Let's Get Random!

So, I got super busy last week and didn’t have a chance to post a Let’s Get Random! last week so this one is going to be pretty long.  Just warning you that you’re in this for the long haul if you want to read this.  Haha.

 

Some exciting news…I’m running my first relay race next week!!!  In anticipation, a couple weeks ago, I bought the official hat for the race (I think it shipped last week, but I’m not sure…hopefully it arrives before relay day).  I’m excited to earn it.  It’s funny, I won’t wear the race shirt to run the race in, but I’ll totally wear the hat for the race during the race.  Weird, I know.  There are 9 of us on the team, though it would be ideal to have the full 12.  I’ve agreed to pick up an extra leg if necessary.  I told them I’d rather not run much more than a marathon in total distance, but really I think I’m okay with as much as a 50K in total distance (about 31.5 miles).  I’m pretty sure I have a 5K race that I was really hoping to get top 3 in my age group in the Sunday after the relay, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that.  HA!  Maybe I should do lots of foam rolling and stretching post-relay…ya think?!?!  I’m really horrible at remembering to do all that.  I used to be religious about it.  Not so much anymore and as a result I do get a lot of tightness in my legs (mostly my IT band).  Anyway, I’m super excited to be doing this relay.  My friend Ben who has been left to organize the whole event for all of us decided that due to all the costumes I dress up in for my races that I’m the creative genius of the group and assigned me van decorating duties.  Oh joy.  So, I told him as soon as someone comes up with a team name, I’ll come up with a theme for decorating the van.  If I spend at least $20 on decorating supplies, I hope he waives my part of the van rental fee. 

 

I’m working on getting my costumes for the renaissance festival all completed and ready to go.  I got my barbarian costume mostly done a couple weeks ago, just need some ribbed dark brown ribbon to be able to cinch everything up and then I need to make leg and forearm wraps and buy a cosplay spear.  Oh and I want to buy fake deer antlers to wear with it too.  I need to figure out face paint.  I’m thinking just some hand prints will do the trick.  Then this past weekend I got my mermaid tail mostly done.  I still need to sew in the elastic for the waist and attach a cord to the tail fin with a loop for my wrist and that’ll be done.  Then I want to make some glove type things that cover at least the backs of my hands and my wrists so that I can wear my watch still and track my steps.  Priorities yo!  I gots em!  Also this past weekend, I bought a couple patterns for dresses.  One I bought in person and plan to just use a cheap, one colored fabric, probably a light tan or off-yellow color.  The other is a highland ladies dress that I really just want the skirt part of to use.  I plan to wear this white crop top I bought a few ren fair seasons ago with bell sleeves under my black corset.  I’m going to use a yellow-based plaid for the “tartan” skirt and shawl.  I found one I like online for $6 a yard, so I’ll probably get that one if I don’t find another I like better for a similar or cheaper price.  I hit up target for some groceries and ended up in the Halloween section.  If you used your cartwheel app, you could get 25% off all costumes items (good through 10/1 in case you’re wondering!  I’m probably going to go back and buy a couple more masks)…and I ended up with a crow mask and little black glittery crown on a headband.  Oh my gosh, this crow mask is totally amazing!  I’ll wear it with my black pixie skirt, black corset with the collar that goes with it and my black fringe boots.  I’m going to a wing cape with some dowels to extend the wings beyond my finger tips and I’ll make it look feathered by using the same style as I do with the pixie skirts.  I just need to be able to put the fabric pieces on both sides so it looks feathered on both sides.  I see a lot of thread used in this project.  And then I’ll blacken around my eyes and wear the little crown on headband.

 

Well, I ditched I Heart Radio and downloaded the Jango Radio app (if you’re looking for a good music streaming app, I highly recommend Jango…there’s only 1 commercial the whole time you’re listening!).  Love it!  It’s a nice alternative to listening to the same songs over and over like I’ve been doing.  The only downside is that I don’t get the variety in the music styles like I do with my own music that I’ve loaded onto my phone unless I change the station.  Which, since I’ve been running with my phone in my hand since I got the new one because the cellphone holder on my hydration pack hits the buttons all the time on the new phone, it’s super easy to change the station…and check Facebook…haha.  I do want to get a new hydration pack that has elastic top pockets (that are usually for small bottles, but I’ll use them for my phone and keys and during long run fuel and not bottles as I much prefer the hydration bladder with the tube.

 

It’s time to renew my INKnBURN ambassador status.  I’m thinking this will be the last time I renew.  I’m feeling pressure and obligation to buy and wear their products so it’s starting to not be as fun anymore.  I don’t want to feel obligated.  I want to buy and wear their stuff because it’s gorgeous and is just hands down a super high quality product.  I really believe in the company and love the art work, that will never change.  But I want to try ambassadoring for other companies and so long as I’m an ambassador for INKnBURN, their ambassador contract prohibits me from being an ambassador for another clothing company.  So, I’ll submit my reapplication for ambassadorship one more time, crossing my fingers I am extended for another 6 month term.  I promise to do everything I can to promote them and be 100% supportive of their mission.  I have met so many new friends through my INKnBURN ambassadorship and I am eternally grateful for that.

 

I am super loving my new Altra Olympus 1.5’s.  They are beyond comfortable and I kinda want to buy a second pair…they have them in white with pink accents.  Squeee!  I also bought a pair of Altra One 2.5's and am waiting for those to arrive.  YAY!  And now I'm good on running shoes until December or so.

 

Oh yea…joy of joys I have to buy 4 new tires for my car.  And make sure I’ve got the money to pay for my trip to South Padre next month for my marathon.  Ugh.  I want at least $400 set aside for that.  $250 for the hotel, the rest for food and souvenirs and race swag.  Oh yea, and let’s not forget I want to make sure I have money for my portraits at the renaissance festival…that’s $28 each portrait, times 3 new costumes this season (mermaid, barbarian and crow).  I’m going to skip getting a portrait in the highland lady costume for now (IF I make it and wear it...might just be a crow the whole weekend when we go camping).  I might wear it to the spring fair and get a portrait then.

 

So, speaking of costumes…I’m putting the finishing touches on the mermaid costume and the barbarian costume and will starting the crow costume this weekend!  The crow was a last minute addition to the line up.  I found a fabulous crow mask at Target when they were having a 25% off Halloween stuff with the Cartwheel app, so I had to buy it.  And then I went back and bought a couple more masks for good measure.  Haha.  Anyway, I'm opting to do a cape-wing thing in the same style as my pixie skirts so that it appeared feathered.  I'll add some dowels to the wing tips so it would make the wings bigger and more wing-like. 

 

“Bought” a bunch of Kindle edition paleo cookbooks.  Most of them are slow cooker recipes.  I really want to start doing more fun foods.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, eating half of a rotisserie chicken for lunch is amazing, but I’d like some more variety.  I think that’s the deal with the strong craving for fruits lately.  This coming weekend I am going to at the very least make paleo pizza dough and make me a pizza!  I’ll use goat cheese instead of mozzarella.  I haven’t decided what toppings I want on it yet.  If I’m up for it, I also want to make this paleo donut recipe I found as I bought some donut baking trays the other day and I’m excited to use them!

 

I’m going to have to either figure out a way to sew some of my running attire smaller in such a way that it doesn’t promote chafing or I’m just going to have to further clean out my closet.  Which sucks.  I pretty much love everything that is still left in my closet and don’t want to get rid of it.  Though, I could stand to get rid of a few more pairs of capris that I really do not wear (liking them a lot be damned…if I don’t hardly wear them, then they’re not worth keeping and I’m not wearing them very often because I have too many, then it’s time to thin out the herd, so to speak).  I mean, I’ll wear capris in the winter time, but that’s pretty much the only time I wear them now.  So I’ll keep all the brightly colored and patterned capris and ditch the plain ones that I’m not super keen about anymore, but for whatever reason was reluctant to put in the donation pile last closet clean out session.  Same with the tops.  In the summer, now that I’ve lost all the weight, I pretty much just wear my sports bras, so I could definitely stand to thin out my tank top and running shirt collection.  However, I won’t be getting rid of my race shirts.  I will most likely make a quilt out of them in the future.  I earned those and I want to keep them!

 

I tried gluten free bread this last weekend for the first time and I have to say I really liked it.  I had it when a friend and I went out for BBQ over the weekend and then again that night to “carb load” for Sunday’s 19 miles of running, toasted, with some cashew butter and honey on top.  It’s denser than regular bread, but has a really good flavor.  So it’s a winner in my book and will probably be my go-to when it comes to bread.  It’s not paleo as it is made with rice flour and potato starch, but it has no gluten bearing grains in it, so it agreed with my body and didn’t cause any ill effects.

 

TMI here, but I woke up to a Mother Nature surprise Monday morning.  Joy of joys!  So, I’m up on the scale a few pounds because of that, but I’m not worried about it as it’s all bloat and not actual weight gain.  It should be gone by the end of this week, middle of next (definitely by the end of next week...worst case scenario).  I’m really hoping to break into the 140’s by the end of this month.

 

A LOT of people have been commenting on how “tiny” I’m getting and I have to say it feels good.  I don’t want to be all conceited or anything like that.  I don’t think it’s going to my head, all the compliments, but I will say it feels nice and makes me feel good about myself.  I do like to look at myself in the mirror and my reflection in windows.  But mostly that is just in awe and shock of my transformation.  I love to look at my muscle definition mostly.  It’s been over 10 years since I could really see my muscle definition…back when I was attempting to do bodybuilding.  That’s a whole ‘nother life.  A whole ‘nother obsession (like I’m obsessed with running now).