Sometimes you just need a song.

There are days when my words don't work.  When I've worked really hard, given it all I had, left everything on the track, or trail, or sidewalk, and I have nothing to say.  I've emptied my heart of all its heaviness, my problems have evaporated with my sweat, and rest will bring the only peace I need.

It is in times like these that I find music that says everything I could have hoped to.  It takes the words in my heart, puts them to a fancy beat, and blasts it out for the world to know. 

Here is that song today:

We NEED to talk about chickens.

 I like chicken.  Chicken is great, versatile, yummy, etc.  However, I have noticed a branding thing lately that is driving me CRAZY!!

"Anti-biotic, organic, vegetarian chicken."  The first one is great - we should probably not over medicate food that we intend to eat.  The second one - great, so we know that this chicken is a living thing and not plastic, hooray!!  The third is flat out bullshit.  Chickens, by their very nature, are not vegetarians.  This is not natural.

WHAT?!?!?!? 

Have you been to farm??  Have you seen a wild chicken??  They scratch the dirt for worms and grubs, not potatoes.  They eat bugs, not cornmeal. (I do realize that as birds they naturally eat a little bit of everything - that they aren't strictly carnivores).  Do I think that chickens should be fed chicken, or diseased animal by product - nope.  Do I think that they should be allowed to eat what chickens normally eat - sure do.  Will I be lured by marketing statements that are laced with tomfoolery - no way. 

We are smart people, and vegetarian chickens don't make sense!!!

I, for one, will be seeking out local chickens that have gotten to be chickens - bugs and all.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Training!

It's beginning to look a lot like training.

I thought today could perhaps be a funny blog, but nope, not happening.  With training heading to full on crazy mode, it's all I can really think about.  Where am I going to run?  How far? What will the conditions be like?  Will I have to run 80 laps on the track?  So many variables!!

Truth be told - I love this.  I am certainly a person that works much better under pressure.  The more complicated something is, the more I will enjoy it.  I kinda like that "I'm a badass" feeling you get from training.  I also really like to plan - which gets tricky during the days of weather unpredictability.

It's time.  It's time to drag out my serious gear, and prep food schedules, and find mid-run fuel, and create longer playlists, and make sure all my cold running pants are clean, and kick some booty.

Here's to training in below freezing temps, to long runs, to mile repeats, to stretching and sore hips, to carbo loads and electrolytes, to gear checks and re-checks, to being awake and running and living.

The Current Playlist

I just realized that I have failed to share my current playlist with you.  Either that, or I have forgotten that I did post it and this will be a recap.

I have found that once I find a good playlist it's really hard to make changes.  It's hard to move on from *perfect*.  (I know - you all are thinking, "perfect?  really?)  I have made some additions - mostly because my runs are becoming longer, and I think I have heard "Written in the Stars" over 150 times.  So, here you go:

*this is a running playlist, and I usually am looking for a certain beat*

Enter Sandman - Metallica
The Distance - Cake
Written in the Stars - Tinie Tempah
I'm So Excited - The Pointer Sisters
Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol
We Found Love - Rihanna
Otis - Jay-Z and Kanye
Untouched - Veronicas

That is a super solid 30 minute playlist.  Want Part Duex??

Feel So Close - Calvin Harris
Tightrope - Janelle Monae
Sandstorm - Darude
Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation (I wanted this song forever. Finally had to google "oh oh oh oh oh".  BAM!
Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys
50 Ways to Say Goodbye - Train
Hall of Fame - The Script
It's Time - Imagine Dragons
Anything Could Happen - Ellie Goulding

So, there you have it.  That is what is blasting through my ear buds.  Enjoy!!

In depth - rules.

I have already talked to you about rules.

You know that I love rules.  That I follow rules.  You don't ask questions - those are the RULES.

Here is where I am driven to the brink of insanity; when someone doesn't follow the rules - and doesn't get in huge amounts of trouble.  Don't make rules if you aren't going to follow through on shunning the rule breakers.

When you, as a race, say "no headphones" - I expect that those people running by me with earbuds in will be struck down by the race gods, and give a big, fat, DNF.  I've never seen that happen.  I've never so much as seen an official ask them to take them off.  SO WHY MAKE THE RULE!!!!!

I could go on and on with examples, but I'll just leave you with this.  For those that follow the rules - thank you.  You make my world a happy little place.  I appreciate your respect for the rules.

For those of you with blatant regard for rules... may your underwear ride high 65% of the year.

All the reasons not to.

My legs hurt, my hips are sore, I have asthma, the weather is terrible, it's raining, it's windy, it's too dark, the arthritis is my jaw is too painful, my shoulders ache, I'm tired, I'm busy, I have to work 12 hours today, I need to clean the house, I need to wash the laundry, I want to watch tv, I want to bake, my feet hurt, my toenail is coming off, I JUST DON'T WANT TO.

These are all the reasons that I have come up with lately for why I could "get out" of running.  Yes, I have all those ailments, those distractions, those obligations.

It's odd how that happens, right?  How something that you know you love to do, that brings you so much joy, can become nagging.  I find that most of the people make their lists of "why nots" and don't. 

But there are those of us that keep coming back to this:  I have to.  I need to.

... and that is what keeps me going.  The knowledge that I will be complete at the end of the run.  I will be whole.  I will remain sane.  For now.

Find and embrace the "I have to-s".

Namaste Y'all.

So, my cats hate Mardi Gras...

It's a fact.  They hate it.  Mainly, because the entire celebration taunts them - with feathers.

On my fridge (the freezer part) I had an awesome magnet.  It was of a Mardi Gras lady, with feathers in her hair.  Pretty.  Pink and Pretty.  Pretty and Pink and Sparkly.

And then, the cats exacted their revenge on the taunting magnet.  Some how they got it down (levitation is my best guess), broke it in half, and ripped the feathers off.  She never even had a fighting chance.

Hank and Pearl want you to know that they WILL NOT be allowing the good times to roll in their presence.  Not this year.