Fun Friday

Bullet style, y'all.

• Still looking for suggestions on what to buy with the money I have in my account. Yes, I will pay some of my bills but once I start this new job I'll really be buckling down with the money so I figure I should enjoy some of this before I can't have any fun.
• Speaking of the new job, the hours are 8:30-5:30 and I'm thinking this will mean I can bump morning runs to 6 am which makes me happy since lately I have been struggling to get up at 5 am (though that might be due to "adopting" a kid for a week).
• My stomach has been bothering me a lot lately in the mornings. Like the food isn't digested yet (another reason I'm ditching morning runs this week). So next week, I'm going to try eating earlier and maybe going for an evening spin on my bike and see how that works out.
• I Am Boring sent me my prize for winning a giveaway. Which actually his wife sent but whatever, The Bobs don't have time for mail when they've got to consult and shit. Anyway, look for a post on that. Just gotta get a long run in. Hmmmm.
• I'm running a virtual 10K this weekend. On 10/10/10 I will run 6.2 miles for Jog for Joubert (which I need to donate to NOW. whoops). You can still sign up so go here and DOOOOOO ITTTTTTT.
• On 10/10/10 I am also contemplating signing up for Rock'N'Roll Savannah (run in November 2011). I am still on the fence about this one. Barbie really wants me to do it. And it could be the kick in the ass I need to get back on the workout express (all aboooooaaarrrddddd. Yes, I really just did that). Anyway between 10 and 10 on 10/10/10 you can receive $20 off any rock'n'roll you sign up for. I think I would do the half marathon. I know, I know I've done 2 and I should give the full a try but I gotta tell you the idea of running for 4 fucking hours makes me want to kill myself. Everyone should just be happy I'm even considering signing up for another half.
• Last, but most importantly! I am going to do a giveaway. I'm thinking I owe, you my loyal readers who have not been commenting enough fyi, a prize for sticking with me. All 69 of you. And yes, I just wanted to type 69 while I still had 69 readers. Now it's like a game. How many times can I type 69 in this paragraph about my 69 readers? Okay, I'll seriously stop typing 69 now. I swear*. Anyway.....the giveaway. Hold on, I'm thinking on the fly right now....ummm, what should I give away...This is tougher than I thought. Okay, how about a gift certificate to One More Mile because I love that place. And maybe they can motivate you. Settled, a $20 gift certificate to One More Mile is up for grabs. Bam. Now...the details.

Giveaway ends on 10/15/2010 at midnight. Winner will be announced Saturday. Or Sunday. Or Monday. Cause I don't like to make promises I can't keep and I just don't know how hungover I'll be over the course of the weekend. To Enter you can opt to do one or all of the following things (but each entry must be a separate comment. Anyone who can't follow that direction is disqualified. Boom. Just like being in school).

1. Follow my blog and let me know you do so. Current followers just give me the heads up again that you follow.
2. Like me on facebook. Cause I like getting the thumbs up yo.
3. Head over to One More Mile and tell me what you'd spend your bucks (or mine) on!
4. Like One More Mile on facebook. Cause I'm sure they like the thumbs up as well.
5. Follow One More Mile on Twitter. I'm sure they have important things to tweet. So important, I'm adding them to my own feed....NOW.
6. And lastly (that is not a word, is it?) follow my raunchy, running ass on twitter.

SIX (that's 6 for those of you who don't read good) opportunities to win people. Hop on it! Also, tell One More Mile I sent you so maybe they give me stuff to give away. Hosting your own giveaway is expensive yo. But I love you and you deserve it. Boom- have a good weekend!

First AM Run Outdoors!

Okay, mentally I'm not all here so BEAR with me. I have a couple things I want to try to get out there today and I'm struggling (lack of sleep):

• Funny Story: My new upstairs neighbor is never around (or I never hear her) until it's time for bed. I usually play some sleep-inducing tunes prior to bedtime and she seems to have just moved in as well. I think she actually moved in the day after me and I was in Gwinnett so I missed seeing all that go down. Anyway, for the past week at around 10 or 11 she starts hanging or putting together furniture or whatever. In my opinion, you can start that shit at 10 am and should be done with it by 8 pm (you don't know if your neighbor has kids which is why I say 8). And it always sounds like she is dropping shit. Well, last night, I decided I had enough. When the best sleep you get is the one hour nap your eyes forced upon you at 3 pm, then its time to make some changes. So I stood there for 10 minutes listening just to be sure she was going to be doing this for some time. Then, I walked up there and knocked on the door. She opened it with a cat in her arms (hence the sounds of shit dropping all the time) and immediately said she just looked at the clock. I explained to her that I understood as I was moving as well but that I generally get up at 4:30 am to go to the gym. Her mouth literally dropped open. I don't know if it was because she looked at me and thought "no way this bitch works out" or if she thought to herself "WTF are you going to the gym this early for?" Either way, she stopped building the bookshelf she was building.
• I went on my first 5 am run in the new hood. Which was actually 5:15 am cause I hit snooze. It was nice and I saw a couple of other runners out there as well. All three of them were young, had killer bodies and were shirtless. I think I may readjust my thinking on living in Atlanta if I get to wake up to that every day. Sweaty men, yum (except you Adam. You're just a freak of nature).
• This past week, I've been wearing my running skirt (yes, I only have one. Yes, I wash it in between wearings). You see, I had only worn it to run the Skirtchaser 5K because they gave it to me. Skirts seem to cost a pretty penny. And I am broke. I love my Nike Tempo shorts (and I get a great deal on them) but I could easily become a running skirt convert. My *free* Skirt Sports skirt was comfy. I initially felt weird in it but I got comfortable quickly. The built in compression shorts eliminate the need for BodyGlide in that area which is awesome. They don't slip around and you don't spend time thinking about what you are wearing because its moving around or you have to adjust it. The only complaint on the version they give you for free is there is one pocket. It's on the leg of the compression shorts on the back and it doesn't hold stuff very well. I wouldn't recommend putting an ID or cell phone there because they will fall out. They have lots of cool options that have addressed this issue though so check them out over at www.skirtsports.com/ if you're looking for feminine but durable clothing.
• Last, but MOST IMPORTANT, big thanks to Adam and Courtney who were the FIRST TWO registrants for the Virtual 5K for Boobies which is THIS WEEKEND. Adam will get some sweet gift yet to be determined. This race is open to MEN AND WOMEN. All you have to do is make a $5 donation to Lauren's site and let me know you've done so. Then I will give you your race number and you have this weekend to run it. Prizes given for a few different things so being fastest isn't the most important thing! Please consider signing up or spreading the word for me!

Well, that's it. Thanks for bearing with me!

Who Works Out At 5 AM?

I wake up at 4:50 am Monday through Friday and hit the gym for cardio. Travis, the guy who works the desk and makes my delicious smoothie every day, calls into question my sanity because I’d rather hit the gym in the morning than sleep in. For me, personally, I will slack off as the day goes on. I am definitely a morning person- in college I always woke up the day a paper was due and banged it out in a few short hours before class rather than pulling an all nighter. As the day progresses, my speed at data entry declines, my focus strays and I grow incredibly tired. Whether I sleep in or not these things occur. Therefore, to ensure that I get my gym time in, I have spent 2010 going in the morning. And I am not alone, obviously, or this post would not be written. The fact is, a wide spectrum of people are at the gym at the same time as I am and I’ve been studying them while on the treadmill.

The Silver Sneakers: This is actually the name of a class at Gold’s Gym as well but I think it is appropriate for several of the old timers that come in at 5 am to lift weights. Some get there even earlier. It makes perfect sense to me since often times you can find my grandparents up and at ‘em with their Dunkin’ Donuts coffee at 3 am. At 5 am, it’s all men hitting the weight machines and their attire leaves much to be desired in that it most definitely does not cover enough. I have never seen spandex so tight sag so much but it is possible. The shuffle from one machine to the next and put 10 lbs on and then breathe heavily while spending 30 minutes doing about 10 reps. But hey, they are out there so I give them props.

The Rooster: There is one guy at my gym who has got to be about 60. He wears all black- black bike shorts, black tank top, black socks and black shoes which makes his shock of white hair all the more…shocking. He preens around the gym in between sets on each machine, puffing his chest out and pretending not to look around to see who is watching. He thinks he is hot shit (especially for his age) but his paunch says otherwise.

The Couple that Sweats Together… : God, help me if I ever attend the gym with my future (currently nonexistent) boyfriend. The couples that show up and sweat together are frankly disgusting. Does a mini-makeout sesh help increase strength? Is there some study I don’t know about indicating this? And for the love of god, I do not want to hear your discussion of yard work through the music blaring in my headphones so turn down your exclamations ending with baby!

The Hottie: My gym crush is HOT. No doubt about it. I don’t care what he says, or does or wears or anything because he is so attractive and I could sit and watch him do pullups for hours. Talk about some motivation. And he works hard to look that good- GTL Baby.

The Nottie: Yes, I just quoted a Paris Hilton movie. I know, I am ridiculous. I absolutely cannot figure out why or how my hottie is friends with this guy. First off, he is a Clemson fan and I have an immediate distrust for anyone wearing orange. He is the absolute antithesis of my crush- pale, not built at all and quiet. Plus, he doesn’t work all that hard despite having a trainer to the trainers. He's there to be seen.

The I Don’t Know About Boundaries Guys: What the fuck is up with people getting on the machine immediately next to me? There are 100+ machines in the gym for cardio and about 5 of us using them. Trust me when I say 10 of them can see ESPN as well as the machine I am on. And I can see you staring at my ass in the mirror, you jerk.

The Flirts: Who goes to the gym to pick up ladies? These guys who workout with said trainer to the trainers are constantly hitting on me. Overtly. Not even in passing. They just walk right up to the machine I am on while I am sweating and start telling me not to lose too much weight and leering at various body parts exposed by my attire. They make me feel incredibly dirty and I’m not sure how to brush them off. No matter what I do, every day (unless I manage to get to the locker room before they arrive) the hunt me down and shamelessly use embarrassing pick up lines.

The Sexpot: HOW THE FUCK DOES THIS GIRL LOOK ATTRACTIVE WHILE WORKING OUT? And bitch works out. She lifts weights for 30 minutes and then hits the treadmill for 30 minutes at about 7 mph. And looks good doing it. I swear, she doesn’t wear a drop of make up. She has legs and an ass I envy and arms I would quite frankly kill for. I just want to run her under armored add over with my car. I look like a pig when I work out and she looks like a tigress. Life. Is. So. Unfair.

What about you? Any funny or great people at your gym? I’d love to hear I am not alone in my gym rat people watching!

How Much Weight is Too Much Weight?

So, I had an awkward encounter at the gym the other morning. It was creepy but it got me thinking so I'm going to share it and then start thinking aloud...or through the pen...or keyboard. Whatever, you get my point.

So, I have a routine where M-F I hit the gym at 5 am and do an hour to an hour and a half of cardio. I'm training for a 1/2 marathon so the cardio cross training is pretty important. On Tuesday, I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill, biked for another 20 and moved over to the elliptical for the last 20. While I was trucking along, this guy came over and started chatting with me. I absolutely hate when people try to converse while I'm working out. This is my me time. Basically, I'm already annoyed. I don't even take my head phones out while he is talking to me. The only part I really zoned in on was when he said the following:

"Don't lose too much more weight."

Which would have been fine had it not been coupled with a leer at my legs and a licking of his huge lips. WTF is that?!?! Does that line actually work on other girls? Who goes to the gym to get picked up? Jesus. There are no words to describe how wigged out I was.

But, on the flip side, it got me thinking. How much weight is too much weight to hold on my body? Or to lose? So I started googling healthy weights...

According to this site, I should weigh between 120- 159 since I am 5'6". It breaks down into small, medium and large frame with no explanation of what that means. I looked further and the explanation didn't make much sense so I am going to assume I am a medium frame so I should weigh 130-144. Currently, I sit at 158.0 (down 9 lbs from 167.0). I would like to go down to 135 but I am not gunning for that weight. I'm just gunning for getting healthy.

Some people go by BMI so click here to find out if yours is in a healthy range. At 5'6" and 158 lbs, I clock in at 25.5 on the BMI scale. This means I fall in the bottom part of the overweight section. The very bottom, meaning soon I should be at a normal weight!

The important thing to remember is these are all numbers. It really is more about how you feel. Right now, I feel better than I have since I was in high school running on the track team. I try to remember that when I mess up and the numbers on the scale start creeping up. I spotted some muscles peaking from below the fat and got so excited I said "Well, hello, bicep" in the shower. The woman in the stall next to me said hello as well. It is crazy watching the changes that are taking place but also feeling way more confident in how I look and feel. Health is my number on priority but I also know that feeling good about how I look is going to go a long way toward my mental health as well.

How do you determine your healthy weight? Is it on the scale? By your clothing size or fit? Or do you have something else that helps you know when you are tipping to the unhealthy side?

For Your Entertainment...

No I'm not talking about Glambert on this post, rather my own ire this morning upon arriving at my gym to find no one there. I could have been nicer about this but so could he. And it was 5 am and pouring down rain. So that took the anger up a notch. Below are the emails we exchanged:
(and fuck blogger for not allowing me to copy and paste this today. Jesus, everything sucks.)

To Sean (Lawrenceville Gym Manager)

Please explain to me why I waited 45 minutes to get in the gym and still no one has arrived? There were about 20 of us waiting and I finally had to leave to get ready for work. At this point, any workout would be a complete waste of time. I'm not sure what your process of opening is but not a single trainer or desk person was there to let us in. It is completely ridiculous that I had to wait that long. On top of all that, I could not call and leave a complaint due to your phone number not having a mailbox set up and I tried using the website to log a complaint and it wouldn't allow me to send it. Suffice to say, I'm not very happy with Gold's Gym right now.

Email from Sean (almost 4 hours later)

Erin,

I do apologize for the inconvenience. The person set to open the club had some issues this morning and I did not find out about it until 5:15 am. This situation has been taken care of. For future reference, there is a number posted on the door for situations such as this and I was called by someone about the club this morning. I had myself and two others on the way this morning to open the club for you folks.

Once again, I apologize and this should NEVER happen again.

Sean

Okay, before I post my response Mr. General Manager you weren't on your way as I called at 7:45 am and asked to speak with a manager and was told one would not be arriving until 9 am by a lovely young woman named Jessica. So, don't bullshit me. I'm not an idiot. So, of course, now I am irrationally angry and decide another email is in order. To which he has yet to respond.

Sean,

Thanks for the quick response. Two things: for the future you may want to consider having two people open on Mondays no matter what. While it may not be cost effective, the level of customer service that demonstrates ensures that won't happen again. Second, I called the number on your website and without a mailbox number it tells you to try again and disconnects. The website might have the incorrect number in which case it needs to be updated. Also, perhaps you noticed at 5 am it was pouring so getting out of my car to find a number posted on your building was not really high on my priority list. I'm not trying to be bitchy but your gym is more expensive than other gyms I looked into and I still joined. I expect to be completely satisfied and to be able to work out when I want. Especially as I work two jobs to be able to afford the luxury of your gym and now have to rearrange my busy schedule to come in tonight. I hope that you continue to take customer feedback seriously and improve upon the gym.

Thanks,
Erin