Endurance part one

Every time I read about an endurance runner or some ultra (marathon), I'm like "dang I really want to do that!" but I can never seem to get past the WANT part of it. I've never been a particularly sporty person, especially as a child. Anyone who knew me as a kid can attest to the fact that a) I only wore Birkenstocks or some other variety of non-shoe footwear, b) was the last one picked in P.E. and never even considered joining a team sport (except for swimming in 9th grade but my tryout for the team was hindered by a bout of the flu, to which I am grateful). So I'm sure this sort of thing comes across as some crazy idea that I'm so into endurance sports.
I swam as a kid, and I'd like to say that I may have taken it further had my parents been able to afford a coach, but my stubborn attitude probably would have prevented that, too. I was, and still am, one of those people who is enamoured by all things new, especially when it comes to competing against.. well, myself.
Fast forward to 2008. I was watching the Boston Marathon at a block away from the finish line, and when the elites came cruising by.... my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. It was right then and there that I KNEW with every fiber of my being that running was something I had to do. So I got in shape and started to run, and every time I felt winded or tired or frustrated at my slow pace, I just thought of those elites. I thought of the elite Kenyans and Ethiopians who are the most graceful runners I have ever seen. Robert Cheriyuot (sp?) won Boston that year. I watched him cross the finish line. I mean, it was one of the most exciting things I have ever witnessed. After 26 miles, he was still running a sub-6 minute pace! I had my Canon Digital Rebel with me that day by chance, and by the time I focused my lens on him, he was already hurdling on past where I was standing.
I knew a guy who was a former rock climber, trying to get back into the sport, and I thought "hmm that sounds fun." Another friend was going to do an IronMan, and I thought "hmmmm maybe?"
Endurance sports are the most appealing to me despite my utter lack of endurance! Maybe that's why, though, because I want to challenge myself. I want to challenge who I used to think I was. Two years ago I could barely run half a mile. Last November, stupidly, I ran a 5k with no training and a sprained foot and finished with an 11:30 pace. Which is slow but considering I hadn't run for 6 weeks and had a massive injury, is cool for me.
I just fucking love running. I'm addicted to it. I think "f*ck! this crap is so dang hard!!! what the hell am i doing?!" when I'm running, but when I'm done, I feel like I want to run until my feet fall off and there's no more road to run.
I went through injury after injury for about a year, maybe a little more. By the time I felt better, the terror of becoming injured again and not running prevented me from even trying to run. I just stopped. Completely distanced myself from it. But after a few 5k's under my belt and some nice runs with my sister and by myself.... the itch to run again is back.
I ran a 5k yesterday and I had a shitty time and I hurt like hell today, so I know I can't run right now. But I wish i didn't hurt so I could just pull my shoes on and frigging GO.

Enough for now.
kate.

quick post

It's been a while since I've written here. I don't write much on Tumblr either so.... yeah.

Semester is finally done!!

For two weeks I get to sleep in! Yay!


Okay I need to go to the gym now.

adopt adopt adopt!

Its been around a month since I've posted. It's been a busy month! School started up again and I've got class 5 days a week, I've got my weird office job, and I've started a volunteer position at my local animal shelter. So far for the volunteer work, I've had seven or so hours of meetings and training to work at the facility. I'm pretty excited to actually start working with some of the animals there! I have four hours more of training next sunday, and no more for another 6 months.

So to anyone who is thinking about getting a furry little companion, adopt! Go to your local shelter and adopt a companion. Don't buy from a pet shop unless you absolutely KNOW that they are not supplying their animals from puppy & kitty mills. But you should adopt, and you should adopt an older animal because they don't get adopted as quickly as the younger ones. Younger ones are nuts anyway and attack everything all the time.

SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS, PLEASE. THANKS.

I've got my hair in a towel and my head is starting to get cold so I think I'm gonna go...

cheers,
kate

saving face

a friend that always cancels on me last minute asked if i wanted to get together for coffee. i said yes but assumed she would cancel, last minute. i replied to her confirmation in due time, yesterday morning to be exact, in the format where she had asked in the first place, assuming she would actually read it. this morning i wake up to a text from her saying she didn't see my confirmation until just now (7 something in the morning) and had made plans.

WHY. why do ANY of you even bother at all? All of you fucking cancel on me, or don't call me back when I call to say Hi and see whats up and did you want to hang out, or you make other plans regardless of OUR plans. Seriously? Just stop calling me and tell me I'm not important to my face because THATS what it feels like. You keep your plans unless you truly truly can't because something horrid is happening. I just really don't understand. Either never talk to me again, or keep your word, because this is getting a little ridiculous. Every SINGLE FUCKING PERSON I KNOW DOES THIS TO ME MANY TIMES.

Fuck all of you.

prawns for the win!

I kept pestering Ryan about what was going on in the movie, District 9, because the first bit was really hard to watch. It's your basic 'exploitation of a people' story, only the people were aliens whose ship stopped in Johannesberg, SA after an illness prevented them from returning home. Of course humans, being dumbshit like we are, automatically assumed they were up to no good, when really they just wanted to leave. Typical. But then some crazy shit happens and it gets really fuckedup like a horror movie, but then horror movie fuckedup turns into badass scifi action thriller. And of course the bad guy gets his head blown to shit at the very very end of the movie. Good movie. Maybe not everybodys kind of movie, but it was well done at least.

Kate: Auto-reply: watching District 9. leave a message
Ryan: were you abducted
2:55 PM
Kate: Auto-reply: watching District 9. leave a message
Ryan: oooo no's you has!
3:45 PM
Kate: back
Kate: well
Kate: that was interesting
3:50 PM
Ryan: YAY you're not abducted
Ryan: or did they return you?
Kate: they returned me
Kate: we were partying it up on the mothership
Kate: some DDR (dance dance revolution for those of you who are retards)
Ryan: AND I WASNT INVITEDDDD
Kate: nope
Kate: cause you were at work
Kate: durrr

<3 ryan & i's conversations!

kities are fighting for control of the sunny spot in the living room... trying to eat my yogurt in peace is not happening this morning.

anywayyyyyy tis about it.
yogurt concoction: 1tbsp honey | 3 tbsp greek yogurt (or the Trader Joes Mediterranean cheese style yogurt) | 3-4 tbsp low fat granola | fresh blueberries + mangoes = YUMMY

cheers,
.kate.
ps: prawns (ref to title) was the term people used for the aliens in District 9. I didn't think they looked much like prawns, but whatever.

more knitting & such

The rain is still here, drowning and flooding southern california with a vengeance. I'm enjoying the rain, but it is absofuckinglutely terrifying to drive the freeways in it. And not because I'm afraid of the rain- no it's because my car scares me. It needs a service, the tires are bald and the brakes are almost shot. I drove to Glendale yesterday going about 50-55mph, which is not that slow, but these fucking 18 wheelers and SUVs were speeding past me going like 70-80 and I thought I was going to die. The water spray from the wheels of the 18wheelers was drowning my tires and causing my car to hydroplane. So. fucking. scary!

I hate LA drivers! They either go 30mph or 85 in the rain. It's stupid, just drive cautiously so you don't endanger anyones' life and we're all good. But no, it's always an extreme. UGH.

Finally started the cabled afghan blanket for mi madre. It's going to take a really long time to finish, but at least I've begun it. I need some DPN but every time I go to the Michaels' craft stores in Glendale and Pasadena, they don't have the size I need. It's really frustrating.

Good tv FINALLY. Top Gear 13 on BBCAmerica next monday, and then a week later, the Lost final season! huzzah! Richard Hammond, Smoke Monsters and Lamborghinis oh my!


signing off.
kate.

knitting and strippers

Knitting but i keep forgetting what row i'm on so I mess it up. K1 Slip 1, K1 Slip 1... or is it P1, Slip 1? I'm not sure and now my knitting has turned into a tube. I fail at concentration!

Finally had a random moment where i realized who Richard Hammond reminds me of- not that i had spent time thinking about it, it was unconscious but about ten minutes ago as I was downloading Rock & Roll Pt 2 by Gary Glitter, which I like because it was in the film, The Full Monty (and the Keanu Reeves film, The Replacements)... so then it came to me: he reminds me of Robert Carlyle! Which is weird because though I do find Hammond to be an attractive man, my mind put two and two together that it really shouldn't have, and now my brain has sublemated Hammond into Robert Carlyle's role in The Full Monty and I've got this disturbing mental image of compact little Richard Hammond, stripping in front of old people in a steel factory. So wrong! Hammond or anyone related to Hammond, I do apologize if you for some odd reason read this. It isn't some creepy fantasy, really. It's grossing me out. Ew. Excuse me while I go poke out my mind's eye.

ANYWAY.

So I'm 2/3 through The Two Towers! Still only 107 pages into The Silmarillion, cause I have not read it in like two weeks, but at least I'm keeping my goal of reading all three LOTR books in succession in a succinct amount of time (unlike the years in between reading books that i usually do).

Going to get knitting help from my mom's friend in about an hour, so I should probably get ready to go since I havee to run errands ..

cheers.