Hit Me Again Jack.

Yesterday I was hit with the lazy stick. And it was glorious.

I missed my first workout for no reason whatsoever. I have missed workouts due to bad planning, oversleeping, lack of sleeping, exhaustion...but I have never bailed on one just because I didn't feel like it (well, at least not in the last year) and it was awesome.

The guilt ate at me for a few hours while I snuggled in bed, but it wasn't bad enough to actually make me get out of bed and join Tommy on the bike trainers. I had to remind myself that I'm not training for an Ironman anymore and I can relax. I can take a day off for no reason (I still went to the gym at lunch, but that doesn't really count), sleep in, and relax. I had slept well the night before, wasn't really tired anymore, but I just didn't feel like getting up yet...and that is okay. Siiiigh.

I still don't think that I am mentally recovered from Ironman training - that need to keep pushing is still there (and I want it gone for awhile!) - but I am definitely getting closer to that happy medium.

That said, I ran 15 miles this weekend...at my best friends bachelorette party. Somethings never change. Ha. But running on the beach at sunrise IS everything it is cracked up to be...siiiigh...and it was totally worth it.

I'm trying to find some people to run with in Austin this weekend while at another friend's bachelorette party...Weddingpalooza 2010 is in full swing!

I also still have the Ironman bug, which may be why I am having a hard time shaking my old ways. I know that taking this year off of Ironman racing is the best choice for me. I need the time to relax and regain some balance...and I want to take the time to get faster. I have so much room for improvement and I can't do it if I keep racing long. But I CANNOT wait until IMFL 2011...I watched Kona this morning on my bike trainer and sobbed like a little girl. What IS it about this crap that makes me weep?!?!

But hit me with the lazy stick again Jack. I could be okay with a little more lazy in my life for now. I've got a sh1t ton of laundry to do. And those yard gnomes won't do it themselves.

4 years!

Tommy and I met 4 years ago today. Time flies!!

I still can't believe that I have been lucky enough to meet my best friend at the right time in our lives to make it work. One day earlier and I might have thought he was a jerk, one day later and someone else would have snatched him up!

We met through a mutual friend at Little Woodrows when LSU and A&M were playing in the basketball finals. We hit it off, but neither of us pursued anything - his life was in a slight stage of turmoil - until mid-April when we happened to get quite drunk and make out at LZ's Pub.

The rest is history!

I have spent the last 4 years of my life with my very best friend - our relationship was anything but simple in the beginning, but it WAS easy. We can talk about anything and there is no one I enjoy more than him.

Our history by numbers:
2: Number of months we dated before he met my parents
8: Number of months we dated before we moved in together
1: Number of times my mom hung up on me when I told her we were moving in together (it was an "accident" she says)
700: Number of square feet in the first "house" that we shared
18: Number of months we survived in that "house" before "upgrading" to another sh1thole
1: Number of times we got robbed in the middle of the night
17: Number of times our cars got broken into in the street
12: Number of days we have spent in France
37,923: Bottles of wine consumed in France
2,234,893: Blocks of cheese consumed in France
2: Number of days we have spent in London
1: Number of Beefeaters I tried to befriend
6: Number of marathons completed
1: Number of marathons begun and finished, but skipped the middle
2: Number of Ironman finishes
1: Week in Hawaii on freezing cold beaches
1: Honeymoon in Curacao with crystal clear water
8: Number of ounces in a standard beer in Curacao (this is just wrong!)
6: Number of bicycles we own
29: Number of water bottles we own
4: Number of times I have moved since we met
3: Number of homes we have lived in together
5: Number of years (we hope) until we get to live on the water
1: Number of dogs we have
11ty Billion: Number of dogs I wish we had
17: Number of times per day I curse our freakishly small garage
9: Pounds of beignets have been eaten (and beignets are light, so that's a lot)
11: Number of months we dated before Tommy proposed
14: Number of times Tommy has threatened divorce over the game Taboo
1: Number of things in a park that start with the letter "J"
4: Number of friends I tried to make on our vacation to Scottsdale who turned out to live in our street
5: Number of times we eat sushi per week
46: Number of times we wish we were eating Cafe Adobe instead
365: Number of days we would like to spend outside
1: Number of weekends we have spent in Germany during Eurocup '08
1: Number of trains on which Tommy had to stow away
1: Number of times we saw my friend dance nekkid in Vegas
2: Number of times I called my mom about my nekkid friend...but don't remember the call
5: Number of dollars spent gambling in Vegas
5,000ish: Number of miles spent biking together
??: Number of miles spent running together
60: Number of granola bars we eat in a week
0: Number of reasons we need to sit outside and drink wine
36: Number of times we say "I love you" every day (I know, it's sickening!)
18: Number of months we dated until we got married
1: Number of times we danced on the bar at our wedding
2: Number of movies available on our Netflix account
300: Worst movie ever rented via Netflix
1: Number of times Tommy has danced to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce at 5AM (I wish this number were higher)
50: Number of inches tall that our laundry pile gets before we decide to fold it
42: Number of times the nest is contiminated each night
3: Number of times each night that Tommy wishes I ate spicy food
6: Number of times each night that I wish Tommy ate bland food
929,348,124.4: Number of times Tommy makes me laugh every day
Infinity: Number of ways I am thankful for Tommy and the love and laughter he brings to my life


Here's to the last 4 years of happiness and many, many, many more to come!

Old Balls. Gross.

I am now 29 years of age. I bet nobody thought I would survive my teenage years, nevermind college, so HA! In your face! I made it! I'm almost 30!

Old balls. For reals.

My age has never really bothered me...all my friends, for my whole life, have always been older than me, so I have never felt old...because I'm always younger than SOMEBODY at the party. The fact that I can barely get into an R-rated movie or buy paint is just icing on that birthday cake.

All is well and good until all my old friends start dropping like flies and I am a lonely old hag, but until that day, I will relish my place as the spring chicken.

Alas, my 29th birthday was Saturday (it was very fun - my family came in town, we sat in the field, played games and drank wine - gotta love dem folks)and on Sunday, I started feeling old. Around 8PM, I looked at Tommy and said, "I'm going to bed...my back hurts and I'm tired".

In my defense, I did ride my bike for 3 hours that day (for the first time in 4 months), but nonetheless, I think this is my first sign of aging. I'm old balls. Gross.

So, thanks to all of you who kept me young for so long...the joyride is over. Let the aging begin.

Happy freaking birthday to me.

************************************
In other news, I ran the Bayou City Classic 10K on Saturday and PR'ed by 4 minutes (my PR was slow, but whatever!)...I crossed that finish line in 50:33 (average pace of 8:10) and was 12th in my age group (of about 200). My goal was to break 50 minutes, and if I hadn't gotten so freaking thirsty and walked through all the water stops, I definitely would have made it...lesson learned. Game, set, match. Deyhration, here I come.

Racing Season Begins!

It's finally here. Off season is over and the fun is about the begin. The weather is warming up, which means I am no longer whining about being freezing (well, at least I'm not whining as MUCH) and going to the pool isn't quite as terrifying.

So far, I have two races under my belt this season - TIR and the Bayou City Classic 10K. Both of those races went awesome and I was reminded of why I like racing...finally. My race enthusiasm pretty much hit rock bottom after Ironman, but I feel it slowly coming back!

My parents really enjoyed it and did awesome, although, their first comments were, "How in the world do you do that a few more times to run a marathon?". Haha. Yeah, I have no idea either.

The next races on the calendar are the Gateway to the Bay sprint and olympic (sprint on Saturday and olympic on Sunday)...we have a wedding to go to on Saturday night, so we figured Sunday's race won't go so well. Hence the race on Saturday as well. Maybe I can get SOMETHING decent out of the weekend.

All in all, the racing season is upon us!! YAYYY!

Tommy and I went out to BFE for our first ride since IMCOZ and it was glorious. My hoo-ha isn't quite used to sitting on my seat for that long anymore and my body isn't used to being aero, but overall, my legs felt great and it was wonderful to be outside in the gorgeous weather!

Unfortunately, due to Weddingpalooza 2010, I will probably be unable to ride outside again until IMFlorida 70.3...ooops. That'll be a great race. NOT! I'm giving Florida an asterisk. :) Ha.

Weddingpalooza 2010 officially begins today. I have something wedding related (either the actual wedding or a bachelorette party) every weekend from now until May. I'm a little stressed out and exhausted by it all, but the people getting married are some of my nearest and dearest and I am so excited for them!

COME AND TAKE IT

Texas is The. Best. State. Ever. But if you're reading this, you likely know my feelings about Texas already. I'm not saying that I would NEVER move away, but let's be honest - you'd have to promise me a bed made of a gold, a closet full of designer shoes and you'd have to relocate my family and friends to make it happen.

I just heart Texas.

To celebrate the birth of the great nation of Texas, The Texas Independence Relay was born. It's a 203.2 mile relay that starts in Gonzales, Texas (where the first battle for Texas' independence was fought - the Come and Take it Cannon was located there) and follows the trail of battles that Texas soldiers fought for independence. It ends just east of Houston at the San Jacinto Monument - the place where Santa Anna was finally defeated and Texas' independence was won!

I tear up as I write this. I kid you not.

The basics of the race at you assemble a team to run 40 legs of the relay. Most teams have 8-12 people. You start running in Gonzales, TX and you finish at the monument the next day. You run all night and all day until the smell of yourself makes you violently ill. Our team was 9 people, all running 4 legs each, except for Adam (who is/was/always will be superior to all of us and ran 5)...we each ran about 22 miles over the course of 25 hours.

Ultimately, we finished the race in a super speedy 25 hours and 36 minutes to place 14th overall (we were seeded to finish 17th - so we kicked butt!), 7th in our division and had an average pace of 7:26. Dude, we totally rocked. In addition to our swift running, we also recieved 3rd place for Most Team Spirit. It was totally the costumes. Everybody loves a guy in pink spandex.

I think it was the outfits.

Highlights of the trip:

Blizzards from Dairy Queen
Makeshift hangers in the van to dry our outfits between legs
Pita chips
All you saw was the "pee" not the "nis"
Buc-ees, glorious, wonderful, Buc-ees
Kyle running home from his last leg to take a crap but since he didn't have a car there, he had to call a cab to bring him to our next stop(hence Rookie of the Year award)
Not being able to "go"
Staying awake for 30 hours
Navigation issues
ROADKILL!
Howard's - The greatest gas station in the world
SABOTAGE
Really bad music on the Ipod
Delicious hambugers in Weimer (that weren't actually good, but dear lord, they satisfied!)
Kolaches
Hot pink spandex
Giant chamois(s)
15 passenger vans
Mullets
Hating the Tornados

The first legs went great for everyone (except for Kyle who got the 9 mile leg and since he hadn't really been running, this was not pretty for him). The second legs were fun, but in the pitch black darkness of midnight, the entertainment value went waaaay down. Things were starting to get quite painful by the 3rd legs and the van was starting to smell. By the 4th leg, we were all rejuvinated, exhausted, stinky and in a great deal of pain...and then Adam had to run again. Poor guy.

And the awards go to (since we all slept through the Oscars)...

Adam: Team Granddad (aged due to James taking his spot as Team Dad)
Christy: Most Improved
Kyle: Rookie of the Year
Tommy: Best Looking in the Uniform (maybe I'm biased, but probably not)
Melissa: Best TIR Captain EVER
James: Team Dad
Andres: Best First Timer at Buc-ees
Laura: Best at Sleeping. Anywhere.
Jenn: Most Consistent

All in all, it was very fun and very not fun all at the same time. I really enjoyed myself during the day, but once the sun went down, it was hard for me to maintain the level of happy I was previously at. But then I got to run along the bayou at sunrise and all was right with the world again!

The problem with only having one van is that you are very tired and it's hard to sleep...the benefit is that you actually get to enjoy your friends, it all goes by faster and its a lot cheaper. However, I think we were way too fast to have had any downtime anyway! I REALLY liked having a smaller team too - definitely more fun than the 12 person teams.

I always say I'm not gonna do this race again (this was my third relay and 2nd TIR), but I hate missing out on the fun...so I'm relatively certain that if all my friends race again, I'll be there.

Go Team Pace Booty! We rocked!

You know how you think you are funnier than you actually are? Yeah. That.

Tommy and I think that we are the most hysterical people on the planet. I am pretty sure that the rest of the planet would completely disagree, but, I gotta be honest here, that boy makes me laugh harder than anyone I have ever met. I find it very sad that there isn't a tv show with us as the stars. It would be a cult classic.

Earlier this week, we had a conversation on instant messenger (yes, we do most of our talking via instant messenger and texting...yayy internet age) regarding the age old debate of "More Dogs or No More Dogs?" I, of course, am right in thinking that we need more dogs, and Tommy (always the pessimist) is very anti-More Dogs.

Below is our discussion that we were both laughing about when we got home. For your information: "Pugzy" is what we call all dogs. "... ..." is intented to be the scene from Borat when he is learning to use the word "NOT".

The discussion begins when I sent him a link to a shelter hosting an adoption day...they were offering incentives for adopting older and bigger dogs.

Tommy: no more pugzys

me: why why why?
baaaaaby
they are on sale!!!

Tommy: its too much

me: puppies dont get any cheaper than that
you hate me

Tommy: never baby. just don't want to have an animal farm
one beast gets in the way enough
and the fur oh goodness

me: but baby! you let your other wife have two
its like you love her more than you love me
siiiiiiiiiiigh
the fur is good for you

Tommy: no way. those dogs weighed 15 pounds together

me: but it was two!
siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh
i will be pitiful tonight

Tommy: so we should have 70 the size of Betty?
glad you are going out to dinner then!
muhahaha

me: siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh
baby
this is not the choice

Tommy: it IS the choice
get a pugzy or not get a pugzy

me: GET A PUGZY!!

Tommy: ......
.....
.....
NOT
you would have 10 of them

me: hahahahaha
sooooo?@???!?!?
i would be so happy

Tommy: We wouldn't be able to even walk down the stairs
wouldnt remember their names

me: hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Tommy as long as we never go out of town
wouldnt even know if one got away...
spend all evening just counting the pugzys

me: hahahahahahaha

Tommy: haha
you can come home at lunch and let the pugzys out

Lydia.

Lydia, Lydia, Lydia.

Payback is a b1tch, ain't it?

For those who don't know (and if you don't know, we aren't friends because I talk about this ALL THE TIME), there was a girl at my wedding - Lydia - who came as the date of my friend Matt. I had maybe met Lydia once before, but whatever, it didn't matter. She was Matt's date and my photographers One True Love [batting eyelashes].

In my photographers defense, she did stand near me for most of our wedding reception while we all danced our hearts out. HOWEVER, this does not negate the fact that this girl (whom I barely know) is in almost every single one of my wedding pictures. Every. Single. One.

My photographer loved her. Loved her. Like, asked the pastor if they could get married right after us, loved her.

Alas, I was not a happy camper when I finally got to see all my wedding pictures.

I vowed to pay Lydia back. And since she is getting married soon, I had elaborate plans to show up and hang on her all night. It was going to be fabulous.

But as life does, it gave me the payback I deserved...or pay FORWARD if you will.

My friend Rebecca got married this weekend in New Orleans and had a very casual ceremony where we all stood around them in a circle while a friend of theirs read the vows. Well, I ended up standing RIGHT freaking NEXT to her during her vows. I was totally a bridesmaid.

I photobombed every single one of their wedding pictures.

I tried to smile so I would at least look decent in the pictures but dude, I was holding a glass of wine like it was a bouquet. Not exactly framing material.

Lydia, this photobomb is for you.

And Rebecca, I give you full permission to take my uninvited place at Lydia's wedding for some serious photobombing. Or you can just wait and pay it forward.

Present of the Year

In case you weren't sure what to buy your daughter, nephew, kid down the street, Amazon has done and gone solved all your problems!

Check this out...make sure to read the first review.

Olympic Dreams

The olympic trials for the marathon are coming here in 2012...OMG. The race will be the day before the Houston Marathon and I can't wait to compete. I'll probably run both days.

Ha.

On a serious note, this is very exciting news. This race will bring amazing athletes to town and I can't wait to watch them!

On an unserious note, I did a track workout this morning. We did 5x800's and then 4x100's. I've never run just 100 meters before and it was interesting to say the least. The first thing I noticed is that I don't lace my shoes tightly enough for running that fast. The second thing I noticed was that no matter how fast I was running I will never be fast.

Siiigh.

During those 100m sprints, I would swear to you that I was a running goddess. I was flying like the wind. I could have qualified for the olympics. I was a winner. I hath ne'er run so fast. It felt amazing.

And then I got lapped by Adam on his cool down.

He is always one upping me. I run the marathon in 4 hours, he runs it in 3. I run 100 meters as fast as I can, he runs a mile...faster. Jerk.

Someday my little ones, someday.

Or not. The closest I will ever get to being fast is to sit on the side of the road at the Olympic trials in 2012. I better start training now.

The Verdict Is In.

Yup, I should be eating about 800 more calories per day than I normally do.

WTF.

This sounds exciting in theory, but I'm terrified of gaining weight. If I gain five pounds, I won't be able to shop in normal people stores anymore...so this is definitely a risk. But what I'm currently doing isn't working and I am paying this nice lady to tell me what to do...I just need to listen to her!

She also said that my salt consumption is probably acceptable since I work out so much...so na na nana na!! I win! Salt for everyone!

Now I am sitting in my cubicle, not hungry, with a LOT of calories left to eat today. I'm fantasizing about cheese fries, but I'm pretty sure that's not what she intended...

Risk Taker

Every article of clothing I wear to work is a solid colored sweater. I have every color of the rainbow, every style imaginable (although, I tend to gravitate towards turtlenecks and cardigans), and I wear them everyday with a different color of slacks (all the same brand, cut, and length).

It's wierd because in my "outside of work" life, I tend to think of myself as at least semi-fashion forward. Yet, I have never, ever, worn anything but solid colored sweaters to work in the last 6 years.

I'm that much of a risk taker.

I could blame it on my engineering background...engineers aren't exactly known for their fashion sense, but alas, since I'm obsessed with shoes and own at least 14 pairs of jeans, I don't think I can get away with this excuse.

One of my goals for the year is to not purchase a single solid colored sweater.

(I think I will allow myself to replace a basic staple if needed however...think black cardigans)

I purchased my first print on Friday. There was another version of it in brown/yellow, but I decided for my first print, I should play it safe. That way, if I feel uncomfortable, I can snap up my black cardigan and no one will be the wiser.


It was tough getting dressed this morning, but I made myself do it and, much to my surprise, I survived the day.

Phew. I need a glass of wine. Maybe next time I can get the colorful one? Or not.

Fighting the Good Fight

As we all know, I struggle with my weight. Everytime I eat something (anything), I think to myself, do I really WANT/NEED this? How does eating this help me fuel the machine? Sometimes I eat out of boredom, sometimes I eat because I have a craving, sometimes I eat because I am hungry...but mostly, I eat because I enjoy it.

I like eating. I like food and the way it tastes. I like the social activity of sharing a meal with someone. All in all, I just like eating.

For the last year, I have been seriously watching what I eat and working out more than the average bear but with no results. The good news is that I am exactly the same size I was when I was 14...the bad news is that I must have been a giant at 14. (I had always thought I was a giant teenager but everyone told me I wasn't big...it's good to finally know that my anxiety was justified...15 years later, but justified nonetheless). But in the last year, I have lost 0 pounds, 0 inches and 0 % body fat. WTF!

Everyone kept saying, "Well you drink a lot" (which I do, but only on the weekends and it actually nets out to a normal weekly consumption), "Well, you eat a lot of Mexican food" (I don't...I just only eat it socially, so if you and I go out to eat, we eat Mexican, and therefore you assume I eat Mexican everynight), "Well, you don't work out enough" (Screw you!). Alas, I got tired of complaining about my weight and not knowing what to do about it.

Soooo, I'm going to a nutritionist. In our first meeting, her response was that I am not eating enough. WHAT?

Calories in <= Calories out is a bunch of crap.

After entering every morsel of food I ate last week, she is right. It was relatively normal week. I missed 2 workouts because I was sick, but I also ate less because I wasn't feeling all that great. We went to the Rodeo Cookoff and I gorged myself on BBQ and beer...but my long run and swim in the morning pretty much negated it all. On average, I eat about 500 calories less than I should to lose 1 pound per week. She says my body is starving itself. Awesome.

My fear with this is that I will have to eat more and then I will gain weight...but I hired her to help me, so I am just going to (attempt) to put my trust in her. Wish me luck.