What's that smell?

Hello dear readers and friends! I feel like we know each other fairly well, and I think I can be frank with you. First put your arms down, you don't smell (well, if you do, I'll do my best to ignore it)... and thankfully at the moment I don't smell (I'm sure of this!).

Anyway, back to my point about smelliness... I've come to the gripping realization that there is no worse personal smell than that of having just run for 30 minutes (or longer if you are that cool, I'm not). Look, everyone gets hot and stinky working in the yard, working around the house... all that sort of thing, but nothing compares to the horrific odor of oneself and one's clothing after a run... good grief. I mean, I freak myself out in the shower realizing that it is in fact ME that smells that bad at that moment!

Why is it so much worse? Well, (if your still reading) I've come to a conclusion... that jarring motion of running/jogging literally shakes the stink right out or your pores. That can be the only logical answer, right?!

So there my friends, mystery solved :-)!

Speaking of shoes...

Further evidence that Tony Romo is a swell guy. Check out this post about his new line of shoes and clothing, distributed exclusively through Wal-Mart:

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/07/tony-romo-draws-a-crowd.html

As a former kid who couldn't afford cool shoes, and got teased for it a LOT, I really admire Tony Romo's decision. These shoes may still be looked down upon by the snotty kids, but it's a step in the right direction, and I think more athletes should be aware of this and try to support affordable gear for their young, working class fans. I hated 80% of my elementary school days because of the grief I took for being a poorly dressed dork.

Those of you reading who know our friend Mike will appreciate this story. In 6th grade, he noticed that I got some new shoes. They were just some sort of PayLess special. I asked if he liked them, and he said, "Do they stay tied?" My old shoes were falling apart and I constantly had to stop and re-tie them when we were running around during recess after lunch. He teased me for that, but didn't give a dang about the shoes themselves. He was the first true friend I had who just liked me, and didn't care about name brands and labels. I had many good friends just like him through middle school and high school.

I admit that I'm kind of a shoe snob myself now. I don't have many pairs (work shoes, running shoes, camping/yard work shoes, flip flops), but when I do need a new pair, I refuse to buy cheap ones. It's honestly more for practical considerations - I want things that last, and I want to project a professional image at work. But it may be partly vanity and hurt feelings. So while I will not be buying Tony Romos for myself, I do appreciate what he is doing for kids stuck shopping at Wal-Mart and facing bullies. And my own boys, who are blissfully free of materialist school snobbery, would probably love to have the Dallas Cowboys shoes, and I'd be happy to get them a pair.

Goooooood Evening Friends

Since Daddio had Monday off we ran a few errands, and we stopped by the running store to see what they had and to pick a belt/bottle thingy for Daddio. While we were there Daddio decided it was time to get me a real pair of running shoes. I couldn't have been more happy (especially considering I hadn't even asked for any!)...

Now, I've never been fitted for running shoes, and have no real idea what the fuss is all about... that's when the lovely lady there got down to her job. First they measured my feet, turns out they are the same size (apparently this isn't always the case), inspected my arches (low rise) and then grabbed a pair of shoes for me to put on for the next part. Now, I suppose I should set the stage just a little better. We were out and about and I was wearing a cute little skirt and shirt and sandals... not really running shoe shopping apparel. So I needed a dummy pair of shoes for the next phase. I had to get on a treadmill that had a camera mounted behind it and then I had to jog for a minute or so, and they analyzed my style! With that information she knew exactly what type of shoe (support wise) I needed and brought out a few for me to try!

When I try on shoes, I pretty much follow this criteria... first I have to like how they look, and they have to feel right on! Notice the first part... how they look... well, just throw that out the window with shopping for running shoes... it's only about fit! I realized this right away by what she brought out and so immediately tossed away my desire for my favorite colors on sneeks!
Low and behold, the shoes that fit the best and felt like pooffy clouds of heaven were...

PINK AND PURPLE!!!! Woohoo!

Oh, and Daddio even got me some fancy running socks (apparently the little cotton socks I was wearing before will more than likely cause blisters)... and they are AWESOME (oh and a new sports bra because he thought it was ridiculous that with my old one I had to wear an old regular bra and the sports bra together to get the right support... the new one rocks!).

And because Daddio can read my mind, one of the first things he said to me when we got back into the car was that I wasn't to go on another run that day... since I had already been that morning :-(! He knows me so well, because that is exactly what I wanted to do.

In the interest of sticking to my schedule, I followed it and didn't do my next run till today. I waited until this evening to get out because I felt so crummy this morning. The boys and I are just wracked with allergies right now, and I thought a day of being quiet and still (and lots of allergy meds) would mean a successful run tonight! For the most part I was right, although at 8:00pm it is was still 90 degrees... but I really couldn't wait any longer because of their need for a shower and bed time once we got back home. So off we went... listening to my new podcast that keeps track of the time for you and chimes when you need to switch! Boy, not having to look at my watch or really worry about my stride and just listen to the music was a really nice escape. If you are doing this program (C25K), I would highly recommend either the podcast or the apps for iPhones!

Performance of the shoes and socks... rockin! It took a little while to feel normal in them because they are just so different than what I was wearing before. The saleslady also said that I should notice some relief from knee pain as well. I'm not too worried about that right now, the strap I'm using seems to be really doing the trick, but every little bit helps!

As for the program, tonight was the last time at this interval. Saturday I will be stepping up to the next level. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm really enjoying the challenge!

I hate the Charlie Brown song

I might have written this post last year... but I hate hate hate the stupid sappy Charlie Brown song about peace on earth, especially at Mass, and especially on Independence Day!!! Not only is it cheesy and hokey, but it's difficult to sing. (Everything we sing at our church needs to be taken down about three steps, because the only person in the room who can actually sing in that register is the show-off choir director.) They also did that lousy St. Francis song at communion. I like the poem well enough, but it makes for a very awkward song, "...and in dying that we're born-to-eternal-liiiiiiiife". It's a strange rhythm that even the choir can't sing together, let alone the congregation.

I've also never really been into patriotic stuff at Mass, it seems inappropriate. But the hippy dippy stuff just pisses me off.

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Update - This is the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCzEq1DKPYA

I was wrong, it's not from Charlie Brown. Sorry about that. Not sure why I thought that, I guess it just seems perfect for a preachy cartoon children's chorus.

Check out the history of the song here…
http://www.jan-leemusic.com/Site/History.html

"One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms, formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with its simple basic sentiment – 'Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me,' helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding."

Good grief… ;)

At least they didn't use the "inclusive" lyrics at mass. I don't think so anyway, we didn't stay long.

Worn smack out...

Tonight will be our third concert in 9 days... that's a lot! Usually we have one a month and 3-4 rehearsals for the month... so to have so many grouped together can take a lot out of you!

I do love playing, and I certainly don't want to complain... it's good to have the gigs (it helps fill up our band account so we can buy new music and what not)... but it's A LOT!

Thankfully tonight is close to home (this one always has a great audience), which means it won't be a late night... and SIL has generously offered to keep the boys while we go... which means the boys will have fun, and we don't have to worry about them while we get our job done!

Next week... we're off! It will be nice to be able to relax in the evenings and not worry about who needs to be where, when, and for how long!

Apples and oranges...

The boys and I hadn't played cards games in quite some time, so Wednesday evening as Daddio and one of the boys started up a game of chess (that was frustrating at best) I decided to rummage through the box of card games I re-found the other day (the day I spent cleaning out the office closet for like 9 hours ... trust me I have photos and a post rolling around my brain, but not yet). Anyway, I decided we should play Go Fish. Now, honestly I thought that we've played this before... but clearly I was wrong, not only could I not remember the rules, they had no idea what I was talking about... But no matter, we ended up having several rousing hands with everyone laughing and cutting up.

Cut to Thursday morning, I get the boys up and as they are heading towards the kitchen for breakfast I am giving them the morning pep talk which included something along the lines of...

"Are we going to have a good attitude for math this morning... come on guys, right?! "

Without missing a beat Bubba looks right at me with his huge shifty brown eyes and says "Nope, Go FISH!" Then starts grabbing his sides and laughing hysterically! I lost it, I was laughing so hard tears were pouring out of my eyes!

And that my friends is an apple that doesn't fall far the tree... or an orange that grew on an apple tree in our case ;-).

It's good to be back!

It's been a while... both posting and running. I ended up having to take a little over a week off from training because of a knee issue. Thankfully by the end of last week I was feeling a lot better, but not able to run just yet because of other engagements, I had a few more days to rest... and then this morning I woke up... saw the temp on the computer and decided this was the morning to get back on the ole horse!

The boys and I suited up, and hit the pavement.

Stats for the day (for my benefit... I'm going to use this as my training journal)

Warm up walk: 8 minutes

Run/walk workout: 20 minutes

Lap time: 2 laps (around park) 16 1/2 minutes (2 minutes better woohoo than the last good workout), last run/walk series was done on the way back home

Walk down time: 6 minutes

The boys are doing well with this program. We still really haven't hit their stride just yet. I think maybe in the next round (more running, less walking series), we might see a little more effort on their part. As for me, my knee did great this morning... the new brace I picked up last week seems to be just the right thing. It's not to bulky/hot, it doesn't cut off circulation, and it seems to hold the knee cap in the right spot (which was I think was the main issue I was having).