Wednesday, May 20, 2015

WWU - Snakes in the Rain

I had a couple of good title options for this post - I could have called it Two By Two By Two Plus Canines Equals Nine...darn it, so often I have nothing, and today I had two good ones!    That title refers to how we paired off for our run on Sunday - Jeff and Brian, with Koda-dog, Cristy and Andi with Bella-dog, and Cary and I with Abby-dog. 

Anyway, our run on Sunday started out with the temperature at 76 degrees, plus heavy humidity.  This was the morning after a day of indulgent eating, so I was already feeling a bit on the sluggish side...combine that with the weather, and it felt like I was barely moving.  But about a mile and a half into the run, it started pouring rain, which cooled us down, so it ended up being a decent run after all.  However, we weren't without an adventure (because running in a downpour wasn't enough of one)...

Now, I've seen my share of snakes - mostly dead, thankfully - during my years of running, but on Sunday, we ran by the biggest snake EVER...it was about six feet long, no joke.  It always feels extra startling because we're moving fast toward it, and we usually don't realize that there's a snake in the road or on the sidewalk until we are practically on top of it.  This thing was huge - about as thick as my forearm, and like I said, really long.  At least it was obviously dead - it was in the gutter and had been run over by a car.  But wait, there's more:  this was the second snake we ran by that morning.  The first one was pretty big, but probably only two feet long.  Cary and I came upon it so fast that there was some screaming and jumping happening...you know how a cartoon character looks when their legs turn so fast that they have wheels for legs?  Yeah, that would be me.

I know the snakes are just looking for dry ground, what with all of the rain that we've had...the land is saturated and it doesn't get a chance to dry out between storms.  Logically, I feel for the snakes.  But that's when I'm sitting at my desk.  When I'm sharing the same road with them, all empathy goes out the window and I want them GONE!  I had a big case of the heebie jeebies yesterday morning as we ran in the dark - thankfully, we didn't come across any snakes, but we were definitely on the lookout and were a bit jumpy as well.

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We ran three miles on Sunday, doing 2:1 intervals.  Yesterday, it was just Jeff and I running, so we decided to run without intervals.  We did one mile, then took a very short walking break, then ran another mile.  I was glad to see that I could still run without having to do intervals, and really, I didn't particularly need that walking break - but I took it anyway.  It's so much warmer than it was just a month ago, and it's making running more of a challenge, so I might as well relax and just take it easy...no need to push it, because I know I can run a decent pace when the weather is cooler.  We've hit the summer running temps already and need to adjust our expectations for running.

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I discovered the greatest way to style my hair on Sunday - seriously, people were complimenting me on how good my hair was looking at breakfast after our run!  If you want to replicate it, here's what you need to do:  First, start off with hair that not only hadn't been washed in two days, but make sure there is plenty of hairspray left in it from the day before.  Scrape into high ponytail, plus wear a headband.  Go for a run and sweat a lot so your hair gets sweaty and gross.  Then run an additional 1.5 miles in the rain, so your entire head of hair is soaking wet.  Remove headband and take down ponytail, create a semblance of a part with your fingers, and boom - best wavy hair ever!
Good hair selfie...wonder if I can replicate this for a wedding in July?

16 comments:

  1. Awwww you have a Bella-dog in your running squad? And you didn't get a picture for me?

    Snakes, they scare the hell out of me in the zoo. So I'm so glad we don't have them here. At least there are snakes but little ones and I have never seen one in real life, thank goodness.

    You made me laugh with your hairdresser tip :)

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    1. Bella is a sweetie - and no pics, because I'm a terrible blogger. Maybe next time I see her...

      You don't have snakes living around you?? Lucky!!

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  2. ~~shudder~~~. I hate snakes and scream like a sissy when I see one...dead or alive!!!

    Love your hairstyling tips! Sounds like my kind of methods!

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  3. You have those beachy waves in your hair everyone tries to emulate :D

    Last fall I lifted up the carpet covering our front stoop and 4 snakes slithered out. I about jumped onto the roof LOL!

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  4. I've only ever seen one "small" snake on my run and like you mentioned I didn't noticed until I was right up upon it. I just continued my running stride and hopped right over it while I screamed! Yea, a snake as large as you described would have flipped me out!

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  5. OMG, I would freak out if I saw a snake - I only see deer and they usually stop dead in their tracks and it doesn't freak me out too much.

    Love the curls! I think I'll start by not washing my hair for two days :D

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  6. Ooohhhh - scary! I am terrified of snakes - dead ones included!! Your curls do look good - you are hilarious!!!

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  7. I actually like snakes. But in a controlled environment! Because snakes in the open--how do you know if they are poisonous? Do you know what kind of snakes they were? Are you sure they were dead? or were they just so cold from the rain they had slowed down? These are the things I think about when I see baby snakes on my walk. I usually have to poke them with a stick to see if they're dead or alive.

    Enough about snakes. I like your hair styling! Its similar to what I do when I get out of the pool :)

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  8. NON. NEIN. NIET. NO SNAKES FOR ME!!

    Your hair is also in the perfect condition for an updo. Most people don't realize it actually needs to be full of product and a bit sweaty and dirty for the stylist to work it.

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    1. That's why it was dirtier than normal - I'd washed it Friday morning, but curled it on Saturday, so no wash that day. Curls didn't last, even with hairspray...it was either too humid or I was running around too much. BTW, when I pull my hair up for an updo look? It makes me look like a biblical woman...you know, the ones who never cut their hair? Even my kids agree and shriek in horror when I've showed them that style on me, LOLOL!

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  9. I always get compliments on my hair when it's dirty, has been up in a bun, and hasn't been brushed. Maybe there's a lesson in there for us...

    I'm done seeing snakes, too. We live right next to Lake Lewisville, and the overfull lakes are pushing more and more creatures up into our subdivision. AND the walking paths at my office are surrounded by thick brush and trees. Every time I walk at work, I see several lizards and sometimes a snake. Ick!

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  10. I too get the most complements on my hair when it is on the second day....who knew? Yours really does look awesome!

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  11. LOL re:hair. So why do we bother?
    You reminded me of when I'd been hiking in a local recreation area one spring and halfway thru the hike had to pee. I kept a laser focus on the fact that there was an outhouse at the end, fearing poison ivy butt if venturing off trail. I was desperate when I got to the outhouse. I opened the door and was met by a half dozen slithering baby snakes. YIKES. Yeah, that put the damper on my need and I went to the car and drove to a McD's.

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