Long run sorrows on tax day

View from my run today

Today turned out to be a pretty sucky day. I accidentally slept in late and didn't get started on my 16 mile run till 11:30, luckily it was cloudy and still cool outside.  This is the longest I have ever attempted and I was SO excited to do it now that I own a beautiful Garmin forerunner 110! Unfortunately my knees, which never bother me started to KILL me around mile 11, also I could feel that terrible blisters had formed between my big and second toe and it really hurt.  Finally I couldn't take it anymore and started walking at mile 14. Not sure if that was a good choice because then I chose to walk the last 2 miles home barefoot since my blisters hurt so bad! Hopefully my 18 mile run next Sunday won't be as painful!

I did some damage at the roadrunner online store

I am in love with my new Garmin

 
Of course when I got home I remembered that taxes were due today and I had forgotten to mail in my check, so I quickly got that together and made it to the post office at 4:45. Just cutting it a little close...geez.  Running up and down stairs is not exactly my ideal post long run activity. I prefer my usual ice bath. After the post office though I was able to foam roll and ice my knees and now I feel much much better.

The good part of today though is that I am exactly 1 week away from starting training with my new job at Virgin America! I am beyond excited! I'm going to be living with another girl going to training in San Francisco. I can't wait to start this new chapter in my life!

Unemployed no more!

I apologize for the delay in my good news, but on Monday I was offered a job with a great airline as a flight attendant!!! I couldn't be more excited for this great opportunity! It's hard to believe that it has almost already been a year since I graduated from college, spending 4 months in Europe definitely made the time fly by! The last few months of unemployment have been relaxing, but BORING! I can't wait to be busy again and meeting lots of new people. Training starts April 25th in San Francisco.  There is even a 4 mile bay loop trail right across the street from headquarters! How cool is that. I can't start slacking on my marathon training now. I think buying a garmin for myself is an appropriate way to celebrate the new job... and maybe some lululemon too!

Time to start adding in extra work outs so I'll be in tip top shape for my uniform fitting! Now if only I could fast forward to April 25th. Until then I guess it will be long days of running, shopping and laying out in the sun to get a little color!

Bursting with excitment

I can barely hold my excitement in. My flight attendant interview went AMAZING! I literally had over a month to prepare for it and I did everything I could think of to prepare. You know, stalk people on fb that have the job, go shopping, make flash cards like a loser and talk about it 24/7 to anyone who has a set of ears. Thank you thank you to everyone who said I would be perfect for the job and would do great, I totally think you're right! :) There were about 22 other people at the interview. We started off with a fun ice breaker/ team building activity, then they did a presentation on the company, the job, the perk, and what not (the company is amazing btw, I am in love) and we ended with a one on one session with one of the recruiters.  I was hardly nervous during my one on one because I felt so happy and every single question they asked was one I had prepared for and rehearsed a million times.  It took about 4 hours total and I don't think I ever stopped smiling. Now all I can do it wait, I should hear something in a week or 2. Keep your fingers crossed! But who I am kidding, I got this one in the bag! hehe

After my interview.

In running news, I signed up for another marathon, even though I havn't even run one!  I couldn't say no though to running the Las Vegas strip at night, I love Las Vegas and I have been needing an excuse to go too. My sister signed up too so it will be a fun trip. The only thing is that the full has a 4:30 time limit, so it looks like I need to turn up my speed workouts because I WILL be finishing in under 4:30!

My nice and super speedy marathon runner friend Rebekah sent me over an amazing training plan for the marathon in June. I can't wait to start it tomorrow! I am going to try to a sub 4:30 in June if I can but if not I still have 5 more months to train for Vegas and get faster.

Even though I am broke and unemployed, I reallyyyy want to buy a Garmin! I am thinking I should wait until I hear about the job though, then it could be more of a present to myself! Eeeeeeeeee, can't wait to share the good news with you guys in the near future!

Half marathon Monday

Today I completed my first solo half marathon, OMG.  I didn't run much last week because my calf was bothering me so I decided that I would compensate today. I did a loop a few miles away from my house that I pretty much just made up.  I did it once, felt great, stopped by my car to grab a bottle of water and gu, also my ipod had died so I grabbed my iphone for music. I had never taken gu before and I had no idea how thick and goopy and gross it was. YUCK. It helped though and I powered through the last 7 miles no problem. I finished in a not very impressive 2:25 but I was excited just to finish the 13.1 miles all on my own.  I finished up with the coldest ice bath and my feet were so cold and I thought they were going to fall off!! I can already tell though that I am less sore than normal, which is great!

 No, not nakey, I have short and a sweatshirt on!

I need to buy a foam roller so I can roll at home, not just at the gym. I hope they make a pink one!


My friend, the lovely Samantha tagged my in seven random things so here you go....

My senior year of high school I got to read the daily bulletin over the PA system every Tuesday. I thought I was so cool that everyone in school was forced to listen to me. (over 2400 students and teachers). We read the daily birthdays at the end and my school had a lot of Hispanic students with hard to pronounce names, luckily my  bulletin buddy Chris who is Hispanic would always read the birthday but on the days he was absent I would have to do them and butcher the heck out of all the names, it was so embarrassing. I wanted to die.

I have parallel parking anxiety. I could not parallel park a car if my life depended on it. I used to try but I would just get a panic attack pretty much and give up. I would rather park and walk a mile away then try to fit my car into a parallel spot no matter how large it is.  When I am in the car with someone else parallel parking their car I get really nervous and refuse to help them, I usually just close my eyes till it is all over. I am really strange, I know.

When I was younger I raised swine to sell to the country fair. Yes, real live pigs lived in my back yard. At time I thought it was the coolest thing ever, looking back I was wondering why on earth I wanted to raise a pig to be sold for bacon. Oh yeah, I got mad money when I sold those porkers, hehe.

I do not like beans, any kind, besides green beans, which is more than a vegetable than a bean. I just don't like that at all, on anything or anywhere. It drives my sister crazy and she's always trying to get me to try them. No thanks.

In high school (my favorite 4 years of life besides college) I used to get up at 5am so I could go fake tanning and then go to Starbucks before school started with my friend Erin, could I be anymore obnoxious? And I am NOT a morning person at all.  It's really too bad tanning beds lead to skin cancer, I love them so much.

I was a cheerleader, oh yes. Even though I don't consider myself the typical cheerleader type. Only for a semester though. I went to private school for one semester of high school then transferred back to public school... I don't know. (Seriously, I LOVED high school, I would go back in an instant)

                                    

My sophmore year of college at Santa Barbara City College I lived in Isla Vista on Del Playa Drive, oceanside. As in, I lived on a cliff 100 ft from the ocean. Samantha and I fell asleep to the ocean waves, it was magical. It was a once in a lifetime experience to live right on the ocean. Becides being so magical we had to deal with the the grossness of iv, way over priced rent, sharing a 3bed 2 bath house between 6 people, crazyness 24/7, oh the isla vista lifestyle. 
                                                

The lovely Samantha and I on our backyard patio. Oh hello there Pacific ocean

Also, my flight attendant interview is on Thursday which is in 2 days! I am so so so excited! I know that I can do anything I put my mind to and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Eeeeeeeeek! I don't think I am going to be able to stop myself from smiling the entire time.

Back to watching the bachelor and studying airport codes for my interview!

Skinny ghost

My sister will probably murder me for posting this picture on the internet, but I am far too lazy to crop her out of this. Whoops. Hi Linzay, I love you!

Christmas morning circa, my guess 2003. First thought, oh my god is that a ghost? Luckily I don't get that pale anymore, eek. I came across this in iPhoto and I couldn't help but notice how SKINNY I look. Can I look like this again please? Minus the I just got out of bed and i'm wearing no make-up look.

Like our matching Abercrombie pajamas? We used to be beyond obsessed. I can't get over how funny this picture is. I am sure my sister will disagree.

I'm off to go get my running gear on and hopefully do a nice 7.5 miles. Ta ta.

The year of amazing-ness

I am aware that we are well into February but I wanted to write down some goals for 2011

*Land an amazing big girl job, this may be happening as soon as next month :)

*Run a full marathon, I am already signed up for the San Diego Rock and Roll! I hope I don't dieeeee. My goal is really to just finish but I'm hoping for a time around 4:40 maybe?

*Run at least 30-35 miles a week

* Run a sub 2:00 hour half marathon, I need to find one or two to sign up for soon! Suggestions?

*Lose 20 pounds, it's not really about the number but I have gained a good amount of weight in college and in Europe and i'm not too happy about it.

*Spend less time on my computer and phone (my sister knows how bad this issue is)  Is there a rehab for this? Sign me up!


Today my BFF (read: NOT) the treadmill and I spent an hour and a half of quality time together. I decided I need to start doing some hill training since the hills in races always KILL me.  I ran 3.75 miles of running at 5.7 for a song then running at an incline (1.5%-3%) for a song. Then I did 45sec hills at 5% incline. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard! Then I walked another 3.25 miles at a 3% incline.  The treadmill and I may becoming friends... maybe. Then my real BFF, the foam roller and I spent some quality time together. My muscles needed it.  I may attempt a long run of 10 miles tomorrow. Eek! Who am I kidding, I can do it!

My mom and I made pizza for dinner tonight.  My half is the one with turkey pepperoni. Yum yum!

I'm no wine snob, I love me some cheap $5-8 wine from Trader Joes, but Newman's Own wine? Really? Don't they make salad dressing? That's like Kraft making wine. I don't think I will be trying it in the near future, or ever.

Good for you

I have yet to get my run on yet today. It is looking mighty freezing out right now so I am waiting till it warms up into the 50's or so. Yes, I am a wienie, I know. (Plus, Regis and Kelly is on and how could I say no to that?)


So in Napa there isn't too many exciting places to run.  A few weeks ago I starting running along the river trail that is right by my house.  It's 1.2 miles long so it does get kind of boring after running back and forth for an hour. I think I'm going to start doing my longer runs once a week somewhere else.  Other than the boring-ness it's great! I don't have to worry about crossing traffic, mapping out a route before hand and there is no way I can get lost on my way home (It has happened before, oops). And I know exactly how far I ran! 


Not too many run this river trail, mostly walkers! The other day I passed this women in the start of my run, then turned around passed her again, turned around and passed her again. On the third time she looked at me very impressed and said, "good for you!"  I couldn't help but smile and say thank you! But she's right! Good for me! Hey, I may not be the fastest runner, but not many of my friends ran an 8 miler the other day or are able to say they logged 30 miles last week. I also love that I am able to see the same smiling walkers as I run back and forth.  Yesterday these two cute old lady's yelled they loved my pink shirt and they would say "There she goes" every time I ran by them. It was cute.


Right now I am really loving running. I really feel like I am finally becoming dedicated and it is paying off big time.  It also makes me look and feel great. I often find myself running and smiling now. The river trail people probably think i'm some sort of crazy.  I didn't mention earlier the people who look at me like, "how have you past me 3 times and I havn't walked the trail once...what's wrong with you?" I smile at them too!


I need to bring my camera this week so I can show you my happy running place.  For now though here is a picture I found on the internet. I think this from a few years ago when they just contructed it, becuase it does not look near this nice in person.

Funny side note, actually not funny at all. A while back ago a homeless man stabbed someone on the river trail. So please pray I never get stabbed by a homeless man while running. I wouldn't like that.


Also, today is my sister's first day at her new job! She is super excited, but a little nervous, so go wish her good luck!


She is also featured as SkinnyRunner's cat lady blogger today so go check that out! Woo hoo Linzay!