Halloween

I took this entire last week off.  I didn’t work out once.  That’s not how I planned it, though.  I had planned to workout on Monday.  I had planned to go for my 30 minute dreadmill run (3 minutes running/1 minute walking/repeat) Tuesday morning before work.  Then I worked my usual afternoon shift on Tuesday and pulled a double shift by working the overnight shift as well, so Wednesday I didn’t have time to workout.  So, Thursday I was going to workout but ended up sleeping until 11.  I was thinking that I would just go to the gym that night after work and at least do the dreadmill.  Then, I read a post on Facebook about something happening at work and I was all like, wait a minute, it’s the 24^th…the 24^th is Thursday.  Crap, I couldn’t go to the gym after work because I had to be back up and getting ready for work again shortly after 4am.  Ugh.  So, no working out at all this past week.  Well, other than the probably 4 miles that Amanda and I walked at the renaissance festival on Sunday.

The Halloween party at Tracy’s house was pretty awesome.  I got to see people I hadn't seen in a while (like years!).  Amanda and I stayed for just less than 2 hours.  I was hoping to take home the trophy for sexiest costume, but that went to a guy dressed as Princess Leia who actually shaved his legs (!).  Oh well.  

November is going to be a busy one for me.  The first Sunday, the 3^rd, I’m working the morning shift and then right after work, I’m going with Amanda to the Celtic Festival in Austin!  So excited!  I’ve never been to that before!  On the 10^th, the following Sunday, I’m going to be hanging out with my friend Denise and her hubby.  I’m going to see if I can talk them into brunch at Iron Cactus.  I heard it’s fantastic…and not expensive!  The 17^th, I’m running the Rock’n’Roll half marathon in San Antonio!!!  Then, the 24^th, I’m going back to the renaissance festival with my friend Mark…I’ll be looking for a white corset while we’re there.  Then, on the next Sunday (the 1^st of December, so not *technically* in November…haha), I’m going BACK to the festival with Amanda again.  I’m soooooo happy…I’m going to the festival THREE TIMES!!!  Woohoo!!!!!!!!

Something I found out at work the other day is pretty cool.  We can earn different awards for different things (ie-community service, perfect attendance, education, etc).  Well, this year they added a new one.  It’s called the physical fitness award.  All you have to do is to run the obstacle course (which we have to run every year, but if you’ve worked here longer than I think the last 5 years, you’re “grandfathered” and don’t *have* to run it in a “passing” time, you just have to complete it) in a passing time 3 years in a row.  Up until the end of this calendar year, there have been 2 separate courses.  Well, they’re not completely separate, one just has a few more obstacles than the other.  I’m a corrections officer, so I’ve only ever been required to run the corrections officer course, which consists of a 200 yd run, 6 ascending hurdles, a dummy drag, run through a serpentine wall, run thru heavy bags (simulates running through a crowd of people), high crawl under an obstacle and then jump a 5 foot chain link fence.  Then, there’s the law enforcement course, which  is all of that plus going through a “window,” climbing over a 6 foot wooden wall and then going through simulated barbed wire fencing.  The CO course had to be completed in 2:45 minutes or less for a “passing” time.  The law enforcement “passing” time is 3:00 minutes.  Well, this year I ran the CO course in 2:13 minutes, last year I ran it in 2:23 minutes and the year before (just 2 months after having back surgery) I ran it in 2:40 minutes.  So, I brought this up to my sergeant and he said he’s going to look into it.  I hope he puts me in for it because I want that award!

So, speaking of “physical fitness”…my work pants are a little tight right now.  Not uncomfortable tight, just a little tight and I can tell because a few weeks ago they were loose.  But, I did take this entire last week off from exercise and only exercised twice (that I can remember) the week before.  It’s sort of to be expected with that kind of lack of working out. 

This next week, I want to workout at least 3 times.  I want to do the dreadmill twice and I want to do the “Paige workout” once.  I will probably do what I was going to do on Thursday until I realized it was Thursday and go in the evening after work for my workouts.  So, like I mentioned, I ended up not working out at all this past week.  I’m a little disappointed, but I guess the rest is welcome.  But, it needs to be short lived because I do NOT want to gain any more weight back.  I’ve gained probably 8 pounds back and I need to draw the line.  Part of the reason I have resisted taking a break from working out since I fell in love with running was because I knew that I would enjoy the laziness and the sleeping in and the not feeling obligated to workout…and that it would be hell to get myself back in the habit of working out.  I have motivation to get started again, however, because I want to run the Rock’N’Roll half marathon next month in a decent time.  When I registered, I put that my estimated finish time would be 2 hrs 30 minutes.  I’d like to hit as close as possible to that mark.  So, that means I definitely need to get back on the running.  I need to practice the running form that Paige showed me so that I can sustain it for the majority of the half marathon.  Even though I do not enjoy being on the dreadmill, I do actually (complete surprise to me) enjoy the 3-to-1’s that Paige has me doing.  She didn’t tell me I had to do them on the treadmill, I just figured it would be easier for me to watch my time so I was sticking to the 3 and 1 minute times.  Also, it’s a lot easier for me to hit a pace and hold it on a treadmill…duh.  So, I’m able to run faster for those 3 minute stints.  And, at the end of the 30 minutes, I feel like I had a kickass workout.

I got the cellphone number of Tilsa’s personal trainer and I will text him probably on Monday to set up a day and time for my free introductory session with him to get a feel for his style and such.  I’m pretty sure that, no matter what his style, that I will be signing up for sessions with him.  Probably only once a week, on Mondays.  Monday mornings…or, at least, before noon…haha.  Tilsa said she just pays him for each session when she shows up for that session.  I could do that too…I’d just get the money orders for the sessions on payday and keep them in my purse to give to him when I show up for a session.

OH!  Back to the renaissance festival…so, I’m going back on the 24^th with my friend Mark and then again on December 1^st with Amanda again.  The weekend of the 1^st is themed as the Christmas weekend.  I was going to make a new skirt to wear for the 1^st as a pixie and it was going to be brown, blue, green and white.  However, since it’s the Christmas weekend, I’m going to make a red, green and white skirt to wear.  I’m hoping when I go with Mark to find a white corset.  If I can, then I’ll wear that with the new skirt.  I will look for some slouchy red boots or some red glittered or sequined ballet flats to wear with some green knee-high socks.  With Christmas coming up (and Halloween soon being behind us), the stores will be full of red and green items, so I shouldn’t have any problems finding red boots/shoes and green knee-highs.  Another thing I want to try to find is a decent sunset-orange wig, long length, to wear to the festivals.  I don’t want a cheap one, even though that would be easy to find.  I want to spend probably $50-$100 on one.