Recovery of a Different Sort

Woah, it's been a nasty weekend so far in our household.  It all started with Marek being sent home sick on Thursday from preschool.  We thought he had a little stomach bug but nothing to be too concerned about.  Other than vomiting once he seemed fine.  Myra had had some GI issues too but no vomiting.  Last night Miguel arranged for some friends to watch the kids so we could go out on the town.  In the hour or so between my eating dinner and getting ready to go out my stomach started feeling horrible.  Mostly I was nauseous and it started to look like a bad idea to go out.  Miguel thought I was being a softy but within the next hour I was vomiting and suffering from other unmentionables and mostly feeling like I was going to die.  And then Myra was up no less than five times throughout the night throwing up.  And I was so weak I actually collapsed while walking to the kitchen.  I have a small bruise on my knee but otherwise I'm fine.  Marek had an early morning session himself.  Thank goodness my mom friend Laurie dropped off supplies in the form of Gatorade and Pedialyte, there was no way we could get to the store.  Our household was a mess but fortunately Miguel seemed to be spared, that is until mid-morning today when he was struck too.  I was carrying on my death vigil in bed while he was a rock star in taking care of both kids, doing umpteen loads of laundry and cleaning up repeated messes while he was sick himself.  By late afternoon we were all exhausted and the whole house fell into a peaceful slumber.

By tonight I am feeling about 80% back to normal.  Hopefully a full night sleep will restore me to at least 90% by tomorrow.  I made chicken soup for dinner and the kids had toast and apple sauce.  So far, fingers crossed, we seem to be over the worst of it.

Of course my run plans for tomorrow morning are probably not realistic.  Despite wondering, "maybe I can run, if I sleep well, hydrate and my symptoms are totally gone", I'm erring on the side of, oh, sanity and skipping the run. I barely ate today and I'm sure I can't rehydrate in a matter of a few hours. It's a bummer as some of the women on the run are doing Kaiser and I was looking forward to meeting them.  Ohhh, "Women on the Run"....I like that.  What about "A Woman on the Run" for a new blog name?  I'm mostly over re-naming my blog but the idea still comes up now and then. 

Anyway, I have a bit of good news.  I emailed the volunteer coordinator for Escape from Alcatraz (EFA) and it turns out they still had some spots available. So I'm now all set to volunteer in the transition area from 4am (gasp!) to 10:30am.  Here's what I'll be doing:

"The Transition Area is the central hub of the Triathlon. This is where the athletes will transition from swimming to biking and later from biking to running! It's an exciting spot with lots of activity!

Volunteers in this area will be helping athletes as they arrive first thing in the morning to rack up the bikes. They are likely to be excited but a bit disoriented, and you'll be helping them find their way around and answering questions as they get their bikes into the proper positions.

After a brief break, you'll be waiting for the arrival of the athletes as they return to transition from swimming to biking. They'll be cold, wet and a bit disoriented, but you'll be on hand to host the area and guide them. Where to enter the transition area and where to exit -- holding flags to show exactly where in the area they can mount their bike and begin the 2^nd leg of the race!   You'll also be on hand to direct traffic as the first wave of athletes return from the bike course to transition to the final running leg!"

Doesn't that sound like fun?  I'm actually pretty excited to be volunteering at an event.  I also signed up to volunteer at Vineman in July.  When EFA came through I figured I'd cancel Vineman but now I'm thinking I'll still do it.  I volunteered for the finish line at that one so that should be really exciting.  We'll have to see what the family schedule looks like as the day gets closer.

That's all I got. Hope you are having a better weekend than I am.

Struck Down

Friday, oh what a day.  This has been a week, let me tell ya.  My schedule was pretty full today.  I've gotten a taaaad behind at work and catching up is taking an effort, in addition to all my other duties.  I had my normal breakfast and packed healthy snacks to carry for the day.  Raw veggies and Greek yogurt dip, an apple, string cheese.  Fortunately I was able to eat lunch at the work cafeteria.  I didn't have my phone to take a picture but had my standard huge salad, a slice of veggie polenta pie, a few bites of veggie quiche and tomato soup.

After work I went to the gym and did a lovely 3 mile run on the treadmill followed by chest/triceps/core.  My legs are still a bit sore from yesterday's leg workout.  During half-marathon training I only weight train 3x a week, and since I have 3 weight training routines that means I go a week between training a certain body part (i.e. legs/shoulders).  That's just enough time for me to get sore the next time I do them.  Not sure if this is making sense but hopefully.  But half-marathon training is wrapping up here soon, I'm starting my taper week on Sunday so I'll be back to 4x a week strength training here soon.

So I just tried to sign up as a volunteer at Escape from Alcatraz.  It's something I really wanted to do last year but couldn't.  Believe it or not it looks like all the slots are taken.  This is such a popular sport you have to be on the ball just to volunteer!  Oh well, maybe next year.  I would like to find an event to volunteer at this year, I am overdue on the giving back part.  Maybe Vineman, I just checked and they have lots of volunteer spots left.  Even better because I have my sights loosely set on Vineman for my Half-Ironman next year (that or the Big Kahuna in Santa Cruz).  I say loosely set because I want to see how my first olympic distance triathlon goes this year before I set my next distance goal. 

So the lovely little county I live in got some seriously good press.  The New York Times covered 36 Hours in Marin County, Calif.  Some of the areas they suggested for a visit are sweet spots for me.  If you come to this area you really can't go wrong. 

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting today.  I'm weighing in these days with all my clothes and shoes on, which is different (usually I take off any extra layers and my shoes).  I was well within my goal weight.  The weight I pay attention to, my morning nekkid weight was 139.2 pounds.  I'm happy with that.  My weight seems to be stabilizing around the 140 mark.  And I occasionally get a 25% body fat readout, which is nice.  Mostly though it's in the 27% range.  I need to have it measured by a water tank, that would be cool.

Anyway, the WW meeting inspired me to make a meal plan for this week, I've been slacking on that lately.   Now if I can just get to the grocery store I'll be golden.  I might take the kids to a friend's house tonight for a movie-night get together with some mom friends.

As far as weekend plans...not much.  We don't have any set plans for tomorrow, which is nice.  I'm sure something family oriented will be happening.  On Sunday morning I think I'm going to meet up with the Marin Social Runners and do a 7-mile trail run in Fairfax from Deer Park to Pheonix Lake and back.  My training schedule calls for a 10-mile run but I figure 7 miles on a trail with hills probably equals 10 flat road miles.  Plus the company would be nice.  My solo runs are good but for that long it might be nice to have other people around so I don't get too lost in my own thoughts. 
Ok, I wrote all that before dinner. One hour after dinner I got truck with the stomach bug the kids have. All plans are now up in the air. Don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a few days.

Leftovers, Desert and All

So last night I had dinner out with my mother's club co-directors.  We had to do some mid-term planning.  In an effort to bring a higher focus on my children and family I have a new goal to spend only one evening a week out of the house.  That, coupled with my outdoor plans for Sunday (whatever they may be) are my "me" time, if you will.  So, this week's me time was spent going over mother's club business and enjoying a restaurant meal.  As far as what I ate, they were sold out of the horseradish crusted salmon (dammit!) so I had the brick pan-seared chicken.  It was served with french fries and spinach but I saw they had a side order of roasted vegetables so I asked if I could have those in place of the fries.  Oh, and I had a beet salad with balsamic vinaigrette for an appetizer.

Beet Salad

I forgot to take a picture of my salad until it was half gone. My entree was huge, a 1/2 chicken and a gigantic pile of roasted veggies.  I wanted desert and I was feeling full so I only ate half my meal.  I forgot to take a picture of my dinner.  I know, bad blogger!

Desert was a very difficult choice.  So many things sounded good - bread pudding, molten chocolate cake, pumpkin creme brulee...but I am a sucker for any desert with banana so I got the banana cream pie.

There's a banana cream pie under all that whipped cream.

It was sooo good.  But I was somewhat full when it arrived and I was very full by the time I'd eaten half of it so, you guessed it, packaged it up to take home.  It's amazing how I couldn't enjoy it as much, and that I noticed that, when I was feeling full.  There was a time when how full I felt would not have factored in at all as to how much I ate.  Now a full tummy sends an alarm signal to my brain - stop eating!  Once that happens my enjoyment of the food goes down.  Amazing, eh?

I came home and was in bed by 11pm but had a hard time sleeping.  I felt like I tossed and turned half the night.  Maybe I should have gone outside for a midnight run.  I'm not that crazy (yet).

Hi-Tech Burrito, yellow curry shrimp (tastes better than it looks, trust me)

Today started out normal, cereal and coffee.  But before my workday was well underway I got a call from the preschool that Marek was sick.  I had to cancel all my appointments and go to pick him up.  He asked for a hot dog for lunch and I stopped by Hi-Tech Burrito to get lunch for myself, a Yellow Curry Shrimp Burrito from their Healthy Grill menu.

I've been eating this burrito for a few years now - 429 calories of brown rice, vegetables, and shrimp in a mildly spicy yellow curry sauce.  So tasty with a comfort food feel to it.  When I first started eating them I'd order a white tortilla but after a while I transitioned over to the whole wheat tortilla and now I'm used to that.  Sometimes these "healthy" food tastes have to be developed.

As I was finishing the first half of the burrito I started to feel satisfied, not hungry anymore.  I paused for a few moments to try and determine if I wanted more.  To be honest, I couldn't really tell.  I definitely wasn't hungry anymore but I didn't have anything like a full feeling.  I just felt sort of neutral.  I thought maybe I should finish it so I'll have enough energy for the gym later, but  I knew if I ate the second half I'd be really full.  So I decided to wrap up the second half and eat it when I got hungry again.  I thought, "maybe that will be in 30 minutes, maybe 2 hours", but either way, I avoided that uncomfortably full feeling.

Then I sat around for an hour or so while Marek was resting and fiddled with my iTunes.  There's a 16 year old somewhere that wants her playlist back (or more like a 70 year old with some of the songs I was listening to).  You know, it's fine to consider what could be better, what could be that something added that tips the scales toward a life well lived, as long as I'll be able to recognize it when I find it and don't get too lost along the way.  Anyway, don't listen to me, I can't even figure out if I've eaten enough for lunch, let alone analyze my life satisfaction quotient.  As far as the food situation goes my timing was bad.  Right about the time I got hungry again Miguel arrived to relieve me of sick-child duty so I could go to the gym.  So I had an AccelGel to keep me going.  This is all a learning experience.  I probably should have eaten the whole burrito, or at least most of it.

At the gym I started with 25 minutes on the upright bike (I wish it had a "real" seat instead of the cushy one, then my butt wouldn't get so sore when I do get on the real thing).  The bike was a challenge, as it has been lately, but then I realized I'm running more miles than normal so why shouldn't my legs be challenged.  Followed up the bike with legs/shoulders/core.  I had plenty of time, which is usually not the case, and I really enjoyed my workout.  I felt my mood climbing the longer I was there.  Exercise is the best drug ever.

I came home and made the kids raviolis for dinner.  I ate leftovers from last night with a little polenta.  Don't those roasted veggies look good?  I was so inspired that I popped some carrots in the oven to roast for tomorrow.  And, of course, I ate the leftover banana cream pie!  It's nice to enjoy something that indulgent twice.  Leftover desert, genius. 

Tomorrow will be another gym day.  An easy 3 mile run followed by chest/triceps/core.  And then on Sunday I start my taper week with a 10 mile run (though I'm considering 9 miles depending on how I feel).  Just a little over a week to the Kaiser Half-marathon!  Oh, and carbo-loading.  I think I see some homemade chocolate chip cookies in my future.

Running Free

I have to start this post by saying thank you to everyone who commented on my post last night.  I was so moved by all the support and encouragement.  And the reminders that life has its ups and downs, and to face them with the knowledge that I can handle whatever comes.  So to Kristy, MsEmmesse, Darla, Sheryl C, Christal (CPAGrrrl), Cherelli, MaryFran, Cori (ctr24), Melissa, and KathyJ - thank you. 

Today started off with getting the kids up and off to daycare.  I came home and did some reading.  It was drizzling outside and I worried I might never go on my run.  Drizzly, blustery outside vs warm, cozy inside.  Now there's an easy choice, right?  But Mark, the owner of my gym, called around 9:30am and asked if I had time to come in to meet with him.  He had the ad ready and wanted me to sign a waiver for him to use it.  I will refrain from going into my response to the ad until I can share it with you, which I am absolutely DYING to do.  He said maybe a week. He wants to make up the poster and stuff before I share it.  Ack!  Suffice to say, his timing could not have been better.  Wait until you see the copy he put next to my picture. 

So, the good thing is, his call got me off the couch and dressed for my run.  I met him a little before 11am and by 11:30 I was out in the drizzly day, running.  I'd forgotten my Garmin watch at home so I decided to run for time.  I didn't even put my heart rate monitor on.  I figured if I run 50 minutes that's probably at least 5 miles.  I just wanted to run.

And run I did.  I headed from my gym toward the local junior college.  I ran through the campus, choosing a route with some nice little hills (instead of the flat route).  I was breathing hard, running hard, at times pushing myself and at times letting my feet just flow over the ground and through the air.  I have no idea how fast I ran but I know there were times when I was running as fast as ever.  So many thoughts floating through my head, so many feelings being flushed out and aired out and released.  I am me, in this moment, living as best I can.  In this moment, I am strong, determined and in the next, I am weak and vulnerable.  But my hopes are pure.  With every step I leave behind what I do not need, what does not help.  I splash in puddles that could be my tears but I keep moving forward.  I am running, and while I'm running, I am free.

Tostada with grilled chicken, black beans, guac, lettuce, salsa, jalapenos.

I met Miguel for lunch after my run.  We chose to eat at a small taqueria.  As we were walking in I hoped the place would be warm and thank goodness it was.  I was glad to be able to order a healthy lunch.  Miguel and I tucked into a corner booth and shared a small bowl of chips and salsa while we waited for our food.  I ordered a tostada with grilled chicken, black beans, lettuce, salsa, jalapenos, and guacamole.  And I ate some of the vegetables he'd left in his soup.  It was good, very comfort foodish but still healthy and balanced.  I told him about the gym ad and he's excited to see it.  He's always been so supportive of my fitness related pursuits.  I sent him off back to work and came home to shower and change.  Not sure what I'll do with my last couple of hours, might go window shopping, might stay on the couch with a blanket and read.  Or maybe I'll take a nap.  Who am I kidding, I'm terrible at napping.  Ok, wrapping this up.  Thanks again for all the support.

The New Normal

I don't know what to say.  I didn't exercise today.  It was in the back of my mind to try and fit it in but it wasn't a big priority.  I know, just doesn't sound like me, right?  But some days are like that.  They just demand all of your attention and everything else becomes secondary.  I've been referencing going through some difficult personal issues and today I saw a therapist with the hopes it will help me find my way.  I'm a big believer in therapy if you can get it.  It's a great luxury, someone to listen, someone unbiased and nonjudgmental.  I'm hopeful that whatever path this takes for me, that I am able to keep myself grounded and living a healthy lifestyle.  No, I'm not hopeful, it is not a hope, it is a must.  I would not be the me I am today if I lost that part of myself, and you know what?  I kind of like this new me.  I think she's got a thing or two going for her. 

Anyway, the point is (for this blog anyway), that I didn't run today.  Between all of this personal strife and not running today I decided to have the kids go to daycare tomorrow so I could a) run and b) have the space and time to process some of my feelings without my little darlings pulling at my pant legs.  This was kind of a no-brainer given that I was home with them yesterday and that if I don't get a day to myself here soon my head might well explode.  Ok, it won't explode.  I can be a bit dramatic.  Like how I've been wondering if all my GI problems are actually a sign of stomach cancer.  See?  A touch of drama.  Just a touch.

Food-wise it was a weird day too.  I had Special K with soy milk and my coffee/creamer for breakfast.  Remembered to take my vitamins.  Had no mid-morning snack and no lunch.  Terrible, I know.  So just before picking up the kids I stopped at Burger King and got one of my go-to fast food items, a Whopper Jr with no cheese and no mayo (nor pickles or onions but you don't care about that).  Only 260 calories, 10g fat - 7 points for those who count.  Of course I skipped fries but I did have one or two of the kids' chicken strips when I got home.  Yes, I fed my kids chicken strips for dinner.  I've been known to stoop to such lows.  Besides, it's better than opening the fridge, handing them a fork and saying, "good luck kiddos," right?  I also ate some raw veggies dipped in the Greek yogurt dip I mentioned yesterday.  And a cookie. 

I'm striving to not eat for emotional reasons.  It's hard.  Part of me wants to get up and make a big bowl of cereal (ahem, kind of like I did at some point yesterday afternoon) just for something to do, something to distract me and make me feel...feel, what?  Good?  I know it won't make me feel good.  Feel what then?  Numb, perhaps?  It won't do that either.  The only thing it will make me feel is overfull and my confidence will probably take a temporary dip.  So, the cereal will distract me for a few moments but otherwise it won't help at all.  No, no cereal.  I can sit with my feelings.  I can tolerate them.  I am stronger than I have ever given myself credit for.  Maybe that's what this weight loss journey has been about, tapping into me, tapping into the strength that was perhaps always there but never drawn on.  Never recognized.  All I know is this journey has brought me to this moment. I am here, ready to face the future.  Yes, my head hurts.  Yes, my heart aches.  Yes, I'm facing an unclear future.  But eating a bowl of cereal - when I'm not hungry, when it's not 7am, when I'm not at a consumer research center giving feedback on texture and taste - won't change any of those things. 

By the way, I just had an epiphany.  My head is throbbing and my eyes feel like they have been on a 3 day stimulant binge (not that I have any personal experience with such things mind you).  I have that fighting sleep feeling, kind of like a crabby toddler, the difference being I know I'm tired despite feeling like I must stay up.  My epiphany?  Take some darned medicine.  So I just took two Advil PM.  If this post unravels a bit you'll know why.   

Ok, somebody has to have something positive and fun to say around here because this post is too heavy!  How about this?  Remember when I shared the Marin County Triathlon shirt that I won from Greenlayer Sports?  So me being me, I posted a picture of the shirt on their Facebook page and thanked them.  Well, lo and behold they emailed me to say they were sending me a hoodie (because I had to wait several months to get the shirt)!!  So the hoodie came today.  Perfect timing, this little missy needed a treat. 

And it's not what I was expecting, it's way cooler!  It's zip-up and has reflective stuff on the pockets and along the trim.  It's super soft inside and in the pockets.  Not sure if it's water resistant or not but it fits me great and I don't have a black zip-up hoodie (until now that is) so I'm super happy.  Thank you Greenlayer Sports!!  On that happy note I am ending this post.  Night all.

A Holiday Picnic

Busy day today.  I had a reservation at a local club (with childcare) for day use.  You have to reserve the childcare and I had 8:30am - 10am.  It was a struggle to get us all up and ready and out the door.  We got there about 10 minutes late only to find out they only reserved 8:30am - 9:30am for me and they were booked the rest of the day.  So I had to cut my workout short and still hustle.  I did 10 minutes on the upright bike followed by back/biceps/core.  I was able to get most of my weight stuff done, which was nice.  I sure do like my own gym though, so mellow.  Maybe this place was busier than usual because of the holiday.

Then back home to shower and change for a hike with my good friend Michelle and the kids.  We packed picnic lunches and enjoyed the fabulous February weather.  I ate a mix of snacks - raw veggies dipped in Skotidakis Greek yogurt dill and cucumber dip, Kashi pita chips, a string cheese, blueberries, and I finished Myra's PB&J and shared an apple with the kids.  I'm a little hungry now but I have a bit of an upset stomach so we'll see.  Maybe I'll have some bread in a bit.

My brave, adventurous, can't be stopped little girl.

Marek and his buddy throwing rocks into...what is that thing? 

Myra enjoyed running, digging in the dirt and stomping in even the smallest mud puddles.  Marek was more into reflective chatter between running.  We all had a fun time.  All of us came home exhausted.

Tomorrow is back to work, and a 5 mile run.  I hope I can run so hard that my brain shuts off for a while. 

Redemption Run

It was a gorgeous day in San Francisco.  I got up a little later than I planned probably because I went to bed later than I planned.  But the important thing is, I got up and out the door for my run.  It was a clear, quiet Sunday morning.  I'd eaten a lot of crap the day before.  Some of my eating was almost rebellious, "you say I'm too skinny, well I can eat all this junk."  I know, TOTALLY irrational, not to mention slightly embarrassing.  Aren't I a highly evolved healthy eater?  Doesn't make even a little bit of sense except to maybe a child.  But I learned something, eating crap = depressed Michelle.  It just doesn't feel good.  Sure, a treat now and then is good, an indulgence here and there, but eating out of some negative emotion is just not the way I want to live.  Anyway, for that and other reasons I was hoping for a little redemption on my run today.

My pre-run prep consisted of two Immodium AD (it seemed to help last week), a couple puffs of the inhaler to ward off wheezing and an AccelGel.  Oh, and of course all the standard stuff - BodyGlide to ward off friction burns, ShotBloks in my SpiBelt.  I didn't bring music, I knew the scenery and people would provide all the entertainment on my run.  It was coming up on 9am by the time I parked.  I had a short warmup walk.  Can I say again how perfect the day was for a run?  Check out some pre-run pictures.

I love me some San Francisco

No better backdrop for a run

The area was crowded with runners, cyclists and lots of tourists.  In fact, I will attribute a small part of my pace to dodging people.  I ran the first couple miles at at around 10:00mm pace, which is perfect. I expected to pick it up after a couple miles, just like I did last week.  But this week that didn't happen.  And I didn't much mind, I just wasn't in the mood to push myself.  An easy 11 miles sounded good.  Plus, I was just enjoying myself so much I didn't want to change anything.  I had two shot bloks at mile 3.

The route was almost entirely flat, running along the water for the vast majority of it.  There was a small part that cut through a park with a little hill but nothing I couldn't manage.  Besides, I love hills.  I'm good at them.  Hills add interest and challenge to a run.  My legs are particularly built to run up hills.  Yes, this is my self talk.  I didn't really need it today, the hills were really short and I wasn't trying to crush them.

I hit 5.5 miles at the SF Ferry Building and stopped for a moment to get a drink of water. In general I hate stopping, it seems like my muscles tighten up, making it harder to run when I start again.  During races I don't stop at water stops, I'm the one that spills it all over my shirt while trying to drink and run at the same time.  I had two more shot bloks at mile 6.

The streets were a little bit more crowded during my return but not super packed.  I had to dodge a parking meter or two as well.  I had two shot bloks at mile 9.  Around mile 9.5 running started feeling like a challenge.  I tried to just tune out any negative thoughts and enjoy myself.  The last mile came around and I saw I'd run the previous mile in 10:35.  I decided I had to run the last mile in at least 10 minutes.  I had to push some, especially in the last quarter mile, but I was able to pull it off.  Here's my splits, and link to full Garmin stats if you're so inclined.

SF, Fort Point to Ferry Building and back.

After the run I spent some time stretching and cooling down.  I took a few minutes to take in the scene, breathing deep and trying to take a mental snapshot of how good I felt.  A bit of peace and self-acceptance - what more can you ask from a run?

I hopped in my car, opened the sun roof, and cranked up the music.  Over the Golden Gate bridge and back toward home.  I had to stop at the grocery store so I chose one that's near an Athleta store.  A little retail therapy was in order.  I found pants and a tank that I liked.  Of course I stood in the dressing room and engaged in the ritual known to women everywhere.  I stared at the imperfections and wondered if I could tolerate them enough to buy the outfit.  So I sought objectivity from the saleswoman,

Me:  Am I one of those women standing here, looking at the fat on my arms and back, and seeming like a crazy woman?  You can tell me if I am.

Saleswoman:  Yeah, you sort of are.

Sure thing.  I got the outfit and you as my witness, I will wear it in public.  I will, I swear.  And I will work hard to keep any and all negative thoughts out of my mind.  Without further delay, here are the clothes.

Athleta:  Equator tank, Odyssey Chaturanga Yoga Knicker

I bought the pants in capri and full length and have to decide which to keep.  And of course, I look at that back and arms and think, really?  Really.  I picked up a soy skinny vanilla latte at the grocery store to help me through the day.  And so far, zero stomach problems.  I'm diggin' the Immodium AD.

I got home and the house was full of guys screaming at the TV watching men in tight knicker pants run around with a ball.  I showered and changed and noted the blister that I always seem to get, and got today at around mile 9, was irritating me.  So, being the good blogger that I am, I took a picture of it.  Gross, I know.

Note to self, don't wear the white socks on the half.

This is going to be a rough segue from a blister to food but I was hungry, what can I do?  I wanted something healthy and warmed up some of the black beans I cooked last week.

black beans, rice, avocado and pico de gallo.

I couldn't finish all the rice and beans, partially because I drank so much water taking my vitamins, but I also had some chips and guacamole so it all balances out.

The rest of today has been hanging with the kids while the guys watch football.  I'm feeling the effects of the run and mark my words, I'm going to bed early tonight.  I swear. Really, I will.