My Christmas List

since it's after thanksgiving, it's now time to go shopping. i didn't do the whole after-thanksgiving shopping thing because a) i had to work (boo on that) and b) i don't like big crowds or feeling like a cow being herded around.

anyways, i did a little shopping friday after work and saturday. but those who know me also know that i probably won't have all my Christmas shopping done until sometime after christmas. :) haha. some of you i won't see until after Christmas, so i can actually do that this year! :) so anyways, this blog is reserved for Christmas lists.... friends: reply to this blog with a few things you would like for Christmas and i'll see what i can do to bring a little Christmas cheer for you!

as for me.....

(in no particular order...)
1. a lazyboy recliner for my room
2. gladiator on dvd
3. a digital camera
4. a cotton candy maker
5. gift card to the movie theater
6. a few month's subscription of cable (particularly ESPN and affiliates thru march madness)
7. tickets to a KU game (and the plane ticket to go along with it)
8. my mommy to come to arizona for Christmas since i won't be able to make it home
9. ski lift ticket with friends for when i'm in colorado
10. gift card to outback, red lobster, or any sushi place
11. lots and lots of candy (and some extra $ for dentist visits)
12. a KU hoodie
13. a professional massage
14. monster's inc. on dvd
15. the notebook on dvd
16. last of the mohican's soundtrack on cd
17. ipod nano
18. legends of the fall soundtrack on cd
19. full ride scholarship to PT school
20. to win the lottery

well, there you go. happy shopping! :) haha. just kidding. i hope you all have a fantastic holiday season and not lose sight of why we do celebrate christmas. i know for me its easy to get caught up in presents and ribbons and bows. but above any cotton candy you can buy me, i love you guys more than you will ever know!

did you know that running makes you fat?

this blog will be short and sweet. mainly, this one is for jen. you keep on saying that i'm going to get fat someday and i need to keep running. well, did you know that in the last 3 months while i've been running, i've also gained a good chunk of weight? anyways, i haven't weighed myself in a while, but i did today at the doctor's office. i won't reveal to the world how much i weigh, but i will say that it's the most i have ever weighed in my life, and it's almost a 10% increase. over 7% to be more exact. anyways, jen, running makes you gain weight.... so no more making fun of me about me being a skinny couch potato. now i'm going to eat a tub of ice cream....

VICTORY!!!!

so, obviously i survived my first race. obviously i didn't die of an asthma attack. and obviously i finished, or i'd be too embarassed to even blog about it. in fact, i think i did fairly well. the most i ran was 5 miles about 4 weeks ago. and i was sick 2 weeks prior to the race. and i went hiking for almost 2 hours the day before a race because i'm a sucker for a cute boy.

dispite my lack of discipline and my short stubby legs, i finished the race without walking. in fact, i finished the race in 59:07!!! that's an average of 9:31 miles. i am very happy that i broke the one hour mark.

so here's the replay of the race and some of my thoughts during...

the first 3 miles i was coasting. i ran with andrew (a friend from church). he was very nice and made me feel good about myself by running with me (he's a triathlete). we were coasting and going at a pretty steady pace. then soon after mile 3, i crashed. we were running in downtown tempe, and if i had known where i was in the route, i would've found my way back to the car and waited for my friends there. but i kept my short stubby legs going. next thing i know, i look up and i see kira in front of me. (kira did not train at all for this race.) in the competitive instinct within me could not let her in front of me. so i caught up with her and we ran together for a little bit. we waited for audrey to show up, but we couldn't find her. kira slowed down for her, but i kept on going because if i slowed down any more, i would've just stopped all together. so i went on and part way thru mile 4, kira catches back up with me and we start running together. while kira is fretting that she's a bad friend for losing audrey, i'm thinking, gotta keep going, can't stop to find a friend, have to finish. (kira is a little bit less selfish than i) anyways, we run together and as we pass mile 5, the timer person yes out some time that was 48 or 49 minutes. and kira turns to me and says, we can finish this race in less than hour! i looked at her as if she was insane, but at the same time, i thought how sweet it would be if we could finish in less than an hour. so i said, well, if we want to break an hour, we're gonna have to haul ass! well, we did. so picture this with me: kira is probably about 5'9" and of that 5'9", about 5' of it are legs. i'm 5'3" (with shoes on) and i got short stubby legs. and so as we pick up the pace, i was like a warthog running next to a very graceful gazelle. (lauren, sorry, i had to steal that line) so anyways, once i hit mile 6, i mustered up the last bit of energy that i had and sprinted the last .2 miles. and i thought i was going to hurl when i passed the finish line. but that's ok because i finished in less than an hour. :)

so to refer to the previous blog, i didn't burn my running shoes. jen is still trying to convince me to run the half marathon. i had a BIG lobster for lunch after the race. i had cold stone after that. and ice cream for dinner. but i didn't eat the whole tub. i haven't found my ice cold pepsi yet. and there was no cute boy to make out with. (though i did hike with a cute boy the previous day)

anyways, that was my first (and maybe last) race. my legs hurt. they feel like they are going to fall off. and i'm going to go home after work today and eat more ice cream. :)

Phoenix New Times 10K

on sunday is the "new times 10K" that i have signed up to run. part of me is very excited for this since i'm a virgin at these things. running cross country in high school doens't really count. so of my post-high school running career, this will be my first race. 6.2 miles. i was sick all last week, so i wasn't able to run. and this week, i've been trying to make up for it and every muscle in my lower body hurts. therefore, i'm also nervous about the race. i just want to finish without having to stop and walk. that is my goal-- no walking.

so stay tuned on monday or shortly there after for my blog on my first race.

but before then, lemme share with you my plans for life after sunday....
1)i'm going to burn my running shoes
2)my post-high school career finished as soon as it started. i'm not going to run the half marathon. can't do it.
3)i'm going to eat a tub of ice cream in one sitting. (and i'm not talking about the ben and jerry's sized tubs)
4)i'm going to sit in front of the tv and eat that tub of ice cream.
5)i'm going to splurge and treat myself to a very nice dinner.
6)i'm going to sit in my hot tub after the race (only i don't have a hot tub. if only i still lived in greeley, and if only blayne and deb still owned their house...)
7)i'm going to find a hot guy that ran next to me and ask him to make out with me after the race.
8)actually, after the race, i'm going to shower and go to church. so you can nix #7.
9)i'm going to treat myself to an ice cold pepsi. (i have not drank pop since i started running.)
10)i will cry after losing the 6-pack that appeared since i started running.

How do you catch a cold in 90 degree weather??

so as you know from the title of this blog, i'm a bit under the weather. i have some sort of vicious cold. but it's like 90 degrees outside. how does one catch a cold when it is hot as hell outside? poop on a stick!!

i woke up yesterday with the tightness in my throat and stuffiness in my sinuses. well today, it is now full blown! :( so sad. i hate being sick. and being that i have not completed 6 months of work here yet, i don't have sick leave. so here i am, at work, spreading my germies to all my co-workers and my patients. meanwhile, my utmost desire is to be in bed, curled up in my blankets, with my blankie and froggie keeping me company. (yes, that is my 32nd confession, i still sleep with a blankie and froggie) anyways, i'm drugged up on dayquil during the day and nyquil at night. and my 10K race is less than 2 weeks and i'm out of commission for probably a week.

my life is falling apart..... (just kidding, by the way)