Back on 2 feet

Pete and I had a great run yesterday evening. It was only 2 miles, but it was hard and my legs were tired! The road to a WIN has now begun! I'm even back to trying the 100 Pushup Challenge. That is one hard program. I did some other strength stuff too, situps, planks, bicycles, the glute-bridge thing that I don't know the real name for. And, this morning, I can tell I got a decent workout in!

I'm really hoping tonight's storm holds out and I can get a decent bike ride in before the thunder and lightning strikes. I'm so lucky to have borrowed a mountain bike from a friend, but I had to drop it off at Elite to get the pedals changed and TGO's tires swapped out. We had planned to ride the Peddler's Jamboree over Memorial Day weekend, but a family wedding is pulling TGO to Milwaukee instead.

So I'm hoping I can convince him that we need to instead race the Dirty Duo later in June. I mean really. There is a huge mud pit that you have to crawl thru to get to the Finish Line. How fun is that?!!?

Anyone else planning to do that race?? Have you done it in the past?

Brrrrr-ainy day!

Whats up with this crazy May weather!? Its supposed to be getting warmer, sunnier and all around gorgeous-er. Instead, its cold and rainy. Wah.

I was looking forward to a Sports Bras 2 Sports Bars run tonight at Pizza 51 with some wonderful women, delicious pizza and cold brews. Alas, the pending T-Storm is raining on my parade.

Luckily one of my fellow runner-girls and I are still meeting for cocktails to celebrate my new job!! She also informed me that there is a Happy Hour app for the i-phone. That might just be the best news of my day!

I'm hoping to get crackin' on my new training plan, utilizing the 100 Pushup plan for strength training, and Lake Quivira for open water swims once it gets a bit warmer out. Cross your fingers that will happen soon!

It might be time...

TGO is picking up the bikes from Elite Cycling as I type. I borrowed a mountain bike from an amazing athlete and friend so we can ride the Katy Trail soon. In the meantime, I'm hoping to hit the Indian Creek and Tomahawk Creek trails to test out the borrowed ride.

As we took Pete for a long walk last night (after TGO made dinner for me!) I started getting a bit of the itch. I think it might be time to start training again. I'm a little hesitant, because I've been in this mode before but it hasn't stuck. I don't want to go spend my life savings to register for a race, so I thought. Hmm... Maybe I should actually find a training plan for the Sprint Tri I'm already signed up for. Novel concept huh? Train to be prepared, and then I can race it and do a little more than just go out for fun and to finish.

So I'm going to try Hal Higdon's Tri 2 program that I found online. It almost seems silly after the LOOOOOOOONG distances I was doing this time last year, but then I remember: I don't think I could run a mile straight right now. Maybe training will be necessary!!

Also, I've had a GREAT week, and I'm excited to share the big news with the e-world next week. Stay tuned!

Last of the Vacaticans

Back to reality on Monday morning. More about that to come...

But first: what a great last few days of vacation! I got to really enjoy 2 weeks of spring. The highlights are as follows....

- Royals v. Twins for Monica's birthday. Went out to the K with TGO and a whole bunch of friends. Despite the slight drizzle and slightly chilly temperatures, it was a ton of fun to get out and watch some ball.

- Lots of Pete time. Between long walks, Shawnee Mission Park and Lake Quivira, Pete and I had some serious quality time together enjoying the sun. I swear, watching him chase a tennis ball out in the lake is pretty impressive. My dog swims better than Michael Phelps' dog that's for sure. He'll even dive off the docks to retrieve his beloved yellow ball.

- Trip to Minnesota-yah you betcha with Mam and Dad to see Gramma and the family. We even went to the store to get Coke and have them put it in a beg for us. (It's funny if you read this with a MN accent, I promise. We'll at least its funny to me.) It was great to see a good chunk of the family and spend some QT with my 87 year old grandmother, Aunt Kerri and Uncle T. The highlight (or maybe I should say Lowlight) of the trip? When Gramma asked for sugar cookies and complained about not being able to bake in her apartment (they live in memory care and the stove/oven are turned off for safety's sake), I offered to bake with her in the main living room. After getting the break and bake dough from the store, Gramma had no interest in baking with me. So I took them down, set the timer and returned on time to take them out. However, the cookies were still doughy in the middle so I let them bake another 90 seconds or so. When I took them out, the smoke escaped from the oven, setting off the fire alarms. The staff at Croixdale sure responded quickly! Luckily the residents couldn't hear the alarm (that's what happens when you're pushing 90) and the Bayport FD was on its way. No real fire, just burnt cookies... and the worst part? Not that I didn't get to meet the cute firefighters, although that too is a tragedy... the cookies still weren't done in the middle, just burnt to a crisp on the bottom!

- Totally booked social calendar for the rest of the weekend. The KC Multisport Wine Tasting at the Cellar Rat was Friday night. Tons of fun and a great chance to catch up with all my swim-bike-run buddies. Saturday, we went to TGO's friends' BBQ, my friend's BBQ, to Tanners to meet one of his buddies and to a bar to celebrate his sister's birthday. And we still made it home by 11! Sunday Funday brought a Reedy family picnic at Lake Quivira, where Pete again got to swim, play tennis and basketball (yes, he played all three sports better than most of us humans!) and we all enjoyed Johnny C's pizza and cupcakes. Afterwards we toured the Boulevard Brewery and completed the day with cocktails and dinner on the rooftop at The Well. And we topped it off with gelato from The Sweet Guy. I don't think the day could have been any better!

Long time, no post. Here's what's happening in my next of the woods...

Well, its been a long time since I've posted much of anything. I'm not sure what I've been waiting for, so I guess its time for an update.

Its been just over a month since I've been unemployed. Friday was the first day that I didn't have any appointments or anything I really needed to get done. It was pretty tough. But TGOs now-spotless apartment thanks me. Everything on that front of life is wonderful. Couldn't be better, in fact.

I haven't been training much either. My hopes of the Hospital Hill half marathon have gone down the drain, but with good reason. I'm going to need to be at another race that Girls on the Run is benefitting from. And I just might get to hang out with one of my idols.... More details to come as they get hammered out.

I have been enjoying semi-leisurely, semi-sweaty bike rides, runs that turn into walks with Pete, tennis games with TGO, and avoiding the 9,000-count pollen whenever possible. It's been fun to get a normal-person amount of exercise and just have fun while doing it. I do miss the competition and the challenge of serious training, but for now, this will do.

GOTR needs you to run!

Girls on the Run of Johnson County needs 25 men and women to join our team of charity runners for Hospital Hill on June 5. Can we count on you?

http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/

Girls on the Run is a featured charity at Hospital Hill, one of the most popular road races in Kansas City. If you sign up to be a fundraiser for Girls on the Run of Johnson County, we'll pay your race registration! You must hurry though! They will cap the race at 7500 runners and expect to have all slots filled by mid-May. Contact us so we can get you signed up as a SoleMate and pay your race entry.

Benefits:

Sign up to run or walk any distance: 5k, 10k or half marathon
Money raised will help us grow Girls on the Run program
Low fundraising minimum - $262
Custom online fundraising page
Technical running shirt with SoleMates logo
Discounts on New Balance gear
Special perks at our booth on race day, including bag check, food & drink and post-race foot massage!

You can also be a SoleMate fundraiser for other races, including the Girls on the Run 5k on May 22 at Garmin. Watch for exciting details soon!

For more info on SoleMates or to join our team of fundraisers, contact our SoleMates chairman Sarah Swenson: solemates@girlsontherunkc.com or visit our website.

Good Friday Ride

I got a good "long" ride in Friday noon. I'm still adjusting to long rides being in the 20-mile range. (I'm also still adjusting to how to use the print screen option on my computer!)

I went south from Nanny and Poppy's as far as the road would let me, then headed east. I was delighted at how wind-free the ride was. For Good Friday, it was a beautiful day. Being outside is a great spiritual release for me, so it was a great way to be one on Good Friday.

So gorgeous weather, rude horses that didn't appreciate my insightful winney, and flat roads. Seriously, riding in Wichita is like buttah. Buttah' on a flat, flat pancake. I mean, look at the elevation change in the map, well, I should say, lack of elevation change. And, the wind was wonderful.

Until I turned around. YIKES. Talk about pedaling into the wind. Luckily it wasn't quite as bad as earlier in the week, but I still had to work.

I really do like not having a training schedule. It makes things so much more fun and relazing when you don't have to keep an eye on your heart rate or cadence or mileage. Heck, I didn't even put my Garmin on my bike. It was delightful. A 1.5 hour sweaty delightful, flat afternoon.

Followed promptly by some serious play time with my three favorite little guys.

Lions and Tigers and Fools Oh My!

Wichita's zoo has got to be one of the best in the country. We spent a good chunk of Thursday at the Sedgwick County Zoo, oogling the animals and chasing around the munchkins.

The new tiger exhibit really impressed me. It had all the little touches to enhance the experience. Footprints, growls and even tiger "scat" - with a sign explaining what that is. Very clever. We got to be about 1 inch from a huge live tiger - with just a piece of glass separating us. It was very cool.

We fed the giraffes alfafa and hay. We watched the lions gnaw on big bones, just like Pete does in our own living room. We saw the meerkats scamper and stare at us.

Sean, Ian and Jake are such animal experts. My nephews continue to amaze me.

Also, in honor of April Fool's Day, I had to play a joke an TGO. I talked to him mid day, and told him it had been a bad day because Pete had run away that morning and still hadn't come back. He was devastated. Thank God it was only a joke though, because we both would have a horrible time with that. Pete's week in Wichita was exhausting for him, though...

First Ride since Ironman!

Headed out on the flat, flat roads of Wichita with my sister in law, Natasha. She is training for the Country's Most Beautiful Bike Ride at Lake Tahoe, raising money through Team in Training.

Tash is still a pretty new cyclist, so it was fun to get out and share some of the tips I've learned through my past couple years of riding.

It was a gorgeous spring day, but it was very KANSAS. And by that I mean, we totally could have been taken in a gust of wind to Munchkinland. We headed south from my parents house, straight into the wind. It sucked.

It felt great to be back on my bike, but i don't think I've ever battled winds like that before on two wheels. We went out 5 miles and decided the wind equated to about 8 or 10 miles. Heading back home felt like flying. It took no effort at all.

The best part of the ride? The polite and welcoming Sedgwick County cows. What delightful ladies. As I moo'ed hello to the herd, every one of them rose to greet us, chewing their cud and nodding a respectful "Good Effort" to the two crazies on two wheels.

If only horses were as welcoming.

Mid-terms

I've been investigating career options, taking personality and career tests online. Some are great, others are not as helpful, but hopefully I'm making some progress toward a new career!

Trish took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! ""Has a strong desire to contribute and influence o..." Click here to read the rest of the results.