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Disclaimer...I have no idea how I was able to import the whole page...pictures and all...from the old, old, original blog...but here it is....and I’m not retyping it....

Weeks 3 & 4 - Anyone? Anyone?

OK...so clearly we’ve fallen off the blogging wagon these last two weeks, but who can blame us...Tahoe week, meetings, suspending kids, we’re a busy bunch.

In any event, I want to share a story about last Tuesday night’s relay workout. For those of you who weren’t there, the relay workout required each person on a three person team to run (in the case of the Kinks) 200 yards, then do calisthenics until their teammate showed up. Leslie and I teamed up with another woman (Patrice). To say the least, it was madness trying to find your teammate as she approached.

At one point...maybe lap 5 or 6 or so, I’ve done my 25 sit-ups (you had to know it wasn’t push-ups), and am waiting for Leslie to “tag” me so that I can run my 200 and “tag” Patrice, and I’m waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and then I’m a little worried (I know that Leslie hurt her knee at Tahoe), I’m about to take off without seeing her, then I hear her voice...laughing and having a joyful time. Turns out she’d been there awhile and

SHE’S FLIRTING WITH SOME GUY!

So I take off running...laughing the whole way.

In any event, here for your viewing pleasure is Paula Ann’s active recovery at Tahoe...

Round 1

Missed you all Saturday morning.

2nd Tuesday Night - Circuit Training

Apparently tonight we (well, Edith) needed a reminder on how to put on a sweatshirt... especially useful if one (Edith) is talking to a “cute boy” and one (especially Edith) is hoping to make a good first impression.

To assist with future sweatshirt challenges, I located and labeled visuals.

Notice that the front of a hooded sweatshirt typically contains the large logo and usually an opening for the front of the hood. This is useful if one wants to see (or be seen). The back of the sweatshirt does not...

If one does inadvertently put a sweatshirt on backward, one does not need to put the hood on to verify.

Nice workout tonight. Betty did three times as many push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, as any of us. I love it that you had to cut back to 15 (hell, I could barely do 15)... I was next to Leslie as she did some pushups. I’m pretty sure she could get a date with the sounds she was making :-))

Did anyone see me almost get run over when crossing over to the infield? That Ye Ha had me so concerned about watching runners in lanes 2-6, that I almost got completely taken out by an old guy finishing up in lane 8.

I’m thinkin’ I’m going to try to do this week’s long run on Friday before we leave for Tahoe. Anyone?

Alice

PS...thanks for all of your positive comments about the iPhone debacle. In the past two days, I’ve managed to NOT drop the iPhone in a toilet--not once :-)

The iPhone Incident

(Alice's Note: This is really the incident that kicked off this blog...I was so upset about the loss of my iPhone, I had to rant and rave about it. I'd been thinking of starting a blog for a couple of years, but didn't ever have enough of a story to start with...so although this post describes the loss of my beloved first iPhone...I did gain a blog)

Saturday run number 2. Morning was cold, cold, cold, but the run warmed us up. Here’s a link to the Map My Run route we(well...at least for what I) ran in 40ish minutes. Geez, I was depressed I thought

I ran farther than three and a half miles...even with a pretty wicked hangover...and for those of you who wondered...

No, I never puked...

OK...So on to my real story for the day. You all know I took lots of pictures that morning, of us stretching after our run (pretty, pretty) and of us at World Famous, and you might be wondering where the rest of the awesome photos I took are...well there’s a sad, sad, sad, SAD story about my beloved (and less than one month old) iPhone that I have to share with you, even though Mike has told me that I really shouldn’t tell anyone the whole story...but I figure I know enough of your stories, so here goes.

Most of you know that when you last saw me as you left the restaurant, I was frantically searching for my iPhone. My search went sort of like this:

Me: (Frantically dumps everything out of workout bag and purse because cannot find iPhone, then sees Clarence (because she was at the car by then) if she’d seen iPhone on table in WF).

Clarence: No, last I saw it, it was in your back pocket

Me: Really? Ah Shit, shit, shit...(runs back up to the restroom, which was the last place visited in WF and searches floor, stall, sink area, trashcan...no iPhone. Then returns to restaurant and speaks to busboy) Did you see a phone on the table?

BB: No, I didn’t, but if someone did, it’d be at the hostess stand.

Me: (at hostess stand to hostess) Did someone turn in a phone?

Hostess: (sad face) No

Me: Can you find my waitress? I was with that party of six women sitting over there (and points to now bussed table).

Hostess: Sure (but moves ever so SLOWLY, IMHO, in doing so).

Me: (waits for what seems like FOREVER, get frustrated and thinking some more about where phone could be decides to check r-room again for a second time...runs into r-room and looks on countertop, on floor, under sink, in trash can...iPhone not seen. Doesn’t check stall because its occupied, but looks under door and doesn’t see it on the floor. Thinks, “maybe I didn’t look through my things closely enough” and runs back down to car and searches again for iPhone (under seats, through sweaty clothes, etc)...thinks F-word, F-word, F-word...where is it? It must be in WF, so runs back up to WF and talks to Hostess again.

Hostess: Did you find it yet?

Me: No I haven’t (and is somewhat hysterical at this point, but gives hostess Mike’s phone number just in case someone turns iPhone in and asks manager if I can use his cell phone to make a call to Mike to let him know that I’ll be late in picking up Charlie for B-ball game...still thinks that missing iPhone doesn’t make sense. Had the iPhone; Clarence said she saw me with the iPhone; it must be in the restroom! So runs back to r.room. Third time. Looks again on sink, on floor under sink. Nobody is in the stall this time, so checks there again...

Then notices that the toilet hasn’t flushed...and heart drops because now KNOWS where the iPhone is. Takes some TP and tries to move as much of the solid stuff (cuz, let me tell you there is solid stuff in the toilet) out of the way, and there it is...

Ah well...iPhone found. Sort of. Washes hands...twice...

It’s ruined of course (because it’s been in a freaking TOILET for about 15 minutes).

The nice Genius at The Apple Store is happy to give me a “replacement phone” today (for $250), so I am again w/iPhone and I’ll never put it in my back pocket again.

Anyway, in my search for info on whether or not anyone else ever resuscitated an iPhone that’s been in the toilet for 15 minutes (nobody really has, but lots of people appear to have tried), I came across this woman’s blog account of her dropping her iPhone in the toilet, that is so freaking funny, I am sharing it with you. In any event, her telling of her story was my inspiration here.

So happy to be going to Tahoe on Friday...

Sorry about the missing photos. I’ll take more.

My Running Stats

My Running PRs

5K - 30:18 (9:46) - Shelter Island- 11/09/08
8K - 49:49 (10:04) - UT Race for Literacy - 5/04/08
10K - 1:06:38 (10:44) - SuperRun - 2/2/08
15K - 1:41:56 (10:56) - Sue Kren - 3/1/08
13.1 mi - 2:29:48 (11:26) - Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon 10/19/08
26.2 mi - 5:33:56 (12:44) - Rock and Roll Marathon - 6/1/08

Upcoming Races

St. Patrick's Day 10K - March 14, 2009

Carlsbad 5000 - April 5, 2009

La Jolla 1/2 Marathon - April 26, 2009

San Francisco 1/2 Marathon - August 1, 2009

Long Beach 1/2 Marathon - October 2009

Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon - December 2009

Cool Running Links

Runner's Lounge
Rockin & Running Website 2008 (Password Protected)
Complete Running Blog Network
San Diego Track Club
Map My Run
Race Place

First Tuesday Night Training

I didn’t take a picture tonight...bummer...it would have been nice to have a photo of all of us after our first Tuesday night workout.

So, instead of a photo, I have some pictures of some cows running and a link to a website that you can visit when you’re bored. (Click on where it says cows running). The picture of the cows in the pasture represent us “striding” the straightaway. The photo of the cows on the street represents exactly the comment Dianne and I made to each other as we started the workout (in other words, Mooooo).

I think it’s cool that we’re making friends with others from East County, but I’m not sure I’m going to tell people we’re from Helix if they’re going to ask me if I knew Palumbo...geez...

Also, did anyone notice that Leslie had her own cheerleader?

Alice

After the run, Chez Mo's

Yes, Jameson will be shouting out for all of us before too long, he's definitely an atheletic supporter! Cheryl and I went to get dinner in Hillcrest after (she got lost) and ended up finding a cool dive bar called Mo's (no worries about getting hit on there) they had great food and not bad prices, plus plenty of air circulating so when we walked in covered in sweat and smelling stinky no one ran out the door.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - 02:30 PM

Alice - Wednesday Night

All I have to say is that I ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill tonight, and it was PAINFUL, PAINFUL, PAINFUL...

what should I do about my shins constantly aching? Cheryl? Jaime? Anyone?

Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - 07:42 PM

Clarence - Thursday Night

Okay... Cindi, Paula Ann and I forgot that we had yet another meeting afterschool. So we weren't able to meet our new friend @ Lake Murray at 4pm. I figured that we could run the track after instead.

WELL.... because our meeting lasted FOREVER and a DAY (thanks to HE who shall remain nameless), we didn't get started until 5pm and it was just Cindi and I. PA had "supervision" at a wrestling match.. hee hee

So we ran 2 laps, stretched, ran another 4 laps and then loop Helix twice. Helix @ night = scary! you can't see potholes at night. 35 minutes! A LOT better than the gym.

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 03:10 PM

Alice - Thursday Night

Here's a link to Map My Run of the route that Dianne and I took (2x) around Helix, plus one more mile (four laps) around the track.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-diego/639637304

Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 10:29 PM

Edith - Shin splints

Hey girls...nice job this Saturday! I figure after running in the snow next weekend, yesterdays freezing cold fog will seem like a tropical retreat!

Here's the scoop on shin splints...2 solutions:

1) Stop running

2) Ice and exercises to strengthen the muscles, and endure until they get better.

Here's a great way to ice - get the little paper dixie cups and put water in them and put them in the freezer. Before your run, ice for 20 minutes. Take the dixie cup, peel the paper back a bit, and run the ice up and down your shins. 20 min on (ice), 20 min off, 20 on. The ice will not be gone, so put it back in the freezer and repeat the same thing after the run. The cup helps to keep your fingers from getting cold.

As for exercises, toe taps are good because we do that normally :), and can be done anywhere. I can show you some others that you can do with a small hand towel.

While you are waiting for the muscles to get stronger, try to run on softer, sponguey surfaces as much as you can (grass, all weather track, treadmill).

I hope this helps!

Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 08:43 AM

Blogs I like to Read

Training Day 1 - The Things We Learned

Our first day of training for the Rock n Roll Marathon. What dedication (or, as Clarence said, what kind of craziness) is that. It rained today...not just a little light rain...but full on, downpour rain. The photo (blurry) was taken after our run.

Other things we learned:

1. Alice needs to take Elsie’s old phone number off her her contact list so that she doesn’t have to wake up the Wusband in the morning.

2. We are all cars, and have to be careful about what we put into us.

3. Betty has the best headlights. Alberta will now be known as “bumper.”

I don’t know about you all, but I was chilled even after a 30 minute shower. I did already start some “Active Recovery” though...and that’s helped.

Feel free to post your comments and/or recollections of the day for us to share. I’m sure I missed a few.
2 Comments

Clarence
You know... for the first day of training I actually had a lot of fun. The reason the picture is blurry is because Cindi had her iPhone stuck down her pants- "flat cold and hard- not a good feeling". :) Love you ladies!
Sunday, January 6, 2008 - 10:21 AM

Anonymous
Yeah - as much as I wanted to do some Active Recovery, I'm up in Corona watching TV on a blurry TV with our HD one at home. I've got a cold and a sore throat! I think carrying an extra 10 pounds during the run can take a toll after awhile. However, the highlight for me was my thoughts of Leslie having Bart over! We've got some nice sports cars in training!
Sunday, January 6, 2008 - 10:53 AM

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Saturday, January 5, 2008

Heffer? What’s a heffer?

Really, a heifer is a cow that hasn’t calved...and while that may be true for some heffers, it’s not true for all of us. In fact, two of us have grand-calves!

The true story is that about 15 years ago, Betty, Wilma and I were playing a bar trivia game and needed a team name. We saw the word “livestock” on a wall sign (this was an old Carlos Murphy’s which had all those old-school wall signs). “Livestock” was too many letters, so we settled on “Heffer” (spelled wrong, we know, we know...). Somehow, the name stuck and we started calling ourselves, “The Heffers.”

Over the years, more women have become heffers...there’s a really scary initiation ceremony that involves utters (not really...that’s a joke).

Mostly we laugh...A LOT. We laugh at life, at each other, at the ridiculousness of working with teenagers (we’ve all, at some point, taught high school), and in public education. We are friends; we support each other; we have cow paraphernalia hanging in our offices and classrooms...and once a year we trek to Momma’s cabin at North Lake Tahoe for a weekend of Farkle, Uno, leg wrestling, more laughing, and the annual “Tour de Truckee.”

This year, five of us (and BBJ who is married to Wilma, and Mik who has known Betty since birth...or thereabouts) decided to run the Rock and Roll Marathon this June...so I began this blog in order to chronicle that journey...but I like blogging (it reminds me of writing notes in high school...see how I’ve never left), so you’ll probably find me writing about other things as well. And when I can figure out a way to get paid for it, maybe it will become my full time job! :-)

40 Things about Alice

I began this blog as a way to chronicle my adventures and experiences training for my first marathon with my friends, most of whom were not long distance runners (although some of us are definitely athletes), but it has grown to include other stories and random passages about other stuff as well.

I have a wonderful husband (Walter) and two great kids who I'll call Drama Girl (13) and Turbo Boy (10).

When I'm not running, being with my family, or blogging, I teach English at a community college.

Here's the mandatory "things about me" post

1. Alice is not my real name.
2. It was given to me by my husband when we drove around the country before we were married (It’s from The Honeymooners).
3. My husband is the kindest most patient man in the world...he puts up with me for example.
4. I grew up in Reno, Nevada
5. I don’t like to gamble.
6. I graduated from the University of Nevada - Reno with a degree in journalism
7. I got tired of being cold all the time so some 20 years ago, I moved to San Diego for the summer.
8. There were no jobs in journalism for me in San Diego but I stayed anyway.
9. I worked in the hotel industry for awhile as a catering director
10. I hated working weekends and holidays.
11. I decided that if I became a teacher, I’d have weekends and holidays off
12. I earned my teaching credential at SDSU
13. That’s where I met my husband.
14. He made me laugh, so I fell in love with him.
15. Turns out that I really love teaching.
16. I used to teach high school English.
    
17. It’s not nearly as scary as it sounds.
18. I wanted to be a better teacher, so I earned my doctorate in education four years ago.
19. Even though I had a job at the district office, I decided to go back to teaching high school
20. I'd make the students call me Dr.
21. Last spring, I was offered a tenure track position teaching English at a community college, and I took it.
22. Scary to leave the herd and my school, but I was ready for a new challenge.
23. I'm still deciding if I like it or not.
    
24. I also do some consulting work and taught part time at SDSU
25. I’m trying to cut back on things like that now.
26. Until four years ago, I hadn’t run more than a mile since college
27. In November 2004, I walked in my first “Turkey Trot:
28. In January 2007, I ran a whole 5K without walking
29. In August 2007, Betty convinced me to run a 1/2 marathon.
30. After the first 1/2 marathon, Betty suggested we run a marathon.
31. I told Betty she was crazy, but joined the San Diego Track Club's Rockin' and Runnin' training program anyway.
    
32. In June 2008, I’m ran my first marathon.
33. I’m a runner now.
34. I have two children who keep me really busy and who I adore.
35. They both make me proud.
36. My husband is the GREATEST GUY in the world, in that he supports all the crazy things I do.
37. I love blogging.
38. I hate housekeeping.
39. I love to cook (but not do the dishes).
40. I have the greatest friends in the world, some of whom run and blog with me.