Am I not Sweet enough??

Well, so far so good. I've been eating well, no beer, no wine, no cookies, no coffee. But, I have developed a new habit. HONEY. I'm not kidding. Can't get enough of it. I try to limit myself to one LARGE spoonful in every two mugs of hot water with lemon, which is my version of tea, I guess, I basically drink it all day while I'm working. Up until about a week ago I drank the water without anything in it. But since I started being all GOOOOOD, now I just want to swim in it!

What's up with that? Weird, hah? Maybe it's a vitamin deficiency. Which reminds me. I am going to go take my multi-vitamin, my B-complex, and my Omega-3 right now and see if the craving goes away...

A. j.k.l.. Challenge

I hesitate to start this trend in our blogging, I hesitate because I get tired of reading others in their 'woe-is-me' 'I'm so fat' 'feel bad for me' blogging. Truth is, IT GETS OLD, FAST!!!! But, here's the deal: almost a year has passed since my blogging partner, Kari, and I happened upon our sista in blog-land, Jewelz. To put it quite bluntly, there has been a love-affair between our two blogs for quite some time now. For those of you who believe in love-at-first-sight - you understand. Our love for eachother is unconditional. The three of us leaned on Atalanta during our Paris Marathon training - because we all needed the experience that she could shine down upon us. We were marathoning virgins, and required all the mojo we could muster from eachother and from our revered Goddess, Atalanta. So, whatever she told us to do - we did it, without question.

Atalanta has visited the three of us, inidvidually, in the past three weeks and offered each of us a swift kick in the ass. She has said the same thing - too much of a good thing is not always a good thing, ladies. You are all losing those figures that you worked so hard to achieve in April. Don't get me wrong, femmes, you still look ROCKIN HOT, but you three need to pull it together and focus.

As usual, when Atalanta yells at us, we snap to attention. We are starting the Atalanta Jewelz Kari Laura Challenge. (get it? A. j.k.l. challenge).  We aren't really racing eachother to a weight goal, or exercise goal, etc.... we are simply blogging in solidarity to reach our individual goals. You see, if there is one thing we learned from training for Paris, it was that the three of us are unbeatable alone and INVINCEABLE together.

So, here are my goals: (and I plan to keep you all notified of my sucesses and failures)

1. drop 12 lbs. (through simple modifications to diet and exercise)
2. run 15 miles a week (minimum)
3. weight train twice a week (minimum)
4. support my femmes in their road to reach their goals
5. blog it ALL

I am going to buy myself a running necklace like this one when I reach my goals. I really want it specialized for the Paris Marathon with my femmes' initials and an apple on them..... still working on the details (but I think I will have to order THREE!)

Here's how I fared this weekend:

The most delish lentil - chicken soup!

Greek Vegetarian Apetizer Sampler

(hummus, Baba, Tabouleh)

That's a great start toward those goals!

AND - I've added the Hangover Half-Marathon in Albany, New York to my future plans (January 1, 2010).  I believe that I have talked LimaRuss, Judi, Sue, MaryKaren, and my father in law to partake. There may be a few more from my work, too. It's going to be an EVENT! I can't wait. Hey Ms. Fool, how about you take the train to Albany for New Years and join in on the fun??????

The Challenge is ON!

Okay, let's start our challenge today. You know what you need to do, how much you need to lose, what size you need to fit into.

Let's check in once a week to see how it's going. I'm warning you, though. I have a secret weapon: No booze. Yesterday was my last glass of wine (or beer or grappa) until further notice. I think that should take care of the most calories, right there. I hope my liver doesn't freak out from the lack of pollution. I will keep you up-to-date on that one. Tomorrow I'm making a big ole pot 0' soup which should get me through tomorrow dinner and two days of lunches. I am also keeping a food and workout diary.

What are your tricks? I need a few more.
Good luck, my friends!

Celebrate - zzzzzz

My blogging birthday passed without much fanfare - actually, barely anyone asked or cared about our blogging birthday (except of course, you all. I'm speaking of my non-blogging friends, of course.)  My intention was to run for the first time since Rochester, but I just couldn't sqeeze it in. Truth is: I began weight training again earlier this week and my legs are still SCREAMING at me. I need to convince them that the extra work (60 weighted lunges) will suit them well - make them look younger than they really are, but they just aren't convinced yet. So, until they start feeling better, I will be sticking to my upper body training (my arms know that they need the extra work, and are willing to put up with my torture.) Deep down, I don't really miss the running yet. My body still feels the need for rest - so I will continue to listen.

Up today? I am the announcer for our high-school football games (something that gets me in out of the wet and cold, and still allows me to watch the game) - so, we have a big game today. Followed by a gig at a local bowling alley - ROCK ON EXIT 47!!!!

AND - my friend MaryKaren and I are going to make the 2009-2010 school year "half-marathon year." I ask you all to start scanning the schedules.... help us find 10 halves that are destined to be run by us. (preferably in NE United States *** Kari - I am not coming to Trieste!)

Happy First Birthday Road to Paris!

I made you a cake! Hope you like it! It's fat free, of course... I tried to find a good one on cakewrecks.com but I mostly got grossed out by their cakes, even if they are hilarious.

I still can't believe we started this blog a whole year ago! That means we were just starting our training for the Paris marathon. That reminds me-- I better get going on my training for Trieste in May. Still think I can talk Laura into it...

I am pretty happy with my running, though. I did a cruel 11-miler yesterday that I hoped would be 12 from my house to Slovenia and back. I would like to try to keep my mileage above 30 for the week, but it's not easy when I have looming deadlines. I'm at 19 so far for this week. Hopefully I can sneak something in today. The weekend will be busy.

I think I need to make myself a pot of coffee, all of my sentences are starting with "I". Not good. This post was supposed to be all about the blog and it's birthday.

Bloggy blog? What would you like for your birthday? A new gadget? Ok. I will have to find something fun, just as soon as I finish my coffee and start my work for the day and need another minute to procrastinate... When Laura gets up we can sing Happy Birthday.

I forgot to say this before, so I'll say it now

I am not completely certain about this, but certain enough to put it in print for all to read. I belive that exactly a year ago on September 13, 2008, Kari and I decided to run the Paris Marathon. How great it was that exactly a year later, September 13, 2009, I ran my second marathon. I never thought that I'd run even one marathon in my life - and I ran two in 6 months.  Isn't that cool????

Now, off to shed my extra pounds, too. If there is one thing I have learned during the past year it's that Kari and I pretty much do everything together - that apparently means gain kilos, too. Lots of work to do.

Greetings from just out of the fat zone

Well I'm finally getting my miles back up. Which helped me discover something really, truly amazing.

It is true what they say: there IS a correllation between calories you put in and calories you burn. Yep, that's right! Now that I'm running more, and eating a bit more sensibly, I am actually LOSING weight!! Remember how I thought that I could continue to eat like a marathoner even though I took a break from training JUST BECAUSE I WAS HUNGRY? And then remember how annoyed I was that I blimped out to monstrous proportions? Remember how people had the nerve to NOTICE?

Well... I got to feeling a little envious of the Limarusses and the Lauras and the Michaels who were running the Rochesters and decided to step up my training a bit. Now that daily mile allows you to look at your weekly milage, I can share with you what mine has been since Paris:

Marathon week: 35 miles (Rock n Roll! Slap me on the back! Plus, I am SKINNY!!)

The following weeks: 0 miles, 2 miles, 18 miles, 4 miles, 4 miles, 0 miles (Appetite as big as ever!), 2 miles, 19 miles (I'm running again, can eat as much as I want!), 8 miles, 14 miles, 6 miles, 22 miles, 13 miles.

June 29. I weigh myself. CRISIS. I am six kilos heavier than race day. That's about 13 pounds more. I decide to eat a little better. And keep running. The following weeks:

10 miles, 14 miles, 5 miles (doh!).

This is when I start running to my appointments because with guests I don't have time to go for real runs: 17 miles, 17 miles, 20 miles, 21 miles. Not bad. But...

My pants don't fit. I think about going to a dietician (do I have a glandular problem?!). In spite of increasing my milage, I am now 8 kilos heavier than race day, that's about 17.5 pounds more. I start doing jumping jacks in desperation. The mirror confirms it. I am fat. I see a picture of myself. I can't believe my butt is that big. I have been running more, but the scale sticks its tongue out at me nevertheless. It's not fair. I decide to run smaller distances but more often.

The next three weeks: 24 miles, 24 miles, 24 miles. I am proud of myself for being consistent. I feel happy again. I am starting to lose some of that post-marathon party chub.

The next week: 7 miles: I was on vacation, and really partying too hard to run. But the guilt did get to me, enough to make me push it the next week.

Finally... Last week: 34 miles. Three 10-mile days. And now I feel great! Today I realized that I have lost 4 kilos (8.8 pounds), which feels much better on the way down than it did on the way up. I can put away the fat pants. I am out of the danger zone (this is the crossover point where I go from being lean to chunky) even though I would like to get down to race weight and stay there.

I'm kind of a slow learner, I know. I have gone up and down with my weight hundreds of times and every time I get down, I have this ridiculous idea that THIS time I will just STAY there. But I don't. So I'll probably be out with Michael B, running til I'm 100 (that's what he says on his blog anyway, Michael, I am there with you!).

In the meantime I have figured out a few things that have helped me:
1. Taking a multi-vitamin (I think it keeps me from craving chocolate. Honestly. Haven't touched the stuff in a couple of months)
2. Not buying bread. (I eat that hard bread instead. I don't know why. Reminds me less of cake).
3. Making a pot of veggie soup on Sunday and getting a couple of liquid lunches out of it (want the recipe?).
4. Running multiple times in one day, even if it's a mile at a time (a mile is better than zero, and once I get that done, I can usually talk myself into another one).
5. Running to work and appointments at least one way (These are free miles because you have to go these places anyway and this way I don't have to worry about traffic or waiting for the bus. People have been pretty cool about it, too).
6. Your body reflects your behavior from two or more weeks ago. If you do bad things now, you're going to be crying on the scale in two weeks. Trust me on this one.
7. Fitness and weightloss must be maintained. You have to always keep that in mind.

That's it for now. I have to run to a meeting now. Need to get there early to towel off.

I Think I'm Going to Join This Group

I think I might be ready for something new:  click here

Bring on Marathon #3, and #4

Well, I posted my post-marathon report and thought it was pretty good, but it turns out no one is reading it, or commenting (which leads me to check and re-check that it actually posted okay - which it did.) It was 26.2 frigging miles, folks! I ran it with some of the coolest people in the Greater Rochester Area (and California!)

OK, rant over - response to THREE mentions of me running in Europe with Michael, Kari and Ms. Fool. NOT GONNA DO IT!!! Peer pressure and guilt will not change the fact that my school schedule will not allow me to run Trieste Marathon on May 2nd followed by Prague a week later. I will dispell any rumors of such - NOT GOING TO DO IT, simply can't make it happen.

Marathon #2 - Rochester, New York (and the surrounding 26 miles)

There are a few things that I learned when running my very first marathon.

1. it is best to run with a partner (for many reasons, and I'll elaborate later)
2. stay hydrated and take water at every water station (walking as you do)
3. cheer on the crowd as much as they cheer you on (keeps your mind in a happy place)
4. the last 6 miles are harder than anyone could possibly tell you
5. it is important to have a huge party planned at the end in order to keep your mind occupied during the last 6 miles

RUNNING WITH SOMEONE:

Paris was a HUGE marathon, simply huge. There were over 30,000 people running and it was absolutely impossible to run by yourself. At times that was a disadvantage because it was sometimes hard to keep a pace that worked, but it was largely and advantage. Similarly, running with Kari was perfection - we had a perfectly matched pace and were essentially the Ying to eachother's Yang. When she was strong, I used her energy, and vice versa.

Rochester was miniscule, comparatively. There were only 600 people running the marathon and as the field stretched out along the 26 miles, it was absolutely impossible to run with someone the entire time. At times this was a disadvantage because it was impossible to gather energy from the runners around you, but is was also nice at times to be alone with the 15 miles of Erie Canal - I enjoyed this long stretch along the Erie Canal until about mile 20, when I was just about ready to jump right in and swim the rest of the way.  Having said that, I missed my friend, Kari and feel that Atalanta left me for a few miles when I needed her most. Not to worry, though, I found company in a younger (and much skinnier, bitch) woman who needed my support just as much as I needed hers. From mile 19 on, we set small goals for ourselves and urged eachother on ... not the same way as Kari did, but I don't know that anyone would have the sense of humor at mile 22 to tell me that it was ok that I had lost mine and didn't need it. (still one of my favorite stories from Paris!)

STAY HYDRATED

During my training for marathon #1, I had grown accustomed to having water with me for every step of the way. I carried my water belt with me and liked the ease-of-mind that it provided me. That effin thing broke at about mile 3 or 4 and I ended up tying it to my body and ditching the bottles at mile 11 or 12.  It worked out just fine, though, because Paris was well-equipped to hydrate the massive amounts of runners with bottled water at every water stop. While the bottles were down-right dangerous as they were cast aside from the THOUSANDS of runners who had arrived at the water stations before us, it was a great excuse to walk through each and every water station. Similarly, the system that Kari and I developed between these water stations worked brilliantly - we shared one bottle between the two of us - it was perfect!!!

During my training for marathon #2, I had grown accustomed to not having water with me. I usually made a pass back home for a refill or arranged for someone to meet me out on the route. I really liked not having to haul the extra weight around. Rochester was well-equipped to hydrate its marathoners, used paper cups and gallons of water, but it worked just fine. I ended up carrying a water bottle with me from the start of the marathon (a fluke, really. The starting bell sounded and I had an unfinished bottle in my hand.) As it worked out, I would pour a cup of water into the bottle, drink a cup of water, and pour one over my head at every water station. It worked great - I remained hydrated, I walked through the stations, and I was sufficiently SOAKED at the finish line.

CHEER ON THE CROWD

Paris streets were lined from beginning to end (with the exception of a very few spots) with bands, crowds, entertainment, dancers, hot french firemen, random food stations, and a generally energetic atmosphere. Kari and I quickly settled into the practice of clapping for the entertainment (and even singing with them) as much as they were for us. Admitedly, toward the end, there was little energy to give them, but truth be told, the crowd was thin at that point anyway. Similarly, we benefitted from our small band of groupies as they found us along the route. How they managed to track us down three or four times is beyond me, but is was invaluable!

Rochester streets were not lined from beginning to end (with the exception of a very few spots) with entertainment and crowds BUT I will say this: the people who WERE there were die-hards. Their energy was fantastic. I especially appreciated the father and two young boys who seemed to pop up at each and every mile. Their ability to follow us from start to finish made me wonder if they were as tired as I was at the end of my 26.2 mile journey. I loved looking for them, and they soon started chanting JELL-O JELL-O as they would see me coming (AND, NO, it wasn't because of the jiggling of my mid-section that made them chant, I was wearing my Jell-o visor.)  I depended on them being around every corner, and they didn't let me down. I high-fived them at least 10 times out there!!

THE LAST 6 MILES

Really, do I have to relive these in writing???? All I need to say is this: the 2nd marathon was no easier than the 1st. The only difference was that I knew the pain was approaching this time. I walked much more in Rochester than we did in Paris - mind was simply stronger than my body this time around.  I do, however, think that these last 6 miles and the pain associated with them are not unlike childbirth. As quickly as it is over, you seem to forget about it. Consequently, your mantra of "why the hell am I doing this, why the hell am I doing this, why the hell am I doing this...." is quickly replaced with "when the hell am I going to do this again.......?" REALLY??? Am I thinking about marathon #3?????

HUGE POST-MARATHON-PARTY = MIND IS DISTRACTED

Truth????? At no time during marathon #1 or marathon #2 did I think about the wonderful parties that were planned afterwards. Truth???? We had two amazing parties planned at the end of each marathon. Truth????? there was a common sensation that I experienced toward the end of each marathon (mile 25 and on....) Sausage! At the end of the Paris Marathon, our band of followers met us and cheered us. What they didn't realize was that the 'street meat' that they were eating looked so freaking delish that I wished they had brought one for me. By the time we managed our way through the crowd to reach them, their morsels of food were deep in their bellies (leaving ours still very empty.)

My hunger in Rochester at mile 25 was OUTRAGEOUS. I wanted an Italian Sausage so badly that I told the crowd on the side of the street that I needed one. Mile 26.1 was even worse. .1 mile from the finish line, my belly was stronger than my mind and my body and it took every ounce of energy I could muster to keep my feet headed in the finish line direction (and not heading off to Nick Tahous's for a garbage plate.) At the end, I raced to the hospitality tent, grabbed two bagels, an orange, a piece of pizza and a bottle of water. When I found my husband, I sent him for a hotdog (ok, TWO.) I was starved.

As much as I ate at the conclusion of this race, I was still able to put away a handsome plate of goodness when I arrived at LimaRuss's house for our spectacular post-race party. 

IN CONCLUSION:

Every race is different. There is nothing that can compare with the sensation of crossing the finish line at the end of a 26.2 mile demonstration of determination. I had many people running this marathon with me, none of them WITH me but all of them OUT there at the same time. Great story: I wasn't the first of my many friends to cross the finish line ( although I was happy with my 4hour 50 minute finish.) Here's my inventory of friends who participated in this race:

1. LimaRuss - first time marathoner, met him during my training for Paris, Rotarian, inspiration for many! (Finished in great form, despite cramps and pain from mile 22 on....)
2. Judi - first time half-marathoner, met her through LimaRuss, runs every race in honor of her late brother, inspiration for many! (Finished ahead of her projected goal - fantastic job!)
3. Michael - 29th marathon, member of GoonSquad, British transplanted to California, fellow blogger, inspiration for many!! (Finished a quiet marathon with no problems what-so-ever) 
4. Cliff - first time marathoner, last minute decision to run, barely trained, usually bikes hundreds of miles for Cancer awareness, high-school graduate with me, inspiration for many! (Finished in a very respectable time despite body-shut-down from 20miles on.)
5. Paul - ironman (need I say more?) inspiration for many! (Finished in 4hrs 10 minutes - wished I had stuck with him for a while, but couldn't find him at the start.)
6. Jennifer - first time half-marathoner, high-school graduate with me, inspiration for many! (Finished in great form, with a great time, with eyes on a marathon..... met me at the finish line with this great story-

The half-marathon and full marathon shared a start and finish line. The half-marathoners ran the first 3 miles with us and cut across a very hilly course to the last 6 or 7 miles toward the finish line. Jennifer said that she, running the half-marathon, was feeling very good and strong. She was running along the Genessee River at about mile 10 or 11, when she heard the motorcycles coming from behind. As they approached, she suddenly realized that she was being lapped by the marathon leader. She had run a full 11 miles and the marathon leaders had come a full 24 in about the same amount of time! I know it's amazing, but it gets better, she was inspired to run stronger and harder as she noticed that the marathon leader was....

7.   Derrick - 9th time marathoner, high-school graduate with Cliff, Jennifer and I, elite runner, insipration to all (WON the marathon in 2hrs and 36 minutes despite stopping 3 times to stretch his cramping hamstrings!!!!)

Just a great time had by all. Of course, there is so much more I could write - but this should do for a while. (Pictures to follow!)

The MarathonMarathon (part 2)

The day before a marathon can be a bit tricky. You don't really want to sit around all day, but you don't want to go exherting a whole lot of energy, either. With Michael in town, there were things that I wanted to show him, but didn't want to spend too much time or energy walking around or climbing stairs. Our first stop was to the Jell-o museum in my hometown. As it turns out, it is a fairly big deal - for several reasons - (1) Jell-o was founded in my hometown, (2) the museum brings thousands of people to our small town every year, and (3) the curator/creator of this museum is my mother. It is one of her many claims to fame. So, we toured the museum, bought the t-shirt, said our oos and ahhhs and headed off to my mom's house to share my love of horses with Michael. I quickly harnessed Beaman up and gave a quick ride to anyone who was interested. Lastly, we headed to Letchworth State Park to basically drive through a nice section of the state and view a few waterfalls and beautiful scenery.

On the way home, I had a lengthy conversation with my travel partner about how I just don't get the whole "numbers" stuff about marathoning. I don't understand, nor do I have much of an interest in making connections between my O2 rate, beats per minutes, elevation, pace......etc. As fate would have it, upon returning home, my husband presented me with a brand new Garmin 305 - thus - I have a feeling I am going to quickly eat my words and become adicted to numbers (just predicting, based on my personality.) In any case, a really cool way to end a really cool day. 

Last minute logistics were worked out for race day and we were off to a restful evening.

Up next????? The running of the Marathon

The MarathonMarathon (part 1)

I have spent the better part of the past year training for a marathon. At first, it was training for Paris in April, then quickly became training for Rochester in September. I like having a goal - it keeps my life on track. The funny thing about this marathon was that I probably wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for the many people who actullay took the bait when I said "hey, why don't you do Rochester?" Michael from California, Russ from Lima (New York), Cliff (a friend from high school), Judi (friend of Russ' and now friend of mine) and Jennifer (another friend from high school.) And these are just the people who I feel like I had a direct connection to their decision to register for the marathon. This doesn't include, well, Paul and Derrick (who I will get to later in the story - stick around for that one, 'cause it's good.) So - needless to say, the marathon weekend in Rochester was shaping up to be a MarathonMarathon to never forget!

Thursday night arrived without much fanfare, I had just come from an open-house for my youngest son's pre-kindergarten.  9:30 was approaching and I was heading to Buffalo International Airport to fetch, and meet for the first time, Michael. The plan had long been established that Michael (our blogging friend from California) was going to come to Rochester to complete his 10th marathon in as many months on his journey to complete 12 marathons in 12 months. (ok, if you think that is crazy imagine that it was actually his 29th marathon in roughly 7 years!!!)  On with the story. I had planned to loan him our car, which meant I needed to borrow the truck from my mother, which meant she needed to get it to the park-n-ride before I left for Buffalo, which meant I needed to meet her at the park-n-ride and take her back to her house before I headed to Buffalo to pick up Michael....... the ordeal!!! But worth the effort.

So, Michael arrived and we had a great conversation on the 45 minute drive back to LeRoy, where he would drop me off and head to Rochester, where his hotel was.  He pulled away and I just thought how small the world had become through all this marathoning hullabaloo! I had already met Ms. Fool and Minken in Paris, and now I was meeting my 3rd marathoning blogger - on my home turf. Just the coolest thing.

I had to work on Friday, which left Michael to drive the marathon route and explore what little there is to explore in Rochester. Together, we went to Marathon Expo (quite possibly the largest let-down of the entire weekend!) Michael confirmed what I had suspected, this Marathon Expo was the smallest he had ever seen.  None-the-less, I grabbed my bib, registration packet, drop bag (which I didn't need) and purchased some Cliff Blocks to get me through Sunday's race.  We probably didn't even need to put money in the meter, because I think we were in and out in all of 10 minutes.  (sob, I sooooo wanted to check out the new gear - but alas, there was none.)

With an hour and a half to kill before our rendevous with the other runners, I decided to take Michael on a tour of Rochester and the environs.  I will confess that I have never done this before, and am almost ashamed to admit, but I took Michael to Wegman's Mega Store. I dare say that MegaWegs was the highlight of his day - (it is a pretty impressive grocery store.)  As we were walking into Wegman's, I actually turned to him and said "I can't believe I'm actually highlighting a grocery store as a MUST-SEE in Rochester." (It is a cool store, though. You all should come to Rochester to visit it.)

(photo by Russ - actually by our waitress)

Early on in our preparation for this visit, Michael expressed a firm interest in eating at the Dinosaur Barbeque, so, who were we to deny the out-of-towner his only request. 6:30 had arrived and the half and full marathoners and corresponding support teams were arriving at the sacred biker bar. The beer was flowing and the conversation was outstanding. The food was, well...... the food was amazing. I have eaten at the DinoBBQ several times and have been OKAY with my food choices, but this time I hit a homerun with the Ribs and New England Clam Chower HELLLLLOOOOO!!!!!! Delish! Michael wanted to make sure he had every opportunity to taste a decent selection of the menu, so he ordered what I would call "the largest sampler platter in the establishment." Between the several beers and the food in front of him, I'd say the Dinosaur BBQ was a hit. (let's see -  Jennifer, LimaRuss, Meslissa, Judi, Mark, Justin, Michael and Me. All together we put away a lot of BBQ.)

OK - so, I'm going to post this now, but understand that I've only covered days one and two of the five day marathon-marathon. SO - up next? LeRoy, New York (home of Jell-o)

THEY MADE IT!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO RUSS, MICHAEL AND LAURA ON FINISHING THE ROCHESTER MARATHON!! WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

We knew you would. Now take those ice baths (Michael, I know you're not a fan. So, for you, take a couple of Aleve...) and give us the full scoop.

I'm so proud of you! Wish I had been there. I thought of you the whole day.

Are You Looking at the Time???

It is late, and I'm blogging!!! That can only mean one thing - something important is about to be said:


Michael is here. I just picked him up from the airport, he has probably just checked into his hotel, and I'm so excited about this that I had to share it with everyone.  The next few days are destined to be blogging heaven - more to follow, I'm sure.

Having said that, I'm off to bed..... marathon expo tomorrow and a long-awaited visit to Dinosaur BBQ for some pre-marathon carb loading.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

My cell phone just rang, the caller ID simply said "CALIFORNIA" and that could only mean one thing.....Michael is calling me.  Hard to believe that we just chatted (voice to voice) for the first time since our decision to run the Rochester Marathon.  He is arriving tomorrow night and I will be at the airport with bells on - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT????? The only thing that would make this even better would be....well, Kari, I'm not going there.

So, our plans are basic:  Dinosaur BBQ, rest, RUN, rest, drink, celebrate!!!!  


I just can't believe that this crazy circle of marathoning friends is about to close in on Rochester - it's going to be a great weekend.

I know it's a little early but...

I'm going to be out of town until Sunday. I'm going to visit my cousin Kate and her husband Kevin and his family in England... I don't know if I will have internet access, so let me just wish the Rochester Marathon people a great time this weekend. I will be thinking of you non-stop!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

I need a Plan

I chatted with another blogging friend this morning. Minken was our 'go-to-guy' for our Paris training. He was our expert and our advice giver (whether we wanted it or not.) For the record, he has never led us wrong, so it only seemed fitting that he return to role of advice giver for my pending Rochester Marathon. I will be running with a friend of mine and shooting for 4hours and 15 minutes. Minken gave me a formula for helping me reach the goal. I, of course, am nervous about this marathon because I don't feel like I have been putting in the short runs like I did in February and March. "Not to worry," he said "your training from April will carry you through. You will run faster and stronger." *or something like that*

So, I am going to follow his advice and try to run SLOW for the first 4-5 miles (probably 10.30 pace) then hit my target pace for miles 6-18 and then try to speed up a bit for the last stretch.....ugh!!! As I type it, I'm sure it's easier said than done. BUT, in retrospect, as crappy as Kari and I felt for the last stretch, we still posted negative splits - I'm counting on that next Sunday. 

I hope that Ms. Fool and Kari don't mind, I'm taking Atalanta for the entire week. I'm picking her up at the airport later today - if you need her, you can skype her at my house, but she's sticking with me for the next week.

I feel the love - we feel the love - you should feel it, too! We just aren't the same without our blog..... BRING ON ROCHESTER!!!

Yeah! I can blog again!

It's good to be back...

Yesterday during my run, ATALANTA came to me and here is what she said:

A: Hey! Wow! You sure porked out since the Paris marathon!

Me: (huff huff) Yeah, I know, I'm working on that. Trying to get my miles back up again. I took a little break this summer...

A: I'll say! Pick up the pace, girl!

Then she raced me for a little bit down Via Costa Lunga... letting me run ahead of her when the sidewalk got too narrow for us to run side by side. It was fun running with Atalanta again. She doesn't usually come on the short runs.

Then she spoke again:

A: Kari, it's time for you to blog again. Wish Laura well for her second marathon. Thank your people for their support and continue the Road to Paris (just say yes!) blog. This is your destiny. Do it in the name of the great and almighty Atlanta.

Then... POOF, as fast as she had come, she was gone. I finished my run and couldn't wait to blog about it! But then I couldn't get into the blog! I was locked out!

Today Laura let me back in (I changed google accounts and that messed things up).

During our blogging hiatus, Laura and I thought a lot about our blogging future and what, specifically, to do with this blog. We thought about shutting it down on its birthday. We already ran the Marathon, after all, the Road to Paris, well: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.

Then we thought about starting a new Blog called JUST SAY YES, harking back to our exchange student days, and the concept that got us training and blogging together and meeting up in Paris after 18 years... After my meeting with Atalanta, though, I got to thinking that I'm pretty attached to this blog. I mean, WE HAVE A HISTORY TOGETHER. Plus, I miss Laura, the blog kept us in constant communication much better than even email, skype or facebook (although we use them all). And, here at least our friends know where to find us!

That being said, anyone who is tired of us can always un-follow us, but we hope you'll keep with us. We love your feedback, friendship and support.

Ok. Here is where we are now.

Laura is getting ready to run the Rochester marathon, and I am running for fun and planning on running the Trieste marathon in May (any takers? Michael B is in. Anyone else??). I have been running more often but less far and enjoying it, especially since the weather has cooled off. I have also started another blog about my life in Trieste. It's pretty naked still.

I intend to send Laura, Michael Limaruss and all the others my best running vibes for this weekend, and help them through their post marathon depression starting Monday. This, as you know, means that we will have to find another marathon to start training for.

To summarize:

We have made some great friends over the course of this blog. We reunited with a bunch of people we hadn't been in touch with in 18 years. We learned about eating, runner's high, runner's depression, and running barefoot from experts, friends, and each other. It's time to write again. You keep reading and we'll keep running.

We have decided that we are destined to BLOG!!

In short - Kari and I have been busier than one-legged-women in ass-kicking competitions (*good visual, right???) SOOOOOOO ---- we are back. I am hitting my taper for my 2nd marathon, which is next Sunday. I forgot how much I love the taper. (although, at times, my training this time has been much like taper....hmmmm.) So, our blogging friend, Michael, is scheduled to arrive in Rochester on Thursday to run the Rochester Marathon with me - can't wait to meet the man behind the mile 17 Mars bar!!!! I have also dragged several others along with me (LimaRuss, his Lima gang (Judi and the like), Jennifer Connor Martin and Cliff Harford (high school friends), Paul (ironman friend), wish upon wish that Ms. Fool and Kari could join in on the fun, but alas - that reunion will be saved for another adventure.

So - as soon as I can figure out why Kari is blocked from administrative rights, she will be back......WE'RE BACK, darn it all!!!!!!!