Oh No YOU DIDN'T...!!!

Oh, yes I did.

I did something I haven't done in years.

I scheduled two weeks off of work.

Thats right--I'm on (drumroll please) Vacation!

No getting up for work
No crappy commute
No foot pain from high heels
No pretending to laugh at others' dumb jokes
No deadlines
No emails
No phone calls

Nothing but bliss.

I finished all my xmas shopping already. All I have to do is wrap everything and put it under the tree.

Yesterday, I splurged and had a full spa-day. Saltscrub, seaweed wrap, massage, facial, manicure, pedicure. The whole works.

My favorite was the saltscrub and seaweed wrap with the vichy shower.
My least favorite was the facial. Just somethng about having someone touching my face with stuff I can't see is, well, strange.

But it was all good. I didn't opt for the christmas colored paint on my toes or fingers. No, in homage to the constant rain here in northern california, all my nails are BLUE.

Blue also covers up my black toenails really well.


I haven't run recently either. I know, I was supposed to run a few days ago, but I felt a bit run down and kept sneezing. Normally I would have forced myself out for a run--but with no major races approaching, I thought, "F-ck it" and drank lots of coffee and tea instead.

I might run today. There seems to be a break in the storms. But then again, maybe I won't.

Maybe I'll have a glass of wine tonight with dinner. For weeks before CIM I eliminated any alcohol with dinner. Now I can indulge a little. And a little more. It is the holidays after all.

"NEW" for 2011

Boy what a crazy couple of weeks! I was so happy to finish CIM that I haven’t done any running since. My days have been filled with work, work, oh, and work. Plus holiday shopping, etc has kept me from running. Hopefully, this weekend will be different and I can get a few miles in.

However, as usual, I have started planning 2011. Does anyone else do this? I’m an incessant planner. I also try to pick a “theme” for the year. Last year, I had a goal to get a second finishers’ medal for every half marathon I’ve already done and I did it! Shamrockn’ half marathon, American River Parkway half marathon, and Cowtown half marathon medals all have mates on my medal rack. In 2011 my theme is “new”. I will do races/rides that I have never done before. For 2011 I have the following races

Resolution Run (Jan 1)
Cool Trail Runs (Feb 12)
Way too Cool 50k (March 12) (Didn’t get in)
Coyote Hills Half Marathon (March 19)
San Francisco Marathon (July 31)
Run on the Sly (August 21)


Ok, I am technically breaking my “new” rule with Jan 1 Resolution Run since I did the same race last year. However, RugRat #2 BEGGED me to do it with her, and I can’t say no to the pleading eyes.




All the others are new for me. You’ll notice there are no triathlons on the list. I haven’t yet figured that part out. I would like to do the Auburn Half Ironman on May 22 (I switched to the sprint distance last year because of severe illness—so technically it is a different race ) but it is fairly pricey. Vineman Half Ironman on July 17th also has me waitlisted—I am WAY LOW on the waitlist so I am not sure if I will even get in. Lastly, Wildflower century on May 1st in Chico is something I’ve always wanted to complete and never got a chance to do. I want to convince a couple of friends to go with me so that we can at least try to be social while we ride and on the drive there and back.

Also notably absent are road races other than the SF Marathon. There is a lot of trail races near my home and I’ll be focusing more on those this year which means that my chances of a PR are slim to none. I am not sure what to feel about this. I LOVED getting so many PRs this year and since I’m in my late 30’s my chances of achieving MORE PRs are decreasing. Maybe I should try to get as many PRs as I can. If I go that route, I will add a couple of half marathons and 10ks to my list above; that will necessitate an amended “theme” from “new” to “New & PR worthy.”

I just realized, I never posted any pics from the Marin Century I did way back in August. Here are some. I’m not vain, but I have to admit I think I look pretty badass in some of the pictures—especially when all the guys riding in proximity are wearing jackets and armwarmers and I am in a short sleeve jersey and shorts without knee warmers. Men are such wimps.

CIM is the best race ever...

First: I COMPLETED CIM!!!
Second: Chip time was 4:37
Third: Garmin time (excludes porta-potty stops) was 4:32.
Fourth: Weather was a perfect 53 degrees at the start. No rain.

After so many years of trying to get to CIM, I finally crossed both the start line and the finish line. I am still floored that I actually finished.

I don't know that I can provide many details of the race since it is all a big blur. I did see TONS of friends and acquaintances along the route who were cheering and that made a big difference. Thank you! Hubby and both RugRats also positioned themselves at key areas and cheered for me..My brother (brother J) even drove in from SF and took video of me making the final turn toward the finish line.

After getting home and showering (hubby said I smelled so bad he had to roll down the windows--Thanks!) I was famished. Since it was also Hubby's birthday on CIM day, and he had spend the whole first half of his day doing something for me, he bugged off the lunch and went mtn bike riding in Foresthill. Brother J and I and Rugrat #2 went to Mikuni's sushi for a celebratory late lunch. It was awesome. Nothing like raw fish and rice to fill up on after a marathon. Brother J tried to get me to drink some Sake, but that was not about to happen.

I got home and laid down for awhile and watched some TV thinking that I might fall asleep but I couldn't. Instead I indulged in two hours of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills". :)


While watching TV, I realized that two toenails are really loose and my weird calluses on the side of my big toe turned into a giant blood blister. Gross.

Dinner time came and since I was in no position to cook and Hubby didn't want to cook, we brought home some takeout and watched a Harry Potter movie in front of a roaring fire while a wind and rain and hailstorm raged outside.

It was the perfect end to a great day.

Facebook Failbook: Wednesday Funnies

Since i'm tapering for CIM this week, i've had time to peruse the internet for funny stuff in the evenings. Below are some of the funniest things I have found on failblog. The more clean stuff is first.. a couple of gross ones are at the bottom.

Enjoy!








































And now for some gross/risque/filthy ones...









The best one!!


see more Failbook