Running Medal Display

Over the past year, I've accrued:

• a few medals from finishing marathons/age-group placements in smaller races and 
• (what feels like) a book full of race bibs.  

I'm not a clutter hoarder, but these little items each carry so many fond memories that I wanted to make sure that they were preserved!

I just didn't know how to display them.  Until......

I snooped around the internet for some inspiration and showed some ideas to my creative mom.  She got to work and surprised me with these lovely bib and medal hangers for Christmas!!

I just got around to hanging them up and I LOVE them.

Simple.

I like the neutral color of the board because it makes the medals/bibs more of the feature.  If I get inspired, I'm going to paint something on the bib hanger, but for now it's blank.

What do you use to display your medals and bibs?  
What should I write on the bib holder?
I was thinking "run" or something like that, but was trying to think of something more creative...perhaps DREAM..what do you think?

My Cousin Just Won "Chopped" on The Food Network!

I just want to tell you all how proud I am of my dearest cousin, Adrienne!

Adrienne is 28 years old and currently a sous chef at 1500 degrees in Miami, Florida.  She's only one month older than I am and I consider her to be my cousin that I feel closest to.

She just started a career in cooking five years ago and last week, she won the grand prize of $10,000 on Chopped.

Chopped is a high-stakes cooking show on the Food Network.

My beautiful cousin, Adrienne!

Chopped is so stressful for me to watch, I can't even imagine being a participant on the show.  Four chefs are given a set of unusual ingredients to create different culinary concoctions.  A new person is eliminated after each round.

Adrienne beat out three other chefs, a couple of which were super cocky and had over 25 years of experience at super fancy-schmancy NYC restaurants.

Her victory was so sweet because she was the total underdog-- young with the least amount of experience.  She was humble and didn't have an ounce of pretension about her.

YAY COUSIN ADRIENNE!!!!

If you're a foodie, this article has details about each of the dishes.

FUN SIDE NOTE:
Adrienne looks a lot like Fiona Apple...in fact, we went to a Fiona Apple concert together at the 9:30 club in DC back when we were in high school.

On the LEFT is my cousin, Adrienne.
On the RIGHT is Fiona Apple.

Anyway, click here, here, or here to read more about Adrienne's victory on Chopped!

Do you watch Chopped?
If you could be on any reality TV show, what would you pick?
I would want to be on the Amazing Race...or anything that takes place on a tropical island!

I Love Eating Pomegranates!

I'd like to thank my dear in-real-life-friend Brittany over at Btypes for changing my world.

Thanks for the Pom hint Btypes

Thanks to her blog post about how to eat a pomegranate, I am now am able to quickly devour my pomegranates without slaving for hours.  Go check it out if you love poms like I do.

Simple.  You just have to open it under water.

My old method of eating pomegranates involved mining out individual seed by seed was so labor intensive and reminded me a little bit of picking crabs-- a lot of work for a very small amount of reward.

My pomegranate treat!
This is the fruit of ONE pomegranate,
obtained in just a couple minutes of work.

I've always been a huge fan of the pomagranate-- a juicy, yet crunchy winter fruit.

They're full of fiber (we know I love my fiber!), antioxidants, and vitamins, plus they're great for your heart health!

Are you a fan of the pomegranate?
It's one of the highlights of my winter every year.  It's an expensive little fruit but they are a little more affordable during the winter months.  I've seen the cost of a pomagranate range from $1.99 to $3.99, depending on the season and store.  Trader Joe's usually has the best deal (of course!)

Running in the Rain with an iPod

Do you ever get nervous about ruining your iPod, Garmin, or cell phone when you go running during a rain storm?

I have ruined a couple things while running in the rain including:

• an iPod
• a cell phone

As you know, these things are not cheap.

But I have found a SIMPLE solution!!!

One of my running coaches/friends showed me a cheap and easy way of how to save your electronics while running in the rain...

ZIPLOCK BAG!

Yes, our Christmas tree is still up.
And you can ignore my rooster's comb hair.

The above photo was right before my most recent 7 mile run in 55:10, average pace of 7:53 where it was cold and raining the ENTIRE time and when I got back, my iPod was still working.

Now here's the real question....
How do you keep your Garmin dry when you run outside in the rain?
Tappan has a Garmin 310xt, which is completely waterproof, but it was considerably more expensive than my 305.  So I just try to wear waterproof long sleeves, but I'd like to find a little waterproof cover because the sleeves don't always keep it dry.

J. Crew Warehouse Sale in Richmond

If you live in Richmond, Virginia, go check out the J. Crew Warehouse Sale 2012!

It's a little overwhelming because it involves rummaging through unlabeled boxes and navigating through crowds, but there are usually hidden treasures that make it worth it.

NOTE:  Don't go here if you're afraid of people or easily feel claustrophobic.

Example of prices include:

• dresses $20
• all coats $50
• all shorts $10

Anyway, I found this lovely black Lady Day Coat for $50, which is currently selling online for $325.

I know it's sort of hard to see my jacket through the blur,
but it's just a black version of my winter white coat.

My white Lady Day Coat for $50 (originally $325)
from last year's J. Crew Warehouse Sale

And I alllllmost bought this jacket (note the cool gathering on the back):

I may have to go back to get it.

The sale runs daily until January 22nd, 2012.

Hours are 10am to 8pm.

It's located at the former Borders Bookstore:
9750 W. Broad St
Richmond VA 23060

I was told that the best time of the day to go is right when it opens because it will be more organized (they fold/organize more overnight) and they are restocking on a regular basis.

Oh and you can even pay using debit/credit/and GIFT cards!

Here's a link to the price list that I found on the J.Crew Aficionado blog.

Have you ever been to a J.Crew Warehouse Sale?
I went once in 2011 and once this year.  Enter at your own risk, it can be a zoo on the weekends.

Running and Racing with a Heart Rate Monitor

We all want to know...how do you become a faster racer and a smarter, better runner?

Some people will tell you to start training with a heart rate monitor.

I may or may not be one of these people.  I'm not 100% convinced yet.

My boyfriend was the first person to plant the seed about heart rate training.  He said it was the smartest way to train.  It can help you get faster and have better endurance.

Tappan being all speedy
at the end of a 10 mile race

I've read countless articles about heart rate training and about a month or two ago (actually a couple weeks before the Rehoboth Marathon), I decided to start drinking the kool-aid...I started wearing my Garmin heart rate monitor on my runs.

Initially, I couldn't stand it because I didn't like the feeling of the heart rate monitor band around my rib cage, but now I don't even notice it.

I think there is a lot to be learned about following your heart rate when training and I am just beginning to scratch the surface of it.

Here's some info that I've found from snooping around the internet.  I found most of my info from Runner's World, Sports Med Web, and the Competitor.

PROS of using a Heart Rate Monitor:

• Helps you to train smarter-- you have a better gauge of your true level of exertion
• Helps you train more effectively and find your best TRAINING paces
• Are you running your long runs too fast?  You may be doing more harm than good if you are training in an anaerobic zone during your long runs...
• Helps you find your best RACING paces
• You can only maintain certain heart rate zones for certain amounts of time before you burn out and this can help keep you from "hitting the wall."

CONS of using a Heart Rate Monitor:

• I always feel like I'm going too slow when I'm staying in certain zones and this annoys me.
• It took me a run or two to get used to the feeling of wearing the heart rate monitor (and it's easy to forget to put it on if you aren't used to it!)
• It seems like it would be easy to get caught up with these numbers and become a little too obsessive and I could see this happening to me :(...which I'm afraid would take the joy out of running and completely turn it into a numbers game.
• If you use caffeine while you jog (many GUs contain caffeine), this will make the HR numbers wonky, so you can't rely on them in the same way.  Same goes for altitude, hot weather, and some medications.

HOW TO TRAIN with a Heart Rate Monitor:  TRAINING ZONES
FIRST, determine your Max Heart Rate (MHR), either with a formula or get tested on a treadmill/track:

Max Heart Rate = 207 - (your age X 0.5)
Note:  There are TONS of different formulas that you can use to determine your max HR that all give approx the same values.  I just randomly picked this one from Runner's World.

Then run your different workouts at the following percentages of your maximum heart rate:

• EASY and LONG RUNS:  65 to 75% of MHR
• TEMPO RUN:  87 to 92% of MRH
• INTERVAL REPEATS:  95 to 100% MHR

GO to THIS WEBSITE to plug in your age and resting heart rate in order to find out what the exact heart rate numbers correspond to.

Running a long run this summer
with my marathon training team.
Pre-heart rate monitor.

HOW TO RACE with a Heart Rate Monitor:  RACING ZONES
When you run races, here are the heart rate zones where you should keep your heart rate in order to race your best:

• 5K:  95 to 97%
• 10K:  92 to 94%
• HALF MARATHON:  85 to 88%
• MARATHON:  80 to 85%

By watching your heart rate, you can ensure that you are racing at an appropriate pace.  If you're running a marathon at too high of a heart rate (such as 95%), you'll bonk, hit the wall and not be able to maintain that pace for that long of a distance.

Racing off my pantalones
during mile 18-ish of the Rehoboth Marathon

Here's an example of me and a 10K:

My 10K heart rate range is supposed to be 174 to 178, but I actually ran this virtual 10K with an average heart rate of 161.  So does that mean that I should have pushed myself harder?  And you'll notice that my heart rate jumped up at the end, for the final push, but that's to be expected.

What do you think of Heart Rate Training?  Do you train with a HR monitor?

I DO wear my HR monitor when I run, but it's just for gathering data at this point.  I don't actually modify my runs to stay in certain zones...I just like to gather data and perhaps at some point in the future I'll actually pay more attention to it.  As I mentioned, it usually says I'm at the higher end of the recommended zones and it's hard for me to purposely slow down sometimes.

Find Me on Daily Mile!

Anyone use Daily Mile?

Come friend me (I don't know how to do this yet haha)!  Click here to find my page.

Can't promise that it's going to always be up to date, I'm just getting started on it.

What do you use to track your workouts?

I am just trying Daily Mile to see if I like it because I've heard so much good stuff about it.  Up until now, I've been using the Runner's World training log (click HERE to see my page over there) which I love....but I would like to try something new and fresh for the new year.  We'll see how it goes.

New Year's Bow Tie Ride

Last week I got back on the running bandwagon and ended up running 35.8 miles.

Didn't plan most of that, it just happened and was fun.  No races on the agenda, so all runs at this point in time are just for my own satisfaction.

Longest run of the week:
11 great miles with Brittany and the Spring Marathon Training Team on Saturday morning

********************

Monday (aka New Year's Day) was the RVA Fat Tire Bow-Tie Ride.

We did a three hour bike cruise around the fan district of Richmond.

I missed the detail about dressing up...oops.
But of course Tappan was sporting his bowtie!

We stopped to play wiffle ball in the field next to the Carrilon.

I typically do NOT have coordination at these types of sports but we all had an an epic move or two.

Tappan in action! 

COULD NOT RESIST
hammin' it on the Ha' Penny Stage with Btypes, my lavendar twinsie.
We have no idea what this random wooden stage is doing in the middle of the field.

We proceeded to cruise over to Hollywood Cemetery, a famous cemetery that has the remains of tons of famous people including:

• president John Tyler
• president James Monroe
• president of the confederacy Jefferson Davis
• over 18,000 civil war soldiers
• six Virginia governors
• two supreme court justices

It's a beautiful cemetery with a breathtaking view of the James River:

Lavender twinsies (anyone seen the "shit girls say" video?)
downtown Richmond in the background

I am a helmet nazi.
I see WAY too many bad outcomes
of people not wearing helmets at work in my Trauma ICU.

And many visually pleasing memorials and gravestones:

I love many things about this photo:
Giant pyramid
Cool tree shadow

I like to think that this is the mysterious "Black Dog" of Richmond.
Although I think it was referring to a fond memory of a family dog...
Someone even left some Kibbles and Bits for it!!

Happy New Year, Friends!!!

Is everyone having success with their New Year's Resolutions so far?

Well....seeing as how I haven't come up with any yet...I am either failing or passing.  In typical Katherine fashion, I am late on the resolution bandwagon-- I usually prefer to make gradual changes in my life and not make any sudden unnatural changes because I'm less likely to stick to them.