Virtual Race is ON! And a lunch run.

Before I forget!! The Virtual Race is upon us!! For details follow the link! You could win a Sbux gift card and possibly a book, too!!

http://bugsbees.blogspot.com/2012/07/virtual-race-for-run-ms-prizes.html?m=1

Today, I was motivated to pack my clothes and prepare for a lunch run. I did a 20-minute out and back which gave me plenty of time to change, etc. once I was back. It was in the mid-80s, sunny, and I picked a very hilly route. I looked at my watch at .15 and saw I was doing a 7:30 pace, so I must have been pretty happy to get out and squeeze a run in!! It ended up being a 2.34 mile run.

Here are my splits:
1: 9:32
2: 9:44
average: 9:37

This is only my second attempt at a mid-day lunch run while at work.

Pros:
- you get the run in. duh.
- helps regroup (even more than going out for coffee!)

Cons:
- super. sweaty.
- I found that I was very worried about taking too long, so I ended up turning around sooner than necessary
- lots of prep for a short run

I packed Burts Bees facial cloths which were great as a refresher afterwards. Also, I packed Too Face Beauty Balm which is an SPF/moisturizer/primer/foundation etc. in one and that's it, besides deodorant. So, those three products made me a happy girl once I returned.

Last night, I moved the changing table out and into the garage. It is the first step in getting it out of the house. Bee is still in diapers, but we hardly use the table anymore. Stuff just accumulates on it and it takes up so much room. I'm super sad. I got this table for $20 at a consignment store so it isn't super fancy, but it is just the point. Baby stuff is leaving because there won't be any more babies.

I think I would feel better knowing someone needed it and I could still see it occasionally in photos or when I visit. No one needs a third-hand (at least!) $20 changing table.

A True Story About Clown Lips.

But first, my run! (If you just want to hear about Clown Lips, jump down to the 6th paragraph)

We got back from our family vacation on Friday afternoon and I was so ready to go for a run with my Saturday morning group!  Really really.  So, when my alarm went off at 6a on Saturday, I merrily rolled out of bed and was out the door in 15 minutes.  I have to say, my Up and Out time has improved in the last few weeks.  I have perfected the art of prepping for a run the night before and getting out the door.

The weather could not have been better.  It was in the mid-60s (which makes me so excited for fall)!  The route was a modified version of one we've done a few times and took us through the outdoor mall going and coming.  The only place busy at that time was First Watch. 

I have a gripe, though.  When it comes to safety, I'm a big rule follower (read: nerd).  The first .6 mile was on the shoulder of a very busy road (no sidewalks) and they had us running WITH TRAFFIC.  I was so freaking nervous.  Especially since iPod-Earphone-Zig-Zag Runner was in front of me and kept weaving so close to the white line and I'm pretty sure she couldn't have heard anything other than whatever podcast people who run with traffic listen to.  Meanwhile, I hugged the stupid edge of the road near all of the broken bottles and who-knows-what and kept looking over my shoulder like one would expect a nervous, paranoid runner to do.  It wasn't so bad going out because it was so early, but as we came back, I saw that the whole hillbilly world had woken up and apparently hillbillies love to drive really close to the white line.

5.25 miles in 51 minutes.  Big surprise:  none of my miles were at my goal pace.  I know you are on the edge of your seat waiting for my splits so here you go:
1: 10:03
2: 9:54
3: 9:53
4: 10:16 (HILLS!!!)
5: 9:55

So, pretty consistent.  I'm going to revise my main goal finishing time for the half marathon to < 2:10:00.  My Back to the Future finishing time remains the same, however.  A new pace group is in order.

Regarding clown lips.  Ugh.  O and I went to Sephora to kill some time yesterday.  Once he had his fill of package designs and his head was ringing from cacophony of fragrance, he decided to sit outside and people watch.  Still inside, I had wandered over to the giant display of lipsticks and Mr. Sephora (let's name him Cam) asked me if I needed any help.  For the record, I love Sephora and I love how attentive their employees are.  I was asked about 6 times if I needed help, which is great. Sometimes.  So, I said the first thing that popped into my head when Cam asked if I needed help.

"I am interested in a wearable red."

I don't know what the hell I was thinking.  I wear lip gloss.  And I wear a nude lip color, if any.  This color looks exactly like the color of my lips or the color of my face.  So, "wearable red"?  I have no clue.

He showed me some colors by swiping them on the back of his hand which he said would look "gorgeous on my skin tone".  Which skin tone is that, exactly?  Sleep-Deprived Mom Color around my eyes?  Or Heat-Induced Ruddiness everywhere else?

The next thing I know, I am whisked to a chair with a giant mirror and Cam said something about "liner" and "bleeding" and "rich color".  I started to sweat.  I refused to look anywhere but at this giant advertisement for a new line of moisturizers that was hung on the back wall of the store and conveniently over his right shoulder.  His man hands drew with a lip liner.  I know parts of my mouth were drawn on that normally never see lip color.  His man hands colored in the liner.  Sweat started to pool on my upper lip.  I was feeling pretty attractive.  His man hands made multiple swipes with a luxurious lip stick and then, like in the movies, I was spun to face the mirror.

Red, red, red.  Definitely red, definitely not wearable.  Cam, bless his heart, said, "Isn't it gorgeous?  What do you think?" and I said, "Well, this is a shock.  I usually wear nude, but it is a really pretty color."  He insisted on walking me around the store with my giant clown lips to show me other products that would fit into my Beauty Routine.  I settled on a neutral red lip pencil.  I thanked him and shook his hand.  After this purchase, Cam told me all about how they don't work on commission, but if I go online and do a survey and give him a high score, he will get a bonus of some sort.  And, like everyone who has rung up my order at Sephora, on my receipt he wrote his name, wrote a 10 (for the score to give) and a heart.  It must be some Sephora Formula to Success Rule.  "Don't forget the 10! Don't forget the heart!  If you can dot an "i" with a heart--even better!  Don't have an "i" in your name?  Add one!"

Still sweating, I covertly grabbed some tissues on my way out of the door and walked towards O.  His face was priceless.  Always supportive and kind, he asked me if Cam was joking when he helped pick my color.  To be honest, I don't really know.  I could see myself being a little inventive in makeup choices if I worked at a slow store with a billion color options and a customer willing to be a (sweaty) blank canvas. 

In retrospect, I should have waited to blot/wipe/blot/wipe the red mess off my face until I got a little farther away, but whatever.

I heart the Olympics and 1980s TV

I get so excited when it is Olympic time! I really do. It's kind of lame because there isn't much to do about it but watch them on TV. This is our first Olympics in which our TV actually gets NBC so yay! Also, this is our first Olympics where half of our household has an early bedtime and a long, drawn-out sleep routine that consists of waking up once every three minutes because a binky fell out or waking due to a gurgling belly. Or whatever reasons the two-and-under crowd can invent. So, no Opening Ceremonies viewed and it's pretty impossible for me to find them streaming anywhere . Advice, techie friends?

I do have 6 am marked on my calendar on August 5 for the women's marathon. I feel like the majority of that statement should be in quotes since the "calendar" is on my iPhone. Remember back in 2010 when people still wrote things down in a planner and people would say things like "I will put that down in ink!"? Now, no one can say something like that without a hint of irony. In 20 years, people will still say it but will have no idea why. Kind of like how people say "You got it, dude!" and only half of us know it came from Full House. People still say that, right? No? Hmm, well come up with your own analogy.

In other news, I signed up for a pace group for the Half in October. It's my first time even considering it, and I picked the 2 hour group. This would shave about 20 minutes off my last finishing time of 2010 (marked in ink on my training schedule!). I know it's a lot to hope for, which is why my actual goal is a 2:10. That's a lie. My first goal is to finish happy. My doable goal is to finish in 2:20; stretch goal 2:10, and then mega stretch goal is 2 hours. My Go, Go Gadget Legs! goal is 15 minutes. My Back to the Future goal is -1:30.

How many unintentional references to the 80s can one have in a post?!

Anyone ever use a pace group? Positive experience? Negative experience?

Vacation with the Fam.

No running. I tried. I did. The beach was cloud-soft--I swear it tried to eat the jogger. And it was at a steep incline (hello, misaligned everything). The busy street the condo was on had no sidewalks but a bike/pedestrian lane on the street. "Hey, O! I'm going to take little Bee on a joggerooni on the 55 mph street, m'kay??"

So I took Bee on a walk around the conjoined complexes. Riveting. Here's a pic of our route via mapmyrun.com and some other pics:

I'm blogging with my phone, so I'm not sure how the formatting will work.

Thunder, Lightning; Driving: Frightening

For the first time in a long time, it rained.  And not just rained, but stormed.  Thunder, lightning; driving: frightening.  Unfortunately, this storm took place during the time of my scheduled group run.  I was really tempted to go out anyway and see what sort of things I would see, but ever since that gigantic train made its appearance during the State-to-State Half marathon, I've been more cautious about what sorts of Running Adventures I'll let myself get into.  So.  "Live to run another day", and all that jazz.  

And all.  That.  JAAAAAAZZZZZZZ.

Image credit: Chicago: Miramax

This is an actual picture of me running.  The running jogger is sleek and blends in with my stockings.  And those are my backup runners.  They hand me Old Fashioned cocktails and rouge at regular intervals.

I took the jogger out for a run this morning.  It was so nice.  Really!  It was in the low 70s which is about 15 degrees cooler than it's been lately.  It was nice and pleasant and then these giant clouds started rolling in.  I picked up the pace a bit after that.  We went 5.25 miles in about an hour and a quarter (that jogger is heavy, y'all).  The very end of the run ended in this monster of a hill that I always dread.  I don't even run up it, but one day I will.  It is so steep that cars can't even get up it on icy/snowy days.  As I walked up this monstrosity, I counted my paces.  503!  FIVE HUNDRED AND THREE STEPS.  This thing is huge.  

One day, Hill.  One day, I am going to smash you.

Pioneer Days.

Yesterday, the a/c went on strike. Tepid air is all the rage, I hear. The service guy came out and "fixed" it "temporarily" (until Friday, when the part will come in) and gave us instructions to not turn it on until 730 yesterday evening. So we turned it on, and warmish air started coming up out of the vent. It was just me and the girls, so I decided to take them on a walk (at this point, it was 90 outside and 85 inside), thinking that hopefully, when we return the air would be a lot cooler.

Going on a walk felt like a better idea than sitting in the house waiting for it to cool.

We did 2.25 mi with the double jogger in 25 minutes. While running, Bug said "go, go, go! Go, Mommy, go!". It was so awesome.

When we returned, the house cooled significantly to 82 degrees. So. Obviously, the A/C was NOT "temporarily fixed", but rather "not fixed at all". It happens, right? You think you are fixing someone's A/C and then BLAM! you realize you didn't fix anything. Faced with a scorching house, I did what any mom would do: I packed the kids up and we drove to Starbucks.

While in the car, Bee fell asleep and Bug merrily acted out a drama between her two hands. I got a Venti iced coffee and was pretty pleased with my problem-solving skills until I realized that the house was still going to be really hot even after the iced coffee was finished. When we got back to the house it was 930p, a good 30 minutes past their bedtime. We set up camp in the basement. All four of us started out on the futon and it was pretty much a disaster. By 2a, Bee and I ended up on the floor on one side of the futon, O ended up on the floor on the other side, and Princess Bug had the whole futon to herself.

It was an awful, hot, frizzy-haired night, but the girls woke up refreshed and happy so I guess it was ok, in the end.
And (good news) the a/c really is temporarily fixed NOW and will be totally fixed (hopefully!) on Friday. So anway. Moral of the story: I am a whiner who likes A/C and I would fail if someone were to spring a Pioneer Survivor Challenge on me unexpectedly, but sure, let's go for a 6-miler when it's 98-degrees with high humidity.

Virtual Race for Run MS!! PRIZES!!

Helloo!!!  Virtual Race time!!

As you may or may not know, I am fundraising for RunMS as I train for the Columbus Half Marathon in October!!  My goal is to raise $500 and right now I am at $175!

Here's a little something to help generate some funds, some fun, burn some calories, and have a friendly competition!

Who:  Runners or walkers!
What:  A 5k ran any time between July 29 and August 4
Where:  Inside, outside.  Wherever!

Cost is a $5 donation to my RunMS page.  Click the link and donate to "register"!  Then, send me an email (bugsbeesrunATyahooDOTcom) and let me know that you are going to run/walk in this 5k!

Send your finishing time to bugsbeesrunATyahooDOTcom by 11:59pm on August 4th.

Winner of the race wins a $10 gift card to Starbucks.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!
There's a 2nd prize, too.  Every $5 you donate between now and August 4th will get you an entry to win a $10 gift card to Starbucks AND a copy of the book Run Fast:  How to Beat Your Best Time Every Time (SRP $16.95)!!  Winner will be chosen randomly.

Both winners will be announced on August 5th.

Yay!  Happy racing!!  Email me or post below with any questions!!

Found Garmin = Mile Splits.

Here were my mile splits for the 5k on Wednesday:
1: 9:37
2: 9:16
3: 9:32

Pretty exciting post, I know.  I'm just thrilled that I didn't completely lose my Garmin.  I pictured it experiencing all sorts of grisly deaths.

Falling unnoticed from my bag only to be slowly crushed under the tire of a garbage truck, the final insult of a old diaper landing on it as the beast of a vehicle pulls away.


Landing safely in a plot of long grass where it sits until a money-starved landscaper comes by to mow the short, dying grass with the blade set on the lowest setting.  The landscaper loves to listen to Kenny Chesney and probably has manure on his boot.


Getting wedged between the two car seats and then being submitted to a deluge of Horizon chocolate milk from Starbucks.  The Garmin would never locate satellite again. (This actually happened today but it was a stuffed cat wedged between the car seats.  Note to self:  remove Chocolate Milk Cat from car before it "improves" my old car smell.)

As it turned out, the watch found its way into one of my work shoes and sat there, undetected, for two days.  That ought to teach it never to disappear ever again.

Anyway, here's the link to my fundraising page for Run MS!  Thanks to some generous people, we have already raised $175!!  35% of the way there!!  Woot!!  Thanks thanks thanks!!

Hills + Speed + 91-degrees

It was a pretty rad run, though.  I did 3.1 miles in 28 minutes and there were some SERIOUS HILLS!! Serious hills.  The kind that if you were driving up them, you'd have to toe the accelerator a little bit more to go up it.  Doesn't that sound impressive?   "This hill was so big, SO BIG, that you would seriously have to touch your gas pedal a little bit to maintain your speed.  Yeah."  Well.  I can't really explain it any better than that.

I am trying to keep my pace on the shorter runs under 10 min miles.  I have a stretch goal of finishing the half in 2 hrs.  My last two half marathons had finishing times of 2:20 and 2:22 so 2 hrs is my new goal.  If I can shave even 10 minutes off my last finishing time I'd be really happy.  To be totally honest, simply finishing the race will make me super happy.  So, forget all that other stuff about having a time goal.  Except the part about wanting to finish in 2 hrs, because that is 100% true.  Confused?  Good.  That means you are reading this.

I misplaced my Garmin so I don't have my mile splits or the inclines.  #1stworldproblems.

RunMS!

I have decided to fundraise for RunMS while training for the half marathon on October in honor of my good friend, Jamie, who was diagnosed a few years ago with multiple sclerosis. If you are interested in donating or learning more, please follow the link below!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=7607542&pg=personal&fr_id=17869

Sometimes you have to hallucinate.

It's been really hot here.  Waaaay hotter than it probably is where you are, so you probably wouldn't understand at all.  Today it was 97.  Tomorrow it's going to cool off and be somewhere in the mid-90s so thank goodness I've got a short after-work run planned.

Yesterday it was also very very hot.  I met with the running group at 7a and there was a "special talk" by the chiropractor that shares the strip mall where the running store is located.  Knowing this was planned, I tried to position myself farthest from the front as I could because I realized while walking towards the store that I had deodorant lines all over my shirt.  I did not care enough to try to remove them, I just didn't want that to be the focus of anyone so early in the morning.  I did a poor job of positioning and ended up in the very front and center of the semi-circle, two feet from the scrub-decked chiropractor in running shoes.  I did what anyone sane would do in this situation:  I knelt down, untied and tied my shoe, and then walked to the back.  I don't know why that was so essential in relocating, but it seemed like something someone should do who was more awake than I was so I went with it.

The talk was ok.  It sounded like any talk someone would give who wanted you to come into their office and have them manipulate your spine.  I inwardly rolled my eyes that he chose to wear his running shoes to the talk.  They were far to pristine to give the illusion that he actually used them to run.

We started our run at quarter after.  I use my phone to track my route and pace and at the mile mark the robotic voice of Mapmyrun.com went off.  It was very loud.  It was so obnoxious.  In the quiet morning where nothing could be heard but the plodding of rubber soles on uneven sidewalk, my silly app in full volume announced that we were running an 8:30 pace.  Stoked as I was that I was running so comfortably at a quicker pace than usual, it felt like a faux pas akin to belching during communion or mentioning within earshot of your uncle the war vet why you don't really think you'll vote in this election. 

I typically run a 10-11 minute mile, so this was pretty rad.

The course grew hilly.  And HILLY.  And so hilly that at one point I laughed out loud.  I totally LOL'd IRL, OMG.  Do you know what seriously helped me out a ton?  I thought of Bee, who turned one that day, crawling at her astonishing rate with slapping little hands up the hill beside me.  It played over and over in my head, a two-second clip on loop.  It really did help.  Before I set out for the run, I dedicated that run to her though I didn't plan on her being the star of some New Age Visual Exercise.

So, 51 minutes later and I was finished with the 5.2 mile course.  The temp had only risen to the high-70s by then and I had plenty of time to get home and make waffles for a very special birthday celebration.

Columbus: Booked.

I signed up for the Columbus Half Marathon (10/21/12).  I did this last Sunday from my phone before getting out of bed.  This morning, I bought a bracelet off of Fab.com also before getting out of bed, so maybe I should stop using my phone as my alarm clock.

The entry is bought.  The hotel is booked.  The four of us are going as a family to Columbus that weekend to hang out, do the expo, and hopefully they will find something fun to do (sleep) while I'm gone doing that little race thing.

The hotel.  Oh, the hotel.  It's far more expensive than I would ever spend on a hotel.  The perk?  The start/finish within eyesight of the hotel.  Can't beat that.  This will be great for about a billion reasons.  The main reason:  not having to fight pre-race traffic when I'm already going to be anxious.

This means that training has to be taken a little more seriously.  I've missed the last two Saturdays because as I was sneaking away from the sleeping family, Bee woke up smiling and reaching for me.  So, she and I ran together which was very nice.  Starting this week, though, the miles will start getting to the point where, if I were to run with her, she'd be in the stroller for almost an hour.  Despite starting early, the temps are in the high seventies around 7a.  This feels amazing compared to the 100-degree days we have been having, but Bee flushes easily.

Since we were off yesterday, I planned on running and asked Bug if she wanted to join Bee and me.  She said, "No.  You go on a walk with the baby.  I stay here and watch Batgirl with Daddy at my house."  So, that was that.  I always assumed that Bug would be the one to want to be out running with me, but Bee's the only one who has ever flipped out with glee when she's being strapped into a stroller to go on a run.  We ran to the grocery and back.  My phone died (or I probably would have bought something before getting out of bed), so I had no way to track my run.  I thought the grocery was 2.5 miles away and was so happy at how good I felt after running the distance WITH a jogger WITH a few additional items in the lower compartment on the return trip.  It's actually 1.5 miles away so I did 5k.

5 miles is on the schedule for Saturday.  I've done 8 miles total for this week so far.