I didn’t really think it would turn out
The deer pictures. I have two, well, I have about a hundred pictures, that upon closer inspection on the big screen are composed of a lot of grass, trees, leaves, shrubs, weeds, and sky shots, with a small, blurry, deer-shaped smudge in the center, or off to the side, or at the bottom. Just your basic professional camera-phone, nature-photo photography. It’s mostly crap.
But this came out pretty good. I’ll only bore you with one, because the other one looks just like this except the deer might have tilted his/her head ever-so-slightly to the left. (Nope, actually, I change that thought—one below—one above, if that isn’t confusing enough) I notice the change in color too, now that I have it here. One seems darker and more natural. Almost the same shot, from the same distance, from the same spot on the trail. All I had to wait for in between was my phone to save the picture.
And all you thought you were getting was long, rambling stories about nothing and here it’s a (could be) college-level (generous) type discussion on the technical and and artistic capabilities of camera phone technology. I am sure I can make up any number of time-frame-exposure-light sentences for you to read and we can all feel extra smart during our day today!
But, it’s the usual, simple, at my favorite running trail, deers so close they are trying to jump on me! See past post for THAT exciting story! Even the babies are bigger than you want bumping into you!
Where the trail starts. Very pretty, by a fishing lake. My favorite part of the picture is the garbage can I managed to get in the corner. I could have cropped it out, but I like it; Adds depth and perspective.
Every excuse in the book…
For why it took me a dismal 47 minutes to run around 3.7 miles.
1. The air temperature was 87 degrees at 3 pm.
2. There was no wind.
3. And no shade.
4. The sun was blazing down like hellfire.
5. I had a rock in my shoe.
6. And a cramp in my leg.
7. And a weird pain in my ankle going down to the bottom of my foot.
8. I have my period.
9. I have my period.
10. I just ran 5 miles yesterday.
11. The direction I ran has more of an uphill slope almost the entire way.
12. I still have a scorching sunburn on my chest from the weekend. (Sport bra was rubbing and causing blisters)
13. My earphones kept falling out.
14. Or pulling too tight at the neck. (Tucked in my shirt collar and thru the sleeve to my arm band)
15. Wispy hairs kept sticking to my face.
16. Sweat was dripping in my eyes.
I could probably keep going but it won’t change the fact that today’s run was made on sheer willpower alone. Seriously.
I had zero desire and zero strength to get around. At the one mile to-go mark (going backwards from the norm), I wanted to stop. And I don’t mean just stop running. I wanted to completely stop and lay down on the track. I was actually arguing with myself about NOT stopping. Telling myself, I could not just stop right there and I really couldn’t sit down much less LAY down on the trail. Besides the car was still a mile away, and how did I think I was going to get there?? I’m like, just go. Just keep going. Breathe in, count steps, count breaths, whatever…here comes a tree, here comes another tree, ¾, ½, ¼, here’s that garbage can, here’s that pink kid croc shoe that somebody must have lost yesterday, I can see the car, keep going, don’t throw up, here’s the port-a-potty, the parking lot, the car, you made it!
And now I am home again. Almost forgetting…that’s how it gets you! Exercise is only hard at the time. Otherwise it feels pretty good.
And since I’m feeling successful and numb, here’s those pics I mentioned earlier. See how I buried them way in here! You gotta be a fan to get the good stuff! Thanks Jay for taking such a flattering picture! And thanks Amanda for that concerned face while helping me over, making it look like I weigh 300 pounds! I love you guys! Ann Or Ex E Uh! Next year! (I posted them full-size for that extra added chuckle)
I'm much more flexible, and not THAT heavy, but I still couldn't have made it over myself. Next year. Little jog, little skip, up and over! Take that, horrible waterproof disposable low speed film camera (with unfair sharpness and clarity).
In my defense, my butt is not really THAT huge. It LOOKS huge, that is true. But it's the angle. The shorts. The other shorts. I am MUCH better looking in real life. And thinner. I swear!
Back to boring old me.
Dang Nabbit…I wish it would rain here already so I have an excuse for not leaving the house and running again…It’s getting to be 2 pm Chicago time and the storms I was promised this morning have yet to show up. Good Lord I might have to actually get up and go out!
Bugger, I’m tired and sore. I pushed it on through yesterday and ran five whole miles. Not a lot to some, I know, but I’m a novice here. Amateur athlete, with loose use of the term “athlete”. I have the Scenic 5 in September and this was my first run at that distance. (I’ve run farther before but that was way before, and not relevant to this time period in my life). It took a little over an hour. I guess that’s not too bad. I will be happy for the race if I complete it under one hour. That’s my goal. I felt really good running too. I thought I was going at a good pace, but when I got to the end of the trail I run, it’s only 3.6 miles, and I realized I would have to go past the car and keep running as if to do it twice, I got all psyched out and quivery. Then I felt heavy and hot and thought I should just stop. I don’t HAVE to run five miles this very minute. So, I kept going, sloppily, but I logged the miles. Then I was sore all night. Ate a very healthy dinner. Nothing extra. (But still didn’t lose any weight! In fact I gained a pound from last week! Tumor?? Too soon to tell.)
And if you come back later, I’ll share my last and final post about the Warrior Dash. My sister’s mud camera pictures came out pretty good and there are a couple of horrendous pictures of my giant ass going over the wall that I will be willing to post here strictly for the pure hilarity they provide. I wish I was exaggerating even a little. If you can’t laugh at yourself you can always laugh at me!
Anyway, I guess since the weather isn’t cooperating, I better get out there. I’m only doing the 3.6 today so it shouldn’t be too bad.
I have a music list to share also!! It has been a really long time since I posted one. I go in waves with stuff like that. I am currently out-of-love with my I-Pod and music in general. But I needed something to get my ass around that track. This is what I used. If you run at my pace (slow) it will play the exact amount of time you will need for a five mile run! I shuffle it and keep running….Let’s call it the, “5-Mile Shuffle“ Music List!
Last Thursday Exercise, P.M. Version. Update Post!
We went back! We had to. After running, biking, and scootering the trail, we went and did some “activities”. Some good, some bad, some badder…yikes! Don’t despair. We didn’t take any pictures.
Catch up here if you want, or just keep reading.
After we got home from the first exercise segment, we changed and went bowling! Kids Bowl Free! All summer courtesy of the bowling alley they had leagues at. So there’s the good, until…the snacks! Ugh! Fried appetizers and spinach dip with fried chips and soda! We ate it all. We bowled our games. We drove home feeling yucky and like we wasted a workout. The bad! Back to the trail!
It had rained/stormed while we were on our way to bowling, but now it was humid, sticky and buggy. We managed approximately, generously, to get about a mile of walking in until we headed back to the car and on to the badder!
Oh yeah. Baskin Robbins baby! We have to pass it to get home. So we obliterated the day with some scoops for our poops. And it was good!
But before I leave you with that sad tale of woe, check it out: Going back to the Forest Preserve got me Lucky Number 13 on the Challenger Posts!
Blue and Beautiful and Below:
Thursday. $3.60 in the bank.
Another day of exercise is complete. That is 4 in a row for us!
We used various methods in order to get around the full Three Dollars and Sixty Cents worth of trail. (Please refer to the previous day for the money explanation on mileage)
I ran. Yay! 3.6 miles. Non-stop! Ooooh…impressive to the kiddies. (I dogged it too, but who cares, I did it.)
Mason rode his bike. He probably logged 4.5 miles or more going around on his own.
Stevie scootered it. She prob got about 4 miles circling back and forth around me the whole time.
I was like a planet with my revolving moons…or was I the revolving moon with my planets jiggling in orbit while my shining stars hovered near by? According to my kids, my stomach looks like a water balloon and my butt crack was trying to eat my pants.
Here’s a picture of a giant globe from Art Chicago at the Mart last year. Seems fitting.
Afterburn…
When last I left you, I was dragging my unhappy children to the Forest Preserve Trail to exercise for 3.6 miles. They bitched, they moaned, they whined, they sulked, they refused to move from the car…but once we started going they found new light and energy! It was like a miracle. Not really. But they were much happier after that.
We even managed to run 1.6 miles of the 3.6 total! Broke down in money-time (that’s how I was asked to explain it based on “quarter” miles, etc…) we ran $1.60 out of $3.60. And that’s pretty good for Mason’s third day and Stevie’s first. That’s one third of the trail!And Stevie managed to do it clomping around in K-Swiss court shoes. (We went and bought her some running-type shoes last night–and school supplies!–oh no, summer is almost over! Boohoo)
In case you are confused, we go around the whole thing, but we have been running every other ¼ mile to build endurance and burn more calories. Today we are going to use scooters. Well, the kids will scooter. I will run. Good for me (I get to do the whole thing now at a running pace) and good for them (they get to have their feet on the ground only half the time). Win win. I have to say, I recommend taking your kids with you to exercise whenever possible. It’s good for them and it builds respect for you. Seriously. I can’t tell you how many times my kids have said, “Oh whatever, I could run around that track no problem! What’s the big deal?” Now they are in awe because I CAN run around the whole thing. Without stopping! Oh yeah. It’s definitely the little things in life!
I got some other stuff for later, but I HAVE to go get my kids registered for school. And Mason has grass to cut. And we have another 3 ½ miles to burn.
Here’s a picture of the big finish for my little athletes. They look pretty good if I do say so myself!
And we are back…it’s Wednesday afternoon, pre-running post…More Warrior, with updates!
As I was flipping thru the internet I noticed that the Helmet Cam video is on You Tube now! Thank goodness! I can’t get the other formats to work or convert or whatever people do to make things show up here. So I am posting that here. It’s long, but it gives a really good playback of what we were doing. Makes you wish you were there huh??
I went to my sister’s yesterday to babysit for her and her house full of children, including my own, because this year her birthday NEVER ends!
The hubby went and bought her tickets! Awwww….
It was a secret, she didn’t know she was going to the SOX game AND sitting behind the dugout–so close to the players she could feel their sweat (Eeeww for me, Yay! for her). She’s kind of a fanatic. At any rate, they took, like, 200 pictures of players I couldn’t identify on threat of death if they were standing right in front of me with their jerseys on, much less standing at home plate facing the other way swinging a bat! But whatever…she had a good time. If she sends me any of her favorite pictures I can add them here as kind of a Sox player-sister-tribute thing. So look for that later too!
Now that’s it. Happy Birthday. It’s over! Sheesh…
Also, they got the pictures back from the Mud-Cam and some are really good! Some are really bad too. Two in particular have me going over the Wall with my ass looking like I put two beach balls in my pants! It’s funny but not TOO funny. I confiscated the actual prints and they are currently residing in my fridge and food cabinets with a serious note to myself asking if I REALLY want to eat anything inside these areas of the house?? Maybe I should go have a big glass of water, run around the block, and reconsider eating any kind of solid food for the next few weeks. But I’m waiting for the digital to show up in my e-mail so I can post, so we’ll see if those two make it to daylight…maybe if I get a few subscribers??? Hint, hint. (Pathetic grab for attention!)
How long can I drag out this Warrior Dash to get more hits for my site? At least a few more days!
We have to go hit the trail now. Third day of the new fitness regiment. Mason doesn’t want to–he’s still sore, and Stevie doesn’t really get it yet…so this should be fun! Mommy has to be the bad guy. Exercise is good! In a month or so they’ll thank me!
I will post later with any new pics and such. Stay active!
Today was kind of slow and stiff…and not in the good way (sorry)
The second day is always harder. You’re stiff, you’re sore, you don’t want to be outside…and it was nice and hot and sunny.
The sky was beautiful. I took pictures of the globe we were running in…but those will have to wait. Have something secret to do tonight. So I’ll be back tomorrow.
Know that Mason did good today. He made it all the way around (3.6 miles) and even ran about one of those miles!
And we saw some kind of weird looking frog. Kind of thin and sparkly, brown skin with gold pin stripes and black spots. He could jump far in a single leap. Picture below.
See you all later!
No rest for the wicked…no rest for the Warrior!
Back on the Trail! Next up is the Park Forest Scenic 5. (Five Mile Road Race)
It’s a good way to stay in the groove for the fall and winter season. One race every other month works for me. Keeps me less chunky and somewhat in shape.
I’m already thinking about how to modify some training for the Warrior Dash next year. Since, I had trouble at the Wall, I’m going to need to work on some arm strength and jumping to get me up and over WITHOUT needing a boost. Not that I didn’t appreciate the help! Thank you boosters!! You rock! We would have been there even longer without all your help!
And since it was on a lot of grassy, hilly, uneven, gravel, nature-trail-like course, I will be running at the actual Nature Preserve Trails that we have in our village. It’s almost identical to the course. Maybe less “spooly” and “walk-the-planky”, but similar just the same. I’m still excited. I can’t wait!! I’m not training for Mud Crawling or Fire Leaping though, I’ll just play that by ear.
I also noticed people on the internet comparing bruises! Hilarious! I just noticed a few myself last night! I have one on my forearm and one on each leg where I struggled to hoist my booty over the Wall! Next year I’ll do it gymnast style and never touch the wood! Yeah right. I did see a good suggestion for a springboard and THAT would be totally cool and fun! We could really get some air with something like that!
Alright. Anyway, back to today. My son was so inspired he wants to start racing with me and my sissy. I took him this morning and got him his first running shoes. Nothing fancy. Just the basics. The first race he is hoping to run is in December. Plenty of time.
We hit the Trail together. Run ¼ mile, Walk ¼, Run, Walk, etc. He managed to hang in there the whole 3.6 miles. There were moments. But in the end he managed to run One and One Half Miles, plus an extra tenth of a mile or so right at the end, out of the total!
So proud! Not bad for his first time. He even said he is ready to do it again tomorrow! That’s the spirit!
I took pics of this because he really gave it his all. Please check him out below and give him a positive shout out! I told him that the running people are the best people! They always enhance and never detract! Smile and say keep up the good work! You can do it!
This is for you Mason! XO. Mom.
One mile. Sweating and cranky, but still manages to flash the peace sign.
One and one quarter miles down. Sucking it in! Looking good!
One and one half miles! That was the goal! Nice job! Still have to walk another half mile + though back to the car.
Kickin' it out on the last tenth of a mile! Finish strong! AND he didn't throw up! ALWAYS a good thing!
just shy of pretty 