Busy, busy, blistered

Some time in the last week I grew a schedule that included more activities than Olympic-watching.

On Thursday I "raced" a Splash and Dash in Livermore. It was supposed to be a 1500 meter swim and a 5k run, but my friend and I got there just as they were starting (and still had to change and register) so the race director told us to just jump in on the second loop of the swim. Since I wasn't really in contention for anything I decided to just fool around, test the duct-tape-as-blister-prevention theory, and generally be lazy. There was some giggling in the middle of the lake, I'm not gonna lie. We are intense racers. For the record, duct tape doesn't stay put when swimming. Once I got out I reapplied the tape (because I didn't have socks and didn't want to give my blisters blisters), waited for my friend, and ran with her because it was more fun to talk. I exerimented with holding my hands in different positions so as not to accrue more T-Rex-looking race pictures. More giggling. I made up some nicknames for us, but I was asked not to share hers. We finished the race together, partook of the free pizza (there was beer too but I wasn't feeling it), and drove our happy butts home. Good times.

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This morning I did the Mount Madonna Challenge, a 12k trail run up Mount Madonna (of all places!) The website said there was 1100 feet of climbing. If this number was accurate (I think there might have been more), it felt like we did 900 of it in the first mile and a half. It was STEEP. It was a fun run though, and the fact that it was all foggy and misty made it feel all jungle-y. I got second in my age group - I think there were three of us - so I was pretty happy with my first running-only race in like three years. And we'll just say my slow time was because of all the heinous climbing, k?

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I talked to my mom today. I have tickets to visit her at the end of what I thought was September. Turns out they are for August. So I'm going to Maryland on Wednesday. Good to know.