flashback friday

It's time for another flashback!!!  After I graduated from high school, two friends and I decided that we should take an epic cross-country trip from Kalamazoo, MI to San Diego, CA.  My two friends, Lis and Sarah, are sisters and they are both over 6ft tall.  We took my car which at the time was a two door Chevy Cavalier.  We packed ourselves, enough clothes for three weeks, food, and camping gear into my tiny little car and headed west.

It was one of the best things I've ever done.  We saw so much from the windows of that little car...  We stopped in places I'd never been, saw things I've never seen, and made memories that have lasted for years and years.  Another cross-country trip is something I've thought a lot about doing again, but the memories from this first one will last a lifetime. 

This picture is of my friend Lis and me at the Pacific Ocean at sunset in August 1997.  Lis and I became friends while working at Northern Reflections (as briefly posted about here) together my senior year.  Fast forward a few years from this photo, Lis is ultimately how I got to Boston from K-zoo.  She was a flight attendant at the time and was moving from NYC to Boston.  Naturally she would need a roommate and asked me to come with her.  My thought process went like this:  Maybe...are you serious...I think that'd be cool...yes! I'll move to Boston! 

These days, Lis has moved back to Michigan, I am still here in the Boston area.  We're still friends but don't get to see each other very often (only when I travel to Michigan to run marathons and such...).  The friendship that we made as 17 year olds, all the ups and the downs, remains and we reminisce about the good ol' days.  "Remember that time we were trying to go to Tijuana and someone slashed our tire in Old Towne San Diego?" "Remember that time when we were riding horses on the beach and our guide got bucked off his horse and we had to find our way back to the ranch in the dark?"  "Remember that time..."  Yeah, I do remember.  And I hope I never forget. 

did you know?

I know I have mentioned this, but I haven't really promoted it.  But I think I'm going to start.  Feel no pressure by this promotion.  But if you feel led to contribute to the cause, I thank you immensely.

I'm talking about The St. Jude Marathon that I'm running in December.  I signed up to be a St. Jude Hero simply because it was only $25 more expensive and I think what the folks at St. Jude do is nothing short of amazing.  Their mission statement is this: 

The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.

Here are some quick facts about St. Jude (find more facts by clicking on the link):

• St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world.
• On average, 7,800 active patients visit the hospital each year, most of whom are treated on an outpatient basis.
• No family ever pays St. Jude for anything.
• The daily operating cost for St. Jude is $1.8 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions.During the past five years, 81 cents of every dollar received has supported the research and treatment at St. Jude.
• St. Jude has 78 inpatient beds and treats upwards of 260 patients each day

What I find the most amazing about what St. Jude does is that it does not turn any family away.  Everyone who seeks help and treatment is accepted - no matter what.  Incredible.  You can find out so much more information about what they do by visiting the website.

If you'd like to donate to my fundraising efforts, click here.

still not a food blog

A couple of months ago, I posted a quick dinner involving Brussel sprouts - my first attempt at cooking them.  I was quite pleased with the result and gained some motivation (and courage) to try more new things.

This weekend, I realized how much fresh stuff I had in my refrigerator.  I knew I had to use it up quickly so I thought, why not try making some of those new things. 

Saturday, I made fresh pesto, chicken, tomato pizza on a whole wheat crust (crust was from Market Basket and it was good!).  This was easy and SO good.  It will be happening a lot more.

 

Sunday, I tried my hand at chicken and rice soup, minus the chicken.  It turned out okay...the rice didn't cook as thoroughly as I'd have liked.  It takes a lot longer for brown rice to cook, apparently.  I froze half of the batch. 

Sunday evening, I wanted a little snack.  So I threw two tomatoes and one very hot jalapeno pepper from my friend's garden into my food processor with some minced garlic and diced onion.  What I got was a very spicy, very fresh salsa!  I spread some cheese and frozen corn on corn tortilla chips and baked them until the cheese was melty and gooey.  Combined with the salsa, YUM!

it's coming...

Did you realize that in one week from today, it will be Labor Day?  The unofficial end of summer is nearly upon us.  I, for one, could not be happier.  I'm looking forward to a cool, crisp, delightfully comfortable autumn.  September is without a doubt my favorite month.

On Labor Day, I'm sure many people will be enjoying the last taste of summer - camping, hiking, beaching, picnicing, etc.  How will I be enjoying my final weekend of summer?  Obviously:  Running! This will be the second time I'll be running the Around Cape Ann 25K.  The first time was challenging but rewarding.  I'm expecting this to be a similar experience.

I have mixed feelings going in; it's good I've run it before because I'll know what to expect.  It's bad I've run it before because I'll know what to expect.  Oh, ironies of life....

In the past few weeks I've been adding more hills into my runs through my neighborhood, there are some pretty good ones.  I'm not sure I've added enough or feel confident to say that this'll be a piece of cake, but I feel like I've prepared as best I can so we'll just see what happens.  My only goal in this is to hopefully beat my previous time on this course (2:50:45).

Last time I ran this race, my very first marathon was only a month away.  This time, I have three months to continue training and racking up some serious mileage before my fourth marathon.  Wow, we've come a long way on this journey.  I hope that in another couple of years I'll be able to say I'm training for my 7th, 8th, 12th (!?) marathon and getting people to join me on this journey.

they're lying

I love a good crowd lining the streets of a race.  I love encouraging volunteers.  I love reading funny signs along the way.  What I don't love is when all of the above straight up lie to you.  Oh, they don't mean to lie and they are genuinely trying to be encouraging.  But sometimes...

Let's say you're at mile 8 of a half marathon.  The last thing you want to hear is, "You're almost there!!!"  Because, no. No, you are not almost there.  You still have 5 miles to go.

Let's say you're at mile 18 of a marathon.  Someone yells, "You look great!!"  Really?!  Really?  Because I thought I was a sweaty, sloppy, wet mess.  But if you say I look great...well, then.

Let's say you're at mile 9 of a hilly half marathon.  From the sidelines, you hear "It's all downhill from here!"  Next thing you know, you're faced with at least 4 more significant inclines in the remaining 4 miles.  Um...

So if you're spectating a race, what do runners want to hear?  Try things that are encouraging but not bold faced lies.  :)  Things like:

• You are awesome! (note:  this is very different from "You look awesome.")
• Keep going!
• Don't give up!
• There's beer at the finish!
• You're doing great!  (Although, if someone is walking during a race, they might not want to hear this...)

After my year of running half marathons, I'd like to sign up to volunteer at local races to get a feel for what it's like on the other side.  It could be harder than I think to encourage without lying...

new toy

Have you ever gone out for a run, had a goal mileage in mind, then when you come back and map it out, it's less than what you thought?  Yeah, me too.  I've always kind of envied people who have those fancy, schmancy GPS watches.  I wanted to know my pace, calories burned, distance, elapsed time, etc all at the turn of my wrist.  But I didn't want to have to wear a watch the size of Texas and cost a ton of money. 

I found out recently that I didn't have to.  I read an article on the Runner's World website about some GPS watches under $150 (which is not very much when it comes to these things).  In reading some of the comments, quite a few were talking about the Nike+ SportWatch...which I had heard about when it was first coming out.  So I did some research, read lots and lots and lots of reviews....and bought the Nike+ SportWatch.  It had come down in price and I had done some dog-sitting this summer so had some extra cash and didn't feel bad spending the money.

After a few runs with this new toy, I have to tell you, I love it.  It's easy to use, easy to read mid-run.  There is a handy USB drive built into the watch for easy charging and syncing.  It's not water proof so it's not ideal for triathletes, nor does it work for cycling, but I'm a runner...and if you're simply a runner, it's great!  Oh, and you can preset it for intervals or laps for speed training which is pretty cool, too.

Reviewers mentioned sometimes the GPS will lose the signal if you're in a wooded area, around lots of tall buildings, or haven't synced it recently.  But that's not a problem either because when/if that happens, there is a shoe pod that seamlessly steps in to track your stats when the GPS goes wonky.  Most Nike shoes have a spot for the pod built into the shoe, but if you don't wear Nike's (like me), it's easy to find a sleeve/glove/case for the pod that can be tied onto your shoe laces. 

I have found that I am a little obsessed with checking my pace and my distance...but I think once the newness of it wears off that will subside.  At the end of each run you get a bit of encouragement.  My favorite so far is "Crowd goes wild!"  Even after a recorded walk I received some, "Good effort."  (My roommate and I couldn't tell if this was sarcastic or genuine...)

Overall, I am incredibly happy with my purchase.  If you're looking for a sleek, no frills, easy to use GPS watch, go with the Nike+.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

how handy is this?!

indeed!

 

not the size of Texas.

foot pod and SportWatch

what i did on my summer vacation

I decided to take a few days off this past week and spent some quality down time at home and in NYC.  It was great to relax, see friends, run, and do some shopping.  

Friday through Sunday, I was in Jersey City visiting Erin (see my last post).  On Saturday, she walked me to the entrance of Liberty State Park where I was able to run a scenic, beautiful 5miles.  Here are some of the sights: 

Why the water fountain picture?  It made me very happy to have some water on a hot day.  When I got back there were fresh New York style bagels and after a trip to the playground and Wayne's office, we headed into the city for some yummy tacos with some of Erin's friends.  So good and so fun!!  Sunday was spent in a number of public transportation vehicles, but when I finally got home I made dinner and went to bed early.  

Because on Monday, I planned to run 15mi.  I combined a couple of my regular loops to create a longer run...and with my helpful new watch I was able to know exactly how far I'd gone.  I strapped on my Camelbak filled with water, 2 Gu's, 1 package of Shotbloks, and my phone then headed out.  A bit later than I should have gone out (11am) but I figured if there wasn't a lot of humidity, it would be fine.  But let's be honest, it was still hot.  Whew.  

I have to admit that this was a tough one.  I've been struggling this summer with my runs and this one proved to be really rough for me.  I made it 14mi (at an 11min pace) but was really frustrated with the amount that I had to walk and the fact that I didn't make it the full 15mi.  Maybe I'm just going through a slump right now and maybe it has to do with the weather but I hope once fall comes, things will change.

Tuesday, I did a short 5mi run at a 9:30min pace and felt good about that.  Afterward, I went to the mall to do a bit of window shopping and get a couple new pairs of jeans.  However, nothing fit right and it was a big waste of time.  Meh.  The good news is that on Wednesday I went shopping again and was able to find some pretty sweet deals!  And I had a great walk with my roommate.  And I met up with one of my girls from church who is off to college in a few days.  Wednesday was a great day!

Now, I best get back to work!

the big apple

New York City!  I'll be heading out bright and early tomorrow to catch a train, subway, bus, and a final subway to The City.  Well, to Jersey City...but it's close enough to call it, right?  I'm going to get some quality time with my dear friend, Erin, her husband and their three ah-dorable kiddos.  I can't wait!

There is a plan for tacos, church at the Gallery, and grown-up dinner and talk time.  I've also been promised reading, playing, and snuggling with the cutest kids I know.  And, there is a plan to finally find the pretty running routes in JC.  Last time I ran there, I ended up in the "bad" part of town without really realizing it.  I mean, it seemed a bit sketchy, but it was daylight and only one man drunkenly leered at me.  I figured that's par for the course in a big city.  Anyway, this time I'm determined to figure out a nice route in JC (mapmyrun.com, I'm comin' for you). 

Despite the heat and humidity that just won't go away, I've been good about getting my training runs in this week.  Monday, I went for 4.73 around the lake.  Tuesday was my off day - and dinner at Not Your Average Joe's with friends.  Wednesday, I took my new toy out for a spin (more on my new gadget next week!)...4 x 1.25mi, a total of 5.  And today, I took off for a sweaty, sunny lunchtime run of 4.23mi.  So about 14mi for the week so far.  I plan to run another 5 or so while in JC on Saturday.  Sunday, I'll be resting (and riding a bus for 5hrs) to gear up for Monday's 15miler!  Labor Day and the Cape Ann 25K are coming sooooooon! 

Enjoy your weekend, readers and friends!  Check back next week for pics from JC and NYC, a recap of my 15miler, and to find out about my new running gadget!

amen and amen.

I confess I stole today's blog from Mark Remy at runnersworld.com.  Because I fully, wholeheartedly, and absolutely agree with him.  I have been tempted to write something similar myself and have in fact, mentioned that I wish it to be September already.  As in, like, yesterday.  Please read the following and know that it is my sentiments exactly.

RW Daily by Mark Remy

a pick up line

Last night I walked past the running store in downtown Lexington.  This is what I saw, a fabulous pick-up line for runners:

Okay, so maybe it's a little inappropriate...but you have to admit it's hilarious.  Ah, running humor, how I love thee.

hunger on the commute

This morning, I dragged my bum outta bed and went for a 5mi run around the lake.  Other than the bugs that congregate near the pretty side, it was lovely!  It was cool(ish), about 70deg, but lots of humidity.  This summer has been crazy humid and I know I've been complaining a lot.  I apologize.  But it's been hard! 

After a quick shower and a cup of coffee, I headed into work.  Typically, it takes about 30min door to door.  I usually bring a travel mug of coffee with me and have breakfast at the office.  This morning, however, I figured I'd stop at the grocery store near my office and pick up some things for breakfast for the week and make coffee once I make it to work.

Little did I know there was a crazy accident on the highway and traffic was backed up for MILES.  It took me over an hour to go three miles.  THREE MILES. I apologize for shouting...but it was incredibly frustrating.  Being that I had just gone for a run, I was beginning to get hungry.  Thankfully, I remembered that I had some leftovers from the freebies given out at the Half Marathon I just ran that I'd left in the car.  Sustenance!   Protein!  After leaving my house at 8am, I arrived at work at 9:30am.  Since I had my snacks in the car, I didn't need breakfast but I sure was glad to get some water and another cup of coffee!!!

race recap #4

Today I slogged my way through the Monadnock Half Marathon.  It was hilly, hot, and really hard.  Perhaps that's because I was unprepared, I warned you that it wouldn't be pretty and it wasn't!

Let's get to the recap.  I'd been keeping my eye on the weather as I typically do for my longer runs and the forecast was a mix of sun, clouds, rain, and possibly severe thunderstorms.  Um, okay...  I was obviously going to run no matter what so I just prepared (and wore the same clothes) the way I always do.  It turned out to be sunny at the start, then cloudy from mile 3 on, no rain and no severe thunderstorms.  :)

There weren't a lot of people doing this race but there was a 5K happening at the same time.  The race organizers had the 5K line up on one side of the road, the half marathon on the other.  We took off at the same time, heading in opposite directions, but our finish line was the same.  Mile one took us into downtown Jaffrey over to an old rail trail that somehow turned into a snowmobile trail over the course of 4 miles.

a foggy, humid morning

At mile 5, we headed back out onto the roads and had some easy breezy rolling hills to enjoy before the hills began in earnest.  Around mile 4, I began chatting with three other women (which is typically not what I do, but I was totally pacing right behind them and started feeling a bit weird about not acknowledging that fact).  They all had an interesting story bringing them to the race that day:  one was running her first half marathon - she beat us all.  One was also running a half a month and will be running a marathon in October - see, I'm not the only crazy one out there.  And one was training to run the Goofy Challenge at Disney - a half one day and a full the next!  She also ran Boston back in April so we chatted about that too.

reward!!!

At mile 6, we had to contend with Dragg Hill.  It's the one that they warn you about on the website and it is No Joke.  I mean, whoa.  I am not ashamed to admit to you I walked up the entire thing.  And for the next 4 miles there were ups and downs of varying degrees, mostly large.  Finally I saw the sign for mile 10 and silently rejoiced that there was only 3 miles to go.  Mile 12 was mostly downhill...until you're about .4 away from the finish.  There's a nice hill to contend with and at the top was Kimball Farm's Ice Cream.  I knew we were so close and that as soon as I finished I would turn right around and get myself a chocolate ice cream frappe.

That is after I cooled down and stopped sweating.  It was SO humid it felt a little like running through a swamp.  I was literally sweating from everywhere - legs, arms, head, back, face, eyelashes...everywhere.  It was gross.  I changed and felt a little more human and headed to get my frappe.

nice tech shirts 

Overall it was a good race.  It was really really small so I was alone for a lot of it (which I've determined is not ideal for me).  It was a very beautiful course.  There was enough portopotties, food afterward, and enough water stations.  The only thing I didn't like was finishing in a field.  The last 30 feet of the course was at the edge of a field.  The ground is uneven and there were a quite a few divots. When you're trying to finish fast and strong, it was a little surprising to have the ground be so unlevel underneath your feet.

I will say this for the Monadnock Half, if you're ever looking for a HOT half marathon, I would suggest this one.

final flashback friday

We've come to the end of our regularly scheduled Flashback Fridays.  There may be some that pop up every now and again...but as for the weekly pics, this is the end.  And lucky for you, I'm giving you two for the price of one!

for the Yearbook!

Senior year.  The end of High School.  The beginning of adulthood.  There's a lot that I could say about my senior year.  I got into far too much trouble, nearly didn't graduate, and because I didn't want to take the ACT (similar to SAT, I presume) I decided on going to the community college in my town.  Literally, my decision to go there was based on the fact that they couldn't reject me no matter how horrible my GPA was.

I was still crazy about boys, watched every episode of 90210, worked at the mall - by now I had moved to Northern Reflections - and was giving my parents a run for their money (sorry, mom and dad!).  I planned to be a teacher.  Every aptitude test I had ever taken suggested that would be the very best career for me.  So I had every intention of pursuing that goal.  But after a few years at KVCC, I gave up that goal.  I was still a horrible student and the thought of being in school for the rest of my life was terrifying.  Which is how I ended up working full time at a tanning salon and eventually moving out to Boston and settling here for the past 11yrs.

Our lives don't always turn out the way we think they will when we're 17 and the the world is a blank canvas before us.  There are twists and turns, detours and setbacks.  We make foolish decisions when we're young and don't realize the effect they will have on our adult selves.  I've come to terms with how I lived my life as a teenager/early twenties but it was an empty and meaningless way to live for a while.

I see some of the girls I've watched grow up from 6th grade to now graduating and see some of them making the same mistakes that I did.  It is my utmost prayer that they will come to realize the life they are living is shallow and pointless.  The lessons that they are learning don't need to be learned.  I know because I learned them firsthand.  I suppose it's a rite of passage to be stupid when you're young (and I sure was!) but if I could give one piece of advice to young girls reading this:  making dumb decisions (ie breaking the law, lying to your parents) isn't cool, it's dumb.  Don't be dumb.

I hope you've enjoyed this little journey through time with me.  It sure was fun to show you some pictures from long ago.  Thanks for sticking around! 

my trusty sidekick

There is something that I have with me nearly everywhere I go.  People know if I'm around because they see my trusty sidekick sitting somewhere, and I'm never too far away.

I have one that stays at work and a second one that goes with me pretty much everywhere else.  And just in case, I have two back ups.  You never know when one might go missing...

What could I possibly be talking about?  My Nalgene bottles.  I rarely buy bottled water, if I do it's because I've forgotten to bring my own bottle.  I'd like to say that I am just very environmentally conscious but in reality, it's mostly because I'd rather spend my money on other things than on buying something that I can get for free.  There is clean drinking water almost anywhere you go, literally.  Why purchase a bottle of it?!

I'm climbing down from my soapbox, now.  I just really like these bottles.  I like that they are big, versatile (a couple of times I've put coffee in there...that's a lotta coffee!) and have a handy handle.  Ha, ha.

What's your favorite way to get lots of water throughout the day?

unprepared

I don't know if I've ever felt more unprepared for a race than I do for this one.  This one being HM #4 coming up in three days.  Just three days.  Perhaps there was one other race where I felt less prepared for than this one.  It was the Run to Remember on Memorial Day weekend in 2011.  I had run about 20mi in three weeks leading up to race day.  But to be fair, I had just finished the Kalamazoo Marathon less than a month prior to the RTR.  I have no such excuse for under-preparing for HM #4.

As I mentioned before, it's a challenging course and I just haven't been training the way I should be.  I've been dealing with some weird aches and pains: ankle, side, hip - all on my right side.  In order to help get over these I haven't been running as much.  Not to mention we've had days and days of thick, dense humidity.  It's hard to walk in such heat let alone run a long distance.  I ran 10mi on Saturday and it was literally The Worst Run I've had in a really long time.  September (my favorite month) cannot come soon enough.  Yeah, I said it.  

Back to the race at hand, I can do it, and I will do it but it won't be pretty.  Here's a map of the course for your reference:

Once I'm done, there will be a great reward:  Kimball Farm ice cream.  It is literally .5mi away from the finish line.  Have I mentioned before how much I love ice cream?  :) 

a fever

I have a fever...Olympic fever.  There is something about the games that sucks me in, makes me feel incredibly patriotic, and once in a while, brings me to tears.  I will watch anything that is on - just this morning I watched an entire match of tennis - but I do have my favorites.

Yes, I have enjoyed the swimming and the gymnastics.  Phelps, Franklin, Lochte, Gabby, Aly, Jordan...they are phenomenal athletes and a joy to watch.  But my favorite events are beach volleyball (I'm soooooo rooting for Walsh Jennings/May-Treanor!) and Track and Field - especially the running, no matter the distance.

Just today, the men's 10,000meter race was on (I just *happened* to be watching...) and I found myself jumping up and down cheering for two favorites:  Galen Rupp (Team USA) and Mo Farah (Team GB).  It was a physical, tough, intense race but at the very end Mo took gold, Galen took silver!!!!  This is incredible for many reasons, one of them being that GB has never had a medal in this distance - ever!  And USA hasn't had a medal in this distance since 1964!  So crazy.

What gets me the most is seeing the sheer joy, and sometimes shock, on the faces of the athletes.  The fact that they made it to the Olympics is one thing; but the fact that they MEDALED in the Olympics is quite another.  So much emotion...  Yes, I was crying at the finish of the 10,000meter race.  I just could not help myself.

Another confession:  beach volleyball was on at the same time as the race...so I watched both.  At the same time.  I'm so sick.  ;)

Women's Marathon in the morning.  Go Team USA - Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher, Desi Davilla!!

flashback favorite?

Before we get to a two-for-one week - senior photos!!!!!!!! - I wanted to ask you:  what has been your favorite flashback Friday photo?  To recap, here they all are:

I starred my favorite...which might surprise you.  7th grade (remember, boys boys boys?!).  I almost went for the 4yo picture, but that would have been too obvious.  I like 7th grade because I still have some kid-cuteness but I'm getting to the teenage ugly years.  I also chose this photo because 7th grade was the main reason I spent 10yrs volunteering in the Student Ministries at my church, Grace Chapel.  I hated this year which led me to realize that I certainly was not the only one who hated 7th grade and if I could help just one girl get through it and come out stronger on the other side, then sign me up!  It was bittersweet to step down from my volunteer role in SM this past June but I'm excited for my next volunteer opportunity:  Kidstown!  I get to work with super cute kids - like the one in my 4yo picture.  Those years were pretty good.

Tell me in the comments below which Flashback Friday has been your favorite!  We'll get to those senior photos next week.  I think they're worth the wait.  :)

confession

Today, I went into the breakroom at work to get a cup of coffee.  I hadn't had any breakfast yet, but I planned to have my usual:  Kashi cereal and some greek yogurt.  Instead, this happened:

If there is one kind of donut that I can't resist, it's chocolate glazed.  I may have to run a few extra miles today but it was kinda worth it.  I haven't had a donut in ages...and it tasted so sweet and cake-y and delicious.

Hey, we all have our weaknesses (I have many more than just the above treat...) and sometimes it is just fine to give in to them.  One donut in the last 6mos?  Not so bad.  What are some of your weaknesses?