A Bunch of News

Hello all,
Just another quick post (turns out my last post was October 5th....seems I've been slacking on the blogging...oops! In other news, work work working sucks!!!) Anywhoo, I don't know that I've blogged since I got my new Garmin, but I must say it is the most amazing running purchase (other than my shoes) that I've ever made!!

I love it! I've noticed that I head out running too fast (surprise surprise)...I can pretty much maintain 12-12:30 if I start slow, but most of the time I'll look down and be more towards 11 or less (which is good, but not to maintain at right now...) So Garmin's making me slow down. Not soon enough though, since today at about mile 2.5 I started having some pain in my right hip. I stopped and walked, and stretched. And walked and stretched...but I also completed the longest run I've done so far, which brings us to:
THE CUPCAKE CLASSIC 3.7 in celebration of Jess' birthday!

 I had planned to roll this race into another 5k that was happening in the area, but I was a lazy bum and didn't get out of bed on time (yes, I know sleeping in is nice. Oversleeping a 12 noon alarm=not so nice.) So I went out on my own, on the bike path just outside of town. Amazing weather, just cool enough to appreciate long sleeves, but warm enough to not freeze in the running capri's. I decided recently to revisit some music from my 'younger' days, so I put on Hole's 'Live Through This' album and took off.
I just tried to link my run from Garmin Training Center to here. Obviously not a success, but here is the stuff anyway:
Overall total for 3.7 miles--48:36, average of 13:08 pace/mile.
Mile 1=11:53
Mile 2= 12:41
Mile 3=13:48
Mile .7=14.39
So's you can see where things started going downhill with the bum hip....(Can I get an 'Ice that Hip?' How's about a 'Roll that Hip?')
So obviously I have work to do, but for today I am happy. And wishing a happy happy birthday to Jess!
I really love the Virtual Races that people are putting out there! Kiley at Daily Vitamin F will be having multiple upcoming Holiday Virtual Races that I'm pumped for!
To finish up this long overdue post, I will share with you my most proud moment of the running season so far:

Post Warrior Dash Amazement

And you're welcome for all of the random.

--Marge

A Quick Note

Hello all! Just wanted to do a quick update since it's been a couple weeks.

1. I just signed up to do a virtual race for Run With Jess' birthday! It is a 3.7 mile virtual race, in honor of her 37th birthday (and in honor of cupcakes-yum!)   It's going on the week of October 17-23rd, and I think everyone should go sign up! Running, birthdays, and cupcakes--doesn't get much better. My birthday is the week before (I'll be the Big 33), and I'm thinking pumpkin muffins will be in order...
2. Got the Garmin, and I think I'm in love. We'll be getting married in the near future. Watch the mailbox for your invite...
3. As a direct result of the Garms, I managed to run a 12-something average. I caught myself many times pushing it in the 11's, and was able to slow myself down so I did much less walking! Hello, endurance, nice to finally start meeting up with you...
4. OMG--I forgot to tell you guys I graduated! (from physical therapy, that is). I went back after vacation, and the chiro said I'm good and only need to come back if things start acting up!! Finally I am going to be able to put this car-accident stuff  behind me!
5. Can't remember if I mentioned it, but I am planning to run a 10k with my sister-in-law in May 2012--I know I have a boatload of time to work up to it, but big bro just sent me the email that they'd signed up (and hotel arrangements), so I can get everything in line. (Hmmm, do I overplan? Yes. Yes I do.) Cincinnati Flying Pig 10k, here I come.

There are a few other 5k's coming up in the next few months that I'm fitting into my schedule. I'll keep you updated....besides that, work's been stressful and non-stop, and I've been loving it--sometimes it's just nice to get home from work and fall into bed. Feels like I'm doing some people some good....

And even though I haven't been posting, I have been creep-stalking all of you, and am so inspired by the great things everyone's doing this summer/fall. Love love love hearing about your runs and races! (and everything else)

--Marge

Home from Vacation!!

Hello everybody! The last time I posted, I was getting ready to go to Myrtle Beach for a family vacation--yes, the family vacation that included my strange family set-up. We had 2 condos, and in condo #1, it was my dad and stepmom, and her son and his girlfriend (both awesome and hilaaaarious!!!), and in condo #2, it was my big brother and sister-in-law, my mother, and myself. My baby brother didn't come this year, since he and his wife just had their baby a couple months ago.

The cutest munchkin ever!!!

So yes, the family vacation....An entire week of hanging out with the coolest people ever, and every time we get together, it's like a comedy club--the whole family is freaking hilarious, so every day (usually before 9am) my face and abs would be aching from laughing so hard!

There are some major highlights of this vacation:

 

Not sure if this will play right, but it was the beach when we first got there, the most peaceful sound and sight in the world as far as I'm concerned.

Second, this was the first time I've run with anyone else. Big brother, sister-in-law, and I ran in North Myrtle Beach's Beach Sweep 5k on Saturday, September 17th. I initially thought that we'd be running on a boardwalk or something. Surprise of all surprises, we ended up running along the beach, in the sand, with the tide rolling in (or out? never really did figure that out, just that it was gorgeous!)...So, first time running with people, first time running in sand, and  FIRST TIME RUNNING IN THE VICINITY OF SOMEONE WITH A GARMIN!!!! Can I just say a few things about all of these firsts: 1. I loved running with my bro and sis-in-law! They kept pace with me, which was cool, and we talked the whole time and I only walked twice, very briefly. It really passed the time and made it seem like so much less effort!! 2. Running in the sand is different. Not harder or easier, just different. Luckily, we were running on a harder, packed sand (unlike later in the week run on soft sand, which is much harder!!) and 3. THE GARMIN IS FLIPPING AMAZING!! My brother wore his that I'd gotten him earlier this year, and it really kept me going-he'd tell me how much time I had left for each mile in order to PR!

Sis-in-law, bro, and me before Beach Sweep 5k

AND IN CASE ANYONE WAS WONDERING--I PR'D, AND IT WAS MY BEST SINCE I STARTED RUNNING!!! I think we can all remember that I was doing really well (in my humble opinion) with running prior to my car accident:

Janked-up old car

In my first 5k, I was at 40+, and after the accident, my best was 43+. Since then I have been working it out, slow and steady just trying to keep moving. So (TAA-DAAAH!) my PR at the Beach Sweep 5k was 39:45, which is @ 12:49 minute/mile (and I've been up in the 14+ range)!!!! I am so stinkin' proud of myself! So cool too, to get to share that with my family!

A couple days later, I took the Garmin out for a spin by myself, and ran on the beach 1.5miles in 20:45 (@13:51m/m) in midday heat (from the condo to the pier and back). And promptly went back to the room and ordered MY GARMIN FORERUNNER 305!!!

Hopefully this will take you to a link....

 So I am waiting (not so) patiently for a sweet little package from Amazon that I am soo excited about!!!!

Other fun vacation things:

THE BEACH

From the Apache Pier, looking towards the condos--ours was the 4th one--gray and white--Wyndham Seawatch Plantation, Myrtle Beach, SC

Apache Pier

Sexy, huh? Mid-way through daytime run, gettin' my tan on

At least I don't look scary in this one...too much!!

 And when I was gone, I got two things at home waiting for me!

1. ChiRunning video

To try and keep my back in good shape (and there was a discount through Schwaggle!)

and

where i got this

 

2. FLEAS----GRRR!!! As soon as I got home this morning, at 6am and after driving all night, I came home to fleas, so I had to go out, drive to WalMart, get flea shampoo and spray,and  flea collar for the cat, come home, spray the house down, bathe the dogs, vacuum everything, and do laundry all day!!! And amazingly, I am still glad to be back...

--Marge

Almost Vacay Time!

In 3, count 'em 3 days, I will be leaving Ohio for the warm sandy beaches of Myrtle Beach, for a week-long family vacation! I cannot tell you how excited I am to go, and to spend that time with my family, but geesh! there is a lot of planning to do still...
I have to get books to read on the beach, finish cleaning and packing, meet the dog-walker-lady, work at work, work at the jail, shop for food to take, and on and on. I feel like I've been going nonstop!

On Saturday (the 17th, I think) I will be running my first 5k with anyone besides myself. I think I've mentioned that none of my friends that live here run, so I have not had a 'buddy' to go with. I had joined the Facebook group for the local running club, hoping to do some group runs, and it turns out that most of those happen at 5:30am (not a bad thing, just interferes with work, like leaving me hanging around work 2 hours early...NO THANKS!)....
Anyway, I digress...so I will be doing this 5k with my brother and sister-in-law. So far none of the other family members have agreed to do it. I don't remember if I've said this before, but one of the reasons I started running was because my brother *CHALLENGED* me to run a family 5k on the family vacay. That was at Thanksgiving, and I started running in December. I am super-excited to run WITH other people (or at least have someone to come back and run me in!)


And in fantastic news: The Chiropractor doesn't need to see me for 2 more weeks, and is going to "wean" me from intensive physical therapy! He wants me back to doing my normal workouts. So I will be *KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES* (I did my gym rotation last week--35 minutes on the treadmill, 30 minutes on the elliptical, and 25 on the recumbent bike; over the weekend I weedwhacked the whole yard and did a few rounds of resistance band exercises. Hoo-rah!) And I only hurt a little bit the next day.


Good luck on your upcoming fall races!!! 
--Marge

I'm Alive and Kickin'!!

I have not written about my life in the past month because, well, I've been depressed with the whole "things I can't do yet since the car accident." I feel over-dramatic even posting this, since it's only whiplash and will get better. Things have been very 'blah' for me---going to the chiropractor, coming home from there, going to work, coming home from work, dogs dogs dogs dogs...well, OK, so the dog part is never 'blah' but the rest is. So I have not wanted to bore anyone with that.
But things are looking up! I recently ran my first 5k since the accident--the Columbus Humane Society's Defend Your Friend 5K (OK, it was really the same day as my last post!) to benefit the Cruelty Investigations Unit. I think there were about 300 people there, and a bunch of dogs. It was about 90 degrees out with ridiculous humidity--at one point I was following a woman that was carrying her collie and running because it was too hot for the dog!

Sweaty and dying at the end of the race! I hate how red I get!

I'll be honest, I was mostly miserable because of the heat, and because of a lot of tightness in my right hip (I think that because my back's still a little off, my muscles are working in ways they haven't had to), and I ended up finishing at 43:00 exactly, which I was happy with (mostly because it was DONE and there was ice-cold water at the end). One really cool thing about this one was that it was an out-and-back, and there were 2 water tables, so really it ended up being 4, which was great with the heat. Since then, I have been going to the gym and running after work every couple of days or at home on the treadmill.

Day 1 workout

Day 2 workout

I also went to visit a bunch of the girls I went to college with at the annual get-together--we did not get pictures this year, so here is a picture of Bella, very proud of herself after busting a kid's float-ring:

"Look Mom, I killed it!!"

While visiting the girls, I took one of the dogs for a 2 mile run, and I didn't time it, but I know we went faster than normal for me--he was just having so much fun, I didn't want to slow down unless I had to! So overall, I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things.
And two weeks from now, I will be running a 5k with my older brother and his wife to kick off the Annual Family Vacation at Myrtle Beach. This will be my first time running with them (or anyone, for that matter!) and I am super-excited! I'm working on catching up with everyone's blogs too!!


--Marge

Short and Sweet

But enough about me....haha! Ok, lame jokes aside (for now), here is a quick update for all of you that've been waiting on the edge of your seats to see what I've been up to....Ok, lame jokes aside for real....I have not been posting much because I haven't been doing anything active. My back is still jacked up from the car accident, though it is getting better with chiropractic care and physical therapy. Yesterday was the first day I've been able to take the dogs for a walk even! (Don't worry, we play in the house pretty constantly, since they  won't take no for an answer and just keep bringing me toys or barking until I get up to play, so they've been getting their workouts in, and we just went for another walk a few minutes ago)
Today, though. TODAY I AM DRIVING TO COLUMBUS TO RUN/WALK A 5K!!!! I got the OK from the Chiro yesterday, with strict instructions to s-t-r-e-t-c-h and warm up for 30 minutes prior to the start, and to stop running if my back or neck starts hurting. I also have to take ice packs in the cooler to ice my back and neck when I'm done (which should go over great, since I'm meeting someone out for drinks...ah, well, if they can't hang with me when I'm hurt, they shouldn't hang with me at all, right??) So I'll let you know how it goes.
The 5K is called the Defend Your Friends 5K, and it benefits the Columbus Humane Society's Cruelty Investigations Unit. I don't know if you've noticed that I'm kind of obsessed with animals...so there will be dogs there and people running with their dogs (mine are a little wild for that kind of event). I figure if I have to walk, I'll just pick a dog I like and try to stay close to it. I plan to run though. I'm craving it, just the movement and the feeling. I find myself getting jealous every time I drive past someone that is running, and cursing the guy that hit me and made it so I couldn't. Maybe I needed this mandated break though, to realize how much it actually benefits me and how much I enjoy it....at least that's what I'll tell myself!
Wish me luck! I'll be thinking about all of you and your support!!
And because I'd hate to leave you hanging, here is a picture of my bff since High School and I, drinking margaritas last week. I tell you, we get together and have soooo much fun (we call it "The Nikki and Marge Show" and it gets pretty crazy!)

Yes, that is my cheesy face and fancy pinkie-finger drinking style. Try not to be jealous!!

off to my run!


--Marge

Whirlwind past 2 weeks

Hey folks, long time, no me! This has been the craziest and most stressful couple of weeks I've had in a long time, with my nephew being born, then the car accident the day after, then fighting with their insurance company, getting treatment for MY injuries, and finding a replacement car. Oh, yeah, and working a high stress/high responsibility job on top of that.
All that crazy = no time for blogging. So I'll do a photo montage to show the progress:

Is he not the most beautiful thing in the whole wide world?

This photo was taken shortly after he got home, and let me quote my (amazing) brother, "I am so proud of her (wife) and he has made us both so happy." I've said it before and will say it again, my brother is an awesome father!

Jacked up car

The arguing with the 'drive into my backseat' guy's insurance has been horrible. They took my rental car yesterday, leaving me nothing to drive (and I drive a whole lot for work, since I'm on the *mobile* crisis team) and not yet sending me a check to cover my car....Fortunately for me (and amazingly, I might add) my older brother and his wife gifted me some cash to help replace the car, and my dad was willing to front me a little more so I could try to replace it without missing too much work. So we fast forward to yesterday, which was a long and boiling hot day of used car shopping (my dad gets this gleam in his eye, I swear it's like he's a junkie getting a fix) with a couple of crap cars, leading to the most ultimate--my new (to me) car!! A 2004 Suzuki Verona, black, tinted windows, loaded! I swear, it's like a little old man car--it even has a change drawer in the dashboard by the wheel!! It's really nice and has low mileage, and, boy it's pretty!!

And it's mine!!

Finally, the whiplash is getting better by degrees. I can move my neck now, but don't have full range of motion. The chiropractor is something else--I'd never been before, and it's turning out to be such a great idea--my spine is a little 'wavy' but he's putting me back in line and it's working!! And they're doing electrical stimulation of the muscles and a 'deep tissue massage' kind of thing with a back massage machine. Once things are less jacked-up, I will start physical therapy to strengthen everything. So three days a week for the next 3 weeks, I will be getting my back worked on. I still hurt though, and some days are worse than others, so I still sometimes look like this:

Admit it, you chuckled a little. I know I did!!

Last but not least, work....I think there is something about the heat that makes people's medications less effective. It seems like the very sick people are VERY SICK. I'm having to hospitalize a lot of people, both voluntary and involuntary, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down like it has in past years. Other people can't afford the medications that they need to stay stable. Whatever it is, it makes for very high stress work for me (I've gotten screamed at and threatened a lot lately, not fun).
HOWEVER--I did just get a voice mail from my boss telling me that I've been given a raise in my salary for picking up extra work and becoming the Jail Diversion Coordinator (I work with cops to divert people with mental illness from jail and into mental health treatment, and train officers to identify and work will individuals with acute mental illness). It is very nice to feel like I'm being acknowledged for the work I've been putting in...
On that note, I'm off to find something to eat, then put on a swimsuit and go sit by the pool and relax for the first time in a couple weeks. PS, I will be talking to the chiropractor on Monday about how soon I can start running again. I find myself being very jealous when I see other people running, knowing I can't right now....but I have another 5k coming up in a couple weeks, and I'd love to run at least part of it!!

Thanks for the ongoing support guys!!
--Marge