Format

Blogger hates me and doesn't allow me to enter space in between paragraphs. I apologize to my readers that the post below is just one gigantic paragraph. If you have any suggestions on how to fix this, I am all ears...

I Probably Won't Try That Again...

On Saturday night, Daniel and I set out for a 14-mile run. For this distance, it's easier to run on an established trail and so we headed down to the Bosque, a 16-mile wooded bike trail that runs next to the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. Although I ran 13.1 miles just a week earlier, it quickly became obvious that this run wouldn't go off without serious physical harm. I was dragging through the first three miles, my knee was killing me and my stomach was upset. Daniel was already out a good ways ahead of me and I decided to short the run and just turn around when I saw Daniel heading back my way. (It's an out and back course.) I was thinking that this would get me to about 12 miles. Around mile 5.5, the trail split. I took the route I assumed Daniel had taken, but I kept my eye out for him on the other trail just in case. Around mile 6, a pack of stray dogs became very interested in me and I decided it was probably time to turn around and head back to the car. I didn't know why I hadn't run into Daniel, but I figured he'd be along sometime soon. Around mile 7, I still hadn't seen Daniel and realized that I wasn't going to be able to run much on the route back. I did some quick math and realized that at my current pace, I would get back to the car around 9:20, about 2o minutes after it became completely dark. Now mind you, the Bosque isn't a lighted trail and by this time I was one of the few people left on the trail. I also figured that Daniel had to be ahead of me since there was no way he was going as slow as I was. I kept moving forward, but by 8:45, I was still over 2 miles from the car and it was getting really dark. Also around this time, I saw a coyote on the trail. I repeatedly called Daniel's cell, but he leaves that in the car. Naturally, I also called my mom who lives roughly 200 miles away since clearly she could help. She assured me that coyotes weren't interested in me, but also urged me to consider calling 911 if I didn't hear from Daniel soon. At 9:00, it was pitch dark with no moonlight at all. I saw the lights of a major street up ahead and decided that I would just wait at this street and hope that Daniel called soon. This would put me about a mile from the finish line, but there was no way I was walking a full mile in the dark on this creepy trail. Thankfully at 9:05, Daniel finished up his run and got my messages. Within another ten minutes, he picked me up from my spot on the Paseo bridge. That run was much more exciting than was necessary and for someone purportedly good at math, I didn't quite calculate the finish time correctly. I don't think I will start out a run that will take nearly 3 hours at 6:30 ever again! At least Daniel and I lived through this one!

Half-way There

This past weekend, we completed the Steamworks Brewing Half Marathon. I was within 2 minutes of my goal time and Daniel was able to shave almost fifteen minutes off his previous half marathon time. All in all, it was a great race and a great success. We had a wonderful weekend and got to see my parents and old friends and drink many beers. I also got my first race medal and it takes a ton of restraint not to wear it everyday since I am really proud of this achievement. I can say that I still feel completely daunted by the marathon, which is now only 74 days away. There are many miles to run between now and then, but I try to calm myself by realizing that we are half-way there. When I started training in January, I would often think after completing a training run, "I would have to run that same run almost 9 times in a row to complete a marathon." At the time that seemed impossible. Now I can say, "Okay if I can just do that twice, I'm there."

The Good, the Bad and the Duckie

Well, I am sitting at the Dallas airport waiting to head back home. At the end of my first of several trips to Dallas this summer, I thought I would summarize my thoughts...

The Good

• I made it to Chipotle last night. I did had to run across an overpass with no sidewalks, but I think the Chipotle cashier felt sorry for me and so he gave me a free bag of chips and prepared a very thoughtful and fantastic burrito.
• I took a bath each evening, that's a luxury I don't enjoy at home since the only bathtub is in the "termite bathroom."
• I think the work is going to be really interesting and different. I am a little burnt out on my job right now and this seems like a great chance to take a breath and do something different for a while. I think that will help me narrow my long-term plan. Also, the people at the Texas office seem...happier. I know that's a total intangible and maybe I just saw all the best moments, but I would say these people seem to like thier jobs more than many of the people I work with in ABQ. It kind of makes me happier to be around happier people, so I think that's going to be a good thing.

The Bad

• Well, my flight is indefinitely delayed as I right this. So that's bad, right? Despite the good stuff above, I would still like to go home.
• On Wednesday night, I had a true Texas experience. There were severe thunderstorms in the Texas area and those storms turned into tornado watches (warnings?, I don't know the difference). I was still at work when this happened and we all got to head to the basement for about 20 minutes as a precaution.
• I miss my husband, my dog and my garden.

The Duckie

• After my five-mile run (read sweat-a-thon) on Tuesday, I decided that I would take a quick dip in the pool. After all, I plan to take advantage of as many travel perks as possible. The pool was outdoor and next to a small lake. Apparently the ducks prefer the lounge atmosphere of the pool, as a duck was sitting on the pool steps. I really wanted to swim, so I just walked past the duck and we agreed to peacefully co-exist at opposite ends of the pool. All in all, I would say I enjoyed my trip and I didn't totally expect to feel that way. It's early in the summer and we will see if I am singing the same tune in August.

False Advertising

One of my primary "pros" about coming to Dallas for work was that a Chipotle was only a half mile away. I love Chipotle with a love mainly reserved for family members and best friends. Since I don't have a rental car, being walking distance to a burrito and chips was 75% of what made me board the plane this morning... Now I find out that I have to walk across a major freeway to get to the Chipotle. A woman here at work said, "Well I guess you could walk there, but I don't think anyone ever would." I know that over the course of the week, I will find a way to hoof it over there, but it does limit my original plan of having Chipotle for lunch and dinner each day... (I am now eyeing this trip with a more skeptical eye and am going to need some other form of bribery to make it back next month...)

Fruits of My Labor

Jackie sent me a postcard with this caption a while back and it seems appropriate now. I am my mother's daughter in that I love gardening. Until now it's just been flowers, but this year I decided to try my hand at vegetable gardening. In early April, I planted tomatoes. Since then I have planted several herbs, cucumbers, bell peppers and zucchini. I used cilantro in a recipe last week, but I don't count that as much of a victory since the cilantro came already grown. Tonight we had the first real product of my work, a big juicy red tomato. I love tomatoes, Daniel isn't much of a fan (apparently, Riley, the dog, is also in Daniel's camp), but he gave it a try. That said, I was in heaven and can't wait to eat through my garden this summer. I leave for Texas in the morning and I am entrusting Daniel with my precious little plants. No pressure honey...

Here's the tomato from a few weeks ago:

Here's me enjoying my delicious tomato:

Just in Case

I hope this is not my farewell blog. That said, I like to be prepared and I think I might die today during my weekly "long run." On Memorial Day weekend, I ran eight miles up in Pagosa. The run went fairly well, but I felt a lot more joint soreness and general pain than I normally do. As such, I took a week off from running. The week turned into nearly two weeks except for a quick 3-miler somewhere in there. This morning, I am setting out to run ten miles. While "easing back in" would be nice, I know that our 1/2 Marathon looms large since June 20 will be here in a heartbeat. So, I am leaving now for the ten mile run along the Bosque. My only comfort is that if I collapse, it is likely a bicyclist will find me (only as a function of having run me over since they are apparently a menace on this trail.) Just in case this is our last meeting, thanks for reading and see you on the flip side...

Was that really necessary?

Daniel is out of town for a couple nights and I am not super comfortable sleeping in my house alone. I did all the right stuff last night to ensure a decent night's sleep: I checked the closets, locked all the doors, left on lots of lights and had an extra glass of wine. When I went to bed around 11, I felt confident and was glad that nothing had gotten me anxious. I knew sleep would come quickly. Around 2am, I woke up to the sound of our house alarm screeching. Then the power went out. Seriously. The power flashed on and off a few times and each time, the alarm went on and off accordingly. I was completely disoriented and scared to death. I called Daniel and sound sleeper that he is, he didn't answer. Thank God for my mom, who picked up on the second ring. I checked outside sure that a storm was causing power flashes and the related alarm sounds... It was totally still and I heard a car door slam outside. Well, that was enough for me. I grabbed my purse and in my pajamas and general disarray, I drove to the nearest hotel. I brought nothing with me except a Runner's World magazine and hammer (just to make sure I could make it to the car safely). I know the folks at the front desk likely thought I was crazy, but hey, the credit card went through. I have decided to acknowledge that I am not brave and I hate sleeping in this house alone. As such, I am headed to a nearby resort tonight at a reasonable hour. I plan to take a good book, enjoy a bubble bath and then sleep well. Thankfully, Daniel will be home tomorrow!

So Long, Farewell

Tonight we moved the absolute last item out of the "Gavin House." While I am glad to almost be out from under one of our two mortgage payments (our status since March 2007), it was kind of sad to say goodbye tonight. Although the sale won't close officially (keep your fingers crossed) until June 30, our buyer moves in tomorrow. As such, I won't be in that house again unless he's standing next to me complaining about the evaporative cooler (we are essentially landlords for the next month). It's been a mental strain to own the second house and we have really struggled with it during it's 15 months on the market. During that time, I have gotten to go over there several times a week to get mail and water and make sure no one was squatting. It's part of the reason why I had to turn down grad school and part of the reason why we aren't making as much progress as I would like financially. With all that said, when Daniel and I were first falling in love, we looked at this house together and in it I saw our future as a couple. I remember how thrilled we were when his offer was accepted. We really learned about each other and learned to love each other there. I planted my first plants at that house and we learned evaporative cooler maintenance during hot summer nights together. I planned our wedding there and together Daniel and I learned the perils of room painting and ceiling fan hanging. I guess I can say that the Gavin House will always be our first house together and like any couple should, I plan to hold all the best memories with me. It's odd that as you draw to a close on a relationship, you can easily forget the bad memories and see all the good clearly for the first time. Bye bye, Gavin. In the name of moving forward, it's time to call it a day, but you will always hold the title of "Best Bath Tub" to me!