Decision to drop out of Marathon

Well folks I have dropped out of marathon training. Last week as the cutoff to switch races and or cancel for the Route 66 marathon. My foot while better, is still not in any condition to run. Walking properly is still a challenge as bending my foot is not comfortable. The decision to not race at all was a hard one for me. The race had the opportunity to change to the half or 5k but the change fees didn't seem like a good deal. I will sit out running for a while and focus on biking.
I will be sure to document my other activities here as I have a few things going on. Stay out there and keep running. I will be back out there again soon once I am healed.

Run 20 injury, skip 21, 22, 23, & 24 of 48

On Friday I decided to do my tempo run as I was tired from my previous workouts earlier in the week. The weather was hot and humid and I wanted to be able to control my environment so I ran on the treadmill. I will henceforth refer to this as mistake number one. I chose my Hoka Clifton 1 shoes as I love the toe box and notice more blistering in Clifton 2 on treadmill. Mistake number 2 right there. 

My run started out well but I stopped at around 1.5 mph for some reason. Why? I can't really remember at this point in time. I am sure it was to grab water or use the bathroom or stretch. Here is what came next....

Well that's not very interesting you say....It seems like you just finished your run. Why yes, yes I did. But in the last 2 miles or so I felt a twinge in my right foot. A twinge you say? Well it wasn't that bad so I keep running. I finish and feel pretty good. As I step off of the treadmill to get a cloth to wipe down the equipment I had just sweated all over I was in some significant pain. My toes were not happy campers. 

Being Friday and knowing I have a long 17 miler coming up on Sunday I am concerned. Very concerned. I would like to say I got home and immediately iced my foot and put on RX cream. Nope I just chilled out and went about my weekend. Babying my foot as much as possible. I had things to do dang it. Which by the way we got our back garage door replaced!!! 

Saturday after dinner I decided it was time to soak my foot. 

Well Sunday morning I awoke to foot pain. I had a pretty good idea I wasn't going to be running my long run. I scheduled a doctors appointment on Monday just to be sure I didn't have a break.
So I have missed quit a few training runs. I didn't complete my interval or tempo run this week. I have instead switched it out with the bike. My foot is slowly coming around and the doctor today said I am most likely correct in having extensor tendonitis. I was told to get new shoes (no more being cheap). I can start with the elliptical as soon as I feel ready and if that doesn't cause more pain go back to running. Tomorrow is supposed to be a 10 mile tempo run and depending on how my foot feels I may try the elliptical. I first plan on going to the running store and trying on the Hoka Clifton 3 shoes.
I guess let this be a lesson, while you may love your old shoes, get new shoes when your mileage gets around 400-500.
The new plan is to heal, because I appreciate being able to walk. I will train as I can for as far as I can and will run on race day come what may!
Walk or run I will finish the race!!

Run 18 and 19 of 48 goals reassessment

Long slow run (LSR) recap: Well me long slow run was long and slow but not quite long enough. I only completed 8.4 miles or one loop around the lake. I set out for my run around 4ish after picking up the dog. The sun was brutal. The day was milder than the Florida heat but I didn't prepare for the sun. Sunscreen is still the name of the game and I didn't use any. Bad Elizabeth.

I did think to bring water with me and enough Gu's to run two loops. My water was getting low so I decided to stop at a park and get some water. Well there was no water available. I was hot and tired but kept going. I made it to around 7 miles and my foot started to ache. I am attributing this to running two days in a row. Running back to back runs is not my favorite thing to do. I actually plan on not running back to back usually. Well not this week.

The interval training was completed on Monday evening. I ran 7 intervals of 0.5 miles at 6.2 mph. Rough, really rough is how I would describe the intervals. I stopped after 3 intervals for a potty break and got back to it. The rest of the intervals were long sloughs and it was hard to focus on the show and not on the slow ticking of the mileage. The mileage finally ticked by and I was able to finish up the run successfully.

I am not sure how running will go in the future. I have some personal things going on in my life that may interfere with my running. While running has become a good form of exercise I might be switching to something more low impact. As of now though I still planning on running and/or walking the Route 66 marathon.
See you out there for a run.

Run 16 & 17 of 48

Run 16 was an interval run. I got up around 7 or 8 am in Florida to go wrong. First mistake right there. I decided to walk to the fitness center and check out the treadmill. Second mistake. Third, I decided to try and finish intervals anyways. I made it to the third interval of 5 and called it quits about 1/2 way through. The sun was beating down and the treadmills were too old. They were also all being used when I went in the fitness room. I considered getting a pass to an outside gym but decided against it. I at least ran some.

Run 17 was Friday and I missed that due to another obligation. I got up around 5 am this morning to run before the sun and everyone else was up. I got 5 miles in at 11:10. The pace was a bit slower than a normal tempo run should be but I am cutting myself some slack. The Florida humidity is brutal. I am glad I am not running a race here as I think I would need some time to adjust. Especially if I had to run when the sun was out.

I hope to run tom. and have two loops around Lake Overholser to complete. Happy Running.

Runs 13, 14, 15 of 48

Run 13 Recap: Run 10 X 0.25 mile intervals at 6.3 mph or 9.5 mph
The intervals were done on the treadmill. The treadmill is my go to for interval training as it makes keeping a consistent pace easier. The run went fairly well. I am starting to forget my runs so I need to update more. Maybe this a good thing as it will make training easier.

Run 14 recap: 5 mile run at 5.7 mph or 10.5 mph
My tempo run!! I was not as excited as the exclamation marks make it sound. I was dreading this run. I was having a hard week and was not at all rested for this run. I would have run outside but the weather wasn't the best. Luckily the run went fairly well. I was able to finish without much trouble. I was tired and sore but done.

Run 15 LSR recap: 14 mile run
My long slow run for the week was not so long. I ended up only completing 7 miles. I was running after work as I am on vacation for a week. The run was completed on a part of the memorial marathon course which was uphill the entire way. The sun was covered for the first part of the run making it cooler. The second part of the run was hard as the sun was out and the humidity was making me sweat worse than usual. Added to that was the makeup dripping off my face into my eyes temporarily blinding me. I was not having a good run. Once I reached the quarter way point I decided to make it half. I turned around and headed back to my car. Gosh was I happy when I got there. I was slightly disappointed I didn't make it 14 but felt good that I had at least attempted.  I am loving my vacation as my family and I are at Universal Studios in Orlando and having a blast.

I hope to get my runs in on Wednesday and Friday this week as I don't plan on going to the parks these days.

Long run 12/48 hills, hills and more hills

On Sept. 27th I decided to run with the local running group. They were planning on running hills and I needed to get some into my running regime for the marathon in the fall. I got my butt up and out the door in plenty of time.What a difference a week makes. My run this time was done with a purpose. I was fighting against a ticking time bomb as Aunt flo had started her visit. I got myself up and out to do run as I knew the sooner I went the better.  

Down and back up

The course was pretty hilly. It seemed as I was going up and down the entire run. I did get a great workout. I feel much better about completing either the full or the half in the fall.

All done!!

Happy running!

Run 11/48 3x1 mile intervals

Well I did it I finished my interval training. I am so glad I was able to get through the run. I only rested 0.05 mile before starting the next interval. I am not feeling very good today. I was thinking of running my long run in Tulsa tom. I need to go in to work tom. though. I might end up going to Tulsa on Sat. morning. I hope your run goes well this weekend.

I finished my intervals

Run 8/48 7 miles tempo pace, 9/48 13 miles, and 10/48 3 x 1mi @ 6mph or 10 min/ mile

I have news, I am in the training blues. Friday I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at race tempo and 4 miles on the strider. I just assume I did an acceptable pace for the strider. I was still working on  recovering from my sore hamstring. I stretched several times while running which seemed to help.

 The plan was to get up on Sat. morning and run with a group. I did not end up on getting up for the run. I slept in and felt better. On Sunday I again slept in, this time feeling guilty. I was still pretty sore. 1 had chores to do so I got those done and then headed out. The weather was only in the 80s but hott to run in. The first interval was 3 miles. I stopped for a bathroom break and water and headed back out. I finished another 3 and had to get ready for dinner. I was disappointed but glad I got some of the run in.

Todays run was supposed to be 3X 1 mile @10 min/mile or 6 mph. I started out on the treadmill at 6 mph. I was really struggling. I attributed this to the treadmill and headed outside. I was still having problems maintaining my pace at 10 min/mile. I was able to run faster for a bit and then I would have to slow down. The run was disappointing but I got it done. The overall pace was 10:49 min/mile. Since it was so slow I am going to try and do the intervals tom at lunch.

Life has been busy and my running has been suffering. I am going to try and keep it up as long as possible. I might end up running the first 13 miles and then switching to running every 0.2 miles and walk 0.05miles. I am pondering this, we will see what I do as training progresses.

Well shit snacks, that didn't go well.

Well, shoot guys. I tried running my 7 miler at tempo pace. I felt fine as I geared up and headed out into the heat. I was walking while waiting for my GPS to sync and enjoying the heat. Being in the AC all day really gets to me. Oh also there was an earthquake today. The shaking felt real fun from a skyscraper. I am definitely thinking about investing in a parachute.
Anyways, my watch synced and I was off. Well the first few steps of my run and the back of my legs seized up so bad I had to stop and stretch it out. No problem I thought let's just warm up it will be fine. I only made it to 0.6 and decided to turn around. I just couldn't and wouldn't push through the pain. I don't want to risk serious muscle strain or injury. I finished up a mile running, because I am OCD. I walked my butt back to the gym, which hurt a bit . When I got back I hit the foam roller and a stick roller and did some stretching. I really hurt on drive home.
I have been stretching, icing, massaging and taking painkillers. I am hoping this clears up Tom. And I can get back out for my 7 miler. I still plan on running 13 on Sat. With running group. I am trying to not run 7 miles and then 13 miles back to back especially with sore muscles. I think the lunges did me in yesterday so I will reduce those or not do them again.
Here is to your run. I hope you had better success than I did and if not, I am right there with ya.

Interval training 6 X 0.5 miles @ 6.2 mph run 7/48

Well after my breakdown on Sunday I decided to get back to life and run my interval training on Monday. The intervals started out pretty well. I got through two without too much trouble. The last 4 intervals were not going well. I toughed them out and showed them who was boss. 

Done son!!

I am not sure if I will run on Wednesday or Friday. I plan on running on Sat. morning with the Landrunners. I suppose this means I need to run on Wednesday as I am supposed to do 7 miles. Oh well I can finish it in about an hour and 15 min. See you out on a run!

Lack of running for run 6/48

I am feeling particularly down today. I haven't made it out for my 12 mile run yet today and I don't anticipate making it out. I am sore everywhere. My DH and I went to the salt flats yesterday and spent a bit of time on the ground and leaning over. All of that cause more soreness on top of the lifting I did on Thursday. I don't have to run particularly hard but I just can't seem to get out the door. 

I honestly am considering not running the marathon. I am not enjoying running and I just do it to stay fit. I am wondering if there is another activity I can do and be fit. I also may just be having an off week. I am planning on running tom. night for my interval training. I am considering running with the OKC landrunners on Sat. morning. They are doing 12 and I will need to do 13. I am hoping running with a group will get me back into running. I am for sure going to get out and bike today as the weather is just beautiful out. Or I will at least be going out for a short jaunt around the neighborhood. 

I am just torn about running the marathon. I am more interested in trying to get pregnant. I think I will shoot for that goal and not for the marathon. I will prob. continue to train for the marathon as if I will be running it but I might downgrade to the half. It just depends what happens with getting pregnant.

Run 5/48, 5 miles at 10:30 min/mile or 5.7 mph, Hottest Run

For this run I decided to split my run up into two runs. The first was 2 miles of hills in my neighborhood at 10:30 min/mile or 5.7 mph. The run in the morning went well although it was hot and humid. I was able to finish without too much difficulty.

The second part of the run was at the hottest run 5k. The run was much cooler than the previous runs. I was able to keep up with my DH and we were running at around 10:10 min/mile to start with. My DH picked it up the last mile and a half while I petered out. I was trying to keep up the 10:30 min/mile pace but had to take a few walk breaks of 0.05 miles. I felt pretty good but was pretty tired at the end. I am feeling better running at 5.7 mph.

I am glad the night races are over as running late is difficult.

Run 4/48, Running 4x.75 @9.50 mpm or 6.1mph

Week two is underway!  I was gifted a box of truffles and they were delicious. 

chocolate!

Back to running. I didn't run after my long run until Wednesday. I was just too sore on Monday and then Tuesday I worked out with a friend. My Tuesday and Thursday workouts are going well but are keeping me sore.
 The run was a 4 X 0.75 intervals at 9:30 min per mile or 6.1 mph. I started out running and then rested about 0.15 mile. I ended up finishing my run at 3.5 miles. I was pretty happy with how it went. I had a side stitch for a minute but pushed through it. I am fairly happy with my time even with walking intervals.

another run in the books

My next run is a 5 mile tempo run. I am unfortunately going to need to break the run up. My DH and I are running a 5k in the evening for a summer race series. I have 2 miles to do either after the run or before. I didn't get up this morning as I was pretty sore from my workout last night.

Run 3/48, 10 mile long run

On Sunday set my alarm for 5am for my long run. I was tired and sore so I shut the alarm off. I arose about 6:30ish and headed out. I started my run around 7 am. It was hot and uncomfortable. But I powered through. About mile 2sih I stopped to use the facilities and then continued on. As I approached the transition from trail to road on the dam I wasn't feeling it. I pushed through and kept going. Around mile 5 I felt like I was done. I still kept pushing but started taking 0.05 mile breaks and then running 0.2 mile. I finished the last 5 miles this way and was able to finish 10 miles. 9 technically running and 1 walking. I will take it though.

Here are my times. I did run a bit slower than I should have but I am cutting myself some slack as it was hot.  I hope to continue to get better as the heat abates. I am more interested in just finishing as well so I can live with this time.

Week 1 done

Week 1 of training is done. Now on to week two.

Run 2/48, 3 miles @ 10:30 min/mile or 5.7 mph

On Friday I completed my second run of forty-eight for my marathon training. The run went very well. I used the treadmill at work as I wasn't feeling well and wanted to be able to use the bathroom quickly if needed. 

Turned out I did not need the bathroom which I was very thankful about. I thought I would need to take a break but running at a consistent 5.7 mph was not as terrible as I thought.  The run went smoothly and I finished without taking any breaks! I was able to finish in 32:47 which is a PR for or at least a recent PR. I am really glad this run went so well as it gives me motivation for the coming runs, which I know will be hard.

Finally!!

Review of The Beautiful Creatures Series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Brief Summary: Beautiful Creatures Series is a romantic magical series set in a small southern town. 

Long Review: Lena Duchannes and Ethan Wate are the two protagonists of this series. Ethan is high school student trying to get finished and out of his small town. He is trying to run away from a father who has become depressed and withdrawn after the death of Ethan's mother. Lena is new to the small town and is trying to hide her family's secret. Ethan is instantly drawn to Lena and before they know it they are inseparable. The series starts with their love story and the drama surrounding Lena's upcoming birthday. The series continues as the pair encounter more magic in their small town and the consequences that have come along with this. 
All in all this was a very enjoyable series to read. The books kept me on my toes and I wanted to know more. I was sad when the last book Beautiful Redemption was over. There is another series about Lena's cousin called the Dangerous creatures series and an extra few books in the Beautiful creatures universe called The untold stories. I look forward to reading Dangerous creatures and The Untold stories in the future.

Rating: 4/5


Other works by the authors:Beautiful Darkness
Beautiful Chaos
Beautiful Redemption
Dangerous Dream
Dangerous Creatures
Dangerous Deception
The Mortal Heart
The Seer's Spread
Before the Claiming
A Gatlin Wedding
Dream Dark

Marathon Intervals 8X0.25 miles at 9:30 min/mile or 6.3 mph

Hey running friends, marathon training is underway. I completed my first interval training workout. I stuck to indoor training as the weather has been hot, hot, hot. I set the treadmill to 2 interval training in marathon mode, 5.0 slow and 6.3 fast. I started out running and then took rest intervals of 0.1 miles. I really started feeling it around the 6th interval. I was able to power through and finish up.
I am glad to have 1 of the 48 workouts finished.

This morning I ordered a night brace for what I think is plantar fasciitis. I tried wearing a brace I had at home last night and it did not go well. I am not sure if I had it too tight or the brace isn't appropriate. I ended up ripping the brace off after a few hours. The pain doesn't bother me when running yet but I don't want it to get worse as I continue to train. I might go put the brace on after my running tonight and stretch the tendons. I also brought a x brace that is supposed to be worn with open shoes. I will see if they help. I plan on wearing them day and night to see if they will help heal my foot. Until next time happy running.

Review of 48 days to the work you love by Dan Miller

Brief Summary: 48 days to the work you love by Dan Miller is a good read for those who are looking for direction in their career and life.

Long Review: In 12 easy to read chapters Dan Miller introduces a plan to find and get the work you love. In the Schedule chapter there is a list for a plan for the next 48 days including when to read each chapter in the book. I of course read the book in a shorter time frame as I am only interested in the content. Each chapter is a easy to read breakdown of a specific topic. I found the first few chapters on introspection hard to read. Chapter 6, 6 job offers in 10 days, is when the book picked up for me and I felt I learned a lot from there on. The information on how to re-tool one's resume and examples in the appendix were very helpful. The information on the 3 steps to getting a job that isn't being advertised was useful as well. I may have to employ this in the future. The salary negotiations chapter was helpful and eye opening. The chapter on considering opening your own small business also made me think about other ways I could generate income. All in all 48 days to the work you love would be a good book to read if you are currently unhappy in your job and looking for new opportunities or are unemployed or underemployed and looking on moving to something else.

Rating: 3/5


Other works by the author:Wisdom meets passion, No more dreaded Mondays, The rudder of the day

Fall training here I come

Today's run was supposed to be 9 miles. I managed to get my butt outta bed around 6:30ish and out the door. I started my run around 7 am, which is entirely too late. The sun was up and it was starting to get hot. The weather called for the day to be a scorcher. I made it about 3 miles in and had some stomach pains. I decided to call it quits and turned around to head back to my car. The rest of the run wasn't too eventful. I have recently been listening to podcasts on my long runs and it has been oddly helpful. Here is a recap of my stats from Mapmyrun.

Today was my last run before marathon training starts. My first run is tom as I have an event on Wednesday night I want to avoid. I have all my runs mapped out on the calendar until the marathon so I don't have to refer back to the paper copy in case I lose it. I am still going to shoot for a 10:30 min/mile pace for the marathon. This means I am going to have to step up my interval and tempo runs. Luckily I was already working myself up to 6.3 mph before I left on vacation. I should be ready for my first interval tom. but will let you know how it goes.

Have a good week and happy running!

Review if the why book of sailing by Scott Welty

Brief Summary: The why book of sailing by Scott Welty helps explain a few of the more scientific aspects of sailing in an easy to understand manner. 

Long Review: Sailing has become an interest of mine and so I decided to pick up this book to learn more about the workings of a sailboat. The book is broken down into chapters and within those chapters there are questions and answers. The questions address come from different aspects of sailing and the authors experience on a sailboat. There are a few questions where the author goes on a bit too long about a particular subject. I found myself stopping and putting the book down and coming back to the subject after a while. While I learned more about the mechanics of why a sailboat sails I didn't really learn any more about the details of how to sail a boat. 

I would recommend this book to those looking to understand more about the physics and why a sailboat sails.

Rating: 3/5


Other works by the author: NONE

LSR 8 in Humid Ohio

Good Monday morning!

I am on vacation in Ohio this week. We arrived on Saturday night after a long drive. I packed planning to run on Sunday morning. I woke at 5 am with my alarm and thought it was too dark out to go for a run. I went back to sleep for a few hours. After being lazy I got my butt up and headed out for 8 miles. The humidity was close to 90% and temperature was climbing fast. I started out running at my long slow pace but eventually the heat and humidity started to get to me. I did have the foresight to bring water along. I made it about 3 miles and had some relief as some clouds rolled in. I was slightly concerned I was going to get rained on but I  only had sprinkles. The sprinkles on the corn made it sound as if it was raining harder than it was. I ended up with an overall pace of about 12 min/mile for 8 miles. I was pretty happy with my run and pace considering the conditions. I will be starting my marathon training at the beginning of next week. For now I am going to enjoy vacation.

Prime Pantry Box

I received a credit for 5.99 off of a prime pantry box when I selected the long shipping option on Prime Day. I decided to use cash in on the savings before I forgot. I ordered about 100 dollars in staples for the house (some of which I didn't really need, Oops). The package wasn't supposed to arrive until Mon. afternoon at the earliest.

Well was I pleasantly surprised when Sunday afternoon this showed up in my house.

Now I did not expect the mailman to place it inside for me!! Okay, okay my husband brought it inside. He was so quiet though it was like it magically appeared. Look how big the box is!! I knew the box should be good size based on the amount of things I had to order to fill it but jeez. 

I set about opening it up to find this.

All neatly packaged. The chips are not too badly crushed and everything else was just fine. I don't think this will become a regular thing in our house but it was great to try. I think this could be great for the staples you need every 4 or 5 months or so. You might even be able to plan it out to get the best deals. 

Give it a try and see what you think!

Summer morning run

Sunday morning I braved the early morning for my long run. I really detest getting up early as I have mentioned before. I arose from my bed with my alarm and put on the running gear I had set out. A piece of pumpkin bread was my pre-run fuel and I grabbed water for after my run. I went to the nearest flat place I knew and headed out for 7 miles. I started around 6:15ish. The sky was just starting to get light as sunrise was in 15 minutes or so. I was able to get in 3.5 miles without too much difficulty. I have to admit I was running for the next water fountain. The fountain never appeared and I went without water the entire run. Now 7 miles without water isn't terrible, but it also is not pleasant. The heat wasn't bad a around 77 degrees but the humidity was around 70%. I was a hot sweaty mess. I was decently happy with my pace of 12 min/mile with the weather being so hot. I am looking forward to when the weather will be cooler in the morning and evenings. I hope this happens soon. 

Next week I will be running 8 miles in Ohio and hope the morning will be pleasant. Until then here is a picture of the sun rising over the lake over half way through my run. 

Busy Week

Gosh this has been a very busy week. I have been trying to get a project done at work and has consumed me the past few days. I really need to get the project done before I leave at the end of next week. I am still keeping up with my fitness. I ran a mile at 6 mph on Monday in an effort to get in more mile this week. Tuesday was lifting with a friend at gym. Tonight I ran 4 miles 3 miles were interval training at 6.3 mph and 1 mile at 5 mph. 5 mph is starting to feel slow but that is good right? The interval training part was a little rough and I had some tightness in my chest. Not sure if this has to do with allergies, stress, fatigue or extra miles. I pushed through and was able to finish. I need to keep this up to get in marathon shape again.

Slacking on running

Lately I have not been feeling the running. Which stinks since I have signed up for a the marathon in Nov. I really slacked this week with running. I only ran on Friday and Sunday. I did lift a few times though. My run today was brutal. I did not get up early enough and the run was so hot. I got 3.75 miles in before I called it and headed home. I was able to get another 1.25 miles in before I had to get ready for company but I walked those. I know I hurt myself by riding to the lake for a boat outing on Sat. night tiring out my legs. I am going to work on running more this week and lifting. I am hoping the extra running will help me acclimate to the temperatures more. I need to take the stance of I will run everyday and if I don't I should do another exercise.

I will be prepped for the next marathon one way or another.

Wedding Weekend

A few weekend back we attended a family wedding in Springfield, Missouri. The wedding was gorgeous and the food was awesome. I am so glad I got to spend the time with my family. I am really getting spoiled this summer with seeing them so much. We had a great time and look forward to our next visit.

Birthday Key Lime Pie

Reception table

desserts

restaurant

epic garden

flowers for bouquets

Birthday gifts

Italian Wine!!

Menu for the day, so scrumptious

I may have eaten most of these pickled veggies

beautiful flowers from epic garden

Couple during toasts

Road trip for the Fourth

What a whirlwind of a weekend! I drove home with my Dad on Thursday after work. We were heading back to Ohio. I was going to help with landscaping there. We worked on pulling out the massive weeds, putting down newspaper, weed paper and mulch. We were only able to get about 3/4 of the house done. Here are some pics from the weekend. Hope you had a great weekend.

time to weed (these were the small ones)

kitty, kitty

Uncle's handi work!

fireplace

relaxing after 2nd day of work

best kitty

more kitty

relaxing still

backyard

dog is super duper helping, not 

mid-way day 2

driving back, favorite hiding spot

Brief Summary: A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther by Joan Wolf is a fictional love story based on the biblical story of Esther. The story is riveting and presents the plight of women and Jews in the Persian empire. 

Long Review: The story takes place in Susa among the Jew Mordecai and his niece Esther. Mordecai receives a dream he believes is from God and fearing what may happen to the Jews decides to take action. The only action that can be taken is for Esther to apply to become the Queen to the Persian king Ahasuerus as she is half-Persian by birth. Esther does not believe she will be chosen so goes along with the plan and join the herem. Esther does indeed get chosen by Ahasuerus to be her Queen much to her dismay. Esther must then navigate her new life as the Queen while hiding her true identity from her new husband the king. Over the course of the book Ahasuerus comes to trust Esther and begins to insight the jealousy of the King's best friend Hammond. The book concludes with the Jews indeed being threatened and Esther must reveal her true identity to save her people.

I am reading this book on the recommendation of a nursing technician and am glad I looked the book up. I listened to the audio book and the narrator's voice used was adequate. The woman didn't have much range and I thought the men's parts could have been a bit more gruff/low. The fact this story was based on a biblical story has made me look into a new genre of book for my reading pleasure. I will be looking more at historical fiction in the future and reading more from Joan Wolf.

Rating: 4/5

Other works by the author: Someday Soon, Someone named Eva

Fermenting veggies

Last weekend was great. A quick update on running. I have skipped my long run again last week. We were out of town and running around like chickens. I did run tonight for 3 miles.

After getting done with dinner I decided to ferment the leftover veggies from this last weekend. We had some probiotic bacteria in the fridge and used that for fermentation. The spices I used are garlic, peppercorn, ginger, and curry for fermentation. I have added plenty of salt. For a few of the jars I used celery to fill the jars. The rest of the jars I just used water. The jars are as full as possible and I am hoping to avoid any bad bacteria or mold. The veggies were broccoli and sweet peppers. I am hoping that nothing goes too terribly wrong.
I will take pictures when it is finished.

Slacking on long runs

Well ladies and gentleman I am going to call it!  I am a slacker. Sunday for the second weekend in a row I failed to run my long run. I just can not seem to find the strength or motivation to get up at an ungodly early hour to run when it is cool out. And I know my body better than to try and run in the heat. I am afraid I will end up passing out if I venture out for 9+ miles in upper 90 degree weather.

On Sunday instead of running I went for a 20 mile bike ride across town to run an errand for a friend. Luckily there are bike trails on the way there and back so I was safer than riding on the road for the entire trip.

Tonight I ended up lifting and riding the exercise bike while finishing up Criminal Minds. I have started watching while washing the dishes and find it makes the chore seem less like a chore and more like my time to watch the show.

Tom. I really need to run and so will do that after work. I am going to try and get 4 miles in so I will have to be prompt about getting my work done. First thing in the morning I will be making two new to do list. One list will be none pressing work and the second list will be pressing work. I also need to take notes on what I was doing today so I don't forget.

Anyways back to running. My training plan for the fall marathon starts the first week of Aug. I plan on ramping my training up from 5 miles the first weekend of July. I am confident  I will get out and do it as there really is no other choice. I have committed to this marathon and I will finish it.

Hot 5K

Well Friday night was a scorcher. My DH and I signed up to run the summer sizzlin' series and the first run was Friday night. I had run outside on Wednesday for about 3/4 of a mile around 6 pm so I had a taste of the heat. I was still not prepared for the heat on Friday night. The weather was hot and muggy. I had forgotten my watch and I realize now that I rely on it to tell me how much further I have to go. Anyways, I ended up running the first 2k before I stopped. I can't tell you if I was running to fast or slow but it felt fast. I was running for the turn around and it seemed so far away. I am coming to find I do better when running solo as I can stay in my head and focus on my goal. When I run with others I have to be present outside of myself so I can keep them and me safe, since I am a tripping/falling hazard.

My swag

Anyways, I finished the race around the 34 min mark, which is my standard race run time. I was hoping for a PR since I am getting faster but no luck. After the race we grabbed a beer, sno-cone and a hot dog and headed home. I really enjoyed the cold shower. I am not very hopeful that the next run will be any better but hope I can acclimate more to this hot weather.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Running recap coming up. I have been doing the normal mid-week runs on Tuesday and Thursday. I took this weekend off from a long run. Partially because I was tired and partially because I wanted to bike. I rode the Katy trail which was very scenic and pretty.

Train Museum

I got to enjoy a treat when I got home from my ride.

Homemade strawberry wine slushy

In other running news my DH and I signed up for the Sizzlin' Summer Series in OKC.  The series is three runs on Friday nights at 8pm at various parks in OKC. The signup includes a shirt & medal for each race. We get a visor for signing up for all 3 races before the deadline. I am also looking forward to the festivities after the race. I have switched my running up to accommodate running on Friday nights. I am now running on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights. I am running later after dinner to get used to the heat. Thus far it has been very tough. The weather has been particularly hot and humid here. I am not looking forward to tom. nights run. I am thinking of running for a longer distance tom. night, maybe 4 miles at race pace (around 10:30) with spurts faster.

Review of Retire Inspired

Brief Summary: "Retire Inspired"  by Chris Hogan is a quick read about planning for the retirement of your dreams. The principles follow Dave Ramsey's baby steps and outline everything from insurance to legacy planning.

Long Review: Are you behind on your retirement planning? Have you not even considered retiring? I would recommend this book to anyone from those starting to think about investing to those already doing the work. Chris outlines a plan to follow to retire inspired. Retirement is not just an age but a number. I hope using these principles to be able to build wealth and give back to the community while having a decent retirement nest egg. The book covers everything one should need to be fully prepared for all of life's challenges. I hope to one day retire inspired with the help of this book.

Rating: 4/5

Early summer run

I decided to get up to run my 7 mile long run today early. I went to bed at a decent time with this in mind.
At 5 am I woke up as I normally do but went back to sleep for about an hour. Then I got up and was out the door by 6:15. I felt like crap though. I was slightly dehydrated and hungry. I didn't have any bars for breakfast and wasn't interested in making anything. I just wanted to get done.
Well I paid for it. The first mile went well as it usually does, I ran too fast. Mile 2 was just terrible. The course around my neighborhood is slightly hilly. After lifting yesterday my legs were not very happy with me. I pushed through and turned around at 1.25 intending to take a break at 1/4 through my run. Well turns out I can't do math right when waking up and running. I should have taken my break at 1.75. I walked/ran the rest of the way to my halfway point at 3.5. I actually ended up at 3.75 by the time I got to the house. I sat down to rest a bit and relax. I then headed back out for the last 3.25 miles. These went better than expected but I still ended up taking walk breaks. Ah well, I at least had decent music to listen to. I almost got hit by a slowly moving truck as the guy was distracted with his door and didn't see me. I yelled and he stopped but I had already started dodging him/the truck. In the end no one got hurt. I ended back at home around 7:40 completing another 3.83 miles for a total of about 7.58 miles. I hope this makes next weekend seem like a breeze. I need to work on keeping my long run pace around 11:30. Some miles this morning were near 12 min/mile. I am glad it has been on the cooler side here today. I had a enjoyable run and a really productive day.

7.5 miles done before 8 am, now time for coffee and breakfast

Bike to the Lake gone wrong

I am what you would call an early rise on Sat. mornings. I decided since I am up I might as well use the time to exercise. I decided to ride to the lake this morning on the road, gasp. Now don't fret, I was really on a busy road for 0.5 mile maybe with 3 cars in what I would call my space. Anyways, I was almost to the lake and was heading up a hill. I decided to downshift and chain fell right off and got wedged in.

Chain gone wrong

Now I have had this happen before. Put the chain back on and good to go. No, not this time. The chain was wedged in really good. I had to call husband for a pick up.

Letting me down again

I decided to take the bike in to the shop and let them repair it so this hopefully doesn't happen again. Maybe I will have better luck next weekend.  I came home and lifted. Now we are off to the Made in Oklahoma Festival. I will let you know all about it next time.

Review of season one of Grace and Frankie

Grace and Frankie is a Netflix original series which I found by happenstance and love. The story is based around two couples and their respective families. This show reminds me of a 90s sitcom which is why I love it. The story is not a remake but fresh and pertinent to the times. All in all a great story and great chemistry makes this a very easy show to watch.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! STOP READING IF YOU WANT MYSTERY IN YOUR LIFE!!

The story is based around a homosexual couple. No it is not Grace and Frankie. Alright back to the beginning. Sol and Robert are in a work partners at a law firm. Grace is married to Robert and Sol is married to Frankie. Grace is played by Jane Fonda and is in my opinion an alcoholic stuck up country club bitch who is hard to please and lacking in love. Frankie is played by Lily Tomlin (heart) and is a hippy, dippy, artist, with too much unconditional love. Grace and Frankie find out there husbands in addition to being work partners are lovers as well and have been hiding their love affair for 20+ years. The first season revolves around the fallout from this revelation and the ensuing madness and soul searching for Grace and Frankie.

The episodes are 30 min each, so easy to fit into any schedule and easy to binge. The theme song is pretty catchy as well. I appreciate the jokes and ability to cover touchy subjects. The show is great for my sanity some days. I also appreciate the story involves older actors and actresses. I would love to see more shows similar to this with older people. I have fallen for this show and hope you will give it a try.

Daisy State Park Camping & Crater of Diamonds

For Easter break this year DH and I decided to go camping. I chose the Daisy State Park and Crater of Diamonds Camping area. The Daisy State park was a great location. Next time we go I hope it is warmer and we can go out on the lake and explore. The weather was a little cold for my liking but the views and peacefulness was needed.

Camping site

view of the lake

small stove for heating water

cold morning

Sunrise

 We also went to Crater of Diamonds to search for treasure! We didn't end up finding anything but did have fun exploring and playing in the dirt.

Loving me some dirt

Field to search for Diamonds

Campground relaxing

ahhh wilderness

Ah warm fire

All in all a pretty good trip! I can't wait to go camping again!