Monday, August 15, 2011

Another successful weekend

That's right, I finally indulged Pippi with a new collar. A new, PURPLE collar ;-)

















Saturday morning I got up, all ready to get in my five miles. I really wanted to run outside, but of course it was POURING outside. Since I haven't ran in pouring rain before and I haven't ordered Stuffits yet, I knew I'd be headed to the gym. By the time I got up, fed and walked Pippi, got dressed, and got out the door and drove to the gym, it was about 8am.

And now, side story. Literally the day I started my current job, I went to the gym at 4am. There was a dude there who is a cop and made some sort of reference to us being the only ones awake with the vampires. Creepy? Yes. A few months later I hit a deer on my way to work and decided it's not worth risking my life to get my workout in early in the morning when it's still dark out, so I started going to the gym after work instead. One random day, the cop dude saw me there in the afternoon. I explained to him that I don't go in the morning anymore because I had hit a deer and I don't want to risk it to get to the gym early.
Bambi, if only you and your peeps would stay out of the road,
we'd get along.















Ok, tangent over. So, I got to the gym this Saturday around 8am and cop dude was there. His comment to me was, "You really are dodging those deer, aren't you?" (because I was showing up so "late"). Ever wanted to really kick someone before? Well, I really wanted to kick him. IT'S MY WEEKEND, DAMMIT!

I was really hoping no one was on my treadmill when I got there. (There are only two treadmills that are in front of a window that isn't covered up with advertisements and since running on the treadmill is already boring, having to look at a stupid ad for 50 minutes isn't my idea of more interesting). Well, I walked in and it was a ghost town.
Best case scenario: CHECK!

















I felt pretty great for this run. The first three miles were a breeze (I never thought I'd see the day!) but then I hit a wall. I stopped quickly to stretch and then got back to it. The last 1.5 miles (yes, I slacked on the last half a mile, but my training has me doing each week of workouts twice, so I have another opportunity this Saturday) were difficult. I am wondering if it has something to do with the fact that I only had a handful of walnuts before heading to the gym. Any advice on what to eat before the gym? Should I bring something (like GU or jelly beans) to take at mile 3? Or am I just a wimp?

Overall I was pretty happy with this run. If I hadn't stopped to walk a few short times, my pace would have been under 10 minutes. It was actually sub-10 minutes for the first two miles. Today's distance is three miles, so the goal is under a 10-minute pace.












After my run, I went home, had breakfast, and cleaned the house. I was planning on going out with a friend, but we ended up going out yesterday instead which was nice because I got all the cleaning out of the way, which made me feel may more relaxed.

The dogs had me laughing non-stop this weekend. On Saturday night Jeremy and I took the dogs out for their nightly stroll and Pippi got ahold of a frog, for the second time since I've had her. I tried to get her to leave it alone, but Jeremy said, "She'll learn. It took Rocco 6 or 7 times before he learned to leave them alone." Have you ever been witness to a dog who got ahold of a frog? Funniest thing in the entire world. I would have videotaped it, but I was too busy hunched over laughing. If you've never seen what happens when a dog catches a frog, just believe me, it's funny. (Don't worry, I made sure she drank some water and then I brushed her teeth. We don't have poisonous toads around these parts. She's alive and well).

Sunday morning, both dogs were doing their "hoovering the couch cracks" move.
Yes, they've both got their heads in the cracks of the couch and it sounds like they're sucking things up with their noses. Again, I was cracking up. After a while Rocco gave up, but Pippi is a determined little mutt.

I have no idea what's in there (besides dog hair, dust, and crumbs), but they sure think it's special.

And now, on a random note: Legs never look good when photographed from this angle.





















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7 comments:

  1. This cracks me up. The dogs are hilarious! Bungee has caught a couple frogs, but she just carries them around until I make her drop them. One time, though, she rolled around on a dead liquified one and it was the most horrific stench I've ever smelled even after we washed her.

    You seem to make a lot of man friends at the gym...:)

    As for eating on the run. You probably should just eat more before you go to the gym. Like, wake up, eat breakfast, go back to sleep til you want to hit up the gym. Then you have the calories you need.

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  2. Your dogs need their own show.

    I'd just eat more before I ran. You need some carbs with your nuts. :)

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  3. Maybe eat some toast or a banana or something more substantial before you run. I'm really cheap with my pricey Gu so I will never take it if another option is available (aka M&Ms on a trail run). Also I pay attention to timing - eating dinner at 8pm and running at 5am might not require food before running, but eating dinner at 6:30 and running at 8am might have you ravenous. What about hydration? If I'm dehydrating sometimes I feel hungry but drinking more water does the trick. Nice job on your new PDR!

    PS Towels/newspapers work great for wet post - rainy run shoes!

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  4. Make that if I'm "dehydrated".

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  5. I always have a banana and/or a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. Something like that keeps me satisfied until I am finished and I get to stuff my face again ;)

    The dogs are too funny!!! Love it!

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  6. I think you probably need more carbohydrates before your run. I usually eat a multigrain English muffin with PB or a mini Clif bar depending on the distance I'm going. I actually hit Gu really quickly (1 at 3 miles for a 5 mile run is the shortest run I use one for), but I'm a lot slower than you all, a 5 mile run takes just over an hour for me.

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  7. I'm way late posting on this, but just wanted to comment - walnuts aren't a great prerun snack - fats don't break down like carbs. (and fats do BAD things to me when I try to run with them in my stomach...) Simple sugars, like everyone else suggested are best.

    BUT, just reading what you wrote about your pace, I'd say that was your bigger problem. Run your long runs slower than your regular runs - if you are aiming for sub-10 minute miles for a 3-miler, than a 5-miler should be over 10 minute miles.

    PS, payday is next week for me, and there will be headbands ordered immediately after that. :)

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