OCTOBER: Run, Work, Run, Work…

Well, it is only the 3rd of the month, but October is shaping up to be busy, busy, BUSY!

October 3: International Walk to School Day
Did you know that today is International Walk to School Day? I didn’t either until my super awesome friend, Jil Littlejohn, who happens to be Greenville City Councilwoman, filled me in! Over the last several weeks, I have been coaching Jil to race her first 5k at the end of this month. We are currently in Week 5 of her 8-week training. Normally we run at Cleveland Park, near downtown Greenville, but today we ventured over to Nichol Town Green. The new route brought on lots of twists and turns and steep hills! After the run, we went over to the playground area where all of the children were gathering before heading off to school. Jil put on her City Councilwoman hat and helped present a check for $39,474 to the neighborhood. The money will go to making improvements to the trail so that the children will have a safe path to travel on to get to the school every day! Thanks, State Farm for helping to improve our community!


October 4 – 7: Chicago Marathon with Nuun Hydration (Chicago, IL)
I’ll be working the Nuun Hydration booth at the expo for the Chicago Marathon! If you will be there too, swing by Booth #584 and say hello! One of my best good friends, Valerie, will be running her very first marathon ever in Chicago and I cannot wait to cheer her on. Plus, I will get to see Jocelyn, one of my Nuun-mates from Hood to Coast, again! All around WIN!

October 8 – 15: Ironman World Championships with Timex (Kona, HI)
If you missed the big announcement the other day, click here to find out all the details. Since then, I have received a sweet welcome kit from Timex! I received a pretty blue Timex Kona t-shirt, a commemorative Timex Ironman Kona watch, the promotional DVD from last year’s event, and a Visa gift card! I *love* the watch! This particular design/style is sold only at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii and the social ambassadors are the first ones to receive them! AWESOME.

October 18 – 21: Runner’s World Half Marathon (Bethlehem, PA)
I am so excited to be able to participate in this inaugural event! Again, I will get to reunite with a few of my Hood to Coast Nuun-mates…Elizabeth, Jess, and Laura! I will be going up a day ahead of time to participate in some blogger activities like a BBQ at the Runner’s World headquarters and a shakeout run with the editors of Runner’s World. This will be super fun! Plus, I will get to hang out with my boy, Bart Yasso again! Good times! If you have not signed up for this race, but want to register, use code BLOGGER23 to save 10%!

October 27: Spinx Run Fest (Greenville, SC)
This is the big day for Jil and I! I will be pacing Jil during the Big Punkin 5k for the Spinx Run Fest. I have run the half marathon that is part of this running festival and I loved it! Maybe next year I will do the full marathon. Who knows, maybe next year I will be pacing Jil through the marathon! All of the races that are part of this running festival offer beautiful courses and I would highly recommend them if you are looking to run a race in SC! This is also the same weekend as the Marine Corps Marathon. My friend, Tess, will be running her first marathon there, so I will be cheering her on from afar!

October 31: Halloween!
This will be Baby Key’s first Halloween! Woo hoo! I am a total GEEK for Halloween, so we need to come up with a good costume for him! Should we do coordinating family costumes, or is that totally nerdy? What do YOU think?

WHEW! I’m exhausted just looking at all of this, so I better just take it one day at a time…

ADVENTURES AWAIT!

11 Things About Me

About a million years ago, I was tagged by Jamie-Leah over at My Run Is Not Done to do an 11 Things About Me post. While I try to keep things strictly running here at katieRUNSthis, sometimes it is fun to do posts like this that let you get to know more about me on a personal level. So, without further ado, here we go.

RULES

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

11 Random Things About Me

1. My birthday is December 19. My due date was actually Christmas Day, but, as usual, I was early. My mother should have taken this as an early warning of my Type A personality.
2. My two favorite bands of ALL TIME are Guns N Roses and Journey. Go ahead and giggle, it’s cool.
3. Though I am right-handed, I am stronger with all other things with my left hand. I bat left-handed, I golf left-handed, and my cartwheels on my left hand are much prettier.
4. My favorite movie is Grease. I swear I have watched it over 100 times. I can practically quote it line by line.



5. My favorite actor is Edward Norton.
6. I am sort of a movie snob. I choose movies I watch based on directors. Frank Darabont, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, and Guillermo del Toro are my favorites.
7. My favorite food EVER is mashed potatoes. They were a Sunday dinner staple in my house growing up.
8. The farthest away from home I have ever been is Kakegawa, Japan. I traveled 9,640 miles to get there.
9. I feel completely naked without my iPhone. I have no idea how people functioned before smart phones.
10. I like eating Honey Nut Cheerios for dinner.
11. While I do not have cable television, I do have Netflix. Lost, Gossip Girl, and The Vampire Diaries can completely and totally suck me in.


I should be embarrassed that I watch this.

1. What is your favorite kitchen utensil/appliance?
I absolutely *LOVE* my George Foreman grill. I think I use it almost everyday. My favorite thing to cook in it is chicken for my chicken Caesar salads.

2. What fitness activity have you always wanted to try?
I have always wanted to try YOLO boarding (stand-up paddling). It looks like so much fun and it seems to be a really awesome core workout.

I need to try this!

3. Where did you take your best or worst vacation?
My best vacation spot and one of my most favorite places on the planet is Seaside, FL. The movie The Truman Show was filmed there. It is so quaint and quiet. You can’t NOT relax there!

4. What’s your favorite season?
My favorite season is summer. Even though it gets scorching hot here in South Louisiana, I would take a hot and humid day over a cold and rainy one ANY DAY. I like getting outside and getting sweaty.

5. Tap water or filtered water?
I always choose tap water. Where I live, we get our tap water from underground reserves called aquifers and the water is exceptionally clean and has a great taste. When I travel, I usually choose filtered water, but at home, its tap water all the way!

6. You have no distractions or obligations, how would you like to spend your day?
On a no-obligations day, you can most likely find me outside running somewhere. If I am under no time constraint whatsoever (which is not often), I will usually find some neighborhood or trail that I do not frequent much to give myself a change of scenery. I love exploring!

7. How many bones in your body have you broken?
I have broken the pointer finger and middle finger on my left hand three times.

8. Who is your fitness inspiration?
I am inspired by so many people around me.  Most recently, I am drawing a lot of inspiration from other running mamas like Kara Goucher, Rachel Booth, and Serena Burla.

Rachel rocks!

9. Do you have a sweet tooth or a salty tooth?
Both. My “guilty pleasure” snack is a small order of French fries with a Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty. YUM!

10. What’s your favorite shoe style?
My favorite shoes style is probably running shoes. Once upon a time, before I was a runner, my closet was filled with patent leather peep-toe stiletto pumps. Now I only have one or two pairs of those. They have since been replaced with about 15 different pairs of running shoes.

11. What are you most looking forward to doing when the weather warms up?
When the weather warms up, I am most looking forward to spending more time outside with my 4-month old son. During the winter months, I was afraid it was too cold and he was too small to spend much time outside. I am ready to get him in the jogging stroller and get out on the road!

NEW QUESTIONS

1. What is your long run “must have” item?
2. What race is at the very top of your bucket list?
3. If you were not into running, what other sport might you be interested in?
4. What is the highest mileage week you have ever had?
5. What is one thing about you that if you told someone they would look at you like you were nuts?
6. What is one thing that scares the living daylights out of you?
7. What is your favorite article of clothing?
8. Do you have any tattoos?
9. What is the grossest thing you have ever eaten?
10. As a runner, do you have any rituals? Like a pre-race meal or race-day system?
11. What is your lucky number?

TAG! YOU’RE IT!
Cajun Runner
Stories of a Slow Trier
Life in Running Shoes
JenZenator
Running With Sass
The Speckled Palate
Junk Miles
On The Road Again!
The Ale Runner
Katherine Swims
Running BJ

Baby Key’s First Race!

I had absolutely no intention of racing this weekend. I really didn’t, but…I did. And it was fun…really, REALLY fun.

Friday night I went out to dinner with my family (and some new friends!) and since I had no plans of racing, I enjoyed some empanadas and a margarita. It had been a tremendously long week and I was looking forward to sleeping in a little bit on Saturday morning. But then, the Race Monster bit me.

Ole!

After dinner, I got a text from a friend reminding me that the Ozone Run 10k was happening the next morning in Covington, LA. The Ozone Run 10k happens to be the Louisiana State 10k Championship race, so knowing that there would be some good runners to watch, I started considering it. All of a sudden, I was trying to figure out how I could get over there the next morning to run as well. I knew my BabyJogger running stroller was out of commission, as it is in desperate need of a tune-up and a new front tire, so if I was able to make it out to the race, I would have to push Baby Key in the monstrous (read = HEAVY) Chicco stroller.

I knew there was no way the “touring stroller” would make it the full 10k, but my friend, who was the race director, texted me and told me that there was a 2-mile option for the race. I had not run “just a 2-miler” in ages and it seemed like the perfect distance for me and Baby Key. I asked my husband sweetly if he minded us going (under the guise that this would give him the chance to sleep in and have some time to himself, of course), he agreed, and we were set! Little Nugget must have known we had a big Saturday morning, because for the first time since he was born, he slept. My child actually slept…for 8 hours straight!

I woke up Saturday morning feeling like a champ! I quickly got kiddo dressed and we headed over to the Northshore. We got to the race early and had the chance to visit with lots of my friends. This was their first chance meeting Baby Key, so he was definitely Mr. Popularity.

At 8:00AM, I headed over to the start of the race to line up. You should have SEEN the looks I got lining up with that big freaking stroller. The glances said, “Ooooh no! She must not run much. Anyone who really runs would know you can’t run with a stroller like that!”

Yes, people, I know I looked like a moron lining up to race with the same stroller that I would take if we were going for a day-long excursion to the zoo, but I did not have a choice. It was the only stroller I had, so it would have to do.

The race started at 8:15AM and 2 miles and 22 minutes and 58 seconds later, Baby Key and I were crossing the finish line! The last quarter mile of the race was on a track, which was GREAT for us! I pushed it a little bit harder and we ended up being able to pass three people right at the end! 22:58 for 2 miles is by no means “speedy” but for pushing what felt like a load of bricks, I was pretty pleased with it!

So here it is…Me and Baby Key’s first race together….

Our first race together!

Even better? We placed 1st in my age group. Granted, it was not a huge race, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I will take it!

[SIDE NOTE: I do not, under any circumstances, recommend running with a big, fat comfy stroller. It was so hard and so heavy and SO hard to steer. Lesson learned…need to get my BabyJogger fixed STAT!]

After the race, we hung around to visit it with more friends that I do not get to see often enough. I did spend a long time chatting with my friends, Jodi and Betsy (who happens to be the Louisiana State RRCA Representative) and we made plans for a way to redeem ourselves for all having pulled a DNS at the Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon. I will tell you about that later, but it is going to be fun!

Right before I left, I went over to introduce myself to Rachel Booth. If you do not know who Rachel is, just take a second to Google her. Her running resume is impressive, to say the least, and she was the first female finisher at the Ozone Run 10k. Her finish time qualified her for an elite corral at the Crescent City Classic 10k in a few weeks! She is such a joy to watch. She is such a strong runner and she makes it look completely effortless. I am really impressed with the way she balances having an outstanding running career, being a wife, and being a mom to two little ones. On top of all of that, she’s just nice…like sincerely sweet. It is always fun to meet someone who you look up to and find out that they are as genuine as you hoped they would be.

After the race, we headed home and spent the afternoon playing around the house and watching Dinosaur Train. Yes, folks, it is an exciting life I lead!

Did YOU race this weekend? How did you do? Did you run solo or with your kiddo(s)?

Run Hard, Play Hard.

My husband finally convinced me to step away from the blog for just a little while this long weekend. While I have enjoyed spending time with my family tremendously, I couldn’t wait to share all the fun I have had over the last couple of days. So, instead of going into a long diatribe about everything, I’ll just make it quick…with a few photos thrown in for fun…

FRIDAY
Friday was a wash. However, we did start out our road trip with a little trip to Chick-Fil-A. I’m not a huge fan of fast food, but at that hour, it was the only thing where I could get a breakfast that did not involve something deep fried or covered in cheese. Plus, Chick-Fil-A makes me feel special. 🙂

Multigrain Bagel = Breakfast of Champions!

Then, as I was reading Runner’s World, I found an ad that matched my t-shirt. 🙂

The Louisiana Marathon...Jan. 15, 2012!

Our 10-hour drive from LA to SC turned into a 13-hour drive thanks to holiday traffic and sections of I-85 North being shut down north of Atlanta. When we finally made it, we were tired and hungry. It took me about 37 seconds after my last bite of dinner to be OUT for the evening.

SATURDAY
Today was our big day! I started out the morning with a breakfast of purple and gold…doing all I can to send out good ju-ju to my LSU Tigers for there big game that night!

After breakfast, Brent and I headed out for a 4-mile run around Furman University’s campus. This is was where we used to run every Saturday morning with our gang and it was nice to run the route again for old time sake. 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky! BEAUTIFUL! I will say that I had totally forgotten how rough the hills and mountains can be on the ol’ legs!

Bell Tower at Furman University.

After that, we went to Buy Buy Baby and purchased this little number. I know I am getting old when stuff like this excites me!

Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 (Fuego)

After a very light lunch, we headed off to our baby shower! I knew there would be plenty of baked goods to send me into a sugar coma so I had to leave room for all that goodness. I mean, I HAD to, right?

Running Buddies - Saturday Morning Run Group!

I ate an unholy amount of baked goods. It was NOT good. This was the first time in my whole pregnancy that I allowed myself to do so. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER EVER AGAIN. I felt AWFUL.

Later that night, we watched the LSU game. The afternoon sugar coma tried with all its might to keep me from watching the entire game, but I persevered. Thank goodness I ate that purple and gold breakfast! Otherwise, this awesomeness might not have happened!

LSU 40, Oregon 27

SUNDAY
Yesterday COMPLETELY wore me out. All that garbage I ate yesterday kept me and Baby Key up most of the night. To compensate, I slept in until 10AM this morning. TEN O’ CLOCK IN THE MORNING. It is quite possible that I have not done that since college. Seriously! Since I am no longer allowed to run outdoors two days in a row (too hot and too hard on the body), I went for a quick walk around the neighborhood to at least get some exercise. Again, I underestimate these hills! WHEW!

All the family, immediate and extended, joined us for a lunch of home-cooked veggies, turkey, dressing, and all the fixings. Everyone sat and talked for several hours after lunch. I had almost forgotten how nice it is let myself not be on a schedule. In the middle of the afternoon we went to Buy Buy Baby (again…I *love* this store) and picked up this gem for Baby Key. We can plug our iPhone into it! He is going LOVE drifting off to sleep to the lullaby versions of U2 and Guns N Roses. I am determined to make “Sweet Child Of Mine” the first song my sweet baby boy hears. 🙂

4Moms Mamaroo. Its THE JAM.

So, here we are…Sunday evening and the house is quiet…but only for a few more minutes. It looks like we have family game night planned! I am a *GEEK* for board games! This weekend has gone by SO fast and tomorrow we will be making our (hopefully) 10-hour trip back to LA and back to real life.

I like vacation days. I think I need to find time to take more of them. 😉 It’s important to remember that I can run and train hard, but that it is OKAY to play hard too!

On long weekends, what do YOU do? Do you use the extra time to fit in more training? Do you train the same as you would normally? Or do you take a total break and soak up time with your loved ones?