The Bike

To bike or not to bike...that's actually a silly statement. I own a bike, a good bike mind you. Granted the tires are extremely flat and I haven't ridden it since it rode on the back of my car when I moved from San Francisco to Austin 2 years ago. Wow! It's been 2 years since I've been on my bike. That is sooo sad. Lately, my running buddies are all blogging about their bike rides/events and it's making me want to get on my bike again. I'm not a strong rider. It's pretty safe to say I suck at it, but one can't get better if they don't keep at it. Keep in mind I only started riding the last 6 months I was living in SF and haven't been on the bike since.

My challenge is I am a control freak and I like to know everything that may potentially go wrong beforehand. I find these things to work in my favor...every worst case scenario I can dream up rarely comes true. I realize this is more than you ever wanted to know about me;)

Geez, where do I start with my bike drama...let's see- bikes are ultra light these days. I know this is a major selling point but I tend to disagree. This scares the crap out of me. I swear if I blink my left eye first my bike is headed left...again I'm not in control. I'm glued to the thing thanks to clipless pedals. I really like to bail on a moments notice and these new pedals don't allow bailing as an option. I think this has something to do with me being commitment phobic. We'll leave the commitment issues alone for now. Last but not least I think my bike has a zillion different gears. I can vaguely remember me never being able to get in my middle chain. It was either little chain or big chain and no I have no idea what any of that means.

Lulu I am going to take you up on your Sat am rides at the Velloway once I'm done with 5k/10k stuff (May). Coop may need some earplugs. I can't be held accountable for the amount of f-bombs I may drop while riding or falling over while standing still. Yes, I've perfected the standing still one second blink you're eye and I'm on my ass in the next.

Secretly I look forward to biking. I need a new challenge and something that's going to push me to a new level.

FINALLY!!!

I had a fantastic work-out today...FINALLY!!! I was seriously concerned as you can tell by today's earlier post. I wasn't wanting to run anymore and that excess energy was a bit much, but today it was a turn of events!!!

40 minute easy run and I loved every minute of it. I did weights and abs...the last one is a miracle in itself. Somehow I can never motivate to work the abdomen even if it's bathing suit season...ahhh is all I can say!!!

I'm back!!!

What To Do

Ok, so once it was taper time for the marathon I was in serious runner burn-out mode. I was tired of getting up before the rooster crowed, the insane weekly mileage, being dead as a doornail every Saturday and not drinking that much trying to be the good samaritan all of this was getting onto my nerves.

Now marathon training/race is over and I couldn't be happier...the only problem is I have all of this excess energy and not sure where to direct it. I want to take a break from running but am a little concerned that nothing else will get rid of my aggression the way running does. No perverted comments please!!! This past week was spring break and I managed to drink myself into oblivion more than once...don't get me wrong Jarvis and I had a grand time but if I continue at last week's rate I will need a liver transplant before my next birthday;)

The next non-running challenge is my inability to sleep as well as my muscles spasming out all night long. Just when I think I'm about to fall asleep my right leg starts bouncing around uncontrollably which sends me into a fit of giggles (please don't ask my why this is funny) and guess what back to square one in trying to fall asleep again. I do need 8 hours of sleep but lately it's closer to 5 and I'm not a nice person when sleep deprived.

Now what???

Spring Break

All I have to say is the student life is about to get fun...starting at 3:30pm today I will be on spring break;) Who knew this could be soooo fun???

Ok, so the fun is just starting up until this week it has been project/drawing hell. Monday thru Thursday I'm a witch on her broomstick all stressed out which leads to drinking insane amounts of alcohol on Thursday and hungover all of Friday...so much for Friday being my errand day and potential money making day.

Now one of my professors has the audacity to give us a project to do over the break so my paying her back is not going to class today. Our projects are never due the day she says their due. This drives me bananas. Seriously a deadline is a deadline. Anyhoo- this will not get in the way of my spring break/SXSW plans!!!

Bring on the Party!!!

Stressed Out!!!

This is an understatement. I will not bore you with my thoughts because they are far from fun or kind for that matter. My moods are so across the bored I can barely keep up with myself...possibly because I was taking a running break after the marathon, this never proves to be a good idea. Somedays I wish my life story was written with all of the answers so I could quit making the wrong decisions. Do not give me the "life's not easy" crap, I find this to be annoying!!!

I was surfing some blogs today and ran across another poem that I like and had forgotten about. This actually helped my wacky mood and I continue to plod on making decisions and not worrying about the outcome...this little engine can!!!

Note- It's long and a little mushy, so if you're not the mushy kind don't read it;)

The Invitation

By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for

and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.



It doesn’t interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool

for love

for your dream

for the adventure of being alive.



It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow

if you have been opened by life’s betrayals

or have become shriveled and closed

from fear of further pain.



I want to know if you can sit with pain

mine or your own

without moving to hide it

or fade it
or fix it.



I want to know if you can be with joy

mine or your own

if you can dance with wildness

and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes

without cautioning us

to be careful

to be realistic

to remember the limitations of being human.



It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me 

is true.

I want to know if you can 

disappoint another 

to be true to yourself.

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal

and not betray your own soul.

If you can be faithless

and therefore trustworthy.



I want to know if you can see Beauty

even when it is not pretty

every day.

And if you can source your own life 

from its presence.



I want to know if you can live with failure

yours and mine

and still stand at the edge of the lake

and shout to the silver of the full moon,

“Yes.”



It doesn’t interest me

to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up

after the night of grief and despair

weary and bruised to the bone

and do what needs to be done

to feed the children.



It doesn’t interest me who you know

or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand

in the center of the fire

with me

and not shrink back.



It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom

you have studied.

I want to know what sustains you

from the inside

when all else falls away.



I want to know if you can be alone 

with yourself

and if you truly like the company you keep

in the empty moments.

Race Day!!!

**Disclaimer- this is super long so brace yourself, skim or don't read...luv you mean it;)**


The day I thought would never get here...4am game on!!!

Didn't get much sleep the night before not that I expected anything different. I did sleep 10 hrs both Thursday and Friday night. Have I mentioned how important sleep is to me???

Back to race day- the morning was exciting while putting everything on, double checking my list of things to walk out the door with...I'm texting and e-mailing my runner friends who are up & responding...gotta love race day emotions! Before race start pretty uneventful- this is a good thing;)

My one complaint for this race is the starting coral, seriously walkers need NOT be in the front. Everyone has a right to race but if you're slow, you know who you are, move to the back of the line!!! I crossed the starting line and I'll be if I didn't have to go around a line of walkers. I decided to just jump into oncoming traffic, this always seems like good idea to me;) I figure I can jump back on the right side of the cones once I see Johnny Law who is waving my back in...whatever;)

Let's just say the first mile I was busy rearranging all the crap I had on. Gu bouncing everywhere that I thought for sure were going to cause my shorts to drop to the ground, definite problem...tuck all 8 into the shorts, damn those packets are sharp I'm too nervous to feel anything at this point I know I will pay for this later, and I do.

I'm not going to torture you with a mile by mile play just the miles I think I can remember. My plan was to gu every 4 miles. We're hitting the 4th mile and my thumbs aren't functioning at all. I have to stop jump out of the way to get the first one opened...this is NOT how I want to start my race...now, I've got cranky girl (this is me) to deal with. The good news is I hang a right onto 5th street and immediately see Silke & Bobby who start screaming for me...this puts a smile on my face...100 yards and it's the first spotting of Tim and Kenny, ok, things ARE going to get better. My coach said things will change throughout the race.

I can't find my marathon goal pace (MGP) for the life of me. I've got a pace band on that I can't look at just can't take that pressure right now. I'm trying to remember everything my coach said to think about...my brain is like mush and we're not even at 6 miles. Mile 7 is our first hill on Veterans Blvd...not too bad. Hit the hills on Enfield & Exposition at this point I knew it was going to be a long and rough day. Mile 10 there are the people I've been training with (Pam, Kim E., Mark) going bananas for me...I love my cheerleaders...again a smile on my face. I told that handsome man I could enjoy this;) At mile 11 I come to terms that my A goal of 3:40 (Boston Qualifying time) is out the window...I choose to focus on the good and keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep a smile on my face. I was going to fake it until I made it to the end, which is exactly what I did.

I honestly, felt like crap up until mile 13 at which point my coach is in my head saying things WILL CHANGE at this time I said yes, they are GOING to change. It took a few more miles until rhythm finally set in, granted not at the pace I wanted but it was rhythm and flow that I need to keep me moving. I was focusing on the sidelines, the posters (my favorite- toenails are for sissy's), the kids giving high 5s. Anything to distract my mind from what I was actually doing and keeping me from thinking how much longer I would be torturing my body. I honestly wasn't sure how I was getting to that finish line or if I would get there. I told myself at the start I would NOT let the demons in or tell me I couldn't do this...I was in charge and not taking no for an answer...this proves to be a good decision because it took every ounce of strength I never knew I had to get this race done!

At mile 18 I was starting to go cross-eyed...I wasn't sticking to my gu/hydration plan, shame on me. However, once we got to mile 20 I knew I could get to the end and at the time I thought if I can just keep this under 4 hours I'll be satisfied. My first marathon was a 4:04 finish.

Mile 21- I see Tony's smiling face which I'm kind enough to throw him a sweaty shirt to keep. I can be soooo generous at times;) Ruthie has a new megaphone which she's screaming my name- I LOVE IT!! This is perfect timing because I know I'm hanging a left on Ave. H and it's a slow steady incline...have I mentioned this course NEVER stops climbing...someone mentioned elevation starts to drop at mile 18 but somehow we're constantly climbing...this is over my head.

My favorite cheer section, other than the finish line, mile 22 as we're turning onto Red River...those spectators were going NUTS...I got the chills running through there. Anna, another Rogue, was screaming for me and ringing that cowbell. Honestly, we need more cowbell;) Thanks Anna- it meant the world to me!

Mile 24- Jane (aka Banana) on her bike turns around and rides beside me for the entire mile...this makes me perk up, get into form which always helps the running. She's telling me I look HOT! Honesty, need not apply;) I love it!!! Mile 25, this is going uphill mind you, Panther tells me I look beautiful, again honesty, need not apply;)I'm lovin' it!!!!

We're down to the final mile and I dug deep, picked up the pace and took off!!! Coming around that capital people are fighting to hold on and others telling them no seriously, it's all downhill from here. There are fellow Rogues screaming for me and almost in my face at this time I can't wipe that smile off my face. I'm rounding the capital onto Congress and there they are, my training buddies (Pam, Kim E. Mark) again going bananas screaming for me, I'm just trying to hold it together at this point and count down the blocks to the finishers shoot.

I got 'er done by the skin of my teeth. My B goal turned out to be keeping it under 3:50- final time,according to my watch, 3:49:59.

I honestly couldn't be happier with this race. It was a tough course, great weather and I had fun;)

Can One Have Fun While Running a Marathon?

A few days ago I was exchanging e-mails with a very handsome man that I don't know very well and am pretty sure he's a big playboy. Flirting is good for everyone;) For some odd known reason he offered to run part of the marathon with me. Remember I said I don't know him very well so I took this as a strange offering but one I wouldn't pass up since I'm not sure what I'll feel like in that last 10K.

The more I thought about it the more I realized I didn't want to share this moment with him. I don't know how he runs or if he's even fast enough (humor me on the fast part), can he handle it if I get emotional or more than likely as I get bitchy towards the end. Running for me is very personal. I want to share this moment with the people I've been training with, people I've trained with in the past, friends that have had to listen to me bitch, moan, and groan for the past 6 months, the strangers that come out to cheer their loved ones on, volunteers & the people I'll meet on the course. These are the people I want to share this moment with.

I did get lucky and this handsome man will be out of town. The whole point of this post is he said I hope you have a fantastic time. He stopped himself and asked "Can someone have fun while running a marathon"? This question made me smile and without hesitation I answered yes, one can have fun while running a marthon. I love this question and it came at just the right time as my nerves are on high and I become obsessed with every little aspect of the race the question slows me down and reminds me to enjoy it.

BRING IT ON!!!

What's My Purpose?

I'm talking about my purpose for the AT&T Marathon not my life purpose...that one I don't think I'll ever figure out. We'll keep this post simple.

Tonight was our pre-marathon dinner where Coach Sisson gives us a "sermon" before the marathon. He had 5 key points to think about over the next 7 days the main one for me to figure out is my purpose for this race. Apparently, qualifying for Boston is not deep enough. I tend to agree with him on this one.

I'm not sure that I know how to define my purpose for this race. I think it has more to do with me driving myself through the pain/hardship mentally, to not give up when the going gets tough, to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter what my brain is telling me, and more importantly to trust myself ("trust in your training, Frank"). I've done the mileage, driven the course, visualized the course (this thing is unforgiving), now I just need to show up, execute and enjoy it. That last part sounds sick I know but if you've run a marathon you know what I'm talking about. Six months of training comes down to 1 day- ENJOY IT!!!

It's going to be a great race!!!

Taper Time

As they say all good things must come to an end...I realize that sounds bizarre once you see that I'm talking about marathon training. Don't get me wrong the training is often brutal and tiring but taper is crazy time for me.

Taper brings out the beast in me. My cravings for junk/fattening food gets out of control. I kid you not I had a big huge family size bag of plain m&ms last week as well as a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Not to worry it wasn't at the same time. I rarely eat like this except for now. The need for insane amounts of alcohol escalates- I think there is a fear of not ever having another drink again- 2 weeks can seem like forever. Sleep can't get enough of it. I wouldn't be surprised if I was asleep by 8:30pm tonight. Last but not least an easy 30 minute run feels like I'm running a marathon. This one freaks me out the most...I start to wonder how the heck I'm going to run another 3+ hours on top of this.

The final kicker for today's taper madness...I checked our running forum to read a post from a speedy nerd in our group- we'll keep him anonyomous this go 'round. He apparently goes to some website to see weather conditions 15 days in advance. As of today Feb 18th will be about 57 degrees- with wind and rain. Honestly, this isn't anything I want to know about quite yet...I'm crossing my fingers this is just a wrong prediction from the weatherman. A girl's gotta have hope;)

Rogue Tough!!

Rogue Tough is what I'll need to be come marathon day. This morning we did a marathon goal pace run (aka- mgp) on the course from miles 8-16ish. Lemme tell you this section of the course is going to require some serious focus and positive talk to myself...if I'm lucky I'll be able to torture Jon with my psycho-babble to keep us/me going. Those rollers on Exposition are annoying and make slight inclines seem flat, this is honestly what we thought this morning once we took our left on Jackson...Today was mentally tough I started breaking down and it's pitch black, I can't exactly "see" what I'm doing. I battled the bad thoughts and overrode them, which was very necessary considering the last stretch was Great Northern (aka- lab course). I swear we can get rid of that road...I can't think of a worse stretch of road in this city...I'm sure it has something to do with the fact I'm only on it when running...SURRENDER ME NOW!!!

I must say I heart my coaches- Ruth & Steve. They've been stressing out this week after driving the finalized marathon course and have changed our work-outs to make sure we've spent enough time on the course on foot and getting as much mgp pacing in as possible. This morning wasn't scheduled to be on the mid-section of the course and they changed it. It was a little tricky considering it's a "work-day" and this was a point to point run...For those that don't know Ruth & Steve they both have trucks and oh, yeah we had to ride back with them in these tiny trucks back to our cars. Finally being short has paid off- I was blessed with riding on the inside of the truck. Yes, there were poor souls in the back and those that were super "unlucky" and rode with Steve you were stuck on Mopac and taking the longest route back to your warm vehicle.

Oh, yeah- I'm ROGUE TOUGH!!!

3M Perfect Day for a Race

Sunday was a perfect day for a race...

I really didn't have a time goal in mind for this race since I knew I wouldn't be going all out. My main focus was not going out to fast and really work on the mental aspect of my race.

I woke up at 4:30am ready to rock'n roll. Get to the race, immediately run into my training buddy, Jon. A few of us head out to do a mile warm-up then deal with all the minutia before the race starts. I think we had about 2 minutes to spare then we're off. I have given Jon permission to call me out when I start pushing the pace in the first few miles. I kept my eye on him and when he passed people I passed. This is difficult for me. I always end up with runners that have funky strides or bizarre head bobbing and I need to get away from them fast. Yes, I'm learning to ignore this and just hold steady, thanks Jon;)

I totally missed the first mile marker and my hands were so frozen at mile 2 that I couldn't stop my watch so the first 3 miles look as if I ran a steady pace. I know this to be balogne. I am so pace challenged it's pathetic.

My Coach, Sisson, had broken the race down into 3 miles segments for the mental aspect of the race. This happens to be the hardest part for me. I really focused on everything he had talked about especially when we were in the North part of town. For some odd known reason running races through neighborhoods is so distracting to me. I kept telling myself to hold steady.

I kid you not when I say today was a great day for a race. I never got bored, made sure to smile for all the cameras and have perfect form (I really am that vain) and just enjoyed everything. Like I said earlier I didn't go all out and definitely left some speed in the tank, wasn't even sore on Monday;) This isn't my big race I was looking for self-confidence and let me tell you I found it. Boston will be mine!!

Shout-out to my fantastic cheerleaders- Erin, Maggie & Joey on the bike. Kenny- even though I had to yell at him to cheer for me. Jarvis girl near the end, Anna & Bobby for one final push to the finish line. Y'all were awesome!!

Mile Splits
1-3 mi- 8:16
4 mi- 7:49
5 mi- 7:35
6 mi- 8:06
7 mi- 8:00
8 mi- 7:58
9 mi- 8:04
10 mi- 8:10
11 mi- 7:46
12 mi- 7:37
13 mi- 7:39

Total- 1:44:22 PR Baby!!!

I'M RICH!!!

Ok, that's an all out lie but I did find some random money. I love it when on occasion pockets have money folded up in them. Out of all things today a fleece vest that has a pocket in the back, reach in to pull my phone out and some folded paper. Now this wasn't just any old folded paper this was green paper, you guessed it money. Perfect timing I'm out of cash. 1 errand out of the way;)

School Has Changed

Wow! I've been out of school for well, let's just say a while. Things have changed so much it's insane. The obvious thing is the cell phone & Ipod world. Everyone is on the phone or plugged into their phone or Ipod...ok, so that's a minor one. The student center has Hip-hop playing on the loud speakers, plasma tvs everywhere (this blows my mind) and the food choices are overwhelming. When did Pizza Hut come to school? Maybe I'm just a backassward Cajun that is slow (don't answer that one) but things are different and I'm diggin' it!

Question- when is the last time you were listening to the Beastie Boys during lab? Yeah, it really makes the un-exciting lettering project go a little faster when you're groovin' to the Red Hot Chile Peppers. Oh, yeah all of my professors allow cell phones just put them on vibrate and step outside. Obviously, I have some cool professors this go 'round. They are all very approachable so bizarre and fantastic. I don't know maybe because my class size is less than 20 students per class. This is very different for a gal that went to LSU where the average class size was more like 200 students. It is just mind boggling.

Now for the not so great changes in the school world. I apologize ahead of time if I offend you but it's my bog.

The downside of our fast pace "school" society is the influx of the vending machines EVERYWHERE. I'm talking every building and on all floors. The coke machine is the 20oz size cokes, apparently, we need more caffeine? The junk food make my eyes wanna bulge right out of my head. Trust me the reeses peanut butter cups are way to close for comfort if you know how sweet my tooth is. It's been quite a fight not to put a lot of money into the junk food since I'm rarely around it. This weekend will be figuring out the food situation. I am ultra hungry all the time.

So what I've noticed in the college world is it's not the Freshman 20lbs anymore it's looking like 30lbs+. Maybe part of high school graduation should require a nutrition class. I really feel sorry for some of these people that just don't understand how to eat or what to eat. There is a reason we are such an obese society. I'm sure this was all discussed in the Super Size Me movie, but I haven't seen it.

I have survived my first full week of school. Yipee!!

Oh, My

Wow! Today was my first full day of school. Holy Toledo do I have my work cut-out for me.

I'll start from the beginning (this will be long)...
The Bus Ride
I had visions in my head of what the bus ride would be...sipping my coffee while reading, studying or catching up on some z's. Let's just say that's not what this bus ride was about. Granted I hadn't thought much about it other than someone else doing the driving. I'm the last pick-up before heading to San Marcos. Guess what- a packed bus. Now I will say the seating on this bus is NOT very efficient it's more like a city bus. Single row seating facing center until you get to the back door then finally they do double seats. This really didn't make sense to me since we would be on I35. I don't think safety is on their mind for this joy ride. You guessed it I got to stand up the whole way...Oh, Boy!! Have I mentioned the weight of my backpack? Let's just say me and the backpack just might weigh the same.

I will say there were some interesting peeps all around me. The guy behind me has been doing this for a while and says in about 6 weeks it will thin out due to people dropping classes. I'm pretty sure all the grey hairs onboard will be with us for the duration;)

First Class
ID1321 (Interior Design)- I honestly didn't know what this class was about there wasn't a description of it when signing up I just know I have to take it in order to get into the program full-time. This is a class & a lab. We haven't been to class yet, it was lab this morning. I think the ice storm had our professor a tad stressed out. She was a little frantic about us completing the "lettering" project by Thursday. Seriously, I have horrible hand writing and after 33 years of this bad hand writing she wants me to have this changed/perfected by Thursday to turn in. Ok, onward to the next class/lab.

Drafting- again I don't know what this entails other than some weird ass rulers, triangles, lots of pencils and me going cross-eyed. Yes, we actually have rulers that part is to be read from rt to lft (this is normal in my small world) and shares a different set of numbers that you read from rt. to lft (this I don't consider normal).

I am worn out this evening and missed my speed work-out this am so I get to do that early shirley and on my own;)

School

Finally, school has started. I've only been to 2 classes so far due to last weeks freak Ice Storm so we haven't had a true first class. You remember the first few days of school it's all about the syllabus and going over the professor's expectations of you, the student and the best part checking out your classmates. I still have a class to go to for the first time tomorrow morning...I hope it's not another laundry list of art supplies. Don't get me wrong I love the art store just don't need to be in there for long without a body guard. Atleast I'm getting a little wiser in my older years; I just hand the sales clerk my school list and follow her around...this keeps me from wandering around aimlessly to buy fun supplies that I will NEVER use.

Just so you're not totally clueless on the school situation I'm going to Texas State and Austin Community College (ACC). An extra student id;) I'm taking as many courses in Austin that will transfer to TX. Today was my first morning at ACC. This is going to be interesting. It's a basic drawing course so there are all walks of life taking it. I also, chose to take this early so it was bizarre to me that it was even full considering most "artists" are night owls. Ok, I may be questionable right out of the gate since I'm an early morning person.

Now the next thing I have to work on is my study time. I'm going to buy a calendar this evening so I can keep an eye on this. Yes, I'm totally old school on the paper calendar. I have plenty of Palms that I've never used. Let's just say if another guy tries to give me one of these electronic devices again I'm dropping him on the spot. I DON'T WANT ONE. I need something that is large enough to see the entire month and no the 5pt font of a Palm is not legible for me. Yes, I'm blind.

Once I'm organized Ostrich will have to come over to put my table together for me;) I've asked him to help on Friday...I may have to bribe him with some booze!!

SNOW in the ATX

Bizarre to use the word snow with Austin, TX, but I'm here to tell you it's true. I actually ventured out in it today. I don't want my rump to go numb 2 days in a row. I actually broke out my ski gear in order to go outside. Who knew one would use such clothing in Central Tex-ass. I really have nothing more to say so I'll just post a photo or 2 to prove the weather conditions;)

Numb Ass

Seriously, my ass is so numb from sitting on it ALL DAY LONG!!! I kid you not. I read an entire book today. This was supposed to be a holiday, not an ice storm day. Tomorrow is now cancelled and I'm down to 1 bottle of red wine, how could I let such a tragedy occur? I must have gone insane atleast temporarily.

My observations for the day. I did have the weather on all day. I get a kick out of watching our newscasters get amped up about the weather...dear goodness there must not be much to report on these days, which is a good thing I guess. Anyway back to my observations...Daytime Television- ok, if you're looking for some comedy (unintenitonal I'm pretty sure) you should catch some soap operas. I confess I was into the soaps when I was in college. What cracks me up is all the same actor/actress' are still on them. It's possible they've changed the actual soap they work for but really they are all the same. In my opinion these people didn't have much acting going for them (don't get me wrong I'd take their paycheck in a heartbeat) but seriously, could there be a bigger group of monotone people on the same show??? The biggest change I can see is the introduction of botox. In my soap watching days botox wasn't around, that has changed. Expressing emotions for monotone people is challenging enough but throw in some botox and it's a site to see. I wonder if it feels like their face is moving...one should ask the doctor prior to the shot perhaps???

Yet another tragedy to report- McDreamy did not win whatever award he was up for on the Golden Globes...this calls for a refill on my wine

Shell Shocked

Well, I've done it. I registered for my classes today at Texas State. I think I'm in a state of shock. Don't get me wrong I knew I was doing this but at the time it was just in my head, now it's real and complete with a student ID. I must admit I took a good pic;) After so many bad photo id's I came prepared...make-up, hair, the works and the maroon backdrop looked good with my sweater. I swear I'm not that vain. I guess this means I can get discounts to movies...is that right? This is what I look forward to, the student perks. Now that I'm a much "wiser" student and the one footin' the bill I'll be taking serious advantage of all aptitude tests any career advice they offer all of the things I ignored on the first go 'round. Things are different this time ...I hope this reflects in my grades as well. I can't believe I'm doing this.

Now to get on the part-time gig. I think I need to open a bottle of wine;)

Cheers

S-L-O-W-D-O-W-N

or kiss Boston goodbye. That's the choice I have to make. Obviously, I'm going to choose to slowdown out of the gate. I swear I take off like a bat out of hell and die at the halfway point...kinda like a dog.

The funny thing is I didn't let today's race bother me even after my coach called me the P -word. Not because I had a bad race, but because I mentally gave up at mile 14. He's right I've got to want it. Once I got home and was able to go through my mile splits there's a good reason for mentally letting go...I was running a good 13-20sec faster than mgp for the first 9 miles...I even spotted a 7:58/mile...HELLO my mgp is 8:20, big difference. Needless to say I ended out w/ an 8:44/mi pace...pathetic!! I did finish in the top 10 of my age group...

My body is healthy, strong & ready for this race. Boston is mine for the taking just need to tone down the first 10 miles and I'm in!!

I will say this about the race I got soooo friggin' bored. Seriously, all those peeps on bikes I think I need someone to ride beside me w/ a dvd player that would really help my mental game. Clearly, I do NOT need to go internal, it's the kiss of death for me;)

Also, I need to give a shout-out to Tim, Panther, Lulu (even though she didn't have a pitcher of margaritas), Cindy, JJ, Ruth, Steve & spectators I don't know...y'all ROCK!!

OMG!!!

Honestly, there are times I wish a nose was velcroed (not sure of spelling) on & off. I swear mine has been running for 24 hours straight. How much sleep did I get last night? Well, let's see it was done in 15 min. increments (again not sure of the spelling). It was as if I was a new mother with my nose waking me up constantly for sneezing or to be blown. How much mucus can one have? Yes, I realize this is disguisting but I'm starting to think my brain is leaking out of my nostrils.

Actually, my biggest concern is tomorrow's exciting 20 mile race. Imagine my nose running and stopped up. I'm going to need every air passage available in order to survive this thing. As if hills, pastures & wind weren't enough of a challenge let's just get rid of the nose. Seriously, who needs it? However, if I get to choose between stopped up or running i'm choosing to be stopped up. I don't think I can carry enough kleenex to cover this monstrous problem. I bought some allergy medicine today and not sure it was all that helpful. Maybe the cedar will disappear before tomorrow...I have no idea how the allergens actually work so I'm just going to hope for the best.

Update on the rooftop of my mouth- I still have to eat on the right side of my mouth. There are still missing parts on the left side that are ultra sensitive...OSTRICH!!!