Today’s going to be a wild mix-up match-up of things so here we go. First off gotta give a HUGE shout-out to my littlest bro as it’s his birthday. Isn’t he so freaking cute? 🙂
WARNING: This little bit may be a bit TMI so feel free to just skip down to the next paragraph if you’re squeamish. I was 11 when this little dude was born and I actually got to see him being born. Crazy, huh, and you may think it’s gross. But my family is really open about all this stuff and probably gross is a term that could be applied often. (cut to scene around dinner table when we have a fart-off) I learned about the birds and the bees, all that jazz, really young and my parents were really open and frank about things. So when my youngest sibling was about to pop, I was a freak and actually wanted to be there in the delivery room. Don’t worry the TMI won’t be so far as me giving a play-by-play, but I will say it was pretty surreal to see this little guy being born. That said, even though he’s one cute mo-fo now, babies right off the bat are usually pretty gross, slimy, and awkward looking. I adore Tina Fey and I think her whole little alien campaign is right on the dot, if you’re hot I think you grow into that.
So little Wes is the baby of the family and true to form he gets that special treatment from the folks. That kid could probably get away with murder but I’m guilty of letting him slide on things myself so those who live in glass houses shouldn’t be chucking boulders. Anyways, I also made him a little piece of art and I’ll share. If you like football feel free to print it out and hang it on your fridge. Jk. HAPPY BIRTHDAY WESLEY!!!
Next topic. Running today, I don’t want to use this space to overly vent and be a downer so I’m just going to be quick and short. Workout was not fun, not good, slower than I wanted and my legs feel like lead. The heat also left me feeling sort of sick, it’s just stuffy in that gym and I know I shouldn’t complain because I know for a FACT there are people busting their butts in way hotter and humid conditions, so if I have an issue I just need to grab a tissue. Anyways, total for the day came in a little over 11 miles, upper body weights and done. Let’s end it on a positive, Cait: there are people right now bumming with an injury and maybe can’t be running right now. Even a bad, junky, crummy-pants run is better than none at all in my book so I’m thankful I was able to put in the miles. 🙂 Ya, that sounds corny but it’s true, so I need to stuff my sorries in a sack.
Also running related I’ve got some big news! I won my very first blog contest…woot woot!! I keep seeing people scoring some awesome swag and I’ve always been notoriously unlucky with winning anything so I was really surprised when I got to Emma’s awesome blog and found out that little ol’ me had won a contest! Okay, it’s a randomly selected thing, but I still like to think I’m special…lol. So what did I win? Well, I won a year’s supply of running shoes and Pop-Tarts! Jk, but no, but I DID get a Bondi Band which is a cool sweat band to tame my crazy@$$ hair. Which, if you recall I was complaining about not too long ago, so I thought the timing was a funny coincidence!
Next thing is a question for you guys. I’m anal about things, surprise huh, but I mean in terms wanting to know exactly how long my runs are. I’m just overly curious I guess. 😛 So, since I want to do more running outside and bust off the treadmill (which I like because I know exactly the miles/pace) I was thinking I’d hop on the Garmin train. I’m poor, I’m stingy with money, so for me even THINKING about buying something over $20 is a a big deal. But I don’t splurge on many things and darn it, I want one. So, suggestions, feedback, or anyone who has found a good price I’d love to hear from you! A quick Google has led me to Amazon where I found the Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Receiver and Sports Watch for $117.13. What say you? Oh, and I don’t really care about all the fancy ‘extra’s,’ so long as I know the total miles of my run and the pace would be cool too.
1) Best birthday gift you ever got?
Hmmm, one that really sticks out in my mind was when I was 8 and I got an aquarium that was The Little Mermaid themed and had little Ariel and Sebastian in there and eight fish. My parents had yet to get me any kind of pet so fish were a big deal…lol.
2) Best prize you’ve ever won?
3) Any Garmin input would be awesome! Do you have one, do you like yours, now you can’t run with out it? hehe.
Omg Cait – I don't have a Garmin either. It seems like everyone does! I'm actually kinda scared it will make me super crazy and pace obsessed. But yeah…it would totally be nice to know pace if I wanted to do a speed workout outside and not on a track.
I really hope you get one so I can see what you think about it. 🙂
i kno i felt like a lame-o for just admitting i don't have one! lol. really, my other reason for not buying one, price aside, has been because i kno i'm completely obsessive and might get in trouble. but i really want one at this point so i may just do it, i'll def let u know if i do and will tell u what i think! 🙂
DEFINITELY get the Garmin! I have the Garmin Forerunner 205 and it's not the newest one but it works just fine. I know my miles, pace, distance, calories burned, everything. It's totally worth it even if you just save up $10 at a time! 🙂
so fun! happy birthday to your lil bro! i am way too obsessed with my garmin but i do love it. I have the 405 but it has not been getting the battery life I hoped for. If I had to do it all over again I would probably just stick with the 205, 305 or the 310. Even though I LOVE the round face of my 405! and its green. cant beat that! good luck!
I got a Garmin before they were cool and it has lasted 7 years so far! I'm poor too, so the $140 I spent on it was a splurge, but it was with my high school graduation money. The one I have is the first one they made (Garmin Forerunner 201). Dave has the 205, but that one doesn't fit my wrist well (too big), so I highly doubt it would fit yours. Mine has a velcro strap, so it fits tighter. The 205's shape makes it fit awkwardly if you have a small wrist. If I ever get a new Garmin, it will be the 110 because it's closer to watch-size and it's the cheapest ($150-$199). It doesn't sync up to your computer, have a heart rate monitor or anything fancy like that, but it does the basics (distance, pace, time).
Garmins are great for running new routes, tempo runs and even races. That said, let me WARN YOU NOW, it can make you (more) obsessive. Of course I was already crazy at the time, but the Garmin made things worse back in the day. I'd obsess over my pace, even on easy runs, instead of listening to my body like I should have.
I stopped wearing it for a long time after the injury/burnout cycle. Now use it in moderation, only when knowing my pace is necessary.
thank you all for the awesome feedback and not gonna lie i'm sold…cait, u may have to start wrapping up whatever is left on ur plate and send to me for a few months. 😉 jk.
julia, i'll blame u too if i wind up living in a box outside. haha. 🙂
txgirl, thanks so much for the lowdown on the size thing. that's always been something annoying whenever i have to buy a watch and one reason i don't like running with a HR monitor because that dang watch is so bulky on my wrist. 😛 maybe dave bought his purposefully so u didn't swipe his…jk. as for the overly obsessive thing, girl i feel u like none other and had this been back in my faster days i shouldn't have ever been trusted with one. but now i *hope* i'm better able to deal with the extra knowledge; i'm better at not getting so wrapped up around pace if it's not a hard workout, it's mostly that i'm just anal about wanting the total distance of my runs and such. cross ur fingers, say a prayer, and send me any loose change u find in ur couch. hehe
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR BRO!!! Haha your stories are too funny!! And so happy to hear that you're happy about the win!! It was OBVIOUSLY because you are super special:)
I LOVE my Garmy!! I have the 305 and it's my best friend:) I do agree though that it did make me more obsessive about pace which definitely didn't help with the injury, but you can change the screen settings so it won't show that all the time, which is what I'm gonna do for all my future 'easy' runs I think! Anyway they ROCK and are so worth the money!! P.S. I'm sure you could get it cheaper than that!! I got mine which is a model up for $99 from Amazon I think…?
thanks for stating the truth and revealing the 'real' reason i won. 😉
oh, i didn't know u could do that with the garmin…i'll prolly have to swipe that smart tactic and hide the pace on my easy days. whoa, okay so u got urs for under $100?! i'll need to look around for a better deal, do u remember about how long ago u bought urs?? hope all's well over on ur side of the pond friend! 🙂
Fantastic site you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get responses from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Kudos!
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