Aunt Flo is a Ho - Ask Me How I Kno

Ah yes...was it a coincidence that predictions were correct? Was it Murphy's Law? Leave it up to Aunt Flo to make her visit EARLY. Geez. I have half a mind to have the baby maker yanked! (Just half a mind, though...owie)

 

Well, today is a rest day on the running front. SOME rest day! Working 12 hours today and the first 7 were non-stop. I almost want to run just for the stress relief! Am I weird for missing my run on my rest days?

 

The good news is, two of my knittahs have started to run lately also. Bad news is, one of them fell during a run last night. Lets hope it doesn't discourage her for good.

You Can't Have a Superhero Without an Arch-Enemy

Superman has Lex Luthor, Batman has the Joker...and Marshmarathon has the dreaded Aunt Flo. Having dealt with her for a number of years, I know how she operates and can almost predict her entrance, but it doesn't make it that much easier. 

As with any arch nemesis, Aunt Flo usually sends some of her henchmen ahead of her to stir up trouble and weaken her foe before she attacks:

Bloatrix - has mighty powers of fluid shifting and retention and can slow things down to a measly crawl. She also has the power to split seams, pop buttons and cause sausage fingers.

Dirty, filthy, lying scale - has the powerful ability to change the gravitational pull of the Earth only when you step on a scale.

Gobble-lins - affect appetite centers of the brain, especially the chocolate gland in the cerebellum causing food cravings of massive proportions. 

The Emotionator - perhaps the most evil of all the henchmen with the ability to swing moods so fast, it makes grown men cry. 

I think all four  were working on me today. I was so apathetic about going for a run this morning, that I stopped at 2 miles. My pace was crap, my "runs" were crap and my calves had no energy to push off. I was even talking smack to Ullrey on the Week 4 podcast. He would pipe in with "this next run is only 5 minutes, you can do it" to which I retorted "screw off!" After 5 minutes he would say "Great job! Now walk for another 90 seconds and we'll follow it up with a 3 minute run". "The hell you say" I spat...then tried to do it anyway. Sometimes a little verbal defiance helps with physical obedience. Ullrey to me is like Alfred to Batman. I don't always heed his wisdom.

Feeling a bit deflated, I went and bought groceries and an apple fritter (nom nom). Feeling guilty about the apple fritter, I decided to give it another 2 miles around the neighborhood to work off the donut. The first mile was great and the second mile was crap again. Oh well. Tomorrow will be a rest day (if you consider working a 12 hour shift a day of rest)

Power song of the day: "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls

Work It! I'll put my thang down flip it and reverse it...

There's nothing like a good Missy E song to get you in the running mood. What started out to be a rest day turned into a running morning. The weather was perfect with a nice breeze before the rain that I knew was coming. Despite 4 hours of sleep (I dunno why), I got out and did 4 miles and week 4 of the Couch to 5K podcast by Ullrey. Again, I should remind you dear reader, that when I say 4 miles, I end up walking most of that. Also, before you get jealous that I am on week 4, remember that I have been doing this for about 2-3 months. Yeah...I'm a little slow.

So, what's on my list of running necessities nowadays?

• chapstick - preferably with SPF protection
  
• sunglasses - for looking cool  for protecting my retinas
  
• ventilated hat - to catch the sweat before it runs into my eyes and shade the sun
  
• iPod with Nike plus - for tracking my time, pace, mileage. This thing is so cool. I've seen mods for affixing the shoe pod in non-Nike shoes so you don't have to buy the special Nikes. At any time during your run you can press the center button on your ipod and a voice tells you how far you've gone and time and current pace. Accuracy? Meh. It's close enough for me. At the end of your workout she will tell you your stats. If you happen to have run your longest or fastest, you may get a verbal "atta boy" from Lance Armstrong or Tiger Woods.
  
• Tech clothing - is becoming verra verra cool. Most days I throw on a comfy T-shirt and above the knee yoga pants, but on hot days a moisture wicking "tech" shirt is great! I also bought some "tech" socks that are supposed to keep your feet drier than cotton. Wouldn't you know they have some wool content? Duh.
  
• Road ID - (no affiliation) You may laugh, but as I get my aged, ample rear on the track, I think about what if I have a heart attack or get hit by a car or pass out? This little bit of geekery has my name, birthdate, emergency phone numbers, blood type and allergies engraved on it. Kinda lame, but gives me one less excuse for running.
  

On the knitting front, I am getting SO CLOSE to having my house as it was before hurricane Ike. Just in time for this next hurricane season! I thought I would share some before and after pictures of my lovely room. BEFORE:

Insulation everywhere

You can see part of the ceiling hole in the upper left corner of the picture

AFTER:

I just love my new cabinet for yarn! It is the Linnarp cabinet by Ikea. It is a solid wood cabinet (except the back) stained red and is the perfect size. I'll bet you can't tell what my favorite color is!

The Adventures of Marshmarathon and KnittyKnurse

WAIT! (insert superhero fanfare) What was that that just zoomed past at 4 miles per hour? Faster than a speeding tricycle, more powerful than a loco moron, able to leap small curbs in a single bound. Is it a gnat? an ice cream truck? NO! It's MARSHMARATHON!!!  Yes, Marshmarathon...a strange ample woman who has an alter-ego with inflated delusions of running a marathon, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal infants. Marshmarathon - who can change the course of mighty running tracks, bend nickel plated knitting needles with her bare hands, and who, disguised as Knitty Knurse, mild mannered nurse who knits with other mild mannered knitters...FIGHTS A NEVER ENDING BATTLE...OF FLAB, APATHY AND TO HAVE HER OWN WAY! And now, another exciting episode in the adventures of Marshmarathon...

Yes, I changed my blog title, so don't get all confuzzled. I just wanted it to reflect more of who I am now rather than "Knitterly Diversions" which is a milk-toast, golly-gee-willickers sort of title that I didn't care for much when I created it anyway!

What's behind the new title? My daughter talked me into an INSANE thing called a marathon in about 8 months. I had only been jog/walking sporadically for about 2-3 months when this idea popped up. I'm going to try to post semi-regularly to keep you apprised of my progress (or lack thereof). 

I've been quite apprehensive about telling anyone about the prospect of a marathon because...well...I don't really look like the "runner" type. I'm a bit...more..."ample" you can say. Some days I feel like the female running version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow man...hence the name "Marshmarathon".  I still have not told anyone in my family, except my daughter (whose crazy idea this was from the beginning). I wanted to avoid any negative comments or looks of incredulity. If you see me in person, please resist the urge to giggle and point. I'm fine being your source of amusement as long as I'm not aware of it.

I've been training more seriously for 3 weeks, jog/walking 4-5 days per week following a combination of Couch to 5K using podcasts from Robert Ullrey and Hal Higdon's plan for running. My hopes? Lose some weight, improve my time, and finish a marathon without dying.

I have bad days and good days and will regale you with tales of both. Today was a good day. It's good to start a new blog focus from the perspective of a good day. I was able to progress to week 4 of the Couch to 5K program! Woohoo! I even improved my best pace, although I'm not ready to reveal my pace to you guys. I'm only in competition with myself at this point. 

SO...stay tuned to this space for continued tales of Marshmarathon and KnittyKnurse!

The Week's Best

Best quote this week: "I'm impressed with the potential you see in me." ~Michael Scott from The Office.

Best thing I got this week: A roof! I've been waiting for 4 months to get a roof and I finally got one!! The crew showed up right before I left for work and by the time I got home the roof was finished and every scrap was cleaned up like they had never been there. It was like the roof fairy had come! But 4 months later? Was I bad? Too bad it was almost dark when I got home. It will be like Christmas when I can wake up in the morning to go outside and look at my roof. For those without ever having hurricane torn holes in your roof, you will never (thankfully) know...

Best comment made to me this week: one of my co-workers has noticed my weight loss! 15 pounds today!

New Years Resolutions

Normally, I don't make resolutions...mainly because they are so resolute! I tend to think of it like pirates think about the topic of parley - more as a guideline than a rule.

1 - blog more. nuff said

2 - not have too many UFO's going at once. I tend to get overwhelmed when I have too many and don't get around to actually finishing much. I'm not going to set a limit because cast-on-itis can hit at any time.

3 - spin more. Well, since I just got my spinning wheel, this shouldn't be hard to achieve.

4 - Get this house decluttered when I finally get my third bedroom back from the devastation of Ike. I plan to make it more of a creative studio than a junk room.

5 - Get back into running. I always enjoy it, I always feel better after having gone running, then why do I avoid it???

6 - Worry less and enjoy the little things in life

7 - Go on a trip with my daughter. I would love to go to Hawaii. I guess that means I need another resolution. See next...

8 - Lose weight and eat healthier. Yeah, this turns up on my resolution list every year, but it's been a resolution I've been working on. I only gained 2 pounds over the holidays which is a record for me!

9 - Knit a little every day. Even if it's just 5 minutes

10 - Knit more from my stash. I seem to have gone into a yarn buying binge lately! I'm not going on a yarn fast because they just don't work and I end up binging...just like food.

Knitting Year in Review

19 projects were finished in 2008 (listed below) and I became the proud owner of a Majacraft Rose spinning wheel! The wheel is the Christmas present to myself this year and I am still getting used to the whole process. The yarn is a little wonky but that just gives it character, right?

Anyway, I hope to have more knitted items this upcoming year. My queue is full!

To begin:

You Snag by ms. pixie riot

Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf

My So Called Scarf by Allison Isaacs

Silver's Sock Class by Kristin Bellehumeur

Chevron Scarf by Joelle Hoverson

Knitted Lacy Round Cloth by Rhonda White

Mug and French Press Jacket by MK Carroll

Tribble by Abigail - 1870pearl

Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) by Elizabeth Zimmermann

February Hat I used instructions from:
http://www.intertext.com/lauren/2008/02/february-hat-explained.html
using the gull lace pattern from EZ

Mary Jane Booties by April Cromwell

Gust by Anne Hanson

Broken Rib Tea Cosy by Pamela Henderson

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert

Felted Cable Bag #143 by Patons

Brea Bag by Norah Gaughan

En pointe -tossut by Ilu

Monkey by Cookie A.

Evangeline by Michelle Szeghalmi

And a partridge in a pear tree...