Not a ton to report here

Did a strength class on Monday where I did 1,000 squats as per usual and then was too busy at work to do anything for the rest of the week.
So today I ran 3 miles and then biked 5. It was alright, the weather is perfect. I gave a guy a high five but he didn't get it and I ended up just slapping his hand anyway. Idiot. Sometimes I get deliriously happy when I'm running, and I just sort of expect that everybody else should be too. Also the music in my headphones makes me want to dance, but you can't dance while you run, but you can pump your arms in a sort of white-boy dance and so that's what I do. Also, I sing. I can't help it. Today, it was Madonna, that song about 'please don't say you're sorry, cuz I dont wanna hear, blah blah, can't take it anymore' and then I forget that other people can only hear me sing and they can't hear the song in my headphones, so it's like a-capella singing out of breath and out of tune.

Well, like I said, happy when I run.

So we ran 8 miles on Saturday!

Thank goodness Anna came over on Friday for girls' night and we drank tons of wine and then on Saturday morning, felt a little groggy but ran 8 miles anyways. We did a little walking, but not too much. From my house to the Rose Garden at Lake Harriet and back is precisely 8. Anna was also sick with a cold so I'm super proud of her for even going, plus this is the farthest she has ever ran!
She did the half marathon relay in Maple Grove, so 6+ miles was her longest run.

Anyways, my hips and knees and ankles and shins were SORE. But I drank lots of booze again on Saturday night (as anyone who is in training will tell you, it's important to drink lots of alcohol.)

Then today Murphy and I rode bike for 5 miles. That loosened up my leg muscles a little bit. They were super tight.

Tomorrow I have my 20 minute core class, followed by a 2.2 mile run around the swamp by my office...this half is coming up fast, but I'm not too worried about it. I am so lazy. Now that I have run a marathon, I think of a half marathon as a "breeze", and "no big deal". I know that sounds weird, but it's kind of how it is. Even though the running lots of miles is kicking my butt.

Anyways, next Saturday we plan to do 11 miles and then the following Saturday is the big event.

PEACE

Strength training

I just did 6,985 squats and tomorrow I will not be able to walk.

Not really running that much...I ran/walked two miles in the Falls. Went to Big Vic and back one day with Nancy and Laurissa. It went really well. it's always nice to have people to talk to.

Today the instructor in strength training actually did the whole one hour routine. I was super-impressed.

The half marathon is only like 3 weeks away. I am up to five miles (last week.) I am not running any long runs this weekend because I'll be in Rochester. So on the 18th I'm going to run 9 miles and on the 25th I'm going to run 11.

I hope.

Didn't run six...

But I did run 5! And I found the other shoe to the shoe that I found the other day! Two Shoes. Men's. Steve Madden's. Size 10ish. Located at 50th and cedar, if you're in the market for a pair of shoes.

Also the shorts are still there. They are just shredded. Weird. And I found a pair of pink big undies today too.

The reason I only ran five is because I set my alarm to get up at 6:15 and go run with my old running club, but snoozed until 9, and then called Kasey to see if she minded me picking up Murphy at 10:30. I went out, and actually had a very decent run. I have been walking a lot because I'm not quite up to speed, but today I didn't walk very much at all. I took about three 25-yard walk breaks. Not bad for five miles. I'm going to try to run more than just once a week and that should help too. I ran two miles on Saturday and that really helped today's run. So I'll try to keep that going. Tomorrow I have core class again and then Tuesday it's Pilates. Wednesday and Thursday I'll try to put in a morning run, just a shortie.

Random thought on the run today:
Maybe I could have tried to bring Murphy WITH me, in the jogging stroller?

Also, Murphy and I rode 7 miles on the bike this evening.

Ran two miles today

Was supposed to run 6, but my schedule got in the way.

But I ran two. I saw a pair of shorts on the trail, and a shoe. One shoe.

I always find it so interesting when people lose one shoe. Or a pair of shorts for that matter. Were they in a fight and somebody threw somebody's shorts, or shoe out the window to get mad? Were they about ready to make mad passionate love in the park and the shorts came off in the dark and they couldn't find them? Did a dog drag them around and onto the trail?

It's kind of weird.

And then I imagined myself bringing cookies to the guy who bought my piano, and wondered if he would think that was weird.

Core Class

Yah so the teacher for my Monday Core Class is a huge Nazi and she makes you do stuff that she's not doing. Now, I get it, they teach 7 classes a day probably, and they probably work out a little bit in each one, but the whole "Come on!" "Keep going!" would be easier to take if she wasn't like having a sandwich in the corner criticizing my every move.

20 minute class. Easy right? WRONG. I am SO SORE today, in my back. Because of the two minute planks which actually ended up being 8 minute planks. I didn't even really do them for more than like 30 seconds at a time, and today I can barely walk.

But I really enjoyed today's Pilates class. The teacher gives 4 levels of strength, so you just pick which one you want to do and everybody does their own amount of reps and you BURN your stomach the whole time. It was awesome. I couldn't keep the huge ball between my feet though, which was kind of embarrasing. Also, my hipflexors are that of an 80 year old woman, from running, so some moves I can't even do. For instance. Down on one (right) knee. Other (left) leg straight out to the left. Now put your right hand on the matt about shoulder width out, and lift your left leg and do ten circles clockwise. Now ten circles counter clockwise. Now pulse. Pulse. PULSE! I had to sit that one out, because of all the clicking and cracking in my hip bone, ew and ouch.

Tomorrow, core class again! I expect to lose 100 pounds by Friday.

Woohoo!

I couldn't procrastinate any longer. Had to do it. So I did! Ran around Lake Nokomis and then down to the stoplight by Fat Lorenzo's and then back home. 4.5 miles. Good enough!

One funny thing that happened is when I was running by the beach on the north end of the Lake, there was a tiny little Latino Boy whose family was having a lovely Barbeque was crouched down by the trail. He had a skateboard in front of him and he was pushing it back and forth sort of revving it up and I knew he was going to try to shoot it out onto the trail just as I ran by, but he made a critical mistake and made eye contact with me and so then he felt bad and didn't do it.

Also a lady on a bike zoomed past me and it really scared me because she didn't yell out that she was coming (On your left!) and she came up on my right. I was like 'wwoooh!" and she just shook her bitchy head because I was on the bike path and so therefore it was all my fault. I felt mildly better about the situation when I got up to the stop light and there she was, running a red light. So I decided she was just rude anyways.

I feel like a million bucks!

Yes it's only 4.5 miles, but that ain't too shabby. And tomorrow marks my first core fitness class during lunch.