Upcoming Races!

Okay, I've done some rearranging of my schedule.  I've decided that:

• I am ready for a 10K.  Not tomorrow, but definitely by June 10th.  Where I will run over the George Washington Bridge for the American Cancer Society in honor of my dad who died over six years ago from cancer.
• If ever I'm going to do a half marathon, it has to be August/September.  Apparently every cool race (Down & Dirty Mud Run, Wineglass Half Marathon, Smuttynose Rockfest, OCNJ Half, etc.) is on SEPTEMBER 30th.  What did I choose? The Wild Half in Wildwood on August 26th.  Because I definitely want to rep the hometown and do the Down & Dirty 10K at Orchard Beach on September 30th.  I haven't yet signed up for either yet because I am pretty broke, but this is the plan. 
• Emailed a charity that I work with at my job to see if I can get into the Spring Lake 5 Miler at the end of May. 
• Trying to find a fun, but timed, 5K for May.  We'll see. 

So now....how do I train?  I definitely have to adapt my training so that I'm doing more running, taking less walk breaks.  Time to leave the 10 & 3 minute intervals behind this week, I think I'll start 15 & 2.  I'm obviously capable of more, as I ran pretty fast *for me* yesterday.  Maybe even the fastest I've ever run.

I have about four months before the half.  I can do this.  In about two months I've gone from barely running, to running about 10 miles a week average.  I want to up that, I want to get faster, and stronger.

THIS IS EXCITING. 

Oops.

I've never mentioned this before...but I'm kind of a sucky blogger and this is kind of, like, my 20,002nd time creating a blog.

The point of this blog is to keep me running, keep me accountable, and document my journey to being a fit runner.

Good part is...I have been diligently running despite my MIA-ness!  And I'll put a lot of backlogged visuals up. 

I can't remember what I did last weekend...but I do know it involved drinking the best beer ever:

Bronx Brewery's American Oak Bourbon Barrel Bronx Pale Ale!

...and hanging out with my best pals, and running (with a lil walking) 5 MILES!  Then looking at our dream neighborhood, just chilling. 

This week was painfully slow and chaotic at work, I was lucky I went running at all when all I really wanted to do was sleep or down some wine.  Finally went out for 3 miles on Wednesday night.

Thursday the Los Animales Locos Run for the Wild team came over to tie dye our shirts.  We had some BBQ and much needed beer!  At least that worked out, because the tie dye was a big fail.  The red and yellow dyes just blended together in the wash and came out like this:

Any hipsters want a porange colored shirt?

Friday I had a networking thing, came home, laid my running crap out for the morning and PTFO.  Totally didn't hear my alarm going off but it infiltrated my dreams for a good ten minutes before I opened an eyelid.  Then came a bunch of texts that basically everyone was almost at The Bronx Zoo already and I needed to hurry up.  My poor husband (who received every bit of my pre-race/OCD panic) parked about a mile away from the starting line and we basically walked through half the course by the time we reached it.  Did I mention it was freezing?  No?  IT WAS FREEZING.  The blonde side of my brain told me to leave my coat in the car, and smarter side of my brain, that I married into, told me I was being ridiculous and to take the damn coat. 

I should've taken more pictures, but I'm too uncoordinated to do that while running.  Trust me, this race was PACKED.  It took us at least 2 minutes to get to the starting line and we ended up wogging for the first quarter mile til the crowded dispersed more.  Within 5 minutes of finding a good pace in the pack, came a turn in the course so sharp that everyone pretty much came to a dead stop.  This happened a few times.  Around 1.7 miles I decided to screw making any kind of good time in the race and enjoy the giraffes:

So cool!

I paused my Runkeeper app while I took pics and uploaded them to Facebook.  I decided to run again and didn't realize for a while that I didn't turn it back on.

I didn't float between the two grey markers, I swear.

Oops.

There was a lady pushing the most ginorm double stroller ever that literally took up 9/10ths of the road.  I ended up having to wog some more until I could finally pass her.  Two girls next to me started saying "The finish line is RIGHT after this turn."  Hooray!  I start booking it around the turn, and okay, no finish line in sight.  So I slow down again and they catch up and again it's "Okay, I definitely remember it being after this turn."  I run again! Fast! Too Fast!  Finish line wasn't for another probably .30.  I knew the husband had dusted me back at 1.5 so I crossed the finish line with a doofy smile and my sunglasses, because I learned that race photos can be extremely ugly if you are a) out of shape b) run with your mouth wide open c) are not as graceful as you imagine you are.  Sure enough he took a picture of me, a side view, and though slightly more flattering than the first race...still not postable.  I look forward to the "after" pics so I can post all these crazy ones.

Mike said the clock said 34 something when I crossed the finish, and I know for a fact we crossed the start at around 1:48.  So, somehow, with my giraffe photo shoot, the insane turn traffic, the double wide stroller house, my seemingly slow pace, and the false finishes....I shaved off at least 6 minutes from my first 5K time!! MY FIRST RACE PERSONAL RECORD.  All this running is doing SOMETHING.  I didn't get a medal, but I did get a plush lion and a pretty slick water bottle.  

Eventually, Los Animales Locos all caught up near the sea lions exhibit.

Champs! I look like a tool bag in the back.

And I must say, I am so proud of all these ladies (and my husband) because for most of them, it was their first ever 5K!  And judging by the post-race party convos...I will always have race partners! So excited!

We wanted to walk around the zoo but it was still around 49 degrees, windy, we were all sweaty and parked way too far to get our stuff.  In hindsight, I feel dumb for not spending more time at the zoo on a relatively uncrowded day.

But...the following consoled me instead:

Blue Moon Summer.

FRIED FOOD.  Omg, it's been so long. I think.

The team hung for a while, but eventually it was just the serious partiers hanging out for the rest of the afternoon.  Thankfully I switched to Michelob Ultra at some point in the day or I would've had a very unhappy morning I'm sure.

While I wasn't hungover, I knew today's breakfast had to be serious.  I've been dying to make huevos rancheros again for a while, and haven't found the right moment to have basically nachos with an egg thrown on top for breakfast.  Today was the right moment.

Cat's very own huevos rancheros - huevos del awesomesta. My Spanish is impeccable.  

Today involved a lot of laying around after that.

And researching races.  I'm changing up my race schedule.  I'll post more about that next time.  This post has gotten out of control!

Warmth!

Thanks to a meeting, I got out of work early! Hooray! How a Thursday should be.  Except I wish I was running today and it wasn't a rest day because I just want to express my freedom!

So, if you happened to look at my Runkeeper stats, I've been running.  And if you look a little closer, I've been running EXACTLY to the mile for the day's distance.  Because I am trying to run faster and can't breathe by the time I make it to the set distance. My two miler the other day was very close to being the fastest two miles I've ever ran...too bad I had to walk towards the end because 85 degrees and trying to run my hardest doesn't really work out.

But I've run 23.4 miles so far this month.  DO YOU KNOW HOW HUGE THAT IS?  I know, there are tons of running bloggers running that in two days....but they are awesome freaks.  I'm not.  It's still a struggle to run.  The whole month of March I ran 20.2.  It's only 4/19!!  Wait til May!

More good news...I'm down about NINE pounds in less than a month.  I lost two pounds this week despite the wining, dining, and...beering through out.  I'm sure the speedier and more consistent running is to blame, and it's got me totally hyped up to run more!!

I was thisclose to signing up for the Get Outside on Governor's Island 10k that's happening June 24th.  I was all pumped and set to go to Paragon Sports downtown and get the $10 registration discount today until I realized that's the weekend I'm seeing Jim Gaffigan in Atlantic City...which was my anniversary gift from my husband...I think he got the hint I like his standup when I made him listen to all his comedy albums on the way back from Florida last year.  Hot Pocket!  So, Jim comes first...and it turns out there aren't many 10k's in June locally...so I might have to try to find one to run when we go to (tentatively) San Fran and San Diego in July, or take a roadtrip somewhere.  I need the 10k goal to work towards!

I have a desire to ride around on a bike this weekend throughout the Hudson Valley. I miss my bike.  I believe it weighs about 45 pounds to begin with.  A piece of shit department store bike that I rigged with a basket and back of the seat rack thingy, saddle bags and a bigger water bottle holder...that dragged my ass up the Verrazano bridge span as well as through the whole other 50 miles of the 5 Boro Bike Tour!  Someday I'll get a lighter bike and do it again.  Oh, memories!

Notice! How! I! Can't! Stop! Using! Exclamation Points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing better than getting home early on a gorgeous day.  I'm going to go lounge outside!

Oh, Hi There!

Where were we?  Oh, not running on Thursday.  Right.  Guess what? Didn't run Friday either!

Instead, I got to go to a wonderful blood lab, where they gently eased my blood out of my arm.  With their fists!

Just Kidding. 

I spent a total of about THREE AND A HALF HOURS at the lab.  It was just amazing.  So amazing that by 9:45 AM I was deciding what my first drink of the night would be.  And the second, third, fourth and fifth as well. 

I obviously have trouble staying motivated once one little thing goes off track for the day.  I've got to work on that if I ever expect to get me a damn medal. 

I did get my beer though........

Duvel Green...I mean Duvel Single now.

And it turns out I didn't need to plan out to my fifth beer.  Two did me in.  TWO BEERS.  ME.  DUNZO.  Will wonders never cease? 

Saturday morning I got up and knew I had to do something about the lazy attack.  Dragged my husband, very literally, out of the bed and made him go with me.  A four miler that was 4 minutes quicker than the previous one.  It was so beautiful out, warm with a breeze, everyone on the trails said "Good Morning" and I got to blow my nose into a sock I found in my car!  TMI? Yup.  Apparently I have allergies, and running through the grass and tree lined paths clog my whole head up so that I cannot breathe or hear.  And why would I have tissues in my car?  Socks, yes.  Tissues, no.  It was a good decision. 

Then my oldest friend ever (friendship time, not age) calls me up to hang out on this fantastic day.  I find this:

Stolen from www.shawangunkwinetrail.com

UM. A WINE AND PASTA PAIRED ADVENTURE BETWEEN 11 WINERIES.  We were there in an hour.  It was so much fun.  I just wish the pours were a little...heavier...

How my glass looked pretty much 98% of the time...sad and empty.

We ended up only hitting up six of the wineries because we started late.  We went to Benmarl, Stoutridge, Glorie Farm, Adair, Robibero, and White Cliff vineyards.  Definitely loved one of the wineries the most.  The one my debit card got declined at (Damn you, HSBC and your arbitrary silliness).  The one that has a wine called Candy Ass Red!

 I also got mad jelly over THIS at Stoutridge...

DO YOU SEE WHAT THESE WINE BOTTLES ARE WEARING?

Bitches. 

All this running around leads to one thing, all the time.  Unless it's after midnight, then it's White Castle all the way.

All Your Sushi Are Belong To Us (me)!

Saturday basically made up for my whole week of nothing doing. Yesterday was a lay around and watch Netflix type of day.  Only 52 more work days until summer vacation.  Today's 80 degree sunny weather is not helping me stay focused.  Or avoid beer. 

Well.

What happens when you drink a half bottle of wine, three beers and a martini blabbing away with friends?

And by you I mean I.

It means laying in bed for hours. Watching the lamest tv shows.

At least I'm too tired to eat poorly.

Probably not running today...good news? Those socks are the bomb. My calves feel amazing.

 

Don't you judge me, Hunter.

Running Day Off - Debauchery Ensues.

Today has been an extremely eventful day of vacation at home.

Woke up early, had the usual for breakfast....Cream of Wheat with a splash of Aunt Jemima Lite and the teensiest smattering of ICBINB Light all for 3 points.

Yum.

Then I laid around for hours watching the Today Show and reading running blogs.

Finally, I thought, it would be nice to take mother out for lunch.  So we went to my (ex-)favorite watering hole.

I AVOIDED ALL OF THESE.  Mostly because none of these taps said "Delirium Tremens" or "Kona Koko Brown."

And then everything went blurry...we somehow had clam strips, I got a bucket of  mussels with garlic bread, and Michelob Ultras kept popping up in front of me!

These little morsels of seafood can't be THAT bad, right?

So I diligently tracked my points and....

Oops.

I'm OUT OF POINTS.  It's TWO IN THE AFTERNOON.  If you look in the upper right hand of the last pic, even my iPhone was dying over it!

What's a girl to do but have another Michelob Ultra?  So what if I'm busting into my weekly points on a WEDNESDAY!

Anyway, came home to these suckers:

Mmmm....compression.

CEP Compression socks, which I find nothing but rave reviews on.  I'm pretty desperate to avoid shin splints, which are lessening over time, and calf soreness, which seems to get worse with time. And at first, couldn't figure out how the hell to get them on.  Gave up.  Had a beer and voila!

Sexy and I know it. Look at those knees...I work out!

Here I am.  Compression socked up.  Having my third Mich Ultra.  Watching Nate Berkus.  In my cock pants.

Yup.

Cock Pants.

See?

Definitely going to need to run tomorrow.  And probably just eating a crapload of steamed veggies for dinner.

EDIT:  We've moved into martini zone...today is a wash in the healthy department!

A MILEstone! Get it??

4 miles today. A new Runkeeper (and personal) record! I could not wait to get this email.

 

Don't look at my other emails, thanks.

My calves are severely crampy today though. I ordered myself some CEP compression socks and as soon a the UPS man throws them at my door tomorrow, they are going on!

Let's reminisce...me playing college soccer about 10 years ago (OMG.). At this point, I was probably smoking at least a half pack of cigarettes a day, and tallying up a few beers at a time:

And you know what? Even though I weigh more...I'm in way better shape now. My idea of a snack isn't tortellini and butter or cheese fries. Smoking is SO 2001-2006. My beer drinking is definitely...curbed. And even though I was a forward...I sucked at running. Great aim, strong kick, but shitty at running back and forth. I ended up quitting the team once I started really utilizing the music studios. Joined again junior year, quit again to just GTFO and graduate early...because I hated RUNNING.

So today is an accomplishment, even though I ended up having a Bravo channel marathon, with an hour long nap. And some wine. I mean...I burned 577 calories today! Totally wine worthy.

 

It was slow, but it really sucked, and I did it. And what a difference starting at 8:00AM made!

Time for some more reality tv. Pathetic, but I earned it. Goodnight!

 

Damn You, Warm Weather, Damn You!

Ok.  It's my fault.  If you look to the little Runkeeper widget on the right today, you'll see my latest run says....1.15 miles.  I had planned to do a very light two today.  A little sore from the new running style I must have from the Pureconnects.

History Lesson:  I used to run, exclusively, at the track.  The key was to get there as soon as I woke up and my eyes could focus enough to drive and not kill anyone on the way.  At least in the warmer months.  When I started running again this past winter, I love winter running, I got accustomed to being one of the few brave (or like me, extremely hot blooded) souls there.  However, every spring, something happens in which the mass population of the nearby area decides to go outside.  And not only outside, they decide to go to the track. 

Are all of these people running on the track? Nope.  Walking on the track? Nope! How about dancing, tricycling, scootering, rollerskating, just chillin', kicking soccer balls, letting their dogs loose to jump on people, sprinting 8 people wide, sitting and chatting with old friends about the good old days on the track? YES x 10!

How do 4 laps at the track turn into 1.14 or so miles?  When you are constantly trying to get around/away from all the obstacles, of course!  I must've run from the inner most lane to the outermost 50 times during this run.  I ran a 9:42 mile and mentally quit.  I decided to walk on the (paved) trails (where everyone of these people minus the sprinters should be) for a minute to see if I could get my focus back.  HELL NO.  It was over. 

It was my fault too.  I shouldn't have been watching the Today Show all morning...that show is like crack! They had the world's tiniest dog, and Hoda broke a wine glass and ruined her dress, and yeah I left the house at 11 AM to run.  Far too late for a nice day.  I thought the wind would keep everyone away. 

Anyway, I ran some errands and came home.  I decided to comfort myself with food...but in a healthy way! Hooray!

I made a cauliflower pizza crust, recipes are all over the web, but they require as much cheese as cauliflower....well that's kind of defeating the purpose! I made it personal sized: quarter head of cauliflower, 1/4 cup low fat mozz, 1 egg white and topped with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, a tablespoon of tomato sauce and an heirloom tomato (5 Points! Boom!)

 

 

Mega-Yum!

The first time I tried to make a cauliflower crust...it got stuck to the pan and was ruined (TOO MUCH DAMN CHEESE).  This time? It was actually like slightly doughy pizza.  Flipping awesome. 

Well, I'm going to watch TV, take a nap and try another run tonight with the husband. 

I've been a bad, bad girl.

What did I do Thursday night when my BFF and ever came over?
Drank a six pack of beer. Made a pretty healthy chicken sausage and peppers dinner. Then went out and had more beer.
Friday, no long run, knee was hurting. Me and my pal went to the Y and did 30 on the elliptical. Then went to Joe's Crab Shack and chowed down on some steampots. And a Coronita Margarita. Not too bad!!

So good.  Not sorry.

The goal of the day was to tie-dye our team shirts for the Run for the Wild 5K....

But then we came back and decided to bake olive bread, make a raspberry and Brie en croute dealie, some spinach artichoke dip...all washed down with champagne and red wine.
....
Points? What points? Thank you Weight Watchers for activity points!

Yesterday I was much better, my friend went home and I lost my party partner. I ended up not running and just laying around all day though. Husbo and I went out to REI and got some new running shoes. We ended up testing the Brooks Pure styles and loved the fit. He got the PureFlow and I got the PureConnect (IN PURPLE!).

When I got home I read mixed reviews about the PureConnect shoes and got worried. Were they going to be too narrow, even for my narrow canoe feet??

PURPLE!!

STRIPES!!

Well, had quite the run today up at SUNY Purchase, our alma mater. Turns out I shouldn't drink much water before a run. Also turns out, the college locks all the buildings for Easter.....
The full bladder made me run a 10 minute mile, til I found a solution. :)

Nalgene EveryDay...48 oz. may be a bit too much for the pre-morning run...

Next couple of miles were slower, but I did move faster than usual, and man, I LOVE THE PURECONNECTS!! No foot pain, knee pain is minimal, I was flying with these. I always thought more cushioning = better running shoe. Even though these are cushioned, they're just perfect for my feet. I was worried about the heel counters on my already blistered heels, didn't even feel them! And what's even better? No new blisters.

Kinda scared to weigh in for reals on Tuesday (especially because I'm having the best treat today: ROAST LAMB!), but I'm going to be able to train better this week without work in the way.

Happy Easter!
I'll add pics later!

The "How Did I Gain 38 Pounds in One Year?!" Post

I say this all the time.
I got married last February, after running and cross training for 6 weeks hardcore because I realized my dress was too tight.

Here I am...ready to attack some damn cake that I EARNED. And it was delicious.

And the week we spent in Florida after the wedding, definitely the beginning of the downfall. That week alone I think we consumed the remainder of the Rogue Chocolate Stouts, Jai Alai IPAs and whatever concoctions we made from the Margaritaville blender we brought down with us.
We came back to NY and continued celebrating at our favorite bars...

Forty beers on tap, and I've had every single one this year. :)

Then there was the honeymoon to Barcelona and Madrid. Where this picture shows probably the healthiest thing I consumed over there.

Tapa from Quimet y Quimet...YUM!

Offer me a BOTTLE of wine for 2€? What do you think I'm going to do!!
And we know it's really hard to get back into the real world when you come back from vacation, so why don't we have an ice cream and chocolate topped Belgian waffle for dessert?

And then we did a lot of camping. A lot of beer-centric trips. And according to Runkeeper, not many miles logged running at all!

Mmmm...kielbasa cooked in beer.

Mmmm...Long Trail Brewery flight.

How you stock a car for a camping trip. All wonderfully potent craft beers, with the exception of a guilty pleasure called Wild Blue..

.

That brought us through half of the year 2011. Throw in the second half with my Vermont vacations, backyard parties, lack of running, two medical issues that threw me for a loop for the last few months and here we are! Almost 40 pounds heavier and struggling to regain the stamina and speed I once had.
And the sad part, this isn't the first time I've gained back all the weight I've lost. That's why this time I have to get on track. I'm getting older, there are things I want to accomplish in life and being healthy will be essential. Heart problems run on both sides of my family, as do diabetes and cancer. Getting in shape, leading a healthy lifestyle where I learn to balance my favorite things (beer....wine....laying in bed) with a healthy diet and exercise regime, and gaining a sense of accomplishment are so, so incredibly important to me.
This post is extremely important because I start a week and a half break from work in three hours, and a routine I've become accustomed to....yikes.

Food.

So I'm still doing this Weight Watchers thing. On Monday, it'll be a whopping two weeks. I'm down about 6 pounds...and I've done WW before and lost 30lbs. I know this works. The problem arises when you love to cook. I've been just measuring and counting each individual items, then attempting to figure out how much of the two ounces of cheese I put in the rice I actually ended up ingesting. How much of the olive oil was absorbed by the meat and sloshing around in my belly? I don't really know!!

So I just try to eat small portions of things I don't know about. Tonight I made garlic hoisin shrimp grilled with mango....

Should be low points. I figure somewhere around like 4 or 5 because of the sauce.

Then I had these. The best things ever. Do you like Samoa girl scout cookies? Yep. Just like that. But thin, low cal and my saviors. If you don't go to Trader Joe's...you must live somewhere without planes, because Trader Joe's is an experience, a Mecca of all food things holy (except their produce blows).

All I know is, if the scale doesn't budge tomorrow I'm going to go on a craft beer drinking binge.

Just kidding, sorta. Friday is going to be my long run of the week anyway. Well, judging by how my legs feel today after 3 miles, I want to say lame 3 miles, but I was barely running 2 last week so I'll cut myself slack...next run might be Saturday. I blame the stationary recumbent bike from yesterday, my thighs hurt.

Time to read some World War Z and hope to not have crazy nightmares and wake up with the birds again...

 

Delusional Thoughts vs. Reality

Delusional Thought #1 of the day....I will go straight from work to the gym and make the elliptical my bitch for 45 minutes. 

 Reality...My school will go on lockdown for a half hour after my usual work time, I will get to the gym late, there will be no parking, the only machine left is the recumbent stationary bike, YOU KNOW, THE ONE THE OLD LADIES USE.

Delusional Thought #2 of the day...I had to have lost like 10 pounds by now, between running, eating right, and all that good shit.  

Reality...Ah, one pound down since last week.  Awesome. 

Delusional Thought #3 of the day...I am going to drink a gallon of water at work today.

Reality...I really fucking hate drinking water.

And finally...

SEMI-Delusional Thought of the day...I am going to run a 10K in July and a Half Marathon in August.

Reality...I have a TON of work to do.

So.  Eventful day.  Allow me to lament about the gym.  In fact, since I like making lists, let's do this:

WHY RUNNING OUTSIDE IS 1,005 TIMES BETTER THAN GOING TO THE GYM

• You do not have to wait for a machine only to get stuck on the crappy recumbent bike with the sketchy seat and two channels on the TV (white people problems?)
• You (typically) will not see any naked people.  Especially in close proximity, hopefully. 
• If you want to get away from someone, you run faster.  Doesn't work on the treadmill.
• The temperature typically varies from 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• You do not smell people outside.  Dog poop, briefly, maybe, but you can get AWAY FROM THE SMELL.
• You don't feel like a hamster.
• You don't have to look for parking.  
• You don't feel like you just caught a few diseases from touching the heart rate monitor. 
• You can look around without having the paranoid and self-conscious think you're judging them (I can see you turned the level down before you started speeding up, and I DON'T CARE).
• YOU DO NOT SEE NAKED PEOPLE.  ALL UP IN YOUR GRILL.  
• Yeah, locker rooms are friggin' gross. The End.

 And to end my post, let me tell you, my friends and I plan on doing the Run for your Lives zombie themed 5K obstacle course in Maryland in October.  Do you know that it is $75 to register, $20 a PERSON to camp overnight (and you can't bring your own food/beverages, the event organizers will provide that for you TO BUY), all for me to cry and probably run the fastest 3 miles of my life (I'm scared of haunted houses/horror movies/people chasing or touching me)...and do what? Oh, GET A MEDAL.  Hopefully before the heart attack/nervous breakdown.  And they better have some beer.

Worth it? Probably not.  But how else will I get my wall of greatness going?

Snacks and Other Tails.

Now that I'm becoming a champion, I have to eat right. My cheese platter with a baguette and a goblet of Cabernet days are pretty much over. What's a snack now?

This colorful junk. And a gallon of water a day. Maybe some veggies when I get home from work.

And what came in the mail the other day but a whole bunch of animal tails!! It's not for some crazy late night activities or anything....but for the WCS Run for the Wild 5k at The Bronx Zoo. My team, Los Animales Locos, who you may feel free to donate to, needed to spice up our run apparel for that day. So, if you see a large group of people too old to be wearing tails and tie dyed shirts, struggling to breathe, screaming something about pitchers of beer afterwards...you may have found us.

Today's goal? 10 min/2min intervals x 3 again. Let's hope it goes as well as Friday. Let's also hope I find my Mizunos when I get home. Let's finally hope I don't get any more blisters.

Edit: Less distance than Friday. Found my Mizunos. Didn't get any more blisters.  Booyah!  However, I did realize that a few of last week's blisters have erupted...found that one out in the post-workout hot shower....

I'm Cat. I want a medal.

I'm sitting here, resting my jacked up feet after this run. My farthest running distance yet. And you know what? I want recognition. And not just any recognition: I want a medal.

This running thing is awesome and makes me feel good and allows me to drink beer and not gain a bajillion pounds, but it's no sculpted piece of metal or glass hanging from a ribbon, that's for damn sure.

I don't just want one medal either, though my blog title may have you believe that. I want a bunch of medals. I want a wall of greatness.

I understand medals are given out at half marathons mostly. I'm not there yet. And some serious runners poo-poo on the notion that one can earn a medal by finishing a 5K. Haters gon' hate, I don't care. I'll gladly accept that medal, because I deserve a medal every time I run 3.1 miles or more when I could be watching a Real Housewives marathon (no medal for that marathon!).

So, follow my journey from extreme sleeper to super medal earning runner.