Where Did The Week Go? (HFHM - Week 5)

Seriously...the last week passed by in a the blink of an eye.  One minute I was sitting in the living room watching Walter and Spot play with their Grandma Naner and the next minute I was sitting in my in-laws living room celebrating Easter #2.

It was absolutely beautiful out on Monday - 70 degrees, sunny, light breeze - the whole 9 yards.  Mr. R&R and I set out for a nice 3.5 mile run IN SHORTS!!!!!  It's a good thing that the weather was fantastic, because the run was not.  The first mile was pretty uneventful aside from both of my shoes coming untied despite having been double knotted.  About a quarter of the way through the second mile, my left calf started to cramp a little.  It was annoying, but I tried to push it out of my mind and keep running.  I think I must have subconsciously adjusted the way I was running to compensate for the calf cramps because a quarter mile later I ended up with a miserable cramp under the right side of my ribcage.  I caved and stopped to stretch.  We got moving again and half a mile later I was forced to stop again to stretch out my various aches and pains.  Fortunately, that seemed to do the trick and we were able to run the rest without much incident. Of course my dumb self didn't look at my training calendar before we headed out - it was supposed to be a 4 mile run!

Tuesday was a quick trip to The Cave for 40 minutes of Pump and Shred (I skipped the lunge track since my right knee is being a bit tweaky).

Wednesday was a chilly one, but Mr. R&R and I bundled up and hit the local outdoor track for a brutal Groundhog workout (7x400).  The first few repeats felt good, and then I think I had a few brain lapses when my Garmin beeped for the rest periods, because I ended up running 3 speed laps in a row instead of sticking a slow lap in the middle!  By the time it was over, I was worn out and starving!

Neither of us felt like cooking, so we swung by a new-ish burger/custard place (the place that provided the bananas and chicken soup after Gary's Gallop) to pick up dinner.  I had no intention of ordering custard, but when I saw that the flavor of the day was sangria, I had to try it.  Verdict: Yum!  The rest of the night was spent on the couch watching the first episode of Deadliest Catch: Season 10.

Further proof that I've never met a sangria I didn't like

Thursday was supposed to be a bike ride, but my legs were killing me, so I took an unscheduled rest day.  Friday was a scheduled rest day, so Mr. R&R and I took advantage of it by going out to our favorite running store on a quiet night so Mr. R&R could pick up a new pair of running shoes since his current pair had hit their maximum mileage - and I got a sneak peek at what my next pair of shoes will look like when the current pair hit their limit.  I'm a fan!

Saturday was long run day and it. was. awesome.  Mr. R&R ran with me again and it was the best long run I've ever had.  7 miles flew by - and felt more like 3 miles than 7.  I'm hoping this is a good omen of things to come over the next 7 weeks. 

The long run was followed by a quick lunch, a shower, and 80 minutes on my new massage therapist's table.  Once again, she managed to work out all the knots in my back and she released a lot of tight spots in my legs.

Sunday was a belated Easter celebration at my in-laws house.  I think the highlight of the event for me was when I took the funky socks out of my Easter basket (my mother in-law likes to give everyone novelty socks for holidays) and put them on my in-laws very tolerant (and somewhat indignant) Australian Shepherd.

Oh, the indignity!

When we got home, Walter had to up the Cute Factor by 1000 while Mr. R&R was cuddling him.

He scooted up that far on his own!

And on that note...I'm out. Monday morning is going to come way too fast!

Easter Overload

Hi! Walter and Spot here.  We've taken over our mom's blog again in celebration of Easter Walter and Spot day.  Yes, we're a few days late, but we needed a little time to recover from all the attention and spoiling!

You see, our Grandma Naner came over to have dinner with Mom and Dad spend the day with us and she brought us an Easter Basket!

Carrots and Parsley and Bananas...Oh My!

At first we weren't so sure about having an extra person in the house, so we hid in our favorite places before coming out to say hi to Naner.

If I scooch all the way to the back of my deck, they can't reach me.

Hiding under my box - on one of my favorite blankets

Our Grandma Naner knew exactly how to get on our good side...she got down on the floor and gave us carrots and lots of nose and ear rubs!  We rewarded her efforts with little nose bumps.

She even plays peek-a-boo with us!

By the time Easter Walter and Spot Day was over, we were exhausted.  The only thing to do was scarf down some of our goodies from Naner and then cuddle up and go to sleep!

Attention = Exhaustion

 We hope you had a good Easter Walter and Spot Day!

I Didn't Believe It Was Possible...

...Until It Happened.

I ran my first "tune up" race (a 5k) of the season today.  In the days leading up to the race, whenever anyone asked me how I thought I'd do, my answer was usually something like "It's gonna be ugly.  There are so many huge hills that I'll be lucky to get under 30 minutes."  I really wasn't expecting to have a good race, much less come anywhere close to my PR from almost 3 years ago. Yes, the first mile and a half was mostly downhill, but that meant that the last mile and a half was all. up. hill.  And one of those hills is the long, steep, monster hill I've grumbled about training on.  Only once in my life have I made it up that hill without walking - today was the second.

But let's back up a little first...

The race started and finished at the athletic complex of a local private college, so I was able to sleep until 7:30-ish this morning which was a nice change from having to be up at Stupid O'Clock.  It was chilly and overcast - perfect running weather.  We drove over to the college, parked, and I went to pick up my packet.  Mr. R&R made the last minute decision this morning to register for the race as well.  Last minute registration and packet pickup were both incredibly well-organized and every volunteer we encountered was super friendly. We still had over half an hour before the race started!

About 15 minutes before the gun went off, Mr. R&R generously offered to pace me to a sub-30 finish. I was all for this idea and quickly agreed as we ran a quick warm up lap on the track while discussing our race strategy: Go out fast. Try to minimize the suckage on the big hills.  After our lap, we finished stretching, listened to the national anthem (complete with two Canada Geese doing a fly over), and observed a moment of silence in honor of those who were killed and injured almost a year ago during the Boston Marathon bombing.

We knew that there was no chip timing for this race as we made our way into the starting area, so time would start as soon as the gun went off - not when we crossed the official starting line.  There was a quick countdown followed by an air horn blast.  I hit 'start' on my Garmin and did my best to push through the slower starters and stay on Mr. R&R's shoulder.  We turned out of the athletic complex and onto the familiar terrain of the parkway.  The first mile was all downhill - including the monster hill.  I rarely looked at my Garmin and instead focused on staying next to Mr. R&R and regulating my breathing.  We hit Mile 1 in 8:26!* 

The road flattened out until just after the turnaround point before beginning the climb up the hill I'd been dreading.  Strangely, it didn't feel as horrible as it usually does.  I was calm, in control of my breathing, and actually enjoying watching the back of the pack and the people doing the 2 mile walk coming down the hill on the other side of the road.  At the top of the hill (and the Mile 2 marker), a volunteer was calling out splits, and I was absolutely stunned to hear 18:xx as I had intentionally only been looking at the distance on my watch, not the time/pace.  Mile 2 was an 8:55.** 

After an all too brief dip in the road, it was all uphill back into the stadium.  This is where the suffering really began.  I was desperate for a short walk break as fatigue hit me hard and my breathing spiraled out of control - oh yes, the bull$#!^ voice was getting very loud. I begged, and Mr. R&R simply said 'No'.  For some reason, that was enough to make me squash the now kicking and screaming bull$#!^ voice back down and keep running.

We turned onto the track for the final lap and I think I finally started to believe that this was really happening.  As we entered the final stretch, a cross country style run from the end zone to the 50 yard line of the football field, Mr. R&R slowed down and said, "Go! Take It!" (he voluntarily let me come in ahead of him!).  I started my closing kick and I felt someone coming up on my shoulder.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a ponytail and its owner looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties, but I wasn't taking any chances after what happened at the South Shore Duathlon last year (got passed in the last 1/4 mile by a girl in my age group), I dug way down deep and kicked a little harder. She dropped off my shoulder and out of my sight as I sprinted across the finish line in a glorious 27:33 - eclipsing my old PR by 1 minute and 18 seconds!  I don't think it would have been possible without Mr. R&R there pushing the pace and refusing to let me give in to the bull$#!^ voice. Best. Husband/Coach. Ever.

As soon as Mr. R&R cleared the finishing chute we moved off to the side and I dropped onto the turf; dizzy, out of breath, and absolutely shell-shocked!  After a few minutes, I dragged myself vertical and we made our way toward the post-race goodies.  I chugged a bottle of water and scarfed down a banana while Mr. R&R enjoyed chocolate milk and chicken noodle soup (I had a bite and it was really good!).  We were going to hang around to watch the kids race and wait for official results to be posted, but big fat raindrops started falling and we took that as our cue to bug out and go home.

Golden Garlic & Buckeye BBQ Wings

We enjoyed a victory lunch of chicken wings at Quaker Steak & Lube and by the time we got home, official results had been posted online.  It turns out that it was a very good thing that I out sprinted that girl at the end, because she was 31 years old...which puts her in my age group! 

Final Results:

Official Time: 27:33 (8:52/mile avg.)

Overall Place: 119/273

Gender Place: 33/141

Division (F30-34) Place: 7/25

* = Mr. R&R says this is where he started to suspect that I was going to PR.
** = Mr. R&R says this is where he knew for sure I was going to do it.

The Bull$#!^ Voice (HFHM - Week 2)

Monday: I should know better than to run the day after my long run.  Actually, I do know better than to do that, but it was warm and sunny out and the forecast called for cold/rain/wind the rest of the week, so I couldn't pass up the chance to run outside again. And fortunately, neither could Mr. R&R.  We headed out on tired legs for a very easy 3 miles.  I really love running with him because he has absolutely no interest in listening to what I've started referring to as "the bullshit voice".  The bullshit voice is that little voice inside my head that is always saying things like: 'This pace is too fast.' 'It's okay to walk for a little while.' and 'I can't do this.'  It's quite simple: If I want Mr. R&R to run with me, I have to tell the bullshit voice to shut. the. %@#!. up - or at least do my best to ignore it.

The first 2 miles were run at a really easy pace, which was a very good thing since my legs were still sore from the previous day's 5 miler and we were running into a pretty strong headwind.  I consoled myself in the last quarter mile leading up to the 2 mile mark that all I had to do was make it up the hill to the turnaround and then the last mile would be mostly downhill/flat and there'd be a nice tailwind.  No sooner did we turn around than the wind switched directions and that tailwind I'd been anticipating became a headwind and Mr. R&R picked up the pace!  Let me tell you - the bullshit voice, which had been pretty quiet, started shouting.  It was saying things like: 'I really need to walk a little.' and 'This is miserable. I don't want to be doing this.'  I could have whined at Mr. R&R and he'd probably have slowed down a little, but I didn't want to do it. I wanted to prove that I could suck it up and hang in there - after all, a big part of racing (especially short distances like the 5k) is learning to suffer because it's over so fast - so I sucked it up and stayed on his shoulder as the pace on my Garmin continued to drop.  By the end of the last mile, I was gasping for air, holding on for dear life, and doing my best to ignore the bullshit voice.  The last mile was a 9:03!  Take that bullshit voice!

Tuesday: My legs were a little creaky this morning, but that was to be expected after running 8 miles in two days after barely running at all in the last 6 months.  It was also rainy and crappy out, so I hit the trainer for a 30 minute spin (while Mr. R&R did his workout) followed by 20 minutes of HardCore Abs.  I learned a little lesson: Do the ab workout before the bike workout!

Wednesday: Rest Day.  I spent my night off from running parked in The Mane Wrangler's chair, sipping red wine, and discussing the best way to keep my highlights from turning 'chlorine green'

Thursday: It was cold. It was windy. I ran anyway.  Mr. R&R agreed to pace me through my first tempo run of the season (my least favorite form of speed work on the planet) so we set off at an almost too easy pace - and every so often, he'd pick up the pace a little.  Around the 2 mile mark we reached the peak of the tempo (2 minutes at under race pace) and then slowly began backing the pace back down.  By the time we were finished, I was pouring sweat and had the bullshit voice pouting in a corner.

Friday: I had dinner with Little Sister - just the two of us.  We met up at a new-to-me restaurant called CoopersHawk Winery around 6pm. The wine was good, the food was average, the company was outstanding!  I had initially planned on hitting The Cave when I got home, but that plan was made under the assumption that I would be home by 8pm.  I didn't roll in the door until close to 9:30 and I was nearly asleep on my feet.  Workout plans were scrapped and I hit the couch and fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Saturday: Um...yeah. Life happened, so not only did I not go to the pool, but I also skipped making up my missed time in The Cave.  On a positive note, Mr. R&R and I had lunch at Ono Kine Grindz...and that never makes me unhappy.

Aloha!

Sunday: It was a warm(ish), sunny, beautiful day and I had 6 miles on tap.  Mr. R&R joined me again (really liking this trend) and we took the first few miles easy, which is what you want to do on a long run, slowed down a little more for the fourth mile, and then cranked it up for Mile 5.  That mile was tough on my body, but Mile 6 was just brutal on my mind.  The bullshit voice was screaming at me.  My body ached, my heart was pounding, and I gave in.  I begged for a 30-45 second walk break to catch my breath/slow my heart rate - and then got really pissed off that I let that happen.  When I started running again, I still felt like crap. My hip was getting sore, I felt like I was fighting for every breathe, and every time I looked at my Garmin, I could have sworn I was running much harder than I was.  The bullshit voice flared up again and I actually started saying "shut up. shut up. shut up." out loud trying to beat it at its own game.  It's probably a good thing Mr. R&R was with me, or I would have looked like a raving lunatic!  The last mile was a fight, but I finished it...running.  I know, intellectually, that not all runs go well, but I really hate when they feel harder than they should!

I closed out Week 2 with:

Swim: 0 yards
Bike: 9 miles (30 minutes)
Run: 12.12 miles (1 hour, 59 minutes)
Strength: 20 minutes
Total Miles: 21.17 miles
Total Time: 2 hours, 49 minutes

 Next week will bring my first "tune up" race of the year.  Now the burning question is: Race with music or without?  What do you think?

Runners & Triathletes, Report! (HFHM Training - Week 1)

The off season is definitely over, and I can't say that I'm unhappy about that.  In the midst of my chaotic week at work, having key workouts to do was a welcome dose of structure.

On Monday evening, Mr. R&R and I set out to "run some miles".  Our overall plan was at least 3 miles, maybe more if we were feeling good.  We bundled up and set out super slow since we weren't sure how far we were going to go and didn't want to run out of energy.  We were doing okay until we decided to see if one of the wooded trails was runnable...dumb idea.  It was nothing but hard packed ice punctuated by random gooey mud patches.  It slowed us to an absolute crawl as we picked our way carefully out of the woods and back onto concrete.  The last 2/3 of a mile was a steep uphill and we decided to redeem ourselves by hauling ass.  I seriously thought I was going to puke in the last quarter mile when Mr. R&R pushed the pace down into the 7:10-7:15/mile range, but I hung on and finished (without puking).

I also rewarded myself for running outside with a couple of truffles for dessert!

Tuesday night involved 30 minutes in The Cave doing Pump and Burn.  For some reason, the squat track felt easy, but the chest track freakin' burned.  I sucked it up, got it done, and took to the couch for the remainder of the evening.

Wednesday involved the infamous "Groundhog Workout"...400 meter repeats at 5k pace.  It was pretty cold and crappy out, so I hauled it over to The Track.  After a 1/4 mile warm up I alternated 400 meter repeats at 5k goal pace (8:45-8:55/mile pace) with 1 minute of rest in between.  My hope was to keep running, just at a slower pace, after each 400, but that didn't quite happen. I managed to run after the first 3 400's, but by the last two I was walking for the first 30 seconds of each rest period before I resumed running.  On a positive note, all 5 of the 400's were right on target.

I was pretty happy about those splits, and I even felt good enough to run my friend A's warm up lap with her (my cool down lap) when I spotted her just as I was finishing up.  By the time I got home, I was starving.  I didn't even care that my pork chop got a little over cooked...as I was too busy shoveling it all in my mouth!

Thursday was a high stress day at work (as Thursday's always are), so I was pleasantly surprised that I got home just after 6pm.  I threw on my bike shorts, hit the trainer hard for 45 minutes, and had a great (and incredibly sweaty) ride.

Mr. R&R got home just as I was crawling up the stairs, so I threw together mac 'n cheese with tuna and peas since it was the quickest dinner I could think of.  It still felt like it took forever since I was ready to start gnawing the furniture!

On Friday I was supposed to swim, but I got sidetracked by office happy hour and an unexpected shopping trip.  I was still in search of dress pants and ended up with two more skirts, a top, and a dress!  After our little shopping adventure, Mr.R&R and I had an impromptu date night at our favorite bar.

I probably should have found time to make up Friday's missed swim on Saturday, but that didn't end up happening.  We were up early to take Walter and Spot to their annual check up with Dr. Beast.  I'm happy to report that Spot is healthy as can be and Walter's respiratory infection is under control.  As much as the boys don't like the car ride to see Dr. Beast, they really like her...and one of her techs.  I've never seen Walter so willing to cuddle with anyone.  He gets excited and practically jumps into that tech's arms!

After the vet appointment, we got the boys settled back at home and headed out to try a new-to-us restaurant: Bel Air Cantina.  This little Mexican restaurant serves up a la carte tacos with funky fusion twist.  We started off with cocktails and complimentary house-made tortilla chips with a trio of salsas.  I went for the red wine sangria while Mr. R&R tried their margarita of the month: cucumber mint.

Chips. Salsa. Sangria.

We also ordered guacamole to go with our chips and salsa...holy yum!  It was possibly one of the best guacamoles I've ever had.

We each ordered 3 different tacos for our main courses and were very excited when they arrived.  I opted for Soy Chorizo,  Habanero Pork, and Korean Beef while he ordered Barbacoa, Lobster Shrimp, and Ninja Pig. We dug into our plates and traded bites of each flavor back and forth.  We agreed that all of them were good, except for the Soy Chorizo which had a texture similar to wet cat food.  The Ninja Pig was the hands down winner though.  Neither of us could shut up about that one - and Korean Beef came in a close second!

From Back to Front: Soy Chorizo, Habanero Pork, Korean Beef

Sunday was long run day.  I should probably refer to it as a "long" run since it was only 5 miles, but none the less, it was my longest run of the week (and my longest run since Fox Cities last fall).  It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, so Mr. R&R agreed to run with me.  I'm happy to say that there was only one "dog pile mile" in the mix and that was followed by the best mile of whole run (even though I thought it was never going to end).

We covered those five miles at an average pace of 9:48/mile, which is 2 seconds per mile faster than my half marathon PR pace, so it appears that I'm heading in the right direction.

2 weeks until my first "tune up" race of the year!



I closed out Week 1 with:

Swim: 0 yards
Bike: 13.58 miles (45 minutes)
Run: 10.00 miles (1 hour, 40 minutes)
Strength: 30 minutes
Total Miles: 23.58
Total Time: 2 hours, 55 minutes

Final Week Of The Off Season

This week was the beginning of what will likely be two very challenging weeks at work.  My immediate boss is on vacation, so I'm doing my best to fill in for her.  I'm pretty sure I can do it, but I'm absolutely petrified that I'm going to forget/mess something up! It's also my last week to get my act together before I start training for the spring/summer racing season, so fitting all my workouts in was also really high on my priority list.

Monday started with a minor freakout that there was no way in hell that I was going to be able to get everything done at work, but somehow it all worked out in the end and I escaped from the office by 5:30pm.  After a quick stop at home to check the contents of my refrigerator (since I utterly failed at getting to the grocery store over the weekend), Mr. R&R and I drove out to the market to restock Walter and Spot's stash of greens and to pick up a few basics for ourselves as well.  I knew I still needed to workout (Pump and Burn) when I got home and honestly, I really didn't feel like cooking tonight, so when the deli gals pulled some fresh wine and herb chickens out of the rotisserie, I was sold!

After dinner, I packed up my food and everything else I'd need for Tuesday, played with the bunnies for a bit, and hit the hay early.

Could someone please inform Mother Nature that it's March and that this sort of thing is not acceptable!

That said, I had no desire whatsoever to go run in circles at the track Tuesday night, so I piled on the layers, fired up my Garmin, and hit the road for 3 cold and windy miles.  Apparently I should run in the cold more often - I run faster!

By the time I got home, all I wanted was a nice, hot dinner.  Fortunately, I'd thawed out some leftover Snobby Joes and they were just as good the second time around - especially when chased with a chocolate raspberry protein milkshake.

Wednesday and Thursday were forced rest days due to my work schedule, but the eats were good!

Friday involved a whole lot of work followed by a whole lot of beer.  I probably should have worked out, but this is my last weekend before training really starts, so I gave myself a break knowing soon I will have to prioritize swim/bike/run over beer.

Saturday was truly a day of leisure. I got a massage (and thought I was going to pass out when he hit a trigger point in my right shoulder) which I really needed and went shopping with my mom - and came home to find that Mr. R&R had done all the laundry and cleaned the house!  I seriously don't know what I did to deserve him!   I also registered for a new-to-me race that I've been considering for a while...the offer of a free entry courtesy of the tri team helped me decide to go for it!

Sunday was the TriWisconsin kick off party, marking the official beginning of our season.  It was nice catching up with some of my fellow Newbie Herd (now known as the TriWI Class of 2013) and the Iron Cheerleader.  Of course, in true Iron Cheerleader fashion, he roped us into volunteering - because he wants help with his incoming herd!  I also picked up my team "shirt" for the year:

and I acquired a long-sleeved thermal shirt, which is going to be really helpful since I don't have too many long sleeved base layers.

I guess that all this can only mean one thing: Time To Train!

Pace, Pancakes, and Pi Day

So...I jumped the gun a little in my last post. Actual training doesn't start on March 17th. It starts on March 24th, which makes me happy because it gives me an extra week of prep time and I'm definitely going to need it.

Monday: He Loves Me, Therfore He Tries To Kill Me
I think spring, and my masochistic side, decided to make a brief appearance today.  When I left work it was 54 degrees which made running outside for the first time in months an absolute necessity.  Mr. R&R joined me and we ran 2 glorious, puddle-filled miles together. I'd almost forgotten how tough it is to maintain a pace when there's actual wind and terrain involved, but I didn't really mind since I was outside for the first time in months without a having to wear a jacket and gloves. Of course running with Mr. R&R is always a challenge since he's such a speedy thing, and today was no different.  I'm pretty sure that he spent the last quarter of a mile trying to kill me (he says he wasn't) by pushing the pace so hard (between 7:12 - 8:11/mile) - I need to run with him more often!

When we got home, I wanted Mexican food for dinner and Mr. R&R wanted pizza, so we compromised: Mexican Pizza.

Not very pretty, but quite tasty!

Tuesday: Burn = Booty
It was still relatively warm (low 40's) but it rained all day, so running outside would have been more of a steeplechase than a run, so I headed for The Cave and knocked out 40 minutes of Pump and Shred.  It would have been 45 minutes, but I skipped the 5 minute lunge track since I think my legs will be taking enough abuse in the near future.  I went with the heavier weights again for the lunge, chest, and back tracks and it was challenging, but manageable.

Wednesday: If It Doesn't Challenge You, It Doesn't Change You
I really don't like going to the track on Wednesdays.  Why?  Because my tri team has an outdoor group run that leaves from the track every Wednesday night and I always feel like a huge loser for not going with them - even though I don't like running outside when it's cold and I'm monumentally slower than all of them, so I'd inevitably get dropped. I opted out of the track and spent a challenging hour on the trainer.  Somewhere in that hour, the 6 months between now and the Door County Century started feeling very short!

Thursday: Yeowch!
I woke up this morning feeling like I'd done 1000 crunches and been punched in the gut the night before and the sore abs continued all day.  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how my abs hurt from a bike ride, but then I remembered a little gem from last summer's semi-private bike session with Brent Emery: You need to pedal from your core, not just from your legs.  Well...I guess I did it right then!

I had anticipated a 12 hour day at the office, so you can imagine how happy I was to wrap it up after only 10 hours.  Once I got home, I spent 20 minutes in The Cave doing HardCore Abs and called it a good use of time since I'd originally expected to be taking a rest day today.

Breakfast: It's What's For Dinner

Friday: Swim, Drink, Run
I think I may have mentioned it before, but I can easily be persuaded to blow off my workout plans in favor of drinking beer with the Usual Suspects - especially when one of the Usual Suspects is leaving.  Miss Placed is moving on to a bigger and better job, so it wasn't too hard to convince me to blow off my plans to go for a short run and then hit the pool, to celebrate!

I may have a) had one or two more beers than I should have b) plotted about Mr. R&R's birthday present with his boss and c) agreed to go on a kayak trip this summer.  I also celebrated Pi Day when I got home by ordering a "pizza pie"...and I really like pizza when I've been drinking!

Saturday & Sunday
My body did not get a workout on either of these days, but my mind sure did!  On Saturday afternoon, Mr. R&R and I did our taxes.  The whole thing only took an hour, but by the time we were done, the only thing I was good for was snuggling/napping on the couch with Walter.  On Sunday afternoon I went over to my mom's house to do her taxes.  Apparently I should have started that project sooner because as of now (11-ish p.m. on Sunday night) those taxes still aren't done because I had to get home to meet up with Little Brother so he and I could carpool to my dad's birthday dinner 45 minutes away!

I wasn't a huge fan of the restaurant Dad picked, but it was nice to see Dad, Little Brother, Little Sister, and Would-Be Brother In Law (Tiny Nephew was not in attendance since he's got a bad cold).  By the time I got home from dinner, it was pretty late and I only managed to put in about 30 more minutes of work on mom's taxes.  Looks like I'm adding that to the coming week's 'To Do" List. 

How was your week?  Have you filed your tax return yet?