Comments (43)

By kilax, April 29, 2013 8:34 am

I’ve mentioned that my snister, Christina, is crafty. So when I saw her post these pictures of artwork she made to Facebook, I had an idea…

All photos except the last one are from my sister.

Idea for what? Well… my NYC bestie, Gina, is now my Dallas* bestie! Exciting! Gina and her family moved to Dallas in March. I wanted to get them a housewarming gift that signified their love for New York and also included their new home, but didn’t have any ideas. Until…

Wait! “Christina, do you think you could make one of those state thready things for Gina and Steve like the one you posted on Facebook? Only with New York and Texas overlayed? And a heart over their new city and their old city?”

I am surprised Christina humored me. Hee hee. But she did.

We drafted out ideas, and got to work. And by “we,” I obviously mean her (and later on, her fiancé, Will). Christina and I corresponded mostly by text. She sent me pictures of ideas, and I told her what I thought. And asked if what I thought would look okay, ha ha.

We decided to keep the states to scale, and with the correct orientation (rather than focusing on having them twisted so the two cities overlayed where the heart is).

I asked for a small size – 12″x12,” not even thinking about how that meant Christina would have to work even harder with the threads being closer together. Oops.

Dexter helped out a bit. Mostly quality control.

Gina likes purple, and I liked the green and purple pop on a black background. Okay, okay, this color combo was also inspired by a pair of running shoes I have.

Paw of approval.

We decided to use white nails. Christina had to repaint the tops white after hammering them in!

Almost ready to start threading…

Purple’s done (it’s all one piece of string)!

Completed project! Overall, Christina said it took about 8 hours.

What a sweetie. Besides making all this, Christina wrapped it in some crazy bubble wrap and sent it to Dallas for me so it would be there this weekend when we visited!

I thought for sure that Gina would see my sister’s handwriting on the “Do not open until in the presence of Kim” note and figure out it was from my snister and guess what it was! But, she didn’t suspect a thing! Muah ha ha. Darn. I should have played it off like I made it. Nah. She never would have believed that!

Anyway, Gina and Steve really loved it and were impressed by Christina’s craftiness. I sure am! And I am impressed with her capability to put up with me and my crazy vision.

Thanks a million, snister! I think you should start making these for $$$, no?!

*Or as I have been calling it, Dally.

Comments (21)

By kilax, April 28, 2013 6:46 pm

Highlight of the Week: Running with my new neighborhood friend! And all my other friends. No solo runs this week!

not pictured: Friday’s run

Monday | April 22, 2013: teaching strength class
Strength: body bars, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | April 23, 2013: 8 m run (last 4 w/Alyssa)
Loc: Millennium Trail to Nippersink FP, Temp: 41°/40°, Time: 1:15:17, Pace: 9:24 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good
Wednesday | April 24, 2013: strength class + 5.2 m run (w/Bobbi and Chris)
Strength: body bars + boxing, Difficulty: medium, Felt: mostly good
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 49°/46°, Time: 54:53, Pace: 10:34 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Thursday | April 25, 2013: 5 m run (w/Emily) + 6 m run (w/Valerie)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 39°/40°, Time: 45:03, Pace: 9:00 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: so tired/out of it
Loc: Rollins Savanna, Temp: 47°/47°, Time: 54:32, Pace: 9:05 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: still tried
Friday | April 26, 2013: 5.5 m run (middle 3 w/new neighborhood friend)
Loc: hood, Temp: 51°/56°, Time: 1:02:29x, Pace: 11:22, Difficulty: easy, Felt: tired
Saturday | April 27, 2013: rest
Sunday | April 28, 2013: rest

Notes:

• I am still having a super hard time catching up with sleep after my weekend in Salt Lake City. And my runs were not super fast after coming back from a higher altitude! Wah! (just kidding)
• I am just remembering this now, but I thought it was so odd how many people were not wearing hats at the Salt Lake City Half Marathon, since it rained the entire time. Wearing a hat when you run is so helpful for keeping water out of your eyes… so you can see. Do you wear a hat when you are working out in the rain?
• Another question… so, I wore brand new shoes to the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. I’ve done this before. But I know a lot of people are concerned about “breaking shoes in.” Do you make a point to break shoes in before a race? Maybe this is more important for racing flats and shoes that fit to your foot more?
• My strength workout on Wednesday left me so sore for a few days. Stupid DOMS. That hadn’t happened in awhile. I hated feeling so sore and stiff for my following workouts and just around the house. Bleh.

The winner of the Gypsy Runner Arm Sleeves Giveaway is Abbi! Abbi, please email me (kilax@ilaxstudio.com) your mailing address and I will share it with Gypsy Runner!

Comments (22)

By kilax, April 26, 2013 8:21 am

… and Nevada. Ha ha. 

After all my talk yesterday about what a great “sorta” planner I am, I have to admit that one of the coolest places my mom and I went to in Salt Lake City – the Bonneville Salt Flats – wasn’t even on my radar as a place to visit.  

click image to see larger

Of course, I knew what the Bonneville Salt Flats are, as I come from a family of men obsessed with cars… and married a man who is. Ha ha. Did you know what the Bonneville Salt Flats were before I started blah blahing about them this week?

Brief history lesson – there used to be a huge arse lake covering much of northwestern Utah, called Lake Bonneville (named after Benjamin Bonneville – a French-born officer in the US Army). Lake Bonneville was formed about 32,000 years ago, and “released” about 14,500 years ago, leaving Great Salt Lake and other surrounding lakes as remnants. 

This is as close as we got to Great Salt Lake on the drive to the Bonneville Salt Flats. We could sure smell it!

Back to our history lesson… the lake has actually dropped more since the “release” (aka a flood), and you can see different “shelves” on the mountains that represent past water height levels. Coolio!

But let’s get to the fun stuff. DRIVING FAST!

Ha ha. Including driving fast to get there! I was very pleased when I found out the speed limit on the highway was 75 mph. Woo hoo! Someone warned us that the drive out there was “really long and boring” but we couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. Maybe because we are from the flat lands? Do people ever get sick of the mountains?!

So what I know the Bonneville Salt Flats for is setting land speed records (unfortunately, not personally)! The Bonneville Speedway is set up on the western edge of the Bonneville Salt Flats a few times a year. Why the heck do people want to race on salt? And why was is there so much salt? Good questions. I don’t know the answers to either. Apparently, since it’s perfectly flat, and stable, it’s good for racing. And people have been setting records on it since the early 1900s. Like… freakin’ fast records. They race stuff powered by jet engines there, yo. Can you imagine driving something that goes over 600 mph?! What the heck. I didn’t feel comfortable driving the rental car 60 mph. Of course, it was a rickety piece of poo poo (but it got us there!). 

And that brings us back to our visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats. My mom brought up the potential of visiting there a week or so before the trip. I hadn’t even thought of it. But I had a rental car, so why not? I even tried to upgrade my rental car to a Camaro just for the drive… ha ha. It wasn’t worth the extra $120 a day. 

It rained the entire morning before we went to the Bonneville Salt Flats. I was worried we would get out there and it would be muddy, meaning we couldn’t drive on it and it would be gross looking. Nope, not at all. It was beautiful. We couldn’t get over how gorgeous it was. I am sure that is what everyone is thinking when they are out there for Speed Week. Ha ha. 

click image to see larger

click image to see larger

We first stopped at a rest stop at the southern edge of the Bonneville Salt Flats where there was some water. A bridge and groom were there taking their wedding photos. Can you imagine how pretty those would be? WHY DIDN’T STEVEN AND I THINK OF THAT?!?!?!!

Then we drove to the actual speedway. I made the mistake of telling my mom on the drive up about the risks associated with driving out there in bad conditions – water will eff up your car, you can get stuck in the mud, etc. So she was freaking out. Sigh. Lesson re-learned: do not give Mom too much information. 

She thought we shouldn’t drive on the flats. Oh hellz to the no. I didn’t drive 120 miles to get there for nothing. 

Ha ha. Like I said, I barely got up to 60 mph before I felt like I should slow it down (compared to going 80 mph on the highway to get there). Then after the drive my mom spent quite a bit of time worrying about the amount of salt on the car and “what would the car rental place think?!” Sigh. 

Before our drive on the flats we took a ton of goofy photos. The landscape was incredibly unique (to me). In some parts, it seemed like the ground just blended in to the sky. I can see why car manufacturers and models (and just regular people!) go out there for shots!

I couldn’t get over how beautiful and serene it was. We were both so happy we took the drive out there to see it! 

And since we were so close, we decided to drive to Nevada to go to the casinos.

Ha ha. Nah, my mom just used the bathroom at the casino, then we went back to Utah, ate at the Salt Flats Cafe and drove back to Salt Lake City. 

Have you visited the Bonneville Salt Flats?

Comments (36)

By kilax, April 25, 2013 6:37 am

Have you ever felt forced to take the lead on something you didn’t really want to? Or do you welcome any and all leadership opportunities?

In the past, I have been placed in charge of some things that I would have preferred not to been the leader on. This lack of feeling of ownership over the project, paired with my general disinterest, made me think I had no leadership qualities in me. That I was destined to be a follower (which I truthfully sometimes prefer).

But I think I was just in the wrong setting. With the wrong  “some things.” Because I thrive on being a leader in other instances. The most recent example, is my trip to Salt Lake City (SLC).

I am somewhat of a planner. I say somewhat, because with a lot of things, I am all “whatever happens, happens… meh.”

But before I visit a new city, or go to a city that I am not familiar with for the second or third or whatever visit, I tend to casually research it. I check out the city orientation/street setup, read up on the citiy’s history, maybe look in to some fun activities, see if there are any vegan restaurants. I figure out how to get around. I check the weather.

I figured most people do at least this.

I don’t think so.

I won’t name any names.

Ha.

So on my recent trip to SLC, I was reminded of the leader and follower role while in a unfamiliar city with other people you know. I definitely took the lead in getting us places, finding things to do, and so on. And I didn’t mind. I really enjoy that. I made an entire itinerary for my trip to NYC with Erin in March 2012 (complete with google docs and corresponding google map). I was in charge of schedule and getting around when Steven and his brother and I went to NYC in February 2013.

I really like it. I like being in charge. Ha.

But it blows my mind that people show up somewhere and have no idea what is going on, or what the city is about! Maybe they are relying on the people they are with? Or if you are traveling to visit someone, it would make sense to rely on that person.

So, what kind of traveler are you? Super meticulous planner? Casual planner like me? “I’ll figure it out when I am there” type? Or “where am I/who am I/what day is it” type? Ha ha ha.

You didn’t think I was going to write about SLC without some pictures, did you?

A portion of the trip was spend by myself, which is really refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-social*, and I did spend time with other people on this trip, but there is something to be said for getting to do whatever the heck you want to, and at your own pace! That included, for me:

Visiting the SLC Public Library:

view from on top of the library

the State Capitol (hey! any good tricks for remembering capitol vs capital?!):

Temple Square:

hiking Ensign Peak

click to see larger

click to see larger

And… I still have to tell you guys about the Salt Flats! In another post… these are just pictures from some of the things I did by myself!

*all the time

Comments (42)

By kilax, April 24, 2013 5:01 am

***I interrupt this regularly scheduled Utah trip recap week to post a giveaway***

Ha ha ha. Actually, the giveaway is Utah trip inspired. I came across the Gypsy Runner booth at the Salt Lake City Marathon expo on Thursday and went bananas going through all their super cool arm sleeve designs. 

Photo from little-runner-girl.com at a different expo last year.

Gypsy Runner is based out of Phoenix but they travel all over for expos. They will be at Chicago Rock ‘n’ ‘Roll on July 19 and 20, and at Quad Cities and Akron Marathon expos in September. Check them out!

Anyway, I was very well behaved at the expo. I only bought TWO pairs of arm sleeves. Let me pause and give myself a pat on the back. 

Ha ha. Now that that is over…

I talked to the Gypsy Runner owner, Amy, for quite some time on Thursday. She was telling me about the inspiration for their shirts, skirts, leggings, arm sleeves, etc. Sigh. What a fun business to have. Choosing designs for running clothes?! Traveling all over to sell your products and getting to see different parts of the country? Talking to all sorts of interesting people like me?* Okay, I am sure I am glamorizing it. And maybe I was on an arm sleeve high. But I left feeling pretty jazzed and excited about my new sleeves. 

So jazzed, that I didn’t realize until getting back to my hotel that I grabbed a size small instead of a medium! Oops! I went back the next day to exchange them, and Amy was totally cool about letting me do a swap. And luckily, they had a bigger size. Phew!

Another break to pat myself on the back for not buying more arm sleeves during the second trip to the expo! Ha ha. 

Anyway, I contacted Amy after the expo to tell her how much I love the sleeves (yes, I have already used them) and to ask if Gypsy Runner would sponsor an arm sleeve giveaway. Obviously… she said yes. Ha ha. Thank you, Amy!

Gypsy Runner Arm Sleeves Giveaway Rules

1. One reader will receive a pair of arm sleeves – design selected by Gypsy Runners.
2. REQUIRED to enter the giveaway: go to the Gypsy Runner site and determine what size of arm sleeves you would be, and tell me that size in the comments. This requires scrolling down on the link I provided. For reference, I am wearing a M in the pictures, and my bicep is 13ish” in diameter. If you want, while you are there, check out the fun designs and tell me which style you like. Gypsy Runner will select the style for the giveaway, but this information comes in handy for me later.**
   
3. For a bonus entry: like the Gypsy Runner Facebook page and let me know you have. 
4. For a bonus entry: post this contest on Facebook, and let me know in a comment that you did. 
5. You can leave all entry comments in ONE comment if you’d like.
6. This giveaway is open until 12:00 PM CST on Friday April 26. I will announce the winner on Saturday April 27.
7. This giveaway is open to all US readers.

*I kid, I kid. 
**Gift ideas for friends, ha!

Comments (58)

By kilax, April 23, 2013 11:48 am

Racing while traveling is tricky, right? You are sleeping in a different bed*, eating different foods, maybe sight-seeing… you might be in a different time zone, at a higher altitude… you’re out of your comfort zone! Ha ha ha. All of these things describe the setup for running the Salt Lake City (SLC) Half Marathon last Saturday.

But! I love to race when I visit a new place. What an awesome way to see the city, and wonderful opportunity to meet and chat up with local folks! So. It’s totally worth it to me to run the race, even if I know “conditions” aren’t ideal.**

I’ve had a great training season this year. I thrive running in the cold and dark, and I got a lot of miles in. I was hoping for a PR at the SLC half. I only had two concerns: the altitude and lack of course elevation map. Okay, let’s add two more – eating strange foods and not getting much sleep. Okay, one more (ha!) – hiking the day before.

What?! I was not supposed to hike up a steep 350′ incline the night before the race to get views of the city?

Or eat delicious vegan baked goods (I only had (parts of) two!!!)?

Or eat dinner at 10:30? Go to bed past 12:00 and get up at 5:00?

Pssssh. I didn’t want to miss a thing in SLC. Ha! I thoroughly enjoyed my pre-race day.

I am really good at dragging this out, aren’t I? Ha ha ha. You guys know I will keep the actual race part short and sweet. But first.

I went on a short run Thursday night with Marty*** to test out how I felt running “at altitude.” Er… my lungs felt like they had a little furnace in them right away. No bueno. Obviously, this picture of Marty and me is taken pre-furnace.

So Saturday morning, I didn’t know what to expect. I decided to start out at a PR pace, and back off if I needed to.

I was NOT expecting to feel so emotional before the race. I rode TRAX from my hotel in downtown SLC, to get to the start line at U of U. Two stops before the final destination, bomb-sniffing dogs came on. The bomb squad was at the start. Police were everywhere. A helicopter flew overhead before the race and for the entire event. Everyone had Boston gear on. They were handing out these bracelets. I had my Boston ribbons on.

(last picture is post race)

I was choked up.

But spending time before the race chatting with other runners calmed me. Long conversations, just getting to know people. I ran in to a guy I met at the expo, remembered his name, and we chatted some more. I talked to people in my pace group. Introduced myself. Learned a lot of tidbits about people.

It was a great feeling. I really do love talking to other runners and connecting with people. And the thing is… the community is always like this. Not just post tragic-event. But that has put it in to perspective.

An interesting tidbit – “Sweet Caroline” was played at the start. I didn’t understand the significance until I read the paper the next day. Now, I can’t get it out of my head!

Alright. Let’s get going.

Did I mention it started raining about an hour before the race? And never stopped the whole damn time? Hee hee. I do love running in the rain. It felt awesome. The only sad part is that it was super foggy and the mountain views were not as clear as I was hoping. Darn.

I started with the 1:50 pacer. Following my plan to stick with pace and drop back if the altitude got to me.

That worked for five miles. Yep! That’s it! This (newly designed) course is a net downhill of 600′ (elevation line in green below – click to see larger)! Wheeeee! But! There are a few uphills in there too. And my heart rate was super high on those. I kept losing the pacer on the uphills, then trying to catch up. Oops. I’ve become a lot stronger on uphills, but that is where the lack of O2 got to me. I had to back it off to play it safe. So I slowed down and just enjoyed the race – and more downhills!

I smiled. I thanked the tons of police officers. I thought about how grateful I was to be able to run. I thought about how I run because I love to – not always for PRs. I talked to other runners. Someone who was in my pace group (Cami) caught me and passed me… but then we ran the last final miles together. She kept thanking me for being so strong and pulling her in. I felt fabulous! Just had to be careful on those few uphills.

And Marty was there. Waiting in the rain for a long time, to see me run. What an awesome friend (and we had met for the first time two days prior)! I definitely got a second wind after seeing him!

In case you want to see what supination looks like.

It was such an enjoyable race. I feel so lucky that it was going on the weekend I was there. And I also feel lucky that Marty was there and came to the finish (and later gave me a ride to my hotel), because DAMN! I was freezing after I finished! Ha ha! I had a bag with a long sleeved shirt and a light jacket in gear check. The bag was sitting out in the rain. My hands were so cold I couldn’t tell if the jacket in my bag was wet or dry. I had to have someone check for me. Ha ha ha.

Oh! My finish time! 1:54:54. 40 seconds off my PR! Ha! And I added a bit of extra mileage with my weaving. Round of applause to Kim…

Edited to add: 50 seconds off my PR. Derp. Math bad Kim no smart. My PR is 1:54:06. So. No PR for Kim.

I would love to run this race again. I kind of fell in love with Utah. And imagine I would more, if I saw the rest of the state.

So, what’s next? Derp. Find a 5K to run this week. I am coming from a higher altitude! Let’s see if those legs have some speed in them!

Just kidding. My favorite half – the Wisconsin Half Marathon – is coming up on May 4th**** I already told my BIL I am ditching him and going for the gold. I have a pacer lined up and everything. Boo yah. Unless I decide I don’t feel like running fast that day.

And if you made it this far in this post, applause to you! I reward***** you with this funny picture of my sudsy knees during the race! I would like to hear if anyone else has ever had sudsy clothes during a race or run? Ha ha.

*We won’t mention the part about sleeping next to a loud snorer.
**How do the elites do it? I suppose they get to the location early to acclimate.
***More about my awesome time with Marty later this week!
****May the fourth be with you!
*****Not much of a reward since I already posted it on my blog FB page.

Comments (36)

By kilax, April 23, 2013 6:28 am

… from work?

Um…

I didn’t mention this before, but the reason I finally decided to go to Utah* is because my mom was headed there for a work conference. I figured I could do my own thing while she was in the conference and we could hang out at night. 

I promise I took pictures other than at the Salt Flats. They were just sooooo cool.

Anyways. My mom was super jazzed about work** and was telling me how much she loves her job on our Saturday night drive back from the Salt Flats. Earlier in the year, she worked hard on putting together a performance plan for a team, then reviewed it with them. The team leader saw immediate improvement after my mom facilitated the review. My mom said she felt so proud that something she spent the time to create and implement actually helped another team perform their job better. Then she asked me, “Have you had any really proud moments like that at work lately?”

Chirp. 

I couldn’t come up with anything, and she remembered right after asking that I had earlier told her that I was trying to avoid thinking about work while on vacation. Ha ha. 

But. 

I thought about that question more as I came home. And while I still cannot think of an example for my day job, I can for my night job. 

I was really nervous to teach my first strength class. It’s one thing to do strength moves on your own. But to have people pay to take a class you teach?! Uhhhh… I wanted it to be awesome. So anyway, my trainer and I developed the first class structure together, then I followed that for the next two weeks with a few tweaks that I went over with him***. For the second cycle, I was proud that I came up with some ideas on my own. I’m on the third cycle now. My trainer just gave me some ideas and I put it together and showed it to him, and he liked it. 

Well, guess what? I taught it Monday night last week, and thought it was mediocre. There are a lot of reasons for that. It was hard to be peppy and teach last Monday night. Anyway, moving on…

So this week I revamped the workout before I taught it. And I liked it a lot better. And I was proud that I did that on my own. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I was initially concerned that I wouldn’t be able to come up with whole body workouts on my own. Duh. I know all this stuff. Especially as I study more. I just had to start doing it to realize that I could.

So! Mom! You don’t read my blog, but I found my proud “work” moment. Ta da!

Tell me your proud work moment. Or any proud moment. Or tricks you use not to think about work while on vacation. Ha. 

*After wanting to for quite some time
**Because of the conference
***I teach a workout for three weeks then go on to something new

Comments (46)

By kilax, April 22, 2013 7:15 am

My trip to Salt Lake City (SLC) couldn’t have come at a better time. 

I needed an escape last week like never before.

I’ll be honest. My normal escape from life – Facebook and blogs – became completely sickening for me. I needed quiet, to reflect privately. I needed to talk one-on-one with my close friends instead of broadcasting my thoughts all over the internets. If anything, this has been a reminder that we all reflect and heal in different ways. 

Anyway. 

Peace and quiet I had. In SLC. 

And to make this post not completely a downer, I just want to share a funny tip – do not wear your race medal when taking pictures like this:

Because this could happen:

Ha ha ha! You’ve been warned!

Comments (29)

By kilax, April 14, 2013 7:03 pm

Highlight of the Week: Duh. Running through the water and mud with friends at the Double Down!

Monday | April 8, 2013: 6 m run + teaching strength class + 6 m run (w/Erin)
Loc: hood, Temp: 40°/41°, Time: 58:14, Pace: 9:42 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: fine
Strength: kettlebells + step, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 47°/43°, Time: 53:37, Pace: 8:56 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great/energetic
Tuesday | April 9, 2013: rest
Wednesday | April 10, 2013: strength class
Strength: cones and dumbbells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: not so great – my knee doesn’t like that workout
Thursday | April 11, 2013: up/down ladder (w/WU + CD)
Loc: hood, Temp: 40°/40°, Time: 53:22, Pace: 8:54 avg, Difficulty: hard (for me), Felt: in over my head
Friday | April 12, 2013: 9.5 m run (w/Kristi & Chris)
Loc: Grayslake to Savanna and back, Temp:  37°/37°, Time: 1:29:43, Pace: 9:27, Difficulty: easy, Felt: okay
Saturday | April 13, 2013: Muddy Monk Double Down (w/Bobbi and Rachel)
Loc: Dam No. 1 Woods, Temp: 35°/37°, Time: 2:19:41, Pace: 12:01 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Sunday | April 14, 2013: 22.05 m run (w/Emily, Rael and Stacy)
Loc: Round Lake to Grayslake and back, Temp: 47°/48°, Time: 3:44:30, Pace: 10:11 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: pretty good

Notes:

• Erin came to my class on Monday night! It really means a lot to me to have my friends trek out to Grayslake to try out my class (and to give me feedback)! I am thinking about offering a one-time Saturday class sometime so other Chicagoland people can come… let me know if you would be interested. 
• Speedwork was such a biznatch this week. I really need to do it more than twice a month if I don’t want it to feel so hard every time. Ha ha ha. Riiiiight.
• My long run on Sunday was supposed to be at a 10:00mm pace and I started too fast. I was pissed off at the 25mph winds and was running fast to feel like I was actually moving. Anyway, starting too fast really screwed my buddy Emily over. Sigh. She wasn’t upset with me, but I felt bad anyway. I told her it was a good reminder not to start out too fast at her marathon in three weeks… ha ha… right? Uh… 
• After my last 22-miler on March 29 I felt something… crunchy on the inside of my left knee. It doesn’t hurt. I just feel it when I twist it to the side. So Wednesday’s strength class with a heavy focus on lateral movement didn’t feel that great during, but felt good after. 
• And since I am mentioning aches and pains, my left calf felt tight during my long run on Sunday. My hands were all puffed up and swollen, so I think it’s a salt/electrolyte thing. We’ll see. I hope I don’t get a tight calf again. That happened to me in late spring 2010 and took forever to get rid of. 
• For the record… I am not worried about my knee or my calf. Just recording it here!
• This is my second 60+ mile week this year (61.2)! My first was exactly 60. I wonder how many more times that will happen. It’s getting hotter and I am not wanting to run as much. 

Comments (41)

By kilax, April 13, 2013 5:08 pm

I have to admit, when I saw this post on Facebook yesterday, I thought, “hmm.”

Not a “hmm” that scared me away from running the Muddy Monk 10k/20K Double Down today, but a “hmm” that made me think, “Guess I will have to do a bit more planning for this race!” As in, actually bringing extra socks and shoes, and clothes to change in to after. As it is, I had to borrow a long sleeved shirt from my friend Ed, to wear during the race. And my pre-race evening consisted of a huge plate of fajitas, with chips and salsa and french fries… then the equivalent of three glasses of wine… followed by less than six hours of sleep. 

Oops?

So. I think we’ve established that the premise of this race was to have fun! And we sure did!

Let me back track just a bit, and tell you about the Double Down. Art (the race director) offered me a free entry for a Muddy Monk race this year, and after reading the description on their website, of course, I had to pick this one:

The Double Down 10k & 20k Trail Race is a unique trail race in that you don’t sign up for a particular distance and you don’t need to decide which distance you run until you finish the first 10k. If you feel fresh and want to tackle the course again to make it a 20k, then go for it! If you get finished with the first 10k and want to call it day, then no worries! It’s completely up to you whether or not you want to “double down”!

How neat that you got to choose whether to run the 10K or the 20K on course?! I had never heard of a race where you got to choose the distance during the race before. Of course, as I signed up, I thought for sure I would “double down” and go for the full 20K! But as it rained all week and I imagined all the mud on course, I told my friends that I would choose to do the second loop if I wasn’t miserable. Well, duh. Why would running in this make me miserable?

Of course I did the second loop! It looks like I was in the minority though – 235 people did the 10K and 89 did the 20K. I am surprised by how many people did not “double down”! Do you think you would have “doubled down” on this course?

Aside from a mile+ of running in the mud, and some larger puddles, this course was pretty easy and non-technical – just crushed stone and grass. The water and mud was what made it interesting! Oh! And of course, running the entire race with Bobbi and Rachel.

I am telling you, running races like this with friends makes it so much more fun.  It’s just such a great adventure to share with someone. And sometimes, you actually need an extra hand – to pull you out of the mud or over a water crossing. Ha ha. 

Interestingly, I do think that if you were trying to competitively run something like this, you might get a bit frustrated. Sliding around in the mud? Jumping over logs? Wading through cold water? It’s all fun, but someone über concerned about time might get annoyed with that (and why they would be at this type of run… I do not know). Not us! We had a blast! I obnoxiously splashed in the puddles and tried to get as much mud on me as possible. We finished around 2:19:46. 

A few people from our Multisport club were there and even waited for us to finish. I always appreciate when people wait around for me!

Post race consisted of hot dogs* and beer (none for me, ha ha), and comparisons of muddy shoes. 

Yep, I will be cleaning the dirt out of my toenails for a long time. Ha ha. But I can’t wait to do my next Muddy Monk event! Art puts on such fun races, at great value, and with great goodies! I love the shirt and medal we got today!

ORANGE!!!

And I love that this race reminded me how much fun I love to run in the mud and get dirty! Do you love to run in the mud?

*No dog for me – out of vegan dogs, I was cool just eating the condiments on the bun.