Last days of January...

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's Feb. 1st tomorrow. I can't believe an entire month has gone by already.

K and I both registered for Big Sur today, so it's official. Even if I end up walking 26.2 miles, we're going. We already made a hotel reservation, as well. Big Sur is a point-to-point course from Big Sur to Monterey. We're going to stay in Monterey, which means that we'll have to be on a bus between 3:45am-4:45am to get to the start. I know most of you are laughing at the thought of us being up that early to run.

I had another good, pain-free run last night - an easy 3-miles on my neighborhood Congress loop. We went to the gym to do weights last night as well. Tonight, I did weights and the Stairmaster. I'm looking forward to my massage with Ann tomorrow.

K and I are starting to look more seriously at wedding venues (no, I don't have the ring quite yet). We went to an open house at The Allan House last night to check the place out and sample some of their preferred vendors. It raised my anxiety though once we found out that they only have 2 dates left for Saturdays in the Fall. As a result, I checked with a few other places that we are interested in today to see what dates they have left. I'm particularly interested in the Austin Museum of Art, but we would have to select a Friday or Sunday in order to have it there. We'll see how things work out...

Ah, now I remember!

Tonight's run made me remember what running used to feel like...

Since our quality workout for tonight was relatively straightforward, I opted to get an early start and do it on my own on the trail. I ran the 4-mile Congress loop doing 30-second intervals of fast and easy with not even a twinge of pain anywhere. This makes 3 runs in a row now without any major shin issues. Woohoo! As I was doing my cooldown, I found myself being cautiously optimistic that maybe I'm getting the cause of the pain under control via the massages, strengthening my calves, and stretching (still not the best at that one though). It reminded me of when I was just starting to run again after a stress fracture a few years ago - I was so tentative and fearful at first that I was going to hurt myself again or that this was going to be the run when the pain would come back. I've got short easy runs scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday then my massage with Ann on Friday before the 10-mile long run on Saturday. It would be great to make it through the week without any pain!

We started looking at travel arrangements for Big Sur this evening. The registration fee increases on Friday, so I will definitely be registering on Thursday.

Really?

Somebody took my Dr. Pepper out of the refrigerator at work today. And, this is not the first time. It has happened several times. I'm furious.

Good evening...

I had a pretty good evening yesterday...without K. I went for an easy 3-mile run in the neighborhood (remember, hills) when I got home from work. Once again, no shin pain! I felt great throughout the run...mentally, it was just what I needed to get my head back in the game. I know that if the pain goes away then the fitness will come back since I won't avoid running because of the emotional rollercoaster - will it hurt today or won't it? Big Sur is now 82% full, and I think it will reach capacity within the next couple of weeks. So, I am going to commit to register on Thursday when I get paid. There, I said it.

Back to my night last night, I ate dinner by myself when I got back from my run since K was out running by then. Then, I went for my massage at Texas Healing Arts. Natalie referred me there as a place for a cheaper massage since they are done by student interns. The interns are trained in Swedish relaxation massage, not necessarily deep tissue or to deal with specialized issues (which I clearly have). I really like the massage therapist that I have been using at Body Dynamix, but I thought I would give this a try to see if I could use this to supplement (not replace) what I'm getting there. Ann puts a world of hurt on me during my regular massages, but last night was definitely not very painful - it was relaxing, until she worked my quads. I have my regular session with Ann on Friday, so we'll see if she notices more of a difference since I got things loosened up earlier in the week.

After the massage, I went to the gym for awhile to do weights and a short swim. I didn't get home until a little after 10!

Tonight is our quality workout - 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy for 10 minutes x 2. I can handle that.

K asks...

"Why are we going to the gym?"

When, as noted in the previous post, I am tired, cranky, and want nothing more than to sit on the couch and watch tv.

"Because my clothes don't fit."

And, I don't want to try on wedding dresses in this size.

Busy...

I'm amazed sometimes at how busy K and I are. Even though going into the weekend we didn't have many formal commitments, it seems like we've been going nonstop with little downtime (well, excluding the 3-hour nap we took after we ran yesterday).

I know some of you will be shocked by this, but we did actually make it to the long run yesterday morning which was essentially the AT&T half-marathon route. I haven't ran long since the 14-miler in Georgetown 3 weeks ago and I haven't ran at all since last Wednesday, so once again I knew that it might turn ugly at some point. And, it did. Fortunately, I had no shin pain whatsoever again - fantastic! Now, if that would just be consistent, then I'd be more eager to run everyday. I stopped a couple of times within the first few miles to proactively stretch, but didn't really have any shin issues to speak of. Now, for the ugly, my fitness sucks. But, that's not a big surprise given that I haven't been running consistently or getting my long runs in. Seriously though, I'd be more enthusiastic about running if I didn't approach each run wondering if it's going to hurt or not. I really do think the massages are helping - the run yesterday was my first since my massage last Friday. I have another one scheduled for tomorrow evening.

K and I were equally famished and tired after our run yesterday. We had an early lunch at Hills Cafe because I wanted a burger then crashed out at home for 3 hours. What a beautiful day to spend napping the afternoon away! We finally ventured out in the late afternoon to go up to the Domain to run a few errands. Then, we went to Benihana for dinner - in theory, it was a compromise because K wanted steak/ribs for dinner and I wanted sushi. However, the wait for a table turned out to be 1 1/2 hours! We weren't starving when we got there, so we decided to wait, but in hindsight I'm not sure if it was worth it.

We had good intentions of getting up to cheer on folks running at 3M this morning, but getting up early 2 days in a row on the weekend was pushing it for us. Congrats to everyone who had a good race today - looks like there were a lot of fast times! Instead, K and I were busy doing things around the house - who knew that it is so much work to keep us fed and with clean clothes? I think that I have done 7 loads of laundry today. And, I'm not done folding them either.

We had a nice break in the afternoon when we went to Gabby's baby shower. It wasn't just limited to the ladies, so K got to tag along. Babies are a whole other world that we are definitely not ready for anytime soon. It was great to see the Gabster...the next time we see her, she will have a baby!

Proud parents-to-be...
P*Dipps...

Friday night fun...

K and I didn't spend our Friday night at the bar, eating out, on the couch watching tv (well, for an hour), or at the movies. I fixed (whole-wheat) pasta for dinner and had it ready and waiting for K when he got home from his massage. After relaxing for a bit, we went to the gym. K played basketball and I had a good workout - weights + 35 minutes on the Stairmaster. We really truly are planning to get up tomorrow morning for the long run, especially since it's starting at 7:30am! Woohoo! I think we're running 14 on the marathon course. Fingers crossed it's a good run. Big Sur is 78% full.

A new day...

Seriously, the ski pants not fitting was the last straw. We got home from CO last night and I immediately went to Target to buy a scale (my 1st one ever) and a notebook to use as a food diary. I was not happy with the numbers I saw on the scale when I weighed myself, but I have to remind myself that I've been this weight before and was successful in losing it. I know what I have to do in order to lose the weight, but my concern is that I don't know how to do that with K - meaning, preparing and eating dinner with K is something that I didn't have to deal with before, as well as wanting to spend time with K in the evening rather than going to the gym for hours by myself.

Day 1 is off to a good start (aren't they all usually, though?). I've never used a food journal before, but I definitely see how it can be useful (as long as I don't go making it a challenge to eat fewer calories than the day before because that could end up out of control). Also, K joined my gym tonight, and we consolidated our membership into a "couple" using his corporate discount through work so it ends up being a pretty good deal for both of us. I had a good workout at the gym - weights + 30 minutes of Stairmaster.

I want my strong runner girl legs back...
And, to be able to wear those running shorts again!

Expectations...

Our trip hasn't turned out quite the way that I had hoped. I had been quietly hoping for a nice, romantic getaway with my K, but for several different reasons it hasn't quite turned out that way.

My day today ended before it really got started. I woke up not feeling well, so I stayed at the hotel to rest while K hit the slopes by himself. I'm glad he had a good day, but I just wish that I had been there to join him.

We've had a couple of really good meals for dinner at local restaurants in town for the past 2 nights. Two thumbs up for that.

No skiing tomorrow. We need to make our way back to Denver by early afternoon, so it's not really worth spending the money on lift tickets from my perspective. We get back to Austin around 7 tomorrow night - perfect timing to get settled back at home and get ready for the rest of the workweek.

Winter Park...

K found the free wi-fi spot in the hotel, so here I am after day 1 of skiing at Winter Park.

We arrived safely at the hotel around 5pm yesterday. The drive on U.S. Highway 40 was harrowing at times, but K navigated his way like a champ. I definitely wouldn't want to drive that 20+ mile stretch in the dark or on ice. It was full of hairpin turns and lots of up's and down's. K noted that it was good to have the snowbank on the side of the road so that we couldn't see all the way doooown.

When we arrived, we got settled into our hotel, the Winter Park Mountain Lodge (an older hotel across the street from the ski resort that is definitely not ADA compliant - narrow hallways and stairways, elevators that only go to certain floors - not ours either). We opted not to venture back onto the roads to explore the town last night and ate dinner at the hotel's restaurant/brewery instead. Not a bad choice, thankfully.

We slept in somewhat this morning and didn't make it over to the ski resort until 10:30ish where we met up with Pam and her family before heading up on the lifts. It was super crowded at the base and at some of the lower lifts, so we tried to find the spots away from the major crowds. After lunch, we made our way up to the summit (12,060 feet) - the views were spectacular, but the weather was also colder and windier up there. At that point, I was ready to be done and we made our way back down to the base a little after 4:00 when all the lifts shut down anyway. We lucked out with great weather today - cool, but not too cold, and sunny. However, the weather forecast for tomorrow is for "bitter cold," so it might be a shorter day for me. And, that's okay.
More pictures from the day are here.

K's doing great. I'm really impressed with how well he's skiing, given that he has only been a handful of times before. He's definitely on his way to outskiing me. After all, as he so nicely reminded me when we were at Park City last year, he's a better athlete than me. I know he'd like for us to fit in another ski trip this season.

OH! How could I forget about this? My ski pants do not fit. No big surprise since these are the ski pants that I bought last February when I was still a nice little size 6. Ugh. This really might just be the last straw for me in terms of my weight.

Ready for a break...

I felt such relief when I walked out of work at 5pm yesterday. Cliche, I know, but I truly felt lighter - the weight of the stress from the week just dissipated. I am really looking forward to going to CO with K this weekend...the timing has turned out to be perfect in terms of giving me a much needed break from work (I know, so soon after the holidays too) and for me and K to have a fun getaway that is just about us. We've taken several trips over the past few months, but they have always had a purpose - to visit family for the holidays, my brother's graduation, run a race, etc. But, this weekend will be just about us and whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it. And, that sounds so good right now.

We have no set plans for the trip. We arrive in Denver around 12:30 tomorrow and will grab lunch there before making the drive up to the mountains. I've never made the trek over Berthoud Pass to Winter Park. K will be driving - I told him one (or both) of us might need to be sedated for the drive. I just hope we get a decent car and good weather to make the drive in - we want to make sure we get there while it's still daylight. One of my friends from my internship at The Children's Hospital in Denver and her family will be joining us to ski on Sunday. It's going to be down right frigid.

I got a massage tonight. My quads and hips are going to take a beating on this trip though. At least my calves will get a break.

I went to a conference on childhood developmental disorders today. The speaker was good, the information she presented was accurate, but it didn't really offer me much new that I didn't already know. I've been fortunate to have great training and experiences, and this reminded me of what I could be doing if I was doing psychological and neuropsychological evals on kids in private practice - I definitely think there's money to be made there if you do it right and build a name for yourself.

K and I went to see "27 dresses" tonight...the first time that I have even tried to drag K to a chick flick, much less on opening night. He survived in one piece...and even seemed to be enjoying himself at moments. It was just what I needed to end the week and get in the right mindset to enjoy the next few days. I'm an off the charts introvert - very much in my head all the time. So, one of the reasons that I love movies so much is that I can actually shut my mind off for a couple of hours and just be entertained. K has his parade, and I have the movies.

Now, that's cold...

K and I just checked the weather for Winter Park, CO:

High/Low
Saturday - 21/12
Sunday - 20/7
Monday - 9/5
Tuesday - 13/3

Now, THAT's cold.

I still don't get it...

I like structure. I need order, consistency, and predictability. And, my running has been anything but that lately. I just don't get it.

Like I said, the 14-miler in Georgetown 2 weekends ago was pain-free, but I had some level of pain during every run last week. I ran the 4-mile loop on the trail from I-35 to Lamar on Monday, and I had a terrible run. Yet, I ran the same route tonight with minimal shin problems. I haven't really done anything different to account for the change, so I'm still at a loss as to what to do. I haven't gone back for ART since before Christmas - it wasn't helping enough consistently for me to justify taking the time off from work each week and forking over the $20 co-pay each time. I'm going to continue with the massages though. And, a friend told me about a lower cost place to go so that I might even be able to get them more frequently.

Registration for Big Sur has now reached the magical 70% point which K and I had identified as the point when we would register. We're also starting the more difficult phase of training - longer long runs and hillier routes. So, we're at a crossroads. And, it doesn't help matters much that we're not sure if we're going to be able to get the 14-mile Mount Bonnell run in on Saturday before our flight to CO. I would probably need to start by 6am. I think my track record as of late for getting up early on Saturday mornings speaks for itself in that regard.

I've also decided that I'm not going to run 3M next weekend. Mentally, I don't think I can handle running 30 minutes slower than my PR there a couple of years ago. So, I'm going to do the alternate Rogue long run that weekend instead.

And, that's the running update for today.

When are things going to turn around?

K and I are supposed to be finishing up our quality workout "The Texas 10k" right now. Instead, we have tummies full of enchiladas and margaritas from Curras.

It's been quite a week. And, it's only Tuesday. I'm so glad that we're going away this weekend...it has actually turned out to be perfect timing. I'm going to a conference on Friday, so it will be an extended break from work for me until I go back next Wednesday.

The past 2 days have been rough in terms of work. There were moments when I just wanted to close my door, call K, and cry. But, I didn't have time to fall apart and, as noted from my previous post, K hasn't been my "soft place to fall" over the past few days because I've been upset with him about the issue I'm not supposed to talk about. I told him when I finally got home from work tonight that he's been replaced as the person that I'm most upset with though, so he lucked out...until he told me about someone else who he was interested in pursuing when we met. Yeah, some things I just don't want to know. Now, I don't know how I feel about all that or the players involved.