Melange

• Filthy fifty makes you sore. Where? Everywhere! More specifically lats, pecs, abs (surprising because of all the ab stuff we do at boxing camp), glutes & hams, calves (also surprising cuz of the hill running). I think the explosive nature of the exercises (burpees, thrusters, etc.) accounts for a lot of the soreness. Both of my girlfriends did great, but I'm hoping I'm not the only one who's sore today!
• Has anyone seen "Dan in Real Life"? It's an ok movie, but it has some really neat music that's great for listening while writing, cooking, or relaxing.
  
• Also speaking of music, I refound two of my favorite songs and added them to my running playlist: Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode, and Plush by Stone Temple Pilots. And a new favorite is Capital G by Nine Inch Nails. These songs are the opposite of Dan in Real Life!
  
• Tim drives a LOT for work and listens to audiobooks. Recently he recommended The Pillars of the Earth as something I'd enjoy. I don't read much fiction. But I decided to give it a try. I got halfway through the 1000+ page book and decided to stop there. Why? I was tired of really bad things happening to good people! The book really is a good book -- the characters are well drawn, the writing style is fantastic -- but it's just not the book for me. I may have to go back to my all-time favorites for yet another reading: Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books (and especially The Undomestic Goddess). Yes, it's chick lit, but it's light and fun and perfect for summer!
• I had some bloodwork done this morning and decided to see how no caffeine felt. Verdict? No caffeine, at least at this point in time, makes me feel awful!
• I still want to write about Green Smoothie Girl and green smoothies, but the Cliff Notes version sounds something like this: I've been drinking green smoothies twice a day for the past two weeks, and I feel fantastic, and my skin looks better, and I really look forward to each and every smoothie I make!
• Final thing: I'm running my second half marathon tomorrow. This one is just to get another race under my belt on my quest for six of them this year. The run is in Lodi at a winery, so the scenery should be nice. And I'm happy the temperatures are dropping this weekend -- today is supposed to be 100 degrees, and tomorrow's forecast says 96. Those are hot temperatures, to be sure, but those few degrees can make a BIG difference!
  
• One more final thing: I wish there was another name for the 1/2 marathon. To me, it's the perfect distance, and is complete in itself, and calling it half of something implies that it's not complete. I do have a sticker on my car that reads "13.1. Because I can." But another name besides half marathon would be nice, don't you think?