I keep telling myself today is the day I give the trip updates, etc. but there are just not enough hours in the day lately. Couple bullets before I get my butt in gear:
-Trip was great. Paris is awesome and super romantic. Would totally go back for a third time. London eh, kind of like being in America. Didn't dislike it but didn't love it. High Tea was a big highlight.
-Training has gone down the drain. Still doing the Denver Half but it's going to be sloooooooow. That's ok I think I'll be running it for fun with Shanna and her friend from out of state. Ran 12 miles on Sunday...slow but then again I wasn't really trying. Ankle currently hurting even with insoles.
-Saw awesome concert with Rache, Josh and her friend Amanda. Darius Ruckers and Brad Paisley put on an awesome show! Few tears when the Justin Moore sang a song called "Grandpa."
-Got a promotion at work. Yeay!
-PAID OFF MY STUDENT LOANS!!!! I can't believe it. Thanks to the sale of the Subaru and Josh's parents sending us a check for trip expenses I am now student loan free! Now we just have Josh's to contend with.
Little teasers for all of the update I need to do. I'm going to try to get them all done before Josh and I celebrate our 2nd anniversary this weekend (super excited for that!).
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Potato State Wedding
Wow, I am just way behind on postings all things Jess lately. My schedule has been crazy and I've been sick...yes, again. My immune system is not liking me right now. Which could easily be enhanced by the craziness that was my weekend in Idaho.
Now almost a week and a half ago, just 4 days after getting home from our trip, I was sitting in front of my lady friend, Thalia's apartment at 5:30 am. We headed to the airport and had awesome timing because the parking area bus was there waiting for us and there was no line at security. I couldn't believe it! I didn't even have time to get my ID and such out before it was my turn. By the time our flight landed I had got three hours of work under my belt and was ready to celebrate Heather's wedding weekend!
Heather was there beaming from ear to ear ready to take us off to get our nails done. Ahhh relaxation...
Poor guy had to deal with the two missing/starting to grow back toenails. At least I warned him beforehand. After getting our nails done we got lunch, checked into our Bed and Breakfast, headed to the rehearsal, back to change and then back out to the rehearsal dinner.
With all of the must-do's done it was time to get ready to head out to celebrate Heather's Bacholerette Party! First stop, The Balcony which is Boise's local gay bar...awesome is all I have to say. Oh and cheap. I couldn't believe how cheap the drinks were. We continued on to a few other places, the last of which the boys met up with us. I finally passed out fell asleep around 5 am. Yep, that means I was up for more than 24 hours straight.
The next day Thalia and I rolled out of bed around 9:30, andtried not to vomit lounged around until it was lunch time. After eating a much needed cheeseburger and sweet potato fries it was time to help get the reception ready. Pretty isn't it?
Wedding time was right around the corner. Heather (and Kylie) looked beautiful!
They did it!
After the reception it was time to hit the bars again. This time I wasn't quite as out of control, but it was another 4:30 am kind of night. Just 2 hours after going to bed we had to be up to head to the airport. Oh yeah and my voice was almost completely gone.
So that is: 46 hours in Boise, 6 hours of sleep, 1 great weekend! My 26 year old self just cannot pull of weekends like that anymore. I'm just now getting over my cold and hoping that I'll be able to complete a 12 mile run this weekend. The Denver Half is in a few weeks...eek and I'm way way undertrained. I suppose I can run/walk it for fun?
Now almost a week and a half ago, just 4 days after getting home from our trip, I was sitting in front of my lady friend, Thalia's apartment at 5:30 am. We headed to the airport and had awesome timing because the parking area bus was there waiting for us and there was no line at security. I couldn't believe it! I didn't even have time to get my ID and such out before it was my turn. By the time our flight landed I had got three hours of work under my belt and was ready to celebrate Heather's wedding weekend!
Heather was there beaming from ear to ear ready to take us off to get our nails done. Ahhh relaxation...Poor guy had to deal with the two missing/starting to grow back toenails. At least I warned him beforehand. After getting our nails done we got lunch, checked into our Bed and Breakfast, headed to the rehearsal, back to change and then back out to the rehearsal dinner.
The happy couple ready to say I do the next day!
The next day Thalia and I rolled out of bed around 9:30, and
Wedding time was right around the corner. Heather (and Kylie) looked beautiful!
They did it!
After the reception it was time to hit the bars again. This time I wasn't quite as out of control, but it was another 4:30 am kind of night. Just 2 hours after going to bed we had to be up to head to the airport. Oh yeah and my voice was almost completely gone.
So that is: 46 hours in Boise, 6 hours of sleep, 1 great weekend! My 26 year old self just cannot pull of weekends like that anymore. I'm just now getting over my cold and hoping that I'll be able to complete a 12 mile run this weekend. The Denver Half is in a few weeks...eek and I'm way way undertrained. I suppose I can run/walk it for fun?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Whirlwind
Man it’s been a whirlwind lately. The past month has flown by. Updates from our trip to come but let’s recap what happened after I got home from Missouri and California.
That evening Josh’s friend Peter and his new girlfriend came over for dinner. Nice to see Peter but after no being home for 10 days all I wanted to do was hang with my boys and veg out on the couch.
Monday it was time to get back to the gym and Tuesday I finally got in another run and tons of laundry while Josh was a golf league. Wednesday we had dinner at our friend’s Ryan and Claire’s house…awesome. I hadn’t seen them in a while and it was nice to relax and enjoy dinner with them out on the patio. Thursday Josh’s dad was in town. We went out to eat at Martini’s Bistro. Of course I had to have some key lime cheesecake.
Friday I had a surprise dinner for my friend Sarah G in Boulder. She was totally surprised which was awesome!
Saturday, another crazy day. I did an 11 miler:
Distance: 11 miles Time: 1:45:36 Avg. Pace: 9:36 min/miles
My legs were a bit on the sore side from that one. Stretch, snack and shower later we were headed to Denver to celebrate Claire’s b-day. We had dinner at Lime which was delicious. Then there was a little of this...
and a little of that.
Great time…not so great hangover the next day.
By Sunday I was crashing hard but started getting ready for our trip. The next few days leading up to our trip were no picnic either. I think this is the first time in a long time that I’ve had something to do every day and night for several weeks in a row. Thank goodness for vacation!
That evening Josh’s friend Peter and his new girlfriend came over for dinner. Nice to see Peter but after no being home for 10 days all I wanted to do was hang with my boys and veg out on the couch.
Monday it was time to get back to the gym and Tuesday I finally got in another run and tons of laundry while Josh was a golf league. Wednesday we had dinner at our friend’s Ryan and Claire’s house…awesome. I hadn’t seen them in a while and it was nice to relax and enjoy dinner with them out on the patio. Thursday Josh’s dad was in town. We went out to eat at Martini’s Bistro. Of course I had to have some key lime cheesecake.
Friday I had a surprise dinner for my friend Sarah G in Boulder. She was totally surprised which was awesome!
Saturday, another crazy day. I did an 11 miler:
Distance: 11 miles Time: 1:45:36 Avg. Pace: 9:36 min/miles
My legs were a bit on the sore side from that one. Stretch, snack and shower later we were headed to Denver to celebrate Claire’s b-day. We had dinner at Lime which was delicious. Then there was a little of this...
and a little of that.
By Sunday I was crashing hard but started getting ready for our trip. The next few days leading up to our trip were no picnic either. I think this is the first time in a long time that I’ve had something to do every day and night for several weeks in a row. Thank goodness for vacation!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Girls Gone Wild or Just Camping
*Playing catch-up with this post.
I haven't been spending nearly enough time with the girls. This weekend we packed up the Escape and drove to Lake McCounaughy. Sarah and Lisa spent the night on Friday night because we were getting up super early to head out. Rache arrived around 5:45 am and by 6:15 we were on the road. Everyone was pretty groggy until we got to Ogallala where they go their coffee fix.
Once Thalia, Melinda and Sheila arrived we headed to the lake. We tried the spot where we spent the 4th of July. There was a huge family camped there and the water was above where we camped last time. I could not believe how high the water was.
This is where we had our first adventure...Thalia's car got a little stuck going back up the rough sandy road. Luckily with Melinda behind the wheel it made it up. I followed right behind. I was super nervous taking the new car up it but we made it on my first try!
Final we found a spot in Arthur's Bay and got all set up. It was almost 100 degrees and the water was the only place to be.
Note to self...97 degree temps, pink panty droppers, and nothing but a granola bar in the stomach are a bad combination. After a small incident and a nap in the sand I was refreshed.
We drank, we swam, we laughed and lounged. By dusk we were ready to eat and relax. Smores...mmm so good!
As is the trend there was another huge storm. We could hear the rain approaching as it crossed the lake which was pretty cool. The next morning we took a dip in the lake to get the sand off, packed up and headed into Ogallala for some deliciousness at Valentino's.
We were the first customers there. After we were stuffed to the gills we headed home, but not before we got Thalia this awesome mustache and mini Blizzards from DQ.
Good girls weekend for sure!
I haven't been spending nearly enough time with the girls. This weekend we packed up the Escape and drove to Lake McCounaughy. Sarah and Lisa spent the night on Friday night because we were getting up super early to head out. Rache arrived around 5:45 am and by 6:15 we were on the road. Everyone was pretty groggy until we got to Ogallala where they go their coffee fix.
Once Thalia, Melinda and Sheila arrived we headed to the lake. We tried the spot where we spent the 4th of July. There was a huge family camped there and the water was above where we camped last time. I could not believe how high the water was.
Final we found a spot in Arthur's Bay and got all set up. It was almost 100 degrees and the water was the only place to be.
We drank, we swam, we laughed and lounged. By dusk we were ready to eat and relax. Smores...mmm so good!
As is the trend there was another huge storm. We could hear the rain approaching as it crossed the lake which was pretty cool. The next morning we took a dip in the lake to get the sand off, packed up and headed into Ogallala for some deliciousness at Valentino's.
We were the first customers there. After we were stuffed to the gills we headed home, but not before we got Thalia this awesome mustache and mini Blizzards from DQ.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Orthotics. They're not just for old people.
Yesterday I got fit for my customized orthotics. I cannot wait until they're ready! Bob, the owner of my physical therapy practice worked with me to determine what I needed. He had me run on the dreadmill for a few minutes to see my gait in my running shoes. Then he had me lay on my stomach so that he can play with my sweaty feet. He said mine were nothing compared to the ones he used to work on while he was with the CU athletic department. He drew on my a little bit and was happy to see that my feet line up with with my calf. My problem is that my foot is just deformed. Haha. Not really but it isn't shaped quite right for it to land in line with the rest of my body while I run...or even walk.
My new orthotics will add some padding under my toes on the rightside of my right foot as well as some support near the back of my arch. He said that he is confident that having these orthotics will help me run pain-free. That was music to my ears! He was also nice enough to temporarily adjust my shoe to hold me over until the orthotics come in.
After the gait analysis and fitting it was time for my weekly PT session. It was the first session in a long time that I almost teared up doing therapy. My tendons and shins have all sorts of knots and build-up. Every time Ryan hit certain spots on my ankle and shin my entire leg started shaking it hurt so bad. Needless to say I was not going to be running last night. I'm hoping to get in a good run this weekend. I'm still super sore from PT yesterday and meeting Tawsha for a cocktail tonight so I think I'm taking the night off. It's about time, I haven't taken a day off since last week some time.
Oh and it looks like Josh may have gotten pink-eye. Flashback to preschool right?
My new orthotics will add some padding under my toes on the rightside of my right foot as well as some support near the back of my arch. He said that he is confident that having these orthotics will help me run pain-free. That was music to my ears! He was also nice enough to temporarily adjust my shoe to hold me over until the orthotics come in.
After the gait analysis and fitting it was time for my weekly PT session. It was the first session in a long time that I almost teared up doing therapy. My tendons and shins have all sorts of knots and build-up. Every time Ryan hit certain spots on my ankle and shin my entire leg started shaking it hurt so bad. Needless to say I was not going to be running last night. I'm hoping to get in a good run this weekend. I'm still super sore from PT yesterday and meeting Tawsha for a cocktail tonight so I think I'm taking the night off. It's about time, I haven't taken a day off since last week some time.
Oh and it looks like Josh may have gotten pink-eye. Flashback to preschool right?
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Hair4Hunger
How do you spend a warm, summery Friday afternoon in Longmont? Throwing back a few beers at our local brewery, Lefthand. It was really busy when we pulled up which isn't unusual for a nice afternoon, but when we walked in we were in for more than we thought. As it turns out they were hosting a Hair4Hunger fundraiser and silent auction for Our Center. Our Center is a local organization that works to help people with disabilities and/or limited means to become self-sufficient. They provide hot meals, clothes, child care, and more. We're always up for supporting charitable causes so we bid on half a dozen silent auction items and went along our way.
Once we got our beers we decided to check out the commotion on the patio. There were three or four hair salons out there doing people's hair. Now they weren't doing nice, stylish dos, they were competing to create the biggest, prettiest and most zannie styles. Josh volunteered my head for some wacky hair. For a small donation of $5 I got this rocking style. It's totally me don't you think?
Yep, I think I'm going to go out on the town like this from now on.
Brenna arrived and she got hers done too. Pretty pretty princess for beer drinkers. Unfortunately we were runners up in the contest, but it was fun anyway. As it turns out our luck was better in the silent auction. We won two private pilates sessions, a few acupunture appointments, a haircut and deep conditioning treatment at BeauImage and a month of yoga compete with a yoga mat and t-shirt at Solar Yoga. I'd say we made out pretty well. Not gonna lie, we were both relieved we didn't also win the DQ cake and keg of beer.
It was an unexpected and super fun evening. Now how do I get my hair back to normal?
Once we got our beers we decided to check out the commotion on the patio. There were three or four hair salons out there doing people's hair. Now they weren't doing nice, stylish dos, they were competing to create the biggest, prettiest and most zannie styles. Josh volunteered my head for some wacky hair. For a small donation of $5 I got this rocking style. It's totally me don't you think?
It was an unexpected and super fun evening. Now how do I get my hair back to normal?
Monday, June 14, 2010
What a weekend and training
On the running note, now that I'm running, well kind of, I'm starting to think about marathon training plans. I'm going to create my own using a hybrid of a couple of different plans. I'm going to refer to my TNT schedule from last season (abbreviated since I will not be training for 19 weeks this time), the Hal Higdon plan and Runner's World's Less is More. I think running three-four days is the most my body can handle for training. I'm definitely going to continue crosstraining as well. I cannot wait to get my orthoditics and get out there. I refuse to train for a marathon on the dreadmill!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
I'm 26, are you sure?
I cannot believe I turned 26 today. I am officially at an age that, even at 22, I thought was old. Now I’m not saying I’m old, because I mean come, 26 isn’t even close to the midpoint of my life. I just cannot believe that I'm not officially closer to 30 than I am to 20. How did the time fly by so fast? I swear I was just graduating from high school like five minutes ago. Even more strange, I feel like my parents just turned 26 not that long ago. In fact, when my stepmom Liz started dating my dad Lmost 18 years ago, she was 26. What a brave woman to take on a man that had a 8 year and 5 year old. It's just
My mid-twenties, yes Josh I’m still in my mid-twenties, have been awesome so far:
Age 24-Married my lobster
Age 25-Ran my first marathon and went on an amazing trip to Italy
Age 26-????-We'll see what the year brings.
This year is going to be great I know it! How could it not be? I’m happy, healthy (well almost), I have a job, a house, a wonderful, loving husband and dog. Bonus-I get to go on another fabulous European adventure to Paris and London in September, two races already scheduled (hopefully I’ll be able to do them), and all sorts of surprises that are going to pop up. Yeah, it’s going to be good. ;-)
Thanks for all the love and support!
Josh took me out for an amazing dinner at this tiny little restaurant called Praha. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. I had the Pepper Steak "Galleria". So delicious and beautifully presented. I should have taken a picture but felt silly. Excellent birthday!
P.S. I scheduled my MRI today. I know I wasn't going to do it, but I tried to run again last night...no dice. It hurt bad. I have PT on Wednesday and I'm going to order custom orthodics. MRI is scheduled for first thing on Thursday morning...booo.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Life Is Short
For some reason today I knew I needed to talk to my friend Rachael. She no longer has messenger at work so our daily musing on work, life, etc. have been cutoff. Anyway, I sent her a text to let her know I was thinking about her and we needed to catch up because I felt like I had no idea what was happening in her life. I got a response with very bad news. Rachael's best friend, love of her life, style and soul twin, Jason had an aneurisym last night which caused a massive seizure. Luckily they were able to get him to the hospital and he underwent brain surgery this morning. Though he made it through surgery it's a grave situation. At this point the doctors have no idea if or when he'll wake up. He'll remain in the ICU until he shows signs of stabilization. They told Rache and Jason's family that his chance of survival is about 50% for the next 30 days. If he can make it through the next 30 days, he'll have a higher chance of survival. I figure that a 50% chance is better than no chance, but Rachael was right when she said that the Jason she knew and loved could be gone forever. Because of the aneurisym and seizure it's likely that he'll have some brain damage.
This is just so sad. Here I am worrying about not being able to finish the race in Nashville, which is now under water, and complaining about my stupid injuries which are nothing compared to what Jason and his family are now going through. Not just his family but all the people that love him. Life is short. Anything can happen. Jason was happy, healthy and now he is in a hospital bed fighting for his life.
Please send your thoughts and prayers his way. Remember to tell the people you love just how much they mean to you today and every day.
This is just so sad. Here I am worrying about not being able to finish the race in Nashville, which is now under water, and complaining about my stupid injuries which are nothing compared to what Jason and his family are now going through. Not just his family but all the people that love him. Life is short. Anything can happen. Jason was happy, healthy and now he is in a hospital bed fighting for his life.
Please send your thoughts and prayers his way. Remember to tell the people you love just how much they mean to you today and every day.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Canyonlands Half Marathon
Believe it or not I got to sleep in for this race! I didn't have to get up to until a little after 5 am...it was awesome! When I woke up I snuck out of bed and warmed up my oatmeal. Josh was still sleeping so I pretty much hung out in the bathroom while I ate and read magazines and surfed the web. By around 6 it was time to start thinking about taping and getting dressed since the team was meeting in the lobby of the hotel at 7 am to get on the buses to the canyon.
Once taped up I started getting on all of my layers. I put on my race gear including Josh's arm sleeves then the sweat pants, windbreaker and hoodie. I knew it was going to be cold up there while we waited. With my gear check bag packed I headed out the door to meet the team.
We all walked to the park where the race was going to end and jumped on school buses up to the canyon. We got to the bus stop in the canyon at 8 am..to wait to very cold hours for the race to start. At least I was able to kill about 45 minutes waiting in line for the porta-potty. Apparently a lot of people have never used one and didn't realize when any number of porta-potties open, you jump in regardless of if it is the one right in front of you. Why this concept was so hard for people to wrap their head around I have no idea. I mean come on...not that hard. Jenn and I started cheering people on to get them into them.
After about a 1/2 mile walk up to the starting line I stood with Aaron, Amanda and Tina anxiously awaiting the start. The race actually started a bit late but that's ok. Having all of those people around me really kept me warm. The race started and we were off. For about the first 2-3 miles it was pretty crowded. Slowly people started dropping bag so it was easier to get through the crowd.
My legs felt like they were made of cement. They felt heavy and sluggish but I was able to maintain a pretty good pace. By mile 6 or so I saw some awesome TNT volunteers cheering me on which really helped me get my feet moving. I ran into Deanna shortly thereafter and she was nice enough to run with myself and Amanda for a few minutes. After mile 7 I was off.
I knew there was a hill coming up around mile 9 but I was determined not to let it slow me down. My legs started to feel much lighter and before I knew it the hill had come and gone. I could almost see the end of the canyon where we made the turn into town. The stretch from the hill to the turn seemed to fly right by. The weather and scenery were beautiful and I was feeling good...no gel digestive failure finallly!
I made the turn into town and knew I needed to pick up the pace. I was on track for a new personal record which was super exciting and unexpected. About a mile from the turn in I saw Josh and a group of TNT supporters. It was awesome seeing them.
I handed Josh my fuel belt because it was dragging me down. I didn't realize he was going to run along with me. Jeans and all Josh ran the last mile or so with me to be my personal photographer.
My Garmin actually said I went 13.18 miles so my average pace was actually a tiny bit faster, you know a few seconds. There it was, a new personal record. I was so happy! What amazed me is that I wasn't even trying to PR. I didn't even think about it until I was about at mile 7ish when I looked down and realized that I was on track to beat my Denver half time. Not only did I beat it, I beat it by about 8 minutes! I'm hoping that I'll come in under two hours at my next half marathon.
Afterwards I took my finishers photo and went to check in at the team tent. I was super disappointed to learn that they stopped giving out medals. Instead I get that dayglow shirt and hat I was telling you about. I'll have to take a picture. Luckily TNT brought us medals. I think that I'm going to get mine engraved with Canyonlands 2010 and a kokopelli runner.
The rest of the team started trickling in. It was such a beautiful day we hung out and soaked up the sun before walking back to the hotel.
You better believe I rocked my compression socks. Those downhill portions were brutal on the legs.
I got back to the hotel, iced, rested and relaxed before our victory dinner.
Once taped up I started getting on all of my layers. I put on my race gear including Josh's arm sleeves then the sweat pants, windbreaker and hoodie. I knew it was going to be cold up there while we waited. With my gear check bag packed I headed out the door to meet the team.
We all walked to the park where the race was going to end and jumped on school buses up to the canyon. We got to the bus stop in the canyon at 8 am..to wait to very cold hours for the race to start. At least I was able to kill about 45 minutes waiting in line for the porta-potty. Apparently a lot of people have never used one and didn't realize when any number of porta-potties open, you jump in regardless of if it is the one right in front of you. Why this concept was so hard for people to wrap their head around I have no idea. I mean come on...not that hard. Jenn and I started cheering people on to get them into them.
After about a 1/2 mile walk up to the starting line I stood with Aaron, Amanda and Tina anxiously awaiting the start. The race actually started a bit late but that's ok. Having all of those people around me really kept me warm. The race started and we were off. For about the first 2-3 miles it was pretty crowded. Slowly people started dropping bag so it was easier to get through the crowd.
My legs felt like they were made of cement. They felt heavy and sluggish but I was able to maintain a pretty good pace. By mile 6 or so I saw some awesome TNT volunteers cheering me on which really helped me get my feet moving. I ran into Deanna shortly thereafter and she was nice enough to run with myself and Amanda for a few minutes. After mile 7 I was off.
I knew there was a hill coming up around mile 9 but I was determined not to let it slow me down. My legs started to feel much lighter and before I knew it the hill had come and gone. I could almost see the end of the canyon where we made the turn into town. The stretch from the hill to the turn seemed to fly right by. The weather and scenery were beautiful and I was feeling good...no gel digestive failure finallly!
I made the turn into town and knew I needed to pick up the pace. I was on track for a new personal record which was super exciting and unexpected. About a mile from the turn in I saw Josh and a group of TNT supporters. It was awesome seeing them.
One final turn and the finish line was in sight. Right as I saw the finish Hero by the Foo Fighters came on...perfect! My iPod apparently read my mind. I wanted to finish strong and for the first time in a distance race I was able to not only pick up the pace but move into an all out sprint. For the last 200 feet or so I race as fast as my legs would carry me.
I even passed several people along the way, including this guy right at the finish line.
Time: 2:05:52 Avg. Pace: 9:34 min/miles
Afterwards I took my finishers photo and went to check in at the team tent. I was super disappointed to learn that they stopped giving out medals. Instead I get that dayglow shirt and hat I was telling you about. I'll have to take a picture. Luckily TNT brought us medals. I think that I'm going to get mine engraved with Canyonlands 2010 and a kokopelli runner. 
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Mission Day 19
Deanna went first which made all of us tear up when she spoke about her brother, then Tawsha told everyone about her Nana, after Jianna I told everyone who I run for, my Grandpa Tom and my Uncle Ted. There were a lot of tears this morning. One woman who couldn't have been much older than me, was already a widow. She lost her husband to lymphoma. Another woman about my age, just found out on February 1st that her husband was cancer free. I cannot imagine learning that Josh had cancer or losing him. It would be awful. Another woman spoke about losing her 10 month old daughter to leukemia and a man his wife. Their strength amazes me. At the end we celebrated Mighty Mason who I told you about in a previous post, who had his last treatment this past week and is officially cancer free. Once Ashley read aloud all of the names of the friends and family members that we participate for, we released our balloons into the air. It was an amazing and emotional morning.
Before getting into my car to head home I filled two trash bags with ice for my knees. Fifty minutes later I was home, well iced. Josh was nice enough to run a cold bath for me. I made my green monster and headed up for an ice/epsom salt bath. I was shivering even with my sweatshirt on in the bath, but I think my legs appreciated it. As of right now I am still feeling good. My legs are sore but I can bend easily. I'll probably ice at least one more time today before I roll out on my foam roller to release some of the muscle tension.
Time: 3:05:25 Distance: 19 miles Avg. Pace: 9:45 min/mile
Now to be fair, I did stop my watch when I stopped and stretched. So that would probably add about 5-7 minutes to my overall time making my pace about 10:07 min/mile. If I an keep that pace for the marathon I'd come in under 4.5 hours! Which would just rock my world.
P.S. My shoes arrived yesterday and they were amazing on my feet today! No ankle pain!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Quick Fundraising Update
It's been a while since I've talked about fundraising. Mainly because it hasn't gone as well this season. No matter how many emails or letters I send, how many times I post it on Facebook...nothing. I can't even get anyone to respond to Evites. If you can't go, just tell me but at least respond.
As of today there is just over $2800 in my account. Now that is nothing to sneeze at but this close to my race I should already be at my goal. Josh and I made a hefty donation to help me out...$400. Thanks to Amgen's matching program, $800 will be arriving in my account shortly. That is about double the amount I should have matched when I was doing my own donation matching campaign. I know times are tough but it's so frustrating.
A few weeks back we had an awesome wine tasting event. The event raised a little more than $10,000 I believe. Thanks to Ryan and Claire, Rache, my dad and Liz, Josh's coworker, coworker Lisa and her husband Roland and my coworker Bob and a group of his friends, I was able to sell 15 tickets which helped me raise $450 to put towards my goal. With the profit from the silent auction portion, I have an additional $520 to deposit in my account. Thank goodness for this event otherwise I'd be in a total panic about raising enough to meet my minimum to attend Nashville.
I'm not trying to whine, because I know many of my friends and family supported me last year by donating, but come on, everyone has $10. Cancer doesn't wait. I'm not asking for anyone to donate to Josh and I's personal checking account.
If you're still intersted in donation you can always visit my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/dhmomu10/jvankirk. This is going to be my last season with TNT for a little while so I want to make it count! I'm doing the hard part, the training, all you have to do is donate to help those cancer patients, current and future.
As of today there is just over $2800 in my account. Now that is nothing to sneeze at but this close to my race I should already be at my goal. Josh and I made a hefty donation to help me out...$400. Thanks to Amgen's matching program, $800 will be arriving in my account shortly. That is about double the amount I should have matched when I was doing my own donation matching campaign. I know times are tough but it's so frustrating.
A few weeks back we had an awesome wine tasting event. The event raised a little more than $10,000 I believe. Thanks to Ryan and Claire, Rache, my dad and Liz, Josh's coworker, coworker Lisa and her husband Roland and my coworker Bob and a group of his friends, I was able to sell 15 tickets which helped me raise $450 to put towards my goal. With the profit from the silent auction portion, I have an additional $520 to deposit in my account. Thank goodness for this event otherwise I'd be in a total panic about raising enough to meet my minimum to attend Nashville.
I'm not trying to whine, because I know many of my friends and family supported me last year by donating, but come on, everyone has $10. Cancer doesn't wait. I'm not asking for anyone to donate to Josh and I's personal checking account.
If you're still intersted in donation you can always visit my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/dhmomu10/jvankirk. This is going to be my last season with TNT for a little while so I want to make it count! I'm doing the hard part, the training, all you have to do is donate to help those cancer patients, current and future.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sick Sixteen
For the past week or so I've been battling a nasty cold. One of those colds that you feel coming on and when they finally hit you, you're down for the count. I spent all day Wednesday at home laying down. I could not sit upright for more than about 10 minutes at a time. By Thursday I was thinking, oh I'm doing better so I'll go to work. Bad idea. Three hours in I was done and I went home.
As Saturday neared I was getting more and more nervous about my run. I went to bed hoping I'd wake up and be all better. Aaron, Amanda and I decided to start our run earlier than the team so that we'd be done before noon. I woke up bright and early at 5:30 am. Verdict, still sick. I ate my banana, cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal, took a few doses of Tylenol Cold and headed out the door about 6:45.
I got to Coal Creek Trail and it was about 28 degrees outside. After a few warm up stretches and some chatting we headed off. The first three miles were rough. I was light headed, having trouble breathing regularly and my nose was running faster than I was. At mile four I had to stop and drink some of my Nuuns. Quick stretch and I was ready to go. It was like that Nuuns had magical healing powers. That or my cold medicine kicked in. I was off after that. The run just got easier and easier for my physically but my stomach was not happy.
We did several out and backs to cover this run including a pretty good size hill. From like 12-13 we ran up the long steady incline portion of the hill then ran down the steep side. Got to the bottom and turned right around to tackle the hill again. Want to really test how your legs will feel when they are tired and a hill comes up...do hill repeats from miles 12-14. It was pretty killer. My butt was definitely feeling it.
Not going to lie, the last tenth of a mile was rough. I kept looking at my watch wondering how I wasn't done yet. Finally I hit 16 miles. I ran back down the trail a little bit to run Amanda in her last tenth of a mile. She and Aaron did great and I know they are looking forward to our taper week this week as much as I am. Amazing how easy 12 miles feels when you ran 16 the weekend before.
After the run I stretched, headed to Natural Grocers to get more whey protein, a shaker bottle and some Epsom salts for my bath. Then I treated myself to a Chipotle Burrito Bowl...mmm. Amazingly I couldn't even finish it. Not to worry I ate Chinese food, ice cream and had a beer later that night.
I have the last Italy post done, but of course I've been busy and lazy and have not added pictures to it yet. I'll get it done today as it has now been over a month since we got back.
P.S. I haven't gotten any donations in weeks now. Come on people give to the cancer patients! You can read more about a very special patient, Mighty Mason, by clicking here.
As Saturday neared I was getting more and more nervous about my run. I went to bed hoping I'd wake up and be all better. Aaron, Amanda and I decided to start our run earlier than the team so that we'd be done before noon. I woke up bright and early at 5:30 am. Verdict, still sick. I ate my banana, cinnamon and brown sugar oatmeal, took a few doses of Tylenol Cold and headed out the door about 6:45.
I got to Coal Creek Trail and it was about 28 degrees outside. After a few warm up stretches and some chatting we headed off. The first three miles were rough. I was light headed, having trouble breathing regularly and my nose was running faster than I was. At mile four I had to stop and drink some of my Nuuns. Quick stretch and I was ready to go. It was like that Nuuns had magical healing powers. That or my cold medicine kicked in. I was off after that. The run just got easier and easier for my physically but my stomach was not happy.
We did several out and backs to cover this run including a pretty good size hill. From like 12-13 we ran up the long steady incline portion of the hill then ran down the steep side. Got to the bottom and turned right around to tackle the hill again. Want to really test how your legs will feel when they are tired and a hill comes up...do hill repeats from miles 12-14. It was pretty killer. My butt was definitely feeling it.
Not going to lie, the last tenth of a mile was rough. I kept looking at my watch wondering how I wasn't done yet. Finally I hit 16 miles. I ran back down the trail a little bit to run Amanda in her last tenth of a mile. She and Aaron did great and I know they are looking forward to our taper week this week as much as I am. Amazing how easy 12 miles feels when you ran 16 the weekend before.
After the run I stretched, headed to Natural Grocers to get more whey protein, a shaker bottle and some Epsom salts for my bath. Then I treated myself to a Chipotle Burrito Bowl...mmm. Amazingly I couldn't even finish it. Not to worry I ate Chinese food, ice cream and had a beer later that night.
I have the last Italy post done, but of course I've been busy and lazy and have not added pictures to it yet. I'll get it done today as it has now been over a month since we got back.
P.S. I haven't gotten any donations in weeks now. Come on people give to the cancer patients! You can read more about a very special patient, Mighty Mason, by clicking here.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
14ner, what?
This morning did not start well for me. I couldn't sleep last night which made me grumpy. Josh had plans to go skiing so he had to take me to my car that was parked at the mall from when I carpooled to Boulder last night. I couldn't find my running capri's which made me all flustered. Josh finally remembered that they were in my TNT bag next to my dresser. I got all my stuff together and headed to pick up my car. When Josh and Ryan dropped me at my car it was frozen. Josh was nice enough to help me scrap the ice off the windows.
I thought ok, I'm in the car, just get to the run and you'll feel better. Well I go to pull out of the parking lot and my car starts making this horrible screeching sound. It did this for about the first 5 minutes of my drive and then stopped. Maybe it was just the cold? Regardless I think I need to take it in.
Anyway, I arrive to the run late, of course. But luckily Aaron and Amanda was running late, so I just waited for them. I taped up my aching ankle and when they arrived we were off. They were having one of those mornings too. Luckily it was an absolutely beautiful day outside so that helped my mood improve slightly.
The first three miles were the hardest, they usually are for me. By mile six I was feeling good and by mile eight even better. We headed back up to the parking lot where the rest of our team was waiting so that A&A could grab some water before we finished up.
For the last part of the run, we had our coach Tina join us. Once we hit 10 miles it was the longest run Aaron had ever done and he was doing so great. At mile 12 I was still picking up my pace and feeling great when I turned around to head back to the starting point. At mile 13.1 Amanda had officially done her longest run ever. I could not believe how great I felt. I could have totally kept going.
Time: 2 hours 20 minutes Distance: 14.27 miles Avg. Pace: 9:48 min/mile
I am so proud of Aaron and Amanda. They have done so awesome! I know it was a great feeling for them run 14 miles. I'm glad I was there to run it with them. It's so awesome having people to run with. We're going out for a celebratory dinner tonight when Josh gets home.
I am happy to report, now, 5 hours later, I am pain free. My muscles are tired but I can bend and jump and walk up and down stairs. This is actually the first double digit run I've done since getting injured last season without a patella strap or knee braces. I was definitely nervous about doing it but I knew I had to otherwise I'd always depend on the strap.
Approaching training differently has really made a difference in how my body is responding. I am definitely eating better and enough which is key for my recovery. I'm cross-training and really listening to my body. I stretch at least every 4-5 miles to make sure my knees don't get mad. I am really looking forward to Canyonlands in March and Nashville in April.
I'd like to thank some people whose donations I received this week because they are awesome and should be recognized:
Jess Cutler-She just finished the Disney 1/2 Marathon and was totally awesome.
Kath-Donated for a second time this season. I really appreciate your generousity
Tossie and Marilyn-Supported me last season and again this season.
Anderson's-Lifelong family friends of the Van Kirk's. So sweet and generous.
Aunt Jean-I haven't seen Aunt Jean in several years now, but she's been so generous by supporting me and the cause.
Kim Greenlee-My former coworker and friend. She's the closet person to Super Woman I know.
Thank you so much! We're getting there! Thanks to their donations, I have $190 to match in donations. I know you want me to match more than that. Make a donation, any size this week. Please!
I thought ok, I'm in the car, just get to the run and you'll feel better. Well I go to pull out of the parking lot and my car starts making this horrible screeching sound. It did this for about the first 5 minutes of my drive and then stopped. Maybe it was just the cold? Regardless I think I need to take it in.
Anyway, I arrive to the run late, of course. But luckily Aaron and Amanda was running late, so I just waited for them. I taped up my aching ankle and when they arrived we were off. They were having one of those mornings too. Luckily it was an absolutely beautiful day outside so that helped my mood improve slightly.
The first three miles were the hardest, they usually are for me. By mile six I was feeling good and by mile eight even better. We headed back up to the parking lot where the rest of our team was waiting so that A&A could grab some water before we finished up.
For the last part of the run, we had our coach Tina join us. Once we hit 10 miles it was the longest run Aaron had ever done and he was doing so great. At mile 12 I was still picking up my pace and feeling great when I turned around to head back to the starting point. At mile 13.1 Amanda had officially done her longest run ever. I could not believe how great I felt. I could have totally kept going.
Time: 2 hours 20 minutes Distance: 14.27 miles Avg. Pace: 9:48 min/mile
I am so proud of Aaron and Amanda. They have done so awesome! I know it was a great feeling for them run 14 miles. I'm glad I was there to run it with them. It's so awesome having people to run with. We're going out for a celebratory dinner tonight when Josh gets home.
I am happy to report, now, 5 hours later, I am pain free. My muscles are tired but I can bend and jump and walk up and down stairs. This is actually the first double digit run I've done since getting injured last season without a patella strap or knee braces. I was definitely nervous about doing it but I knew I had to otherwise I'd always depend on the strap.
Approaching training differently has really made a difference in how my body is responding. I am definitely eating better and enough which is key for my recovery. I'm cross-training and really listening to my body. I stretch at least every 4-5 miles to make sure my knees don't get mad. I am really looking forward to Canyonlands in March and Nashville in April.
I'd like to thank some people whose donations I received this week because they are awesome and should be recognized:
Jess Cutler-She just finished the Disney 1/2 Marathon and was totally awesome.
Kath-Donated for a second time this season. I really appreciate your generousity
Tossie and Marilyn-Supported me last season and again this season.
Anderson's-Lifelong family friends of the Van Kirk's. So sweet and generous.
Aunt Jean-I haven't seen Aunt Jean in several years now, but she's been so generous by supporting me and the cause.
Kim Greenlee-My former coworker and friend. She's the closet person to Super Woman I know.
Thank you so much! We're getting there! Thanks to their donations, I have $190 to match in donations. I know you want me to match more than that. Make a donation, any size this week. Please!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wedding Industry Happy Hour
People started filtering in shortly and the networking began. I met all sorts of awesome people, even one who works fashion week and got to oil up the male models...that's hot. I even saw Alaneyer who worked with Josh and I on the catering for our wedding. I did my best to talk up My Big Day Planner and get Tawsha, who is actually shy on occasion, to loosen and not feel intimidated. It amazing how many different wedding vendors there are. A lot of them I remember from when Josh and I were selecting ours a while back.
Few things I learned, when drinks and food are involved, people will come. Drinks also lesson the tension for vendors in the same area and everyone can be friends. Lastly, Twitter is the new Trekkie club. OMG, most of the people had to introduce themselves by the Twitter name last night. It was hilarious. Everyone new eachother but were strangers. Now I have not joined the cult yet, but obviously it's awesome for networking and meeting new people. Since Tawsha is already all over it for MBDP, I'm going to go ahead and let her have at it. Maybe I'll snoop around sometime.
Snot Very Pretty
This weekend was just not my weekend. I'm hoping that I just had a bad one because I have such a fabulous vacation in just a few days. I can also taste the gelato it's so close. But back to the bad weekend. So I've been sick, thanks Lobster, for about a week now and though it's slowly getting better (I'm pretty much like a leaking faucet instead of one turned all the way on) I still feel generally crappy. Which lead to me having to cancel on two of my favs Sarah and Lisa on Friday night.
Now this was just the start. I was already feeling down about that when I went to meet with Erin, my new nutritionist at Momentum Health. That appointment was actually super helpful and informative and I'm very grateful for Erin working with me. So you ask what went wrong here? Nothing major except somehow in the past three months, I've replaced 2 lbs of muscle with fat. How this is possible I'm not sure. So regardless of what the scale says, I am in fact getting fatter even though I'm holding a steady weight. Man I'd rather gain weight (muscle of course) than been losing and gaining fat.
Well then it was time to have some dinner. I was just chewing a piece of pizza when one of my teeth decided it had been used quite enough and broke. Seriously? I mean WTF, who loses a quarter of their molar eating pizza? Must have been a sign from the diet gods that I should not have been eating pizza in the first place. Of course do I have a dentist in Longmont? Ha...
First thing Saturday morning instead of running with my team, I was at Comfort Dental in Boulder numb for almost 3 hours. The verdict, apparently my last dentist didn't fully drill out a cavity before filling it. So it continued to grow and caused the tooth to break. Right now it's been filled so that I can head to Italy with a complete tooth. When I get back though it's time for the dentist and a crown. Boooooooo. Did I mention I hate dentists offices? They smell of rubber, tooth dust and gingivitis. Blah. (No that is not me in the picture.)
Luckily I got in some good laughs with Tawsha during our business meeting later that afternoon. I'm pretty sure she was more laughing at me and my feeble attempts not to drool and speak normally even though half my face was numb. Regardless, I can always count on her for a laugh. In fact I think last week my abs hurt from laughing with her so much. Well that and this stupid cough. Isn't it ironic? Don't you think? (Tawsha that's for you ehmmmmmmmmmmm ok?) I am really looking forward to the Wedding Preview Event even though I will be in Moab running my little heart out during the 1/2 marathon. I have total faith that someday sooner rather than later, Tawsha and My Big Day Planner are going to be emensly successful.
I spent Saturday night trying to infect the city of Boulder with my cold. Aaron, Amanda and Kelsey joined me at Borders to wrap gifts for donations. We actually wrapped quite a few books and such, the final tally...$38 and some change. Really? We had one lady alone who we wrapped 10 items for. She left $1. Come on people...it's for cancer. Speaking of which, I am seriously lacking in the donations department. I still have a long ways to go, please donate, right after the first of the year is just fine. Thanks.
Sunday was actually the best day of the weekend. Other than nearly breaking a toe when my baseboard moved two inches in an attempt to maime some of my poor toes, I finally got in the run I was supposed to do on Saturday morning. Since I didn't have the team to run with and I was feeling super unmotivated, I just did the loop around our neighborhood twice.
Time: 60 minutes Distance: 6.28 miles Avg. Pace: 9:33 min/mile
I'm not going to lie this was a hard run for me. I took everything I had not to stop and walk. I was wheezing, I had snot all over my face and I was hacking like a smoker the entire time. I was so glad that there were only a few other people on the path. I looked like a preschooler who had been hit hard by the boogieman. Yuck. Once my run was over (Thank God) I entered the house so that Josh could be present for a 10 minute serenade of coughs. I think he really enjoyed it. But hey, on the bright side, it makes me feel good to know that even when I'm sick I can finish a 10k in under an hour. I have come so far from the summer of 2008.
The rest of the day was spent going to four different stores looking for a new digital camera. We finally bought a new Sony Cybershot at Wolf Camera. So glad that's over. One less thing to do before the big trip. We headed to Dad and Liz's house for a family dinner before they took off to Costa Rica. It was a good thing I went on that snotty run because my dad warmed up some Hanky Pankies aka Shit on a Brick and then we had Indian food. Love Indian.
Weekend is now closed and not a minute too soon.
Now this was just the start. I was already feeling down about that when I went to meet with Erin, my new nutritionist at Momentum Health. That appointment was actually super helpful and informative and I'm very grateful for Erin working with me. So you ask what went wrong here? Nothing major except somehow in the past three months, I've replaced 2 lbs of muscle with fat. How this is possible I'm not sure. So regardless of what the scale says, I am in fact getting fatter even though I'm holding a steady weight. Man I'd rather gain weight (muscle of course) than been losing and gaining fat.
Well then it was time to have some dinner. I was just chewing a piece of pizza when one of my teeth decided it had been used quite enough and broke. Seriously? I mean WTF, who loses a quarter of their molar eating pizza? Must have been a sign from the diet gods that I should not have been eating pizza in the first place. Of course do I have a dentist in Longmont? Ha...
Luckily I got in some good laughs with Tawsha during our business meeting later that afternoon. I'm pretty sure she was more laughing at me and my feeble attempts not to drool and speak normally even though half my face was numb. Regardless, I can always count on her for a laugh. In fact I think last week my abs hurt from laughing with her so much. Well that and this stupid cough. Isn't it ironic? Don't you think? (Tawsha that's for you ehmmmmmmmmmmm ok?) I am really looking forward to the Wedding Preview Event even though I will be in Moab running my little heart out during the 1/2 marathon. I have total faith that someday sooner rather than later, Tawsha and My Big Day Planner are going to be emensly successful.
Sunday was actually the best day of the weekend. Other than nearly breaking a toe when my baseboard moved two inches in an attempt to maime some of my poor toes, I finally got in the run I was supposed to do on Saturday morning. Since I didn't have the team to run with and I was feeling super unmotivated, I just did the loop around our neighborhood twice.
Time: 60 minutes Distance: 6.28 miles Avg. Pace: 9:33 min/mile
I'm not going to lie this was a hard run for me. I took everything I had not to stop and walk. I was wheezing, I had snot all over my face and I was hacking like a smoker the entire time. I was so glad that there were only a few other people on the path. I looked like a preschooler who had been hit hard by the boogieman. Yuck. Once my run was over (Thank God) I entered the house so that Josh could be present for a 10 minute serenade of coughs. I think he really enjoyed it. But hey, on the bright side, it makes me feel good to know that even when I'm sick I can finish a 10k in under an hour. I have come so far from the summer of 2008.
The rest of the day was spent going to four different stores looking for a new digital camera. We finally bought a new Sony Cybershot at Wolf Camera. So glad that's over. One less thing to do before the big trip. We headed to Dad and Liz's house for a family dinner before they took off to Costa Rica. It was a good thing I went on that snotty run because my dad warmed up some Hanky Pankies aka Shit on a Brick and then we had Indian food. Love Indian.
Weekend is now closed and not a minute too soon.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Wind and Snow...ha
Our run was at the Big Dry Creek trail in Westminster. Why they call it this I'm not sure. We only really pass by the creek like twice. I think they should rename it, the big, run by a landfill, no tree trail. This trail is a pretty flat and easy one. I did my last 11 miler on it before the Denver 1/2 Marathon in October. I know it oh so well and enjoy it when it's about 45 degrees and slightly overcast with little wind. Well no such luck this weekend. It was a balmy 20 degrees with a steady wind of about 15 mph with wind gusts of about 30-35 mph. Running out with the wind was awesome. I felt like I was flying right through the snow, down the trail with little effort. Then came the turn around. That is when the wind came after me. I'm pretty sure I was basically doing the running man dance when the strong gusts came. If it wasn't already difficult enough running in the snow and ice, the wind made it extremely difficult to stay upright and moving in a forward motion.
We all pressed through the run and amazingly, had smiles on our faces. We were all happy we didn't have a real long run in that crazy wind. I have to say that I am itching for my double digit runs. I know I'm crazy.
Time: 47:33 (I went a little over my time) Distance: 4.65 miles (that's it?) Avg. Pace: 10:14 min/mile
Somehow I managed to maintain my ideal long run pace through the elements. (My goal is to average 9:45-10 min/miles for the marathon, so my long runs should not be any faster than 10:10-10:30 min/miles.) Surprisingly my legs were actually sore. Running through that wind was excellent resistance training. It was definitely like doing hill repeats without the hills. After some stretching and silliness we headed to Starbucks for a quick clinic on cross-training. Must say I love cross-training. I think I'm going to start doing the 30 Day Shred again. After a month of that I can really tell that I've strengthened by upper body and abs. Both excellent for marathon running.
Later that night Shana, Adam and their kiddos came up for the Longmont Parade of Lights. Now it's no Denver Parade of Lights, but it was fun anyway. After the parade we headed into Roosevelt Park for some free hot chocolate and fireworks.Oh yeah, I also chopped my hair off. I lost about seven inches of hair. It feels so strange.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Since Thanksgiving has now come and gone, it's time to move immediately to Christmas of course. Josh and I have started to try to have our own holiday traditions that we do every year. His family likes to sing Christmas songs every Sunday during Advent, but since I'm not much of a singer, I'm not so hot on that tradition. One tradition we can on are Christmas cookies and A Year Without a Santa Claus. After putting up our tree (we really need to collect some more ornaments), drapping our stairs with garland and hanging up the wreath outside it was time to get to the good stuff. Mmmmmmmmm sugar cookies. When I was little my brother Tom and I always made sugar cookies with Grandma Walker. Decorating of course was second only to eating as many as we could. RedHots always topped the trees and there were plenty of sprinkles to go around. Tom usually licked his finger and touched every cookie he could until I pushed him away. No one wants Tom cooties on their cookies. Haha.
I've found that things don't change all that much. Josh and I both ate dough as we cutout our Christmas trees, snowmen and stars. Letting them cool was so hard! To keep my occupied, I sang along to A Year Without a Santa Claus. The Heatmizer and Snowmizer are my favorite! Once the cookies were cooled, we quickly frosted and decorated them mainly so we could eat them finished product. As you can tell we don't have the Martha Stewart touch. So delicious...in fact I think I need to eat one right now.
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