Triple Tangent Tuesday

I am currently chillin' at the local-ish Subaru dealership using their free Wi-fi. I will say this: their service guys are as schmarmy as sales guys. The one who checked me in asked me three times, "Now, are you going to hang out with me while we do this, young lady?" with a delightful Southern accent that made me feel like I was already getting ripped off. On the up side, I just realized they have free Diet Coke and apples. Don't mind if I do. In spite of the freebies, I still miss my old dealership. They were good to me.

On to the tangents (as if that wasn't tangential enough).

1. I parallel park like a boss. I gave myself a pat-on-the-back last week for successfully wedging my Outback between two extended-cab, extended-bed trucks (welcome to the South). I was on my way to the pool and was not about to walk three miles in the dark to get there, so I made my car fit.

2. I hate car maintenance. It's all a bunch of malarkey. (Guess who just got the diagnosis of $1,000 worth of repairs on her car...) I hate how one person will tell you one thing, and then another will tell you something completely different. How can that happen? I just don't understand.

3. On a happier note, I am running the Cable Bridge Run (that sounds redundant) this Saturday! My mom told me every year there's a bridge troll. At first I was really worried, like, is this some kind of extreme race where I have to fight off a troll to make it to the finish? (Like one of those Spartan races?) My mom reassured me that, no, the troll is there only to direct runners. Or so she says...If you don't hear from me after Saturday, you'll know I was snatched by a troll!

Sometimes I'm Weepy

Confession: Sometimes I'm weepy. Especially when I'm watching The Biggest Loser Marathon episode. Marathons just make me cry, whether I'm running them or watching them. Guaranteed tear-jerker. My one criticism of The Biggest Loser Marathon: why did the doc pull those two guys out 20 miles into it?! Why did he let them attempt it at all? Their history of injury and joint problems seemed like a pretty good indicator that 26.2 miles was maybe a bad idea to begin with. It was just mean to let them get that close and then pull them out.

Second confession: I'm thinking about running another full marathon. Ah! There, I said it! The last full I did was in the fall of 2009, so more than two years ago. I ran my first in 2008 and planned to run a full once a year for the rest of, well, however long I could. The first marathon was less than epic, but I finished it. Then the next year, I cut a ridiculous amount of time off my pace, but I got so, so, SO sick afterward. The training for that second one was so much harder, too (which is probably why I saw such an improvement). When 2010 rolled around I figured I'd hold off on another marathon and climb Mt. Rainier instead since that opportunity presented itself--which in my humble opinion was equally hard (I definitely trained for that), and possibly more life-threatening.


This year has been kind of a weak race year for me, so either way, I'd like to step it up next year, really get myself back into racing shape. The only question is: to marathon, or not to marathon?

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!

The Art of Running

I had been looking forward to my Saturday run all week, and Friday night I decided I would run to the Raleigh Art Museum, spend some time looking around, and then run back. I looked up a route using Google Maps and Map My Run, and found out there was a Greenway trail that met up with the Museum Park trail system.


I made my way toward the museum. My original plan was to take my sweaty, nasty, rainy self into the actual museum and spend some quality cultural time before making the return trip. Instead (and all the museum patrons are heaving a collective sigh of relief), I spent about 45 minutes jogging around the Museum Park. I had no idea it would be so cool! There were trails (paved and unpaved) galore with outdoor exhibitions, sculptures, and even photos. The landscaping was gorgeous, and not overdone; the natural growth and undergrowth was still allowed in and around the trails. I loved it. Here are some photos!

This was the very first photo I saw on the trail. It was one of a series. I didn't understand the theme; but there were a lot of really cool outdoor scenes, and one that kind of creeped me out...I think it was semi-post-apocalyptic or something....

This was the first unpaved trail I came to! Followed it through the woods and found some really awesome outdoor exhibitions!

A stream!
The Whisper Bench; there were two of them across the path from each other. That little twirly guy had something you could talk into and the person on the other bench could hear what you were saying/reply. It was pretty rad. I can't remember what this was called. Darn. But it's cool lookin', yeah?
This is one of the more famous outdoor sculptures at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It's pictured a lot at least...hahaha!
This one was my favorite, I think. It was called "Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky." It has a door, so I assume you can go in, but it was locked. It was still really cool to look at. The construction of it was pretty rad.
Yours truly. Loving my Saturday morning run/adventure!
And the best part: amazing breakfast afterward. Steve (you are the best!!) sent me a bakery recommendation, so I had some amazing bread that was screaming to be made into French toast. I tried making some peach syrup and mostly ended up with warm peaches (still yummy!), and of course, some dark chocolate chips.

I ended up being gone for almost 2 hours. I have no idea how far I actually ran, but it was definitely more than I had planned on. :)