Birthday Month

My birthday is in mid-July.

I'm also an only child, so I typically declare ALL of July "Birthday Month."

It's never too early to start up the WISH LIST!

-Garmin Forerunner 305: I've heard great, wonderful, magical things about the 305. I've also heard that the newer 405 version is hard to operate when sweaty. That would be a major problem for me. This bad boy is at the top of the list.

- Gracie Gear Long Tank: I really love the concept of Gracie Gear...you can never have too many pockets! And the tank doesn't ride up on you while you run, an issue I have with most tank tops.




- Nike Tempo Shorts: MORE! MOOOOOOOOOORE! I have the plain black and the blue/black pair...I love them. Love love love them. They were on "sale" a couple weeks ago and I agonized in the store for an hour on whether to buy another pair or wait to put them on the wish list. It took a great deal of self restraint...but here it is on the list.

***

I'm going to attempt my first 20-miler this weekend. The forecast looks rainy for Saturday, but Sunday is pretty clear.

I'm strangely calm about it. No sense getting all worked up. Just...run.

Run until I'm done, that's my plan.

Anyone out there done 20+? As always, I'm open to suggestions!

Let's talk about Lost, baby.

Time to talk LOST season 5 finale...if you haven't seen it, I might spoil it for you-- so proceed with caution.

Ok, all you Losties out there--what did you think?

I kind of, sort of loved it.


Here's my list of favorite finale moments and random thoughts:


5) Rose and Bernard's island paradise: I think this was the best possible wrap-up to their story. I'm also assuming that they were the "Adam and Eve" skeletons that Kate and co. found in the cave in season one.

4) Is Juliet really dead? If Jules is dead so is Kate, Sawyer and Jack because that would mean the bomb just plain exploded instead of pulling a cosmic CTRL-ALT-Delete, right?

3) What lies in the shadow if the statue? Apparently "He who will save us" or "That which will protect us" or "That which will save us" or "He who will protect us." Or any combo thereof. And the statue is Sobek?

2) The Sawyer vs. Jack epic beat-down: Die-hard fans have been waiting for that since season 1... And the good doctor actually held his own!


1) The Jacob Reveal: Thank you, Lost producers, for a) letting Jacob be a real person, b) revealing him to the audience and c) making him kind of creepy. And his final "They're coming..." has to refer to the original losties, jettisoning into present day from the 1970's. Or at least I hope.

I won't address the big LOCKE question because I'm still reeling.

Oh, and if Sayid dies I'll need a new favorite character. This will not stand.

Random Wednesday

I didn't have any caffeine this morning, so you get THIS CRAPTASTIC POST.

Just a mish-mash of random considerations:

- Just how important are the short/mid-distance runs in a marathon training schedule? I know that every run can't be a "long" run...I also know that I have to keep my overall fitness level up. But if I'm still feeling the proverbial burn from a long weekend run, should I push myself to crank out 5 miles?

- I'm wearing heels to work for the first time in MONTHS and they have somehow cured me of my shin splints...It's a miracle!

- I don't have a Garmin, so I have no idea how long it will take me to run 20 miles. I'm guessing several hours.

- I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to poor grammar, but there is one unforgivable grammar sin in my book: using "apart" vs. "a part" or vice versa. When you use one phrase incorrectly you are actually saying something that is the opposite of what you really mean....

It's like a SUPER HOMONYM but the meanings are OPPOSITES.

Is there a word for that?

Whoa, I had a nerd-blackout moment there. Sorry.

And since I ragged on bad grammar, there will undoubtedly be a hojillion spelling/grammatical errors in this very post.

Some Cruise Pictures...

Some highlights from the cruise...

Capt. Tony's in Key West...it was originally called Sloppy Joe's and Hemingway hung out there a lot. Some of his writings were found in a back room after he died. When it became Capt. Tony's, a bar down Duval Street changed it's name to Sloppy Joe's to cash in on the legend.

Having a Land Shark at the original Margaritaville! Hoping Jimmy B would show up for an impromtu concert...

Big ol' boat...

Freeport in the Bahamas...very colorful!

The cruise served Corona's in plastic bottles with funnels on the end to make room for the limes. We kept them and packed them home with us.

I don't feel like fighting with the blogger picture uploader right now, so I'll throw in some more cruise pictures later.

I contemplating getting my 20 miler in this weekend. The cruise set me back a little, and I want ample time to taper.

I never realized how far 20 miles is until I tried to map out a 20 mile running route. Yikes.

And...

I'm back.

I'll have a picture-post tomorrow with all the cruise highlights.

Things I learned from my cruise:
- The sun is hot
- The ocean is big
- Elderly people will do whatever they want, whenever they want...with little regard to your personal rights or maritime law
- Access to a 24 hour soft serve machine comes with great power and great responsibility

I ran twice while on vacation and got back on track yesterday by running 16 miles...I was supposed to run 18, but I got to my car and called it a day.

Rest night tonight...rest and laundry.

Rest, laundry and trying to get rid of my "sea legs" (I can't stop swaying back and forth).

One part land and one part sea...

Well, folks...I'm outta here!

I'll be back in a next Saturday...hope you all have a great week!

Carb-o-licious

The only thing that stands between me and my vacation is my 16 miler tomorrow morning.

Time to load up on the carbs!

BB's Pre-Training Run Meals:

Approved:
- Baked Spaghetti
-Fajitas

Banned:
- Quesadillas
- Pizza

I've got some serious decisions to make about dinner.

Also, I never realized how hard it was to incorporate more protein into my diet...goodness. But Hubs is a protein shake wizard, so he's helping me figure it all out.

Some e cards