The Royer Report

What pays the bills

2010-10-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

If anyone is interested, you can see what the hubby is working on - his research is his passion and it also helps to pay the bills. :)

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15775.html

Little Runner

2010-09-29T23:42:00.001-04:00

Because I am determined to be the coolest aunt ever and I have this crazy need to spoil my niece, I buy her every cute thing I see (do not tell my husband)!! This weekend I ran across infant running shoes and I had to buy them. Could.not.resist!!! Cute little Saucony Pro Grids in size 4 (9-12 mo). Her first running shoes. Seriously, how freaking cute?!?!?!

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If you build it...

2010-09-22T13:14:00.003-04:00

...they will come. Funny how that little quote applies to a lot of different things, like say, building medical centers. I'd like to know when Health Care Reform will include hospital reform and not just insurance reform. It really does go both ways.

http://www.ibj.com/building-binge-hasnt-crimped-hospital-profits/PARAMS/article/22328

The Whole Family

2010-09-21T22:50:00.000-04:00

Found the picture of the whole family from June! I miss Grandma. I was supposed to be seeing her this weekend. We usually make the trek once a month and this weekend was when we planned to go...

Missing Grandma

2010-09-11T23:53:00.001-04:00

Grandma with Todd and I at our wedding, January 2004

This weekend is my first Grandparent's Day without a grandparent. I've always made sure to celebrate Grandparent's Day. The day symbolizes the importance of grandparents and the wisdom they pass on to their family. It's true. My grandma was the matriarch of the family and was always teaching us something. But, my grandma passed away this week. I just got home from her funeral. It was a long two days, but I know she would have loved the service. It was a perfect celebration of her life.

Her health has not been good for some time now, but every time she took a turn for the worse she always found a way to bounce back. Last weekend, she fell and her body couldn't take the stress anymore. She passed away on Monday, September, 6, 2010. She was 91. It was not a surprise that her health was not good, but it still didn't make the call at 2:30am any easier. I think it took about 5 minutes for me to register what had happened when my parents called. I didn't cry right away, but once I did, I couldn't stop. I didn't really sleep the rest of the night. I was thankful Monday was a holiday because there was no way I would have been able to go to work.

The visitation was from 6-8pm on Thursday and was a steady stream of people. My grandma had so many friends and family. Friends she has known for 30 and 40 years. I guess that is what happens when you live almost your whole life in the same small town. Friends from church, her bridge club, her birthday club, PEO, her school where she retired as secretary many years ago. Family came from as far as Massachusetts. Family friends traveled from several hours away, too. Most that are 91 tend to have small funerals as they have outlived much of their family and friends. Not my grandma - she has friends from every generation. I knew most of those that came through from seeing her so often and even going with her to birthday club lunch or dropping her off at bridge club and meeting her friends. It was neat to hear some of their stories. One friend has lunch plans with my grandma for next week. She is still going to go and celebrate the day by thinking of her. Some of her friends are probably feeling as sad as the family. Friends she has traveled with and shared holidays with over the years. So many people came through that I was exhausted by the end of the night. But, my grandma looked good and would have loved that so many came in her honor. After getting something to eat, we headed back to Iowa to stay with Todd's parents.

Friday morning before the funeral was a little stressful. Todd's parents live about 30 minutes from my grandma. The funeral was at 10:30am and I left their house at 9:20am. I've done this drive hundreds of time to go visit my grandma. We come up every month or two and I always come see her or pick her up for a holiday celebration. What I didn't know was the amount of road construction that had been set up since I was up to see her in August. There were three spots where the road was down to one lane. The road is a 2-lane highway and it is pretty much the only way to get from Iowa over to Illinois, so it is busy. The drive took me an hour, due to stopping to get through the construction zones. I was a wreck. Todd, my brother's family, and Todd's parents were all several minutes behind me. I walked into the church and broke down. I was frazzled from the tense drive, upset to be so late, worried about the others getting there, and freaked out knowing that would be the last time I would make that drive. Ever. I cried when I got the call and cried at the visitation, but I just started crying uncontrollably at this point. My mom had to take me to the bathroom to calm me down.

The actual funeral service was beautiful. My grandma would have loved it! It was the best funeral service I have ever been to. I laughed and cried the whole time. My grandmother's friend of 30 years gave the eulogy. At first I was upset about this. My mom had asked if I would say something and agreed to do so. However, she later called and told me that one of my grandma's longtime friends would speak. I felt strongly that someone in the family should speak, but on the flipside, this was perfect. It would have been too difficult for a family member and this friend did a fabulous job describing my grandmother. It was the perfect tribute. Another friend from my grandma's church sang two solos, both of which she had requested years ago. He was amazing. I was also upset about this at first because I wanted my sister-in-law to sing. But, it would have been hard for her and he did such a wonderful job. The minister did a great job on the sermon, too. I have the audio from the service, which I need to digitize so I can listen to it again. The coolest thing is that my 5-month old niece was asleep in her car seat between my brother and I. She sleep like an angel the entire service and kept smiling in her sleep. I am not sure what she was dreaming about, but we think grandma was talking to her in her sweet dreams.

My grandma loved dark chocolate M&Ms. We always brought her some whenever we visited. We found several bags when we were cleaning. She always had a bowl out for herself and any visitors. It was her trademark - everyone knew she would have some when they came to see her. So, we put some in her casket and had them out in bowls at the funeral service. My mom also had the M&Ms graphic printed on her memorial pamphlets. I think she would be surprised that we did this, but thought it was neat. She always liked neat, cutesy things like that.

The burial was short, less than 10 minutes, and my niece stole the show. It could have been a sad time, but those that gathered there couldn't help but focus on my niece. She was in the cutest outfit, in the best mood, and my mom was holding her as the minister gave the final blessing. She was smiling at everyone and we all joked afterward that grandma would have been watching her sweet face had she been there, too. It really made me think about the circle of life. Lily only 5-months old and my grandma 91 years old. My grandma got to see her twice since she was born and loved every minute of it. (In fact, in the eulogy, her friend said she was worried at one point that she might only ever have great-granddogs. There are 6 dogs between 6 grandchildren. LOL) The luncheon following the burial was a good time to see more family and friends and eat more M&Ms. :)

It was harder than I thought it would be and am still worried about several relatives and friends. She meant so much to so many people. She was a truly special person and treated her friends like family and spoiled her family. She did so much for her church and the community. I miss her already. She has been with me for many holidays the last five years, especially every Thanksgiving. It is going to be hard not having her there this year. While I wish I could talk to her one more time, I am thankful I did get to see her so often despite living 6 hours away. So, for those that still have living grandparents, hug them if you live close or call them if you live far away. Wish them a Happy Grandparent's Day and let them know you are thinking of them. As one of my friends told me, they are very special people. I wish I could call my grandma this weekend.

My family at Lily's baptism, June 2010 (minus Todd beind the camera)

Going to see my niece!

2010-08-20T17:35:00.001-04:00

I just want to squeeze those thighs! Love them!!

YouTube Video

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New freezer!!

2010-08-20T17:12:00.001-04:00

This is our brand new 21 cubic foot upright freezer! Now, I'm sure most everyone else could care less, but I love it. And better yet, we got an amazing deal! It was marked down as a scratch and dent model. You can hardly tell and this is for our garage anyway, so who cares!! We pointed out a bunch of dents and asked for another $50 off. The same model new is $650 and we got this for $450!!!

I have so much room and no more digger through the chest freezer to find something! I've frozen a lot of stuff garden to cook with this winter. Yep, 9 gallons of tomatoes, 8 quarts of rhubarb, 9 quarts if zucchini, just to name a few things!

I love my new appliance!!

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Injured, Part 3: Why everything sucks (right now)

2010-08-12T23:21:00.017-04:00

See previous posts in my saga at:
Part 1
Part 2

This post is several weeks late. Why? Well, I've been busy with my more than full time job, taking a masters class, and teaching an undergrad class. Oh, and the more I think about it, the more sad I get. You know how they say writing makes you feel better because you get it all out? Not so much for me.

So, the verdict is in. No running. For at least 3 months.

Ticked. Pissed. Upset. Sad. Depressed. Let the countdown begin!!

That about sums it up in a few words. I was expecting the news, but at the same time, it was still shocking to hear. Going from 35 miles per week to 0 miles per week for the last month and a half has been horrible. Another two more months takes my breath away. Literally.

The good news is that there is no stress fracture. The bad news is that I'm still injured. While there are several things the MRI turned up and we'll watch, the biggest issue is tendinosis of the hamstring. Basically, I have a torn, battered, and barely hanging on hamstring in my left leg likely brought on by overuse. Tendinosis is very different from tendinitis. Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendon and it is easily treatable with a few days or weeks of rest. However, tendinosis is actually damage to the tendon to the point where it cannot heal itself. While I am usually not a fan of Wikipedia, the difference between tendinosis and tendinitis is explained well in layman's terms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tendinosis. There was some concern over torn cartilage where my femur bone comes into my hip bone, but after seeing another specialist, he is not worried about it right now. I am not having any pain or symptoms from that, so it's just something to keep an eye on over time. But the hamstring issue is still a big issue.

I take pain pretty well - I don't complain much and tend to run through it. No pain, no gain. Right?? But, then there's just some pain you know is bad...very bad. And, you can't run because it is so painful. That's where I am. And it sucks. Besides no running, I also am banned from swimming, speed walking, etc., while the tendon heals and regenerates. So, I'm pretty much a bump on a log this summer. Right now, I am going twice per week for microcurrent and ART therapy to hopefully heal the tendon faster.

We'll see. Currently, it is looking like the next time I can run will be in late September or early October. Thankfully, I had no big races planned for the fall. I've been riding the exercise bike about 4-5 days per week and weight training (arms and abs) about 3 days per week. But, I've lost most of my fitness at this point and am pretty much going to have to start over from scratch. I just keep thinking about how frustrated I am right now and how even when I get out to run how it is going to be slow going and frustrating on a whole different level. And that assuming it all heals without any issues.

(I feel like instead of filing these posts under running, it should be under lack of running...)

3 Birthdays, 1 Weekend

2010-08-02T20:15:00.003-04:00

What do you do when you can't run and have a weekend free of races? Visit the family and eat cake, lots of cake.

We visited Todd's family in Iowa this past weekend to celebrate our niece's 4th birthday (a few weeks early). Todd's brother and grandmother also had birthdays this weekend. So, we did a lot of family meals and had every kind of cake possible. It was all good. Especially all the icing.

My grandma only lives 30 mins away, so I spent all Saturday afternoon with her. She was in the hospital last week and is now on oxygen. It was hard for me to see her labor in breath so much. So, hopefully she will get used to the oxygen even though she doesn't like it.

For the rest of the weekend, we had a great time playing with our nieces and nephews. Swimming, basketball, coloring, and all the other fun stuff. It is always relaxing to just play for awhile. When I was visiting my grandma, Todd went shopping for our niece's birthday gift. It was rather comical. First, Todd sent me a text asking if a 4-year-old could have a goldfish and tank. Then, he sent me a text saying that he bought her a dress instead. I about fell out of my chair laughing. I later found out that it really wasn't a dress, but a short set. It actually wasn't too bad, but definitely not a dress. I asked him if he got a gift bag, but he said it was already wrapped - because his mom wrapped it for him. LOL

Just in case, I stopped and bought he some school/art supplies I knew she would like, including a princess pencil bag. An "aunt" gift. It was a huge hit. She carried it around as a purse all weekend and slept with it. Too cute!

The weekend was not incident free. After a family lunch with Todd's grandma in the nursing home for her birthday, we didn't have any water to wipe our niece's face, which was covered in icing. Todd, in his infinite wisdom, decided to moisten a napkin with milk to get all the icing off. It was rather funny. Hopefully she didn't spell like spoiled milk later on. I also inadvertantly gave my niece a fat bloody lip. She ran into me while running around and fell on the wood floor before I could catch her. I felt awful, especially when I saw the blood mix with tears! But, she was fine and it appeared to be nothing serious. Phew! These are just a few of the incidents that happened. Thankfully kids are resilient!!

YouTube Video

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Injured, Part 2: Why MRIs suck

2010-07-30T10:55:00.001-04:00

In order to figure out my injury, I was sent for a MRI. Of course, to get it approved by insurance, I had to get x-rays first. I'm all for preventing unnecessary medical tests and procedures. But, at the same time, everyone knew the required x-rays would not show a stress fracture or any other soft tissue injury the were expecting. So useless!

I've never had a MRI before and I wouldn't wish one on anyone. I had no clue what to expect and found out about the test only 18 hours ahead of time, so wasn't able to research much. Anyway, I arrived and the techs tried to stuff me in a tight tube as soon as I walked in the door. I made them stop and explain everything to me. I don't think many people ask questions, so they were quick to answer. But I was persistent. You need to know what they are going to do, right?
Having a leg injury, I wanted to know they were taking images of the correct leg!!

Anyway, I had a scan if my pelvis and lower back area. I spent 30 minutes in the tube for the first scan. Not too bad - they gave me music, had my bad leg propped up, and I was positioned so my head was slightly out if the long tube. I definitely felt less claustrophobic that way.

They pulled me out to reposition me for the second scan. That was a disaster! I had a lot of pressure on my back, so it was sheer pain. I got very hot and I was having a hard time staying still. I started freaking out at the end. I was thankful to be pulled out, but learned I would have to go back in for a few more images! At that point I was in so much pain, I started tearing up. The tech put some props under me to take the pressure off my back. When it was over, I was covered in sweat and so happy to be done!

I was happy to get the test done to know exact what problems exist, but MRIs suck!

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New Truck!

2010-07-25T00:00:00.002-04:00

Todd got a new truck...finally! He's been talking about getting a truck for about two years now. We finally pulled the trigger once we found out he got tenure. It was like a little present to himself! I don't mind at all because I love the new truck - a 2010 Honda Ridgeline. The reason I love it so much is that the CR-V was so uncomfortable to ride in. I got carsick every time we sent somewhere, and it wasn't only me. Other passengers complained when riding in the car. Also, with the truck, the dogs will be able to ride along with us without being physically in the car. This means no dog stench or dog hair in the car. I had to prep people for riding in the car. It was not pretty, nor did it smell pretty. The dogs will ride in dog boxes in the back of the truck. That deserves a whole other post, but the dog boxes are popular among hunters as a way to haul dogs without having a truck topper. Some people call the Ridgeline a girly truck because of how it looks. All I know is that is rides awesome and I will take my heated leather seats in the girly truck over the uncomfortable bench seat of every other truck out there!

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Heat Wave

2010-07-16T13:40:00.002-04:00

It's hot. While I hate working in a job that keeps me inside all day everyday, this heat is too much. I'm thankful for AC.

When it's this hot we carefully watch the dogs to make sure they don't overheat. They are outside almost daily for a major part of the day, but on days like this, we let them come in and take a break from the heat. Also they have their own kiddie pool and about five water bowls. Oh, and a cool spot dug out in trench-like fashion under our back deck against the foundation of the house. Yes, that is not an approved method but what can you do? It gets dug out again as soon as we fill it in.

I was out in our front yard with the dogs and Lucy found a cool spot next to some new landscaping. Good thing I rank her as one of the best dogs ever because she should not be in the bushes. LOL

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Injured, Part 1: Why injuries suck...

2010-07-16T10:18:00.001-04:00

So, long time no post. This summer has been a little busier than I thought. Unfortunately, I was hoping for a nice relaxing summer, but no such luck. Between my more than full-time job, taking a grad class, and teaching an undergrad class, I spend about 18 hours per day in front of my computer. It sucks. My only relief from the glaring computer screen is running. My one true passion, hobby, and stress reliever in life. I am not super competitive, except against myself. But, I like to think I am a decent runner. Over the years I have been slowly chipping away at my race times and that makes me happy. However, in the midst of my summer madness, my running has come to a complete halt and I am bummed more than words can express.

After my crazy spring running adventures, I took a few weeks off from really running. I ran a couple of short runs here and there, kept up my weight lifting routine, and generally took it easy the other days. This worked out well as I was at the end of taking a grad class and needed to focus on the final project anyway. After that ended, I started to ramp back up for the July half in California I had signed up for. I was so excited about the Napa-to-Sonoma Half. It was going to be my first destination race. I was excited to see that part of the country. Also, the hubby is a huge wine freak, so I thought this would be a great way for him to enjoy the trip, too. A definite win-win for both of us. Then, about a month before the race, I ran my worst 10-miler ever. Seriously. I cannot describe that run other than it was hot, I was dehydrated at the end despite water stops every 2 miles, and I was way off pace. So far off I can't even look at my Nike+ stats for that day without gasping at the disaster that it was. I chalked it up to a bad day. It was the hottest run I've done in years and every runner has bad days. However, the next day I woke up and could barely walk. The shooting pain down the back of my leg was horrid. I had never felt that much pain before.

I remember trying to get out of bed and wonder if I would be able to walk to the bathroom. At first I thought I slept on it wrong, but as the day went on, I knew it was something more with my left leg. I tried a short 3 mile run thinking it was just a tight muscle and circled back home after 2 miles. I was in pain. I got right in to see my favorite sports doc at Bloomington Sports and Wellness. Seriously, Dr. M has healed my aches, pains, and knee ailments for years. He knows I am a freak about running and always gets me back into shape quickly. After I saw him one time, he restricted my running immediately. Yep, injuried. Definitely injured. I saw him several more times each week still with no running. After much rest and me going crazy, he finally said I could rest two more days and then go for a test run. Nothing crazy, maybe a 5k, and let him know how it goes. He had done ART on my for several sessions, I was having no pain, and I was hoping to get back out there and run!

To say it went bad is an understatement. I left my house and actually felt pretty good for the first half mile. Then it all hit at one. Pain shooting down the back of my leg. At this point, I was a week out from the half in California. When I first went in for treatment, I still had a goal to run the race. After a couple of sessions, I let myself think I would be able to run-walk the race since my training time had been cut short. After this trial run, I came home in tears. I cried all day as I realized I would not be able to do this race. We had everything arranged, plane tickets, hotels in two cities, rental car, race day prep, and excursions all lined up. We even knew another couple from Bloomington running the race and planned to meet up with them for dinner and winery tours post-race. I was so excited for this break from life and a chance to do my first destination run. We had decided to make a vacation out of the trip no matter what happened with my leg injury. However, I immediately knew we would have to re-arrange our trip because I wasn't sure I could handle being near the race that I had registered for without being able to run. I wanted to cheer on our friends, but at the same time I knew I would not be in a good state of mind. I don't mind spectating races, but spectating a race you were prepared to run is a whole different story.

After much discussion and crunching of numbers, we decided it wouldn't be the fun trip we had hoped for and decided to cancel. Why not save the money for something that would be a fun time. We were able to cancel everything with no penalty, except for the plane tickets. But, we have a year to use them after paying the change fee, so it isn't a total loss. I was also able to sell my race registration to a pretty cool guy. After I posted on the race Facebook page, I had like a dozen people email me about buying my entry. I ended up selling it to a guy who was buying it for his wife to run. They are both runners and are also opening up a winery. They have the coolest business model in that all profits they make are donated to charity. How amazing are they?? Anyway, we went back and forth several times even after we transferred the money/registration around. He said I should stop in to them if we are out in the area soon. So, my shameless plug for a super nice guy: Be sure to check out the website and wine of Bruliam Wines. Not only are they really cool people, but their website is awesome and I love their catch phrase.

Anyway, I digress. After going back to the doc after the horrid run, he took one look at me and sent me to have a MRI done. He wouldn't treat me and sat me down with the bad news, a possible stress fracture. While I pray it is not this and not some other serious injury, I was not surprised to hear this. I had done enough googling to know it was a definite possibility. The doc, not meaning to be funny, mentioned that he knew my body and it was not responding to treatment. It's true, though. I've been seeing him for about 5 years and I trust what he is telling me about my injuries. So, he arranged for an MRI of my sacrum, SI joint, and bottom discs of my spine. Something is going on in that area of my body. After the horrid trial run, my pain has been persistent and the shooting pains are happening more often. So, he wanted to get a good look at the whole region.

So, after the short version of the long back story, I circle back to why injuries suck. I run an average of 30 miles per week. Lately, I've run 3 miles in 4 weeks. Yep. Let's just say I have been really down or really on edge. Recall, this is my stress relief and my stress levels have been high this summer! On top of that, I have missed all of the local 5ks in our race series, and instead of being in California to run the half I have been looking forward to since I registered 9 months ago, I sit at home typing this blog waiting for the results of my MRI (blog on that to come later). The other thing that really has me down is that all my friends are pretty much runners. July 5th was the start of training for fall races for most everyone. So, everyone is busy training, making running dates with friends, and blogging out how great their training is going. I love hearing about all this and I love supporting them in their efforts, but not being able to participate really gets me down. At this point, I still don't know what exactly is wrong or when I'll be able to run again, so I trying to stay upbeat is becoming more difficult. I am hoping the tests will show something so that I can develop a treatment plan with the docs and move ahead. That is the one thing that is helping me get through right now.

4th Fun

2010-07-15T11:22:00.001-04:00

Somehow I took no pictures on July 4th. Probably because we celebrated on the 3rd. That was the night of our local fireworks, so we had some neighbors and friends over for a cookout. There were 15 of us, including 6 boys under age 5. It was hot out, so we actually spent more time inside than out. We hauled out the Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head and turned our Jinga game into building blocks. Yep, those are the only kid toys we own!

When it got dark, we headed out to catch the fireworks show. It was definitely not that great, especially compared to previous years. I'm assuming the budget was low this year, which is understandable.

In general it was a nice day to relax after the walk and parade in the morning. We didn't do anything on the 4th except finally mulch our flower beds, which badly needed to be done!! It was nice to have an extra day to catch up. Between working, teaching part time, and taking a class, it was much needed!!

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View from the back

2010-07-08T23:15:00.001-04:00

Back of the pack, that is. I haven't had much time to blog, but I also haven't been training much. Much might actually be too generous. I haven't been training at all. An injury to my leg has totally sidelined me, two weeks before a major race. Not only was I behind in training due to my schedule and the weather, this added a major wrinkle. I haven't run at all and have been going to the sports doctor every few days to have it checked out and "worked" on. He isn't sure exactly what the problem is and feels I have several contributing factors. He suggested I not run, so I haven't even set my feet to the pavement for over a week now. It has been hard for me to follow the doctor's orders, but I have been seeing him for years and he really knows best when it comes to telling me to stop, take it easy, or go full steam ahead. So, instead of running, I have been doing some walking.

I had already signed up for a local 5k race over the 4th of July weekend. In addition to no running, he suggested I not speed walk, swim, or pretty much do anything that would use my legs. Since I pre-registered, I decided to go, take my dog, and walk at a very slow casual pace. The morning was great - overcast and cooler. Perfect for a summer run! To say I was jealous of the runners is an understatement. It took everything in my body to keep me from running. A lot of runners got PRs as the course is one of the flatter ones in the area.

I started at the back of the crowd with Lucy. We took off rather slow and took our time on the course. I think it took about 18 minutes to walk the first mile. The whole time I kept thinking about what I would be doing if I were able to run. To keep my mind from wandering to running, I started trying to talk to the walkers around me. I definitely had some interesting observations from the morning:

Most of the walkers were new to walking a 5k. I passed several discussing the actual mileage of a 5k. I reminded one couple it equals 3.1 mile.
Many of the walkers were shocked to hear it took them 18 minutes to walk the first mile. I guess they thought the race was about half over, and then they realized they still had several miles to go.
Most of the walkers go from conversation to conversation. No one seems to care if you join in a conversation as you are passing by. I talked to several different people for just a few minutes as I passed them or they passed me. This is different than runners. During a race, runners don't talk to each other. Instead, runners focus on their race at hand and think about things like pace, hydration, strategy for getting a PR, etc. There isn't a lot of back and forth with those around you.
Lots of walkers bring their kids. This is totally cool and I would do the same thing, but if your kid isn't happy and you are walking, 3.1 miles is a long time! There was one little girl who screamed for 2.5 miles. It was loud, she was unhappy, and there was nothing her mom could do but keep going until the end. It was funny because everyone kept commenting on how she was STILL crying as they passed her after the turn-around point. I never understood why some events included a 1-mile family fun walk. I now completely understand the need for this event category.
Walkers do not really cheer for runners. I was yelling for a few of my friends as I watched them pass me. Some were doing really well and I wanted to show my support. The walkers around me looked at me like I was crazy when I called out to the runners. I don't think they really know how to encourage the racers.

I noticed a few other things along the way. In general, the race was good and I am glad I went. It was a nice way to enjoy the morning and see some good friends. However, I am hopeful the next time will be to run a running race (in the words of Sam Clarke).

Patio Construction

2010-06-25T22:28:00.000-04:00

So, we've needed a new patio since we moved into our house 5 years ago. We're finally getting a new one this summer. Long story, but getting this done has been a process. We had the estimate done in April thinking the work would happen in May. Well, the last week of June it is finally happening. However, not without issues getting what we want. The patio will be flagstone, but I wanted brick. I'm a fan of matching things in design and the firepit we had installed will not match the patio stone. Yeah, another long story I won't go into here. Ask me some other time. The patio was laid today but the company does not have the sealer to put over it. It won't come in until next Wednesday. Nice. One would think a contractor would have all supplies on hand to do a job. We planned to be gone with our dogs after the sealer was applied so it would dry for 2 days. Now? Well, I'm really not sure how we are going to keep the dogs off the half-done patio, keep it dry, and them keep them off for another 2 days after it is applied. That involves a whole week if making alternative arrangements. Yeah, super mad. Let's just say this is how the whole job has gone. I will never use this company again. It's my own fault. I had a bad feeling from the start and got the name of another good company. I never called the second company. Stupid me.

At any rate, here are some pics of the process:

Old patio is gone.

Leveling out for flagstone.

New firepit. I love having fires and with the cost of adding this, we will be using it lots!!!

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Sneaky Dogs

2010-06-25T21:46:00.001-04:00

Due to some work being done on our house and the extreme heat, the dogs were in the house for a few hours Friday. Todd was home most of the day, but had to leave for a few hours. The dogs have a crock full of at least a dozen toys, but Todd got them out a new one to keep them busy and from destroying the house. We keep a stash for them in a bench in our entryway.

Apparently, they decided to find some other activities to keep them busy...

Here is the bench as Todd found it upon his return home. I am guessing Murphy was able to use his nose to lift up...

After opening the bench, they (I'm assuming both dogs participated in this part) hauled toys all over the house with tags and all.

Who, us?? We are innocent! It is hard to be mad at them, especially since they didn't do anything too horrible. Such sneaky dogs!

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Thin Skin

2010-06-23T23:00:00.001-04:00

So, I apparently have thin skin. For the third time in a row, I've had skin ripped off when getting my eyebrows waxed. This has never been a problem before?!?! I was told certain make-up and face creams can cause the skin in this area to thin. Not sure if that is true or not, but I don't wear make-up and only use Aveeno face lotion. So, that can't be it. Either way, it is super noticible!! People at work kept asking what happened to my eye. Between that and the Neosporin I keep slathering on to prevent scabs, I'm sure people must think I am a freak! I hope it heals fast!!!!

Running note: I have a feeling this is a running related injury. I'm serious!! I think when I sweat while running, I wipe my eyes and forehead so much that I have irritated my skin. Thus, the skin is sensitive, and is coming off with the wax. Yuck!

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Storm Watcher

2010-06-23T22:29:00.000-04:00

This is my neighbor's house before a bad storm last week. I snapped this picture with my iPhone. The quality isn't great, but it definitely captures the amazing clouds and straightline winds. We only lost the grill, which was lifted off the deck by the wind.

I sent this picture to my neighbor. We are both on Twitter and this made it around quickly. Eventually it got to Jim Cantore at The Weather Channel. They had the picture on TV the next morning. How cool is that? We were both already at work and didn't have a chance to set the DVR. But, I do feel like a certified storm watcher now!

Running note: Right before the storm hit, I saw a woman out running. I don't think she made it home in time. Hopefully she learned to always check the weather before heading out!!

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The importance of the ponytail

2010-06-02T23:37:00.001-04:00

Maybe it is just me, but I feel like every female runner knows the importance of the ponytail. It is pretty much required to survive training and racing, right? Who wants to have hair flying all over the place or flapping in your face while running? Definitely not me. And that is where this story/rant begins.

I hate having any hair in my face while running, working out, or playing any sport. It is one of my pet peeves. The other pet peeve is little short pieces of hair sticking to the back of my sweaty neck and making me itchy. I hate it! Every time I go to get my haircut, I give my hairdresser the same story, which is pretty much along these lines: When you are done, my hair must fit in a ponytail. If that means erring on the side of leaving it too long, so be it. Seriously, I am not going lie, I say it every time. So why is it that my hair is too short every time I leave the salon?!?!? Literally, every time. I either get a bunch of hair falling all over the place because the hair dresser decided to add new layers, or they left me a nub of a ponytail. Ummm, a nub that doesn't stay in place and is too small to really wrap a ponytail holder around is not a ponytail! This happens to me EVERY time. What about my very direct above statement is there not to understand??

I've thought about this over the years. I generally wear my hair medium length. It looks better short, but I have to have a ponytail, so I keep it longer for that reason alone. I think I have come to the conclusion that the hair dresser knows my hair looks better short and wants me to leave the salon with a great style showing of her great talent. But, I do not want style, I want functional. Functional is the most important part of running, whether it be the hair or the running gear. It may look cute, but if it doesn't get the job done, then who wants it? Cute shorts that chafe? No thank you! Shoes that cause blisters? No way! Hair that is uncontrollable while racing? Never!

I see lots of girls with shorter hair running and I admire then for being able to run without the ponytail. I can't do it and I imagine most other female (or males with longer hair) can do it since I see so many ponytails along the course. So, here I sit, waiting for my hair to grow out from the nub to the official ponytail yet again. I've got my headband in to keep the loose pieces from flying everywhere. At least I am not holding hair down with bobby pins and my running ear band like last winter. That was a disaster! Here's hoping my next cut is better and my hair dresser will actually do what I ask (and pay) for...

As a side, I have switched hair dressers several times and it always turns out the same - shorter than I asked for. No, 1/4 inch does not mean 1/2 inch. Ugh! The good news is one of my favorite old hair dressers is back in action locally, so I am going back to her next time around.

Running Shoes Retired

2010-05-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

I retired my running shoes from this spring today. It was sad to see them go on many levels...

I am making room for a new pair already purchased and another new pair on the way. All of them - retired, new, and in transit - are Asics Gel Nimbus 11. I love, love, love the Nimbus 11. I think I am on pair #4 at the very least. The shoe is light (they have decreased the weight over previous versions), very cushioned (I am all about a soft shoe), and they work well for people with high arches (me! me!). So, I have been buying them over the years. I think I started with the Nimbus 9, went to the 10, but the 11 is my favorite so far. I figured I would be in love with the 12 after all my experiences. I ran out to get them the first week they were available, but returned them after wearing them around the house for an hour last month. Awful. I hated the fit. The shoe seems longer and narrower. I always wear a 9.5B in Asics. I have for the last 5 years without any deviation. Since the Nimbus 12 had such a different fit, I ended up trying a couple of different sizes and widths, but it just didn't fit right. So, in my psycho addiction to the Nimbus 11, I ran out to buy a pair and then decided today I should order a backup pair to my new pair. Yes, I am a little crazy about a shoe once I find one I like. I had to scour the web to find a Nimbus 11 in my size as they are now discontinued and out of stock many places. Sniff. Sniff. But, I found a pair. Ironically, from my favorite running shop in Illinois - Body N' Sole in Champaign. I didn't even think to check their site, but it came up in my google search. Awesome! It is a great locally owned business if you are ever in the area. Great store, great people, and good prices. It definitely was not in the color I wanted (pink - bleh!), but in running, the shoe is more important than the look. As my dad used to say, it is not a fashion show out there. True. Very true. Anyway, I ordered the shoe at 6pm tonight and got an email at 7:30pm that the shoes had already shipped with a UPS tracking number. (And that is why they are such a great store!) I took my new pair for a test run tonight to break them in. A very quick 3-miler before class. It was so hot out there. It's that time of year where you have to peel off your running clothes when you are done. Yep. Gross.

I am also saying goodbye to the shoes that made it through three half marathons, a marathon relay, and a couple of 5ks. Not to mention all the training involved. They were great in the snow, on the ice (with my yak tracks hooked on), and in the rain (including the downpour of the IU Mini). My estimate is that I covered about 405 miles in about 4 months in this shoes, maybe more. Definitely my constant companion! They also helped me get a half marathon PR and my 5k PR. But alas, these shoes were worn beyond their years. I don't think I have ever let a pair get so broken down and also continue to run in them. For some reason, I know I need a new pair of shoes whenever I start getting knee pain after running. I've had that pain for a couple of weeks now, but haven't wanted to give these guys up. (Well, honestly, I haven't wanted to wear my new ones out in all of this rain and crappy weather.)

I shipped them off today to the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe Program. They recycle old shoes (any brand) into surface material for tracks and playgrounds, as well as use some of the materials in their clothing line. Yes, I do realize that Nike is making money off my old shoes. But, they were way too worn out for a shoe donation program. I wanted to recycle them and Nike offers that type of program. I would much rather they do good with the shoes (money or otherwise) over having them sit in a landfill taking decades to break down. Runner's World did an amazing article called The Runner's Footprint a few years ago. It talks all about the impact of running shoes and the sport of running on the environment. It is definitely a bigger imprint than I thought. So, until there is a more sustainable shoe that I like, I either donate or recycle every pair of old shoes.

Goodbye to my old running companion. Thankfully, I have a couple more of the same to keep me going!

5k PR!!

2010-05-23T23:04:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday I ran in a 5k. This race was significant for a couple reasons. First, this is the first short race I have done in a very long time. Second, this is the first Mag 7 race (local race series) I have done this year. I have missed so many this spring!

This was a new race in town - The Firefighter 5k. It started and ended at the downtown firestation. It was an out and back course that included a water stop at another firestation. Minus the fact that the course was super hilly, it was a great race. Definitely well organized and very fun hanging out at the station.

The morning was overcast with temps in the upper 60s. Good for running except it was rather humid. I ran near a girl I know. I tried to beat her but she had a better kick at the end and beat me by a second! Ugh! I am not good at sprinting at the end of a race. I finished in 24:58. This is my new 5k PR time as far as I can tell from some of my old race times (still trying to complete my whole list)!! Finally, but barely, in the 24's!! This is good for me, although I am not sure I can sustain that especially in the summer races. I am not good at running in the heat at all. I just don't adjust well to the humidity and have a hard time catching my breath when the air is so think.

Normally, a race that good would get me points in the Mag 7 race series. But the competition was tough, especially in my age group! I didn't get any points, but the turnout was huge, which is great for the series.

It is definitely hard to go from longer runs to shorter runs. My legs are used to trying to pace myself over longer runs.

My friend Andrea and I post-race.

Chasing after my friend Mandy's son post-race.

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Lily pics

2010-05-18T23:43:00.002-04:00

I took a break from running any races to watch my sweet niece, Lily, at 1 month old. I was her first babysitter over the weekend while her mommy and daddy went to a Cubs game! She was an angel the entire time!

She ate, had a blowout diaper with clothes change, and then slept for 2.5 hours. Not too bad for her first sitter! :)

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Fanatic #421

2010-05-13T17:12:00.000-04:00

That's me! Fanatic #421! I am not sure how, but I somehow stumbled upon the coolest group every - Half Fanatics! Half Fanatics is a group for those of us that are half-marathon crazy. I consider myself one of those people. I don't have huge issues training or running in a half marathon. I can do multiple ones in a short period of time and I enjoy running them. Now, marathons are a different story. I have a slight interest until I start thinking about the time committment and the toll on my body. Then I quickly lose interest and figure out the next half to sign-up for.

Anyway, to be a part of this group, you have to qualify. They have several different categories for qualification. After doing some research, I realized I met the minimum criteria to get in and applied for approval. Minimum or not, who cares - they accepted me. I'm in and it is still cool! I got in by doing 3 half marathons in 36 days. I also had some other races in there that didn't count, too. I'm not gonna lie, the races were hard and I was tired by the end of that period. But, getting into the Half Fanatics kind of makes the effort a little more worth it! So, #421 it is!

Indy Mini Race Report

2010-05-12T23:26:00.005-04:00

Best.Race.Ever.

I went into the Indy Mini this past weekend with no expectations. My friend Mandy and I both signed up for the race and wanted to finish in under 2 hours. Since this was my fourth distance event in six weeks, I was tired. Dead tired. I had yet to meet my goal of under 2, but after the long week of work, school, and other things, my legs were feeling like heavy lead and I was just wanted to be done. In fact, the whole way up to Indy the morning before the race I yawned and complained about being tired. So, at that point, I set my goal to just finish with a decent time.

I couldn't sleep the night before the race, which is unusual for me. I had even taken some Tylenol PM to help me sleep, but it didn't work. I tossed and turned until about 2am and was up again at 4am thinking it was time to go. It was a little early to start getting ready so I laid in bed for another hour and got up around 5am. I did my normal pre-race prep and because it was cold, even took a hot shower to warm up. We headed up to Indy and battled the traffic trying to park downtown. It would be helpful to have police directing traffic, especially considering all the people who have no clue where they are going, which makes things even worse. Thankfully, we decided to preserve and parked in the garage near the post-race party. With less than 30 minutes to start time, we hit up a local hotel to use the facilities, stretched for 2 mins (yes, I know this was not good, but we were running super late!), and made our way to our corral. Thankfully we had both submitted other race times and qualified for a seeded corral. We were in E, pretty much behind the elite people. It was nice to be up front because when the race started it only took us a minute or two to get to the actual start line and we had to waste very little energy weaving around people. In years past, before I had a seeded spot, I was all the way back and it would take 10-15 minutes just to get up to the start line. So annoying!!

Once we got going, Mandy made sure I didn't start off too fast (definitely a problem in the last race). We ran together for the first couple of miles. The weather was very cool (somewhere in the 40s) and overcast with gusts of wind up to 30mph. Minus the wind it was actually ideal running conditions. I was actually feeling pretty good and avoided the wind by staying in the middle of the pack, so I ran ahead a bit and then we split up around mile 4. I was cruising along until somewhere around mile 5 when all of the sudden I ate cement. Yes, I was running along, taking everything in, checking out the signs for the upcoming water station, and keeping my pace when all of the sudden I was on the ground. I apparently hit an uneven piece of concrete that I didn't notice and went airborne before landing on my left hip and skidding across the road. I don't know how, but I was not seriously injured in the fall, nor did anyone trip over or trample me. I also don't know how long I was down, but it wasn't long. Before I knew what was happening, someone had reached down, picked me up off the ground, and set me on my feet. He asked if I was okay and I was able to nod before he took off down the road. To the guy in the red shirt who pulled me off the group, THANK YOU! I don't know who you are, but you definitely helped a klutzy runner girl out! As I started jogging again, I could feel a lot of pain in my left hip. Since I could see the water station ahead, I decided to jog to that, get some water, and walk through the station to see how I was feeling.

I decided that I felt okay and would just keep going at that point. I was definitely banged up, but the pain seemed to subside as I kept on running. Miles 6-9 include 2.5 miles around the Indy 500 Speedway. Normally this is the worst part of the course for me. When the sun is out, it is like all of the heat is trapped in the cement in metal the racetrack is made of. In the past, I have always crashed about this point because the heat would do me in. This year, the weather conditions were great and I had no problems. In fact, I think I ran a couple of my fastest miles on the track. I didn't even feel like I had done the whole track, but before i knew it, we were back on the streets of Indy.

Miles 10-11 are pretty boring as you run back toward downtown through a lot of run down areas. Things start to pick back up around mile 12 as more friends and family line the track to cheer on the runners. This is probably my favorite part of the course because there is actually some crowd support (very little support on other areas of the race) and you head back through the IUPUI campus and downtown, which is a lot prettier than most of the other parts of the course.

All along, I knew I was keeping a pretty good pace. I wasn't able to start my Nike+ on time as we crossed the start line and I wasn't sure how long it took us to get from our corral to the start. So, at each mile I looked at the race clock and tried to estimate my mile splits as a way to stay on track knowing the actual time was not really correct for me. While I was running on the track around mile 8, I knew I was on target to finish under 2 hours if I could keep my current pace. So, I kept reminding myself to run my race and not worry about the others around me. As I got to miles 11 and 12, I started to get a little tired, so I walked through the water station at 11 to give myself a little rest. At that point, I knew I had 20 minutes to complete the mini, so a few seconds of walking wasn't going to set me back too much.

When I hit mile 12, I knew I had at least 10 minutes to complete the last 1.1 miles, but I was getting pretty tired. Worry started to take over, but I just tried to keep my pace and a positive attitude. I saw the signs as I ran along showing there was 3/4, then 1/2, and finally 1/4 of a mile left. But, I couldn't see the finish line. I was so confused. I finally got to the finish and my only clue it was the finish were the people ahead of me who abruptly stopped and started walking. As it turns out, the wind blew down the finish line banner and metal scaffolding the night before, so they did not put it back up for safety reasons. Makes perfect sense, but it was very confusing and this is my 4th Indy Mini. I am sure all the newbies were really confused. Anyway, I was so concentrated on figuring out what was happening at the finish that I missed seeing the clock as I crossed over the sensors on the ground. As soon as my feet crossed the last sensor, I hit my Nike+ and heard a time around 1:55. I figured that couldn't be right because I started it late and my previous best was just over 1:57 and I didn't think I could run anything faster than that.

After collecting my medal and grabbing some food and water, I headed into the post-race party to meet up with Mandy and others at our designated spot. I couldn't find the tent we were to meet at and ended up stumbling upon one of the official race tents. I decided to stand in line and get my official time. I got to the table and the guy entered by bib number and printed out a label with my time. I took one look and about freaked. 1:54:46, an 8:46/mile pace. Holy crap! I could not believe I my time. I made sure it said my name and bib number and it was all there. I was literally walking on clouds. I had beat my personal best half marathon time by 3 minutes. Saying I was pumped is an understatement. I don't know that I will ever repeat a time this good in my life, but coming in this much under the 2-hour mark, is a huge accomplishment for me. I am not the fastest runner, but I do try to train well and eat well (minus all the candy I somehow inhale between the salads I eat). I will definitely remember this race forever!

After I came down off my high, I finally found our meet-up tent, but none of my people were there. I waited a few minutes and still no one. I decided to walk around a bit and come back. I did that and waited some more, but no friends! I was starting to get nervous, so I decided to head back to the car just in case. I had the key and new the parking spot, so I figured it couldn't hurt. Plus, I was freezing!! I had run with a long sleeve shirt I later tied around my waist. I put that on and had a pair of gloves I had worn at the start. Thank good because it was freezing and the wind was gusting! I grabbed my pants, fleece, and phone from the car. After a few texts with Mandy, we decided that we must have missed each other by literally a minute. Ugh! But, I was able to grab some clothes for her and go back to meet her at our spot. We didn't stay long at the party. I would have loved to walk around and explore everything, but it was so freaking cold! Unreal! We headed back to the car which was parked about as close to the finish as possible (thankfully) and headed home to take a nice hot shower (yes, I know this is like the worst thing you can do post-race, but it was freezing!).

Mandy and I post-race (yes, I was lame and refused to take off my warm clothes for a photo).

My usual list of observations:

The Indy Mini course is not that great. There is not much crowd support except at the very beginning and the very end. Also, there is no crowd allowed on the track and they substitute with local high school cheerleaders. A nice touch, but not the same as the average crowd support.
I feel like there was a lot of Gu at this race. They were everywhere and I had to dodge them to avoid getting the bottom of my shoes all sticky! While I was unable to avoid the uneven concrete, I was apparently able to avoid a zillion packets of Gu. It just seems like more than any other race I ran this year. Personally, I hate the stuff. I've tried it all, including a package of sport beans during a race without any practice runs with them. Yeah, that did not turn out well.
There were lots of people running in just a t-shirt and shorts. While this would not normally be an issue, I cannot imagine running in anything other than technical running gear. I probably have more tech gear than anything else. I could never run in a plain old cotton t-shirt that doesn't breathe and weighs 5-lbs after only slightly sweating.
The post-race food at the Indy Mini is crappy! I've been to a lot of races and some 5Ks have better post race food than this. I understand they have a lot of people to feed, but a banana and a cookie after 13 miles is not much. The Illinois mini had bagels, pasta, pizza, candy, pretzels, cookies, rolls, etc. It was a ton of food and it was all yummy! Not so much for the Indy Mini. (Yes, if you serve candy at your race, I will be there because that is how I roll.)
On the other hand, I will admit the Indy Mini has the best water stations. They are very organized, well marked, and there are lot of them along the course. That is much appreciated and probably more important than the post-race food.
Running towards the front of the pack coming from a good corral seeding is much different than running from the back of the pack. First of all, these runners are semi-serious. No one really stops to walk. No one is goofing around. These are the people who trained and who have run a few minis, so they are focused on doing well. The back of the pack is more like a party. People dressed up in crazy costumes, people running with groups, people yelling and cheering each other on, and people stopping to walk all over the place. It is just a huge difference, not good or bad, just different.
That said, being at the front and not having to dodge people is worth its weight in gold. Seeded corrals rock!!
And my last observation is that a lot of people have throw-away shirts. It was crazy how many shirts were flying all around me for the first two miles! People were wearing them to stay warm at the start and then used them until they warmed up after a couple of miles. At that point, the shirt was taken off and ditched along the road. I think someone comes through to collect all of this and donate it to charity. But still, it is crazy! I cannot just throw clothes aside like that. It just isn't me. I had a running shirt that is lightweight and ties around my waist very easily, so I often wear that to stay warm. The funny thing is I'm sure all of those people were wanting their throw-away shirts back after the race.

I should probably end my mega long post. Bottom line, at this point in my running career, this is the best race of my life. (Side note: Does a non-competitive runner have a running career? That may need a whole separate post.) I could not believe my time. I still can't. I think I am definitely a cold weather runner. I cannot take the heat, it just kills me. I think this means I should only sign-up for fall halfs or something. Also, the cooler temps and my attempt at better hydration seemed to work. I had minimal cramping and was able to run through it all. Thank goodness, because it helped me complete my Best.Race.Ever. Now I am resting. Four distance events in six weeks was a little much. I am up for some fun running and 5K races instead!

Illinois Half Marathon Race Report

2010-05-08T19:46:00.003-04:00

Better late than never, I am finally getting up my post for the Illinois Half last Saturday, 5/1/2010. This is one of my favorite races. I haven't done that many, but of the ones I have done, this is by far the most fun because of the fabulous crowd support. Minus a few spots on the course, the streets are lined the entire way. It makes the race so much more exciting to have people cheering the entire way, handing out water, and even giving out paper towel to wipe off our sweat-drenched faces!

After some race plans fell through, I headed to stay with my parents the night before the race. They only live about 45 minutes away, so not too far to drive over in the morning. My brother was also running the race and staying at my parents, so we got up and rode over together. Parking was not too bad, and we ran into Assembly Hall to use the bathroom. He met up with his friends while I headed to the start line. This race is only 2 years old and they try to improve it each year, however they do not have a corralled start yet. So, lining up is a bit difficult. I stood near the 1:45-2:00 finish group and found the 8:50 pace group.

When the race started, it was pretty mild and overcast. I had originally planned to stay with the 8:50 group, but felt the pace was a little slow. I felt great out of the great and ran my first mile in 8:07. In hindsight, a little too fast, but again, I was feeling good and it is definitely a flat and fast course. I dropped back to about 8:30 for miles 2-5. I was running near a a group of two married couples. They were rather funny, so I stayed with them for pacing and entertainment. At one point, on of the husbands said the group was going to fast and needed to slow down. Then he took off ahead and left the rest trying to catch up to him. All was good, until mile 6. I had a few side cramps so stopped to stretch those and get some water. I seemed to be fine and slowed my pace just a bit. Then came mile 7. By this point, the sun had come out in full force and the humidity was on the rise. I also started having more side cramps. I stopped about 4 times between miles 7-9 trying to stretch them out and catch my breath. This section of the course is through a local park along a trail. Up until that point, everything had been along the road with tons of crowds and water stops. Through the park, the trail is narrow and people are very crowded. There are no water stations and no place for any spectators. At this point, my pace slowed considerably to about 9 min miles due to all of the circumstances. I saw the 8:50 pace group pass me, but I was still ahead of the 9:00 pace group and felt okay.

I finally made it out of the park and was able to stop and stretch enough to get rid of the cramps. Miles 10-11 felt pretty good, although I was pretty hot. I was definitely at a slower pace, around 9:15/mile, but I thought I still had a chance to come in under 2 hours since I had done so well at the beginning. It was really hot, but I tried to keep going, hoping to get that goal. However, at mile 12, I fell apart. It was so hot I couldn't breathe. I stopped for water twice and walked through both stations. They changed the ending of the course, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I finally rounded the corner and I could see the finish line, but could not breathe. I had to stop and walk around mile 12.8 to catch my breath to make it to the finish. It was just so humid. I finally made it to the finish line in 2:00:29.

I was seriously mad at myself. I should have tried to suck it up and not walk those few seconds at mile 12.8 or ran through one of the water stations. Ugh! So mad to have just missed coming in under 2. But, I couldn't be too upset. It was so hot, I was just glad to finish. I saw many runners hauled off the course, several on stretchers with oxygen masks on. I even saw people collapsing at mile 12.5 - trying to make it and just overheating. It was unreal. Worse than the Kentucky Derby Marathon the weekend before.

After finishing, I was trying to find my family and friends. I couldn't find them but ran into my old college roommate who I had stopped to see the day before. We got to catch up a little more and talk about the race. She did really well, considering she had a baby in November! I hope I can be like that one day! I gave up on my family and started walking back to my car when I ran into my brother. He was coming to wait for me and get his stuff from my car. I was pretty disappointed about missing the family at the finish line. It was the first time my parents had ever come to one of my races. They saw my brother finish (1:35 PR for him - clearly he got the natural athletic ability in the family). They saw some of his friends and others they know finish, but no one saw me finish. I usually come in around 2 hours, give or take a few minutes so I figured they would see me, but no such luck. I'm bummed I have no pictures from the day and no fun family reunion post-race.

The post-race food for this race is great - pasta, cookies, bananas, candy, bagels, pretzels, pizza, etc. But, it was too hard to carry everything, so I grabbed some water, a banana, and of course, a handful of candy. Plus, I knew were we all going out to lunch. We did that and hit up a few bookstores for Illini gear on campus before I headed home. I did hit up a few of my favorite places before leaving town - grabbed a pizza from Papa Del's and lemon custard from Jarlings. Yum!

I don't know why, but I am kind of a crowd watcher and also track other interesting things along the way. A few things I saw/heard/noticed along the way:

Lots of people going barefoot, including several marathon runners. Unreal. I just don't know how these people do it, especially around a college campus with all sorts of litter, broken glass, etc.
My favorite sign of the race: "Run like you just stole something!" Pretty funny. I've never seen that one before.
Crowd support over 11 of the half-marathon miles. I am not sure about the remainder of the marathon course, but the crowd support here is great. There are people everywhere and they line the end of the race like you would not believe. It actually was hard to stop at mile 12.8 because so many were yelling to keep going (I should have listened to them and felt more guilty for stopping).
It was very hard to get around town. The traffic pattern due to the marathon course was a nightmare. You had to drive about 10 miles out of the way. Thankfully, I know all of the out of the way places. Those that were only in town for the run, were stuck waiting for a very long time!
The downside of this race is that the post-race activities are not organized well. They had finisher photos, but I had no clue where those were located, so I didn't get one (again, no photos from the weekend). Also, you had to walk up the steps of the football stadium to get the food after finishing. Then, you had to go to the other side of the stadium to meet up with people. Because everything was blocked off, it required going all the way out of the stadium and around.

Bottom line, I am not good at running in the heat and humdity. I much prefer cooler temps much of the fall races have. I'll have to consider this when choosing races for next year.

The Bad Week

2010-05-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a bad or down day every once in awhile. I am having the bad week. In fact, I don't think I have had this bad of a week in a really long time. Seriously. Like years. I can't go into all of the details and I think if I rehash them too much it will just make me upset all over again, but multiple things have come at me this week. That coupled with little sleep and stress eating has really worn on me. Apparently my look shows it, too, because people at work keep asking me if I am okay or if I am tired. Great. I look AND feel horrible. Ugh! I am hoping things will turn around. Maybe tomorrow.

Louisville Marathon Relay Team Race Recap!

2010-04-26T23:22:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, I did the Louisville Marathon Relay as a team with Mandy and Melissa. This was my first time doing a marathon relay and also doing the Louisville race. I really had no expectations other than hoping I could run a decent pace for my leg. Actually legs. The relay consists of teams of 3 to 5 people that run a total of 5 legs of different distances. We had a team of 3, which meant some of us ran multiple legs. I happened to get lags 3 and 4 for a total of 9.3 miles, or a 15k.

My overall impression is that this race is pretty disorganized. That said, it was a fun weekend and a nice little break from reality. I warn you now: my recap gets a little long…

Expo
We couldn't find a lot of specific information on the website regarding how the relay would work or what to expect. We arrived at the packet pick-up and expo with lots of questions and concerns. Everything was answered for us by the lady at the relay team table. She explained how we would take buses to our designated transition spots and wait for our teammate to hand off the timing sensor. Seemed easy enough, although we would be separate the whole race without much of a chance to cheer each other on. The biggest issue was that they ran out of shirts. So, even though we registered 1.5 months ahead of time, they didn’t order the right amount of shirts. That was a bit disappointing, especially since we were team 01 out of 60 total teams. So, how could they not have our shirts?!? My other thought is that the math is easy: 60 teams x max of 5 members = 300 shirts. Seriously, this is not rocket science and for the price we paid to register, it would have been nice to have a shirt to bring home. They had us write down our names and sizes on a scratch piece of paper. Who knows if we’ll ever get the shirts or not…

The expo was okay. There were a good amount of vendors, but it was definitely cramped and hard to get around. The convention center downtown was massive, yet they seemed to stick the expo in the smallest room available. Also, the actual race merchandise was not that great. They had hardly any selection or sizes left and what was there was not that great of quality (i.e., screen printing on the shirts was not centered or was peeling, etc). So, not only did we not get a shirt as part of registration, we couldn’t even buy a shirt to bring home. Definitely disappointing!

Race
The race was fun. The hills were killer. The humidity was stifling.

I boarded a bus from downtown Louisville and was taken to some neighborhood near the University of Louisville campus. The bus dropped us off around 7:30, which was the start time of the race. Knowing Mandy’s pace and the fact it could take her a good 10 minutes or more to get to the start line from way back in coral C (where they stuck all the relay teams), I had a good 1.5 hours to kill. The people were nice and we talked awhile before going in search of restrooms from hydrating all morning. Since we were in the middle of a neighborhood, there was nothing. No bathrooms, no port-a-potties, no water, no nothing except the curb and a row of houses. We hiked a good 2 miles round-trip to find a bathroom and ended up going in a building on campus. When we got back, someone had dropped water for the relay runners, but it was across the street and down a block from our exchange point, to no one saw it until later on. It was raining some, so I used a garbage bag to stay dry.

I waited for Mandy to hand off the sensor to me at mile 9.3. I would then run until mile 18.6 to meet Melissa who ran the remainder of the marathon. There were 15,000 runners and a much smaller number of relay runners. Thankfully, at our exchange point, they had spotters a few blocks back looking for relay team members. We had special bibs and a relay bib on our backs, too. The spotter would radio ahead and a guy with a bull horn would announce what teams should get ready for the exchange. That made the process a little easier because the race course was packed at that point. We saw the marathon and half-marathon elite runners come through, a few other super speedy people, and then the street was full of everyone else having a good time. So, it was good to have a minute or two to prepare to run.

Speaking of preparing, I should mention that I followed my normal half-marathon fuel/hydration plan for the race. Definitely not a good idea at all! I was dragging because there was such a large amount of time between when I actually prepared for the race and when I ran. I am not used to all the standing around in between. Also, the night before, we had a hard time finding someplace to eat. We ended up at TGI Friday’s. I haven’t eaten at one of those in years and didn’t want to risk ordering anything that might not be good for my stomach. So, I had a very light salad with minimal toppings. Definitely not my normal pre-race chicken or pasta with salad and bread meal. So, I could have prepared better food wise, although I think I did okay on water. I was pretty hydrated and only got a slight side cramp near the end of my legs.

The course was brutal. I have no other way to put it. I was mixed in with everyone until slightly after mile 10 and then I followed the marathon course while the half runners broke off in another direction. There were very few marathoners, but they all rocked. There was an older lady who was probably late 60’s or 70 just trucking along. I seriously hope that can be me someday. She was amazing and had an awesome pace!! Most of the course was through a very HILLY park. I am not sure the elevation map on the website was correct, and if so, it did not do the hills any justice. I feel like it was more mountainous than hilly. I have run some hilly courses and this one takes the cake (even over the IU Mini course)!! Also, as I began my legs, the rain stopped and the sun came out. On a normal day I would have been rejoicing. On a running day, I was less than thrilled. Sun after lots of rain = serious humidity. I think I almost died out there. Coupled with the fact that everything was blooming in the park, I swear I could not breathe. I usually never stop and walk. So, I am embarrassed to say I actually walked three times to catch my breath during my legs. The whole time I was thinking about how mad my team would be at me, but I just needed to walk for 20 seconds to get my breath. The worst was coming up to a T in the road where we had to make a turn and seeing the street sign: Longest Ave. Yep, you guessed it. The longest hill EVER! I was hoping in my wildest dreams it would be flat. But no, my worst nightmares came true instead.

There were water stations on the course, but they seemed to be far apart. Maybe it was the hot and humid weather that crept up after the rain ended, but I was constantly looking for water and felt the course could have used more stations. Also, the stations were handing out small plastic water bottles. Not very environmentally friendly at all! I was rather shocked. They were very hard to handle. One station gave me a bottle with the cap in place, so it was hard to undo and drink while running and I only took a few sips, so water and plastic were wasted. The next time, the top was removed and the water sloshed all over me as I tried to take it. It would be nice to have something more environmentally friendly in the future. I am not sure if those bottles were recycled or not.

Finally, I made it to mile 18.6 and handed off to Melissa. I was glad to be done. I was not proud of my pace at all given the fact I was hoping to use this as practice for some other upcoming races. However, I feel like I deserve a (very) slight break as I have not really trained in the humidity and weather plays a huge role in how I run. I haven’t been avoiding the humidity, but there have only been a few humid days. So, not much chance to practice or acclimate. I finished with a pace of 9:15.

After that, we boarded another bus to head to the finish line to meet up with teammates. We could run the last .3 or .4 miles of the race as a team. I found Mandy and we waited for Melissa. Thinking she had passed us and already finished, we kept walking closer and closer to the actual finish line. We finally saw her and jumped on the course (with security chasing after us) to finish the race. I ran with Melissa while Mandy braved the last bit in her flip flops after changing shoes when her legs were done. It was rather comical!

Post-Race Party
I don’t have much to say about this. We didn’t stay long. This is probably because the party wasn’t that great. Everything was really far from the finish and really spread out in this large park. There was also a huge volleyball tournament going on, so it was hard to tell what was part of that and what was part of the race. We got our medals and bananas and left. We had to check out of the hotel by noon, so that was also an issue. We were late, but they were nice not to charge us anything extra.

Overall
Like I mentioned above, the race atmosphere was great and a lot of fun, my overall feeling is that it was a bit disorganized. I hope they continue to improve it for next year. Given that it was a hilly course and I run a fair share of hills in races at home, I will likely give this race a miss in the future.

In general, we had a great time. We finished in 3:58:57. We were pumped to finish under 4 hours and also excited to learn we took 3rd overall out of the women’s relay teams. Not too shabby given the fact we all had admittedly less than stellar runs (at least not as good as we hoped).

The Cubbies...

2010-04-24T19:13:00.003-04:00

It is no secret that I am a Cubs fan. Yes, one of those fans that thinks every year that this will be the year. Every year I get so excited for opening day. Every year I love heading to Wrigley to catch a few games. Every year I love trying to catch the Cubs on the road at a ballpark I've never been too. Every year I wear my Cubs jersey with pride.

But this year has been horrid! Seriously, what is going on??!?!?

I was not happy when Andres Blanco was traded about a month ago. I still haven't figured out that trade. He was freaking awesome on defense and decent on offense. That is more than I can say for a lot of the current players. He did a lot of good things for the team last year, so why trade him? (Other than for cash consideration, although with Wrigley having the highest ticket prices and capacity crowds at almost every game, you would think they would be doing okay on cash flow...)

And talk about the players. I mean, our infield is pretty set, but we have some really new outfielders and a couple of new pitchers. I need to read up on them...

I was not happy with Zambrano moving to the pen. What?!?! I about fell out of my chair when I heard that. Again, what?!?! I had to double-check at least five websites to make sure I was reading it correctly. My gut is saying that this is not going to be a good thing. Going from pitching on Opening Day to the pen in less than three weeks has got to kill any confidence he has left. At the same time, I am hoping maybe he gets a good kick in the butt and takes his pitching up a notch. Either way, I miss him on the mound as a starter. He is, admittedly, my favorite player. His is the jersey I wear proudly. People often ask my why I like him. I think it is because he is a lot like me. I am definitely passionate about my work (for better or worse) and he is the same way. You have to love that about him even on a bad day. I am anxious to see how this all works out...

Then, the record. What is going on this month? The Cubs always do horrible in April. Every year I repeat to Todd and our Cubbie friends that the Cubs will suck in April, play only decent in May, and when it warms up in June and July, they start to play like a real team. Seriously, this is the trend...every year. I think people think I am crazy, but it always happens. Maybe it is because of all the Latin players on the team. They are not used to the cold. I should do some statistics on this to prove my point some day...

My biggest frustration is Marmol. I have been saying since last year that he should not be the closer. Yes, when he is on, he is on fire. No questions asked. But, when he is off, he is way off. In my opinion, the Cubs need a consistent closer. Marmol does not fit that role. He does much better as middle relief. I think he doesn't feel as much pressure and performs better. Whatever the case, we definitely need someone else to close...

Alas, no matter my disgusts, I am still working planning my first trip to Wrigley at some point this spring. I mean, it is baseball, my favorite sport. And it is Wrigley, my favorite field. And, well, the Cubbies will always have my heart - win or lose, for better or worse, and in sickness or health (hopefully health as there was way too much DL action last year). *Sigh*

Meeting Lily

2010-04-18T08:27:00.001-04:00

Got to meet my new niece this weekend. Lily Addison was born on Tax Day 2010! This is significant since my brother is a CPA. She is adorable and soooo tiny! She is only about 6lbs right now after losing some of her birth weight. But, she is a good eater, so she will be chubby in no time! The funny thing is that despite being tiny, she has some huge feet. Newborn onesies are big on her, but the baby socks are already too small! Hilarious!

She is a sweet girl. And she is spoiled. But she doesn't know that. Yet. ;)

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Four!!

2010-04-14T23:25:00.001-04:00

Yep, four eggs today. So cool! The momma bird (definitely a robin) is also here. Incubation begins and chicks should be here in a few weeks!

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Three eggs!

2010-04-13T23:49:00.001-04:00

Yep, came home to three eggs in the nest today! I love nature at work!

I am expecting one more egg tomorrow and then incubation begins!!

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Two eggs!!

2010-04-12T23:10:00.001-04:00

I checked on the nest today and there were two eggs, not just one!!! Some quick googling on robin eggs leads to some interesting facts. Robins typically lay four eggs. The momma bird lays one egg per day and then incubation begins after the last egg is laid. The incubation period is 12-14 days. Assuming these are fertilized eggs, we should have little birdies in a few weeks. I wonder if there will be three eggs tomorrow?!?!

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A little birdie told me!!

2010-04-11T23:52:00.001-04:00

We have a robin's nest on the window ledge of our home office. Only one little egg. No sign of the momma bird yet. The funny thing is that I was just looking at this window a few days ago thinking about cleaning the windows from the inside and outside. I even opened that window and the nest wasn't there, so it was built in a hurry.

We are going to wait a bit to trim the bushes and put mulch around this area to see what happens. Maybe some birdie pictures soon?!?! It will be fun to watch and we have a great vantage point.

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One week home

2010-04-10T09:57:00.002-04:00

I think Murphy is happy to be home. He missed his sister and they are now inseparable yet again. (Note: when they are not happily napping together they are usually beating each other up.) Also, while he was gone, Murphy had to stay in a kennel for several months. I think he is happy to get his soft spot on the bed back. He keeps wanting to snuggle on our bed instead of stay in his dog bed. At this rate, we may need to upgrade our queen to a king! :)

He's pretty much been his normal self - destroying the backyard, wanting to retrieve anything, and eating up a storm. When he was gone we hardly spent any money on dog food. Now the expense is back as he will eat 8 or more cups of high performance dog food daily.

Follow-up to I got swabbed!

2010-04-10T09:36:00.003-04:00

You might remember back in early March when I got swabbed for the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The drive was held at IU for DKMS and the spotlight was on Lindsay, a college student at Duke diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

I just wanted to follow-up on how Lindsay is doing. She is a family friend and while I have never met her, I have met her parents and our mothers are childhood friends. The good news is that a match was found for Lindsay. Not from the IU drive, but that doesn't even matter! Someone else on the donor registry was a match and she all ready went through the stem cell transplant a few weeks ago. She is doing well and hopefully on the road to recovery. She has to be watched closely for the next several months and doesn't have to go through chemo anymore!

Also, if you were at the drive, you may remember a book that could be signed for Lindsay. Well, she did get that book and her family read through all the well wishes. They are thankful for all of the support and positive thoughts!

How to recover after a race??

2010-04-05T21:47:00.006-04:00

I am not a good judge of how long to rest after a big run. In fact, I probably need some schooling on how to recover after a race. I've read you should take a week off. I've also read a day for every mile of the race. But, rest days are boring! I just can't sit still and sometimes going for a run is just easier. I know, I know. I should probably cross-train for a few days and rest my legs. But, it is so nice out and I sit in a windowless office all day long, so the thought of going to the gym or doing any type of exercise indoors does not appeal to me at all. I want to be outside whenever possible after work!!

Even though it was probably not the best idea after running a half marathon two days ago, I went for a very slow run around my neighborhood tonight. I thought about going to the gym, but I had meetings all day and didn't even get lunch (I took my lunch to a meeting, but it was 2pm and I was starving, so I threw all professionalism out the window at that point). Plus, after work, it was raining and my two dogs were outside at home. To avoid a total disaster, I knew I needed to get home to let them in before getting any more wet and muddy. So, I bypassed the gym and headed home. It was about 7pm when the rain subsided, which was not convenient to head back into the gym. Driving to the gym, getting in a working, and then getting back home takes about twice as long as just heading out my front door for a run. So, I went out for a 3 mile run and kept a slow and steady pace, around a 9:10 mile. It felt okay, but I definitely felt very tight. My knees are a little sore, but not painful. What does hurt is my lower back. It was bad after the race and felt a little better yesterday, but it is still a little bit bothersome. I am not sure if it is from all the hills or what, as my back is usually not a post-race issue.

In addition to running, I have been walking my dogs a lot in the last couple of days. They love to walk around the neighborhood and act like they own the place. Their little tails are way up in the air. It was so nice yesterday on Easter Sunday that we took three walks! We covered at least 6 miles throughout the day. Tonight after my short, slow run, we walked about 2.4 miles at a pretty decent pace. It's nice to get in a little extra walking workout in the evenings thanks to the dogs.

I am planning to run tomorrow night, but do plan some cross-training and rest for the remainder of the week. I need it, especially if I want to be ready for my other upcoming races! What do you do after a race to recover and how many days do you rest or cross-train? Help, comments, and suggestions are welcome!!

Murphy is home!

2010-04-04T12:03:00.001-04:00

Murphy is home (for good) from hunting training boot camp. Poor baby is so skinny, so I'll be sneaking him so extra treats. Lucy is very happy he's home, too. Only downside: he is blowing his winter coat, so in less than 24 hours my house is covered in a layer of Murphy hair. Thank goodness for my Dyson!

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IU Mini Marathon Race Report

2010-04-03T19:19:00.017-04:00

This morning was my first race of the spring running season. In retrospect, I probably should have started out with a 5k or 10k, like most logical runners. For some reason, I decided my first race should be a half marathon. I think I'll rethink that for next spring.

Leading up to the race, my training runs were just okay. I never felt great about any of them. In fact, several were a struggle as I dealt with side stitches. I am not sure why they continue to reoccur. I normally drink and eat the same things when training as I would for racing. I always make sure to drink large amounts of water and eat tons of bananas. I decided earlier this week that I either have a hydration issue or some undiagnosed stomach issue. Since I can control the hydration, I went into the race fully hydrated and hit almost every water station on the course. Literally. I think there was one about every 1.5 miles and I hit all but 2. I think it helped. I had some minor cramping, but none like on several previous training runs.

So, the race was okay. I finished in 2:03:06. I m a little bummed to not have finished with a better time. I started off so well. This course is hilly. The hilliest race I have ever run. And it's not like you run up a hill and then get a downhill. No, that would be too easy. It is run up a hill to a pretty flat area and then run up another hill. There were very few downhills. I did awesome on miles 1-10. I kept telling myself to keep my pace and not worry about the people around me. Let them pass me. Just keep the pace. I ran an average 8:40 pace per mile during that period. I felt great and had no problems. It was a bit windy, but other than some serious hills, I was on my way to finishing in under 2 hours and possibly evening setting my half PR.

Then came mile 11. It started sprinkling around mile 9 and continued to get harder until it turned into a total downpour and rained the entire rest of the race. My legs started to feel the effects of all of the hills. I did a lot of hill training to try and prepare for this and I have run this course before, but I forgot how horrible the hills are! So, my legs felt like lead weights, it was raining cats and dogs, and the winds were gusting up to 30 mph. I also started to get some side stitches and had to stop several times to stretch them out. I definitely lost focus. I averaged a 15:00 min pace on this mile.!?!?! It did me in. I was thinking about giving up, kicking myself for not wearing my running hat, getting mad because the last aid station only had Powerade (which I hate) and I was really wanting some water. Looking back, I would have pushed myself more had I realized how horrible I was running. I just felt so bad at the time. Had I kept closer to the pace, I would have definitely finished in under 2 hours. Ugh! I am so mad at myself even still as I write this blog.

Somewhere just after mile 11, people started pushing each other along with cheers and complements for getting up the hill or running in the rain. I jumped over a puddle because my shoes were water logged and so heavy on my feet. Water in Bloomington does not drain off the streets when it rains, so I am not sure why I was trying to jump puddles. Anyway, the older guy next to me laughed and started making fun of me. He asked what a little water hurt at this point. I started laughing and I guess he got me to lighten up a bit and not focus so much on how bad I felt. At that I point, minus a few quick stops to stretch my side, I did miles 12 and 13 at a 9:20 min pace. I was never so happy to cross a finish line in my life. I was soaked, cold, in pain, and disappointed with my time. But, my friend Mandy greeted me at the end. She ran the earlier 5k and waited around about 1.5 hours to see me finish, which was really encouraging! I was actually bummed thinking no one would be there at the end and then she caught me right away and got some pictures, too!

You can see my decline on the chart below. The little circles show my pace at different points in time, which you can't see. But, you can see my steadiness throughout the race until the very end when I hit mile 11. Dang, I am still mad about that. (I forgot to turn off my Nike+ at the end and it is usually off about .25 miles, so that is why the miles are slightly off.)

Some interesting things I saw along the way:

A guy wearing those shoes that look like your foot and are supposed to simulate barefoot running. I have seen them before, but never actually saw someone wear these in a race. They don't look that comfortable to me. I stick with my cushioned shoes!
After that, I saw a guy running barefoot! Yes, completely barefoot. I can't even imagine. Part of the course was on the shoulder of the bypass (a major road through Bloomington) which is all rocky. Then we ran through campus and by tons of construction zones where the roads were cracked and uneven from all the equipment. Then, through the rain puddles on the road. No way. Even if it is scientifically better for me to run barefoot, I choose to stick with my cushioned shoes again!
A police officer staring down a female runner in a white t-shirt. He was working at one of the intersections and she was a bit ahead of me when she passed him, so I saw the entire lookdown. This, of course, was the part of the race where we were totally soaked and you could see right through her shirt. It was rather funny.
A guy in a banana suit. Everyone gave him high-5s along the route. Also pretty funny.

I don't have a lot of pictures from the race, but here is one Mandy took as I headed towards the finish line. I think you can even see the downpouring rain in this picture. Give me cold weather, snow, slush, heat. Anything but rain. It is so uncomfortable to run in sopping wet clothes.

Congrats to all my friends running the 5k and half! Everyone did great despite the conditions!

Work: Total Classic

2010-04-02T10:36:00.005-04:00

Some days, I get to the point where I want to throw the towel in. I was explaining to a friend last week some of the "normal" things I deal with on a daily basis. The friend was shocked and was also immediately reminded of the movie, The Office. Yep, that movie is my life in a nutshell. I think it is especially challenging to work in HR as people expect you to just know everything and be able to fix it all even if it is not an HR issue or not even related to the job. Plus, they expect you to remain nice. Trust me, I normally put on my happy customer service face deal with it, but some days you just can't be nice anymore.

Here is a classic email exchange with co-worker from today. The sad thing is this happens multiple times a day every day. It gets old.

Co-worker 1: I am getting this system error, what should I do?

Me: Yes, I know this is a problem. Email co-worker2, let her know about the error, and wait for a response from her as she handles that piece, not me.

Co-worker 1: Okay, well, I'll copy you, too.

Me: Whatever.

Co-worker 2: Here is what needs to be entered into the system. If you keep getting the error, notify the system team. Thanks.

Co-worker 1: What should I do?

Me: Umm, enter it and if you still get the error, report it to system team email address for correction.

Co-worker 1: I got the error again (insert screen shot of said error), what should I do?

Me (losing total patience at this point): As I mentioned in the below email, report the error to the system team by email. I cannot fix this error for you.

TPS reports, anyone??

Bad Run #2

2010-03-30T13:40:00.004-04:00

I am not sure what the deal is, but I have had a couple of really bad runs lately. I'm already feeling a little bit burnt out on training, so this has me really down. I think I have attrituted it to lack of proper hydration, but who knows.

I have been running for a couple of years now and typically know what my body needs. I am not a competitive runner and not at all hardcore about nutrition (heck, my last post was about ice cream and a recent Twitter update was about candy!!). So, I tend to sick with similar things around my long runs, just like I would be a race. But, half of my recent long runs have be a major FAIL! The only thing I (and some friends) think it could be is a hydration issue. Either way, I make it about 8 miles and then I start getting major side stitches and cramps. I can stop and stretch them out, but they always come back about 1/4 mile later. So, there is a lot of stopping and starting - not ideal for a long training run.

Any suggestions on what this could be or how to fix it? I need help ASAP to prepare for some upcoming races!!!

Ice Cream!!

2010-03-22T21:11:00.003-04:00

The fact that I LOVE ice cream is an understatement. I eat ice cream about every night. It is definitely not the best thing to do for my waistline, but I always eat light ice cream or yogurt in moderation. I also love the Skinny Cow products. So good!! Recently they came out with a new Skinny Cow ice cream. Let me just say that the Carmel Cone flavor is about the best ice cream I have had in a long time. So good! So much better than my Edy's Light. So much better than the Weight Watchers ice cream sandwiches. It is amazing. I am not sure if anyone out there will see my unsolicited review, but I hope that they take the Carmel Cone now available in the mini cup at Marsh (along with some other flavors) and make it into a big container! I would take this hands down over a full fat version and this is low fat and high in fiber!!

Our first day of spring!

2010-03-20T21:37:00.001-04:00

Spring is here...at least until the cold front and rain come through tomorrow! We got a lot dine today. Well, Todd did most of the hard labor. I just watched and handled him some tools when needed.

The garden is almost ready for planting when it gets a tad warmer. Todd cut down one of our fruit trees this morning. It hadn't produced any fruit since we planted it five years ago and the trunk was splitting. So, he cut it down and doubled the size of the garden. It is now about 22ft by 11ft. Pretty big! Hope this summer is better than last and we actually get some better vegetables!!

First flower to bloom in our beds. Hopefully the others are soon to follow!

My rhubarb is already coming up! I better start using the 10quarts left in the freezer from last year!!

Lucy hanging in the yard with us and rolling in the grass and warm sun!

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Bad Week, Bad Run

2010-03-20T10:28:00.004-04:00

Last week was a very long week. Everyone else was on spring break, but I was stuck in the office. The few others that were there were commenting how slow it was, but not for me. I got about every phone call that came in forwarded to me. Even things that had nothing to do with my actual job. It was not fun. So, while I spent time doing all of that, I got further behind on my actual work. Fun times.

To top it all off, I had about the worst run ever to end the week. It was beautiful out Friday after work and Todd was out of town until 8pm, so I figured I would go for a long run. I am training for some upcoming races and need to do some longer runs to prepare for that. I set out for an 11 mile run in sunny 65 degree weather. I was great until about mile 8 and then things started to go downhill. Between miles 7 and 8, I had a small side stitch and stopped to stretch that out and continued on. But, then I hit mile 8 and things just went downhill from there. My Nike+ pace line drops of the charts, so I have proof at how bad it was!! I was so thirsty and ended up stopping about every 1/4 mile to stretch my reoccurring side stitch. It was horrible. At 10.7 miles I threw the towel in. I knew I was not going to make it to 11. I know, it wasn't that much further, but I have not felt that horrible while running in a very long time. When I got home, I took a shower and just laid in bed for an hour.

I don't know what the problem was. I have a feeling it was a combination of things. I had eaten out for lunch, instead of having my normal Lean Cuisine at my desk, so my stomach wasn't feeling the best. Also, I think I wasn't hydrated properly. I had been drinking water all day and stopped for water at miles 3 and 8, so I felt like I had enough in me, but it was HOT! After running in 30 degree weather for months, 65 is hot! I think I need to spend more time adjusting to the temperature change and re-learn how to hydrate myself. When it is cold, I can go longer without water, but not when it is warmer. It seems I have to re-learn the amount of water my body needs every spring. On top of all of that, I have been running a lot lately. My running dropped off a lot this past winter, in terms of miles per week. I recently stepped it back up while training. Now, this is nothing compared to what others run, but for me, it was a significant jump and I think my body is just tired. I need a rest day, or couple of days. I wish I could have had a great run as I was so looking forward to it after such a bad week. I think I will rest today (from work and running) and start over tomorrow.

Busted Bracket

2010-03-18T21:41:00.002-04:00

So, it is only day one and I am wondering if anyone out there has a decent NCAA bracket left. I definitely picked all the wrong upsets. Georgetown?? Ugh! I had them going pretty far in one of my brackets. Oh well, I only have a little money involved. Plus, if mine is this bad and everyone else has a busted bracket, there is still a glimmer of hope. :)

Of course, all of this is painful without Illinois in the tournament for the second year in a row!! I come from the era where we were in the tournament every year. Hand down, no questions asked, no bubble to worry about. I can't take all of this up and down play. I want my team of solid players back to make the season so exciting. Next up is Kent State. A rather interesting match-up, especially for me - I graduated from and worked for Illinois, as well as worked at Kent State and half of a MBA sitting there. While I was at KSU, I think I went to one basketball game, so it won't be difficult to put on my orange and blue! Thankfully, we get to play at home in Assembly Hall after the Cirque du Soleil scheduling disaster from Wednesday night! I guess you can't really blame anyone. Who know that far in advance Illinois would have a change to host any NIT post season games.

Priceline is not my Negotiator

2010-03-11T22:06:00.003-05:00

So, here is the long awaited Priceline blog that has taken me a week to get to. I always think about a hundred different things to blog about and about 1% of it actually makes it to this page due to lack of time.

Anyway, let me start by saying I will never again use Priceline for anything after this last experience. It has been a week and just writing about it still makes my blood boil. First things first, I was playing faculty secretary for Todd. He had a student coming in to check out IU and SPEA's PhD program. He is really hoping this person will come and work in his lab. That said, we needed to find a great hotel for the student and her dad who was coming along. Of course, I got two days notice - called on Wednesday for a Friday time frame. To top it off, it was white coat weekend for the School of Optometry (whatever that is) and it was the School of Music's audition weekend for freshman hopefuls (think American Idol). So, there was not a hotel room to be had in town.

Todd wanted to use Priceline but didn't know how (I'll refrain from any comments about this), so I went in and reserved a room at one of the nicer hotels in Bloomington. I wanted to make sure I could get a non-smoking room with two beds since the dad was coming along. I called the hotel and they had no reservation even though I read off every possible confirmation, tracking, and ID number from the two emails Priceline sent to confirm my reservation. He also said the hotel was sold out, so I was pretty much out of luck. Panic set in so I called Priceline. After getting bumped up a level of customer service, I got to some guy who could speak English. First he told me that he had my reservation to which I relayed my story of the hotel not having my reservation and being sold out!! He then proceeded to tell me that their contract was that if the hotel is sold out they are required to find me a room at a comparable hotel within a certain distance. I question what he meant by a certain distance and he said that meant within a certain number of miles. Really? I think I could figure that out. How many miles?? By this point I was so mad I started to yell and told him that I was not going to stay 50 miles away and that they may have this contract but nowhere on my reservations is this listed. It is only listed that I have a reservation at the hotel I booked. He proceeded put me on hold, called the hotel, and came back on the line to report my reservation was there and that they must have typed in the name wrong. Then I felt bad and apologized for being rude. Although, I am not sure why he didn't make the call in the first place. I chalked it up to a lazy kid working the hotel desk and decided to call back in the morning to put in my room request.

I called the next day and got a super nice guy that appeared to be totally with it. I talked to him and he still had no reservation for me from Priceline and informed me the hotel was booked. He checked the system, the paper arrival list for Friday, and tried every spelling of my name possible. Nothing. Panic again. I got off the phone and went to the hotel's website. Just for kicks, I clicked in the reservation area only to find they did have rooms available and due to aforementioned panic, went ahead and reserved a room. However, I started to panic more thinking I now had two rooms, both past the time to cancel, that I would have to pay for. So, I called the hotel again. No Priceline reservation, just the one I had made online. [I won't go into this and it could be a whole other post, but how can I reserve a room at your hotel after twice being told it is sold out. I don't get it. Maybe the workers can only see so much information?] At this point, I was beyond pissed at Priceline. I had wasted a lot of time on the phone with them the previous night. I called in and didn't even talk to the first level of customer support, but asked for a supervisor right away. I told her the situation and that I wanted the Priceline reservation canceled with no charges. The hotel made it clear they did not have my reservation even though Priceline did. The customer service person said it was probably a hotel error. At this point, I didn't care who was a fault, I just didn't want to have to pay for two rooms or get any cancellation fees for either room. I let her know the name of the competent guy at the front desk of the hotel and asked her to call him. She came back on the line a few minutes later with no real answer for the situation. The hotel only had one reservation - the one I made directly through their website. She promised no cancellation fees and followed up with an email chain stating this (always good to get things in writing).

I wasted several hours of my life dealing with this whole situation and the fact that Priceline kept saying everything was fine when it really wasn't just makes me mad. I got some follow-up survey for my stay, so clearly their system didn't get the note that my Priceline reservation was canceled. Obviously a disconnect somewhere! I hit delete right away. Their customer service people were no help and never able to really confirm anything. I have used them in the past with no problems, but never again!

Once we got everything confirmed with out reservation directly with the hotel, we had to call back and change the name the reservation was under and the billing method. They were super nice even though I think it was about the sixth call to them about our room. At one point, Todd called and I gave him the name of the guy to talk to. He got some girl, but she already knew our situation. Not sure if that is good or bad. Oh well, the student had a place to stay and it was a nice weekend in Bloomington. After all that, I hope she comes here!

UIUC No Pants

2010-03-11T10:53:00.003-05:00

This is too funny and definitely deserves a look. Some people at the University of Illinois created a website of pictures of people wearing no pants, otherwise known as the spandex look. It is too funny. Yes, some might consider this just an opportunity to take pictures of someone's butt, but the fact remains that spadex are not pants and 99% of people should never wear them!! The 1% that can, probably shouldn't be either. Whoever thought up this fashion faux paux should be put in jail or something. It is horrible!

In my book, that makes this website funny and worth looking at.
http://uiucnopants.com/

Signs of Spring

2010-03-10T13:29:00.003-05:00

When you live and work on a college campus, there are always a few tell-tale signs of spring.

The college girls trade in their Ugg boots for flip flops and boat shoes. (I actually don't mind this. I am not a fan of the boots with the spandex look.)
The same girls can be seen sun tanning in their bikinis, even though it is only 55 out and not exactly bikini weather.
The fraternity boys begin hanging out on their front porches and pretty much spend all day there.
You can walk down the street and hear 20 different kinds of music blaring from the cars lined up at the stop sign with all the windows totally down, even though it is only 55 out.
Everyone (and I mean everyone) is out trying to run. I say that as nicely as possible. Everyone starts somewhere, but some of the running outfits I saw do not indicate a serious runner...at all. One guy was all decked out in a serious of matching sweatbands and struggled to go one block. It was pretty hilarious.
Now that there are more people out walking around, there are also more people not paying attention to where they are going. I've gotten run into twice by people texting and walking in the last two days. There was no sorry or excuse me involved, they just kept texting and walking - right in front of a moving vehicle.
Everyone is dusting off their bikes and getting ready for Little 500, at least here in Bloomington. I've overheard many conversations about riding in the last few days.

Spring is one of my favorite seasons. I can finally run in shorts, we can start thinking about our garden, and we actually see the neighbors again. But, the behaviors on campus crack me up - they change along with the seasons without fail. Totally predictable and always reason for a good laugh!

A note from the cleaners...

2010-03-08T20:41:00.003-05:00

Probably TMI, but here is a note from the cleaners today. I feel horible! Lucy tends to puke in the middle of the night when we are sleeping upstairs. I think I may need to tip them as I am sure they didn't assume they would be cleaning up dog puke today...

Floral Laundry

2010-03-08T20:30:00.004-05:00

I was gone over the weekend and asked Todd to do a load of laundry for me. I am not sure what he used, but everything seems super floral. Way too smelly for me! I asked him what he used and his response was, "a little bit of everything." I am really not sure which combination of different detergents and sports fabric cleaners he used, but it is killing me. I about gag every time I catch a whiff of my shirt!

A leak is never a good thing.

2010-03-01T23:05:00.004-05:00

So, I have noticed that one of the outside-facing walls of our guest bedroom closet is not looking good. I've aways thought there was a problem with this wall. It is a corner of the closet where two outside walls meet. The gutter above this area does not seem to drain well and we always get huge brown spots and stains in this area on the siding outside. It makes the front of our house look horrible! I have it pressure washed every other year and we get out the ladder and clean it off, too. But now I fear the problem has moved indoors. :(

I mentioned as much to Todd about a month ago. He finally had time to walk by a look at it today. (I am so in trouble when he reads that.) Anyway, all he could do is agree with me. Not good. The walls on the inside of the closet all the way down to the baseboard are turning very brown. Not good. There is also some brown around the decorative window in the closet. Not good. I also pointed out a spot in another room I am worried about where this is some brown stain on the ceiling due to possible leak on roof. Not good.

So begins my search for a contractor who is good, and can fix my house really well without charging me an arm and a leg. Any suggestions? Please, please send them my way. I joined Angie's List for a month and didn't get much info on there. Not enough people around Monroe County with ratings. I have one possible lead and I may call him tomorrow to see if he knows where exactly the problem might be, how extensive the damage is, and what it will take to fix. I keep thinking about all the rain we had last spring and I just get a pit in my stomach. It has gotten exponentially worse the last few weeks and I can only imagine if we get a lot of rain how bad it could get.

I've always said this house was built rather shoddy. It has been proven now with problems in mass quantity. I have a feeling the summer vacation has just been downsized...

I Got Swabbed!

2010-03-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

I got swabbed today!! Really, I signed up for the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. There was a drive on campus at the union and the drive was actually trying to find matches for a family friend, Lindsay. Her story and information on other drives can be found online at http://www.teamlindsay.org.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous signing up. I am all for helping to save a life. Anything I can do to do to help someone beat cancer is a high priority for me. But, I hate needles. I can't imagine them drawing blood or taking my stem cells because it would involve needles and doctors. Besides dentists, I can't think of two things I hate worse! You can remove yourself from the donor list at any time, or say no if they call to report you are a match for someone. But, I couldn't ever say no. If someone can go through what the patient has/is going through, surely I can survive a few needle sticks for a day.

I am on the list. Part of me wants to be able to help someone. Part of me knows if I ever got a call, I would definitely need some support handling the needles.

I am not a sprinter!

2010-02-23T12:10:00.004-05:00

I cannot sprint. I suck at running intervals and doing speed work. I hate it. While I can't sprint for two blocks, I can go out and run 5 miles of hills. Since I am not super competitive and basically run for fun (and so I can eat chocolate), I have always focused on training that makes me happy. So, I do longer runs, do hill training, and cross-train. Since I will never be in the Olympics (I think my age alone prohibits that), I don't drive myself crazy for not doing any speed work. I'm not trying to get faster, I'm trying to have fun and maintain my current speed and distance.

Interestingly enough, I have been thinking about this lately as friends have been talking about their interval training and speed work. I think I discovered today why I suck at sprinting! I came across this great article that talks about the human genome and how there is a slight variation in one gene for athletes who are endurance athletes. Basically, the article says that the NRF2 gene occurs more in endurance athletes than in sprinters when looking at competitive track and field athletes. This gene produces new mitochondria which creates energy and also reduces inflammation during exercise. I'm no scientist, but this has to explain my lack of speediness. I clearly don't have the right genes to be fast, but I can go for long distances. Phew! This means I am off the hook for training I didn't even want to do and I will not feel bad when someone running only a mile passes me while at mile 6 in my run! :)

For the full article and more information on this study (which is very cool), see: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218173319.htm.

Funny Website Error

2010-02-22T11:43:00.004-05:00

In browsing the web, I always come across errors on websites. Of course, as a blogger, I have many typos and issues when posting my materials. But, it always cracks me up when a big company makes a mistake on their website. Think about all the people that must check over everything before it is posted. I am sure there is some sort of review chain. I mean, it can happen. It does at my work all the time even after 3 or 4 people review the site. But, usually we post an incorrect phone number or something. We don't typically post "bad" words.

I came across this when looking for baby gifts for my new niece or nephew that will arrive in about 6 weeks. I thought the Illini shoes were pretty cute, so read the description for more info. I think their spell-checker may have missed that hell should really be heel! I already emailed their customer service suggesting they re-visit the description, but that I was rather amused by the error! In case they already have the link fixed, I copied and pasted out the desciption below.

http://tinyurl.com/yhxcoo7

"Team Squeaks Shoe - Boys
Team squeaks shoe! When your child walks, they squeak! For those quiet times, the squeaker can be easily removed by an adult. The squeaker is located in the hell of each shoe, and can be re-inserted to squeak once again! Also available for girls."

I reminded them that should check the link for the girls, too. It was also wrong. Makes me wonder if it was just the Illini, or if they did the same thing for other teams. :)

UPDATE: They did respond to my email and fixed the error. LOL

National Bone Marrow Drive at IU!

2010-02-17T17:09:00.002-05:00

Just a quick blog about the IU Bone Marrow Drive on Monday, March 1st. The drive on campus is to register bone marrow donors to the national registry. If you go to the website, http://www.dkmsamericas.org/drives/save-life-indiana-university-bone-marrow-drive, you can read more about the event. You’ll also read a story about Lindsay, a young college student at Duke that was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2008. She is actually a family friend. Our mothers have been friends since childhood and still keep in touch, as well as see each other every few years. Lindsay is originally from Ohio, where her family still lives. For the two years that Todd and I lived in Ohio, Lindsay’s mother had us over to their home and “watched” over us for my mom.

Not everyone can or will want to sign up for the national bone marrow registry. But if you are interested, getting started is easy – you can sign up and provide a swab of cells from your cheek to determine your tissue type. After that, you are added to the registry for doctors to search for matches. You can join or remove yourself from the registry at any time. More information on how bone marrow donation actually occurs, see the information at http://www.dkmsamericas.org/bone-marrow-donors/bone-marrow-donation-process. If you read about the two different procedures, Lindsay is currently trying to find a match for the PBSC procedure.

If you don't live in Bloomington, but are interested, no worries! Go to http://www.dkmsamericas.org/bone-marrow-donors/bone-marrow-donation-process and look for donor drives in your area, request a home donor kit, or just donate. Every little bit can help!

Birthday Dinner

2010-02-11T00:18:00.001-05:00

Went to Asuka, a hibatchi place in town. We had never been. It was pretty good. I was thinking it might be a semi-healthy dinner to make up for my two pieces of cake. But, little did I know they use a ton of butter. I about choked on my salad when I saw him throw down a slab of butter on my chicken. LOL

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ice-Covered Dog

2010-02-10T19:27:00.001-05:00

Here is Lucy after being outside all day on 2/9/2010. She is still covered in ice even AFTER coming inside and shaking off. It was 15 degrees out when I let her in. Good thing she loves snow!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Illini Win!!!!!!

2010-02-06T23:35:00.000-05:00

Illini beat MSU! Best. Game. Ever! Games like this make me want to be back on campus sitting in the Orange Krush with Tracy, Lindsay, Adam, and Alex. Heck, I'd even take my post-graduation season ticket seats with Heidi and Jamie. I miss those days (and people) so much! I can't even imagine being at Assembly Hall tonight. It would have been electric! Oh to be a student...I am getting old and it sucks.

There are some negative comments about the students rushing the court. I say who cares. We beat MSU, which hardly ever happens (top player out or not). We haven't played this well in years, so the fans are excited to cheer! Finally, it boosts the players' esteem. We have a tough end of season schedule and we need that! I see no harm in rushing the court. In my day, we would have rushed the court AND watched the Chief at halftime. You can't take all our fun away!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Running Barefoot

2010-02-05T13:12:00.002-05:00

I don't know that I could ever run barefoot. I had this discussion with some friends I run with the other night and I think we all agreed, we could never do it! I can't imagine the things around campus or my neighborhood that I could potentially step on - glass, trash, etc. It just makes me cringe at the thought. There is one guy in Bloomington who runs barefoot. I haven't seen him in awhile, but did see him out on a few runs and in a race barefoot. To me, that is completely foreign and honestly, weird.

But, the cover of Nature and a new article suggests that running barefoot may actually decrease some impact-related stress injuries. Apparently the authors compared runners here in the US with some in Kenya and discovered that the foot striking the ground in shoes is less healthy for the foot than running barefoot. See the cover and article at http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v463/n7280/covers/.

Of course, I don't understand all the science stuff in the article (hey, I was a business major that avoided science at all cost), but it is amazing to think that running without cushioning is better than with. Wow! I have run barefoot on the beach a few times while on vacation. My feet hurt! The sand isn't really that soft, so I can even imagine running on cement or other hard surfaces with no cushioning. I can liken hitting a sharp shell to some other sharp object while running around town with no shoes. Ouch!

As much as this article proves, I think I'll still stick with my Asics.

Missing the Murphy Man

2010-01-31T21:38:00.001-05:00

The Murphy Man is gone for a month, maybe longer. I am not happy about this at all. He left Sunday and I am already missing him. Our house (for better or worse) is not the same without him!!

Todd shipped him off to hunting dog boot camp for some professional hunting training. Personally, I think he is a family dog and doesn't need all this extra training. But, he takes Murphy to a lot of hunting tests and feels he has reached the end of his training abilities. With a professional trainer, Murphy gets several hours of individual training each day, seven days a week.

The house is already cleaner. Murphy sheds everywhere! I vacuum all the time. I was going to have our capers cleaned, but that was a bust (another post for later). Plus, he spills food and water all over. Lucy prefers to eat outside, which rocks! And, Murphy feels the need to drag all of his toys everywhere each night in an effort to get us to play with him! So we'll definitely have less to pick-up for awhile.

Maybe this is what it feels like when your kid stays overnight at a friend's house, but I am lonely without him! I'll take the mess, the drool, and the loud snoring from the dog bed on my side of the room! I need his snuggles and morning wake-up kisses. He is my "baby man" since he is a huge 85-lb puppy!!

I hate to wish time away, especially considering my increasing age, but I can't wait for this month to be over so he can come home!! I think Lucy really misses him too!

Lacking optimism

2010-01-29T23:35:00.004-05:00

I hate the beginning of the year. Seriously. Hate. It.

First of all, I hate the cold weather, snow, and ice. Give me 85 and sunny year round and I would be one happy girl. So, the fact that the beginning of the year is a frozen tundra does not excite me. Honestly, I have never figured out how people that live in cold places can be all optimistic at the beginning of the new year. It is cold, people! Summer is months away. Now, talk to me in April. That is when my optimism starts to show!

Second of all, I hate the fact that the gym is UBER crowded. I had to wait in line for an elliptical at the gym tonight. Yes, Friday night at 6pm. Seriously?!?! After working an 11 hour day, I wanted to get in my 30 minutes of cardio and get home. I do not want to wait in line for a machine all because my crappy gym has 5 pieces of equipment out of order and they refuse to put time limits on the machines. All that nonsense is making one grumpy gym member (along with the others of the same opinion I was chatting with in the waiting line).

Third, I hate the new people at the gym. I feel bad. I was new at one point in time. Everyone has to start somewhere. But, it seems that the new people these days are clueless. Here are a few comments I had to keep to myself this week (which took much restraint):

This is a gym, so you should probably wear gym shoes. The sketchers you are wearing do not cut it for jogging on the treadmill.
This is a gym, so gym shorts would be acceptable. Yes, you do look stupid lifting weights in jeans.
This is a gym and they do provide locker space. If you feel the need to change clothes after getting off the machine next to me, please watch what you are doing and don't whack me with your clothes during the middle of my workout while trying to pull your sweatshirt over your head. The locker room is 30 feet away and I am happy to direct you there.
This is a gym and you really need to use the equipment properly to get the maximum benefit. If you don't know how, it is best to ask someone instead of sitting on the machine with a puzzled look for 10 minutes while the rest of us glare at you to move on.
This is a gym and not a social hour. I, apparently unlike you, have limited time to be at the gym, so please do not block machines while you stand there and gab about your last drunken night out.
This is a gym, so deodorant would be required. Just wear it. Nuff said.

I could go on, but you get my drift, so I'll spare you. Clueless with a capital C. I am definitely frustrated and lacking optimism today. I really need a super warm sunny day. My husband suggests I should just go tanning. LOL

Murphy's napping spot

2010-01-25T23:12:00.001-05:00

Murphy decided he needed to get on the bed AND lay on Todd's clothes at the in-laws. Bad dog!! ;)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mobile blogging redux

2010-01-25T23:07:00.001-05:00

I am pretty much too cheap to pay for iPhone apps, but I saw this new on called BlogPress that allows you to blog and upload pictures. That is something you cannot do using the mobile blogspot.com secret word email method. So, I ponied up the $2.99 for the app. We'll see how it goes. If you see some weird pictures on my site, I'm just testing. LOL

Oh, I also signed up for Twitter. Not sure if I'll use it much but I'll try to keep up on everyone else. Although, I am probably already behind. Social networking has that effect on me!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Helping Haiti, Part 2

2010-01-21T12:10:00.005-05:00

As a follow-up to my previous post on giving to Haiti, I saw this article on CNN today about giving cash as opposed to goods during the relief effort. The article indicates that goods are not always usable. You could donate baby formula, but what if the country mostly breastfeeds their children and/or the water is so contaminated there is no way to mix it. Your donation won't do any good if the item is not usable or it is expired, or not sensitive to the culture of the country.

Additionally, many of the large organizations have methods in place for shipping and moving items throughout the affected areas. Donations of goods that must be sent can backlog ports that are already busy with organizations working in the area delivering relief on a large scale in an organized approach. Additionally, it can be more costly to ship the goods than to buy them locally or regionally, if available.

Just more reasons we should consider what we are donating and who we are donating to.

Ice Dogs

2010-01-20T23:51:00.004-05:00

It's late. I should be working on my coursework. Or maybe sleeping. Or doing the work I brought home from work that is untouched. But, I am procrastinating. It's definitely way too easy thanks to social networking.

Anyway, that's not the point of this blog. Instead, here is a cool picture of the dogs at McCormick's Creek State Park on 1/10/2010. It is a great state park and we visit often as it is just up the road from our house. Todd took them out for several hours and both came home exhausted. Probably more tired than I have ever seen them before. Unfortunately, I missed this adventure due to a much needed trip to the grocery store. I'll be in on the next adventure (well, when the weather warms up a bit). :)

Helping Haiti

2010-01-19T13:48:00.010-05:00

As I sit at my desk and type, I feel sorrow for the people of Haiti. I cannot imagine the scene there. I see pictures on the news, but I'm sure the pictures don't give any justice to the damage. I still can't fathom the destruction and actually living in the middle of it without anything, even basic necessities like food and water. It seems unreal to me.

Like many Americans, Todd and I felt compelled to do something. There isn't much we can do except give money and pray for the situation. When we started looking into the giving opportunities, there are so many organizations you can give money to, and many will do all they can to provide help to the people of Haiti. But, one thing we noticed is a lot of smaller organizations and missionary groups that were accepting donations. I found it odd that some local churches were even mentioned on the evening news as taking up collections from the public for Haiti. I applaud their efforts and I'm sure every group will do all that they can in Haiti with whatever resources they have. The fact that every little bit helps is amazing. While there is nothing wrong with giving to smaller organization, your donation may go farther with organizations experienced in disaster relief.

The need in Haiti is so great that larger organizations and groups ready for emergency situations have the greatest ability to respond in this type of situation. Many of the larger organizations have hundreds of people already on the ground in Haiti doing work, or on standby to mobilize in a disaster of this size. They have the supply chain, funds, and people to make things happen - move food, provide medical support, and assist with search, rescue, or recovery. Additionally, they have the ability to stay for long periods of time and continue to fund raise for rebuilding efforts down the road. Many of the larger organizations, like the Red Cross or World Food Programme often work with the government to coordinate efforts, which is important to make sure the impact is immediate and widespread (as conditions allow).

But, be careful as you research where your donations should go. Organizations like Yele Haiti, which has been widely advertised in the aftermath of the earthquake, already exist in Haiti, however they are not very large and don't have any expertise in disaster relief. Some have reported improper use of funds by this group in years past. Look at sites like Charity Navigator to see how these organizations are rated, how they use their funds, and what people are saying about them.

In terms of Haiti relief, CNN appears to have the best and most comprehensive list for donating to organizations. The list is long. It is interesting to read other blogs on donating, philanthropy, and the Haiti disaster. Some have called for one, united disaster relief agency, or at least a shorter list of organizations to act as first responders so that the funds can be channeled to the disaster right away. People like choices and want to give to the organizations they are most interested in. However, the idea of one or fewer agencies is good concept we should all consider in order to save the most lives and make the best use of funds when disaster strikes.

Catching up on coming home from AZ

2010-01-16T10:49:00.001-05:00

The last day in Arizona was sad and also scary. I didn't want to leave the warm weather and went on one last sunny 50* run. So nice! After grabbing lunch, we headed to the airport. This is the scary part. I fly, but it is not my favorite thing to do. The line to check-in was long and we waited only to get rejected by the auto check-in kiosk. This was the required first step to get boarding passes, but we knew it wouldn't work and were sent to the lady at the counter who handles all the issues. There is a known terrorist (who is in jail at the moment thankfully) with a name similar to Todd's name. Because of that we ALWAYS get stopped and someone higher up has to approve and print our boarding passes. No auto or pre check-in for us ever. Fun times.

This process always takes awhile. While the nice counter lady was getting us approved a line developed behind us and you could tell they were not happy it was taking so long. Sorry people! I would love not to have to wait at all and get auto boarding passes like everyone else. Most of the peoe behind us had simple issues like a kid flying alone and a lady with a pet. No higher approval needed for them to board.

Because of all that, we made it to the gate with 3 mins to spare. Just enough time for Todd to get his cinnabon (his treat to himself for flying cause he hates it worse than me) and me eat my TCBY yogart. I love the white chocolate mousse. I would eat that stuff everyday if I could! Pretty healthy and super tasty! Too bad they are pretty much only at airports anymore.

We boarded the plan only to realize our seats were not together even though we were traveling together. What?!?! I hate flying so started to freak out. Then the pilot kept announcing while people were boarding they expected turbulance due to a storm over St. Louis. What?!?! At that point I was all tears - didn't want to go home, not sitting near my husband, and expected turbulance. I just couldn't do it! The stewardess saw me crying. At first she wasn't helpful and then she could see I was really upset, so she got someone to move around so Todd and I could sit together. Relief!! The flight was pretty uneventful except for the bumpy ride over the Midwest and a crying child at the end. We got home to about 10* and we had left Phoenix at 68*. that pretty much sucked. Our house was frigid that night because it took forever to warm up.

We got the dogs back the next morning. It's always fun to have them come home from boarding because they go crazy seeing us and running around their place! No more small, cramped kennel (that costs us a fortune).

Worried

2010-01-11T22:07:00.002-05:00

Had a bit of a panic attack and wasn't able to sleep last night. Normally, I am exhausted and fall into bed without any problems, but I tossed and turned all night last night and maybe slept a few hours. Mostly, I am worried about everything going on. I have this need to keep up on everything and complete tasks/assignments/work on time and to the best of my ability. But, with so many things happening, I am worried that I won't get it all done. I have to remind myself: take things one day at a time, you are only one person, people will understand you can't possibly do everything. We'll see.

My class started tonight. I think it will be good, but it is a master's class. So, there is a significant amount of reading and several papers due. I am not quite sure what to expect, so I'll have to take it week by week. I'm also a little nervous that I haven't written a paper in years and never in the APA style. I ordered the APA style guide to help me out, but I have a feeling it will take me a lot longer to write the first couple of papers while I get used to the writing style. I am definitely worried about doing well in the course and what future classes will be like.

I want to finish my masters, but I also have a fulltime job, well more than fulltime job. Even working 50+ hours per week, I am behind and getting new projects added daily. I usually try to stay ahead of the things coming at me, but it has been a bit crazy lately and for now I am just keeping up. Plus, I am tired when I get home work work. After a 9-10 hour day, I am wiped and don't want to sit at a computer anymore. That makes it hard to take classes on the side. I am worried that I won't get everything done I have to do on daily basis for work.

Then there is running. I already signed-up for several races, including 3 half-marathons. Yikes, what was I thinking!! This means I need to start training yesterday! I am already behind! Running is my stress relief. Sometimes I'll run for an hour just working out problems in my head - things to be solved at work, tasks to be done at home, etc. The issue is I really need the stress relief and sometimes training can become a point of stress and not relief. Plus, I am trying to keep up 2-3 weight training sessions per week. I am worried that I won't get in my training and lose the pure joy of working out for enjoyment.

Then there are always things around the house and family commitments. We certainly have a to-do list of items for our house. Additionally, we'll be out of town for family events several times in the next few months. I am worried I won't have time to grocery shop or do laundry on the weekends, let alone do my assignments for class. I am worried people won't understand if we just can't make it once or twice.

Mainly I am worried because there are so many balls in the air - more than I can fit into this blog. I am hoping I can keep on top of it out and no one will be mad if I have to say no in order to get it all done.

Insight.com Bowl - A Success!

2010-01-11T19:19:00.018-05:00

At the game

I never got around to blogging about the remainder of our trip to Arizona. Given that we spent more time traveling to and from the state of Arizona then we were actually there, I didn't have much time to post on arrival. We were in Tempe for 2 days. It was amazing. Most of the time we spent doing Insight.com Bowl game events, which the Iowa State Alumni Association did a great job of organizing. In the

On Wednesday evening we drove out to Rawhide, which is a replica wild west town. They had a pep rally with the coach, team members, and other university officials. I wasn't expecting a huge crowd, but it was packed. There were 5,000 fans there for the rally. It was crazy - you couldn't go anywhere because the lines for food and drink were so long. We listened to most of the pep rally and then decided to eat at the steakhouse in this "town." It wasn't anything special, but the food was decent and they had a live band playing, which was kind of nice. After that, we headed back to the hotel.

On Thursday, we go up and got ready for the game. The game was at 4:00, but the pap rally was downtown Tempe at noon. We got something to eat at a local Irish bar, which was amazing. I would barely finish half of my corned beef sandwich, let alone the fries! After that we headed to the pep rally to get our bead, tattoos, and stickers. There were about 10,000 fans at the game-day rally. I can't believe how many people made the trip - many driving both ways to get there! We stayed for an hour or so and walked toward the game. We wanted to get in to check out the stadium and get to our seats.

The stadium was mostly full of Iowa State fans. Seriously, it was like 10:1 Cyclones:Golden Gophers, which definitely made for a better game atmosphere. The pregame was decent - parachuters came down on the field and they had fireworks. I won't say much about the game other than to note that Iowa State won 14-13. It was a close game at the end and could have gone either way, but a win is a win, no matter how ugly. I am just happy the Cyclones won. Otherwise, Todd would have been really upset. He gets so mad just watching the game at home when they lose. I did not want to deal losing after making the trip out.

After the game, we were hungry and found some food at a local bar. The servings were huge and it was super cheap food. We had no clue going there, but we could have split dinner it was so big! After that, we walked around Tempe's New Year's Eve block party. It was huge! We heard this is the biggest block party after Times Square. I am not sure if that is true or not, but it was definitely packed with people, food vendors, rides, activities, and 40 bands. It was $15 just to get in and we had to go through security, which was interesting. There were police in full riot gear, police on foot, on bikes, in cars, and on horse. It was crazy. Someone said that the was a big street fight a few years ago, so they are prepared I guess. We stayed long enough for the fireworks at 10pm (celebrated the New Year in the Eastern time zone). After that we were so exhausted due to the time change, our travel, and everything we squeezed into the trip, we headed back to the hotel. We heard the fireworks at midnight celebrating the Mountain time zone, but we were in bed already. Lame, I know, but we were so exhausted.

I was not excited to go home at all. I LOVED the weather in Tempe and didn't want to deal with work after being gone for a week (the emails were piling up even though lots of people were on vacation, too). But, I did want to get home to my dogs. I always miss them!

All in all, it was a good trip. I was surprised I did made it that far in the car. I don't mind traveling, but driving for 24 hours is not my idea of fun at all. But, I watched a ton of movies, read through my stack of magazines, and kept up my social networking (about the only time I was good about keeping up with that). :) I am hoping we can head back out there to catch some spring training games. I have always wanted to go to spring training, but have yet to make it. Maybe this year??

In the Arizona sun

Tuesday's travels

2010-01-01T16:46:00.001-05:00

Back to Tuesday and then the rest of the week. We checked out downtown Santa Fe. Very cool, although cold. Tons of little specialty shops along little streets. In one spot, all the locals set out their goods for sale on the sidwalk. They literally put down a blanket and put out their handmade items, mostly jewelry. If I was more into jewelry, I would have bought some as it was pretty cool.

After checking out many different shops, we grabbed lunch at Blue Corn Cafe. I finally got some good homemade guac and tacos with homemade blue corn shells. We stopped at another pottery store that sold actual kitchenware. I would love to have a set. Still debating as one bowl is $30 and I would still need plates, cups, etc. I may have them ship me one serving bowl at least. It is so cool! We actually watched them make it in the shop.

We were originally supposed to be in the Grand Canyon for a few days, but canceled that on the way and stayed in Santa Fe instead. Part of our 15 hours at home between trips included a visit to PromptCare for Todd's foot. No fracture, just some stretched tendons that made it painful to walk on one foot. He now gets new raquetball shoes, and we decided to nix any hiking for now.

We left Santa Fe late afternoon for more driving. But, we finally made it to Arizona. Unfortunately, it was mostly nightime driving, so we missed all the senic stuff.

We found a cool brewery that all makes pizza. It was 10p - midnight our time - so anything would have been good at that point! After that we crashed. Three days of driving for two days of football was exhausting!!

I love it here!

2009-12-30T13:30:00.001-05:00

Monday adventures

2009-12-29T18:54:00.001-05:00

On Monday night, we stopped in Santa Fe, NM. Todd loves this city and we wanted a break from driving. We arrived and got a room at The LaFonda hotel downtown. The hotel is a historic one. The rooms were small and older, but definiely cool. The room numbers outside the door were hand-painted tiles (locally done, I'm sure), the bathroom was almost all tile, too. Everything matched the Indian/Southwest theme in the room. The headboard and wall paintings all had the same flower motif. We took some pics, but I'll have to post those later. The workout room was small but nice and Todd used the outdoor hot tub even though it was only 30!! The hotel gave us a deal on the room because we said we looked at prices on priceline.com, which was awesome!

We did some research and picked a Mexican restaurant to eat at that had received tons of great reviews. It was horrible! The service was bad and very slow. The food was only average and pretty expensive. Plus, it was freezing in the place. Even Todd was cold, so that says it all! The worst part was the guacamole, or lack there of. I LOVE guac! Tons of the reviews went on and on about their amazing and fresh guac, which was another reason I was all for the place!! They ended up running out of it by the time we got our food (1.5 hours after ordering). The waitress offered to bring me some avacado. Seriously?!?! If you have avacado, make me some guac! Ugh! And this was a Monday night at the place, not even a weekend night! I felt bad for the family with kids as they waited a long time and were definitely restless. The only good thing this place had going (IMHO) was the live music. My negative review is already up on tripadvisor.com.

Surprisingly, there is no 3G in Santa Fe even though it is the state capitol. Also, because of all the pubelo-type buildings with thick walls, a signal was hard to come by. But, it was better than the "no service" words that kept flashing on my phone as we drove the interstate across the entire Texas panhandle. Thanks AT&T.

On the road again

2009-12-28T11:04:00.001-05:00

Spent the night in Tulsa last night. This place did get a lot of snow! Driving through Missouri there wasn't much snow, so we were thinking there was no way Oklahoma was pretty much shutdown over Christmas. But, there are huge piles of snow all around Tulsa. The hotel check-in lady said they got about 7 inches in 3 hours. Crazy!

They do not know how to plow roads here! The interstate only had one lane cleared with the second lane only partially cleared of ice and snow. The exit ramps were dangerous - snow piled in the lane and covered in ice. Seriously? This is two days after the storm moved out. Maybe they are low on salt and sand? Who knows. The good news is the roads to Oklahoma City are better.

We are back on the road headed west again. At least it is cold out. It is unbearable for me to travel in the summer! I sit in a windowless office all day, so to be in the car when it is so nice out is very hard for me. Definitely less difficult in the winter! We stayed in a Hampton Inn, which we are both fans of! Not too expensive, decent beds, free breakfast, and a workout room. Nothing fabulous but a good deal for the price!

I missed the photo op, but there was a sign on the tollroad for Free Restrooms 14 miles ahead. Too funny! Apparently, if you pass the free toliets you may have to pay. LOL

Heading south

2009-12-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

We are definitely getting south. Just finished off some pulled pork, corn, and fries from Buckingham's in Springfield, MO. Somehow I got the spicy instead of the sweet sauce. My mouth is still in fire! Apparently, this place has the best BBQ in the area, including the Ozarks. Todd saw the billboard a few miles outside of town and was sold. He is a fan of trying the loacal places. It was good, but the best BBQ award (in my book) still goes to Smokin' Jack's Rib Shack in Bloomington! Awesome meat, cornbread, and mac n' cheese. Mmm. Now, I need to find us a hotel with some sort of fitness room...

Quote of the Day #1

2009-12-27T16:49:00.002-05:00

There are a lot of Ohio State fans on the interstate going to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. My fav quote of the day so far:

CMR: I can't even imagine driving to Pasadena. That's like a whole day of driving paste Tempe.

TVR: Trust me, you'll know what it feels like by the time we get to Arizona.

LOL! He's probably right. I'm already bored.

The rental car let down

2009-12-27T15:38:00.002-05:00

We are suffering from rental car let down! Had we been on time, we would have had one sweet ride! But, no such luck!! We lost our chance after a series of events.

We were home a whole 15 hours from Chicago before heading out to AZ. Just enough time to do laundry, re-pack, sleep, and rake the dogs to the boarding place. Of course we were running behind from being gone for four days and leaving again. Plus we overslept out of exhaustion from being gone (and probably eating too much food). We got to the airport to pick-up our one-way rental and leave our car to have when flying in. We parked in the long term lot and couldn't find the walkway to the terminal since neither of us had flown out of the new Indy airport. So we waited in the freezing cold for the bus to pick us up. Thank goodness for heaters in the shelters (see pic below). That featur rocks!! We got on the bus and the lady dropped off some people flying and said she would take us to rental cars. She missed the turn and ended up circling around and dropping us at the main terminal where she dropped the original people. Turns out the rentals weren't too far
and we should have gotten off to begin with.

Our rental time was set for noon, but we were about an hour late to pick-up the car. Originally we were told they were out of one-way rentals so we were getting a car typically used locally. We got everything loaded into a fully-loaded all leather interior with heated seats, onstar, and xm radio Buick lesverne. Who-hoo! The car was started and we were pulling away when someone in the garage flagged us down. Apparently, someone had just returned a one-way rental while we were loading our car and we needed to switch cars. Boo! So, we are on our way in a Chevy Malibu. Not horrible, but definitely a letdown from the original car. I can't complain. We ate renting through Alamo and everything has been smooth so far. Definitely better than some experiences with Enterprise!

Let the travels begin...

2009-12-27T14:59:00.001-05:00

Today begins our trip to Arizona. This is Todd's trip. I get to pick the next one and it will definitely not involve this much travel!! We are driving one-way in a rental car to Pheonix and flying home one-way on Friday. Yup, 25 hours in the car sounds fun, right??

Iowa State is playing in the Insight.com bowl game in NYE in Tempe. He was willing to skip Christmas for this game, that's how badly he wanted to go. I would like to point out that when I REALLY wanted to go to the Illinois Final Four game and then the Rose Bowl, I watched on TV. He owes me!!

For my friends and relatives in AZ, I am sorry to say we won't get to see you. We'll be traveling more days than we are actually there, which is not exactly my idea of fun. But, Todd HATES flying (I am not a huge fan) and this route was way cheaper than flying round trip. So, my week off work begins I'm the car. The good news is I have five movies downloaded to my iPhone, I set my blogger account for mobile access, and our rental car has two outlets to plug into, so I am good to go!! (Well, for at least a few hours. I am definitely one of those "are we there yet" kind of people.)

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T13:55:00.002-05:00

We where in the Chicago suburbs for Christmas. The weather and me having to work on my day off changed all of our driving plans, but we still had a good time. Lucy and Murphy ran around with cousin-dog Wrigley. They managed to stay out of trouble most of the time minus an ornament Murphy's tail got ahold of from the tree. Not too bad for three dogs all 50 lbs or more!

I was exhausted since I have been working so much lately. I spent most of my time watching Christmas movies (Four Christmases is my new fav), getting food ready, and eating food.

Todd got me a necklace for Christmas. It is small, but pretty. I am not much into jewelry, so it is perfect for me. After all of the eating, my brother and I went on a five mile run on Christmas day. The snow and ice were starting to melt, so it was the wettest run of my life. Some of the puddles were several inches deep. In many place is was an ice rink on the trail. My shoes and socks were soaked. My face was sore from the pelting rain/sleet. I already rotated those shoes to my backup pair (after they get done drying). But, it was good to get out since I'll have few workouts but lots of eating this holiday season!

We had a good te although we wished the weather had been been better to get out more and make the travels less stressful. We passed at least one major accident. I am hopeful everyone is okay and thankful we got there and back with no problems!

Another Murphy Disaster

2009-10-04T10:33:00.001-04:00

Here is why we had to have the carpets cleaned downstairs last week. We left Murphy and Lucy inside on 9/24 when it rained all day. Everything was fine when I checked on them at lunch and let them out to potty. But, disaster struck sometime in the afternoon. I think Murphy got bored being inside. The plant used to be about 6-ft tall and was sitting in the corner between the window and the couch in our office downstairs. Apparently, he also needed to destroy a few magazines from the crock, too. The plant wasn't enough??

It took about an hour or so to clean up. I used a dust pan to scoop off the top layer of dirt, the shop vac to get off the next layer, and the vaccum to get the pieces down in. Then we had the carpet cleaners come in to get up all the stains as some areas where really ground in.

Baseball Contracts

2009-08-11T22:47:00.005-04:00

I was listening to the Cubs game on the radio the other night and heard a question someone emailed in to Ron and Pat. The question was directed to Ron and went something along the lines of questioning if the players in past years (specifically the 1960's and early 1970's when Ron played) where better conditioned than current day players as they spent less time on the disabled list and played in more games. Ron's response was interesting. He said that the baseball contracts back then were one year deals. So, even if you were injured you had to be out there playing day after day so no one could come up and take you job. In today's world of guaranteed and multi-year contracts, it is not as big of a deal. Players can go on and off the DL as needed without worrying about their playing status the rest of the season and next year.

It was a really good question. I find sports contracts like this interesting. It's almost like we baby the players of today. They get more conditioning, better medical care, and yet they play less often then players in the past who probably didn't even get free aspirin. Whatever happened to no pain, no gain or there's no crying in baseball. I understand if you can't play due to a broken foot (Johnson - foul ball off foot), but some other injuries like a left calf strain (Blanco - not considered a serious injury) put someone on the DL for 15 days. That's like me calling in sick for soreness in my left hand - can't type work related emails for the next 15 days. Don't I wish. I understand the need to be cautious, but it sometimes seems to go too far. We need more players that keep playing through the pain and manage their injuries and pain (Lee - bulging disk in neck). Just sayin'!

Celebrations and Old Friends

2009-08-09T18:13:00.007-04:00

I love when I get to go somewhere and see old friends and acquaintances I haven't seen in years. It is always fun to see what people are up to these days. Yesterday, I was in the Chicago suburbs for my friend Tracy's wedding shower. I got to see several friends from college and celebrate her upcoming wedding. It was a lot of fun!

There were a ton of people at the shower, so Tracy got a ton of great stuff. One of the gifts was a really cool creative gift. I am not good at coming up with stuff like that, so I'll have to steal it for future use. It used candy and little sayings for clever thoughts on marriage. Like the Almond Joy bar with the saying for the joys in life you will experience. Very cute. I had never seen that before and definitely want to use at some point! The room the shower was in was decorated so cute with flowers on every table and a brunch/lunch buffet. The favors were adorable, too! But, the best part of the shower (for me, anyway) was getting to see Tracy and catch-up with old friends from college. Granted the time was short, but it was fun to see everyone!

Tracy, me, Kendra, and Sarah

The Cell = The Worst

2009-08-01T17:54:00.005-04:00

US Cellular Field is the worst baseball stadium I have ever been to. Period. Each year we try to see a new stadium or two. We have seen most of the ones in the Midwest and a few East Coast stadiums, too. Out of all he ones I have been to, The Cell is the worst by far. I am glad we went to check it off our list and to never go back!

We decided to catch the Cubs at the White Sox, so at least we could see a game we would like. That was probably a bad idea in hindsight, but who knew at the time! Not me! I don't know the Southside very well, but there is nothing there. We tried to park, but had to use White Sox parking. They had us going around in cirlces through neighborhoods to a community college parking lot. We had no clue where we were, so had to follow the crowd to the stadium. Since there is nothing there, people just tailgaited at their cars. I seriously felt like I was at a football game and not a baseball game.

We finlly got to the stadium about an hour or so before game time hoping to get tickets. There were none because the police don't allow scalping around the stadium. Interesting since the same Chicago police department allows it on the Northside. We searched high and low, even coming up with a plan to catch one of the museums to make our trip worthwhile. We finally found someone who sold us the worst seats ever in the upper deck. But, at least he admitted before we bought them they would be crappy. Kudos for the honestly, but these seats were horrible. Upper deck near the top and also near the tunnel to the concessions. So, we never really saw the game since we were so high off the field and had a stream of people walking in front of us. I got hit in the head with peanut shells, had beer spilled all around me, and saw the police escort many people out for fighting in the stands. Literally throwing punches fighting. Oh, I felt bad for the guy next to us who brought his kid. Not only could they not see the game, but the people behind us were using inappropriate language the whole game. He finally left about half-way through. I probably would have, too. Actually, we did leave a few innings early. The Cubs played horrible the entire game and lost.

The thing I hate most about the stadium is all the advertising. Every place they could put a sign, sponsor, or flashing light, they did. You would never see this at Wrigley. You just watch and enjoy the game, not all the crazy advertising. Also, they played music all the time. Before every batter, between innings, during pitching changes. People we up doing the YMCA and dancing to other songs. Horrible. It is a baseball game, not a drunken party people!

I can promise, I will never be back to US Cellular Field again.

I'll take the ivy at Wrigley anyday for a REAL baseball game!

To Chicago via Iowa

2009-07-31T22:45:00.009-04:00

This past weekend we went to Chicago for the day via a trip to Iowa. We left Friday night right after work to start the 6 hour drive. It was pretty uneventful until the last 45 miles. We drove through some serious thunderstorms. Not only was the rain so heavy it was hard to see, every lightening strike would illuminate the clouds. I looked like a tornado might drop down at any time, but we kept driving (of course) and finally got there around 11:30pm.

I was up around 6:15am the next morning to run the Bix 7. The Bix is 7-mile race in the Quad Cities during an annual jazz festival honoring musician Bix Beiderbecke. It is a fun race and I have done it for four years now, but I forgot how hilly the course was! Just over 15,000 people ran the race this year and while the weather was slightly cooler than normal this year, the course was still tough! But, I finished (after getting a cramp with only 0.25 miles left - ugh!) in 1:02:57. My time was a little slower than I hoped, but compared to my race times over the last several years, this time was great. After that, we spent the day by the pool and ate smoked ribs for dinner.

Sunday morning we were up early again to head into Chicago. Todd has been wanting to take his niece and nephews into Chicago, so we decided on a game at Wrigley! Todd had on some old sandals as we left and forgot his shoes to walk around in. So, we stopped to get shoes in Wrigleyville at 10:00am on Sunday morning. After that we parked and got tickets for the game. It was very important to get the tickets as we knew it would be hard to get 5 together and also because our nephew Max was concerned about going to the game without tickets. We promised him we had been many times and gotten tickets outside of the stadium, but we definitely needed tickets in hand to make everyone happy! We grabbed lunch, bought Sharpe #1 for possible autographs, lost Sharpe #1, and made it to our seats. Thankfully the Cubs won, so the kids got to sing the Go, Cubs, Go! song. I think they enjoyed the game and we definitely kept the cotton candy guy busy. After the game, we saw the bucket drummers, bought Sharpe #2, got Ben some Cubs baseball cards, and waited for Cubs players to get some autographs.

We waited near where the players park their cars. It is kind of crappy because they all leave and never sign anything. They should at least sign for a few kids. It only costs them a few minutes of time to gain fans for a lifetime. We waited and watched Lee, Dempster, Fontenot, Soriano, and other players leave. Rich Harden, the winning pitcher came out and was talking to others inside the gated parking lot. Finally, after about 10 minutes, he came over and started signing autographs for people. It was awesome of him and all the kids were excited. We were trying to get in for our autographs. Todd held Ben on his shoulders so he could reach over the top of other people to hand in his Harden baseball card for a signature. Max climbed up the side of the fence and hung over the game program open to the page on Harden. Both got signatures (of course, we didn't need the Sharpes #1 and #2 as he used the same pen for everyone).

After that, we headed downtown for a quick tour of tall buildings, a stop an Millennium Park, and some Chicago-style pizza. We didn't get home until late, but had a lot of fun! Next time we'll hit a few other attractions. I think all the kids are ready for the aquarium.

Todd is 40!!

2009-07-04T20:13:00.007-04:00

I already know what is coming at me. Todd will be so mad I am posting this and putting up a picture. I am so in trouble, but it is such a big occasion, I couldn't skip over it. I mean, this is The Royer Report, a whole blog about us!

At the beginning of June, Todd turned the big 4-0. I spent months planning a big surprise party for him, but nothing really turned out as I planned. I guess in the end, a good time was had by all, so that made it worth the effort.

Party Planning - I called so many different places to reserve a room, but nothing was available or I couldn't get places to call me back. I finally reserved the back bar area at Yogi's, a local bar and grill, and ordered an appetizer buffet. They were so accommodating! I would completely recommend anyone who wants to host a casual party and not worry about having at your home. They were great to work with and even adjusted food to make my order smaller up to two days before the party. So great! They were also great when I arrived to great guests and put up a few decorations. I will be using them again for my future party needs.

Guest List - I invited about 80 of Todd's friends and family. A few were from out-of-state, so I knew not everyone would come, but I was disappointed that only about 25 people could come. I definitely wanted a big surprise bash, but I guess I picked a bad weekend. It was after the semester had ended and the same weekend as several local high school graduations. Oh well, those that came had a great time and like I said, Yogi's was great at changing the food orders up to the last minute.

Surprise Effect - So, everything was a complete surprise up to the last week. About a week before the party, Todd decided he was going to take a trip to do a dog hunting test with Murphy in Illinois. That would require him to leave right after work on Friday. Ack! The party was set to start at 5:30pm that Friday night. I tried to come up with all sorts of different suggestions, including leaving Friday morning and making up a fake party that we had been invited to and he needed to attend with me. Of course, he didn't really buy any of those schemes and kept his plans to leave after work. I finally had to tell him about the party. At least we didn't have to worry about our plan to actually get him there for the party (that was prearranged with a friend of his). His comment to me was that he was definitely surprised I had planned something for him and would have never guessed anything. Nice. Needless to say, I was bummed about having to tell him, but everyone at the party gave him a hard time about ruining the surprise so that made it a little better.

The Gifts - Lots of people got him great gag gifts and some useful things, too. He got lots of black and 40 balloons. We came home to a nice present on our front porch (see picture below), so he was happy about that. Of course, the gift I got him was a flop! I ordered a book for him on Chesapeake Bay Retrievers that is no longer in print. I search high and low for this book and finally found a copy on ebay that was listed in good condition. I paid for expedited shipping to get it here for his birthday and they failed to ship it until five days after I place my order and paid the extra money! I definitely was not happy, so they refunded my full shipping cost and sent it out. Well, the book arrived in horrible condition, two weeks after his birthday. I had to send it back and complain about the shape it was in - broken spine, stained back cover, torn front cover. Clearly not in good condition! But, I was able to find a better copy and order that, so I did redeem myself three weeks after his birthday.

The Cake - I did get us two pieces of cake from Blu Boy. We love their cake! So good!

New Decking

2009-07-04T13:46:00.012-04:00

Well, we finally decided to put on a new deck this year. We had always known the deck on our house was not well-built and it was falling apart. The previous owners never stained he deck, so the wood was water damaged and cracking. We stained it twice in the last four years, but the damage had already been done. I didn't really want to spend money on a new deck, but during the demo you could see how horrible it was, how pieces were falling about, and how it could have pulled away from the house. Lovely. The posts were not even sunk in with concrete! So, I guess it was needed for safety reasons.

We spent months decided what type of material we wanted to use and finally decided on the composite wood - no maintenance and more difficult for the dogs to tear up. Overall, I like the deck, but it was not built without drama.

First of all, let me mention that I will NEVER spend any of my hard earned money at Lowe's EVER again. Horrible. It took us days to get the materials delivered, and then they were not delivered on time. From Thursday through Sunday we waited to start building and trying to organize getting the materials from them. I even tried to rent a truck to pick everything up myself. First they told me it was okay and then they said it wasn't because the wood was too long to fit on the truck and it would be a safety hazard. Okay, you know my order, so why did you say it was originally okay and make me wait an hour to hear it was not possible?!? Parts of the order were not correct or missing. Then, when we tried to return some spare pieces (about $200 worth), we were not allowed because of how THEY ordered it. We ordered 6 posts, but they put it in the system as 2 packs of 3. So, since we weren't returning the how package, we couldn't get our money back. But, they will sell them individually and can look up an individual price, not too mention we did not ask for the materials to come as a package, we asked for individual pieces. UGH! Let's just say that I had to leave Lowe's so I wouldn't go over the counter ate strangle the stupid people working there.

It is nothing spectacular, just a 12x12 deck. We only increased it by about 2 feet in width. The railing is a lot better than before. But, the stairs are an issue for me. I do not like the stairs. We originally wanted an octagon shaped stair that would come off the corner of the deck. At some point, we changed our minds and decided on regular old steps coming straight off the deck down to the grass. But, I didn't realize until the stairs were under construction what was going on. Todd had decided to go back to the octagon shape, but they are not symmetrical. In my opinion, it does not look right. Also, because of how the yard slopes, we had to add an extra step to one side because it would have been too dangerous of a step down to the yard. So, we have two sides of the stairs with 3 steps and one with 4 steps.

Another issue is that we have nothing going around the bottom of the deck. We were going to put up skirting and we have also talked about the trellis-type material. So far, we have nothing. I would like to put something up. We would have to leave an opening for the dogs as they like to hang out under the deck when the weather is bad. They stayed outside during the recent 90-degree days and stayed cool laying in the dirt under the shade of the deck.

The other problem is that half of the patio was torn up to put in the new steps for the deck. I have been wanting to get rid of the patio and just replace it with grass, but for now, everything is just sitting there waiting for us to do something with it. Great, another project.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

2009-07-03T09:00:00.005-04:00

I think I may have found the crisp recipie I will use from now on. I made a peach crisp a few weeks ago and it was good, but it wasn't spectacular. Well, last weekend I came across another crisp recipe that looked really good and tried it the same day, although I adapted the recipe for our tastes. I had some peaches cut and frozed, but not enough to actually make the crisp. So, I decided to use half blueberries (also needed to use up some of those) and half peaches. Todd has declared this my best crisp yet and this should be my go-to recipe for fruit crisps. So, I guess it has been blessed. :) It was gone so fast, I didn' get a chance to take a picture.

Fruit Crisp

Topping:

½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

¾ cup brown sugar

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup old fashioned oats

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:
About 2 lbs. (4-5 cups) fruit (I used 2 cups peaches and 2 cups blueberries)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, oats, baking powder and cold butter with your hands, until mixture is well combined and crumbly Lightly toss almonds into mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, brown sugar and cornstarch. Set aside. In a 8x8 dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray, combine your fruit. Drizzle with lemon juice and almond extract. Stir in cinnamon/sugar/cornstarch mixture and combine. Crumble crisp topping over the peaches. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream.

So behind

2009-06-30T22:48:00.002-04:00

I am way behind on blog posts. Many are started and saved, but I haven't gotten around to finishing and publishing them. I really have great intentions and then get sidetracked by so many other things. I am hoping to catch up on life this weekend since I'll have an extra day (yay holiday weekend)! I feel like such a slacker, but at least we have been out doing things, hence the delay. I have yet to post about Todd's 40th party, the finished deck, more recipes, our trip to Chicago for a couple days at Wrigley, and our last minute trip to US Cellular field this past weekend. Ack! So much to catch up and so behind. My mid-year resolution is that I will be better at posting and not a month behind! :)

Kool Dogz

2009-06-27T21:59:00.006-04:00

Late last year I bought this thing at Target on clearance for $5 called Kool Dogz. We finally had the opportunity to use it and the dogs love it! We have been freezing treats in this for them every day since it has been sooooooo hot! They stay outside in the morning and one of us comes home at lunch to let them cool off in the AC for 30 or 40 minutes and then they go back out with the Kool Dogz contraption. It has worked out well on all accounts! And they seem to share without fighting. Amazing!

Hobbies Prioritized

2009-06-22T23:03:00.004-04:00

So, I haven't been baking as much lately, or maybe I am just making the same old standby recipes. But, I did try a few news things in the last few weeks and I bookmarked like 50 new recipes to try. If only I had more time to spend on my second favorite hobby...

First, I made a peach crisp adapted from allrecipes.com. I bought a 5-lb box of peaches, definitely way more than we could eat. So, I decided to try my hand at a peach dessert. I am not a huge peach fan, but they are okay. I mean, given the choice, I would choose apple or some other fruit over peach. But, the crisp turned out pretty well. Todd says it was better the next day, so it probably needs to sit and gel for awhile. But, we ate it hot out of the oven with vanilla ice cream. Next time I will add some sugar to the peaches since I used fresh instead of canned.

Second, I made Little Blueberry Upside Down Cakes. These were a hit with Todd. The recipe made eight "cakes" and I think they were all gone within 24 hours of when I baked them. I got one, maybe two. Again, I bought way too many blueberries for us to eat and wanted to use them in something really yummy. This recipes caught my attention right away. I had to cook a little longer than the recipe said, but they turned out great. This is on our list of new favorites.

I didn't take any pictures of my creations. While I love recipe blogs and would love to have my own someday, I am not good at pictures of food. Some people are so good at it, but I have never been that great a photography and I don't really have the time to spend practicing on something that doesn't fully interest me. However, several blogs I follow have amazing pictures and some even have tutorials on food photography. Maybe one day I will get a decent camera and take up photographing our baked goods. But for now, I am happy to have running as my main hobby to burn off all the calories for my second hobby and the photography can wait until another day.

Vacation Bound...soon!

2009-06-13T15:44:00.005-04:00

Outer Banks, here we come!

Finally! The vacation is booked. We can't go until July this year even though I desperately need a vacation now! But, at least it gives me something to look forward to. It really isn't that far away considering how fast the summer is going. I mean, it is already mid-June. I feel like the summer is usually long, but unfortunately it seems to be going by crazy fast this year! Usually by this point in time we have been to visit family, spent a long weekend in Iowa, been to a Cubs game or two, and taken some weekend trips. But, nothing this year and no days off work. I think that is why I am really looking forward to being away. We have just been too busy with work and home projects (please, please let our deck be done soon!) to be gone. Todd is going up for tenure and has to have everything turned in before we go on vacation. So, he'll be working on that a lot between now and then.

Until then, I look daily at the picture of the view from the deck of our oceanfront rental house to keep me going...

The Wrath of Murphy

2009-06-13T15:23:00.005-04:00

I am eating my words that Murphy is good in the house. He was fine being free in the house all day Tuesday and Wednesday. I went home at lunch and after work to no problems at all. However, he must have reached his max indoor time Thursday. Todd went to check on them at lunch and found this…

Picture 1 – Plant in living room torn completely out of planter.

Picture 2 – Basket of random paperwork and computer supplies in front office that was sitting in the bookcase. The basket was completely shredded (you can see the wooden base left in the picture). Some of the paperwork was a lost cause, too.

Picture 3 – Todd’s version of Super Nanny punishment for dogs. Murphy had to sit in the corner in timeout while listening to Lucy get lots of treats.

It turns out Murphy somehow has a massive ear infection and got a shot and four medications at the vet Thursday night. Since he usually stays in the house without any problems, we think it was a combination of being inside for so many days and the pain from the ear infection that led to the destruction. Poor Lucy was shaking in her boots the whole time. She is the “sensitive dog” in the family and knows when someone is about to get in trouble and never wants to be the one to get it. Murphy had no clue he did anything wrong at all.

Coolest Gift Ever!

2009-06-02T23:05:00.003-04:00

What a cool and creative gift! My friend and running/half-marathon training partner, Mandy, made me the coolest gift ever. It is a framed collage page of our running events from this past spring -- post-race pics, a pic of us finishing the IU Mini together, and the train we got stopped by on the way home from the Indy Mini packet pick-up (which was so funny, but you had to be there). I tried with and without the flash, but the picture does not due justice to the page she she scrapbooked. (Meaning, ignore my bad picture-taking abilities.) I love it! Of course, I am not creative at all and wish I had half the talent to do something like this. Thanks, Mandy! Here's to the fall running season!

Quilt Square

2009-06-02T22:39:00.005-04:00

Our friends, Chris and Rita, are adopting a baby from South Korea. While they wait and prepare for their new little one (we hope comes sooner than later), Rita is creating a quilt called the "100 Good Wishes Quilt." They asked friends and family to send meaningful fabric to create a quilt for the baby. It is so cute and a really great idea to welcome the baby home!

I had a hard time trying to come up with something clever, but finally decided on Cleveland Indians fabric. We used to go to baseball games with Chris and Rita, and Todd has been known to talk crap with Chris over their favorite teams. Chris and Todd also played on the same softball team, while Rita and I cheered in the stands. Rita is a huge Indians fan (much like us - they are our minor league team) and Chris is a Cardinals fan (boo!). I tried to find some of each fabric, but couldn't find any cotton Cardinals fabric and only found the Indians fabric after some searching. Anyway, I sent them our fabric and good wishes. The squares they have received so far, including our creation, are all shown on their blog. So cute! I am excited to see the final project and pictures of the baby with the quilt!

Coach Hep 5k

2009-05-17T13:20:00.003-04:00

I don't usually blog about every race I do. I do way too many and have all the t-shirts to prove it. So, I only blog about the cool or challenging ones. Since finishing up the spring half marathon season, I have been wanting to cut back on the running a bit. My legs are still sore from months of training and I kind of want a new challenge. Maybe something like a triathlon, although I cannot swim, so that may be a barrier. Anyway, this weekend was the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge. There are different categories of events, but I ran the 5k. It was a cool and rainy morning, but humid and I honestly was not in the mood to run. I looked at the course map and I knew it was hilly, but didn't realize how hilly until after the race started. The whole first 1.5 miles were completely uphill. It was insane! Thankfully, the whole second half the the course was the course reversed, so it was all downhill. Because of the hills, my legs definitely hurt and I didn't have the best of my 5k times, however I still managed to win 1st place in my age category! I have never done that before. Pretty cool! We got a plaque and a gift certificate for a Road ID, which are very cool and definitely worth looking into if you don't already have one. I guess getting older does have its benefits. :)

Stats:
Overall time: 26:34.0
30-34 Age Place: 1/23
Female Place: 9/117

Homemade Weekend

2009-05-14T21:04:00.007-04:00

Last weekend was the first weekend in a long time that I didn't have anything planned. No races, no-out-of-town trips, no events to attend. Since the spring running season is pretty much over, I am not training for anything either. It was both refreshing to have no obligations and weird to not be out running. So, I started working on my to-do list. I did knock several things off the list, including a couple of recipes I have been really wanting to try. So, over the weekend, I made cinnamon banana cake, 2 loaves of cinnamon swirl bread, and homemade pizza dough from scratch (yeast and all). The bread is something I make often, but the cake and dough were new. Both turned out amazing. Definitely keepers (well, usually only the keepers make the blog)!

The banana cinnamon chip cake is sooooo good and good for you! I have been wanting to try this one for months. Seriously! I hunted around town and could not find cinnamon chips anywhere. So, I ordered them online. It felt really weird to be ordering baking goods online, but it turned out perfect (although I may have ordered a few too many bags of cinnamon chips if anyone needs to borrow some). I made two changes to make it healthier: I substituted egg beaters for the eggs and used whole wheat flour. It was amazing. There is no oil in the cake and it stayed moist for days. I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The best was heated up in the microwave for 30 seconds paired with some vanilla ice cream. Oh, so good! I highly recommend this recipe. I think I will be making it as often!

My other endeavor was a new pizza dough recipe. Much like sugar cookies, I am on a quest to find a really good pizza dough. This recipe tops the list by far. I have tried many dough recipes and this was really good and really easy to make. Making dough from scratch can be time consuming. This went quickly and didn't require much work or kneading. I followed the recipe as stated, but I used my KitchenAid mixer with dough hook. I will say I used a little more flour than mentioned in the recipe. The bottom was crisp, and the sides were soft, not chewy. I want to make this again and see if it works as a calzone crust. We baked one pizza on a pizza stone and one in a cast iron pan. I think it turned out better on the stone, but that was "my" pizza. I will also be trying this one again! It is highly recommended as well!

Lucy & Murphy Brave the Elements

2009-05-13T22:05:00.007-04:00

It rained, poured, and flooded today. We got about 2.5 inches of rain throughout the afternoon. Todd was out-of-town and I had an previously scheduled engagement after work, so I left the dogs outside knowing it would rain, but knowing I couldn't leave them inside. There was no way for me to get home during the day. They were caught in the middle of monsoon-like weather and were muddy and soaked when I got home. Poor babies are probably traumatized forever. Lucy is so scared of thunderstorms as is it. She shakes and pants. She tries to get a close as possible and snuggle down or hide under something until the storm passes. I can only imagine her hunkered down under the deck today. Murphy, on the other hand, is oblivious to storms. I feel so awful, but there was nothing else I could do. Here is a pic of Murphy from when I got home. You can't see all the mud, but I think he face provides a good example of how dirty he was. I actually had to hose off all the mud, so he got even more wet before coming in the house. Lovely.

Indy Mini Race Report....Finally!

2009-05-03T09:37:00.014-04:00

In my life it seems like Saturday mornings = another half-marathon. I think I went a little overboard this year and signed up for three half marathons in five weeks. Crazy? Yes! My legs are screaming at me to take a break. But, after all the hard work of training, the races went so well! I am very happy with how I did at each race. Here is another loooong race report about the Indy Mini, which was this past weekend. I ran with a good friend and fellow half-marathoner, Mandy. Skip to the end to read just about the race!

Training
This past Saturday was the Indy Mini, the world's largest half marathon. Mandy decided to transfer into the race and run it with me. I was excited to have a running partner. The race fills up quickly, so I usually sign-up in the fall on my own and hope that I will find someone to run with at the race. This is my third year of using that method and I finally got a friend to run with me! It is much more fun than running alone! We ran the IU Mini at the beginning of April, so we had spent a lot of the winter training. Because of a leg injury, I didn't run a whole lot right before the Indy Mini, though. Both Mandy and I had signed up to run the local YMCA Running Classic, which is a 5k directly followed by a 10k to get in one last long run the weekend before the race, but after the 5k I knew I couldn't do the 10k. My hamstring hurt too much. So, I only ran a couple of miles before about four days before the race. I was a little bit nervous going into Saturday wondering if my leg would be okay and if I had run enough to make it to the finish.

Race Expo
I planned to go up to pick up the race packet and catch a few minutes of the expo Thursday night before the race. It is about a hour drive up to Indy, so I left right after work with the intent of grabbing the materials and heading back home for a late dinner. However, Mandy decided to drive up with me at the last minute and we ended up having a blast. After we got the packets (where they would not exchange a size M for a size S shirt for me - boo), we headed through the expo. There was tons of cool stuff and we each bought an Indy Mini shirt and running magnets for our cars. We checked out booths on charity running organizations, athletic gear vendors, and other random companies. Got some free stuff, too, which is always good! I think we ended up at the expo for over an hour. After making a return I had to a downtown store, we grabbed dinner before heading home. We ended up going a little cross country after getting stopped by a train on the way home. After watching the train move forward, sit, and then back-up over and over again, we decided to find an alternate route home. Seriously, the train was crazy. We were just sitting there laughing while watching it go forward and then backward. Suffice to say, we didn't get home until 10:00pm after leaving at 5:30pm.

Race Day
I am not a morning person at all, so leaving at 5:40am was my least favorite part of the day. I actually got up around 5am to eat something and get ready to go. Apparently, I over pack on gear for every race I go to. What I can I say? I like to be prepared for any kind of weather with short sleeves, long sleeves, pants, shorts, capris, rain jacket, etc. I also pack a change of clothes for after the race, just in case. So, I think I ended up hauling three bags of gear up to Indy and only used my jacket to put on after the race. Oh, well! Anyway, once we got up to Indy, parked, and used the restroom, we headed to our coral starting spot. I started back with Mandy and almost as soon as we got in there, they took down the ropes separating the different corrals and we all started moving forward towards the start line. It was nice to start further up in the race this year, it definitely helped to avoid people walking. No offense to the walkers, but with so many people at the start, it does suck to get behind a group of walkers. It took us about 8.5 minutes to actually get to the start line from our starting spot and we were off! We maintained a really great pace for the first 10 miles. It was funny to see all the different things going on around us. I am such a people-watcher when I run. Guys were running off the course around mile 2 to pee in the bushes (must be nice as we women have to wait for the porta-potties). There was a couple running together. Her shirt said "Just" and his shirt said "Married." Too cute! She even wore a little veil. Around mile 7, a guy running in the race carrying a box of Krispy Kremes offered us some donuts. I don not know how people eat while running - crazy! The other new and cool thing this year is that they had a hot air balloon at the same time as the race. So, we rounded a corner around mile 3 and the entire skyline was filled with hot air balloons. I wish I had my camera for that moment. I may have to carry it next year. I could go on and on about the interesting things we saw on the way. The actual race conditons were near perfect! It was a cooler morning, but not cold. The sky was overcast until around mile 10, so the sun was not beating down on us, there was no wind, and the rain held off. I honestly don't think I have ever run a race in better conditions. It was amazing!

So, we were doing good and then we both hit a wall around mile 10. My leg really started hurting and Mandy started to get tired. I tried to give us a pep talk, but she wanted none of it. Seriously, she told me to stop talking. :) It was all good. I've felt that way before and she apologized fifty times over after the race. When you are running and you hit a point where you don't think you are going to finish, you just need to concentrate and block out everyone around you to keep going and make it through. I completely understand - been there, experienced that. After three slow miles (at least compared to our pace the rest of the race), we finally crossed the finish like at 2:04:29. The greatest part was we smashed the time we ran a month earlier for the IU Mini (2:08:58). After we got pictures and some free food, we headed back to the car for the camera. After running 13.1 miles we took the elevator up one level to the car. We hurt bad. Seriously bad. Both of us. Neither of us wanted to walk three blocks back to the post race party, so we got a picture in the parking garage and headed home. Despite being sore, we started talking about the next race. It doesn't matter the distance, let the running continue...

(Note the cool running magnets on the car - 13.1 rocks!!)

Thought Provoking...

2009-04-17T12:34:00.003-04:00

I like this blog: http://uptherubicon.blogspot.com/2009/04/this-is-my-problem.html. It just makes some good points.

Illinios Half Marathon Race Report and PR!!

2009-04-16T23:20:00.020-04:00

On Saturday, April 11th, I ran the Illinois Half Marathon with my sister-in-law Susie. It was an amazing race, definitely one of the most fun I have ever done. I can't wait to run it again next year. I am so pumped to say I set a personal record at this race. I don't know that I can ever beat it, but I finished the half in under 2 hours. So excited! I apologize for the long post, but this was a very memorable race for me for lots of reasons starting with the hotel we stayed at the nigh before until finding out my finish time about 24-hours later. :)

The night before...

I am always nervous he night before a big race, but I think I had so much going on that I didn't have time to think about being nervous this time. I was so busy at work that I worked a half day Friday although I had the whole day off. So, by the time I got to Champaign and got my race packet, it was dinner time. I met up with Susie and we ate at a local pasta place. It took us about 45 minutes to get pasta because it was packed with runners! After the race we went back to the hotel room we shared and I headed up to visit my college roommate Jamie for a bit. The hotel was interesting. Our non-smoking room was definitely a smoking room in it's former life. I cringed every time I had to touch the bedspread as it looked like it had seen some better (or interesting) days. Let's just say I went to Target to buy a pillow at 10pm. As we went to bed, the volume next door seemed to get louder. We still aren't sure if it was a domestic dispute or what, but we heard lots of yelling and slamming of doors. I finally fell asleep around 2:30am only to have my alarm go off at 5:30am.

The morning of...

We headed to the race a little early as Susie was running as an American Cancer Society Charity Runner and wanted to stop by the tent they were hosting for the runners and their family/friends. They had breakfast (tons and tons of food), a private gear check, and private port-a-potties for the Charity Runners. It was amazing. After talking with some different people and showing my interest in being a future participant, I was convinced to run the race as a Charity Runner and continue to fund raise after the race was over. It was crazy. Five minutes before the start, I threw on my Charity Runner singlet and we took off for the start line. I about lost Susie before we even got to the line. There were people everywhere and we heard they finally capped the race at 10,000 runners!

The race...

It took us around 6 minutes to actually get to the start line after the official start. We quickly got started and Susie immediately started pacing us. Her goal for the race was to finish in under 2 hours, which is a 9 min/mile pace or less. I typically run a 9:20-9:30 pace, so this was really pushing it for me, but I decided to try and keep up. It was a little rough, but we settled into a pace and Susie was the task-master at keeping us on track. I was a little more laid back and pointed out the cute kids and puppies along the course. I am more content to finish the race and less competitive about my time. So, while I struggled keeping up, I tried to make it more fun (also so I wouldn't think about a painful right hamstring that had bothered me for a few days before the race).

The course was pretty good - the flattest course I have ever run, which really helps with time! There are a few areas that could be changed or improved, but overall is was a great route. The most amazing thing was the crowd. People were out in full force cheering on the runners, giving high fives, ringing cowbells, handing out water, and even tailgating at one house. Seriously, it rocked! There wasn't much entertainment along the course (although Elvis was pretty funny), but the crowd really kept the runners going. Even in the large races I have run (bigger ones than this), the crowd support has not been this good. This is the first year for the race, too. I can only hope it will get better every year.

Still smiling at mile 7.

My brother Ben met us around mile 7 to say hi and take some pictures. He missed us at mile 3 because we were running too fast, but we were excited to see him at mile 7 and at the finish. :)

We both hit a wall around mile 9. Susie was worried we might not make it in under two hours and I was worried I might not make it at all! But, we both made it through by giving each other pep talks and slowing up the pace a bit. I had a side stitch/cramp that wouldn't go away. I made it to mile 11 before I finally had to stop and stretch it out for a few seconds. Susie ran ahead and while I could see her ahead of me, I never quite caught up to her at the end. The finish was so cool because people were lining the streets and filled Memorial Stadium where the race ended at the 50-yard line.

After the race...
After the race, it was hard to say what my finishing time was. Susie was under 2 hours, but I wasn't sure how far behind her I was and I wasn't even watching the clock as I came it. I was just happy to finish and finish in a decent time. It wasn't until later in that night when they posted the finish times that I got really excited. I came in under 2 hours at 1:59:53. It might not be by much, but there is a big fat 1 in the front! I was excited to say the least!

On being a Charity Runner...
Being a Charity Runner for the ACS was so fun! Not only did they provide the pre-race breakfast and amenities, they also provided a post-race lunch and massages. The staff was so nice and so thankful for the money that was raised, no matter how large or small the amount. During the race, we had other runners and people in the crowd yelling at us and thanking us for running for charity. The ACS had people stationed at different areas to cheer on the runners, too. Such a great experience for a great cause!

Post race we are all smiles (mostly thankful it is over)! :)

If you would like to donate to the ACS through my Charity Runner page, you can do so at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/CharityRunner/CRFY09Illinois?px=10555256&pg=personal&fr_id=18804. All donations are appreciated and they are tax deductible, too!

To see our pictures from race day (thanks to Ben, our personal photog), check out my Picasa page at http://picasaweb.google.com/cmroyer/IllinoisHalfMarathon.

USATF Relaxes Headphone Ban

2009-04-15T16:14:00.004-04:00

Thank goodness! Those of us that like to run with music can now do so without being disqualified from races. In December 2008, the USATF officially relaxed their ban on headphones during races. It seems others had the same rant as me and enough complaints got them to reverse their decision for non-competitive runners. Only those competing in a Championship for prize money (i.e., elite athletes, which I am not) are still banned from using headphones during races. Although, the rule does leave it up the the race director to allow or ban headphones from the race, but it appears they will be allowed while being strongly discouraged. The office press release is at:
http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUID=USATF_2008_12_22_10_22_16

Now, I am all for safety during races, but I have not had a lot of problems with people who could not be communicated with during a race, which is why I had a problem with their initial ruling. Most people have their headphones on, but at a decent level to still hear things going on around them. At least I know I do and so do others I run with. Personally, I think the start line is more dangerous than running with headphones. I have seen people trampled when the start gun goes off and everyone is trying to get out of the gate. So, while I see the USATF point, I don't necessarily agree with it. There are lots of areas where safety could be approved. I'm just glad to have my music back to keep me moving.