Number Crunching Time....

Today I met with my trainer bright and early... Some decent news with my monthly measurements - am actually down a little for body fat %, even in the evil month of December! I was hoping to stay even (not go up!), so was happy with that. However, the plan is now to get serious with diet to get my #s down: down another 6% in body fat by the time races start coming around in a few months. So, Jenny has to start back into strict meal planning, including: 1. 6 meals a day 2. More calories to boost metabolism (but not too many!) 3. Supplements, supplements, supplements 4. Monitoring ratios of fat/carbs/protein pretty strictly 5. Writing down everything....crunching numbers. grrr! 6. Keep lifting and building muscle! Tomorrow I'll post up my new years resolutions...if I have any! Tee hee....

Dead Vacuum

Last night I 'de-Christmas-ed' the house while Jake was working. Tore down the tree, put away all the nic-nacs, etc. Well, of course there were a zillion little needles that needed to be cleaned up after packing up that tree so I ran down and got out the vacuum. Turned it on and zilch! No running little sweepers - just a burning smell and maybe some sparks. Turned the thing over and was gunked up with hair and string. So I tore the thing apart and cut away all the crap. Put 'er back together and revved her up again. Nadda. It's official - vacuum is dead. Sniff sniff!

So, today I get to go shopping for a new vacuum. I would LOVE the Dyson Pet Hair one, but am not willing to shell out 500+ for a stupid vacuum. If it doesn't fit on Pink Lightning and make me ride over 20 mph - am not going to shell out that sort of cash (thick reference here to my future Zipp wheels... oh yes they will be mine!!!).

Second on the list of things to do today is cleaning out my cupboards and refrigerator - we are officially purging all "bad" food from the house and stocking up on healthy foods for training. (Me, along with 9 zillion others getting ready for the new year!)

Lastly, have to go do our annual Good Will donation before the end of the year. Gotta clean out some of the closets and get that done soon! I figure all this will keep me busy enough that I won't have to watch the Vikings blow it today against the Giants. I am such a pessimist with those guys. Grrr....

Some of my Favorite Things...

Thought I'd post up a couple of my presents from Xmas this week - race related, of course. Mom and Dad got me another plaque for my Accenture Chicago triathlon race results, since I got one for 2007 and smashed my time (by 8 minutes) and place (5th place to 4th place) in 2008. I definitely needed another one for the wall! Jake got me a great Nike running shirt for my outdoor runs this winter to keep me toasty warm. (now I just have to get outside and run here....)

Today I did some spinning and am proud to say I hit 300 watts - for about a minute or so. Short lived power outage for me, but hey! I hit the mark! Then with about 2 seconds left in the last set for the day, my tire blew out. Ha ha! Gotta go get the training tire fixed up, I guess. Never had a flat on a trainer, but a first time for everything.

Merry Christmas!

Well, the holiday is finally upon us...I am currently putting in a few hours of work this morning/afternoon, hit the gym quick before it closes, and then it is off to my cousin's house in Lindstrom to do Xmas with my side of the family. I can't wait to watch my little nephew on his first Christmas. I do recall that he really liked opening presents a few months ago. This should be hilarious! Tomorrow Jake is working in the morning/afternoon (maybe I'll work some too...we shall see) and then we go over to his side of the family to celebrate. Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday!!!

No Driving For Jenny

I attempted to go to spin this morning and got all geared up and out the door - just a light dusting of snow to contend with. As I passed my 3rd car in the ditch on Hwy 10, I decided that this probably wasn't really worth it. If I got to spin, I'd still have to turn around and come home again a few hours later and I'm sure the roads would be even worse. So, I made an executive decision to flip a U-turn and head back home.

So, Pink Lightning got setup in the basement and we rode a bit to the Ironman Madison video that I have. I was noticing a bit of shaven rubber coming off my back tire today, so I might have to take 'er in and see if my wheel isn't rubbing my frame a little and get 'er fixed up. Add to the list of things to do today...

I think the rest of the day will be finalizing last minute Xmas gifts and wrapping, a little house cleaning, maybe swinging over to Erik's with Pink Lightning, and then dinner tonight with Jake and Erik & Chi. Jake is gonna love his present I got him, I think I outdone myself this time. Not telling what it is yet though. Hopefully the roads get plowed and salted for tonight's excursion....sounds like our limo option fell through - so we're gonna have to drive ourselves through the wintery wonderland that we live in (since it's Jake's birthday - driver = Jenny, I'm assuming... Fun!). Wish me luck!

Winter Sucks

I officially am on the "winter sucks" bandwagon this week with all of the time I spent in my car in traffic commuting to and from work. I am not even going to try to add up the hours that I could have been billing clients vs. trying to plow through slippery roads. That would just upset me if I knew the grand total. Hence, I made the executive decision to work from home today and save a little time and frustration. Seemed to work out OK, except for my dog had the urge to constantly beg for t-r-e-a-t-s all day long! Usually she just lays at your feet and sleeps - not today. Oh well...  

On a happier note, I did get all of my Christmas cards/letters out this week. Was a little late this year, compared to my usual promptness of this task right away after Thanksgiving - but that will just have to do with the stuff I've been up to lately. Tonight is lifting at the gym, if I can wake the husband from his nap on the couch... and then probably dinner & hanging low. Tomorrow night we are going out to celebrate the hubby's birthday coming up on Sunday. Plans include a limo and dinner down at Pittsburgh Blue in Maple Grove. Can't wait!

Pretty Sure I'm Losing It

Well, I think it's time for me to take a break or vacation of some sort - think I'm totally losing it. Monday night I went over to campus for my 'last night of class' - yeah!!! If you recall, the previous week's class was skipped by Jenny due to horrible driving conditions. Well, as I walked into my classroom this Monday night, I was greeted by no one. Empty classroom. Huh? So, I scrambled onto my laptop trying to find a wireless connection and check my email. Was there a change in location? Maybe the last night was at the local bar? Nope! No emails. I dug out my syllabus and called the Prof. I guess the last night of class was LAST week! Duh!

Then tonight, again a lovely evening of a promising snowy commute - I decided to lift weights down in Bloomington near work and wait for the rush hour crowd to pack down the roads before venturing out. When I got to the locker room to change, I unpacked my bag and found that I had grabbed two DIFFERENT shoes! What the hell? Luckily I had both a left and a right pair - so I threw them on and got my workout in. I hope nobody looked too carefully at my footwear.

I did meet a nice guy at the gym - he commented on my Liberty Half IM tech shirt and we got to talking triathlons. He had done Madison IM and basically started spouting out tips and suggestions, which I gratefully accepted. He said that Madison was one of the 3 best things to ever happen to him in his life, including Marriage and Kids. He was very interesting to talk to and made me even more excited for next September - hopefully my experience will be as great of one as he described his. In the mean time....hopefully I can grab the right shoes!

Cookie Night! Yum!

Last night I met up with the girlz (Maggie, Lyndee, Angie, Andrea (Reece & Jillian), Heidi & Beth) to do our annual cookie exchange. I got my lift in down at the Eagan Lifetime after work and then went over to Angie's to partake in the evening's festivities.

Angie's husband Ryan was a peach and made each of us 'personal pizzas' as we hung out and partook in some wine, good conversation, and making faces at the baby (who was an angel!) I think I have Heidi talked into a Half IM this summer with us - go Heidi!!! We had to do some creative decoration on the gingerbread cookies to denote my triathlon obsession and to put on the blog.

Mags had her gingerbread men in full force and Heidi begrudgingly made 3 batches of her famous peanut butter balls. I think chocolate and peanut butter were prevalent in many of these cookie creations that were brought together. We all agreed that these are all fat-free and low calorie assortments (yeah right!).

The Luther girlz all wore their LC attire - totally random, but kind of funny. At the end of the evening, I scooted over to Heidi's townhouse with Mags and we checked out her 'painting' that she has been contracting out for getting all the walls in her new place spruced up. Looked really good! (even though it wasn't 'toast'! ha ha)

This morning I got up and went to spinning, hoping to burn off the calories consumed the night before. Now, I'm waiting to be picked up by Mom and Stacy to head out to the first annual Girls of the Family shopping trip/weekend. Planned activities: shopping downtown, Holidazzle parade, Bucas for dinner (again....no calories there!), and staying overnight in a hotel down there. Should be fun!

Winter Driving - Gotta Love It

Yesterday, I had class at 6:00, so leaving work at 4:30 I figured I'd have plenty of time to get over to St. Paul through a little sprinkling of snow. I thought wrong. I swear, the first winter snow for Minnesotans hits and people forget how to drive! It isn't that hard people!

It took me almost 1:45 to get up 100 from 494 to 394 and at that point I had to make a decision. Go East to St. Paul to class (which I'd be late for anyways) or head for home. I chose the latter - making my drive time a total of 2:30 upon finally making it home.

On a better note, I ended up going to the gym and having a really good workout. Not sure if it is the new supplements recommended by my trainer, or the new workout I got last week - but I had a great lift with some running sets thrown in for good measure. Probably one of my best weight training sessions I've done in quite a while.

This morning I had another 2 hr commute down to work again, even though the roads were perfectly fine. I give it another week for people to relearn how to drive. We shall see if it catches on.

Weekend @ Luther

This weekend I went down to Decorah, IA to my alma mater, Luther College, with my mom and my aunt to see the Juletide Christmas concert. This is a yearly tradition (usually) for us to make the trip down to Decorah to partake in the following activities:

1. Shop at the cute shops on main street in Decorah

2. Eat at Mabes Pizza (Canadian bacon & sauerkraut pizza! Yum!)

3. Visit the college book shop so Jen can get her Luther apparel updated for the year

4. Check out the new building updates on campus

5. Go to Marty's coffee shop and have a coffee

6. Realize how frickin' old I'm getting

7. Go to the concert & listen to pretty Xmas music

It was cold this year, as usual, as we were walking around downtown. Brrr! The pizza was fabulous, as usual. The concert was fairly good, we've definitely seen better performances, but it was fun. They were filming this concert for the airing on TV, so was fun to watch the cameramen and the big boom trying to get all the good shots of the choirs and orchestra. Mom almost got us kicked out, when she was trying to get some mints from her purse (quietly) and couldn't do it. She started giggling and I thought she was gonna lose it. Luckily she simmered down and we didn't get the boot.

After the concert we drove up to Preston to our hotel, which was a bit of a hole. We had a little party going on next door that we had to call to the front desk about, but that simmered down eventually.

On our way back home, we stopped up in Rochester and did a little bit of Xmas shopping before heading home. At least I got a few things purchased and off my lists - which will be helpful in the coming weeks here.

Rock 'N Roll Marathon Video

Here is my video clip of my finish at the San Antonio Marathon a few weeks ago. Of course I'm the one in the pink top crossing the finish line!

Wicked

Last night mom and Sarah and I went to go see Wicked downtown at the Orpheum. Such a good show! I had to laugh, as Heidi (who saw it a few weeks ago) claims Glinda the Good reminds her of me. Toss! Toss! (insert hair flip here) I have no idea why, except that she's blonde and has a few pink outfits! Too funny!

Turkey Day Recap

Well, Turkey Day has come and gone... On Wednesday night, Heidi came over to hang out and spend the night since we had to get up and do the Turkey Day 5K in downtown Mpls the next morning. We had a bit of excitement, as the prepped turkey that Jake went to go get from his mom went 'bad' (I hate it when they cross over to the wrong side of the tracks!)...so we learned that you can get a turkey at 11:00 PM the night before Thanksgiving when hosting for 19 and still pull it off! Heidi and I got down to the Target Center bright and early (sorry Heidi, old habits die hard). It was good, as we ran into the run clubbers that were working the sign up booths and got to chat with them for a bit. Then we met up with Cindy and off we ran. The weather was perfect and the 3.1 miles went off pretty quickly. Before we knew it, we were stuffing our pockets with free energy bars and heading back home.

The whole Rehling clan came over for Turkey day and we had our typical orphans too (Matt & Beth, Heidi and newcomer this year, Noelle!). I think everyone overate and there may have been a couple glasses of wine that could have been avoided. Sarah stopped by later on and we ended up playing some board games into the wee hours of the morning. Was a lot of fun.

Yesterday, I ran a quick errand for mom (on Black Friday) and know exactly why I avoid stores on this day. However, I found that the parking lot was 200% worse than the store. Seriously! I bopped up to C-town to pick up Ruffles (who spent the holiday up at grandpa and grandma's) and got my new tree skirt & stockings that mom quilted for us this year. Got back home and broke out the Xmas decorations. The tree skirt and stockings look great - Mom is so talented! Then Jake and I watched a few movies and veged out for the night. Today was 'homework' day - trying to finalize up some stuff for the semester and tomorrow I need to tweak up my workout plans now that my 'recovery' period from the marathon is coming to a close (and I'm feeling a bit guilty from this week's consumption of food and beverages!). Me and everybody else! Ha ha!

Black Toenail...So Sad

So with Black Friday rapidly approaching, it is only fitting that I have now developed one sucker of a black toenail. I didn't even know this until about 3 days after the marathon, as my toenail polish was a dark purple to start with. Once the soreness in my legs subsided, I felt a weird numb sensation in my one big toe. Upon removing my nail polish - I figured out I have a black toenail. (basically, you get a blood blister under your nail bed and eventually the nail will probably fall off). So I have that to look forward to. Oh well, small price to pay I guess.

Tonight I'm prepping for Turkey day being hosted at our house. Heidi is coming over tonight and we are getting up early in the AM to run the Turkey Day 5K downtown, like we have for the past 2-3 years now. Sounds like the weather will be decent, so should be a fun time. Cindy is also meeting up with us...which will be good, since its been a while since I've seen her.

Hope everyone has a great Turkey Day!!! Gobble Gobble!!!

My Post for My Brother...

My brother wanted to know why I hadn't posted a blog today, as he was basking in the sun in Hawaii - which is new on his routes that he flies (he's a 747 pilot). So, to appease him - here you go. My blog for the day...just for you, Chris.

Today I awoke to a decent day out, and leaves still in my yard. So, since my house was utterly spotless from yesterday's cleaning activities and the thermometer was above 30 degrees, I decided to go hit the yard. Note: this is considered an 'outside job', which does not fit my job description for tasks performed around the Rehling household. But since the husband is outta state hunting, time is running short, and snow is quickly approaching us... options were running low.

So, Ruffles and I spent the day raking up leaves and after getting my neighbor to help me start my leave "sucker", we got them all bagged up too. Due to the many hours that I put into this task, which is not on my list of things to do...did I mention that??? I decided that to reward myself for my efforts this weekend. Therefore, my husband unknowingly just bought me a new tri outfit from Jaggad which I've had my eye on for some time now, but hadn't wanted to shell out the dough for. It is like the one that Heather Gollnick wears in many of her Ironman races, only I opted for the longer top - not the midriff version that she rocks (she LOVES pink too...should see her bike!). Therefore, I guess it was my lucky day!!!

Later, mom and dad swung by with some pizza after running some errands down at Costco. Now, it's back to the computer to work on homework for the rest of the evening. Not quite as exciting as Hawaii, but will have to do for now. Hope your trip is fun, Chris! And by the way...you are so going to smuggle me someday down to Australia which I hear is also a new route...just find me a crate! Did I mention that Jaggad is from Australia? Maybe you'll be shipping my new outfit over to the states for me!

Post Marathon Thoughts

This week again flew by fast. I have been feeling just fine after the first marathon - the massage did wonders. I met with run club on Wednesday and Noelle and I ran probably a mile and a half and went back to lift weights. We weren't so much into running that night. Today I get to pretty much clean the hell out of my messy house in preparation for Thanksgiving, which is creeping up ever so quickly. So after the marathon this week, I've pondered the differences between marathons and triathlons. And not to offend anyone who is partial to either, I thought I'd throw down my thoughts on the two (now that I have done both).

Triathlons vs. Marathons 

1. Mentally fun/challenging:

• Triathlons are mentally more fun, in my opinion - you have so much to think about in the transitions and the 3 sports (in addition you can look forward to those other pieces of the race - hmm...what do I need to prepare to do next?). In addition, you get to work different muscles during the different sports - which mixes things up a bit too.
• In marathons, you are just running.... Oh! Another mile done, what's next? Only 17 more miles....of running. Hmm... my feet hurt. Wonder why?

2. Pre-race excitement/adrenaline:

• In triathlons I get those morning butterflies the day of the race when you are all heading down to the water - that takes me back to the days of competing on the swim team. At Liberty Half IM (Note: I was a basket-case for this one) my heart rate was up to 120 just standing there waiting for the start!
• In marathons (or similar running races) I get none of that. I'm just there to run the thing, no nerves or anything. Calm as a cucumber - no big deal. Is that strange?

3. People:

• In triathlons you typically start in waves of 50 people in the water (or Chicago it may be 150...). Once the initial arms flailing has occurred, it spreads out and you are pretty good to go for the race.
• In marathons (in this case with 30,000 people), you are pretty constrained (in many areas) due to crowded streets and various paces of running of the people around you. Granted, this is possibly not the case in the front waves, but back in wave 18 - it was!

4. Talkativity:

• In triathlons, people don't speak. There may be a word or two that is passed between competitors during a bike pass or maybe on the run when you see a friend...but that is pretty much it. You keep to yourself, run your race and that's it.
• In marathons, there are conversations that can be had. Songs that are sung (Deep in the Heart of Texas?!?! Come on guys...we could have had a catchier tune to croon!) and motivational words that are passed amongst the participants when they see people that are struggling or in need of a pep talk.

5. Training:

• In triathlon, training isn't boring. One day you may run, the next could be biking or swimming. Most likely there are 2 sports done in one day, too. Sick of one sport for the week or possibly have some sort of minor injury or pulled muscle? Then skip it and do another! There's plenty to do!
• In marathons, there isn't too much for variety here. Run today, run tomorrow... I forgot what was on the training plan for Thursday. Oh yeah! Running! The weekend has a LSD (long slow distance) run....that's different!

Well, those are a few of my recollections and comparisons (for now). I'm still leaning towards triathlon as my sport of choice - but I think that both have great qualities for anyone who chooses to participate in them. More power to ya!

Ahhh...Gotta Luv Massage

Recap from yesterday's flight: Remember how I sat next to the cheeriest, happiest person ever on the flight down to San Antonio (AWESOME-girl!)? Well, her polar opposite accompanied me on the flight back to Mpls. This little hoochie said absolutely nothing and scowled the whole flight. When the flight attendant came around with food, she snottily snapped at him "can I just get some chips?!?! I don't want the sandwich!" She had her feet wedged into the seat back of the person in front of her and he politely turned around and asked if she wouldn't mind not doing that. She shifted her weight for 30 seconds, then shoved her feet back into his seat back again. Later, she curled up into a fetal ball in her seat - spilling over onto the shared arm rest of ours and into my 'space'. I accidentally elbowed her several times while working on my laptop. Darn pesky mouse of mine...oops! 

Well, I got back just fine and Jake met me at the airport to pick me up. I got home and pretty much turned around and headed down to St. Paul for class. Back into the swing of things, I guess. My legs felt like crap last night after being cramped up in an airplane and not being able to stretch them out all day. I tried stretching them under the table at class in a subtle way. Not sure if I was terribly covert about it. Oh well. 

Today they feel much better... I think I may be up for a short run with run club tomorrow evening. We shall see. I booked a massage this evening and just got back. You so have to love massage! I was so relaxed....wish I could have one every week! I was a little chilled, kinda wished I was in a sauna-like room, but it wasn't too bad. I do think I need to get into at least a monthly regimen for massage pretty shortly. It does improve your athletic performance and recovery time. Unfortunately, costs money. Doesn't everything!?!? I swear...I need a second job to pay for this Ironman training! Below is my marathon race results with splits and places, etc. I finished pretty much 'middle of the pack'. Which is just fine by me!

I Ran My First Marathon...and Survived!

Yesterday was definitely an experience! Noelle, Corrine and I got on the first shuttle down to the race start (and thank goodness we did!) We got down there in the CHILLY morning air - was probably upper 20s-low 30s! Brrrr!!!! We found a key spot by a generator to huddle with some other people for the few hours that we had before we took off. One of the guys we were standing by looked and acted exactly like Ashton Kutcher. Was kinda funny. Now, a handful of the other run-clubbers slept in and couldn't get on the shuttles...ended up walking 2.5 miles to the start. They were NOT happy.

So we all got ready to go and along with 30,000 others - started running. Noelle, Corrine and I were running the full marathon and hooked up with Jerel and Andy (half marathon) for the first 10 miles until they broke off and headed back to the finish. They were complete saints and took my hoodie and Noelle's jacket back with them so we didn't have to run with those around our waists for the last 16 miles.

The "Rock N Roll" part of the marathon was a little over-hyped. We were complaining that there weren't enough bands - especially in the back part of the course. Oh well. We attempted to entertain ourselves and keep upbeat. I felt pretty good for the majority of the run. My goal was to work on my 'supplements' and nutrition/hydration to make sure I know how to do all this stuff for when I get to Ironman. I think I did pretty well. My stomach was fine and I think my plan worked out decently. I think I will need to pack a few more Endurolytes for Ironman - as I was running low at the end.

About mile 17-22, Noelle did a great job pacing us...I could easily have slowed down a bit on this stretch and taken 'er a bit easy - but she kept us going at about a 8:45-9:15 pace (when running). I think we negative split our second half of the race, actually. I felt pretty good for the last 4 miles, or so. Which surprised me. Finish time was around 4:53 - which I wanted under 5 hrs...so we made it. By my Garmin we ran around a 4:40 - but there were tons of people on the 1/2 marathon route (can you say congestion?) a few bathroom stops and lines at porta-potties that added a few minutes to our time.

Afterwards, we stopped for Nachos and a Beer at the Hard Rock (Noelle's ritual post-marathon) and then went and ran in the hotel pool to loosen up our legs - which felt really good. We met up with the crew at Coyote Ugly for some more beverages and a stint with us girls dancing on the bar. Don't ask me why. (Jerel!!!)

All-in-all, the race went well. I'm not terribly sure how I feel about marathons just yet. Wondering why people sign themselves up for things like this (this coming from the girl signed up for an Ironman) - but I'm sure that I could be swayed to do another one again. We shall see. Now that this is over and complete - a week or so of recovery and then I'm ready to start the Ironman base training (fully, not just half-assed like the past month or so) that will take me into September. Woo hoo!

Now, heading to the gate and hopping on my flight back to MN. Will post more pics later when I get home and settled back in.

In Texas and....COLD!

So I got into San Antonio about 10:45 PM last night. Flights were fairly decent and uneventful, except for the annoying woman that sat next to me on the flight from Houston to San Antonio. Everything was AWESOME to her. She said this word probably 4-5 times a minute it seemed like. 

All I heard is:

blah, blah, blah....AWESOME....blah, blah, blah....AWESOME! blah, blah, blah....AWESOME....blah, blah, blah....AWESOME!....blah, blah, blah....AWESOME!

Needless to say, I threw on my headphones and attempted to zone out for the rest of the flight. When I got down to San Antonio, I got over to the hotel, changed quickly, and then met up with "the girls", who had already had a jump start on me for evening festivities. We headed back out to a few of the bars they had been at and had a good time. (Can you say....military? Crap, everyone down here is in the military!)

"Girls Night Out - Carmella, Jerel, Noelle, Jen & Sonja"

Today, we woke up and Noelle and I headed to the expo to pick up my packet and buy unneeded apparel and souvenirs. The weather down here is actually COLD! Wind is pretty good and if you are down by the riverwalk - it is downright chilly! Tomorrow's forecast is for between 36 - 72 degrees... so should be nice and brisk for the start of the race.

We stopped off briefly to warm up at a coffee shop, do some 'homework' (us grad students...I tell ya!), and then we are doing a riverboat tour later this afternoon. Probably followed by dinner and relaxation prior to our early morning wake-up call. I'll try to post some race results tomorrow after the race - if I'm functioning. I think my fingers should work still....just those legs & feet that I'm worried about. Naw...it'll be fine - will be a fun course and I'm looking forward to it! Go 26.2!!! Woo hoo!

Almost Set To Go!

Well, I'm off tomorrow to go down to San Antonio for my first marathon! This week has been crazy busy with my work and our project attempting to deploy tomorrow. I'm definitely ready for a couple of days off.

I plan to run some errands tomorrow morning (since I've had NO time this week to breathe) and finish up packing and then I fly out late-afternoon to meet up with all the run-clubbers that are already down there. Can't wait to get to the riverwalk... haven't been down there since I was 17 - it was such a great place!

The race is Sunday, starting at 7:30 AM...I'm going out in wave 18 with Noelle and Corrine.

For anyone curious on how things are going, there will be posted live results at this link: Live Results page.

I'll make sure to detail out the highlights and lowlights after I return. Wish me luck!!!

Lefse & Cocked Hat Soup Day 2008

Yesterday I awoke to a limping dog - Ruffles back leg was a bit lame, but I held back from running straight to the vet and a several hundred dollar payment to them. Was gonna wait and see how the day went. 

Highlight #1 for day: I paid $1.89 for gas!!! I almost took a few cars out as I broke for the SA station by my house to get in on this deal. Less than $25 for the whole tank!!! I couldn't believe it - so had to take a picture. ha ha.

Highlight #2 for day: I went up to C-town for our annual "Lefse & Cocked Hat Soup" Extravaganza. When the boys go hunting on opener (update: Jon = 11 pt buck, Dad = 8 pt buck, Chris = nadda, Jake = No word), then the girls get together and make some Norwegian family goodies. So it was mom, Sara, Betty, Stacy, and me. But this year we had Laike with us, as last year he was only a bun in the oven! 

For those who aren't spun up on "Cocked Hat Soup", it is a whole day process to make 'noodle dough' that then goes around a ground up chicken & beef mixture and then into a broth soup. Is very tasty. Then usually Stacy and I are the lefse makers at the grill. We are becoming quite good at it - but we always have mom to help. 

Vern came over at the end to try out our soup and Laike became a true Norwegian with his first bite of lefse!

Then I loaded up some soup & lefse and headed home. Luckily, Ruffles was walking fine when I got back and seems to be just as well today. Today I'm planning a run with Noelle (only 8 miles today) and then we are pretty much set for San Antonio next week. In fact, I think a little packing will be in order this afternoon, after laundry gets done.

I love my job...

Cat In The Hat Poem- I Love My Job by Dr. Seuss.

I Love My Job
-----------------
I love my job. I love the pay!
I love it more and more each day.
I love my boss, he is the best!
I love his boss, and all the rest.

I love my office and its location. I hate to have to go on vacation.
I love my furniture, drab the grey, and piles of paper that grow each day!
I think my job is really swell, there's nothing else I love so well.
I love to work among my peers, I love their leers and jeers and sneers.
I love my computer and its software: I hug it often through it won't care.
I love each program and every file, I'd love them more if they worked a while.

I'm happy to be here. I am. I am.
I'm the happiest slave of the Firm, I am.
I love this work. I love these chores.
I love the meetings with deadly bores.
I love my job- I'll say it again- I even love those friendly men.
Those friendly men who've come today. in clean white coats to take me away!!!!!!

Some days this image is SO true... especially when you are fighting with testing environments and the deployment day is creeping up on you. Hmmmm.....sound like today, does it? Maybe.

Voting - Check!

Just got done standing in line at the Community Center to cast my vote. I am SOOOOO happy that after today I don't have to listen to or watch stupid campaign commercials on TV anymore! Last night was a nightmare...there was not a SINGLE commercial that was not a campaign commercial while I was sitting on the couch writing a paper for school. Seriously, it's no wonder that the economy stinks - all the other retailers can't get a commercial in edge-wise with these yahoos running for office. OK, off my soap-box. I'm sure tonight will be interesting with all the election coverage and results rolling in. I'll be watching it from the gym while lifting weights, I suppose...

My Little Pony Flashback

Today I ran with run club down at the Lakes for a nice little 11-miler. Much nicer than having to do 20. I really like taper! Went home and met my husband for lunch and then went up to C-town to hang with the family that got together for dad's birthday. 

Chris, Lisa & Maya were in town from Alaska and Jon, Stacy & Laike came over from Princeton. During our little visit with the niece & nephew - we pulled out of the barn at my parent's house some of my old toys for Maya to play with...basically my old "My Little Ponies" and I guess I had a few of them (like 20!). Terribly strange to think that my almost 3 year old niece likes these toys - and according to the patent stamped on the hoofs of these ponies...mine were back from 1983! 25 years ago! Ow! I'm going to try to put that out of my mind. ha ha. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be pretty nice out - so maybe me and Pink Lightning might get out for a spin before she has to remain cooped up downstairs on the trainer for the rest of the winter. For now...setting the clocks back and heading to bed!

Missed my Zipps!

On Tuesday I just missed getting a pair of Zipp 808s (wheels) on eBay - slightly used but cheaper than buying brand new. I put in a bid with ~10 seconds left on the auction, got confirmation that I was the "high bidder" and then... SWOOP! Some bugger came in and outbid me at the last second!!! Oh well... wasn't too excited about shelling out the $$$ for these suckers just yet. I can wait a bit - don't need them until next spring. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for some good deals.

Last night I went to an AWD Happy Hour with all the old Rescap'ers, which was fun to see them all again. Couldn't stay too long, as I had already missed run club - but had to put in a few miles regardless. Tonight is spinning and then the week is almost over again!!! Where exactly does the time go? I think I fell into some strange time warp zone this month...I have a strange feeling that it's not going to slow down any time soon.

Feeling Good...

One day after longest run so far... How am I feeling, you ask? Strangely, I feel just fine... not sore or stiff at all. I was expecting worse when I woke up this morning. (Granted, I bet if we had attempted the outdoor, crappy weather run - that would be different. Plus add in a cold, sniffles, etc.) I'm taking this as a good sign.

I just got my letter from the marathon today and see that I am in Corral #18. I sure hope Noelle & Corrine are in the same corral...otherwise we'll have to do some juggling. Am getting excited - this trip is gonna be fun!

Had to run home quickly today from work to let the dog out before heading to class... 14 hours is a long time for Ruffles to hold it! Off to go get smart! Then maybe my husband will be home from his hunting trip too - we shall see.

Wind, Sleet, 20 Mile Run? Change of Venue...

Noelle and I had planned to go run the Lakes again today to get our 20 miler out of the way... But, the weather did not cooperate. Cold (OK, in the middle of February we'll be praying for 38 degree weather...), windy and sleety was not something we wanted to hang out in for 3-4 hours to get our run in.

So, we ended up at the Moore Lake gym where we did a combo of treadmill and track running for our estimation of 20 miles. So, we ran a half hour on the "dreadmill", then half hour on the track, back and forth. By our third round of treadmill running, I was about to gouge my eyes out. I forgot (briefly) how much I hate running on that thing! However, it was nice to break up the running back and forth a bit - kept us going.

Now, I think we're all set for San Antonio...next two weeks should be a snap! Thank goodness Noelle has been able to help me through all these long runs. Now we'll just have to see how it goes down there...

Another week flys by...

Yet again, I blink and the week has flown by. I finally got my internet connection humming at home - has been down for a couple days but after cycling my router and modem I'm back online. Tuesday I got to meet up with some of my friends for a flash-back concert of NKOTB. Yes, I went to NKOTB...was pretty fun to watch the concert, but mostly my friends. We got to hang in Andrea's work suite at Xcel - so was great seats. Worst part, I got 4 hrs of sleep after getting home and had to get up to meet my trainer in the morning. Needless to say, have been a little sleepy all week since then.

This weekend will consist of class tomorrow, 20 mile run Sunday (Brrr! Sven says it's gonna be cold!!!), and miscellaneous homework, housework, and work-work thrown in for good measure. Nothing terribly fun. I'll update ya'll on how the 20 miler goes...it's all downhill from there!

What's this supposed to mean?!?!

Today I had a training class in Eagan for "Agile Requirements". Over lunch I ran to grab a bite and ended up at LeAnn Chins... All fine and dandy, until I open my fortune cookie. What was my fortune cookie's wisdom, bestowed upon me today you may ask?

Keep your nose to the grindstone.

What?!?! Is this implying that my nose isn't to the grindstone? Or that it is slipping off of the grindstone?

Let's just take a look at what I have to do/think about on a daily basis. I want to know if I'm slacking here or not? Seriously...if I'm not doing enough - someone needs to speak up!

1. Morning workouts (I'm TRYING!!!)

2. Work (that is stressing me a tad with a major time-crunch project)

3. Commuting everyday to & from Bloomington

4. After work workouts - It's getting close to the end of my marathon training (most milage)

5. Making sure the dog is fed

6. Making sure the husband is fed

7. Classes & Schoolwork this semester (2 classes)

8. Spending time with hubby when he's not working (opposite schedules)

9. Working on Jake's website

10. Keeping the house clean (this slips the most)

11. Paying bills

12. Blogging

13. Attempting to take nutritional supplement cocktails during the right time of the day

14. Sleep

15. Keeping sane (OK....this is questionable at best!)

I think I read too much into small Chinese cookies. Deal with it and move on - too much to do.

A Little Creaky...

Yesterday consisted of me getting up at 5:30 AM (yes, included in my AM workout count in previous post). I headed out to get some water & Powerade for Noelle & I to drop off on the trail for our long run. We proceeded to drive around a bit, not terribly sure where we were going, but finally found the drop point. When we got back to the Coon Rapids dam, the rest of run club had already congregated and we were set to run. 

Was fun to run with the run club crew - we sort of leap frogged back and forth with everyone for the first 12 miles. Then Noelle and I finished up with another two loops around the visitor center area for a total of 17.25 miles. A personal record distance (PRD) for myself! Next week, we will be closing in on 20 miles. Fun, fun... 

I had to jet home quickly after the run and get ready to meet mom & dad to go to a visitation for our old neighbor when I lived at home in Cambridge. Dad got to get up and speak about Carl and did a really good job. 

For the rest of the afternoon and evening, I got a bit achy and creaky from the run. Not too bad, but definitely was ginger when doing stairs or sitting down and getting up. I'm curious how I'm going to feel the night after the marathon - all the other people (marathon veterans) will probably be out dancing (granted maybe not to The Cult - what kind of headliner band is THAT?!?!) and I'll be the one in the corner passed out and not moving. Ha ha! 

I ran up to St. Francis in the evening to meet Jake, and two of his fellow officers for dinner while they were working their shift - since I've barely seen my husband for the week. After that, got some groceries and back home to finish up some stuff around the house before bed. I've decided that my weekends are totally lame (grocery shopping on a Saturday night!?!?). A sure indicator I'm getting old, I'm afraid.

Jen 3: Alarm Clock 1

So the score this week is going to be settled at Jen prevailing in 3 early morning workouts (I am counting tomorrow's morning long run with Noelle) to the Alarm Clock's victory on Wednesday morning. Not entirely a Knock Out week, but a decent start.

Pink Lightning is back and all fixed up - she spun wonderfully on Thursday. I did core strength this morning which was interesting - I'm not too sore, as my workouts from Nicole have kept me in shape from that aspect. I'm just glad we didn't feel the need to do more stairs!

Tomorrow is my long run with Noelle, somewhere around 18 miles. Tonight I'm laying low (maybe logging in and doing more work?) so that I'm set for that.

Pink Lightning Under the Weather

Had to take Pink Lightning into the shop today to get her brake pads replaced and derailers adjusted (as they were acting up last week). So, she has to spend the night at Erik's. Sniff Sniff! That's OK, they treat her pretty good - like a rock-star when she comes in. They don't get too many custom painted, sweet tri-bikes in there to talk about. One time I had her in before the Buffalo Tri and the guys running the tent at Buffalo spotted me and Pink Lightning at the race. They stopped me and asked if I had her into the Coon Rapids shop, as they were admiring her. Too funny!

I was so proud of myself on Monday that I actually got up at 4:45 AM and got myself to the gym in the AM. Now, if only I can get that accomplished tomorrow and Friday... we shall see. They say it takes 3 weeks to make a habit. Well, the snooze button is WAY too tempting (as I have been hitting it the past few weeks). But I'm going to try. Tomorrow AM is coming quickly...better get to bed!

Ah...much better today

I must say that almost 12 hrs of sleep last night and no alcoholic beverages made today's run much better. I was spent last night and I think my body knew it - since I didn't want to wake up today. On another note: here's my favorite YouTube video about triathlon that makes me laugh. I think that us girls need to practice this way for next season to get set for the thousands of arms and legs that are flailing at Madison.

Rascal Flatts & Laike & Lakes

Jake and I had a great time at the Taylor Swift/Rascal Flatts concert last night. We got our comp tickets from Kendal (wasn't front row - but seats were decent!). We watched the Taylor Swift set up in the suite where Andrea & Heidi were...which was fun to hang out with them too! Afterwards, we all went for a few beverages...which was not a terribly good thing for Jenny today.

Note to self: Jenny (with low tolerance) + Beer = Next day not feel so well, nor run so well

Today I met Stacy and Laike at a Fall Festival in Zimmerman. Laike was testing out his Owl Halloween costume and getting many compliments! We got some cute pictures and had a good time. 

Then I went down to the Lakes with Noelle to do our long run. We were aiming for around 17 miles today, but between the two of us (Jenny with previous nights activities and Noelle and her IT band acting up post-TC marathon) we decided that 12 miles was just fine. I think I'll go whip off 5-6 miles tomorrow morning to check that off the training schedule.

After the run I showered up and headed over to Jonny's to do a little bit of Ironman training planning just to make sure that I'm geared up on starting my plan soon after the marathon in November. Tonight's plan is to watch some of the Kona coverage online, maybe catch up on Grey's Anatomy from this week and off to bed early. It's been a long day and I'm tired!

So what's with all this pink?

OK, so some may be wondering what is with all this pink crap on this blog and my obvious corny obsession with pink...

I was thinking about it the other day and I believe it was ingrained in me at an early age. As a kid, I was pretty much doused in pink (see what my bedroom decor looked like). As the only daughter (with two brothers) I had to do the 'girly' thing to stand out from those two - which included a LOT of pink (and purple) - EVERYWHERE. I took a hiatus (as I don't recall pink being a huge influence on me in the high school / college era) and then it kind of found me again a few years ago.

About 3-4 years ago, a co-worker (who will remain nameless) decided to jokingly harass me because I had a pink cardigan sweater on. After that day, I picked up pink tops that I saw in the stores just to spite him and made a big deal out of pink for that sole purpose. (Oh you think I like pink? I'll show you someone who likes pink!) So since then it stuck.

My bike, after getting into triathlons, had to be pink...so I got it custom painted. What can I say? I gravitate towards that color. Dunno why...who cares? It's now my signature. Needless to say, Pink Lightning gets plenty of compliments and stares when she rolls into race sites. It's just purely fun. Go Pink Lightning!

Ten Mile Complete

Yesterday I met up with friends from run club for the "Coffee & Caravan" to go down and watch the 5K, 1 mile, and 1/2 mile races down by the capital. I had some early morning issues with my coffee maker - and I'm pretty sure the coffee maker won. Note to self: make sure you are fully awake when preparing coffee in this house...and put in the inner coffee filter holder (don't just drop in a coffee filter solo).

During the races we watched, we cheered for all the participants and I just happened to harass a juggler during all 3 of these races. As he went by on the 5K I shouted out "Watch out for the bump!" and so he stopped juggling to see that there was indeed no bump. The second time around he was a bit smarter and seemed to have my number. Oh oh! Afterwards we went to the expo and bummed around. I got my IM Wisc DVD training video from the Gear West guys and had a good conversation with them on seats & wheels. We heard Kristin Armstrong talk (Lance's ex-wife) which was really good.

This morning I got up early to meet up with Noelle and we got down to drop off our cars at the finish and bus over to the dome. The race was fun... ran into Naomi at the start, who was great to see. I ran with Andy and we kept a pretty comfortable pace - finished in a 1:34:58 (9:30 pace). 

At the end of the 10 mile, we were literally running down the hill to the finish line when I felt the first rain drop. We crossed the finish mat and the skies opened up. We quickly got our foil blanket to cover up and grabbed food, medals and our T-shirt. It was cold, wet and miserable out - so I opted to run up to the car and take cover (of which I couldn't find my car in the lot at first...causing me to get even more soaked). If the rain was going to pass quickly I wanted to go back down and watch all the marathoners that I knew coming in. Unfortunately, it did not...so I headed home for a nice hot shower and a quick nap!