To race or not to race.

Happy Birthday to Danna! Here we are with a few friends at Dear Lizzie!

It's Kristin here.

This last week's medium run we did 7 miles. (Suz wasn't with us- refusing to subject her lungs to the nasty inverted air quality of last week. I don't blame her.) It was a fantastic run for me! I felt great the whole run- just relishing that runner's high, and the feeling of catharsis that comes with a good long run. This was the first run in months that wasn't a struggle. To be honest, I've been in a bit of a funk. Lately running has been so...grueling for me. I've tried to keep up with D and S, but my body's clearly not in as good of shape as theirs lately. This whole foot injury resting thing has taken me backward big time. Sometimes I hate to admit this, knowing people may hear it and think, "You struggled for months until you got back into the groove? No thanks- running's not for me." But it's worth it! The company was worth it, and the feeling after the run, the caloric burning, the sense of discipline and accomplishment, the fellowship with other runners. Anyway, Iw as so happy to finally be feeling great again! Hang in there new runners, it's so worth it.

On our long run we ran a different trail- one we haven't run in a while. We talked about work, family, cute husbands, running itself (as always), blogging, future races. Danna's really interested in running the Wasatch Back this year- a killer 2-day relay race through the mountain passes that is a blast. Anyone done it? I'm so tempted, bu THE HILLS! I'm so not a hill person. We are also considering the San Francisco Nike women's marathon in the fall (also very hilly of course- San Francisco) where you get a Tiffany Necklace at the end as your medal, served on a silver platter by the local firemen dressed in tuxes. How can a girl resist. Oh hills, why must you torment me? But for the little robin's egg blue box, I think I just might. Suzy, wanna come?


I say run while you can! What if next year you're pregnant? Or have a (non-running-induced) injury? Or what if the air quality makes running impossible? Or... You just never know.

I was totally inspired by this video I found this morning. This guy video taped his Disneyworld Marathon. The nostalgia actually brought tears to my eyes- especially watching the starting line (warning: hand-held camera=shaky running footage), seeing the other runners, the crowd, the whole marathon atmosphere. Can't wait to do it again.



Ksenia left a question on our last post:
Great resolutions! Sorry I couldn't make it for the run with you guys this week. I did about 6 miles today! I feel great. There is nothing better than that feeling of achievement when I finish my run. I agree with you that I really start enjoying it fully only after mile 3!

If I run in the morning, at around 8-9, do I need to eat breakfast? My stomach seems to deal with the run better if I don't. What is the official runner's doctrine on that?

Thanks! You guys are my inspiration!

My thoughts are as follows: We 3 think eating before the race is a good idea, as it settles your stomach. Gels and Gatorade are hard on the stomach. However if you are going to do this you need to practice on the long training runs. We liked a half or full piece of (dry) toast, (D likes a hard-boiled egg), and 1/2 a banana. We also practiced with bananas and pretzels mid-run since that's what the aid stations hand out. Avoid fatty foods, dairy, too much protein, too much fiber/roughage. Also, drink liquids (6-8 oz) as soon as you get up, then 6-8 oz/hour (Galloway's Book on Running p. 90) before you run. I have never been able to eat before a run until I started practicing. I had to put the toast in the toaster the second I got up so I wasn't eating too close to the run.

XOXO

~K

Weekend of fabulousness. -or- Back in the running game!

This is Kristin.

Okay, okay, so I have missed a couple of my regularly scheduled blog entries. Whoopsie! (PS: Kristina Barss, what happened to your regular comment-making ways??)

Well, we have some super exciting news. To get the second bit of news, you'll have to check some of our up-coming blog entries, cuz I can't bear to say all the fun things in one shot!

See this sexy man I'm with? Well he and I have signed up for the SLC half marathon! Anyone else running it? It's going to be so much fun, and I'm psyched to run it with Matt. It's fun (and motivating) to have a big race to look forward to. Guess who else is running it. Danna! And her mom, and like a bunch of her other friends and family. My sister Karin and her hubby might run it too. What a blast!! Wanna join us? It's not too late to sign up.

Another bit of exciting news? My foot..........IS HEALED!!! Yes, it really is. I have been symptom free for several runs, and last week I ran 3 days, over 18 miles total- PAIN FREE! You have no idea how great this is, and what a relief it is too. (PS: My theory on what caused my plantar fasciitis? Not the marathon, but rather the soft flat shows I wore daily for weeks while trying to nurse my other injury.)

I had the BEST and most fabulous week last week. Having New Year's off, I lounged around in bed both Friday and Saturday until the afternoon really. Went running with D both days, and had a blast hanging out with that sexy guy in the photo up there. He spent all his Christmas gifts cards on fun things for us to do together. What a sweetheart.

That same week, some of my favorite people in the world came over.
It was so good to catch up with old college roommates and friends! I love em. I want them to move in with us. Will you guys?


They just happened to marry some of our college guy-friends. Why is Matt replaced in this picture with my friend Ryan? Ryan showed up, and Matt got the flu and went upstairs. I think he was sick of parading around the party in an N-95 mask. :) PS. I may even do a triathlon with some of these guys. Not sure I can swim though.

Another major highlight of the weekend?

What do you notice about the sky in this picture? That's right! It's not dark or sunrise-y. Yes, Danna and I ran in the afternoon! We both like to sleep in and laze in bed. I think we called each other around 2 pm asking, "Are you up?" And those runs were the funnest! (Even though I was a total wimp and needed pep talks all along the run. So out of shape. Curse you plantar fasciitis! **fist shake**) We had that really great kind of girl talk where you go home feeling awesome home refreshed. You know the ones. The runs where you laugh, yell, cry, reassure, thank, listen. I also finished The Book Thief, which D finished a few days earlier. That was one of the things that provoked tears on the run. Sad! Holocaust book! D loved it. I have mixed emotions.

Here's what I'm reading (and loving!) now:


XOXO -K

Running under the blue moon

Posted by: Kristin

Bundled up before the run. After a few minutes that scarf and my coat were gone!

My first experience wearing a grocery store bag on my feet for a snowy trail. Highly recommended! Didn't cause hot feet or discomfort at all! I think adding that foot powder we like would've been even better.

Note to self- trim toenails more often. My pinky nail jabbed me all through the run!

I just found out that last night (December 31st) was a blue moon! A blue moon is the rare situation in which there is a full moon twice in one month. This only occurs one every 2-3 years. Hence the famous phrase "once in a blue moon." No, it's not a person mooning you when they're cold.

Well, most people have to wait until it gets dark to enjoy the blue moon, but we 3 got to see it nice and early Wednesday morning. We didn't realize it was a blue moon at the time, but we did get look at it and comment on how full and beautiful it looked. Seriously, winter morning runs are so gorgeous!

What a beautiful run! But a seriously tough one for me. I think I'm majorly out of shape compared to D and S. I was huffing and puffing and begging for walks. They were gliding along like nimble gazelles, and I was a clumsy rhino in the few inches of soft/sandy snow. They were Olympic speed skaters and I was just putting on my first skates; they were Thumper on the ice and I was Bambi. You get the idea- I was working hard! D and S had their Yaktrax. I'm considering getting something like that, cuz my bod was so so sore from stabilizing the whole run! Sheesh!
Here's D's sidewalk to give you an idea of the snow depth- our path was NOT plowed, thankyouverymuch.

Me, coyly showing my frosty hat.
I really wanted to get a shot of D's hair- white with frost, but I kid you not, 5-10 seconds after we entered her house the frost was melted!

This pic doesn't do justice to the bright red stripes on my ribs and belly. Even after the hot shower these spots stayed super red from being cold! This always happens where I have excess body fat (yes I have a bit over my ribs there). Weird! A fun reminder of where you need to lose a little! Not.

Wish you could see this pic up close! Suzy's hairs were each individually wrapped in frost- just like pine needles get in the morning. It looked so cool. It was cooler that usual since we ran through some seriously wet foggy spots. It felt like running through a humidifier's stream!

Hey!! No one has said anything about my last post where we invited y'all to run with us! No takers? What if it's at 11:00 am? C'mon, don't be afraid, ladies!

Happy New Year! XOXO

It's a very Vegas Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone, it's Danna!

Ok, I'll be honest- since I usually am about this kind of stuff. Christmas and I are not really on speaking terms. In fact we would consider ourselves frenemies. The reason for the holiday- Yes, I'm on board. The endless to-do lists- not so much. I have thought about it this year, and this is what I find to be true. Christmas-time= double yuck. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day= Super fun. There are a few things I enjoy about Christmas- Handel's Messiah, looking at OTHER peoples Christmas lights, Dinner with Adam's family, The Christmas Concert downtown, Presents from ADAM! (he is a good gift giver...seriously good,) Crazy Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas morning with just the two of us, Hot Chocolate and Steamers with biscotti, buying stuff for Adam that he would not buy for himself. And the best tradition of all- Leaving it all behind to to go to UNChristmas Las Vegas!

We (probably best said, ME) like to go down and stay in Mandalay Bay- the best Vegas resort. There are a few things I know how to do- Vegas is one of them. Well- Vegas for Mormons that is! This year we decided to come back in time for Actual Christmas. So we went last weekend and early this week. Let me tell you how surprised we were when we found out that we had been upgraded to a totally sweet suite! For Free! Here we were paying 70 bucks a night, for a $750 room. This is my kind of Merry Christmas Surprise! We even had a private elevator to get to our chi chi room. It was bigger than my house! Marble floors, two lounge areas, a tv over the huge tub. HEAVEN!!!!

I told Adam to just leave me there- I was NOT going back. We had a riot. Adam hiked in red rocks while I lost consciousness in the spa. We ate at the buffets like refugees. I shopped for my new smaller body- which is way fun- let me tell you. We read a book together and spent time talking. That is my idea of Christmas!

Of course- my MOTHER emailed me to remind me of the 2 days rule. Which is... All runners should take a rest day. It is important. Sometimes we even go 2 days with out running. BUT- never, ever should you not run three days in a row. It is then a habit to not run, and can be very dangerous! So- I put on a tank top and shorts(!!!!) and ran the strip. It was fun to see everything and be totally entertained while running. There were guys handing out those disgusting fliers, and then I saw people from a local church carrying a GIANT cross. Only in Vegas. I did lots of stairs on the overpass street crossings. My calves were sore for days! Great shake-it-up run. Vacation running is super fun. It's a great way to see your destination.

Well- I hope you all have a beautiful Christmas that does not involve grinches like me. I'm going to go for a run now to cope. Merry Christmas!

If you're thinking 'bout bein' my running partner it don't matter if you're hot or cold...

Ha ha, little ode to MJ there. But what I mean to say by that title is that Danna and I are very different in some ways, but even so we make great running partners. I am always cold, she is always hot. This makes choosing the time of day for our Saturday runs a tricky process. I could seriously live all summer without A/C and never complain. Danna could do winter without a heater, easy. I hate carrying my jacket, but freeze for the first mile or 2 if I don't bring it. Danna has been running in shorts and no jacket since March. BUT, we both like to sleep in! Danna likes to run at night, I prefer to get it done in the morning. She says "Lava (rhymes with java) Hot Springs," I say "Lava (like the "la" in "lamp") Hot Springs" which is, by the way Danna, how the locals say it as we have discussed.

We have created a code with which we can discuss any spot along the parkway. If she called me mid-run and I said "I'm at garbage can," she would know exactly where I was. It's kinda fun. Thanks to her GPS watch we have also clocked out every 1/2 mile along the parkway. Some of the locations we speak of frequently are pretty funny-sounding. Here are some of my favorite examples:

House 6334
The horseshoe tar (there is a bit of tar painted into a horseshoe shape)
The arrows (arrows painted on the road)
The quad (Go Aggies!)
The last Russian Olive
Stinky truck stop
The spot with the prettiest view
Duck pond
(and Danna, I bet you would know what I was referring to if I said: Graffiti underpass, mosquito bog, huge slug spot, starting line, tree...)

There is a man who runs on the parkway with his wife. He runs at a slow limping-type pace. He runs barefoot! We refer to him as "Barefoot Man." During one of my cool downs he passed me and I summoned my courage to ask "Sooo, why do you run barefoot?" He explained to me that a shoe is like a cast, and that it is better for the foots range of motion and general mobility to go shoeless. I mean, often times he runs on the rocky gravel and it seriously looks painful. Foot ROM? What about arch support?? Well, I didn't feel he was very happy with my asking, so even though Danna and Suzie were very excited and had more questions, I feel I have overstepped my bounds with Barefoot Man.

Matt modeled for me what we imagine happening to Barefoot man:

We have cool "Runner's Logs" that we write in every day. They are pretty fun and motivating. here's an example from one of my pages:



One thing Danna forgot to mention in her last post was that this Saturday an amazing event occurred- WE PASSED OTHER RUNNERS on the Parkway! This was a first for us, but we passed 2 other runners who were training for a half-marathon! That was definitely one for the log book. Very special.



I would like to celebrate by sharing an amazing picture I took. An aerial view of my shorts and shoes.


A bonus video of one random morning last week: