And the Neighbors Rejoiced

On Friday I met up with Mollie, my marathon-training buddy. She handed me this lovely bag.

No editing going on here - just a true representation of the amount of sunlight at 7AM.
(That should tell you how HOT it was already. The following day we moved our long run up to 6:30AM to avoid melting.)

Inside I found...

...a photo of us from Tali's wedding...

...and two new pairs of shorts!

Sporting the pink. Brooklyn's not so sure about the color. She's a color specialist, you know.

Speaking of Brooklyn and my new shorts, check out how HUGE she is.

I love the black pair, too!

I wore them for my run with this guy.

He's my favorite.

Mollie is my second favorite, because she gave me new running shorts.

KIDDING 

(mostly)

:)

"Have You Washed Those?"

I have a confession to make.

Running bloggers and fashionistas, prepare to be appalled. 

I only own one pair of running shorts.

Did you hear the gasps across the ones and zeros? Or perhaps this isn't a shocker to you at all. Because you've seen my photos. And you've been wondering, "Have you washed those?"

Backtrack all the way to 2010 when I bought my yellow, grey-lined shorts. 

Run for Africa 5K with my sister and her friends

This was a small race, and I actually medaled in my age-group. Ironically, it was a horrible run for me. I donated blood about a week prior to the race and became extremely anemic. That's another story. I have not donated blood since.

Look! I was even caught washing the Civic in my yellow shorts.

Woah! I was caught washing the Civic?! 

I am the worst about washing my car, so this may be an even bigger story than the shorts. But I digress.

You saw them in Laos.

In...

...every...

...picture.

(By the way, Julia and Sone are both here right now! Julia is here until September, and Sone is studying here for a year!)

You also saw them at my half marathon.

Who would have dreamed that yellow shorts would coordinate with so many shirts?

Look! I even wore them yesterday for my 10-mile run with Mollie! Did I say ten? Why yes, yes I did. I was only planning on doing seven, but why stop at seven miles when you're enjoying every moment of your route and company? I found I had no good reason, so I finished up with Mollie.

She may or may not have bribed me with chocolate milk from Whole Foods. You'd better believe that was my recovery drink. Because that's as true as it gets.

This whole shorts-dilemma came up in conversation during our run. I can't really tell you why I only have one pair. A long while ago I purged all the "athletic shorts" I never wore from my wardrobe. Somehow I've never remembered to purchase an additional pair that I like. Truthfully, I'd prefer to spend my dollars on ice cream. For what it's worth, I love my yellow shorts. I'll admit this has become ridiculous, but it's only fair to point out that the one-pair-of-shorts-dilemma has kept me from falling behind on laundry. Gotta wash them so they're ready for the next run. Somehow I don't see that strategy holding up for the next four months.

Saturday afternoon, after our run, I received a text from Mollie saying she had some hand-me-down shorts for me. What a sweetheart! I guess I should really get my act together and purchase a second pair before strangers start throwing shorts out the window as donations to the "Yellow-shorts Girl."

At this point, perhaps you're thinking, "I've seen the Yellow-shorts Girl!"

Do honk or wave next time.

But don't get too close. There's always a chance I've forgotten to do the laundry.

Training the Humans: Puppy and Running Update

Weimaraners are known for their intelligence. This was mentioned in every one of the 3598382 library books that I read in preparation for our monkey's arrival. In addition to physical exercise, they need brain workouts.

Because of this (but mostly because we I need training so as not to be outsmarted by our dog!), Brooklyn has continued her training lessons. After she completed her one-on-one home course, we enrolled her in her first group class.

I was quite confident that she would ace the class. Week one was rough (mostly for me). She seemed to think it was time to play with (pounce on?) the little dogs. Truly, that's her form of affection.

Week by week, her focus improved, and I learned more and more how to keep her attention in high-distraction settings. (We also positioned ourselves away from the small, yappy dogs.) At the last class, she was even runner-up for the Longest Stay competition.

The Graduate

Training is all about consistency. Dogs want to know what is expected of them. They are creatures of habit. (Perhaps this is why I connect with my dog so much?) I've been hitting the leash training hard with daily walks. 

Those 3598382 library books also emphasized the more obvious fact that Weimaraners need exercise. You know that feeling that you need to get outside and move? These dogs suffer from cabin fever daily and need to stretch their (long!) legs.  While I'm not-so-patiently waiting to take her running until her growth plates close and muscular system is fully developed, we walk. This is slightly a bummer, since I'm already putting in the time and miles myself. 

On Tuesday night, I gave Brooklyn a small taste for running. (Do you know how hard it is to have a running dog that can't run yet?!) It was all very impromptu - I was wearing jeans and Converse. Let's just say our walking party was too slow for these girls. They suggested Brooklyn and I try to make it twice around the lake. We accepted the challenge and took off.

I didn't realize it at the time, but we ran a mile. She loved it. I would have loved it more with shorts and running shoes. In no time, this girl will be out-running me in both speed and distance. I must note that she did wonderfully running next to me. She obeyed my commands to, "Leave it," when we passed people and other dogs, and she only nearly tripped me once. Not bad for a first.

Now to wait out the next YEAR. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of running AND walking. The dog park is a nice option for when Brooklyn needs to burn energy but I want to sit.

Speaking of burning energy, training is coming along slowly but surely. The biggest hurdle to overcome is myself. I hate that I'm mostly starting from scratch again, but I'm learning to let go of thoughts like, "This was so much easier six months ago," and "Why didn't I just stay in conditioning shape?"

Ty and I have run six miles together, and this weekend will be my seven-mile run. This time around, I added a weekly speed workout to my program. It's shorter than any of my other runs, but it is the hardest - hands down. I avoid it at all costs, though I know it has been helping tremendously. My comfortable pace is in the 8:30-8:45 range now. I love when I see anything in the eight-minute range! Yesterday I ran five-miles to my parents' house and conveniently arrived while they were cooking breakfast. If a hot breakfast and a car ride were always waiting for me at the end of my run, I think I'd even look forward to speed workouts.

That being said, today is rest day. :)

Happy Friday!