My hand feels weird

Ah yes, the most exciting news of my year so far and I haven't even blogged about it yet. (but thanks to Mouse for prompting me too)

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

I'm still getting used to the whole 'engaged' thing and I'm not one of those people who announce it from the rooftops, so perhaps that's the reason why it has taken me nearly 2 weeks to blog about.

February 2nd started out as any normal Saturday....the sun was out and the city was bustling. I went for a late morning run while Todd went to the coffee shop. We walked downtown for a late lunch and then went to Pike Place Market, walked around for a bit and headed down to the Waterfront Park on Elliot Bay. He led me to a nice quiet spot and asked me to marry him.

I was so caught by surprise that the first thing I managed to say was "Are you serious?" A little voice inside my head was telling me "for goodness sakes make sure you tell him 'yes'!"

And so I said yes. I immediately called my parents (who didn't answer), so I called my brother who told us to go buy a disposable camera since neither of us had our cameras with us. The nearest store just happened to be Pirates Plunder, and even though I begged to get an eye patch, we just bought the camera and went back to the park for some snapshots.





With planning for a wedding sure to keep me preoccupied for the next seven months, I'm not sure if I'll have time to train for/run the Eugene Marathon. I know I'll definitely need something to ease my stress, but I don't think I'll be able to focus as much as desired on months-long training. Besides, I only get to be engaged once so I want to savor that as much as possible. I can always run Eugene another year.

Split second decision

I told myself that come Feb 1st, I would start training for a half marathon (MAYBE a full marathon). And prior to ten mintues ago, I'd put about zero thought into what race I would aim for. So being that today is Feb 1st, I said "hey girl, you make a decision. You make a decision before you leave work today. Or else..."

Not sure what the 'or else' entails, but I obeyed my own orders and have decided...DUM DUM DUM....

Eugene, here I come!

May 4th. That's a good three months away, so if I'm really feeling ambitious and confident that my legs will not fail me, perhaps I'll aim for the full marathon. No promises though, that's not something I can decide before I leave work today. Because I'm leaving now, so everyone have a great weekend!

sushi to the rescue

Todd joined me on my Saturday run for about 1/2 mile. It was nice having him run along and he even mentioned running again so at least he doesn't hate it. I ended up going 4 miles along Lake Union and then spent most of the weekend just bumming around.

I didn't come to any decision on a spring marathon. I actually didn't do any thinking about that. I had a proposition to move to a different department at work so i spent quite a bit of time stressing about that, which did nothing to ease the pain of a lump on my neck, so i spent quite a bit of time stressing about that also, which just made last weekend uber stressy.

(I ended up deciding to stay at my current position and have a doctor appointment next week to check on my neck. It's been feeling much better today and the swelling has gone down, but I think its best to be safe.)

After a dismal start to my week, Todd showed up at my work with a bouquet of pretty pink tulips and then took me out to eat at I Love Sushi. It was a fantastic surprise and made my day five bazillion times better.

I hadn't been out for sushi since being back in KC in September. (weird, right? considering Seattle is more of a sushi hotspot than KC) I used to go out for sushi with my roommate Catherine several times a month, but Todd doesn't like sushi so my consumption here has been practically nonexistent. I've been having sushi withdrawal, so this was just what I needed to cheer me up.

I ate and ate and ate until my belly almost burst....mmmmmMMM!

my start to 2008

Once again, it's been awhile since i've posted a blog update. But in my defense, I did have something typed up on Jan 2, I just never published it. And now, it doesn't make much sense to use it, so i deleted it and am starting anew. So my first blog of 2008.....

I've taken a couple weeks to relax from running and have only ran a couple miles once or twice a week whenever it's convenient for me. I feel kinda weird doing that now, being that it's that time of year when everybody and their dog makes a New Year's resolution to start exercising more and lose weight. And here I am, purposely slacking off. But after my (nearly) back-to-back half marathons last month, I felt I owed my body some time to be lazy.

While it's been somewhat nice not feeling obligated to work out, I'm raring to get back into a more structured running schedule and focus on a spring race (or two). I'm thinking about running Whidbey Island in April or Eugene, Oregon in May. I just need to decide if I'm going to stick with the half marathon, or finally take the extra step *pun intended* and do a full marathon.

I have a big weekend ahead, full of decision making....about marathons, about my job future...oh and Todd has offered to run with me for a 1/2 mile on my Saturday morning run. This is HUGE, and i'm really excited that he's willing to share in my enjoyment of running. Whether or not HE enjoys it, well, that's still to be determined.

Recap from the Big D

Pop Quiz:

Dallas was _________.
a. a nice change from Seattle's weather
b. sunny and warm
c. cold

The correct answer is C. Dallas was cold.

Who would've thought? I packed my bags Friday night based on the forecast that it will be warm and humid, with a chance of rain.

WRONG.

While I was glad to not be running in warm and humid weather, I wasn't *quite* prepared for 40 degree temps. In hindsight, I probably should've packed some old gloves and a long sleeve shirt to wear before the race. And some warm pants would've been nice too.

But despite the weather surprise, it turned out to be a great race and a fun weekend with my cousins Leann, Ryan and his wife, Lindsay.



The course was flat and fast, the scenery was good and the crowds were impressive considering the 'not-so-pleasant-to-be-standing-outside-for-hours' weather. Ryan made an excellent running partner and pushed me at a faster pace than I normally run, but it felt great (up until the last mile).

The most exhilarating part of the race was running through downtown Dallas at Mile 12, the band was playing, the fans were cheering and the announcer shouted "Go Katie! You rock! One more mile!" My legs moved faster, my eyes teared up, and I pumped my fist in glee. But....that last 1.1 mile was the LONGEST ever. I kept trudging on though because I didn't want to slow Ryan down. (we talked after the race and he felt the same way about not wanting to slow me down. talk about good silent motivation!)

And when it was all over, we both walked away with a PR of 1:47:19! (This even despite our back-of-the-pack start and a 10:00 first mile.)


To top it all off, Leann and Lindsay (who ran the full marathon) both qualified for Boston!

I'll have more pictures to post soon, but now I'm just wrapping things up and heading back to Kansas City for a good ol' family Christmas time! Let's just pray the ice doesn't interfere with our fun.

Heading to the big D

I get to enjoy a lovely evening by myself doing laundry and tucking myself into bed by 9 pm. It's a super early start for me tomorrow with a 7 am flight and since I'm confined by the bus schedules at such an early hour, my only chance to get there in time is to take the 4:15 bus. If I miss that bus.....well.....I'll be spending my weekend in chilly Seattle instead of deep in the heart of Texas.
I'm super excited for the weekend, although this will be the fastest cross country trip I've ever made. But it will be nice to spend time with my cousins and the weather looks like it won't be *too* bad:



It's my cousin Ryan's first half marathon and our plan is to run it together, so I'm really looking forward to having an entertaining run.

More details on the flip side!

rain, rain, go away

Up until this past weekend I was beginning to doubt those who say Seattle has a wet winter. November was a relatively dry month and more than once I made the comment- "I was expecting Seattle to be much more rainy".

I eat my words.

Saturday brought a few inches of snow, but Sunday's rain and warmer temps washed it all away. I guess it just decided to keep on raining. And raining. And raining...... Over 3 inches of rain have fallen since midnight creating mudslides and widespread flooding.

I guess on days like this, I'm especially thankful that I ride the bus*.



*I should probably note that I waited 30 minutes for my bus this morning, only to find out that it had flooded driving through a tunnel before my stop, I got splashed by a tidal wave from a car driving by, and my jeans still haven't thoroughly dried, and my umbrella is so wimpy I have to keep it opened up with one hand.

It's probably time I get myself a pair of rain boots.

Oooh looky here

My Seattle Half Marathon official time:
01:51:14.5

And apparently my timing chip didn't register at the start, so I like to think that my chip time is actually around 1:50:45. Still not quite a PR, but given that this course was hilly and my PR time was on an uber flat course, I feel really good about my 'I think I'm just going to go out easy and enjoy this race' time.

The legs are still sore, but I secretly delight in the pain, knowing that I pushed my body through a grueling challenge. Ok, 'grueling' might be a bit too extreme of a word...

Go go Seattle run

Alright, I know i've been blogless for awhile....but instead of recapping the past six weeks, let's move forward and save some time.

This morning I ran the Seattle Half Marathon and while I haven't seen my official time, the clock showed 1:52:05 when I crossed the finish, so I'm happy with that. I found out a little too late that my battery was low on my Garmin, so I just left it turned off. And I actually finished faster than I had anticipated, since my original plan was to just go out and have a nice morning run. And you know how it goes when your adrenaline gets pumping.
(Plus, I had made Todd get up early to come support me so I knew he was waiting for me at the finish line and I tried my best to minimize his time standing around wondering when I was going to be done.)

While the November weather can be miserable, today was the ideal day for running. Sunny and in the low 40s at the start, I was pleasantly surprised with such a beautiful day to run. Overall the run was two thumbs up, with the exception of a few not-so-kind hills, especially a killer hill around mile 8. I can already tell that my quads are going to be angry at me for the next week. But they better shut up and deal with it soon, because I'm heading to Dallas in two weeks to run the White Rock Half Marathon with some of my cousins.

No time to take off from running, and besides, I gotta have some good motivation so I can eat Christmas cookies and mom's delicious caramels. mmmMM!

Running through an Autumn Wonderland

I've found that's it's pretty easy to enjoy life in Seattle, especially during my favorite time of year. It's time to dig out the sweaters and scarves, keep an umbrella handy at all times, and marvel at the rich colors of the foliage. Autumn arrived earlier here than I was used to in the Midwest. While we were snuggling in our fleece with 50 degree days, they soaked up the 90 degree heat in Kansas. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Last night I couldn't wait to leave work so I could go for a run in the cool evening air. I put on some shorts but the clouds threatened rain (no surprise there), so I grabbed a jacket from the closet. That proved to be a not-so-smart idea, as I created an upper body sauna with my Dri-fit shirt underneath wicking moisture away from my body and the jacket trapping the moisture in. No matter though, I didn't notice until I was finished and my jacket was soaked inside. Besides, I found my new favorite 4 mile running route, and the scenery was more than enough to distract me from any sauna action going on.

Feeling ambitious, I headed east from my apartment (I normally start out north or south since east and west = steep hills) up through Capitol Hill and into Interlaken Park. Basing my path only on looking at a map, I wasn't quite sure where the road would take me and the trees hanging over the street were getting denser, the woods were getting quieter and the sky was getting darker. The scene was slightly eerie and except for a few bicyclists whizzing by with their headlights on, I was out there by myself. I wouldn't say I was scared, but it made me run a little bit faster than i had planned to, and it was exhilarating.

The eerie silence was a pleasant escape from the busy streets of downtown, the black asphalt glistened from the day's rain, and it felt like I was running through a portrait, joined by the bright yellow, orange, and red leaves falling all around me and blanketing the ground. It was mezmerizing. And when I emerged from the park and joined up with the street sidewalk, I was sad that part of my run was over. But it was almost dark, and I knew I needed to head back home before i got lost.

That was the most enjoyable 4 mile run ever and I think i'll go back and do it again tonight. Perhaps when I have more daylight time on the weekends, I'll extend the run east through the trails of the Arboretum.



For my mother's sake, I should probably mention that I always run with my pepper spray in hand, ready to strike at any moment on anyone who dares interrupt my run.

Also Duely noted: yesterday I registered for the Seattle Half Marathon, which is at the end of November. I already feel like I'm ready for it, since i've been maintaining my mileage. I ran an 8-miler this past weekend and when my friends Matt & Kristin came to visit the weekend prior, I joined them on a 10-miler since Kristin is training with Team in Training for the Rock 'n Roll Arizona marathon.

And I will attempt to do better at posting more frequent blogs for those who remain interested in my life :)

i couldn't think of a title

I should blog. I really should blog.

That's what i've been thinking for the past several weeks. Problem is, with moving and enjoying my last days of unemployment and traveling and entertaining visitors (and not having internet at my apartment yet), I wasn't very focused on typing up the details of my life on my computer.

So this is my 'I am still alive and still happy out here in this corner of the country' blog.

I moved into my own apartment about two weeks ago and while it's hard going from seeing Todd everyday to only seeing him about 4 days a week, i'm really enjoying living by myself in the city. I found a small studio in the quaint little Eastlake neighborhood, just a short bus ride to work and downtown, and a short jog to the Burke Gilman trail.

And I finally started my new job this week, and so far, so good. I think it will be a pretty exciting and interesting job (talk about beginner's optimism, eh?) and I'm really excited about working with the accounts they assigned me to. And since the weather was nice this past week, I just walked the 2 miles home from work. Plus, my walk takes me along Lake Union, so it makes for a nice scenic walk.

I took a week off from running during my move transition, but with starting a new job, I needed to get back in my running routine. I did some 2, 4, 3 & 6 mile runs this week and need to refocus myself so that I can be ready for the Seattle Half Marathon in late November.

hopefully i can keep up with my blogs from now on so i don't have to cram a whole month's worth of life into a couple paragraphs.

oh, and wasn't that a great K-State win over Texas? and now we're ranked #24! plus, the Chiefs & Seahawks won today too, and Oklahoma lost yesterday,...a great weekend all around.

Blog of Randomness

Last saturday we bid adieu to the summer and arrived at Elliot Marina in the morning to set sail with our skipper Dominic across the Puget Sound. He taught us a few things about sailing, and we dined on baked brie, hummus, olive tapenade, Coronas and a couple bottles of our favorite Chateau Ste. Michelle wine. The weather could not have been better as we dropped anchor off the shore of Blake Island to soak up some sun and eat lunch. I even got to try my hand as Captain of the boat l as we sailed back to Seattle! If only we could do this every weekend. *sigh*











Following my 'i got myself a job' news of last week, I spent a rainy Tuesday looking for apartments close to my work by South Lake Union. And I just received news yesterday that my application passed and I get to move into my Eastlake studio mid-month! I'm finally feeling like my life is in order again, and I'm excited not to be living out of my suitcases and having 90% of my belongings in storage.

On the downside, I'll be further away from Todd and the East Lake Sammamish running trail that i've grown to love. Good news is that my apartment is about a 1/2 mile away from another popular trail in Seattle, the 27 mile long Burke Gilman trail.

This week's Thursday night dinner club was at Marrakesh. I'd never eaten Moroccan food before, but oh my, it was good...and very filling. We were all seated on cushions and dinner included two appetizers, and five duck, chicken and lamb entrees, followed by dessert and tea. Best of all, no utensils, so you eat with your hands and share with everyone at the table. Apparently they have belly dancers too, but we had an early reservation and missed out on that fun.

Taking advantage of the sunny weather yesterday, I went to Bridle Trails to do another trail run. There are three marked trails of varying distances, so i ran each trail once, for a total of 6.5 miles. I felt like the hills were easier on me than my last venture out there, so I'll just keeping working my way up to running 10 miles on those trails. It definitely takes a lot more energy out of the body than running the same distance on flat ground. uh, yeah....Duh.

I left feeling invigorated from the rigorous workout, although I'm not sure if that had anything to do with me being painfully sick later in the evening and hunched over a trash can.

And I'm back in the game...

First news first....

I GOT MYSELF A JOB!!
*pat* *pat* on the back for me.

I was at the point where I was beginning to think my life would consist of interviews and more interviews, followed by more interviews, but no paycheck. Thankfully though, my prayers have been answered and I apparently wooed everyone over at the Ad Agency I will be working for. I'm really excited for this new endeavor, and while I don't start for 3 more weeks, that gives me ample time to find an apartment downtown and just relax.

Second in news today....playing a little catch up since my last blog...Last weekend we enjoyed a church camping trip at Lincoln Rock State Park near Wenatchee, about two hours east of Seattle. And on the way back home we acquired some yummy just-picked peaches and pears, along with a couple bottles of wine from a local winery. yum yum.

I've really kicked up my running mileage the past two weeks since I have a couple of fall/winter races on my mind (to be officially blogged about later). Mostly some 4 milers, but I even did a hilly 5 miles during the 'heat wave' that came through this week. And by 'heat wave', I mean 85 degrees. I think my tolerance for unbearable Kansas heat has left of my system because those 5 miles were a struggle at my normal pace, I had to slow down and just enjoy the evening. And I threw in a 6 miler with speed intervals, just to spice things up a bit.

And tomorrow I get to go sailing around the Puget Sound on a 39 ft sloop, sure to be the highlight of my weekend.

Have a great Labor Day weekend, y'all!!

Tour de Seattle

Whew!!! i've finally had time to sit down and recap where i've been for the past week. i got two new tires on my car, was able to pick it up in time to meet my parents at the airport and set out on a fun-filled week with them. i feel like the time passed so quickly, but i was able to show them so many things that i love about seattle. We did the obvious: Space Needle, Pike Place Market, ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island, etc. But I was glad that being a semi-resident, I was able to take them places most tourists don't get to go.

We enjoyed a picnic at Gas Works Park, where my dad was able to watch all the seaplanes take off and land. The Todd gave them a tour of the Microsoft campus, and we spent several hours at the ship locks and salmon ladders, which was really quite interesting. We walked a lot and took the bus as much as possible, except for Friday when we were headed to the Museum of Flight.

This is where my plans changed....much to my surprise and total obliviousness, my brother and sister-in-law flew into Seattle for the weekend. I was totally surprised and confused, but I finally got ahold of things and we picked them up and headed out for another round of Seattle sightseeing. We went back to Pike Place, rode the ferry, and Todd met us out for dinner and we all went up the Space Needle that evening. It was really great having my entire family here, even though at times there were six of us piled in my car and I had to deviate from my planned schedules.














Saturday we ventured out to Snoqualmie Falls where us kids did a small hike and then took a tour of Columbia Winery.













The weather turned rainy so we enjoyed an evening at the hotel with wine and Scrabble fun. I wish they could've stayed longer, but I'm glad we were able to spend time together and I could show them around the area. And it was nice, having their familiar faces, because every once in a while I do get a little homesick.

Consequently, I took a week off from running since I was playing chauffeur and did an ample amount of walking. But it was enjoyable to get back out for a 4 mile run yesterday. I think I'll do a short run along the Lake Sammamish trail this evening.

Weekend Getaway

It's not like I needed a vacation from a job, but I welcomed the vacation from searching for a job. Friday morning we headed to Idaho to spend the weekend at Todd's parent's new house in the Post Falls/Lake Coeur d' Alene area, about 4 hours east of here, just across the Washington border. After 3 hours of driving, we decided to take a pitstop at the Latah Creek winery in Spokane Valley for a free wine tasting.....and then we left there with 3 bottles of fruity goodness. (note: I did most of the tasting since I was just the passenger)

Saturday morning I was able to get in a 3 mile run down by the river, but after the previous night's delicious, yet very garlicky Greek dinner, my stomach just didn't have the gusto to do much more than that. We all drove about 45 minutes north to the quaint little town of Sandpoint, ID where they were having an arts festival along Lake Pond Oreille. I never knew Idaho was such a vacation destination, but after spending some time at their mountain lakes, it's easy to see why.














Who would ever guess this is in Idaho?!?














On the way back to Seattle on Sunday afternoon, we stopped in Spokane to walk around the riverfront area and took a gondola ride above the waterfalls.


























It's looking to be a very busy week, I have a couple interviews and my parents are flying into Seattle for a 5 day visit. I'm super excited to show them around. But just my luck, my tire has severe damage and i have to take it into the shop tomorrow, manage to find my way downtown on the bus in time for my interview and hopefully meet up with my parents sans car. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Good night.

Into the woods

Last night (wednesday) we joined a group of our friends for an outdoor showing of Back to the Future at Marymoor Park in Redmond. We got there early to grab some lawn space and played some bocce ball and bingo. I even packed a picnic dinner for us :)














Thankfully, someone brought extra sleeping bags, because once it got dark, the temperatures dropped to the low 50s. But even with a chilly nose and my coffee all gone, it was lots of fun watching the movie out in the wide open with a crowd of people.













Today I decided to have my first experience with some Pacific Northwest trail running. Being a newbie, I didn't want to go to some forest deep in the woods unprepared, so I headed to the next best place....Bridle Trails State Park.














Bridle Trails is a 482 acre forested park located within the city of Redmond with more than 28 miles of trails for running and horseback riding. I figured, even if I did get lost, I'm pretty sure I could find my way to a busy street. But once I was wound my way deep amongst the tall fir trees, I could have easily been out in the forest miles away from civilization.


















I ran a 3.5 mile loop with a few steep hills, then decided that I enjoyed it so much, I picked a 1.6 mile designated loop and galloped on. This just might be my new favorite Seattle running spot. It was so peaceful and since it was during the late afternoon, I only came across 2 people and their dog, 1 scientist picking some mushrooms, and 1 lady on a horse. Which means there was only one negative to running here: make sure you watch out for horse manure.

We're headed off to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for the weekend to visit Todd's parents so that should be lots of fun!

Faces in Odd Places

I took advantage of the cool weather and went for a longer run yesterday afternoon. I headed north along Lake Sammamish for about 4 miles, then turned around and headed back.


I wasn't quite to 8 miles, so I kept going, when I ran past this outdoor art gallery:

It's Fence Art by Jim, and while there is plenty of nature and large lake houses to look at while running on this trail, these artworks add a nice, unexpected surprise.

my movie review

I skipped my Saturday morning longer run as we joined the throng of other Bourne fans and saw Bourne Ultimatum instead. (I'm not really training for anything right now anyways, and this movie was top priority of the day)

Although I really liked the 2nd installment, Bourne Supremacy, I think this 3rd one might be my favorite. In fact, we're thinking of going to see it again this week. If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out. And Even if you haven't seen the first two movies, the action scenes and smartness of the movie keep you on the edge of your seat.

It's a cloudy, cool 63 degree day here, perfect for a run and far different than the hothot humid summers I'm used to back in Kansas. I'm a big fan of this fall-ish weather.

Purple Dinner

Last night was the inaugural Thursday Night Dinner Club.
ok, so I just came up with that name myself and haven't verified it with the other members. Todd met Ryan at Microsoft and over the past year whenever I came out to visit, I got to know Ryan and his wife Aubrey better. I really like them and it's helped make my transition to Seattle much easier having them around.
Anyway, this week's restaurant of choice was Purple Cafe & Wine Bar.

Purple has 3 locations in the Seattle area: Downtown Seattle, Woodinville, and Kirkland. We chose the Kirkland location, which had a nice patio outside to enjoy the cool evening.

Ryan perused the wine book and selected a bottle of Troken Riesling and baked brie appetizer to share. I need to figure out how to make it at home, because it was oh, so delicious, as was my blackened salmon sandwich with mango chutney. Purple has an extensive wine selection, and you can get cheese and wine flights too. The downtown location has a tasting bar, to sample multiple appetizers for cheaper prices, which i'd like to check out sometime.

I'm on the lookout now for next week's dinner location. It's probably going to be a more casual (ie: cheaper) dining spot.

I'm super excited for this weekend though, because do you know what movie comes out? I think we're planning on going to see it tomorrow. Matt Damon is a stud.

Me and the Giant Picnic

The weekend got off to a busy start, Todd was 'working' out of the office on Friday, so we took the convertible to the University District to eat at Pita Pit. MMmmmm... I hadn't tasted their pita deliciousness since i was back in college a couple years ago, and it was well worth the drive.

I went for a 5 mile run Saturday morning, knowing that I was going to be attending the largest picnic known to mankind*. We drove to the Microsoft campus and got on the charter bus headed for the company picnic (this was just 1 of about 45 buses they were shuttling around throughout the day), which was located out east about 20 miles at Mountain Meadows Farm near the base of Mount Si.

[*that is not a factual statement, but if it's not the largest, i'm pretty sure it's one of the top 5 largest]



I have no way to accurately describe the scene, but imagine a town of about 10,000 people having a carnival where everything is free (and this was just 1 of the 3 possible days of attendance). Food, games, massages, casino, music, more food, beer & wine, clowns, puzzles (it IS Microsoft, afterall).
Here are a few pics of the day:

Hanging out with some Microsoft friends...



There were games for all ages...






The food tents stretched on and on...


Mmmmm...i heart gyros..



It was a fun couple of hours, then we caught a bus back to campus, and went out in Bellevue with our friends Ryan and Aubrey to see HAIRSPRAY and then enjoyed some sushi and dessert to cap off the evening.

Sunday was much more relaxing, but the week ahead looks busy. Tonight is trivia night at Celtic Bayou, Tuesday i have another interview and a bbq with a small church group in the evening, and Thursday is our weekly dinner with Ryan and Aubrey. We're on a new quest to try out a different restaurant every week. This means no room for me to slack off in my exercising :)