3.1 for Thursday

Whew! I may have been quiet on here lately, but life is no where near quiet! :)

#1 - Basketball is officially over now! It was a great season and it was so exciting to watch how much the girls improved and really started working like a team! We had our end of the season party on Tuesday. I will be sad not to see these girls twice a week anymore :( They definitely taught me a thing or two about coaching, as well!

#2 - Softball season has officially begun for Al, right on the heels of bball. This requires practice 3 days per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) plus games scattered throughout the week. I love playing softball and am very excited that Al is ready to play! This should be a fun season! Of course, this does derail some Saturday races due to games/practice, but we'll make do! :) And of course the best part is that I can just be a parent! No coaching of this team, just the occasional volunteer work with the team! :)

#3 - I am doing it! I am coaching two ladies to their 1st 5k! I am so excited and they are already doing so well! I found a really great "couch to 5k" program for them and they are rockin it!

#3.1 - This has absolutely nothing to do with running, but I just have to say the hubs is on swings for the time being and it sucks! :'( Okay, whine over! :)

Coach...I need your advice

One of my major goals of running has been to get others motivated to run, too! This is no big secret and I have been fairly successful at times (I did trick convince 23 people to do a 10k...) and I find great joy in this!

I am a motivator! An encourager! A go-getter! But am I Coach??? I don't know about that. But I have two co-workers very excited to start running and to participate in The Color Run in May. And they are both looking to me to get them there. And if I don't step up, I am afraid they may not participate.

I am very excited to help them in this quest, but do I have what it takes to be a good Coach?

I keep thinking about the things I really liked about my Coach for my first half mary. He was consistent, encouraging, and positive. Those are 3 things I can totally be, but I am still nervous about letting these ladies down. I am grateful that bball season is over (after our last game this Saturday) so I will have more weeknights available to go for runs with these great gals.

I know in the end this will turn out fine and I will be amazed at what I've been able to help them do, but the beginning is the scary part! :)

So any of you Coaches out there...what's your advice for this running motivator?

Spring is in the ai....no wait!

 Well, so much for spring! As I drove home from work today the rain started to turn to snow. By the time I got home it was full-on snowing. I couldn't believe how much was falling in such a short amount of time! I mean, I love winter, so I am okay with this, but I had already resigned to March starting this week and spring coming right around the corner. I mean, I even spent Sunday morning medicated and sleeping off an allergy induced migraine! Mother nature sure has a mind of her own! We attempted to have our last bball practice tonight, but only one other girl aside from Al made it, so 20 minutes in we called it so everyone could get home safely. We'll see how the morning commute is going to pan out! Maybe we'll get a surprise and it will dump some more tonight...

Virtual Run for Sherry Arnold

 So it's a little late, but better late than never! After an exciting bball game (Go Lady Titans!) on 02.11.12, Al and I headed home to change into our running gear. It was a chilly afternoon, but we had committed to doing this run in honor of Sherry. Of course, once we got to the trail head, we realized we left the hydration pack at home. So of course I had to carry my keys, phone, and water bottle. Sigh. It wasn't the end of the world, just very irritating. Al and I headed out anyway. It felt good to get out and run out some pent up stress. Even though Al had already played a bball game that morning, she was a trooper! She didn't complain much ha ha. It was a beautiful day out on the trail and although there was a storm brewing, there were quite a few people on the usually quiet trail. Somehow it made me feel a little safer (after all, Sherry was abducted while out for a run). After a quick out and back, we headed down another trail to get a bit more distance in. When we were about 1/4 mile out the rain started. Luckily it didn't come down too hard and we were able to save our bibs (all race bibs get scrapbooked). Al and I had some really good talks out on this run, and I am really happy that we went. This seems to be our time for chatting about things that otherwise get left out of the conversation. I certainly hope we will be able to keep this up as she grows!

No FB makes me boring...

It’s interesting to me to read all the other blogs and to see that I am not the only one going through this kind of a slump. And it makes me feel oh so much better about being a slacker blogger! :o)




Although, I have to admit, life is going pretty well. I have thought of several topics to blog about (this weekend alone), but of course I didn’t actually sit down in front of the computer to type them out. Why? Because now that I am not of FB until after Easter, I find myself on the computer less (at home) period, good or bad. I am however online to do my 40 Days in the Word studies, so I guess I am not completely off the grid :o) And of course there are always emails to answer back. :o)



I am excited to start training my friend next week for her 1st 5k! I just love being able to pass the love of running along! I hope I can do even half as good as my couch did for me during my first half mary training. Wow…it’s so odd to me that I completely did everything backwards! I trained for my very first race ever, a half mary, in 3 months. Then I did my first 10k and subsequent 5ks. Then I mixed the 3 distances up a bit. What in the world was I thinking!

Anyone have a favorite ‘Couch to 5k program’ they love???

40 days...give or take a few Sundays...

It's official! I have taken myself out of the world of FB until after Easter! Gasp! I know! But it's not like I said I wasn't going to text or anything crazy like that! Okay, so maybe it is a little crazy...but it's what I want to do. I need to refocus and I "waste" plenty of time on FB. And I am going to use that time to do this 40 day devotional! Plus, I figure with the "free time" I will get some more miles on the pavement and that is always a good thing. I am very much a "reflector" while running. No, I don't mean I am shiny and glow in headlights! Although, that might be kinda cool... Anyhow, I mean I am a running thinker. I think over situations, outcomes, and life in general. I get a lot out other than just sweat. I will continue to blog about my running adventures (and this will mean I will probably be able to actually get my latest run's recap done!) and life. AND I am so very excited that I have convinced a co-worker to do a 5k with me! WooHoo! I love converting people! :o)

Alrighty, I am off for now! Those of you local runners...hope you get out there and enjoy some sunshine today (but don't blow away in the wind)!

~Kates

Still "running"

No, I didn't "run" away! :o) I started my new job on Monday and am trying to settle into my new routine. I am loving the new place and so happy for this change! I am hoping to be able to blog about our virtual 5k for Sherry Arnold. Keep hanging on for me and I'll be back in a jif!

Cancer Sucks...again!

Dr. B. and his amazing wife!

 It is a sad, sad day today. The world has truly lost a great soul and an amazing surgeon! The surgeon I have assisted the past 5.5 years passed away this morning from pancreatic cancer. He has put up such a strong battle and never gave up. Everything is still raw and hurts a lot. The silver lining is he is finally out of pain! This is the most painful cancer to die from; and for that I am grateful! If you think about it, please send up a prayer for his wonderful wife and grown children! They are an amazing family and I know they will come through this!

Registered for Hell Run 2012

 Since I did Hell Run last year, I had the opportunity to register early this year with a lower rate and guaranteed spot. Of course being the thrifty one that I am :o) I just had to register! And the best part...the hubs registered, too! Yay! This is the first official race he has ever registered for and I am sooo excited! I am, however, hoping to get him to do a couple other 5k's between now and then just because! :o) Let me know if you want to do the Seattle Hell Run on 09.15.12 and I will get you my code. Early registration is open through tomorrow, then it is open to the general public! Come join us in the 10AM wave! :o) It is an awesome time!

Here is Kim and I over the fire last year :o)

Come to think of it, I am not sure I even got around to a race recap for the race last year, so here's a short and sweet recap (from what I remember ha ha)! We got all pumped up at the start line with some great music and then we were off! First up was a steep climb up an embankment. Then we went through a corn field and came to the first mud pit! People were slipping and sliding all around! Then was the first 20 foot wall. Then up another embankment and a fairly decent path for another run. Then we came to the water. We did not just cross the river as previously stated. We walked UP the river in chest high freezing water (last year it was in October) for what seemed like forever! Then we had another stretch of just running. We passed a water station (they need a couple more of these in my opinion) and went up and over a hill to an obstacle of pulling yourself over a 4 foot wall and then ducking under barbed wire three times in a row. Then we ran through the forest, went through another sand/mud pit, and went over some boulders. Then we had some back country running, a tunnel to crawl through, and another very gooey mud pit. More running. Then another 20 foot wall. A fantastic jump over fire and the final mud pit covered in barbed wire! We had sooo much fun! I can't wait to do it again! And being in the first heat will be much better as most of the course won't be torn up as bad (we were in the last heat last year). So come out and join us for a good, muddy time!

Last Day..

So, yesterday was my last day at work. It was very bittersweet. As soon as I came in I noticed these wonderful "UW Huskies" inspired roses! :o) Then the tears started! I spent the rest of the day feeling very loved. I was then asked to meet one of the girls in the conference room for help with a computer problem (Yea, I used to do that, too) and when I walked in a bunch of my co-workers yelled "Surprise" and they had a full on Azteca spread! I love me some queso! :o) We had a fantastic lunch together as a group and I just sat, ate, and visited with everyone as they came through. Then it was back to my patients for the afternoon. I took many pictures throughout the day and to not extend my blog for pages, I made a collage of all the pics! I am sad that I missed some of my co-workers. :o( I am dragging my feet on cleaning the house today, but I will get to it as soon as I am done blogging...hmmm...what other things have I wanted to blog about??? ;o)