best part of my day...

Skipping the gym with Ed to stay home, order a fatty pizza, have a beer and diaper out! The bike and weights will be there tomorrow. I did swim over lunch after all....

best part of my day...

Meeting the new Fair Weather Runner, Hudson! She is so sweet, she has long limbs and it's obvious, at one-day-old, she is meant to run! Okay, I may be jumping the gun. But she is precious and beautiful and I'm glad I'll get to see her grow up. Katie is going to be such an amazing and killer-cool (in my "cool" terms) mom.

best part of my day...

Going to a killer spin class with Edder. I hurt, in the good way!

newest fair weather runner in the haus...

Katie had her baby! The newest member of our super awesome fabulous running team is only a few hours old, welcome to life Hudson. I think she will be the cutest team member by far.

In addition, Hudson is the most official member of the team since she has her very own Fair Weather Runner onesies... actually the onesie sort of inspired my blog. As I was designing the onesies I was thinking, this is a fun logo, and it was instant inspiration to start the blog I've been meaning to start for ages. So thanks Hudson and Congrats Katie!

best part of my day...

Finding out exactly how my dog feels about Scientologists on our bike ride today during his urgent "pit stop" on the Church of Scientology lawn..... And yes I cleaned it up. Milo was all..."I got your dianetics right here!" He knows some crazy when he sees it.

boot free & yogarified...

Today marks seven weeks since I acquired my stress fracture, it happened during a 16 mile run. I was running a four-mile loop so I could stop and hydrate at my car since it was still pretty warm, and around mile seven I felt a little "kink" in my right foot. I figured it was just a foot cramp and kept going, but after another half-mile it was still hurting, and the pain was getting a little worse. So I stopped to check my shoe thinking maybe if I rubbed my foot and loosened my laces it would be okay. I was wrong. I re-laced and took the first running step and instantly knew that was it. So I sucked it up and walked the rest of the half mile to my car, thinking the whole way something more is wrong than a foot cramp, got in my car, took off my shoe and called my husband crying, not out of pain, but frustration. So I limped around on my foot for two days before I went to my doctor, got crutches and started the road to recovery... and fork throwing.

Now, seven weeks later, after five weeks of crutches, and two weeks in the cam-walker, I am walking assistance free and was released to start running next week. I get my running freedom a slow and easy 1/4 mile per week. My doctor is actually having me go to a physical therapist to get fitted for orthotics and have her help me with a running plan. He also tested my calcium and vitamin D levels to find out how my bones are doing. I was never a milk drinker, so I'm a bit worried about that one. But since my fracture, I've taken to Vanilla Soy Milk and drink it every morning, it's actually pretty tasty stuff.

I'm not going to abandon biking and swimming now, I'm enjoying it, and I do have the whole triathlon thing to do in December. And really since I won't be running full force for quite a few months I need other shiny objects to distract me... and yes by shiny I mean gym bikes and lap pools.

Aside from running, actually I should say to aid my running, I do yoga. I love how it relaxes me after a tense day at work and stretches me out after a long run. It is also another way I get to see my friends, I rarely attend a yoga class without Kristen or Julie! I do yoga for flexibility since I have "tight hip" issues that hinder running. Today cyberspace, I got to go back to yoga after a two-month hiatus. So, Ed wrapped my foot up (I'm retarded at these things) and I was off. Even though I didn't do some of the moves that could have hurt my foot, I still got a pretty good workout. Overall it's been a pretty eventful boot-and-crutch-free few days. I feel like a very blessed girl.

best part of my day...

Having a yummy coffee drink with Ed after sleeping in, while enjoying a beautiful fall morning!

mad marathon props...

My cousin Rachel ran the Indianapolis marathon last weekend. It was funny that we both unknowingly picked the same weekend to run our first marathons! So she ran hers the day before I was supposed to run mine... of course the difference is that she actually ran hers. So mad props to Rachel on popping her marathon cherry! Her goal is also to qualify for Boston, we agreed to shoot for Boston 2010 together, SWEET! It helps to have someone to push toward a goal with. Hopefully we'll get to run together over Thanksgiving, and maybe even other races besides Boston.

Once I got my stress fracture and it was obvious I was out for my marathon, I made Rachel promise to run miles 18-21 in her marathon for me. She promises she did, and those were the hilly miles, how fitting. I obviously forced her to share all the gory details and made her tell me all about her race, which she did. My favorite was that she was running by "mullet lady" and "is he wearing a sweater or is he just that hairy guy." AWESOME. I'm sure that provided some entertaining distractions. Ughhhh, how uncomfortable must it be to run with a mullet? Gross. Note to self, cut mullet before marathon.

Below are some pictures her dad caught of her finish and right after, what an accomplishment. Her time was 4:03 and although it wasn't the time she wanted, I reminded her it's still an impressive time! And what is life if there aren't goals to chase? Congrats Rachel! :)

best part of my day...

Having an after work glass of wine, but more importantly a priceless chat, with my friend Liz. Cheers to a Thursday!

best part of my day...

Not going to work, but staying home to relax with Milo. Yes I realize I am probably too in love with my dog, but if you could smell his ear or the little paw, or saw the eyes, you would understand.

best part of my day...

Soothing my aching mind with 20 laps in the pool.

onto the next goal, trying a tri...

Guess what? I'm a mere one to two weeks away from being able to run again, hopefully, I go back to the Dr. again on Friday. I'm hoping to get some orthodics and a new training plan, because if I don't have someone tell me how hard and fast NOT to go... I will pick up where I left off and most likely end up injured again.

Luckily, I have some help to reign me in for now to give me other options for running until I'm ready to start training for my Jan/Feb marathon. Katie informed me one night a few weeks ago during training that she is signing all of us up for a triathlon. So that settles it, I'm back in the saddle, gearing up toward another goal. I've never done a triathlon before, but this is just a baby triathlon, at our local Y in December. It will be a 10 lap swim, six mile bike, and a two mile run. Sounds do-able and really fun!

This is one of the reasons I picked up lap swimming, and working on my bike skilz. I decided to try a spin class, to help me improve on the bike, it was my first spin class and wow it totally kicked my butt. If you've never done one, and are a runner, I would highly suggest it as a cross-train option. It was like an hour of speed work without the impact, and with a group of people, and a teacher, and inside, and with bikes... but other than that, exactly like speed work.

best part of my day....

Email exchange between myself and my running buddies this morning:

Me: I drove to the finish line TWICE yesterday to watch the marathon. Bad, bad idea :(

Ratjar: According to Sex and the City, that’s being an emotional cutter…

Katie: I like the part when she Poughkeepsied in her pants. Beka - we don't need a stinkin' marathon we are going to do a triathlon!!!!

It never fails, they can make my day in a simple sentence!

congratulations to all the wichita marathoners...

The Wichita Marathon ended in Old Town Square. It isn't a huge race, but this isn't a huge town, even still it's a Boston Qualifier. My husbands office is in OT Square, and he had to work on Sunday morning, so he had the chance to snap some pictures on his phone of the first male and female finishers. 2:18 for the male, 2:30-ish for the female!

best part of my day...

Kitchen Aide = 1
Beka = 0
Behold the utensi-cidal Kitchen Aide. The measuring cup never even saw it coming. Well played, K.A., well played...

my one and only work rant...

Okay I realize blogging about your job is a BAD idea. Which is why I have only done it once and did not mention my company. Although my job offers MANY entertaining things to blog about, I'm just not going to go there.... but today..... today, I absolutely have too or my little blonde head might just explode all over my blah, tan, cubicle.

I love my job, I really do, but there are some people and some days that make me want to walk away.... or go to happy hour with my girlfriends and drink eight martinis. I prefer option two.

1. No one wants to hear you talk on your cell phone while we are using the restroom... does that person really want to hear you flush? SERIOUSLY?? I don't even want to hear you flush. I don't want to hear you EVER.

2. Use your indoor voice while talking on the phone in the cube farm. Actually why don't you just try using your indoor voice inside PERIOD? Again... no one wants to hear you yell at your _________(insert anyone) on the phone, or scream or laugh loudly when we are trying to concentrate on blogging, I mean working.

3. Why would a 21 year old male with short hair have the need to keep a huge can of hairspray on his desk which he uses approximately five times a day... his sprays last an average of 10 seconds, I have started counting... so I know. At least get some Aveda or something that doesn't smell like cheap cologne because it wafts over the cube wall and settles into my air space.

4. WHY DO YOU TYPE IN ALL CAPS? ARE YOU ALWAYS YELLING AT ME? DO YOU NEED MORE ATTENTION? WHYYYYYYYY?

5. If you are legally blind, admit it, stop parking in the handicap spot and running into people in the hallway and knocking their crutches out from under them and running into doorways! Admit you have a problem and we will actually be sympathetic, because the longer you deny it, the more annoyed we get.

6. Do not, under any circumstance, walk by someones cubicle and at LEAST once a day slam your huge monkey hand down on their desk and just keep walking. I don't' know if you realize this or not, but every time you do this to my desk I want to jump out of my seat and attack you from the back like a lemur on crack... I am small but wiry.

7. Do not sing to Maroon 5 loud enough for the entire cube farm to hear on Monday morning while listening to the morning show. I don't' care how great of a singer you think you are... No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that.

8. Stop clipping your gross dirty fingernails at your cubicle desk, at least take that nastiness to the bathroom.

9. When sitting next to someone during an hour-long meeting do not slurp your coffee... for the entire hour. Ummmm... it never ends well. Don't you see the glares? OH no, you probably don't, since your eyes are glazed over thinking about how pretty you are today.

10. If there is one thing you learn in your job, those of you in cyperspace reading this, learn this, there is absolutely a difference between the I.T. guy and the Web girl... and we hate nothing more than when you come to one of us thinking we can fix your problem when in fact:
A) I'm totally I.T. stupid and
B)The I.T. guy has no idea what I do and how I do it.

MOVE. YOU'RE WELCOME.

11. You are not my friend. I have a large group of friends whom I turn to in times of need, and joy, and that I talk too, and share things with... you are not a part of that group, and I have several good reasons for why that is. So stop prying! Talking at work is so 2001.

12. Stop attempting to, and pretending, that you can do my job. I have taken classes and spent a year busting my butt to figure out how to get everything to work efficiently. I know what people want to see on websites... I didn't get a masters degree fo' nothin'. I didn't take hours and hours of communication and media theory just to pull stuff out of my bung-hole. I didn't teach myself web analytics just for fun! I know my stuff. So back off.

13. If I looked pissed, I am pissed. And most likely it's because you have procrastinated and done something that will make my working life a living hell for the next day, so if you do this and you know it... bring me Starbucks. It's the only peace offering that will quiet the Tiger.... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The Tiger is disgruntled today, Monday I will come in hugging everyone telling them how much I missed their fingernail clipping, loud annoying laughter and talking, obnoxious bathroom phone calls and coffee slurping selves and that I'm SOOO glad I'm back.....

rosstoberfest 5K...

This past Saturday was one of the fall races I was looking forward to participating in, the Rosstoberfest 5k, a race that benefits a brave little guy named Ross, who lives in Wichita and has a very rare form of MS.

I was pretty amped about this race because not only was it for a great cause, but it was also in my neighborhood, College Hill, the course passed my house twice, and it didn't hurt that the race ended with beer and brats for the finishers! (AWESOME.)

My neighborhood is one of the oldest in Wichita, the houses were all built in the early 1900's, mine is from 1930. In my opinion it's the coolest neighborhood in this city. There are a plethora of huge beautiful trees to protect from Kansas wind and offer amazing color in the fall. There are always people out walking their dogs, running, riding a bike or taking a stroll, and the coolest part is that it is pretty much the only neighborhood in the city with lots of "hills" which are great for training. The rest of Wichita is basically dead flat unless you hit the river.

We love that we can walk to cool local shops and restaurants, ride our bikes to the grocery store and are friends with all our neighbors. The real kind of friends, like sometimes we all have breakfast outside together on random weekend mornings, we mow each others lawns, have evening chats, help with yard work, watch each others' animals and keep an eye out during vacations. We are blessed to live here, and love it!

Since I couldn't participate, Ed and I, along with our neighbors, stood out on our curbs and cheered the racers on. One runner even asked to use my crutches so she had an excuse for her slowness... pretty funny.

What a fun morning! This was the first year for this race and I hope it continues because I really want to run it next year. However, my good friend Kristen ran the race for me this time around, so we snapped some pics of her, she did a great job. She got her 5K PR, and she had run a Susan G. Komen 5K just the week before! Total Rockstar!

still on sticks....

I talked to my Dr. today, and although my foot was getting better, after another slip at the pool yesterday, it is hurting again.  He told me to stay on my crutches another week.  It's already been nearly four weeks, this isn't what I wanted to hear.  

The reason I have to stay on the crutches is because he wants to put me in a cam-walker, geez that thing looks like a rocking  ski boot with air circulation!  

The Dr. can't see me until next Friday, when he'll fit me for the boot, so I have to remain on crutches until then.  It's gonna be a long week....

the swim nazi....

About two days after I acquired my stress fracture, my Dr. was still working on deciding exactly what was wrong with my foot. I was convinced it was something minor, like inflammation, or a tendon strain. But I did have the intuitiveness to realize I wouldn't be running right away.

Since I was determined not to lose any of the running conditioning I had gained up to this point, I did some research and found the best option was pool running. So my mom came to the rescue by getting me an "aqua jogger," she even brought it to me all the way across town. What a great mom! And yes, pool running is exactly what it sounds like. You put on an aqua belt and run in the lap pool. And it works, and it will kick your butt... you sweat and get out of breath and keep your endurance, without a doubt.

Three days after my injury I met my pregnant running buddy Katie at the Y to go pool running.... until we came face-to-face with the pool nazi.

We both felt a bit ridiculous our first time out, she being eight months pregnant and me on crutches... we were a hot pair! We got changed and slowly made our way out to the pool area, where my crutch slipped almost immediately on the wet tile, landing on my injured foot. That should have been our first tip-off to turn around and go back to the locker room, get dressed and go get coffee.

But we kept going, just a little more cautiously. It was a pretty long trek to the lap pool. We had read the schedule by the way, and were under the impression the lap pool was open. We got to the pool, and there stood this little, beady eyed, mustached man who put his arms out and stared at us blankly and I kid you not, said "can I help you?"

WHAAA??? Katie and I stood there shocked and I muttered something about "oh there must be swim team," to which he answered, "yes," at which point poison darts shot from his eyes into our souls. It was so horrible. So we left, dejected.

I cried the entire drive home. Maybe the tears were more from the build up of the pain, and the frustration of crutches, with the realization I couldn't do everything I wanted than it was the nazi. It's hard to say.

But there was some redemption in this story. We became tattle tales, and it felt amazing! We relayed the story to our personal trainer at the Y! She was horrified and immediately told the managers about our situation, to which they were appalled and mentioned they weren't surprised. Apparently they already knew that particular swim coach is a total a-hole swim nazi! They had a "chat" with him. Maybe he will mind his manners in the future!

The other redeeming quality? Katie and I laugh hysterically every time we talk about the debacle. Somehow, despite the swim nazi, we can still find the humor of the pregnant and gimpy girls who lamely waddled and crutched their way to bravely face the swim nazi....

fanny pack lady...

Almost everyone has an arch nemesis, right? I have mine, I don't know her name, or what she does. All I know is that she runs many of the same local races that I do. And I hate her. She is in her mid-40's and most likely a lovely, strong, wonderful woman, but to me, she is the one to beat.

During my first Wichita half marathon three years ago, I ended up running behind this woman and her fanny-pack belt packed with gooey liquids, water and all manner of gels. I found it absolutely irritating. Let's get something straight, I'm not a fan of the running fanny-pack during a race. On a long training run alone? Sure! While hiking the Grand Canyon? Absolutely. But in a race with 900 other people and an aid station every few miles? Really? Is it THAT necessary?

I think what sent me over the edge with fanny-pack was that we spent the entire 13.1 miles passing each other back and forth. I would pass her and without fail she would pass me back. We went back and forth like this until about mile 10 when I got to the point where I wanted to--as Mariah likes to say--"Shake it Off"--but I made the mistake of stopping to get some Gatorade and dang it if fanny-pack didn't come gliding by me in her swishy black shorts and shiny blue shirt. I was pissed. She finished minutes ahead of me. It was my first half-marathon ever, I had under-trained and didn't have a ton of race experience, so I decided I would get her next year.

Flash forward to the Wichita Half 2007. My friends and I lined up to start the race and up sauntered fanny-pack right in front of me. I started making a strategy before the gun was fired. Keep in mind I started that race injured, I had a hip issue that I refused to acknowledge and decided I would take care of it after the race.... just for future reference... bad idea.

The gun went off and I immediately ditched my friends and passed fanny-pack. I smiled smugly to myself thinking how was in better shape than last year, had eight races under my belt, and was much better prepared for this race, despite my aching hip. But after the first drink stop fanny-pack swished past me. And I'm all "Ohhhh no she diiiiin't!" So I stepped it up and passed her back then smiled again, but not so smugly.

I managed to keep ahead of her, and was pleased to find that at the turn-around mark I was a good few minutes ahead of her. However, around mile 10 I started to fade, I hit the wall and my hip was aching badly. It had never felt like that before, it had also become unseasonably hot and humid.

I was worried. So I picked a "race buddy" in an unsuspecting 60-year old man who had an elegant stride, I had a feeling he knew I was there. In my mind he was urging me on, he would look back every now and I knew he saw my pain. I, in turn, would look back to see where fanny-pack was. She was gaining. I was starting to fade more, it was getting hotter and my hip was in so much pain I wanted to stop and walk. But I kept going, I refused to let fanny-pack beat me. I kept my eye on the prize with one mile left. I dug in, gave that race every ounce of energy I had and managed to break away from fanny-pack and finish the race well ahead of her.

I cried for an hour after that race. My hip was in searing pain, and so was my pride despite my personal victory against fanny-pack. It wasn't a good race for me, I wanted to finish sub-2 and I finished in 2:02 (which was still seven minutes faster than the year before).

Now that I think about it, maybe fanny-pack wasn't so much my arch-nemesis as the one who pushed me to be better and dig in when I felt like I had nothing left. But dang it if I wasn't looking forward to TOTALLY kicking her butt in this year's half.... which I obviously couldn't run thanks to my little stress fracture. I named him Stever.

Watch out fanny-pack... Next year I'm gonna run like I stole it, and destroy you in that race!! And I obviously mean I'm going to steal your fanny-pack. Because I still think it is ridiculous to run with a fanny pack in a race.