Single Life

One of the few things I don't like about being single is not having anyone around to ask about things like, when I slice my hand open with a very sharp knife, how do I know when it's serious enough to need a doctor?

UPDATE:
I'm going to survive. A few hours later and it's still throbbing but seems to have sealed itself, and the actual length of the cut is not as great as I initially thought. Some blood has coagulated underneath the flap of skin, making the incision look purple and swollen. I hope that goes away. I don't want to push the blood out and risk opening the wound again.

A downside - I couldn't finish making dinner and ended up eating oatmeal. Ah, bachelorette-hood. I'll be annoyed if it's too fragile to attend my morning yoga class. Otherwise, I'm thankful it wasn't worse...

Doesn't look too bad in the photo but man was there a lot of blood!

I feel like blogging

I feel like blogging but I have nothing in my brain to blog about.

Work is very slow today... no one is in the office and I am always highly motivated for the first three hours of my shift, so right about NOW I have pretty much cleared everything off my desk and am just waiting for a new case to come in. Which hopefully it won't because I am enjoying this bit of downtime after the morning flurry of activity.

Maybe I will head across to Jolt n Bolt for some raw juice or a smoothie. Or a CHAI LATTE! That's it! That's what I will do.

I love working in Adams Morgan where there are no shortages of ethnic restaurants (I want to try the Sudanese place next week), hippie earth mother coffee shops (i.e. Jolt n Bolt), and interesting people to watch (who might be planning to rob me, but whatever - hey, then I'd at least catch a case!).

This morning, in an attempt to let go of my orthorexic tendencies, I ate a Starbucks breakfast sandwich: egg, cheddar, and sausage on an English muffin. Damn, was it good. Am trying not to think about the sodium, fillers, and preservatives...

Welp, it's the weekend pretty much and I don't have much on tap. Some running, some yoga, lots of movies. Haha, I just typed "motives" instead of "movies" - wonder what schemes are brewing in my subconscious??

Enough of my free-associative posting. I'm outta here..

Second Pre-Dawn Run

This morning I went for my second pre-dawn run, despite having two beers and staying out (relatively) late last night. I'm not finding it terribly difficult to wake up and run, surprisingly. There are certainly some advantages, such as:

*Feeling confident and committed to my physical well being, as opposed to feeling lazy;
*Knowing that the whole afternoon and evening are mine to enjoy, rather than anticipating a run when I might be tired from work;
*A few extra minutes in the morning to sit and eat breakfast

This morning when I got in from my run it was about 5:45am. The sun was up, birds were singing, and I flipped on the news after my shower. For an eerie second, it felt like 5:45pm - the hour was about right for when I'd come in from my normal runs (just 12 hours different), the dawn light reminded me of dusk (though the sun is out until almost 9pm these days!), and I felt calm, alert, and ready to roll!

In other news, I have never been happier to be carless than now. I certainly do not take for granted all the money (and aggravation) I'm able to save without a gas and insurance payments. People are going through some hard times and I think by the choices I've made - to live in a walkable neighborhood with easy access to public transportation - will buffer me from the downturned economy for the most part.

In weird/funny news, now that it's summer the foot-fetishists are coming out of the woodwork! I've gotten more comments on my feet/sandals/toenail polish in the past week than I can count. It's very cute, and I love to tease the poor guys who can't keep their eyes on mine... distracted not by the body part you'd expect, but by my adorable toes. Heheheeee.

Two Firsts

Today was my first pre-dawn run AND my first day combining a run and gym workout.

Getting up early to run wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My alarm went off at 4:45am. I snoozed for five minutes. Stretched for five minutes. Got dressed and was out the door at 5am sharp.

I admit, I was asleep on my feet for the first mile, but when dawn broke and the sun started coming up, I felt a lot better. Don't get me wrong - it was still 79-degrees and humid even at that early hour... the run was not easy.

Approximately 37-minutes later I was home, and even though I could have made the 6:01 bus I decided to give myself a break and actually sit down to eat my oatmeal instead of eating it while dressing, as is the norm.

I went easy on the weights this afternoon and laid off the squats/lunges. My poor knees... I've never had any issues with them (knock-on-wood) and want to keep it that way.

Even though I ate all my meals and snacks and even brought an extra apple, I feel famished. And, recently, drowsy. So I went to Starbucks and picked up some almonds and an orange juice... which helped... but if I am going to run early I need to make sure I have enough to eat, if nothing else to stave off exhaustion.

I'm happy I did it, though, because it's closing in on 100-degrees, even higher with the heat index. Definitely not safe to run this afternoon... so now I am free to stay home, watch movies, nap, and have a generally relaxing day without worry about heat stroke or beating myself up for skipping a workout.

The verdict? I can do this. Two days or so a week for a couple months... I can do it.

One More Option

On Friday I had the day off work to run in a charity race benefiting the Special Olympics. I was meeting a few colleagues at the office to drive over together, so I just decided to jog to work for a warm up.

What a nice, nice run. Three miles, flat/downhill, great scenery.

So, instead of getting up early to run before work, I could consider running TO work two days a week. As long as I can get organized and keep clothes, a towel, etc in the locker room, it should work great! Maybe I'll try it!

This is the course from home to work:



It really wouldn't be difficult to bring clothes to work on Friday, and again on Wednesday, to be preprared to shower/change there on Mondays and Thursdays. So, I have a couple of options to consider now that the weather is getting warmer and more humid. I'll keep y'all updated.

I'm heading out of town today, just for the night. I'll be back tomorrow night. Til then!

Unnngh

I think I'm going to have to start waking up early two morning a week and running before work.

If I wake up at 4:45am and am out the door at 5am I can be home by 5:45am and still get the 6:18am or 6:36am bus to be at work before 7am. Not ideal... but two mornings a week for a couple months year, I can make it work.

It's just getting way too hot in the afternoons and evenings to make running a positive thing for me.

I can do this. I can suck it up. Am I an athlete or an amateur? This is the test.

Lanie's Hideaway

Natasha isn't the only girl around here who likes her cozy little spots... here is Elena tucked away inside her cat condo.

Shoebox Kitten!

My cat Natasha loves to make herself at home if a cozy shoebox happens to be lying around.

Q&A

Stolen from Lea's blog, just for fun:

1. What is your occupation? Sorry, can't say.
2. What color are your socks right now? Not wearing any
3. What are you listening to right now? A film - Crimes and Misdemeanors
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A cracker
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Dark blue
7. Who is the last person you talked to? Matt via text
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Very much so!
9. How old are you today? 27
10. Favorite drink? Irish tea with a splash of whole milk
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Red Wing hockey!
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes
13. Pets? Two cats - Natasha and Elena
14. Favorite food? Sushi
15. Last movie you watched? Currently watching: Crimes and Misdemeanors
16. Favorite Day of the year? Not sure...
17. What do you do to vent anger? Run
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My Little Pony :)
19. What is your favorite season? Spring or fall
20. Hugs or kisses? Both at the same time
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry
22. Do you want your friends to email you back? Huh?
23. Who is most likely to respond? I didn't really ask anyone to respond
24. Who is least likely to respond? See above
25. What ever happened to parents who gave a care? Don't understand the question.
26. When was the last time you cried? Can't remember... couple weeks ago?
27. What is on the floor of your closet? Some storage boxes
28. Favorite smells? Vanilla, sweat
29. Who inspires you? I have my muses :)
30. What are you afraid of? Grizzly bears
31. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese or bbq burger
32. Favorite Car? I love Prowlers :)
33. Favorite cat breed? Just regular cats, whatever breed they are
34. Number of keys on your key ring? Seven
35. Years at your current job? 3.5
36. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
37. How many states have you live in? One (Michigan) and one District (Columbia)
38. Do you think you're funny? Yes, but I can't tell a joke to save my life
39. Favorite sounds? Irish music, de-corking a wine bottle
40. Last book you read? A Suspension of Mercy by Patricia Highsmith

NMoCaP

So I am slowly coming out of my weekend of seclusion. Not sure I accomplished everything I wanted to, but overall I had three days of peace, introspection, revision, and running (over 20 miles since Friday!).

Last Thursday I was invited to the opening of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. They did a really, really nice job with this museum and it's worth seeing. Here are some photos from the reception and museum tour:

McGruff the crime dog was waiting to greet people as they entered!


John Walsh was there and gave a really nice speech about the museum and the important sacrifices that law enforcement, prosecutors, and advocates make in their quest for justice:


The section on serial killers included such artifacts as the switchblade used by the Boston Stranger, a John Wayne Gacy self-portrait, and an envelope addressed by Charles Manson, including his signature in the return address space:


I tried to crack the safe but couldn't do it!


I discovered a secret tunnel in the jail cell:



America's Most Wanted will run their operations, including filming and call intake, from the museum:


At dinner later in Glover Park; I decide that I'm tired of having my picture taken.

Incommunicado

All,

I hope to be mostly incommunicado this weekend. I need a couple days to rest, exercise, and go within a little bit. I'm going to try to stay away from the PC, sweets, and other people as much as possible.

Once that's over, I will post a bit about the opening of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment that I had the honor to attend last night. Expect pictures!

PSA: Dating

Lately it seems like every third person in my life is trying to set me up on a date. Dating is the last thing I want to do right now, but it's really difficult to explain this because the inevitable comeback is, "What do you have to lose?"

Is it not enough that I just don't want to?

Please people, lay off for a second or two. Thanks.

La Vie avec Les Chats

This is what happens when I try to snag a few minutes to read National Geographic:

Progression

Good: A late dinner with friends and a very leisurely morning
Better: Running uphill with Matt biking behind, singing the "Rocky" theme song
Best: Finishing my run, hot and sweaty, letting cold air from the AC blast me in the face

Oops

I meant to go running after work today but fell asleep by accident. There's still plenty of daylight, but I'm in one of those post-nap fogs that feels awful and is really hard to shake. So I'm going to make some caffeinated tea and try not to beat myself up over it. I'll run tomorrow (easy), Saturday (long), and be back on my schedule Sunday morning when I go to yoga.

Official Time

So... I overestimated my 5k time a little. Official results are in, and I have an official time of 29:24, a little more than 30 seconds off what I estimated in my race report.

I'm happy about my pace, though, which averaged out to a 9:28 mile.

See the offical results here.

And... just for perspective... the male winner ran a 5:20 mile to finish in 16:33, and the female winner ran a 5:48 mile to finish in 18:01.

5k Race Report

This morning I ran the National Police Week 5k. It was raining when I woke up and the rain persisted through the entire race. Thankfully, it wasn't a soaking rain, so clothes and shoes mainly stayed dry.

The route began at the FBI Field Office and finished at the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial, following Independence Ave to the Capitol Building, turning north on 1st St NE, east on Constitution Ave NE, and south on 2nd St NE back to Independence to form a loop.


I already knew about the fairly steep hill between miles one and two, which was just another reason to obey my mantra of "Don't start too fast, don't start too fast, don't start too fast..."

Well... I didn't start too fast, but when all my hill training kicked and I started passing people on the incline, I got a bit cocky and picked up the pace. That resulted in a debilitating cramp just before the second mile marker, the kind where you just want to stop and double over and every inhale feels like an icepick stabbing you in the diaphragm. Yeah. But just then I noticed my support "team" (one loyal friend who braved the rain to cheer me on) and that was the boost I needed to take the pace down a notch and push through until the cramp abated, which it did just in time to turn north on 3rd St for the home stretch.

My official time won't be posted for another couple days (at least), but the clock as I crossed the finish said 30:15. I estimate that it took about 90 seconds to actually cross the starting line, which takes my time to about 28:45, which is exactly within the range I had hoped to finish.

I need to run a few more small races through my half-marathon training program, just to keep an eye on my pace and refine my strategy. Overall, I'm pleased with my performance and my time, especially given the conditions.

5k Eve

I'm running a race tomorrow! It's the National Police Week 5k and should be a lot of fun if the rain can hold out. My plan is to run easy, just a normal pace and see what happens. Since I don't run with a wathc, I don't know how fast (or slow) I am. So... I need to get a handle on that before official training starts in July.

Race report tomorrow afternoon!

Monday Evening

Today on a whim I signed up for a 5k race this Saturday. I think the race atmosphere will be energizing and it will be nice to know my official pace, since I don't run with a watch. But first, I need to pick up and break in a new pair of running shoes, so I'll do that tomorrow.

This is my only night to myself this whole week, and I'm spending it unfortunately watching a mediocre film, Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters. Not his best film, so I've stopped paying close attention and am cleaning up the kitchen, blogging, and browing a fashion magazine.

NHL playoffs resume on Thursday. I'm psyched.

Delinquent!

Okay, so I really haven't updated in a long time. There's kind of a lot going on in my personal life these days that isn't fit to be discussed in a public forum.

My half-marathon pre-training has hit a bit of a snag. I think I'm trying to do too much too soon. So I'm cutting back on my Saturday mileage - instead of doing 7-8 miles I'm going to stick with 5-6 and just try to build strength. I don't want to burn myself out... and acclimitizing to the warmer weather is proving to be a bit of a struggle.

I cooked dinner last night for a friend, and it turned out really well! I baked salmon with tomato, lemon, shallot, and thyme and served it over a bed of penne with a light cream sauce. The salad was baby spring greens with walnuts, cranberries, and goat cheese drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette. He brought an amazing bottle of Medoc. The meal was delicious, if I do say so myself.

This morning I'm going to have brunch with Mike and Christina! So sadly, Mike has moved down to Norfolk (Christina will be following soon), but he happens to be in town this weekend so I'm snagging a couple hours of his time. I know it's a great move forward for them, but it's sad for me that he's left.

The weather is PERFECT today so Matt and I are going to take advantage and go to the Zoo later this afternoon! We're both very fair, so I'm sure there will be much sunscreen invovled.

That's it for now! I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend.