Martha's So-Called Life

whew!

First, I would like to apologize for the lack of a meal plan this week.  It hurts me just as much as it hurts you (well, it might hurt me more since I'm the one who has nothing for dinner).  I was traveling this week and then working and then John is out of town for the weekend, so I just didn't make one. 

On Thursday night I got back from my work trip to Centralia, WA.  I'll have more to say about that when I have more time to write (I'm currently coming up on a bedtime deadline for my 5:30am wake up call...going fishing again in the morning).

This morning I did manage to drag myself out of bed for a long run with my aunt.  It was a beautiful morning, but it was already 60 degrees at 9am!   

Kiva psyched herself up for running by checking out the USA vs. Colombia soccer game while I was eating breakfast.

Then we headed out for our run. We ran 7.5 miles, which is the longest run I've been on since February! 

It's obvious that I got a little tired and hot sometime after mile 3 (the spikes are where I had to walk...or was just running veeeerrrry slowly).  I also have been doing a lot of sitting the last few days, which I think made my hips hurt a lot.  Thank goodness for cold showers and foam rollers.

After coffee (for me...none for the dog!) and nap time, Kiva and I watched beach volleyball.  

Tomorrow I am headed down to Kenai with a couple of people from work to see if we can get some more fish!  

Off to bed now!

my new favorite workout

Today I went for a long run.  I also managed to convince (or shame...the line between the two is very thin) John into riding his bike along with me.  It turns out that is an amazing way to get a long workout with someone who isn't so into running a lot.  I ran faster because he was riding (slowly) with me.  Kiva was super pumped to have all of her people out "migrating" (as Cesear Milan calls it).  

Kiva was less pumped about having to pose for photos after returning from our (very rainy) run...

Poor dog...I like to make her look ridiculous for the sake of taking photos...

What she won't tell you is that I rewarded her with a delicious treat for her troubles.

Here's how fast we ran today...

Mile 6 is where we had to stop for several stop lights, so it's a little slower and the .29 miles of mile 7 were all downhill!  I think my average moving pace (i.e. not wating for stop lights or picking up dog poo) was acutally 10:15, which for almost 6.5 miles, is pretty dang good for me! 

It was very rainy and dirty...can you tell where my socks started? 

I'm really glad John came with me, because I highly doubt I would have run that fast without him.  Hooray for a new favorite workout!!

i'm still here...

Never fear, I am alive and well.  I've been doing too much playing and working and no blogging.  

Last week was an amazingly beautifuly week here.  I also heard through the grapevine on Tuesday that the fishing had been pretty great.  So on Tuesday afternoon John and I decided we were going to Kenai to go dipnetting of Wednesday.  This decision turned my lazy Tuesday afternoon into a very busy one (which after doing 8 x 200 and 6 hill repeats, was a challenge).

I ran to Fred Meyer to get what we needed for dinner for the rest of the week, snacks for fishing, and get my fishing license and dipnetting permit.  That was all fine and good, except they were out of dipnetting permits.  So after getting groceries, I went home.  Then we went to Costco (because we had been planning on tackling that chore on Wednesday), bought a giant cooler and our groceries and a bunch of ice.  Then we went to a different Fred Meyer to get a couple of other things and track down the illusive dipnet permit.  They were out there too.  Thankfully, the guy at the customer service desk offered to call the (only) two other Fred Meyer stores and see if they had them.  One of them did and one did not.  Unfortunately, the one that did was further away.  So, we went there and got our premit and then headed home.  At this point it was 8pm.  We were planning on getting up at 4am so as to be on the road shortly after 5am.  So we ate dinner quickly, and headed to bed.  

Wednesday we got up at 4 and were on the road by 5:15 or so.  We didn't get stuck in any construction (which is why we had planned on heading out so early), and made good time to Kenai.  

It was an absolutely goregous day!

We met one of John's employees whose family was down there with a boat and went off in search of fish.  We managed to get a few fish, but had fun even though the fishing wasn't great that day.  You really can't beat a cloudless day in Alaska.  

John had a meeting he needed to be back in town for at 6:30, so we headed out around 3 in order to get back to town in time.  We packed our fish in ice in our cooler because we knew they would at least be spending the night in there before either of us had time to do anything to them.  

I went with John to his meeting so I could have some dinner.  Then we hurried home and I went to bed so I could go to work the next morning.  

I knew work had been busy because I had gotten a phone call every day I was off to see if I could come in and help.  So, when I got there on Thursday morning, I was not surprised that things were still busy.  Right now I'm orienting one of the new nurses to being a scrub nurse.  We did three c-sections, which managed to take all day because of the way they were spaced out and seemed to all take longer than usual.  By the end of the day we were both worn out.  

When I got home, John had all the fish filleted (yay!) and we cooked one up for dinner.  Just a little bit of salt and pepper on top and then cooked on the grill.  Yum!

I ended up going straight to bed after dinner and left John downstairs vacuum packing all the fish.  I was so tired that I don't even really remember him coming upstairs (I think the dog might have jumped on me, but I'm not sure).  

Friday turned out to be even more insane at work because we had more patients and fewer nurses.  Thankfully, we all worked well as a team and got through the day ok.  Most of us even got a lunch break which is rather impressive for a day like that.  What I did not do was have any water all day long, which left me with a headache and waking up in the morning very very thirsty!  It's hard to hydrate when you know you don't have time to go to the bathroom!

Friday night was a repeat of Thrusday, I ate dinner and went straight to bed because I was having a hard time staying awake while eating.   

When my alarm went off on Saturday morning, I thought I was going to cry.  I was sore and very very tired.  Lucky for us, Saturday was a very nice day in Labor and Delivery.  A much deserved break after almost a week of insanity.  

I was so tired from fishing and working, that I skipped my long run on Sunday (I'm going to go this afternoon instead) and slept for 12 hours (I slept for 12 hours again last night too)!

Tomorrow I'm headed to Centralia, WA for work, so my blogging might continue to be sparse.  

lazy monday

I didn't accomplish much today, which is fine since I didn't have much to accomplish. 

First I went running this morning with Amber.  It wasn't the best run, I think I was tired from my hill tempo/long run yesterday.  

Then I came home and discovered the best breakfast ever.  It sounds (and looks) terrible, but it was quite delicious.  I chopped up two hardboiled eggs and topped them with guacamole and salsa.  Yum!  

Next I did a lot of knitting.  

And was reminded of why I like John so much...

No, not because I can use him for his travel discounts...because he's so agreeable!  

I pretty much didn't move until I left for my dinner date with Valerie.  

Tomorrow should prove equally exciting.  I have my track workout, and we are going to help John's mom move some stuff, and maybe even go to Costco.  

The excitement might prove to be too much for me...

what we're eating 7/16 - 7/22

I forgot to post this yesterday...oops!  

Monday: Leftovers (John is in Whittier)

Tuesday: Thai Turkey Meatballs

Wednesday: Quiche with sweet potato crust

Thursday: Sausage Stuffed Squash

Friday: Shrimp and Avocado Omelettes

Saturday: Leftovers (I'm working, John will be in Whittier)

Sunday: Salsa Chicken

 

raining on sunday

Today was long run/hill tempo day.  It was alright.  Running faster up some of the hills apparently meant I ran slower most of the rest of the time so overall I ran exactly the same pace as I usually do for a long run.  I guess I'll work on that.  

Ok, I lied we were 1 second faster than our last long run and 12 seconds faster than the one before that...I count that as progress!

I'm also particularly pleased with the fact that the first mile and the last .84 miles are the same pace.  I'm really good at running fast in the beginning and then getting tired, slowing down, and never speeding up again.  More progress.  

After a soggy, muddy run, a shower, and coffee, I settled in for some afternoon knitting.  

The brown yarn is something I've had for a very long time.  I'm pretty sure it's 100% cashmere and it cost a lot of money.  It was the collar on a sweater that I made and have never worn (it's too hot).  The only problem is I didn't quite have enough for this project, so I ended up taking the collar off the sweater to get more yarn (which is counter productive in more than one way).  I am super excited about this cowl and can't wait until I can wear it (probably sooner rather than later given the fact that we are experiencing the coldest July on record)!

bbq bean tacos

One of the recipes on this week's menu was BBQ Bean Tacos.  I thought they were worth mentioning because they were extra tasty!

I made them with lentils instead of beans.  The recipe called for pinto beans, which I am not fond of, and I thought that BBQ black beans sounded kind of gross.  So I figured I would try lentils instead.  That was the only modification I made to the recipe (gasp!), other than not using vegan mayo.  

The only problem was that there was too much stuff in them, so they were extra messy (a common problem in our house)! 

my soggy dog

Yesterday Kiva had the opportunity to go play with her cousin Maggie (as in John's brother's dog) in their mom's backyard one last time (she sold her house).  Unfortunately for the humans in their lives, it was raining quite hard and so they got a little wet.  

It's a good thing Kiva is a crafty dog (well, sometimes it's a good thing...other times it just causes problems), because she was able to figure out how to solve the problem of being thirsty and there being no water bowl.  

First she licked all the standing water off the deck furniture...

But then she discovered that it was more effective to drink from the downspout from the gutters.  Smart dog.

It was hard to convince her that it was time to go home, even though she was soggy and obviously tired...

Luckily I had treats in the car, so we practiced what we learned in obedience...it's amazing what enthusiasm she can muster when she thinks there is the possibility of cheese! (too bad I disappointed her with stale peanut butter treats instead...)

I'm obsessed with how cute her hair is when it's wet and spikey, but not obsessed with how wild and crazy she is when she is wet.

She ended up spending the night in her kennel because she was unable to not run around like a maniac.  The even more unfortunate part is that she was still a little damp when she got up this morning (I can relate...it takes a long time for my hair to dry too).  

It's a good thing she got her wiggles out yesterday, because she isn't getting a run today.  In the interest of not sharing TMI, let's say I had a minor procedure done at my doctor's office today and am not feeling up to snuff, so I've spent the day in bed watching HGTV.  I don't feel too badly for her though because she got a walk, a run (we ran with my friend Amber who is finally getting back into running after having an emergency C-section 7 weeks ago!), and a romp with her cousin.  It's feast or famine around here sometimes.  

book review: the white queen

The White Queen by Philippa Gergory is the first in a series about the War of the Roses in England.  

The story is about a woman, Elizabeth Woodville, a widow of the House of Lancaster.  She has two sons who are left fatherless as a result of the war with the Yorks.  

Elizabeth marries the newly crowned King of England, in secret, which becomes a problem later on the the story.  Once their marriage is made public, Elizabeth goes to live in the Tower of London with her two "York sons."  

Elizabeth gives her husband two sons, who become the center of a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries, the missing princes in the Tower of London.  

This story is full of accusations of witchcraft, double crossing brothers, and complex relationships amongst family and friends where it is difficult to determine who is a friend and who is a foe.  

Throughout this book, King Edward has to constantly fight to keep his throne from the former King Henry and his plotting wife, Margret de Anjou. Even Edward's mother tries to dethrone him by telling claiming he is actually an illegitimate child and thus has no claim to the throne. After Edward dies, Edward's sons, the Prince Edward and his brother Prince Richard in danger of their lives from their uncle who swore to be an adviser and protector until Prince Edward could rightfully rule by himself, now this uncle is a claimant as King himself.

The one thought I kept having while reading this book was "why would anyone want to be king of England?"  Everyone always seems to be plotting how they can kill the king (or prove he is illegitimate and not actually supposed to be king), and how they can get rid of all the heirs (or whoever else stands in the way) so they can become king.  It's really quite ridiculous.  

I thought this book was very good and explores an interesting historical person who is not well known.  I did have a hard time getting past the web of plotting and scheming and often had a hard time keeping track of the characters since they all had the same name (Richard, Edward, and George).  I think I would have appreciated this book more if I had a better understanding and knowledge of the history of England (mostly the rise and fall of royalty), but seeing as I don't, I'm sure a lot of the significance was lost on me.

eaten alive

Yesterday's run was full of mishaps, the most notable of which was that I got attacked by a swarm of killer mosquitos.  I wish I was making it up.  I had to stop to fix a wardrobe malfunction and they descended upon me. 

Thank goodness I have a highly trained mosquito attack dog.  

I carried on in an attempt not to have all of my blood sucked by the little buggers.  At one point there was what I imagine looked like a scene from a movie, as I came flying out of the woods into a field followed by the swarm, swatting, and jumping, and flapping my arms.  Kiva was hopping around trying to eat them and then rolling in the grass trying to get them off of her.  

I have counted 17 bites thus far...the worst of which is on my butt (so if you see me in public scratching my butt, don't worry about it).  That's one bite for every three minutes I was running.  

My whole back side from my neck to my ankles is covered.  See those three giant welts?  Those happened through my shirt...

I have lived in Alaska my entire life, and I can't remember ever having to deal with such hungry, angry mosquitos.  Usually they at least leave me alone while I am actually running, but not this year.   I also have never seen them travel in swarms as they seem to be doing currently.  Yikes!

Today's workout was tempo and hills!  Instead of running on the track, we ran on the trails at Bartlett.  The loop I ran was about 800m, it started uphill, had a nice long downhill, and then ended on a major uphill.  My times were pretty consistent 4:04, 4:08, 4:04, 4:02.  I had ~4:00 recoveries in between intervals.  I was pretty excited that the last one was the fastest because I was pretty sure I was going super slow.  It felt like running through mud.  

Doug's nugget of wisdom for this week was that I need to start incorporating faster bits into my longer runs.  Otherwise my body will get used to running for a long time at a really slow pace (duh! why didn't I realize that?).  So, new plan for my next long run is to pick three hills to run up at tempo (as long as my long run buddy/coach/aunt is up for it).  

Off to shower and start dinner.  Kiva has obedience graduation tonight!  She will officially have as many degrees as me (and more degrees than John)!