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By kilax, June 13, 2009 8:40 am

My neighbor (Fritz) and I saw this HUGE turtle during our 5-mile run this morning!

When we were doing our warm-up walk we saw him hear the wooded “swamp” area, but when we were nearing the end, he had moved across the street to a tree in front of a house.

I’ve never seen a turtle that big in our neighborhood, so I was pretty excited. Does that make me a huge dork?

Scary half-asleep photo!

I got up at 5:45 today so I could met Fritz at 6:00 for our run. Steven’s parents are in town, and I wanted to get it done before everyone woke up so I wouldn’t have to disappear in the middle of the day to go running. I don’t want to miss out on the fun!

I LOVE running first thing in the morning. But wow, the night before a morning run, I cannot sleep AT ALL. I am too excited to get up and run, and I’ll actually have dreams about my morning run. And of course, last night, I was awake all night worrying about the rain (it stopped raining for one hour during our run – yay!).

I haven’t been getting quality sleep lately, at all. I keep waking up around 3:00 each night. And since I get up at 4:30, that is really messing with my sleep cycle during the week. Maybe I can fit a nap in this weekend!

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By kilax, May 30, 2009 5:08 pm

My neighbor and I ran the Hope for the Hungry 5K in (evil) Libertyville, Illinois today. I got an email about this race last week and asked my neighbor if he wanted to run it, because the proceeds directly go towards providing food and an education for children in Haiti, and he is from Haiti (plus, we had been running a bit together, and I thought he was ready for a 5K). Have you heard much about the hunger problem in Haiti? It’s something I’ve heard quite a bit about in the news. It’s estimated that 1 in 4 Haitians never get enough to eat, and are hungry all the time. The event organizer talked to us today about children who are so hungry they pass out in class or on the way to school. Many people resort to eating mud cakes.

This all makes me very very sad. I think about how I live in a nation where so many people OVEREAT and indulge, and how there are people all over the world struggling to get enough to eat to make it through the day. The politics of it all are way over my head. I wish there was a clear-cut solution. I know that today, I am reminded to be grateful for what I have.

On to something cheerier! I love how enthusiastic my neighbor is. He signed up for the race right away. Then the next day, we ran 5 miles together. We talked about the race a bit, and I think he was somewhat nervous. He asked if I thought he was ready. I think I responded with something like, “You just ran two miles more than a 5k! Of course you’re ready!” And he did really great today.

It was raining just a bit when we started, but as soon as we took off, the rain cleared!

Beautiful skies… not!!!

The course went through a the Old School Forest Preserve. The course was all crushed gravel and mostly wooded. It’s a fun course! When we ran it on Thursday we saw deer three times.

Can you find me?

I was being a bit pushy while we were running. I thought our plan was to run between 9:30-10:00 minute miles (like during our practice run) but once I saw how well my neighbor was doing, I didn’t let him slow down! I hope he wants to run with me again!

We ran just under 9:00 minute miles (splits at the bottom of the page), and sprinted the last part. I said, “Go Fritz go!” (Maybe it would have made more sense to just type his name from the beginning?) and he just took off!!! Then I was sprinting to keep up with him.

Our fast sprint to the finish line!

We finished in 26:36, which is actually a 5K PR for me because I haven’t run one in awhile!

Exhausted and sweaty!

Steven* was there the whole time, and Fritz’s wife came with their two kids and his brother! It’s so fun to see family at the finish line!

After the race, we talked to the Runner’s Edge (local running store) people about a 4-mile fun run they are hosting this Thursday and we had been thinking about doing. We met another runner who wants to do it, and she seemed really nice. That should be a fun way to meet new people!

Distance: 3.14 miles | Time: 26:36 | 1: 8:30 | 2: 8:42 | 3: 8:32 | 4: 0:51

UGH, It took me FOREVER to write this, because Firefox kept typing all of my words backwards. I restarted it a few times then finally uninstalled and reinstalled. HOW FRUSTRATING!!!

*Wondering why Steven didn’t run? He’s been having a hip problem since the half marathon, and has been taking it easy (the smart thing to do). I MISS running with him though.

Comments (25)

By kilax, May 12, 2009 5:18 am

I know some of you have got to be sick of all my running posts, but I really need to get this out there. And it’s not too brag, or gloat, but just to share my happiness.

I am at a point in my running where it feels so good to run. It feels so natural. I feel like I could keep going and going. I don’t want to stop. I look forward to my run all day long. I veg out on it. I let my mind wander. I let my body take over. I let it do what it wants to do. It feels right.

I really think my body wants me to be a runner.

I am trying to enjoy every minute of this, because I am aware of the taxing effect running can have on your body if you are not careful. I am aware that I could sustain an injury that would sideline me for awhile. I am really hoping that doesn’t happen, but I know it’s a risk, so even though I love running so much, I make sure not to run too much. I make sure to take a day off here and there, even though I don’t want to.

Yesterday was the perfect day, running-wise. I checked the forecast on Sunday, and knew it was supposed to be somewhat sunny, in the upper 50s around 6:00 PM, so I got up extra early, and got to work by 7:00 on Monday, so I could leave at 4:30 and run at 6:15. I saw the sun all day at my office, and on the train ride home, and I was just stoked. My neighbor decided to run with me (the awesome neighbor I am always writing about), so we chatted the whole way. We ran an easy 5 miles (around 10:00 minute mile pace), and pushed it the last quarter of a mile (between 7:00-8:00 minute mile pace). It felt great! He was so stoked when we hit 4 miles, then 5 miles when we ended, because he hadn’t run that far in quite some time. His excitement and energy rubbed off on me as well, so I felt even better.

I was done running around 7:20, and Steven was just finishing the end of the P90X Shoulders and Back and Ab Ripper DVD. I took a quick shower, then we made dinner together and were able to relax a bit before going to bed a little early! A perfect run, followed by a perfect night! I usually have to exercise after dinner, so it means a lot when I actually get to sit down with my husband.

I just wanted to share this, because I have been portraying a lot of stress here lately. And I am stressed, but aren’t we all? I don’t want to portray myself as an unhappy person – just your normal, “stressed out from time to time and trying to figure themselves out” type of person. It helps me relieve stress by writing about it here, but I don’t want you to think that’s all that I am about. I am actually very, very happy right now.

And I hope that all of you can find an activity that makes you happy, whether it is exercise or not! Something you really enjoy and make the time to do – something that you can just “get in the zone” of it and clear your mind a bit.

Comments (15)

By kilax, February 17, 2009 5:52 pm

I drove home on Thursday night to find the garage to our neighbor’s home open and full of boxes along with a moving truck parked on the street.

We are next door neighbor-less no more.

Steven’s been talking to the real estate agent quite a bit about the townhome next door. The price went down again, and she let us know that she was “pretty sure” she had renters for it. But still no buyer.

I hate to confess, but I kind of felt my stomach turn when I saw the neighbor’s garage door light on. We’ve had bad experiences with all three sets of neighbors that have lived there. It’s selfish to say, but it was nice not having someone living next door. We didn’t have to worry about someone playing their speakers too loud and keeping us up all night, or waking us up because they were screaming bloody murder at each other outside. Oh, and the whole not being afraid to come home thing was nice as well.

The new neighbor was still outside unloading the truck, so I decided to be nice and introduce myself.

Before I had a chance though, he walked by our garage and excitedly asked, “You have a 240Z?!”

“Actually, it’s a 280Z,” I responded.

“Sweet! I have a 510.”

So, I peered into his garage and assumed that the boxy car in there was the 510 he was talking about. We briefly chatted, and I introduced myself then went home, impressed that someone recognized the Datsun and showed interest in it.

Later, we left the house (I shamefully admit it was to pick up a pizza), and Steven noted (with envy?) that the new neighbor has an engine hoist.

When we arrived home, Steven introduced himself. They chatted a bit about their Datsuns. The new neighbor offered his tools and help to Steven. Then I fell in love with the new neighbor and begged him to help Steven get the Datsun running for good.

I like this new neighbor already. If there is one thing I’m not good at (Ha! Just one?), it’s helping Steven work on the Datsun. Sure, I can stand there and take instructions, but other than that, I am USELESS.

And I feel bad. Because Steven explains things to me about the Datsun over and over, and I truly listen, but it just doesn’t sink in. I am going to keep trying, but for now, let me say, I am having higher hopes for this neighbor than I normally would…