Testing... 1, 2, 3

Next week H is taking the kids to see his parents for Spring Break. I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about that later. Meanwhile, it's not my Spring Break, I have class, and attendance is mandatory for an A. (and we all know how I feel about A's) He'll go, and I'll stay.

So first off, I did a little celebration and made some plans. I'm going to spend all day Saturday running and cleaning my house. Yup. Hours (or, 1.2 hours) running, and HOURS deep cleaning my house. I have a nifty little aged toothbrush that is just waiting to dig in to the nitty gritty creases on my stove. I figure, once it's all cleaned on Saturday, I can chill out ALL day Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday doing nothing but running, staring at paint chips, and considering the DVR versus the On DEMAND buttons on the remote. RIGHT?

Yea! No one will go behind me and pull everything out, pile their clothes on the floor, leave wet towels where they don't belong, steal the pot holders to make "ice skates" out of for the newly cleaned hardwoods... Nope, it will stay clean and I will sit back and enjoy it. I might even take PINK for a ride without the kiddos one afternoon, and hit the gym in the middle of the day when it's not crowded and I can perfect my flip turns....

Wait... is next week the first week of April?

Well crud. It would seem that I have 6-9 hours of placement tests to take next week. Oh well, so much for the "chill out" plan. I guess I'll spend ALL DAY CLEANING on Saturday (after my RUN), Sunday is Easter (and I have no idea where I'm going to be after 11am) and then... all day Monday cramming for a Math Exam (it exempts me from a math class if I get a high enough score), all day Tuesday doing a little writing review for my actual NURSING Entrance Exam, and all day Wednesday fretting about an Exam that exempts me from a "mandatory" computer class. Depending on how hard or easy I find the tests, it should take me between 2 - 3 hours to complete each one.

The tests cost about $30 total, and if I have to take the classes, they'll cost me about $650. No pressure, but I don't want to spend $650, and I don't want to have to take those classes this summer.

BUT at least for Saturday and Sunday, I have a non-kid, non-husband, non-thinking plan that sounds blissfully "non".

Lasting Impressions

On the side of the Facebook Bar that reflects who you are,

where you're from,

what you're interested in,

if you're married...

why isn't there a tab with your Marathon Status? You know, it would read,

Marathoner:

yes

or

Marathoner:

11/13/2010 RIC

What? I'm just sayin'. And don't act like you've never thought it...

Unexpected Race Results

Here are the results from the 2010 Monument Ave 10K.

Unexpectedly, I didn't go out too fast, instead cruising out at a comfortable 8:40 pace.

Unexpectedly, I enjoyed every step of the race pain free.

Unexpectedly, I enjoyed every step of the race.

Unexpectedly, at mile 4 I slowed down (I'm not THAT fit), and thought, "hey, if you need a break, you can take a break at mile 6.3. But to be safe, let's just keep it under a 9m/mi". That mile was 8:59.

Unexpectedly, I realized at mile 5 that I was really close to my PR pace, but held steady because it would be really sad if I broke my knee.

Unexpectedly, at mile 6, I realized I could match my previous PR if I ran really hard the last .2... and when I say really hard, I'm talking a 7 minute mile pace... so that's what I did. And crossed the line when my watch read 54:54.. or 54:55... or was that 54:56? I don't know, I forgot to stop it on the line! But knew it was really close.

Later that day, a very very dear friend of mine looked up my results and told me, you did it in 54:54! Alright, that's great. I matched my PR. And then that same friend said, let's look up your old PR and check... and it was 54:55.

Unexpectedly, I achieved a 1 second PR.

Because, I'm a Friend, OK?

Don't say I "never did anything for you". I'm willing to take one for the team, and to prove that, I will share the most hellish experience I've ever, uh, experienced.

Because I'm just a good friend like that, OK?

Here are some words to live by... if you're at a ghetto race expo and the opportunity to step on an "accurate" body fat scale comes along, do not, under any circumstances, step on the scale.

I do not care HOW confident you are that it will read a number you're able to live with, it is not a good move. Because if the number does not reflect one that you can live with, if it instead says you are ONE body fat point away from OBESITY, you will now be living your worst nightmare:

Trapped, in a cavernous sports hall, at the back of a poorly lit race expo, surrounded by 2000 runners, who are, with your luck, probably thin and DO have a body fat percentage in the acceptable range, with no escape in sight.

I mean seriously, having lived this nightmare, I would NEVER wish this on anyone. If you're lucky, you can go your entire life without knowing your body fat percentage. I promise, living in denial will be ten thousand times better than the scenario I just described.

You're just going to have to take my word for it. OK?

And sadly, this is a 100% true story, ghetto and all, as I now have discovered that my slightly snug size 8 jeans are holding a woman who's body fat index is 1.4% away from an obese persons body fat percentage points. My size 8 jeans are on me right now, so that must mean that I'm the overweight almost obese person in question. Pardon me while I go step in front of a bus....

REALIZED FEARS

So we all know I'm afraid of PINK.

And one thing I fear is falling while B is on the back in the seat.

I'm going to just say this, THANK GOD for 5 POINT HARNESS AND BIKE HELMETS. EVERYONE is fine. Well. I might (bodily harm) to my oldest child.... but that's another story for another day.

This afternoon, we went for a bike ride. Me & my kids. About 1.5 miles into a 3.5 mile ride G's chain came off his bike. So frustrating that this keeps happening to him. So we all stop and get off our bikes.

"C. Park your bike and come over here and hold my bike. It's heavy. You must use 2 hands and be super careful."

"OK Mom."

"Do you have it?"

"Yup."

So I step away, flip G's bike over so I can pop the chain back into place, which takes all of 4 seconds, and in that 4 seconds, C got distracted, started playing with my brakes and... I heard a HUGE CRUNCH accompanied by a terrified SCREAM... C dropped my bike. With B. In the seat on the back.

Anyway, after much screaming, a grounding, a very tense ride home, a punishment, some ice, and what now seems to be a permanent eye twitch, things are pretty much back to normal. I'm still afraid of Pink, only now, B is afraid of Pink too.

3 Things Thursday

Another edition of 3:

Not wordy today. Too much going on.

1) Yesterday I would have sworn that I was coming down with the plague. Pain + tired + headache + weakness. Today I still feel a little "ick", but not nearly as bad. My professor, got to love him, overheard me talking to my peeps last night at class and injected a little insight. According to him, my body has not enough salt. Only, of course, when he said it, it was "youra bode-ey has ah no enusssawt." Took me a minute, but OK Then, I'll have a little G2 or soup today.

2) The other thing that's bothering me is a lack of full breath feeling. I'm not going to dwell on that. I'm sure it's allergy related, and denial isn't just a city in Arizona... with a bridge or something...

3) The 10K is upon us. Today is my last run before the "race". And, since I'm not racing, exactly, I'm going out for 4 miles. *recap on that was that the 4 miles was pain free, so that's bonus.

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday's run, The Nickel Bridge, Richmond VA

g. & Kate, photography by TMB