new toy + Stone Mtn trails

Between struggling with plantar fasciitis, insanely busy work projects, daughter's swim team, flat tire, insane heat/humidity, etc., I've come up with excuse after excuse after excuse for not getting my runs in. So yesterday I decided to buy a new toy for motivation: Garmin Forerunner 310XT.

I broke my Garmin 405 on a trail run on Memorial Day. The watch part still worked but the strap was broken. I was content to carry it, instead of strap it on, but during my last run it fogged up on me. I guess the bezel/face must be crack and water leaked in from when I rinsed it after my previous run. And... the GPS screen wasn't working right.

So after work on Friday, I went to REI and splurged on this baby. I took it out for a test run this morning. 6.32 miles on the trails at Stone Mountain. I walked/hiked more than I ran, but it was a great adventure! I only got lost once! I thought I was lost again, near the end, but switched to the GPS mode and set it to go "back to start" and then easily found my way back to the car. Love it!

boobie fruit

An easy 2 mile run this morning in the hopes of getting into an early morning running routine. It hasn't worked in the past, but maybe today will be the day...

The rest of this post has absolutely nothing to do with running, but definitely a lot of fun! My daughter invited a friend over this afternoon/evening. In December 2007, I videotaped them performing silly skits. While I made dinner tonight, they got on the computer and watched those old videos. They decided it was time for a re-enactment. I haven't laughed this hard in... days? Two and a half years ago they put on my bras and stuffed them with fruit, added pillows under my skirts and performed a skit from "hairspray" (bottom photo).

They did a similar re-enactment tonight (top photo) and we had so much fun! Looking back at the pictures and videos, I'm amazed at how much they've grown/changed in the past two and a half years. Thanks for the laughs, girls!

half the miles, twice the kittens

This just wasn't my day. Unfortunately, I've been saying this ALL DAY. It started out wrong by going to bed late and not setting my alarm clock. Even my back-up alarm clocks (the dogs) were off duty! I didn't feel the greatest when I finally woke up. Time to make breakfast. Hey, it's only 83 degrees with 69% humidity; I can still get in a 12 mile run!  Everyone's been fed.  I fill a cooler with ice, tart cherry juice, gatorade and a couple of fun-size snickers and set it at the end of the driveway. I'll run loops around my neighborhood block. I purposely go slow; hey, I can do this! But then I get slower and slower and slower. That's still okay. But then the fun ends...  I start having chills and feel light-headed. Guess I've overheated. So, I bail at 6 miles and hope for better luck next week! (and no, I didn't eat the snickers... they were going to be a treat at mile 10.)

Ending my run early made my daughter happy because it meant that now we could go shopping sooner. We hit the ususal stores... Target, Sports Authority and lastly PetsMart. I was awesome; I kept the purchases to things only on the list. That is, until PetsMart. We went in to buy crickets and dog food, and walked out with two adorable kittens and kitty supplies. I'm such a sucker! If you'd like to read more, here's a link to the post on my other blog, 2 adorable reasons not to take your child to PetsMart on pet adoption day.

recycle

went for an easy 2 mile run this morning. My toe still hurts. Maybe I'll take a few extra rest days this week. Stupid frozen water bottle! On the bright side...  Look at this cool recycle bin that my daughter painted!  Our trash service recently changed and now they collect a lot more items for recycling. We filled our supplied bin in just a few days so she gladly made an unused trash can into a useful work of art.

WARNING... frozen water bottles may do more damage than good

I keep a water bottle in the freezer and use it to roll the bottom of my foot on for my plantar fasciitis. It has provided amazing relief until two nights ago...  After grocery shopping and adding more stuff into the freezer, the bottle was perched precariously on the edge of the shelf. And then when I opened the freezer to get out the ice cream... I learned a painful lesson. WARNING!!! Frozen water bottles may do more damage than good!  As I opened the freezer door, the bottle fell out of the freezer and landed hard on my left bare toes. I screamed bad words, then cried, and proclaimed that I had a broken toe or three... Someone suggested that I ice them immediately, but the thought of putting the offending item on my swelling toes was not appealing. It hurt so bad that I couldn't walk. By the next morning, I was able to limp around. 24 hours later I attempted an easy run; it hurt, but wasn't unbearable. So I had high hopes that I'd still be able to complete my long run today. But it just didn't happen. I quit at 8 miles in a lot of pain. I hope it's not broken...  Can you guess which one?

Peachtree Road Race - NOT

BUMMER!!! My alarm clock beeped at 5:30 a.m. and I groggily got out of bed. Fed the dogs, got dressed, grabbed breakfast for the drive, and readied to leave for the Peachtree Road Race 10K. Walked out to the car to find a FLAT TIRE... BUMMER...  What to do??? It's 6 a.m. on a Sunday/Holiday. No tire stores are open now. I don't think I can change it myself. I'm mad, panicked, frustrated, freaked out... Not only did I plan to run a 10K this morning, but I had plans to go to a friend's lake house this afternoon for a fun party evening of boating, swimming, food, drinks, companionship, and fireworks. I freak out more... then breathe deeply... deeply... deeply...  Guess the 10K wasn't meant to be, but hope to salvage the rest of the day.  Start doing Google searches for tire stores in hopes of finding one that is open on Sunday. Most of the ones nearby are closed on Sunday's, but then I found one that is typically open on Sundays... Super Walmart. Called the phone number, but no one answered. They're normally open on Sundays, but now the big question is... are they open on holidays (since no one answered)? Panic more... What am I going to do? Post on Facebook hoping that someone is willing to come help me change my tire... no response... Stressed = upset stomach = not great... ARGH!!!  I went to bed late last night and am so tired, so opt to climb back under the covers and set the alarm clock for 10 a.m., when Walmart tire store was supposed to open. Eventually fall back asleep. Get up at 10 a.m. and call Walmart again. YAY!!! THEY ARE OPEN TODAY, SUNDAY, HOLIDAY!!!  Drive a half-mile to the nearest gas station and fill the tire with air and then continue on to Walmart. There is a nail in the tire and they can fix it for $10. WOO HOO!!!  I may have missed the Peachtree Road Race, but the rest of my day has been saved. Returned home, baked brownies, ran 5 miles on the treadmill (since it's 88 degrees now), showered, then headed to the lake. Amazing evening of visiting with friends and then lounging in the lake in life vests while watching fireworks being shot off the top of the two-story deck at my friend's lake home. SO MUCH FUN!!!