i am, in fact, still alive

i told myself that i wouldn't let an entire month go by without blogging anything, so being the procrastinator that i am...i'm cutting it close and finally blogging before the month ends.

i'd apologize for being a bad blogger, but the truth is, i'm not sorry. i've been busy and blogging wasn't ranking too high on my 'must-do' list.

and since i don't have much time today, i'm just here to give a quick rundown of my last month.

runningwise, i've been doing mostly 6 or 8 milers two or three times a week, sprinkle in a 3 or 4 miler and maybe a 10 if i feel like it. i've either been out of town, or working on saturday mornings, so i really miss seeing my Saturday morning running buddies :(

and just as i was thinking about training for the SeaFair marathon in Seattle (instead of the half marathon), my running took a sidenote when i got really sick for a couple of days. the sick where every single muscle fiber in your entire body hurts, and you can't eat, can't sleep, can't do anything except lay on the floor and cry. it was absolutely awful. i've had back problems since a high school car accident, and the vertebrae i injured is linked to the stomach, which is linked to my head, which is linked to my muscles. and basically, all of those shut down.

but i'm better now (i think).

i took a trip to Seattle for some fun with the Todd, and it makes me really excited to move out there.


packing up my stuff and getting ready to move is exhausting. and i went home to my parents farm for Memorial Day and was able to see some of my cousins i hadn't seen since my grandma's funeral last year. and lately i've been working so much that i feel like i live at Starbucks. and i've been getting ready for my friend's wedding this weekend, finishing up designing the wedding programs, etc. (and making sure i fit into my bridesmaid's dress).

other than all that...not much is going on :)

one last thing: Happy Running to everyone running Rock n Roll San Diego this weekend!!!!! can't believe that was a year ago when i suffered through that :) i do wish i were doing it again this year, though.

Oklahoma, you're OK!

Actually, better than just OK. The weekend in Oklahoma City far exceeded my expectations. It was GREAT.

Going in to the half marathon, my only goal was to finish under 2:00. I wore my GPS, but didn't even look at it once during the race. The primary concern was to just have fun and enjoy all that Oklahoma City had to offer us. We ran at a comfortable pace, singing songs, dancing (as much as you can while running) along with the music and just having a grand old time.

Finish time-- 1:57:24

I was certainly glad i did the half, because shortly after we finished, the temperature skyrocketed, leaving us concerned for our friends out on the marathon course dealing with the heat. But they all did great, and there's nothing quite like being rewarded for running a marathon than with a fresh-from-the-grill Carl's Jr Cheeseburger. mmmmmm.



And the main reason I enjoyed the weekend....running in remembrance of the 168 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Before the race, the running crowd of 15,000 reflected during 168 seconds of silence. And we started off running past the Memorial. It was extra motivating during the run to see the 168 banners that lined the course, displaying the names of the innocent lives lost and seeing all the 'In Honor Of' signs on runners during the race.

Afterwards, we took some time to visit the Memorial and pay respect to the 168 victims. I'm really glad that I was able to finally visit the Memorial and get a better sense of Oklahoma's spirit of survival.



I admit, i've never been a fan of anyone who calls themself a Sooner (bad past experience at a KSU/OU football game).

My opinion has been completely changed.

The city was welcoming and had a clean, vibrant downtown area. There was also a Festival of the Arts going on Saturday evening that we went to. The supporters all along the race course were amazing and i've already deemed this as my favorite half marathon. I'd love to return in the future, maybe even run the full marathon.

Thanks OKC, you were great.

just me and the boys

it's that time again.

half marathon time.

only this is probably the least prepared i've ever been for a half. i've ran 8 milers on the weekends and mostly 4 and 6 milers during the week, but i haven't ran anything over 8 since the Olathe Half a month ago.

oh, i have no doubt that i'll finish....but if i finish under 2:00 i'll be happy. my endurance is not up to its par and i've convinced myself i'm out there more to enjoy Oklahoma City than to try and run a PR.

other than some slight apprehension, it should be an excellent weekend. just me and the boys.

have i mentioned that i'll be traveling in a van with 5 guys? and sharing a hotel room with josh? yeah, well i am. and i'm pretty excited about it.

as long as they all shower afterwards.

me and a van full of smelly guys is not my idea of a good time.

this day

this day...April 19...i'm not a fan of it at all. and i feel that more so than any other day of the year it always brings up a mixture of emotions for me.

most notable to many people is that 12 years ago the Oklahoma City bombings occurred and i can remember where i was, what i was doing, and how incomprehensible it was. i was in 7th grade social studies class when we were told about the bombing and watched in disbelief as the events of the day unfolded.

this is one of the main reasons why i really wanted to take part in the Oklahoma City Memorial (Half) Marathon next weekend. and in some small way, it's a chance for me to honor the victims and their families.

but this day...April 19...cemented itself as one of the worst days of my life when i was a senior in high school. i don't talk about it much, many of my close friends don't even know this part of my life. but every year it's an unavoidable sorrow that hangs over my head. and with the recent events at Virginia Tech and all of the bomb threats around this area lately, i can't help but weep.

my senior class was exactly one month away from graduation, we had just had our senior prom 'Heaven Awaits', and our close knit group of 88 students were loving life and looking forward to that last month before we all said our goodbyes and headed off on our separate ways.

but this day...April 19, 1999... this day would forever change us.

every year, the senior class would help participate in the city-wide cleanup. as part of our community service, we would assist the city workers in picking up unwanted large items that people put out on their curbs. it was a day to be excused from classes, get out and enjoy the weather, and goof off as we drove around town looking for garbage.

this day....it's still as vivid as the day it happened.....a group of about 8 of my friends had split into two trucks as we drove around and we were headed back to the dropoff spot to unload. we had to find spots to sit amongst the trash in the truck beds and i was in the lead truck, facing backwards, waving to the girls in the truck behind us.

we were driving down Main Street, they were sitting in their truck bed also, atop mattresses, chairs, boxes....Tara waved back and giggled.

and then the wind blew.

the gust caught the edge of the mattress she was sitting on. she was just a little girl and the wind flipped that mattress, knocking her off onto the pavement like a ragdoll. her boyfriend was sitting next to me, and we noticed that nobody in her truck had seen her fall, so we pointed and yelled that they wait for her to hop back on the truck.

but she didn't get up.

she never got up.

they life flighted her to Topeka, and we were sent back to school where we waited all afternoon to hear good news. it never came.

It didn't make sense. The truck was only going 20 mph, she only fell 4 feet. she was doing community service...one month from graduation...she was headed to college to be a teacher just like her mom.

Tara never woke up. She died that afternoon and our lives were forever changed.

There is a picture of Tara at prom, beaming from ear to ear, standing under the words 'Heaven Awaits'...and it makes me smile.

this day. April 19. it's a day of remembrance.

new toys

i like to prove myself wrong....
the thought of running in the snow on saturday morning actually exhilarated me, so on friday night i set my alarm for 6 am on saturday morning and made the sleety early morning drive out to Independence.

and i'm glad i did. we ran on a crushed gravel trail and there was some puddle hopping required. but after a while, it was pretty pointless to try and avoid them so i just splashed my way through the 8 miles. the rain/sleet dissipated after the first couple miles, and it turned out to be a nice, peaceful early morning jog.

plus, i got myself some new running stuff with our TNT alumni discount: Nike Tempo track shorts, Asics Hera running gloves, and some mmmm....Espresso Love Gu.


and finally spring has returned to its rightful owner!!

yesterday the temps were back in the 60s, so my roommate and i went on a bike ride. we stopped by Bike America on the way to the trail and i bought myself a Giro Transfer bike helmet so i wouldn't have to keep borrowing hers.


i don't have to work today so i'm heading out to enjoy the sweet, sweet sunshiney day. first to the gym, then out for another bike ride and run this afternoon.

April's a Fool

Oh, that April....she's such a jokester.

The forecast for tomorrow morning:


This weather has just been hampering my running style. Since the Olathe Half almost two weeks ago, i've logged a total of 7 running miles. I took last week off from running and made myself run 3 & 4 miles on the treadmill this week.

April needs to get her act together and warm up. I have another half marathon in 15 days and need to get some longer runs in. The snow tomorrow morning will probably keep me from doing the 7 am run, especially since it's scheduled on a trail 30 minutes away. I'll have to motivate myself to get my running in by myself.

And I finally registered for the Oklahoma City Half this morning, so i can't back out now. Gotta deal with this wintery weather and get my butt running. I can handle another treadmill run for today...off to the gym i go!

Greener pastures

A pleasant surprise after the half marathon

1st place in my age group!! I definitely wasn't expecting that, but my confidence sure is boosted because of it.

So today is my last day here at GlynnDevins Marketing. I'm a wee bit sad to leave some of my co-workers who've become my close friends over the past two years. But the joy of leaving this job that I have disliked for so long FAR outweighs any sadness. And I'm excited to just work at Starbucks and hang out with family and friends during this intermittent time before I move to Seattle.

It's definitely overdue that I leave here, I feel like I lost a lot of my intelligence and ambition while I worked here. Although, I do have to note that this is the place I met Josh, who has played a most integral role in my running life. So for that, I am happy. But lately, everytime I sit down at my desk, my head starts pounding, my eyes get spotty, and I get dizzy. This place is making me sick.

Time to move on to greener pastures.

Is it happy hour time yet?!!

low expectations

My quest for sleep is still ongoing....

Todd was scheduled to fly in to town on Thursday evening, but due to delayed flights in Seattle, de-icing in Denver, and a diversion to Omaha, he finally arrived early Friday morning around 2 a.m. Combine that with a 5:30 alarm this morning for the half marathon, and an early rise tomorrow to get him to the airport for an 8 a.m. flight, i am not getting caught up on my beauty sleep.

Since last night was a pre-race meal, I had to be careful about where we went out to eat. Not being a huge fan of pasta, I suggested that we get somewhere for sushi. We went to Kyoto japanese steakhouse and i ordered chicken teriyaki with assorted sushi. Protein, veggies, rice....that's a solid combination for raceday nutrition. Unless....the assorted sushi ends up being assorted sashimi (the raw fish on rice) instead of the rolls like i was expecting.

Oh well, its fish and rice, that's still good stuff...so i ate it. And then i felt tummyachey afterwards.

Yet another reason my sleep was not too pleasant.

But by the time we got to the start, i was feeling good. The forecast called for 60% chance of rain, and it was a bit chilly waiting for the gun, but once the race began, i was glad i opted to wear shorts and a sleeveless top. Stupid Kansas mugginess. And stupid Kansas wind (at least it was at our backs for the last 4 miles).

The course was actually decent, hardly any hills and the hills that were present were just tiny ones.
The things I didn't like about the race were:
1. Running the 5K, 15K, and half marathoners all together. At the beginning, this messed with my pace b/c being mixed in with runners who are all going different distances, my competitive nature took over so i was running a faster pace to keep up. I told myself to slow down after the first half mile, b/c i still had over 12 miles to go, not 2 miles.
2. The out-and-back part around the Great Mall of the Great Plains was windy and long. Thankfully, i had Todd and my brother out there cheering for me and the way that part of the course was set up, I got to run by them 3 times. And i also got to see my pal Courtney as we were crossing paths on the loop, she's always a bundle of cheer and super supportive.
3. The finish was uphill. No other explanation needed.

But overall, i liked this half marathon quite a bit, it definitely helped that i had a great support staff out there cheering me on. (THANK YOU guys)

i went into the race just aiming for a sub-2 hour, not feeling quite as ready as I have been for my prior half marathons. And oh what a pleasant surprise when i got myself a little thing we like to call....a PR! see what happens when you have low expectations?

1:47:52 (at 13.1 miles on my Garmin). the finish line registered at 13.4 miles and i haven't seen the official time posted yet, but it will still be a PR regardless.

woe is me.

sleep is definitely NOT overrated.

i can get by with 5 or 6 hours of sleep. i cannot get by with 3 hours of sleep. especially if i have to run the next morning.

such was the case this past friday night. i worked at Starbucks until midnight, then I went home to find a party at my house with loud people, loud music, and no chance at all of getting any good sleep. i knew of this party happening beforehand, so it wasn't just a random surprise, but combine that with being woke up a couple hours later by the bar-goers, it just once more reinforced my desire to live by myself. roommate-free.

i am a person who needs space.
i need quiet time.
i need my sleep. even if it's only the average 6 hours i get on a regular weekday.

i managed to drag myself out of bed at 5:15, planning on running 10 miles. i was struggling to run 8. it was a very non-energetic, non-pleasant run, and very humid.

i guess it was fine i only ran 8 though, since the Olathe half marathon is this saturday, so i was actually on schedule for 'tapering'. but still.....sleeeeeeeeep. good sleep would've been nice.

the weather has been so nice (despite the humidity and gusty winds) so yesterday i decided to dust off my bike and take it for a spring spin. i rode 4 miles from my house, where i hopped on the Indian/Tomahawk Creek trails and biked on them for 15 miles before riding the 4 miles back home.

23 miles total. and a very sore bum today.

here's some pics i took during my ride.
me and my awesome helmet head and a springy creekside pic of my $15 bike:

Catching Up

i'm so far behind on my blogging...let me do a quick summary....

I was on a running rampage last week. I enjoyed my 12 miler on sunday so much that i did 6 miles tuesday and 8 thursday on that same route.

In other news, last week i was offered a job at Starbucks. My friends say they've never heard someone so excited to quit their full-time job and get a part-time one. Clearly a sign that I hated my job. Actually, hate (present tense) my job since i'm still working there for 3 more weeks.

Saturday morning was a scheduled 14 miler starting at 7 am, but i had to be to a Starbucks Experience workshop at 9 so i started my run at 6 instead. The time crunch made me run faster than i wanted and i was only able to run 12 in order to go home, shower, and make it to the workshop on time. Despite spending 5 hours inside on a lovely saturday, the Starbucks class was pretty fun.

but the best part of saturday was another get-together at Paul & Brita's with Team in Training friends. When Brita was going through chemo, her friends brought her some wigs...some CRAZY looking wigs. perfect for Guitar Hero and Karaoke. This is Courtney and I rockin' the wigs and playing Sweet Child O' Mine. I don't want to brag, but i looked pretty hot with a mullet.



and another of us just looking, um......'special'.

All By Myself

i missed the team run on saturday morning because i was still in Mississippi. And since i had the Olathe Half Marathon coming up in 4 weeks, i knew i needed to get my mileage in. It was supposed to be an 'easy' day of just 6 miles, so i wasn't too dreadful of having to run by myself.

i decided to take advantage of the nice warm(er) spring weather on sunday afternoon and do my 6 miler. i ran my usual path down Mission Road to 71st St, but decided to mix it up a bit and run ALL THE WAY to Missouri. (ok, it's really not that impressive since i live less than a mile from the Kansas/Missouri border). But for no apparent reason, I always run on the Kansas side. Not today.

I was feeling good. I think I'll run 8 miles instead of six.

I ran down Ward Parkway and i kept going. and going. and going. Until suddenly i was at 51st Street on the edge of the Plaza and had no more sidewalk and too much traffic to run on the street. i turned around and headed back. I would've finished at 10 miles if i went straight home, but the weather was so nice and i didn't want to stop so i ran around the Mission Hills area a couple more miles.

12 miles. ALL BY MYSELF.

actually i think it was more like 12.5, but who's counting? (i am)

I'm totally good-to-go for the Olathe Half, and i ran 6 miles last night down the same route. It's a hillier route than i normally run, but i think i like it. Just as our high school cross country mantra said: Hills are our friends.

My trip to Mississippi was fabulous, hopefully i'll get around to writing a recap of that sometime soon.

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.

not too shabby

An excellent weekend to recap...

For the first Saturday in a long time, i got to sleep in. And yes, 8:30a.m. is considered sleeping in for me. With my recent hamstring problems, and a 10K on sunday, I skipped out on the morning run and decided to test out the hamstring that afternoon. I was a bit apprehensive, since i hadn't ran since Tuesday and BRRRRRR...it was freezing and super windy outside. But my leg felt good, so i ended up going 5 miles to reassure myself i'd be fine for the 6 on sunday.

Saturday night couldn't have been more fun. Brita, my Team in Training honored patient for the San Diego marathon, and her husband Paul, invited me and several other teammates over to their house for sushi, karaoke, and some Playstation Guitar Hero.

With all of our karaoke, dancing and video game guitar skills, i think we could start our own band. A cover band of course, since none of us are songwriters, but i'm not gonna lie....we'd be a hot commodity for junior high dances and retirement community entertainment.

I love my teammates, and it's awesome that our passion for running and our desire to help others is what brought us all together in the first place. But from there, we've became great friends, and they're such a strong support system, almost like a second family.

I had to ditch out on the party a bit early, since i was set to run the Groundhog 10K the next morning. I picked Josh up around 8:15 and we headed to the caves. I had no idea what to expect, except that it's all underground in the storage tunnels and warmer than outside.

It's hard to describe to someone who's never been there, but it was a very interesting place to run in. I liked that it was warm, flat, and asphalt. I did not like that the air was musty, the scenery is limited to giant concrete pillars and flourescent lights, and it feels like you're running in circles. Basically, it looked like this for 6.2 miles:


I went into the race with a goal of 52:00, and walked away from my first 10K in 50:32. Not too shabby. AND...i placed 8th overall in my age division, which really makes me feel good about myself. Here I am with Josh and fellow TNT alum Randy, looking very similar to a stoplight:

i pulled my hammy

i thought really hard about when the last time i pulled a muscle was....and i couldn't remember. i think it's been that long. like maybe back in high school. and it's not like i ever stretch before i run. i just walk out my front door, or show up at the park, and go. and i seldom stretch after i run.

i've always secretly thought stretching was overrated, and since i never pulled anything, i never made it a point to stretch.

but i pulled my hamstring this morning.
and it hurt.

was i running? nope.
playing softball? nope.
doing some strenuous biking? nope.

i was at the gym.
doing bicep curls.
and i pulled my hamstring.

somehow that seems to go against the laws of physics.

you may be thinking: how does one pull a muscle in the leg, when they're only moving their arms?

it's simple, really. a caveman could do it. i was standing up and using the dumbbell bar, doing my 3rd set of bicep curls. like i'd done the past two times, i dropped forward to put the bar on the floor.

should've bent my legs. even just a bit.
instead....RRRRrrrrriiiiiiipp. (you know the feeling.)
apparently i like to think i'm more flexible than i really am.

thankfully, i ran monday and tuesday nights so i was planning on taking tonight off. i think this is a sign that i need to start doing pilates again.