I could get used to this

I'm on a new work schedule where i only work Mon-Thurs, and have fridays off. It's a pretty sweet deal. So friday morning I made my regular trip to the gym to lift weights, only this week I got to go at 10:30 am instead of 5:45 am. And since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided I might as well get on the treadmill and, hey why not, do my weekly treadmill test.

Experience has taught me that mid-morning is not my best time of the day to run, i'm usually more sluggish than early morning or evening. So i ran 2 miles instead of 3. And i nearly threw up.

2 miles....14:56. Definitely could not have gone another mile at that pace and still manage to hold my breakfast in.

I stopped at Starbucks on my way home and saw a sign for an open invitation for interviews to be a barista at a new store. It's not like i'm doing anything else today....I filled out an application and went in for an interview. They liked me so much (or so I tell myself) I had a second interview immediately following. We'll see what happens next, but i would be totally ecstatic to make capuccinos all day instead of doing what i do now. It might shake up my moving plans a little bit, but I'll worry about that when I need to.

Saturday morning started out rainy, rainy and even more rainy. Other than my hands being frozen the first 3 miles, it was a great morning to run. I ended up going 10 miles, so I guess i'm right on schedule for the Olathe half marathon in a month. I still need to register though. *making mental note*

I'm off work all this week because Wednesday I'm heading to Biloxi, Mississippi to help rebuild homes with my parents and people from their church. But for now, i'm heading to the gym to work my arms....good prep for banging a hammer.

Only a true friend....

...pays money to have you run with them.

I've never had anyone pay me to workout, but that's what happened on my dreadmill date with josh. apparently my 24Hr gym membership only allows me to go to my gym, so he was kind enough to take care of my $5 cover charge at his gym.

saturday morning....no way was i getting up to run in the morning when i heard the winds and temps were going to be downright ridiculous. so i slept in a little bit and went to the gym to hop back on the treadmill, where i ran into fellow TNTer Courtney. apparently only the true crazies were out running in the frosty morning.

i wasn't sure how far i was going to run. after all, the gym was busy and i can only make myself run on that revolving conveyor belt for so long. i ran six miles and stopped, because people were waiting in line. and then i walked around and hopped on the next one that opened up and ran another two. eight miles total.

but the true excitement of the weekend (other than me getting my taxes done ALL BY MYSELF--with a nice refund), was the TNT Mardi Gras pub crawl, put on by none other than kevin the rockstar. you can't go wrong with this equation:

school bus + jello shots & beer + good friends = FUN.

TNT family portrait: Courtney, Me, Kevin & Josh

Weekly Treadmill Challenge

In following with my post from last week about the treadmill time limit, last night i participated in my Weekly Treadmill Challenge:

2.6 miles in 20:00
3 miles 23:20

Ideally, i should be improving from week to week but that didn't happen. I blame that on the candy i ate during the day.

Stupid candy. Why must there be a bowl filled with sugary goodness staring at me from across the hall? My favorite is the bite-size Midnight Milky Way. mmmm...fluffy nougat and creamy caramel coated in decadent dark chocolate.

But its okay to eat those because dark chocolate has been proven to be healthy.

It's a scientific fact.
I read it in a book.

Tonight I have a dreadmill date with Josh. He's inviting me to his gym since their treadmills don't have time restraints. 5 miles. I hope he doesn't expect to race, because I'm going to have another Milky Way now.

i'm not bitter.

I don't like the so-called 'Valentines Day' for many reasons, but i won't go into details. I just think it's a ridiculous 'holiday'.

And no....it's not that i'm bitter or jealous. I have no need to be, i'm in a wonderful relationship. I've hated 'Valentine's Day' for many years. My friends and I started referring to it as 'Half February Day' in college because of its commercial ridiculousness. And we still send each other Happy HFD wishes.

I'm not Jewish, but I liken this day to how a Jew may feel about Christmas. Sure, all the hubbub and hoopla is around you, but you just treat it like any other day. So its just another Wednesday for me. I'll go to the gym....make dinner...and probably watch tv while i work on designing some wedding invitations for a friend.

So have a Happy Half February day, and in celebration maybe watch Half Baked, Half Nelson, Two and a Half Men...there are just so many choices. It's mindblowing.

sun run fun

 I've been told that it rains in Seattle.  But everytime i come here, i apparently scare it away.  Maybe, just maybe, i'll get lucky before i leave tomorrow and i'll be convinced of its rainy reputation. 

   Yesterday and today though, it's like the weather we don't usually get in Kansas until March or April.  And it makes for awesome running.  (unless you overdress b/c you're used to freezing temps)  Still, i went for a 4 mile run this morning in the sunshine and pine-scented Washington air. 

    We took the bus downtown yesterday to walk around the Capitol Hill area and scope out the neighborhood.  It ended up being about a 3 mile walk through the Montlake area with some gorgeous views and very hilly streets.  This is a view overlooking Lake Union towards Queen Anne hill. 

 Supersonics game tonight!

swift kicks.

there's a silly 20-minute treadmill rule at my gym right now. it's only between 4-8pm, but i still don't like it (mainly b/c nobody obeys it). i ran 5 on tuesday so i wasn't planning on running last night too, but i saw a treadmill open up, so i hopped right on it.

and like the bright pink paper noted, i only had 20 minutes, so i had to crank it up. it's like a challenge against myself to see how far, how fast i can go in 20 minutes.

and (shhh, don't tell) i ended up being 'that person' who disobeys the time restriction rule. but only by 3 minutes. not like the girl next to me who stayed on for 40 minutes (RUDE). but i just really wanted to hit 3 miles.

3 miles...22:30. i think i hit about 2.75 miles at the 20 minute mark.
i'm going to make this a weekly challenge for myself.

i also figured it was about time to get myself some new shoes since i bought my last ones back in September before the KC half marathon. These were highly recommended by josh and i got them for a great price online. Asics GT-2110.

so i took them out for a run tonight. i like them. and they're pretty. i just planned on a 3 miler, but ended up going 4 since i'm not quite sure if i'll run this weekend. i'll try to squeeze something in, but i'm going to Seattle, so i'll have to motivate myself instead of running with the TNT group. hopefully it'll be a smooth-sailing trip, unlike last time.

deep thoughts

Deep Thoughts, by Me.

I feel like an entirely different person compared to this time last year. I was just going through the motions of life like a normal 23-year old.
Limited Responsibilites....check. Partying with friends....check. Single and ready to mingle....check. Earning a *meager* salary...check.

But there was something missing. Several things missing, actually. Problem was, I didn't quite know what they were and I wasn't sure where to find them. But one thing I DID know, was that I felt like there had to be something more. Something to make me happy.

This past weekend marked the one year anniversary of a very special (I might even go so far to call it 'life changing') event. It was my first training run with Team in Training. It's hard to express how awesome of an experience the whole thing was, but if you've been a part of TNT, you already know. And, despite my marathon being the most physically, emotionally, and painfully challenging thing i've ever done, I still had an absolutely fantastic time.

It certainly helps having such a great bunch of people to run with and that's definitely one of the things I'll miss the most when I move to Seattle.

I'm sorry...what? Move?

Yeah, so i figure if i tell enough people that i'm planning on moving this spring, then there's no backing out of it. It's just another thing that i gotta do in my life. But when the right person comes along, you gotta do what you gotta do. I can't let this one slip away. And it's hard being in a long distance relationship. VERY hard. I probably enjoy flying more than the next person, but after awhile it is just too financially and emotionally draining to keep on doing this. I have so much more respect and admiration for those in the military who go months, even years without seeing each other.

More on this subject later, but for now i'm off to go run in the balmy 50 degree weather!! It'll be gone tomorrow so I might as well enjoy while i can.