my running season has officially begun

so back when registration opened for the star wars half marathon at disneyland, i was still in the mindset of doing the l.a. (full) marathon.  i figured i'd be doing some seriously long training runs in preparation for tackling that 26.2-mile course and thought, why not just add extra miles after the half and earn a medal along the way?

and then i came to the realization that the idea of me running a full marathon is stupid.  haha!  seriously though...what was i thinking?  i was all pumped up from watching so many of my friends running l.a. last year and thought the "stadium to the sea" course looked so badass (which it totally is) and thought, well, i have a whole year to get ready for it.  i can do that shit!

except that i can't.  WOMP WOMP.

oh well.  this just means i get to participate in a fun half, in a theme i love anyway.  and check it out - i managed to get my hands on a kick ass costume!

although i have to admit - as much as i'm untrained for that full, i'm also horribly undertrained for this half.  which is in three days.  oops.  i threw in a quickie 3-mile training run in the rain last week:

and then as i planned out activities for this week, i realized that i had time to squeeze in at least one good long run before the big day.  this is definitely not how i typically get ready for a half marathon!  usually i start about six weeks before with a weekly long run, beginning at 5 miles and increasing by a mile until i get in a 10-miler.  i always figure that i'll be good to get through a half as long as i can get that ten in there beforehand.

so yesterday, the old lady and i dropped the bean off at school, fought traffic to pasadena, and tackled the rose bowl loop.  i like going there for my long runs because it's so easy - each loop is exactly 3.1 miles (or a 5K).  i do three loops, double back a little at the end of the last one and squeeze in that last mile to get up to 10.  no measuring, no mapping out, easy peasy.

okay, not exactly "easy peasy" because it's still ten fucking miles of running.  and in my case, it's more of a run/walk.  i'm sticking to that 30 second walk/30 second run interval-ing thing i've been doing for a while now.  not only is it better for me physically, but mentally it's easier for me to tackle long runs if i know i can break it up like that.

but it's done.  the ten mile run is done, and now i can rest a little and get myself ready for that half.  it's the first of the year, with hollywood next and then tinkerbell after that.  let's do this shit.

half crazy

i have about a week and a half-ish until the disneyland half marathon.  holy shit.

you'd think i'd learned my lesson after hating life while training for tinkerbell.  uh, and then for the hollywood half.  heh.  but noooo - my stupid ass couldn't stand the thought of missing out on a run put on by disney, and actually signed up for this one even before i'd finished my first half marathon.  i am such a glutton for punishment.

so i've been doing weekly long runs for a few weeks now, starting with a 5-miler and adding a mile every weekend.  i've been pretty good about going out at least twice during the week so that my running mojo doesn't just quit on me, although they've typically been short ones.  i'm finding myself far too lazy to run more than three miles most days.  and my last long run was last weekend, a killer ten mile trek that started at 6:30 in the morning to avoid the intense heat we've been dealing with for about three weeks now (seriously, mother nature, can we call a truce and end this shit already?  please?).  this weekend i'll do a free 10K fun run with the teen, but since we'll have the bean with us too we'll likely just walk it.  this is okay too, since the avon walk is coming up in four weeks and we really haven't done shit training-wise.

one of my rules is to take water with me for anything longer than a five mile run.  except that i noticed that my hydration belt (a pretty fancy way to say "fanny pack," basically) wasn't fitting me properly anymore.  oh, and there's the annoying way that the bottles would leak on me as i ran.  i'd get halfway through my run and find that both bottles were only half full and my ass would be soaking wet.  not a good thing on all counts.  and after a particularly grueling run that had me feeling really crappy when i finally got home, i realized i just needed to suck it up and replace the damn thing altogether.  after doing some shopping online, i found what i wanted at my new obsession:  lululemon.

this thing is pretty fantastical.  it has three bottles that can ride vertically or horizontally and a pouch that holds my iPhone perfectly along with a pocket for energy gels and keys.  and since i was also getting increasingly frustrated with my armband that would pinch me as i ran, not to mention making for some freaky ass tan lines, it solved more than one problem.

then i also came to the conclusion that my running shoes needed to be replaced.  i'd been doing all of my races in the same pair i'd bought for tinkerbell and had recently switched to training in them too.  and when i inspected the soles for remaining tread, i noticed that they were pretty stinking worn out.  since i'd received some coupons for dick's sporting goods, i decided to head over there to check out their gear.

except that when we got to the store and started looking around at the running shoes, we were pretty much ignored by the sales staff.  we watched as the dude scurried over to help some guy who walked in after we did, glancing over at us as he passed by.  and when we tried to catch his attention to ask for help, he literally ignored us and didn't acknowledge our presence until i put down the shoe i was looking at and loudly told the girls "let's go, they obviously don't need our business here."  finally he spit out a brusque "can i help you?" and we sashayed past, tossing a "no, we're leaving" over our shoulder on the way out.  asshole.

i took to my twitter app immediately, typing out a bitchy complaint in exactly 140 characters, and received a response from the dicks twitter account within minutes.  i was asked to drop an email to their customer service department, and while i was prepared to shine it on and just head to a different store, the teen totally egged me on by offering to drive while i typed.  ha!

but because i had some really good coupons, we ended up at a different store location, where i settled on this fabulous pair of nike lunarglide+3s.

i've never run in nike shoes before - i was told when fitted for my first pair of running shoes that i needed to wear stability shoes.  i've worn nothing but asics for the last year but the only pair that was available carried a $150 price tag, and even with a coupon i wasn't really all about dropping that much cash on shoes.  so i googled these shoes on my phone, and after reading that they're responsive and adapt to just about every type of foot, i was sold.  besides, i wanted some pretty shoes for once, dang it!  those asics were butt ass ugly, and heavy and clunky to boot.  these are so lightweight and cool, i just had to have 'em.  and way less than $150.

so far, i've only been able to do a really quick test run in them - we're talking a mere two miles here - so i'm anxious to give them another shot during sunday's 10K.  they seemed to be okay, but i definitely noticed a difference in the way they felt on my feet, and i want to be sure that they're going to work on the 13.1 miles i'll be doing really soon.

oh, and as for that email to dicks?  i received an automated response as soon as i hit "send," another one from their central customer service department the next day, and then last night one more.  this time, directly from the manager of the store we'd been ignored at - with an apology, a promise to discuss the incident with the shoe sales staff, and a $25 gift card waiting for me at the store.

i guess the squeaky wheel really does get the grease.  thanks, twitter (and the teen).

C25K, check

you guys, i did it!

i actually finished the entire nine-week couch-to-5K program!  i can run for 30 minutes at a time, and i'm able to do a full 5K in 40 minutes.  seriously, i am so proud of myself.  i signed up for a local 5K in november, and i've already run the course twice.  but it's just a mere drop in the bucket.  the half marathon i have coming soon is 4 TIMES that.  yikes.

i considered buying the "bridge to 10K" app, which is the next step from this one...but that'll still only get me halfway through the half.  hmmm.

got any suggestions on a good training app that'll help me get to my goal?

TGIF

so yesterday was quite a productive day for me. whee!

• finished up week 3 of the couch to 5K program. i struggled with the parts where i had to jog/run for 3 minutes straight, but i got through it. i'm a little afraid of next week, when it bumps up to intervals of 5 minutes. eek.
• managed to buy two tickets for the kid to finally go to wango tango. she's wanted to go every year, but never has. and this year, miley cyrus AND the jo-bros are headlining. it was a no-brainer. we're calling it part of her birthday present. heh. and i had to give myself a reminder about the stupid presale keyword. i was so discombobulated from the pressure of getting through for tickets, i knew i'd need it right in front of me. lame-o, that's me.
  
• finally completed the invitation order i'd been working on, packed up and mailed out. i really hope the bride and groom love these - i poured a lot of hours and effort into them. cross your fingers.
• found cardstock in almost the right color for another client's place cards. almost is good enough - it'll be dark and the difference of maybe one and a half shades won't be noticeable. i hope.
• took the bean to her gymboree class. she was tired and wailed all the way there, but once i got her inside, she realized where she was and was all smiles. i love that she loves it and recognizes it now. not to mention, she falls into the sleep of the dead when it's over. sensory overload at its best.
• voted about a zillion times. you know what i mean. and even better - no more eye blockers (the monkey's right - it's kind of silly now)!
  
• cleared a crapload of shit off the dining table that's been sitting there for ages and ages. the hub was on the verge of just dumping it all into a trash can, so i figured i'd better do something about it before he did.
• brainstormed on birthday gift ideas for the hub. it's next week and it'd registered in my head that it was coming soon, but the procrastinator in me kept putting off actually putting something together. i swear, he's the hardest person on the planet to buy for. i asked him what he wanted, and all i got was the same response from christmas: "peace on earth, babe. peace on earth." shit.
• had dinner with the ILs at north woods inn. yummy - salad with their house dressing, fabulous cheese bread, a hunk of perfectly cooked meat, and baked potato with gravy. all that was missing was bacon to make it perfect.
• i forgot to show off my two new books that i picked up at the kid's school the other night. they always time the book fair to coincide with either back-to-school night or open house, so i end up totally suckered into a nice long list of books for the kid. although that's a little harsh, because i always encourage her to read - whether it's for her english class book report, a magazine, or a book about her beloved jo-bros. and i never turn down a request from her for books for that very reason. anyway, this is a fun book that gives you the best and worst options at all sorts of restaurants:

and this one is a great book of dessert recipes that make my mouth water. chocolate caramel-pecan souffle cake, anyone?


funny, i just realized that these books are absolutely contradictory of each other. heh.

just another day in sunny l.a.

yesterday i packed the bean up and drove out to amber's place to meet with her and a few others to go on a training walk around her ginormous apartment complex. i mean, it's so big that she already had a route mapped out that wound around and through the place that measured almost two miles!

my original plan was to leave the bean at home with the hub for the morning, but he was still feeling yucky, and i sure didn't want him to end up puking while keeping an eye on her (nor did i really want her to catch whatever cooties he had). so when we arrived i bundled her up, since it was hella windy (yes, i said hella. shut up), strapped her into the carrier, put her shades on, and we headed into amber's apartment building.

i've been there a number of times before, but never actually went upstairs into her apartment. so i walked into the lobby, stared at the elevator, checked the directory (um, ALL the numbers started with a 4. didn't really tell me which floor to go to), and even looked at the mailboxes for help. nada. so i called her, got no answer, and started to wonder if i'd gotten my days mixed up somehow. damn.

next i tried the monkey, and luckily, she answered. she was on her way, and i found out that amber hadn't picked up because she was talking to the monkey when i called. heh. i called amber again, and she and tater came down the elevator to meet me. after giggling at the bean's silly pink sunglasses, we were joined by the monkey, lilcee, and weatherjen. more giggling, greetings, and then purses were taken upstairs and off we were on our walk through the complex. yay!

we walked at a nice, brisk pace and were actually quite surprised when we found ourselves back at amber's building. "do you guys want to loop around again, or shall we head over to farmers market and grab brunch?" she asked.

um, duh. exercise or food? ha! another half mile later, we walked into nordstrom (hey, we HAD to go through nordie's to get to the grove and farmers market. had to.), made a quick pitstop at the shoe department, and then to barnes & noble to pick up a little gift for trish, who was celebrating her birthday that day. plus, tater had the forethought to bring cupcakes for the birthday girl - complete with a cute st. patrick's day/birthday label. we also squeezed in a stop at the nike store, where amber showed us the awesome dri-fit tanks she'd bought there. they were on sale, so tater and lilcee decided to take advantage. i was planning to hit up the nike outlet later in the week, so i put the blinders on and managed to walk out without a purchase. *gasp* half of us went to the crepe stand, and the other half opted for mexican food at loteria. i never turn down an opportunity for a crepe, so i followed amber and weatherjen to the end of the line. the hardest decision of my day was the debate between savory and sweet - the other two were smart enough to order one of each and share, but i wasn't quick enough on the draw. after watching this lame chick ask the order taker a zillion questions (while we tapped our feet and stared at her irritating ass), she finally placed her order and got the hell out of the way. i mean, come on - we'd all been standing in line for a good ten minutes! figure your shit out before you get there, dummy.

there was also a guy in line ahead of me who couldn't stop looking at and talking to (and touching, ugh) the bean, who gazed up at me so lovingly. she was absolutely oblivious to this guy and his lavish praise of her hair, her cheeks, how focused on me she was, blah, blah, blah. i mean, okay, my kid is cute. i know this. but come on, dude. you're fucking creepy.

trish joined us and bought a sandwich at the crepe stand, and we all wished her a happy birthday while we munched and chatted. the bean decided that since we were eating, she deserved a snack, too, so i plopped a bottle in her mouth, which i held in place with my chin as i happily grazed on my crepe. i'd opted for a yummy savory crepe with smoked salmon, scrambled egg, sour cream, and chives. mmm, it was dee-lish! we strolled back out of farmers market and walked into a couple of stores at the grove. along the way, we passed jack gallery, which showcases funny art by todd goldman, among others. these were in the front window: and then i decided to find a way to incorporate this into my hint-dropping for mother's day. i haven't done it yet, but there's plenty of time.

as we continued our stroll through the grove, we were startled to turn around and find some weird old dude with a cool camera taking a picture of me and the bean. i mean, he was totally random, and didn't ask permission before snapping away. this has actually happened to us before, so i just brushed it off, but weatherjen and the monkey were so incensed, they wanted to chase him down and make him delete the image. heh. we marveled at the freaky ass people in the world and moved on.

and soon, trish bid us goodbye, we wished her a happy birthday again, and then back we went to amber's. weatherjen left next, having tons of house stuff to accomplish/oversee, and the rest of us filed back into the elevator to scoop up cupcakes that tater had so thoughtfully brought for us. hey, nothing's better after a marathon training session than baked goods.

i decided to take the opportunity to change the bean's diaper before getting back on the road, and she decided to play and squeal and entertain us as she frolicked on amber's carpet. we don't have much carpet in our house, so this was a new sensation for her, i'm thinking. and here's where the monkey and the mini-monkey discovered each other. seriously, it was just so cute, watching them together - if you know the monkey even a little bit, you know she's NOT a fan of wee ones. and so it was truly shocking to watch her, of all the girls present, get down onto the floor and start playing with the bean. i think it's love, folks. maybe the ice is melting, just a little bit? heh. the bean is monkey-approved! yay! lastly, here's a couple of random ass pictures i took as i wound my way through downtown on my way home. um, the end.

training, day 1

• the bean's started babbling (i noticed this on monday night), and she said "mama" yesterday! i swear to you, she did. i tried to capture her doing it again on my cell phone, but i'm not sure you can hear it too well. the ILs came by yesterday and brought me lunch (we were supposed to meet up with them, but the bean fell asleep and i didn't have the heart to wake her up), and she totally performed. and then during a brief quiet moment, she said it again, loud and clear. i have witnesses, people! and even more surprising is the fact that i didn't cry. i'm thinking it's most likely because deep in my brain, i'm fully aware that she's just babbling and finding her voice right now. it was pure luck that her mouth happened to make those beautiful, fabulous noises ;)
  

• the kid turns 13 in two months. holy shit. i mean, holy FUCKING shit. it's amazing to me that my little baby is going to be a friggin' teenager in a mere 65 days. anyway, we've asked her what she wants to do to celebrate, and she wants to gather up a bunch of her friends in a limo and go have dinner "somewhere cool, like in hollywood, mom." i'm open to suggestions, folks. every place i think of is more along the lines of a bar (i always think of reese witherspoon in "sweet home alabama" - "you have a baby! in a bar."). 13 - kind of an in-between age that's too young for clubs, but too old for, say, chuck e. cheese. help!

• i'm on the lookout for something to wear to my client's wedding next month. it's in scottsdale, the ceremony starts at 4:30, and i want to look fabulous but not too fabulous. man, it'll be tough. bwahahahahaha!

and now, i've gotta hit the showers. i have a birthday present to buy for a friend's 3-year-old - which means i can sneak in a couple of things for the bean, too. the hub'll never know. heh.