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By kilax, January 21, 2013 9:00 am

Because this?

Can be covered up with this!

Ha ha ha. Okay, maybe if I was going in to the office today, I would’ve brushed my hair. Maybe. But most times I put this hat on, I keep it on until I get back home. Now if only I had a cute summer hat…

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By kilax, January 20, 2013 3:30 pm

Highlight of the Week: Ending the week by completely KILLING my long run with Bobbi! We started out at a fast long run clip (for us) and never let down. It left me feeling really confident, especially since I’ve been having fueling issues lately. 

Monday | January 14, 2013: cross (bike trainer) + 5 m run (w/Anne)
Cardio: Mountain bike on trainer at various speeds, Time: 30 mins,  Difficulty: harder than I thought it would be, Felt: good
Loc: Vernon Hills Big and Little Bear Lakes, Temp: 25°/23°, Time: 1:01:31, Pace: 12:18 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Tuesday | January 15, 2013: 8 m run
Loc: neighborhood, Temp: 28°/25°, Time: 1:25:49, Pace: 10:44 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: unsafe (icy)/happy
Wednesday | January 16, 2013: strength class + 3 m run (w/Bobbi and Chris)
Strength: circuit, plyo and boxing, Difficulty: medium, Felt: decent
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 34°/34°, Time: 34:04, Pace: 11:22 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good (still icy though!)
Thursday | January 17, 2013: rest
Friday | January 18, 2013: strength partner session + 4 m run incl. 4×2:00 (w/Bobbi)
Strength: medicine balls and bench, Difficulty: medium/hard, Felt: strong
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 28°/28°, Time: 37:29, Pace: 9:22, Difficulty: hard effort during intervals, Felt: good
Saturday | January 19, 2013: cycling class
Loc: Essential Fitness LLC Multisport Club, Time: 45 mins, Difficulty: medium/hard, Felt: challenged
Sunday | January 20, 2013: 10 m run (w/Bobbi)
Loc: DPRT, Temp: 14°/14°, Time: 1:34:26, Pace: 9:27 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: really strong

Notes:

• Brian, the trainer who owns Essential Fitness LLC (where I train…) started a Multisport Club this year! Of course, I joined. Besides having seminars and sponsors with discounts and all that, the club also offers some fun classes. This Saturday was my first cycling class! It kicked my butt… in a good way. Brian put a real slick on my back wheel, so I still don’t have my blue tires on. Maybe when I take the bike back outdoors. Ha ha. 
• Last Saturday, and this Tuesday, after taking a GU, I felt my last meal in my chest. I am not sure if that is heart burn, but it didn’t feel good. I tried a fig newton on Sunday’s run, and that worked a bit better (despite barfing a bit up in to my mouth in the last mile). I hope the issues is dependent on what I eat before the run and not during. It would be awful if it was the GUs! I just bought two cases!!! Ha ha.

Comments (37)

By kilax, January 19, 2013 7:38 am

Does anyone think I’m going to get to use my snowshoes*, here in Illinois, this year?

I’m feeling a bit pouty about the prospects (in case you cannot tell). There is a snowshoe 5K at the end of the month that I would love to do, but I am not going to sign up for it if there is no dang snow! Sigh. 

I suppose I should use these for a different outdoor activity, instead? It is cold enough!

A few of the forest preserves here have outdoor ice skating rinks that I’d really like to check out! 

I know it is odd to be wishing for snow. And I bet it will come at the worst time – when I need to get on a flight out of town, or have a road race (without snowshoes)… but (and I’ve said this before) the lack of snow really messed with me last year! For some reason, spring is a really challenging time of year for me, mood-wise, and I didn’t like being forced in to it so early. We may have to travel somewhere to play in the snow this year…

Does anyone else care if we get any substantial snow this year? (or I am crazy?!)

*On actual snow, not posing for photos

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By kilax, January 18, 2013 6:38 am

Which television series do you think are worth watching a second (third? fourth?) time? Which television series do you think are NOT worth watching a second (or first?) time?

This is an odd question for me to ask because I do not watch much television, and when I see a series, it’s on DVD! However, I watched Sex and the City over and over when I lived in Rome.  And we recently started rewatching Downton Abbey, and it’s even better the second time around!

There are a few series I have tried to get in to with no luck – The Walking Dead and The West Wing being the most recent.

Bonus question – any television series I should check out on Netflix?

When I work from home, Steven and I watch shows together during our lunch break. We started with Star Trek: The Next Generation, then went to Downton Abbey… hmm. Seems like I am missing one.

Comments (37)

By kilax, January 17, 2013 6:27 am

• No matter what cheerful ringtone I put on my work phone, I still feel anxious to answer it when it rings unexpectedly. 
• I had the chance to stock up on some items at Whole Foods on Sunday. Before he said anything else to me, the cashier asked, “How long have you been vegan?” Am I that obvious? Ha ha, with a cart full of Teese, vegan ice cream, vegan yogurt, vegan chocolate… you get the idea… I think I am quite obvious. What does your cart say about you?
• I have been anxious to try vegan yogurt! I bought a vanilla flavored one made with almond milk and quite like it. I don’t think I will make a point of having it in the house though (but it’s a fun treat).

• I like tea, but damn, do I ever think tea bags look gross. Even when I have a nice little holder to put them in. Eww. Does anyone else think this?

• I am going to make a bold assumption and say that a white button down shirt is probably a staple clothing item in both men and women’s closets. So, then why is the one I have all floppy and weird? Ugh… 

Other Random Thoughts Thursday Posts: XXIX, XVIII, XXVII, XXVI, XXV, XXIV, XXIII, XXII, XXI, XX, XIX, XVIII, XVII, XVI, XV, XIV, XIII, XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, VII, VI, V, IV, III, II, I.

Comments (35)

By kilax, January 15, 2013 6:24 am

You know what makes me feel good?

When someone trusts me with an important secret (good or bad news!). I have had two friends tell me good news, but ask me to keep in under wraps, in the past week.  What makes me feel even better is that these are not my besties,* but they still felt I was worth hearing their good news.

Does it make you feel good when someone trusts you and shares their “secret” news with you? To whom do you tell your “secret” news?

I am a very open person, and don’t have many secrets**, but there was a time last year when I was keeping some news to myself because it was not mine to share and it made me feel so awful. I feel better when I share. This, I learned.

And on a similar note, I feel bad when I find out someone has kept information from me, when I thought I was close enough for them to share it with me (<– did that sentence make sense?). Yeah. I could write an entirely different blog post about that one, but I won’t. Even though I want to.  Really, really want to.

You know what makes me feel bad? This (Xing out my big toenails so I won’t scar you for life):

It doesn’t hurt, but it makes me feel bad because I think I will NOT be able to go to kickboxing class tonight, with my right foot looking like that. What do you think? Should I bandage it up and go?! Muah ha ha.

*I mean, I do know if they have cats or dogs, at least.
**Basically, you cannot shut me up.

Comments (17)

By kilax, January 14, 2013 6:21 am

Damn you, Facebook! Ha ha ha. 

As I mentioned last week, it wasn’t really clicking how many birthday celebrations I had going on. Despite making a trip to the store to get birthday cards on Monday night*, I failed to get a card for the Friday night party. Never fear! I am a card hoarder and have a plethora of cards to choose from. 

But, dammit! All I had was cat and dog themed birthday cards and I couldn’t remember if my friend likes cats or dogs. 

“I know!” I thought, “I will consult Facebook!”

I looked through all her Facebook pics and did not see a single animal. Dammit, again. 

So I went with the default I thought made the most sense – the dog card. Would you have gone with the dog card or the cat card? There are so many cat haters out there, I didn’t want to give her a cat card on her birthday if she wasn’t a cat fan. 

Turns out she has three cats. Dammit. 

I suck. 

NO! Facebook sucks. Ha ha ha. 

All joking aside, it was no big deal. I mean, yes, it made me feel like a loser friend for not remembering, but I bet she didn’t care… um, hopefully. 

I think it’s funny/interesting that I use Facebook for informational purposes like this. I also use it to:

• Grab people’s birthdays for my google calendar
• Grab people’s pics for my google contacts
• Look up people’s names when I forget them**
• Follow people’s interests for gift ideas

What actual use do you get out of Facebook? (you know, besides wasting time and stalking people)

I was shopping yesterday and made sure to get some NON-animal birthday cards for my collection, even though it was very hard. 

*To my credit, two were for birthdays that didn’t even involve the Wed-Fri birthday party streak! I had a lot of birthdays on my mind. 
**This helped SO MUCH when I first joined the running club.

Comments (17)

By kilax, January 13, 2013 9:26 am

Highlight of the Week: A compliment from another student in kickboxing class. 

Monday | January 7, 2013: partner strength session (w/Bobbi) + 5 m run (w/Anne)
Strength: trampoline, TRX, resistance band, Difficulty: hard, Felt: inspired to keep at it
Loc: Vernon Hills Big & Little Bear Lakes, Temp: 39°/36°, Time: 1:02:50, Pace: 12:34 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | January 8, 2013: 2.5 m run (w/Julie)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 27°/27°, Time: 28:35, Pace: 11:23a avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good to catch up with a friend!
Wednesday | January 9, 2013: 5 m run (w/4x400s) + strength class
Loc: neighborhood, Temp: 43°/41°, Time: 51:08, Pace: 10:14 avg, Difficulty: hard, Felt: like it’s been too long
Strength: hurdle bars and kettlebells, Difficulty: medium/hard, Felt: like garbage
Thursday | January 10, 2013: rest
Friday | January 11, 2013: strength + 5.25 m run (last 4 w/Anne)
Strength: bike and bars, Difficulty: medium, Felt: excited
Loc: neighborhood, Temp: 48°/50°, Time: 1:03:46, Pace: 12:08, Difficulty: good, Felt: excited to run my ‘hood with Anne!
Saturday | January 12, 2013: cross (kickboxing class) + 10.4 m run (w/Bobbi, other GRCers ahead)
Cardio: Boxing (punching and kicking), core, Difficulty: medium, Felt: spent, in a good way
Loc: Casey Bike Path to Independence Grove, Temp: 39°/39°, Time: 1:47:29, Pace: 10:20 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: good until heartburn in 2nd half
Sunday | January 13, 2013: 3 m run
Loc: neighborhood, Temp: 25°/25°, Time: 34:17, Pace: 11:25 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: tired

Notes:

• So, speedwork before strength class.  NEVER again.
• But! I had a lot of fun strength workouts this week. Bobbi and I did a partner session on Monday. We got to use mini trampolines, and then alternate between the TRX and resistance bands. And on Friday I rode the bike in between my strength moves!
• In kickboxing on Saturday, the instructor encouraged me to try a left leg forward kick followed by a right leg round house kick… by bringing the right leg up before the left one touches the ground from the first kick. Yeah. I am not that coordinated. I kicked the plastic under the punching bag and bruised my right foot. Ouch!
• I am not eating right (enough/timing) to power through my runs. I have got to figure that out!

Comments (18)

By kilax, January 12, 2013 8:32 am

Ugh, yesterday’s post was a bit too downer for me. Let’s get something cheery up in here!

Today is my bestie Erin‘s birthday! Happy Birthday Erin!

Erin and I met through our blogs. In spring 2009 I noticed a run she posted was close to my office and commented on it, and from that we figured out we work super close to one another (two blocks away). So we had our first running date in early June that year! Erin is the first friend I have been able to get close with, in person, since college. I met her before I was in the running club, and still didn’t have a lot of connections in Chicagoland.  Since I’ve met Erin, I have made a lot of other close friendships too, and I think it is because through my relationship with Erin, I learned how wonderful friendship can be! That probably doesn’t make very much sense. Shortened version – I had no close in person friends before I met Erin. We had so much fun together it made me want to make more friends and quit being a shut in. There you go. 

Anyway, as I was doing my little digital photo frame exercise on January 1st, I realized I had an abundance of photos of me and friends. And it really made me think about the close relationships I have formed, and how happy I am to say I have friends who…

… know their way around my kitchen/home and feel comfortable showing someone else their way around.
… know all of my jokes and stories that I tell time and time again, but still put up with them!
… will call me out on my crap.
… know what I am talking about when no one else does (that they “get me”).
… know the foods I dislike. 
… know which songs I dislike and to change the station when they come on!
… scheme with me.
… I can send blog posts to for proof reading.
… tell their secrets to me first.
… can debate a topic with me, and not let it affect our friendship.
… know the names of my family members and my other friends. 
… ask for my help with things I am good at doing (Photoshop – that’s about it). 

The list could go on and on, and on and on. And I could get really mushy, so I will start there.

Does that list describe any of your friendships? What would you add to “the friends who…” list?