Puppy Love

It's hard not to share a good thing.  And this video is ooeey gooey goodness in a puppy's sweet face.

So, in honor of this wonderful time of year, when hearts are exploding in happiness and love, please enjoy these adorable pups.  It's hard not to be in the Christmas spirit after watching it.

Thoughts of Today

1. Between this blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, my journal has been sadly neglected lately.  I haven't written much of anything in it beyond my Christmas shopping list.  Although I like having a hard-copy documentation of my life, I am oddly ok with it being empty as of late.  It means that my life is good and busy and I'm not afraid to tell the world what is going on.  One of my earlier relationships ate up a lot of my journal space because I wasn't necessarily sure of where things were going (and didn't want to share my hesitations).  But this new, fantastic, heart-filling relationship has got me shouting lovelys from the rooftop (and this blog).

2. I've failed two three days in a row in getting up early to go run.  Two Three days!  I did a long 10-mile run on Saturday that was really, really satisfying.  Each mile after the first one were under 8 min. (and hovered right around 7:30), so I was really happy with that.  But since then, when that alarm goes off at 5 am, I have ignored it.  Why?  Shouldn't the fear of the looming half-marathon be enough to jolt me out of my sweet, warm hibernation?  Apparently not.

3. My mom sent me this photo earlier in the day.  Oh, how homesick it made me.  I want to feel the snow crunch gently under my boots and see the pawprints of little animals in the snow around the ditches.  I want my nose to turn red when I go outside because it is nippy.  I want to wear a jacket, scarf and hat because I have to, not because it is fashionable.

4. I didn't put up a Christmas tree this year for a few reasons.  First, Austin.  Enough said.  Secondly, it seemed kind of like a big hassle for only a few weeks.  But because of this, please see No. 3...that is how I feel when I get back to the apartment and there aren't any twinkling lights to greet me.

5. One day, I'll slowly dance around my dimly-lit living room with my sweethear to Nat King Cole's version of "The Christmas Song."  The tree will be twinkling, casting soft shadows on the walls.  And it will be perfect.

6. I can't believe that the half marathon is in one month + one day.  I am neither excited nor scared.  At this point, I am just focused on getting in a few more long runs between now and then.  Scheduling them in-between parties, heels, brunches, packing, wrapping, Christmas and New Years is a job unto itself. 

7. Our company is moving to Hermosa Beach two days after the half marathon.  I am so excited for this move because the new building is about 1.5 miles from my house.  I can ride my bike to work everyday!  You know how much money I am going to save on gas?!  Oh, yeah, and I guess save the environment, too.

H2O

I am pretty good at staying hydrated.  As evidenced by about ten water bottles in my house, I am not afraid to guzzle or chug or gulp down the good stuff.

But with the half marathon around the corner, I want to do my best to drink as much water as I can during the day to fight off the random headaches and sleepy feelings one gets when not drinking enough.  Especially on the mornings I run,  I get distracted by tea and coffee at work when I should be drinking water.

My friend had sent me this spiffy water bottle for my birthday a few months ago. When I first saw it, I was skeptical.  Wouldn't you be?  It looks funny.

This is the Hydracoach bottle.  It has a timer in the bottle and also tracks how much water you drink in any given time.  When this photo was taken, I had swallowed 60 oz. of water in almost 7 hours.  Initially, I thought to myself, "Why do I need a bottle to tell me how much I'm drinking? As long as I continue to fill a bottle up, I should be good."  But like I said before, with the big race coming up, I wanted to actually make myself drink water.

And what better way to do that then with a bottle that is staring back at you...counting up the seconds...almost warning you that you're not drinking enough.  It shows your average oz./hour consumption and I hate to see it start dropping...gotta keep the numbers up!

I'm going to try to use this water bottle exclusively for the next month to really stay on top of being hydrated.  Hopefully I become motivated by actually seeing my daily water consumption.

P.S. More bathroom trips are in my future.

To You, I Ask

Questions that I ask in preparation for the half marathon:

1. What am I going to wear?

2. What am I going to eat before the race?

3. What am I going to eat the week before the race?

4. At what mileage should I peak?

5.  How long does my longest long run before the race need to be?

6. Is it going to hurt?

7. Ok, duh, it's going to hurt, but will I be able to push through?

8. Am I crazy?

9. I'm crazy.  I'm crazy.  Can I get out of this somehow?

10. Calm down.  There's no question here, just some deep breathing.

11. Are my feet going to be able to handle 13.1 miles?

12. Do I need to start working out my arms more to handle the pumping of that distance?

13. Can I sleep the whole Saturday before the race?

14. Can I sleep the whole week after the race?

15.  Can I sleep right now?

16. Do I need to watch what I eat during the holidays in preparation for the race?

17. Does that mean I can't have Christmas cookies?

18. What about egg nog?  It's healthy, right?

19. What's the weather going to be like?

20. What am I going to wear (part two)?

21. What if it rains?

22. How much is this race going to rock?