Bad Week, Bad Run

Last week was a very long week. Everyone else was on spring break, but I was stuck in the office. The few others that were there were commenting how slow it was, but not for me. I got about every phone call that came in forwarded to me. Even things that had nothing to do with my actual job. It was not fun. So, while I spent time doing all of that, I got further behind on my actual work. Fun times.

To top it all off, I had about the worst run ever to end the week. It was beautiful out Friday after work and Todd was out of town until 8pm, so I figured I would go for a long run. I am training for some upcoming races and need to do some longer runs to prepare for that. I set out for an 11 mile run in sunny 65 degree weather. I was great until about mile 8 and then things started to go downhill. Between miles 7 and 8, I had a small side stitch and stopped to stretch that out and continued on. But, then I hit mile 8 and things just went downhill from there. My Nike+ pace line drops of the charts, so I have proof at how bad it was!! I was so thirsty and ended up stopping about every 1/4 mile to stretch my reoccurring side stitch. It was horrible. At 10.7 miles I threw the towel in. I knew I was not going to make it to 11. I know, it wasn't that much further, but I have not felt that horrible while running in a very long time. When I got home, I took a shower and just laid in bed for an hour.

I don't know what the problem was. I have a feeling it was a combination of things. I had eaten out for lunch, instead of having my normal Lean Cuisine at my desk, so my stomach wasn't feeling the best. Also, I think I wasn't hydrated properly. I had been drinking water all day and stopped for water at miles 3 and 8, so I felt like I had enough in me, but it was HOT! After running in 30 degree weather for months, 65 is hot! I think I need to spend more time adjusting to the temperature change and re-learn how to hydrate myself. When it is cold, I can go longer without water, but not when it is warmer. It seems I have to re-learn the amount of water my body needs every spring. On top of all of that, I have been running a lot lately. My running dropped off a lot this past winter, in terms of miles per week. I recently stepped it back up while training. Now, this is nothing compared to what others run, but for me, it was a significant jump and I think my body is just tired. I need a rest day, or couple of days. I wish I could have had a great run as I was so looking forward to it after such a bad week. I think I will rest today (from work and running) and start over tomorrow.

A leak is never a good thing.

So, I have noticed that one of the outside-facing walls of our guest bedroom closet is not looking good. I've aways thought there was a problem with this wall. It is a corner of the closet where two outside walls meet. The gutter above this area does not seem to drain well and we always get huge brown spots and stains in this area on the siding outside. It makes the front of our house look horrible! I have it pressure washed every other year and we get out the ladder and clean it off, too. But now I fear the problem has moved indoors. :(

I mentioned as much to Todd about a month ago. He finally had time to walk by a look at it today. (I am so in trouble when he reads that.) Anyway, all he could do is agree with me. Not good. The walls on the inside of the closet all the way down to the baseboard are turning very brown. Not good. There is also some brown around the decorative window in the closet. Not good. I also pointed out a spot in another room I am worried about where this is some brown stain on the ceiling due to possible leak on roof. Not good.

So begins my search for a contractor who is good, and can fix my house really well without charging me an arm and a leg. Any suggestions? Please, please send them my way. I joined Angie's List for a month and didn't get much info on there. Not enough people around Monroe County with ratings. I have one possible lead and I may call him tomorrow to see if he knows where exactly the problem might be, how extensive the damage is, and what it will take to fix. I keep thinking about all the rain we had last spring and I just get a pit in my stomach. It has gotten exponentially worse the last few weeks and I can only imagine if we get a lot of rain how bad it could get.

I've always said this house was built rather shoddy. It has been proven now with problems in mass quantity. I have a feeling the summer vacation has just been downsized...

Lacking optimism

I hate the beginning of the year. Seriously. Hate. It.

First of all, I hate the cold weather, snow, and ice. Give me 85 and sunny year round and I would be one happy girl. So, the fact that the beginning of the year is a frozen tundra does not excite me. Honestly, I have never figured out how people that live in cold places can be all optimistic at the beginning of the new year. It is cold, people! Summer is months away. Now, talk to me in April. That is when my optimism starts to show!

Second of all, I hate the fact that the gym is UBER crowded. I had to wait in line for an elliptical at the gym tonight. Yes, Friday night at 6pm. Seriously?!?! After working an 11 hour day, I wanted to get in my 30 minutes of cardio and get home. I do not want to wait in line for a machine all because my crappy gym has 5 pieces of equipment out of order and they refuse to put time limits on the machines. All that nonsense is making one grumpy gym member (along with the others of the same opinion I was chatting with in the waiting line).

Third, I hate the new people at the gym. I feel bad. I was new at one point in time. Everyone has to start somewhere. But, it seems that the new people these days are clueless. Here are a few comments I had to keep to myself this week (which took much restraint):

1. This is a gym, so you should probably wear gym shoes. The sketchers you are wearing do not cut it for jogging on the treadmill.
2. This is a gym, so gym shorts would be acceptable. Yes, you do look stupid lifting weights in jeans.
3. This is a gym and they do provide locker space. If you feel the need to change clothes after getting off the machine next to me, please watch what you are doing and don't whack me with your clothes during the middle of my workout while trying to pull your sweatshirt over your head. The locker room is 30 feet away and I am happy to direct you there.
4. This is a gym and you really need to use the equipment properly to get the maximum benefit. If you don't know how, it is best to ask someone instead of sitting on the machine with a puzzled look for 10 minutes while the rest of us glare at you to move on.
5. This is a gym and not a social hour. I, apparently unlike you, have limited time to be at the gym, so please do not block machines while you stand there and gab about your last drunken night out.
6. This is a gym, so deodorant would be required. Just wear it. Nuff said.

I could go on, but you get my drift, so I'll spare you. Clueless with a capital C. I am definitely frustrated and lacking optimism today. I really need a super warm sunny day. My husband suggests I should just go tanning. LOL

Ice Dogs

It's late. I should be working on my coursework. Or maybe sleeping. Or doing the work I brought home from work that is untouched. But, I am procrastinating. It's definitely way too easy thanks to social networking.

Anyway, that's not the point of this blog. Instead, here is a cool picture of the dogs at McCormick's Creek State Park on 1/10/2010. It is a great state park and we visit often as it is just up the road from our house. Todd took them out for several hours and both came home exhausted. Probably more tired than I have ever seen them before. Unfortunately, I missed this adventure due to a much needed trip to the grocery store. I'll be in on the next adventure (well, when the weather warms up a bit). :)

Muddy Murphy

Oops! Murphy and Lucy got rained on one evening when we left them outside and went into town. Lucy wasn't too muddy when we got home. She usually hangs out in her dog house (about the only time she uses it) or gets under the deck to stay dry. However, I think Murphy found the muddiest spot in the middle of the yard and decided to dig in the middle of the pouring rain. He was just covered in mud and it took several towels to clean him up! :)

Winter driving tips

So, driving in the snow isn't really that bad if you know what you are doing. What makes me uncomfortable driving around here when it snows is all the other drivers. To all those drivers out there, here are a few tips that may help you when you venture out in all this snow.

1. If your car sat outside while it snowed, clean it off before you drive. Not only is it safer for you if you can see out of your rear window, but it is safer for me. I don't appreciate wads of snow flying off your car and hitting my windshield while driving at 55mph.
2. If you drive a 1995 Chevy Cavalier, please do not try to park on the road in a spot that has not been plowed. I promise you will get stuck.
3. If you need to park on the street on a one-way street that is narrow, it is best not to park towards the middle of the street, thus blocking all thru traffic.

You have to love the drivers around here...

Snow Day!

For the first time in three decades, IU was closed for the entire day. We got a little over 13 inches in a 24 hour period, so the plows were not able to keep up on clearing the roads. It was nice to have a day off, although I can't say I did much. I baked a rum cake and tried to make sugar cookies. (Anyone out there have a good cutout recipe for me because I have tried several to no avail!! The dough always turns out too sticky to roll.) I also watched a movie I have been wanting to see. Seriously, that is it. We were under a snow emergency, so we were not supposed to be on the roads, which was fine with me. I am not excited about taking my new-to-me car out on the snow-packed, slippery road. The picture above is the table on our deck. It is actually pushed up against the house and sits slighly under the overhang on the roof. Yet, it is still covered - amazing!

Below is a short clip of the dogs running in the snow last night. You can see Murphy run off at the end. The neighbor's dog came outside and Murphy made a break to play. He is not supposed to leave the yard, so I had to stop filming for a little scolding.

Flooding and Severe Weather

We awoke this morning to power surges, tornado sirens, and flooding. Not quite the Saturday morning I envisioned where we would sleep in and be lazy. But, thankfully we have no damage to our house or property and there are many who were not as lucky. After the tornado siren stopped, we went out to view the damage. You can see me standing in the middle of the street in front of house. Basically, a river was flowing through our side yard. There are three streets in our neighborhood and it slopes downward from the first to third street. We are on the middle street, so our house was high enough not to get any water, however several neighbors in the street at the bottom of the slope were not so lucky. But, the water was rushing right through our side yard and was at least a foot or more deep. Below is a picture of the water coming through - most of the water in the neighborhood drained this direction. You can see our washed out garden, too. Other pictures are posted here.

Other parts of the state were not as lucky. Several areas just north of us by 20 miles are devastated. We got upwards of 7 inches of rain over night and other areas around us got a lot more. All of the major highways out of Bloomington were closed and some of them even have sections washed out. Many local lakes had dams that were breached and thousands of people have evacuated their homes. It has been a week of weather as we had another day of flooding earlier this week and severe weather with tornadoes around us several different nights. Hopefully, the coming week will be a little more peaceful.