The Carnies Are Back …

I really do have a serious question for the runners out there.  What am I supposed to do when my right calf is bigger then my left?  It’s starting to make me a little crazy.

How the hell did this happen in the first place?

Is it because I pronate a little on my right side?

Doesn’t everyone have some type of weird running form?  Pigeon toe? Pronation? Fluctuance?  Help!

~~~~~

My grandma’s finally moving to a new assisted living center.  It’s going to be so nice for her.  She’s not happy about moving but she did love that they had cupcakes and drinks as a goodbye to her.

My grammy’s wearing lavender.

~~~

The fair’s in town and we’ll probably miss it.  It’s fun to go once a year so I can “people watch”  (“Nice tube top — how come you can’t keep your boobs in it?”, “Did you get that belt buckle with your name on it made here –I need to get one too–it’d go with all of my outfits”)  but not worth the $8 entry fee per person.  I also like to go to stuff myself with horrible fair food.  Makes me so sick every time.

So, Holly, my daughter, made fair food for us.  Italian sausages, peppers, onions and tomatoes.  NO big homemade bun though.  No homemade potato chips either but Holly sliced ’em thin and baked ’em w/olive oil.  Good stuff.  I feel a little sick.

Missing the fair mean’s missing the hot, svetty weather and the Demolition Derby.  We’ll survive, I know.

Mike has a late softball game at 9:15.  Since we ate early enough, “fair food” dinner settled in time for Holly and I to run to the field to watch him play.

I’ll leave you with a picture of a Luna Moth…

Post Run Goodness

Have I been running?  Yes.  Since my last post, here’s how…

Sunday, 10.57 miles w/average mile/minute 8:29

Tuesday, 5.16 miles (on a high school track Up North) w/average mile/minute 8:43

Thursday, 11.10 miles w/average mile/minute 8:28

Friday(TODAY), 7.13 miles with average mile/minute 8:47

What’s my favorite part of my run? …. Being done, of course.  There’s that great sense of pride for getting out there and doing it but I just want to be home.  I, for the most part, don’t enjoy the actual running part.  Please?!

I wanted to run early this morning.  I started later than I’d like because I wanted to run with my daughter and she has a hard time getting out of bed.  I covered myself with Off but I still got bit in my hairline by a horsefly.

My 2nd favorite part of my run is when I get to eat something like this….

My sister told me to grind up the flax seeds or I won’t realize the benefits. I just grind the seeds with my “shark teeth” as I eat so I don’t need a grinder.

Lots of favorites.  I also love slipping off my wet, sweaty clothes and putting my dry jammies back on.

Earlier this week…

My kids and I got back Wednesday from a little trip Up North.  It was beautiful up there.  The weather was perfect.  We had a brief visit with my aunt, cousin and her two girls.

They’re a riot. So cute.

Travel in comfort. Old J Crew dress and Ed Hardy shoes.

We visited a great Amish store.  We picked up all kinds of goodies.

Found a little surf store with lots of Billabong clothes.  I didn’t buy anything because I’m too cheap.

I’m not a wine drinker but I stopped in a wine store called Durand’s Wine Company to purchase a gift for some friends.  I bought some white riesling for meeself.  You know, one for them, one for me…

Leelanau Peninsula is in Michigan

I was drawn to the store because there was a sign that said “free wine tasting”.  Oh, that’s for me.  The cups were so small.  And, they poured for you.   How was I supposed to get a buzz?  WTH?!

We left the Golden Retriever home with my husband but we took the Chihuahua.  When she pants, she’s either really nervous or really excited.  We’re not quite sure which it is.  Either way, look at her clean teeth.  What teeth she has left, that is.  She just had a teeth cleaning a few weeks ago and she had to have five more teeth pulled.  I think she has like seven left.  I now have to soak her food in water before I can feed her.

Is she a bat or a rat? That’s my 2 1/2 lb Bella Blue.

4th of July’s coming.  Have fun but don’t blow your hand off.

My favorite 4th of July memory… Blowing up ant hills with Adam and Erick using M-80’s.  M-80’s are large firecrackers.  We were around 10 years old and our parents gave us an endless amount of them do what we pleased with.  Good times.

Night Visits and Hot Spots…

What’s been goin’ on?

Not a whole lot here.  The usual, actually.  Soccer tryouts, soccer games, running, etc.  What not. (Roo always says “what not”).

Sitting here with a bag of frozen peas on my left knee.  It’s still not 100%.  My knee is sore and weak.  Creepy.  Whenever I get an injury, I feel like it’s going to last forever.  A week or so later, I’ll realize it’s gone.  This knee thing’s a bit more stubborn which is really buggin’ me (that’s why I said creepy).  I’ll keep icing it.  I need to do some strength training.  Runner’s World had some exercises that are supposed to help your knee.

My mom, my wonderful mom, joined a walking club with my favorite running store.  We’re going to the store this morning to get her paperwork.  I’ll bring the proper footwear in case we get to walk.  If you don’t remember, my mom hurt her hip back in October (ripped this and fractured that).  She was a mess.  Plus, she has MS so she’s my gosh darn hero.  She feels she’s ready to grab this walking think by the balls.  Whoa!

I’m looking to purchase a foam roller of some kind because one of the exercises in RW showed one being used.  I must own one.  I’m hoping the running store has one.

ANIMAL STORIES:

1.  We take our Golden Retriever swimming almost every day.  When we’re done, I try to sit her down and dry her the best I can.  I do this because I don’t want her stuck outside in the humid, bug infested heat and I also don’t want my house to smell like wet dog.  When drying her, I use the metal rake brush because it seems to speed up drying (and pull off fur that ends up all over my floor and furniture).  Yesterday, I notice she was reacting each time I brushed over an area on her back so I thought, “oh, she likes that” and kept going over it.  Blood appeared and I realized I was hurting her and wanted to cry.  What a BITCH I was for making her bleed.  Turns out she had a huge hot spot.  Fungus, staph, something that can happen if she doesn’t dry properly.

I have a bottle of OTC hot spot treatment which said to cut the hair around the area.  “Well screw that doggie grooming session from a few weeks ago because she’s going to look like a dork by the time I’m done with her”.  So, while Who Girl supervised, I started cutting and cutting and finally we realized the spot was huge (most of her back).  Poor baby.  We drove her to the vet (who was closing in 5 minutes and not too thrilled with our late arrival).  He looked at her and gave her steroids and antibiotic.  NO cone for Sophee.  And, I didn’t need to cut all her fur.   Poor baby.

2.  At 3 in the morning, Mick open the slider door in our bedroom because it was nice and cool outside.  A kitty came to visit and three of our cats knew it (the 4th cat was outside somewhere being a scavenger of dead carcasses).  Frank, our black cat, growled at the kitty for about 15 minutes.  Growling could be friendly sound because Frank growls daily when Mick comes home from work and Frank lovessss Mick.

Sophee wanted to get that kitty (to love him of course — she’d never hurt anything) which would involve her crashing through the screen so Mick made her get on the bed and sleep with us (lay — she did not sleep).  Mick and I must have dosed off.  Sophee didn’t.  She jumped down and charged the cat.  Thank goodness she didn’t crash through the screen.

I don’t think I went back to sleep after that.  I tossed and turned for the new few hours.

I’ll be a walking zombie today.  People, walking zombies are out.

RUNNING (and what not):

Tuesday (19th) ran 5.94 miles (average mile/minute 10:12) — (slower pace cause I ran w/Who Girl)

Wednesday bike ride 10.7 miles

Thursday ran 8.08 miles (8:45)

Friday ran 8.24 miles (9:14) — (ran with Who Girl again)

I Should Be A Barber!

No run today.  I’m trying to run every other day.  I don’t want to overdo it.  This works for me (so far).

Zumba tonight (I hope).

After work today, I stopped at the bike store.  I stuffed my Giant bike in the back of my Explorer in hopes they’d unload it for me (since I was wearing a long flow-y skirt).

I’ve had my bike over 10 years and I have NEVER gotten any maintenance done to it.  Two days ago, I noticed a flat rear tire.  That’s funny because I just replaced the rear tire tube on one of our other bikes about a week ago.  Wonder if someone’s breaking in our garage to wreck our bikes?!  No, because I’ve never done anything to my bike, the tires were actually cracked so I’m sure the tire tubes are getting really bad as well.

I told the guys to clean that baby up.  I wanted new tires ($66 for two) a new seat ($35).  I complained about the chain which he said was almost worn out (new chain $20).  He said he could do a maintenance package ($65) so that everything was lubed up and operating properly.  Everything, including tax, will come to $212.  Ouch!  I’m not too upset about it.  It’s cheaper than a new bike and besides, I’ve never spent a dime on this bike since I’ve owned it.  I get to pick up tomorrow after work.  I cannot wait.

Came home and noticed that’s Brucee’s hair had gotten just a little long.  Sat him down while Who Girl and I took turns shaving it.

Oblivious to the hair chunks we shaved out of his head.

Who told him that the battery died so he’d have to leave it like that for a day until we could get the battery charged up (it uses an electrical cord/no battery).

Brucee is a skinny dude but due to his poor posture, his tummy looks like a smiley face?!

~~~

Ran 11.10 miles on Friday, June 15th (9:23 average mile/minute) – I walked a little over a mile and a half.  It was too hot and humid for me.  I even ran with a bottle of water and I’ve never done that before.  And, my left knee was sore.  I know.  Bitch Bitch BITCH!!

Ran 10.08 miles on Sunday, June 17th (8:36 average mile/minute)

My Horrible Eating Habits…

Okay, I’m being too hard on myself.  I shouldn’t say I have horrible eating habits.  That’s just a little too harsh.

I’ll just say my eating habits are strange and, at times, not the healthiest.

I eat a lot.  There’s not much I don’t like (sauerkraut).  

I try to buy healthy foods but I’m lazy so I tend not to use those healthy foods to create healthy meals.  

I just came home from work.  I ate a leftover shrimp taco (rice, black beans, edamame, tomato, onion).  There were no shrimp because Roo Dog ate them all.  

With my lone nonshrimp taco, I had a can of Progresso Light Beef Pot Roast soup.  It was gross but I ate every drop.    I hate when I stuff myself with food that doesn’t taste good.  It’s bad enough when I stuff myself with the good stuff.  I just hate to throw things away.  I guess I’m a human garbage disposal.

“`

On a very happy note, I’m happy to report that my three kids went to our animal control to volunteer today.  So proud of them.  

My boys hate to wear jeans but it’s a requirement when you volunteer.

Bats And Spiders…

My daughter says that when she’s shopping, she’ll sometimes see items that she hopes I, her mother, will not see in fear that I will purchase them.

Well, yesterday, I wore one of those items.  My gold and black pants from Forever 21.  They’re so ridiculous, I really like ’em.

~~~

The kids and I had some excitement last night.  I went to the basement to watch TV and noticed something on the floor.  Irritated, I went over to pick it up with intentions of throwing it in the trash.  The boys would easily of left something like that.  I’m always picking up after them.  Well, it wasn’t garbage.  It was a huge spider.  A brown wolf spider.  I’ve never seen one that huge (3 inch diameter?!) in my house or in my yard for that matter.

I screamed bloody murder when I saw it.  I composed myself after 3 good screams knowing that it was up to me to get it out of the house.  Mick was gone working in his office.  No reaction from my three kids upstairs.  This spider was so big, It wasn’t the type of spider that you suck up with your vacuum wand.  It reminded me of a tarantula.  I had nothing to put over it so I ran upstairs and got something to put over it.  I tore back downstairs.  The spider didn’t move when I put the large empty McDonald’s cup over it.  I ran back upstairs and told the kids to get downstairs to support me.  Without any of their help, I got it outside (Who screamed and Brucee stood on the couch).

I won’t put a picture here (gives me the frickin’ heebie jeebies) but if you want to see what it looked like, click here.

I’m still traumatized and can’t stop talking about the encounter.

And, I’m afraid to put my feet on the floor when watching TV.

~~

Today, I ran 10.18 miles.  Both knees plus my tailbone were a little sore for the whole run.  My average mile/minute was 8:20.  It was nice and cool (60 degrees?!).  It was my favorite temperature to run in.  Either way, I was so happy to hit my driveway.  I was uncomfortable not only because of my aches but I was also starving.

I worked from 4 to 8 tonight.  Who Girl decided she wanted to run 6 miles once it was almost dark.  She’s done this a couple of times in the last week.  It got pretty dark the last 1/3 of the run.  I got bombarded by a couple of bats (no one made a connection with my head).  I think my head lamp riled them up?!

~~~

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO…

I’m really ready for the movie, Magic Mike, to come to theaters.

 “The law says you cannot touch, but I see a lot of lawbreakers out there…” (SQUEAL!!!!)

Love/Hate…

I love homemade guacamole.  I could eat it all day.

I hate when I swallow my multivitamin sideways down my throat.  Ouch.

Today started out rough.  It was supposed to be hot and I wanted to run but I couldn’t get myself out of bed to do it before work.

Then, I had stomach problems so there was no way I was leaving the house.  It wasn’t safe.

I took a nap.  I ate.  I laid around.  I ate.

At one point, I talked Brucee into riding bikes to the farm to look for the baby skunk.  We found him in the neighbor’s yard (same exact place as where I saw him last night).

He was out during the day eating some dead animal.  I worry for the little guy because he’s not very smart.  Last night he was standing by the road and made no effort to run when we got close.  Plus, he was out in plain sight all day today.  I expect he’ll get squashed soon.

Being it’s Monday, Who Girl and I like to go to Zumba but I was depressed for being totally useless today.

At 7pm, Who was ready to go.  I wanted to request a nice chair in the back of the class.  I could have held her water.

But then.  ShaZAAM!!  I was fired up after one song.  The hour went fast.  I was flying high and wanted to keep going when the class was done.

Who said she’d run with me.  Who hoo!!!

At 8:50pm, she and I ran 6.62 miles.  It got dark but no worries I had the head lamp on.  We ran at an average mile/minute of 9:04.  That’s slower than I wanted to go but Who threatened to walk at mile 4 so I stopped harping  on her.

Zumba and running.  Love, love, love it!!!  Good stuff.

PARKOUR!!!

I seemed to be going, going, going all day but I don’t think I did that much.  I know, that doesn’t make sense at all.

I rose at 7 without even trying.  I wish I could rise at 4:30am on workdays so I could run in the morning to avoid the heavy, humid heat…

I didn’t run today.  I felt I needed a day off since I ran the last two days.  My left knee’s still a little mad.

30% chance of rain tomorrow.  I kind of hope it rains (NO thunderstorms please) because I love to run in my VFF’s in the rain.  Splash! SpLiSH! SPLOsh!!  It makes me feel like a little kid.

We need the rain.  We don’t have irrigation so our grass is dying.

I did breakfast w/my mom and Grandma (and my aunt, her husband and my BIL).  My Grandma’s pissed.  They’re putting her in assisted living.  She’s 94 frickin’ years old.  She has a walker and she’s been bitching about “squishy feet”.   Everyone’s worried about her so it’s time to get her better care.  We’re afraid she’d fall and get hurt in her little apartment.   My BIL brought up that he heard she was going into assisted living and she said something really sarcastic back to him.  She’s a hoot.

She can be spicy.

RANDOM –– I just love the host from Ridiculousness, Rob Dyrdek.  I especially love when he yells, “Parkour!”.  He says it when someone clearly is attempting something stupid and of course gets hurt.  Funny stuff.  I’m sick, I know.

My boys like to go to the pond (I’m personally a pool swimmer so I don’t get so excited).  It’s a very big pond located on our landscaping company’s property.

Sophee can barely contain herself.  She cried all the way to the pond.  It’s was a long half-mile drive.  She knows when the boys get on their board shorts that she gets to go swimming.

I’m not driving. The shot’s reversed. (Roo Dog was driving)

We used to have a dock and diving board and the kids would swim forever.  The dock bit the dust and we haven’t replaced it yet.  Their newest favorite thing to do is to drag their old trampoline in the water.

Ding-a-lings jumpin’.

We used to have a water trampoline but it bit the dust as well probably after owning it for 3 years.  So anywho, I went with them and the dogs to the pond today.  I needed to work on my runner’s tan as I look ridiculous in a bathing suit.  I put sunscreen on all my dark skin and covered myself with Deep Woods Off since the horseflies are awful there (I bitch about the HF’s all the time).

Bella the Chihuahua hates to swim.

SWIM Bella! The guppies will get you!

She usually sniffs all over the shore and up on the grass.  She trieds to stay clear of the water.  I really need to keep an eye on her.  She weighs less than 3 pounds and would be an easy meal for some large bird.  She’d be defenseless.  Either way, she gets super hot so every now and then I take her out for a little dip.  She swims back to shore as quickly as she can.

WHAT I’M INTO (today) — American Ninja Warrior.  Have you seen it?  I’m amazed by some of the guys that complete the challenges.  It seems to always be the buff guys who fail and the weirdo/squares that succeed?!

Who Girl decided to go for a little run at 10:00 tonight.  I wouldn’t let her do that alone so I tucked my pepper spray between my boobs, put my headlight on (which I have yet to wear running — the whole purpose of buying it) and got my bike out.

Sexy and I know it!!!

I was babblin’ along trying to keep Who entertained when all of sudden, she almost pushed my bike and I over.  “SKUNK!!!!!”.  She was right.  There was a skunk right in her path but he was a baby.  So cute.  I wanted to pick him up and cuddle him.  Don’t get me wrong, he could spray and make us stink if he wanted to but he was so darn cute.  No picture.  There was no room between my boobs for my phone and my pepper spray.

PARKOUR!!

Pure Barre Anyone?

I knew today was going to be a hot and humid one.  I sat up straight in bed at about 7am remembering that I needed to run early because I don’t do well with heat and humidity.  Who Girl was supposed to run with me but she was non-responsive.  She may have grunted at me.  Not sure?!.

At 8am, I was on my way.  I wore my VFF’s.  Mine are the black Trek’s.  I almost bought some hot pink ones the other day because they were on clearance for $60 but talked myself through what would be an impulse purchase.  I don’t need new one’s yet.

It was so pretty.  The horseflies are awful on my road.  One, we have horses across the street and two, we have a really big pond.  I covered myself with sunscreen and Deet bug spray.  I shimmering with all the chemicals I put on.  I don’t know if I hate wrinkles and sunspots or horseflies worse.  I ran 10.24 miles with an average mile/minute of 8:44.

After my run, I couldn’t wait to take my shoes off. My feet were barking!! Nice dog butt, huh?

Who eventually got out of bed and decided to get her own run on.  I offered to ride along on my bike and she took me up on the offer.  I’m an awful support person though because I didn’t bring water, pepper spray or a phone.  Bad, I know.  She did 6 miles.  We stopped at mile 4 at the township hall to interrupt a high school open house in order to get a drink of water.  I told her to walk in, go straight to the drinking fountain without making eye contact with anyone.  Success.  Dehydration and/or fainting avoided.

~~

Oh gosh.  I forgot about last nights shenanigans.  Our friend was sponsoring last night at the race track and gave us tickets so we could enjoy the festivities.  I thought, ‘what the heck’ so I went along.  We sat with a bunch of people we knew.  Not sure why I showered because it’s so dirty.  Nobody else looked like they showered.

And it was so boring.

Junky cars…

At one point, there was a break or an intermission that I wasn’t ready for.  A truck and trailer pulled out on the track and parked in the middle.  Curious site.  Smoke started coming out of the top of the trailer.  Eventually some country singer popped out with a headset on.  He proceeded to walk down the trailor ladder, across the track and up into the stands.  He sang 3-4 songs.  It was awkward.  I felt bad for him because no one was really reacting.  We saw one random lady singing along which is good…I guess.

Literally 3 steps away. I couldn’t fake that I was into it.

~~

GROUPON — Pure Barre Deal.  I was thinking of buying this Groupon but the only one I know who’s done it, Who Girl, says she didn’t like the class.  It’s 5 classes for $35.  The deal’s on for 3 more days.  I may or may not buy?!

ANY ADVICE ON WHETHER PURE BARRE IS GOOD OR NOT?  OPINIONS WELCOME.

We visited some friends at their daughter’s high school open house.  It was brier because we had somewhere else to go.  We were invited to Who’s boyfriends house by his parents for dinner.

We brought my mom who has clearly lost her mind.  She got some purple stripes in her hair today.  I will be blamed by my sisters for this.

She was deep in conversation.

After enjoying some wine and indulging in a fantastic meal, we had to get on to Brucee’s last soccer game.

WINE! I gulped that stuff down.

Roo (middle son) and Mick (unlucky spouse)

Full day complete.

White Trash…

Woke up and took the babies to school.  It’s their last day.  Both will be going to high school next year (9th and 11th grades).  So strange.  Of course, even stranger is that my oldest will be a Senior at college.  She won’t be done after her Senior year because she needs to get into a Pharmacy program after that.  Crazinesssssss

Oops. Forgot to take care of the vacuum before taking my picture.

Wearing my new Bayshore Marathon shirt (by Brooks), I set off for a seven mile run.  After about an 1/8 of a mile, I wanted to turn around and go back because my knee was still not 100%.  It didn’t hurt that much.  It felt weak.  It felt like my leg could bend the wrong way if I didn’t focus on it.  I started walking real gingerly.  I was thinking that turning around wouldn’t be such a bad idea.  After about a 1/2 mile, I started trotting again, real slowwww.  Eventually, I felt stronger and I wanted to go on.  I ran 8.44 miles with an average mile/minute of 8:56.  Worst mile = 10:32  Best mile = 8:22

Then comes my favorite part of my runs.  RECOVERY….

I used an empty Gatorade bottle to mix up some Propel Zero. Banana with crunchy peanut butter. Very nice….

I have a confession.  It’s something I’m not proud of.  Last night, Who Girl and I wanted ice cream so we jumped in car to go get us some.  I have 4 cats and only one of them, Peyton, likes to go outside (we have no choice in the matter).  Sometimes he’ll jump in the car.  Once in the car, he meows the strangest meow.  It’s kind of comical….so we thought.  He was lounging in the driveway, minding his own business.  Who and I thought it’d be a good time to take him with us.  Sure enough, Peyton did his thing and meowed super loud all the way to the Dairy Thrill.  Lots of giggles until the poor guy started panting.  If you don’t know cats, you may not know that panting is bad.  It means Peyton was super stressed.  We felt horrible.  We got him home and he seems okay.  We learned never to do that again.

I love animals (even though you wouldn’t have know that based on last night’s behavior).

See, Pee Pee’s fine.

I think I’m going to the round de round race track tonight.  It’s suckee and normally I wouldn’t go but our friend is sponsoring.  Plus, some of our friends are going.  Plus plus, I think I’ll be drinking.  It’s a great people-watching place.  WHITE TRASH HANGOUT.  Anywho,  that’s where’ll I’ll be.  I know not to wear white.  It’s a filthy place.  I’ll come home with black specks (pieces of tire) all over my face.  Good times, right?