Weekend Snapshots: Pixies, Hill Repeats and The Lactose Intolerant

Happy Halloween, everyone! Can you even believe the first day of November is tomorrow?? Another busy weekend come and gone! It started out innocently enough and then things accelerated to a fever pitch through Sunday. [Do you like how I worked in that baseball reference? And how about Eddie Vedder at the world series last night??] #fangirl

I was working on my hill repeats on Friday, because the wicked switchback and subsequent climb at mile 11 of my half marathon is going to suck be incredibly challenging.  I thought it would be fun to use the timer on my phone and get an action shot to share on Instagram. It didn't go very well.

Here are some of the outtakes from my hill repeats.

I'm not entirely sure what was going on in the bottom left photo since the hill was in the opposite direction, but...okay? I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get a photo, and ended up running twice as much as I had planned. 

Friday night was spent with my best girlfriend. She originally invited Boydoll to see the Pixies with her, but he had a pep rally at the rival high school's football game. I generously offered to step in for him and take one for the team. I'm a giver like that. 

Superstoked!

I'm not sure about the 'majestic' part,
but it is an intimate little theater.

Two things worth mentioning about our pre-game strategy: 

1. I wore adorable boots that are really only intended for wearing in brief intervals that involve lots of sitting. #fail
2. The mocha that I ordered with almond milk had been accidentally prepared with regular milk instead. I should have know better when it tasted creamy, but there was just too much going on. THANKS A LOT, STARBUCKS. Signed, A Lactose Intolerant Patron.

We had dinner before the show, and got in line at 6pm for general admission. Shortly after 7pm, we were the first of about 20 people in the door and we rushed for the rail above the main floor. My best girl doesn't play, people -- she had a plan. We had a perfect unobstructed view of the stage, and we were well out of moshing range. #winning

The opening band came on around 8:30, which was also right around the time my feet fell off and the milk lactose began to wreak havoc on my stomach. I was seriously questioning whether I was going to be able to stay. Somehow, I white-knuckled through the next hour and a half. Four words: It was worth it.  

Such an incredible show! #pixies

The following day required Mr. Doll and I to divide and conquer. He took Boydoll to a jazz event a few hours north, and I headed south to attend family day at our daughter's university. My attempts at cloning have proved fruitless.

Fresh out of the shower and into dress clothes for the jazz festival.
My boy looked so handsome! (Pay no attention to the photo bomber...)

I brought the boys dogs to visit their beloved girl, and we went for a hike in the hills above the university. It was very muggy...but still a gorgeous afternoon. We enjoyed lunch afterwards at The Lazy Dog. It was an especially sweet visit on Saturday. My daughter seemed happy and relaxed, and I loved catching up with her. I'm so grateful she's not going to school out of state. It would be more than my heart could bear, I think. 

This one has my heart.

Views for days and my crazy dog.

Yummy lunch with my girl and the Browns. Riley approved!

I spent most of Sunday puttering around the house and hydrating for my 12 mile run today. It's my last long run before my half marathon in thirteen days. [gulp!] We got a little bit of rain on Sunday and it was HEAVEN. Things are already really tough from the 5-year drought, so we gotta get some rain this winter - please and thank you!

Finally some rain!! 

Thank you to Erin for hosting Weekend Snapshots and Katie at Healthy Diva Life for their weekly link-ups! 

Do you have any Halloween plans for tonight? We're kind of missing it all because we have concert plans with my FIL. I'm really excited to see him, even if it means that I don't get to pass out candy. The littlest first-time trick or treaters are my favorite because they're just so blown away by the whole process, 'Knock on a door and get free candy?? SIGN ME UP NOW.' 

I did dress up as Hermione Granger in my spin class last Thursday. I always host a giveaway during my class closest to a holiday, and the members love it. I'm not sure how any of that went down without any pictures to show for it. It was a bit of a challenge working out wearing a dress shirt and tie, but still great fun nonetheless. Will you be passing out candy tonight? Do you get a lot of trick or treaters?

TOL #4 Alfred Hitchcock Called. He Wants His Birds Back

Thank you to Amanda at Running With Spoons for hosting Thinking Out Loud Thursday! Here's a sampling of my random ramblings:

1. That's So Raven. I was waiting at a stoplight on Tuesday after dropping my son off at school, and I heard an unnerving tapping sound coming from the roof of my car. I pulled back the panel to look out of my sunroof...and there was a crow walking around the roof of my car! WTH?? It's hardly like we live in a small rural town; this was a major intersection. I had a tiny freakout, and I still have no idea what the crow was doing up there.  

2. Pollywog love. Our favorite pet store specializes in reptiles and amphibians. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and this is where I bought Gizmo. I was there last Friday picking up dog food, and they had a giant display of tadpoles for sale. It reminded me of that hilarious scene in the animated movie Flushed Away, where The Toad (brilliantly voiced by Ian McKellan) grosses out his henchmen with jars of hundreds of his tadpole offspring. Still one of my favorite movies to this day...

Evil frog The Toad

Seeing those jars of tadpoles made me nostalgic for the carefree days of summer when my kids were younger and we would hunt for pollywogs in the creeks. After we raised them into frogs, we would return them to the same creek we had found them in.

Well. These were no tiny tree frog pollywogs. 

The huge bullfrog-sized tadpoles were actually baby Pacman frogs. These suckers are BIG. The adult female frog in the pet shop was the size of an enormous flapjack. Although I'm typically not squeamish, the notion of feeding a juvenile rat to a frog is more than I can bear. 

Albino horned frog aka Pac-Man Frog

3. Currently listening to. Walls by Kings of Leon, and Be Your Love by Bishop Briggs. #allthefeels

4. Foodie Finds. I'm obsessed with Halo Top protein ice cream. I heard about it first on Instagram, and finally came across some in limited flavors (lemon cake, birthday cake and chocolate) at a grocery store. I could easily eat a pint of Birthday Cake. I can't wait to try other flavors! 

I'm in love and I don't care
who knows it!

That's all I got this week. Feel free to share your favorite animated movie or leave a comment with a new favorite song you're obsessed with. 

Pier to Puke

Over the next couple of weeks, I will post some highlights and favorite memories of my 15 year running career. Here is one of those stories:

In September 2005, I ran the Pier to Peak half marathon. It is the most difficult race I have run. Ever. The event takes place at sea level and makes a 4,000 foot elevation gain to one of the highest peaks overlooking our town. It is absolutely grueling. So, naturally - I ran it again in 2009 and 2010. 

The first year that I ran Pier to Peak was my best effort out of the three races, finishing with a time of 3:16:53. That doesn't seem too fast - but in 2005 I was running a personal best of 2:05 for a half marathon, if that gives any indication to the intensity of the course. 

Mr Doll was out of town, so I had asked My Best Girl spend the night. The plan was that I would leave at 5am and she would drive up after the run later in the morning, and pick me up the top of the mountain with Boy and Girl Doll. 

The kids worked my friend pretty hard and weaseled a carbonated soda out of her to drink during the ride up. What makes this event so memorable wasn't the run itself, but the ride home when Boy announced that he didn't feel good - and then threw up all over himself and the back seat. Both kids were crying and Girl Doll yelled, "Why did you have to throw up?! IT SMELLS SO BAD!" My Best Girl pulled over to the side of the mountain road and we all fell out of the car from the stench. 

While all the other runners wound their way down the mountain past us and onto parties where they celebrated their nubile bodies and added another notch on their Pier to Peak belt - I stood on the side of the road, quickly stripping Boy Doll out of the vomit clothes and into a dry, spare change of clothes I kept in the car...you know, in case of the apocalypse or times like this. I dumped almost a whole container of baby powder on the floor mats and back seat which seemed like a good idea at the time - because who doesn't like the smell of baby powder? Instead of covering the odor, it just made everything noxious. 

Dude. Nothing kills a runner's high faster than having to deal with vomit. We drove the rest of the way home in silence...punctuated by the occasional dry-heave.

Unfortunate

A few years ago, my friend was celebrating her 40th birthday with a weekend cruise to Mexico. A group of her friends were going, and many of us had never met. I was to room with one of the women, whom I'd met on only two occasions spread over about 20 years.

As the trip approached, I realized I was having some anxiety about going - more specifically, sharing a room with someone I didn't really know. It took some introspection, but it came down to this: I poo first thing in the morning. First thing.

With a thin, airplane-style door and no fan, there is nothing disguise noises or diffuse odors. Perfume? Too noxious. Matches? Too obvious. Multiple flushes? Dead giveaway with potential clogging risks. My plan was to see if there were public restrooms on the same level, but no luck - they were two levels up and too far to risk it.

I considered being direct, "Hi Kim! Great to see you again! By the way, the first thing I do in the morning is poo. You know, drop the kids off at the pool? Lay some cable? Looking forward to sharing a cabin - it's gonna be great!" In the end, it didn't matter - she was up and gone each of the three mornings before I'd even woken up. Thank heavens for small favors.

To my relief, I have since found a solution: http://www.getyougogirl.com/ Give it a try! I'd love to hear how it comes out for you in the end.