Running... and what I actually look like.

So by now.... everyone has seen this photo floating around Facebook:

Well, this past week, I got photos from the last run that I did and I was able to create one of these for myself. Trust me, it's equally as amusing: 

The photographers for races must have a great time in the office on Mondays when they're reviewing all the shots. Seriously, 1/10 is a "good" race picture, the rest are hideous (as evidenced above).

Thought this was also an appropriate time for this picture since I'm clearly dressed out as a member of Team USA and the Olympics started this week.

Running.... in silence.

Sometimes I want my music blaring... sometimes I need Lady Gaga to push me through that extra half mile, sometimes.... but other times, I want to run in silence. I want to be alone with my thoughts. I want to escape whatever is happening in the world and just run.

Today, I wanted to work out without my iPod on, I just wanted to bust out a quick 20 minutes on the treadmill, 10 on the stair stepper and 15 minutes of abs/core. That was my plan...

Instead, I was preached at, and had gospel rap (if that's possible) screamed at me while I was attempting to have my peaceful morning workout. The entire gym was staring at this 30-something meathead who was at first pacing the cardio machines and preaching at us (I say at because he was yelling). Then he decided that the best way for him to get his message across would be to join me on the treadmill. I tried to block him out, listen to the music that the gym was playing, and get into my own zone but that was next-to-impossible. The girl on the opposite side of him went to complain to the guys at the front desk who politely asked him to keep it quiet.

Whew.... now I can work out in peace.

Wrong! He turns to me and starts yelling, asking why we are embarassed of God, why we are ashamed of God, why we don't want to hear about it.

My response was, "SHUT UP." Plain and simple, shut up. How incredibly rude to go to a place and disrupt what everyone else is doing. That is in no way going to get you a favorable response. He continued on and I finally explained that we are not embarassed of God, or ashamed, yet annoyed by him. Even after my comments telling him he was being disruptive, rude and annoying, and both people (including myself) leaving the treadmills on either side of him, he did not stop. He floated around the gym to the areas that were the most crowded and continued his ranting.

I believe in God. I was raised going to church every Sunday (like it or not). I am Christian. However, when I want to work out, I just want to work out.

Am I wrong here, people? Tell me your thoughts on merging Sunday Service with your interval session, kill two birds with one stone? Fact is... now I need another work out to de-stress from the first one.

Running thru July!

It's July? What? When did that happen and where has this year gone? I feel like it was just March a few weeks ago. I've been a busy bee with my new consulting gig, a full-time corporate marketing job and 2 summer grad school classes. My days start at 6 and end at 9:45 when I get home and crawl into bed. This will all be worth it in the end... that's my mantra right now anyway.

I don't have to tell anyone that July is HOT, but it's especially hot in the South and even more so than normal with that extreme heat wave we just had. My family in Virginia was without power for a few days and in 100+ degree temps. So completely miserable. Luckily, North Carolina missed the storm part of the heat wave, but we got all of the heat, including 3 days of 103 degrees. I tried running at 7 am and 7 pm and both were equally as hot and miserable.

I've shared my hatred for treadmills in the past, but I did have to use one last Friday when the heatwave began. It was too sticky in the afternoon to go for a run and I was babysitting the most adorable 1-month old nephew in the evening so I sucked it up and busted out a 5k in 24:31 on the machine. Unfortunately, this did not prepare me at all for my 4-miler on the 4th.

It was a "new" course according to Run For Your Life, but I've done parts of it in other 5ks and 8ks. There aren't a lot of hills, but they ones that are on the course are long hills, quad-killing hills. It was not my best time for a 4-miler, still under 10 minute miles and I said beforehand that I wasn't "racing" but using the run as my workout for the day. It was still disappointing that it was 4 minutes slower than my last 4 miler. Even though it started at 7:30, I was still a sweaty, sticky mess at the end. July races are not going to be my forte.

Planning for our August 5k, looks like it might be the NC Rock & Run at the Music Factory. Would be my first time for this race. Anyone done this before?