11.30.06

GREAT 8-mile run. Didn't sleep well at all last night but made the run anyway. Felt good considering. Will run another 5 tomorrow and 2 laps around the Rock on Saturday (10 miles) to round off the week with 35 miles. A pick up from the previous 25-mile weeks of the past. Got to do more stretching!

11.28.06

6 miles. OK run. Walked some :-[ I think this antibiotic is draining my strength. I still have a lot of drainage and either that or the antibiotic is upsetting my stomach. Slept VERY well last night even w/o drugs. Tomorrow will be an off day with 8 miles on Thursday, 5 on Friday, and 2 laps around the Rock on Saturday.

BUYER BEWARE! of Hallmark

If you purchase a "seasonal" item from Hallmark better be sure you like it because you cannot get your $$ back. This is not posted anywhere in their stores (that I have seen) and they don't tell you this at checkout. I purchased a Christmas item in November and went to return it 2 days later -- still November, and SURPRISE! No can do! I could understand if this was December 26th but it's not, it's NOVEMBER 27th. They could resell this item a hundred times over between now and Christmas!

11.27.06

6 miles, good run this a.m. A little residual soreness left in the back of my thighs from the 1/2 marathon that didn't show up until I was well into the run. My stomach was upset by something I ate last night I suspect. But all in all, a good run.

It is difficult to eat good recovery nutrition on Thanksgiving day and the bad eating habit spilled over into the weekend. + I have not stretched like I should. All of this has caught up with me -- thus the residual soreness from the 1/2 marathon. I'll try to do better...

Official Chip Time Atalnta 1/2 Marathon

me 2:05:41 166 out of 405 in my age category
my running partner 1:58:28 107 out of 363 in her age category

11.23.06

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

GREAT 1/2 marathon!

In the past, I've always had trouble sleeping the night before races. The anticipation and fear that I will over sleep get the best of me and keep me awake most of the night it seems. So, I rolled the dice and took a chance yesterday and got up EXTRA early (about 4:30). I had a lot to do anyhow so I got a jump on that and I thought that maybe it would help me sleep better. IT WORKED! I slept GREAT last night except for a couple of times when I woke up coughing -- not much I could do about that. I will add this to my normal race routine.

My best friend took me and my running partner to the race and dropped us off and then picked us up at the finish line. That took a lot of the pressure off of me -- I hate to get lost downtown! I was like totally relaxed for the race and it was GREAT!

I used a Jeff Galloway chart that tells me what to wear according to the temp and wore more than I normally would. That worked well too.

There were so many people running this race (I haven't heard an official number) that it was 45 seconds after the start before we even got to move and 2 minutes and 45 seconds before we got to even slightly pick up the pace to a very light jog. We were dodging people the whole way. At one point a man in front of me dropped his hat and STOPPED to bend down to get it. I ALMOST played an unintentional game of LEAP FROG!

My "unofficial" time ended up being 2:08. I haven't seen the chip time yet. I would assume it would be a little less, maybe even by a couple of minutes or so. I was hoping for 2 hours but all in all am VERY PLEASED with 2:08. My running partner finished ahead of me by a few minutes but still a little over 2 hours.

I wondered after the race, "Could I do this twice? double?" Marathon... YES, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... Remember the little train :~)

It was a GREAT RACE. Probably won't run it next year. My running partner will more than likely be in KC. MAYBE, just MAYBE I can talk my best friend into running it with me. It's really a pretty easy run, minus that "Heartbreak Hill".

Will take tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday off and run 5 on Monday.

11.21.06

I finished a round of antibiotics for a sinus infection a week and a half ago and was feeling much better. I had a week of headaches after getting off that and the decongestents I was on. I guess the sinus infection never did really go away -- I just got to feeling better. Now, it's back with a vengeance! I took the prescribed decongestents yesterday and this morning but don't want to take any more before the race because I fear it might leave me dehydrated. I will try to go without it tomorrow. I called my doctor this morning and she sent me out another round of antibiotics. She said a lot of times it takes more then one round to get rid of a sinus infection. I picked it up today, because of the holiday, but don't plan to start taking it until after the race on Thanksgiving so that there are not any unwanted side effects that hamper my efforts in the race. It's going to be tough enough running with the way I'm feeling now -- I don't need any more disadvantages. Hopefully, I won't get to feeling any worse than I do now before the race.

11.20.06

Another tough 6-mile run, but not as bad a Saturday. Didn't sleep well at all last night. Spent most of the night tossing and turning -- should have just got up and done something productive. Had a lot of sinus drainage and this a.m. my stomach is upset maybe because of the drainage or the 7 cups of popcorn I ate late last night -- probably the latter. Felt very weak. Will rest 2 days and hopefully feel refreshed and much stronger for the 1/2 marathon -- hopefully. Took med for the drainage after the run, hopefully that will clear it up. I really don't want to get back on this med, it took me a week of headaches to get off it last time :~(

11.18.06

Today is the first day of an 18-week training program for the inaugural ING Georgia Marathon on March 25. I only had to run 6 miles today but it wasn't pretty. Woke up later than usual, very lethargic, didn't feel like running at all. Didn't sleep well, especially after about 4 a.m. Had several WEIRD nightmares. Pushed myself to start anyway, ran 2 mile and quite. Decided to eat some breakfast and wait about an hour. An hour later I ran 4 more miles, better but still not pretty. Just feel kind of tired and BLAH. Not a very good start but a start none the less.

Tomorrow is an off day. Hopefully the 6 on Monday will be much better, maybe I need to eat more -- we'll see. Then a couple of off days before the 1/2 marathon on Thanksgiving morning - early Thanksgiving morning :~0 The weather is supposed to be real nice for which I am very thankful. That's not usually the way it is here on Thanksgiving.

Bonobo pulls alarm for attention -- again

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Panbanisha the bonobo is up to her tricks again.



For the second time in as many months, the ape triggered a fire alarm at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa research center.

The trouble started Wednesday morning, when Panbanisha wanted to go outside but the staff was too busy to let her out, trust officials said. Panbanisha then apparently lost her temper and pulled the alarm, officials said.

It's a trick Panbanisha initially learned in October when she saw a welder start the alarm. It took her less than a day to learn how to duplicate the excitement.

When the alarm sounded the next morning, "I went to check on Pan, and she was sitting there next to it with a smile on her face," lead scientist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh said last month.

Savage-Rumbaugh said she explained the danger of such mischief and Panbanisha promised not to do it again.

Panbanisha is one of seven bonobos at the Great Ape Trust. Bonobos are one of the most human-like of the great apes and have sophisticated language skills.

Trust officials said they will cover the alarms to prevent a third prank from Panbanisha.

(If she's so SMART, why doesn't she let herself out?)

It is an ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL day!

First there was Road-rage now Web-rage, what's next?

Man jailed for 'Web-rage' attack

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A British man said to have carried out the country's first "Web rage" attack was jailed for 2-1/2 years on Friday for assaulting a man with whom he had exchanged insults over the Internet.

Paul Gibbons, 47, from south London, admitted he had attacked John Jones in December 2005 after months of exchanging abuse with him via an Internet chat room dedicated to discussing Islam.

London's central criminal court heard that Gibbons had "taken exception" to Jones, 43, after Jones alleged that Gibbons had been "interfering with children."

After several more verbal and written exchanges, during which Jones threatened to track down Gibbons and give him a severe beating, Gibbons and a friend went to his victim's house in Essex, east of London, armed with a pickaxe and a machete.

Jones himself was armed with a knife but Gibbons seized it from him, held it to his throat and "scratched" him across the neck, the court was told.

Gibbons, who the court heard had previous convictions for "violent offenses," pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding on the first day of his trial last month.

Other charges of attempted murder and issuing online threats to kill four other chatroom users were not pursued but could be reactivated in future if he reoffends.

Media reports said it was Britain's first "web-rage" attack and Judge Richard Hawkins said the circumstances were "unusual."

"This case highlights the dangers of Internet chat rooms, particularly with regard to giving personal details that will allow other users to discover home addresses," said Detective Sergeant Jean-Marc Bazzoni of Essex Police.

Window Washer

This morning, as I do most mornings, I raised the blind in the bathroom window,

1. because we have these old single-pane windows and they sweat in the winter time (especially in the bathrooms),
2. because we have this cat who loves to sit on the bathroom window ledge and look outside.

I usually take the time to wipe off the window panes so Ellie can see out but this morning I was rushed and didn't have time. Well, low and behold! She licks the window panes clean! I couldn't believe it. She's a Window Washer!

Maybe she'd be interested in doing the dishes.

BEWARE of Conair

OK, the last post on the WW scale (promise).

As you know, the scale I ordered online (some time ago) was defective when it arrived. Not Weight Watchers fault -- this is a Conair product. After some communication (via email) with the Conair customer service department I sent the faulty scale back at a cost of $11.41 postage out of my own pocket. Most reputable companies would have sent out a UPS call tag or the like.

I emailed the company letting them know that I expected a full refund of the postage but they ignored my email. So this morning I sent a second email letting them know that a refund was in order since their product not working was no fault of mine. This was their reply: (well, at least they didn't ignore me this time.)

"Dear ..., Unfortunately we can not reimburse postage. It is the consumer's responsibility per our warranty. We did waive the extra $5 normally required for return shipping. I apologize for the inconvenience. Regards, ..."

"per our warranty" What kind of warranty is that!?! And wasn't it nice of them to "waive the extra $5" and so nice of them to "apologize". WHAT KIND OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THAT!?! imagine, a BIG company like Conair waiving the extra $5 from little ole me... Well, wasn't that SPECIAL!

I kindly wrote them back and let them know that the next time I am in the market for a product which Conair is among the product line I will remember their LACK of customer service.

I have a good mind to call Clark Howard!

per our warranty... WHAT A JOKE! Conair, YOU should be ASHAMED!

127.2

11.16.06

5 miles. A little weak. Will take tomorrow off and run 6 on Saturday -- this will begin my marathon training. Each week for the next 18 weeks I will be running between 25 - 48 miles. The weeks start on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday are always off days with Saturday and Thursday being my long distance days (especially Saturdays). The marathon is on March 25.

130.8

:-(

The Internet at work is SO SLOW by the time the page loads I've forgotten what I was looking for!

BTW, I wrote that whole thing on relationships waiting on 1 page to load.

Blogger Friend on Relationships - for what it's worth...

Relationships can be complicated or they can be simple. Sometimes they are both. 25 years ago I thought I was in love with my very best friend. I had no idea what love really was. Back then, love was an emotion, like the feeling you get the first time he puts his arm around you or after that first kiss. Now, I know that’s not love at all! Love is not an emotion, it’s an action. Its 25 years later when you’ve been through the ups and downs together, when you’ve shared sorrows and joys, you’ve disagreed and agreed, compromised, not jumped to conclusions, chosen not to get your way so the other person would be happy. It’s when you say, “I love you”, write a quick love note, greet them at the door, hang up their clothes, and snuggle, etc., etc., etc.… just because you love them and not because you want something in return. (Sometimes I forget to do these things.) Love doesn’t expect anything in return. I think today some people build up so many “expectations” from watching too many “love stories” on TV and in movies – That stuff is not real! When a person goes through life expecting someone to treat them a certain way or to do certain things and they don’t… well, the person with expectations gets hurt. But they bring that hurt on themselves with their own expectations. So, if this person is you, ditch the expectations! Treat others like you would like to be treated and expect nothing in return.

I guess the most profound thing I have learned in the past 25 years (concerning relationships) is that I am more happy when my best friend is happy than I am when I get my own way. Whoa, that’s profound! So, what will it be? Want to be happy or want your own way – your choice to make. “Happy” or “my way”? Sometimes you think getting your own way will make you happy and in the beginning it might have. However, when you come to the point that the other person being happy makes you happier that you getting your own way, well, that’s love.

Love is your best friend finding you at an imaging center, when you are the sickest you’ve ever been, and need them real, real bad – OK, now I’m going to cry…

Marriage is like a garden. You plant the seed but you also have to continuously maintain the garden. And I mean continuously. A real Gardner doesn’t go a day without tending his garden. You have to weed and sometimes if you come into a marriage with a lot of baggage, there is a lot of weeding to be done. If you just let the garden go, it gets all grown over with ugly words, bad feelings, unfulfilled expectations, and so on. The garden can be whatever you want it to be and will be whatever you make of it. Like the Bible says, (paraphrased) “You will reap what you sow.” So, do you want your marriage to be all grown over with weeds and vines (Kudzu)? Or, do you want a beautiful rose garden? Your garden may get so overgrown with weeds and the whatnot that you think you just want to ditch it and start over. However, if you do, what’s going to keep that garden from getting all grown over??? Better to tend to the garden you’ve already planted.

OK, I know this is like REAL deep, and if you feel like I’m preaching to you, maybe I am. If you feel like I reaching out to save your marriage, I am!

Take it from me; having a best friend to help you tend your garden is the greatest thing ever. I have one, I know. I just want you to have the same. :~)

11.15.06

Good 3-mile run.

133

11.14.06

Good 3-mile run. Not a bit sore from the LDR on Saturday. Good recovery in part to nutrition, stretching, and Aleve.

135.6

ANOTHER Update on the Bathroom Scale

Well, the NEWEST WW scale came via the USPS on Friday. I wasn't expecting it. It came a lot sooner than I thought it would. For that I should be thankful. No word on being reimbursed for the postage. Probably won't happen. The mail truck broke down in our driveway. That's a story in itself! I mean it REALLY broke down. They had to call a tow truck. Kind of weird. Anyway, got the scale, used it for the first time this a.m. Was not real happy with what it said but it's probably pretty close to truthful. Even does tenths and BMI. I think I'm going to like it.

11.13.06

A day off.

136

11.11.06

14 mile run today with my running partner -- from the city to the new Starbucks and back. Road kill is the enemy! I had thought about a lot of obstacles to running 20, the traffic, dirt kicked up by passing cars, etc., etc., etc., but road kill was not one of the obstacles I thought of. We learned how to place our index fingers under our nose and breath through our mouth.

The run out was absolutly beautiful! We got started right at sunrise (6:45) and the wind was to our backs. Made 1 stop at the Publix to do some business then on to the Starbucks for a quick turn around and headed back to the city. THEN, it was like being in a wind tunnel! I hadn't even noticed the wind to our backs but the wind to our fronts -- THAT was tough!!! It was a tough run back! The fog was rolling in, the view obscured. I had looked forward to the seeing the beautiful countryside but didn't get to see much. It was tough --but we made it, talking all the way :~)

I can remember when I first started running, I'd run a race and I'd be panting and panting and panting... and other people would be talking to each other and running along having a great old time and I would wonder how in the world they were able to talk and run (at the same time). Well, now I know. I can do it too! We talked the whole 14 miles.

Time: 2:30 I was hoping for 2:20 but wasn't really in the shape to make that happen. I am hoping for a 4 hour marathon in March. We will shoot for a 2 hour 1/2 marathon on Thanksgiving day -- that's a pretty lofty goal!

Tried out the Clif Shot gel for the first time (chocolate). It was pretty good. Didn't have any stomach problems at all this time but did struggle with leg cramps the last 1/3 or so.

11/10/06

A day off... (from running)

11.9.06

3 mile afternoon run after eating a Boca burger. BARF! I've GOT to stop doing that!

OK can you see me in this Cadillac CTS? 

LDR this weekend

Going to do a long distance run (LDR) with my running partner this weekend. The choices as to “where” are many. We would do 3 laps around the Rock (15 miles) but my running partner is going to be in my neck of the woods this weekend so it doesn’t really make sense to do the Rock. Some other options: We could actually go and run the ½ marathon route that we will be running on Thanksgiving day but that’s downtown and would involve riding Marta early on a Saturday morning and it would probably be sort of deserted – that scares me. So, I don’t think we’ll do that. We could run three laps of our usual route through the city but that’s kind of boring. Or, we could run 20. I’ve wanted to run 20 for a year or so but just never had the need to run that far or the opportunity. I’m talking Highway 20, not 20 miles. 20 is a beautiful 4-lane divided highway that has been open now for about a year or so. It’s pretty much undeveloped on our end and still runs through the BEAUTIFUL country side with rolling hills, wide open pastures, cows, horses, etc., etc., etc. I know, I know, you say a 4-lane divided highway, what are you thinking!?! Well, there’s not much traffic on 20 (yet), and less on a Saturday morning I would think. There is a ½ lane wide paved shoulder to run/bike on and we will run against traffic so we can see oncoming cars. And most of the time when oncoming cars see you they will get over into the next lane. I see people running all the time on Mt. Carmel and that’s a narrow 2-lane winding road with no paved shoulder that cars and trucks fly on. I think running on 20 would be much safer. From the city to the new Starbucks (getting into the developed part of 20) is exactly 7 miles. So an out and back would be 14. Not the 15 we had planned but the basic need is to run a distance farther than the ½ marathon and that would do it. So, we’ll see… I’d say it will either be 20 or 3 laps around the city.

11.8.06

Good 3 mile run.

11.7.06

4 miles. Good run.

11.6.06

5 miles. GREAT run.

11.4.06

EXCELLENT 4-mile run. I never thought I'd say this but it felt GOOD to sweat! Made sure I stretched real good before and after running since I hadn't run in a week. Felt like I'd not missed a day. Good to be back. Glad I didn't try the 15 miler this a.m., it was like 28 outside :~O Whoa! That's cold! Probably wouldn't have been a good idea especially since my ears are still bothering me and throat is still a little scratchy. Hopefully next week will be a bit (a bunch of bits) warmer. I did feel a few extra pounds I've put on this week while feeding this cold. You know, "Feed a Cold, Starve a fever." Those will come off next week before the BIG run. Remember the 1/2 marathon is just a few weeks away and we start training for the marathon on the 18th. BIG times a coming! Hope this is the last of the sickness for a long while. I can't afford to be down during the next few months leading up to the marathon in March.

11.3.06

Another day off (from running) although I did go back to work. Will get back to running tomorrow but it won't be the 15 miler I'd planned. That's postponed to next Saturday. Did I already post that? I can't remember. This medication is clouding my brain!

11.2.06

Another day off and I think the 15 miler for this weekend is going to be postponed until next weekend. I just don't see any way I'm going to have the strength.

11.1.06

Yes, yet another day off. Feeling pretty puny. This aught to make Saturday's 15-mile run next to impossible. We shall see. Don't know that I will even feel up to it. Right now, I'm pretty weak :~(