Speedwork sux... but... it's worth it!

I didn't run yesterday. Tuesday night after I had picked up the kids at school (Ryan and his classmate that from now on I will call "A" so I don't have to keep writing "his classmate"), A's dad got home and had forgotten his keys. So, I invited him to come up and drink the appero with us. It's a French thing. The only thing was that we usually eat dinner around 6 or 6:30 because that's when the kids are used to eating dinner. Wellllllll, if you're drinking a beer and eating peanuts at 6 or 6:30, you're not hungry for dinner. So, we basically ate leftover carrot salad for dinner around 7:30... I guess that means we're becoming even more French.

So, anyways, that made it a late night all around and I didn't want to try to do speedwork on four or five hours' sleep, so I decided to take a rest day. And it was a good thing because when I awoke Wednesday morning, it was drizzling. I could have run in that, no problem, but just a half hour later (when I would have been in the throes of speedwork) there came a downpour like I haven't seen in a long time in France.

Man, was yesterday hard. I don't know what was going on--maybe hormonal after-effects still of weaning the fat kid--but I was DEPRESSED and out of energy all day long. I rolled up my sleeves anyway and prepared to make the best of it. I put the baby to bed and sat down with Ryan so we could work in his workbook, but he kept getting distracted and yawning and lollygagging so I gave up. I tend to want it to be fun and if he's not playing along, I get all fussy and I just didn't want our Wednesday to go that way.

Then, around noon, A showed up to make pizzas. I had prepared the dough and had let it rise waiting for her to get back from her Judo class. The kids were really excited to get to cook, so that gave me a little energy boost. We rolled out the dough and made our crusts and then piled the pizzas high with stuff like tomato/eggplant sauce (I admit it... it was from a jar... I just couldn't muster up enough energy to prepare anything by hand), sliced ham, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, steamed cauliflower, tomatoes, goat cheese, Emmental, freshly grated parm, onions, olives, etc, etc. Then, we took turns cooking our pizzas in my tiny oven--A's pizza first. Those two kids ate both of the first two pizzas by themselves. Ryan usually eats ONE SLICE of storebought frozen pizza or pizza wagon pizza, so I guess that's proof of how good home-made stuff is... even if it's made by a kiddo. They really were terribly good. Sam doused his with green Tabasco and I poured hot peppered oil all over mine. YUMMERS!!!! The kids then went down to A's house so the girls could sleep and Sam went back to work. That gave ME the chance to write a little.

Ryan is SO in love with A. Not in that physical, I want to "do" you way, of course, but in the lying on the ground in a screaming fit, fighting me tooth and nail to follow her when she has to go home. And A is the same way. They're both like, "I want to go to ____'s house... I want to STAY at _____'s house." Ryan even asked me in front of A's mom if he could go live with A. I said, "Um, not today. Maybe in about twenty years, okay?" That made A's mom chuckle. If Ryan's NC love S-N knew that he was cheating on her... I don't wanna think about it... S-N, if you're out there and your mom is reading this to you... I hope you have moved on... Or find yourself a boy toy to play with until Ryan gets home because he is SO cheating on you!

Actually, they've invited Ryan over to spend the night Saturday night. A's dad said Ryan could stay over there "like a grown up" and that A's dad would cook them all breakfast in the morning (which I don't know what that means since most Frenchies eat BREAD for breakfast). We're thinking about inviting them for lunch Sunday, but if they eat a big breakfast... *shrug* I thought about making them a big taco salad since they made us something typically French. I grew up on taco salad and have figured out a way to pretty much make it mostly organic, so... we'll see. Maybe I'll find something not so American to make...

So, then, this morning, I got up like I was s'posed to and did my speedwork. I walked a brisk 14 pace for ten minutes and then did 7X60/60 Which is 60 as fast as you can go, followed by a 60 second recovery run and you do that seven times. So, you're like, "Eh, that's only 14 minutes." Yeah. You're right. The hardest 14 minutes of your life if you're really working. And I did. While doing the fast-as-you-can-go sixty seconds, I kept it pretty evenly around an 8 minute mile pace and then during the recuperation I held it around 12. I just can't believe my body just did that and didn't keel over. I know, I know... It's only 14 minutes. But I feel like I've busted through some kind of wall. Just have to be careful to not get injured. I know I keep saying that over and over, but I almost twisted my ankle today. That would be suicide. I'd be laid up for weeks and lose very valuable time and have to shrink back to a half marathon instead of a full (if that's even possible at this point, administratively).

The worst part is that I completely forgot what cabbage does to me. I ate cabbage rolls for dinner last night not thinking about running this morning, so I was almost completely dehydrated and had a calf that was threatening to charlie horse all the way back to the gates of the park. I got it stretched out, but I'm going to have to watch that.


I wrote again yesterday. I'm working on the "goodbye" chapter and it's so so very hard to write that I find myself playing a lot of Solitaire. I'll write a scene (cuz lots of peeps visited me in the hospital that day) and play about ten hands of Solitaire, then write another scene, then play another ten hands. I play pretty fast and win about half the hands, so it's good warm up, but still. I promise, it's not procrastination... It's just like speedwork... I need a recuperation run. I'll be so glad when this chapter is over and I can get back to the easy stuff.

Gotta make some bread today but it's so cold and wet and drafty that I'm not very motivated. It's such a pain in the ass to get the bread to rise on days like this. But... it's whatcha gotta do. I might make an extra loaf and give it to A's parents so they can see what it tastes like fresh. And I might make that damn brioche I've been thinking about for days (Sam got tired of waiting and just bought one from the store yesterday... part of me wants to roll my eyes and part of me is relieved).


I stink. But it's okay. With all this running, I get to shower every day. The pits are getting pretty damn fuzzy. But the perfume trick seems to be working. I haven't used deodorant in over a week.

When I think that I have gone a week without toilet paper, I'm astounded that I ever used it. Seriously. It is a CRAZY habit to break, though, y'all. I have to remind myself every time I sit down to do my business. I seriously have caught myself unraveling the paper roll and realizing it and re-rolling it back up. The cool part is that I would have used at least a roll this week, probably two, just by myself...And yet, the rolls have barely moved this week since Sam only does it for #2 and Ryan apparently doesn't use it at all *eye roll* grody little kid. I can't MAKE him wipe his butt, y'all. That's something you have to motivate your SELF to do. He'll start doing it when his stuff starts itchin'. Okay, I think I've wandered a little too far out into the badlands of TMI now... Let's bring it back.

Wanna see Pizza Pix now that I've grossed you out?
Ryan was fascinated with sprinkling flour... maybe a little too fascinated...


Rollin', rollin', rollin'...




Sauce-y...



Toppings...


Finished product...
A's:
Ryan's:

Appreciating it...


And... just to indulge myself... Here's a few pix that should explain WHY I don't make them get out of my bed when they come into my room in the wee hours... They're too damn cute! And, snuggly.




Y'all have a good one... and even though I'm sure your fingers are cramping, keep 'em crossed for me... I really need for the AMD to pick up my book. Send him some happy Joelie-lovin' vibes.