NYE Workout

AM: 10 mins. core3 mile w/u + stretchingTarget: 3xmile @6:00, 5:50, 5:40Actual: 5:57, 5:45, 5:323 mile c/dTotal: 9 milesI woke up this morning excited to don some flats and attempt a baby workout. Originally we'd planned to get out the door in the afternoon, then revised our plans to 11, then bumped it down to 10 once we found out the OU-Stanford game would be starting at 11 our time. It was fine by me, as I was anxious to get out the door. With temps in the low 60s and a sky full of sunshine, the conditions were shaping up nicely at go time.Since...

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Balboa Double

AM: 58 mins. (8 miles)PM: 29 mins. (~4 miles)After today, I'm actually starting to feel like a real runner again. Not only did I turn out a legit double, but I'm even contemplating a baby workout for tomorrow. Crazy, right?The good news is that on both runs, once the leg had 5-10 minutes to warm up it felt just as good as yesterday. I will definitely keep this in mind if said workout occurs and make sure to take ample warmup time. The other good news about today is that I actually ran up the Upas hill without stopping for the second day in a row!...

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Balboa Park with Graddy

67 mins.9 milesThat's right, folks, I ran 9 miles. And, more importantly, my leg felt pretty darn good once it got warmed up. I haven't run this far in quite some time, so I consider this to be a rather significant development. Perhaps most importantly, I had a lot of fun. Jordan's former Brown teammate Ryan Graddy drove down from his parents' place in Torrey Pines to meet us for a jaunt before he flies out tomorrow. We ran with Graddy last year...

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On the Road Again

AM: 45 mins. ellip.PM: 27 mins. (~3.5 miles)10 mins. stretchingMy parents' brief time in Palm Springs is drawing to a close, which meant that Jordan, Gary and I piled into the car with them today to deliver them back to Ontario airport. Then we thought, hey, we're already halfway to San Diego. Let's just go there. Coincidentally we already had all of our stuff packed so the plan worked out splendidly, and within several hours we had bid my parents farewell and were en route to the Hillcrest neighborhood. I was disappointed that my dad wasn't able...

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Tram!

AM: 15 mins. ellip.43 mins. (6 miles)The long-awaited visit to the top of the tram has finally arrived. Jordan and I rose early and were out the door by 7am to fit in our run before the day's festivities began. JSK cooked up a delicious breakfast for everyone, thus ensuring that our energy stores would be topped off and at peak operating levels so we could fully enjoy the aerial experience to come. At 10am on the dot our party of four (me, Jordy...

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Post-Christmas Double

AM: 15 mins. ellip.43 mins. (6 miles)PM: 26 mins. (~3.5 miles)2x20 water pump extensions=8010 mins. stretchingAlthough I'm writing this only two days after the fact, I can't remember much about this day. I know it included lots of family time (insert shout-out to my dad here) and some post-Christmas shopping at the Cabazon outlets. Oh, and Jordy and I enjoyed a nice evening run at our favorite golf course. Tomorrow promises to be an even grander time, as we've planned a trip to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. I've been bugging Jordan to take me...

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Happy Birthday, Jesus

AM: 20 mins. ellip.45 mins. (6 miles)PM: Christmas dinnerMerry Christmas, everyone! On a day when we celebrate the arrival of Santa Claus and the birth of Jesus (not necessarily in that order), we also celebrate my parents' plane finally arriving after a 3-hour weather delay from DFW. They arrived just after noon Pacific time feeling as though they'd already suffered through an entire day of setbacks. Luckily Jordan and I were on hand to greet them...

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Picture Perfect Christmas Eve

AM: 15 mins. ellip.15 mins. core45 mins. (6 miles)Late AM: ~2.5 mile hikeJordan and I kicked off this warm and sunny Christmas Eve with a jaunt through the streets of Palm Springs. We took a spin past Ruth Hardy Park before venturing back toward the Biltmore, where Jordan dropped me off at 6 miles. I would like to have continued on but I'm still babying my leg, so I reluctantly headed back home while he set off for a short loop.Later in the morning...

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Fairway Running

AM: 45 mins. ellip.PM: 35 mins. (5 miles)This afternoon I wanted to test out my leg on some soft surfaces, so Jordan and I ventured over to the golf course we discovered last time we were here. The sun was just dipping behind the mountains, leaving us with enough light to navigate our path and simultaneously providing us with an absolutely gorgeous sunset. Unlike the windstorm that raged yesterday, the air tonight was absolutely clear and still....

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Wind, Rain and Cookies

AM: 50 mins. ellip.PM: 20 mins. ellip.A rare cloudy view from the pool/hot tub areaIn an unprecedented turn of events, it rained this morning. I've spent probably a total of 20 days in Palm Springs over the past few years and this is the first time I can recall it raining. Later this afternoon the winds would pick up and turn the rainstorm into a sandstorm, but fortunately we were safely tucked away indoors and did not bear the brunt of it.Sandstorm!...

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Palm Springs Living

AM: 45 mins. (6 miles)15 mins. ellip.PM: 20 mins. ellip.A gorgeous sunrise in the desertIsn't it strange how you can be gone from a place for so long, and yet it feels so familiar when you return? It's been almost an entire year since Jordan and I have set foot on the streets of Palm Springs, yet all the sights and sounds seemed to be just as we'd left them last December. I was excited to get out the door for our first desert run, but unfortunately...

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Travel Musings

AM: TravelPM: TravelFirst and most importantly, we made it! Hello, 70-degree temperatures! Hello, sunshine! Hello, mountains and palm trees and happiness!That said, traveling from coast to coast pretty much sucks. Since Gary and Roger had oh so benevolently given us a few free tickets to use for our travels, we were at the mercy of the often convoluted airline schedules. Throw in the usual holiday travel traffic and add a dash of east coast weather delays, and you've got a recipe for complication. As a result, our trip would involve not one but...

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Peace Out, Charlotte

Saturday, 12/19AM: 45 mins. yogaPM: 5 milesFriday, 12/18AM: 50 mins. ellip.15 mins. coreThursday, 12/17AM: 50 mins. ellip.PM: ?In an effort to get all caught up, I'm lumping these days together. Don't judge me. It's been pretty crazy around here trying to finish up the semester and get all packed up for California. I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely thrilled to be leaving the cold, wet, dreary North Carolina weather behind and spending the next few weeks with friends and family in gorgeous southern California. Tomorrow promises to be...

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Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny Baby Workout

AM: 30 mins. ellip.PM: 2.5 mile w/u2xmile w/3 min. rest (6:00, 5:44)2 mile c/dTotal: 6.5 milesI figured today was as good a day as any to attempt a super easy, teeny tiny baby workout. Almost everyone is gone for the holidays already except me and Jess, so we agreed to meet up in the early afternoon for this effort. We decided the best course of action was to run to Myers Park High. The overwhelming pro for this is that the track is a very easy two-mile jog away. However, the con is that more often than not Queens runners have been kicked off before...

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Riding the Snake

AM: 40 mins. ellip.ChiroPM: 5.5 milesI can finally see the light at the end of this semester's tunnel. Today I turned in two of the three final papers I have to complete, plus worked on my project for the fourth class. The past few weeks have been busy and stressful, but now that it's nearing the end I'm able to look back and think euphemistically that it wasn't so bad.One thing I remain frustrated about is my left leg. What Jordan professionally diagnosed as my soleus turns out to be, in the actual professional opinion of the good folks at Greenapple,...

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You Know You Spend Too Much Time at the Gym...

AM: 45 mins. ellip.PM: 5.5 miles...when you walk in at 7:45 instead of 7:30 and the guy behind the front desk says, "You're lat...

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I Prefer the Term "Band-Aid"

PM: 60 mins. ellip.20 mins. poolWell, it's happened once again. Jordan is now the local celebrity and I am his groupie. Honestly, I had to endure enough of this after Oklahoma City...looks like I'm in for another few months of stardom-by-association. Remember the waiter who said it was a "pleasure serving him today?" Or how about the guy who was supposed to be buying ME a drink at the wedding reception we crashed, but got distracted when he spotted Jordan across the room and whispered in awe, "Is that...Jordan Kinley?!" I mean really, a girl can...

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Sorrrry

Saturday, 12/12AM: 50 mins. ellip.~1 mile jogFriday, 12/11AM: 50 mins. (7 miles)10 mins. coreThursday, 12/10AM: 50 mins.ellip. incl. 3x3 mins. on, 2 mins. offWednesday, 12/9AM: 50 mins. ellip. incl. 3x3 mins. on, 2 mins. off, 3x30 sec. sprintPM: 55 mins. (7 miles)Tuesday, 12/8AM: 45 mins. ellip.PM: 30 mins. yogaMonday, 12/7AM: 45 mins. ellip.PM: 40 mins. (5.5 miles)Okay okay, I apologize for being so incredibly lacking on updates for the week. In my defense, it's been crazy. The Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon was this weekend (more on that later),...

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Sunday From Old Bell

AM: 58 mins. (8 miles)PM: 20 mins. poolFor the first time in what seems like forever, I met up with the rest of the team for a Sunday run at McAlpine. I covered most of these miles with Jess, Jenna and Tanya, keeping the pace relaxed but upbeat. The first few miles were painfully cold and windy, but once the sun crested the trees the conditions grew much more bearable and I actually began to enjoy the run.I have to admit, however, that this whole lower leg/soleus thing is still not completely gone. I wouldn't say that it's painful, but I do experience...

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Girls' Morning Out

AM: 49 mins. (6.5-7 miles)PM: Fried picklesAfter laying off for several days, I was eager to get out and run this morning...until I woke up and discovered that it was 40 degrees and raining. Yuck. Fortunately/unfortunately, last night when Tanya and Jenna were over we'd made plans to rendezvous at my place at 7:30am for a jaunt. (In hindsight we should've just had a slumber party. Perhaps next time).Once we finally got out the door, the run was fantastic. My legs felt light and bouncy, and though my left soleus area was a tad bit tight it was much...

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Gym Rat

Friday, 12/4AM: 50 mins. ellip. incl. 5x1 min. on, 1 min. off; 5x2 mins. on, 1 min. off; 3x30 sec. sprintsPM: 30 mins. yogaThursday, 12/3AM: same as aboveWednesday, 12/2AM: 45 mins. ellip.PM: 30 mins. yogaTuesday, 12/1AM: 50 mins. ellip. incl. 6x3 mins. on, 2 mins. offPM: 30 mins. ellip.Monday, 11/30AM: 42 mins. (5.5 miles)PM: Chiro45 mins. ellip.Well, as you can see, I decided to take a few days off from running. My left lower leg (soleus?) still isn't feeling 100%, and it just seems silly to run through something in the beginning of December...

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