Comments (16)

By kilax, September 13, 2011 1:12 pm

Jen was nice enough to ask what my running bullets points were, so here they are:

• I just got my NYC Marathon bib # and start time! 53702, orange corral, start time 10:40. Not sure if I am running on the top or bottom of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge yet.



View of the top – photo from here. I hear the bottom is less of an incline.

• This late start time justifies starting so late to run on Saturday (11:00am). See – I’m not crazy! I’m just getting used to running during lunchtime. Right? RIGHT?!
• People’s responses to me running the Milwaukee and NYC Marathon are interesting. Some think I should run Milwaukee as training for NYC. Some think I should run Milwaukee for time and NYC for fun. Well, they are both for fun – I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think it was fun!
• There is a short article in the October Runner’s World about why marathon training doesn’t help you shed pounds (read here). I’m definitely in the overeating/”I eat what I want!” camp. I weigh the same as I did in May and I am okay with that. I can run really far and don’t have any pain, and that’s cool with me. I’ll lose weight another time.
• Speaking of pain, yesterday was the first time this entire training cycle I have felt sore at all (guess that is what happens after running 33 miles (stupidly) in two days). And today I feel great! Not sure what I am doing right – maybe it’s luck.
• I mentioned I feel out of touch with my running club right now. I was burnt out after the club 5K, and haven’t been running with club people for all of August (I’ve been running with Erin – which makes sense, since we are running a marathon together). Anyway, I was feeling a bit hurt for not being included in things (or the perception of that), but really, it’s up to ME to stay in touch with people, and participate! And maybe I don’t want to right now and that’s okay!

Comments (19)

By kilax, September 13, 2011 6:37 am

It seems like all I talk about lately is running. I promise, I think about other things as well! I think this is my attempt to show that…?

• Data survived his “bee sting.” He was really exhausted that night (photo evidence below) but was back to his normal (crazy) self the next day.





• Someone I know (I won’t mention any names) thinks putting peanut butter on a cinnamon raisin bagel is odd (this happens to be my pre-run meal, with a banana on top!). I’m not the only one who likes this! My coworker does too, so I had to send a photo of evidence to that person. Do you think it’s an unusual combo?



• My director said he thinks I have a slim chance of getting the DC detail since they are only selecting two people from the nation, but that he thinks it will help get my name out there. I am still waiting to hear back (I submitted a bio last week) but wanted to keep you all updated.
• After our taste of fall weather last week, I am READY for summer to be over! Bring on the cooler temps!
• Darn, I had three more bullets written down but they are all running-related. FAIL.

Comments (14)

By kilax, September 11, 2011 5:56 pm

I first heard about the Fort2Base Nautical 10 Miler in an email newsletter I got in the winter. I thought it sounded super cool for two reasons – the unique distance (it’s actually 11.5 miles) and that it was on the ten year anniversary of 9/11 with a military foc2us. I put it in my calendar as a “maybe.”

I didn’t register right away though. I wanted to make sure it fit in to my training schedule. And with it being three weeks out from the marathon, it kind of didn’t – that’s the same weekend (typically) of your longest marathon run, and I knew there was no way that I would run 10.5 miles after the race. And doing it before didn’t sound too appealing (although I humored it for a bit with Bobbi, who did do just that for her last long run).

Anyway, I was really on the fence about the whole race, but then this schweet Schwaggle deal came out to do the race for $32! I bought it and figured even if I didn’t decide to do the race, that wouldn’t be too much of a loss. Especially with the schweet shirt we got:

Okay, enough babbling about that. You guys know I ran 22 on Saturday and did this race as a recovery run with Bobbi. The interesting thing is that I (being so smart, you know) didn’t realize this was a point-to-point race (from Fort Sheridan to the Great Lakes Naval Base, hence Fort to Base) until a few weeks before. That just meant the logistics were a bit tricky. You had to drive to the base then get on a bus to the fort (no parking at the fort). The problem is that I got to the base almost an hour before (5:30 am) the last bus (6:30 am) but just sat in traffic. There were so many people trying to get to the base, and they had to check everyone’s identification, and the streets weren’t really made to accommodate that much traffic either! Needless to say, I got on the bus at 6:35, and we got to the race at 7:00 or so (it was supposed to start at 7:00!). The bus driver didn’t know where to drop us off, so we walked to the start line… from the course side! There was a moment of silence and singing of the National Anthem, but no 9/11 speech or anything. I was kind of surprised and wonder if I missed it. Anyway,  I got in a porta pottie line and the race started around 7:30, before I got in the bathroom. It was chip-timed, so I didn’t care.  I wonder if any people didn’t make it to the fort for the start. I know one girl on our bus thought packet pickup was at the fort but it was actually at the base, so she got there with no bib. Oops.

I wasn’t upset about all of that (traffic, being late), but I bet a few people were. I was just there for fun, and to honor the day!

I ran the entire race with Bobbi, who had run around 10.4 miles prior to the race. I knew she wouldn’t have fresh legs and I was just looking for a recovery run so it worked out perfectly!

We ran in Fort Sheridan, then got on the Robert McClory Bike Path. It wasn’t crowded, because we started back so far!

I did my normal walk every two miles, but had to stop for a bathroom break at mile 7 and that added about 7 minutes on. Ha ha. I also ended up taking 3 GUs instead of the 2 I had planned – thanks for the last one, Bobbi!

The run was nice and easy. Mostly shaded, and some in the sun (it was in the 70s but humid). Once we got to the Naval Base, we still had about three miles to go. It was fun to run all around the base and see all the different parts of it, even though there was a huge hill in the last mile! I think they call it Cardiac Hill and there was a bunch of military people  at the bottom cheering us on. In fact, there were military people all over the course being supportive. It was great!

Bobbi struggled a bit in the last four miles, but duh, it was the last four miles of a 22 mile run for her (and her feet/toes were bugging her). I tried to pep her up by playing music, and when she would stop to walk I would run back to her (so I ran a bit over 11.5, but I think the course was accurate).

Both of our husbands greeted us at the finish, and one of Bobbi’s daughters ran in with us! My overall time was 2:25:01, for a 12:18 average pace. I think the bathroom stop added on some time, ha ha. The garmin said our average moving pace was 11:44.

This was a great run and I had a ton of fun running with Bobbi. It was great to see her, because I hadn’t in about a month! The medals were great (although people who finished the Nautical 10 before us also got a Nautical 3 medal with a chain, for some reason), and I love the race shirt too! There were tons of booths and entertainment afterward. They even had some of those bounce house and obstacle course things for the kids.

The only iffy part was getting to the base at the beginning. Bobbi’s husband dropped her off at the fort – maybe that is the way to go. Also, Steven drove the Datsun to see me and got crap from people twice about coming to spectate. The first time they asked him why he was there. He responded “To spectate at the Fort2Base race.” They asked why. He responded “Because my wife is running it.” I know they need to be secure, but it was kind of weird. I was with him the second time he got crap (he was trying to take me to my car) and the person was not very nice. Oh well.

A few people from my club ran as well and some even placed in their age groups! I am so out of touch with the club right now. This race was a huge reminder of that, but I’ll talk about that another day.

I was worried that I would get all choked up during this run, with it being the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, but really, I just felt excited and honored to get to do this run, and be around some of our military men and women. A huge thank you to them!

Comments (7)

By kilax, September 11, 2011 12:11 pm

I am training for the Milwaukee Marathon on October 2nd.

Day 687 | September 5, 2011: 3 m run

Monday was another day I failed to get up early to run, so I ran late at night, after we drove back to our house from Iowa (Actually, Wisconsin, because we dropped my cousin off in Milwaukee, but that doesn’t really add anything to the story. But look. There it is somehow. Hmm).

I WORE A SHORT SLEEVED SHIRT! I don’t remember the last time I wore a short sleeved shirt! I’ve been wearing tanks all summer.

That’s my NYC 2011 Training shirt. I love orange, so I had to order it (once it went on sale because it was expensive-o).

Blah blah blah. My run was quick and easy. I’m able to run faster in cooler weather. I hope it stays cool!

Distance: 3.0 | Temp: 52° | Time: 26:43 | Avg Pace: 8:53 | 1: 9:25 | 2: 8:52 | 3: 8:23

Day 688 | September 6, 2011: 3.6 m run

I ran with Erin‘s work running club group during lunch. The weather was so nice I couldn’t say no! Erin wasn’t able to make it, but I ran with someone I did the Ragnar Relay with, who is also training for the Milwaukee Marathon. It was fun to chat and see how his training is going.

I ran with the fast guys and had another fast (for me) run. I better be careful with those!

Distance: 3.6 | Temp: low 60s | Time: 31:37 | Avg Pace: 8:47 | 1: 9:26 | 2: 9:02 | 3: 8:17 | 4: 4:50

Day 689 | September 7, 2011: 6 m run

I ran the hilly course behind my house (after a warm-up) and the hills have never felt easier! I am loving this cool weather. I finished with a cool-down in my neighborhood, by running cross country style (through the grass) for the last fifth of the mile. That was fun!

Funny – the gramin totally cut out some mileage on this run. But I think it added a bit of mileage to Tuesday’s run. So it all evens out in the end!

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 65° | End Temp: 60° | Time: 1:01:45 | Avg Pace: 10:17 | 1: 10:55 | 2: 10:08 | 3: 10:04 | 4: 10:23 | 5: 10:15 | 6: 9:56

Day 690 | September 8, 2011: rest

Day 691 | September 9, 2011: 4 m run

This 4-miler was supposed to be easy but I went a lot slower than I should have… closer to marathon pace! I was feeling kind of bad about that, but then remembered that I woke up from a nap then immediately went running. So I may not have been 100% awake!

Steven rode his bike with me and we ventured on to the hilly trail behind the house. That could be another reason I was running so much slower!

Distance: 4.0 | Start Temp: 69° | End Temp: 66° | Time: 42:46 | Avg Pace: 10:41 | 1: 10:39 | 2: 10:49 | 3: 10:46 | 4: 10:28

Day 692 | September 10, 2011: 22 m run

The longest run of training… the 22 miler! Dun dun dun!!!

Erin is totally awesome and offered to come to my house and pick me up (I was car-less on Saturday) and ride her bike with me while I ran. And so we did.

We started at 11:00 am and did an 11-mile out and back on the Des Plaines River Trail. It always blows my mind when I run that far on that trail, because it’s fairly  straight, so I pass a lot of major streets I know. I think about how long it takes to drive the distances, and it just amazes me.

Anyway, you know how it is when I run with Erin. We chat chat chat away (I have been really hyper and talkative lately) and the run flies by. We look at our watches and say “Whoa! We’ve been out here for three hours!” and it doesn’t even feel like it’s been 30 minutes. We have a lot of fun.

The first 16 miles went really well. I noticed I was getting hungry at 14 (never a good sign) so I took a GU early, but otherwise stuck to my every 4 miles method. The temps were in the mid 70s, but the sun was out and fierce, so I was starting to fade at the end. But, I stuck to our walk every 2 miles routine, drank as much water as possible (well over 150 ounces) and kept on.

Side note: around mile 16, I saw a horseshoe, and figured it was a sign of good luck for us running the Milwaukee Marathon! Also, I think I played the Mr. Saxobeat song a million times while running. Thanks for the recommendation, Christina! (Wow, the singer is pretty, click on the link and check her out).

I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through those last few miles, but that is why I did an out-and-back – so that I had to get back to the start somehow. Erin kept telling me stories and keeping me distracted. It helped A TON!!! I slowed down, but I knew I could finish. And I did!

But I felt like I was going to throw up when I finished. Probably from too much sun, not enough food (I was losing salt like crazy – it was all over me). Erin helped me hobble over to the water (blistery toes, but hey, not much chafing!) and I sat on a dock with my feet in, until Erin realized I could walk down the boat dock and get in.

Ah, it felt so good. It brought me back to life!!! My legs felt so much better as I moved them around in the cool water. This end-of-long-run-getting-into-the-water thing is becoming quite addictive.

We grabbed food afterward and went back to the house to eat. I couldn’t stop thanking Erin for taking care of me during my long-a$$ 22-miler. I was so happy I got to run it with her. Only three more weeks until Milwaukee!!!

Distance: 22.0 | Temp: mid 70s | Time: 4:04:18 | Avg Pace: 11:06

Day 693 | September 11, 2011: 11.6 m run

I ran the Fort 2 Base Nautical 10 Miler as a recovery run with Bobbi. It was fun and easy, and the race was great! More on that later today or tomorrow…

Week Summary: 50.2 miles <– highest weekly mileage ever for me!

This was my peak week for Milwaukee Marathon training! So. Much. Running. Good thing I love it!

I am going to start personal training again next week, and I can’t wait to get that back in to my routine.

Comments (19)

By kilax, September 10, 2011 5:45 pm

I just finished my last long run for the Milwaukee training cycle – 22 miles with Erin on the Des Plaines River Trail. Erin paced me the entire time on her bike. That is true friendship! Riding your bike with a runner is sloooooow…

I’m so happy she was there. We started at 11:00 am and although it was in the 70s, it was sunny and I was fading during the last 6 miles. It was nice to have her company to keep me going. We’re going to rock Milwaukee!

And this run means I am now over 1000 miles for 2011! I am at 1006.05! That blows my mind, since my goal was to get over 1000 last year and I couldn’t do it (made it to 843.85)!

In other running related news, check out this awesome raffle Kayla is having on her blog to raise money for the American Cancer Society. There are a TON of prizes!!!

And unrelated, I think Data got stung by a bee this morning during our walk! I was freaking out, but he’s fine. Has your pet ever been stung by a bee?

Comments (19)

By kilax, September 9, 2011 6:24 am

Do you wear a watch on a regular basis?

Steven got me a really nice Movado watch when I graduated from college in May of 2007. But the battery died about two years ago and I haven’t worn it since! Too lazy to get a new battery! Steven and I thought that had to come to an end so we took three watches to the jeweler last week to get them cleaned and have the batteries replaced. It will be weird to wear a watch on a regular basis again! Now I only wear a watch when I am running!

I usually just check my cell phone for the time, or my computer!

Comments (20)

By kilax, September 8, 2011 6:10 am

Last night a college friend (who was a bridesmaid of mine) called me when I was on the quiet car on the train. I couldn’t answer, but texted her right away to tell her why I didn’t answer and to ask if she wanted to call me later. Her response:

That kind of made me feel sad. We were somewhat close in college, and now we aren’t. Nothing happened between us, we just drifted apart. And I didn’t really want to call her last night either. I wanted to go home and run, then eat dinner and sit my butt on the couch and watch a movie with Steven.

But this made me think – I don’t want to be the person who loses ties with friends (when it’s not on purpose) because we don’t see each other anymore. I have some really good friends now, and I want to keep them! And I know I can do it – I keep in touch with Gina, who lives in NYC, via email, Skype and Facebook (and visits!!!).

Part of my worry* about applying for the DC detail was losing touch with my friends, especially Erin. But, it’s not like I would be moving away forever, or somewhere that is really far away**. And I would be back to Chicago to visit. And I probably don’t need to worry about it, because I am not sure what my chances are of getting the detail. But I worry.

Anyway, I guess this call and text message reminded me I need to work on keeping my good friends in my life. I don’t want situational friends (based on location or working together). I want life-long friends. That is probably unrealistic, but I am young enough that I can still say that and just call myself naive. Yeah, that’s it.

*Honestly, the first thing I thought about was how living in DC could mess up my marathon training. Yeah, I have my priorities straight. Then I thought about being apart from Steven and Data and Erin, and also about all the plans I have in the next few months. I think it would be good for me to do this and be flexible and get the experience and blah blah blah, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary!
**I was lonely when I spent a summer by myself in Rome, but no one could really visit me there… and I couldn’t really afford to leave either. This is different.

Comments (33)

By kilax, September 6, 2011 11:51 am

• I went to a wedding for a college classmate on Saturday in Ames, Iowa. I guess before I get in to what I am going to say, I should explain something about my degree. I was in the five-year Architecture program at Iowa State University. The first year of the program is general education type classes and one design class. After the first year, you apply to officially get in to the Architecture program, then you spend the next four years with the same (in my case, 65 or so) people. Most of your last four years of classes are architecturally focused. This set-up resulted in there being very tight knit groups of friends in the architecture program. It was almost cliquey. I never belonged to a group, but was friendly with almost everyone. A-n-y-w-a-y… I was good friends with the groom at this wedding and really liked his group of architecture friends. They were all at the wedding, as well as a few other architecture friends (that I don’t consider being part of his “group”). Being there was almost like a class reunion. I had a blast at the wedding, but it made me feel kind of like a loser for not making more of an effort to be social with these people in college. It’s not that I was stuck-up, or quiet, I just didn’t go out to all of their parties, or the bars or anything like that. I went to class, came back to studio to work, but kind of stayed home otherwise. I somewhat regret that.
• On Sunday we went to Cedar Falls, Iowa for my nephew’s birthday party. It happened to be the same day as a car show and cruise, so I went cruisin’ with my dad. I’m pretty sure my parents and my dad’s parents met while cruisin’.





• Monday was my dad’s mom’s 75th birthday! I got her a book, then saw this hilarious balloon and had to get it for her as well.



• My aunt Sue found some old cards/drawings I made for my uncle Tom (my dad’s brother that passed away in May of 2006). They totally cracked me up (and made me a bit teary-eyed). They kind of remind me of the letter my nephew made for me!



• My sister has gotten in to sewing, so I asked her to make me some pouches to hold things in. I asked her on Friday and she had them done on Sunday! I love them! The fabric she chose is great! You can see some of the other stuff she’s made here.



• The director of my division at work recommended me for a detail in Washington DC (a detail is when you take on another role at another location for a period of time, but return to your previous job when you get back). I don’t have many details about the detail (ha ha) but I am going to apply for it. It was actually a really hard decision to make (even to apply) so I am anxious to see what happens – there will be many applicants from the nation for 2-3 positions.

Comments (9)

By kilax, September 4, 2011 1:34 pm

I am training for the Milwaukee Marathon on October 2nd.

Day 680 | August 29, 2011: rest

Day 681 | August 30, 2011: 4 m run

I ran 4 miles with Steven’s brother, Andrew (in Kansas City on a trail by their dad’s house). Andrew and I are shoe twins! He just got the Asics Cumulus 12s. We wear different sizes though, ha ha.

The run was hilly and humid. But I got to see new parts of the trail, and I think hills are almost always good for me… even if it’s a 100 foot hill.

Actually, the hills in Kansas City kind of scare me – it even hurts to run down them. I guess I need to get better at running downhill.

I had fun running with Andrew! He isn’t training for anything right now, but plans to run the Corn Maze “5K” again when he visits in October.

Distance: 4.0 | Temp: 75° | Time: 42:20 | Avg Pace: 10:34 | 1: 9:58 | 2: 10:54 | 3: 10:53 | 4: 10:32

Day 682 | August 31, 2011: 5 m run

I was too tired to get out of bed early for this run, so I went out close to 10:00 am, when it was already in the 80s. So… the run was hot and hard. The intense sun and heat kind of made me feel like I was going to throw up. I am ready for that part of summer to be over!

The cool thing is, running 5 miles this morning brought my August mileage to 170.3 – that is my highest monthly mileage ever!

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 80° | End Temp: 88° | Time: 52:48 | Avg Pace: 10:33 | 1: 10:26 | 2: 10:20 | 3: 10:33 | 4: 10:40 | 5: 10:43

Day 683 | September 1, 2011: rest

Day 684 | September 2, 2011: 12.4 m run + 9.66 bike (includes 1 m run at end)

Since our long runs together have been going so well, Erin and I decided to meet again this week to get our long runs in. The only problem is that we could only meet on  Friday, and the high was in the mid 90s. We decided to tough it out. We survived Chicago, right?

We met at Waterfall Glen, an almost 10-mile loop crushed limestone path I have been wanting to check out (it’s about an hour from my home). The first 12 miles (my portion of the running) flew by. I hadn’t seen Erin in four. whole. days. and I had so much to say (ha ha)! We took walk breaks every 2 miles, and I did my normal water and GU thing (drink a ton of water, GU every 4 miles) and even carried an extra water bottle because it was so hot.

Waterfall Glen was beautiful!

Then I got on the bike so Erin could finish out her last 10 miles. The hills got hiller, and the sun got hotter (it was in the 90s)… it was tough! She said it reminded her of how awful the Chicago marathon was (heat wise and dead legs). I tried to be encouraging, but I am not sure how much I helped. I got off my bike and pushed it so I could run the last mile or so with her.

And she finished – 22 miles! With goosebumps and very sore legs. I was mean and wouldn’t let her sit right away – fluids, ice packs and food first – then a pseudo ice bath standing in the stream (which required some maneuvering to get to, but felt oh so good).

Then we finally sat in our cars as we drove to get a late lunch.

It was a really hard run for Erin and not ideal temperature-wise, but she toughed it out and did great. I’m proud of her!

And like I told Erin, now that we bought matching tank tops for our October 2nd marathon, it’s guaranteed to be cold (too cold to wear them)!

Distance: 12.4 | Temp: 80° | Time: 2:12:24 | Avg Pace: 10:40 
Bike Time: 1:57:38 | Distance: 9.66 (ran last mile) | Avg Speed: 4.9

Day 685 | September 3, 2011: rest

Day 686 | September 4, 2011: 9.2 m run

My plan was to wake up early and run around my college campus (I was in Ames, Iowa). I did wake up early, but I never made it to campus. I had a bathroom emergency and had to run back to the house. So… 3.5 miles in.

Oh, I should point out it was in the mid 50s. That’s almost 40 degrees cooler than when I ran on Friday!

Anyway, I wasn’t sure if I would get any more mileage in, but I asked Steven’s uncle if he wanted to bike with me, and he said yes. So we ran a mile and a half to a lake path (just under 3 miles) near their home, then ran back.

I wish I would have run more in college – this path was completed during my last few years of school but I never used it – this was my first time there!

The run was easy and the cool weather was refreshing. The bathroom issue was annoying though.

Distance: 9.2 | Start Temp: 56° | Start Temp: 60° | Time: 1:31:12 | Avg Pace: 9:54

Week Summary: 31.6 miles

Ugh, this week did NOT go as planned (too many rest days!) and I am trying to be okay with that. I ended up going to Kansas City unexpectedly on Monday, and that ate up my day. I got two runs in there, then was really busy at home on Thursday and traveling all morning Saturday then at a wedding the rest of the day. I really should have gotten up early (4:00 am) to run Saturday but was too tired. Oh well. I need a step back week! I’ve got my 22-miler next weekend! And it’s potentially going to be kind of crazy.

Comments (9)

By kilax, September 2, 2011 5:01 am

Have you noticed any signs that you are turning in to your parents/guardians? If so, what are they?

There are a few ways I know I am turning in to my mother:

1. I spill food on myself (my mom does at every meal)
2. I have no shame



3. I think wearing themed outfits is funny
4. I am rarely embarrassed



5. I take zillions of photos (BUT NONE OF PEOPLE EATING!)
6. I like to try new things



7. I like to help people
8. I try to fit more in my schedule than I really have time for
9. I like to make friends/talk to people I don’t know



10. And… I really love Kohl’s. Ha ha.

The main thing is that I spill food on myself though.

And unfortunately I am not as nice as my mom. Or optimistic. Damn, is she ever optimistic.