Friday Four

Post-Race Glow

Somewhere around mile 8-9

That 10-mile race was exactly what I needed to totally lift my spirits and give me a positive outlook. I recovered fairly quickly, too, and it felt great to get back out there. The race photos were published and you can just see how happy and excited I am to be running strong in a race. And not just any race-- something longer than a 10K. All of those long runs did pay off! I could really feel in the last few miles that my endurance was strong and I wasn't just barely holding on.

I'm also overwhelmed by the amount of support from my friends and my teammates regarding this race. It was just supposed to be a fun run, but now I feel like it's a real personal victory.

This morning I ran a 4-mile tempo with my team. I hit my pace chart goal on the nose without even realizing it! I just kind of let my teammates pace me for the first three miles, and then I was on my own for the last mile (they did the 5K tempo). It was nice to be at a workout again.

Someone Who Thinks You Can't
Back in the fall, this guy was giving me some problems so I had to remove him as a Facebook friend. The saga continues, he strikes again. He actually tried to use my blog to get me kicked off of my running team! I won't go into the details, but he obviously spent a great deal of time and energy creating a fake name and email to try and get me in trouble with my coach. (Of course this didn't work, as his actions were extremely transparent.) He also contacted Pacers, who I used to be affiliated with, to accomplish the same thing. I know he's reading my blog thanks to Google analytics, so I just want to say this: To the sub-3:00 marathoner from New York who shouldn't feel threatened by me-- just get over it. My experience at Shamrock should more than satisfy your need to see me fail.

Trip to Orlando
Last week I went to Orlando for a business trip. The conference I was attending was held at a beautiful resort, which was a definitely plus. There was a pool that was just slightly longer than the length of a standard indoor pool, so I had packed my goggles to swim laps. I love swimming in outdoor pools! They also had a golf course which was perfect for running around in the early morning hours, before the golfers were out. The weather was gorgeous and I loved watching the sun rise. This was all before the 10-miler, and the Friday golf course run was the first time since Shamrock that I felt like I had my legs back.

I do have to say that the food was far below expectations. The breakfast was worse than one of those free continental buffets you would get at a motel. The lunch was served outdoors in the heat with no shade. We were all in business suits so we baked in the 80-degree temperature. At dinner, the chicken was so dry I couldn't eat it and they served cold quiche. The resort overall was amazingly wonderful, so it just surprised me that the food was so lacking.

Bathroom Remodel
I recently posted about a granite mishap for my bathroom vanities. Well, everything was fixed and the bathroom is finished. I love the new shower! It has a seat (perfect for shaving or just relaxing) and two shower heads-- a "rain down" and a handheld/adjustable.  Plus two niches to use as shelves. Greg and I had some major touch up painting to do after it was all done, and it was actually kind of fun.

Finished bathroom, before the touch-up paint job around the tub.

I'm so happy it's Friday! I'm really looking forward to the weekend.