Highlight of the Week: Running with Kelly / feeling great on my Friday run.

Monday | July 18, 2016: 5 m run (w/Kelly) + teaching strength class
Loc: to Bobbi’s, Temp: 86°/82°, Time: 49:03, Pace: 9:48 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: decent, but like my skin was burning
Strength: resistance bands and mixed mode, Difficulty: easy (mostly observing), Felt: good
Tuesday | July 19, 2016: 10 m ride
Indoor Ride Time: 37:42, Pace: 15.9 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, butt getting used to seat again
Wednesday | July 20, 2016: rest
Thursday | July 21, 2016: 12 m run (incl. 8×1:00) + 10 m ride
Loc: VP to Wadsworth loop, Temp: 74°/77, Time: 2:04:51, Pace: 10:24 avg, Difficulty: easy.medium, Felt: really good
Indoor Ride Time: 38:07, Pace: 15.7 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Friday | July 22, 2016: teaching strength class + 800 m swim (breaststroke, w/Anne) + 4 m run
Strength: restistance bands & mixed mode, Difficulty: medium, Felt: good, but so tired (sleep)
Loc: Grayslake outdoor pool, Temp (air): 70°/70°, Time: 24:45, Pace: 2:43 min/100m, Difficulty: easy-ish, Felt: better than last week!
Loc: hood, Temp: 79°/82°, Time: 36:31, Pace: 9:07 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: really good
Saturday | July 23, 2016: 3 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 78°/80°, Time: 29:03, Pace: 9:40 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: okay, frustrated with a loose dog
Sunday | July 24, 2016: 16 m run
Loc: DPRT, Temp: 72°/75°, Time: 2:51:52, Pace: 10:44 avg, Difficulty: easy, then hard (the sweatier I got), Felt: fine, just drenched

Notes:

• We had a heat advisory this week, but I actually felt really good during my runs. Yay! Am I acclimated? (I still finished the runs completely drenched, but you’ll have that.)
• My bike is in the shop, getting tuned up for RAGBRAI! Yay! The ride is in a few days – on Saturday the 30th!
• I was on schedule to teach a fitness boxing class this weekend but we canceled it due to low enrollment – so many people are doing other races or on vacation and so on. I am pleased we made it this far in to the summer with people coming to class! I’ll take a break and have the next class in September.
• During the beginning of my Saturday run a dog jumped on the back of my legs when I was still on my street, headed for the highway. I had no idea where he came from so I ran up and down my street until I figured it out. Scary! I can’t have loose dogs following me on to the highway!
• Last year, Gina visited in September and we worked out A TON – hill work, a long city run, strength class, a bike ride, a 5K (her PR!) and a 20 miler. She called it Skamp – a hybrid of the first two initials of my last name plus the word camp – which made me laugh. Well, I am excited to say she is coming back for Skamp 2016 in September! YAY! I can’t wait to plan out everything we’ll do! I tend to get really excited when someone who likes to do active things visits. I little over excited (ha, when Kelly was here and I suggested workouts for almost every activity, she jokingly (I think?) said “are you trying to kill me?!”

Thanks to everyone who entered my Eleven Year Blogiversary GIVEAWAY!!! I had said I’d notify the winners here, but I emailed them individually.

Link to Training Week 352

Thursday marked my third year in a row running the Full Moon 5K with Rachel in Madison… and third year in a row wearing the same Grumpy Cat shirts*!

Heh, also, third year in a row not caring about pace at all, and just running it for fun.

The date of this race changes each year – I’m assuming to be closer to the actual full moon? In 2013, it was on Thursday, July 25. Last year, it was on Wednesday, August 6. This year, it was back to Thursday, on July 30. And was very close to the full moon – and a special full moon – a blue moon**!

My awesome almost full moon picture, ha ha.

This was the first year that, running the race on a Thursday, I had to teach the Friday 5:00 am fitness class the next morning (back in Grayslake!). I would have asked someone else to teach it if I hadn’t already had a sub the week before, and if two of the four trainers weren’t out of town. Eek! It was funny to spend the same amount of time driving to Madison and back, that we were actually there, and not be able to spend the night at Rachel’s this time, but I still really wanted to do the race. It’s a lot of fun! (And I knew I could take a nap after teaching class on Friday, luckily!).

The race uses a shelter at Ollin Park for packet pickup and finish, and you walk about half a mile from there to get to the race start on the south side of Monona Bay. Then you run along the bay and part of Monona Lake and back to Ollin Park. There is a guy dressed up as a werewolf, and if you beat him, you get something… but this race is pretty competitive, so I have never even looked up to see what that “something” is!

View of the capitol from Ollin Park

It was a GORGEOUS night in Madison – in the high 70s with about 50% humidity and so clear! There was a nice breeze for the first mile or two of the race… then it felt pretty stuffy at the end.

With Rachel’s pub run friend’s Allie and Carley before race start

We didn’t have any sort of time goal, but when we ran our first mile in 9:42, and our second in 9:34 (that was with a stop to drink water), I was thinking “well, we gotta go for negative splits, now!” Our last mile was 8:52 and the last tenth was at a 7:30 pace for a 29:22 finish time.

As soon as we finished, the sweat started pouring down. It’s so funny – you think it’s nice and cool out, and that you feel pretty good, then when you stop moving, your body is like “What was that?! Are we done now?!”

We hung out for a bit, chatting with Rachel’s pub run friends and Linda, then headed out to meet our husbands at Ian’s Pizza! Ha, on the drive up, I told Steven I was going to order the largest pizza possible, so we could have leftovers at home, and whoa, he did get a HUGE pizza! One slice was the size of my head!

Yes, that pizza has tater tots AND sliced potatoes on it

So, last year, we were a little bummed that the place we picked to hang out after had live music and we couldn’t hear each other talking (the music was good, but we wanted to chat). So this year, Rachel made sure that place didn’t have music if we wanted to go back, but also suggested Ian’s, which she knew I would jump at, because I love their pizza (and all their vegan options).

Then right when we got there, this HORRIBLE stand-up comedy was starting. Gawd, it was painful. And we could barely hear each other again. We were laughing about it though. Hey, it got us out of their quicker – we all had to work (in some capacity) the next day!

But it was WAY too short of a trip. We got to the race a bit early and Rachel and I got to rapid-fire try to catch up on each other’s lives, but it felt too rushed (just by the nature of the schedule, not anyone’s actions). And of course, after the race, we were like “A 5K just isn’t that much time to chat!” Ha. Luckily, Rachel and I (and our husbands!) have a two-day camping trip planned in August, so I know we’ll get to catch up at a relaxed pace, then!

*I wasn’t sure if Grumpy Cat was still relevant, but we did get a few compliments on the shirts this year!
**Which I had to look up exactly what it means, but it’s when you have two full moons in one month. It happens about every three years, hence the saying “once in a blue moon.”

Highlight of the Week: A stellar 5K and last long run of the Dallas Marathon training cycle!

Monday | December 1, 2014: 10 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: hood, Temp: 20°/18°, Time: 1:39:25, Pace: 9:56 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but so beat down by the wind
Strength: medicine balls, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good/energetic
Tuesday | December 2, 2014: 7 m run (w/Kelly)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 19°/20°, Time: 1:09:47, Pace: 9:58 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, sleepy, EXCITED FOR NO WIND
Wednesday | December 3, 2014: rest
Thursday | December 4, 2014: 6 m run
Loc: Millennium Trail, Temp: 33°/31°, Time: 52:41, Pace: 8:47 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: really good
Friday | December 5, 2014: teaching strength class + Snowman Shuffle 5K
Strength: medicine balls and boxing, Difficulty: easy (mostly observing), Felt: good
Loc: Zion, Temp: 34°/34°, Time: 22:58, Pace: 7:22, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good, pumped
Saturday | December 6, 2014: 12 m run (w/Rachel)
Loc: Madison, Temp: 32°/34°, Time: 1:57:50, Pace: 9:49 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Sunday | December 7, 2014: 7 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 29°/34°, Time: 1:07:40, Pace: 9:40 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good

Notes:

• What happened to my second Monday night strength class? I didn’t report one in last training cycle because I get one night off a month (and it was that night), and there will be none reported in this month, because the class is canceled, for now, due to scheduling conflicts. It may pick up again in January.
• I felt so spoiled getting a running tour of Madison from Rachel during my long run this Saturday! I have only run in Madison a few times – the marathon (a sort of disaster, ha ha) and twice at night! It was fun to run there during the day and check everything out!
• Gina and I have plans to hang out with the 4:15 pacer at the marathon, so I was aiming for my last long run to be around goal marathon pace of 9:45ish, and it was, and felt easy-ish! Hurrah!  
• I haven’t been weather stalking for the marathon. My plan is to just check the forecast before I pack. It could be quite a bit warmer there, than it has been for what I have been training in here, recently. I tried to overdress for my training runs to practice running in the heat, but I was not dedicated enough to run on the treadmill in a hot room and really suffer. Ha ha! Eh, I tried. If it’s warm and super humid, I will likely have positive splits and not be able to stick to pace (my preferred racing temps is in the 30s with no wind), but we shall see!
• TAPER MAKES ME CRAZY! Gah. I have felt so off/on edge all week. Cutting back on my running and not starting my day with a run makes me feel bonkers. Grr, taper!
• Race report for the 5K coming tomorrow (I actually wrote it Friday night, was just waiting to see if the race pics were any good, ha)! 

Link to Training Week 267

My first race in my new age group! Woo hoo! Let’s just say… I dominated. 10:21 average for a 5K (32:08 finish)? Aww yeah, baby!

Ha ha ha. Just kidding! Like last year, this race was just an awesome reason to get together with Rachel in the middle of a work week (half day? yes, please!) and run a super fun race!

And also like last year… we wore the Grumpy Cat shirts we made. But, this year? People actually got it. 

We were, um, a bit disappointed that not many people commented on our shirts last year (they have Grumpy Cat on them, with a full moon, and say “I ran the Full Moon 5K once. It was awful.”). DON’T PEOPLE KNOW WHO GRUMPY CAT IS?!

Hee hee. They do this year! Many came up to us to say how awesome our shirts are. One person asked if she could take our picture. And another person said they are going to make a shirt like that for the race next year. Love it! It’s fun to meet fellow Grumpy Cat fans. 

There was however, one guy who came up to us and said he liked our shirts… then asked what they mean. But we suspect that he just wanted to talk to people to brag. He made everyone in our group guess how many half marathons and marathons he’s done since he had knee surgery. Um, okay (it was less than my guess of 40 each). He did imply that Rachel and I look younger than 30, and asked if we are sisters, so it wasn’t all bad. 

Linda did the race again this year, too. It was nice to see her, and meet her friend, Corinne. 

L to R: Corrine, Rachel, me and Linda

Linda thought Rachel and I would finish ahead of her in the race, but we told her considering our last race together averaged an 18:00 minute pace or something… we might not be (and she did finish in front of us!). Ha ha. Truthfully, neither Rachel or I have been running a ton lately, and definitely not doing speedwork. 9:00s feel challenging these days, and we just wanted to take the race easy! Which we did! And I loved it! We chatted the whole time. I was sad when it was all over! Luckily I know Rachel and I have a few more runs together this month. 

This race is just so fun. It starts at 9:00 pm, under the “full” moon (yes, the full moon is not until the 10th this week). Everyone wears reflective gear, headlamps and glow bracelets/other accessories. 

Someone from Movin’ Shoes (the store that puts the race on) dresses up as a wolf and if you beat him I think you win something. He runs an 18:00 minute 5K or something silly. We didn’t even see him. Ha ha!

The course runs along Monona Bay in Madison and to a park, which is fun for me, since it’s not an area I am familiar with!

It starts out on street, then goes to trail, then in to the park. It’s somewhat crowded for the first two miles – another reason to not run too fast and be careful with your footing, right?! RIGHT?!

And since it’s summer, it’s HUMID. We were actually lucky with temps in the low 70s/high 60s, but man, we were dripping in sweat when we finished!

I was wondering if the post race snacks would include oreos, like last year. They sure did! It’s just meant to be that I run this race!

And I do hope this is a race I can keep doing! The date of it varies each year, to more closely align with the full moon. Last year it was on a Thursday in July (because of that date, I was 28 when I did the race last year, and 30 when I did it this year – funny to skip a year!), and yeah, this year, on a Wednesday in August. I hope it works for my schedule next year! Especially because I want to keep getting these cool shirts – one of the only ones I saved during my purge of last year’s shirts!

It’s such a treat to take a little bit of leave in the middle of the week and travel to do something fun like this, with such a great friend. And this year, Steven came as well. I think he was missing Rachel, too! Steven and Rachel’s husband, Kevin, hung out at a cool bar while we ran, then we all got dinner after the race, with Linda. Pretty late night! I totally planned a nap before the trip so I could stay up until midnight. I mean, I am 30, after all… (let’s not mention that I have loved naps since college). 

Do you use certain text or ring tones for specific people? Who gets their own? Or do you just use the default on your phone?

I recently wiped my phone clean to start fresh with a new OS, and before I did, I took note of all the special ring and text tones I use, so I could set them up again. For whatever reason (my innate anxiety?) I feel better if I know who is calling or texting, when I hear my phone doing something. When I hear the default noise, I am all “WHO IS THAT AND WHAT DO THEY WANT?”

Just me? Ha ha. 

Of course, I keep my phone on silent most of the time anyway. But on the off chance I don’t have silence turned on…  

And… TwoThree other random things!

1. This is a week of two anniversaries for me! July 21 was my blogiversary, and today is the anniversary of when I got my ACE personal trainer certification! Woo hoo! I have my continuing education already done (for the two year period) and have my eye on another certification. 
2. My mom called me this morning, very excited, because she saw Lance Armstrong’s support RV in our hometown. He must be doing RAGBRAI this year?
3. And as an update to the last Friday question… Steven and his family gifted me a GoPro as an early birthday gift! I can’t wait to use it during RAGBRAI!

Just a few funnies to start your Monday… somehow two of them ended up being cat related… oops?

Funny #1: Like I said, Rachel and I found some some funny cat print clothes on Amazon before we settled on the Grumpy Cat shirts for our race last week. One thing I found was so completely awesome I had to buy it (as a gag gift?) for my snister. Judging from the post she left on my Facebook wall, and our following conversation… I think she found it humorous!

Come on, Facebook! What kind of an image preview is that?! Here is the full dress:

Damn. If only it came in my size. Erin didn’t include this in her cat ladies fashion post, but I bet she just overlooked it. Yep! That’s it!

Would you find it amusing to get that dress as a gift in the mail? Ha ha ha.

Funny #2: Here is a gif of what Data did to keep himself distracted while I took my test last week (you might have to reload as I set it up to just play once through, or, click on it to watch it in a new screen):

Get that mousie! Hmm, I wonder if this gif will ever make it to this blog?!

Funny #3: Well, only me and a few other people may find this funny, but yesterday I was over confident during my run and skipped a porta pottie in favor of a public bathroom (with real plumbing) I knew was a mile+ down the road. BAD idea. BAD! I should know better. It was probably my fastest mile as I picked it up to get to the bathroom before I had an accident. I got there… and the door was locked. P-A-N-I-C!!! I asked my dad where I should go (first thought: bushes) and he suggested running to the hospital, which was across the street. As I took off to run there, a lady pulled up, got out of her car and asked if I needed to use the bathroom. YES!

Only, she was walking really slow from sciatica pain. Which was funny, as one of the questions on my personal trainer exam was about sciatica. So we slowly walked to the bathroom and unlocked it for me. But! No accidents! Woo hoo! So happy she showed up when she did! 

Funny #4: Gina* sent me a super cute video of Luca singing happy birthday to me. He has the “birthday” part missing in some of the phrases, so he was singing “Happy Kim.” Yes! That video did make a very happy Kim!!!

Funny #5: Actually NOT funny. This fall weather in the summer. I have been to my parent’s cabin on the Mississippi River twice this summer, and both times, I’ve had to borrow sweat pants** from my Grandma (who lives there year round) because it is so dang cold. Yes! You are completely surprised I am saying this, as I loooooove cold weather. However… I want it to be hot when I go to the river! I want to swim and go on boat rides! Although, playing Trains for the first time was fun!

Any funnies from your weekend?

*Gina updated her blog! Go read it! Especially my comment that came off completely wrong. Sigh. I am good at that!
**I was of the “If I don’t pack pants***, I won’t need them!” mindset. I probably should pack them… THEN I won’t need them. 
***I am not running around naked, just in shorts. 

Highlight of the Week: Everything. This week rocked. I wish every week could be like this. But, um, yeah, I don’t have five-day weekends every week. Must work on that.

Monday | July 22, 2013: 6 m bike + teaching strength class
Loc: Millenium Trail + hood, Temp: 89°/90°, Time: 32:59, Pace: 10.9 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: frustrated with my day
Strength: bench and bells, Difficulty: medium/hard, Felt: stinky
Tuesday | July 23, 2013: 10.5 m run (all w/Bobbi, last 6.5 w/Emily)
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 67°/66°, Time: 1:48:46, Pace: 10:21 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great!
Wednesday | July 24, 2013: swim (32 x 25m) + 7 m run (w/Liz) + strength class
Swimming: alternating freestyle and updated: breast stroke, Time: 26:00, Difficulty: medium, Felt: like I should slow down and focus on breathing
Loc: Grayslake, Temp: 58°/66°, Time: 1:07:24, Pace: 9:37 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: fabulous after I went to the bathroom at mile 3
Strength: indoor/outdoor class, Difficulty: medium, Felt: tired
Thursday | July 25, 2013: 4 m run + Full Moon 5K (w/Rachel)
Loc: hood, Temp: 54°/55°, Time: 39:33, Pace: 9:53 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: tired-o
Loc: Madison (around Monona Bay), Temp: 72°/69°, Time: 27:28, Pace: 8:48 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: good
Friday | July 26, 2013: rest
Saturday | July 27, 2013: Tread the Trail for Epilepsy 5K (w/Dad)
Loc: Paradise Valley Campground Garnavillo, IA, Temp: 54°/55°, Time:35:43, Pace: 11:57 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Sunday | July 28, 2013: 14 m run (w/Dad on bike)
Loc: Guttenberg, IA, Temp: 54°/59°, Time: 2:23:09, Pace: 10:13 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good

Notes:

• I notice I am must less “planned” with my fuel on long runs now. I used to religiously take a GU every 4 miles… today I ran 14 miles and took two GUs. And just when I felt hungry. I wonder if that strategy will backfire, as I used to get SUPER hungry on long runs. Or maybe my body has become more efficient in creating ATP from stored fat and carbohydrate. Ha ha ha. Riiiiight. 
• Two races this week! Woo hoo! It wasn’t planned that way on purpose (at first), but it turned out to be really fun. And the races were quite different from one another – one was in the dark on a paved trail and one was a trail race!
• My dad says he plans to continue running! He at least has to finish the plan he was following. Then I will help him develop a new one and we can plan our next race. Yay! I am still giddy over the fact that I got to do a race with my dad!!!
• I remembered something funny from the 5K Dad and I did – they gave you a sticker with your name and age on it for your “bib.” Then they took it off at the finish and put it on the board for age group placements. I knew from the get go that I was one of one in my age group. Ha ha. 
• I enjoyed swimming laps at the pool one day this week. I found it relaxing. It would be nice if I could somehow work that in to my weekly schedule. And I think I’d like to get a refresher on technique. I can tell I am straining my neck when I do the freestyle stroke. 
• I have some more fun cross training planned for the upcoming week! And! A 3-day work week! Woo hoo!

Upcoming Races

May 4, 2019 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI

PRs

Distance	Year	Time
5K	2016	21:45
10K	2015	45:36
10M	2012	1:25:22
HM	2018	1:49:27
M	2015	3:55:34
50K	2012	7:14:38

Race Count

Distance	Count	Distance	Count	Distance	Count
2M	1	10	5	Sprint Tri R	4
5K	77	N10M	1	Oly Tri R	1
3.33 (10M R)	2	20K	1	HIM R	1
3.5	1	HM	32	Duathlon	1
4	2	M	10	TLD	2
8K	2	50K	1	Bike Event	9
5	2	33.5	1
10K	10	Ragnar	1	TOTAL	166

2018

October 13, 2018 | Gear Western Country Half Marathon | Long Lake, MN | 2:10:40 | recap
Weather stats: 36° start, 42° finish, 7 mph winds S start, 10 mph winds S finish, 89% humidity at start to 85% humidity at finish, Dewpoint: 33° start, 38° finish

August 18, 2018 | Madison Mini Marathon | Madison, WI | 2:20:50 | recap
Weather stats: 62° start, 68° finish, 2 mph winds N start, 4 mph winds NNE finish, 100% humidity at start to 93% humidity at finish, Dewpoint: 62° start, 68° finish

July 28, 2018 | RAGBRAI Day 7 (73.6 miles) | Iowa City, IA to Danvenport, IA | 5:22:54 | recap
Weather stats: 63° start, 77° finish, calm winds start, 4 mph winds SW finish, 83% humidity at start to 47% humidity at finish, Dewpoint: 58° start, 56° finish

July 15, 2018 | Biking with Beanzie (66.7 miles) | DeKalb, IL | 4:31:02 | recap
Weather stats: 72° start, 82° finish, 4 mph winds S start, 6 mph winds S finish, 98% humidity at start to 71% humidity at finish, Dewpoint: 71° start, 72° finish

June 16, 2018 | Grandma’s Marathon | Two Harbors to Duluth, MN | 4:36:36 | recap
Weather stats: 61° start, 49° finish, 6 mph winds NNE start, 6 mph winds E finish, 82% humidity at start to 96% humidity at finish, Dewpoint: 55° start, 48° finish

May 27, 2018 | Chocoholic 5K Superhero Run | Burlington, WI | 29:21 | recap
Weather stats: 79° start, 82° finish, 4 mph winds SSW start, 4 mph winds SSW finish, 72% humidity at start to 63% humidity at finish, Dewpoint: 69°

May 5, 2018 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 1:49:27 | recap
Weather stats: 53° start, 61° finish, 5 mph winds W start, 6 mph winds WSW finish, 75% humidity at start to 63% humidity at finish

April 7, 2018 | Fools 5K | Waterloo, IA | 21:48 | 1st in Athena, 2nd overall | recap
Weather stats: 16° start, 20° finish, 8 mph winds WNW start, 12 mph winds NNW finish, 80% humidity at start to 74% humidity at finish

February 25, 2018 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 23:08 | 1st in AG | recap
Weather stats: 37° start, 39° finish, 17 mph winds WSW start (31 mph gusts), 12 mph winds WSW finish (24 mph gusts), 61% humidity at start to 56% humidity at finish

January 7, 2018 | Snowshoes Scurry, Race #2 | Middleton, WI | 45:52 | recap
Weather stats: 18° start, 18° finish, 12 mph winds SSW start, 9 mph winds SSW finish, 63% humidity at start to 68% humidity at finish

2017
2017 Racing Statistics Post

September 17, 2017 | Fox Valley Half Marathon | St. Charles, IL | 2:26:53 | recap
Weather stats: 64° start, 66° finish, 0 mph winds, 93% humidity at start to 89% humidity at finish

July 29, 2017 | RAGBRAI Day 7 (47.6 miles) | Waukon, IA to Lansing, IA | 3:48:16 | recap

July 1, 2017 | Miles on the Mississippi 5K | Guttenberg, IA | 24:41 | 3rd in AG (14+) | recap
Weather stats: 65° start, 65° finish, 4 mph winds from the N to 5 mph winds from the N, 87% humidity at start to 86% humidity at finish

June 25, 2017 | Pleasant Prairie Triathlon International Distance Relay | Pleasant Prairie, WI | 3:00:15 | recap
Weather stats: 55° start, 59° finish, 9 mph winds from the W to 10 mph winds from the W, 83% humidity at start to 69% humidity at finish

June 11, 2017 | Bicycle Club of Lake County Ramble (32 miles) | Trevor, WI | 2:40:36 | recap
Weather stats: 71° start, 79° finish, 8 mph winds from the SSW to 13 mph winds from the SSW, 68% humidity at start to 60% humidity at finish

May 28, 2017 | Chocoholic 5K | Burlington, WI | 25:19 | 2nd in AG | recap
Weather stats: 61° start, 63° finish, 0 mph winds, 91% humidity at start to 84% humidity at finish, heavy rain

May 6, 2017 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 2:10:45 | recap
Weather stats: 44° start, 49° finish, 10 mph winds from the N (16 mph gusts) to 14 mph winds from the N (20 mph gusts), 65% humidity at start to 60% humidity at finish

April 1, 2017 | Fools 5K | Waterloo, IA | 25:08 | 1st in Athena | recap
Weather stats: 34° start, 39° finish, 4mph winds from the W to 5 mph winds from the W, 92% humidity at start to 85% humidity at finish

February 26, 2017 | Frosty Footrace (“2M”) | Round Lake, IL | 16:25 (not timed) | recap
Weather stats: 34° start, 38° finish, 24mph winds from the S to 26 mph winds from the S, 49% humidity at start to 48% humidity at finish

2016
2016 Racing Statistics Post

November 24, 2016 | Jon Callaghan Memorial Turkey Trot (5K) | Gurnee, IL | 36:13 (not timed) | recap
Weather stats: 36° start, 39° finish, 8mph winds from the W, 94% humidity at start to 79% humidity at finish

October 14, 2016 | Cory’s Full Moon Run (5K) | Zion, IL | 23:53 | 1st overall | recap
Weather stats: 62° start, 59° finish, 9mph winds from the SSE, 61% humidity at start to 69% humidity at finish

July 30, 2016 | RAGBRAI Day 7 (49.7 miles) | Washington, IA to Muscatine, IA | 3:50:00 | recap

May 7, 2016 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 1:53:07 | recap
Weather stats: 67° start, 52° finish, 6mph winds from the W to 17mph winds from the N (with 33 mph gusts), 60% humidity at start to 42% humidity at finish

February 28, 2016 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 21:45 | 1st in AG | recap
Weather stats: 56° start, 59° finish, 26mph winds from the SW to 21mph winds from the SW (with 38-40 mph gusts), 52% humidity at start to 51% humidity at finish

2015
2015 Racing Statistics Post

December 13, 2015 | Dallas Marathon | Dallas, TX | 3:55:34 | recap
Weather stats: 53° start, 54° finish, 5mph winds from the NW to 10mph winds from the S, 89% humidity at start to 86% humidity at finish

November 26, 2015 | Mayor’s Turkey Day Run 10K | Kenosha, WI | 45:36 | recap
Weather stats: 52° start, 53° finish, 16mph winds from the SSW to 18mph winds from the SSW, 89% humidity at start to 85% humidity at finish

November 13, 2015 | Full Moon Run 5K | Zion, IL | 21:48 | 1st in AG, 2nd overall | recap
Weather stats: 39°, 5mph winds from the WNW, 59% humidity 

September 26, 2015 | Big Hollow PTO 5K | Ingleside, IL | 23:02 | 1st in AG, 2nd overall | recap
Weather stats: 64° start, 65° finish, 9mph winds from the NNE to 8mph winds from the E, 89% humidity at start to 90% humidity at finish

September 7, 2015 | Benefit Classic Half Marathon | Dubuque, IA | 2:20:59 | recap
Weather stats: 69° start, 71° finish, 7mph winds from the SW to 8mph winds from the WSW, 92% humidity at start to 93% humidity at finish

August 9, 2015 | Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon Relay | Pleasant Prairie, WI | 1:25:18 | 1st in division | recap

July 30, 2015 | Full Moon 5K | Madison, WI | 29:22 | recap
Weather stats: 80° start, 76° finish, 4mph winds from the N, 43% humidity at start to 48% humidity at finish

July 23, 2015 | RAGBRAI Day 5 (“69.6” miles) | Cedar Falls, IA to Hiawatha, IA | 6:25:07 | recap

July 22, 2015 | RAGBRAI Day 4 (“56” miles) | Eldora, IA to Cedar Falls, IA | 5:08:41 | recap

July 11, 2015 | Psycho Psummer Run Toto Run 10-Miler | Kansas City, Kansas | 4:14:30 | recap
Weather stats (finish only): 86° finish, 15mph winds from the N, 62% humidity at finish

July 4, 2015 | Firecracker 5K | Garnavillo, IA | 24:02 | recap | 1st in AG, 2nd overall
Weather stats: 59° start, 61° finish, 1mph winds from the N, 86% humidity at start to 81% humidity at finish

June 21, 2015 | The Longest Day | Monroe to Madison, WI | recap

June 13, 2015 | Rock n Sole The Big Gig 5K | Milwaukee, WI | 23:14 | recap | 3rd in AG
Weather stats: 70° start, 70° finish, 8 mph winds from the ENE to 10 mph winds from the ENE, 96% humidity at start to 92% humidity at finish

June 6, 2015 | Hospital Hill Half Marathon | KCMO | 2:09:49 | recap
Weather stats: 55° start, 55° finish, 7 mph winds from the E to 7 mph winds from the NE, 81% humidity at start to 83% humidity at finish

May 2, 2015 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 2:06:16 | recap
Weather stats: 49° start, 65° finish, 0 mph winds from the N to 9 mph winds from the WSW, 73% humidity at start to 38% humidity at finish

April 11, 2015 | Kal-Haven Trail Run 33.5 Miles | Kalamazoo, MI | 6:17:31 | recap | Rachel’s recap
Weather stats: 38° start, 49° finish, 7 mph winds from the SW to 7 mph winds from the WNW, 84% humidity at start to 64% humidity at finish

April 4, 2015 | Fools 5K | Waterloo, IA | 23:06 | recap | 1st in Athena
Weather stats: 39° start, 47° finish, 14 mph winds from the W to 13 mph winds from the W, 50% humidity at start to 40% humidity at finish

March 7, 2015 | Hot Dash 10 Mile | Minneapolis, MN | 1:45:40 | recap
Weather stats: 36° start, 40° finish, 16 mph winds from the NW to 13 mph winds from the NW, 73% humidity at start and finish

February 22, 2015 | Frostie Bites Hot Chocolate Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 22:58 | 2nd in AG | recap
Weather stats: 13° start, 11 mph winds from the NW, 61% humidity at start

January 25, 2015 | Frozen Zucchini 5K Snowshoe Adventure | Barrington, IL | 33:25 | recap | Rachel’s recap
Weather stats: 29° start, 29° finish, 17 mph winds from the NNE to 18 mph winds from the NE, 84% humidity at start, 81% humidity at finish

2014
2014 Racing Statistics Post

December 14, 2014 | Dallas Marathon | Dallas, TX | 4:20:36 | recap
Weather stats: 62° start, 65° finish, 12mph winds from the SSE to 9mph winds from the S, 87% humidity at start and finish

December 5, 2014 | Snowman Shuffle 5K | Zion, IL | 22:57 | 2nd in AG | recap
Weather stats: 34° start, 34° finish, 1 mph winds from the N to calm, 83% humidity at start, 82% humidity at finish

November 29, 2014 | COOL 10K | Libertyville, IL | 1:15:18 | recap
Weather stats: 38° start, 43° finish, 12 mph winds from the S to 14 mph winds from the SSW, 77% humidity at start, 73% humidity at finish

November 7, 2014 | Full Moon Run 5K | Zion, IL | 23:29 | 2nd in AG | recap
Weather stats: 41° start, 40° finish, 12 mph winds from the S to 8 mph winds from the S, 54% humidity at start, 55% humidity at finish

October 11, 2014 | Prairie State Half Marathon | Libertyville, IL | 2:13:50 | recap
Weather stats: 35° start, 51° finish, 2 mph winds from the NW to 4 mph winds from the N, 93% humidity at start, 61% humidity at finish

October 5, 2014 | Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon | Milwaukee, WI | 4:44:59 | recap
Weather stats: 36° start, 50° finish, 9 mph winds from the WSW to 13 mph winds from the W, 83% humidity at start, 43% humidity at finish

September 1, 2014 | Benefit Classic Half Marathon | Dubuque, IA | 2:24:44 | recap
Weather stats: 67° start, 73° finish, 9 mph winds from the WSW to 14 mph winds from the SW, 92% humidity at start, 78% humidity at finish

August 23, 2014 | Victory Fun Run 10K | Edgerton, WI | 1:03:39 | recap
Weather stats: 73° start, 74° finish, 5 mph winds from the SE to 6 mph winds from the SE, 94% humidity at start, 95% humidity at finish

August 10, 2014 | Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon Relay | Pleasant Prairie, WI | 1:11:58 | 2nd in division | recap
Weather stats: 69° start, 71° finish, 9 mph winds from the ENE to 8 mph winds from the E, 76% humidity at start, 69% humidity at finish

August 6, 2014 | Movin’ Shoes Full Moon 5K | Madison, WI | 32:08 | recap
Weather stats: 71° start, 65° finish, 5mph winds from the ESE to 1mph winds from the ESE, 75% humidity at start, 57% humidity at finish

July 26, 2014 | RAGBRAI Day 7 (71.05 miles) | Independence, IA to Guttenberg, IA | 5:18:38 | recap, GoPro recap, Steven + Mom recap

July 12, 2014 | Psycho Psummer Trail Run 10 Miler | Kansas City, KS | 2:59:05 | recap | Rachel’s recap
Weather stats: 84° start, 89° finish, 14mph winds from the SW to 12mph winds from the WSW, 51% humidity at start, 45% humidity at finish

July 4, 2014 | Firecracker 5K | Garnavillo, IA | 30:50 | recap
Weather stats: 55° start, 59° finish, 0mph winds from the N, 93% humidity at start, 94% humidity at finish

June 29, 2014 | Waucondafest Challenge 10K | Wauconda, IL | 1:01:33 | 3rd in AG | recap
Weather stats:  70°F start, 73°F finish, 10-12mph winds from the SW, 88% humidity @ start, 79% humidity @ finish

June 21, 2014 | The Longest Day (35 miles) | Appleton, WI | recap

June 1, 2014 | Udder Century Bike Ride (50 Miles) | Union, IL | 3:38:31 | recap
Weather stats: 68° start, 84° finish, 10 mph winds from the S to 16 mph winds from the SSW

May 24, 2014 | Soldier Field 10 Miler | Chicago, IL | 1:36:58 | recap
Weather stats:  54°F start, 57°F finish, 6mph winds from the N to 3mph winds from the N, 74% humidity

May 18, 2014 | Chicago Spring Half Marathon | Chicago, IL | 2:23:44 | recap
Weather stats: 52°F start, 59°F finish, 8mph winds from the SSW to 14mph winds from the SW, 54% humidity

May 3, 2014 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 2:06:53 | recap
Weather stats: 47°F start, 47°F finish, 9mph winds from the W, 86% humidity

April 26, 2014 | Kettleman Duathlon | Long Lake Recreation Area, Kettle Moraine State Forest WI | 2:15:51 | 2nd in AG | recap
Weather stats: 36°F start, 38°F finish, 8mph winds from the NE to 11mph winds from the NNE

April 19, 2014 | Trek the Trails Half Marathon | McKinney, TX | 2:13:18 | recap
Weather stats: 51°F start, 68°F finish, 1mph winds from ESE to 10mph winds from the S

April 5, 2014 | South Shore Half Marathon | Milwaukee, WI | 2:13:58 | recap
Weather stats: 33°F start, 43° finish, 3mph winds from the NNW

February 23, 2014 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 26:48 | 1st in AG | recap
Weather stats: 23°F start and finish, 10mph winds from the WNW

February 2, 2014 | Texas Half* | Irving, TX | ?:??:?? | recap
Weather stats: 34°F start and finish, 18mph winds from the north
*course was short

January 26, 2014 | Frozen Zucchini 5K Snowshoe Adventure | Barrington, IL | 44:21 | 2nd in AG | recap
Weather stats: 13°F start, 19°F finish, 15mph winds w/gusts
Received $25 Erewhon gift card for second place finish

2013
2013 Racing Statistics Post

December 15, 2013 | Rudolph Ramble 8K | Chicago, IL | 52:03 | recap

December 7, 2013 | Rotary Santa Run 5K | Arlington Heights, IL | 29:11 | recap

December 4, 3013 | Reindeer Run 5K | Zion, IL | 25:27 | 2nd in AG | recap

November 30, 2013 | COOL 10K | Libertyville, IL | 52:46 | 1st in AG | recap

November 24, 2013 | Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 5K | Lincolnwood, IL | 38:30 | recap, Anne’s recap

November 10, 2013 | Naperville Marathon | Naperville, IL | 4:24:56 | recap | Xaarlin’s recap

November 2, 2013 | Reebok Spartan Super Sprint Miller Park | Milwaukee, WI | 1:05:56 | recap

October 26, 2013 | Run, Walk and Roll for a Drug Free Community 5K | Cedar Falls, IA | 23:53 | 1st woman overall | recap

October 12, 2013 | Dead Last 5K | Grayslake, IL | xx:xx* | recap
*Not sure on actual finish time – the results seem a bit off

October 12, 2013 | Prairie State Half Marathon | Libertyville, IL | 2:19:16 | recap, Emily’s recap

September 21, 2013 | Muddy Monk Four Stars Four Miler* | Lincolnshire, IL | 45:22 | recap, Maureen’s recap
*course was short

September 15, 2013 | North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon | Kettle Moraine, WI | 2:43:00 | recap, Rachel’s recap

September 8, 2013 | On the Run 5K | Round Lake Beach, IL | 25:55 | 1st in AG | recap

September 7, 2013 | Lung Run 10K | Chicago, IL | 1:20:41 | recap

August 11, 2013 | Iron Girl Triathlon Relay | Pleasant Prairie, WI | 1:30:49 | recap

July 27, 2013 | Tread the Trail for Epilepsy 5K | Garnavillo, IA | 35:42 | 1st in AG | recap

July 25, 2013 | Full Moon 5K | Madison, WI | 27:34 | recap, Rachel’s recap

June 23, 2013 | Chicago Women’s Half Marathon | Chicago, IL | 3:17:38 | recap, Anne’s recap

June 9, 2013 | Ironman 70.3 Kansas (Relay) | Lawrence, KS | 6:14:38 | recap

May 12, 2013 | Mother’s Day 5K | Barrington, IL | 24:36 | recap, Xaarlin’s recap

May 4, 2013 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 1:51:15 | recap

April 20, 2013 | Salt Lake City Half Marathon | Salt Lake, UT | 1:54:54 | recap

April 13, 2013 | Double Down 20K | Wheeling, IL | 2:19:46 | recap

April 7, 2013 | South Shore Half Marathon | Milwaukee, WI | 2:03:08* | recap, Rachel’s recap

*Used Rachel’s time from this site, as it was closer to what my watch said.

March 16, 2013 | Shamrock Shuffle 5K | McHenry, IL | 22:38 | 2nd in AG | recap

February 24, 2013 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 23:27 | 2nd in AG | recap

February 17, 2013 | Prospect Park 10 Mile Relay | Prospect Park, NY | 1:34:26 | recap

2012
2012 Racing Statistics post

December 16, 2012 | NYCRUNS Hot Chocolate 5K | Roosevelt Island, NY | 32:36 | recap

December 1, 2012 | Schiller Chiller 10K* | Chicago, IL | 56:46 | recap

*course was short

November 24, 2012 | COOL 5K | Libertyville, IL | 33:35 | recap

November 22, 2012 | Long Grove Turkey Trot 5K | Long Grove, IL | 27:52 | recap

November 17, 2012 | USOLE Trail Challenge (5-Miler) | Chicago, IL | 51:56 | recap

November 10, 2012 | Veterans Marathon | Columbia City, IN | 5:41:03 | recap, Bobbi’s recap

November 3, 2012 | Shoal Creek Living History Wilderness Run (5-Miler) | Kansas City, MO | 48:29, 1st in AG | recap

October 27, 2012 | Run Walk and Roll for a Drug Free Community 5K | Cedar Falls, IA | 26:18, 1st in AG | recap

October 20, 2012 | ZOOMA Great Lakes Half Marathon | Fontana, WI | 2:14:31 | recap

October 14, 2012 | World’s Largest Corn Maze 5K Run | Spring Grove, IL | 39:35 | recap

September 15, 2012 | North Face Endurance Challenge 50K | Eagle, WI | 7:14:38 | recap, Kovas’s recap, Rachel’s recap

September 9, 2012 | Chicago Half Marathon | Chicago, IL | 2:22:52 | recap, Emily’s recap

August 11, 2012 | Rally for Autism 5K | Libertyville, IL | 34:28 | recap, Gina’s recap

July 15, 2012 | Help Fight Drug Abuse 5K Run/Walk  | Astoria, NY | 26:08 | recap

June 9, 2012 | 13.1 Chicago Marathon | Chicago, IL | 2:08:17 | recap

May 26, 2012 | Elgin Valley Fox Trot 10 Mile | Elgin, IL | 1:25:22 | recap

May 5, 2012 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 2:06:11 | recap

April 14, 2012 | Take a Step for Kids 5K | Libertyville, IL | 24:25 | 2nd in AG | recap

March 31, 2012 | Fools 5K | Waterloo, IA | 24:03 | recap

February 26, 2012 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 24:00 | 1st in AG | recap

February 19, 2012 | Cherry Tree 10-Miler 3-Person Relay | Brooklyn, NY | 1:37:22 | recap, Gina’s recap

2011

December 3 | Rotary Santa 5K Run | Arlington Heights, IL | 36:32 | recap

November 6 | ING NYC Marathon | New York, NY  | 4:41:04 | recap

November 5 | Dash to the Finish Line 5K | New York, NY | 43:57 | recap

October 29 | Run Walk and Roll for a Drug Free Community 5K | Cedar Falls, IA | 27:21, 1st in AG | recap

October 16 | World’s Largest Corn Maze 5K* Run | Spring Grove, IL | 30:19 | recap
*Not actually a 5K

October 2 | Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon | Milwaukee, WI | 4:38:35 | recap, Erin’s recap

September 11 | Fort2Base Nautical 10 Miler | Fort Sheridan, IL | 2:25:01 | recap, Bobbi’s recap

August 21 | Danskin Triathlon Relay* | Pleasant Prairie, WI | 1:29:03, 3rd in Relay Division | recap, Erin’s recap
*Sprint Distance

August 13 | River Run for Ryan 5K* | Guttenberg, IA | 25:28, 2nd in AG | recap, Erin’s recap
*Course was only 3.0 miles

August 6 | Just Book It! 5K | Grayslake, IL | 28:55 | recap, Bobbi’s recap, Erin’s recap, Marcia’s recap, Lauren’s recap

July 9 | Grayslake 5K | Grayslake, IL | 28:14 | recap

June 10-11 | Ragnar Madison to Chicago Relay | 29:59:21 | recap

May 29 | Madison Marathon | Madison, WI | 5:01:36 | recap

May 7 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 2:05:21 | recap, Erin’s recap

April 30 | Christie Clinic Illinois Half Marathon | Champaign-Urbana, IL | 1:57:34 | recap, Erin’s recap

April 29 | Provena Illinois 5K | Champaign-Urbana, IL | 26:31 | recap, Erin’s recap

April 17 | Trolley Run (4M) | Kansas City, MO | 45:52 | recap

April 9 | South Shore Half | Milwaukee, WI | 1:54:06 | recap, Bobbi’s recap

April 2 | Fools 5K | Waterloo, IA | 23:53, 3rd in AG | recap

March 13 | Rotary Shamrock 5K Shuffle | McHenry, IL | 23:54, 2nd in AG | recap

February 27 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 25:00, 1st in AG | recap, Erin’s recap

January 30 | Frozen Zucchini Snowshoe Adventure (5K) | Barrington, IL | 44:09, 3rd in AG | recap

2010

December 4 | Rotary Santa Run (5K) | Arlington Heights, IL | 29:07 | recap, Erin’s recap

November 20 | Clear Water Outdoor 6th Annual Turkey Trot 10K Walk | Lake Geneva, WI | 1:40:45 | recap, Tori’s recap, Bobbi’s recap

October 30 | Run Walk and Roll for a Drug Free Community 5K* | Cedar Falls, IA | 28:34 | recap
*Course was only 2.9 miles

October 17 | World’s Largest Corn Maze Run 5K* | Spring Grove, IL | 29:51 | recap, Erin’s recap
*Course was only 2.61 miles

October 10 | Chicago Marathon | Chicago, IL | 5:37:42 | recap

September 25 | Lake County Employee/Retirees 5K | Libertyville, IL | 27:32, 3rd in AG | recap

June 13 | North Shore Half Marathon Walk | Highland Park, IL | 3:16:17 | recap, Tori’s recap

June 5 | My Waterloo Days 5K Walk | Waterloo, IA | 42:31 | recap

May 23 | Stepping up to Wellness 10K Walk | Libertyville, IL | 1:28:56 | recap, Tori’s recap

May 8 | Kicking the Trails for Kic-Leukemia 8K Walk | Crystal Lake, IL | 1:27:50 | recap

May 1 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 2:19:11 | recap

February 28 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 25:55, 2nd in AG | recap, Erin’s recap

2009

November 26 | Thanksgiving Day 5K | Crystal Lake, IL | 28:40 | recap

August 15 | Rally for Autism 5K | Libertyville, IL | 28:20 | recap (scroll down), Erin’s recap

July 4 | Firecracker 5K | Garnavillo, IA | 24:51, 1st in AG | recap (scroll down)

May 30 | Hope for the Hungry 5K | Libertyville, IL | 26:36 | recap

May 21 | Chase Corporate Challenge 3.5 | Chicago, IL | 27:13 | recap

May 2 | Wisconsin Half Marathon | Kenosha, WI | 1:57:47 | recap

April 18 | Take a Step for Kids 10K | Libertyville, IL | 51:00, 2nd in AG | recap

February 23 | Frosty Footrace 5K | Round Lake, IL | 27:53, 1st in AG | recap

2008

December 6 | Santa Sleigh 5K | Arlington Heights, IL | 30:27 | recap

November 15 | Girls on the Run 5K | Bridgeview, IL | untimed | recap

November 2 | Red Ribbon Race 5K | Lake Forest, IL | 27:20 (Kim), 1st in AG, 26:29 (Steven), 3rd in AG | recap

October 18 | Grant Wheeler Memorial 5K | Cedar Falls, IA | 27:00 | recap

September 20 | Rays Awareness Run 5K | Libertyville, IL | 29:00 | recap

2007

April 19 | VEISHEA Tournament 5K | Ames, IA | 28:16 | recap (scroll down)

March 31 | April Fool’s 5K | Waterloo, IA |30:30 | recap

January 1 | New Year’s Day 5K | Chicago, IL | 32:30 | recap (scroll to bottom)

The site:

My website went down on Sunday because my domain did not get renewed. I am  not sure what the mix-up was, because I normally get a bill for it, and I don’t think I did this year. I contacted my web host right away, who fixed and it said it would take “24-72” hours to come back up. 72 hours later, when it STILL didn’t work, they said they just had to point the domain name to the root folder to fix the issue. Why didn’t they do that in the first place?!?!

Thank you to everyone who asked me about it. I really appreciated your concern and inquiries! It was nice to know my friends wondered where I was… but frustrating that I could not do anything about it!

Update: Thanks to Lindsay and Etta for pointing out the comments were not working. Ugh. This is giving me a headache and making me really frustrated. I had to go back in and turn on comments and pings on EVERY post.

The Missed Blogiversary:

Yesterday was my four year blogging anniversary, and I missed it. Poo poo. Oh well.

The movie:

I am hoping to write a review of Food Inc. soon. I can happily tell you that I did not find it horribly graphic, but that I was disturbed.

The wrist:

I saw the orthopedic specialist on Friday. He pressed his fingers into my wrist, asking “Does this hurt?” until he finally got a “YES!!!!” or two out of me.

He told me that because the pain is more general, it is likely torn ligaments that are trying to heal, and have scar tissue on them that need to be stretched back out. He gave me a new brace to wear (with velcro straps THANK HEAVENS) for another month. He told me to wear it during the day, taking it off a few times to move my wrist back and forth. If I don’t gain full mobility in my wrist in a month, I need to go back to the doctor so he can try to pinpoint the exact ligaments (muscles?) that are still giving me problems.

As you can see from the photo, I cannot move my right wrist back very far. The doctor measured it, and I could only get it to go back 38 degrees. My wrist doesn’t hurt as much anymore, but I am a bit creeped out by how limited the motion in it is. I keep saying to Steven, “Maybe I could never bend my right wrist back that far…”

That’s as far back as I can get the right wrist to go, even when I push on it with my other hand.

Oh, and since I am talking about it, I just want to add a little detail to the story of how this all happened. Some people mentioned that this incident reminded them of the motherly warning, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.” Well, I want to let you know that the FIRST thing my mom said to me when I got to the beach (because she went on the first boat trip over) was, “Kim! I am surprised you didn’t go straight to that slide to try it out! Are you going to?!?!”