Triple Tangent Tuesday & Thanksgiving Report

1. Today I learned about a study in which the unit of measurement was number of sheep per square mile. I love my Ph.D. program.

2. I ordered new running shoes!! PowerTri Triathlon Shop was having a huge Cyber Monday Sale and everything was 50% off. That means I got the new Saucony A4 Women's Racing Flat for about $50 with tax and shipping. Bam.
3. I have a raincoat from REI that I love. It is a happy, bright yellow, and I have dubbed it "The Yellow Raincoat of Justice!" All it needs now is a theme song.
That's me sporting the Yellow Raincoat of Justice on an early morning jaunt up Rock Canyon to do some climbing last year. My rope was super dirty as demonstrated my my dirty hands.

Now, for the Thanksgiving report: I flew back West the Thursday before Thanksgiving and got to spend some lovely time with my friends and family. Seriously, so grateful for air travel. I got to run with Megan Friday morning, run with Kathryn Monday night, and run up the canyon in Provo with Jennica Tuesday afternoon. All in all, very lovely. I even got a little climbing in with Kim-bo (but definitely not outdoors!). I managed a 5.10c (after 3+ months sans climbing) and started a 5.11b.

I ran the Idaho Falls Run to Feed the Hungry 10K Thanksgiving morning. It felt really hard. I wasn't expecting a stellar time, but I didn't think it would hurt that bad. I finished (probably my slowest 10K ever, but I finished). I got an awesome t-shirt, and I felt totally justified in eating pumpkin pie (my favorite!) for dessert later.

Moment of Silence

Right now, I should be pulling into the Richmond Marathon/McDonald's Half Marathon Expo, checking out all the booths, and lining up to get my race packet and t-shirt. Instead, I am sitting up in bed (hooray for being vertical) surrounded by herbal tea, Kleenex, cough drop wrappers, antibiotics, and my thermometer. Boo for being sick. Boo for missing my race. Boo for not getting my t-shirt or my finisher's medal! Boo for the wasted registration fee. Boo!

To add insult to injury, the meds they've got me on are hard on my stomach. And, I haven't gotten any work done over the last two days. Triple whammy. Can we just have a moment of silence while I mourn?

Dear McDonald's Half Marathon

Really? I'm running a race sponsored by McDonald's? Does anyone else see the irony? I'm envisioning Big Macs at every water station and McFlurry's at the finish line (that actually sounds great, the McFlurry's that is).

I'm pretty nervous for this one. I'm in terrible shape. My training has been sporadic over the last few weeks given my recent and extended conference travel. I did get in a couple runs at high altitude last week (and I thought I was going to die). I'm hoping that, plus my 9-miler yesterday will be enough to get me through to the finish, uninjured.

Other races on my horizon/wish list:

1. Cable Bridge Run, 10K in Pasco, Washington, December 17. My mom sent me the info on this one. So thoughtful of her since I'll be home for Christmas at that point. It'll be a cold one!
   
2. Disney World Half Marathon in Florida, January. Jennica is running this one, and so is my roommate. Sadly, I can't afford the insane registration fee (on top of plane tickets) for this race. Someday though...until then, it remains on my wish list.
   
3. Salt Lake City Half Marathon, in Salt Lake City, April. I run this one every year, and I love the course. I will still be in school at that point (the semesters are longer out here...boo!), but I am going to do all in my power to make this one happen!

Any race recommendations? I'm in North Carolina, so anything within driving distance is game!