Just call me Annie Oakley.

Yep, I must say, I enjoyed the firing range. I didn't do so bad, but of course, Mike was WAY better. Good thing I know how to shoot a handgun...for when I make time to apply for the police academy. Yeah, just kidding...it's not in my life plan, but who knows, things change! And evidence to that is my new job. I am officially a Starbucks employee...ahem, "partner"...and I'm loving it. Change is good sometimes.

As far as the running goes, my total mileage is at 96 miles. Yesterday I ran 13 miles and felt pretty good. My foot is no longer a problem, thanks to my sister's friend CK, who gave me sage advice! I'm looking forward to attempting my first marathon on March 21 in LA and if all goes well, I'd like to try another one in October. A few recent things I have learned during my training:

1. Gel shots are AMAZING and seriously give me the boost I need to run the many miles. So far I really like the strawberry and orange flavored caffeine packed shots.

2. Don't clip my ipod shuffle to the waist of my pants unless there is another layer underneath. When I got done with the 13 miles I realized I had a nice raw gash on my stomach from my shuffle rubbing against me for over 2 hours. Need a new spot for the shuffle.

Today I spontaneously decided to use my free Blockbuster movie rental to rent the first season of 30 Rock. And now that I am 4 episodes deep, I realize I have been missing out. This show is great! I love Tina Fey. And Kenneth is my favorite. And now I understand why Steph had this phrase on her facebook page: Live every week like it's Shark Week.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

10 Highlights from Christmas:

(inspired by my sister's recent blog entry)

10. HOT Christmas outfits.

9. 1st Christmas in Denver with Mike and Mom!

8. Reading many books with my niece.

7. Festive socks!

6. Playing LOTS of Wii bowling, tennis, and Wii fit plus crazy games. Yeeessss.

5. Early mornings hanging with Sydney...or sleepily hearing her morning sounds while I slowly woke up.

4. Getting to pick up Michael from the airport with a new tradition! Normally I get picked up from the airport by him because I tend to travel more (ahem...fam in Cali). And he always brings me flowers :)

3. Having sister time. There's nothing better than talking and laughing with my sister...and getting my hair played with, sister style!

2. Doing my runs in California weather.

1. Being with my whole fam and getting to spend Christmas Day with them!!

"Oh Target ball, I love you."

Sydney has fallen in love with a giant red ball. I think she literally may love Target more than I do. I don't think I have ever actually hugged the outside of Target...specifically the big red balls out front.

BIG hugs!

"BALL!!"

Christmas in L.A.

Ahhh...I'm finally here in Cali getting kisses from my niece and having sister time. One of the things we always do when I visit is run errands. One, because it's necessary in order to have all of the proper ingredients for things like peanut butter blossom cookies (peanut butter cookie with hershey kiss in the middle)!! As Sydney would say, "YUM!" And two, because it's a good way to get out of the house for an adventure!

Among the exciting moments at Target and Costco...one moment in the top three is SPOTTING A CELEBRITY! And, let me just say, John (my brother-in-law) MOCKED me when I told him I saw an actor working at Costco. He was all like, "Psshhhh...ha ha ha...you just want to see a famous person so bad that you created one in your mind and convinced yourself it was true." Anyway, I knew it was true from the bottom of my soul, so I pressed on. I went to my sister and was like, "Look, it's that one guy!" And she was all like, "Whoa, it totally is. I believe you!"

As soon as we got back to the house we googled the movie, The People Under the Stairs, because my sister was confident the he was in that movie and because we could not remember his name or any other movies he has been in for the life of us! Well, lo and behold, there he was. No doubt that he was in The People Under the Stairs and like a million other movies. I knew I was right! His name is Sean M. Whalen and he is currently demonstrating a fancy new blender at Costco.

Here he is:

So, moral of the story, I'm not crazy. Sean Whalen demonstrates blenders at Costco. And I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all because he is probably working there inbetween acting jobs to keep the bills paid and his kids fed. Nothing wrong with that. Maybe he will get another gig appearing on LOST!!

Keeping track...

Miles run since start: 26

(and one day I'll be able to run that all at the same time!)

I had an amusing dream last night. I dreamt that I ran a marathon and got 3rd place overall! Coming in 3rd place was definitely one of the amusing things about the dream but the most interesting part was that it took me 20 hours to run the marathon. Crap! Well, if that was a prophetic dream, it would be really sweet to get 3rd place in the LA marathon...but not so sweet to run for 20 hours....

Run to the Roost!

So with my recent foot trouble, specifically pain in the arch of my right foot, (after just beginning my marathon training) I decided to seek out a new and improved pair of running shoes.

I headed to Runners Roost because I had heard they help you make very informed decisions about what shoes to buy. Right away I received great help! Kelsey, the person helping me, had me walk so she could see what my feet looked like when I walked. She recommended a certain type of shoe because I put more weight on the outside of my feet when I walk (pronate?). She gave a solid reason for each shoe she chose for me to try on and was able to answer all of my questions. I talked with her about my foot pain and she suggested that it might be plantar fasciitis. Given her description of symptoms I think she is right on...so at least I have a label for my pain. Hopefully the new running shoes I bought will help the pain so I can progressively add miles to the new kicks!

The link to my new go-to-place for running gear and advice:
http://runnersroost.com

Miles and miles.

After watching an inspiring episode of The Biggest Loser, which included the contestants running a marathon, I thought...maybe I should run a marathon. So, I've officially decided to run the LA Marathon on March 21, 2010.

Folks, that's what happens when you find yourself with too much time on your hands...you come up with crazy ideas. I guess it's not sooo crazy because I do have a background of distance running. I ran cross country for 7 years (middle school and high school). I have somewhat of an idea of what it might be like to run 26.2 miles, right? Yikes. I ran a half marathon with my Dad when I was in high school...but I'm more than a little rusty now. I just needed a goal.

Well, I started training two weeks ago. I officially started following an 18 week program created by Hal Higdon 1 week ago..so I'm a couple of weeks behind in his program. I should be able to get enough training in starting 15 weeks out, I think. This is one of those many moments I wish my Dad was alive and in my life. He ran at least 4 marathons while he was alive that I know of and I really would just like to ask him for advice.

A few things I have learned in the miles I have run so far:

1. Running in 20 degree weather is way easier than running in 7 degree weather. Imagine that!
2. Sometimes I feel better in the first half of my run and sometimes I feel better in the last half.
3. 26.2 miles is a long way to go...4 miles right now feels like forever...

Unfortunately I've had to delay the training for a few days due to a foot injury. I'm hoping that by tomorrow I will be able to be up and running again.