my faves: i live with a baby hippo

His name is Frank. He is my baby-hippo sized cat. He eats at least eight times a day. Just like MEEEEE! And I love him.

He's breaking in the new living room rug. He blends in nicely, no? It's hard to tell where the baby hippo ends and the rug begins!

Obviously I bought the rug to match the cat. He really ties the room together.

*BABY HIPPO ON A RUG*

stupid. and ouchsies.

Right. Um, I decided it was an awesome idea to go for a lunch run yesterday. The heat index was 100 degrees, there were zero clouds in the sky, and I had exactly 20 oz. of iced down Gatorade all ready for me and my running. I wanted to go earlier but a work meeting kept me from getting out any earlier than 11:30a. In all my distracted preparing, I forgot to drop sunscreen in my gym bag or on my body:

a) I thought I'd be running much earlier and wouldn't really need it

2) It was 'just' supposed to be a 6 miler which means I'd be out running for less than an hour

d) I honestly didn't even THINK about sunscreen, which is rare. I was pretty distracted before my run. Obviously I was tackling the world's problems and NOT thinking about how short I should cut my hair next week. Or how I need to get my eyebrows waxed and tinted. Obviously. So that's a fair excuse, right? Tackling world problems. Uh-huh.

The result of all of the above? I got sunburned. Badly. Not only was my 'run' a complete disaster; it got cut short to 5 miles where I ended up walking every half mile and draining my Gatorade by mile 3.5, but I got a sunburn. BRILLIANT!

And I LOATHE getting sunburned, skin cancer scares the junk out of me. Seriously, as it runs in my family I've been scared into slathering so much sunscreen on my body every week that the amount I typically use could probably supply a family of 20 for months on end.

Evidence.

  *yes this is me face-planted on my living room floor after begging the edder to put aloe vera on my back and arms. do you like those burn lines btw? yeah, HOT. note to self, never buy a running shirt with a cutout hole in back again.*

STUPID STUPID STUPID. That's all that was going through my head last night. So after work (and after multiple comments from co-workers about my burn....sigh) I went and purchased 70 SPF Ultimate Sport Sunscreen. It's apparently good for those who get 'super-sweaty'. That would be me. I'm that girl. I sweat. A gross amount.

*this sunscreen is going in and staying in my gym bag....*

Lesson learned. Guhhhhhhhh. I tend to learn things the hard way. Even after getting a bevvy of advice from a fellow hot-weather-middle-of-the-day-runner. Like taking ice water and wearing sunscreen. STUPID STUPID STUPID.

So here's to hoping I don't get the skin cancers!

11 weeks to prairie fire. um, i THINK i'm training for a marathon...

So theoretically I've been training for a marathon for a good five weeks now. Um, right. Here's the thing. I still don't have a training plan, I haven't once worried about my paces or finishing time and I'm pretty darn sure I've not done a long run over 12 miles. BAM. Recipe for success right there. Right?!

Actually, I think right. In all honesty I'm enjoying this cycle of marathon training more than any other. I'm having a blast doing every single run, even in the stupid heat and humidity. I'm feeling relaxed and not an ounce worried about the marathon. This fact in and of itself is kind of making me nervous. But then I think, meh. It'll be fine. My new marathon training attitude... it's something I guess I'm just taking in stride.

Don't get me wrong, I'm training. Four - five days a week of running, two-three days a week with hot yoga. I'm even including speedwork this time, something I've never done before in 'm' training. My attitude is just a little more laid back this time. In fact, after running three marathons I'm starting to realize what makes my running and racing click. I'm not a high mileage girl, half marathons are my thing, long endurance runs suck the life out of me. And that's a-ok, everyone is different. So I changed my marathon approach, with the realization I will never be a stellar marathoner, but that doesn't mean I can't give it a go. In my own way, in a way that suits my body and lifestyle. Plus, going this route is far more enjoyable for me. Because I still DO want to conquer at least one marathon!

And that's that. No real training plan, except the fact that I do speedwork once a week, try and hit 30+ miles and have decided to do all of ONE 20 mile training run. Among a lot of 16-18 milers of course. My body just does best with that type of training. The other biggest factor going on during this training is sleep. I'm making sure to get a LOT of it, and man is it already paying off in recovery after speedwork and long runs. This lots of sleep thing (i.e. 7-9 hours per night) is new to me, and what a difference it makes! I mean WHO KNEW?!

Oh. About a goal for Prairie Fire? Sub-four. Maybe not possible with this training style, but maybe this style training is exactly what my body and mind need to reach that sub-four goal. We shall see blahgesphere.

Cheers to this weeks runnings, stay cool out there!

best part of my day. fighting the cold.

So. I have a little summer cold. FUNSIES!! I haven't worked out since Sunday and I feel like I'm channeling a narcoleptic right now, all I want to do is sleep. But. I have a job, so... instead I survive. And wait for 5p to arrive so I can go home, crawl in bed to watch trashy television, and eat whatever I want.

Here you go, the only way I am surviving right now. My little 'sicky-poo' stash... It's as blissful as it gets on a 105 degree Wednesday when you are sick and have to work: