drammatical

On the 28th I turned 29. It was sad. Seriously. This will be my last year in my twenties and well it’s sad. I love(d) my twenties. Not afraid of getting older just afraid of what’s expected with it. I’m still trying to get used to the idea that I’ve become an adult. I think it happened a year ago. Getting married does that to you, make you grow up that is.

1. There is tons that I want to get done next year. Special projects and attend events and read, lots more reading. Hopefully my old book club can get its act together again…

2. Something that I really liked this year was meeting with friends at least once a week. I know we all have crazy schedules and I hope we can all keep it up, meeting.

3. I also cut down my spending, a lot. Want to continue that and hopefully I can cut back some more. Sure it was great on the pocketbook but really I don’t want anymore more stuff. There’s far too much stuff as it is and I want to cut my dependence on the accumulation of stuff.

4. I’d like to seriously start a library. Maybe invest in some early editions of my favorite books. Total contrast to what I just said up there I know, but these are books!

5. Also, I need to get my Spanish reading up to high school level. I set out this year wanting to read the entire Harry Potter series in Spanish and just never got around to it.

6. Well I will do it this year.

7. Must also finish reading all the books that haven’t ever been opened currently on our bookcases.

8. Take a vacation, again. After our awesome two weeks in Mexico N and I realized that was probably going to be our last vacation for a long time.

9. We are planning a big purchase this year, biggest one in our lives, so we figured we wouldn’t be able to afford one. Well nope, I think vacations are a necessity and I want to take one, again. Maybe somewhere in Central America. I’m even up to going back to Huatulco since we loved it so much with a trip to Oaxaca City first.

10. Must save my pennies for this one splurge.

11. Professionally I need to get my act together.

12. There are some certifications that I’ve been putting off that need to get done.

13. Also, I will invest more time in my career. Apparently this is what I’m going to be doing from now on, that’s a good thing.

14. Focus on health. No more chocolates, cheese, cracker, wine dinners. Getting far too old for that nonsense.

15. Will make breakfast a priority.

16. More intake of protein, both the animal and vegan kind.

17. Cut back on animal milk, must acclimate to soy.

18. Learn to say no to tias that force food on me, and my dad too.

19. Will look into ways to reduce my asthmatic episodes.

20. Goals that are up for next year include a mini triathlon with Shannon,

21. Mt. Wilson race time decrease with N’s help,

22. Rosarito Ensenada bike ride with my tia Chevy,

23. and complete the San Dimas AR with team Three.

24. Need to make sleep a priority. At least seven hours a day to begin with.

25. When tired, must rest. No more burning myself out to a point that I’m nonfunctional.

26. Be more kind and appreciative of people, everyone.

27. Act the way I want to see people act.

28. Help where help is needed.

29. Love more.

I took this post from here.

I feel the need to follow-up on my dog post. Pobrecita, I guess I made her sound like a pain in the a…

She’s a Siberian Husky. The breed that was bred for nothing but running, in the harshest of climates. So yeah, obviously this dog shouldn’t even be in the city. Anyway, we have her and are keeping her. She’s been passed around like cheap xxxx and this is her 5th home that I can track.

Personally, I think no one took the time to read up on her. See what she needs, wants, is all about. All they saw was “OMG she’s soooooo cute!” Once she expressed any type of behavior that was not wanted/liked she was shipped to the next place. Sorry but that’s what I see, totally not trying to bring anyone down. She’s beautiful, intelligent, energetic and ready to please. She’s also afraid of being abandoned, but hell who wouldn’t with so much moving around.

We’ve contacted a few trainers and have visited some message boards, all say to crate her. We tried. It failed. She escapes! Seriously, we’ve tried numerous times and all of them she’s managed to break free from her cage. If this doesn’t tell you how smart she is I don’t know what does. She’s okay to roam free BUT since her anxiety takes over she’s been chewing on the front door since she knows that’s the way out. Also, she’s been jumping on our couch when we’re not home. Honestly I wouldn’t mind if she didn’t scratch at it. N seems to think that she’ll be okay to roam while we’re not around, I’m not so convinced yet.

A trainer came over last Tuesday, she’s already trained so it was mostly for N and myself. We bought her a prong collar and she suffered with the trainer… Well you know what!? Whenever I put that thing on her she behaves like a damn show dog. No pulling no trying to run in front of us, she doesn’t even try to visit with other dogs. She obviously learned about the prong collar and its pain… So what I need now is an equivalent for the kennel. Or a new trainer. Any recommendations? Anyone own a Husky out there? I’d like to talk to someone that has some experience with this breed. And I already know, “enjoy the ride”.

I may be putting my foot in my mouth with this post but she’s a keeper.

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xmas thoughts...

- free gift wrapping is godsend and should be mandatory.

- wine is the gift that keeps on giving.

- books are always welcomed. thanks friends/family!

- i <3 uno. that's how i managed to keep a bunch of tweens, teenagers and one 18 year old entertained on xmas eve.

- chocolate, marshmallows and almonds are haven.

- trying to get wicked tickets sucks.

- having a b-day sucks.

- will never have children in december. my parents must hate me.

- you can find anything and everything three days after xmas!

So we have decided to keep the dog. [after spending a gazillion dollars on her] OMG is she a handful. She’s great and very well behaved but she also has issues staying alone and well we work! Plus I’ve been skipping xfit just so I can take her out on runs. I wonder if I can even bring her to xfit on days that I do go… you know just tie her up in a corner outside?

So this new addition is a big change into our little world. We are now faced with questions we didn’t have to ask before. Can we go to dinner, alone? Not until her alone issues are resolved. Is Vegas going to happen? Probably not. What are we going to do about our chewed up front door? Aye. Geez Louise. This is worse than a baby…

-need to find a decent watch for A.

-need help with dad’s gift. A Stetson is outta the question.

-have ideas for n’s gift, which always come way too late to pull off.

-thinking too much of pending anniversary of (my) year. And next’s too…

-I want to move. We may have an opportunity to move closer to parentals, even if it’s for a short time.

-need to call brother from another mother and reconnect. This relationship needs some love, from both ends.

-don’t want to celebrate bd, so please don’t bother people. Not being negative nancy but my bd sucks since well it sucks because of its timing. Bad economy and all, so nada! I’m only accepting home made scribbles.

-must practice my spanish skills as they are clearly deteriorating.

-make time for reading. Out of the 24 books I set out to read this year, only 14 have been finshed...

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I’ve been keeping track of all the days I’ve been working out since we got back to it. I did this back when I was training for Mt. Wilson, two months I logged everything I did and ate. What I didn’t do was log how I felt, physically and mentally. These past weeks I’ve been taking mental notes of everything and I think I’m ready to start putting stuff down on paper, again.

What triggered this? Well on Saturday N suggested [forced more like it] I go for a 5K. Ugh. I knew this was coming and well wasn’t looking forward to it. Recently I’ve decided that I’m going to push myself to the max when running, puke and everything, so yeah. Plus this route is tough, 50% upgrade. Did it…. in 29 minutes flat! That was a personal record for me. Plus, I really haven’t put in any mileage since, well since the ½ marathon. This really shocked me. Not that I could run that fast, for me anyway, but that I had improve my speed by not really focusing on running. Immediately I went over to the fridge to check out my workouts, three days of crossfit and one day of bootcamp every week for the past four weeks. Very promising indeed.

So apparently N has earned the right to chant “I told ya so.”

In the last three weeks that I’ve been back to xfit I have –
- Blistered my hands (still healing)
- Almost eaten sh!t while box jumping. Luckily my mad skills saved me… It was all luck that my had reached out and stopped me from eating it big.
- Hit my chin with a 45lb bar which hurt like hell for a week.
- Bruised my shins and thighs while dead lifting. If that’s not proof enough that I did em right I don’t know what is.
- Have not had one day without soreness.
- Have felt great physically albeit tired.
- Really enjoyed spending/suffering with friends/family.
- Really, really, I mean really enjoyed my rest days.

Funny moments shared –
- N was really proud of my hand and was showing it off while I was trying to hide it.
- While looking at the Muddy Buddy brochure I was saying how Shannon said it was a really fun race and how we should do it too. N said “that’s what she said about the AR you did right?” Right, five hours later…
- N doing the running man all over our place making fun of me.
- Both of us trying to out due each other in how sore we are.
- Watching/listening to N trying to get new people to come out and join the pain.


While in Huatulco, N came up with the best idea. Since the beach was a walk away from the hotel itself, all stairs, he proposed we run up them four times in the morning. We did. Three mornings. I wanted to die. The staff was really good about it though. After the first morning they made jokes about us getting lost. Then on day three they were pretty impressed. I was impressed I didn't faint!

What a weekend. Lots of family, friends and food.

Thanksgiving morning was started with a 5K. Even though it was like climbing Mt. Everest it was a great way to start the day. Lots of Red cult members there including the ringleader. It was my first time running since I can remember. Sometime before our vacation.

We hosted a brunch for my in-laws. Afterwards, we headed to the valley of the dirt to spend a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at my sisters’. Of course we ate too much but we did make it out to xfit the next day. Little A was taking us all with his newfound poker skills. Punk.

We DID wake up and make it to the sales. What a waste of time for us. Nothing we needed or wanted. I’m so over doing this to myself. Must remember to read this post next year.

Reflecting on all the changes we’ve made over the years I’m very happy that even though we know we eat (drink) too much during the holidays (and other days) at least we make an effort to work off some of it. I can’t say that for everyone, and I don’t mean that in a negative way either. It’s just something that I’m happy we have incorporated into our lives. After all, we’re the ones that have to live with these bodies and well its kinda hard lugging ourselves around as it is. Every year we seem to be making better choices and decisions, maybe next year we’ll cut out the pies. Maybe… Babysteps.

We also visited N’s granny. It’s always inspirational to see her. She’s an 80+ year old woman that is as strong as can be. She has no health issues and her mind is better than mine. She has such a strong and powerful will it’s unbelievable. She’s what I want to turn into when I grow up.

Yesterday was a day filled with great friends. Sometimes you don’t realize how important friends are and how much they really are part of one’s family. I’m very fortunate to have them in my life and to be able to pretty much say, do, and act anyway I want and they’ll always be there. They always have. It also amazes me how much we have all grown up and keep on growing. Yikes!

Leaving you with one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Diego Rivera’s murals at the Palacio National. Amazing!

with my report! Phew, all in record time too. Now I can enjoy the holidays. Hope no more work makes its way round my inbox.

Off to watch Viva La Vida [loca]. Hope its a good show and hope traffic isn't bad on the way back.

Here's to hope in 09.

Goals. Lots of talk about these lately. Guess I better start too.

Well, after some talking with N I’ve decided (have been tricked) into focusing on strength. My strength sucks, always has. I hate strength training. I hate feeling like I’d rather die than complete another round of some CrossFit WOD. I’m so that person. I don’t mind running, even if I feel like puking, that’s okay. It’s the pain from lifting, my own body even, that’s not.

During this year’s Mt. Wilson training, Ranger-man opened up about some of his experiences during his stint in the military. It was really inspiring and it helped me get through that month I did nothing but CrossFit. Then, I forgot all about it. Well Monday’s session really kicked me hard. I wanted nothing more than to stop after the first round. Of course I wasn’t willing to quit, I don’t quit. But I was willing an injury, small one, to help end the torture. I know this is wrong, I know I shouldn’t think like that, but I’m being honest here. What helped me get through it was my team, Coach Eric and the assistant coach (sorry, forgot his name!). Also, the warrior board helped too. It’s amazing to see how strong people are! Also, reading some definitions about pain and how it means its good was also reassuring.

Sure my legs feel like they’re going to give out on me. Sure I can’t raise my arms above my chest. Definitely screaming inside when having to get up and down. Forget about climbing stairs. But other than that I feel good. This is a reminder that my body needs more torture. So needless to say I’m looking forward to handicap rail assisted bathroom breaks, having to wash my hair in increments of 5 seconds, squealing when getting up, and walking in flats. I may have to get N’s cane out of the closet too.

Goals for next year:

- Get to standard pushups.

- Finish Mt. Wilson in 2 hours.

- Finish sprint adventure race within allotted time with team tres! I can’t believe we’re doing this again.

- Run another ½ at 2:30 w/o bathroom break.

- Maybe, maybe do a mini tri w/ Shannon. I said maybe!

from our amazing vacation. el sigh

Will post pictures, experiences, stories later. So much fun was had.

Happy to be back though. I didn't realize how much I really did miss you all.

Happy Halloween! We have a ton of candy and just realized we won’t be here tonight for any trick-or-treaters. Whoops! May have to make a pit stop at MIL to drop all this booty off before it goes on my bootie. Also, forgot to send my cards early this year so they may arrive tomorrow. Hey, that’s the real Halloween eve for us mexis anyway.

Man I’m so excited to finish up all my work and be free for two weeks! Eek! I think we/I have made all the necessary purchase sans N’s necessary alka seltzer box and an extra memory card for camera. Alls left is voting, washing and packing and cleaning our place up. That last one I’m not so excited about. Ugh, our dining table looks like it’s been hit with a hurricane of paper. Shit! Must call airline with passport information. Already confirmed all reservations and transportation to and from airport here in the EU.

So here’s something that I’ve been wanting to remind/say to my family but I think it may be a little dark/negative. Appropriate for American Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos eve + one day. I want to reiterate my wishes in case anything were to happen to me, i.e. funeral plans, no life support, etc. Heck, I’m even sending in a new beneficiary form for all my retirement/investment funds since they claim I never submitted one! Bastards. I also want to call and make sure the funds go to someone else in case something happens to my beneficiary too. What I really need to do is make a will but no one wants to take me serious. My family knows that I do not want to be buried but burned instead, they know I do not want life support, and so on. Everytime I have this conversation with any one of them they cut me off. They claim that I’m too young to be talking like that, that I’m being a downer but am I really? I don’t think so. Shit happens all the damn time and I just want to make sure that everyone is prepared and knows what to do. I read once about tips on preparing for events like this. One was to make sure your spouse knows where all important documents, bank accounts, bills are. The article even suggested making a list of everything. Yeah, I’ve had this convo with N and he gets all uncomfortable and changes the subject. It’s not like I’m a glass half empty type of girl but have seen far too much drama to not be worried. So, I’m kinda worried that all my conversations on these topics have lasted all but two minutes with my loved ones. Hopefully all 100 two minute talks will come to mind in case shit happens.

So have a safe, fun and happy Halloween!

The artwork above came from here.

Well my bronchitis is almost gone. Looks like now I just have to get rid of all the crap that built up in my throat. Gross.

This infection started last week on Monday, after the AR. Didn’t get bad until Tuesday night and had to make an appointment with the Dr. on Thursday cause of my asthma and all. All they told me was what I already knew, I need to get rest and drink liquids and come in if breathing is tough to do. Blah, blah, blah. Plus they gave me some antibiotics that I’m not too happy on taking. The Dr. even admitted that they won’t help at all, only a precaution in case something else, like a virus gets contracted. WTF!? Most of you know, or don’t, that I’m anti-pharmaceuticals. Anyway, I’ve been taking the stupid pills even though they’ve been really hard on my stomach. Maybe those pills will accidentally fall on the floor soon, or in the trash even. What I really think helped me fight this was the rest I finally succumbed to, lack of any cold beverages, all the working out that I’ve been doing, all the good (healthy) food I’ve been eating, stopped all dairy products for the exception of my intake of fresh cheese from Chihuahua, and some funky concoction my mami made for me.

Things I’ve missed that have made my heart sad:

- Coffee, can’t take it cause I love it with milk/creamer. Sad.
- Beer. Was suicidal about this until N pointed out that I’ll be in Mx soon.
- Appetite. Been having to force feed myself which sucks.
- Energy. I get these bursts of energy, which are very deceiving, and then after 30 min I’m beat.
- Not coughing. Ugh.
- Normal sleep. Sure I need naps but then I can’t sleep at night.
- Running and exercising. Yeah, I said it.

Looking forward to:

- All the online purchases I made in an attempt to therapeutically help my sad heart.
- Exercising. N thinks I’ll be able to get back on Thursday!
- Beer on Friday.
- Voting and fleeing the country on Tuesday.
- Packing. N swears he’s going to start now! Bwahahahahahahaha!
- Coffee! Had my first today and it was so good it’s beyond description.
- Getting rid of all the junk stuck in my lungs.
- Stopping those nasty antibiotic pills.
- Nixing tea. I like the stuff but after eight days of the stuff I’m ready to call it quits for the time being.

I can't believe we all survived yesterday's Adventure Race. It was quite the adventure... All I'm ready to share is that we finished and it was hard, like I wanted to quit six minutes into the thing. Yeah. R and A helped push me through the last leg as I was ready to throw in the towel. This is why I keep these guys around.

Kudos to Shannon, Lynn and Beth the Three Margaritas! Those women did awesome. Also, thanks to Eric and Vanessa for the tips and emotional support. All of you guys really helped us a LOT.

Now, I'm just ready to ship out on vacation. I can feel the ocean breeze, smell the sunscreen and taste the _______ and _______. Total bliss.

I'm sicker now more than ever. My head is full of tension and I sound like a five-pack a day smoker. Feel like one too.

Debating whether to go to the BC/CF Halloween Extravaganza on Friday. I want to go but I don't want to dress up. Guess I feel silly plus I'm so not up to going out and grabbing something either. I barely have the energy to write this up and bake those chocolate chip muffins I can now smell. mmmmmmmmm. Plus N told me that there's this poster at the Academy stating "Dress up Bitches!" Hmmm, yeah that alone makes me want to rebel and not dress up.

This sucks -

***All Athletes***
We would like to convey to you all how important it is to us that our athletes have a good experience, and that most certainly includes receiving a medal at the end of the race. To our unfortunate amazement, we had so many unregistered and unpaid runners (bandits) that ran in the race this year that our surplus of at least 300 half marathon medals disappeared before legitimate athletes were able to cross the finish line to claim what was rightfully theirs. We are taking this very seriously and are already talking about ways that we can rectify the situation for the race in 2009.
If you finished the race and did not receive the medal please email us your name, address and bib number to lelison@runicr.com

At least we all got our medals. Makes me appreciate my little gold plated thingamajig.

Told ya this thing was somewhat disorganized. Hopefully this won't happen at the Pasadena race.

So the half was this past Sunday. R, A and I all ran it. R did awesome as usual but I’ll let her share her unofficial time *wink wink*.

It’s taken me some days to make this post because I’m full of emotions I care not to share with everyone. Not because I’m trying to exclude people but because not everyone has to be subjected to my issues. So here goes, hopefully it won’t come off as too bitter…

The day started off pretty hectic. I didn’t get anything to eat prerace and I was sorta stressed because A and R were stuck in traffic. N and I stayed down in LB so all I had to do was walk over to the starting line. A finally got there but since this was our first time there we had no idea about the starting time and how that’d affect our official times. Being as rushed and stressed as we were I screwed up his chip and told him to carry it in his water belt. BIG MISTAKE. Due to my stupidity he never got an official time. *tear* But all in all we had fun and stayed together, for the most part.

Up until mile 6 we were talking and having a great time. We were right on pace with 11 minute miles. Then I had to use the restroom. I wasted 15 minutes just waiting in line. This was really infuriating because I just can’t understand why this happens to me. This is about the 4th time I’ve felt this way during a long run. A said that he’d press on and I gave him my blessing. After the bathroom incident I was so pissed that I just ran as hard as I could. Then I found that I was only a few yards from the 6mi mark so my 10K was off. Caught up to A little after mile 9. He was walking and I pushed him to run with me. We made it all the way without stopping except once after mile 10 for some water and powerade. He sprinted the last ¼ mile and I couldn’t catch him. According to my watch his time was 2:50 and mine was 2:53. If it wasn’t for that stupid stop I had to make we would have made it at 2:35/ 2:38.

Things I’ve learned/considered -

1. If it wasn’t for all that powerade I made a point of drinking I’m not sure I would have made it without food. Must eat, no matter what. This may be a contributing factor to my bathroom stop.

2. I’m physically strong to run 13.1 mi without stopping. Need to work on my mental strength during Saturday training runs.

3. Running with a cell phone in hand is not a good idea.

4. Running with a partner helps tremendously with number 2.

5. Having your own water belt is the best.

6. Sucks having to dodge/swerve through people while running.

7. Not sure if I want to do this particular race next year. It was pretty unorganized at the starting line and we couldn’t get anyone to help with our bib and chip issues listed above.

8. Surprisingly I’m not sore at all and was ready to startup yesterday but N and R advised against it. Left knee is feeling off but that’s about it.

9. Got a massage on Friday and I’m guessing that helped.

10. Took Tylenol before the race, that helped too.

11. Best of all, I looked at this race as just another training run.

Looking forward to our AR this coming Sunday.

Today has been rough on so many levels. None that matter though…

So I ran out of allergy pills on Sunday and never went to get anymore. Last night I was paying the price. Couldn’t stop coughing and had serious insomnia. WTF I never get insomnia. This insomnia has been plaguing me for a while. Ugh. Needless to say I woke up this am feeling the opposite of great on only fourfuckenhours of sleep. Oh, and they weren’t a good solid four hours either. First thing I did before coming into the office, picked up a packet of pharmaceuticals.

It’s taken me all week so far to make some minor adjustments on a report here at work. Pho. This is not good. My brain is tired and can only concentrate on coffee, long walks by the beach and sleep. Hopefully the finished product I just sent out won’t come back with any more ridiculous comments/recommendations.

My vision is getting worse. Damn you solitaire! I can totally see, or not see for that matter that I need a new prescription. ^%^*^$%*))! I don’t want my eyes to get old! All this with A constantly asking why I don’t get lasik. Well, it’s because my vision keeps getting worse. Sorry kid, we’re from the same gene pool and BIO 101 tells me you’re headed in the same direction. Muhahahahaha!

Still contemplating a dress a purchased a couple of weeks ago. Sure I loved it when I got it, now I’m not so sure. I’m so bipolar when it comes to clothes, decisions, life.

The one that’s about to send me over the edge, I can’t get an appointment for a facial! The nerve!

As for the debate. I recorded it on PBS. N played about 5 minutes of it last night and I got all wound up. Me thinks this could have been a contributing factor to my lack of sleep. I won’t go into politics here but I will say that I’m actually looking forward to when the other shoe drops, opps it already did…

Dreading traffic tonight. Looking forward to watching SATC movie for the 4th time. Can’t wait to lay down.

Peace, love and kisses.

BTW, this little guy belongs to me. Sorry you didn't get the memo G, I'll be picking him and ALL of his belongings tonight.

Work is getting a lot harder. Not because of the actual work but because I just can't focus! With only three weeks to go for our trip I can't seem to concentrate on anything. Well anything that needs my attention. Argh!

This is all I've been thinking about...







I can't wait!

After a weekend of hibernation I was sure this morning’s workout was going to feel great. WRONG. Not only did I perform subpar I feel like I ran the Mt. Wilson trial all over again. My leg muscles are tired, my arms feel weak, my back can’t get out of its hunching over position and all over something hurts. Looks like the 3:1 isn’t happening this week. That’s okay though. I think I’ve been working very hard these last two months and as Coach E and Coach N have repeatedly told me, I must focus on the positive.

The plan is to take tomorrow off, BC Wednesday, try to make a CF session on Thursday and BC Friday. The ½ is on Sunday so Saturday will be a rest day. My goal for the race is 2:40. Originally I wanted 2:30 but I don’t want to beat myself up if I don’t get that number. Plus, after doing 10 miles on Saturday in 2.02 I think that an additional 3 miles is going to take about an extra 40 minutes.

Other thoughts… Even though I’ve been complaining about all of my shortcomings I am very proud of four very important people in my life that have all inspired me.

My husband N. Only after having knee surgery just two months ago he’s back at it. Plus, he’s better than most people I know! Always my biggest supporter and mentor. Never letting me down in any way and always pushing me to do better. He’s what keeps me going. He’s a true athlete.

My brother A. Who knew that dragging him out to a few 5K’s would have turned him on to BC. Every time I talk to him he has something to share from his class. It’s awesome to see how much he’s change in only a few months, both physically and mentally. Damn, he’s doing his first ½ this Sunday, then his first AR next Sunday THEN his first marathon in November. My baby brother kicks ass!

My mom. After all my hassling for her to get back to her walking and not excepting any excuses from her, A and I have managed to get her to her first 5K. This is a huge achievement for her and I’m very proud that she’s committed to it. I know this will be the first of many races to come. My mom’s on her way.

My friend R. Not only has she been a loyal BFF for many years this woman has always inspired me. I still remember when she dragged me to our first yoga class. Then I dragged her to her first CF class… The rest is history. R is on her way to becoming an elite CFer.

I’m still working on a few others but I’m sure I’ll get them to come around eventually…

i realized that i'm guilty of this too since all of my posts are virtually bitch fests. whoops.

I’m in a shitty mood but not really. I really want to be mad but I just can’t seem to get there. Inside I feel these emotions trying to break free and it’s really annoying that they can’t.

First, my effin thighs are bigger than ever. WTF! My pants barely fit, if you can even say that. The strange thing is that I’ve been losing weight and inches elsewhere except for that area. They just keep on getting bigger. What the hell is going on down there?

Second, my clutch went out yesterday and now I’m out a significant amount of money. Really sad about this because I was finally going to treat myself with something and then this shit happens. My treat will now be a new clutch. Not fucken fun. *&@#%()!!!

Third, work. Gawd this place is so negative. Everyone always complaining about something I just can’t take it anymore. I’d understand if their complaints were valid and out of their control but everything they bitch about is because they made it so! Argh! This is what happens when you have an office full of type Aers.

Forth, my foot. My heel more specifically. The darn thing still hurts! I’ve been icing, rolling and massaging the thing and even though it hurts less each day it STILL hurts. Now I’m confused if I should go for the training run on Saturday or not.

Finally, after two years of pushups from the knees I still can’t do a real pushup. This is very disappointing. I try and try but my weak arms can’t handle all this weight. :’(

Fuck, I think my bad mood has finally broken through.

Richard Gere is DEFINATLY still hot. 5 min ago

Men just get better and better. 5 min ago

Bastards. 3 min ago

Bwahahaha! 1 min ago

It’s Monday what else can I say…

Had a great weekend and wish I had another day… or four. My cold has passed and now I’m just congested, especially in my chest.

So my first week of 3:1 failed. I missed out on Thursday since I felt like crap. Here’s what I did do:

Friday: CrossFit-Jackie(?) 1K row, 50 thrusters w/45lb bar, and 30 pullups (jumping) Time-16:40

Saturday: ran 12.5 miles. Time-2:50 The first 6 miles were okay, I wasn’t feeling so good but it was okay then I hit a wall. My body, breathing and mind were all suffering. Thankfully MK was the support crew and took care of us during the whole route! Thank gawd for MK!!! Really, if it wasn’t for him driving around and looking for us I’m not sure I would have made it. Also, Shannon was a true friend and stuck with me the whole way too. She sacrificed a good time to keep me company. I owe her BIG.

Sunday: REST My feet were doing much better but my left heel was giving me some problems. Every time I’d bend over pain would start there and shoot up my leg. This doesn’t sound good so I rolled my feet on tennis balls all day.

Monday: BC 400m sprints, 9 pushups, 9 jumping squats Time-5 rounds plus we ran up the goat hill 3 times, 5 if if you count the warm-up. My chest was congested and affected my breathing. Plus I was really tired after the sprints that it took me a long time to complete the pushups and squats. Hopefully by week’s end my breathing will get back on track.

Goals for the week:
- to complete two 3:1 schedules.
- must get rid of all this congestion.
- continually make better choices in all my consumption and hydration.
- Get to the bottom of A’s new haircut. Took me a lot of convincing and pleading and begging to get him to cut his locks for our wedding and now he’s just cut it “just because.” Yeah, whatever…

Finally, I swear this will end it, I was reflecting, yes reflecting, on my habits this weekend. I’ve come to the conclusion that I sabotage myself. Whenever I get into really improving my strength and times and diet I back off for some reason. First it happened after the wedding, last year it happened around this time, then again around March, then after Mt. Wilson, now I’m starting to get back on track and I’m starting to see bad habits creep up. In particular with my eating. So, at least I’ve recognized that I do this and will be continuously watching myself. I’m afraid of falling off the wagon again because that damn wagon goes way too fast and its soooo hard to get back on. Ask me, I’ve been doing the jumping on and off for a while.

1. after talking myself out of calling in sick i found a flat on my car. grrrr.

2. freakin' chest has been hurting all day long. tight and hard to breath.

3. stoopid kaiser had no effin appointments and they wanted me to go to urgent care. eff that i'll take my chances with my little inhaler.

4. going up a flight of stairs made me out of breath.

5. couldn't go to bc because of #1 and #2 and possibly #4.

6. just paid $205 for the effin 1 5k and 2 half marathon bibs. that's bs.

7. costco erased my car from their system. good thing i keep all car related receipts in glove compartment.

8. $190.21 at costco!!! wtf! i only got gatorade and soap.

"well, i fucken love you" <3 <3 <3 now

it's official i have a cold and i'm not happy. my nose has been drippy all day and it now hurts from all the wiping. body aches too. i know n is going to say that i've been pushing myself too much but i won't admit to that. i think someone gave me this virus.

oh, since i've been called out on being boring and outta touch for not having a twitter account i'll just add my own homemade twitt[i]er updates here...

twitt[i]er updates
watching satc again. 5 min ago
love ondemand. 4 min ago
wish i would have gotten an iced vanilla latte before i got home.4 min ago
i should really get dinner started. 3 min ago
i'm hungry 3 min ago
and really thirsty 3 min ago
wtf is that noise outside???? 2 min ago
all these cats are going to be the death of me 2 min ago
i am the bubble girl 2 min ago
alright, wish i had some nutella but instead will see what else i can eat 1 min ago
big is such an asshole 1 min ago
but oh so hot!!!! 1 min ago

Been in Atlanta, Vegas, training and now back at some more training. Sheesh seems like I no longer have a desk, which can be good and baaaaad.

Atlanta was hot. It made all of my allergies and asthma flare up and still am suffering from them. Not good. I did manage to eat right although I wasn't necessarily on the Zone but I did always manage to get some protein in at each meal.

Vegas was awesome. No more on that. >:)

Training is going great, learning tons of new stuff and can't wait to actually use these new skills.

Now for my other training. New Fall Bootcamp Cycle.

Week 1
Mon 9/15: Recover from Atlanta/Vegas
Tue 9/16: 5K run Time-30:19
Wed 9/17: Bootcamp 3 Razorback Repeats Time-last person down
Thu 9/18: Rested, legs and feet were both swollen and in pain.
Fri 9/19: CrossFit 5 rounds of 5 pull ups (jumped), 20 sit ups, 5 push ups, 10KB swings (green one) Time-16something last person that did this workout.
Sat 9/20: Woke up with painful feet again and skipped out on the 5K I had planned on doing. Attended a wedding and got some cardio in during the reception.
Sun 9/21: Chantry Flats Loop 5mi. Time-1:20+? Asthma was tough

Week2
Mon 9/22: Bootcamp Squats, bear crawl, crab walk, push ups
Tue 9/23: CrossFit 20 minutes of 10 medball cleans (16lbs) and 10 push ups Rounds:8

So I have 13.2 miles to run in a couple of weeks. I'm both excited and scared but mostly scared. I'm not sure I'm prepared. Plus, I've never gone that far so I know its 75% mental and 25% physical that's coming into play right now. In preparation for this big deal I'm trying out the 3:1 schedule. Today was day 3 of this new plan/torture. Feeling really tired but I don't know if its from all the sneezing and congestion that's been going on to really bad allergies, cold I may be getting from N or just plain stress from work. I'm really, really, I mean really looking forward to my rest day tomorrow. I think I may actually snore tonight.

Also really afraid on how my quads are going to feel too.

So I thought I’d address some comments I’ve received…

Gee, I don’t even know what camera I want yet all I know is I want one, now. See, that’s how bad of an effin bandwagon’er I’ve become. So disappointed in myself. The funny thing is I don’t even like taking pictures. N does all of our picture taking. Seriously. I hate it. Seems like pictures interrupt the moment for me. I’m all about treasuring the moment. BUT, N takes really amazing pictures. He’s a total natural and I want to exploit that talent. For our walls ya know. Plus we have that Mexico trip coming up and I want some shots of the DF pyramids. I’m working on a collage of all indigenous things. So there you have it. Here’s one I’ve been looking at:

Geefunk, whatever. WHAT-EVER! Dude, seriously. I know you totally have to say stuff like that so we’ll leave it at that. Don’t forget that you’re doing youknowwhat next year. At or against your will. I’ve already signed you up…

trailrunnerconDios, tough? Come now, I’m no toughie. All I’m trying to do is just keep my Saturday mornings full until I find something less taxing. But in all seriousness, I’m in no way a toughie in respect to BC/CF/anythingrelatedtosports. It’s about just getting and staying healthy. If looking good is a side effect of this well that’s something I’m willing to live with. I know all the stuff about diet, consistency, etc. I think everyone knows, but some of us chose to ignore that knowledge and thus don’t do any of it. As far as diet, I’m working on this, have been for the last ten years. I’d probably be even more obese if I didn’t watch what I ate. I’m at my heaviest now and I watch what I eat even more so than any other time in my life. Argh age. What I’ve come to accept is that I have to watch it all the time, not just M-F. Consistency. I’m constantly working on the big C, sometimes I’m on it and sometimes I’m off. It’s hard work I tell ya.

Storytime: You know why I really did the Mt. Wilson? Because of Hope and Eric. I didn’t do it really because I wanted to do it, initially that is. First, Hope challenged us (lady bc’ers) to come out on Saturday mornings to train with the serious trail runners, like you. She assured us we didn’t have to do the race, just another day to get a workout in, plus it was free. So here I go thinking why not. Then the day of actually signing up came and everyone is signing up while I’m in a little corner minding my own business. Out of the corner of my eye I saw E coming at me. Sh!t is all I thought. Then he asked and I said I would think about it then he too challenged me. Admittedly that was one of the best tag team efforts I’ve seen out of those two. Talk about teamwork. So there you have the real reason to why I did the race in the first place. It wasn’t me, it was them. Then I have yet another coach at home constantly challenging me. See, some people are lucky to have coaches at their disposal at The Academy. I’m lucky to have one available all the time. Gosh, so many C words!

Another funny, I won't even be in town for the Pasadena gig...

So I did it.

1st 5K - 29.45 :-)
2nd 5K - 33.27 :-(

No PRs for me. My 5K PR is 29.25. What I found was that the 1st was all about the cardio. Second one was just plain pain and fatigue. Ugh. Now I feel like I ran a marathon. :-(

I need new shoes. :-)

So I did the ten miles on Saturday, four on Monday and now I’m up for two 5K’s today. Daunting.

Also, I’ve managed to successfully stay on the Zone 75 percent of the time since Tuesday. Really can feel the difference even though N was making fun of me last night accusing me of drinking the so called water. Hmpf! Little does he know he’s been Zoning too. Hah!

So the only problem I’ve come across is bread. I love the stuff. Not white bread or table bread. Not that nonsense. I’m talking about chocolate muffins and banana walnut loaves bread. Especially with coffee… Damn you bread. Other than that it’s been good times. Then there’s that little bit of wine I had on Sunday, but, I did manage to offset it with some cheese full of protein.

I’ve also been lurking on The Zone’s boards and must admit are quite helpful. It’s reassuring to know there are others with the same thoughts and feelings when it comes to The Zone and food in general.

Something else I’ve been thinking about seriously is adopting the 3:1 schedule. It’s all about getting back to consistency and dedication. I did do those last things before and saw results, I guess they do work. Just guessing here.

Crap, I think someone’s slipped me some of that water after all. #%$%*)!

damn. missed the am bc class yet again. seems that mornings and me don't mix very well this week.

all i want to do is go home and crawl into bed. what i will do is force my ass to bc with aa and suffer, tremendously i'm sure. crap.

well at least i've managed to successfully stay on the zone all day. hopefully this mere fact will help me out tonight.

thanks e for keepin' it real.

-
1. Really upset at my current weight.
2. Want/Need one of those fancy cameras everyone seems to have.
3. Mad at self for jumping on first bandwagon ever, see above item.
4. Scared about running 13.1 miles. Hell, scared about running 10 miles.
5. Trying not to bite my nails, awful habit I know.
6. Work is really so easy but so hard to focus on.

+
1. Made appt. with graduate advisor to finally finish degree.
2. Really psyched about going back to school.
3. Thinking of possible thesis options.
4. Getting a haircut finally.
5. Spending some time with mom this weekend, finally.
6. Got to see A-II last night!
7. Cube-mates are super quiet. Wait.
8. Only two more hours and I’m free from here.

Where to start. N is doing much better. We think he has full range of motion but his knee keeps on locking up. Plus, walking for long periods of time really hurts him. So far we expect that he’ll be out for another two more weeks then back to the old salt mill, or tasting warehouse as I like to call it. If you know N and have still not had a chance to see or talk to him you better do it now. Once he gets back to work it’ll be bye bye N.

Last week we took our obligatory trip to Kern River. It was so refreshing to be out of town, out of the city. All we did was hang out at the river and indulge. What we really liked about this trip was the lack of people! We usually head out on Saturday but this time we left on Monday and it made all the difference. We’ve decided this is the way to go from now on. Another idea we came up with was actually inviting people up with us next year. We received a ton of inquiries as to what we would be doing and where was this place and so on. We got the hint. The plan is to get a house on the river front and then we’ll see from there.

Yesterday was a lazy Sunday indeed. AA wanted to go for a 10miler but I really didn’t have it in me. I needed to sleep in since I really haven’t since, geez I can’t remember when. Instead I spent my morning at SB finishing up my Lance Armstrong book and then headed over to watch Bottle Shock. The movie was good but I could have waited to see it on video. I must admit that I wish they would have added more scenes related to wine as opposed to the romantic triangle they had in there. All in all I give this movie a B- rating. Great cast though, especially liked Snape’s character.

Lance Armstrong book review to follow.

One more thing, finally booked our trip to Mexico!

Today’s my first day back in the office and N’s first day on his own *gasp*. I already spoke to him this morning so at least I know he won’t be lying on the floor unconscious when I get home.

His surgery went well, or at least that’s what we were told by the MDs. The recovery is another story. At this point he’s still having a very hard time bending his knee and therefore, can’t drive. This I think is what’s really killing him, being stuck.

He started physical therapy last Thursday and we saw tremendous improvement. So, given the PT’s advice to not get “cooped up at home” we went for dinner and drinks Friday night. Saturday morning his knee was slightly pink and somewhat swollen. So went on the weekend, he went out for a few hours on Saturday and some on Sunday. Well, now his knee is swollen. Both the MD and PT told him to walk and place more weight on it but his knee doesn’t seem to be reacting well to any of this. Good thing he has another PT appt. tomorrow.

Something else… I sliced my leg throwing out the trash last week and had to get some stitches, very minor. Anyway, the MD prohibited me from any running for 12 days. I’m on day 10, or 11. It’s been killing me not to run. Hell I even ran today. I hate being restricted! This did give me a sense to what N is feeling right now too. I at least get to run is a few days; he still has a long road ahead. Poor guy, he’s been a real trooper about everything. If it were me, well let’s thank the lord it’s not ‘cause it wouldn’t be good.

Thank you babe for being a very good patient!

We had all our pre-op appointments yesterday and they were kinda freaky. Sounds like they know what’s wrong with N’s knee and they were explaining and showing us what they’re planning on doing. It was very weird actually. We’re hoping they can repair the damage by stitching it up as opposed to cutting it out. We made it clear that we prefer the former but they can’t guarantee anything until they’re inside. Eek!

At the moment N’s only concern is being cooped up for a whole week at home! He’s really freaking about this. He swears he’s going to go mad with cabin fever. Oh, and he’s so not happy about having to check in at 6am for his procedure. :-/ Yeah, I’m not happy either since I’ll be up with him too. At least he gets some happy juices while I’ll be trying to keep content with hospital caffeine, blah.

Please, please wish us luck. Oh, and here’s praying that the little coffee cart I spied on yesterday opens at 6:35am.

N’s surgery time is coming close. We’re on count down mode actually. I know it’s a relatively simple procedure but I’m still nervous. Of course I’ve been all nonchalant around him but inside I’m not. So here’s to a quick, painless, problem-less procedure and recovery.

can't believe i've been on here for about four hours. damn. plus i can't even find the song i originally came for. hmpf! at least i've been getting my fix on youtube. 'cept i never realized how vulgar it really is. hee. still love it.

i need to get this sh!t on my ipod!

drink all night
play all night
lets get it popping
i'm miami triiiiic

better stop this replay, aa is about to knock me over the head :-/

I was supposed to run the San Marino 5K on Friday but some peeps couldn't make it so AA and I met at the Rose Bowl instead and did our own 5K. It was fun as we did the outside hills and wasn’t too hot, yet. Afterwards, we ended up in Old Town for some breakfast & my caffeine fix. I got some more books; I swear I’m going to have to be banned from bookstores pretty soon, and more caffeine. We ended up seeing one of the C-clan members which is funny since he lives super far and so do I. Whenever in Pasadena some familiar face always pops up. Ended up at my parents and mom and I went shopping, again. Telling you, I need some sort of restraint.

Once I got home home N and I went for drinks and ended up at a new sushi place in Monrovia. Well new to us at least since they’ve been around for 1.5yrs now. It was tasty and we’d definitely make the trek down there again. Since it was 4th of July everyone and there mother was out there on the street waiting for some sort of firework extravaganza. N and I took a short walk and we ended up spotting some of the workout buffs. See, it was a weekend full of familiar faces. Saw the extravaganza and headed home. The end.

Saturday I met with some more workout buffs now deemed martyroners. This group is training for the Pasadena marathon and are some serious souls. I’m just out there for the extra training and running. You can never get too much running in. Also, I am planning on running a half in October so this is training for me too I guess.

Last week was my first ever 6 miler and was quite surprised I was able to go the whole distance non-stop. My time last week was 1.05 and my time this week was 1.09. There was a killer hill this week so I’m hoping that was part of the extra 4 minutes. The run this week was much more scenic and enjoyable for me. I tend to have serious mind psyche outs so I don’t like to see long straightaway’s while running.

I also attended a shower. We had so much fun and all the gifts almost, almost made me want a bebe too. The cake was sooo good that I had two slices :-P but by the end of the night I was ready to drop. I’m surprised I was able to make it home since everything after that is a blur. It was all the sun that did me in. I can’t wait to see the pics for this bash. But I really really REALLY can’t wait to see baby G! It was so sweet to see how much my friend is loved.

Sunday, vegged out all day.

And now I’m back here, north. Luckily this is my last week and will be able to resume my regular routine. Also, my trip to DC was cancelled!!! Assome!

It’s totally annoying that I can’t make any calls while on the road. WTF! Highly irritated by the stupid hands free law. Its complete bullshit and another way for these effin multibillionaire companies to make more money. Capitalism sucks. I refuse to by a bluetooth or anything for this dumbass law. Oh well, I was always against texting while driving but that’s what I’ll just have to resort to since that won’t get me a ticket. Nice one California.

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore said "banning specific distractions is a slippery slope, and unnecessary, because motorists already can be cited for reckless driving. Drivers' attention can be affected by changing CDs, putting on makeup, or by loud music, pets, crying babies, smoking, eating and other things [like texting!]. Where do you draw the line?"

Exactly Chuck, exactly.

Back from Vegas and didn’t participate in as much debauchery as I had intended to. Oh well, there’s always next time. Plus someone owes me a trip and they better well make good on it!

I’m also broke :’( Kept to my promise to eat healthy. Unfortunately, I think I made up all the calories somewhere else...

Best part of the trip – Mesa Grill
Everything I had was delicious! I’ll post some picks as soon as I get home. Plus, they have some good damn mojitos to boot too.

Worst part of the trip – Accidents
We saw two really bad accidents on our way and back from Vegas. Both cars were flipped over on the side of the road and had just happened when we passed. Why oh why do people go so fast. I’m really thinking about them all and hoping the best for them.

Now I’m back to regularly scheduled programming. Blah. I’ll be making another rare appearance at bootcamp tomorrow morning. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a run in tonight and then I’m planning on another Sunday with the locos running the marathon. Monday is back to the grind up north. I’m thinking I can probably finish this assignment by the 18th and see if I can get back into my habitual bootcamp schedule. Here’s to some positive “lemme-finish-up-this-shit-assignment-fast” vibes.

I’ve been feeling sorta very crappy. Still haven’t been able to recover from the trail race. This really sucks too because I’m really feeling the guilt mounting up.

I went for a run on Friday what N and I have deemed the “mansion run.” This sucker is nothing but 3 miles straight up hill. The first 1.5 is decent but the remaining 1.5 is brutal. So I went on my own. At 10am. Ugh. This was a bad idea and I knew it before I even got my shoes on. The heat killed me. Surprisingly I felt great and was able to run 2 miles nonstop out of the 3, something I have never been able to do. The sun was just too much so I had to stop. Then being the smart person that I am I took a longer route back home. Another stupid idea. All in all the loop was a little over 6 miles and I was not doing so good once I got home. Needles to say I never made it to the trail run on Saturday with some of the workout buffs. I’m sad about this. I’m really hoping my diet change will kick in soon to make me feel a little better. My plan is to do something tomorrow, no matter what.

N’s little sister graduated from college on Saturday! We’re so proud of her. It was crazy hot though and I swore I almost passed out twice sitting out in the sun. I’d do it again though, it was great to see how much she has grown over the years. Love you sister-drammatical-J.

In other related news, my little brother is also graduating, from high school. He'll be attending college this summer. So, in anither four or five years we'll be at another grad. Love you little A.

Congratulations to all the new grads!

I'm going home tonight! Hopefully I can leave early enough to make it to a CrossFit session. I haven't done squat except walk to and from my room, from car to SB and back, and walk the 5 steps from my car to the office I've been working out of. Oh, and I've made it a point not to go anywhere that has a drive-thru. I've had to walk to get my food too. Although most places now offer curbside deliveries... But nope, not for me. I feel surprisingly guilty and really physically ugh. Damn it, who knew this would ever happen to me. ME!?

So excited that I'm going home though! WooHOO! We have a nice weekend ahead and I really can't wait. Working sucks, even more so when you're shut off from your little world.

BTW, workout buffs, what does AR mean??? My guess is that it has something to do with pacing? Please ‘splain.

Don’t really have any down time during the day but I have a bunch of stuff in my head.

First, I can’t believe all the stuff I’ve been eating. I’m really getting scared. My hunger has yet to be satisfied which is not good. This all began after the race. I’m not sure what’s happened since then. Understandably, Saturday and Sunday seemed normal but its Tuesday now and I’m still feeling like a starved child. Plus I feel weak and tired. I’m seriously moving at very slow speeds. I made it a point to really be conscious of my eating yesterday and have made some painful, on my part, but smart choices. All I can say is that being on travel status doesn’t help one bit either. Skipping breakfast yesterday and today hasn’t helped the issues either. Hopefully by keeping tabs on myself this appetite will pass. I really don’t think I can afford more pounds.

Second, my career is really starting to annoy me again. I’m constantly going through this. Anyway, I’m not planning on switching this late in the game but just need to vent. My first year with this company, I was away for about four months on an assignment. Sure it was exciting but I was much younger and not married. Last year I was also away for about half the year. Actually, I was sleeping out of my bed for approximately 23 weeks. Ugh. I’m really lucky to have such an understanding souse but I’m really tired of all this travelling. Plus it really annoys me that all the singletons in the office have been cruising on local assignments. Seems like all the married staff is away which is bullshit. There’s a close cw that was away since September of last year and just got back! AND she’s now getting ready to leave again in August for another painfully long tour, with me. She’s also married. When I took this job I did so knowing that it entailed travelling about 25% of the time not forty-fucken-four!

Which all gets me to my last thought, babies. Seems like we’ve been getting hints about this more and more now that we are approaching our second year of marriage. Plus we are somewhat older but not so much so that this is an issue. Anyway, we have talked about this on many an occasion and we’d really like to start a family within the next two to three years. Which brings me to my job… I have a ton of flexibility here, when I’m not travelling, and this place would be ideal for any parent; however, the traveling is something that cannot really be avoided. So then what? If I pursue another company/ profession I would feel unprofessional and unstable having a family right away, at least within the first three years. I also want the flexibility during the first few years of our future baby’s life. It really is unjust that women have to deal with issues such as these in today’s workforce. So that’s my dilemma. Baby or career?

And today’s WTF moment:
News anchor was doing a piece on the salmonella infected tomatoes and warning people about which ones not to eat and which are okay…

“The tomatoes grown at home are okay to eat folks.”

Are people really this stupid that you have to tell them that the tomatoes in their backyards won’t kill them!? Seriously? Seriously! Seriously.

The race is finally behind us. Phew. We all survived and did pretty well for our respective abilities, except for me. I was disappointed with my performance. Even though I improved from last year I didn’t hit my goal time. I’m really looking forward to next year’s race. I’m really obsessed with achieving my goal. Next year I promise to keep away from all dairy products too.

My time was 2.11, improved 8 minutes from last year.

N did awesome. For not training as hard as Hotbod and myself he really kicked some arse. Plus, with his bad knees and all the downhill really got him. I'm so proud of him for making the effort to come out and run even though it was very painful for him.

So now the next big race on the docket is a half. Hotbod has been harassing me to do one with her. Last year we had agreed that we were going to complete one together but I ended up flaking out on her. This year I’ve promised to fulfill my pledge. According to the training schedule I got off the net we’re supposed to start training already for this thing. Still don’t know what my pace should be either. At this point my goal is completion while keeping a steady jog.

Also, while having some drinks after the race on Saturday someone asked me about adventure racing. I’ve secretly wanted to participate in these ever since I heard ‘round the water cooler that some of the workout buffs do these. My only concern is that I am not as physically fit as the rest of the gang. Someone else told me that I should find a team of my like abilities but I really don’t know how to go about this. Hotbod is really interested also and I’ve already told her that we have to be on the same team since we’ll average out as normal, her with xtra endurance and me with not-so xtra stamina. We’ll see I guess.

Well I’m still suffering from my toxic yogurt incident. Have been feeling like shit all week long and today is no better. This totally blows with the race being tomorrow. Oh fucken well, I’ll walk the damn thing if I have to.

Also, I’m still not in very good spirits. Better than Monday that’s for sure, but not me, yet. I’ll be leaving Monday morning and I’m really dreading it. We had a meeting with the group I’ll be working with up north and they seem to be okay, for now. It always starts this way. I’m sure come next Friday I’ll be complaining about all the crap they’ve given me. Blah.

Books. I love reading and have been on the Obama book forever. For some reason I haven’t really made time for it but am happy to report I’m only 30 pages away from the end. Even though I’ve toughly enjoyed the book I can’t wait to be done and start something else. My next pick is a bit of a fluff book but that’s what I need right now. Emily Giffin’s Love the One You’re With. I picked this little gem up at Costco since I’ve become obsessed with buying books there. Anyway, I totally loved her previous three books and writing style. Although, I must admit that Baby Proof was somewhat disappointing compared to Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I’m looking forward to devouring this book next week. I’m also secretly looking forward to doing nothing but laying down next week. I think I’ve earned this little break.

So I totally got food poisoning from the yogurt I ate yesterday. I knew I shouldn’t have eaten it but I was hungry and it was either that or go downstairs and get a bag of chips. For once, I think the chips would have been the healthier choice.

After CrossFit last night I felt really strange, hell even before the class began my tummy felt weird. Anyway, I attributed it to my sour mood and a slight caffeine overdose. Wrong! I knew my nausea was not the normal crazy workout kind but figured I’d be okay. I had a headache, body aches, fever and chills and felt like I was going to die. The good thing was that I never threw up, even though I think that would have made me feel better. Luckily I had a charcoal tablet that helped ease the toxins. Who knows what I would have been like without it.

This all sucks because now my body feels sick. I’m fairly weak and have no energy. I wanted to get a work out in today but am afraid I’m going to have to sit it out. All this with the run looming Saturday. I tell you nothing ever goes my way. Hmph!

So after nothing solid to eat in almost 24 hours I was able to stand eating a few forkfuls of salad and a grande vanilla bean frap. Something else great is that I get to go home in less than an hour.

Tuesday – CrossFit
Don’t remember, something evil though.

Wednesday – CrossFit
Push shoulder presses
Dumbbell swing
Renegade row
Lunge in place
3 sprints

Thursday – CrossFit
150 squats w/ 30lb bar on shoulders
800 m jog
25 squats w/ 30lb bar
25 squats w/ 15lb bar
This workout really made me want to cry, like really shed tears and stuff. This was no easy workout.

Saturday – Chantry Flats
We did Hoegee’s Loop and it took me 1:15. I felt great for the exception of the fall I took towards the end. Oh and also when my ankle slightly twisted, that wasn’t good either. Someone always gets hurt on this trial.

I also went to my parents’ afterwards and took my dog for a light jog. Poor thing is out of shape. She was so excited to get out and jog a bit but by the end she was done. I really miss our runs together. She really keeps me on track. I miss her dearly and can’t wait till we can have her back at our place.

Something else that has been on my mind is this damn Mt. Wilson run. I’m seriously annoyed. I mean not at anyone associated with it but just annoyed in general. I want it to be done and over with already. I’ve been training hard and am both physically and mentally exhausted. At this point I could care less about it, seriously. It may just be me and my shitty mood but I’m done. Sunday can’t come soon enough that’s for sure…

Here are some other issues I have, all in order.
Annoyed with -

1. unreturned calls/ e-mails
2. nutrition
3. myself
4. work
5. (%$^*(%#)

Finally! My report is done and I’m free of this assignment!!! Now on to the next…

I’ll be leaving soon, like next week, to start another grueling project. It’s a spinoff of the one I just finished so it’ll be pretty easy but still intense. Ugh.

All reservations have been made and authorizations approved now all I have to do is get my brain back into work mode. The hardest thing about starting a new assignment is getting myself back into the grove. I always tend to, how do you say, relax between jobs since I really have nothing to do. Hopefully come Monday I’ll be okay.

Anyway, I’ve finally located a CrossFit and am waiting to here about $$$ and schedule except they haven’t gotten back to me! Grrrr. I’m really impatient so I expected an e-mail from them already. Seriously, how hard is it to get back to someone? These guys better work out for me since I really don’t see any other options for me while up there. Of course I can always work out on my own as N always likes to remind me but if it were that simple I wouldn’t look the way I do. I need someone on my ass.

Just checked e-mail again and nada. bastardos.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news I’m really excited about SATC tomorrow! WooHoo! I’ve been watching reruns all week long in anticipation. This movie better not disappoint but I really don’t think it will. Nothing but rave reviews so far. No spoilers for and from me either. I’ll be watching with my very pregnant buddy so I’ll be having drinks for her too afterwards.

I<3 Miranda!

I soooo wanna go to that gym, just to check it out.

So here’s this weeks wo’s-
Monday – CrossFit
I honestly don’t remember. Must have been ubber hard for my brain to have blocked it out. I know it was three rounds with 400m runs in between. Lemme see… Nada comes to mind but yes I was there and it was intense.

Tuesday – CrossFit
Boy did I get a surprise. Eric, the head honcho of this thing, was the instructor tonight. Yeah… We did 1shoulder press, 2 push presses and 3 push jerks (I think those are the official names). As many as you could within a 15 minute period. I did 17 total with a 30lb bar. The last two rounds were harsh.

Wednesday – CrossFit
25 squats with a medicine ball and you had to shrug and then catch the ball on the way down. I don’t remember the name of this crazy move. 20 push-ups and 10 pulls ups. Plus a 400m run. Times three!

This is only my second week of CrossFit and I can honestly say that I really love it. I attend the 6:30 class, TEAM 630 I like to call it, and all the people there are totally cool and encouraging. It’s nice to see the same faces. Hopefully I can keep this up in the long run as I’m sure it’ll continue to kick my arse. Which at times needs to be.

I am concerned about my upcoming travels though. Other than my hiatus from life in general I’m afraid of slacking on my workouts. When I was up north last year I managed to stay fit by going to a boxing gym. Of course when I came back I didn’t return to bootcamp right away so I had to start all over again in January. Starting over really sucks. I’ve already lined up a CrossFit gym for my 4-month leave to the east coast but I still have yet to find something up north. I’m really feeling pissed off in general about this assignment so I’m really unmotivated to even look. The assignment up north is relatively short which means I have to get twice the amount of work done in half the time which leaves me very little down time. I think all this is really hitting me, reality bites. Plus last years trip left a very bitter taste in my mouth. *sigh* Just feeling sorry for myself is all.

Anyway, I’m done with workouts this week and plan on resting and stretching and icing today and tomorrow in anticipation for Saturday. Hopefully this rain will clear up the skies and put out any remaining hot spots up in the trail. Also, I’m praying this nice cool breeze keeps on.

Feeling pretty down. So its official, I will be assigned to DC for about four months starting in July. This really blows! Not only will I be away weeks on end, I’ll be gone weekends too. I’m just so pissed about this. PLUS I’ll be going up north again before then. Argh!

All this better pay off is all I’m sayin’…

So unmotivated to do anything right now.

I need a hug.

So I survived Saturday’s practice run, but just barely. It was way too hot! The hardest leg for me was the first half up. That area was where all the fire damage is and not only was it left completely bare it’s really ugly to look at. The scenery reminded me like something out of a sci-fi movie where the earth has been destroyed. Anyway once you make it after first water things start to become normal and greeny.

My buddy, hotbod, and I were trying to just make it to the helipad but ended up at the top. We were both relieved once we got there and shared some water. Unfortunately, we only took two tiny bottles each and didn’t account for the scorching sun so we ran out way too soon. Plus we had both taken a Gel pack before we started which made us even thirstier. Hotbod took off before me and I made my way down at a gradual pace. The time from Orchard camp to the ropes went like a breeze and made me think that this isn’t as hard as I’d made it out to be. Then again, I was preoccupied with other thoughts to distract me along with an Ipod at full blast, and going down hill. Somewhere between first water and razor back I was dying for water and realized I had about one gulp left in one of my bottles. That little bit really was the best water ever. Luckily I remembered there was a water fountain at the bottom so that kept me going.

So I made it down in 2.30. Not a good time but at least I know I’ll make it in before the 3 hour limit. After this run all my goals on trying to beat last year’s time have gone out the window. If the heat is anything like it was this Saturday I’m really going to be conservative, just as I was for this practice. Don’t want anyone having to carry me down on a stretcher. Besides I have the other two ez’s to carry the time for our team.

Last year’s time was 2:19
Hotbod’s was 1:54

Come
As you are
As you were
As I want you to be
As a friend
As a friend
As a known memory
Take your time
Hurry up
The choice is your
Dont be late
Take a rest
As a friend
As a known memory

I’ve discovered many new blogs belonging to some of my workout friends. Needless to say I feel like a total loser. I mean I already felt that when it came to my fitness and such, but now it’s tenfold. Anyway, I really like reading about their progress and workouts they post so I’m going to start doing that myself. Maybe someone can shed some light on why my ass is still giggly. So on to my workouts of the week.

Monday – too long ago to remember but I attended a CrossFit class that included 400m runs and having to squat with a bar and I don’t remember what else. All I can say was that I wanted to die.

Wednesday – partnered up with someone and while one of us completed 30 wall balls the other had to do this convoluted torturous move. It involved holding two dumbbells (we used 15lbers) and then you drop your arms to the floor and you jump out (like in Yoga for downward dog) and do a renegade pushup. Yes, renegade which basically means you have to lift each arm up to your chest while trying not to move too much and still in the damn plank position! Jump back, go up and clean* (lift to the head) the weight and then lift overhead. Once each of us had a turn we had to run 400m while the other rowed. Yes, we each had to do this for three effin rounds. I wanted to die this day too.

Thursday – same thing as Wednesday with some variations. 35 wall balls instead of 30 and we used a 16lb ball instead of the 12lb one I used on Wed. Also, the order of that crazy pushup/ burpie/ squat thing was different. We did the renegade part first then the push up and we had to clean* the weights while in a squat position. And yeah the run/ row thing again. This day I didn’t want to die but the only thing that was in my mind the entire time was fucken shit.

*I don’t think clean is the right term for this but that’s what I’m calling it.

Tomorrow I’m going to do a practice run of the run we’ll be doing next Saturday. Some 8 miles on a trail. I’m really trying not to think of this and I know I can do it but geez louise the heat is going to get me, all of us.

Another thing that has me psyched out is that I really want to improve my time from last year. I’m really afraid of coming in at a longer time. And if all my own self criticism isn’t enough the thought of being part of a team also has me terrified. This year, the race officials decided to allow people to register as family teams. Apparently I’ve been registered to be part of the ez family team that includes an Airborne Ranger/ Officer that does that crazy Baker to Vegas run every year and insane N. Yeah, this sucks.

Man oh man it’s only 10:30am and I’m exhausted. I knew I should have called in sick today.

So I was rereading all of my posts for this blog and realized what a big downer I truly am, sheesh. Seriously, all of my posts are rants and vents about how bad this or that is. Well I’m not like this IRL so this is where all the garbage gets dumped at. Kinda nice to have this little place to b!tch. Anyway, I’ll try and be a bit more optimistic in future writings, although, I do take pride in my self professed cynicism.

On to good stuff…

Both N and I ran a 5K on Saturday that was sponsored by our little town. It was such a great day as the weather went. Even though neither one of us wanted to get out of bed and were totally late to this thing we actually had pretty good times, as in numbers. I was able to break 30 min and came in at 29.46, unofficially. N came in at 25.09, which he was totally upset about. He said he could have done a lot better and was really hard on himself. I would so be elated with that time but alas it wasn’t. After the race we met up with our team for some drinks at a local Mexican restaurant. Good times, good times. Beer and tequila shots aren’t really recommended after a run but hey we like to live on the edge. We didn’t get home until 4pm and then fell into a drunken slumber. Needless to say I wasn’t feeling so good that night. I had fun so I totally didn’t mind the mind numbing pain.

Yesterday I went over to my parents’ for some lunch and cake. My sis’ little monkeys were all there in full force. Its really crazy to see how much they’ve all grown, hell two are teenagers already! They are such cute little rascals and even though I tend to lose my temper with them more frequently then not I wouldn’t change a thing about them. Well maybe one.

We also went to the Rush concert in Irvine. That concert was rad! The fans were really something else! We were joking about how scary they were. Total rockers. This is the second time I’ve been to this venue and I really appreciate being outside. The cool breeze was so refreshing and invigorating. Too bad there aren’t any concerts I’d like to attend at the Greek anymore.

All in all, it really was a fantastic weekend.

i'm not even bothering with proper grammar.

been super busy, super stressed and just super everything else. been out of town for work and may be again on the road again, which sucks. n is getting knee surgery, which scares the living bejesus outta me. laptop was out of commission for two weeks, just got it back monday. gas prices are insane in the membrane, too bad they don't make you feel that, way in a good way of course. this food crisis around the globe has me all sad and depressed. scary how they took out the dc madam and covered it up with a suicide. i feel all frumpy and bleh in general. have finally admitted to myself that i'm addicted to caffeine, no joke. still not ready to admit to everyone else though. let's see, oh yeah - work has now implemented new internet policies which forbid any fun use of such. i may get fired for this post.

have a fan-fucken-tastic weekend! i will...

Our trip to San Diego was so relaxing and fun. Lot's of food, booze and snooze. We hung out at the spa on Friday and Saturday and Sunday headed to Sea World (so depressing). Also, we never realized how upbeat the Gaslamp District is. We totally felt like old people among all the college students and loud music.

We stayed at the Hyatt Manchester thanks to my trusty Hyatt points! Besides the added bonus that it was a free stay we wanted to stay close if not in the Gaslamp Quarter. The hotel is in a perfect location and has really great views. We were facing north west and had a view of the USS Midway and Seaport Village. The rooms were a bit small for the Hyatt but nonetheless nice and comfy. Typical business-traveler oriented rooms. Oh, we also had a view of the pool. This was the best as we were able to spy on all the kids around and in the area and didn't even bother going there. Instead we headed straight to the spa and hung out at their private pool along with induldging in the other amenties provided. Man I wish I was back there right now. Another plus was its close proximity to the Gaslamp Quarter and Ralphs. We walked everywhere except to dinner on Saturday night and Sea World. All in all we would definetly stay there again.

Dinner on Friday was had at Ra Sushi which has the best yellow tail sushi. They made us spicy YT hand rolls that were awesome, fresh YT slices that we dipped into some spicy sauce, and a special YT roll. Dang I wish I was there right now. Total trendy place though. Plus, we didn't realize it was a chain until we were halfway done with our meal. Anyway, I'm secretly happy this is the case as I really loved the spicy YT handrolls (already planning my next trip to the local shop).

Saturday night we had dinner reservations at Mr. A's. We had been walking everywhere during our trip thus far but Mr. A's required heels so we opted for a cab. Our reservations were at 8 and we left the hotel at 7:58. I have told you that N is late to everything right? We arrived and were sat right away. We had an awesome view. The food was good, not great. I rated it an 8 N rated it a 7-7.5. The view is what you're really paying for. I had a raspberry martini that was actually shaken with real raspberries. Was one of the best martininis I've had. N had his usual, beer. We started with Lobster Bisque for N, which he said was the best he's ever had, and fresh baked oysters. The brisk was a bit to lobster-like for me (I don't like lobster - the shame!). The oysters were phenomenal! They melted in my mouth they were baked so good. For our main course N ordered the Kobe Flat Iron Steak and I got the Ahi. Both meals were good but not what we expected for this swanky self-proclaimed place.

After dinner we wanted to hang out at a lounge, somewhere we could hear ourselves talk. The night before, someone had recommended the hard rock hotel. Um yeah, we got there and the line was about a mile long. No way we were going to stand and wait. We walked around and since the cab driver that dropped us off told us there was a bar lounge up at the Hyatt we decided to just go there. Besides, we were staying there. The bar up there was surprisingly nice and the view was spectacular. Drinks were typical, I had White Russians and N kept up with beer. I was totally indulging in my drinking as I've cut back and hell I don't drink cocktails here at home so I figured why not.

This weekend was just what we needed. We both had a ton of fun and some well deserved rest. As I was writing this out I was reflecting on our conversations. Funny how our topics have dramatically changed over the past year...

I wish it were. Two weeks ago I was ranting and raving about how refreshed and happy I was to be back at work. Yeah, that lasted all two days. Can't wait for our trip to Oaxaca come Fall.

We'll be flying into Oaxaca City and staying for about four nights then off to Huatulco for five nights. Can't wait for the sun and surf and FOOD!


In the meantime we're planning a little getaway to SanD. Both N and I desperately need this, except I must admit that he needs it more than I. Poor guy has been working like a dog. Pobre. Hopefully we'll be able to sort out some dates and leave ASAP. Our trip will include a mandatory visit to Shamu and maybe a stop at the zoo. N wants us to also do this. Can't forget about all the dining and drinking too. Need to find the illustrious tequila bar I once saw featured on a best of San Diego show. At least I can refer to this Best of List for now.

Made burgers yesterday…

So last night when N got home he asked what type of meat the burgers were made from. Uhhhh, what? Beef of course! He said they were sortta dry… Phew!

I usually buy 87-90% ground sirloin beef and make them myself but while at TJ’s this weekend I decided to use their 95% beef patties already shaped and stacked for me. Turns out N no likey these. After I reassured N that he was indeed eating moo and not some sort of rat burger he looked relieved. Pobre, I bet he was wondering all day what the hell I was feeding him. Told him not eat the remaining patties as I’d just eat them for lunch the next two days.

So I just got a call from him. He ate the last patty! Told me that being on the Zone M-H wouldn’t kill him so he bit the bullet and ate the last rat burger. Poor guy. Now I just hope he doesn’t lose a ton of weight cause that man can drop three pounds just by saying he will. Grrrr I hate his super strength metabolism.

Lesson of the day – N no like pre-prepared burgers. Especially not super-extra-lean ones.

“rat burgers are the shit!! drunk or not, they send you to another place. they are the east coast equivilant to menudo for a hang over. rat burgers and yohoo!” – jersey, Aug 14, 2007

*************************************************************************************
Today being my 2.2 day I feel good. Had my bootcamp (BC) session at an ungodly hour and made it to the train on time and ate breakfast at work. Have had B, L and a snack and so far I’ve been a strict Zoner. Although there was this incident in the morning where all of a sudden I needed a mini-zucchini muffin from Starbucks and almost had one if it wasn’t for their insane line. For once in my life I was pleased to see a line a mile out.

I've been arguing with myself for the past few weeks about getting serious about my eating habits. Its not like I eat a bunch of crap but for the workouts I get in there really should be results. So, once again I'm back on the Zone. Hopefully I can try and really stick it through. The plan really isn't hard but just knowing its a diet of sorts really puts me off mentally. Anyway, after a hiatus from watching what I eat I'm back to really thinking about all my choices. Ugh.

That's the thing that has always bothered me about food changes, all the thinking involved. You know, all the preparing and stuff. After the wedding I was pretty burned out from this. Pre-wedding I went on a pretty intense diet and got great results but damn was that hard. So of course post-wedding I went crazy and indulged in all I could get my little hands on. Then I had this crazy idea put into my head about participating in some trail race. huh? So, I went on the Zone last April and once again got some great results for the race in May. With only a month and half- assing it I was quite impressed with this little diet's powers. So here we go again, except this time around I'm taking it a tad more serious and have two months till my race.

Please light a candle to the virgencita for my oh so powerful love of cookies, chocolate, ice cream, wine, bread and pizza. I'll miss you all *tear*. Sniff.


*************************************************************************************
So yeah, this is actually my second week on the Zone. I must say that I'm pretty proud of myself and even though I wasn't insanely on the Zone at all times I did manage to be on it about 65% of the time. Anyway, since I had weighed and started last week on Tuesday I deem today the commencement of week 2. I lost a total of 1.5 lbs but I'm always weary of these types of results. I need to see an actual pattern for at least four weeks before I can actually accept any weight loss.

Things that I've started to do have been journaling all my meals. Anything come in it all goes in my little trusty book. Even though I only managed to track two days last week I've incorporated some goals for this week:

Goals for Week 2
- Record food for at least 5 days this week (need to be realistic)
- Continue with four day WO, maybe add a Sunday run if legs are up for it
- Omega 3 & B complex everyday this week
- 3 servings of poison everyday
- I can't believe this one, no alcohol except on Sat & Sun
- Min. 5 liters of water a day
- No breads/ grains/ rice after 1PM (except for Fridays)

Ack! It's 4 min to 1, gotta run and eat my bread.