Three Things Thursday and One More.

Firstly, Baby C's daddy really wants Baby C to learn Mandarin. I speak Mandarin but I favor English because it is easier. So I am trying to figure out how to make it all work. I mean, where and how do I start? Learning both English and Mandarin was a natural thing when I was growing up. There wasn't really a conscious attempt to learn both. I was just thrown into the wolves and I had to make it work.

Secondly, my walking habit, even though much improved from last week, still sucked! Ugh!! I gotto get back in the game.

Thirdly, I am debating a baby jogging stroller. The BOB is kinda too pricey and I won't be getting that if I decide on getting one. I cannot justify putting so much money into a stroller. Especially when I am not sure if I am going to be using it on a daily basis. I have my treadmill and I can see myself using the treadmill while Baby C is asleep. But I want the option of having a jogging stroller to walk/jog when I want to. What's your take? Any recommendations? Thanks!!

And lastly, I have Baby C's car seat all hooked up in my SUV. Oh boy!!! This is getting real. And that car seat took up a lot of room!

Three, Four, Five Things Thursday

UNO
With the Ms. Piggy's trotters you saw on my Wordless Wednesday post, I have decided to ditch "fancy shoes" in favor for sheer practicality. It isn't that my shoes aren't comfortable - they are afterall mostly ballet flats.  But even the comfortable ballet flats have gotten kinda tricky. So are the sandals.  I find it increasingly difficult to bend over and pull the straps up.   

Ok, I blabbed too much. I'm just trying to justify my purchase.

Really, I just wanted to say, I bought these. 

Under Armour's Marbella Scribble T.

They were only $20. Not exactly cheap like those Old Navy flip flops. But, they looked comfortable and cushiony.  Anyone of you have a pair? I am just hoping my feet will fit into them. I am usually a size 8 and I bought a size bigger.  

DOS

I love my job.
A sweet preschool girl I was screening gave me this picture she colored when I walked into her classroom to get her so I could screen her hearing and vision.
said, "This is a pwesent for you." 

I love it. I think I made a friend! 

TRES

I finally made it onto the treadmill this morning after taking some time off due to my cold.

It felt so good.

QUATRO

I also got my new glasses today.
I am excited. Been wearing a pair of OLD ones that's kinda wonky.

Now, I can actually be seen in public with these smarty pants looking ones.
(P.S.: Those teeth are looking straighter and straighter too. My orthodontist is very pleased. So am I).

CINCO

I have been so busy with work lately. We have been doing mass screenings at the different preschool centers, and that means A LOT of paperwork. In fact, I was working so hard this evening that when I looked up at the clock, it was already 7:30 p.m.  I forgot to cook supper!
The boyfriend eats at 8 p.m. due to work, so that means, I have just enough time to grab something real fast. In a small town, we are so "spoilt" for choices.

Ronald cooked for us today.

I tried to avoid the really high calorie ones.
So I got myself a cheeseburger and ate a few of the chicken nuggets.

Three (Favorite) Things Thursday

1. I usually like my Greek yogurt plain or with honey. Recently, I bought Chobani Blood Orange and I love it!

2. I asked for some Netflix series suggestions a couple of posts ago. This morning, I began Season 1 Episode 1 of Mad Men. I like it so far.  

3. Not exactly a favorite thing, but I'll go to the doctor for an ultrasound tomorrow. I am excited. And going to the doctor seems to be a "favorite" thing for me these days. :) 

Three Things Thursday

1. I got 2.8 miles of walking in today. I just wanted to do one. But figured out I better do more to make up for my slack-off-ness. The treadmill has 0.2 miles from yesterday. So I decided to make it an even 3 before I stopped. 
2. Workouts on the treadmill aren't too bad when there is entertainment. I stream movies from Netflix or watch a DVD. Since my Internet has been kooky for the past few days, I watched Conviction on the DVD off my laptop. Good true story about exonerating a wrongly accused man. 
3. I really got to watch what I eat. I know I am supposed to be gaining weight because of the baby and all, but I believe I need to get a handle on how much weight I am gaining - you know, gain the appropriate amount of weight. Vanity isn't an issue. I just want to be sure I don't get diabetes or preeclampsia and jeopardize the health of the baby. I know I have to watch the amount of sugar I am taking. I am not exactly craving for sugar but I am not moderating like I ought to be either. 

Three Things Thursday

My Facebook status goes:
"Let us all be reminded of the frailty of life. Cherish every moment. Love with all you've got."     

A friend's mother passed away last night from ovarian cancer.
And there is still no news about that missing runner from Sidney, Montana. 

Hold your love one tightly and show them your love.   

Don't go to bed angry. 

And don't get angry when the other half wants pizza but you want salad.  

Not worth it.

Today's schedule called for three easy miles. I had the treadmill set to 5 mph and left it there. It was hard not to crank it up a little since my past few runs have been a little faster than usual.  But, I'm going to be patient and exercise self-control.  Too much, too soon means injuries.   Good, easy, comfortable run.

Tomorrow is rest day. Followed by an 8-miler.  

Ahhh. I cannot stress how much I love my treadmill! Love the convenience of running anytime I want. Love being able to hop on and run with my sports bra. Love having fans angled at me when I run.

Perfect! 

Three Things Thursday

Here are some random bits from today. 

1) I have 25 minutes to fall asleep so I will get my 8 hours.    I am supposed to run 9 miles tomorrow.  On the treadmill.

2) I made my 2nd casserole dish of chicken spaghetti this week. Boyfriend's request. 

3) Yesterday I was on Facebook and was looking at Running Diva Mom's page. I told the boyfriend that this chick, Jamie, she has already ran 13 half marathons this year. She trains on the treadmill quite a bit. And look at her cute kids, Paige and Jackson.  Oh and sometimes Jackson will have a cold diet Dew waiting for his momma when she is through running on the treadmill. 

My boyfriend asked, "Where does she live?"

I said, "Somewhere in Wisconsin."

He said something like the blog is akin to the female version of World of Warcraft. And that all my buddies are online, like those gaming dudes are buddies with the other dudes playing World of Warcraft. 

Ok... about 15 minutes left for me to be sound asleep. 'Nite!

Three Things Thursday

Or otherwise known as three things that happened that messed up my recovery run plans.

1.  The half marathon didn't leave me with injuries, just some standard muscle aches, especially the quads. On Monday night, I had a cramp on my calves when I stretched in bed half-asleep. Ouch! I had difficulty walking, so instead of running that morning, I did yoga. It felt so good and much better!

Well, to be honest, I was tired and lazy too so it was very easy to talk myself out of that run. 

2.  The boyfriend and I used to live in Louisiana before our move to Arkansas. We still have a house there. Earlier this week, he received a call from our neighbor to inform us that a water pipe has busted in the house and the house is, well, pretty much flooded.  Boyfriend left for Louisiana right after that phone call and yesterday, I drove down to deliver tool boxes and extra change of clothes and to check out the damage.  That's home. My home. It's a small humble house but everything's so right about it.  I didn't get back to Arkansas until wee hours in the morning and was just too tired to get up to go run.


3. With the cramp, and the busted pipe, and the shattered dreams of running and winning the Little Rock half marathon, and having my confidence kinda compromised by a concerned parent, I think I am going to turn in early tonight and head for a MUCH NEEDED morale booster run tomorrow. Also I am going to look for a half marathon I can do that's not too far away and not too expensive.  

Three Things Thursday

I hope y'all have a head for numbers. 

1. Ran on the treadmill this evening.  It was one of my speedier runs in a while. I figured, the faster I crank up the 'mill, the quicker I'll get done! I started the treadmill at about 11:00/mile for the first mile. The second mile was somewhere in the 10:00/mile vicinity and the last mile was everywhere on the 9:00/mile area. So, 3 miles in 31:04 minutes. 
   
2. I did some math while running. If I want to meet my 1,000-mile goal (running miles only) by the end of December, I need to log at least 83 miles a month. I should have done this math a LONG time ago. January is almost over and I have only logged 42 miles as of today. Granted I'll have 2 more long runs (11 and 12 miles), it is only putting me close to 80 miles.  But hey, not too late to start tracking and hitting my monthly goals. Still have time to catch up!
   
3. Another math thing I did while running. If I ran at an 11:00/mile pace, I should finish a half marathon at 2 hours 23 minutes.  That gives me about 7 minutes of buffer time to drink/walk at the water stops and probably even a second or two to lament/whine about how many more miles I'll need to do to finish the half.  

So, lots of numbers, right?

Do tell me if I miscalculated. Because for the longest time during my run, I thought 140 minutes was 1 hour and 40 minutes! Thank goodness I'm aware and realistic about my slow pace, there's NO WAY I would be running a half in 1 hour 40 minutes - at least not now.

Three Things Thursday

1. Ran 4.19 miles today in over 50 minutes. Not exactly stellar pace. But hey, whatcha gonna do about it? It felt like I was running with shackles. I felt hungry, heavy and clumsy. And warm bed. Oooh. Running is not easy! Running is a mental sport. Running makes me stronger and a better person because it forces me to do things I won't normally do or like to do.

2. My next run will be a long run - a 9-miler or so. I'm kinda nervous. Not that I haven't done that distance ever, but I'm tired. Mentally drained. And my ankles are tired.  This first week back from Christmas break is one tough thing to handle. All I want to do is just lay in bed and read Pride and Prejudice and drink hot tea. But like I said earlier, running makes me stronger and a better person because it forces me to do things I won't normally do or like to do.

3. I'm excited for next week to come. I went ahead and planned meals for next week because I haven't been cooking much this week. Well, I made Chinese wontons (not deep fried, I actually steamed them) one night. Then, we had Subway sandwiches for 3 nights. Ridiculous how lazy I have been. That I would pay for convenience!  Anyway, next week, I will do better.

P.S.: My favorite sandwich is actually the chicken teriyaki with sweet onion sauce. Sometimes, I don't even add the sauce. I usually ask for jalepeno peppers, bell peppers, banana peppers, olives, lettuce, and tomatoes. :)

Three Things Thursday

1. I ran about 4.5 miles this morning with Ms. M.  We changed plans and did a new route (at least for me) and it was quite a workout. We hit some steady, semi-long +1% inclines along this route. It took us onto the highway, a gravel road with trees on both side, introduced something rotten to the olfactory sense, through a cemetery and back to civilization. The cemetery was quite something indeed. I definitely wouldn't have done that if I were alone. So much closer to my goal!
2. And one run wasn't quite enough. I did a two-fer today and ran the second part of the run in the afternoon at the Y. Yeah, the dreadmill. It was hot, humid, and just yucky. But I cannot bear to drag this out for another day.  I need to hit my goal today so I can rest happy tomorrow and New Year's eve.
3. I did it! With that second run, I completed 1000 km for this year today. Not too shabby since my year technically started in February when the running bug bit me! This marks the last run for 2010. Bittersweet. Mostly sweet though.

Gonna go and work on a 2010 recap. Stay tune tomorrow!

Three Things Thursday

1. Run: 3.26 miles in 40:57 minutes.  First run with Ms. M after her surgery to re-fix her rotater cuff. It was a slow run, but it was the kind of run I needed. We did the local 5K route and took it easy and tried to catch up with news like work, her grandkids, Christmas, diet, running, races and the new puppy. I like a slow run. My right shin felt a little uncomfortable. I felt 10 pounds heavier today. So, slow was good!

2. Puppy Paddy Wag stayed in her kennel last night. I was worried that she might run off into the woods and disappear. But she was in her kennel when I came out to check on her this morning.  I had a good sleep though. When she spent her first 2 nights with me in the house, she woke me up every 2 hours, crying for potty walks.  Smart puppy.  She loves running around and playing with Buttercup.  While the puppy requires quite some attention, I'm aware and conscious of not neglecting Buttercup.  I'll make sure to give Buttercup her treat first and include Buttercup when I play "catch" with Paddy and Buttercup.  Anyway, Paddy enjoys laying on my lap for hours. Whenever I move her a little because my leg is asleep, she would whimper a little. 

 

3.  Looks like Ms. M and Mr. R will be running this Sunday with me and probably with Mr. J.  I'm looking forward to that.  I really need to start getting serious and start training for my half marathon in February!

Three Things Thursday

1. Two More Days to my first half marathon. I don't know what to think. I haven't ran at all this week after the 10 miler on Saturday. I have been resting the back and stretching instead. Butterflies and moths are wreaking havoc in my belly now.

2. The Web site says the half marathon will be easy with some gentle rolling hills.  The final instructions/e-mail they sent out yesterday said it is going to be a challenging course with many hills. What say you? I think Mile #3 seems kinda scary.

 

3.  With the stretching I have been doing, I realized that I am SO NOT FLEXIBLE! I might as well be a crickety, rickety, ridgety 90+ year old woman. I'm so ashamed.

Three Things Thursday

1. Wow ... looks like I better rock when I do my 10-miler on Saturday and ice, stretch, and baby myself well after the run. We'll see if I will register on Saturday. I am excited.
   
2. Ran 3.4 miles today in 43:23 minutes. I am not exactly thrilled with the timing though. I felt strong and felt like I could push myself a little more and run a little faster. Hmmm ... I'm afraid to admit but maybe, it may be time to cut back on running with a group and start finding someone who will run just a tad faster than what we are doing now.  I believe I can still run comfortably at about 11:30 min/mile pace and sustain it for a while.
   
3. I need to start eating properly again. I have been swamped with work and cooking is really the last thing I want to do. Gonna do better next week.

Three Things Thursday

Woo hoo! Thursday!

1. I didn't run today. I didn't sleep much last night. I had to breathe through my mouth last night and man, it was miserable. 
2. My lower back is hurting like nobody's business. I have no idea what brought that on. I have difficulty putting my jeans on this morning. I have difficulty getting in and out of the vehicle. I even have difficulty just reaching forward or leaning slightly back. I have difficulty getting up and down a chair. 
3. My first half marathon will be in 10 days! Ten days. Ten days. Ten days.
   Oooh, please, please, please, please let this back be ok so I can run without pain. Please. Please, Please. I am so ready to run. It like, if you tell me you will give me a medal after I finish running 13.1 miles right now, I will run right now for you. I am as ready as I am about having kids. Yes, I can pop a child out right now. I'm not kidding.
   
   Happy Thursday! And have a good Friday!

Three Things Thursday

1. Ran with Mr. R, Ms. M, and younger dude at 5:30 a.m. Thank goodness I have a group to meet for a run because the legs certainly didn't feel like it today. We did 3.35 miles in 40:32 minutes. Not fast but it is done and I was glad.
   
2. Present for Moi. Well, this is sorta kinda running-related. I bought an iPhone 4 and it came in. It is running related because I will be carrying this phone to run when I am alone and will probably be using this phone to snap running-related photos. Now, the question is, what case should I get to protect it? I am a klutz. I drop everything. Sometimes I even drop myself. No kidding.
   
3. I Ask, You Answer. If I were to run a half marathon on 10/10/10 that leaves me exactly 3 weeks before the race and 2 weeks to taper. My ankles are still feeling a tad stiff after the 11-miler on Sunday. My knees aren't too bad but I know that if I run a 10-miler or more this weekend, I'm afraid something will happen. (Isn't it amazing how we get so attuned to our bodies?)  Mentally, I know that I'll be OK if I were to go and run some 13 miles with some fresh legs. So the million dollar questions are: Do I scale back a little for the next two weeks? How many miles would you - the more experienced runners - recommend this rookie to do for the next two weeks? 
   Thanks for reading! Have a great Friday eve!

Three Things Thursday

1. Ran 4 miles with 2 running partners (50 minutes). Headlights from oncoming traffic were blinding my eyes.
    Loud horns from 18-wheelers and semis didn't help with the nerves. You stay in your lane and I stay on
    the side of the road. There's room for us to share. What's the deal with the honking anyway?

2. 10/10/10. Should I run one or not? My feet is itching!

3. Today, I wore the reflective vest that used to belong to Uncle R. I'm a sentimental kinda girl. I think Uncle
    R enjoyed our run today with his friends.