May Day's, Running Bulls, & Month End...

Happy May Day!  Awww… the first of May and hopefully, those April rain showers will simmer down.  May flowers bring them on! 

This last Saturday I opted to go for a run outside than a bike ride.  While I was running along over to my favorite park, I turned a corner and I was in the midst of 100 other runners.  I felt really bad because all of them were passing me like I was standing still.  I was going an easy pace because I was planning on going at least 5 to 6 miles.  They were ladies pushing strollers that were going faster.  I almost felt like I was in the middle of the running of the bulls and I was waiting to get pulverized into mincemeat. 

I ended up going up on to the sidewalk just to feel a little more at ease.  A local running store was holding a free training run.  About a block away from my favorite park there was a water stop with a van advertising the shop.  Shortly, after the water stop they had the run turning around in the street and I was glad I was on the sidewalk.  I continued on and did a lap around the park where a bunch of Army ROTC kids were stretching out before they started running laps around the park.  I did the one lap and it was like I had the whole wide sidewalk to myself; plenty room to breathe.  As I headed back home from the park, the running shop was clearing away the water station and I was going along nicely at my own pace on a quiet street.  Awwwww… that was nice.  I managed 5.5 miles for the day.  It felt good.

Later Saturday, I was having a late lunch/early dinner and had thought I had broken my tooth.  I freaked a bit and couldn’t remember my dentist name, couldn’t find the number and was just freaking out.  That’s strange for me.  Then I calmed down and got to looking and thought it might have been a crown I had swallowed.  Waited and went to the dentist on Monday afternoon to discover that it was a broken filling and I would now need a crown.  Darn; another expensive crown that doesn’t go on top of my head!

Month in review…

1.)    Saving Money?  I’m at my goal pace plus an extra 4% more.  I haven’t sold any more paintings and I’ve been trying to build up a stock of paintings, cards, and etc. for the booth I’ll have in the Little Red Riding Hood Bike Ride. 

2.)    Uncluttering my life?  Well, almost a quarter of my bedroom is stacked with donations that I need to take to the Good Will.  I need to see about taking a trip on some Saturday afternoon to drop it off.  But I still want to go through some more of my summer clothes before I do.

3.)    Reaching my goal weight?  As of last Friday morning, I was within 8 lbs. of my goal weight.  I’m feeling pretty happy with that.

4.)    Cutting down on eating out?  Nope! Sorry!  I’m SOL here!  I’m really failing at this one of late.  I’m beginning to wonder if I should throw this goal out and start from scratch!  Of course, it would help if I got my act together and cooked at home.  But I just haven't been in the mood to do that of late.

5.)    Do 1 Century Bike Ride?  Yep, got this off the list!  I found out this morning I did win the lottery for RAGBRAI.  So I’ll need to start upping my average mileage to prepare for 472 miles in one week.  In other words, I may have to plan to ride my bike every where by the beginning of July.  

Stats for the Month of April…

368 miles Cycling

19 miles Running

30 minutes on the elliptical

And

I’m now up to 21 books read for the year!

Cranberry-izing!

I was rather sick this last weekend. Friday evening I felt a sore throat coming on. I thought I would do a workout in hopes that I could burn the sickness right out of me. I did a 2.5 mile run on the treadmill and another 30 minutes on the elliptical. Saturday morning, I woke up with a sore throat AND a headache. Well, the burning it out with exercise theory didn’t work.

Next, it was the honey with tea and just taking it easy. Earlier in the week I had been planning on going for a climbing bike ride of at least 50 miles but I decided against that. I stayed home instead. During the day, I divided my time between reading, painting, and watching movies. I even had a big bowl of chicken noodle soup for dinner. I was starting to feel better by bedtime. I thought I might have the thing beat.


Wrong! Sunday morning came and I could add chills to the list of maladies; and the headache had gotten worse. All I felt like doing was sleeping. So I slept most of Sunday away. I finally did get up when a lady called about purchasing a porch painting. I dragged myself up then showered and changed. I delivered the painting, and swung by a fast food place to eat something. Also, an ice cream shake sounded so good to me. Again, I was feeling a bit better by bedtime.


Monday morning, I woke and headache was mostly gone but sore throat was still there. I opted to skip the early morning bike ride, and slept a bit longer. On my way into work I purchased a HUGE bottle of cranberry juice; my fallback for getting better. I drank about half the bottle during the day making frequent restroom visits. It’s like when you are trying to drink more water; only in this case it was cranberry juice. It was like everyother moment I sat at my desk I would do something then take a drink of cranberry juice.  Do something else, and take a sip.  I was rather surprised my eyes weren't turning the color of cranberries!  BUT I was feeling much better as I left the office that night. Then, I went home and did a workout at the gym to burn the rest right out.

Today, I woke with just a hint of a sore throat. I’m finishing the rest of the cranberry juice just to be on the safe side. But I’m really hoping that all this “cranberryizing” will knock the rest of this sickness out of my system. Keep your fingers crossed!

A Lazy Rainy Saturday

One of my favorite things are lazy rainy Saturdays. Rain always seems to be cleansing, refreshing, and relaxing. It's like a Spa day for the soul. I find myself wanting to curl with a good book, and of course, a cup of coffee. And thus, this morning shortly after waking and hearing the light patter of rain, I started a strong pot of my favorite hazelnut creme coffee. As it brewed, I set up a chair and a stool on my covered balcony. I shrugged on a hooded sweatshirt and brought out a small blanket for warmth. Out on the balcony I went with a cup of Joe in one hand, and my latest read ("The Friday Night Knitting Club") in my other hand.

I camped out on the balcony, quietly reading as the sound of rain pattered on all around me. Periodically, cars would pull up below and I would watch people bolt for the doors. I always wonder why people run in the rain? Yes, you get wet. But it's not as though by running you are saving yourself from getting any less wet. There's also the possibility of getting even more wet if you slip and fall. It's not as though we are the "Wicked Witch of the West" and live in total fear that we are going to melt. Well, at least not most of us.

I always liked the rain for the most part. Though, it doesn't mesh well with my preference to be out cycling during this time of year. I have had to cancel a few rides this last two weeks due to all of the rain that we've had here. But rainy days have always held fond memories for me. I've had my days where I've donned my galoshes with raincoat, and played the BIG kid splashing my way through the puddles. I remember as a kid, we would jump into the car with Dad and scout out large puddles on the street. "There's one!" We would thrill as Dad would step on the gas and swerve through the puddle. We would shout with excitement and watch with animation as the spray would build higher and further out from the curb areas. Later as the rain died down we would go in search of night crawlers.

Here I find myself on my balcony, quietly reading as a symphony of light rain patters and birds chirp. AND what is it about rainy weather that always makes me crave a good bowl of hot soup? So for lunch I find myself making a cheddar potato soup with some diced tomatoes thrown in. Yum! It's like a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup in a bowl. Something else that I remember enjoying as a kid. Yummy!

The rain continues to patter on forming mini lakes, and small rivers. I think to myself I wish that this relaxing and quiet day would just go on and on. But I know the reality is that it can't which makes me treasure these quiet relaxing moments all that much more.