Nice weekend. Love John and his parents. That’s our friend that we visited at the beach. Sigh. They have this gorgeous, sunny, airy, immaculate beach house on a private bay and it is the most relaxing place I have ever been. Not to mention that his parents cook for us whenever we go there. This weekend it was burgers and portobello mushrooms for lunch and fried scamp and polenta and salad and bread for dinner. Yum! (Scamp is some yummy fish that I’ve never had before. Apparently very ugly when alive. Ha!) And then the room I stayed in was nicer than any hotel I’ve ever stayed in (no surprise there, though) – my own bathroom, door onto porch, high ceilings, television, big fluffy white down comforter, etc, etc. Lovely.

So anyway, we got there on Friday night and Kristina and John went out, but Pam was good and stayed in, in anticipation of her 8 miler scheduled for Saturday morning. So I got up on Saturday, refreshed and well-rested and got dressed for my run. Was planning on taking my new Camelbak out for the first time, but I chickened out. I just feel silly. I regretted that, though. So then John’s mom told me of a route I could take down the island (it’s a very narrow, long island) and I set off. Nice day. Overcast, coolish, windy. Walked to warm up. Ran some, walked some, ran some. Didn’t bring enough water. (Actually, weak Gatorade is what I brought.) Found a water fountain, but of course was not on. I suppose because it’s winter. It’s weird to be at the beach in winter. I’ve never seen so many mid-western license plates in my life. Anyway, after 50 minutes or so and more than halfway through my bottle of Gatorade, I turned around. Was going to go back to John’s house, fill up the water bottle (did I mention that their entire house is on a filtration system? You can get clean, filtered water out of the toilet if you so desire. I use the tap, though) and go out for another mile or so, but I was so hungry that I decided to stop and hope that it was 8 miles.

Turned out that it was only 7. But whatever. I know I can do eight. It’s okay. It was cool because when I got back home, Kristina was still asleep. After I showered and dressed, she got up, so I felt pretty accomplished.

Got a new sports bra (sorry, guys) at the outlet mall. It was $30, though. Expensive! But nice. Hmmm. Can’t decide whether I should keep it or not. Hmmm. May have another look at the outlet mall by my mom’s house this weekend.

I have a 5K on Saturday. Kristina’s going to be out of town (skiing) and Ren’s going to be in Hawaii (ack! lucky!) with her husband, so I’ll be alllll alone for this race. It’s going to be strange. I really want to beat my personal best, which is 39:05. I’m sure I can do it, Kristina thinks I can finish in 36:30. I’m not so sure about that, I’m hoping for a 37 or 38 minute race. But I’ll be really excited if I do finish in 36:30. It’s going to be tough. What should I reward myself with if I do get that? Hmmm. I have enough socks. Maybe a new book. Yeah…

I also have a 10 miler scheduled for this weekend. I’m probably going to Baton Rouge to visit my mom, so I hope Chris will be able to do some of it with me. I’ll have to do it on Sunday, obviously, because of the race on Saturday. I’m also wondering if I should skip my second 3 miler of this week (scheduled for Thursday) because of the race, or if I should just do both. Hmmm. Guess I’ll play it by ear.

Did 3.5 this morning with Kristina. Yay! Did the second loop much faster than the first. First loop was in 23:50, second was slightly less than 22 minutes. Woah!
.: posted by pam m 10:12 AM

oh no…
getting a blister on the bottom of my right foot. right at the crease between my big and second toes. ick!

ahhhh, lovely. no run today. rest day. slept very very well, finally. had strange dreams, but that was just a bonus, i guess. dreamed about my dad and an ex-boyfriend. i’ve been dreaming about my dad a lot lately. i’m not sure why. it doesn’t make me sad, or anything, in fact i like it. it’s like seeing him again. nice. i think dreaming about my ex is more odd, since i dumped him three years ago, and we didn’t even go out for very long. hmmm. strange how the mind works. i mean, i was also taking belly dancing lessons in my dream, so overall, i guess the whole thing was just kind of random. i think my brain was just ecstatic that it finally got 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep so it gave me these weird dreams as a reward.

tomorrow is an eight miler. kristina and i are driving to gulf shores (alabama) after work tonight to stay with our friend john at his parent’s beach house. it’s gorgeous and the most relaxing place on the planet. i’m going to have to figure out some kind of route to run, but my reward for afterwards is laying on the hammock in the shade at the end of the pier. ahhhhhhh….
.: posted by pam m 9:26 AM

ooooh, good news. just figured out that ono island (the private island where john’s parents’ beach house is – woooooo) is somewhere between 5.5 – 7 miles long. so there shouldn’t be a problem getting an eight-miler in. and i know there is a running path alongside the road, so i’m all set!

now i just have to remember not to forget anything. i packed this morning, but i have to remember to set the vcr to tape ‘saturday night live’ tomorrow night, and leave a message with ren to feed stinky and umm…i’m sure i’ll forget something….
.: posted by pam m 9:33 AM

oh, and got some pictures from my birthday back. now we can put some faces with the names…

Kristie and Josh. Not her boyfriend, but our waiter. Smarmy waiter, obviously.

Ren, Kristina, me. The creepy looks on Ren and Kristina are due to the fact that they are nearly incapable of keeping their eyes open during a photo. So they had to open them very widely and hope for the best. This picture took about four tries. Sigh. And my glasses are doing some weird reflection that makes my eyes look weird. Hmmm.

Blowing out the candles on my lovely homemade from scratch cake! Look, almost got them all.

Gooooorgeous morning! Goodness me, never thought I’d be so cheerful about waking up at 6:45 in the morning. In fact, my morning grumpiness was legendary in high school (which was a boarding school) and college. Very strange that I would get over it, somewhat.

Anyway, it’s warming up a little. This morning, I only had to wear a short-sleeved t-shirt over a tank top. Yay! It’s supposed to get up to 70 degrees this afternoon. Lovely! Almost wish I could run again. Not quite, though. Ha ha. I do wish the longer days would start soon. Although running in the morning is certainly handy as far as not wasting the evening, it’ll be nice to be able to sleep late again. Of course, that won’t begin until after the marathon or close to it, so I’d better just get used to waking up early.

So this morning, 3.5 miles in 48 minutes. The first quarter mile was walking to warm up (Sarah insisted) and the rest was running. After running the first loop of the park, Sarah walked most of the second while I ran slooooowwwwly beside her (I will not use the “j” word!) We both finished with a strong finish. I love that! In fact, I love that strong finishing kick so much, I think I may concentrate on 5Ks after the marathon. I’m not entirely sure yet that I have the patience to run for so long, but of course, I don’t know that yet. Time will tell, I suppose. But if I concentrate on shorter distances and speed after the marathon, than if/when I want to do another one, maybe I will be more in shape and faster, so my long training runs won’t take as long, thus necessitating less patience. Ha ha! Hmmmm. Anyway, something to think about later.

Ooooh, also, may have convinced Sarah to “sponsor” me and Chris for the Mardi Gras half marathon. As the company I work for is MardiGrasStore.com I figure she should buy us some shirts to wear (preferably sleeveless coolmax, thank you) and we can put the MardiGrasStore.com logo on it. Handy! Free shirt and publicity for the website! Must look for those shirts, then…

Ah yes, and should mention that Kristina and I have forgotten all about the silent treatment we gave each other. As usual. I wasn’t really worried, I knew it would all blow over, but it’s good to get it all out. Anyway, she’s feeling better as well, and we may go to the beach to visit a friend this weekend.
.: posted by pam m 9:51 AM

Well, apparently Chris said the same thing about concentrating on 5Ks…but here’s what he had to say about it after the marathon…

“Ummm…yeah, I said the same thing…wait till mile 25-26 and crossing the finish line. You’ll be hooked. I promise. Gosh, I get goose bumps just thinking about it. It’s better than drugs, sex, and rock-n-roll!”

So maybe I should wait and see… 🙂

Then again, Chris doesn’t do drugs. And he listens to female folk singers. So exactly how seriously am I supposed to take that, really?
.: posted by pam m 10:03 AM

And another beautiful run!

5.31 miles, three times around the park. I’ve gotten to the point where it doesn’t matter how boring the park is. I’ve got it figured out. I know where the splits are, I know what my time should be at each split, I know who goes there at 7 a.m., I’m just going to have to accept it for now. Won’t be running on the levee for a while. Kristina’s sick and mad at me, so she can’t run, and I don’t even think she would, since she’s mad at me. Not exactly sure why, but whatever. Best to just go with the flow at this point. (Really, I should be mad at her, not the other way around, but there’s really no talking to her when she gets like this, so I’m just going to ignore it now. It all stems, see, from the fact that I exhaled when she asked me to put the VCR tape in so we could record Scrubs while we watched 24. But see, I was tired. I exhaled to get the strength to stand up and walk to the VCR. But she saw it as a “get up yourself and put the tape in” and poor thing, she’s got a cold, so why would I do that to her? Really, I was tired. I’d gotten up that morning after very little quality sleep, ran for 3.5 miles, went to work, grocery shopped at lunch, came home, cooked dinner, cleaned out my bathroom vanity looking for the thermometer for her, cleaned the kitchen, and was finally comfy, not to mention further from the TV than her. So if she’s mad at me because I exhaled, then fine. Let her be mad. I’m mad that she overreacted and dared to think that I was being lazy? After all I had done already that evening for her? Did she really think I wouldn’t get up and put the tape in? Yeesh.) Ahhh, glad I got that off my chest!

So the run this morning. Lovely. Cold when I woke up, put on my usual layers, drove to the park. Went once around. Walked the first quarter mile to warm up. Ran around, stopped every so often to get water or stretch. After the second time around, I went to my car, took my long sleeved shirt off and drank some more water. About 5 minutes after starting the third lap, I passed a woman who was just starting out on a walk. She was all bundled up in coat, gloves, hat, etc. She asked me if I was freezing, since I only had a sleeveless shirt on top. I said, “It was the first time around.” So here she is thinking I’m doing two laps of the park, thinking I’m all hardcore (well, this is of course, all in my head. Most likely, she didn’t give me another thought.) but really, I know that it’s my third time around, and I really do feel all hardcore and a real runner and stuff. Of course, a good runner probably considers 5 miles a tiny jaunt, and it certainly wouldn’t take an hour and nine minutes. Ha ha!

It was a very strong run, overall, though. I always have enough energy at the end to really push the last quarter mile or so. I wonder if that means I should be running faster the whole time? I averaged 13 minute miles the entire time (but I took some short walking and water breaks) but the last 1/2 mile was 5:45 or so, so I really pushed that one. If I can push that hard at the end of an hour long run, maybe I have too much energy left at the end? I made up a new game to make the last mile and a quarter go by faster. And I ended up running a bit faster the whole time. Interesting. So here’s what I do. Every ten yards or so (I’m totally guessing about that) there is a stencil of a person running painted on the path. So I started with A. And while I ran from the first man to the second man, I just thought of words that started with “A”. And then when I got to the next man, words that started with “B”. The words didn’t have a theme, or anything, just words. It’s actually more difficult than it sounds. Well, for some of the letters. It’s hard to think of many words that start with X when you’ve been running for 55 minutes. Actually, ever. Anyway, I went through the alphabet twice, and towards the end, I had to think of enough words to last through two little men. At the end of the alphabet, it’s especially difficult. Okay, so my new game may not make much sense, but for those last few quarter miles, I was averaging 3 minutes instead of 3:10, which adds up.

Gorgeous 3.54 miler this morning. Sunny, cool, perfect weather. And yes, exactly 3.54 miles. Okay, I know I get a little bogged down in the details but I guess that’s just the kind of person I am. Went around the park twice, it was a little chilly when I started out, but I took off my top layer after the first loop, which made me feel faster. Weird. Well, taking off the long sleeved cotton tee shirt and running with a sleeveless shirt makes a big difference. More aerodynamic. Or something. So I did this 3.54 miles in under 44 minutes, which is great, considering I was thinking it’d take closer to 50 minutes. I suppose it would have, had I gone the pace I go on the long runs, but I went at what felt pretty comfortable and ended up being 12:20 miles or something, instead of 14:20. It’s so hard to slow down from 12 to 14 minute miles, but when I go 11 minutes, it feels as if I’m going much faster. It’s like the 2 minutes between 12 and 14 is negligible, but the 1 minute between 12 and 11 is huge. Strange.

I sent in the balance of my money for the marathon…now I just have to get my plane ticket. I wish fares would go down. I really want to have enough money left over for books. Books, books, books! Ack! I love books! I love going to Waterstones and browsing through the paperbacks (no highbrow literature for me) and walking out with a big stack. Then walking down the street to WH Smith or Books etc. And then buying more at the airport duty-free. And of course, ordering some from Amazon.co.uk to take back with me. I usually bring an extra suitcase for my souvenirs, and it usually ends up being filled with books. Heavy. I wonder how the airport security are going to like that? Perhaps I should get some highbrow literature next time, so they’ll be impressed. Ha, whatever. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to bring a suitcase of books this time, start moving my stuff over to the UK. May be jumping the gun a little. But when I do move to England, I’m only bringing my clothes, my photo albums, and my books. All of them. It may take a while. May be gradual. Anyone visiting me will be required to bring a suitcase of books. Ha ha.

Chris just emailed me about the trip. He was reading a London guidebook yesterday, was getting all excited about seeing everything. I can’t wait to show him and Rebecca and her sister all the sights. I hardly ever get to show off the London I know and love. My mom and aunt and uncle were a fairly appreciative audience, but my uncle just kept saying how London was so dirty that it needed to be sandblasted, and to be honest, I didn’t really want to show it to him after that. Grrrrr. Anyway, I can’t wait to go back! It’s been over a year, the longest I’ve gone between trips, and I’m getting antsy to go back. Yay!!!
.: posted by pam m 9:51 AM

Woah, what a weekend! Still feeling its effects somewhat. Let me just say now that I will not be drinking again until after the marathon. (More than one beer, or a glass of wine, at least.) We went out Saturday night and I imbibed waaaaaaay too much. But then that’s what birthday parties are all about, riiiight? Well, perhaps I’m getting a bit old for that. But it’s really hard to have a low-key, non-alcoholic celebration in New Orleans. I’m sure it’s possible, but improbable. Especially since Mardi Gras is less than a month away now, and the whole city is getting into party mode. Sigh. I was including Mardi Gras in my no-(excessive-)drinking policy. It will be interesting to have a sober Mardi Gras for once.

So anyway, on Saturday, I was going to go for my scheduled 7-miler, and Kristina was going to go with me, but when we walked out the door to go to the levee, it was raining. Yick. Cold rain. So Kristina said she wasn’t going to go, and I went back inside to wait for the rain to stop. After a little while, it did, so I drove to the park. On the way there, it started pouring again, so I went home and figured out what I was going to do. I decided just to wait until Sunday, even though I knew I was risking running with a hangover, but I knew I had to do it, so there was no real question. And I had friends coming in from Baton Rouge, so there was no question of not going out Saturday night, either. So Kristina and I went with a friend to look at new cars, and of course, by the time we got back home, it was sunny and beautiful, but too late to go running.

Then, Saturday night. Let’s just say too much Pimm’s was involved. And it makes for an ugly hangover.

Sunday, after eating lunch and recovering a little, Kristina and I decided to walk to the park, go twice around, and then walk home. Which equals seven miles. We walked there, ran halfway around the park twice, and then walked home. No, we didn’t run very much. Maybe 2 miles total. But we were out there, on our feet, and putting in the mileage. Just not while running. I’m not unhappy about it, I’m actually just happy I got something done. And considering how I felt, it wasn’t difficult at all, even the running part.

I had a good week before this run, so I’m not going to let it get me down, and hey, here I am starting week 4, and a new chance for a fresh start and a perfect week!

PS I’m going to put Chris’s Disney Marathon race report next to his picture below.
.: posted by pam m 9:31 AM

Course map! Must be able to refer to it from time to time.

Of course, at home, as soon as I sent in my deposit for the marathon, I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a huge A-Z map of Greater London, and mapped out the marathon course, and put little dots where all the mile markers are. Then I put pins in other notable spots around London (where I used to live, where we used to hang out, that sort of thing) and whenever I finish a race, I pin my race number at the top. I’ll have to take a picture of it and post it. It’s right next to my bed, so as I’m going to sleep, I can look at it, and get inspired and dream about running past Big Ben. Yay!

Today Kristina and I ran for the very first time on St. Charles! (Well, I had briefly run on it during my five miler a few weeks ago, but never in the morning, and never both of us.) It wasn’t bad, three miles, but I guess it never really occurred to me that it’s dirt and grass, not asphalt, which is what I’m used to. It was tough! My calves hurt! And so did the outside of the arch of my right foot, but I suspect that may be my new shoes. I’m probably going to return them today and just get another pair of the Nike Air Structure Triax that I run in already. At least I know they work. I guess I shouldn’t have changed shoes. Now I feel a bit like a middle-aged man with a trophy wife. My trophy new and exciting shoes, which just aren’t as good as the old and reliables. Hmmm. I sure hope the running store will take them back! I’m trying to get all traces of this mornings run off of them. The bottoms got pretty muddy, but thankfully, the sides and tops of the shoes are still clean. I’ve spent a lot of this morning picking dirt out of the grooves with a bobby pin. Tee hee.
.: posted by pam m 9:45 AM

Yay! Returned the Brooks and got a brand-spankin’ new pair of Nike Air Structure Triax. Same colors, just cleaner. And bouncier. Nice. But, they sold me a size 11, and my old pair were 10.5. Strange. I tried the 11s on, they didn’t feel big. I hope they fit. The 10.5s are a teeny bit snug, so maybe the new ones will be even more comfy. Let’s hope. We’ll see tomorrow!
.: posted by pam m 3:34 PM

Yay Chris! Here are his pictures from the marathon.

Or, here’s my favorite picture (how can he be smiling right now?):

Chris’s Disney Marathon Race Report
by Chris (duh)

Short Version: I ran my first marathon in 4:21:07 for an average of 10:15/mile and the 2,331 overall finisher. I had a blast and honestly can’t wait to do it again!

Long Version: We got in to Orlando mid-day on Friday, wandered around the Magic Kingdom, and I got to bed early. Saturday I picked up my race packet, checked out the expo, carb-loaded on pasta/bananas and drank tons of water. My alarm went off at 2:45 a.m. Sunday morning. I showered, drank some water, ate a bagel w/peanut butter and headed out to catch the bus to the staging area near Epcot. It was a windy 55 degrees at the start of the race. I was in the last corral and it took me seven minutes to get to the starting line. They had fireworks and music blaring so it was very exciting to get started. The roads were very crowded and I took it easy at the start. I crossed the one-mile mark 10:39. It was so much slower than I had hoped to run. My long slow training runs averaged a 9:00-9:30 pace. However, some nagging tendonitis problems and a likely groin strain after my last 20 miler had me a little frightened to run too fast. I missed the next two mile markers and at mile 4 realized I was running about a 10:00/mile pace. I decided to stick with this pace until at least mile 13. The first part of the race was pretty easy. I had a power gel one hour into the race. I felt good. After the halfway point the course cleared out and I had more room to run.

I had decided to pick things up a bit after the half-way point, but as hard as I tried I couldn’t shake a 10 minute pace. Somewhere along the way I decided if I finished in four and a half hours I would be happy. I entered the Animal Kingdom theme park at mile 16 and a light mist began to fall. At mile 20-22 during a very boring out and back loop a torrential downpour struck and I was drenched from head-to-toe! The physical part of the race was over. It then became a mental challenge. I smiled a lot. I laughed out loud when it starting raining harder and I felt water squishing between my toes. I remember thinking to myself, “Damn Chris this was too easy…it needs to be more of a challenge!” I was determined to stay at the same pace regardless of the rain. I had another power gel three hours into the race. Along with the power gels, bananas, oranges, powerade, water, wet sponges, and sweet tarts I stayed well-hydrated and well-nourished throughout the race. I will always remember eating the best sweet-tarts in my entire life somewhere around mile 23!

I don’t think I ever hit “the wall.” I remember that mile 23 was super hard! It had stopped raining and my feet were wet and I could swear to you I thought one of my little toes had fallen off. (It’s still there…just one big blister!). I had some phrases that I recited over and over to keep going. The only time I walked was through the water stops, and I found it harder and harder to start back running, so eventually I stopped walking and just ran through the water stops splashing powerade all over me.

Miles 24-26 were pure exhilaration. There was great crowd support and when I crossed the 25 mile marker I picked things up a bit. I was determined to make mile 26 the fastest. I did the last mile in just over 9 minutes! The wave of thoughts that flooded my mind during the last mile was fantastic.

I don’t want to get to sappy, but I thought a lot about always being the fat kid, always getting picked last in sports, always wishing I was thin and fit. I thought about the journey to get to this point and the encouragement I’ve received along the way. It was great! I did a lot of reflecting on what I can do without those extra 40 lbs., negative thoughts, and unproductive goals floating around in my head.

After crossing the finish line I got the space blanket and my finisher’s medal – it’s a huge gold Mickey Mouse head! My wife Rebecca got so excited as I neared the finish line that she forgot to push play on the camcorder so I’ll have to run another one so she can film my finish.

I headed back to the hotel and showered and rested a bit. I was so hungry. I couldn’t get enough to eat. I had a cheeseburger and fries after the race. Then, that afternoon we went to Epcot. You know they have the World Showcase that highlights various countries around the world. Well, I guess you could say I proceeded to eat my way around the world. Fish and chips in England, crepes in France, sushi in Japan, funnel cake in America. It was fantastic. (Of course, the fish & chips along with a nice pint of ale was the best!)

I was very sore Monday and Tuesday. I was sore in the most unusual places like my lower back, obliques, and my right bicep…go figure?!? Overall, it was a remarkable, life-changing experience. It showed me that with will-power and determination anything is possible. Next up I have the Mardi Gras 1/2 in February and another 26.2 in April in London. I can’t wait! THE END.

(Pam again!) Oh yes, also exciting: Kristina just called me and told me she registered for the Crescent City Classic, which is a huge 10K, run through some of the prettier parts of New Orleans. I sent in my entry yesterday, and I was a little worried she’d decide not to run it. I am, of course, stunned that she agreed to run with me at all. Just a few weeks ago, when I asked if she wanted to run it, she say no way. But after last week’s 7.2 (tee hee) miler, she decided it wouldn’t be so bad after all. Yay! I can’t wait for that one. The atmosphere should be great.
.: posted by pam m 4:15 PM

No run today. Was supposed to run 3 miles, but am putting it off until tomorrow morning instead. I really needed my sleep last night. I was soooo tired, and if I had gotten up and ran this morning, I’d be feeling very sluglike and sleepy this morning.

I had a wonderful, fantastic, fun birthday! It was probably the best birthday I’ve had in a long, long time. It wasn’t any big deal, no parties or bars involved, but just some of my closest friends. My oldest friend in the world, Kristie came in, along with another old friend, Ann (not the aforementioned Anne) who was also my freshman year college roommate. I love them and hardly ever get to see them, and they drove in from Baton Rouge (about 1.5 hour drive) just to see me on my birthday. I love them! And so Kristina, Ren, Kristie, Ann and I went to dinner, teased the waiter, ate lots of good food, drank yummy tropical concoctions, giggled, etc, etc, etc. And then when we got home, we looked at old pictures and Kristina and Ren came out with this homemade chocolate birthday cake for me! And I mean, completely homemade. From scratch. It was beautiful. I cannot believe, though, that there is now a fresh supply of chocolate in the house. Must be gotten rid of. I can’t handle it anymore. I will bring a large chunk of the cake back to work when I go home for lunch. It is a shame, but I know I have got to curb my sweet tooth somehow. It’s getting out of hand.

So anyway, a wonderful birthday. Can’t wait to try out my new shoes tomorrow!

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeee! Happy Birthday to meeeeeee!

So far, so good! Love birthdays! Love them! My birthday will never be like Molly Ringwald’s in Sixteen Candles. Never. I couldn’t possibly not talk about my birthday constantly for the weeks leading up to it. No one could ever forget it’s my birthday. Simply not possible. Plus, birthdays have always been a big deal in my family, so I don’t have to worry about them forgetting either.

So, this morning, Kristina and I went for a lovely 4 mile run along the levee. Finally, it’s warming up again! I was cold when I woke up, so I was quite warm and layered, and had to disrobe a bit during the run. Only a long-sleeved teeshirt, nothing major. Anyway, we weren’t entirely sure of the distance, so we ran out for 25:30 or so and back, if it wasn’t four miles, it was close.

Then, we went to this cute little French bakery on the way home and got (remember, it’s my birthday!) a chocolate-almond croissant. Yum! Delicious! Then, Kristina gave me a birthday present – a Pub Quiz book so we can practice for the pub quiz night at the only British pub in New Orleans. Not that we’ve ever been, but now we’ll have to go. And win! Well, now that I have the authentic pint glasses that my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas, we can just have a pub right in our living room. Fun! And then I can finish off the bottle of Pimm’s I got for Christmas. Um, maybe it’ll have to wait until after the marathon. Ha ha.

So my mom is coming to take me to lunch today, which is exciting, and then I’m going to get my new running shoes. Yay! Woo hoo! And then tonight, we’re going to see a movie.
.: posted by pam m 10:03 AM

Got my new shoes! And found the best running store ever! Well, out of the three I’ve ever been to, this one was the best. 😀

I went after lunch, so there wasn’t anyone in there except for me and the three women who worked there. I must say, having all women in the store made me feel waaaay more comfortable. I’m a little embarrassed to tell “real” runners that I run, because I’m afraid they look at me (tall, overweight) and think there’s no way I could run. I know that’s *my* issue that I have to deal with (hence my new year’s resolution to feel more confident about my body) but nevertheless, I was very nervous walking into the store.

But the ladies made me feel at ease, the woman who was helping me asked about my old shoes, and I showed them to her, and she went in the back and got out a stack of boxes. I tried on several pairs, including a pair of the Nike Air Structure Triax that I run in now. Woah! Talk about cushiony! I can’t believe how much spring my old pair has lost. Anyway, I settled on a pair of Brooks Adrenaline, which seemed very comfortable.

And then I got some new socks (I love running socks. I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again. They are my all-time favorite running accessory.) and a magazine. Fun! And, all for under $100, because they give a discount! Love them!

What isn’t good, though, is as I was walking from my car to my office, my glasses case fell out of my purse and I stepped on them. At the time I had my prescription sunglasses on, so it was my regular glasses. New, too. The arm snapped right off, so I have to go after work to get a new pair. Argh! At least they’re still under warranty.
.: posted by pam m 3:54 PM

No run today. It’s a rest day. I’m glad. I got a lovely, long night of sleep. Although I did dream that Stinky was an evil cat. Hmmm. She’s not.

Had to go to traffic court yesterday afternoon. Went in with five citations, only had to pay for one. But of course, the one they left on was the most expensive one. There goes alllll of my birthday money. Sigh. Hope I can still afford some new shoes. But I did get a note from the New Orleans Track Club people. They’re going to send me a fax so I can get a discount on my shoes, so maybe I’ll have my mom take me tomorrow after lunch to get them. She’s coming in town for my birthday. Yay!

Made a delicious vegetable lasagne for dinner last night. Maybe I’ll post the recipe. (Speaking of running and recipes, check out Ian Painter’s new site. He’s got some yummy looking recipes on it. I’m going to have to try some of them soon.)

I’ve gotten so many nice emails from people because of this site. Makes me happy. I wish that we could all meet up after the race. At some point. I just want to be able to see the people who have made training for this marathon less of a solitary pursuit. I may be the only person in New Orleans training for the London Marathon, but now I know that people all over the place are going through the exact same things I am. (Of course, Chris is coming with me, of course, I haven’t forgotten that! Thank god for him too!)

A lovely three miles this morning…cold, but sunny, not too windy. And not sore anymore, really, from Saturday. I wore my heart rate monitor, and the difference in my heart rate between running alone (165 bpm) and running with Kristina (140 bpm) is notable. Just goes to show how important it is (for me) to run with someone else, to keep my pace slow. At least I know now what I should be shooting for. Our pace was also right around 13 min/mile, which is much more reasonable, I think, than the 12s I was running without her. And the 14:18 we averaged on Saturday seems about right too, for such a long run.

Chris called me yesterday at noon, he had already finished the marathon (yayayayay!) and gone back to his hotel, showered, iced, etc, etc. I was amazed. Granted, Florida is an hour ahead of us and the race started at some ungodly hour like 6 a.m. But still. I’m so happy for him…he finished the race (his hip injury didn’t act up or anything) in 4:20! Yay! So exciting! As soon as he gets back, I’ll make him post his race report. Thursday, I think.

Chris’s marathon (Disney World) starts in just a few hours! He’s supposed to call me sometime tomorrow afternoon to let me know how it was (unfortunately, he pulled a groin muscle or something equally painful while dancing at his wife’s Christmas party back in mid-December. sigh.) I hope he’s okay and can finish it. And hope he doesn’t permanently injure himself for London. eek! Does that sound selfish? Well, I know he wants to run London with me, he has his entry, Rebecca is excited about going to England, it would just be a shame. And I would be very sad that I wouldn’t get to share the experience with Chris, one of my best buddies, and the person who really inspired me to start running. You should see him now. He is a shadow of the Chris from one year ago. Oooh, I should post pictures. Very inspiring befores-and-afters.

Anyway, that’s enough out of me. That’s my three beers I just had talking. ha ha.