

Minutes of Strength Training - 30 (ouch)

Gain/Loss - ?!? It's a MYSTERY!!! NO WEIGH IN.

• First off, it's the holidays. Second, I've been out of town since the 28th. I am sure there has been a gain, but I didn't even bother with a weigh in, so I have no idea what it might be.
• The biggest culprit of the week? BEER, BEER, BEER, AND MORE BEER.

• I've been super hungry lately, but that isn't necessarily out of the ordinary. I didn't eat nearly as "clean" as usual, and I think that was showing in my laziness. Ohhhhh welllls. It's the HOLIDAYS.

Everything Else 

• So, there was a secretary hired. And she worked one day. And never came back.
• Related: When are they going to recognize my manager is A CRAZY PERSON and eliminate the REAL problem in our firm??
• Related: I will deserve a medal of honor if I survive my employment without my head exploding and/or me snapping.
• NOTHING ELSE.

New Years Double "Day" Marathon (Race Recap)

Allen, TX
Wednesday, January 1
Marathon #24
Texas Marathon #4
Weather - Chilly at start, sunny, WINDY

Continued from Day 1...

After the race we stopped to get lunch at Chili's. I was pretty sore, and not as hungry as I usually am after a run, which was weird. We headed back over to our friend's house to shower. And then, we did NOTHING. We sat around and watched tv and eventually ordered pizza. Had a few beers, and before we knew it, it was already after 9:00. We went down the street to a New Years party but didn't stay long. I was in bed by 11:00, still unsure of what distance I would be running in the morning. The thought of another marathon seemed EXHAUSTING.

Race Day

We got up about 10 minutes earlier, to allow time for me to drop to the half if that is what I decided to do when I got there. We stopped again at Shipley's - donut, kolachi and coffee. Arrived at the race, and while sitting in the car trying to decide what I wanted to do, I realized I didn't have my wallet on me so I didn't have the cash to drop down. FULL MARATHON IT IS. Womp.

We got in line for the bathrooms and it was WINDY AND COLD. After cycling through the line, we headed back to the car and I decided to just wear my jacket. Like the day before, there was not much time for standing around and I started toward the back of my corral.

The plan all along was to start out slow, run as much as possible and not die.

Well, I succeeded in starting out slow. My legs felt tight, but not terrible, and unlike the day before, I did not have the numbness in my feet/legs. RIPPED the jacket off within the first 15 minutes. Somewhere towards the end of the first loop I saw Beth and Teal running (and looking adorable) and they both said a brief hello to me. Of course, I had to use the bathroom earlier than the day before, around mile 7. I saw Lisa (sister-in-law) and Alyssa (niece) on the course a bunch of times. I was still feeling good the first half, and they snapped this picture of me:

I think I was screaming and flailing my arms. Hard to say. I managed to run the first half without any unplanned walk breaks and had I stopped there, everything would have been fine. Heading into the second half was when I really started to feel all the wear and tear on my body. I overall was just sorta achy and tired. I made a promise with myself that I would not take any walk breaks until mile 18, and succeeded. BARELY.

Like the day before, the last 8 miles were terrible, only obviously, today it was worse. It was SUPER windy, so even when I felt like I had more energy I was working a lot harder. Man. I really hate the wind. The last loop I had to run in the grass on the side of the trail because the bottoms of my feet hurt so bad from all the concrete.

HOWEVER, I managed to get it done, and in a fairly respectable time, especially considering I had just run a full marathon the day before.

Official Time - 5:11:06
Official Pace - 11:52
3.6 Split - 40:54
6.55 Split - 1:12:45
10.15 Split - 1:56:11
13.1 Split - 2:27:57
16.7 Split - 3:09:34
19.7 Split - 3:44:03
23.3 Split - 4:33:36
Overall Place - 96/154
Gender Place - 39/66
Division Place - 10/12
Garmin Time - 5:11:03
Garmin Distance - 26.65 (Whee, ran better tangents!)
Garmin Pace - 11:40
Miles 1-5 - 11:22, 10:53, 10:27, 10:52, 10:47
Miles 6-10 - 11:43, 11:17, 12:27, 10:53, 10:33
Miles 11-15 - 11:00, 11:03, 11:03, 10:46, 10:53
Miles 16-20 - 11:26, 11:02, 11:13, 12:31, 11:24
Miles 21-26.2 - 12:22, 12:44, 13:50, 14:08, 13:50, 13:15, 11:11 (can you tell how much I struggled at the end??)

Full Challenge Plate - GINORMOUS

Thoughts:

• In all the other insane things I have done, I have never done "official" back-to-back marathons. It wasn't especially fun, especially on such a flat/paved course, but I do LIKE the course. HOWEVER, I don't think I ever need to do this again.
• Very well stocked aid stations, very friendly volunteers.
• LOVE the out and back course. So fun to continually see the same people over and over. I love it!!
• We got different shirts this year, a long sleeve and a short sleeve in different colors. Female and male cuts, which I loved. I have already run in the long sleeve shirt and it was great.
• LOVE LOVE LOVE the medals and the challenge plate. Libby outdid herself this year and as you can see above, the plate is bigger and better than ever. This race always works out well with my schedule of picking up A from her Dad after Christmas, so I will be back next year, likely to run the only combination I have NOT done - double half marathons.
• The INKnBURN "ugly" sweater was a huge hit, got TONS of comments on it.