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By kilax, February 28, 2014 12:00 pm

The conversation Emily and I had in the comments of her “What I look for in a blog” post got me going again about something I wanted to post about earlier this week, but decided not to – when you continually look at things online, even though they make you nuts (or as I like to say, “stabby”).

I thought about it when responding to her comment because she had a list of blog styles that she does not like (as I am sure we all have a list of in our heads). I mentioned that I get annoyed with people fishing for compliments (and, being braggy), and she said she does too, and mentioned a fashion blogger who is always posting bikini pics.

But… how do we know these bloggers are always posting these pics for us to be annoyed about? Because we keep looking at it.

WHY DO WE KEEP LOOKING?

Ha ha.

But really, are we that bored that we look at things, on purpose, that bug us, in hopes for entertainment? Is it curiosity? Do we read it to judge them? Or is it that only some of it bugs us, and some of it is good? Or, is it someone we know and we feel like we should be “nice” and read and comment… even though they sometimes annoy us?

And isn’t everyone annoying to someone? Isn’t everyone’s blog annoying, to someone? I have no disillusions that there are not people out there who think this blog is crap. And maybe that I am crap. You can’t please everyone, so you should just please yourself, with what you do, on your blog, right?

Which is why it’s fun to read posts like Emily’s and find out what people prefer and don’t prefer about blogging styles. Because we all want something a bit different.

And we just have to remember that we don’t HAVE to read anything (not just on blogs, but on Facebook or whatever)… that is, if we can pull ourselves away.

Funny thing, I consider what I am talking about above to be a different category than a “hate read.” I don’t think hate reading makes you as stabby/irritated

Also, isn’t this such a funny thing to care about?! I wouldn’t be writing this years ago, when social media wasn’t so popular!

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By kilax, February 28, 2014 7:11 am

Do you have a “power” song?

You know, one you play to get pumped up!

I thought about this on Monday, because Jen2 shared this cello rendition of my power song on Facebook. It made me laugh (well, the video is funny, too!) because I had just played my power song the day before, at the Frosty Footrace. I have a 100% record of placing when I play my power song before a race (note: it’s only been my power song since this summer, and I only play it before 5Ks and 10Ks when I am trying to run “fast”).

My current power song is ACDC’s “Thunderstruck”! 

Previous power songs have been Van Halen’s “Panama,” Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as in Paris,” ZZ Top’s “Got Me Under Pressure,” and The Black Eyed Peas “Pump It.”

I actually don’t listen to music when I run and don’t carry headphones around. I mostly play my music in the car and for class. But back in the day I would play my “power songs” over and over during tough parts of runs or on the way to work (to wake the heck up!). 

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By kilax, February 27, 2014 6:04 am

• Steven and I are dressing up as American Hustle characters for the Oscars this Sunday, and I just can’t stop laughing at his costume!!! Mine… is still a work in progress (hence the crop). 

• I told my snister that we visited Goodwill to get costume pieces, and she was like “I can’t picture you two in Goodwill lol!” Ha ha. She knows me too well. I let her know that I was very “TOO MUCH STUFF! Panic!!!” I am not a thrifter, at all. I don’t enjoy searching for things (probably similar to how I don’t enjoy doing research). Are you in to thrift shopping? Okay, let’s get real, I am not in to shopping, at all. 
• Speaking of movies (um, two bullets ago), have you ever seen a movie that had an effect on you for days? Steven and I watched Enough Said Friday night and we both woke up feeling sad Saturday morning. I still felt sad Sunday morning. 
• I mentioned awhile ago that the Nathan PopTop gloves I ordered were not working and being a total pita. Since then, I have received the new batteries from Nathan and they work now! Just wanted to give an update since I gave them a “meh” review before. The Nathan customer service is great!
• There are a zillion “Kimberlys” on my floor at work. The other day I was asking a coworker if he calls another Kimberly (I know, this is getting confusing) “Kim” or “Kimberly.” He said he goes by Kimberly since that is what her signature says. But mine says that and I prefer Kim. And his says something else than what people call him. Ha ha ha. So… yeah. When I don’t know someone, I use whatever they put in their signature. Do you have your full name or your “nickname” in your signature at work/on Facebook?
• I ran intervals indoors this morning with Kelly. It was nice to wear shorts and a tank (my laundry basket looks so empty!). It’s funny though – I am not sure how long the track is. Their website says 400m but it felt and looked longer than that, and the staff there said 4 laps = 1.3 miles.  Anyway. That made intervals tricky (we just did time based instead of the 800s we were going to do) and is messing with my head for calculating mileage. But! We did them!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 56

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By kilax, February 26, 2014 6:36 am

I made some strange connections/realizations this morning as I obsessively moved food in the fridge from larger (half or less! filled) containers to smaller (right sized!) containers that took up less space:

1. Last night’s freakout* and proclamation of “Let’s stop cooking; I’m sick of putting away all these dishes!” was not 100% warranted. As I filled up the dishwasher this morning I realized I was creating a bit of double work with putting the clean food storage containers away – since I’m not letting the leftovers live out their life in one container. Hmm.

2. Hey, it’s no wonder I’m doing this though! A huge focus at work for me for the past several years has been helping agencies “right size” their space – you know, only take up the exact amount of space they need, not just what’s available! Ha. The next time Steven comments on this obsessive behavior of mine I’m going to blame it on work.

3. I care for my food storage containers waaaaaaay more than I should. They have to mostly match (Pyrex with blue lids only! All the same Ziploc/Rubbermaid ones!). I get such pleasure of seeing them sitting all nice and organized in their cabinet (yeah, they get their own). I’d show you a picture, but a lot of it’s in the dishwasher, remember? Ha ha. And… who cares? (Well, I guess you are reading this… maybe you do?)

4. My desire to not have a “stuffed” fridge seems to be getting stronger. I want to see what I’m looking for when I open the door (almost always can). So I guess I need to deal with the aftermath of having a million storage containers to put away. Shouldn’t be a big deal, since I love them so much, right?! Oh wait.*

5. I usually overfill containers when I put the leftovers from dinner away, because HEAVEN FORBID there is any “air space” in the container. But overfilling just means you take a few bites before you put it away… duh. 

I know that proof reading this should make me question posting it since it reveals how crazy I am (and since it’s mundane and boring), but really, it just makes me happy I took the time to do this this morning. Ha ha ha ha. 

Does anyone else give two craps about their refrigerator food storage system?

*OMG, I have been so irritated and tense lately. Every little thing is bugging me. Something as small as the chapstick rolling off my desk makes me angry. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

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By kilax, February 25, 2014 6:23 am

I jokingly told Anne I was going to write a series this summer, leading up to my 30th birthday, of “30 Awful Things About Turning 30.” Ha ha. 

But wait! How would I even know what to write, until after I turn 30 and see how awful it is? Maybe it should be a weekly feature – 52 lessons in the awfulness of hitting three decades in age?!?!

I am TOTALLY joking. To me, age is not an important factor of someone’s personality. I rarely think about my own age or the age of others, unless it’s one of those “wow, they seem really immature for their age” instances, or a “we really need to figure out this generational gap” sort of thing. Otherwise… it just is what it is. Age doesn’t even seem to have a universal meaning, especially with the different ways people live their lives (experience) and take care of themselves (appearance). But it definitely has cultural meaning!

I was in a meeting recently where a man made a comment about his female business partner, in front of about twelve people, “Don’t be fooled by her appearance – she is a lot older than she looks – she has a lot of experience.”

It was supposed to be a compliment*, it truly was, but I heard a group gasp among the females in the room. How dare her age be brought up! HOW DARE!!!

There really was no point to bring it up, he could have just said “she has a lot of experience,” but because age was mentioned, there was a conversation defending her age that lasted a few minutes. 

Sigh. 

Ha ha, actually I was kind of chuckling the whole time. And it made me wonder if people really cared that her age was brought up, or if they were just shaming the man for mentioning it, because that is what they felt like they should do. I wonder if there is any instance where that comment would have been ignored, and the conversation would have segued right in to talking about her experience. 

ANYWAY (geesh I get off track), I started writing this because today is my older brother’s birthday, and I was thinking about how I only feel like I am getting older a few times a year – February 25, August 25 and October 27 – my sibling’s birthdays. For some reason, when I think about them getting older, it makes me realize, hey! I am too! (I am sure there will be other cues as life goes on, ha ha) Isn’t that odd?

Do you think about yourself “getting older” regularly, or do you think about it more as a reaction to another event, like I do?

*As in, she looks so young she must not have much experience… wait. That is not a compliment. That’s a dig at the perception of “being young” meaning you don’t have much experience.

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By kilax, February 24, 2014 6:23 am

The Frosty Footrace is typically my only “goal” 5K race of the year. I typically train for it. Or, at least have taken off some weight so running fast doesn’t feel so freaking awful. 

Ha! Not this year, though! I was in no way prepared to “race” a 5K. No way, at all. I was dreading the race most of the week, and feeling disappointed in myself, both of which are unusual for me. Note: it probably doesn’t help that a lot of work stress has been seeping in to my weeknights and weekends and I am very NOT chill lately.

But I gotta run it, right? It’s in my town, and the field is so small I usually place in my age group*. And I had signed up back in October or something silly. And Erin was coming from the city to run it, and a few people from Efit (and my running club) were there as well. It was nice to visit with everyone!

So, I tried to find the least painful way for me to “race” this 5K (read: maybe still have some hope of placing – because when this type of race is your only chance to place you feel like a putz if you didn’t “push it”), and decided intervals would be the way to go. I figured I would be faster, overall, if I gave myself little breaks from the speedier parts of the run. Plus, I hadn’t done intervals yet last week. 

It sort of worked! I ran 8x400s with .15 mile recoveries. The intervals were all over the place (thanks, hills and diminished VO2 max capacity), but it got me to the finish line in 26:48, which surprisingly, was first place in the 25-29 age group. Ha! All the 30-34 age group placers finished in front of me, so if I want to place next year (I’ll be 30), I better run closer to what I did in 2013 – 23:27! But, cough, that would require training, cough cough. We shall see what state of mind I am in next year!

Enough with the whining! I am grateful I can run, at all, and it’s fun to get an age group award. 

It’s time to throw this race some props. This is my sixth year running it, because I like it so much! It’s put on by the Round Lake Area Park District, and proceeds benefit programs for the area! The race is inexpensive ($20 pre registration, $25 day off), the set up is great, they do five year age groups with awards in 1st-3rd (along with overall), the serve warm soup after the race, volunteers are fab and… it’s less than a fifteen minute drive from my home. The race goes along a commercial drive, through a neighborhood, on a paved trail, and back on to the commercial drive. Even though there is potential for treacherous conditions with the race being in the end of February each year, they do a great job clearing snow, and putting salt and sand down. 

And I love that in the last three years they have switched from giving out a long sleeved tee to a stocking hat. I don’t need any more race shirts. Funny though, I was complimenting them on the hat versus shirt thing yesterday and one of the volunteers was like “I wish we still got shirts!” Would you prefer a stocking cap or a long sleeved cotton shirt for a winter race?

Another cool thing they did this year, to celebrate the park district being around for 40 years was hand out an award to the runner in 40th place! Fun!

And! Super heroes were there to promote a race they are having in September. The kids really seemed to get a kick out of that (I am a bit bummed I missed a photo op with them before the race – they were gone when I finished). 

There are only two “bad” things about this race. 1  – it starts really late. It used to start at 11:00 and they moved it back to 11:30 this year (there was supposed to be a youth race at 11:00 but they didn’t have it due to enrollment, I think). So close to lunch, and it kind of takes a chunk out of the middle of your day! But it’s close to home, so whatever. And 2 – there are hills on the course. Ha ha ha. Just makes the 5K race effort even harder. And even cooler, that it was a PR for me, when I ran it last year!

*And we all remember what happened last year… Ha! That is all I am going to say about that!

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By kilax, February 23, 2014 3:07 pm

Highlight of the Week: Using my new Garmin speed/cadence sensor for my bike! ALL THE DATA!!!

Monday | February 17, 2014: 4 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 23°/22°, Time: 46:12, Pace: 11:34 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: slippery/slow
Tuesday | February 18, 2014: rest
Wednesday | February 19, 2014: 3.2 m run (w/Kelly)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 33°/33°, Time: 30:22, Pace: 9:30 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: warm
Thursday | February 20, 2014: 2.6 m run + 20 min bike
Loc: hood, Temp: 34°/36°, Time: 24:19, Pace: 9:23 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: bummed the storm made me stop
Loc: inside, Time: 20:00, Speed: 16.4 mph avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: tired from the run
Friday | February 21, 2014: teaching strength class
Strength: Resistance bands & body bars w/step, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good
Saturday | February 22, 2014: 7 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 24°/27°, Time: 1:16:34, Pace: 10:56 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: irritated with life
Sunday | February 23, 2014: 4.15 m run (1 m warm-up + 3.15 miles (incl. 8×400) @ Frosty Footrace)
Loc: Round Lake, Temp: 23°/23°, Time: 26:47*, Pace: 8:32 avg*, Difficulty: medium/hard, Felt: meh
*Warmup stats not included

Notes:

• What a weird week for teaching strength class! Monday was the first time class was canceled due to weather – the roads were a mess! Then Friday was the first time I had to go downtown to work right after teaching. I hope next week is more “normal.”
• And… next week is the first time I am teaching an indoor cycling class at Efit! I bought a Garmin speed/cadence sensor for my bike, and the ANT+ adapter for my phone. I use both of those with the Garmin Fit app and I can track my indoor rides on Garmin Connect! Cool stuff! Is anyone else using the Garmin Fit app? You can even use it outdoors with your phone’s GPS. Neato bandito.
• I thought this story (pdf here) about a local (Wheaton) father who is running across Illinois next month to raise awareness and funds for the fight against Rett syndrome, which his eldest daughter has, was touching.
• I ran a 5K race today with a decent time for where I am physically, but it is so far off from where I’ve been, with no real good reason so… that’s kind of bumming me out. And at the same time, I don’t care. I’m just not one to care about pace, or my weight – both of which factor in to running fast. So. Yeah. More on that tomorrow! (bet you can’t wait…)

Link to Training Week 226

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By kilax, February 20, 2014 6:20 am

Had to use a quote from The Godfather for the title.

Do you have godparents? If so, what role do they play in your life? Are you a godparent?

The other day, I was asked to be a godparent!!!!

To my snister’s cat, Dexter. 

Dexter and me

Hee hee. 

Christina asked if Steven and I would be Dexter’s godparents, in the case something happened to Christina and Will, we would go to Kansas City to get Dexter and take care of her. 

I said of course! I also said that I may have to ask Steven’s brother (who also lives in Kansas City) to go get Dexter until we could get there, but that I would be happy to be her godparent. Does this mean I also need to help Dexter on her journey through faith and religion?!

Okay, totally joking about that last part (although Christina said I can take Dexter to church when I take Data, ha ha). But I tend to think of godparents in the religious sense, not the guardian sense. Which is why I think I will never be asked to be a godparent if it’s for religious purposes, because I am not a religious person. But I can definitely be one if it’s defined by wikipedia’s secular definition of a godfather: 

The secular view of a godparent tends to be an individual chosen by the parents to take an interest in the child’s upbringing and personal development.

And I am not trying to make light of the religious definition! Christina asking me just got me thinking about all this. 

If you have kids, do they have godparents? What role do you want them to play in your kid’s life?

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By kilax, February 19, 2014 6:23 am

When you are watching the winter Olympics, which questions are going through your head?

It’s funny, a lot of the questions I have had – “Why are the snowboarders so chill?” “How old are those curlers?” “How many calories are ice skaters burning?” “Why does Johnny Weir look so fabulous?!?!?” – have been showing up in my newsfeed a day or so after I think of them! I am loving watching the Olympics (even though I don’t understand scoring and am just hoping to see epic crashes) and know some of you are too, so here are a few of those interesting articles (yes, I read them all)!

How many calories do Olympic athletes burn? (pdf here)

Why are the snowboarders so chill? (pdf here)

How many dual Olympians (summer and winter) have there been, and in which two sports? (pdf here) – I thought the cycling/speed skating combo was interesting!

How old are those curlers? (pdf here)

Why does Johnny Weir look so fab?! (pdf here)

What’s up with the speedskating suits? (pdf here)

Previously shared – How do you train for the bobsled? (pdf here)

Why is Kim so fascinated with watching people crash? Um… because their resilience is so inspiring? Yeah, that’s it.

Here is one question Steven and I cannot find any answer to… why are the announcers (edited: I think I meant commentators) so annoying?!

Xaarlin shared this fun flow chart with me – which winter Olympic sport should you try?

Andrew and Rachel shared this Star Wars Olympic mashup with me:

And some more questions:

Why does Data insist on sitting in front of my computer in the morning?!?!?!?!?

Will Kim share anything other than links this week?!

How did this get so off track?!

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By kilax, February 18, 2014 6:49 am

Ha ha, my friend Evan shared this article on Facebook (and ensured us he read it) and I had to share it here (yes, I read it all too) – “The Less You Read, The More You Share” (pdf here).

The article is based off of research on one website (Upworthy), so yeah, we know to take it with a grain of salt and all that, but! It’s still interesting! Their research says that people are more likely to share an article without reading the whole thing than they are if they read the whole thing. They are actually basing it off of this interesting metric called “attention minutes” which includes time on the site and time per article. If you care about marketing, you might want to read the article, because they do bring up a good point that you should consider where information is placed in an article.

ANYWAY. Reading this cracked me the EFF up because I very, very often email articles to Steven without reading them. But, I am not even going to the site. Ha ha. I just see them in Feedly, see that it looks like something I think will interest Steven (i.e. robots), and send it to him. I do this a lot in email, and uh, not just to Steven. BUT! I never do it when I share an article in a public place (here or on Facebook) because I want to know what I am sharing with the public. Is that weird, or what?

Do you read 100% of the articles you share… before you share them?

And not entirely related, but I want to ask – Do you read an entire blog post before you comment?

We’re all in such a hurry, aren’t we?! I admit – blog posts that “look” long with lots of big paragraphs scare me away.