Countdown!

2 Week Update

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Okay, okay, I know...I've been gone for way too long!  Between traveling for work and work and house stuff...I've just been crazy busy!!

I was in Maine for a week and a half for work.  It was a really great time.  The BF came with me, we flew into Boston and went to a Red Sox game (yay!).  Fenway was AWESOME!!!  What a great ballpark!  Someday I would love to get to every ballpark in the country.  That's a fun goal!

Anyway, so after the game we drove to Kennebunkport, where we stayed.  I'll have to post some pictures after I have time to get them off my camera!  The Bush compound is quite impressive.

My favorite part of being in Maine was running along the coast.  It's a new experience for me.  The air was a little bit salty, and I could almost taste it as I was running.  What a great time!  Although it seemed to rain every time I went running, but I love running in the rain. To me, nothing feels more free than running in the rain!

I got back last Thursday night, spent Friday and Saturday cleaning the house and unpacking and doing laundry.  You know, all the stuff that NEEDS to get done after a trip but that you really don't WANT to do!

Saturday night some friends of mine were in town, and my parents came up also, and we all went out to dinner at this great steak restaurant on Lake Wisconsin.  It's grill-your-own steak!  I absolutely love going there.  Not too pricey either.

Sunday was a relax day for me mostly, while the BF put in our garden.  I can't wait until the veggies are ready!  I love making dinner with veggies fresh from the garden.  We'll have kale, spinach, lettuce, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, habanero peppers, chiles, cayenne peppers, beefeater tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, green beans and squash.  Whooo!  That's an awful lot.  BF was out in the hot sun for several hours working on planting everything.  Bless his soul!

Monday was back to work, and it was supposed to be my first personal training session, but the trainer had to cancel.  Now my first session will be next Tuesday.  I'm really looking forward to it, I think that it will really help me get fit and lose the weight I want to.  I think it will also help me train for my marathon! (hopefully!!)

Tonight is Beerkaase night at the bar/general store across the road from my house.  Beerkaase is a kind of cheese.  Stinky cheese to be specific.  One step down from Limberger to be exact.  I personally think it smells like feet.  I can't get past the smell.  I have tried it 4 or 5 times, and every time I wrinkle my nose.  Yuck.  Dear BF absolutely loves it...  But anyway, the bar/general store carries as sort of a "specialty product" and so they devote one night a month to eating it.  A bunch of people from the area and people that have been coming to the store for years and years come and most bring some kind of appetizer dish to pass.  And there are always plenty of chocolate desserts.  Which happen to be my downfall!!  Tonight my goal is to eat the good food and no desserts.  Well, maybe just one bite!  But I most definitely will NOT sample every dessert at least once like I normally do.

I'm starting to get psyched up...my second race (5k) is next Saturday the 5th.  I'm really looking forward to it, and hoping to improve my time from last race.

I've been absolutely loving my garmin as well!  (Although I only wore it once while in Maine because it was raining and I'm still new to it so I didn't want to get it wet.  I know that it's waterproof up to 3 meters...blah, blah, blah...I would be heartbroken if I took it out in the rain and it stopped working! I just got it!!  And yet I can't seem to part with it most days!)  Anyway, I used the heart rate monitor strap with it for the first time the other day, and I really liked that too!  I've noticed a definite improvement in my heart rate and my heart rate recovery time since I've started running.  Which is good...  Yay for progress!!

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Garmin Garmin Garmin!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Just bought the Garmin 305 today. Wasn't sure about 405 vs. 305, but ended up going with the 305 since the only difference really seemed to be the look of the watch, and that the 405 has a wireless syncing option with the computer. Oh, and there was a $170 price difference between the 305 and the 405!! I've just used it for the first time (just got back from the run) I'M IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!!! I used to have the Nike + sensor that hooked up to my iPod, but the sensor died and so I upgraded to the Garmin. I'm super pleased...the Nike + was not as accurate as this Garmin is! Plus it's super motivating when you build workouts in the Garmin Software that comes with it...and it beeps at you if you aren't going the correct pace. I absolutely loved it!


On a different note, I'm here tomorrow, then headed to Maine for a business trip. I'm going to a training class for work. BF is coming with me...we are leaving early Wednesday morning, and he is coming back Monday, while I'm staying until Thursday after that. Then Friday is a furlough day! So I have all next week off. We are flying into Boston Wednesday morning, and then going to see the Red Sox! I'm a huge Brewers fan first, but the Red Sox are my second team. I can't wait to see Fenway...it's going to be great!

I'm really looking forward to running in Maine...I'll be super close to the coast!

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Race Report #1 - Nicolet Bay 5k May 1, 2010

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

So this was my first race ever!! I finished in 36:16, which is right around what I was expecting!  I had a really great time...now I'm addicted.

I don't normally get nervous for things, but about 5 minutes before the race started, everyone was lining up...and bf was standing there talking to me, and I almost burst into tears because I was so nervous.  Not sure why that was.  Then it started and I was off...and I almost cried again going around the first corner. I felt my breathing start to get shallow, and then I told myself I was just being dumb, it was going to be great.  So I finally relaxed, but man, it was rough.

I had a really great time...but I thought there were some etiquette things that most runners follow.  I read up on this before my race, so I didn't look like a total rookie, but man...I was surprised:

  • Walkers and slower runners lined up wherever.  I thought you were supposed to line up based on what you thought your pace would be...It was tough to weave in and out of the pack.  I lined up mid-pack, because that's where I was expecting to finish.
  • People would be running and then decide to walk (which is fine, I did it myself) but they would just stop in front of you.  I almost ran over countless people because they decided to just stop running directly in front of me.  When I took a minute to walk, I moved over to the side of the road, and I always looked behind me first.
  • Lots of people were wearing the race t-shirt...I thought that was a no-no?
Maybe I'm totally off...any thoughts?

I'll post pictures once I get them off the camera.

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