153.6

We did a 10 miler this morning. It was an out and back on the Legacy Parkway trail. The first 5 miles were into a head wind. Since this was the second long run this week, I was a bit slower too. We did 13 miles on Monday, 5 on Wednesday, then 10 today. So I think I'll take a couple days off so I don't risk any injuries. It is my goal to get through the rest of the year with NO INJURIES! If I succeed, it will be the first year ever. I attribute the possibility of success to my weight loss. Running 30 pounds heavier just increased the stress on my body. I've had some sore things during the year but no full fledged injuries. Knock on wood!

Our temperatures have been about 20 degrees above average so I'm afraid we're in for a shock this weekend when a storm returns us to "normal". Even though I bought 2 new pairs of tights during our recent LA trip I'm not in any hurry to wear them.

Well, I have the grands coming over soon so I better get ready for them. I hope everyone has a fun Halloween and no one wakes up with a candy hangover in the morning!!

154.4

We've been living in borrowed time lately, in terms of weather. It's been beautiful, yet unseasonable warm for this time of year. Unfortunately, it appears that this is getting ready to come to an end. It looks like the weather is going to be interfering with our running schedule very soon, specifically our long run on Monday. So we decided to head out to the trail that runs along the new Legacy highway and try it out tomorrow for a 10 miler. Other than that, I just don't seem to have a lot to say today.

155.2

I had a really great run this morning. It's so weird how you think a run is going to be bad, or even so-so, and then it turns out to be one of the best ones in months! My average pace was better than it's been in a very long time. As a matter of fact, the only time I've had a better pace on this route is 3 years ago, on November 1st. I remember it so vividly because it was the day after Halloween and I was all "hopped up" on Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I must have eaten a zillion of them the night before and I was like a race horse trying to jump out of the stall to get onto the track.

Well, I need to say that will not be the case this year. Actually, we do have an assortment of candy for the kids, and it does include Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, but I'm feeling strong these days. Maybe I'm a fool, but I really don't think it's going to be a problem.

During the run I also had a great idea for a book. I need to ponder it awhile but I have a good feeling about it. It would be something I could write over the cold winter months. Now, I just have to get started . . .

154.8

Wow - I just freaked myself out by doing a simple calculation on my calculator. The average life expectancy for me is NOT 86 years (it's less) but I've predicted (decided) I'm going to live to be 86. That means:

I expect to live 31,390 days (total)

Crap! That's not a very high number. I mean, if days were dollars, I paid a lot more than that for my house, and my car cost almost that much. All things considered, that is a tiny number! So now I just need to freak myself out a bit more and subtract out the days that I've already lived. Since I'm 52 years old (in May), I've already used up about 18,830 of those days. That means:

I've got 12,560 days left in me.

And might I add those probably aren't "prime" days either! 12,560 is a very small number, a teeny tiny number. I'm 60% done. And tomorrow will be 12,559, then 12,558 and so on . . . and so on . . . and so on . . .

154.4

This morning we went for a long run. We decided to forgo our usual Mountain Road route and opt for the potentially more scenic river parkway route. I really enjoy the changing Autumn leaves and like to hear them under my feet when I run. The pathway runs east and west of the main street that runs through the city. We opted to run the lower portion of the route. It's more scenic, more natural, and we can get more mileage out of it.

There are quite a few bridges that span the river on the lower portion. (Me on bridge). There are also a few legs that peel off the main trail. We took all the legs today and checked out the advancements they're making on extending the trail.

As you can see, there's lots of leaves falling along the trail. Some sections are almost completly covered in leaves. (Spouse on trail).

Here I am coming across the bridge that goes out to Flying J. They've added another tunnel that goes under the freeway. That will really open the trail up to westward development!

This is the bridge we crossed coming back from the Kayak park. They've recently completed the tunnel that goes under the train tracks to get to the Fort (I won't mention the name of the fort since it will really pin down my location but locals know what I'm referring to by Fort B).

It's just nice to run a portion of the trail that isn't full of people walking side-by-side and those pushing baby strollers and hogging up the whole path.

It doesn't get any better than Autumn running. It's cool enough to be enjoyable but still warm enough to not have to wear a jacket.

We finished up at 12.75 miles . . . that should have burned a calorie or two!

153.8

Nothing much to say today. I'm doing a long run in the morning.

153

I normally don't post anything political. But when I read the newspaper today it was just TOO MUCH. Sarah Palin you're killing me! . . . You spent how much on your Hollywood make-up artist? You spent how much on designer clothes? Oh, sorry, let's get the facts straight - that stuff isn't coming out of your own pocket now is it?

The Washington Post states (in part):

Palin's high-paid traveling make-up artist . . . was paid $13,200 by the McCain-Palin campaign last month alone, according to the campaign's latest financial disclosure report filed this week. That's $4,527.45 more than McCain's make-up artist made last month. And as we mentioned yesterday in our exclusive on McCain's make-up artist, the 72-year-old Arizona senator, who has prominent scars from battling cancer, requires more work than does the more naturally telegenic 44-year-old Palin.

Our report on Palin's make-up artist comes after the embarrassing story in Politico that the Republican Party shelled out $150,000 at luxury stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue -- real regular everyday Joe Sixpack, Joe the Plumber kinda stores, huh? -- to clothe and accessorize the vice presidential nominee.


A heartbeat away if McCain gets elected . . . a heartbeat away . . . quite frankly, they both scare the hell out of me.

153.2

This morning on my 5 mile run I was thinking a lot about numbers (my pace, my distance, total number of miles for a year, in a lifetime, etc.). I am constantly chasing numbers (running goals, weight goals, desired clothing sizes) and trying to resist being defined by numbers.

I'm not going to let numbers have control over me. Oh, don't be mistaken into thinking I won't continue to track these things and seek to improve, but I will not let them define me and I will not define myself by these numbers. I think that's why I like to post my weight. Really, it's rather freeing. You should try it. Leave me a comment and tell me what you weigh. It really isn't that scary now is it? (Of course it is but you should try it anyway).

It's just a number that someone else, somewhere else, defined. Don't give them (or that number) your power! It's ONLY a number.

154.4

Yesterday's 5 miler went well but it was my first colder run of the season. I have to go on record as saying I am NOT looking forward to running in the cold weather. Yes, cooler is good, cold is not. Anyway, I'm trying to find things to embrace about it. I'm trying to find beauty and joy in cold weather. I'm trying to find something to look forward to as winter moves in the next month or so. I'm trying, but it isn't working . . . so far anyway.

So yesterday, I had to wear gloves, a hat, long sleeved shirt, and a fleecy vest. And I was uncomfortably cold for 3 miles, then felt about right for 1.75 miles, then unzipped the vest by about 8" on the last quarter mile. I think it would not have been quite so cool had there not been a breeze. A few times I got out of the breeze and it made a big difference. But, that's the down side of living at the foot of the mountain, there's almost always a breeze. But really, I am going to try and find something to embrace about the upcoming changes.

My eating has been going really well. I've been focused and "thinking right" so I haven't had a hard time keeping myself in check. Of course, I'm coming into the most dangerous times of year, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. We've had a giant bag of Halloween candy for quite some time now and it hasn't tempted me. I'm thinking for Halloween I'll just put together a plan to have plenty of low calorie treats available for me to eat, then promptly at 7:00 p.m., brush my teeth. That always helps because I don't just brush them but I also use a water pick, use an additional brush head that sort of flosses, and apply a fluoride treatment. So, it's an effective method to stop eating. I used to even put my retainer in too but I think it no longer fits and luckily I'm not that bad anymore (for the most part anyway).

I suspect (hope) that New Years won't be too hard because I'm really concentrating on how lucky I am to be able to begin a new year and NOT have to hope that I can lose weight. Beginning a new year with no weight related resolutions will be a blessing all in itself. So I think that will help me with that holiday. Thanksgiving won't be too bad because it's usually just the spouse and I and I have total control over that situation. So I guess the message I'm giving myself as I read back on this is that I really am in control. Gee, I better type that again . . . I REALLY am in control. Now, I just have to STAY in control. Easier said that done, but doable nonetheless. It is possible. I see that part of me and just need to embrace and nurture that part of me. Yes, I can do it because I have been doing it. Confidence . . . confidence to be successful. Yeah, I like the sound of that!

155.4

The strangest thing is happening to me. As I've gotten older, I've seen many changes. Some I have expected, others I have not. This is one of the "have nots". I seem to have this strong urge or desire, or maybe even need, to save storage containers. Now don't laugh because this is really weird. It's like it's primal. It's so contrary to my normal way of being (toss it out) that I find it very odd.

After both my parents died and we cleaned out the house, I laughed because I found out my mother saved the little plastic containers that come with frozen entrees. She had a stack of about 50 of them, neatly stacked in the cupboard. I imagined that she was producing her own TV dinners. I could think of no reason she would save them. Now I'm wondering if this is a genetic defect she somehow passed onto me and it is just now manifesting itself. For example, just today, I was emptying out a Best Foods fat free mayo container and I was cussing the new container they are using. I like the old glass jar. It was easy to refill my mayo dispensing bottle from the big glass jar. But this new bottle, which is plastic and sort of oval shaped, unlike any other one in the mayo aisle, is a hassle to use to refill my dispenser. It has a big oval shaped mouth on it, with a big oval lid that has a big lip on it, and is hinged on one side.

Anyway, I was cussing it as I was refilling the dispenser. I kept getting mayo all over the dispenser. After it was full, and I emptied out the mayo jar, I washed up the mess and put the dispenser back in the fridge. Then I eyed this odd shaped mayo container with its oval shaped lid and felt this sort of attraction to it. Like it had something to offer me, but I just wasn't sure what it was. The next thing I knew I was rinsing it out. Then, as if I had no control over my very movements, I peeled off the label and made my way to my junk drawer where I keep the "Goo Be Gone". With a couple swipes, I removed the glue residue from the jar and eyed it once again. Still having no idea what in the world I would use this odd container for, I placed it in the dishwasher. In the back of my mind I'm thinking how nice it will look all cleaned up.

What the hell is up with this? I can't bring myself to throw this thing away. I have some innate need to save it, and for what? My spouse was nearby and I explained to him that I thought it was very odd that I was saving this container despite my outward desire to throw it away. That's when he reminded me (actually, accused me might be more accurate) that some time ago I forced him, yes, forced him, to save some smaller bottles in case he needed to store some screws, nuts or similar items.

So, not only am I doing this weird thing, but now I am finding out I'm subjecting others to participate in this odd behavior! Again, I find this whole thing very odd. Now, the last thing I'm wondering is this . . . anyone got any idea what I'm going to use this container for?

UPDATE: I just emptied the dish washer. It looks beautiful, all cleaned up. Oh, turns out it's Kraft, not Hellman's.

154.4

I've delayed posting anything today because sometimes I feel like I just don't have a lot to say. I guess I can point out the fact that after a weeks vacation I didn't gain any weight. That was my goal and I made it. That in itself is something I should shout from the roof tops but I don't want people to think I'm full of myself. But I am proud of myself nonetheless. That's one of the things the Beck Diet Solution points out, that we need to give ourselves kudos when we do something right, especially since we're so good at thrashing ourselves when we do something wrong. So . . . kudos to me . . . big kudos to me!

One of the things we discussed during my recent conversation with Dr. Judith Beck was how much support there is on the web for people trying to lose weight. It's true, there are lots of people who are quick to give encouragement, and of course that's a good thing. But she also points out that there isn't a lot of accountability on the blogs she's reading. Those same people who are encouraging the dieters need to say something when the dieter is in denial and losing focus on what they're trying to accomplish. I know, we just want to be nice. After all, we were raised to be nice, weren't we? But really, is it "not-nice" to just ask someone if they're losing focus?

I remember once I left a comment on a blog and stated that the author seemed to be loosing sight of what she wanted to accomplish because her actions did not support her goals and the author said I was a "downer". I just took that as further evidence that the person didn't want to face reality. Like Dr. Phil says, "...if you want to fix it, you gotta own it". If someone wants to pretend they're trying and they're not, maybe they shouldn't say they are. I mean, it is what it is. I'm not immune, at one point I said I either had to lower my standards or start trying harder.

My theory is that we don't get fat (most of us anyway) because of one thing. I think it's a number of things that collectively create a perfect recipe for overeating and gluttony. Fixing one thing doesn't fix the whole problem. Sure, you gotta fix your menu selections, but you also need to fix your thinking, your activity level, your priorities, your self esteem, your body image, etc. I think that might have something to do with such low success rates for keeping weight off and why it's so hard to lose in the first place. I'm not saying I have all the answers, I'm just thinking out loud.

I really wish there was something I could do or say that would help another person become more healthy. I think that is my new goal in life, to encourage others to loose the hold that food has over their lives. And of course, I am one of those people too because if I talk the talk, I better walk the walk. Yeah, I'm not just preaching to anyone reading this, I'm preaching to me too. And so far . . .so good.

155.4

I started reading this book I bought while we were in LA about inspirational thoughts and running. It's set up so that you read one story a day or week. Anyway, I read one this morning and got the idea that it would be fun to take photos of our long run today. Mostly I wanted to share it with my BFF Ellen but thought it might be interesting to put on my blog. I thought I could look back on it this winter when the weather is miserable and it would some how bring me comfort.

Now the thing you have to realize is that I had a lot of stopping during the run to capture all these photos. It pretty much wrecked the run for me since I was pounded out at 12 miles (a mile too soon). I loaded the photos onto my blog in the order in which they were taken but now I'm seeing that they didn't stack up that way. So I'm going to try and sort this mess out so it will make sense. Anyway, come join me on my run this morning:

This is where we start. We drive down the hill from our house and park in a grocery store parking lot. We have to do that, otherwise we'd have to end our run with a 1.5 mile uphill that is ridiculously steep at any point in a run. Anyway, notice the mountain in the background and you'll see it in future photos.
This is a photo of the road that we start running on, as we exit the parking lot. You can't tell it in the photo but it is 1.5 miles, all uphill to Mountain Road, which runs along the mountain (gee, so aptly named). Usually when we're near the top it's very windy, especially in the early morning. Today it wasn't bad.
This is a view of Mountain Road once we reach the top of the road we started on. We usually don't go this direction but we had to make a pit stop at the restrooms on the right. This is the direction we run on Mountain Road.
Headed down the road (on Mountain Road). I really like running this road because there isn't much traffic and it's gently rolling hills. Besides, it's a great rest after that 1.5 mile hill climb!Still on Mountain Road, this is where we go from our town to the larger town. Our town has 15-20 thousand people in it (an article in the newspaper today gave that statistic) and the larger town has about 70,000. I refrain from naming the town because some freako might be reading my blog. For those of you who know me, you know what I'm talking about.After we get off Mountain Road, at about the 4 mile point, we zig zag through some neighborhoods. These are all residential streets with minimal traffic which makes things VERY nice for running!
Eventually we get to a neighborhood park. It's at this point that we go onto Monroe Blvd. which has more traffic but since it has a nice wide shoulder it still isn't bad. Besides, usually the time of day we go on it it isn't too busy.

Like I said, traffic isn't heavy when we run it - not a car in sight.spelling-error?>We go along Monroe until we go down the big hill to 12th street. At the bottom of the hill there's a Mini Mart where we buy a bottle of water because usually we're out of water by then. This is around the 7 mile mark.
Once we quench our thirst, we head over to the River Parkway. This is where we'll do our long run next week. This area is also the last few miles of the local marathon and half marathon.

This photo was taken standing on the bridge that goes over the parkway, looking back at where we'd just run from after the Mini Mart stop.The river is low this time of year. This is looking down the canyon.

This is looking up the canyon. This is the trail system that runs along the river (again, part of the race that BFF Ellen and Lee need to come run in May). It goes for well over 10 miles in its entirity and once all the links are complete will be over 30 miles of trail for running and biking.

Once we get off the River Parkway, we're heading north again, towards home. See the mountain in the back ground - look familiar? We're just cutting through neighborhoods, making our way over to 2nd and Washington where we'll finish the last 2.7 miles on some busier roads (my least favorite part). One of the neighborhoods (yep, our mountain in the background).
More residential . . .

This is the last of the neighborhoods before we get to the highway. We turn left at this intersection, then run along the highway.

This is along the highway. There's more traffic but there's a nice shoulder to run on for most of it.This is the road (Larson Lane) that anyone who is local probably can't believe we run on because it's very narrow and the shoulder is about 1" in some spots. But it takes us from the highway to Washington Blvd (which is also a busy street) and is only 1/2 a mile long. The majority of the traffic is going in the opposite direction so that helps.

Once we turn off Larson Lane onto Washington Blvd, my church is on the left so I can always count on a ride to the hospital if needed - ha! ha!

As we pass the church, it's a straight shot now. This is the most boring part of the run because I know I only have a mile and a half to go and then I'm done. It takes a lot of self talk to get me through this part. How I captured a photo without traffic is beyond me. This is a very busy street . Notice our mountain is getting closer!

NOTE: The blog host is acting weird and I suspect I maxed out on my allowable space for photos so these last 2 photos keep deleting themselves so if you can't see them I guess they're not there - sorry!

So thanks for joining me on my long run. I'll try to snap some photos next week but definately not as many as I took today! Now I think I'm going to relax.

At the ocean

Me & the Pacific Ocean

156

We got home yesterday, around supper time. So now I'm trying to catch up on everything. The time we spent in the LA area was so much fun. It was wonderful to finally meet Ellen and to be able to spend some time together. In addition, we were able to do such a variety of things that it was an entertaining trip too.

On our last night, we went to the Dodgers -vs- Philly's championship game. The thing that made it even more fun is that Ellen is a HUGE Philly fan so that was fun to see her enjoy the game so much as well as the crowd response to having a Philly fan amongst all the Dodger fans. At one point, the security came to her and suggested she leave a bit early. But there was no way she could even consider such a thing because she was there to watch her Philly team win. Anyway, it was so much fun and win they did!

In terms of eating, I weighed 155.6 the morning we left and returned at 156 this morning. Not so bad, but I did eat 2 fattening meals on Friday as we were heading home. They were the same . . . char broiled chicken breast (good intentions, huh?) with fries. And in the second case, it was a huge plate of fries. The only thing I did right was that I didn't eat every last fry on my plate (the second time anyway) although you could easily count the ones remaining. But, 4 tenths over a week period, I think I have to pat myself on the back for that one.

Ellen and I empowered one another in our eating. There was a possibility that once we got together we would enable one another and make excuses to celebrate by over eating but I'm proud to say we did none of that. I think the awareness that we have to our sabotaging thoughts really helped us on on that. Thank you Judith Beck!

Anyway, I unloaded some photos from my cell phone. There are more on spouse's phone and on the camera. I'll get around to those but thought I'd share these with you:

This is the fire that erupted at the casino on our first night on the road. On the way home, we checked it out and they had covered up the damage so future visitors were none the wiser. As I said, it COULD have gotten away from them because the conditions were ripe for it. Good thing it was discovered when it was!
This is the "Hollywood Forever" cemetery that doubles as the parking lot for Dr. Phil. I really wish we would have taken the time to go through it. But when we got out of the taping for the show I was so cold (and had to pee so badly) that we were in a hurry to leave. Maybe next time . . .
This is the driver of the huge truck (you can tell how big by looking at the back of the photo) that rear ended us in Hollywood or Beverly Hills. I'm not too sure where we were exactly. Anyway, as you can see, spouse is getting the driver's information.
This is a photo I really like. After getting rear ended and dealing with the large crowds of people in Hollywood, we decided a walk on the beach would be relaxing. And we were right, it was great. This was at Venice Beach.
My friend Ellen and I at the championship game at Dodger Stadium. I adore her, she is a wonderful person, the type of person that you're a better person just for knowing. I will (do) miss her!!
Ellen and I with our respective spouses at the ball game. A good time was had by all!

Jay & Phil

I just haven't had any time to update my blog. So here's the scoop:

On Monday, we took a tour of the NBC Studios. It lasted just over an hour. The most interesting thing about it was that it included the Tonight Show stage. Of course, we had tickets for that night so it was just a preview of coming attractions. I was very surprised to see how small it actually is. It looks large on television, but they said it's because they shoot with a special lens to make it look larger. Anyway, it was smaller so there really wasn't a bad seat.

When I went into the restroom before the tour, I sort of got a good indication that things weren't all that fancy as one might expect. The restroom looked rather dilapidated and the soap at the sink wasn't in a dispenser but instead was in what appeared to be an old dish washing bottle.

When we went to Leno, we had to get into line at about 1:30 p.m. They let us in at about 3:00 and started taping at 4:00. We had a decent seat as we sat about half way up, on the side right, next to Kevin and the band. The guests were some guy whose name I've forgotten, Amy Lee who I do not know, and Selma Bair (plays daughter on new Kath & Kim show).

Jay was cool and interacted with the audience. He did part of the warm up. It was fun to see this production since I always wanted to see Carson, and since that's sort of impossible, this was the next best thing. Three people sat next to us (a 5-person row) and although I don't know who they were, it was very obvious they were dripping in money. But the money didn't appear to buy them any class. Too bad!

After we got out of Leno, we went to Ellen's house. It was so great to be able to see all the things and places she is talking about in her e-mails. After that, we went out to eat. It was a great time and it was just like we've been doing this forever.

This morning we had to get up very early to get to the Dr. Phil show. We parked in the Forever Hollywood Cemetery, the official parking place for the show. It's a great looking cemetery and I would have loved to have spent some time going through it but by the time we got done with the taping I was ready to find a bathroom!

So back to Dr. Phil, his set held fewer people than Leno but somehow looked larger. He tapes 3 shows/day and ours was the first show. The studio was freezing, as is typical. We had good seats, we sat directly across the aisle from Robin. The show will air on October 28th and I suspect we're on camera. It was a show about bullying. Phil's son Jay wrote a book about it and they gave everyone a book. Jay's wife sat next to Robin.

I was surprised, and disappointed, that Dr. Phil didn't interact with the audience. Robin just kept her eyes looking forward and did not interact with anyone either. She and her daughter-in-law were both wearing 8" heels! Robin looked much older in person and Dr. Phil looked much more slender.

After we left Dr. Phil, we headed to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theater. We checked that out, then decided to drive to see Dr. Phil's house, Jay Leno's House, and Lucille Ball's family home. On our way, while we were in Beverly Hills, we received our "Southern California Welcome Package", meaning, we got rear ended. My theory is that there are 2 kinds of drivers here: those who have been rear ended and those who are going to be rear ended. I was hoping that having been rear ended in San Diego that we would have fallen into the former, but apparently, leaving the state is like pressing "reset" so it didn't count and we became the later.

Anyway, we were totally stopped when a big commercial truck did not stop. I have photos on my phone but cannot off load them until I get home and get the little adapter thingie. Anyway, it was a pretty hard hit yet somehow we escaped damage. Spouse checked it out and thinks it's because the rear bumper attaches directly onto the frame. Anyway, I was glad there was no damage. I had a headache and sore shoulders for awhile but later it went away.

As you can image, that event made us a bit crabby. So we decided to go walk along the ocean at Venice Beach. It was a good plan because that was very enjoyable and relaxing. After our stroll on the beach we took a quick drive over to see where OJ Simpson killed his ex-wife Nicole on Bundy Street.

Oh, speaking of houses, I was surprised at all the houses we looked at. I guess I was expecting something else, that they would be more isolated or something. I guess some of them are but not the ones we looked at (mentioned above).

So now we're back at the hotel. In the morning we're headed to the beach for a run and later on we're meeting Ellen and her spouse to go to the ballgame. It's Philly & Dodgers in the playoffs and if Philly wins, this will be the final game. So, I expect things will be rather exciting!

RACE DAY REPORT

Today we ran the half marathon race at Long Beach. I'd been concerned about the weather because it's been a bit cool, which for running is good, but it's been very windy too, which for running is bad . . . very bad. The word was that the Santa Anas are supposed to kick up and I was worried that they'd build up to it, thereby making for a long, windy run. But I couldn't have been more wrong. It was a beautiful day for a run and a fantastic day for a race.

We left our hotel while it was still dark outside but we could tell it was going to be warmer than yesterday and much less windy. Once we got to the race and parked, we headed for the porta-potties. We'd stood in line about 15 minutes when a guy came up and said he was going to close the johns because they were reserved for the medical team. Of course the crowd started yelling exactly what they thought about that, especially those people who'd stood in line over 30 minutes. Most of the line stormed off angry. This one lady was very outspoken so the guy decided to let the people in line use the toilets then would close them off behind them. Lucky for us, when the crowd stormed off angry, that put us about 2 people behind the front of the line. A very good place to be!

So once we took care of that necessary task, we called Ellen to see where she and Lee were. No surprise, they were waiting in a porta potty line at the main bank of toilets. So we headed their direction. Ellen kept her hand up in the air and I spotted her right off the bat. We talked for a few minutes, she and Lee took care of their business and then we headed over to the line up for the race. We hadn't gotten all the way there when they started the race. This wasn't a big deal because it was chip timed. So our race didn't start until we crossed the pad. We were on the wrong side of a chain link fence so it took a few minutes to get where we could merge with the pack and head out.

There were a lot of people. I think it was something like 18,000 for all races, maybe even more. There were runners, walkers, bikers, roller skaters . . . if there was a way to move down the road, I think they had a category for it. As you can imagine, with all these people, it was very crowded on the road. My initial concern was to not get knocked over, nor knock anyone else over. I got a few elbow bumps, kicked in the shin, and my shoe was stepped on, but other than that, I kept out of everyone's way as best as I could. For most all of the race I was always jockeying for position, trying to get around someone ahead of me.

Despite the trials of running a race with so many people on it, it was a really nice race just the same. As I mentioned, the weather was perfect. Running at a lower altitude (sea level) was great. I don't think I ever did have to breathe real hard. There was lots of oxygen - a lot more than I'm used to at 5,000+ feet!

While I was running along, I was thinking about how lucky I am. I'm lucky to have a wonderful husband, lucky to be able to physically do such a thing as run 13 miles, lucky to have such a beautiful day, and lucky that I'm able to run this race with Ellen (AKA My Diet Buddy). I looked forward to getting together after we all crossed the finish line.

Speaking of the finish line, this one sort of snuck up on me. Usually, I'm searching out the finish line, wondering if I'm EVER going to get there. This time, even though I knew what my mileage was, I just turned a corner and there it was. I was across it before I had much time to even think about it.

I didn't look at my time until I crossed the finish line. I was disappointed in my time 2:19:06 because it was my slowest time all summer. But I think it was because of the enormous running field, and the inability to just run forward that slowed me down. That's the story I'm going with anyway.

So this is the end of our racing season. It's been a good one. Tomorrow we go to Leno and then we're going to dinner with Ellen and her hubby. We're having a great time here in southern California and it just got better when I heard we got 6" of snow at home.

Ellen & Me

Me & Pam

We went back to the expo today and as you can see, I got a photo with Pam Reed. She also signed my book. I told her about our local marathon and she wants to come and run it, as well as talk at the expo. After all, she doesn't live too far away. I gave her the race director contact info. How exciting!

Ellen (my Diet Buddy) & I finally got to meet and she is just like I thought she would be. It was like we've known one another forever. I guess in some ways we have! Anyway, we went to the magazine interview and I think it went really well. The editor said she was interested in putting our story together and she had to go back and talk with the other editors. She said they already had some info on us already. The spouses also got along well, a definite plus!

Tomorrow is the race. I've been having this nagging pain in my back which I am sure is connected to a tight pirformis. Hopefully tomorrow none of this will be an issue! It's been cool and breezy here so I'm trying to decide if I'll run with a jacket or not. Kind of a hassle but it might be necessary. The Santa Anas are supposed to kick up but not until later in the day.

We went to the aquarium today too. I touched a shark and a stingray. It's amazing all the marine life at this aquarium. But every time I saw a clown fish I just couldn't help but think how much Jackson would enjoy seeing them.

I'm not sure what we are doing after the race tomorrow. I just want to get through the race without any problems, and hopefully in less than 2 hours and 10 minutes. Even a second less would make me happy and be a nice way to finish out the race year! I've not been doing too much walking since we're supposed to be resting our legs for the race but after tomorrow I won't have to worry about that any more.

So far, so good . . . "just keep putting one foot in front of the other and NEVER stop", (that's what Pam wrote in my book).

Long Beach

Oh, I have so much to say! We left our house on Thursday and drove to Primm where we stayed at Whiskey Petes. While we were stretching our legs, we walked over to another casino. As we were coming out of that casino, it caught fire. I got it on video, and a few still shots, but then I found out that I left the chip adapter thing at home so I can't pull the photos off my phone. The flames got rather large and it looked like it was about to get out of control but then they got a bunch of fire extinguishers on it and got it put out.

The next morning, as we were pulling out of Primm, I realized my cell phone was almost dead. I brought 2 chargers for spouse but none for my phone. This was particularly important because I knew I was going to talk with the author of the Beck Diet Solution, Dr. Judith Beck. So I didn't want to miss that call! I ended up calling my Diet Buddy, Ellen, and having her e-mail the publicist we'd been talking with to give them the spouse's cell number so I could receive the call.

The message went through and I had a wonderful conversation with Dr. Beck, (she referred to herself as Judy). She was so easy to talk to! We discussed my experience with weight loss using her book, the original book, and how she gathered material for the book that will be out very soon. It really was wonderful talking with her. As anyone who knows me knows, I swear by her book and think that thousands (millions) of people could change their lives and get a grip on their weight issues if they would just get the book and actively participate in it. I really do believe that it doesn't do much good to try to lose weight unless you change your thinking!!

OK, I could go on and on but my adventure continues. Once we got to our hotel and settled in, we decided to go to the expo to pick up our race packets. We saw Pam Reed at the expo and went over to the small group (5 people counting us ) who were sitting around her. We enjoyed some friendly conversation about running issues, then an announcer came up and we left. Shortly after, as we were making our way through the expo, we came upon her booth advertising her race in Tucson. We talked a bit more and made arrangements for her to autograph my book tomorrow when I come back to the expo for the magazine interview. Tomorrow I'll see if I can get a photo with her. Pam was so easy to talk to as well. She's my running hero because as far as I'm concerned she wrote the book on long distance (literally and figuratively).

So that's the quick "down and dirty" on what I've been up to . . . for now anyway!

And We're Off!

Leaving this morning for Long Beach. Should have Internet on Friday.

155.2

Don't even try and tell me I don't know what it's like to be fat!

153.8

Oh, exciting things are happening but I don't know how much I want to post. All I'll say for right now is that the publicist I've been in contact with has sent me a number of e-mails and called twice yesterday. In one call, it was a conference call with my diet buddy Ellen, so we finally got to hear each other's voices! We're going to meet for the first time Saturday when we go to the appointment with the magazine editor. Of course, there is no guarantee they'll do an article but they're interested. There's a bit more but I don't want to say too much right now because I don't know what will come to fruition. But I did have trouble going to sleep last night in anticipation (speculation) of what could develop.

This morning I decided I better pluck my eyebrows so I got out my magnifying mirror and put on some reading glasses and I dropped my jaw at what I saw . . . who the hell is this wrinkled lady? Of course it WAS magnified, but still . . .it was horrifying. So once I finished, I put everything away, took off the reading glasses and now I've returned to my happy world of denial. Gee, now I don't look a day older than 25. Ah! a sweet place to be : )

Diet Buddy

I just realized I had the wrong link set for My Diet Buddy so here it is again. I highly recommend this!!!!!!!!!

154.8

This morning I'm thinking a lot about sabotaging (and irrational) thoughts. You know, if we just stop and think about what we're thinking, it's no wonder it's so hard to make good eating choices. While in our hearts we want to be thin, our minds are playing all kinds of tricks on us trying to get us to go for the immediate pleasure of eating something that is ultimately a bad choice!

Last night, I was just kicking back with a book, and my mind was having a hay day trying to tempt me into eating all kinds of snacks. It was almost like I had a split personality or something, with my mind trying to get my hands to shove something tasty into my mouth. If we're not aware of that going on, we're victims (to ourselves) without even realizing it. Luckily, I was aware of it and could react accordingly. The key is to stay aware of it and remember I do have the option of making a choice, or to decide to NOT give myself a choice, just to stay on plan. It's all up to me!

155

The play we saw yesterday, "Urinetown" was very good. It was a college production and we sat in the front row of a small theater. Talk about being in the middle of all the action!

I received a couple compliments on my quilt, so that you ladies! I've made about 5 or 6 of that pattern and I know it so well that I hate to try anything new. I guess I'm not a real confident quilter. I'm always afraid that I'll start something and never finish it (it is my MO). After all, I cut this quilt out more than a year ago and it just sat there waiting for me to be inspired to piece it together.

It's just starting to set in that we're leaving for our race later this week. We have some plans firmed up and other times we're just playing it by ear. I'm excited for this trip because we're doing a lot of fun, exciting things. (I'm going to take my lap top so I'll blog about it.)

We're leaving on Thursday. We have a long drive on Thursday and a shorter one on Friday. We'll arrive on Friday, probably early afternoon. On Saturday, I'll meet my "diet buddy", Ellen, and then meet with the magazine editor for our interview. We're supposed to get the details about that on the first of this week so hopefully I'll know more. On Sunday we have our half marathon. On Monday we're going to Leno, on Tuesday we're going to Dr. Phil, and on Thursday we're going to The Doctor's. We'll start driving home right after the Doctor's taping.

On the days and times we haven't made any plans, we're going to do the typical tourist stuff (which will NOT include Universal or Disneyland - been there, done that). We'll also get together with Ellen and her hubby. If the Philly's & Dodgers make it to the playoffs together, Ellen is going to see if she can grab up some tickets. So that's the basic plan and we'll just fill in the other time with lots of other fun stuff.

So now I just need to figure out what I need to take. Two of the shows have "dress codes" (hmmmm, why did I put that in quotes) so I'll finally have a reason to wear the suit I bought awhile back. I tried it on again and it's actually a bit big now but it will have to do. I think it looks good and hubby said it made me look thinner so hey - it doesn't get any better than that does it? I'll also need my stuff for running, and clothes for doing the tourist stuff.

I'm also packing low calorie snacks for while we're driving and during the week. It is my plan to not gain any weight while we're gone. Maybe that's a tall order but that's my plan. After all, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Carly's Quilt

I just finished Carly's quilt. This first photo shows an over view. The second photo is a close up.

155.2

It's a cool, rainy day today so I don't think we'll get a run in today. But that's okay since we have a race a week from tomorrow. I don't want too many miles on my legs when I stand at the start line and a taper is just the thing to let my legs be extra strong.

Speaking of the race, I just found out that a magazine will be interviewing me and my "diet buddy", Ellen at the expo. We're still coordinating a meet time with the editor, then she's supposed to give us more details.

I finished Carly's quilt yesterday. I'll take a photo of it and post it. I think it turned out really nice, very bright and colorful. I used really good fabric on it and it makes all the difference in how well things piece together. My days of cheap fabric are over now, well I do have some "stock" I need to use up, but I won't buy any more cheap stuff. This is the second one I've done with nicer fabric.

We're going to a play this afternoon at the local university. It's called "Urinetown". It's a 21st century satire and looks like it should be very funny. Well, I guess that's it for now!

154.8

After a 5 miler this morning, I decided it might be a good idea to go to Weight Watchers and get my October weigh in done early. It was nice not having to worry about that at the end of the month last month, so maybe I'll try to make it a first-of-the-month habit.

I was afraid last month that since I got it done so early, I might start making bad choices. But that didn't happen and I think the reason it didn't was because I started rereading the Beck Diet Solution. Once I got into it a few chapters I realized I had sort of lapsed back into some "bad thinking". I was letting the sabotaging thoughts take root and reverting to some bad habits (mostly in terms of thinking). So I'm glad I'm on track again. I've successfully maintained my weight loss since December so I am very proud of that!

My Long Beach race is coming up really fast. We'll be leaving next week. And of course the exciting thing about this trip is that I will meet my Diet Buddy. We've e-mailed and encouraged each other for over a year. We usually e-mail every day, even if we're on vacation. She went to eastern Europe and still e-mailed me from her cell phone. I think the amount of effort you put into these things determines what you get out of them. Anyway, if we had never become diet buddies I don't think I would have even lost even one pound. So I do owe a lot to her and our relationship. We found one another through the Internet at a site that matches up dieters with like minded dieters. I'd encourage everyone trying to lose weight to give it a try.

Well, my to-do list is calling my name so I guess that is all for now.

Body World

Today we went to see the Body World exhibit. Honestly, I think it takes awhile to reflect on it before anyone can offer a real opinion of it. First of all, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't know if it would seem sort of ghoulish or what. I mean, these were real people, people with families, hopes, and dreams. Now their skin has been melted off and they've been plasticized and posed for our viewing pleasure. Just the idea of it seems odd to me. But of course, seeing inside the human body is just too much to pass on when given such an opportunity, so I had to go.

First of all, I saw dissected things, like the inner ear, a heart, a shoulder joint, etc. These things are removed from the body and you can examine the part in its entirety. I thought it was really interesting just to see how delicate those tiny little bones in the ear really are. Of course, they told us that in health class didn't they? Well, they were telling the truth. Since this exhibit has an emphasis on the human heart, there are lots of hearts to view. There are big hearts, little hearts, healthy hearts and not healthy hearts. There came a point where I really got tired of looking at all the hearts.

I found a lot of the joints interesting, especially the shoulder joint since I've been fighting that specific injury for a year now. And I did examine every aspect of it and was amazed at just how complex the muscles are that make the shoulder joint operate. I also decided there's no way I could have shoulder surgery because there's way too many muscles that would be disturbed to get to the specific one(s) I decided need fixed.

Once we got to the full bodies, I was able to see where the pirformis is as well. And I was able to see the sciatic nerve that runs right along side it. It's really quite small. As you can tell, as I viewed all this human anatomy I did it with an eye on my own ailments, to get a better understanding. I have to admit I never realized the kidneys were so small though. I thought they were about the size of the liver . . . I mean they work so hard!

The stomach was a surprise too. I didn't realize that when it isn't stuffed with food it really isn't that big after all. Being able to view the inside cavity of the body makes you realize that all our organs are stuffed in there with no extra room. There's a reason we feel so uncomfortable when we over eat, there's just no extra room for it! It made me feel sorry for how I've squished my organs before when I've eaten too much. And now I realize when I think I'm still hungry, there's little doubt that I am not really hungry, I just want to eat.

The part of the exhibit I hadn't expected was on the babies. They show the embryo when it's so small that it looks like nothing more than some fuzz in some water up until almost full term. Between weeks 8 and 9 something magical must happen because even though it's very tiny, you can see all the features of this little human being.

As you know, I was excited to see the obese "specimen". I was disappointed because the specimen was actually a "slice" (think cat scan) of a 300 pound person. Yes, you could see about 4" of subcutaneous fat and all the fat stuffed in between the organs but it didn't bring it home like it would have if it was one of the "plastic people".

The thing about these human "models" is that after awhile I looked at them more as a plastic model like I might see in a doctor's office, just with lots of detail. After awhile I'm wondering to myself just what type of a saw they used to cut them in half, or in some cases, slice them up. In this exhibit you see every part of the human body and how it goes together with every other part. You see the nervous system, the veins and arteries, the bones, muscles, tendons, and organs. You see it all, both on the body and off the body. And for the friend who wanted to know if there were penises, yes there are, so I'm sure your daughter will fixate on it because it's very obvious. Like I said, you see everything, every part.

And in case you get tired of looking at the human specimens, you can see a lamb, a chicken and a camel too. I'm not sure why they threw those in, maybe they had some plastic they needed to use up.

I think anyone who smokes and sees the lungs of a smoker, then continues to smoke is really an idiot. It really brings the point home as to how damaging smoking is to the lungs.

The people in the exhibit, by the nature of the process they use to plasticize them, all appear to be very fit. It's because the fat is stripped away with the skin. But it does let you understand just what a brilliant piece of creation the human body is.

At the very end, they have this super magnifying tube hooked to a monitor screen (like my dentist has) that you can put on your eye, skin, ear, etc. and it magnifies the cells. I did it on my arm and I have some really old looking flesh when it's viewed that close (actually it looks pretty old just with my reading glasses but that's another post all together). Spouse examined a cut on his leg and it looked like something that a person should die from. But I guess this tool is a real hit with the high school group.

Anyway, there you have it . . . the human body, in all its glory. I think it should make everyone want to eat healthy and exercise . . . or at least quit smoking!