My weekend (in photos)

This weekend I worked a lot, ran a little, and took some photos.

Rather than rant about working a full day on a Saturday or rave about how good my elliptical-to-treadmill 7-miler was (recovery run!), I figured I'd share a few of the photos.

The photos are a lot more fun.

Rainbow over the bayou on Saturday morning

Spotted an adorable little tree frog (I think it's a squirrel tree frog).
Any critter that eats bugs is a good critter in my book!

Signs of fall? Southern Tier Pumking (Imperial pumpkin ale) and a hard cider
make for-class reading feel less like work and more like a relaxing afternoon

I'd include photos of my Sunday afternoon football-watching, too, but I don't want a cease-and-desist from the NFL...

Pop quiz!

Image source

As a teacher, I don't give pop quizzes. But (apparently) as a blogger, I do. Fortunately for you, this won't affect your GPA.
Have fun!

Pop Quiz:

1. What am I doing right now?

A. Blogging (but I should be packing)
B. Pinning on Pinterest (but I should be working and not wasting vacation hours)
C. Packing
D. Both A and B, I'm an amazing multi-tasker (but a terrible packing procrastinator)

2. What race am I running this weekend?

A. The Boston Marathon
B. Badwater
C. New Orleans Rock 'n' Roll Half
D. Race? What race?

3. What post-race drink am I most likely to crave?

A. Chocolate milk
B. Gatorade
C. Beer
D. Bloody mary

4. How many times did I need my sunglasses this week?

A. 7 (Wore 'em every day, baby!)
B. 2 (It's been cloudy with a chance of meatballs.)
C. 1 (They only let me out of the asylum for exercise once a week.)
D. 0 (Freakin' awful Florida weather! February is supposed to be nice here!)

5. Someone yelled at/to me while I was running at about 9 o'clock this morning. Given what you know about my neighborhood, what do you think that person yelled?

A. "Hey baby, want a ride?"
B. "Slow down, girl. What's your hurry?"
C. "Good job, girl!"
D. "Pick up the pace!"

BONUS QUESTION: What do you think I saw when I was out on my run this morning?

A. A man-eating alligator
B. A funny-car shaped like a hot-dog
C. A television crew filming a show on yard sales
D. Other (specify in the comment section): ________________________________

ANSWER KEY:
1. D. I used to be so good about pre-packing! I don't know when I turned into a last-minute-Annie, but I am.
2. C. New Orleans, and I'll get to check another state off of my halfing-the-50 list! If you answered A or B you need to turn in your runner's credentials: the Boston Marathon is an April race and Badwater is July.
3. D. While I won't turn down a cup of water, bottle of gatorade, or pint of beer, a bloody mary is my drink of choice. I recognize that chocolate milk is supposed to be a good post-run recovery beverage, but the idea of drinking milk after running is... um... totally gross to me.
4. D. Florida weather FAIL.
5. Surprisingly, the answer is C. I've heard all of the above while out running, including "hey baby, want a ride?" and "pick up the pace," but today another woman runner gave me a big thumbs up and a "good job." Made my day!
Bonus: C. Yep. I have no idea why yard sales are television-worthy, but my sweaty self may or may not have photo-bombed the show! But I still want to know what your fill in the blank answer was!

DOUBLE BONUS QUESTION:
What's the most interesting thing you saw/heard/read this week?

C'mon, pick up the pace!

Context is everything.

Imagine someone says to you: "C'mon, pick up the pace!"

How do you respond?

C'mon, pick up the pace!
(Image from the State Library of New South Wales with edits by author)

Well, someone yelled that very phrase at me this morning, and my response was... well... we'll get to that.

The incident got me thinking: How would my reaction have been different, to those same words, under other circumstances?

Your coach yells: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Shame.
Coach caught you sandbagging and called you out on it. You are probably angry, but can't tell if you're angry at yourself or at your coach. You pick up the pace, even if you don't want to, because you're pissed and because coach is probably right.

Your long-time running buddy says: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Compliance.
You dig in and find another gear to keep up. You might grumble or shoot back a "You've got to be kidding?" But you know your running buddy is right, so you push on. If it just happens to be the kind of day where you can't find the energy to rally, you also know that your running buddy will understand. Because that running buddy has seen you at your best and at your worst. That running buddy has probably seen you knocking out hill repeats like a Kenyan, but has also seen you sidelined with stomach cramps. And it's all ok.

Your race-day rival (and possible mortal enemy) taunts: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Fury.
You want to kick the smirk off of Rival's face. You fantasize about the gal (or guy) tripping over a loose shoelace 200 meters from the finish line as you cruise by to an age group award. You are secretly filled with glee when you find out that your chip time was 20 seconds faster than hers.

Your neighbor jokes, as you run by: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Laughter.
You know your neighbor is just teasing to be neighborly. This "pick up the pace" is more of an acknowledgement that you're out running than it is a commentary on your level of effort. You yell back: "Get off your damned porch and join me!" with a smile on your face.

A race-day spectator yells: C'mon, pick up the pace!
Reaction: Indignation.
You think to yourself: "You get out here and run you lazy F%#$@!& windbag!" and realize later that you forgot to use your "inside voice." Oops. (But, then again, the jerk deserved it.)

So, which "C'mon, pick up the pace!" do you think I heard this morning?
Do you have any context-shifted stories to share? An event that ruined your day, when in other circumstances it would have been no big thing? An event that made you laugh, when in other circumstances it might have made you cry?

Data Privacy Day vs. 11 Random Things

The Running Historian and the Sweet Tooth Runner tagged me for Eleven Random Things. Just Keep Running tagged me for 7... And what better way is there to honor National Data Privacy Day than posting a bunch of personal stuff on the interwebs?
Update 1/29/2012 - Alma also tagged me! Head over to The Average Woman's Running Blog to see how I answered her 11. (See the comments section of this post.)

The rules are: (1) Post these rules. (2) You must post 11 random things about yourself. (3) Answer the questions set for you in their post. (4) Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer (5) Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them (6) No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." You legitimately have to tag people! It's my blog and I can do what I want in it.

11 randoms + pictures! = i was bad at math...

1. I have a fondness for peanut butter that is borderline unhealthy (like a jar-per-week habit), but it is better than an addiction to meth, right?



Look how beautiful it is!

2. I lost a toenail once (5 years ago) running a marathon. I now have 2 that look like they're ready to jump ship, but so far, I've only ever lost the one.
3. I grew up swearing I'd never live in California... Then I did.
4. Once I lived in California, I swore I'd never leave... Then I did. The moral of this story: Never swear.

5. I swear. A lot. If my life were on television, the FCC fines could eliminate the budget deficit, but somehow I manage to keep the blog PG-13.
6. My closet is filled with fancy dresses and gym clothes. I have little in between. Working from home is only partly to blame.

7. I won't run without my toe socks, which is funny, because I mocked them when I first saw them. Now I'm a zealot.
8. I lived without a TV for many years, and never felt like I was missing out. Hubby owned a 40-something inch flat screen when we met. Now I get excited when Big Bang Theory is on. My how life changes...



Source: Nationaal Archief

9. I have a very soft spot in my heart for Lady Gaga.
10. I believe in Karma.
11. I nearly failed trigonometry in junior high. Now I (successfully) do math as my day job. The moral of this story: Don't quit!



Source: a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net via Beth on Pinterest

Raquelita's questions for me:

1. If you had to enter a different profession from your current one, what would it be?
I used to dream of being a chef, because I love to cook. But cooking and chef-ness are not the same. Now I think I'd become a librarian.

2. Apart from running, what is your favorite way to work out?
Yoga.
Hands down.

Image source

(What? Not punny?)

3. Would you consider yourself a dog person or a cat person?
This must be a trick question. Who could resist a face like this?

4. If you could spend the day with one celebrity, who would it be and why?
It would be a toss up between Hillary Clinton or Condoleezza Rice -- to pick either brain about politics, power, and attitudes toward women in the workplace.

5. What is your favorite thing to cook?
Cooking (anything) is my stress-relief. No matter how bad a day is, I can chop and mix and saute my way to at least one accomplishment. That said, I'm most proud of baking bread.

6. Where did you grow up?
In the smallest state in the union (with the longest name).

7. What is the last book that you read?
John Irving's A Widow for One Year.

8. Why did you go to the college that you attended?
Undergrad - for the scholarship money. Grad - program reputation and location.

9. What is your favorite kind of ice cream?
Maple walnut... but I rarely see maple outside of the northeast?

10. If money were no object and there was no need for concern about exploitative means of production or harm to the environment, what would you splurge on?
Travel.
Definitely travel.

11. Why did you decide to start blogging?
I moved to a new place, had no friends (here), and my work schedule dropped to 30 hours/week. So I figured I'd use all my new-found boredom free time to obsess about running and maybe meet some like-minded souls.

12. What did you eat for breakfast?
Besides 3 cups of coffee?
Scrambled eggs with broccoli and feta. One of the perks of working from home -- I can have green eggs (and ham) every day!

Source: plus.google.com via Beth on Pinterest

...and Emma's questions:

1. What is your biggest goal/dream right now?
Finishing these 11 questions?

2. Which place in the world would you like to visit the most, and why?
My parents' back yard. I travel all the time, but I don't get back home very often.

Parents' back yard - where you can pick your dinner, literally.

3. What is your favourite book?
Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy. One of the few books I've read several times.

4. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A chef.

5. What has been the best moment in your life so far?
The moments I like best are the everyday awesome ones. So this week: Coming home, after a late night of teaching, to find Hubby elbow-deep in pasta. He made homemade mac & cheese so I wouldn't have to cook. It's the little things...

6. Your favourite colour?
Red.

7. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
Stephanie Germanotta.

8. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Extrovert! (And a loud one, too.)

9. If you could run any race, what would it be?
Comrades Marathon in South Africa.

10. Do you have any fears or phobias?
Nothing severe, but I dislike being in enclosed spaces. Those "warrior" races that make you swim through a narrow tunnel...? Yea... That won't be me.

Image source

11. In a film of your life, which actress would play you?
Tina Fey!

11 questions for the next victims (ahem...) tagged bloggers:

1. What is one bad habit you want to break?
2. What is the best compliment you have ever received?
3. If you were stranded on a desert island and had a case of food -- only one type of food -- what would it be?
4. If you could have a beer with any person (living or dead) who would it be?
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
6. Favorite song of all time?
7. Guilty pleasure song? (You know - that one you rock out to when no one else is listening...)
8. Favorite vacation location?
9. Are you a re-reader or one-and-done?
10. What is the career you secretly dream about starting when you retire from your current job?
11. The place you wish you were right now, instead of being at a computer?

Tag, you're it!

Adventures of a Latin Geek
Unfiltered Running

Notes from a Joyful Girl

Every Day is Run Day

Run Far and Prosper
The Pioneer Apron

Just Keep Running (you haven't gotten the 11 yet, right?)

... My method here: Introducing you all to some wonderful new(ish) blogs -- most of the "mature" bloggers have been tagged already! So... if you haven't gotten steamrolled by 11-things yet, and you want to join the fun, send me a note and I'll tag you!

Everyone else... what's your answer to #4 - If you could have a beer with any person, who would it be?

A flat tire kind of day

I woke up thinking "I should wear pants, not a dress, today." But did I listen to that nagging voice?

Source: top10and10.com via Lara on Pinterest

Nosiree. I did not.

So at 11am I was in a gas station parking lot... examining a deflating tire, holding an air-hose in my hand, with my skirt threatening a Marilyn Monroe moment.

Next time I wear pants.
There is no graceful way to deal with car repairs in a dress.
Not one.

"Maybe the tire is just low." I thought to myself, knowing full well that it was not "just low."

I gave up on the air hose when I (finally) spotted the culprit: a steel nail buried in the tread.

Thankfully the repair station around the corner was open, and was amenable to replacing the evil nail with a sturdy patch.

Source: National Library of Ireland

$15 later (does it really cost that much to patch a tire these days?) I was on my way again.

I could be bitter about the flat tire incident, but if I stop to think about it... I could have missed the puncture until the tire was good and flat. If I had waited any longer... if I had been delayed in a meeting... if I just hadn't noticed... I would have I needed to put the spare on just to get the car to a repair shop.

That would have been a bad start to the day.

Source: Chaiwat  / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Instead, I found the flattening tire in time, and the whole process took less than 30 minutes. That 30 minutes was what little "spare" time I had today (pun intended - it's been a long day), but it could have been worse.

So, no run today.
But that's OK, too.

Yesterday was 2-fer Tuesday. 4 miles in the morning, a 3 more at night, both faster than I should be doing on a pre-race "taper" week.

My legs earned a rest.

New shoes and shopping weirdness

Modeling my new Nikes

Today is a good news / bad news day in the retail world.

Good news: My new shoes arrived in the mail today!

(There were two pairs of Black Friday deals I just couldn't resist... because I buy new running shoes every 3-5 months anyway, and unlike industrial-sized jars of mayonaise from Costco, shoes don't go rancid if you buy in bulk.)

The first box I opened was the Nike Air Pegasus+ 28s.

These Nikes might win the award for the most horribly ugly running shoes I've ever worn. (Sorry, Nike. But seriously -- what were you thinking? These shoes look like something Punky Brewster would have worn...)

But, as I've said before, running is a race, not a fashion show.

I took my new Nikes out for a test run at lunch. The shoes felt good, but I'm going to hold off on a "review." 1.5 miles isn't quite far enough to get a good feel for the shoes, plus the weather was crisp and dry today (unlike yesterday) -- so any run would have felt good. I don't want to rave about the fit until I've got some miles on these shoes. But my initial reaction is that they give my toes plenty of room, and nothing felt "off," so I suspect these shoes and I will get along just fine.

Bad news: A funny thing happened at the market today...

Source: digital.library.okstate.edu via Kori on Pinterest

This morning, before work, I went to the grocery store to replenish the household stock of non-Thanksgiving fruits and vegetables. I purchased a cart-load of fresh veggies. (For some reason, the Monday after Thanksgiving makes me drool over salad greens. Maybe the chunk of pumpkin cheesecake I had for "dinner" last night has something to do with that, but I digress...)

My produce bonanza included some of my favorites: beets, asparagus, bananas, endive, and an English cucumber (among other things).

At checkout, the clerk picked up my cucumber to scan it, and said:

"Wow. Why do you buy this? These things are expensive!"

Um?
WTF?
(Maybe we have found the real reason I don't like shopping around the holidays...)
I was too dumbfounded to even reply.
(Though, trust me, I've thought of plenty of zingers since then!)

What is the proper etiquette for dealing with an uppity cashier?
and
Why is it that I think of the best comebacks only after it's way too late to use them?