NEVER TOO LATE FOR NAPA...

We're going to Napa in March!

It's meant to be!

Rob and I kept putting off signing up for the Carlsbad Marathon; we were waiting for the right time with to pay. Then I checked out the marathon website last week and it was SOLD OUT! I was so disappointed:( Rob was so happy! He couldn't wait to get back to weight-lifting. We even missed the famous "Train Run" this weekend due to fatigue on my part, a sore throat on his. More disappointment.

Then today I looked at all of the upcoming Marathons for 2010, and there it was...Napa Valley Marathon. It looked so intriguing...stay in a bed and breakfast, which provides a runners' breakfast at 4:30am race day, pasta feeds the night before, wine country and beautiful scenery!

It was perfect. and i didn't hestitate to sign up for this one, as I had the Carlsbad.

What could be more fun than a destination marathon? (well, maybe just the destination part)

I can't wait. And Rob will run me in the last 6 or so miles to keep me going! He's decided to continue running during the week with me (about 3 runs totalling 45-50 minutes apiece) and skip the long runs on the weekends, and religiously get back to his lifting routine.

So here's the next question: who wants to come to napa in march???

It's the perfect weekend getaway! You can come and enjoy the wineries (we can fit 3 others in our car) and the hotels/b&b are not priced too outrageously....at least consider it and give it a few days of thought...and you can join me in the pasta feed, PLUS you won't have to get up until 10am because I won't be finishing before that! All i want to see is your face somewhere along the course cheering and it will make my day!!

SIT, FIDO, SIT!

It's October and the weather is GREAT! it feels like fall, but when i went running today, it felt so refreshing!
I've started a mindfulness based stress-reduction class that i attend for 8 weeks.
I'm excited, and feeling good. It involves meditation, breathing methods, and more.
Though the running has helped with some of my anxiety, the class should help me deal with it too. Now the most important part is practicing at home, which i haven't started. Setting aside 45 minutes to meditate is harder than it sounds. especially for someone who has trouble sitting still!
I can read, run, sleep, do just about anything for at least 45 minutes; the real challenge will be taking time alone for myself and doing NOTHING.

On another note, Rob and I are planning to fly home for christmas (yay!!) and spend half of the time with my family, the other half with his. I can't WAIT! i've missed having christmas eve/christmas day with my family! it's the best time of year, it feels so homey and comfortable, and warm inside on a cold day and night! i really cannot wait.

=)
kt

Close the Door Lightly When You Go....

So far it's been a GREAT week of training...
...received several inspirational emails/phone calls (thanks shannon and meg!)
and running is starting to feel better now that Rob and I aren't racing through the long miles on Saturdays. We are going at a comfortable, still challenging, pace, and last Saturday we were at 4 miles and turning around before we knew it!
Let's hope that feeling lasts into the 10-14 miles in the next month=)

I want to share an excerpt from one of my favorite books, called "Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style", written by Christie Matheson. Meg and I (or was it Mom?) were at the San Diego Zoo, and I found it in one of their stores.
I found the following information super helpful when chosing plastics (or not chosing any at all)

Plastics Primer
Not all plastics are created equal, not all plastics can be easily and safely recycled, and different types of plastics can't be recycled together. It's the number INSIDE that matters. There are 7 major varieties of plastics that consumers see. Remember that numbers 3,6,and 7 are the ones to avoid if possible, b/c they can't be recycled easily and they leach chemicals over the course of their very long lifetimes.

#1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or (PETE): makes most disposable water and soda bottles; not meant for reuse, fairly easy to recycle.

#2 High density polyethylene (HDPE): makes many toys,milk bottles,detergent bottles & shampoo bottles. Fairly easy to recycle.

#3 Polyvinyl chloride (vinyl or PVC): makes pipes, shower curtains, some flipflops, some food wrap, toys, wallpaper, many yoga mats, and much more. This is the worst of all the consumer plastics. Producing PVC is incredibly energy-intensive, & its manufacture requires massive amounts of chlorine and releases dioxin,a toxic, carcinogenic, hormone-disrupting, immune systen damaging chemical. About 7 billion lbs of PVC are discarded annually in the US & most recycling facilities won't accept it, b/c recycling it is highly labor-intensive and potentially hazardous. If PVC is mixed in with other plastics at a recycling facility, it can contaminate the whole bunch. If it goes to a landfill instead, it leaches lead and phthalates into soil & groundwater. If it gets incinerated, that's even worse, b/c PVC contains chlorine, burning it releases more dioxins into the environment.

#4 Low density polyethylene (LDPE): makes plastic wrap & grocery bags. Fairly easy & effective to recycle, but many recycling facilities aren't set up to recycle it.

#5 Polypropylene (PP): makes yogurt tubs & diapers. Like LDPE, PP can be safely and effectively recycled, but not widely accepted at recycling facilities.

#6 Polystyrene (PS): usually referred to by the trademark name Styrofoam, & it shows up in lots of coffee cups and takeout containers. It many leach styrene, possible carcinogen & hormone disruptor, into food and hot beverages. & it's not easy to recycle.

#Other: could be a variety of things, but it's usually polycarbonate, & it's the plastic of most baby bottles, 5-gallon water jugs, and some hiker's water bottles. It may leach the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), and endocrine disruptor. It's recyclable, but not universally accepted.

Summary:
Let's slam the door on Plastic!
If you have a choice over plastic or non-plastic, you know what to choose!

DISTRACTED FOR 8 MILES....

I've decided im going to start blogging about the fun and crazy things in my life.
I want to share pictures, stories, and just plain write!

Let's see, what shall I begin with....

MARATHON TRAINING.
ugh. it's not as easy as it sounds..wait, does it sound easy? nah. 8 mile long runs, and that's not even long! in a month i'll be blogging about 16 mile runs (and icing my joints as i do) and 8 will seem like nada. It's a great experience, when we're consistant. Rob and I are training together, and it's great to have someone to run with, keep you motivated. It's not great when you get sick, don't feel like running, and get deconditioned. but that's all in the past:) it's a new week, we have 3 more runs to complete! and i've started using cognitive training...that is, totally distracting my self during our runs, counting my steps (which sounds boring, but just about anything will work when you want to distract yourself from running torrey pines reserve "THE HILL").
If you can set a goal for yourself in a few weeks, a few months, it will make your exercise so worth it. I can't imagine all the exercise without having a goal, SOMETHING, to keep you motivated. so start out with walking or running a 5k, then move onto a 10k, and so forth. We've all started at the beginning, a point where it hurts so much, feels so hard, but if you just keep at it, slowly, safely, you WILL make it! I know hundreds of people who are proof of that.

Well, off to play free cell (addicted!!) and relax after a 13 hour work day (2 jobs).
=) KT