We Finished!

Yesterday was our 10K and we finished in one hour flat, which is a rousing 9:41 min/mile pace. Given that the wind going out was brutal (30 to 35 mph gusts) and that, if not from the front we faced side winds, coupled with a couple of stomach cramps (me), I will take it. And hey, it was the first ever 10K for M and only the second for me. We ran the entire thing and finished together.

And perhaps most importantly, had a great deal of fun as well. We ended our day with a trip to Augusta and Defiance where we checked in on a couple of wineries. We considered paddling but passed because of the wind and because of my shoulder.

I should explain that I have “frozen shoulder.” M and I took Jake for a walk a few weeks ago. I had Jake in my left hand and Jake saw a bunny. Jake took off after the bunny and pulled me down. The brunt of my fall was on my right arm/shoulder and now, it seems, that shoulder is frozen. I start physical therapy tomorrow night and will, I hope, be in great shape to paddle in a few short weeks. At least, that’s how I think therapy should work.

Now I am in search of a 5K after the half-marathon because K has expressed an interest and gosh I would just love to run a race with her. I think – think – think – think she might be starting to catch the running bug. I would so love if one of my girls would run.

As for the house and home, it’s been pretty neglected, but it is spring and things are starting to bloom and I am thinking garden. I’m sure there will be photos coming soon.

The Running Trail

Gosh, I am behind on posting. The past 2.5 months have been crazy. We have had Valentine’s Day, two birthdays, a St. Patrick’s Day 5-mile run. I’ve also “committed” to a half-marathon that, apparently, includes plenty of hills. M will join me at the race and will run the 10K that is affiliated with it, which is sweet for me because that means I will have someone to greet me at the finish line.

How spoiled am I?

The half training is, knock wood, going well. There are some gaps – undoubtedly not enough speed work to finish at my goal time, for example – but I am enjoying it. I like the long runs, the distance build, even the hill workouts. All of it, actually. And the explorer that I am is very much looking forward to running on new and different streets for this one.

But first, we have a 10K this weekend. This will be M’s first “timed” race. Since it will also be close to the date of our dating 6 months we will try to finish together, which would be sweet.

Since the last post we have also purchased kayaks. We have talked about a few destinations. I’ll update that as plans firm up.

Coming Up: St. Patrick's Day

M and I will the St. Patrick’s Day Run in downtown St. Louis. It’s a five mile run and will our first race-type run together (I say race-type because we pay an entry fee, but we are not going to be timed). K is promising to come along and cheer for us at the finish line.

Now that I’ve moved to the same office as M we have taken to running or working out frequently over our lunch hour. This is awesome. It gets me away from my desk, gets me out exercising, and I get to spend an hour in the middle of the day with M. What a lucky gal I am!

Cabin Fever

Cabin fever is hitting. It’s been cold and snowy here, though it should be warming up a bit today. Gosh I am ready for spring!
My week started with a cold wakeup one morning. Ahhhh…..no heat! I looked at the programmable thermostat and it had no read out. Brrr. I did everything I knew: checked the furnace switch and turned it off and on; flipped the circuit breaker. Nothing. In my mind I’m picturing a huge heating/cooling service bill.

Before I started to look for a heating/cooling company, I looked online and found out that programmable thermostats might have a battery backup. Obviously mine wasn’t working so I took it off the wall. Two, AA batteries. I pulled them out, replaced them, put it back in place and voila! The hum of the furnace!

Yes, I gave myself a high-five!

The week ended with an issue with my bathroom door – it was getting hard and harder to close. I finally looked at the doorframe and the hinge was coming loose. A couple turns of the battery drill and the door is now closing exactly as it should.

Another high-five for me!

I never did update about our trip to M’s hometown to meet his dad. The trip, while a long drive, went well. Meeting his dad made me miss my own. Not that the two men are at all alike but rather I miss having a dad to call or visit periodically. And I’m especially sad that I can’t introduce M and my own dad. Because I don’t want to end this on a somber note I will say that I liked M’s dad and apparently he liked me because he called me “calm.” Kind of cute.

Next weekend a local company is having a kayak show. We will go and perhaps purchase our boats. We are also discussing purchasing a third boat, together, so we can take one of the kids with us if we want. A joint purchase three months into the relationship. Makes me both nervous and excited, but I think more excited.

Wouldn't These Look Good With A Little Black Dress?

The weekend was nice, quiet, and only moderately eventful. One of the highlights was Friday after work. It was warm in St. Louis so M and I started our date night with a 4 mile run. In fact, it was so nice that both of us ran in shorts. That’s an unusual occurrence for January in St. Louis!

I’m struggling with juggling this new relationship and running. It’s hard for me to get up early to run in the winter (somehow, a warm bed beats a dark morning and cold pavement) and I want to be with M so I tend to push running to the backburner, which is not the right thing to do if I’m serious about doing this half-marathon in late April. There is time, but I need to make a commitment (ugh – hate that word) to the half if I plan to do it, beat my last time (2:03:39), and be injury free.

Of course, as I say this I’m also trying to work on a short story, coordinate questions for a trivia night, purchase stuff for an auction basket for same trivia night, keep up with the girls and their activities, and get ready to go out of town this weekend (venturing to M’s hometown). And since he’s from Kansas I keep threatening to wear ruby red slippers, but now it’s looking like I won’t have time to shop for any. He’s probably a bit relieved.

A small Tour of Tennessee

M and I left St. Louis bright and early New Year’s Eve morning for Nashville. We arrived in time to clean up and head to the Nashville downtown area for the evening. After a couple of stops for drinks and dinner, we ended at BB King’s place for the evening. The music was good, the beer was cold, and every time I stole a glance at M he was smiling. Gosh that makes a gal feel special!

Not much was open on New Year’s Day, though we did walk the grounds of the Grand Ol’ Opry, play a round of glow-in-the-dark mini golf (very fun), and stroll by the Parthenon. The pond in the photo is in the same park as the Parthenon and the shadows, of course, are ours.

January 2 we headed to Lynchburg to tour the Jack Daniels Distillery (highly recommended) and then on over to Memphis to experience Beale Street for the evening. We drove the back roads from Lynchburg to Memphis, which made for a long day, though we talked the entire trip. At one gas stop the clerk behind the counter told us to make sure and come back. As we walked out I looked at M and laughed and said, “Sure, I’d come back, except I have no clue where we are!”

Beale Street was as much fun as Nashville. Great music, cold beer, lots of people out and about.(There was a bowl game in town that day so we were among plenty of other tourists.)

Before heading back we made one last stop – to tour the Gibson guitar factory. We also said hello to the ducks at the Peabody Hotel and M had Memphis barbecue for lunch.

Everywhere we went in Tennessee the people were great. They were friendly and helpful and never too busy to answer a question or chat for a few minutes.

The trip itself - so awesome. Gosh, M was the perfect traveling companion. Willing to explore, talk to people, and generally relax and have fun. Such a treat! I will say it again --- I am a very lucky gal.

Road Trip

Taking a short road trip to welcome in the New Year. And I suspect 2009 might be something stunning.

Be safe!