So many things

1- I SURVIVED (barely) Illinois' toughest 15k. I have the medal to prove it:

The medal is hanging around my nec.k... don't know how I have enough energy to smile

2- It was h-e-double-hockey-sticks! I don't run when its above 70 outside by choice. It was 70 at the starting line, before I had to go up this evil hill twice! I killed that hill the first time, was doing well despite an absent water stop pre-hill, even when I got lapped by...well... a lot of people! But... somewhere around that first loop near the zoo, even after going past one of my best friends who was doing a lock-in (Zoo Znooze) , the leg that pressed on the gas pedal for 13 hours a couple days before cramped up, the heat exhausted me, and the impending meet up with my dad started to suck the happy go-go-GO right outta me. I got down the happy little hill, had a spectator tell me my braid looked cute and whimpered at the sight of the hill again with no water break until I was up it and started to walk like a pro. My chest exploded and hamstring cramped up like never before as the heat and panic rushed over me to have me bawling right before mile 7. I thought about this picture:

And kept going. I knew that right after mile 7, it was down one hill, 2 miles of straight and flat at the end with my momma and sister waiting to cheer me in after they'd done the 4 mile race.

Oof.

3- I didn't run much after that. Serious amounts of pain. I even put this Biofreeze gel on my leg to try to numb it, and omg it got numbed and I smelled like mint and couldn't feel my leg the rest of the day.

4- The next time I ran? I was in Savannah, GA at a $42/night hotel with one of my best friends from high school, on the treadmill in the gym. I turned on tv, enjoyed The Mentalist, checked out my form while I ran, and tried to get in some speed work. I'd only waited about 20 minutes after eating this AMAZING $7.50 low country boil so when I was upping the speed (to 7.0 mph!! and BEYOND) I slowed down when I started tasting the shrimp, crab, sausage, corn and 'taters again. Had a GREAT time doing the HIIT though!

5- I've decided my goal for the month of July while it decides to stay in the triple digits outside in the BLAZING humidity is to do at least 1 unassisted pullup by the time August comes around. Huck has a pullup bar in the hall of his kitchen/living room, so I have a plan... if I can't run outside, I shall become a beast!

6- For the awesome new job (yes yes, official job offer paperwork came in a couple weeks ago! WOOO), I had to get a physical. The doctor told me that people like me keep him from being busy. I compared the results of my cholesterol from 3 years ago, when I would go to work, sit down, come home, sit down, go to sleep, repeat. My total cholesterol has gone down by 1 point, but the triglycerides, HDL and LDL all tell the story of a much healthier and active person :) As a scientist, its nice to see proof in fancy numbers like that.

7- Other proof that I'm doing something right? When I went home, my mom had tons of my high school stuff for me to go through, since she would be putting the house up for sale a couple days after I left (it sold in 40 hours, no joke). Out of curiosity, I tried on my junior year prom dress. At 25, the dress that 17 year old me wore doesn't fit... because its too loose! My senior year prom dress?! Even worse! At least the junior year one has just an inch or 2 of fabric that you can grab here and there. Because of the cut of the senior year one, it just doesn't fit at all! It doesn't help that I don't gain fat in the most...um.. desirable?! places for a girl, but even the back is loose enough to hold a 6 pack :)

Ok... I promise more updates! Life should settle down here shortly and you'll get to hear about pullup progress :)

Here's to the Next TV timeout!

-Syd

Mystery Run

I went for a run today. I got a little bit lost, but thankfully, this man pointed me in the right direction.

There were lots of pretty gardens...

More statues...

A HUGE library...

And a nice gravel path. Oh, did I just give away the locale?!

I started (and ended) the run at THIS building, though!

That's right, Fred and I are on a random jaunt up to DC to see his family, and later, the Air and Space museum! Its not that far of a walk, and I've never been! I always come up here during major tourist times, so hopefully a random Saturday afternoon will be chill.

I also accidentally crashed a small 5k so that I could run ON to the mall and its gravel path. There were some random stages set up, so I ran to them, just to see, and behold! It was the set up for George Washington University's Commencement. 

Once I'd seen that, the rest of the area was pretty familiar (and ripe for running tomorrow!!!) so I headed back...and UP Capitol Hill. Yes, I finished my 3 mile and change run in under 30 minutes, including the times I stopped at crosswalks, took pictures, admired the view and ran up the evil hill. I read something yesterday that talked about how to attack hills, and they basically said DON'T attack. Keep your rate of turnover (how many steps you take in a certain time) the same, shorten the length of your steps, focus on getting up, look up and sort of tell the top "hey, I'm going to get to you and DO THIS!" It worked, oddly enough! I was huffing, puffing, sweating but darn proud of myself. 

Stretched out TONNNNs when I got back to keep the muscles in my legs happy and even and thus, keep the KNEES happy and even :)

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

April Injuries bring May Victories :)

Wahaha! It even RHYMES! 

Anyway...the almost 2 weeks off did what it needed to do. I didn't completely stop doing stuff- there was still Gladiator training , walking at NoBo, and a stern "why aren't you doing more arms/ab stuff?!" from the Army recruiter. Whoops...

But, thanks to a spontaneous trip to DC with Fred this weekend, I knew I wouldn't be running with the group on Saturday, so I said "to heck with the 14 day rehab!" and figured I'd let 13 be my lucky number- as I write this on Friday the 13th ;) But! I was super nervous to be running again. Would I be able to keep up with my group? Would I be able to handle the hills? Would anybody notice my cute new shorts?! Oh wait, that doesn't really matter... 24 minutes and 2 hilly miles later, I was sweating but smiling :)

I came home to ice the knees- front with corn, back with a legit ice pack- and haven't had much pain since! Thursday night, I also went to a great seminar with this lady and learned about the knee, the pains that result from running, treatment, and when you CAN'T run on them. OMG, I feel SO much better about the two different types of pain that I have, and way more excited that I know how to deal with them, that they're not eventually debilitating, and even when it feels like I want to cut off my leg to eliminate the pain, I know how to treat it. 

Fresh Haircut!

I might be a slight running nerd now :P

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Feet-eeps!

So KR and I went on a walk  last night. The brief "spring" is officially over in Raleigh, and as part of my usual transition to the heat and humidity (THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE!!!), I have this time of hating everything the winter required. Namely? Socks. If I had barefoot shoes, I would've worn them last night. Instead? I picked my "kicks" that I wear quite a bit during the summer without socks. When my heels started to blister up, despite the fact that it was a mile home on sidewalk, off came the shoes!... and I realized that the calluses I used to get as a kid running around barefoot were sorely lacking :/

Want to know just where the blisters on my feet are now?! Apparently, this is a long term problem, found in the socks I grabbed to wear to Gladiator training tonight (funny story about that when its closer!).

So those holes in my socks are currently stupidly sore spots on the pads of my feet. And yes, pads. I'm part cat ;)

I had some fun running last week, with a verrry special running buddy- my MOM! We did her Couch to 5k program in beeeautiful Charleston, SC. We did the historical stuff, Ft. Sumter (you know why that matters, right?!), saw a rainbow after a storm that flooded the formerly-marshed-below-sea-level downtown, and drove across a bridge that made my mom come super close to hyperventilating. There was tons of walking, lots of yummy eating, and much enjoyment of Southern-ness :)

I also brought along mi madre to the no-bo group on Saturday. We're up to 4/2 run/walk intervals, and we did 12:50 minute miles over the 2.25 miles, faster than Mom's usual pace! During our Charleston exploration, much talking about running ensued, and we talked about pushing your pace- you can't get faster unless you try it sometime! I am quite proud of her :)

Off to bed to rest my hurting feet, but I think I just let in a bug :/ Please don't let it freak out in my room tonight while I'm home alone!!!

Here's to the Next TV timeout!

-Syd

Red Rock

Hi!

I did 2 runs this week and halfway through the run tonight, I realized I hadn't blogged about my enh-run on Sunday... and why that was my last run in Vegas!

But, I ran tonight :) It was dark, sort of cold, and it attempted to rain during the last mile. With as much as I heat up, the moisture was nice and cooling, so I didn't mind. The first 2 miles were with my friend Elliot, but when I could feel my hair coming undone, I took a minute to secure it again, and she went off on her crazy good pace. She's recovering from an injury and the only thing that *doesn't* hurt for her now is running up hills- perfect for this out-and-back route that was down, then back up! Running with her for 2 miles, though, was a nice challenge since we were talking the entire time. I'm way too much of a Midwesterner, that I suck at asking questions but have awesome stories to tell. Maybe running with other people will force me to shut up and listen more?!

But, my last run in Vegas was on Sunday night. I could've done another run on Monday morning, but lolling around with Fred was just so much more tempting! Plus, Sunday's run was not an encouraging one. We had just come back from grilling out at the park where I'd chased around some nieces and nephews, so when I got a cramp only 1/2 mile in, I knew I was in for a cruddy run. I kept powering through, but then even my knee started to fail!

I gave myself some credit because just a few hours earlier, I'd gone up "trails" like this:

To get to views like this:

With my big brother!

We have the same eyes when we smile!

Anyway, I have this awesome master plan to get me running more often. The weather is changing, the clocks will change, I miss my awesomely fit/toned running body, I will need something other than sweets to relieve my stress since I'm giving them up for Lent and yes, I realize this somewhat conflicts with my "more yoga/strength-training, less running" of a few weeks ago. Life life, make mistakes, make adjustments!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Vacay Post

I'm on a vacation that's half Fred/half Family- my favorite kind :)

Can you guess where I am?

My niece took a "sick" day to come running with me after bragging about her 5k that she did in under 24 minutes. But after mile 1, I had time to snap these while I danced along to reaaallly good Disney Pandora.

"Crap, Aunt Sydney, you can kick my butt!" she told me at the end ;) She knows nothing of the hills in North Carolina, so the mild ascent I had to do was no big. I stopped after about a mile and a half to hang with her, then ran back the last 1/2 mile of the loop around the golf course. When I was running, I was comfortable at a 6.2mph pace.

This weekend is going to be craziness, but I can't wait to come back and run this on Monday, and possibly even Tuesday, morning before I fly back to my real life!

Off to get pedicures and brunch in Boulder City!

Here's to the next TV timeout!


-Syd

Wait...this is for real?!

After my junk miles on Sunday, I decided to turn up the pace but still do the distance KR planned out for me, so my final total was 3.6 miles in 34 minutes. It's been 3 weeks since I sat there thinking "this is so dumb" as I went on a 3 mile run that only took 30 minutes. THREE WEEKS! 

Today? The GPS was in my ears right at the 3.0 mile mark to alert me that only 28 minutes had passed. Even more exciting?! I kept increasing my speed for the last mile or so of my run. Some people walking their dogs were probably a bit creeped out as I raised my hands a la "Rocky" after I heard that my speed was up to 6.3 mph after a very steady 5.9 for most of the run.

So maybe I can run? And maybe in 3 weeks I'll be telling you about how my long 6 mile runs are at the "slow" 10 minute pace??? Ha! I can keep dreaming :) For now, I can outrun my mom, thanks to helpful tunes on Pandora radio like "Can you Feel the Love Tonight" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" with a few selections from Phantom of the Opera to keep me going. Oh yeah, I totally sing, or at least mouth & dance, along :D

And now? Pictures from the roadtrip to get Fred a car...

There were tons of signs about a bridge coming up. This didn't look intimidating enough for all the signs.

But this? The Delaware Memorial Bridge- is totally deserving of tons of signs! Apparently you can ask a cop to drive your car over it *coughmomcough*.

What is this?! Looks sort of like a building in London. And yes, I remember it from movies, like Harry Potter :D

Fred's new car :D

The temperature for Sunday's run. Brrrrrr!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Junk Miles

I've always wondered about people who talk about "junk" miles when running. Most of my runs have meant something- better time, better distance, something. Today? Not so much.

Fred and I spent most of yesterday in the car to a car dealership 4, almost 5, states away, then at the dealership, then driving back halfway to his family's house. I was soooo ready to just go to bed and crash, but they were up and socializing took every last bit of my energy. I also got to thinking about some life things, so I went to bed with a crazy mind, and woke up still bouncing around in my own brain. To combat it, I decided that I could go put the new long-sleeved wicking shirt (kudos, roomie!) to the test in the further north weather.

Using gmap-pedometer, I mapped out a route before, but this was an area super unknown to me, and as soon as I was on  my 2nd turn, I was lost and off track with a bad dinner from last night as the last thing in my stomach :/ I kept running, first wayyyyy too fast, then slowing to a walk for no reasons at time, running on the street because the sidewalks were destroyed by tree roots. Just...blah! I finally got on to a street where I knew I was 2 turns away from the house- once I figured out whether to turn right or left at this intersection!!! I chose right- both literally and figuratively :)

I promise pictures tomorrow from this adventure, or at least the few I took. Tonight? I have nada left in me. When a 2 day trip turns into 3 and you eat a lot of spoonfuls of peanut butters and crackers... BOoo. I felt quite resourceful when, post run-shower, I turned the bra I'd worn Friday night inside out to be decent in public for Sunday :) Today's 2.3 miles were junk. Will be doing a legit 3 fast, maybe tomorrow, or maybe Tuesday. I feel like I need yoga!!!

Here's to the next TV timeout!

-Syd

Exploring the Mountains

As KR told me, "it counts for exercise if you're walking around a lot!" Mom and I went to the mountains to visit "America's Largest Home"and see the *interesting* city that is Asheville, NC. The downtown is super hilly (no pictures) and even walking around the grounds and structure of Biltmore gives your legs and knees a workout, with the ups and downs. We got to tour 4 stories of the mansion at night, all decorated for Christmas. Mom and I went back to the grounds the next day to see the mountain view from the house and explore the conservatory. What can I say? The plant nerd in me appreciated their hard work :D

Overall, Asheville was *soooo* not my cup of tea, but the house and grounds of Biltmore were amazing, spending time with my mom is always neat, and I got that box checked off my list!

Here's to the next TV Timeout!

-Syd