Fall and My return

Happy Fall everyone! It's my favorite time of the year, fun fact. 

Well in theory it is.

If I didn't live in Atlanta I would get a real fall, instead of today's high being 80+ degrees. One of my favorite parts of fall is fall-styled beer. Oktoberfests and Pumpkin beers. Pumpkin being number 1. Today's pumpkin beer is by Heavy Seas.

 

Crafty beer!

It is, so far, very good. Actually much better than I anticipated. Not overwhelming pumpkin but can definitely taste the cinnamon/fall flavors desired.

Now away from beer.

Yes I still run. No not as often. I'm 6 weeks out of my sprained ankle and it's still giving me a lot of hate and discontent. It swells every night, especially when I'm on it a lot, and I've been having to ice it regularly. I originally thought this was just a 4-6 week recovery but it's looking to be a lot longer.  I still cannot even come close to wearing heels, the angle hurts, and it some days my ankle is tender to the touch. 

All bad news.

So tomorrow I have a DR appointment at 10am to get it looked at and hopefully get a referral for physical therapy.

I did run 4 miles twice last week and it wasn't too bad.  The after-swelling is pretty rough though.

So this explains, not excuses, my absence from the running world/my blog.  So I've been a little bitter, yes. 

I'll be around now though. Because the BF, seen here (yes with me, classy photo):

is finally on my ass about it. 

He says he has his eye on me...

See you guys around!

My Texas-Sized Hangover

So radio silence occured becuase I was in...
TEXAS!
For 5 days. Left Wednesday at like 6am and got back Sunday night...more like 12am Monday morning and then had work yesterday and today. Crazy! I've been very very tired/worn down. It was the longest car ride I've ever taken and the first time ever traveling in Mississippi and Texas. Louisiana I've been to...for Bourban street.
Another time, a good story, or two.

Anyway it was awesome. The drive out was to Dallas and then stayed the night there, then from Dallas we drove down to Texas Station. That's right folk's Giggem'/Saw The Horns Off/Texas A&M Aggie town.  I'll post more about why I was there later, with pictures and all.

I would like to however cover my excitement about Texas.
This is how I pictured Texas: desert-y, armadillos, long horns, salloons, maybe tumbleweeds?

Clearly I'm an idiot.
No there was no desert. I did see some long horns while driving, Holy crap they're huge. I saw a few dead armadillos, which made me sad.  (Fun mini story: my dad ripped the muffler off him and my  mom's little red MG by driving over a dead armadillo. My dad thought it would smush...nope.)
Tumbleweeds were a negative HOWEVER Salloons? I'm gonna say where I partied Saturday night was close enough in my book.

Picture in your head if you could, a college town bar. These are foreign to me. Atlanta doesn't have many since it is a City in it's own right and College Station...well is College Station.
Cruddy engraved tables that wobbled, stuff ALL over the wall, lots of Aggie things/memorabilia AND 6$ PBR pitchers and 7$ New Castle pitchers.

'Scuse me how much?
Done.
It was 9 of us all out together so we started with 3 pitchers. As we're looking around the bar we find, I shit you not, LIFE SIZE connect four. The pieces were wooden circles of 8ish inches in diameter.  It. Was. Amazing. And then we found Jenga made out of 2x4's. I was amazed. We were all amazed actually. Like big kids in a big kid toy store.

I had 2 beers, The BF brought me a gin and tonic and while playing connect four (reigning  champ what up!) I met a very nice A&M girl named Jackie who played with me a few times.  I decided that clearly, as I was drunk enough and from out of town, that Jackie and I needed a shot. Here's how the bartender and I's convo went.

ME: "Hey umm how much forrrrr your Patron shots?"
Bartender: "4.50$"
ME:"...."...serious pause going on..."How much for Jose Silver?"
Bartender: "3.25$"
ME: "HOLY SHIT I'll take four."

So me, Jackie, Jackie's friend and BF and I took a shot. and it cost me total what 1 and a half shots of patron would cost me in ATL. All the drinks actually were super, super cheap.

AMAZING.
This is why my hangover was huge.
Hey, everything is bigger in texas, I figured my hangoer should be as well.

Great fun, I have great pictures, I can't wait to post more later. The epicness of how cheap drinks were had to go up here because I think I'm still reeling from it.

I'm currently in my lab slaving away. Put in a solid 6+ hours yesterday, I'm on hour 5 right now. Makin MONIES!

After this it's gym time to bike/lift/abs since my hip flexors are still killing me, which the long car ride did not help. Then headed to the Roomie's swim meet for the kids she coaches and dinner at Felinis!

This is such a nice day.
Everyone, go be happy, go enjoy the day.

Go listen to some country!

The Bad Times

Today's Running World Quote was:

"It takes faith and the courage to risk failure in order to realize one's destiny. Having had my share of failures throughout my career I know that it is well worth the risk." - Ryan Hall, American long distance runner and winner of the 2008 United States Olympic Marathon Trials

I love this quote. It really hit home after the past few weeks I have had. 

This explains a lot of my lack of posting. 

"Drama" is exactly how I'd characterize what's been going on. I'd love to divulge everything (not) but it involves tears, yelling, alcohol and honestly a little loss of dignity on my part every once in a while.  

Don't worry, you can just go watch an ABC-no-so-Family show and it will be about the same. 

Anyway the drama has caused some sidetrackedness in my focus on training. I'm still doing it but it's been more of a mind numbing get-away-from-everything thing, causing me to not want to post about it. 

On top of my 'drama' I had one of the worst runs of life on Sunday.  I had skipped my long run last weekend due to, surprise, drama and drinking, and so I was excited to get back to a 10 miler on Sunday.  I had eaten breakfast with some friends early in the morning and headed out around 2pm so I could have plenty of time to digest my food.  I felt perfectly fine when I left. Excited to run, had on new clothes, it was a beautiful day in Atlanta at a high 60's low 70's temp with some wind. 

Well I got to about mile 2.5 and realized something wasn't quite right. My legs weren't shaking that dead feeling. I chalked it up to a few days of not running and they were just stiff but I couldn't get rid of it. By mile 4.5 I was in the Virginia Highlands and had stopped. I was sitting on a bench with absolutely dead legs and a stomach ache just to add to it. My lungs were on fire and everything felt like it was falling apart.  I knew I wasn't going to make 10 miles that day, I was praying just for 8 at the rate I was going. I texted my roommate with a warning text of "this isn't going so hot" just in cased I needed her to come get me.

Yeah, I felt THAT bad. 

So I kept going, forced myself at least, slowly, and told myself that if I could just keep going and walk some/rest I'd make it through. 

The next 3.5 miles were the worst miles ever. 

I've never thrown up from working out but I was pretty damn close, and I actually WANTED to. I wanted to throw up so bad thinking it would make me feel better. Anything to make me feel better. I kept waiting for a second wind but no. And of course when you're in the middle of Atlanta you're smack in the middle of a MILLION and one hills. Steep, long hills. 

I somehow made it back to campus and when my Garmin watch hit 8 miles I just stopped. And I walked home. Walked. I've never done that in my life. It was miserable. I was miserable. I felt like such a  failure. And the half is only 3 weeks away! I was supposed to be throwin out 8 miles like nothin. 

My legs just did not want it. And I had to listen on Sunday. 

Maybe it's been the alcohol, which honestly hasn't been much because if any of y'all knew me you knew I can get a hangover from 2 beers and be hammered in 1. Maybe it's all this drama, or school, or the stress I've been putting on myself lately but it's just been a rough few weeks of training. My Monday run was sucky as well. Legs hadn't recovered yet but I knew I needed to get the miles in. 

Anyway back to the applicable quote for the day. I guess this is all of my failures right now. I keep fighting the failure feeling. I have to shake it because I start taper in 8 days and then it's race time. I've been working way too hard to let this feeling take me down.

So it's time to push the personal shit out of my mind and get it all done and get back to running happy instead of this moody gloomy running.

Shopping!!

As a Bday present to myself since I've been so good training thus far AND because I got paid a nice paycheck this week I splurged and bought...all of this :

I just do not own enough running gear. I only have 2 pairs of shorts! and I workout 6 days a week!!! SO MUCH LAUNDRY.  So, I finally decided it was time to drop some big bucks and gear up like a proper Brooks ID runner. I will probably be building my wardrobe like this every other paycheck (once a month) just so I have enough clothes on a week to week basis. I ALSO paid 5 whole extra dollars (oh my!) to get it 'expedited' here. I have no idea when they're going to ship it but pinkies crossed for today so I can get it by next Friday. I am SO excited!!! Mmmm clothes. In other, more upsetting news, I was planning on going to ABC (brewery) tonight with a bunch of friends for my birthday (I know it was Tuesday but I'm a college girl, I can't take time out of my classes to party on a Tuesday!) however I needed to get out of work from 4-8 to be able to do this.  Of course, none of my coworkers will cover it. 2 semesters I've been working the dreaded Friday Close shift and yet, no one will throw me a bone for my birthday. Such is life. On to study. Happy Friday everyone!