march 2010 – over. bring on april.

March has been quite the month. I was pretty busy with work and life but I still managed to accomplish amazing things in the running world. I ran my second half marathon to date, had a great time, and even beat my last half marathon time by a landslide. I ran a 10k when I could barely breath and had not such a great time, and I had a month full of miles ran. Can you believe I ran 50+ miles?!?! (53.28 to be exact) I can’t! I cannot believe we have almost crossed over into April and it makes me wonder where the year is going.

I had the crazy idea to sign up for The Chicago Marathon but before I was able to they reached their 45K runners mark and I missed out. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so I am ok with not getting in. There is always 2011 or 2012 right? Plus by then I hope to be a running fool and will be able to smoke my 2 Chicago friends.

I am sticking with my normal format of highlights and goals for the next month but have decided to steal some from CAUTION: Redhead Running and her March Recap format.

Highlights of the month:

1. ING Georgia Half Marathon – I set a PR and ran a fairly great race. Like normal, I was no where near ready but who cares. One of these days I will take a half marathon or marathon seriously and put in effort to the training.
2. I had the highest mileage month to date. I ran 50+ miles in one month which is HUGE for me. Now I just have to do that every month!
3. Erin & I ran our second 10k of 2010 together. She smoked me again but whatever, I can admit defeat.
4. I registered for my first (and probably last) Peachtree Roadrace. It was a test of patience and persistence and took me over a hour, but I got in. **That is ALL that matters**
5. I actually took the time to figure out my Garmin 405 and I am super impressed. I can upload all the info online and check out the route I ran, my splits (how fast each mile was), calories burned, elevation junk. I never know how little I was utilizing that big thing!

March Running Song: “Girls on the Dancefloor” –Far East Movement

March Triumph: The ING Half Marathon on 3.21.10 – I rock it.

Current Goal: To stick to the high mile months and keep up with the weekly spin classes.

Goals for April:

1. To run another 50+ mile month. Right.Left.Repeat.
2. To keep up with my weekly spin classes and Sunday cardio circuit at the gym.
3. Register for the Marine Corps Marathon – yes all 26.2 miles of it. :o)
4. Find a local 5k or 10k and run like the wind!
5. Start the 200 Sit Ups Program and actually stick to it. I need (and want) a stronger core.

March has also started a friendly running competition between Erin and me. She ran the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon last summer and beat me when I ran Nike. I just ran ING and beat her time from Napa. She is training for 13.1 Boston in June and her goal is to now beat my half marathon time. Friendly competition has never hurt anyone, but I think her and I should take it to the streets of 5ks and then 10ks and then half marathons *together* and eventually maybe she will work her way up to a full. I will keep you posted on Erin vs. Barbie 2010 and we shall see who comes out victorious in the end.

April is a new month. If anyone has any races they’re interested in running and need a friend let me know, I am game! Same goes with gym time, spin class, or just a running buddy!

Yearly Checkup.

Mully had his 1 year check up yesterday. Yes, he is older than 1 year, but all his shots had expired (is that even the right word) and we had to get him vaccinated again to keep him healthy and wonderful! Lucky for us (well me, since I went alone) the vet is one of Mulligan's favorite places in the world. He has loved it since his first visit and ever since Village Vets in Decatur has been our go to place for everything dog.

Mull got excited at the thought of a car ride, but when we got into the parking lot his excitement really perked. I had to keep him in the car for a few extra minutes since some guy pulled in right next to me at the same time with his big ol Rotty and since I did not feel like being dragged, we hung out in the car a bit. I swear he recognizes places because he was hopping out of the car in excitement before I could even get him leashed up. And I made him sit to even enter the vet because he was so pumped to go in.

I know I have already said it, but Mully loves the vet and everyone always tells him that he is super cute and has beautiful brown eyes when he goes. He tends to put his front paws on the counter to say hi to all the employees and yesterday he ran into the vet and before I even got to say who he was and check in, he hopped up to say hi and had so much force he like slid across the counter! **my dog just has to make an entrance** For the first time in a long time he actually stayed on the scale so we could weigh him and for the most part he was VERY well behaved (until it was time to pay and leave and then all the excitement of animals made him demonic).

The vet said he was looking good and healthy. He gums and chompers were looking great and we were told to keep up whatever we were doing (...which is feeding him treats and bones and food) and he was well behaved. HA! Can they do vet visits at home so they can see his out of controllness? He hated getting his temperature taken and the fecal exam - but that is understandable. He got his blood taken and didn't even kick or squirm so he was a good boy and was rewarded with a treat! YUM - his favorite part. The bad news? He is about 5 pounds overweight. He is our little porker. The vet said he looked healthy, but he just had a few extra pounds on him and she would love to see him at 70 lbs not 75.8. So we have to scale back the treats and I cannot feed him pasta anymore as I cook dinner or he can't have bits of American Cheese as I snack. No more eating tater tots off my plate and no more snacking on human foot leftovers.

I did ask about the chewing of the walls and destroying of his beds while in the crate and she said it was separation anxiety. She did not want to put him on meds just yet but if it does not get better that may be an option. She did recommend sending him to a behaviorist or having one come to us and putting him in therapy. But yeah right. We're two 25 year olds saving our pennies. Therapy for a dog - gimme a break. We have to watch him and I went and bought him 2 new toys that are supposedly indestructible. We shall see.

After the vet he got a big long walk since he has about 5 pounds to lose and then his daddy played about 45 minutes of fetch with him later on. He ended up getting sick and puking in our kitchen, but that can be a side effect of all his vaccinations. Most importantly, he slept 98% of the day so we had a Saturday of peace!

I think for now we will keep him, so no puppy for sale now. Sorry.

I dropped the ball.

So. I have recently had this strong urge to run the Chicago Marathon because to me it seemed like this you have to run it at some point type of race and my two friends Clint & Kyle from Chicago were going to run it. SO, I said why the heck not?! Too bad I delayed to register and waited to sign up until payday (the 31st). ...Well yesterday it filled up and closed in record breaking time and I did not get in. Bummer - but there is always next year.

So. I have decided to sign up for The Marine Corps Marathon which is in October too. Registration starts on April 7th and evidently it fills up the very same day so I cannot drop the ball on this one! Marine Corps makes you keep a 14 minute pace at all times. Doable, but I gotta crank up the training and be more consistent if I want to "beat the bridge". Let me know if you're doing Marine Corp ... we can have a pre-race meet up!

Happy running to all!

Doggie Woes.

Sometimes being a pet owner makes me seriously doubt my ability to be a mother to real life children or if I even want to be a mom. Sure kids are great and and cute, but how wonderful are they when they're screaming at 3 am or sick. Probably not all that wonderful. Over the past few months I have begun to think that I am in fact too selfish to have kids and maybe even too selfish to be a pet owner.

Do not get me wrong. I love my little monster. I could not imagine not having him or losing him or anything of the sort. The thought actually makes me teary, but he has super sonic hearing and we have rude neighbors so most nights he loses it and barks at like 2 or 3 am... and just barks because he can hear them storming up the stairs loud as can be. Currently, he is sick. And the poor thing is sick A LOT. So last night around 2 or so Kyle got to take him outside for 20 minutes to let him get fresh air, eat some grass, and make gagging sounds. I got the honor around 4:30 or so. On top of it we woke up two or three times to him under our covers making the same gagging sounds and we woke up to a little pile of puke in our kitchen corner.

Lucky for me my boyfriend doesn't just shove me and say, "Barbie, the dog" he gets up and he helps. But is a good nights sleep so hard to ask for?! I know my little man cannot help it, he does not plan to get sick to reek havoc on our sleeping, but sometimes I miss the moments when I could go to bed at 11:00 pm and wake up at 6:45. But like I said, I wouldn't trade him for the world... we just have a sickly pup who slinks around for now. Sad. I know.

ING Half. Finished. Dominated. Booya!

There is nothing like waking up before you normally get up to run a race... especially when you're less than prepared and rain is in the forecast. But I got myself up and on the Marta by 6:00 AM for the ING Georgia Half Marathon. I did not really set any major goals for myself going into the race and I realized that around mile 4, so I decided that I wanted to be at mile 10 by 2 hours flat (check.completed) and finished by 2:30 (ehh not so much). BUT - I finished in 2:36:53 which is only 6 minutes after my target finish time and a whopping 19 minutes faster than my last half marathon. Super big thanks to my running family on Twitter & Dailymile - your congrats and well wishes mean the world to me. ...evidently beating your last have time by 19 minutes is HUGE! :o)

I didn't know too much about this race other than that it was a running tour of some awesome Atlanta neighborhoods, had some killer hills, and that there would be a lot of crowd support. I was in Corral N and I felt wickedly rushed since they were singing the National Anthem to start and I was still making my way through Centennial Olympic Park. Ehh... poor planning on my part, I thought 1 hour would have been plenty of time to get Downtown. 7:00 the gun was off - I crossed the start around 7:30 and for the first mile or so I was just picking people off one by one, got frustrated with the walkers in the middle of the course, and got insanely hot so I stripped off my jacket and tied it around my waist (amazingly it wasn't annoying like it was in San Fran). Near the beginning of the race I was with the 2:45 pace group and I would lose them and they would catch up and then we would lose each other again. I do not know when I decided I wanted to beat the 2:45 pace group, but I told myself I would not and could not let them catch me again. And they never did. The rain started around mile 3 and as much as I was hoping it would have held off, I was so thankful it was falling since it was cooling my body temp down (the beginning of the race was super humid and I was thinking it was going to be a long 13.1 miles in the sticky air). I took Gatorade at the first water stop (on accident) and remembered just why I do not drink Gatorade in the middle of the race - my stomach started to cramp up around mile 5, which luckily Team in Training was at mile 6 so I got to down some water. The Virginia Highlands & Inman Park area was great, but like normal, I do not remember too much about courses and routes. I just run. Right.Left.Repeat. I did have motivation at mile 10 thanks to Ms. Miley Cyrus and "The Climb" ... perfect timing for that song and around mile 12 The Glee Cast singing "Defying Gravity" kept me moving. ...honestly, I had a pretty rocking playlist. Paul Simon "You Can Call Me All" - two thumbs way way up.

....I digress...

The crowd support (in the rain) was amazing. I do not know, but if you live in the Old 4th Ward and were out cheering us on. You're amazing on so many levels. I loved the people dressed in traffic barrels. To the GA Tech kids who were out in full force dressed as whoopee cushions, bananas, guys dressed as girl cheerleaders, and to the girl giving out water who knew me (still no clue) - you're support at mile 11ish was phenomenal! And near the end everyone who had already finished, your high fives and encouragement was wanted, needed, and appreciated.

I rounded the last corner and just took off when I saw the finish line. Never did my body shut down, I felt good pretty much the whole time, and I really did enjoy myself. It was awesome to know that I ran at an 11 and some pace which is a major accomplishment for me, it felt great picking off people who were in Corrals earlier than me (mean. I know), and I felt like a total moron trying to hold back tears of *joy* as I crossed the finish line knowing that I had majorly PR'ed that morning ... in the rain!!

I got to check off one more race on my marathon/half marathon bucket list. If you live in Atlanta (or are looking for a reason to visit Atlanta) and are looking for a great half or full, you should do it. I know it won't be ING next year but still... do it.

Post race, I walked to QT from the Marta station. Picked up a bag of ice for my ice bath and a chocolate milk. I soaked in the nice bathtub of cold water and ice for about 30 minutes and then waited and waited for the Peachtree Road Race 10k registration to open and when it finally did it was a total fail. I hour later, I was registered for my first ever (and probably only) Peachtree. I spent the rest of the day on the couch because I did not want to nap and ruin any chance of getting a good night sleep - HEY I had to work Monday!

To everyone who ran and finished (half marathon and full) - congrats! You all have SO much to be proud of! :o)

On a side note, I do not know how KT Tape works but I am so grateful I had not used my sample from the Disney Marathon. I have had some pretty rough right calf issues which I think was causing my foot to fall asleep so I decided it could not hurt to try it out. I "taped" my calf up this morning and there was not a single pain or issue the whole race. I do not know how it works but I love it and am going to add it to my Christmas list EVERY year and if you have any aches and pains you should 100% try it out.

I do not know what is next on my list (seriously considering Chicago in October and The Rock and Roll Half - VA Beach in September)... but I intend on just putting one foot in front of the other and getting better on incorporating cross training!

No longer a puppy.

Today is a sad day. Mulligan is officially an adult. Yup. No longer a puppy.

We had to go to Petsmart to get him another big bag of food and evidently dogs that are 15 months or older they get to now eat adult food. So Mull is now chowing down on Royal Canine Large Breed Adult. :o( I miss him being a pup. Those kibbles are like the size of a dime and he now gets 5 cups of food per day!

The two boys in my life are going to eat me out of house and home. That how the saying goes right?!

puppy for sale. only 50 cents.

3 days till ING

We are counting down the days now to the ING Georgia Half & Full Marathon. I signed up for this race coming off the Disney Marathon when I said I would never ever ever do a full again. Thankfully so, since I am once again no where near in half marathon shape (and because I am wickedly congested and at the tail end of a chest and head cold ... which evidently is floating around Atlanta and plaguing many a ING runners -- feel better if you're sick and running!!).

I have never done this race so please do not think I am giving out any tips, secrets, or pointers because well I am not. All I know is what I have heard and all I have heard is that it is well organized, well run, and hilly. So, I did what I normally do and looked for an elevation map. And well it does appear to be quite the hilly course. Mile 6 looks like it will be a doozy (wait, wasn't mile 6 the rough one in San Fran too?!) and that it will be 100% up hill and into mile 7 and finally giving us a break around mile 8. Luckily it looks like mile 11 (when I will be for sure out of steam) is downhill and that the last mile or so is fairly flat with some little hills.

The weather is supposed to be rainy. Last I heard there was a 60% chance of rain.... which means I will for sure be sporting my new pink Nike rain jacket. I do have my fingers crossed that the rain will hold off until AFTER the race but with my luck that won't happen. I tried to look at the hour-by-hour predictions on weather.com and I guess it is too far away to predict what will happen come 7 am on Sunday morning.

Oh well. Good luck to everyone running, walking, crawling, skipping, whatever their way to the finish. If you're doing it, let me know, maybe we can suffer this out together! Happy Running!

ShamRock 'N Roll 10k

Note to self: when sick and barely able to breathe .... running a 10k is not the best decision. A 5k maybe, yes even. A 10k ... it is doable but around mile 4 (at least for me) breathing may become a challenge. :o) ...but only the strong survive right?!

Erin and I ran the 6th annual ShamRock 'N Roll 10k to benefit the Junior League of Atlanta this past Sunday morning and both her and I were all sorts of a mess. Erin had quite the night at a wedding shower with lots of adult beverages and for the past 3 days I have been trying to get over a massive head cold. Needless to say we survived to talk about it and Erin once again rocked the road race and had to wait at the finish for me.

Honestly, I kind of have mixed reviews on the race... I would give it an 8 out of 10 (which is good). The course was fairly easy, we ran the same 5k loop twice. Which to me is fine, except I hate knowing when the big hills are coming up. There was only 1 really unfriendly hill (and if I was hill trained it probably wouldn't have been unfriendly) and it was heading up Northside back to 17th. I also did get passed by the motorcycle and the 10k winner .... rock on .... nothing tells you pick up the pace by someone finishing their 10k in a little over 30 minutes and you're back at the start getting ready for loop numero dos. Atlantic Station & the surrounding area is like a maze, they really could have varied up the course for the 10k'ers and still had us finish at the same end point as the 5k'ers. Honestly, I thought the course was not that bad. Atlantic Station is a fairly pretty area so it was nice to look at (...if that even matters to people) and for the most part the course was flat. It did have a downhill start and finish and I LOVE the word downhill and running downhill. :o) Don't we all. I was (and still am) confused by the timing chip. They did not have a designated start or thing to cross over to get your chip time, but they scanned your race number at the end, which made my official finishing time different than my actual finishing time. ....But I did not start the race when the gun went off so my time obviously is not accurate. Since there was no official start I had no idea where to start my Garmin, so I guessed. You would just think as a Peachtree Qualifier they would have a much better system in place. But, oh well. My Garmin read the race as 6.34 miles ... which is longer than the standard 6.22 .... but I blame it on the unofficial start and shaky finish. Atlanta's finest in some areas were less than stellar. I think they were having a hard time judging people's pace but wanted to keep the traffic moving. At times I wondered if I was going to be playing chicken with a Saturn, but luckily there was no car to human contact. It was a pet friendly race which is awesome, I love dogs, but I do not love dogs who are not controlled when racing. My dog is a total ass clown, I know to not bring him to races. Granted, I would say 8 out of 10 dogs were awesome running pals ... but I got by 2 puppies who did not know how to run with their owner. But hey .... they're puppies .... I 100% understand. The race shirt is awesome. Bright blue and funky. I got my size, but they were once again out the mediums so Erin had to settle for a smaller size. You would think with preregistration they would have some idea on how many shirts they needed. I really cannot wait to wear it. The "after party" was not so much ... most people cleared out real quick. But then again, I never stand around either. Honestly, what is most important is that I think everyone had fun. The race was well organized (despite running out of Medium shirts) and I really have no complaints.

On another note -- I have been having major calf cramping lately no matter how much I stretch and pull my calves. I had to stop just shy of the 3.2 mark to stretch them out one more time. And it is normally around the 3 mile mark that they start giving me problems. On most of my recent daily runs I have had to stretch out my calves at most intersections. It is just annoying. And I think the tight calves is causing my foot dozing off problem. Yes, my foot (mainly my right one) has been falling asleep and getting tingly mid run lately. It irks me and bothers me, but I think the tight calves are playing a major major part. But then again, I am not a doctor or a physical therapist so my tight calves and lazy sleepy feet could be completely unrelated.

Onto ING next Sunday. Oddly, I am not that thrilled about it. Lets hope my calves and feet don't give me too many problems. I would love to have a smooth and easy run but I suspect it will be tough. I have heard it is a rough course with lots of hills and the hills is what seems to trigger the issues. Oi. This shall be fun!! On top of it, I have a really bad chest and head cold that I just cannot seem to kick. Which makes breathing more difficult than it should be. I shall survive. If I don't PR - who cares. It is another 13.1 on my belt. 2 more than some people have!

On a side note: my thoughts go out to Mark Austry's family. He collapsed this Sunday after completing the Rock and Roll Dallas Half Marathon and sadly passed away. Take the time to tell your loved ones that you love them. Life really is too short.

Death of Bed #2

My dog is the love of my life. I love and adore him. But it should not be news to anyone that he acts like a fool and it a total menace. Sure, it comes down to pure bad training and lack of discipline but really … what makes him destroy beds?! I have it down to a few ideas.

1. he is trying to tell us to keep him out of the crate.
2. he is bored out of his freaking mind for 9 hours.
3. he just likes to frustrate us.

I think it is a combo of all three. I think he likes to frustrate his mom and dad. And I think he is trying to say “hey, put me in that crate and I will destroy my bed” … but I also think that he just does get bored. I mean, I could only sleep so many hours if I was in a crate all day. Poor animal. Poor bed. Poor mommy’s bank account.

RIP Red amazing bed. If I was a dog I would love you. You were comfy and corduroy and amazing. I thought it was a great find of $40 at the local Petsmart. Mulligan loved it too, for about a week. He would play with it, lay on it, drag it around the apartment and then all of a sudden BAM the bed was no more. He destroyed the comfy piece of heaven. I wonder how much he will love just sleeping on the hard plastic. I wonder how fast he would destroy blankets or towels. ….I wonder how long he will destroy things for?! … Will he ever grow out of this phase of his life?! Please please please!!

So what is next?! Kyle really thinks I should put Mull’s $100+ Orvis ‘ToughChew’ bed in his crate. I think yeah right … give my dog 9 hours and he can totally destroy it. I did some research and lots of dogs have eaten through the “non destructible” bed so I do not want to take that risk even if they will refund your money 100% or give you a new one. I just wish Mull would not destroy things. Why is he such a jerk?!

Puppy for sale. Only 50 cents!!

Racevine - the runner's need to know database.

We all know that when I stumble across something awesome I just have to share with my fellow runners and well, I stumbled again. Recently I was looking for course and elevation maps and race reviews and stumbled across this page called Racevine. Basically it is a huge database of a bunch of races (everything from 5ks to Ironmans) in which people like you and me can go in and put in honest reviews of how a race went. The main idea behind the site is for real runners to put their honest review of races they have participated in to help other runners prepare for that same race or decide if they want to add it to their race calendar. You can rate how clearly the race was marked, if there were enough water stops, port-a-potties, shuttles etc. If you have ANY questions before race morning (which many people do) ... this is like the mecca of race knowledge. It can also help you plan out your race schedule... Looking for a race in Michigan in May? ...Racevine will give you all sorts of options. Are you going to be in California for a month but want to run a 10k. Racevine will clue you in on events in the area. I am the runner who wants NO surprises on race day. I want to know that there are oranges at mile 19 and that if you're not there in 3 hours you're not gonna get one. And well Racevine will tell me just that.

Well, Racevine is doing a little competition to add reviews to their already extensive database. Between March 10th and April 7th, if you contribute a review on Racevine you are automatically eligible to win some goodies. They have teamed up with some AWESOME partners and here is what’s up for grabs:

To help you get into more races they’re giving away FREE entries into the TriFREAKS triathlon series, See Jane Half Marathon, ZOOMA Colorado Half Marathon, Richmond Multisports series and the Estes Park Marathon. And to help you prepare, train and complete those races, they’re giving away schwag and other cool stuff from Lululemon Athletica, City Running Tours, Enduro Shark, XOOD, Fluid, Soigneur, TRX, Brooke Benlifer – RD, and Ellasport.

Happy reviewing, learning and hopefully winning!

The Outside.

My little monster is not an inside dog. We keep him inside but much to his chagrin. (Big word. I know. Definition: disappointment, shame, blah blah blah. ) ANYWAY. Yes, Mull spends about 9 hours of his day in his crate Monday - Friday while we are at work but after work... he gets a full hour outside. Walking, playing, chasing tennis balls, everything. We then have dinner and he gets to go outside again. He gets a walk around the apartment complex and some more fetch. He spends most of the night outside because he insists on going out there...

On weekends he gets what we call "family walks". It is when Kyle, Mulligan, and me go on a 2+ mile walk around the world. He gets lots of fetch time. And he also gets lots of walks around the apartment complex. But he insists on ramming his body into our front door and jumping on the handle. He does this because he knows it annoys his parents.

He is obsessed with the balcony but we have banned him from the balcony because all he does is bark at the trees or the wind or the people walking below. And he does not have a small friendly bark it is a "back up and get away bark". Yeah.. he is REAL friendly... ugh.

Currently, he is doing a running start and slamming his body into the door. Maybe he will break a rib (not that I want him too, I would much rather he didn't because that would put him into a lot of pain). Sometimes we wish he was not so high maintenance and that 2.77 mile walk would knock him out for a few hours. Am I a bad pet owner? But I guess I will take him outside, he has been demanding it for oh 10 minutes.

Puppy for sale. Only 50 cents.

My Favorite RUNNING Blogs.

I am inspired daily by my fellow runners. Through Dailymile, Twitter, and my blog readers I have a constant ring of supporters around me and I try to be just as supportive to all of them. *Sorry if I suck sometimes* For awhile now I wanted to share a bunch of my favorite running blogs because so many people have suggested blogs to me. I wanted to return the favor. So here we go, in no particular order. My all time favorite running reads.

My Quest to Tackle Health & Running - I have to put Tammy first because from the moment she started following me on Twitter she was a cheerleader and supporter of me goal to run a half marathon and learn to love running. Tammy is a GREAT person to have in your corner. She is nothing but supportive and encouraging. She is easy to relate to. She is like me. She works crazy hours and has to work to get her workouts in. She talks about the ups and the downs. She puts everything on the line for people to know. She is the first one to tell you that you need to get out and run and she is the first one giving you a virtual high five.

Runners Rambles - Aron. In my opinion she is just real. I like how she focuses on running but at the same time she is all over the place when it comes to the sport of running. She really does share her workouts with the world (which many times I am envious of) but she really tries to connect with her readers. She, like most of my favorites is open and honest. She writes about her doubts and her apprehensions and she makes people feel normal. I also love Aron because she too is a huge Nike enthusiast and she is constantly making me what to try new products thanks to her reviews.

Shut Up and Run - Just because she makes me laugh on a daily basis. Being carefree is great in my book and this fellow blogger just does not care. Her humor is off the walls and you can find her often talking about her irregular bowel movements and crapping her pants mid-race. She also is lucky and gets to review all sorts of swag ... making me want to buy pretty much everything. Thanks, Beth! :o)

Running with Frenchie - I love this blog for so many reasons but most importantly because Tara is so honest. I like that she just writes what is on her mind. I like that, like me, she is easing back into this running thing so I (and so many others) can relate to her everyday struggles. She writes so freely that the average runner and just relate. It is refreshing.

RunnerDude's Blog - Simple explanation. He is a running superstar and a great resource. Need Christmas gifts for a runner - he has suggestions. Don't know what to eat pre-race, he will tell you. He is a great person to read especially if you're a newbie like me.

This Girl is a Running Fool - Allie is a real person. So many bloggers (myself included) do not really shed any light on their personal life. Their running blog is all about running. Allie lets her readers get to know her, she is real, she talks about her klutzy moves that ALL runners have, and she gives tips and pointers. She also takes the time to read other people's blogs and give words of encouragement & support.

If I left your blog off please do not have hurt feelings. I am going to continue to share blogs as I become more of an avid blog reader - so you never know you may get a shout out here in the near future. On a side note -- what are your favorite running blogs?! I am always looking for new awesome runners to connect with!

The gym.

I have this love hate relationship with the gym. Some days I hate it and want to cancel my membership, other days I think to myself that I have a REALLY good set up since I pay close to nothing and the gym is a great resource for rainy days. I just hate that there are things I want to do at the gym that I can't or that I have to wait for and I feel like if I am paying for something I should be able to use it.

Take spin class. The 5:30 class fills up at 4:45. I do not even get out of the office till 5 and then to get to the gym and through the doors it is like 5:15. If I want to cycle my butt off to loud pumping music, I should be able to. I know they're popular as hell but really? How can they be THAT popular.

Swimming. The pool has water aerobics most night at 5:30 so I cannot swim and them other night you're sharing a lap lane with one to two other people. Talk about a cluster of chaos. There are legs and arms flailing every where... someone is going to lose an eye. (Or is that what goggles are REALLY for?)

And please for the love of God do not get me started on treadmills and ellipticals. A wait is like a given. And then there is a 30 minute time limit. Oh great, I can barely run 3 miles... that helps my training SO much. And it goes back to the fact that I am paying to use that dreadmill and it I want to run for 60 minutes not 30 I should be able to.

Sure, yes, I do go to the gym right after work. But I know that if I go home, make dinner, get settled on that wonderful couch of mine it is a lost cause. I have to knock it out right after work or it just is not happening. I do go at the peak time, but still. It is 100% absurd. It is always going to be love hate, love hate, till I finally break and cancel. I just know it.