Three Things Thursday

1. It is HOT in Alabama! Today's high is supposed to be 97 with a heat index of 105!!!! SHEESH! What will mid July feel like? A few days ago, someone asked a friend if he knew when it was supposed to cool down. His reply...."November."  I couldn't help but chuckle.

2. Yesterday for my Boom Challenge, I did walk/run intervals for 2 miles. Whew...so HOT! But I felt so good afterwards. Most of my outdoor activity has been in the form of walking lately, because I didn't know if I could handle the heat. Yesterday I found out that I can...but only for about 4 minute run intervals :)

3. My Summer Reading Program registration began Tuesday at the library. In 2 days we have registered over 300 kids!!! It is going to be a WILD summer :)

Dark Cloud

I feel like a dark cloud has been following me this week, and I am not sure why. In fact, I almost feel guilty for feeling this way because of all the tornado victims that lost everything. I feel like this week, I should be especially thankful. But I feel blah. I didn't post my Spring Fever update because I just didn't want to...and I had worked hard to stay on top of my goals last week.
I haven't been to the gym since Sunday...I have just been so exhausted each night. I know a run would make me feel better, but I just don't want to go. I just want to go home to my husband and puppy. I feel a bit clingy with them this week. I want us all together whenever possible. The devastation on the television is on around the clock...I want to stop watching, but I can't. We have done a couple of donation runs to neighboring towns, and the library is taking up donations currently.
Just say another prayer for Alabama...and me.

Race Cancelled

With all the damage due to tornadoes, my race that was scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled. I have not ran or worked out since Tuesday. Now that my race is canceled, I am going to try to put in a long session at the gym this afternoon. Hope to work my mileage for the week back up. We have not decided if we are heading out of town this weekend or not. Part of me wants to just stay home, but Tommy wants to go. We have power...though it is spotty...and if we head out of town we will have access to power for the weekend. I am just not sure.
Hope you all have a nice weekend. Continue to keep Alabama in your prayers...I think the current Alabama death total is at 210 as of this morning...thousands have been injured.

***Edit***
A couple of minutes after I posted this, Tommy called and said his boss told him he could use his work van (he is a delivery driver) to load up supplies and take to the affected areas. So I am leaving work early to help with this...I may not get all my mileage in for the week, but I can feel a tiny bit like I am helping my neighbors around the state. 

We are Okay!

Thanks so much to blogger friends that have sent emails and txts to me in the past two days. Tommy and I are fine. My heart is breaking over the devastation throughout Alabama and other southern states. As of this morning 128 have been confirmed dead in Alabama. 40 miles South a complete town was wiped out. 40 miles East stores and homes have been leveled. Closer to home, we are lucky to only be dealing with mostly wind damage. On my street alone there were multiple houses with trees through the roofs.
In Huntsville and surrounding areas (where many friends live...and where we frequent on weekends) they are without power. They have said it could be up to 5 days before power is restored due to damage with TVA.

At one point yesterday, there was a tornado warning in every county of Alabama. It was insane...the media did not know what areas to concentrate...and were basically telling the entire stated to take cover. We were without power most of the day yesterday...but it was restored last night...I was thankful for my radio on my iPod, candles, and friends in other areas with access to television to tell us when the next round should hit.
There were anxious moments when the tornadoes were going through Tuscaloosa...I have both friends and family in that area...and was nervous until we heard from them.

Today is a day to count blessings and hug friends...and strangers that have lost people they love. Please say a prayer for my state. 

Early AM workout!

With the weather getting warmer, I have decided to try to change up my outside runs to the mornings. This will help with both the weather and getting in my evening meal before 7 *I hope*. Currently, I am off on Mondays and always do my Monday run between 8 and 10 AM. So far, all of my Monday runs have been great. Maybe it is because I don't feel rushed like I do after work. I don't get off until 5 most days, so when I run after work and drive home, it is usually 7 or later...then I have to cook and it makes my evening meal later than I would like.

Today I tried out the early morning run and really liked it. I got up at 4:45, did my few morning chores, had breakfast, changed into my gym clothes, packed my work clothes and toiletries and was out the door by 5:30. It takes about half an hour to get to the town I work in, where I plan to do the morning runs, so I got to the park a little after six. I had a great hour long workout that included a 2.5 mile run plus a walking warm up and cool down. My mom lives close to the park so I stopped by her house to jump in the shower and get ready for work, and made it to the library 10 minutes early! Whew! Initially I think this plan will take a little getting used to, but I think overall I will like it and my evening won't feel as rushed. I think it will also keep me from making excuses as the temps go up*they are saying 90s by next week..UGH! I will keep my cross training at the gym 2 days a week, and will probably do my speed intervals on the treadmill, too.
I'm getting really nervous about this weekend's 5k! I think I am more nervous about this one than I was the first one. I will probably be running alone, which is fine. But I am just really nervous. My hubby says I shouldn't be nervous because it is just for fun, but I really wanna beat my other time :)

Wild Week and Yucky Feet!

Last week was CRAZY! It included a great 3 mile run, a dentist appointment, a late night at work, a horrible run (had to stop at 2.25 miles), a doctor's appointment, BUYING A NEW CAR!, a run that never got started because of weather, 8 tornado warnings in three days, and flooding! *whew*
My regular workout schedule was really out of whack :) But that is okay, because this week it will hopefully be more routine and will culminate with a a 5k Saturday morning.

Quick question?? Do you guys have issues with your feet peeling? Since I have started running outside, I have noticed that my feet peel constantly! UGH! GROSS!!! I have never really had this issue before, but right now, between my toes, is disgusting. I bought a pumice stone to help, but this is just crazy! I am almost too embarassed to wear flip flops...almost :)

I think I am going to try to shift my runs to all mornings. I usually do my Monday run in the morning, but the rest of the week I do them after work. With the temps going up outside, I think Im gonna try to move them all to the mornings. If I have to do an evening run, I think it will have to be moved inside to the gym's treadmill (but the treadmill is soo boring to me now!) I have just noticed in the past few weeks that my 5:15 pm runs have become really rough, uncomfortable, and no fun! So maybe this will help!

Hope all is well! ~Jess

Weekend Run Recap!

My weekend runs were crazy! Friday I did a short/fast run. My total run was 1.25 miles. I had planned to walk the rest of the 5k but the winds were so bad I just called it a day.
Saturday morning I planned to do my full 5k "Roadkill Run" behind the house. The weatherman had called for storms that morning, but when I left the house all was clear. About 1.5miles in to the run, it started to rain. I just kept of pushing. I really wanted to finish. At mile 2, it started to pour. I stopped to call Tommy to ask him to come pick me up, and told him I would keep running until he got there. I was at about 2.5 when he made it to me. He brought a towel...I was soaked. I was a little upset with myself for not finishing, but about the time I walked in the house the tornado sirens were sounding, so I was glad I stopped when I did! Luckily, a tornado never hit down in my community. A town about an hour away got the brunt of the damage. A blessing that no one was killed in that area.