Rallying the Squirrels

In less than seven days I will have run 26.2 miles in the St. Louis Rock 'n Roll Marathon. Wait - that came across wrong...not truly reflecting my emotions at the moment. IN LESS THAN SEVEN DAYS I WILL HAVE RUN 26.2 MILES IN THE ST. LOUIS ROCK 'N ROLL MARATHON! Honestly, I'm excited. While I don't feel as prepared mentally or physically as perhaps I may have in my previous two, I had a great run in Forest Park yesterday and easily exceeded my goal pace. At this point, that's pretty much all I can ask for.

I'm going with a slightly different strategy this time, trying to move as fast as I'm comfortable moving (in cruise control, of course...not race pace) for as long as I can up front. That way when factors like my left leg falling asleep and my recent foot pain issue start to bother me and my pace might fall, I'll have "buffer time" if you will, to make sure I get the PR I set out to achieve. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still secretly hoping to bust my old time out of the water. Just not going to be unhappy if I don't.

Aside from marathon greatness on Sunday, there is one other thing I might hope for in the meantime...Cardinals victories in the World Series! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that tonight the Cardinals beat the Brewers to clinch the NLCS title and earn their spot in the World Series playing the Rangers. For a team that wasn't even supposed to have a spot in the post-season, it's nothing short of amazing. I've also been lucky enough to see victories firsthand at Busch Stadium in the NLDS (versus the Phillies) and recent NLCS. Although I did laundry this weekend, I specifically did not wash the rally towel that I obtained at NLDS game #4. Anything to help! I figure I'll do my part if the Rally Squirrel does his...

Yes, the Rally Squirrel. What started as a poor squirrel darting across the field during two consecutive games at Busch Stadium during the NLDS has grown into a full-fledged Fredbird sidekick mascot and t-shirts and paraphernelia galore. Some may know that I have a specific aversion to squirrels, based mostly on my fear of them tripping me while running or sending me head over handlebars while biking. (Seriously, they're everywhere and they're not scared of anything! Especially city squirrels.) But for October I'm making a squirrel exception and am officially okay with any squirrel with the first name of "Rally"...just so long as his brothers don't trip me during the marathon. :-)

Getting close to my half birthday!

Setting Expectations

Alright, T-minus three weeks and counting until marathon time and my tapering has officially begun. I wish I could say that I felt more prepared than I do. Compared to my other two marathons, I can't say I'm 100% there yet - mentally or physically. It doesn't help that my long run of almost 21 miles last Saturday was not my strongest. I've also been struggling to maintain the pace that I hoped would blow my previous marathon times (4:18:59 and 4:10:10 in KC and StL, respectively) out of the water.

I'm almost to the point where I can smile as I reflect on my original, secret aspirations of potentially qualifying for Boston with a 3:30:00 time. Now I know that there's no way that will happen...this year, anyway. It's unfortunate that I haven't been able to translate my half-marathon pace from last year to this year's training. I know it's mostly due to not following my training plan as diligently as I should, coupled with the fact that I need to incorporate cross-training cardio (i.e. biking) into the mix to make sure my shin splints don't return. The end result is fewer miles on my Newton's to prepare me physically for the race. *Sigh. I'll forgive myself...eventually.

The good news is that I should still be able to achieve my goal of setting a Personal Record. I just won't be able to blow it out of the water as much as I'd hoped. My new goal is to do a sub 4:00:00 time, which I know I'm fully capable of doing. Even though my training to date hasn't materialized in the pace I'd like to end up with (particularly outdoors), these last few weeks will hopefully steer me back on course. How can I be sure? I'm going to make a conscious attitude shift. Instead of thinking, "stupid hills...always slow me down", I'm going to think, "Awesome - a hill! I wonder what's on the other side." I'm going to focus on getting in miles even when the Cardinals are in the play-offs and I have tickets to games, even if it means waking up earlier than usual. I'm going to do intervals and focus on pushing myself to speeds I didn't think I had in me. And if all else fails I'm going to count on adrenaline and my competitive nature increasing my MPH on race day. (That's in combination with my flashy neon yellow Newtons and Cliff blocks, off course.)

I know I'll get there, but it will take mental and physical discipline in the home stretch. First step - go to bed so that I can wake up and run through some miles. (It's already past 11:30 - yikes!)

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Little Green Balls

That's right - little green balls. That's what we shot when we went paintballing yesterday! I had a Groupon for the extravaganza at Pin Oak Creek RV Park, so Jeff, Shelley and I made the trek to Villa Ridge, Missouri. It was a good hour drive but well worth the journey.

When we got there, Paintball Bill and his buddy, Gus, showed us around. They were awesome characters and I'm still kicking myself for not getting a picture. Bill was a 60 year old ex-military guy who had an awesome dangling gold cross earring and Gus may be the name I made up for the other guy because it rhymes with bus. (He was not a small man.)

There were two other groups there when we arrived, which was good because we got to watch their tactics and see how the whole game went down before entering ourselves. It was admittedly a little nerve-racking getting onto the field and wait to get pelted by what was supposed to feel like a bee sting or quick snap of a wet towel. Luckily the weather was nice enough that a couple of layers weren't too hot and were successful in helping to cushion the blows we all got as a part of the fun. Only one of my three welts is still visible today, but the bruise on my leg from the paintball that didn't break (thanks, Jeff) is going to be around for a little while.

Once we learned the accuracy of our guns and got pelted a few times ourselves, it was game on. With face shields on and lots of bobbing, weaving and darting from post to post, we managed to work in quite a few matches in both of the fields to use up our 200 paintballs we had each. We even joined up with the other groups that were there which enhanced the fun.

Ready for battle

Overall it was surprisingly tiring after each match. We were definitely huffing and puffing after each game was over and needed a good 3-5 minutes to recover before even considering going in again. A small side note, I do not recommend running 18 miles in the morning and then going paintballing in the afternoon as I did. (Makes it a little difficult to be quick and nimble in battle. Good news - marathon training is in full effect and going pretty well so far!)

My best bad ass stance while resting my legs. Hopefully it conveys what I'm thinking, "Don't mess with me. You will be paintballed."

Bottom line, we had a great time. I learned that I probably shouldn't go paintballing on my long run days during marathon training. Shelley learned that wearing a bright orange sweatshirt makes for an easily spotted target in battle. And Jeff learned that if he's going to baseball slide like crazy while darting from one spot to another that he might want to wear gloves to avoid slicing his hand on a sharp metal object.

I'm so glad this was on my list. It was a great time. Thanks, Jeff and Shelley for being a part of it! And in case it wasn't already etched in our memories forever, we were able to immortalize the experience on the side of the trailer at Pin Oak:

#6: Go Paintballing - Check!

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Wicked Awesome

A short lapse in updates, but with good justification. I'm now a step closer to checking another item off the list. This time it was #1 and venturing to another stadium - Fenway Park! I'm three-quarters of the way to the four more (16 total) I set out to visit by the big 3-0! This past weekend I spent a great weekend touring around Boston with my friends Diane and Shelley. It was a great trip!

We got into town on Thursday and thanks to my favorite travel ally, Trip It, wasted no time in following our planned itinerary and taking a scenic walk to lunch at the Union Oyster House. A cup of clam chowder and a seafood platter later, and we made our way towards Fenway for a tour of the stadium before the game. Our tour guide, Morry, did a great job explaining the history and sharing tidbits of the field and the team. We even got to go up in the Green Monster! It was a great supplement to the Red Sox game that night where we had awesome seats only a few rows back on the first base side. Despite the rain and the fact that the Sox lost, it was a great time and I was glad my friend, Rob, was able to join to give us the inside scoop from a true Bostonian.

Friday was an unofficial brewery tour day. Thanks to some connections through the beer biz we were able to get a special tour of Harpoon Brewery and sample some of their delectable offerings. Great experience, particularly considering the seafood chowder for lunch at No Name Restaurant. Then it was off to Sam Adam's to experience what the Boston Beer Company had to offer. Overall, not bad! Afterwards a journey on the T took us back near our next stop at Faneuil Hall where we enjoyed beers at The Black Rose and then headed to a late dinner at Strega's in Little Italy on Hanover Street in the North End. It turned out to be good preparation for the long run I was proud of completing the following morning as a part of my marathon training - 16 miles along the Charles River on vacation! Thankfully, with the running I did there was no trouble justifying the cannoli or Boston Cream Pie from Mike's Pastries. (Mmmm...)

Highlights of the rest of the trip included a Duck Boat tour, drinks at the top of the Prudential Building, shopping, college and pro football game watching, drinks at both Cheers bars, and strolling through the Harvard campus. Overall, lots of beer sampling and more clam chowder in one weekend than I've eaten in my entire life!

Regardless, it was an experience worthy of some pictures for posterity, for sure. Since I won't be able to give due diligence by posting all, here are a few favorites with a link to the full album.

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Organized Chaos

This week I don't have any items to cross off my list or report major progress, except to say that I'm gaining momentum on several...

#5. Complete a marathon with a PR time - Despite a less than diligent start, I'm now back on track with my training plan. Now I just need to figure out how to balance my long runs with some pending weekend plans (i.e. riding 200 miles in the MS150 this weekend). Side note - if you're interested in helping to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research and support, please consider making a donation.

#8. Finish my t-shirt quilt - Mom emailed me a picture of the sewn together front of my t-shirt quilt which she finished this past weekend. It looks great! Now to finalize the border, pick a fabric for the back and find a quilter to put it all together. It seems the hard work is done!

#15. See a Nebraska football game at Lincoln Memorial Stadium - I already posted on Facebook and I'll say again here, I NEED TICKETS! So far I haven't been able to get any tickets through the University or work contacts, so before I spend a bunch of money on StubHub I'm seeing what other options might be available. November 25th - Nebraska vs Iowa is the goal. Go Huskers!

#22. Go zip-lining - Okay, so this one is an admitted error on my part. Until today this item said "Go zip gliding", which somewhat confused my original intention. My intention was to ride on an intense series of cables and pulleys mounted on an incline, ideally in a secluded, scenic rain forest of some kind. That's not to be confused with hang gliding, which may have somehow been in my brain when I originally wrote my list. Now that I at least have the item clarified officially, I can focus on the scenic rain forest part.

#26. Learn the Thriller dance - For MJ and fans of a random good time, I'll be sending more details soon on how and when this will come to fruition. Tentative plan at the moment is to learn and demonstrate by the end of October. This one is in the spirit of the attitude I'm taking with my entire list, "Go Big or Go Home". I just need to decide how big to go on this one.

All in all, it feels as if progress is being made slowly but surely. It's a little bit of organized chaos at the moment, but I'm sure it will all come together. :-)

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Sew Excited!

This week's blog is a happy progress report on the status of my t-shirt quilt that I'm working on with my mom.

T-shirts picked - Check! That's right, all thirty shirts were painstakingly prioritized among a seemingly endless collection from my grade school, high school and college years. To satisfy the engineer in me, they've also been arranged in chronological order with the top two rows for grade school and junior high, the middle two rows for high school, and the last two rows for college.

Cut t-shirt squares - Check! Cutting thirty squares of old t-shirts precisely into 16" x 16" squares lends itself to reminiscing of the memories I'm choosing to remind myself of more often by making this quilt. When I did this back in March, that's exactly what I did. Good stuff.

Iron backing onto t-shirts - Check! Mom took care of this in March to make sure the t-shirts don't stretch once they're sewn together. Glad she knows what she's doing!

Choose border fabric - Check! This was a culmination of

three trips to the fabric store: one by my mom, one by me, and one yesterday by the two of us together. Luckily, although neither of us found a winner on our own, jointly we were able to find a color combo that worked. Since there was no chance of a color theme with various color t-shirts on the quilt (reds, blues, blacks, maroons, yellow, navy, green, etc), we decided to go for a neutral white with black and black with white. Which I promptly took to my parents' house and...

Cut border fabric - Check! The picture doesn't seem to do it justice, but I measured and cut 72 strips of 17" x 3" border pieces and 42 border squares of 3" x 3" to go in between the t-shirt squares. Needless to say, the scissors (and my fingers) got a work-out! There are still some details to be determined regarding the potential for an overall border and the material on the back, but this was a huge step in making progress along with...

Sew it all together - Major progress! That's Mother Dearest working diligently sewing together all of the pieces on the sewing machine as we watched the Cardinals game and then Lions/Patriots pre-season game yesterday. Naturally, it's part of the overall strategy here to have me do the parts that are not seen (i.e. cut edges) and have my mom do the visible sewing work. She has a much better knack for these types of crafty things, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not even a novice seamstress. I'm lucky to have such a capable and willing mother. :-)

Next steps - finish sewing it all together, potentially add a border, decide on the fabric/color for the back, have it quilted and enjoy!

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Double Feature

I think it was December of 2010 when I saw my last movie at the theater. It was True Grit with Jeff (boyfriend), Greg (brother) and Shayna (sister-in-law). Granted, I've watched movies since then but all have been in the comfort of a familiar couch, sans previews, and with an easy pause and rewind button close by. It's not that I don't enjoy going to the theater or seeing movies, but when I compare the time spent to what I could be doing otherwise (beers on a scenic rooftop bar, shuffleboard with friends, baseball games, etc), I usually choose other activities. That's why I hope you can appreciate the planning it took to cross this one off my list.

First, a big attaboy to Jeff for putting the thought into making this one special and checking into potential venues back in February. Last Saturday I redeemed my tickets from Valentine's Day for #19 and a double-feature showing on screen #1 at the I-70 Drive-In near Kansas City.

#19. Watch a movie at a drive-in theater - check!

So, what did we see? We ended up settling on Rise of the Planet of the Apes and 30 Minutes or Less. Not our ideal combo of movies, but what we deemed to be the best option available. Some quick prep at Wal-Mart to grab snacks (Puffcorn, Pretzel M&M's, and Gummy Bears) and a small cooler from home filled with Bud Select and vodka mixers and we were set for food and beverage. And with some quick collaboration to turn the back of my Sportage into a make-shift recliner, we were ready to go.

This is the part where I admit that I may have fallen asleep toward the end of not one, but both movies. (For those that know me, you're probably not surprised. I can fall asleep pretty much anywhere.) I could try to defend myself and say that it was the result of the beers we enjoyed that afternoon, but I'd be hard-pressed to blame it entirely on that. Luckily Jeff was awake and able to catch me up on what I missed.

As for the experience overall? Awesome weather. Great view. BYO-Snacks & Beverages. Comparable ticket price to a regular movie ($8 ea). And relatively comfortable seating (something I would control better next time). Not something I'd do all the time, but something I definitely enjoyed and would love to do again. Next time maybe I'll actually stay awake the entire time. :-)

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