Lent Free

I have a long tradition of observing Lent. Usually I give up some food category -- fried, potatoes, chocolate or similar. I'm pretty hard core and usually succeed with the 40-day commitment, but this year I'm just not feeling it. I've already cut out diet sodas with a very occasional indulgence and I'm watching what I eat pretty successfully, so my old stand bys aren't in play.

I think this is probably a really good shift in attitude for me. Instead of challenging myself for 40 days, I'm changing my lifestyle in a more permanent fashion.

Now if I could just re-charge my running...

Don't Try This at Home Kids

Proud to say that it's 36 days into the new year and I remain resolute in my resolution not to drink diet sodas. Yay me. Unfortunately it's proving to be hazardous to my health... I'm developing a love/hate relationship with the water cooler.

Our office has one of those handy water coolers that you put a 5 gallon water bottle on and voila, hot (really, really hot) and cold water on demand. My first run in with the evil-ness of this device was when I tried to change out the bottles. If you drop a 5 gallon water bottle from a height of 4 feet or so, it will bust... dramatically. There's a lot of water in 5 gallons, enough to cover an 8x8 section of floor in about a 1/4 inch of water and soak any (not so) innocent bystanders up to their knees. No problem, it was such a colossal mess that my co-workers are dedicated to changing it before I can eff it up again.

This morning I'm hitting the hot water spigot to steep some tea and in a moment of inattention, I drop the cup full of scalding hot (really, really hot) water all over my freakin' foot. OUCH! No blisters, but still some very angry skin and a sore foot. This would have never happened if I could have just reached into the fridge and liberated a Diet Dr. Pepper... I'm just saying.

Will Run for Food

The 1/2 marathon training is still in full swing (though I am avoiding running even as I type this). This week was a tough one, I just wasn't feeling it. Wednesday night's 5.4 mile run was particularly miserable. Yesterday I was commited to doing 3 miles minimum, so we hatched a plan. I would run from home to the Hickory House and Steve would drive to the Hickory House and then do a big loop to get his run in. Then we would have breakfast.

It was 30 degrees or so and I had a miserable time warming up for the first half, but no thoughts of quitting because breakfast was waiting! Yep, will run for food. Thankfully the second half was much better and I found a groove and felt good. By the time I made it to the Hickory House I was pretty proud of myself and I'd earned breakfast with 3.3 miles of slogging it out.

Guess I better go run...