I could get used to this

I'm on a new work schedule where i only work Mon-Thurs, and have fridays off. It's a pretty sweet deal. So friday morning I made my regular trip to the gym to lift weights, only this week I got to go at 10:30 am instead of 5:45 am. And since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided I might as well get on the treadmill and, hey why not, do my weekly treadmill test.

Experience has taught me that mid-morning is not my best time of the day to run, i'm usually more sluggish than early morning or evening. So i ran 2 miles instead of 3. And i nearly threw up.

2 miles....14:56. Definitely could not have gone another mile at that pace and still manage to hold my breakfast in.

I stopped at Starbucks on my way home and saw a sign for an open invitation for interviews to be a barista at a new store. It's not like i'm doing anything else today....I filled out an application and went in for an interview. They liked me so much (or so I tell myself) I had a second interview immediately following. We'll see what happens next, but i would be totally ecstatic to make capuccinos all day instead of doing what i do now. It might shake up my moving plans a little bit, but I'll worry about that when I need to.

Saturday morning started out rainy, rainy and even more rainy. Other than my hands being frozen the first 3 miles, it was a great morning to run. I ended up going 10 miles, so I guess i'm right on schedule for the Olathe half marathon in a month. I still need to register though. *making mental note*

I'm off work all this week because Wednesday I'm heading to Biloxi, Mississippi to help rebuild homes with my parents and people from their church. But for now, i'm heading to the gym to work my arms....good prep for banging a hammer.

Only a true friend....

...pays money to have you run with them.

I've never had anyone pay me to workout, but that's what happened on my dreadmill date with josh. apparently my 24Hr gym membership only allows me to go to my gym, so he was kind enough to take care of my $5 cover charge at his gym.

saturday morning....no way was i getting up to run in the morning when i heard the winds and temps were going to be downright ridiculous. so i slept in a little bit and went to the gym to hop back on the treadmill, where i ran into fellow TNTer Courtney. apparently only the true crazies were out running in the frosty morning.

i wasn't sure how far i was going to run. after all, the gym was busy and i can only make myself run on that revolving conveyor belt for so long. i ran six miles and stopped, because people were waiting in line. and then i walked around and hopped on the next one that opened up and ran another two. eight miles total.

but the true excitement of the weekend (other than me getting my taxes done ALL BY MYSELF--with a nice refund), was the TNT Mardi Gras pub crawl, put on by none other than kevin the rockstar. you can't go wrong with this equation:

school bus + jello shots & beer + good friends = FUN.

TNT family portrait: Courtney, Me, Kevin & Josh

Weekly Treadmill Challenge

In following with my post from last week about the treadmill time limit, last night i participated in my Weekly Treadmill Challenge:

2.6 miles in 20:00
3 miles 23:20

Ideally, i should be improving from week to week but that didn't happen. I blame that on the candy i ate during the day.

Stupid candy. Why must there be a bowl filled with sugary goodness staring at me from across the hall? My favorite is the bite-size Midnight Milky Way. mmmm...fluffy nougat and creamy caramel coated in decadent dark chocolate.

But its okay to eat those because dark chocolate has been proven to be healthy.

It's a scientific fact.
I read it in a book.

Tonight I have a dreadmill date with Josh. He's inviting me to his gym since their treadmills don't have time restraints. 5 miles. I hope he doesn't expect to race, because I'm going to have another Milky Way now.

i'm not bitter.

I don't like the so-called 'Valentines Day' for many reasons, but i won't go into details. I just think it's a ridiculous 'holiday'.

And no....it's not that i'm bitter or jealous. I have no need to be, i'm in a wonderful relationship. I've hated 'Valentine's Day' for many years. My friends and I started referring to it as 'Half February Day' in college because of its commercial ridiculousness. And we still send each other Happy HFD wishes.

I'm not Jewish, but I liken this day to how a Jew may feel about Christmas. Sure, all the hubbub and hoopla is around you, but you just treat it like any other day. So its just another Wednesday for me. I'll go to the gym....make dinner...and probably watch tv while i work on designing some wedding invitations for a friend.

So have a Happy Half February day, and in celebration maybe watch Half Baked, Half Nelson, Two and a Half Men...there are just so many choices. It's mindblowing.

sun run fun

 I've been told that it rains in Seattle.  But everytime i come here, i apparently scare it away.  Maybe, just maybe, i'll get lucky before i leave tomorrow and i'll be convinced of its rainy reputation. 

   Yesterday and today though, it's like the weather we don't usually get in Kansas until March or April.  And it makes for awesome running.  (unless you overdress b/c you're used to freezing temps)  Still, i went for a 4 mile run this morning in the sunshine and pine-scented Washington air. 

    We took the bus downtown yesterday to walk around the Capitol Hill area and scope out the neighborhood.  It ended up being about a 3 mile walk through the Montlake area with some gorgeous views and very hilly streets.  This is a view overlooking Lake Union towards Queen Anne hill. 

 Supersonics game tonight!

swift kicks.

there's a silly 20-minute treadmill rule at my gym right now. it's only between 4-8pm, but i still don't like it (mainly b/c nobody obeys it). i ran 5 on tuesday so i wasn't planning on running last night too, but i saw a treadmill open up, so i hopped right on it.

and like the bright pink paper noted, i only had 20 minutes, so i had to crank it up. it's like a challenge against myself to see how far, how fast i can go in 20 minutes.

and (shhh, don't tell) i ended up being 'that person' who disobeys the time restriction rule. but only by 3 minutes. not like the girl next to me who stayed on for 40 minutes (RUDE). but i just really wanted to hit 3 miles.

3 miles...22:30. i think i hit about 2.75 miles at the 20 minute mark.
i'm going to make this a weekly challenge for myself.

i also figured it was about time to get myself some new shoes since i bought my last ones back in September before the KC half marathon. These were highly recommended by josh and i got them for a great price online. Asics GT-2110.

so i took them out for a run tonight. i like them. and they're pretty. i just planned on a 3 miler, but ended up going 4 since i'm not quite sure if i'll run this weekend. i'll try to squeeze something in, but i'm going to Seattle, so i'll have to motivate myself instead of running with the TNT group. hopefully it'll be a smooth-sailing trip, unlike last time.

deep thoughts

Deep Thoughts, by Me.

I feel like an entirely different person compared to this time last year. I was just going through the motions of life like a normal 23-year old.
Limited Responsibilites....check. Partying with friends....check. Single and ready to mingle....check. Earning a *meager* salary...check.

But there was something missing. Several things missing, actually. Problem was, I didn't quite know what they were and I wasn't sure where to find them. But one thing I DID know, was that I felt like there had to be something more. Something to make me happy.

This past weekend marked the one year anniversary of a very special (I might even go so far to call it 'life changing') event. It was my first training run with Team in Training. It's hard to express how awesome of an experience the whole thing was, but if you've been a part of TNT, you already know. And, despite my marathon being the most physically, emotionally, and painfully challenging thing i've ever done, I still had an absolutely fantastic time.

It certainly helps having such a great bunch of people to run with and that's definitely one of the things I'll miss the most when I move to Seattle.

I'm sorry...what? Move?

Yeah, so i figure if i tell enough people that i'm planning on moving this spring, then there's no backing out of it. It's just another thing that i gotta do in my life. But when the right person comes along, you gotta do what you gotta do. I can't let this one slip away. And it's hard being in a long distance relationship. VERY hard. I probably enjoy flying more than the next person, but after awhile it is just too financially and emotionally draining to keep on doing this. I have so much more respect and admiration for those in the military who go months, even years without seeing each other.

More on this subject later, but for now i'm off to go run in the balmy 50 degree weather!! It'll be gone tomorrow so I might as well enjoy while i can.

not too shabby

An excellent weekend to recap...

For the first Saturday in a long time, i got to sleep in. And yes, 8:30a.m. is considered sleeping in for me. With my recent hamstring problems, and a 10K on sunday, I skipped out on the morning run and decided to test out the hamstring that afternoon. I was a bit apprehensive, since i hadn't ran since Tuesday and BRRRRRR...it was freezing and super windy outside. But my leg felt good, so i ended up going 5 miles to reassure myself i'd be fine for the 6 on sunday.

Saturday night couldn't have been more fun. Brita, my Team in Training honored patient for the San Diego marathon, and her husband Paul, invited me and several other teammates over to their house for sushi, karaoke, and some Playstation Guitar Hero.

With all of our karaoke, dancing and video game guitar skills, i think we could start our own band. A cover band of course, since none of us are songwriters, but i'm not gonna lie....we'd be a hot commodity for junior high dances and retirement community entertainment.

I love my teammates, and it's awesome that our passion for running and our desire to help others is what brought us all together in the first place. But from there, we've became great friends, and they're such a strong support system, almost like a second family.

I had to ditch out on the party a bit early, since i was set to run the Groundhog 10K the next morning. I picked Josh up around 8:15 and we headed to the caves. I had no idea what to expect, except that it's all underground in the storage tunnels and warmer than outside.

It's hard to describe to someone who's never been there, but it was a very interesting place to run in. I liked that it was warm, flat, and asphalt. I did not like that the air was musty, the scenery is limited to giant concrete pillars and flourescent lights, and it feels like you're running in circles. Basically, it looked like this for 6.2 miles:


I went into the race with a goal of 52:00, and walked away from my first 10K in 50:32. Not too shabby. AND...i placed 8th overall in my age division, which really makes me feel good about myself. Here I am with Josh and fellow TNT alum Randy, looking very similar to a stoplight:

i pulled my hammy

i thought really hard about when the last time i pulled a muscle was....and i couldn't remember. i think it's been that long. like maybe back in high school. and it's not like i ever stretch before i run. i just walk out my front door, or show up at the park, and go. and i seldom stretch after i run.

i've always secretly thought stretching was overrated, and since i never pulled anything, i never made it a point to stretch.

but i pulled my hamstring this morning.
and it hurt.

was i running? nope.
playing softball? nope.
doing some strenuous biking? nope.

i was at the gym.
doing bicep curls.
and i pulled my hamstring.

somehow that seems to go against the laws of physics.

you may be thinking: how does one pull a muscle in the leg, when they're only moving their arms?

it's simple, really. a caveman could do it. i was standing up and using the dumbbell bar, doing my 3rd set of bicep curls. like i'd done the past two times, i dropped forward to put the bar on the floor.

should've bent my legs. even just a bit.
instead....RRRRrrrrriiiiiiipp. (you know the feeling.)
apparently i like to think i'm more flexible than i really am.

thankfully, i ran monday and tuesday nights so i was planning on taking tonight off. i think this is a sign that i need to start doing pilates again.

donde es el bano?

so i ended up taking like a week off from running. Whoopsie. it was kinda by accident, kinda by result of the weather and icy-ness. but i like to think that the miles of walking around Seattle count towards my mileage. in like a weird small percentage way compared to running.

my flight was cancelled on sunday, which was cool with me since i got an extra day to spend in Seattle. and i spent the next day flying, along with 4 hours at the Cincinatti airport, thanks to another delayed flight. needless to say, it was not the smoothest trip of traveling i've ever had. but i grew up around airplanes and everything aviation, so inconveniences like those don't bother me. in fact, i love being in airports and i think soon, i could write a book of reviews on U.S. airports. hmmm...perhaps there's a future career there for me.....

back to kansas. grrr. brrrr. more ice. lots of ice.

but i actually got up this morning and ran before work. amidst the snow. and lots of ice. but it was fine. i did not fall. and fortunately, i did not get hit by a car while i was running on Mission Road forced off the sidewalks due to gobs of ice chunks and ice rink-like surfaces. seriously, cities of Prairie Village and Leawood...can you please do something to clear those at least partially off?? unfortunately, i got stomach cramps (ie: really needed a bathroom) around mile 3 so i hurried home and called it quits at 3.5 miles.

treacherous traveling

i ran 6 miles on Tuesday evening, and i felt great. I was 'that girl'. Running in the 20 degree weather, in shorts. I set out only planning to run 4, but the weather made for great running so i kept on going. i was trying to get a feel for my 10K pace, and then out of the blue, my Garmin battery died somewhere around mile 3. bummer. i think i probably finished about 50:00.

now, off to my trip to Seattle.....this is a long story, but then again, so was my day.

i got up at 5:15am wednesday morning to go to the gym since i knew i wouldn't have time after work, since my flight to Seattle left at 8pm. if i would've known what lay ahead of me, i probably would've slept longer.

i'd been watching the Weather Channel during the flight and they kept mentioning the snow and ice in the Pacific Northwest, so i knew the conditions were not ideal. but we landed safely in Seattle, where i got a voicemail from Todd saying that he drove two blocks from his apt and couldn't make it any further up the hill. great. he'd called rental car companies, nobody had any 4 wheel drive cars available, he called limos, shuttles and nobody had availability to pick me up. it was almost midnight, i was exhausted, dehydrated and my cell phone battery was dead. i just stood in the airport and cried.

luckily, my luggage finally got there and i was able to charge my phone and call him back. i really didn't want to have to stay in a hotel, so my last option was to see if any taxis would drive me out to his apartment in Sammamish, which is normally a 30-45 minute drive. i went to the taxi pick-up area and got in line behind about 70 other people, where i waited for about 45 minutes. i talked to a couple who were headed to Issaquah, a town near Sammamish, so we planned to get a cab together.

all the police officers there told us to just get a hotel, the roads off of the interstates were horrible and we'd probably end up getting stranded since our destinations were in very hilly/mountainous areas. i just wanted to go to sleep and the other couple was determined to get home. a taxi pulled up and out stepped a driver whom i could barely even understand and who didn't even know where Issaquah and Sammamish were. luckily, the other couple said they'd direct him.

We left the airport around 1 am (think 3am kansas time). there were hundreds of cars deserted along the roads, people just couldn't go any further and left them there. thank God this taxi had good tires, luggage weighing down the back, and a taxi driver determined to get us home. we got to Issaquah, and i was left to direct the cabbie the last 5 miles. we kept going and every hill we made it up, i just thought 'thats one less hill i'll have to walk my luggage up when this car stops'. fortunately, we finally arrived where Todd was waiting for me. i've never been happier to see him. so $80 and a nearly 2 hour cab ride, i was safe. poor cabbie though, he had no clue where he was so we gave him the best directions possible and wished him luck.

i got to bed around 3:00, so basically i had been up for 24 hours. it was definitely one of the scariest travel epsiodes i've ever had, but i made it here. and other than the ice and inability to drive anywhere, it's really pretty. with the help of two good samaritans, we finally got Todd's car back home. but we're riding the bus everywhere now.

my first 2007 post

And I'm back!! (for the two or so people who were concerned about my whereabouts)

I took an unplanned, yet very much needed blogging sabbatical while I ran through the holidays, attempted to organize my life, and ponder what lies ahead in the wonderful year of 2007. While 2006 was one of my best years (i might even go out on a limb and say it was THE best year), i'm hopeful that this coming year will be just as great, if not better.

And to kick off the running year, my company is a sponsor of the Groundhog Run on the 28th, so that means i have a free ticket to run. I was debating over whether to play it safe with the 5K, or run my first ever 10K in the above avg. temperature, claustrophobia, and noise of a completely underground run.

And I, being so easily persuaded by fellow runners, let Josh convince me that the 5K was (not his exact words) wimpy. So, a 10K it is. And the underground-ness of it all makes me both excited and apprehensive. Six miles is no problem at all, but i don't have any prior 10K finish times to go off of, so during my 8 miler on Saturday, i focused on figuring out my 10K pace. I think I'll shoot for 53:00.

I don't really have any new year's resolutions, just some new plans for the new year. Perhaps i'll blog those later, but for now i need to finish doing my laundry so i can pack and fly myself away to Seattle on Wednesday. Yipeeeee!

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.