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By kilax, April 7, 2011 7:03 am

Erin just finished doing a 30 Day Fashion Shoot Meme on her blog (for March) so of course, I had to copy. I think the point of this whole thing is to re-evaluate your wardrobe and get creative? I think you guys are just going to get an idea of how little I know about fashion and how crappy I look on a day-to-day basis. Please feel feel to provide input! I am pretty tough-skinned (well, about my wardrobe, anyway).

Day 1 – April 1, 2011

I was going to my brother’s rehearsal dinner, so I got a little dressed up (for me)!

Top (cami + blouse) – New York & Company
Pants – The Limited
Shoes – Payless (of course)
Purse – Target (threw away the next day)
Necklace – New York & Company

Day 2 – April 2, 2011

In the am (I will post race outfit pictures only, not all workout outfits)…

Top – Chicago Marathon
Capris – Kohl’s
Shoes – Asics Gel Cumulus 12s

… and in the pm, at the wedding!

Dress – The Limited
Shoes – Payless
Earrings you can’t see – The Limited

I bought one pair of these earrings for me and one pair for my sister to wear to the wedding:

Day 3 – April 3, 2011

A casual day, for sure! We spent it hanging with the new bride and groom.

Top – Asics “Run Your Own Life” top (it’s so comfy and soft, love it!).
Jeans – Target
Shoes – Asics Gel Cumulus 12s
Necklace – “Sisters” necklace from Red Envelope

Day 4 – April 4, 2011

I ran in the am, and totally bummed around the rest of the day. This is what I look like when I am a bum! P.S. I didn’t pay for any of this outfit!

Top – Essential Fitness shirt (given to me by trainer)
Bermudas (?) – Walmart? (from my sister)

Day 5 – April 5, 2011

Ugh, work. Here we go. This is where I need help!

Top – Target (just scored two days earlier for $10!)
Jacket Thingy – Kohl’s
Pants – Kohl’s
Shoes – Asics Gel Cumulus 12
Earrings – New York & Company

Day 6 – April 6, 2011

Ugh. Notice how tired I look in the am? (These pictures are taken before 5:00 am!)

This top is too tight! I need to lose some more weight if I want to keep wearing it.

Top – Kohl’s
Pants – The Limited
Shoes – Asics Gel Cumulus 12
Earrings – from my mamba

Day 7 – April 7, 2011

I was hoping the lighting would be better at work, but… nope. I might have to take these photos at the end of the day when I have natural light.

Top – JCPenney
Pants – ? Not knowing when or where I bought them is probably a sign I need to get rid of them. They look awful. And kind of baggy.
Shoes – Asics Gel Cumulus 12
Earrings you can’t see – from New York & Company

I feel kind of weird posting a bunch of pictures of my outfits, but please know that I do not at all think I look “cute” or “put-together.” The only outfit I like of this bunch is the purple dress. And the race outfit. Ha ha.

Alright, does anyone else wear sneakers at work like me?

I change in to “nice” shoes when I go to meetings. My feet feel better if I wear sneakers most of the time!

Comments (28)

By kilax, April 6, 2011 6:04 am

If I didn’t know better, I would think Data wants to learn how to apply makeup (I am not sure I should be the one to teach him though!)!

Actually, Data just wants to be fed. He is so cuddly in the morning.

I think I need someone to teach ME how to apply makeup. Or what makeup to wear. Every morning, I put on four things:

Eyeshadow, eyebrow gel, mascara and eyeliner (not in that order). It’s the same four things everyday (well, everyday I wear makeup! Ha!). Ho Hum.

I actually seem to have nicer makeup at work (photo below) – what’s up with that? I need to buy some of that Clinique mascara and eye stuff for home. Actually, I would like to have ALL Clinique products. They don’t test on animals and I like their products.

If you wear makeup, do you wear the same thing everyday or do you switch it up? Do you have a favorite brand? Do you even wear makeup everyday?

I don’t think this post will help me win any male readers!

Comments (30)

By kilax, April 5, 2011 4:32 pm

See, I told you I would be back shortly if I wrote about how “quiet” I felt! My family member’s surgery went well – thanks for your thoughts! They will be in intensive care for a couple of days and recover over the next six weeks. The post below is not related to the earlier post.

It seems I cannot talk to a certain person without them giving me advice on how to live my life, when they know nothing about me (or what the hell they are talking about). I’ve written about this before (the I do what I can post and the Thoughts on Fasting post ), and there’s been another incident. Steven has told me that the way to deal with this person is by changing the topic to get them to talk about themselves, which seemed to work this time.

Other Person (OP): Kim, have you run any marathons lately?

Note: Many people don’t seem to realize that not ALL races are marathons. I mean, I don’t expect them to get it, but it’s funny. We had one friend who was always talking about the marathon he ran, but it was really a 5K. Note, marathon = 26.2 miles. 5K = 3.1 miles.

Kim: No. But I ran 15 miles Thursday morning and a 5K this morning. (Yes, I was egging OP on.)

OP: Wow. Don’t you think that is a little aggressive?

Kim: Nope. I don’t think that is aggressive at all. I have built up my mileage slowly and smartly. In fact, I don’t feel like I am running enough. A lot of people I know run more than me. I wish I was running more. We are going to Kansas City in two weeks to do another race and visit Steven’s family. So we’ll kind of be by your old stomping grounds. When was the last time you were in Kansas?

OP: Oh, we went to Kansas… blah blah blah.

Note: My transition to getting that person to talk about themselves was so seamless that Steven didn’t even notice it when I asked him about it later. Schweet!

This encounter really bothered me, for a little bit, even though it shouldn’t have. I know that this person is just awkward and actually trying to be polite by asking people about their interests. They just don’t know what to say after they ask. And they are genuinely concerned that running is slowly killing me, so… that is nice?

The thing is, running makes me feel strong and confident. I am proud of the fact that I can run at all. So when someone says something stupid like this (when they know NOTHING about what they are talking about) I find it annoying. But it’s easy to get over. Because in the long run*, I know at the end of the world, I can outrun them and won’t feel weak because I DON’T fast 3 days a week.

I do wonder, how would they have reacted if I told them I am running three half marathons in the next 5 weeks? Or that I just signed up to run another marathon in October (the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, with Erin!)? That probably would have blown their mind!

What do you do when people give your crap about your interests/hobbies/lifestyle?

*Pun, ha ha.

Comments (22)

By kilax, April 5, 2011 6:16 am

I feel exhausted and tired and out of it and I shouldn’t. I’ve gotten in to the habit of taking a day off (recovery day) after returning from our trips to Iowa. This gives me a day to sleep in (theoretically) and catch up on chores and relax. We got home at midnight Sunday. I had my recovery day yesterday. Why am I still tired?

Maybe I partied too hard at the wedding?

Maybe it’s because I spent a large chunk of yesterday afternoon in bed with a headache?

Maybe one day just isn’t enough?

Whatever it is, I feel like I may be quiet (here) this week, but we’ll see. Whenever I say that, I never am. I do hope to catch up on emails and reading blogs, so as always, be prepared for all of my comments on “old” posts.

(Also, I don’t want to go in to many details, but we found out a family member has cancer a few weeks ago and they are having surgery this morning. The first time I saw the family member after the diagnosis was at the wedding and they looked awful and it broke my heart. I’m feeling a bit quiet and sad about that. And hopeful that everything goes well this morning.)

Comments (10)

By kilax, April 3, 2011 4:15 pm

My next race is the Trolley Run (4M) on April 17th. This is the week of the Fools 5K on April 2nd.

Day 526 | March 28, 2011: cross + yoga

Recumbent bike during lunch…

Recumbent Bike Time: 25:00 | Distance: 4.49 | Set on “Manual,” Resistance Level 6.0

… and hot yoga in the evening with Lauren! It was only the second hot yoga class I’ve ever taken, but it was Vinyasa style and I really liked it! I definitely struggled during some parts of class, but mostly, it made me feel powerful. And really chill afterward.

Twice during class, the instructor told us all to chant “om” with her. Have you ever done that during a yoga class? It was kind of neat!

Day 527 | March 29, 2011: strength (sorta)

Steven and I made it through two circuits of Level II of The 30 Day Shred before we had to tend to a pot of lentils on the stove. So much for multi-tasking! That is something we always struggle with – working out and fitting dinner in. We like to eat around 7:00, but don’t want to exercise after dinner (we used to do that) so what are we supposed to do? If you work out in the evening, how do you fit in dinner?

Day 528 | March 30, 2011: 5.1 m run

Oops. I meant to do my tempo run, but I accidentally set my alarm for PM instead of AM! Have you ever done that?! I still managed to wake up, but too late for my long tempo. I ran an easy 5 instead!

Distance: 5.1 | Start Temp: 27° | End Temp: 28° | Time: 45:29 | Avg Pace: 8:55 | 1: 9:18 | 2: 8:57 | 3: 8:52 | 4: 8:51 | 5: 8:39 | 6: 00:50

Day 529 | March 31, 2011: 15 m run + strength

Another early morning run, with the Grayslake Running Club. I didn’t want to get out of bed, but was happy I did (even though it took me about 5 miles to feel warmed up). I ran 9 miles around Grayslake neighborhoods with club members, then 6 miles on my own in the Rollins Savanna.

I cannot wait to start getting back on the trails! I love running on crushed limestone. And I love running in nature. I saw deer, geese, ducks and a fox!

My pace was all over the place though. Three slowish miles with one person from the club, then she left and I ran six faster miles with other people, then the six on my own. Not much consistency in this run!

I do know that mile 11 was longer because the path was flooded and I had to walk on the fence to avoid getting wet and slipping!

Run stats: I wore my blue Asics Cumulus 12s. They feel like all the cushioning is gone, so the bottom of my left foot kind of hurt during the run.  I wore tights with shorts over them, Under Armour Cold Gear, a windbreaker, gloves and a headband. I took GUs at 4 miles and 9 miles. I drank 16 ounces of water.

Distance: 15.0 | Start Temp: 22° | End Temp: 30° | Time: 2:21:37 | Avg Pace: 9:26 | 1: 9:48 | 2: 10:18 | 3: 10:10 | 4: 9:07 | 5: 9:19 | 6: 9:05 | 7: 8:59 | 8: 9:24 | 9: 9:27 | 10: 9:09 | 11: 9:28 | 12: 9:12 | 13: 9:15 | 14: 9:43 | 15: 9:06

In the evening, I did Level II of The 30 Day Shred with Stefano.

Day 530 | April 1, 2011: yoga

I did 20 minutes of yoga (then shut off the 45-minute DVD to get ready to go to Iowa for my brother’s wedding!).

Day 531 | April 2, 2011: 4.15 m run

I ran a 1-mile warm-up (8:05), then ran the Fools 5K in Waterloo. I got a new 5K PR of 23:53!

Day 532 | April 3, 2011: 9.5 m run + yoga

This was supposed to be a 9 mile tempo run at a 9:10 minute per mile pace. It ended up being a survival run. Okay, a FAIL run. I never should have attempted a tempo run first thing in the morning after a wedding the night before. And then there was the wind:

It was so windy during one of my last miles that it caused me to run an incredibly slower pace. I made me feel so irrationally angry… all the wind pushing against me.

And the fact that my left knee hurt didn’t make me happy either. Hopefully my next run will be better!

To be positive – at least it was WARM! This run was in the low 50s!

Distance: 9.5 | Start Temp: 51° | End Temp: 54° | Time: 1:28:31 | Avg Pace: 9:19 | 1: 9:14 | 2: 9:24 | 3: 9:18 | 4: 9:25 | 5: 9:16 | 6: 9:21 | 7: 9:48 | 8: 9:40 | 9: 8:43 | 10: 4:19

After my run I did 20 minutes of yoga with my Aunt Sue.

Week Summary: 33.75 miles

Comments (26)

By kilax, April 2, 2011 11:59 am

When I found out my brother’s wedding was today I immediately checked to see if the Fools 5K was today – I ran it in 2007 (in 30:30) and it is always around April 1st (hence the name). I found out it was today and signed up, and decided I would only run it if I didn’t have anything wedding-wise going on. Well, as you can guess from the title, I was able to run!

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run competitively or just for fun. The field was pretty big – over 800 registrants (60% increase for this race from 2010) – and I haven’t been training for this 5K specifically. But you know me. I went all out.

Long story short? A classic case of starting too fast and finishing slow. BUT, I did set a new PR of 23:53. That is right! One whole SECOND off of my previous PR!

My goal was to run 7:30s. Here is what happened (Garmin stats here):

Mile 1: 7:10
Mile 2: 7:37
Mile 3: 7:55
Mile 3.16: 1:07 (6:51mm)
Average Garmin Pace: 7:32
Average Race Pace: 7:42 (I ran too far off the tangents)

I felt really strong mentally during this race, and was pushing it hard… until I hit 2 miles on my watch then made a right turn and saw the 2 mile sign at the turnaround (going back the wrong way). The sign was misplaced at 2.4 miles and it was all I could think about – the course being long. It wasn’t, but it really messed with me. I need to work on that!

But, I still did well! I placed third in my age group, and 93 out of 700 or so racers.

I didn’t expect anyone to come, because of the wedding being today, but my aunt, Sue, and Steven came with me, and my dad showed up and surprised me! I was excited they were all there!

Originally, my cousin’s boyfriend was going to run this with me, but a few days after he signed up, he tore the ligaments in his ankle playing basketball, and now he’s wobbling around in a boot and crutches. What a bummer! It would have been fun to run together!

I should note, it was in low 40s and sunny for this run. And it’s going to warm up to the 50s! A perfect day for a wedding!

Other notes from the run:

• They put our names on our bibs. Love that!
• I need to learn to run tangents. I actually ran 3.16 and probably took more than a second off my PR!
• I cannot wear those capris to race. They are too big and start to fall down when I run fast!
• I need to start closer to the start line for non chip-timed runs!
• The stomach cramp came earlier during this run, at 1.5 miles. I was able to block it mentally, but then the mile marker thing messed with me.

Comments (17)

By kilax, April 1, 2011 11:11 pm

Doesn’t this look like something from a gourmet cooking magazine?

My mom wanted to make sure that I had dessert to eat tonight at my brother’s rehearsal dinner, so she made me a Peanut Butter Chocolate Vegan Cheesecake. All that it had it in (that she remembered) was peanut butter, chocolate, oatmeal and tofu. She said she forgot to put the agave nectar in, but it tasted amazing! Very rich – I like rich desserts!

The funny thing is, a few weeks ago I was telling Steven that I was too nervous to try making a vegan “cheesecake” out of tofu, and my mom just dove in and tackled it – not that it is particularly hard – I just wondered how it would turn out. Well duh, tofu takes on the taste of what you mix it with, so tofu + chocolate = awesome.

I’m so lucky that all of the people who cook in my family are conscientious about my vegan lifestyle and try to make things that don’t have animal products in them (my grandma even bought vegan whipped cream to make me a treat for the holidays). I sure am lucky! And thankful!

Thanks, mom!