Today's training run...
This morning there was no argument.  This morning, I just slept through my run. Guess I needed the sleep.  When I got home, my buyers remorse due to a treadmill purchase just at the end of Winter, has finally passed.  I did my 3 mile training run with nice AC, a ceiling fan and the fan on the treadmill, while outside it was 96 degrees combined with high humidity.  I wasn't about to run outside when my Weather Bug put out a Heat Advisory.

One more run for this week's training on Saturday.  I'm thinking the beach.  I'll be there for Hands Across the Sand, so maybe a nice 4 mile run, then a dip in the ocean, then get in line and hold hands.

"Hands Across the Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, and fishing industry.  Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting all of the above from the devastating effects of oil drilling." 

http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/

Your beach has it too...

• Go to your beach on June 26 at 11 AM in your time zone.
• Form lines in the sand and at 12:00, join hands.

The image is powerful, the message is simple.  NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy.

Week 1 training...

I ran Monday morning after arguing with myself...."Get up!"..."Sleep in"...."Get up and run!"...."I don't wanna!"..."Get up!"..."Ok...ok...I'm not sleeping anyway.  You won't let me sleep!"  So, I got up and ran just under my goal of 3 miles.  Just under because I thought my route was 3 miles and it was 2.88.  I came home and logged in my training book and saw that my next run goal was 5 miles.  I psyched myself up for a five mile run today and had the same argument with myself.  I won the argument and ran just about 4 miles, under my 5 mile goal.  I came home a little disappointed that I had not gotten up earlier so that I could keep to my 5 mile goal and get to work on time.  When I went to log my run, I noticed that I'd logged my Monday run in week 5!!  Today's run was only supposed to be 3 miles!  I did feel better, but I would have enjoyed my run more knowing it was only to be an easy 3 mile run.  I run again tomorrow...another 3 mile run and then Saturday, a 4 mile run.  That will complete my week 1 of my 1/2 marathon training.

Shades of feeling my age

Monday morning I started my first week of training for the Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon and about a mile and a quarter into what was feeling like a really good run, my upper back tweaked out on me. It felt like a stitch in my side, but behind my left shoulder blade. I know this pain and although I started this with 'shades of feeling my age,' this pain was a frequent visitor in my 20s and 30s.

After my massage last month, where my massage therapist stood on the table and used her feet, my upper back was out of sorts.  Workable...runnable, but still uncomfortable.  We traveled to California for a visit and a wedding...I ran twice on the trip and ran when I returned.  So, the pain was not too bad. I decided to go to a Chiropractor, though, since it was not relieving as I would have liked.  He did not adjust that first visit, so this new pain was not caused by that visit.  On Sunday, my husband and I went into cleaning mode and I believe I wasn't careful and over did it.  So, the next morning, on my run, my over worked back tweaked out.  Hmmm...I wonder if it was because I wore running shoe rather then my Vibrams??

So, here I sit, icing every hour.  I went for an adjustment yesterday and will go again tomorrow.  It is somewhat better.  My new chiropractor even called me today to see how I was doing.

So, here I sit looking at my new running shoes and wanting to run, but knowing I should not...not yet.

I'll be a week late in starting my training, but that's ok...all will be well.

Happy Day!!  One of the blogs I follow is Abby Sunderland's.  She was considered 'lost at sea' yesterday and was found today!!  Alive and well!!  Yipee!!!

Yep...that's her and her sail boat.  I'm thinking that was taken from the Airbus that flew out to find her.  The rescue ships are on their way.  She is a brave and very mature young woman.

I have pain in my neck and back and my chiropractor couldn't get me in till Monday?!?  Well, I have been thinking about going to my neighbor's chiropractor and this gave me an opportunity to do so with less guilt.

I'm way too faithful.  Does my current doc have all the stuff this new one has?  No.  If he did, why didn't he use them on me?  I surely could have benefited from the muscle stimulator and ultrasound....and those roller traction beds.  Anyway...this new guy has all the cool stuff!

And they got me in tomorrow without an issue!

so..I paid my $110 to run 13.1 miles!!!  

It'll be my 3rd race.  Not that I'm racing anyone.  I just want to finish and it would be nice to in the top half of the women in my age group. 


I've been running a year and I really enjoy it.  Some days it's harder than other days.  


I decided to register yesterday after looking at the training schedules for a 1/2 marathon. 


It's actually not too different from my recent running schedule.  The biggest difference is on the weekend long runs.  The mileage increase weekly until the race.  So, I went for it.  My actual training starts next week and lasts for 12 weeks ending on the 1/2 Marathon Race day at the Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon.

Brakes...and WTF???
I'm not a car person at all....that said...

I took a short 6 hour drive up to PA to see my oldest son and daughter-in-law Mother's Day weekend.  The last hour on the way home, I heard a familiar sound.  I've had my brake pads worn before, so I know the sound metal to metal makes, but what my husband pulled away from the front passenger side brake was worst than I thought.  Notice the top right side?  The pad is completely gone and the metal is scrape up.

Here's the side view..no pad at all!!!

Now...compared to a new brake pad...

WOW!!!

I had my brakes done in CA before I drove cross country from CA 3 years ago, but were they really done?  I didn't hear a squeak or scrape...until last Sunday.

My husband is playing mechanic after his day job.  I have a very talented hubby...with very dirty hands...  Thanks Mike!

time flies...
time flies when you are having fun

time goes slow when you can't wait

my weekends come too fast for me

I think my world’s upside down!

Masking...


They should really make mud masks nicer.  Different colors would be nice.  Tonight I'm masking in Aztec mud.  It's a really great mask in a light green shade.  It would be nice if I could add a little pink to my cheek area.  Then, maybe a lip mask of a light red.  Is there such a thing as a lip mask?  I think not, especially in a light red shade.  So, here I sit, unable to talk or smile, while this mask dries.  To smile would cause the mask to stretch and crack which will pull on the fine peach fuzz, so I try not to let that happen.  When the mask is doing its job, it pulsates.  I'm not sure why it does, but it does.  This pulsating mask is reminding me of my mom.  In the last few years of her life, she would stay with me a few weeks at a time and one visit we did this mask together. It was quite funny to my mom; seeing herself without her partial false teeth (she had one of her front teeth pulled) with a green face.  She commented and laughed about how she looked like a green jack-o-lantern.  This caused the stretching and cracking of the mask. When she began to feel the pulsing, she started to giggle and I could see the exposed skin around her eyes and her neck begin to blush at the thought that come to her mind.  My mom, at 81, was thinking about orgasms.  Ok, so the mask pulsates like after an orgasm, but it's just a mask. She got me giggling too.  You could say, we both cracked up, literally.  


So, here I sit reminiscing about masking with my mom and missing spending time with her.  Wishing I would have appreciated those times and done more things together on her visits rather than letting the time pass only to have it end too quickly. She was 83, only a few months before her 84th birthday when she died.  I miss you mom and I know she knows that. She's with me all the time.  She is part of me. Part of my heart and soul, but sometimes I forget and she doesn't come to mind for days. Then I remember.  Something like doing a mask brings her back. I see her loving face and smile. She is beautiful...my mom.

Getting ready to start my work week and loving that I work from home on Mondays.  I'm sitting on my enclosed porch with a view of the lake (retainer pond...just semantics) enjoying my fresh Americano made from my Starbucks Barista.  I can't believe after all the years in business, Starbucks is not a known word to Google.  You would think it was.

Anyway...time to get to work...not 'get' really, since I'm here...so, time to work.

I'm sitting in what's called a three season enclosed porch.  To me though it's more of a 2 1/2 season porch.  During the winter, it's mostly too cold to sit out here, so that leaves the other 3 seasons, but Summer, to me is iffy too.  When the Eastern humidity rises while the temperature increases, this room is hotter than I like.  I guess it could be used as a sauna.  Something that I only just now thought of.  

Today, though, it's at the right temperature, with the enough humidity to make me think of our honeymoon in Jamaica and the mornings we shared our breakfast on the veranda.  We had an ocean view and right now, there's view of the lake, or retention pond (looks like a lake to me.  It's small, but big enough for kayaking...no, we don't own a kayak) 

When I stepped out to the porch, there were 2 ducks on the lawn. They were evenly positioned across the lawn.  It was weird. I guess they need their space?  But the fact that they were on the lawn, means Shelly will undoubtedly return into the house with a green streak across her back.  Shell is a white terrier mix and for some reason, she loves to roll in duck poop.  I'm lucky that she's small enough and good enough to stand there in the shower while I wash her.  Lately, I only need to get her  into the bathroom, point to the tub and say, "get in the tub" and she jumps in. It's a new trick, but with all these years of me bathing her, she probably would have done it sooner if only I'd asked.

I wish I could take my laptop out on the dock, but I lose connectivity half way out from the house.  I guess the wireless isn't strong enough.  I'm going to get some breakfast though and take it out there...I'm hungry...stomach is growling...time to eat.

  

As I'm typing this, I have 5 minutes to go on my timer.  I'm Demi-permanently coloring my hair.  I've tired of the gray.  I don't have a lot, but I'm almost 53 and look 40ish...sometimes younger depending on my energy level and I really really don't want to look 53....so....I'm gonna wash that grey right out of my hair...

see ya younger....

New software updates are great!  When they work that is. 


I have a Blackberry Storm 9500 (the first Storm) and yesterday, Google Maps released their mobile maps 4.0.  They added a great feature -- it's voice activated.  I can hold down the Call button and say "Las Vegas" and a map of LV is on the screen in seconds.  That said, their were missing items.  


They removed the zoom icons from the screen, these were now in a menu (not good).  They removed the My Location icon from the screen and it too was in the menu. It was also stuck in portrait with a keyboard that would not go away, and I no amount of thumb swiping would pan the map...it was stuck.  I searched Google for answers last night and tried a bunch of ideas that were put out there and nothing worked on all the issues at once, so I slept on it.  This morning, I found the answer!  The answer and a new release, as I was not the only one with these issues.  


4.0.2 Release is available, but there are things to do still after the upgrade.  


Here's what I needed to do....
Go to the Blackberry menu key, click on Options----> Advance Options-----> Applications you should see a list of installed applications. Select Google Maps then click on your BB Menu Key to display Options for that page. You Should see amongst others, Enable Compatibility, click to disable, then click back to re-enable. Pull out your battery for your BB to restart.  


(the battery pull was not in the list of stuff I did last night...along with the disable then re-enable trick)

I went on a 3 mile run in my Vibram Five Finger shoes.  My calves are right now rested on a moist heating pad.

I finally got a round to fixing my step son's computer (my old PC).  He decided to F10 into the Setup and changed the Power On password, then promptly forgot what it was. That was months ago, so I guess that was punishment enough.  He's 13.  I researched it back when it happened, but I promptly forgot to reset it until this morning.

I had to research it again.  Google is my friend.  Here's what I had to do.  Unplug all power. Remove the big CMOS battery.  Remove the PSWD jumper. Push and hold the yellow reset button.  I did the last step only cause 'it was there' but it worked.  Windows came up to the user sign on screen, so we put it back into his room and I started it up again and clicked on his sign on.  Blue screen of warnings that the integrity was breached or some such verbiage and that windows is shutting down to protect the hard drive.  He must have received a virus or something before the password issue.

Now I'm restoring to the factory restore...AGAIN!!!...will have to reinstall the wireless connection (D-Link) AGAIN!!!...will need to update all the Windows updates from 2000....AGAIN!!!

I'm a computer programmer, but just techie enough to get myself into trouble, but hopefully techie enough to get myself (and step son) out of computer trouble.

A few months back I decided to run the Self Clean on my oven.  


I'd not done a self clean in an oven in years.  We don't bake that much, but it was ready for a cleaning. 


About half-way through I decided to read the directions.  


Remove racks???  Oh no!!!  I left them in.  I stopped the self clean, but by that time it was too late.  


Result -- Ash colored rack that don't slide in and out without sticking. 


Since we don't bake that often, we had not replaced them; but every time I open up the oven and see the result of my not reading the directions (or not intuitively knowing that I should remove the racks), I feel bad that I ruined our new oven. 


I ordered new racks today and should have them next week.  I can't wait!! Guilt be-gone!!

Second run my my Vibram Five Finger shoes.  My calves were sore still from Wednesday's run, but I ran a mile and a half today.  Now they are more sore.  I'm not worried.  They'll get used to it. I'm doing short runs until my calves get acclimated to the more barefoot type running.

I got my Five Finger running shoes!...well, not really shoes.

I did a short run...at about 1.7 miles my calves started to tighten a little too much so I walked after that.  I love them!  I'm looking forward to my next run!

There was a time that I would go out to the mall and buy myself something new when I was feeling a little stressed.  I wouldn't spend a lot, but getting myself something new picked up my mood.  It was instant gratification.  Now, though, it's different.  I don't get in the car as much when I get that need to buy myself something.  Take tonight...I felt the need to treat myself to something new. So, what did I do?  I browsed to one of my favorite online shopping sites...

I ordered myself a few things, which is cool, but it's not instant.  I'll have to wait a few days for that gratification to take place.  Oh well...

so far only my toe socks have arrived.  Shoes in a few days...