What a busy day! On one hand, I did get many things done today. On the other, I was the queen of procrastination. I managed to keep putting off my run until it was nearly bedtime and it could wait no more. I did this in part, because I was trying to get a number of other things done. Let’s recap, shall we?
Now, about a month-and-a-half ago, we were at PetSmart, looking at kitties, picking up food for our kitties…the usual. When looking at the wee furries, G spotted Robo Dwarf Hamsters (robo being short for Roborovski, the dude who discovered them, not for robot). From that moment on, they became an obsession. So, for our anniversary, before we left for our trip I gave him a card, and a hamster transport pod. I promised that I would buy him his hamsters, bedding, food, and a habitat. Today was that day.
We started at the local costume shop, to get a necessity for G’s costume. Then off to Red Robin, as I had a free burger coming my way for my birthday. I got a fish burger, and it was delish. We then hit up Michael’s so I could pick up a couple of tee-shirts they had on sale and fabric paint to make a cheesey New Kids on the Block tee shirt for their concert I am attending on Tuesday (another swell part of B-day week) and to peruse their wares and see if they had anything useful for the creation of our Halloween costumes. Then it was off to JoAnn fabrics. I purchased most of what we needed. I will have to hit up others this week, as the one thing I am missing, a pattern, they only had in boys sizes, not men’s. Then, it was Robo Dwarf time.
We wanted two, and they only had three left. I felt bad leaving just the one in there, but not all of them get adopted in pairs. But, if you only get one, you can’t add one later. Otherwise, you will still wind up with one…hence our wanting to start with two. So, we picked the fat one, and the little one. They are girls. We got their food, bedding, house, some treats, and a mineral disc. I held their little transport pod on the way home, and we marveled at their cuteness. They managed to poo a lot, so mission one was getting them set up in their new digs. Mission two was cleaning their pod.
The little one is named Rhymenoceros, and the fat one is Hiphopopotamus, after the Flight of the Conchords episode where Brett and Jemaine had rap names. Rhymenoceros mostly likes checking out the new place, and Hip-hop loves running in the wheel. They finally wore themselves out a bit and did some napping. It will be a task to make sure the cats know they are NOT food, but we have them in our room where we can close the door when we aren’t able to watch closely. Their habitat is fully enclosed, so the cats can’t get in, but we are worried they will scare the tiny furries.
Then, I did much cleaning. So much cleaning. I kept trying to get one more thing done…then one more. Finally, I had to run, or it wouldn’t happen, and my training schedule would be totally screwed up! I think part of why I wasn’t wanting to run, was because it was my first real day of doing the run/walking. Five miles. I was mostly dreading having to break up my running with walks. I mean, it feels like starting over back when I started C25K. However, once I got going, it was actually pretty great. My running was actually faster than usual, because I knew I had a walk break coming. I wound up doing 5.1 miles in 56:16. Considering I was running three minutes, walking one…not bad. Once again I am reminded to trust the training plan. People far wiser than I have put it together…I should not question. However, I will be honest. There came a point when each interval got just a little harder, and I had to push a little more. Then, in that last half mile, I really dug deep and pushed myself that little bit more. I really wanted to book to the end of the block and clock in under the 56 minute mark.,..but it was not to be.
Tuesday and Thursday I am up to 43 minute runs. If I can get in an even four miles in that time, I will be happy. Those runs are all about getting my endurance up right now.
On the bright side, as I near the end of another decade, I can honestly say I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in. Sure, my metabolism isn’t what it used to be, and I have more dimples than I’d like, but I can kick butt at the gym, and I can run. Pretty exciting stuff. Mostly because I said I was going to do it, I lazed about and put it off, and now, I am doing it for real. W00T!
Archive for October, 2008
a great start to my birthday week!
Sunday, October 19th, 2008too much stuff
Thursday, October 16th, 2008So, I thought that by trying to do one thing at a time, I would solve the issue of being overwhelmed. I’m taking a break from theater, so that I can get my health and home on track (well, the health is an ongoing process that will be a part of anything I am doing, so I can’t really cut that out). Right now, it’s cleaning house. We’re cleaning in part for my annual b-day bash, and in part, because whenever we clean, we only ever seem to clean half of the house. The half that people will see, then close the doors on the rest (where we’ve stashed everything from the clean half). However, new year…new decade in fact, so I feel like we should be starting clean. I thought that by putting all my art stuff aside (theater, sewing, beading) and focusing on just the house, I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed, and would be able to get everything spic and span in the blink of an eye. Then, I could relax and focus on such important issues as building blood elf costumes and creating handcrafted accessories.
HAH!
I cannot believe how much stuff we have. Seriously. we aren’t that old, and our place is not that big. However, after years of just putting things aside for later, we seem to have accumulated a lot of things. Things like grocery bags of papers that need to be filed, and totes of miscellaneous stuff that we don’t necessarily need, but have procrastinated taking care of. At one time, I was going to try and garage sale it all off. Now, I just want it gone. So, many loads go to the curb for recycling, and more loads go to Goodwill. I feel so great when I get rid of a load of stuff. Then, I walk back in the house and see that we seem to have the same amount left. How is this possible? Are our possessions breeding?
I come from a line of pack rats. Man, I remember cleaning out my grandparents’ house after they were gone. Yes, there were some great things, but there was also a lot of junk and trash. I don’t want that to happen to me one day. Hell, I don’t want it to happen now! At one point, I managed to break free of the cycle…until I met and married a pack rat. One whose lineage may not have been as long, but whose habits run deep. I am having to retrain myself, and him. I am trying to remember that it’s okay for me to have outgrown things. I can let go. Chances are, hanging onto that “collectible” will probably not net me a million dollars. Heck, it will probably not net me ten. Better to let someone else enjoy it.
Unfortunately, cleaning out all the nooks and crannies seems to be taking more time than I expected. We have crammed more into those crannies than I seem to remember. Thus, here I am, overwhelmed. I am trying to take deep breaths, and keep going. Hopefully, by this time Sunday, we will be done. Nay, we have to be done. I need the rest of the week to build two Halloween costumes, and prep for the party of the century. Plus, I have to take G to PetSmart to pick up his anniversary present, and they will need a neat and cozy home.
So, that is off my chest…now I must go back to fighting the good fight. I hope Goodwill is ready for us this weekend!!!
We survived the Blizzard!
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008So, we made it home after venturing into the world of geekery known as BlizzCon 2008. It was sort of a perfect storm that brewed, with them scheduling the event on the weekend of our wedding anniversary. Despite the major FAIL on Blizz’s part with the ticket onsale, we were still able to go, albeit without the coveted goodie bags that are such a big part of the event.
So, after finding our way to the convention center, and getting our bearings, we had to say hello to our buddy Illidan:
Then we ran into a Night Elf Mohawk:
Then I was transformed into a crazy Orc!
Then G was kickin’ back:
Then I had to represent for hot geek chicks everywhere (of which there aren’t many!)–please pay special attention to the sweet Horde bag I received from the hubs as an early anniversary pressie:
Then Illidan somehow took over:
He prevented us from getting pictures of the amazing contest winners. Okay, he didn’t, the large venue did. However, it turns out if you’re willing and able to build a working mechanical turtle mount, you will probably win your very own Frostmourne.
The next day, we learned that Blizz has a rather attractive team (note the hot Frenchman second from right, the hot Brazilian second from left, and the lovely American director at left):
We also found out that Arthas is actually a chick:
Or a hardcore gamer:
And the redhead from The Guild and Dr. Horrible is really THAT adorable:
And one last shot of the female human before departing:
BTW, if you see us on the street, I’m Lily, he’s Snugglecakes:
Now, I must come up with an appropriate name for my death knight, and figure out what skills I have that will get me hired at Blizzard.
now i lay me down to sleep
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008I don’t know why I am so sleepy today. Seriously. i just could not get out of bed this morning, and it was all I could do to not just nap when I got home (because i knew I wouldn’t get up). I even skipped my workout today, because I couldn’t get out of bed this morning 🙁 I’m trying not to beat myself up about it, but since I am still quite the beginner, it is hard not to!!
I need to really fight this night owl thing!! I must start getting into bed before 10 each night, especially since I can’t seem to stay asleep.
On the brighter side??
I ran my first 5K!!! Saturday was the Step Out to Fight Diabetes. I ran it in 30’22”. Better than I expected. Originally, I wanted to be under 30 minutes, but that changed as I realized that this was my first run, and I should just enjoy finishing. However, something about the event, and the course, and other runners, and it all came together. I felt really relaxed, and the miles flew by. I didn’t have to take any walk breaks, I wasn’t getting winded, it was AWESOME!
We spent the rest of that day at RenFest, and I let myself just enjoy some treats I can only get there. It was a really lovely day.
Now, I am in training for the half marathon. I am reading Jeff Galloway’s Half Marathon book. I am already learning tons. I am using my two regular runs to work on my endurance, increasing my times each week by 10% until I am at 60 minutes of continuous running (this will take about 9 weeks). I will also use these runs to work on technique. Then I do one long run each Sunday. These mostly increase up in distance, with some shorter runs to mix things up. These are where I have to work on my walk breaks. Since it is my first half marathon, I shouldn’t plan to run the whole thing, and not have a time goal. I have to keep reminding myself of that. I am excited to build up my running. I am hoping this will help losing some fat in my trouble zones.
I am glad I started this before I enter the next decade. While I will be in better shape in my thirties than in my twenties, at least I can say that in my twenties, I was in the best shape of my life…if only for part of them!!!
(I also have to say, in non fitness news…I just finished cleaning my kitchen. I took things out of cupboards and wiped them down, and tossed things, and cleaned the cupboard doors. Serious cleaning…it feels good! Hopefully this will encourage my eating to match my fitness!!)