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.