Does anyone speak Dog?

Jay is 12 years old and have never been much of a barker or a talker.  In fact, I had him for close to a year and didn’t know what his bark sounded like.  But recently things have changed.

The little old man of a dog has been feeling really good, prancing around following us from room to room.  He also has started talking to us.  At first it was funny and cute like most things start out.  “Ahh look, Jay is is talking to us!”  He will give different tones, loudness and intensity to his bark based on the situation.  And most of his barking is directed at Jeff, specifically the demanding loud and obnoxious barks.

For instance Jeff and I will be making dinner in the kitchen and we hear Jay in the living room.  He typically perches on the coach and lets his presence be known.  For typical dogs, barking means one of 4 things:

1. I have to pee
2. I have to poop
3. I’m hungry
4. I’m thirsty

In the past he is typically self sufficient and will help himself to food and water (no barking) and if the water bowl is empty he will help himself to toilet bowl water (that is why we have to keep our toilet closed at all times) or cups of our water…….and if he has to go outside, he will just stand for hours staring at himself in the sliding glass door (though I bet he thinks the reflection is really a dog waiting for him outside).

This barking ensues and we check the food and water (full) and let him outside (doesn’t have to go); the howling and barking still continues.  Sometimes even louder, more demanding, and increasingly annoying!  What the hell does he want?!? 

I don’t speak Dog and can’t understand what he is saying.  And I think this frustrates him too.  I don’t know what to do.  They really need to make real life translators like they have in UP:

My suspicion is that he just wants attention because he will stop backing if we lay on the couch with him.  But it is just so weird that this is happening for the first time since I have had him (8 years and counting).  And its super annoying when we are trying to get things done.  Ugh.  Silly silly dog.

Comparing Progress and Getting that PR

First of all, I didn’t realize how lackadaisical I was with training for my previous marathons until I started recording and tracking my progress.  Thank goodness I discovered Garmin Connect and started this blog to keep me honest!

I studied my previous weekly/monthly mileage and am so surprised at how “little” I was actually running.  I was lucky to get in 30 miles a week and took off a minimum of 2 nights a week (keep in mind I was playing soccer 2 times a week and did not count record these in my Garmin).  My monthly totals were consistently less than 100 miles per month (more like 75-80 miles a month) and somehow I ran a 3:23 marathon last October.  I also had a bad habit of skipping out on long runs and just ran consecutive days of mid-distance runs (8-10 milers) on weekends.  I just get bored with long runs….. or would find other things that I would rather do.

I’m really surprised I ran that fast and felt that good without injuring myself.  It also makes me more and more excited for my upcoming marathon.  I am the most prepared for a race that I have ever been and I still have a whole month of training left (fingers crossed I don’t injure myself or get sick of running). March 2012 = 135.54 miles and April 2012 = 137.78 miles…. compared to August 2011 = 79.89 miles and September = 116.98 miles before my STL Marathon PR.

But running is a strange and unpredictable beast.  No matter how prepared you think you are, there a ton of factors that go into running your best and/or feeling great while doing so…..and it is a 1-day event that you trained months for!  I could sit here and analyze the heck out of my training and predict that I will run a sub-3:20 marathon in June.  But come race day, a ton of $hit could go wrong or right…..

• Weather- this is a HUGE factor in success or failure.  Will it be hot, cold, rainy, or sunny?  Will there be a tail wind or a head wind?
• Course- how does the course compare to previous courses?  Is this course hilly?  Have I adequately prepared for hills?  Are there a lot of turns?  Will the course be crowded and I get stuck behind someone slow or I have to do a lot of weaving in and out of people?  
• Travel/Sleep- Will I have to travel for this race?  Is there a time change?  Will I get enough sleep the night before?  Will the hotel pillow be just right?
• Nutrition- Will I eat the right things to properly fuel myself pre/during the race? Will my stomach act up and force me to stop during the race? 
• Injuries- Will I get injured the week before the race?  Or will I get a phantom taper injury (this is what happens to me before EVERY race; I THINK I am injured…..)?  Will I step in a pot hole at mile 3 of the race and twist my ankle?

And the list could go on and on and on. 

Really I don’t know why I run when there are so many things out of my control.  Plus running is pretty much a giant mind-f*ck of a sport.  Worse than any other sport, in my opinion.  At least when I had a crappy soccer game I could blame it on one of the 10 other people on the field with me.

But somehow I still love running.  I love seeing how far I can push myself and how fast I can go.  When will I reach my plateau of speed?  Or have I already peaked? 

Case of the Mondays

Today was definitely a Monday.  Hopefully today does not dictate the rest of the week. 

Work was actually fine, it was busy and I got a lot done.  But I was busy and therefore I didn’t have time to relax and eat enough grub, so by the time the end of the day rolled around I was CRANKY.  

I didn’t feel like working out but Jeff made me go for a run and then to the gym to lift.  When we got outside, I turned on my Garmin.  Nothing.  The damn thing was dead.  I pushed a bunch of buttons and then I think I accomplished a hard reset and got it working.  But it was all wanky and was telling me I was running a 5 min pace per mile when I was walking.  Then it didn’t quite know where I was or how far I went and just made up a mileage for me.  I think it has a mind of its own now.

How the hell will I analyze my runs or know how far I have gone and at what pace?!  Woe is me.  I don’t want to spend money on a new Garmin, not yet.  Tomorrow I will push more buttons and see what I can do to fix it.

To top it off I felt like I was running with weights around my ankles.  I think I managed to get in 3 miles (but I don’t know because the Garmin is messed up) and then lifted some weights.  Even lifting was a failure.  I kept catching myself staring off into space and just was sitting on the weight bench like a turd thinking about what I was going to eat for dinner.

While sitting at the gym, I decided I wanted some leftover sweet potato fries.  So I got home and put the fries in the toaster oven.  It made some weird sounds and then never heated up.  Nooooo!  Now I have a dead Garmin AND a dead toaster oven.

I HATE heating things like that in the microwave so I put the stupid sweet potato fries in the regular oven.  Then I went and did other things until I smelled burning.  I burned the goddamn sweet potato fries and then set off smoke alarm.  Now I am just in a foul mood and hate life. 

I then snap at Jeff because OBVIOUSLY he was to blame for all of this.  He then saves the day and orders me a pizza and says “Women, calm the F down.  You crazy.”

The End.

Randomness on a Sunday morning

I don’t have anything important to say nor have I done anything particularly exciting this weekend so here is a dose of randomness for you on this Sunday morning:

1. I absolutely love the smell of clean.  This includes Tide or Gain detergent, bleach, Febreeze, and really any cleaning product.  I wish that I could always have laundry being done so that the house is filled with the wonderful smell of clean clothes.  This Gain commercial resonates with me:
   
2. I also have a strange love of cleaning in general.  I deep clean my house weekly and love when everything looks and smells clean and fresh.  After I clean, I spin around happily in the middle of the room singing “Cleeeeaaaaannnnn!”  What, nobody else does this?  Oh well, you are weird, not me.  My backup plan if engineering doesn’t pan out is to be a cleaning lady.
3. I hate weeds, especially dandelions.  It seems every rental house I have rented has terrible lawns filled more with weeds than grass.  They grow so fast and taunt me.  I hate them so much and will be getting a boat load of weed killer today.  Nothing feels better than spraying herbicide on weeds. 
4. I plan my runs to zig zag through cool neighborhoods with houses to look at.  I live hear the Highlands neighborhood and there are so many houses I want.  There is a great mix of old and new and so much character!  I prefer established neighborhoods with trees.  I don’t know which I like better, the classic old brick or the new and modern…. so torn.  I like that this neighborhood has both.
5. I despise snakes.  I know most are harmless but I don’t care, they are so scary and gross.  On Friday I was enjoying my run when I stepped on a horrible snake and I swear it coiled and struck at.  I screamed so loud and danced around like a maniac then sprinted away.  It was so horrifying.  I wanted to go back to the trail with a knife and cut its head off.  I can’t even include a picture of a snake because just looking at them gives me the heebie geebies.
6. Both yesterday morning and this morning I drank an entire pot of coffee by myself.  I love that coffee makes you poop, and I have pooped like 6 times (1 poop per cup of coffee, interesting).  I do this so that I am all empty by the time I go for my long run and I get all hopped up on caffeine in the process. 
7. Jeff bought me a present yesterday.  It was a bottle of vodka and the bottle was in the shape of a rifle.  I didn’t know whether I should drink it or play with it?  This bottle of vodka is amazing.

Nuun HTC Relay Contest Fail

Nuun announced it’s teams for the Hood To Coast relay the other day, at Noon (creative Nuun, creative….).  The list did not include yours truly.  Oh well, maybe next time! 

Honestly, I don’t blame them.  I saw all the other applications and some of those people put a lot of time and effort into theirs and did a really great job.  Like they really really really wanted to be on the team and seemed to really really really LOVE to consume Nuun.  Kudos to them….. but that just isn’t me.

Not only did Jeff and I put a whole 5 minutes into my application, our stellar acting was fueled by a bottle of wine which probably is frowned upon by Nuun.  No editing was performed on our video that was taped using the video mode on my point-and-shoot camera.  I am simple and I am lazy and I am no afraid to admit it. 

In addition, I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t use a Nuun electrolyte tab in my video application.  You see, Jeff and I are friends with a GU employee who graciously provided us with a ton of GU Brew Tabs a while back.  So when it came time to pull a video application out of my arse, all I had on hand was GU Brew and I was too lazy to go out and actually purchase Nuun. 

Nuun must have caught on to my less than ambitious ways and my underachieving nature when it comes to contests, as they did not select me for their team.  Plus Nuun must be smart and realized I have a total of 4 followers; my mom, my husband, and my 2 dogs.  It would not be intelligent marketing to choose me.  They chose legit blogs with legit followers who would adequately market their product.  Duuuuhhhh!  Maybe next time Nuun, maybe next time…..

I guess this just means if I want to do a relay I will have to stop being lazy and put together a team or find someone to include me on their team.  Maybe a Ragnar Relay? Maybe an adventure trail race?  If anyone needs me on their team, let me know!  Will travel to run :)

Seattle Work(out) Week

I was in Seattle all week for work, and did some working-out with friends on the side.  I arrived to a short-lived warm and sunny Seattle day (yes, these exist, and they are spectacular), but it was promptly replaced by a typical chilly grey and rainy remainder of the week.  But with all the warmth and sun I get in Denver, it was sort of nice to not have to wear sunglasses and SPF 50+ 24/7. 

I flew in Monday evening after work and immediately met up with some Seattle friends, Jessica and Steffanie, for a run around Lake Union followed by dinner at Harborside on their patio. 
It was a perfect day and Mt. Rainier was out in full force.  No city is more beautiful than Seattle on a clear and sunny day.  The run felt so easy being at sea level, oh how I miss being able to breathe with such ease…… and it was so wonderful to catch up with friends. I miss them so much!!

I then drove north to Whidbey Island for work.  Tuesday was a typical Seattle day, but at least I was outside for work.  A crappy day in the field is still better than a day in the office; below is my jobsite.  Don’t be deceived by the beauty, that bluff is eroding into a landfill.  We are fixing it though, you are welcome Puget Sound. 
Tuesday night I stayed with my friend Jessica and got in a tempo run around Greenlake.  I can’t stress enough how much I miss sea level and cool weather…. the run felt effortless.  I haven’t felt this good during a run in months.  It was great to catch up with Jessica and I haven’t laughed that hard in a while.  Side note: we discovered we were both yearbook nerds and high school.  Her fiancé called us laughing hyenas and I’m sure was mocking our nerdy love of yearbooks.

Wednesday I worked in my old office and caught up with Seattle work people.  I miss that office, great people there.  After work, I met up in downtown Seattle with my friend Steffanie.  She has an office that overlooks the city and Lake Union, not fair. 

It was Wednesday so I was also able to play with my Seattle soccer team, woooo hoooo!  It was a late game (9pm, YUCK) and was cold and very rainy the whole time.  Pretty miserable, but typical Seattle soccer weather.  It was great to see the team and to play some soccer.  I hadn’t played in 5 months so I was rusty.  We ended up winning 5-4….. and I woke up the next morning SUPER SORE.  In fact, I still feel like I got hit by a bus.  I remember why I haven’t joined a team here in Denver….

I stayed with Steffanie Wednesday night and it was also great to catch up with her.  She is running the Eugene half marathon this weekend and I was SOOO tempted to skip my flight, stay a few more days, and drive to Eugene with her to run a race at sea level.  But I was responsible and caught my flight back to Denver on Thursday.

THANK YOU SO MUCH STEFFANIE AND JESSICA FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY, I MISS YOU GUYS! 

On My Way to Seattle!

Today I am headed to Seattle for work.  I get in this afternoon and before I head north to Whidbey Island for a meeting and to conduct a site visit, I am meeting up with some friends for a run.    I  have a busy week with work stuff and for catching up with Seattle friends.  It is going to be great to see everyone, I miss them a lot!
I also am so excited to run in cool weather at sea level……

Last week I got in just over 36 miles.  Not quite 40 as I would have liked nor did I get in a good track or tempo workout, but it will have to do. 

Yesterday Jeff and I did our long run in the late afternoon so that I can get used to running in warm weather.  My legs felt really good and I had no trouble with breathing, but stomach issues came back with a vengeance.

I used to have tons a trouble with my stomach (at one time I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease but that doctor was an idiot and another doctor said I only had IBS) and running was always a crapshoot, literally.  I would have to plan my runs so that there was a bathroom within a mile or was in a remote area so I could go anywhere.  My stomach got better over time (it got used to the distance running) and I haven’t had a lot of issues in a few years.

Yesterday my stomach didn’t feel right from the start, but I powered through it and got all the way to mile 12, about a mile away from home, when I had to make a decision.

1. Keep running and crap my pants.
2. Stop and pull down my pants and go right next to the paved running trail, risk being seen by pedestrians.
3. Clench and walk it 1 mile back home.

I chose option 3 and that mile felt like a marathon.  I looked like a freakshow doing the clench shuffle walk and was horrified that I might not make it.  Luckily, I made it home without an embarrassing incident.  The rest of the night I still felt sick and couldn’t even eat dinner.  Ugh, I hate stomach issues.  Lets hope that was an isolated occurrence.