43 things

I love these silly questions things, so I stole this from some place on the internet. Feel free to use for your own - and leave a comment with your blog so I can learn about you too.  Or just answer the questions in the comments if you want.  Pick and choose, if you don't want to respond to all 43.     


1. Hi my name is...Erin! (yep, I use a pseudonym on the internet, but it's not a big secret)
2. Never in my life have I... had a threesome! (Clearly, I'm running low on the "nevers" in my life)
3. The one person who can drive me nuts is...Do I have to pick just one? 
4. High school...was NOT the best 4 years of my life.
5. When I'm nervous...I act frantic. 
6. The last time I cried was...in this race. They were 'happy' tears.
7. If I were to get married right now my wedding party would be...sweet and simple... and cheap - but still meaningful.  In other news - I have no interest in getting married 'right now'.
8. My hair is...long, blonde and I love it. 
9. When I was 5...I thought I was brilliant.  
10. Last Christmas...was a bit taxing - to be honest.  
11. I should be...just fine.  
12. When I look down I see...my painted toes.. beginning to chip.
13. The craziest recent event was....a bridal shower with friends, dancing and bit too much to drink.  
14. If I were a character on 'Friends' I'd be...whomever is nerdiest.  (I guess that might be Ross, but he's a guy)
15. By this time next year...I'll be out of consumer debt... I hope. 
16. My current gripe is...ignorance 
17. I have a hard time understanding...feelings
18. There's this girl I know who...doesn't realize how good she has it. 
19. You know I like you when... seek out quality time.  
20. If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be...probably my Dad, because he would think it's cool.
21. Take my advice...you will never please yourself, if you are busy pleasing others.  
22. My most wanted item is...an iPhone again! (lol, but I don't really need anything)
23. If you visited the place I was born...(a hospital) you would hopefully be there to welcome new life and not say goodbye to old.
24. I plan to visit...Germany again.
25. If you spend the night at my house...you'd better not be allergic to cats.  .
26. I'd stop my wedding if.....I could go back in time.  
27. The world could do without...poverty, hunger and disease. 
29. Most recent thing I've bought myself...A (used) road bike (Fuji Province)
30. Most recent thing someone else bought me...HeroClix 
31. My favorite blonde is... My sister
32. My favorite brunette is....Natalie Portman
33. My favorite redhead is...Becca from Stout.
34. My middle name is...Leigh (yes this is the 'Leigh' of Ruby Leigh)
35. This morning I...ran, like many mornings. 
36. The animals I would like to see flying besides birds are... perhaps cats for the hilarity of it.  
37. Once, at a bar...I danced on the top.  
38. Last night I was...eating at Red Lobster to celebrate a friend's book being published.  
39. There's this guy I know who...recently became a good friend.  
40. I don't know...how to relate to some people.  
41. A better name for me would be...Ruby (hah! and for the record I actually really like the name Erin)
42. Tomorrow I am... going to exercise some more.  
43. My birthday is...Sept 11th 1984

Better than ever

Two years ago a friend told me I should run a 5K ... so I did.


Here I am at the finish

June 25th 2010

I'm not sure what I thought would happen then, but it's safe to say this was the beginning of something big. 


Running has made me feel strong physically, and that has given me a confidence about life that I honestly haven't known elsewhere.  Part of why it works for me is because of how hard I've had to work for it.  I've always been more swift to 'hit the books' than to 'hit the pavement'.  The former always came easy, the latter has always been nearly non-existent.


I might of started running on a whim, but perhaps more interesting is that I kept doing it.  I've taken breaks, and had bad days, and I've been really really slow, and I've been only marginally slow, but I'm still here trying.  One thing that keeps me going is the sense of accomplishment, because no one can run for you.       


So, I knew I could PR this 5K... I wasn't sure about the sub 30, but I didn't want to rule it out.  


I mentally focused on going fast, and I 'actually' passed people along the way which really doesn't happen normally.  I also ran my first water stop.    

I crossed the finish line at 31:33, which is a PR by by a minute and a half (1:37), and I am super pleased with it.  

I clocked the second mile at 9:50 my fastest mile that I've had off treadmill.

While I was running, I realized that it was not a sub 30 day yet... but also that I didn't really care that much, what mattered is that I was running the fastest I ever had, that I was having great time doing it, that I was feeling strong and that my new normal was better than ever.    

    

June 23rd 2012

 _________________________________________________________


Thanks to all the supporters in my life, especially those who made a contribution to Children's MN Hospitals and Clinics - this was wonderful cause to support and event to be a part of and you helped make that happen.  

This one worked!

I like to have a lot of 'fun' in the kitchen... trying new things and mixtures that sometimes work, sometimes don't.  This one worked.  Though as I'm going through these photos... I have to agree it's a pretty odd assortment and I'm not even sure what to call it.  

First, I found this in the fridge

I added mustard for spice and mayo (real mayo) for creaminess

Mixed it with some garlic too. Set Aside.

Separately I sauteed Chicken, until cooked, then added Spinach

... also Grape Tomatoes. 

 I mixed all that in with some white rice, and green olives.

Then 'the sauce'   

It worked beautifully!  I was hesitant at first... but the green olives gave it just enough salt.... balsamic made it smooth, and mayo/mustard gave it that creamy zip.

I ate this all by myself (thank you very much), so that survey of one may not be sufficient for you to try it on your own... but I would easily make it again.

UPDATE: Made this for a couple friends last night and they thought is was yummy as well.    

A new status

In short: there's been a change in my relationship status.  Slightly longer version:  Tony and I had a long talk and came to the less than thrilling conclusion that we really can't see our futures together.  I honestly think we bothed hoped it could be different, but realize that's not always enough.  It's probably the world's most maturist break-up ever, but that hasn't made it perfectly easy either. 

So I'm back to being single. 

... and it's actually pretty good because:

-The sleeping situtation is now more comfortable, and quite frankly involves more cats. 

-Also, the bedding tends to stay where it is supposed to.

-The socks on the floor are all mine. 

-I can go to running events and not feel any guilt about my wandering eyes. 

-I am hoping to have more time for the outdoors and crafts

-I can eat healthy foods without anyone to complain about them

-I have more time and money to pursue my own personal passions and dreams. 

perhaps more...

Obviously, there are benifits to being in a relationship too, and at this point I would be lying if I said that isn't what I someday want.  However, I'm going to try my best to enjoy just being me for a while, and since I'm pretty great - that shouldn't be too hard.  ;)

The elusive 30 min 5K

Currently the only 5K I'm signed up for is the Heartbeat5000 5K, and it was my intention to make that my sub 30 5K.  I'm not exactly where I came up with the idea, but I'm afraid it's one of those foolish "I'm not a legitimate runner unless..." type goals that I really disagree with on principle, but still sort of want to achieve in reality.  I don't accept the method, but I can't always resist the madness.  

The goal "sub 30 5K" continues to seem thoroughly daunting.  My 5Ks thus far have been between 33 and 38 (not counting the one with Tony) and in no particular order.

The races where I got my fastest times were the Liz Logelin 5K, probably around 33:10, and the Jelly Belly 5K "virtual race" 33:24.  Both of these races were really informal and no official race times have been posted.  The first is based on my memory of the race clock.  The second is from my garmin.  

Clearing my previous "not even official" PRs by at least 3 mins would be pretty exceptional, and I'm not even sure it's possible.

What I've got going for me:
-I'm really in the best running shape of my life. This statement can in part be made because there was next to no running for the first 25 years.
-I've hit the necessary 9:40 pace on shorter 1ish mile runs.
-I will do everything I can do sleep right, eat right, drink right the days (and weeks to some extent) before the race.

What's not in my favor.
-Despite some nice fast short runs, I'm still significantly slower on similar distance type runs - around a minute/mile.  
-My training must include long distances (hello marathon!) right now and I can't strictly focus on speed work

All that said, I would still be really happy if I came in under 33 mins - it's an official PR!  How could I not be?

Funding Goal Met! Thanks a $165!

I'm really glad to tell all of you that I have met (and exceeded) my funding goal for the upcoming Heartbeat5000 5K.  I honestly can't believe it.  Raising money is na-ought my forte and I've a really hard time asking for things that resemble help.  SO very special thanks to Alyse S, Lori H, Mom and Dad and Todd T. for giving.  Your generosity is really appreciated.  Also, thanks to Ann F. and Alyse S. for getting the word out on twitter and their blogs.

In case you interested in learning more about the hospitals and clinics served by Children's this youtube playlist does a great job promoting but also explaining the many reasons why the donations are valid.



If any of these videos inspired you and you haven't had a chance to give yet - by all means chip in!  Even though I've reached my goal, the donations aren't closed until the race on June 23rd, 2012.  http://heartbeat5000.kintera.org/rubyleigh

Lessons learned at the water stop

Yesterday, I was at the Minneapolis Marathon, but not running in an event - I was volunteering with TCRE  (Twin Cities Running Experiment) at the water and powerade station.  I went into this thinking it would be cake walk and just a good way to connect with other human beings.  And while it was honestly a lot of fun - I did a learn a few things in the process, that really gave me a new appreciation for volunteers.

1. Setting up water cups for 3000+ people is actually a pretty time consuming activity.  Who knew?

2. The volunteers have a long day too.  I got to my station at 6am and left around 12:30pm... granted I was one of the first to arrive and last to leave.  Other came and went at different times.  Staying as long as I did was partially my choice to be able to give some of the last runners a chance to get water too.  Having someone say "thanks for being here" after the sag wagon had passed was really it's own reward.

 3. Go to the second water table if you can.  The first water table always gets bombarded - and starts to bottle neck.  The second table will have more water and you won't have to wait.

4. Volunteering is a lot of fun.  I met other runners, got to "talk running", got some sun and all-in-all had a pretty good time.

UPDATE: One other cool thing about volunteering was seeing people I knew in the race!  Really makes the experience less dull - and I honestly haven't done enough spectating - so it was fun to jump on that bandwagon.

Special kudos to Kelly, Corryn, Amanda and Meredith who ran the relay.