The best stuff on earth

I've decided the only way to decide if a Mexican restaurant is good is whether or not you can order "Christmas," finish the entire meal and still crave more chile even though your nose is running and your lips and tongue feel as though they need a dose of SPF to cool them off.

*A word to anyone reading this who is NOT familiar with spicy food: Do not, I reapeat, DO NOT gulp down a glass of water and think that the fiery sensation will go away. Find some milk, sour cream, or any other dairy product to wash it down.*

I had lunch today at La Esquina here in the Galleria where I work...it was ridiculously tasty. The enchiladas (because that's what I get anytime I eat Mexican food) came out flat instead of rolled, but they were delicious. They weren't greasy, as a lot of enchiladas are, and came out perfect.

Which brings me to my next topic: Perfect sopaipillas. With a sopaipilla you should be able to tear off the top with dough left on both sides, making it convenient to pour honey in, or stuff it with leftover fixings from your meal. I like stuffing it and then putting honey on the little top that I tore off. MMMMmmmmm....sopaipilla.

Of course, this all hast to be washed down with a margarita. *Tip: get it 'on the rocks' for more alcohol consumption.*

.....I don't know why I went on this crazy food kick. I think it's because I really want it to be green chile roasting season. We're out of green chile at our house and it makes me sad.

Tonight: Strengthen my sore, poor calf and get my butt to Yoga.

annoying

My legs hurting is starting to get annoying. If it sometimes hurts to walk, how's it going to feel to run? And if I start running, is that just stupid since I still kinda hurt to walk? Not just that, but I can barely pinpoint where it hurts now. It seems to be moving around. Now it's actually hurting where my shins are. So. It's been hurting with my soleus, my achilles, and now my shins? Ugh. One of the coaches with TNT suggested that I go "run" in the pool. Now I just need to get myself to the pool.

I just wanna run again!!!!!!!

The Way I See It

I'm not a huge fan of Starbucks' coffee. Personally, I'm a fan of the company, and their mixed coffee drinks - but they burn their coffee beans, and who wants to pay for burnt coffee? Anyway, my newest favorite drink these days is a shot of espresso, a shot of sugar-free vanilla syrup and the rest of the 8 oz. cup filled with cold milk. It's good and give me the buzz/energy I need.

I needed a pick-me-up so I walked over to Starbucks and used what was left of a graduation gift card. On each of the cups they have little quotes from people. Random people, famous people, and everyday people. This was on my cup:

The Way I See It #263
Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.
-- Dean Karnazes

Runner and author of Ultramarathon Man

Perfect.

zero miles this week.

Due to my lower legs still hurting, I've calmed down on the running this week. In fact, I cut it out all together. If it hurts just to walk around, then I'm not going to chance it and make it worse by running on them till I get the OK from my trainer and/or a PT. In the mean time I really should've been doing something else physical like swimming, yoga, biking, or something. Shame on me for not doing that this week. I suppose I could start up something today - I really should be cross training anyway.

In other news. I wanted to talk about blinkers. Yup. Blinkers.

I think people in Albuquerque don't really understand what blinkers, or turn signals (indicators in the UK) are meant for. This article knows what I'm talking about. I get so frustrated driving every day and having cars get annoyed with me and throwing one of their fingers out the window because I went over to the next lane without them "knowing." OR, it's also frustrating when someone has their blinker on and you're giving them ample room to come into your lane, but they don't budge.

People can be so hostile when they drive...it's a little ridiculous. I'm speaking about myself here too. There are just certain unspoken laws that people should follow. For example, if you're in the right hand lane and it looks like you may be the first or second car stopped at a light and you're NOT planning on turning right - get into the middle or left lane! It's not fair to those who actually have to turn right, but can't because they're stuck behind a car going straight.

OOOoo! Speaking of the UK (I mentioned it earlier!), my grandma comes home today from her two week stint in Great Britain! I've been ridiculously jealous of her the entire time, of course! BUT, I do believe she's bringing me back a Galaxy chocolate bar!!!! MMmmmm I'm not a huge fan of chocolate - but I LOVE those!!! I'm also kinda hoping she'll bring a scone back. That would be FANTASTIC. Boy do I miss England!

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far to Team in Training - I really appreciate it and I know everyone who is benefiting and how has benefited, thanks you. My mom, dad and I went to an Honored Hero party the other night for Team in Training and we heard from survivors and those going through treatments. At the end of the night a man got up and was holding a baby. The baby looked like he was about 3-6 months old and he was as happy as could be. The dad said that the baby's name was Ryan and that his twin brother couldn't make it to the dinner. Then he said that Ryan was 15 months old and has had Leukemia since he was 9 months old. This baby was TINY, but so happy. It broke my heart....

Babies shouldn't have to go through cancer. Nobody should.

Six on Sunday

***SOUTHWEST AIRLINES RAFFLE*****
Team in Training is raffling off two (2) round-trip airline tickets from Southwest Airlines on July 15, 2007.

Tickets are $5 each, or 5 for $20 - and ALL the money goes straight towards my fundraising goal/Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

I'll have them with me till July 12, so let me know if you want one/some and I can meet you, or run it over to you!

I ran six miles on Sunday. Well. I can't lie. I ran 5.5 miles - my legs started acting up again. I'm now getting help from my trainer, new shoes (again - that I actually think are already making a difference), and some stretches and exercises to work on. I didn't run this morning, a wise move I think. There's absolutely no point in injuring this thing any further than it is.

Tonight I'm going to an Honored Heroes party that TNT is throwing. It's going to be at JC's NYPD (look for an Eats Etc. on it in the August issue of ABQ the Mag!! My mom and dad are both going to - I'm excited for it. I think we're going to meet more people that we're running for aka survivors and those still going through treatments. I'll fill those of you still reading in on what happens tomorrow.

7.6.7

Why isn't 7-6-7 just as popular or "lucky" as 7-7-7?? Hmm..

Anyway, I stopped by to get my daily fix and there was a semi-truck with four (or five) little Smart Cars just chilling inside. If you test drive one of these little guys today through Sunday, you can get a free Satellite $10 gift card. I suggest you do the test drive and give me the gift card. Think about it!

I think it's funny that these are coming over here to the U.S. I thought they were even funnier when I saw them in Europe. Seeing these teeny-tiny little cars with huge guys driving them is hilarious! I can only imagine seeing one zipping around 'Burque in the next couple months. Silly Smart Cars!!!

Bring me a Mini Cooper anyday!

In running news... I did another three miles today. My body felt stronger running it today. Almost gone is the heavy breathing, and once I hit the three mile mark, I feel as though I could go on. What's still lingering around is the pain in my lower legs. Ice and Ibruprofen are helping... I'm super sleepy now. The 'energy' I get from running is only lasting about a half hour after the run. I guess I need to take everything in stride. First comes being able to breathe while doing a long run, then comes the energy.

I'm seriously considering starting Yoga. I've been talking about it for awhile, so now I just need to actually do it.

More later....

More energy with three

I ran from my house to Academy today - three miles - and I definitely wasn't as out of breath and as tired as I have been before. WOO HOO!!! It's an exciting feeling. My calf/shins are still sore when I run, but they're recovering faster and not hurting as much. So far so good.

I had a little extra time this morning, so I went to get my caffeine fix at Satellite Coffee. I'm obsessed with their "London Fog" drink. It's delicious. It's supposed to be made with Earl Grey tea, steamed milk and a shot of vanilla. But I'm not a fan of Earl Grey, so I get it with English Breakfast and sugar-free vanilla (trying to save a few calories). It's delicious. I love it!

Anyway, I was at Satellite this morning and as I was waiting for my drink, a woman was reading Albuquerque the Magazine. There was a huge sense of satisfaction while watching her flip through it.

Gotta go...

Let Freedom Ring

Happy Fourth of July!!! And to all you non-Americans reading, today is our Independence Day - aka "a day off of work"!!!!

I was considering going running this morning, but who am I kidding? I wanted to sleep in! I went yesterday though, felt good. Two miles. I'm still wondering how I'm gonna get up to running 13 miles. Crazy!! Crazy for sure!!

My Aunt Holly told the other day that I've already been running 5ks. How cool is that?! I thought a 5k and 10k were a lot longer. Who knew! It's kinda exciting knowing I've been running a 5k a couple times a week. This Sunday I'll be attempting a 10k. Sweet!!

As for today...Bring on the fireworks!!!!

Burn, Baby, Burn

...there's a lot I'd like to write about, but for now - just for the sake of not leaving my loyal readers hanging - all I have to say is that I'm sunburnt. Really. Really. Bad. I can't even get a sports bra on because it hurts too much. Therefor, my running is on hold until I can make my red back turn a nice shade of brown. Or at least pink.

Sunburns are no fun. More to come later.

Three mile

They say you should finish your run and still feel as though you could run another mile. I only ran 3 miles today, but I still could have gone on. I wasn't completely out of breath, and my legs weren't tired. My lower legs stopped hurting (or I just got used to the feeling) after about a mile and a half.

OOOOooo!!!!! I also got a very spiffy Hydration Belt by Amphipod. I tried several within the past week, and I think this will work the best for me! It even has a little pocket where I can put a key, my iPod and even a gel! AND that means I can return my iPod arm runny thing and get some money back!!! Woo hoo!

Also, the August issue of Albuquerque the Magazine hit the stands yesterday, so run out and get your copy while it's hot! Better yet, ask me for a subscription - I can hook you up to get 11 issues for only $12. That's cheap, folks, real cheap. Not to mention you get to stay up-to-date with all the latest and greatest in the 'Burque!

I'm also thinking about starting yoga. This place is supposed to be pretty good...I just honestly don't know how much more sweating my body can handle. They keep their room set at 105 degrees and the humidity is something ridiculous like that too. But, it's supposed to have all sorts of benefits and be really good for your body. Plus, I need to work on my stretching; it's not near where it should be.

Hokay...I've gotta get this day started. Thanks for reading!

Frozen watery lunch in a box

I'm taking a break from my running log to jot down a few rants about frozen meals.

Yesterday I had a really tasty frozen meal from Lean Cuisine. I felt like one of those commercials where the ladies are sitting in an office talking about their boring lunches and then one lady pipes up about how delicious hers is. There wasn't a circle of girls talking about our food yesterday, but mind was good! I had this tasty Grilled Chicken Primavera. It was good. Like home-cooked, good.

So today I brought another Lean Cuisine. I popped it in the microwave and took it out 4 minutes later only to be greeted with the frozen left over juices. It was not appealing, let alone appetizing. It LOOKed like this. Consider this my warning. I have about 5 more of these lovely meals to try. My mom went on a frozen meal shopping spree a few months ago because she had a coupon for a whole .50 cents off if you buy l0. Woo. Hoo.

....by the way. I couldn't even finish the second meal, I went across the street and bought a delicious sandwich.

Tuesday Trashy Two

In my neck of the woods, Tuesday is trash day, and that is NOT a happy thing to run through in the morning. Besides the lack of roses in the air, the run this morning was pretty nice. I went a little later than usual, but it wasn't as hot as it could've been. I even felt like I could have gone longer when I finished - granted 2 miles is the least I do. My lower legs were still giving me problems, but i just ran through it. As soon as I finished I popped some Ibuprofen and iced...now I feel fine.

On my way to work I thought I had a bunch of energy, and I got excited that maybe running is actually giving me energy. Not true. I'm tired. Sleepy, actually. I need a large dose of caffeine. STAT.

Sunday four miles

I got up this morning with the goal of running 4 miles with the team. I started out and immediately my calves/shins (still don't know what it's called where it hurts) started hurting. I ended up walking a good mile of the 'run'. I'd rather make sure I don't injure myself, than push myself to do the entire thing. This is an endurance run - not a race. They keep telling us that. I'm taking it easy, and I'm icing and stretching.

Before we started the run this morning we had an 'honorary teammate' speak. I think her name is Mindy - but I could be wrong. She told us that when she was 18 she was diagnosed with Leukemia. For 2 1/2 years she went through chemo treatments. She lost her hair, a lot of weight and energy, and was in the hospital for three years. She says the only reason she's alive (besides prayers) is because of the research clinical she went through. She beat Leukemia and now she's out running a marathon and raising money for other people to survive. She was able to finish high school on time, and went to college to become a nurse. Last week she started as an oncology nurse -HOW COOL IS THAT!? She's 25 now and is running with my team.

It's stories like these that keep me going. A HUGE thank you to EVERYONE who has contributed towards my fundraising goal, and for your encouragement! It means so much to me.

Also, check this out:

***SOUTHWEST AIRLINES RAFFLE*****
Team in Training is raffling off two (2) round-trip airline tickets from Southwest Airlines on July 15, 2007.

Tickets are $5 each, or 5 for $20 - and ALL the money goes straight towards my fundraising goal/Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

I'll have them with me till July 12, so let me know if you want one/some and I can meet you, or run it over to you!

eh....

I got new shoes again yesterday. I took the ones I had back to Fleet Feet and they told me the shoes they gave me may have been OVER stabilizing my feet. Great. So, now I have some new shoes, but my legs/calfs/shins (I don't know what it's called where it hurts) were still hurting when I got up. So, instead of running the three miles I was supposed to log today, I stretched and iced. I'm going to ice them at lunch too, and hopefully I can get to at least walk or maybe run the three later tonight - may have to go to the gym though cause it was pretty gross outside yesterday evening.

THANK YOU to everyone who is donating and sending me your encouragement - it means SO MUCH to me knowing that this money is going to help so many other people. THANK YOU!!!!!

Also, if you've been keeping up with these blogs, let me know! It's always nice to know that I'm not just writing to nobody. Believe it or not, keeping a daily log of what's going on gets touch when you don't get any feedback. It's kinda like talking to a blank wall... some people probably wouldn't mind it, but I would get lonely/bored. So...send some comments! How about this - what's your favorite song to work out to? I'm starting to get bored with the music I have. Let me know!!!

a tight two miles

I ran two miles this morning. And by "ran" I mean "walked too much of it." Ever since I bought my new shoes, the part in between my shin and my calf on the inside hurts. Today it hurt a lot. I stretched yesterday twice and this morning before I ran, but once I got a mile in, it hurt too much and I had to walk. I took some Tylenol and iced it and it felt better after that... I'm just gonna ice it again when I get home and stretch it some more. I don't run again until Thursday, so hopefully it'll be better by then.