Oof

10.5 tiring miles today. I wanted to do 14, but the influx of mileage prevented my muscles and joints from doing so. So it was just 10.5 miles.

Time to grade more terrible essays!

Success!

My first Thanksgiving dinner was a success! I should quit my job and become a chef.

On the menu...

1) The turkey. I made an herb-crusted turkey stuffed with apples and oranges, and roasted with a white wine and shallot sauce and it was so juicy and flavorful. The drippings, added to a bit of flour, made a wonderful dressing.

2) The cranberry orange relish. MMMMmmmmmmmmmm. Completely home-made, not from a can or jar. It was here that I realized that you need to remove the zest from an orange before juicing it and that the zester can zest human flesh as well. Ouch!

3) The dressing. Again, completely home-made (not Stove-Top). It was an apple-cranberry dressing.

4) Green beans with garlic-lemon-olive oil dressing. I've been making this veggie for years and it always turns out well.

Mom made cherry salad and home-made macaroni and cheese (family traditions) while my sister made a yam souffle. Top off the entire dinner with a nice bottle of Shiraz and you get one happy family.

I was put in charge of making the turkey every year from now on.

Since I taste-tested everything during the many hours of cooking, I am completely stuffed. I even have pumpkin pie (my favorite), but am so full that it is just sitting forlornly in the fridge, to be eaten tomorrow.

Ahh. Success!

My quads really hurt. Just thought I'd share that. I'm off to bed now!

Ciao.

Trotting for Pumpkin Pie

At least, I was trotting for a pumpkin pie kolache, only to discover that there were none at the end of the race.

Today was Race #2 - The Uptown Turkey Trot. Due to the fact that I PR'ed on Sunday, I didn't anticipate a PR today.

I was right.

But the frustrating part is that I missed a PR by 7 seconds! But it's a PR of sorts - it's a PR of Houston 10ks (my best 10k was the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans last year - 1:16:29), it's a PR of the Uptown Turkey Trot (last year I did it in 1:20:45). I finished this year's race in 1:16:35.

The weather was very warm, the sun was shining brightly on the unshaded cement of San Felipe, the water stations ran out of water again (luckily I learned from last year and wore my fuel belt). But the happiness of the race was in multitudes.

Mile 1: 12:22
Mile 2: 11:53 (whoops)
Mile 3: 12:25
Mile 4: 12:21
Mile 5: 12:31
Mile 6: I have no clue.
Mile .2: I have no clue.

My last mile was probably closer to 13 minutes, especially since I was tired and my feet were hurting. But my Garmin tripped out on me! I looked down and it was at 5.45 miles at 1:08. The next time I look down, 2 minutes later, it's at 5.11 miles. My Garmin rewound! Arghh....

Here are the good parts of the race:
1) I had a consistent pace
2) I got to see Christine from NY!!!, June, Vic, Cassie, Mannie, and an ex-Starbucks co-worker
3) I finished without major pains (although my left calf and Achilles tendon still tightens up)

But all's good. I did my cardio for the day and can eat my pumpkin pie with a smile. I'm making the majority of Thanksgiving dinner myself this year, for the first time (I'm doing the turkey, gravy, dressing, and cranberry relish - all homemade), but I bought the pumpkin pie. I don't bake. And then Mom is making homemade macaroni and cheese casserole and cherry salad, and my sister is bringing sweet potatoes. Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I'm not starting to cook until 3, since dinner won't be until 8. Today is a good day.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sometimes...

Sometimes I wish I didn't give this blog address to certain people.
Sometimes I wish I could be more honest with myself and others.
Sometimes I wish I could get over the past and look towards the future more.
Sometimes I wish I didn't fear as much as I do.
Sometimes I wish I could just move out of the country and start over.
Sometimes I wish I managed my time better.
Sometimes I wish I was a recluse.
Sometimes I wish I was more sociable.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't so hard on myself.
Sometimes I wish I told people how I really feel about them.
Sometimes I wish I didn't fear their reactions.
Sometimes I wish I could ignore people more.
Sometimes I wish I could ignore myself more.
Sometimes I wish I didn't try to please people as much as I do.
Sometimes I envy my friends.
Sometimes I'm glad I'm not them.
Sometimes I just want to slap some sense into people.
Sometimes I want to slap sense into myself.
Sometimes I wish I was a bit cleaner.
Sometimes I wish I was happier.
Sometimes I wish I didn't inflict pain upon myself intentionally.
Sometimes I wish I could cut certain people out of my life.
Sometimes I wish I would act more on my wishes. :)
Sometimes I wish I was a size 6.
Sometimes I'm glad I'm not.
Sometimes I enjoy my job.
Sometimes I wish I could quit my job and be a writer.
Unfortunately that would require me winning the lottery or marrying a self-sufficient man, neither of which is probable.
Sometimes I wish I stood up for myself more.

Sometimes never goes away.

Not even when it's time for bed.

Goodnight.

Vive Lance Armstrong!

Among many of my errands (including going to three store to find boot laces and five stores to find sugar cane juice... none of which were for me), I went to the movies and saw "A Good Year." The film was highly satisfactory, and the Lance Armstrong parts were a good giggle.

After running my many errands (which also included getting my packet pick-up for the Turkey Trot and buying new running shoes), I then met June for an easy 6-miler. The weather was perfect, the company was great and the run overall was fun. Unfortunately my calves have been tightening up lately, but no sharp pain occurred. I'm not running at all tomorrow (and instead will go to the movies again, in Lake Charles).

2 more days until Thanksgiving! Be smart: stay out of the grocery stores until next week.

Cheers!

Close Enough

I didn't make 5 miles; I made it to four.

During mile 4, my Achilles tendon started straining slightly, and thus decided to stop after mile 4.

My 4 miles was a great run, though! Despite the fact that my mind was groaning, my body performed well, even after yesterday's hard race. My pace is more my average, and a great starting point for this season. Maybe by the end of Spring I'll be running 11:30 miles comfortably and consistently.

Mile 1: 12:21
Mile 2: 12:25
Mile 3: 12:27
Mile 4: 12:21

I'm pleased with my nearly-even splits and the weather was fantastic!

Cheers!

New Toys, Free Time

I bought a new toy yesterday, and I'm glad I have the day off today because I've been working on the new toy for almost 3 hours.

What did I buy, might you ask? I bought the new iPod shuffle! My old shuffle died (probably due to the fact that it got wet on many occasion) and I decided to bite the bullet and get the new one. Unfortunately, after purchasing it and examining it, I was told that it was to be a Christmas present. Oops. I should know better. Never buy yourself something around the holidays without telling people first!

So I've been playing with it this morning. I already have iTunes, but it's an old edition so I had to upgrade it. I'm a sad, low-technical individual and still have dial-up. I waited 2 hours for iTunes to download. Now I have to import songs from CDs and update my music library, etc.

I'm going to test it out tomorrow morning at the gym. Yea!

Oh, and who knew that all of my running friend were Striders? Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

I'm going out for 5 miles in 30 minutes. And the weather is fantastic!

Cheers!

Sign Me Up

It's official: I joined a new running club. I'm now part of the Houston Striders. I'm excited!

'Tis the Season

The race season, that is!

Today marks the first race of my racing season (the VA Beach half-marathon doesn't count because it was a random, summer race). The HMSA sponsored a 25k race/relay and Sarah, Erin F. and I decided to do the relay part, which would give us a bit over 5 miles apiece.

Wow, was the temperature chilly this morning! Erin went first, then switched off the chip to Sarah and finally to me, so I froze waiting for the two of them to finish. Luckily I didn't have to wait all that long - they're faster than I am. Erin started the relay, aiming to do it easy since she's slightly injured, but her easy pace was a 7-minute mile! Sarah was around 10 minutes and I rounded up the group with an 11:53 average, which is my best average for any kind of race, so I was excited (still am).

I felt pretty good. I went out way too fast in the beginning for two reasons: (1) it was cold! and (2) I was surrounded by speedy people and felt the need to try to keep up with them for at least 1 minute.

Here's my splits...

Mile 1: 11:00 (whoops)
Mile 2: 11:43
Mile 3: 12:18 (that's more like it(
Mile 4: 12:05
Mile 5: 12:44 (I'm starting to get tired)
Mile .23: 2:23 (I always race myself at the end)

June was our cheerleader, and of course the usual group was there: Holden, Steve, Edwin, Vic, Jessica, Jon and Waverly, I met the Humble Runner, I met Barbara, and June's GSD. Overall, great run. Great fun. The next race is Thursday, a 10k, so we'll see how that goes.


Another reason that I've been laying low this week is because my body was getting even with me for doing that random 14 miles last weekend. I ran 3 miles Thursday, making great time but feeling bad and then I did a quick 12-minute mile on the treadmill Friday. So my running total this week has been a paltry 9.23 miles. Whatever.

This week's tentative training plan (I should do ok with it since I'm on vacation):
Monday: 5 miles, upper body at gym.
Tuesday: 8 miles with June, Tae-bo at home
Wednesday: No miles (going to Lake Charles), maybe a bit at the gym in the am
Thursday: 6.2 miles (the Uptown Turkey Trot), no gym.
Friday: None (rest day... except for the walking around the malls!)
Saturday: TBD. TNT is doing either 16 or 18. I'm not. I'm probably going to aim for 14. I want to keep doing 14 mile Saturdays/Sundays until the Houston Half, that way I'm way prepared.
Sunday: None. Gym, I'm sure.

Cheers!

Oops

No, I'm not dead.

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I just haven't blogged. No real reason.

I'm off for a week and am very excited. I plan on going to the movies a lot, running a bunch, sleeping, watching tv, etc. Unfortunately, I'll have to grade, but that'll be on Monday.

Sad news! I have to find a new hiding spot. Diedrichs on Westheimer closed this week! I've been hiding there since high school, and am very distressed. Where will I grade now? I just don't like Starbucks enough to spend that much time there. Sigh.

Today I spent the day in Wharton, population very small. It even has a town square. I enjoyed the quaintness of it, and wondered what it would be like to live there. Each day I'm getting more tired of the hustle and bustle of Houston. I think I would like to live somewhere slower, somewhere more peaceful, somewhere else. But I'm stuck here for at least another year. We'll see. I'm just living each day at a time.

But time to go. I'm doing a three-person race/relay tomorrow with Erin and Sarah. We're going to be the slow team. :)

Later!

I Have Bugs Under My Skin

No, I'm not having an acid trip.

I went running today. Due to the fact that my legs hurt after 9.3 miles last week, I figured I'd go 10. Then when June said she was doing 14, I figured I'd try for 12. However, I've been ill, so when I got to Memorial Park this morning, I estimated I'd do 6-8 (since the weather was very cold and the last time I ran with a cold I lost my voice for a week).

So June and I met up. She's doing 14, and I said I'd do 6. We start running. Damn, I felt great. Then I said I'd do 10. Hmm. I feel damn good. Fuck it. I'm going to do the 14 with her!

I hurt right now. I hurt a lot. I didn't start feeling crappy until mile 12. But under the circumstances, I thought I did well. I told June that I haven't done 14 miles since July 4. Upon looking at my running log, though, I realized I did 13 miles on July 4. Hmm. When was the last time I ran more than 14 miles? The answer: the Country Music Marathon on April 29. Whoops. I've done 2 thirteen mile days and then 4 ten mile days. But I haven't hit 14 miles in a LONG time.

There's no turning back now, though. I will not be going below 12 now for a while. I'm up to 14, my goal is to stay there pretty consistently.

Time to shower! I'm gross.

I'm so pleased that my body remembers 14 miles. Unfortunately, it also remembers the pain.

Cheers!

Adventures in Hell

Loyalty will get one far in life. Loyalty brings happiness (usually, unless you're loyal to an absolute ass), loyalty brings you comfort (see above sidenote), loyalty brings routine.

Loyalty has now become a negative issue.

I have discovered that my loyalty has a breaking point, a point which usually is far away, a point which usually never comes, a point which came today. I have decided that I will no longer be loyal.

I am now boycotting the Galleria on a weekend, or any day before noon.

Jesus Christ, I don't know what I was thinking. Why the hell did I want to go to the Galleria on a Saturday afternoon? I should've realized things were going to be bad when not only did I see parking lot attendants, but they were wearing Santa hats. Sigh. Holidays in shopping centers have now begun.

After spending a few hours a the gun show, I decided to be girly and go shopping. Some happy money came in from work and I wanted to buy myself a nice present for working so hard as a high school teacher. So I went off to the Galleria.

Wow. Big mistake.

After getting into the parking garage, I zipped up the ramp and had to stop pretty soon. So I did. And I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.

I waited for 20 freakin' minutes. No one was moving at ALL. I asked an attendant, and he said that the exit was blocked, which caused the huge traffic jam. Finally, a woman came out of the mall and got into her car and zipped out the other direction, and I zipped my little car in. Phew!

Once in the Galleria, I went into about 10 stores before finding the purse I wanted. Man, I searched. And I wished I got paid more. Finally, I found a bag at Nordstrom's that is stylish, attractive, well-made, and at the amount I was willing to spend (unlike the $1,000 Dior bag I drooled over).

Now all I had to do was escape from hell. Luckily, I was in hell long enough for the traffic to die down. I escaped rather quickly, and unscathed.

I'm saddened by the state of my once-favorite place. Sigh.

Cheers!

Soup and US Weekly

Yes, ladies and gents, it's Friday evening and I'm spending it alone with a cup (or two) of Italian-style wedding soup (my new favorite) and the latest issue of US Weekly. No, I am not spending this usually festive evening alone due to depression or lack of other options.

I am sick.

I haven't been sick in a while, and bugs and flus have been going around my campus this week, and since my immune system is probably shot due to my increased stress level, it's about time that I got sick. As of now, no fever. I'll keep you posted. Look at last December's posts - I was hit hard with the flu. Keep your fingers crossed this is just a nasty bug.

Oh, and for the question about my Achilles' heel - I've been very careful. I kept off of it for a while, I bandaged it and do calf raises to keep it strong. It's been fine since the half-marathon, but since I'm increasing my miles again, I'll keep enquiring minds satisfied.

Cheers! Cough, cough.

Movin' On Up

Sunday's training run was one of the most fun I've had in a while.

At 6:30am, June, Sarah, Cassie and I met at the Tennis Court. I was to do 10, and the others wanted to get in 13. Off we went and we actually kept the same pace until mile 5, in which I branched off and started back. They went for another mile and then followed. The first 5 miles was a 12:45-13 minute mile pace (not stopping the watch for water and gu breaks). The second 5 miles (solo) were slower, which is fine with me. I'm concentrating on getting my miles back up to 30 a week, so speed isn't my goal at present. I'll work on speed in a month or so, once I'm running consistently again. I only managed two days of running last week, but 16 miles is better than the 5 and 6 I did when the weather was horrific!

This week's training (tentative, of course):
Today: Tae-bo Boot Camp (for abs, glutes and quads)
Tomorrow: 6 miles (maybe upper body at gym also)
Wednesday: Tae-bo Boot Camp (for abs, glutes and quads)
Thursday: 6 miles (maybe upper body at gym also)
Friday: 4 miles (or if I feel crappy, I'll just use the elliptical machine at the gym)
Saturday:rest
Sunday: 10 miles (and upper body at gym)
Tentative weekly mileage: 22-26, which is a big jump.

The good news is that my Achilles tendon hasn't been acting up!

Cheers!

Daily Discoveries

Every day is filled with discoveries, some good and some not so good. Here are mine for the day...

1) The One True Knife (aka my fabulous Henckel 4-star professional Santuko knife) can slice human flesh just as easily as it can slice chicken flesh. And for an extra bonus: like a paper cut, the slice is so thin that it may take a few seconds to bleed. But bleed it does.

2) There is a very attractive house off of Rice University's campus (aka - my running spot) that has approximately 40 pink flamingos in the front yard. No, I don't get it either.

3) I now know where the on/off switch to my AC is in my classroom. A student showed me.

4) I have no idea where the on/off switch for the heat is in my attic at home. Thus I type wearing lots of layers of clothing.

5) The end of the novel "Cold Mountain" is similar to that of the movie.

6) One of the parents of my students has unearthed herself as a control freak who is questioning what I teach, saying that she "doesn't know what's going on" in my classroom and that her daughter it's learning anything. She wants a copy of EVERYTHING I do in my class. Trust me, everything.

7) Chocolate chip cookies still taste better after a 6-mile run. Although they taste pretty good for breakfast.

Cheers!

What's That Smell?

Burnt pecans.

Last night, I spent almost three hours cracking pecans, only to put them in the oven this evening to toast and then forgetting about them.

Sigh.

Oh, and my running plan hasn't happened. I've spent too many late days at work this week, and since it's getting dark... But I'm leaving tomorrow at 4, will get 6 miles in (or else). And I've been doing the Billy Blanks advanced bootcamp DVDs, so my legs are getting a pretty good workout without the knee strain (my glutes still hurt).

The weekend is almost here! And in two weeks, my Thanksgiving break begins! I plan to sleep, run, sleep, run, read, go to Louisiana for a day, sleep.

Woo-hoo!