Packing List
We’ve had to travel so much in the past year, and a few of the trips have been the sudden “we have to leave now” type, which means you sometimes forget to pack a thing or two.* So I’ve starting a working text document for my packing list. I’ve listed almost everything on it that I would ever want to bring for any type of trip. After each trip, I usually add an item or two to it. Then I print it out for the next trip, and cross off the things I want to bring, after I pack them.
Here is a pdf version if you give a crap.
I used the list to pack for a work trip to Louisville on Monday (I will be going home tonight, but be coming back quite a bit).
The Ohio River from the Indiana side, across from Louisville
I NEED to make an entirely new list for the Ragnar Madison to Chicago relay this Friday. Or at least start with that one and add a bunch of stuff that you bring on a trip where you are in a car for two days and not getting much sleep or really taking showers.
Ugh, I was hoping this post would be more coherent, but I am tired from traveling! And hope I can find the energy to do the relay in a few days (I am running 3 legs that total up to about 19 miles).
Do you have a master packing list or do you make one for each trip? Or do you just throw stuff in your bag and call it a day?
*Okay, it was always the same thing, over and over – the make-up remover face wipes I used at night.
Quiet Cars are here!
In August of 2007 I wrote this:
Yes, you’re sick of hearing it. Yes, I’m sick of complaining about it. But this time, I am offering a solution.
Regarding the commute. I now realize that what makes people dread it is not the amount of time, but all the annoying people. To me, the most annoying thing is the noise – the woman who clears her throat every thirty seconds (I timed her), the children who scream at the top of their lungs, the drunk adults, the cell-phone talkers… you get the idea.
I don’t use the commute as a means to communicate with other people. Its sole purpose is to get me to work, but since it is more than an hour, it might as well be a relaxing ride. IT’S NOT when all those people won’t STFU (sorry, had to use the acronym).
So, here’s my brilliant solution – a “quiet” car. One train car could be dedicated for those who wish to ride in silence. You pay a premium price and are guaranteed a relaxing ride. No kids scream. No one talks on their phone. No one talks to their friend/family/neighbor. Sorry. Just silence. All you would have to listen to would be the train on the tracks and the announced stops.
Yes, I’m really losing it. I’m just so frustrated with the screaming children that cause me to re-locate my seat each night.
Yeah, you could say that was a little bit whiny.
Well, guess what was enacted on all Metra lines yesterday, June 6th?
Quiet Cars! Almost four years later, I am getting my wish! Quiet car rules are as follows:
The rules are simple: No cell phone calls. If passengers must answer their phones, they should make it brief or move to the vestibule or another car. Conversations are discouraged; if they must be held they should be short and in subdued voices. All electronic devices must be muted, and headphones should not be loud enough for anyone else to hear.
Quiet Cars will apply to all inbound trains arriving downtown before 9 a.m. and all outbound trains leaving downtown between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
As with the pilot program, Metra expects Quiet Cars to be largely enforced by peer pressure and conductor intervention when necessary. Many riders said that having a rule in place empowered them to ask noisy people to be quiet or move. Conductors will carry small notices that they can discreetly present to passengers who are violating the quiet car rules.
I rode on a Quiet Car yesterday morning to work, and it was quiet until a few stops to downtown when some people started having a loud conversation. Hopefully passengers will soon get the hang of it.
Would you ride in the Quiet Car?
Sometimes I don’t mind being in a noisy car. In fact, there is one car that is kind of like a party car – and I used to ride in it. I would rather be surrounded by a lot of noise or none. Just a few loud conversations makes me nuts.
Guess I am still a bit whiny, four years later.
It's come to this
I’ve never had my lunch stolen at work* but people use my salad dressing without asking all. the. time. Honestly! Just ask me! I will share! But I get annoyed when I buy a brand new container of salad dressing, and the second time I use it, more than a third of it is gone. That happened to me last week – I used it once, even measured out two tablespoons** – then went to use it the second day and a lot more of it was gone.
So… I started marking where the salad dressing is at when I am done using it.
Yes, I am crazy. But when I went to use my dressing today it was at the same level where I left it! Yay!
And really, I don’t care if people want to use it. I will share! Just please, ask! It says my name on it… I am usually at my desk… why don’t you ask me? And you should know, sometimes, when it spills over the top I lick it off the bottle, so maybe you don’t want to use it? Just warning you…
(Really, this isn’t a big deal to me. I actually think it’s kind of funny. But, we do have a camera in our lunch room because people steal each other’s food. Isn’t that ridiculous?)
*Seriously, who would want my salad and leftovers?
**Because I am trying to be good and track my food and ugh BORING.
The Garden Project: Getting Our Act Together
We finally got our act together (really, just had the time) to buy tomato plants on Sunday and plant them, along with our other seeds, in our garden.
We have a 20’x20′ plot in the local community garden. This year, we decided to plant 16 tomato plants, two rows of green beans, two half rows of cucumbers, and two half rows of sugar snap peas.
Steven does all of the planning and planting – he is better with precision and detail than me.
And I am the raw power. RAWR!
Here is everything planted – the tomatoes, green beans behind them, cucumbers to the back left and sugar snap peas to the back right.
The red line is not there, I just added it so you can see the boundaries of the garden.
We are getting things in pretty late this year. Last year we had our seeds in in the second week of May, and our tomato plants in maybe 3-4 weeks later. We will just have a late crop this year!
I want to keep better track of my time spent in the garden this year, so I will note that it took us about 30 minutes to select and buy plants, and about three hours to do the work in the garden. And then there are all of the hours I spent dreading it all week…
Seriously, does anyone out there like to do yard work?
It is fine once we get out there and get in the groove, I just have no idea what I am doing.
Other garden posts from this year:
Training Week 85
Day 589 | May 30, 2011: rest
Day 590 | May 31, 2011: strength class
Tuesday night was my last group strength class! I am happy not to have the weekly commitment anymore, and am really excited about personal training… but I will miss my classmates! I should see most of them at the speedwork sessions, if I ever get my butt to one.
I was worried I would be too sore after the marathon to do our boxing and medicine ball workout, but I actually felt pretty fabulous! I think getting my body going helped work out the kinks. I still suck at doing pushups with one hand on a medicine ball though.
Day 591 | June 1, 2011: cross
Recumbent Bike Time: 30:00 | Distance: 4.33 | Set on “Manual,” Resistance Level 5.0
Day 592 | June 2, 2011: 3 m run
I ran out and back to the Shedd Aquarium during my lunch break. I noticed I hit the 1.5 mile mark in 13 minutes and thought “How am I running so fast?” I quickly discovered on the way back – the wind had been at my back! The last mile and a half was slower. I think my third mile split was messed up though. I kept running and running and the distance was not changing on the Garmin. Hmm. Silly Garmin.
After the run my right outside knee was bugging me a bit. Time to get back to the foam roller! I am not sure why I thought I should STOP foam rolling after the marathon. Duh to the uh.
Distance: 3.0 | Start Temp: 62° | End Temp: 64° | Time: 27:11 | Avg Pace: 9:02 | 1: 8:28 | 2: 8:55 | 3: 9:45
Day 593 | June 3, 2011: strength (personal training) + 4.5 m run
Brian came over for my first personal training session in the afternoon and kicked my butt. We just used handweights and a bench, but did a lot of core work (and dynamic movements) that made me feel like I could throw up. I was pooped by the end! In a good way.
Later I took Data on a short walk. I don’t count that as exercise, but don’t have many photos for this week and thought I would throw this one in:
In the evening, Bobbi came over and we suffered through the three Hs together – heat, humidity and hills. I was so excited to show another runner the new path behind our house… so I tortured Bobbi by making her run the hills on it. Sorry Bobbi. She actually kicked my butt on them! It was a tough run overall. She had an achy calf and my knee was still bugging me, and the heat! Ugh! But, it was all good when we ended and Steven had homemade deep dish pizza in the oven for us. Yum!
Distance: 4.5 | Start Temp: 84° | End Temp: 80° | Time: 50:03 | Avg Pace: 11:07 | 1: 10:16 | 2: 10:39 | 3: 11:42 | 4: 12:08 | 5: 5:15
Day 594 | June 4, 2011: strength (personal training)
I had my second personal training session Saturday morning. We used kettlebells, the bench, and these fun soft balls that seemed to be filled with sand. I liked working with those, although, I got so sweaty I wondered if I was going to accidentally let go of one and throw is across the room.
Day 595 | June 5, 2011: 5.5 m run
I met my running club friend, Yvonne, early in the morning for a run in the Rollins Savanna. We were both hoping to get out early enough to miss the heat, but it wasn’t as cool as it was supposed to be – and this particular path has hardly any shade (you can see how sweaty I was in the photo below!). Despite that, it was a great run. We ran the whole thing, and chatted the whole time. It just flew by! And my knee wasn’t bugging me at all. Yvonne went for another loop (5.5 miles) after me – I bet she ran it a lot faster than when we were running together! She is someone I know I can run with to get faster. She is naturally speedy – she ran her first half in 1:42:07 this spring and was 3rd overall and the second woman finisher! Her first marathon will be Chicago this October and I can’t wait to see how she does.
Distance: 5.46 | Start Temp: 66° | End Temp: 74° | Time: 52:56 | Avg Pace: 9:42 | 1: 9:25 | 2: 9:39 | 3: 9:51 | 4: 9:57 | 5: 9:43 | 6: 4:18
Week Summary: 13.00 miles
Wow. I think this is the first week EVER that I got three strength workouts in. That is awesome for me! I am so busy next week that Brian and I will only have one session, but hopefully I will still do the Shred, or something.
The heat is definitely slowing down my running, but I am going to try to fight it this year and not let it conquer me! I am pleased that I got three short runs in the week after the marathon. My body is feeling pretty good!
Lessons from the Madison Marathon
You know, Erin and I ran TWO half marathons together this spring (one and two), and the race photographers could not manage to get a decent photo of the two of us together. I was kind of bummed.
But the Madison Marathon? During which Erin ran the last 6ish miles with me as a bandit? Two great photos (of her anyway, and with the Capitol in the background!):
Maybe one of us should always run as a bandit?
Anyway, post marathon recovery has been good. I felt great by Tuesday night and went out for a short run yesterday. I will start training for the Milwaukee and NYC Marathons the week of June 13th. I will try to take it easy until then!
I have been thinking of a few things I need to do differently for my next marathon, a few “lessons learned”:
- Do NOT use the Pedi-Bean to remove calluses from the bottom of your feet – they are THERE for a reason. I had one callus on the bottom of my left foot that I worked on rubbing down, and guess what hurt the most during the marathon? The bottom of my left foot. Where that callus was.
- Eat a normal dinner/breakfast the night before/day of. I had crackers and fruit and a PB sandwich late the night before. Dumb. And there was no microwave in the hotel, so I didn’t have my normal breakfast (oatmeal). Also dumb.
- Don’t eat junk food the week before the race. I did. And my bathroom schedule was all off. I didn’t have my normal morning poo and stopped to go three times on the course. Awesome. I still kind of think if I hadn’t stopped at mile 8 I could have stuck with the 4:15 pace group awhile longer. I am not saying the entire race, but at least a few more miles.
- Don’t get so heavy. I weighed more during this race than the Chicago Marathon. This race was easier, but still, I was carrying that extra weight. Not fun.
- Don’t get so cocky. Seriously, I thought I had this race in the bag, based on my awesome training. Not so much. And I thought the hills would be no big deal despite not training for them. 5a – Train for hills. My next two marathons have hills, so I will be running them. There are actually a few hills near my home!
- Support is KEY. It was so wonderful to have Steven see me and be so encouraging, and to have Erin run the last few miles with me.
I really want to get better at this. I don’t want to be someone who runs marathons but really sucks at it. I really need to up my mental game. On the way home, I said to Steven “Why are half marathons so easy for me, but fulls aren’t?” He pointed out that I told him at mile 11 I was not going to meet my goal – before the half marathon point. My heart just wasn’t in this – I gave up early on. I think I was looking for something to cheer me up and make me happy, and that was too much pressure to put on this race (and unreasonable too).
Here are a few photos that show my mixed emotions:
Note: those smiles are staged.
The first time I saw a photographer on course was when I was taking that GU in the third pic… that must have been mile 16? I remember thinking “I hope the only official photo of me from this race is NOT me taking this GU.” Luckily, they had a lot of photographers at the end.
After I wrote that, I looked at the picture and realized that was me drinking water very close to the end. I don’t have my belt on (I gave it to Steven at mile 22). So, they didn’t include the GU pic. That is good.
I have not been intentionally quiet here this week. I am just worn out (from not getting much sleep), and cannot think of much to blog about, besides running and exercise. I will do my best to not have this turn in to a solely running blog, but we’ll see what happens.
Madison Marathon Race Report
One of these days, I will figure out the mental game of running the marathon. Until then though, I do have my Chicago Marathon redemption – I finished the Madison Marathon in 5:01:36 – 36 minutes and 6 seconds faster than Chicago. A new PR (this is only my second full)!
I decided to run the Madison Marathon after not running my goal marathon two weeks ago. I am stubborn and trained so well, I wanted to run a damn marathon. So Steven encouraged me to find another. It had to be before Ragnar though – Madison was my best bet, despite knowing it is hillier than… something extremely hilly.
My blogger friend Tony picked up my bib for me (thank you thank you thank you!!!) and we drove to Madison late last night after a graduation party where I ate mostly crackers and fruit (smart, right?). I had been to Madison in college, but didn’t remember it well.
The start was extremely well organized and so easy to navigate – a big difference from how busy Chicago is. I lined up with the 4:15 pacer (and even ran in to a neighbor I met only once before on the way to the pace group).
I stuck with the pacer until mile 8 when I stopped to use the bathroom (couldn’t get it going in the am and ended up going to the bathroom twice more on course) and never caught up. I stuck with my pace for another mile, then started the walk run shuffle through the hills and humidity. It seems I hit the wall at mile 8. Funny, since I usually start feeling good then.
You know it’s bad when you can see the hills in the picture.
Notice it ends on an incline? You can see the full Garmin stats here.
I was able to see Steven at the start, twice on the course, and at the finish! And… Erin drove all the way up to Madison to run the last 6 miles (using the word “run” loosely here). I was so looking forward to seeing her at mile 20. I don’t think I can describe in words how nice it was to have here there during the last few miles, distracting me by talking to me, and encouraging me. I owe her big time. Thanks a million Erin!!!
I tried to give it my all at the end, but I knew I wouldn’t come in under 5:00.
Oh well!
I had to take my shoes off immediately after the race. It rained for the last 7ish miles, and while it felt great on my body, it worked wonders on my toes. I have a killer blister (funny thing – the only part of my body hurting was my bottom left foot, and my hips (from my water belt)).
I am happy the temps stayed in the 50s-60s though. The forecast had been up to 85 at one point! Madison was canceled last year because it got so hot. I was not ready for a death march in the heat again (I am looking at YOU, Chicago).
I still have so much to learn when it comes to marathons. I ran this awesome training runs at amazing paces (for me) then crashed and burned here. Erin brought up a good point – I slept in my bed the night before those, and ate my food the entire day before and morning of. And I did have a weird taper – my 20-miler was on 4/24! And I ran three 13-miler weekends in a row, then an 8-miler. Kind of bizarre.
Steven is such an awesome spectator! Thanks for chasing me around and being so encouraging babe!
And this race is awesome if you like hills. So well organized, tons of water stops, not much crowd support, but good enough. Beautiful course. Those hills though. And at mile 24, you can see the Capitol where you end, but it looks so far away. Very evil! Just kidding.
Training Week 84
Day 582 | May 23, 2011: 8 m run + cross
It was too hot on Sunday to do my 8 mile run, so I got up at 4:00 am to do it on Monday before work (I got to try the new reflective vest and LED light I bought for the relay). It was in the low 60s but I was sweaty in a tank top! I really hope I get used to running in the heat this summer. I am totally a cold weather runner, but I need to figure out the heat, since we (kind of) have four seasons here.
My splits were very even! I am pleased with that. That was my goal for this run.
Distance: 8.0 | Start Temp: 62° | End Temp: 63° | Time: 1:17:08 | Avg Pace: 9:38 | 1: 9:52 | 2: 9:38 | 3: 9:31 | 4: 9:39 | 5: 9:33 | 6: 9:34 | 7: 9:37 | 8: 9:38
Recumbent Bike Time: 25:00 | Distance: 4.10 | Set on “Manual,” Resistance Level 4.0
Day 583 | May 24, 2011: cross + strength class
During lunch I rode the bike in the gym, and after work, I went to my strength class. More medicine ball work and boxing! If you want to see a scary video of me and some classmates boxing, check it out here.
Bike Time: 30:00 | Distance: 5.33 | Set on “Manual,” Resistance Level 5.0
Day 584 | May 25, 2011: rest
Day 585 | May 26, 2011: rest
Day 586 | May 27, 2011: 3.6 m run
I met Bobbi at the Rollins Savanna for a fun run! I love spending time with Bobbi. She is so upbeat and fun. We stood around and talked for about 30 minutes after our run. Ha. Maybe we should have run another loop!
Distance: 3.6 | Temp: 51° | Time: 36:48 | Avg Pace: 10:13 | 1: 9:50 | 2: 10:28 | 3: 10:27 | 4: 6:02
Day 587 | May 28, 2011: yoga
I did 25 minutes of a yoga DVD. My right shin is a bit tight and I can’t get it stretched out!
Day 588 | May 29, 2011: 26.4 m run (Madison Marathon)
Aww, I have such a thoughtful husband (that vegan jerquee gives me gas!). I am racing today! Wish me luck!
Week Summary: 38.00 miles
My Friday run with Bobbi reminded me how much I have been missing running with friends. I am making a new commitment to getting out there with people!
Medal Display
I won Kayla‘s Allied Medal Displays Giveaway and am now the proud owner of the “I Run This Town” display!
I choose this one because I love the cityscape and because of its long length – I plan on having more medals to put on it. I was surprised by how thick the medal rack was! It’s really sturdy (and easy to install*). If you are looking for a medal display, check out the other cool ones on the Allied Medal Displays site – there are a lot of other cool ones!
I put all my age group awards on the left, and general race awards on the right. Since I don’t have a medal for my half PR, I will put up gloves they gave us at that race.
Just kidding, I am not going to leave those up there.
Adam, since you are always interested in my photo editing, here is the before and after.
No marathon medals on this rack yet – Chicago has a special home, thanks to Erin:
I know I have asked you guys a thousand times, but where do you keep your race bibs and medals?
As you know, mine are all in my closet, including this medal rack (the Chicago frame is in our office). I like looking at them each morning. I just rearranged them too, in chronological order. Here’s a little collage of my closet wall, since I don’t have a camera that can get it all in one shot (they go from floor to ceiling).
*Not that it matters – Steven did it for me.
Friday Question #157
If you have or could have a vanity plate for your car, what does/would it say and mean?
(assuming a hypothetical car if you don’t have one)
You probably all know I drive the KIMBOT:
Ha! I wish. Here is my real car, which I love just as much as the Ferrari F430 (even though I am not very good at keeping it clean on the outside).
The KIMBOT plate has been transferred from Iowa to Illinois (and been through quite a bit):
No comment.
Kimbot is a random nickname my younger brother gave me and I thought it was funny so I used it. No one really calls me Kimbot, but you can, if you would like.
And who is this young fellow?
Could that be STEVEZ?
Okay, maybe young is the wrong word. That is Steven’s 1978 Datsun 280Z. He got the “STEVEZ” plate because it can be read like Steve’s Z (get it?). STEVENZ was already taken, bummer.
Can anyone read the vanity plate on my dad’s ’39 Chevy Coupe?
I don’t think I need to explain the meaning behind THAT.
Alright, enough car talk. Happy Friday!
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
