One Girl, Two Dogs and a Mission

Vegas, Baby - Yeah!!

2011-12-06T20:40:00.001-08:00

This weekend I completed half marathon #10 in the fabulous Las Vegas. Why not do a crazy one for #10, right? I signed up for this race while in San Diego for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon there. It was expensive but when I heard they were shutting down The Strip at NIGHT for the first time for this ... I had to. High Five!

It was everything I expected it to be. Crowded, energetic and a little nuts. I loved it. We drove up from Phoenix on Saturday morning and went through rain and then SNOW which was crazy enough for a couple Arizonians. We checked into our hotel, had a bite and a couple beers and then headed to the Expo. Getting there was a bit of a challenge since there is no straight shot in Vegas -- they want you loop through each casino and be tempted to drop another quarter or dollar or more into the machines. We got trapped by the Stiletto Dash event and crowd and had to do some crowd surfing but then once we reached the expo, it wasn't as bad as I expected. We took the time to enjoy ourselves and take a few pics ...

Laura and I picked up our race numbers and swag bags ....

And got ready to ROCK!

Then we met up with some other friends who were in from San Diego and Detroit for the race as well. Stayed out late but nothing TOO crazy (in my book) - just catching up with friends.

Sunday was weird. The cool thing about a night race is that you can sleep in and you have all day to get yourself ready, hydrated, rested and fueled. But really, what do you do? What do you eat? We just sort of made it up and kept the day as relaxing as possible. And before we knew it - it was race time!

And I had to get my Elvis on ... I didn't go whole hog Elvis, I just went Elvis-inspired with a bedazzled "A" on my cape. But I was pretty awesome. We walked through the casino to quite a few looks of awe. I'm sure it was awe, wasn't it??

We made our way about a mile down to the start line and caught part of the pre-race Cheap Trick concert - they sounded great! I like the idea of doing it before the race. It was CROWDED. 44,000 racers? I expected it.

Here's a picture from a local newspaper of the racers headed down The Strip.

Since I've broken so many of my own records this year, I qualified to move myself up in the starter corrals. I originally planned to stay with my friend Laura, but she had just returned from a European vacation and was feeling jet lagged and wanted me to go off on my own at my own pace. My NEW predicted finish of 2 hours put me in either corrals 9 - 14. I'm always so afraid to commit to something I can't do and didn't want to jump into a corral I didn't deserve and so I chose 14. Silly silly me. First, there clearly were lots of people who didn't have those same thoughts. I spent the entire race passing people. People who had no business being that far up or that far over left ... but nevertheless.

I loved the energy of this race. I loved talking to other runners about their experiences and their expectations and why they love running. I love watching people help each other out. Yes, there are the rude people who push their way past you or won't walk back the 10 feet to the corral opening and climb over and kick you in the head (2 men in a row did that - the second AFTER he saw the first guy kick me) but the good moments outweigh the bad.

I loved running on the strip at night. So many people cheering. The lights. The energy. The drunk spectators were HILARIOUS. I liked the one guy who kept yelling at everyone that they were going the wrong way and then bending over with mirth at how funny he was. The bands were great (especially the Social Distortion cover band!). I had a great time. It was difficult constantly negotiating the crowd and frustrating when I got boxed in by people running together. But I wasn't bored. EVER. I felt like I was sprinting a lot and really started to wonder if I could get a new PR, even though I hadn't really set a goal for this race - Vegas was all about fun for me. But I really thought I was doing well - I didn't check my Garmin though until almost the end. I felt that if I didn't watch the street and the other runners at all times, I could really hurt myself. At miles 11-12 I was spent and took a couple walk breaks to check my Garmin - I wasn't going to break 2 hours so I just continued along. Even to the last .1 where I usually sprint it in, I was still trapped by the crowd. Crazy. But I came in to the band singing a little Beastie Boys - and that was cool and a good way to wrap it up.

Once I finished - it took a while to get out and I was FREEZING. But I really thought for 44,000 people it was pretty well run. My expectations were low. Don't get me wrong - 44,000 people is TOO many for that space - they could go smaller and make it a little tighter. And I was SUPER lucky. People behind me really ran into issues and there were some horror stories to be told. The Competitor Group has some work to do ... but my experience was good. I probably wouldn't do this race again - but it's the same reason I didn't want to do the Phoenix Rock N Roll again. It's too crowded for me and cost too much $$ to have to fight that many people. The Rock N Roll series are good for first timers but I'm ready for smaller more local races.

My official race time: 2:06:33. But my Garmin tells me I ran 15.1 miles (dodging 44,000 people) at an 8:20/pace. I WAS booking it - no wonder I was tired! So if I didn't have the extra miles, it probably would have been a new PR. Next time! Even at that time I still finished in the top 22% overall and in the top 14% of females and my age Division. Pretty amazing for a girl who just signed up for these things to finish. Yay!

MandiRuns.com Is Too Sexy For Her Race Photos

2011-11-14T21:20:00.001-08:00

And I .... am not. I don't typically take good photos. I just looked through her adorable Women's Running Magazine pictures and then ... mine. When I told you I left it all out there ... now you will believe I MEANT it. I look like I'm getting teeth extracted with no laughing gas!

I've realized I *might* make it but am starting
to think it was the longest .1 miles of my life!


Now I'm starting to recover!


Maybe I can take lessons from Mandi!

#Paleo Works!!

2011-11-10T16:41:00.001-08:00

How do I know? Because I'm not doing it ... and I feel yucky!

I did SO well for my first 40-some days. And then I got off the mountain and continued a pretty good modified version (mostly Paleo with allowances to go out to eat once in a while) up until my San Francisco marathon. And then well ... while in San Francisco I had a cappuccino muffin (why not? I was going to burn a million calories the next day!) And then I had a granola bar from my swag bag. And then I had a latte with skim milk ...

And then I came home and my Keurig needs to be de-scaled or returned for repairs or something ... and so I had a few MORE lattes. Oh? It's pumpkin bread season? I could have a slice, I *did* run a marathon after all ... slide, slide, slide.

So now I'm sluggish. I've had two starts of colds. I've had heartburn for days and my tinnitus is worse than it has been in a long time. I'm tired.

SO. it could be the change in weather. It could be that I hit my 40 hours this week on Wednesday and I'm stressed to the hilt. It could be I'm worn out from all the running and traveling and stuff. But I'm willing to bet it's mostly diet. Time to get back on track. I guess it will be Monday. I've put a lot of people off while I've been cleaning up and working out. I've got an Ultra Team meeting tonight at a pizza place and I PLAN to have a slice and some vino. I've got plans with a friend for a lovely fondue restaurant (Happy National Fondue Month!) Friday night. And my friend Brad has been patiently nudging me about the Indian Food coupon he bought and we're going Saturday night. Sunday it's crazy Cruiserman race day and then I shop, chop and cook and I'm BACK ON.

Back into the cave!

Put your left foot in, take your right foot out ....

2011-11-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

Do the Hoka poka? This really hasn't been a chick blog until now because I'm about to talk about SHOES! I was just walking around work today and reading Facebook posts about post-race sore legs when I realized ... I'm not sore! I'm mean, a little ... like a good workout sore ... but not leg sore, muscle sore, I over-did-it sore ...

Don't get me wrong, my toes never fully healed from the marathon and so I had to do a little surgery and some blood-letting last night - my toe is sore. Aaaand I broke the "no new things on race day" rule and the area where I lost skin due to the rubbing of my new arm warmers is sore. I appropriately earned my medal with a little pain.

Come to think of it - I wasn't really that sore after the marathon either! I thought it was because I'm faster and spending less time on my feet on the course - or maybe because I'm in better shape. But I really think it might be the SHOES.

Ever since my return to running as the newer stronger Amy, I've been experimenting with shoes. I'd spent many many years in Brook's Adrenaline - they gave me great support for my pronating feet. But after the injury I realized maybe I needed less help and more self-made stability and support. I put some serious miles in a pair of Newton running shoes, which are meant to assist with mid-foot landing and prevent heel striking. They did me pretty well. Then I bought some Saucony's which had way too much toe box room for me. And then a few weeks before the marathon I was told about Hoka One running shoe. I heard they were crazy looking, pretty tall but really really good for knee issues. I tried a pair out at a local running store, read a ton of reviews and decided to make the plunge. They are pretty costly but I thought it was worth a shot. They definitely start conversations while waiting in the port-o-potty line.

They are cushiony but not heavy. I worried if it would feel too soft after a number of miles, but they never felt heavy. I do find that when I get tired and start to shuffle, the shoes will catch and so I'm forced to continue to pick up my feet and keep my form. On trails, they really seem to grip the rocks well and I feel pretty comfortable making my way down a rocky trail.

Aaand, I'm not sore! Could it be the shoes? If only I could find something for my poor little toes ...

PR, PR - 2011 is my year of PR's!

2011-11-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

This morning I ran my 9th half marathon: The Women's Running Magazine Half Marathon. It's such a fun event! The Swag bag is pretty and I used last year's swag bag to carry lunches and stuff to work until it finally started to fall apart about a month ago. The Expo - also full of super cute girly running stuff and I dropped some $$ I shouldn't have BUT ... anyway!

The course starts in Downtown Scottsdale and ends in Tempe. It's a big race but not huge - about 7000 runners. Enough for a lot of energy but not SO much that it's a fiasco. Loved the course. We went through downtown, we ran along the canal and through Papago Park and then ended at Tempe Beach Park. Loved it.

I didn't have a STATED goal of breaking 2 hours, but it was a secret hope. And I made it! Just barely ... with seconds to spare. But I was SO SO pleased!

And I had nothing left in the tank - I left it ALL out there. When I realized I could make it - but might not - I had to push and I thought that finish line would never come. But it did - and *I* did it!

This race is significant for me because I ran it last year in a LOT of pain - on my tip-toes and found myself run-crying for part of it. It took me 2:35 to finish. It was amazing to feel SO GOOD this year and so strong. This made Personal Record #5 for me in 2011. It's been an amazing year!

Mimosas and Medals at the Orange Table to celebrate. Woot! Woot!

And sometimes it's nice to get a high five!

2011-10-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

The committee places this on your lawn as a surprise
to let EVERYONE know about your award!

I had a great morning today. I was nominated and chosen as a 2011 Frances Young Community Hero for my work in the community. It's truly an honor.

Frances Young was an extremely active member of the Scottsdale community for many years. For nearly a half century she mentored, advised, assisted and championed numerous local organizations and causes — simply for the good of the community. According to the committee press release, Frances summed up her life by saying, "I’ve gained far more than I ever gave. That’s what I want everyone to know." Frances died in 2009 in her late 80s.

For 13 years a committee has received nominations and selected three people to be honored as "community heroes" -- I was selected for 2011 along with two other AMAZING people.

Matt Mays is a sweet spirit who advocates for people with disabilities and for
the arts as well. Pam Berges spent 50 years every Saturday volunteering at
Scottsdale Healthcare to make suffering people more comfortable. Inspiring!

It's an honor but also quite humbling. I'm so happy that I'm able to inspire people and that I'm able to actually make a difference with my time and energy. But I look at so many other people doing so much more and feel like this "high five" was a nudge reminding me what I still can do. I've got more in my tank.

My parents had a BLAST and reveled in my praise this morning. They are so cute. And a little bit naughty ... but after I get copies of some of the pictures I might humor you with parent stories later.

Now off to bed. I have a Charity Chicks event to fret about all night. Ticket sales and Facebook RSVPs don't reflect the numbers I was hoping to see tomorrow BUT I expect a lot of last minute attendees and think the event will turn out GREAT. But I have some graphics and signs to build tonight.

You'd think with all the praise I get and awards I win, some day someone is going to figure out I don't really know what I'm doing!! It always works out somehow ... !

(By the way, my nominee Jan Horne is also an incredible woman. She has such a warm heart and ever since we started working together has been very generous for all our ventures. High five, Jan!)

Topics only a runner would love

2011-10-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

The problem with hanging out with mostly athletes all the time is that certain topics become commonplace. When I met my Ragnar teammates last year as I climbed into the van that would be home for the next 27 hours, it didn't take long before we were comfortable and sharing facts about our bodily functions. It was easy and funny.

FYI, when you put on a dress and show up at an event where they're serving pink drinks from a punch bowl, they probably do not want to talk about how early you have to get up before a run so you can poop.

Objects in San Francisco Are Larger Than They Appear?

2011-10-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Just a couple random pictures for you ... things are HUGE in San Fran!

Found this apple in a market and had to share.

I tried to show perspective with the Vita Coco water -
I couldn't wrap my hand around it!

Biggest, fattest slice of pizza I've ever seen!
Even with my pre-race and post-race recovery off-plan time
I couldn't justify eating this. So to the chagrin of the man
behind the counter, I took a picture instead.

Please to enjoy!

Nike Women's Marathon 2011 - a Snapshot

2011-10-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

When I put my name in for the marathon earlier this year, my thought was "if I'm meant to run, my name will get picked." And then I kind of put it out of my head. I think I was looking for the luck of the draw to tell me if my body really should continue to pursue this running thing.

This year's drawing couldn't have come at a better time. I had just had to put my beautiful dog Anna down after a tough struggle with Cushing's Disease the day prior. And it was my birthday. Receiving that email from Nike was really what I needed. I was meant to run and I had something to focus on!

I booked my room/flight package on my own in May since I wasn't traveling with a team and wanted to make sure I got a room close to the start line and as affordable as possible. I figured I would figure out my cheering section later. But October came MUCH faster than I expected and found myself traveling solo, which was a new experience for me. I wasn't worried. My hotel was going to be in the heart of the activity of 20,000+ women all doing the same thing. I knew I wouldn't be alone. And I wasn't.

Pinot: the secret weapon? I looked up restaurants near my hotel in advance and had picked out a place called First Crush that looked like a nice place for a pre-race dinner. When I arrived, there was a seat at the bar and I sat with another woman traveling solo for the race. I really wanted to have a glass of wine ... but drinking before a race? I do beer but usually just one. I couldn't help myself and ordered a "All Pinot All The Time" flight because it looked simply yummy. My new teammate I discovered had already ordered the same flight for herself. We were later joined at the bar by two other women preparing to run the race and the girl next to me ... also ordered the Pinot flight. Perhaps this is a secret pre-race nutrition trick I never heard of? I got a PR the next day, so I'm not disputing it!!

Nice things about being alone in a hotel room for a race?
You can lay out and fidget with your gear as many times as it makes you feel comfortable. If you don't want to tour around too much and just want to relax and focus - you totally can.

You can use the bathroom as often and whenever you want. I kept going until it was time to head out to the start line and I didn't need to use a port-a-potty until mile 13, which was awesome!

Enjoying my coffee and bathroom!

No waiting for the shower after the race. Already showered and now you want a bath? Go for it!

I wandered around the Expo and tried out things. I talked to random people and we shared our stories. It was super relaxing.

The start line was energetic and exciting. And then a little overwhelming. The "corrals" for pace groups were pretty loose, just some people holding a sign and then it was a free-for-all in the street for racers and spectators alike. There weren't any breaks to go to the Gatorade table or the gear check buses and so people just had to shove their way through the crowd to go anywhere. I was sure they were knocking all my necessities off my race belt. I found myself right before they finally started to race starting to panic a bit and saying in my head "never again ..."! But I focused on conversation with another solo runner to keep calm and to capture the energy for positive vibes.

CROWDED @ the start!

Since the corrals weren't obvious or enforced, I don't think people made much effort to organize themselves by actual pace group. Honestly in races where the corrals ARE organized people still don't heed the pace groups. I often wonder why someone who plans to walk the whole race puts themselves in Corrals 1-5 sometimes? I guess it's the fear of being slower and needing to start sooner?

Team in Training does a GREAT job getting first-timers ready to run or walk their first full or half marathon. They make them feel like a team and they raise amazing amounts of money for a very important cause. People are excited to be there and it's exciting to be amongst them.

That said: they really need to focus some energy talking about race etiquette. Walkers should move to the right and runners to the left. Runners should be courteous enough to give a verbal warning before passing on the left or right. Walkers should not span out 3-5 across and create a practical wall across the path. If you want to get things out of your fanny pack or stretch, look behind you before thrusting out an elbow or throwing out your arms. Step aside to stretch? Look behind you before entering the run path again. Simple concepts like that.

Everybody trained hard for this. Many took it on as a great act to do for someone else. So continue that consideration of others into race day. It would be a shame to injure someone on such an important day just because you weren't thinking about sharing the space.

The weather?
Couldn't have been MORE perfect if it tried! It was cool in the morning, but not cold. It stayed overcast the entire race and so it never got too hot. Beautiful. I felt SO blessed!

The course spectators, cheerleaders, volunteers, power song stations? Awesome. A few signs made me tear up a bit!

I loved the energy around me but have to admit feeling relief when we split off from the half and a bit of panic when we briefly rejoined the half as well. So many people at such different paces was challenging to maneuver for sure. My first 10k was much slower than the last portion of the race because I was so restricted.

The course itself was pretty nice. Scenic, lots of cheer stations, hills to make it interesting but not impossible, flat enough when you were tired at the end of the race -- I loved it.

And despite my few complaints - I had an awesome race and all memories are now fond as I look back!

My amazing finish

Found this shirt someone had made @ NikeTown - one of the reasons why we do it!

Some of the other perks of the race!

Unwrapping to see what this year's charm looks like

Customizing

Post-race mess

Battle wounds!

Now it's as if you were there with me! You're welcome.

I Run To Be ... Better

2011-10-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I completed marathon #3 in San Francisco and it was probably one of the proudest moments of my life. On Sunday October 16, 2011 at 41 and a half years old, I realized that I could be anything I want to be and that I am truly capable of greatness.

It's an interesting concept and something most won't understand. I should already feel accomplished. I've been fairly successful in my educational and work worlds. I achieve my goals and I receive accolades. I work hard and am well respected by most ... (those who don't see that are just jealous - ha!).

I am proud of who I am. I'm proud of the work I produce. I'm proud that my charitable side has touched some people and inspired others. Even though I invest a lot of work into it and experience a good deal of frustration, I also am aware that it comes to me pretty easily. I am lucky that I'm creative and logical. It's a gift that I'm able to communicate my ideas and influence people to see what I see. I make good human connections and that allows me to pursue my charitable ventures. But I feel that it's simply who I am - and I'm just following the direction I'm meant to go. I've been given these gifts and I'm merely putting them to use.

But this running thing ... this is a whole new side to me. It's athletic. I was an asthmatic baby/toddler whose eyes were always glued together with some crazy infection. I was the child who got pneumonia at least 2 x a year, had chronic bronchitis & pleurisy of the lungs and probably missed 50% of my elementary school years from illness. I was the teenager with scoliosis who spent her high school years in a full back brace. I was the woman in her 20s struggling with addictions. I was never an athlete.

I've been active. We hiked and camped as a family. I've taken kick boxing and hiked regularly in town. I've enjoyed aerobics and weight training and have been in various states of "in shape" over my years. I've also been in various states of "out of shape" over those same years. The yo-yo of life!

This running thing came to me through that charitable arm of mine. I received a flyer about a marathon program to benefit the American Stroke Association and decided to check out an informational session. I heard statistics about people who suffer from strokes and learned the importance of knowing the signs. I heard about how the coaches could take you from couch to marathon in this time period. They gave fundraising tips and said people would help us with that. And then ... they brought up a family and their toddler son who nearly died from a pediatric stroke and told me I would be doing this for him. Check written. I registered. I was about to train for and run my first marathon.

The first 3 mile training run was my very first run. It was hard. My throat burned. My head hurt from not knowing how to relax my jaw and simply breathe. Over the course of the training I suffered many pains. I learned proper shoes were important. I learned bad clothing choices could leave you missing patches of skin. I learned running through the desert as the sun rises can be awe-inspiring and running through the desert as the sun beats down on you can be brutal and lonely. I learned you REALLY can't escape yourself out there pounding the pavement mile after mile and I shed many a tear while working through personal issues while my brain had nothing else to do but focus on them. It was amazing. I met a friend who was also dealing with some issues and we shared ourselves raw -- and developed bonds like I had never experienced before.

I ran my first marathon on May 5, 2002 in Vancouver BC with my new friend Rhonda. We completed it in 5 hours and 52 minutes. It felt great - and I was hooked. I was happy with my accomplishment and never anticipated being in the front of the pack. It was rewarding just to have run and completed a marathon.

I went back to the Stroke Association to participate and help mentor the next group of runners. Through that experience I met my now long-time running partner Laura who worked for the Stroke Association. We have been running and sharing and laughing and venting and crying together ever since. I've run consistently at times -- and let work and other priorities take over other times. Each time I come back to running and each time it's like starting at square one. But even when it was difficult, it's been rewarding in some way as well.

In 2006 I decided to run another marathon and I don't go small when I do things. The first time was complete couch to marathon in 3 months. This time I wanted to travel to Greece and run the ORIGINAL marathon! Rather than just train on my own, I decided to pour my energy into helping others run their first marathon and signed up as a mentor with Team in Training to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As a mentor, I'm assigned a group of people and I make sure they attend training runs, help guide them through fundraising and wake up at 3 am Saturdays all summers to help the coaches set out water stations along the canal. It's no small task but find I do best when I'm focusing on helping others and not relying on my own willpower to push me through. It's motivating and rewarding.

I ran my 2nd marathon in Greece (from Marathon to Athens) in November 2006 and completed it in 5 hours and 25 minutes. I was pretty pleased with my time considering the course was 13 miles uphill. I was still toward the back of the pack but I knew it was an accomplishment just to have completed it (according to Wikipedia, the Athens marathon "is perhaps one of the most difficult major marathon races: the course is uphill from the 10km mark to the 31km mark - the toughest uphill climb of any marathon."). Plus I had shaved almost 30 minutes off my first marathon time - I did well.

It was after that race that I stated my next bucket list goal: some day I think I have a sub-5 hour marathon in me. I felt like doing one in less than 5 hours would make me an official athlete. It was the first glimmer I had where maybe just participating wasn't enough, I could actually improve and truly PARTICIPATE.

Unfortunately after Greece is when I really started to experience foot/ankle pains. I could focus another long blog entry about what I've gone through with injuries but this isn't the time.

I threw my name in the hat for the Nike Women's Marathon in 2007 (you have to be chosen through a lottery drawing) and had my name drawn! I signed up again as a mentor with Team in Training and helped guide a whole new group of people towards their first race. About a month or so prior to the race, I was sidelined with injuries and unable to attempt the marathon.

From the end of 2007 to end of 2010 is full of stories of injuries and small comebacks and perseverance and heartache. And when I thought running was completely over for me, I turned to Crossfit to work on my fitness and to see what else I could do for myself through strength ... and learned how strong my body can be. Through hard work and less dependence on technical shoes to control my motions, my body became stronger. And I started to run again. And I started to run more and more. And then I started running with a group of FAST girls who ran consistently, happily and loved to push and encourage each other.

I learned to push myself. I learned to celebrate victories and not let a bad day dictate the next day. And I started to get faster. I ran one evening with a 3-hour marathoner (Jake) who had some advice: he told me you have to be uncomfortable to progress. I've taken that to heart. I think of all the times I've probably held back to make sure I still had something in the tank at the end and probably kept myself too comfortable. And so I push. Some days the "I can't" in my head is stronger than I'd like and she wins; other days she does not.

I've made a lot of progress this year but I don't think I fully comprehended how much. I ran the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon in May and got a PR of 2:15. Then in June I ran the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon and got a NEW PR of 2:07 (but it was mostly downhill, so it feels a little bit of a cheat to call it a PR).

I knew I had a sub-5 in me some day, but I honestly didn't think San Francisco was it. There were more hills than I wanted; I hadn't done a lot of long distances in training; etc.

I think it was mile 15 when I started to really hit my stride and looked down at my Garmin and realized I was doing well. At 18 I started to think, "I could DO this." And by 20 I finally figured out: "I'm GOING TO DO THIS!!"

I neared the finish line comfortably and started to realize that I didn't just meet my goal, I had CRUSHED it. I completed my 3rd marathon in San Francisco on October 16, 2011 in 4 hours and 39 minutes.

I couldn't stop smiling. I am an athlete. I was in the top 23% overall and 20% of my age group. I did it.

And ..... now I need a new goal.

-------------------------------

The Nike campaign that drives this whole race is all about "I Run to Be ..." I run to be sexy. I run to be fearless. I run to be a survivor. I run to be free. After a successful completion of the marathon, you earn a Tiffany necklace unique each race year. On the back of my charm it reads "I Run To Be" and you can take it to the Nike Store to be engraved with your own personal mission.

Mine reads: I run to be better.

Better. Better meaning faster. Better meaning less pain. Better meaning a healthier me. Better meaning making healthier choices. Better meaning how I see myself. Better meaning I run to clear my head and make me a better me. Better meaning I wonder if I can do better next time?

I ran to be better - and was.

The Fridge is FULL

2011-09-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Great Saturday today! The weather was beautiful in the morning -- I did a few (6) miles with some friends (and am a happy member of an official running crew with my running crew - kind of complicated) and then sat around shooting the breeze and sipping coffee.

Then I came home and took my dogs for a good loop around the park. I had hoped to munch a little and read a little but time is just not on my side. I had time instead for a shower and off to my neighbor's Celebration of Life memorial service. It was truly beautiful -- I didn't really know him that well, but worked with his wife on a few neighborhood committees. I liked him. I knew he was an artist. I was sad to hear of his passing. But today I really got to know him. His paintings are beautiful! The room was filled with people - art students of his, co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, grandkids. They all had a story to tell and a moment to share. He was a FUNNY man. A talented man. A loving man. A caring man. He inspired many. He made the world a more beautiful place with his work and the work he inspired in others. He made the world a better place because he was there. I'm sad I only got to know him after he was gone.

I didn't really talk to many people at the celebration but I listened and I was inspired. I know I want to live my life to its fullest. I know I don't want to let insecurity imprison my passions or my talents. I know I need to cherish every moment with loved ones and not let opportunities to love them and pass by. I think I have some calls to make this weekend!

By the time I left the Celebration, it was almost 4 o'clock and I've run, walked, drank coffee and had two tangelos. There was food at the event - but nothing I could eat. I was STARVING. I know why they say you shouldn't shop when hungry ... I had an expensive afternoon at Trader Joe's today.

I'm happy to report that while I'm living my life to it's fullest - I'm still trying to make it quality living! I spent an uncomfortable amount of time fondling chocolate products and all of the other delicacies they carry at Trader Joe's that are SO yummy. Instead I walked away with $90 worth of interesting vegetables, dried mango slices, chicken and more. I didn't really plan out full meals but I'd better get eatin some veggies tomorrow.

PALEO REPORT: I am down 10 pounds since I started. I made the full 30 day challenge plus some but I've allowed some room for creativity (i.e. non paleo choices) and my weight loss has stalled, my tummy is bloated ... I think it's time to get back on track and keep it going! More to come.

Amy and the Mountain

2011-09-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have a problem with high-fiving before thinking.

Last year I was drinking my coffee at my friend's restaurant and she said "hey, I heard about this race where you go up and over a mountain and it's so hard grown men cry and throw up after crossing the finish line!" And I said "no way, it's so hard you're likely to vomit??! I'm in!" and we high-fived on the spot.

A month later we stayed up till midnight waiting for registration to open for the 2010 Imogene Pass Run. They only allow 1500 people to register and it closes out fast. Yes, it's THAT cool.

I registered and then I trained. Training involved getting up every day around 4:30 or 5 am and hitting a trail at the base of a small mountain pass in the middle of Phoenix. It's only about 3 miles total but I did it every day and worked on being able to run more and more of the trail until I reached the climb. Then I power hiked to the top. It wasn't a lot of miles, but I did it almost every weekday for a couple months.

This was a pretty big feat for a girl who thought she was done with running at the end of 2009. For a girl who was in constant pain with a tearing posterior tibial tendon who walked out of a doctor's office refusing his notion of surgery. I felt pretty good!

And so in September last year we climbed into cars and took the 7.5 hour drive to Telluride, Colorado. And on September 9, 2010 I pinned on my race number and hopped on the bus from Telluride to Ouray on my way for that crazy race that can make grown men cry. I knew I wasn't ready-ready, but I felt semi confident.

Here's a quick description from the website about the Imogene Pass Run:

The Imogene Pass Run (IPR) is a 17.1 mile point-to-point mountain race within the western San Juan mountains of Colorado, run along a route which connects the towns of Ouray (7810 ft.) and Telluride (8750 ft.) by way of 13,114 foot Imogene Pass. This spectrum of weather during the race is in fact part of its lure and mystique. In good weather years the challenge of the mountainous traverse is rewarded by unsurpassed vistas and no small feeling of accomplishment upon crossing the finish line. In bad weather years, the wind, fog, rain and/or snow along the course make the successful arrival in Telluride a virtual rite of passage into the realm of true mountain running.

Each participant should keep in mind that the IPR is a mountain run in every sense of the word, and that "The Mountains Don't Care". The reality is that despite whatever emotions we may have for the mountains and their environment, they are in fact unfeeling objects and they follow the natural rules of physics which are not always benevolent toward living creatures, great or small. It is up to the participants themselves to be properly prepared for the challenges of this alpine foot journey, fair weather or foul. Despite the enthusiastic volunteer support at intervals along the course, each participant is ultimately responsible for his or her own safety and risk.

Sounds fun, yes?

I started the race with great enthusiasm and was pretty quickly out of breath. It's a climb straight from the start - and there's no break. Coming from sea level Phoenix to a race that STARTS at 7,800 feet and starts climbing right away is no joke. It became clear that running it was not in my future. It became clear that continuous forward motion was my only strategy and I could only hope that was good enough. By the time I reached upper bird camp at 7.5 miles I had missed the cut-off time by at least 20 minutes and was officially out of the race. They allowed me to continue warning me twice that I was on my own, there was no race support and no one would be sent to rescue us. But the weather was great and I wanted to finish. And luckily I wasn't alone, another girl in our trip was in the same position as me and she also chose to press on. I was so thankful for her company!

The next 2.5 miles to the summit was the longest 2.5 miles of my life! I was altitude sick and stumbling like a drunk person. A mere 20 yard hike left me out of breath as if I had sprinted around a track! I don't know how long it actually took us to finish last year - 8 plus hours? We watched the aid stations and port-a-potties get hauled away from the trail below while at the summit. When we reached the finish line .. there was no finish line. It had long been packed up but we were greeted by wonderful friends and I felt a HUGE sense of accomplishment.

Take to 2011

Registered! And did I train! And this year I was in MUCH better shape. 6 months of Crossfit training promoting strengthening and self-healing of my tendons. I was running on a regular basis with a group of girls who really pushed me to be better and faster and push harder. I had already run TWO half marathons and each time got a new PR (personal record). I was still struggling with some things with my body but so much better. My goal this year? SEE A FINISH LINE. Make the cut off time at upper camp bird. Survive again.

So nervous this year. So excited. So dreading it. I remember how I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep last year. How LONG those miles felt. And then I remembered how hard I worked. I made a plan to run for 4 minutes, walk for one until I was forced to only hike. I envisioned a 5:30 finish in my head and how I'd celebrate.

See that grey mountain looming behind the others
in the upper left? Yes, that's where we go up
and over and begin the descent into Telluride.

And then we started. I was amazed and horrified at how quickly my dream of running a major portion was squashed. The immediate and continuous climb hit me immediately and hit me HARD. I was in for another long climb. But I pushed on and pushed on. At mile 6.5, I didn't know if I could make the cut-off. And sure enough, I reached Upper Camp Bird and the cut-off time was 5 minutes passed. I was so sad. There was some confusion at the camp, with one women trying to teach me how to rub my chest for elevation sickness and another man scribbling down my number and asking if I had given up. Finally a woman asked if I planned to continue ... and I really thought about it ... a nice hike back to a comfortable bus returning me to Telluride and a cold beer ... but NO. Finish I must. The girl before me was still in the race - the girl after me, her friend, had also missed the cut off. But we pushed on. I even passed a few people on my way to the top. And after the summit, I actually ran.

At the summit!

On my way to the summit, looking back at how far I'd come.
Ouray is somewhere back there ...

It was hard. So hard. But not as bad as last year. That 2.5 miles from the camp to summit was long but not the longest of my life. Those 7.1 miles after the summit? Not so long - but still hard. My feet were tired, my ankles sore. But no so bad.

And guess what? I saw a finish line. With an actual countdown clock. And 20-some minutes to spare. And I got to run across it. AND I got a finish time: 6 hours and 38 minutes. And people finished AFTER me. Yeehaw!

So I need some serious climbing and elevation work. Watch out - next year 5:30 will be easy. HIGH FIVE!

Those mountains don't look THAT tall ... right?

Sometimes it's the little things ...

2011-08-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

It was one of those days today. I hit the ground running and had high hopes and a plan of attack for my ever-growing mountain of responsibility ... I had a GREAT workout to start my day ... had a great lunch packed that I made overnight in the crockpot, packed my iPod full of Podcasts and was ready to dig in ...

And then unexpected pleasures that are I.T. Where things go wrong and every phone call I took led to a solution that unveiled new problems and it spiraled and spiraled ... I was on the verge of stress hyperventilation multiple times today ... and I actually started to tackle my planned tasks at 5:30 pm today. UGH.

But I still had a few moments of pleasure:

There are some minor grammar errors on an application on our website and we received an email SCHOOLING us on needing to check our grammar. But of course, the email had a spelling error/typo. *sigh* is it wrong that I receive pleasure from someone failing while showing such attitude? I don't care if it is.

This email from my friend Brian (Hi CheapBlueGuitar!):

(I know it's silly - it really made me giggle)

And an amazing Paleo dinner leftover from last night: Sun Dried Tomato Baked Chicken with Turkey Bacon Brussel Sprouts (Thanks Every Day Paleo!) with a glass of sparkly water made in my Soda Stream.

Life is still good - and tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'm going to kill it. (I have to!)

Paleo is doin its thang - scale headed DOWN!

2011-08-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that on Day 28, I have stepped on the scale and I'm down 7 pounds from where I started 28 days ago -- woo hoo to that!! Now I'm at the number where I needed to lose weight before - lol. But still - progress. I see progress.

I'm in the range where I always seem to stall in the past but I'm going to continue to push forward with this Paleo clean eating and see where it takes me! It's not stopping when I hit my 30 days!

I feel good. I feel in control in this area of my life and that's a good start.

MAYBE though I have to give some weight loss credit to this week's hair chop ...

Here's me last weekend making a maniacal joker face hanging out with my friend Brian. With my hair:

Here's me Wednesday night after the big chop and after what seemed like hours of blow drying and tons of product (and I couldn't see through my hair driving home):

And here's the normal sweaty face new me without all the salon-stylin':

I like it - pretty easy to manage and FAST to wash! The simplification of life begins?

Gettin' Creative with my Meat

2011-08-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

(Did that make you giggle like it did me?) Doing this whole Paleo thing (Day 28!!) means a lot of meat and veggies. I've been experimenting with different things to mix it up a bit. Friday I bought some poblano pepper pork wheels from Fresh n Easy. I think pork probably isn't my best choice over lean chicken or turkey but sometimes I want a change ... they looked weird. Kind of like a cow patty.

Someone at a party told me the other night how easy it was to grill veggies (specifically eggplant) on the George Foreman grill and since I'm also looking to mix it up in the veggie department, I tried that as well. A half of zucchini (quartered) and some eggplant slices, rolled in some olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt on the George Foreman grill. Super simple - super yummy!

The cow patty review? Decent but not as spicy or as tasty as the label implied. I probably won't go back to get some more. But a pretty hearty lunch! (Obviously food photography isn't my specialty!)

Admission: while I haven't completed my 30-day "hard core paleo" challenge, I decided to make Saturday night a cheat night. The plan wasn't to go crazy with my cheat but to venture off plan just a titch. I won tickets to the Diamondbacks game at the TGIFriday's tables. We got these awesome seats and $90 in food & drink for the table! A pretty sweet win! The planned cheat? Beer. Beer at the ballpark - come on, I had to!!

I pre-studied the menu online so I would be prepared with healthy food choices. I felt confident I could go with minimal damage to my plan. Small snag - they post their menu online for the ballpark but during game time, they feature a smaller menu -- with none of my choices I had planned for. Then my table mates started talking appetizers and NONE were healthy. It sounded like I was going to have a plate of loaded potato skins in front of me ... uh oh. But after thinking about our $90, and the mystery price of the cocktails (Friday's also changes the prices of their drinks during game time to a higher cost and so the menu has no prices and when you ASK the price the waitress says "about $5.75" in a guessing voice ...), we opted to each get our own dinners and no apps. After some hemming and hawing, I came up with a turkey burger, no bun, avocado and a small side salad in place of the fries. Victory! Great game (Diamondbacks win!), great company and minimal damage and guilt. Happy Amy.

(Little whine to TGIFriday's - I get the limited menu so you can pump out food for the larger crowd in a quick time, but the mystery drink prices? Do you really have to jack those prices up too? Also, I ordered a soda water - most places treat it like a water because it is water with bubbles and a button right next to water on their soda fountain - they charged $3.88 for one glass of soda water. Lame.)

Running with purpose

2011-08-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

I found out today that a woman on our city's police force passed away yesterday of breast cancer. She was young. Too young. She was diagnosed in July of 2010 and I think at some point the doctors had given her a month to live, but she passed their date and came back to work while continuing to fight for her life.

This spring her fellow officers put together a 5k to raise money for her mounting medical costs. She participated in the 5k and her family flew out to participate. You could feel all the emotions as they spoke to the crowd - hope for the future, gratitude for being there that day, gratitude for the support of friends ... it was a good day. I ran in the 5k and was happy to be a small part of this event. While I didn't really know her, I heard great things -- and was very saddened to hear the news today. My heart goes out to her friends and family.

I've been struggling with my training this year and the Arizona heat has really gotten to me. Tomorrow my plan is to run 14 (or maybe 12) miles. It's supposed to be 113 degrees. I've been kind of dreading it. And then I thought of Julee. I CAN run tomorrow. So it will be a little hot, so I'll be a lot tired, so what. I need to remember to be grateful that I am healthy enough to do it - and to embrace every moment. It may be a somewhat corny saying but my mantra tomorrow is: Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present.

Have a blessed day - no matter what you do!

Happy FOUND Day to Mehmet

2011-08-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I was up in Flagstaff hiking Mount Humphreys with some friends. It's a difficult hike - mostly due to elevation - and we were all tired. We drove home in the pouring rain and I went into my house with the top priorities of taking a shower and getting a good night's sleep. It was really raining with a major thunder & lightening show. As I walked through the living room, I heard the dog across the street bark and I could tell - he was barking at another dog.

I groaned, paused a few seconds and thought to myself: "If I don't look outside the window, I don't have to do anything." You see, I know that bark because since I moved into my house about 6 years ago, I've had over 10 dogs end up on my front lawn. Somehow they just seem to know this is where to go to get help!

Needless to say, I looked out the window and there was a little black blur streaking through the rain and flashes of lightening. Two plus hours of running through rain, sitting on a curb while he hid under a parked car (I'm in running gear and flip flops and freezing), I eventually called my neighbor to come help. She brought her car and we used her trunk liner to slide him out, I caught him in a blanket and this little guy came home with me:

Polly & Anna have had issues in the past with other dogs and so I never intended to keep him. I put his crate in my bedroom bathroom, put up a baby gate and put a sheet over it so he wouldn't have to spend the night with two strange dogs peering in at him. But Anna moved the curtain and spent the entire night looking over him.

I took him into a vet the next day - no chip. I spent a week putting him on every website I could think of and then pasted posters throughout the park. I drove to every apartment complex and condo complex up and down the Greenbelt (the park I live off of). Nothing. No one called. It was clear he needed a new home. I started that search - he went on two play dates for potential homes. The first one was another puppy his size and they fought violently. Then we went to another home who already had 5 other little dogs and he cowered in my armpit the whole time and I cried the entire time. He had already worked his way into my heart. He chose us as his new family.

His first bath:

His first haircut:

Polly and Mehmet - buddies at last!

Ch-Ch-Ch-CHIA! Energy for you!

2011-08-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered chia seeds and learned how GOOD they are for you (more antioxidants than a cup of blueberries). Before I went Paleo and when I had vowed to eat a regular breakfast that was NOT a Starbucks breakfast sandwich, I was making an overnight oats recipe which included chia seeds. I didn't know what ingredient was working for me - the oats, the banana or the chia seeds - but something was good about that combo and if I could get some down on race day, seemed to really sustain me.

Now that I'm off the oatmeal, I had sort of let the bag of chia seeds just sit there. But then my friend Mandi with an I sent me an article by Blogger Ironmom that talked about all the artificial ingredients otherwise healthy runners consume each year in energy gels and Gu's and snacks. I hadn't thought about that yet - what was I going to eat while doing my long training runs? I've only recently tried and become a fan of coconut water, which replaced my post-run Gatorade. (It took a few times and a heat exhaustion moment before I became a fan, but now I'm cuckoo for coconut!)

The article mentioned making your own energy gel out of chia seeds and coconut water. There wasn't a recipe, so I just sort of made it up and added a dash of natural agave nectar for a sweetener. (I've since read a recipe that says 1 part chia seeds to 9 parts water). You can use normal water as well, I chose the coconut for the extra potassium and electrolytes. I mixed it in a small tupperware and set it in the fridge overnight and then in the morning, I spooned it into a baggie to carry in my Camelback.

It's not the most appetizing-looking concoction -- it kind of looks like caviar. And eating some from a baggy is not as convenient as tearing open an energy gel and sucking it down. But if you don't stare at it and spend a lot of time thinking about the things it looks like and whether that's gross or not ... it's not gross. I'm kind of a conceptual eater so if my mind wanders I can easily gross myself into gagging. This did not happen this weekend. I liked it!

If I keep this up, I think I'll buy some refillable tubes like this: http://www.coghlanscampinggear.com/coplsqfotu.html

Did it work? I'm not sure. I only tried a little bit and quite frankly, I've had such a hard time lately with energy on my runs, I don't think I would notice if this gave me a boost or not. I plan to make more and give it a solid "go" on my next long run. I think my body is actually starting to turn around a bit and embrace this Paleo thing and so maybe I can feel some of that energy people who go Paleo keep talking about!

Health benefits of chia seeds:

Good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids (more than flax seeds), fiber, protein and phytonutrients
Good source calcium, protein and are rich in boron (which helps the body assimilate & use calcium)
They absorb water so when consumed the chia seeds can help you stay hydrated and retain electrolytes
Easily digestible
Increase stamina and endurance
Help to slim you. They are filling but also bulk up and help cleanse your intestines of old "junk"

I've got the POWER!!

2011-08-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have to say on this 30-day Paleo challenge/journey/detox/body reset (whatever I'm calling it today!) that once I got into the rhythm I realized I'm feeling way more EMPOWERED than deprived.

It feels good to make decisions that I know are good for me. It feels like I'm reclaiming my life and my body when I think long-term and not instant gratification.

I had some big hurdles this weekend. On Saturday I was meeting up with a friend for lunch and to see his new twin girls (who, by the way, both screamed with angst every time I looked at them like I was the boogey man - it made me wonder if this "diet" was making me look hungry and perhaps I shouldn't show quite so many teeth when I smiled at them).

We met at a rental property he was working on and his wife brought the babies. When it came time for actual lunch, he sent us off to pick up a pizza and soda. There weren't many choices at the pizza place and so I picked up an antipasto salad as my choice. We sat around the living room, while they chewed on gooey-looking, heavenly smelling slices washed down with bubbly goodness and I picked at (they forgot to give me a fork) the lamest salad of all time: squares of iceberg with a couple pieces of salami thrown on top and drank my room-temperature water. Later, I thought about it, gave myself a pat on the back and then a touch of reality: I was sad for about 5 minutes feeling "deprived" but how long would I have held that feeling of defeat if I caved? *HIGH FIVE* to me!

The next day was a birthday dinner at a friend's house. I heard about the "delicious" bread and other items I couldn't share. But when it came time to load our plates, made acceptable choices and still sat down with a full plate of veggies, salad and pork loin. Not so deprived really!

Now birthday cake time -- I'm not going to lie -- that layered chocolate cake looked heavenly and resisting that was pure TORTURE. (In fact I'm still thinking about how delicious it looked ...) But I poured a cup of coffee and wandered off to the living room and focused on the conversation. Again, it was difficult but my feeling of triumph over that temptation is lasting way longer than the experience of eating that cake would have given me. It's moments like that I need to hold onto and remember in moments of weakness.

But enough about what I can't do ... let's get back to the good stuff: Empowerment and Support!

I am truly blessed to have some amazing people in my life and I need to spend more time with my head UP appreciating all the blessings I have. (It's up right now, I promise!!)

Saturday morning was a short group run followed by a breakfast at the home of our fearless leader of the Cholla Chicks (our self-named running group). We had fruit, coffee, mimosas and frittata and good conversation and laughs. It is so nice to be surrounded by healthy, active and encouraging people! And the menu was no accident ... ever since I started this journey, Waytress has made SURE there is something there I can eat (and our other friend L has to steer clear of glutens as well) and she always makes sure I know just what is available -- so so sweet! (*hugs!*)

The fabulous Mandi with an I sent me an article about all the sugars and chemicals we intake when using running gels and energy foods and so I MADE my own energy gel for the long run on Sunday (more on that and a picture in a separate post) - that felt pretty empowering as well. I'm in control of what goes into my body - wow. That's a pretty cool realization that it IS possible. Love it.

Little peek at how I'm livin' large on Paleo ... today's menu:

Turkey bacon/Scrambled Eggs/Black coffee - breakfast
Leftover Turkey burger (cold) with spinach/grape tomato/cucumber/carrot salad with a Blood Orange Olive oil/Pomegranate balsamic dressing - lunch
White nectarine - snack
Spaghetti squash with homemade paleo approved marinara with spicy Italian chicken sausage - dinner

Some diet, huh?

Paleo Update - Day 17

2011-08-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

I've been GOOD. So good. So good I should have a reward! What's the reward? I don't know. I'm supposed to say my health and happiness, but I've had a hard time pulling that out of the bag these days. BUT it's getting better.

I mentioned last week that I've been having a lot of trouble working out. I feel like I'm getting slower and slower even though I'm putting 3x the effort I did last year. I had a mini meltdown at the top of the mountain -- it was a tough climb only to discover I was minutes slower than ever.

When I work out I have trouble catching my breath and I just feel like I have NO energy. You know the "my legs feel like logs" feeling? I feel like that most of the the time.

Last week I got frustrated and went into the doctor and told her to test me for everything: Thyroid, hormones, iron, breathing, the gamut. I took a breathing test and the machine said I have the lungs of a 44-year-old (I'm 41) and I thought that wasn't bad for someone who used to smoke and lead a very unhealthy life.

She said she hoped it was something easy like thyroid that she could easily treat but also warned me that it could simply be stress and overtraining.

Today GOOD NEWS! I went back to "Brokedown Mountain" this morning and made it up to the top in 20:45 which is a solid 3+ minutes faster than my mini breakdown last week and a PR (personal record) for me. My goal last summer when running/climbing this trail was 20 minutes and now that goal is finally within reach. YEA! We did a little extra trail running after that and I managed to stay on the heels of the other girls (I'm usually falling pretty far behind) and so I FEEL GREAT. Maybe I'm finally turning the corner and my body is going to start figuring out how to use the simple foods I'm putting in it and convert it to actual normal energy.

Then more GOOD NEWS (I think)! The doctor's assistant called with my lab results and told me everything looks normal: hormones, thyroid, iron, RA, celiac, etc. I have an elevated white blood cell count from some sort of infection but that's it. It's great news and yet ... if nothing's wrong with me, what's wrong with me??

Who works out as much as me and doesn't lose weight? Why am I so tired? Why don't I feel like I can push through? I'm hovering between two mentalities at this point: 1) Nothing's wrong with you - suck it up and keep pushing! 2) It must be stress and overtraining - I need rest.

I don't think I'm in a position to scale back and really embrace the "rest" concept. I'm committed to some races and I need to keep training. But I don't want to risk injury either.

I'm going to have to TRUST that the Paleo thing will eventually start doing its thing and keep going with it. My body has proven time and time again it is stubborn in many ways and I'm impatient for results. Patience. Press on.

I NEED to find a way to get more sleep and balance. This has to be a focus for me the next two months - so I'm scaling back on anything not work or training. This means the Charity Chicks 5K I was hoping to throw together might become a late winter/early spring idea.

I'm going to UP the miles slightly during the week to work on a consistent base and not drastically increase my weekend long runs like I had planned. I'm going to have to trust that I can use that base to push through the long distances on race day rather than forcing myself to do those distances. This goes against most training plans I've been trying to follow, but it will have to do.

I have to STRETCH. I need to use my foam roller every night. I need to use my massage credits and get my butt in for more massages as I continue this training. I know - crazy goal to have to make, huh? But getting a massage is HARD for me. I have to find a blank night to schedule it. I have to remember to make the appointment. It's now almost 2 hours (drive, check in, wait, get massage, drive home) that I can't do anything else AND I usually get the sniffles after massages which means I do little else when I get home. But I have credits - I will use them!

I have to keep pushing and stop stressing. What's the point of running if it's causing me stress?

Why do I run? I love the company. I love doing something good for me. I love doing something hard and accomplishing it. I love that it is me time to not be working. I love that I can sweat my stress away. I love the feeling when I'm done. I love feeling alive. That must be my motivation! (Well, that and the Tiffany necklace at the Nike Women's finish line in October!)

Brokedown Mountain

2011-08-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Met some of my Cholla Chick friends at the base of one of our trail runs this morning and had yet another difficult workout. I'm getting slower and slower it seems the harder I work and the more I pay attention to being good to my body. WHEN DO I GET MY REWARD?

I got to the top minutes slower than ever and just broke down and had a small bawlfest. I wonder what the point is of missing all this sleep and working through all the pain if there isn't going to be progress? My wonderful wonderful friends continue to point out the progress that I can't see and I know I need to be a better friend and not such a Debbie Downer. My knees hurt, my calves hurt, my house is messy, I'm behind at work ... Must. Keep. Pressing. On.

Maybe a simple goal this week would be to get at least 6 hours sleep 2 nights in a row. Screw the running times, I should count sleep hours?

Off to another crazy day at work!

Still going ...

2011-08-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

It's already Day 9 of my 30-Day Challenge and I'm still going strong. Despite the stress at work and despite the fact that my neighbor office has a giant bag of Peanut M&Ms that calls out to me every single time I go in and out of my office, I have not had chocolate NOR Diet Coke for the past 9 days ... pretty amazing!

Good things:

I'm proud of myself for remaining strong and on-plan.
I haven't been hungry or feeling seriously deprived
The Diet Coke thing hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. Sparkling water gives me happy bubbles and that is getting me through it.

Tough things:

Convenient food is off the list. I have to be prepared.
My body needs to learn to create energy in this new food plan. My run on Saturday SUCKED. My hike on Sunday SUCKED. Perhaps it was due to some other things going on with my body (aka female stuff)
Nothing on the scale has changed - really? Not ONE chocolate - running for miles, a 7 hour hike?? *sigh*
My stomach still hates me and still feels bloated

And I'm enjoying my meals. Tonight: Turkey burger with Guacamole and steamed asparagus. The turkey burger: ground white meat turkey, egg, almonds ground in the food processor, chopped onions, chopped sweet peppers and a little ranch seasoning. YUMMY.

I think I might have gone a little too heavy on the fruit and nuts and not heavy enough with the vegetables. So this week I'll be adjusting it a bit. It's all a learning curve! Pressing on ...

Why Am I Living in a Cave? -- Gone #Paleo

2011-08-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not really living in a cave, I've merely committed myself to a personal challenge to follow the Paleo Diet for 30-days.

What is this crazy diet, you ask? Well, the Paleo Diet, otherwise known as the Caveman Diet or the Hunter-Gatherer Diet, is all about eating the way the cavemen would have before they invented McDonald's and figured out how to mill grains and make processed foods.

The "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of grass-fed pasture raised meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar and processed oils. Sounds pretty simple doesn't it? And a little restrictive if you're a Diet-Coke-guzzling, convenient-food-eating, chocolate-makes-my-afternoon-complete kind of girl!

But then again I always remember when I take the time to buy and prepare foods, I LIKE chicken off my grill! I love me some steamed vegetables. Fruits, nuts? Yes, please! I can do this!

But why? And why go hard-core right out of the gate? Don't many books/sites/blogs recommend easing into it? Sure, many do and that might be a recommended approach for many - BUT I'm kind of an addict by nature. If you let me continue with some things it gives me too much room. I know myself. If I can prove to myself I can make it through 30-days, then I can find a way to continue while balancing in other kinds of food as well.

And if I don't commit to go all the way, there is an excuse every single day. Birthday lunch here, going away party there, happy hour with old friend here, luncheon there ... there's nothing to stop me from making the whole month a cheat day if I didn't fight ALL temptations.

But why consider this as a diet option at all? Yes, I'm kind of following a trend. I started doing Crossfit workouts late last year and the Paleo Diet is something that community embraces and supports. The more I've read about it and the more success stories I've heard (more energy, skin better, allergies better, sleep better, waist fat reduced, etc, etc.) the more I realized it wouldn't hurt to give it a go.

I'm 41. I've been on and off from running over the years -- more injured than not the last few years. The magic of Crossfit gave me strength and self-healing enough to return to running. I'm running with new friends and going faster and doing more training miles than I ever have. I'm doing yoga or walking or biking or Crossfit WODs when I'm not running (sometimes sweating 2x a day!). And yet, I'm continuing to struggle with my weight - particularly belly fat.

I'm not smoking and I cut back on my Diet Coke and yet I still have trouble breathing sometimes when I'm running. My allergies have been driving me crazy from sinus pain to itching skin. I'm tired. My digestive system -- as it always has been -- is completely out of whack. I've gone on a few diet plans and lose a few pounds and then I'm stuck. And then I feel bloated. My body is driving me crazy.

So why not? I'm going to give this a go and see how I feel in 30 days. If it's working, I keep going. I determine what compromises I will allow myself so I can eat out occasionally or how frequently I allow myself a "moment". Maybe I slowly introduce a few things in that I felt I was missing and see if that changes anything? I don't know yet. First I need to climb this mountain.

I'm on Day 3 of my 30-Day adventure. No miracle cures yet! My skin is still itching ... I'm still having trouble with focus. But I just started.

I'm not hungry. I haven't had any major withdrawal problems yet. Yesterday was a rough day for me - completely overwhelmed with work and having trouble keeping myself focused and really wanted my 3 pm pick-me-up in the form of a silver and red frosty can. I listened to the office next to me as they opened the giant bag of peanut m&ms and talked at great length about them. But I did okay. I'm even off gum and mints right now too which is somewhere I might turn if I having a craving and interestingly enough, I'm okay there too.

I think I need to remove cashews as an option for me. In the pyramid of foods, lean protein is the base (and what I should eat the most of) followed by vegetables, then fruit, then nuts & fat. I might have been a little off-proportioned with the cashews yesterday and will watch that. Very important tool: sparkling water. I get the bubbles without the junk. Nice to keep on hand: lemons, jazzes up the constant stream of just water all day and makes a good flavoring on the steamed vegetables instead of butter. I'm happy to report it's going well.

P.S. according to my readings WINE (in of course appropriate quantities) is OKAY. Wine & Gluten-free beer - yippeee! Grok totally could have picked grapes and put them in a skin sack and made himself some tasty vino so why not me too?

Captain Cavewoman ... over and out on Day 3!

Today, I enter the cave ...

2011-08-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Today is Day One of my 30-Day Paleo challenge and I'm already unprepared! I've done the reading, made the lists and got wrapped up in too many weekend tasks to do the shopping. But I'm starting anyway. I sent Brad home with a bag of non-paleo temptations from my fridge and cupboard and I'm left with fruit & nuts.

The plan: fruit for breakfast. Almonds for snack. Subway salad for lunch. Shop straight after work. I will report my progress and sins (which I hope not to have) on this very blog spot!

If I go Cavewoman, should I stop shaving my legs?

Starting Over ... again

2011-07-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

I've decided to return to my much neglected blog ... and where to begin? Just starting over took a couple weeks. First things first ... we still are "One Girl, Two Dogs and a Mission" ... unfortunately. While away from this blog, a NEW dog joined our clan last year (more on him later) and we became a THREE dog household. But then a few months ago I lost my beautiful Anna.

Before I could start blogging, I had to create a new header and change Anna's picture for Mehmet. Crap, that was hard! Now she has her own spot on the sidebar.

I loved my childhood pets and I love my current puppies but there was something special about Anna. She had such a gentle soul. She didn't need constant attention but always kept her eye on me. When I was upset or crying, she was the first to notice and would come to my side and just look at me with those eyes.

Polly & Anna came to me as a package deal 9 years ago and literally changed my life. When they both came home with me as puppies, they had a bad case of kennel cough which a vet originally mistook as Anna having Parvo and told me then she might not live long. It was an emotional and an expensive start to our fabulous life together! Given her original prognosis, I guess I should be happy we had almost 9 years together -- but it was just too short.

A year or so ago after coming back from a teeth cleaning procedure, Anna's IV spot was slow to heal. And then we noticed that months after her summer haircut, her bountiful curls never grew back. It was then that the Vet diagnosed her with Cushing's Disease. We spent the next year battling it and trying treatment and watching her get thinner and thinner. Unfortunately she just didn't respond to the treatments that normally work for canine Cushing's disease. But even when battling it, she still maintained a zest for life and a love to walk. Right up until the day she spiraled downward. A day before my birthday this year, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and we said good-bye to her.

I'll never know if the disease and maybe a pituitary tumor had taken over or if we had slowly poisoned her with the last treatment dose - and that really kills me. But I can't go back and change or fix anything and so I just focus on the good times, the memories and all the love she gave me.

There is such an empty hole without her - wow! Thank GOD for Polly and Mehmet. I have no idea how I would have made it through those first few weeks if I didn't have two other furry family members to cuddle with and giggle at. I still feel like she's with us when we're walking in the park. She was a great dog - great companion and is greatly missed. I couldn't resurrect this blog without her remaining an important part of it.

Love you, Annabella!! xoxo

Note to the manufacturers of meds for "lady pain"

2010-02-01T21:22:00.001-08:00

Perhaps you should test the packaging a bit. Do you really think I want to struggle over freeing the pill from its little plastic bubble and have to resort to finding a sharp object which may cause me to cut the pill into pieces? Where's your social consciousness? Think of the neighbors!

Signed,
Crabby

Gotta love people!

2009-12-28T19:23:00.001-08:00

Here's an email received in the Webmaster emailbox:

"new payment system is suck, i dont know what kind of stupid created."

Boy, do I feel dumb.

AZ Republic, Really??

2009-12-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

I know. Times are tough for the print industry. Everyone is going online for their news - everyone thinks they can WRITE their own news - newspapers and reporters are hurting.

One would think they would really cater to their subscribers to keep them on board, yes? I get the AZ Republic in town. I've tried the daily, but while I have good intents most of it ends up in my recycle bin unfolded and I read what I can online with a few searches and quite a bit of skimming. I do subscribe to the Sunday delivery and occasionally the whole weekend delivery package. But I like to subscribe when I want to subscribe. I get the postcard deal, I subscribe and I pay in advance for usually a period of 5-6 months. Ideally, they may send me a NEW offer and ask me to renew my subscription OR perhaps call once or twice to upgrade me to a bigger package. I would go along with that. I might even put up with the calls in my oh-so-few evening hours.

What the Republic does instead of offering you the chance to re-subscribe is send you a BILL as if you already owe them for a service you haven't really asked for nor have you received any of it. And they hope you don't notice and just pay it and go on. I hate that. I didn't sign up for an autorenew, I made no commitment other than to receive what I already paid for. So I usually get stubborn and let it lapse and then sign up and pay in advance the next time I get around to it.

This last time I paid in July for a subscription that should have taken me into December. Sometime end of October/early November I stopped getting the paper. It took me a week or so to realize it wasn't a neighbor walking off with my Sunday ads - the deliveries just stopped. So I called them - it took me a while to get a person through their computer system (which did NOT have an account for me by phone or address and would NOT let me pass by until I entered information it liked!). The nice customer service boy discovered I indeed still had "credit" - he had no idea why the deliveries stopped and he put it back in motion. It took a full week or so to kick back in (so one would think I would be credited for the time lost and take my newspapers to the full end of year, right?). But no - the paper stopped around the first week in December. The new "bill" arrived in the mail and then the stalker calls began.

And by stalker calls, I mean the paper would call once a day and an agent would listen to my answering machine reminding callers I'm on the "do not call list" and then they would hang up leaving me a machine full of dial-tones or noises of a call center followed by dial tones. Then last week I got "the letter" - the letter which told me I owed them $22 and they have made efforts to reach me to no avail. Seriously?

So today I took a precious lunch hour and called them. I spent about 8 minutes wrestling with the machine who could not find my account. Each time the machine agreed to transfer me to an agent, it would hang up on me. 3 calls later, I went to the switchboard who had to transfer me (successfully, whew!) to an agent. This girl was a sweetheart. She looked at my account and told me I definitively owed them $22. I asked her to please read my record aloud and tell me when they last received payment and how long that should have taken me to. She then started reading starting with the July payment and then somehow my account showed I was down $92 and then even and then had a credit of $22 and then owed $22. After she got to that point she said, "You know? You're taken care of. I will even out your account and put a note in to stop the calls." I pointed out to her that the "attempts to contact me" involved nightly hangups on my machine, to which she said "oh, that's really bad."

She then tried to sell me on the much easier "Easy Pay" system (yeah, I'm giving you guys my CREDIT CARD to do whatever you will with!). I asked her to explain it better and this is what I got: With Easy Pay I agree to a $17/week fee. They take $17 from my account and each day the paper is successfully delivered, they remove an amount from my account. When the account gets to $0, they bill me again and I keep working my way to $0. If I want to cancel, I have to be sure to contact them BEFORE I get to $0. I asked if there was a tool to check my account balance - no. Seriously? It's this difficult.

She was very nice, I give her credit for that. I told her that while I enjoy the paper, the process is disturbing and for that, I cannot subscribe.

So long story short - don't blame the internet for the demise of the printed newspaper. I blame the muddy, poorly planned red tape. Sheeeeesh!

It's a Very Bearded Christmas

2009-12-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

This year went FAST. And my nephews are growing up WAY too fast. It pains me. Thank God I'm not growing up so quickly!

In November I started hounding my sister for "the list" from my nephews so I could start the shopping. I long for the days when we bought just fun toys that took up lots of room, made lots of noise and were all sorts of colors. And well, I could play with them. Now it's all about the video games and I find myself wandering around the video department clutching a list and looking as lost as every other grown-up there. We all take turns with the poor kid who works there: "What's the difference between a PS2, a PS3 and this PSP thing?" - "What do you do with this?" - "What ELSE do I need to buy to make this work?" - "Do you have anything that doesn't involve mass murdering?"

Anyway, so I got my list this year and it was the usual list of games for various systems that I know I'm going to need help finding. But then I got to William's list and it filled me with pure delight. He wanted some spy gear (which I discovered was actually Spy Gear™), some Ben 10 Alien Force stuff, a Nerf Gun (yea! simple! that can't be hard, right??); a Spartan costume and a fake beard. Yes, a fake beard. How random is that??

The Nerf gun was NOT easy - I bought 3 before I found the "right" one in stock. I went to two toys stores, 3 Targets and TWO Game Stops before I finished finding all their loot. (And now I have a car full of post-holiday returns to make). But the most fun was my trip to the Mardi Gras costume shop for the fake beard. I bought two one for William and one for his younger brother in case they want to form a bearded gang or something.

I'm happy to say that every time I heard him on the phone - the beard was in his top 3 favorite gifts. Yea! Still some fun in the holiday. And NO, the boys didn't let me break any of their video games.

Oh television- how you shaped my world!

2009-10-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

I admit it - I am a slave to the television. My parents tried to spare us. We were restricted to some cartoons on a Saturday morning and family-time episodes of Little House on the Prairie - occasionally we would throw in some Waltons and the Dukes of Hazard with some air popped popcorn. I read a million books and I think I was a pretty smart kid.

Then I got older - I was sick a lot and missed a large percentage of my grade school years where I discovered The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy (she's still my hero) and the Dick Van Dyke show. I was studious in high school, dedicated in college and then became a crazy working girl led by the thump thump of the nightlife. Perhaps that's when I began my steady slide into loss of brainpower?

I took on more and more and eventually lost my ability after a busy day pursuing a career to sitcom episode concentration ability. If it took more than a few thoughts and a focus of longer than an episode, I checked out. Before I knew it, I had a tv in every room. My housework is slowed between trips pausing over the couch to catch the fight on the Housewives of Atlanta (for the 2nd time) - I lost hours over Rock of Love (although it did convince me too-short of skirts are now entirely age inappropriate for me!). I don't think I realized that it had taken over my world. Until now. Even though I cancelled cable over 4 years ago because I could "no longer justify paying for my own retardation" - they just never turned it off. each time I had a tech out for a internet issue and would point out that I still had cable, it kept pouring into my television. One tech even told me it was "passive crime" and it wasn't on him - is it really a CRIME if I keep telling them I have it??

Recently I noticed that my cable bill was exceptionally high. When I looked into it, I discovered that the last tech actually placed an order on my behalf and started billing me for the cable!! Needless to say, I had a small fit and told them to pull it out. They did - and it's weird - all those box things in each room silent and grey. I didn't realize how much comfort that background noise gave me. How much I liked to lay on the couch after work to "unwind" (shut down). How coming home and starting work all over again in my office didn't feel like "working" if I had Two and a Half Men playing on the tv next to my desk.

I really, really miss it! BUT I've read more books this year that I have in years! I wonder if I'm actually going to feel my brain working again? I wonder if I'll be able to finish complete sentences soon without grasping for the word I need to express my thoughts?

Now I'm not "free/free" - I have figured out how to watch hulu.com episodes on my netbook while working on my laptop. I am re-discovering some old DVDs when I want to spend a little couch downtime (The Tick is seriously BRILLIANT how did I forget??)And if I want to take a class at the gym, I don't think "Oh hey, I'll miss The Biggest Loser tonight" (irony, eh?)

I've got a few more obstacles to overcome - for some reason my dogs find me sitting on the couch staring at the big box us spending time together, but me in a chair reading is ignoring them . . . and so we have lots of sighs and whimpers. They will adjust - heck they got an EXTRA walk in the park tonight! And I think I need to get more music making stuff in my house (maybe I use my savings and get XM radio in the house??) THAT might be it.

For now good night - and yes, that's the sound of my BRAIN working (mind the smoke).

Helloooooo!

2009-10-13T21:35:00.001-07:00

Has it really been since July when I last posted to this blog? I have fallen victim to the information overload, social media mixed choices, work-life balance conundrum that I think many of us experience. Life has its moments - it's been a crazy year. I've had some major disappointments, some heart burn, some moments of sadness but am happy still for many many things. I'm still employed. I have a great family. My dogs are adorable. Got a new car. I've really realized some great friendships. I've had a lot of laughs. I am progressing although not at the rate I would *like* to progress. But I'm coming back around. I will post more. I will balance. I will FIGURE it out, right? We all do - and we all get smarter in this ever-changing world.

Now onto my easier goals of finding the perfect man and achieving a smaller waistline. HA!

Treat Yourself This Weekend With Some Used Condoms

2009-07-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is EW!

Treat Yourself This Weekend With Some Used Condoms

Saying good-bye to Marsha

2009-06-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

And I'm so sad!! We had good times, good times!

Could the paperwork take any longer for the new unnamed car?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

See a spectacle or be a spectacle - bay to breakers 2009

2009-05-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Okay - so there still were naked people that shouldn't be naked - and lots of creative great costumes - but the star of this year's race was ... Swine Flu!! There were flying pigs, sombereo wearing fiesta celebrators in masks, and lots more more pigs! Oh and some naked pigs too!
I love this race :-)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Can you cough a toenail off?

2009-04-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

I know, I know - I've neglected my blog. But if it feels neglected . . . get in line!!

But check this out - I caught a HECK of a cold (the same one lots of people have caught this month, I think) and while the chills have gone, the cold has rested in my chest. Which means night after night of hacking up my lungs instead of sleeping. How are you supposed to heal if you can't sleep?

Friday night was no exception - when I got up in the morning, I felt a pull on my toe and YUP, the toenail fell off!

Your visual aid:

Perhaps it wasn't the cough. Years of running and pounding my toes into the bottom of my shoe. And now it seems like my running days are put on hold. The Plantar Fasciatis I suffered when training for my 2006 marathon might have been a tendinitis instead. I took time off and it got better, but I still had the occasional pain. My return to running has brought it back - and with a vengeance. After a doctor visit and an MRI - I'm told running and hiking are out for a while. (It's my favorite release!) I get fitted for a special orthotic tomorrow and see a specialist in a few weeks. WAH!

IMG00013.jpg

2009-04-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Tempe music fest - Amy, Dawn & cowboy mouth & refreshments! Good times!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00009.jpg

2009-03-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Charity Chicks Adopt a Platoon boxes are packed and ready to go to Iraq!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I love a parade!

2009-02-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the Parada Del Sol parade in Downtown Scottsdale - and I got to ride in it! The annual Parada del Sol Parade is known as the World's Largest Horse Drawn Parade. No motor vehicles allowed!

As the Drinkwater Award recipient, I was privileged to ride with our City Manager John Little and his wife this year! My friend Frances - donning her Charity Chick t-shirt - came along for the ride. I didn't know, but she is already Parada royalty having marched in the parade many times prior in her junior high and high school band days. She grew up in Scottsdale and was a good choice to accompany me.

It was fun - I mean, no one really knew who I was - but since Big Red, the AZ Cardinals mascot, was just ahead of us working the crowd, they seemed truly excited to see us. I imagined when the kids and people were yelling "Yea, Big Red!" that they were talking to me :) I think my wave got a little limp at the end - but hey, I'm not seasoned at this stuff!

And John Little has been Acting City Manager most of the year and has recently removed the "acting" from his title is royalty in his own right. He's worked with the City for I think 30 years and MAN, he knows everyone! I was excited every time I saw a face that was familiar, just so I could try to stack up.

We had fun - and who knew? Parade Del Sol is apparently the biggest day-drinking day of the year! We drove home and came back on the trolley to enjoy the festivities the RIGHT way. A very good day it was!

First, "ewww" - and then: "I gotta buy these"!!

2009-02-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

Check out THIS product brought to me by the folks at Daily Candy:

Tired of having your food stolen by sticky-fingered coworkers or roommates? Bullies taking your kid's lunch? Well, worry no more . . . Anti-Theft Lunch Bags are sandwich bags that have green splotches printed on both sides, making your freshly prepared lunch look spoiled. Don't suffer the injustice of having your sandwich stolen again! Protect your lunch with Anti-Theft Lunch Bags.

To view and purchase (or just gag):
http://www.thinkofthe.com/products/lunch_bag.php

THINK OF THE FUN!!

CharityChicks.com Got a Makeover!

2009-02-16T20:34:00.001-08:00

It's been time for our website to get a face lift for a while now - and I finally got around to it - and our Charity Chicks website went PINK!

I've got a lot more to do on it - and will try to squeeze it in over the next few weeks. I hope to change all of the photo albums to one consistent design. I'm torn, the last few events have featured a Flickr photo album which is AWESOME for me because uploading, labeling, creating and embedding a new album can be done pretty effortlessly - and it's important to get that stuff posted and on the site right after an event. BUT a lot of people view the site during their working hours - and a lot of business firewalls block Flickr, so I know those people just see a blank white box. I really want to do something with the Grey Box technology, which is I *think* the direction I want to go . . . but am happy for suggestions for new cool (and easy) photo album programs!

I also want to add some more images to our "About Us" page and add links to images and video of the various awards that I mention. I've started a YouTube Channel and am trying to look for more opportunities to promote Charity Chicks via YouTube . . . AND the last step is to expand our "Links" page. I want a partners/sponsors listing where we can highlight more of the venues and major prize donors. And what is UP with the white bar in the "Upcoming Events" sidebar when I view it on Firefox??

My last immediate goal is to expand on our Facebook group and try to maximize some exposure there. I created a group but am wondering if I should have created a Fan page instead. I really need to learn MORE about how to use Facebook as a marketing tool beyond my social uses of it.

Crazy weekend with a bunch of skirts

2009-02-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I've fallen into yet ANOTHER week and have not accomplished HALF of what I needed to this weekend. Seriously, it's not like I sat around . . . where do the seconds go?? Come to think of it though, I did cram in a LOT this weekend and it was fun, fun, fun!

FRIDAY night - our band played so the girls went to dinner - had some wine, and more wine - and then went to the show. We had FUN - but we are a little too old to go that hard and that late - and not regret it a bit in the morning. I was not being conscious of having to get up early the next day, pack and set up a booth, run a race and network my brains out! BUT I was fuuuuuny and I can persevere!

SATURDAY - I had a very rough start but got myself packed up and dressed in my little running skirt and we headed out to Tempe Town Lake to set up a booth at the expo area for the Skirt Chaser Race. The Skirt Chaser run is a FUN 5k event that goes around Tempe Town Lake. It was started and is sponsored by a company called Skirt Sports who brought running skirts into the market and made them cool - and now they are everywhere! It's fun to run, sweat and STILL look a little cute! :-) In the Skirt Chaser race, the girls start 3 minutes before the boys (who wear shirts that say "Skirt Chaser" surprisingly enough). There were all sort of skirts - the official race skirts - and a whole bunch of homemade FUN skirts (on some of the boys as well).

This was my friend Diane's FIRST 5K and I think I've got her hooked. She has no desire to ever do a marathon - but I see a few more 5ks and maybe a 10k in her future! I'm happy to say that I was in the top 30% of the girl finishers - someday I might be in the top 20%?? Who knows . . .

The race promoter/organizer was kind enough to give Charity Chicks a free booth at the expo, so I bought us a pop-up awning (my garage is almost completely stocked with Charity Chick supplies at this time) and we set up a table and signage and managed to get some NEW peeps added to our email list!

Could we be any cuter in these matching skirts?

After breaking down the event and loading everything back in my garage, I spent another couple hours (still in that crazy running skirt - BRRRR) at the park with another group of old friends and co-workers. It was great to see everyone but I was BEAT.

Sunday was another whirl of tasks, responsibilities and me nursing a scratchy throat. My body just can't take all this excitement! My folks came over with pizza for dinner and then I spent the rest of the night trying to finish work - adding my NEW people to the database and finally sending the Charity Chicks email at 12:30!!

Does it feel like this blog is turning into a "Dear Diary: Here's what I did last week" thang? Must work on it!!!

Friendships that LAST

2009-02-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

So. I was just filling out my eHarmony profile this weekend (more on that later, I think) and drinking champagne with my friend Diane. The profile questionnaire asked a LOT of questions about my biggest influences and the things I treasure and the things I can't live without . . . and it basically all came down to PEOPLE.

I have been TRULY blessed with an amazing family and fabulous friends. Some people are lucky to have one or two good friends in their lifetime - I'm not sure what I did that was so good - but I have much more than that. And now this crazy thing called The Internet ™ allows me to re-connect with friends after life has separated us, stay in touch with friends I wish I could see more often and even meet new ones!

The past month or so has been about re-connecting with old friends. My high school girlfriend Stacey - we MEAN to see each other more often, but it takes her dad to fly in from Iowa once a year who insists that I join the family dinner to prompt us to book something on the calendar. (Although I'm happy to say I'm taking a day off work this month and going to a Cubs Spring Training game with Stacey and her cousin Karena - yea!).

My "other" family @ dinner!

Then through the magic of Facebook, I found my friends Donna and Sheila. I think of Donna often and miss her contagious energy. Sheila - how I lived life without hearing the TRUTH from a Brooklyn tongue before, I don't know. (It was through Sheila that I met my other Brooklyn girlfriend Chrisann.) Sheila plays the violin (or is it officially a fiddle??) in several Irish bands and she is INSANELY talented! The minute we all connected online, we planned a girls evening and spent a LOT of time remembering some CRAZY stories - dang, I've lived a life!!! I can't wait for us to spend more time together - in fact, Donna is going to help out at a Charity Chick event THIS weekend!!

The gang - we haven't been in the same room
together all of us for 15 or so years!

Sheila and Donna!

This weekend I had the pleasure of going to my other high school girlfriend Kim's 40th birthday party. We have made our best efforts to stay in touch over the years - a lunch here and there - but time still manages to keep on ticking. Her baby sister is grown into a wonderful mother. Kim's kids are outgrowing all of us - and so grown up! And that fabulous husband I had the pleasure of donning a red dress and watching her marry 21+ years ago (almost to their 22nd anniversary!!) was the BEST host and made her party special. I'm so glad to still play a small part in their lives.

Approaching their 22nd anniversary and STILL smiling!

The birthday girl et moi!

Now I'm all warm and fuzzy!
xoxo

Impressed my GLASS off

2009-01-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to go to the Desert Botanical Gardens and see the Dale Chihuly installation since I first read about it. This weekend, my friend Matt and I finally went. Man, it is impressive! Not like the Arizona landscape isn't beautiful enough - and they do such an amazing job at the DBG at presenting all of nature's desert beauty with some educational features and in a cozy park setting - but then you juxtapose that landscape with the amazing colors and shapes of this glass installation - pretty darn cool. (Those aren't the right descriptive words - but that's all I got right now!)

Most people are familiar with Chihuly's work from the Belagio lobby in Las Vegas (at least us commoners), but he's been stirring things up in the art world since the 60s - taking something that was often played with in small art shapes (glass scultures and such) and making it grandiose and colorful and with botanical shapes. I've always wanted to dabble a little in glass art (so many "I want to"s in my short life!) and want to visit a glass studio in Jerome one of these days and watch it.

All I know is I want to see MORE. I want to learn more and am in search of a documentary so I can watch the creation in process. But really, my unmet desire was - I WANT TO TOUCH IT!

Especially the blue crystal-shaped orbs in the pond. I'm pretty sure they were floating - or were they fastened to something and the water around them made it seem like they are floating?? Big pieces made of glass - floating? If you read in the paper some week about some crazy chick caught breaking into the Desert Botanical Gardens in the middle of the night . . . that would be ME in wading boots touching those darn things! I want to KNOW!

Anyway - some more pictures for your enjoyment . . .

P.S. My backyard is BORING! I need some color!!

P.P.S. I posted this - then went to NetFlix and VOILA! TONS of documentaries!! Which to start with . . . ?

And I raaaaan . . .

2009-01-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

I'm a little delayed in my posting, but YES. I ran the PF Changs half marathon last weekend and YES I finished. I think this is my 4th time running it? I can't remember, need to rummage through my medals...

I was pretty worried. I had a rough year with my body and all the injuries. When I finally was able to run again my training was going GREAT and then the holidays came . . . so I only got up to 8 miles in training (I did a 10 mile day once, but it didn't count because I was having an "off" day and forgot my water and walked for about 40% of it). A jump from 8 to 13.1 is pretty drastic.

I predicted my finish time to be 2:30. And I finished at 2:23 - so yea, me! And I felt pretty good after all was said and done. Going from the canal to 13+ miles on city streets definitely impacted my foot/ankle issues. But I had MORE in me - so that was good. I have a 2 hour half marathon in me I'm sure of it . . .

This is what 2 hours and 23 minutes does to my face!

The good stuff also - I was the co-captain organizing a team for my city. We were team FitScottsdale and we had really cool shirts - and we won the GOLD RECORD for having the largest municipal team. My biggest stress was organizing and renting the trolley. I finally got enough passengers to cover the cost - then I ran my pickup and parking plan by the race organizers. And still all week all I could picture was the team standing in a parking lot staring at me at 5:30 am with our trolley stuck in road closures and traffic. But it went BEAUTIFULLY and I picked ROCK STAR parking at the start line. We had a warm trolley to hang in while others shivered at the start line. We had snacks. We were right next to port-a-potties (the secret ones for the ELITE athletes). It was awesome. And I was so stressed over that darn trolley that I didn't even worry about the run once everything worked out. So it was a FABulous day. And then the Cardinals got into the SUPER BOWL - crazy Sunday!

Next, I've talked my friend Diane into her first organized race. We're doing the SkirtChaser 5K on Valentine's Day. 3.3 miles - easy. But I need to practice so I don't look as deflated and sweaty at the end. It's a 2:15 pm on a Saturday in February. It could be perfect - or it could be toasty . . . we shall see. And cute boys? One can hope!

Whoa, Neti!

2009-01-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

I can finally say it - I used my Neti Pot. Not that I didn't believe all the things G & B told me about it . . . it just took a bit of desperation for me to shove salty water up my nose . . .

On Thursday I was officially sick. Yes, right before a race. It figures. It happens almost every time. I had the sore throat, I was run down and I could not stop sneezing. As I went into a meeting Thursday afternoon at our Water Department with my roll of toilet paper, I heard once again about the powers of washing out your schnoz.

My mom gave this to me a year ago and I've gotten it out multiple times. Then I read the part about "be sure to breathe out your mouth" and "tilt your head just so . . " and it seems way too coordinated for me and I put it away again.

But Thursday night I pulled it out, made the warm salty solution and DID IT. Not so bad. I actually feel silly for avoiding it for so long. Two more times Friday morning. And I have to say: I FEEL BETTER. Mind you, I still have a little wheeze but a few more cleanses and a lot more Airborne and I should be good to go!

So now, it's all about me and my feet tomorrow. I can DO IT. I've done it before but I feel less prepared this time than ever it feels. I don't plan to set a personal record, but I'd like to also not do my worst time ever either!

My only fear left is that dang trolley. You see, I'm in charge of the team and we booked a city trolley to take us from the finish to the start line tomorrow. It will be nice to have a warm trolley to hang out on before starting the race. I only fear that all my planning - all the info I sent to the driver - that she'll get hung up in traffic and road closures and my team will be standing in the parking lot staring at me. Or that people are late and the person on the trolley who is running the full marathon starts an hour before us and I'll have to make a call whether to leave people behind. AAAAH. I could not have planned better so I will only THINK POSITIVE TODAY.

More tomorrow. Off to rinse the nostrils again!

Yea, me!

2009-01-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

Last week had a very cool moment for me (and my parents). It was the 38th Annual City Manager Awards. Since the Scottsdale Center for the Arts is under rennovation, we held it at the Scottsdale Stadium. Yes, outside - in the morning - in January. Brrr. Only in Arizona, right?

It was pretty fun - and all baseball themed (you know, being on a baseball field and all . . . ) My friend and co-worker Kevin had saved seats in the front - with a blanket - and I was happy to oblige and share the blanket. Little did I know it was a ploy to get me up front and out of the way so my boss could sneak my parents into the stands.

Lots of cool people got cool awards. I'm never not interested in hearing all of the things people accomplish while at their city jobs. I mean, we serve people. Needs are met - and it's our JOB. It's really cool and there are some pretty amazing people I'm priviledged to work with.

Then they got to the Drinkwater Award. From the press release: "The Drinkwater award, in its 11th year, goes annually to a Scottsdale city employee or employees who set an outstanding example through their volunteerism and dedication to serving others."

Mayor Manross began to describe the recipient - and IT WAS ME. When I got up to receive the award, I heard my parents going crazy. They had a GREAT time and were so proud. I'm so happy that despite my crazy mid-20s, I still managed to grow into someone they could be proud of. My dad cried. I love that. I love them so much.

I'm pretty humbled. I mean, Charity Chicks has been my heart and soul for a long time. I'm so pleased at how people get energized and that I can help make a difference in this world. And yet, I don't do THAT much. I've seen Oprah's Angels Network - I don't do nearly enough. But I am driven to make 2009 an amazing year!

I am happy to be honored and it was a special moment for my family.

Amy on stage

Super cool award

Look what my parents had left in my house when I got home

http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/HR/amazing/cityawards.asp

My Boys

2009-01-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Had to share these of my fabulous nephews. Seriously, they don't MAKE kids this good anymore. I am so proud of them and my wonderful sister (you too Ken!!)

xoxo

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

2009-01-06T20:01:00.001-08:00

December sure whizzed by didn't it? To wrap up the year I'll do a quick summation post and then we're on to 2009!!

I started a weight loss competition at work in December. YUP. Right before the holidays, how crazy is that? I was able to give them 2.5 pounds the first 2 weeks, but am not so sure about THIS week's weigh in . . . eek. But we go until Feb 24th so hopefully I can give a LOT more.

My cookie diet? It's going S-L-O-W. The doctor is concerned at how slow my progress is given the regiment and we're going to investigate OTHER internal issues after my half marathon in two weeks. I might need to switch plans. Luckily I was down fat but up muscle at this last weigh in, which is good. But the pounds are STILL there.

Me in the weigh-in line wearing our cool team t-shirt. Photo courtesy of Blair's snazzy iPhone.

Natasha and I took in the Art Walk Third Thursday in Downtown Scottsdale in December as well. It was VERY cool. A band, lights on the canal, some interesting time-lapse light photos, an ice sculptor AND we got to paint quilt squares for domestic violence shelters. Kind of fun to be sitting in downtown Scottsdale on a Thursday night PAINTING.

Natasha at work on her cool piece.
Me and the ice reindeer (recognize my Christmas card?)

Lots of fun stuff over the holiday weeks - Bailey's making party - spending the night at my sister's and waking up with the family on Christmas - my nephews and all their video games - I made Christmas dinner for my folks and my puppies got some GOOD gifts, too!

The girls and I decided to ring in the New Year at the Scottsdale Block Party this year. It wasn't too cold, the crowd was fun and we had a pretty good time! (Except for the nagging pain in my belly all night long . . . )

LOOK - we're HOT!

We took the trolley to the party and then barely managed to snag a cab home in the wee hours of the night. And then my hell began. That nagging pain? I either poisoned myself in the making of our pre-night turkey meatball and spaghetti dinner or I had the worst flu ever. I was violently ill for two days. But no one else got sick so I am happy to report that my culinary skills didn't poison anyone else. I either didn't wash my hands well enough after making the balls (good lesson, kids!) OR my little sample before I decided to further nuke the turkey balls was enough to almost kill me.

I look at it as a cleansing and starting 2009 FRESH. Sounds good, right? I am SO ready for a great year!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

2008-12-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

I've stumbled on them before - some other very cool chicks in another city making a big impact. I like the colors on their site and their logo. It reminds me that I keep saying it's time to update charitychicks.com (but in what spare time?)

Anyway tonight I read their "About Us" page. Here's mine: http://www.charitychicks.com/about.html and theirs: http://www.chicksforcharity.net/who.html

They've had their site since 2007 - ours 2001. At first I did a "heeeeeey, those are MY words, our mission." Then I realized that we're all moving forward with the same heart and the same missions. So of course it all sounds about the same when you're trying to put it into words. I hope we WERE an inspiration and continue to spread this love and energy all around the world.

Charity Chicks can only do so much with my small budget and our limited hands. But isn't amazing what a BUNCH of people with BIG hearts and talents can do? I also keep my eye (and have chatted with) Charity Chicks Orlando - they also are turning their city upside down.

I could use some more ambitious peoples with business connections and we could do MORE.

Chicks rule.

Truly Thankful and Blessed

2008-12-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

It's so easy this time of year to get stressed out with all the shopping and card sending and social activities. We often can get so caught up in what we don't have that we forget to be thankful for all we DO have.

I am so thankful for so many things in my life - my job, my home, my family and my great friends. I feel truly blessed to have such amazing and giving people in my life!

The Charity Chicks Holiday Party was this weekend and I am so amazed at how generous everyone was. Special thanks to Pranksters Too for giving us their newly renovated performance room for the evening and for helping me out with some of the appetizers. They've been very accommodating to the Charity Chicks events and we love em!

We were treated to beautiful performances by Kris Cremain and Socie Saltwater - they were so kind to donate their time and really made the evening special.

Also, Charity Chicks Diane, Natasha, Jenny and Frances came early to help decorate and brought some yummy sugary treats to add to the evening. (Not a Ghiradelli chocolate remained!)

Lastly, to my fabulous friends (even some who couldn't attend and made contributions), it was great to spend the evening with you. We raised over $500 in gift cards and cash - as well as received a bunch of donated items and wrapping paper. I will distribute these to Valley programs to help fill remaining needs for the holidays. We will make a difference in some families and seniors lives in our community.

Being surrounded by such quality people really makes my heart swell. And it goes beyond this event - many friends are doing lots of good things in this world and I'm proud to know y'all. Happy Holidays - Merry Christmas!!

Kris and Socie - so talented!

We had a FUN and silly photo opportunity for party goers!

Not every thought my decorations were great. Some found the snowman a bit creepy. Here the star of the show poses in the display . . .

We Should SO Be Friends

2008-12-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

I recently read a book by Dawn Dias called The Non-Runners Marathon Guide For Women. It was perfect for me. Like her, I also started as a complete non-runner training for a marathon and fundraising for the American Stroke Association.

She hilariously chronicled her experiences while sending emails and updates to her friends and family while attempting to squeeze more donations from them for the organization. Everyone so thoroughly enjoyed her journal entires that they suggested she assemble them into a book and VOILA a book - and I loved it. I just loaned it to a co-worker who is training for her first marathon and from her emails - it's touching her spot as well!

Better yet, she became a total Charity Chick in the process! While on book tour, she turned it into a fundraiser (dreaminmotion.net) where she traveled the US encouraging people to get moving AND while fundraising to help rebuild some of New Orleans through Habitat for Humanity. I'm a little behind the curve . . . most of this happened in 2007 . . . but I'm going to keep my eye on her next move. Seriously, we should so be friends. But I think she might be funnier than me (can I take the pressure??!) :-)

I sent her a fan email tonight and then found this clip of her on YouTube:

It's so cool to find so many people in this crazy world of ours - all wanting to make the world a better place. Yea us! I'm inspired again.

Charity Chicks Holiday Party - THIS Weekend

2008-11-30T22:14:00.000-08:00

How did a four day weekend whiz by like that? Sheeeeesh - so much left to do and I have to work in the morning! I still have to finish ironing on the logos for the teams in my department before weigh in on Friday. Yup, that's right - we're starting a weight loss competition at work at the beginning of DECEMBER - how crazy is that? But it will all be good.

I do plan to protest the contest rules, though. It is based on total pounds lost per team - not a total percentage of body weight. My team doesn't stand a chance if they stick with total pounds. No one has THAT much to lose. Of course, I would love to be the one carrying my team with ALL my dropping pounds! ;-)

Plans continue for my Charity Chicks Holiday Party this weekend. I finally got a band booked - but now I need to scramble to dig up some sound equipment before Saturday. Decor is covered, entertainment, one more email to go out . . . and now all I have left is to panic all week that no one will come and the band and the venue will be disappointed. That's the "fun" part of the events - all the worry. I'm very good at the worrying part notsomuch the rest.

I usually don't do a holiday event - it's impossible to find a "good" date that works for most. And, traditionally it's a time when people who don't normally contribute feel charitable, so I don't feel that we are "needed" as much. But this year, it's different. We have a lot more needs in our community - and it's scary. I hope we can make a dent.

The party should be fun. Wanna join? Lots more details on my website - CharityChicks.com!

Weekend of Clean

2008-11-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

I *meant* to title this weekend's blog "Whoa Neti!" and tell G and BG that I followed their sage advice and used the Neti Pot to help my recurring sickness and allergy issues. My mom bought me one last year and I keep getting it out but my fear of water/swimming/water-up-the-nose keeps leading me to do OTHER things instead. My goal: I WILL try it this week or this weekend.

Then checkout what I found online!! The Sneezer Beam! Fascinating and frightening at the same time!

So instead of cleaning my schnoz this weekend, I cleaned other things. ANNA helped it along by rolling in something disgusting and smelly in the park. That meant it was bath time - and bath time is FUN. First I entice them both into the bathroom and then close the door, then we take turns in the tub/shower while they sit nose-to-nose (one inside the glass, one outside the glass).

Once the girls are clean - and my legs and the bathtub are covered in wet sticky dog hair and they've managed to shake water, soap and hair all the way up to the ceiling, I release them and they run madly about the house jumping over things, rubbing up on every single wall and piece of furniture. They are crazy. And I love them.

Hot, hairy (dog hair) legs. I'm thinking of posting this on a dating site to see who it attracts - eek!

Mmmm, nice bath water!

Wet floor!

Crazy happy and clean puppies!

After that, it was time for a head-to-toe house clean. Not an exciting weekend . . . but satisfying! And I have fuzzy soft puppies to curl up next to tonight.

Sick - Oy Vey!

2008-11-13T13:29:00.001-08:00

Seriously, what was the point of getting a flu shot a week and a half ago? Now I am sick. :( I think this happened last year too - I don't think I ever got a flu shot in previous years. I'm going back to bring a flu shot naysayer.

It probably would help if I didn't chew on my pens and pencils all day though, huh? Can't help it - it all started with Barbie feet....

But here I have a good cup of Mango Passionfruit tea. That should cure what ails me, eh? It feels good at least on my throat. I know, I'm whining.... What is the official word when working out and sick? I thought if you have a fever or bronchitis you're out - but otherwise sweat it out??

I think tonight is going to be a rest night for me... I was going to try and do my long run tomorrow after work before I hit the road Saturday morning. And... New shoes should arrive tomorrow!!

That's something about running ... Once you find the "right" shoe, you stick with it. And then you're also free to bargain shop for them online. I am way over miles for mine and starting to get shin pain which for me always means its time to switch shoes. I should be like lightening in them, right?

Tea/lunch break over (see the smart for life cookies in the background?). Back to work for me!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Feets - Don't Fail Me Now!

2008-11-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

So I've been a regular on the canals again and it feels good!

After my marathon in Greece in fall 2006, I had constant foot and ankle pain. I had probably over trained a bit and ended up with a case of plantar faciitis that would NOT go away. I stopped running and it still hurt daily, so what was the point?

Anyway, as you know I decided to get back out there again and started training for the Nike Women's Marathon. It was slow and hot. I was slow and sweaty. Man, it's hard to "come back"! Then the back injury put me out of commission and I had to cancel my training.

But now . . . I'm BACK (again)! I'm training for the PF Changs Half Marathon in January and my initial goal was just to get moving again and do it. But I'm starting to set some actual goals now and believe that I can achieve them.

I've been training alone this time and I learned that when it's just me and my music out there, I've really been able to push myself. I was averaging a 11-12 minute mile this summer. But I've been running 3-4 miles 3 nights a week for the past couple weeks and each time I shave the time off a little more and a little more . . . and it feels pretty good! Tonight: 4.04 miles - average pace: 9:53. Wahoo - ROCK STAR!! And I'm so sick today - perhaps it was the fever and delirium that pushed me along??

My chiropractor said that when I started running again it might be a good idea to try and run faster (ha!) and that faster would be less impact on my spine then plodding along slowly. I thought it sounded good but didn't really listen until after this weekend. I ran just under 7 miles with a friend and this was a social run - we finished at an 11:30-some pace. And my back hurt the rest of the weekend. Some truth to the theory maybe?

The important thing is that I'm actually enjoying running again. I look forward to getting back out there and moving my feet on the canal each day and it's GREAT. In no way will I achieve any PR's in January - but I'm hoping to match some of my old times - from back in the day when I was younger and when I felt better.

So YEA me - YEA canals - and YEA running.

Feet: hear me and hear me good. This makes me happy - help me keep it up.

Pat & Sean Make a Porno

2008-11-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

Gotcha with that title, now didn't I? ;-)

We ventured off to crazy LAS VEGAS a few weekends ago to celebrate Pat's 40th Birthday! (I'm still having trouble acknowledging that the people I hang out with are THAT old! I mean, I'm still 29 . . . !!?)

**The players & background: Pat is married to my girlfriend Jen - they've been married for 11 years - Jenny and I met 23+ years ago - Sean is one of Pat's oldest friends - Kasia is his new wife of 1 year.**

For a bunch of oldies, we sure did it up GOOD. Sean was AWESOME and brought the best party favor . . . PAT PORN! You know how the guys in Vegas hand you all those fabulous flyers for hot chicks with stars on their parts? Sean made special "Guys Gone Wild" flyers starring a young Pat and we plastered them all around the hotel before meeting up with them. Then we walked around passing flyer after flyer until he finally noticed it. Pretty flipping great.

Some highlights:

Pat Porn (sorry boys, I blurred out the naughty parts so I wouldn't be re-distributing porn!)

Mmmmm. Ice Cream. (This poor woman, I bet she gets this every single day)

Pour some sugar on Pat

The gang

I need more cowbell! (at 5 am)

My new gay boyfriend, Freddy Mercury (I guess he loves me despite my 20 chins . . . )

Did I mention we saw Eric McCormack of Will & Grace fame at the Imperial Palace at 5-something am? I gave him the jazz hand "hi" and he gave it back. Despite having been in liquid Vegas mode, I contained my excitement and gave him his space. :-)

We also learned that if you collect all the porn, you can't really turn it into an effective card game - they are all different chicks! We couldn't find enough similar girls to make up any suits - good effort though. And the porn hander-outer-guys are really taken aback when you hold out your bag to request their cards while yelling TRICK OR TREAT!

HA! Good times, good times! :-)

Sticker Tuesday

2008-11-05T05:59:00.001-08:00

Whatever your views were yesterday, you have to agree it was a life-changing and history-making day.

Yea America for getting off your butts and exercising your right to vote!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Golf Tournie Rewind

2008-10-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is a delayed post. I feel like I spent half my time these days starting emails with "I'm sorry for the delay . . . "

Anyway - we had our annual Charity Chicks Golf Tournament on Saturday Sept 6 at the Continental Golf Course in Scottsdale. It was our FIRST Golf and GLOW tournament and it was definitely FUN. I think everyone had a great time and we raised some very important $$s for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Congratulations to our winning team: Jackie Fisher, Ralph Noriega, Frank Lucero and Steve Gallant! Thanks to all the teams who participated!!

Special thanks to all the sponsors and donors who helped make this event happen. Thank you to event sponsor LunchClub.com/DineSmart who presented each member of our winning team with $100 DineSmart Dollars and helped us advertise the tournament. Thanks also to Continental Golf Course for donating rounds of golf and buckets of range balls for our first and last place teams!

MORE thanks to the fabulous Charity Chick volunteers who helped make the night such a SMOOTH and energetic event: Allison Tengan, Bridget Bond, Krista Hudgins, Marina Renneke & Natasha Apocada! (Seriously girls, from my heart - it was awesome to have you there!)

Congrats to our Door Prize winners:

$50 Side Door Italian Restaurant - Kevin Sonoda

AZ Wine Company Gift Basket ($100) - Sarah McKnight

$25 Picazzo's Pizza Restaurant - Kim Schumann

$25 Picazzo's Pizza Restaurant - Kevin Sonoda

$25 Picazzo's Pizza Restaurant - Paul Olive

$30 Chili's Restaurant - Gina Cassagrande

California Pizza Kitchen - 2 entrees/drinks - Paul Olive

Sunchain Tanning Gift Basket ($100) - Jackie Fisher

Original painting by Ali Spagnola - William Dettmers

Burt's Bees Product Basket ($150) - Steve Gallant

Verve Vitamin Energy Drink Gift Basket - Jim Fieberg

Autographed, framed Phil Michelson photo - David Bagesse

Margarita Man Machine Rental (over $100) - Barbara Lee

Keith Pitts Photography - FREE photo session (valued at over $200) - Rob Morden

Bombshell Nails/Melissa Celaya-Lawlor - Manicure/Pedicure - Kim Schumann

Bombshell Nails/Melissa Celaya-Lawlor - Manicure/Pedicure - Jim Bordenave

We will probably bring our annual tournament back to Shalimar next year, just because they are so generous and we're able to contribute MORE money to our charitable causes. But I'll work on negotiating another Golf & Glow in the future!

I also sent my FIRST email out through a tool and not from my Cox Outlook account. It costs me about $8 per send, but I think it will help me manage my lists and the sends easier. My list was getting TOO BIG (this is a good thing) and each time I'd have to break it up into about 10-12 different groups in an attempt to not look like I'm sending bulk email through Cox. This send was SO MUCH EASIER. Can't wait to watch the stats tomorrow!

The end is near....

2008-10-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

I *might* have hypochondria tendencies. So the weather in Phoenix is awesome right now. We went from sweating our <insert body part of choice> off to a sudden cool down and it's FALL! How long it will last one can't be sure - weather.com has us back to the mid-90s by end of week. But I will take it!

In honor of the fabulous weather I opened up all the doors and windows and the girls and I just basked in it all weekend. Love it!

The unfortunate thing is I also apparently sent an engraved invite to every mosquito in town to come in. Two mornings in a row I have been woken up by the lovely sound of a high-pitch buzzing in my ear. And I am covered with about 15 - 20 welt-like bites AND I've had a headache since Thursday. Do you think I have west nile disease? Just in case, it's been a good life...thanks for tuning in!!

On a serious note, my dad spent over 9 hours with a surgeon digging out skin cancer yesterday. He has to see a plastic surgeon next. We all spend a lot of time outside - DO NOT FORGET your sunscreen EVERYDAY! (and pray they got it all yesterday!)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

It was a GREAT weekend. And once again, OUCH

2008-09-29T22:09:00.001-07:00

I seriously should live in a bubble I'm so accident prone!

The weekend was GREAT - I had a great run on Saturday - 4.69 miles at an average 11:12 minute/mile. For some - that's a BAD day - for me and my healing and returning process - FABulous. I'm happy. I've been averaging a 13-minute-mile this year so I feel like I could get back to my 10-minute mile sometime soon!!

Then the weekend of crazy girls - do you know they post safety rules at the waterslide? We didn't heed. My feet slipped and I CRASHED on my tailbone. Ouch. I'm hurting . . . again. BUT running doesn't involve sitting so it's all good, right?

Another snake shot for you:

Drinks with umbrellas - that's what makes the world go round!!

Sangria, slides, sun and .... Snakes??

2008-09-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Okay so we have arrived for another girls weekend at Wildhorse Pass and the drinks have begun. It was meant to be a weekend of silliness and water slides but I have been introduced to something... Does anyone else remember snakes from their childhood? I never have - but Natasha who brought them was very excited - then Frances got all excited ... Diane and I have never seen them. So we went to the balcony and lit it up and .... Well .... It looked like the balcony was pooping! The two most familiar were yelling SNAKE! And Diane and I said POOP!! So for your enjoyment...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Oh, running world - you disappoint me!

2008-09-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about the world of fitness is the people. I love when you pick a regular time to: run the canal, walk the dogs, hike a mountain, etc. and you start to notice familiar faces and it becomes a community. I LOVE hitting the canal or the trail on Thanksgiving mornings - people are usually SO warm. These are the people who had other choices - and chose to enjoy movement and sunshine and fitness. Lots of smiles - lots of greetings. I love it.

There are moments when I DON'T love runners. Often on Expo + race packet pickup day. People can be crabby - and rude. But I attribute that to pre-race jitters because the same group of people can be so FUN the next morning when we start the race! (wierd)

I DON'T love runners when that same group of 4 executive men run in the mornings and refuse to break up from their line of 4 and pratically push me into the canal after my partner and I form a single line to make room. (arg!)

And well, this morning - NOT a fan of the Phoenix running/biking/walking community.

Today our Team in Training group did 20 miles in preparation for the Nike Women's Marathon. This is the hardest day of their whole experience: they have been fundraising in their "off hours" for a long time, they have spent countless hours on the hot, dusty canals and this is the longest distance many of them have ever run or walked before. The mentors and the coaches - it's OUR JOB to be out there supporting them, cheering them on and making sure they have everything they need. The most important need: hydration.

We set up all our water and sport drink stations along the route and put LOTS of signs of support for Team in Training on each station - there was NO mistaking who the supplies belonged to. And yet, runner after runner after walker after biker had no problem walking up and helping themselves. I didn't want to be rude, but I went ahead and wrote a sign for the front the water jug at my station that read: "We are running 20 miles today to fight cancer. Please save the drinks for our team." You HAD to read it while using the spiget to pour a drink - so it wasn't missed.

I then went out for a mere 3 mile run with a friend and came back to find my 5 gallon jug of sports drink almost GONE. And they took the race GU (like liquid nutrition - you buy them at the store for several $$ each) - and threw the wrappers away in the bag with the clean cups. I guess I can happy they didn't throw them on the ground. So I went to the store and bought more (my $) sports drink, ice and supplies. And they continued to take it - while their eyes visibly read the sign. This happened all along our route, all day. I went to the store and spent $$ 3 times today to refill our supplies. It's FREAKING ridiculous.

I followed the last runner/walkers as they completed each station and would bring the supplies to the next station so we could combine remaining fluids and keep them hydrated to the end. It was about 100 degrees today - MUCH better than it has been throughout training. But still - HOT!

Maybe it's just a misconception? Perhaps people just assume that the charity is this big entity with loads of $ buying these supplies and should share with everyone. I mean, isn't charity about sharing? But the signs were pretty clear - people were out there for 20 miles counting on these supplies. I'm so disappointed in people.

Maybe I should have been more aggressive with them - but they read the message - they knew what they were doing and I don't want to "represent" the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as a total bitch. We are a charity dedicated to helping people.

Seriously? I AM so writing our local Fitness publication AND Runner's World and seeing if they will post it in their "Letters to the Editor" sections. I'm curious what the public thinks when they are just helping themselves. So much for community.

Before the vultures swooped on my station

*******

Now back to me: I did run a total of about 5 miles today - my initial three and then in between stations. My lower back hurts. Ugh. I tried the lean forward technique my chiropractor wanted me to. We shall see. The first 3 were GREAT. I could just be tired. I started loading up supplies at 4:30 am - and left the park at 12:30 pm. 8 hours. I didn't do 20 miles today - but I sure feel like I worked a long, sweaty, dirty day. We'll see how I feel tomorrow!

Yup, Anna agrees!

2008-09-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

She does the creepy eye thing when she sleeps!
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I think someone is ready for bed!

2008-09-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

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Lunch today anyone? Cocktails tonight?

2008-09-17T11:29:00.001-07:00

Just in case I have any local readers hankering for a FABulous lunch or dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen Tempe Marketplace today, please print and take this flyer with you and 20% of your bill will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I didn't think to post it here sooner, so sorry!

I will be there myself tonight around 6:45 - 7.

Are you concerned about my diet? I have pre-scoped the menu and plan to go with the Grilled Vegetable Salad -"Grilled asparagus, Japanese eggplant, zucchini, green onions and roasted corn, served warm over a bed of chilled Romaine lettuce, fresh avocado and sun-dried tomatoes in a Dijon balsamic vinaigrette. Tossed upon request. Also available with grilled rosemary chicken breast, sautéed salmon or grilled shrimp."

I will go with the addition of the rosemary chicken breast and request it without the dressing. Perhaps a side of balsamic vinegar . . . AND I will stick with iced tea. (I really should opt out of the avocado - but I'm only one woman - if you cut me, do I not bleed??)

SEE, pre-planning prior to sitting in front of a menu with a grumbling tummy helps. Let's see how I do.

(Let me know if the link to the flyer doesn't work - I've never tried to post a blog with attachment via email before. I know how to do image with blog from phone, but haven't attempted this yet.)

Hello, Old Friends!

2008-09-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

So I'm upright again, losing a few pounds and am ready to recapture my world. Thanks for your comments and support - I have NOT completely fallen off the cookie wagon, although after the cake slip I also managed to drink a few days worth of calories Saturday night. But heck at my age, when I can do it up like a rock star once in a while, it's worth the effort! (It just takes a chunk out of a productive Sunday . . . )

Now that I've missed out on the Nike Marathon, I'm pondering what's next. I'm thinking of aiming a little smaller and going back to half marathons and working on actually creating WIND when I run. Get a little faster. Soooooo, The PF Changs Rock and Roll Marathon is right around the corner and I've decided "what the heck" I can do the half again. I think I've run the Rock and Roll half marathon 3 times? And the last time, I said "never again". Only this year I don't want to be in charge, I don't want to have to deal with picking up, driving, road closures, parking, getting on the shuttle, finding my car and getting out again later. Too many people. I want to be dropped off at the start line and scooped up like all those fabulous runners with fabulous mates get to do!

But alas, what did I do instead? I somehow volunteered to be the coordinator to put together a team to REPRESENT my fine city. What's wrong with me?? And yes, I've already come up with a few fun designs just in case we want to make team shirts!

So if I want to get this larger-than-the-last-time-I-ran booty across the finish line in any kind of decent time, I'd better get cozy with these old friends again. Hello canal - hello 5 am!

SO not on the cookie diet!

2008-09-12T15:20:00.001-07:00

Today was mission impossible for my diet efforts. First, there was a going away lunch to attend at Buco di Beppo for a co-worker. I managed to pass through the family style order for everyone else and got a small spinach and tomato salad. I kept myself busy with that and the ice tea and passed the breads and pastas without partaking... Then there was the giant chocolate sheet cake for her when we got back to the office. I brought down my diet coke and stood around socially while everyone talked about how GREAT the cake was. Still good - the perfect picture of willpower.

Then I went back to my desk and got the email. The last straw. Another co-worker brought in cake. Not just cake: THE CAKE. Its some vodka infused Baileys cake - its moist and so so SO yummy. I caved.

*sigh* now I am full and guilty. Did I mention it was yummy? And why is it when you eat something naughty no matter how full you are, you want MORE. I wish I still smoked. (not really)

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It was a BIG Weekend

2008-09-10T23:30:00.001-07:00

2
Originally uploaded by aimswa

In fact, I'm still going. And I'm tired. But I am PROUD. It was all good. First - the Charity Chicks Golf & GLOW Tournament happened on Saturday. I think it came together FABulously, my volunteers all showed up and were wonderful and it was a great event for everyone.

The next day I loaned out the Charity Chick poker tables and supplies for an event my mentee was hosting - a Poker Tournament. It's crazy to admit this, but even though I've hosted many a charity poker tournament . . . . I don't know how to play!! So I got a quick lesson and played. I managed to make it to a table merge, but it was NOT through my mad skills! And poker face - HA! Does anyone think I could pull THAT off? I THINK the boys appreciated my Elvis glasses or at least they humored me.

And there were other events taking place throughout our happy state over the weekend - as a result thousands of dollars were raised to help fight cancer this weekend. Wouldn't it be GREAT if someday "cancer" was only mentioned in the history and science books??

I've loaded some pictures from the golf tournament, but need to get the other images from my friend Marina before I can post a full synopsis on the event!

It is now 11:30, I have to get up and start the day all over again in the morning . . . where does the time GO???

(P.S. I *DID* break the diet with a few beers at all the events - BUT managed to drop another 3 pounds - so YEA me! 20 more to go . . . )

The dogs ate my homework . . .

2008-09-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

THIS is what I came home from my pool party last night to find. Anna must have got up on the coffee table, pulled down "Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea" and together they went to TOWN. Seriously, the whole family needs to go to AA.

And then in guilt, they tried to tuck it under the hope chest so maybe I wouldn't notice? Little you-know-whats . . . The good news: I finished the book earlier that day. The bad news: it wasn't mine. I guess I will be buying a new one to return to my gracious lender, Jo Anna. Sheeeesh.

Speaking of eating - I am on day 14 of the "cookie diet" and am quite proud of myself. I DO have willpower after all! Couple big moments - I had a PIZZA lunch to attend at work - and managed to attend, have some lettuce, socialize and avoid the pizza (if you know me and pizza - that is HUGE). My friend Diane came by to drop off some Charity Chicks supplies and I offered her a beer and was "okay" with my water. I DID have to not attend an intimate pasta and wine party at my friend Nancy's. That just would have been impossible. But then again I did attend a BBQ/pool party yesterday and managed to avoid the chips/salsa bowl - ate my healthy kabob - and had a nice cup of coffee while they dove into HOMEMADE carrot cake (drool). As of last Tuesday, I was down 3 pounds. I sure hope it's another 3 this week. But whatever. At least I'm winning my own battles.

This week I can start working out again they say. WHEW! I am not one to sit around patiently . . . more to come.

I have WILLPOWER!

2008-08-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Who knew? I mean, I've clearly been hiding it most of my life. But apparently I've GOT it!

What is going on, you wonder? Well - since I can't work out until my back gets a little bit better and the doc gives me the thumbs up, I COULD sit around and eat ice cream. OR I could try something crazier than a marathon. So I did it. I started the Smart For Life COOKIE DIET on Tuesday. Today was Day 6 and I can totally do it, I think. :-) I figured like all difficult things, you just need to get through the first week.

Basically, I can have 6 "cookies" all day. The cookie: each 3x3 square is about 80 calories and contains a bunch o fiber and some protein and other stuff. I get 6 of them during the day (basically 1 every 2 hours with 8 ounces of water) - and at night 6 ounces of lean protein and 2 servings of vegetables.

When you get the spiel, they tell you how GREAT the cookies are and how FULL you will be that some people even claim to have trouble eating all the cookies throughout the day - but you're supposed to eat all 6. I have to say during the first couple days I was thinking: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? The cookies are NOT fabulous and I was STARVING. Hungry like: Have to go to bed early to try and sleep through the hunger hungry . . .

I tell you though when I pull out those veggies and grill up that solitary chicken breast at night - it is the BEST tasting thing you can imagine! It really makes you appreciate making healthy choices and eating GOOD things.

And my body is adjusting. I really think I can do this.

Although, this is what Polly looks like to me right now:

Getting around Coronado island now!!

2008-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

So much fun!
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We're off to the races

2008-08-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

Laura is on her way and we're headin off to beautiful San Diego! I have not made the drive to San Diego in YEARS (maybe 10?), so this will be fun! I'm only doing the 5k and Laura will do the half. I guess I'll stand there holding her beer when she finishes!

The girls know what the suitcase means and they are NOT happy. But they LOVE our neighbor Walter and he will come stay with them. They'll be fine - and yet I always feel so guilty!

Seriously, that suitcase/backpack is full. And it's for 2.5 days. How did I live out of it for 2.5 weeks before? I'm am the world's worst packer!

We will try out the new iPod gadget thing I bought last night. Gone are the days of packing the whole CD collection!

Yep - another vet bill, Anna!

2008-08-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Seriously, it feels like we LIVE at the doctors these days. Polly's ears and tummy. Polly's feet. Then Anna's torn toenail. Now Anna has a green gooky nose (sounds attractive, yes?). Everything looks good - she doesn't have a fever, nothing else is showing a sign of infection so it could be: just an irritant, a foreign object stuck in there that needs to be extracted OR some crazy immune disease that wouldn't be good at all.

For now, we're starting with a round of antibiotics - they took tests for Valley Fever AND Tick Fever and we shall see. $300+ later . . .

Me. I'm at the chiropractor 3 times a week and just got fitted for my NEW orthotics. (Oh, that feels so old). I have a combo set - one for my running shoes and boots and a second smaller set that supposedly I can fit into dressier work shoes. I'm supposed to wear them almost all the time and hopefully all my back pains, plantar faciitis and knee/calve pains are behind me? We shall see.

GOALS!

2008-08-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Good news: I exceeded the goal for my Diabetes Association collection in my neighborhood today and I anticipate at least ONE more donation . . . . Yea!!

What's that you ask? Well, rather than send general donation letters from the association, they discovered it is more effective to recruit a neighbor representative to sign, stuff, stamp and collect donations from a particular neighborhood. Somehow I made the list of people to recruit for this task - imagine that!

Anyway - this one's for YOU, Billy! My nephew Billy was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last year and we can thank the good work and research of the American Diabetes Association for helping him fight and learn to live with this disease.

And I'm going to be starting on some new goals myself soon. My city (and employer) is embarking on a new Fit City/Wellness program. I got a health assessment last week and I saw some numbers I didn't like. Time for some changes!!! I'm excited about the journey, but I'm really going to miss my comfort carbs and glasses o wine. Expect a bit of whining about the process to come . . . .

I'm a Quitter :-(

2008-08-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I officially decided to drop out of the San Francisco marathon. It really bites. I mean, I got in by LOTTERY drawing. No Tiffany necklace at the finish line for me. :-( I'm very bummed, but I know it was a smart decision.

I'm not superstitious per se, but I do try to listen to things that I feel are "signs" I'm meant to do something . . . I thought getting my name drawn out of thousands was a sign I was meant to do this race.

But perhaps it was just a nudge to take on a new goal with Team in Training and help make some strides against cancer. Perhaps the back injury was my second "sign" that I did my work and now it's time to rest.

And a woman had contacted me a while back wanting to buy my bib. She read in our Facebook Nike Women's Marathon Group that I had been drawn AND was fundraising for Team in Training. I held onto her email just in case I decided to go beyond mentor and fundraise to travel with the group. And now I can offer this up to her and she is tickled pink. So it's all good.

I'm sure her time will be MUCH better than what MY time would have been if I tried to push it. And I'll ask her for a donation in place of the bib fee, so the circle of GOOD will continue.

Even though I know it was the right choice, I still kind of feel like a quitter. This will pass. I am going to try and run tomorrow and see how it goes . . . .

Pooped

2008-08-10T16:50:00.002-07:00

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the LAST garage sale I will ever have. Let's just say the last time I ever have an August garage sale. What was I thinking? My alarm went off at 4 am and I began the process of unloading the garage and setting up the sale at 4:30 am. In my experience, people cruise by early and if I'm not set up and ready, it is difficult to handle customers - because they arrive in bunches. I also got smart this time and used a clothing rack with a blanket as a wall to block my garage. It never ceases to amaze me what people will do. I've had them walk into the garage before and start poking around on shelves - seriously?

Anyway - it was a hot a muggy morning and set up took forever! Jo Anna showed up around 6 with more stuff and Amy saved the day by arriving with STRONG iced coffee, string cheese and granola bars at 7.

We did okay. But not as well as I have done in the past. I mean, who in their right mind is garage sale shopping in this weather? We didn't get any of the "pros" but we did attract a lot of really nice families who were looking for home necessities. All in all, we made $150 yesterday. Not bad!

Since traffic was slow and I was solo on Sunday, we determined to hold off on the sale Sunday and wait until the end of September to try again. SO, if you missed the window of time to drop off YOUR junk, there still is time!

After we cleaned it all up and re-loaded and stacked all the boxes in my garage, I made my way to Mesa to drop off an outdoor firepit to Jo Anna. I've learned one thing about hosting all these garage sales, if you don't end up writing a check at your own event, you're just not looking!! I have yet to have an event where we don't walk away with something someone else donated.

Then I went to my friend Diane's house who was hosting a FABulous BBQ and Pool Party with her newly refurbished pool. It was VERY blue, lots of toys and shady umbrellas. Fun, fun, fun!! I *might* have drank a little too much koolaid because I feel today like I didn't actually TALK to anyone, I think I might have shouted a lot. I'm sure I was very wise and witty albeit hyper and shouty.

And now today - I'm attempting to tackle the house tasks. And my golf tournament stuff. And logging into all of my social media tools to wish my friend Brian a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. And I am tired. Am I too old for all this stuff?

I'm supposed to be able to start running again this week - will I be able to make up the time and run a decent marathon in October? I have some serious thinking to do tonight. I need to recommit by tomorrow if I am still going to go to San Francisco. Decisions are hard :(

Lucky Eight - on Eight Oh Seven (Yea, me!)

2008-08-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

We've all probably gotten an email about how LUCKY tomorrow should be. 08-08-08. You haven't? Well, Read a little. And more.

But MY luck started today! I WON a $250 gift certificate to a VERY COOL athletic-inspired online clothing store called Athleta. I get their catalogs and really love their stuff. I've been working on getting back on track and loving my physical self again - so I'm think I should use this to buy a very cute GOAL OUTFIT. This wonderful surprise came from a online blog/website/tool that I just joined called FitSugar.com - their tagline: "Healthy, happy you" - and I'm totally happy :)

I also received an email from my new friend Ali Spagnola. You may remember that I received a very cool Charity Chick inspired painting from her earlier this year. Well, she has made me ANOTHER painting, this time as a raffle prize for my Charity Chicks Golf & Glow Tournament! Thanks, Ali!

OTHER exciting news. So I have that golf tournament coming up for Charity Chicks and Team in Training. I've invested a good deal of time planning it. I've written a deposit check. I have prizes, flyers, registration goodies and volunteers. And not one team signed up yet. I am expecting some signups, but still - no official paper-to-pen, check-in-hand teams. Today we secured a SPONSOR. Lunchclub.com has kindly offered us an ad - valued at $750 - that will go out to 80,000 LunchClub email subscribers on 8/21. If THAT doesn't drum up some attention for the ol' Charity Chicks and hopefully a TEAM or two, I don't know WHAT will.

And yet MORE good news (this came yesterday - Happy Hump Day!) - the doctor said that I am progressing AHEAD OF SCHEDULE and I can start running again next week (with some modifications to form). I'm still worried about catching up the miles, but I am going to do all that I can.

AND - we had one HECK of a storm tonight and I LOVES me some rain and thunder and lightening. My mood is GREAT!

Polly is NOT so happy :-( Thunder is scary - she's wedged against the wall next to my computer right now. She wants ME to take the lightening blow for her. Why not, that's what moms are for!! (Fake human-to-dog moms)

Happy 08-08-08 to you!!!

Weekend of JUNK

2008-08-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm having another garage sale. I'm pretty sure I said the last one was "the last one" - BUT, it's a darn good fundraiser and the people in my life collect a LOT of stuff!

This is my 4th or 5th Charity Chick garage sale. You would think my friends' and family's houses would be empty by now!

So I've posted the ads, gathered the stuff, begun the preparations and now I will spend the weekend in a lawn chair in the AZ heat. Must buy cold beer. I also just looked at the weather - isolated storms Saturday and Sunday. What were the chances??

It's not hard labor but for some reason, I always break a nail, get dirt under them and am exhausted at the end of the day. Is it all the germs and the money going back and forth? It's not like I'm digging in the garden . . .

Wish me luck!!

Sigh

2008-08-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a little conversation that happened in the world o work last week - and it's not a first-time occurrence. Names and situation have been fabricated to protect the . . . well, to protect.

********************

Me: Okay, well then we're ready to get started painting this room. I like your overall plan, but remember, I don't want the ceiling to be orange.

Other Person (OP): Sure no problem. I'll get going.

Me: Remember, don't paint the ceiling orange.

OP: Yup.

Me, on way out door: Hey, what are these cans of yellow and red paint?

OP: Oh, well we're going to mix them for the paint.

Me: Where is that going to go?

OP: On the space between the crown molding.

Me: You mean, the ceiling?

OP: Yeah, the upper space above the crown molding.

Me: And so, you plan to mix these colors together and paint the ceiling?

OP: Yeah.

Me: But won't that make the ceiling orange?

OP: What, you don't want orange on the ceiling? I didn't know that.

********************

Seriously, I can't wait to start my week. If I'm lucky I'll have a bunch of emailed requests waiting from all the other people that are as descriptive as:
Can you post this thing? (what thing, where, what will it say?)
Oh, and today is my deadline, so can you drop everything and do it right now?

Catching Up

2008-07-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like my entire life is just one big game of catch up. I spent the weekend recovering from my back injury and I go to the chiropractor one more time today - then hopefully I'm good to run and I can try to catch up with the miles I've missed in training.

Since I was home, I spent the weekend catching up on paperwork and finally cleared off that card table in my office full of junk mail, bills and other "to dos". While I was cleaning and filing, I found three different lists of email addresses from Charity Chick events I have yet to add to my email database (which is still a silly excel spreadsheet).

Last night, I spent 2+ hours finally going through my Outlook folder entitled "email list cleanup" where I've thrown all bounce notifications from Charity Chick mailings and all emails where someone sent me updated contact information or requested to be added to my emails. I STILL need to go through and add those three email lists tonight.

Also, while I was doing paperwork, I created another big box of "to be shredded" stuff that is now in the middle of my living room (that was a smart thing I did - bought a stainless steel shredder and put it right in the living room so I can shred and watch evening TV).

And I still have a small stack of stuff sitting next to my desk TO DO and to be caught up. OY VEY.

Off to work now, I have some serious catching up to do there as well!!

OUCH!

2008-07-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

This morning's trip to the vet took a turn for the bad this am. As I bent down to lift dog #2 into the car, I felt a *pop* and a whiz of pain and swear I heard my mom's voice saying "bend at your knees!!" OY VEY. I'm in pain.

A day of pain and never finding a comfortable position, I had to leave the cocoon and drive to 7th Ave and Thomas to get into a doctor of any sort today. I went to a chiropractor who identified the "stuck" vertebrae and worked it back into place. According to her though, I will be in pain for a bit, but I'll be back to normal soon and my half-marathon in August in San Diego she says will be fine. As far as me actually preparing for it and participating in a training run this weekend - THAT she's not so sure of.

AND...A N D! I'm supposed to chase Polly around and get her to dip and hold each of her four feet into this solution I will make - for TEN MINUTES - twice a day. And after she fully hates me, chase her around again and shove cold medicine down her ears. And I'm having trouble making it to the bathroom to PEE right now.

Wah, wah, wah. Whine fest over. It did prompt me to throw together THIS attractive number - the worst PhotoShop butchery ever. (It's supposed to be me lifting Anna into the car.) My Day in Images. Enjoy:

More about the girls . . . !

2008-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we're off to the vet again. Polly needs to get her last shot for the WORMS she got (was it me letting them dip in the park lake? or Polly's affinity to find bird carcasses and wolf them down before I can intervene?).

She also had a bad foot and after x-rays we discovered the bones were not broken but two nails were slightly torn - when they went to cut them back they discovered they were hollow and infected. SO a couple weeks of antibiotics and the CONE and only going out to pee - and they are still oozy :-(

So since I had the camera out, I thought I would try to capture the happy pups for a picture. Polly is like my sister - very photogenic. That smile radiates out of the image. Poor Anna is like me. A *good* picture only happens every so often. They both have beautiful happy puppy smiles! And here are the attempts to capture that this morning - this cracks me up. Poor Anna!! :-)

First EVER Charity Chicks Comedy Night . . . . a SUCCESS!

2008-07-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our first ever Charity Chicks Comedy night and it was a BLAST! We had a great turnout, the comics were F-U-N and we made over $1200 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Wahoo!!!

Lots of people made this evening happen: The fabulous comedians who donated their time and talents (Tim Bateman, Howard Hughes, Stu Baker, Cade Becher, Greg Freiler, and Keith Ellis); Pranksters Too for letting us use their newly remodeled venue, AZ Wine Company and The Side Door for the wonderful prizes, to Team in Training teammate Barbara Lee who helped promote and sell tickets! I'm tickled pink!

Here's an interesting new eatery...

2008-07-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

I'm curious and slightly frightened. And I might just have to see how good a Gyro you can get at an Italian & Mexican Cuisine establishment! Could be the next Chino Banditos OR the result of an extremely indecisive business owner! More to come...
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Looks kinda like a cafeteria lunch, huh?

2008-07-15T14:21:00.001-07:00

My first stab at a post via BlackBerry! Maybe I won't be such a bad blogger afterall!!
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What's Grosser Than Gross?

2008-07-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

OH *pause* EM *pause* GEE.

I have now witnessed quite possibly the WORST picture of me to date. And it's posted on Karen's Facebook. Just in case you needed something to jump start YOUR diet - here you go:

Did you know Jabba The Hut had a sister??

**update** Karen graciously took the picture off Facebook, but since I already blogged, you still get a peek.**

Who's a bad bloggger? Bad, Bad Blogger!

2008-06-02T13:36:00.001-07:00

Gosh, I guess that's me. I've got some catching up to do . . . and a lot going on, too! My Team in Training group has had two group training runs thus far - I forgot about running in the heat. eeesh, it will be a long summer!

My locals - if you want to do any spring cleaning, I will TAKE your castaways - it's Garage Sale time!! More events and details to come . . . .

I think we've got over 60 people training for either the Maui or the Nike Women's marathon. We have 4 honored teammates - four women who have all survived some sort of blood cancer and are now training to run marathons! It's truly amazing. I have no room to complain about any blisters or heat or sweat . . . (but I still do a little!!)

Bringing Elizabethan Sexy Back!

2008-05-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

The girls had to have their teeth cleaned last week. It was very dramatic. They have to put dogs them under to do the full cleaning and I knew Polly had a bad or cracked tooth. I hate having them go under anesthesia when they are perfectly healthy; it really made me nervous.

So Thursday night I had to take the water away at midnight. Then Friday I took them to the Vet. They were SO excited to go on an adventure until they separated them into kennels. It was so sad and sweet the two seconds I could see them while the door shut. They put them next to each other, but there's a big cement wall separating the stalls. But they stuck their noses out as far as possible so they could still touch . . . . awwwww. While I filled out the paperwork I could hear them crying and it breaks my heart!!

I couldn't pick them up until 4pm, but the doctor was very nice to call me during surgery to talk to me about Polly's cracked tooth. We had it extracted. Then the nurses called to tell me when they both were awake after surgery. When I got there a little after 4, you should have HEARD the dramatic crying. I guess Anna cried all afternoon when she woke up. And then when I got them home, she cried ALL NIGHT. Oy vey. Polly was the one with the pain meds and she barely let you know it.

So this morning we went for our check up. Polly is fine and healing perfectly. Anna however has an infection where her IV line was. So now I have medicine for her leg and she gets to wear THE CONE for the next 10 days. She's actually handling it quite well. I think she knows it means attention.

Anna getting fitted at the Vet.
She's not very happy yet.
That's Polly behind her checking it out.

NOW we're happy -
the McDonald's Drive-Thru!!
This might be okay after all!

When she's not in here laying at my feet, I hear her walking around the house scraping that collar on EVERYthing. This is going to be a long day. I'm teleworking and have a TON to get done. Maybe if I put my IPod on . . . .

I Love CRACK!

2008-04-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, no. Not THAT. But I did go out and buy me one of them fancy BlackBerry Pearls this weekend . . . aka the "Crackberry"

It's pretty cool. I need to spend some time getting to know it a bit, but I do have to say I've answered some emails already on it and the typing part - not so bad. I could get good at it!

It's another attempt to get myself organized. I'm on the go a lot and often have a few different balls in the air at once, so being able to take care of business when away from my home computer will be good. I have some recruitment meetings this week for my Team in Training group and soon will have a whole new crew of mentees to coach along! I'm thinking Facebook would be a nice way to keep the group together - I can post important dates - motivational messages - get the group to collaborate on fundraising. I hope I can convince them to use technology!

Back to my new crack habit - it has a camera with a FLASH (my Razr did not). Here's a picture I took of the beautiful white roses my wonderful friend - and running partner - gave me Friday for my birthday:

awwwwww - aren't they gorgeous?

Oh - and my new toy - it's PINK. As was my Razr. I was NEVER a pink kind of girl! I abhorred it. Avoided it like the plague! And now I'm buying major appliances in pink! (Is a phone an appliance?)

I'm not sure about this new girl-y phase . . . maybe now that I feel my girlhood slipping away, I'm trying to hold onto it with girl-y things?! Maybe. Or maybe I just have less to prove!

My brain is full.

2008-04-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back home from a trip to Alexandria and DC. MAN, do I miss my puppies when I'm gone!!

I'll post more with some photos - but I have to unpack and get ready for BOOT CAMP tomorrow morning - which is at 5:30 tomorrow (or 2:30 am in DC time) - EEEEK.

Highlights:

Fabulous weather
Things in bloom
Smart people, great ideas at convention
New friends, fun nights out
Totally cool treating myself to a night out alone

Lowlights:

Brain full - kind of hurts
Mean beeotch at airport who didn't want me to touch her doggie
Cool things I learned - I still don't think I have the staff/time to implement

Some preview pics I took from my cell phone:

Does my butt look better yet?

2008-04-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

Seriously, boot camp this week is a bitch. Our first week we were pushed a bit by Amanda - but Richelle is our instructor for the REST of the sessions and she kicks our {BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP}!!

I love it.

What ANNA did while I was sweating away at Boot Camp!!! How irritated does she look that I interrupted her snooze for a photo?? tee hee!

Disappointed?

2008-04-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I'll check out the stats for Charity Chicks. I use a free stats program and don't save logs, so I'm limited in information but it's fun to watch traffic spike when I send an email out or do any marketing.

And I learn stuff - for instance, making event photo album links were not a waste of time - many visitors spend quite a bit of time thumbing through them. I mean before I get into anything, I always want to know what the events were like and who was there. Plus, we've had some good times and have good memories!

My favorite stats are when the entry point comes from a search. Most of them were NOT looking to volunteer. Or at least volunteer in the same terms I'm talkin about. Could I get interesting traffic because my site/organization has the word "Chicks" in it? Probably. Does it help that my intro page says something about "girls who give it up for cheap"? Oh yeah, I'm sure THAT might mislead to what they might find. How disappointing to land and see that it's girls doing . . . well, nothing but good.

Anyway. I'm marketing for an event right now and the hits are comin - mostly from people on my email list. But not all. I got one hit this week from a Yahoo search for "chicks who dig old men" (tee hee). They read the front page and actually checked out our events page before leaving. I guess they still had hope our events might include a shuffleboard night?

I mean, I've considered older men, but how would Yahoo know that??

Life isn't going to wait for you to be "ready" - you've got to always be ready to live your life!

2008-04-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

That's my new credo. It's kind of silly, I know - but it is something I struggle with. I'm addictive by nature and I have the typical addict mentality . . . I'll quit after I [insert excuse/goal]. I'll fix that when I [insert excuse/goal]. I go through phases where I "hide out" from life and focus on other things. I'm in a never-ending struggle of balance. I'll focus on a work project so much that I'm too tired to take care of my personal life. But heck, sometimes working is so much easier than REAL life . . . !!

I've let myself go. :-( In the past two years, I've put on almost 20 pounds and I've been waiting for a "good time" to deal with it. I'll eat better NEXT week, I'll go back to the gym NEXT month, blah, blah, blah.

Now all this stuff is coming up. I run into a cute boy - I'm asked to be on the news - I'm going to a fun event and need to dip into the skinny side of my closet . . . . AND I'M NOT READY!! Dammit. See where the credo comes in?

It's been a year and a half since I ran the marathon in Greece, which was a HUGE life goal and a HUGE accomplishment for me. It should have reminded me that I can do anything - an attitude I kept alive, right? But no - small injury - big work project - and I let it all go. All that training? I'm back to square one.

But I'm back on the CHANGE path. I started a fitness boot camp on Monday - 3 days a week, 5:30 am for four weeks.

And LIFE wants me to change, too! I had a doctor threaten surgery earlier this year but have decided to handle it myself through better health.

I entered the lottery for the always-full Nike Women's Marathon in October. I said that if I'm meant to run again, my name will be drawn. And the chances were pretty slim. Guess what news I got yesterday? Looks like I'm spending my summer on the canal again this year.

I've got some SERIOUS pounds to shed if my poor knees and feet are going to carry me for another 26.2, plus the hundreds of training miles.

Look out LIFE, I'm getting READY again!

News Whore :-)

2008-04-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

Look, ma . . . I'm on TV!!!! Of course this picture is courtesy of MY MOM - who couldn't resist.

This is me helping promote the 15th Annual Make A Difference Serve-A-Thon. I'm still recruiting for Team Charity Chicks. Sean, the newscaster interviewing me was on my team 6 years ago and will be joining again this year with his lovely wife. Yea, team!

Thank you Easter Bunny - Bok! Bok!

2008-03-24T20:58:00.001-07:00

I spent yesterday with my parents first - we went to church and then the BUFFET for breakfast (thanks for the coupons, Grandma and Grandpa!). Then we went to my sister's and spent the rest of the day with the boys. My sister is such a good mom and is resurrecting all of the FUN things my parents used to do with us when we were kids.

My mom used to make us colored pancakes for every holiday - pink hearts, green shamrocks, colored eggs. So great! Hand poured, not with any cookie cutter assistance, which meant they were usually lopsided and definitely homemade, which made them perfect! I remember one St. Patrick's Day, though, my mom died the milk green and I just couldn't bring myself to drink it!

We did Easter egg hunts LONG after Heidi and I were too old to have them. The rules would change a little, but I remember having to wear the bunny ears the whole time - and you had to HOP to go find the eggs and HOP to put them back in the basket!

So this year, we made bunny ears out of foam and then did face painting. The two older boys had to do the whole egg hunt tied together with their dad's belt! No one was injured or fell in the pool . . . amazing!

Hope you had some fun too! :-) I'm so thankful to be able to spend time with my crazy family.

Out and About in AZ . . . .

2008-03-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

Spring, spring, spring! It's a sin to stay inside right now; it's impossible to not want to be ACTIVE; and it's simply DUMB to leave the house without a pocket full of allergy meds.

Ah yes, spring: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Right, right??

This weekend I took advantage of the FABulous weather and took in a hike. I also let the world take a gander at my lovely paper-white legs. If you pretend to not notice the brown haze, it's an amazing view peeking out of the mountain ranges at our city skyline.

Speaking of brown haze and the fight against it. . . Me and Bella Blue . . . biking to work has been GREAT. It's still brisk in the mornings, so I arrive all rosy and refreshed. It's not a far ride, I think maybe 3 miles. I do a couple hills and haven't biked in FOREVER, so my legs are moaning a little. But all is well.

Cancer Sucks. People Don't.

2008-03-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend events all over the US took place for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. I was lucky enough to play a small part in the very first PHOENIX St. Baldrick's Day!

I know Cara through my friend AM. Her son had a rare blood disease when he was born and had to go through chemotherapy as an infant. He’s an amazing, beautiful child who is now 5 years old and is doing really GREAT. His oncologist asked Cara if she would help organize the St. Baldrick's event in Phoenix.

What is St. Baldrick's, you ask? It is an event that raises important funds for childhood cancer research. Participants commit to shave their head and collect donations. Then on one day, they all gather at an event and the shaving begins! In eight years, events have taken place in 18 countries and 46 US states, raising over $34 million, and shaving more than 46,000 heads. Pretty amazing, huh? Learn more about it on their website.

We had over 60 participants (ie people who went home BALD) and in one day raised over $40,000!!!! It was an amazing thing to be a part of - the girls at 8020 Marketing should be PROUD of what they did!

What I witnessed: paramedics (8 men and a chick!) raised a ton of money and got shaved together. A whole family - mom, sister, aunts, uncles, brothers, neighbors, grandpa - all for one amazing little girl! People with family members who are suffering or have survived. Survivors. People who just care. Young and old, boys and girls. It was an extremely emotional experience for all.

My spirit is renewed in the goodness of people!

Make A Difference Day!! Where's my TEAM?

2008-03-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have been involved with a wonderful organization in Phoenix called Make A Difference for over 11 years.

I used to be VERY active with them and lead a reading project at a shelter, was on event committees, produced graphic design for all event materials and even designed and built their very first website! I met some of my closest friends through Make A Difference - we will be together forever!

Over the past 6 or so years, I've focused on my OWN project: the fabulous Charity Chicks.

But I never miss the annual Make A Difference Serve-A-Thon. The Serve-A-Thon (or Make A Difference Day as it's known to us old-timers) is a pretty cool event. We've had up to 4000 volunteers working on 100+ projects over a four-hour period of time. Homes and shelters were landscaped, festivals attended by kids, neighborhoods cleaned up, murals painted, homes repaired and so much more! It is AMAZING what a group of driven volunteers can accomplish in just one morning. We can literally move mountains and I'm always so inspired by the experience.

For the past 5 years we've had a Team Charity Chicks project. This year is no different. We will be working at a shelter in west Phoenix. We'll be cleaning out the daycare area and hosting a literacy fair for the kids.

SAVE THE DATE: April 12, 2008. It's a Saturday and I will need you for just the morning. It's a great way to spend a beautiful spring day, I swear! Following the project, we are all invited to a picnic and celebration for ALL the volunteers. It's a great chance to mingle with the other 3000 volunteers and learn about their projects and experiences.

In addition to a Serve-A-Thon, the event is also a fundraiser. Not only are we committing thousands of hands in service for one day, we're also raising money to fund the YEAR-LONG activities of Make A Difference. If you want to donate, you can do so on our site: www.firstgiving.com/charitychicks

More information about our project to come . . .

40 is the new 30 . . . (blah, blah, blah)

2008-03-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

What is that crap all about? Sheesh.

I do have to say as someone who wrote an essay in high school titled: Is There Life After 25?, getting old hasn't been as bad as I imagined. I mean, I look at my friends - here we are in the stage of life where I thought we would be ANCIENT - and well, we're a pretty good looking group of peeps!

We're still vibrant. And attractive. And interesting. And not ancient at all. In fact, in some ways we're SO much more interesting than we were 10 years ago. (Although I always hated those people who thought they knew so more than me just because they had a few more years of experience . . . I swear, I'm not one of THEM).

Also note that I said "in SOME ways we're more interesting" . . . not in all ways. I don't have half as many stories as I used to after a weekend - but that also means I only half embarrassed myself! Remember when you could party like a rock star and get up and do it again? Now I need a fist full of vitamins and a week to recover.

My immediate crowd: we're turning 40 now. (Not me YET but I AM on the other side of the hump.) I remember our 30th birthday parties like they were yesterday. They really feel like yesterday to me. And we gave each other diapers and canes and "over the hill" cards THEN. HA! (Seriously, what did we know?)

And society has spoken:

Consumers in many countries across the globe agreed that aging is different from it was a few decades ago. A whopping 60% agreed that being in your 40s was the new 30s. The new middle age is in your 60s according to 56% of those polled, while 54% said ‘your 30s was the new 20s’. In most countries except for China and Hong Kong, women outnumbered men in agreeing with the statements according [to the 2006]AC Nielsen Online Consumer Confidence and Opinion Survey. The survey carried out by AC Nielsen Customised Research Global also found that one out of every five persons questioned would consider cosmetic surgery to turn back the hands of time.

I don't know what all of that means. But Happy Birthday, Ann-Marie - you're wonderful, as always!

Shoes 4 Africa - on their way

2008-03-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

Did you know . . .

An estimated 24.5 million adults and children were living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2005. During that year, an estimated 2 million died from AIDS.

To date, the AIDS pandemic has left behind more than 14 million orphans . . . approximately 92% of them live in Africa. If, as expected, the number of adults dying from AIDS rises over the next decade, Afirca will largely be a nation of orphans.

Although Africa represents 10% of the world's population they account for 83% of AIDS related deaths. The average life expectancy of a Kenyan is 48-years old. Swaziland's life expectancy is under 40 years old.

Putting shoes on a person increases hygeine, builds self esteem and greatly reduces the chance of Intestinal Worms. Close to 92% of Kenyan children tested had Hookworm, which enter the body through exposed bare feet.

What an amazing organization. WWW.SHOES4AFRICA.ORG

I think how tough it is for me to run WITH the right equipment and shoes to make it all easy - and I still have issues. Running is the NUMBER 1 sport in Africa - and most of them are barefoot!

This organization has done some amazing things. MORE than just sending some used shoes to athletes in Africa, they focus on AIDS EDUCATION; they organize races; they give women and children new opportunities; they create SCHOLARSHIPS; they have helped Olympic atheletes become recognized. Amazing. You inspire me.

I just sent 6 pairs of shoes off ($52 - USPS help us!!!???). And hope they give TWICE as much strength and JOY as they gave to these feet in the U.S.A.