The Run-Down

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