A Bunch of Busy's

As of late, it appears life has a hold of not just me, but many of you.
A lot of my blogger buddies haven't been posting like usual.
I.totally.understand.
I'm in the same boat.

This is what I've been up to lately:

A new job with a great company!
Back to running on a halfway regular basis.
Then...Doug and I have been canning fools.
Grape jelly. Made from our very own grapes out of our backyard.
Smooshing grapes. No foot wine (or jelly) here...

Salsa...Not sure why we didn't snap any pictures.

Cinnamon Apple Sauce....

And we also made our first batch of apple pies. From scratch.
Take a look at this baby. Yummm...

Neither of us have ever attempted this before.

It's been a blast making new things.

And they have all turned out delish.

Right now, we have a new wine brewing.

Who knows what is up Doug's sleeve that will be next on the list!

A Walk in the Park...Patriot's Run Race Report

The numbers...

Marathon number 25

Marathon number 8 of the year

Second marathon in four days

Third race in less than a week (a 5K race and 2 marathons)

My worst marathon time to date

But the most fun marathon I've run (really walked)

I ran the Patriot's Run on 9.11.09. It's an 'annual event held to commemorate the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. With this event we remember, not only those victims who were lost, but also those soldiers, police, firefighters and others who served this country both on that day and every day thereafter. In this way we honor all the people who work to insure that this tragedy never repeats itself' (taken from the Patriot's Run website).

As I got up and around for the day, I thanked God for my family and friends and our freedom we have. I knew it was going to be a day of remembrance, but didn't realize how much it would affect me. As I was driving the 5 minutes to the race start (kid you not...how awesome is that!), I saw a flag flying half staff and the tears welled up. That wasn't the only time it happened during the day.

This race is run around a 3/4 mile loop, so in order to run the marathon distance, you loop the course 36 times. At first, I wasn't sure what to think about this. But then decided it was going to be a picnic in the park. So, as I pulled into the parking lot, I backed the truck up in a primo spot right on the trail to have everything we needed in a moments notice. I packed lawn chairs. I set up a table that had everything we needed every 3/4's of a mile. It was fabulous! We didn't have to carry our gu, water or anything else. It was perfect. Friends and family always knew where to find us. We passed or were passed by the same people over and over. It was awesome to cheer on friends you normally wouldn't see during a race because they run a different pace than you.

Below is a picture of Karen and me at the start. The lady in the yellow was our surrogate mother who kept things in her cooler for us and cheered us on lap after lap.
The day started very warm and humid. The sun was shining and the race began right in the heat of the day. The race started at noon and ended at 9:11 pm. I opted for the marathon distance, but you could run any amount you wanted, one lap or as many laps you could in 9 hours and 11 minutes.

Karen had a great idea of how we were going to count our laps. She brought Spree's and we set out the amount we needed. Each time I passed the car, I was going to eat one until they dwindled to zero and I crossed the finish line. Honestly, it was genius, as there were many people who had no idea how many laps they had covered. However, after lap 5 or 6, the candy was upsetting my stomach so we just set them off to the side after we finished a lap. Never fear, they were devoured by Doug and Connor when they came to cheer us on.

It was awesome, I wanted some Coke and ice pops, so I called Doug on one of the loops and the next thing you know...there they were! We shared the ice pops with the other runners and they were a huge hit.

Karen was a trooper. She planned on running 14 miles, but ended up with 18 by the time I finished. She is the BESTEST BFF ever, walking with me mile after mile. And that's truly what I did. Walk. Mile after mile. It seriously was a Walk in the Park. But it was the best walk in the park. The man that won the ultra ran and ran and ran and I would guess 95% of the times he lapped me, he said, 'good job'. He was amazing, he never slowed from the first lap to the last lap. He was a machine. Our friend Rob, who came up from Springfield had run approximately 41 miles with two hours still to go.

Taking a break in the lawn chair...

Doug and Tom taking a lap...

What stole my heart the most were two men carrying flags during all 9 hours and 11 minutes of the race. One of them is a local runner, Greg Vaughn, that carries the American flag on all of his runs.
The other is a man who carries the 'Flag of Hope'. It is a flag that has the names of all of the victims and rescue workers of 9.11.01. It was beautiful. He has already run all 50 states, but is making his second round with this flag. It was such an honor to run with them.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this race. The only issue I heard of, which was a biggie, was people not knowing how many laps they had run. When they went to ask, the computer tracking the laps was like 15 minutes delayed, so you could have finished your laps, but didn't know 'real time', so most did a few extra laps to 'make sure' you did what you wanted. That kinda sucked, but all in all...it was the most fun marathon I've done. Just to have access to everything you needed at all times. To have your friends and family at every mile. To have soooo many friends out running and you were able to see them over and over. It was such a good time. It's probably not for those that want to PR, as there were people on the track, all running/walking different speeds. But if you want to go out, have a fun, laid back day, this is the race for you.

This race is already on the list for next year. Hopefully, running all 9 hours 11 minutes!

To Hell and Back on Labor Day

Let's start off with what most of you already know about me lately.
My running routine has sucked.
I haven't run over 16 miles in a WEEK'S time OVER the last 10 weeks.
Yes...it's true.
It's that bad.
So when Doug and I discussed the Heart of America Marathon, I really dismissed running it.
Until last Thursday when I brought it back up to Doug.
Really...what was I thinking?
We ran this last year and it was hot, humid, hard and hilly.
Race Report from last year is here.
It's slated as one of the hardest marathons (non trail) in the country due to all the the aboved mentioned reasons.
So...Thursday, I musta been feeling invincible and we decided to sign up.
Why, again?
Could be because it's in Columbia, MO.
Home to Doug's beloved MU Tigers.
There's a $25 entry fee.
It's low key.
Or to just torture myself for my lack of training.

This year it was humid, hard and hilly. The heat held off and we ran over 5 hours in fog or heavy cloud cover so I think that saved me.
I started out well. Taking it very easy. Run/walking with a ratio of 4 to 1 and walking up the hills and running down them.
I was very surprised at how well I was fairing.
Until the last six miles when my back started acting up.
But I hung in there.
It wasn't pretty.
But I did it!

I know I said last year we would have plans over Labor Day so this marathon couldn't be an option, but I SWEAR next year we will NOT be doing this marathon.
It certainly knows how to kick your arse and take your name.

So...that's marathon number SEVEN for the year.
When is number eight?
Mmm...could be...Friday.
Yes...THIS Friday.
Stay tuned.

A Royal Kinda Day

I spent most of the day at the K yesterday.
Kauffman Stadium.
Home of the Kansas City Royals.
First Go 'Round...The 1st Annual Royals 5K.
Showing some team spirit before heading out.


It started with Rock Star parking.
Five steps from the start.
Here are Karen's boys, pumped up and ready to go...

The 5K was run mostly around the stadium, in the parking lot, so not too breathtaking.
But...what was exciting is running through the tunnel...into the bull pen...onto the warning track...around the stadium to the finish line with your picture displayed on the jumbotron.

Here's a picture of Team Wobo as they crossed the finish... So fun!

Karen, the boys and me on the field.

Then it was off to the best feast ever...Orange juice. Bananas. Chocolate milk.

All the usual treats you enjoy after a race.

But this race went above and beyond.

Not only did we get the above mentioned, they also had smoothies. Ice cream. Orange crush. Chocolate doughnuts. Powdered doughnuts. Yummm...

But the kicker...

Hot dogs!

And they were sooo delish.

So good, I had two!

At 9:00 am.

Yes...it's true.

Then it was home for a few hours before returning for the Royals game.

Such a beautiful night.

And yes...more hot dogs were involved.

Except this time with onions and peppers.

This is a pic of Karen and me.

Being twinkies.

Our three strands of beads.

Our necklaces from the Nike Women's Marathon.

Our t-shirts from the Royals 5K.

In this picture, our hair even looks to be the same color.
Gotta love the BFF!

And Doug, looking sweet, as though he's kissing my ear.

Not the case.

He's biting me!

Then our Ace...Zack Greinke.

The best pitcher around.

Sad he didn't get the help he deserved for a Royals win.

Oh well...you can't win them all.

Fun times had by all.

A Royal(s) Kinda Day!

Was Once Lost, But Now I'm Found

Hopefully!

Whew...running has been nil lately. Well...more than lately...more like the last couple of months. It's been very pathetic on the running front. I have so not had the mojo to care or even want to care. I think I totally burnt myself out running 6 marathons the first half of the year and I think I needed a break. So a break I took. A long, long break.

I may be feeling a tickle from the running bug again. I'm hoping it lasts a while. Here's a breakdown of what's transpired:

Last several months:
A couple 5K's...nearly zilcho running.

Saturday:
Doug's Team Challenge group had their first training run. What a perfect morning. It looks to be a good group. So much so that those that finished first, turned around and backtracked on the trail to bring in the next wave of runners. In the end, everyone 'finished' together. It was very moving to already have a team be a 'team'.

Sunday:
Met my BFF for 10 miles. Sad to say, 10 miles is the longest distance I've covered in quite some time. But, the good news is, we covered the distance and had a great time. Another perfect morning. Two back to back training days and I've covered more distance than I have run in the whole month of July. Gotta start back somewhere, right?

I'm looking forward to things turning around and getting back on track. It's time. There are a lot of marathons that need to be run. And a lot of potato chips that need to be run off these hips!

Susan G. Koman 5K

Last Saturday we ran the Susan G. Koman 5K in Kansas City. This race hadn't been on the calendar until we received an email from Ford offering to pay our entry. Well...how do you pass that up? Along with the race entry, we received the regular race t-shirt and another t-shirt designed by Ford that we all wore race day. We were the Ford Warriors.


We signed up for chip timing, but at packet pickup, things were a bit discombobulated, which was no biggie, but we didn't end up with our chips. So we ran the 5K fun run, which was way fine in the end as I'm glad my time wasn't recorded. This course was hilly. Crammed packed from start to finish. And a ton of fun. They had 27,000 plus participants. For a 5K! It was crazy, but a total blast.

I was signed up to run the Martini Mile yesterday with my girlfriends, but had to cancel. One of our neighbor's passed away and his visitation was last night. Richard was the owner of Molly's friend, Harley. It's sad that Molly's friend isn't across the street anymore to play with. Richard willed Harley to a friend, otherwise we would have become one dog richer.

Six Down...Six to Go

Six marathons completed thus far in 2009...

01.11.09 Walt Disney World Marathon
04.18.09 Frisco Fifty Marathon
05.03.09 Lincoln Marathon
05.17.09 Green Bay Marathon
06.13.09 Hatfield and McCoy Marathon
06.27.09 RNR Seattle Marathon

Six marathons to go. This is the plan (disclaimer... and is subject to change)...

09.11.09 Patriot's Run Marathon
09.27.09 Quad Cities OR Omaha
10.18.09 Detroit Marathon
11.01.09 Bass Pro Shop Marathon
11.22.09 Gobbler Grind Marathon
12.06.09 RNR Vegas Marathon (my birthday!)

And a back up, if needed...

12.27.09 Run for the Ranch Marathon

Is anyone doing any of these? If so, it would be fun to meet up. Or if anyone wants to run Gobbler Grind here in Overland Park, Kansas, let me know, depending on who you are :), we may have a free bed available.

Until the marathons start back up, I'm very excited to mix it up a bit in the next few weeks and play in some fun runs...

This Sunday we're running the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure 5K.
Tuesday, we're running the Martini Mile. A one mile run where at the end you get a free martini. How does one pass that up?
Then later in the month, the Mud and Muck-Kansas City's Dirtiest 5K. A 5K course that runs on paved roads, over trails, cross country and through a mud pit!

Have a great weekend everyone!