Month: February 2013

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My Valentine’s Day date…

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…was my momma! I spent today at her house, helping her out with stuff as she recovers from her surgery, and also working remotely from my work laptop.

She’s doing well, much better than I expected at this point, and we’re just really relieved this first step of treatment is over with.

My secondary Valentine’s Day date was the treadmill! I miiiiight have eaten an entire (small) box of chocolates over the course of the day, so I really needed to get a run in. My mom has a treadmill, so I didn’t have to run outside, but it also made me ridiculously sweaty.

6.2 miles, 58:52, 9:30 pace. I did four half-mile speed intervals somewhere in there, so we’ll call this a speed workout, even though it wound up being on the slower side overall.

The last time I was on a treadmill before tonight was at physical therapy in June, I think. I do not miss it one bit. Give me pavement or give me death!

Since I didn’t see Aaron today, I mischievously conspired with his friend/co-worker Holly to have an embarrassingly large Valentine’s Day balloon and oversized card delivered to him in a loud, over-the-top way in front of everyone at work.

There’s no place for subtlety on Valentine’s Day. Go big or go home.

Our real celebration is tomorrow evening at a fancy restaurant. I shall fast tomorrow afternoon in preparation for our feast. There’s no place for dainty eating on, err, the day after Valentine’s Day… or something.

My face is tired. Good night!

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Like a child

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Last night’s Green Lake run:

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Aaron biked alongside to protect me from creepers on the prowl. I felt really important, like Aaron was actually my bodyguard (cue “I Will Always Love You”). My knight in shining armor on shining carbon fiber.

I hate feeling like a child who needs a chaperone just to do normal things. And I REALLY hate some of the comments I read on various news articles about the recent attacks on women, such as, “What was she doing jogging at 6:30 a.m.??”

UM, EXERCISING. That is a thing that people do sometimes. It’s not an open invitation to be dragged into the trees and assaulted, no matter what time of day or night it is. The victim is not the person to blame!

Also, a fourth attack was reported, and the map from that news story nicely shows how these attacks have all happened really close to each other:

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So scary. At least I’m on high alert. I just hate that I have to be. But the criteria for attempted abduction/sexual assault in this area seems to be simply “any female living her life as an individual in public,” so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Anyway. My mom’s surgery went well today, and she is healthy and strong and resting and all that.

Thanks for all the good wishes for her, by the way. ❤

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Oh hayyyyy-ell no

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I’m pissed, you guys. Pissed. Creepers be creepin’ EVERYWHERE!

First up, we have this news of an attempted abduction on Sunday night:

“The woman was walking in the 8500 block of Fremont Avenue North just before 8 p.m. when a male jumped out of a van and pulled the woman inside.

"The woman fought the suspect and was able to free herself before the suspect could drive off with her inside the vehicle.”

This did not happen in my exact neighborhood, but close enough to scare the hell out of me! Plus, I doubt kidnappers in white vans stick to strict neighborhood boundaries. Those creepers are still on the loose.

AND THEN! THIS MORNING:

“A woman out jogging near Seattle’s Green Lake was grabbed by a man Monday morning, but a bicyclist chased the attacker away.

"It happened around 6:30 a.m. on the outer Green Lake Trail near Green Lake Drive and Wallingford Avenue.

"Police say the woman heard someone coming up behind her that she thought was another jogger. The man grabbed her and pulled her into the trees. The woman screamed and was able to fight the man.

"A bicyclist heard the woman screaming and chased the man away.”

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK. Thank you for ruining my favorite running route, creeper.

Aaron is going to accompany me on my run tonight and, starting Wednesday, I’m going to run during my lunch break in broad daylight until it gets light enough that I feel safe running after work again.

I get super-sweaty when I run, so it’ll be interesting trying to rinse off/figure out what to do with my hair and makeup at work post-run (we do have showers in the building, but I’m not exactly fast at showering and getting ready).

It’s better to be a little awkward-looking at work than dead in a van or a bush, though (UNDERSTATEMENT).

Anyway. Thank God both of those women were able to fight off their attackers. I hate to think of what those headlines would say otherwise.

EDIT: But wait, there’s more! Here’s a THIRD news story from Friday night:

“Police say at about 7 p.m., the victim was walking home from the Northgate Mall area when she was jumped by an unknown male and pulled into a weeded area. The victim fought with the man as he sexually assaulted her.”

I actually have no words.

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Recovery

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This morning I got out early for my easy three-mile recovery run:

This run was all foggy-like. I loved it. The air smelled super-fresh and I felt like I was in a dream. The fog condensed in sweet little droplets on my eyelashes.

Today Aaron and I spent lots of time with both sides of his family. We got to celebrate the birthday of the oldest member of his family (Grandpa O, age 87) and receive a finger painting from the youngest (Ben, age 1).

From 1 to 87 and everywhere in between, I couldn’t ask for better people to add to the illustrious list of those whom I call family. I am a lucky gal.

On this Sunday night, when I would normally steel myself for a week of dedicated training, I instead take a deep breath and prepare for what will undoubtedly be a tough week.

My mom will have surgery on Tuesday in the first big step of her treatment. I’ll be hanging out with her at her house on Thursday and Friday as she recovers, which means I won’t see Aaron on Valentine’s Day. Some things are just so much more important than a date on a calendar.

There is love in the form of red roses and cellophane-wrapped boxes of chocolates, and then there is L.O.V.E. — that all-consuming, heart-bursting feeling you have when you’d give anything to make sure that another person is happy and healthy and safe.

I think my mom felt that for me many months before I was born, and I’ll feel that for her up until, and through, my last breath.

I hope y’all feel a little bit of that this Valentine’s Day. 

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10.5 long run

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True life: I haven’t done a double-digit run since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon in December 2011!

Until today, yo.

I branched out from my usual loop around Green Lake and did a… slightly bigger loop around Green Lake.

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I liked the change of scenery — it was particularly fun to run around my alma mater, the University of Washington — but I didn’t like having to cross so many streets, watch for cars, wait at stoplights, etc.

Green Lake has made me soft. I’ll just have to get used to it again; my runs just get longer and longer when marathon training starts, and I’m definitely not going to run in 2.8-mile circles for 20 miles.

I ran 10.5 miles today rather than 10, since I cut a half-mile from Monday’s run to make sure I got home in time for the TV crack that is The Bachelor.

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I sipped Nuun throughout the run and ate a chocolate Clif Shot at mile 5.5. I felt great except during mile 8, when I shuffle-ran up Ravenna — a big bitch of a hill.

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Sometimes my stomach feels off after long runs, but today I had nooooo trouble plowing through a banana, my leftovers from dinner last night, and a bunch of chips and salsa. Yum yum yum.

Let’s talk about dinner last night. Aaron and I went to Local 360, a lovely restaurant in Belltown that sources most of its ingredients within 360 miles of Seattle. Aaron’s mom gave us a gift card (thank you, Greta!!), so we went a little cray last night (most of the damage was documented on Instagram).

The highlight for me was my entree: beef shortrib with roasted potatoes and yellow and purple carrots, all smothered in béarnaise sauce.

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The shortrib was a little too rare for my liking (I was kind of scared), but all the flavors were awesome. I saved half of it and microwaved the crap out of it post-run and it was amaaaaaazing.

I think it’s safe to say I’ve replenished all the calories I burned, and it was a joy and a pleasure.

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Week 11 training

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I’ve just been lazy about blogging this week. Here’s what went down…

Monday

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I got my 4.5 miles in relatively quickly so I could make it home in time for The Bachelor!

Aaron decided to do the same exact run, but going the opposite way around Green Lake, and he did it in 33 minutes. I kind of hate him for being such a fast runner, but I really enjoyed it when we passed each other partway through the run and said “oh haiiiiiii!”

Tuesday

I lifted weights; nothing exciting! And then, again, watched two hours of The Bachelor. Not only did I dedicate FOUR HOURS of my life to that show this week, but it aired from 9:00-11:00 versus the usual 8:00-10:00, so I was tired and grumpy and snacky the next day. Hrmph.

Wednesday

I was tired and grumpy, as I mentioned, so I ate everything delicious and terrible for me in the office and felt even worse by the end of the day. Plus, it was raining. Hard. I just did not care, and called it a rest day. I also made sure to get in bed by 10:00!

Thursday

It was a sunny day and a clear night (WIN WIN WIN), so I did the speed workout that I had skipped on Wednesday:

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I always aim to run my speed intervals in less than 3:55, so I succeeded, but just barely on the last one. I was hurting. That’s what I get for screwing with my routine and slacking off a bit.

Friday

Hey, look, we’re all caught up to the present! Today is a rest day, and Aaron and I are going out to dinner at a restaurant that has croquettes filled with molten peanut butter on the menu. They are served with jelly for dipping. UM YES.

And tomorrow, I have my 10-mile long run. Wooooo, double digits! We meet again…

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Moving forward

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My mom told me yesterday that she was sad I wasn’t blogging anymore, and that I should keep doing it, so I will.

She is dealing with a health challenge that, at the time I wrote this post, had me so sad and mad and scared that I had nothing good to say about anything, so I chose not to say anything at all for a bit.

Now that we know more about the situation, I’m thrilled to say that everything looks very positive and I have nothing but hope and good expectations for the future.

The next several months won’t be fun, for sure, but the road to anywhere worth going is never smooth. All I can do now is be loving, supportive, and optimistic, and keep on living life.

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So, with all that said, you didn’t miss much of my training. Last week was an “off” week for sure, since I took three days completely off, skipped all strength-training and cross-training, and only did two runs for a total of 14 miles. They were great runs, though.

Five miles on Thursday:

Nine miles on Saturday:

That is a stupid-fast pace for a long run, but I felt great so I don’t care.

I think my legs appreciated the rest they got last week and are ready to take on this coming week in full beastmode.

“Don’t give up! It’s not over. The universe is balanced. Every setback bears with it the seeds of a comeback.” —Steve Maraboli