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My Marathon - The Short Version

I'm going to be writing a longer post about the good, the bad, what I learned, that will be too wordy and longish, but for now, I will tell you how it went just by this short(ish) story.

One of my new years resolutions was to score 2600 pts at the Summer Series races. In order to put down a number I needed to do some extensive research - shocking no one - and while I was reviewing each of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 races, there was one woman who seemed like a good target. Her name is Adrienne Pollard (I don't actually know her, but this is the beauty of online results) and I decided to mark her this year. She's the woman I want to beat - or her times are.

Note: I'm very competitive, but I'm actually quite nice while racing. I always cheer people on, and try to be encouraging when people are suffering. I'm not like "Oh YOU'RE Adrienne Pollard? I'm going to eat you for breakfast. And then eat some breakfast." Really, I swear.

So I was just looking up my official time, which is about 15 minutes better than I was expecting (#winning!), but what made my day was the name directly below me on the results in my Age Group:

I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a good racing year!

My Mystery/Thriller Story...

During a recent run, the perceptive/hyper-aware side of me turned my run into a mystery/thriller.

I ran past a guy in a work truck, next to a power box. He sat in the truck  the entire time I was running up the block, and decided to get out of the vehicle just as I was running by. I immediately grabbed my keys and put them in 'stab eye' mode in my hand, in case he came after me.

http://byufan.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/qwest1.jpg

There was an icecream truck driving around the neighborhood. This may not seem odd, except for two things:

1. The icecream truck is NEVER in our neighborhood in the summer (I work remotely, I would know that music anywhere)

2. It was approximately 38 degrees out. In Arizona.

http://allfoodtrucksforsale.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/0035.jpg

I'm convinced he was a kidnapper. I felt an instant urge to call the police.

As I ran past the back of a neighborhood, the distinct smell of bleach overpowered me. Keep in mind, I have no sense of smell - I could taste the bleach. It was powerful enough that it made my nose sting and eyes water. It was definitely not pool chemicals (they taste different). I wondered what blood stains they were cleaning up, and if they realized that it was dead giveaway that they were using copious amounts of bleach!

I opted out of google searching "mopping up blood stains". http://thefitnesschronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bleach.gif

Finally, I saw large bags of fertilizer stacked around the neighborhood. What's that? You think it was just the fertilizer for the summer grass, and that's why the stacks were at the parks? I don't think so. I think it was to make explosives.

http://images.plant-care.com/fertilizer-bags-stacked.jpg

At least that's what I thought as I wrote my mystery story in my head - and it helped me push that last few miles as I "ran away" from the bad guys. :)

Things I Can't Make Up

* I solemnly swear that I am up to no good not exaggerating this in any way. Really, it needs no elaboration*

What I am going to eat for lunch today:
- 1/2 piece of plain chicken
- 1 tortilla
- handful of almonds

Except without all the colorful stuff. Just the chicken and the tortilla
http://www.texmextogo.com/images/chicken-wraps.jpg

What my hubs packed for lunch today*:
- 6 egg omelette with sausage, ham, and cheese
- 3 pieces of chicken
- 2 tortillas
- 2 hamburger patties
- 1 tofu burger patty
- 3 muscle milk protein shakes
- 2 containers of yogurt
- 2 packets of little kid string cheese
- 1 baggie full of shredded cheese
- 1 container of barbeque sauce**
- 1 can of diet cream soda (why bother with the diet stuff at this point?)
- 1 bottle of gatorade-esque sports drink***

I had to wade through MANY pages of skinny girls eating cake to find this picture.
http://www.healblog.net/

*Again, I promise this is completely accurate
**You may notice a lack of vegetables in our collective diets
***Lucky for me, he may eat an enormous quantity of food, but he pays the grocery bill, and also works out enough to be able to eat this mega lunch daily.

Uncategorizing Me

*Note: For those following this blog for adoption information, that's not going away. I'm just going to be revealing more aspects of myself. No hard feelings if you're not interested!*

I am complex, yet constant. I do not fit into boxes well, though I've tried to squeeze into many - even boxes of my own creation. I no longer feel the need to pigeon-hole myself, so this blog is not about the runner me, or the prospective adoptive parent me - it's just me. The uncategorized me.

Since I've never let the interwebs truly know me, I thought I'd give everyone a chance to catch up.

I am intelligent, but I'm not a member of the intelligentsia.
I'm fascinated by quantum physics, and the Hunger Games. I read about brain science and love science fiction. I love anything to do with a cultural experience different from my own, which lures me into spending years trying to understand how Mao brainwashed millions of people during the Cultural Revolution, and also sucks me right into Harry Potter's universe.

I am a musician, but I'm not a musician.
I grew up in the house of a jazz snob, and understand music theory at a post- doctorate level, but I haven't touched an instrument in 12 years. I love jazz and the emotional places it can take me, but I also love dirty gangsta rap and everything in between (and I mean everything - ska, hard rock, and I have a special love for funk). My iPod is schizophrenic.

Random Note: I can't spell schizophrenic without help.

I am a professional, but I'm not professional.
I been with a [sorry Internet - undisclosed] Fortune 500 company for 12 years. I hold a fairly important position in their day to day operations. The majority of my peers are 15 years older than I am. Yet, my worst nightmare is wearing heels 5 minutes days a week. I abhor wearing suits. I'm not a fan of manipulation or lying. I work remotely, which is to say away from people. I like that.

I am an athlete, but not an athlete.
If I told you I could run for 5 1/2 hours straight, you might say "WOW". If I told you I can't even run a marathon in that time, you might say "WALKER!" and *pshaw* your way right to judgement. I'm ok with that. I run slowly, but I run. I am not a waif, I don't look like a skeleton, but I am at a very healthy weight for me, and I feel happy. I have "quads of steel" as @tmbrunnerfirst would say, I wear running skirts - sometimes with sparkles - and I have a blast out there with the 85 year old women. Someday I hope to be one of them. I don't run to win (obviously), but I do run for sanity, which may be even better.

I am a mother, but I'm not a mother.
I don't have (nor will I have) any biological children. My husband and I are actively looking at CPS adoption, but we have put our process on hold until we feel like it's the right time for us. That doesn't mean that I don't know kids. I've been babysitting since I was 8, I was a posh nanny 'Real Housewives of Connecticut' style for years, I basically raised my brother - he may be hopelessly flawed, but he's happy, damnit - and I have a remarkable step-daughter, S.

This remarkable step-daughter recently hit J and I up for money for a charity event, and pre-signed us EACH up on a website to donate funds (she did a really good job with the salesmanship, I'll admit). When I went on the website, there I was - listed as "Friend".

I am spiritual, but not religious.
I believe in quantum physics - that we are all connected, and we have more of an impact on our environment and ourselves than we understand. I believe that we should be kind to ALL people, that we should be tolerant, and understanding. I don't believe in organized religion. I respect people who do, but it doesn't work for me. I should note here that I was kicked out asked not to return to the Catholic Church when I was 7. Apparently, owing to my curiosity of biology at the time, I asked one too many questions about the immaculate conception, and I may have alluded to the fact that if I got pregnant, and told my Dad it was a beam of light, that he would believe me because I was a good girl. It was my own Aunt who asked me not to come back to CCD.

My biggest regret is that I didn't get the fancy white maryjane shoes with the little heels for first communion like everyone else.

I *might* have concerns that I'm going to spontaneously combust each time I step over the threshold of a church.

I am socially liberal, but fiscally conservative.
The only thing that is off-limits on my blog is politics. I may touch on a social issue, but I will not dissolve into Us vs. Them conversations, or talk about politics at all. I am informed, I hope you take the time to inform yourself. I believe that people allow politics to polarize their opinions society.

I make decent money, and I don't believe in credit cards. I pay my bills first, my savings second, and if there's any left over, it generally goes to a bookstore, @runprettyfar, lululemon, or target. I can say probably, because any time I spend a $1 at a location not above, my bank turns off my debit card. This generally happens around Christmas, when I buy things for other people. It annoys me greatly.

I love social media, but not ALL of social media.
If you follow me on twitter (@eisparklz), you know I tweet and retweet random stuff daily. I love it. I love the interaction, I love the pieces of info I read, I love finding people with my passions. It's a maven's dream.

If you follow me on facebook, you know I haven't posted anything on my wall in months. I do check it about daily. I do read what others are doing. I do look at cute photos of friend's kids. I post comments on people's postings, but I just never post myself. Occassionally, my hubs will post pictures and tag me, and that's how you know where I am and what I'm doing.

I am a blogger, but I'm not a writer.
Consistency, thou art a jewel (thank you Rhett Butler). I'm not making any commitments to writing daily/weekly/monthly, because I don't see myself as a writer. I understand grammar, but I don't understand the mechanics of telling a good story, or presenting information. So I'm basically just talking with my hands right now. Blogs going forward will be similarly just stream of consciousness. There will probably be pictures.

These things are who I am, and who I'm not. Who are you? Do you hide your quirky self from the world, even as you blog/tweet/post on facebook?