baby giraffe

how i felt on monday

monday was another one of those emo runs. i slept through my alarm (again) and had to run after work. it's already quite warm and humid in south carolina.

(see kevin, i have a small window to rub in the warm weather. i had to take advantage of it while i could)

every step felt awkward and i continually scuffed the bottom of my shoes on the road. i wasn't mentally into the run, but with a mile to go i saw a kid practicing his chipping and he motivated me. i figured if this kid is out practicing golf in the afternoon heat i should htfu and put forth a better effort to 'practice' running.

monday (4/25) pm run: 5.7 miles / 9:13 avg pace / 82*
i may or may not have blamed the funk on the temperature.

on tuesday i slept through all three alarms and had to run after work again. i was in a better mood this time so the run went better. the power of the mind is an amazing thing! i took it easy but charged the hills. i'm still trying to talk myself into doing the marlene again sometime this week.

tuesday (4/26) pm run: 6.6 miles / 8:51 avg pace / 79*

my tailbone has randomly been hurting since monday afternoon. i did not fall or run into anything with my big butt, so i have no idea what's going on. it hurts (a little, not extremely) to sit down and i can feel it when i walk/run. any ideas?

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boston and other things

[brief summary: a wedding, boston, old grapes, horses]

it's been a very busy two weeks with a good bit of traveling up and down the east coast. i logged a whopping 10.6 miles one week and 22.75 the next. superb way to prep for a marathon (in less than one month, ugh i am so disgusted with myself).

i went to a friend's wedding in a (very) small town near augusta, ga.

photo credit to chris isham

i went to boston to see friends and spectate the marathon

i realized i was pretty nerdy for flying up to watch a marathon. these things are expensive enough to run, and now i'm traveling just to spectate?

 no offense if your name was not on the sign, i was having

trouble remembering all you amazing runners!

(and didn't write small enough)

it was a busy day of spectating around mile 22-23 and the finish. i bumped in to karyn post-race and got to chat with her a little as we wandered to find a t stop.

eventually we made it back to terri's apartment and there were still runners on the course (5:30pm and later)! i can't imagine being out there and watching the water stations being dismantled as you are trying to finish your race. there was one volunteer still cheering them on, serious dedication there. i'll admit, i was too tired and selfish to continue cheering.

flying home tuesday afternoon, i ran into meg at the airport! always good to see her - just reading her blog brightens my day. (btw meg, jill and i discussed things and decided we are going to come visit and hang out with you ok?) :)

i was off work friday so i played housekeeping ninja and went to my newlywed friend's house to tidy up a little before they returned from their honeymoon. it wasn't super messy, just needed general tidying after the pre-wedding rush, but i did find 3.5-month-old grapes in the fridge.

yum

saturday we went to the steeplechase and out on the lake, and now i look like rudolph.



so that's what i've been up to with a little running mixed in.

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wet dog

don't mind my morning eye bags

mile 1 - drizzle
mile 2 - drizzle
mile 3 - drizzle
mile 4 - heavy rain
mile 5 - heavy rain; cars driving purposely through puddles
mile 6 - heavy rain; cars continue to shoot water
mile 7 - rain; can feel water sloshing around in shoes
mile 8 - heavy rain; purposely run through big puddles
mile 9+ - don't worry, more rain

10 minutes after i finished - not raining anymore

friday (4/22) am run: 9.5 miles / 8:56 pace / 55*

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divorce

or, what josh will want when he sees this post.

exhibit a - november 2010:

josh then replaced the glass with a new non-shardy piece.

exhibit b - last week:

i wanted to hold out for the iphone 5 but of course this would be the summer apple is slow. josh will probably make me get whatever phone they give out for free anyway.

anyway, this is a running blog isn't it...

after a great 5k pr i seem to have gotten on the emo roller coaster again. i got up early to run today and hated it the whole time (and cut the run short). i don't know what my problem is. i'm pretty sure i have the 'take it easy after a race' part down:

saturday - race, sunday - easy 7mi, monday - off, tuesday - easy 5, wednesday - off, thursday - easy 5.

ahh well. it is what it is.

hey boston people. i'm thinking about a tuesday brunch. i want to see you in your pr glory!

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psa: matty's video contest

the release of "relay with ragnar" coincided with matty's dance/sing along contest, so of course i was a shoo-in for nomination.

but i'm not here to ask you to vote for me. no, today i am going to exercise what i have learned from 'biggest loser' and give you an emotional speech, a few tears, and tell you to vote for jill of runwithjill fame.

okay maybe i'll skip the speech, just do the right thing and go vote! (for jill) thank youuuuuu.


ps: thank you for all the compliments on my singing "skills" and 5k pr! you guys rock.

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my 5k acceptance speech

[applause]

thank you! oh! thank you! i can hardly breathe! i feel so lucky! and this towel - it's so soft and plush.

[pause for more applause]

oh, thank you again! i just want everyone to read in the tabloids that even in my wildest hallucinations, i never would have imagined that this could ever happen to me. and to the other super-amazing runners, i want each of you to know how totally mega-pumped your competition makes me feel right now!

you know when they first told me i was nominated for a pr, i just had to take a xanax* and obsess about how generous my thighs have been. i guess it all just makes me feel kinda special.

you know, there are so many amazing stalkers to thank! first off though, i want to thank the esteemed timing company, who looked deep within their chip-timing system before granting me this fantastic pr! also, i want to thank my heart, for being so efficient at pumping blood through my body. and to the marlene with the heart of gold, who taught me to take speedwork by the balls. and finally, to my legs and lungs - i couldn't have done it without you!

thank you america, and good night!

[exit stage left to applause]

---

finally, after years of running 21's, i broke into the 20-minute range! i guess "failing" the 5k tune up workout was worthwhile. i chased the eventual winner for the whole race and closed the gap, but ended up in 2nd place by 10 seconds.

i am so proud of my splits: 6:36, 6:35, 6:47 (and 0:36)
well, i could've embraced the pain a little harder in the third mile.

saturday (4/10) race: 3.1 miles, 20:33 (avg pace 6:38)
(2nd overall, 1st place age group - hence the towel)

my sisters ran the 5k as well - all posting strong times for themselves! it's becoming a mini-tradition to get together for a weekend and run a 5k. hopefully they don't mind...

*i did not really take a xanax.

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relay with ragnar

once again, i'll start with my disclaimer that i still cannot sing. "raise your 'ade" was well received (or you are all great at lying), so i figure why not do another. i actually made the lyrics up two months ago, but i was slack just couldn't get studio time until recently.

morgan, if you remember the 1900 times i asked if it's pronounced rag-nar, or rag-ner, now you know why.

marie, i'm sorry in advance.

sing along:

hot and dangerous

if you're a little nuts then run with us

'cause we make the gators fall in love

when we got our spandex on and up

and yes of course we does

we runnin' these streets like US1

and no you don't wanna mess with us

relaying makes us breath-less

got bodyglide on my thighs

reflective stripping down my side

looking sick and safety-fied

so let's go-o-o,

let's go!

tonight we're running har-har-har-har-har-hard

like US1 is our-our-ah-ah-ah ours

we're tearing it apar-par-par-pa-pa part

you know we're superstars

relay with ragnar

we're running like we're dumb-dum-duh-duh-duh dumb

our legs are going numb-num-nuh-nuh-nuh numb

we'll be forever young-yun-y-y-y young

you know we're superstars

relay with ragnar

garmin turn it up

it's about damn time to pick it up

the miami-to-keys experience

is makin' my legs delirious

i'm just talkin' true

i'm tellin' you 'bout the runs we do

we're selling our souls

sleepin' in vans

dressin' it down

runnin' all night

hard

got bodyglide on my thighs

reflective stripping down my side

looking sick and safety-fied

so let's go-o-o,

let's go!

tonight we're going hard-hard-hard-ha-ha-hard

just like the world is our-our-our-ah-ah-ours

we're tearing it apar-par-par-pa-pa-part

you know we're superstars

relay with ragnar

we're running like we're dumb-dumb-duh-duh-duh-dumb

our legs have long been numb-numb-nuh-nuh-nuh-numb

we'll be forever young-young-yuh-y-y-young

you know we're superstars

relay with ragnar

gould's park turn it up

homestead turn it up

coral shores turn it up

key west turn it up

today we're running hard-har-har-h-h-hard

just like the keys are our-our-our-ah-ah-ours

we're tearing it apar-par-par-p-p-part

you know we're superstars

relay with ragnar

we're running like we're dumb-dumb-duh-duh-duh-dumb

our body's are now numb-numb-nuh-nuh-nuh-numb

we'll be forever young-young-yuh-y-y-young

you know we're superstars

relay with ragnar

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5k tune up

in brief: my legs are even less in tune than my vocal chords. (world premiere music video drops tomorrow. get hyped.)

the planned workout: 4x200 (:30 rest), 3x1000 (1:00 rest), 4x200 (:30 rest)

what i actually loaded into garmin: 4x400 (:30 rest), 3x1000 (1:00 rest), 4x400 (:30 rest). go me.

200 vs 400, not a huge deal right? it becomes a minor issue when you don't double the goal time while doubling the distance. mmyeah. cause i can run a 400 in 0:46, no problem. that only rounds up to a 3:10 mile, totally doable.

needless to say, it was disheartening to constantly hear garmin beeping at me to speed up and i basically flaked on the whole workout.

4x400 - 1:31, 1:41, 1:47, 1:50 --> not quite the 1:34's i was looking for
3x1000 - 4:49, 4:31, 4:36 --> nowhere near the 4:11's i wanted
4x400 - 1:42, 1:39, 2:10, 1:45 --> still not 1:34's

i don't know if i was mentally checked out or if my legs are still recouping from sunday's 19 miler, but this isn't quite the confidence boost i was hoping for.

(photo is unrelated)

i found a new use for my garmin charger

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three little speckled frogs

time for some long-lost daily run action. a few days late, but i thought i should actually talk about running for a change.

saturday - i was out of town in a ghetto area also known as gamecock country. shudder. i managed to make it out alive and without anyone keying my car.

(just kidding carolina fans. slightly. i am a clemson grad after all)

anyway, when i woke up saturday morning i hopped on the hotel treadmill and ran 10 miles. i had forgotten socks, so i ran 'barefoot' in my shoes. the weird part was i wasn't tired in the least afterward.

saturday (4/2) am run - 10 miles, 1:28:32 (avg pace 8:51)

photo from the halfway point

perhaps it was just delayed though because sunday morning i was slug to the ish for my 20 19 miler. i headed out around 8am; it was a little chilly in short-sleeves (about 41 degrees) but i knew it would warm up.

it took me 6-7 miles to convince myself to run - i spent that hour arguing with myself over whether or not to turn around. i downed a gu (espresso love) somewhere between miles 7 and 8 and started fantasizing about starbucks.

somewhere in mile 11 nature put me on speed dial. this wasn't that alarming as i did not have a pre-run-movement (prm). i was actually surprised i made it so far. the downside of having efficient bowels is that you can't clench cheeks for long. luckily there was a walgreens nearby, and i took a second gu (mint chocolate) shortly after the pitstop. i need to check the expiration on that box because i started hallucinating about three little speckled frogs. the kind that sit on speckled logs, eat the most delicious bugs, jump into pools, etc.



yeah i don't know where that came from, but somehow it helped the last 7-miles pass by. i don't remember when, but at some point my right hip/glute something-or-other started aching a little. i've been rolling it with my foam roller and tennis ball and (so far) assume it's just achy from a 29 mile weekend.

sunday (4/3) am run: 19 miles, 2:59:43 (avg pace 9:28), 41-61*

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three things: because who wants to wait until thursday?

rudy project coupon code
good for sunglasses, helmets, bicycling gear, snow goggles... oh and did i mention 40% off? head over to e-rudy and shop away. email me at lindsay AT chasingthekenyans DOT com for the 40% off coupon code.

i've been sporting the rydon's for a few years, but now i have my eye on these. i can't decide between raspberry/red or white/green.

[i purchased my sunglasses with my own money. i do not get any benefit from you using the code.]

sony walkman giveaway
kevin has a two sony walkman mp3 players to giveaway. these have been flying off the shelves of the blogosphere so if you haven't been lucky enough to win one yet, go try your luck over in his giveaway here (ends 4/10!).

coming soon
don't feel bad if you don't win one from kevin, i've got a couple up my sleeve to giveaway soon too!

ps: dj ctk is releasing another hit - keep it tuned.

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march 2011

march 2011
total mileage: 166.53
time spent running: 24hrs 11min
days off: 6
avg temp: 56.83
trip of the month: rainy weekend in the georgia mountains. basically march 20th rolled around and i realized oh crap i didn't go anywhere yet.

• on the scale - all month long i barely see any changes on the scale but then magically on the last day of the month it reports a better number. not sure what's up with that but i'm not complaining.
• for the record: i don't have a bad body-image of myself. i actually like to weigh in. i can afford to lose a couple pounds. i shouldn't pig out daily like i used to (um hi 12oz bag of m&m's in one sitting).
• for another record: i don't really dilly dally in the bathroom to make others uncomfortable. i've just thought about it. trust me, i don't want to get caught in a stench bomb.

some of dorky clothes i got rid of this month:

1998 called, it wanted the rest of gap's horizontal stripes back.

yeah i don't have the lifestyle for this, let's be real.

i also made some delicious banana oatmeal cookies with no milk. they were chewy and awesome for breakfast, snack or dessert. i'm going to try these sometime (with coconut or rice milk) as they don't have nearly as much sugar (baking experts: what can i sub for butter?).

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when nature calls

when you gotta go, do you gotta go?

i've always thought it weird when people are in the bathroom forever. i don't see how one can be in the bathroom long enough to actually read anything longer than the listerine label. is the toilet a comfortable reading chair? i just don't understand.

i am so lazy i will sit and squirm for an hour or two before i will get up to pee (yeah yeah, bad for the bladder, blah blah blah). at work, i often rush into the bathroom and find someone in who is not as efficient at using the restroom as i am. even if i have to go #2 i am in and out in no time flat, spending more time at the sink than in the stall (efficiency at it's finest thankyouverymuch).

on thursday i encountered another squatter during one of my sprints to the bathroom. maybe she was reading a good book, maybe she fell asleep, i don't know. i would have tossed some metamucil under the stall if i had any.

i also find it weird when people sit there trying to be invisible? hello i can see your shoes, i know what you're waiting to do. sometimes i want to dilly dally just to make them even more uncomfortable.

are you efficient in the bathroom or do you like to savor the moment?

---

i runched thursday. i couldn't decide what kind of run to do so i did a little of everything: gmp-tempo-progression-10k race pace....

it was cool (46 degrees) but i managed to work up a decent sweat over 7 miles. mileage is more important than time to shower, so i wiped off the sweat, draped my clothes around the locker-shower-stall to air dry (hopefully no one walked in on that), and walked upstairs to my desk in a cloud of victoria's secret "very sexy (for her)". because nothing says sexy quite like dried sweat.

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