My First Job

In case you missed them, check out what I did this weekend - A fabulous half marathon and The RnR Vegas expo.

Today, let's join back up with A Happy Girl's Blobember challenge. I've missed a few days along the way. **sigh**

November 19: First job

When I was a teenager, my step-dad owned a Bait & Tackle store. My first job was working there. I stocked shelves and issued a LOT of fishing and hunting licenses.

Occasionally, I had to scoop out minnows. Gross. I always tried to get someone else to do that part.

I did love manning the cash register, though. :)

And sometimes I'd get to sneak a candy bar. With permission, of course.

It was across the street from a Hardee's (which turned out to be my 2nd job) and a gas station. It was also a short walk from the elementary school and the high school. Even when I wasn't working, I would often head there after school instead of taking the bus home - especially, if I had to stay after school for this club or that.

Probably the largest bait store in our small-ish fishing community, let's just say it got SUPER busy during opener weekend and summers. It was pretty busy for hunting season as well.

Looking back now, it was actually pretty fun.

What was your first job?
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An Epiphany about Produce

November is moving right along!

November 13: An epiphany you had this summer

Runners often joke about being able to eat whatever we want.

Will run for ice cream. Will run for cupcakes. I thought you said rum.

But most runners recognize the importance of proper fueling - not just during the long runs, but always. There are lots of theories out there on what exactly is the best way to eat.

No matter what you choose - paleo, low carb, clean, etc - fresh produce is probably a key component.

CONFESSION: The produce department freaks me out.

I realized this summer just how intimidating the produce department is for me. I want to eat more veggies. I really do. They make me feel so clean and healthy.

But I can't stomach buying produce. There are so many choices, and I don't always know what they are or what to choose. I find myself just grabbing some bananas, packaged salad mix, maybe a couple roma tomatoes, and getting the hell out of there.

Becaue of this, it seems we really only have fresh produce during the weeks that we purchase a Bountiful Basket. I ♥ Bountiful!

Mostly because it takes the stress and anxiety out of produce shopping. Plus I get to try new things that I'd never try on my own.

Where do you get your produce?
Does the produce dept freak out anyone else?
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♫ Cutest Little Pup ♫

Ok. Back to Blogember. Writing prompts come from A Happy Girl. She has a prompt everyday, but I've gone on my own a few days already, but I'm back on track today.

November 12: Your first pet

I've posted about my first dog before, but she was awesome enough that maybe she deserves her own post.

I don't remember how she came into our lives, but when I was a teenager, we got Mitzy. She was a pomeranian/poodle/chihuahua mix. We think.

And she was super cute! I wish I had more pictures of her, but this was long before the days of Instagram.

So cute that I even made up a song about her cuteness.

♫ Cutest little pup in the whole wide world. Cuter than anything. She may be full grown. She may even stink, but she's still the cutest little pup in the whole wide world. ♫ 

I would lie and snuggle with her and serenade her with this goofy song.

She was a great snuggler - just like my Sallie-girl today. I loved when she would snuggle up by my legs when I'd sleep at night.

We had lots of other dogs and pets, but Mitzy was always my favorite and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Tell me about your first pet.
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Our visit to Valley of Fire State Park

It's Day 9 of Blogember!! Are we having fun yet? Today's topic is about our favorite places to shop online. I'm not really an online shopper, so instead, I'm going to share some pictures of Valley of Fire.

Back when my parents were visiting, we took a day to visit this state park.

Perfect weather. Blue skies. Gorgeous views!

We started at the Visitor's Center. I didn't take any pictures there, but there was a lot to see in the center. And lots to learn. For example, millions of years ago, it used to be a sea. Seems so weird that it's a desert now.

In the visitor's center, I talked to a ranger to decide on which trails for us to tackle.

After pulling my Dad away from the exhibits at the Visitor's Center, we headed to Mouse's Tank trail. What is Mouse's Tank? It's an interesting story, actually. Mouse isn't a what, but a who. A Southern Paiute Indian renegade in the 1890s, accused of murder and other crimes, hid out at this natural basin.

Looking down into the basin

It was a gorgeous trail! Along the way, there were tons of petroglyphs.

The trail itself was soft sand. It was kind of like walking along the beach - with cliffs instead of ocean views.

After dumping the sand out of our shoes, we headed to the Rainbow Vista.

From there, we took the Rainbow Vista trail to the Fire Canyon.

Again, the trail was very soft sand, but it was pretty well marked, and GORGEOUS, so totally worth it.

Our calves got a great workout for sure.

These pictures don't really do this state park justice, it really was breathtaking. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Vegas who is looking to get off the Strip for a day. It's an only an hour away and very easy to find.

My Biggest tip for visiting Valley of Fire? Wear hiking boots. Running shoes were okay, but they sure welcomed the sand, and filled right up with copious amounts of sand. We were totally surprised at how many people were hiking in flip flops. Weird.

I can't wait to go back.

As a matter of fact, I'll be heading back there next weekend for a half marathon - The Valley of Fire Half. I've been looking forward to this half for MONTHS and visiting the park with my parents only made me more excited about it.

My shins, however, seem to have other ideas. I've been spending my weekend icing and rolling and massaging. I'm still holding onto hope that I'll be able to run on Saturday. If not, I'm planning on still driving to the race to volunteer. It won't be the same, but it would still be fun.

Stay tuned...

Have you ever visited Valley of Fire?
What's your favorite state park?
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It's About Time!

November 8: 5 minutes on the prompt: Time

The passage of time is so weird. It's finite and calculable, but there are days when time seems to drag and days when it seems to fly by!

When we're young, we want time to go so fast! We can't wait until that next big thing.

Same is true with adults. Sometimes. But it also seems that time goes by so much faster once we're older. No kids necessary.

The other day, I was thinking about my mom, and it occurred to me that she has now been gone longer than she was in my life. It struck me so odd how significant she was in my life for the first 17 years. It seems so hard to believe it's been nearly 19 years since she died.

I still miss her immensely.

And looking back at my time with her, it will always seem much longer and more significant than any other time in my life.

What do you think about time? Does it pass too quickly or too slowly?
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A Day in the Life of Clarinda

November 7: A day in your life

These posts are kind of fun! I wrote one just over a year ago, but my life has changed A LOT since then.

My work days now look a little like this.

5:00 Alarm goes off.
Check my phone for any important updates.
Get out of bed and feed Sallie.
Dress for a run/workout (unless it's a REST day).
Run or workout for an hour or so. (blog, catch up on Social Media, watch TV if it's a rest day)
Eat breakfast.
7:30 jump in the shower. (7:00, if I'm planning on biking to work.)
8:00 head to work. (7:30ish, if I'm biking.)
8:30 clock into work.
Enter orders, run reports, put out fires, etc.
1:00ish Eat lunch
30 minutes later... Back to work.
5:00 punch out and head home.
Make dinner and watch TV with Jeff.
9:00 head to bed.
Make sure my alarm is still set for the morning. Catch up on social media.
SLEEP!!

My weekends are a little more flexible. I usually try to go for a long run on Saturdays, so I can rest and relax on Sundays.

Is your day similar or very different from mine?
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There's an APP for that!

Did you miss me yesterday? Ha! :)

I ran out of time and didn't get a post up. I've got to start planning better if I'm going to be successful the rest of #Blogember. Good thing I'm taking a rest day today, so maybe I'll get a couple other posts scheduled.

November 6: 5 favorite apps

This is a hard one. I'm not really an APP girl. I mostly just use my phone for email and social media. Let's see if I can come up with 5.

CharityMiles. This is an awesome app for runners, walkers, or cyclists. You just start the app when you start your journey, choose a charity, and get out there! For every mile you go, money gets donated to the charity of your choice. Win-win!!

HIIT interval. This has become my lifesaver on long runs. I set the intervals for 10 min of work and 1 min of rest, and I'm off! It will also come in handy for after the marathon when I get back to doing other workouts beside primarily running.

PhotoGrid. This is my favorite app for making collages for Instagram. I ♥ Instagram!

FitFluential. I don't use this one as often as I'd like, but it's a great app for all things FitFluential. You can easily share their posts from all their social media channels.

FedEx Mobile. If you get a lot of random packages (or a few), this is a great app. It alerts you whenever a shipment is headed your way, and makes tracking those packages super easy! Way more user friendly than the one offered by UPS.

That's really all I've got.

What am I missing out on? What are your favorite apps?
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Marathon Monday #14

I'm skipping the prompt for #Blogember today in favor of ...

Definitely wanted to do better last week, but sometimes you simply have to listen to your body.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 10/28	2	2 with Sallie
Tue, 10/28	6 Hills	45 min yoga
Wed, 10/30	REST	6 Hill-o-ween
Thu, 10/31	7 Speed	REST
Fri, 11/1	REST	REST
Sat, 11/2	20	19
Sun, 11/3	REST	REST
TOTAL	35	27

Monday was SUPER windy, so I while I did get my run in, I skipped riding my bike.

Tuesday, I couldn't get to the treadmill. Gym was locked. So, I hit the yoga mat instead, and moved my hill workout to Wednesday.

Thursday, I was a mess, so I opted to make that a rest day. Friday turned into another rest day. I was still feeling sore and moving slow in the morning. I considered running after work and moving my long run to Sunday, but by the time I was heading home from work that no longer appealed to me. I probably should have done it anyway.

Instead I ate crap for dinner and stayed up WAY too late.

Needless to say, I didn't set myself up for a successful 20-miler. Not surprisingly, it turned into only 19 miles with LOTS of walking. I'm not beating myself up about the walking. It is what it is. I'm trusting my training, and I know I'll do better on Dec 7th.

In the meantime, I need to get my legs in check. My shins are kind of hurting me after Saturday's run, and my big toe is still a little tender. Good news is that my left quad seems to be better now. Here's to a week of massaging, icing, and hydrating!!

Up this week? This weekend is my last long run. I'm really hoping to prepare better during the week, so I can have a successful run on Saturday. After that, I have a super hilly half, and then it's TAPER time. A time I'm really looking forward to at this point. :)

How do you deal with minor aches and pains to prevent further injury?
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5 Favorite Blogs

Normally on Sundays, I share my weekly menu. Or I try. I'm not feeling very motivated this week. Nothing is really looking or sounding good, so I think it's gonna be a winging it type of week. We have some leftovers from last week that we'll need to eat. Maybe that's my problem.

Anyway, in lieu of a menu plan, here's Day 3 of Blogember.

November 3: 5 favorite blogs

In no particular order...

Up & Humming. Primarily a running blog, but also just a lifestyle blog. She's a runner in Tampa, and her posts are fun and entertaining. I'm a pretty new reader, but she's quickly become one of my favorites! Another thing I love best is her attentiveness to comments; she always replies, and I love that!

Run, Eat, Repeat. Monica just seems super fun! And she runs. A LOT. But she also like to eat a lot. Something I can get on board with. :) I'm a pretty new reader of RER, and I feel like I've missed out on so much. Her posts are engaging and fun. I'd love to run a race with her someday.

Runaway Bridal Planner. Another new to me blog. She sucked me in with her beautiful Travel Tuesday posts. She's on a quest to run a full marathon in all 50 states, and she's well on her way.

From Ice Cream to Marathon. What can I say? Katie is amazing. And a wee bit crazy. She just signed up for a 100-miler in April. She ran her first marathon earlier this year, and she's flying out here to Vegas in just 5 weeks for #3. It will be my 3rd, too, and we're going to have a blast!

Mommy, Run Fast. Laura's posts are so informative, and I've learned a lot about running from her. She's a running coach and really knows her stuff. I often pin her posts for future reference.

What's one of your favorite blogs?
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Walking is OK

I'm a little late getting my second post of #Blogember up, but better late than never, right? :)

November 2: Favorite inspiring quote

This afternoon, I went for a 20-mile run. It was beyond tough. I was tired and sore practically from head to toe. I wanted to quit. I even considered calling Jeff to come pick me up.

But I didn't.

One of my favorite inspiring quotes usually helps me through a difficult run.


As I shifted from running to walking, this quote lost some of it's powerfulness. Turns out maybe that voice was right.

But then, of course, I remembered another favorite.


And at that point, I became perfectly OK with walking the final three miles. I was still OUT there. I was still preparing for my marathon. I was still doing good for myself.

I was still lapping all those suckers at home, AND I was still earning bragging rights.

Because isn't that at least a part of why we run. LOL.

What's one of your favorite inspiring quotes?

For more quotes that I find inspiring, feel free to follow my Quotations board on Pinterest.
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4 Lessons I've Learned about Running

I feel like this year has really just flown by! Only 2 more months of 2013. Wow.

I've got a half marathon in a few weeks, and a full a few weeks after that, so lots of fun things still to come this year.

Other than continuing my marathon training, I'm hoping to join Running with Ollie and A Happy Girl for a 30-day blogging challenge. The challenge is to blog every day in November, and A Happy Girl was sweet enough to provide writing prompts each day.

November 1: One of the best lessons life has shown you.

Since this is primarily a running blog, it makes sense to share the lessons I've learned from running.

Do what you love.

I'm not sure why I love running so much. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it takes a long time. But I really do love it - even when I don't always recognize it. There are lots of options out there for being healthy and working that cardio, but I choose running. It will always be my first choice. Even when others might try to convince me to do more variety.

Listen to your body.

Running will always be my first choice, but that means I still need to listen to my body. She will tell me when she needs a rest. She will tell me when it's OK to push a little harder. Thankfully, I've never experienced a serious injury. Just minor aches and tweaks. And a long spell of nasty shin splints. I'm glad I've learned this listening lesson before experiencing any major issues.

Be flexible.

I'm in the midst of training for marathon #3. My first marathon in 10 years. Training is hard! And, sticking to a training plan is just as difficult now as it was in my mid-20s. Sometimes more so, because now I'm married and need to consider my time a little more carefully. Sometimes training doesn't go as planned, and you've got to be willing to roll with it. Make changes as you listen to your body or as life throws you curveballs.

Runners are awesome.

Most of my runs are solo, but the running community is so awesome and supportive and friendly. I love crossing paths with my fellow runners. A simple hello or slight wave can really buoy my running spirits. During races, you'll almost always make conversation with random strangers on the course. Not to mention, all the support and motivation from the running community online. Yay for running bloggers!

If you're a runner, what lessons have you learned from running?
If you're not a runner, what's the best life lesson you've learned?
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