Random Things I Like

Just a few things that I am really digging right now:

1) G-U-M flossing sticks. I never knew flossing my teeth could be so easy... I love these things!

2) Aquis Quick Drying hair towels. For anyone with a lot of hair, these things work wonders. It used to take hours for my hair to get to a state where I could dry it, but now I'm home free. (Well, kinda. It still takes me 30 minutes. Sigh.)

3) Lasik - It's been 6 months, and I gotta say that this was one of the best things I've ever done.

4) Sleeping in. Screw waking up at 5:30am to work out! :)

5) http://www.retailmenot.com/. If you are ever ordering online, go here and see if you can find some type of deal. I never ever EVER pay full price for anything I buy online, thanks to this.

Okay, back to my day....

Rough Life... Starting Over!

I woke up this morning with some intense cedar fever, so I opted to go to work at the 6:00 hour rather than try to work out. Unfortunately, I never really felt much better today. So, to make up for my lost morning, I decided to make breakfast for dinner.

Blueberry pancakes & the crossword puzzle... what could be better?
I know! A belly full of blueberry pancakes and a finished crossword puzzle. Woot! :)

(Meredith - don't freak out! They were Bisquick Heart Healthy pancakes with lite milk, egg whites & sugar free syrup. Yum!!)

Rough Life, Weekend Days 6 & 7

Saturday morning started with intentions of running, then biking, then swimming, etc... Until I realized I didn't want to run at all and instead met Scot (and later Kris, Tim & D) for a ride. The rest of the day was filled with practicing at the driving range, meeting K&D for lunch, getting my butt kicked at Scrabble by Tony, and finally collapsing into bed by 11:00. I meant to go to a party, but it was too late, and I was way too tired.
Sunday was better... Met the group for a ride down to Cabella's, then picked up Jane to go swim. Then met a friend for a very late breakfast (i.e. 3:30pm!) and finally a rematch with Tony - to which I will say that I got extremely lucky by drawing the Q, J, & Z both games, I think.
The weather was perfect in Austin this weekend. The company was also perfect. I'm ignoring the fact that I got nothing done on my personal to-do list...

By the way, I'm taking the advice of Christopher Flett and not sending work emails out during the weekend. Even though I can think of tons of stuff to do for work, I'm resisting... and it feels great.

Rough Life, Day 5

It was yet ANOTHER rough day for me! I mean, I had to end my very hard week by sleeping in, having lunch (not a luncheon!) with a friend, playing golf, riding my bike in perfect weather, and going to a birthday dinner...

However, the icing on the cake was scoring VIP entrance to the Barak Obama rally downtown.
And afterwards, we met George Lopez! Talk about random!
I gotta say, it's been a pretty awesome week. I really am looking forward to taking it easy this weekend, for at least an hour or two... I need some rest!!!

Rough Life, Day 4

Had I gotten home at a reasonable hour last night, I would have posted this yesterday. I blame Dionn, Kris, and Big Phil.

After work, I went to Jack & Adams to pick up my newly tuned bike (and new shoes and pedals!) and meet Dionn for a run. We headed south towards the trail, passing by a ton of white, somewhat sketchy vans (as seen behind me).
We came to the trail, noticed policemen on bikes, and then men in suits, and then.... Look who!
Dionn & I turned into starstruck girls. B.O. saw us, gave us this very studly nod, then came and shook our hands. It was the coolest, most random thing. When he walked away, one of his bodyguards said, "You'll be voting for him, right?" to which Dionn just pointed at herself and said, "Duh!" Haha... As Dionn said, he left us all "a twitter!"

Anyway, what a neat experience! I have been having the most random things happen to me lately, but this was by far one of the coolest. This also reminds me how freaking lucky we are to have the trail in Austin. Now I've run next to our mayor, our senator, our governor, and now perhaps our president!

Rough Life, Day 3

I could have taken a picture this morning from the Steam room at 24 Hour Fitness. Or, drinking coffee at Austin Java downtown. Or, from the most amazing old tree in the middle of this awesome park I like to visit. Or, from El Mercado where I gorged on margaritas and enchiladas.

But the only time I actually pulled out my camera phone was at Shady Grove, where I had lunch with Dionn and Kerry. And because Kerry is a big whiny baby, I'm posting this awful picture instead of the cute one of the three of us. :)

Rough Life, Day 2

I've been thinking about uploading a picture of me every day this week so you all know how hard I have it. :) Yes, 6th Street at 2:00pm.

Rest Morning #1

I set my alarm for 5:00am with all intentions of getting up to go swim. I'd already packed my bag, laid out my clothes, etc... But when I got up, I realized I really didn't want to go.

How do you tell if you need to rest or if you should suck it up and go work out? I need help with this. This morning I felt pretty sore (mainly my back and upper body, most likely from the gym yesterday), and I lacked all motivation to swim. Or even go to the gym, which obviously I love.

So, I'm staying home until I meet some friends at Kerbey for breakfast. I feel a little guilty, I admit, but looking back over the past two days - I did run a half marathon plus some, swam, lifted weights twice, and biked 18 miles. That's deserving of some rest, right?

(For those of you who think I don't work... and you know who I'm talking about... I'm going to work now! :))

Know When to Back Off Training

This was the Life & Arts featured story today:
Know When to Back Off Training.

It's an interesting article. I think a lot of us (okay, please shine the huge spotlight on me) get a bit obsessive over working out. Personally, I've only taken one day off this year - and that was because I was curled up in bed in the fetal position. Even the next day, when I should have rested, I ran 4 miles just to do something.

A quote from the article that struck home: "Overtraining is not unlike a mild form of addiction." You think!?!

This year I am going to be serious about my training. I want to kick ass on the bike. I want to run faster. I want to be a steady swimmer. I want to be strong. I want to be healthy. And most importantly, I want to have fun. I have goal races. I will not sandbag. I will not make excuses.

I will also start resting. One day a week, most likely Friday, I will take off. It's odd that taking a rest day is often times harder than working out. But I know it will be of great benefit.

(So, if anyone is up for breakfast on Fridays, I am free!)

Rough Life

Ah, the life of a marketing director...

Tired.

I ran the AT&T Half Marathon this morning with Shawn. It was fun, and he took 7 minutes off of his time from last week. Pretty impressive in my opinion, being that this was not a friendly course. I managed to fall at mile 7, where we turned from Cesar Chavez towards Austin High. They were yelling, "Be careful! Watch your step." So of course, I did a face plant in the middle of the road. Brilliant! Anyway, I did not make anyone cry today; for that, I deem the race a success!

Afterwards, I wanted to go swim at 24 Hour Fitness at Hancock. When I got there and saw all the runners, I decided to cheer instead and figured out that the 3:45 pace group was only a minute or two away. So, I set my phone and keys down by a pole and set off to see Dionn. I spotted her and ran with her for a bit - she looked so freaking strong. Then I saw Justin & ran with him. Then Leslie, then Amy, then Sid, then Rhonda, etc... (and others I didn't run with.) That was fun - and I ended up getting some more mileage in for the day which was cool, too. I really enjoyed telling Justin my clutzy falling story to distract him, and I nearly ran into 2 or 3 cones while doing so. I also liked hanging out with Leslie's boyfriend Jon as he passed out gummy bears. And running with Amy was funny - she made me laugh when she said, "Thanks, Erin. Now go away." (I get that a lot, it just rolls off me! ;))

When I walked back to get my keys and phone, they were gone. This is when I started freaking out. (I don't know anyone's number! Shit, what am I going to do?!) Well, turns out someone had found them and taken them to the gym. Whew! It was funny that the front desk lady asked "what do they look like?" when I asked, "please tell me someone dropped off keys and a phone." Does she get that a lot? (BTW, thanks to my friends who had to deal with 24 Hour calling you. Oye!)

After this drama, I opted for food instead of swimming and went to a very fun lunch with Kris & Kerry. It was just what I needed. Kerry & I decided that we are workout snobs. It wasn't enough that I ran a half marathon this morning, but I had to go to the gym to do weights and swim later. (And soak in the hottub... ah, it's all becoming clear now, eh?!)

So, anyway. Here I sit. I'm very tired. It was a really fun day and the best part was seeing my friends rocking the marathon. I'm very excited not to have this race looming over me anymore, and now I can focus on my tri season. Perhaps I'll take tomorrow off, though. Yes, sleep sounds good...

Great Week

In high school, one of my favorite quotes was, "The days go by like weeks, but the weeks go by like days." Definitely true this week! Whenever I was at my office, time seemed to pass painfully slow. But looking back, I have no idea where this week went!

The three highlights of the past 24 hours are: Southpaw @ Flipnotics; finding an awesome Scrabble opponent in Tony; and my first golf lesson.

Southpaw is great, and after the show I got to hang out with Mike's friends & share in my love of TMBG. A perfect relaxing laid-back evening.

Tony rocks. After figuring out we both love Scrabble (and not the online cheating player types!) - we've met up twice to play. I don't care how dorky this is going to sound - but playing with him definitely helps me up my game. We scored over 300 points each in our last two games and afterwards would just sit and admire the board.

Lastly, I think I'm going to like golf. I had my first private lesson this afternoon. I've only tried to hit balls one other time and that was a disaster. So, I was quite pleased that I could at least make contact with the ball. For the most part. Sometimes. Um, anyway... My goal is to get in some semblance of tournament shape by April so that I don't embarrass my BOMA golf team. I also am excited to pick up a new sport that will also help in my job. I can only think of 3 "clients" who are ever willing to run or bike or swim with me.

Breakfast with Kerry this morning and Michelle earlier this week were also highlights. Overall, this has been a really great week. I'm looking forward to relaxing this weekend before AT&T. And then, I'm looking forward to working out like crazy again!

Best Valentine's Day Gift Ever

When I was a little girl, say 6 or 7 years old, my mom happened to be in the hospital on Valentine's Day. I was so sad that day, and for the reasons only a pouty 7 year old feels, I felt like no one loved me because I didn't have a valentine.

I wasn't very nice to my dad when he arrived to visit after work, and I am sure that I just sat in the corner and sulked. My dad came up to me and asked what was wrong. "I don't have a Valentine today," I cried. "Well, honey, why don't you see what's in my shirt pocket. I think you might change your mind."

I reached in and pulled out a brand new Paula Abdul tape. I had wanted that tape for weeks, but I don't remember asking for it. Even though my dad was tired from work, stressed out, and upset about my mom, he still remembered his little Valentine. That is just the type of dad he is.

Thank you, Dad. I love you so much, and you will always be my Valentine.

A Little Bit Spicier...

Yesterday was an awesome workout day. I met Lulu for a swim at 24 Hours. I was pleased that the pool was clear, unlike the gym at Hancock where I couldn't even see the stripe at the bottom of the lane because it was so murky. Gross! Anyway, even with a sluggish start, I still swam 1800m.

Later, I went back to 24 to do an upper body weight workout and then hit Latin Spice with Lulu. I was thinking she wasn't going to show since she had already worked out 3 times yesterday. So I was very excited when she came bouncing up (literally) 10 minutes before class.

We had such a blast! I got over the fact that I have no rhythm and instead dorked it up big time. It was more of a workout than I thought it would be - we definitely worked up a sweat. I think the instructor found us pretty amusing, which I in turn though was pretty amusing. At any rate, letting go of my inhibitions was really fun. No alcohol needed! ;)

After class we hit the sauna. I felt pretty bad for the people around us who had to listen to our conversations about training. To quote Lulu, "I could do a triathlon, but it's too easy. I'd rather run 50 miles." I could just feel the guys next to us shaking their heads in disgust. We also decided that the perfect day would be taking 5 group-x classes in a row.

I wish I could work out more this week (especially since I am up at 5:00am) but I'm trying to save my legs for Sunday. I've been having the worst runs lately and am pretty nervous about the course. I think Shaun may just kick my butt out there.

Anyway, Latin Spice was a blast. I am going to be sure to incorporate fun stuff into my training this year to keep it interesting.

Love is a Battlefield

Once again, Woot Shirt hit a homerun. :)

Excelling at Juggling?!

Today's Horoscope: You probably aren't as scattered as you seem, yet it's still important that you have a plan and do your best to stick to it today. There are too many options before you and even though you excel at juggling, you could waste a lot of energy attempting to keep too many things in motion. Instead of trying to impress everyone with your agility and skill, make inner happiness your goal. When you realize that you don't have to gain the approval of others, your life will quickly begin to simplify.

Sadly, I think that I AM as scattered as I seem. Such is my life lately. I've been meaning to blog, but can't find the time to focus on writing. I have the first 30 minutes of "free" time in ages, so I've decided to catch up. Hopefully it will also help me clear my head.

I have a renewed outlook at work which is really great, though I am busy as ever. I have booked myself solid almost to the end of February and this week was no different. The highlight of the week was the RECA Fight Night on Thursday. This was a black tie event for the "who's who" of commercial real estate, and I got to get completely dolled up. It was a blast to wear a formal dress and shiny earrings and sparkly shoes. After the event, which was at the Hilton downtown, a bunch of us went dancing on 4th Street until almost 2:00am. Yes, yes - I was that girl - dancing in a hot pink formal dress on top of a shark tank. And you know what, it was a blast. I'm already looking forward to next year, though this night will be hard to top. And I'll forever smile when I hear "Mack the Knife."

I was very lucky that I was able to go, since Wednesday had me completely knocked out. I woke up unable to move - as if someone had beaten me silly with a baseball bat. I somehow managed to make it to a big work luncheon, but otherwise I was curled up in the fetal position most of the day. I was so pitiful that I couldn't reach 2 feet next to me to check email on my laptop, and instead checked it on my Treo which was inches from my face! I almost had a nasty case of pink eye, too. Luckily, Lulu saved me with some leftover antibiotic eyedrops. Somehow my eye, and my body, was fine by Thursday morning. (Sigh. Perhaps I should really listen to my horoscope!?!!)

Even though I only got about 3.5 hours of sleep on Thursday, I ended up at the Pit for over 4 hours after work Friday. I think I must have yawned 100 times though, and very wisely decided to go home instead of heading out yet again. It was really fun to see everyone, though, and those are the types of things I don't want to trade even if I am really tired.

This morning I ran the Lil' Longhorn 5K. I came very close to skipping it, but knew I'd feel better if I ran. It's definitely a growing race, considering I came in 2nd last year and no where close this year. I did pull out a 23:30 for the 2.9 mile course, so I was pleased. I honestly felt very slow so I was happy with the 7:50 pace. And since the race, I've been doing volunteer stuff for the marathon. If you see any signs along the roads - think of me! I had it pretty easy, since I was merely supervising a frat who put the signs out. However, I still had to drive the course and check/rearrange/add/subtract/etc. signs and it took forever. I am forever indebted to Maggie, who joined me on the adventure and ran out in traffic with me all afternoon.

Tonight I am going to a friend's retirement party and then out on the town for another friend's birthday party. Tomorrow morning, I've committed to an ACA bike ride.

I am really going to try to sit at home tomorrow afternoon and get a handle on things. I have been taking on so much lately, and I really DO want to slow down. I am thinking that things will be better after AT&T next Sunday. Until then, I am not committing to anything else.

Next goal: inner happiness. (Haha, if only it was that easy, right?!!)

I would like to give a huge virtual hug to Jenna, Annie & Rachel. Thank you 3 for understanding - I love you guys so much. :)

stupid!

Today, I made two very stupid mistakes. First, I was supposed to meet a client at 7:30 for breakfast at Kerbey Lane on Guadalupe. Which I remembered at 7:30am as I sat and waited patiently at Kerbey Lane on Kerbey.

Then later today, when I was waiting at the Rock for Scot to show up, I realized we said we'd meet up at Runtex. Luckily he didn't give me too much grief when I showed up 20 minutes late.

Ugh, stupid mistakes!! It's pretty obvious that I need to slow down and regroup. I am obviously one of those people that always has something going on (and if not, I'll make something), but I rarely make mistakes like these. This reminds me of earlier this year when I left something at house every day of the week. (The first day, my car & house keys, which was really just a pleasant experience.) My mind was doing too much then too.

Thing is, I don't see any sign of slowing down anytime soon. Time to regroup!

Superbowl Squares

You may say it's beginners luck, Kenny, but there was much more thought to my square picks than you may think!

I just want to say... I love Superbowl Squares!!! What a genius game! :)

And thanks T&C for a really fun party.