Women's Race FAIL

Well, I would have posted spectacular pics of me chugging up hills like a funky chicken at today's Women's 5k.  However, the doc gave me a shot of Tramadol for my piriformis/hip pain late yesterday and it KNOCKED ME OUT.  I fell asleep on the couch without dinner and woke up around midnight.  Then, I laid out my race clothes and put some water in the fridge and re-crashed in bed - only to wake up an hour or so after the race started.  I guess I'll just deal with the pain instead of side effects :(

In other news, look who's back for a 2-month stay:

Yep, it's the real slim shady - Driver the tail-less military foster cat.

And another one of my favorite inspirational videos

Since I now figured out how to embed these - albeit cut off on the right side.  Here is one of my favorite videos from FancyBoy Productions.

Ah, step down week

After a tough week last week, this is a stepdown week in marathon training, which always reminds me how fun it is to run. 5 miles, even in heat and humidity, feels 'easy.' (remind me I typed that when I'm whining next week) Anyway, this was a run with Brak Pak - and I had "Ali in the Jungle" running through my brain the whole run (even without the MP3 player).

Here is the Nike Human Chain commercial with that song in it. 

Celebrating another 25 or so years

What a nice birthday weekend!  On Friday, I joined up with folks for the First Friday Cruiser ride - starting with shrimp lasagna at Guillermo's, then riding down to the Alcapulco Drive in for frosty beverages, and then to the Friendly Spot for some more libations.  Saturday morning, I ran 12 miles with buddies out of Run Wild at the Pearl Brewery.  It was a tough run in 99.99% humidity, dodging AA conventioneers downtown. 

On Sunday - my 25thagain birthday - I slowly ran the Freedom Day 4 miler out at the National Shooting Range.  It was a tough run with heavy legs and an uphill finish.  Here I am slogging through the run

And here's me phoning in the finish - I wouldn't want to be out of breath at the end, after all.

And contemplating the fact that I came in 20th in the age group!

After a shower and a birthday nap, I headed to Adrian and Darlene's house for fish/pickle/shrimp/jalapeno/onion fry and partying.  From their hill country mansion, we could see no fewer than 10 firework shows on the horizon (various Hill Country towns, Fiesta TX, etc.), along with Adrian's own show from down the hill. 

Thanks to Tom Lake and R.U.N. for the pics.  Thanks to all my buddies for the running miles and birthday fun!

Happy Birthday to me

I haven't had any ugly race pics to post lately, so I am just taking this opportunity to remind you that there are only four more days for you to pick out a birthday gift for me.  I will again be turning 25 years old.

Oh, and on that day, I will be running the Freedom 4 miler.  It's a 4 mile race held in honor of my birthday every year and runners oddly show up dressed in red, white, and blue.  And then I will eat fried pickles and fried jalapenos and fried fish and fried shrimp and whatever else Darlene & Adrian can find to fry. 

And (hopefully sometime before that), I will work in a 12-mile run.  Because it's marathon training - ON time.  Which also means it's Summer in San Antonio - which is represented by all of the red boxes below.  Bring it on, extreme danger, just bring it...

Carrabbas HM Relay

This morning was the hot hot hot and humid Carrabbas half marathon relay.  I ran the first leg, then volunteered, cutting off timing chips and dripping sweat on everyone. 

Here's the start

And - check it out - I look FAST!

Thanks to Tom Lake and Ceci Iniguez for the pics

ooo Mexico - I've never really been, but I'd sure like to go

and I DID it.  (These are my katrinas.  I did not buy many things, but I really liked these.)  The region we visited is famous for their Dia de Los Muertos celebrations and katrinas - this is a dog with a futbol americano and a cat with a pulpo.)

I have been to various bordertowns over the years, but I had this chance to visit Pátzcuaro in the State of Michoacan, Mexico (kind of South West - in the mountains) thanks to Jenna and Yoli.  While there, we visited Santa Clara de Cobre, Janitzio, Morelia, Uruapan, Quiroga, Tzintzuntzan, and other pueblitos.  It was wonderful.  One highlight was ziplining over Lago Zirahuen - scary but amazing views. Here is the video of me jumping down the second line. 

One of the difficulties we encountered was not, in fact, banditos, but trying to find limones y aguacates.  Who would have thought it would be hard to find LIMES and AVOCADOS in Mexico?!  Especially since Uruapan is the avocado capital of the world?  (And there were avocado plants EVERYWHERE - but our driver, Salvador, said they sell almost exclusively wholesale - so the ones I bought today at the HEB grocery store were probably from there). It was a wonderful trip with a neat bunch of gals who had more stories and life experiences than I could ever aspire to experience.

Anyway, I am now obsessed with starting an avocado plant (I had a 2 ft tall one I grew from seed in Germany) and tending to the lime tree my sister gave me, which is in the front yard. Because I now fear being without limones y aguacates.  Kind of a strange PTSD.

In fact, tonight, I ate an avocado de Mexico for dinner and hung the seed by toothpicks in a salsa jar in the window.  Then, I went out to check on my lime tree and found the NASTIEST caterpillar EVER.  When I tried to scoot it off the lime leaves with a stick, it reared up, stuck out some kind of reddish thingies, and STUNK.  Bad.  In fact, I came in and googled "caterpillar lime tree stinky" and immediately identified the suspect:  the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly.  Believe me, they really stink.

Alas, I did not run in Mexico.  We locked ourselves into the casitas at night, so I could not sneak out for a run.  But, between the walking, climbing la isla Janitzio (tough with altitude), and fighting 7,000+ feet altitude at all times, I was exhausted.

Now, I think I have reverse-altitude sickness -- I am exhausted and could not catch my breath on last night's 5 miler.  I hope that resolves before tomorrow's Carrabbas Half Marathon Relay.  At least I just have to run about 4 miles.  At an elevation of around 700 ft.  But now I miss Mexico.