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By kilax, July 31, 2010 6:27 am

Today is my 26th birthday, and all week Steven has been teasing me about his “web of secrets”… he’s been making secret phone calls and being all mysterious (and making funny gestures with his hands when he says “web of secrets”).

He told me the web of secrets would all unravel on Thursday. I was really excited but had no idea what to expect!

The first surprise was a new Giant (brand, not size) mountain bike! He bought it on Monday and hid it in a neighbor’s garage. It rides like a dream. I can’t wait to go on some long rides!

And the second surprise is even MORE awesome. When I was in our driveway, loading the car to go to Iowa, someone pulled by our driveway and yelled “Kim, turn around!” It was Erin and Jason! I was a dork and yelled “What are you doing here?!” And Erin said “We’re coming with you!”

Steven had been planning for Erin and Jason to come with us to Guttenberg, IA, (on the Mississippi River) for my birthday since June! I was so surprised and excited. I never expected Steven would have surprise guests! And we love spending time with them, so it was a wonderful surprise.

We spend yesterday eating lots of food, playing Phase 10, and going to the beach (after it finally stopped raining). Erin and I have plans to do a long run this morning, then go to the beach all day (in the sun HOPEFULLY) and eat fried food for dinner. I also get to spend the day with my sister and her boyfriend (who showed up last night) and my aunt and grandma, and maybe my brothers. Sounds like a perfect day to me!

I feel so lucky that Steven, Erin and Jason took the time to surprise me and make me feel special, and that the rest of my family is making the trip to see me! Hopefully this day will feel really long!

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By kilax, July 30, 2010 5:54 am

Where do you eat your meals – at a table, at your work desk, on the couch, in a restaurant, etc.? Do you think where you eat your food affects how much you enjoy it (or how much you pay attention to it)?

What I am hoping is that I am not the only one who seems to have given up on the dining room table. We eat almost every meal on the couch now – except for salads, because I spill them all over myself. And at work, I eat breakfast and lunch at my desk (unless I am meeting a friend for lunch). Yikes. I am really setting myself up to enjoy my meals…

We have a perfectly fine dining room table at home. AND you can even see the TV from the table (although I hate to sit there and watch television – it feels like if we are at the table, we should be engaged in conversation). We just don’t seem to use the table.

One thing that makes me WANT to eat at the dining room table is having a nice flower arrangement on it – it’s so inviting! Like this one that Courtney sent me for my birthday:

But wait! Look at the cute lid for the vase container:

Aww. Now, if I only had fresh flowers ALL the time!

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By kilax, July 26, 2010 5:20 am

Why the exclamation point (especially since I didn’t know what a “pocket pie” was before Wednesday)? Because these are awesome!

Gina* sent me an awesome package for my birthday – three pocket pie molds (lattice, star and apple) and pocket pie filling from Williams Sonoma!

I had never seen these before, but knew that I would love using them. I love baking fun things in the kitchen.

And they’re actually quite simple to make – make dough, cool it, make pies and fill, freeze, and bake! Of course, it will take me some time to perfect their appearance.

Cutting out the shapes is fun. The cutters are double-sided, so you use one side to cut it…

… and the other side to hold it while you fill it up!

When it’s all full, you put the other piece on top and crimp it.

Voila!

Like I said, I have to work on the appearance a bit. Even after making one, I realized I needed to make the dough thinner, and put flour in the cutter so it was easier to get the pie out.

You freeze them a bit…

… then you bake them. Yum-o!

What a fun, easy and tasty treat! Thanks Gina!

What other type of filling do you think I should try besides peach? Keep in mind, they could be sweet or savory!

*It’s worth noting that I have never met Gina in person, but have known her, and our friend Courtney, online for over 4 years, and the three of us have been sending weekly emails and gifts back and forth since we met. It’s amazing that you can meet such awesome people online. AND I finally get to meet Gina in person this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now if  only Courtney could be there too!

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By kilax, July 25, 2010 12:21 pm

I am currently getting back in to running so I can run the Chicago Half Marathon and Chicago Marathon.

Day 274 | July 19, 2010: rest

Day 275 | July 20, 2010: 6.1 m run

Steven and I went to the Independence Grove Forest Preserve to get our run in before the free Tuesday night concert at 7:30. Steven ran 3.75 miles and I did 6.1. At about mile 4 I really started to feel good and kept it around a 10 minute mile pace for most of that mile… then I slowed back down. I can’t wait to speed my pace back up. The pace I am running at doesn’t feel right to me. Of course, it would help if it was cooler! I thought it was a nice change to be running in the low 80s for this run, but I prefer the high 40s!

Steven doesn’t always cooperate with my picture taking!

Distance: 6.1 | Time: 1:05:37 | Avg Pace: 10:45 | 1: 10:40 | 2: 10:32 | 3: 12:01 | 4: 10:54 | 5: 10:11 | 6: 10:15 | 7: 00:59

Day 276 | July 21, 2010: yoga

I did the YogaWorks Beginners AM/PM DVD.

And was bored out of my mind.

Day 277 | July 22, 2010: cross

Steven and I took a two-mile walk around our neighborhood. I should have run, but wasn’t in the best of moods when I got home (work issues).

Day 278 | July 23, 2010: 5 m run

Yay. I’ve always wanted to feel like I was running in a sauna!

I did this run in our neighborhood, so in the case I passed out, I would be close to home. The humidity has been killer in the Chicagoland area lately. If I was smart, I would watch the weather, and at least run with the temps are cooler, but no… I was too cranky to do that (on Thursday night). So. The humidity.

This run felt like… hmm… complete and utter crap. Not “why did I sign up for a marathon?” crap, but “how could I ever run a mile?” crap.

Even though there were clouds blocking the sun (and thunder was rumbling) this run still felt awful. Not in my bones, but just on my skin. I’m blaming it on the heat. And hoping it doesn’t happen again.

There’s that optimism again… it always gets me in trouble.

Distance: 5.0 | Time: 56:57| Avg Pace: 11:23 | 1: 11:09 | 2: 11:18 | 3: 11:33 | 4: 11:24 | 5: 11:29

Day 279 | July 24, 2010: rest

Day 280 | July 25, 2010: 7 m run + stretch

Super Runner!

I did the “AM Wakeup” portion of the YogaWorks Beginners AM/PM DVD in the morning, then Steven and I ran in the Grant Woods Forest Preserve. We didn’t start running until 9:30, but it was only 75° and felt pretty decent, especially in the shade!

Unfortunately, Steven started to get the chills around the 4 mile mark, so we took a break in the shade, then ran back to the car so he could sit in the shade and drink more fluids. It was warming up pretty fast.

He ran about 5.15 miles, and I finished out 7.

You know, I would be so happy if I could find a trail out here that was ALL shade. Wow, would that be a dream come true. The sun has just been so intense lately. I seriously felt like I slowed down every time I was in the direct sun during this run.

(I should note that my average pace for this run was an entire minute faster than Friday’s run – the lower heat makes a difference)

Distance: 7.0 | Time: 1:13:14 | Avg Pace: 10:27 | 1: 10:35 | 2: 10:40 | 3: 10:25 | 4: 10:32 | 5: 10:39 | 6: 10:10 | 7: 10:10

Week Summary: 18.10 miles

I kind of had an off week, personally, and it seeped in to my running world a little bit. I was lost in my head on a couple of these runs, and it wasn’t as pleasant as I remember from past runs. It inspired me to make some super playlists for future solo runs. Even though I will be using the music as a crutch, it will help me get through the rough runs. Any song suggestions? I really like upbeat music!

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By kilax, July 24, 2010 4:36 pm

This is what happens when you haven’t been to your garden in over a week:

You find a HUGE zucchini. Oops. Not sure what we are going to do with that. We didn’t like the taste of the first few zucchini we picked.

We also found a ton of cucumber. We picked 10 of them, but there were probably at least 5 more we could have taken. Hopefully I will be able to share these with some people in my office. I like cucumber, but I don’t think I could eat more than 3 or 4 by myself in a week.

Since the cucumbers are growing on vines above the ground, it’s really fun to look for them. It’s like looking for a hidden treasure! I am sure we will end up with a humongous one at some point too.

And… the green beans. Wow. We had so many to pick.

Sarcasm.

I am not even sure why I picked these. It’s about 1/4th of a serving for one person. I am so sad our green bean plants didn’t take off.

We’re still waiting to find out if a lot of the other produce will grow. The sweet potatoes are spreading out all over the place, and we have some green tomatoes. I pulled up a “carrot” today to take a peek and it was about the size of a pen cap. Maybe smaller. The rest of the produce is questionable.

At least we have had success with our cucumbers. I love the test of them, and think it’s awesome that we can just go to the garden and pick a cucumber (or 10) when we need one.

Any ideas on what I could do with all of these cucumbers?

I love putting them in salads. I have been eating a huge salad every day though. I like veggies and it, but it’s getting a bit old.

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By kilax, July 23, 2010 5:47 am

Have you ever experienced an extreme force of nature like a tornado, hurricane, earthquake or volcano? Do these types of events (or the possibility of them) scare/worry/frighten you?

The tornado sirens were going off again in our neighborhood last night. Instead of getting up like last time, I was just annoyed. They woke me up. I tried to sleep through them. So, I guess I am not too afraid of tornadoes.

I do remember being really scared of them when I was a kid though. At some point in my childhood I saw some special on tv about tornadoes, and never slept through a summer-night storm again.

When I was in college in November of 2005 though, a tornado came really close to campus. It was a Saturday, and a bunch of the architecture students were working in the studio (which was on the 3rd floor with a lot of glass) because we had a big review on the following Monday. Someone’s mom called to warn us about bad weather, so what did we do? Keep working, then get up to gawk at the storm from the window when we saw it pass by. You can kind of see the spiral forming in the photo below, toward the center (and that’s just tape on the window, not something floating).

That is the closest I have come to seeing a tornado! And I wasn’t in Illinois when the “earthquake” hit last year.

So maybe going through that experience made me less afraid? Who knows!

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By kilax, July 22, 2010 5:15 am

There was an interesting article on the Well blog yesterday about whether or not running shoes should be fitted based on your foot type (low arch, normal arch, high arch).

According to the article, the military began analyzing new recruits’ foot type a few years ago and assigning specific shoes to them to prevent injury.  However, studies they did show almost no correlation between wearing the “right” shoes and preventing injury. Injury rates were high among runners, and highest among those who received shoes for their foot type.

In another study, experienced women distance runners were given shoes based on their foot type rather than arch shape (underpronators were given cushiony shoes, overpronators motion-control shoes and so on). They then followed a 13 week half marathon training course, and by the end, a third had missed days due to pain, with the majority of these runners being those who received specific shoes for their foot type (the motion control shoes were the most injurious).

The article concluded that we cannot simply buy shoes based on our arch and foot type. While the shoes often do what they say they will do (motion control shoes help control motion), scientists don’t know if pronoation is the actual problem and they admit that they don’t fully understand the biomechanics of the lower extremities.

So, what do they advise? Try on a lot of shoes, even the salesperson says you need a specific type. And get the shoes that don’t give you any aches or pains.

Well, I definitely believe the part that not much is known about the lower extremities! But I only say that because my sports medicine doctor could not come up with a reason for my stress fractures. Just “it’s you.” (What?!)

And I do think that some sales people seem to be really pushy about getting people to buy a certain kind of shoe (motion-control, neutral, etc). One salesperson kept pushing the Brooks Beast on Steven (a super heavy shoe) so Steven tried them but immediately had knee pain that he never had before.

The truth is, I don’t know what to think about shoes anymore. I have been looking for excuses for my injuries and my gaze has tended to head down. But really, I think runners get injuries for a lot more reasons that their shoes, so I am not sure if these studies actually mean anything at all!

Tell me about your running shoe experience! Do you think the “right” shoes can prevent injury? Or do you think injury-prevention depends on the runner’s entire approach to running? Do you swear by a certain “type” of shoe?

I would be really interested to hear from my friends who sell running shoes. I bet they have a lot of experience and advice to share!

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By kilax, July 21, 2010 4:32 am

It’s my five-year blogiversary!

I started blogging on July 21, 2005 because I wanted a platform for sharing my adventures in Italy with family members. Now my blog has evolved in to so much more for me. I was actually having a conversation with Steven this Sunday night about all the things I/we wouldn’t be doing if it weren’t for blogging. It started with me saying he wouldn’t be doing autocross if I weren’t blogging, because I met Erin through her blog, and her husband introduced Steven to autocross.

What else was on the list?

If I wasn’t blogging I wouldn’t…

… have met some of the awesome friends I have / made connections around the world
… get as much varied advice/input/experience shared with me
… be staying in touch with certain people
… be taking as many pictures
… be documenting my life as much as I am
… (according to Steven) stick with running as much as I have
… be trying as many new recipes
… be improving my writing skills? (it’s questionable)
… be learning as many fun random facts
… be wasting so much time on the internets

and most importanly

… always have a place where I feel like I can express myself

What is on your “If I wasn’t blogging I wouldn’t…” list? How many years have you been blogging? Why did you start?

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By kilax, July 18, 2010 10:10 am

I am currently getting back in to running so I can run the Chicago Half Marathon and Chicago Marathon.

Day 267 | July 12, 2010: rest

I was feeling pretty bad about the previous week’s runs (pace, difficulty) so I looked back at my October training log, because I also had to start all over in October. And guess what? I was hitting about the same times when I restarted in October (and that was in cooler temps!), and it took me about 1-1.5 months to get my pace under/around 10:00.

So that gives me hope!

(Of course, in October, I was not trying to train for a marathon!)

Day 268 | July 13, 2010: 5 m run

Steven and I ventured out to the Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve for our 5-miler. This particular forest preserve is mostly open. As in… wow, we were burning up in the hot summer sun (it was in the 80s).

But – we ran the entire 5 miles! There was a bit of “I’m running out of steam,” “you’re running too close to me,” “I need to slow down” coming out of my mouth, but overall, we did really well. We won’t be venturing into negative split territory anytime soon, but we were definitely in, “I don’t feel like I am going to die” territory. Running actually felt natural (even if it doesn’t look natural, see below).

After the run, we got in our Maserati and drove home.

Ha! Just kidding. I just took a picture of this Maserati because we thought the back end looked really nice. Front? Not so much. (And wow, awful parking job and BAD parking spot)

My stomach was a bit upset after the run. That whole “do I need to run to the toilet right now?” feeling. I always thought that was a sign I was pushing it too much, so… oops?

Distance: 5.0 | Time: 55:03| Avg Pace: 11:00 | 1: 10:36 | 2: 10:56 | 3: 11:10 | 4: 11:11 | 5: 11:05

Day 269 | July 14, 2010: yoga

Ah, yoga, why do I neglect you so? I haven’t done yoga since May! Ha! I could say “Oh, I will totally start doing it now…” Yeah, not going to make THAT promise.

I did the YogaWorks Beginners AM/PM DVD. It’s about 45 minutes of basic moves. You know it’s basic when you feel out of breath doing a downward dog. Oops!

And I forgot how much yoga focuses on breathing (duh). I wonder if that will help me with my running.

You know, if I stick with it.

Day 270 | July 15, 2010: 5 m run

Steven and I did an exploratory run and checked out TWO new (to us) forest preserves!

We take a picture of the two of us before and after every run – guess it’s a running ritual

We started in McDonald Woods Forest Preserve (which turned out to be quite hilly and BEAUTIFUL)

then went through a residential neighborhood

until we ended up in Bonner Heritage Farm

and had to stop and take a few goofy photos

You’ll have to zoom in on that one!

we kept running into another neighborhood, then turned around and went back through Bonner Heritage Farm and through McDonald Woods.

We took a quarter mile walk break at 3.25 miles, but still finished this 5-miler 8 seconds faster than Tuesday’s! And it was still hot, in the 80s. Maybe the walking helped. Or the change of scenery!

Distance: 5.0 | Time: 54:55 | Avg Pace: 10:58 | 1: 10:49 | 2: 10:45 | 3: 10:48 | 4: 11:49 | 5: 10:41

Day 271 | July 16, 2010: yoga + cross

I did the YogaWorks Beginners AM/PM DVD then rode my bike about 4 miles to our garden to water it. I got there and was immediately attacked by mosquitoes. I thought about leaving, but some nice gardeners, Bob and Susan (have to write their names down or I’ll forget), sprayed me with repellent. We talked quite a bit until they left.

The 4 mile ride home was hard. It was hot (87°), super sunny, and I was riding in to the wind. I was pooped when I got home! I always thought biking would be the easiest part of a triathlon… maybe not?

Bike Time: 34:38 | Distance: 7.74 | Average Speed: 13.4 mph

Day 272 | July 17, 2010: 5.8 m run + cross

Guess who I got to run with on Saturday?

Two of my favorite bloggers – Erin and Mica!

Erin and I went to Champaign-Urbana with our husbands so they could do some autocross racing (in Erin’s husband’s Mazda RX-8). Erin and I both had runs scheduled, so of course, we had to ask Mica to join us!

The run was a lot of fun (aren’t they always when you are running with friends?). We started in a residential area then went to a park that really reminded me of the prairie forest preserve we run in. We were chatting so much that I didn’t really even notice how freaking hot it was… okay, that’s a lie! I was still sweating buckets, and I cherished the functional stops we had to make and even requested a short walk break just before mile 4. But running with friends made the heat much more bearable (especially on our way back when I said “why doesn’t anyone have their sprinklers on?!” and Erin proceeded to find a house with their sprinklers on for me to run through (another lie – stand in)).

Running with Erin and Mica really pushed me, in a good way. I think I averaged around a 10:30 pace for this run, whereas my other runs this week have been around 11:00. I did have to fall back a bit at the end, but not because anything felt wrong – it was just the heat. And I am happy they went ahead of me! (And thankful they hung around my slow-ass for as long as they did!)

Erin was great and planned out a course that allowed us to run about 6 miles, then loop back so I could grab my crappy wonderful bike and she and Mica could continue to run 4 more. I wish I could have run those last 4 with them, but it just isn’t in the cards for me… yet.

Runs like this are a luxury for me. And they make me feel a bit sad because I don’t get to do them that often. I wish I got to run with good friends more often!

Distance: 5.8 | Time: 1:01:08 | Avg Pace: 10:32 | 1: 10:28 | 2: 10:30 | 3: 10:19 | 4: 10:42 | 5: 10:36 | 6: 8:30
Bike Time: 46:26 | Distance: 4.26 | Average Speed: 5.5 mph

Day 273 | July 18, 2010: rest

Week Summary: 15.80 miles

This was an awesome week for running! I did a whole 5-miler without walking, Steven and I got to explore some new places AND I got to run with friends! Can every week be this great?

And, I actually did some yoga and a little bit of cross training. I hope I can keep that up.

Thank you for all of your advice on the long run (in marathon training) this week! The overwhelming suggestion was to take walk breaks, so I think I am going to work on a plan to fit them in.

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By kilax, July 16, 2010 12:44 pm

Do you like being surprised (by good surprises – parties, gifts, tickets around the world…)? Why or why not? If yes, what is your favorite surprise to date?

I ask, because I know some people HATE being surprised! I know Steven doesn’t like it. I don’t think my dad does either, but we threw him a surprise party when he turned 50 anyway, muah ha ha.

I, on the other hand, LOVE being surprised. It makes me feel so special that someone would go out of their way and think of a way to make me feel good.

Today I was outside walking Data when the UPS guy showed up. Data got freaked out and ran toward the house (lame) but the UPS guy followed us with a package! I asked Steven if he ordered something… nope. It was for me though!

My second cousin (my dad’s cousin) Denise, sent me an early birthday gift… the COOLEST cookies cutters ever…

Me and Denise.

Are you ready for this?!

Star Wars cookie cutters!

How cool are those?! Yeah, I know you’re jealous. Ha ha.

Too bad we are going out of town. Otherwise I would be whipping up some sugar cookie dough and getting to work. Now I know what I am doing next weekend.

Thanks Denise – you made my day!

I know I asked for a favorite surprise but it is hard to pick one! I loved that my sister surprised me last year on my birthday (by being there), that my brother-in-law and Steven’s friends bought us tickets to do the Chicago exotic car tour for our wedding, that Steven got me a wii and Rock Band a few years ago and put the drumsticks in the bathroom so I saw them in the middle of the night… I could go on and on and on…