oops

Happy Birthday Mister Q!

Gee, how forgetful of me.  I originally created this blog to write about the miles I was going to be spending on the road behind the wheel of my MINI Cooper, Mister Q.  Today is the date he came off the assembly line in Oxford, England.  Mini USA sent me a birth certificate for him, though back them he was simply known by his VIN number.

Anyway, 6 years, 90-something thousand miles, and 3 speeding tickets later … I still enjoy the ride.

Happy Motoring!

A Cold, Allergies & Asthma

This is my life lately.  I’m allergic to yet another Southeastern State.  Florida. As my allergies go, I think Georgia was the worst, and Florida appears to be coming in a very close second.

The pollen season starts early here (compared to what I’d been used to). It’s been an unseasonably cold winter and the trees have been starting to bloom for a few weeks now.

I’ve been taking my allergy medicine regularly. Doing everything right. Then I got a sore throat which turned to a cold.  Allergies plus a cold is not a fun combination.  As you know I already know my KPM (kleenex per mile) and now I know I average half a box of tissues per day.  HALF A BOX!  not a little box, a big box. (Usually within the first 30 minutes of being awake … TMI? Perhaps).

With the time change I was anxious to get running regularly outside again.  I even have a training schedule!  Monday was to be my first day.  That’s when the asthma kicked in.  As my allergies go, this will stay a problem for a few weeks.  It will either go away, or I’ll end up with some form of hacking allergy cough that sounds like I’ve left a lung on the pavement.  It’s just the way it goes.

My running schedule is on my fridge.   I’m ready to go … soon as I can … well you know.  Breathe again.  Stay tuned.

Flare Up Already?

It’s February.  My allergies are flaring up.

Big Time.

When I’ve lived in other Southeastern states my allergies were bad in Late March and Early October.  For a couple weeks I’ve had the signs they were surfacing; congestion, cough, sneezing, itchy eyes.  The new thing thrown into the mix here is I am getting a rash on my skin as a result of my pollen allergies.  I’ve been able to keep the rash fairly calmed.

This is troubling to my running enjoyment.  I’m thinking about this because I’ve got a flare up right now. Thing is, I haven’t been outside!  Now I do live in a very old (converted) building. The windows probably don’t seal all that well … but seriously?

This whole pollen thing was new to me when I moved to Atlanta back in the late 1990′s.  Come March a fine yet thick dusting of yellow coated everything.  It was thick enough to make my white corvette (man how I miss that car) look pale yellow.  When it rained, there’d be puddles of yellow sludge on the pavement.  The pollen count was in the thousands.  Having not really been aware of pollen counts, I thought 1000 was a normal thing.  Till I read up on it and found out anything over 120 is considered extremely high.  whoops.

Reminders

I feel guilty.  Not because I’m not running, quite the opposite.  I am staring to get invitations to the races I ran last year.

In Southern California.

I’m in North Florida now.

For many reasons I’ve not signed up for a single race this year, mostly because I can’t find ones that benefit the causes I support.   See, I don’t sign up for a race just because it’s there.  I try to make my races meaningful to me. To do that, I select races that benefit Cancer Research or Cancer Patient Support.  Last year when I ran races connected with other causes (or nothing at all)I really didn’t get the personal satisfaction.  It was more “yeah I ran 5K. Big whoop.”

My friend, who I’ll call BubbaQ, keeps mentioning the Peachtree.  He lives in Atlanta, doesn’t ever wake up race day early, and hasn’t run much.  He wants the T-Shirt.  Me, I think no way in hell.  The Peachtree is held on the 4th of July.

In Georgia.

That usually means Hot n Humid.  I’d need more than a T-shirt to get me to takeon that 10K.

Maybe a T-shirt

and pancakes

cocktails

and fireworks!

Retired

Retired ASICS 2130

Yup, I’ve officially retired my first pair of running shoes. It was tough to part with them. So many miles (650), race experiences, accomplishments and challenges are attached to these shoes. On the one hand it seems incredibly wrong that I’ve worn out a pair of shoes in less than a year. Unlike my favorite pair of red slingback heels … just replace the heel, slap a new sole on em and three years later, they are still my favorite go-to shoes for the office. (nothing like a red high heel on days I have to kick some butt)

So, my first pair is off to be recycled. Next in line are another pair of ASICS 2130s with 50 miles on them, and yesterday my latest pair to add to the roatation arrived, ASICS 2150. (SQUEEEEEE!)

I love putting on a new pair of running shoes. Except then I realize just how shot my old ones are.

The Succession:

ASICS 2130 – Midnight/Turquoise, ASICS 2130 – Liquid Silver/Frost Blue, ASICS 2150 – Lightening/Island Blue

In case you are wondering I skipped the 2140 model because the 2130′s were marked down. I set out to get the 2140s this year, and ended up with the 2150s because I had a coupon code that brought them down to a crazy good price. I’m a retailer, I don’t pay full price … ever. EVER. Aside from the fit, I like ASICS because they have several blue combinations. I can have two of the same model and can tell them apart at a glance. As evidenced by the photo. The majority of my running clothes singlets are blue. Fashion is optional in running … but I like to coordinated.

Small Injuries

I seem to be getting small injuries here n there. The last two days I’ve had a very tender quad muscle. Now the mystery here is I didn’t do anything ANYTHING to cause the muscle to be stressed in any way, shape, or form.

I was sitting at my desk Monday, got up in the late afternoon to refill my water bottle, only to be met with pain. Lots of it.

This is actually something related to my knee. It flares up if I wear heels too much or (and here it is) …

If I wear my old running shoes. The ones that got me started on this running path. The ones I trained for 5K’s and a Half Marathon in. THE ONES I WORE OUT WHILE TRAINING FOR A HALF MARATHON!

How awesome does that sound? “yeah, I wore out my shoes while I was training for a Half Marathon.”

They are just a pair of shoes, but they mean something to me. I knew they were getting worn out when my knee started aching when I ran. I know better than to be wearing them, but I just can’t seem to part with them.

I wore them over the weekend when I went browsing through a huge antique shop. I’m paying for it now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010. Can you believe it’s been a decade since we all wondered if all our electronics, atm machines, and life in general would come to a crashing halt? Today I woke up to no cable, internet or phone service.

For the first time ever I’d set my TiVo to record the Rose Parade. See, I’m living in a college football town. Yesterday I attended all sorts of Gator Bowl festivities. New Year’s Day, however, is always Rose Parade and Rose Bowl time. In CA they rerun the parade what feels like a million times. Here in FL, apparently, we had one shot at it. DAMN IT! I hate you Comcast cable!! (yup, just as I hit post internet went out again)

Cal Poly Universities won the Bob Hope Humor Award – Most Comical and Amusing: Cal Poly Universities “Jungle Cuts.” Self-Built”award.. Congratulations to all the Rose Floaters out there.

Since I couldn’t watch the parade, couldn’t surf the internet or talk on the phone … I decided to go for a quick run. I checked the weather on my blackberry and saw it was 53 degrees out. That’s not too cold. I was dressed in capris and a long sleeve shirt. Soon as I got downstairs it started to drizzle. I went up and got a hat. Once I started running it started raining more. Then it got windy. Then my nose started running. You know what? 53 is pretty darn cold when it’s wet and windy out and you are running over a large body of water. I did learn that when rain and cocktails are involved I can run an 11 minute mile.

Yes. Cocktails. Someone filled my water bottle with margarita. Seriously. I love college football.

Gator Bowl Festivities

I like parades (remember I’m a former band geek)

But I like a Cocktail Party even more. : )

I live 3 city blocks from the hub of the Gator Bowl Festivities.  Traffic is a nightmare. My primary way of getting around town for the next few days is my own two feet.  Thanks to my half marathon training, this means I can venture out 13 miles round trip.    For the parade I went with having a place to sit.  Unfortunately this put me a block away from the bar tents.  (Yes, I said bar tents)  I’ll plan better next year.

F-F-F-F-F …

FREEZING! What did you think I was going to say? Woke up intending to go for a run this morning before work and what do I find? The temperature was 33 degrees before windchill. I live in Florida! I didn’t sign up for this! I live on the bottom half of the map for a reason! I don’t do cold. I’m allergic to snow. Okay, it’s not like we get snow … but sheesh! It was a freeze warning.

I don’t really have running clothes that support what I consider cold weather. I have no clue how long this is supposed to be around. I’m hoping it will be warmer after work, or I suppose I’ll have to hit the ol treadmill. (ugh)

At the Market

I am back from spending the holiday down in Saint Petersburg, FL. It was a nice visit, and a smooth drive home (getting there was a whole different story). As usual though, I had to go to the market when I got back.

I thought I’d take y’all with me. As I was browsing the produce section of my local Publix market, I saw some beautiful naval oranges. I LOVE naval oranges. Partly because I love citrus fruit, but naval oranges in particular remind me of home, and being a kid in Southern California. When I was sick my Mom used to cut up a naval orange and put it in a little blue bowl for me. She gave me a cocktail fork to eat it. I was a little kid, hence the small scale fork.

Anyway, growing up in Southern California it always stumped me why in our markets we’d have Florida Oranges We’d joke, and wonder if they had California Oranges in FL. It only seemed natural that here in CA, where orange groves are aplenty, the markets would have local oranges. (the scent of orange blossoms summer evenings is another thing that reminds me of home).

So here I am at Publix about to buy some Naval Oranges at 99 cents a pound, and then I spot a flat pack of six naval oranges. Hmmm. I read the label. CALIFORNIA NAVAL ORANGES. All those years ago we were right! Oddly, the oranges from California were cheaper than the Florida ones.

Now I know they had to travel on a truck for a while, but I bought them anyway. Sometimes you just need a little bit of home, especially at the holidays.