A Few of My Favorite Things

Every time I get the Sundance catalog in the mail, I admittedly get very excited.  It's page after page of beautiful things...clothing, jewelry, home items.  It doesn't hurt that the company was founded by Robert Redford (*swoon*).  This morning while sitting with my coffee and having that rare quiet moment, I flipped through the pages of the holiday issue and dog-eared the following items...how beautiful...don't you agree?

Love this Stardust Leather Cuff. It's out of my price range, but a girl can certainly dream.  And besides, who doesn't like a little sparkle?

 

This might have to be my one splurge item this December.  I love this Rise & Shine Sweater and can almost feel the softness and warmth.

The Soft Tones Pullover looks like the kind of sweater you would slip into after a day on the slopes or, in my case, snowshoeing.

 

 

These holiday tokens might have to find their way into stockings...

 

 

I decorate with reds and tans and I can already feel the warmth and coziness of this Missoula Red Plaid Flannel Fireside Throw in our family room.

 

So what holiday catalogues are you enjoying this season?

Turkey Trot - Are You Registered?

This may be one of the most exciting races for me.  I first raced in 2003, my first year in Cleveland.  This year will be my 11th! Holy crap, I've been in Cleveland for 11 years...how is that possible?

I usually race the 5-mile distance, but downsized to the 1-mile fun run while pregnant with B.  A couple years in between, the girls, Greg and I have walked, jogged, and ran the 1-mile fun run together.  But this year, I'll go back to the 5-mile distance solo.  I don't think I'll best my time of 47:52 from 2011, but I'll damn well try.

So don't be a couch potato.  Get out there and run on Thanksgiving! It's my way of justifying the debauchery of food that will follow.

And Hawaii Makes 50

Since both the girls are in school, we knew the 50th (and farthest distance) state would have to wait till summer.  Secretly, I knew the race I wanted to tackle.  After thinking about it a lot (I mean, A LOT), I finally shared my crazy idea with Megan.  She agreed that if we were going to finish this insane challenge...this huge travel and racing commitment...then we needed to do it big.  Not a 5k, not a 10k, not a costume-y kind of race.  I then got up the nerve to tell Greg.  To my surprise, he said he was in.  He would race with me...

I had to do it now.  I've been wanting to do this for a long time.  And so I registered.  I emailed Greg my confirmation.  And by the next morning, he, too, was registered.

On May 31, 2014, we will close out this wonderful challenge by racing Ironman 70.3 Kona.  This will be his second half ironman...it will be my first.  Together, we will swim 1.2 miles in the ocean, bike 56 miles along the same course that we've seen on TV, and finish with a half marathon.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a trip to my local bike shop to pick up a second CycleOps trainer as there will be two of us cycling through these cold winter months.

Wish us luck!

Halloween 2013 - A Frightful, Fun Night

Not even the 40mph winds or the sputtering rain was going to keep B from trick or treating! She dressed up as a cheetah and was cute as can be!

Doing their best Edvard Munch impersonation (top left).  Nightmare before Christmas pumpkin (bottom left).

Columbus Half Marathon

I'm not sure it could have been ANY colder at the starting line.  It was 36 degrees with brutally cold wind (and that comes from a CLE girl). Brrr...

Greg dropped me off around 6:30am. The race had strict rules that all athletes had to be in their corrals by 7:00am for the 7:30am race start.  I wandered my way along Broad until reaching High to drop off my jacket in the clear bag.  I've never wanted to hold on to a possession like I did my jacket! I paced for a good 10 minutes before finally succumbing to the line and handing my warm Northface jacket over to the kind volunteer.  Thank goodness my gloves and I would not be parting.

7:30am came and went.  I was in Corral C, but there was no movement.  Usually in large races it takes about 5-10 minutes before movement occurs.  Sometimes as much as 20 minutes (Kentucky Derby 1/2, Marine Corp Marathon).  I heard fireworks but couldn't see anything around the buildings.  Come on, folks, let's get this thing started!

7:45am and still no movement.  Finally at 7:55am my group started moving a few steps forward.  It wasn't until 8:00am that we were fully released into the streets of Columbus.  By this time, I had spent a half hour fidgeting and jumping around to stay warm (a relative term).  Would I have the energy to do well or did I just expend all I had?

The first two miles were miserable.  Walkers 3-4 wide blocked many stretches. It was tough finding my stride between feeling arthritic from the cold and scooting between runners to find an open space.

Miles 3-6 were nice taking us past the Governor's Mansion and some breathtaking homes in Bexley, before spending some time on Capital University's campus.  Eventually we were back on Broad Street (pretty boring stretch).  It was around mile 8 that I had an "uh-oh" moment.  Now where were those port-o-potties? I saw them EVERYWHERE when I didn't need to go.  Then they were nonexistent.  Damn...this is going to be awkward and a serious change to my running stride! Finally, I found one between mile 8-9 and spent a quality 3-4 minutes.  Prior to finding the port-o-pottie, I was worried I would spontaneously combust.  When I was inside one, nothing...it took what felt like forever to do my business.  But when I was done, I had a little sprite in my step and knew I would finish. 

German Village has always been one of my favorite places.  Meg and I spent many Saturday nights at Cup-O-Joe's and the bookstore next door wandering room to room before finding just the right kids book.  Finally, we were back to High Street for our final 2-mile stretch.  Now how did that incline get here? High Street always seemed flat to me until I was having to run it.  Oh dear...my shoe is untied.  Great.  Better stop since I have the coordination and lightfootedness of an elephant. 

Is that the corner? Can we really be at Nationwide Arena? Oh, thank goodness.  And just like that, another half marathon was completed!

Me and my girls post-race.  Look at that medal - it's a weapon!

Wise Words