FINALLY!!!

It took 25 years for Philadelphia to win a major sports championship. The wait was worth it!

You know what's really scary?

Running at 9.9 mph on a treadmill for a quarter mile at a time. Holy. Crap. Total terror, Batman!

I did my speedwork inside yesterday because it was so gross out. Never again. I was sure I was going to go flying off the back of the stupid treadmill and break every tooth in my mouth.

But I did manage six 400s at 9.9 mph, so I got that going for me. (Which is nice.)

Random thoughts

- I want the Phillies to just win the fracking World Series already so I can go to bed at a normal hour.

- None of my clothes fit. My pants are literally falling off my body. Not only can I not afford to buy new clothes, I can't afford to take every item of clothing I own to the tailor to have them taken in. Frack!

- I want to have another party. Like, maybe tomorrow. :)

- Somehow I hurt my shoulder swimming this morning. Bleh.

- I also hurt my left knee running Sunday. And then I sliced my right heel open on the bathtub faucet. (Don't ask.) I'm falling apart!

- Last night my brother told us that his friend was offered one ticket to Game 5, but he turned it down because his girlfriend would have been mad if he went without her. Andrew said if he was offered one ticket to a championship game, he would give it to me so I could go. Awwwww! xoxox to him.

- Does anyone really read this worthless crap I blog about???

- A headhunter called me Friday about a job in Philly that sounds really great. She got my name from someone I used to think was my arch nemesis. Maybe I was wrong about that person. Hmmm. Anyway, it might lead to nothing, but it's still nice to be recommended.

- Speaking of jobs, I should go do mine. :)

The blowout!

To say that our Halloween party this weekend was a smashing success would be a ridiculous understatement. By my count (tracking back over the RSVPs and cross-referencing with photos and my own memory), we had 62 people here. Trust me; the house ain't that big! 62 people was a rocking crowd, and everyone seemed to have a great time. You know it's a good party when the first people show up exactly at 8, and the last person doesn't leave until well after 3:30 a.m.

The costumes were loads of fun. People really went all out. A whoopee cushion, Greek goddess (no, it wasn't me! but it was my supermodel gorgeous cousin), German beer wenches, T&A (yes, my brother-in-law dressed as tits and ass), a few cross-dressers, Sarah Palin (my brother!), a bondage threesome, Speed Racer, Million Dollar Baby and her punchingbag husband, a fairy, a butterfly, Carmen Miranda, a caveman... One of the things I love best about Halloween is the opportunity for people to be really creative, and our friends definitely did not disappoint.

Andrew and I had a theme costume: Lt. Dangle from Reno 911 and his prisoner. Because of the skimpiness of my prisoner outfit, I ended up telling people I was a slutty prisoner from a lesbian porn film (to which a few people replied, "I saw that one!). :)

Here's me, Sarah Palin, and the junior goddess.






















Here's Lt. Dangle and the king of the nerds.






















At about 11:30 or so, the dancing started. We ROCKED my dining room! (The living room was reserved for the Phillies game.) I had put together a playlist that started with older or pop stuff that everyone knew -- Bee Gees, Madonna, Prince, Black Eyed Peas -- before transitioning into the progressive house and club music I love. Folks were dancing their asses off! It was an absolute blast.



















I know we've started a new tradition. Can't wait for next year! Hmmm, what should I dress as... :)

42

Although I won't officially be 42 for another 20 minutes (2:22 p.m.), I am 42 today.

42.

Huh.

I don't feel 42. What does that mean, anyway? Am I supposed to instantly fall apart because I've reached the beginning of a new year? Does 42 really feel that different from 41? 38? 35? Does it look different?

Last week Jimmy W. asked how old I was. When I told him I'd be 42 in five days, he exclaimed, "You're an old broad!" His surprise was evident, and I just laughed. In his defense, he did follow up his potentially offensive comment with, "My wife just asked me how old you were, and I told her 34. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

While that's nice to hear -- really nice! -- I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to look like at this age. Am I supposed to look a certain way? Act a certain way? Wear different clothes or hairstyle or shoes or makeup, like a scarlet letter of some sort? Should it be more obvious that I'm an old broad? Should it even matter?

Recently I've noticed that the years sort of start to blend together, now that I'm past all the noteworthy ages (16, 18, 21). Now I just worry about fives and zeros, as they seem to be milestones of a different sort. But even those birthdays aren't really worth worrying about, are they?

So yes, I'm 42 today. I'm thankful for everything I have -- chief among them my health, family, and friends. I'm looking forward to the next 42+ years. Hopefully you'll all be along for the ride.

Baby, baby, where did my butt go?

With apologies to Diana Ross... Actually, no. I can't stand her. No apologies to her! I'm stealing and paraphrasing her song. :)

My butt is gone. Poof. Vanished. My once beautiful, round, firm, sexy butt is completely MIA. I lost too much weight, and my tookus is suffering for it.

IronHubby is devastated. I am too, to be honest. My butt was always the one body part I was proud of. No matter what else was going on (a few extra pounds, a bad hair day, bags under my eyes), I could count on my butt to be a source of pride and wonder.

Not any more, though.

I'm sad.

Edited to add a bootylicious photo I found, taken in 2006. *sigh*

What a difference a week makes!

Last Sunday:
Nike shorts and Delaware Running Club singlet

Today:
Compression capri tights, 2 shirts, and gloves

It was in the 40s when I ran this morning! Last Sunday it was close to 80. What the ????

Honest work

For the first time in my life, I'm enjoying cleaning. I'm doing a really deep clean this weekend so that next weekend I have to do only surface stuff (dusting, vacuuming, wiping down the counters) before our Halloween par-tay.*

So today I'm on my hands and knees with a bucket of Pine Sol and water, scrubbing the baseboards, cleaning all the woodwork, moving furniture around to accomodate our party* guests, and getting everything almost ready. I'm basically wearing Pine Sol perfume today. :)

I don't know why I hate cleaning so much. It's honest work. If you work hard, the results will be obvious. It also provides instant gratification, and it's so satisfying to see the fruits of your labor when all is said and done. So why do I postpone it so much? Why do I find 18 other things to do? Why do I cringe whenever I have to do it?

It's really not. that. bad.

Huh. Who knew?

* Party details:
Saturday, October 25
Halloween Party
Yes, you have to wear a costume
If you live nearby and are free, please come. Email me for an official invite. :)

Thank you. Thank you very much.

As some of you know, my alter ego is Gigi (or GG). You may think my alter ego is Theia... and basically they mean the same thing as Theia is the Greek word for goddess, and GG/Gigi stands for, what else?, Greek Goddess.

Last weekend we saw a car in Philly with graffiti on the side:

Gigi is HOT! She rocks.

Thank you, mystery Philadelphia driver. Thank you very, very much.

:)

I caved

I ate a bobbie for dinner last night while watching the Phillies win. It was unbelievably delicious.

And I'm one pound heavier today.

Coincidence?

Might there be a parade down Broad Street in a few weeks?

Speedwork

Last night was my first real speedwork session in several weeks. It wasn't pretty.

Originally, I was going to do 4x1600. Then I changed it to 6x800. Then I changed it again to 2x800 + 2x600 + 2x400 because I'm doing my homecoming 5K Saturday morning. Then I realized I didn't have time to do all that, so I decided on 2x800 + 2x400.

Then I got to the track, took off way too fast, and decided to skip the 800s altogether and just do four 400s. Sheesh!

1:32
1:35
1:36
1:36

These were basically the same pace as the last 400s I did, way back on September 9, so I'm pretty pleased.

So I guess my race season isn't over after all

If you've read Heather's blog -- sauconrunner.blogspot.com -- you know that she took a fall last week and is basically out for the Philly Marathon. She's now in the process of trying to switch her registration to the half... so I can run it for her.

The good news:
- I get to try for another half marathon PR in a few weeks. 1:51:30 is looking good...
- I'm still in good enough shape to continue training.
- The weather will eventually be cooler, so my long runs will be more pleasant.
- I'll get to enjoy the festivities I thought I was going to miss... or at least participate in as a spectator only.

The bad news:
- A new 10K PR will likely have to wait until next year.
- I won't get to run the 3:10 pace team in the last 2-3 miles as I was planning to do. (Sorry, Chris... some other time!)
- If I do PR, it won't be in my own name.
- Worst of all, poor Heather won't get to run at all. :(

I promise to do her proud!

Poor little Sherman

I guess Sherman's injuries were too severe. He was pretty lifeless when I got home from the gym last night. I held him for a while and tried to help him drink some water, as I thought he might be dehydrated. He had eaten most of the cheese, so I put more cheese in his box as well, plus a few sunflower seeds.

An hour later, he was still in bad shape, so I held him again and pet him with my finger. At 10:45 p.m., Andrew pronounced him dead. I just hope that his scary last day was filled with at least a little comfort from our care and concern.

RIP, little Sherman.

I need professional help, obviously

There's something wrong with me.

This morning I discovered a baby mouse limping around in my dining room. The poor little guy had at least one broken leg if not more. I captured him, put him in a shoe box (thanks, new Sauconys!), and added a cracker, some shredded cheese, and a beer bottle cap of water.

I named him Sherman.

Poor little Sherman broke my heart. I actually was crying over him. Crying. Over a mouse. I'm a pathetic soul, aren't I?

So I'm sending healing vibes to Sherman today. Our goal is to rehabilitate him and set him free in the woods near our house. Get strong, little guy! Get lots of rest, drink your water, and eat some good protein-filled cheese. You can do it!!!!

Lunchtime Edit:
IronHubby said Sherman was hobbling around pretty well in his new home and might have nibbled on a bit of the cracker. Go Sherman go!!

One more thing...

Despite Maria's suggestion (trust me, I'd thought of it too!) to eat a Bobbie in celebration of my race, I assure you there will be no Bobbies in my near future. We got our Halloween costumes yesterday. Let's just say mine is very skimpy and pretty revealing. No sandwiches for me for a few weeks! ;)

A fantastic weekend!

I had such a great weekend! Friday I took off work to clean the house (which I need to do again because we babysat Brodie all weekend... two dogs plus four cats plus three adults equals a messy house!). Heather arrived around 2 p.m. so we could head down to DC for a Flyers/Capitals game... her first ever NHL game! She's an excellent roadtrip partner, so the ride down was loads of fun, even when we got stuck in a bit of traffic south of Baltimore.

The game was a blast, even though it was basically the Capitals vs. the Phantoms... lots of 4th stringers and rookies got lots of ice time. That's what pre-season is all about, right? A friend of my brother's (and mine) works for the Flyers and came over to say hi to us before the game. After the first period, I looked over at the press box to see if he was there, and I saw him pointing us out to someone who looked suspiciously like Chris Therien, former defenseman for the Flyers and current post-game analyst on tv. We waved at them and smiled, they waved back, and a minute later I got a text message, "That was Chris Therien waving at you!" Ahhh yeah.

After the game we got our first Chipotle (yum!!) and drove back to my house. Saturday morning we volunteered at a local 5K race as the water girls and got to see Matt J race it. Afterward we hit the local running store, went for a short run together, got lunch, and said our goodbyes. (Sniff!)

Sunday of course was my race, which you already know about if you read yesterday's post. IronHubby and I spent the afternoon at Eileen and Joe's flipping back and forth between the Eagles (boo) and the Phillies (yay!) and playing with our godchildren.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend -- time spent with dear friends, beautiful fall weather, a successful race, and lots of games -- Flyers, Eagles, AND Phillies -- to watch and enjoy.

Delaware Distance Classic

This morning I ran the Delaware Distance Classic (15K), my last endurance race of the year. At the Philly Distance Run two weeks ago, I noted that I was at 1:22:02 at the 15K point, so I set my goal for today as 1:20 (approximately an 8:30 pace).

I received a great surprise before the start when I saw running friend Matt J in the parking lot... NOT dressed to run. He'd come from PA just to cheer for me and take pics! (Awwww!!) Once I get his pics and approve them (y'all KNOW I'm not a pretty runner!), I'll add them to this report.

I wore one-day-old shoes for this race, which is usually a big no-no, but I was confident in my Sauconys. They've never done me wrong. On Joe S's advice, I wore them all day yesterday and even did a short run in them with Heather, who was visiting. (I miss you already! Move here already, would ya??)

I know the suspense is killing all of you loyal readers, so I'll just get to the splits.

8:20 (a little too fast)
8:26 (much better)
8:24
8:14
16:53 (I always miss at least one mile marker in my races!)
8:29
8:27
8:11 (wow!)
2:30

Overall time = 1:17:58. 8:22 average pace, and second in my age group!! Woot!!!

OK, here are a few pics from Matt.

I love this one. Look at all the boys I'm beating. :)

















Check out the calves! Holy carp!













And now...

GO PHILLIES!!!!

GO EAGLES!!!!

Deja vu Monday edit: Stupid #%&< Eagles! :|

My girls

Just a recent pic of my girls -- Karen, Jennifer, Resha, and Eileen. Missing from the photo is Melanie. Hopefully we'll ALL get together soon so we can take a real group shot.

(Yes, I'm wearing the same outfit as in the previous entry's photo. I drove directly from the Flyers game to Jennifer's house for her dinner party.)

Here's IronHubby at the same party. Goofball!