new plan of attack

Tonight was a long run with Alex and we decided to meet at the park where the half marathon is going to be in Oct. I asked the forrest preserve lady how this one running area was... her comment was that it was paved. So Alex and I set out to explore the unknown and see how part of the half marathon course would be. Im not sure if this lady even knew about the trail because there was not a single part that was paved! We started out in this field that had this really thin area where people have walked, run, and biked on. All around us were trees, shrubs, and green stuff. I felt like we were in an episode of Lost. After just a bit we ended up in the woods. There were roots to all the big trees everywhere, leaves on the ground and we picked up a dog for most of the run. At first I was like.... I have mace and im not afraid to use it but the dog was super nice (looked like lassie) Well about halfway down the trail Alex took a dive into the ground. Thank goodness she was not hurt. All I could think was that she had a torn acl or something horrible like that but as always I had my cell phone with me and my mace, along with water so I felt pretty prepared for anything that could go wrong. Thankfully she was fine! Just a bit dirty. She tore her shirt but that was the extent of injury. We decided that after we saw this really steep hill to turn back. The whole trail was 3 miles but we did about half. We then found paved ground and ran a little over 5 miles until deciding to go back to reality and run the roads.
We made our way to the gym and parked our cars and set out again for the remainder of the run. We were almost halfway done with the road course when Alex fell again. I was like I think our bodies are trying to tell us something. We turned back. All in all we ran just over 8.5 miles. Not the 9 we wanted but o well.
I really needed that run due to eatting out with Roni, Grandma, and Daniel for lunch at Red Robin. Before we went there I gave them a crash course at Harris Teeter. They said that thier heads were spinning and didnt understand how I could calculate and do everything so fast. I guess it is just one of the gifts I have. We did get some good deals.
Off to bed and for another start of the work week. Tomorrow is my monday. It shall start off at the gym and ht to get a few select things, such as reeses cups...mmmmm

figured it out

So after about a week or more of not feeling good when running and getting this horrible stitch in my sideI finally figured out what it was..... no no kids... but eatting these slim fast bars! Who would have thought! They were super tasty and I was eatting them every morning for over a week. That is the only diet thing that changed and I stopped and felt way better tonight on my run. Today was an extra hard day for me. I woke up earlier than what I wanted to but figured there was no point in going back to sleep so there I was at the gym before 5am doing upper body weights. Then bootcamp for an hour and swimming til 7ish. Afterwards was a full day at work. I ended up staying way late with a customer and felt rushed to meet Alex back at the gym for a 5 mile outdoor run. Completed that and now its a night for relaxation!! Yeah 2 days off work. O and big news... the O'Donnell clan is growing. My cousin Brendan and Erin are expecting thier second child in February!! Super excited for them. They will have thier hands full with 2 kids in diapers.
Another good note is that the Cash for Clunkers program is over!!!!!!!!!!! Daniel actually went into work later than 9am today. He is a totally different person (back to normal really) YEAH!
O and tomorrow is the start of super doubles at ht... im going there after swimming and weights to pick up just a few things. Nothing too good this time.

crazy everything

Crazy tierd, crazy busy, just plain crazy! That is how I felt today. I was asked to rearange my schedule yesterday for today to work because we have new pricing and 8 new homes that are going up very soon. I had to do color selections for all the homes along with all the other stuff that goes on every day at work. It took 5 hours to complete the task with the help of Natasha (great coworker) but its done and Im ready for a day off (tomorrow). Yeah!! I do love my job and am very excited to get some homes built and sold soon! Also yesterday we finalized our vaca in October.... going south to a tropical island! And today I signed us both up for a gym membership. I have been going with Alex under her membership but it is super nice to also have my own. :)

day one again

I am totally wiped out from my first day on the job... so much to do.. so little time. I already have an appt set up for Friday and I dont know ANYTHING! Anyways, it was super cool working with people that I have known for a while back in the Portrait Homes days. Such positive energy and everything. Im excited about tomorrow but I have so much to do....

hoping

So I seriously hope that today gets better. Lets start off by saying that I was up at 430 and at the gym by 5 on my own will. That was fine, didnt mind it at all. I didnt sleep too good but o well. Anyways I did bootcamp with Kathy and Ellen and near the end someone stole my water bottle. I of course just gave up on that because it was one of the throw away kinds but still. There is no way im driking after somone I dont know. Life is just too iffy. Anyways, after that I went to get ready at the gym and realized that I forgot my shampoo and conditioner at home. So no shower there. Then when I was leaving I went to get my keys and I locked myself out of my own house! UGGG!! I knew that Val was up so I drove around to hunt her down. I knew she was on a walk/run. Thank goodness it didnt take very long to find her but I just hope there are no more hickups for the rest of the day... considering it is my first day back to work.

end to the begining

So today is my official last day of an extended paid vacation... ie being laid off. I am both sad and happy and scared at the same time. I hope that I do well in my new job and that I like the people I have yet to meet. We made it back from the beach in one piece but it was super hot there and the traffic was super crazy. We were both irrtated, hot, gross, and tierd so both a bit testy on the ride home. Of course when it was my turn to drive it started raining like freeken cats and dogs all over the place! I hate driving in the rain. The only thing worse is driving when its dark and raining! Anyways while we were gone, the mop that was in the laundry room fell down and shut the door there so the cats had no where to use the restroom except not in the litter box. So we came home to a mess. Val did her best to clean up the mess but it still stunk. Accidents happen, what can you say. Anyways Im just finishing up last touches on the bathroom, laundry, and cleaning up around the house. Tomorrow will definilty be a crazy day for me and I have no idea what to expect. Im super super nevous!!!

some good things and some bad...

So we are at the beach now for the weekend and all is fine and well. We found our hotel just fine and have gotten around just fine. Yesterday afternoon we had time to kill so Daniel and I first went to the gym The hotel gave us a free pass to Golds which I was SO excited about. I ran 4 miles on the dreadmill which wasn't too bad but I still had that side stitch that wont go away. I did push through it and just got it done. Then I did a few pull ups while Daniel was talking to his mom about plans for the night. After leaving the gym we went to a few different places. First we stopped in at this used video/game store where Daniel got a game for 2 bucks! Then we went to tj maxx where I got a pair of shoes that retail for 120 bucks for just 25. Daniel was so cute looking through all the guy stuff where he found 2 pairs of shorts and 2 shirts. It ended up that only one pair of shorts worked for him but still he really likes them a lot. We went to the rehearsal dinner and afterwards headed to Days Inn where all the other family was staying. They ended up playing Apples to Apples while I slept. I was just so tired.
Day two.... Woke up bright and early at 6:08 and headed to the gym again. I was going to get up at 6:15 but couldn't sleep. So I decided to log another 5 miles on the dreadmill. I just made a goal to make it to 5 miles. Again had a side stitch but it was way better than before. I also did some heavy weights and feel it already. After getting back and getting ready for the beach Daniel and I left for Dunkin Donuts!!!! Our FAV! Got some coffee and donuts there and went to pick up mom at her hotel room. We got to the beach and parking is expensive! Anyways we put our things down and were chatting on the beach when low and behold a bird POOPS on MY HEAD! Ahhhh the chances! Daniel washed my hair in the ocean for me while Roni is on the beach taking embarrassing pictures of the event. I think she was showing people the pics because at the wedding people were asking about it. Anyways a bit after we got to the beach Stephen, Tony, and Charity joined us for a bit. We took some pictures and everyone went into the ocean but Charity and myself. We just chatted and read on the beach.
We got back to get ready for the wedding while Daniel went to get some chickfila real quick. The wedding was really pretty and everyone had a good time. We did get a lot of pics but I cant post them til later. Daniel and I were going to go out for dinner tonight but by the time we woke up from an afternoon nap it was already 8 and we just we not feeling it. So off to the good old HT for some hot pockets. They were super cheap b/c of ht triples. We did get some other free stuff there too. I don't think anyone in Wilmington uses coupons or even cares that its free food week there with the correct coupons. O well... free gum, tea, and some other stuff for us.
Tomorrow I plan to get up and head to cvs for some free products and then pack up and head to Fort Fisher. Daniel's mom said that it was so pretty there and that they have public places to change and some showers. It will be nice to just rinse off before heading home. Until next time....

what the mess??

So the other night Alex and I went running and as from reading the previous post, we had cramps. So last night i went on a walk with val and the same thing. I think I may have found out why... I changed my multi 4 days ago. I think im going to go back to the old kind that I had. O yes... and get a banana so our 9 mile run tonight wont be a doozie.

my body hated me...

So today was a split long run day for me. I did 5.6 plus a bit more in the morning and then 5 at night. Alex and I met for weights at the gym followed by what was supposed to be a one mile warm up followed by 2 miles fast run, then 2 miles slower. Well.. we did good until .75 miles then I had this crazy cramp that went from my left side to both sides and wouldnt go away. I finally got that taken care of and we started our 2 mile fast run. As you can tell from the title of the story, we didnt make it too far going fast. Both our bodies were like... "we quit" So both of us had cramps and they just wouldnt go away. We were not dehydrated, hungry, tierd, ANYTHING! We just couldnt figure it out. So we did finish our 5 miles, just not like we had intended. I got home and was determined to see how my body would treat me there. I ran up a big hill, down, around the corner, no cramp! Who knows.....

Almost done

So the bathroom has taken up my whole week but its just about done. I have a few touchups and then it will look super sharp.

Also country biscuit likes tomatos... daniel was feeding them to him earlier.

One more for the record book

I can officially say that Alex and I are crazy... not like we didnt know it before with the whole chicken coop idea and marathon idea and stuff. But earlier in the week we had decided to do our long run (well sort of short in marathon terms) on Wednesday night. So of course today is wednesday and we met at a local park for a trail run. I would say that it was the hardest shortest run ever. I know 8 miles sure seems like a long run for most but when you can run over 20 miles, 8 is short. So of course me and my weather thinking about going outside I had been watching the forcast since about 2pm today. I had seen a pretty bad line of storms but they were in the mountains and didnt really think that they would affect us as we set out. Well you could say I was dead wrong because for the record I have officially run in freezing weather, pooring cold rain, hot heat, mild temps, and now a total downpoor thunderstorm. Take that half marathon training!!
I really am so thankful everyday that I have the best running partner who is also my best friend. It is so awesome and special. I am not sure there is anyone else who I know who would run that crazy hilly course in a thunderstorm.
My body is officially pooped and on top of the whole crazy run this evening, I wanted some alone time today and ran 2.6 miles at high noon. Better drink up!!
Tomorrow I am going to the zoo with Val and her kids that she takes care of... it should be interesting, educational, and fun. Those kids are sooo happy and excited to go!

slowest fast run ever

So Alex and I ran tonight 3 miles and they were supposed to be slow because we have our 8 miles tomorrow night. Well Alex has this garmin watch that tracks everything including mph and distance and we went 3 miles in 33 minutes... too fast for our slow run! We just cant help it, as Alex puts it "we have one pace, GO!" So We should have run much slower so our legs wouldnt be a bit sore for tomorrow night. So tomorrow is a morning swim and night run. Daniel and I are going to go to Shanes one of these days to eat some ribs. It is his birthday next week and we always try to have extra special days leading up to it.
Also today I painted some outside and inside. The inside bath is now merlot color... it needs another coat but it looks loads better than before! Now after that project I have to do other ones. If only remodeling was easier!

what a way to spend saturday

Today I stripped wallpaper for just about 7 hours. Not my idea of a great day but it had to get done. I really cant wait to get the new paint color up. Its called merlot. Other than that, im wiped and getting ready for tomorrows good deals at cvs and walgreen... get there early because there will be a lot of free stuff. O and good news... daniel didnt have to work another crazy long day like days previous.