Feliz Navidad

yes, my blogging heart is still beating...very faintly.

with holiday festivities, a visit from The Todd, Christmas shopping, and running, i just haven't had much time to do any noteworthy blogging. yes, despite all the business, i refuse to let my running go the wayside and its has been great. now that i'm not training for anything, i'm just enjoying some relaxed, easy runs and it's awesome.

i suppose once life settles down, i'll get around to posting something 'slightly' more entertaining for you.

as for now, i'm heading for an 8 mile holiday run with Josh, and then home to the parents' house. and in a battle against Mom's holiday cookies, caramels, etc. i have some much anticipated runs scheduled with old friends while i'm back home.

until later, have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Wittiness is overrated

no time to think of something witty to write. so i'll sum up the time since my last blog in a few elementary points:
1. me run. feel good. brrr.
2. have Frosty the Snowman in my head for 5 miles. grrr.
3. Christmas parties every day this weekend. fun.
4. Kevin's off to Vegas, Josh is doing Dallas. run.

That's about it. Good luck to everyone running this weekend. Odds are i will only manage to squeeze in a 4 miler....if i'm lucky.

'Tis the Season

At Last,the Holiday Season is upon us! I've been waiting about 330 days for this. It's my favorite time of year and it pretty much took all my energy to wait until after Thanksgiving to put up Christmas decorations and turn on the Christmas carols.

Thanksgiving was a bit odd for me this year. It was the first time in 24 years where I wasn't home with my family on Thanksgiving morning, and it was sad. Instead, good ol' Josh and I decided to meet up that morning and go for a run in the awesome autumn weather. What was supposed to be eight miles ended up being six, thanks to stupid me, who ate only a half hour before i ran and had some tummy issues. Nonetheless, the six miles went great and i earned myself a guilt-free conscience for eating T-Day dinner.

The Todd flew in that afternoon and we spent the evening at his parents' house for dinner and cards (which i was totally awesome at). Friday was an early 2 hour drive home to my parents' house for family Thanksgiving, and introducing Todd to small town Kansas Holiday Festivities. It was great to be home (despite the fact that i got booted out of my room to the pullout couch in the basement- oh, the sacrifices one makes...), but time flew by too fast and we headed back to KC on Saturday since he had to fly out that afternoon.

My running was put to the side this past weekend, but i have still managed to make it to the gym at 5:45 am to do some cross training. yeah for me. Perhaps i'll take advantage of this last day of nice weather and go for a run before the winter chill moves in until March.

As Clark Griswold so eloquently stated, "Tis the Season to be Merry"

One of these days...

i will learn how to set my alarm clock correctly.

I woke up on saturday morning with the sun shining through the window. Huh, that's weird, usually when i get up at 5:15am it's not sunny. And then my brain finally caught up. AAAAAAAAARGH! It's 7:30 and i missed the group run.

Not a big deal that i missed it, except for the fact that i enjoy going to see friends, and it's just easier to run 10 miles with them instead of by myself. Thanksfully, my roommate was making an early morning trip to the gym, so i tagged along and (still don't know why i keep doing this) ran 6 miles on the treadmill.

I ran 4 miles on the treadmill on Wednesday and 3 on Thursday. Seriously, i've never enjoyed treadmill running, but lately it just seems to be easier than bundling up and running outside in the dark.

So, the highlight of my weekend (obviously the lowlight was K-State's pathetic loss to KU) was the Chiefs game with Josh and tailgating with Kevin, who is by far the master of the tailgating universe. We had a decent win, good weather, and great fun.

kitkatbar

I'm still in a post vacay funk, just a tad bit lazy. Well, that and i also got a flu shot today and so i'm feeling a little bit lethargic.

Chicago was fun-o. It was so great to see my friends again, as well as enjoy the weekend with The Todd. He flew into KC from seattle on thursday night, then we hopped on another plane together and headed to chi-town. Whoever thought of that idea is pretty smart (me). That way we had a full 3 days to enjoy before leaving on monday.

We didn't really do anything too noteworthy, just some shopping, eating and hanging out together. Matt & kristin live just a block from Wrigley field, so it was nice to just hang out in the Wrigley/Boystown/Lincoln Park area.

We spent quite a bit of time on Michigan ave., braved the chilly weather at Navy Pier, went to the Bentley dealership 3 times (i guess that's the trade-off we get for dragging the guys around while we shop), and watched K-State beat Texas! That just capped off a spectacular weekend. And as a bonus, kristin had discovered a drag queen lounge near their place that was named after me which she'd managed to keep as a secret until i visited.

And yes, i did in fact get some great running in on saturday. I wasn't really planning on it (although i always seem to automatically pack my running gear anyways) but matt was going for a run along the lake, so i joined in. And despite the cold wind, it felt good and was nice to hang out with him. We ran about 5 miles at a 9 min pace on Lakeshore Dr.

And i haven't ran since chicago, but i plan to run tonight at the gym. There's nothing wrong with a few days off, right? Especially when i'm not training for any certain 'thon. Besides, it's nearing the end of our sand flag football season, so i'm focusing on that. (ha). Just so i keep my base by doing a few 3-5 milers, i'll be ready to rock'n roll when the time comes.

And just a few more pics from the weekend:

High Five

Well Fans, I'm getting ready to head to Chicago for the weekend to see friends from college. I have a slight problem with always cutting it a little too close on my airport arrival times, so i'm jetting out of work shortly to beat the traffic.

it's been a kinda crazy week in katieland, i enjoyed catching up with friends at dinner on Tuesday night, then we went to see Borat. hilarious. that's all, just go see it for yourself.

surprisingly, i've been doing really great at going to the gym in the mornings. i managed to do it 3 out of 4 days this week. and honestly, i would've made it 4 out of 5 if i wouldn't be going on vacation. and once again, i chose to run a 4 and 2 miler on the treadmill. i think i like it because it gets my metabolism nice and fired up in the morning.

i've also acquired myself somewhat of a personal running coach. my roommate Catherine and I have set up a nice deal where i run, and she bikes alongside me (or behind me, or wherever she needs to be to shield me from traffic). We usually try to do it once a week, and last night we did a 4 miler. It really helps to have someone whizzing along, nipping at your heels and trying to hold a conversation with. Pretty much after mile 3, she's only allowed to ask me Yes/No questions. Even though i was dead tired at the end, i managed to hold a 8:10 pace on the hilly route.

that's all the time we have for now, i'm off to the windy city.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

After numerous requests to see my totally sweet blood blister, i've posted a picture here.

I did some research online and read that you should not drain a blood blister. So i reluctantly obeyed, put a bandage on it, and went on with my normal life. I helped my brother and sis-in-law move into their new house on Sunday and we took advantage of their nice backyard and threw the football around.

And when i came inside to take my shoes off, i discovered that my sock was EWWWwwwwww.......not so white anymore. More like a pinkish color from the blood and blister fluid (whatever that's made of). I was pretty excited, it had taken care of itself and released the pressure without any pain.

Now it's pretty much healed. I just have some more scar tissue decorating my foot. Who needs tattoos when you can have cool battlescars like these?

running love

Well that decision wasn't really too hard.

My Gobbler Grind Half Marathon is officially not going to happen. Chiefs vs. Raiders was too exciting to pass up. But I think I'll set my sights to run a half in February-ish.

And oddly, once i marked the Gobbler Half off my calendar, my running felt great. Tues, Wed, Fri i ran 4,3,3 ALL on the treadmill.

yep. i CHOSE to run on the treadmill. don't ask me why i ran indoors. it wasn't even that cold here. i apparently was just in a treadmill craze this past week.

but my best running of the week came on Saturday morning. i was only planning on going 6, maybe 8 miles since i hadn't ran 8 miles in 3 weeks. but then i started running with Courtney, Kevin and Becky and the pace was comfortable and i felt (relatively) good, so i went ahead and ran 10 miles with them.

i say it felt 'relatively' good, because the arch of my left foot had a blister flare up again and it was getting a little bit painful at about mile 4. not painful enough to make me stop though, so i kept running. hmm....i MAYBE shouldn't have done that. when i got home and took off my sock, i screamed.

now, my feet have seen some freaky blisters, so it would take a lot to scare me. i got a lot of 'that made me sick' comments when i posted that last picture, so i promise to spare you the grotesqueness of this blister. (unless you ask to see a pic, then i'll share) Bascially, i have a blister on my foot that looks like a heart. A cute, not-so-little heart. It has the same shape....and the same color. Yep, i have THE blood blister of all blood blisters.

talk about a new way to show ones love for running.

i like lists.

Happy Halloween, trick-or-treaters.

I'm not actually celebrating it much this year (aside from eating some goodies), due to several reasons:
1. i went home to see my parents this past weekend while holiday festivities were in full force around here. (sadly, i had to miss out on the TNT pub crawl)
2. i found a dead woodpecker on my Magic 8 Ball costume from last year (long story), and i loaned it to a friend (she didn't seem to mind).
3. there's no way i can top my friend Dustin's costume, i mean, Teen Wolf's outfit:




In running (also currently known as 'non-running') news, i've decided not to do the Gobbler Grind half marathon on Nov. 19th. I have my reasons, so don't call me a wuss:
1. i looked at the course map and although it's mostly on the trail we do our training runs on, i don't think i want to run that for a race.
2. i'm searching for a late winter/early spring half or full to aim for.
3. i've missed my past 2 long distance runs due to:
---- 3a. trip to Dallas
---- 3b. too many martinis at work last friday
4. i'm considering doing the 5K or volunteering, which is just as noteworthy as the 'thons.
5. my friend josh offered me a ticket to the Chiefs vs. Raiders game that same day. I've only been to 1 preseason Chiefs game before, so for me to pass that offer up would just be silly. I have 12 days to make my decision, but i'm 99% sure the half is not happening.

One last bit of absolutely exciting news, my friend Courtney (TNT San Diego alum & all-around cool gal) won an Emmy this past weekend for Best Morning Newscast as the exec producer of KCTV 5's More in the Morning show. AN EMMY!!!! i'm officially friends with an Emmy award winning producer. congrats, courtney!!

lessons learned

I realized some things tonight during my run.

1. when i don't run, i don't blog.

2. when i don't run my long runs with teammates, it is not a good run.

3. i think it's a good idea that i blog more about non-running activities.

4. my boyfriend is super cool.

So, i haven't blogged for awhile. Why? (See realization #1.) Ok, well that's not completely true, i have been running. But something hasn't been feeling right during my runs. Last week, i got up on friday to run 8 miles before i left for Dallas and despite the cool, sunny morning, after 2 miles I was reading to stop. So i turned around and headed back home. My legs felt as though they were weighted with bricks. 5 ton bricks. I stopped after 4 miles because i was dead tired. Seriously? 4 miles? Why? (See realization #2.)

I headed to The Big D where I met The Todd. Feeling guilty about my 4 mile run the day before (and knowing that i'd be eating wedding cake), i headed to the hotel gym Saturday morning to bike and run on the treadmill. 2 miles. And that was forcing it. I'm not sure what's wrong, i've just been lethargic, my legs don't want to run. I have two (relatively) good legs, why won't they just do their job?

All that whining aside, the weekend was a blast. (See realization #3) The wedding and reception were lovely and done in big Texas style downtown. They had a dance and BBQ later that evening at a ranch in Terrell. Now, i'm not a fan of country music, but I had a rootin' scootin' grand ol' time two-stepping. We spent some time at the JFK memorial on Sunday, then headed to the Galleria for lunch and shopping.

Since todd was feeling a little ill (probably due to my 'ooohing and aahhing' over shoes and purses), and i (shockingly) didn't feel like shopping, we headed to the airport 3 hours early. We spent the rest of the afternoon having escalator races and riding the tram around and around the terminals. fun times indeed. he always makes me laugh and feel like a kid again. (See realization #4) Oh, and he got a new position at Microsoft as a software developer. Which, in my opinion, is like 1,000 times cooler than his previous job as a software tester. I still don't understand 95% of what he does, but that's why having a pretty smile and nodding like you understand, saying 'mmhmm, yeah' is a good tactic.

No need to fear about my crappy runs, i think all it took was some rainy, mild weather and an evening run tonight to rekindle my love with running. 4 miles in 32:40, 8:10 pace. Felt really, really great.

Hello, my name is .......

I've finally uploaded some pics from the KC Half Marathon.

This one is my fave, because i just look like i'm having the best time. This was at the finish when i saw my friends and was gleeful.


I came, i saw, i conquered........


My awesome brother!


Post-race refueling and glamour-shot pose.


Team in Training teammates Rob, Courtney & Greg


And my roommate with her one-of-a-kind t-shirt. (nevermind that she got my number wrong)


Work is busy, so i'll keep this running update short. Well, actually there's nothing too exciting to talk about. Just a rainy 3 miler, hilly 5 miler, chilly 8 miler and some biking in between. I'm not sure what my running schedule will be like this week, as i'm heading to Dallas on friday and most likely won't feel like running 12 miles in a strange downtown.

In other sporting news, my co-ed sand flag football team had our 2nd game last night and i gave myself a mild concussion colliding with another player's knee. I spent half the night with a migraine, hunched over a trashcan and curled up in pain, until the Tylenol kicked in 4 hours after i took it.

But i seem to be okay now. I just can't seem to remember my name.........

Race Recap

I finished the race with a smile on my face!! It was a complete opposite feeling compared to my wretched San Diego finish. But then again, a half marathon is far more enjoyable for my body than a full marathon. I think i'll focus on doing more half marathons and put 'run a full marathon' on my "Things I would like to do only ONCE a year" list along with 'shave my legs' and 'pay rent'.

Not that i don't want to run more marathons, but so far my experience with full marathons (in the ONE that i did), hasn't been too pleasant, with that 'minor' injury and what not. I just think half marathons are easier on my body, both in training and during the actual event. And both half marathons i've ran have been awesome experiences and enjoyable times.

Back to my race recap...........

Saturday was an ideal day for running. It started out cool in the morning, but i knew that it would warm up so i shivered at the 50 degree start in a sleeveless top and my new pink shorts. (afterthought: i forgot to put on sunscreen and now my face and shoulders match my pink shorts) It was great to have so many fellow TNTers there for motivation, even though josh and greg said they were running a 9:00 pace and took off, leaving me in the dust after only a short distance. That's okay, i didn't really have a specific goal, except that i wanted to finish in under 2 hours. Of course, I wanted to beat my St. Louis half time, but i wasn't going to worry about it.

The first 2 miles were great, just those stupid hills by Liberty Memorial and then headed downhill to Westport area where i knew my roommate Cat would be waiting to cheer me on. I had packed a sort of emergency kit for her to carry in case i needed anything: sunglasses, Chapstick, Blister bandages, Biofreeze, camera, gum, etc. Luckily, the only thing i needed were sunglasses since we'd be headed directly into the morning sun soon. My shins hadn't felt this great since i don't remember when, and my blisters were causing no pain at all.

I was actually running a little ahead of my pace schedule (which i'd markered onto my forearm the night before), but i picked it up even a bit more as i anticipated seeing my friends Jamie, Jessi and Erin cheering me on at mile 6. Jamie was the only one i saw, so I stopped for a bit to hug her and kept on going. The bands along the course were helpful and while i was expecting more spectators, the first 8 miles seemed to fly by.

But it was at that point that my stomach began to cramp up a bit and i had to walk through the next water stop as we headed up another hill. I really didn't seem to mind this one though as i knew once i got to the top it would be all downhill (literally and figuratively) the last 2.5 miles. The tummy felt a little better and i used the downhill to my advantage, but had to stop again and work the uncomfortableness out at the last water stop with 1 mile left. I figured i'd give myself a little break, then bust it in to the finish.

And that's what i tried to do. But that last mile, as every runner knows, is the LONGEST mile of the race and i wanted to stop so bad.
NO katie, you're almost done. keep going.
Ugggh, my tummy hurts.
NO katie, you can do it. Only 3/4 mile left.
But i think my Gu might come back up.

And that was when i saw my big brother standing along the street. Like the hero he's always been to me, there he was, just when i needed someone the most. I waved my arms and ran over and gave him a huge, sweaty hug. My legs were heavy and i felt like i was dragging, but he said "you're running so fast! you're almost there, i'll meet you at the finish." And with that extra boost of encouragement and motivation, i sped off, rounded the last corner and sailed down the hill, feeling good, feeling strong and most importantly, not in any pain (other than the obvious 'i just ran 13 miles' pain).

I saw Cat cheering for me and i got teary-eyed, mostly because she was wearing a t-shirt with my face really big on it, and then there was Jamie hollering as i ran through the finish. I didn't even see what the clock said. I didn't care. I looked for my brother and when i saw him i was so happy and couldn't stop smiling. It was just incredibly awesome to have people care enough to wake up early and come out and support me. We all hung around at the finish area cheering on other runners for awhile and then they left and i stayed another 3 hours to cheer on fellow TNTers. Everyone did an awesome job that day (josh, kevin, courtney, brent.....and everyone else, but i don't know if they read my blog) and I cannot wait for my next half!

I did end up finishing in less than 2 hours, but upon further review, i did not end up beating my St. Louis time and I'm perfectly okay with that because this was a much better all-around experience. I think i'll still reward myself with a new pair of shoes. Ohhh, maybe some cute boots!! I deserve it.

Official time: 1:56:26. 8:55 pace.

Blister Sisters

Well, my shins are feeling better. That's the GOOD NEWS. I bought new shoes, and that helped immensely. well, duh....since the ones i was running in had quite a bit of miles logged on them. For Saturday's 8-mile run, the shins were a little sore, but just for the first mile and then the uncomfortableness disappeared. And then....BAD NEWS....at mile 3, i felt a burning, rubbing, chafing sensation on my left foot, in the inner arch. and then, at mile 3.1, i felt a burning, rubbing, chafing sensation on my right foot, in the inner arch.

SERIOUSLY?!?! Blisters?! Ok, i really could've prevented this from happening. All my socks that i usually wear were in the dirty laundry, so i grabbed the first pair of clean socks i saw in my drawer. Very thin, moisture wicking with some weird type of textured material. Bad idea. Basically what happened was that they were rubbing my skin raw.

But i had no bandages with me and i still had over 4 miles left to go. No way was i turning back, not with my half marathon a week away. yes, i could injure myself so that i wouldn't even be able to run, but did i think about that? no. i was concerned with getting my mileage in. Ah yes, behold the mind of a runner.

So, what to do......what to do?

I ran past a tree with shiny, round leaves. "Ah ha! Eureka!" I grabbed a couple leaves, stopped at the 4 mile turnaround point, took off my shoes and socks (OWWWW!), and put them over both Half-Dollar size blisters.

Well, it wasn't the greatest thing I could've done, but i made do with what i had and it at least helped the rubbing stop. good, at least my feet won't be worn down to the bone by the time i finish.

I ran the last 3 miles with Josh and he helped me run a good pace (probably not so good of a pace for him). We even saw some cows, and horses, and donkeys, and llamas. Ya-mas!

Since then, i've been nursing my two HUGE blisters back to health so that i can run the half marathon on saturday. And thanks, mom, for your daily calls of concern and nursing advice. (She also told me "maybe you just shouldn't run". Yeah, ok. Good one. ha.)

My feet aren't pretty, but they're slowing healing and hopefully will be ready for saturday's half.

A letter to my shinemies enemies

Dear shins,
You're mean. Just plain mean. You are my nemesis. Nemesises. Nemesiseses. whatever.

I looked it up in the dictionary, and the correct plural form is nemeses:

nem·e·ses - noun [nem-uh-seez]

1. something that a person cannot conquer.

2. one that inflicts retribution or vengeance.

3. a source of harm or ruin.

(and yep, they sure hit the nail on the head with that definition.)

Why must you tease me like you do? You have GOT to be the moodiest beings around! You are 100 times worse than a PMSing female deprived of chocolate. One day you are my friend, letting me enjoy my running and making me feel like i am a superstar. But, you deceiving things...the next day you treat me like i am your enemy. You make me wince in pain, cause me to wish i weren't running, and make me feel like a broken down wagon.

You really are my nemeses, just when i am convinced that i have conquered you, you come back with a vengeance and ruin my fun.

I've tried to fight you off, i've covered you in ice, i've knocked you out with painkillers, i've slathered you with Biofreeze. But you won't stop, you won't back down. You won't let me just run.

That's all i ask of you. Just let me run. Let me be alone with my running shoes. It's really not necessary for you to come along for the ride. You're like an annoying backseat driver who won't shut up and plays country music non-stop for the entire cross country road trip and just talks incessantly and blah-di-blah blah blah.... Aarrrrgh!

Just enjoy the ride. How hard can that be? One of these days you're going to realize that i'm not backing down from you. I will defeat you. I'll keep running. I'll fight through the pain. I'll put myself back on crutches again if that's what it takes.

So this is your written warning. I'm giving you a chance to back down quietly without a fight. I'm offering you a 'Get out of Jail Free' card.

Just take this offer and run with it.

Sincerely,
your FRIEND katie

The Best 5 Ever

I just HAVE to blog about my latest run before i forget the details. Tuesday night i did an 8 mile bike ride and then set out on a 4 mile run. The weather was perfect that evening, the sun was starting to set, and the 68 degree temp felt like fall had finally arrived. I headed down the hill and knew it would be a good run, my shins weren't hurting AT ALL. No pain, no restrain. I picked up the pace and ran on the grass and street as much as the traffic allowed. I've learned that sidewalks are not a force to be reckoned with for me.

I don't know if it was the awesome weather, or the primarily grass running, but when i got to my 2 mile turnaround point I didn't stop. I just kept running. I had no hurry to be back home, so i figured i might as well enjoy the run. I ran through a park where there were little league football teams playing and families out for a stroll and it just made me happy. I just kept running.

And when i say 'running', i mean it.

I was bookin' along at an avg 8:20 pace. I was pretty impressed with myself, considering i still had at least 2 miles left to run. I decided at that point that i would make it a 5 mile run instead of 4, so i turned around at 2.5 and headed back home. 21:40 and i was feeling great, like i could keep running all night.

Please, please let me feel this great for the KC half marathon. Oh, that would be awesome.

I even picked up the pace slightly on my way back and finished one of the best runs i've had in a long, long time. Actually, that was THE BEST 5 mile run i've ever had.

5 miles.......40:55.....8:12 avg pace.

I biked a speedy, hilly 11 miles last night and plan on a 4 mile run tonight, and hopefully i can do a little something tomorrow morning since i won't have time after work. why? because my awesome bf is arriving tomorrow!!!!! i can't wait.

cheesecake pudding

i think i have trouble keeping up with my blogging for a couple of reasons. The main one being that i prefer my blogs to be entertaining for readers, and lately i just can't come up with anything that i feel would be interesting for others. No words of wisdom, no running revelations, no training triumphs....nothing. Just the same old, same old.

Not that that's a terrible thing, i guess, but it just doesn't create much blog excitement. I need something to inspire me. Something cool to happen. Actually, what i really need is a new job. I'm so bored in my current one, i think my brain is slowly turning to pudding. mmmm, pudding.... i wish i had some cheescake pudding right now.

Good to eat, but not good to have controlling your body. My friend Jessi suggested that i go work at Starbucks and do something fun for awhile, at least until I figure out what i want to do or where i want to go. See, ideally i would start out making lattes at my local Prairie Village Starbucks and then gradually move my way up the corporate ladder. And since i plan on moving to Seattle sometime anyway, i don't think this idea is too crazy. I'd have to make some financial sacrifices for sure, but happiness is more important than material goods 97% of the time. (I don't know for sure what the other 3% involves, but i would imagine it involves a very beautiful Kate Spade purse)

Well, since my blog is mostly about running, i suppose i should blog about running. As mentioned earlier, nothing exciting has happened, so this is just an update on my training for the KC half marathon on Oct. 7th
Since my last post:
9/1 - 3 mi 29:45.....9:55/mi
9/2 - 8 mi 1:14:02.....9:14/mi
9/5 - 2.5 mi 22:12....8:53/mi
9/7 - 4 mi 38:02.....9:30/mi
9/9 - bike 10 mi
9/9 - 10 mi 1:37:30....9:47/mi

The Todd is coming to KC this weekend. I'm pretty thrilled about that.

rollercoaster

whew! this past week was just an intense rollercoaster of emotions/events for me. this blog post is not very exciting, but i'll do my best to summarize my past week.

i just didn't feel like running since returning from seattle. and then Friday morning, i found out that my grandma passed away, but that was a blessing, so i felt better and decided that if i was going to run 8 on saturday, i had better run a little before then. So i went for a quick 3 miler on friday afternoon. it felt pretty good, except for the humidity.

friday night i went to the ben harper concert at starlight theatre with jamie and lauren. it was absolutely AWE-SOME. a-maz-ing. if you didn't go, you missed out. so after that fabulous night, i was all kinds of excited for the saturday morning run.

and what do you know....it was rainy too!! sweet!! i love rainy running. so, my original plan was to run 8 miles but i decided to turn around at the 3 mile water stop instead and run the last 3 miles back faster and push myself. it felt really great, i've just been having a problem with my shins hurting once i stop running. i suppose a cure for that would be to keep running and running and running........um, yeah, no.

but saturday night was what i was looking forward to all week. several Team in Training teammates from san diego, along with our honored patient and her husband met for dinner at a japanese steakhouse. first off, i love japanese steakhouses and second off, it's always a laugh-tastic time when we all get together.

sunday i got up early to get in a quick 2 miles before i headed home for the funeral since i knew i probably wouldn't have time/energy to run that evening or on monday.

tuesday i was back in full force, working in an 8 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run after work. the cooler weather is invigorating. ok, by 'cooler', i mean around 80s, not 90s or 100s like it has been the past couple of works.

i snuck in a 7 mile bike and 2 mile run tonight. once again, the shins are fine during the run, but sore afterwards. but i suppose that's better than them hurting during AND after, right? right.

so, in summary:
8/25 3 mi run....26:45....9:12/mi
8/26 6 mi run....58:08....9:41/mi (just for the record, my last 3 mi pace was 1:00/mi faster than the first 3 miles)
8/27 2 mi run....14:50....7:25/mi (my gps had trouble finding a satellite, so that's probably not accurate)
8/29 3 mi run....26:52....8:57/mi + 8 mi bike
8/30 2 mi run....16:57....8:28/mi + 7 mi bike

i think i'll run 4 tomorrow morning and shoot for 8 on saturday. maybe 10. we'll see.

Seattle Awesupertacular

Seattle was awesome. super. spectacular. Therefore, i have created a new word to describe it. Awesupertacular. that pretty much sums it up. Since my visit in July was filled with touristy excitement, we decided to just hang out and relax more this time.

I finally got to sleep in on saturday, something i haven't done in a long time. The Todd (as he has been deemed by a co-worker of mine) dropped me off at the Lake Sammamish trail around 11 and i headed off on my six-miler. I really didn't have any idea where my final destination was, so i just decided to run until i hit 6.0 or until i ran out of trail and into the lake. which actually.....that wouldn't have felt too bad. It was a pleasant 73ish degrees during my run, but when the trail emerged from the cover of the trees, the sun was blazing down on me and i really wanted to jump in the water.

The trail was flat, soft gravel and ran all along the east side of the lake, next to the endless row of lake houses and docks. At this time of morning, there were hundreds of boats already out on the lake and it really made me want to waterski. It made me miss the summers growing up, spending every weekend at the lake, trying to perfect my slaloming skills. I need to get a friend with a boat..............my mind is wandering....
It was such an incredible view and my shins/knees felt great, i think i could've kept going. But that Seattle sun was pretty hot and i called The Todd to meet me at a rendevous point. Great run.
6.15 miles. 54:35 min. 8:52 pace

My knee was a little sore once i stopped running, but i think the Glucosamine actually might be making it somewhat better. *probably the placebo effect*

The rest of my stay in Seattle was spent doing some shopping, meeting some of Todd's friends out for his birthday dinner on Lake Union, running around downtown on the Harbor Steps... Oddly, i didn't take many pictures, which is weird because usually i'm a photo-fanatic. I really wish i would've taken a camera with me when i did my saturday morning run or at the lakefront dinner. better luck next time... I still have yet to see a single drop of precipitation during my times in Seattle. I was actually a little bit disappointed about that, but can't complain because i'm sure i'll be begging for sunny days once the rainy season starts.

It was difficult to leave Todd and come back to kansas. I think it gets harder to say goodbye each time. Also frustrating is that i haven't been able to run since saturday. most of monday was spent at airports/in flight, and yesterday i was looking forward to helping out at the Team in Training Kick-off meeting but i had to make an emergency trip back home to see my grandma. Her heart is slowly giving out on her, so all 6 of her children and several of us grandchildren were there to say our 'Goodnights' and now i guess we're just waiting for God to take her to an eternal rest. It's been a harried week thus far and not looking to get any better.

What day is it today anyway? Wednesday?? It's my only obligation-free night for awhile so I'm hoping to get a 3 mile run in and maybe go to the gym, but I haven't unpacked, laundry is piling up, Project Runway is on tonight and my energy level is just hovering above zero, so i'm not sure if that will happen.

Ramblin' On

oopsie, i've put off blogging for too long. i just couldn't really think of anything and then i got busy at work and delegated my blogging to someone else. so here's my post, according to JOSH:
I ran again this Saturday.

Yipppppie!

Four hilly miles I ran.

Woooo whoooo!

Four long, hilly miles.

Go Katie!

so there you have it. thank you, Speedy Josh.

but since his post just doesn't do much justice (no offense) to my actual training, i'll spice it up a bit.

let's see where we left off last time..........since we last saw Katie's blog, she did a sweaty 2.5 mile run in 100 degree heat, an uncomfortable morning 3 mile run (thanks to tummy issues) and then the hilly 4 miles. with a few 7-8 mile bike rides sprinkled in. (but it actually wasn't 4 miles. it was more like 4.35 miles. so we'll just say 4.5 and call it good.)

i really commend those who are training for the Nike Women's Marathon. those hills at Shawnee Mission Park are nothing to be laughed at and my knee was definitely hurting the rest of the day. i took a teammate's advice and bought some glucosamine/condroitin in the hopes that will ease the knee pain. i also found this info and it (kinda) helped convince me it was a good buy:

A recent Internet poll at runnersworld.com showed that 94.5 percent of respondents said they had tried one of the supplements. What's more, 79.8 percent reported that their symptoms "somewhat improved" or "greatly improved" after taking glucosamine and/or chondroitin. Less than one percent reported that "things got worse" with the supplements.

I mean, really.....if less than 1% reported that "things got worse", how much harm could it do me? those are pretty good odds. i can't tell a difference yet, but i've been slacking on keeping up with the correct dosage. see katie, it's reasons like these that you can never get fully healthy.

but i'm no slacker. if anything is for sure, i've realized that sleep is of little to no value to me lately. i'd say that 5 out of 7 days during the week, i wake up around 5:45 to go to the gym or run. which isn't really that bad, except that when your boyfriend lives in Pacific Time it makes for a late bedtime and i only get an avg. of 5-6 hours of sleep. i'm not complaining though, it's nothing a pot of coffee can't fix. but usually sundays are my day to sleep in and for some reason (actually it was for a good cause so that's why i did it) i volunteered to help with late registration at the Race for the Cure. That meant another alarm awakening at 5:30 to make it to Union Station by 6. i was (not surprisingly) a little late, but it was fun and i kinda wished i would've done the actual race. another year perhaps.

i ran a quick 2.5 mile run on monday. IN THE RAIN!!!! that's by far my favorite weather to run in. not the torrential rain, but the light soothing drizzle-y type. i run without my ipod and just listen to the sound of my surroundings. if i would've woken up earlier, i probably would've kept running longer....but that stupid alarm clock and i have been having major battles lately. biked another 8 miles tuesday and am planning on a 3 mile run tonight. this 'cooler' weather makes me happy.

but what really makes me happy is that i'm jetting off to Seattle on friday night!! and that means that my 6 mile saturday morning run will not be taking place at hilly Shawnee Mission Park, but on the shores of Lake Sammamish. some people may complain about Seattle always being rainy, but if it does rain, i would be ecstatic. just as long as its not rainy the entire weekend, i was hoping to do some kayaking. i just have to convince somebody else to accompany me :)

Humidity Stupidity

AAAaaaaaaaaargh. this stupid, stupid weather is stupid, stupid, stupid. i guess i can be thankful that i'm still recovering from my injury and my mileage is not up in the double digits, but still, it makes it really hard to motivate myself to even run a short distance.

regardless, i had a pretty good week of running since my last post. it's all about quality, not quantity.

on wednesday, i was already at the gym and figured, hey why not revisit my old friend mr. treadmill? so we had a good reunion of 2 miles together. despite being in a gym that felt like a sauna, the run felt great.

friday, got off work at noon so i went to the gym, but just couldn't bring myself to run on the treadmill again so i went to the trail and ran 2.5 miles. (well, actually 2.65) aside from the afternoon heat that nearly killed me, my legs felt great. i decided to reward myself with some tasty Smoothie King since i didn't end up passed out in the grass. mmmmm, i should do that more often. i've discovered that i just need to keep my right knee moving once i've finished running, otherwise it gets tight and painful. stretch, stretch, walk like an ostrich, stretch some more.

saturday, i had a little bit of trouble with my alarm again and woke up at 5:45. not good, since i was supposed to be at the TNT run at 6:00 and it's about a 25 minute drive from my house. i don't think i've ever gotten dressed faster than i did that morning. granted, it does make it easy when no one cares if you show up looking like you'd be better off with a paper bag over your face.

(note to self: in the future, please print off the directions to your destination instead of trying to use your internal GPS to guide you there.)

i got a little lost since it was my first time to meet at Shawnee Mission Park and i thought i knew a quicker back road to get there. wrong. by the time i arrived, the only people in sight were some fisherman and they just looked at me like i was lost. i had no idea which direction to run, so i just headed off and decided to run until the Forerunner said 3 miles. it felt good to run along the lake, to help combat the mugginess but the hills were not too gentle on my knee. (and by 'hills', i mean slight inclines. it's a good thing i didn't run the planned route because those large hills would've destroyed me)

i finished up at 3.25 miles and manned the water station for the next hour or so, which was lots of fun and made me extremely admire those who ran the hilly 8 miles and came back so sweaty they looked like they'd been hanging out in a car wash.

i rested on sunday and ran a quick 2.25 miles this morning, making it home just before it started downpouring. counting this morning's run, i'm looking to put in around 12 miles this week. hopefully the temperature drops, otherwise i'll be spending some quality time on the treadmill.

One point Six Four miles

I think i had said i'd planned on running 1.06 miles on Saturday....well, i blew that goal away!!!! i mean, really, i ran about 50% more than i'd anticipated. super duper!! except that, i only ran 1.6 miles, not like it was 20 miles or anything. but still. 1.6 miles and it felt relatively good.

i (somehow) managed to wake up at 5:30 and met the team for the 6am run. My San Diego teammate, chica who helped me through miles 10-12 of the marathon, and all-around cool gal Courtney showed up and i was so excited to see her and run with her once again. it was a scheduled 16 miles for everyone else...1.06 for me :)

"Katie, you're limping."
"Huh? no. no i'm not." but yes, i actually was. and i didn't even notice it. i mean, my leg didn't hurt or anything, i think my body was just a little off-kilter.

So i continued my slightly limping run with her, catching up on the latest happenins', meeting other familiar faces who were coming in to finish their first 8 (it feels REALLY great to be running along and have all these people shout "yeah, Katie!!" when they realize you're back out on the morning runs) and then i said 'adios, keep it up' a little past mile 1 and headed back to where we'd started.

sticky, icky.
i know you've read other blogs describing the insane temperatures and humidity, so i won't even talk about that since running less than 2 miles in it is nothing compared to 8 or 16 or even training for the Ironman (way to go Kevin). but, i don't usually sweat much and by the time i'd stopped at 1.6 and started walking the rest of the way, i was soppy. (i think that's a word)

and yes, it is 1.6, not 1.5. because at this point in my recovery, every single tenth of a mile counts. it might've even been 1.64..... overall, i felt great while running. my knee just hurt once i started walking and got back to the car. it was still a little stiff the rest of the day.

so this week, Mr. Two Miles is my new prey.

i ran.

i am RUN RUN kitkat again (well, kinda.)
what do you want to hear first..... good news or bad news? normally, i like to hear the bad news first, but it's easier to tell my story with good news first.

GOOD NEWS: monday night, i was feeling very antsy to get outside and run, so i went to the gym first and biked, came home and strapped on my Forerunner.
it still read 6:04:29....25.4 mi.....3640 calories. and i smiled as i thought about how my Forerunner must've given up during the marathon before i even did.

i started walking to go pick up the dog and as i came to the top of the hill at 75th & Mission, i decided that i might as well start running on the downhill.

ok, here we go....... this is it......omg, i'm running!!!!!

i was worried about my leg hurting, but as i kept running, it felt great. and it was kinda weird, because the last time i ran i was in such severe pain, and now running without pain felt very odd to me. i was expecting the pain to come shooting through my shin, but it didn't. so i kept running. and smiling. and i remembered how much i love running.

i had planned on running about 1/2 mile and then walking the rest of the way just to be cautious and not reinjure something. but as i jogged along down a tree covered street, i looked around and enjoyed what was happening, so i kept jogging. i was all smiles, all "look at me, i'm running!!" and as i got to my cousin's house, i looked at my distance and it was 0.85 so i figured i might as well keep going to a mile.

1 mile. 10:12. boo-yah. nicely done, katie.

BAD NEWS: softball game tuesday night. let's see how this goes.

i hit a long one to the outfield and as i was running to third base, i realized that i'd have to slide or else be out. so i slid.......and was called out anyway. but i didn't care, i got an RBI and i actually RAN the bases.

yeah, ok, so maybe i like to think that i can now run as fast as i did pre-injury. this apparently is not the case.

but i felt fine. it was playing second base that really made me second guess my decision to play. and it wasn't even my shin that was hurting. the problems i had with my knee before the marathon resurfaced with the sudden movements of chasing grounders.

ahhahaha, i say 'chasing grounders' like i was able to stop them and make a good play, but truth is, they either went right between my legs or flew by me. needless to say, i did not have a good game in the field. i was hesitant to make any sudden movements and risk hurting my knee more.

i'm not sure what is wrong with the knee, it's a dull pain in the back of my knee, like the tendonitis i had at the first part of the marathon. i've iced, i've ibuprofened and it still throbs. so we'll see what happens, we have another game tonight and i've nominated myself to be designated hitter or just keep the bench warm. and i think i'll not run until saturday morning when i (try to) get up early and meet at 6 a.m. for the TNT run. It's a scheduled 16 miler, but i'm planning on a 1.06 miler.

Good News is i can run now and my shin doesn't hurt. Bad News is my knee does.

On your marks, get set............

....should i "GO!" ???

it's 5 days until i've scheduled my running comeback, but i'm feeling a little runnerful today and am pondering going on a short jog.

i mean, really, what difference are a few days going to make?? and, besides... i have softball games tomorrow and wednesday nights, so i don't want to be completely inept at running around the bases.

plus, i'm dogsitting for my cousin this week, and he lives less than a mile away from me, so i'm thinking that i can jog to his house, get the dog and walk her back to my house.

a nice evening stroll.

oh, i'm so excited about the possibilities this evening holds!! but first, i'm off to the gym to do a little biking, loosen up my muscles and work on those rock hard abs i've been dreaming about for the past....oh.......how many years since i was in high school??

it's GO time.

oh where, oh where has katie been?

here, there, and everywhere.


First off, i apologize for my blogging absence. it appears to me, that without running in my life, i have become uninspired. but since people keep hounding about posting a blog, i realized that i'm not the only one who cares about me. good to know!

so now i am back in the blogging world. and while i've been gone, here's what has happened:

1. 10 days ago, i bid farewell to my crutches and my aircast. that's right, after 28 days of clamoring around and making people my personal servants, i set myself free. they're currently collecting dust in the corner of my bedroom, and if anyone ever needs to borrow them, i will rent them out for $5 a week.
i have been walking relatively pain free since then and doing some light biking, swimming and walking. mark these days on your calendar, folks: July 25 i will make my celebrated return to the softball field. ok, so i'm probably the only one who will be celebrating, but still...... July 29 i will lace up my running shoes, slap on my Garmin and jog away. ok, so i'll probably only go less than or equal to 1/2 mile, but this is a huge deal for me.

2. hmmm...what else have i been doing?? working, celebrating my 24th bday, laying by the pool, enjoying the Prairie Village waterslides, went home to visit the family for the 4th, and spent a much needed vacation in Seattle with Seattle Boy.
that trip was my main motivation to rid myself of the crutches. although they would have garnered me a pre-boarding privilege, i never would've been able to enjoy the trip to its fullest. Seattle is a lot hillier than i had envisioned and we did quite a bit of walking downtown and around Bainbridge Island.
it is certain that i would've beat someone up due to frustration and pain had i been on crutches. it is certain that someone would've been Seattle Boy.
the only bad apart about the trip was that the weekend i visited, there was a half marathon and marathon taking place only a few miles from where we were. http://www.seafairmarathon.com/ had i been healthy, i would've entered, but i was forced to sit this one out.
ho-hum.....maybe next year.







17 days until i run.

Desire vs. Reason

I wrote down this quote awhile back and recently came across it. I don't know who said it or where i found it, but I feel like it sums up my marathon pretty well:
A Marathon is about the triumph of desire over reason.

My urge to finish the marathon wiped out any sense of 'oh, maybe i should stop before i cause permanent damage to my body'. And i've been reminded by so many people since my marathon that what i went through in order to finish was a great accomplishment. I guess that's true. Sometimes though, i find myself thinking it was also very stupid of me to keep going despite my injuries.

Stupid crutches....they just keep getting in my way and interfering with my normal life. I want to throw them away. Lucky runners......i see people outside running, walking, enjoying the outdoors and it makes me incredibly jealous. even sad. Thank goodness for the painkillers....they've been good to me.

But I'm getting stir crazy. I'm restless. The gym misses me. The softball field misses me. My running shoes miss me. It's summer, and i'm on crutches. I wake up on Saturday mornings, wishing i were out on the trail with fellow runners, sweating through the heat. I used to wish i could sleep in on those mornings, and now i have the strongest desire to wake up at 5:30 am and go run. Those extra hours of sleep are SO not worth it. I miss the satisfaction from finishing a long run. I miss the feeling of 'only 12...10...8... miles left to go'. I even miss the feeling of utter exhaustion and not wanting to go another step.

2 weeks of recovery down.....? weeks to go.

here's a few of my pics from the marathon

nothing too exciting. just a photo op with john bingham at the expo, pre-race photo with teammates, 6:24 clock shot (the moment i thought my leg would snap), and some glamour shots from the ambulance & hospital.

you stay classy, San Diego.

a tale of running, tears, and ambulances

PART ONE
In the beginning.....i woke up at 3:30 am, feeling great, excited, and optimistic that the marathon was going to go great. We hopped on the shuttle at 4:00 and headed to the start area. It was amazing to just be among the sea of runners, the anticipation was thrilling and i couldn't wait for the gun to go off. My leg was feeling good and my pockets were stocked with the essentials: gum, Gu, Sport Beans, Biofreeze and salt packets. i slathered on some Biofreeze, ate two packets of salt, took some extra strength Tylenol and got into Corral 12 with Katie and Rob, aiming for a 4:30 finish.

The scene was electric, 20,000 runners all pumped up and cheering as the gun went off and we edged towards the start line. I thought back to the past 5 months of training, all the miles i've logged, all the donations i'd been given, all the sacrifices i'd made in preparation for this moment, and all i could do was smile. The first couple of miles flew by, as we were running about a 9:40 pace and dodging in and out of the crowd of runners. It was so fun to see the bands that were performing and i felt great despite a slight limp. My right knee was twinging a bit, but it was nothing that was going to stop me or slow me down.

We ran through Balboa Park and past the zoo, the downhill wasn't as easy on my leg as i hoped, so i was glad when we got to downtown and the road flattened out. Took some Sport Beans and saw my coach, Koach Karl, which was a big boost of extra energy. It was awesome running past the Padres stadium, through the Gaslamp Quarter, and along the Harbor. We had ironed our names onto our jerseys in bright green, and the spectators noticed, shouting out "Go Rob!" "GO KATIE(s)!!" Just hearing our names called out was a major motivator to keep up the pace. And with 19 miles left, I was feeling great. This is so much fun! I love marathons!!! 7 miles done, 71:07.

And then, the 3 mile long uphill started. my knee started hurting more, but i knew that i wanted to stay on pace with Rob & Katie, to help motivate me up the hill. I tried, i really really tried. But at about 8.5, i could not take the pain. And there was a medical tent about 100 yards ahead, so i jogged to it and sat down as a nice man came over and diagnosed me with 'pretty bad tendonitis and bursitis'. He massaged my knee. Ow, ow, ow!! This hurts so bad! Make the pain stop. He gave me some ice and helped me stretch my muscles out, then i got up to continue on the next 17 miles. I decided at that moment that i probably shouldn't have stopped. It hurt so bad to start jogging again. I couldn't. So i walked. I limped. I cried. I can do this, i can keep going. If people can fight cancer, i can keep jogging through some leg pain.

I was frustrated. I was angry. And i was in severe pain. I was getting very down, when i saw my teammate Courtney and yelled at her. She came over and saw my sad condition and all i could do was cry. She stopped to walk with me and get my spirits back up. It helped so much to have someone familiar there with me, someone to talk to. We walked for about a mile and then started jogging.

It hurt. But i jogged anyway, and we limped along, searching for Koach Karl who was supposed to be around the 12 mile mark. I knew i couldn't stay with Courtney, i didn't want to slow her down, and my shin was starting to hurt along with my knee. and my hip. my whole right leg was quitting on me. I finally saw Coach and immediately broke down. I told Courtney to go ahead, and he sat me on the ground as he rubbed my shin. The pain was almost unbearable. excruciating. But i knew i wanted to finish the marathon no matter what, so he helped me to my feet and we passed the half-marathon point and i sat down again as he taped my shin and gave me some more Tylenol. The tape helped ease my shin pain, so I told him i was okay to keep walking and he told me to stay optimistic and he'd be around mile 22. After a short while, i had to rip the tape off my shin, because it gave me a new pain from the lack of circulation. Just pick one pain or the other and keep going. Even though my leg hurt, i knew i had to make it the last 12 miles, so i kept walking and fighting back my tears. It was lonesome and frustrating being out there by myself, discouraged and dejected.

This is not fun. This was supposed to be one of the best days of my life. But it's not. I'm in pain. I want to quit. But the crowd kept yelling "Good Job Katie, keep it up!" and then thankfully, i found a nice girl named Amanda from North Carolina at mile 16 and we got to talking. If it weren't for her, those last 10 miles would've been the longest 3.5 hours of my life. She helped me realize that it didn't matter if it took me 4 hours or 7 hours to finish, but i was going to complete a marathon.

After i got over my frustration, i just focused on walking to the finish. I saw coach again at mile 22 and told him i was feeling alright. 4 more miles, just keep it up. keep walking, you're doing great katie. I was starting to look past my sorry situation and enjoy it more and instead of tears of pain, i shed some tears of joy when i realized that i was almost done. Amanda and i had decided to jog the last little bit of the race once we saw the finish line. So i mustered up all the remaining energy that i had and forced myself to limp-jog to the finish. ow. Ow. ow. OW. ow...this was a bad idea to jog..ow. OW. Ow....i'm almost there! I forced a smile for the camera.

6 hours, 17 minutes. Nearly two hours past my goal. And then i cried. Not because i'd finished a marathon, but because i had never been in so much pain before. So i limped to get my medal, limped to get my picture taken, limped to get my gear bag and limped to check in at the TNT tent. And with each step, there was a *pop* in my shin area. It was gross, and with each step, i was expecting my leg to snap in two.

PART TWO
I hobbled my way to the Medical tent and told them i was in severe pain and thought i had a stress fracture. They had me lay down on the cot, and the doctor came over to poke around on my leg.
"We're going to have to get you to the hospital for xrays, if you keep walking on this, your bone can potentially break through the skin at the fracture point."

My chapter director and Koach Karl were notified and they came over to reassure me that i'd be okay. I made friends with the two paramedics and they splinted my leg, hoisted me onto a stretcher, into the ambulance, and whisked me away to UCSD Medical Center. I had no way to contact my family, my mentor, my teammates, my boyfriend, or my friend Kaddie who'd drove down from L.A. to see me. They had no clue what was happening or where i was. For all Kaddie knew, i had taken a cab to Tijuana. This was SO not the way i had planned to leave the marathon. I had planned on meeting up with Kaddie and taking the shuttle back to the hotel and hang out in San Diego with her. I had NOT planned on being driven away in an ambulance. So i spent the next 3 hours sitting in a wheelchair with my leg in a splint, having my leg poked around on, and taking some very painful xrays.

The Diagnosis: no visable breaks or fractures, but there's still a possibility it's fractured and not showing up on the xrays. So stay off of it for several weeks. No kidding...really? I could've told you that. I can't even put pressure on it without screaming in pain. Apparently some of my muscle fibers had torn away from the bone. Sweet. That's just great. I don't care what you call it. It hurts.

So here i am now, on crutches, hobbling around with tendonitis, bursitis, severe muscle strain and a possible stress fracture. Not exactly what i had envisioned i'd be like after my first marathon. But i finished. I ran/walked 26.2 miles. And walked (crutched) away with an undoubtedly unique story and a large medical bill.

Just say goodbye to my running & softball careers for the next six weeks. But i'll be back as soon as i'm 125% healed.

Rock 'n' Roll San Diego, Here I go....

It's almost here!!!! In about 9 hours, i will start running the most exciting and scariest race of my life. I'm feeling very optimistic about it, even though my leg is still being a bother. But i'm going to look past that and enjoy the entire experience. The people, the music, the challenge, the extreme excitement of running my first marathon.

Tonight we had the TNT pasta party and it was SO inspiring to see over six thousand participants, coaches, and honored patients. And it reminded me of just what I am running 26.2 miles for. I know that no matter how much pain i may be going through tomorrow, that is nothing is comparison to what cancer patients and their families go through. So i'm running this for all of them. But mostly in honor of Brita. And in loving memory of Aunt Dana and Grandma Strahm.

i've been reading through all the encouraging letters and emails i've recieved throughout my training and they make me want to go out there and run, run, run.

This isn't going to be easy. I know that. But this isn't going to so hard that i can't finish it. It's going to be the most amazing experience of my life. so far.

my 3:30 am wake-up time is getting closer, so i head to bed with this as my inspiration:
'I can do all things through Him who strengthens me' Phillipians 4:13

No Looking Back

i'm off to San Diego today, and i'm taking this bum leg with me. will it suck it up and work like a champion? or will it be a wimp and refuse to work?

i have no idea.

and that's what scares me the most.

less than 48 hours until the marathon and the update on my leg is not much better than my last blog. it still hurts. still throbs. still makes me frustrated and nervous. on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being awesome....it's about a 6.5 right now. and that's where it's been the past few days.

but, oh well. here i go. i'm gonna give it all i've got and run, run, kitkat.

Waterworks

SERIOUSLY?!?! I CANNOT believe this is happening to me. I guess I should've seen it coming....i've been unusually 'healthy' all through training. I kept thinking it was slightly odd that I wasn't the one who was injured.

When my teammates were broken down, i felt great.
Despite a few minor shin pains, i felt great.
over 4 months of training, i felt great.
18 miles, 20 miles, 22 miles, i felt great.

But now, less than 1 week until the big marathon, i do NOT feel great. I feel awful.

Honestly, i don't know what happened. I was doing a nice 6 mile run last Tuesday, and BAM!!! Mile 4, my right leg was screaming at me to stop. So i walked, and then i jogged. I walked, I jogged. And finally I made it back home, limping.

Ok, fine. This is kind of normal. My shins sometimes hurt a little bit when i'm done running.

Ok, fine. Ice. Stretch.

Ok, fine. This will go away eventually.

Ok, not fine. This is killing me.

So i listened to orders from Josh to bench myself for my softball game the next day, and to lay off of running for 'awhile'.

But Saturday was our last group training run, and i wasn't about to miss that, and it was only 8 miles. That shouldn't be a problem. Plus, my leg was feeling better with 4 days of no running. So me and my archnemesis 'The Shin' started jogging.

About 10 steps into the run, i knew i should've been on the elliptical machine instead.

OW, step, OW, step, OW........i managed to eek out some kind of limp-tastic stride and made it to the water stop/turnaround at mile 4. Thankfully, Josh was there and helped me to swallow my pride and quit at 4 miles. He drove me back to my car, i talked to koach karl, and went home for a pretty wimpy ice bath.

Helping my brother and sis-in-law move that afternoon probably wasn't the best idea, but i did it anyway. Yesterday, i iced. And stretched. And iced. And stretched. And went to the pool to catch some rays and do a little swimming. Because, that can't be bad for my leg, right?

Wrong, it still hurt. My knee, my shin, my ankle. The pain just travels throughout my entire lower right leg.

I don't know what to do. I have instructions from Koach to not run until the big day. Hang out on the elliptical, bike, swim, yoga. But don't run.

So, if you know me, you know how hard this is for me to do. i'm stubborn. i want to run. i NEED to run. my marathon is SIX days away!!!

But, i'm going to do everything i can to be ready next Sunday. I'm scared. SCARED TO DEATH. Scared that i won't be able to run. Scared that i'll think i'm ready to run 26.2 miles, only to be overwhelmed by pain after only a mile.

I try not to worry about that now. I'll stay off my feet as much as i can. I'll keep icing. I'll keep stretching. I'll keep praying that i can just make it 26.2 miles.

But SERIOUSLY?!?! why now? This is not what i want to be worrying about. I should be worrying about what i'm going to pack. I should be worrying about what flavor of Gu i'm going to carry with me. I should be looking forward to my vacation from work.

But i'm not. I'm frustrated. I'm sad. I'm in pain. I'm struggling to stay optimistic. I'm trying to be strong. But last night, it was too much for me.

and i cried.

i cried for my body. i cried for those who are expecting me to run great. i cried because my boyfriend is 2,000 miles away. i cried because i'm frustrated with work. i cried because i can't find God's humor in this whole situation. and i cried because i want to run.

Just keep running....just keep running....

The big two-two loomed ahead of me on saturday morning. will my legs survive? will i crumble in pain? can i really run 22 miles?

i made sure to set two alarms for 5:15, because i could think of nothing worse than oversleeping and having to run 22 miles all by my lonesome. i made it to the Team meeting location and we headed off on our last long run before the marathon, 11 miles out and 11 miles back. we started out on concrete sidewalk, which made me concerned for the well-being of my precious legs, but soon we were on the trail and i was happy. my legs were happy. i was enjoying being out there with my teammates, all of us working towards conquering this final training hurdle. and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to spend 3+ hours running around Overland Park & Leawood.

i settled into a comfortable pace with rob, katie & gina. it definitely helps to have someone keep pace with you. i have a slight tendency to pick up my pace when i'm feeling good, so i had to keep in mind that i still had 20, 18, 16....miles left. the first half of the run felt relatively great. the shins were hurting a tad, but nothing unbearable. i slathered on some Biofreeze somewhere around miles 6 & 9. that helped a lot, and i reminded myself to be sure I carry some packets in San Diego. After what seemed like we pretty much ran to Oklahoma, we turned around for the second half.

Except, wait, that was only 10.5 miles. Koach Karl said it wasn't exactly 11, but i was hoping he overestimated instead of underestimated. More Biofreeze, more Gu, and for the first time in all my long runs, I had to make a pitstop. Fortunately, there was a bathroom by the ballfields and i avoided having to use a dreaded port-a-potty. I got separated from my group, so i just picked up my pace a bit, turned up my ipod and...

Risin' up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
It's the eye of the tiger..............nothing like a little Rocky motivation to keep me going and catch me back up to my teammates.

Except for some very long uphills, the rest of the run went pretty well. My legs felt good, and then....new socks = big blister on big toe at mile 18. oh wait, i was wrong. new socks = 2 blisters on big toe at mile 18. well, better now than during my marathon, i suppose. Now, normally when i know that i only have two miles left, i feel happy, but not on this run. The very daunting and large hill just before our finish was AWFUL. just AWFUL. Several teammates were there cheering us on, which really helped, but then we got to the top. Looked at our mileage and it read 20.85........what?!? Koach definitely undercalculated the mileage, so we spent the next mile+ running around the parking lot, looking like disoriented vagrants.

But I made it!!! 22 miles. done. My muscles had never ached so much before. I just wanted to lay down. And then I just wanted to walk around. Lay down. Walk. Nothing eased their pain, so i got in my car and drove home to a much deserved ice bath. For all those who are afraid of ice baths, i'm telling you, once you get past the initial shock, they are wonderful. absolutely wonderful. in a weird, calming way.
22 miles.....3:42. I'm feeling very confident about my 4:30 marathon goal.

And.....I SURPASSED MY FUNDRAISING GOAL!!!!! Thank everyone SO much for their generosity. My family, friends, co-workers, strangers who just think I'm cool......without you all, this wouldn't be possible.

Bad blogger

ahhhh, i'm a bad blogger. nearly two weeks, no blogging from me. whoopsie.

but i'm gonna try to keep this blog short. 22 miles tomorrow. need rest. i need to give these legs as much rest as i can. ever since my 8 mile run last saturday, the right shin has just been aggravating me. and it probably wasn't too smart of me to run on some sidewalks on tuesday. i really had no choice though, unless i wanted to play chicken with a car. and i have too much good stuff going on right now to do that. but those stupid sidewalks .... i might as well beat my shins with iron pipes. so, i tried to correct this problem by running on the grass instead. and here's another gripe. people, people. Puh-lease keep your lawns mowed. do you know how much harder my legs have to work to trudge through your lawn forest? my legs were 110% exhausted after that. so, i took thursday off from running with the hope that my legs will be good and ready for the 22 miles tomorrow. oh, i can't even think what i'm going to feel like after that. i'm a little scared for the whole adventure.

Holy Twenty Miles, Batman!

once again, i woke up 45 minutes later than i'd planned (thanks, T) and had to hurry up eat a powerbar and hurry up drive to heritage park. 15 minutes late, according to worldly time. but right on time, according to KatieTime. i've gotten so used to running on our usual trail, i was unsure what to expect at this new location. i was pretty much just running until my Forerunner said 20.0

It went something like this:

started out with two 2-mile laps around the lake, pit stop for some Gu. what? no espresso love? i settled for vanilla bean. hmm...pretty tasty. one 3.5-mile out-and-back, two more laps around the lake, this is so peaceful, Gu, one 4.5 out-and-back, eww that leg was hilly. i did NOT like that one at all. let's not do that one again.

one more lap around the lake. i am DYING here. these legs are just about used up. ok, one more 2 mile loop around the lake. i can do it. c'mon legs. chug-a-chug---a--chug--a.....

if it weren't for my ipod and, as crazy as it sounds, the thought of taking a post-run ice bath to ease my pains, i would've walked the last mile. but i ran it all! 20 miles, oh my goodness!

20.3 miles. with an avg. pace of 9:40, i finished in 3:15. not too shabby.

but i ran these poor legs of mine until they were dead, dead, dead tired. i was pretty sure that once i got in my car, i wouldn't be getting out of it. still, i had to stop and pick up some essential big bags of ice. lots of ice.

thankfully, i had my big brother handy to carry the ice to the bathroom, where i proceeded to take THE MOST PAINFUL ice bath ever. i'm pretty sure my feet were borderline dead. five minutes, and i was outta that tub.

ok, now i can see why people think ice baths are crazy. although, i'm still going to keep on making them a post-long run treatment, because they are beneficial. As sore as a human's legs should be after running 20 miles, mine aren't too bad*.
*side note: aside from me hobbling around the house on sunday and still having a dull throbbing pain in my right shin, i'm okay. let's just hope it goes away.

This week: 6 miles, 3 miles, 8 miles. A 17 mile week? Piece of cake.

Oy, Eighteen.

yeah, so about that......i think it drained my blogging energy. i really couldn't think of much else to tell about other than- yeah, i ran 18 miles. So, I've finally gotten around to posting a new blog. My shins and hip were being very stubborn the first 3 miles, but I gave them a pep talk and told them that they still had 15 miles to go, so they might as well stop complaining. The rest of the run felt great, and i was just on a mission to finish as soon as possible so I could drive home for Easter. Post-run, I stopped at the grocery store and bought $7 worth of ice and I got some weird looks from the early morning elderly shoppers. They were probably thinking, That girl must be having a party. And, on Easter weekend? What is this world coming to? If only they knew that i was going home to sit in all that ice and actually enjoy it. It was great to go home and spend time with my family and hear their words of encouragement and awe for my training, but really it's them that should be applauded for helping me get to where I am today. so thanks, guys. And another BIG THANKS to everyone who has donated. I can't express how much it means to me to have your support and I'm floored by your generosity. Although, there are still some of you who haven't donated....you know who you are. I'll be hunting you down.

I finally got my pictures back from St. Louis, and let me just say that it doesn't work too great to take pictures while running. I did manage to get a few decent ones though.

Hook, Line & Sinker

I am hooked. Hooked on the half-marathon. Hooked on all that surrounds race day. I ran my first official half-marathon on Sunday in St. Louis, and i couldn't have been more scared/excited about the whole thing. I was just a little concerned since my right hip developed a mysterious bruise last week and has been having a reoccuring pain that kept flaring up. My hips seem to be a little off-kilter. Plus, walking around downtown STL probably wasn't the best idea, but we got a little disoriented on our way to packet pick-up. Still, i knew that a little hip pain wasn't going to keep me from running. No way, Jose.

Race day, I woke up before my alarm even went off at 4:45 am, well rested, wide awake and ready to run. Shoveled a Power Bar in my mouth, downed a Powerade and Crystal & I headed to the start line with some fellow TNT runners. After a last minute dash to the restroom (thank goodness for the indoor restrooms at the Hyatt; I avoided using a port-a-pottie all weekend), I found Crystal amidst the throng of runners right as the gun went off. As mentioned before, my goal was 2:15, so we started with the 4:30 marathon pace group. i think Crystal thought we were in the 3:30 pace group, because she led us through the stampede of runners at lightning speed. I was just so super excited I didn't even notice we were cruising along at an 8 min pace until we reached the first water stop, and I decided that it would probably be in my best interest to slow down for the sake of my hip/shins/heart/every other body part.

I sent Crystal on ahead as I slowed down to a 9 minute pace, much more comfortable for my hip. It was slightly painful for the first 3 miles, and then it just kinda disappeared as the pack headed into the Budweiser brewery around mile 4.
After that point, I felt pretty great and just settled into an 8:45 pace for a couple miles. I carried a disposable camera with me, so I was just out to enjoy the scenery and aim towards my 2:15 finish goal. Feeling good, I had the 4:00 marathon pace group in my sights and set my goal to pass them and stay in front of them the rest of the 7 miles. The remainder of the race felt great, despite a minor twinge in my left ankle and lack of foresight on my behalf to carry some Gu. thankfully, i was gifted some unknown type of gel at mile 10. From then on, it was pretty much all downhill from there, as i pushed myself on towards the finish with the Gateway Arch shining brightly in the Sunday morning sun ahead of me.

I sprinted across the finish line with a stellar first half-marathon time of 1:55, good enough for 1435th place out of about 6,500 half-marathoners, and an avg. 8:48 pace. Yippeee! you know what that means.....new sexy sandals for me. And since I ran a sub 2 hour, I think i'll buy myself a cool new pair of running shorts. Some with little mesh pockets, so I won't have any excuse in the future not to carry my own Gu.
Things I learned from my first official long distance race:
1. Always remember to pick up safety pins at the Expo....or just bring a bunch with me.
2. Make sure I have my own Gu with me.
3. Best t-shirt of the day award goes to this guy: How's my running? Call 1-800-LIMP.
4. I need to get myself a KitKat cheer squad.
5. above all, it's more about having fun than running fast.

16 miles. WOOT.

the 16 mile run on saturday was probably the best i've felt on a long distance run in quite awhile. the shins were behaving awesome, pace was pretty awesome, weather was super awesome...all in all, it was awesome. i thoroughly enjoyed being out on the trail for nearly two and a half hours. The only downer is that aside from me and my mentor, everyone else on my team is injured. I ended up running the last 11 miles by myself, but i enjoyed that and was able to run my own pace (about a 9:00 avg) and just enjoy the April morning.

Now, what looms ahead of me this Sunday is the Spirit of St. Louis half-marathon. Actually, it's not really looming...I at least know that i can run a half-marathon with no problem, but I am a little bit worried about how running 13 miles on concrete is going to make my shins feel. Those silly legs can be so tempermental and moody. So far, i've been really fortunate to not have any major problems with them. *knock on wood*. We'll see how it goes...I'm super excited for my first half-marathon race, okay scratch the term 'race', my first half-marathon run, especially since my former cross country co-hort and friend Crystal is going to run it with me. And i've set myself a finish goal of 2:15. If i beat that, i get to by myself a new pair of strappy sandals i've been stalking. oh, the motivating factors of a twentysomething female...

California Runnin'

yes, i know. my blogging has been a little lax this past week, but for very good reason. I was sunning and running in Californ-i-a. I flew out Thursday night to visit my friend Kaddie in Malibu and woke up Friday morning to 73 degrees and sunny weather, so I headed to Zuma Beach for my weekly long run. Thankfully, this week it was only an 8 miler. There's a 5 mile long boardwalk that I spent some time on, but most of my run was surfside in the sand, which I LOVE, for the sake of my shins, plus the extra workout it gives my legs. Beach running is just so much fun to me. The run felt really great, and I finished in 71 minutes, great pace considering the sand running.

I took a break from running on Saturday and Sunday, since shopping in Santa Monica, touring Hollywood and walking around Disneyland all day gave my legs plenty to complain about. That's right, I finally got to go to Disneyland. I felt like a 7 year old trapped in a 23 year old body.
But Monday, I was back out to the beach, this time I headed a little south to Will Rogers State Beach, near Santa Monica. I had to soak in all the California running i could get before I headed back to Kansas. I spent most of the run on the concrete path, and surprisingly my shins did not hurt at all. I think they were just happy to be in Cali.

I got 13 miles of spectacular running in during my vacation, now I just have to get out of the post-vacation funk and get ready for this saturday's 16 miles, and the St. Louis Half Marathon next weekend. Springtime in Katieland is just full of excitement!

I should've known I was getting myself into trouble....

Standing on my precious feet for 3+ hours in a smoky bar is not the ideal way to spend the night before a long run. Not to mention, somebody sprayed pepper spray in the bar and I nearly coughed up a lung trying to escape. But hey, it was St. Patrick's Day and I was enjoying my position as designated driver for my friend Jessi. With 14 miles looming ahead of me on Saturday morning, I knew I had to be responsible, limit myself to two beers early in the evening and get to bed at a semi-decent time. So we left the bars midway through the second half of the KU game and got home in time to see Bradley send the Jayhawks packing their bags. Fantastic!

Note to self: in the future, do not plan to be up by 5:15 unless you go to bed before 11:00. Well, somehow my alarm didn't go off and I woke up at 6:30. Great, i'm half an hour late for the start with the team and I still need to eat a Powerbar and let it settle. Luckily, those Powerbars seem to understand my body by now and I didn't have any trouble with an upset stomach. I arrived at the park around 7:00 and thankfully there were two alumni there to tell me which running route to take. So, I headed off into the unknown by my lonesome....just me and my ipod to keep me company. It was nice to at least encounter fellow team members along the way. I did enjoy running at my own pace, so the 14 miles weren't bad at all. I think my ipod thought differently, 14 miles?!?! are you kidding me? no way, i'm too tired for that, and the battery died at mile 9. After that, I just figured I might as well get this run over with and picked up the pace. Miles 9-11 clocked in at a 8:45 pace. Probably a bad idea. Stopped at mile 11 for some more GU and my legs were very reluctant to move. Just 3 more miles.

They finally got back to rhythm and I finished my first half marathon in 2:05, with no hoopla or fanfare or anybody else within sight. I just ran a HALF MARATHON!!! That felt incredibly great, and i finished my 14.15 miles in 2 hours 15 minutes. Anticipating how angry and confused my legs would be the rest of the weekend following my longest run ever, I stopped at the QT and picked up 3 bags of ice. I'm sure I looked a little weird, considering it was trying to snow outside. But that was probably the best ice bath I've ever had. 14 minutes immersed in icy water with a mug of hot cocoa and some Van Morrison playing in the background, I was actually sad when the ice was all melted and I had to get out.

A roundhouse kick to start my day

I'm heading out of town tonight and can't run with the team tomorrow, so in order to stick with the scheduled weekly mileage I had to get my 8 miles in sometime today. And what better way to do that than to head to the gym at 5:30 am and spend some quality time with Mr. Treadmill? Ok, that's a dumb question because realistically there are LOTS of better ways, but this is how i decided to do it. Let me just say that 8 miles on a treadmill is bad enough, not to mention running at a time when I should still be sleeping. And to make matters worse, my entertainment options were the morning news or Walker, Texas Ranger. Morning news is good the first time you see it. But really, who needs to watch 3 broadcasts of the local news? not me. So that leaves me with Walker, Texas Ranger. 80 minutes of Chuck Norris' roundhouse kicks might be exciting to some people, but it was 80 minutes too many for me. Thankfully, i had my ipod and some berry flavored GU to help me make it through. And now, my body is a calorie burning furnace for the rest of the day.

On a very exciting note....I've reached my recommitment (halfway) goal in fundraising 20 days before the recommitment date. And a very Big Thanks to everyone who has donated! Keep them coming:

Please make a donation to fight Leukemia

Puddle hopping and GU popping

Saturday's 6 a.m. 12 miler went much better than I'd anticipated. I've always enjoyed running in the rain, so that just made me all the more excited as I drove to the park in the light drizzle. And I don't know what the starting temp was but I was getting warm after the first 2 mile out-and-back so when we came back to rehydrate I put my gloves in the car and switched to a lighterweight jacket. I had my first experience with GU at mile 5. Wasn't quite sure what to expect from the packet of oozy energy gel. I'm not gonna lie, the Espresso Love was rather tasty, I think I've found a new favorite running treat. The rain gradually came down harder and colder as the miles added up and even though I was angry at myself for not wearing gloves, the run felt really great. Popped another GU at mile 9, and by the time 12 miles were up, I didn't really want to stop. That's a good sign, considering I had just run 46% of a marathon. Way to go, ME!
Total mileage this past week.....19.5 miles
Fundraising total......$1723.10 or something like that

And the winner is.....the little runner girl!

Set the alarm for 5:50 so I could get myself up and run since there will be no time after work tonight due to a much anticipated concert. (WOOT!) Not that 5:50 is anything new to me, because that's when I've been getting up on Saturdays to go run with the group. But it's so much harder to actually get up when nobody is expecting you to be there. Hence, the heated argument my mind had with my body as I lay in bed. My mind is very conniving and tricky when it comes to situations like this, telling me to enjoy the comfort and warmth of my bed and just make today a rest day. And my mind had me convinced for about 20 minutes that it was right. Of course I deserve to sleep some more, I've been working out really hard for the past 10 days, I need a rest day. But then, that little runner girl inside of me started complaining about how angry she would be on saturday for the 12 mile run if I didn't run today. It's a good thing the little runner girl is stronger than my mind, I really enjoyed my 25:30, 3 mile run as the sun came up and the birds began to sing. The only problem is that running 7.5 miles on concrete this week is slightly making my shins upset. But they're just going to have to learn how to deal cause I'm not too keen on treadmill runs when it's springtime in Kansas. This saturday morning run starts at 6:00 am, so let's hope my mind is still sleeping when the alarm goes off at 5:00....