Virtual 5K Details and Prizes!

In just six short days, I'm going to be 31 years old. There is nothing special about that number, but I thought it would be fun to host a Virtual 5K on my birthday, since a 5K is 3.1 miles and I'm turning 31.  As I've said before, you can run OR walk the 5K, and you can do it whatever time of the day you'd like, wherever you'd like (even on the treadmill).

Just make sure you note your finish time... I will have a form on the blog that day for you to fill out a couple of questions, so that I can post the results. The prizes are not going to be given for the fastest times, but as a random drawing for EVERYONE who completes the Virtual 5K; so please don't feel like your time is "too slow". Nothing is too slow! I would also like to post some fun stats, like the number of different states/countries people run in, the oldest runner, the youngest runner, etc. So I might ask some random questions like that.

As far as the prizes go, here is the plan: I have 31 prizes, all having to do with my favorite things (or things I have a love/hate relationship with, like running!). If you successfully complete your 5K, you will automatically get 10 entries into the drawings. There will be 23 separate drawings (one for each of the prizes shown below--some of the prizes have more than one of the same item, so I will pull more than one name for those).

You can divide your 10 entries up however you'd like. If there is something you really want badly, you can use all 10 on that one item's drawing; or you can split them up among (up to) 10 items. Picture it as 10 raffle tickets, and 23 jars you could divide them up into. Your choice how you divide them up. I will pull a winner (or multiple winners) for each prize.

Now, I would have LOVED to give away amazing prizes like running shoes, Garmins, Under Armour clothes, etc., but I don't have close to that kind of money. Almost all of these prizes are self-funded (read: I bought them or bought the supplies and made them); so while they aren't uber-expensive, they are priceless, because I made them with my own bare hands. I am also going to be shipping these (except for the scale), so I will ship anywhere in the world.

On to the good stuff... the prizes!

I will make this to order--you tell me the color and measurement.

This was donated by reader Rach at Operation Rosebud (her family
has a contest of who can spend their birthday money the most creatively,
and this is how she wanted to spend it... pretty fun, right?!)

Instead of using the wasteful paper sleeves for your carry-out
coffee or tea, you can throw this in your purse to use instead

A nifty little wallet for your tea. I like to use this to keep
my tea from getting smushed in my purse. (Yes I carry
tea bags in my purse)

This is the scale that I reviewed recently. Another love/hate relationship
of mine is with the scale! ;)

This book is SO inspiring! Whether you are a runner, or
you are hoping to become one, these are stories from real
people about running.

You know I love The Biggest Loser--and cooking. This is the "Flavors of
the World" cookbook.

Another Biggest Loser cookbook--Simple Swaps

My VERY favorite thing--dessert!

For anyone looking to document a journey to 26.2

I keep a written running journal, writing down my distance,
time, and pace. It's fun to look back on and see all of
my improvements!

A food journal is a MUST in my opinion when you are trying
to lose weight. This is a small pocket-sized notebook that I covered.

This is one of the DVD's that I reviewed recently. You watch
this while you are on your treadmill, and it looks and feels like
you're running through different parts of the world. This one is
"hike", which means it goes a little slower, possibly with more incline

This is a VA DVD that you watch while on an indoor bicycle

This VA DVD is called Compass, which is much slower--more
of a leisurely hike than running. For viewing while you're on the
treadmill.

The Biggest Loser weight loss planner--lots of recipes, meal
ideas, and exercises, as well as tips from the contestants. The
lovely Ada Wong (my Ragnar teammate) is in here!

Perfect for carrying a bottle of wine
to a friend's house (not that I do that
often, or anything...) I will embroider
your initial on the front, if you'd like.

A PDF download of my top 31 favorite recipes--I've calculated
all the nutritional info, as well as Weight Watchers Points on all
of the recipes!

This is a cover for a Weight Watchers 3-Month Journal (journal not included, sorry)

Hopefully everyone finds something that interests them on that list! 

It's still not too late to sign-up, so you can do so here. I will remind you at least one more time before Friday, but just in case, here is what you need to do to participate:
1) Sign-up if you haven't already.
2) This isn't for sure yet, but I am going to try and make a race bib for you to print out if you'd like. Not necessary, but I think it would be fun! 
2) On Friday, anytime and anywhere you wish, run or walk 5K (3.1 miles). Note your finish time.
3) Take a picture (of you, of your shoes, of your Garmin, your treadmill readout, whatever...) Not sure if I'll be using these yet, but it would be nice to have just in case!
4) Come back to my blog and fill out the form no later than Saturday night (1/26).

That's it! I spent all day working on this post, so I need to get it posted... now.

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Jury summons

Yesterday morning, I was out for a run, and on the way back to my house, I stopped to get the mail from our mailbox. Our mailbox is about 1/4 mile away from the house, so sometimes our mail sits in there for a couple of days. I had a package, a magazine, lots of ads, and a bunch of other crap in envelopes--I carried all of that with me the rest of the way back to my house, while I was running. I think I looked ridiculous.

When I got home, I saw a very official looking envelope addressed to me, and I was bummed when I saw what it was:

At first I thought it was just our local county courthouse, but I have to go all the way to Detroit next month for this. I never drive to Detroit by myself! I'm nervous that I might actually get selected as a juror; I don't know anything about stuff like this.

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Today, I woke up at 5:15 this morning, and knew there was no way I was going to fall back asleep, so I just got up early. I had plans to meet Ty for a long run this morning. She e-mailed me last week to see if I'd want to run 12 miles with her today, and I said sure--despite the fact that I am not technically training for anything right now!

I drank my usual quart of water, like I always do first thing in the morning, and then as I sat in the living room talking to Jerry, I got really nauseous. I started thinking maybe I was just hungry, so I made my oatmeal (with caramel, coconut, and chocolate chips). Between each bite, I put my spoon down, and debated whether I was going to throw up. I have no idea what was going on with me!

I never ended up throwing up, so I got ready to meet Ty at 7:30 (she drove down here from Ann Arbor). It was another cold morning:

Ahhh, a toasty 19 degrees for our run! I met Ty in the Kroger parking lot, and then drove to the State Park. I had planned out a lollipop route from the car (8 miles), and then an out-and-back (4 miles). I didn't want to carry water with me, so I figured if I was thirsty after 8 miles, I could just stop at the car and have a drink before doing the out-and-back.

It was nice to chat with Ty--I think the last time I saw her was at the Solstice 10-Miler in June. She has a goal to run a sub-2:00 half this spring just like I do. We're opposites when it comes to racing--when I train, I can run much faster than I do during races, whereas Ty runs faster during races than she does during training. She claimed we'd have to do 10:30 miles today, but immediately, that wasn't the case ;)

We were running 9:00-9:15 min/miles for a while, which was pretty fast for my long run. My last outdoor long run was 11 miles, and I ran a 9:20/mi pace. We still managed to have a conversation, though, so it was good! When we got back to the car, I wasn't thirsty at all, so I didn't even stop for water.

Shortly after we passed the car, my fingers were frozen to the bone. I was wearing gloves, but I might as well have not been wearing any at all because my fingers have never been that cold! I was seriously worried I was going to get frostbite. We ran two miles out and turned around, then made our way back. We finished with a 9:18/mi pace overall... not bad.

I STILL don't have any way of uploading my Garmin info, so this is from Ty's:

I was really bummed to see that I only burned 906 calories. For 12 miles?! I burned 981 on my 11-miler a few weeks ago. I know that you burn less as you lose weight, but good grief. I only earned 12 PP on today's run.

I came home and took a steaming hot shower to warm my poor fingers. Then I spent a couple of hours sitting in the recliner with Estelle. I didn't have the heart to get up, because she looked SO cozy on my lap.

She looks so innocent when she sleeps. Then I try to pet her, and she gives me a death look or she tries to bite me. She only likes me because I'm warm to sleep on!

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I want to thank everyone for the super nice comments to my sister about reaching her 10% goal--she was truly overwhelmed with how kind everyone was! This is what she had to say:

"I thought it was so awesome that your readers took time to acknowledge my accomplishment of losing 10% of my weight.  I know most of your readers are also working at losing weight or getting healthy etc. so I think they also deserve a big congratulations for making positive changes in their lives.
.
I have decided to get over the fact that a big fuss wasn't made about my 10% at my meeting and rewarded myself with a huge online shopping spree at Venus.com.  I ordered a new bathing suit, a swimsuit coverup and about 10 dresses!!  I am sure I won't keep all of them, but I figured I would try them on and send back what I don't want.

When I told Shawn [Jeanie's husband] that I was going to buy some new clothes and if I should stick to a budget, he said "When women lose weight, they either get a boyfriend or buy new clothes, so NO, there is not a budget", LOL!

If you get a chance, ask your readers how their 5k training is going.  I would love to know what everyone else thinks so far and if anyone is planning on running once the 5k is over."

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to post the prizes for the Virtual 5K. I've had everything ready, I just haven't taken pictures and turned it into a post. It's not too late to sign up! The Virtual 5K is Friday, Jan. 25 (anytime of day you'd like, anywhere you'd like, even the treadmill; you can run or walk). There are 450 people signed up right now (holy smokes!).

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One more Ragnar post

Okay, after today, I promise to stop talking about the Ragnar Relay Florida Keys... at least every day. I will try to limit it to once (or two or three times) a week ;)

I've been wanting to write out my thoughts on the team, on the race, on my feelings, etc., ever since I got back, but things have been crazy and I haven't had much time for a thought-out blog post. I've already said that it was the experience of a lifetime, and there is really no way to put that into words. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it!

I'll start with my team. We'd been getting to know each other via Facebook and telephone for a little over a year. Obviously, some of us formed closer relationships than others, based on what we had in common and all that; but I think we all had expectations about what each other was like in person. It was awesome to meet everyone in person and see how that expectation lived up to their actual personalities.

Van 1

#1- Since I was runner number 1, I'll skip me :)

#2- Meredith- Meredith was unique to our team because she was somebody that none of us as a team knew; she "applied" to be on our team, along with a bunch of other people, and we chose her based on the letter she wrote us. In person, Meredith reminds me a lot of me--she's quiet at first, but once you get to know her, she opens up a lot. She and her husband amaze me, as they've lost something like 300 pounds together! Meredith is very go-with-the-flow, and just seemed happy to be there.

Meredith and I kept checking in with each other about how our husbands were doing. Jerry rode down to Key West with Meredith's husband, Dave, and they were going to be staying in a hotel together that night.... as total strangers! It turned out they had a ton in common, and definitely did their share of bar hopping, so Meredith and I kept joking about who was going to keep them in line ;)

#3- Lealah- Lealah has this tiny little voice, and a tiny little body to match; she's absolutely adorable, and I just wanted to carry her around in my pocket. She was more talkative than I expected (in a good way), and very easy to talk to. She can drive a 12-passenger van like a champ, too, and she was our driver when Rik wasn't driving.

When we were at exchange 30, Lealah was driving and had to squeeze the van into a REALLY tight parking spot. There were a bunch of people outside, and she probably formed a 24-point turn to get into this spot. It was hilarious, and when the van was finally parked, out steps Lealah from behind the wheel, all of 5'2" and 130 pounds.

#4- Ada- I think Ada surprised me the most; she was probably the quietest one on our team, but at the same time, she was very easy to talk to and open up to. At one point, I even pulled my pants down to show her my surgery scar, hahaha. She is just as sweet as she was on The Biggest Loser, but you can tell what her interests are because she gets fired up while talking about them.

While parked at exchange 12, I was decorating the van, and some guys came up and were looking at our before and after photos. One of them said, "That's Ada, I loved her! Is she here?" I wasn't sure how creepy this guy was, so I didn't tell him where Ada was (napping under a tree). He said, "I would love to have her sign my shirt!" I figured that was harmless, so I went and got Ada, and she was happy to sign his shirt. He even got his teammate, a woman, who wanted an autograph as well. I had been a little worried that Ada was get annoyed, but she was so happy to sign his shirt and chat with him, and probably made his day.

#5- Andrea- Andrea was the one on the team that I probably knew the least before going to Florida. However, I really got to know her while we were there, and she is probably the person I have the most in common with. Jerry and I got to spend some extra time with Andrea and her husband, because we drove back to Miami together. Andrea has lost 130 pounds, was on Oprah's weight loss finale show, and is a WW Lifetime Member. She, Meredith, and I chatted about WW a bit, because all of us are doing it.

Andrea cracks me up because she does the same thing I do when we eat out with our spouses. When we stopped at a seafood restaurant, we each ordered something healthy, and our husbands ordered fried fish and chips. As soon as our food was brought out, the first thing Andrea and I did was reach over and eat a french fry from our husbands plates ;) I always taste Jerry's food, so I can at least try something fattening without making a meal of it, and Andrea said the same thing..

#6- Rik- Since I had run the Detroit Marathon with Rik, I already knew him pretty well. We butted heads a little during the race, because we had different ideas about what "van support" meant (I wanted to stop and cheer for our runner halfway through each leg, but he was very insistent on going straight to the exchange point). We later worked that out, and everything is fine now. Rik did a great job navigating and driving, and we never wound up lost or anything. He also survived 38 hours in a van with 5 women... that's pretty impressive!

Shortly after my first leg, Rik was driving through a park of some sort that had a million speed bumps. He didn't slow down for the bumps, and I kept flying off the seat into the air. I should have put my seat belt on, but I kept thinking each time was the last time it would happen. Then he hit a bump so hard that I flew up and my head slammed into the ceiling, ripping out a few pieces of my hair in the process. I think I must have cursed about six times in the next half-second. After that, I kept joking with Rik about my "concussion" that I got from his driving; when I had a headache (from running in the heat, which always happens to me), I naturally blamed my concussion. ;)

Van 2- Unfortunately, these will be shorter because I didn't spend nearly enough time with these amazing people! But here are my thoughts from when I did get to spend time with them.

#7- Jen R.- Jen Roe is SO FUNNY. I already knew that from when she came out to Michigan to interview me for the documentary, but when I watched some video of her doing her runs, I was in tears from laughing so hard.

#8- Linda- Unfortunately, I think I got to know Linda the least out of anybody! She was very worried about her husband, and wanted him to have fun while she was gone during the race, which I thought was endearing. Her husband had fun, of course, and so did she.

John and Linda

#9- Jen S.- Jen Small is exactly how I expected--full of life, extremely energetic, and smiling ALL the time!

#10- Allison- I didn't know Allison very well before the trip, except that she is extremely good at creating Excel documents for our team organization. But she and her husband, Jason, are so much fun to hang around with. Jason and Jerry are way too much alike, actually.

#11- Carly- Carly actually surprised me--I expected her to be very shy and quiet, but she was the opposite. Carly was outgoing and easy to talk to, like we had been friends a long time.

#12- John- I adore John! I'm SO glad I had a chance to spend time with him in Key West, because he wasn't in my van. John has this way of making each and every person he talks to feel like they are the most special person in the room.

As you can see, I have a very special, amazing team!! As far as I know, everyone got along very well and there was no drama--thank goodness!

Positives of the race--pretty much everything! Our team got along so well, we didn't have any major complications with anything, everyone had fun.

Negatives of the race--There are only two things I wish we'd done differently. 1) Have a clearer definition of "van support", to make the Ragnar as much fun as possible; 2) Have the whole team in one large vehicle, so that we could all get to know each other equally.

I got a question in my e-mail today that I wanted to answer on my blog, because I thought some of you might have the same question...

Q. I am naturally an introverted person and the thought of meeting 11 other people that I don't know and spend 2+ days with them really makes me cringe.  You sound like you are even more shy than I am, so I was wondering how you got the courage to actually do it the first time?  The thought of running that far is scary, but to me the thought of meeting so many new people and being "stuck" in a van full of strangers is even more scary.

A. You're right, I am SUPER shy, and social situations make me feel extremely awkward. When my brother asked me to do the Ragnar in 2010, I immediately told him no, for the same reasons you just mentioned. The thought of it was terrifying. He asked me again, and he made me promise to think about it. I said I would, but I had no intention of changing my mind.

I had just lost over 100 pounds, and was feeling rather confident in myself. I started to think, "What if I DO run the race?" and I started to think of how unlike me that was, and how surprised people would be by my doing that. I was trying to step out of my comfort zone more often, and force myself to do things that I wouldn't normally do, and something possessed me to tell him YES, I would do it.

I was scared out of my mind, but I kept reminding myself that in a few days, I would be back home and the whole thing would be over with. I wasn't expecting to have fun! It turns out that I had a lot of fun, enough to do it again in Florida :)

This race is a great way to step out of your comfort zone and an awesome way to get to know people! When you spend that much time together, you have some interesting conversations. There is always something to talk about (the race, the runner, the plan for the next stop, etc.), so there aren't any awkward silences. 

John has a similar story about his first Ragnar. He went to the website to check it out, and he accidentally signed up as someone looking for a team--and a team asked him to join! He immediately thought of all the reasons NOT to do it, but he was talked into it, and now he LOVES doing Ragnars. I totally understand that it can be super scary and intimidating, considering I am the queen of shyness, but I am SO glad that I stepped out my comfort zone back in 2010, and did the Ragnar. It opened a whole world of possibilities for me! :)

You don't have to be a very experienced runner to do a Ragnar, either. There are spots for beginners, and spots for very experienced runners, and everything in-between. Ragnars are much more about having fun than running your fastest. If you are thinking of doing one, I encourage you to give it a try--it's SO much fun!

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Flu shot

Thanks for all the great suggestions about my "next big thing"! A couple suggestions that were pretty popular were the Disney races, the Tough Mudder, and a triathlon. Sorry to disappoint, but I can cross those off the list ;)  I'm probably the only person in the world who isn't really interested in Disney! I did a Warrior Dash, and hated every second of it, so I don't think I'd enjoy the Tough Mudder (but I'm flattered you think I could handle that!); and I really dislike swimming and biking, so the triathlon is out.

A couple of ideas that I'd like to entertain are doing back-to-back races, running x number of races in a certain amount of time, maybe taking a running coach certification course, or possibly taking up trail running (although that one would be difficult, because we don't have any trails around here!). My "next big thing" doesn't have to be HARDER than things I've done in the past; I'm just trying to find something that I can look forward to and work toward.

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Today is Wednesday, and that means weigh-in day. I was a little surprised when I got on the scale this morning:

I'm down another pound this week, leaving me two pounds below my goal weight. I ate all of my available PointsPlus again this week, but I've dropped two pounds in two weeks, so I think I might need to add another PP or two each day to stay at 133.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to lose a few more, since my healthy weight range is 114-144, but I honestly don't want to lose anymore. My jeans are getting big! I know some people would love to have that "problem", so I shouldn't complain--and I'm really not complaining about it, just noticing.

I hadn't done my body fat and waist measurement in a while, so I did those, too:

 My body fat is 20%, and my waist is just under 25.5 inches--very happy with both of those!

I actually had a tough week as far as food goes, because I had bought those two containers of Biscoff Spread that were half-price. It was beckoning to me all week long, and I finished off one of the jars in five days--way too quickly! I always counted the PointsPlus for it, but I didn't like that I was thinking about it all the time. I got rid of the second jar, and I will not be buying it again. I have a mental list of certain foods that I just can't keep in the house, and that is now at the top of the list.

Today was a rest day, but I was actually feeling a little restless this morning. As if on cue, I got a text from Renee asking if I wanted to meet for coffee at Panera. I met her and Jessica there, and I got a decaf coffee. We chatted for a while, and Jerry was awake when I got home.

In addition to the hummus and Pretzel Crisps, another food habit I picked up in Florida is English muffins--I have been craving them like crazy. Instead of the usual 80-calorie ones by Healthy Life, I decided to get the Thomas Original ones this time; and holy cow, what a difference! They are SO worth the extra 1 PP (they are 3 PP, the Healthy Life ones are 2 PP).  I haven't eaten a "regular" English muffin in years--I was always buying the whole wheat or reduced calorie ones. I've been eating the Thomas ones for lunch along with scrambled eggs every day since I've been home from Florida.

For the past couple of weeks, I'd been thinking about whether or not to get a flu shot, and whether the kids should get them. I've never had a flu shot, and my kids haven't either, but I've heard so many bad things about the flu this year, that I figured we all should get shots. I called the pediatrician, and they ran out of them yesterday, so they told me to call back on Monday for the kids' shots.

This afternoon, Jerry and I just went to the Kroger Pharmacy and got our shots there. I'm curious how it will affect me, if it does at all. I just hope that my kids don't get the flu--Eli had it last year, and it was awful. Whenever my kids get sick, it seems to last forever. It would be SO nice to get through this flu season without incident ;)

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I just got off the phone with my sister, and she earned her 10% keychain award at Weight Watchers today! She was REALLY looking forward to it, and as I mentioned, she's been working super hard to get there. Unfortunately, things didn't go so well at her meeting...

When she weighed in, the receptionist didn't even notice that she'd reached 10%, so Jeanie said, "Is that 10%?" And she said, "Oh, yeah, you'll get your award at the meeting." So she went into her meeting. The leader gave out the awards at the end, and somehow Jeanie's was forgotten. The leader adjourned the meeting, saying, "See you all next week!" and as everyone got up to leave, she finally noticed that she forgot to give Jeanie her award. She said, "Oh, Jeanie, here is your 10% key chain."

That is SUCH a disappointment! Usually, leaders will ask you a couple of questions ("How does it feel to be down 10%?" or "Any tips you want to share?" or something like that). As silly as it may sound, pretty much everyone likes receiving awards and having their moment of glory. Jeanie worked her butt off for that 10% key chain, and it was passed over like an afterthought.

Anyway, I wrote about that because Jeanie reads my blog and I'm hoping that some of you can congratulate her in the comments--she's earned it! 

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The next big thing

Boy, was it ever cold this morning. Last Tuesday, I woke up and went for a run in 81 degree weather; this morning, it was only 18! I was planning on running intervals, but once I got outside, I changed my mind and decided to just run 4 miles at whatever pace I ended up running instead.

I felt really stiff today--probably from the cold--but I hurried through the run so that I could take a hot shower.

I spent the afternoon messing around on the computer (I'm still trying to learn my way around Windows 8), with a blanket over my legs and my my laptop on my lap. Estelle loves it when I sit with my legs up, because it's the perfect spot for her to sleep.

She gets irritated when I have to get up, and then when I sit back down, she jumps right back up there.

I was surprised that when Jerry woke up, he went for a run. He's run only twice since his 10K! He also started counting PointsPlus today. He's been able to maintain his weight loss with virtually no effort, but he and Andrea's husband Andy, who Jerry met in Florida, decided to get in shape so they can do a Ragnar.

My sister sent me a text a couple of days ago saying that she ran 2.5 miles--I was SUPER proud of her when I read that! She hated running as much as I did when I first started, but she's been sticking to her plan, and doing really well with it. She also reached a big milestone with her weight (she does Weight Watchers too). She's been working really hard at staying on program, and it's paying off.

I know my mom is still doing the Couch to 5K as well, but I will have to ask her for an update on how it's going. She's still planning to run the Virtual 5K (10 more days!) with me. I told her I'd go at whatever pace she wants. I hope we have good weather that day, because she only uses the treadmill for training.

This afternoon, I made a business card holder for my purse. I finally got around to making business cards before I went to Florida, but was carrying them around in a little baggie in my purse. Yes, it's probably silly to have business cards when I don't have a business, but I always find myself writing my blog address on little scraps of paper for people who ask for it, so I thought the cards would come in handy. This is what they look like:

I don't think they look too bad, considering I am not a graphic designer by any stretch of the imagination!

They were the biggest pain in the ass to make, and I wasted probably HALF of the box of cards because they kept getting misaligned when I printed them. So frustrating!

These are all of the wasted ones

So anyway, pulling a little baggie out of my purse to take out a card was a little embarrassing, so I made a cute holder for them with some leftover fabric from my Weight Watchers journal.

Here is the link to the pattern I used, in case anyone wants to make one. It was a really quick project--maybe 30 minutes. The cards, however, are another story.

I really need to set another big goal soon. Last year, I trained for and ran not one, but two marathons; and all year long, I was looking forward to the Ragnar Relay in Florida. I felt like I was constantly working toward something. Even with my weight--I was still working on getting to my goal weight.

Now that I've run the marathons and the Ragnar, and I achieved my goal weight, I feel like I have to come up with something big to focus on. I like having something big to look forward to. The problem is, I don't have a clue what that "big thing" can be!

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Crazy dreams

I have been having the strangest dreams ever since the Ragnar Relay. I wake up in the middle of the night, thinking that I fell asleep mid-run during the race. I get all panicky, worried about getting to the next exchange, and then I start to realize that I'm actually home, in bed.

When I woke up this morning, I had a vague memory of possibly having a dream like that at around midnight, and I thought I remembered taking a picture of myself with my phone. In the dream, I thought, "I'd better take a fun picture of myself to text to my team, so they don't know that I fell asleep while I was running!"

And I actually took the picture. Of myself. Sitting up in bed, in the middle of the night, smiling big, like I'm having a blast. (Only, the picture turned out so dark that you can't really see anything--for that I am grateful! What if I'd tweeted it? Or ACTUALLY texted it to my team?!)

It's kind of creepy how realistic these dreams have been.

Anyway, this morning I went out for a quick four-mile run after the kids went to school. It was 20 degrees outside, so I was a little chilly at first. I decided to run at a tempo pace (faster than normal). I ran a different route, a route I'd been avoiding because of unleashed dogs, and thankfully didn't have any encounters today. It was so cold that nobody was outside!

The first couple of miles felt pretty good, and by the third, I really wanted to be done. I was running a good pace though, so I toughed it out.

After I showered and dressed, I headed to Wal-Mart for some groceries. I've been craving bell peppers and Sabra hummus in the worst way ever since the Ragnar! It started with my breakfast of Pretzel Crisps and hummus...

Then sometime during the night, one of the camera crew guys brought over a bag of mini bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow). I figured I'd be better off snacking on those instead of the chips (chips were 6 PP per bag), so I polished off quite a few veggie servings that way.

I've had hummus a million times, both store bought and homemade, and usually I just think it's so-so. I don't love it, but I like it once in a while. (Although, I do LOVE the hummus at La Pita!) But for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about that Sabra hummus after Ragnar, so I bought some today, along with a bag of the mini bell peppers. Such a yummy snack! The hummus is 4 PP for 1/4 cup; not bad if you eat it with 0 PP veggies, but a lot if you eat it with the Pretzel Crisps.

I also bought a new basil plant. My basil plant has had a very rough life since I bought it in the summertime. I had it only a couple of weeks, sitting on top of my refrigerator, when I heard a crash and saw Estelle flying across the kitchen. She'd jumped up there and knocked it to the floor, breaking off two of the stalks. Damn cat.

Then a couple of weeks after that, it crashed to the floor again (shattering the plate it was sitting on), this time from CHANDLER--yes, 25-pound Chandler, who somehow got the idea in his head that he was graceful enough to jump on the fridge (he crashed to the floor as well). Chandler was fine, but my poor basil plant was not. Two more of the stalks broke, leaving just three remaining.

For the past four months or so, Jerry has been asking me, "Are you sure you don't want a new basil plant? That one looks, well, dead." I told him, "No, I'm going to revive it, just watch!" Well, this is what it looked like:

BAHAHA, and that was after months of TLC. So I bought a new one today, looking like my old one did before the cats ruined it:

My cats had better leave it alone. I'm not sure where else I could put it to keep it safe. With four cats in the house, nothing is really safe around here. Take Eli's birthday money, for example:

Eli was counting his money on the floor, and then Estelle started rolling around in the money. I found some of it all the way across the room, underneath the couch.

Hoping I get a good, restful night's sleep tonight! ;)

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