11 Things Tag

Thanks Matt, for making it easy to decide what I'm going to blog about for the day. 

1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people! 

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11 Random Things About Me: 

1. I am a night owl!  I don't hit my "peak productivity mode" until about 8 pm and then it's game on!  I get the most done between the hours of 8 pm and 1 am.  After that I am dead to the world. Don't expect me to get up until about 10 am the next day, although I could literally sleep forever if you let me!  (Kinda makes normal work hours a challenge).
2. I clench my jaw when I sleep.  Every morning my teeth are sore from this....kind of like the feeling you get when the orthodontist adjusts your braces.  
3. I still go sledding when it snows out.  Are you ever too old to go sled riding?  We have a small hill in the back of our house and I take the pups out and play during snow storms.  I often wonder what my neighbors think of a 30 year old woman sledding in her backyard.  
4. I am borderline OCD, although my husband will claim that I am 100% full blow OCD.  I like symmetry and straight lines.  If anything is out of place, like a throw rug or a magazine on a coffee table, it will drive me nuts until I fix it.  I am a neat freak and dog hair drives me nuts!  After I am done vacuuming the house I will vacuum the vacuum cleaner.  
5. I am an extreme introvert.  I could live by myself and never talk to anyone for the rest of my life and probably be just fine.  I am socially retarded and often have panic attacks in large social settings.  This makes living with Matty-O, an extreme extrovert, rather challenging at times ;)  He often doesn't understand why him just talking drives me nuts.  
6. I don't feel like an adult and I often wonder if people view me as an adult.  I still feel like a kid that should be seen and not heard.  I especially feel like a kid at work until we get the summer interns and then I realize that I am definitely not a kid anymore.
7. Two things I wish I was actually good at: singing and dancing.  These things are definitely not in my gene pool.
8. If I could change one thing about my physical appearance it would be my skin.  Adult acne is an evil evil joke!  
9. If I could change one thing about myself in general it would be my confidence...especially around other people.  I never feel like I am good enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough, or fast enough and it is really stressful at times.  A lot of times I just feel "replaceable" and like I really have no purpose in life.  
10. One thing that scares me about open water swims, especially in Lake Erie, is water snakes.  I always see them bobbing their black scaly heads around and I would hate to ever come in contact with one of those slimy things.  Yuck!  
11. Things I want to own in my lifetime: a kayak, a tri bike, an in-ground pool, and a finished basement (hint hint Matty-O).  

11 Questions from Matty-O:

1. What would you currently be doing to stay in shape if you never got involved in triathlons?  

Probably just running and some lifting here and there.  Honestly I would probably be a fat couch potato.  

2. What was/is your favorite pet of all time and why?

Otto of course!  He was the best ferret to ever set paw on this earth!  And he loved to hate Matt (aka bit Matt every chance he got) which made him all the more lovable to me ;)

3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where and why?

If I had indispensable funds and didn't have to work I would probably move to Hawaii (Kauai).  It's the most beautiful place I have ever been and there is SO much to do and see!  Realistically I would stay right where I'm at.  Matt and I have the best location ever right by the metroparks.  It's the perfect training location!

4. You won 250 million dollars in the lottery.  What is the FIRST thing you do (like tell people, sleep in the next day, etc (after you have collected the money)) and what is the first thing you buy?

The first thing I would do is tell Matt.  The first thing I would buy....a tri bike.

5.  Out of every race you have done in your life, what is your favorite and why?

San Diego Marathon and Rev3 Cedar Point are tied.  San Diego was the first marathon I ever did.  Matt and I were dating and I originally went to cheer him on.  I ended up signing up for the marathon the day before (on 5k training only) as Matt said he would run with me and I was jealous of all the other people running.  He ran the entire 26.2 miles by my side and even pulled me when I didn't think I could run any further. It was one of the best days of my life!  Rev3 Cedar Point was awesome because it was my first 140.6 and Matt and I had done all the training together and did the entire race together (without drafting).  These were both life changing events for me.  

6.  Do you honestly get annoyed when your husband talks non stop on every run we do together?

Yes and no.  Yes, because I get frustrated that Matt makes every run seem like a joke because he can run and talk at the same time.  I have trouble talking while on my easy runs.  No, because when Matt stops talking on our runs it's usually because we are fighting about something stupid.  I don't like fighting so I would rather have him talk than not talk ;)  

7.  Camping or run down motel room?

Camping hands down!  Not a fan of bed bugs.

8.  Favorite song of all time.  Favorite actor of all time.  Favorite movie of all time.

I don't have any "all time favorites", but the song I could listen to over and over is Nickleback "How You Remind Me".  Favorite actor currently is Scarlett Johansson.  She does well at almost any role she plays.  And the movie(s) I could watch over and over are How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Anchorman.  

9.  Favorite subject in college and why.  Most hated subject in college and why.

I'm going to go with favorite and least favorite class as the subject was all civil engineering related...

Favorite subject in college was Dr. Saada's Foundation Design Course...best course ever! Everyone hated me because Dr. Saada actually took my geotechnical report, Xeroxed it, and passed it out to the entire class.  After which he said, "now this is a Geotech report!"  

Least favorite subject Dr. Saada's Elasticity Course...this first ever course that Matt and I took together.  Matt and I took frequent naps during this class...yawn...which could have been the reason I went to Dr. Saada's office after every class and asked him for help!

10.  What is your dream career?

One in which I make alot of money without having to do anything!  In all reality I really like what I do now and the people I work with ;)

11.  Would you do another 140.6? If so, when, where, and why?

Yes, dunno the when and where, but the why is because I love self torture, bragging rights, and the strong sense of accomplishment!  Rev3 where is your next 140.6 going to be?!?!?!?!


So, now to tag 11 people.  Since almost everyone in the free world has already been tagged I tag those that have not yet been tagged.  Happy blogging!  

The People of The Rec Center

We've all witnessed "the people of WalMart", but have you ever gone to the local rec center in anticipation of a kick ass workout and ended up leaving frustrated and annoyed...let's identify "the people of the Rec Center".

The Pool:

• The Infants- Oh how I hate the kiddie pool! I especially hate when it's time for infant swim lessons!  You couldn't pay me to stick a single toe in that pool after these kids have been in there.  These babies manage to make the entire Natatorium smell like shit....and you know that diaper is not water proof!

• Mr. Lane Hogger - Yup, this is they guy who refuses to look at you when you have been standing at his lane for the past 15 minutes.  He pretends to be engrossed in his workout, but you know he is just avoiding eye contact so he doesn't have to share a lane with you.  
• Sir Splash Alot - This is the guy who takes his aggression out on the pool like it's nobody's business.  I'm not sure how he doesn't have bruised arms after slapping the water like that.  
• The Triathlete - You know you are dealing with a triathlete when they have their bag of pool toys with them and they hog the lane for a good hour or two.  Yup, that's us folks!  (I can't just pick on the non-triathletes, I'm sure people find us annoying too.)
• The High School Lovebirds - These two frequent the rec center to do their kanoodling in the hot tub.  You can be sure I will not be in the hot tub after those two have been in there!
• The "Used to Be A Swimmer in HS" Mom - Another one of my favorites! This lady stands at the edge of the pool and "coaches" (aka yells at) her 5 year old daughter acting like she is God's gift to the world of swimming.  Yet, I have never actually seen the lady get in the pool.  That kid is going to have a complex when she grows up!  
• The Teenage Boys - I hate these kids!  They have way to much attitude and manage to hog an entire lane just to dick around and well...be typical teenage boys. 
• Shamu -  This lady actually intrigues me.  She's about 200 pounds overweight, and God bless her for taking the initiative to do something about it, but she laps me in the pool like she's a hot knife through butter.  I honestly cannot figure it out to save my life! 

The Cardio Room:

• Sir Humps Alot-a Stair Master - Not sure what workout this guy is going for, but the goal is to continuously climb the stairs, not to climb one set at at time just to "ride" the machine on the way back down.  
• The Kanoodlers -  Ahhh yes, we all know and love those happy couples who come to the track every day to get that spice back in their life!  These two hold hands as they not so briskly walk laps, but manage to get in your way when you are trying to do a real workout. 
• The Shadow - Yup, you guessed it.  This is the guy who jumps on the treadmill next to you and copies your every move.  Amazing how he just happens to be doing the exact same speed workout at the exact same time as you.  
• The Teenage Girls - Yes, these are the girls who move from machine to machine, and only spend about 5 minutes max on each machine, yet try to make it look like they are working out.  Not to mention that they are texting on their cell phones the entire time they are on the machines.
• Mrs. Blue Tooth - One of my favorites!  Can you really get a good workout if you are talking on the phone the entire time you are on the treadmill?  And stop annoying me with your lame gossipy conversation that I don't care to overhear, but am forced to because I am actually trying to get a workout in and you just happen to be on the treadmill next to me having social hour.

• The Socializers - These are usually the older people at the rec who instead of going to McDonald's to have coffee with their friends on a Saturday morning, choose to go to the rec center instead.  Although they don't really work out, they just meet up there, move from machine to machine, and talk to their friends along the way....similar to the teenage girls.  
• The TV Watchers - I'm not sure these people actually come to the rec center to work out.  I actually think they come to watch TV.  These are the people who you never see working out...yet every 5-10 minutes you see them come back to the cardio area and just stand there staring at the TV's.  Not sure how intriguing CNN can be without sound???  

The Weight Room:  

• Mr. Macho - This guy comes to the rec and stays in the weight room all day....that is after he has finished his hour long tanning session.  Occasionally, you will see him lift a weight or two, but really he just walks around with his shoulders back, head cocked to the side, and his arms about a foot away from his side because his muscles are "too big" to walk with a normal arm movement and gait.
• The Kids - I wish parents would leave their kids at home or with the babysitter!  Weight machines are not toys and your kid is wasting my time by treating it as a jungle gym! 
• The HS Boys - Yes, they have moved from the pool to the weight room....and if you thought they were bad in the pool, they are even worse in the weight room.  These kids think they are all that and have the attitude to go along with it.
• The Female Body Builder - This lady actually scares me!  There is no reason any female should ever EVER look like that!   

• The In and Out Guy - Not sure what this guy is doing, but he comes in the weight room, spends about 5 minutes between 20 different machines, and then leaves.  I don't think one rep per machine is going to get you those results you are looking for!

The Locker Room:

• Mrs. "I'm too good to use the family locker room", so I'm going to bring my 5 year old son into the women's locker room and let him stare at you while you are buck ass neked.  
• The Talker - This lady doesn't care if you are standing there naked or not, she is going to have a full on conversation with you about anything and everything you have no particular interest in.
• The Mr. Mom's  - These guys stop you just before you enter the locker room to ask you to check on their 5 year old daughter or to see if their wife is still in the locker room.  Sorry sir, your wife and child are not my problem.  Get an ankle bracelet!

What are your "favorite" Rec Center pet peeves?