Last Sunday I touched down at the Chicago O’Hare airport, and the flight attendant listed gates for those of us with connecting flights. Alphabetically:

• Honolulu
• Miami
• Omaha
• San Francisco
• Shanghai
• Tokyo

This is a very simple ACT question: one of these is not like the others…. (clue: all sound really fun, even vacation-like, except _____.)

Mmmm yep. I’ve been spending the last few days in Omaha, Nebraska. Actually, Grand Island… although that’s pretty misleading because it almost sounds tropical. My grandma lives in an assisted living home in Grand Island, and we went to visit for just a couple days (I’m back already). The woman is 88 years old, a little shorter than me, and cute as a button. I know a lot of people stress over getting their workout in when they’re traveling, so I thought I’d share a couple tips for getting your sweat on no matter where you are. This is a two-part post though, so if you really want the full deal, you’ll have to stay for the whole thing. I’ll try not to get too long.

1 // Working out while traveling

I’d be lying if I didn’t say traveling used to stress me the #()@% out. As with many type As, you get your schedule and you stick to it. I liked reporting back to my coach with a full week of check marks and notes. I’d also be lying (by omission) if I didn’t say yeah – I belong to a 24-hour gym, and yeah – I’ve been there several times at 3am.

Although many hotels now boast that they have a “fitness center” … don’t be surprised if you get there and find it’s a closet lined with wall mirrors and a smith machine. Lots of hotels also now have swimming pools, but if you think you’re swimming laps, be prepared for about two strokes per length and 600 flip turns per mile.

Running: It’s a lovely creation because you can do it pretty much anywhere. You need a few extra sets of clothes, but bring your shoes and your good to go. No Garmin necessary – just run for time.

Biking: Sometimes an option – often, bigger cities have bike rentals, and if you can’t find trails, you can probably ride the roads. More often than not you’ll end up doing some “recreational” riding… but hey, you’re moving, right?

Swimming: You can sometimes find community pools that will just charge a minimal daily fee. OR, beach?? Open water swims?? That would be ideal. Swimsuit and goggles take about as much room to pack as a Clif bar, so no excuses.

Fitness Centers: Are. Everywhere. Even in Grand Island, Nebraska. From my hotel I was within five minutes of both an Anytime Fitness and a Snap Fitness. The bigger the city, usually the better your options. Snap was $7/day, Anytime was $15/day, and a YWCA/YMCA/Gold’s/Lifetime will usually be in the $10-$20/day region. Some places will give you a good deal for a week long pass, and you could even find that getting a MONTH pass is your best deal (as was the case when I went to Philly at the Philly Sports Club).

The SNAP we went to in NE – very nice!

At Home Workouts: For those of you that do the DVDs – Jillian Michaels, Yoga, P90X, etc. – you pretty much have it made. If you have a TV or even just a laptop, you’re golden. You can also get in a solid strength training workout with just body weights or a resistance band, and if you want some cardio, bring a jump rope.

As you can see… there are many options for getting in a workout while on the road, and if anything, it certainly doesn’t need to be the cause of stress. For the days when it’s absolutely just not possible – either due to lack of time or simply being in transit literally all day, then make that your rest day. Don’t take rest days? Then consider it a mental workout and take on the challenge to take a day off, or I guess stay home. Your call.

Which brings me to point two of this post…

#2 // What actually matters in life

As I said, I was visiting my grandma during this trip. She is 88 years old, living in an assisted living home where she doesn’t get many visitors (especially from me being so far away), and although she’s “with it” most of the time, her health is definitely declining.

Flight was super early on Sunday, and by the time I got to Omaha and drove the 3 hours to Grand Island, it was definitely time to go see Grandma. Getting out of the home is difficult because she has an oxygen tank, so we opted to have dinner in with her, and instead of having the usual “home” dinner, bring her something special. When we asked G-Ma what she would want to eat if she could have anything in the world, you know what she asked for? An Arby’s roast beef sandwich. No sesame seeds on the bun. Lady knows what’s up.

Could I have jumped on our hotel treadmill at 9:30 when we got back? Sure… but that would mean not actually finishing until like 11:30 when it’s all said and done, and then just being even more tired in the morning. Day one: no workout. Sitting on mass on airplane/in car/in grandma’s rocking chair all day.

Like I said, we were very close to both a Snap and an Anytime, so my dad and I chose to go to the Snap on Monday morning. We worked out together a bit on the Arc Trainer, and then I finished up with the treadmill and weights. I didn’t get in the total time I was scheduled for, nor did I follow the schedule. At all. But I was still able to sweat it out a bit and that was really nice. (More than anything – to workout with my dad! Living half way across the country from each other now, we almost never get to do that anymore!) Day two: 75% of scheduled volume, 0% of scheduled workout. The reason I didn’t stay for that last 15% was that we wanted to get to G-ma as soon as possible, and the time was tickin! Went back to her care home, and ate lunch (fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes and gravy) with her in the cafeteria. Spent the rest of the day either running errands for her or just sitting with her talking in her room.

My dad used to bike with me during LRs all the time! This was from when I visited him in Philadelphia.

The last day my alarm went off early enough in the morning to either pool run for a little bit, or jump on the Neolithic era treadmill. Instead, I turned my phone off, turned over, and turned into an extra 45 minutes of sleep. We had to leave pretty early in the afternoon to make the 3 hour drive back to Omaha, so again, time spent with grandma was limited. Day three: no workout.

On the way to the home, we stopped to pick up some white roses (her favorite) as well as a gift for the staff. We spent the last morning with this amazing 88-year-old white haired woman who has done so much for other people pretty much her entire life. Just a couple weeks ago she had some cancer removed from her colon, and she spends a lot of time worrying if it will come back. Saying goodbye to her was the worst, and my heart just about shattered when she said, “don’t let it be a year again.. OK?”

Honestly, this could be the last time I will see my grandma. I only got three days with her, because that’s about all the excitement she can take at one time without being worn down. What if I never got to see her again? What if I spent more time worrying about whether I could get a stupid workout in, or whether I’d stick to my schedule, and that was my last chance to talk to her. My last chance to sit in her room and play Christmas songs on her piano. My last time to see her smile?

Point is… Family is important. Working out… training… sure, on race day you want to be prepared. But when it comes down to it, when you’re on your deathbed (or your parents or your ____ or your ____), you’re not going to give a rats @ss if you took two days off. Or a week off. Or a month off. If you gained a couple pounds over the holidays. If you ate that piece of Grandma’s pie.

Many of you can disregard this message entirely, because spending time with your loved ones is clearly your priority and there is no second question. But based on the many, many emails and comments I receive, sometimes I think we need the reminder. You only get one family. You don’t get to hand pick them, trade them in, or ask for them back once their gone. Go hug someone you love, and TELL them how important they are to you! Not just during the holiday season, but any day, and every day.

Sorry if that turned into a high-horse moment. But this trip for me was certainly challenging in that it made me realize how limited my time is with this woman I love so much!! I don’t know when the next time is that I’ll get back to see her again, but I am definitely greatful for the time the last three days I was able to spend with her.

SO in light of all this heavy business – yes, working out on vacation is definitely possible. [ETA: AND fun!! Going  for a run or a bike ride is, in my opinion, the best way to see a new city!! I'm definitely not advocating that people just throw their workouts out the window during trips or vacations.] But if you are going to see family, and only have a little time with them – keep that in mind! J And while I’m at it, I LOVE YOU all!

Reader Questions: Do you usually workout on vacation? If so… what do you usually do, or if not, what would you like to try next time? And just for feeling good, if you could  go tackle anyone in the world with a bear hug right now, who would it be?

Happy holidays!

-E

(p.s. Survived finalsmovingfinals week! So happy to be home, and looking forward lots of RELAXING for a solid month! I watched a movie last night. Do you know when the last time I saw a movie was?? NEITHER DO I.)

I’m also feeling extremely GRATEFUL for many people in my life right now, especially my parents for their honest concern and care (and my mom’s time – she took me to urgent care yesterday on a Friday night when she could have been home with el novio), my doctor who ALSO stayed late with me on a Friday night when he probably had 101 things he’d rather be doing, and the friends I’ve had check in on me throughout all of this. You don’t know it, but you all make me smile ♪ You smile, I smile. ♪ (I kinda feel like I just linked Sesame Street. Hey.. the kid is catchy.)

SO. What have I been up to? Absolutely nothing exciting (sleeping… studying… sleeping… watching House MD… sleeping….). I’ve been making sure to get lots of rest, and lots of this too:

Big props to the first person who can comment saying what’s going on in this photo!! (And yes – that is an Andy Wheating photo next to my bed. Um… end of story.)

I’ve also been spending my little awake time being taught choreography to I Whip My Hair (again with the linking 12 year olds… where do these kids come from? Here is the same girl, Alyssa Chang, dancing to Toyfriend. Girl’s got skill!) Will Smith has some talented kids… just sayin’.

Anywho… I figured while I don’t have anything exciting in terms of training to talk about, I could sneak in one of these “getting to know you” posts. Probably more for my entertainment than yours, but here we go: (p.s. I’m totally cheating. A Boston runner-friend tagged me in this like two years ago on facebook. The answers are mine, but the questions are definitely not my own creative ingenuity.)

The ABCs: 26 things you probably didn’t need to know about Dr.T-R

A – Age: 21
B – Bed size: Queen.. even though I sleep on the same 1/4 of my bed
C – Chore you hate: unpacking a suitcase after a trip
D – Dog’s name: No more doggy. I miss you Tempo!
E – Essential start your day item: Peace Coffee
F – Favorite color: green
G – Gold or Silver or platinum: silver
H – Height: … 5′
I – Instruments you play: I played the piano, saxaphone, and flute when I was in elementary school. Which was placed seriously backseat to gymnastics, dance, softball, and swim team.
J – Job title: Student. Waitress. Shoe saleswoman extraordinaire!
K – Kid(s): In due time. No less than one, no more than… 5.
L – Living arrangements: Casa. Con roommate.
M – Mom’s name: Karen.
N – Nicknames: E, Sperly, Sprite, Smirnoff. Any of which I will answer to.
O – Overnight hospital stay other than birth: surgery on back in 2003, hip reconstruction in 2008.
P – Pet Peeve: passive-aggressiveness.
Q – Quote from a movie: “it’s the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance” … “It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you” – Million Dollar Baby
R – Right or left handed: right
S – Siblings: 1 – Ry
T – Time you wake up: 5:00 M-F, 6ish SA/SU. without mono
U- Underwear: yes, although not with tri/bike shorts. took a while for me to accept that one….
V – Vegetable you dislike: Hmmm… I’m stuck. Fruit I don’t like? Banana.
W – Ways you run late: Just had to make another cup of coffee before catching the bus…
X – X-rays you’ve had: way more than anyone my age should have had. Most recently two chest x-rays on this last Thursday.
Y – Yummy food you make: pumpkin pie. pumpkin bread. pumpkin pudding.
Z – Zoo favorite: panda or koala bear

I’m not “tagging” anyone, but please feel free to participate if you feel so inclined!

In other “exciting” news, Minneapolis had it’s first snow storm of the season! Check out more pictures from WCCO:

School is in full swing (although I don’t think I can recall a time when it was only in half swing, or two thirds…), my role in my research position is picking up, I did a decent job at getting sick on Tuesday, I have a jobjob interview on Saturday (but don’t know enough of the deats. yet to say I’d take it if it were even offered), annnnd life is just pretty full at the moment. But instead of writing about all of that, which none of you would care about (or at least I really don’t…) I thought it was due time for a little gratitude.

1. God has blessed the city of Minneapolis with 40° days, which is more than enough for me to justify shorts. Give me 32° and I’m in. Gotta start on that tan at some point, right?

2. Said events have allowed me to experience once again the phenom of “muddy calfs syndrome” … which makes me feel like a runner, regardless of my actual running frequency and/or status.

3. Truthfully… the frozen yogurt wasn’t like extraordinary or anything. But these ladies are. And that’s what counts!

4. Much needed new shoes, next day delivery, crazy outstanding customer service from Zappos.

5. Family. No matter what yours looks like. You only get one.

And with that mis amigos, yo te digo adios. Get your friday confessionals ready, cause I have some stuff to unload and I don’t want to be the only one who has wound up on the naughty list! Wishing you warm weather, happy hearts, and fast feet!

-E

Back when I asked you guys for your #1 pump-up song for my “reader’s choice spin mix”, (keep those entries coming btw – CLICK HERE to go to that post!) my east coast homie and fellow BAMF Karyn told me I should check out this other chica’s blog, Mindful Living. So I clicked my way on over to Christina’s blog, and am SO glad I did – this girl is awesome! Not to mention we have a crazy amount in common: we’re both the same age and the youngest of sister-only families, both marathoners (and both decently fast one’s at that ), both entering the health/medical field, both teach (or taught/may be teaching again soon!) spin, both are super close with our families, and we’re both lifelong athletes. And oh yeah, there’s the healthy lifestyle blogger thing underlying somewhere in there too.

Christina recently tagged me on the Beautiful Blogger award – thanks lady! I LOVE fun facts! Cmon.. think back to your college orientation weekend.. job training.. summer camp. It gives you a chance to learn something you probably wouldn’t know otherwise. Or… if you’ve been around the blog long enough, stuff you DO already know, but a nice catch-up for new readers! Following the rules of the game, you get seven of my favorite “fun facts” and in turn, I get to pick seven of YOU guys to do the same! Kind of like a Pay It Forward (gotta love H.J.O. at age twelve), and an Ice Breakers remix. Here we go!

1. I have a personal mini-hardware store residing in my left hip.
   After a few months of “groin pain weird-feelings” back in the fall of 2008, and a final push from my spots med doc out east, I finally went in to have my hip x-rayed. After touring all that Boston’s medical scene had to offer, I finally wound up with a bone/hip specialist at Children’s Boston, and two diagnoses: fibrous dysplasia, and a fractured left femoral neck (a la tension side). I had surgery in December over Christmas break back in Minneapolis, and many a pool running sesh ensued. Unfortunately, surgery was not an “end-all” solution, as fibrous dysplasia isn’t something you really “cure”. I will post more on this on a later day, but I may be lookin’ at surgery #2 here soon. Biiiig bummer!
2. My dad and I have matching identical tattoos.
   Haha – I cringed at the word “matching” for whatever reason. It’s not a pinky promise, but that pinky squeeze is something special my dad and I have done for as long as I can remember. It means something along the lines of  ”I’m glad I’m with you.”  We had thought long and hard about what to get, and when I thought of our special pinky squeeze, I knew it was right. We got it done before I moved to Boston and before my dad moved to Philly at Steady Tatoo. Tatted by Rodger – they took the picture of our hands together when we went in for our consult.. I think he did an awesome job! I have loved my tattoo every second since of every day since he was inkin’ it in me!
3. I would not be a runner without my mother.
   My mom is my best friend – this we know. I’ve mentioned our occasional mother daughter runs that I love. (Especially ones sprinkled with a little Christmas!) You might not know that she is also a very accomplished runner!  My mom didn’t start running until she was out of college, but she definitely had the natural talent! She has run 22 marathons over the course of her running career, broken 3 hours twice, WON a marathon outright for the ladies, and definitely put in wayyy more miles than I have! Some of my very first runs were just a few miles long with my madre. She gave me the genes
4. I am on the Triathlon Team at the U of MN.
   Check out our team page! Next up are the Collegiate National Championships down in Lubbock, Texas in April. The plan as of now is that my fractured/fibrousdysplasiaed/lisfranc’ed self will be injury free at that time, and I’ll be ready to compete!
   
5. I have endometriosis.
   I have mentioned it before briefly… I have a whole long post written on it that for whatever reason I just don’t want to publish, but it’s a fact! Hahah I wouldn’t call it “fun”… but it’s part of life. Be very thankful that I didn’t pull my “endometriosis” image off of google images. Search at your own risk. Photo credit goes to a fellow blogger dealin’ with the same thing. Maybe my fun fact #5 should have been “My hot water bottle is one of my best friends.”
   
6. I treat my training gear with about as much excitement and love as I would my own kids. Meet Rilo, and Gomer.
   
   
   
   (Sorry for the camera angle….) The day when GOMER was delivered into my hands, I knew I had a gift from God. True story – I have a permanent tan line around my bicep from this lil guy. It’s my second birth mark. Then, several years later when RILO came into my life, it was like a stolen child was finally returned. Hahhaha.. issues. I know.
   
7. I grew up as a “minority” student. And I am sooo thankful!I went to a K-8 elementary school where over 50% of the students were native spanish speakers, 20% were african american, caucasians made up about 15%, and the remaining 15% were from different ethnicities. The school is still extremely diverse – check the stats!  Then I moved onto a high school that was also super diverse! White kids made up about 20% of the student body. I say I’m so thankful because being around so many students coming from different backgrounds, having different beliefs, different lifestyles, and different opinions taught me right off the bat that everyone in the world is DIFFERENT and that is an amazing good thing. NTM I was understanding my 2nd grade buddies from Mexico City before I ever took my first “spanish class.”

Alright, time to share the love chicos y chicas! TAG – you’re it!

• Susan – Susan Runs
• Frayed Laces – Frayed Laces
• Courtney – Pink Cowgirl
• Melissa – A Fit & Spicy Life
• Katie – Faith, Food, & Fitness
• Karyn – Marathon Maiden
• Jenna - The Foodie In The City

But you can’t really put a limit on Paying it Forward.. can you? I think not. So I definitely encourage ANYONE who wants to go and give your seven fun facts to let er’ rip! Sadly, this is all I have time for, and it took me 1.5 hours on the ellip plus over an hour at home. Someone asked me how I blog while I’m working out, and I gave you a picture last time, but keep your eyes out for a live post from my steady spot on my Life Fitness elliptical, complete with play list and intervals, to come! As for now, I have a double date with my BFF and my madre. And hopefully I can see the boyfriend somewhere in there too. Adios!

-E

Mom’s signature cookie (L) & one of Grandma’s best (R): hazelnut wedges (L) and spritz cookies (R)

It was a very untraditional Christmas in the Dr.TriRunner household – this was the very first Christmas I have been at my own house! For those of you that missed the news, the Midwest was hit with quite a bit of precipitation. And by precipitation, I mean feet of snow (Duluth got 24.4 inches!!), some snow/rain mix, snow emergency declarations, shutdown interstates, buried cars, and more spin-outs than MNdot knows what to do with! Needless to say, driving conditions were not ideal, and for that reason we canceled our trip, for the first time EVER, to little Albany, Minnesota for Christmas. Instead, it was spent right here in the good ol’ MiniApple with Dr.Mom!

The storm is movin on after three days of snoowww

Did it feel the same? No, obviously not. But was it everything I wanted? Definitely! Christmas in Albany = the whole fam (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, inlaws, and the likes) and Christmas this year at Home = me and my madre. And it was perfect! I had a sleepover at my mom’s house, which included Christmas eve mass, the children’s pageant, stir fry for dinner, and an attempted Italian indie movie. (Subtitles = falling asleep on the couch = FAIL!)

Talk bout a busy photo! This represents some of the slight chaos that is the annual children’s Christmas pageant.

We both slept for ten glorious hours, and then, it was Christmas day!

It started out slowly with large amounts of coffee, like any day should. Eventually (after helping dig our neighbor’s stuck car out of the alley) we got our act together and set out for a Christmas run! My phone charger had been sadly abandoned at my house, and we made that the destination for our slowpog (slow-sloppy-jog).

Upon returning home, charger safely in waterproof pocket, we decided what a better time than when we’re all soaking wet and chilled and wearing minimal winter clothing than to go out and shovel for two hours! Dr.Madre lives on the corner, so shoveling is no simple task. NTM the two-car driveway, and the whole-house-length of STREET we shoveled out to fit in cars for my neighbor’s family who was visiting! You know what though, if you’re going to pick a day to be a good Samaritan, Christmas is pretty darn fitting, don’t ya think?

After finally getting some breakfast (at 2:15?!), we moved on to a few presents for each other! This year’s gifts were all very practical and useful, which is definitely what we aim for. As I have gone from being the youngest child in a family of four, to still the youngest child, but now with divorced parents, sister, brother-in-law, and Dr.Dad all living on the other side of the country, we have paired down the gifts and the focus has shifted to time together with the ones you love. I think my mom really liked and appreciated the things that I got for her, and if not, she did a great job acting!

You might be saying – um, family? You saw your mom, but… – well, yeah, on Christmas day I did only get to see my mom. But I got to talk to my dad (long enough for my phone’s battery to die), grandparents on both sides, and send along love for my sister & BIL. A little of the non-traditional-Christmas shock was taken away by the fact that I will be seeing everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) in just a few days for my sister’s WEDDING PARTY!! Trust me, more to come on that later.

The day ended with a trip to see the movie Sherlock Holmes! I had never been to a movie on Christmas day before, and had no idea so many people went to do that! I wouldn’t necessarily call it movie of the year or anything, but it was enough to hold my attention, and perfect for the dorky I-Love-Adventure girl in me. (National Treasure anyone?!)

Day after Christmas? Mmm.. not really feelin it, but I also don’t really feel the need to ruin the mood now. I’m dealing with some health issues that I’ve mentioned before, and today just happened to be one of the days it decides to act up. I’ll come back to it later. But for now…

Well I was going to leave you with one of my favorite scripture verses about Christmas and Jesus’ birth.. but everyone has their own beliefs and I’m definitely not trying to push mine on anyone else! I know why I’M CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS, and I’ll leave your choices up to you. Instead, I’ll leave you with a couple flashback photo and post from Dr.TriRunnah’s Christmas 2008:

p.s. If you’re checkin’ the blog and you see the background/layout change multiple times in less than 3 minutes, fear not my friends. I am workin on some design options, and fighting it out with WP at the moment. Rest assured, things will be straightened out and the Docta will have the final word. Have a lovvely night,
-E

Ahhh.. home from the gym, showered & cleaned up. Came home and checked my emails. I believe my face looked a little like this while reading a particular message:

Said message was sent via facebook, and was a response to my “hey, sorry… who is this?” question. It went something like so:

i am a very nice man to get a long grate with todd.

Well at least he managed a period at the end of the sentence. I don’t know if he’s trying to tell me he has a long grate, or he wants to go get that long grate with a man named todd. Bahahahha!! This is what you get when you accept a friend that you “can’t figure out where you know them from”… only to find you really don’t know them at all. Unfriend. (Word of the year for the Oxford dictionary!) Do you ever get random azz friend requests/creeper messages? Or overhear people completely eff up the english language? (Non-native english speakers don’t count.. I know I make up tons of my own phrases in Spanish!) Another favorite of mine is actually from some chick, and it was in a text conversation that my buddy showed me. She was trying pretty hard.. and apparently she just learned the phrase “Granted….” as in “Granted.. I rarely attend class…” or whatever example you want to insert. I say she must have just learned it because she used it about 5 times in a 5 minute text conversation. And I say she must have just learned it because she thought the phrase was “Granite….” Mmm yep.. girls can be dumb too.

While I was getting photoboothhappy, I decided to show you two of my favorite items of clothing that I happened to be wearing today. Exhibit a) my Tin Fish (the restaurant where I work) hoodie, which I felt the need to embellish with Mr. Rainbow Fish:

Annnd Exhibit b) my very favorite ever track zip up. I think I got this my freshman year of high school, and it’s still crispy clean because I’m OTT protective of it I take good care. If you can’t tell what the design is.. think starting blocks and Usain Bolt.

Aright aright. Done with that! Do you have a one-most-favorite-ever item of clothing? I don’t know that this jacket is IT for me.. but it’s near the top of my list!

MOVING ON…

We are on the eve of Thanksgiving, and I just wanted to take the moment to say I am super thankful for all of YOU! I finally figured out my Google Analyticator, and am so happy to see the new readers I have coming to the site, as well as the readers that keep coming back time and time again. I also wanted to pass along this lil’ message from my my man Emerson:

For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, For love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thought it rather fitting.. don’t you? Well I have a BIG day tomorrow – 6:30 am spin + run, over to my mom’s to help cook cook cook, the WHOLE FAM coming over!! and fooootball with gramps. A very good day if I do say so myself. Do you have big Thanksgiving plans? Or if you don’t get to this until after you are stuffed of turkey and pie, What is your favorite part about Turkey day? Mine is definitely all the family time. IIII love them to the end of the world and back! And hey – you guys too!

Have a lovely night, and hopefully a LONG weekend!

-E

Happiest time of the year

(Grrr.. haven’t figured out how to embed video with new self hosted. Help?) Just change the words up a lil bit and you’re good to go. Hah – I think I’ve probably blogged about 5 different times about how much I love Sundays. Not going to lie though… I am getting excited for christmas songs to start playing on the radio.. christmas lights going up.. the HOLLIDAZZLE!! Can’t wait! Haha no one shoot me for saying that. I was going through photos on my phone… I took this the DAY after Halloween:

Yikes! I was just checking to see if there were any cute halloweeny coffee mugs on sale, and then tripped over a reindeer and faceplanted into a pile of gingerbread christmas cookies. (Kidding! Although that wouldn’t be such a bad thing to faceplant into….) Let’s get through Thanksgiving first, but then please believe, I will be going alllll out.

p.s. (and then I promise, I’m moving on) did you know Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE 2nd FAVORITE holiday? (Favorite has always gone to Easter, and that’s not changing any time soon!) I loveeee Thanksgiving because

1. it’s smack dab between my mom’s birthday and mine
2. at least in our family, it is such a WARM get together. all of us gathered at one house (we’re hosting this year.. I don’t know the official count but I know it’s over 20!) , no stress of presents, just family, food, and loove <3
3. it’s in FALL! Although being that I live in MN, there have been many a snowy thanksgiving day
4. puuumpkin
5. the family walk. which happens at just about every holiday we celebrate as a family that involves a rather large meal (thanksgiving.. christmas.. easter.. birthdays.. reunions.. haha basically every get together involves a large meal)

Good things. Moving on!

GIVEAWAY

So glad to see the entries coming in on my POPCHIPS GIVEAWAY! You still have until Wednesday night, so fret not my friends, but I would say go do it NOW because we all know how it goes when you say “Oh, I’ll come back and do it later” and then you check my blog on Thursday saying “wasn’t there something SWEET going on at Dr.TriRunner last week?” and then comes the compulsory smack to the forehead when you see that YOU were not the winner because indeed YOU didn’t enter! Let’s avoid that, shall we? GO ENTER NOW!

RUNNING NEWS:

And that would FINALLY include some real running.. not just on the dang xRunner and all this RSC business. As of Monday, I have had THREE successful lovely half hour runs, as prescribed. I will fess up (since there were no Friday Confessionals this week.. my bad) that I ran outside one of the days instead of on the treadmill (shhhhh) BUT I ran on the grass/dirt on the side of the path. I always run on that anyways! Here is my train of thought – tell me if this makes sense:

So I understand that the treadmill is a softer surface to run on then cement or pavement. Obvio. But softer than grass or dirt? Maybe once Minnesota hits our frozen tundra/arctic phase come December or January, but we’re not there yet. The grass is pretty darn forgiving, and in fact, according to the RunnersWorld staff over in good ol’ BritLand (that one’s for YOU my love!), it’s “better”. There are some cons associated with running on grass (instability), but I would consider myself a “seasoned grass-runner” being that for at least 70% of my runs I hop down on the dirt trail. Plus… do I need to even mention the entertainment factor? Look at the Runnin’ It page, and see reasons Why I Run. Even back in 2008 (haha how’s that for a throw back post? That egg plant parm looks good!!) I was b!tchin about the treadmill. Nooo thanks.

Anyways, long story short – I ran outside on Friday. And it was WONDERFUL.

I have properly inserted my temporary orthotics. Thank you Dr. Scholls.

One in each

I did get an actual scrip for real orthotics, but I need to see first if my insurance will cover it. In the mean time, I have had good success with using a heal lift in my left shoe, so that’s what you see here.

CHECKIN OUT

Time for me to get a move on. I apologize for the lack of blogging this week, but I have been entirely robbed of any social life by this:

Wasn’t I just blogging about my last anatomy exam? Oh wait. Yes.. Yes I was. Test on Monday tomorrow!! Eeep!

And last item before I leave – I have to toot my own horn here for a sec. I’ve gotten to be quite the fried rice connoisseur:

All ready for some sriracha lovin. And yes, I am using a plastic bin full of sweatshirts as a table. Look at that goodness:

Crappy lighting. Not at all crappy food! I go on little kicks with foods, as many of us do, and fried rice (or just asian in general) has definitely been the theme of the week.

Questions for you!

1. What’s your current food craze?
2. What’s your favorite holiday? Do you go all out? What are your traditions?
3. Are you a treadmill runner? I know my girl F.I.T.C. is a champ at knocking out the 6, 7, 10 milers on the dreaddy no problem. I don’t know how she does it?
4. Have you entered my giveaway yet? Hahah.. no? GO DO IT!

Happy Sunday!

-E

p.s. I’m not the only one havin’ a giveaway!

Quick running update:

I am currently alternating between coffee, Powerade, and water. I did my third 20+ miler of this “season” (haha.. I never know what to refer to it as! This Twin-Cities-training? This period? Season works for me), and it felt fine. I ran it way slower than I did my last 20 miler because that is just the pace of the group I was with, and their company is worth way more to me than proving I can run sub 8s for a long training run. I ran into this situation two years ago when I was training for Med City – running with a group that is slower than my pace – but I seemed to do just fine when I ran a 3:19, so hopefully that trend will carry through!

My upcoming schedule for running/racing looks a little like this:

• September 5th – St. Croix Valley Triathlon
• September 12th – the Capitol Run – 20+ mile training run
• September 20th – October 4th – Taper time
• October 4th – Twin Cities Marathon!
• October (3oth or 23rd?) – Monster Dash Half Marathon
• November XX – Turkey Trot 5K
• January XX – Winter Carnival Frozen Half Marathon
• April XX – Boston 2010

I don’t know what other little races will pop in there.. but I usually do a few 5Ks just for fun (like the Turkey Trot! I think there’s a Jingle Bell 5K too…) so we’ll see. I also need to look at my budget because I’ve spent more this year on races than I have on the past. I don’t know that I’ve necessarily raced more,  but they have definitely been more expensive races. Especially with triathlons – that is not a cheep sport! Luckily, I’ve found ways to cut costs here and there (carpooling, sharing hotels, discounted bike shoes, etc.) but that is a whole ‘nother future post!

I promise – my Ragnar Post will be published soon! I made a photobook of the whole event.. so I’ve been putting a lot of time into that instead of writing up the dang recap! I leave you with photo of me n’ Rilo – my mom and I were getting a little carried away with sports mode on her camera I’m bringin’ the McMac along to Philly, so maybe I’ll get a post up while I’m there! Otherwise, catch you when I get back!

-E

• just finished with finals
• getting ready to fly home to Minneapolis for the summer
• sad because I had to defer my 2009 Boston Marathon
• hurting with the hip/car accident. still going to PT. still dealing with the insurance fiasco
• just ready to be HOME

School got out April 24th, and wow – so much has happened since then! I’ll try to be brief:

• moved back to Minneapolis.
• looked into transferring back to the U of MN, realized deadline was June 1st, applied.
• got in (well they better take me.. half of my credits are from there anyways!)
• now a kinesiology major / pre-med track still. MUCH better fit!
• so really.. MOVED back to Minneapolis (!!)
• healed (mostly) with the hip
• took a summer class
• moved into my own place
• adopted a dog
• still working at the restaurant
• picked up a 2nd job
• had to have my dog adopted from me just 2 months later
• training for Twin Cities 2009
• joined a great group of women for training. finally got my ass back in the pool!
• joined the U of MN’s tri team. still going back to TURC – the University Running Club
• did my first “real” triathlon!
• getting ready to register and head back to school.I can’t believe summer is almost over!
• *eta* sister got MARRIED!

Work is at the restaurant is great as always, but I can tell I’m definitely ready to wind down. I took a lit class this summer to knock out one of the required courses, and I could tell I missed having a school schedule. That isn’t a promise that you’ll never hear me stressed with school, but I like having that academic side too.

Right now the biggest things on my plate are figuring out registration. As a transfer student (which still is hard for me to grasp since half of college education is at the U of MN), I register LAST, definitely leaving me with the short stick in terms of class schedules. I am guessing I’ll have 8ams AND evening classes – we’ll see. I’m just worried I’m not going to get the stuff I need that is actually part of requirements – both for staying on track for med school, and completing a kinesiology degree. There really hasn’t ever been a time when registration didn’t stress me out.. but at least for the spring semester I’ll be back with the rest of the juniors.

ANYWAYS, time to wrap up! I got in an 8 miler this morning, and I worked the lunch shift at the restaurant. Now I’m headed off to go find me some CYCLING SHOES! I’m looking at the Pearl Izumi Tri Fly shoes.. but we’ll see. Hopefully I can find something on sale! And my bike is coming to me tomorrow!!

the Tri Fly IIIs

My bike!!! A Quintana Roo Kilo!

Thanks for hangin with me while I get this back in action!
-E

p.s. Saw Harry Potter last night – torn between loving it and frustrated because they had to cut so much from the book!

Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in.

-Robert Frost

Hahah I love that quote. Not that I forced my mom to take me in or anything.. yikes! But it’s true – there is no turning family away. Not here.

I am currently blogging to you from the futon up in our office, watching this 6 year old kid on Ellen who knows basically everything about the solar system and knows more already than half the people I know. Except he just got on the floor and did something called the “swimming tuna”. I’m tellin you – he’s gonna get all the ladies.

 It’s almost time for a refill of my big ol’ scrabble mug of coffee.. Dunn Bros coffee.. ohh I love being home! 

There is a lot to do today! I promise a full catch-up later on: running, school, next year’s decision, the whole deal. For now though, it’s time to go refill this cup and relax a little. My flight, which was supposed to leave out of Logan at 6:05 last night, didn’t leave until 9:50 due to the SNOW STORM in Minneapolis. The plane we were picking us up was coming from Minneapolis so we had to wait for it to wait to be de-iced along with all the other planes. Finally though, it took off, got to Boston three hours later, and by 2:00 this morning, I was home. And of course I was up by 8:00… but it’s ok. I’m HOME!

My attempt at taking a photo out the airplane window with my crappy cell phone. PS  I forgot my camera in Boston.. smart! Cell phone will have to suffice for the week to come.

Caio!
-E