So Last Week, Man

So...some of my friends just won't let me live it down that I won 2nd place...against myself...at my last marathon. A lovely friend (I'm using this term loosely) sent me this photo. Thanks Tom!
That was So Last Week...or more accurately...So a Week and a Half Ago. Are you and Doug in cahoots? Either way...this totally cracks me up. Doug actually mentioned I needed to be standing in the 2nd place slot. Thanks babe for the correction.

Tonight Doug and I are hosting a run from our home and then we're headed to a restaurant around the corner for some dinner. I'm excited to see some friends I haven't seen in a while and meet a couple new friends. We'll be running on the new paved trail that starts less than a quarter mile from our house. I love it! Molly and I marked the trail this morning on our 3 mile walk so the runners know where to run. The little booger has walked over 125 miles so far this year.

Well..this weekend...I can pretty much guarantee I will not be bringing home a trophy, except maybe a trophy for the best Derby Hat. We'll see... We'll be heading to Nikemom's to partake in Kentucky Derby festivities and then running the Lincoln Marathon on Sunday. Should be Good Times! Marathon 3 for the year and Marathon 20 total. 20 baby! Doug will be running his 74th Marathon and this will be the 10th anniversary of his first marathon which was run in Lincoln, so this will be a special run for him. Congrats hon on 10 years and 74 marathons!

One Happy Drowned Rat

This morning I went on a 6 mile run.
In.The.POURING.Rain.
It was dark.
And lightening. I told myself I've been good lately, I shouldn't get struck by lightening today.
And thundering. You could hear the thunder roar across the sky.
It was so refreshing.
I loved every minute of it.
I think I smiled the whole way.

Earlier in the week, our times were posted for the Frisco Fifty Marathon.
As most of you know, I received a very cool plaque for placing 2nd in my age group.
Well...come to find out, I was the ONLY one IN my age group.
How do I place 2nd to myself??? LOL!!!
I'm not one iota upset-it's just very humorous that I received an award at all, but especially silly when it's a 2nd place award and I was the only one in my age group running!
I'll still cherish it as I deserve it if no other 30-40 year old woman could get her arse up and run the marathon that day. Yay for me!

Frisco Fifty Marathon Race Report

Marathon Number 2 of 2009...Done! Number 19 total. What a long, but fun day. We rolled outta bed at 2:00 AM and was out the door by 3:00 to pick up Craig to head on our 2 and a half hour road trip to the start line (which was actually the finish). I was lucky enough to call the back seat so I slept most of the whole way down.

By the time the race started, I was ready for lunch. It was 8:30 AM and it seemed as if we already had a full day. They bussed us to the start line as it was a point to point race. It was a very low key marathon as it was the inaugural race and there were about 20 of us running the marathon. The man that started our race said, 'ready, set, go' and off we went. But this was after Doug already disqualified 2 men in his age group for being ahead of the start line by 3 inches. It was a hoot as they turned around and looked at him all serious until we all busted a gut laughing.

This race was on an old railroad bed that has been converted to trail. For the most part it was crushed gravel and some points had actual large gravel. It was good for the joints and knees, but it really wore us out. It was sort of like running on sand as it gave a little so you sunk in just a tad every time a foot went down. We certainly exerted a ton more energy then when we run on asphalt.

Craig and I started out together as this was his first marathon. I kinda wanted to stick with him to make sure he would fair okay. Not that I didn't think he could do it, cuz I knew he would. I just think that sometimes, especially for marathon virgins, it's more enjoyable to have someone there with them to talk with, keep your mind of things, to encourage you...to just be there makes it easier. We did really well up until mile 9 and then that darn trail wore us down.

We kept trekking and came across a lot of things on the trail...a dead armadillo, frogs croaking so loud it was even hard to hear at some points...it was really cool. We also came across a cattle crossing where a line of cows were moseying across. I think this accounted for at least a half an hour of our time...LOL...okay...not really.

We had a really good time. We laughed, grunted, and even cussed just a bit. Craig had the usual ups and downs and at one point got very quiet. Normal stuff for a newbie-or really-for any of us. But really...he was always positive and kept putting one foot in front of the other. He did a great job. Congrats Craig!

Finally crossing the finish line! Whoo Hoo!


They had good food afterwards...pasta, sauce and meatballs, bread sticks, cookies and Coke. The tshirt and medals were great.



The BEST part was this...


YES! 2nd place in my age group!

I asked Doug to take a picture of me and my prize, but he couldn't help himself in his jealous rage to zoom me out of the picture. I'm surprised he even took the picture at all. With me winning 2 age group awards, I can see how he could feel a bit upset and all. Poor thing! LOL!!

Okay...yes...there were only 2 of us in my age group...BUT I still received this awesome plaque.

As we rolled back in the driveway, Nikemom and Mr. McRib were unloading their stuff. She came down to test out the Kansas Ironman 70.3 bike course and then turned around on Sunday to run the Kansas Half Marathon. We went out and had some yummy Mexican food and some great margaritas.

What a great weekend!

Next marathon...Lincoln Marathon in 2 weeks!

Pup Pics...

A 2 mile walk simply isn't enough for this workout queen anymore. She was wound tight tonight so we broke out the frisbee.

This picture is a bit blurry but I love it because her personality shows through...the ears flopping in the wind and all. She's the cutest thing around.

Worn out now Ms. Thang?

It's About That Time Again

Finally...Marathon Number 2 of the year will be this Saturday.
It's going to be a long day as we'll be rising and shining at 2:00 AM to road trip several hours. Run the marathon. Then road tripping back another several hours. But should be a ton of fun. We're headed down with one part of Team WOBO. Craig will be running his 1st marathon!
I'm excited about this marathon. It's on an old railroad bed-a rails to trails initiative, so should be flat and is supposed to be very scenic.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Today is the Royals Home Opener!

We've been attending the Home Opener for years now and there is nothing like the energy on Opening Day. LOVE IT!

Our stadium was built in 1973 and even before the new renovations, I think it was still one of the prettiest stadiums around. This year they have completed a quarter of a billion dollars in renovations and I'm so excited to get out and take it all in.

It's expected to be a little chilly, but we have our blankets packed and we're ready to snuggle.

GO ROYALS!

Olathe Half Marathon 2009

This title should have read Olathe MARATHON 2009.
But the marathon was cancelled last week due to the snow and ice.
They were able to have the half marathon this weekend so we hopped on board since the marathon was not able to be rescheduled.
Nikemom drove down Friday night to run Saturday.
What a cutie! Very kind and fun. My kinda girl.
She even brought some homemade salsa and jalapenos along with some other awesome goodies.

Race morning we were up and out the door by 6:00 so we could switch out our marathon bibs and chips for half marathon stuff.

Windy. Windy. Windy. Was the name of the game. Again.
This year they had a new course and it was much more appealing.
For having to postpone the race a week, everything went off without a hitch and kudos need to be extended to the race committee. Great Job Guys!

I had a good race. The race clock read 2:27:46 as I crossed the finish. But better yet, after the race they served up some locally brewed Boulevard Beer! Now that is worth all the running in the wind.

All in all...a great time.

Ahhh...Sand

When I think sand, I think beach. Hanging out...walking on it...playing in it...
And since I had some time off, I thought it was a fabulous idea if I could go 'sanding' for a while.
But this is not the kind of 'sanding' Doug was thinking for me.
Instead he has me 'sanding' the kitchen cabinets.
The left side is the done part...the right side is what we are re-finishing.


I seriously think by the time I'm done, I'm going to have one Popeye arm...

And with all the Green Smoothies I've been drinking with a spinach base, this really could be me soon. Scare me!