Euphoria

It's easy to forget how wonderful running can feel. The last 8 (!!) months have found me dreading running. Since September I've started to get back into it, and under the pressure of having signed up to run a 12k in December, I've been pushing up my long runs in order that I might even cross the finish line. Chalk me up for 7 miles today, the my longest run since February.

Today on my run I was counting every digit imaginable - miles run, miles to go, paces, average pace, and imagining where my turnaround point was (it was much further than I anticipated). It was a great morning for a long run - no rain, and perfect temperature: cold enough to keep me cool the entire time, but not too cold that I was wishing for a jacket. A few weeks ago I went all out and bought tight capris - a running item I have never before even dared to wear.

This morning I got a little inkling of remembering what it's like to run those long miles. I flashed back to those weekends in Mexico, leading up to my half marathon, and remembering the high I felt after finishing 8, 9, or 10 mile runs. I'm hoping that euphoria feeling will accompany me next weekend as I try to complete 8 miles. We'll see!

Road Trip!

I had a few days off from work, so Manfriend and I decided to head down to Southern Oregon to visit my brother's family. Living 5 hours from my nieces is much better than living in another country, so I have to take advantage of that and see them when I can! They are 8 and almost 6. Kids are fun at all ages, but it's great to have them reading and so interactive with Manfriend and I. The girls (and my brother and sister in law) met in May when we all went to Disneyland together, but haven't spent any time together since, so this was a good chance for everyone to get to know each other better.

I made my sister in law show me how she makes cinnamon rolls, because every time I try to make them I fail. Fail with a capital F.

While Rinda and I were making cinnamon rolls, Manfriend played team Boggle with the girls.

Wow. That's the extent of my pictures from the trip. We did a scavenger hunt for the girls, who in turn made a scavenger hunt for Manfriend and I  - and executed it perfectly. I can barely put together a scavenger hunt without confusing myself, and these girls totally nailed it. We all went out for pizza together one night, and got doughnuts the next morning.

Pizza Party

In case I haven't mentioned it enough, my manfriend loves pizza. He writes reviews for an online food community. He makes his own. He has friends who own pizza places. He's... obsessed.

But, I will say, he makes one super-fine-delicious Sicilian pizza. This is pizza baked on a cookie sheet that has an edge. Manfriend covers the homemade dough with freshly made sauce, four cheeses, and fresh basil. It's... yum.

So I've been bragging about it, and anytime you brag about a pizza aficionado making his own pizza, it means people want some. A couple weeks ago Manfriend slaved away in the kitchen to make pizza for my mom and some family friends.

Also, I'd just like to say that my Manfriend looks great in an apron.

Nike Running Watch

Someone actually reads my blog. You know who that someone is? My manfriend. Months ago I wrote about how awesome the new Nike+ running watch was. He paid attention.

He recently bought me one for my birthday. This is an actual Nike running watch on my hand. That's right, I own one.

This is the first GPS running watch I've ever owned, and I'm so excited. It comes at the perfect time - just when I'm getting up my motivation for building up my running endurance. Manfriend's sister has challenged me to run a 12k with her right before Christmas. Time to get my rear in gear!

I had some issues setting up the watch to connect to my computer. After reading around online I was concerned that the watch would have to go back - the reviews are not great. However, I ran a quick .3 on Wednesday and it mapped it perfectly.

I was concerned that on a longer run, it wouldn't map the miles correctly. However, I did 4.3 miles yesterday morning (my longest in... a long time), and it was correct. After restarting my computer and fiddling around a little bit, I got the connection to work. So far - so good!