So...

I decided to hold off on running 26.2 miles - I feel I'm jumping into it too soon. I don't want to injure myself. Instead I'm going to take 12 weeks to train for a half marathon (13.1 miles.)

Here is the training schedule that I got from Cool Running:

Week	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.
1	Off	Fartlek (4M)	4M	4M	Off	3M	6M
2	Off	Fartlek (4M)	5M	3M	Off	3M	7M
3	Off	4-5 Hills 5K-10K pace	5M	3M	Off	3M	6M
4	Off	3-4 Long Hills 5K-10K pace	3M	4M	Off	3M	8M
5	Off	5-6 Hills 5K-10K pace	3M	4M	Off	3M	7M
6	Off	3 x Mile 5K-10K pace	4M	6M	Off	5M	9M
7	Off	3 x Mile 5K-10K pace	3M	5M	Off	3M	7M
8	Off	6 x 880s 5K-10K pace	5M	6M	Off	5M	10M
9	Off	6 x 880s 5K-10K pace	4M	7M	Off	3M	10K Race (Or 8M run)
10M	Off	4 x Mile 5K-10K pace	6M	7M	Off	6M	12M
11	Off	5M	5M	8M	Off	3M	8M
12	Off	5M	5M	8M	Off	3M	RACE DAY

Last night 7.28, I ran 2.5 miles. I should have ran 4 miles but didn't have it in me. I had too much on the mind and lacking sleep is doing a number on me. Today I was going to run 7.5 miles but the rain stopped me at 4 miles! I got through the first 3-3.5 miles waiting for the rain to fall and then finally the clouds burst with rain...it was awesome running in a downpour! I was on the trail too...it was a great run and I did it w/o an iPOD! I wanted to get 2 more miles in but had to leave. I might make them up later tonight...
Since I have been back in town I have had NO energy. I am mentally and physically drained. I'm hoping to break free from this...being back here makes me fucking miserable. But I have to deal and I'm not going to complain. I just need to fix my situation. I should just leave this place, just set out on the open road. Just me and my legs...running to new places...
I'm dreaming...

I owe another 3.5 miles. If I have the energy and if the weather allows, I'm going to probably run that tonight. I hate splitting up my mileage, but you've got to do what you've got to do!

Also, I should mention that I came to realize tonight that my new watch is a little off and I have been running more mileage than it says. Which is fine by me - I was running a few more feet/miles while out of town - cool!

Time for eats. More later.

After I run the following days below...

I'm going to start running more mileage and then I'm going to run 26.2 miles. I'm not doing it for any particular reason and I'm not going to keep track of my time. I'm just going to run 26 miles to run 26 miles!
I guess in a way I am; this way I can get a feel for what a marathon would be like-but since I'm doing it on my own there is no stress or anxiety, no competition, no caring about my pace...just a easy (HA, HAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHA!) long run. I will have Kevin find me every 45 minutes to give me water. I already know what route I'm going to run. It sort of sucks that it will be along a highway but it's pretty much my only choice.

Here is the schedule:

8.5-8.9 ??? Not sure what mileage I will run. I will figure that out later. I might take two rest days and run 5 miles on two days...

8.10: 12 miles
8.11: REST
8.12: 6 miles
8.13: 8 miles
8.14: 6 miles
8.15: REST
8.16: 4 miles
Total=36 miles

8.17: 14 miles
8.18: REST
8.19: 7 miles
8.20: REST
8.21: 5 miles
8.22: REST
8.23: 4 miles
Total=30 miles

8.24: 10 miles
8.25: REST
8.26: 6 miles
8.27: REST
8.28: 4 miles
8.29: REST
8.30: 1-2 miles (optional)
Total=20-22 miles

8.31: 1-2 miles (optional)
9.1: 1-2 miles (optional)
9.2: 26.2 miles (I would do this on the 31st but will be out of town for several days...)
9.3: REST
9.4: REST
9.5: REST
9.6: REST
Total=26.2 (+???)

I might walk or do a mile of running on one or two of my rest days after doing the 26 miles. I'll have to see how I feel.

I feel I may be jumping into this early, and I can see injury happening but I plan to have lots of ice on hand so when I complete the mileage I can come home and jump in a ice bath.

I'm laughing at myself because I haven't even ran 8 miles yet! And I plan to jump into 12 miles in a little over 1 week or some shit like that! I'm a fool!

I'm letting the food in my stomach settle now and then I'm off to run 4 miles. More later.

7.23.08 and 7.24.08

On the 23rd, I split a 6 mile run up into 2 runs. I didn't want to do this but it was the only way that I could get my run in. I ran about 3.4 miles in the morning and ran another 3.2 or more in the evening. I ran the latter in about 23 minutes.
I would like to bring that down to 20 minutes. Once I reach that goal, I want to knock a few more minutes off.
On the 24th I ran 3 miles.

I rested the 25th-26th-and was going to run tonight (7.27) but decided to post this and then I'm off to bed. I am beat. I am lacking sleep and I need to make it up. I was very close to going out around 11:30 tonight but yea.

And just so that I make up for the two runs that I missed plus the 7 other miles that I owe, I'm going to once again post the days and mileage:

7.28: 4 miles
7.29: 6 miles
7.30: 3 miles
7.31: 5 miles
8.1: 8 miles (I can't fucking wait!)
8.2: REST
8.3: 4 miles
8.4: 3 miles

I feel like shit since I haven't ran for 3 days. My legs and hips are aching and want to move but my brain and eyes do not want to follow!

And I also want to mention that my new Garmin watch was FUCKING awesome while out of town this past week. It really came in handy. There was no need to drive around with a car to figure out my mileage!
And there is no getting lost with that sucker-although I did because I was too stubborn to have a machine show me the way back to where I started-good thing I ran into somebody who showed me the way back!!! But yea, I'm stoked on it, it makes running new routes so much easier.

Alright time to get some shut-eye. More tomorrow.

7 miles...

Ran 5 miles just now and I ran 2 miles LATE last night - 7.21.08.

Running on the trail=awesome, running streets=lame.

Shower time.

Ran 6 miles 7.20.08...

I ran late last night. Used my new watch. It did me good-it's a bit high-tech-and a bit bulky-but it works! With it, I will never get lost! HA! I hate technology but I guess I have to take advantage of it in the meantime.
The route that I chose did not work and it will be the last time that I ever run that route! I hated it...I was also irritated throughout my run-my sweat was making my mosquito bites insanely itchy.
I took the run slow because I didn't want to push myself too hard and also for half my run I couldn't see because it was so dark! I had to be extra cautious in the extreme dark-you never know what sort of freaks are lurking...fucking cities, fucking crazy people! I love running the trail so much more...

The Moon looked amazing last night too when I began my run. She sat low in the sky and was blood red...FUCKING AWESOME!

I didn't get to run 5 miles Saturday. I have been crazy busy trying to get everything cleaned and ready before taking off for the week. So the first of August I plan to run 8 miles to make up those 5 miles plus the 3 miles that I have marked for that day.

Time to finish getting ready. I leave tomorrow...new places to run! YEA!

Last night 7.18.08

I ran a little over 4 miles early last night. I was going to run 5 miles but decided to wait for today when I would have enough sun and when I could plan my meals out a bit better. I also try to save my shorter runs for the streets and my longer runs for the trail...so that is another reason for holding off on the 5 miles.

Yesterday I worked and when I got home it was getting late and I was starved so I ate entirely too much and then had a jittery-free energy drink...I waited 1.5 hours before going out but the food still sat heavy in my stomach and the energy drink most definitely gave me energy and had my heart going a little too much...which, along with the food in my gut, made my run uncomfortable. So none of that next time!
And then I had to pee during my run because of the energy drink. So yea...my body was overstimulated and it made running hard and made me slow...it was also really hot last night (today is even hotter.)

After the full Moon there will be a change in weather-so it is either going to get REALLY hot or it is going to storm. Hopefully the latter.

I'm going out of town for a week and plan to keep the same running schedule so I need to buy a good watch that lets me know my mileage. Hopefully finding one will be easy, and hopefully using it will be even easier...I also have to remember to eat well-even though I'm going to have to do it cheaply. Hopefully that will be easy as well! I'm stoked to be going out of town though and I'll get to run different paths which is always exciting!

More later.

Another late run...(7.16.08)

I ran about 3.7-3.8 miles...thought it was 4...close enough! I'll make up those .3 later...my stomach is still fucked. I need to put an end to this...

Today I went to the river to swim. It is up several inches...crazy how a few inches of water can make a river look so different...and of course it was really muddy...they see more possible tropical storms/hurricanes forming in the ocean...YEA! That could bring lots of rain our way...YEA!
Before I jumped into the river I looked down to find nearly thousands of velvet mite sized ticks (perhaps a tad smaller) barreling up both legs...what the water didn't wash off a stick rubbed off. I must have stepped into a nest of them...which was more than likely an old rotted log...
I didn't stay at the river long because of all the damn kayakers...damn them. Every 10 minutes there was a group of them coming down the river...
I had a Broad-winged Hawk literally fly 20-30 feet over me...screaming teepeeee...there was another but she was flying up above the tree line. They were out looking for a snack...and I'm looking to get in the shower...running=sweaty=gross!

2 miles (7.15.08)

I might have ran a bit more than 2 miles. It might have been 2.5 miles...I'll have to check it out tomorrow. I do know that I did run 1 mile in 6-1/2 minutes-I wasn't trying-just happened to look at my watch at the 1 mile mark and was surprised at my pace.
But yea, not bad for having a full bladder the entire run and for having an upset stomach...I have had bad stomach problems for a week now. Today was really bad-so it's not getting better-good to know! There could be a number of reasons for the problem...I'm drinking ginger juice and tea, along with other herbal teas...I need to go out and collect some parts from the blackberry bush and make a tea out of that...

The question that I have for myself now is-could I hold a 6-1/2 minute pace during a long run?! Only time will tell! It feels like a comfortable pace...anyway, I'll worry about that more when I start doing 10+ mile runs...

Once again I waited until after 11 tonight to go for my run...but it was only around the hood...and it was good...and I'm a dork.

What a run!

So, I knew it would be an irritating run but I did it anyway...and it wasn't horrible...I did 3 miles with the dogs! I ran around my neighborhood. Took my girl 2 miles, (she has the most energy), and took my big boy for the last mile. K is a good dog to run with but the cars were freaking her out and all the sewage openings along the streets freaked her out even more...so she was under my feet and criss-crossing this way and that. Other than that she was good and I think I tired her out (yea right-there is NO such thing!)
And N was good too. He was running fast though and I only weigh about 40lbs more than him, so for the first couple of seconds he really had me running!!! He was also doing this weird bounce-hop run...I don't know what that was all about but it gave him speed-which gave me speed!!! He ran really well though...his only problem is that he wants to mark everything-but I ran in the street so he focused straight ahead...like we were on a hunt! Why else would we be out running?!!! Right?!!! HAHA! Dogs must think we humans are weird, to them we are running with no purpose...like we're on a wild goose hunt...and the goose is always winning...cause I ain't ever coming home with a goose dinner after my runs...HAHAHA!
ANYWAY! I probably won't do that very often. While out with K another dog got out and her and this dog got into it-it didn't last long...thank goodness it was her and not N...he would have ripped this other dog into shreds...N hates other dogs these days and just wants to eat them!!!

So that was my wild and crazy run. I need a shower.

Ran 5 miles...

The trail was SOAKED from the crazy down pour we had earlier! I had to find my way around massive puddles-I just glided over the small ones, I had to run slowly stiff-legged with knees bent when running over the EXTREMELY slick wooden pathways-they make up about 1 mile or more of the trail, and I had to avoid slipping in the mud pits...note to self: don't run that trail when it has rained hard...and if I do decide to run it after a heavy rain-wear SHORTS!
I almost slipped because my pants got stuck on what I'm assuming was a nail or branch poking up on the wooden path so I had to hold my pants up PLUS run slow...let me tell you I could feel all my muscles from my glutes to my calves working when running the wooden pathways!

It was an awesome run though. I had a ton of energy today! I ate well and it's getting closer to the end of my moon cycle so I'm rejuvenated and energized!
I scared off the Great Blue who inhabits the area. Most of the mushrooms looked a bit shabby from the rain...I ran the last 2 miles with a Bolete in hand...

During my run I thought, (you find yourself thinking about all sorts of shit when running), about how I have an addictive personality. And I just thought about how fucking thankful I am that I never got involved with drugs and came to the realization that I'm becoming addicted to running and I don't care...I'm stoked! YES, I'm happy, I'm addicted to something healthy...I love that thought and feeling! And I PRAY that injury stays at bay!

Another thing that I thought about was-WHY is it so much easier to run 5 mile days than it is to run 4 mile days?!! I don't get it!!! HAHA!

Okay, I think that's it for now...oh, also, I think it might be the sports drinks that are making my stomach really upset...so I should def find an alternative...for now I will just have to deal...oh, and, I need to remember to keep checking on the persimmon trees along the trail...they're still not ripe...

:)

Bummed

I really want to run. When I rest a day I feel like shit. I get this sick feeling in my stomach-like a feeling of disappointment and anxiousness...but I need to rest today...I'm tired and I have a lot to do around here and it is HOT...it is 80 degrees and 11:30PM with high humidity-it's at 71%...it's still better than last summer though...

I changed up my running schedule...the only difference is I'm making Saturday my rest day for the next three weeks. Other than that it is the same and I'm clocking the same amount of mileage...soon I will be running 6-8 miles. I can't wait! I have never ran 8-straight-miles! I'm really stoked for that run. It will be a trail run...

Week 2:
7-10 - 2m
7-11 - 4m
7-12 - Rest
7-13 - 5m
7-14 - 3m
7-15 - 5m
7-16 - 4m
=23m

Week 3:
7-17 - 2m
7-18 - 4m
7-19 - Rest
7-20 - 6m
7-21 - 3m
7-22 - 5m
7-23 - 6m
=26m

Week 4:
7-24 - 2m
7-25 - 4m
7-26 - Rest
7-27 - 6m
7-28 - 3m
7-29 - 5m
7-30 - 8m
=28m

7-31 - Rest
8-1 - 3m

Trail run...

I ran 4 miles this evening. The trail was very humid and muggy. And my body was irritated and itchy from the millions of bug bites that I have...
There were a ton of mushrooms up. They just popped up-they weren't there days ago. They're loving this rain! I didn't pick anything because I didn't want to stop but I do plan to go back...
On my way to the trail I came across a hawk/falcon/bird of prey on the road in the shadows, I was 50 feet away or so (I'm not good at judging distance), she just made a kill and started to eat and me trying to get closer scared her off...she flew away with her meal in her talons...into the trees before I could get a closer look. I'm trying to figure out who it was...but I couldn't make her out well because I was so far away and the road was a bit dark. She looked like she could have been a Peregrine. But I'm doubting that. Or perhaps she could have been a female Kestrel...either way it was an awesome encounter.

I'm hungry...

(7.10.08) It's going on...

1 in the morning and I just got back from a 2 mile run with hills-I just ran around my neighborhood where there are a couple of good hills to cruise up. I've come to two realizations...one; I haven't been doing much speedwork. For the most part I run at average to slower speeds and every now and then I'll throw some sprints in the mix...usually when I'm close to the end of running I'll sprint and then do my cooldown. Two; I'm starting to make a bad habit of running late. I don't want to start this up...so I need to get a better sleep schedule so that I can run in the mornings when it is cool...the weather has been in the 80-90's but the humidity is out of control. I only ran two miles tonight and it looks like I just got back from swimming!

Last night after running 3 miles I took a walk around my neighborhood and as I was walking up the sidewalk I came across clear-glistening tracks. They were awesome. You could only see them from one angle...I got down closer to inspect the tracks and to see who made them...and there he was...a pebble sized snail! Busy, doing his thing!

And off subject, but on my mind, I had to take KT to the airport tonight and on the way home it was raining and the ground was wet and steamy...I saw something in the road that might have been a frog so I switched lanes so I didn't hit it. Then I cruised past another thing in the road-once again, it could have been or could not have been a frog. But it made me think back to a few years ago when Kevin and I were back in PA after traveling-we were heading towards my Grandfathers cabin (near the Alleghenies) to hang with him, my dad, and several other family members...it was a rainy night and pretty late. We got there and everybody was still up...all I could think about was getting a shower and for some reason it couldn't wait until morning...so I decided to let all the guys hang and talk, I grabbed the keys and traveled several miles down the mountain to go to the free showers to take one. Well, by the time I got on the road that took me to my destination I realized that there were literally hundreds of frogs in the road...hopping away as the cars barreled down the road. I stopped, got out of the car-it was raining really heavy at this point-and started removing the frogs from the road.
I took my shower. When I was finished I thought about how I didn't want to make the drive back up the mountain because I knew that there were frogs all over the roads getting hit by cars (for some reason, as late as it was, there were a good bit of people out.)
So, with no other choice but to, I started back up the mountain, going about 5mph!!! Stopping every few feet to get out in the rain to move frogs off the road...
At this point I had been gone from the cabin for quite a while! I knew that Kevin and the fam were probably getting worried about me but I couldn't help but help the frogs...I was almost at the cabin when all of a sudden I saw a car cruising down the road towards me...it was Kevin and my uncle wondering what the hell I was doing!!! I told them...and they told me that they were getting worried and my uncle just had a look on his face in disbelief and he couldn't help but laugh at the thought of me cruising up the mountain-slowly-getting out in the rain to help out the frogs.
I know, it sounds crazy! It was a pretty stressful night for me because I knew that I couldn't save them all...knowing that I tried made me feel a bit better but also it made me feel like shit about going out for something as lame as a shower...the frogs just wanted the night to themselves but they didn't even get that...cars dominate the roads, no matter what the hour...it's a sad world...
Anyway, off topic but I have frogs on the mind.

Last night 7.9.08

Ran 3 miles last night. I got out late again. It was about 11PMish. I don't remember the time I ran it in...I have it on my watch and I'll have to clock it later but I think it was about 27-28 minutes. I started my monthly friend right before going out and had cramps so that slowed me down...plus the lack of energy which comes before every moon sickness. BLAH is how I feel now.

I'll be running 2 miles tonight when I get back from the ATL...more then...

(Note: I currently have 3 miles to make up now.)

Ran...

5 miles tonight (7.8.08). Ran it a bit slow. I was low on energy. I didn't eat much today, I'm bloated-which makes running uncomfortable, and I haven't been getting enough sleep...I think my monthly time is coming soon so this is consuming a lot of my energy and of course all the bloating...

Other than all that my run was great. It was a hot day today and the night was pretty warm...lightning filled the sky throughout my run and during my cooldown the rain started to drop. I ran late...I didn't get out the door until around 10:30ish (PM)...

I did stretch pretty good when I got home...that was good considering I skip out on stretching...

Okay, that's all for now...

Ran...

...4 miles today-on my favorite path. I'm tired. I think it's the rainy day! I love it. But it makes me want to lie down and sleep! I wish it would stay this way for a few weeks! Rainy with no Sun!!! It's only 75 degrees. That is cool for this time of the year down here-well compared to last year. This summer hasn't been so bad...I don't have much to complain about. I hope Hurricane season really brings in the storms. We'll find out in a couple of months.

I need to hit the gym to lift weights. I depend on lifting and running to increase bone density. Something that I'm concerned about-especially since I'm a woman. So I need to def get in the gym. It has been a week or so. Not good.

(Note: still have to tack on 2 more miles.)

Ran 5 miles today...

I feel really good. It was a real relaxed run. I ran it in 47 minutes, I went back and forth between fast and slow running. Lots of jumping over roots, rocks, branches, ducking under down trees, and there were small rolling hills-I love running these fast-you sort of just glide over them.
I did it down the same pine trail again that I ran the other night. It's the best place to run in the area. While doing my cooldown I came across two HUGE black beetles, similar to Stag beetles, pushing a round ball of some sort, probably a piece of shit, down the trail. One beetle was hanging onto the ball while the other pushed the ball with his back legs. It was awesome.
Tonight I plan to go to the track to record my fastest time doing 400m and then I'm going to run around it three more times to do a total of a mile.

I need to go wash the sweat off my body...

Am I peeling?!!

So last night I went into the bathroom to pee before bed and I looked into the mirror. I had white stuff all over my face. I was baffled for a second because my face burned weeks ago and had already peeled.
And then I remembered! My run! I had ran through a million spider webs along with their escape routes and they were still stuck to my skin - like a second skin!
A lot of spiders build their webs during the night and then eat them to reuse the proteins - that way they are fueled to build new webs...

I giggled but I also feel a bit guilty because they used up so much energy to build those webs and here I come along and just take it all away. Like in seconds - gone.

Makes me wonder why there couldn't just be some force of nature to do the same to this civilization...

A Thunderbird comes along and with a flap of it's wings creates a wind so strong that all buildings across the globe collapse in on themselves. The Thunderbird shoots lightning from it's eyes and catches it all on fire - all that has been built by man and that is not natural - all on fire until it becomes ashes - then the wind carries it into the volcanoes, new life emerges from the Earth. And wildness keeps on keeping on...

30 day challenge...

So I signed up free for a 30 day challenge. All I have to do is run 100 miles total. Easy-as long as this tooth doesn't slow me down. And to think-there are people who run 100+ miles weekly...that's what I want to build up to! Fuck I'd be stoked to run 60-70 miles/week.

I'm going to follow this schedule for the challenge:
Week 1:
7-3 - 2m
7-4 - 4m
7-5 - 5m
7-6 - 3m
7-7 - 5m
7-8 - Rest
7-9 - 4m
=23m

Week 2:
7-10 - 2m
7-11 - 4m
7-12 - 5m
7-13 - 3m
7-14 - 5m
7-15 - Rest
7-16 - 4m
=23m

Week 3:
7-17 - 2m
7-18 - 4m
7-19 - 6m
7-20 - 3m
7-21 - 5m
7-22 - Rest
7-23 - 6m
=26m

Week 4:
7-24 - 2m
7-25 - 4m
7-26 - 6m
7-27 - 3m
7-28 - 5m
7-29 - Rest
7-30 - 8m
=28m

I have had crazy tooth pain all day. I iced my cheek for an hour and that soothed the pain so I threw on my shoes and headed out for the trail. I got there late and didn't have much daylight. It was an awesome run. The trail is made up of mostly pine needles from all the Loblolly Pines down this way. It also has a good bit of roots, stumps, rocks, and broken tree branches. Certain parts have wooden walkways because of the swampy areas. In total the trail is 8.2 miles (it's one of the best places to find wild edibles down here too.)
I could have ran the entire thing if I had the light. I had to slow down on the last 1.7 miles because I couldn't see very well...I ran 3.4 miles in total.

So tonight I felt like I could have ran forever. There is nothing else like running through the woods. The air is fresher and the sounds of the night are motivating. I had fireflies light my path with their green glow, had little creatures on the path hop off and scurry into the forest. I also had a chorus of Cicadas sing me through the last of my run. I even heard a Cardinal singing. Never, until I moved down here, have I heard birds sing at night. It's the strangest thing. Most of the birds sing until the Sun is out of sight and the Mockingbirds will go at it all night long. It was odd for me when we first moved down here but I'm pretty much used to it now.
I also passed a ton of Oyster mushrooms but they were rotted to hell and back. I didn't even bother to track my time because I was enjoying my run too much and time didn't mean anything to me at the moment.
After my run I zoned out to the chorus of the night sounds and then my tooth decided to start throbbing again...so here I am now. Updating this with an ice-pack stuck between my shoulder and my cheek.

I should be getting off of here but...

Since I have had this tooth problem, (and fear that I might have to get it removed down the road-which would put a halt on my running), I have been thinking about teeth and what indigenous people did for theirs. I just read that natives to the Virginia area were known for their white teeth. This was due to them using Dogwood twigs. They would chew on the ends-which would easily split and this was used as a brush. Also Wood Strawberry Fragaria vesca L. was used. Dig up the root and use it as a chewing stick/brush...

So stoked on Yucca root...

I'm so stoked on Yucca root (and the whole plant!)
FUCK YEA! It is the perfect supplement/food for running and lifting...and for many other things too...like balding...use it in your hair to keep that hair healthy, use it for extra energy, use it for joint problems, use it to purify blood, to clean up the colon, as a protein alternative, eat the root like a potato to provide the body with Vitamins C, B, A, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron, eat the flowers, use the plant as a soap, and the list goes on...go read up on it! You'll be just as stoked on this plant as I am...

Creepy...

I didn't run today because of the tooth situation-I did go swimming though-I needed to get my pent up energy out-I may go to the gym late tonight. I don't like running on treadmills because it doesn't seem effective and throws me off balance when running outdoors, but it will have to make do because it's better than nothing. I also decided that I'm going to get all of my carbs from fruits, veggies, wild and brown rice, yams, and potatoes and decided that I need to stay away from rice pasta and gluten free breads. I adopted the latter two into my diet thinking they would help provide the energy that I need through hard training but decided that they are working against me and my efforts-and are making me sick. (Although, French toast sounds great right about now! But it's not worth the stomachache.)

So note to self: NO GLUTEN FREE BREADS AND NO RICE PASTA-NOTHING PROCESSED.

I had my tooth checked out early today. The dentist just stared at my x-rays and was baffled because she couldn't find anything seriously wrong (just that I have to get all three remaining wisdom teeth removed-go figure-there goes $500.00 that I don't have.)
She came to the conclusion that the infection that I had from my extracted wisdom tooth was still lingering. So now I need to figure out what I'm going to do about that before my tooth gets abscessed. I really don't want it to come down to that because I kind of like my molar right where it is and don't want to have to deal with recovery and all that stupid shit.
Oh, and I'm creeped because I got a small bottle of vodka and put a bit on a cotton swab and dabbed it around my tooth to numb the pain-and it did numb it...seriously, wtf? Why do people drink something that literally numbs and burns you? EH?! That just isn't right. I felt like an ass going into the fucking liquor store to buy a small 75 cent bottle of alcohol. Those stores are fucking sketchy and alcohol is fucking freaky and strange and I just don't understand why somebody would intentionally drink something that rots the body...anyway, this is a running blog and I'm WAAAY off topic!
More later...

Fuck is all I can say...

I'm not very stoked right now. Went on a run, could only run for 2-2.5 miles and had to stop...I ran that in 25 minutes or more...I had to slow my pace because of my fucking tooth. I have so much pressure, pain, throbbing, ache in my mouth because of my tooth that not only is it making it hard to eat but also hard to run. I also ate too close to my run - I could feel the food sit heavy in my stomach as I ran - I waited 1.5 hours before I went out but I guess I need to wait 2 hours before I go out.
This tooth situation isn't good...I hate doctors and dentists and I never go to the doctor but I don't know what the hell to do about teeth...I made an appointment earlier today to see the dentist on Thursday but I think I'm going to have to bump it up to tomorrow...for now I have been using Clove Bud oil to numb it out (I'm thinking of getting some Vodka - I hear it helps cover pain for several hours!) and baking soda in water as a gargle. I also need to drink Red Clover tea cause my tooth could be infected and possibly abscessed.
I hope that I don't have to get this tooth extracted because I would then have to rest for several weeks which would bum me - that would mean no running.

3 things to remember:

• Drink tons of water throughout the day.
• Eat well throughout the day and be sure to eat within 20-30 mins after workouts and runs.
• Stretch after workouts and runs.

I just learned that the fireworks capital (in this country) is New Castle, PA! HA! What pointless knowledge! Okay, time to go deal with this damn tooth.

Last night

So I got home from work pretty late in the evening and was going to run my 3 miles but instead decided to move it back to Wednesday - my day off from running. I was antsy sitting around the house waiting for the food in my body to digest - after an hour of sitting and trying to relax I threw on my NB's and out the door I went - I ran to KT's work - which is a mile away, and got there in 7 something minutes. After that run I realized that I'm slower on hills (DUH!), there are a couple when running to his work, so I need to work on that. So note to self: do speedwork on hills.
I can't wait for my run tonight...I have to go to work now...more later...