4 wheel drive my a**

Yeah so apparently 4 wheel drive doesnt really help too much in the ice and snow. It all started when Daniel and I decided to go out to the gym and to get some hotdog buns. We did legs at the gym and then I ran 3 miles. Daniel told me I was crazy to do that and that when he is done his legs feel like jello. I told him that its a good practice because by mile 22 my legs already feel like jello but I still have to go another 4.2 so off I went. Anyways... we were coming home and this dude in front of us just stopped super fast and we slid off the road then. I told daniel I wanted to cry (half joking) We got onto our street and were pulling into the driveway when the car didnt want to go where it was supposed to go. Therefore we got stuck. If we went any further forward we would have gone in the ditch. We couldnt go back because the wheels were spinning. SO these guys were around and one had a tractor. He came to get us out and couldnt do it. We dug out the snow and then two of the guys got on the back of the truck for weight and were jumping up and down and finally after about 30 minutes we were out! What a nightmare!!! So for tomorrow, Im not driving. I dont see how I am supposed to get out or in if a 4 wheeler cant!

So much

So living in NC, the weather people can be totally off sometimes on when we will get bad weather. (they say it will snow and then it just rains).... well they were dead on this time. Its still snowing and yes its before 9am. Daniel made a fire last night and we had a "slumber party" with the cats. AKA I was woken up at 230am for food, then 630, then 7, then 730, then 8. I got up at 8 because whats the point if I was just going to be woken up by Country Biscuit at 830? I feel like a mom with an infant when I hang with the cats overnight. So needy. So I had this dream last night that a snow plow came and wiped off the street so I could get to work! I clearly dont think that is going to happen today. Maybe later tomorrow or Monday. I do however have 2 sleds and they will be put to use today as long as there are no snow plows. I was supposed to run 7.5 miles yesterday. I got to the gym in the morning and just couldnt make myself do it. My legs felt like bricks. I even tried to do some lower body weights and felt like a wimp because I had to lower the weight. I just hung it up and said better luck next time. So if Im lucky the streets will be plowed and tomorrow I can get to the gym for that run. :) I was thinking of going last night after work but right when I thought about it the snow started coming down. SO..... it didnt happen. Im off to make some breakfast. mmmmmm pancakes, bacon, eggs, etc.

sometimes you have to make changes

So for this week my training for marathon day consists of one 18 mile progression run and one 7.5 mile run. Last week, I called my mom to see what she was doing this tuesday into wednesday. She said nothing so I volunteered to visit. Of course she said yes! So tuesday night after work, I traveled to my parents house for the night. I did not get a good nights sleep as I had hoped but that always happens when I have a big run for the following day. There is so much to think about. So I got up at 640am (yes on my day off!) and went on my 18 mile run. I was hoping to just do the 7.5 BUT its supposed to snow friday into saturday and I cant risk not getting the milage in. SO... Off I ran. It was 28 degrees outside and of course all the school and work traffic was out there. I decided to run from point a to point b. I ran to my Dad's work! He greeted me and introduced me to some of his coworkers. (im sure great first impression right?) (nasty, stinky, sweaty, red face, chapped lips) Anyways he gave me a cookie.. hehe and I headed back out. When I got to the front of his work I was putting something in a trash can and happened to look down at my leg. What I saw really concerned me so I marched right back to find my dad to see if he had any explanation for it. He didnt but offerend his car for me to drive home! Of course I denyed and ran back.
What I saw on my leg was something halfway strange. It was like splotches, almost as though someone hit me with a ball and it left a mark. It happened on Sunday too when I was out running. Im pretty sure it was the cold weather and lack of lotion.
Anyways, I made it back, found out that chocolate covered pretzels give me side stitches and I serously have a love for fruit snacks. Mom and I talked over going out to some stores. We went to Aldi for some produce (apples this week are 1.69 for a 3 lb bag and super good... i already had one) then we went to trader joes for some wine and then earthfare to pick up coupons. After that we went to lunch and then back home and I was off to my house not long after.
Now the real question is... how much snow will we get? I picked up 2 sleds from my parents... lets hope I can use them!!

time trial and in a bad mood

So, let me start off by saying I'm in a better mood now. Earlier, not so much. Daniel told me to take a chill pill. So let me back up. This past week I had to do a time trial of 6.2 miles in my training set. Of COURSE it rained the day I had to do it. So.... I did get up before 7 and got ready to run. I had to wait til the sun came up a bit more. So I got out there and of course it was freezing, then my garmin didnt want to find me, then right when i got all the way up the street, my battery died on my music. I went back down to get another battery and then back up. By then, my garmin found me. (thank goodness) I realized after I got started that the road I picked was not the best at all. There was no sholder (it was all dirt, aka mudd) so I just was hoping that a car wouldnt come too close to me. Thankfully none of them did. It was a hard cold , VERY cold run. My mind was telling me it was ok to just stop. Thankfully I just trucked through it. I finished in 57 37. YEAH!! My goal was to beat 59 minutes. DONE! Afterwards it seemed like I had 5 million things to do for the rest of the day. My schedule that I had made for myself was totally messed up and I like to stick to a schedule. I was supposed to get a nap in at 3 BUT it was one thing then the next then the next. UGGG. It was about 545 and Daniel could tell I was very iritated. He asked what was wrong and I told him. About 1o min later he told me to take a chill pill and I went to bed for 3 hours. I feel better now.

doing my best to stay motivated

Ok, so for the most part I am not negative at all when it comes to life, blogging, etc. I really try to look at the positive, have a smile on my face, and be greatful for all things around me. This past few weeks I have been really struggling with self image. Call it what you want, but everyone has those days. Mine have just been like every day for the past couple weeks and I think it finally bit me in the butt. It all started when I went to pick out my outfits for Florida and I didnt feel right in my capris. December was a horrible month for me of bad eatting, pulled hamstring/calf, and just overall not being accountable for my cals in cals out. Lets just say I need to redo my calculations and get on the bandwaggon of motivation and spice up my workouts.
So today, I got off work early and decided to take sculpt and step. It was way WAY over my head. All these people were doing these weird step/dance moves. I felt so out of place and just did my own thing half the time and couldnt wait for class to be over. So I cant say I didnt try it. Im not sure I would do it again. All the people who were there obviously have been taking his class for like EVER since no one screwed up but me! So with that said, I believe I am going to try to take some pilates classes and other classes too to spice things up and really get a better weight routine in. I have to refocus and get that drive back. Plus.... I have the marathon in 58 days!
On a positive note, Alex had a really great swim workout for today and my work week has been so much fun. We went to realtor offices today and tomorrow im going around to all the communities to visit them and learn more about each product. Its so exciting! I really feel like I have found a company that I can appreciate, grow, and feel at home in. Its such a wonderful feeling. Its like the fun part of portrait, with the awesome mattamy home product (quality) all wrapped in one!

Freezing in Florida!

These are all pictures of our trip to Forida.... It was FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

week one!

So, I must say that this first week at my new job has been amazing! Saying that Im having so much fun and learning a lot is an understatement. Working for this company is truly a combo of all the places that I have been in the past. I love the homes. They are so pretty and everyone I have met is so nice. All the homeowners are nice and the community is so pretty. I guess the only downside is that there is no ht, cvs, and walgreens close. Only a foodlion and riteaid. O well....
So this morning was my swim meet. I wasnt really nervous unitl Alex was like... "Im nervous". What?? She has been swimming and teaching swimming like Forever! I was like great, just great! So when I was warming up I was thinking... I dont know if I can do those times that are expected of me. And THEN I was like, if you think you cant you wont and if you think you can you will. Bo YA!! So of course I made my times and really surprised myself in some places. Of course the second person I called was my dad and told him about my times. He was super impressed. Since Highschool, I have dropped 8 seconds from my 100 free and 3 seconds for my 50 fly. Thanks coach Alex! Everyone did a great job and I think everyone really surprised themselves. We had the whole pool to ourselves for most of the 90 minutes and we prob were cheering so loud that the whole place could hear us! HA!! We all walked out together looking like we just got out of the pool (aka, had our towels on, pool hair, etc) people made comments like good job and look there are the swimmers. Thank you thank you very much.
I was supposed to get back to the gym later today with Daniel but we talked at 515 and he said that he would be coming home first and go out later so I proceeded to take a nap. Just when I laid down he called to say he was going straight to the gym because the game was junk. I of course was too concerned on my nap therefore didnt go. O well.... there is always tomorrow.

tough times

So since getting back from Florida I have had a tough time with my eye sight. I had an infection that hurt like the dickens but after 2+ days of pain that was so bad and my eye watering, it has gotten better. Good thing because today I had to get in my 15 mile run becuase Sunday it looks like rain. So today I did accomplish my run. All by myself. It was me and Britney Spears all the way. As I was running I got to thinking about a few things. First off, there were a lot of beer cans on the side of the road. Do people really drive drunk? They were at least 5 that I saw and that was only within 5 miles becuase I did the same loop 3 times through. Also how come the dept of transportation doesnt make a better adhesive so the reflectors dont keep coming up? You just have a lot of time to think when you are running for almost 3 hours straight and you have to focus on not going out too fast and keeping the pace down. That was my focus for today. I had to do 10% less than my marathon pace. It was hard because I love to sprint. Anyways, my friend Matt is coming in town today and we are going to grab some mexican for dinner. Im so ready for some grub!

starting new

Nothing like ending a job and going on vaca and then starting a new one all within 3 weeks. So Im back from Florida and boy it was super super cold. Alex and I had planned this trip months ago thinking it would be around 80 or so like normal down there. Of course we had no such luck. It got so cold that it snowed while we were there. Snow in Florida!! It didnt snow in the keys but it did in the middle of the state. So laying out really wasnt in the cards for us... at least not for every day. So Ill back track. I got on the plane really early on Thursday. Val drove me there and got in a tizzy.. no comment on that. I got to the airport and dunkin donuts had none of my fav donuts sooo I got the better choice of an english muffin with an egg and cheese. On to the airplane I went and it was a pretty smooth ride. All until the end. I swear I thought the plane was going to crash in the ocean because I didnt see any land anywhere. My hands got all sweaty and I was thinking.. ok... if this plane crashes Im positive I can swim that far to land. How Horrible of a thought but at least I know I could have done it. Thankfully that didnt happen. I got off the plane just fine and got on the bus to head to the deplaning area. I knew exactly where I was becuase when I went from Miami to charlotte, we used the same terminal. Yeah for me! So I practically ran up the stairs and found a restroom and then had to figure out how the heck to get to my rental car. I called them because there were no signs that said anything about rental cars. I did find my way to the place at last and got a nissan versa. It was white and a bit bigger than my normal car. Not too hard to drive. The wheel was kind of loose from what im compaired to but o well. When I was leaving the rental car place I asked how to get to a street. The lady said she didnt know because she wasnt from here. What?! How can you not know!?? I think she just didnt want to talk to me. So i found someone else. Thank goodness because I would have been lost in prob the worst part of Miami. The directions that I got from the internet earlier where totally not right at all!
I did make it ok to key largo and got everything out and just destressed and met Alex's grandparents and Alex. We had lunch and relaxed for a bit. We did watch a movie (inglorious bastards) that night and went out for chinese food. Alex and I went to Publexs and walked around for a bit. We drove south and then turned around when we didnt really find anything super exciting. We attemped to get to the park but it cost money so we didnt go. We then found a beach and went exploring around to see what we could find. We did see 2 white birds and felt the water. It was super super cold. We got back in the car and called our excurssion a day.
The following day we visited Key West! What a pretty drive!! It was the only sunny and warm day that we had. We drove around and finally found a decent parking rate. We were super super excited about it. We got out and walked for just over 6 miles. We saw a pirate, a man in a yellow bird suit, and a guy with a big snake around his neck. Alex freeked when she saw that... hehe. We went and found the southermost house and staying there is about 300 a night! EK! I wont be staying there anytime soon or at all! The house was built a really long time ago and has only had 2 owners. We layed out at one of the docks and had some snacks. We found the southern most point and got our picture taken. We also went to a garden and took pictures there. We ended the day with going to lunch where there were pidgens everywhere! At least the food was super good. mmmm. We drove back and got some more pictures. The wind was super bad and the bridges were kind of hard to stay straight on. We crossed over the 7 mile bridge, saw a lot of pretty houses, and lots of birds. Sometimes it seemed like we were in Africa and then it was like we were listening to Kenny Chesney. HA! We got back and did resistance bands and then had some dinner and watched a movie and called it an early night.
The following day I got up later and had some breakfast. It was going to be a yucky weather day so we got in our 6 miles that morning. Thankfully the rain held off til the very end. Afterwards we got ready and went out to some different places like the flea market, some art places, and a burger joint. I love burgers!! We then watched a movie later that day which I fell asleep during of course. We had a good dinner and called it a night.
The last day I was there it was still cold. We had steak and eggs for breakfast and did some sprints outside. IT was sooo cold! Freezing and so windy. We did such a great job though. Our times were all under what we wanted to accomplish. We had lunch and I had to say my goodbyes. I was too nervous that I would get lost in Miami so I left extra early. I had to find my way there and my directions were so bad! I thankfully did make some great choices and did not take any wrong turns. Yeah for me! One of my biggest fears is getting lost and not knowing where Im going. I LOVE great directions with things to lookout for and correct street names. I did make it home. I sat in the airport for a good while and got the paper. I watched the ball game when I told Daniel I was leaving on the flight he updated me on who won. What a great hubby. The plane was good, no problems and I got off so fast becuase it was so cold. But let me back track to the very best part of the day.... I GOT 2 Dunkin donuts for half price! My fav!!!! They had it at the airport! MM I had to get coffee because I was freezing and who doesnt like coffee with thier donuts? Lets just say that they were both demolished by 45 min after getting them and I had powdered sugar lap to show for it.
I got home after Daniel picked me up. While I was gone he changed my battery in my car and put new lights in it because my car wouldnt start while I was gone. So I have almost a brand new car. When I got into the house, Country Biscuit didnt know who I was! I was so upset. I felt lost. He of course remembered who i was when he was hungry though.

hills, cul de sacs and more hills plus some wind

So today I really wanted to focus on hills in my run. I hate hills. I would love to live somewhere that is totally flat and great to just sprint but that is not the case and I have no intention on moving just for that reason or moving period. My set today was to start slow and then gradually decrease my time as I went on. I started the first 3.5 inside because I was just totally not motivated when I walked outside this morning and felt the wind brush up against me. So off to the gym I went. I also did some back, abs, and sholders today. I left there and went galavanting around greensboro. I had to return some stuff and wanted to see if there were any good deals out there. I ended up with 2 pairs of new balance running socks (the same ones I used for my marathon last year) and an awesome royal blue beanie hat from Dicks.
I got home and had time to burn so of course I wanted to try out my new gear. Thats the most fun part of it all! So I put on my socks which i knew would fit and then got my hat on and did my cool hairdo (hair in ponytail, followed by a long braid, followed by putting it in a bun and securing with 2 hair ties) I have figured that it is the absolute best way to keep my hair from 1. not getting knotted into a bee hive and 2. not falling out on me as I run.
I got out there in Val's neighborhood and ran another 9 miles. My legs hated me and my body wanted to quit. Thankfully I had some jellybeans and yes they did pep up my spirits and got my face back in the game.
Anyways, I left Vals house and got home and am using my diabetes socks because they help with circulation. All i have to say is how in the WORLD do people who have bigger feet and calfs than me wear these things? I had the hardest time getting them on. It of course may have been because I was totally tierd.

Other topic.... florida!
So Alex is leaving for florida tomorrow and Im going the following day. She has to go on stand by so that is why she is going tomorrow. Anyways we thought it was going to be like 80 degrees which it normally is but there is some cold snap or whatever and its like freezing there. So I did some investigaive work to find fun things to do. I came up with these options. A. Go to the aligator farm and B. go to the everglades.
So Alex and I were talking about our events and we both think it would be so much fun to go to the aligator place. You can go on these boats in the swamp and wear rediculous head gear and go "hunting for aligators". Our converstation went something like this.... Me.. i think these things would be cool. Alex... That looks like so much fun. I bet your dad would be so jelous and want to go. Me... ya we can take totally obnoctious pics and look like fools. Alex.... I bet you would hold one of those big pythons. Me.... I may just live on the wild side.
I cant wait to go... I still have to pack and everything but its going to be so much fun. Alex and I are going to run while we are there and I have to make up some bootcamp type workouts.
YA!!

popsicle

Ok, so lets face it. Training for a marathon in the dead of winter is cold. Downright breath taking at times. Yesterday was supposed to be a 13 miler but with life getting in the way and the lack of treadmills at the gym, time got eatten up and I ended up only getting 8.5 in. I went to the gym thinking that there would be a treadmill open. Not a single one was free and no one seemed to want to budge off of thiers. I figured it was a sign that I should go outside. So after my trip to the grocery store, I went home and tried to get metally syked for the outdoors. I was ready but when I got to running, I got to thinking that I had to be at Daniel's work no later than 6pm so we could get to Fayetteville for the night and I also had to do a laundry list of things to get ready to go. So I could only be out til 430pm. So I did my very best. Mile 3-4 were the worst. Of course I was going uphill, the wind was blowing so hard that I couldnt breath and my hat was about to fly off. I also had to blow my nose. I made it up the hill and kept going. The windchill was about 17 or something rediculous like that.
Anyways I finished and picked up Daniel to get to fayettevile. I slept the whole way there because I was totally exhaused from the elements. We had Chili for dinner and some cookout. I went to bed at 11 and slept til 830. That is the longest I have slept in a while. Apparently Daniel watched a movie in the bedroom and I had no idea. Goes to show Im not a light sleeper at all.
On sunday we went to buffalo wild wings for a long lunch and watched almost all the football games there. We had an excellent server and great food. Afterwards we got back and watched more football and went home. Of course I slept for the most part home too. I never can stay awake in car rides. (thanks to mom and dad's road trips as a kid)
O and Daniel and I got some bright and shinny things from Dad and Jean. I got some earrings that are super pretty and Daniel got a new fishing rod that he really needed super bad. Its gold colored.

slack

I have been really slack on writing this week and right now sweet tea is dying for affection and making it hard for me to type. She keeps nudging her head against my arm... she really does love me!
So Chirstmas was good. We went to my parents that morning but not before going to waffle house. Going there has been our new thing since like 3 years ago or something. I guess we started doing it after we got married. Well the drive was terrible. And I mean really bad. There were cars all on the side of the road that had tried to cross the median. (hydroplane) So I gripped the wheel real tight and prayed that I would not crash. We got there after 1pm and stayed til I think around 7 or so. Dinner was good thanks to Chef Daniel. He always does such an amazing job. He was out on the grill for a good long time cooking the meat. I brought cranberry sauce and a cheese dish that was awesome! It was nice to see everyone together and eat as a family (like the old days).
On Tuesday it was my last day at work. I quit. I start a new job on the 11th of January and Im so excited. I cant really comment my reasons for leaving but Im going where there is more growth in my future. I went to my closing interview on Thursday and when I left I called a former agent... Guess what! They laid off 3 people! I would have been laid off if I didnt quit. That is just so weird I think. Anyways, Im happy with my decision and cant wait to start.
Also yesterday was a big big day at the gym. I started off running my official first day of marathon training. My set that I did was 1.5 miles pace followed by .5 miles just under pace three times through, then i went to an hour spin class followed by later in the day doing some weights with Alex and then going to swim a 1700. The first bit of swimming was social kick and the last part was her being a coach to me and telling me how I can improve my backstroke and freestyle. I had told Alex earlier that I was going to do freestyle while she did backstroke because I feel like I just cant get anywhere. With like 2 minutes of coaching I swear my 25 got 5 seconds faster! I wish I had a stop watch to see what the real difference is. I was so excited because i was doing the old school backstroke while she was doing the new school.
Later yesterday I went and got pizza for dinner while Daniel was making the fire at home. How about it took over an hour to get the pizza from pickup when they said 25 minutes... errrrr. O well, no one is dead from food poisoning. Phillip and Diane came over at about 10:30 and we cut coupons (diane and me) and watched tv. Then the ball dropped, they left and Daniel and I had a great conversation about goals for 2010 and what we wanted to do. My top ones are... Run 2 marathons. One in March, one in November, do a sprint triathlon, excell in my new job, and keep building a great relationship with Daniel. His are to improve with physical fitness along with other things. I think I had been thinking more about goals than him.
Today I went to Vals to help set up for our garage sale which is tomorrow. We also had some people come over for a preview. After that, I went to my PT session and got the most amazing advice from the trainer. She showed me how to use the foam roller and explained to me why is so awesome and then she smoothed out my calf at the end because I had a muscle thingy. I dont remember the official name for it but basically it was a knot of muscle tissue in my calf. Of course all of this was after she tortured me for 40 minutes. Now im off to Vals because Evan and Amy are coming in for dinner and we get to see him one last time before he heads south. We might not see him again til next Christmas so I want to get as much time in with him as possible. Plus val and I are loading up both of thier cars with stockpile stuff. They really are struggling and family is family!