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March, 2010:

Give Away Post

Mar 31st, 2010
by gazelle.
16 comments

I have in my possession a brand-new (tags still on) women’s Pearl Izumi Optik cycling jacket, size medium. I no longer want to have this jacket in my possession.

I had, originally, purchased this jacket for myself. It is full of fanciness. It arrived in December. It didn’t fit. I put it in a box to return it. And then, a couple of days ago, I found it. Still in the box. The return tag firmly attached. And the date well out of range of the 60 day return policy.  I don’t feel like making a big deal out of it with the company, so I thought, what can I do with this jacket that won’t remind me that, short of a breast reduction, I can’t wear a size medium in this brand?

And so – I am giving it away.

There are three ways to get an entry.

1) Leave a comment here

2) Link back to me on your blog

3) Tweet about it (I’m @gazellesoncrack)  i.e. @gazellesoncrack is giving away a sweet cycling jacket. Go to http://tinyurl.com/yhmyrnc to enter. Or not-I don’t want to limit my chances.

If you do options two or three, please leave a comment to let me know. Each one of the options will get you one entry.

Contest ends at midnight (pacific time) on Sunday April 4.

Winner will drawn on Monday April 5 and announced on this blog. The winner will then have 48 hours to email me with a mailing address and then I will ship out their brand new jacket.

You can live anywhere that I can ship to (international entries allowed).

Only caveat – I am not a giant woman, although I am fairly well-endowed. I would guess that this jacket is on the smallish side of medium.

Swimming like the fishes

Mar 29th, 2010
by gazelle.
4 comments

Today I swam 1500 yards. I know that might not seem like a lot to some of you hardcore swimmers who have trained for (or are training for) fancy long triathlons, but it was a milestone for me.

I was so pleased with myself after finishing my workout that I almost considered putting all my swim stuff back on and making the architect take a picture of me when I got home so I could post it and feel like a rockstar as I basked in the glow of your admiration.

But then I remembered that part of my swim gear involves a swim suit, and the recent pity party (made out of cookies and beer) I threw myself has made that photo less likely to evoke admiration and more likely to make me feel really embarrassed. So, in the spirit of my recent dramatic recreations, just imagine that this is what I looked like when I finished my swim tonight:

(Also, if anyone knows how to effectively mope without cookies or shopping, please let me know.)

My foot is doing much better. I think it is recovering due to the two-fold effect of (a) upcoming doctor’s appointment and (b) public humiliation. Or possibly (a) taking two weeks off running and (b) only wearing very very comfortable shoes. Hard to say.

Today I wore my running shoes all day and didn’t even want to cry once! So, progress.

I have finally been de-feeted

Mar 25th, 2010
by gazelle.
8 comments

Well, not actually, although who knows what the podiatrist will recommend. I am about ready to do a self-amputation, though. (Honestly, it was bad enough last week that I went to a shoe store that sells danskos & crocs to see if there was a shoe that would fit on my foot. Fortunately for me, there wasn’t.)

My foot has not recovered. In fact, the foot is in a pretty bad way. I’m pretty sure that at any second, an alien is going to burst forth from the side of my foot and start trying to hunt down Sigourney Weaver.

dramatic recreation of my foot

Sorry about that photo. But really – you’re lucky I didn’t show you a photo of my ACTUAL foot. It’s much worse. Everyone who’s seen it in the past weeks, INCLUDING A RUNNING SHOE SALESMAN, has said, and I quote, “erghhhhh…..”

So – what does that mean?

Well, it means that I’ve been compensating for the foot pain by walking and running funny and have also managed to turn myself into a hunchback.

dramatic recreation of what I look like right now. seriously.

I haven’t run since last Tuesday, when I went through one of the most painful 4.5 miles of my running career. I was supposed to run with the Ambitious One this Tuesday, but Monday night, when I had to remove my shoe to DRIVE due to the pain, I was forced to call and cancel on her (and leave what was apparently a super pathetically sad voicemail in the process).

Tuesday, I woke up with serious back agony and called in to work. I spent the day moping and whinging.

Wednesday, I made my kick-ass neighbors drink all the wine in North Portland with me and whinged some more.

Today, I whinged at the Ambitious One on a coffee date and Junk Miles on a cocktail date.

Of course, the architect has been blessed with near constant whinging all week (not to mention the grumpiest wife this side of the Mississippi).

I have a podiatrist appointment for next Friday (April 2) to see what’s wrong with my foot. Unless a miracle happens and the alien comes out leaving my foot 100% normal, I will not be running until at least April 3.

April 3 is almost exactly 1 month before the marathon. At this point, my longest run, which was almost three weeks ago, has been 14 miles.

I can transfer my marathon registration to the half marathon without penalty up until March 31. Which is what I am likely going to do.

I am hoping that I will be able to run the three races that I have on my schedule in the next five weeks, but I doubt I’ll be RACING any of them. (And by racing, I of course mean trying to PR, not trying to win.)

So, basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m a marathon drop-out.

And I feel like a giant loser/quitter. Monday evening I told the architect that I was more concerned about looking like a loser than permanently hurting my foot. He asked me at what point during my weekend in Seattle had I turned into a man. Which may have been an insult to men everywhere. I know that this is the right decision, because feet are so important to many of my favorite things: running, swimming, yoga, wearing super cute shoes (which obviously I cannot do right now, and that is almost as bad as not being able to run). I know that very few of you are thinking right now, “that gazelle is such a loser for not being able to run through the pain of an alien gestating inside her foot.” I just hate being a quitter. Because quitters never win, right?

ACK!

Of course, it might be hard to win without my right foot, too.

So – the plan is to step up the swimming & yoga during the next few weeks. I briefly thought about becoming a barefoot runner since my foot doesn’t hurt when there aren’t shoes involved, but then I remembered that barefoot running squicks me out, and decided against that path.

I am also going to try some biking, and if my foot feels okay, I will put on some shoes and lift weights. After 4/2, when the podiatrist magically cures my foot, I will start running again. And there will be great rejoicing! If the podiatrist doesn’t magically cure my foot, I might have some race bibs to get rid of.

And possibly a foot.

For Sale! Half Off!

I hate everybody

Mar 24th, 2010
by gazelle.
8 comments

No – not you. But you, over there? You are definitely on the list.

For some reason, this is a hard week.

And by “for some reason,” I mean, “for a reason that I’m actually aware of, but am not yet ready to share with the internets.” The only people who get to know the “some reason” at this moment are those lucky close friends & architects who are subjected to my whining.

BUT – don’t worry, I will probably bring you down by the end of the week, too, so that you can also be miserable with me.

In NON-misery-related news, I am on spring break this week (hence the light blogging, I’m too busy not having school work, not showing up to work-work, and not exercising at all to have any time left for blogging!). PARTY! WOO! Or something.

Brew Review #14: Mactarnahan’s

Mar 22nd, 2010
by gazelle.
7 comments

The night can be summed up thusly:

1) Great company

2) A’it food

3) BLAH beer

4) Decent service

Brew Review #14 took place at Mactarnahan’s Taproom on Friday February 5, 2010. I know that was over six weeks ago, but seriously, I didn’t even realize until today that I’d never actually finished writing this review. So – this should be great!

Present & reviewing: me (duh), the architect, Ms. Cilley, my kickass neighbors, my former office mate, a former co-worker of the architect’s, and A & L.

The architect & I ordered the double sampler to try everything that was offered.

And for the reactions! WOO!

Alehouse Amber

  • The gazelle: blah; ech

Spring Fling

  • The gazelle: ehn. (these are direct quotes taken from my scrupulous notes)

Slingshot

  • The gazelle: ehn. (Again! The passion this beer inspires!)

Draught Pale

  • The gazelle: ick
  • The archict: NASTY!
  • L: Pisswater
  • A: This reminds me of that scene in Waterworld where they drink their own urine.
  • The neighbor: it’s like drinking out of an open butthole
  • Cilley: Yucky.

Crystal

  • The gazelle: Blech.
  • Cilley: it’s okay.
  • A: not good at all.

Snow Cap

  • The gazelle: not bad
  • A: pretty good (you can see that we were just relieved to have something that didn’t suck!)

Macs Amber:

  • The gazelle: compared to everything else, this is drinkable.

Haywire

  • The gazelle: not bad for Hefe

Brewers Hand (imperial hefe)

  • The gazelle: surprisingly good
  • The architect: this is my favorite. Of the beers here.
  • The neighbor: I like it.

Thunderhead

  • The gazelle: the most boring IPA in existence
  • The architect: it’s alright
  • The neighbor: it’s good.

I didn’t record any food reviews, although I did write down that at one point, the neighbor said, “You just can’t win with sausage.” :)

The food was fine. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t mind blowing. It was food.

I drank a pint of the Brewer’s Hand Imperial Hefe, and didn’t hate it. BUT, I will be pleased to move on! A couple of new “M” breweries have opened recently, so we’ll have to re-visit the “Ms” again, but for now, I’m moving to a new letter!

Brew Review #15

Date: Friday 3/26/10
Time: 4:30 – whenever
Location: Old Market Pub & Brewery
Specifically: 6959 SW Multnomah Blvd.

Old Market is a little stingy with their happy hour – it’s over at 5:30 on Fridays – but they have a number of their own beers on tap, and a decent sandwich & pizza menu. You non-beer drinkers are not left out! They do also have liquor, so you’re covered.

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