An ode to ass kickers

Yesterday I talked about my weird funk and I asked you to purposely be mean to me in an effort to kick my butt into gear. Well guess what? It worked! I didn't get to run because my husband worked an open to close shift at our retail employer. However, I did clean my house (including the playroom!) and I did quite a bit of ab work and yoga. I also threw in some pull ups. Then today I got out and ran a short but nice 2 miles.

Of course I love the positive encouragements. The "you can do it's" and "great job's" are great to have along a marathon course. But to get me through the mundane daily workouts that seam to run together, I need an ass kicker. It has been this way since early childhood. I learned to water ski because my dad didn't let me quit after a few failed attempts. I wasn't happy about it at the time but today I'm proud that I can add slalem, and knee board to my list of things I can do. My dad being a karate instructor drug my brother and I kicking a complaining every Tuesday and Thursday to karate class. The only reason we complained was because we would rather be home playing Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego with the neighbor kids. But today I have better coordination and I remain the champion at my local fight club (oops. Was I not suppose to talk about that?). Then there was my crowning achievement as a young athlete, softball. I started taking pitching lessons in the 7th grade and for about the next 4 years, not a day went by that I wasn't throwing a ball. I didn't always want to go, but it sure did pay off. I was good. That's not bragging. I worked really hard to be good. I wouldn't have worked that hard on my own.

What kind of persuasion works best for you? Coddling? Or a good old fashion ass whoop'n?!

I Suck.

I ended up not running this weekend either. Big surprise huh? I've been in a pretty bad transitional funk lately. There is a slight possibility that I could be moving back to Texas in the near future, thus causing me to mentally check out. I don't want to clean a house that I might be leaving. I don't want to get into any routines that will only be disrupted. I'm ready to be headed down the next path. I've been running alone for so long that I have day dreams about all the new running buddies I will have. My dad and step siblings while I stay in my Dad's spare room. I'll hook up with the Bitchy Runners and Heather on the weekends. And Lindee, don't think I haven't noticed all the miles you've been logging in Celina.

This isn't the first time that this has happened to me. As soon as we found out that we would be moving to Charlotte, I mentally checked out of Texas. After we got settled into our crappy townhouse in Charlotte, I became June Frigg'n Cleaver. I was up early every morning to walk the dogs, make breakfast for the family and basically get a head start on the day. I was pregnant then so I wasn't getting up early for runs.

I NEED HELP!!! Give me some advice. Be mean, it's ok.

Confesional Friday

Welcome to another installment of confessional Friday! I was much better this week than last. I did skip my run yesterday, but I feel that I had good reason. After 3 previous runs in the cold I was feeling a tad under the weather. I was just a little snotty and sneezy so instead of toughing it out and making it any worse, I took the night off. I did well with my diet this week. I figured up the calories for all of the things that I eat the most. My "chicks and sticks" (soft boiled egg with toast cut into strips) is 300. My only dietary slip up was last night which conveniently coincided with my skipped run. We went to an amazing little family owned Italian place and I stuffed my face with cheese and chicken filled jumbo shells. I feel slightly guilty, but it was worth it. I'll definitely be getting my run in tonight. I just hope my husband gets off work at a decent hour so I don't have to run really late tonight. I think I'll try to get in 10 miler sometime this weekend. I'll need it since I'll be cheating on my diet again tomorrow when I meet Heather for lunch in Greenville. She's a Texas friend (and mother runner, and Tom Beaner) who will be in the area for the weekend so we're meeting up.

I was a little lazy this week, but not as bad as last week. So by my calculations, this time next year, I won't be lazy at all.

What did you do or not do this week? It's time to fess up!

Where I've been

Since I want this to be a little bit of a travel bog too, I'm going to start sharing some of the cool places that I've been. It may not always be running related, but you may find yourself in one of these area's one day.

This week's place of interest is the Pisgah National forest. I don't yet understand National Forests and how they decide where the boundaries are. Pisgah seems to be divided up into two different forests, both of which I have spent some time in. However my favorite is the southwestern portion which is connected to the Nantahala national forest, completely separate from the rest of the Pisgah National forest, and again, leaving me confused.

It is this region where this Texas transplant found my most favorite thing about North Carolina. Waterfalls!!!

Hwy 64 (or 276 depending on which direction you are coming from) is where you will want to be. If you are coming from Hendersonville and Brevard, you will stay on Hwy 64 and drive straight into the forest. There are signs that let you know you're there. Once in the forest, this road, which runs along the Davidson River, will have numerous places to pull off and enjoy the view or take a dip. The pic to the right is a cool part of the river that we found. My husband and I jumped off this rock while the kids stayed on the bank throwing rocks into the river. They could do that all day.

When you tire of having your own small, personal spot on the river just get in the car and drive a couple of miles up the road. There you will find a much more exhilarating experiance. Looking Glass Falls is 60 feet of cascading water. The best part is that A) it's free! B) you can swim right up underneath it. I went there twice last summer. Once with my girlfriends who came to visit and then I just had to go back a second time with the family. The pool below the falls is shockingly cold upon first entry and the swim up to the falls is difficult because of the current forcing you backward. Also there is a lot of mist from the falls spatting into your eyes the whole way. When you finally reach the base, you blindly find a rock to secure yourself. Under the falls, you can bask in the glory of your achievement and feel the power of nature as it pounds you with thousands of gallons of water.

And when you're done with that, keep heading down the road just a couple of more miles until you see the signs for the Sliding Rock. This one is more of a novelty. It does cost $1 because they have lifeguards on duty and some viewing decks that probably require some maintenance. Expect to wait at this one. The line is long. It is basically a small, slow moving waterfall on a large, slippery rock. It was fun and definately worth a dollar. How may times can you say that you slid down a waterfall? But if it happens to be closed on a day that you go, don't worry about it. My friends and I missed out because some guy busted his head on the rock just before we got there and they shut it down. Yes, it's slippery, but as long as you're careful you'll be fine. If you take kids, they will love it.

But wait! There is one more waterfall that you haven't been to yet! Whale Back Falls is a lesser known (and lesser crowded!) water fall that is, again, just a few miles up the road. This time you have to get off 64 and take the split that goes to the fish hatchery. Drive to the end, park, and then take the trail that leads out to Whale Back. This waterfall is very small but it's not the size that matters. There is a large ledge from which you can leap into a deep and narrow pool. Before we jumped in, my husband hiked around to the bottom just to make sure we knew exactly where the deep part was. It wasn't crowded and there was plenty of room to sit on the giant jumping rock. I was told that small people can slide down the waterfall but that wasn't happening for me.

Three waterfalls in one day. The best part is that it all only cost $1. After a day of jumping, sliding and swimming you can relax with a scenic drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hwy 64 (or 276) will spit you out at mile post 412.

Tell Tale Terror Ball

Enjoy.

The sun has gone down, it is late in the eve
Abdominals whisper of what they do need.

In the shadows of a corner I spy my transgressor
A spherical sapphire fabricated from rubber.

Against my own wishes I climb upon the beast
Grappling for traction with the toes on my feet.

In a moment, a flash, life before my eyes!
No time for salvation or hear my cries!

From the beast I was thrown, straight back to the floor
Pinned and motionless, between ball and door.

At last! My knight in armor did come!
He shown "L" on forehead with finger and thumb.

This is the tale of forlorn and a triumphant fight.
Well, it's better than "Hey, I fell off my yoga ball last night."

Prioratize

My little brother came to visit me this weekend! It was great being able to hang out with him after more than two years of communicating via Skype. We didn't do much. He has been living in China so we just sat around and brought him back up to speed on the last 5 seasons of the The Office. As much as I hated to (not really) I extended my slacker sabbatical through the weekend. I also called into work today and I don't feel guilty about it at all. Luckily none of the three people who follow my blog work with me. My husband and I have been working exact opposite shifts for the better part of a month and there are things at home that need to be discussed, decided, and done. Something always has to give and running usually takes the hit.

However I will be picking the pace back up starting today. I need the mind clearing therapy that running offers. Just me, Lady Gaga and the pavement. The goal will be 10 hill repeats.

And now for you listening pleasure, this is my little bro. A native of Tom Bean Tx, and now a resident in Benxii China, fluent in Mandarin.

Sins of Laziness

I am deeming today the very first confessional Friday. This is the day that you fess up to all those nasty little things you did or didn't do in the name of indulgence and laziness.

Where do I begin? I have done almost nothing for almost two whole weeks now. I smoked three cigarettes two weeks ago on Monday (don't judge me, it was a rough day). Also I have eaten pizza twice. Dominos the first time, and last night I made my own pizza that was terrible. So terrible that I couldn't even finish it. It was disgusting and I'm certain that it was my punishment for giving in to temptation so easily.

I order myself to do 10 hill repeats and a 3 minute plank.

Run Sexy

Last night I only ran two miles but it wore me out. I've been very lazy for the past two weeks but that isn't what made this run so tiring. I went to see Hood To Coast on Tuesday and it was amazing! If Spirit of the Marathon motivates you, then you will definitely enjoy this movie. Anyway, in Hood to Coast, the Dead Jocks are in their van riding to the next hand off when they pass a girl who has the sexiest running form that I have ever seen. They pull off the road just ahead of her and form a small man tunnel for her to run through, obviously appreciating her style. Her legs moved like one of those spinning flamingo yard ornaments (perhaps you've never seen one of these if you happen to be from a more civilized part of the world). Her knees were up, her head seemed to remain at a constant level, and from the back you saw the entire souls of her shoes alternating back and forth. Her back was slightly arched and her arms pumping in perfect opposition to her legs. She was a bad ass and she made it look so easy! Unfortunately for me this isn't as easy as it looks. I would keep it up for a minute or just a little under, and then I was done. I would walk for another minute and then pick up the pace again. There were two times when I actually thought I might puke! Apparently I need to do this more often.

Hello Bloggers!

Although I'm new to the world of blogging, this is not my very first post. I attempted a blog about two years ago. My brilliant idea was to talk about cloth diapering, but as it turns out there isn't really much to be said about the subject. "Today I strapped on an elegant pair of green rubber gloves and proceeded to empty the wet bag full of urine and feces into the washing machine...". It's a shame that I lost interest in the idea. People would have been on the edge of their seats and I would have been on Oprah.

Instead, I add yet another running blog to the blogeshere. Not that I have a problem with there being so many running blogs. I love it! I cut may cable off a few months ago to save money so what better to replace Law and Order than some Skinny Bitchy Mother Runners telling me to Shut Up And Run? I already have a dream of building my own teardrop trailer and traveling the country to run races, so why not blog about it? However there are a few a problems that need to be addressed. 1) I do not currently own a trailer of any kind. 2) I have only been running one race per year which is completely unsatisfactory. Two small children with parents both working a roller coaster of retail hours makes time a hot commodity and weekend road trips a luxury.

So that is my goal and those are my problems. How I will address these problems to obtain my goal is something that I'm not really sure about. But rest assured that I'm working on it.