Later and later...

Distance: >2 miles       Time: 26:00 min    Dark 9-ish pm
Temperature: 83 °F    Humidity: 74%      Pressure: 29.94 inches (rising)

Last night's run was late. I to prefer to run outside so it is nice to have someone to run with since I really should not run alone in the dark. I would have to go to the gym instead and that is not as much fun.

The usual path is a fairly well list busy street with a wide shoulder and a wide sidewalk in so it is pretty far from the cars. It wasn’t as humid last night as it has been. A sign of the impending storm most likely. It gets a little dryer just before a good tropical system comes along. Last night was 26 minutes and we got almost as far as the 30 minute run the other day so that is good. Faster now will only help later.

Today is a rest day so YEA!! I also do not have to teach tonight. YEA again!! I thought it would be better to have a run on a day I’m not teaching and then get a rest day on a night I teach. Then I would not have to go go go, but now that I am here I think I like the idea of only one work responsibility today and then family dinner tonight. I slept in a (very) little bit and hopefully I can get things done tonight with out feeling so rushed.

Not-so-RunnerGirlFL <-- and enjoying it!!

First Team Training

Distance: ~4 miles     Time: 45:00 min    Cloudy 7:30 am
Temperature: 79 °F    Humidity: 94%      Pressure: 29.98 inches (rising)

Saturday morning was the first team training run for the TNT group. We all met at a park and ran down Bayshore Blvd. Which, as its name implies, runs along the bay. There is a nice wide paved uninterrupted path about 5 mile long that follows the shore of the bay, since there can be no intersections crossing it or cars would end up not running so well. It’s a nice run overlooking the bay and you can see the downtown Tampa skyline from a distance (the best way to see most downtown’s in my opinion.)

The other people were really nice. Some seem more interested in making friends. Some came with friends already. It is obvious that many of them are farther along in this distance thing than me, but I am proud to say that I was the only “back of the pack”-er that ran the whole way, and I wasn’t the last one. How ever some of them thought it was cleaver of me to notice that if we were doing a time of running not a distance than if I’m last when I turned around at half way through the time….I was now in the lead. I said that it was my strategy. I don’t think they completely believed me….Oh well.

Tonight is running after class with FireGuy and then again on Wednesday and Thursday. The weekend calls for a run on Saturday but since I’m out of town this weekend I’m not sure what I’m going to do but I will probably run it on Friday before I leave.

For those of you keeping track of my crazy life….

Thursday night was a surprise party for FireGuy complete with a Bytor party game. (When Bytor comes up with a party game….it is rarely safe) This one included lighting small wooden bird houses on fire with torch fuel and putting them out with little squirt hoses. Get it…a fire party game. When the last house didn’t go out….what did the 4, yes FOUR firefighters do!?!?! They played soccer with it!! Oh well….my house is only 80 years old and made of wood after all!!! Silly Firepeople. (they are not all guys) My neighbors already think I’m weird…what’s a little fire soccer in the front yard. (Note the ground was still very wet from the afternoon thunderstorm just hours earlier)

Friday was a little quieter. It was all rainy so I ran errands, cleaned the house from the party, and then hung out with FireGuy in the evening.

Saturday was the training then my Mommy came up to see some projects I had done around the house and took me to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. YUM!! I got the Godiva chocolate cheesecake YUM!! Later was watching the pre-season Bucs game with the Football guys* at one of THEIR houses (note my house didn’t get wrecked again on Saturday….hehehe….and also note the football guys* are mostly the same group in the gaming guys*)

Sunday was the usual mix of Fighter Practice and geeking out Gaming with the gaming guys*. This is again at my house but doesn’t usually wreck the house as no beer is involved and the mess stays contained to a dining room table which has to be cleaned off before the game and is clean when they leave since they take their stuff with them. (usually actually helps the clutter factor of the table)

Today is work, teaching, running, bed.

Running around till I get a chance at a nap!! HA!

*First the term guys in my blog denotes a group of people not just boys….however most groups are predominately male in my world. There are girls besides me in both the football group and gaming group. Second most of these groups overlap significantly. The Fire people are all fighters and the gaming group mostly is too. The gaming group is mostly the football group too. Need a map yet?!?!

Sad Sad Day!!

Dear Pluto,

I’m sorry to hear about your recent loss of title. This was not fair!! So you orbit a little differently, and cockeyed. So you are mostly made of Ice. I still love you.

I would rather 12 planets than 8. They didn’t ask me. I’m sure they have their reasons, and now there are guidelines for planets but they should have grandfathered you in. You have proudly held that title for many years.

I loathe that at some point I will have to hear children rattle off our Sun's beloved planetary satellites and you will not be among them.

You will always be a planet to me you captured little wandering ice ball you.

Love,
RunnerGirlFL

Distance:2.4 miles  Time: 30:00 min    dark 8:30 pm
Temperature: 81 °F    Humidity: 89%      Pressure: 29.97 inches (holding)

Don't get cocky!!

Distance:???              Time: 20:00 min    Partly cloudy 6:00 pm
Temperature: 87 °F    Humidity: 67%      Pressure: 30.06 inches (falling)

I spoke too soon yesterday when I said 20 min was easy. It should have been. I had a little trouble with the 20 minutes, when I shouldn’t have. I hadn’t run all week and it got me. A nice stitch for a little over half way. I did finish so that is the important part. Running with FireGuy is going to be fun. We started out a little fast for me (my fault…I’m never good at picking a pace) and I think I should have drank more all day but he was good about pushing when the stitch hurt with out making me want to kick him in the shins.

School starts today and I am teaching Physics w/ Calc II and the Lab. After work I have to go teach the class tonight and then off to do the run.

Start out a little slower, drink lots of water, Run Run Run.

And so it begins….

Today is the first run on the schedule for the marathon training. 20 min. Not so bad. Really easy actually but this is probably a good thing since I did not run over the busy weekend and I was taking it easy before that because of the shin splints. I’m really excited that the schedule doesn’t go further than I can already run until well into September. That should allow me to get used to the running 4 –5 days a week easier and hopefully not aggravate the shins.

The weekend was busy. School starts this week and I am not prepared to teach my classes. I always feel that way so I’m sure I'll be fine but that doesn’t make me feel less hassled right now. Friday I went to WDW Animal Kingdom with a friend and had the best time. We got to the park at 9:30 (it opened at 9) when it closed at 6pm we hopped the bus to Epcot. My best friend from high school arranged super secret fireworks viewing for us. THEY WERE RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS!! (YEA Epcot security Managers!!) Then we found out that Epcot was staying open till 12am. Yea!! more time for fun!! We didn’t pull out of the parking lot till well after midnight!! Then the drive back to Tampa. It was a fantastic day!! Then Bucs game on Saturday (It's only pre-season, It's only preseason) then Fighter practice Sunday morning and geeking out with the guys that night to game.

I need to stop having quite soooooo much fun on the weekends or I’m never going to catch up!!

And away I go…..

Best Saturday Ever!!!

Distance: 3.0 miles   Time: 39:30 min    partly cloudy 10:00 am
Temperature: 91 °F    Humidity: 60%      Pressure: 30.02 inches

Well today went well. Not stellar but well. I walked ad few times but I am very sore from an SCA event yesterday. We fought for like an hour straight…fight, get hit, line up and fight again. Always fun!! Then we went swimming. Again wrestling with the boys in the pool is fun but more work. I also made a new friend. She was really cool, and wants to come up to Tampa to fight at our practice on the weekends. We got to talking after throwing the football in the pool. Also her son decided I was his new best friend. He came up to me at dinner, put his little hands on my shoulders and asked me to go outside to the swings to play. Very CUTE!! I think I have a new boy friend. Hehehe I must have dazzled him with dunking him in the pool. One of my longtime football buddies with the two cutest kids on the planet had them there too and his daughter and I were the two headed monster. She was on my shoulders with TWO water guns and I was at water level able to splash. We chased down and tormented everyone in the pool. And the kids made sure it was ok if this year when they come to visit their father they will be allowed to watch football at my house again. I told them they could come anytime they were in town and we all watch football. (we always watch football – I am soooooo glad it is football season)

All of this makes trying to run with the top half of your body suffering from T-Rex arms much harder.

I’m getting very excited to meet the Team next weekend and find out my schedule. I am worried it will be too hard so I am really trying to not miss any of my runs this week.

When I told my BRAND NEW Fire Fighter friend (he did pass those tests as I knew he would – State Certified and everything) about the marathon he said that he wanted to run it with me. He won’t be able to do the fundraising part due to EMT school (needs that to still get a job) but he wants to run the race with me!! And run with me to help to get ready. We are still working out the details of weather signing up for the race will work or not, but even if it doesn’t it was a really nice offer….very supportive!!

Running to get ready for more Running!!

Ready, Set......FUNDRAISE!!! FIGHT LEUKEMIA!!! GO!! GO!! GO!!

Distance: 3.0 miles   Time: 37:13 min    partly cloudy 6:00 pm
Temperature: 91 °F    Humidity: 56%      Pressure: 30.02 inches

Holy Cow!! What have I gotten my self into?!?!

I’m going to run a marathon….that’s right a M A R A T H O N ! ! !

2 6 . 2 M I L E S ! ! !

Alright, so here is the deal!! I went to the informational meeting for Team in Training the other day to see what I needed to build up my distance to in order to start training. Found out that they wanted you to be able to run about 2 -3 miles. Well since my longest is more than that and my average is between that….I SIGNED UP!!!

So I have a fundraising goal of $2300. Please go to my Team in Training page and sponsor me!! If everyone donates $26 dollars (That a deal at a dollar a mile folks) then I’ll be at my goal in no time!! PLEASE!!

If you want to link to this post as well to send your readers this way feel free....or pass the link above to my TNT web page on to anyone who would like to join in the fight against Blood Cancers. The more people I talk to the more people I know who have been touched by these diseases.

Click on the Team in Training banner also. This is a fantastic organization that I really believe in.

And Stay tuned!! I meet my coach and the other people on my “TEAM” on Aug. 19th. Then the real fun will begin!! I need all the cheering I can get!!

Running to end Blood Cancers!! Running for Randy!!

Quick Report

Distance: 2.2 miles   Time: 28:17 min    Sunny 12:00 pm
Temperature: 82 °F    Humidity: 84%      Pressure: 30.03 inches (holding)

What kind of idiot runs at noon in Florida!! And for the record I did not believe the weather.com site with the 82 °F till I got home and looked at the outside thermometer. It said about the same so I guess it is true. I ran now because we are supposed to have more thunderstorms this afternoon so I wanted to be sure to get in some running. I did not try to run fast and in fact walked plenty to not over do also my shin hurts from the 2 miles earlier this week. I HATE THIS!! I want to continue to go often so I’m trying to take them all easy since it seems to be less the distance that I run and more the frequency that I run that make the shin hurt.

I am working on some changes here to the running schedule so stay tuned.

Running to live better….I hope.

Friends

Distance: 2.0 miles   Time: 23:00:16 min   5:15 am
Temperature: 80 °F    Humidity: 79%      Pressure: 30:10 inches (holding)

I got some disappointing news yesterday. During my run this morning I did a lot of thinking. This is what I came up with, I will write this to put it down and get it out of my head…and then I will let it go:


Dear Friends,

Yes, all of you, you know who you are. We use this title of friend for a lot of different reasons.

I say “My friend _____ at work.” These are not really people I would ever do anything with outside of work. Nothing wrong with them we just aren’t really really friends. It is just easier than saying “This guy I work with who I hang out with while I’m there and throw darts with instead of getting anything productive done…”

However, when I truly give that title free and clear this is what you can expect of me:

I will pick you up if you fall.
I will make fun of you if you do something dumb. (I expect the same)
I will be proud of you if you complete your goals, no matter how big or small.
I will be happy for you at every milestone in your life, graduations, weddings, births.
I will be at your side if you are sick.
I will give you a hug if you are hurt or sad. Go ahead fall apart on my shoulder.
I have been called fiercely defensive of my friends. I think this is one of the greatest compliments I have ever received, I offer you this as well.
I will come when you call.
I will stand with you when you need support.
I will hold you up when you can stand no longer.
I will keep your secrets. (I have learned the value of this one over the years)
I will listen and then…
I will offer suggestions if you want them or sympathy if not.

I will deny you nothing that is within my power to give you, all I have is yours.

What do I expect from you? Well that is the question now isn’t it…. I would like to say I expect nothing but I found out that was not true.

I do not expect you do defend me, I do expect you to not add to the fire.
I expect to trust you not to lie to me or about me.
I expect to not be tossed aside when you are finished with me.

That is it. Not so hard is it? Do not be disappointed when you have not stood up to any one of those expectations when I can no longer give you this title. You made me cry. So now I’m done. Sorry (no, not really, you did this not me). I’m done.

Now all my cards are on the table. The ball is in your court. It is your play. Just let me know.

Your Friend,

JK/RunnerGirlFL/Bryndís


*Sorry for the rant but nothing hurts me more in this world than to have someone throw away that title. Thanks for reading. My Friend says it is good to write about these things sometimes....she is very smart.