What Happens in Vegas...

It's a LIE!
What happens in Vegas doesn't really stay in Vegas. Especially when it comes to the hefty meals, high-calorie cocktails, and yummy desserts consumed. Those things came home with me... on my butt, waist, and hips.

I had a great time but now I've got some serious damage control to do. I've been heavier than I like to be lately and my poor eating choices in Las Vegas left me feeling like I should try out for next season's Biggest Loser. I need Jillian to yell at me, I think.

The Eight-Second Workout Plan
The Professional Bull Riders World Finals was awesome! This was my third year attending the event and it gets better every year. It is surprisingly exciting to watch someone try to stay on a pissed-off, bucking, 1500 pound bull with a name like "Nasty Town". The riders only have to stay on for eight seconds in order to receive a score... but eight seconds is a looong time and few men make it.

I have to say, those professional bull riders are tough! They are also in amazing shape. I think they all have negative 20% body-fat. And nice, lean muscle. Hmmmm... I think I need a bull of my own. I can keep it in the back yard.

Twelve Week Count Down
I realized today that I only have twelve weeks until the Surf City Half Marathon. It's time to get serious about training and getting in good shape for the race. I'm going to spend the next few days reflecting on my training and race goals. My number one goal for training this time around is to remain injury-free. My number one goal for the race is to do more than "just finish". I'll share any other goals I think of... after I think of them.

Tuesday Night in the Blogger Confessional

I Confess
Confession can be so good for the soul, so here goes...

1. I didn't run this morning (boo! hiss! *tomatoes being thrown*). If you read last night's blog, you know I had every intention to run at the crack of dawn. I didn't. Truth is, I went to bed too late. After I signed off of blogger, I started playing Solitaire on my cell phone and couldn't stop until I won one... two... three games.
2. I am a sock whore! I just finished packing for Vegas. I swear, I have packed more socks than anyone could EVER possibly need! I don't even think I'll need socks. But I need to pack them, if that makes sense. I L-O-V-E Socks!
3. I don't really like the girl (Tracey) who got kicked off of The Biggest Loser tonight. However, I almost cried when I got to see her beautiful family. I hardly ever almost cry.
4. I plan on buying a huge bag of Peanut M&Ms tomorrow for our road trip to Vegas.
5. I'm really looking forward to playing Solitaire and eating Peanut M&Ms on our way to Vegas. Don't worry, I'm not driving!

Oh, phew! I sure feel better! What a load off of my conscience. Thanks for "listening".

Good night all!

Monkeys and other Monday Minutiae

Monkeys
I don't normally like monkeys (although, I wouldn't mind my very own marmoset). One monkey, however, has really grown on me since I became a mom. That would be George... you know, the monkey who lives with the Man in the Yellow Hat?

My youngest and I used to watch Curious George faithfully on PBS... until he discovered the nautical nonsense of Sponge Bob, that is. During a brief moment of Spongelessness, we found ourselves watching an episode of Curious George I had never seen before. In this episode, Professor Wiseman (The Man in the Yellow Hat's ambiguous girlfriend?) signed up to participate in a race.

Here's the episode description as found on the PBS website:

Curious George, Personal Trainer

Professor Wiseman is too busy to keep an exercise routine. So when she signs up to run in a fund-raising footrace, she enlists George as her personal trainer to help whip her into shape. George quickly learns there is more to exercising than meets the eye, and teaches Professor Wiseman that the keys to running are stretching, keeping hydrated, staying motivated and pacing yourself.

Very simplified, but not bad for a monkey. Actually, that's probably about as much as I know... what does that say about me? Um, don't answer that.

This episode left me smiling... especially when Professor Wiseman showed George her finisher's medal. Running... it's not just for crazy people, anymore. It's becoming so main-stream that even monkeys are getting involved!

More Minutiae

• I had to look up that word (minutiae) to make sure I spelled it correctly. I didn't.
• My allergies are horrible right now... as a result, I'm grumpy and didn't do any running or cross-training today.
• On Thursday, I'm going on a girls-only long weekend in Vegas. Woo-hoo!
  
• My party-buddy, Canadian cousin isn't going this year... I have a feeling I'll be blogging a lot.
• Less than fifteen years ago I was wearing a size 2 in clothes from the Gap... I swear they changed the sizes so that they run smaller... much, much smaller. Grrrr...
• My post-babies, nearing-forty body sometimes frustrates me.
• I like that it's light earlier in the morning now... I plan to run in the morning.
• I really like yogadownload.com
• Two and a Half Men is a funny show
• Meb Keflezighi, the winner of the NYC Marathon, went to high school in San Diego... my husband says there's hope for me yet! Ha. Ha. Ha. Funny guy.
  

OK... enough minutae minutiae... I better get to bed if I'm going to run in the morning.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

Apology, High-Fives and Shameless Thievery

First of all, I want to apologize to everyone... I had no idea my sock had taken over my blog. My sock is a little forward. I don't know what all happens in the secret life of socks, but I think there has been quite a bit of drama going on these past few months in the sock drawer.

My Week in Running
I only ran two days this week. I decided to cut back when I started to feel that familiar pain in my right knee. My knee has been better since before the marathon but as soon as I started to feel the slightest hint of pain on Tuesday, I knew it would be wise to take a break. Instead of running, I've been trying to work strength training and Yoga into my workout routine.

This afternoon, I hit the road again and I'm happy to say, there was no knee pain. My heel felt good, also. The real test for my heel will be how it feels tomorrow.

Peer Pressure
One of the best things about getting back to my blog and my wonderful Running Blogger Friends is how you all motivate me! Honestly, I did not feel like running this afternoon... it was a busy day and I tired. As I was sitting on the couch, catching up on Running Blogs, I suddenly felt like going out for my own run. I didn't want to read about running anymore... I wanted to do it. And I'm so glad I did because it was a great afternoon for a run.

My High-Five Friday
I'm taking an idea from my Running Blogger Friend, Tall Mom on the Run. She gives out virtual high-fives to other runners and bloggers every Friday (hence the name, "High-Five Friday"). Her high-fives go out to those running weekend races, those with great giveaways, and those who inspire her. I am going to put my own spin on High-Five Friday, though... because I am not as organized as Tall Mom.

This Week's High-Fives From ME Go Out To:

1. Tall Mom on the Run for having a great sense of humor... case in point: She is running a half marathon in a giraffe costume tomorrow. I can't wait to see the pictures of that!
   
2. She Wears a Red Sox Cap because she is my hero for wearing her pink pajamas to work.
   
3. Running Sane gets a high-five for being able to get three kids to school on time... even though there was no power in the house, no water, a broken windshield wiper, and a raging down-pour to contend with. How the HECK did she manage it?!
4. High-five to Marathon Man Runs Again because he is running in the NYC Marathon on Sunday. His running and commitment benefits Autism Speaks. What a worthy cause!
5. Irene over at Magazine Smiles gets a high-five because she can spell words like Ixtapa and Zihuantanejo. She is also a very nice person- I know this because I've met her!

High-fives to ALL you Running Blogger Friends! For those of you doing races, enjoy and be safe!

Happy Halloween to everyone!
(insert subliminal message here: Send me all your little bags of Peanut M&Ms... even if it means stealing them from your children)

Have You Seen My Mate?

Hi, all you people out there in Blogland! Sara is busy watching the Office, so I have taken over her blog with an urgent message.

Single White Sock Looking for Mr. Right

I am Sara's sock. I'm not just any old sock, either. I am one half of a pair of Sara's favorite running socks. I am a Feetures Light Cushion Low-Cut. Lately, I've been terribly lonely because my mate has gone missing. My sweet Mr. Right and I have had a wonderful life together. In fact, we were the socks Sara chose to wear for her marathon. We went 26.2 miles together, making sure Sara's sweaty feet were comfortable and happy. It wasn't an easy feat (pun intended- hey, socks can be funny, too) but we did it. Together. And now, Righty is gone.

We have looked all over the house and just can't find him. Maybe the Sock Fairy took him. Maybe he ran off with that little Pink Sock that was always flirting with him... the little tramp! Perhaps he is lost in the mess of socks in the boys' drawers and can't find his way home.

His disappearance has left me heart-broken but I think I am finally ready to move on. I am looking for a new mate.

An Offer You Can't Refuse
I strategically chose today to commandeer Sara's blog page because this is her 100th post!

Yeah, yeah big deal...

I know a lot of bloggers celebrate these types of milestones by having a "Giveaway".

Well, here's the deal:
Sara doesn't know how to get cool companies to give her things that she can offer up as a prizes. She's sort of a loser that way. So, I decided I would offer up myself as the 100th Blog Giveaway. All you have to do to win me is have a mateless, lonely sock of your own (that's one entry), become a follower of my Sara's blog (that's entry number two), and send me a picture of your lonely sock (if he's good-looking, that's 20 entries... if not, it's one).

You see? It's a win-win-win situation! I get a new mate, you win a match for your mateless sock, and Sara gets upgraded to the status of being a Giveaway Blogger!

Not sure if I'm a good match for your sock? Well, here are some of the things I like best:

• Rainy nights by the fire
• Gritty walks on the beach
• Warm bubble baths in the washing machine
• Running
• Adventure
  

Uh-oh- I better run now... here comes Sara. I just bet she is going to update her Facebook status for the 20th time today.

So long & good luck!
- Miss Lef T. Sock

We're Going to Surf City

Gonna Have Some Fun
It seems that lately, a lot of people have been announcing that they've signed up for the Surf City Marathon/Half Marathon. The race isn't until February and I've been signed up since May (it was my Mother's Day gift) so I haven't been giving it a whole lot of thought... until now.

Last night, I figured it would be a good idea to check the website to confirm my registration. Once that was done, I continued to peruse the site. I just have to say, the finishers' medals for the race are so cool!!

I love, love, love these medals!

Another thing I looked at on the website was the hotel listing for the area. I'm glad I did because the rooms near the starting line are selling out fast! The Hilton located right at the start is already sold out. The next best option seemed to be The Shorebreak Hotel since it is only about four blocks from the start. It's a tad expensive and they have a two-night minimum that weekend but it has great reviews so I made reservations there. My husband is coming with me so we decided to splurge and make a fun weekend out of it. We are going up on Saturday and leaving on Monday.

We only live about an hour and a half from Huntington Beach but I do NOT want to get up at three in the morning, risk hitting traffic (yes, even on a Sunday), look for a parking space, register, find a decent port-o-potty, run 13.1 miles, and go home.

Besides, I love going to the expos the day before the race. It's so fun visiting the vendors, getting samples, people watching, and checking out all the cool running gear. If you can't tell, I'm pretty excited about this race.

More Running News
Today I ran about three miles after I dropped my youngest off at preschool. I decided to try a route I mapped out last night near the preschool. I was not familiar with the area, but it looked like a pretty simple loop. I was right about it being simple but I had no idea how hilly it would be. I think the entire loop was uphill! I know that's not possible but it sure felt like it. Over the past few months, my running hasn't been as consistent as I would like and the uphillness of the route really busted my butt! Not literally.

In the spirit of Halloween, here is a picture of a cemetery I ran past this morning.

Boo!

I didn't see any ghosts or zombies. It was actually a pretty, green, shady place. It was getting hot by 9:00 this morning so I was a little tempted to take a nice rest under a tree. I was a little worried someone would mistake me for a dead person and try to put me six feet under. Yes, I looked that bad after all the hils.

Got Pink?
One of my favorite bloggers is tall. She is a mom. She runs. She blogs. She also has an amazing giveaway this week! Tall Mom on the Run is offering the chance to win this beautiful Brooks for Her running jacket:

Brooks created the Brooks For Her (BFH) collection to help support
the fight against breast cancer. For each BFH piece purchased from
March through December 2009, Brooks will donate 6.25%
of the suggested retail price to three organizations that research and
support those affected by breast cancer: The Young Survival Coalition,
Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, and
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, earmarked for
breast cancer research. Your vote, between March 1,
and December 31, 2009, determines how much of the total
donation each group gets.
No purchase necessary to vote. Learn more
about the three selected charities
Learn more about how BFH works
See the Brooks For Her collection

Check out Tall Mom's blog and see how you can enter for a chance to win!

A Love Letter

Oh, Peanut M&Ms... how I hate to love you!