Tag: MLstress

Hello there! I just read an article that said there was a shooting on Halloween on Bourbon Street and I want to make sure you’re okay!! ~Angie

Thanks for your concern! I am safe and sound. I was indeed out at a bar on Bourbon Street when the first (of FOUR) shootings took place. We we heard rumor of the shootings we took that as our cue to leave. We heard lots of sirens, but didn’t see anything. Thoughts and prayers to those who died and were injured. 

Rage Run

Sorry I’ve been off the grid lately. My sister was visiting this weekend which was fabulous. She even joined me for part of my long run on Saturday. I did 2 miles out and back with her and then went out for another 1.5 out and back for 7 miles total. My sister said I was a good pacer. I rarely run with people, especially a person who i is built similarly to me – so it was interesting to see her as a pseudo mirror of me running. 

My rage however comes from this week. I had to report for jury duty. I was somewhat excited for jury duty. I however was not excited that jury selection for a Capital Murder Case was starting this week. Luckily I was able to get removed from that pool due to some work commitments over the next few weeks – although seeing the defendant was scary. I did sit on a jury for another case today, but there was a mistrial due to a number of circumstances.  I am really worried about our judicial system. I’m worried about the defendant’s next trial. I would have found him not guilty based on the point we were at. The mistrial could have be avoided, easily if people weren’t so dumb and made bad decisions. I really worry about being judged by my “peers.” Yes going back and forth to the court house for 2 days was annoying, but you knew about this for MONTHS. So many folks didn’t seem invested in justice, including people working IN the justice system. I’ll stop ranting. I’m back to work tomorrow and my reguarly scheduled life.

However all of my jury rage lead to a fantastic 5K that I ran tonight without my ipod and I shreded. I needed to sweat out my emotions. I also went to spin yesterday and it was one of my better classes. I rocked it and I bet it was due to all the sitting and stewing for jury duty. 

Garmin Update

Amazon has received my return and is processing my refund which should go back on my debit card in the next few days. The question is do I buy ANOTHER Garmin from Amazon. They had the best price. Yes the item was defective, but it was a fluke right? I’ve never has issues with Amazon before now. Or do I go with a different outlet to buy the watch. Buying it from Garmin itself is like $40 more expensive, then there is like buy.com and some other tech places.

I’m asking, what would you do?

Remember how I was to order a Garmin Forerunner 405 for my birthday and express shipped it?

Well I got it Friday and the wristband latch wasn’t on the watch to size and secure the wristband. SERIOUSLY.

Now I have to return it to Amazon, wait to get reimbursed and then order a new one. It’s going to be an ordeal and I am very frustrated.

Plus the fact that I plan on weighing in tomorrow and I’m terrified. I feel and look gross. It’s going to be bad, but I need to face the music.

I was once lost, but now I’m found

I’m alive. and well.  and fat. BUT I’m okay with that.

May was GRUELING with work.  I had little to no control over a lot of things, so instead of half ass dieting (which I know very well doesn’t work) I didn’t diet. In fact I ate A LOT of garbage, especially the last week. It’s summer at work and that means 10,000 people coming for orientation where I need to eat campus catered food for every meal for 2 days. It’s always a struggle every year to see the bad food and THINK about it and wonder what it tastes like until I finally give in and try it. Last week was our first session and I ate EVERYTHING. If I wanted it, I ate it. I hope I satisfied my cravings and curiosities.

Yesterday I started a new. Back on track, back on my diet, back to running. I put in 3 miles at the gym yesterday and they were surprisingly prettier than I anticipated. I wore my new Nike Pegasus from work and I am enjoying them. I’m ready to sweat, work hard and eat well. 

WIW

  • Last month: 182.2
  • Today: 186.0
  • Change: +3.8

I Hate Technology

I got my Nike+ ipod sensor last August. It’s been fine, but I have been coveting a Garmin Forerunner. I told myself I wouldn’t get the Garmin until I hit 168 pounds (GW). I’ve been in plateau-ville for 200 years now, but I still want to hold out for my reward.

When I got my Brooks, I bought the Nike+ sensor pouch for it and ran my half marathon with it a few weeks ago no problem. Well in the last 2 weeks my sensor has died. Really it didn’t even last a year? Of course it dies while I’m speed training, but I’ve gotten through it with my ipod’s stopwatch function. 

However Sunday is my Race for Hope 5K which will be the 2nd time I ran this race (which last year was my first ever). I’ve been hoping to smash my time, but I’m worried that without the sensor that my pace will be off, plus I like knowing how far I am. The course last year was marked in kilos and I prefer miles. 

I really don’t want to buy another sensor because I want to upgrade to the Garmin in 10 pounds. So here I am frustrated!

Fighting the gym gods

I wasn’t excited about going to the gym yesterday, but I knew I had to go. I really think it’s the weather, perhaps after all that time outside this summer i developed season depression.

The gym gods were against me. The parking lot was INSANE. I looped the front and back parking lots MULTIPLE times looking for a spot. Finally after like 10 solid minutes I got one. Fortunately there were some treadmills open albeit one in the back. I’m happy so many people want to work out and get healthy, but the gym needs to be able to accommodate the people that already work out here. It’s still slam packed in there everyday 🙁

I am happy that I’m at the gym – "half the battle is showing up.“ I got to pick my playlist for my run and my ipod dies. MOTHER EFFER. I choose to run sans music. It wasn’t bad. I had a good chat with myself, listened to myself breathing and watched a guy run finish a 7 mi treadmill run in 59:59 then stretch before cranking the treadmill for even more. I’m not sure how many miles he was after, but he was past mile 4 of this second run – WITHOUT MUSIC mind you.

I can’t wait to get back into the shape I was in 2 months ago. I really hate feeling weak and slow.

Travel Hell

I’m home in Alabama after a 14 HOUR travel day, that really was like a 20 hour nightmare day.

I was supposed to fly from New York to Atlanta yesterday afternoon. I got an automated call at 6:45am saying my flight was cancelled. I wouldn’t be able to get to Atlanta until New Years Eve at 4pm. (ummm NO I have NYE plans in Nashville with the boyfriend). I think quickly and ask about flights to Birmingham. I get one with a layover in Miami – a ONE HOUR layover (which makes me anxious). I’m excited, but stressed. The boyfriend is near Birmingham and can get me, but MY CAR is in a parking lot in Atlanta. I made a few options, slightly stressed, but happy to get back.

My mom and I (and Freddie my Pomeranian – I shouldn’t forget him, he kept me sane) leave for the airport at 12:30PM. Actually have little trouble getting through check in, security etc. We are at our and they are about start boarding when they said they have to wait for one of her flight attendedants to get to the gate – her other plane had landed, but she isn’t here. So we wait and wait. for 40 MINUTES. I’m already starting to panic about my connecting flight in Miami. We get on the plane and the pilot says we can make time up in the air so we’ll only be 10-15 minutes late. OK.

So on this flight I’m in good spirits and read one of my books I got for Christmas – Rachel Toor’s Personal Record: A Love Affair With Running. I read the WHOLE book. It was a 3 hour flight and the book was 163 pages. It was great. It had 26.2 chapters and she wrote the chapters to mimic the rhymthm of running a marathon (short bursts, long hauls, emotions, joy etc. This book was just the kick in the ass I needed to get focused and get running after taking 2 weeks to be effin lazy.

So we land in Miami only 10 minutes late and we sit and we sit. Our gate has another plane there. We waited 40 minutes on the runway – I grew more and more stressed as the minutes ticked by. My flight started BOARDING at 7:00 with a 7:30 departure time. We don’t start deplaning until 7:10 and of course I’m in on the last rows since I had gotten on that flight last minute. Freddie and I make a run for it. We’re at gate 17 and we need to get to 60. I weight my options and take the airtrain and then make a Home Alone-esque run for it. 

I missed it. I got to the gate at 7:34. There are no flights to Birmingham until tomorrow. I have a hysterical breakdown. I tell the airline agent I need to get home – altanta, birmingham, columbus, montgomery anywhere and I can get home. I get a 9:30 flight to Atlanta and she gives me a $10 dollar meal voucher. In hindsight it was a good option, but I was still hysterical. Oh and my luggage was still going to Birmingham on tomorrow’s flight. GREAT.

Freddie and I wander looking for a Dunkin Donuts for coffee – it was closed, FAIL. I use my meal voucher on a Nathan’s hotdog meal and share it with Freddie. I go towards my Atlanta gate and see the flight has been delayed until 10:30. I am ON EDGE. I am terrified I am not going to get out tonight. I have an Uncle in North Miami and a friend in South Beach, but I wanted to be home so bad. 

Finally at 10:00 we start boarding. Everyone is on board and we are ready, but our captain says we are waiting for our new co-captain because they took the other co-captain off this flight (and hence the delay). I’m pretty sure this co-captain like came from his HOUSE to come and fly this plane. Whatever, I’m thankful. We take off and finally I feel slightly better. I slept for about half the flight on and off. We land in Atlanta at 12:20 AM (12 hours since I first left for the airport). I worry about sitting on the runway like we did in Miami. Lucky we got to our gate and I headed to go pick up my shuttle to get my car. Well before I got to my car Freddie and I stopped at the fabulous little dog park in the Atlanta Airport and I let him frolic and potty for a bit. We was cooped up for a loooong time. 

So I get to the shuttle, get to my car – I had stress about my car too, but all was good. However It was 1:00 AM and I still have an hour and half to drive home. Thanks for coffee, music, cold air and people to talk to on the phone at this ungodly hour I made it to my house at 2:45AM.

Last night was the best 8 hours of sleep I EVER had. 

Today I’m off to Birmingham to spend the weekend with the boyfriend which includes picking up my luggage at the airport and going to Nashville for NYE.

Happy 2011 to all of you!

Tons on snow + being stuck in my house with my crazy mom = stress eating like whoa.

I HOPEFULLY fly back tomorrow, but I’m just really frustrated that I didn’t get to see or do 90% of the things I wanted to while I was here. It’s already hard being 1000 miles away and not being able to see friends, but when they are less then 100 miles away and I still can’t see them makes me enraged. 

I need detox from my mom, snow and bad eating.