I finished watching Downton Abbey Season 1 over the weekend. Now that I have seen Season 1, everything in Season 2 makes much more sense to me. I started watching Downtown Abbey at the beginning of Season 2.
I love this show. The acting, the story lines, the costumes, the way the British talk and Maggie Smith's one liners. What I didn't understand while watching Season 2 was why O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) and Thomas (Rob James-Collier) were so disliked. Now I understand. Those two schemed, lied, stole and caused a miscarriage during Season 1. They are the most hated people in the house. I also dislike their characters too. They are the people we viewers love to hate.
The characters that I like are Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Matthew (Dan Stevens). Carson is the butler of Downton Abbey. My favorite scene of him is when Downton Abbey had their first telephone installed. He picked up the receiver to practice how he would answer the phone in his best butler voice. As for Lady Mary and Matthew; they played will or won't they get engaged all season. They are attracted to each other, but Mary is stubborn in her ways. At the end of Season 1, Matthew decides to part with Mary. She finally realizes her mistake in turning him down when he purposed earlier.
Downton Abbey finished Season 2 in January. It will return to PBS for Season 3 in January 2013. That is a long wait. But it will be worth it.
Photos: Top: Downton Abbey cast Middle: O'Brien and Thomas Bottom: Matthew and Lady Mary
Compared to last weekend, this weekend will be so much different. I was in Battle Creek last weekend working crazy, long hours. Sunday was my only day off and I needed it. I completely took the day off from running and exercise. When Monday rolled around, I said to my husband that I needed another day off.
On the schedule this weekend are a few items. I'm excited for a dinner date with my husband, running, reading and finishing Season 1 of Downton Abbey.
The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships took place over the weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I recorded the footage on Sunday and watched it the other day. Only the top two finishers will be heading to the IAAF World Indoor Track and Field Championships in March.
The events I was interested in were the men's and women's 800m, 1500m and 3000m.
The men's 3000m was won by Bernard Lagat followed by Lopez Lamong and Galen Rupp. Rupp was leading Lagat and Lamong with a few laps to go. At 700m to go, Lagat and Lamong passed Rupp. Lagat and Lamong ran together until the bell lap. Lagat then outkicked Lamong and quickly left him behind. Lagat ran the final 200m in 26 seconds. Lagat finished in 7:47.54.
Jenny Simpson was the winner in the women's 3000m. Simpson took the lead with six laps to go and finished in 9:19.15. Jackie Areson passed Sara Hall in the final 100m to finish second in 9:20.61.
The men's 1500m was won by Leo Manzano in 3:48.05. Manzano was able to outkick Matthew Centrowitz and Galen Rupp in the final straightway. Rupp was leading the pack until the last 100 meters when he was passed by Centrowitz and Manzano.
In the women's 1500m, Jenny Simpson was able to hold off Brenda Martinez to win in 4:15.04. Simpson had a huge lead on the final lap until Martinez was able to close the gap. Martinez finished in a close second behind Simpson in 4:15.11. Sara Vaughn finished in third.
In the women's 800m, Erica Moore jumped out to a big lead and was able to hold on. Moore won the 800m in 2:01.08. Moore beat her training partner, Phoebe Wright (one of my favorite runners) by two seconds (2:03.07). Moore's time was a season best and the top American time for the indoor season.
These athletes will be heading to the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey on March 11-13. Leo Manzano and Jenny Simpson will not be going to Turkey to represent the US. Since they are not going, the second and third place finishers will be on the team. Filling in for them will be Galen Rupp in the 1500m, Jackie Areson and Sara Hall in the 3000m and Brenda Martinez and Sara Vaughn in the 1500m.
Running on my own treadmill is just the way that I remember it: wonderful. My first run back on my fixed treadmill was Tuesday.
When I first started running, it felt weird. I hadn't been on a treadmill in a week. I had to readjust to the belt. Which I quickly did. For the first couple of minutes on the treadmill, I was smiling. I was just so happy to have it back. During the entire month I was waiting to have it fixed, I was thankful to have the opportunity to run on a local treadmill and outside. The days where I ran at the local hotel were some of the bad days of this winter. There was snow, rain, fog and cold temperatures. My first run back on the treadmill, I logged 20 miles. It was like we were never separated. It felt smooth and those three hours flew by.
With the treadmill working again, I will be logging more miles. The treadmill couldn't have gone down at a worst time. I was in the middle of training for an upcoming 50 mile race. I tried to keep my mileage up as best as I could. In that month it was unusable, I did log two weeks with over 100 miles. Those miles were a combination of hotel treadmill and outside miles. I will mostly likely be logging that mileage this week. Those miles are all for my training. With my treadmill working again, I'm confident that I will be ready for that race.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell Forgotten, Cat Patrick Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard Currently Reading:Flawless, Sara Shepard Up Next: Perfect, Sara Shehard
I drove out of town Friday morning for work. It had snowed overnight and I don't enjoy driving in the snow. I was excited to see that the roads were mostly clear. About an hour into my drive, it started snowing again. It was coming down fast and the flakes were sticking to the road. Some of the drivers around me continued going fast. I did in some spots. When the roads were starting to get covered, I slowed down. I don't trust my tires on snow covered roads. Or maybe I don't trust myself. I made it to my destination, slowly without any problems.
I checked the weather for the city I was traveling to before I left home. It said that it wasn't supposed to snow for the rest of the day after the morning snow ended. When I went out to my car later that night, I was sad to see how wrong the weather forecast was. It was snowing. The roads were covered again. I wasn't too thrilled about it. When the roads are clear, it takes 1.5 hours to get back home. I was wondering how long it would take me to get back home Friday night with snow covered roads.
The drive went alright. I drove about 60 mph on the interstate, less in some areas. I was thankful that one of the lanes was just wet. I drove mostly in that lane. I passed slower cars and merged back as soon as I could. A couple of times I was passing cars, I could feel my car slide ever so slightly when crossing the slick center line. When that happened, I would put a death grip on the steering wheel. Like I said, I'm not a fan of driving in the snow.
When I reached the county, the snow was coming down fast. It was piling up everywhere. The roads were not plowed. Since the roads weren't plowed, I had no idea if I was even in my lane. I only knew I wasn't when my tires ran over the rumble strips on the middle of the road. The rumble strips and the few cars in front of me directed me home.
I looked out the window when I woke up Saturday morning. More snow fell when I was asleep. I called my husband to find out how the roads were. He said some of them were just wet, but a majority of them were slick and snow covered. Great. I knew it would be another long drive when I left town for work.
The roads were covered in snow. I went as fast as I could for the conditions, which wasn't too fast. I was thrilled when I reached the interstate to see wet covered roads. The rest of the drive went fine. A couple of areas were snow covered, but nothing like the night before. When I was finished with work, I was happy to see the roads were just wet. Once I got on the interstate, the roads were actually dry. With dry roads I was able to travel at normal interstate speeds. I was home earlier then expected which was a bonus. Two long days of work and drives were over. My weekend could start.
I was unable to run either Friday or Saturday because I was working. Earlier in the week, I planned on running Sunday. I woke up around 5 a.m. Sunday morning and still felt tired. I decided not to drive to the local hotel to run on the treadmill. I would wait a couple hours and run outside. When my husband came home I told him I planned to run outside later. He suggested I take the day off. I thought I would go outside and just run a couple of miles at first. Then I thought maybe I should just take the day off. And that is what I did. I couldn't remember the last time I only ran four times in a week. Instead of running, I watched TV shows recorded on my DVR, read, put away the laundry, made lunch and did a few core exercises. It was nice to have a day off from everything.
My running routine will get back to normal this week. My run will be outside today. My run tomorrow will be done on my treadmill. The repair guy will be fixing it later today. The last time I ran on my treadmill was January 24. It has been over a month and I have missed it. With my treadmill working again, I will be able to run as many miles as I want for as long as I want. Those two things alone make me really happy. Besides making me happy, it is something that I need to do. I need do it because I have an upcoming 50 mile race. It is time to get focused on that race.
My husband received the phone call I've been waiting for. The treadmill repair guy called my husband Tuesday to set up an appointment.
We received all of the parts needed to repair the treadmill. The treadmill will be fixed on Monday. The last piece delivered was the walking deck. All 35 pounds of it. The other parts arrived in two boxes a couple of weeks ago. My excitement would build every time a box was delivered. That meant we were getting closer to having the repairman putting on the new parts and me running on it.
Sunday morning will most likely be my last time running on the local hotel treadmill. I didn't drive across town this week to run on the treadmill. I just didn't want to get there to find out someone was on the only good treadmill. That happened to me last week and I got depressed. I paid money to use a treadmill and I was denied. The second treadmill in the fitness center has issues. The belt was slipping. There was no way to run on it. That forced me to go back home and run outside. Since the winter weather has been mild, I have just been running close to home. I created a 13 mile loop and have ran it every day this week.
Over the next few days, I will be running happy. I will be happy because I'm so close to running on my own treadmill again. No more driving seven minutes across town. No more sharing the TV with someone to watch The 700 Club. No more running in soaking shoes and socks (unless it is a race). My first run back on my treadmill will be great. I see many more miles in our future.
Back in the day, August 20, 1992, I started a stamp collection. The only reason I know the exact date is because I wrote it down. I had finally bought an album, or probably my Mom did, and put all of my stamps I had in it.
On that day in August, I had 1649 stamps in my collection. What drew me to stamp collecting was how different each stamp was. There were flags, dogs, horses, people and sports. Stamps had everything. I started collecting stamps off envelopes addressed to my parents. They had a lot of mail, so I cut the stamps off all of their received mail. The other way I collected my stamps was from a stamp company. Every now and again, this company ran ads in the Sunday coupons. Even though you aren't supposed to send money through the mail I did. I didn't have a checkbook at the age of 13 and I didn't want to bother my Mom for a check. So I sent cash. They never turned me down.
From this company, they sent me canceled stamps. Stamps from the US and other countries. Over the next two years, I built my collection up to 3019 stamps. The last time I added stamps to my album was January 13, 1994. I don't know why I ever stopped. Maybe it was because I ran out of run in my album or I just lost interest.
My interest in stamps is back. My husband was cutting out coupons last week and came across an ad for stamps. The ad was for a complete 50-state US stamp collection for only $2. The ad was from the same company I bought stamps from back in the 90s. I'm thinking about purchasing these stamps. They are only two dollars and I would get 50 of them. Fifty!
I pulled out my stamp collection Sunday. When I was flipping the pages, it brought back so many memories. It made me smile. I remembered how much fun I had. Riding my bike four miles round trip to the local post office to buy new stamps. Searching the house for any stamps. Buying stamping in a bundle not knowing what I would receive. Should I resurrect a hobby from my childhood? Or should I leave it in the past?
My favorite stamp of my collection is a mint Grace Kelly. I bought it in 1993 at my local post office. I didn't know who she was back then, but I thought she was really pretty. Now as an adult, I have watched her movies and read books about her. Kelly was a star and Princess, who had her life cut short in a car crash in 1982.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell Forgotten, Cat Patrick Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs Currently Reading:Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard Up Next: Flawless, Sara Shepard
Since the beginning of the year, I have been watching new television programs. A couple of them have been on for more then a year. The other is still in its first season.
Bones (FOX)
Bones first aired on September 13, 2005. The show is about an forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and her FBI partner Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). What led me to watching the show was the books which the show is based on. Late last year, I read a couple of books written by Kathy Reichs. The series is loosely based on her life as a forensic anthropologist. I really enjoyed her books, so I wanted to give the TV show a shot.
When I first watched the show, I hated Brennan's character. I thought she was so smug. After watching two DVDs, my attitude toward the Brennan character changed. She actually has dry humor and I found myself laughing during the show. Great character timing and great writing. I have watched Season 1 on DVD. I am currently watching Season 2. I have a long way to go before I am caught up to date.
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Downton Abbey is a British television show based in the 1920s. The show follows the lives of the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their servants on the estate of Downton Abbey. The show was created by Juliian Fellowes. Fellowes also wrote the script for the British movie, Gosford Park.
As I was reading the USA Today's Life section, there was a story about the season premiere of Season 2. I read the article and saw it was created by Fellowes. I liked the movie, Gosford Park, so I thought I would watch at least watch it once. Even though I had no idea of who any of the characters were, I thought it was a well acted show.
The season finale aired on Sunday. I'm still learning the characters and back stories, but I thought it was very good. I'm very happy for Lady Mary and Matthew. They got engaged. I have Season 1 on my Netflix queue. Can't wait to watch the show from the beginning to see how it all started. New Girl (FOX)
New Girl premiered on September 20, 2011. I remember seeing the previews for it, but never tuned in. The show is about Jess (Zooey Deschanel) who moves in with three guys after a breakup with her cheating boyfriend.
After I found out that Zooey Deschanel and Emily Deschanel from Bones were sisters, is when I decided to watch the show. I still haven't seen the first episode, but this show always makes me laugh. I laughed the most during an episode of "The Landlord". Jess is a sweet girl who always sees the best in people. A flashback was shown of her as a girl. She was walking down the street, when a guy in a van pulls up next to her:
Creepy guy in van: Hey, little girl. You like candy? Young Jess: I sure do! Creepy guy in van: Great, my Nana made way too much! (Nana opens the van door and gives Jess candy)
I embed the episode. That clip starts at 9:54. With Hulu, there is no way to fast forward. Great stuff. I must see the first half of the season.
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
Pretty Little Liars premiered on June 8, 2010. The show is based off the popular young adult novels, with the same name, written by Sara Shepard. It follows the lives of four girls who best friend disappears and eventually is found dead.
I started watching this show because Badgergirl mentioned she read the series of books. She said that they were a good and fast read. I have been enjoying reading YA books recently and will be reading these books soon. I Googled "Pretty Little Liars" to get more information about the books and found out that there is a TV show. I DVR'd the show and really liked it. Who doesn't like teen drama? It is a well acted show aimed at teens. I found myself wishing more shows were recorded. The first season of PLL is now on my Netflix queue. Maybe after I start reading the books, it can help fill in the blanks of characters and plot lines on the show.
I figured out what I'm giving up for Lent this year. I'm saying goodbye to cookies, ice cream and peanut butter.
I picked those three items because when they are in the house, I can't stay away from them. Eating multiple cookies in one sitting. The never ending only one more scoop of ice cream. I say that as I stand at the kitchen counter eating it from the container. Eating an entire package of crackers with peanut butter spread on it.
Enough is enough. Instead of waiting for the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday (February 22), I decided to start early. I started my dessert fast of cookies, ice cream and peanut butter Monday.
Just because I'm run crazy miles, it doesn't give me a free pass to eat so much. People think because I run so much that I can eat anything I want. That is not true. I gain weight very easy. If I over eat one day, I can gain 1.5-2 pounds or more. It is all very frustrating. But it is my fault. I need more self control.
No more ice cream, cookies or peanut butter until Easter, which is April 8. During previous Lenten periods, I have given up a number of things: chocolate, chips, the vending machine at work and pop. The year I gave up pop, I never went back to drinking it after Lent was over. I do have a sip every now and then. But it is a sip; not an entire bottle, cup or can. Maybe this time around after Lent is over, I won't have the urge to start eating these items regularly again. I'm hoping it will be like my pop craving: just a small taste.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell Forgotten, Cat Patrick Currently Reading:Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs Up Next:Kindle purchase or library trip
My husband and I stayed in on Valentine's Day. I had to work early that evening and when I finished, it was getting late. We talked about going to a restaurant, but decided not to. We figured the restaurant we wanted to go to would be busy, with a long wait time.
My husband is still having trouble eating certain types of food. I wanted him to be able to enjoy the meal, so we had ravioli and garlic bread. Ravioli is soft and wouldn't hurt his throat, but I wasn't sure how he would be able to handle the bread.
As I was finishing up with work, my husband was preparing dinner. When I walked downstairs, there was a lit candle and tablecloth out on the table. Usually we eat in front of the TV, it was nice to switch it up for Valentine's Day. We ate our dinner by candlelight and had a nice conversation.
I love how my husband is so sweet and make things special on any day of the year.
I ran a trail race over the weekend. This year's race was very different from last year. We ran in knee deep snow last year. No snow to run in this year. The snowfall this year was about an inch. It was packed down fast.
It was only 10° at the start of the race with a wind chill of -7°. I think that was the coldest temperature I have ever run a race in. Before the race started, I went out for a warm up. The warm up was going well until I turned around and headed back to my car. That is when the wind was hit me in the face. It was such a cold and bitter wind. I was never so happy to get back into the safety of the trees and out of the fierce wind.
Waiting at the start line for the race to begin. My feet were already numb. My shoes and socks were wet from running in the snow. But it was no time to think about my cold feet. I had five cold, windy and hilly miles ahead of me. This year was the largest crowd on hand. Over 120 runners. The horn finally went off, and we ran on a path that took us into the woods.
I was passed by all of the faster runners immediately. I fell towards the middle of the pack. I got into my own rhythm until we hit the single track. I was third in line behind some high school girls. My pace really slowed down. I had to wait until we got off the single track and onto a larger path to pass. The lady in front of me had the same idea. We both ran around the girls.
We left the larger path and it was back onto single track. I was happy to get away from the slower girls. I even passed a high school boy on this path. Score one for me. I ended up catching a woman and a man after running down a huge downhill that lead to an open field. The open field then went back into the woods and onto the trail. This is where the first major climb was.
I was about 10-20 feet back from a guy. As we approached the hill, I noticed he stopped running to walk it. I continued running and caught up to him. There was no way around him. On my right was a dirt wall. On my left was a ledge. I had to stop running and walk behind him. Cresting the top of the hill, I ran around him. So did the guy behind me. He caught up to me when I was forced to walk up the hill.
The guy behind me didn't pass me, but I could tell he was right on my heels. At one point we made a turn, I was able to look back. There were three guys were catching up. In this stretch, I ended up walking up a big hill. I figured I would run up the hill as fast as I could walk it. It only made sense. That was the last hill I walked on the course. The rest of the time I ran.
The guy who was behind me told his friends to hurry up. He didn't want to stop and wait for them. About five minutes later, the three guys caught up. I now had four guys running behind me. They stayed behind in line until we got to an opening. Then they all went around me. When they passed me, it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I hate being the person that holds up others on the trail.
The huge opening led us to the trail again. I ended up catching a man and his huge dog. I was behind them until we ran out of the trail to a paved bicycle path. The bicycle path ended and we ran onto a soccer field, huge a hill, across a driveway and around softball fields. Near the softball fields, a younger guy passed me. He ended up running away from me. I did end up catching him when a slower guy was in front of him.
With less then a mile to go, I was behind two guys. I was staying really close to them. We zigzagged a bunch in this section of the trail, I was so happy when we finally ran out of the woods and onto a driveway. That stretch always seems to last forever. The driveway connected us to the last part of the race. Which was just a short run through the woods. On the driveway, a guy that was running behind me passed. I let him go because it was a guy, not a female.
A short distance ahead of me was the lady who was in front of me at the start of the race. She ran away from me, but she was slowing down. I really wanted to catch her, but I was running out of time. I never caught her. She crossed the finish line 9 seconds ahead of me. I finished in 56:37. My goal was to finish in under an hour. Which I did. Back in 2011, I finished this race in 1:18. It took so long because there was much more snow that we had to run through.
After the race, I had some water, cookies and a small bowl of chili. I decided not to stay for the awards. I didn't stay because I didn't think I would win anything and I needed to shovel snow. Later that day, I looked at the results online. I was shocked to see that I was first in my age group. I beat the second place woman by over 2 minutes. It is rare for me to win my age group. I work hard at running and it is nice to see all of my training pay off.
My husband hasn't been able to talk too much or long since his surgery. Talking hurts his throat. I asked him if he called the treadmill company to order the parts for the treadmill. He said he hadn't because he really couldn't talk.
Knowing I wanted the treadmill fixed quickly, he told me to call the company. I called them earlier this week. I was on the phone for 52 minutes. Most of those 52 minutes were spent on hold. Waiting for a customer service representative to answer the phone. Waiting for the rep to check on prices of some the parts. Waiting for the rep to type in the number of the credit card. Transferred to another department. Having a rep set up a technician to come out to the house to fix the treadmill when the parts arrive.
My husband told me to hang up since I was on hold for so long. I figured I would wait just a little longer. I did wait and finally my call was picked up about 5-10 minutes later. Thank you to Downton Abbey for keeping me distracted during my long wait on the phone.
All of the parts to fix the treadmill have been ordered. The technician is on standby. In a few short weeks, the treadmill at my house will be fixed and running again. There are no words to express how happy I am. No more driving across town to run on a treadmill. No more feeling guilty about hogging a treadmill for hours. When my treadmill is fixed, I will be able to run on it for as long as I want. When I'm finished with my run, I just have to walk upstairs and be home. Not get in my car and drive the five minutes home.
I drove my husband to the doctor's office yesterday. He had an appointment with the doctor to have the splints removed from his nose. As much as I'm relieved that they are being removed, I know he is 1000 times happier. He can breathe through his nose for the first time in a week.
When he had his surgery last week for his nose and throat, I've been helping him. I've been getting things for him and asking if he needs anything. It felt like I was bothering him sometimes. Maybe he doesn't want anything? Maybe he just wants to be left alone? I told him I thought I would just ask.
I asked him the other day if he needed or wanted anything. He said no. I wanted to know if I was helping him by asking him so many questions. He said I was helping him. Maybe he was tired of not being able to breathe through his nose. Or maybe he was sick of laying around and not doing anything. But it didn't seem like I was helping at all. I asked him if I was helping he. He reassured me I was.
My husband is an active person. He doesn't exercise as much as me, but he doesn't exactly sit around and do nothing either. It has been difficult to watch him struggle to sleep and breathe. Only getting air into his body through his mouth for almost a week. Besides not sleeping too well, he hasn't been eating too much either. He can't eat hot food because it could burn his throat and/or tear the incisions. He couldn't taste his food because he couldn't breathe through his nose. He told me that he has lost about 10 pounds since his surgery. I joked with him, that was the diet that I needed. I'm hoping he will gain his appetite back soon after his throat heals.
Since he has not been eating a lot of food, I have been eating lunch and dinner on my own. My husband and I plan out our lunches every week and sometimes our dinners. The lunch board has been empty since last Thursday. I have been eating nothing more then sandwiches and soup for lunch and dinner since last Thursday. As you can image, I'm getting tired of the sandwiches and soups. I need more variety. I was hoping that after the splints were removed, that my husband would instantly want some real food to eat. I realized that will not happen. He is still having a hard time swallowing and talking. I will continue to eat my sandwiches and soup until his throat is better. Until then I can think about wanting to eat some steak, pork or something really warm, besides soup.
He is still not 100% but the road to getting there is much shorter then before.
I started The Carrie Diaries late on Saturday. I ended up finishing the book Sunday evening. It was a very fast and fun read. While reading the book, I could picture a young Sarah Jessica Parker acting as Carrie Bradshaw in high school. I know that the book was picked up as a CW pilot. It will most likely air in the fall. I am sure I'll probably end up watching it.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell Currently Reading:Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell Up Next: Forgotten, Cat Patrick
I ran my first race of the year Saturday and it went well.
About an 1.5 hours before the start of the race, I warmed up. I ended up running four miles. I was pretty happy with how I felt. About ten minutes before the start of the race, I took off my running pants. I was planning to take off my jacket, but decided against it. The wind was making me a little chilly. The temperature for the race was in the low 30s. After the race started, I looked down at my legs, they were bright red. I was very happy I decided to wear my jacket.
The first and second mile went well. I passed a few people here and there and I was consistent with my splits. My goal during those first two miles was to keep up with the small group of runners ahead of me. I tried keeping up with them as best as I could. As we continued running, a couple of runners from the group were slowing down. I know that was my chance to get them.
I caught up with a girl and ended up passing her. Probably less then .25 miles later, I was catching a teen boy. I stayed behind him for a minute or two. With less then .25 miles to go in the race, I finally pulled up beside him and passed him. I ended up finishing about four seconds ahead of him. I was very pleased to have passed two people in the final mile.
My time according to my watch was 26:00:48. Not my fastest 5k, but not my slowest. I finished third in my age group (30-34), but I didn't receive a medal. Only medals were given out to the first two finishers in the age group.
I was thrilled that the race this year had clear and dry streets. For the race last year, we ran on snow and ice. I was afraid I was going to wipe out when going around a corner. No worries this year. Now that I have the first race of the year done, I hope I will be able to keep improving every race and have a great season.
My husband had surgery performed yesterday. He had two procedures: work done to his nose and throat.
I walked behind my husband as he was wheeled down to surgery. The doctors noticed I was dressed in all black. My husband's surgeon said I looked like a burglar. I laughed and said I was going for a run while he was in surgery. They said I looked like a runner. I held his hand, rubbed his arm and talked to him until it was time for him to go into surgery.
I was told the procedure would take maybe an hour or more. I took off on my preplanned course that I mapped out days before. I ran on the sidewalks and the streets. I ran with no music. I listened to dogs barking at me and the few cars that passed me. While running, hardly anyone was out driving. It wasn't until I ran on a main road when I was passed by a bunch of vehicles. I kept check of the time with my GPS. Time was running out on me, so I sprinted the last .2 miles back to the hospital parking lot. I ran a 5.2 mile loop in 53 minutes.
I ran to my car and opened my trunk. I changed out of my wet running shirts and jacket. I took off my shirts in the parking lot and was standing in my sports bra. Usually I don't do that, but no one was around. I had on a fresh shirt, jacket, hat and deodorant. I walked back into the hospital and headed for my husband's room.
I saw my husband's nurse in the hallway, she said he was still in surgery. I went into his room and sat in a recliner. My phone kept me busy until the surgeon came in to talk to me. The surgeon said that the surgery went well and he would be in the recovery room for another 20 minutes. He then would be brought back down to his room.
He was very groggy when he was wheeled back into the room. The nurses checked his vitals and got him more water to drink and a Popsicle to help his throat. I asked him how he felt and he said his throat hurt, which is understandable. The nurses told me that he would have to stay in the room for two hours since he had surgery. That I wasn't expecting. The surgeon told me he would have to stay maybe a half hour.
By that time it was past 1 p.m. I haven't eaten lunch, so I headed down to the cafeteria. The worker must of thought I was a hog because I had a lot of food on my tray. I ate salad, pasta salad, pudding, green beans and fried potatoes for lunch. On the way back to my husband's room, I ate three restaurant packets (for soups - only two crackers in the packet) of crackers. I was still hungry.
When I came back to my husband's room, he was drifting in and out of sleep. The nurses said they would be in the room every 15 minutes to check on his vitals, and they were right on about that. I decided to sit in the reclining chair after lunch and take a nap. Every time I would get to sleep, the nurses would come into the room and start talking with my husband. I was sad that I didn't get much of a nap. I decided then not to not go out for a second run. I was curled up in the recliner chair wearing my winter coat as a blanket. I was so cold. Going back out wasn't going to make me any warmer. The other reason I didn't go back out is I just wanted to stay by my husband's side.
When the two hours were up, my husband got a ride in a wheelchair and I picked him up at the emergency room exit. He was helped into my car by the nurse and we headed for home. Once he was situated on the couch, I went to the store to pick up his prescriptions and a tub of sherbet. Days prior we picked up two tubs of ice cream. The nurse said that eating ice cream was OK, but sherbet was better for his throat.
Before we left, the nurse went over some do's and dont's. My husband can't eat warm or spicy food. He also can't exercise or lift anything heavy. For the next couple of days, I will be at his go-fer. I will bring him food, water and help him in any way I can. When I had my wisdom teeth removed he did the same for me.
He should be back to normal in about two weeks. I'm just so thankful the surgery went well and my husband is on his way to recovery.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff Currently Reading:Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell Up Next: Forgotten, Cat Patrick
The treadmill repair guy visited the house yesterday. We found out that our treadmill has a lifetime warranty on the frame and the motor drive belt. Which worked out well, because we need both of them replaced. Along with the running belt and deck.
The parts should take about 2-3 weeks to arrive. Once the parts arrive, the treadmill can be fixed. A new treadmill is not out of the conversation yet. We will find out after a phone call is made today.
I'm really looking forward to being able to run on my own treadmill in my basement again. Only a couple of more weeks.
I finished watching Downton Abbey Season 1 over the weekend. Now that I have seen Season 1, everything in Season 2 makes much more sense to me. I started watching Downtown Abbey at the beginning of Season 2.
They are the people we viewers love to hate.
stubborn in her ways. At the end of Season 1, Matthew decides to part with Mary. She finally realizes her mistake in turning him down when he purposed earlier.
