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By kilax, September 9, 2014 6:24 am

It’s hard to believe that a week ago today I was on the beach! It feels like it was such a long time ago!

Gosh, we had a wonderful day on the river. Since it was a Tuesday, there was hardly anyone out. We had the beach to ourselves, and the water was super smooth – perfect for jet skiing (or if you are my husband… too boring for jet skiing without any waves to jump, ha ha)! The skies were clear and the air and water felt fantastic. I did NOT want to leave and go home. Hee hee – I never want to!

But it was really the perfect way to “end” summer. 

Do you have an event that feels like it marks the end of summer?

When we go to the Mississippi River for Labor Day, it feels that way to me. I know that after that, I probably won’t get in to a body of water again until the next year, and summer is all about swimming and the beach to me, so when I know I’ve had my last time in the water… I am ready for summer to be over. Bring on the cool temps!

Ha ha, when I saw my mom in July at the dragway, she was saying how excited she was for Gina and family to visit for Labor Day… but that she was sad at the same time, because that would mean summer is over. I told Gina that and she said “We’re the Summer Enders!” Ha ha. Then we would joke about how the “Summer Enders” were coming. Hey! They can end my summer each year, if they want!

Until next year!

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By kilax, September 8, 2014 12:29 pm

Hmm, being drunk on sleep sounds nice, right?

I stumbled (ha ha) on this article (pdf here) about sleep drunkenness hidden in yet ANOTHER article about how sedentary desk workers are and that they need to move more. 

WE GET IT! Sitting down is the devil!

Anyway. 

What is sleep drunkenness?

Bouts of the condition involve waking up with extreme confusion, disorientation, and sometimes amnesia. If you’ve ever awaked and turned off your alarm without knowing it, you may have been in this state, technically known as a “confusional arousal.”

This state of “confusional arousal” usually occurs when you wake up somebody suddenly, and they don’t know what’s going on, or where they are. The condition can cause real problems, especially if it happens frequently; more than half of those who reported experiencing sleep drunkenness said it happened at least once per week.

According to this short article, it affects 15% of Americans, and it can last up to 15 minutes. I think it’s more than just hitting snooze because you don’t want to get up. It’s waking up and having no idea what the effity is going on.

Have you had any sleep drunkenness incidents?

Ha ha. Ha. I have one to share. It’s a story my family likes to tell time and time again, because it makes us all laugh. 

When I lived at home, my snister and I shared a bedroom. One night during my high school freshman year, I had gone to bed before her. She and my mom were at some event and got home late that night, around 11:00 pm. 

When they got back, they found me in the doorway to our bedroom, dressed in my school clothes. They asked what I was doing and I told them, matter-of-factly, “leaving for school.”

Apparently, I was so confused when I woke up, I thought it was time to go to school. I don’t remember putting my school clothes on. I just remember standing in the doorway, and them looking at me like I was cray cray. And I was so adamant that it was time to go to school. 

They gently told me to go back to bed (after laughing at me, I am sure).

The most recent time this happened, I lucked out! My alarm went off and I had no idea what day it was or why my alarm was going off and why I needed to get up. I was SUPER out of it. My first thought was that I was supposed to meet Kelly for a run. But when I looked at the alarm, it told me what to do. 

I am happy I named my alarms!

Comments (17)

By kilax, September 8, 2014 6:56 am

Sigh. I was disappointed when I looked at the photos from the half a week ago and saw my form:

I noticed how badly I was slouching forward at the Wisconsin Half in May and swore I would work on it over the summer. 

Oops! Someone did NOT do their summer homework!

It’s not the vest. The weight of the vest actually tends to keep me more upright! It’s just sloppy end-of-race form (and middle of race/run form, too). 

During most of my long run on Sunday I focused on having good form – pelvis forward, shoulders back, and core engaged. And I felt fantastic during the run. I wasn’t tired when I finished. It didn’t bother me as much to pick up and go (after waiting for lights, etc.). And hopefully I looked less goofy (ha ha, just kidding – I was still wearing the vest). I can’t tell if it was better form or the lower heat/humidity that made me feel so fantastic, but I am going to REALLY try to focus on my form now. REALLY. I swear, guys. 

Do you focus on form when you run (an associative runner)? Or do you daydream and lose track of it (dis-associative runner)? (Ha ha, yeah, I talked about this three years ago).

I am a completely dis-associative runner. I don’t think about m y form until my shoulders ache, or I am falling down, or I see a picture like this, later. And I definitely have a hard time talking to someone else and thinking about my form (no surprise there – I am not a good multi-tasker). 

Comments (7)

By kilax, September 7, 2014 12:20 pm

Highlights of the Weeks: Running some speedy (for me!) miles with Yvonne | Getting a few runs in with Gina and Steve (and one with Dad)! | A stellar solo long run on the 7th

Monday | August 25, 2014: 3 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: Millennium Trail, Temp: 81°/74°, Time: 29:02, Pace: 9:40 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: exhilarated
Strength: Lebert and 1 dumbbell, Difficulty: medium, Felt: sore in my knee from running in to a table
Tuesday | August 26, 2014: 5.2 m run (w/Yvonne) + 3.3 m run
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 68°/67°, Time: 50:13, Pace: 9:40 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: decent
Loc: hood, Temp: 66°/68°, Time: 34:35, Pace: 10:29 avg, Difficulty: hard, Felt: sluggish/ready for rest day
Wednesday | August 27, 2014: rest
Thursday | August 28, 2014: 5 m run (w/Yvonne)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 59°/59°, Time: 47:42, Pace: 9:32 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: good
Friday | August 29, 2014: teaching strength class + 5 m run (w/Adam & Dawn)
Strength: Lebert and 1 dumbbell, Difficulty: medium, Felt: decent but tired (sleepy)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 69°/69°, Time: 54:37, Pace: 10:55, Difficulty: easy, Felt: mostly good
Saturday | August 30, 2014: 7 m run (w/Gina & Steve)
Loc: Guttenberg, Temp: 70°/71°, Time: 1:11:07, Pace: 10:09 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: okay
Sunday | August 31, 2014: 3 m run (w/Dad & Gina)
Loc: Guttenberg, Temp: 65°/67°, Time: 34:25, Pace: 11:28 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good

Monday | September 1, 2014: Benefit Classic Half Marathon (w/Gina & Steve)
Loc: Dubuque, Temp: 67°/73°, Time: 2:24:28, Pace: 11:04 avg, Difficulty: medium/hard, Felt: like my RPE was way too high
Tuesday | September 2, 2014: rest
Wednesday | September 3, 2014: rest
Thursday | September 4, 2014: 4.5 m run (first 3.5 w/Yvonne)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 72°/71°, Time: 41:34, Pace: 9:17 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: good enough!
Friday | September 5, 2014: teaching strength class + 4.15 m run (w/Dawn)
Strength: Lebert and 1 dumbbell, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: tired/out of it
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 74°/74°, Time: 44:38, Pace: 10:44, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Saturday | September 6, 2014: 12 m ride + 2.4 m walk (w/Steven TO SEE KITTENZZZZ!!!!)
Loc: Millennium Trail, Temp: 59°/63°, Time: 57:38, Pace: 12.5 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: happy I rode and didn’t run
Sunday | September 7, 2014: 21 m run
Loc: Around town, Temp: 53°/72°, Time: 4:02:23, Pace: 11:32 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: fantastic

Notes:

• Twice in this cycle I got caught in crazy storms! On August 25th, I got caught in the middle of a downpour and the route I took as part of my out and back flooded in 10 minutes! It was such a blast to run through the puddles! Then on September 4th a storm came in with hail and I got poured on, and beat down by hail for the last mile of my run. Exhilarating for sure! Have you ever run in the hail?
• August was my highest mileage month so far this year! Woo hoo! Let’s hope I keep the mileage up since I am registered for marathons in October and December. Hee hee. One way to do that is to start the month with a race!I loved that I could run a half on September 1st! I always feel motivated when I run the first day of the month. 
• Friday the 5th marked one year that I have been teaching the Friday 5:00 am class at Efit! Schweet! In that time I’ve only missed once class, when I was out of town for my snister’s wedding. That’s 51 4:00 am Friday wake-up calls! Ha ha. 
• During my long run today, I stopped to buy water for my Nathan vest and the gas station clerk was asking me all of these questions about it – what is it, how does it work, where can he get one. I was like “Aww, he must workout, too!” Then he’s like, “I am going to buy one and fill it with beer!” Ha. Ha ha ha. 

Link to Training Week 253

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By kilax, September 5, 2014 12:13 pm

Monday (September 1) was our seven year anniversary!

We celebrated, um, by me running a half marathon? And eating lunch at Red Robiño then going to the Mississippi River Museum…

Ha ha, it was a really fun day! And Steven got me a stuffed otter toy for our anniversary! Yay! Otters!

With our anniversary always falling near Labor Day weekend, I’ve noticed a trend – we tend to either spend it in Guttenberg, Iowa, or at another wedding. I think we’ve only been home one year, and in Kansas City, another year. Because we usually have travel plans, we tend to forget to plan anything “special” for our anniversary. Oops! This year is no different! Maybe we’ll do something this weekend. Or maybe not. I am cool with whatever. 

However, I am really craving a vacation for just the two of us. Since we’ve been married, we’ve only done that a few times! Most time off and travel is reserved for seeing family and friends, which we love, but I think that “us” time, where we’re away somewhere together, with no distractions, is important, too. 

And speaking of going away, gosh, it feels weird not to have ANY travel on our calendar for the month. Maybe the end of October? Then two trips in December. We traveled so much this summer, it actually feels odd to be home! Let the laziness commence!

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By kilax, September 4, 2014 6:16 am

Although I mainly go to Guttenberg, Iowa to spend time with my family and friends, one of the things I love about that area is the community. My family has homes on Esmann Island*, which is a mix of people who live there year-round (like my grandma) and people who stay in their homes seasonally (like my parents). 

Since so many people have “vacation” homes there, the island really has a “vacation” vibe to it. Nearly everyone you pass is smiling and waving. People are chatting and happy (and happy to help you out!). The pace is slow, slow, slow. No one’s in a hurry, and don’t you dare go over the 15 mph speed limit. Everyone is there to have fun and enjoy life. 

And it shows. 

My grandma is always telling me about these fun events that go on on the island – golf cart poker**, the bloody marathon contest, golf cart parades… and who knows what other shenanigans. 

I had heard so many stories about the golf cart parade but never witnessed it myself. So when Rachel and I were visiting two weekends ago, and I saw a sign that the parade would be happening Labor Day weekend, I was stoked! I thought it would be so fun for Luca to watch!

Wait. What would be more fun than watching the parade? Being in it!

Muah ha ha. Gotta get use out of those Halloween costumes. 

It didn’t take much convincing to get people to wear the banana costumes. The gorilla… was another story. So I ended up wearing it. Which was fine, when the golf carts were moving and there was a breeze! But this parade has a lot of stopping. Stopping to give parade watchers drinks, and to get drinks from people on the course. Man, these people know how to have fun. 

And man, gorilla costumes really heat up in the sun when you stop! Ha. Ha ha. 

What a fun morning. We decided to play the banana boat song on repeat  as we drove through (the course was a few miles that took about an hour). Mom decorated the golf carts with balloon bananas and palm trees. Gina, Steve and Luca teased me from the back of their golf cart with a real banana. Steven drove. Mom and Gina handed out candy. We were cracking up and making other people laugh too. 

But what gets me is how in to it the other paraders got. I thought we were being crazy wearing costumes. I think our golf carts were the most tame!

And the show stopper, and winner of “best float” was the “Esmann Bacon Station.” Ha ha. They were handing out freshly cooked bacon and had some sort of bacon drink, too. 

Like I said, an amazing, fun community. You have to try hard not to have a good time when you are there!

(I snagged a few of these photos from the island Facebook page – check out the rest of the photos here)

*I had never looked up the island history until I was writing this – interesting!
**Get a different card (and have a different drink) at each house you visit via golf cart. 

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By kilax, September 3, 2014 11:26 am

We just got back from a fabulous vacation in Iowa with Gina, Steve, Luca and my family!

Steve, Luca, Gina, Me, Steven, Mom and Dad

My parents invited Gina, Steven and Luca to their place on the Mississippi River when we were all together in June for Christina and Will’s wedding. I was STOKED when Gina and fam said they could come!

Step 1: pick a weekend for their visit (Labor Day)
Step 2: find a race!

Ha ha. Yes, I search for races every time I travel. And lucky us – the Benefit Classic Half Marathon was on Labor Day (in Dubuque, Iowa), and only about an hour drive away from where we were staying! This was Gina and Steve’s first race in Iowa, and my first half marathon in Iowa!

The race was put on by the Mississippi Valley Running Association (MVRA), and they put on a stellar event. The cost was low, we could pick up our bibs race morning, there were plenty of water stops, the volunteers were nice, all of the intersections were controlled, and the course was clear to follow. 

And what a course! When I was corresponding with the race director before the race, she warned me about the giant hill. Ha ha. Ha. 

But it was SO worth it. The race started in Eagle Point Park, located on a bluff high above Lock and Dam #11 in Dubuque. Then the race course went down to river level, along the river to the Lock and Dam… and back up! I thought it was so neat we could see the turnaround point from the start, and see the start/finish from the turnaround point!

The view down to where we’d be running to – almost all the way to the Lock & Dam. 

The bluff to the left is where we had to run back up to after turning around (you can see the Lock & Dam to the right)!

So, yeah. It was challenging! Going in to the race, I was hoping to average around 10:30s. Which I kind of did through mile 9! Then the sun came out and I felt like my effort was the same, but my pace slowed down big time (I finished in 2:24:44 with an average 11:02 pace)! It was a really strange sensation to feel like I was pushing it and look down and see paces much higher on my watch than I expected – my rating of perceived exertion was WAY off. It’s either: 1, the sun, 2, me being out of shape, 3, the hill, or 4, the fact that I was dehydrated with a bad headache the day before and skipped dinner. Or all four! (or maybe riding around a golf cart in a gorilla costume the previous morning? ha ha, nah, that was heat training)

Whatever it was, I was lagging behind and told Gina and Steve to go ahead. So we all ran just over the first 10 miles together, which was fun! I got to hear lots of people were commenting on Gina and Steve’s Texas flag shorts! 

They got a “welcome to Iowa!” cheer during the race, and afterward, someone from MVRA came over to talk to them, thank them for coming, and to ask what they thought of the course (and told us this course has the biggest elevation drop of any half marathon in Iowa). I thought that was really nice! 

The MVRA person was telling us how this is the second year they have used this course, and how much better people like it than when the course was mostly in the residential and industrial areas near the river. I thought that was interesting because when I was reading race reports people said the course was crummy, because so much of it was industrial. But this course wasn’t like that at all, so that must have been a review from 2012 or earlier. 

The course we did started in the park with a loop, went down a large hill through residential area, then went through a small industrial area to get to the river. Then we ran along the river and through another park, which was fun (we saw someone doing ski tricks!), and then went the same way back. Almost the entire course had really neat views – whether it was of woods, over the bluffs, or of the water. 

Out and backs aren’t typically my favorite course type, but I liked it here, and think it would be fun to do this race again! I like to imagine next year I would do better. Ha ha. The winning times in my age group were just under 2:00 hours (surprisingly, the 24-29 age group was more competitive). And there were not many people competing – 110 total in the half (there was a 5K, too). I was last in my age group and 98th overall! Ha! I have never been so close to the end in a half marathon.

Even though it was so small though, I still talked to someone from a town in Iowa who knows Alyssa. Always fun when that happens!

Now… until our next race – the Dallas Marathon (and half for Steve) in December! I can’t wait (and am looking forward to getting back in shape for it)!