A scientific experiment

Yet another week of blogging slacking due to real life getting in the way. I don't really mind (and I'm kind of guessing most of you don't either) when it's a result of a busy social life though. It's when it's due to grad school or report cards that it's lame.

Wednesday was a very important GNO (girls night out) with my former roommates Casi and Carolyn. We went out to eat at a Tapas restaurant. I stopped in my old workplace (Starbucks) at about 9pm on my way home, and a friend was extremely confused when I said I was heading home from GNO, not to GNO. What can I say - that's why I love these girls. We agree on certain things. Sangria with whipped cream? YES. GNO over at 9pm so we can all get up early and workout before work the next day? YES. 

What isn't improved with whipped cream?

Thursday morning was Body Pump, which I can summarize in one word: pain. Thursday night was book club, which was fun, but I can also summarize briefly: rich people problems. Let's just say all the members are a bit more financially comfortable than a teacher married to a teacher may be, and yet their lives are just oh so hard.

I'm lucky enough to have a running buddy who trains and runs crazy races with me, and Friday night was her birthday!

When we aren't covered with sweat and dirt, turns out we look pretty good!

We celebrated in style - my first limo ride since junior prom!

We started with dinner at, funnily enough, another tapas restaurant. I went prepared this time and had a big snack after school. I don't know how it is other places, but in Baltimore, you aren't going to leave a Tapas restaurant feeling full unless you are prepared to reach your credit card limit.

After dinner, we headed to a club. Although I'm normally the type of person that considers DVR and sweatpants a Friday night match made in heaven, I was super excited that Lily chose this place to celebrate. Sometimes, you just need to dress up, get wild, and dance your ass off with your girls. 

I did not forget my New Year's Resolution - Whooty Awareness all the way

This picture sums up any night out together entirely. Eric taking weird pictures of himself, and me constantly dancing with my hands up and mouth open.

On a night like this (where we go to a bar and neither one of us needs to drive home), Eric and I generally engage in a competition over who can get the most drinks bought for them. He usually dominates, but I totally smoked him this time. It's our way of cutting back during the recession.

You have to pretend to be interested, but only when the drink buyers can see your face.

We still found some to spend together - after all, yesterday was the 6 year anniversary of our first date!

My late night, post bar eats have really improved since my younger days. My roommates and I used to make at least two boxes of Macaroni and Cheese, and here I am eating a Subway sub. Getting those veggies in is important at 3am.


Saturday was uneventful. Highlights included a five mile run (the fact that I completed it the day after a crazy night out and 4-5 hours of sleep on an air mattress was the highlight, not the run itself) and watching Titanic with Eric, only to learn that he had all the lines memorized. Like, ALL the lines. 

I'd been excited for my Sunday morning run for awhile. I had a trail run planned with Kara, and fellow Stone Mill 50 Miler Perry. We met in the middle of our respective locations at Rosaryville State Park for 20 miles on the trails. 

It was freezing at our 8am start. 

Kara and Perry found three other friends who wanted to join us. I need to learn from them, because no one responded to my "Hey want to drive an hour and then spend four hours running on trails on Sunday morning?" email.

I felt great and was enjoying the run until mile 8, when suddenly I felt exhausted and way too out of breath. Saturday I had gotten hit with a cold (I know, I just recovered from bronchitis two weeks ago, WTF, I did my time already), so that wasn't at all helpful. I knew we had less than two miles to go until our epic snack break though, so I sucked it up until then. When we were almost back Kara said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to walk for a minute, and while I hate to see a friend in pain, the excuse to walk was oh-so-thrilling to me. We hadn't walked AT ALL until that point, and walking up the hills is one of the main reasons I love trail running so much.

Here's the other one. We set up our aid station in the back of Kara's car, as per usual.

"Oh, sorry, Kara, you were trying to take a picture? Stuffing my face really takes precedence".

Here's something shocking:

Peanut (Kara's coonhound) ran with us for 16  miles, so that gives me a new dog PDR. I'd previously done a ten mile run with two dogs. When we got back, the others were busy adding extra mileage before snacking, so I offered to hold Peanut while Kara took a bathroom break. I really did my duty to the animal community when I poured water in her bowl for her too. (I mean, I actually do my duty to them every day by not eating them, but let's not split hairs). 

After a few minutes of eating salted potatoes and oreos and drinking Gatorade, I was more than halfway to hypothermia. I (almost) always feel hot when I run, but standing around in sweat soaked clothes makes me painfully cold. Even though I'd been feeling rough, I was more than ready to run to warm up when we headed back out for the second loop. 

The second loop had the best sights. 

Can you spot Perry, Peanut and I at the mansion?

I am honestly not sure how I finished 20 miles, but I think it had something to do with the fact that if I didn't do it on the trails where I had nice people to chat with, I'd be stuck doing it next weekend all alone in Rochester, NY, where yesterday the feels like temperature was 6. 


Also a stray dog chased us for the last mile and a half and I was terrified.


So, for the record, a rough night of drinking + a cold is not an equation for a run that feels good. Throw in some asthma on top and you really have a winner.


The Baltimore Ravens made the playoffs, and the game was this afternoon. Eric asked me if I'd be home in time to "watch" it with him. I was confused about what difference it made if I were home ignoring the game or not home. Either way I wouldn't actually be "watching". I managed to make it home and get showered by the fourth quarter, so I quickly threw on my jersey, and I'm pretty sure that me reading blogs while wearing it  for those last few minutes really helped bring the Ravens to victory.

Eric had two orders of cheesy bread from Dominoes on the table when I got home - I don't think I can imagine a better welcoming committee after a long, hard run. 

What's your favorite late night (possibly post bar) food? How about favorite post long run meal?