8/6/2008

Well, not a whole lot to report yet. Aubrey and I ran 6 miles on Monday and I felt really strong. However, I ran only a mile yesterday because my stomach wasn't very happy. It's all better now but damn! We got out today on 1585 and ran 5 miles. Fairly short I know but I will hopefully build my mileage fairly quickly now that I am going to be home. I am planning on 8-10 miles tomorrow, longer if I feel like it. Mom and Dad are coming into town tomorrow mid-afternoon because my sister-in-law is getting married on Friday "08/08/08." Cute, huh? Anyway, I have to wear an effing tux which I am none too happy about. They are fabric torture devices as far as I am concerned. ha On the other hand, my little sister is planning on getting married next year and I've been told that I will have to wear Wranglers and boots. If you know anything about me then you know that Wranglers and boots are the LAST thing that I would choose to wear ANYWHERE. Texan, or not! ha I have warned her that if I have to wear Wranglers, I will stick the largest pair of tube socks I can find into the front of my jeans and wear them proudly! Needless to say I have been warned by my Mother. Oh, well, wish my luck.........again.

8/3/2008

Well, I am almost done with the contract in Hobbs. I only have two days left, next Saturday and Sunday. I am ready, ready, ready!
Ok, so of course I didn't run while I was there but tonight Aubrey and I ran 4 miles and I felt pretty decent. I have six days off and I plan on running all of them. We have definitely decided to run the New Mexico Marathon this month too so that will make for a good training run. We aren't going to approach it as a marathon "race" per se but just as the good training run. The NM Marathon is a smaller field than your typical marathon, usually around 300 or so. It's a beautiful course with the first 8 miles being gently uphill then you make a left hand turn and run downhill for 6 miles. It IS a Boston qualifier so if that's what you were into then it would really be a great race to use. With the downhills you can definitely make up some time. Anyway, we'll see how everything goes.

Got Rid of Some Wild Hair

Ok, I know that most people "GET a wild hair" and do this kind of stuff but in my case, "I got RID of some wild hair." I guess I finally just got tired of it. I've kept my hair buzzed for the last 5 years and just started growing it in December because a coworker wanted to see what it would look like. Stupid, I know, but I did it anyway. Well, no more. haha Back to the original. Send me some comments, peeps, and let me know what ya think.

7/29/2008

I woke up early again today for some stupid reason. Not sure why I'm not sleeping that great. Anyway, Aubrey came over around 9am and we ran a little 4 miler out on 1585. There were some storms in the area overnight so it was fairly humid. Even at 9am it was starting to get pretty hot. I'm glad we got the run done early cuz right now it's freaking hot outside. Aubrey has to go back to work tonight so I doubt that he will run tomorrow but I am hoping to put in some miles. No specific plans as of yet but I definitely plan on running. Then back to Hobbs on Thursday. Gag! Just ready to be home!

7/28/2008

Okey dokey, I made it out to the hospital today and got my TB test and my pee test all done. The results should be in by Wednesday. Not that I am concerned with either. Tonight, Aubrey and I made it out to 1585 and ran a little over 8 miles. It was a nice cool evening so it made it a pretty nice. I felt really good on this run as well so I am really pleased. We'll do something a little shorter tomorrow then I will be on my own for Wednesday. Not sure what the plan will be for that day.

7/27/2008

Wow! It's been awhile. Sorry for being so neglectful of this thing. Anyway, I actually HAVE been running some which is good. Aubrey is really getting back into to it as well. He got a wild hair and registered for the Mother Road 100 in November. So this in turn will inspire me to run a little more. We ran 4 miles yesterday and 6 today and then we'll go a little farther tomorrow. Aubrey has actually surpassed me in mileage over the last couple of weeks since I have been in Hobbs so much. I only have a couple of weeks left there. I go tomorrow to get my paperwork done for Covenant and I am ready to get started. At this point in my training or lack thereof, I am not going to be able to run Lean Horse. I'm disappointed but trying to be smart as well. We may try and run the New Mexico Marathon at the end of August as a training run in it's place. I'm ready to get settled again and get busy training.

7/16/2008

Late posting this since it was so busy yesterday. I was able to get in 8+ miles with Aubrey out on 1585. I am still feeling really good on my runs but am having serious doubts as to whether or not I can ramp the miles enough to get ready for Lean Horse. This will be the second ultra I've had to back out of this year if that's the case. I really don't want that to happen but I don't want to deal with an injury either. I will proceed with caution and continue preparing for Lean Horse and play it by ear.
On a lighter note, Covenant ER called yesterday and offered me a job. I am really thrilled and excited about that. I am stoked about being able to be at home and maybe get life back on course in the meantime.
Zach and I bought an Xbox 360 yesterday with his bday money. It's going to be badass too so I am going to have to peel myself away from that as well. haha

7/9/2008

Well, I never did go for a run yesterday. Just being damn lazy!! I DID get out today and do a 7.6 mile out and back/loop-type thing around the neighborhood. It's cool and cloudy out today so I probably should have done more but like I said, "I'm just being damn lazy!" I really need to find some motivation from somewhere. I haven't registered for Lean Horse yet so maybe that would be a little bit of incentive for me. I also really need to find a job back here in Lubbock so I can get refocused. Hopefully soon!

7/6/2008

I'm a little late posting this I suppose. Today's actually the 8th. Anyway, on the 6th Aubrey and I had a chance late in the afternoon to put in about 6 miles. I am feeling really good on my runs but of course I haven't done any kind of serious distance. Right now life is kind of getting in the way. On the days that I am off, Kelli is at work and I am at home with the kids. They aren't quite old enough to stay home alone while I go for a long run so I am having to wait until Kelli gets home and by that time the day is running short. It's so much easier to do when they are in school. Anyway, tonight I am going to try to get in an 8 or 10 miles hopefully. I will post an entry later tonight if I'm successful. Wish me luck.

7/2/2008

My cell phone started ringing this morning at what I consider to be a fairly early hour. I was sound asleep. Apparently, Aubrey had been at work all night and was ready to go run at 8am. He said he was getting very focused on his running now. I told him that just because HE was focused (finally after 5 months), it didn't mean he could wake ME up at 8 in the am! ha Anyway, I went ahead and rolled my lazy ass out of bed and we headed out to 1585 and ran an easy 6 miles. It really felt good to get out there earlier than usual. It was much cooler and less traffic.

I head back to Hobbs for the next 3 days but I am hoping to run at least one of them. I guess we'll see. I am really ready to be home for awhile.

7/1/2008

I think..........no, I KNOW I've been spending more time on the elliptical than out on the road. That's not good. I've really been doing some thinking and I have pretty much decided that I need to settle back down and talk to one of the hospitals here and head to one of the ER's here in Lubbock. Life is just a little too unpredictable while travel nursing. Plus with me wanting to start back to school this fall I need to be home. Aubrey and I got out and ran a simple 4 miler this morning and I felt really good. Maybe the trainer is actually helping. ha Anyway, we are supposed to get out again in the am. I'll let ya know what I find out tomorrow afternoon about work and my run. Stay tuned, peeps.

6/29/2008

Ok, I think we've got all the "happenings" done for a little bit. Man, it's been busy! My parents came down for the weekend to go to Zach's party yesterday and they left out around 2:00pm or so this afternoon. We took a nap after that and then Zach and I headed out for a short 3 miler with him on his bike. We made it around the corner and it started raining on us. I usually enjoy running in the rain but this was a little much. It was raining pretty hard and lightning was striking fairly close so we packed it in. Anthony, I looked but we couldn't find a barn to hide in. haha We made it a total of a mile and a half. ha Anyway, I got home and got on the trainer and did a 20 minute interval workout on the elliptical so the day wasn't completely wasted. I am hoping to actually put in a few miles tomorrow but the weather is supposed to be iffy so I'll have to play it by ear.

6/25/2008

Okay, so Zach's birthday is done and now on to our 14th anniversary today. I sent Kelli a dozen roses at work that were kind of like fire and ice but pink instead of red. Really pretty! Go, ME!! I am going to head to Brighton here shortly and pick up a necklace that I've had my eye on for awhile and then we are all going to head out to eat after she gets off work. Not sure where to eat yet but it should be fun nonetheless. I included a pic of me "looking spiffy." You won't see it often so enjoy it. Oh, and that's about as spiffy as I get. I don't do suits and ties!

No running today but I did get on the trainer for a good 20 minute interval workout and did upper body strength training and core work. Should suffice for today. Back to Hobbs tomorrow and Friday then off for 5 days. Time to ramp it up.

6/24/2008

Howdy all! Today is Zach's birthday. ELEVEN years! Pure craziness. We got out this morning and bought Zach a new hindcatcher's mitt and a new baseball helmet. He was pretty stoked! This weekend is his party out at the Main Event which should be pretty fun for everyone. We're going to bowl and play Laser Tag. His big present will be given to him at the party. We are going to get him an electric guitar and lessons to go with it. God help us.
I was able to get out and put in about 4 miles or so while in Hobbs. At least I think so since my Garmin ran out of power after a mile and a half. Oops! Aubrey and I plan on a nice little 6 miler tomorrow so I am looking forward to that. I'll let ya know how it goes.

PS In picture #3 his tongue makes "eleven" years. Just so ya know! What a moron!

6/19/2008

We got out and ran a little 5k around the house yesterday afternoon in the humidity. We had some pretty good storms in the area the night before and we are so adapted to the extremely dry air in Lubbock that the humidity around us was kind of soul-sucking. I can't imagine having to live in an area that humid all the time but I guess I would get used to it eventually. Anyway, after the run I got some good upper body strength training in and today I am a little sore in the pecs and biceps. That's a great feeling! I love feeling like I have done something. I am going to take today off and just recover a little. I head back to Hobbs tomorrow so I will try to get a couple of short runs in while there.

6/17/2008

WOW! I have to give myself several thumbs up for my fantastic run today. It was in the low 90's and a cool breeze blowing, strangely enough, out of the southeast. I felt really, really good on this run. No aches or pains or anything. Maybe my body is finally starting to cooperate with me. Gonna hit the road again tomorrow and try and run another 6 or maybe 7 miles. We'll see how it goes. I am pretty happy so far with my mileage this week.

6/16/2008

Aubrey and I headed out, stupidly, to 1585 this afternoon for a quick 6 miler. DAMN, it was hot!! Around 100 degrees and probably more than that radiating off of the asphalt. I like training in the heat but this was a little much. I figure the best part of running in the heat is............when your finished running. ha When I got home I took a cool shower and felt much better! I am getting ready to start ramping up for Lean Horse so I am going to have to get some discipline and start getting up early in the morning for my longer runs on my days off. I hate running that early in the morning but I'm not sure I am going to have much choice. I'm just not an early bird.

6/14/2008

Man, I have been lazy about keeping up with the blog lately. I've been able to run for the last 3 days and felt great. I ran a couple of 4 milers on Thursday and Friday and then the kids and I got up and headed to Levelland this am for our run with the WTRC. There was a pretty good turnout so that made it more fun. The kids ran the 2 miler and both placed 3rd in their categories. Zach ran his in 18:08 and Kenzie ran it in 26:36. I think she walked too much. She hasn't really achieved the drive to win yet. ha I can't say much for that myself since I just like to run LONG not FAST. ha Anyway, I ran fairly well myself and placed 4th in my age group. I was able to keep my average pace around 8:38. The course, according to my Garmin, measured out at 6.03 miles instead of a full 10K. I think the race director was worried about it since some of the other runners with GPS devices had said the same thing. I told him not to worry about it, that it was a great way to get a PR! ha Oh, well. I am going to hit the road again tomorrow as well and put in another 6 or more miles. We shall see.

6/9/2008

The last 3 days have been pretty nice. I've been able to run all 3 days without knee pain so I'm really pleased about that. Aubrey and I have been running a little over 4 miles each time since he's just starting to get back into it again. We have a 10k race coming up this Saturday with the West Texas Running Club as well which should be lots of fun. My kids have signed up for the 2 miler too so it will be fun to watch them. Makenzie was fairly reluctant to run this time for reasons unknown. She never could come up with a good reason not to run so she's running. Better that than sitting on her ass at the house. Zach seemed fairly excited about it even though he hasn't run since the 4 miler back in February, not counting baseball.

So on a different note, my agency was unable to find me an ER to work in closer to home (what the hell ever) so I had to renew my contract at Hobbs. I like the ER and the people that I work with there however I am still kind of pissed because I gave my agency plenty of time to find me another place closer to home. The nurse should not have to do the agency's work for them. It is supposed to be the other way around and they need to remember that. I am starting back to school in August so I am not sure what I am going to do work-wise once that starts..........but I'll figure it out as usual.

6/1/2008

Damn, it's hot today! 100 degrees plus at the park! I may have been able to say, "Flame On!!" and taken off. ha
Aubrey and I ran about 3.5 miles around the park at his house this afternoon in that heat and really enjoyed it. What a pair of dumbasses! ha OH, well, let the heat training begin.
My knee felt a little weak but otherwise good. No ITB tightness today either, I guess the foam roller is doing it's job well. Only 3 more days at Hobbs then I am hopefully home for a while. I'm not sure what my next assignment will be but I am really hoping that it will be closer to home.