A New Year's Eve Tradition

This is the third New Year's Eve that Mr KT and I have spent in our current house. We moved in on 12/31/07. The first year I made an oriental beef dish, sugar snap peas, fried rice and cranberry sorbet. Last year we had an All-American meal with BBQ beef ribs, baked beans, cornbread, and lemon daiquiri sorbet. Both meals turned out great. I asked Mr KT if he had any thoughts on dinner for this year. He requested Jambalaya, cornbread, and apple cobbler. I added a salad. Everything turned out really good. Add a glass of wine and it was perfect. The other good news is that I cooked and we ate, all before 8:30 pm. That means that I can usher in the new year at 9:30 and then head to bed. Sweet.

All recipes are below. Mmmmmm.

Jambalaya
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
3 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced
4 oz extra-lean smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3/4 cup brown rice, uncooked

Directions:
Add oil to a large nonstick saucepan. Over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery until onion is translucent. Add parsley, ham, chicken, bay leaf, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, and 1 3/4 cups cold water. Gently simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Pour rice into the pan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 45 minutes or until rice is cooked and absorbs most of the liquid. Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with cayenne pepper and salt.

Golden Sweet Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

French Apple Cobbler
Apple cobbler with cinnamon and vanilla, along with a cake-like batter topping.

Ingredients:
Apple Filling:
5 cups tart apples, peeled, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Topping:
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine apples, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla and water. Turn into a lightly buttered 9-inch square pan. Dot apples with 1 tablespoon butter.
Combine all topping ingredients. Beat with wooden spoon until batter is smooth. Drop batter in 9 portions, over the apples, spacing evenly. Batter will spread during baking. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375° or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
Serves 6 to 8.

YAY!

What a wonderful day. Sigh.

I got up early and went to Master's Swim practice from 5:30 am to 6:30 am. The hot water in the showers is not working and so I came home to shower. I did a bit of shoveling and then headed to work in the snow. It was forecast to snow 1-3 inches over night and pretty much all day Tuesday. Fairly accurate I would say. Now it is supposed to snow all night (yay) and taper off mid morning tomorrow. The bad news... 35 mph wind from the North dropping the temp to -15 degrees. Brrrr. Regardless of the frigid temps. I plan on being up dark and early to get in another xc ski. Anywho, I went to work and, as expected, patients were canceling left and right. This only makes sense. One day of rehab is not worth the danger driving in those conditions creates. I got my paperwork done and came home early. I tore around with the dogs in the backyard and then we took them for a walk. The snow was coming down then and is still coming down. So awesome. When we got home, I grabbed my skis and headed out for a little xc ski! I walked over towards the park as there was no chance of driving over there. As I was walking in my ski boots I noticed there was a guy trying to push a car around a corner so I offered to help. I didn't realize we were pushing her around the corner, up the hill and up her driveway. We made it. I was sweating when we were done and I had breathed in about 40 gallons of exhaust. I was pretty proud of myself, I just pushed a car up a hill... in ski boots. :)

Skied and skied. Took a few pictures on my phone. The snow was coming down pretty good but the iPhone didn't capture that well.



I took this picture after a little downhill. It was so deep and powdery that as I was going down, it was knee deep. That is where my skis should be.


My husband took pictures when I got home.
This is my ponytail coated in snow.


And this is Kona welcoming me home.


Kona and Brick and I had a wonderful snowy day. Hoping for quite a few more of these this winter.

December

December 6th and we have had one little dusting of snow. In October. The forecast is for snow tonight and tomorrow night. I can't wait. I am like a little kid. I always run to the window to see if it snowed. I love to watch my dogs race around like crazies after it has fallen. I like that it is cold outside (for running) and warm inside (for cooking).

I had a 4 week hiatus from running during November trying to heal up my left knee. I ran last Tuesday (December 1st) and had little to no pain in my left knee but that right one sure was stiff. I had sore quads the next day after a short 2.5 miles. I have continued to keep up with my other workouts and am looking forward to hitting a spinning class or two here soon. I have been doing more weight training that I have in the past and am noticing a difference. I have another run planned for today at some point but I may hold off and do it tomorrow morning so I can run in the snow! Or maybe if there is enough, I could break out the XC skis!

Happy Winter!

November

So, my knee has felt great since I haven't been running on it. No pain on the stairs, no pain at work while I am crawling around on the floor, no pain with walking, or swimming, or yoga, or anything. But still no running.

It really is amazing how much running, or in this case, not running, affects my mood. More than I should really let it. I am significantly more edgy. I have been trying to really watch what I have been eating since I am not burning near the calories I do when I am out putting in the miles. That makes me a little grumpy too. I don't like being hungry but who does? Kona also has had to decrease her calories a bit and she isn't thrilled with it. The good news is that it is short lived and that hopefully by the end of November we will both be back at it, at least a little.

My goal is a nice, easy, short, pain-free run on Thanksgiving morning. I was initially hoping it would be a trail run but I think that it would probably be best to ease in with a couple of miles around here so as to keep the terrain more level. That will make my brain happy.

So, what have I been doing with my workouts? Anything and everything that doesn't hurt that stupid left knee. I have been swimming masters in the mornings 2-3 days per week. I have been lifting weights at least 3 times per week. Last weekend Mr KT and I went on a nice easy 1 hour bike ride as the weather was gorgeous. I have been doing Bikram Yoga twice a week. (I think I would do that every single day if I could afford it.) I have been doing a bit of shadow boxing and small amounts of kickboxing and jumping rope. I have been walking my 3.5 mile run route with Kona and I would just like to say that walking takes forever. I do love to be outside with my doggy though. I am going to consider Pilates, spinning (as the weather gets colder) and maybe some more cardio in there somewhere.

I am obsessed. That is what I have discovered in the last month. I am fearful of gaining the weight. I am anxious about not being "a runner". I will be try to be patient but man, it's tough for me.

Ow

My knee hurts.

I lifted weights Saturday morning (legs) and ran Saturday afternoon for about an hour and had excessively tight IT bands. Sunday I jumped on my bike for about 40 miles with friends.

My left knee hated it.

No idea why.

I think this is the first time I have had true knee pain. I thought it was suprapatellar but as I live with it for several more days I am thinking it is more medial.

Stairs hurt.

Walking hurts. (Those first few steps are a doozy.)

I ran this morning as it was feeling better but am regretting that a bit.

I am supposed to have another leg workout today but I think that I am going to do core instead.

What does the resident PT (me) recommend?

ICE
RELATIVE REST
ITB STRETCHING
MEDIAL QUAD AND ADDUCTOR STRENGTHENING

Ow.

Fall is cooler than summer...

... or so says my oh-so-brilliant younger brother.

It has, in fact, been a very cool end of summer, beginning of fall in terms of temperature. This has been great for some things, namely long runs with the dogs, having the windows open in the house, bike rides, etc. It has also created some minor discomforts. The temperature of the lake water is pretty darn cold right now. There are an over abundance of what I thought we gnats but that apparently are aphids just hovering in the air. It almost seems like a plague. When I run my normal route through the big city park by our house they are thick. My white tank top is actually black when I get done because it is covered in bugs. I have them in my mouth, ears, eyes (even with sunglasses), stuck to my sweaty skin, and smashed in my sports bra. You can't really brush them away because they smash against you. It's incredibly gross. The dogs are constantly shaking their heads and have the bugs in the corners of their eyes. Poor babies. It's really enough to deter one from taking a quick run because you have no choice but to shower immediately when you get home even if you are just out for a quick 3 miler. The news coverage has said that it is due to the low temperatures but it seems like it has also been very still, very little wind. Even just a breeze might blow them around a little so they were not just sitting there. Yuck!

Other than that, nothing too exciting happening. No marathons planned this fall. No races at all really. Might try and sneak in a couple of 5Ks or one more half marathon if I can find one close. The Omaha half was just too expensive to justify. I can just go out and run the 13 miles on my own from my house and I can take a dog and my ipod.

My mom and aunt and I will be walking the Race for the Cure next weekend. Like last year, I will run down to the start beforehand and walk with them. It's becoming a tradition!

Oh and I hit a Bikram yoga class this week because it wasn't so blasted hot outside anymore. It felt so awesome! I hadn't been for months and I was more sore than I have been in quite some time the next day. I love it.

Other than that, just swimming, biking, and running.

Happy fall!

Summertime

Well, it has been a good summer. Other than work, which is, well, work I have been spending the majority of my time outside. I am either swimming, biking, running, working in my flower beds, or just sitting on my deck.

Several weeks ago I raced in a local sprint triathlon. I raced this a couple of years ago and here is the race report from then. This year, I was sick Saturday night and lost a good portion of the fluids and calories I had been working on all day for the race the next day. Sunday morning I got up and had a Nutrigrain bar and a bit of Gatorade as I was still afraid to eat. The swim was not great and I felt really sick on my bike. I considered turning in my chip after the bike ride because I felt so bad but by the 3rd loop of the 3 loop course I finally started to feel better and so I continued to race. I had a great run and I held on for 3rd overall female, 2nd in my age group. (Note: this is just a small local race.)

Place in age group: 2/13
Gender place: 3/73
Swim: 10:13 (Pace: 1:54/100 m)
TI: :53
Bike: 41:58 (Pace: 21.4 mph)
T2: :45
Run: 23:57 (Pace: 7:49)
Finishing Time: 1:17:15

Something else that was sort of amusing to me was the guy's set up next to me.

Here is my transition set up...


And here is his...


Note this little detail...


That would be the bucket 'o Gu. Two words...

SPRINT TRIATHLON.

Oh well, to each their own. Everyone is entitled to race their own race and he was a veteran triathlete. I say do what works.


Last weekend I raced with a few friends at Big Creek Triathlon near Des Moines. This was an Olympic distance race and this particular race previously held the distinction of most miserable race ever in my book. I wrote a rather wordy race report on it then. Anywho, the weather was much cooler this year which helped. The swim was wet suit legal but I didn't use one. I ended up starting too far left and having to swim across everyone. That was dumb. I then had trouble getting my legs going on the bike. The race's website boasted that the bike course was flat and fast. Somehow, this morphed into hilly, windy, and slow. I had a decent run but by that time it was too late. Overall, I had a sucky race. I felt pretty good until about 5 pm that evening. My head was throbbing and all I wanted to do was go to bed. I guess now I had better find another race to end on.

Place in age group:10/20
Gender place: 33/97
Swim: 31:32 (Pace:1:56/100 m)
TI: 1:03
Bike: 1:16:33 (Pace: 19.5 mph)
T2: 1:00
Run: 53:15 (Pace: 8:35)
Finishing Time: 2:43:24

It has been a busy summer for Mr KT and we both felt like we had hardly seen each other. He had a week off work last week to recover and energize himself for the fall and I took Friday off. We had intended to do a mini vacation but for several reasons this didn't work. Instead we opted to take the dogs to the lake for the afternoon. It thunder-stormed hard over night and it was grey and cloudy when I got up to swim at 5:30. By 11:00 all the clouds had burned off and it was hot and humid. We packed up the dogs and lunch and our gear and headed to the lake. When we arrived it was already 90 deg. We took the dogs on a short trail run but had to short cut back because it was just too hot for them.

Mr KT and Brick and Kona in the shade after running, trying to cool off.


We threw on swim suits and got in the water. Kona is a little fishy. She swims all over and she looks so cute. Brick seems to like to swim but always looks like he is drowning. He picks his head up too high and then his backside sinks. He swam out to his dad and then quit paddling when he got there. Mr KT then decided it was time to put his life jacket on. I thought maybe Brick would be embarrassed but Mr KT said, "all the kids are wearing them" and he was right. All the kids on the beach had life jackets on so Brick fit right in. We had a little lunch and put the babies in their beds for a quick nap. Then a little more swimming and home for the evening. It was a really fun afternoon.


Brick shaking it off



A soggy Kona.



KT and Kona loving the sun, water, and wind.



Brick looking stellar (and safe) in his doggy life jacket.

HyVee Race Report

Yeah, time to get my race on.

The last weekend in June was the HyVee Triathlon. It is an Olympic distance race and it starts at the crack of dawn. It is definitely a big deal in the Midwest in the triathlon community at least. Mainly, I think, due to the pro race. (The New Zealand team, Mexican team, and Russian teams stayed in the same hotel we did.)

First wave left at 6:00 am. My wave was third to last and I didn't leave until 6:50 am or so.

It is a big race with a gazillion people. The transition area is big, the fast guys are all there with there fancy bikes, the pre race meetings are intimidating. It is just one of those races. I know that fast bikes don't make the rider but it is pretty hard to ignore all those disk wheels.

Transition at 5:00 am







I was set to race. The water was a balmy 86 degrees. Significantly warmer than the air. I lined up in middle of the front of my wave. I almost never do that but I was prepared to go out fast and then just hang in as best I could. I had pretty clear water until I came around the last buoy and started catching the wave in front of me. I got clobbered. Ever been breaststroke kicked in the face by an old guy? It is not awesome. I don't recommend it. Anywho, came out of the water and headed for transition. We had to run through quite a bit of sand and had sandy, wet feet when I got to my bike. I didn't have anything to wipe them off with so I jumped into my cycling shoes and was off. The bike went well. The ride was an out and back and the out part seemed to include more uphill than down and a head wind. That made the ride back to transition faster. Ate a package of Cliff Shot Bloks on the bike and a part of a bottle of Gatorade. I think that only one girl in my age group dropped me on the bike ride. She was way fast. I am glad that I didn't try to hang with her or I would have blown up for sure. Flew into transition, ripped off my cycling shoes, yanked on the running shoes, grabbed my race belt and visor and was off again. Legs felt a little heavy but not bad at all. Had a decent run for a race and was pretty happy with it. Got boxed out by two older gentlemen at the finishing chute when I was trying to go in with a girl in my age group. Not bad at all. 12/74 in my age group.

This is actually a slightly slower time than last year but the course was different and they can't be compared. I did place better in my age group so I'll take it. I did drop about 3 minutes in transition times combined this year but part of that is due to not needing a wetsuit and only having one transition time this year.

bib number: 1549
age: 29
gender: F
location: OMAHA, NE
overall place: 586 out of 1404
division place: 12 out of 74
gender place: 100 out of 420
time: 2:46:53
swim: 31:41
t1: 1:38
bike: 1:19:06
t2: 1:20
run: 53:10
penalty: 0:00

Post race shots in our Arizona Freak Factor gear.
Me, Kurt, and Lisa








So there is a quick race report for the last race I did. Good timing since I am racing tomorrow morning (Sunday, July 19th) again. Oops. :)

Psssssst

Shhhh, hey, it's me.

Just wanted to say that there are less than two weeks left before the HyVee Olympic Triathlon! Whoa. Hope I don't need a wet suit cause I don't have one. :)

Time for a little tiny break

I just need a break from the blogging. I will still post occassionally but just need some time away.

Ciao

It's almost like Christmas!

Look what is going to be coming to me in the mail...

Yep, those would be a set of dragonfly arm warmers!

and...



Bicycle jammies! Woo hoo.

oh and one more thing.



A sweet new sports bra for Bikram Yoga. Yay.

I love ordering things in the mail because it is fun when you order them and then it is super fun when they come in the mail and are waiting for you when you get home from work. :)

On another note: I've had a fluctuation from loads and loads of running to biking and swimming. Been on my bike quite a bit more and riding with faster riders which means that I am getting faster. Yay. Also, the pool that I normally swim at closed for a month, plus for maintenance and so I switched to a different pool. Been great. Love the coach and it is sooooo nice to swim in the morning at 6 as opposed to the evening. My other pool has a morning practice but it doesn't start until 6:30 and there is just no way for me to get in a decent workout, get halfway presentable and get to work by 8. To be honest, it is pushing it to do that starting at 6 but I have made it to the pool 3 mornings a week. I am going to have no choice but to get faster there as well.

Half Marathon RR

I ran the half marathon on Sunday in Lincoln with 6,499 of my closest friends. It was a beautiful morning and I was looking forward to trying to PR. Goal time: 1:55:00.

I got up at the crack of dawn and drove down to Lincoln with Mr KT in tow. He was quite a trooper for getting up so early to be a Sherpa.

We pulled in and I picked up my packet quick. No line when you push it so close. ;) Got my chip on my shoe and really, really could have used a stop at the bathroom. No such luck as the lines were a mile long. So, I lined up in my estimated pace group and was ready to get the party started. The gun went off at 7:00 am and startled me.

"Wind, check. - Antennae, check. - Nectar pack, check. - Wings, check. - Stinger, check. Scared out of my shorts, check."

Apparently, nerves were a bit of an issue and not helping the bathroom situation much. Anywho, my feet crossed the line about 4 minutes after the gun went off and I started the watch. I really ran fairly well. These are the splits that I got on my watch.

Miles 1 and 2 (missed first marker): 17:09:51 (approximately 8:34:55/mile)
Mile 3: 8:33:38
Mile 4: 8:36:13
Mile 5 and 6 (missed another marker): 16:42:45 (approximately 8:21/mile)
Mile 7: 8:32:21
Mile 8: 8:31:78
Mile 9: 8:37:45
Mile 10: 8:25:42
Mile 11: 8:39:87
Mile 12: 8:35:94
Mile 13 and a little: 9:25:42


overall place: 977/4812
division place: 85/654 (top 13%!!)
gender place: 313/3023 (top 10%)
time: 1:51:46
pace: 8:32
10 k: 52:53
gun time: 1:56:31

I saw a buddy at about 42 minutes and I saw my mom and dad at about the 10K point 10 minutes later. My dad got a sweet picture of my backside as I ran by. Ahahaha.

Not sure what happened on the last mile. I basically ran out of juice. I had a little breakfast about 5 am and that didn't sit all that well. I didn't feel bad but there were about 3 times where I considered throwing up but didn't. When I got finished I couldn't hardly drink any water. Then my mom was so nice and made breakfast for Mr KT and I. It looked yummy but I just couldn't get anything down hardly. I had a headache for most of the rest of the day and I really didn't eat anything normal until Monday night at dinner. I talked to Blink briefly about it and he had a few suggestions so hopefully that will help a bit. (Thanks Blink.)

So a couple of good things...
1. All races should put straws and lids on their cups because that rocks.

2. I met and exceeded my goal time and set a PR at 1:51:46

3. I realized how much I like having Mr. KT there and how much I missed my Koni running in front of me.

So, on to the next race. :)

Lincoln Half Marathon

The Lincoln Half Marathon is Sunday! Yay, yay, double yay. I am so ready to do a little racing, well, running. I am looking forward to a nice run and then maybe if I get really motivated I will come home and do a medium distance bike ride. That was the plan last year as well. Hopefully it is nice out.

My mom and dad came and cheered last year at about the midpoint of the run. My mom thought maybe they would do that again. I promised her I would try to post the race route on the blog. Here ya go momma. (Mom, if you click on it, it will get bigger.)



After the half marathon is over I am going to start in on the P90X workouts that Mr KT has been doing. He said he has been really sore and that they are like crossfit workouts. I am looking forward to a little sore!

Oh, and the stinking pool is closed for at least a month and a half. Really, right before race season starts? Boo. Stupid pool. Oh well, more time to bike which is what I really need anyway.

My dogs entertain me regularly

This has nothing to do with triathlon except that all the dirty clothes in the background are probably workout clothes. Question mark? I was in the process of doing laundry so the bedroom is a mess as I sorted the clothes. Despite that, I thought this was funny enough to post. Might want to turn down your volume a bit. Hee hee. Also sorry about the shaking. I was laughing pretty hard when I was video taping them.



They were conversing about a bone that Kona had and Brick thought he needed.

Earth Week

A few minor things of note:

I commuted to work on my bike this week 4/5 days! Yay. I also talked a co-worker into riding this morning. I met her near our houses and then we rode together. It was really cool to be the catalyst for even a small positive change and to see her enjoy it. Hopefully she'll do it at least a few more times.

Also, it was the first Taco Ride of the year for Mr KT, Blink, and I. It was actually Mr KT's first taco ride ever! I think he had a pretty good time. He said he really kind of liked riding home in the dark. That is pretty cool. It was perfect weather. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. Blink's bike stole the show with several new adaptations for 2009. He rigged up a cooler on the back that he can get into while he is riding as well as speakers mounted securely in the bottle cages and a bottle cage on either his handle bars or stem that seems to be the perfect size and location for a can of beer. Works perfectly. He had the tunes going and it really was good. If someone asks really, really nicely maybe Oly will post a quick picture of it on his blog. I was even pulling into my garage at about 10:00 pm. I don't do well much later than that. In addition, I learned that there should definitely be a 2 Taco Rule on the this ride. I should explain that 6 tacos and a pitcher of beer is $12 or 6 tacos and a pitcher of margaritas for about $16. Usually you split a plate of tacos with someone. I need to keep in mind that when divided up it should be 4 for you, 2 for me. :) I wasn't sick or anything, just really would have been better with two. You get it.

Lastly, I was reading on the Lincoln Marathon website or in an email that they are going to have shoe recycling at the expo. I don't usually go to Lincoln the day before. I usually just drive in the morning of the race. I am not sure if I will go the night before or not but I got out all my Asics just to see if I had any I could take. I lined them up from newest to oldest. It's funny. I have a hard time getting rid of running shoes. Sort of because I think of how good they were to my feet. Sort of because they were so much money in the first place. Sort of because I think I could use them for something else, like garden shoes, or lifting shoes, or work shoes, or something. Anywo, I will be parting with several pairs next weekend. Especially that sucky pair 4th from the left. Those suckers are the new Asics Gel Kayano and they made me bleed every time I wore them. Asics apparently redesigned them so they would have a more "anatomical lacing pattern". They sucked bad. The next two pairs were the previous year's Kayano and they are about a million times better. Gotta love www.onlineshoes.com.

Lastly, a couple pictures of the babies.


Koni was a bit tired as I was headed to work but she really wanted to say goodbye to me.


Brick had his first swim of the year on Thursday after his walk.


Mr KT and the babies getting ready to ride.

Puddle Jumping

So last week was just not that awesome. Between a funeral for a patient and other stuff I was just not myself. However, I managed to snap out of that this weekend. I had a really nice run with Mr KT, Brick and Kona on Friday after work. A 6.2 mile evening run in shorts with the family. Then Saturday, we ran with some friends. It rained for most of the morning and I was kinda hoping it would still be raining when we headed out for our run. Alas, no luck. No rain... but LOTS of puddles. We started out and did about 3/4 of a mile on the pavement and then jumped off to go off road. Looking to get wet and dirty in a hurry! First we ran thru the tall grass (glad it isn't tick season quite yet). Then we ended up in the swamp. Tall grass with ankle deep standing water. No worries, just wet shoes and paws, no alligators or snakes that we could see. Next we ran through a muddy, forested area with a couple little creek crossings. One of the water crossings had some logs to walk on but when you have 30 lbs of raw energy and excitement on the end of a leash that you can't let go of for fear the little dog will be gone, you tend to come off the log rather quickly and end up with a shoe full of mud. No worries, what's a little/lot of mud. :) After that, we ended up back on the paved trail for the last 6 miles or so. I have to say that I stomped, and I mean stomped in every.single.puddle. There were even one or two puddles that I straight up jumped in, with two feet, and accentuated knee and hip flexion. My tank top was soaked, my shorts were soaked, my socks and shoes were more than soaked but somehow, my dog stayed relatively dry. She tended to tip toe around them.


Sunday morning Koni and I did another run, about 10 miles. It was a very quiet, cool, cloudy morning. Got the run in and headed to Lincoln for a girlie afternoon with my momma. Read: pedicures! So currently, my feet are tired but pretty. Toes are looking fancy with polish and little designs. Hard to believe I know but you'll just have to trust me. That or my mom will vouch for me!

Reasons to Bike Commute

I got this in an email from one of the local bike shops. Thought it was good enough to share! Hope they don't mind.


3 Reasons to Ride for Life: For your Health, for the World, For our Future.

Your Health

* The average person loses 13 lbs. their first year of commuting by bike.
* Just 3 hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.
* A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour.

Our World

* The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.
* Each U.S. rush-hour auto commuter spends an average of 50 hours a year stuck in traffic.
* In 2003, cars idling in traffic wasted 5 billion gallons of fuel.

Our Future

* In 1964 50% of kids rode to school and the obesity rate was 12%...
* in 2004, 3% rode to school and the obesity rate was 45%.
* Between 1960 and today the average weight of a 6-11 year old has increased 11pounds

Take the Challenge and Get Involved today: 1 World 2 Wheels

Don't forget to have fun while your at it!,

Kris and Julie Sonderup and the Cycle Works Staff

My First Swim Meet

Hee hee, that sounds like the title to a children's book.

Thursday at Master's practice the coach talked me into signing up for a swim meet that our team was hosting. She swore there was hardly anyone signed up. I caved. I was going to run the 12K trail race that was held in a state park close to home but what the heck. The only swimming events I've ever competed in have involved a diving board or been followed by a bike and a run. So I filled out the paperwork and paid my $15. I entered 4 events. I should have done some distance but I was too nervous. Maybe next time I will look into the 500 or 1000 yd free. Anywho, I got up early, got to the pool and took my time with my warm ups. I wasn't racing for quite a while so I had plenty of time. I did about a 10-15 minute warm up and then wrapped up in my towel and put my sweats on to watch. My first event was the 4x50 free relay. I was going to go first because I was following that back to back with the 100 IM. There were only 2 teams entered in the 4x50 and we definitely got 2nd. :) No idea how fast I swam that.
I won the women's 100 IM (there were only 2 swimmers) with a 1:23:_ _. I will have to check the official times at practice on Tuesday. My next event was the 50 breast. I swam that alone. My time was 40:23 seconds. Not bad! The last event was the 4x100 free relay. I also started that one off. Our team kinda fell apart. I swam a 1:10_ _, the second guy did pretty well also but then swimmer #3 jumped in on top of swimmer #2. Yes, this would be the 100 yd, not the 50 yd. LOL! Oops. We were DQed on that one but got a time anyway. 2nd of 2.

Overall, it really was pretty fun. I think I have said this before but I have kind of begun to realize that the things that I am the most scared off turn out to be really awesome. This was another one of those times. Another really good thing about the meet was that it motivated me to get back in the water. I have been swimming about twice a week but my heart just hasn't been in it. Maybe this was the kick in the pants that I needed.

Random

So other than the Lincoln Half Marathon (in about a month) I really don't have anything to train for.

Suck.

I think that Border 2 Border is out due mostly to the expense of a two man team. Blink is the perfect teammate if he stays out of race mode. ;) But we lost the other two potential racers and that doubled the cost.

Suck.

I had a pretty darn good 10 mile run on Sunday morning. I ran with Koni and we did a 10 mile out and back in 1:30. That would be 8:34 per mile. Not a bad run.

I have re-discovered that I *heart* running. I love it, really. Especially when I can run with that cute little orange and white behind in front of me. (That would be Kona in case you were confused.)

Um, yeah, yesterday... well I had kind of a busy day. I ran in the morning, like I said and then I did a fundraising walk for our church with Mr KT and the doggies. Then after I got home, a friend called and wanted to go ride the hills north of town. Ok, I'm in. As I told Blink, I kind of always forget how rough those first few rides of the season are outside. Nothing like the trainer, not that I have spent much time on that either. Hee hee. Then I went to youth group dinner with Mr KT and a bazillion high school kids and then home to finish the laundry.

This is how Mr KT found me at 8:45 last night when he came up to see what was going on...




Hey, at least they were folded!

I was tired.

You know what I just realized? It is March and I can already see my cycling short tan lines. Awesome.

Looking back

Sometimes when I have a particularly good workout on a particularly nice day I start to think about how "easy" it is. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm not pushing it, or working hard. It means that I can do it. It means that Sunday night thinking back over my workouts, I had no trouble running 20+ miles this weekend. In fact, I enjoyed it. It didn't seem "hard" and I looked forward to those longer runs. When I first started running I could do a couple of miles at a time. 5 miles was fairly long. Don't get me wrong, I was very proud of that with good reason, but things have changed slightly. Shifted in a different direction. Two years ago I did the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon (Oct) at home, in my neighborhood. That was my first flirtation with endurance. Then the following year I did the Lincoln Half Marathon in May, the Spirit of Racine Half Ironman (July), the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon (Oct) at home again, and the Marine Corps Full Marathon at the end of October. I took a couple of weeks off from running to recover from the marathon and then jumped right back into it. I did a 10 mile trail run in February and I am now looking towards the Lincoln Half again as well as B2B (a 2, 3, or 4 man relay in July) in MN. It just continues to amaze me how as I was finishing up my 10 miler yesterday I wasn't even beat. Yay.

The other time I think of it is when I am swimming Master's. I started out loving the water but really not knowing anything about competitive swimming. I couldn't flip turn, I didn't know a single drill, and I couldn't hardly understand swimming language. I seriously couldn't flip turn. So Thursday when I was in the pool swimming, doing lap after lap I was pretty amazed at my flip turns with streamline, a dolphin kick and then a big, strong pull. Made me grin ear to ear. All that time in the pool paid off, plus I have a pretty good swim buddy to help with the little technique pieces I'm missing as well as to keep me in check when I actually think I am starting to swim "fast".

It's just nice to think about without looking at times. I just feel stronger, faster, more athletic, and more fit. I am loving my workouts, both the tough and the easy ones. Just like it should be.

Cranky

So, it's 3:15 on Tuesday afternoon and I am off early from work. I am as crabby as I can be.
- Could it be because it is snowing sideways and negative one million degrees?
Nope, I usually like the snow.
- Could it be because I got done 2 hours early at work to come home and do more paperwork?
Maybe.
- Could it be because last week it was seriously 75 or 80 degrees on Tuesday or Wednesday (or so I heard) and I was inside a mostly windowless building until it was dark?
Maybe.
- Is it because I sometimes feel like I am spinning my wheels and going nowhere?
Possibly.
- Maybe it is that I CAN'T find my inspiration book and that all the boxes of books I have are a mess.
Yeah, but that is my own fault.
- What about the fact that I should have been in Florida at a SUPER COOL conference this week for work about seating and positioning but instead am sitting smack dab in the middle of Omaha?
Might be part of it.
- What about the fact that my road bike needs attention (um, the wheels are jacked) and I don't know how to fix it?
Yeah, sad.
- How about a billion other things that I can't really blog about on the Internet?
Yeah, those are also a pain.
- Could it be that I don't feel like I make a difference with all of these great kids that I see? That for all the hours I put in, the system works against us.
Hmmmm, dunno.
- Could it be that I just feel generally irritable?
Ohhhh! YES, that's it!

Now, let's turn some of this around. A while back at church, our senior minister was giving a sermon in which I have to admit I was tuning in and out. At the end though he was talking about being "red-hot". He said something along the lines of this...
does what you are doing make you tired? If it exhausts you, it might not be your calling. What you do should energize you and make you feel alive.

This week at the cool Techno Youth Service the sermon was on "Gluttony". The benediction was perfect. He used Psalm 46:10.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Then he said,
If what you are doing isn't bringing you fully alive, it is too small for you.

Too small. Hmmmm. I might be turning something over in my head. Watch out.

And you thought Nebraska was flat.

This last weekend was PERFECT for skiing. Sadly, I was on call at the hospital and had to work both Saturday and Sunday but I definitely found time to get in enough skiing to tide me over. Saturday I went out in the afternoon for about an hour and a half. It could not have been more perfect. The air was cold but the sun was out. There was little wind. The snow was powdery and wonderful. It was heaven on two skis. :)





Sunday I headed back out for a couple more loops. It was even nicer but for some reason that first day was just slightly more perfect. I adore being outside in the cold air. I love the snow. I felt comfortable on my skis. If only I had a doggy that wouldn't pull so hard. I could have taken them with me. Oh well, they got a run in and a walk across the back nine.

Also, I came home from work on Saturday to find this...





That would be Mr KT's backside and Kona watching him in the backyard.








This would be the babies (first two Kona, third one both) in the "igloo". They did eventually go in and play.

Trek Up the Tower 2009 - Race Report

Ow.

My lungs and throat hurt. I vaguely remember this from last year. I coughed for about 2 days after running up 40 flights of stairs. I paid kind of an absurd ammount of money to go through that torture so I guess I shouldn't complain.

My check in time was 8 am. This year I knew what to expect. I got there a bit early, checked in, stripped down to my shorts and tank, checked my bag, and got right in line. Nobody really cares what time your check in is and you pretty much can start whenever you get to the front of the really long line. I stood in line and got to the front about 8:30. I swiped the chip on my wrist over the mat on the table and I was off.

I'd like to preface by saying I have had a cold all week long. I started to get it last Sunday and was stuffy all week. I started feeling better Thursday night/Friday day and really felt ok, other then the residual gunk this morning. I climbed fast right off of floor one, skipping steps, using the railing. I was feeling it by floor 12 or 13 and started alternating between skipping steps and running up single steps. By floor 20 I was ready to be at the top. I passed person after person. On the floor landings, people were saying things like, on floor 22, "over halfway there" or on floor 32, "only 8 more to go". I really could have done without that. As if I needed to be reminded that I still needed to climb 18 more flights. :)

Anywho, got to the top, scanned my chip, stopped my watch and made the obligatory warm down walk. My chest hurt really bad and I was taking inventory of whether it was lungs, heart, or a muscle problem. I wasn't coughing yet but many people were. I remembered that last year people were saying it was the poor circulation in the stairwell and things like that that were making people cough but I firmly believe that the super high intensity of the activity loosened up all the stuff that normally causes no problems in healthy lungs. We rode back down in the elevator and when I got to the bottom, I sat on the floor with my knees pulled up to my chest as hard as I could. This helped to decrease the work of breathing. So, having a cold and a somewhat compromised respiratry system probably didn't help me out a ton but it ended up going alright.

My chest eventually stopped hurting with each breath and I managed to stand up, get dressed and get back to the car in the cold.

I have been coughing all day and Mr KT says I sound like a smoker. That is hot, I know.

Last year I wasn't sure what I was getting into and I registered in the recreational division. I accidently won the women's division and so this year I registered for the competitive division.

Here are my individual results...

Race: FEMALE COMPETITIVE
Time: 7:07
Overall Place: 107 of 927
Place in Gender: 12 of 512
Place in Age Division: 4 of 154

The gal who got 3rd in my age group beat me by 5 seconds. Annoying.

Psycho Wyco Race Report - Run Toto Run 09

As my loving little brother pointed out, it has been almost a month since my last post. And as he also pointed out, I have done a race since then. Hence, the following...


Valentine's Day - February 14th, 2009

A Race Report
by Kate and Kona

It was Kona's first race! She and I trained on the local trails, golf courses, and local parks. The race was a trail race of 10 miles, 20 miles, or 50K. I seriously considered the 20 miler in preparation for a trail marathon in April. After I realized that doggies were allowed, I knocked it down to the 10 miler. I was worried about Kona's paws if it were icy, snowy, or really muddy.
Koni note: Um, yeah, I wasn't even a little tired at the end. I could have totally done another 10 mile loop. Humans are wimpy.

Geez Kona, relax, your endurance was never in question. We all know who the superior runner is. Thanks again for reminding me.

Anywho, we headed down to the race on Friday afternoon after a solid snow storm hit Omaha. We found the hotel, had some pre-race pizza and dog food and attempted to sleep. Ever tried to sleep in a strange hotel room with your dog? Yeah, it is a challenge and I don't think much sleep was had all the way around. We got up about 5:30, Kona had her breakfast and went out for a quick potty break before loading up.
Kona note: before the race I got a Valentine's Day present from Oly! I love that boy. Two heart shaped dog cookies. Yum, yum. He is some guy!

The race was really close to the hotel and we were there in just 10 or so minutes. We unloaded and headed down to pick up our packets. It was cold. Maybe in the low 20s, maybe. Blink, Greg, Bob and I pinned on our numbers and shivered until the race started.
Kona note: I managed to get love from everyone near me before the race. It helps that everyone thinks I'm a baby! Finally Oly's dad came back from the bathroom. Oly got all excited to see him and jumped up and tore his number off just as the race started. That meant that we started out as far back as we could be. We finally got started and ran about 200 yards before I realized I had to go! I found a spot quickly and my mom picked up the mess, tied up the bag, and threw it under a tree to retrieve later. Whew, I was now ready to run. This was a good thing cause we had a lot of people to pass to make up for our goofy start.

Blink and Oly ran a fairly easy (read slow) 10 mile loop with us. This being Kona and my first trail race, I was really worried about getting lost. Come to find out I should have been more concerned with the hills. There were two or three 150 yard sections of meadow that were flat between trails the rest was either up or down. It was great. The trail was perfectly marked. Unbelievable. I was so incredibly impressed. So we ran through water crossings, up hill and down dale, over the flaky limestone rocks covered in little ice pellets, over the ice-coated-super-squishy-underneath mud, and over and under and around trees and branches. We had a great time! Kona did great. She was pulling on her lead the entire time and was very energetic. Next time she and I will both be in for the 20 miler. I have to say I have had a sore foot and although it hadn't bothered me in either of my previous long runs, it was pretty achy. Sliding over those rocks didn't seem to help it. Well, good to know for next time. I also bonked due to no breakfast, the lack of good sleep, and the cold that I ended up with when I got home. After we finished our 10 mile loop in about 2 hours, Kona got her medal and we said goodbye to Blink and Oly while they headed out for a much faster 2nd lap. We waited in the cold for them to come back and cheered as Bob and Greg went through to start their second lap.
Kona note: We waited and waited and finally, there he was! That beautiful blond dog and his human. I was glad to see them.





After finally changing into dry, clean clothes we waited for Bob and Greg to come through before their last lap. We helped them change, get calories and fluid, and got them back out on the trail for one more loop. After that it was time to leave. Kona was sacked out for the ride home and then slept good Saturday night I am sure.

The run was good. I made the same mistake that I always do. Nutrition. I am gonna make a better effort do improve this during 2009. But regardless, I loved it! The atmosphere was awesome. There are some things that I love about trail running that you don't necessarily get with road running but that is for a different post.

And on that note, Kona and Brick and I are headed to bed for the night.

Dear Mom,

Just wanted to write you a quick note to say, HELP! My yellow blankie is falling apart. I mean, it is pretty old but really that's no excuse. It is well loved, especially the edges and it may be in need of repair. I know you can do it. You've fixed it a million times before. Pretty much all of the satin edging has been replaced. Well, except for right here.



and there are a few little holes in the middle and a few bigger holes near the edges.



I considered folding it gently, wrapping it in a pillow case and putting it up but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. That little yellow blankie still sleeps under my pillow at night. I must admit, during college, I started leaving it at home on overnight trips but it was always under my pillow when I got back. I even left it home last October when we went to Washington D.C. for the marathon. I know! Growing up, huh? :) When I was younger I used to tuck it in the bottom of my sleeping bag when I went to slumber parties. I took it to grama's and the lake, and on vacation, and in the car. It went to college, lived in the sorority, moved to Arizona (although it did have to live in the closet there) and then moved to Omaha for physical therapy school.

So you see... it is well loved and in need of repairs.



On second thought, maybe it doesn't look so bad after almost 30 years.

Never mind.

I decided I like it just the way it is.

Love,
Kate