Running, a Pig and Dead Bodies

None of those things have anything in common.

First of all, I ended up not doing the Lookin' Good 10k. Andy was in town, so we ran a bit together in the morning (running with him was good so that I could pace myself better) and then I left him and ran another 14 miles on my own/with TNT, bringing my daily total to 18 miles.

It was a tough 18 miles. I started slowly (so as not to overexert myself), but just couldn't pick up the pace. Overall, I ran it a 90 seconds per mile slower. I think I overdid it on Tuesday's speed day combined with the 6 miles I already ran that day. There were a number of things I did wrong, though: my right quad started hurting early on, I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before plus I didn't eat breakfast. Although it wasn't the best run, I finished it and overall I feel my running/training for Nashville is better than what I did for San Diego (and WAY better than Marine Corps). I don't feel terrible today, either, so things could've been worse - no leg pain and only a bit of feet soreness. I'm taking the day off from running, although I might head to the gym to lift some weights or do some Pilates in a bit.

After the run, Andy and I went to the Rodeo. It's always fun to introduce people to the Rodeo, and this was great fun because not only was it his first time to the Rodeo, but also being around livestock and he's not a Texan (therefore he was immersed in deep Texas culture all afternoon). I'm sure he thinks we Texans are insane, but he said he had a good time nonetheless. The Rodeo itself was great because it was the finals; all of the winners were announced.

After the Rodeo, we went to the Museum of Natural History for the Bodies 3 exhibit. I have mixed emotions on that one. First of all, although I wasn't as disturbed and creeped out as I thought I would be, some of it was difficult to look at. Other parts of it were fascinating and I kept staring as though trying to figure out how this guy was able to display corpses the way he did. Let me back up...

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, this German doctor created a chemical that slows down the decaying process, making the organs and tissues and muscles look like plastic. 120 people donated their bodies (after natural death, of course) to this man and he managed to preserve their organs, nerves, muscles, etc. Then he takes the bodies on tour and uses them to educate people on the human anatomy. Only about 8-10 of the bodies were whole; the rest were cut up/disected and put in display cases. Some of it was fascinating, like seeing the nervous system and circulatory system, comparing healthy livers/hearts/lungs with those of smokers and cancer patients, looking at the red vein/arterial system. Some displays were depressing, like the fetuses. Some were creepy, like the man (skinned) holding his own skin in his hands. I was intrigued by the exhibit, but personally wasn't deeply moved by it. I would definitely recommend it to high school science teachers as a possible field trip. Would I see it again? I don't know. If any of you go, the best was the red ateries and the nervous system. You'll see what I mean.

Overall, it was a great day. I was utterly exhausted by the time I went to bed, but it was the best day of my spring break.

Bummer. School starts again tomorrow. I still have to make up a quiz.

Rehearsals start tonight! Yea!

Oh, and in my never-failing quest to find an eating plan that fits with my eating habits, schedule, and workout activity, I'm trying a new one. While I lost 6 pounds (and did not gain them back) this year on the South Beach Diet, I realized it's not the best for me. Andy is doing the Abs diet and, after 3 weeks, has lost 16 pounds and looks great. I think I'll try that one for a couple of weeks and see how it goes... But between school, my marathon training, regular gym visits and rehearsals, I'm going to have to be careful, particular, and pay special attention to my eating (especially with the marathon coming up).

Cheers!