I'm back!!!

It only took a month :)

BoyToy and I were on the road in January; a week in Iowa, a week in Acapulco, a week in Minnesota, back to Ohio, and then to Orlando for 4 days.  I managed to get all my runs in and even ran 5 times outside!!! Hooray for travel to southern places!

Run 1: Acapulco, Feb. 9, 6 miles

This was a 2 part run.  BoyToy (understandably) did not want me to run outside in Mexico by myself, so he joined me for 3 miles back and forth in front of our resort.  I was really proud of him because 3 miles is DOUBLE his daily mileage.  He runs 4 or 5 times a week at the gym as a warm up to his strength training.  That's it.  But he braved the heat and humidity to keep me safe.  Swoon.

The last 3 I did around the grounds of our resort.  The resort has both a large pond and a long pool with a path around them.  I could make a .67 mile lap out of these paths.  It was a little tedious and boring, but the towel kid was there to entertain me.  I named him "Coach".  I passed the towel stand 5 times and each time he counted down my laps.

"5 more!"
"4 more!"

He was off of my count though and I finished when he said I had 3 left. 

Run 2: Acapulco on the beach, 3 miles (after 7 on the hotel treadmill)

Beach running is frickin' tough.  I mean W-O-R-K.  3 miles feels like 10.  Once again BoyToy joined me, this time shirtless!!!  He was being modest at first, even though I told him not to wear the shirt.  He made it a quarter mile and the shirt was off.  Too humid for a top.  I even exposed my flabilicious stomach to the sun. 

It was during this run that I entertained myself be singing the Baywatch theme song in my head.  I only know the "I'll be ready" part.  Literally.  Those 3 words.  Over. And Over.  (Note to self: learn rest of Baywatch song.)  I thought it would inspire me more to think I was Pamela Anderson, but my chest is too small and BoyToy wouldn't let me call him Hobie.

Run 3: Acapulco beach, 3 miles (7 previous on treadmill)

BoyToy didn't even attempt the shirt this time.  We were also smart enough to each carry our own water.  We shared a bottle the first time on the beach and it was gone before we hit 2 miles. 

Run 4: 11 miles in Orlando

BoyToy was once again very concerned about me running outside in a strange place.  He didn't run with me (he had golf clubs to check out) but I was required to carry my phone.  I had to carry it in my hand because it kept slipping out of my bra (that darn small chest again - no shelf properties!).  Sort of a hassle, but I was able to photograph myself:

and upload it to facebook without even breaking stride!

We were in Orlando to attend the PGA Merchandise show at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC).  I figured to stay safe I would do laps around the OCCC - believe me, its big enough - but there are no people around the back sides.  I made the executive decision to then run up and down I-Drive.  More people, more traffic, but they have sidewalks on each side to comfortably run on. 

Run 5: Orlando, 7 miles

Surprisingly not hung over.

I even found a friend!  Liz, a buyer at another Columbus club, joined me for 2 miles.  It was a nice break in the middle of my run.  I was able to change up the route since I had a buddy.  Plus I had someone to talk to - even before she joined me.  Our hotels were about 1.5 miles from each other so as I was running to meet her I had to call her twice to figure out where exactly I was and where exactly the hotel was.  Once again still running the entire time. 

Liz is also smarter than I am.  She wore tights.  I froze my buns off in shorts.  It was about 45 degrees, so not too bad, but I was wishing I would have at least worn (heck, packed) half tights.  Plus, I sort of love my half tights.  They are my favorite running bottom.  They don't head south like my full tights and they prevent thigh chafing!  :)

That was January.  5 runs, 30 miles total.  A 1.2 runs outside per week average. 

I am having difficulty updating my stats. When I open the gadget my internet freezes and I have to close out of everthing.  Frustration.  Maybe BoyToy can figure it out. 

BoyToy may have lost his mind.

The strangest thing happened this morning...BoyToy asked if I wanted to go for a run with him! WTF?!?!?!?!

This is strange for a few reasons:
1. BoyToy barely runs. Maybe a mile or two on the treadmill at the gym before he lifts things.
2. The last time we ran together (July of 2009) he told me very specifically that we were "never doing this ever again!" Granted, that was after a 4 mile race in which he ran 7:40 miles and I signed him up for without telling him, but he was very adamant. Not taking the hint, I still ask him at least twice a week if he wants to go on my run with me and he always politely declines.
3. He always tells me how much I smell after I run so I never thought he'd want to experience it in real time.

But he asked, so I wasn't going to pass it up (even today is my scheduled rest day). We ran 2.5 miles at a 9:46 pace. It was very relaxing, just being outside with him and talking about the neighborhood. We were like 2 explorers trying to find the Dairy Queen (even if it was 8:30am and DQ is not whole grain - we didn't stop).

That's it. Not much else to report, but in case BoyToy starts exhibiting more signs of having lost his mind, I felt I needed to put this on the record.

Next Topic: Friday I did tempo and didn't think I was going to die (unlike 2 weeks ago when I ran in the inferno).

I had an 11 mile workout on Friday with 5 miles at tempo (7:40 pace). In addition to being bad at math, I also struggle to figure out my Garmin. I have it set on autolap, so I can't read my splits. I didn't think of this until I was running my first tempo mile and by then it was too late. I ran them blind. 5 hard miles. I figured I would look when I got home and either be surprised or disappointed.

It was a workout, that's for sure. I ran hard, but tried not to go all out. It was hot, but not humid. I felt like I slowed down each mile, except for the last one where I hauled ass the last .25 mile to make up for the lost time. I needn't have worked so hard. I was shocked when I read my data and my miles were: 7:27; 7:25; 7:13; 7:19; 7:08. Once again, I had done it wrong (much too fast!). But I was shocked to find out that I could have held back and still done the workout successfully.

I called Coach Cope to grovel and ask for forgiveness. He told me not to worry. It was ok to do the workout too hard, but if I did that all the time, my other workouts could suffer. As usual, he was right. My Sunday 19 miler was tough. I had nothing in the tank. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

This could also be attributed to the fact that I forgot to eat before I ran. Normally I never, ever forget to eat. I eat too much. But I woke up late and in my haste to leave I forgot to grab something. I did manage to grab 2 Gu and 2 bottles of G2, so I knew I would survive the workout. And I did. Survive, that is. But it was tough. I made Linda stop twice so I could catch my breath and drink and pretend I was in shape. The last 3 miles were horrible. I should have just called it good at 16 (when Linda left after running 10 with me), but I’m too Type A to do that. So I HTFU (barely) and chugged through the miles. I won’t mention the MAJOR chaffing that also added to the misery of this run. Suffice it to say I’m surprised my thighs weren’t bleeding.

Final Topic: The new diet.

I am done with my first full week. I must say, I was rather successful (minus the whole forgetting to eat thing on Sunday and a pita attack on Saturday). It was easier that I originally thought. I’m still eating all the same foods, just in different ratios and proportions and forms. I went to Trader Joes to ease my shopping. I still bought the same things: bread, tortillas, pitas, cereal – but all in whole grain. I added the morning snack at 10am (usually 2 sting cheese and a piece of fruit) and its really helped me make good choices since I’m not starving at lunch time.

I thought dinner would be tough because I eat it with BoyToy, but he’s been amazingly supportive and my new diet hasn’t affected his normal diet. For example, one night we had burgers, but I didn’t have whole grain buns. He had a normal burger with chips, and I had my burger with sides of wild rice and green beans. Not bad.

I only had one moment of food envy. They had pizza for lunch at work one day. I love work pizza – its doughy and saucy and yummy. But not whole grainy. Boo.