Texas Summers

SO it's only been like 3 months since I last updated this... Oops... I can explain! Between traveling to and from home, all around Texas and bust being super busy here in Longview, I have neglected writing about my adventures. I barely have time to take a breath. I can honestly say that I had to "schedule" a day all to myself. I'm not trying to make it seem like people are dying to be around me, let's just say that I had to refuse some plans for today. I'm being selfish with my day and it's been AMAZING! Sitting here in Starbucks just on my computer, I thought why not write a post? Yes "hahaha" Meridith is at Starbucks, who would have ever thought?

The only thing I allowed myself to agree to today, was a run out in the country today with a good friend from work. Even though the morning was gray and overcast, it was just so pretty. I wish I had brought my phone and could share some of the views. I guess I'll just have to run out there again! 

In theses past few months I have been completely spoiled. I was able to spend almost 2 weeks home in the end of June for my sister's wedding. Such a fun day, if I could have a day like that every year it would just be so great. What do you say Rach and Jared? An annual wedding? Perfect! I'll keep my calendar open! 

I can definitely say that the runs I went on while I was home were a whole lot less humid that any run I have done here. They were also a lot flatter. But running alone just wasn't as much fun as running with friends down here. 

Both my work life and my social life have been non-stop. I mean I think I actually scheduled this "Redbox and Blue Bell ice cream" night into my Outlook calendar. I have such a fun job that I love and I get to work with really great people. I have started health coaching which is both challenging and rewarding at the same time. Sometimes I'm sure I sound like a complete bubble head, but sometime I can see the wheels start turning and people making changes, even if they may be small. It's a pretty great feeling. 

Outside of work I have been running a lot. Sometimes on my own and other times with some great friends. Each run is a little different, some are awesome and some are completely awful and all I can think about is how wonderful is it going to be when I am done and back at my vehicle. I have also started some workout classes, aka Body Pump. Oh my goodness, all I will say about that is how challenging each workout is. I feel like I am always sore for at least a few days after whimpering my way through the class. I really do my best not to send the instructor any death glares but during the biceps track sometimes my "ugly face" becomes a death glare. I always feel good after class, assuming good and completely, utterly exhausted mean the same 

OUTSIDE of all of that I still have found time to have a social life, complete with a failed attempt to make it to a balloon glow festival, girls nights with dinner and margaritas, the occasional dueling piano bar, college football games, trips to the boardwalk, just to name a few things. And how could I live in Texas without learning to 2-step? I am a NATURAL! I step on everyone's feet, spin the wrong direction, run into people. I have yet to fall completely on my face but get serious, it's only a matter of time... 

All in all Texas is great! My life is full and happy. I really couldn't ask for more. 

Did I forget to mention my spontaneous trip to Washington DC? Last wednesday I googled how much a flight out there would be. 45 minutes later I had found an offer I could NOT refuse and 1 credit card purchase later a 5 day weekend was booked!

 People always ask me what is so different in Texas than at home. Please take a close look at the cars in this picture. Apparently you can park wherever and however you want in Texas. Uhh yeah that's different!

Prowlers & Pitbulls

During my last two runs my life has been put in GRAVE danger!!!! Just kidding, at least partially.

Let's start with Friday morning's run. After working a VERY long week I agreed to meet at 5:30 am to run 6+ miles of hills. Again who am I???? Needless to say I was very tired and quiet during the run. As Kim, my friend can attest to, I am normally a chatter bug or at the very least will have something to say. This morning my mind was still in bed while my body was tackling these hills. It was fairly dark when we started our run through one of what I would consider to be a nice neighborhood. One that I have been given the green light to run on my own as opposed to other places here.

My busy week forced me back onto the "dreadmill" while it wasn't too horrible it just makes me appreciate being able to run outside!

As we're coming up on our second mile looking over the lake that sits in the middle of Wild Wood, there is a golf cart sitting in the middle of the road. Neither of us can tell if someone is in it or not but we both scoot over to the opposite side of the road. As we come up on the cart, there's a man sitting in the cart. Our converstation goes as follows. (Just remember how early it is)

Guy: Just so you ladies know there has been a prowler in the area.

Kim and I just look at each other confused

Me: Like a person....?

Kim and I look at each other confused again as he tells us the police have just left due to a shift change and the person still has not been found.

GREAAAAT! Just what I want to hear as we are starting our run through the shadowy houses where normal people are still sleeping.

Not my brightest moment but it was definitely still before 6am. AND there have been copper head snakes spotted by the lake in Wild Wood, for my northern friends those are 1 of the 4 poisonous snakes just waiting to bite me down here!

Needless to say we made it out safely with no sign of the "prowler" however I can say we did pick up the pace. Everyone need a little motivation right...?

This is one of the crossings on our SUPER hilly run, we run on "Lazy" and "Meandering" there is NOTHING lazy or meandering about that run!!!

Life threatening situation number two:

This morning we decided to do our weekly long run. Today it was 13 miles with the weather cooperating in our favor again. Things were going great and we were deep in conversation coming up on the second half of our run when out of nowhere...

this pitbull comes CHARGING at us!!! 

Oh my goodness while my first instinct is to sprint away from it, thankfully my mind overrides that I am paralyzed. Except for the fact that I fall into a full fledged panic attack....

While I am crying, hyperventilating and my heart is about to explode, Kim thankfully is calm and diverts the dog. How you might ask? I don't know the woman has to be the freaking dog whisperer!!

We walked away after the dog had headed back home to it's other pitbull friend. I am laughing and talking about how this has been a dangerous week to run with her.

2 blocks later another dog charges us! This time there is a fence between us! But this dog is growling and ready to eat us for breakfast!!

So no more dog adventures on this run right? Well they always say things come in "3's" so naturally we are about 5 minutes down the trail from dog number 2 when ANOTHER dog is about halfway over it's fence trying to catch us!

When we FINALLY finished our death trap of a run I was so happy to be done and in one piece! Dogs are great, especially when they are not trying to make dinner out of me. I'm sure they just wanted to play.... right?

 SO happy to be in one piece after such a fiasco of a run! There is NO doubt in my mind that my heart rate was MUCH higher than normal thanks to a few furry little creatures!

What better way to celebrate than with my own personal little cake? It's ironically from a delicous little shop called "The Butcher Shop" and yes I made sure it was still vegetarian ;)

 I also experienced my very first Waffle House Saturday night! It was different than I expected but I was not as horrible as I had imagined it. It could have been that this was the only Waffle House where ALL of the letters in the sign were lit up??

 Love this little running quote!!! Running with friends absolutely makes my runs way more enjoyable! I am lucky to have such a great group or running friends, both here AND back home! Love and miss you all!

Powerade Saves Lives

I have been running so much more than I have been writing or blogging. I was going to write a whole post about the wounded warrior race that I ran in Dallas now two weekends ago but last week was crazy at work and there are a lot of things that are going on completely out of my control that have a very big impact on my life. Needless to say I just couldn't give the amazing race for a spectacular cause the post that it deserved. I will, on a different day because it was one of the coolest races I have been a part of so far.

To say it was a struggle to get this pre-race selfie in the corral is about the understatement of the year. It was worth all of the failed attempts in the end!

The finishers at the end! It was just great that they postponed the race half an hour so we could start exactly when it started raining. This way we finished in the flash flood style of raining that Texas has been so kind to introduce me to.

Back to the running. Last Friday morning I braved the horrible awful long slow hilly trail that I had my 2nd most miserable run, ever on. I can't believe I am about to write this but I actually....liked it.

WHAT???

Queen of the flat fast trails that will run miles out of the way to avoid the slightest incline LIKED a hilly run? I must have been sick right? That 8 mile run Friday before work just HAD to have been a crazy fluke.

What better way to test this theory by running 11 miles Saturday morning. 5 of those miles probably the longest, steepest hills I have run consecutively. Normally I  would  have run away crying and quit halfway through right? Not this girl. There has got to be something in the water down here because I.... liked these hills, too. I know, Kim, what have you done to me???

How could I not love this run when we got to run past Wisteria Lane? Um hello!!! My mom and I have watched just about every Desperate Housewives episode!!! I wonder what's going on on THIS Wisteria Lane!!!

Monday I headed back to the hilly trail for a third round in 4 days. This is probably the most hills I have run in a very long time. BUT I feel great. My legs feel stronger. AFTER my calves were barely functioning post Saturday's run. Monday's run was a little different than the first two. I still liked the hills but I think I should have stuck with 6 miles instead of gutting out two more for another 8 miler.

I could feel the instant when I should have stopped. I just had an instant of cold flash and it was like a little switch went off and said "you're DONE." but I still had just over a mile to go so I still HAD to finish. It had been a great Monday with one bad piece of information that I just could not get out of my head so I was still trying to clear that out of my head with this run. So you bet I was going to finish this stupid run even if it knocked me over completely. Ok, obviously I would have stopped before that, but probably not very far from that. Luckily I did finish and I did not have a far drive home. Because I was not in good shape. I probably downed half of a Powerade the second it was in my hand and turned on my shower to ice cold water which still didn't feel quite cool enough.

I learned VERY quickly that living here I have to constantly be drinking water and have a Powerade after nearly every run simply from the humidity alone. This is something that I definitely was NOT used to having to do in Wisconsin. Hydration is everything here!

The real reason I say I definitely had been overheated is because the second I walked into my apartment I not only turned on my air-conditioning, I turned it on to 70 degrees. Those of you who know me, know I really don't like air-conditioning. It just makes me too cold. I would prefer windows open and fans blowing. I did eventually cool down and yes I did turn my air-conditioning back to a reasonable temperature.

That just leaves me with today's run. Back to my flat wonderful, slightly mind numbing, stomping grounds. The Boorman, affectionately termed "The BOREman." It had been hot today but nothing too dramatic right. By the time we started it had really cooled off. Just one thing we were forgetting. A little thing called

HUMIDITY

All I am going to say is that I honestly cannot remember a time when I have been completely soaked head to toe. Probably because I would be near incoherent but that's besides the point. It was a great little run and it's always nice to be on flat ground but I would have taken a run filled with hills over that humidity any day. The icing on the cake? This is only the beginning of the humidity.

Welcome to East Texas!

The delicious and well deserved ice cream cake we made and feasted on after Saturday's run! I could have eaten the whole thing alone. Thankfully, or not... I had to share it with the rest of the people at dinner.

 I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I started my summer adventure in the Pocono Mountains! I had one of the most memorable summers working at CPT! I am jealous of all the counselors who get to go back for another summer! There will never be anything like the summer of 2k13! Miss my K1 and Super Senior girls!

Running Scared

As my half marathon in Dallas is now less than a week away I am feeling the heavy weight of having 2 very successful marathons on my shoulders. While that should make me feel more confident in my running, it doesn't. to me it feels like a standard that I would like to continue but I just can't see that happening. This is not "down talk" this is simply being realistic with my own personal expectations.

I was talking with my Dad the other day about the way that I was feeling and he made a point that really stuck with me.  He asked me if I was doing the level of conditioning that I had been when I made those times.

Don't get me wrong I still love a good run but I have also found other things that I love too and want to spend time doing those things other than running. So no, I really haven't been putting as much into my running as I was then.

In my head I FORGET all of the long hours that I put into my running and can only see the results. I only see how fast I was and don't remember the freezing cold long runs, the hot summer runs and all of the runs in between.

My conditioning alone would have set my time at a slower pace but that paired with still not (and possibly ever) being acclimatized to the heat and humidity that I love any time OTHER than when I am running. My fastest runs have been when it's been cold and dry and this is because I HATE being cold and will run as fast as I can to get back in a warm house!!!!

This is how hot it was today (I am NOT complaining because it is only June, there are two months that are going to be wayyyyyyy hotter) My cup holder melted to my coffee mug that was sitting in my car while I was at work...

Thinking of these things I am not mentally preparing myself for a bad run, I am simply trying to get rid of the expectation that I have to blow this run away.

To put it simply, any run that I enjoy is a good run, regardless of ANYTHING ELSE! When I start to feel stressed about making a good time all I have to do is remind myself that a year ago I had a fractured foot and a week after that was clear to run on a shattered collar bone and a much longer recovery.

I came home from work to find bills, bills AND a letter from my Aunt Vicky :) It was such a wonderful little surprise and me so happy!

Yesterday, ok and Saturday I indulged in some R and R by my apartment pool! I got to just sit and read in the warm sun! Another one of my very favorite things! If I could always be in a swimming suit an flip flops I would! But I think that is against company policy.

 I went to this crazy, amazing HUGE festival big sale thing in Canton on Saturday. It was like a street market if the street market had a million people there over 4 days. Yeah everything IS bigger in Texas. This was one of the signs that made me laugh at a shop.

 I found a little piece of home!!!!! It just happened to  be sitting on one of the tables as I was walking by! How crazy is that??? While I am not sure what exactly "Walter's" is it was funny that all the way down here in Texas was a little box from Eau Claire, WI!!!!

 Yes in fact those are rubber rain/cowboy boots. Unfortunately I had to pass them up but not before the sales guy could stick a card into my hand! With all the rain we had here last week and by rain I actually mean flash floods, but seriously, those just might come in handy.

 And then there was this, which just doesn't even need a caption, but you really can find ANYTHING an EVERYTHING at Canton!

The second most MISERABLE run, of my life.

The last two Saturday mornings I've woken up early to get a long run in before it gets too hot out. The first one went really well. I've been running with my friend Kim. She has taken me on two different routes and has been a great new running buddy. We are running the Dallas half together a week from Sunday. I am still so excited for the race, even after my run this past Saturday.

Let's just start off by saying that it was the second most miserable run of my career. Only second to a 16 mile training run I did by myself after the flu. ANYWAY, this run on.... Oh my goodness. I woke up and my stomach was in knots. I was tired. Basically my body said get back into bed we're NOT running right now. But I had a friend waiting for me at the trail so I threw on my shoes and out to the trail I went. 

BIG MISTAKE.

We started our 13 mile run out with a short out and back to add the two extra miles that our eleven mile route would have cut off. I'm telling you I would have been happy to be done after the first mile. Singular. My body was not having any of it. But sometimes it's a mental thing where you just have to get over the first few miles and then my hips fall into a rhythm and the rest of the run is smooth sailing. Plus I'm already up and out running so suck it up an it will be over before you know it.

Not even close.

Let me just say that it was about 85% humidity that morning. Which is basically like running through a shower. The air is thick. Awful, no fun, miserable running weather. And it's only going to get more humid as the summer goes on. In the last 3 miles of the run it became hard to breathe with the humidity.  I know I am used to running inside or at least without so much humidity so I am not adjusted to this weather yet but seriously it was AWFUL!!  Ok so I don't feel great, it's hot sunny and humid but I can do this right?

......

Well I will willingly admit that I do not like to run hills. I am a flat fast kind of girl and that's A ok with me. I don't care if it's the easy way out. If I do come across a hill I will power up it and just get it over with. But I absolutely despise long slow gradual inclines. Oh my goodness someone make it stop, were just crawling up and up and up. You guessed it, the trail from Saturday's run had oh so many long slow inclines, including but no limited to at least two that were over a quarter mile long. COME ON!!!! My body is literally hating me at this point. 

LOOK at this proof!!! This is the actual elevation changes of our run! Nothing was flat!!!! At ALL!!!!!

Did I mention that I had to stop on the route and go to the bathroom, thankfully Jack in the Box was open. Unfortunately, the stall I choose didn't have any paper, just my luck. But the other one did so that was good. 

My new running friend Kim is amazing quite frankly and had she not been there I would have said screw this and turned around and walked back to my car. No seriously at one point I weighed out that possibility, I kept telling myself I would feel better just hang in there a little bit longer, we can't have that much further to go.....

After 13 painful miserable miles and one fabulous running partner, it was finally over.

It needed to be documented that I finished this beast of a run!!! The only reason I am smiling is because I am DONE! and now I am off to my date with a cold shower and an iced powerade sitting in my fridge. Heavenly!

Mentally, if I can finish that run, I can do anything. 

Including walking up my stairs to get into my apartment... I sat in my car and just stared at them thinking "WHYYYY do I live on the second story????"

So my running in Texas has been great so far minus one really really REALLY crappy run. But it happens and the next day our 6 mile run felt like a piece of cake.
I started my Sunday morning off with a wrap and an iced tea from the Starbucks right down the road from my apartment. I love to read the paper on the weekends, I would like to do it every morning but I think I leave for work before the paper is even delivered... So....

I did some shopping for my apartment on Sunday, too. It was fun to look at all of the decorations, but nearly impossible to choose!!! I loved this little piggy painting, but my apartment isn't barn yard animal themed unfortunately so I had to pass. Although I could always hang it in my office....

My most EXCITING and slightly terrifying purchase I made this weekend was my brand new very own QUEEN SIZE BED!!!!! I swear it hugs me back when I am sleeping on it. I can't believe I've left it so far. It is like sleeping on a cloud. It makes getting up unnaturally early for work nearly impossible. I am shocked I haven't been late for work yet! Fingers crossed! 

FIRST TEXAS POST!

I promise this is my last "its been a while since I posted" post. BUT as of last night at 10pm I finally have internet in my apartment! Thanks to your truly for installing and setting it up all on my own! Look at me doing all these things on my own Yikes!

I am so so SOOOOOOOOOO excited to say that I am officially signed up for my first race in FOREVER!!!! I am running the Wounded Warrior Half in Dallas on June 8th!!! This will be my first trip to Dallas too! I cannot wait! I know it's going to be a hot hot hot run but I don't care I am so excited to be racing again! Even though I am well aware that my running down here is much slower currently than it was in back in Wisconsin! Worth IT! 

Just a tiny rewind, I've been in my new home for 9 days now. 

I started my drive out on my own on Mother's day of all days. What a thoughtful daughter I am, I love you Mom see you later I'm just going to go drive down to Texas now. Right? GREAT Mother's day gift. My drive was very long and pretty uneventful, EXCEPT for about 3 hours into my drive. I was just into Illinois when there was grey and black smoke across the highway right as the highway turned to the right. Just before the bend in the road, there was a man waving for all of the cars to slow down. Strange. About 20 feet ahead, right after the bend in the road, there was a car fully engulfed in flames!!!! The smoke from the car was so thick that even driving on the shoulder of the left lane I was completely blinded for about for 15 feet of the highway! And with the wind blowing the smoke and fire across the highway as soon as I hit the smoke my car was instantly 10 degrees hotter. It was one of the scariest things I have seen. 

Aside from that my drive was basically me singing to whatever came on the radio, or my iPod. The first day I logged 12 hours to get to Little Rock, Arkansas. In my attempt to find a Subway for dinner before I checked into my hotel. I ended up lost in the business district after 10pm, not the most ideal situation BUT I did get a self guided tour of Little Rock and I drove right past the capitol! So that was cool! and safe... 

I'm telling you I didn't have to zoom in or anything, that is how close I was to the capitol. And I never did find a Subway! That was the only part of my trip that I was lost for!

 I had every intention to run that morning in my hotel but when I accidentally turned to tv off and couldn't figure how to get the cable back on, I made an executive decision to do a tabata workout instead. It only took me 20 minutes but my goodness it was HARD!!!! I had my group exercise class here in Texas do it for one of their workouts :)

MY FIRST AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD EXPERIENCE!!!!! Oh happy times!!!! My belly was so happy after that meal! I had a fajita salad with avocado. Heavenly! Seriously so good!!! Just another thing I LOVE about living in Texas! The Mexican food is off the charts. A reason to visit alone!

There is a running club and a few trails here in Texas. I like them a lot for a few reasons. One, they are through the woods so it is shady and cool with a bit of a breeze and two, they are busy enough that I don't mind running on them by myself. I have ran on one of them that is closest to my apartment but I'm sure I'll branch out soon and try some other ones, too!

 Just a little snap shot of one the trail! So pretty. Minus the fact that there are posinous snakes here???? What?!?!? I obvously did not know that when I moved down here. The first time I ran on the trail I swear I spent the whole time starring at the grass just waiting to get bitten. I survived and have become a little more at ease. Especially after seeing people playing and walking in the grass. But still, SNAKES??? Yuck!

 If you're wondering how I get my protein as a vegetarian, let me just tell you that the flies I find after running could be a significant source. That is definitely something I did not miss about running when it's hot out. I'll still take the warm weather over cold any day!

 Did I mention Texas is HOT! I knew that coming down but my body goes from being freezing cold to sweating from doing absolutely. I seriously have a space heater under my desk that if its not on my office is an ice box! Then I step outside and it's like I'm in a toaster. BUT I am not complaining because I am well aware that it's only going to get hotter.

 This is the only picture I am currently willing to post of my new apartment because I am still trying to get everything settled, AKA get furniture.... It took me nearly 25 minutes to pick out a shower curtain so choosing actual furniture should be a treat.

Catching Up

It's been a really long time since I've last written a post. This has been a trend lately that I try to defend myself that I have been "soooooo busy" well I am going to use it once again but this time has probably been my busiest time in a while. I mean jet setting the globe just takes soooo much out of a poor girl. Kidding but seriously its been a crazy past few weeks!

Big life changes are happening. Like oh I don't know....

MOVING TO TEXAS!

Wahh hoo! Or should I say Yeehaw! Crazy! I accepted a job in corporate wellness working at a chemical plant. Sounds a little terrifying and the plant itself is like nothing I've ever seen before so yes as of right now the plant is scary but as time passes and I become more familiar with it, I'm just going to assume that that will go away. Fingers crossed.

After a few rounds of phone interviews between myself, Texas and the location in Tennessee, I flew down last week for an in person interview and was offered the position on the morning of day two. Later that afternoon I went to 3 different apartment showings. It has been crazy! Everything has happened so quickly but I am so excited to get started. This job is my dream entry level job and while it may be a challenging at times I welcome it. Bring it on Texas!

The second I stepped off the plane it was bridal shower mode. My sister is getting married at the end of June and her bridal shower was a day after I flew home from Texas, like I said it's been crazy. I think I have been running around with my head cut off for the past two weeks trying to get everything together between the shower, the bachelorette party (also Saturday night) and the interview and now MOVING there.

It's been crazy, but crazy is good for now. It will keep my on my toes.

I have been running and lifting and yoga-ing as much as I can. It has been my escape to sneak away from the hectic life around me!

I can't wait to write about my new running adventures down south! The town I'm moving to has a running club! PERFECT!!!!

This was a pretty neat picture of my hometown right before we landed. I try my best with traveling but I don't think I have ever been able to make it through traveling without some tears. There was really bad weather during all of the flights I took! Like awful turbulence. I am usually ok once after take off and before landings... But with the tornadoes and severe weather last week it was rough going the whole flights, not to mention the planes were TINY. For once I would like a normal sized plane... One on of the exceptionally bad flights, where people clapped for the pilots after we landed, I think I cried more than the baby in the row behind me. Whatever, I did my best. Flying is hard.

 I spent a lot of time in the airport and what better way to spend it than catching up sending e-mails and reading USA Today and coffee is a necessity anytime you're traveling. Lots of coffee.

The benefits of being up and outside of the plant early is getting to see the sunrise over the site! So beautiful!

I slept like a baby each night I stayed here. I was totally exhausted but the bed was heavenly. I think you could have fit three of me on there too. There's no way I was going to fall off that bed!

Interview outfit. Not too bad for flying from Wisconsin to Louisiana and then driving over to Texas.

This is what happens when you try to do a HIIT workout at 11pm after being up for over 15 hours and have been traveling all day. Not the most successful workout but I gave it a shot! I loved that the hotel I stayed in had a set of dumbbells, most hotels just have cardio machines. 

 For my sister's bachelorette party we wore old bridesmaid dresses the older and more ridiculous the better! They were a huge hit! Not to mention hilarious to wear! It was such a cute idea she had!

 What bachelorette party would be complete without some homemade Booty cookies? Not only were they adorable but they were so delicious too!

This needy little bugger is going to miss me. And I might miss him, just a tiny little bit.