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By kilax, August 5, 2018 12:09 pm

Highlight of the Week: Working out with Dad, Gina, and Steve!

Monday | July 30, 2018: 5 m run (4 w/Dad on bike, 3 w/Steve) + 2 m hike (w/Gina and Luca)
Loc: Guttenberg, Temp: 62°/65°, Time: 50:23, Pace: 10:04 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good but sluggish
Tuesday | July 31, 2018: 8 m run (6 w/Dad on bike, last 2.25 w/Gina)
Loc: Guttenberg, Temp: 62°/72°, Time: 1:24:15, Pace: 10:32 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: decent but TIRED!
Wednesday | August 1, 2018: rest
Thursday | August 2, 2018: 3 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 78°/78°, Time: 28:59, Pace: 9:40 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Friday | August 3, 2018: teaching strength class + 1,008 yd swim + 4 m run
Strength: plates and kettlebells mixed mode and boxing, Felt: fine, just tired
Loc: FitNation, Time: 21:54, Pace: 2:10 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: hood, Temp: 76°/74°, Time: 41:36, Pace: 10:24 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: crappy – sluggish, achy, too full
Saturday | August 4, 2018: teaching fitness boxing + 5 m run
Strength: whole body moves and boxing, Felt: great
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 86°/89°, Time: 49:52, Pace: 9:58 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: better than the day before!
Sunday | August 5, 2018: rest

Notes:

• Gina and fam stayed in a rental house on the bluff overlooking Guttenberg, so I got to run up to it last Sunday and on Tuesday, and hiked up and down it Monday. By Tuesday my legs were feeling that (and maybe feeling RAGBRAI?)! I welcomed my Wednesday rest day.
• Steven and his dad got me a new Garmin watch for my birthday (Foreruner 935) so I’ve been having fun setting it up and figuring it out this week! It has a lot more metrics than I use/need! (I’m glad to have a new watch – the battery on mine wasn’t holding a charge for as long as it used to.)
• My Saturday run was so hot, all I could think about was getting an iced chai after. When I finished my run (in a different neighborhood than mine) there was a lemonade stand! OMG YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I definitely got one. And still got my chai.
• Ugh, vacation recovery. I’m beat – tired, like I can’t get out of bed, and sluggish, from eating differently than normal. I’m ready to get things back to normal, but I leave for a two-day work trip today, and am not sure how that will go! Next week, for sure. Blah.
• Monthly recap! In July I ran 191 miles (26 runs), cycled 275.53 miles (6 indoor rides, 4 outdoor rides) and swam 3,628 yards (4 swims). My coldest run was 56°F and my warmest was 88°F. I did 2 tempo workouts, and 1 interval workout. I taught 7 strength classes and 1 fitness boxing class. I did 1 strength workout at home. I did two bike events – Biking with Beanzie, and RAGBRAI Day 7.

Link to Training Week 458

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By kilax, August 4, 2018 1:23 pm

I’ve been visiting Guttenberg, Iowa, on the Mississippi River, since birth. It’s where my family goes to relax – to boat, go to the beach, and to eat entirely too much food. This is the fifth year in a row that la otra familia – Gina, Steve, and Luca – have joined us for vacation there!

Our annual river trip with la otra familia trip flew by! We arrived in Guttenberg last Saturday night, and left Wednesday afternoon.

FRIDAY!

Steven and I headed out of town around 1:00 pm on Friday, and made our way to Davenport, where Gina and fam were meeting us so that we could leave our car there and ride back to (near) Iowa City with them. Yay, RAGBRAI logistics! We had an easy drive in, and kind of wished we were spending more time in Davenport – it looked like a neat city!

We drove by the finish line for the Bix 7 (a popular 7-mile race) and it dawned on me that RAGBRAI finished in Davenport on the same morning as the Bix 7. Whoa, logistics nightmare much? I knew we’d be arriving there well after the race was over though, ha.

We rode back to Iowa City and got some Mediterranean food, then went back to our hotel to meal plan and make a (huge) shopping list for the week.

SATURDAY!

Dad, Gina, Steven, and I rode RAGBRAI, while Steven, Mom and Luca had some adventures of their own! After dropping us off, they stopped at Hurts Donuts (the home of Steven’s favorite glazed donut) in Iowa City,

then dropped Gina and Steve’s car off in Davenport, then went out to lunch in Dubuque, then picked up all our groceries for the next 3.5 days. It was Steven’s idea for the three of them to drop the car then go get groceries, and that REALLY helped the overall schedule. I had planned on grocery shopping after the ride, but Steven hypothesized I wouldn’t feel like it, and he was right! It was such a help to have them do that!

They drove on to Guttenberg and checked in to Gina and Steve’s rental and dropped off all the groceries then hung out until we got there. We all had pizza together that night and shared stories from our day with each other. It was fun to hear what they were up to!

SUNDAY!

Sunday was a typical river day. Gina and I did a long-ish run in the morning with Dad (on his bike) then we packed all our food and gear up for a trip to the beach!

Running up the hill to meet Gina!

I gave Gina a unicorn floatie for her birthday, and we had a blast trying to get on and off it, and seeing how many adults we could fit on it. I think (I know, actually, because someone said something) the people on the beach enjoyed watching us fall off, and all the little girls were making home alone faces and saying “Look! A unicorn!”

Matching hats from Gina!

After beach time, we had dinner at Gina and Steve’s rental. The owner of the rental left some sweet corn from his farm and it was amazing! The rest of dinner was too, but the corn stole the show. Hashtag Iowa.

MONDAY!

Steve and I ran a bit with Dad Monday morning, then Steven and Steve did some work, while Gina, Luca and I hiked the trail behind their rental. The rental house was on the bluff overlooking town, and the trail went straight in to town. I was expecting single track, but it was actually groomed with grass, then dirt, then rocks. It was an easy hike.

While in town we went to the aquarium and lock and dam (where we watched part of a barge go through!). We saw a large sign for things to do in Clayton County at the aquarium, and Spook Cave caught our interest. Then we heard a raving review for it from a 3 and 5-year-old at the lock and dam, so we knew we had to go! After lunch, we headed there!

Bones – one of the cats who lives at the cave/campground!

I wish I could give you the history of the cave, but I didn’t retain much of it (by my own fault – our tour guide was great). What I thought was cool was that you tour the cave on a boat, and have to duck a lot to avoid hitting your head on the cave walls. And we all enjoyed that it was 47° in there!

We checked out the town of McGregor for a bit after our tour. Unfortunately, a lot of the shops were closed (we got there too late), but we still had fun!

We all had dinner together at Gina and Steve’s again, and yes, the sweet corn stole the show. AGAIN. (But I tried red sauce enchiladas for the first time and liked them! We always do green sauce at home!)

TUESDAY!

Tuesday was my thirty-fourth birthday. All I wanted to do was run and go to the beach. And not do any dishes.

And I got my wish (minus a few dishes)! I ran with Dad up to Gina’s place, then ran with her a bit, then we all went to the beach and had it all to ourselves for a few hours, which is a treat!

I made sure to eat really crappy junky food for my birthday – a macaroni and cheese burger for lunch and nachos for dinner (which makes it sound like a love cheese, but that is not the case, ha).

My mom made me a coconut pineapple cake for my birthday, which we ate at Grandma’s. I opened gifts there too.

WEDNESDAY!

Wednesday was our last day. We made our traditional big breakfast (the other days we did quick stuff like cereal, pop-tarts, bars, and fruit), took our family photos,

packed up, and headed out!

Ha. It totally sounds like we did nothing on this trip, but we were hanging out all day, not taking naps, often cooking and cleaning, and packing things up and unpacking, and helping with the water toys where we could … we were super tired each night! But in a good way. It was a lot of fun! I felt like I got to relax and unplug and shut off from the world for a few days, which I needed. I was feeling pretty stabby and agitated about work before I left, so it was good to take a break. Then come back to chaos. But oh well!

And I say this every year but I LOVE how our families mesh so well together. Gina is like a sister to me, and she and Steve and Luca treat my parents like they’re their parents/grandparents. I recognize what a rare thing that is to have such a big group get along and want to spend days on days together and I’m  grateful for it. I love sharing my childhood vacation spot with them, and love that they want to spend two days driving to it (and back home, eek), and look forward to it all year like I do! Love love love!!! Can’t wait for River Trip 2019!

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By kilax, August 3, 2018 12:37 pm

Alternatively tilted, “Apollo and Starbuck, Day 1,” since I will obviously be blogging about them every day!

They’re finally home!

Starbuck (female) is in the front, Apollo (male) is in the back

We picked Apollo and Starbuck up last night (they’re named after Battlestar Gallactica characters, from the new version of the show)! We gated off the office for them to hang out in during the day, and had them in the guest bedroom at night.

They’re loving having so much space to play and so many things to get in to! It’s a blast having them at home – I just want to play with them all day!

They aren’t hiding, and are eating, and using the litter box. So far, so good.

And how are the other cats doing? Khali is curious. She’s been watching from a distance AND right from the gate.

I was surprised that the kittens were the ones being hissy toward Khali, and not the other way around. Well, at first. Khali was the hissy one today.

And Khali wants to know why the hell they get to go in the guest bedroom when she doesn’t?!

But mostly she just watches them, then goes about her way. I was concerned she’d regress and hide with them here, but she’s thankfully not doing that. She’s actually being completely normal, except when they hiss at each other through the gate. I hope in time, that they’ll all play together!

And Data? Sigh, Data was not doing too well before the kittens came home. Bad timing. While we were gone last week he continued playing the lava game, and hid a bit from Bobbi (who cat sat), and did one naughty poo and pee. He eventually settled on hanging out in the bathtub and does NOT want to leave. Even when we got home, he wanted to stay in – we’d take him out and when we put him down he’d run back to the bathroom.

I took him to the vet and he’s physically fine (he’s lost a few ounces of weight). They suggested anxiety medication, and some some unrelated changes to his diet (a bit less pumpkin). But otherwise, they said to keep monitoring him. He’s eating well and going to the bathroom, he just doesn’t want to leave the bathtub. He’s definitely anxious/spooked about something.

So while we brought Data out to say hi to the kittens from afar, he hasn’t really interacted with them yet since they’re in separate spaces and he’s not exploring or leaving the bathroom. I hope he does soon.

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By kilax, August 2, 2018 6:23 am

RAGRBAI stands for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It started in 1973 when two feature writers for the Des Moines Register decided to bike across Iowa, and invited readers to join them. The ride has grown ever since and is now in its forty-sixth year. The route always starts on the west side of Iowa, and ends on the Mississippi River on the east side of Iowa, and takes the last full week of July to do – but the course changes every year! You can register for the whole week, or for a single day, which is what I’ve done the last four years (2014 – Day 7, 2015 – Day 4 and 5, 2016 – Day 7, 2017 – Day 7). 

Yay, RAGBRAI, my big ride of the summer!

This was a special year – it was Steve’s* first time doing RAGBRAI, and my first year having tunes on my bike! I hinted to Steven I’d like a speaker to put on my bike for my birthday and he hooked me up!!! And, it was me and Dad’s fifth year participating in a row.

We rode Day 7 this year, which started in Iowa City, and ended in Davenport. The route was just over seventy miles.

image from here

We had great weather for July. No rain, a little overcast, very little wind, and temps starting in the low 60s and ending in the high 70s. Perfection!

This year was logistically tricky, with leaving cars at the finish for the riders, and Dad getting a ride to the start. We wouldn’t have been successful in that without our drivers, Steven and Mom. Thank you!

Steven, Gina*, Steve, Luca, and I stayed at a hotel near the start on Friday night, and Dad and Mom met us there Saturday morning. We loaded up and headed to the route, near downtown Iowa City.

We started riding at 8:30 am – that’s the nice thing about RAGBRAI – you start whenever you want and just need to finish by sundown! Although, we learned the hard way about finishing in time to visit the merchandise tent…

Our route had eight official pass-through towns/stops. I paid a lot less attention to where the stops were this year than previous years, and just planned to eat every forty-five minutes (that’s key for me on the bike) and to eat something more substantial in pass through towns.

I felt great from the start! RAGBRAI does an awesome job choosing smooth roads for us to ride on, and it’s peaceful out in the Iowa countryside with the open fields.

The ride was easy and mostly flat. We spent a lot of it together, chatting, or listening to music. When we got separated, it was easy to find each other at the next stop, or top of the hill.

Highlights:

Seeing a t-rex and sharing a burrito with Dad in West Liberty!

The amazing flag photo-op in Wilton! And the super clean porta potties (they cleaned them after every few uses!)

Eating a pickle at the New Era Church Stop.

Dipping in “Mississippi River Water” in Blue Grass.

The majority of the ride was on quiet country roads, then the last ten miles or so were on split four-lane highway. There were cones separating us from the lane next to us, and cops at every intersection, but it felt odd to be riding next to cars going so fast. It must have inspired us though – those were our fastest miles.

We finished the ride just before 4:00 pm, and got in line to dip our front tires in the Mississippi River but the line was insane! We skipped the dip, and opted for a river photo instead.

We made our way to the RAGBRAI merchandise tent, to find it closed and gone! Apparently they close at 2:00 on the last day?! Oops. I’ll have to order my pin online! It was dissapointing – we’re more pumped to buy things after we’ve completed the ride, ha! Better for our wallets, though.

We parked my car somewhat close to the finish (the day before), and Steven had dropped Steve and Gina’s car close by (that morning). He told us he left it at the courthouse, without knowing there were two courthouses on the same street! After some searching and more conversation with Steven, we found it at the other courthouse, and headed out of town to make the trek to Guttenberg (via a stop at Taco Bell), where we’d be staying for the next few days (in Guttenberg, not Taco Bell).

This was a fun, easy, uneventful year! We all felt good, and only had a few incidents – dropping things, almost falling stopped on an uphill, etc. I was glad Steve had such a good year, and everyone found the higher mileage doable! It’s a joy for me to share this with my dad and best friends, and I hope we’ll be back next year!

*For reference, Gina is my bestie that lives near Dallas. Steve is her husband, and Luca is their son. We call them our “otra familia” because they are like “another family” to us. Really – we spend time with each other’s families, even vacationing together. Gina and I met online in January of 2006 and met in person for the first time in August 2010 and have been seeing each other several times a year, since!

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By kilax, August 1, 2018 7:39 am

• Getting the kittens, like, for real!

Ha, this picture is so old, they’re way bigger now!

• Writing blog posts about all the fun we had in Iowa with my parents and Gina and fam
• Steven going on a trip with his fraternity brothers
• Seeing Anne when she’s in town for work
• Girls’ Birthday Weekend with Rachel and Kim
• A trip to KC to see Steven’s family and my snis and her family
• Seeing the new Mission Impossible film
• Relaxing and reading a few books? That would be nice!

I could also make a list of things I’m NOT excited about in August, which would mostly be work stuff, but, eh, I think we all have that on our lists!