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By kilax, October 29, 2015 6:27 am

• I’m especially excited for my Friday 5:00 am strength class this week! I have a Halloween playlist and am encouraging students to wear costumes. I can’t wait to see what people come as! My costume last year (below) was pretty tame – I’ll do better this year (as in, I will actually be wearing something other than on my head).

• I’ve been working on some other knitting projects besides Steven’s tie. I have a lot of cotton yarn leftover from making so many washcloths, so I started to use the leftover bits for some random color cloths. I also made a hat for my mom (same pattern as this). Sigh. I wish the hat yarn wasn’t so frizzy. It looked so nice when I picked the skein out in the store, but all the handling of it made it frizz out. And gah, the last four rows took me the longest on that hat! I really need to go down to DPNs for the last few rows.

Yes – I am wearing my Royals 2014 ALC shirt a lot! When I see my snister this weekend, she’ll have 2015 Royals gear for me!

• Steven and I started watching Game of Thrones during lunch break (we like to have a TV show to watch while we eat – we just finished Entourage). Mica loaned me the first book from the series some time ago, but I hadn’t started reading it because I was worried about remembering who the characters were. I actually think watching the show may help me with that. I’ll see if I like reading it, while watching it. I’ve heard the show plot diverges from the book plot a bit in later seasons… but I doubt that would bother me. Or that I would get that far in the books, anyway! I just want a little something to read at night to help me fall asleep!
• We’ve wanted a bench seat for the window in our office for quite some time, and finally got one! I think Data approves!

• It’s hard to believe the holidays are around the corner (even though I am stoked to start playing holiday music on Sunday!). It’s starting to feel more real to me though, because we’ve finalized our plans for Christmas (each year is different for us – we alternate one year with my family and one with Steven’s (and sometimes they come here and sometimes we go there))!
• Gina is running the New York City Marathon (NYCM) on Sunday! I am so stoked for her and can’t wait to hear about her race experience. To date, NYCM is still my favorite marathon! Go, Gina!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 78

Comments (28)

By kilax, October 28, 2015 5:06 am

Steven asked me to knit him a tie a long time ago, and I finally did!

I somewhat followed this simple seed stitch Lion Brand pattern.

I say somewhat, because we decided we didn’t like the decreases in the part of the tie that goes around the neck, then the increases where it lays behind the tie in the front. So I knitted this entire tie, then cut off half of it, then knitted the remaining half back to the same length all in one width (still a smaller width than the front, just not getting as small).

It was okay I had that half leftover from my first attempt – I had something in mind for it. When I told my coworker I was knitting Steven a tie, she asked if I was making one for Data, too. Sure! Why not? I added on to the leftover bit until it was long enough for a cat-sized tie.

Ha! Data does not mind wearing stuff around his neck, but for whatever reason, he did not want to pose with his dad last night!

Redoing the second half of this tie (several times) made me more confident in unraveling and picking stitches back up, and knitting from there. I also learned that you can only unravel in one direction (toward the first row, not away from it). Ha.

Now, who wore it better?!

Comments (8)

By kilax, October 25, 2015 12:01 pm

Highlight of the Week: A surprisingly successful speed session.

Monday | October 19, 2015: teaching strength class
Strength: plates & cones, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | October 20, 2015: 9 m run
Loc: hood + Millennium Trail, Temp: 60°/57°, Time: 1:24:58, Pace: 9:26 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Wednesday | October 21, 2015: 10 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 55°/55°, Time: 1:36:14, Pace: 9:37 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but bored at first and too warm
Thursday | October 22, 2015: 20 mins strength + 6 m run (incl. 3×1) + 4 m recovery ride
Loc: hood, Temp: 57°/56°, Time: 50:44, Pace: 8:27 avg, Difficulty: easy then HARD, Felt: good
Indoor Ride: Time: 20:54, Pace: 11.5 mph, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good to spin the legs
Friday | October 23, 2015: teaching strength class + 8 m run
Strength: plates & cones, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Millennium Trail, Temp: 52°/54°, Time: 1:17:57, Pace: 9:44, Difficulty: medium, Felt: half asleep / held back by the wind
Saturday | October 24, 2015: 10 m ride + 4 m run
Indoor Ride: Time: 45:02, Pace: 13.3 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Millennium Trail, Temp: 65°/65°, Time: 36:32, Pace: 9:08 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but too warm
Sunday | October 25, 2015: 19 m run
Loc: Around town, Temp: 40°/50°, Time: 3:14:12, Pace: 10:13 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good

Notes:

• Buah ha ha, I totally wimped out on running on Monday. I had the time to run, but we had 24 mph winds with 34 mph gusts. It was warm out, so the wind wouldn’t have felt awful, but I am just so over HEARING it whistle in my ears. Gah, doesn’t this seem WAY too early in the year for me to be complaining about wind? Typically, it doesn’t bug me until mid winter and spring. WTF is my dealio?! At least running in it so much lately has made less windy days feel like a dream. Zzzzzzz, blah blah blah, weather.
• I decided to do 3 mile repeats for my speed workout this week. Mile repeats are the most intimidating speed workout to me (then ladders, ugh), so I was just hoping I could average 8:00 minute miles. I was surprised when I hit the first split in 7:18! And the second in 7:20! And especially the third in 6:52 (yeah, that was hard). Thinking about it now, that probably is where I should be if I am trying to beat my 22:38 PR. I would need to average 7:16s in a race to beat that PR by 3 seconds. And yeah, it would be nice to PR by more than that! Eh, we’ll see if it happens.
• I used a gift card leftover from Christmas (oops!) to get a massage on Friday. Ahh, heaven. I have massages scheduled for pre-race week in November and December too. Even if I don’t do those races, I am still getting the massages!

Link to Training Week 313

Comments (14)

By kilax, October 22, 2015 6:18 am

• I can’t believe how much (Royals) baseball we’ve been watching. I find it enjoyable until it gets too stressful. Then I just feel anxious and want it to be over. Ha. I don’t know how regular sports fans do it! I am not talking it down, by any means, but it just seems so anxiety-inducing to be invested in a team full time. But, not everyone is anxiety ridden and can probably just watch the game for the fun of it… right?

• Did anyone else read this article (pdf here) about the airport in Japan that installed a “track” for wayfinding purposes, and feel disappointed it wasn’t for running on? Ha – I totally thought that was what the article was going to be about when I clicked on the heading to read it!
• Gah, I realized I have four partially finished knitting projects going on – a scarf I started last winter and almost finished, a dishcloth (I’ve been using up all the extra cotton yarn and have made quite a few), a cowl for Steven, and a hat I started for my mom (photo below). I need to finish those up! I also ordered yarn to make this for Steven’s dad, and bought yarn to make Steven a tie!

• I am just now noticing that the Playtex Sport tampons packages have… what should I call them… motivational messages? Fortunes (ha)? on them. I find this amusing, for some reason. Are they supposed to pep you up when you have your period? Giggle.

• This Data cuddling Beaver (the stuffed otter) pose is totally set up, but I have to share it because it’s so cute. To me.

• I just realized that a 5K I am thinking about going for a PR at is on Friday the 13th. Um, that’s a sign of good luck, right?
• Steven and I have taken a ton of stuff to Goodwill and a lot of other stuff to a storage unit, and our house feels so uncluttered and tidy. I love it.

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 77

Comments (8)

By kilax, October 21, 2015 12:28 pm

It’s not $20, but it’s the lowest I’ve ever paid! YAY!

And… that’s enough shoes for awhile. Unless my speedwork shoes go on sale… or my trail ones…

Comments (20)

By kilax, October 20, 2015 6:00 am

Have you ever seen a movie multiple times in the theater, during its original release?

The first movie I did this with was Titanic. I saw it three times in the theater. And cried, every single time. Ha ha ha.

Then I saw the prequel Star Wars films (I-III) a couple times each… and that’s it! I haven’t seen a movie multiple times in the theater since then.

That time Dad let us skip school to see Episode II (my parents also let me skip to buy tickets for Episode I!)

But I am betting I will with the new Star Wars! And we bought tickets for our first viewing last night! Yay, I’m getting stoked! I showed the new trailer to Steven yesterday and asked if he was getting pumped to see the film. He said yes and asked when we were going. I responded “In two months!” He said, “Two months? I thought you were getting tickets for next week or something.” Ha ha, nope! I wish!

Comments (22)

By kilax, October 19, 2015 11:43 am

And other tracking methods…

I keep a safety pin in the band of some of my black shorts and capris, and it’s not to hold them up*…

It’s so I know how old they are!

Since a lot of the items in my running uniform look the same (because they ARE the same), I’ve tried to come up with ways to keep track of how old items are getting (beyond sight and smell), and when they need to be replaced.

I’ve been tracking the mileage on my running shoes in my blog sidebar for a few years. Garmin Connect added gear tracking in the last year, so I use that as well. Knowing when to ditch a pair of shoes is mostly a feel and visual thing for me, but it’s nice to track shoe mileage, because sometimes, that is what clues me in that it’s time to retire the shoes.

Bras. Ha. I used to only wear the black ones to teach class, and the colored ones to run in – the running ones get more use, and get smellier, so I didn’t want to wear those to class by accident! Now I just keep them in two separate bins (although they get washed together, so I still have to sort them), instead of using the color method, and mark the date (month/year) I started using it, so if I see anything too ancient, I know to get rid of it. I know you’re supposed to replace bras pretty often, but the brand I buy seems to last a long time – I just ditch them when they’re too stinky.

And it’s the same with my shorts and capris – they last a long time, but get too schmelly, so they get tossed after awhile. I keep a safety pin in the newer ones – which I wear when I am going to be around other people. Ha – save the schmelly ones for solo runs.

The only other thing I have that is all the same, but don’t have a good way to keep track of the age of, is my socks. I just try to pay attention to if they are worn through on the bottom, then throw those out, and order new ones, if need be!

What do you do to keep track of the shelf life of your exercise items?

It seems I replace A LOT of my stuff because it gets too stinky – I just replaced my weight lifting and cycling gloves for that very reason! And throwing out a pair of gross shorts was what prompted me to write this!

*Ha, although, I have several pair of patterned ones that got too big, and I keep a big safety pin in them to use for that reason.

Comments (4)

By kilax, October 18, 2015 6:05 pm

Highlight of the Week: Some really nice feedback after my fitness boxing class on Saturday (trainers appreciate feedback – positive or… constructive! Ha!).

Monday | October 12, 2015: 15 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: RL Loop, Temp: 63°/65°, Time: 2:32:50, Pace: 10:11 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, grateful it became overcast
Strength: plates & BOSU, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | October 13, 2015: 4 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 58°/59°, Time: 34:00, Pace: 8:28 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good
Wednesday | October 14, 2015: rest
Thursday | October 15, 2015: 5 m run (incl. 6×400)
Loc: hood, Temp: 54°/54°, Time: 44:59, Pace: 9:00 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: oddly heavy
Friday | October 16, 2015: teaching strength class + 8 m ride + 10 m run
Strength: plates & BOSU, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Indoor Ride: Time: 37:05, Pace: 13.0 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good – need to build my indoor mental endurance back up!
Loc: MT to Nippersink FP, Temp: 51°/50°, Time: 1:35:37, Pace: 9:36 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but so annoyed w/the wind
Saturday | October 17, 2015: teaching fitness boxing + 6 m run
Strength: body weight and boxing (with step), Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 37°/39°, Time: 58:44, Pace: 9:47 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, dreaming about a hot chai latte
Sunday | October 18, 2015: 17 m run (miles 4-9 virtual w/Kelly)
Loc: Around RL, Temp: 32°/46°, Time: 2:57:19, Pace: 10:26 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great!

Notes:

• We had some real fall weather this week, and I loved it! (Okay, minus the wind.) Lows in the 30s? Highs in the 50s? Yes, puh-lease!
• I got to talk with Kelly during my long run this week. What a treat – I hadn’t chatted with her during a run since August!
• I’ve been building my mileage up in case I decide to run a marathon in December (and to lose weight to get ready for the race). I’ll decide on the race as close to it as possible… or whenever they start to threaten that it’s about to sell out!

Link to Training Week 312

Comments (8)

By kilax, October 16, 2015 6:19 am

Ha, this photo of Data just cracks me the hell up!

Happy Friday!

Comments (16)

By kilax, October 13, 2015 6:17 am

Darn, 6pm.com, why you gotta toy with my emotions like that?!

It would have been a steal to get my running shoes for $20!

The message reads: We apologize for being unable to add ASICS Women’s Gel-Cumulus 16 Turquoise/Sharp Green/Navy Sneaker 12 B – Medium to your cart. It is no longer available.

Actually, they could have been a holiday gift for my mom – she wears the same shoe and size as me, and that way she could be twinzies (quadruplies?) with me, Grandma and Christina (we all have them in this color).

No dice, though.

For sh*ts and giggles, I emailed 6pm.com to ask them about the error message. Ha, had I not sent the email myself, I would have thought their response was spam, with how poorly written it was (and oddly complimentary to me). Basically, the gist was that they are no longer available, and I should buy a more expensive pair (even though they were still listed at $20 for 24 hours after that response).

Hee hee hee, I know, I know – I am being greedy! But as a heavier runner with an odd landing style, my shoes don’t last very long, so I stock up! One time I found them for $45 a pair. Maybe that will happen again!

On a different shoe note, I am totally NOT in to dress shoes. I cleaned out my closet this weekend and gave a ton to Goodwill, and tossed quite a few pairs, and still feel like I have too many.

But you can never have too many pairs of running shoes.