Misc.

Not much of note is going on today. But there are always a few tidbits I can share. The morning workout: run to the Y, lift, swim an hour, run home. I really noticed the difference in 1) the time of the sunrise, as it was almost daylight by the time I left, and 2) the fact that the ice has FINALLY melted off the sidewalks (for the most part ... there was still about 20 feet of it in one spot). So the run to and from the Y is becoming much more pleasurable.

Congrats to Marilee Hardyman for her correct answers to "Who Is It?" in the March RTC News.

Yesterday I took the GoRochesterDirect shuttle back from the cities. The van driver told me to sit in the front seat, probably because I was the first stop (St. Mary's). He was sooooo chatty!! In the second seat were a couple from Rhode Island, going to the clinic, who winter in Bonita Springs, FL. So I chatted with them for a bit. Then a gal in the third seat heard me talk about being a Luther grad. She's lived in Decorah for about 30 years and knows some of my professors (Walt Will, Steve Hubbard, ...) We also talked marathons and triathlons as her son participates in them. Books. ... Anyway, the rainy trip just flew by. It's so much fun to meet new people.

Here are photos from last night at the track and at Beetles afterwards. I stopped at home and picked up my pink "Princess" stuff. : )

 I just jogged for half an hour and did a few 200 m pickups, tucking in behind whoever was currently zipping by. I'd run 9.16 miles in Florida early Tuesday AM (it was 53 degrees, and delightful) and my legs just didn't feel like they had a speed workout in them yet. So tomorrow, I'll run a tempo run and maybe a few 1/4 miles. I just looked at the Macmillan running calculator and based on Sunday's half marathon time I should run my tempo runs at 7:00 to 7:18 pace (which means Sunday was basically a really long tempo run) and that I should be able to run: 1) a 3:21 marathon (it will never happen), 2) a 5:58 mile (EXTREMELY doubtful), and 3) 1:13 1/4 miles. The 5K, 5M, 10K and 10M times are close to my PRs, but the short/fast stuff and really long stuff just seem like huge impossibilities.

Thank you Paul for instigating the "Hip, hip, Renee!" cheer at Beetles in honor of my half marathon. That was very nice of you guys. :-) I gave Paul two pink and purple fur-handled bags from the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique at Disney for Paul to give to his two darling little 5- and 6-year old princesses at home. Paul reports, 'They LOVE them. It was pretty funny, because I got home last night and told the girls "Renee gave me these bags to give to you", and then Anna says, "Are they full of cookies?" I guess you have a reputation, even to my kids. But they filled them with toys this morning and they were pretending they were princesses and those were their purses. It was pretty cute.' So sweet ... makes me VERY happy. : )

Lisa emailed that TV station WESH in Orlando, FL has a Princess Half video clip on their website and I'm pictured on it twice near the end. It's at the start line and I'm kind of hopping around trying to keep warm (I'd ditched my plastic bag). They're at about times 1:24 (right) and 1:28 (left).  Clip

My friend Kathryn is having her 7th Annual Vernal Equinox party on March 20. Basically, it's a cookie-eating fest and always coincides with a long run so that I have some justification for trying a couple of cookies.

Some of us are getting an early start at the RAC on Saturday morning. 6:15 in the parking lot. Please feel free to join us if you'd like to get in more than the scheduled 15 miles. And I'm thinking some of us will go out for breakfast afterwards. I'll keep you posted.

I'm still getting caught up on post-vacation stuff. Mail (and Fetzer entries to enter). Newspapers. 200 unread emails (I got to some of them while I was gone). Laundry.

Thank you RTC/board for the nice new jacket I got for being 2009 Runner of the Year. It's so very nice.

My dad gave me some old photos to bring home. These are such a treasure to me. This is my paternal grandparents' wedding photo:

And my parents' wedding photo:

We went to Olive Garden for supper tonight. I'd like to drop 5 pounds, so I had a house salad and Minestrone soup, which is vegeterian--beans, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, pasta, etc.

Matt had something new on the menu ... Pork Milanese. I tried a bite. The pork was good, but the pasta that came with it was really delicious.

Twins bad news: Joe Nathan might possibly need Tommy Johns' surgery. Terrible news for our ace reliever.

I tried on a couple of these Nuu Muu exercise dresses at the Princess Half. They're very cute, but I didn't buy one. I really like running in dresses and skirts. I think they're very fun and feminine.

Tomorrow evening, I'll be attending the RTC Board meeting and then dashing over to Byron to join Team R.E.D. for their post-run festivities at the Bear's Den.

As Billy Joel would say, "And So It Goes ...".

Until next time.