Two Infinity and Beyond

So here we are...2 days until the marathon. Is the Ocho nervous? Yes, yes she is. However, she is feeling pretty good. It may be all in her head, but she's been taking Glucosamine for a couple of weeks now and it seems to be helping my knee. (There was suppose to be a photo of a bottle of Glucosamine here, but the blog wouldn't allow me to upload it.) Either way, for those of you that aren't familiar with Glucosamine, here is a little blurb from the Arthritis and Glucosomine Information Center:
Hundreds of thousands of people have used Glucosamine, and many have found it extremely effective to not only effectively ease their arthritis-related joint pain, but to also to provide them with far more than just long lasting relief. Glucosamine has been shown in clinical studies to regrow cartilage3, slow the progression of joint deterioration, and possibly even modify the disease itself with almost no side effects.
Ok, so the Ocho doesn't actually have arthritis, but she does have some joint pain. Both of the Ochos have been popping the Glucosomine and icing down their knees hoping for as little trouble with the IT band as possible on Sunday.
In other news, the HP08 has picked out her outfit for the big race day. She will start out in this:




















Hp08 will also have gloves and a ear muff thing at the beginning. About 3-5 miles in, she'll take the shirt off and have the tankini on:
















Either way, I'll still be wearing the 3/4 length pants and a yellow bandana in my hair.

Ok, well here it is...my last pre-marathon blog. The Parents Ocho just arrived in town and are waiting in the office. Wish the Ochos luck! And thank you so much to everyone in advance that may be coming out to cheer them on! Here's hoping for good weather, good health and the wind at our backs...

Oh, No, He Didn't!

http://www.wonkette.com/politics/george-allen/george-allen-bad-for-bicyclists-bad-for-virginia-210294.php

Four the Love of God

Well here we are, only 4 days left and feeling pretty good. Senor Ocho and HP08 did their second to last run this morning. A brisk, I mean BRISK, 3 mile jaunt through scenic Anacostia. It was FREAKIN' FREEZING OUT! Come on! What is with this weather?!? Seriously...what happened to Fall? These runs are making HP08 think of the Ochos winter long training session for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. She even tried to find her ugly knit pink hate that she used to wear on the coldest of cold days. It is HOT-T-T. Maybe God is trying to make the Ocho nostalgic for the days when HP08 and Senor Ocho were excited about their marathon prospects. At this point, though, the Ocho is kind of just ready for all of this running to be done for a while. In the mean time, however, it's run Ocho run...except for on Thursday and Saturday…those are rest days.

9 to 5 What a Way to Make a Living

So, here's the update since HP08's post at the 9 days mark: The nightmares have stopped. No more dreams about not being allowed to run or forgetting equipment. In a real life nightmare, though, the Ochos haven't really figured out what they're going to do with their goos and waters and such the day of the actual race, but they'll probably figure that out in the next few days. Neither of them really want to wear their fuel belts during the race, but they don't really see a way around that. The belts are pretty heavy when full, but they also provide their only means of storage. They'll probably disperse their goos and such to their various race viewers while keeping enough on themselves to survive. They’ll probably only fill a few of the bottles on the belt to try and avoid the weight issues. They love the fuel belts, but it would definitely be nice to not be dragging the extra baggage around.

Now that the Ochos only have two runs left before the big day, HP08 is actually getting a little nostalgic for their weekly running schedulers. It may have something to do with the fact that the Ochos have been doing this running weekly for about half of their relationship, but HP08 can safely say that she is not completely dreading tomorrow morning's 3 miler. One more on Friday but otherwise the focus is on rest this week.





Oh, and the Ocho can't wait to be done with this thing so she can go out boozing with the HPs again. :)

6 degrees of seperation

It's Monday, Monday, Monday and in six days it will be Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
HP08 and Senor Ocho did their last "long" run this weekend going back to the heart of their training program, the National Mall. They did 7 miles at a decent clip and then the Ocho iced down her entire body, more specifically both of her knees. On Sunday each of the Ochos started their marathon diet too. Essentially this means that they eat a balanced diet and a lot of it. So far today, the Ocho has had:
2 boiled eggs
1 bagel w/ light cream cheese
1 apple
1 large salad with lettuce, tomatoes, feta, tuna and olives
1 bag of animal crackers
Tonight will be chicken with pasta and sauce with some green beans or broccoli on the side.
Yes, it's kind of gross. (For the good of the children, I won't list what I ate yesterday.)

The Ochos can hardly believe that this thing is a mere 6 days away. It seems like a lifetime since they started training, but somewhere in the back of her mind HP08 probably never really believed they were going to do it. Now it's less than a week away!!!

Until next time, here are a few photos the Ocho took this weekend. Enjoy the Fall!

Running to Stand Still

Ok ladies, here's the deal. The Ocho is starting to go in to complete crazy person, freak out mode. HP08 had another dream about the marathon last night. This one involved running and running and never actually reaching the starting line and then suddenly, as the starting line is supposedly approaching, she realizes that she forgot to pick up her number the day before at the Armory. Past dreams have included being told that the Ocho is not physically ready for the marathon and not being allowed to run, being told that her number is too high and they've run out of space to let people run and getting horribly sick the morning of the race. So yeah, total crazy person.

In other news, HP08 ran 3 miles last night. She did it at a pretty good clip because she just wanted to be done with it. Unfortunately, it appears that a lot of the Ocho's running is turning in to a mission to be done with all of this craziness. Tomorrow morning HP08 and Senor Ocho run 7 miles and that's their last big run before the marathon. Next week the Ochos will be doing some shorter runs, but they'll also have more rest days in prep for the big day.

9 days until the marathon!

Steppin'

Steppin' up
Ok Ladies, the marathon is a week from Sunday. That's right, just 11 short days until HP08 and Senor Ocho take off on the longest trek of their lives. Did you know that the first Greek man to run a marathon crossed the finish line and promptly died? Yeah, that's right, death. That's what we're facing here people!
The Ochos have spent the last week or so doing their regular runs and making sure to get their walking in too. HP08 went to the grocery store last night and loaded up on the healthy foods including plenty of protein and vegetables. The IT band is feeling MUCH better, and HP08 barely felt it on her 3 mile run in the rain last night. So, physically the Ocho is doing pretty well. She just needs to prepare mentally now. We're definitely in the home stretch and the Ocho is starting to get pretty nervous.

Are you Steppin'?
The Ochos are hoping that all of the HPs are going to be able to come out and cheer them on during the marathon. For HP08 especially, the cheering and encouragement makes all the difference in the world. The Ocho understands that the 29th is HP04's birthday, though, so hung-over cheering is fine too. :)

Steppin' in to the Ring
Well some of you already know this, but the Ochos got engaged on Friday night. Senor Ocho did an excellent job with both the proposal and the ring and HP08 was completely surprised. Both of the Ochos learning to say "fiancé" and getting used to concept of being together For-ev-er. The Ocho has already bought her first two bridal magazines, but was not willing to lay down the $10 for the nice ones so she got the $6 ones. Everyone, including the family Ocho, is very excited and looking forward to possibly a Christmas wedding in AZ.

(Senor Ocho and HP08 on their West Wing tour the morning after the proposal. )








(The ring in the Rose Garden)








Step-Step
Finally, we'll end this "steppin'" themed post with a shout out to good ol' Salt and Pepa:

All you gotta do is just step-step
Me and you, we're through so just step-step
All you gotta do is just step-step
I hate to be ya

The Cold Sore

Ok, so when did it get Freakin' Freezing outside!?! This is a photo of the Ocho running this morning:












OK, so that's not actually true, but HP08 and Senor Ocho froze their Ochos off this morning on their 3 mile run. Afterwards the Ocho wrapped herself in a blanket while she iced her knee trying to get her body temperature up before jumping in the shower. She looked pretty silly.

The Ochos are supposed to do a 7 mile run as part of their tapering this weekend. At the beginning of the week it looked like that might be a little rough, but thanks to HP04's stretching tips and a steady icing regiment HP08's IT band is starting to feel a bit better and she feels like she can get back in to the training plan. Hopefully this weather will warm up a bit, though, because this cold does nothing but make everyone sore and stiff while they are running!

Only 16 days left!!!

While checking out The Renegade Crafters blog I came across the post "It's beginning to look a lot like (retail) Christmas" which linked to Armor of God PJs. The woman who runs this scheme I mean business, got the idea from God who thought it would be wonderful if all children have an opportunity to put on PJs that symbolize the armor of God. The PJs include a PJ top with a breast of righteousness and a belt of truth - otherwise known as a chastity belt - pants with wings of peace to cover the feet (feet wings?), a helmet of salvation (if your child needs a helmet to sleep i think you might have larger problems), a shield of faith pillow and a sword of the spirit. Does seem to anyone else that they've just geared these kids up for a serious pillow fight? I wonder when God will tell Susie to stab little Stevie with her sword of the spirit. One can only hope he'll be quick enough with his shield of faith so we get a serious pillow sword fight..

A GOP fingering. And not in a good way.

HP03 is a slacker blogger and she knows it. She is also a major slacker in the working out and is well aware of that fact too, but she decided to interject this little ditty...a joke:

Why don't Republicans use bookmarks anymore?



They prefer to just bend over pages.

Ah, you love it. Don't fret GOP, in all of their recent newsletters (and I think they send 37 a day), the Family Research Council has decided to blame the gays:

"The Party of Whose Values

The ricochets of the Foley scandal continued to whistle overhead this weekend. As a guest on Fox News Sunday I again raised last week's report by CBS's Gloria Borger about anger on Capitol Hill that "'a network of gay staffers and gay members protect[ed] each other and did the Speaker a disservice'" in the Foley scandal. On Friday, an internet site quoted a "gay politico" observing that "[m]aybe now the social conservatives will realize one reason why their agenda is stalled on Capitol Hill." Sunday's New York Times revealed that a homosexual former Clerk of the House of Representatives, Jeff Trandahl, was "among the first to learn of Mr. Foley's" messages to pages. The Clerk's job is described as a "powerful post with oversight of hundreds of staffers and the page program." This raises yet another plausible question for values voters: has the social agenda of the GOP been stalled by homosexual members and or staffers? When we look over events of this Congress, we have to wonder. This was the first House to pass a pro-homosexual hate crimes bill. The marriage protection amendment was considered very late in the term with no progress toward passage. Despite overwhelming popular approval, the party seldom campaigns as the defender of marriage. The GOP will have to decide whether it wants to be the party that defends the traditional moral and family values that our nation was built upon and directed by for two centuries. Put another way, does the party want to represent values voters or Mark Foley and friends?"

Seriously, look at Tony Perkins. He's so gay he's a bottom's bottom.

A hard Day's Night / The Age of Orange

Well...here's the deal... The run didn't go exactly as planned on Saturday. It started off well enough. The Ochos got the fuel belts filled, they had their energy bars and they took off from Senor Ocho's house at 8am.
The first 14 miles went pretty smoothly despite the cold temperatures (lower 50s) and getting hit with rain between mile 5 and 7. But then the wind shifted and the temperature took a dive. It wasn't just cold, it was cold, wet and really windy. Senor Ocho's quad muscle was the first to pay the price, closely followed by HP08's IT band. The Ochos discussed it and decided that they could keep running, but they weren't sure what kind of damage they would do to themselves and whether it would be repairable in the next three weeks. So, they ended up walking/running (mostly walking) the next 8 miles. In total they did complete about 22 miles, but it wasn't exactly in the form they would have hoped. By the time they got back to Senor Ocho's house, the Ocho's fingers were so swollen from the cold that she couldn't bend them and all of the muscles in their bodies were in tight knots. They figured that finishing is what really counts even though they were pretty frustrated.
The Ochos did learn one thing on their great journey, though...runners are WAY TOUGHER THAN BIKERS! :) Throughout their 14 miles on the Parkway Trail, the Ochos ran in to a number of runners toughening out the cold, but how many bikers did they see? 3. This of course pleased Senor Ocho. (As some of you know Senor Ocho has a serious, completely irrational hatred for bikers.) But, what we have here is a clear indication that runners are more committed to their sport and that bikers are big wusses that were hiding out at home waiting for the skies to clear. ;)
In another bit of news, the Hp08 has invested in her last new pair of running shoes prior to the marathon. She's been running in them for about a week now and is pretty please. The Ocho was heart broken when they discontinued her beloved Asics 2100 but she has now made the smooth transition into the 2110. In fact, the Ocho is kind of liking the flashy new orange color. Tip a little out for the 2100s, though...they served her well.

2110s vs. 2100s

The evolution of the Ocho: a runner master, a trainer, a crime fighter?

Today, October 6, 2006, 22 days before the Marine Corps marathon, the Ocho prepares for her 23 mile run tomorrow morning. The first step? Updating the tunes:


It is time to replace many of the tunes on HP08's iPod shuffle. She is surprised at how many songs have been ruined by her training. Songs that used to get her pumped up now annoy her when they come on the radio because she associates them with miles and miles of running. Dixie Chicks, The Clarks, and Clay Aiken are now represented on the Ocho's 9 hour running mix.


The Ocho must then evaluate her physical situation. Sleep? Check. Food? Check. (Well...you probably aren't actually supposed to eat McDonald's fries the day before a long run, but watcha gonna do.) Sore Iliotibial band? Check.

Soreness in the Iliotibial band is a fairly common injury for runners that HP08 expected to surface much earlier in her running, but her body has chosen to put this little ache and pain off until less than a month before the Big Day. There was an excellent article on the IT bands (that's what those of us that are in the know call it) in the Washington Post this week. "The iliotibial, or IT, band, a rope of fibrous tissue that extends from hip to knee, along the outside of the thigh. It can become cranky in us amateur fitness folk due to overuse or poor exercise form. The injury is most common in runners but also afflicts cyclists, swimmers, hikers and others who engage in repetitive, moderate-to-intense knee-flexing activities." You can find the article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR2006100200971.html

HP08 also found this nifty diagram of a stretch you can do for your IT band:



The Ocho found it a little frightening and had trouble figuring out where all of the body parts were...




Finally, in preparation for her big run, the Ocho must prepare her soul. How does she do this? By becoming a CRIME FIGHTER!!!


While HP08 was running last night (during the day light her 3 mile path takes her from her house to RFK stadium and back) she witnessed a fight between a couple on the side of the road. The man had a hold of the woman's hair and was using it to try and drag her out of the car. After taking note of the man's face, the Ocho looped around, found the nearest cop and reported the crime. The cop took off in the direction of the argument. The Ocho felt that she had done her civic duty, but decided not to take that route by herself in the evening anymore.

So, here we go. Tomorrow's 23 miles will be the last big run before the marathon and the Ocho couldn't be more excited. With the 20 miles HP08 was filled with nothing but dread, but knowing that this is it before the marathon gives her more of a sense of excitement than total despair. We'll see how HP08 is feeling come Saturday evening, but for now, she's focusing on the excitement and not the inevitable pain. Giddy-up!

High Fives to all the General Smallwood HPs

Well, as expected, the ladies did fantastically at the General Smallwood tri on Saturday. It was an early morning (we met in Alexandria @6 to drive to the race...thats 6 AM), but it was GREAT racing weather, everyone had a good attitude, and all participants finished looking HOTT.

CoachHotSpeedo was even around to add to the cheering (although at one point he tried to take away the cowbell from HP02, insisting that it was too early to be making so much noise). No can-do, CHS, I have some serious cheering to do!

And now is the part that Ricky has been waiting for...he finally made the blog. All those mid-day runs, JambaJuice smoothies and healthy eating habits paid off. HotPantsRicky came in second in his age group, and took home a medal! ROCK OUT!! Next year how about the XTerra?

Support the Carpenter's Cupboard through Senor Ocho and the Ocho's marathon

As many of you know, Senor Ocho and HP08 have spent the last year training to run the Marine Corps Marathon, which they will be participating in on October 29th. It’s been a long road and they are both looking forward to the big day. Since they have been training on their own and are not running with any particular organization, they thought it might be nice to run in honor of a charity that is close to their hearts, the Ocho's Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Bud’s food pantry in Denver, Colorado. A few months ago, HP08's Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Bud packed up their lives in New Jersey and move to Colorado to take over the operation of the Carpenter’s Cupboard. While the Carpenter’s Cupboard has been around for quite a while, in some ways they have to start from scratch and they’re working hard to get everything up and running. They have written a little description of their operation that is included below. If you would like to sponsor Senor Ocho and the Ocho's run, all of your donations will go straight to their efforts in Denver. No amount is too small and every little bit helps. Feel free to post here if you’re interested. Thank you in advance!
-Ocho Out




The Carpenter's Cupboard

We are a nonprofit charity, Incorporated as such with the State of Colorado. We have filed for our 501-C-3 status with the federal government, but are advised by our attorney that the approval could take as long as eight months. However, any contributions received in the interim are retroactively qualified as charitable.

We are not affiliated with any organization, church or group, although I suppose that we could be described as "faith based." Our only financial support comes from individuals and occasionally from local churches as a community service outreach.

We serve the greater Denver area and do not restrict services to any particular part of the community. We give food to anyone who asks, based on family size and availability of food on our shelves. We also distribute donated clothing, baby things, like carseats, toys, bedding and household goods such as dishes, pots and pans etc., whatever people are able to give for the needs of others.

A certain amount of money is set aside each month to provide minimal financial support to those with a demonstrable need for help to avoid eviction, loss of utilities, prescription drugs, etc.Our staff consists of Aunt Gretchen and me and about 25 volunteers. No one receives any pay or compensation. We are open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The days and hours are limited by the amount of food that we receive as donations from five area supermarkets and one food warehouse. We are also limited by the number of volunteers we have. Because we are new to the community, we have a very limited pool from which to draw but it seems to be picking up. We pick up the food in two superannuated former Ryder rental trucks. The volunteers work one or two shifts a day, each is about 2 1/2 hours long. Aunt Gretche and I are there from 7 until about 5.

In our first two full months of operation, we have fed about 9,700 people, about 2/3 of which are children. That puts us on track to serve almost 60,000 people for the year. We operate from five storefronts in a 1950s vintage strip mall in a neighborhood which is not quite "transitional" yet.

That's pretty much what we do. It's not very glamorous, but it certainly has its rewards.

the Ocho was wrong...

OK, so remember when the Ocho brushed off the emails from HP04 and TG when they said "maybe we shouldn't relay the triathlon on Saturday. We don't want to make you even more sick..." HP08 thought "I’m tough...running will make me better, not worse! It's time to get back in the saddle!" Well, little did the Ocho know that come Saturday night she would be knocked on her ass by the worst sinus infection of her life. Does she blame the triathlon? No. Does she blame her complete stupidity in pushing herself too much before she was completely well? Yes. To be honest, HP08 felt pretty good all morning and through the race as exhibited by this photo:

















Doesn't HP08 look happy and healthy?

And how sexy do all of the HPs look here:

















Ok, well by the time HP08 got home, all she wanted to do was curl up and die. Just as she drifted off, angry landlord lady came busting through the door yelling about needing to fix the washing machine. HP08 slipped out the door, got her car washed and her hair cut. She then spent the night on her couch watching Sopranos, with an ice pack on her face, breathing in through her mouth and out through her nose. She was horrified when she looked in the mirror and saw her face was actually swollen from her sinus congestion. When the Ocho called MamaOcho and PapaOcho for much needed sympathy they were out on a Saturday night, which is very uncommon but fitting.
Either way, HP08 apologizes the HP04 and TG for assuming that they only wanted to get out of their relay commitments and weren't really concerned for her health. Apparently their concerns were warranted and HP08 should listen to her HP sisters more often...
HP08 finally went to the doctor on Monday and is now thoroughly medicated and ready to get back on track with her training. 26 days and counting!

HP02 is right...Boys DO like Bell Biv Devoe!

The night before the Luray TRI earlier this year, HP02 informed the HPs (including RS, AKA PittsburghHotPants) that she possessed three trade secrets for picking up boys, one of which describes how boys go crazy over BBD's early 90's hit, "Poison." Needless to say, the HP's were skeptical of this assertion, given that most boys just aren't that cool.

Jump forward 4 months to the General Smallwood TRI last weekend, where HP01 chatted-up with a boy in the registration line who was admiring the HP's team outfit (OOOUUUTTTFFFIIITTT) and said, "with a team outfit like that, you should have a cool team song." To which HP01 replied, "Good Man! Of course we have a team song!" And she broke out into song, "That girl is poison!! Never trust a big butt and a smile!" His response..."OH MY GOD, I LOVE BELL BIV DEVOE!!"

Now you know!