I'm cheating on Miles

So lately I've been talking about this friend on here. I mentioned him in Pumpkinfest and then again in the Hot Chocolate 15k race report and even mentioned his name when thanking him for cheering me on in Milwaukee. Weeeeeell, technically he's my boyfriend.

Yes, this is the same guy that we went on a running date at the end of August. The same one in which we met at a race at the end of July.

It took a while to really get into the relationship because of my marathon training. Had a few dates with him in August (the running date was the highlight). In September it was a few more than August and then October, while I took a few weeks off of running after my marathon, we were able to get together even more.

Earlier this year, I made another personal blog post about boyfriends and running. I mentioned that after a few hit misses, I knew I wanted a guy interested in biking / running or something outdoorsy. At least being active. And this one definitely fits all the categories.

He really is a great guy, I could go on and on about that but let's not since I don't know who reads this. But he's a runner. And a fast one at that so lets talk about that instead.

He's been running for years, since high school but has never really raced until this year; January was his first race. And now each one has gotten larger and bigger but he's still in the top of them. He won the race in which we met, placed in his age group at Pumpkinfest and then came in 21st out of 4100 at the Hot Chocolate 15k. That my friends, is hot to me, as crazy as that sounds.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the SkirtChaser 5k next summer! :-)

Also in that blog post, I mentioned how I didn't think I could date a guy too incredibly fast. My competitive juices would get flowing with me all too high and I would be way too hard on myself. Well, so far, they've creeped up in me a little bit but luckily he's too fast for me to even be in the same category as him. If he could run a 5k in the 20's then maybe I have a chance to try to get faster but since he does his in the teens, there's no way. So that has helped tremendously with keeping them away.

Also, he's been really good at not minding going "slow" or my pace when we go running together. We've been running together a few times; even got up well before dawn on a Wednesday to get 4 miles in before work. On Saturday, we went out to Rock Cut, a last minute decision, so he could show me his trails that he runs on and we jogged a little bit. I am not used to trail running at all and all the wet leaves were interesting underfoot. Plus, we were wearing jackets & jeans and our normal everyday shoes. We're going to go there again on Sunday and this time with running clothes on and do some real running. He does want me to go faster at the end of our runs; did on our first run and then this last one on Wednesday morning.

However.... (yes there is a however)... Sunday at the race, he was explaining the Rock Cut Hobo Series that he had planned on doing before he got a little injured. 10k Friday night, 25k on Saturday and then a 50k (31 miles) on Sunday. In August, when he was telling me that he planned on doing that, I asked how many miles he has ran at a time. He only did 16 or so. That's the longest he's ever ran. Even in a marathon, you run at least 20, sometimes 22, to train for that. So anyway, on Sunday, one of the woman in our group asked if he was going to run a marathon, he said maybe next year. I don't quite know how to explain what I was feeling but it was something. Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly happy for him that he wants to do this and I think he'll be great and could possibly get under 3 hours but at the same time, he has the speed... I guess I was just hoping to have the distance.

I know it's a silly thing to be jealous about; I'm jealous over the fact that he wants to run a marathon. How stupid right? And I'm also trying not to beat myself over the fact of how "slow" I am and feeling horrible for him running with me while going so slow. I mean, I'm out there huffing and puffing and he's coasting. It's almost not fair but he's got the runner's body, I don't. I should feel blessed I can even run with all that is going against me.

While technically, Luke & I met in July, had our first date in August, we decided to make it exclusive this month (I was hesitant for many reasons). So I guess what I said in the other blog post is true; I just had to wait until October.

And no, we don't have any pictures together yet.

Categories: dating, Luke

A running date

I got to run in Fantastic weather tonight. And had great company too. I ran with a boy!! Not just any boy but the one from the race a month back! The one that WON the 5k in 18 minutes!! Yes, that one! Luckily, he knew (cause I repeatedly told him) that I am not a fast runner and I just ran 17 miles on Monday. But we got just over 7 out of it anyway. Took him on my regular route (as you'll see below).

The best thing about the whole run is that I really pushed myself on the last part and was going 7:33-7:40. Which is FAST for me. He could tell the pace we were going too and I looked at my GPS and he was right. I told him that this is not typically me, I was trying to show off in front of him. I kept it up rather well. Then when he noticed that it was coming up to the end, we ran in the road and I told him to take off. He just cruised on by me... SERIOUSLY... Just took off effortlessly. I was amazed. At the beginning I noticed that he was taking more steps than necessary cause of my short stride. He is 6'3" after all so maybe that helps with speed?? I kept telling him as we were walking back that I hated him. He barely had any breathing problems. Not fair.

Then afterwards we talked about going to Ollie's for some frozen custard but it was a tad too cold for it. And we played a round of Mario Kart Double Dash in which I totally whooped on him, like I told him I would. I can pretty much beat anyone in that game. Then we saw a movie; The Time Traveler's Wife which I've been dying to see since it came out last month. It stayed very true to the book and I am very happy with it!

In other news, I am now signed for a 10k 3 weeks after my marathon. What am I thinking? On top of that craziness, I am now thinking of doing the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on November 7th. But I need to decide on this one rather quickly. My boss just called me today about whether or not I can help the college Foundation with a dinner at 6pm that night with the volunteers. I can't imagine running a marathon, driving back and then standing on my feet all night. I ran 18 miles the day of the dinner last year and I was limping all over the place.

The best thing is that I got to wear my No Meat Athlete shirt from none other than No Meat Athlete himself!! I ordered it from his site when he first announced it. On the back has his website but it's still pretty cool. Since it was pretty cool out, I decided to wear short-sleeves but still didn't look at the humidity. Sweat pretty good! And yes I wore my compression shorts on the run. Hey, it was a date after all! ;-) Hope I didn't turn him off that badly...

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 858 ft Location: DeKalb, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 08/26/09 Up/Downhill: [+269/-269] Time: 06:52 PM Difficulty: 2.8 / 5.0 Weather: Partly Cloudy 62 F temp; 93% humidity 62 F heat index; winds E 10 Performance Distance: 7.26 miles Time: 1:07:49 Speed: 6.4 mph Pace: 9' 20 /mi Calories: 777 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 46 -0' 34 6.8 +0.4 +29 ft 2 9' 03 -0' 17 6.6 +0.2 -20 ft 3 9' 32 +0' 12 6.3 -0.1 -10 ft 4 9' 26 +0' 06 6.4 -0.1 +39 ft 5 9' 26 +0' 06 6.4 -0.1 -23 ft 6 10' 04 +0' 44 6.0 -0.5 -6 ft 7 9' 26 +0' 06 6.4 -0.1 +13 ft end 7' 35 -1' 45 7.9 +1.5 -22 ft Versus average of 9' 20 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Categories: 7 miles, dating, DeKalb Nature Trail, Luke

Historic Homes

Even though I had quite a fun time yesterday at the Cubs game, I still managed to keep the drinking to a good amount and woke up this morning feeling fine for my run. I was also very pleased that the race started at 9am. This gave me time to get up there!

I got up there in plenty of time to register and even though the race said shirts guaranteed for the first 200 there were way less people than that there! I didn't know that the start was going to be at a house and that the food and beverages were also in this person's backyard.

I signed up and received the packet. No bib. I thought that was weird but since this was just a fun run, it's understandable. We also got a list of the Historic Homes that is on the route. I was going through it, walking out to my car and then I saw my neighbours house. I was right with the Underground Railroad tunnel and the ghost that haunts it. I used to think he told us that to scare us kids but I guess it's true!! I started tearing up!!

It was funny they held a little warm-up thing beforehand and got people to stretch and run in place and the like. They had the IceHogs mascot there and he was trying to do the same. I didn't take part in the silly activities. At this point I saw someone wearing an University Plaza shirt but didn't say anything to him since he was with other people.

The race took place entire on streets with the exception of Belvidere Park. As soon as the race started, I felt a twinge in both knees. That was a bit bothersome and I realised that I didn't have my knee bands on. oh well, I hoped they lasted.

I brought my camera along but missed the first house cause there were too may people in the run. We were running directly on the street, pretty much in the middle, all of Lincoln was closed down for it which was pretty cool. Soon we went into the park and ran around it past the dam and swinging bridge.

Swinging Bridge

I passed the father/son that I stayed behind. I stayed behind 3 girls though. Soon one of those fell off the pace too. I passed a boy walking and asked if he was OK, he said yes. He passed me running not long after and I told him to take it easy. Soon I passed him, walking yet again. Last time I saw him.

Father/Son

2 girls

Back out on the street, still behind the 2 girls. They had chalk on the road pointing to the historic home so you could read about them, if you were a walker that is. I still took pictures of them though. Soon we were rounding the last corner and back on Lincoln Ave. I took a picture of my best friend's house as I ran past it, then as I ran past my house a block down, I took a few of it. That was so awesome. Then of course I ran past my neighbours house and took a picture of that one as well.

My House!!!

13 WREX doing a story on the walk

Finally was finishing and crossed the line. Time was 26:28. Not a PR but still pretty good! Not an official time and Garmin was showing it was a 3.13 race.

Then comes the interesting part. I grabbed a water bottle and walked back to the entrance of the backyard and walked past that guy with the DeKalb University Plaza shirt. I asked him if he lived in DeKalb. He said no, he grew up around this area (being Belvidere) and that was it so I just kept walking and stopped a few paces away from him to stretch and take a pause. He turned around and asked me if I lived there. I said yea, I went to school and still live there. And that's when we just started talking and talking. :-) I asked him what he ran this race in, he said 18 minutes. Holy cow! I asked him if he was going to stay for the raffle and he said that he wasn't going to but he will now. ;-)

We eventually walked down to my old childhood home so I could pick up a house info sheet and then he walked down to my car with me so I could pick up my raffle ticket. He apparently knew quite a few people there at the race. Come to find out, he actually came in first in the race! They gave prizes to the first 4 finishers and top female finisher.

They had plenty of food there, with some yummy watermelon slices. They also had a table that was giving away free candy (which seems counterproductive of what should be there for kids).

Eventually the raffle was over with and I said that I was going to get going. He walked me to my car and asked for my number. He only lives in Batavia and since he went to NIU for 7 years he knows the area well. So he said that he could come out to DeKalb and go out for dinner or something. That was awesome!

So to add a personal touch to this blog (which usually just deals with running) I have now 3 guys that I've gone on dates with and 2 that I'm interested in. So I'm gonna have to cut this down. A lot. Next week I've got a date planned with those 3 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. A bit much. However, they all have stuff that I enjoy. I need to be able to smash them all into one guy. One guy rides a motorcycle and has offered to let me shoot his gun. One guy drives a stick shift and has offered to teach me to drive it, he can fly and he knows his planes quite well. And the last guy rides mountain bike and runs for fun. I'm not particularly attracted to any of these but they're fun to be with so maybe the attraction will come later?? Next week I'll cut out 2 of those guys though. One of them can't understand why I run and why I must do it on the weekends, so he'll probably be definitely be one of them. I'm tempted to cancel one of them before hand but I feel so bad about already making plans and then telling them that I can't see them anymore (my friend has given me a few ideas how I can break it to them). Oh and I know it makes me sound really bad but normally I'm not like this at all. Last time I dated, I only had him and then he just became my boyfriend and that's why the way I like it! But I also know better than to dump all my eggs in one basket.

Anyway, so after I left the area I went to Dick's Sporting Goods because my goal is to buy compression shorts. I've now gotten enough confidence to wear them. PLUS lately when I'm out running, I can't stand having the shorts swimming around me when it's a warm day out. I tried on one pair that had a 2" inseam. WAY TOO SHORT! Then I saw one that was longer and it was a 7" inseam. WAY TOO LONG! So finally after searching, I found one that had a 4" inseam and it was perfect!! I couldn't believe that I bought them! Doesn't seem like something I would ever have bought before!

Tomorrow is my 12 mile run. I'm excited yet nervous about it. Should be about a 2 hour run; one hour out and one hour back. So I should start early and I have to drive out to the Great Western Trail and run out there. I run out of path when I run in town and I don't want to cross Rt. 38/Lincoln Hwy when I do. so out to my normal path. It should be an interesting run. Been 2 weeks since I ran 10 miles. Just need to remember to take it nice, easy and slow.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Belvidere, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 07/25/09 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 08:59 AM Difficulty: 0 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 69 F temp; 70% humidity 69 F heat index; winds NW 12 Performance Distance: 3.13 miles Time: 0:26:29 Speed: 7.1 mph Pace: 8' 28 /mi Calories: 333 Map Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 26 -0' 02 7.1 +0.0 -- ft 2 8' 44 +0' 16 6.9 -0.2 -- ft 3 8' 24 -0' 04 7.1 +0.1 -- ft end 7' 25 -1' 03 8.1 +1.0 -- ft Versus average of 8' 28 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Categories: Belvidere Historic Homes 5k, dating, pictures

Somebody just try to keep up with me!!

Thunderbirds!!

I'm a monster!! Or a ball of energy, one of those planes or just plain crazy.

I went into Chicago for a board game night on Friday night. Came back to DeKalb at 1am because I knew I had a 10 mile run on Saturday morning. I did manage to wake up at 6am when my alarm went off. Which surprised me since I actually was woken up at 2:30a when a huge crashing storm came rolling through and scared the crap about of me and my cats! That lasted for about a half hour.

I actually didn't get running almost 7a when I wanted to start at 6:30am. I had looked for my iPod earlier and that's why I was running late. I jut couldn't find it though. I thought it might be out in my car and I had hit the unlock button on my keychain while I was inside my apartment but unfortunately, it didn't unlock when I went out there so I went off without my iPod. 10 miles with no music. This will be interesting. I also just ate a bagel with some cream cheese, I knew that was going to be enough.

And I managed to do all right. The temp was 67 when I left but at 96% humidity. I did bring a bottle with me. Again, I ran out by the end. Like RIGHT at the end. So I must bring the 4 bottle with me with anything over 10 miles. I also brought some Sport Beans which I ate at halfway (thus why one mile was 12 minutes long).

After that, I hopped in the shower (gotta love cold showers now in the summer) and then I packed up for a mountain bike ride in Rockford with a date. What I didn't plan was how long it was gonna take me to get ready and I ended up running late. So much so that I didn't have a chance to eat anything after my run and I was HUNGRY! I did fill up my water bottle once we met up (I was 20 minutes late and couldn't call the guy BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE A CELL PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) with a Propel drink packet and hoped that was going to do.

He had no helmet and his bike was entirely too small for his height (his knees were totally bent, even on extension) but we ended up biking for almost 2 hours as I had hoped we would. And that was about 9.5 miles. I started the Garmin late so I'm sure that we went .1 before I hit the Start button. Yes, I did bring Phil with me just to see the route that we took around the trails & forest of Rock Cut. It's pretty nifty to look at!

I had to end the ride because I just couldn't take it anymore. I was STARVING. It was well after noon. We did go for some pizza after that and I had a few beers (he doesn't drink at all).

I headed home to clean up a bit and then got ready to go to a concert. I was out until nearly 1am that night (went to sleep around 2:30a I think)!! Got up at 8am to hit the road to Peoria, IL where I attended the Prairie Air Show. Got a lot of sun that day. But a great time was had, by almost all, but especially so by me!!!! I LOVE AIRPLANES!!!

Went out to eat at a great Mexican restaurant here in DeKalb and then that Sunday night around 4am, I got sick. Like in the bathroom for over 2 hours. Back and forth, back and forth. I couldn't get warm enough to fall back asleep. I put my PJ pants back on. Nope. I put socks on. Nope. I closed the window. I think that finally did it or just being tired did it. I ended up going into work for 1.5 hours and then took the rest of the day off sick and slept all morning long getting up again around 1pm. I tried eating a yogurt and kept it down. I had nothing else to eat cause I just couldn't bear the thought of it. I thought that the nap was going to ruin my night's sleep. But it didn't. Going to sleep again at 10pm and waking up hard at 7am, not wanting to get out of bed. Today I only had a cupful of dry Cheerio's. This evening I had a PB&J sandwich. I need the energy!

I have no idea if it was food poisoning or just a 24 hour bug (I'm thinking the former). Anyway, I have been very lethargic. So much so that I'm actually driving slow, walking slow, talking slow; everyone can notice. If you have EVER met me, you know that I'm quite high energy (thus my Saturday events) but this thing just knocked everything out of me. As of this writing I am now about a 5 on a scale of 10 energy wise (10 being the highest and most normal).

I haven't ran since the 10 miles on Saturday. Boy, for wanting to get another PR in this marathon in October, I'm so not taking my training seriously!! But I'm going to take tomorrow off again and try running on Thursday morning. Just an easy few miles and then some more on Saturday morning.

Tomorrow I have another outing date (different guy!!). This time luckily, not as rambunctious. It's just playing disc golf here in DeKalb. I already warned the guy of what's going on with me. So we'll just walk the 9 holes quite slowly. But I miss my former self. I need another good night's sleep and then I'll be good to go tomorrow afternoon, I hope!!

Below is my run info and then my bike info.

And before anyone comments, my sickness was not caused by overdoing it this weekend. This is quite within my range of activity easily!! :-)

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 852 ft Location: DeKalb, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 07/11/09 Up/Downhill: [+223/-223] Time: 06:47 AM Difficulty: 2.9 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast 68 F temp; 93% humidity 68 F heat index; winds NE 6 Performance Distance: 10.00 miles Time: 1:40:24 Speed: 6.0 mph Pace: 10' 02 /mi Heart Rate: 178 bpm (Avg) Calories: 1070 190 bpm (Peak) Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 53 -0' 09 6.1 +0.1 161 +36 ft 2 9' 38 -0' 24 6.2 +0.2 172 -39 ft 3 9' 36 -0' 26 6.2 +0.3 176 +3 ft 4 9' 49 -0' 13 6.1 +0.1 181 0 ft 5 10' 05 +0' 03 6.0 -0.0 182 +17 ft 6 12' 49 +2' 47 4.7 -1.3 176 -16 ft 7 9' 59 -0' 03 6.0 +0.0 182 0 ft 8 10' 18 +0' 16 5.8 -0.2 183 0 ft 9 11' 14 +1' 12 5.3 -0.6 181 +27 ft end 9' 37 -0' 25 6.2 +0.2 184 -27 ft Versus average of 10' 02 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 839 ft Location: Machesney Park, IL Elev. Gain: -19 ft Date: 07/11/09 Up/Downhill: [+738/-757] Time: 10:38 AM Difficulty: 3.4 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 9.39 miles Time: 1:45:18 Speed: 5.4 mph Pace: 11' 07 /mi Calories: 1038 Map Elevation (ft)

Posted from bimactive.com

Categories: 10 miles, dating, energy, mountain biking, sick

Boyfriends & running

Tonight was a nothing day since the Rec Pool was unexpectedly closed so I thought I would blog about something else. My personal dating life! How fun!

I dated/lived with a guy for 5 years during college (ended in 2004). He was a smoker. I usually would smoke with him as well. I tried to get him to quit a few times. Didn't work; lied & hid the cigarette boxes from me. I also tried to get him to run a few times; we even bought shoes together but it never went more than a block. I wasn't much of an independent back then and school really had me tied so I didn't keep it up either.

Then I started dating a guy in Oct 2005 that was incredibly in shape. I really felt awkward around him and just didn't fit with him. I remember putting on a pair of jeans in front of him and having to jump a few times and wiggle to get into them. I felt embarrassed and wondered what he thought. I knew I was gaining weight from my "desk job" but I just didn't know how much (the previous boyfriend wouldn't let me buy a scale so I never had one). So then I decided to join a gym and start running again. We broke up a few weeks after that. I kept going to the gym.

Oct 2006, I started dating a guy that wasn't overweight but didn't exercise at all. I was running races and all but he didn't seem to share the same enthusiasm for running that I did. I wasn't saying that he had to go out and run with me but just show a little interest in at least exercise would have been nice. After we broke up, I decided that the next guy I dated needed to believe in exercising in some sort of the other.

Then came Oct 2007. I met another guy and in our first email, he asked a lot of questions of running. On our first date he kept asking me more questions. I think it helped that I was in the middle of training for my first half marathon. I found out that he likes to ride his bike; in the city & even took his mountain bike (same model that I had) to a State Park after I told him about it. That winter he signed up for the Y. He started running. With me. I couldn't believe how freaking awesome that was! We even did our first race together in February in his home state. We participated in many more races over the Spring, Summer and into the Fall, even after he moved to St. Louis. He went biking beside me while I ran long runs to keep me company. It was great. We went on a weekend long organised ride from Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin. For once I had an active boyfriend.

I will be the first to admit that men are better and faster runners than women. It's a natural, genetic fact. They have stronger muscles. And this guy proved it. Even though he stayed with the 5k (3 mile) distances, he was totally beating me in many races the more we trained. We ran a race where the women get a 3 minute head start. He finished only a minute or so behind me. One trail race, he beat me by a full 3-4 minutes!! I used the excuse that my back was tweaked but I'm not sure about that. A race during the summer, we actually finished side by side, pushing and kicking it all the way. After he moved to St. Louis, he wasn't running as much so our last race together in October, I beat him quite considerably but again, I was training for a marathon and actually, I PR'd in that event anyway so I was on a high. Unfortunately, his new job had him working long late hours so he didn't want/have the time to run.

I had hoped to really get him trained well and he could totally beat the 25 minute mark. I had faith that I could get him there. With dedication, time & my knowledge of what to do (sprint, tempo, long runs), we could have done it. Then a 20 minute goal after that! I wouldn't want him to beat me in ALL races. It would still be nice to run "with" him every now & then after all!

Well, we are no longer dating. (But by the looks of things, I just need to wait until October to meet the next guy!!) But now I have seen what it's like to be with a fellow runner and I liked it. I don't think I could date a runner that is super fast though. Or one who's really Really into running. I don't think I could deal with the pressure and the competition I would feel. But I think a runner will need to stay on the "list."

A little personal thing; Sept 2007 after attending a wedding alone, I made a bet with myself. I said that I wouldn't shave until I got a date. I was having a pity party. Luckily, only a month later, I got a date so I didn't have to wait long. I took it up again when I became single this year but just kept it with my legs only. I'm going on over a month. Right before Christmas. I don't know how much longer I can take it!! It keeps me warm but when I go to the YMCA and run on the treadmill, I'm afraid that people can see the hairs now. The hairs on the back of my legs are fine and blonde so that's what they see when I'm on the treadmill luckily. But I think this weekend, I'll shave it all off and start over again for another try. We'll see.

Tomorrow's a speed workout! I CAN DO THIS!

Categories: dating

disappointment

I don't even know where to begin with today. I'm just disappointed in so many different ways.

First: my race. It's hot. That I won't deny. They took extra precautions at the Chicago Marathon this year. I ran my heart out there though. Still only had one water station. That was stupid on their part and if I get a survey, I'm letting them know that. I ran a 27:04. Which is better by 2 seconds on my time of my On The Waterfront 5k but not better than last year's time of the same race. Last year, I ran a 25:36 so it said on their website. How on Earth did I get a minute and a half slower than last year?! Was it in fact the heat? I medaled is last year's race because I ran in 25 minutes, this race nothing.

I did start out slow on this race. I mentally did that so that I could save it for the end. And I did too. I managed to kick it at the end big time. Passed 4 people! 2 kids, an older woman and a guy younger than me. Though when hearing the awards, the lone woman who was in the 60+ category ran a faster race than me. :-( I also tried to help this other young lady out about my age to keep on going, she was walking and I grabbed her arm and said c'mon c'mon. I told her that the marathoners are running in this heat. She just looked at me like she didn't know what I was talking about. She ran with me a little bit but then she had to stop again. I passed by her several times after the race but she never thanked me for trying to get her going.

Second: Last month, I called Josh's mother and asked her if she wanted to come out and see my race this weekend. She said that Josh was coming out for the weekend with Kate. So I said well then never mind, you'll probably be busy and all that. So I just let it go thinking that he was still coming out. I sent him a happy birthday email yesterday saying that I know he's in town but he doesn't have to come out or anything if he gets this email beforehand. He writes me back this afternoon saying that he didn't come out after all. So his mother could have seen me run. Which would have been nice since I would have had someone else telling me that it's the heat that made me run slow. My own excuses do nothing for me on my conscious. But she didn't call me which leads me to believe that she in actuality does not want to come out and see me run after all so I won't bother her again with my races. Since she was the only one who has in northern Illinois it won't be that big of a deal.

Third: a friend never asked how I did in my race. I asked how he did in his first race yesterday. He even knew that I was in a race today. But never asked. Even after I did a gentle reminder, still never asked. So I don't know. Maybe I am destined to do running and racing alone. Or be alone forever.

I *must* now find a "partner in life" that enjoys running (and races) as much as me. It's the only way that I can do my races with enjoyment. I would really like to find someone that will run a marathon with me and we can cross the finish line together but that's pretty slim. I wish I could join like the Rockford Road Runners but it's so far away and their meeting's are on Wednesday's and their group runs are of course in Rockford. Then there is the CARA but that's in Chicago and not DeKalb. My running email list are all training for marathons and running a lot faster than me so I can't do that group. Blah.

I did buy some new running clothes at Target today though. All on clearance! Go me! :-) I need to find a detergent called Sport-Wash to help make my other running clothes smell better cause even the white vinegar is not taking that stinky smell of me sweat out!

I want this freaking heat to go away! I feel cranky.

Ignore the time on the below Nike+, I forgot to hit stop after the race.

Today's race: Oregon, IL, 80°F to 84°F

Categories: Autumn On Parade 5k, dating, races

running milestone

Ran 5 miles tonight. First time for that. Felt awesome, wasn't breathing hard or anything. In 45:45 min too. So another 1.2 miles and I'll have the Pumpkinfest race.

Tomorrow I have a Physical Therapist appointment for my hip. We'll see what they have to say about it.

I got this on one of my Gmail's web clips. Liquid Pole. Too funny.

I found my power song on shuffle today. Once I hit that song, man, I wasn't tired anymore. My feet pounded with the beat. I need a running playlist. I just don't know what songs to put in it. Plus, I don't think that the Shuffle can have a playlist though. Only Nano's and iPods.

Next Monday and Tuesday I'm running outside again. Gonna be gorgeous or so I hear.

So another little blip in the dating life of Lindsay. I've determined that future prospects will NOT meet my family but now they also won't meet my friends. This is because most men I find are intimidated by the fact that I only have men as friends. They don't understand that a boyfriend is completely different a boy space friend. So it looks like I either A) get rid of all my friends so I can have a boyfriend B) get a girlfriend here and there or C) find some guy that has big enough stones that will deal with the fact that I have male best friends. Oh what the hell, we all know that C will never happen. So they won't meet my friends now. The things I have to do to find love. Dang! Oh and while some may be laughing at yet another failed attempt for Lindsay, that's okay. Because I'd rather have a thousand failed attempts at a relationship and then have a perfect one than have one like last time. And anyway, I STILL can't trust men. It's gonna take me a long time to heal, I'll tell you what.

Categories: 5 miles, aches and pains, dating

An admission

I ran 3.1 miles tonight. Which is good considering I have my first race next week! But check this out; before that I biked for 7 miles. Yea, I'd like to see anyone else do that! Man, I feel so much better. I was worried that I wouldn't be in shape for my first race. That 7 miles was like a warmup though. And before anyone thinks that it's just an easy pedal... no, I put it on Level 12 which is pushing it a bit.

I decided that the next guy I date HAS to do some sort of workout. No talking about it, no slouching, no lazy bum. They must be active; running, biking, weights, rafting, kayaking, whatever as long as they are doing something that is making them a healthier person.

I also have this longer list but we'll save that for another day when I find someone that bugs me. The more I date the more I realise what I want and what I don't want. That's what dating is all about right?

Categories: brick, dating

Criss-cross-training

So my cross-training day was today. Late in the afternoon, I asked Bob what I should do. He said bike today and the swim on Friday. Eh. I don't want to do swim and then do my long run the next day. I don't know why but that feels just wrong to me. So I emailed Hank about it. He suggested:

Sun: Rest
Mon: Run
Tue: Swim
Wed: Run
Thu: Rest
Fri: Variable
Sat: Long Run

I emailed him back asking him about the 2 day rest and what he meant about variable and what about weight training (cause I wanna do calves lifts and hamstrings presses). He thinks that doing the bike once a week won't do anything for me. But I was on the bike tonight, man did I feel it in my thighs when I was done. Parts that my running doesn't get. But while on the bike I was reading my Running Journal and they say that I gotta put in some speed work as well. MAN. There's a lot that goes into this!!! And all I'm doing is just 5k's and 10k's! Imagine if I was running for a marathon or something! Eep! :-/ but I should make a list of the things that I read that are going to help me and post them for your benefit as well. :-)

I'm so glad that I'm getting fitter and thinking healthier this past year. My friend Jack is right. I would seem better suited for someone more into the athletic activities than anything else. I enjoy that a lot more right now than say the geeky things like computers and video games (not that there's anything wrong with that!!). So I think that's gonna help me in quest as well... Too bad Kroning is still not in the picture. Also, too bad that Y Guy won't give me the time of day... stupid Stupid STUPID boy!!!

And so on that note, I'm off for shower and bed.

Categories: dating, y guy

no internet makes lindsay crabby

finally have internet back. as of yesterday but i was soo busy yesterday (being Thursday not Friday) that i didn't get a chance to write. so here i am, late friday night/early saturday morning writing this.

lets see what has happened to me this week? i started running. well, i've been running sporadicially but now i'm keeping it up. my stragety is this: walk 2 laps, run 5 laps, walk 2 laps, run 4 laps, walk 2 laps, run 3 laps, walk 2 laps, run 2 laps, walk 2 laps, run 1 lap. this way i will have run a total of 1.5 miles and walk another mile. this way it not only gets my heart rate up and down but i'm also not bored counting 10 laps in a row. but what i don't get is that i've gained 5 pounds. and don't give me that crap about how muscle weighs more than fat. it's only been steady for 3 days. i have NOT gained any muscle in 3 days.

Breckenridge got 4" of snow in the past 24 hours, 7" total from a few days ago. VERY JEALOUS! i wanna live in colorado sooo bad. i just wanna be outdoors.

i have 9 days without roommate, Josh. this is going to be a very lovely time for me and my cats. but now since i mentioned him, i might as well say what's been bugging me about this trip of his. It's bitter Ex-Girlfriend time.

1) Okay, so his girlfriend moved out of state right? while they were dating. and with her parents (who were also moving as they sold their house in rockford). There were no blow ups. There were no name calling. There were no fights. There were no finger pointing. They both agreed that it was financially sound that she do this right now. now where the FUCK was MY SUPPORT when I did the SAME FUCKING THING??? *whew* When i moved out of state after graduation cause i couldn't find a job, i got called every name in the book. i got accused of being selfish. i got called pyscho. i was told that he wanted to kick me out that very day and tell me to go now. he says it's a completely different situation. i think differently. it is not. i had to move cause after august i had no job to afford to live in the apartment. she had to move even though she HAD a job but cause she could not afford to live on her own. Now josh has said that he offered me to stay in the apartment and i countered back with then how would you have afforded the place on your own? he said he would have done it somehow. i retorted back with she could have done it somehow as well then.

2) it's been a GRAND FUCKING TOTAL of 10 DAYS since he last saw her. He's already out there vistiting her. FLEW out there mind you AND with Jenny! Now, get this. I was down in Mississippi for 5 months. he never, not once, came down and saw me. that's only a 10 hour drive. I even drove up to my mum's one weekend. that was only a 4.5 hour drive for him. he *thought* about coming down but decided against it. i did however, fly up here twice for him. once on halloween and then again for christmas. and then a month later, 4 days before our 4 year anniversary, he broke up with me. oh and jenny never not once talked to me. not that she ever volunteeringly talked to me while we were dating anyhow. i'm thinking that she learned her lesson how she made me feel cut out and left out and now she's actually talking to her and making her feel welcome. though it could also be b/c the girlfriend actually does what i didn't do which is illegal and will have no part in it.

Gee swell. what a great boyfriend i had eh? i think these two points either proves that A) he never did love/care for me. B) he didn't love/care for me as much as he loves/cares for her now. or C) that he learned his lessons and corrected his mistakes on me and our relationship. I don't know which one I hope its more of cause either one of those makes me pretty damn sick to my stomach. These two situations that I noticed this week has me feeling really down about the last 5 years I spent with him as soulmates and this last year we spent living together as roommates. Yes, I actually did tell someone today in fact, that josh and I were soulmates. we were. it was great cause we had equal number of common things vs. equal number of not in common. (yes, i am one of "those" that don't believe couples should have EVERYTHING in common cause how freakin boring would that be?) however, there was one big non common thing that neither one of us could let go and that was the downfall to the entire relationship. just one freakin stupid sour thing. but i'm glad that i finally held on to my standards and that i am still. it only took me 5 years to do it but i did. anyway, i'm getting off track here. the point was it's a great feeling when you realise that the one past great probably the last meaningful relationship you will ever have was all a big ole fat lie.*smiles* *thumbs up*

oh and another thing i forgot to add on to this was that i wanted to live in louisville kentucky after graduation. we talked about it and so i told him that's where i was applying for jobs at as well as Chicago. he said that it really didn't matter to him. then suddenly he changed his mind about it one day and wanted to stay near the chicago region cause he likes chicago and his family is here. but i just found out that now he's looking into jobs in the portland area --- cause GUESS WHO LIVES THERE???

I SUCK!

okay, that's it. i'm done talking now that i've gotten myself into a tizzy about this whole thing.

happy birthday chuck norris.

Categories: dating, lap repeats, rant, roommate, Y track