2 Days!

Wow.

I cannot believe that The Longest Day is only 2 days away.

At 5am on Friday, Kim and I will start our journey towards 16 hours of running. We will have friends and family there to run, walk or crawl with us every step of the way. I can't wait to see how many people show up to run with us and keep us company. The camaraderie is what helped us make it through the day last year and I know it will be the highlight again this year.

If the 50% chance of storms would go away, then the weather will be perfect. Come on Mother Nature, you can hold it in!

We are currently at 75% of  our fundraising goal. That is AWESOME! Thank you to everyone who has helped us get there. We are feeling so loved and supported this week. Look what the Madison chapter of the Alzheimer's Association dropped off at my work this morning:

Gatorade and pickles!

Also, we are feeling kind of popular - we have two newspaper interviews lined up for today! Eep!

There is still time to donate and enter the Raffle to Remember if you haven't yet.

Alright, that is all I have today. I can't wait for The Longest Day!

CSA Share

We received our first delivery of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share last week!

Kevin and I have been wanting to join a CSA for a couple years. We started our own garden last year, but we don't have the time, space and talent (or energy honestly!) to grow everything we'd like.  We did some research this winter and ended up going with King's Hill Farm. The #1 reason we went with this farm was because they deliver to Kevin's work! Another thing that attracted us to them was that they offer half shares. There is probably no way we'd be able to eat everything in a full share between the two of us.  Also, they send weekly updates and recipes via email. Each Tuesday we get an email outlining the items we will receive on Thursday, which is very helpful for meal planning and grocery shopping each week.

We paid $280 for 21 weeks of the half share, which was discounted from $295 because we paid in full this winter. That evens out to about $13 per week.

Here is what our first week's share looked like:

Arugula, green garlic, cilantro, a head of bib lettuce, asparagus and rhubarb. We also had blue potatoes that I forgot to put in the picture.

 

 

Here are some of the items we made with our goodies:

• Salsa (used the cilantro and green garlic)
• Strawberry rhubarb crisp
• Salads
• This beautiful dinner:

Salmon, asparagus and blue potatoes - all on the grill

I ended up freezing quite a bit of the cilantro to use at a later time. We received SO MUCH of it and I only use a little each time I make salsa, so it should last a while.  We still have some of the lettuce and arugula left over, so we will be making more salads this week.

It was hard to pick a favorite item from the week. Everything was so fresh and crisp! The asparagus would normally win since it is my all time favorite veggie, but the blue potatoes were the overall winner. They tasted mostly like regular potatoes, but they were so PRETTY! The picture above really doesn't do them justice. We sliced them up and wrapped them in tinfoil with butter, onions and seasoning to cook on the grill. They came out great and I couldn't stop eating them.

Overall, a very successful week 1! Everything we received were foods familiar to us, but this coming Thursday's share has some new ones to try. Can't wait!


Have you ever joined a CSA?
What meals would you have made with our share?

Bellin Run 10k Recap

 

We lucked out this year with some cool and overcast weather for the Bellin Run 10k. The last few years have been hot and sticky and all the runners we talked to pre-race were happy for the ideal conditions. I've really been lucky with race weather so far this year - let's hope that trend continues!

 

Kim and I got to the race early, parked in a little church parking lot and met up with Kim's in-laws, Kathy and Scott, near the starting corrals. Scott pointed out all the points along the course we should look for him taking pictures, which was awesome cause I saw him at each spot. We all wished each other luck and then Kim and I wound our way to the front of corral 2.

 

The race is HUGE (20,000 registered) and it took us a few minutes to reach the starting line. I wasn't feeling the greatest that morning, so I didn't know what to expect. About 1/2 a mile into the race I was at an 8:40 pace and decided to go for the PR. I have PRed in every other distance I have raced this year, so I guess I had to at least try, right?

 

We both had hard races - but came out the finish chute happy

One of my favorite parts of the race is during mile three - there is a nice downhill giving you a view of thousands of runners filling the street for as far as you can see; the Rocky theme is blasting; residents have sprinklers out all over the course. This all put a little pep in my step and that plus the generous downhill gave my my fastest mile of the day.

At one point a gentleman who saw my Longest Day shirt passed me and told me that it was the 20th anniversary of losing his mother to Alzheimer's disease.  I was pretty out of breath at this point so I didn't get to say much in return, but it was a very poignant moment in the race for me.

The last couple miles my stomach started to feel sour. I was thirsty but didn't want to put anything in my tummy in case it decided to come back up. I slowed down a little, fought some dry heaves and finished a little less triumphantly than I had hoped, but it was still a PR by just over a minute.

 

 

Results:

54:24

8:46 pace

139/1134 F 25-29

880/9640 Females

3107/16,305 Overall

 

Kathy and Kim both pulled off some huge PRs and we celebrated afterwards with some Titletown beer provided by the owner of the brewery himself!

 

 

Even though the race is one of the biggest I've run, it is well organized and cheap.  I paid only $25 and registered the week before the race. Plus, many elite runners compete in this race. I was on the same course as Uta Pippig and Joan Samuelson!

 



P.S There are only 10 days left until The Longest Day! Don't forget to check out the raffle and enter to win awesome prizes: http://twinlane.blogspot.com/2013/05/raffle-to-remember.html

The Bellin Run Memories

To say that I'm a little excited to run the Bellin Run this weekend would be an understatement. The Bellin is one of the nations largest 10ks and it attracts everyone from elite runners to casual runners and walkers. It is one of my favorite races and yet, I've only been able to run it twice - in 2007 and 2009.

In 2007 it was the second race I'd ever run. I was going to originally go watch Kim run the race. The only reason I decided to run it instead was because all of the people I was going to spectate with either decided to run the race or couldn't make it. Pretty logical on my part.

I am so glad I ran it though! Looking back now, I'm pretty sure that it was the race that got me hooked on running. Even though the farthest I had run before that was a 5k, I had so much fun. I was so proud of myself that I ran the WHOLE first 5k without walking. There were thousands of runners around me and spectators were 3-4 people deep the whole course. After mile 2, a man stood on a step ladder playing the banjo and sang "Run and run and run and run.....AND run and run and run and run..." the whole time. Such fun! This was what running was all about!

In 2009 I wanted to break the 1 hour mark. Hot weather and a horrible case of inner thigh chafing clocked me in at 1:04, but I didn't care. It was still a fun race with friends and I learned about the importance of Body Glide.

Oh purple Target skirt, how you betrayed me that day!

Since then I haven't been able to make my schedule line up with the Bellin. The two years of race weekends after 2009 had me dancing away at weddings and 2012 was the Ragnar Relay. I wasn't even certain that I would be able to run the Bellin this year, but was just able to make plans works out last week.

I'm back Bellin! I hope you're ready for me!

Reasons Today is a Great Day

#1 Summer hours at work start today! I'm out at 2:00 and I'm not letting the door hit me on the way out!

I found gifs that were much more logical...but this one...I just can't stop watching.

#2. Fish Fry tonight. There is nothing else I'd rather do on a Friday night than enjoy deep fried fish and pitchers of ice cold beer with my husband.

#3. I get to go golfing this weekend! Normally I would be dreading this because I am a terrible golfer, but I'm so excited to be outside with friends enjoying the nice weather that I don't even care how many balls I lose...that's what she said.

Now that I think about it, golf has a lot of great innuendos...balls, woods, holes, back nines...Come on, I know you can think of more!



What makes today great for you?

Any Friday traditions?

Give me your best golfing sexual innuendo...and GO! (someone please, please say something about Tiger Woods)

Things that Chafe me (Besides my Thighs) Thursday #2

Hey-o! It's Thursday and not quite Friday, but it feels like it should be Friday. That makes me crabby, so it's time for another edition of Things that Chafe me (Besides my Thighs) Thursday! Here we go...


What's the deal with over-priced race photography?

I paid $85 to run the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. I think that is a reasonable price for that race, and I didn't even get the early bird rate, which I believe is $75. There was an abundance of race photographers during the race and the company even sent out an email before the race detailing where photographers would be along the course. I thought that was pretty cool. (Not that knowing there is a photographer ahead would make me look any less sweaty and disheveled during a marathon, but whatever.)

A few days after the race I received an email that race pictures were ready and - hey! - I kinda liked some of them. I thought I might actually order them.

That's when I got angry. The photography company wants $75 for a CD of all my race pictures! That's almost as much as I paid for the actual race. That's way more than what half marathoners or 5k runners paid for their race!

OK, so maybe I don't want ALL of my race pictures, maybe just the few good ones. It's $30 for a digital download of just one picture! Or $15 for one 5x7 print! Oh, and I just checked - it's $6.50 to ship that one over-priced print. Come on!

Rich cat will steal all the moneys

In my 60+ races I have only ever purchased one race picture and it was $5 for the digital download. That's the way it should be.  Or maybe it should be like the Muddy Monk race series that gives you your pictures for FREE while still having reasonably priced races! For now, I'll just steal the proofs with writing all over our faces...

If the photography company cut their prices in half, I bet the amount of people who actually purchased their race pictures would go up by more than half. (I swear I've done the scientific research on this theory...) I'd probably pay $30-$40 for the digital copies of all my race pictures if I liked them, or maybe $10-$15 for a digital copy of one picture.

Another thought, why do races use these companies when all they do is gouge prices? Do race directors pay these companies to take the pictures already, so then the companies don't really care if they get profit from runner purchases? (ouch...my head hurts!)

What do you think?

How much would you be willing to pay for your race pictures?

Have you ever purchased race pictures? If so, how much did you pay?

If this doesn't chafe you, tell me something that does!

Reebok Spartan Race - Free race entry!

Good Morning!

I'm sure you've heard a lot of the buzz among blogs about the Reebok Spartan Races recently and I'm happy to be spreading the word.

I admit, I've never done an obstacle race course before (aside from dodging giant puddles in trail races). Kevin has always wanted to try one, because a man must prove himself worthy by pushing around monster truck tires during a race, right?  I think he may have finally talked me into the Spartan Sprint at Miller Park in Milwaukee on September 7th.

What I like about Spartan race is that it has something for everyone. Want to give it a try without breaking too many fingernails? Try a Spartan Sprint - only 3 miles and 15 obstacles. If you're slightly sadistic you might like the Super Spartan with 8 miles and 20 obstacles. Really love suffering? Go for the Spartan Beast - 12 miles and 25+ obstacles. Really love suffering for multiples days, ya sicko? Try the Death Race!

 

 

There are Spartan Races all over the US, Canada and the UK, so I'm sure you could find something close by if you'd like to give it a try. Here is a 15% off discount code Spartan race provided for when you sign up.

 

Here's another reason I am proud to write about the Spartan Race: They have generously donated one free race entry to our Raffle to Remember to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. Now, I realize other bloggers are giving away entries for free, but wouldn't it be fulfilling to be give to a good cause while trying to win some cool free stuff? You know you'll feel good deep down inside, like confetti in your heart.

 

 

 

 

For only $5 (or more) donated here you are entered into the raffle for a free Spartan Race entry as well as all of the prizes listed here. Just let us know you donated, so we can track you down, OK? Thanks everyone!

Have you ever done an obstacle course race? What was your favorite part?

 

*Spartan race donated one free race entry in exchange for my post. Thanks Spartan Race!