out of shape but i have a beautiful ring

It's official :) Christian and I are engaged! I haven't blogged (or ran more than a mile) in almost two weeks. I've been lost in la la land with my fiance. Christian got here late on Friday the 17th and that's the last time my legs were in a running motion for more than 10 minutes.

I am out of shape and totally enamored with my beautiful engagement ring. A girl gets at least 10 days to gloat, right?

But I'm really perturbed by how fast I just got out of shape. According to some article I found on Google this is what happens after two weeks:

At zero workouts for two weeks, you will see a moderate decrease in your aerobic fitness (more if you are a new exerciser, less if you are more experienced). You will notice less loss in your (anaerobic) strength fitness. But you’ll regain what you’ve lost in two to four weeks after you get active again; much faster than if you were starting from scratch.

I'm so excited to spend the next TWO TO FOUR WEEKS getting back to where I was at mile 6 before Christian got here. I'm determined to prove these people wrong. However, last night's experience at the gym would definitely indicate that they are correct. I called it quits on the treadmill after only 15 minutes but I reckon most of it was a mental problem I was having.

The other thing that is really making me mad is that BSC at S. Station just signed up way too many people. WAY TOO MANY!!! I had to wait forever for a treadmill and when I left there was a 6 person line for the treadmills. Totally inexcusable and really discouraging. This girl needs all the green lights you can give her.

Buttt there is still this beautiful ring to look at and a beautiful wedding to plan with a beautiful (ok, handsome) man! So... life is good. :) Derek did a photoshoot for us on monday, that is where the pic is from. His pictures turned out so nice!!! I've also started on our wedding website, check it out.

GO Phils!

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phils to the world series!

WOOPTY WOOP!  The Phils are sick and nasty to put it in Boston terms but in Philly terms the Phils are phantastic!!! I'm SO excited. Almost as excited as I am to have Christian here as of tomorrow night. ;)

I just looked at tickets for games 3-5 home in Philadelphia and well it turns out I will not be able to afford $500 SRO tickets!  If someone has a hook-up definitely let me know but otherwise I will be wearing my Phillie's gear in a bar with huge TVs at home all weekend eatting nothing but artery clogging food!!!  Take that marathon training!

Life is good!

BTW - today is national Boss's Day, who knew?  The card I deemed appropriate to send today, haha.

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'08 even better than '93

Phils Phils Phils- let's go Phils!  I'm so excited!  We're only one game away from the World Series! I really want to know what the possiblity is that there will be a home world series game while I'm home in Philadelphia Oct 23 - 26 because THIS GIRL wants to go!!  Anyone have any insight?

On sadder note - the Sox are flat out STRUGGLING.  :(  Down 1-2 in the series and in game 4 right now they're down by 4 runs in the 3rd.  I suppose a play-by-play in my blog is not that exciting, interesting or even appreciated, haha.

Today I didn't do a distance run.  However, I ran 2 miles in 17 minutes which is really fast for me!! It may seem like peanuts to all you super in shape people, but I'm proud of myself.

T minus 3 days until Christian gets here omg I can't waittttt!!!  I'm thinking we're going to check out the Head of the Charles this weekend if anyone is in Boston and wants to join us/hang out.

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have you seen my kneecap?

I think I lost my kneecap around mile 4 today but for some reason I kept running.  Maybe the treadmill ate it in my delirium.  I keep icing my knee area in hopes that it will return.  Advil might be able to help me find it as well - we'll see what the winning combo is.

I wish I had one of those things you see in movies where the person in the hospital bed has their leg hanging in a sling from the top frame of the bed.  I need to see if I can install one to the ceiling above my bed so I can properly "elevate" my injury in my sleep.

Despite my complaining, my new running shoes are glorious.  I reckon my knee would have removed itself from my body around mile 2 in the old shoes.  At least that is what I'm telling myself to justify that giant spend this weekend! ;)

I looked up knee injuries on WebMD and surprisingly at no point did the description say I was going to die.  They did however diagnose something as "Runner's Knee" - they're so witty and technical.  No weird diseases - just overuse for the most part.  Maybe tendinitis.  Maybe arthritis (please I hope not).  But no sudden death caused by knee pain.

I'm going to go with the diagnosis of "Runner's Knee" which recommends the ice, advil and elevation.  Now I'm going to throw 8 hours of sleep into the mix and I reckon tomorrow will be OK and my kneecap might actually come home in the middle of the night.

Go Phil's!

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i love my baby yep yep

Christian gets here on Friday and I cannot wait :) I threw this video together on animoto.com - check it out. It costs money to make it (not to watch it ah-ehm Sarah!) - not much - but I thought it was fun and worth it! If it takes awhile to load just hit refresh on the page - it should work!




So the video is corny, I realize. But it's our song and it makes me happy.

This weekend was good! I bought my official running shoes - the woman fitted me for like 7 pairs before finding the winning pair which put me out $13o OUCH (charlie)!

The Phillies were up 2-0 in the series but they're losing by 6 in the top of the 7th so I'm thinking we might be giving this one to the Dodgers tonight. Oh well - just as long as we win 4, right? ;)

Woop - they just scored and we've got 2 on base and no outs. But this is where I go to bed (because I am an old lady and because my company is a bit like a plantation).

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zipping

Zipcar is brilliant. I just joined and I am super pumped about it. So let me break down how Zipcar works for all my (crazy) readers that do not live in metropolitan areas.

There are a couple different options for signing up. It depends on how much you drive. I signed up for the "occasional driving" plan. I pay a $50 yearly membership fee and a one time $25 application fee. I can rent cars for about $10/hour or around $70/day but guess what - it includes GAS! Can you believe that?

So I have this credit card looking membership card that unlocks a particular car I reserve by waving it over the driver-side window. Inside there is a credit card for gas so I never pay out of pocket.

Zipcars are parked all over the place. Within a less than half mile distance of my apartment there are roughly 5 different parking lots that all feature at least two Zipcars. I can reserve them for a quick doctor's appointment or for up to 4 days at a time.

Here's a fun one. I rented one for when Christian is here so we can go home to Philadelphia for a few days! :D It will be great to see the family. It will also be fun to do a road trip with Christian. In our almost 7 year relationship we've done very few a road trip. Christian is wondering if we should file for divorce now or? Kidding.

We rented a MINI Cooper. It's green. It's tiny. It's fast (I hope). I've always wanted to drive one. That is another brilliance of Zipcar. You can rent a regular coupe/sedan, pick-up trucks, SUVs, or luxury cars such as BMWs and Vovlos. Do I sound like a Zipcar commercial yet?

Anyway. Christian and I will be home Thurs, Oct 23rd through Sunday Oct 26. Hope to see everyone I miss so much. Maybe we could have a big get together for whoever is around.

T minus 10 days until Christian gets to Boston and I cannot wait!

By the way. Can we talk about average temperatures in Boston while I'm training for a marathon? I'm LITERALLY training during the coldest months possible in Boston. Awesome. Good one, Jillian.

I'm going to Marathon Sports this weekend to blow my paycheck on (unfun) things like proper running shoes, the special socks, the water bottle fanny pack (oh geez) and anything else an educated salesman may be able to convince me is worth more millions of dollars.

There is a science to running shoes, but after mile 3 in my Nike Shox I believe it. They kill after a few miles. So better get the right ones.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to breathe in sub-freezing temperatures? Or know a good way to make my cell phone auto-dial 911 when I collapse on the side of the road?

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26.2

Amazon delivered this funny little package on my desk today containing two books. Book number one, The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer and number two, The Nonrunners Marathon Guide for Women. You may be wondering if this is some kind of shipping error. But no, they are two books I ordered to jump start a goal I've always dreamed of achieving.

I may be setting myself up for failure but I really hope not. I've read the introductory chapter of the first book and that's one of their first recommendations - make the commitment tell all your friends and family you're running a marathon. So all my little eyes and ears out there let this be the first time I'm coming out and saying this is something I'm going to do!!! Hold me to it, please.

Recommended 16 week training.

So this first book (and I'm pretty sure the second book as well) is all about starting from square one and is designed for someone who has never ran before or never enjoyed running or just never dreamt they'd be capable of running 26.2 miles. It's based off a class offered at U of N. Iowa that has seen all but one person who joined the program finish a marathon based on the training provided.

The introduction spoke at length around the mental preparation involved in training for a marathon and how it is as equally if not more important than the physical preparation. I'd have to say even without reading into too much detail yet that I can see how this is the case.

I am apparently ahead of the game in the pretraining. They require you to be able to run/jog 30 mins straight before beginning the 16 week program. I am doing at least 40 mins of uninterrupted cardio 3 to 4 times a week already so I think I can essentially start training exactly 16 weeks before the marathon.

Speaking of "the marathon," I guess most of you would assume I intend to run the Boston Marathon. It is one of the most prestigious marathons in the world and I would be honored to be a part of it. However, it's not just a matter of signing up. I need to fund raise in order to get a bib. I'm not sure how much money but I think it's upwards of $3.5k! More research to follow...

I do want to do a half marathon in February in LA, though! Go see my Libby and run 13.1 on Sunday, Feb 1st. I think it will make it fun. Check it out - it goes all along the coast and is said to be one of the most beautiful routes.

Oh man... I'm really putting myself out there. I have a feeling this blog might be talking an awful lot about running should I persevere (oh and don't worry, I intend to!). I think it's just something I need to do and that I am at the right time in my life. Wish me luck!!!

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