Running Randoms: Including Chafing & Sports Beans

I rushed out to buy toothpicks after work. I need to do something to up my coolness factor.  

I started throwing things in my suitcase for Florida!

My RPIC (Racing Partner in Crime), Lesley, and I discussed the Princess Half. Expect to see us fly by you at the start. Expect for me to NOT belch loudly in Lesley's direction. (I promise NO belching at all!!) Expect to see us fly by you at the finish line! We are so totally going to ROCK the heck out of this half marathon!

I lied. I did not go buy toothpicks. 

Chafing isn't pretty. Here's proof:

 Welcome to my inner left thigh!

**The skirt that caused the chafing will be reserved for 5K or less runs from now on. It is super cute - it is the black skirt with pink shorties that they gave with the entry fee at the SkirtChaser 5K last year. It is so super cute, but the shorts aren't compressiony enough, obviously. OUCH!** In all this time running this is my FIRST chaffing incident. Oh. My. Gosh. 

I have officially requested time off for the Disneyland Half Marathon and the Las Vegas Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon. YAY!

I started eyeballing flights to Anaheim and Vegas. Oh no, I don't plan early at all. Nope!

I can't stop fantasizing about eating yummy bread at Mazzi's in Eugene. So. Freaking. GOOD!! Delicious. The best!! I hope Mazzi's is as good now as it was when I was last there about 15 or more years ago!

And finally, the winner of my stash of Sports Beans is: Giraffy!!  Well look at that, I was already going to mail you a package anyway, so this works out perfectly! I'll try to get them out ASAP so you can enjoy them while you finish training for the Princess Half Marathon! Congrats!!

Is It Cool?

This might be more directed toward males, but I am dying to hear opinions from all!!

Toothpicks. Just hanging them out of your mouth. A symbol of "cool"?

Do you think this makes you look cool? Do you feel cool? Are you cool??

Should I start sucking on a toothpick all the time?

Wait a minute! P Diddy/Puff Daddy/Sean Combs/etc/etc/etc and I share a birthday. Do I need to follow in his footsteps and do this? Is Kathy Griffin doing it yet? I sure hope not. Ralph Macchio? Are you doing this? Jeff Probst? You wouldn't do this would you? Christina, my running twin, I KNOW you aren't, right?

One more question .... why did my cell phone just get a call from a mental health/drug & alcohol detox center?? I have never done drugs. I haven't had any alcohol in far too long. Did they see this post and think I've mentally lost it for daring to question the ridiculousness of the floppy toothpick??

Run #31 - Nine Miles, What? What?

Wow - how cool does it feel to add new distances to my running resume?? I'm so dang tired and hungry right now, so this might be a short post. I have blogger's block - I made that up - I think. Of course I thought I made up the phrase of "sexting" and then it went global. I've been on a quest to bring "Rad" back into our normal vocabulary for a few years now. So anyway, watch out - you'll see "blogger's block" as the next big "It" phrase!

Anyway, what? 

First off, I was beyond excited to go out in January in a tank top and skirt! Six miles later I was not happy about the chaffing from said skirt. Lesson learned! I think it will be saved for shorter summer runs, but no more long runs! The first 5K was hard. I'm not gonna lie! I stopped quite frequently on this run to massage my calves. They were ridiculously tight and didn't want to do anything. After loop number one I paused to fill up my water bottle, and refresh myself. From there it was a totally different run!

I clearly didn't bother to look pretty for this one!

I did pause for a while to watch a situation with a man and his two dogs. The dogs were both small and trying to play with each other. He ended up dropping the leash of the puppy and continuing through the park with the other dog. I couldn't leave until I knew everything was going to be resolved. So I pretended to stretch while watching. The poor dog was spinning in circles trying to get untangled while the owner would occasionally turn and whistle for it to come. Finally I said enough is enough. I ended up going over to the puppy and untangling it so it could try to catch up to it's owner. I really wanted to just keep it. We could have outrun the owner without breaking a sweat!

Another thing that bothered me on this run was during my third and final loop. During the first two passes they weren't there, but on trip number three someone had placed Playboy magazines up against some trees for all to see. I guess it made me uncomfortable because someone had done it between my trips through that area and as someone that thinks every man is a serial killer, I felt a little uneasy.  I was thankful when an older couple walking the path picked them all up and disposed of them. I mean enjoy your magazines, fine, but don't prop them up in the middle of a popular place where people of all ages hang out and feed the ducks. End of rant.

My final mile felt fabulous! I think today was just a mental battle that I overcame, and a minor physical battle that I also overcame. I think I am loving the final mile of each new distance because I get a high just knowing that I am doing something new and getting one step closer to the ultimate goal of 13.1!

Stats:
9 miles today
1:37 for an average pace of 10:49
18 miles for the week - highest ever
71.7 miles for January - highest ever
71.7 miles for 2011 ..... 322 for 2010? Ha! 2011 is going to kick ass!!

Run #30 - Affirmation

I believe that I am in awe that I have done so well at committing myself to running!
I believe that my biggest challenge with this run was my mind.
I believe that I felt success when I won the battle and completed 4.5 miles instead of turning toward my house at 2.83 miles!
I believe that while I am really good at night time runs, I am ready for the sun to stay out longer after work.
I believe that the right song can really help push me through a tough moment.
I believe that this Savage Garden song is one of those songs.
I believed that I was going to marry the lead singer.... he is now married to his husband. *sigh*
I believe that these training plans really do work!
I believe that each distance that used to seem scary now feels easier each time I go out.
I believe that all of you really inspire me every day when your words run through my head during runs.
I believe I owe you all a big THANK YOU! :)
I believe that a cuter outfit makes me feel like I am running better.
I believe that running up hills isn't impossible after all. I tackled a lot and still maintained the overall same pace.
I believe that my confidence about this half marathon increases after every run, no matter how fast, slow, long or short it is.
I believe in compression socks/sleeves. I wish I had learned about them ages ago!

I believe that I am completely in love with my shoes because they make me feel like a bad ass.....

I believe I have figured out the problem. 

I believe I have chubby toes.

I believe my toe nails are ALWAYS trimmed because I obsess over them constantly.

I believe that when I am running my chubby toes are smooshing on each other.

I believe that it is pretty cool to run so long and have the blood accumulate, but never feel pain!

I believe that I have accepted my chunky toes, and will just embrace them for the way they are!

I believe that I am beyond excited to go to Disney World!

I believe that I am excited to get to meet many of you in person, finally!!

I believe in Jimmy Buffett ... thank goodness the coolest man on the planet is on the mend from that fall!
I believe that the Jersey Shore is like a drug .... addicting and probably bad for you, but I love it.
I believe that 2011 is quite possibly going to be the coolest year of my life!!

I believe you need some Sports Beans!

Cue The Butterflies!

Oh my gosh, you guys! And, OH MY GOSH, Princesses!!

ONE MONTH!!!

By this time in just one month I will be showered, in fresh clothes, walking around a theme park with a medal around my neck, probably wanting to eat everything I see.  (Am I the only one that turns into a vulture after a good race??)  I can't believe that my first half marathon is so close. I can't believe that I am running a half marathon!!

One year ago I was getting excited about going to Florida to hopefully run my first full 5K without stopping to walk at all. That was my only goal. Just run 3.1 miles all in a row. Then I got to the expo and felt like I wanted to be part of the BIG show. So before even running those 3.1 miles I already knew that in one year I would be back in Florida ready to run my first half marathon. And now it is soooo close. I mean I might actually start putting things in suitcases pretty soon. It is a bit more than I can grasp at this exact moment, actually. 

I feel ready though. Granted right now my longest run ever is 8 miles, but things are progressing so well that I know if I follow the plan (and listen to Lesley and just freaking slow down!) I will be A-OK! I've never been so dedicated to anything in my entire life, aside from my pets, of course. So while my tummy is in knots and feeling nervous then excited then nervous, you get the idea, my mind is calm and ready!

Life as I know it is about to seriously make a change. Let's just take a quick little looksie poo at what is already planned (I know me, I will start adding to it before too long!):

February 26 - walking the Royal Family 5K with my mom
February 27 - running the Disney Princess Half Marathon
March 13 - Shamrock 15K
April 10 - Inaugural Corvallis Half Marathon
May 1 - Eugene Half Marathon
May 8 - Hippie Chick Quarter Marathon
July 4 - Butte to Butte 10K
September 4 - Disneyland Half Marathon
September ?? - Prefontaine Memorial 10K
October 9 - Portland Half Marathon
December ? - Las Vegas Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon


Clearly there are some gaps here. I mean June? What happened to June? Or November? August, are you there?

I think Jessica and I are still wanting to do the Great Urban Race again this year, which is in July. I might walk the 5K in Disneyland as well, if I can get someone to join me!

So really, it is a good thing I'm fully dedicated because I am going to be one freaking busy lady!

(Oh yeah, there are a few days left to get a hold of my unwanted Sports Beans!)

Run #29 - Such an Oregonian

After how awesome my first ever eight mile run was on Sunday, I was curious how the next run would go. Would I still feel great? Would my body be sore or tired after hitting this new distance? I had been feeling totally fine, but it seems sometimes when I feel fine and then start to run I just bomb. What would happen??

Knowing that it was Pre's birthday, and I think to think he pays attention when I talk to him, I set out determined to have a great run in his honor. And I DID! My legs felt amazing. Never any pain. No awkwardness. I even threw in a few small hills to help get ready for March's crazy ass 15K that I signed up for. And with all of those hills and trying to not be a speed demon, I finished 4.5 miles in 47 minutes!

Why did I feel like such an Oregonian? Well, there was the whole Prefontaine being an Oregonian thing. I was wearing my Pre necklace (as if I EVER take it off? Ha!), a long sleeve shirt from a race last year, and a skirt. I've always said that it seems like such an Oregon thing to go out in shorts and a sweatshirt. I felt like this was my running equivalent of shorts and a sweatshirt. And then there's the Goonies! Not only the BEST movie ever made, but it was made in Oregon! At one point when my body was distracted by visions of birthday cake for Pre I was pleasantly surprised. Cyndi Lauper's  "The Goonies R Good Enough" came on. I love that song! I hear it now and remember how it came on just as I was hitting a hill in a 5K race last year. I tackled that hill and passed a ton of other runners, finishing out to get a PR that would last until the end of October! Plus it just reminds me of the Goonies and it is my favorite movie. Sean Astin and I even had a moment a couple years ago. Yep, it's true. It was a long gaze of eye contact. A Goonie was looking at ME!! (I have pictures of it all, too. YAY!)

So it was a great run! When I got home I had a little party to celebrate... and it was tasty!

My hand looks ginormous!

Some half training stats as of now:

• 104.5 miles
• 29 runs
• 1 run in to week 9
• 58.2 miles for 2011

 Don't forget, I'm giving away a stash of Sports Beans, etc. I'll announce the winner on January 31st!

~Happy Birthday, Pre~

You didn't think we'd ignore Steve Prefontaine's birthday in this blog, did you?? Heavens no!

He was born on January 25, 1951 in Coos Bay, Oregon. Sadly he left the world on May 30, 1975 in Eugene, Oregon. I'm not going to write about him or why I have a healthy obsession. Instead I thought I'd just keep it more silent and remember him through photos ... that I took while stalking visiting key places from his life (and I'm obviously not done)!

His home in Coos Bay, Oregon

Prefontaine memorial in Coos Bay

Marshfield High School, Coos Bay, Oregon

Marshfield High School

One of his old training routes in Coos Bay - site of the Prefontaine Memorial 10K

Pre's Rock - Eugene, Oregon

Sunset Memorial Park, Coos Bay, Oregon

Happy Birthday, Pre!

Impromptu Fuel Giveaway!

No, I'm not giving anyone a gift card to Chevron or anything. I'm actually spontaneously deciding to have a giveaway of various tasty products that many of you runners would probably enjoy!

Here's the thing... I don't eat chocolate. I don't eat candy. I have in my little tub o' fuel some products that have chocolate in them. And I have some of those Sport Beans that I still consider candy. I acquired these at races and as gifts from friends.  I will never use these and I would feel bad if they just sat there ignored. Instead of throwing them out I thought I may as well share them with someone that would actually like to use and enjoy them!

I'll make it so dang easy for this giveaway since really you all are helping me clean house! ;)

How about you can have an entry if you follow me.

How about you can have an entry if you share what your favorite "fuel" source is.

That's it! Two ways to enter! And I'll make this one fast. I'm sending out mail next week, I think, so let's have this go through January 31st. I'll use that fun random number thing again to chose who will win my little pack o' chocolaty candy type stuff!

Run #28 - an Epic EIGHT Miles

What a change from last week's long run. Last week I could barely string together a coherent sentence in my blog because I was so busy pouting and feeling pathetic. Well this week I am feeling on top of the world!

I didn't get up early or anything for this. I enjoyed sleeping in and lounging about for a while, then decided I would turn this run into a dress rehearsal for the Half. The weather was a little chilly, but it will start chilly at the half, too, so I was fine with that. I loved the finished outfit I must say! I loaded up the iPod with a couple of running podcasts, filled up my water, slid on some sunglasses and was out the door. I was just getting set to go when my phone vibrated. I received a text, and I shall quote it now! "88 88 88 88 88.... got it?" Got it! So I set out on this run aiming for 11 minute miles. I've been a bad student lately and keep getting faster and faster instead of working on distance. So today it would be the magic eleven!

It was a beautiful day. The path was filled with tons of people walking dogs and only a few other runners. Thankfully Stink Eye wasn't out in her vain little sports bra and flippy hair! Around 4 miles in I realized my new BIC band was missing. NO!! I loved that thing. It was so cute and the perfect finishing touch for my outfit. I have to apologize to Coach Lesley now - I ended up picking up my pace a tad when I started hunting for it. But actually, I think I was getting lethargic a bit, so this just helped me get back into the groove. I was starting loop two and on a mission to find my missing accessory. I saw a woman that I had crossed paths with on loop one and she hadn't seen it, but said she'd keep an eye out for it. The next 2.5 miles felt great and went by so fast. I think I always need to be on a mission for something and I'll be a better runner! The nice lady and I passed again and still no success for either of us. I started the loop a third time but decided to accept my loss and turned around. On my run back to my neighborhood I saw something on the ground ahead of me. Could it be? The sun was almost sending a beam of light right to it. I sped up ... and there it was! 6.6 miles in and I found my BIC band! Seems I must have lost it at the 1.2 mile mark and didn't even realize it. I realize now that it was the spot that I had stopped running to walk a few paces and grab a drink of water. Lesson learned -- bring bobby pins to Florida just in case!  When I hit the 7 mile mark I was almost 5 minutes ahead of my time from the last long run. That made me happy and put an extra boost in my step. My final mile ended up being my second fastest and I even had energy for a final kick at the end. Yippee!!

So happy to have my headband back where it belongs!

When it was all over I let out a little holler for myself and threw my arms up. I was so happy! After that last long run and feeling so bad, I was relieved to finally feel happy and satisfied that I did my best. I was smiling the entire walk home. It was GREAT!! I never bother posting my splits, but since I had that 88 88 88 88 going through my head, I thought I better post these times just to show that I did a really good job of getting close to 11 minute miles! I found that when I tried to go slower I ended up way too slow, and so I'd speed up, but then I'd be settling into my happy long run pace of 10:25. So here's how it broke down.:

10:24
10:43
11:00
10:49
10:58
10:40
10:53
10:26

So 8 miles in a total time of 1:25:59, for an average pace of 10:43! This is definitely the most I've behaved on the speed and trying to keep it from getting out of control at a faster pace than I'd be able to maintain for 13.1 miles. Woohoo for me!

***I really need new sunglasses. The ones in that picture are the glasses I bought at Universal Studios on Halloween for $15 when my awesome Fossil sunglasses broke. I've been lazy and haven't tried to replace them yet. I must look like a goofball running in them! ***

Basically, I can't wait to tackle nine miles next Sunday! I'm getting so jazzed for this Half Marathon. This run really helped me believe in myself. Hallelujah!!

OH!!! I've now completed exactly 100 miles of this training program! To put it in perspective, I only did 322 in all of 2010! So far I am at 53.7 for 2011!

Run #27 - I'm Back! AND My Desk

Run #27 happened last night. I ditched my Spanish lesson and decided since it was only 3 miles I'd listen to some music. I haven't run with music in a really long time, so it was a nice change of pace. This time I tried to not look at my Garmin every three steps and just let myself enjoy the run. First mile was 10:03. Hm. My awesome "Coach" Lesley wanted me to try to run slower. This was not considered slower. So I made a conscious effort to slow down. I was positive that I felt like I was doing about 10:40 which is our desired race pace and slower than 10:03. I looked at the Garmin .... I was doing 9:48. Oops! From there I really did improve on not hauling ass. The last two miles were I think 10:39 each. So 3 miles in 31 minutes and change. I felt really good. It was nice to feel like I finally shook off that funk that the 7 mile run put me in. We'll see how tonight goes! I'm really having fun with this training though. I promise I won't document every single run with the remaining half marathons this year. But this is the first half ever, and I kind of want to be able to look back and see how it went and how I was feeling. 

* * * * *

And since we looked at my refrigerator yesterday, today we can have a looksie at my desk at work. Wait, back up! Did you see the video I posted in yesterday's blog? That was part 2 and freaking hysterical. Okay, a couple of years ago my gays and I were obsessed with those videos we would quote them ALL THE TIME. How many times would they tell me that they eat so much foul they sh!t feathers?? So anyway, we were obsessed and yesterday I about fell out of my chair. The woman that did the voice overs on them that we adore ... she commented on my blog!!!! I love all of the comments I get and it makes my day to see I have a new one, but never did I think that a "celebrity" would visit my little page and write to me!

So yes, my desk:

*My desk in Disney World wasn't THIS bad - it was all Cheshire Cat and Animal Kingdom things. Things that you would see at my desk are:

• Pictures from vacations. One of those needs to be replaced - ex-boyfriends don't need to be on my desk! You'll see a neon post-it over a photo - again, douche bags don't belong here!
• A Disney Princess tiara antenna topper that I picked up at last year's Princess weekend.
• A Mickey ice cream bar antenna topper ..... I have this because my friend actually designed it!
• Tons of Disney toys from McDonald's Happy Meals
• OSU football that I put my fortunes in.
• WDW hotel cup from last November's vacation
• Prayer flags from Disney's Animal Kingdom
• An obscene amount of photos of friends and family
• Souvenir glass from Halloween Horror Nights
• A mini Liberty Bell from my 6 hour visit to the Philadelphia airport when Hurricane Ike was sending me all over the USofA
• Good luck cats from Epcot
• Customized mouse pad covered with pictures of me and my number one gay that I can't live without
• My red Swingline stapler - a la Office Space
• And tons of other nonsense that helps distract me from the monotony of the day
• And then there's the desktop photo on my computer that might look familiar to some of you!

It is possible I might have writer's block, hence the last two postings of my habitats!

Run #26 - Me Llamo Ronda AND My Fridge

I don't have much to say about run #26. I am so happy I did it. It was harder than I expected, but after I've been really dizzy for a while the first run back usually isn't a piece of cake. I got in four miles in about 42 minutes. I was trying so hard to slow down my pace, but my legs weren't listening to my head. Maybe that is because I was concentrating hard on learning Spanish? I took two years in high school and even had two Puerto Rican roommates in Florida, so I've been around it a lot, but never practiced. I thought maybe it would be fun to download a podcast and have some refresher courses while running. I felt kind of silly running along in dark repeating all of these very basic phrases and sentences, but it was fun!

* * * * * * * *

Since I am already done talking about the run, I thought I'd invite you all  into my home. OMG, did you guys see the Brenda Dickson "Welcome to My Home" parodies?? They were Hysterical!!  Anyway, I never invite people over. Believe it or not, I am a pretty private person and I just like to keep my space to myself. However, I looked at my refrigerator last night and had to laugh. There is hardly any free space at all. So now, without any further ado, welcome to my fridge!

Things you will see:

• baby picture of my cat, Tinker Bell
• 2005 photo from a character breakfast in WDW
• gargoyles because I love them
• my new sticker that says "You are capable of more than you realize" from Molly @ I'm a Sleeper Baker. Thanks, Molly!!
• Las Vegas bottle opener for the bottles I never open
• A Christmas card from Lesley! and one from my friend that hosts CRAZY Christmas parties
• A mirror at eye level to try to keep me aware that I do NOT want any food from inside!
• SkirtChaser 5K stickers
• Hood to Coast postcard
• Epcot Food & Wine Festival magnet
• 1/2 marathon training plan and pen for crossing off the days
• Mood magnet .... hm, what will today be??
• Care Bears
• One More Mile
• dentist appointment reminder
• Photo strips/photo of me and my BFF in Orlando
• Postcard of a haunted restaurant on the Oregon coast that is super yummy
• Race planning calendar
• My rainbow car ribbon thing to support my gays
• A Titanic magnet my friend let me take from her when she was drunk one night
• McMillan running calculator print out
• A magnet that tells me I ROCK!

I guess there is some spare room, but maybe I don't need to fill it. I actually even took some things off of the fridge this weekend. You'd never be able to tell though!

On the side of the refrigerator I keep my artwork. I figured since it looks like a grade school child painted it, the natural place for it to be displayed is the refrigerator!

Here is the second part of the Brenda Dickson parody. I dare you to watch and not laugh. If you haven't seen the original - those are so freaking scary that they are hysterical, too!

I'm Here! With a Little Bit o' Nonsense

Okay, I'm wearing this tank top today that I bought for wearing under other shirts. What am I a little girl that has to wear undershirts suddenly?? There are no seams. How do they do that? How is it that I'm wearing a shirt that goes all the way around my torso, but there are no side seams? I don't get it!! If anybody has knowledge of this phenomenon, please enlighten me. I'm mystified.

I could be easily mystified since I am still kind of out of it, but whatever.

I'm so excited to run last night. I was supposed to last night but unfortunately my body just wouldn't let me. I didn't feel safe going out alone, in the dark, in a tad bit of rain when I can't even walk straight without bumping into things. So I just took one for the team and stayed in. I put away clothes, noticed I have an obscene amount of new running clothes (SWEET!!) and watched Jersey Shore. The girls made up. YAY! I came clean on facebook to my friends and admitted to the world that I freaking love watching Jersey Shore. I really love how the Situation never gets the girls. He is all talk. Every season he ends up empty handed, so to speak. I'd never hook up with him. No thanks!!

Was that too much info? At least I didn't go the opposite direction with that one.

Registration for the Vegas Rock'n'Roll half thing isn't open yet. I guess that's good - saves me some money for a while.

I'm finally starting to feel overwhelmed with all of the planning I need to do to pull off the 5 half marathons and the 15K. This will be a lot of travel. I kind of need to just reserve rooms and take care of all of it NOW so I can relax for the rest of the year.

I had something else to say. I forgot. Dang it.  I just really want to run. My body knows it missed a day. It is ready to get out there and hit the pavement. My biological clock is also screaming at me that I'm overdue for a Vegas trip. December sounds so far away.

My head is spinning. I'm going to shut up now.

Bye! :-)

Wait - American Idol is on tonight. In the past I've done a live blog of the shows -until last year when it bored me into a near coma. I might blog tonight's episode. I haven't decided yet.

Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon (repost)

This is a repost from January 7, 2010. I figured I wouldn't be up to blogging today, so I'm taking the easy way out and sharing a story of a traumatic event that happened in my life before I ever "knew" any of you!

It was about the second week of June in the year 2003. I was living just outside of the Walt Disney World property line near Orlando, Florida at the time, and in need of a vacation. My mom flew me home to Oregon for my favorite golf tournament of the year. Nothing like a sunny humid-free weekend of free pizza and various drinks!

The Abby's Golf Tournament weekend kicks off every year with a dinner at the Country Club and this was the first time my mom and step-dad were going to bring me to that event. Normally I was just around for the actual golfing on the weekends and maybe a happy hour type night. To go to the dinner I had to have appropriate attire. I didn't really have that in my wardrobe anymore now that I was a Florida girl - so off to the mall we went!

Let's have a little bit o' background now, shall we? Living in Orlando, we didn't have a Bon Marche. My girl friends and I would go shopping at Old Navy, GAP, American Eagle, Tommy Hilfiger .... the places that cater to the girls of in-between age that do not want to buy "adult" type clothing from a department store just yet. And now back to my story......

Lacking the proper clothes for a country club dinner, my mom said she'd take me shopping for a new outfit or two. Let me also add that she really flew me home so she and my grandpa could try to convince me to move back home to Oregon, so there was A LOT of spoiling going on! Living in such a big metropolis (ha!) we went to the mall to hit the Bon Marche (this is pre-Macy's days). I remember grabbing quite a few different clothes to try on. Tops, bottoms, dresses, capris. I like to take more clothes than I need into a dressing room so I have options to choose from. I had found a section of Union Bay clothes and was so happy! In college I always wore Union Bay clothing. They fit me so great. I could just grab my size and go because they seemed to be made for my body. Naturally I did the same thing and happily trotted off to the dressing room over in the "Women" section where my mom was shopping.

Brace yourself - it is about to get really ugly!!

I really had my eye on these adorable capris. Casual enough for my Florida life, yet I could accessorize them up to make them classy enough for the dinner. My right leg went in first, and I started to get nervous. I was confident that once both legs were up and I was zipped up I was going to look super hot! Left leg in, and my nerves picked up even more. And then I tried to zip. They didn't fit?!?!?!? What was going on?

I ripped that pair off and grabbed the next, and then the next. Nothing was fitting! By now my mom could sense that something was going on in my dressing room. I let her come in and proceeded to show her how these clothes just weren't made properly. They ALWAYS fit. Something was either wrong with the manufacturing or they had the tags all mixed up. Obviously there was a mistake somewhere. I clearly couldn't have gained weight. I worked outside in the Florida sun sweating my ass off every day. I walked usually 8 miles during the course of a single working day. I was pushing around insanely heavy rafts filled with water and guests. I was like a solid tan mass of muscle. So if you put two and two together .... it only made sense that the clothing company messed up!

The look on my mom's face. Was she going to laugh at me? Was she going to cry? I had never seen this look before. And then came these words that are forever burned in my memory:

Ronda, your body is changing. You're not a little girl anymore. You're becoming a woman now. You've developed hips.

WHAT??????? Me? Woman? Hips? Are you kidding me? I stood there in stunned silence. I couldn't really absorb what she was saying. The rest of the shopping experience becomes a blur. I ended up getting new clothes that fit my new hips, but all that stays clear is that little speech from my mom. My body changed without my permission.

When I got back to Florida and wasn't as freaked out, I talked to my girl friends about it. As it turns out they had all had pretty much the same exact conversations with their moms! Looking back at it, I guess wearing horribly made costumes designed for tiny Asian girls, and shopping at those "in-between" stores, we just never even noticed.

As I sit here now I am shaking my head around trying to get that whole dressing room incident out of my head. It won't leave!!!

The Rae Girls 7 years later, at the Abby's golf tournament

**I chose to share this story today because the incident happened to come up while my mom and I were shopping after work last night. This time I was joking about it and talking about clothes I used to wear "pre-hips". Sigh. I've finally accepted my curves, but still!

Thanks Y'All!

HMB says the way to address a group of people is "y'all". So Hey y'all!  *Okay, living in Florida for so long, it did start to creep into my vocabulary, but has since left.

This is rare, but this will be a short post!

I am now 186 blog posts behind. I feel so guilty when I can't keep up with what you are all talking about. I've just been beyond busy. And I suspect that number will only get higher. So I apologize in advance for not commenting all over the place like normal. I'll be back eventually.....

..... which leads me to why I'm quiet and probably will be....  The whole Meniere's Disease thing is just continually kicking my ass right now. Today is one of my bad days. Not terrible, I mean I haven't almost fallen out of my chair or gotten nauseated from the dizziness yet, but I am far from "normal". I usually kind of hibernate when this happens, so I'll be a little recluse for a bit. Hopefully not too long since I am scheduled to run 4 or 4.5 miles tonight....

.... which leads me to THANK YOU!!  You are all so nice for putting up with my 7 mile pouting session that I had on Sunday. Everybody made some excellent points, so I do feel better about it. You're right. I did it. I can't complain about that. It was a new distance and I did it. And wait a minute! Now that I think about it, I finished that in maybe 5 minutes over my longest 10K race time? Okay, so not so bad I guess! And my last mile of that run was actually the 3rd fastest of that day. So I guess physically I didn't suck as much as I mentally did. But thank you all so much for your comments. I really do appreciate each and every single one of them!

I will go back into hibernation now, and leave you with a picture of what I am VERY happily sporting today! Finally .... I am in my Prefontaine necklace ~ the final piece to my half marathon outfit!

Run #25 - Love is a Battlefield

I'm not sure what to say.

I had cautious optimism 5 hours ago when I was lacing up my shoes and heading out for my first ever seven mile run.  During the podcast I was running to I had to stop and text myself something the speaker said.

Fear is a reaction to the unknown.

It really hit home. That was what was going on.  

I love to run, and today my run was a battlefield. I have found my running weakness and it is my own mind. I think I had a mild tinge of fear about running this new, unknown distance. I mean 7 miles is a lot! I started this whole running thing with a goal to initially run around the block. That changed to running a mile. That led to a 5K. And now here I am exactly 6 weeks away from completing my first half marathon. I know I can do it, but I was still nervous about the seven. What would my body do? Could it run that long? Where would I be able to run for 7 miles when my town is so freaking small?  Subconsciously I had all of these worries, and it really came to bite me in the ass!

The temperature was really nice (around 55 degrees) and rainy. I love running in the rain. I set out in short sleeves, arm/leg sleeves, a skirt and visor. Once I started the wind kicked in and the rain came down harder and harder. I wasn't phased - it just made me feel like a bad ass! I had the new water bottle attached to my hand and everything felt really natural.

Then it happened. I hear talk of The Wall. Well, if it is possible to hit a wall on a 7 mile run then I ran smack dab into it..... about 3 times. My mind just went. Once my mind gives up on me I am a lost cause. I spend too much energy fighting with myself and feeling miserable. It just sucked today!! I did just come to a complete stop under a tree and watched 3 deer watching me. I just had to stop and try to get myself together. And then I almost puked on three separate times. I really wanted to just do it and then feel better, but it never happened. At 5.7 miles in I had to stop under another tree. I stopped the Garmin and just had a pep talk with myself. I shan't repeat it, but I'm pretty sure the f word and its variations were in one sentence  alone 3 times. Thank goodness the weather was terrible and no one was out to notice or hear me. I was so happy when this run came to an end. Today I did not love running, but I wasn't going to give up on myself. I powered through to the end, completing all 7 miles in 1 hour and 16 minutes, for an average pace of 10:51.

It felt like an epic fail. I suppose I feel like a failure because I love to race. I am always racing when I run. Racing myself and my Garmin. I TRY to slow down or just let myself run easy, but I always want to feel like I pushed as hard as I could. This run I just couldn't push at all. I tried so hard but my stupid mental battle got the better of me.

South Umpqua River

The best part of my run was the mile long walk of shame home. I had no one to impress. I had nowhere to be. For a while I stopped and watched the river that is just rising like crazy. It always reminds me of Willy Wonka's chocolate river when it gets like this! I turned on some Fiona Apple and sang the rest of the way home. I was completely amused when I noticed a car noticing me. Their light turned green - they didn't notice. The lady in the car behind them laid on the horn. I enjoyed the moment to just laugh - but then went back to wallowing in my self pity party and enjoying some angsty girl music. It helped!

So I guess it was a success. I hit a new milestone. But I am not proud of how it went down. I really can do so much better, so I will redeem myself with my next long run!

If you are interested, here is a current shot of the NORTH Umpqua River. We are hoping we won't hit flood level out here. You've seen this same river behind my 6 mile victory photo - BIG change and it is only getting higher!! I'll add both, for comparison.

Last week:

This week:

Run #24 - Hills, Hills, Hills

With the new registration of the Shamrock 15K I couldn't help but notice they throw "Challenge" in the title. I believe it said 15K Shamrock Challenge on my registration. Challenge. Okay. Then I learn there are hills. Okay - well this makes sense. I mean I can't seem to ever pick something simple. Go big or go home! Every 10K I've done has been insane in its own way, so why pick an easy 15K as a first?? So I decided I should probably start adding more hills to my half marathon training plan.

I had 4.5 miles on the agenda and wanted a fresh route. It was another warm night, so I threw on my skirt and this time just a thin, long-sleeved shirt. Mistake right there! I wanted to rip my shirt off 3 miles in.  I managed to work in a few hills that probably aren't huge by any standards, but they were a start. I ran up all of them, even when my legs felt like they had bags of cement attached.  In the end, the 4.5 miles took me about 48 minutes with an average pace of 10:33. I am really surprised my pace was so fast. I walked for a very short time twice during that, so I thought it would have been longer. I sure felt a lot slower than that. Who knows, maybe I am getting a teensy weensy bit faster?

In other news, I went shopping today! All day! It was so much fun! My mom and I went together to get some new clothes for Florida. Last year we were shocked at how cold it was, so this year I wanted thin, long-sleeved shirts (okay, that is the second time in this post I've said that. Weird.). Nike, Borders, Eugene Running Company, Old Navy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's and Lady Footlocker (where I got my official half top and saw an ad for the Princess!) were all good to us!  I counted twenty articles of clothing, 1 water bottle, 1 Prefontaine necklace (YES!!!!) and 1 new color of MAC eye shadow.

Let's dissect this a bit. 20 articles = 1 long sweater jacket thing + 5 thongs + 1 running skirt + 4 regular shirts for vacay + 2 black short sleeve running shirts + 1 black tank for the 1/2 +  1 green tank for the Shamrock + 2 Nike tanks just because + gray capri leggings + 2 tank top undershirts.  The theme here seems to be .... I loaded up on running clothes! Best part? I had $100 in gift cards to Macy's. Score!! 

And we bought bread at the Metropol Bakery. Sooooo good!! Nummy Nummy Nummy in my tummy tummy tummy. I did some carbo loading tonight. Just because!

Is there a table under all of that??

Whatever, I am SUCH a Scorpio!

I'm calling B.S. right now on all this sign changing nonsense!  Yesterday I read some thing trying to tell me that suddenly, now, after all these years I am a Libra??? No freaking way. My sassy mood yesterday only helped solidify that I am a Scorpio. Sassy? Whatever - I was in full blown bitch mode. I cannot stand people talking to me like I am a moron or patronizing me. That is what set me off yesterday, but fortunately MOST of the people around me didn't have to see my bitch side come out!

What if I had gotten the Scorpio sign tattooed on my body like I wanted?? Then you're going to tell me I have to change it to something that I totally am NOT?? That's Grade A Baloney!   

And that's my little rant.

I did figure out what helped get me into my bitchy funk though. It's my Meniere's Disease. I haven't been as good about taking my daily medication lately, so my ears are getting all whacked out. Today they are hurting like crazy - which is never a good sign for what's to come in the next day or two.  A couple of days ago I was just a stuttering mess that couldn't sit up right without bracing myself on my chair. Then I had that crazy 2 miles under 20 minutes run. While that felt amazing, I left out the part where I almost collapsed at home because my balance was so thrown off and I was super dizzy. I know better. I have my prescription for a reason. Arg. BUT, I can find the positive in this, and that is that I now know that I need to take it every day up until the half marathon. I thought about skipping the day before so that I could hydrate easier ..... the medication I take basically flushes out extra water to try to drain it from my ear area so I don't get really dizzy and have a hard time functioning. Now I know that I do need to take it up until then. I promise I won't take it the day of, Lesley!! (I'd be stopping to use the potty every 10 minutes!!)

I think I just got really cranky because I have been having a harder time with normal activities and I just don't have time for that. I'm doing my best to avoid sick people. I'm trying to get more sleep (which is hard when I start my runs at 9:30pm!). I just want to try to keep healthy and take care of my body so I can have the best half marathon I can have!  Imagine not being able to hear well when you normally have freaking amazing hearing. Or not being able to say a simple sentence because it just will not come out. That's been my week. It sucks. I'm used to it though since I have had it since 2003. Still, it sucks!

I was nice last night, however! I am not one to normally do fundraisers since I suck at them. But since I'm not raising funds I went around spreading some TNT love and donating to some of our fellow runners! I wish I could have made my donations bigger, but someone keeps registering for races and buying running skirts and is running out of money! But I doled it out around where I could -made me all nice, warm and fuzzy inside! I hope you ladies reach your goals!!

No running last night - due to all the above whining. :(  But I will give it a go and run tonight. I'll probably be doped up on drugs, but that won't be the first time I've run during one of these episodes. I can take it. I'm a tough Scorpio after all!

And I registered for my first 15K - the Shamrock Run in Portland in March. I'm so excited! It looks like a really fun time - and I just might get to meet more of you radical bloggers!

Hey Pacific NW Runners!!

Question ..... are any of you doing the Shamrock Run on March 13th in Portland?

I just learned about it via the Portland Marathon e-mail I just got. Being in Southern Oregon I don't always hear about the things going on up North.

ANYWAY - since I am addicted to registering for races, and getting bling, I am seriously considering registering for the 15K (that gets you the bling!). I'm just working out logistics and getting a place to crash the night before. Only $32 to race seems amazing to me! What a deal!

SO, is anybody else going to do it? Bloggie meet up maybe??  Come on, DO IT!! It looks like so much fun! Beer. Chowder. People in green costumes. Bling. Adidas tech shirt (I love Adidas!!) .... what reason could you possibly have to not sign up and run with the Little Fruit Fly???

Run #23 - What the Heck Happened to Me??

Before I even had a chance to think about running I was surprised and excited to find a calendar in my mailbox! I won it in Travel with Emily's giveaway last month. She made the calendar from photos of trips she has been on and they were sooo good!! Let me tell you, I am now dying to go to Italy. My jaw dropped when I got to October and saw the amazing picture. I loved it. THANKS, Emily!!  She even had it wrapped with a little note. Too cute!

My run last night was a short one - two miles. After doing 4 on Tuesday night I wasn't worried about two at all, although I swear sometimes those short ones seem more tiring (on my brain?) than the long ones. I'm sure it is all psychological and me thinking they should just be over super duper fast. Well, last night's WAS over super duper fast! (That is a new technical pace, FYI.)

The weather was so nice, about 50º I think. So I put on my skirt, arm/leg sleeves and a short sleeved shirt. It felt so refreshing to not be layered in gloves and long sleeves and head warmers. I could have passed on the arm sleeves, but I wanted to run in them a few times before the half to make sure that we will get along. We will! My skirt, however, is a bit big on me. But my Spi belt does an excellent job of holding it up and in place, thank goodness!

So I was setting out on an easy two (I like saying that "easy" part!), but once I hit start on the Garmin I didn't feel like it. I felt like going all out at my 5K race pace! So I did! It was so much fun and felt so good. Sure it had moments where I thought maybe I should just slow down, but when I eased up my time said I was going at 9:45ish pace. Woohoo!  I was pretty much feeling GREAT! I always start to struggle when I know I'm near the end, and I also think that must be psychological too.

Before I knew it my 2 miles were up. A goal I set at the start of this run was achieved - two miles in less than 20 minutes!! This is the first time I've ever done that. I averaged 9:24 per mile. Holy cow!! What has gotten into me?? I hardly recognize this amazing fitness marvel that I've become. Watch out everybody - I'm about to be on the cover of Runner's World any day now.  Did I go too far just now? Probably.  But that's how I felt inside!  I really enjoyed that faster feeling so much that I think I might try to do this again next week for my Wednesday 2 mile run!

I have to say I am in awe of all of you that keep up that pace and faster for the duration of an entire half marathon. I don't know how you do it! It took all I had to maintain that for 2 miles. I know my half marathon pace is not going to be anywhere near this last run, but that's okay. My goal is to just be able to run the whole thing and not pass out!

Run #22 - Math Time With Ronda

Last night was run number twenty-two. I'm still in awe of this. I guess I really just needed a BIG goal and a laminated training plan to get me to really go out there and run 3 to 4 times a week and increase the miles. I've been trying my best to fight my inner-slacker and I think I'm doing a pretty decent job. Sure I could ramp up cross-training, meaning I could cross-train, but I'm just now finally coming to an end of all that busyness of the holidays and decorating and un-decorating. But that's no excuse. A lot of you work out every day - and you have much more going on in your lives. Like I said .... SLACKER!

Okay, so 22 runs gets me to 71.5 miles.  Daily Mile tells me that in all of 2010 I ran a whopping 332 miles. This, my friends, is pretty unimpressive. I mean how many of you were over 1000?? Daily Mile also tells me that I have run 25 miles in January already. We will count this as through the 11th since I am going to be running tonight as well. SO, if I have done 25 miles in 11 days .... and if I kept up that pace, I could be looking at (quick algebra moment here).... 829.55 miles for the year. However, my mileage is only going to keep getting higher as I get farther along in training. I have 5 half marathons scattered throughout the year (February, May, September, October and December). So there is no time to slack! Thank goodness for that!

Wow - if I do my same math formula based on my upcoming end of the week total .... 878.28 miles for the year. Either way, this blows my mind!!

So the run itself was uneventful really. Four miles in 41 minutes - I believe the average pace was 10:14. Woo! I didn't go out until probably 9:45pm I think. They really need more night races because that's when I come alive!  Last night I also put together my half marathon outfit. It has changed so many times, but I am pretty sure this is it. Saturday my mom and I are heading to Eugene to do some shopping for Florida. We will be on a mission to find a shirt to complete this look. Trust me, NOBODY wants to see me just running in my sports bra!!  I'm thinking a black tank top - but one with personality. I think my bib will be pink, based on my princess selection at registration, so I don't want to pick something that might clash. This race is one huge photo op --- gotta be sure you look cute! I will start practicing running while smiling and keeping my eyes OPEN!

Seven Reasons Why I am Stylish

Wow, I really seriously do feel so honored!  Amanda at Runninghood (seriously, if you aren't reading her you are missing out!) has bestowed upon me the "Stylish" award. Is it because I have a drawer overflowing with fabulous knee socks? Is it because I haven't bought any non-running clothes in ages and she is subtly hinting to me that it is time!  I don't care - because she thought of me and passed along the award. Woohoo! Thank you very much, Amanda!

(Now technically I am supposed to pass this along to 10 more bloggers, but I feel like I just went on 3 separate tagging sprees, so I might not tag so that you guys don't feel harassed by that strange FruitFly girl!)

But I WILL share 7 things about me! 

ONE:  Like the "FruitFly" name implies, I am a total faghag. I'm pretty much a walking rainbow at times, and a firm believer in gay rights. Family, friends, I'm surrounded by the rainbow loving community! I am very used to being the token straight girl hanging out in a sea of people that aren't even looking twice at me. It actually is kind of refreshing to be able to go out dancing with your friends and know that not one single guy is going to come up to you with a lame pick up line. Of course, this in turn also helps to explain why I am always the token single girl! But that's totally okay. I love being single, I'm great at it - and certainly not the least bit lonely. SO, if you're ever in Vegas and I'm in Vegas (Lucy, I'm talking to you!) .... we are totally hitting up Freezone together and watching my "boyfriend" (Daniel, on the left) and his real boyfriend (Alex, on the right - LOVE him!!) steal the show as they star in the Queens of Las Vegas .... longest running drag show on The Strip!

To continue on those lines, we hit number TWO:  I seem to be amazing at making really great friends after first meeting them on-line.  Case in point, Mike. He's pretty much my very best friend. We became friends because we are both Disney fans. Casual Disney talk turned into gay talk which turned into "we HAVE to hang out" talk which turned into "I'm coming to visit!" talk.  After "meeting" online in 2006, we met for real when he picked me up at the airport in Phoenix for my 29th birthday weekend, in 2007. Since that time I've been back to visit again, we've had a 10 day Disney World vacation together, we've met up in Vegas for an awesome whirlwind weekend, and next ..... hopefully, he'll come to cheer me on in the Disneyland Half Marathon this year! He's not the only internet friend to become a real life bestie, but I can't continue on this number forever! I just adore him. I am the yin to his yang. We even have matching tattoos that are a yin/yang to each other. It is kind of crazy - I mean we had them YEARS before meeting, and were almost in disbelief when we saw how they matched almost exactly to the same size and everything!

Number THREE: I have wanted to blog about this for sooooo long, but haven't figured out how. So maybe if I cover it here briefly then it will get out of my system. I don't generally get too serious or deep on this blog, but trust me, it is in there, I just wait for the moment to strike. Anyway, third thing about me... I have MAJOR food issues. I avoid eating with people, especially "new" people, as much as I can. I can't do potlucks. I hate buffets. At a party I prefer to help the hostess, if she needs it, by restocking food, cleaning, helping with drinks. But I won't eat. I was pretty much told I was fat from the age of two. I remember being told "you are fatter here (pointing to my tummy) than you are here (pointing to what would be boobies in way more than a decade)." I was in the second grade. So basically I have 30 years of issues built up in me. You'd think I'd be a lot skinnier than I am! Damn French fries.  Dang - what kind of picture follows that?? Let's check the vault of OLD Ronda pictures!

Of course I had to pick chubby girl with the cake that has a pig on it!

FORE!:  Here's one I NEVER speak of. I mean I have friends that didn't even know. It makes me want to vomit - which I can almost do on command, actually!  Once upon a time, in a non-fairy tale type way, I .... ugh, brace yourselves.... was married. Eek. There. It is out there. Sad, but true. It was so lame. Blah. I couldn't even stand him. In all honesty, I think he might like dudes - which is probably why we initially got along in the first place. He, of course, remarried 7 months after I got the divorce, and now has a child. We have nothing to do with each other at all. I prefer it this way. I can share a picture though!

I was a total poof! My dress was HUGE. And a bug kind of flew down ... my mom was on retrieval!

It's a-FIVE!:  (Did anyone else have that "You Don't Know Jack" game? At #5 they always said, "It's... it's ... It's a-five!)  Anyway, yeah. We have all talked about resolutions kept and broken, new goals for the year, and goals we had last year. Well I am a freak of nature! Having food/body image issues, it should be surprising that I never ate much candy as a child. In 9th grade I decided to set a New Years resolution to have NO candy and NO chocolate. Not even chocolate ice cream or cake. Nothing!  This is so fun to say, and I am being 100% honest .... I haven't had a drop of candy or chocolate in 17 years. SEVENTEEN!! I am aiming for 20 now. I figure we'll all know when I'm finally pregnant because I'll want a hamburger and some chocolate!

Butterbeer does NOT count as candy. Phew!

I loved 199SIX: I really miss the 90's. I miss the flannel. I miss the plaid. I miss the paisley. I miss wearing the flannel, plaid and paisley all at the same time. And clunky shoes. And floppy hats. And genuine story lines on the Real World. Remember Pedro?? That was REAL. It was sad, but it was REAL. I miss angry girl music like Alanis and Fiona. It seems like it was all angsty ...and I loved it! My So-Called Life seriously was MY life. I couldn't have been more Angela Chase if I tried, yet I always wanted to be Ray-Anne. And naturally I loved Ricky!  I just really loved the 90's. I'm part of the class of 1996. My college years were in the 90's. I miss college, too. And I really miss the GREAT music like Runaway Train. Seriously, I can't get enough of it! I'm ready for the 90's to have their revival!

See - even my senior picture had plaid flannel and a hoodie!! -->

And finally, number SEVEN:  This probably isn't a shock, but since I haven't addressed anything running related, I figure I could sneak this one in!  I am mildly obsessed with Steve Prefontaine. Maybe it is because he was an Oregonian. Maybe it is because he grew up right where my grandpa and his family did. Maybe it is because he is the freaking raddest runner on Earth!  I wouldn't say I'm a stalker since technically can you stalk someone that isn't alive anymore?  :(  It is possible that I've been by his mom's home not once, not twice, but three times. It is also possible that I've been to his rock where he sadly died on so many occasions that I've actually lost count.  And it is probably possible that I've been to his grave a couple of times and did some cleaning to keep the flowers looking nice.  In my defense, I passed his house so many times because the race route goes right by it (so that counts for one of those trips.) And also in my defense, my grandpa's mom and cousin are buried at the same cemetery as Pre, so I was actually looking for family, too. *Here's a side tid-bit:  the uncle of a friend of mine has the grave right next to Pre!  Basically he is the reason I've fallen in love with running. My uncle encountered him during their school days and of course didn't like Pre - thought he was too cocky. Well, you see, I love that! He didn't just talk the talk, he walked (ran?) the walk. He seemed to not only have the physical strength, but the mental strength, too!  I'll never be a fraction of the runner he was, but I can always keep trying my best!  Before every run I have a pep talk with Pre. It helps me. I'm pretty sure if he were still alive we'd be total besties. Yep, I know it! ;)

WAY more than you ever wanted to know, right??

Go ahead - share 7 things about yourself now! Or just one. Whatever - Share SOMETHING as a comment so I won't feel like such a nut case! ;-)

How Silly This Is ... It Is the Giftcard WINNER!!

The time has come ... after way too long (seriously next time I'm going to have a random just-because giveaway with like a 24 hour turnaround!) ..... we have a winner!!

The random number doodad made its decision:  

 

So the winner of the $25 to use at CSN stores is .... The Cilley Girl at Operation: Sexy Back!

Thank you so much for playing along with me! I really do appreciate it - and any little comment at all always makes me smile. Unless you came along and told me I'm fat or something, that wouldn't be nice of you!

Congratulations, fellow Oregonian!

I have a Promo code for you, so comment here and I will get to you, or e-mail me at kali (dot) queen @ gmail (dot) com.  If anybody else wants to e-mail me to say Hi, you are allowed to do so! :)