Hit the road, Jack

J and I ran in our first 5K of the year today (the Shamrock Shuffle last month was a 3K, or about 1.8 miles). This one was the Lions Club Run for Sight, which wound through Lexington's beautiful Masterson Station Park. This park, located on the northwest side of town, has a large dog park, equestrian facility, and in-line hockey stadium, as well as the track where our race started and finished. We got to see a little of all of these on the run, and that kept it interesting for us.

It was a beautiful morning, but an approaching storm kicked up an awful wind. This was made worse by the "out and back" nature of the course which gave us the wind at our backs for most of the first mile and a half, and then had us running directly into it when we were most tired. At one point on the way back (somewhere close to 2/3 of the way into the second mile), I seriously considered just stopping dead in my tracks and facing the other way for a moment. How I managed to keep trudging up the hill into that wind is beyond me, but I did it.

In addition to learning a little about all of the great charities that put on races, I've also discovered something about myself over the last 7.5 months. I love these races for the excitement in the air (everyone is there because they really want to be) and for the chance to beat myself and my previous times. Sure, I generally pick out someone to pass and take it personally when someone has obviously picked me to be their person, but I'm absolutely loving seeing a shorter time for my pace with each effort. Even though I ran cross country in high school for six years, I never felt that way, and as a result I generally hated running. This time, while I'm definitely not one of those people who 'crave' exercise (yet), I am loving the race experience enough to make the in-between training worth it.

With that build up out of the way, I'm sure you're wondering how today went. Well, last month at the 3K Shamrock Shuffle, I turned in a great time (for me) and dramatically reduced my pace per mile to 13:08. Now, I realized that the better time was likely closely related to the shorter distance, and I wondered if I would be able to sustain that pace over an additional two kilometers (about a mile and a quarter). I looked up the approximate time for a 5K at a sustained 13:08 pace (about 41 minutes) and made that my goal. At each mile marker and the halfway point, I checked my time and worked to maintain my pace. Imagine my thrill at approaching the finish line and seeing I was still in the 39's! I came in just under 40 minutes (no official time yet), so my new pace to beat will actually be under 13 minutes! Obviously, I have a way to go until I'm posting competitive numbers, but I am thrilled with my steady progress and feel good about the direction I'm headed in.

Together with the improved time, I'm also happy to share that I've now lost 20% of my body weight in the last 9 months. I'm pretty confident that I'll hit 25% before the first of May, if not my overall weight loss goal (a total of 75 pounds). J and I are making steady progress toward our goal of each running 300 miles this year, and he's making good progress toward his weight loss goals, too. By the way, I left him out of the running bit, but he did a great job today, too. He's been unable to join me in races for the most part, but picked right up at the same pace today as his last race (the Black Cat Chase on October 30), so I'm really proud of him!

Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful spring by getting out in the sunshine and walking or running, too!

Title: Hit the Road Jack, by Ray Charles

You take two steps forward, I take two steps back

WARNING: If the site of blood makes you queasy, you'll want to scroll past the first picture in this post pretty quickly.

JE: Upon arriving home at 8:00 p.m. this evening after hitting her new fitness facility for a nice walk/run (3miles down, 297 to go!): Wow, I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed early.

J: Before you do, can you help me bring the treadmill down to the basement?

JE: Us? Are you sure?

J: Sure. We moved it up there.

JE: Uh...no we didn't. We paid two pretty muscular guys to move it up there.

J: No, we can do it. Come on. The UK game comes on at 9:00 and I want to walk while I watch it.

Pause in dialogue for grunting, griping and general mayhem while treadmill is dragged out of one room and down the steps to the main floor. J is only almost crushed once, and cooler heads prevail pretty quickly. JE moves boxes of Ikea wardrobes-to-be out of the way so J can roll the treadmill through the living room to the basement stairs. Treadmill gets away from him and lands on his toe.

Pause in moving for screams of agony, first aid, and minor blood clean-up. JE is rather proud of her improvised bandage. J observes that it's rather like wrapping a gift, and conveniently UK colored. (Yes, that's blue painter's tape. It was handiest. And there is actual bandage underneath it all.)

J: Okay, let's get the treadmill down the rest of the way.

JE: Um, you just tried to cut your toe off. We're not moving it again tonight.

J: We can't very well leave it where it is now, and besides, my toe feels better.

Pause in dialogue for more grunting while treadmill is moved halfway down the stairs. Which is where it gets stuck on the sloped ceiling. JE thinks she suggests pushing the top of the treadmill back towards her while she pushes the bottom towards J, in an effort to drop the treadmill down a step. She didn't. J pushes the bottom of the treadmill toward JE, pinning her ankle between the treadmill and a stair tread. The bruise forming on her ankle bone will be more impressive in the morning.

JE: Am I crazy for just wanting to drop kick the treadmill off the side of the steps?

J: Actually, that may be the only way.

JE: Wait. What? I was kidding!

J wasn't. He braced himself under the treadmill, and lifted/pulled/something or other while JE lifted/pushed/something or other the treadmill off the side of the steps. She may or may not have dislocated her shoulder in the process. It's starting to feel better.

This is where the treadmill landed (looking down from the top of the stairs). Should he not actually be successful in using the treadmill, J has promised to pay the moving company to take it back upstairs.

JE: I'm going to bed.

J: Maybe you should take an ibuprofen first. I'm going to go watch the game.

Title: Opposites Attract, by Paula Abdul

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet

J and I spent a quiet New Year's Eve at home, and then we got up the first morning of 2010 to head to my folks in western Kentucky. We spent the afternoon and evening with folks from their community and organaizations they belong to at their annual open house, then spent Saturday evening with my Dad's side of the family at Patti's 1880's Settlement. This is the second year that we've gone to Patti's for our extended-family Christmas dinner, and it's a nice way to celebrate without overwhelming any particular family member with the whole group.

Overall, this weekend was a nice way to get 2010 started. My cousin Lori and I are making plans for the Derby mini-marathon in April, and J and I talked her into joining our team for the Bourbon Chase (a 200 mile relay tour of Kentucky's Bourbon Distilleries) next October. I think this sets us up well for the first of the MeltonPoint 2010 resolutions--

In 2010, J and I will :

• Run 300 miles. (In my heart, I hope we'll knock this out of the water; after all 30 minutes three days a week will achieve this goal. However, we need to focus on consistency, so this goal is geared towards that.)
• Lose weight--JE will meet her weight loss goal (35 pounds to go) and then re-evaluate. J will begin his weight loss journey with a one year goal of 60 pounds.
• Complete the following home improvement projects--

Library built-ins--sand and stain the bookshelves; install cabinets, a counter, and the bookshelves.

Deck--re-sand and paint deck trim.

Main Bathroom--re-finish vanity, paint the room, install new vanity/sink and mirror.

Master Bedroom--paint, install wardrobes, sew curtains for window and wardrobes.

• Restructure our spending so that we can live comfortably on 70% of our current combined take-home salary. This includes increases our charitable giving and reducing the amount of spending we can't account for at the end of the month. With the remainder this year, we'll be paying off student loans and building our emergency fund.
• Internalize and live our 2010 phrase--Be Gentle with yourself and others. This phrase comes from the blessing our priest gives at the close of Sunday services. Sometimes, we forget to give ourselves and others the benefit of the doubt, and we're quick to rush to judgement. We pray that in 2010, we learn to be more accepting, more loving, and more gentle.

Title: Auld Lang Syne

20,000 seconds since...

ETA: Just got my official "chip" time: 1:12:22.1, with a pace of 14:34/mile!

This weekend, J and I headed to Western Kentucky for a quick visit with J's folks and, lucky for me, a good visit with my BFF Suz, who, as luck would have it, married a farmer just minutes from my in-laws. I had a great time visiting local antinque shops and the local winery (Ruby Moon Winery) with the girls!

Today, we left Webster County around noon for Owensboro, where we were registered to participate in the Turkey Day 5-miler. That's right, five miles. Now, I'm sure you're asking yourself how and why we ended up registered for a race much longer than any we've completed in a town so far from home. Well, we're trying to hit a race once a month, and as hard as I looked for one in New York (our Thanksgiving destination this year), I couldn't find one. So, in an effort to find a race in November, we ended up signing up for this race.


Well, J woke up sick this morning. I know, pretty good excuse. I'd have given him a hard time about his timing, too, except that he really does seem kind of sick. I gave him three choices: drive home and forget about the race, drive to Owensboro and hang out being sickly while I ran, or stay at his dad's while I drove to Owensboro and ran the race then came back to retrieve him. J picked option number two, and curled up for a nap while I braved the crowds--seriously, this race has never had more than a hundred or so runners, and today they had a record 250-300.


Lessons Learned:

1. People who show up for 5 mile races are in way better shape than those who show up for 3 milers (your standard 5K).
2. 5 milers are for runners, not walkers (see Lesson 1). Only half a dozen of us started out the race walking (the warm-up portion for me), and we were quickly left behind by the pack.
3. Drinking water out of a styrofoam cup while running is NOT an easy task. 3b. Drinking water while running makes me a little queasy and probably isn't necessary if I'm well hydrated before the race.
4. Putting Jonathon in charge of my ipod playlist is a great idea.
5. If I feel good at one mile, I've definitely got four more in me, and might have five. Bluegrass 10,000, anyone?
6. Knowing I wasn't coming in last helps a lot (three whole people behind me; again, see Lesson 1), but realizing that finishing last is better than not finishing at all is an even better feeling.





Despite the illness, my fabulous husband managed to find my camera in my purse and was at the homestretch ready to capture my accomplishment. Here are a couple of pictures. For those following along at home, the finish time on the clock is not quite accurate, as we used timing chips and I crossed the starting line probably 30 seconds back from the official time. That means my mile splits averaged about 14.5 minutes per mile, which is roughly how I did at the Black Cat Chase. I was really surprised to maintain a similar pace over 5 miles that I do over 3 miles, and hope that bodes well for me in the future. Also, I used the same interval approach that my brother recommended, and it's still working for me, so I'm pleased about that, too.


Title: "20,000 Seconds", by K's Choice (the first song on the playlist J made for my race today)

Giddy Up, Giddy Up, Giddy Up, Let's Go

I've been writing and re-writing blog posts in my head for about three weeks now, and as it happens, these posts I write in my head don't post to the blog for you all to read. Since this is the case, and since you've no idea what I have been writing in my head, I thought I'd bring you up to speed.

Three weeks ago, J's folks came to visit for the weekend. They hadn't been up in several months and one of the first things they noticed was our leaky bathroom sink. The sink has been leaking for a while, and had gotten worse in the last month. When the leaking started, I told myself that we'd reno the bathroom soon, and that it made little sense to tear apart a faucet that was going to be trashed soon. Well, weeks turned into months and spring turned into fall, and I now have a non-leaky faucet in my same old bathroom. Many thanks to J's parents for motivating me to get beyond the picture in my head to a lower water bill (I assume; haven't actually checked it), and many more to his dad for tightening up all of the joints under the sink that sprung leaks after I started messing with the faucet. Oh, and thank you, too, for the clock that is now hanging in our family room--had I managed to write this post after you guys left, it would have been titled "Time, time tickin’ tickin’ tickin’ (tickin’ away)" courtesy Don Henley.

Two weeks ago, I had a DAR weekend that my mom came up for. After our DAR meetings were done, she came to Lexington to finish out the weekend to help me gain a bit of control over my study/craft room. We spent a half a dozen hours upstairs cleaning, sorting, and sifting our way through the room. There is still quite a bit of work to do to reach the level of organization I'd like to see, but I'm pleased with the progress.

Last weekend, we ran our second 5K--the Black Cat Chase in Frankfort. Neither of us trained very much for this race, but we took a different approach to finishing it (intervals of walking/running) and actually completed the race in less time than the Mid-Summer Night's Run back in August. We're looking at a race in December, and possible tackling a 5 miler in Owensboro in November. We'll see.

After the race Friday night, we managed to improve on our weekend with a trip to Keeneland to close out the fall meet on Saturday with our friends Ryan and Leanna, and then enjoyed visiting with the Trick or Treaters who came by Saturday night. While I've been to Keeneland before, on this trip J scored tickets to the Lexington Room, which included a buffet luncheon of roast beef and corned beef, pasta, salads, yummy potatoes and excellent cheesecake, and fabulous seats directly in front of the finish line. All this inside a warm room with a waiter to bring us warm drinks and a betting window a few feet away. I've decided that Keeneland in the Lexington Room is way better than Keeneland with general admission tickets. J may regret this.

(I've posted a couple of pictures below. For more, including "J and JE get political" check out Ryan's blog.)

After Keeneland, we sped home to get ready for the Trick or Treaters before the appointed time of their arrival. The ghosts I made a few years ago with my nephew went out, along with our pumpkin. Then, in the last few minutes before the kiddos came knocking, I decided I had time to re-create a Martha Stewart decoration I spotted a few years ago. Presenting...our storm door silhouette of a scary tree. As you might guess, I'm pretty proud.

This weekend, we're hopefully playing it low key, as I have a big dinner I'm planning at work (scheduled for Tuesday) that is keeping me pretty tightly wired these days.

Have a great weekend of your own and hopefully I'll figure out a way to get my posts out of my head a little more frequently!

Title: Sleigh Ride

Running just as fast as we can, redux

For those of you who read with any regularity, you know that in June, J and I resolved to run a 5K. If you don't remember, you can read about it here. We used the Couch to 5K plan, though we weren't quite as regular in our workouts as the plan would suggest. Regardless, despite setbacks and occasionally falling off the workout wagon, we did finish our 5K this weekend!

Since we weren't consistent in our workouts, we hadn't built up to running the entire event, but we did run over half of it in a jog-walk-jog-walk-jog fashion. In addition, we finished in 46 minutes (well, I finished in 46:00; J finished in 45:59), and I was happy with the 15 minute mile splits for a first attempt. (Can you imagine if I'd turned in that kind of time in high school? I'd have been booted from the cross country team in a heartbeat!!)

Anyhow, our next goal is to run an entire 5K, and to do so in 40 minutes. We'll be continuing with the Couch to 5K plan, picking up where we left off to keep working toward running the entire thing. We're looking at the Black Cat Chase in Frankfort on October 30 to meet that goal. Stay tuned, and keep us accountable!

Title: I think we're alone now, by Tiffany

Running just as fast as we can

J and I started another attempt to become exercisers this week. Yes, another. We're both genetically pre-disposed to survive drought and harsh winters, which apparently also means we lack the drive and ability to run for the heck of it (Much less because we "crave" it or because it just feels weird when we don't. We know you people, and we think there's something wrong with you.)

Anyhow, because we know that we're likely within a few pounds of medication for the rest of our lives, and because I've lost some weight recently due to my diet, but plateued due to lack of exercise), we're trying again. And because we hear that signing up for a race and telling everyone about it will hold us accountable, here we are, announcing it to the world.

Join us, if you'd like. We're using the "Couch to 5K" plan (learn more here: http://www.c25k.com/) which offers a nine week plan. Conveniently, Lexington's Midsummer Night's Run is August 15, nine weeks from today. So put on your walking/jogging shoes and make plans to join us on August 15! (Or at least make plans to ask us regularly how our traing is going!!)

Title: "I think we're alone now", by Tiffany