My 40 for 40 | Peaches Prattlings

{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?!

{November 19, 2013} Time…it’s a funny thing

Isn’t it interesting how time seems to change depending on what you’re doing?

You know the expression “time flies when you’re having fun”? The time elapsed isn’t any different, it’s how we are perceiving it. What does it mean anyway?

When we’re having a good time, we don’t look at the clock and all of a sudden three hours passed and it feels like a moment. When we’re somewhere we don’t want to be or doing something we don’t want to or just plain bored, doesn’t the time seem to drag? Perfect example, when we’re at work and bored or have nothing to do, doesn’t it seem that time has stopped? But be busy, have a deadline? Where did the time go? You start working on something at 11am, the next thing you know, you look up and it’s 3pm!

What about when we were in cash cool? If we weren’t into whatever it was especially on a Friday or right before the holidays, did the clock stop altogether? When we’re on vacation, when you get there, you have all the time in the world, then all of a sudden, you’re going home in two days!

When you’re late for something, time seems to speed up. When we are sad about losing something/someone, time seems to have gotten away from us. when we’re trying to get somewhere on time, does the minutes hand seem to have jumped?

Today, I went out for a run/walk, something I haven’t done since I hurt myself in September. I have gone for walks, but no running, I thought it was time I took a chance. I decided to walk .25 of a mile, run .25 and so on. As I started, I got the first quarter mile, no problem, seemed like I was making good time, then it was time for the next quarter mile, not bad, then walk and that seemed to take forever to get to the next quarter mile, what was going on? .10 to go seemed to go on forever. Then the next quarter mile, is there no end in sight?

I know we have all thought about this and even asked those questions aloud “where did the time go?” (?Although, a lot of times, peope, will use that as an excuse when they’re trying to get away from someone!).

I know there are days I look at the clock and think, I have plenty of time to write my blog post and then all of a sudden, it’s almost midnight!

We also say..where did the time go? Or my favorite, I just don’t have the time or enough hours in the day… To that I say tag I am reminded of a quote that my mom had on the wall in her classroom. “You have the same number of hours in the day as Marie Curie and Albert Einstein”, think about that.

Here are some great quote about time.
http://quotations.about.com/cs/inspirationquotes/a/Time10.htm

All I have to say in conclusion…Thank you for taking the time read my post!”

{October 7, 2013} Apparently I’ll do a lot for chocolate…I don’t even like chocolate!

Ok, so not all chocolate…if there’s peanut butter with the chocolate, I’m in!

Volunteer shirt

I think I told you I signed up to do the Hot Chocolate 5k in Denver a few weeks ago. Friday and Saturday was the Expo for packet pickup and I decided that I would kill two bird with one stone [isn’t that an awful phrase? those poor birds] and Friday afternoon, I volunteered for the Hot Chocolate Expo race packet pickup.

Did you know it snowed on Friday? It started raining/snowing Thursday night and when I got up to go to therapy, it was snowing! About 12, it was done and melted! After therapy I went to the clinic for their first site visit and then it was off to the Hot Chocolate Expo.

Snowing on the way to the mountain Friday morning!

My new Chucks!

Chocolate socks!

Since it was a little chilly and started snowing a little sooner than I expected, I needed better footwear, at least for the afternoon, I really need some boots! I stopped at Ross and it must have been fate, couldn’t find any boots that fit or I liked, but I did find…a pair of chocolate colored! Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars! I love the laces, they are elastic [one pink and one blue in each sneaker] and…chocolate colored Converse socks! what are the odds and was it a sign? [did I need another pair of “Chucky Ts?” not really, but did i want them? most definitely!] [I believe one of my posts soon will be introducing you to my collection!] I put my new Chucks on and it was off to the Expo.

Race Sweatshirt [girls were grey and orange, guy were grey and grey]

I first picked up my packet and the packets for DCM, JS and CD, next, I checked in for my volunteering time, I had requested packet pickup, but I was put at the table to do size exchanges, the sweatshirts run a little small. [When I did the run in Atlanta in January, I got a medium, it was too small, so this time I got a large, but then at the expo tried on the XL and it was perfect!

I had a lot of fun volunteering, (made me want to it find other events to volunteer for) I talked to and laughed with a lot of people, talked about the run, had a little advice for the run and the chocolate [ie bring a plastic bag for their cups with the dipping chocolate]. Then it was home to chill after a very long day.

You already know about yesterday and last night, so on to today.

Brace and Halloween socks!

We got up at oh dark thirty [who organizes a 5k that starts at 7am?] and got into the car and headed into Denver. We found parking, about the same time CD called to tell me they were closing the corrals at 6:45, I didn’t think that was going to happen, but I ran to meet her with her race bag, yes I said ran. I got the lace-up brace that the doctor told me I should get, I’ve been wearing it for a few days [as you notice, it’s October, so it’s Halloween sock month! yeah baby!] [oh man, that would be another great post, my bizarre sock collection! I need help…I know DCM is saying that as he’s reading this!]

It did well for me today, well for the ankle part, the bottom of my foot (heel spur) didn’t fare as well, so it will be a process. I got home and iced my ankle. I took it easy and DCM and I walked the 5k, after the run, we found JS & PS, GW and his wife DW and CD, we chatted for a few minutes, took some pictures, picked up our finishers mug and then headed home.

When we got home it was hot shower time for me, DCM started the laundry and then got some rest on the couch, I spent the day chilling out and cross stitching on the sofa (wait until you see what I’m working on!).

Did I tell you I’m going back to Atlanta in January to do the Hot Chocolate 5k in January? There should be about 6 of us, how much fun will that be? I’m hoping RS joins us, it’s her birthday! CKM and I have already registered to work the expo, will be fun!

Homepage

{September 23, 2013} Today, I went for a walk

This may not sound like big news to anyone and to those who follow my posts about races may think this is a given, but…after what happened last weekend, this is a big deal.

As you know, I turned my ankle not once, not twice, but three times last Saturday. While it’s definitely been getting better, it still hurts and is tender. I have been wearing an ace bandage on it, changed every few days and last night, I decided to take the bandage off, give it some time to heal.

I also haven’t been able to rest it much during the day this past week, during a go-live you’re usually all over the place, walking around to see where you’re needed, after 10 hours on your feet, even though you’re sitting, driving doesn’t feel awesome. Top down on the car definitely helps though!

And before you ask, I have an appointment on Wednesday to have it x-rayed to see if I have done any serious or permanent damage, I’ll keep you posted.

Part of the reason I decided to take off the bandage is that I did some walking yesterday (Pink Power Ranger costume is on it’s way soon EJS!) and I may have overdone it in conjunction with the bandage being too tight. So, in the evening, after we were done running around, I sat with my leg elevated and iced. It was a crap shoot if it hurt or didn’t.

Today was all about taking it easy, good moments and bad, always elevating my leg. Football was on so I was in the bedroom cross stitching, which I am going to tell you all about in another post, and watching movies, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

I would like to say I slept in due to my new curtains, but not so…yesterday, it was 7:41am and today it was 8:30, really? Well, the curtains we thought were dark enough, were not. I hope I remedied this when I went to the store (I bought a blackout curtain and put it up behind the pretty curtains). I was feeling a bit claustrophobic and antsy, so I got dressed, put on sneakers and headed to Walmart, it’s only about 1/4 mile and I took it slow, but I am still nervous about moving to fast or putting pressure on my feet, it’s going to take some time, I’ve done this before, but it’s usually better in a few days. My appointment on Wednesday will tell.

Well, I walked to Walmart, around the store and then walked home and up a flight of stairs to get to the appointment, as sad as this sounds, that was enough for me.

I know what it’s like when you’ve been sick for a while and then you have a good day and decide I’m going to climb Mt Fuji. Well, I’m happy to say I didn’t overdo it and I’ve been sitting with my leg raised and icing since the, well, after I made banana bread!

Time to get a little more cross stitch in before I sign off and get some sleep!

{September 16, 2013} Run For Your Lives (for real!), Break Fast and Breakfast

So as to know, I participated in the Run For Your Lives 5k obstacle run yesterday. It’s funny, someone asked if I did the run yesterday because I didn’t post anything on Facebook or text.

Here’s why and then what the rest of my day and today was like because they were better.(and be prepared, this may take a while!)

I also realized that I didn’t get anyone to take my picture, so I won’t have any of me this time, oh well, maybe there will be one on the race page that I can tag and my friends can see it.

I flew in on Friday night as you know, drove 1.5 hours to Dalton, GA to spend the night, no way I was getting up before the sun to drive all the way down to run a race. I’ve started doing that, if the race is more than an hour, I will spend the night and sometimes, even if its an hour away, could be a fun night out.

I got up in the morning, got ready, requested a late checkout so I would have a place to shower, thank goodness! I had plans later and wasn’t going home first. I headed out, got cash for parking and was on my way. I got the with enough time to check in, check my bag in, get an Atlanta zombie shirt and line up for my heat.

Last year, I really enjoyed the run, it was at a dirt bike park track in the woods and it had been raining, so it was muddy, muddy, muddy. (Friends on Facebook, look for those photos from last year) we lined up in three corrals based on your pace (appetizer: 7-9 min mile, entree: 9-11 min mile and dessert, 12-14 min mile, guess where I was, yup, sweet sweet sweet).

It was so muddy that I lost the soles in both my shoes, almost lost a shoe at one of the obstacles. The obstacles yesterday weren’t in abundance or that spectacular, they seemed more like other obstacle races, last year there were hay bales, mud pits, mud bogs.

This year, except for the places they made muddy, it was DRY, DRY, DRY. Not that much fun running or walking on dry, huge rocks, so there were not many people running, partly because of the rocks, but it felt like the entire course was uphill and the downhills were straight down! People were complaining and getting hurt!

The zombies were in abundance, and they were great, the thing I liked better this year, the zombies weren’t as aggressive or body checking people, which they were rejected for last year. There is one zombie, KR, who I also met at the Vampire 5k earlier this year, he posted that it was great to see me, he’s great, he has two extra heads on his shoulders (ha ha) and squirts water at people.

There were doctor zombies, nurse zombies, (I told them I had lost all faith in the medical community that day!) mommies, kids, cheerleaders, brides, prom queens, you name it, it was probably there! The cool thing was that after you finished running, you could have volunteered to be a zombie, how fun would that be!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do most of the obstacles because…wait for it, as I was told by one zombie, I figured out how to avoid or survive the zombie apocalypse, I was injured! Just at the start, I stepped in one of the hundreds of holes, there was one zombie actually standing in one so people wouldn’t fall in, I wasn’t so lucky, stepped in one and turned my right ankle, I felt and heard “POP!” Ouch! I started limping and several people asked if I was alright, even the zombies asked if I wanted medical attention, no not from the zombie doctors! Everyone was very nice! I said no thanks, I’m going to try to walk it off and I am going to finish!

There were a bunch of people who got picked up and driven back on golf carts, it was bad. Eventually they were starting to put out flags to mark the holes…

So, as I’m walking it off and looking pathetic I did it again! Darn it! But I was going on! I kept limping and let me tell you, zombies are actually quite sympathetic when you look that pathetic! They even asked if I was injured! I told some of them they could go for my flags, I wasn’t moving any faster! Some even gave me flags back! (The flags were cool this year, had the logo on them!)

I don’t remember if you recall from yesterday’s post about how Yom Kippur crossed over into the zombie run…one of the zombie nuns was approaching and I said “So, sister, tell me all your bad habits!” I thought it was funny, so did she!(DCM is rolling his eyes right now) and she said, I’m Jewish! I asked if she was fasting! She was, said she had a talk with g-d and it was alright, she was drinking water. I wished her an easy fast and a good Yom Tov! The world is very small!

So, I limped my way through the course and along the way met a lot of cool people, we all talked about different runs that we’ve done and liked. I met a really cool family, J and her husband, C, who lost his glasses, I really hope they got lucky and found them! They were with their daughter and one of her friends. This was their first, they were in from Charlotte, NC, so of course I had tell her about the run I did there and I would be back. We traded email addresses, I hope we’ll keep in touch! I’m hoping she comes to Atlanta for the Hot Chocolate in January!

(For anyone new to reading my blog, specifically J & C, they’re not all this long! Sometimes I just have a lot to say!)

After the run, I collected my gear and headed to the medical tent. There, the EMT looked at my ankle, I told him I did a number on it, he said, woah! And called another EMT over to look at what I done, see, told ya! I don’t do anything half way! He wrapped my ankle up, I found out I could get the wrap wet and it would harden, so far so good.

So…here’s where it gets a little worse, as I’m limping and apparently looking pathetic, a nice guy offered to give me a ride back to my car, on his bike. I had seen him earlier talking to people who worked there, so I said thank you, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble. Well, I climb on to the TEENY TINY back seat, held on and away we went. Very nice bike, by the way orange and black soft tail, too loud for my tastes, but in great shape!

He told me it wouldn’t be smooth, due to all the rocks, no problem, we took the street for part of it. We are ow I the parking area and it’s straw and grass, about 1/4 mile from my car,we are taking a left turn and I’m not sure if it was too fast, all of a sudden, a serious flash, I am on my back with a motorcycle on top of me! In a flash, there were about six people surrounding us picking up the bike, which was good because the foot peg had dug into my LEFT ankle! When I stood up, everyone was checking that I was ok,the driver included, we checked each other out, we were fine, no worse for wear, but better than his bike, the shifter snapped off! He was not going to be able to ride that bike anywhere, luckily he had his truck.

When I was sure he was alright, other people were helping him, I hobbled to my car. It didn’t take very long for the golf ball sized lump to appear on my ankle, pretty solid thing! It’s going to turn very pretty colors! If you’re lucky, I’ll share pictures! Let’s just say this morning, it was tough to get out of bed! I can tell were the bruises are going to be on my left side and backside, but I am lucky, it’s no where near what I had when I crashed my bike a few years ago.

Alright, you heard about my morning, lets move on to the good stuff! (By the way, this all happened before 12:30pm!)

I went back to the hotel for a hot shower, was not as muddy as I have been, thankfully for the hotel cleaning staff! I got in the car and headed downtown to meet some friends for dinner and to Break the Fast, perfect, with my friends. I stopped off at an outlet mall for some retail therapy, it helped my wardrobe for work, not my feet…

I was meeting some of the gang at Yeah Burger in VA Highland, I love it! CKM was there, of course, and first to arrive so we caught up a bit, but I didn’t want to give too many details for fear of repetition, shortly after, DL, my former co-worker and dear friend and her husband, ML, (and CKM and I finally got her to agree to do the Hot Chocolate 5k with us!) we caught up for a few minutes. It was ML’s birthday Friday, Happy Birthday M! Next was SDL and Miss A, you know I scooped that one up and barely let go! Next was TS, looking fabulous as always! I was so excited to hear what she has going on and coming up!

Rounding out the group was another couple who are former co-workers, JC and CC and their adorable son, M, he has gotten so big! I think CC is going to do the Hot Chocolate as well!

We had a great time, ate (I broke the fast with a delicious hand made veggie burger with goat cheese, yum!) caught up, laughed and had the best time! It’s never enough time, but it was great. I was so happy they were able to come out to dinner! I’ll be back, I can’t wait to see them again and if I missed you this time, hope you can join us next time!

After dinner, CKM, SDL and Miss A and I went for dessert around the corner, they had gelato and I had a crepe, yum! We talked a bit more, as we always do and as we are getting to SDL’s car, I walk off the curb and TURN MY FREAKING RIGHT ANKLE, what?!? OUCH! I yelled out quite a few expletives, apologizing the whole time, thank goodness Miss A isn’t repeating what we say! I felt sooo stupid!

SLD gave me a ice pack and after a while, drove me to CKM’s car, who drove me to mine. I felt so stupid! I did feel a little better when she gave me my birthday presents early! I got a stack of books, a patch for climbing Stone Mountain and what I asked for…”whirled peas”! When we were kids, my sister and I would ask my dad what he wanted for his birthday…his response was a digital watch and peace on earth or world peace! So what did I get? Whirled peas! Thank you!!!

I drove home, finished my post, elevated and iced my ankle, as instructed, and passed out!

Are you ok? Need a nap, get a glass of water? (you have to pack as much as possible when the time is short)

Today, I got up and went to meet LK and her three girls, K, J and K. The youngest, K had asked if I would come in for her birthday, it’s in two weeks, of course I wanted to and…it just worked out perfectly. We met at Mimi’s Cafe for a fantastic breakfast and fun. I think I’ve seen them more since if moved than in the last two years I was I Atlanta, I have a lot of time to make up for. When we got there, the youngest K, gave me a bracelet that she made for me, I love it! How did she know I love jewelry made by my nieces?

I told them I would see them when I am back in a we months, we took pictures, gave hugs and kisses, love and we were off!

It was so good to see them ad we would have spent more time together, but one had a softball game, one had a soccer game and I had playtime duties!

I headed to SDL’s house to play with Miss A while SDL mowed the lawn. We played, talked, giggled, ate caught up a little more since last night and a few hours later, it was time to head for the airport.

I dropped off the car, hobbled through security and off we went.

I hope you aren’t too wiped out from my adventure! I need for recoup! Thank goodness I don’t have to get up early tomorrow! I need a nap! Good night!

Email Subscription

What was I thinking?