Thursday, May 28, 2015

Haphazardly

Linking up with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud Thursdays.


I've been fighting a cold over the past few days. My symptoms: stuffy nose, sore throat, dry cough, and just feeling lethargic and blugh. I'd forgotten how miserable it is to be under the weather. Suddenly I've developed an internal GPS system to find the nearest box of Kleenex (or equivalent) at any place that I might be.
I could use a truck-sized shipment of Kleenex right about now.
Making matters even worse, my nose is painfully chafed now, too. (Has anyone ever used BodyGlide on their nose?!?)

Allright, enough of this alluring topic. On a much more pleasant note...

My 5-year wedding anniversary is this Saturday. However, Adam and I are planning our official celebration for Friday night. This is because we'll be watching Blackhawks-Ducks Game 7 on Saturday night. Funny how the timing works out on these things, eh?
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Speaking of hockey...

Angry goalies are fascinating. Check out this compilation of goalies expressing their frustration with referees, opponents, and especially themselves. It's gruesome but once I started watching, I couldn't stop.


All hail to the start of the summer produce season. One of my favorite aspects of summertime is how fruits and vegetables are of such better quality. I have a recurring obsession with avocados. Not surprisingly, I've been having a blast making homemade guacamole and finding a way to eat it with everything under the sun (pun intended). I'm planning to try some guac variations in the future - there are some great suggestions on this list.


Rock N Roll Chicago may still be on tap for this year. I still have two races left in my Rock N Tour 3-pack to use. However, it's looking potentially tough to schedule two more out-of-town races this year. Therefore, RnR Chicago is becoming a stronger possibility. The race date is not ideal given that I'll be attending a wedding the night before. But what the heck - I rarely sleep very well the night before any race anyways.

The Sunburst Half Marathon is next weekend! I'm getting really pumped for this race (thanks again to Melanie for the entry!) I've heard race logistics are really simple (lots of parking near both the start and finish line!!!!) which will be fantastic. I also can't wait to check out the South Bend riverfront and the Notre Dame stadium. Plus, check out the awesome race shirt. The design reminds me of the Nike three-word slogans, a la "Just Do It."
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My perfectionist mileage log will live to fight another month. All signs indicate that I will again be able to log 62.5 miles run this month for the fifth consecutive month. This means I am still exactly on track to run 750 for the year! I actually do have the capacity to exceed 62.5 in May - but part of me doesn't want to mar the numbers. It's completely ridiculous, I know.
In general, I wouldn't describe myself as being a perfectionist, but ironically I do arrange my closet and dresser drawers by color!
That aside, how cool would it be to have shoes in every color like this?!?

32 comments:

  1. Not withstanding the 14+ minutes of footage to the contrary above, the goaltender is...and always will be...a superior form of life (exceptions, R. Hextall and pretty much anybody who every plays in Phily).

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    1. I was surprised at how much footage there was of Marty, Tuukka, and Mike Smith, too!

      "In life, as in hockey, you are only as good as your goaltender."

      =)

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  2. I use moisturizer on my nose when I'm sick. Can't recommend the tissues with lotion in them enough either! Hope you feel better soon! My allergies have been a beast lately, so I can relate.

    I could eat avocado everyday, I love it! You can do so much with it too. Guac of course, but I've used it for sauces (it's good on mac & cheese), salad dressing, in place of mayo, and have even baked with it!

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    1. Thanks for the suggestions and the well-wishes, Anne! Normally I buy the cheaper Kleenex but at this point, I would have paid my weight in gold for the lotion tissue. Allergies are the worst. I know a lot of folks who deal with both spring and fall allergies (I have fall allergies, myself).

      Avocado with mac & cheese sounds amazing! I think it's a fantastic substitute for mayo and even cheese. Baking with avocado, eh? That's a new concept to me! I'll have to investigate. =)

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    2. Ugh yeah, I have spring, summer AND fall. After traveling so much lately, I notice that I'm a lot worse when I'm here in Illinois, so I'm thinking there's some plant or environmental thing that's setting me off here.

      The mac & cheese is awesome! And so easy :)

      I've been wanting to try these avocado cookies, but we currently have a ban on baked goods after eating way too much dessert on vacation: http://www.trueaimeducation.com/double-chocolate-avocado-cookies/

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    3. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!! I have loved every recipe that I've tried from you, so I can't wait to give this one a whirl, too!

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  3. Boo on the cold! I hope you feel better. Maybe the sunshine today will bake the bug out of you. RnR Chi falls on a bad date for me too as i won't even be on the continent. Glad you're getting it in though. And yay for Sunburst!

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    1. Thanks for the well wishes, Marcia! I was outside yesterday to run some errands and was amazed at how gorgeous the sunny weather was. I'll definitely take the sunshine over gloomy cold anyday! Bummer that you won't be around for RnR Chicago but I hope you have a FABULOUS vacation! Hopefully we'll be able to run other RnR races together later this year. (Vegas? Vancouver?)

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  4. I see Roy in there, he's crazy.

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    1. Yes! Patrick Roy has quite the temper! I'm told that Patrick Roy's son was in the video, too, clearly taking after his father. ;-)

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  5. Ha! I arrange my closet by color too.

    Love the goalie video!!

    Feel better and GO HAWKS!!

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    1. I think that color organization is by far the fastest and easiest way to find things in your closet! I've seen lots of stores do it and I am a huge fan.

      Glad you like the goalie video! I was looking closely for any Hawks footage and only saw the quick scenes of Ed Belfour. He was quite the character!

      Thanks for the well wishes! GO HAWKS!!!

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  6. Ugh I hear you on being sick. It is NOT fun! I've used chapstick on my nose before and it's helped a lot! Maybe try that.

    Also, I've attended a wedding the night before Rock N Roll Half about 4 years ago. I PR'd but I don't know how. I was dehydrated, my IT band flared up, my garmin went "kaput" after mile 1, it rained, etc. etc. I PR'd by 30 secs! What!?! lol

    Happy Anniversary! Hope you feel better!

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    1. Thanks for the chapstick suggestion! I've got about a zillion tubes of lip balm lying around the house. I will have to try that.

      Oh wow! Congrats on PR-ing RnR Chicago despite all those challenges! It just goes to show that you never know how race day is going to turn out, right? That's why we run all these races! Sometimes the hardest part is just showing up!

      Thanks for the anniversary and health wishes!!! I hope that you are resting up and healing well, too!

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    2. Yes I'm doing pretty well, getting back into running and cycling. I'm slow but that's ok.

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    3. Glad that you are doing better! The most important thing is that you are healthy!

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  7. Boo! I hope you feel better soon! I get the tissues with Vicks on them and it helps. Also some lotion on my nose helps a lot.

    Go Blackhawks!!

    I'm running RnR Chicago. I love that race :) we could always brunch after If you do it!

    Why limit yourself to 62.5 miles a month? I would think to be successful at PRing the 13.1 you would need a bit more than avg 15 miles a week? Plus you could always amend your yearly total to 800 or something if you run more :)

    And happy anniversary!!

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    1. Tissues with Vicks on them, eh? I don't think I've ever seen those anywhere but they sound like they would be a godsend! Lotion on the nose is a good suggestion, too.

      Ah yes, I knew that you had signed up for RnR Chicago! If I do sign up for it, we most definitely will need to plan on brunch afterwards. That would be the highlight of the whole day for me, for sure!

      The 62.5 mile per month thing is honestly just because I'm liking seeing the uniformity of that total for every single month on my training log. SO DUMB. I actually did figure out that if I wanted to go for 800 miles this year instead, I'd need to run 7.1 more miles per month for the rest of the year. So we'd be looking at 69.6 miles per month. But at that point, might as well just go for 70, right? In any event, I know how COMPLETELY ridiculous these number presentations all sound! Believe it or not, though, 15 miles per week used to be a pretty good stretch for me. I used to think of anything more than 12 per week as being a huge accomplishment. So I'm happy that 15 miles per week now seems easy, you know?

      Thanks for the well wishes and the anniversary greetings! GO BLACKHAWKS!!!

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    2. Yes! They exist! They are a little more than the normal sandpaper tissues, and they are so soft and smell like Vicks ;)

      Do it!! Although I fully expect RnR to be hot and humid. But who knows, maybe we will have an awesome rogue 55 degree day in July... A girl can dream, right??

      I hadn't gone over 20 miles in months and months until last week. It was working great for 5k training... So I feel you with 15 being an accomplishment!! I don't think the number thing is dumb- I like seeing round numbers and will run back and forth in front of my apt to advance the counter from 5.97 to 6.0 ;) I just think if you're feeling good and planning on running some longer races, let loose and run more for a few months. Then do some math and figure out the next round yearly total number ;)


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    3. Our weather has been so unpredictable that you really never know what RnR Chicago might bring us! I remember when the Chicago Marathon got black-flagged a few years back for extreme heat... but also know of times when it's been really cold. So yes, let's all dream of perfect weather on July 19!

      I'm totally with you on running in circles to get from a .97 to a .00! Also, I will never run anything between 8.5 miles and 10. Once I've hit 8.5, I might as well just do the extra 1.5 so I can log a double-digit run. =)

      Thanks for the great advice on the increased mileage! The warmer weather will definitely help the motivation, too!

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  8. Can you believe I've never run RnR Chicago? A half in July? Are you nuts? LOL....

    Feel better.

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    1. I completely believe and understand why a lot of folks would not want to run RnR Chicago! The July timing is very conspicuous. If only they could host it in September or October instead, that would be AWESOME.

      Thanks for the well wishes!

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  9. Do the RnR Chicago. All the cool kids are running it! :) Yes, a half in July is nuts, but it starts early (I think 6:30) and the first half is in the shade (well for the most part). Love the course as well!

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    1. You're signed up, yes!?!?!? Funny that you say that all the cool kids are running it because having a cool body temperature would help in handling the July temperatures. So I take your comment literally. =D

      In all seriousness, though, that 6:30 AM start is brutal but it does make a difference. It's too bad that the final stretch of RnR Chicago's course has no shade at all, though. Too bad they can't do the course in reverse, right?!?!? Otherwise, I love the course, too!

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  10. I've been dealing with some killer allergies lately, so I can definitely relate to the Kleenex frustration. Have you ever tried using the ones with lotion in them? They actually help a tonne!

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    1. Usually I just buy the cheapest tissue out there - but in this instance, I'm definitey learning that quality is more important than quantity! Once you've blown your nose a couple thousand times, these things really do make a difference, for sure!

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  11. I had a nasty cold this month too. No fun! I put lip balm on the inside on my nose when chapped. Good luck on the half marathon. I like the slogan Sun Fun Run. That really applies to my entire life actually.

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    1. I remember your nasty cold this month and I'm really sorry that you had to deal with it, as well. =( Thanks for the tip on the lip balm, that is a nice easy solution to try. Thanks for the good luck wishes on the run! And YES - Sun Fun Run would be the perfect slogan for you!!!

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  12. Happy Anniversary!

    For your nose ... check out Origins Make A Difference™ Plus+Ultra-rich rejuvenating cream

    (Yes, I did just copy and paste the name of the cream there).

    I started using that stuff a few years ago when I was skiing and just couldn't' get rid of the dry spots on my cheeks and nose. Now, whenever I have a cold, it's a god send after too much tissue use.

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    1. Thanks Natalie! Thanks for the tip on the rejuvenating cream, too. I am going to copy and paste it into my web browser to search for it as well. =) Oh gosh, I can imagine how much skiing would chap the skin! I struggle with dry patches on my face during the wintertime, period, let alone when exposed to skiing conditions!

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  13. People DON'T arrange their closets by color? This makes no sense to me. How would you find anything quickly?! :)

    I hope you're feeling better soon! I have totally used vaseline on my nose. It helps :)

    Have a fun time at the game and happy anniversary!

    And I think it would be totally okay to go over that mileage ;)

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    1. I agree! My closet used to be just a random hanging of clothes, and it was impossible to find things quickly. The color coding system makes things SO much easier.

      Vaseline is a great all-around tool for runners! Next time we get together, I'll have to tell you the story about one of my friends' sons, who got into the vaseline jar and made a big mess. =)

      Thanks for the well wishes!!! And cheers to going OVER the mileage instead of under!!!!!

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