Comments (18) As a child, how did people describe you?
I’m going to have to ask my parents to confirm this one, but I remember clearly my best friend telling me I couldn’t come over because her mom thought I was loud.
So…
LOUD
I could have potentially been loud during the incident in this photo.
Sadly (or not?), you can still use that word to describe me now. I get a bit over-excited and loud at times.
If you’re an athlete/runner who competes in events – how important is crowd support to you? Does it depend on the length of the event? Or type? Or just your preference?
I’ve run two marathons – Chicago 2010 and Madison 2011. They were very different in terms of crowd support. The Chicago Marathon has rows and rows of spectators on most of the course. The Madison Marathon is more sparse – but there is some crowd support.
I am running two more marathons this year – Milwaukee and NYC. I’ve heard Milwaukee is a quiet course, with little pockets of crowd support here and there. And I’ve heard NYC is even crazier (crowd-wise) than Chicago.
The person who told me Milwaukee is a quieter course told me she preferred it that way – it let her zone out.
That made me think – I have no idea what I prefer, crowd support wise, on a marathon course*! I am so new to it that I am still figuring things out! I still feel like I haven’t done a marathon “right.” I gave up mentally at Chicago and Madison. The crowds didn’t help too much with that at either race (what did help, somewhat, was seeing people I knew (at both races)). The crowds were very good for distractions and entertainment at both races though!
I’m thinking, it will be nice to run the quieter course with Erin, because I will have her company. It will be nice to have more crowd support in NYC because I will be running it on my own. We’ll see! Since I don’t know what I think, tell me what your preference is for crowd support!
What is always the most important to me is that Steven is there, somewhere, cheering me on! I don’t expect him to come to my smaller races, but I love it when he supports me through my looooong marathons.
And my sister, her boyfriend, and our best friends from Queens will be at the NYC Marathon! WOO HOO!
And maybe someday I will get my parents to come to one of my marathons.
Someday**.
*I know that crowd support at 5Ks helps me run faster. And it helps at half marathons too.
**Just teasing.
I was going to wait until our new camera* came today to show you my new scarves from Erin, but I am incredibly impatient… so BlackBerry photos it is!
Awhile ago Erin was browsing The Limited website and saw this scarf (below) she thought would go perfectly with this top from Banana Republic. She was right! I love that top (if it wasn’t so expensive I would buy it in every color). And I love the scarf!
When she sent me the link I asked if she thought any scarves would go with this other blue top from Banana Republic. I like the top, but felt like I was “all chest” in it, and I didn’t have a decent necklace to make it look better (plus, the wrap makes weird lines across my body).
I think the blue scarf really helps the top!
Thanks again, Erin!
So, here’s a little piece of information that shows how little I know about fashion – I have only ever tied scarves one way – slip loop style**. I only have two other scarves that I wear! A cat one and another blue one (duh, I am just realizing now I could have tried that one with this blue top). And I always wear them in a slip loop.
Well, The Limited scarves came with a handy dandy guide on “Fashionable Ways to Wear a Scarf.” So I have been trying the adjustable knot style.
click either guide (here or below) to see larger
And I remembered I saved this page of scarf ideas from the October 2008 issue of Women’s Health. It would be fun to try the “casual triangle” with a square scarf!
Can you believe I pulled this from a magazine almost three years ago and have never used it though?! Lame! Lame lame lame.
Erin and I were discussing how scarves can be kind of expensive. We’re planning on going to Transworld’s Jewely, Fashion and Accessories show in October to check out the scarves there (and jewelry! and accessories! ha ha).
What is your favorite place to buy scarves/accessories/jewelry? Any recommendations on places to buy inexpensive (decent) scarves?
It seems like a lot of my jewelry came from NY&Company! I used to shop there a lot. Not so much anymore.
*Another Canon ELPH, in orange! Oh, and it has all the features I wanted too. I am really happy I can afford a new (minimalist) camera right now.
**I only know that it is called slip loop from the guide that came with the scarves!
I know, I know, I do.
But for the first time in a marathon training cycle I have felt pretty solid the entire time… and it’s hard not to be out running right now!
How many miles should I run the week of the marathon (if the marathon is on a Sunday)?
Most plans show 4 miles, 3 miles and 2 miles. But I have been following my own plan. I was thinking 5, 4, 3 and 2. But I don’t want to over do it. Maybe try the 4, 3, 2?
I tried to look at my past “weeks before the marathon” but they were both messed up. The week of Chicago included me having an awful migraine and spending a night throwing up, and doing two short runs before the marathon. The week before Madison was ridiculous – I ran my last long run that Monday and then only ran once more that week.
Blah blah blah. Taper taper blah. I normally enjoy the sitting around part but I want to be outside right now, running! I might sneak out (well, I am not sneaking out from anyone, except Data).
Actually, I think Data would prefer I sneak out.
Update: I ate dinner and planted my butt on the couch and watched part of Spirit of the Marathon. I’ll run tomorrow!
Today is my favorite coworker’s birthday. We’ve never exchanged gifts before, but I really wanted to get her something this year, so I did, and I am super excited about it. My coworker just got in to running (maybe half a year ago?) and purple is her favorite color, so I had to get her this running top and jacket!
I can’t wait to hear what she says after she opens it!
Do you have a favorite coworker or a “best friend” at work? (either now, or in the past if you don’t work now)
Nearly every year at work we take an engagement survey and one of the questions is “Do you have a best friend at work?” I think I answered “no” the first year, and “yes” this year, after the coworker I got this present for started, and we had been working together for awhile.
In my opinion, it’s important to work with at least one person you feel like you could be friend with in real life*/connect with. Otherwise you go in, do your job, and feel like no one cares about you. Now, I don’t expect work to be therapy, but it’s nice to have a genuinely friendly coworker, who seems to care about you as a person, and is somewhat interested in your life outside of work as well. And also, isn’t crazy/bi-polar/super negative/a pathological liar/you get the idea**. I just really like this coworker and think she is an awesome and fun person. Talking to her makes work more fun for me!
Now, I wonder if that’s just a female thing, or if males like to have a close buddy at work too.
*I don’t hang out with people outside of work, and probably would not hang out with this coworker if we ended up not working together, but I still think she’s a great person. I just don’t hang out with coworkers.
**These are all hypothetical, of course.
I am training for the Milwaukee Marathon on October 2nd.
Day 701 | September 19, 2011: cross
I went to the hotel gym very late (because of my JCP shopping spree) and did a 35-minute bike workout. I alternated between resistance level 3 and 4 and did a 5-minute cool-down on level 1.
Day 702 | September 20, 2011: 5 m run
I ran 5 slow and fun trail miles in Lapping Park in Clarksville, Indiana. I was really in the groove for this run and didn’t want to stop.
Distance: 5.0 | Temp: 75° | Time: 56:05 | Avg Pace: 11:12
Day 703 | September 21, 2011: 7 m run
I ran 7 miles, including over a bridge in to Kentucky and back in to Indiana.
Distance: 7.0 | Start Temp: 79° | End Temp: 78° | Time: 1:10:21 | Avg Pace: 10:02 | 1: 9:50 | 2: 9:37 | 3: 10:24 | 4: 10:22 | 5: 10:11 | 6: 10:12 | 7: 9:41
Day 704 | September 22, 2011: rest
Day 705 | September 23, 2011: strength + 5 m run
My strength session with Brian was much better than last week’s. I mean, I still felt like my legs were shredded the next day, but I was able to keep up during the workout. We worked with kettlebells and a pilates circle. A lot of the moves were focused on squats, lunges and crunches. One of the crunch moves was really effective – I held my up at a high angle with the pilates circle between my ankles, squeezing it, then lifted the kettlebell straight up, crunching. And sometimes I would lift up and hold. Ouch!
In the afternoon I ran the hilly trail by my house. I started out strong but my legs started to feel dead by the end!
Distance: 5.0 | Temp: 58° | Time: 50:07 | Avg Pace: 10:01 | 1: 9:58 | 2: 9:49 | 3: 10:05 | 4: 10:17 | 5: 9:53
Day 706 | September 24, 2011: 3 m run
I did a short 3 mile run to try to shake out the pain in my quads from working out with Brian. I felt pretty good for the last 2.5 miles so I think it worked.
I feel like I should note that I have been able to run in short sleeves a lot more in the past few weeks than I thought! I figured it would just go from tank to long sleeved weather, but it hasn’t!
Distance: 3.0 | Start Temp: 58° | End Temp: 56° | Time: 31:20 | Avg Pace: 10:25 | 1: 10:52 | 2: 10:21 | 3: 10:05
Day 707 | September 25, 2011: 10 m run
I met Erin and her running club to run part of the North Branch Trail System. It was my first time on this trail and I liked it – mostly wooded with some open prairie. It was all very pretty!
I overdressed though- it was in the high 50s and too humid for a short sleeve shirt. Here I go talking about how happy I am to wear them one day and the next it’s too hot!
The run was quick (okay, felt quick) and mostly easy (once my quads decided to let me run normal, about .2 miles in). I got hungry toward the end though – I guess one GU is not enough for 10 miles (and I ate breakfast almost 2.5 hours before – that was also too early).
Distance: 10.0 | Temp: high 50s | Time: 1:44:01 | Avg Pace: 10:22
Week Summary: 30.0 miles
One week until Milwaukee! I am so excited to run it with Erin!
The winners of the Your Choice Workout Top Giveaway are:
Black Sleeveless Mesh Tank – Radioactive Tori
Green Singlet Printed Top – Amy B @ Second City Randomness
Orange Colorblock Tank – Cindy
Winners, please email me your mailing addresses at kilax@ilaxstudio.com!
I hope you guys enjoyed the giveaway! I was excited to find the discount rack and look through all the fun clothes. I was bummed they didn’t have every size in the green tank – that was originally what I wanted to giveaway. But I actually bought the orange top for myself too and am kind of in love with it!
I have an idea for another cool giveaway I am trying to work out. Stay tuned!
It’s the first official day of fall in the northern hemisphere – what do you love (okay, and dislike) about the fall season?
I love love love love love the fall season! I love:
Only dislike:
Yesterday I was daydreaming about the hilly NYC Marathon course (yes, I daydream about running during the day – what do you daydream about?) and all the bridges you cross on course… and decided I should do a bridge workout!
I don’t think I’ve ever run over a long bridge before… luckily I knew how to get on the 2nd Street Bridge which takes you from Jeffersonville, IN to Louisville, Kentucky!
(the bridge I ran over)
I don’t think the elevation profile of this bridge is anywhere near the first bridge of the NYC Marathon (the marathon starts out with a 150 foot incline!). But this was still fun.
(I am not sure why these pictures turned out all distorted but it’s kind of neat!)
There were “Indiana” pillars on the north side of the bridge and “Kentucky” pillars on the south side.
Notice how sweaty I am? It was 80 degrees. Yuck.
It was fun to be up high, running on the bridge with traffic. I wonder what it will feel to run on the bridges of NYC with foot traffic. I wonder how much the bridge will sway!
I plan to get serious about running some hills the week after the Milwaukee Marathon. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s my plan!
Do you regularily run long bridges as part of your training?
Would you run a marathon entirely on that 26.4-mile bridge in China if they had a marathon (and let’s say your flight and entry was paid for)?
Hi! I'm Kim, a 34-year-old living in Chicagoland with my husband, Steven, and our cats, Khali, Apollo, and Starbuck. I work in the design industry (architecture), follow a vegan lifestyle, am addicted to running, and am an ACE certified personal trainer (working at Essential Fitness, LLC ("Efit"))! I write about a variety of topics, and consider this a "life" blog - a place I can share anything that's on my mind. Please visit the "About" page to get a better idea of who I am! :-)
Panorama Theme by 
Themocracy
