White Sox Game

We went to a White Sox game last night. The Mariners killed the Sox. Oh well, we had a blast nonetheless!

*sorry the pictures suck, they are from my cell phone.

Boston

I thought I would grace you all with 2 more pictures. Picture #1. Bill, me, & Christa outside of Regina's Pizza in the North End.
Bill and me at Mike's with the left over pizza and a little piece of heaven (the whoppie pie).

My last thoughts on Boston:
Running a marathon is like being Mormon, every where you go, you have an automatic best friend. It goes something like this: You're wearing running shoes, I'm wearing running shoes, we must be kindred spirits.

The Boston Marathon

It is time for my report. If you care, keep reading. If you don't, then stop here.
So we didn't take very many pictures....and non of Bill. How terrible. I said to him, "hey, we don't have any together pictures". He didn't seem to think it was a big deal. So time to call in a favor - Dearest Rob & Christa, can you send us a picture or two? Thanks.
Moving on, we had a great trip to Boston! We were able to hook up with our favorite people and eat........because that is what you do at social gatherings........and we played games. So we arrived in Boston, picked up my bib and perused the expo. If felt smaller this year, I think we can thank our tanking economy. Boo.

Here I am with my bib.

Next up....eating. I ate an entire whoopie pie from Mike's and I think it was the key to my success.

Skip forward to Monday, Boston marathon day. Here is Kara Goucher. She took 3rd, bummer. But she is awesome none the less.

Here is Ryan Hall, he also took 3rd, and is also awesome. Did you know that the purse for 3rd place is still $40,000. I wish someone would have told me, I would have kicked it up another gear.

Here I am, suffering at the finish line.
(Note to self, never post a picture of yourself next to an elite athlete)

And here I am finished and back at our friends. Oh hallelujah.

So do you want the details?
I didn't cry. I threw my hands up in the air like Lance Armstrong as I crossed the finish line because I finally broke a major time barrier (for me). I'm happy with the race. It was really hard, and despite all of my hill training, the down hill tore me up by the time I got to the Newton Hills, but I did it. At mile 24, I had a major argument with myself (brain vs legs) about how it really wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't hit my time, that it really wasn't that important anyway, and how I should just walk. But my brain won out and I charged, or hobbled to the finish line!

The temperature for the day wasn't too bad, there was a bit of wind and the temp was high 40's. But once we ran into Boston the wind kicked up. I crossed the finish line and wandered aimlessly towards food, water, blankets etc. But I was picked up along the way and taken to the medical tent. I was okay with it (and very coherent), because I could take a wheel chair instead of walking for another mile. Too bad I had to stay there for a while, my temperature was 93.1 degrees. Awesome. Who would have thought it was so cold out there. There were a lot of people in there with the same problem.
So I warmed up, and headed out to find my very supportive husband who stood outside for the whole race and was still waiting for me. All is well! And I'm finally done with Boston. I think I can leave it alone for a while.

And a special shout out to Jeff & Paige, Rob & Christa, and Eric & Camille! Thank you all so much for everything!!!

The End

Revelation

Last night while I was sleeping, I had a dream...............more like a revelation. It was revealed to me that Betty Crocker has lighter/fluffier cupcakes that Duncan Hines. Can anyone validate this revelation? I think I'm just going to have to have a bake off .

P.S. I normally buy what ever is on sale.
P.P.S. Why am I dreaming of cupcakes?

Final Running Update....

It is time for my final running update. This weeks mileage was 31.5 miles. Thank you taper! All though I will say this has been a tumultuous week. I'm not starving like I was last week, but I've been exhausted, such as everyday during the 3 o'clock hour, I'm struggling to stay awake. Luckily, Friday was Good Friday, and my boss let us go home early, where I took a nap and slept through the Secret Lives of Bees for the 2nd time (the book was way better than the movie). Other than that, I've been kind of grouchy, but this seem to be a common symptom among fellow taperers. But it is time to get my head in the game and start visualizing my race. I hoping this is my year.
Here is what I'll be racing in on Monday, April 20, 2009. Unless it is raining and cold, than I'll probably wear the same thing I wore for my half. I might add some arm warmers and/or a tee shirt. Plus racing shoes and Garmin.

Can I just say that the most important part of my outfit will be my Garmin! Okay, the clothes are very important, but I would be a lost soul without this. And yes, it's old school, but I don't like the Garmin 405, too many buttons, and the price sucks. (no I wasn't trying to be artistic, I threw it on my journal, and decided to post it- voila)

Consider yourself lucky, I'm taking you on a racing ride. Sit tight.( couldn't find pictures of my 1st/worst marathon)2nd marathon. This was my BQ (Boston Qualify) race. I cried. It hurt so much. I think I'm the only one that would grace you all with my ugly pictures.

10k before Boston '07. Kate = happy. 10k = happy.

1st Boston. 1st Nor'easter. 1st cortisone shot in my foot.

Finish of 1st Boston. I'm crying, hence the squinted face. It hurt a lot.

I cried here too. Just thought I'd throw this in for good measure. I've turned into a cryer.

2nd Boston '08. Was totally worked over by the hills (thank you flat Chicago). I walked. I cried. I swore I'd never run another marathon until I could afford a coach.

half marathon, March '09. Kate = happy. Half Marathon = Happy!

Boston '09. I don't know. But I'm feeling good. I've got another week to rest. I've put in the work. I've done hill workouts, sprints, tempo runs, interval training, fartleks, and long runs. What more could I need? Well, a training partner. That would be nice. Cross your fingers for me. I'm going to need all the help I can get. And, this is the end of marathons..........for now.

Poll Results

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Williamsburg_restroom_sign_cropped.svg/600px-Williamsburg_restroom_sign_cropped.svg.png

Are you ready for the results of the poll? Drum roll please..................................
36 % said "Heck Yes, I just turn on my blue tooth and chat away!"
63% said "No way, I get off the phone when I've got to go..."
I'll be honest, I was surprised how many of you talk on your phones while you are going to the bathroom.
This all started last week when I walked into a restroom and this lady was just chatting away. So awkward. I suppose you could possibly, if desperate, talk to someone at home, but come on......in a public restroom. Boo. Please take your conversation else where. Because of her lengthy conversation I flushed the toilet 7 times. Just kidding, I didn't.
Then later that day, I was walking through the halls, and watched this guy rush to the bathroom with the newspaper in hand. Again, weird, read and talk at home, not in public. But if you ever watch How I Met your Mother, they did a whole episode on this, it is pretty funny.
Anyway, that's all I've got, so if you got anything to say, leave a comment.

Dr. Weaverson I presume?

http://static.open.salon.com/files/doctor1218840793.jpg

2 times I have been referred to as "Doctor". Awesome! The bad part is, I just can't bring myself to tell this individual that I'm not a doctor.......because I like the title. Besides, why would a doctor have another doctor doing her scheduling? Unless he thinks I have a M.D., or PhD in awesomeness!!

Running Update

Boston countdown.........2 weeks from tomorrow! This week I came down a little bit in my mileage to 45.3 miles, which is fine. I had to throw out a few miles because my foot was hurting. Oh well. I did a 15 miler on Saturday in beautiful weather and felt pretty good. I was able to do my run at or faster than my marathon pace. So hopefully with a couple weeks of rest, I'll be good to go!
What is scary is that I was watching a video of Kara Goucher (American contender for Boston) of a 20 mile training run she was doing on the Boston course and there was tons of hype, lots of news crews etc there to document it. She said "this is the most over-hyped training run, it is just going to be an easy 7 min mile run for 20 miles." Yeah, I wish 7 min miles for 20 miles was easy.
Anyway, I bought my racing outfit, I'll post it soon. I almost went with a running skirt but Bill had an aneurysm when I walked out of the dressing room in a skirt. Boo. I've always been skeptical, but the one I tried on was really cute and better than I ever expected.

Take my poll if you haven't already!

Poll Time

Please take my poll that is on the right. Be honest, you will not be mocked mercilessly. I just have to know.