The Run-Down

So in poking around on B's other blog on wordpress, I was impressed with the functionality and options that worpress gives you as compared to blogger. Among them being the ability to add a flickr widget and not being signed out of my gmail account every time I sign into Blogger. So! That being said, I've moved all of my posts and comments over to wordpress, and now all I need to do is to move you fine people, my loyal readers (all 3 of you). :)

My "new" site (or location) is: http://rundown.wordpress.com/

I know I just started this site a very short time ago, but I really think I'll like wordpress better. So...please update your links / blogrolls accordingly! Thanks!

Posted in: on Saturday, September 1, 2007 at at 10:49 AM 0 comments

I'm not going to show you pictures of my actual wound (gross!) but here's my leg, all dressed up, and lots of places to go:

Posted in: on Friday, August 31, 2007 at at 12:53 PM 0 comments

This morning I was running along, listening to The Bravery on my iPod, when all of a sudden, I felt it catch. My toe, that is. On a crack in the pavement. Now, I'm normally kind of clumsy, so early on when I started running I had sort of mapped out all of the large cracks in the sidewalk in my mind. Potential hazards, things to avoid. I know there's one on my home stretch to my apartment, and another down one of my favorite hills. I even know which puddles to avoid because they make the pavement slippery and hazardous. But this particular crack was not on my list.

As I felt my toe catch all I remember was thinking "ohhhhh #*%^" (expletives deleted). I tried to aim my fall -- which was pretty pointless -- over towards the grass and off of the sidewalk. I landed pretty hard on the heel of my left hand, my right knee and my right shin/calf. And after landing? I may have skidded a bit. I don't exactly remember. All I know was thinking "well...there goes wearing a skirt tonight to the game."

I surveyed the damage, and saw that my hand was in pretty good shape, as was my knee -- both were bleeding a bit, but not too badly. Nothing felt broken, so that was also good. My shin, however, was a completely different story. It had already started to turn a lovely shade of pinkish purple, and I could tell most of the skin was rubbed off. It didn't hurt too badly (endorphins, much?) but I thought, "I have to get home to clean this up." My thought progression naturally went from "get home and clean up" to "running will get me there faster." So I ran the rest of the way home (albeit a shorter course than normal). Along the way, I passed an older gentleman who made some sort of comment, but I didn't hear him because of my iPod. It could have been something along the lines of "yuck" or even "get thee to a hospital" but I didn't care. I got home and cleaned up my wounds, and although they still hurt (a bit more than I thought they would) I'd say I'm in pretty good shape. My leg isn't the prettiest thing to look at, but I digress.

Note to self: look for more cracks in pavement / be more alert when running. Kissing the sidewalk is not fun.

Posted in: on at at 9:08 AM 0 comments

So, I've accepted that I run more slowly in the morning than I do in the evening. That's fine, I accept it -- for right now. It's something I'll work on in the future.

But this morning? this morning? On top of my already slower running, my legs were completely uncooperative. I couldn't find a rhythm for the first mile, and felt as disjointed as a marionette running down the street. Eventually they began to get their act together, but the last 1/2 mile it was back to the same story. Puppet legs.

Despite this, however, my calves have been feeling a lot better both right after my runs and after stretching, so yay for that. I will say, however, that they're looking quite muscular these days -- and while that's not exactly "girly," it's kinda cool. :)


In other news, my mom found the old Merlin game (see previous post regarding the awesome 80's toy). It was fun, but we couldn't remember how to play a few of the games. I'll have to try to look up the instructions / manual online. Everything is online these days, right?

Posted in: on Thursday, August 30, 2007 at at 9:46 AM 0 comments

1. Tic Tac Toe
2. Music Machine
3. Echo (a game similar to Simon)
4. Blackjack 13
5. Magic Square (a pattern game)
6. Mindbender (a game similar to Mastermind)

All of which I remember, and all of which were so.much.fun. I may or may not have also used Merlin as a pretend phone (obviously foreshadowing to my future). Wikipedia says that it was one of the most popular handheld games in the 80's...so I know I'm not the only one out there that remembers Merlin. Anyone? ....Anyone?

I'm going to see if my parents still have the one I had -- and if so, I'm bringing it back.

Posted in: on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at at 1:44 PM 3 comments

Posted in: on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at at 9:53 PM 0 comments

Posted in: on at at 9:24 AM 2 comments

This morning I got up for my run, and the second I walked out my front doors, it hit me -- the morning reminded me of mornings when I was a kid. Specifically, mornings right around the first day of school. The air, the temperature...even the way it smelled. Everything reminded me of walking to the bus stop in my new tennis shoes, ready for the first day of school.

The days (and weeks) preceding the first day of school I would be consumed with picking out my "first day back" outfit, lacing and re-lacing my new tennis shoes, and looking at my new school supplies -- which also meant loading them in and out of my backpack numerous times. Each colored folder with its matching colored spiral bound notebook. The new packages of crayons, pencils, and colored pencils. Matching my new colored eraser toppers with my pencils (pink with pink, purple with purple, and so on). I was always excited to go back to school -- even until high school, although by then I wouldn't admit it.

As I was running this morning, I thought back to having to run the mile in high school. There were two dreaded days in my high school gym class -- the day we found out that we would be starting our swimming unit, and the day the teacher announced having to run the mile. I'm still no good at swimming, but as I ran this morning, I thought, "I would love to be able to go back to high school now -- now that I can run way more than a mile without a problem." My running the mile in high school normally went like this. I grumbled with my friends about why running the mile was stupid, and how I didn't want to get sweaty because then I'd have to shower before my next class. Then, we'd line up (behind all of the kids who were on cross country and couldn't care less about having to run a measly mile) and we'd start. I would run as fast as I could for as long as I could, which typically was 1/4 around the way of the 4 lap track, and then I'd stop, gasping and panting for breath, and would think that running was dumb and horrible and painful and nobody in their right mind would ever do it. I would then proceed to walk the remainder of the 4 laps, and call it a day.

I know I'm still new to this whole "running thing," but I can tell I'm making progress. Today's run was great, and for a minute I wished I could be running down to the bus stop in my new shoes, with my new backpack and school supplies, ready to line up to run the mile in gym class.

Posted in: on Monday, August 27, 2007 at at 9:22 AM 3 comments

Yes, that's right. The infamous love-em or hate-em halloween mellowcreme pumpkins are back at your local Walgreens. Or Target. Or wherever you shop for your various halloween-related novelty candy items. And this year, they've brought reinforcements:

Caramel apple candy corn? Seriously? Was the regular old candy corn not good enough anymore?
(I actually tried it and didn't like it...my mom did, though.)

Ok. So. This means three things:

1. The end of summer is near. For real. Which...boo.
2. Halloween is fast approaching.
3. My birthday is coming up!

(See future posts for birthday gift ideas -- I would hate for you all to rack your brains to try to figure out what to get me. )

Posted in: on Sunday, August 26, 2007 at at 5:35 PM 2 comments

Today during my run, my right calf was tight. I chalked it up to not having stretched quite enough, and kept going. My first mile was great, but after that -- OW! By the time I got home the pain was traveling its own little circuit from my calf to my ankle to my foot, and then back up to my calf. Over. And over. I stretched it out, and it feels a bit better. But ow!

Last night I went over to my friend A's house to play some Wii. Having never played before, I didn't know what to expect. Um...I WANT ONE. I'm pretty sure that it's the best/coolest thing ever. My Mii age (not having much practice) was 67, but then after some practice, I got it down to 50 (I think). My favorite game we played was Tennis, and it was so much fun. Today, however, my shoulder hurts from using my controller as a bowling ball/tennis racquet/baseball bat/golf club. My first Wii-related "injury"!

Posted in: on Saturday, August 25, 2007 at at 10:30 AM 2 comments

Every day on my walk from where I park to where I work I see countless women. It's a little over a 5 minute walk, and I see all shapes, all sizes, all ages. Corporate America -- everyone from high ranking executives all the way down to people that might work in the mail room. Being a people watcher at heart, I take notice of people's clothes, what they're doing, who they're talking to, etc...but, to be honest, mostly people's clothes. It was on my walk today that I saw not one...not two...but FIVE instances of a cardinal rule of women's fashion being broken. Yes, I counted.

Posted in: Seriously? on Friday, August 24, 2007 at at 8:54 AM 1 comments

So, I was looking in my refrigerator today and I realized...it looks like the refrigerator of a bachelor. I have the following: my brita water filter, some applesauce, 1/4 of a container of orange juice, string cheese, 1/2 a loaf of wheat bread, condiments, and a bottle of vodka that has been in there since I don't even know when. No milk. No fruit / vegetables.

My freezer, on the other hand, is packed full...although its contents probably leave something to be desired. It contains mostly lean cuisine entrees, french toast sticks, chicken nuggets, garlic bread, ravioli, and some ice cream.

Before anyone freaks out about my nutrition (or lack thereof) ... I eat a healthier diet now than I did two months ago. My main meal of the day is at work (free lunch! whoo!) and that is usually comprised of fruit, vegetables, milk, cottage cheese, and some sort of protein. This would probably explain my bare refrigerator. I will add, though, that being a 'single gal,' it's hard to cook for just one person. I don't want to eat the same leftovers for 4 days straight, and most fresh food items (fruit, veggies) go bad before I can eat them up.

Even so...I feel like I should go grocery shopping -- that applesauce is starting to look a little lonely.

Posted in: on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at at 10:50 AM 1 comments

Posted in: on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at at 9:03 PM 0 comments

So I woke up this morning (after a particularly gross bout with a stomachache yesterday -- suffice to say it involved an automatic flushing toilet and my face being all to close to said toilet / toilet water) and actually felt fine. Good, even. So...my powers of deduction tell me that it must be the medication I'm on, and now I just need to figure out the best time to take it (before bed, so I sleep through the sicky feeling? perhaps.).

In other news, the rain continues -- rainy day count: 4. Weather forecast: rain until Saturday. At least I have about 5 hours of DVR to watch tonight when I get home! :)

Posted in: on at at 9:28 AM 2 comments

So...this morning I woke up early (6:20!), rolled out of bed, and went for a run. That's right...I was up and moving / functioning on some level, at 6:30 in the morning. Now, getting up this early may or may not have something to do with me going to bed last night at 8:00 (no joke!). I'm proud of actually getting out of bed because I thought seriously about going back to sleep until 7:00, but went out into the rainy, soggy morning anyway.

The run itself was good, and it was very quiet and peaceful (something my evening runs defnitely are not, what with traffic and people doing lawn work and gross south-side guys whistling at me from their rusted out pickup trucks as I run by). I haven't decided if my morning running will become a regular thing, but I definitely like the idea of being able to go home and relax tonight after work instead of getting home and going straight out the door for my run. I will admit, though, that it feels like I've been up for 12 hours already. Maybe evening naps will become the norm...?

Posted in: run it on Monday, August 20, 2007 at at 11:57 AM 2 comments

Perhaps inspired by my sister's most recent foray into blogging, I, too, have decided to start a blog. (That reminds me, B, I need you to show me how to put ads on the bottom of my blog!) While my title isn't as creative as "Cotterpin Life" I think that "The Rundown" is a pretty accurate title for my blog. It can be taken many ways: a listing of events in my life, details of my recent running (mis)adventures, or things that I'm trying to achieve -- or run-down -- in my life.

Hopefully all of my posts aren't this boring (yawn). I don't know if I'm going to be able to stick to blogging, but time will tell!

Posted in: on at at 10:05 AM 0 comments