Where Has the Year Gone?

As 2011 is winding down, I am looking back over the year to see where I’ve come from and where I am going. In the last year, a lot of things have happened. And, while I could probably sit here and write pages (and pages) I'll take the easier way out and sum up my year the best I can in pictures.

January:
We head to Orlando for the Goofy Challenge. I win the Goofy Challenge with a 1:29:58 half marathon and a 3:13:32 marathon the next day.

Nothing says sexy like a Goofy Hat.

 Dan runs his first marathon in Orlando!

Never again. Now, beer me.

February:
We are humbled by the Austin Marathon in 2011 which was plagued by high winds and warm & humid temps. I finish 11th woman overall in 3:20:03.

The best part about the Austin Marathon was the Salt Lick meal with friends afterwards!

March:

I PR at the Capital 10,000 with a time of 40:52, good enough to earn myself an 'elite seed' at the race for 2012.

April:
I run my first trail race (Hells Hills 25k) and win it (first female).

Unique Award. I loves it.

I'm once again humbled by the marathon at the Big D Marathon, which ended up being one of my hardest marathons ever. Marathon #14. 3:23:41, 2nd female, 14th overall.

An April Marathon in TEXAS. Bad idea.

May:

We take a trip to Corpus for the Beach to Bay Marathon Relay and to celebrate my birthday!

We did a little bit of running and a lot of celebrating. There may have been some karaoke involved.

 My family comes to visit!!

My annual trip to 6th Street.

 We head to Muenster, Texas for Dan's cousin's wedding.

June:
We head to San Diego for the Rock & Roll Marathon. I did not run well, but we had a damn good time. 

Thank God I'm almost done. Can we go to the beach now?

August:
I head to Dallas for the Hottest Half Marathon. It was, well, hot. 

Why do I keep signing up for race in the summer?


September:
We head to Virginia for my little brother's wedding!

Yes, he's putting a dog collar on me.

October:

I complete my 6th Half-Ironman in Kerrville.

I win my first marathon!

The sticker was not my prize. Nothing against the sticker.

  November: 
I PR in the 5K in 19:21.

Love running races with friends.           

I run the San Antonio Marathon and finish 6th overall, first in my age group.

          

 I complete my first 50 miler!

50 miles done, bitches.

Hi Appalachian Trail. I have not missed you.

December:
I become lazy and gain holiday weight and eat lots and don't turn down happy hours and think I'm gonna need to buy new pants soon. Thank goodness it's almost the New Year.

This is my morning snack.

I also hang out a lot with my favorite bassets.

Sweeter than pie.

So, farewell 2011. It's been fun and you've been good to me.

Oompa Loompa

Christmas is over, I'm back at work (if you're off this week I'm giving you the stank eye through this blog), and we successfully survived a road trip to Howe, Texas and then Wylie, Texas to visit the in-laws, with two hyper active dogs.

Although I did end up with quite a few miles last week, I am still feeling like a giant oompa loopa this morning. The thing about visiting Dan's family - especially around the holidays - is that everything revolves around food. Good food and lots of it. All the time. Starting me in the face and taunting me. They are always kind to have options for me since I am a picky eater. While I did fill my plate with some fruit, the veggies that were so tasty were covered in butter and cheese, the mini turkey sandwiches that we sooo good I later learned were marinated in butter (Dan had to burst my bubble and told me this) and the variety of at least 10 different delicious dips left me snacking all day long. SO pretty much the 10 miles I would run only put a dent in my breakfast. While I'm not going to beat myself up about eating wayyy less than healthy options for the last week (okay the last month), I'm ready to get back to my normal eating habits. Thing is, it's always easier said than done for me (as I am sitting here eating gummy bears). Once I get in the habit of eating bad, I seem to crave junk. *sigh*

I ended up with 62.94 tobeexact miles last week. I'm still on track to reach 2,850 miles for the year...although I did miss run group this morning because I was tired (travel with dogs to new places means they don't sleep and so neither do we). Hopefully I can get in some good runs this week. Here's what happened last week-

Monday: 10.01 easy miles (AM); 2,150 yd swim (Lunch)

Tuesday: 9.79 miles (progressive 1,000's starting at MGP and dropping 5-8 seconds each repeat) (AM); Core work (Lunch)

Wednesday - 7.9 miles @moderate pace (AM)

Thursday - 11.14 miles (400's) (AM)

Friday - Rest

Saturday - 11.75 easy. I wasn't feeling well. This run sucked.

Sunday - 12.35 miles @ moderate pace in Howe, Texas (population 2500). I had to run up and down the highway to get this run in. That was the only place I could run without having to worry about stray dogs or other creatures (my mother in-law mentioned she sees bobcats quite often) chasing me. The highway must have been recently chip sealed because every time a  car would zoom by at 80 mph, rocks would fly up from the road and hit me in the face. Good times.

Total Miles - 62.94

If anyone would like to come remove all of the junk food from our house/my work desk I would be forever grateful. Please and thank you.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

I came home from work yesterday, and Dan informed me he had completed Christmas shopping for me and his family and had wrapped the gifts. Awesome! I proceeded to congratulate him for being #1 husband...until I took a closer look at his gift wrapping.

Re-used gift bag from last year - no problem. Re-used gift tag? Couldn't you at least have used some white out?

No honey. That doesn't look sloppy at all. Seriously?

Miles

I've never really kept track of my yearly miles or had a goal in mind for how many miles I wanted to run in a year. I do pay attention to my weekly mileage, but have never gone further to tally up monthly or yearly totals. However, a lot of people have been talking about yearly miles with the New Year approaching, and it made me curious. Since Daily Mile tallies mile totals for you, I decided to check it out (no way was I tallying those numbers on my own).

My total miles run in 2011 after this morning's run is 2,739.84. Thank you 50-mile training for boosting my numbers. Including biking and swimming in the mix, I've knocked out 3,826.87 miles.

I've still got about two weeks until the end of 2011, so I decided to see if I can get to 2,850 miles for the year. One, because I need a goal to keep off the holiday food that will continue to abound this week and next off my hips, and two, because 2,850 seems like a nice round number. If my math is correct (and it's probably not), that equals an average of roughly 9 miles a day, which shouldn't be a problem if I get in a long run this week and next.

Here's to 2850 miles in 2011 (or not)!

Dispelling the Stereotypes

I've worked in the Recreation field for many years. I've been in college athletics, worked in the Recreational Sports division at a big University, and now work in the Parks & Recreation field. These are all fields where you would assume that most people who work in these fields are active. This assumption is wrong. Every job I've been at I've always assumed I've have co-workers to work out with, chat about running with in the break room, or just who share my passion for fitness. And, I always end up being let down as this is typically not the case.

It always amazes me when people ask me why I run. My coworkers - and even some friends and family members - don’t completely understand it. “Why do you run so much?” or “It’s boring … how can you stand to do that every day?” Or, my personal favorite, “Why do you run? I don’t get it.” Honestly, I'd like to answer with questions such as "why do you watch t.v.?" or similar questions.

I never know how to answer when people ask me these things, because, if you have to ask that question of a runner, then you really won’t understand the answer that comes with it. It’s not to say anyone is inferior if they aren’t a runner or don't understand the passion of running. Not everyone can do it or even gets it, and that makes it unique. Running is very personal, yet it can be social, it’s stress relieving, and can be competitive when desired. It can encompass the being of who we are as people, and it can run through the fabric of our entire lives. But explaining why we run can be complicated. And how many of us really know why we run in the first place?

My colleagues know I'm a bit different. I spend my lunch hour working out as opposed to eating out. I get up at 4:45 am to workout before work. I don't often partake in the morning donut/cookie/cupcake break. I don't partake in the afternoon one either. During triathlon season, I often arrive to work bike in tow so that I can head straight to ride after work. I've been known to take vacation days to train. I don't talk about my training or races that I do at work unless asked, however I do have my races medal displayed in my office at work (it's either there or my garage so I decided to make use of them) so they occasionally prompt an inquiry.

I'm always happy to talk to anyone who asks about running in hopes of sharing my passion for the sport with them. However, what bothers me - and it has for years - is the stereotypes associated with runners by those who do not exercise. Women are the worst offenders. I'm sorry, but women can be very caddy and hurtful. I don't know how many times I've heard a snide comment thrown my way, one that of course is completely off base. It seems to get worse during the holidays - the more cookies I turn down, the more skinny bitch hate glances I receive.

I've come to realize that the average person vastly misunderstands runners as a whole, and our "lifestyle", so to speak. For example, a couple of months ago I was having some car issues, and Dan was out of town so I needed a way to get home. Someone said "why don't you run home?" I thought to myself, what a silly question. It's 5pm, I'm wearing jeans and sandals, and she thinks that I am going to run home? But it made me realize how much people don't really get it (at all). It's not like we, as runners, just run from place to place for the heck of it or because we have no other way to get somewhere. I compete in a sport, and I train for that sport, by running. It is not my mode of transportation.

So - just to clear a few other stereotypes/misconceptions up -

1. All runners are "health freaks" who are obsessed with a healthy lifestyle. False. Actually, I would bet most people would be a) shocked by the amount of food I eat, and b) the amount of unhealthy food I eat (Mexican food, pizza, cheese, ice cream all favorites eaten often). You know what? I actually don't like cookies. So, when you offer them to me and I don't take them that's the reason. It bugs me when people come down the hall at work offering up food to everyone but say to me "I won't even offer you because I know you won't eat it." Hey now. That's not always the case, but thanks.

This was my meal 2 days before Ironman CDA. And, yes, the beer is mine.

2. People think that because I'm thin I don't eat enough. False. See above. Or just ask my husband. True story: at a retirement function a few months ago, a few of us were standing around having a conversation. A co-worker says: "I hope they have some food because I'm really hungry. I pulled an Erin at lunch." Sayyy what???? She continued "Yeah, I only had some yogurt" followed up my "Do you ever eat. Because you always work out at lunch so I figured you skip lunch." Yes, I eat lunch. And two breakfasts, dinner, desert and snacks throughout the day if you must know.

3. Non-runners assume I can eat whatever I want without gaining a pound. False. I actually gain weight pretty easily. But, this is one stereotype I wish were true.

4. That we (runners) only think about running and nothing else. (Ok, well maybe someof us are a tad obsessed, but we care about other sports and stuff too). I actually do have other interests thankyouverymuch, and yes, I would like to be included in invitations to do fun things.

Non-running run at a baseball game!

6th Street in Austin

5. Only really fast people enter races and that anyone who races is trying to win. False. I had a conversation a few weeks ago with a co-worker who wants to start running more. I was super excited and told them about an upcoming local 5k, and their response was "Oh no. I could never do something like that. I'm not on your level." My response: I know that runners of all speeds and abilities that race, and that most of them are out there competing only against themselves and the clock.

6. Any race is called a "marathon." Nope. There is a big difference between the 5k I just ran and the marathon I just ran. And for the record, the correct marathon distance is 26.2 miles.

That is all.

Wordless Wednesday

God Bless my husband for putting up with me and my obnoxiousness.

Disclaimer: I really don't think I'm the bomb. At all. Nor do I usually use that term. At all.

UM. YES WE DID.

I'm the only one excited about all of this...

Who's CRAZY DOG WOMAN? Me!

Proof that I Do Actually Own One Nice Outfit

From last night's Georgetown Running Club Holiday Party. I dress up on average of once per year, and it's usually for this party. If you're local and haven't joined the Georgetown Running Club, you definitely should.

Myself, Francie & Dorothy

Speaking of running, it's now 9:30 am, and I'm still decked out in my holiday PJ's on the couch contemplating between a run or breakfast tacos. Right now breakfast tacos is in the lead.

Sitting This One Out

I am supposed to be running a race this weekend - the Decker Half Marathon to be exact. I signed up for it back in September, and it's a race I pretty much run every year. It's known for it's hills. It's easily the hardest half marathon course I've run, tied with the Bearathon half in Waco.

I've been going back and forth this week as to whether or not I am going to run it. I hate signing up for a race and then not running it. Especially since you do not get your money back. But after hemming and hawing, I made the decision not to run the race on Sunday.

There were several factors that went into my decision not to race - some of them legit and some of them are me just having my head up my ass and being a baby.

• If it go to the race, I'm going to race, and I'm going to race hard. And, if I don't do better or comparable to my time last year, I will be disappointed in myself. That's just how I am. I honestly don't feel like I have a good race in me right now, so instead of just going to do my best, I'm not going to do it at all. This is me having my head up my ass.
  
  
• I have been having some knee issues. Particularly when I run hills and run over 10 miles. Given the difficulty of the course, I'm afraid it may do some damage to my knee. I also know that if my knee started to hurt during the race, I would keep running on it and push through it. I really do not want to be sidelined for Phoenix, so I feel it's best not to risk it for this race.
  
  
• My legs don't feel 100% back to normal. It takes more effort for me to run the paces/distances I was running before JFK. While I'm trying to accept that it will take some time, this frustrates me. I imagine in a race situation right now, I would get so frustrated that I wouldn't even enjoy myself.
  
  
• To be honest, I'm just not excited about racing Decker this weekend. This is very unlike me. I could force myself to go run, but that's not healthy. I think a lot of it is post-race letdown after JFK. I've done a lot of research on post race letdown and post race depression before. My readings did yield a lot of similar and logical reasons as to why so many of us get caught in a funk after a race. These include things like a long build up, stern focus on a goal, immersion into the goal specific training, and on and on. All of these say the same thing though. As runners we focus so hard on the goal of the race that we never really look past it. It’s all or nothing on that goal race so when it happens there is nothing left to look forward to. It's always seems the longer the race, the longer the post race let down. I know I'll get back to normal and excited about racing again, I'm just not there yet.
  
  
• I was able to give my bib to a friend of a friend who is excited about racing Decker. So, it's not going to waste. And, I'm much rather someone use it who is excited about the race, rather than my grumpy self.

On another note, there is one thing I am VERY excited about this weekend: our yearly photos with Santa at Pet Smart! Every year, the Basset Hound Rescue (where we got our dogs) hosts Santa photos. Part of the money from pictures goes back to the Rescue, and we get an awesome family photo with Santa. Win, Win!

Dan gets REALLY excited about this ;)

2012

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my plans for 2012 in regards to running and triathlon. As I mentioned here, I want to try a different approach to my training next year and see what I am capable if I cut out all the racing (fact: I race a lot. And by a lot, I mean a ridiculous amount) and train smarter -follow a plan, actually taper for races, every workout has a purpose. I would say clean up my nutrition as well, but that's not going to happen (hello, I live in Austin - home of the best Mexican food around).

A lot of people have asked if I would be able to give up the racing bug. Obviously, I love to race, but the answer is yes. I have been a racing machine the last few years, and so I welcome the change in approach. And to be honest, I have the 'been there, done that' feeling with a lot of the local races - while I'll adore and appreciate the local Austin running scene and all that it offers, this would be like the 6th or 7th time around for most races. I think my mind, body and pocket book could use a break.

So without further ado (I know you all were anxiously awaiting the unveil), here is my 2012 race schedule. If you know me pretty well, you will note how NAKED my race calendar looks. Sads.

January 1, 2012: Resolution Run 5k - Round Rock, Texas. This is one race I am keeping on my schedule. This will be the 5th year that Dan and I have run this New Year's morning 5k, and I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the New Year. I've done my fair share of booze fueled New Year's Eve parties, so the past few years Dan and I have decided to forgo the New Year's Eve parties in exchange for dinner & a movie and a good night's sleep (ask me the last time I've actually stayed up to midnight on NYE, and I can't even remember the last time).

January 15, 2012: Phoenix Rock& Roll Marathon - Phoenix, Arizona. This race has been on our bucket list for a few years. I've never been to Arizona, and have heard great things about this particular race. Plus, Dan was born in Arizona (so, he's not a TRUE TEXAN and really likes being reminded of that). I am going to run the full marathon, and Dan's running the half. Originally, I planned to shoot for a sub-3:10 marathon at this race, but with JFK recovery taking longer than expected and my decision to frolick around aimlessly on the training front for December, I am going to use this race as a base to see where I'm at in my fitness. It should be a good gauge for me to see where I am at and what I need to work on before heading into my training for Boston.

March 3, 2012: Woodlands Half Marathon - The Woodlands, Texas. Originally, I had planned to run the full marathon in the Woodlands, but in my attempt for smarter training (i.e. not run a marathon every month), I've decided to drop back to the half. That way I can cheer on my friends (hi Nick & Erica!) who are running the full (don't worry I will save you a beer at the beer tent). This race will also come at a perfect time in my Boston training to see where I'm at.

April 16, 2012: Boston Marathon - Boston, Mass. The Boston Marathon! I'm looking forward to running Boston again after a 2 year hiatus (ran it back in 2009). This is going to be my big "A" race for the year; I'll be gunning for a sub 3:10 marathon (current PR is 3:10:25). I think Boston is the perfect race for me to gun for a PR.

June 24, 2012: Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 Half-Ironman - Lubbock, Texas. I've done this race before (2009), and I am coming back for revenge. I have vivid haunting memories of this race. I think anyone who has done this race can attest to its difficulty. Even though this is a half-ironman distance, I've always described it as 3/4 of an Ironman - I think if you can survive this race without crawling into a ditch on the side of the road and crying mercy, then you can complete an Ironman without much problem. Extreme heat, stiff winds and gnarly hills inside a canyon describe this race to a tee. I was completely humbled by this race this time the first time around - I am headed back to settle the score.

November 17, 2012: JFK 50 Miler - Boonsboro, Maryland OR November 18, 2012: Philadelphia Marathon - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I'm debating whether to return for an encore at JFK 50 or head further North to Philadelphia to run Philly. I've never run Philly, but heard great things about the race and it would make for a nice little vacation as well (one where I could actually function afterwards...ahem JFK).

Part of me really wants to head back to Boonsboro and give JFK another shot. I think knowing what I know now about racing the distance, I can come back and run faster and stronger. It's also the 50th Anniversary of the race and it would be pretty epic to run 50 miles on the 50th Anniversary of the race. What's holding me back honestly is the recovery that comes after this race. I still don't feel 100% back to normal, and I am not sure I have the patience to go through the aftermath again. And, I also need to realize that I don't need to do something 'Big' every year. In the past two years, I've done an Ironman and a 50-miler; maybe it's time to chill for a year. Plus, Dan and I talked about not doing so many 'repeat' races, so we can visit new places and try new races. With Boston and Buffalo Springs both being repeat races, maybe I should give Philadelphia a try. But, I have time to decide. I will probably wait and see how I do in Boston before making a decision.

So, that's all I've got. I'm throwing up deuces (Mom that means saying 'later') to a lot of the big local races that I've done for years  - 3M Half Marathon, Austin Marathon, Baylor Bearathon & Capitol 10k, among others. While I'm a little sad, both my bank account and Dan are very happy.

Wordless Wednesday

I want his life

Only a face a mother could love (HA!)

Poking Fun at Myself

When Dan and I first started dating, and later since we've been married there have been times when he's turned to me and simply asked "How did you function on your own?" I always punch him in the face tell him to stop picking on me when he asks this, although I must admit there is some validity to the question (and believe me, Dan is serious when he asks this).

I'll be the first to admit, I am book smart but lack general common sense. Particularly on matters that do not interest me or I don't understand - for instance, cars, home improvement and financial garble.

This will make me sound incredibly spoiled, but whenever I had a problem I just always called my Dad. "Hi Dad. It's Erin. My car won't start. What do I do?" When I was too far away for Dad to come to the rescue, I called my landlord.

True story. Before I got married, I had no idea how to plunge a toilet. I didn't even own a plunger. So, whenever my toilet would get clogged in my apartment, I would call my landlord who would send the maintenance guy (Sabino) over to plunge my toilet. This would happen at least once a month. One time Sabino simply left me a note that said "Too much toilet paper." I really never thought anything of it until it Dan was over once and the toilet got clogged and I told him I would just call Sabino. Dan was baffled that I 1) didn't know how to plunge a toilet and 2) would call the landlord when my toilet was clogged. He went out and bought me a plunger and told me never, ever, to call the landlord again for a clogged toilet. Apparently that is both inappropriate and disgusting. Looking back at it, I feel really bad, but thought not a thing about it at the time.

Since I got married, my Dad luckily has escaped my pleading "HELP" phone calls, and now I just call Dan. Hell, I don't even know how to change the tires on my bicycle... So, needless to say whenever we have any sort of household emergency...I just call Dan.

So, imagine my distraught when I woke up in the middle of the night, it's in the 20's outside, the heater is not working, it's 58 degrees in the house and Dan is out of town in Las Vegas. It was about 3 am last night when this discovery was made, so I chose to hope it would fix itself and put on multiple layers, corralled the dogs in bed with me for body heat and went back to sleep. I got up at 4:45 am for run group, went to run, came back and now it was 57 degrees in the house. It's 7 am - 5 am in Vegas - I pick up the phone and call Dan. "Hi. It's me. The heater's not working. It's 57 degrees in the house. What do I do????? Why aren't you picking up? By the way, it's 57 degrees in the house and supposed to be only high's in the low 40's today. Okay, call meeeee. We are cold."

I went to work, came home during lunch to a still cold house. I get on the phone with Dan who tries to talk me through some quick fixes, but nada. So, since it's going to be 22 degrees tonight, I decide to call a repair man. This is actually a guy we've used before and he's really honest, reliable, etc. He walks me through some trouble shooting actions on the phone, but to be honest I'm not getting his techy repair lingo, and determine that no, the heater is still not working. To which he says, "Okay, I'll be there within the hour."

About 15 minutes later I notice it getting warmer in the house. I listed closely from the vents, and hear a little purr but not it's normal roar. On the bright ride, it's now 61 degrees in the house. I call Dan "Hey, so I think the heater may be working but I'm not sure and the repair guy is on his way. What do I do?" Dan - "So, it's getting warmer and you can hear the air circulating?" Me - "Yes, but not a loud roar. But, now it's 63 degrees in the house." Dan - "Then the HEATER IS WORKING." Me - "okay, bye".

So, then I am forced to call the repair guy back hanging my head in shame "Hey-o, my heater is working now. Thank you so much. You don't need to come by and fix it, and thank you thank you, I'll call you back if it stops working again!" To which I am sure he replies to himself "IDIOT."

I got off of the phone wondering, "how did I ever make it through life on my own...." :)

Turns out I like to run a lot...

The month of December for me is about playing it by ear. I don't have any set plan when I wake up in the morning, I just run what I feel like running. I might only make it 20 miles one week, I might make it 60 another. I'm just trying to go with the flow. It's been a nice change so far.

Last week was week one of that plan. Turns out I like to run a lot. I ended up with 56 running miles, although I swear it was unintentional. The mileage came without doing anything super long, just several medium sized runs throughout the week. I did keep most of it at an easy pace. Even at run group on Tuesday/Thursday I made sure I stayed within my means.

Monday - 10.1 easy run in the morning. First double digit run since JFK and first run in several days. 2,050 yd swim at lunch. Pushed my hard on the swim; need to do more of that.

Tuesday - Run Group in the morning. Ran 10.12 miles; we did a mixed interval workout. Super excited about being back with run group peeps. Lunch - did a 30 min core workout. I was really sore the next day - been slacking with the core workouts.

Wednesday - 2,450 yd swim at lunch. 6.03 mile trail run with Dan after work.

Thursday - Run Group - 8.41 miles. Hills. In hindsight, hills probably weren't the best idea for me right now. Skipped lunch core workout.

Friday - Complete rest day.

Saturday - Meant to go to run group but slept in instead. Headed out around 8 am without a plan. Legs felt pretty heavy initially, but started to loosen up. Still, after 10 miles I was ready to be done. Ended up with 11.8 miles total.

Sunday - Again, headed out without a plan. Slept from 9:30 pm until 8 am, so I woke up feeling very rested. Left the house around 9 am and my legs felt really good for the first time since JFK. Ended up running 10.17.

Total running miles - 56.63; 2 swims, 1 core workout

I also got a lot of much needed sleep this weekend and kicked any remnants of the cold that had been following me around. I seriously slept from 9 pm Friday night until 7 am Saturday morning; then 9:30 pm Saturday night until 8 am Sunday morning. Last night I went to bed about 8:45 pm and slept until 5:45 am this morning. Dan's in Vegas so I could go to sleep super early without being made fun of (like it would have stopped me anyways).

On another note, I have to come back to work tonight for a 7:30 pm -9:30 pm meeting. I am tempted to wear my pajamas to said meeting to make it clear that I am usually getting ready for bed at this time. :)

Friday Facts

Fact: I came home from work yesterday and my husband had put up the Christmas lights using duct tape. DUCT TAPE. And, he saw nothing wrong with this. Yes, I'm serious.

Welcome to Redneck Christmas

Duct Tape: Man's Best Friend

Fact: Since it's raining today, the duct tape has come loose and the lights are now falling off the house. Awesomeness.

Fact: The only Christmas shopping I've done is for my dogs. I actually buy them presents and wrap them. This is both weird and sad.

Fact: If you want your legs to feel like lead with bricks attached to them, then go run 50 miles. Also, do this if you want to catch a bad cold that you can't get rid of.

Fact: My JFK recovery is frustrating me. I've ALWAYS bounced back super quick from races (I was good to go 2 days after my Ironman and raced the next weekend), so I guess I expected the same after JFK. But, it's not the same. While I've been running, and it's keeping me sane, I don't have any pep in my step. Runs require more effort, and I tire easily. I took another complete rest day today. Legs come back to me!!

Fact: Weekend long runs are one of my favorite things. I love getting up early on a Saturday morning to go for a long run. It doesn't look like it's going to happen this weekend - 7-8 miles is about my limit right now - and that makes me sad.

 Fact: I'm going to a baby shower in San Antonio tomorrow. All my friends are having babies, and I just keep having dogs. 

 Fact: TGIF. First full work week in awhile = Tired Erin.