josh sewed faux blood vessels together . . .

while i attacked the laundry and meal-planning:

(i am going to include a section on meal planning on my cook page -- but if you're interested, i've also written about the process before in a guest post on carrots & cake.)
between household tasks, i made time to catch up on desperate housewives, a tiny bit of homework, and my google reader, which incidentally led me to lawrence and julie and julia, a blog about watching J&J for 365 days and blogging about it. if you need a laugh this morning, check it out!
oh yeah, and there was also a race
the 5K we ran yesterday felt so anticlimactic! there is something odd about a 2pm race. on the upside, it feels much more natural to enjoy a beer afterwards (which we did). but on the down -- it just feels weird, and a little wrong.

i hadn't trained particularly hard for this race (i used a 6-week program from runner's world SmartCoach), and i did not have high expectations based on recent workouts. adding to my trepidations, one of the attendings i work with (who is a real runner of the 'wins big races' variety) described the course as "punishing." given the terrain he usually runs on, this didn't bode well . . .
still, i optimistically picked a holiday-themed playlist filled with ridiculous pop, hoping that hearing these favorites would somehow power me up the hills.

the thing is, i didn't care that much about this race -- until i saw the results from last year. here are last year's top 3 in my age group:

even with a considerable chunk added to my typical finishing time, i thought perhaps could WIN my age group if there was a similar turnout this year. and there were theater tickets up for grabs! i really wanted to bring some home.
i labored up over the hills (and "punishing" was indeed the right descriptor). honestly, i did not enjoy this run one bit, and barely eked out a 24:34 (chip). the most demoralizing part was when the finish sign came into view (up a hill, of course), and two coltish, prepubescent boys breezed past me, just rubbing in how lame my 'finishing kick' really was.
so the prize! was it mine?! after all, with last year's stats, i would have been golden. and those 10-year-olds certainly weren't in my age group . . .
i won't leave you hanging any longer. we DID take home 3 lumina theater tickets and a $10 iTunes gift card. but i didn't win them: JOSH did!! 2nd in his age group, and a respectable 21:41 finish.
i was happy for him, but a little grumpy ( <-- understatement) about my own performance. i feel like i would rather REALLY train for a race, or not at all; the halfway-there style that i pulled out for this one was really unsatisfying. my next conquest? that will depend on what my dr. says about training.
i did get this lovely consolation prize:

josh and i stopped at fleet feet in carrboro afterwards to breathe some new life into our ailing running wardrobes, and i got the above. super-warm, comfortable, and cute -- i am thrilled with this new acquisition.
plans for the week
✔ i have specific work goals mapped out
✔ i am considering going to a (live) yoga class
✔ i am beginning the 20/20 home cure (this way, i get to finish on 1/1/11!)

anyone care to join me? come on, it'll be fun!
this just in: while i may not have exceeded (my own) expectations in the race, i just got an email from the american academy of pediatrics -- I PASSED THE PEDS BOARDS! yay :)
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12.12.10
workout: 5K!
leftoverz rule: from our party --

plus a generous side of (unpictured, leftover) terra chips. yum.
I've never understood why some of these fun runs are on such tough courses. I'd have to imagine that most of the people who do a Jingle Bell Jog are not super competitive athletes. Why put the race on a punishing course?
ReplyDeleteI do like the jacket. Looks like it would be really warm.
CONGRATS on passing the boards!!!! that's soooo exciting. i think that makes up for a really hard tough race. you should have dressed up for it ;) i was going to do a holiday 5k but it ended up being the same weekend as my marathon. and trust me: did i have an outfit prepared. sad i'm going to have to wait until next year to race in it hahahah!
ReplyDeleteWahoo for passing the boards! (And really, the weather was, um, less than ideal for that race as well...) It's funny - when I'm menu planning for the week, our dining room table looks just like that - things everywhere!
ReplyDeleteOf course you passed!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Baby Doc!!! (Not that I really had any doubts…) L, da
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your boards!!!! Also, thanks for the Lawrence and J and J link....cracked me up.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on passing the boards!! I'm definitely in need of apartment therapy- count me in. If I can make my apartment look as cute as yours I'll be thrilled.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations girl on passing the boards! I am with you in the 20/20 cure. Count me in :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your PASS! Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteGetting passed by kids in races is the worst. I've had that happen to me too. I'm working my butt off and then some fifth-grader in his Air Jordans goes flying by. Ugh.
Sorry it wasn't your best race. Way to go Josh for bringing home the swag though!
Congrats on passing!!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the boards news!
ReplyDeleteI'm also impressed with your husband's handiwork... on a straw? Incredible. I should make a joke about who handles the sewing duties at your home but I won't...
Congrats on passing the boards! That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on passing the Boards! That is fantastic news!!
ReplyDeletemichelle: it's actually an actual artificial blood vessel - i guess it's some kind of kit to practice with!? definitely looks like a straw in that picture though!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on passing the boards! That's way more important than a 5k anyway. It's almost wrong to make a 5k course super hilly!
ReplyDeleteA big congrats on your boards!!! Have been handing out quite a few of those today.
ReplyDelete