Something you probably don't know if you're not a runner

Warning: this post isn't for the faint of stomach. Might not want to read it while you're eating breakfast.

Friday morning I planned to run about 3.5 -4 miles. It would have to be my long(ish) run for the week since I was headed to the suburbs of Chicago Saturday morning. I didn't want to take running clothes or shoes with me on the trip, because I was taking a very small bag with lots of books for work in it. Figured Saturday and Sunday could be my rest days.

Runners get into a certain routine when they're in training. It's good, because it helps you know what to do on race day, keeps you feeling your best. As one of my running friends will tell you, she and I have a method to early morning runs. You get up about 90 minutes before you want to go, have a cup of coffee and some toast with peanut butter. That coffee and PB does wonders for your, shall we say, digestive system. Helps you go to the bathroom before you hit the pavement.

I did all that on Friday morning, but then I had a mini-crisis with my travel plans, so I spent some time trying to figure that out, and my timing got wonky. Finally, I was able to go run.

About halfway through, I had to stop at mom and dad's (strategically planned the route to go by their house, just in case) to use the bathroom. Had to stop and walk to get there, my stomach was really cramping. I made it there just in time, did my business, and was able to run again, the rest of the way home.

It was the perfect storm of a bad run - timing was off, I hadn't had enough water that day, the night before we had Chinese and I drank a soda. I've figured out that soda plays havoc with my system, and the greasy Chinese food didn't help, I'm sure. This has happened to me before, so I always plan to run by places where I can stop if I need to - convenience stores, grocery stores, parents' house, etc.

If you've ever done a road race, you might have seen people just run up to the curb and let loose right there on the street. Yes, it happens. NO, I have never done that (luckily, never needed to). I'm not so worried about time/finishing fast that I won't stop and walk til I can get to a bathroom or PortaPotty. I remember when I ran the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon, I was really surprised to see that (it was my first marathon).

I've got to run today. Here's hoping my routine stays all good.

Let the marathon training begin

I saw somewhere (maybe it was in my email) that there will be a Rock and Roll Marathon in St. Louis this fall. Travel to there will be fairly cheap (we can drive), and I needed a little running mojo motivation.

So, Hubs and I signed up for the race. He'll do the half, I'll do the full. I've been working out, but I haven't been doing a lot of running lately. I've been sampling different classes at Lifetime, and doing DVD workouts at home. I run maybe once or twice a week.

That's going to change. I did an easy two-miler on Wednesday (before we decided on this hare-brained scheme), and we signed up last night for the race. Today, I ran a 5k on the treadmill at the gym. It felt good, and I ran it a little faster than I usually would. I would like to run this race a little faster than the last two marathons I've done. We'll see how that goes.

I think this will be a good carrot, because once summer workshop season starts, exercise isn't high on my priority list. With a marathon on the calendar, running will HAVE to be on that list over the next weeks and months.

PS - Friends and family, you'll probably be happy to know that I'm not doing this race for charity, so I won't be asking you for lots of money over the next few months! :)

Hank says "HI!" and "Mom needs to blog more often."

Sure, I haven't blogged over here in about six months, but it's summertime, so I have a LITTLE more time on my hands, and we've just got THIS GUY!

This is our new kitten, Hank. Those of you who know Gracie know that he is basically her mini-me. He's about 11 or 12 weeks old, and we adopted him from No More Homeless Pets KC, which is an organization that fosters kittens so that they won't be left in shelters where they might not make it.

A few things about him:

• He's cute as hell.
• He's got a TON of energy.
• He's starting to teethe, which is a little problematic.
• He, um, has a lot of gas! (This is not something I remember with Gracie when she was little.)
• He's getting braver by the day.

Gracie and Hank are at least now able to be in the same room with each other, after a little bit of hissing on Gracie's part. Hopefully, they'll be fast friends soon.

Hank was a surprise birthday present from Hubs. We went to pick him out the Saturday after my birthday, so we've had him for about three weeks now.

I've done a few other things lately that should get a little blog love, so hopefully they'll be a few more posts on here soon. For now, though, I'm tired. It's way past my bedtime.

Help from friends DOES keep you more accountable...

I've been absent here, yes, but I have been blogging quite a bit over on Unraveling the Stash. Check it out if you haven't already.

If any of you made New Year's Resolutions to get/stay in shape, I've got a tip for you: enlist a friend to help hold you accountable. It's not a new or revolutionary tip. They tell you that in all the fitness magazines. However, it's been working pretty well for me. Even if your workout buddy lives across the state instead of across town, she really will help your motivation.

Kathryn (lives in Wichita) and I text each other each time we work out, so I always feel guilty if I tell her I'm going to do something and then I don't do it. And, she works out before work most days (she doesn't have to be there at the crack of dawn like a high school teacher does), so when I see that she's worked out for the day, it makes me go later in the day.

I didn't really want to work out yesterday, or Friday after school, but I'd already told her I was going to do it, and I didn't want her to call or text and make fun of me for wussing out.

Of course, I'm typing this after having skipped Zumba class at Lifetime this morning, so will I get a workout in later today?

I guess we'll see.

Happy New Year - 2011

To family and friends - we love you all! Be safe and joyful in 2011.

I've started a new blog project for this year. I'll still be updating here with friends and family fun times, but if you'd like to know what's happening in chitknit's world, check out unravelingthestash.com.

The first post went live tonight, and it will be a yearlong project. More on it later. For now - it's bedtime.

As one of my Facebook friends said, "Midnight used to be the starting point. Now it's the end point."

Getting old is hell, ain't it?

Thanks to Betsy for a great dinner tonight, along with Adam's awesome chocolate fondue and homemade popcorn.

Knitaissance

I hadn't really been knitting much since this summer. I don't usually knit much during the summer just because the heat makes the feel of yarn less enticing, but I feel like this summer I didn't knit ANYTHING.

Then, the beginning of the school year was crazy busy - I was like a rat on the treadmill for those first 10 or 12 weeks. When I would get home from school, I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open, let alone make pretty things with needles and loops of yarn.

Thankfully, I've rediscovered my needles and yarn, and I'm knee deep in a bunch of quick projects right now. You might notice when you see the photos that most things are very gifty, so spoiler alert - if you think you might be receiving one of these gifts, you might want to stop reading now...

Hee hee. Sadly, my Etsy site has fallen victim to craziness in my job and life, so I haven't made anything to sell in AGES. I would really like to start doing that again.

Here's a quick knitting round-up:

Obviously, this little mitt needs a mate. I've made up two left hand mitts, so I need to get going on the right hand ones. This is the Mock Cable Wristers pattern from "60 Quick Knits" in Cascade 220. It truly was a quick knit.

I've made up a couple of these java jackets. They fit perfectly on these grande cups, and as a bonus, they're totally re-usable and environmentally friendly.

I love this tiny wine sweater cozy! Even though it looks complicated, it was a quick project. I think I finished it over about three days. One sleeve one night, the other sleeve the next night, then the body and turtleneck the last night. Simple, and a really cool gift idea, I think - just add the bottle of wine...

This is the "Ballband Dishcloth" pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting. It's a special order for a certain aunt of mine - she's got a great idea. Need a gift exchange gift? How about a couple of knitted dishcloths (they feel so much better than the other kind) and a nice bottle of fancy soap?

I knit this hat for the wife of one of Adam's co-workers. Again, a super-quick project.


And, last but not least, here's Lauryn modeling her mom's birthday present - it's the Ribbed Pillbox Hat also from the "60 Quick Knits" book.

I would really like to tackle something larger (a sweater for myself, or the sweater my husband has been asking for for years), but for now, the little projects will have to do.

Sports and News

Big things have been poppin' around here lately. Good ol' BV's football team just won the 5A State Football Championship over Bishop Carroll this weekend. This was great news for a couple of reasons - one, hello...STATE CHAMPS! Two...got to see my good friend Jaime Green at the game. Even though I'm not one of the "special" ones anymore (no official press pass), I managed to get down on the field to visit her for a few minutes during the game.

That, and watching the PBS special "The President's Photographer" have really made me miss the old job, even though I love the current job. I need to get out there more and make more documentary photographs.

If you haven't watched that special, go to their website to read all about it and watch online. It was so good even Gracie wanted a front row seat.