Garbage Day!

We had our first sand volleyball game last night! Our team, Sofa King Lazy, won 2 of 3 games. The cold temps wouldn't have been so bad if we weren't playing in bare feet. My toes may never be the same. We stayed afterwards to chat- mostly about softball, which starts Thursday. Yessss!

I've run a few times since the 10K, and my foot has been pretty good. I can still feel some soreness, but it's definitely not painful. I shortened up my stride quite a bit, which seems to be helping. Unfortunately it's making me really slow! Oh well. I can't have it all, right?

I coach up in Mahtomedi this afternoon, then have to fly down to Burnsville for my own games at 6&7.

No training, kinda injured, it's snowing, let's run a 10K!

Meg and Donna and I ran the Get-in-Gear 10K in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. We lost Donna before it even started, but Meg and I ran together all 6.2 miles. It was really cold waiting for the start, and the horizontal hail was a little crazy, but once we got going it wasn't too terrible. My foot was sore but not unbearable, and it didn't hurt at work all weekend. My new thinking is that I wasn't running enough and it was starting to atrophy. (Maybe?) Donna finished in 1hr 2minutes and Meg and I finished in 1hr 4minutes, although our chip times were a little better than that.
My favorite part of doing these runs is getting the t-shirt and eating the snacks afterwards. This time we got bananas, yogurt, salted nut rolls, juice, milk, ice cream. Mmm.

Happy birthday to Nana, 92 years young today!

Softball!

Lots of softball today! Sibley lost to Simley 6-2. It was a pretty lackluster performance by our sophomores. I'm not really sure why- it was 70 degrees, sunny, not too much wind, and they had a TON of licorice before the game. Hmm.

Afterwards I scooted down to Burnsville to play in the season opener for O&S. We lost the first and won the second. I played first base both games which was quite a change for me. At least I'm on the right side of the infield! I think I'll get moved over to second eventually, but I don't care either way. It's just so great being outside playing ball!

The good news is that my foot didn't bother me at all today. I'm icing it now with some old broccoli just to be sure.

I got really nervous today looking at my schedule. EVERYTHING is starting in the next 2 weeks. Volleyball on Tuesdays, women's softball Wednesdays, coed softball Thursdays, plus coaching and working at the hospital. Egad.

I just got a message on my cell from Lucy: "No more rhymes now, I mean it! Anybody want a peanut?" Awesome.

Who got kicked off American Idol tonight? I can't find it online anywhere!

Gimpy

My right foot has really been bothering me lately. I talked to some docs at work about it, and after convincing me that my foot would need to be amputated and I would be forced to re-register for the marathon in the wheelchair division, they told me to go to Run-n-Fun to see what they could do for me. No one seems to think it's a stress fracture, which would mean 6+ weeks of no running. An x-ray could confirm, but I can't quite get to that point. I bought some insoles that I'll try out (and got 20% off because I'm a coach!), and I've been trying to avoid running for the past week. Lots of RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). I have my first softball game tonight and a 10K on Saturday, so I'll see how this all goes.

Speaking of icing, I haven't really been able to make ice fast enough so I've been using a lot of old frozen veggies. It's been a good way to clean out my freezer, that's for sure. Right now I've got corn on the foot that probably should have been eaten in 2005.

This run is for the birds!

I ran 13.5 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Not a cloud in the sky, bright sun, and about 40 degrees with a slight breeze from the southwest. I believe it's supposed to get up to 55 degrees today, but I work at 3 and had to run earlier. I parked at Phalen, ran the Gateway Trail, then back around Phalen. I was really tired around the 8 mile mark, but was able to push through.
I forgot how much I hate to run long runs by myself. I mean, I had my iPod, but I still got bored. Speaking of iPods, I listened to the entire Across the Universe soundtrack as well as all of Lily Allen's Alright, Still album. Good stuff.

So as far as birds go, it started when a huge black crow nearly took my head off right in the first 10 minutes. Then I saw an egret or heron (what's the difference?) and a red cardinal along the Gateway. And then back on Phalen I saw a bunch of ducks playing in the water and a cute little yellow bird with some black marks on it. (Dad, what is that one?) I was super tired when I was that little yellow one which was when I decided that this run was for the birds.

I'm off to work now, which means I miss our girls' second game, vs North St. Paul. We still haven't practiced outside yet, which means it might get ugly.

Peanut....peanut butter! And jelly!

I ran out of peanut and jelly today. At the same time! That NEVER happens to me! It's like running out of shampoo and conditioner at the same time. It made me very happy.

I went on date #2 with Ian Saturday night. We saw The Alps at the Omnimax Theater in the Science Museum, then went for a drink and apps at a brewery in St Paul afterwards.
Unfortunately later that night I was sick as a dog: nausea, very (I repeat, very) icky tummy, back pain, etc. I tossed and turned for hours, and by 3:45 am I decided that since I wasn't ever going to sleep again, I should call in sick to work, which I did. I must have dozed off at some point because I woke up around noon to the sound of my phone ringing. Meg wanted to run. I was a little groggy and my stomach still wasn't quite right, but I headed over to Gronauland. Meg and I ran Phalen and a *little* more. The breeze was chilly, but it was about mid-40s and sunny, I think.
Anyway, I'm not sure why I got sick last night. It may have been the nachos. Or just really bad cramps. Meg thinks I'm in love, but I really think it was the beer. I think my body was actually rejecting the glass of beer I drank. How am I going to remember to stick to hard liquor?

All the weather at once!

Rain, snow, hail, clouds, winds, lightning, thunder: all the weather at once. No surprise our game was cancelled today, but we did have a pretty fun practice in the gym. I brought out the "crazy ball" which is a small rubber thing that looks like many bouncy balls melted together. I roll it on the ground and it bounces in random directions and the girls chase after it with screams of delight. It's actually pretty funny to watch, and they run a lot without even knowing it.

I just got back from a delightful first date with Ian, a guy I met on Match.com. (And, Carol Daly, he pronounces it "Eee-an", not "In" or "Eye-an".) We went to dinner at the Liffey in St Paul. He is pretty tall and although he is mostly bald, he did not have a combover (like the last guy). He has chipmunk cheeks and dimples and seems like a genuinely happy person. He does some type of graphic designing and lives in a condo in St Paul. I had the seared walleye (so delicious!) and he had Shepard's pie and a which he finished off so it must have been decent. It was 10:30pm before we knew it (3 hours longer than bad teeth and combover dude) and I hope there will be a second date! (Is that enough specifics for y'all???) :)

Force Out

My taxes are finally done, thanks to Anna at H&R Block. I seriously HATE getting my taxes done- more than going to the dentist, more than just about anything. I never know what papers to bring, and I never know the answers to their questions. Like, "How much were your car tabs?" or "Did you get a property tax refund last year?" And I don't like seeing how much money I make because it makes my job feel more like a job than just some fun thing I get to go and do almost every day. Anyway, the deed is done and I will be getting a nice fat return.

And I am sick again. This time it's a cold with lots of sneezes and a runny, runny nose. I slept in a vat of Vicks Vaporub last night, and was able to breathe through my nose when I woke up in the morning.

Henry Sibley had their first softball games of the season vs Tartan yesterday. Although all Warrior teams lost, my team (B-Squad/Sophomores) did not take the worst beating! The freshmen got that honor losing 26-1. Varsity lost 17-1, and we lost 6-1. Unfortunately my girls struck out 18 times. Since there are only 21 outs in a softball game, we've got some work to do. We still haven't been able to practice outside yet, and today will be no exception. It's 41 degrees, but with 37 mph wind gusts it feels like 31 degrees. And our fields are still mud.

Did I mention that one of my girls asked me last week what a "force out" was? I mean really. This poor girl is 16 years old. Where are her parents? And I had the most difficult time explaining it. I Wikipedia-ed it to see if I could have made myself any clearer, but this it what it said:

"In baseball, a force is a situation when a baserunner is compelled (or forced) to vacate his time-of-pitch base--and thus try to advance to the next base--because the batter became a runner. A runner at first base is always forced to attempt to advance to second base when the batter becomes a runner. Runners at second or third base are forced only when all bases preceding their time-of-pitch base are occupied by other baserunners and the batter becomes a runner. A forced runner's force base is the next base beyond his time-of-pitch base. Any attempt by fielders to put a forced runner out is called a force play."

See what I mean?

Oh, how we made such sweet sweet sandwiches!

It was a delightful 3-day weekend for me! Ran about 4 miles Friday morning. Later that night, went to a friend's house for fruity drinks and games (Rock Band and Balderdash). Not quite sure I understand all the hype around Rock Band and Guitar Hero. I mean, I guess it was pretty fun, but I would really rather be doing anything else. Like, why don't these people learn to play real instruments and get together to make real music? Now that would be fun.

Saturday afternoon Meg and I headed over to Minneapolis for one of my long runs. It was supposed to be a 14 miler, but we ended up going just under 16. Meg was on rollerblades, and we weren't sure which direction to run. Went around Calhoun and Harriet and along Minnehaha Parkway, and there are signs for peds and bikers, but not for rollerbladers. Ended up going with the bikers which was a path much less congested and a little wider. It was a beautiful day - almost 60 degrees, I think. The lakes were still frozen over and there was a lovely chilly breeze coming off it. I enjoyed the coolness, but Meg had dead-man hands afterwards (swollen, cold, and clammy). Afterwards we congratulated ourselves with Potbelly sammies and malts.

It rained all day Sunday which was fine by me. Spent most of the day with the Gronaus. Iced my sore right calf while watching the Twins, then ate enchiladas and kept an eye on Lu and Ed while Meg and Joel went to Meg's dance class.

Our softball game was cancelled yesterday- surprise, surprise! What could be worse then almost 5 weeks of indoor practices, I ask you?!? Everyone's getting a little squirrly.

And he shall be Livan, and he shall be a good man!

And baseball season has begun! Livan Hernandez picked up the Opening Day win for the Twins last night against the Angels. I nearly cried when Cuddyer fielded a grounder and threw it to first behind the runner who took an extra wide turn. Had he actually gotten the runner out, I know tears would have been shed. And crazy Carlos Gomez with his bunt singles and stolen bases and Joe Nathan striking out Torii Hunter - I'm a happy camper.

Our softball season has been postponed. We were supposed to play our first game tomorrow, but the 1/2 dozen foot of snow dumped on us yesterday put a damper on things. And THANK GOODNESS because we still don't have a pitcher or a catcher.

Winona was able to pull off a win on Saturday to become the Division II National Champs, but Sibley lost in the finals and therefore finished 2nd in state. Not too shabby! Thank goodness basketball season is over so we can concentrate on more important things (baseball & softball)!