My Marathon of a Journey | Peaches Prattlings

{May 10, 2014} Ready…Set…Go!

You might need a nap after you hear about my day!

My day started at 6:15am (yes. 6:15am on a Saturday morning), I had a class to teach to no one. Even when a class is scheduled and no one is registered, you still need to be there at least one hour.

I used my time wisely, I updated class questions, did my expenses and time, answered some emails, definitely used my time wisely.

After I left, I went downtown Ann Arbor and took myself out for breakfast at Cafe Zola, it was yummy! I was all of a sudden hungry for lunch and eggs at the same time…egg salad sandwich on delicious challah it was! With some delicious blood orange tea, I was quite happy.

Next was back to the hotel, drop off the car for KS so she could run some errands. I changed out of my work clothes and headed across the way to the mall, it was time for a haircut.

While I waited for my turn, I walked around a little, I walked about two stores down to Payless, looking for summer shoes and ended up with a pair of faux suede brown boots, on sale even, score!

Time for a haircut. I went in with a picture that a friend had sent me and sat down and then she started to cut . She said it was going to be shorter, no worries, but then she’s cutting, cutting, cutting, finally, I gave up and just let her cut. I’ve had this cut before and it’s fine, I’m just annoyed I didn’t get what I wanted.

As I mentioned, I’ve had this cut before and in a day or two it will be back to normal, gotta add some gel and have fun with it. And…hello mom! I know I’ve told you I look like her, well..every time I get a short haircut, I look more like her. And that would be why it’s all good.

I headed back to the hotel, changed into some shorts and headed out again, nail salon for a manicure and pedicure. Oh my it felt so good! The massage chair, the foot rub, the hand massage, it was all wonderful and now my
the paws and claws look great! Lavender with a flower on the toes and deep burgundy for the fingers.

Walk, skip, dance to my music, back towards the hotel and then give KS a ride downtown to her class. I went back to the hotel, relaxed for a few minutes, got changed and headed out for the Bootlegger 5k. This was a race through the woods, following a trail that a bootlegger may have followed.

We had to get headlamps and it seemed silly at first, because it was light out, but boy were we all glad we had them! I did a little running, but more walking as the sun went down and the trail got a little more difficult to see, even with the headlamps.

At one point, we passed a pond and mother nature’s band, mainly frogs, serenaded us as we went past, it was terrific. At the end of the trail, there was moonshine! Three types: strawberry lemonade, cherry coke and apple pie. I tried the apple pie it was actually pretty good, I didn’t taste any alcohol.

For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, go to my page, there’s a video of me drinking some moonshine, proof! It doesn’t happen very often, but there you have it!

About

After the run, back to the hotel, hot shower and write to you.

Now…the blinds and blackout curtain are drawn, it’s time for lights out! Good night!

{March 11, 2014} I —-n’ Rock!

This was a post on FaceBook today that might have surprised a few people.

It started “To the fatty running on the track this afternoon”: Facebook user pens surprising message to overweight runner. Don’t discount it, please read it, it screams to anyone who is just starting out, running, overweight and running and just getting off the couch and moving!

http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2014/03/to-the-fatty-running-on-the-track-this-afternoon-facebook-user-pens-surprising-message-to-overweight-runner

I know I joke about running, say that I do runs for the t-shirt, don’t get me wrong, it’s mostly true, that I keep doing races until I enjoy running [and now my punchline is that I’ll probably die first], but I’m not going to stop. I am that overweight girl who can’t seem to drop the amount of weight that i want to, to get to my “ideal weight”. I’m lucky to be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t seem to notice that I have any extra anything, gawd love him!

But…when I am steady with running/walking and my eating, I don’t want to say dieting because it’s not a diet and that turns it into a chore, I feel better and sometimes, I even lose a little.

People keep asking why I do the 5ks and 10ks, especially if I don’t enjoy them. They get me off the couch, get me moving and when I am not running or walking, I feel like crud. I went out with some friends from work yesterday, we walked a few miles, today I did a few miles on the treadmill, I’m ready to start getting back steady. I’ve admittedly used the excuse that work is getting in the way and it has, I’m too beat to get on a treadmill some nights and it might just be an excuse, but no one has to live with that except me.

I’m the one who listens to music through headphones because I don’t want to hear myself panting, I watch a movie on the treadmill so I don’t realize how long I’m going and usually stop when I can’t breath or am completely drenched. I sometimes don’t want to put on the workout clothes because they show too many rolls and imperfections, [I once joked, to you I think, that I would continue to wear the clothes until my shadow slimmed down!], my feet hurt incredibly when I’m done, I have trouble breathing sometimes, panting for a long time after.

BUT…I am doing it! I got up, I got dressed and I got moving! I admire the people who are much heavier than me sometimes moving faster than me a race, sometimes I even set my pace by them. If I don’t do it, who do i have to blame but me.

Every time I see this commerical, I actually tear up. It reminds me of my first 5k, when I was coming around the bend and I saw the clock, my time was better than I imagined and I finished! When I did my first [and only to date] half marathon , we had 3 hours and 30 minutes to finish. I did it in 3:21:21 and you know what? They were pulling the cones and mile markers before I got there, but the finish banner was still up and there were people cheering on the sidelines. I FINISHED! Just like my new hat says, “Walk, Run, Crawl, FINISH!”
http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/124-Finish-Line

This article was dedicated to all those people who are getting out there and doing it, getting off the couch, taking that first step. I applaud everyone, myself included for just getting out there and doing something! Who needs a t-shirt! [I know, a few people just had a huge intake of breath in shock!]

YOU GO YOU!

{March 9, 2014} Breathing..

Out of both nostrils…who knew it was a luxury?

These are one of the things we, at least I know I do, take for granted. We take it for granted until we realize we can’t do it! Having a cold is pretty much the easiest way for this to happen and as I am suffering right now, I wanted to share. I know, gee thanks!

Comedians joke, but when you are stuffed and then you can breath out of one nostril, you feel like you just won the lottery! And that’s where I am right now! I was fine a while ago, but as the evening wore on, I stared getting more and more “duffed up”.

I am now sitting here writing to you breathing out of my mouth because one nostril won’t cut it! I pretend I can smell out of the one that is not stuffed, but here I sit, one free and clear, not! and the other stopped up, having so mini pity party. There I’m done!

Value what you have people! You never know when it’s going be be stuffed! Breath easy and happy.

I took a NyQuil and it’s starting to kick in.

Goodnight!

{February 24, 2014} My weekend…Fails and Wins

Settle in friends, this is going to be a long one! [we are covering about 2.5 days]. There will be some fails and some wins and I’ll tell you about about them! Here goes..thanks for hanging with me!

Friday, slight fail. We wrapped up class about 3:30/3:45, great, and AP offered to take me to the airport, very nice! We got there about 4:30, a little early for my 8:02pm flight, ok, I was going to get some work done. I settled in to get things finished for work, got 2.5 done, wahoo! They take between 1-2 hours each, score!

About 6:30, I started getting texts that the flight was going to be delayed. First 8:45, then 9:00, then 9:19, well, alrighty then. About 7, I was getting hungry, so I looked for some food, not a lot of choices for a vegetarian, especially one who is cutting out dairy. They have a PB&J! This was so cool! All PB&J, all the time! I had a pb, honey and banana on toasted cinnamon swirl bread, y u m! It was tasty, but the bread was not the best idea, fell apart too easily. This was a win!

I was heading to Orlando to participate in a 10k at Walt Disney World, there were quite a few people on the flight heading down for a race. There were three going on over the weekend: 5K Friday, 10K Saturday and half marathon Sunday. The choices! I did see RM, one of my co-workers, that was nice, she’s from Orlando and was going home, so we chatted a bit, she had a busy weekend planned!

The flight boarded eventually and I’m not 100% sure when we took off, I know I dozed here and ther, but we landed sometime after 12:10, oh joy! I went to the rental car center and waited on line for about 25 minutes at the Avis counter, when it was my turn, realized I rented with Enterprise [our company uses Avis as a preferred car rental company] fail on my part! Then waited on line for Enterprise, well, Alamo because there was no one at the Enterprise counter and they are partners, ok.

I get into the car, head towards the hotel, it’s now close to 1am. I completely forgot about the tolls all over Orlando! I got to the first one and no cash or change! I asked if they take credit cards, nope! I asked what would happen? It would get charged to the license plate, so I would be charged when I turned the car in, ok. Then the next toll, oh brother! That guy made me nervous, he said they might charge me $15! No, whew! I found out when I returned the car that they woudl charge $2.95 plus whatever the tolls are, ok, that’s better! I remembered to get cash for the drive back!

I get to the hotel about 2am and it’s a Hampton Inn, we know how I feel about Hilton properties. This did not live up to those standards! I think the hotel needed a little love. First…I made my reservation via a travel company, I am getting points through that company, but since I used them, I don’t get my Hilton points, did it say that anywhere? NOPE! I will be sending a letter to Hilton, we’ll see what happens. I did talk to someone who works at the Hilton Garden Inn where I am staying and she said that I should have at least gotten my gold status treatment, two bottles of water, etc. nope and not the nicest desk staff, terrific. slight fail.

The room wasn’t in the best shape, the tub dripped, the lights hummed, the outlets didn’t work that well. But…the sheets and towels were clean and fluffy and the bed comfy, the best part.

As I said I got to the hotel about 2am, I had to be at Disney for the race at 4:30, no going to bed for me! I was starving, so I got some food, went back to the room and had a late dinner and watched some tv while I waited to leave. I was starting to “wake up” again. At 4, I headed out to Epcot, got to the parking lot and walked to the information tent, I wasn’t able to get to the Expo to pick up my race packet since I got in way after it closed.

I get to the information tent, show my confirmation and was told that my registration was for the 5k the day before. I explained that my confirmation was for the 10k, “yes, but you paid the 5k price”. Well, I registered for the 10k at the Peachtree Expo in July and I received a discount. “You should have gone to the Expo to take care of this” “My flight got in at 12:30a this morning, I couldn’t get to the Expo”, this went round and round for a few minutes, fun [fail]. He finally gave up and 10 minutes later I had a bib and I was off to the races! Ha ha. win!

It was about 5am at this time, I took a picture and texted people, not thinking anyone would be up to respond, but I had to send! And I posted on FaceBook. I got into my area, started to warm up and then started talking to a few people, some were from Georgia, all sorts of great running outfits, some Disney, well, most Disney and some were running skirts, some full costumes! I started talking to this one girl, very nice and after a few minutes finally introduced ourselves formally. Ready for this…[remember what I told you about meeting people with my name at the Hot Chocolate Expo?] same first name! wait…SAME INITIALS!! JRS! and our birthdays…13 days apart! not the same year, but wow! She was there doing the Glass Slipper Challenge, 10k Saturday, half marathon Sunday, you go girl! She had a lot of experience with Disney runs, thanks so much!

You still with me? Need a bio break?

Did I mention that this was the Inaugural Enchanted 10k? I love being part of inaugural runs!

Then it was time to go! We started our heat about 6am. Guess what died at that point? My cell phone! Of all times for my phone to die, at a Diseny Race? Well, you know what that means? I’ll just have to do another one! Twist my arm! We started off the run through the parking lot and we went under a bridge and Princess/Queen Elsa was waving at us from the bridge and there was snow, well, soap bubbles, that was fun. There was music along the course and characters waiting to take pictures. I took a few pictures with characters, hope to find those somewhere on runDiseny.com. We ran along the main road, came in through Epcot by Asia, took a left and ran by France, the lake was on the right, the took a left and ran down by the Boardwalk, that was fun. We went back through the park and then past Spaceship Earth, how cool would that have been if we ended on the ride! We exited in the parking lot to cross the finish line. Here’s the course, in case you’re interested. http://as1.wdpromedia.com/media/rundisney/pdf/princess/2014/PRN10K5KMap.pdf

About 2/10 of a mile from the finsih line, my Motoaciv watch died, what? Epic Fail! [luckily it still recorded 99.99% of my run]

The great part about it, there were lots of people along the course cheering us on, people who work there as well as people staying at different hotels, holding signs and giving us high fives! Got to the finish line and through the cheers of the crowd, got my medal and went to take a victory picture!

You have no idea how important those people cheering you on are, you might be struggling, at a low point, just can’t find that second wind and someone says “Way to go!” “Wahoo!” “You’re awesome! You’re doing great!” It helps so much!

I have to tell you, it was H O T Hot!!! It got up to 8000 degrees, I know not really, but it felt that way! I commented that I could have washed a car with what was coming off my neck and head! WOW! H O T! But, it was so worth it!

My stats: Out of 8967 runners [1039 men, 7928 women] I came in 6986 [gender finish] 7934 [overll] with a time of 1:44:52. I’m quite happy! [with no sleep, go me! Imagine what I could do with some sleep!]

After the run, I went to the Expo to pick up my packet [t-shirt] and walked the Expo, I enjoy walking the expo, it was a big one, like the Peachtree Expo, only sad part, I didn’t have my expo buddy! CKM wasn’t with me! well, she was in spirit! I did pick up a few things for myself, a running skirt, something I’ve needed for a while, a really good one, with a pocket at the waist and pockets on the legs of the shorts, LOVE it! I talked to people who have multiples of these skirts, wow! It’s definitely a good investment! Then I got a magnet for my car, a mickey mouse with 6.2, a running hat “walk, crawl, run, Just finish!”, sleeves “I love running, just not while I’m doing it!” and a long sleeve thin hoody “Enjoy the journey…One milestone at a time”.

The best part being at the expo, I had my bib and medal on, everyone who was working there, Disney employees and vendors from the expo all wished me well and congratulations, you have no idea how great that feels!

After I did my thorough inspection of the expo, I headed back to the hotel, had a bite to eat, took a shower, sent a text that I was going to sleep, got under the covers and by 12:15pm, I was ahhhhsleep! I slept hard hard hard! I woke up at 12:15am! YUM! I woke up, grabbed something to eat and then at 3:30am, I fell asleep again until 8:30am, I think I may have caught up on some of the sleep I have been missing the last few weeks!

I got up, had some breakfast, headed to the big outlet mall not far from the hotel, walked around and then headed to the airport. After getting turned around a few times, epic fail on phone, finally got to the airport, left my sweatshirt in the car, duh! When I realized it, I went back and they were close, three minutes away, I got it back, win!

Made it to the gate and as I am getting on the plane…upgraded to first class! WIN WIN WIN! Sat next to a nice guy, we chatted about cars and tv shows and food and Detroit, made the time passable.

Got back to Detroit, whew, it was nice and cold! Never thought I’d be happy for that! Went to Avis, met AP, he dropped off his car, I picked up mine and we drove back to our hotels. After I picked up my bags, I called KS and we met for dinner, Red Robin, yum! We laughed, chatted and got caught up. Then it was back to the hotel for laundry, paperwork, paid some bills, stuff like that and to talk to you guys!

You tired now? Thanks for sticking with me! You deserve a medal for reading through this and staying awake!

{February 21, 2014} Long day, bad weather, good weather, flight delays, awesome dinner, early race

I know, I know, you’re thinking…is there something wrong? I’m getting a prattling from peaches before 11pm/midnight EST? Yes, I am writing to you earlier because by the time I get to my hotel, my plan is to pass out and I am going to tell you why, but let’s go in order.

[I just finished, it’s a long one, get some coffee!]

Today was a long day because it started way too early, 6:30am to be exact, not 100% sure I’ve caught up completely with the time difference, but I roll with it! I packed last night, got everything ready to go except for toiletries and jammies. I even packed up the food I had in the cabinet and fridge. I got up, showered, got ready for work, finished packing, took everything downstairs, well, in two trips [I had my luggage and food bag, then went back to the room for my work bag and what I was taking with me on the flight. Hilton is great and I am sure most hotels will do this, especially if you’re a business traveler, hold your bag over the weekend. I am going to be back Sunday afternoon and didn’t want to lug it all with me to Florida. [oops, gave something away!]

We get to class and get going, learned a lot, so ready to get going! We worked from 8:15 to 12, then 1-4, then AP was great and offered to take me to the airport so I wouldn’t have to deal with a taxi and I also suspect he had nothing else to do, well, not nothing, but no concrete plans for the afternoon and he was very generous to offer and I appreciated it! We have gotten to know each other over the last week, it’s been nice. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, driving back and forth to training over the next five weeks; I don’t know if we’ll be teaching on the same days or in the same building after that. The nice thing is we are sharing a car, he got it this week, I’m getting it next week.

Well, we got to the airport about 5pm, I got through security and headed to my gate. My flight was leaving at 8:02pm EST and I knew i had a lot to get through work wise, so perfect non-distracted time. Yes, you are very smart, I am still writing to you and it’s after 8pm EST. I started getting text alerts, flight is delayed to 8:45, flight is delayed to 9:00, flight is delayed to 9:19…just sitting here waiting for them to either tell me it is boarding or delayed or canceled. ok…

Oh, the weather, it started off yucky, cold and very windy and grey. Then cleared up nicely, then a little bit of snow, love it! Tonight, they predicted winds 40-50 miles an hour, um.

So, we have covered the long day, let’s just say I forced myself to go to sleep at 3am this morning, does that help put some of this into perspective? We’ve covered the weather and now the flight delays. On to an awesome dinner!

I think, based on my physical reactions lately, that I am going to be going ovo-vegan. By this I mean, I will still eat eggs, but I will not be adding dairy to my diet. I have had too many bad reactions to things i have been able to eat in the past, it’s just getting worse, so I might well cut it out, right? We’ll see, I’m still hopeful, but…

So, my options in this boarding area are limited, very few vegetarian options and a lot of dairy, as in pizza. There is a place called PB&J, who knew! It was nothing but peanut butter and jelly combinations! I’ve never seen this place or a place like it. They have about 8 different sandwiches or you can build your own. Multiple bread choices and toppings, simple and inexpensive! I think the sandwiches started at $4.99 and for airport food, that was incredible! I must have confused the guy behind the counter because he kept asking what jam or jelly I wanted after telling him several times what I wanted, no jelly or jam. I had peanut butter, banana and honey on toasted cinnamon swirl bread! Tasted great, but for a sandwiche, not the best bread choice, fell apart, had to eat it with a fork, oh well! This was a tasty treat!

The reason I will not be talking to you later tonight is that I am getting in to Orlando at midnight, have to get my car and get to the hotel, probably should have just gotten the car and slept in it near the hotel, for the little I will be in it tonight! Why? Because I am doing a 10k at Walt Disney World at 5:30 AM! Yes, I said FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING! No, I did not realize that the race was at 5:30 when I signed up, the other races at Disney I have signed up for were in the evening! I signed up for it back in July at the Peachtree Expo, when I was with CKM, my registration came with a bag for both of us, how could i not? I also did not realize that I would get out of class as early as we did, the calendar they provided said 6pm, so I made the flight for 8, what???

Ok, I have put on my big girl panties and I am dealing with it! I am heading to Disney to participate in a run! How fun! Prediction for tomorrow? Get up at 3:30, get to Epcot by 4, check in, get my packet, do the 10k at 5:30, be done in about 1.5 hours, who knows, maybe I’ll find some wings for my feet, doubt it, but who knows. Back to the hotel by 8 and under the covers with the blinds drawn by 8:15 and alarm set for Sunday! If, and I use the term loosely, if I do get up before Sunday, I will venture out, maybe get some food, look at stuff, then get back in bed until Sunday! I will be perfectly find if I don’t get out of bed until I head to the airport again!

So, as I sit here and watch the people debark from the late plane from Orlando, I bid you a very good night and I will talk to you on Sunday. Oh wait! I must revise my last paragraph, I will get up at some point to say hello and tell you about the race! That might be all I can do!

Good night!

{January 26, 2014} Another race, brunch, tea, dinner, time well spent!

I figured out how to make the insomniac sleep…wear her butt out! I was so very tired last night after only three hours sleep, a 5k and a marathon of volunteering, walking, seeing friends that I got home about 9:30, got everything ready for today, blogged to you and then at 10:00, got in bed, turned off the lights and that’s all she wrote! I woke with the alarm, seven whole hours of sleep! Wow!

(Another marathon day, so…long post)

The alarm went off at 5:00, I did snooze four times, I didn’t realize I had done that, well, the fourth time anyway! I got up, dressed and out the door in six minutes, see…packing my bag the night before was smart! Only happens every other Saturday! Luckily there are very few people on the road at 5:30am on a Sunday. I met CKM at the Decatur parking deck, MB showed up a few minutes later and we piled in CKM’s SUV and we were off! It was so much easier this year! We came in from a different direction, that may have helped. We found a spot in the parking lot, sat for a while and a little after 7:00, headed out to the start, very layered up! It had gotten up to 29, wow! CKM said it was even colder when she got up at four! Brrrr

We lined up with all our 30,000 friends! We were doing the Hot Chocolate 5k, the 15k started a little later. National Anthem, very nice, then corral A, B, C, D, each spaced about three minutes apart, give people time to go and then E! We were off! It’s nice to have people to do the runs with, friends to talk to, keep pace with, laugh, CKM and I always have a good time and it was fun to have MB with us. We took some pictures before the run, ran across the start, then ran across the finish and then it was over! We headed to get our giant mug of chocolate. I asked for a “non chocolate” mug, that meant no dipping chocolate, still had dipping stuff (banana, marshmallow, yum) found a spot and enjoyed our treat and people watched.

I think they’re getting smarter, learning from past races, traffic coming in and leaving was better, the start was better, they had bags for everyone to put their cups in, we agreed it seemed to be smoother. People seemed to have a lot of fun! There were runners and walkers of all ages, always fun to see.

I think I said it earlier, but thank you again to CKM for getting the parking pass and driving us!

We headed back to Decatur to meet everyone for brunch, we had some time to kill so we went to Starbucks, enjoyed some warm beverages and picked the perfect time to leave when the guy next to us was talking to someone on the phone about someone else going to prison…exit stage left!

We walked to the restaurant and BG and his son, JAG, were waiting for us, we went in, got settled in and ordered some biscuits while we waited for everyone else, gotta have some biscuits! Soon after JC, CC and their son, MC arrived, he’s about 2.5, what a doll baby! I got to spend some time at thanksgiving with him, so we got to know each other better.

AB arrived next, great to see her, as always, then, just after went ordered, JB, AL and their son, E, arrived, we were complete! The food came and we ate, drank and were very merry! I was so happy that everyone who could came out and I got to spend time with them! It’s funny, I think I’ve said this before, there are some people I see more since I’ve moved, whatever works! I looked around the table and except for JB and AL, I had worked with each person at the table, that’s how I met most of them, the world is very small.

After brunch, everyone headed their own way, I went to meet TS for a cup of tea and some one on one time. We only had about an hour, but it was good to catch up and see each other in person. And she always tells me it feels like we talk more often, since she reads my blog, it’s like we’re sitting across from each other. The cool thing is that on my drive home, I called TS and we talked the entire way home and then some, almost two hours, not too shabby! A good visit!

(TS…go to the window, open it up…ha ha, inside joke, I hope you got it!)

After tea time, I headed to meet SDL, her sister Donna and “the pickle” Miss A, oh how I love that little one! Luckily, LK was available to meet us, along with her youngest, KK, and oh how I love that little one too! She’s a little bigger than Miss A, but she’s the youngest of her sisters, so, she’s still the little one, although, if she keeps growing, I’m toast!

I’ve talked about both of them and their kids to each other, I thought it would be great to introduce them, more one on one time with each of them, LK and KK had to get home, so the rest of us hung out and chatted a little while longer, then it was time to part company they left, I left and here I am.

I am packed for tomorrow, showered and ready to get to Boston to see my family! My dad is going to be there too, it’s going to be great.

{January 25, 2014} What a day! I can’t believe you’re still awake!

The day started waaayyyy too early, the alarm went off at six am! What? It’s Saturday! Is that what today was?

I got up that early and snoozed a few times, I knew there would be very little traffic on the road at 6:30am. I took a lighting quick shower to wake up, got dressed then headed out the door. Luckily, I arranged what I needed last night for the day, just like I just now, for tomorrow. Let me go back and tell you that I didn’t fall asleep until about 2:30 or 3:00 this morning, partly because I wasn’t very tired and partly because my body still thinks it’s two hours behind!

I got up that early because I was participating in the Atlanta Mission 5k, a run to help end homelessness. I made it downtown in plenty of time, checked in and got my number, then walked around a lot to warm up and I mean a lot, mostly because it was about twenty degrees out and I had to stay warm! I had three layers on top, a hat, gloves and neck thingy to keep my face and neck warm, yes, thingy is a technical term!

I’m not sure why, but the race started late, they kept delaying and delaying, I know a lot of people were enjoying the group dancing, but I was ready to go. We started about twenty minutes late, but I was happy with my time, 46:06, mot bad for not having run a race in a while and it was my first run of 2014. This was the fourth year for this run and they started with 300 participants, today 3000! Wow!

The main reason I was a little annoyed was the next thing on the schedule, I was meeting CKM to volunteer at the Hot Chocolate Race Expo. I was a little late getting here, but when I did, we checked in and got set up giving out race numbers, just like we do for the Peachtree Race, this was more techno savvy, we scanned their confirmations, the PC would tell us what corral they were in, then scan their race bib, it printed out a label with their names, we directed them where to go and off they went. It was fun, met a lot of nice people and THREE people with the same name as me ! What are the odds? One woman and I had the exact same birthday, year and everything! I’ve never met anyone else with my name and today, I meet three! Wow!

After our shift was over, 9:45-2:30, we got our numbers and goody bags, walked around the expo and headed our separate ways, well, walked about a mile from the expo to the entrance! We all said it would have been a little easier on our feet and backs if they had those cushioned mats for us to stand on, let me tell you, my feet loathe me right now, if they could, they’d leave me!

After I left the Georgia World Congress Center, I went to see my dear friend RJS, who’s birthday is tomorrow. She was kind enough to let me take a quick shower at her place. We would have had some tea there, but she’s having the floors redone, so the living room was in the kitchen, kind of inconvenient for tea time. So, we headed out to Choco-late for some tea and girl talk. I gave her her birthday present, a really cute cross stich, I’ll show you some time. We each had a limited amount of time, just enough to catch up and enjoy some tea and the company.

RJS headed to pick up her honey and head to Eddie’s Attic for some good music and a good time and I headed to meet some dear friends for dinner, which was a good thing, I hadn’t eaten all day, save half a granola bar, a few Cheetos and an orange! Needless to say, I was staving!

I headed to Taco Mac at the Perimeter, I know that won’t mean a lot to some of you, but other people will know where I went. I was meeting one of my oldest and dearest friends, LGR, who I met about a year after I moved to Georgia, so almost twenty years! The awesome thing about our relationship, is that even though we don’t see or talk to each other very often, the bond is there, we love each other very much and are never far from the other’s thoughts, sometimes it’s like no time has passed, aren’t those friendships wonderful!

I was meeting LGR and her husband, MR and their adorable daughter CR. We had a great time catching up,sharing stories and our lives, laughing and having a great time. We vowed to try to talk more often, I hope we do, but if we don’t, I’m not worried, I know the love is still there! (Thank you again!)

I hopped in the car, headed to the house and sat down to write to you because I know how tired you must be from reading all that! I know I’m tired and hoping to get some sleep very soon because the alarm is going off at way to early am! I am meeting CKM and MB to go down to a Turner Field to participate in the Hot Chocolate 5k, the one we were volunteering for today.

So…that was my day, how was yours?

{January 24, 2014} Thwarted at every turn…a bargain and now the weather is doing what?

Wow, four days in a row I’m telling you about my day? It feels like I haven’t done that for a while, then I look back and I did, so here we go, I have a feeling there is going to be a lot more of that.

I say that because I am currently heading to Atlanta for the weekend and then Boston again for the week. I know, I don’t normally talk about my travels while I am traveling, but I’m not as worried because the brave Marine DCM is at home taking care of stuff! (and not just the cats, smile)

So, I got up, finished packing and then called Dr R’s office because I had an appointment at 12:20 and I wanted to be sure I could make the appointment and be back in time for the shuttle. When I spoke to someone, I said if I wasn’t going to have enough time, I’ll just reschedule. Dr R had me blocked out for a twenty minute appointment, just long enough to say I am doing better and to talk about massage therapy and then go home. I will be on the road longer than I will be in his office.

I drive thirty five minutes, get there, someone had cancelled my appointment, great…was I jinxed in the therapy world this week? Hmmm…that’s why I said thwarted again!

But…on a positive note…I left the apartment early for the appointment and had the impulse to stop at Tuesday Morning, what a wonderful store, if you don’t know it, you should see if there is one near you. They used to be open only on Tuesday mornings and once a month, I know weird, huh? Then the popularity grew and then it was weekly and now, every day. It’s one of those places that you go that has great deals on items, from food (sauces, crackers, stuff like that), entertaining, bedding, bath, toys, jewelry, seasonal decorations, luggage, pet stuff, even some clothes, but it’s not like a normal department store, they don’t keep things in stock in bulk, and it’s just a bunch of industrial shelves, so whatever you find is what they have, you may go one day and what you were looking at the next day is gone, you have to go to understand.

It’s a great place to kill time and get gifts, my friends and family have benefited, especially when they have a sale. Well, I’ve been to this one a few times, it’s right near the apartment and today’s impulse was right on! The store was closing sad, but…90% off the entire store. They had been cleared out so much that there was only the front of the store open, those of you who have been to one can appreciate how little an area this is.

Well, I had given myself fifteen minutes, I started grabbing stuff that I knew would be great gift, then I needed a cart! I found a bunch of great kids toys for the nieces and grandkids, they are going to rack up! Let’s just say that I filled two extra large shopping bags and a purple woven basket (check out the receipt for the quantity) and when she rang it up…$10! Huh? I laughed out loud! Then I walked around the corner and saw the stuff I had piled up and forgotten…$4… Not too shabby, holiday shopping done, well, partly for $14!!! How cool is that?

My trunk is full…going to have to go to the storage unit when I get back!

So, now I am almost into Atlanta and I posted on Facebook the weather I am heading in to. Get this! It was in the 50s when I left COLORADO, everyone laughed when I said I was moving there, always snowing and freezing, yeah right! 300 days off sunshine! It’s going to be in the 50s to 60s all weekend! No humidity, so not as “wet cold” as other places. Now, I am going to Atlanta and the temperature is going to range from mid TWENTYS to mid THIRTIES, what? Then I go to Boston and it’s supposed to be mid thirties, high fourties, maybe low fifties with rain and snow. How do you like them apples!? Mother Nature sure is a fickle creature.

And the woman I sat next to has no common courtesy, I get to the row just as she is throwing a water bottle someone left into my seat, then when people are passing by, she’s holding her laptop practically in the aisle, they have to go around her, then I get up to go to the bathroom and I ask the guy in front of me if I could go past him (I’m in an exit row, no one in front of me, for those of you trying to do the logistics!) then when I come back to the seat, I tap her on the shoulder, she pretends to ignore me, very nice…we’ve landed, I’m outta here! (Ignoring the fact that she’s just leaving trash in her seat pocket)

So, I’ll let you know how the weekend goes…should be interesting, I’m running two races, will need to run to keep warm! Keep you posted!

{January 15, 2014} A resolution and resistance training

First, I don’t make resolutions, but it flowed better than “a commitment and resistance training”, right?

Ok, so I don’t need to go to a gym for resistance training, I just need to go outside and take a walk! Oh my goodness! I decided to take a walk this afternoon, I probably should have gone in the morning because the wind was whipping so hard, it was almost like walking in a pool, that much resistance.

The first thing that happened was I got pushed by the wind, ran a little, then I decided it was too windy to go the way I had just come, so I walked around and then there goes my baseball cap! People were nice enough to not run over it with their cars when it flew into and down the road. Next, there was a woman who lives at the retirement home near me and she was struggling against the wind so much, trying to carry her packages. I asked if she would like to hold on to me, I took her bags and then she held on to me for dear life! She was tiny, both in stature and size, I could have seen her blowing away!

Once she got a grip on my arm, she didn’t let go, so I walked her to the door backwards, good for my glutes! She held on to me and her hair, luckily she didn’t lose either! I made it home, only losing my hat one more time before I turned it around, brim in the back, that seemed to help!

So, this leads me to my next statement, a commitment. You know I’ve been walking/running for quite a while, well, I haven’t done either in a while, got out of the habit and I’m kicking myself for that, I can feel it, blah. I have some races coming up and I’d like to get back into e habit of walking and running on a daily basis and eventually work up to running a full 5k and then some.

I was thinking about it and I remembered January 6th of last year, making a commitment to you and me that I would blog for a year, why can’t I make a similar commitment on a smaller scale? I am committing to walking one mile per day for thirty days, if I’m up to it, I may run a mile as well. After thirty days, if I haven’t increased my walk, I am going to commit to walking/running two miles a day for thirty days and so on. Not sure I’ll get up to twelve miles a day, but I will get to a comfortable place and pace.

It takes twenty one days to form a habit, here goes mine! I got day one down, here’s to tomorrow!

{November 22, 2013} A 10k at Disney!

Oh no! I had almost completely forgotten! I am doing a 10k at Walt Disney World in February!

I have to start training! I had almost forgotten about it and then got an email yesterday to remind me! So, now, I have to start training, I started running a little again, just need to stay strong and steady and focused and I will be ready! I feel that I can get myself running fully and then be able to run the entire 10k, or at least half or more of it! at least I think it’s a 10k and not a ten miler!

This will be my second race at Disney, two years ago I did the Animal Kingdom’s Everest Scavenger Hunt 5k. Disney races are more expensive but they treat you right and it’s fun!

I’m really looking forward to it! One of my goals, right now, is to run a full 5k, then move on to a 10k, think I can do it? I’m ready!

Then I need to book a flight and find a hotel! No problem!

I’ll keep you posted on my journey! Wish me luck, I’m gonna need it!

Who’s going with me?!

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