Time for fuel

This week has been a change. I decided to cross train for my first run this week. Now do not think I am stopping this running journey. I did 10.5 hard miles on the bike at the gym. Yesterday I had a commitment for lunch so I had to run after work. I did four miles. I stopped at Starbucks again for a pit stop and they were almost out of TP!! I mean really? I have learned my lesson and am now carrying my own wipes with me on runs.

I have begun to think about fueling during runs. I have done some research and it is recommended to ingest 60 grams of carbs/hour of running. This equates to 2 GU gels and 3 oz of gatorade. Up to 9 miles I haven't been fueling. By not fueling I have been running on a deficit and training my body to run this way. I am quickly approaching longer runs where I need to be able to recover in a reasonable amount of time to be ready for my long run the next week. I have decided to go to Walmart and get GU gel and start by taking 1/hour. I will be taking 2 for my 10 miler this weekend and I will post a recap here. I will slowly work my way up to 2 GU's per hour as the marathon approaches.

I have also debated on changing my long run once I ready a half marathon run. The prospect of running 14 miles one week and then 15 miles the next seems daunting right now. By adding 1 mile a week currently I am not getting overwhelmed by the distance. I do foresee a time when this could be a problem. There is only so much repair work the body can make in a week. I have considered altering my training plan to the following. I will work my way up to 13 miles adding 1 mile/week. I only have 4 more weekends (including this weekend) to get to this goal. The next week I will run 13 miles again. The week after that I will run 15 miles. The week after that I will run 13 miles, then 17 miles then 13, then 19, then 13, then 21, then 13, then 23, then 13, then 25, then 13, then 27.  I am hoping by keeping the off week at 13 miles I am able to give my body time to recover from the long run from the previous week. I am not sure if I am more likely to injure myself with the old training plan of increasing 1 mile/week, or if the new training plan of 2 miles every 2 weeks with a half in between will be better.

Thoughts??

Chilly 9 miles

Yesterday I had my 9 miles to run and decided to run around Lake Hefner. I had waited hoping the weather would be better. It was about 3 pm when I started and 37 degrees with little to no wind. The first 6 miles went alright. They were cold but manageable. The sun even peaked out for a bit. Then I hit a wall of cold. The sun was going down and I was very sweaty. The last 3 miles were a struggle but I managed to make it. I hope to avoid cold if possible but it probably will be cold again this winter. My new socks really helped with my blister as it didn't pop or get any bigger. I decided to pop it when I got home because I was tired of looking at it. I am hoping it heals quickly.

Ice storm.

Bricks be gone!

This is a short story about listing on craigslist. We removed a planter earlier in the year that was all brick and really was an eyesore. In doing this there was a lot of leftover bricks. I didn't really know how to get rid of them as we are not supposed to put them in the garbage.
Well this last weekend we were getting things ready for my in-laws visit and I was not happy they were there. I have been reading a homesteading blog and they mentioned free stuff on craigslist. I decided to try and see if someone wanted these bricks.
 

pretty brick

I listed the bricks stating they were from a demolished planter with mortar attached. Within 15-30 minutes someone had contacted me about the listing. I gave him the info. and he stopped by. He didn't even want any help. He took all of the brick material and there was only a small amount of mortar left to clean up. I learned a valuable lesson, people will always want free stuff. The next time there is something I do not want, especially if it messy, I will list it as free and you haul away.

Wind anyone?

Last weekends 8 miles went pretty well. They were into the wind for about 4 miles though. I did go on Friday since it was warm. I had run 4 on Thursday so I was slightly tired but pushed on through. With winter upon us here in Oklahoma the winds have returned. At around 20 mph on a good day, ok maybe some days, it makes running a bit of a trial. I was able to finish 8 miles no problem.

8 miles by the lake

Today's run was 4 miler in the strong Southerly wind. It was warm though so the long sleeve shirt I had on was too much. I might need to start some time work one day a week to increase my speed. my times are not terrible around 12 min per mile but I would like to be closer to 10. I am happy most days with just finishing. I know it is the days like today running in the wind that are making me stronger and will pull me through when the marathon comes.

Christmas time is here!

 Happy Thanksgiving! Hope y'all are running a turkey trot on Thursday!

Treadmill TrialsI I

Yesterday was my first run for week 5 or mile week 8. From here on out I am going to refer to the week by the mileage on my long run. This week is week 8. I needed to run 4 miles. The weather wasn't so great to run outside. A front had just moved through in the morning and brought cooler temps and wind. Lots of wind. You would think I would be used to the wind by now but not when it comes to running.
Instead of running outside and fighting the wind I decided to run on the gym treadmills. I am sure this winter I will need to run inside more as we have ice here. There is no way I am running on ice if I can help it. I am just too clumsy.
I got all ready and headed to the treadmill for my run. I saw there was a new program on the treadmill in which you can run on trails through parks. I chose to run through New Zealand. I thought I selected the incline up to 2%. I did not. I got up to 4% on the inclines.
Now let's talk about speed. I started at 5 mph, which for me is about a middle of the road speed. I don't know what it is about running on a treadmill but it seems impossible. I was doing ok until I hit my first major incline. The scenery was very pretty but I think some bird or nature sounds would help with running. Anyway back to the incline. I don't want to admit but I struggled the rest of the run. I stuck to 4.8 mph the rest of the time and was able to finish 4 miles in a pitiful 55 minutes. I know I can do better than this. Heck I should be able and have run 4 miles in 45 minutes.
I am going to stick to running outside as much as possible. I just hope I don't have to run a long run on the treadmill or I am going to be in big trouble.

The next few days should be interesting. I am going to run my other 4 miles on Thursday and then immediately run 8 miles on Friday as we are busy this weekend. I have a run with colleagues scheduled for Monday and do not want to try and run 4 miles with them tired. The weather is supposed to be nice as well the next few days and cold this weekend.

Have a good weekend.

Where's the bathroom?

Well today's run was eventful for sure. The weather wasn't so great. The wind was blowing and the temperatures were in the 50s. I bit the bullet around 9:30 am or so and decided to get dressed ans head out.
When I finally made it to the car I decided to do some hill work. I went to the Oklahoma River trail. The run went fine for the first few miles. I then needed to go to the bathroom. I had already passed the only restrooms I knew about on the side of the river I was on. I didn't want to turn around so I pushed forward. I saw some soccer fields so I headed for them. There were port-o-jons but non tissue. I decided to keep on going. The next area I came across was the skate park before crossing back to the other side of the river. Again no tp. I headed back to my car thinking there were restrooms there. Well wouldn't ya know I get back to the area and no restrooms. I gave up and headed to whole foods to pick up a few things and lunch. I did get to use the restroom there. I picked up a few things and headed home.
I ended up completing 7.5 miles with all the running around trying to find a bathroom. Next time I will remember to bring Tp. I should also not eat Mexican food before a run.
Have a good night.

7 cold, windy miles done

Running by the glow of the neon lights

This week I am increasing my mileage to 4 miles on my week day runs. Yesterday I ran after work since I had a meeting at lunch. I forgot home fast the sun was going to go down. I was only about 2 miles in when the darkness really set in. I managed to make it back to work without any problems but I think I will be sticking to running at lunch. I discussed this with my boss and sounds like I am good to take a longer lunch to run. I can finish in an hour but changing and showering takes a little longer than I would like.
I am feeling pretty good on my runs. My left ankle is still a little sore so I am still icing it at night to help the healing process. Here is a photo of the end of my run last night.

Week 3 6 miles

The miles are starting to add up. I finished 6 miles this week.

still smiling after 6 miles

I decided to run at Lake Heffner. Luckily there wasn't much wind. It was a beautiful fall day. I know I won't have many more nice days outside running so I am trying to appreciate them. This week I will be increasing my mid week runs to 4 miles. I am feeling pretty good so far. I have a hot spot on foot where I may need to wear another pair of socks. I am going to try this next week and see if this helps. My right calf is sore but I am hoping yoga, ice, and nightly stretching will help.

Have a great week!

Halloween Costume/Cosplay

About a month before Halloween we got an invite to a party. We decide to go as Yennefer and Geralt from Witcher 3. 

Geralt

Yennefer

I got to work right away scouring the Goodwill stores for parts of my costume. I was able to find everything I needed including shoes. I found some feathers from an etsy store, Stuffnfeathers, to sew on my shirt. I had to buy a few things from craft stores and hair. Here is my finished product. 

Me as Yennefer

Husband as Geralt

I also made some treats for the party. I covered Pumpkin spice oreos in pumpkin spice and vanilla chocolate to make pumpkins. I covered regular oreos in vanilla chocolate to make ghosts. I used rice krispies as hay stacks. I was going for more of a graveyard and pumpkin patch scene but I think it turned out alright.

treats for the party

Overall it was a really fun time and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Running update

Running update

Yikes I am bad about updating regularly on my progress. My weekly runs have been going well. My schedule has gotten off a bit but I am sticking to my plan. This weekend I will be running on Sunday so my schedule will still be off next week. I did hurt my ankle earlier this week when doing yoga but it didn't affect my run today.

after my run today

I have fully committed to running the memorial marathon in May as I signed up this week

My "what have I done" face

Tommorrow should be fun as we are going to Dallas to meet friends and drop off some of their things from their wedding. I will post updates after my run on Sunday.

Saturday Lake run

Ok I forgot to post on Wednesday after my run. I got distracted and was very busy at work this week. I ran 3 miles to the Oklahoma river. The weather was very hot making my run uncomfortable. I forgot to take a picture but here is a picture of my homemade lunch on Friday.

Greek pizza 

Today I got out for my weekly long run. Today's mileage was 4 miles. I ran most of the time and was very happy with how it went. I felt pretty good the entire run. The weather was cool because a cold front came through the area last night.

Dam on Lake Overholster

I started and ended my run at my car which was parked near the dam. After my run I splurged and got a doughnut. The rest of the day was spent getting supplies for my Halloween costume or working on my costume. I had a lot of fun. 

Hope you are having a great weekend.

Falling for you

Well another 3 miles done. I ended up taking a tumble. I don't like uneven sidewalks. No major injuries other than my pride.

Think pink run

Just finished my first Saturday long run. This week was only a 5k. I ran the Susan G Koman breast cancer run. It went ok. OKC is way too hilly. I better get used to it now though.

Review of Firefly

Brief Summary: Firefly is a classic 2002 TV series by Joss Wheadon lasting only one season about a crews adventures in space after a war. 

Long Review: The Firefly series centered around a space crew after a war ends. The captain and first mate on the ship were in war together. The beginning of the series starts out at the last firefight of the captain and first officer during the war. The ground work was laid for the rest of the series as a old western and pirate style of expedition in space. Each episode centers around a conflict with the crew and supply runs they are trying to complete.  They crew grows to include passengers who are fugitives from the law introducing another source of conflict. The series ends too quickly and leaves the viewer wanting more. Luckily Joss created the Serenity movie to wrap up the lose ends left by the sudden ending of the show.

I recommend this show for anyone interested in Western style shows, Space shows, and adventure shows.

Rating: 5/5

Other works by the author: Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, Avengers, Avengers:The Age of Ultron, Agents of Shield

Review of "Quit your job in 6 months" by Buck Floggin

Brief Summary:  Quit your job in 6 months by Buck Flogging is an informational e-book about how to become an expert in a  subject and use the internet to run a business around this subject.

Long Review:  The e-book is very short but packed full of information. The major failing of the book is it doesn't go into much detail. This is left for the accompanying material which is part of what you learn to do in this book. The author is trying to sell you a product which you are trying to learn how to sell yourself. If you realize this while reading the process is beneficial.

I read this while at work over lunch because the book is so short. The book is laid out in the following order. First take an interest and study it aggressively. Second start a blog with ads and affiliates related to that interest. Three as an expert in this area create materials for those interested in learning more and sell these as supplementary materials. The premise seems simple but the process is not as simple. The supplementary material is for learning in more detail (for a price) how to generate income step by step. I for one am not interested in learning how he completed this process and supporting him. I do appreciate his business sense in trying to generate income by selling his know how to others interested in working from home and/or on their own terms. 

I would not recommend this book to others unless you are interested in starting your own at home business and becoming an expert in a subject.

Rating: 2.5/5

Other works by author: None at this time but upcoming works are eluded to in the text.

Road to Marathon Goal

Look what I bought last weekend!

Hoka One One Clifton

I have decided to run the OKC Memorial Marathon on April 24, 2016. As of today the race is 194 days away. Since I haven't been running much lately I need to get started. Tonight was my first training run in my new shoes. I have to report it went great! No foot pain at all. The air was very dry in OKC today and made running hurt a bit. I will take dry air over humid air any day. :)

My stats were as follows: 

Distance: 3.1

Time: 36.29

Pace: 11:45

My race plan right now is to run on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. On Monday and Wednesday I will run 3 miles to start and up to 4 miles around 6 weeks or when my long runs hit 9 miles. On Saturday I plan on running my long runs. I am going to start this weekend with the Susan G Koman 5k as I already had this planned. I need to look at a calendar again but I think I can increase my long run by 1 mi each week and reach 26 miles about 3 weeks before the Marathon. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I am going to Yoga to help stretch my muscles from my runs on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

I am really looking forward to accomplishing this goal.

Hope you all enjoy this journey with me!

Happy Hump Day

The sunrise this morning was too beautiful not go take a picture of. Even though the rest of the day was crazy I am glad I stopped to enjoy this moment.

I went for a run tonight for about 1.5 miles. I think I need new shoes though. Maybe I will get some soon if I can find a deal.

Review of "Black Hills" by Nora Roberts

Brief Summary: Black Hills is a romantic love story entwined with mystery, suspense and engaging a beautiful setting. 

Long Review:  What a story! I listened to the audiobook on a long trip to and from Houston. The story was so entertaining I almost wanted to stay in my car after a 7 hour drive to hear more. The story spans a long amount of time starting from childhood. The story really hits begins to take shape when Lil comes home from a long trip to find her long lost love, whom she did not part with amicably, is back in town to care for an ailing relative. 

The story continues to unfold with present day conflicts between the couple. The setting in the Black Hills is beautifully described and made me remember my time there. The story really pulls you in and describes the real struggles of two people. The main theme of the story I took away is how important communication is in a relationship and how true love can outlast time.

I am not a romantic but may have to pick up another of Nora Roberts' books when I have another long trip ahead of me. I hope I can find another one set in such a beautiful setting. I love reading about nature almost as much as being out in nature. (maybe more so since I don't have to deal with the bug bites)

Rating: 4/5


Other works by the author: Collection of Nora Roberts' books
The Liar
Whiskey Beach
The Witness

Charleston in Pictures

Review of Tig Notaro documentary

The self titled documentary about Tig Notaro entitled "Tig" was released on Netflix recently. I took a few hours to watch the interesting story about a time of great upheaval but also success in Tig's life.

Brief overview: Interesting documentary into the life of another human struggle with all life can through her way with humor and making it big in the process.

In depth review:  I will never forget the run where I listened to her announce onstage to the world, "I have cancer". Listening was very inspirational and gave me the strange to keep running. The rest of the story that followed was funny in that it is so human.

Tig's story is a perfect example of Murphy's law. It seemed as if everything that could  go wrong did but Tig was able to carry on. She leaned on her craft and colleagues to get her through all of the upheaval.

The documentary also conveys her desire to be a mother and a love story which is surprising. The love story made me think about how I define love in my life. 

In conclusion I really enjoyed this documentary and look forward to more from Tig.

Other Works:Live
Good One
Why we laugh: Funny women

Kindara

Note: womanly post ahead

Ladies I have found a new app to track my womanly cycles named Kindara. The company who makes this app also is making a thermometer which will wirelessly sync to your phone. No more opening the app to type in your basal body temps.

The user interface is bright and easy to use. The app has the ability to track periods, fertility, mucus, relations and temperature. The have automatic backup and the ability to type in historical data. 
One note if you type in historical data the period and fertility prediction may be incorrect until your first new cycle has been entered into the program (not historical data).

I am very happy I found this app as my old one just wasn't doing the job. 
Try it out and see for yourself.

Kindara App

Houston Bound

I spent some time in Houston recently with my favorite people.

The first part of my trip was a wedding errand for my friend KO.

Bride to be!

She has her second wedding dress fitting so I took the day off and headed down to Houston.

I listened to a great book which I will be reviewing soon. The drive was uneventful except for the road narrowing where they were still working on the washout from the Spring rains.

When I arrived we had some time to kill so we got a glass of wine to split. Her MIL to be was along and it was nice to finally meet her. Then I got to see my gorgeous friend in a gorgeous dress! I cannot wait until I get to post pictures about her special day.

After talking all night my friend let me sleep in and I got up and got breakfast before starting the second part of my journey.

Strawberry explosion

After stuffing my face I headed to World Market to pick up a few things on the way to another friends house. I then got to spend the weekend catching up with her, her family and this little girl.

Princess

Eating eggs

I left a little earlier then I expected to since my DH was traveling to Houston on Sunday and I wanted to see him for a bit. I stopped on the way back at IKEA for my sister.

candlestick holders

 IKEA on a Saturday night is a bad idea.

can we say long line?

The drive back was uneventful and filled with me being engrossed in the audiobook. I got home very late on Saturday night but safely.

I look forward to my next trip to Houston to visit.

Review of Ex Machina

Last weekend the DH and I watched Ex Machina. Here is a spoiler free review: Those interested in a thought provoking journey will enjoy this movie. My head was swimming after watching and I wanted time to think about the movie before discussing

Caution spoilers ahead!

Brief thoughts: Why did the AI have to go and do that? 

In depth review: Ex Machina is a journey into our not too distant future. The movie presents a possible scenario in the coming creation of AI. 

The story follows Caleb, a typical geeky computer programmer for an internet search giant, Bluebook. Caleb wins a contest and travels to the CEO, Nathan's house as his prize. Once there Caleb discovers he is to test Ava, an AI by Turing test. 

The movie unfolds in a disturbing manner to me as there is not much description of sequence of events. The story is told in a very visual way and no clues are given about what may be to come (or at least none that I picked up on). Nathan is a very grating character to me as his personality is very jarring. I feel sorry for Caleb winning a trip to the CEO's house because Nathan is neither nice or forthcoming with information about what is going on out in the middle of now where. 

Ok let's just talk about middle of now where, which happens to be very gorgeous. I really enjoyed the scenes where they are outside. Especially epic, for a geologist is the when they hike up the rock face, to the to the glaciers. The house/compound is a modern marvel. I would love to own it. The use of glass in such a setting makes it seem like you are one with nature. I found myself wishing I could own this as a vacation home (in my dreams). 

As the movie progresses Caleb begins to get to know Ava (AI) better and test her. When he starts watching her on the CCTV I found it very creepy. By the end of the movie Caleb has become totally brainwashed by Ava. I don't even think he knows if he is human anymore. 

The ending is pulled off very well. Nathan who always seems to be one step ahead of Caleb has been outsmarted by Caleb. Nathan is toast because of Caleb's forethought, Caleb gets trapped in the decisions he has made, and Ava is free to roam the world to my horror. 

When the scene cuts to Ava at an intersection I feared what could be next for the world with an unkown AI on the loose who had no guilt or who can only simulate emotion to manipulate those that do (us!).

After pondering it for a few days I am glad I watched Ex Machina and give it 4/5 for being a new and different kind of sci-fi movie.

Pesto pucks

Earlier this summer we harvested our carrots. Instead of letting the tops go to waste I decided to use them to make pesto. The ingredients used are cilantro (from the garden), carrot tops (from the garden), olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese. You can add salt as well but be careful as I added too much.

I used the ninja to mix all the ingredients. Then I put the pesto mix into silicon baking cups and put them in the freezer.

After a few hours I removed the pesto pucks from the freezer and into a plastic bag.

We have so far used the pesto pucks to make chicken pesto pasta. Yum!

Art after 5

Yesterday a happy hour was hosted on the rooftop of the OKC art museum. I had skipped a few previous happy hours so I wanted to attend. The temperature outside almost had me re-thinking that decision.
After work I stopped at the library quick to pick up a book on hold and then dropped my purse off at the car. The rooftop was scorching when we all arrived. I had a great time socializing and then went down to explore the art.

Look what I found!

Work from another roof

Chiuly Glass sculpture

Purple spikes

Wilky Wonka?

Glass hallway, my new home

Vase on the ceiling

Lavender Cylinder 

Boat and Balls Oh my!

Holy Boatman!

I had a great time viewing the other art as well. Except maybe the modern and abstract art....not too sure about those. The Faberge collection was interesting as well but I was not about to take a picture in there, too many witnesses.


Earlier in the day we had some excitement because the President was in town. See my cheesy video below of the view from work.

Snipers on the roof

On to a great weekend.

Taking care of business

Well this week is slowly sliding on by. My family is in Myrtle Beach and I get to hear all about the fun they are having while I am still at work. Yuck.

In a few weeks I will get some time off to visit friends in Houston. I am really looking forward to going to a wedding dress fitting and seeing the baby!

I have started exercising more regularly and trying to keep myself calm. I am hoping the exercise helps with regulating my hormones and relieving stress.

Look for another book review soon.

Zoo, rock garden, & sick puppy

This last week has been a dozy. Coda, our 6 lbs Yorkie, was sick. He started showing symptoms on Wednesday with puking and diarrhea. He continued to act up so we took him to the vet on Friday for exam and fluids. It turns out the vet thinks he had HGE. The test results came back as high on HCT but not needing hospitalization. We do not want to go there again. 

Tuesday night feeling sick

Sat. morning starting to feel better

 Coda is on anti-biotics and has nausea and diarrhea medication. He is loving life as he is getting chik-fil-a with pills.

On Saturday morning we went to the zoo. We arrived a little later than I would have liked but it was still fun. The temperature really starting heating up fast. There were a lot of families with very small children and lots of crying etc. Oh the joys of being a parent. Here are some highlights of the day.

Peacock being shy

New baby elephant

Parakeet time

After we got home I took a brief nap. Being out in the sun really tired me out. I got to work on the front entry way. I envisioned a rock garden with a bench outside the front door. Here is what the front entry way looks like. 

Front planter before

Front planter currently

Today I am going to work on putting down more landscaping paper in the front and working on the kitchen cabinet doors.

On another note David prepared the wine and I got to taste. The flavor has mellowed a bit and I would describe it as tart. The wine is crystal clear and a beautiful color.

Yummy!