Old shoes, new shoes

Someone's wearing blue shoes. 1,2,3,4, gently run them to the ground.
I got new shoes today. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it is when you have to retire your old shoes. So I made this video.

Ok, so maybe marathon training is getting a little out of hand. Whatever, I thought it was hilarious. I can't wait to actually wear the shoes now.  They feel like they're going to be extra comfortable. Let's hope I'm right!

Do you like green eggs?

Today I mashed up with my hard-boiled eggs with an avocado instead of mayo, because I needed to use that  avocado before it went bad and I didn't have anything else to do with it.  It tasted pretty good, even if it didn't look too pretty.  If you're into eggs and avocado, I recommend this.  Eat it on toast, or on bread, or on a toasted bagel.  Or however you want to eat it, I'm not your boss.  

I also got my Runner's passport and packet from the B.A.A. today.  That was an exciting moment.  As I was reading through it, I saw that hydration packs and vests are not allowed.  Which makes me wonder if my OrangeMud hydraquiver water bottle vest is included in that ban.  It's not really a backpack, as in there's not a large pocket to hide things in, but it does go on the back, so I don't know what the protocol is for that.  A smart person would contact the B.A.A. about this, but I"m just going to sit here and wonder about it instead. 

Track season started Monday, our first meet is next Thursday.  It's going well so far.  I found a new leg workout we're going to be doing, even if the girls hate every minute of it! By the time they're done, they'll have a new appreciation for it, I'm sure.  However, practice is cutting into my own workout time, so now I have to squeeze workouts in whenever I have a spare moment. That means early morning boxing classes, short after school runs, and long run weekends.  Today I managed to get in 6, but probably because I have the day off, so I found more time to do everything else.  Other than that, things are the same.  Enjoy these pictures.

I can't feel my legs when I'm with you

I'd like to dedicate that title to the ice bath.  Last year I had no interest in such craziness but this year I'm full on embracing the whole thing.  I'm not really sure why, because I hate being cold, but my legs just feel so good afterwards.  Sadly, my back still hurts, so it wasn't a cure-all like I was hoping it would be.
Anyways, I had my box-a-thon fundraiser yesterday and with that I made it over the top of my donation goal.  I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who donated something to my fund because every donation made an impact. Now that the hard part of fundraising and running 20 mile long runs is over, I can't wait for Patriot's Day to get here so I can go run the streets of Boston, FINALLY.  I've avoided training on the marathon route at all, so it will be new and exciting for the entire run.  That's about all I've got to say today, but  here are a few pictures to check out from the box-a-thon and my legs in an ice bath.

Best trainers on the planet.  They both gave up their Sunday morning to come help me out!

This photo is 100% staged.  I don't usually punch like that...or laugh while I'm boxing, I swear!

Grad school besties

BRRR

I got smart and wore socks this time though

And a long sleeve shirt, that helped

Oh yea, here's a homemade chicken kabob sub I made for dinner. It was bomb!

Post run stretch on Sunday

Finisher medal and the coolest bib number I've ever had. 

20 Miles

The Black Cat 10 and 20 miler was today and it was the perfect day for running.  It was around 40 degrees when we started, nice and sunny, with just the right amount of wind.  For the first time, I can actually say that this was a fairly easy 20 miles.  Murdock did the 10 miler, so we ran the first 10 together, sharing stories about our weeks, which really passed the time.  Then of course I had to do the second 10 alone, but they really weren't bad at all. Even with the blister that formed on the side of my foot around mile 12.  This is the first time I've ever gotten a blister there, so I don't know what happened.  I didn't make any changes to my shoes or my socks, so I'm a little surprised that it formed actually.  The race was fun though, and I even ran past someone else running for the Respite Center, so that was kind of neat.  In the end, I had a 3:05 finish time, which really isn't bad, considering we talked through the first 10.  I'm confident that I'm ready for Boston now.  A few more long runs will have to be sprinkled into the next few weeks, but I'm totally ready to rock and roll on Patriot's day.  Blisters and all.
Sadly, I don't think my bib chip registered across the timing mat for whatever reason, because I'm not showing up in any of the results.  It's not a big deal though because I wasn't winning any awards with my time.  After the race, I went outside to stretch because inside was too crowded.  There were other people stretching outside anyways, so I figured I'd just do my thing near them.  Of course, they left soon after, but I figured I'd keep stretching, because why not.  Except that I was in the middle of pigeon pose when some guy on a bike rode up behind me and said "Nice stretch! Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice stretch." BARF!!!! So that stretch ended quickly and I left.  But really guys, thanks for being creepy and disgusting and ruining other people's days.  Seriously, it's fantastic, we love it when you do things like that.
Since this run really was uneventful, I've got nothing else exciting to share tonight.  The box-a-thon is tomorrow and I'm at 93% of my goal so hopefully that helps push me to 100%.  And unrelated to that stuff, my phone is still rotating all of my pictures when I use my camera.  It doesn't do it in 3rd party apps, so I think it's an app problem, not the actual camera, but I don't know how to fix it.  The camera app is pre-installed on the phone, so I can't very well delete and reinstall it.  Plus, now half of the pictures I took today aren't showing up on this either.  Whatever, I'll figure it out later, right now it's bedtime, so enjoy the picture I can find.

Got a pair of super comfy flip flops to alleviate the blister situation. This is the only picture from today that's appearing in my photo roll right now, so this is all I have for you. Sorry.

Full of myself, but still hungry

And I promise that's the last Eminem lyric I'll use as a post title for a least a month.  At least I'll try to make it the last.  Sometimes I hear these things while I'm running and they just stick.  And speaking of running, I managed to turn today into 10 mile Wednesday.  With a the temperature up in the 70s, I really had too.  There's not much of a choice when it comes to running in nice weather.  Turns out it was a bit harder to go back to warm weather running than I thought though! I kind of got used to having a breeze to cool off the sweat, so it was a tough reminder when I started sweating in mile 1 that there wasn't going to be a big relief from that.  Still, I made the run at an 8:51 pace, so I'm ok with how it went.  I have the Black Cat 20 miler on Saturday, but I feel more prepared for it now that I've run some this week.  I may be stuck in the bad habit of doing long runs and then not managing to fit runs in during the week with all of my actual work after-school programs going on, and I really need to break that.  Hopefully with daylight savings time coming in, it will be a bit easier.
Aside from that, my fundraising is now at 81% and I still have the box-a-thon on Sunday.  So if you're in the area, stop by Title Boxing Danvers at 11:00 a.m. for a great time.  If you're not in the area, you can donate at this link - https://www.crowdrise.com/michaelcarterlisnowboston2016/fundraiser/allisongibbs
For those people who did donate and requested a Disney drawing, they're finished and going out soon.  I took some photos for you to see how amazing they are, and that led me to my next point.  Every time I take a picture on my phone, holding the camera horizontal and parallel to the subject, the photo automatically flips upside down and I have to go in and rotate it.  Anyone else having this weird problem with their Nexus 5x? I don't know if it's a phone glitch or if I hit a setting somewhere and I'm just not bright enough to flip it back.  So if you also have this problem, let me know. In the meantime, enjoy some right side up photos of the new pictures going out.  And the old box-a-thon poster too.

Calling all Irish

And non-Irish, and anyone who thinks they want to try boxing.  Now is THE TIME! Title Boxing Club Danvers is holding a box-a-thon for me to help with my fundraising for the marathon.  So if you've ever felt the need to hit something or wondered how to throw a perfect punch, get in and join us for the 12 rounds.  I promise you'll have a great time and you'll be supporting a great cause.  The class will be St. Patrick's themed, which means you need to wear your best green workout clothes, or come in full on leprechaun gear, whatever you prefer.  There will also be at least one raffle at the end, for a sweet pair of wireless headphones.  Hopefully more to come with the raffles, but for now, at least there's that.  So wrap up your hands, lace up your shoes, and get on down to Title Boxing Danvers next Sunday, March 13, at 11:00 a.m.
See you there!

Of course if you can't make it, you can donate here instead: https://www.crowdrise.com/michaelcarterlisnowboston2016/fundraiser/allisongibbs

Y'all act like you've never seen a runner before

Ok sorry, I'm channeling my inner Slim Shady today, because why not? So I did a long run this weekend, finally, after procrastinating it for a few weeks.  Surprisingly, it was fairly easy.  I followed my regular route up the rail trail to the Smith household, picked up Murdock for some middle miles, and then followed the rail trail back to my car.  In all, it was 18.5 miles.  BOOM.  The first 5.5 took me 48 minutes, because I like to overachieve.  The middle 7.5 we did at a 9:48 pace.  The last 5.5 I did a 9:10ish pace.  So, you know, right on track with where I want to be.  Then of course, I got sick.  Because apparently I can't do a long run anymore without getting a raging cold later that day.  Anyone else have this problem?  I looked it up and it doesn't seem to be a common situation, but that just could be, because as Ryan says, I don't know how to Google right.  So if you're in the same boat as me and get a terrible head cold after long running, I feel your pain.  Hopefully it clears up soon, because I have the 20 miler on the 12th and I really don't want to have a cold while running.
Besides that long run, Murdock and I did the Fudgecicle 5k on Saturday as a team.  It was the final race of the Fudgecicle series so they had two person teams and the winners got a prize at the end.  Since we were one of three teams in the Coed Open Division, we managed to take first place.  We both got scratch tickets that won 0 dollars, so there's that.  It's a nice easy 5K though and real close to the house, so I didn't mind getting up and running.
I'm still fundraising over here, in case you're looking for something to donate too.  I've been giving away Disney drawings for people that donate over $25, if that's something that interests you.  I can do more than just Disney, that just happens to be my favorite, so if you want a different picture you'll have to make a special request.  So if you want to get in on this deal, you have to go over to my fundraising page and make a donation stat.  Here's the link, in case you're looking for it again.  DONATE RIGHT HERE!
And now some of the pictures I'm sending out to those who already donated.  Enjoy.