what not to wear

now that i'm back in the "real" world where you have to dress normally, some days i humor myself with seeing how slack i can be in the clothing department. other days i just get frustrated at having to "dress up" and desperately try to pick out something that looks decent/appropriate.

why i should be featured on "what not to wear":

exhibit a: pants too big? no problem, just roll them down like high school cheerleaders and their soffee shorts. (pardon my disheveled shirt - i don't wear it like this out in public)

exhibit b: either some shirts shrank or my boobs grew. put on a sports bra (yippi) and a wife beater to keep these buttons from popping off. (see above for classy wife beater)

exhibit c: just plain feeling lazy? wear a 'dressy' solid color tee from the gap. i wear a fleece year-round in the air conditioning anyway so it's not like people know i'm just wearing a t-shirt.

exhibit d: the cute heels i have in my shoe room*. cute, yes. comfortable, heck no. 99.9% of the time i wear my classy boat shoes. so dressy, so feminine. (buddy practicing yoga in the background, and yes i own more than four pairs of shoes. those black ankle boots? never worn them.)

*living alone = shoes get their own room and running clothes get their own room. not sure where the kids would live if i were to have any. backyard?

exhibit e: dress socks = christmas socks. year-round. i'd be more than happy to wear other-holiday socks, but they seem to be discriminated against in stores.

ahh well, technically i'm abiding by all the office dress code rules so i'm not too motivated most mornings. i'm not sure if i could change my lazy ways even if stacy and clinton showed up at my door anyway. :)

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my other crack cocaine

three things got me through hot weekend runs:

1. convincing myself that if i suffered for just a few more runs, i'd be used to it and it won't feel so deathly.
2. running through every single sprinkler encountered.
3. ice cold gu brew and all the gu flavors a runner could want.

a few weeks ago my friends at gu/outside pr sent me the gu performance sampler pack. getting gu in the mail is like christmas - i am almost as cracked-out on gu chomps as i am on m&m's. so maybe sometimes i eat chomps as a snack instead of pre-/mid-run fuel... is that such a bad thing? oh and mint chocolate - how did i ever go so long without you! so glad you are now available all year long. if only you came in roctane form... i'd run 4:30-miles :)

purchase your own a sampler pack of gu:
GU Performance Energy Sample Pack


anyway. after melting on a 7+ miler saturday, i mixed up a bottle of blueberry pomegranate brew (2x the sodium - i figured i'd need it) before my "long" run sunday. it was hot and humid, and i wanted to ensure i didn't quit early so i played a few mind games with myself. i planned out 2 loops through the neighborhoods that would enable me to stop back by the house in between for a gu and some cold brew. my bottle of brew went into the fridge and i stepped out into the sticky, gross air. i would have carried it with me, but lately it makes me cranky and more likely to quit. the promise of cold brew and any flavor gu lured me through each mile, and i successfully survived (much) longer than last week.

so far i haven't met a gu flavor i haven't liked, but i also haven't tried them all yet. most recently i befriended tri-berry and orange burst, and thought they'd make excellent gu-popsicles. of course this would just make more gu products i eat as regular food instead of running food...

saturday (6/12) noon run: 7.3 miles, 1:08:14 (avg pace 9:21), 85* (65% humidity)
(i highly recommend not running at noon. no shade, no sprinklers. i took a page from frayed laces and stopped at the clubhouse for some ice to dump down my bra. my boobs have finally proven some value as an ice holder.)

sunday (6/13) am run: 9.3 miles, 1:28:34 (avg pace 9:31), 84* (88% humidity)
i must admit i did walk a little - it was just brutal. but, i guess the running was at a decent pace 'cause my overall pace didn't tank as much as i thought it would.

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finally

a decent run! i really don't know what's going on, but i am glad i had a good run at last. i've been feeling very pokey lately, and my pace has definitely shown it. thankfully monday evening i went out for a run in 84 degrees and surprisingly, it was a pleasant little run. either all the slogginess is starting to pay off, or all the m&m's i ate monday afternoon were magical. of course i'm leaning towards "needing" m&m's personally...

monday (6/7) pm run: 6.5 miles, 56:57 (avg pace 8:46), 84*
compared to....
sunday (6/6) am run: 4.75 miles, 45:18 (avg pace 9:32), 77*

what is up, self?

week in review (5/24 - 5/30)
total miles: 41.75 *finally crested the elusive 40-mile week
time spent running: ~ 6 hrs 10 mins
avg hr: 163.50
avg run pace: 8:51/mile
off days: 1

week in review (5/31 - 6/6)
total miles: 37.00
time spent running: ~5 hrs 44 mins
avg hr: 165.33
avg run pace: 9:17
off days: 1

well when i look at it this way, it doesn't seem like i'm slowing down totally - just some days. maybe i can blame it on the heat/humidity a little afterall.

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