Brando Is Really Dumb

THAT DARN DOG!!! ***Shakes Fist***

I think I'm going to start a new blog. I'm going to call it "What Brando Chewed Today" Today it was my running headphones AND my checkbook. He pilfered both out of my purse while I was unsuspectingly sitting on the lanai, drinking some wine, and reading for grad school. This is getting silly.

Pain & Misery On The Road

Welcome To Monday
I hate Mondays as much as I love Fridays - and you all know by now how much I LOVE Fridays. So you can imagine how much I HATE Mondays. I didn't weigh myself yesterday so I couldn't write my weekly weigh-in. I'm not all that concerned about it. I have a feeling I did not make any progress, so best to live in denial than to confirm that I gained weight instead of lost anything. But, let's get on with things. I have to tell you about the crap-tastic race I was in on Saturday. Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. Here we go, anyway...

25K of Hell
Alright, so 25K is a little more than 15 miles. I know by now that I am physically and mentally capable of running 15 miles. So what went wrong? I think there were three major elements I had working against me. They are:

1) Last weekend, you may recall, I ran 16 glorious miles on Sunday. Saturday, as well know, is only 6 days after Sunday. That's a problem. It takes your body a while to recover from a really long run like that. That's why I generally run long, then taper down the next 2 weekends, then bump it back up again. Make sense? It's also common knowledge that tapering is crucial to racing success. For a month leading up to marathon day, I will great decrease my mileage. I'll run 20 miles somewhere about 4-5 weeks out, and then the miles will drop off until the BIG day. Clearly, there was no tapering for my 25K if I ran 16 miles only 6 days before. Lesosn learned.

2) Lack of fuel. I didn't run with my runner's fanny pack, and the only calories I took in before the run came from half a breakfast bar. That just simply is not enough gas in the tank to keep me going. Somewhere around mile 11 (I had already been miserable for 7 miles by this point) my stomach started cramping and I began getting nauseous. I should have eaten more, and I should have had my hip runner's fanny pack loaded with goodies to keep me fueled. Again, lesson learned. Never EVER again.

3)

I don't think I really need to explain this. It hurt. Badly.

I haven't even looked up my official time or results yet. I know it's going to depress me, so why bother? It's like stepping on the scale. If I know I'm not going to like what I see, then why look? It's a self-preservation thing.

Not All Crappy
I made it up to myself yesterday, though. I bought a new pair of running shoes and these lovely blue pumps! The running shoes were $99. The pretty blue shoes? $9. On super DUPER clearance. I LOVE it when people don't like pretty things and so they go on super sale for me to swoop up. Pretty, huh?



Brando Strikes Again
Billy's dog is such an idiot! He not only chews shoes, expensive underwear & running sunglasses, but his tastes encompass the less refined as well. I can't watch him all the time!!! Billy's favorite thing to say when I lament DumDum destroying something new is, "Well, why did you let him do it?" WHAT? I didn't LET him do anything. He just does these things. This morning, it was while I was in the shower. Evidenly he's developed a taste for BodyGlide and razors. Smart? Not so much. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Gwen would NEVER do such a thing!

Take a look:


Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just like my race on Saturday. Just like Mondays. *Sigh*




These, however, are not stupid. On Saturday afternoon a VERY large flower arrangement showed up on my doorstep courtesy of my deployed hubs. Just because he loves me. Pretty sweet, eh? Someday, somehow, I will be a florist. So...instead of leaving the beautiful flowers as they were, I broke them up into 4 small arrangements. That way 4 rooms can be filled with yellow sunshine instead of just one :) There you go, there's your happiness for Monday.

Drink Up

It's Friday!
Friday is BY FAR the best day of the week. Some people disagree, because on Fridays you still have to wake up and go to work. Therefore, these crazies argue that would make Saturday or Sunday the winner of the "Best Day of the Week" award. Those people are WRONG. You know why? Because there's a feeling that you get when you leave work on Friday afternoon that is unmatchable. The weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders and you know, in that moment, that you are as far as possible from Monday morning and going back and doing it all again. And I don't even hate my job! I have a pretty sweet job, actually. But, work is work. And when I'm at work, I'm not sleeping, running, surfing, reading, painting, playing with puppies, writing cards, or drinking champagne. Ok, ok, ok...that's only mostly true. Those of you who know me really well know that I actually DO do some of those things on the list at work. Whatever. I'm getting off track. The point is, it's FRIDAY. Glorious Friday! And I think we should have a little drink to that...

Drinks For Runners


Yes, kids. Chocolate milk. Who doesn't love chocolate milk? No one, that's who. Not only is it a tasty treat, but it is also one of the best post-workout recovery beverages out there. Don't believe me? Go here. They explain it better than I do. Basically, it's got just the right amount of sugar and is packed with protein to make your muscles happy.


Good ol' H20. I'm telling you. If there is ONE thing that can make or break a run, it's how much of this you have floating around in your cells. I drink a lot of water. Sometimes, however, I get tired of it. But evidently, this is a problem for lots of other people (maybe you?) because there's a solution!


My MuM started sending me these amazing little packets of happiness when I was in the desert. They really make drinking water so much...tastier. They even have come out with ones that are suppodly specifically for "working out" but I don't really buy it. It's all just sugar in water, but for 5 calories, I'll take it! Water is exciting again.

Now, I never drink Gatorade or any of those sports drinks unless it's the cup I grab as I'm running by the aid station at a race. They're great for some people, but I just am not a fan. Who needs gatorade when I have water? And chocolate milk? If that's your thing, more power to ya. But it's not mine, so they don't get a picture.

But...


Oh yes. That's what I'm talking about. Have you ever had a cold beer after a hot run? SO good. I learned this one from ol' Dad. If Dad does it, it must be right. He's not just drinking it because it tastes good, though. I've actually heard from other sources that a light beer is not one of the worst things to put in your body after a run. It's got calories and carbs - it's good for what ails you. Plus, it makes your taste buds AND your achey muscles smile ;)

And lastly, we have your reward for running so hard/fast/far/at all:



Tips to enjoying Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Happiness in a bottle. How Friday afternoons would taste if you could bottle it):

1) Get back from run, drink water like a good athlete should. Eat a banana or drink your chocolate milk. Do what you do.

2) Pull your friend Kim out of the fridge and put on the counter

3) Feel giddy with anticipation...but WAIT

4) Go take a shower because you smell bad because you just got done running.

5) Don't take longer than 20 minutes getting clean, because Kim is still on the counter waiting for you! Our friend likes to be nice and chilled, just not "just out of the fridge" cold.

6) Open. Pour. Sip. Enjoy. Repeat.

Happy Friday!

Triumph, Success, Kick-Ass or: How I Ran 16 Miles. And the Weekly Weigh-In

Greetings!
Want to see something pathetic? Check this out:

Guilt
Well, here is your midweek blog post because I feel guilty at shirking my blogging responsibilities last week. That said, I don't really feel like I have much to write about here in the middle of the week. I caught you up on Sunday, didn't run on Monday, and I was on the track yesterday. Since I have alread posted et nausium about the importance of rest and taking days off, as well as my stupid track workouts, I don't really want to bore you with more of that again. I was elated to see the latest Runner's World show up in my mailbox last night, but I haven't had time to flip through it yet since all I ever do is read for school. I was going to bring it to work today to read on my down time, but I left it on the counter - boo!! :( So, I can't look through that for inspiration.

So...
What's a girl to do?

Do you know what that is? That was my attempt at writing a blog on Wednesday. I like how I stopped and asked a rhetorical question (which was really dircted at myself) and I couldn't think of an answer, so I just stopped. And then it got really fun, because I didn't run the rest of the week until today. Awesome, huh? I know what you out there are thinking. You're thinking "My! For someone who's training for a marathon, she sure takes a lot of weeks off. I wonder how that works?" Yeah. Me too. I need to go ahead and try NOT to do that again. I need to keep my mileage up. However, this week I really don't think I lost much because...

I Made 16 Miles My B*tch
Remember when I ran 15 miles a few weeks ago? Well, this wasn't ANYTHING like that. That sucked. It hurt. And remember how I had all those little lessons for you? Well, I listened to myself! I heeded my own advice. Now, this should give you warm fuzzies for 2 reasons, loyal blog readers: 1) you know I'm not out here feeding you crap. Some of the stuff I ramble about is legit and 2) you know I'm not lying for your benefit about how amazing my run was today because you know that if it sucked, I would have said so. No need for me to fluff myself up and make it sound like this is easy for me. Because it sure is not.

What do I think my keys to running success were today? Well, I made sure I hydrated yesterday copiously. I also pigged out at a 4 year old's birthday party yesterday (read: loads of pasta from Buca di Beppo, cookies, chips and salsa, and ice cream cake. Carb HEAVEN). I also made sure my toenails were clipped, BodyGlide was slathered in all the appropriate places, I was wearing my microfiber socks, and I had my favorite running snack option. God also helped out by providing a nice little cooling shower right around the 8 mile turn around. Glorious. Oh yeah, and Mr. Springstein happened to come on my iPod just as I was on my last half mile singing "Born to Run" That's amazing!

Did it still hurt? Yes. Was I still super excited when it was over? Definitely. But did I want to kill myself and die afterwards? No. Do I feel like I could have run another mile or 4? Probably if I had too. So, what I'm trying to say is: I'm getting there. I just have to keep myself from thinking about the 10 miles that come after the first 16 on December 12...

A Souvenir
Here's one fun little thing that did happen today that has never happened before:

I don't know if you can see that or not, but there's a nice red ring of ouch right where my sports bra top was sitting. Now, it's not particularly painful, just a mild annoyance really. Still, not something I want to deal with on marathon day. I think it's probably because my sports bras are all the cotton Champion numbers that were issued to me at good ol' Navy bootcamp 4 years ago. Seriously. And, being that they're cotton, and it was raining pretty good there for a minute, I bet I can blame the combination for my nice little battle wound. Luckily, this is easily fixed. I will go out and buy a sports bra that's NOT cotton. MuM told me her favorite these days is her Under Armor one, so maybe I'll give that a whirl. And then I'll tell you all about it. All the guys screamed "YESSSS!!!! I love to hear about sports bras!"

The Weigh-In
Holding steady at 133.0. I'm not bummed, because after I made it over the 135 hump last week, I pretty much ate whatever I wanted for 2 days (cheesey fries, pie, you name it) and then did not run it off over the week. So there you go. Holding steady, and I'm ok with that...for now. I just past the "Billy's Been Gone 4 Months" mark so that means I still/only (depending on how I'm feeling) have 2 months to lose 3 lbs and keep it off. Hopefully I'll see some progress next week.

More Excuses, In Conclusion
So, I know this blog has been lacking lately. I'm really going to try to start blogging more frequently (at least twice a week instead of the once a week that I've been stickin with lately). For those of you that don't know, I started grad school 2 weeks ago, which means that I made my life a LOT harder than it already was. You might not believe it, but it's hard holding down the fort without the hubs, even without kids scurrying about. So add to my household duties that I had already 3-hour night classes twice a week, and all the hours of reading that goes along with them, and I feel like I'm being spread pretty thin. In my life, 2 things cannot come soon enough:

1) Billy coming home.
2) This marathon to be over.

*Sigh* Someday. Someday.

The Weekly Weigh-In, Some Lessons, and My A**hole Dog

Excuses
Greetings to you! First of all, I'd like to apololgize for being such a slacker this week when it comes to the blog. In my defense, grad school started this week, and I've been in just a general state of high-anxiety. I feel like there's about a million things going on in my life right now and I just get busier by the day! GAH! I sure wish I was married so I had someone to help me take care of things...Oh wait! I AM! Well, I sure wish Billy was around to help me take care of things. Although, with football season starting it's hard to tell how great his contribution to the greater good of the Haas House really would be. Probably not much. If you read this Billy, I KID! I kid because I love ;) xoxo

The Weigh-In
Anyway, on to the nitty gritty. I didn't weigh myself last week and was a little hesitant to step on the scale today, but I'm so glad I did! 133.0!! Go me! 3 more lbs and all I have to do is maintain and I have several nasty runs coming my way in the next 2 months (20 miles, anyone?) so I like to think that it won't be that hard. But this whole weight loss thing has already proven to be more challenging than I had anticipated, so we'll just see how it goes. One day at a time and all that.

So, Grami Jane...how close to 130 are you? Have I gained any ground or have you already beat me?

This means that all in all, since May 17th, I've lost 12 lbs. Not a world record or anything, but if I start to think about how much 12 lbs of steak would be if I bought it at the grocery store, I start to feel pretty self-righteous. Not only that, but I had 3 random people tell me last week on different occasions how much skinnier I looked. Again, go me. Flattery does my little fickle girl heart good ;)

A Sad Sunglasses Story
Remember when Brando ate my beautiful pink shoes? If not, you can read about it here. Well, the little jerk is at it again. This time, he ate my running sunglasses! Who does that?! That couldn't even have been good! Stupid, stupid mutt. I would once again like to reiterate that my beautiful little dog, Gwen, would never eat an expenisive accessory. You know why? Because she's a LADY! And she understands! Brando clearly has no concept of this or respect for a lady's personal belongings. Are you ready for this? Behold:




That's all that's left! Can you even tell that those were once a pair of polarized sunglasses that made me run faster (true story)? I'm so bummed. Dear MuM, please send me some new glasses, please :(

Lessons From The Road
Maybe I've been getting too sure of my abilities lately because I've been making some rookie mistakes. Today I ran a 10 mile easy day and what was supposed to be no problem ended up being rather unenjoyable by about mile 7. The reason? Hydration. Yesterday I didn't drink nearly enough water. And every time I went to the fridge and said "Hmm...Miller Lite or Aquafina?" Miller Lite won. I knew I was going on a long run today, but I figured it didn't matter. What was 10 miles anymore, anyway? I labored by way through 15! I ran 12 1/2 at an 8 minute pace! I can do 10 under any circumstances no problem. Wrong, Ash. Very wrong. It's hot in Hawaii in September, even at 7 a.m. and it's stupid to think that hydration can fall by the wayside. Learn from me, kids. HYDRATE! Over-hydrate, even! It's the difference between a good run and a bad run, trust me.

Now, one screw up wouldn't be so bad. But let's go back to last Thursday. 8 miles on my lunch break, starting at 1 p.m. and ending by running up Halawa Heights. I'm not even going to bother explaining this road. My friends and followers in Hawaii know what I'm talking about. It's a nasty, nasty hill. Once again, I knew I wasn't properly hydrated. Furthermore, I hadn't done laundry in ages, so I was out of clean microfiber socks. Remember those blisters I used to get? Haven't had an issue since I switched socks. But on Thursday, I just went ahead and grabbed a pair of my old cotton socks and said "what the heck. How much difference can it really make?" A lot, apparently. By mile 2 my feet were burning up. It was SO hot inside my shoes! And by mile 5 I was in a lot of toe pain. I now have the monstrous blister on my right big toe to prove it. I'll spare you another picture of my nasty runner's feet, but just believe me that it's there. And it's painful.

In Conclusion...
Overall, successful running week despite my setbacks. Next week the mileage on my LSD runs gets cranked back up again and you can bet your butt that I will be properly hydrated and prepared! I will try to be more dutiful with my blogging this week, but if you don't hear from me again until next weekend, please know that I am still running, I do still love you, the blog is still high-priority, I just am still adjusting to having to be more frugal with my time management. Until next time...

The Weekly...Something

Happy Labor Day!
Greetings loyal blog followers! I hope you are all enjoying your long weekend. I know I am. I love long weekends. I wish every weekend was a long weekend. I think I would be more productive in the 4 work days I had available to me than I am in the 5 that I have now. Don't you think? You do, admit it. I went to a high school (Custer High School, in Custer, SD to be exact) and they always had 3 day weekends. No lie. We went to school for extra hours Mon-Thurs and had Fri, Sat & Sun off. Brilliant! *Sigh* If real life were like that...well, then, we'd have summers & spring break off too. Oh well. As Billy always says, "that's life." I'll take my long weekends when I can get 'em and be happy! So, without further ado, let me tell you what I've been up to with my days off ;)

The Race
I ran a race yesterday! It was the 2nd in the Readiness Series that I signed up for in order to prepare myself for the marathon in December. Now, to properly set the stage for what went down at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning (I think I've mentioned before that being a runner means sacrificing slumber somtimes - even on magical long weekends) I have to tell you what went down on Saturday evening.

Saturday evening I decided that I needed to start pounding water. And eat a bowl of pasta. Check and check. I set my alarm for 4 a.m. and turned the lights out at 8:37. I patted myself on the back as I was drifting off for being so good the night before a race. And then I woke up every 1 1/2 hour to pee. I'm not lying. I was up peeing all stinking night. When my alarm went off, I swore under my breath and started arguing with myself over whether or not I really needed to run this race. Funnily enough, this blog pulled me out of bed. What was I going to do? Write about what a lazy quitter I am? NO! Get out of bed, Ash, and quit yer bitchin.

So I did. And Sunday morning, at 6 a.m. I took off running, but I still wasn't happy about it. I told myself that this race didn't count because I was tired and unprepared and didn't care. "Whatever" I thought, "I'll just finish it." Good mantra, as it turns out! When I passed by the 2 mile mark, my watch said 15:56. That's dead on 8 min/mile pace (which is what in my happy, shiney dream land I'll run for the entire marathon in December). Yay me, I thought. And then I passed the 3 mile mark at 24 minutes, and the 4 mile mark at 32 minutes and the 5 mile mark at 40 minutes...you get the picture. Naturally, this is all +/- some seconds but the point is this: I crossed the finish line according my my watch at 1:40:15. The race was 20K, which is roughly 12.5 miles. If you do the math, that's exactly an 8 minute mile pace.

It wasn't all sunshine and roses, though. Barbies passed me. A little old asian lady who looked to be about 90 passed me. I had to stop after mile 6 and use the most unpleasant resting facility I've ever enocuntered. BUT...I ran 12.5 8 minute miles!!! I don't care who passed me! All I cared about was making sure I hit the next mile marker in 8 minutes. It was such a great feeling to be able to pace myself like that.

The Results
If you don't believe me, you can check my official race results here. I finished 162 out of 598 and was 10th in my age group (out of 65). My official time was 1:41:29, but that is slightly inaccurate since everyone's time started when the gun went off, not when we crossed the starting line. Does the make sense? I didn't start my watch until I crossed the starting line and stopped it when I crossed the finish line. Anyway, I could not be happier with my results. Regardless of how I placed, I'm very happy with how I ran.

The Weekly Weigh-In
...Has been suspended this week. I didn't weigh myself yesterday because it really wasn't on my mind at 4 a.m. And I didn't do it today becasue, well, I just didn't think about it. So, I'll save my ego and the heartache for a week and face my arch nemesis (the scale) next Sunday and get back on track.

For now, I'm off. I have a beer to drink, puppies to play with and a Labor Day to enjoy. Thank you again for all of the lovely comments and support. You are seriously the best.