Zoning Out

I did something kinda dumb the other day. I had to run 4 miles of speedwork. And I thought the temperature was going to stay in the mid 70s. Ummmm....Note to self: Check the weather.

I made the mistake of running in the heat of the day. Now it was nothing like the heat of summer. But still. It was hot. Four fast miles in the mid 80s is tough stuff. (I say fast, but we all know that is a relative term.)

Here are my stats:

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 48:35
Best Pace: 9:23 (no idea how that happened)
Average Pace: 12:09 (much more like normal)
Calories: 443

The miles felt good. Speedwork outside always seems to go by really quick. There are so many things to trick your brain into thinking it's not so bad. I change the pace every minute. I strive to hit 10:30 - 11:00 for one minute. Then slow down to 12:00 -12:30 pace for one minute. Then back up to 10:30 - 11:00 for one minute. Then I let myself walk fast for one minute. I did the three minute intervals for three miles.

I'm training myself to zone out. I want to trick my mind as much as I can for as long as I can. I think it will help me be mentally stronger toward the end of my race. I don't want to be mentally stressing at mile 4 on race day. Talk about a race day downer.

I also wore my Injinji toe socks the other day. And I have to say I really like them when my shoes are on. They feel super weird without shoes. And right before I took this picture I thought people aren't gonna want to see my alien toes. Seriously, they are that long. Disgusting, I know. Don't rub it in.

But I had to show you the socks. Over the past year or so, I've gotten blisters on the tip of my second toe on my right foot. Random place to get a blister. But I've noticed when I wear these socks I don't get a blister or add to the callus on the tip of my toe. I also like the thickness of the socks and the fact that they wick away a lot of moisture, which was good since it was a sweat fest of a run.

Yesterday was my off day. So I didn't run. But I did get to see Boom Kinetic play outside in the middle of downtown Little Rock.

It was the perfect way to spend an off day. I'm super pumped for their new album to come out. "City Ocean" is my new favorite Boom Kinetic song. So if you are in the Northwest Arkansas area or the Little Rock area, be on the lookout for a Boom Kinetic show. The band is full of cool dudes who love to play great music. Definitely check them out. So. Much. Fun.

Who's running today?
This girl. Three miles. Long run tomorrow with my mom. Yippie.

Weekend plans?

The Day I Lost The Book

I don't know about you, but I have a book where I write things down. Most people would call it a planner or a date book. I call it The Book.

The Book is vital to my daily life. I use it all the time. It keeps me organized. Yesterday my good friend called to ask what I was doing next weekend. I said I'd have to check The Book. I started looking for it, but I couldn't find it.

You wanna talk about a panic attack. Well I'm pretty sure I had one. I frantically searched for the book while trying to talk to her on the phone. I bound down the stairs and out to my car. No book. The book was nowhere to be found. Which was weird because I had used it that day.

Then I realized I left it sitting on my old desk when I went to visit my fabulous co-workers. And I basically had another panic attack. What if someone took it? Who would take a very used day planner? Y'all, I was terrified.

See...it's not just any ole day planner. It brown and cream giraffe print with a green trim. Very cute. Who wouldn't want it? Especially for free...

I was seriously sweatin' over this dang planner. I guess I'm just sentimental. I've had it since college. And you just take out the planner when the year ends and put in a new one. But the cover remained the same. I mean it's my book.

How pathetic is that? I was basically mourning the loss of my book. I called all my co-workers and asked them to look for it on my old desk. And at 7 a.m. I got the best text message saying that the book was safe and sound. The sky opened, angels sang and beams of light from heaven shined down on my book.

I think part of my paranoia came from my late night run and inability to fall asleep. Hoot owls got nothing on me. Ain't even funny. At 2 a.m. I was convinced I could break into my old office and get my book before the cops could get there. Hello, crazy!!!!!! (Although I did set the alarm off once when I worked there and the cops never came.)

Day 3 of half marathon training:

A three mile tempo run.

Here are my stats:
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 37:45
Best Pace: 11:00
Average Pace: 12:35
Calories: 321

This run looks a lot like my speedwork from Tuesday. So I think that means I need to set it up and kick my butt a little bit more that I did this week.

The three miles went by a bit slower than Tuesday's run. I felt sloshy. Seriously. My stomach made sloshy noises. Probably from the six tons of water I drank in preparation. Note to self: Sloshy stomach makes for an uncomfortable run.

I'm super thankful today is my off day. I am going to the Gallery of Hope to support the Bit. And after that, it's Boom Kinetic time.

Full Boom recap tomorrow....if you haven't been before you should definitely check them out. Too much fun. Too much good music. Party on!

Four mile long run tomorrow....who's in? Pretty soon they will be much longer than four miles....so run with me in these early days, please!!!!!

Ting's Mom wrote an awesome post about Asher!!! THANK YOU KAREN!!!!! If you haven't checked out Karen's blog, definitely pay her a visit. She is pretty amazing!!!!

Hope you peeps have a fabulous weekend!!! Party on!

24

All birthdays should include:

Chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce.

A hand-picked outfit and awesome accessories.

Boom Kinetic. BTW, I got on the stage, and they sang Happy Birthday to me. It was pretty much the most amazing thing ever. And I'm now BFFs with the band. Love it.

My new running shoes are too legit to quit. Cannot even handle how bad ass they are. I swoon.

The roommate got me the most awesome card, and she finally found a place to make the t-shirts she designed a long time ago. So very cool.

That having been said, I guess now is as good a time as ever to tell you I've been seeing a very, handsome gentleman for almost a month. Things are still very new and exciting, and I'm having a grand ole time getting to know him. I'm pleased to tell you the whole thing seems very promising, and I'm excited about the potential. More on that as it unfolds.

I had a wonderful birthday. I think 2012 and my 24th year are shaping up to be absolutely beautiful. I'm so excited to share it all with you as it happens. Yay for birthdays and new beginnings.

Have a great week!

How was your weekend?

What is one of the most memorable birthday gifts you've ever received?

A Boom Kinetic Day

Greetings Friends. Today I'm thankful for this blog because I have lots of stories, and no voice to tell them. Why don't I have a voice, you ask? Well, I sang my little heart (and apparently voice) out during Boom Kinetic's show at Sticky Fingers on Friday night.

But before I get into all that, I have to tell you about the two miles I ran without stopping in the freezing cold Friday afternoon.

I tried out my new compression socks my dad got me for Christmas. And I honestly don't know if they did anything different since I only ran two miles. But I'm hoping to see some differences once I work up some higher mileage.

I was really the most excited to be done with the run because my throat was seriously hurting, and I felt like I could barely breathe the entire time. And it shows in my stats.

Distance: 2.00 miles
Time: 24:10
Best Pace: 11:00
Average Pace: 12:06
Calories: 222

I'm looking for a redemption run tomorrow afternoon.

But back to Boom Kinetic. I was at the very front and center the entire time. I got a picture of the set list, and I have made the most awesome playlist in the history of all the playlists. Two songs you need to get right this very second are "Electric Feel" by MGMT and "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun.

"Electric Feel" by MGMT

"Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun

And just so you know how amazing and excited I was about the whole Boom Kinetic show, I'm going to show you this.

I am the girl just to the right of the guy singing. This was taken by Boom Kinetic's drummer. And I sang every word to every song for three hours straight. And they will be playing in Little Rock on my birthday weekend.

And we (Jodi, the roommate and I) may or may not have talked to the lead singers of the band after the show was over. And now they know who we are and that it's my birthday the next time they come to play in Little Rock.

How was your weekend?

Any new songs I need to know about?

It's the Freaking Weekend Recap

Big weekend happened. Boom Kinetic was back in town. My friend Halee got married. And I had one good run and one bad run. So let's get started, shall we?

The creepy pictures return. You know how much I love to take pictures that really showcase us as people. I think Zach really takes the cake. He looks much like a weirdo stalker, but we love him. And he is not a weirdo stalker.

Do I need to explain how I got so close to Boom Kinetic? Front row baby! We were so close that the guitar player and I had a conversation about playing "Love and Reason." It is my favorite Boom Kinetic song, and I danced like a complete fool.

The dancing got a little out of control, but not on my part. The girl standing next to me basically raped me. I had to use my super sharp elbows to ward her off of me, but she didn't get the picture. She just kept shaking her tailfeather right up against me. NOT COOL.

I had one good run and one bad run. While the times don't look like too much of a difference, I definitely struggled. For 25 minutes of my bad run, I ran with my hand jabbed into my side. Everytime I tried to run without the jabbing I felt like I was dying.

And it shows. My pace was a minute slower than my good run. And I was 5 minutes later. But I did it. And that's all that matters. I'm in the process of fueling for my run tonight. By fueling, I mean drinking water and eating the 9847592 snacks I brought to work today, but most people would call those snacks lunch. I'm sure I'll be starving by 3 P.M.

On the menu today: Leftover Quinoa Vegetable Soup, celery sticks with peanut butter, carrot sticks with spicy hummus, pita chips, Caramel Nut Brownie Luna bar, Pumpkin Walnut muffins and lots and lots of water.

I wish I could say the Quinoa Vegetable Soup was something I came up with, but it's not. I read lots of blogs on a daily basis, and I recently discovered Chelsey's blog Clean Eating Chelsey through a guest post on someone else's blog (I can't remember whose blog she wrote a guest post for...My memory...Yikes.)

You can get Chelsey's Quinoa Vegetable Soup recipe here. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free, just FYI. If you are looking for a healthy veggie soup recipe that is delicious and good for you, this one is it.

What did you do this weekend?

When do you start making Fall-ish foods? Soups, Pumpkin bread, etc?
It's never too early for Fall-ish foods at my house. I love the smell of soup on the stove and pumpkin bread in the oven. It screams Thanksgiving, comfort and love.