Turkey Trek 5k!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! To celebrate the holiday Mike and I got up early, squeezed ourselves into spandex (ok, he didn't need to do much squeezing but all the eating I've done lately and the lack of movement has not been good to my weight loss) and we headed out for our first Thanksgiving race. Albuquerque had a couple of things going on today but we chose to do the Turkey Trek, a 5k sponsored by Fleet Feet and held at ABQ Uptown...Fleet Feet is also the new sponsor of ABQ Fit (HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!) so I was interested to see how this race would go. Also, this was my first 5k ever (I know, I've run a marathon, but never a 5k)

It figures that today is cold and rainy...Mike's most hated running weather, but some of my favorite. We got to ABQ Uptown a little before 8.00 to meet up with Denise and Francine and a few other ABQ Fitters that were running this race. Mike lined up near the front, where he belongs, Denise and I headed towards the back. We were hoping to finish around 40:00 but overall I just wanted to have a good time and get my day of eating off to a good start. :) The course was good...it was on the streets and went from ABQ Uptown to Cornado Mall and then back. There was a water stop a miles 1 and 2 which was plenty and the volunteers were nice and enthusiastic, which was really asking a lot considering it was cold and wet out and they were standing out there watching a bunch of crazies run around. It was a little hilly, but nothing impossible (of course, running the Academy last night left me with tired legs so the first hill wasn't very fun). Denise and I really pushed it the last half mile though and finished together in 37:00 flat...shattering her last 5k time by 7 minutes and beating my goal of 40:00. Needless to say, I'm pleased.

Now it's on to the reward...a day of turkey, wine and pie. I really couldn't ask for me. Have a good holiday!

Back to it!

So I sat for my first section of the CPA exam yesterday. That was hell. Picking the biggest, hardest (really, they're all hard, this one just happens to have the most information in it) section to start with - during my busy season at work, no less - was not the smartest thing I've ever done. But I'm done. I at least know what to expect for the next 3 times I have to go through this (god, please let it only be 3 more times!). I'm taking the next week off studying and will sit for the next section, law and tax, on January 16. That'll be fun...I avoid tax at all cost.

To celebrate being done with this part I did a few things. First, I chopped off even more of my hair...pictures to come once I actually do it. I now look like a boy, but I like it. It'll take me about 5 minutes to do it in the morning. I then met up with Denise for margaritas - that girl is awesome! And, to top it all off, I dragged my lazy, fat ass out of bed at 7.00 this morning to start running again. I stuck with Denise for her 8 min/2 min run/walk interval and we did just under 4 miles. I was secretly happy she didn't have her watch with her today, which made it easier for me to stick with her and do the run/walk intervals...I haven't run in 2 weeks (at all...the most running I've done has been from the computer to the fridge and that's just b/c the floor is cold and I'm in a hurry to get back to the heating pad I've stuck on the floor for my feet). It was HARD! And Tramway might not have been the best idea for my first run back, but that didn't occur to me until I was half way up the first hill.

Anyway, it's good to be back. I have a better study schedule set for the next section of the exam so it looks like I'll be able to stick with running and hopefully be back up to doing 8-12 miles every weekend around Christmastime. I'm so looking forward to getting back into the mileage!

Tomorrow's the day...

I sit for my first section of the CPA exam. I don't feel 100% ready, but I doubt I ever will. Once this is over I can have some kind of life again...sitting for the biggest, hardest part first - and during my busy season at work - was not smart. Cross your fingers I don't have to retake it. All I want is a 75%!

I'm alive...barely...

So I know it's been a gazillion years since I've updated this thing, and trust me, I've wanted to. Especially since I got my tattoo!!! No, I don't have the most attractive feet ever, and yes, I still have a very sexy sock line from running all summer, but there you have it. For those of you lazy people who don't feel like scrolling down like 2 posts, it means "Determination" in Greek. The marathon has Greek origins, hence the language. Also, I put it on my right foot since I had problems with it before my race and seriously thought I wasn't going to make it to Denver...Stupid foot. Originally it was going to go on my left foot, but after that little experience, I decided the right had more significance to me. Also, my sister, Aliza translated it and drew it for me. Super cool! It hurt - bad - but not as bad as I was expecting. There were no tears. :)

But besides this, there has been no excitement in my life. I sit for the CPA exam, aka: "That Damned Test That's Taking Over My Life And I Don't Think I'm Going To Pass So I'll Be Doing This For The Next 10 Years," next Friday (the 21st). I haven't had time to do anything at all. I go to work at about 7AM and leave/get back to my car at about 5.30PM (depending on whether or not I'm working out of town - 98% of the time I'm in Grants or Santa Fe). I get home around 6.00 and start studying around 6.30 or 7.00 and usually try and go until 10.30 or 11.00. Needless to say, I'm not learning very much because I do all this stuff ALL DAY LONG, then come home and mess with the theory behind it some more...I'm only getting about 5 1/2 hrs of sleep every night and I'm exhausted. I don't have time to run. I don't have time to bike. I don't have time to clean. I DO, however, have time to bitch and whine about how much this sucks.

So, with that said, I'll sign off before I go off on some random vent about how stupid it is to discounts bonds. Because it is. No one does it in real life.

Now what???

I met up this morning with the ex-ABQ Fitters who are running the San Antonio Rock n Roll in a couple of weeks. They did between 10 and 12 since they're starting their taper, and even though I'd wanted to do 10, I held back and did 5. I figured that since I haven't done a serious run since the race (the ~20 shuffle thing that I did on Monday doesn't count) I should have some restraint. My goal is to get out a few times next week, but since the time has to go and change on me and all, we'll see how that goes. The dreadmill and I are not friends. Something tells me it's going to be another long, cold, dark winter running little circles around my condo community. Not fun.

I feel a little lost though. When I first started running it was because I wanted to run this marathon and it was going to be super hard and I couldn't run unless I was being chased...and even then, I'd probably just give up and hope I could talk my way out of whatever horrible fate I was facing. So going out every Saturday morning and several times during the week was something I had to do if I wanted to get to the training. Once I got through In Motion and started with ABQ Fit, it was time to get serious. I'd already proved to myself that I could get something started...now I just had to finish it. So I got up even earlier on Saturday and never saw friends on Friday nights...I didn't want to feel too tired. If I missed a run, I'd make it up, even if it meant doing it alone for hours and hours at a time. But it was so easy to do - I had this huge, giant goal sitting there staring at me, saying "If you don't do this now, you'll never make it." Well, I did the training and I completed my goal.

Now what?

I don't have that let down feeling that I've been told to expect. I'm still elated over the fact that I ran a marathon and I can't wait for the next one...but it's not till June. It's WAY too early to train for it now. Part of me wants the break from the high mileage, but part of me misses it already. I found a 10k that I'll do on Thanksgiving morning and there's a 5k and a sprint triathlon I want to do in December but for some reason those just don't have me quite as excited. Well, the tri does, but I know I'm not going to do that great because I'm not training.

Anyway...I guess I just need to find a race close to home between now and June. :)