Girl Gone Running

In Black & White...

2012-01-26T14:25:00.001-06:00

I was checking out the Ironman Louisville website today and happened to click on the participant list. (Okay, let's be honest here, I have been stalking the site since the day I signed up waiting for the participant list to be updated.) There in black and white was my name. My name. My age. My state of residence. I may have hyperventilated a bit, threw out a few choice words, and then remembered that I am really excited about this whole thing. :)

Wow, this bad boy is seven, that's right SEVEN months from today. Good thing I have already picked out and purchased my outfit for the run portion. A girl has got to plan ahead you know.

This is after I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2011. I had to show this picture, this is the story of my life when you are 4'10 and your husband is 6'4. :)

Ironman Training...Week 5

2012-01-23T16:02:00.000-06:00

Monday
Impromtu rest day. I cannot resist hanging out with Ken while watching the Bachelor. :)

Tuesday
4 mile run with Kya
40 minutes on the bike trainer

Wednesday
1750 yard swim

Thursday
1100 yard swim
3 mile run

Friday
60 minutes on the bike trainer

Saturday
8 mile run
2000 yard swim

Sunday
4 mile hike with Ken and Kya
90 minutes on the bike trainer.
Swimming. Somedays it feels so easy and other days I have no idea how I will swim 2.4 miles. I find that I spit water when I breathe. I wonder if this is normal? I try to watch other people at the pool, but it is hard to tell. Oh well, so we carry on with week 6!

Best Keyword Search Ever...

2012-01-19T10:01:00.000-06:00

We all do it, we all keep track of what brings people to our blogs. I spit out my latte yesterday when I read a search that brought someone to my blog.

Remember the story about Ken dislocating his shoulder and calling me to tell me about his MRI results? You know, the one where I was telling people Ken tore his labia? Yeah, that one. Well, there in black and white were the three words that had me dying laughing:

Super Huge Labia

I am sure they were quite disappointed when they realized that I 1. have no pictures of a super huge labia 2. really cannot offer any assistance on the matter and 3. am an idiot for calling my husband's labrum a labia.

I really hope that this person figured out the issue or solution with the super huge labia in question.

Happy Thursday Folks!

Hiking with a Husky...

2012-01-18T11:48:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, we decided to try hiking at Perry Lake near Lawrence, KS. Now, this is by no means Rocky Mountain hiking, but we did enjoy it very much especially with it being so close to home.

We woke up super early, Ken was up even earlier at 4:30 am, and made the hour drive. Our first stop of course was for Dunkin Donuts coffee. Ken knows if he wants a happy Keri, you have to buy her coffee and donuts. :)

What is a hike without taking your wonderful Siberian Husky? She came along for the ride and of course had more fun than Ken and I put together.

Kya loved seeing the squirrels and walking thru all of the leaves.

I cannot get this picture to turn :)

We ended up hiking a wonderful, hilly 10 miles. Ken will definitely be ready for the Grand Canyon in June.

Ironman Training...Week 4

2012-01-17T09:08:00.000-06:00

Whew, this training is making me tired. I can only imagine how rough it will be come July! Here is what week 4 looked like!

Monday
Very much needed rest day. My legs were tired. Nothing quite like hot chocolate and The Bachelor on a Monday night. :)

Tuesday
6 mile run, which included my pathetic revisit to speed work.
2x400. I forgot how hard speed work is.

Wednesday
Swim - 2500 yards. This was my longest swim ever. I may have told Ken over and over again how far I swam. :)

Thursday
1 hour on the bike trainer followed by a one mile run with Kya. There was snow on the sidewalk, so we stopped at one mile. Ms. Husky really needed to get out of the apartment.

Friday
Swim - 1000 yards

Saturday
4 mile hike with Ken and Kya
7 mile run

Sunday
1:30 on the bike trainer
Swim - 1750 yards

I have noticed that it takes me a while to get into my groove swimming. I would say it takes me at least 20 minutes before I feel comfortable. Hopefully as time goes on, this will get a little shorter. I am still really enjoying swimming and hope to only improve. I am excited for the Spring when I get outside on the bike and see what I can do.

Thanks for reading!

Ironman Training...Week 3

2012-01-12T16:14:00.000-06:00

Ah, week #3, the first week of the build up training. I ended the week with super tired legs, but tired in a good way. I definitely focused more on swimming this week than biking, but I think that is natural during the winter months. Here is how things went down:

Monday
50 minute swim - 1750 yards
1:50 minute hike with Ken

Tuesday
4 mile run with Kya

Wednesday
Hilly dark bike ride with Ken - 5.5 miles
I did discover that Shawnee Mission Park is the best place to get in hills for bike training. Yowzers!

Thursday
50 minute swim - 2000 yards
3 mile run

Friday
30 minute swim - 1100 yards

Saturday
10 mile hike with Ken and Kya

Sunday
1:30 minutes on the bike trainer

Winter has finally decided to come to Kansas City, so I will be running inside tonight and riding my bike trainer. It is January 12, so what can I expect!

Week Two Ironman Orientation...

2012-01-04T12:55:00.000-06:00

Week number two is in the books. I had a big moment this week where I same a full mile! I was so excited, and tired afterward! I know I have a long way to go, but I am happy with how far my swimming has come and I know it is only going to get better with time.

Monday
1050 yard swim
4 mile run

Tuesday
Bike trainer - 1 hour

Wednesday
1650 yard swim - that is ONE mile people!
2 mile run with Kya

Thursday
Rest day. It was unplanned, but Ken asked to take me out for dinner and a margarita, and how could I possibily say no.

Friday
1000 yard swim

Saturday
20 mile bike ride outside. It was so windy!!!
3 mile run with Kya

Sunday
6 mile run

My bike ride on Saturday was good except for the wind. It was so windy that at one point I thought I was going to blow over.

Week One of Ironman Orientation...

2011-12-26T18:48:00.000-06:00

The first week of training before training for Ironman Kentucky is in the books! I like to call it, Orientation, or get your booty in the pool. Much to my surprise, I still swim kind of the same way that Phoebe Buffay runs.

I am still a little in shock that I signed up for this. I know I had been talking about it for a while and I am sure my friend Michelle is glad I did just so I can get it over with. My favorite thing from this week was after I emailed her and told her I signed up. Her email back to me was, "Was is the worst thing that can happen, you know, besides having a heat stroke or drowning - kidding, kidding." Ha, she is too funny.

Week One

Monday - 4 mile run

Tuesday - 45 minute trainer ride

Wednesday - 25 minute swim or 13 laps (It was pathetic)
Two mile run with Kya

Thursday - Rest, I was drinking wine with the girls

Friday - 5 mile run
40 minute swim or 25 laps (it was much easier this time)

Saturday - 1:45 minutes on the trainer

Sunday - Rest, it was Christmas afterall

I am surprised and happy with how quick the swimming portion feels easier each time I go. I have not been in the pool since August, so I am a little out of swim shape, but that is what the next few weeks are for.

Oh, and speaking of the pool, I totally walked into a shower where an older lady was. Fortunately, she had a towel around her. Apparently swimming makes me not pay attention to things like, oh I don't know, the shower curtain being closed, doesn't that usually mean someone is in there?. In my defense, she was not making any noise. I felt horrible. I hope I never see her again...

What Comes Next?

2011-12-19T15:08:00.003-06:00

I always said that after I ran the NYC Marathon that I would be finished running marathons. Of course that is not true, but I have been unsure about what I want to do in 2012. I have waffled back and forth with a few options.

The other day I was looking at Ironman triathlons and for some reason noticed that Ironman Kentucky still has spots available for 2012. I was a little shocked, but also know that it is the least popular Ironman due to the hills and the heat. I thought too bad I did not think of this back in August, or I would sign up. I started doing the math on how many months it gives me to train. Exactly nine. Hmm....

I thought about it all week, wondering if it was something I was really interested in doing or not. It still sounded appealing to me over the weekend, so I brought it up to Ken on the way home from St. Louis. He asked me a few questions about the training, mainly if I could handle it. I told him I know I can do it, I just need to commit to it. He told me to go for it but only if I go all out. No half assing it.

And with that, I have just registered myself for Ironman Louisville on August 26, 2012. It took me a moment to hit submit. I walked back to our copy room feeling a little panicked and the girls told me I can do it. Signing up is the hard part right?

So here we go. I have nine months to turn myself into an Ironman. Is it bad that I am already thinking about what cute outfit to wear during the run?

NYC Day 5 & 6...

2011-11-16T20:40:00.000-06:00

I had debated all week if I wanted to go to Serendipity 3 for a frozen hot chocolate. I finally decided that we had to go. I wanted the hot chocolate as my reward for running the marathon.

Isn't it cute?

Ken was less than thrilled about waiting in line for the place to open. It was such a good sport!

Here is the reason we came! It was so good! In case you are wondering if I shared with Ken, well, I did. He loved it too, so you know it had to be good.

It was yummy! As an added bonus, they had started to put up their Christmas decor!

Since Monday was our last full day, we walked over to Central Park on the way back to our apartment. I could not get enough of the park!

I loved the carriages! If there would have been snow and if Christmas decorations would have been up, I would have made sure to go on a carriage ride. Consider yourself lucky Ken!

At Central Park

On our way to the subway, we saw a group of people standing around and a bunch of lights. We look over and Ken says, look its Mario Lopez! First off, Ken totally loses a few cool points for recognizing AC Slater before me. I busted out the camera and got a picture. Mario ran the marathon on Sunday as well. In case you are wondering, I totally beat him. Yes, that is right, I beat AC Slater. :)

One thing we were excited about, was getting to go to the 9/11 Memorial. The monument was beautiful.

We walked thru several security checkpoints to get in.

One of the new towers under construction

Since we were already downtown, we walked along the water and to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty.

I hate that this picture is dark

Ken's favorite picture

He was such a trooper the entire trip, not saying anything about me dragging him all over.

Ken did not sleep well Monday night and he was up super early on Tuesday. He woke me up and asked me if I wanted to go down to the Today Show. Um yeah!!! I have been watching the Today Show since I was 15. I adore Matt Lauer! I was so bummed because I knew Matt was gone on his Where in the World is Matt Lauer tour, but that did not stop us. I was smiling like a kid the entire time. It was like Christmas!

Here comes Al Roker!

Al came around and to tell everyone hello. Did I mention that he shook my hand?

Ann Curry came out next. She was so pretty!

She told everyone hi as well. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip!

After the Today Show, it was time to head to the airport. I love to go on vacation, but when it comes to traveling home, I get so irritated and just want to get home. We had a blast and enjoyed spending so much time together. Thanks Ken for taking me on such a great trip!

NYC Day 3 & 4...

2011-11-16T19:58:00.000-06:00

I think Satuday was my favorite day of the entire trip! I had one real plan, go to Rockefeller Center. Ken thought it was touristy, but he did as he was told. :) We went on top of the Rock and the views were amazing!

Radio City Music Hall where the Rockettes perform. Too bad we were a week too early.

Here we are, we are at NBC studios!

I loved Central Park!

The Empire State Building

Zoomed in on the Statue of Liberty. I could not get over all of the stuff we could see.

As cool as I thought the buildings were, I loved the park in the middle of everything the most.

Ken and his token pose.

This is by far my favorite picture from our entire trip!

The ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center.

The Rock

After walking around Rockefeller Center, we found a delicious pizza place for lunch. We both liked New York pizza way better than Chicago pizza. After lunch, we walked to Central Park and found mile 25 of the marathon. The park was gorgeous. It was so sad that a lot of trees were lost in the recent snow storm.

We went back to our apartment to rest and hang out before dinner.

This is what happens when I want a picture. Please excuse my pumpkin spice latte teeth. The latte was so worth it!

And again. I told him it is over a lot quicker if he just smiles from the get go.

See, that was harmless. :)

We stopped at a Mexican place for a drink and some chips and salsa. Ken loves to take super close of pictures of me.

After our pasta dinner, we came back to the apartment to figure out where Ken would meet me the next day. I went to bed and Ken went to a bar around the corner for a few drinks. I guess I am boring. :)

Day 4 was the marathon. I will recap this in a separate post, because I have a lot to say. :)

New York City Day 1 & 2....

2011-11-16T19:22:00.000-06:00

Ken and I got back from New York last week. We had such a fun trip, but were absolutely exhausted from all of the walking, all of the siteseeing, and of course, the marathon. I am so grateful for this trip and that I was finally able to see things in New York that I have wanted to see for a long time.

We flew into New York on Thursday night. It was so cool to see the city with all of the lights on. It reminded me of the beginning of Friends. We made our way to our apartment and then went out for dinner and to Times Square. To say I was excited was an understatement.

I am in Times Square!

I had to get a picture of where the ball drops on New Years Eve

Ken was less than thrilled about all of the picture taking. Sorry Ken, we were in New York!

Here we are on Broadway

On Friday we went to the Expo. Have I mentioned how much I hate Expos? I am so not a fan of them. I would have ordered the shirt I ended up getting online, but they did not have XS online and I had to get it at the actual Expo. We thought it would be less crowded on Friday. Maybe it was, but it was still packed! We looked around, got my Asics hoody, my packet, and got out of there as soon as we could.

I wanted to go to Soho, so this meant we needed to figure out the subway system. We ended up making it, although, I was confused the entire time that they were not called colors like they are in Chicago. They were all different colors on the map though. I kept calling one the red line and Ken kept reminding me that it was not Chicago!

We stopped for lunch at The Antique Garage. It was a super cute place that used to be a garage. The we walked around for a while just taking in everything.

We stopped at a Japanese coffee house for coffee and a latte. Ken said it was by far his favorite coffee the entire trip. Here he is, intriqued by how they are making it in the beaker things. Ken is wearing his backpack to sherpa my stuff. What a good husband he is!

In Soho getting ready to take the subway back to midtown

Look Mom, there is a bus!

We ended our wonderful day with sushi and then we went to see Wicked! I had seen Wicked in Kansas City a few years ago and loved it. I was so excited that Ken was going to see it. I knew he would love it!

I so loved watching Ken smile and laugh during the entire show. We had really good seats, Happy Birthday to me!

Let's Do This...

2011-11-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe this day is finally here! We leave for NYC tomorrow and I am thrilled beyond measure! I have been wanting to run this marathon since my running buddy, Susan, ran it in 2007. After three years of being denied in the lottery, I made it in by default for 2011.

We have all types of fun things planned. Ken is going to want to shoot me by the time this vacation is over. On the otherhand, I know he is thrilled to have me finally running the darn marathon, so that I will stop talking about. it. :) Ken, I know you love me.

My bib number is 27483 if you want to track me. I officially start running at 10:10 am EST. I am trying to break 3:55, but not sure how that will work since I just ran a marathon four weeks ago??

It's All in the Cup...

2011-11-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

Between Starbuck's red cups and the Christmas music I started playing today, I can hardly contain myself!!

Next Up, the NYC Marathon...

2011-10-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned lately how excited I am about the New York City Marathon this year? It is two weeks away and the anticipation is killing me!

Ken asked me how to train for a marathon four weeks after a marathon. I told him I really had no idea, other than just to stay injury free and try to recover from Chicago. I did a little Googling and found a plan that was exactly like what I had in mind.

You spend the first week recovering and then just run to keep your legs fresh and go right back into taper. I have a kind of long run planned for tomorrow morning. I am planning on running 12 miles just to make sure I remember how to run longer than seven. :)

Did I mention my Wicked tickets came in the mail? I am sooooo excited to see this musical on Broadway and have Ken watch it. I can hardly contain my excitement! Especially since I was just sure I was going to re-fracture my leg running the Chicago Marathon. Speaking of that, Ken stepped on my left foot this morning and I of course shouted to him that it was my broken foot and he hurt it. Yeah, my foot has been healed for three years. I guess you can say I am dramatic.

Go Cardinals! Let's beat Texas!!!!

Chicago Marathon Weekend Pictures...

2011-10-21T19:38:00.001-05:00

We had a lot of firsts this trip to Chicago. For starters, my mama joined us and she has never been to Chicago. She had not flown in like 35 years or so. Bless her heart, she ended up getting the full pat down at the airport. At least she got the full experience. :) It was also Ken's moms first time in Chicago. Bill and Linda decided to join us for a weekend of fun and to watch me run. We did all types of new things this trip, including going to the top of Willis (Sears) Tower and on an Architectural tour. We had a blast spending the weekend with my mom and Ken's parents.

We arrived in Chicago the Friday prior to the marathon. I went the expo right away to get my race packet. I am so not a fan of crowded expos. I, of course, had to get my traditional picture with the course map.

My mama and me on the architectural tour we took

Bill, Linda, mama, and me

Ken and me on the boat tour.

The architectural tour was very cool. We learned a lot about the buildings and history of Chicago.

One of the many bridges on the Chicago River

Sears Tower, now known as Willis Tower

The top of Sears Tower. See the area with the large windows? That is where we went next.

Mom and me inside Sears Tower

I enjoyed walking around and reading all of the facts about the tower. I once again, proved I am queen of useless trivia.

Ken likes to take super close of pictures of me. Please excuse the huge zit I have forming near my lips.

Mom and me waiting to board the elevator for the ride to the top.

A view of the Hancock building and Trump Tower

You can see all of the tents set up for the start and finish of the race.

There are platforms off the building that you can step out onto. For some reason, I walked right out there. Here are my tiny feet.:)

I was shocked when my mom walked out on the platform with me!

Everyone had fun checking out the views of Chicago

This might look like a tender moment, but Ken is getting a lecture about always ruining my pictures by making faces.

Much better!

My mom had so much fun checking out the views and taking pictures

Ken's mom and dad had just as much fun

Mom showing me all of her pictures

She just loves that she is a few inches taller than me

Mom and me at Navy Pier

Bill and Linda having coffee and waiting to go find me at mile 12

My mom taking it all in

This is the funniest picture from the weekend. This is around mile 12 when I came running by. I gave the double thumbs up to let them know I was feeling great. Right when Linda went to take a picture of me, my mom raised her hand to waive. I am right behind her hand. So this is me, at mile 12. At least we know what time it was. :)

Running to the finish. I am on the left with the black top and pink shorts

Looking a little rough

This picture cracks me up. I look like a midget next to him.

They enjoyed their first marathon spectating experience.

Just to prove I am not too proud, here is a hot picture of me with my compression socks on with my Grinch shorts. Yes, I am too hot for words. Thanks for reading!

Chicago Marathon Race Report...

2011-10-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

**This is going to be long, I had free time at work to write most of it**

I was fortunate enough to participate in the 34th Annual Chicago Marathon on Sunday. This was my 2nd Chicago Marathon and my 7th marathon overall. Chicago puts on a great event in a great city. I may just repeat this marathon every year as long as timing permits.

I was hesitate to set any time goals for this marathon, since I was sidelined with a stress fracture back in May and did not have a ton of training. I kept my training consistent, I was just unable to run many long runs. My longest run was 18 miles on the treadmill. I was reminded of that fact around mile 21 when my legs were taking a beating.

The forecast was a little warmer than I was hoping for, but not as bad as last year. We were fortunate enough that it was in the upper 50's/lower 60's when we started. I believe it was in the upper 70's when I finished. My Chicago Marathon time from last year, 3:56, qualified me for a seeded starting coral this year. I did not really think this would make a difference, but it really did. It was not as crowded at the start.

My morning started at 3:00 am when some jackass on a motorcylce thought it was appropriate to rev his bike up over and over again for about 15 minutes. How considerate of him. I had slept very well until this point and then slept on and off until I woke up at 5:15, had some coffee and a power bar and got ready to go. I was prepared to take a cab down to Grant Park, but a nice guy named Steve hopped on the elevator after me and guided me to the train. He was even kind enough to allow me to use his CTA card, so I did not have to purchase fare. It is so refreshing meeting nice people.

I rarely have to pee once I get to a race, but I did not time things correctly this time and was going to have to use a porta potty. I was in line at the porta potties inside the seeded start area and realized there is no way I would make it thru the line. I noticed a tree with a group of girls huddling around it and saw that they were blocking each other while they were peeing. I figured why not? I grew up in Southwest Missouri, I have peed outside a time or two. I went over to the tree, talked with a nice girl, she blocked me, I blocked her. I did glance over to see a man body gliding his, uh you know uh junk. I may have done a double take. Call me shocked, small town, whatever, but I could not help but look. I mean, he was a black man and I have heard a lot about black penises, so I wanted to see if what I heard was true. So, after me looking for what was probably considered an unacceptable amount of time, I came to the conclusion that it is true, very true and I was on my way. :)

I had taken my Garmin off of auto lap, since it loses the signal inside the tunnel during the first mile. My plan was to run the first two miles around 9:15 and then try to maintain nine minute miles after that for as long as I could and maybe toss in a few 8:50's to make up for slowing down at the end. My first mile came in at 9:08. A little fast, but I was happy with it. My second mile was 9:07. Perfect I thought. Third mile, 8:44. Holy Moly, I remember thinking! I am not even winded. I totally rock! The next mile was 8:40. I was thrilled. The sad thing is, I knew better. I knew I would feel like a million bucks to start with and should just slow my ass down. What did I do? I kept on truckin, knocking miles off in the 8:xx's thinking how totally awesome I am not to be winded and to barely have trained for this thing.

1- 9:08
2- 9:07
3- 8:44
4- 8:40
5- 8:44

My mom, Ken, and Ken's parents were planning on meeting me just after mile three. I expected to see them on the right side of the road for some reason. They were on the left side and I did not see them until I was already passed them. I tried to run over and shouted in my loudest Keri voice "Ken, Ken!". Although, I am sure it sounded more like "KIN, KIN!". They did not see me. I fiddled around trying to call him to tell him that they missed me. Yeah, talk about wasting energy here. I looked like an idiot trying to get my phone back into my IFitness belt. Oh well. He did not even answer. I kept moving along, hoping I would be able to see them just after mile 11.

My one goal this year was to see Wrigley Field. I had completely missed it last year and made it a point this year to find it on the map in advance to know where to look for it. So when we turned the corner onto Addison, I was looking all around, just waiting to see what I had missed last year. Um, yeah, next thing you know, we are back in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and no Wrigley Field. You have got to be kidding me, I said to myself. I missed it again! Apparently, I will be running Chicago again next year with a third try to see Wrigley during the race.

6- 9:03 (this was my ideal pace)
7- 8:33 (waaaay to fast for a marathon!)
8- 8:57
9- 8:52
10- 8:48

Once back in downtown, I was able to see Ken, my mom, and Billl and Linda. I gave them the double thumbs up, to let them know I was feeling great! Of course I was, it was mile 12. I could have been doing cartwheels at mile 12. I hit mile 13 in 1:55:XX, basically in the same neighborhood as I ran last year. Heck ya, was what I thought.

11- 8:56
12- 8:48
13- 8:59
14- 9:08 (I forgot to hit lap, so this one is long)
15- 8:37 (this was a little short of a mile since mile 14 was long)

I was still cruising along, feeling fine up until around mile 18. I was still fine physically, but for some reason, I had convinced myself that we were at mile 18 when we were really only at mile 17. Boy, that was a crushing blow. It was like someone told me I was not going to be able to have a birthday cake this year. I thought, wow, what idiot put a 17 mile marker twice? I looked at my Garmin and saw, yep it just rolled to mile 17. Son of a....

16- 8:55
17- 8:59
18- 9:25 (getting tired)
19- 9:04 (there was still hope)
20- 9:37 (started walking thru an aid stations)

I was cool, told myself to man up and stop being a pansy. Just make it to Chinatown at mile 21, was what I kept thinking to myself. Not sure what was going to happen at Chinatown, but I was using it as a must make it to point of the race. I think I was looking forward to the Chinese music that would be playing over the speakers. Um yeah, talk about a let down. It was some current pop song. Great, just great, Chinatown was ruined and to top it off, there were very few Chinese people in Chinatown. Quite a change from what I remember from last year. Talk about bursting my bubble.

At this point, I was allowing myself to walk thru the aid stations. My legs were killing me! This is when I knew only running 18 miles one time on a freaking treadmill was haunting me. I was still happy though, I mean I was maintaining a good pace for being undertrained. I let go my secret, secret goal of 3:55 and decided that I could still come in under 4:00 if I could maintain about 10 minute miles from the remaining 5.2 miles. I knew my watch was measuring off by .2 miles and when I realized that I would be really close to missing the 4:00 mark, I decided not to push it. I reminded myself that I have a little race called the New York City Marathon coming up in four weeks and that I should swallow my pride and just not push it the last few miles. Save the legs is what I told myself. I texted my friend Tara around mile 24. Bless her heart, it was not a nice text, but she responded back with words of encouragement and told me to keep going.

21- 10:01
22- 9:42
23- 10:48
24- 10:20
25- 10.17
26.2- 12:42 (I forgot to lap my watch at mile 26)

I kept cruising along down Michigan Ave, just waiting to turn to head to the finish line. I tried looking for Ken in the bleachers, but did not see him. I was unable to sprint but did kick it up a bit to pass a few people. It is amazing what see the finish line does to you. There it was, the end, I crossed the finish line in 4:03:06.

Garmin time: 4:03:07 - 26.48
Official time: 4:03:06 - 26.2

Marathon #7 finished! I was very pleased with my time. How can I be disappointed for finishing my 7th marathon? I am so excited about running New York next month.

Thanks for reading! I have a ton of pictures to post from our trip. I will be doing that over the next few days. Happy Running!

Preparing for Chicago...

2011-09-28T10:42:00.000-05:00

I have a small event in just 11 days. Yep, I running the Chicago Marathon again this year in 11 days...yikes!

I really have not talked much about it, since I was unsure up until a few weeks ago if I would even be able to pull it off. I have been worried all Summer that I would some how re-fraction my leg. Kind of like when I broke my foot a few years ago. I still shout at Ken "that's my broken foot" when he touches it too hard. Dramatic? Maybe a little. :)

My longest run for training was 18 miles. That might panic some, but I have never been one to run multiple 20 mile training runs. I think it is a waste of time and energy. I am using Chicago as a training run for my big plans in November, the NYC Marathon. With that being said, it will still be 26.2 miles I am running on October 9th, and this should not be taken lightly.

What have I been doing to prepare?

I have been making sure I am drinking 100 ounces of water. Last year being well hydrated the week prior is the only thing that saved me during the heat.
I am obsessively checking the weather forecast. So what that the 10 day forecast only shows until Friday and the marathon is on Sunday. I have extra time to kill.
I struggled to run seven miles on Monday. Yep, I complained during the last mile. I mean, a marathon is 19.2 miles further than I struggled to run on Monday. October 9th might be a bad day. Ken might be drunk by the time I come rolling into the finish area at the six and a half hour time cut off.
I am eating extra Reese's Peanut Butter pumpkins. Everything taste better shaped as a pumpkin, trust me on this. Actually, do not take my word, try it for yourself.
I have been telling my entire office that I am off next Friday and the following Monday. I think they are ready for me to be gone. No Keri equals no Keri talking about being off work and about the marathon that is fastly approaching in 11 days!!
I am trying to figure out my race day outfit. I mean, even though I am not going to be all that fast, I still need to look cute.

Here's hoping for a cool Fall day on October 9th. If it is cool, I might somehow pull off a decent time. My main goal is to go out there and have fun, but let's be real here. We all know that I will be out there with every intention to beat 3:56, even if it means I cannot walk the next day. This should be interesting...

Rocky Mountain High Part 2...

2011-09-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

After spending Friday hiking and tasting beer, we decided to spend Saturday relaxing. We ate so much food that day! We ended up driving up Mt Evans and meeting Rick and Tara for more beer tasting a Rock Bottom Brewery.

The drive up Mt. Evans was gorgeous! I did not know that they have a race called Mt. Evans Accent. Maybe this is something to look at for 2012 or 2013. You in Tara?

We stopped at Echo Lake and walked around for a bit.

It is hard to get good pictures when it is just the two of us. I think I have one picture of us together from the entire trip!

It was a beautiful day.

On Sunday we ended up driving to Estes Park for a little hiking. We hiked the Glacier Gorge trail.

Ken getting irritated at me for taking pictures

Here it is. The only good photo I have of the two of us together on this trip.

If I imagine really hard, my backyard in Kansas looks just like this. :)

It was a gorgeous hike.

I was waiting on the top of the rock stairs to take his picture. The hand on the hip shows frustration. Frustration with me for two reasons: 1. I ran up the stairs because I thought it would be fun and 2. For taking his picture when he is out of breath. :)

"I was expecting the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this"

I think this is what Ken was trying to do the time he fell in California and dislocated his shoulder. :)

And because no Labor Day Weekend is truly complete with out watching the MDA Telethon:

We are both just thankful that we no longer have to spend our Labor Day Weekend working the darn thing. :)

Rocky Mountain High Part 1....

2011-09-13T21:21:00.000-05:00

Ken and I took a few extra days off work and spent Labor Day Weekend in Denver. We had so much fun last year, that we could not resist a chance to go back again. We hiked, drank beer, shopped, ate, and hiked some more. We could not have asked for a better time. We also met up with my friend Tara and her husband Rick. I am just bummed that I did not get a picture of us together! Next time Tara, next time!

We tried out a new brewery, Denver Beer Co. Not our favorite, but it was fun to taste.

We hiked halfway up Pikes Peak and back down

It was over 80 degrees when we started at 4:20 am. As we climbed up to 10,000 ft, it had dropped to 50 degrees. To say I was freezing is an understatement.

Any guesses on how old I look in this picture? I guess the no make up look makes me look under age.

It is a long way back down. We were excited to see the part of the trail that we hiked up in the dark last year. Um, yeah, it is so steep that we are glad we hike up that portion in the dark!

I have never seen this pose before

We went to Golden and toured Coors.

18 Miles...

2011-09-12T10:59:00.001-05:00

Finally! I was finally able to make it over my 16 mile up and hit 18 miles.

I must say, it has all been a mental thing lately. My legs are fine, breathing is fine, just mentally I am toast. I decided to make myself toughen up and went to the gym to run. I had stayed up too late the night before to wake up super early, plus I thought a good mental beating on the treadmill would do me some good. A mental beating it was.

Have you ever run 18 miles on the treadmill? It is always funny because I see so many people come and go during my treadmill trek.

I survived. I wanted to stop at mile 13 and I told myself to man up and stop being a baby. I had reasoned with myself to go to 15. Then I decided that I needed to make it to 16. I told myself I could stop at 16. Then, I decided to stop being a pansy and run the full 18. Glad I did.

And boy, did I smell like a million bucks when I was finished...

A Tearful Goodbye...

2011-09-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today was a sad day. Today was the day when I had to say goodbye to Mendy the Mountaineer. We have had many good times together. I mean, I cannot even count the number of Starbucks runs, trips to shop, or trips to the gym she and I have taken. But, it was time. It was time for me to move on.

I had driven Mendy over 443 hours! I am glad that she was able to make one last Stabucks run before our goodbye.

Ahh Mendy, my wish for you is that a nice family will find you and utilize all of your features. Your third row seat and DVD player need a little use. :)

What did I get to replace Mendy?

A Lincoln MKX

Not sure what her name will be. She is TBD for now. I am already in love.

The First of Many...

2011-09-06T20:35:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Spice Lattes! I was THRILLED this morning to have one. Pretty sure that first drink was a bit of heaven. We were in Denver all weekend and they were not selling them. Of course once we got back to Kansas, I could get one.

Kansas City 1 - Dever 0.

Weekend Happenings...

2011-08-22T15:33:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend! We started off with a hike at the Overland Park Arboretum on Saturday morning. Ken and I hiked seven miles. It did rain on us a little, but nothing too major. We only have about 10 days before Pikes Peak Round Two!

After hiking, we enjoyed a little barbeque at Oklahoma Joe's. It was the perfect end to a wonderful hike. We ended the day watching a movie, since I had an early wake up call the following day.

On Sunday, I got up to run 16 miles. It was tough, but I finished it. Physically, I am fine. It is more of a mental thing going on. I figure it is the heat and other things that are going on that are making my long runs tough. At any rate, my 16 miler is finished! I did see this little guy and I had to turn around to take his picture.

what is this?

After my run, Ken asked if I wanted to go down the plaza for a little shopping and a late lunch. Um, yeah I do! Upon arrival, I noticed a top in the Ann Taylor Loft window that I had been dying to have, but it is sold out at Town Center and online. Score!

We stopped at Kona Grill for a little sushi and some drinks. My friends are thinking, oh my goodness, Keri eats sushi. Yes, I do just barely. I have to be very careful because of my shell fish allergy, but I love spicy tuna rolls!

After lunch, we walked around for a bit, bought Miss Kya some treats at the Three Dog Bakery and then cruised on into Starbucks for a latte. What a simple, but wonderful weekend.

Kya getting ready to enjoy her smores treat. We timed her, it took over three minutes to eat the thing. :)

15 Miles...

2011-08-18T15:08:00.000-05:00

I had 15 miles on the schedule for last weekend. Oh who am I kidding, I really do not follow a training schedule, I make it up as I go along. I have an idea of my long runs each week and just run around that. I like it this way because I do not feel married to a schedule and do not have beat myself up if I switch things around or skip something. I know this way is not for everyone, but it works for me.

Anyway, back to the 15 miles. This would be longest run since the whole Tibby incident back in May. I went to bed plenty early, work up early, and started so that I could beat the heat. The weather was much cooler than it has been, but it was still pretty warm. I am hoping that Chicago will be a decent temperature this year and not blazing hot like last year.

I ran hills, I ran downhills, I ran on flat terrain. I saw a skunk, cows, and bicyclists. It was entertaining. I am just thrilled that I am back to longer runs. I have 16 or 17 in mind for this weekend. Who knows, I might get all crazy and just run 18. I like to party like that.

Going Crazy for Fall!

2011-08-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

Here is what I am burning today

This is what it looks like outside today

The only thing I am missing is a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks! Too bad they do not come out until the end of August. Boo! On the plus side, I did enjoy one of these bad boys yesterday...

That's right, a mini Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen! My day was completely made by this wonderful treat!

Happy Almost Fall!

How Do You Beat the Heat?

2011-07-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

When the heat index is over 100 and you are a Siberian Husky, there is not much that you can do for entertainment. Running, walking, and pretty much anything else that is deemed as fun is out. So how does Miss Kya have fun during a heat wave?

She hops in the car with her rear air conditioning....

...and goes to Sheridans for ice cream! Isn't that what everyone does?

While Ken is Away...

2011-07-21T11:44:00.001-05:00

Ken is out of town this week, so I have been entertaining myself. Here is what Monday night looked like:

Back to Normal...

2011-07-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

During my eight weeks of no running, my candy dish in my kitchen looked like this:

Empty and very sad

This dish is always filled with candy. It houses three types of M&M's except for at Easter when it is filled with all of the yummy pastel goodness that I consume. I mean, my friends have come to expect candy at my house. I decided to refill it since Ken, the guy who does not eat candy, demanded M&M's. What kind of a wife would I be if I did not please my husband?

There she is, in all her glory. This picture would not rotate for some reason.

Michelle, please tell Rob to rest assured, the M&M's are back!

It's a Low Carb Thing...

2011-07-13T08:58:00.000-05:00

I tried. I really did. I tried to switch over to a low carb lifestyle. I made it one week. One week. That is all I could handle. We will not go into the reason why I thought I could go low carb. It really sounded like a good idea at the time.

The first few days were actually pretty easy. I guess I was excited and I wanted to see if I could really do it. I was a good girl, counted my carbs, ate my cheese and almonds. I even had a little wine the first few days. My goal was to keep my daily carb intake below 100. I had even figured out that if I was really below on a few days, I could use the extra as a cheat for dessert over the weekend. Huh, sounds like it is going to be rough. I mean, not even a week in and I find a way to cheat the system.

I knew I was in trouble on Independence Day when I pretty much ate nothing all day just so I could have a red velvet cupcake. It was worth every single bite by the way. Still, I pressed on. I went to work and I could have killed someone. I mean I was snapping at people left and right. My boss thought I was insane, but wanted to seem supportive. At home, Ken was dodging me. Yeah, he did not want to be around his low carb wife.

I knew it was going to be tough when I found myself going to the grocery store to buy more cheese and almonds and I was just hanging out in the ice cream section. Yeah, I was walking by the ice cream and saying hello old friends, I miss you all. I was checking all of the carbs in the ice cream bars and realized that the Klondike Bars could indeed be something that I could sneak in as a snack. Of course, this meant skipping a meal, but who really cares when you can eat a Klondike Bar. I blame this on Ken because he was the one wanting the Klondike Bars.

Despite hanging out at the grocery store in the ice cream aisle, I thought I was on the home stretch and then my boss brought in bagels on Thursday. Really Randy? I mean, you know I am a bagel lover and you bring in bagels. I kept my composer and did not strangle him on the spot like I wanted to. I even managed to keep the cursing to a minimum when he said "bagels are low carb right?" - really Randy? Do you want me to close line you when you walk out of the bathroom? A few threats later and he decided it was best not to speak to me for the rest of the day.

Thursday was not only bagel day, but it is also a running day. I got home from work and Ken called me. Apparently my tone was less than stellar. He told me to forget the low carb thing and just to go to dinner with him. I told him that would be quitting. We had an exchange of words and I proceeded to pout. I am sure that is shocking. He came home and I was sitting in my chair pouting. He told me how silly he thought this diet was and that I should quit. I decided to just go running. I was pissed. Guess what I found myself singing over my Ipod? What would you dooooo for a Klondike Bar? I tried to tune it out. I called myself all sorts of names and told myself to man up. I tried to sing with Britney when she came on, but I could not resist singing What would you dooooo for a Klondike Bar? At this point I would have killed someone for a Klondike Bar.

So what do I do? Finish my three mile run, walk into the house dripping in sweat, not speaking to Ken and grab a Klondike Bar and go to town.

I enhaled that Klondike Bar in under a minute. Best thing ever. And with that, I quit the low carb lifestyle.

Sedona Day 3 & 4...

2011-07-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

Day three started off with a little bit of hiking. We ended up doing a total of eight miles. It was beautiful, but my booty had a pain in it, that was not Ken. :) I guess hiking 45 miles will do that to you.

Cathedral Rock

The rocks almost look fake

Ken's signature pose

A picture for my dear friend Heather, aka HT

Ken was making fun of me because my booty was sore. Actually, he was taking a video of me when, wait for it, he backed right into a cactus. Yep, I had to help him pull cactus needles out of his leg. Remember Ken, do not mess with Keri and the cacti!

When the photo is enlarged, you can see the blood on his leg. I know, I should not laugh, but he was making fun of me!

A local on the trail

See, he survived the cactus attack

Bell Rock, or as I like to call it, Rolo Rock

Always an adventure

What do we do after hiking eight miles? Have pizza, fries, and beer.

After lunch, we went to the pool for margaritas and sangrias or if you are Ken, more beer

Ken taking my picture across the pool

Another drink? Yes please!

Ken loves the pool

I love the pool too

After the pool, Ken wanted to take me on a hike to watch the sunset and enjoy a bottle of wine. Well, it did not go as planned. It was a wonderful thought, but the bugs were awful. I was getting attacked and could not handle it.

My sweet husband. It was the thought that counts. Sorry Ken.

I look pathetic here trying to keep the bugs out of my wine

Ken told me to give him my best fake smile before we could leave. Well, here it is.

On our last day, we walked around the shops to buy a few things and then headed to get a few photos of the chapel that is built into the rocks. It is gorgeous!

Ah, we had a wonderful trip! I was so excited to get back home to see my hooligans! Thanks Ken for a wonderful time!

Our Time in Sedona...Day 1 & 2...

2011-07-01T19:42:00.000-05:00

After all of the hiking, Ken and I headed to Sedona for a few days to relax. We arrived on Tuesday and left on Friday. On Tuesday, I felt awful. I think that hiking 45 miles took more out of me than I thought! We spent Tuesday resting and went out for appetizer and then for ice cream and just walked around downtown Sedona.

On Wednesday we went to Jerome for a little shopping and wine tasting. Jerome is a very interesting old mining town that was once known as the wickedist town in the west. It is a very odd but cute city that sits on a hilltop with a lot of art galleries and unique shops. We visited this town three years ago and I was just dying to go back for some reason. We enjoyed our time wandering around and enjoyed a little wine.

After we left Jerome, we ended up at Paige Springs Cellars, a winery we visited in 2007. We decided to buy a bottle of wine and some snacks and enjoy an afternoon down by the creek in the shade.

Enjoying the wine and the scenery and time with my husband

Part of the vineyard. We obviously remembered that we have a black and white setting on the camera!

Syrah is one of our favorites!

I return with our meat and cheese. It was delicious and the perfect afternoon snack!

My handsome husband enjoying his vacation

After our time at the winery, we went back to our room, hung out at the pool and went to a lovely dinner. We also prepared for you guessed it, more hiking. You cannot go to Sedona and not hike!

GC Trip, North to South Hike...

2011-06-26T19:33:00.001-05:00

Here we are at around 2:45 am ready to take off! The hike going back to the South Rim is 24 miles instead of 21. We change over to the Bright Angel trail so that we can have access to water.

A view of the South Rim in the distance. I believe this is between Cotton Wood and Phantom Ranch.

Just past Phantom Ranch and only 10 miles left to go! Unfortunately, most of that 10 miles is up hill!

Silver Bridge

The Colorado River. In the distance you can see a few boats. I told Molly that Ken would love this view and that I had to get a picture for him.

My hiking buddy Molly. She and I had a ton of fun hiking together!

About nine miles left to go!

A view of the trail from above. If you enlarge it, you can see the trail

About three miles from the top. When this picture is enlarged you can really see the trail. People kept asking us where we came from that morning. They all about died when we said the North Rim. Molly and I had a heck of a pace going! We did talk to several nice people along the way.

After my finish. I must say, I look rather rough here!

Waiting on the others to come in. We did see a guy slip on the trail and almost fall off. It was horrible. Luckily, someone grabbed his leg so he did not fall into the canyon. We also saw a few really dumb people climb on rocks that with one false movement, and they would have been toast. It is crazy that people want a silly picture so badly.

Here comes the rest of our group! I have to say, I thought the North to South hike was much easier than the South to North hike even though it was longer.

We all showered and had dinner and drinks at El Tovar. It was another wonderful evening spent with wonderful people. Oh and next year, Ken is totally hiking both ways!

Grand Canyon Day Four...

2011-06-25T16:24:00.000-05:00

I think Ken finally understands what I feel like after a marathon! He was stiff and felt like someone had run him over with a bus. I was glad that he got to understand that feeling so that he has a little bit of sympathy for me after races!

We spent the day walking around and just spending time with friends. It was a perfect day of rest!

View from the North Rim. We hiked all the way thru that sucker!

I was THRILLED to learn that there was a coffee bar on the North Rim! Here I am enjoying my Chai Tea latte and checking out the view!

Our group at the bar on the traditional Bloody Mary Sunday. I enjoyed my ice cold water. :)

Dr. Buckeye. He is one of the funniest people Ken and I have ever met!

Brighty the Mule. If you rub his nose, you get good luck!

Here is our group at the North Rim lodge. These are some amazing people!

Our last night on the North Rim was pretty low key. Ken did end up getting three really nasty blisters on his foot and he decided it was best not to hike from North to South. I was bummed that he would not be joining me the next day. He was bummed too and enjoyed cocktails on our porch while I went to sleep. It was a super early night for me since I had a 2:00 am wake up call!

GC: The Hike - South Rim to the North Rim...

2011-06-15T22:07:00.000-05:00

Ahh...the day we had all begin waiting for! We woke up at 2:00 am to get ready. I found myself preparing as though I was running a marathon. All of my clothes were laid out and I was body gliding myself up! We had our Rim Wranglers transporting our belongings, so we packed what we needed for the day and left our bags in the trailer that Steve and Denise would drive to the North Rim. Bless Steve and Denise's hearts, they were up so early to drive us to the trail head. Their kindness did not go unnoticed!

Packed and ready to go! Pretty cute for 2:30 am!

In the hotel lobby, heading out. I love how you can see the reflective strips on running clothes!

Me with two of my favorite girls, Abby and Katie

Yes, I have had my coffee and I am way too happy for 2:30 am!

All of the South to North hikers at the trail head

All of the dust that gets kicked up on the trail. It totally looks like snow.

Our first stop. We had already been hiking for an hour and yep, it is still dark!

Ken showing that he is proud to be an American

Our group

Our second stop where we learned that an engagement had taken place moments before!

Jean and Patrick got engaged on the hike. Jean organizes the trip every year and hiking is her passion. Patrick totally surprised her! She had a bright smile the entire trip. Congratulations Jean and Patrick!

My handsome husband making his way down the trail

Our first look at the Colorado River, simply amazing

Nothing beats using the self timer while you are hiking!

Heading down to cross the Colorado River

Ken and I separated after Phantom Ranch, which was just before mile seven. I have very few pictures from this point. I was just wanting to get finished. I did enjoy listening to my Ipod and singing and dancing down the trail with my new friends AJ and Jocelyn!

It is amazing to look back and realize how far you hiked!

Me finishing with AJ and Jocelyn. Bless my heart, I look really rough! It was HOT!

Ken and Abby at the finish. Ken was so sweet, he knew Abby was struggling and he waited on her at a water stop to make sure that she made it out okay. I was so proud of him for finishing with a big smile on his face!

The most fun of the entire day was hanging out at the end waiting for our group to finish. We were hooting and hollering at everyone that came up the trail. The best part was hearing people come up and asking if we were the Kansas City folks. Our group was talkative and friendly to everyone on the trail.

The hike from South to North was 21 miles. You hike down the South rim, across the canyon and up the North rim. It was so much fun! It was the furthest I have every gone without running. We had an amazing group of people out on the trail. The funniest thing that I saw were two girls that were wearing jeans and had hiked down about three or four miles from the North rim. One of them had her shirt tucked up in her bra. Jocelyn and I both about died laughing! She looked more like she should be dancing on a pole than hiking in the GC. You have to dress the part you know!

Grand Canyon Trip Day Two...

2011-06-12T15:33:00.000-05:00

Day two was a travel day for us. We started off with breakfast at our hotel and then loaded up in the van to head to the South Rim of the Canyon.

I love getting to see cacti in Arizona! This is always my favorite part of the dessert.

We had a great lunch in Sedona at L’Auberge. The restaurant overlooks a creek. It is such a pretty site for lunch.

Ken checks out the water and ducks

Part of our group at lunch

We made it to the South Rim! You can see the trail that we will be hiking the following morning.

So happy to finally see the Grand Canyon!

Zoomed in on the trail. Are we really going all the way down there???

The mandatory self portrait

Mike and Katie at dinner

Chris and Shelly at dinner

Our hotel on the South Rim was a historic hotel called El Tovar. This is the hotel that is shown on National Lampoon's Vacation when the Grand Canyon scene is shot. I made Ken watch the movie before we left and he was so not impressed with me building up the Grand Canyon scene. I liked the entire 90 seconds, so that is all that matters. :)

Grand Canyon Trip Day One...

2011-06-12T11:45:00.001-05:00

Ken and I just returned from an adventure of a lifetime! We were lucky enough to join a group of friends and hike from rim to rim of the Grand Canyon. Stay tuned for many more posts to come!

We started the trip off with a day at the pool in Phoenix. We were both ready to relax and soak up the sun!

Enjoying a pina colada in the pool

Our group playing volleyball

We had dinner on the hilltop at a Different Point of View. The view was amazing!

Winefest...

2011-05-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday was not only our anniversary, but it was also the March of Dimes Annual Winefest. We were joined by our friends, Rob, Michelle, Nick, Melissa, and Scott for an evening of wine tasting along with trying wonderful food by a few local Kansas City restaurants.

We enjoyed the event for the third year in a row and hope that everyone will be able to attend again next year.

Countdown for vacation is officially on! Only two days of work until we head to Phoenix!

Ken and me at Winefest. Doesn't Ken look so handsome in his suit?

**Thanks for the picture Melissa!

May 26, 2009...

2011-05-26T05:00:00.002-05:00

Two Weeks...

2011-05-10T11:44:00.000-05:00

It has been two weeks of no running so far. Do I miss it, heck ya! I think what I miss the most is not worrying about what I eat, knowing that I will just run it off. I just do not think that anything else gives me as good of a calorie burn as running. I am sad to report, that I have cut down on my candy and dessert intake.

Ken and I rode our bakes 19 miles yesterday after work. It was so much fun. I am trying to get the hang of riding my bike outside instead of on the trainer. I get nervous taking turns and going to fast down hill. Hopefully, this will all go away soon.

So far the pain is completely gone whenever I walk. My leg felt totally normal last night on my bike. I am still being a good girl and will not be running anytime soon. I am really glad that we have had a lot going on to keep my mind off of it.

We Will Call Him Tibbie...

2011-05-05T21:31:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a rough few weeks I have had. I had a strange pain in my lower left leg and I knew I needed to rest. So rest I did. A few days later I ran and it did not hurt while I was running at all. Perfect, the rest worked. Um, wrong. I woke up the next morning and my leg was sore when I walked. I knew something was not right. I did what any good runner can do, I rested, iced, and popped Advil like candy. It was still sore a few days later.

So I did what any obsessive, compulsive marathon runner does, I started Googling my symptoms. Well, I knew it was not good when TIBIAL STRESS FRACTURE seemed to fit all of my symptoms. I made an appointment to go to the doctor. Luckily, I got in the same day. The doctor did an x-ray, which showed nothing. He felt around with all of the muscles and I had no pain. He could find the "hot" spot, and yikes, it would hurt when he would press down. He suspected a stress fracture. I did too.

I had an MRI, which I thought was so cool that a machine can do that. I went in for my results today and well, Tibbie is not fractured. An answered prayer. I did have the beginning stages of a stress fracture, meaning, if I had not stopped running right away, I would have ended up with a fracture. Thank goodness I knew something was wrong.

What does this mean? Well, no running for six weeks. You might think I am handling this well, but trust me, I have cried several times. I am planning on using it as a good time to swim and ride my bike. I have been wanting to train for a triathlon and this might be my starting point. I ordered a lap swimming appropriate swim suit (I know, I am surprised too that the push-up Victoria's Secret swim suits I wear are not suitable for swimming laps). It should be here tomorrow. Monday is D Day, when I tuck my tail and head to the pool!

What is Hiding on the Camera?

2011-04-24T20:58:00.000-05:00

I always take pictures that I plan on posting, but get sidetracked and then they never make it on here! I thought I would clean off the memory card with an assortment of pictures.

Kya at the dog park during the blizzard we had in February

She had a lot of fun out in the snow

Kya got to go to the Three Dog Bakery to get Adoption Day treats

Michelle and Rob enjoying dessert at the Melting Pot

Me at the Melting Pot. Ken was out of town, so Rob was kind enough to take Michelle and me.

These two hooligans love laying on the back of the chair

Meet Me at the Arboretum...

2011-04-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Last night, Ken and I had a date at the Overland Park Arboretum. I met him there after work and we hiked six miles on the trails. This has quickly become our favorite area to hike in preparing for our Grand Canyon trek. We get a good mix of hills going up and down and walking on something other than pavement. We were even treated to seeing about a million deer. Yes, there was a million, I counted.

We are quickly getting more prepared for our big hike. Ken's furthest hike so far is 12 miles with a plan of hiking 15 miles in a few weeks. To say that I am proud of him would be an understatement.

Me on the otherhand, I am trekking a long with running, trying to stay in shape prior to training for Chicago. I have six months to get faster. It is going to be a tough one!

Here is the summary of last week:

Monday - 5 mile hike with Ken and Kya
Trainer ride for 15 minutes

Tuesday - 6.25 miles at the gym
1.5 mile walk with Ken and Kya

Wednesday - 4 miles outside
1 mile walk with Kya
Trainer ride for 30 minutes

Thursday - 6 miles at the gym
1 mile walk with Kya

Friday - Trainer ride for 30 minutes

Saturday - 12 miles outside on my hilly route
1 mile walk with Kya

Sunday - 3 miles at the gym
2 mile walk with Kya
Trainer ride for 30 minutes

I am trying to add 15 minutes of activity here and there to burn off all of the Easter candy. :)

March Totals and a New Adventure!

2011-04-06T09:19:00.000-05:00

During the month of March I ran 124.75 miles. I will take that considering I am not really training for anything right now. I am just trying to keep myself in shape for my Chicago marathon training that will take place this summer. I am hoping to really bring my time down in October!

Ken and I have decided to hike the Grand Canyon! We, along with 21 other people, will be hiking rim to rim which is about 24 miles. We are very excited! Ken has been doing a lot of walking and hiking trying to get prepared. I have been trying to run more hills and run down hills to help with the beginning and end of the hike. We did a hill training exercise last night where we hiked 2.50 miles up and down a damn by a local lake. We did 10 switchbacks, which was quite a workout. I ran up the super steep hill and Ken even joined me in running a few of them. I think he got my concept of if you run up the hill, it does not take as long!

We are super excited about this new adventure!

Embarrassing, yes, but I have to share!

2011-03-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Ken called to tell me about the results from his MRI on his shoulder. He told me and then we chatted for a bit. After the call, my friend Scott came into my office and I told him that Ken's MRI results showed that he has a torn labia. His eyes got huge. I said it again. He busted up laughing and asked me to stop saying it. Me, being so innocent just looked at him and said, he has a torn labia, what is the big deal?

Next thing you know, the girls in the office next to me are dying laughing. Scott is about to pee his pants and he tells me that I should not say that word anymore. I ask him what it means and he points to his crotch area. I pretend to know and try to run thru every male anatomy part I can think of and cannot seem to place a labia. Hmm....

I go next door and ask the girls what it means. Oh. Shelly tells me that Ken definitely does not have a labia.

Turns out Ken has a torn labrum.

Date Night in the ER....

2011-03-15T11:08:00.000-05:00

I was talking to Ken Sunday night on his way home from playing golf. He told me that he really just wanted to hang out with me. Okay, that sounds nice, we can drink wine and watch the Amazing Race I thought. Well, Ken took a tumble on our stairs (he is okay) and we ended up spending our time together in the emergency room. That's right, a loud thump and a dislocated shoulder later, we got to spend the whole evening together.

You see, Ken also dislocated his shoulder in July 2009 while we were on vacation in Sonoma County. We really know how to have a good time. I knew this time around that time was of the esscence for getting his shoulder put back in right away. Last time, it took us about three hours just to get to the hospital.

Little did I know that they would end up putting Ken under general anesthesia to complete the procedure, since the hospital in Healdsburg, CA tried to rip his arm off with no medication. A little morphine, propofol, a few tugs and he was back to normal.

For me, the entertainment was while Ken was on propofol. He never went completely under, just dazed to the point that he was saying a few silly things. I think the nurses and doctors thought that I was being a mean wife by busting up laughing at him. At least I had a little entertainment.

Doesn't he look pathetic?

All and all, he is fine, just a little sore. Oh and he feels a little silly for tripping and falling down our stairs. Despite what people might think, a cat was not involved in causing him to trip. I was curious if the people in the ER thought that maybe I had pushed him. They probably did the math: 4'10 100 pound girl vs. 6'5 220 pound man, not likely.

An Intervention Please....

2011-03-12T09:42:00.001-06:00

Keep your eyes peeled on A&E on Monday nights for the lastest version of Intervention. I will be featured regarding my excessive consumption of Easter candy.

I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit how much Easter candy I have eaten since Valentine's Day. ASHAMED I tell you! It is madness, pure madness. Something has to happen. Stores need to simply stop selling it. I simply need to stop going to Target, the grocery store, or any other place that has Easter candy.

There is just something about Easter candy. Candy shaped as eggs just tastes so much better. I cannot stop buying it and eating it.

I am currently in the process of eating my 8th, 9th, and 10th bag. **Hangs head in shame** I will give you a moment to process this information.

So if you go to Target or your local Price Chopper and notice that they are out of Cadbury Mini Eggs, Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, Speckled Peanut Butter M&M's, or Sweetart Gummy's you know that I must shop there. :)

Things I say...

2011-03-11T08:37:00.000-06:00

I grew up in Southwest Missouri. While this area is not super Southern, the residents tend to have a special twang of their own. I am fortunate that after a few years of living in Kansas City, I have lost this twang and it only comes out when I am super excited or say certain things. Ken and I were talking the other day about a few of the things I say and a few of the things I do not say.

Fixin' - I have never said this. It just did not seem right.

Y'all - I did say this once upon a time. I had to train myself not to say this. In fact, this is probably the easiest thing to go back to saying. I have to watch it. If I say it once, it will stick!

Pop - I used to say pop and I trained myself to say soda.

Bless your heart - I am so guilty of saying this all of the time. My friend Michelle totally makes fun of me for this. Whatever, she is from Iowa. ;)

So stinkin' sweet - I also catch a lot of grief from Michelle for saying this one. I cannot help it. Sometimes things are so stinkin' sweet!

Dilly Dally - You know, when you are piddling away or wasting time.

Piddling - Wasting time. My mom always says this and it stuck with me.

And the biggest thing that I had to break myself of is saying my husband's name, Ken. Yeah, hard to mess up right? Well, I used to say Kin with a twang. I did not even realize that I was doing it. Lovely. Fortunately, he did fall in love with me with my Missouri Twang and all. Luckily, I know pronouce his name correctly unless I am super excited. :)

For Fun...

2011-03-10T14:18:00.000-06:00

ABC's of Keri

(A) Age: 30

(B) Queen, we like to snuggle.

(C) Chore You Really Dislike: folding laundry

(D) Dogs: Kya, all white Siberian Husky. I of course have to mention Angel and Theo as well, my sweet kitties.

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee!

(F) Favorite Color: Pink

(G) Gold or Silver? White gold

(H) Height: 4'10 - 5'2 depending on what shoes

(I) Instruments You Play: Nada

(J) Job Title: Account Coordinator

(K) Kids: I am happy without them

(L) Live: Kansas City metro area

(M) Mom's Name: Nancy

(N) Nicknames: KD or KJ (Ken is jealous of the KJ because that is what people used to call him before I came along. Now he is the original KJ) My mom used to call me baby sister.

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? Nope

(P) Pet Peeve: People that are oblivious to others around them

(Q) Quote from a Movie: Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!

(R) Right or Left Handed? Right

(S) Siblings: Two older brothers, I am the baby and only girl

(T) Time You Wake Up? 5:45 am

(U) Underwear: I am a fan of Victoria's Secret

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: All except for green beans and corn

(W) What Makes You Run Late: Dilly dalling

(X) X-Rays: teeth and my left foot

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Vodka cream pasta and scrambled eggs (not together, obviously)

(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Lions

Nine on a Week Night...

2011-03-04T08:55:00.000-06:00

With my schedule changing at work, I am not getting home an hour earlier. This is huge for me. It not only allows me to run, but it also allows me to be a good wife and still make my husband dinner. Who would have ever thought that I would care about being able to make dinner??

Last night Ken had to work late so, I did not have to worry about dinner. If you are wondering what I ate, I had cinnamon Cheerios. Seriously, if I were not married, I would eat cereal for dinner every night. I got home, changed clothes, and headed out. It was 68 degrees! Wow, how wonderful.

I ended up running nine miles, which is unheard of for me during the week. Usually seven is my max due to not having enough time. I am thinking that this whole 7:30 to 4:30 work schedule is going to be huge for my working out! Love it!

Below is a photo of Miss Kya and me, taken after her 6.5 mile Adoption Day run.

February...

2011-03-02T11:30:00.000-06:00

February always seems to fly by. I know it is only two to three days shorter than all of the other months, but those few days make it seem like a quick month! A lot has gone on in February. Ken's work has gotten super busy and my work has changed up a bit. I now have a new territory which is requiring me being on Eastern Time at work. While I love leaving work at 4:30 pm, getting there at 7:30 am has made me a tad bid grumpy.

I ran a total of 99 miles this month. Too bad I did not do the math earlier, I would have capped it off with an even 100! I did two bricks this month with my bike trainer and the treadmill. They were both a lot of fun. Yep, there will be a triathlon in my very near future!

Here's to warmer days and being able to run a lot more outside!

Oh and to date, I am on my 4th and 5th bag of Easter candy since Valentine's Day. I think Ken might need to stage an intervention!

Happy Adoption Day Keek!!!

2011-03-01T15:09:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that it has been four years since we adopted Kya. Ken and I cannot remember what is was like without her. She is a super silly girl that makes us laugh every day. She is a great sous chef, pre-soaker, marathon trainer, pool digger, and the list continues. We started Adoption Day with her getting her teeth brushed and we sang Happy Birthday to her, where she promptly joined in with her howling. We plan on finishing up the Adoption Day festivities with a run, a special dinner, and carrot cake! Spoiled, no not at all!

Kya as a puppy. When I look at this picture, I cannot help but smile. She looks so stinkin' sweet!

D.O.N.E.

2011-02-15T15:48:00.000-06:00

I find it odd that I have already registered for both Chicago and NYC, which take place in October and November and have not registered for the St. Louis Marathon, which takes place in April. Hmm...maybe because in the back of my mind, I really do not want to run the St. Louis Marathon.

I had a horrible run on Saturday. Horrible. The sad thing is, it started out fine. I was able to get outside, which was great, but I think my mental game was off. I was setting out to run 18 miles in a park by our house because the trail was cleared of snow. Well, I should have known that running six, three mile loops was not going to happen. Oh, did I mention that the wind started blowing like 30 mph? I could figure out which direction it was blowing either. It seemed that no matter which way I went, I was running into the wind.

I decided to stop at 11.30 miles and drive home to go finish on the treadmill. I ended up freaking out as soon as I walked inside our house, telling Ken how I suck and that I am a pansy, a baby, a whimp, and just need to suck it up and run. Well guess what? I decided right then that I was done for the day. I whined a little more and Ken suggested that maybe I take a break from marathon training. Take a break? Really, not train for a marathon. Is that even possible?

I thought about it, told myself to suck it up and that was that. Then I really got to thinking. I called my friend Susan and talked it over with her. Guess what, I am d.o.n.e. I am not going to run the St. Louis Marathon, I am going to continue to work on my speed and maintain a long run of 13 miles and just wait for Chicago. I feel like such a baby for deciding not to run the marathon, but I know I really need to do what is best for me. I always enjoy Fall training so much more and do not want to get burnt out on training before the real fun begins.

Officially Registered!

2011-02-15T11:52:00.001-06:00

Chicago Marathon, here I come for round two!

Happy Birthday Ken!!!

2011-02-14T12:40:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to Ken today! He is so sweet that he had to be born on Valentine's Day. We had a great night celebrating with Rob and Michelle on Saturday. Here's to another great year Ken!

Randomness...

2011-01-21T13:32:00.000-06:00

I made it 10 days without visiting Target and then I caved. I just HAD to go. I figured that my happiness was at stake.
I spoke to a very nice Bristish man on the phone today and had to keep from busting up laughing at the thought of him saying mobile or flat. You know what happened? He asked me to ring him back on his mobile. I. almost. lost. it. Bahama memories all over again.
Ken discovered the Girl Scout Cookie Peanut Butter Patties. He is now addicted. Funny how that can happen when he "does not like sweets".
He is the same person that has eaten over half of my peanut butter M&M's. Odd, huh?
I am no longer getting carded when I buy alcohol (hangs head in shame). *But* I think this is because I only buy wine. What 20 year old buys red wine?
I plan on testing this theory (you know, boost the old self esteem) by going to buy some Purple Passion or Apple Pucker.
If this plan works against me, I might have to order more anti-aging face cream and start applying it hourly.
The Starbucks by my office is still passing out Christmas cups, and I might be the only person that is happy about that.
I spent 20 minutes Googling the Golden Girl's house yesterday. We are going to be in Miami and I wanted to do a drive by and get a photo. Don't judge.
You can imagine how disappointed I was to find out the actual house shown is in LA.
This is probably the time I should point out that I made Ken drive me by the actual Full House house. (I am a child of the 90's don't judge)
He was utterly ashamed when I admitted I had memorized the address.
He was even more ashamed when I told him to circle the block and park so I could get a photo. He refused.
I better stop, I am losing cool points all over the place...
Ken had something come up that would interfere with the NYC Marathon. For the sake of his sanity (and safety), he was able to rearrange his schedule.
Ken and I had an entire conversation via text about Angel, Theodore, and Kya donating money to the Humane Society. The last text was Ken saying that he is glad we have raised such caring animals. Yes, we are those people, feel free to throw things and laugh at us. I am fully aware that we need to find more things to keep us occupied...
And last, but not least, we had a milestone at our house on Tuesday night. That's right, Ken went with me to the gym. I will give you a moment to catch your breath......Yep, he went to the gym and worked out no less. To say that I am proud is an understatement.

Happy Weekend!

Week 2...

2011-01-20T16:36:00.000-06:00

Monday - 1 hour on bike trainer

Tuesday - 7 miles at the gym with speed work

Wednesday - Rest, dinner with Jill

Thursday - 7 miles at the gym with 4.5 miles at 8.3 mph

Friday - Rest, dinner with Ken

Saturday - 1 hour 15 minutes on bike trainer and one mile walk with Kya

Sunday - 10 miles at the gym and the dog park with Kya and Ken

Total: 24 miles

My Sunday run was suppose to be longer, but I had just about had it with the treadmill. I started to get a bit of a headache and mentally I was just D.O.N.E. I just could not take one more second.

It looks like I am going to be embracing the treadmill for the remainder of the week, since we ended up with eight inches of fluffy snow.

Week 1...

2011-01-10T10:44:00.000-06:00

Week one of marathon training is in the books for a total of 26.50 miles. Here is what it looked like...

Monday - 1 hour on bike trainer

Tuesday - 6.25 miles at the gym with speedwork (54:24)

Wednesday - 2.0 mile walk with Kya

Thursday - 7.25 mile tempo run outside (1:01:46)

Friday - rest

Saturday - 45 minutes on bike trainer

Sunday - 13 miles at the gym (1:58:12) and 4.0 mile walk with Ken and Kya at the dog park

All in all, a very good week. I am very excited about this training cycle. I am looking to really challenge myself with speed work this time around to try to qualify for Boston. I know it is not going to be easy, but here is to a lot of hard work coming my way!

2010 Review...

2011-01-09T20:50:00.001-06:00

Yes, I realize I probably should have done this last week, but there is nothing wrong with being fashionably late right?

January

Well, looking back, January was really boring for us. I did, however, smoke a coyote on my way to work.

RIP Mr. Coyote

February

We welcomed a new family member, Hazel joined our home. I instantly fell in love!

March

We took a road trip with Rob and Michelle to Arkansas

We celebrated Kya's Adoption Day

We received a ton of snow on the first official day of Spring

April

I ran the St. Louis Marathon and got a new PR of 4:10 (which I later broke again!)

Bless my heart, I look rather rough here...

I had my braces put on and reversed my age by about 15 years

We celebrated my last super (you know, last meal I could eat without braces) with Rob and Michelle

And a little wine

May

We celebrated our first anniversary

And I met the only dessert I have not been able to finish...

I almost ate it all...

June

I ran my favorite half marathon, Hospital Hill, in Kansas City

July

Ken and I went on an amazing trip to Napa Valley and Sonoma County

August

We paid off Ken's student loans

September

We hiked Pike's Peak

Kya and I went camping with Ken

This is a big deal since I only go once a year

October

I ran the Chicago Marathon and broke four hours coming in at 3:56!

November

I turned 30

Michelle and I went to the Bahamas

December

We celebrated Christmas all month long

Happy 2011!

2010 Total....

2011-01-04T17:15:00.000-06:00

The calculating has been done and I officially can say that I ran 1,375.40 miles in 2010. I wish I could say that I enjoyed every second of it, but we all know there are several miles in there where I questioned my sanity and promised to never run again. At the end of the day, I am thrilled and proud to call myself a runner and very lucky to be able to take off and run several miles whenever I please.

Whenever I am down and feel like I suck at running and will never get faster, I like to take Kya with me and really watch how much she just loves running. It is written all over her face. She just wants to run. So if you are struggle and feel like you cannot do it, just do what a dog does - take off running with your tail wagging and tongue hanging out!

Here's to a great 2011 filled with many miles and new PR's!

How We Celebrated Christmas....

2010-12-31T13:21:00.000-06:00

The month of December started off with our annual Christmas party. Way too much fun was had by all. Let's just say that I am getting too old for 2:30 am!

I think the trash can adds so much to the photo

Jill and me

Heather and me dancing at the local hole in the wall bar called the Hideout. This was after 1:00 am...

We went to St. Louis and saw Baron and Amelia

We had our annual Christmas Eve dinner with Rob and Michelle

My girl and me

Ah, the Sutter Home wine bottle. So in 2008 on Christmas Eve, we stopped at a gas station for more alcohol. We ended up buying a four pack of Sutter Home White Zinfindel. It is the best you can get at a gas station in Kansas. Michelle was able to drink one bottle, but I could not drink mine. I opened it and took one drink and was done. So last year, I gave Michelle that same bottle with a coffee mug for Christmas. Well, guess what I got for Christmas this year? Yep, that same bottle with a coffee mug. I hope to be 75 and still be passing the same bottle of Sutter Home back and forth. Surely it will be growing mold by that point!

Michelle and Rob at dinner

Ken and me

My new friend "Santa" and me. Doesn't everyone ask a perfect stranger if you can sit on his lap when he looks like Santa. No, just me okay. He really did look like Santa...

And because what outing is complete without a self portrait of Michelle and me in the back of the car with Ken and Rob telling us to knock it off. Michelle is wearing her new scarf, shaved beaver (I cannot make this stuff up) that Rob bought her for Christmas.

On Christmas Day, Ken was lucky enough to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner made by my domestic self. When did I turn into Suzy Homemaker?

We opened up our presents in our PJ's

We played with our new toys

Let's just say that Kya, Angel, and Theo did very well with Santa this year.

I was disappointed that I did not get the hippopotamus I asked for, a sable under the tree, the deed to a plot in the mine, or a 54 convertible, but there is always next year!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

The month of December was a whirlwind and I am so disappointed that it is over. I love the Christmas season so much and do not want to stop listening to Christmas music. I am trying to reason with myself, but it is just not working!

Selecting a Spring Marathon...

2010-12-20T10:02:00.000-06:00

It is that time, time to figure out which marathon I will be running in the Spring. I have been trying to avoid running the St. Louis Marathon again, but honestly, I think I have no choice.

Ken's work schedule is the busiest in the month of April and May, which is when most of the Spring marathons take place. There are several that I want to run that I probably never will be able to unless I go without him. This coming April, I am going to try to qualify for Boston, so I do not want to run it without him being there.

This really leaves me two choices: the Olathe Marathon which would be local for me and the St. Louis Marathon. Well, as much as I love Olathe, I cannot mentally run an out and back on a trail that I train on. It sounds absolutely brutal. I know it would be flat with rollers and I could have friends come and cheer, but this girl just cannot get excited about running in Olathe.

So, unless something else comes up, I will be signing up for the Go! St. Louis Marathon despite it not being my favorite marathon. The postives: I get to see my friend Laura, it is close by, I have run the course before, I get to see spectactors decked out in Cardinal gear, and the race is adding start corrals this year. Hopefully, all of the things I disliked about last year will be better this year with the changes.

I have been in a bit of a build up phase, trying to run a long run of around 12 miles and doing speed work during the week. I am really excited for training to begin! Here is hoping for an under 3:40:59 marathon in April!

Sucking Up...

2010-12-15T11:39:00.000-06:00

I think it is something we are all guilty of every now and then, whether we want to admit it or not. I personally, was always the teacher's pet in school. Ken would say this makes me a dork, but I say it means I am a rule following booty kisser. Same thing he says. Whatever. The only time I was not the teacher's pet was in first grade. I could not stand my teacher. All I could think was that she snorted cocaine and needed a good lip wax. How did I know about these things in the first grade?

I now continue my sucking up in every day life with Kya's vet. I am not above taking them treats at Christmas and other holidays if it means they pay extra special attention to my baby. Yes, I am paying for Kya to be the teacher's pet. Kya can be a little dramatic. I am not sure where this comes from. Two years ago, Ken took her to get her shots and get her heart worm test. Well, Miss Drama Queen screamed and jumped and caused the lady vet to stab herself in the hand and start bleeding. Lovely.

When Ken told me about the incident, I was mortified. I do not want there to be snickering and pointing when I take my sweet baby to the vet. What do I do? I do what any suck up does, I send Fairy Tail Brownies to the vet. That's right, I am that mom. I would rather her be known as the dog that sends treats than the dog that screams when given a shot.

Which leads me to Christmas. Every year I order at least three 1.5 pound boxes of chocolates from my home town candy store, Richardson's Candy House. They have the best chocolate assortment ever. I always deliver one of the boxes to the vet, being the suck up that I am. Ken refuses to drop it off for me, telling me he will not take part in kissing up to the vet because we pay them for the services. I tell him that the vet is like Kya's school and I will suck up to the teachers. Maybe there are two dogs that need to go tinkle, well who do you think gets priority, Fluffy, who's mother is rude and not friendly or Kya, who's mother provides treats and is always kind. The answer is obvious.

In case you are wondering what I do with the other two or three boxes of chocolates, I always keep one for myself, obviously. I do give them out as random gifts, but last year I some how had an extra box and could not let it go to waste. That's right, I ate three pounds of chocolate last year on Christmas break. Do not judge.

Guess What I Am Doing November 6, 2011?

2010-12-09T10:05:00.000-06:00

Marathon registration status: Accepted

Entry number: 658925

That's right, after not being accepted into the lottery for three years in a row, I finally get my turn!

Dreams Lately...

2010-12-01T10:16:00.000-06:00

Are you a very vivid dreamer? I am. I can still remember a few nightmares I had from my childhood. Two involved my oldest brother and a snake and the other involved a very disturbing episode of Fraggle Rock. Don't judge. I think the Fraggle Rock one was the most horrible dream ever. I still cringle even thinking about it.

The last few nights I have had dreams about an iron man. In the first one, I just kind of showed up and said hey, I can do this. I joked that I had not trained for the swim and that I thought I could do it. Oh, and on this dream, I also realized that I was completely naked under my wet suit and would have to run from the wet suit strippers to the transition area completely nude. Nice.

In the other iron man dream, Ken and I showed up about 10 minutes before the start and I realized I would not be able to drop off any of my bags for the transition areas. I told Ken I thought is was fine, I could do it without changing clothes or shoes. How bizarre.

My dream last night, was that I dropped Kya off to be boarded with no blanket or cookies. Talk about feeling like the worst mother ever. The vet was totally judging me by saying don't you always bring her a blanket and snacks?

Apparently I need to lay off something before going to bed. Maybe I have been eating too many M&M's or malted milk balls. Seriously, these stressful dreams are killing me!

Fun in the Sun...

2010-11-27T22:05:00.000-06:00

On the plane ready to go. Too bad a teenager vomitted on the plane and we were delayed so maintenance could change out the seat cushion...ew.

All of the cruise ships that dock next to our hotel. I had never seen a cruise ship up close like this. They are huge! After arriving, we went to the straw market. To say it was nuts was an understatement. If you looked at anything the people attacked you trying to bargain. I was so tired of hearing "necklace for the pretty ladies" and "pretty ladies I give you a deal". It was utter chaos. We did get two straw hats and a dress.

In our first room getting ready to head to dinner. We ended up changing rooms because we had an adjoining room with someone else and we could hear them sneezing. Seriously, we were not going to deal with that or have them irritated when we came home in the wee hours of the morning busting up laughing.

Our first dinner experience was interesting. We went to Conch Fritters which was right across the road from the hotel. Worst service ever. Oh and in the Bahamas, a 15% gratuity is added to everything, so there was no need to give us good service, the chick was getting a tip no matter what.

Obviously alcohol is involved at this point. Don't worry, we were very safe and stayed at the hotel bar so we could stumble back up to our room. Our new room would not be ready until after 10:00 pm, so we had a lot of time to kill.

Red wine, why yes, I will take another glass please

We did once again learn that Michelle's limit on red wine is three glasses. Something happens between that third and fourth glass and well, she loses her filter. :)

When we first arrived, there were storms on the East Coast causing huge waves and the beach was filled with sea weed and trash. I was amazed at how quickly it was cleaned up.

It was so rough hanging out on the beach drinking banana daiquiris looking at this light house.

Michelle enjoying her day. This is the hat that did not make the trip back home. At least she is in a photo.

I could do this all day, everyday

The shops downtown

Captain and Diet Coke, why yes please.

Michelle already for the night ahead

For dinner the second night, the bartenders told us to try another place across the street called Imperials. It looked as shady as all get out, but we listened. It was so good! Best fish and chips ever! It was so shady that the workers are behind glass and you slide your money under the glass like you would at a scary gas station.

These photos do not do the place justice. While we were there a lot of locals came in to order, so you know it must be good.

Another night of way too much fun. She has no idea that in just moments, the oil tycoon will come walking in.

We met a lot of fun people this night. We started playing a game called guess how old Keri is, (who would start such a game?) and one guy shouted 32. Let's just say that by the time I was done with him he felt awful. Sorry Bob. He ended up being super nice and we enjoyed chatting with him for the rest of the night.

Ah, waiting and waiting for the oil tycoon. So while I was making Bob feel like an idiot, Michelle had a man sit next to her that told her he owns oil rigs. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but we had so much fun with that one. We have no idea of his name, we just call him the oil tycoon. We kept saying black gold, Texas tea, for the rest of the trip. I might have a video of us singing a song that we made up, but I certainly am not going to post it. Just use your imagination. :)

Us with our favorite bartender, Phillip. (You can totally see oil tycoon's hands by the way). Phillip offered for me to move to the Bahamas and live with him. He told me that I would not have to work, do laundry, dishes, cook, grocery shop, or balance the check book. Tempting, but he told me I could bring Kya, but not my cats or my husband. Sorry Phillip, that is a deal breaker.

We walked over to Senior Frogs after this, and thank goodness they were closed. Of course we were disappointed at the time (or at least I was), but glad the next day that we had gotten to bed at a somewhat decent hour.

The beach all cleaned up. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous

A view of the hotel

Sadly, on Monday night, I was having way too much fun and did not get a lot of photos (I did somehow manage to get pictures of the serial killers, but not myself). Monday night was such a fun night. We met two pilots for British Airways at the hotel bar. One of them was lame and he left, (peace out Mark!) but Stephen was hilarious. We did make him show us his ID to verify he was a pilot and we told he we would be Googling him. I am sure we did not seem creepy at all. We spent a huge part of the evening having him say flat, mobile, cheerio, holiday and anything else that we thought was funny with a British accent.

While still at the hotel bar, we met another guy named Steven. Hey, why not keep it simple you know. He joined in with talking to UK Stephen and next thing you know, we are at Senior Frogs. I had been begging the entire time to go to Senior Frogs. I thought there would be loud music and dancing, basically just a lot of fun. Um, no. It was lame, lame, lame, but I am easily entertained as you will see below.

UK Stephen (serial killers in the background)

Alright, so I am not sure who started calling these guys serial killers. Perhaps Steve or maybe me? It is totally something I would say. They were staring at us and I felt compelled to bust out the camera to take their photos, you know just in case. Seriously. I am not sure why I thought this was so funny, but I am pretty sure I had all of us wound up.

Michelle at Senior Frogs

After a super late night, the only thing left to do is people watch on the beach. Apparently there was a Rick Springfield Cruise that docked at the port and our hotel was hosting a private concert. It was like time turned back to the 80's. We saw all kinds of interesting things.

Sadly, we stayed in on our last night and watched The Biggest Loser. We did not even want to think about going down to the hotel bar. I am sure Phillip and the other guys missed us though.

We had such a fun trip. I liked Nassau a lot more than Jamaica. I never felt uncomfortable and I did not think there is as much poverty. I would totally go back.

Thanks for a wonderful time Michelle!

***************Caution*******************

********You have been warned*********

And just in case you are wondering what security was laughing at in my bag...

LDD enjoying a day on the beach reading

Just to clarify, LDD was a bachelorette party gift. He went out on the town the night of my bachelorette party and tends to just show up at game night for a few laughs. He could not turn down a trip to the Bahamas. I almost peed my pants when security started laughing and I told them he is a huge joke. Yeah, they searched my bag at the x-ray machine and again while I was waiting in line to board the plane. Somehow, I managed not to die of embarrassment. It was just too funny. Life is too short not to have any fun.

Oh and my pay back for bringing LDD with me, I was totally seated next to a lady on the flight that was so big that she should have purchased two seats. Yeah, pay back sucks apparently.

Too Much Fun...

2010-11-22T16:58:00.001-06:00

Michelle and I are back from Nassau and we had too much fun! How do you know you had too much fun in the Bahamas?

Your bar tab was enough to buy a Burberry purse
Two sun hats were purchased and only one of them made the flight home
Security busts up laughing at one of the items in your carry on bag
Your bag gets searched not once, but twice
You start taking pictures of random strangers at a bar because they look like serial killers
The bartenders know your name and your drink
You say repeatedly that you are not drinking again until after Christmas
You spend your last night there watching the Biggest Loser in your hotel room because you cannot handle another late night
You spent an entire evening have a man from the UK say mobile and flat
You made up a song regarding one of the men you met at the bar
You only ran a total of four miles

All I can say is the Hilton hotel bar will never be the same! Pictures and full report to follow soon.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-11-11T11:38:00.001-06:00

Well it happened, I turned 30 yesterday. It truly was an amazing day. The celebrating started the night before when my sweet girl friends took me out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

These girls are amazing friends and we have so much fun when we are together.

Of course I had cheesecake! What kind, well what do you think...Pumpkin! It was so good. I enhaled it. That pumpkin cheesecake did not stand a chance!

Wednesday started off with a six mile run with Kya. It was 55 degrees and wonderful. There is no better way to start off my birthday than a run with my girl! When we returned home, Ken and Kya both sang Happy Birthday to me.

When I arrived at work, my office was all decorated with balloons and streamers. Everyone was too sweet to me.

Ken and I originally were going to go out to dinner to celebrate, but I told him I would rather have a night at home with him and the three Hooligans. We ordered pizza, drank too much wine and enjoyed ice cream cake. It was a perfect birthday evening.

How sweet is my husband? I turned to get a knife to cut the cake and when I look back, he placed candles on top and started singing Happy Birthday to me! I may have teared up. It is the simple things like this that I love so much!

And yes, I am wearing my jammies. :) I think in this photo between the braces and jammies, I could easily pass for 25. :)

It was such an amazing birthday hanging out with friends and my little family. The celebrating is not over, Ken will be taking me out to dinner next weekend and this weekend, well I will be sipping pina coladas with Miss Michelle on the beach!

Peace Out 20's....

2010-11-09T23:45:00.002-06:00

I know I have said this countless times, but I cannot believe I am turning 30. It is just not possible. I have loved my 20's more than I dreamed of. I know people say being 30 is not that bad or 30 is the new 20. Well guess what, it is only the people in their 30's saying this!

I have been told that people love their 30's more than their 20's. All I have to say to that is my 30's better look out, my 20's were pretty freaking awesome!

In my 20's I....

Bought and sold my first house, all by myself by the way
Acquired all three of my beautiful pets
Met and married my wonderful husband
Made the most amazing friends a girl could ask for
Became a runner
Ran six marathons
Learned that no matter what you do, it is possible for someone to dislike you for absolutely no reason at all
Moved to a new city away from my comfort zone
Traveled to more places than I had ever hoped to
Spent more money on shoes and purses than most people do in a lifetime
Became an SUV driver
Learned that my favorite thing to do is make my husband laugh
Tried and liked strawberries, kiwi, and apples
Became a wine drinker
Discovered Starbucks
Learned that there is no substitute for good girl friends that make you laugh until you cry

Watch out 30's you have big shoes to fill!

A Decade of Keri...

2010-11-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

With my 30th birthday looming (how is that even possible, I am still 24 right?), I thought it would be fun to show you a decade of me in pictures. The funny thing is, I am not even sure that Ken knows I had the awful hairstyles that I had in my early twenties.

AGE 20

My Mama and me. And yes, I am wearing overalls. I cannot believe I am posting this picture on the internet. This is the hairstyle that everyone was jealous of. My hairstylist used a razor blade to get my hair to flip out. I used a lot of hairspray!

AGE 21

I obviously liked to experiment with color. Jeeze Louise. This was also during the "I want to look older phase." Wow.

AGE 21 right before turning 22

Thank goodness I lost the red color and went back to blonde. This is me with my boy Theodore. He was only a few months old. This is also the first time that I had longer hair.

AGE 22

With Theodore and Angel. Wow, I look really young.

AGE 22

With my friend Niki before her wedding. Now this is starting to look like I am today. Aw, to be 22 again.

AGE 23

With Theodore again. He is so handsome. This was take just a few months before I started dating Ken. Wow, we have been together for a long time!

AGE 23

One of my first photos with Ken

AGE 24

In Las Vegas for New Years' Eve

AGE 24
Okay, so my friend Jill is probably going to kill me for posting this picture, but it is one of my favorites EVER. This was at Jill's bachelorette party in 2005. I will let you come up with your own idea as to why Jill has a pair of underwear on her head.

AGE 25

Celebrating my birthday in Vegas with Ken. How sweet was he to have a cake sent up to our room!

AGE 25

Ken and me posing with what is now the basement to our house.

AGE 26

Ken and me in Puerto Vallarta for my 26th birthday. Also pictured is our new friend Keith. I am not liking how dark my hair is here.

AGE 26
In Puerto Vallarta in 2007. This was our trip to celebrate Ken moving to Nashville. Fortunately and unfortunately, he came back six months later since our house would not sell during the whole housing crisis thing. This photo is where things all started to go downhill for me that night. I was just too popular in Pi Pi's with the staff and they kept brining me margaritas. My friend Heather will notice these are the Keri Eyes.

AGE 27

In Florida for Ken's brother's wedding.

AGE 27

Posing with our pumpkins. Truth be told, this is the only year that Ken has officially won our Pumpkin Carving Contest. He will tell you otherwise. Mine is the pumpkin on the right, and my pattern ws very hard. You cannot win them all right?

AGE 28
With the best girlfriends in the world at my bachelorette party.

AGE 28

Just a few hours after becoming a Mrs.

AGE 29

At Christopher Creek Winery with my handsome husband. Oh look, there are those braces! I think I just got a few years younger!

AGE 29

Hiking up Pikes Peak with Ken

AGE 29

My girl and me celebrating Halloween. Could she be any prettier, geeze.

Wow, I have had a lot of different haircuts, styles, and colors in this last decade! Thank goodness for the old faith blonde bob! I have had more fun in the last decade than I ever could have imagined. I am one lucky girl.

This is Great!

2010-11-02T09:29:00.001-05:00

I heard this on the Today Show this morning. How wonderful is this!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39955745/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/

Let it Begin....

2010-11-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

Christmas music is officially ON! Star 102.1 has started playing it today. I secretly played it in my car all last week, but shh...do not tell Ken! Christmas music will be played in my car and office both until the end of the season! This not only makes me HAPPY, it keeps people out of my office and people do not want to ride in my car until after Thanksgiving!

Excuse me, may I have that recipe?

2010-10-26T10:30:00.004-05:00

Okay, so it is no secret that I have struggled with being a cook. So it is a huge shock when friends are asking ME for recipes and actually using them and naming them things such as "Keri's BBQ Chicken."

Don't freak out, but I actually kind of made up a recipe the other day. GASP...I will let you pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, I took a beef enchilada receipe from Southern Living and turned it into chicken with my modifications.

Allow me to explain how this all began:

Ken and I have been together for six years. For the first five years or so, I considered "making dinner" either cooking a frozen pizza or if I was feeling fancy, making Hamburger Helper. You heard that right, I said Hamburger Helper. I must remind you that he did fall in love with me despite my lack of cooking. My mom used to tell me it is a good thing I am cute...

I did not buy chicken or any other kind of meat for the longest time, heck, I did not even walk to the meat aisle of the grocery store. I finally learned how to buy hamburger and chicken. That is when Ken started enjoying gourmet Hamburger Helper meals. :)

It was a big moment this past year when I learned you can buy meat and freeze it. Big, big day at our house.

With learning that you can freeze meat, I started buying a few cookbooks. I started with a few from Gooseberry Patch. I think Ken thought I was nuts when I was excited about cookbooks arriving in the mail, but he quickly learned this meant good things for him.

Not only did I start using cookbooks, but I also started getting recipes off the internet. Look out housewives, here comes Keri.

This all led me to planning meals. You know, since I can freeze meat, I can plan out a week of meals that do not include frozen pizzas? You have to be kidding...

Fast forward to now, and the girl that used to bring store bought cookies to Game Night is now bringing homemade deliciousness. That's right, girlfriend can whip things together. And guess what, people ooh and awe and ask for the recipes. Oh my goodness, who would have thought?

I think the moment that I officially arrived was over the weekend when my friend Heather, aka The Domestic Diva, said that she is started to feel threatened with my baking and cooking. Wow, sounds like there is a new Sheriff in town.

Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting

Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pumpkin puree or cooked mashed pumpkin
• cream cheese frosting, below
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Directions for pumpkin cake

Combine sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl; stir into oil mixture, beating well. Stir in pumpkin puree.

Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round layer cake pans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes. Turn out onto racks to cool. Frost pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; beat well until smooth. Makes enough for 2-layer pumpkin cake.

My modifications: I used a 15 oz can of pumpkin instead of two full cups. I also added Pumpkin Pie Spice, All Spice, and Nutmeg to the mix. Add a 1/4 tsp of each and modify according to taste. I also adding extra cinnamon. Make sure and taste the batter before you bake and add more spices according to your preference. I also made extra icing, because what is a cake without a lot of icing?

(original recipe from About.com)

A Keri Kind of Post...

2010-10-18T14:12:00.000-05:00

First off, a reminder to all drivers commuting North bound on I-35 in Johnson County between 8:00 am and 8:30 am: Your turn signal is simply a request to change lanes and only a request. Just because you turn it on does not mean just come on over into my lane. You know what happens when you assume.
Dear Creepy Man in the Rapist Van who stared at me while I was putting my lip gloss on at a stoplight: I have your license plate number, so scoot.
Apparently it is too early to begin planning vacations for 2011. I am not sure it was the third eye roll that lead me to believe this or the fact that Ken about flipped out when I mentioned California 2011.
I will bring this up again next month to gage the response by Ken.
You know what else Ken thinks it is too early to hear about, my next marathon. Apparently he did not get the memo that I must have it planned within the next few weeks or there is nothing to obsess about!
I ran a total of 11 miles last week. I was surprised that I was not that sore after the marathon. I waited until Thursday to run. Ken said I was crazy for wanting to run so early, but I had so much Halloween candy last week, that I had to take matters into my own hands.
I had a pumpkin pie concrete from Sheridan's yesterday. They boast an entire piece of pumpkin pie in each concrete. Mine must have had a piece of pie meant for a two year old. They must not have known that the Pumpkin Queen was ordering, surely they would have given me more pumpkin pie in there...
On Friday I had the pleasure of speaking to Marcus at Wells Fargo. Apparently they will not cash a check that has one amount hand written and a different amount in the numerical box. Marcus reminded me that the hand written amount is what they go by. Thanks Marcus, I have only been writing checks for about 10 years.
What is the limit on bottles of coffee creamer you can have in your fridge before you have an issue? Three? Well I have six. All different flavors of course and three of them are holiday flavors. I may or may not have done a cart wheel in Price Chopper yesterday after I saw the holiday flavors.
I spent my Saturday with Heather, Michelle, and Melissa shopping in Atchison, KS. Fun was had by all.

Me, Heather, Michelle, and Melissa (thanks for the picture Melissa!)

Chicago Marathon 10-10-10...

2010-10-13T13:06:00.002-05:00

I ended up getting a good night sleep on Saturday night. I set the alarm for 5:45 am, but was wide awake at 5:00 am so I decided to go ahead and get up. I turned on the TV and watched a little Full House while drinking my coffee (what can I say, I am a child of the 90's). I enjoyed my coffee and breakfast, nothing like making yourself eat a Cliff bar at 5:00 am. Yum. I got dressed and patiently waited for Ken to wake up.

Ken thought it was important to show the difference between our weekends. Him - staying up late watching baseball while enjoying a few beers. Me - waking up at 5:00 am to run 26.2 miles.

Ken and I said our goodbyes and I made my way to Grant Park. I only had about a half mile walk to the park from our apartment. The start area was very organized. I walked in and found my way to the open start coral. (Next year, I will be in a seeded coral!) I retied my left shoe about 30 times. Seriously. Ken would tell me to stop obsessing about it. It kept feeling too tight then too loose. I knew we just needed to get started or I would never stop with my shoes!

I was expecting there to be a lot of spectators, but I really had no idea how huge this marathon is. It was great. People lined the streets four and five people deep. People were cheering, bands were playing, cow bells were ringing, it was really something.

I was concerned with the race being super crowded, but I never felt that way. I did later tell Ken that I missed seeing a lot of landmarks such as Wrigley Field, because I had to watch the people in front of me to make sure I did not run into anyone. So in that aspect, yes it was crowded, but not too crowded where you lose your pace.

My strategy was to run the first half faster so that I could slow down at the end. I have always found that no matter what, I slow down at the end. Plus, the forecast was for 80 degree temps that day, so I wanted to be prepared if I got any leg cramps later in the race.

I had planned to see Ken just after the start, but there were too many people that I did not see him. He planned on seeing me around mile 3 as well, but realized that he had just missed me when he saw the 4:15 pace group run by. I could not believe all of the people that were lined up cheering. It was unreal.

I lost my Garmin signal when we ran inside the loop, so I ended up taking it off of auto lap and just hitting lap at each mile. I started sweating during the first mile and knew it was going to be HOT. At the first aid station, I took a salt capsule. Thanks to Aron for the tips!

5K - 28:01 Average pace: 9:01

I had originally planned on skipping two aid stations, one around mile five and one around mile 11, but decided against it when I realized it was going to be so warm. I took my first Gu around mile six and then took another salt capsule around mile 8 or 9.

10K - 55:27 Average pace: 8:50

15K - 1:22:34 Average pace: 8:44

I thought that the text updates were going out as soon as I crossed the mat, but I was so wrong. They were delayed in some cases by over and hour. I thought that when Ken saw me around mile 12, that he knew I was on pace for a great finish, but he had no idea!

20K - 1:49:47 Average pace: 8:46

I saw Ken and I was so worried that he would not see me! I yelled and waved and smiled as big as I could. I was so thrilled to see him when I did. It was such a boost!

This picture cracks me up. You can barely see my little hand behind that guys head.

At the half way mark, I was still feeling pretty good. There was a lot of shade on the course, (at least while I was running) and that made it a little easier to deal with the heat. I had my second Gu around mile 12-13. One of my favorite parts of the marathon was around this point. The Merrill Lynch cheer zone was right around here and it was so loud! People were screaming and ringing cow bells like crazy!

Halfway - 1:55:53 Average pace: 8:57

Around mile 14, I could tell my pace was starting to slow just a little. I decided to take two Advil along with a salt capsule. I kind of felt my left knee get a little stiff. That quickly faded and I was back to feeling fine.

25K - 2:17:33 Average pace: 8:57

I took another Gu around mile 16. At this point I was drinking water and gatorade at every aid station and was dumping a cup of water into my bra. Wet sponges were handed out twice on the course as well and there were several misting stations available. Local residents also set up garden hoses. I tried to run thru water every change I had. I was still feeling fine, not sick or overheated.

30K - 2:45:17 Average pace: 8:56

Running thru Chinatown was one of my favorite things. It was such a fun time in the race, hearing the music, being tired, but also knowing it was close to being over. It was at mile 19 that I realized as long as I could maintain 10 minute miles, that I would come in right under four hours. Knowing that anything could happen, I told myself to keep running at the pace I was, and see what happens. I was so afraid that I would get a leg cramp and would be forced to walk and ruin my great race.

Accel Gel was handed up around mile 18-19. I grabbed one, just in case, but did not want to take it unless I had to, since I had never tried this brand before. I did take my final Gu around mile 20.

35K - 3:13:57 Average pace: 9:14

At this point, all I could think about was getting back on to Michigan Ave. I knew once we made the turn that it would not be long until the end. I kept chugging along and tried to think positive and not think about the people walking around me. I was still feeling pretty good. I kept waiting for the moment where I would cramp up and need to walk. I finally walked thru an aid station around mile 22-23. Up until this point, I had been running thru them and drinking on the go. Which I thought was fun!

40K - 3:43:42 Average pace: 9:35

I really started to see people go down at this point in the race. It was brutal. There was still a little shade on the right side of the street, so I tried to stay over there to run out of the sun. I walked for about 10-20 seconds thru the last two aid stations. I saw a girl that was over in a medical tent that was completely submerged in a kiddie pool with ice. Talk about SCARY. I chugged along and got super excited when an intercom annouced you are almost there, you are going to finish the Chicago Marathon! I knew I was going to come in under four hours. I saw the 800 meters to go sign and smiled great big. Just don't fall is all I kept thinking.

We made the turn onto Roosevelt and I started looking for Ken. I never found him, but he did see me. I still do not think he realized that I was going to finish in under four hours.

Ken's finish line view. He saw several people running and then they would fall. It saw a lot of people being carted off with medial when they are literally 200 meters from the finish line. So sad.

Here I come, so excited! (blonde in the pink shorts, you know just in case you thought for two seconds that I am a man :))

I love this picture of me from behind

I literally had no sprint in me. I tried to sprint, but lets be real, it was the same pace I had been running. Sprinting at the end, well, we like to think we can, but most of us just can't or we will fall and look like idiots.

Finish - 3:56:20 Average pace: 9:16

I stopped my watch and clapped my hands and said Yay, yay! I walked and got my mylar blanket and medal and called Ken. He was having trouble hearing me, but I told him I did it. I do not think he heard me, and he told me he would call me when he could hear me.

The finish area looked like a war zone. People were laying down everywhere with ice packs all over them. I really felt lucky to have made it thru the race as well as I did. They were passing out free beer so I grabbed one to give to Ken, but I was not allowed to take it out of the finish area. Sorry Ken.

I called Ken and he was just around the fountain from where I was. He found me and was thrilled at my finish time! Hearing him tell me how proud he is of me makes it all worth it.

We started the walk back to the apartment and chatted about the race. I still could not believe how great I felt. The first thing we did when we got back to our building was stop for gelato. I asked what flavor one was and the lady told me it was.....PUMPKIN!!!! It was meant to be. It was like she was an angel singing PUMPKIN GELATO!

I of course got out of my soaking wet clothes, showered, and napped for a bit.

Looking rough, but still thrilled

I received so many sweet messages from my friends about my finish time. My mom told me that had she been there she would have down a cartwheel in excitement. It felt so great to be so proud of a finish time. Don't get me wrong, a marathon finish is enough to be proud of in itself, but when you finally reach a goal that you trained so hard for, it makes it so much better.

When I returned to work on Tuesday, I came into my office filled with balloons and 3:56 all over my door. What a great way to start my day! I am still thrilled to death about my finish time.

After hanging out all afternoon, we made our way to Chinatown for dinner and a little shopping.

I absolutely, LOVED this marathon. It was so great. It was the flattest course I have ever seen, it was organized, it was spectator friendly (which is huge for Ken), and the fans were just amazing. I am 90% certain that I am running this marathon again next year. But first, I have something else planned for Spring of 2011. That's right, I plan on training to try to qualify for Boston.

Thank you Ken for chasing me around the city and waiting for me at the finish line!

Chicago Marathon...Prerace

2010-10-13T10:06:00.000-05:00

I was on the fence about signing up for this race from the start. I had registered in 2008 and was unable to run it since I broke my foot walking out the front door with Kya. Nice. When I realized that the date would be 10-10-10, I knew I had to sign up. The number 10 is Ken's favorite number. I cannot think of a better way to spend the day than by running a marathon.

We arrived on Friday after flying into Midway. We took the train and made our way downtown to our apartment. Side note: I am fortunate enough to work in the corporate housing industry and receive housing of my own in certain cities. We chose to stay in an apartment instead of a hotel. Let me tell you, staying in an apartment is so much better. I can go to bed early and Ken can stay up in the living room and watch TV.

Here is the view outside our apartment. We overlooked the Chicago River and watched sailboats come in. It was such a gorgeous view.

On Friday night, we made our way down to Navy Pier. Ken told me it would be similar to the Fisherman's Wharf area in San Francisco. I prefer the freaks and sea lions in San Fran, but it was fun to check it out. The Chicago skyline is gorgeous!

On Saturday, we ventured off to the expo. We ended up walking from our apartment, which was about a mile and a half walk. Ken will tell you it was about 10 miles, but trust me, it was not more than two.

I am not a huge fan of expos. I think they are crowded and I would much rather order the items offered there online and have them conveniently shipped to my door. This expo was huge and well organized. I did end up buying a shirt from Niketown. That experience in itself was enough to remind me why I shop online. You could not even walk in the Niketown booth area without bumping into someone. INSANE.

This here is my favorite picture from the weekend. As we were leaving the expo, we noticed this gentleman wearing a skin tight Asics, not sure what you call it, leotard? Anyway, we just had to have a picture. Perhaps this is what I should sport during my next marathon. No?

At lunch, I was asked if I too were running the marathon with my husband. I informed the lady that my husband was just being kind and carrying my bag and that he was in no way, shape, or form running the marathon. Later that evening Ken was carrying a 12 pack of beer in the elevator and a man asked him if he were running the marathon in the morning. Did you hear that, he was carrying a 12 pack of beer and was still thought to be a marathon runner. Ah, to have those long legs...sigh.

Ken...sherpa or poser??? You decide.

Chicago!

2010-10-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

3:56:20!!!!

More to come this evening or tomorrow.

Here we go!

2010-10-07T19:26:00.000-05:00

The training runs have been completed, water has been consumed, and carbs have been eaten. So excited! Just when I thought Ken was tired of hearing about the marathon, I get a delivery at work:

My Dashing Daisies, how fitting for the mad dash I am making on Sunday

Ken is so stinky sweet! I was so surprised to receive these good luck flowers. I am lucky girl to have him as my husband.

Well, there is no secret, my goal is to finish in under 4:00. I have worked hard toward this goal and really hope it all comes together on Sunday. Look out Chicago, I am on my way!

It's Race Week!

2010-10-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

Yay for race week! I think Ken is ready for this week to pass so that I stop talking about Chicago. Sorry Ken, when you married me, you married my obsessive personality. Best of luck to you.

I have checked the weather about 10 times. It keeps getting warmer, but a high of 73 should not be too bad. At least there is no question on what outfit to wear. The sad thing is, I told Ken back in June what I was wearing for the marathon and he thought I was crazy. I think he may have told me to get a life.

A girl in my office came in Friday very sick. I told her if she got me sick a week before my marathon that I would kill her. I am not sure if it were my tone or the evil look in my eye, but my boss said that he believed me and sent the girl home to take a sick day...

I ran my last long run yesterday. It was a total of eight miles. I ran 4.5 by myself and Kya ran the remaining 3.5 with me. She had a blast. I was trying to keep the pace slow, but I ended up running the entire thing with nine minute miles, which is my hopeful marathon pace. My legs feel really fresh today, so I hope I did not run it too quickly. I am planning on taking it easy for the rest of the week.

In other news, I had a dream about the marathon itself. In my dream, I was carrying around a bag of Plain, Fall colored, M&M's. Not an individual bag, an entire one pound bag. I did not have the bag stuffed in my ifitness belt, I was carrying the sucker in my hand and eating them casually like it was totally normal. I remember thinking that I should be taking a Gu, but instead stuffed my mouth with another handful of M&M's. Not sure what this means. Perhaps, I should lay off the M&M's for the rest of the week or maybe I should stuff some in my shorts on race day?

Random...

2010-09-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

I have had an insane number of people ask me how far my upcoming marathon is. This just really cracks me up. I need to think up a sarcastic response to this.
On my last 18 miler, I was honked and whistled at by two eighteen wheelers and yelled at two times from a window of a house. I told Ken that I ended my run partly because I felt I would be pushing my luck if I kept going. I felt the odds of me getting kidnapped were rather high that day and I should quit while I was ahead and not in the trunk of a car.
I had a complete freak out moment regarding my passport. I shipped my old one off to get a new one with my married name. I checked the mail on Tuesday and found my old passport in the mail with my marriage license. I was on the phone with Michelle and not paying attention to the infomation in the envelope and freaked out and told her that my passport was denied and that they must have not thought that my marriage license was for real and now I cannot go to the Bahamas. Yeah, it was totally dramatic. She quickly calmed me down and told me you get your old one back first. Guess what, the next day, my new passport arrived. Thank goodness I am not on a watch list. :)
And yes, I have been married for almost 18 months and just now changed my last name completely. My new drivers license arrived on Monday.
Speaking of my drivers license, Target refused to sell me Dayquil last week because I only had a paper version of my drivers license. It was not the pharmacy that refused, it was the cashier. Funny how that paper version is okay for the police and okay to get me on a plane, but not okay to purchase Dayquil that is sold over the counter. It was not even behind the pharmacy counter, it was in the standard aisle.
Fall colored M&M's taste better than the normal ones.
I hope that Yankee Candle brings back their Carrot Cake scent. It smells so good and I have almost burned thru the one I have.
I am so ready to leave for Chicago and run the marathon.

Fall TV...

2010-09-22T11:17:00.001-05:00

Oh how I am so happy that GOOD TV is back on! I have longed for this day. Here are my favorites, in no particular order:

The Biggest Loser. I just love this show! I wish more people would get up off their tails and stop making excuses for why they cannot lose weight. I heard on the show last night that two out of three Americans are over weight. Unacceptable. Yes, I may have been eating a little Ben and Jerry's Carrot Cake ice cream (delicious!) while watching the show and my husband may have been laughing at me, BUT I had just finished my run of seven miles. :)

The Amazing Race. This is the 7th year I have been watching this show. I started watching it when Ken and I started dating. I am so glad he got me hooked on watching it. Ken and I like to go over the road blocks and detours and imagine if it were us, who would do what challenge. You would be amazed at the one's Ken would assign to me because I am so tiny. Short people rock!

Criminal Minds. It is odd that I love this show so much, but it is so good. And not to mention, Shemar Moore is simply gorgeous. I do have a strict rule that I do not watch this while Ken is out of town. I already have enough issues having friend's husbands come over and search for the serial killer who has locked himself in a guest bedroom.

Desperate Housewives. I cannot believe I am still watching this one, but I just cannot stop. It is such trash and maybe that is why I watch it?

Survivor. I hope this show never goes off the air. It just does not get old. I tell Ken every season that I should totally go on Survivor. He laughes and asks how I would handle being outside so long, eating weird things, and not being able to put on make up or shower. I respond with I would totally kick so much butt! The social part of the game is like my office!

Do you have any favorites?

These two are ready for Fall TV! Ken emailed me this picture yesterday while he was working at home. I think it is safe to say that all three animals in our house have an awful life, ha!

A Whirlwind of a Weekend...

2010-09-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

Wow, the weekend just flew past! Ken worked all weekend, (I did venture out on Sunday to help him for a few hours). This past weekend was my last long run before Chicago. After much thought and debating with myself on how far I should go, I called my friend Susan and we talked through it. Since I had such an amazing 18 miler the weekend before (average pace was 9:02 without much effort), she told me she did not think running another 18 or 20 miler would be much of a benefit. I agreed. I am so ready for this thing!

I ran 16 miles on Saturday and tried to focus on not going to fast. It was tough. I kept looking down and I was going faster than I wanted. I just hope I have this same feeling on 10/10!

I leave you with this photo of me with Johnny Dare at Bikers for Babies on Sunday. Johnny Dare is a huge radio personality in Kansas City. His radio station is not my taste in music, but I could not resist having my photo taken with him. When Ken and I were walking him to his motorcycle, all kinds of people were stopping him for pictures, hugs, handshakes, you name it. I could not believe it.

In case you are wondering, his arms are as buff as they look.

Happy Hump Day!

Fall Goodness...

2010-09-14T16:47:00.001-05:00

Here is a recipe that I have to share! I made these delicious cookies a few weeks ago to celebrate September 1st. They are super easy and you will get such praise if you whip up these bad boys!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I used allspice instead)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(I also added a little cinnamon to the icing)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Enjoy!

***recipe from allrecipes.com.

Bursting with Excitement....

2010-09-13T13:06:00.001-05:00

I am not sure what has happened, but today I am so excited about the Chicago Marathon! Maybe it is my sore legs from my long run yesterday and the fact that I am wearing my compression socks today. Maybe it is because it was so nice out yesterday when I ran, that I did not have to start until 7:30 am. What a difference cool weather can make!

I realized yesterday that the marathon is four weeks away. I cannot wait for another getaway with my husband. We have already had great trips this year and Chicago is just going to be the cherry on top.

Maybe I am excited because I love Fall so much and anytime we travel in the Fall it warms my heart. Ken and I started dating in the Fall and I think that is one of the many reasons I love it so much. That, and pumpkin anything and everything. Speaking of pumpkin, I just finished off a Pumpkin Spice Latte. What a little piece of heaven I tell you.

I ran 18 miles yesterday. I wanted to run 20, but Michelle was picking me up for lunch, so I had to cut it two miles short. I know that I can run 20 miles, heck, I know I can run 26.2 miles, the question is, can I run it in under four hours. Well, we will find out soon enough!

In other exciting news Michelle and I have booked a trip to The Bahamas in November. We are so excited to lay on the beach and drink pina coladas.

Yesterday Heather, Melissa, Michelle, and I went to lunch and a movie. It was the perfect was to spend a Sunday afternoon. Thanks for the picture Melissa!