This Week's Workout (7/18/05 - 7/24/05)

I'm finally getting around to posting my weekly update. Overall, it was a pretty good week. I managed to get in two short runs this week, both of which were outside. And the long run (10 miles) wasn't so bad either. So here are the gory details.

Monday, July 18th, 2005
Workout - None

I can't actually remember why I didn't workout or even what I did instead of working out. It was soooooo long ago. Maybe I went shopping or ran errands. I apologize if I actually spent time with someone after work on Monday and I forgot. But either way it was a rest day.

Tuesday, July 19th, 2005
Workout - Really Good

I went for a run around my neighborhood. I decided to take a different route that included more hills. On the way out it was mostly down hill with a few short up hill sections. This is good since I didn't want to start off too hard. But oddly enough I didn't struggle as much as I thought I would on the way back. In fact, I decided to continue running even after I made it back to my place. So, I ran my usual route to finish up. Overall a really good run. If the sun hadn't already set I would have continued running, but it was like 8:45 already so I called it quits. I saw my neighbor, Allison, while I was outside stretching and she said that she wanted to run w/ me. I said sure and we made plans to run together on Wednesday.

Wednesday, July 20th, 2005
Workout - Really Good

Normally I don't do back to back runs, but Allison wanted to run with me this evening and I figured I wouldn't be running at my regular pace anyway. Unfortunately when I got home 30 minutes late her car wasn't there. I must have missed her. So, I ran the hills again. My pace was a little slower than yesterday, but I added the longest steepest hill I could find to my route. I managed to run the entire hill and kept my pace after I reached the top. Overall another good run. I caught up w/ Allison in the parking lot and found out that she was late coming home. She was really sorry and really wanted to run w/ me. Oh well, I had a better workout without her. So, I wasn't mad at all.

Thursday, July 21st, 2005
Workout - None

Can you believe it? I actually went on a date! Wow, two dates in the same year? I'm a roll. Anyway, I met this one online. He read my profile and still decided to ask me out. I figured he must be really brave or psycho. Either way I was desperate to go out. So, we saw "Ray" staring Jamie Foxx at GMU's "Movies Under the Moon" showcase. I had a nice time. He seemed really nervous and tense around me. I guess I have that affect on people. Who knows? But he was brave enough to ask me out again. So, I'll keep you posted.

Friday, July 22nd, 2005
Workout - None

Rest day. Tomorrow is an easy 10, which means easy 10 mile run. Since when is a 10 mile run easy? Anyway, I went shopping on Friday night. I was bargain hunting, which means I don't really want or need anything, but if it's 40% off I must have it!

Saturday, July 23rd, 2005
Workout - Better Than Expected

So I'm up at 4:15am and I'm really looking forward to this run. When I arrived no one in my group was there. Laura, Amy, Bobby, Michelle, Ellen were all MIA. I was worried that I would have to run alone. As we were finishing warm-ups Michelle finally shows up, but wasn't feeling well. Fortunately she got better the further we ran. Today's route started at the Pentagon - -down GW Parkway - across the Memorial Bridge - down Rock Creek Parkway along the waterfront - past the Kennedy Center and Watergate - continue along the RC Parkway to the RC Trail - follow the RC Trail all the way to the National Zoo and then come back. See, an easy 10.

I actually ran pretty well for the first 8 miles. I was feeling really good. I kept pace. No aches, pains or fatigue. For 8 miles I figured I was on my way to a PR (Personal Record), but then somewhere around mile 8 Michelle and Julie started to slow down and I slowed down too, but I wanted to keep running. We both ran out of water, but despite that it wasn't anything like last week when I totally ran out of gas. I was able the keep running in shorter intervals and ended by running across the finish line. Total time 2:30, 10 minutes slower than the last 10 mile run.

Later that afternoon I went to my friend Roxane's son's Birthday Party. He is turning 6. After the party I still had the urge to do more bargain hunting. Despite the fact that I was exhausted, I managed to pull together enough strength to do the other thing that I love, which is shop. I bought a pair of jeans from Old Navy. This is my very first pair of Old Navy jeans!! I could never fit in Old Navy jeans before. And now I actually own a pair and I look pretty cute in them. Running is awesome!!

Sunday, July 24th, 2005
Workout - None

If you're a blog regular then you can guess what I did on Sunday. Yep, I studied and did my homework. I'm really not focused on school this semester. Even as I type this I should be working on my mid-term project, but I haven't even started it yet. Ugh!!

What's happened to me?
Well, that's it for this week. As you can see I missed another weight-in. I had planned to go on Thursday night but went on the date instead. In hindsight, considering he was late, I could have made it to the weigh-in which was on the way to GMU and still arrive before he did. I don't even know if I'll be able to do it next week. My schedule is pretty packed. And don't even ask me about journaling. The sad thing is I use to be so on top of everything. Things like studying, journaling, reading my mail, doing my finances, even recycling always got done. Now it's like everything is piling up. My dining room table is covered in unread mail and the recycling has taken over the kitchen. Even if I had a day off to do stuff I'd somehow find a way to waste it. I don't know what's happening. Did I lose my anal retentive focus on taking care of the little things? Well, at least the blog gets updated on time.

For next week....
7/25/05 - Tempo run 45-60 minutes
7/26/05 - Rest
7/27/05 - Run 4-5 miles
7/28/05 - Happy Hour/ Weigh-in (Maybe)
7/29/05 - Rest
7/30/05 - Long Run - Easy 10
8/01/05 - Rest finish Mid-Terms

Races I'm Registered (or Planning to Register) for...
9/11 - Fairlakes 8K (Registered.)
9/24 - Quantico Half (Maybe. The group run was cancelled so that everyone who wants to can participate in this half. If Michelle keeps nagging me about it, I might give in.)
10/2 - Army 10 Miler (aka ATM. Registered. My chance to redeem myself with the Vagas.)
10/30 - Marine Corps 8K (I'm not registered, yet. I'm deciding between running and volunteering.)
11/6 - Veteran's Day 10K (I'm not registered yet. But it's a definite. I need to keep up with my training until the Disney Half.)

And the big one...
1/7 - Walt Disney World Half Marathon (Registered.)

Enough blathering already!
- Gotta Run

This Week's Workout (7/11/05 - 7/17/05)

Here's another long update. So sit back and enjoy.

Monday, July 11th, 2005
Workout – Bad

Today I tried to go running after work. I headed for the loop around the Government Center to give the shoes one last try. It was already pretty late and things didn't start off too well. I was having trouble with my interval timer. So I tried to reset it while I was running. That didn't workout at all. Then as I continued to run my shin splints started to flare up. I haven't had shin splints months. It was like I could feel every single step. There was absolutely no shock absorption. Then I ran into a friend I use to work with. So, we stopped to chat for a while. By the time we were done I lost my buzz and decided to head back before the sun went down. Not a very good workout at all. I'm definitely getting rid of these shoes.

Tuesday, July 12th, 2005
Workout – None

I went to Gotta Run shoe store in Arlington and the owner, Andre, fitted me for new shoes. I ended up getting the same make and model that I ran with for six months prior to purchasing the "bad shoes". Apparently I didn't need stability control. And those shoes were killing my performance.

Wednesday, July 13th, 2005
Workout – Good

I returned to Ronya's Step Class. I needed a quick and efficient workout, because I wanted to make it to book club this evening. I think her class has gotten easier (or maybe I've gotten better). The combinations haven't really advanced too much, but I still got a good workout. I long for the day when I can return to Johnny's Step class to see if I could make it through what I once believed was “the toughest step class in Washington”. But I can't see that happening any time soon.

Thursday, July 14th, 2005
Workout – Good

I went to the gym this evening to do a tempo run before Friday's 14 mile run. Plus I needed to break in my new shoes a little bit. The run was great. I ran 3.1 miles under 38 minutes. I really wanted to push for 4 miles, but I was pretty exhausted. So, I called it quits and did lots of stretching. I ran into Max at the gym again and he complimented me on my weight loss. I forget exactly what he said, but I think it was something like “You look great!”, but I'm paraphrasing.

Friday, July 15th, 2005
Workout – None

Rest day or as I call it… the calm before the storm. Tomorrow I run 14 miles. (Insert booming thunder clap here.)

Saturday, July 16th, 2005
Workout – Pretty Good

I wish I could tell you that I ran 14 miles. Well, I came pretty close. I covered somewhere between 12-13 miles, before our group abandoned the course and took a shortcut back to the finish line. Even then, I was glad for the shortcut because I lost my ability to run around mile 11.
Basically we started at the Pentagon at 6:30am. (BTW, I had to get up at 4:15am just to be there on time.) It was so humid I was sweating standing in the parking lot before we even started running. We ran down the GW Parkway - around Iwo Jima Memorial - into Rosslyn - across the Key Bridge - through Gerogetown - along the water front past the Kennedy Center and Watergate - down Constitution Ave to the Capitol - doubled back along the mall past the Smithsonian - down past the Jefferson Memorial - along the water out to Haines Point and back - across the 14th Street Bridge - then finally along the GW Parkway back to the Pentagon. Whew!! I died somewhere on the way back from Haines Point. I stopped to fill my water bottle. My group went on without me because I thought I could catch up. They weren't too far ahead and they were just walking, so I started to run to catch up to them and then they suddenly took off running. Like imagine running to catch a bus that is sitting at the bus stop. You think if you run fast enough you can catch it. So, you break into a sprint and get just close enough that if you start shouting maybe the driver will hear you, but they don't and the bus pulls away without noticing you leaving you panting out of breath on the curb in front of the bus stop. That’s how I felt coming out of Haines Point. They were always within in sight. Sometimes running, but mostly walking. I think they were losing it too. But there was no way I could have caught up to them. My legs were just too heavy to run anymore. So, I resorted to a fast walk for the rest of the course. I ran walked 12-13 miles in 3 hours 30 minutes.

On the upside this Saturday was my fastest recovery ever. Other than a pesky callous on the bottom of each foot courtesy of the “bad shoes”, my muscles were pretty much back to normal by that evening thanks to the “good shoes” (and lots of stretching).

Sunday, July 17th, 2005
Workout – None

Today was study day. I basically didn't study sh*t all week. So, I had to cram an entire week's worth of reading, discussion questions, homework and quizzes into one day. Never again. I decided that since I can't get up early to go running, I'll get up early and study. That way I can go running after work and not feel like I'm blowing off my classes. Mid-Terms are next week and I feel like I haven't really absorbed any of the material.

That about sums it up for this week. As you can guess I didn't weigh-in this week. I also didn't journal anything. I haven't journaled for some time now. I'll try to go sometime next week, but the journaling may stay on hiatus until I get settled at work. Just too much to think about right now. But I definitely try to portion control and stay within my points which are now down to 20 a day. The following is to give you an idea this is what a 20 point a day looks like.

1-1/2 Cup Rice Crispies – 2 points
1 Cup 1% Milk – 2 points
1 Cup OJ – 2 points
1 Regular Hot Dog w/ Relish on a bun – 6 points
1 Lean Cuisine Spa Meal – 6 points
1 Graham Cracker for Dessert – 2 points

Not a lot of food. Anyway, I'm suppose to eat more fruits and veggies, but I went to the grocery store the other day and there was hardly anything decent in the produce section and everything else was way pricey.

I won't go on about races I registered for this week. I'll do it next week. I am considering adding the Veterans Day 10K to the list. I need interim races to stay motivated between October and January, after DCFit ends and before the big race. I still need to buy tickets and make hotel reservations. So that's more stuff to think about. Ugh!!! Calgon take me away.

- Until Next Time

This Week's Workout (7/4/05 - 7/10/05)

Monday, July 4th, 2005 - Happy 4th of July!!!
Workout – Pretty Good

My friend Tricia (see Tea Party II) turned me on to this trail that circles Burke Lake for 4.5 miles. I envisioned running this trail twice so I could make up for the 9 miles that I missed on Saturday. But this loop was a trail in every sense on the term. It was rocky and uneven with sharp turns and tricky trenches. Although the scenery was nice and the trail was shaded, I couldn't relax and enjoy the run because I had to concentrate on not falling or twisting my ankle. I ran 4.5 miles in 1 hour. I could have done better if this were a path and not a trail.

Later that evening I met with Vijay and Viseth and her friends and we went to DC to see the fireworks. Somehow I enjoyed just hanging out with my friends more that then fireworks, which to me weren't that good.

Tuesday, July 5th, 2005
Workout – None

Today was a rest day. I think I went to the mall and did some more shopping then came home and attempted to cook. I bought salmon and baked it. It didn't turn out too well and by the time it was done I lost my appetite. Note to Self: Leave cooking to the professionals.

Wednesday, July 6th, 2005
Workout – OK

Today I went running with Tricia. Tricia is much smaller than me so I assumed that she'd be in pretty good shape for running. I was wrong. So I went easy on her since it was her first time running. We did 1:1 intervals for 1.5 miles. Not bad or her first time out. Unlike my first time with Vijay (the Tri-Athlete) who made me run 4 miles!! She’s going to go back to the treadmill and build up strength so that next time she can run a full 3 miles with me. Yeah!!

Thursday, July 7th, 2005
Workout – So-So

I went to the gym to try and do 1 hour on the treadmill, but I wasn't feeling it and I called it quits after 30 minutes. I only covered 2.5 miles. I don't like my new shoes. Stability my foot!!! I don't feel like I’m getting any cushioning at all. I also Weighed-in today. I was up for the first time since I started. I went up .2lbs which is the difference between wearing a shirt and not wearing a shirt.

Friday, July 8th, 2005
Workout – None

I took a break to get some sleep in preparation for tomorrow's big run. But I'm starting to miss Johnny’s (or Giahani's) step class. I wonder if after missing so many classes could I get through one of his routines now?

Saturday, July 9th, 2005
Workout – Great

Today was my return to running with DCFit since I completed the 9 mile run 3 weeks ago. I was looking forward to doing my first 10 miler. I did pretty well. I stayed with the 4:1 runners the entire time and I finished in 2:20. I was pretty proud of myself. That was the longest that I’ve ran in my entire life. I would have done better if I didn't start developing a blister on the bottom my foot. When I removed my shoes, my feet were killing me. The rigidity of the stability controlling material prevented my foot from rolling into its natural step. Now I really hate my new shoes plus there was little or no cushioning under the ball of my foot. I couldn't wait to take off my shoes. I changed into a pair of sandals as soon as we finished. I iced my foot when I got home. Then I vowed to get new shoes.

Sunday, July 10th, 2005
Workout – None

I continued to ice my foot and I studied like crazy, because I did absolutely no studying during the week.

That’s about it for this week. A for next week, here's my schedule...
7/11/05 – Run 4-5 miles
7/12/05 – Rest
7/13/05 – Step Class
7/14/05 – 4-5 mile tempo run
7/15/05 – Rest
7/16/05 – 14 mile Run w/ DCFit
7/17/05 – Rest

The races that I'm registered for haven't changed since last week, so I won't post them here. I need to spend more time studying. I'm really falling behind in class. Training and studying sure do take up a lot of time. But I have to make it work somehow.

See Y’all Next Week

This Week's Workout (6/27/05 - 7/3/05)

What a week. Despite all of my plumbing issues I managed to find a little time to workout and I even surprised myself by crossing the 30lb mark on the weight loss scale.

Monday, June 27th, 2005
Workout – Not so Good

I ran with my friend JC. Well, she ran I struggled. It was my first time running outside since I recovered from my knee injury. I think because I was running with JC I started off too fast and died near the end. My knee started feeling a little soar so I took it easy near the end. I ran/walked 1.5 miles around my own neighborhood. It was actually a pretty tough run full of hills and stuff. So, I plan to run this loop more often.

Tuesday, June 28th, 2005
Workout – None

My laundry room was flooding again read "Not all plumbing problems have a simple solution". So I was in no mood to workout.

Wednesday, June 29th, 2005
Workout – None

I don't remember what I did on Wednesday. I was still dealing with my plumbing. So, I think I worked late to make up some of the hours that I lost. Then I went home to check on my place. I really wasn't in the mood to workout again.

Thursday, June 30th, 2005
Workout – Good

I went to WW to weigh-in I was down 4lbs for a total weight loss of 32.4lbs!!! With all the stress from dealing with my plumbing issues I barely ate this week. That night I came home to find a huge trench under my living room window. I really needed to de-stress so I went running on the same loop I ran with JC on Monday. I covered 1.5 miles in 33 minutes. I felt really good after my run.

Friday, July 1st, 2005
Workout – None

I worked late then cleaned the house and picked up my mom for her weekend visit. We went shopping then had Chinese for dinner.

Saturday, July 2nd, 2005
Workout - None

My mom was still visiting me so no DCFit and no workout. I went to a cookout then came home to do some much needed studying.

Sunday, July 3rd, 2005
Workout – None

I went to get my hair done. Read "My new big hair".

For next week...
I can be honest about this because it's already Saturday.

7/4/05 – Run/Walk 4-5 miles
7/5/05 – Rest
7/6/05 – Run/Walk 1-2 miles
7/7/05 – 30 minute Treadmill Tempo Run
7/8/05 – Rest
7/9/05 – 10 Mile Run w/ DCFit
7/10/05 – Rest

Races I'm Registered (or Planning to Register) for...
9/11 - Fairlakes 8K (Registered.)
9/24 - Quantico Half (Maybe. Still deciding on this one, but I printed out the form.)
10/2 - Army 10 Miler (aka ATM. Registered. My chance to redeem myself with the Vagas.
10/30 - Marine Corps 8K (I'm not registered, yet. I'm deciding between running and volunteering.)

And the big one...
1/7 - Walt Disney World Half Marathon (Registered.)

Next week I should be back on track. No more plumbing problems I hope.

Talk to you later,
Gotta Run

My New Big Hair

It's always been a tradition of mine that whenever I get a new job I also get a new hair style. Well, this time I threw caution to the wind and tried a new hair salon that I knew very little about except that they were having a birthday sale. So, I gave them full artistic control and ended up w/ the poofiest hair ever. I'm on the fence about it. For on thing I like ie because it looks wild, wacky and out of control. Kind of like how I feel sometimes. It's also light and soft and very low maintenence. On the other hand it's big hair VERY BIG hair. I'm hoping it'll deflate over the next few days. Plus my mom hates it, but she only liked the hairstyles that were straight and flat. The non-natural styles which I wanted to get away from. So, I'm going to up date the photo on my profile to reflect the new me... well the new me for now. I may go back to the simple twists after I grow tired of this style. We'll see what happens.

Ta Ta For Now.

Not all Plumbing Problems Have a Simple Solution

So, Like I was saying...

I came home Sunday night to find water on the floor in my laundry room. My original thought was that it was leaking from the hot water heater. After further investigation I deduced that the water was coming from the AC. So, I turned it off right when this super nice guy, Stephen, from C&P Plumbing called to let me know he was on his way. When he got there he immediately concluded that the condensation drain was clogged. So he attached a hose from the hot water heater to the drainage pipe and attempted to blow out the clog. This resulted in a powerful gush of water shooting out all over my laundry room when he removed the hose. So, I ran out to get more news paper. Needless to say he was right about the clog. So, he suggested that I call in another plumber w/ more knowledge of the AC system in this unit to find out where the drain leads.

So, on Monday morning I called the guys at John C. Flood and they sent in the super terrific Jason. He was probably the most talkative and energetic plumber I ever met. He came id and did a bunch of stuff. He also speculated that the drain may have been backed up, but he was able to blow air through it w/o any problems. So, he felt the plumber from C&P was able the unclog it last night. But since he was there he decided to check everything else to make sure my system was in perfect working order. He even went up on the roof twice. He gave it a clean bill of health and told me to run it for the rest of the day and call if I saw anymore water. I came home on Monday it was still leaking....

So, here it is Tuesday morning the AC leaked slowly throughout the night. I called John C Flood as soon as I got to work and told then to send Jason back out to finish what he started. I'm really glad I did because when I got home on Tuesday night the laundry room was flooded again. So I turned off the AC and got to moping.

Wednesday, Jason's triumphant return. He got straight down to business and finally concluded that the drain was indeed backed up. But he too didn't know where it lead. So, I called my condo association and they patched me thought to the communications center. I tried to explain my situation but then I handed the phone to Jason who told them exactly what the problem was. They contacted their plumbers who immediately called me back. Luckily Jason was still there and he wasn't going to let them off the hook. After he explained what he's already checked for then said they were coming right away. Thanks to Jason they came out within the hour.

Still Wednesday and the guys from Kidco plumbing were not happy campers. Don't get me wrong they're disappointment was not directed to wards me, but more toward the problem at hand. They seemed puzzled from the word go. They also finally decided that the drain was backed up but where. That waste the big question. Then they finally turned to me and said that they had to cut into the wall. No! No! Not my wall again! But luckily this time I had the wallpaper to replace it once they were done. So I said go ahead. I couldn't look. They brought in some heavy equipment that made a lot of noise. So, I went outside and tried not to listen to what was going on. About an hour later they were packing up and still didn't look like happy campers.

Long story short the pipe was broken somewhere 40ft away from my AC Unit. They had to come back the following day w/ even more high tech equipment to figure out where.

So, this is where my story ends. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of my tale.



This is the hole they dug right outside my living room window.



Caution: Faulty Plumbing in the Area

This is the hole they dug in the dining room wall.







This is where the little green hose leads. Apparently there were other units above mine that were draining into my laundry room.






Here is the 5 gallon bucket that they left in my laundry room to catch any further leakage from the AC unit.






That's the end of my story for now. The Good news is that the Condo Association is going to cover the bill on this one. So, I can rest easy until the next plumbing catastrophe.

Later Dudes