Crave the pain was a way better name

So this weekend felt good, until... and there's always an until isn't there? But let's start with the good.

As expected, I was dragging on Saturday morning. We didn't get home from the movies until 1:30. Waking up the next morning at 7:00 was not my idea of fun. However, soccer is my idea of fun, so everything evened out. It was a hard fought battle, but we ended up losing 1-0. We had so many opportunities but couldn't convert. That's always so frustrating.

After soccer I hightailed it over to the gym to put in my am run. 4 miles at 6.7 mph. I'm happy with my speed thus far, but I want to keep pushing to go a little faster. In the evening, I squeezed in 3 more miles just running around the neighborhood, it was sweet. Then there was much sleep to be had. Hoo-ray!

Oh, also, I guess it was Friday, Paul signed up to be one of our Wild Miles volunteers. He's requested to be on one of the legs I'm running. It will be nice to have his beautiful face greet me. He's already talking about how he's going to trash talk the other runners. That's all in the spirit of things. In other Wild Miles news, they posted leg maps. That's nice so we can familiarize ourselves with them. They keep switching up the length of the legs though which makes things a little difficult. I think I've gained two miles. It will be a blast though. I get to use my headlamp for christ sakes!

So anyway, Sunday I got up and put in my 4 miles in the morning again. It was a nice relaxing run as the gym was pretty empty for the Easter celebration (in LA, go figure). But I'll be damned if they don't keep running ads for this Enviga sports drink. I'm not buying it, both in the sense of I don't buy it's claim nor will I actually pay money for it. Here's an idea. You want to burn calories, you're at the gym. Take a lap!

Then Paul and I put ina good hour of tennis. I really love tennis. It's a great stress reliever, plus I like that it's an activity that Paul and I both enjoy. Paul HATES running. I've tried to get him to run with me a few times, but he has ankle and knee issues not to mention our good friend gout. So, I don't bother him anymore.

On the way home after tennis I noticed a billboard on Fairfax of a guy wrapped in the insulating blanket. It's clearly a runner who's finished a marathon. In the bottom corner, tiny as can be, it says cravethepain.com. Crave the Pain? Now that's a website for me. I was disappointed though when I got home and cravethepain.com is acutally goruneasy.com. I was certainly mislead. The name however, was my only disappointment. It's a Reebok sponsored website (similar to the Nike Top 20 on myspace) that allows people to post favorite runs in their area. I love resources like this. You have my thumbs up.

You know what doesn't have my thumbs up? Me. I made a poor dinner choice last night of Supermarket Sushi and I PAID for it, both in the financially and painful gassy way. Damn, I thought I was going to have an alien shaped like a spicy california roll jump forth from my midsection last night. Today was equally as bad. I've been nursing some saltines and gingerale but I haven't felt good enough to go for a run. I haven't felt good enough to leave this couch. Thank god for The Amazing Race, Heroes and South Park. Delightful.

Happy running to everyone else.

March 30th (10 miles)

Back in the saddle baby. Despite some obstacles (well, one very big obstacle) I laced up my shoes and headed to the gym today. For a fun workout, I did what I refer to as a ladder. I start at 6.0 mph and every two songs, I increase the speed .1. I hit my goal of ten miles at 7.3 mph. I have no idea why this makes running seem like a game, but it does. Just what the doctor ordered.

In other news, Apple you can be real jerks in the face, you know that? Though I do love apple products, I hate that everything is extra. When I went to the genius bar to tell them about my computer, the first thing the guy mentioned was that they have an insert that you can buy for $50 to keep water from spilling through your keyboard. First off, that's great to know now -- Thanks! Second, why don't you just make that standard, oh, because you make more money if people ruin their computers. Third, I don't trust companies that refer you to another company if you have an issue.

However, I took their advice and went to Mac Enthusiasts. It's still going to cost a pretty penny to fix, but the people there were helpful and professional and didn't refer me to another company that would do the job for a better price than them.

Other good things Frozen mangos. Do they sell these anywhere but Southern California? Cause they are God damn amazing. I think I shall have some now.

Product Reviews

If I were a Pharaoh, I would be buried with the following products.

1) Goo Gone - Grass stains on your shorts? Sweat stains on your shirt? Blood from your nipples on your singlet? Goo Gone laughs at these stains. Then it eats them alive. I have never in my life been so content with a cleaning product. If I could use this instead of body wash, I would.

2) Champion Sports Bras - Sadly, I'm not as rich as Oprah and can't afford her sports bra. However, I think Champion does a damn good job. They're also sold at Target. So, I wait for them to go on sale and then I snatch those bitches up. They're worth it. My breasts and the bras.

3) Body Glide No one likes chafing. I chafe so much on my bra-line that I feel like I will be sawed in half. Perhaps I would if it weren't for Bodyglide. Just rub on this stuff before you work out and you'll be chafless.

4) Brooks I'd never heard of Brooks until a lovely man from Marathon Sports laced up my first pair. Now I'm hooked. Aside from my ridiculous bloody toenail under my old bloody toenail, these shoes have never caused me a problem. I don't blame them for the bloody toenail either. I think I got that when I was running with Adidas shoes. Yes, they added the extra layer of bloody toenail but, it was just a matter of time.

5) Spark - This is a great site if you're tracking calories and trying to lose weight. It's got a really good community message board with excellent support groups.

6) Footsie Pajamas - If you're an avid runner you probably have a low pulse and are cold all the time. If not, then I'm just a freak. Nights are the worst. Though these pajamas will never win any prizes for sex appeal, they will keep you warm and toasty on cold, cold nights.

The following products are ON NOTICE meaning they have a strike or two against them. One more and they are out.

1) Victoria's Secret - A little while ago, Victoria's Secret came out with a new line of sports bras. I've been quite satisfied with the one that my roomies got me for my birthday. That was until the strap came undone during the LA Marathon. The good times that I had with this bra are now smudged by one incident. Tear.

2) Imodium - You've kept me together so well for so long during races. But, this past race when I needed you, you let me down. Around Mile 19 I made a pit stop. Something I don't like to do. I have no doubt our relationship is strong enough to work through this. Let's go back to the way things were.

3) Fitday PC In terms of accurately tracking calories, I'll take you to Spark any day. However, the fact that you haven't upgraded to have a Mac version upsets me. I have a Mac and I'd like to use Fitday on it but, I can't. Boo on you.