ohhhh that's shiny.

You know what I love? Hmmmm??? Yes. Shiny things. I'm distracted by them on a nearly hourly basis.

Okay, that said. Do you know what my favorite shiniest object EVER is? A marathon space blanket.

And do you know what? This weekend marked a monumental event for my cousin the running Rachel (who i'm visiting in next month in chicago and have blogged about here and here, and from now on when i mention her, i will make the parenthesis about her progressively longer pointing out all the times i have mentioned her on my blog)... she got her first marathon space blanket.

*rachel hanging onto shiny object for dear, dear life, you can't see her hands... because IT'S A DEATH GRIP*

Even though it was her third marathon, and a marathon she ran on a whim, on a total of about eight training runs leading up to it this summer. Longest being 15 miles. Yeah, she was supposed to run the half, but got to the expo, was CLEARLY distracted by the thought of getting said shiny blanket and went for the full. Nuts? Perhaps.Rockstar? Definitely. Oh and she did this whim marathon 40 minutes faster than I ran my first one... on a whim. Choice words I have!!

*rachel with her dad, they both ran the full, that was his 19th, wow.*

Congrats on No. 3 (on a whim) and on getting that oh so coveted first shiny marathon object! And for for running an amazing marathon on little training. Someday I'm going to grow up and be like her, even though I'm three years older... And currently can't run. Meh.

*and this picture was just plain ridiculously fun. happppiieeee! who get's this good of a mid-marathon picture? seriously?! awesome*

She reads my blog, so feel free to leave her some mad props!

friday photo, cousin lineup version 2.0...

Flash forward, from my last Friday photo, 20 years and here you have a new Gibson cousin lineup. This was taken in 2007, the first time all of us had been together in years. So clearly the aunts and uncles took advantage. They can't get enough of our precious faces.
We were all together again was because it for my Grandma's funeral. It was a sad occasion, but fun to have everyone there. Cousins came from far and wide, and what a moment to finally capture, who knows when this will happen again! There are 10 Gibson cousins total, eight girls, two (very spoiled by my grandma) boys.

I leave you with a picture of my sisters and I. Gibsons angels if you will. Being a total dork runs deep in this family... I'm the one in the middle, I'm also the youngest, just in case you were wondering. If you haven't noticed yet, I clearly have youngest child syndrome...

two weeks to 'm' day and proper race reports (with pictures)...

Dear Interwebs. In less than two weeks I will be on my way to OKC for a fabulous weekend with friends and family. The weekend will be a blast thanks to all the other excitement going on, to be explained at later date! Although I get butterflies lately every time I think of running the marathon, I'm ready to get it over with and look to the next challenge, which I'll tell you about after said race. All in all my calf is doing just okay, hopefully some more massage and PT will help with that. I plan to play my training by ear the next two weeks depending on the whole calf thing. That said, I'm still scared enough to poo my pants that I have only gotten in one 20 miler and it was weeks ago.

*Liz and I before the race, and yes that is a gigantic old school Garmin*

On to the proper race report. It was the Easter Sun Run 10K and it was a beautiful day here in Wichita, FINALLY, after a horrid spring so far we couldn't have asked for a better day. Sunny, low wind, I think it put everyone out there in a good mood. This race was at the Sedgwick County Zoo park, the park I often run at, so it was comfy territory for us. So I met up with Liz and Kristen the running lawyer and we did our thing!

*Liz and I around the 5k mark, I clearly need to work on my arm positioning... and I notice my stride looks really long, is that good or bad? FYI I am the one in the blue shirt ;)*

Overall it was a good race. I intended to go out and just have a good time, and I have to say I had a blast. I forgot my iPod but I didn't care, and actually I found running without it wasn't too bad. I even talked to a few people, got to enjoy the live band and the Derby High School marching band (that was a HUGE pick me up, a lot of fun), it was killer! Like I mentioned no predatory rabbits for me, but I did get a much faster time than I thought, considering I was planning to run it around 9:15 minute miles.

My Splits:
Mile 1 8:46
Mile 2 8:24
Mile 3 8:34
Mile 4 8:37
Mile 5 8:17
Mile 6 8:06

Mile 6.2 2:01
(as you might notice, it takes me awhile to hit my stride, this is the frustrating case in every single run, I don't hit stride until about mile 4 or 5!)

This wasn't a chip timed race so I'm not able to check that and they didn't have stats up on the website yet. But my Garmin said 52:47 and the race clock said 52:59, either way I'm happy with it.

Race Highlights:

• Running the 2-miler with Ed (who I should explain is actually my husband, although I do consider him a friend as well, I think I've confused the interwebs). And running the 10K with Liz and Kristen.
  
• I was mortified by some HORRIBLE woman in front of me who literally yelled and threw her hands up in the air and continued screaming at the poor kid at the 6K mark whose timer watch was messed up so he couldn't offer splits. This woman was an embarrassment to all runners, I wanted to punch her in her saggy gross pantyline showing stupid gray tights... or maybe just give her a straight shot to her ovary, how horrid!Instead I just shot past her, I know this didn't really prove any point to her, but it made me feel better to get away from her.
• Getting my second fastest 10K time, which I know isn't all that fast, but I never really trained for a 10K (that will change this summer).
• Finishing the race with some random kid who didn't want to get chicked (but I edged him out at the last second) I think that was hands down the most fun I've ever had at a race finish. We did the last .2 together and kept each other going faster and faster. Ed said I looked like Phoebe in the episode when she taught Rachel to run in the park, flailing all over the place. He said I looked like a big dork. Newsflash interwebs, I am, point of fact, an enormous dork. It was FUN!

*Last sprint to the finish with the random guy, flailing like Pheobe*

*Me beating the guy! It was really fun having him at the end, he kept yelling, COME ON, COME ON. Hilarious, yet VERY motivational*

*Liz bringing it home*

*Liz, myself and Kristen the Running Lawyer, post race*

*Ed and I after the 10K, but before the 2-mile. He is warm, but he was pissed. I sort of lost track of time between the two races and we didn't have much time to get to the start line. I felt ReaLLY bad about that. But he still took a picture with me!*

Rachel's Marathon Number Two True Rockstar!
Like I said my cousin Rachel did the Illinois Marathon. She raced it with her dad (I should state Rachel actually married my cousin, so we aren't actually related, although she is every bit my cousin as any other cousin I have, but just want to clarify that I don't really know her Dad) who is a veteran 18-time marathoner. And she beat him! AWESOME. Rockstar status right there. Not to mention she moved from Atlanta to Chicago mid-training and had to go on a work trip to the Caribbean (yeah, rough life indeed) last week and got back the day before the marathon. She still managed to beat her dad and beat her last marathon time by 10 minutes.

Here is a photo of her dad and her at the finish. Awesome job to both. I quite enjoyed the race report, including the person who apparently ran the half as a banana (nice) and all the people out cheering them on, and it sounds like an amazing finish down into the stadium. Her Dad's alma mater is Illinois, so I can imagine how great it felt for him to run into that stadium. It sounded like a great race. Hopefully Rachel and I will be doing Chicago together... I am actually more excited about tapping my cousins kegerator during my stint there, than the actual race... what does this say about our family? We rock? You are correct, we do!

Oh and I should mention only 500 women finished the Illinois Marathon and she was 84th. YAY!

This was another long post, but hopefully the fun pictures made it worth it, especially the one of me flailing all about.

Cheers to a great running week my friends!

rockin' my friday photo, 80's style...

Time for Friday Foto with Nikemom. My contribution is a continuation from last week's photo of Kristen and I after the River Run. If you read my entire post, which I'm sure you did, savoring each and every delectible text nugget like a hungry racoon, you would have noticed that I mentioned running the River Run with a gaggle of family members back in the late 80s. But I couldnt' find the picture in time to post it. Well you are in luck cyberspace. I found said photo.

Please enjoy it, in all of it's mauvy-late-80s-hot-socks-glory. I'm the second kid to the end (right), the skinny little blonde nerd with glasses. But don't you worry, you see how I'm rockin' it with my hand on my hip... it's how I rolled, even as a kid... sassy-pants indeed.

So, say hello to my family, the Gibsons! Included in the picture are my three siblings (you have to guess which ones are my sibs), three cousins, and an aunt and uncle. We were standing in front of my grandma's house. The older generation still love to line all the Gibson cousins (there are 10 of us total, not including significant others) up in a 'height' line to this day for excellent photo ops.

After the race that morning, we went to my dad's office, which was right next to the finish line at the time, and had a picnic lunch in the conference room. I distinctly remember all of us fighting over the proper name of chocolate chip cookies, gangly limbs flying over the table and all (an entirely different post). Maybe next week I will post THAT picture and offer the explanation (or pictures of the Gibson cousin line-ups)... you eagerly await I'm sure!

Side note: Meggers, please let KrSh of beeftown know that you have now seen a picture of her in her tweens and she can no longer keep it a secret that as a kid she had creepy yet fluffy man hair, and man shorts for that matter.

where did you go...

Spring? Are you hiding from me? Trying to be a sneaky snake? Because I'm pretty sure I saw you all of last week and weekend, however I'm a bit confused.

Because earlier this week you had my tulips looking like this:
and today you have them looking like this:Actually spring, I think what happened is that you have just been 'had' by winter. Winter, I take it you are pissed off it wasn't your time anymore, that spring had arrived to edge you out, and steal your glory. So in a petty jealous rage you decided to give one last evil blast. Well bring it. Because I'm at home now since my office shut down early, all warm and cozy, in sweats, with Milo snuggled up to me. I'm listening to you throw pellets of ice against my windows. What, you call this a storm? Is this all you have my friend? Oh I know you tried to piss me off when I left work with your 30 mph sleet was pelting my face and hitting my eyeballs, but it didn't really work.

I have groceries, wine and TiVo... could life get any better? I submit that it cannot! So you take your jealous rage winter. I'll embrace it, I'm smellin' what your steppin in, and am along for the ride. I'll even happily run my miles inside this weekend, you can't keep me down. Because not-so-secretly, I love a good snow storm.

"Ahhhhh-ahhhhhh-Kansas" (you have to be a Kansan to get that one...) I took some spring pictures yesterday and last week, I'm so thankful I did. Because although I love the snow, and a good snowstorm, I am sad all the beautiful budding trees and flowers will likely die off. I'm going to try and post those soon, as a promise to all of us mid-westerners being pelted by this storm, that it really is spring!

Below are a few more pictures I took of my garden when I got home today.

my friday photo...

This is for Nikemom's Friday Foto. This is a picture of Kristen the running lawyer and I after the River Run 10K last May. The River Run is the largest race in Wichita with about 7,000 participants (I think) .

This particular race holds a lot of sentimental value for me. The race takes place during Wichita's River Festival every May. There is a 2-miler and a 10K. I have been participating in this race since I was a kid. I don't remember at what age I first did the River Run, but I know it was with my Dad. My Dad is actually the one who got me started running! There are many years when he and I would get up early, hit up Quik Trip for some caffeine and breakfast and go and run the race.

One year I ran it with my sister after zero training, we followed one of the chanting Army Guard groups and they kept us on pace, it was a blast. Another year my entire family (I come from a big family of four kids), plus some cousins and my aunt and uncle did the race as well. I couldn't find the picture in time to post it this morning, maybe that will be fore next week!

I have done the 10K three times, and I PR every year. Last year I had a time of 50:01 (according to my watch, they don't have timing chips so my recorded time was a few seconds longer) after virtually no training. I ran maybe one 6 miler before the race, and had a very late night the night before, so that was encouraging. I look forward to doing this race this year, just a few weeks after the marathon, hoping for another PR!

my 'friday foto'...

I'm contributing to Nike Mom's fun Friday tradition with my Friday 'Fotos!' This is a picture that was taken by a good friend while I was spending the summer of 2001 in Puebla, Mexico studying Spanish with Wichita State University. I was 22. That summer was one of the best times of my life, an amazing experience. My friend who took it, Mike Potts, is an incredible photographer and artist. This picture wasn't photoshoped or retouched one bit! It brings back all the awesome and fun memories of that summer.

my 'friday foto'....

This is one of my two chubby rescue kitties, Frank. It was taken during election season and he is clearly saying, "please, for the love, no more CNN, can't we just get back to watching our regular pointless television...."

my latest adventure, part one...

Christmas for Ed and I was spent in Winter Park, Colorado skiing. We had a great time, although our trip ended up being a truly interesting adventure, we got some great skiing in and had a pretty amazing vacation alone together.... with the dog of course.

Milo loving the snow

I just wanted to share some of the pictures, which don't even start to do the beauty of the WP mountains justice, even if it is nearly a month later! We headed to Winter Park on Christmas Eve and enjoyed a full six day vacation, the first we have had alone in three years.

Warming up Christmas day!

It was glorious, if not scattered with a few debacles, like the fact that we were met with a frozen mess (windows open, others filth abounding) when we got to our condo on Christmas Eve, and then of course the brand new oven didn't work so we had to cook our Christmas dinner of a lasagna (I had made it before our trip) on the stove top, or the fact that our first day skiing we were directed into a snow drift instead of a parking spot and had to be towed out and then realized we left our poles at the condo. But the skiing was amazing.

An amazing view of WPApres Ski (this is in honor of Rachel)