Interesting

More random things about me. I am a huge LOVER of quotes...the ones that are just shy of saying, "Dear Katie..." they literally have my name written all over it. I even keep a document on my computer of quotes I run across and know I will need to read again some other day. For example: a previous post.

I subscribe to quite a few blogs and a few of them are the sappy kind. Yes, I'm a total romantic at heart. So this gal wrote a post on relationships followed with a ton of quotes...oh, it made my heart go pitter patter. There's only one I will force the 3 of you to read.

“However good or bad you feel about your relationship, the person you are with at this moment is the "right" person, because he or she is the mirror of who you are inside.” - Deepak Chopra

Man, this one hit me square between the eyes. I like it. It makes me stop and rethink a few of my previous relationships and remind myself who I was during those times. I'm happy to say I'm not the same woman I was back then. I'll always be a work in progress but it's always good to have some checkpoints and see I'm moving in the right direction.

Rhythm

My training so far this season has been lacking rhythm. Having off runs is one thing, but several months of bad running is annoying. I guess all of these years I've been lucky. Granted my running/training has always been sporadic. I'm finding the older I get the less sporadic I should be. I'm much more sane with running than without it. Remember sanity is relative and I prolly wouldn't be the poster child for it...just statin' the facts people;-)

Back to the point of my post. Saturday, 'Stella, got her groove back.' Words can't explain Saturday's run. I've felt like a lost soul for awhile now, but Saturday, my soul was found, YEEHAW!!! BTW running is my religion. Seriously, much cooler temps, a sunrise, an all-out 3rd mile on the track, barton hills to climb at the end & great friends to run with what more can a gal ask for...21.7 miles, check!!!

Hmmm

Hmmm, not real sure what to say at the moment. There are so many things running through my mind all at once I don't even know where to begin. I feel like my emotions are on a roller coaster ride that I can't seem to get off of. I'm fighting the urge to pack a back pack and leave the country for a while. Ok, so that's a tad dramatic but it sure would be fun;-)

Let's see my running, the thing I've always considered my outlet for excess emotions has not been my friend. I started training about 2 months ago for my marathon in December and every run feels like the first one after a 6 month hiatus. I've been extremely frustrated to say the least. I know it takes time to get in the groove, but it's like my groove went on permanent vacation. I'm here to tell you if there were ever a time for running to be my friend it would be now. My hydration has been a constant problem. I take nuun, I drink tons of water but nothing ever seems to be enough. Every run has involved tummy stitches. I've even started carrying a water bottle. Ugh! I think there are a number of challenges that will totally pan out I just wish to whine for a moment.

After licking my wounds from my crappy am run I read an e-mail with a question 'what is this supposed to teach me?' It came at the right time, right when I'm ready to question everything and flip the boat for change it forces me to hold on and ride the wave just a little longer. Granted I forgot about the e-mail by this afternoon and clearly, someone is speaking to me...Julia, posted something else to speak to me 'Moral #1 Stick with whatever goal you have chosen for yourself. It will work out.' The e-mail and Julia are right. Ok, I'm done talking to myself;-)

My Tangible True Love

Ok, so we all know my original 'true love'. Well, I also have a tangible true love, it's high heel shoes. Now, I'd like to state for the record since going back to school I have been a very good girl with my shoe purchases or lack there of. I have managed to buy very few cute shoes, only the practical kind read boring type shoes. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back and wipe the tear from my eye. I'm officially sick of being practical, however, I've got another 15 months of the student thing. So needing a reason to buy cute high heel shoes has presented itself. I have a few weddings and events coming up and my generous Mother bought me a cute black dress for these events and for sure I 'need' some cute not so comfortable shoes to go with the dress.

Well, I found some by accident while shopping in Dallas a few weekends ago. I managed not to buy them. My Mom and Sis don't need to witness me spending money...they give me hell. Come on, don't they know every girl needs a little pick up and what better pick me up than some new cute high heel shoes. Ok, so I refrained from buying these oh, so cute shoes. I procrastinated until today and I have a wedding this weekend. I know patience little grasshopper.

Today when sprinting through Nordstrom to get to the Apple store for my appointment at the genius bar there they were. It was like time stopped, the heavens opened and the angels were singing 'Glory Hallelujah' while shining the light on what had to be the most perfect pair of high heel shoes I've seen. I came to a screeching halt. Could it be my dream come true? I turn these beautiful gems over to see the size of the shoes, forget price these babies have taken my breath away. Yes, size 6 on display, that's me. Try them on, perfect fit. A nice sales lady walks up and escorts me to the register. I think a total of 5 minutes went by between the time I saw them and the time they became mine. So, without further ado I introduce to you the perfect high heel shoe;-)

Planning

For the most part I'm quite the planner. I map anything and everything out including potential catastrophes. I am always ready for anything that may occur. However, this August I've clearly fallen apart. I start a new semester tomorrow. I have done nothing to prepare for it. In fact I'm willing to bet I don't even carry a notebook with me tomorrow. What has happened to me?

My goals before a semester are to be well rested, organized home and slightly bored with myself. This helps me want to start a new semester. None of this has happened this month. If anything I feel as exhausted as I feel at the end of a semester. Wish me luck!!!

I still need to sign up for an online course that I'm pretty sure started today. Clearly, I'm on top of things;-) Where are my classes tomorrow morning? I have no idea and more than likely will just figure it out tomorrow once I'm on campus. I will say the one thing I've managed to take care of is get the old parking sticker off of my car, which is like ripping your thumb off your hand it's so messy. The new sticker is ready to roll. At the moment I call this success. Seriously, 15 months to go!!!

The one thing I have planned is my entire labor day weekend which involves lots of beer, running and tons of fun...maybe I'm acting more like a freshman. Woo Hoo!

Exhausted...

Exhausted is not the way I wish to start my next semester, but it looks like that's what it's going to be. I realized today as I was talking to my mom a lot of my exhaustion stems from watching the Olympics until 11 or 12 o'clock at night. I'm usually sound asleep by 10 pm. So staying up late to get up at 4:30 am to run 12 or so miles then go stand on hard concrete floors for the rest of the day at work explains my exhaustion.

I must say I'm a tad frustrated at the moment with my training. I keep thinking this humidity thing won't bug me so bad but the truth is it's kickin' my ass!!! Today was no different. I feel like I'm slogging elephant legs through my 12ish mile runs. It seems like my pace is more of a shuffle than a run like a walker could pass me I'm moving that slow. You know what I'm talking about. You've seen it happen. The good news is I'm so pace challenged (I guess this is good for now) once I plug in the numbers I'm actually holding an 8:50 pace. Whew!!! I was getting concerned about my race goals but am settling back down again. All I know if it weren't for Julia this morning I would have stopped running and crawled back to Barton Springs.

12.5 miles (Ruth's definition of a 12 miles run) check!

Nap Time

Who new nap time would be so necessary in adulthood? As a child it was the most dreaded moment of any and every given day. What I wouldn't give to have mandatory nap time every day now. Now here's the sad news my nap occurred today at 830am. You read that right. Most people are headed to work at that time but not me. I had been up since 4:30am and slogged my way through 12 humid miles and was whacked. 2 hours later I was a new person. Ahhh...

I foresee a nap tomorrow as well. These Olympics are keeping me up way past my bedtime. 2 more weeks to enjoy these naps then it's back to school...

My True Love

I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into back in 2000 when I pulled out a map of the US to figure out my next place of residency. There really is no method to my living madness other than I get bored and need a new adventure, which tends to involve me moving to another state. I figure why not, if I don't like it I can leave. It's safe to say I fell head over hills in love with San Francisco. I can't explain it but there's something about this city that makes me feel alive like no other place can or does. Don't get me wrong I like Austin just fine but my heart belongs to SF.

Seriously, words can't describe my love of it. I would walk my neighborhood almost every night out to the lion steps just to take in the fresh air and beauty of it all. Like some people hug trees (Kerry) I walk the hills to see the views of the water. I am well aware it costs a mini-fortune to live there and it's worth every pretty penny to do it at least once.

I guess I should come clean with the fact it was 75 degrees and sunny the entire time I was there earlier this month, and normally July is the coldest month out there, but whatever. I got a little trigger happy with the camera to take it all home with me.

3-Hours

and one sore ass later my latest UT Cycling study has begun. Honestly, my decision making abilities need to be revoked. I've said this before (in another post I can't recall) and I'll say it again. I may need someone else to tell me if I'm making the right decision or not. I say this in jest...

A few weeks ago i got an e-mail from Lynne over at UT wanting to know if I had time to do another cycling study. If so, was i still cycling. Well, if you count my ride at the Katy Flatlands last July as still riding then yes. Ok, so I didn't tell her that part. I vaguely payed attention to the length of the study and all it would require. As a student all I saw was the dollar amount and followed by a 'yes, I'd love to participate.'

So yesterday was the 'practice' ride. Seriously, why didn't I read that e-mail. I'm thinking no biggie I've fasted for these things before I've survived, how bad could it be. Way worse than my crazy head could imagine! After fasting for 12 hours and waking up hungry I had the privilege of riding a bike for 3 hours. Yeah, you read that right 3 hours on an empty stomach. Have I mentioned my bony butt...I think now is a good time to do just that. I have a very bony ass. When I drove from San Francisco to Austin every night I landed in a hotel I had to lay on my stomach and massage my ass back to life. In fact, I need to make a butt pumper. Something that can fluff a person's bony ass back to life.

Ok, for starters Lisa left my watch on...I love it when I sneak my gigantic watch by the timing Nazis. About 1.25 hours into my ride Lisa sees it and confiscates it...damn it!!! I really need to know how much longer I have on this bike. Now we'll get back to my bony ass. It's a total toss up in what's more miserable my growling stomach or my numb seat bones. I kid you not my butt was numb around the half-way point. The good news is you're able to stop and take a potty break. This proves to be a good thing. Gives me a chance to pump some life back into my bony ass. Again I need to make a butt pumper. I took 2 potty breaks. 1. because I actually needed to go and 2. because sitting on a bike for 3 straight hours is wrong!

By the end of the 3 hours my arms couldn't even hold the handle bars anymore I was so hungry. Normally I'm not one to want food directly after a hard work-out. Yesterday was different. The second I jumped off that bike I started slamming calorie drinks along with the biggest PB&J my eyes have ever seen. Lynne makes a wicked PB&J. By the time I finished stuffing my face I looked like a 6 month old pregnant lady in cycling shorts...not a good look for a single person;-)

The good news is I can bring my own bike seat with me next week. I think bike shorts and bike seats deserve their own post along with my bony ass;-)

Happy Birthday Cancers!!!

Good friends, great memories and a ton of wine;-)

So True

I saw this quote on a friend's facebook page and I couldn't agree more;-)

"I'm impatient, selfish, and a little insecure. I'm hard to handle and out of control sometimes. I may get down on myself and come to you for help a lot. But, if you can't handle me at my worst...then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
-Marilyn Monroe

4th of July

My mom was truly worried about her daughter having the 4th of July as a birthday. I mean seriously, a child's b-day is all about cupcakes at school and everyone in your class giving you a birthday card or better yet an actual gift. Little did my mother know this would be the best day to have a birthday. I mean let's be real I NEVER work on this day not too mention my friends NEVER work on this day either...needless to say there is no excuse not to share a toast on this day...'my' day. I say this in jest but it truly is the best day to have a birthday.

My mother shared this concern with me several years ago and then said "you've always managed to make your birthday celebration last an entire week so I decided maybe it wasn't so bad after all." No Mom it's really not so bad after all;-)

This year was no different if not better than all my previous years and I'm grateful for it. I was not looking forward to the whopping 35th year of my life. I mean it's a rather large number (yes, I know some of you are older but this is about me) and closer to 40 than 34. I'm also in college surrounded by young 20-somethings. Granted you could not pay me to go back to my 20's but staying 30 wouldn't be so bad. However, with each passing year my life gets better and better so maybe the age thing ain't so bad.

Here's to being 35!

Breathe

There are days I honestly think my decision making skills should be revoked especially when it involves school. What was I thinking when I decided to take 2 computer courses in the month of June??? Oh, I know I thought 2 lab courses out of the way and so fast...no, it never dawned on me the workload would be insane. None of that ever crosses my mind. The only thing that does cross my mind is Fall '08 I'll be down to 9 class hours, YIPPEE!!! Now I will have to take a course online but that is minor...I'm totally stoked to be heading to the backside of this degree thing.

2 more weeks and part of my insanity will be over and off to vacation I go, HI-Ho!!!

Male Magnet

For sure that's me...let me explain. About 2 weeks ago I got in a car accident with an uninsured motorist. It happened at 6pm on a Friday, the Friday before school started...why the girl couldn't pull out in front of me in early May is beyond me, but whatever.

On Monday I got my rental car and I think it's safe to say my sex appeal has been elevated to a whole nother level;-) The pic says it all...



I know you want me to swing by your house and take you for a ride. Seriously, I have never been a ZZ Top fan except for the day some random dude behind me on the streets of San Francisco sang 'She's Got Legs' while walking behind me...that is the only time I've liked that band.

It is safe to say I have a new found love for my Jetta. This Cruiser or as my sister says, the PT Loser, has the handling skills of a tricycle. The first morning I had to drive the thing I hit every curb in my drive trying to get out of my house. Note to self there is absolutely no radius on this wheel axle. Bummer take one. Next in line is driving on I-35. I put the accelerator to the floor, nothing. I swear a good 30 seconds go by before the 'Loser' realized I meant move forward. Bummer #2. Nevermind speed, this thing has none. If you consider going over 70mph there is some serious lateral convulsing going on in this car. Bummer take 3. Last but not least there are hills on I-35 between Austin and San Marcos...I know I had never noticed before either, well, until the 'Loser'. This excuse of a vehicle drops to a snails pace if you ask it to drive up hill...mind you you've been speeding for awhile so it's not like you woke it up first thing in the morning and said 'please, could you drive 80mph up Mt. Bonell.' no, you've been going 70 mph for a while now but no, we must drop to 40mph. My dear sweet Jetta does none of this. I can't wait to have her back;-)

NYC Marathon

Holy Shit!!! This is the year I decided to toss my hat into the ring and start the rejection process for the NYC Marathon. I mean after 3 rejections you've got a guaranteed entry...Let's face it I'm not getting any younger so needed to start this process sooner rather than later. To tell ya the truth I completely forgot about this thing. When filling out the lottery info I had absolutely no expectations whatsoever, in fact I forgot when the drawing was to take place. You can imagine my surprise when I opened my e-mail this evening to find...

Dear Katie,

Congratulations! You have been accepted to the ING New York City Marathon 2008. This is the beginning of your journey toward the race of a lifetime on November 2, 2008.

We're thrilled to offer this opportunity to you—to run the greatest race in the world in this special year as we celebrate NYRR's 50th anniversary. To further enhance your experience, you can unite with one of our charity partners to support a worthy cause while you run.

There's also a lot at stake for our talented field of world-class runners, including the ING New York City Marathon crown and the second World Marathon Majors title. We'll see what happens on November 2.

We'll be in touch frequently between now and November. Await further e-mails as well as check our website for training opportunities, classes, and updates that will be posted in the upcoming months. Keep the following in mind as you begin this journey:

• Book your travel plans early through Anthony Travel , our official travel provider.
• Plan to attend the marathon expo Thursday, October 30-Saturday, November 1, at the Javits Center in Manhattan, so that you can pick up your race number and marathon gear.
• You can check your status and update your personal information by entering your username and password here or use the entrant database to check for your name or that of a friend.
• If you cancel your entry for the ING New York City Marathon 2008 according to the instructions, you’ll be eligible for guaranteed entry to the ING New York City Marathon 2009 on November 1. For details, visit our cancellation page.
• Watch for your Official Handbook in August for all you need to know about the marathon.

Enjoy your training. The path to marathon fitness includes the overall satisfaction you gain by training for the ING New York City Marathon. We look forward to seeing you shine in November.

Sincerely,

Mary Wittenberg

I'm a little bummed I won't be able to go this year (no worries, I'll defer to next year) since I'm now hell bent on Sacramento (an armpit of a destination if you ask me) but this kind of plays into my hand quite nicely...

Humidity

Who knew humidity could be my friend, definitely not me! There are times when a good humid day benefits my ego. An old friend of mine was in town for Memorial Weekend and whenever we see each other we always go for a run.

For some odd known reason whenever John and I run the competitive side of me shows up. Our runs are short in distance and the guy has been playing soccer since birth and is still playing…he’s older than me so you do the math. Shorter distances are his forte except for one small fact…he lives in Seattle. This is when humidity is on my side, who knew…

We were set to run Monday at 7am. I wanted to go earlier but John is a wuss. I was on the lake all of Sunday in the hot sun and of course hydrating myself with Tecate beer all day long and topped the night off with quesadillas and a Mexican martini, because this is the best way to prepare for a run in the Texas humidity.

I secretly hoped John would send a text wimping out. No such luck! 7am we’re off. I was a tad concerned we may see my Mexican martini from the night before…Actually when we took off there was a nice drizzle. The drizzle was short lived and followed by some serious soup like conditions for us to run in.

The first 2 miles of our run were pretty uneventful. The second 2 miles I really thought the quesadillas were on their way back to haunt me. I could tell my Seattle friend was suffering. We talked steadily in the first 2 miles. The second half of our run he kept asking me open ended questions, which I know was a trick to make me talk and run out of breath. No such luck Hot Shot! My goal is to torture you today! Honestly, when we passed the rowing club I wanted to crawl into a canoe and wait for my death. However, John was 2 steps behind me and I couldn’t give into my weakness so we kept plodding along back to the Rock.

He admitted later on at coffee that he was wiped out. His Mother confirmed he had been complaining since we got done running. Mission accomplished!!!

I think the torture good ‘ole Johnny experienced is payback for choosing to ski Tahoe instead of pacing me at the AT&T Marathon back in ’07. Just sayin.’

It's Time

Well, I am days away from starting my training for the California International Marathon in December. I haven't been very consistent with my running since my last marathon, which was February '07 (yeah, you read that right). I've never trained in the summer mainly because I despise the humidity. Yes, I'm aware I live in Texas but I usually get on my bike or do some wimpy runs at this time of year.

This years training season will be dedicated to my mental training, which has been my arch nemesis since I started racing way back when. I've never had an issue with my cardio fitness it has always been the voices in my head (yes, I am crazy, duh!). Today was one of those days where the voices were very loud.

I stepped outside this morning to meet Brenda and Jon for a 6 miler and I'll be damned if it wasn't thick as molasses outside at 5:45am. Geez, it's May people! We started running and I swear I needed a straw to extract some oxygen from the air. I felt like a 90 y/o woman with emphysema running without her oxygen tank. This was before we even hit mile 1...I thought to myself no way I can make 6 and immediately my confidence was flushed down the toilet. I started questioning my ability to train during these summer months.

Now, I'm in the process of reading a book called 'Running Within' which addresses the mental aspects of training. I worked on putting some of the ideas to test today and let's say I may need to read this book 2 to 3 more times for it to sink in. I start one of the reverse negative thinking ideas and it lasts about a milli-second before my body says, 'no way lady, you're not running in this humidity.' The good news is my training partners held me accountable today and I kept trudging along with them.

Here's to a new training season!!!

Reckless Kelly

'Nuff said...seriously! Alright, I'll explain. This started back in January towards the end of football season over at Cousin Lyle's house. Well, he's not my cousin but later you'll need to know he's Cousin Lyle (let's call him CL for short). I'm enjoying some wine and chili with CL, M & 510. Later on M looks at me and says Willy and posse are coming to CL's in a bit and she has the look of love in her eyes. Oh, Lord here we go with M and her bad boys. She has a thing for the wild ones. I in turn think nothing of this. Later on Willy and posse show up (aka- Reckless Kelly) since their Lyle's cousin it's normal for them all to hang out. I'm still unimpressed in Willi and posse. M is about to flip out of her chair and I'm more enthralled with my glass of wine.

Fast forward to SXSW in March at the Dirty Dog. I am introduced to my first Reckless Kelly performance. Now, mind you these SXSW shows are only 30 minutes long but I am hooked. All I know is I'm not a country music lover but Willy with his crooked grin have convinced me otherwise.

Nutty Brown Cafe this past Friday I go to my first full performance by Reckless Kelly and I *heart* Willy and his crooked grin. Do NOT think for 2 seconds that grin is meant for you. I am certain he sang to me all night Friday...I had stars in my eyes and will now and forever be a groupie of Reckless Kelly. Sorry, Thievery Corporation I really want to see you when you come to town BUT it's the same night as RK and I'm not the cheatin' kind;-)

No Words Can Explain It.

I consider going back to school one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. I will say I'm enjoying it even if it involves all nighters (remember these don't involve margaritas, a dance floor or my friends), little to no social life and NEVER seeing the male species...that's quite a bit of sacrifice if you ask me. However, there is a perk to this school thing and it comes twice a year. Oh, yeah, you guessed it semester break. A whopping 4 weeks mind you, no projects, no all nighters (the un-fun all nighters) and no commuting for an entire 4 weeks. It's so exciting words can't even describe it;-)

It's Official!!!

I passed Residential Studio...Yay, Me!!! Nothing like your fate being sealed in an envelope you had to self-address. Thank goodness I needed some good news. Whew!!!

Now I really need to study for my last final;-)