I ran four miles today with no trouble at all.  My iPhone app was doing really well until the VERY end when my mom called, and so it says I only logged 3.69 miles, but it’s wrong.  PLUS, the GPS has me zigzagging all over the road. I used mapmyrun.com to figure it out precisely, and I got to 4.07.  It was pretty good, too, and I didn’t have much of a problem.  I didn’t have to stop and walk much, maybe once every mile, and I walked for about 15-20 seconds.  Nothing major.  It was very cold today, so I ran in long pants and a sweatshirt.  The sweatshirt came off around mile 1.5, and my the time I was around mile 3, I wish that I had worn shorts.  The weather was around 40 degrees.  That’s a good way to learn, and now I know that in 40 degree weather, if I’m going to be running more than 3 miles, I should wear shorts and a thinner long sleeve jacket.  Larry gave me good advice today that if it’s cold out, I can jog in place, or do jumping jacks, or something to warm myself up before I go outside.  That way I won’t have that freezing cold at the beginning of the run, but hot at the end of the run problem.

Either tomorrow or Sunday I will do my “long” run for the week, and this week it is going to be six miles long.  I haven’t decided what day I’m going to do it yet, because I don’t know if my legs will be sore tomorrow or not.  I think Saturdays are generally a better day for my “long” runs because I sometimes work on Sundays at Macy’s, and that will screw up my calendar.  Saturday during the day, I usually have plenty of time to run.  The schedules I’ve seen go like this for a Sun - Sat schedule:

Sunday - Rest
Monday -  3 or 4 miles
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - varies over weeks: 4,5,5,5,6,5,4
Thursday - 3 or 4 miles
Friday - Rest
Saturday -  Long run - also varies:  6,8,10,11,12,9,8, 13.1!

I’m on the very first week right now, so my long is six.  I’ve screwed up by not starting on Sunday, because Friday I did 4 miles, then another 6 tomorrow, then Sunday a rest.  Then I’ll start over correctly on Monday again.  According to that schedule, next Saturday I’ll be at 8 miles!  Holy crap! That’s a lot of miles.  On my rest days, I would like to do some strength training (not my legs, though), some yoga or pilates for stretching, and also some walking.  Walking is low impact, but it would still be good for my leg muscles to be warmed up.

I also read that if I’m planning on being out for more than an hour, I should carry water with me, and drink some every 20 minutes.  In the summer I used to carry my camel bak bottle in my hand, but that was only for about 2 miles.  I don’t think I would like to carry it for 6 or 8 miles.

It’s hard to figure out good routes to take.  My friend Eric lives a few towns over in Townsend and it’s 9.9 miles from my house, so I will run there for my 10 mile run, and then I will make him drive me home.  It’d be fun to hang out with him and have lunch or dinner, but how will I get dry clothes to his house without driving there first?  This is all very complicated.  Perhaps I will have to hang out with him before the 10 mile run, and give him a bag of stuff for that special day.  That sounds like a good plan.  I can just shower at his house, and then we can do something fun as a reward for me running 10 miles.  Perhaps I can convince him to give me a massage! Heh.

I also wanted to take the train to a rail trail that is in Ayer, but if I do that, I can’t bring anything with me because I don’t have anywhere to store it.  It seems like I’ll have to drive my car, leave stuff in my car, and then go out for lunch (Larry said there are lots of good restaurants in Ayer).  But I would much rather read on the train, bring a small backpack, and keep it in a locker somewhere.  But there are no lockers at the train station or at the rail trail.  Bummer.

This is my next quest. Right near the college. It’s a busy road so I want to see if the DPW can loan me orange cones so I don’t get hit by a car.

Who wants to help?

Sorry I haven’t written in a few days… I’ve been very busy.  A brief recap:

**Don’t want to read it?  Go to the bottom for a Twitter acceptable summary (less than 140 characters)**

Monday the 16

Uh, I know I had class from 5-10.  But I can’t remember what I did during the day.  I went for a 3 mile run according to my calendar.

St. Patrick’s Day (the 17th)

Dad and I went for a two mile run at 6am.  Dad came ALL the way with me, and didn’t turn back at the .8 mile point like he usually does.  I was very proud of him.  I was at my practicum from 8-12.  Then had lunch, then I walked downtown and went to the library.  Then, I went and set up for the St. Patrick’s Day dinner at the Senior Center.  I always get roped in to helping and running the 50/50 raffle.  We made $118 for the Senior Center with the raffle.  Chris came and helped out, too, and we were both crazy busy all night.  It was a lot of fun.

Then we went to Hooligans, where Dave Gordon was playing Irish music.  He was having contests for people to do an Irish Jig, and no one would do it, so I went up and did it.  Then two other boys joined me, and one of them won a t-shirt.  Which was stupid, cause I was the one who went up first!!!!  I had the guts, and so then they did.  I wanted that t-shirt!  Then, Dave did it again, and no one would go up.  This time, the place was a lot more crowded, but I felt bad, and Dave announced “This is the last verse, so it’s your last chance.”  So I went up, and danced again.  Someone else joined me, but this time I won.  I got this stupid tall Dr. Seuss Guinness hat as seen here: (he’s also wearing leprechaun ears).

Niles and Jessie got there around 9:30.  I had already been there since 7:30, and almost bailed when my dad left at 10:30, but decided at the last minute to stay.  I finally went home at 12:30, after being at Hooligans for 5 hours.  I had had enough, and I wanted to sleep.

Wednesday the 18th

Went for a run downtown, and tried to use a new iPhone app to log how I did.  (This is an actual screen shot of my phone when I got home… look at how much it drained my battery [top right]).  It says I’m doing an 11 minute mile, but I’m pretty sure I had stopped running and was taking off my phone  (I had it in a holster on my shorts).

… but I’m a doofus and didn’t do it correctly (I stopped at the Rec Center to get a drink of water, paused the app, and thought I had resumed it, but I had not.)  Here’s my info from RunKeeper.com.  You can actually see me run to the Rec Center, turn off the program, and then it starts back up at the library, and then my run home.  I think I did about 4 miles total.

Once home I cooked dinner, then went to Niles’ for Lost.

Niles made bruscetta (delicious, and SO easy)

and he had shrimp cocktail for us.It was crazy hot cocktail sauce, though.

Jessie made cheesecake!  Delicious.  She looks proud.

I brought over stuff to make delicious yogurt parfaits:  vanilla yogurt, strawberries, cantaloupe, granola, and high fiber Joe’s Os. We assembled them ourselves in little cups.  They were sooooo good.

Thursday the 19th  (Today!!!)

My dad’s friend Bennie asked me if I wanted to run in a half marathon with him on May 9th.  As you may remember, the other half marathon I was going to run with Shauna and Jon falls on the same Sunday as my cancer weekend in Stowe, Vermont.  This one is the next Saturday, May 9th.  I told Bennie that I would do it, since I still have seven weeks to train.  However, I’m very nervous, and don’t want to fork over $45 for an entrance fee if I’m not sure I can do it.  I’ve never run more than 5 miles, and a half marathon is 13.1.  I talked to my dad’s friend Larry, and he said he thinks I can do it.  He even offered to go on some of the longs runs with me (you only do one long run a week).  With half marathon training, it’s very important to take rest days.  I never take rest days, and in February, I ran at least 2 miles Every Single Day.  I woke up at 6 to run, but I was soooo tired, and my legs were sore, I decided “today will be a rest day, as per my marathon training.”  It was a good decision, because it is 10:30pm and my legs are still a bit sore.

I went in to City Hall with my dad at 8am to help Trevor in his IT department.  He is in charge of all the photo copiers and the cell phone bills, and instead of getting one huge bill for everything (all the cell phones, and then all the copiers), each department gets their own bill.  It is super confusing, and very stressful, and because of the city’s budget, he has no clerical help.  He has to do everything himself.  So I decided that since I usually don’t do anything during the day when I’m not at my practicum, I had some spare time to help him.  At 10am, I went to the first meeting of the Fitchburg Farmers Markey Association (FFMA).  At 11:30, I went back to work on Trevor’s stuff.  I didn’t end up leaving until 1:30.  I worked on the photo copies stuff for a good four hours.

At 2, I had an appointment to discuss being tested for diabetes.  The doctor said “Yes, you do have some of the symptoms, come back tomorrow at 8:45 am having fasted, and we’ll check your blood.”

At 3, I had a massage appointment.  There was a special advertised in the paper for $39 for a one hour massage.  That price can not be beat, so I called immediately to book an appointment.  It was fantastic, and the therapist was this girl Veronica who I had gone to school with!  She was great.

Went to the store, and I almost bought chicken, but I stood there looking at it, and thought “I do NOT want to eat this.”  So I decided to make a vegetarian pot pie instead.  I had sweet potatoes, and wanted to make sweet potato fries.  Oven Crisped Chicken and SP fries would have been good, but then decided a pot pie would also be good.  I invited Larry over cause the meal was 100% vegetarian, and I knew he enjoyed the pie last time I made it.

My uncle Richard and cousin Benjamin are coming in tomorrow night from Portland, Oregon.  Ben is looking at colleges in the area (cause the east coast is swimming in colleges).  I was all stoked to clean up the entire house to make my mom super happy, but now I’m just too tired.  I’ve been so busy that I don’t want to do anything but sit and relax.  I didn’t even want to blog tonight, but knew I had a bunch of picture to post.

Tomorrow:

I have the appointment at 8:45, and then I am going to eat breakfast.  I’m hoping I wake up kinda early so I can get some cleaning done before my appointment.  After breakfast, I wanted to go to City Hall to help out some more, but I also have to get a run in, plus my dad wants me to go to Boston to pick up the relatives.  I’m not sure how much of that I can fit into one day.  Perhaps I will only help Trevor from 10-12, go for a run, have lunch then leave at 3 for Boston.

Saturday:

Even busier!  From 1:00 - 2:30 I am going to a workshop on organic gardening.  We will get an overview of “organic gardening, garden planning, compost, preparing healthy soil, fertilizers, and tips on how to have a low maintenance organic garden.”  It’s at Roots Natural Foods, and if you’re in the area, and interested, it’s only $5, and the information is here.  At 3, my cute baby is turning 1, and they’re having a birthday party.  I bought her some cute books.  Then, I’m going to hit the road to Lindsey’s house to celebrate her 25th birthday at her house.  She lives in near Boston.  To save gas and time, I need to be planned for all three events before I go gardening.  They are all conveniently on the way to each other.  I also need to get in a long run - 6 miles - because Sunday I will still be at Lindsey’s, and don’t know when I will be home.  Sunday will be a rest day.  I will eat an early breakfast, and run before lunch.  How long will 6 miles take?  An hour?  I want to find somewhere that is 3 miles away that I can run to, and then turn around, because Roni from ronisweigh.com likes to do that because she knows then she WILL do the 6 miles.  Do Fitchburg people have any suggestions as to where I can run that is about 3 miles away?  There should be an Internet program where you enter in a starting point, and then give it a distance, and it maps out a route for you.  That’d be cool.

And now, for some reason I am super exhausted.  I don’t remmeber the last time I almost fell asleep sitting up, but that is how tired I am right now.  And it’s not even 11 yet!  You can bet your ass that I’m going to be awfully starving and grumpy tomorrow morning since I can’t have breakfast until after my appointment.

I like having stuff to do, but it sure makes life more stressful, and requires the need to map out specific times to do things.  That’s why I’m saying “mini house = no need for time.”

**Twitter acceptable version:  Very busy. Run half marathon on May 9th, helped at City Hall, test for diabetes tomorrow, busy Friday and Saturday planned.  **

This looks a LOT like my electricity monster that I saw yesterday.

My favorite part is the rat.

Megan can do some pretty amazing things in Paint.

I’m so sick that:
I haven’t worn “real” clothes since Thursday.
I haven’t run since last Sunday.
I haven’t worn my pedometer since Tuesday.
I got the sweats so bad last night while sleeping that I had to change my clothes (shirt and pants!).

I am taking vitamins, drinking liquids, sleeping a lot, and yesterday I meditated and stretched my sore legs. Today I went for a two mile stroll cause it was warm and sunny. I put herbal tea in a travel mug and sipped as I walked. Tomorrow I have to put on real clothes for work, and the pedometer is going back on. I have about 56,000 steps to make up. Do’h.
I want to walk tomorrow before work to get some air. Also a nice walk outside on my lunch hour will be nice, too. It’s suppose to be even warmer than today!

While on my walk today, I happened across this awesomeness. I wouldn’t want to come across that in the middle of the night! It reminds me of Megan’s subway monster which I will find tomorrow and post.

I feel like ass. I want to sit in a hot tub for an hour to soothe my muscles. I would want a hot tub in my dream house (if the house was big, and not mini). I’ve been drinking loads of tea, sleeping a lot, taking lots of Vitamin C, and eating oranges. I’m also keeping a hankie with me at all times. That way I don’t waste a ton of tissues.

I was browsing recipes on allrecipes.com, and I found this food related survey. I love food!
1. How do you like your eggs?
Scrambled. Usually I just cook them, and fold them in half like it’s an omelet, but there’s nothing in it. I eat only egg whites because I am lame.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea?
I don’t drink coffee, and I only enjoy herbal tea. I drink it hot. Oh, but I LOVE a small coffee coolata made with skim milk from Dunkin Donuts.

3. Favorite breakfast food:
I’m sure all of you know the answer to that already! Honey Bunches of Oats with sliced banana and skim milk.

4. Peanut butter: Smooth or crunchy?
Smooth. I like Skippy.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad?
Light Honey Mustard

6. Coke or Pepsi?
I like Diet Coke because it has more caffeine, but Diet Pepsi tastes better. My all time favorite would be Diet Pepsi Max for the SUPER amount of caffeine.

7. You’re feeling lazy, what do you make?
Depends if it’s lunch or dinner. I’ve been having soup for lunch lately. I’m off my English Muffin kick. For dinner? Probably pasta.

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?
Normally just plain, but lately I’ve liked them with peppers.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make?
Some kind of pasta or a delicious soup.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories?
Uhh. Maybe Kraft Macaroni and Cheese cause we ate it as kids. Other than that, not that I can think of right now cause I’m sick.

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories?
Chocolate and peanut butter together (like Reese’s). I got sick on a chocolate and peanut butter rabbit one Easter. Can’t eat them since that.

12. Do any foods remind you of someone?
Cabbage and Cream Chicken on Toast reminds me of Alissa. Turnovers remind me of my mom and sister. Coffee rolls remind me of my dad.

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat?
Nope. I’ll try anything unless it’s a weird Fear Factor-like food.

14. What was your favorite food as a child?

Hamburgers, I think. That’s what I would always order at restaurants. So much so that Dylan would always bug me about it.

15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like?
Um… I don’t remember. I’d have to ask my parents. I’ve been eating a LOT more vegetables lately. I wasn’t veggie crazy as a kid.

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate?
Uhhhh. No?

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable:
Fruit - I love them all!!! Apples, grapes, oranges, bananas. Vegetable - broccoli!!

18. Favorite junk food:
I like a lot of sweet things, so I try not to keep them in the house. Non dessert? Salsa and chips, maybe.

19. Favorite between meal snack:
fruit

20. Do you have any weird food habits?
I cut my PB&J sandwiches in half, so there are two triangles. HAVE to? No. But I do.

21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?
Soup and my spinach salads

22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like?
Cereal. But no diet could keep me away from that.

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?
not spicy at all, I get acid reflux.

24. Can I get you a drink?
Red wine if I feel like it

25. Red or White Wine?
Red for cancer fighting properties, but if I want less calories, white. Again, I am lame.

26. Favorite dessert?
In an ideal world, yogurt with berries and granola. Yuuuuuum.

27. The perfect nightcap?
Wine? Probably nothing, though

Oh how I love food.

At Thyroid Cancer Support Group last month, one of the members mentioned something about Stowe Hope Weekend.  It sounded neat, so I wrote it down and researched it a bit more.

Stowe Hope Weekend is an entire weekend in Stowe, Vermont for cancer survivors and their families and care givers.  It is a weekend for these cancer patients to spend time together, learning about their diseases.  It is the first weekend in May every year, and for first time attendees, staying at the hotels in Stowe is absolutely free.

I registered today, and my mom and I are going early Friday morning May 1, and staying until Sunday afternoon.  Our room is absolutely free for both of us (and my dad may come too, he’s not sure yet), we just had to put up a $50 deposit (to say we’re definitely coming).  Then, once we check in, we have the choice of getting the money back, or donating it to the weekend’s non profit organization so that they can use the money to fund next year’s event.

We are lucky enough to stay at a Bed and Breakfast, which my mom loves.  It is much more personal than a hotel, but because we’re staying for free, I doubt breakfast is included.  We will have the host family to chat with, so that is a nice touch.

Friday afternoon there are events and seminars that are for cancer patients only (my parents would just explore Stowe or hang out in the hotel or something).  On Saturday, there are various workshops to attend all day long.  There are four sessions, two in the morning, and then two after the lunch break.  Last year, there were several workshops that were dedicated specifically to thyroid cancer.

The only thing that we have to pay for is food.  I’m just planning on bringing a cooler and having milk and cereal for breakfast, and then rolls, deli meat (or PB & J if I want meat free), yogurt and fruit for lunch.  Then we can just go out for dinner on Friday and Saturday.  Friday night there is a “dessert and discussion” that you go to for specific cancers, but thyroid isn’t one of the ones listed.  So I don’t think I’m going to go to that  (I think it costs money).  Also, I bet the dessert won’t be awesome fruit salad or rhubarb pie, and really, are there better desserts out there?

I am very very excited to go, and I think it will be a lot of fun.  It will also be a nice little vacation before I have to start my low iodine diet, and prepare for my radiation treatment in late May (or early June, I might push it back).

The power outage back in December is still showing its face. This is a popsicle that melted and refroze. I have these popsicles that are 100% fruit juice and have lots of vitamin C for when I’m sick. I saw that they were melted but I positioned them in a way that when they froze they’d still be useable. It worked!

Still, three days later it’s just my throat that hurts. Weird!

Oh my goodness, it seems like everyone wants to know who Rob is!  Jeeeeez!!!!

I used to work with Stephanie at Destare.  She lived with her boyfriend, Mike.  Rob and Mike are good friends.  I went over to Steph’s house a few times, and that’s how I met Rob.  We’ve hung out several times.  The four of us got ice cream and saw Vantage Point one day, and then we hung out the night before Easter last year.  I couldn’t sleep cause I was wicked sick, so I stayed up all night coughing.  My coughing kept Rob awake, and we tried watching movies to pass the time.  I felt awful, both because I was sick, and also because Rob couldn’t sleep because of me.  That was the last time I saw him.  I was suppose to go to a wedding with him last April, but I had my Saturday class, so I couldn’t go.  Bummer.  We chat pretty much every day on AIM, and we read each other’s blogs.  He loooooooooves Batman, so it’s funny that my name is Robin (but not ha-ha funny).

Does that answer all Rob-related questions?