Yoo 303 - A Bit of DC

We arrived in DC, alive, and with only one minor scuffling. Apparently the Gregflyer is a window seat only kind of dude. Which kind of cramps my window seat only style. Did you know that should be a "let's discuss this up front" kind of relationship deal? Well it should be. Had I known ages ago that he felt as passionately about the window seat as I did, well...

Just kidding!

But you should ask.

I let him have that coveted perch for our second flight, but I did take a maturity dive via a sharp finger jab to his side every time he started to nod off. He was going to enjoy every second of that view if I couldn't, dang it!

I'm hopeless. But we're having fun.

And now for a smattering of pictures.

(long walk from the metro station to our hotel...and then we found out about their complimentary shuttle service.)

(no i did not force him to take this picture...)

(this. bag. is. amazing.)

We got passed by hordes and hordes of joggers as we were walking about the National Mall today. They were all probably getting in a good taper and pre-marathon jog. Me? My taper consisted of eating pans of pizza, indulging on waaaaaay over-priced icecream, and walking miles and miles and miles.

We'll see how that treats me on Saturday!

(if it's worth noting, i have been staying hydrated...counting pennies, i know.)

The Gregdude is starting to question what he's gotten himself into but I think he'll get amped by the hype come Saturday :-)

Plus, having purchased spandex, he's TOTALLY committed now.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 302 - Race Recap: Whooping Crane Strut

Whoop! Whoop! Whooping Crane...STRUT!

Race Recap (reader's digest version): I slept in a car trunk and then ran my way to a personal record 10k time of 46:10 and first in my age group (second in women). Also of note, the Gregrunner finished second in his age group (i'm leaving it at that!) with no permanent injuries, and the Alisharunner came in age group third (actually beating people).

The version to read if you're the Kyoo mom or bored (synonymous with "at work").

This race is one of my favorites! But, as favorite as it ranks, it took a lot of effort to go this year. For one it was rainy. For two it was a Friday (work draaaaaiiiinnnn). For three I didn't want to pack and drive all the ways down to Rockport. For four I was being seduced by the dreamy notion of burrowing in my living room whilst movie watching the rainstorm away.

But, if I've learned anything in my twenty-something years, it's that, usually (i said usually) when something requires the most activation energy and I can find a million reasons to not do it, it's usually (usually) the best kind of something to get doing.

I knew this was going to be the case.

So the car got packed and a few pouches of fruit snacks got eaten and the kitchen got cleaned and the Garmin got its beacons all set on Goose Island State Park.

And then the Gregdriver went hydroplaning and windshield wiping into the storms while I basked in the paparazzi lightning flashes and the Alishafriend entertained me with "You Again" on the iPad. (and occasionally i would rub the gregdriver's neck because he was feeling a bit ignored and a tad bitter that he had to drive while mother nature took my picture and kristen bell made me laugh).

He's a trooper, that dude of mine.

(but really this picture had to be posted)

Then an almost quizzical "I want steak?" from the Alishafriend became an "I WANT STEAK!" demand that the Gregivore echoed and, well, steak.

(pop's, where the food is served sans armpit in the face...at least today. tomorrow is another story?)

Of course I acted all "I can't eat this late at night I have a race in the morning" but really, it was because I'd wolfed down three (3!) bowls of cheerios/granola in the car and that's the truth about that.

It was quite late and misty when we finally rolled up to our campsite and, sufficeth me to say, we decided to forgo the tent. To sleep in the trunk.

Ok, half in the trunk, half in the back seat. If I had experience, I would dare-say it felt just like a coffin. Especially since the lady hips were all "no we are not small enough to fit in that space on your side". But at least the Alishapal and I were horizontal. The Gregsnoozer on the other hand was quite upright in the front seat. But he didn't have to wander off on forbidden roads to use the bathroom (twice) so I think it was fair.

I wish that was the most eventful event preceding this run, but unfortunately the Casper car decided it was low on battery juices as we were trying to leave for the race early morn and that sent us all on a "whose awake and looking helpful" warm-up jog around the camp. The best part was the Gregmechanic's look when I walked out of the bathroom to discover him buried under the hood of the Casper car. I'm sure he was thinking "and she's going to explode in 3...2...1....". However I handled the news like a jovial old chap and that just proves I can keep people on their toes now doesn't it?

Also, maybe I'm improving? Doubtful.

Moving on.

We made it to the race start. The shirts were teal green! (this race seriously has the best shirt colors. never dull gray or boring white). And the race sponsors were rockin' this year. And by rockin' I mean, any time I get free GU packets in my schwag bag, it's a party.

The weather was a bit chilly and very overcast but no rain and the wind was manageable. I was pleasantly surprised with the conditions considering the depressing forecast (the cloud + lightning bolt + 1000 rain drops picture)!

Posin' like goofballs at the start (with random #65).

But this is really what we were trying to get a picture of.

Maybe there was a reason for it...who am I to judge? Personally, I think it seems even more dangerous to pin to that area...

(ps it was really hard to nonchalantly take that picture...)

The race started, I jogged out at a comfortable pace, and just kept going. Theory behind all my runs, right? Right. One of the main reasons I love this race so much is the course. It's run entirely next to the shoreline and you get a taste of Rockport's eclectic beach shops, the harbor with its boats and docks and bait shops, and the little hotels and vacation homes with their palm trees and lazy fishing piers. Also there are whooping cranes and seagulls and sometimes fish to cheer you on!

It's a small race but so enjoyable. You hardly notice you're running! (though don't ask the Gregtrekker, he might not agree...).

I spent the last half of the race trying to spread cheer to those I passed and pushing myself as my body allowed. I ran this race without a watch or iPod and sometimes that's just the best. Nothing to distract you from listening to your body and just enjoying the run. Pace? Who cares?! Distance traveled? I'll finish eventually! Race soundtrack? Ok, I did miss my playlist. But sometimes I think runners get too caught up in what their devices are telling them and don't just listen to their bodies and remember what it is they enjoy about this sport.

I was running with two healthy, strong legs next to a beautiful coast with handfuls of other folk pushing just as hard and I was able to take it all in.

I love that.

The finish was great because I was going just fast enough to challenge the man I'd tailed the whole race and just slow enough to NOT induce vomiting.

All in all, with a new personal record and a win in my age group, I declared it a success.

There was some post-race grubbing. And then an awards ceremony with cheesy picture-taking. And then a very depressing raffle drawing as both the Alishafriend and I set our hearts on each new prize. Even going so far as to declare it already our own. And then they would call out 10 names of people that weren't there and finally a small child would walk away with our snabbed treasure.

There's only so much of that a person can take...

(what is my hair doing?? the world will never know...)

Should I have advised you to bring crackers for all this cheesiness? Yes?

Well grab some, because we went on an official plate photo shoot after the race. It's tradish.

(would sure be nice to have a cool trophy case to display that on...hint hint...#kyoodadandbrother)

Here's to another year at Whooping Crane and hopefully many more to come! Sure glad I was able to share it with the Alishapal and Gregbeau and elusive Tinafriend, among others. Next year? Next year.

(and, if you're still bored, you can always travel back to yesteryear...)

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 301 - Spring

First, I am in love with this "extra" hour of evening daylight. Are you too?? I no longer have to flirt with that "twilight hour" where I probably shouldn't be running outside but still am. It makes me feel all safe again.

Second, the trees are blossoming! I need to bottle this up for the dead, scorching summer later...

Third, I love spring. And summer and fall and winter. But right now spring.

Fourth, a request. Can the postal gods please bless me with my new phone tomorrow? And can it work and be everything that I need?? I feel as though this wireless communication detox I've been thrown into has gone on long enough...

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 300 - Life Is Better At The Beach

I'm coming off of a beach weekend (and a phase 10 loss but that's another story...dang it) which has a way of making me more susceptible to the Sunday Evening Blues.

I had an Institute teacher tell me once that if you have the Sunday Evening Blues then your perspective on life is incomplete. I agree with him, and I will readily admit I am not there yet. Isn't that one of the biggest challenges in life? Finding gratitude and joy in all you have and not fixating on what you lack?

I will be waking up tomorrow in a big, comfortable bed, safely tucked away in a condo that I own, fully and truly. I will hop on my bike with my healthy body and pedal my way on (mostly) safe city streets, probably listening to the birds chatter and watching an exploding sun bid hello to a characteristically warm spring day. I will work the day away for a company that legitimately cares about its customers and employees and with coworkers I enjoy being around. I will be leaving the office with no where I have to rush off to. I can enjoy a vigorous afternoon of lifting weights and then jogging into a sunset. I can return to my condo and enjoy and prepare dinner and chat with my Gregdude and blog my typing fingers away.

Now tell me, is that a life to be blue about??

It's not. Yet I sit here with the impending week looming above my head like unsettling gray clouds, daydreaming about what could be.

Like a beach. I mean, who doesn't want to be gently lifted from sleep in a white linen bed by the whisper of a sea breeze, rustling curtains, and the penetrating warmth of sun beams soaking the air. Rising just enough to stretch the sleep away, and then settling back down, bearing a smile with ease. There is no life-sucking job to rush off to. There are no errands that need run. There is no to do list. There's just the people you love and the time you want to spend with them.

But really, I could create moments like that everyday if I had the right perspective and set my priorities straight. It just seems so much easier to do that on the weekends than it does on the weekdays...

So, without further ado, snippets of my quickest of quick, rainiest of rainiest, bliss fullest of blissful weekend at the beach.

There was an oyster recycling effort in full force at my favorite fishing pier. The Alishafriend did some digging and we're pretty decided on going back to help. I'm under the impression that chilling in waders whilst passing bags of oyster shells back out to the ocean would be a pretty cool way to spend a morning, would you agree?

(holy bottle of cholula sauce, am i right??)

(that, my friends, is a listing of all of their cheesecake flavors. just imagine!)

Visiting Jama's Kitchen is as much a part of the Whooping Crane Strut tradition now as running the race itself. This place wraps me up with its eclectic froggy decor and amorphously shaped dishes. The Ruben sandwhich ties the knot. We almost cried (cried!) when we walked up to their old location to peer thru dusty doors and see nothing but empty space and loose hardware casually abandoned on the bright pink and green and purple walls. Oh the tragedy of seeing our favorite lunch spot out of business!

But then we did some investigating (in the form of the Alishafriend talking to a stranger...naturally...) and discovered that they had simply moved to a location just a few blocks away. The trek was well worth it, though I miss their old location.

(we're still undecided as to what i am in this picture...the parrot's bum??)

(the gregjockey triumphantly perched upon his bedazzled zebra...ctrl + prnt scrn while you can...i might be forced to take this one down...)

Most of the fun of Rockport is in roaming the streets and visiting all the shops. The buildings are painted in the boldest of bright colors and pizazz is generously sprinkled about in the details. Boats are tied to docks within reaching distance from the sidewalks and bait shops line the bay, boasting all forms of fishy allure. The waves lap gently against the small seawall, seagulls and cranes graze about, and, ever so often, a fish will break thru the surface tension with a gentle plop!

Did I mention palm trees??

They melt me! That's all I can say about that.

("with our powers combined...")

Do you love our $2 bracelets?? They were selling them at the campsite, of all places! Oh we fell in love with them! At least 2 dollars in love with them. I don't think I would have spent much more. Mine's an engraving of the "Big Tree" at the park that is said to be the biggest Live Oak in Texas and over a thousand years old.

It's pretty cool.

While it wasn't the normal "beach weekend" with towels and sunscreen and lazing on the sand and drowning in the waves, it was relaxingly adventurous and right where I wanted to be. Unlike work tomorrow...

I'll post an official "race recap" as soon as results are posted.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 299 - Running Motivation and Life Woes

This one's for the Gregsome. He ran 11 miles last Saturday. (fueled on an icee, no less). Bought a pair of real running shoes. (they're hot, too). Is running his first 10k this Saturday. (rain or shine, right boy??). And will be off to the capitol city next weekend for a wild half-marathon. (rock n' roll, you understand).

Basically, he's becoming one of "us".

Anyone else remember that Adidas campaign?? Good stuff.

And now, in case you're lacking in running motivation for this weekend, here are some of my Runner's World motivational poster favorites (per recommendation from the Alishafriend).

Sadly, those two hit the heart of my real running motivation...

And I'm a firm believer in that one after enduring icicle lashes and frozen boogers in Rexburg, ID for 3 years. And Nebraska, too, for that matter. Kyoo mom...doesn't that look like our country roads??

In other non-running news, I fixed my shower. All by myself and for 16 dollars, no more. But, I'm kind of scared when I'm standing in there. I mean, now I know it's possible for that faucet to shoot off like a canon, and I'm not entirely sure it won't do that again.

So I've been straddling the sides while I'm in there (sorry for that mental image...) so it has a clear line of fire down the middle...and not at the middle of my calf.

"So how'd you lose your leg?"

"Oh, you know, my shower fired on me..."

Also, I thought my iPhone woes were over today when I bought a used phone from my sister's roommate. But (and this a big but) I asked every question except the most critical one.

"Is this phone AT&T or Verizon?"

Yep, yet another dork stamp. Got the phone, and it's in great condition, but it's definitely Verizon. No SIM card slot.

Shucksaroo.

Luckily I can send it back without losing any money, but it was an emotional crash when I realized it wasn't going to work. One minute I was so excited thinking I finally had a new phone (and for cheap), and the next it was ripped right out of my fingers again.

Not to mention my makeshift phone crashed hard today too. Like, I can't even turn the thing on anymore, hard.

Are you just totally depressed for me??

Here's to Friday and fun weekend plans. And good luck to my Gregrunner, of course!

Have a great day :-)