Go Penguins, 12:00 minute milers and all other back-of-the-packers!

starting.to.freak.out.

Got my Gu.  Got my iPod songs lined up, even added a few new songs.  Got my Garmin charging.  Got my favorite running shirt and socks (yes, I have a pair of favorite socks) washed.  Getting very, VERY nervous.  We leave tomorrow morning, and once we get to Cinci, gotta get my race packet and all.  Anyone interested in following my progress, my bib # is 5337.  You can go to the marathon website and sign up for text updates or check in online...so they say.

I don't know if I"ll be able to check in or post tomorrow, and we'll see what happens after the run.  I will take my laptop, however.

WISH ME LUCK!!!!!

FRIDAY FUN: Wordplay...join me if you will

I was reading my friend Lou's blog and then we briefly had an email discussion as we will meet up in Cinci this weekend...she's running the half and (cross your fingers) running the last mile or so with me in the marathon if she and Meg are up to it...anywhoo, I mentioned my "slacker" tapering progress and called myself "slackidaisical."  I thought that was a fun word, so I made up a few "slack-related" words.  Please, friends, ADD TO THE LIST!!!

Run #52 Leaving Las Vegas

Date/Time:  April 30th at 6:30am

Place:  The noisy, slippery sunny strip, 60 degrees  (the weather man was talking about the cold blast coming in...a high of 78.  )

Mileage:  3 the hard way

Time it Took: 37:04  (insert Richard Dawson "survey SAYS???"  X

Pace:  12:22  X

Miles this week: 8.23 miles

Miles this month:  75.13 miles X

2008 Goal:  313.69/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  I was sooooo tired and I really didn't feel like running, but I went on ahead and did it anyway.  As soon as I hit the strip my legs were hurting in places that haven't hurt before.  The concrete and marble running is not for me, plus I've been doing lots of walking.  Oh, and I bought a new pair of shoes that by the end of the day yesterday, I was like "ouch my heel kinda hurts" and I looked down only to find my heel full of blood with a nice fresh blister.  I'll be fine by Sunday for the marathon.  In fact, I'm in the airport typing this as we speak.  I left about 90 minutes before I needed to, just to get OUT!  I will run a very short run on Friday, like 2 miles or so and then THAT'S IT.  MARATHON TIME!

But back to today's running adventure, it included dodging water hoses as they were cleaning the sidewalks (3 different places), but only two sets of stairs this time.

I'm happy to be leaving...I am so done with Vegas.

Eating Las Vegas

Ok ok...what is this Fatburger that people rave about so much????  I know it's a west coast thing, if nothing more from an old Beastie Boys song "I buy a Fatburger when I'm way out west."  But I've also been in enough chat websites to hear people rave about them destroying their diets.  I'm thinkin, it's just a hamburger, people!!  C'mon, get ahold of yourselves!

Enter last nite, the need for quick "relaively cheap" food on the strip.  Hmmm, Fatburger?  McDonald's?  Fatburger?  Mc Donald's.  "I'll have one baby fatburger and skinny fries."  (I HATE steak fries.)  Holycannoli! THAT BURGER WAS GOOOOOOOO-oooo-OOOOOOD!  I think I will visit there again before I leave!   Now to find an In-n-Out Burger place, and Chick-fil-a and I will have hit all the fast food joints that I have been deprived of during life, if it's truly possible to be "deprived" of fast food.

Buffets.  The first night here I went to the buffet at MGM Grand.  Other than some a small piece of chicken in mole sauce and one (yes, 1) lobster ravioli, I pretty much stuck to fruits and veggies.  Aren't you proud of me?  Spinach salad with a devine oil/balsamic mix courtesy of ME, creamed spinach, sweet potato salad, sauteed mushrooms, veggie lasagna, more creamed spinach, carrot cake and key lime pie!  See?  Pretty good, eh?  (UGH!  I know!)  Sure do love me some key lime pie.  I never had it until about a year ago and I can't believe what I've been missing my whole life. 

I must sound really pathetic right now. 

Ok...of to work for the conference sessions! Hope you all are well.  I will be running again tomorrow and MAYBE Wednesday, if not then, on Thursday.

Have a great day, friends!

Run #51 Viva Las Vegas

Date/Time:  April 27th at 5:45am

Place: Las Vegas, 63˚

Mileage: 5.23 miles

Time It Took:  1:05:29

Pace:   12:29

Miles this week:    5.23

Miles this month:  72.13

2008 Goal: 310.69/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  Well, I never did get a run in before leaving Chicago…too much preparation needed for the conference that I’m attended here in Vegas for work.  I’m putting the week behind me, planning to taper this week up to the marathon.  I’ve put in the time and distance for my long runs, and I will be fine come next Sunday! I'm taking thyckchyk's advice and not beating myself up about it.

So as I was leaving the hotel room, I kept feeling like I was forgetting something.  I WAS!  It wasn’t until I got outside and finally got a satellite signal on my Garmin, when I realized I forgot my iPod.  No biggie, I decided it wasn’t worth the trip (Or losing the satellite signal) to go back and get it.  I was really stiff as I got going, since it’s been since Tuesday that I last ran, but I decided that even though I should probably do 8 miles, I was just going to do what felt right. And that’s what I did.  I counted 17 other runners, none of whom I saw during the first mile and a half.  I saw many people who were just finishing up their night of partying. 

I think my pace was slower b/c I had to go up and down stairs several times on those pedestrian walkways..I figured that since I was exercising, I should be taking the stairs as opposed to the escalators.  I crossed 4 pedestrian bridges (8 sets of stairs), using the escalator only on the down sides.  Also, I was wondering…I ran on lots of concrete, but also marble. How does that rank in terms of running surfaces one should avoid, concrete being one of the worst?  Lots of marble surfaces along the strip.

Well, gotta go, gotta make a few last changes to my presentation before I go take it to the central admin site for uploading to their system, wish me luck, my presentation is tomorrow!

They said TAPER, not STOP

What a horrible week, running-wise.  I can't seem to get any running in.  With this blasted presentation I'm working on for next week at the conference, edits to that big writing project that I thought I was done with (but now the client wants to talk today at 9am), a phone conference with several people in order to prepare for an RFP team interview on May 6th, a grant application for church, UGH, I can't get a run in!  And I had planned to get up early today, but now it's too late to run, get ready, get the girls ready and MAKE SURE I'm at my desk to talk to that client at 9am.  Anyway...all this is to say that I have to run Saturday, Sunday for sure, and then Tuesday and Thursday for sure.  MAN!  What am I doing over here?  Wy must work get in the way of my life?!

Sorry for complaining, thanks for listening...ya know...I suppose if I budgeted my time better, this wouldn't be such an issue.  I should have been done with this presentation over a week ago, as well as the grant application.  Today should be an easy day of work, not one that's spent frantically running around before I'm gone for 4 out of 5 days next week. 

Funny thing is I have this article about "Professional procrastinators" that was in the paper a week or so ago. I said THAT'S ME when I read the headline.  "I need to read that!"  ANd I stil have it sitting at my desk, b/c I  put off reading it!!!!!  The irony. 

Apparently I have lost the ability to count

Ok, the people running the Flying Pig Marathon have been sending these annoying daily emails since like the beginning of the month that COUNTDOWN the says until the marathon, as if we are somehow unaware that we should keep an eye on the calendar, for fear of missing the big day, even though probably 99.5% have been training for AT LEAST a few months.   (Imagine the scene:  Staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep.  Oh man, I think I was supposed to run a marathon today.  Oops!  Oh well.  snooooore.)

So lately I've been wondering about their counting system.  I've dutifully put the "days to go" count at the head of my blog each day for the past few days, but truthfully...I don't know how they're counting.

Por ejemplo, today's email reads 10 DAYS UNTIL THE FLYING PIG MARATHON.  Really?  Is it really 10 days?  Ok, no matter which way I count it, I get 11.  This is my theory (cuz every rage against the machine needs a theory, right?)  Okay, the marathon is on Sunday May 4th.  (unless maybe I've got that wrong and my whole theory is blown out the water.)  So on Saturday, May 3rd, I'm gonna be like "HOLY CRAP, only 1 day until the marathon."  Right?  Because who says "HOLY CRAP, only zero days left!"???   So then I count up (back) from that "1 day" to today's date, and I get 11.  I count down from today to May 4, and I get 11 again, not 10!!!  So where does this countdown come from?!?!?!  It is driving me mad!  Is there some sort of counting system that I am unaware of?  Am I the only idiot who is clueless to the countdown.  Maybe I've got it all wrong.  And why is this bothering me so much?

Here's a crappy visual, if you can call it a visual:

Marathon is May 4th;

1 day before the marathon:  May 3rd

2 days before the marathon:  May 2nd

3 days before the marathon:  May 1st

4 days before the marathon: April 30th

5 days before: April 29th

6 days before: April 28th

7 days before: April 27th

8 days before: April 26th

9 days before: April 25th

<okay now pay attention>

10 days before: April 24th (that is NOT today's date, people)

11 days before:  April 23rd (THIS IS TODAY'S DATE!!!!)

I rest my case.  Today I revolt, and despite what their countdown email says, I SAY THERE ARE 11 DAYS TIL THE MARATHON!!!!  

Run #50 Stiff and Steady as she goes

Date/Time:  April 22nd "Earth Day" at 4:15pm

Place: outside near work, 74 degrees

Mileage: 4 miles

Time It Took:  48:56

Pace:   12:14

Miles this week:    4

Miles this month:  66.90

2008 Goal: 305.46/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  Couldn't seem to get the lead out.  I had momentary spurts of greatness, but overall sluggishness.  Oh well, got it done.  I plan to try to run every other day this week, and then next week when I'm in Vegas for a conference at work, I will taper away carefully.

Run #49 Insert witty post title here

Date/Time:  April 19th at 10:45am

Place: treadmill at home

Mileage: 2.51

Time It Took:  30:00

Pace:   11:57

Miles this week:    22.51

Miles this month:  62.90

2008 Goal: 301.46/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  I told myself..."Self, run for 30 minutes and if you still don't feel like running you can stop."  So I stopped at 30 minutes.  I'm having a longer run tomorrow with Lou and Megan, but I'm not sure how long b/c I have to be back earlier than I would prefer.  They're running 10miles, but we're not meeting til 7:30am.  I'll keep you posted as always.

I'm over 300 miles now, by the way.