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By kilax, April 24, 2012 4:34 am

I was reading the Runner’s World Trail Edition and wondering… do the “trails” I run on around here really count as trails?

I met Sara and Katie last night to run on a crushed limestone trail in a Forest Preserve. I prefer to run on crushed limestone because it’s so soft and forgiving. I call it “trail running” in my running logs, but is it really? I mean, I doubt those people running 1000 feet in elevation, through streams, covered in mud would think so. These “trails” are definitely not technical. But they aren’t concrete/pavement either.  They’re beginner trails!

What do you think – what counts as a trail? Are you a trail runner?

Comments (46)

By kilax, April 23, 2012 6:38 am

• My mom, sister and her fiancé visited. My mom and sister both have new jobs (!!!) and need new work clothes – time for some shopping, y’all!

• Steven made homemade cinnamon rolls Saturday morning.

• We ate lunch at El Famous Burrito.
• My mom found a ton of cute outfits (click photos to see larger)! My sis did too, no pics though. They got major deals on everything!

    

• Cute (man-made material) boots for moi. Only $15. Holla!

• I tried this on to be funny. Am I cursed now?

• I found a major deal on this Under Armour shirt that I HAD TO HAVE for me – on the back it says “RAIN. SNOW. SLEET. WIND. BRAVE THE RUN.” (Click images below to see larger)

 

This shirt is perfect for me because I am always out running in the crazy elements. The only thing that keeps me in is lightening, dangerous ice and bad visibility (okay, and broken garage doors). Do you feel like that describes you too? If it does… you can enter a giveaway to win this shirt! Hey, if it does not describe you, and you want it to, enter as well! Or… just enter! Even if you are male – maybe you have a female friend who would like it!

Under Armour Brave the Run Women’s Tee Giveaway Rules

1. Four readers will receive an Under Armour Brave the Run Women’s Tee. There are four to giveaway – one in each size – S, M, L and XL. For reference, I am wearing a medium. This is a HeatGear® shirt and meant to be loose but I liked it more fitted. 
2. Required to enter the giveaway: you must tell me which size of shirt (S, M, L or XL) you are entering to win AND tell me if you had to run in one of these elements (rain, snow, sleet or wind) which you would choose.
3. For an extra entry, link to this giveaway on your blog and leave me an additional comment telling me you did so. 
4. This giveaway is open until 5:00 PM CST on Wednesday April 25. I will probably write names on paper and draw the winner by hand. I will announce the winner on Thursday April 26. 
5. This giveaway is open to all readers. 

Comments (6)

By kilax, April 22, 2012 6:39 pm

Highlight of the Week: Steven made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Saturday. Oh wait, this is a running post.  Seeing a beautiful baby deer perfectly framed by an opening in the woods and lit by gorgeous sunlight during my Sunday run… and capturing a photograph of that moment.

Monday | April 16, 2012: rest
Tuesday | April 17, 2012: 7 m run
Loc: Neighborhood, Temp: 35°/34°, Time: 1:13:39, Pace: 10:32 avg, Difficulty: medium 
Wednesday | April 18, 2012: 10 m run (middle 5 miles with new GRC friend) + strength class
Loc: Mill. Trail to Nippersink FP and back, Temp: 71°/70°, Time: 1:31:24, Pace: 9:08 avg, Difficulty: medium
Strength: kettlebells, Difficulty: easy
Thursday | April 19, 2012: rest
Friday | April 20, 2012: 10 m run + strength
Loc: neighborhood, Temp: 43°/42°, Time: 1:44:03, Pace: 10:24, Difficulty: easy
Strength: free weights, core focus, Difficulty: medium/hard
Saturday | April 21, 2012: 6 m run
Loc: Neighborhood, Temp: 32°/39°, Time: 57:56, Pace: 9:39 avg, Difficulty: harder than it should have been
Sunday | April 22, 2012: 5 m run 
Loc: Grant Woods FP, Temp: 51°, Time: 44:53, Pace: 8:58 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium

Lessons learned:

• If the Garmin 405 freezes in the middle of a run, you can do a soft reset, and continue running with the same data from before the freeze. I hope I never have to use this information again. 
• If I want to do “first thing in the morning” runs, they are really going to feel the best if I have given myself 30-45 minutes to wake up.
• Do not eat a vegan hot dog before a run. 

Reminders for next week:

• Focus on keeping my arms closer to my body when running. 

Comments (12)

By kilax, April 22, 2012 6:27 pm

I was going to tack this on to the end of my weekly recap, but it was just too long. So… you get two posts today. Sorry! To make up for it, come back tomorrow for a sweet women’s running apparel giveaway…

Maggie just started a Runner Photo Challenge – check it out here, and participate! This week’s challenge: A picture of memorabilia (bib, shirt, medal, trophy, etc – can be just one thing or multiple things) from your favorite race. Include an explanation of why it’s your favorite race. 

Hands down, my favorite race is the New York City Marathon. And not because I PR’d, or because it was my best race ever, but because it showed me the true spirit of running, and the amount of support I have in my life.

I got in to the NYC Marathon via lottery. Opening Day was 4/27 last year. It was the same day my NYC bff (Gina) had her son, and a day before my grandpa passed away. I really felt like someone was watching over me that week. That is kind of hard to explain, since I am not very religious. But it’s just a feeling I had.

Everything said about how awesome the NYC Marathon is is true. The spectators, the race itself… the runners. I had a man from France, that I did not know, or could speak to, help me run the last few miles of the race. It’s just amazing that all of those people (from all over the world!) come together on race day.

And support. My sister and her boyfriend came from Iowa to watch me race. My NYC bff and her husband housed us and spectated. All of my family wore “Team KIMBOT” shirts that day, even though they couldn’t be there. I called my Chicago bff (Erin) when I finished and babbled/cried to her for a good 20 minutes. Bobbi was sending me encouraging texts during the race. A lot of my Facebook friends were really supportive. And Steven. I cannot believe he puts up with all this running. He is the best!

Anyway, the NYC Marathon was just a truly spectacular experience that reminded me why I love to run. I hope I get to try it again someday!

Opening Day for NYC is 4/25! Did any of you enter the lottery?

Comments (26)

By kilax, April 18, 2012 9:18 pm

Do you guys track the mileage on your running/exercise shoes?

I started tracking mileage when I got my first pair of Asics Gel Cumulus in October of 2010. If you are really bored, you can look at my shoe mileage stats way down on my right sidebar, and here. 

I am lucky if I make it close to 300 miles on a pair of shoes. I wear them down really fast. I severely supinate, especially on my left foot – and that shoe gets worn down really quickly. Tracking the mileage has really helped clue me in to when I need to rotate in a new pair of shoes and swap out the old ones. 

Tuesday was a new shoe day! Wow! The shoes felt so cushion-y!

Actually, the felt a bit stiff. They will feel good on the next run. 

I embarrassingly have a lot of pairs of Asics. The photo below does not include the two pairs in other locations and the one pair in the mail… shh…

I am usually alternating between at least two pairs for running, if not more. Then I use them for other things when I am done with them. 

How many pairs of running/exercise shoes do you alternate between?

I gotta say, I love the Asics Gel cushioning. It rocks my world. I am a very happy Asics girl. 

Comments (21)

By kilax, April 15, 2012 12:34 pm

Highlight of the Week: Running with friends of course (all of my runs this week were with other people), but also, running a 20 miler for fun. Bobbi‘s birthday is today, and I set up a little (okay, LONG) fun run for her with running club friends participating. She had 18 to do, and I started a bit early with my friend Yvonne who wanted to do 20, so it was nice to get an easy 20 in. I guess what was nice was to know I can do it. I am not sure how nice it will feel tomorrow! I have a date with the foam roller today. And the couch. And some vegan ice cream. And other healthy stuff. I swear! 

Monday | April 9, 2012: rest
Tuesday | April 10, 2012: 6.2 m run (with GRC friend Pete) + 9.15 m run with Bobbi and Sara
Loc: Warren Township High School, Temp: 35°/34°, Time: 54:29, Pace: 8:48 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium
Loc: Half Day Forest Preserve, Temp: 42°/39°, Time: 1:29:28, Pace: 9:46 avg, Difficulty: easy
Wednesday | April 11, 2012: strength class
Strength: medicine balls/core focus, Difficulty: hard
Thursday | April 12, 2012: 5.1 m run (with GRC friend Pete)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 30°/31°, Time: 45:49, Pace: 9:00 avg, Difficulty: easy
Friday | April 13, 2012: strength 
Strength: resistance bands and free weights, Difficulty: medium
Saturday | April 14, 2012: 7.3 m run (includes WU, 5K, CD (w/GRC friend Yvonne))
Loc: Independence Grove, Temp: 57°/62°, Difficulty: medium
Sunday | April 15, 2012: 20.1 m run (with Bobbi and other GRC friends)
Loc: Millennium Trail, Temp: 62°/72°, Time: 3:32:16, Pace: 10:34 avg, Difficulty: easy

Lessons learned:

• Doubles are feasible (see: Tuesday) – not smart – but feasible! I had two runs on Tuesday due to poor planning/FOMO, but it was a fun day!
• Don’t plan on doing a run after strength workout, because I am NOT going to want to do it. 
• No more racing - I need to lose weight and get my mental game together. 
• I need more than my handheld on a run longer than 10 miles when it’s humid.
• I hate the 20-30 mph winds (Sunday) but they actually make the humidity more bearable. How’s that for positivity?!

Reminders for next week:

• Get more sleep, so I don’t feel dead each day between 2:00-3:00 pm. I set up a daily reminder in my phone to foam roll and that really worked, so I might set up a “GO TO BED!” timer. 

Comments (24)

By kilax, April 14, 2012 11:54 am

This morning I decided to run a local race – the Take a Step for Kids 5K (also a 10K). I thought I could try for a PR since I had been trying to have more fun with running lately. I thought maybe if I went in without all the anxiety I could do it. 

Nope. Ha ha. 24:25. My 5K times this year have gotten progressively slower – 24:00, 24:03, 24:25?!

It is time for a break from racing*. 

I am not in the right mental or physical shape to do it!

I know if I lost about 10-15 pounds running faster would be a lot easier. But I don’t really want to stress myself out about losing weight right now. So it if happens it happens. 

I’ll just keep running for fun. 

Because I am having fun. Even today. I ran the first 1.5 miles with my running club friend Yvonne. I felt great when I was with her but then mentally fell apart when we split and decided I didn’t care enough to push it. 

But I got to see Yvonne and Bobbi both come in at the finish with 10K PRs! And Yvonne and I both placed in our age groups  (first for her, second for me – first place in my age group (20-29) was 9 seconds in front of me!). 

*Not to be confused with running races, ha ha.

Comments (32)

By kilax, April 12, 2012 4:17 am

• I am getting in to the waist belt craze, you know, a couple years late, like normal. I keep picking up size large belts and thinking “Wow! This belt is too big! I must be getting smaller!” Uhh… no, Kim. It is because you are wearing it at your waist and not your hips. Ha ha ha!
• Speaking of belts, I need some ideas for how to store mine. Where do you put yours?

• This is my awesome leg tan as of last Sunday. Oh yeah… As Steven said to me “Calling them ‘sexy tan lines’ does not make them sexy.” Ha!

• I decided I must have these shoes. They are in style, right?
• I have an unhealthy obsession with banana chips. When we were in Iowa for my dad’s retirement party, I bought a huge bag of them in bulk. The bag lasted 6 days. Then I saw banana chips at ALDI on Monday and bought four bags. I wish I would have bought more.

• Also on Monday, I happened upon the clearance Easter candy section at Target and found these bad boys (Brach’s Jelly Chicks & Rabbits). I bought two bags in case they turned out to be awesome. They did. I wish I would have bought more.

• What is the point of these hanger strap things in t-shirts? You are not tricking me in to thinking your clothes are high quality, H&M!

• I wasted 30 minutes last night (when I should have been sleeping) ironing a (impossible to iron) shirt (that I don’t even like) so I could wear it today and use it in my April fashion challenge. Here is the kicker – I am working from home today. Only Steven and my therapist will see me. Steven saw me ironing and said “Ooo, are you dressing up for me tomorrow?” I am not sure if fashion is worth the frustration of ironing a cotton top that is made of a zillion pieces. 

Other Random Thoughts Thursday Posts: XIII, XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, VII, VI, V, IV, III, II, I.

Comments (18)

By kilax, April 8, 2012 11:20 am

I’m trying out a new weekly training post format, as I mentioned I would here. The idea is to mention training highlights, have a photo collage, actual training, then lessons learned and reminders for the next week. Maybe this will be more concise? Sounds like a lot when it’s all written out… let me know what you think!

Highlight of the week: Running with friends! I ran with friends on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and it was such a “DUH!” moment when I remembered how much easier runs feel when I am running with other people… and how much faster the runs feel like they go by!

Monday | April 2, 2012: rest
Tuesday | April 3, 2012: 5.2 m run with Maggie
Loc: North Branch Trail, Temp: 52°/55°, Time: 44:25, Pace: 8:33 avg, Difficulty: medium 
Wednesday | April 4, 2012: 8 m run with club + strength class
Loc: Rollins Savanna,  Temp: 43°/43°, Time: 1:13:45, Pace: 9:11 avg, Difficulty: medium
Strength: medicine balls/core focus, Difficulty: mostly easy
Thursday | April 5, 2012: rest
Friday | April 6, 2012: strength + 6 m run
Strength: plyo box with weights, Difficulty: Brian is trying to kill me
Loc: neighborhood, Temp: 48°/44°, Time: 58:15, Pace: 9:42, Difficulty: easy/medium
Saturday | April 7, 2012: 4.16 m run with Bobbi then 6.12 m run with Bobbi, Katie and Stacy
Loc: Independence Grove, Start Temp: 30°, Time: 39:51, Pace: 9:35, Difficulty: easy
Loc: Independence Grove, End Temp: 51°, Time: 1:03:53, Pace: 10:27, Difficulty: easy 
Sunday | April 8, 2012: 14 m run (first 4+ with club)
Loc: Rollins Savanna,  Temp: 42°/53°, Time: 2:15:42, Pace: 9:41 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium

Lessons learned:

• Eat healthier to have more energy (and be more hyper, sorry, Steven) – I will work out when I eat like crap but I feel so much more energized if I eat something good for me
• Choose tunes wisely – music makes me run faster than the Jillian Michaels podcast
• Use the garmin as a stopwatch – turn off pace/distance view and just go with the flow (time view only) for a relaxing run (did this on my last three runs this week)

Comments (19)

By kilax, April 5, 2012 6:20 am

Mostly running related… er… oops. 

• The new winner for the 13.1 Chicago [Half] Marathon is Cary! Cary, please send me an email (kilax@ilaxstudio.com) and I will send you the info on signing up.
• Also! If you have not already registered for the 13.1 Chicago [Half] Marathon or accompanying Karhu 5K, here is a $5 off registration code - 131BLG5. Register here! The code expires 4/22.
• I really liked Erin’s post on Tuesday about making running FUN. This post came at the perfect time, as that is my goal with running right now. And I plan on accomplishing it by being more of a social runner, and actually using my running club membership. So far I am off to a good start. I ran with Maggie Tuesday night (had a blast!) and some club members Wednesday am. I’ll run with Katie on Saturday. What makes running fun for you?

Photo from Maggie – don’t we look like Runner’s World cover models?

• Of course, my other goal with being more of a social runner is to forget about pace (which I generally don’t worry about too much anyway) and just run the pace of the group. But! I do plan on signing up to run with some fasties too. So we’ll see what that does. 
• Guys, I need your input. I am not sure what to do with my Sunday Training posts. I’ve been keeping them for a few years, as I like to use them as a log of what I am doing, and also for reference (What should I wear when it’s 19°F? How much water will I need when it’s 85°F?). BUT – they are getting so damn boring. I enjoy writing them as the week goes by, but I don’t even feel like proof-reading them. They’re too long! I have a few ideas on how to shorten the training posts. What information would you want me to keep in them? Photos, pace, weather, how the run felt…? Something else? Nothing? 
• Last April I tried doing the monthly fashion challenge but lost interest in it after we had a death in the family and I got kind of depressed. Er… anyway, I am trying it again! I have been taking pictures of my outfits each day to post one large “30 Days of April Outfits” post at the end of the month. I wasn’t going to mention it because I though that would make it not happen (see goals post). Hmm, but I guess I just did. So, the goal with this is to wear something different every day. And my personal goal is not to look like a slob on the days I don’t have to go in to the office. 

Other Random Thoughts Thursday Posts: XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, VII, VI, V, IV, III, II, I.