Fave Fridays (and "Thirsty Thursday")

I'll start with 3 favorite things and then explain "Thirsty Thursday".

Lizard Thicket: I know this sounds strange, but it's the name of a clothing store in Newnan. I usually loathe clothes shopping, but they had SO many great things! We went there over the weekend for my birthday and I left with a shirt, skirt, and dress. WIN!

The Cure: I have been on such a kick lately! They're one of very few 80s bands that I can handle. I find myself singing 'Just Like Heaven' a lot on my runs.

Powerade Zero: It has nothing to do with the 'zero calorie' part for me. I LOVE the flavors. Regular Gatorade and Powerade taste too thick and sugary to me. With coach ramping up the top girls mileage, I've been chugging these things down whenever I get home.


Thirsty Thursday: A slang term for Thursday nights at the college (aka 'let's all get wasted' night). Before you all jump to conclusions, I did NOT drink any alcohol or go to any parties. I'm too much of a goody goody.

However, coach had the top girls running the 'College run' where we run to the college, loop through it, and head back to the high school. I feel that I should also mention that 98% of my run yesterday felt pretty good! All the girls were sticking together and we were keeping a pretty solid 8 minute pace. Pretty good for a run right after speed day.

But just when we were about to leave the college campus, I got sick out of nowhere. Seriously. One second I was fine, the next second I was throwing up. Luckily, the girls didn't notice me drop back and kept running. I would have been (more) embarrassed had they stopped for me. Luckily only a handful of college students witnessed my homage to Thirsty Thursday.

As embarrassing as it was, I felt fine right after and was able to complete the run! I'm just hoping it doesn't happen again this Saturday.

Good luck to everyone and their running endeavors this weekend!

Monday Mile Trial

So today turned out to be the BEST FIRST DAY OF CROSS COUNTRY EVER.

I was fully expecting it to suck hardcore. Practice was at 3:30 and it was 100 degrees outside.
Major bummer. And mile trials were today. Every first day of the season Coach times everyone on their mile to set the lineup for the first meet.

And this is where things take an epic turn.
Right before we lined up to run, he said that if we were at the timed mile during Summer practice (which I was!) that we didn't have to run it again, provided that we could remember our time.

I definitely did. 7:18, my best timed mile to date.
SO, not only did I not have to run a mile as fast as I could in the horrible heat, my solid time put me in third place for the lineup!

Of course, the boy's captain and I went on a three miler after practice so we didn't TOTALLY slack off today.
We ran McDonalds (an out and back run). We stopped for water and he randomly decided to buy a burger and eat it right before we set back out.
Needless to say his stomach was killing him when we finished.

Anyways, I've rambled quite enough.
I hope everyone else had a lovely Monday!

Biking Fail

So today was a rest day from running. I decided to be proactive and jump on my bike (a great way to get in some exercise on a 'rest day'). But I got 7 minutes into my route when my back tire essentially gave up on life.

I mean, this sucker was flat out depressed. So I walked my sad bike home and tried to pump some air into it.

No dice. I didn't take the time to examine it because a swarm of mosquitoes were feasting on me, but it must have a hole in it. The tire wasn't taking ANY air.

So until I get that fixed, my rest days will truly be filled with resting, or trips to the pool for laps. Yipee.

I hope everyone else had a lovely Father's Day!

The Invisible 5k

So I woke up late this morning. I vaulted myself straight out of bed and right into panic mode. I hastily forced some breakfast down, got dressed, and sped (sorry, mom) to the rec department where the race was supposed to be. But then things got weird. No one was there.

So there I am, standing like a goober when I see what looks like a registration tent across the lawn. So I sprint over and slam my money down on the table. The guy examines my attire and then asks, puzzled, "Are you here for the softball tournament?" WHAT?! 


So I sprint back to the rec building (leaving a group of very confused softball parents in my dust). I then (very politely) proceed to bang on the window to the locked building. The lobby man (I don't know what they're called) ambles on over and opens the door about an inch (because apparently crazy needs a door fully opened before it attacks).

I ask him out of breath, "Where is the race being held?"

I receive a blank stare followed by "What race?"

We look into each other's eyes for one long awkward moment before I apologize for the inconvenience and walk back to the parking lot.

Once I get to my car I just stand there for a moment, bewildered (Is this all just a bad dream?). I was just about to get into my car and cry when I saw a runner a couple of cars down lacing up his shoes. I amble over as calmly as possible (because I've already scared enough people today) and ask if he heard about a race being held today.

"Oh yea," he says. "I just called the coordinator. They cancelled it."

I wanted to ask several things (Couldn't they have updated their website which I checked last night? How do you have the inside scoop and I don't? WHY DID THEY CANCEL IT?!), but I was too tired to listen to any of the answers so I just thanked him, got into my car, and (angrily) drove home.

Lesson learned? I have no idea. Make sure your alarm works?

Cheetah Girls

So prom is fast approaching.
And, of course, I've managed to make a couple of stumbles on my way there.
For one, I've changed prom dresses so many times I've lost count.
The one that I finally settled on has a low back.
I have a horrible sports bra line.

So my mom and I bought spray tan stuff and tested it out a couple of days ago.
My mom's vision isn't what it used to be (she's blind as a bat, even with her glasses).
So my stomach was sprayed...unevenly.
I look like I have cheetah prints.
But at least I look fierce.

On the bright side, I knocked out another long run today.
But I need to keep an eye on my shins, because they've been hurting lately.
Shin splints are the the last thing I need!

Deja Vu

Two blog posts in one day?
You might be thinking, "But Jessie, how is this possible?"
Well this blog post is sponsored by stupid tornado warnings that ruin Friday evening plans.

I had a date.
I NEVER have dates (partly because I'm a nerd, but mostly because I'm insanely busy most of the time).
You win this round, Mr. Tornado.

Russell Brand ftw.

I was going to see Arthur, which looks hilarious.
But no.
Now I'm sprawled out on my floor playing on the computer and watching episodes of Daria on the internet.

All I know is this storm better clear up before my long run tomorrow.
In the meantime, I'm going to see what crazy new art project Jane Lane has undertaken.

Perfect summary of what my night is going to be like.

I hope everyone else's evenings pan out better than mine.

Gay Day at Six Flags

Have you heard about this?
Apparently Six Flags Theme Parks are holding LGBT Pride days, which people have dubbed 'Gay Day's.
The one in Six Flags over Georgia is sometime in August.
I just thought that was interesting.

Anyways, I knocked out another long run on Saturday.
I did some 'speed play'.
Unfortunately, I made this decision about ten minutes after eating a heavy lunch.
But I kept my lunch down (miraculously) and got home without walking.
As soon as I got home I sprawled out on the floor next to an air vent and refused to move.
Summer heat is just around the corner.
Goodie.

Run For the Hills

So I was reading CAUTION: Redhead Running when I came across a post of hers about something near and dear to my heart:
Boob loss.
Apparently I'm not the only female runner that has experienced the devastating loss of a cup size due to my favorite pastime. And like Morgan, I continue to have what one can only classify as a 'ghetto booty', while my boobs seemed to have run for the hills. They're refusing to return.

But I'm leaving the porch light on.
You know, just in case.

Jazz Hands

Ok, so I've been running in the same general area for a couple of weeks now and I've come to a conclusion: some people are just weird...and like to pick on people that exercise.

I thought I had everything figured out. I'd narrowed it down to a short list of possble reactions people give to seeing me run by. Most of these things apply to people in cars.

1. They pretend I don't exist. This is preferrable.
2. They just stare. This isn't preferrable but it's understandable. If I saw a teenager running by in 40-degree weather in a pair of running shorts, I'd probably stare too.
3. They glare at me: this look usually means that they would very much like to run me over. I try not to take it too personally, but I can't help but feel a little intimidated.
4. They blatantly hoot at you, or vocal other rather inappropriate suggestions. This one is the one that throws me off the most. And by the time it it sinks in and I get mad, they've already left me in a cloud of smog.

I thought I'd mentally prepared myself to disregard whatever comment or gesture was thrown my way. But this week one driver made me question human sanity in a whole new way.

The best phrase I can think of to describe what he did was 'jazz hands'. I was running on the sidewalk next to a moderately busy road when this man, this strange man, slowly drove by. I didn't think anything on him. He was a plain looking middle aged man smoking a plain cigarrett in a plain car. But then he made eye contact with me. I prepared myself for either number 2 or 4 on the list when he stuck his cigarette between his lips, brought both hands to either side of his face, and then BAM. He opened and closed his hands twice before taking the cigarette back out of his mouth and then driving away.

At first I just shrugged it off, but then I got to thinking. What emotion was supposed to go with that gesture? Encouragement? He could have been pantomiming the number 20. But 20 what? Was it a lewd gesture? If it was, I can't begin to imagine what it meant. Was it an angry gesture?

In the grand scheme of things, this little event essentially means nothing. But it sure did distract and confuse me.